Finger painting as therapy

Sometimes you just need to finger paint for a second.

Milo didn't take a nap today, which is always daunting for a number of reasons (I don't get a nap or a second to myself, he's cranky the rest of the day, etc...). But today it was extra upsetting because Nate's working late again and it leaves me to deal with it all on my own. When I finally just got Milo out of bed, I was frustrated and impatient, but trying not to seem like I was either to my son, who is TWO (yes, I'm reminding myself of that as well). And then I remembered it. We have finger paints. And finger paint paper. And a nice big kitchen table for crafting.

So we finger painted. And I do mean both of us. We painted blue cars and red cars, rainbows and birds, flowers and towers and whatever else came to our minds. And then we wiped up our hands and went about our afternoon with smiles on our faces.

Ohhhhhh, and Milo wore these new straw glasses from Nana (the picture is from Saturday when Nate was home and Milo decided to try them out right after Nana left...). So, all in all, we're having a Monday, but it's a little bit better than it started out.

EXACT same face

I love it.

Three peas

Forgot to post this cute little pic from when I watched Kaylee and Braylen last week...

Not much else to tell. I feel like I've been posting less and less because I'm more and more exhausted all the time. Nobody tells you how tiring it is being pregnant while you have a toddler! Kudos to all the women who have done it far better (and with less complaining) than I. But I will say this, just when I'm at my wits end, I always get a breather. This morning Emily came and took Milo to her house just so I could take a nap. Seriously, I felt so spoiled. And I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I've never left him with anyone unless I had an appointment or something, and I genuinely missed the little guy. No matter how much he's been giving me a run for my money.

Hope you have a wonderful and restful weekend.

Evolution of a cupcake

Our friends Dennis and Britney had a baby today, and Milo and I were ready to make blue champagne cupcakes to celebrate (no, I didn't sample any of it...) their 9 pound, 2 ounce baby boy Cade. CONGRATULATIONS, guys!!!

 

Milo is my best kitchen helper (well, my only kitchen helper, but that's beside the point, right?), and this time was no exception. He helped every step of the way, especially with the decorating.

 

SUCH care and dedication, putting on little edible pearls one at a time (and squashing the frosting in the process...)

Presentation is everything.

Like I said... Presentation. Who could say no to this?

Reaping the reward of his hard labor.

And just in case you wanted to know the exact face that both Nate and Milo make at me when they're tired of having their pictures taken.

Target

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but we frequent Target regularly. Like, maybe we'd afford a second car if we didn't go so often (okay, that might be an exaggeration, but you can still give me your car if you want). Anyway, Milo was feeling a little under the weather last week, so we stayed away from Target until the end of the week. No joke, when we were pulling up, he said, "OH! It's Target! I not see Target in a really long time. I can't believe it!"

We might need to cut back?

My Knight

So let me tell you how my night ended up. I never slept. No joke. And I'm not exaggerating, meaning that I slept for just an hour or two, so that doesn't count. No. I mean that when the alarm went off this morning, I was still awake. My body felt like it had been hit by a truck, I was throwing up, and had a massive headache. I literally sat in the recliner when Nate left for work and cried. I had every intention of praying until Milo got up, but all I could muster was something like this, "Father, I have no idea what to do. I need you to help me somehow. I don't even know how."

An hour later, Milo and I were snuggling in the chair and we heard the garage door. Milo told me, "Mommy, I think that's Daddy." Sure enough, Nate walked through the door a minute later (and thank goodness, because how creepy would it have been had someone else been coming in my garage????). He was home for the day to take care of Milo and I (Milo's been feeling yucky for several days now), and I burst into tears immediately. He gave us breakfast, sent me back to bed (where I finally slept for 3 1/2 hours), and tucked in with Milo for the day. When I got up, he had me make a grocery list and he went to the store for me (if you know how much Nate hates the grocery store, you probably have an inkling of how much he loves me to do this).

Don't ever tell me that knights in shining armor don't exist anymore. I live with one.

Late nights and looooooong days

It's 2:30 a.m. Guess what I'm doing?

1. Itching. It's what I do every time I try to lie down and go to sleep. Frustrating? Yes.
2. Pinning random things on Pinterest - newborn pic ideas, hairstyles, funny quotes... Thought it would make me sleepy, but I have yet to wear out.
3. Thinking about going to McDonald's. Normally I detest it, but every once in a while a burgerless cheeseburger sounds like a delight.
4. Regretting the Mountain Dew Baja Blast Freeze I drank earlier (shhh, do not ever tell my doctor that I would drink such a highly caffeinated piece of nonsense). I'm pretty sure it has a hand in tonight's bout of insomnia.
5. More itching. Thank you, pregnancy.

So guess what I'm not doing? Oh, that's right. Sleeping. When I was pregnant with Milo I could sleep through literally every hour of the day and night. It was impressive. Somehow I can tell Lucy is already going to be vastly different since this pregnancy has been so crazy different. And I'm wondering how chasing my spunky little two-year old is going to go tomorrow.

Anyway, I've also been thinking a lot about the detestable explosions at the Boston Marathon today (I guess it's technically yesterday at this point). Being a runner, it makes it heartbreaking. I can recall every bit of the excitement, anticipation, pain, endurance, and elation that has come with every single long-distance race I've run, and I can also envision people who have waited at the finish line to cheer me on. The idea that any of our lives could have been ended or we could have been harmed there is chilling. The fact that we live in a world where these kind of random acts are commonplace is grotesque to me.

