#5: The Termite House

The new house drama continues.  This time in a good way.  We think.  We hope?

A brief recap of homes we have tried to purchase over the last three months:

#1 -- the Brook Run house, which we loved and had under contract and hired an architect to renovate and then it got snatched out from under us when it technically wasn't even still for sale.

#2 -- the tiny near our church that was cheap enough to buy with cash then bulldoze and start from scratch.  It had eighteen other offers the same day we decided we wanted it.

#3 -- the place in north Raleigh, the one that finally really got me over the Brook Run house and excited about buying again.  That one one that went under contract the evening before we were scheduled to meet our realtor there.

So much for a buyer's market, huh?

#4 -- the Oakland lot.  A great location where we could build a custom house for a fraction of what it would be worth in that neighborhood once it was completed.  We had a floor plan picked out and our architect on standby.  But we couldn't do anything because the land is a floodplain, and it would be months (this was late November) before we could get a due diligence survey meeting with the city to see if building was not only legal but even feasible.  But what we picked out, we loved, and we got very attached to the idea of doing everying (and only) what we wanted with the house.

the Oakland house... or something like it

{We found out just last week that it wasn't feasible.  The huge creek running through the property has such a large protection area on either side for the city greenway that there's really no room for a house, floodplain floorplan or no.  Also the guy selling it might not even own it and there's apparently a title dispute.  Um, no thanks.}

So in the meantime, our realtor recommended we look into some other options.  In my mind these were going to be backups, in case the Oakland lot didn't work out.  (Even though at the time, I was oh so sure it would.)  Which brings us to...

#5 -- the Anderson house.  I didn't even want to see it at first.  It sounded too small and didn't have enough bedrooms (2200 square feet and three bedrooms isn't quite enough for our about-to-be-officially-big family).  And it was out of our price range, in a neighborhood we hadn't even been entertaining because we definitely can't afford to buy there, Mark!!  But my stubborn husband and our wise realtor dragged me there anyway.  And guess what?  It's awesome. 

One of the bedrooms is really two rooms, connected sort of oddly, and there's a separate guest house on the property.  So really it's almost 3000 square feet and five bedrooms, plus a bonus room.  Um.  Suddenly that's a lot better than how it looked online.

It took me approximately twelve minutes to fall in love with this house.  Yes, there were smug "I told you so" looks from both Mark and our realtor.  I don't care.  I can take it.  And anyone who is about to tell me Erin, don't fall in love with a house! Didn't you learn anything last time? well, you can just... shut up.  I'm in love with it.  Deal.

Oh, there were issues.  First, the price -- which suddenly became more manageable when we realized there were special mortgages available for this type of foreclosed-upon house.  And when we re-worked our budget. ;)  Second, the pretty substantial termite damage -- but we got a contractor lined up to do the repairs and renovations and worked that into the budget too.  Now we just need to get Nathan to stop calling it the termite house.  We cannot raise our family in the termite house.  Fail. 

So we got the major issues worked out (on paper anyway), and decided to put in an offer. 

Aaaaand I just realized this cannot all fit into one blog post.  The Termite House.... to be continued.  Oh man that sounds like a horror movie or something.  I promise it doesn't end that way.  I think.  I hope?

Sprout's First Fluffy Mail

It will probably surprise no one that the first thing I bought for Sprout was a handful of teeny adorable cloth diapers.  (I know this picture provides no sense of scale, but trust me -- they're teeny and adorable.)

Most of the diapers I'm using for Anneliese are the one-size variety, which means they'll work for Sprout too.  But since one-size diapers can sometimes be bulky on newborns, and since I wanted a few extra dipes if I'm going to have two using them full-time, I went ahead and got some smaller ones. 

These are BumGenius, the same as the majority of our stash, but these are all-in-ones instead of pockets.  I loved the all-in-ones when I was trying out options for Anneliese a year ago, but only bought a few because the pocket version (with adjustable sizing) made more sense for long-term use on growing babies.  These don't have a size adjustment (they're just designed to fit babies 8-16 lbs or something) so they're just... teeny and adorable.  And will eventually be outgrown, but that's ok.

I probably shouldn't admit this, but these sweet little diapers make me look forward to my sweet little baby even more.

Leaf Sucker Truck

One of Anneliese's newfound skills is standing by the window and watching the world go by.  She can't pull up yet, but if we prop her into a standing position this will keep her happily entertained for upwards of ten or fifteen minutes (that's a long time at her age). 

