I'm sittin' here I'm 5 months old...

(Kudos to anyone who can identify the song reference in the title above.)

I have noticed that the blog seems to be a little Lyndon-heavy as of late. This is partly because Lyndon is awake for significantly more of the day than Kieran is, and partly because when Kieran is awake, I usually have my hands full. Also, he wasn't particularly photogenic.

Well, the times, they are a-changin'. Kieran is 5 months old, so he needs less and smiles more. So here we go...

 

Aaaaugh! A naked baby!!! (Actually, I'm pretty sure he had a diaper on.)

"Nom nom nom, mmmm fingers!"

Mischevious smile at the beach.

He loves to "fly". If he's in a good mood, pretty much any fast motion will make him scream with laughter.

"Say what?"

The hat was Lyndon's idea.

Concentrating very hard on how to get the toy into the mouth.

Yep, he's a boy all right. I've seen that vacant stare before.

If I only knew what goes on inside that cute little head of his, I'd have better captions for some of these. But who knows what babies are thinking when they make all their crazy faces? All I know is that I love this little guy who's showing so much personality these days.

on parenting and jury duty

When Kieran was almost 2 months old, I was summoned to jury duty. With a doctor's note, I managed to get a postponement, since I was exclusively breastfeeding. I asked to be reprieved until January or February, since I plan on breastfeeding Kieran for at least a year, like I did with Lyndon. We don't do many bottles around here, and Kieran has had a really hard time taking them. So, the government postponed my summons... until June. Bizarre, I know, but I figured I could ask for another postponement when the time came.

Well, I could ask, but I couldn't receive.

That's right; even with a note from the pediatrician, stating that Kieran is breastfed and has had trouble taking a bottle, I am expected to report to the courthouse bright and early on June 11th. I'm considering taking him with me. At the very least, I will be taking my breastpump and written proof that they have to give me a private place to use it. Of course, I'm annoyed at the inconvenience, but, beyond that, I'm pretty disappointed in the way our government is treating me, and moms in general, for that matter.

I'm sure you've heard about that Time Magazine article, entitled "The Mommy Wars". Quite a few people have seen this article as an attempt by mass media to encourage moms to fight amongst themselves, instead of fighting together for bigger causes. Like decent maternity leave. Or respect for motherhood in the workplace. Or . . . you know, our children's education.

It's easier to judge and bicker and backstab each other for our different parenting choices than to try to make some real difference in the world.

I read an article recently outlining the United States' provisions, or rather, lack of provisions, for paid maternity leave. It's pretty embarrassing. From the article:

"Did you know that the United States in one of the only industrialized nations that does not provide a mandatory maternity leave benefit?... 'According to USA Today, 'out of 168 nations in a Harvard University study last year, 163 had some form of paid maternity leave, leaving the United States in the company of Lesotho, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland'."

Yes, the Family Medical Leave Act provides some benefits, but only to those who "qualify" (which is kind of a short list), and nowhere near the kind of provisions necessary to raise a family. The article spells out the specifics, but let's just say it's pretty sad. Mothers are expected to be back at their desks before their babies are breastfeeding successfully or sleeping through the night. Parents are harassed for taking time off to care for sick children. And paternity leave? What's that?

Now, I'm not saying this is all, or even mostly, the government's fault. But when a state government ignores the pleas of a family and a pediatrician and refuses to postpone something like jury duty for more than 3 months so that an infant can be near his only source of food, it is helping to create a culture that devalues children. Raising a family is hard, and parents need as much support as they can get. Instead, we get jury duty and the "mommy wars".

Really, America?

hard

Having a second child is hard.

I know those of you with more than two children are shaking your heads, thinking about just how much harder it can get.

But for me, two has been hard.

It's getting easier, nearly four months in. I'm starting to be able to do some of the things I had set aside. You know, like cleaning bathrooms. Or cleaning... anything. I'm starting to get Kieran on some sort of routine, and I'm figuring out how to multitask enough to keep everyone fed, changed, dressed, and reasonably happy. Sleep deprivation is still a part of my life, but not in the mind-numbing way it once was. I'm starting to blog again. Slowly but surely, I am getting my life back.

