Last day of February

Things are getting back to normal as I'm starting to feel better, and one of my favorite things that I'm able to do again is help other people. Ugh. There's nothing like the dreary tunnel of self-focus to rob your joy, and I am pleased to report that my vision is expanding. Hooray!

So imagine Milo's delight when one of his favorite people, "Wee-wee-paul" got to come over and play for the morning while Emily got some cleaning done at home. The two ran all over the house, squealing, shouting at the dogs, and being double delightful. I got them to slow down long enough for me to take a picture, and then they were back at it. Can you believe how long Lily's hair is getting, while still being such a beautiful blonde?

Happy last day of February to you!

Cars shirts

Milo is developing quite the collection of Cars shirts, and he wears a different one almost every day (minus the days I purposely leave the laundry so we don't have one clean). I had to look at this picture multiple times before I figured out why it looked backward - it's designed that way. Anyway, he's been quite a trooper the last week or so while I've spent almost all my time working on choreography, so we had a day of fun with friends and the gorgeous weather outside yesterday. We saw the Foys twice in one day, which was a treat for all of us.

Still here

Don't worry - we're still here. Just a little busier than normal this week.

Milo was literally in the middle of saying, "Mommy, I NOT say cheese" here.

Milo's blog suggestion

Milo and I were looking at pictures today, and he told me, "Mommy, put deese pichers on the bog." So here they are, per Milo's request.

Milo took his snack and disappeared yesterday - any guesses where I found him? 

Do you sometimes forget how awesome it is to be a kid with a laundry basket?

Thoughtful and pleased

Milo made himself a little fort today, and had a great time playing in it (despite this somewhat serious face).

For a fire ant's consideration

Dear Fire Ants of East Texas,
I am a white woman living in America...
Oh wait, wrong letter... (Thanks a lot, White Chicks.)

I am a tired toddler mother with a special request. I would like to respectfully ask you to back the h*ll off. While I appreciate the attention to detail you give in biting me 93% of the time I walk outside, no matter the weather conditions, time of year, or temperature, I would like to suggest that your attentions might be more profitably spent elsewhere, for example, terrorizing thieves, murderers, and otherwise unsavory criminal types. We have no shortage of them in the area, I'm sure.

I must admit, your care and concern in biting me instead of Milo, despite the fact that he was the one who accidentally uncovered your underground lair (And by the way, what's up with that? Are you not insidious enough without having an underground hideout similar to a supervillain's?), was thoughtful. And it was nowhere as painful as the pejaje debacle of 2011. But I propose that just because the Texas sun is as hot as the fires of hell, you keep in mind that I do not need to be tortured as if I had descended to Sheol myself. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
kate

Milo's favorite game

What has lots of scales, swims in the water, and makes a face like this...?

"It's a fishie!" Welcome to Milo's favorite game, "I finking an animal." The other day I heard him in his bed when he first woke up in the morning. It went a little something like this: "I finking an animal. It's big. It's gray. It say hmmmph hmmmmph hmmmmph." As I burst into the room and said, "It's a rhino!" he gasped and smiled. It was his best clue yet. Most of the time he tells us, "I finking an animal. (pause pause pause) Oh! It's a monkey (or insert other animal)!" He much prefers us to just give the clues, and he almost never guesses wrong. Smartie.

Sishing stuff

Milo and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen together. I know he's only 2, but I'm teaching him to cook things already (Milo's VERY future wife - you're welcome), and he's an excellent helper because he tastes everything. I gave him his own little blob of pizza dough to knead as I did a big chunk yesterday. He was so happy, saying, "I sish it, I turn it around and around, I sish it more." (Translation: I squish it, turn it over, squish it some more.) Good times at our house, people.

Milo was genuinely dedicated to kneading here.

Also very dedicated to tasting everything, as evidenced by this face. When I showed Milo the picture and asked what was on his face, he told me, "Sish, Mommy."

An expert taster in action.

Who does he look like?

I think Milo looks like Nate or I, depending on which of us he's right next to. Here's my argument in photo form:

Look at these gorgeous matching eyes and haircuts.

 

Same mouth at least, maybe a similar nose and face shape?

Bunny hat / diaper cover

By the way, I made this for one of Nate's co-workers, and I'm feeling pretty darn awesome about myself.

The big boy bed (and the end Mommy's naptimes)

Remember not too long ago when I told you my child still sleeps in his crib? Well, funny me, that day was the last day he ever slept in that crib...

 

Ever get an idea that seems remarkably good and really just goes horribly awry? Hmmmm. For reasons I will not share (other than a melted plastic pee sheet for the crib that led us to say, "Let's just buy one for the big boy bed and move Milo over - won't that be FUN?"), Nate and I decided the very same day I posted those cutie little crib pics to move Milo to his big boy bed. After all, we had already purchased it. He was going to have to move there at some point before Lucy came. Bedtime has been hard lately, but not just God-awful. So we did it. We plunged in headfirst to the world of big boy beds and I've been kicking myself ever since.

 

Look how cute this child is. He is absolutely tiny in this giant bed, and he loves it so much. It's like a place to play and hang out and swing from the curtains and roll all over the place. Do you notice any vital verb missing in the above sentence? You know, what normally gets associated with a bed? Oh that's right... sleep. Because apparently this awesome big boy bed that is decked out with Cars sheets and blanket is the absolute last place Milo is interested in going to sleep. Let's just say we've been a little short on rest in the Jackson home as of late... Everyone keeps telling me that it gets better. Surely Milo will take fewer than two hours to go to sleep at night at some point, right? Surely he will take a stinking nap so that my selfish pregnant self can take one, too, right? At some point, Nate and I will make it through a bedtime without wanting to cuss, right?

 

But golly, this kid is cute.

 

This might be the only time he's ever laid down under his blanket and been still for half a second.

 

Did I mention Milo LOVES this new bed?

This is so you can get a sense of what he's doing in here while he's NOT sleeping.

Crib Love

Milo and I aren't great at pretending to be asleep.

Oh yes, we did both get into that crib.

Fun for everyone.

Oh yes, miracle of miracles, my two-year old child still sleeps in a crib. He's small enough that he still has plenty of room, he loves his cozy little bed, and he can't get out on his own (and has never even tried). Most of the time this is amazing, except mornings like today when Nate found him sunny-side up with no diaper, but I digress... Anyway, I surprised Milo the other night by being in his bed when he and Nate came in at bedtime. He was so delighted that it was a shame when I had to get up (and then there was the fact that I had to haul my pregnant self back out of that bed).

Now, here's the thing. We have a Lucy coming, and Milo isn't even interested in sleeping in his big boy bed. I've shown it to him a number of times, and he always tells me, "No, Mommy. Want a baby bed." Hmmmm. At some point we're going to have to move him, but he seems perfectly content to stay where he is. Anyone know how to tell when a child is ready for a toddler bed?

Halfway to Lucy!

Just thought I'd share the good news with you. As of yesterday, I'm halfway to having a Lucy! That's right, I'm 20 weeks, officially 5 months pregnant, and feeling quite large and in charge to boot. People weren't joking when they said it takes much less time to start showing with the second baby... But anyway, let's just revel in the fact that we're halfway there.