Mommy's Potpourri

Border's bookstore going out of business. Yeah man! I tried taking a look around when they had their books for a measly 20% off. That was in the beginning of the summer and I was pretty disappointed with the fake sale. However, I heard that the prices are way better now so I packed up the boys in my fabulous double stroller, put on my sneakers, and walked on down there. I should not have even gone. Ian told me not to spend any money, but he and I both knew that was close to impossible. I have been looking forward to this for months now. Since May, I thought of about a million things I "need" from Borders before they shut their doors for- ev- ver. Add that to the million things I realize we "need" after I see them, and we are talking about me buying enough stuff to set up a nice little mini-Borders in our half of the basement. I do openly admit now that I do have a bit of a shopping addiction. Only when dealing with "homey" things though. Home Goods...

Today was Luke's 4 month appointment. Time sure is flying. I cannot believe he is already 4 months old. The doctor asked if I planned on starting him on cereal soon!! I was stunned. I cannot believe he will be eating real food soon. He is growing up too fast. Anyway, I think we are going to wait until he is 6 months to start solids. He just isn't showing any interest in the food we are eating and breastmilk seems to fill him up just fine. Anyway, on to the fun stuff. Lukie is 14lbs 3oz, which puts him in the 50th percentile for his weight! Just perfect! At his last appointment 2 months ago he weighed 10lbs 9oz. He is gaining wonderfully! He is also 24 3/4 inches long, up from 22 1/4 last appointment. Also, I scheduled Anthony to get an allergy test later this week. We already know he is allergic to eggs, peanuts, and fish but I am going to be so relieved to have a complete list of what exactly he is allergic to. My mom got me a couple of books that have really been helpful....

Anthony is eating snack. From the kitchen he yells "Babe! All done!" hahahahha!!! He must hear Ian call me babe all the time. Cracks me up!!

I love how Anthony talks baby-talk to Luke. He doesn't realize he is still a baby himself! :)

This post is all about Luke Aaron, the newest little man in my life. Luke has a few nicknames. He is mostly called "Lukie" or "Lukie-bear", and is very lovingly referred to as "Pukey Lukie" for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who is brave enough to hold him for more than 5 minutes. Lukie was born right on his due date, which was a good thing because I don't think I would have been able to stand another day of false labor! These were taken seconds after his birth! I went in to active labor around 3pm and delivered him at 9:59pm (with only 2 pushes!). We were released from the hospital around 2pm the next day! :) He is now 3 1/2 months old and is a spectacularly easy-going baby. Once he starts losing his cool though, he is almost impossible to calm down. A lot like his mommy in that way. Lukie is already rolling over from his back to his tummy. He is also a real cuddle-bug. Loves to always be held and talked to. He will cry to be t...

"I will not let my child control my emotions, I will not let my child control my emotions." I find myself repeating this over and over in my mind many times throughout the day. Like when Anthony unrolls an entire roll of aluminum foil --which you cannot roll back up without it getting all crinkly. Or when I find he has taken a bite out of every single plum in the fruit bowl, or smeared hand lotion all over his hair. But today he really tested me. First of all, let me try to explain why this was so irritating. I have been trying to cook healthier sides for the family. Last night I made a side dish of orzo, kale, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. It was really yummy and I worked hard on it. Cooking always takes me like twice as long as the recipes say they should take because I don't know how to prep very well yet. My timing is always off. Anyway, so it took me a while to get that little dish together and I was excited to see we had leftovers. "This will be perfect fo...

Who Dunnit? Who poured oregano all over the kitchen floor??

I've been reading some parenting books lately. This was brought on by the arrival of my almost 2 year old's tantrums. While I did not get a much needed cure for his overly dramatic reactions to EVERYTHING, I did read a lot about scheduling. The boys and I currently have a loose schedule. It is truly difficult to have a strict schedule when caring for both boys, and honestly I never want to be someone who lives by the minute anyway.  I have been reading about the importance of scheduling "structured play time." This is when you decide an activity, and your child does it for an allotted amount of time. Apparently this helps broaden your child's attention span, helps him sit still, etc. etc. I have tried this many times before. It does not work, and I feel silly telling him to go "sit down and play!" So we don't do it anymore. I am wondering if kids Anthony's age actually do this! All Ant wants to do is run around and tear the house apart! Don...