When the leaf sucker truck (yes, I am very sure that's the technical and official name, don't question me about this) came by yesterday, she and Nathan stood together at the window to watch.  The leaf sucker truck is a rarely spotted animal, even in its natural habitat, especially in January.  Seeing it, and both of my kids standing at the window to watch it... um, kind of a big deal.  Just sayin'.

Why the clapping, mom? I'd do this all day.  It ain't no thang.

We're so so proud of our sweet little lady for finally (and consistently) bearing weight on her legs!  This is such good progress!  Yay Anneliese!!

My Last First Trimester

Thirteen weeks and three days.  Sprout's first trimester is done. 

Don't get too used to these belly shots, but here's one to mark the occasion.  (And so that history shows we were totally excited enough about Sprout to take belly shots through this pregnancy too.)

And hey, that is not all fat.  Third babies show sooner!  They do!  The internet told me.  Especially now that I have seen pictures of myself, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  When I first started showing a couple weeks ago (read: way too early) I was in denial.  Not any more.  Now I'm totally on the pregnant-not-fat party train.

And note: my hair is washed and brushed.  Yep, that's right, resolution win (well, it's a win as long as you don't ask me how clean my kids are).

Gorilla Crawl

A few days ago, Anneliese started doing this funny little crawl with one knee and one leg.  The fact that I think she looks a little like a baby gorilla is probably a testament to how often I've watched Tarzan over the last month.  (What?! It's a good movie.)

This little maneuver is sweet and silly, and anything that even remotely resembles weight-bearing on her legs is a really good thing.  So I kind of love it.

I couldn't get her to crawl towards me on video, but here's the view of her little fluffy gorilla backside.  If you watch all the way to the end, she has a tiny little little giggle that's totally worth the ten-second time investment.  Totally.

(If you can't see the embedded video, click here to watch it on youtube.)

Nathanisms

A few of Nathan's most oft-used phrases at 3 1/2 years old:

1.) "Too chunky" - used to describe something he doesn't like.  Smooth is good, chunky is bad (this started out as yogurt pickiness and now transcends to all areas of life).  Example: I don't want to read that book tonight, it's too chunky.

2.) "It's safe" - used to describe things he's scared of or is worried are decidedly unsafe (repeating what he's heard us say to him in those situations).  Examples: That's a daddy gorilla, he's safe. Or, are we going down the slide?  It's safe.

3.) "No mommy talk about it" - used when I try to engage him in a conversation he'd rather be having with someone else (like Daddy).  Note: almost always used in a freakout voice.  Another note: reserved for avoiding conversations with just Mommy.  No Daddy talk about it is not an existing or valid phrase in the Nathan lexicon.

4.) "That's not my favorite" - another way to describe something he doesn't like (he might or might not have picked this up from Mark, who uses this phrase to describe food he never ever wants me to cook again).  Examples: I don't want to stay in the car, staying in the car's not my favorite.  Or, I don't want to poop in the potty, pooping in the potty's not my favorite.  Note: favorite is actually pronounced fravrite.  In all circumstances.

5.) "Yesorno?" - used to quiz adults on questions to which he already perfectly well knows the answers.  Examples: Is that a semi truck, yesorno? Or, is this our house, yesorno? Or, is Anneliese a sister, yesorno?  Note: this questions come in rapid-fire succession.

6.) "Do you understand?!" - asked of Mark or me, after long and complicated stutter-filled explanations, usually about which cars are friends with which, and why.  Example: Duke is an engine and Toby is a coal car, and... is.... Thomas is... and Lightning McQueen with Mater.... they're friends with The Luigi and... is... is Guido a forklift, yesorno?  Mommy!  **Do you understand?!** ...Um, sure.

7.) "Not you yet!!" - used at the tops and bottoms of staircases to indicate that Nathan wants to go first while we get to stand around, usually with a heavy almost-toddler in our arms, and watch him ascend or descend in all his perpetual slowness.  Note: almost always said in a freakout voice.

8.) "What kind of..." - used to get us to keep talking to him and stall whatever it is he's supposed to be doing.  Example: I tell him to eat his cereal and clear his bowl, and responds with, What *kind* of bowl?  What *kind* of cereal is it?  Note: this line of questioning can usually be appeased with a color.  Brown cereal in a green bowl.

