Yum!

3 x 32 weeks

From L to R:  Cole, Max, Baby #3 all at 32 weeks

Dear Baby Brother

Dear Baby Brother,

Your big brothers are so excited to meet you!  They practice buckling Grover into your car seat and rocking in your chair.   Cole ensures me that he is good at babies, and that he will be a great diaper changer.   Max thinks you should come out immediately, and each that passes leaves him with disappointment that you remain in utero.   I’m sure by now you know your ABC’s and the Itsy Bitsy Spider, too, because Cole and Max sing them to you daily.  Is the sound muffled?

A few more things…your room is almost ready and so is your wardrobe.  We may need to add an IU jersey so you can support your daddy’s school and match your brothers.  They ask to wear matching clothes these days…never saw that coming!   And I have one last question.  I’ll save the other ones until we meet face to face.  Why do you like mint oreos, bread and butter pickles, and grape soda so much?

Tons of love,

Mommy

Teamwork

C:  This part is called the nozzle, Max.

M: Oh!  Maybe in here, Coleman.

C:  Look how many things are inside, Max!

M:  Close it now, please.   NO!  No, hold this in a minute.

C:  Max, can you please hold that up?

M:  Yeah, sure.

C:  See, that’s the locator. We can take the locator out.  We don’t need it.  We need to see how much junk is in there and see how much it weighs.  A thousand!

M:  I can’t open it either.   No, no.  I found this piece, Coleman!

C:  Max, will you please help me lift this part up?  Now we need to lower it down and…impossible.

The conversation went on, and I laughed and laughed!  Now to reassemble the vacuum.

Letting Go

Cole just doesn’t want to let go of the sand, and frankly, neither do I!   Since we’ve been around sand so much since Christmas, something has occurred to me.  I normally am very organized and clean, but when in the sand I just can’t be (arghh…), especially with two little boys who love to get down and dirty in just about anything.  Over these last few weeks, I have started to love the sand so much more.  It’s gritty, wet, and well, just gets everywhere and in everything.   It’s something out of my comfort zone but it definitely has moved me toward relaxing and enjoying being with the boys much more.   And it’s taught me more about letting go of the things I think I need to control.  Maybe I don’t as much.

We’ve had a few fun adventures this week in Florida, too.  We visited an animal park and fed giraffes.  Their tongues are huge!   Just today we visited a local Marine Rescue Center where they care for injured sea turtles.   So interesting!   I’m ready to go home and be home, but I’m definitely sad to leave the warm sunshine and put my flip flops away for a few more months.

Swimming

It seriously seems like January is flying!  The boys and I are in Florida with my parents for a week, and the boys’ favorite part so far is swimming with Grandbob.  They love to growl for pictures, too…boys.  They will be boys, right?

Brrrrrrr

Our backyard hill is just perfect for two eager boys on sleds!   We finally made it outside today and it was blast…all 15 minutes of it.   It’s strange to think that last week we were splashing at the beach and today we’re bundled in the snow.   What a whirlwind!

In other news, we came home from CA late Friday night to cracked and frozen water pipes in our crawl space….argh.   The rest of the pipes were frozen, too, but a night of heat was all they needed to warm up.  Our thermostat read 32!    This meant no water to our master bathroom at all, and the plumbers have been here this week working hard to repair the damage.  Thankfully we do have two bathrooms!

Travel Tip

I admit it.  I dreaded flying to California and back home.  The reason was Max.  How do you contain a lively 2 year old on a 3 1/2 hour flight?  Fruit snacks?  New toys wrapped up?  Playdough?  DVDs?  Stickers?  Books?  Yes, wonderful tips.   Well, this time I was determined to break from the norm, and I found the perfect solution!  A box.  An old jewelry box with a lid.  With the box I brought a fabric drawstring bag full of random household items:  paper clips, buttons, twisty ties, a teeth flosser, cotton balls, Q-tips, straws, generic Fruit Loops, stickers, yarn, paper with holes punched in it, beads, and a few crayons.  Let me tell you…JACKPOT.  I also had a small bag of M&Ms in my purse, too, that I rationed throughout the flight.  Every so often, I’d drop a few M&Ms in Max’s box and he was so excited!  He stood on the floor and used his seat as a workbench.   Endless opportunities and a happy toddler.  Success!

Gracious Hosts

Chris’s parents have been such gracious hosts for our two weeks in California.   They let us use their cars, host a birthday party for Max at their house, eat their food, play with their toys, wake them up early, and much much more.  We are so thankful for a wonderful visit!   Next time we come we’ll be a family of five.

Speaking of…take a look at the belly.   28 weeks.   We’re getting closer!

Who Knew?

Who knew that Cole would love these little guinea pigs so much?  On Max’s birthday we visited a petting zoo with Chris’s parents, and Cole posted himself right down on the hay.  The bunnies and guinea pigs sat on his lap, he fed them carrots, and talked sweetly to them.    Max hesitated a bit more, but warmed up when he realized that feeding them was fun!

We’re still in CA until Friday, and as I hear about the snow coming to the Midwest, I’m not sure I want to leave.  I’ve been wearing flip flops every day!   Just today the boys and I spent some refreshing time at the beach, built sand mountains, and even caught a whiff of someone’s sunscreen.    Chris has been in LA visiting companies with other IU students for the last few days, and he comes back this afternoon.  From what he says, it’s been a good trip.  We are excited to see him!   It will be nice to be home soon, too…I’m getting excited to prepare for our baby boy!   I have a feeling the next weeks will pass in a flash.