I've been thinking about the sanctity and fragility of human life a lot, probably given the fact that I'm growing a tiny human as we speak. It's hard work being pregnant, and it takes a long time, and it takes an even longer time to raise a child. Anyone who would flippantly extinguish even one such life seems unworthy of even the most basic human kindness. I would speak even more strongly on it, but it's late, and I can't go saying things that would get me into trouble. What a sad act performed by a true coward. My friend E had a thing or two to say, and far more poignantly than I could manage this evening (that's why she's a true diva). You should check it out - http://latterdaybohemian.com/2013/04/on-boston/.

That's what's on my mind. Hopefully you're asleep at this point and maybe I'll be on my way soon.

This and that

The best thing ever happened the other night. Nate bought Milo a kite, and the two spent a while in the backyard trying to get it to fly. Well, let's be honest. Nate spent a lot of time running back and forth trying to get it to fly, and Milo spent a lot of time chasing him. And it made Milo's night, since he's always trying to get someone to run with him. Here's the view I got...

In other news, Nate and I struck an awesome deal last week. We could get Bruiser groomed if I cut Bella's hair. (Bruiser was so huge and matted that I couldn't even get the clippers through his hair) So now the dogs are clean and short-haired, and they aren't dragging pollen and pine needles through the house every hour of the day. I'd say everyone is pretty happy with the results.

 

 

Life's small miracles

I will admit - I'm not one of those pregnant women who can just eat anything (or lots of anything, for that matter). Because I'm watching my weight gain? Ummm, NO. Because everything makes me sick, or give me indigestion, or both... After I while I get so tired of throwing up or feeling a tummy full of fire that eating becomes a chore. Every woman has a story, though, right?

Anyway, all that to say, there are two miracles in life - Blue Bell vanilla ice cream and snow cones. Both of them help calm my stomach and taste great. It's the small blessings, right? Milo's a big fan, too. This yellow bowl is full of snow cone...

Hiding from the flash

Stretch for the big bite

And it's in!

Lucy in 4D

We had such a fun time at our 4D ultrasound today. Lucy looks so much like Milo, and yet so much like her very own little self. She's perfect in every sense of the word, and we couldn't be more excited about her coming. Just thought I'd share a picture or two so you can have a sneak peek at our little lady.

 

Nate said she has my exact little fat toes.

Sweet face, beautiful mouth.

One more moment

Oh my. Let's just add to my favorite Milo moments...

Tonight Milo noticed I had a cut on my finger, and he immediately said, "Oh Mommy, you got a boo-boo? I kiss it."

Very lovingly he took my hand and kissed my finger, and then immediately said, "Wah-way, please touch Mommy's boo-boo. Please give her boo-boo peace."

Insert very melty mommy. I don't ever want to forget the fact that my two-year old immediately goes to God with everything, especially a little wound on his mommy's hand.

Yes, he was literally lying on the couch like a little model, watching a movie.

Milo moments

We just turned Milo's bed this week so he has the little opening to get out on his own. I thought it would be a disaster, but so far, I only have to threaten him with a spanking and he sticks tight. That doesn't mean he goes right to sleep at night, but at least he's not prancing around the house with his hands on his hips as much as I'd imagined... He usually wakes up with something fun to say, though. Like, the other night, when he first figured out he could come out and he surprised me at the computer at 10 p.m., waving, grinning, and saying, "HI, Mommy!" like he was the coolest thing since the snuggie.

My favorite, though, was yesterday's nap wake up, when he came marching out, arms outstretched, saying, "I awake! I had a good nap!"

He's a treat, that's for sure.
A few more of my favorite Milo moments this week:

We were reading a Bible-themed book with a picture of Mary and baby Jesus. He pointed to the scarf on Mary's head and said, "What's that, Mommy?" I explained to him that it was kind of like a hat, and he told me, "I not wear it. You not wear that. Moses wear it."

He marched around the house today telling me, "I a sweet little nugget. I a BIG nugget."

He told me, after a visit from Uncle Chad and Aunt Tree, "Mommy, I so happy to see them."

After Milo and I ran around the house to "his song," he proceeded to grab a play phone and have this conversation - "Hi, Nana! What you doing? Good. Oh, I just marching with Mommy."

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Life with Two Nates

The fun thing around our house is that Nate has his very own mini-me. Yes, Milo may have come out of the womb looking very much like me, but as he gets older, I realize more and more that he has Nate's exact personality. Well, almost exact... I can usually predict how Milo will react to situations or what he will like based on the fact that I've been married to his daddy almost eight years now. It's been the perfect experience I needed to be Milo's mommy.

 

All that to say, I'd like to share a little picture of my man today. Note the perfectly arranged stuffed animals in the background? That's definitely Nate for you. He was obviously several years older than Milo is in this picture, but you're about to see a very similar personality emerge.

 

But now let me point your attention to another little man who spent the morning very busily arranging some Little People animals of his own. If only I had a cake to pose him with, you might know what it's like to live my life with two of the same person (and I LOVE it, by the way).

Craft Day

Yesterday was Craft Day at the Jackson home. Which means it was a good excuse for Chad and Tree to come over, hang out, and eat lots of snacks while we painted and yarned letters. We had a fantastic time, though, and Nate and I finished a little project I'd been thinking about for months. Hopefully this will be the kickstart we need to get Lucy's room going!

Yarn letters for Lucy's wall