9.) "Just because" - used when he is tired of my reverse-psychology why questioning* and he doesn't feel like explaining anymore.  Note: apparently he's allowed to use this but we're not; if we say it, he responds with "just because" is not my favorite.

10.) "I need something to..." - Nathan's way of coming up with a "good" reason he needs a particular toy.  If he wants to play with a car, it's I need something to drive (already well-documented).  If he wants his lego keychain that lights up, it's I need something to flash.  Of course.

*Yes I totally do that.

Baby Mullet = Unquestionably Awesome

Your daily Anneliese: rockin' the baby mullet.

business in the front...

...party in the back!

I will be happy to duke it out with anyone who thinks her hair is less than one hundred percent pure sweetness. 

(PS I may never ever cut those curls off.)

Weaned: A Milestone

Today I nursed Anneliese, and I decided it would be the last time.  I sat on the couch and held my long and lanky fifteen-month-old in my arms, and let myself pretend she was a tiny baby again, just for a little while.  She nursed for half an hour, interspersed with bursts of giggling and a few milky smiles, and then she popped her thumb in her mouth and cuddled with me even longer.

the last post-nursing snuggle

It was a sweet and snuggly and babyish moment.  And it's exactly how I want to remember our nursing relationship. So I'm ending it now.


Technically she's been on the wean for months, ever since we started dropping feedings and normalizing her nursing schedule last summer.  And since she turned one, that last feeding she's been holding onto hasn't even happened every day.  This morning is actually the first time she's wanted to nurse in four or five days.

Part of me would prefer that Anneliese made the final call on when we stopped for good.  But the smart and logical half of me knows it's perfectly okay for me to look at her declining interest (not to mention my ever-expanding womb!) and discern that it's time.

in the beginning... learning to nurse on her birth day :)

For two years our bodies have been connected.  Through pregnancy and infancy, Anneliese has been physically reliant on me for growth and nutrition.  And now we're moving to a new level of independence.  Permanently severing that connection is healthy and good, but also sad.  And weird.


I feel good that I didn't push her off before she was ready, I feel good that it's been (vampire milk aside) a wonderful breastfeeding relationship, and I feel good that we ended on a sweet and happy note, instead of a tearful power struggle (well, maybe it's too soon to rule that out, but I think it'll be okay).

A wise-without-knowing-it friend pointed out that weaning is such a milestone.  I hadn't thought about it like that before.  It sure makes it sound like something positive, a big next step for a growing girl, doesn't it?  So I'm trying to think about it that way, instead of being sad at the end of an era.

Anneliese's babyhood is slipping right through my fingers.  It's bittersweet.  Emphasis on the sweet?... I'm trying.

Car Stuck on a Wall

Despite what Ashley thinks (requests), this picture belongs on the internet.  It wants to be on the internet.  It needs to be on the internet. 

Also, sweet sister, this is what happens when you ask for more blog posts and then text me a picture of your car stuck on a wall in the same week.  It's not fancy science.  You had to see this coming.

In anticipation of the obvious questions:

1.) Yes, she and her car are both ok, just a flat tire.
2.) No, she was not going that fast.  (I don't know how fast that fast is, but she was very clear that she was not going that fast.)

A Moment

I know I've said this before* but I love love love it when Nathan and Anneliese play well together and enjoy each other.  It's like all the love I have for each of them folds in on itself and then reproduces in triplicate when I see them loving each other.  I don't know why it's so awesome but it totally is.

After a rough week with Nathan (including several of his first real big-brother fails, and the first hints that he might not always love having Anneliese around) (should I be frustrated by this turn, or grateful it took well over a year to manifest in the first place?), it was awesome to see him back to his normal self with his baby sister.  Taking care of her, sharing toys with her, putting his trucks aside to play a game she wanted to play.

It's crazy how something as simple as rolling a ball back and forth, in combination with some well-timed giggles, can make two babies (and one mommy) so very very happy.

*Raise your hand if you're sick of hearing about it yet.

Mom & Dad

Sometimes my baby boy is so clearly still my sweet angelic baby boy.

Other times (like this weekend), he is a terror and I can't believe how well he manages to convince everyone around him that he's a shy easygoing flexible child when he is so clearly something the complete opposite of that.  Grrrrrr.  Ok that's just this weekend talking.  And it's a gripe session for another day (and another medium).

For here and for today, I'll say this:  he seems too big, not because of the naughtiness, and not even because of the can-be exciting parts of growing up -- his articulateness, his protectiveness of his family, his increasing need and desire for independence.