But it's a different life.

A life of double strollers and not enough hands and nursing while walking.

I nursed Kieran in the powder room this afternoon, sitting on a little plastic stool, steadying Lyndon as he sat on his potty seat.

I know I'll be overjoyed when my little boys start playing together, when they whisper to each other from their beds at night, but right now, I'm just overwhelmed. I have an infant. And a toddler. I am a mother of two. And it's the hardest thing I've ever done.

"Spash!"

Lyndon stayed with his Nana and Pop-Pop last weekend.

The first afternoon, they walked down to the river.

They collected river rocks...

And Lyndon wore Pop-Pop's hat... backwards...

They went back the next morning. And then things really got interesting...

When I asked Lyndon what he did all weekend, he replied, "Spash!"

Why yes, dear, I believe you did.

gratuitous pics of a snuggle bug

"Lyndon, who do you love?"

"Dada."

"Anybody else?"

"Mmama."

We epic fail at Halloween pictures.

I apologize for not following through on my promise of a "coherent thoughts on Halloween and pics of my adorable son in costume" post. It's a long story, involving a borrowed SLR and an accidentally erased memory card. Hopefully, we haven't lost all pics of this year's Halloween forever; although, as my instructional technologist husband hasn't managed to recover them in 3 days of trying, it's not looking good.

So I have decided to post the "coherent thoughts on Halloween" portion anyway, which I wrote on Tuesday, and follow it with "pics of my adorable son in (part of his) costume". And if we ever manage to get our pics back, you will be the first ones I share them with. Promise.

--Post Title: "Our Halloween"--

First off, a little error correction. The article cited yesterday is by Justin Holcomb, not Mark Driscoll. Mark simply posted it on his Facebook status.

Anyway, in his article, Justin says:

 "It seems that Christians can easily receive (with wisdom) some cultural aspects of the holiday, and there is some potential for the pagan cultural practices to be redeemed—but care must be taken. There is a big difference between kids dressing up in cute costumes for candy and Mardi-Gras-like Halloween parties, offensive costumes, and uninhibited excess . . . for those Christians whose conscience permits we should view it as an opportunity to engage wisely with our culture."

And since our household is generally not tempted towards "uninhibited excess," and invitations to "Mardi-Gras-like parties" are few and far between, we feel it fairly safe, as a family, to participate in some aspects of Halloween. We are attempting to "redeem" the holiday, to use Justin's word.

For example, Lyndon and I went to three events last week that were basically an excuse for kids to wear costumes, play games and see their friends. One was hosted by our church and was a fantastic time for our church family to make some memories together. One was a MOMS Club annual event, at which I made new mom friends and Lyndon tackled the playground with some of his. And one was our local, downtown Trick or Treat night, a great chance to support local businesses and do something unusual as a family.

Oh, and then we went Trick or Treating with friends last night, and Lyndon still giggles with excitement when we talk about it. Holiday effectively redeemed. :-)

Yes, this is technically his entire costume (except shoes), but I think the misery on his face counts against it. This was the first time I tried putting him in it, and he hated it. Hated it so much, in fact, that I gave up and took most of it off . . .

 

See? Much happier. But much less cute. In theory, he was Alex the Lion from "Madagascar". At this particular party, he just carried his stuffed lion around and wore his t-shirt. I did manage to make the whole costume more comfortable for him by cutting the hood and tail off of the original fuzzy vest and attaching them to his sweatsuit. By the end of Halloween night, he didn't want to take it off. Unfortunately, that's the part of the camera card we lost. *sigh* At least you get the idea.

pictures taken with a swanky, swanky camera

First of all, a word about the camera that took these (for all you camera nerds out there who know what I'm talking about and/or care): these were taken with a Nikon D5100, which is a way nicer camera than I will probably ever own, even if I do end up with an SLR for Christmas one of these years. They were all taken in RAW with just the kit lens, and I played around with them a little in Adobe Bridge before putting them on my computer. They aren't amazingly good, but I think they're much better than what I usually take with my Canon PowerShot G5. Let me know what you think!

giggling together before a  hayride

lookin' snazzy on said hayride

Now, before you start griping (because I know you're like that) ;-) about how dark this one is, keep in mind that I wouldn't have even bothered trying with my Canon. Taking pictures in my living room without a flash or lots of blur requires an ISO of at least 1000. And even then, we had to do quite a bit of lightening work in Bridge.

climbing a gangplank

You can't imagine how excited I am to get decent pictures in my living room!