Today it's because we've become Mom and Dad.  Mama and Dada are long gone, left somewhere before he turned one.  And now Mommy and Daddy are on the outs too, apparently... reserved for moments of sickness or whining.

Mom and Dad.

How are we here already?

Lego Cake

In anticipation of Another Nathan's birthday today [note 1/18: not today], a couple of days ago I was discussing with my Nathan what kind of cake we should make.  In Nathan's world, what kind usually means what color, so I was expecting him to say, like... green or something.

Nope. Know what he said?  I want it to be a lego cake. 

Ummm.  Ok? 

(And then he did indeed say it should be green.)

Nathan and Another Nathan share some weird lego bond that I'm not sure I understand, but they both love* them.  And if my three-year-old is able to recognize something that will make someone else happy (feelings! empathy! understanding other people!) then you can be darned sure I'm going to find it worth a google.

So I did some internetting and it turns out lots and lots of people have made cakes that look like lego bricks.  (But please just take my word for it, don't do a google image search yourself, or you will be way less impressed with how mine came out.)  I even vaguely remembered that my friend Kelley had made a version of some lego cakes last summer. 

So I felt optimistic enough to give it a try.

(Don't laugh at me.)

Nathan was pretty insistent on green, and Another Nathan likes cream cheese icing, so I settled on that because it's white and easy to dye.  And then I picked red velvet cake because A- it goes with cream cheese icing and B- I'm pregnant and it sounded good.  I got some pointers from Macy who makes food for my church (follow that link and you'll know why I asked her) and then we got to baking. 

And it came out very ok!

Considering my lack of baking (and decorating) skillz, I was pretty pleased with the end result.  For sure you can tell it's supposed to be a lego.  Right?  Right?  (Someone validate me please.) 

So here's what we did:

1.) I mixed up a double batch of red velvet cake.  Nathan stirred.  And licked cake batter from the mixer.  I might have helped.  We compared red tongues.

2.) From the batter I made twelve mini muffins (eight for the lego tops, plus a few extra for mistakes) and two smallish sheet cakes.  (One was bigger than the other, because those were the only pans I had.  Don't do that.  Get two of the same pan.  Or bake them separately.  I'm a doofus.)

3.) I cut the cakes into the same size rectangles and then sliced the rounded parts off the tops so they were flat.  3b.) I put the cake scraps in a ziploc bag and feasted on cold cake for the rest of the day.  Do not skip step 3b; it's an essential part of the process.

4.) I dyed the icing green.  Using lots (and lots**) of green gel food coloring.  Nathan stirred.  And licked icing from the mixer.  I might have helped.  We compared green tongues.

5.) I stacked the two cakes together and "glued" them shut with icing and large handfuls of food-processed m&ms.  (Because A- Another Nathan loves m&ms, and B- I'm pregnant and it sounded good.)  The food-processing step isn't really necessary.  It was loud and largely unproductive.  I ended up with a mixture of whole m&ms and m&m powder.  Whatevs.  It still tasted weird good.  And who doesn't love a crunchy surprise in the middle of their lego cakes?  I mean really.

5.) I iced the cakes and tried to get it as smooth as possible (considering I wasn't ever willing to consider fondant).  This involved several spatulas, a spoon and a butcher knife.  And a lot of guesswork.

6.) I flattened the tops of the mini muffins and toothpicked them to the cake.  Then stared at it dumbly for a while before texting a friend to figure out how to ice them smoothly.  Lots more guesswork, and it was pretty smooth.  Ish.  (Good enough.)

7.) Nathan had been asking all day, is it time to add the legos yet? Um, no. We will not be putting legos in the cake. (Apparently what he imagined a lego cake was vs what my google search returned... not the same thing.)  But when he asked to put them on the cake, I figured why not.  So I helped him use some of his legos to "decorate" it.

And he was very very excited to show it to Another Nathan.  Lego cake ftw! 

Happy birthday, friend!  :)

For more pics of Another Nathan's cake and birthday, click here.

*True story: Another Nathan was helping Nathan put together the lego bulldozer he got him for Christmas, and after they were done he let out a happy sigh and said (*this is a direct quote*) look at that, it's still fun!  Ha!  I guess you can never be too old for lego love.

** Enough to make your poop lego-green.  Just sayin'.

Sprout FAQ

Hey you know what's cool?  Today is 1.11.11.  [Note: I know it's not that day anymore, this is another unfinished post from my bloggity hiatus last week.  Just go with it.]

You know what else is cool?  My birthday this year will be on 11.1.11.  And as Kendra pointed out, I'll be twenty-eleven on that day. (Do the math.  It works.  Again, just go with it.)

You know what the coolest part is though?  All you people who are excited about our new baby on the way!!  (Unrelated?  Who cares.  Do I have to say it again? Just go with it.)  And apparently you're not thrilled I didn't share more info with our announcement.  So here goes:

1.) What are you calling the baby?  Ha! You guys know me too well, I refuse to go nine months and call the baby the baby, or worse... it.  So, we're going with Sprout. Stolen from my internet soul-mate Erin, both because it's super-cute and we like that it's a good follow-up to Beanie.  (Yes, Erin is totally invited to steal Beanie for her next child, then both our families can have Beanies and Sprouts and the circle of internet soul-mateness can be complete.)

2.) When's the due date?  August 1st.  That's 8.1.11, which doesn't look nearly as cool as 11.1.11, but I'll share some of my birthday coolness with Sprout.  Even though his/her birthday will probably be more like 8.10.11.  {sigh}

3.) Is this another happy surprise?  NO.  We're uncomplicatedly happy and unsurprised.  We were definitely trying. (Side note: why don't I mind when people ask me this on the internet, but it burns me up coming from medical staff?  I just want to growl and say none of your business! Lingering resentment from our last surprise, maybe?  Someone tell me to get over it.)

4.) Didn't you say you were done after two?  Well, we said we were probably done after two.  And then for a short while we said we were for sure done after two.  But then I got really disappointed and sad about that decision and had trouble finding a sense of peace and family completeness.  So after lots of prayer and lots (and lots) of discussion, we decided the timing could be good if we got pregnant this fall, so we'd just try and see what happened.  So we did.  And we did.

5.) How do you feel? Sick.  I didn't have much of the yucks with Nathan or Anneliese, but this one has been harder.  I feel bad complaining, though, because some people really are sick all day every day, to the point of not being able to function.  I'm not there.  I've been less exhausted this time, but that could be because I don't have a job this go-round.  Or maybe because the lack of job means I can sneak naps some days (weird for me, I'm not really a napper).  Either way, the first trimester yucks will be over soon, and it's been mentally easier to manage because I am so excited to have a third baby!! :)

6.) Is it twins?  Good grief folks, Kelley must have scared all of us!  I think almost everyone asked me this!  No, it's just one baby.  They looked.  Sprout is a singleton.

7.) Going to find out the gender or be surprised?  I'll refer you back to what I wrote about Beanie: Yes, and yes. It's always a surprise to find out the gender, no matter when or how you find out. We'll be having our surprise in an ultrasound room.  I still feel this way most days, but a part of me is tempted to wait and find out at delivery.  I doubt Mark will stand for that.  Our second trimester ultrasound is towards the end of February, so we'll probably find out then.  Unless someone out there can talk us out of it.

8.) Are you hoping for a boy or a girl? You know what?  I think this time I can say it doesn't matter and really mean it.  (I said that with Nathan but was secretly hoping for a girl.  And I didn't even pretend I wasn't hoping Beanie was a girl.)  Most days I want another girl, because I love and treasure the relationship I have with my sister, and having two girls close in age would mean each of my daughters gets that same gift that I had growing up.  (Aw I just cried a little writing that.  Pregnancy hormones what.)  But lots of days I hope for a boy.  I kind of like the mom-daughter thing I have going with Anneliese, and I don't know that I'm ready for another litytle lass to butt in.  Also if Anneliese is the only girl and that's her special niche in our family, do you think that will alleviate some of the (surely impending) middle child syndrome?  Plus I kind of think I owe to my body (or something) to hope for a boy in at least one pregnancy.  Right?  So I'm wishy-washy at this point.  I think Mark is too. 

9.) Are you excited, scared, overwhelmed, what?  I think I'm too dumb to be overwhelmed yet, although everyone is acting like I should be.  Right now I'm just happy.  More than with Nathan or Anneliese, I feel like this is the baby I have wanted, this is the baby I have prayed for.  Oh I was excited to be pregnant with Nathan, and I thought I was thrilled, but since I had never been a mommy, I didn't really have any context for what my happiness was really about.  With Anneliese, I understood it, but didn't feel ready for it.  This time, I know what it means to be a mommy, I know how much I will love this child, and I want it and feel ready to love it.  I already love Sprout, and I'm attached in a way that I wasn't able to be (this early on) with either Nathan or Anneliese: within the context of true mommy joy.  People who say that the first time is always the most exciting are so dead wrong.  This is a whole different kind of exciting, and I just might like it even more.