Well hello there my bold, brash toddler. Ready to take on the world, are we?

Oh, Nikon. Never, ever leave me.

20 (ish) week belly shot: bring on the nesting!

So, I'm the slacker who can't manage to take her 20 week belly shot, um, during her 20th week. In fact, today is the 22 week mark. But, better late than never!

The manual setting on my camera, when used properly, makes that bathroom lighting just a little more bearable. Oh, and yes, the haircut is (fairly) new. Thanks for asking. I'm kind of in love with it.

Let's see that belly up close!

Yes, my bellybutton has "popped". That means the baby's done, right? Kidding, kidding.

Actually, I'm not particularly eager for this little one to be done cooking yet. From about 16 or 17 weeks until about 25, I usually feel better than I do not pregnant. I am no longer lactose intolerant, for example. My mood is better than usual, and I have a ton of energy.

This week in particular, most of this energy has been directed into that phenomenon known as "nesting". To my knowledge, I never nested with Lyndon. Then again, I had a job that required me to clean and organize things all day long, so perhaps that fulfilled my nesting urge. But with this little guy, watch out! Suddenly, it's like my eyes have been opened, and I care, really care about all the half-finished or "good enough" projects around here. I sanded and oiled our teak dining room table, listed the whole set on craigslist (again), put up pictures that have been in my closet for months, organized Lyndon's toys into a system that should work for years, you get the idea. It's been fun, and I love that feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. I would be perfectly happy to feel like this for the next 18(ish) weeks.

It's a...

Well, it looks like we will be continuing our church's tradition of having lots and lots of... boys. Maybe it's something in the water around here...

Anyway, all of Tadpole's measurements checked out just fine, and the technician managed to get a shot that guarantees it's a boy. I thought I would be just a little disappointed, but I wasn't. All I could think about was how cute his little nose is and how much trouble he and Lyndon will get into together. I'm so glad my two little boys will be able to play together and be friends. Yes, I hope a girl is in our future eventually, but for now, I'm excited at the idea of two little rascals running around here together.

What's for dinner? salmon and black bean "burgers"

So, I'm posting my second dinner recipe, and hopefully, I won't end up in the ER like last time. (I did wait until I had actually served dinner this time to post; maybe that will help.)

Anyway, here we go. My recipe is based on this one from allrecipes.com. I've made it as written a few times now, but the other day I had some fun tweaking it, since I needed to feed a few more people and wasn't about to add more salmon.

12 oz. canned salmon (that's 2 cans if you get it from Costco)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (I've made it with both fresh and about 1 T. of dried-- good either way)
1 egg
5 saltines, crushed
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
15 oz. can black beans ( I used about 3/4 of the can, but my husband is a beanophobe. You could probably use the whole thing if you wanted.)
1/4-1 cup water
1/4 cup flour


1. In a bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Mix well.
2. Mash beans with a fork and add to salmon mixture.
3. Add water 1 T. at a time until mixture will hold together. Form into 8 patties.
4. Coat patties lightly in flour.

You can either pan fry these or bake them in the oven. I've done both. Obviously, the oven option is healthier (and more hands-off for those of you chasing little ones around), while pan frying gives a better, browner crust.

To pan fry: Heat 3-4 t. oil in skillet over medium heat. Fry 4-5 mins. on each side or until lightly browned and heated through.

To bake: Preheat oven to 375. Arrange patties in single layer on greased baking sheet. Spray patties lightly with cooking spray. Bake 10-12 mins. or until lightly browned and heated through, turning once.

We love to dip these in cocktail sauce, ketchup, or chili-garlic sauce (from the Asian section of the grocery store), depending on how much spice we're feeling that night.

Enjoy, and let me know if you try these!