10.) Are you going on another babymoon?  I want to.  If we can find room in the budget, and come up with people who are willing to hang out with our kids for a few days, and think up a cool place to go (doesn't have to be as cool as China or Dubai like with N&A), we'll do it.  Volunteers on any of those fronts?  ;)

Thanks for all the congrats and well-wishes.  We feel very loved.

White Play-Dough

So at the beginning of the school year, Mark signed us up to provide the play-dough for Nathan's class in January.  Our assigned color was white.  The color of snowmen and snowflakes and winter bleakness sparkle and wonder.  You know, white.

White.

Um, do you know what a problem this is?  When I yelled fussed whined had a polite rational adult conversation with Mark about why he would ever do such a thing, he was quick to point out that he didn't have a choice; it was the only color no one had signed up for yet.  Hmmm.  Yes, Marky, and did you stop to wonder why??? 

Well, now we know. White play-dough is extremely hard to come by.  True story.

I started hunting for it at the beginning of December.  Turns out no one sells individual cans of white (it only comes in multi-color sets).  White isn't available in big class-sized tubs.  Even off-brands and too-stiff-for-toddler-hands modeling clay aren't available in just white, and definitely not for kiddo-playtime pricing. 

We contemplated lots crazy scenarios where we buy random color assortments, open them, switch out the colors until we have twelve whites, and return the ones we don't need (all in multiple transactions of course; with sales and coupons we couldn't do it all at once, that would be too easy! after all, white play-dough was clearly sent forth into the world to challenge us).  I even contemplated total defiance and came close to buying lavender and sending that instead (another preschool teacher talked me down from the lavender ledge, it seems they would need to talk about the snow or something, and it should be white, follow the rules, blah blah blah).

So it seemed our only option was to pay like five bucks a can to buy it from someone on ebay or amazon (sellers who clearly knew they could make a killing off the poor schmuck parents who signed up to bring twelve servings of play-dough to their children's preschool classrooms at the beginning of January).

Or.

We could make the play-dough.

{sigh}

Here's the thing: we're not really a make the play-dough kind of family.  I don't like crafts.  Crafts really are not fun (you know it's true).  Also, I find homemade play-dough kind of smelly and gross.  Also, in pretty much any color you could hope for, you can buy it for less than a dollar a can.  Why would someone make it?

Because someone's husband signed up for white, that's why.

But because someone's husband is apparently craftier than someone, or apparently tired of the month-long hunt to buy it, someone's husband generously offered to make a classroom-sized batch of white play-dough.  How awesome* is someone's husband after all?

I did some googling, bought a few ingredients, and Mark and Nathan got to work.  And you know what?  The play-dough turned out awesome. 

Twelve perfect little tubs for the kiddos in Nathan's class. 

When I dropped him off at school the next day, his teacher gushed and expressed appreciation for the effort of homemade play-dough (does she live  under a rock?  does she think we had a choice?  does she not understand the dearth of pre-manufactured white play-dough in our society??), and I handed it over with a smile.

At which time Nathan proclaimed (loudly and with a smile), Daddy made it!!

I guess I had that coming.

*Also on that same day, Mark single-handedly boxed up every Christmas decoration in the house and dragged the (long since dead) tree to the curb, made his own dinner without making me feel like a housewife failure, and folded and put away almost two weeks' worth of laundry. Dad of the year what.  (And it's only January.)

Using a Spoon

[Disclaimer: I haven't felt like blogging this week... or two. No easy-to-nail-down reason. But that's why there are a handful of started-but-never-finished posts I'm just now (Jan 13) publishing. And look at that, we all survived.]

In the last few days, Anneliese has started using a spoon to feed herself.  This has taken lots and lots of encouragement (mostly from Daddy), since she's not really a big fan of the extra time it takes to get food into her mouth when she's relying on her own coordination rather than a parent's.  But she's totally doing it!

Some days it's a crazy messy process.

Other days it's not so bad.

If you can't see the video embedded above, click here.


And predictably, Nathan is happy to help us document any milestone with his new camera.  He's proud of his baby sister too.  What?  It's sweet!