12 week belly shot: hello stretchy pants

I've been doing a little internal happy dance for myself and Tadpole all day today, because we've reached the magical 12 week mark! Yes, ladies and gentlemen (any gentlemen readers out there?), chances are good that the two of us are in it for the long haul now. Mmmmm, yay.

Morning sickness has been kept to a minimum, thankfully. I've had a few rough days, but nothing some rest, snacks, and midwife-approved herbal tea couldn't cure. I was seriously exhausted for a while there, but that seems to be lifting, as well. No longer do I pass out the second Lyndon is down and awaken 2 hours later with lines on my face. Nope, those days seem to be gone. (For now. Ask me again in December.)

Ok, so on to the fun pictures:

12 week belly shot (sorry about the fuzziness)

See the elastic panel on my shorts? Yeah. I have a feeling it's elastic-waist pants from here on out. I put on my normal jeans yesterday, then took them off and put them in storage in the guest room. There was just no way. Even the old rubber band-through-the-buttonhole-trick didn't help.

I'm kind of embarrassed to be in maternity clothes already, but on another level, I'm not. I was never one of those types to hold out as long as I could before making the switch. (The buttonhole trick was done out of pure budgetary concern last time.) I figure, if I can be comfortable and still look decent, why in the heck wouldn't I? I'm going to be uncomfortable enough a few months from now; why start earlier than I have to? Granted, last time, this attitude left me fairly tired of my limited wardrobe come 40 weeks, but we'll deal with that later. For now, it's elastic pants all the way.

Happy 2nd trimester, little Tadpole.

anniversary trip, part 2

This post is about something I like to call The Chair.

This chair.

This lovely red number belonged to my dad when he was a kid. My parents have pictures of him in it. They also have pictures of me in it. And, what do you know, for Lyndon, it was love at first sight.

He climbed in and out of it for two days straight, figured out how to turn himself around in it and make it rock.

I can't tell you how weird and wonderful it was to see him enjoy the very same chair at his grandparents' house that I enjoyed at mine. This thing is special. I'm glad he realizes it.

anniversary trip, part 1

We spent last weekend with my parents, down at their very farm-like home. There were big trees, cool breezes, and wide open spaces, a welcome change from suburbia. Since our anniversary was the previous Thursday, they took us out to a lovely dinner along the Chesapeake Bay.

There was a wedding going on right outside our window; we watched the whole thing from our table. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures (I thought it would be a little weird), but it was very fun to watch. The groomsmen wore color-coordinated Hawaiian shirts that matched the wild, tropical colors of the bridesmaid's dresses. It looked like someone uprooted a Bahama beach wedding and transplanted it to Maryland.

The food, of course, was fantastic, and when Lyndon got antsy towards the end, we took him exploring.

The current (very swanky) restaurant and hotel where we ate is built right next to an old railway station that used to take people from the cities down for a day at the beach. It's now a museum.

This whole scene was very surreal for me, seeing my husband and son wander around this place. I studied this spot as part of a history project in high school, snapped photos here for my senior photography class, and acted in a musical for the county's 350th anniversary that paid homage to this train and rehearsed right up the street. It was a true merging of old and new: the shiny hotel with the worn green benches, my little Lyndon with my past adventures.

6 week belly shot: already having trouble with my skinny jeans

When I was pregnant with Lyndon, I wore my normal pants and shorts until I was about 5 months along. I did have to wrap a rubber band around the button and thread it through the button-hole for some extra wiggle room, but that was it. This time around, it ain't gonna happen. At 6 weeks:

Yikes! And those are my "comfy" jeans. My normal jeans start to get uncomfortable around 3 pm, and I have to either unbutton or make the switch to something more forgiving.

As excited as I am to look pregnant, I have to say that I'm having a hard time with this whole showing earlier thing. I'm afraid it will extend the awkward "Are you pregnant or just putting on weight?" stage that I hated so much last time.

Then again, we might just reach the fun "obviously pregnant" stage that much sooner. Only time will tell. One thing's for sure, though: this time around, I am definitely buying some maternity shorts.

two little monkeys jumping on the bed...