(Yes, I took a picture of Nathan taking a picture of Mark taking a picture of Anneliese hitting a milestone.  Yes, I know that makes me as crazy as the child photographer I am mocking.  Yes, I know we officially have a few too many cameras in our house.)

Eleven Resolutions

I know some people don't buy into making resolutions, but as I've said before, I totally do.  Even if I fail.  I mean, why not at least try, right?

I should probably be very serious and smart and make some resolutions about being less of a control freak, and maybe less emotionally high-maintenance while I'm at it.  But those goals might be a little too lofty for a year that contains both the potential building of a new house and a pregnancy (I pray not simultaneously).  So.  I am setting the bar a little lower.  (No, eleven is not too many.)

1.) I will shower and get dressed every day.  (And  by every day, I mean I get one skip a week.)  It makes me feel more human and better about myself.  Plus I've gotten one too many compliments on my hair recently of the oh-it-looks-so-pretty-what-did-you-do variety, when the answer is um, washed it? brushed it?  Also when a friend hugs you and says oh you smell so clean, that's unus-- ... Yeah.  Likewise, the kids.  I'm totally going to bathe them at least once a week this year.  Really.  Hopefully.

2.) In an act of solidarity with my awesome sister Ashley and my favorite friend (Another) Nathan, I am going to try really hard to call this year twenty-eleven.  It's apparently important to them?  Or something.  And I'm inclined to agree: it's time to make the change.

3.) I fully intend to re-read all the Little House books and the Narnia books.

4.) I want to have a date night with Mark every week.  It sounds like a lot, but we did it this summer and it was so awesome and helpful and good for our marriage.  So when we have our 2011 family budget meeting (no it still hasn't happened **hangs head in shame**) we're going to prioritize this.

5.) No more profanity.  Eventually I would like to get rid of all of it (for realz, Mark is not a fan) but for now I'm setting the bar realistically low: definitely not in front of the kids.  I slip up more often than I should.  I need to nip it in the bud.

6.) I'm jumping on the Project 365 bandwagon (not in any official capacity though) and resolving to take a picture every day this year.  At least one.  Also this should give me lots of material to post new blog content every day which should keep some people (coughAshley) happy. The dailies just might become daily.

7.) I am going to be a less lazy housewife.  True story: I'm a decent mommy, but I'm not much for cleaning (see #1).  I'm going to get back in the pre-Anneliese habit of really cleaning one section of the house every week, so that it never gets so bad it becomes and overwhelming task. 

8.) Two people whom I love very much hinted that I should be more helpful.  Um, whaaa?  I think I'm pretty helpful already! Seriously?!  But after glaring at them for a minute then sleeping on it for a few nights, I decided it never hurts to be more helpful.  (I mean, I don't even have a job, right?)  So I am going to go out of my way to find one really helpful thing to do for someone else every day.  Someone hold me accountable to this and ask me how it's going in a month, ok?

9.) I'm going to ignore my phone less.  Truthfully, my default reaction when it rings is just to ignore it.  Yes, yes, there are times when I really can't or shouldn't answer, or legitimately am not in the mood to talk.  But I ignore it way more than just those times.  I mean, I don't even try to look at it while it's still ringing and see who's calling and discern if it's a good time to talk.  And usually I end up calling whoever it was back within a few minutes with a lame-o apology about not being able to get to it fast enough.  (Note: if I've fed you this line, it was probably just that -- a line.  I'm for real sorry.)  I want to make the effort to talk to people when they have made the effort to call me.  So I'm going to try really hard to change my default phone reaction from ignore to converse.

10.) I want to spend more alone time with each child.  Especially since we're about to have three, I'm going to have to be intentional about this.  I don't want alone time with mommy and daddy to become a precious commodity (been there, done that, handed down the t-shirt).  I want it to be normal and expected and routine and basically not a big deal or special treat.  I know this is really important to Mark too.  I'm not sure yet how to concretely state this resolution (half an hour every day?  one morning a week?) or the logistics of how to make it happen, but we'll be discussing it.  And prioritizing it.  Each of my children need me, and I want time with all of them individually, as well as family togetherness.

11.) I will get there in time for the epidural.  Basically if this happens, I'll call twenty-eleven a win.

Three

Happy New Year!  Looks like 2011 will be another banner year for the Goettsch family!

Your daily Anneliese: going public

Yes, you've seen (most of) this picture before.  :)