Lyndon loves that song. You know the one, "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head . . .", and then of course, we have four monkeys, then three, then two, then one. There are lots of songs that count backwards like that: "Sally the Camel", "Five Green Speckled Frogs", etc.

But around here, we're not counting backwards anymore. Because we already have one little monkey. And now we're about to have two.

That's right, folks. Sometime this winter, our little family of three will become four. Or five. (I always wanted twins, and you just never know!)

Either way, there will be plenty of little monkeys jumping on my bed. :-)

Mother's Day tribute

I feel like this is the first Mother's Day that I have really appreciated my mom, in the sense of understanding exactly how much she gave up to mother me. She breastfed me in an era when bottle-feeding was the norm, going so far as to pump two bottles manually during her lunch break at work every day. She gave up her career (20 years as an art teacher) to stay home with me, and in so doing, gave up the extra income, the personal fulfillment, and the recognition that comes with being excellent at what you do (which she is, by the way). She has, to my knowledge, never looked back or regretted that decision. She has never held it over my head; rather, she always seems to feel privileged that she was able to be home with me.

She wiped my runny nose (and other *ahem* areas), cleaned up my messes, and endured my tantrums. She held my hand, prayed with me, and counseled me well into the night. I don't ever remember her complaining or asking for a day off (two things that I do all the time). She did the best she possibly could, every day that I was with her. She poured her life out into me, giving me chances and opportunities she never had, shaping, molding, teaching, training. She worked hard to make me into the person I am. Then she let me go.

Since then, she has become a fantastic grandmother to my little boy. He loves to sit on her lap and play any game she wants, and she loves him fiercely. I love seeing the two of them together, enjoying each other's company and learning together. And I know she'll be as good to him as she was to me.

Thanks, mom, for all your sacrifice and love. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day.

like father, like son

Lyndon loves anything with a screen . . . or buttons. (For those of you who know my husband, this should come as no surprise.) He has an old (battery-less) cell phone and remote control that are officially part of his toys now, and he loves to pretend to use them. Just like Daddy.

Lyndon is walking!

Lyndon took his first steps a few weeks ago, but this is the first good recording I've gotten of it, mostly because he freaks out when he sees the camera and tries to get it at any cost. As you will see, I am now using this to my advantage. Oh, and sorry about the sideways...ness. If anyone has figured out how to flip these videos, please share!

snow shots

Well, it's warming up around here; we're all hoping and praying that spring is on its way. And, just in time, I finally got our snow pictures uploaded and organized. So here we go. It's snow time!

almost ready to go . . . just need one more thing . . .

Ah, that's better. My little marshmallow.

our front door, complete with snow drift, Christmas wreath and mildly makeshift Christmas lights

 our little pond all iced over and one of our little trees

He enjoyed touching the snow, but he got a little frustrated with his snow suit. He couldn't crawl in it or balance very well while sitting up.

So I brought some inside for him. I got the idea from a toddler teacher I used to work with; she used to bring some snow inside for the kids every time it snowed. He loved it.

The snow should be more fun next year when Lyndon can actually walk around in it, but I think he enjoyed it fairly well this year, as well. Hopefully, he can help daddy shovel next year, too!

Lyndon bonds with his aunt, nana and pop-pop

We went to a family barbecue this weekend, and Lyndon spent some quality time with his extended family. First, he bonded with his Aunt Christina by doing one of her favorite things . . . texting.

It's a testament to her love for him that she let him have her phone in the first place, although he can be pretty convincing. To say that he loves cell phones is putting it mildly. He had a full-blown meltdown (tears and everything) the other day because I was talking on mine in front of him, and I wouldn't let him have it.

He also explored the grounds a little with his Pop-Pop. . .

I love taking him to places with big, old trees and lots of soft grass because he's so enthralled by it all. It's completely different from anything we have around here. I think he examined every leaf on that tree that he could reach.

Then his Nana put him on a folding chair, and we all held our breath, waiting for him to topple over. . .

He, of course, loved being unstable and wobbly.

It was a lovely day, filled with food, friends, family, and a nap-free afternoon. Happy Labor Day everyone!