it's the little things...

It was a light year on the reading front. But here's what little I did stuff in my brain. 1-4. Some of The Happiest Toddler on the Block, Toddler 411, I Know This Much is True, and And Baby Makes Three. I'm retiring I Know... but will probably dabble in the others in 2014. 5. Smokin' Seventeen 6. Explosive Eighteen 7. The Happiness Project 8. A Mother's Love: Inspiring True Stories From the Animal Kingdom 9. Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral 10. Fifty Shades of Grey 11. Fifty Shades Darker 12. Fifty Shades Freed That is nearly 100% fluff. Perhaps that's a clue re: the state of my mind these days (or lack thereof).

After the longest hiatus in my blogging career, I'm back. I'm not sure why I fell off the wagon. Probably because FB exists. And because I was finally done with documenting both of the kids' first years. I guess I just needed a break. But all the while, I'd keep thinking "I should post about this" or "I can't believe I haven't blogged about ANY house project." So get ready, peeps. There may be a house tour coming up. What got me back here? There's this thing going around FB where people give you a random number (not one but two people gave me 9--perhaps it's not as random as it seems) and you post that many facts about yourself that people may not know. It's been surprisingly interesting. I secretly like it when I knew one (or more) of the things someone posted. I'm posting here instead of there because all the stuff that's rattling around in my head seems lengthy. So here goes. 1) I've been writing in a

Buns' birthday video featuring "Home" by the unfortunately named Phillip Phillips. I dorkily liked this song when I first heard it on the AI finale. Then my buddy was born during the Olympics, when it was all over the US women's gymnastics coverage. But what really sealed the deal on picking this one is that Chicken's first birthday video was also set to a song called "Home." What are the odds? Enjoy. bday video

Well, baby boy. You did it. You've been in this world every day of the year. You are a complete joy. Well, minus the times you are pitchin' the biggest fits. You are definitely worth all the trouble you caused me during pregnancy and all the sleep deprivation and all the diaper fails (um, including this morning's). You've had a pretty big month. You now know lots of tricks--waving, clapping, giving high fives, blowing raspberries, blowing bubbles in the pool. You can stand on your own, stand up from the squatting position and vice versa, cruise like nobody's business. You have mastered the stairs. Up, anyway. You climb off the furniture on your own. You get into and out of the kid-sized chairs all by yourself. You've actually taken a few steps here and there over the last week. Very exciting! But I think it will be awhile before you're proficient. No rush. Over the last week, we've started the switch to milk. Once the formula is gone in all your var

And suddenly you're 2.5, Chicken.  This morning I told you it was your half birthday and then you started telling everyone you were 2 1/2.  It's true.  I like that you and your brother are 18 months + exactly 1 week apart.  We can celebrate half birthdays, as needed.  You do have a tiny bit of jealousy sometimes but I really couldn't ask for a better sibling relationship at this point.  It's a joy to watch you two interact. So what are you like these days?  Chatty.  Super chatty.  We talk the entire time we're in the car.  Actually, we talk pretty much the entire time you're awake.  You are very verbal and we have conversations.  You have a great memory.  Earlier this week I couldn't remember the incident that led to a comment.  When I was telling Daddy the story, you piped up with the part I couldn't remember.  Amazing. You mostly know your ABCs.  For a long time you missed "TUV" but now you usually get them.  Instead?  You miss "

Buns, we've nearly made it an entire year.  Not sure how that's possible.  Plans are in full swing for your first birthday.  I think it's going to be fun! This month you've made a lot of progress physically.  You are a champ at crawling.  Sometimes you crawl with one knee and one foot.  Your cousin did that, too.  And you get up and down easily.  You cruise A LOT (on the furniture).  If I sit you down on your feet you can stand on your own for just a bit.  The other day I did that (in the middle of the room) and you just squatted down.  On your own.  Not holding onto anything.  Not falling.  You have been able to hang onto moving things and walk a little bit--like the giant toy car that's outside. You love water and putting your hand in the stream coming from the hose.  You enjoy being outside and swinging and making messes.  You are chatting more and sometimes say "mamamama" but I don't think you've said anything and meant it yet.  Yo

I missed my 7th blogiversary.  It was June 23rd.  I can't believe I've been writing for seven years.  Well, I guess I've been writing a good solid 5 and then intermittently these last two.  Thanks for sticking around.

This month just flew by.  It started out with Daddy and me leaving you and your sister for the first time.  We went to New York and y'all stayed with Grandma and Granddad.  I think you did fine, and we definitely enjoyed our adult time. You're still sleeping well, thank goodness.  Mama decided y'all needed earlier bedtimes so you go to sleep around 8:30 now.  Yea!  And you still take two naps everyday--one usually longer than the other. You eat pretty well but are kind of picky.  Your sister would eat whatever baby food I made for her but you don't.  I stopped making any probably a month ago.  You like to feed yourself finger foods (you have 5 teeth now!) and you eat baby food in those squeeze pouches.  Sometimes you like throwing food off your high chair tray.  We started you with a sippy cup this month and you're pretty good at it now.  I'm excited that we're getting close to a year so we can phase out formula and your bottle.  We'll have to wo

Nine months. You've been out as long as you were in. Longer, actually, since you were early. And you didn't really make your presence known until almost halfway through the pregnancy (when you then more than made up for it). So, yeah.  You've been here awhile and I can't believe how time has flown. You'll be one before we know it. You now sleep pretty well. You've stayed in your crib (no backtracking).  You occasionally still wake up in the middle of the night but get yourself back to sleep faster. When Daddy was out of town for two consecutive bedtimes, I decided to have you cry it out to get yourself to sleep initially. Lots of tears and screaming that first night but much better from then on. Now you rarely cry more than just one really emphatic burst. It's awesome. We continue to have issues with you having diaper fails. And now you seem to dislike diaper changes so you lock your legs straight. That is a very difficult position for you to be in w

Front door is painted.  Awhile back I discovered oil-rubbed bronze spraypaint and finally bought some last weekend.  I've now ORBed the door handle, the wreath hanger, and the flag pole.  It's been an ORBing frenzy over here.  I think I may be getting somewhere with the curb appeal thing.  So tell me, does the door look obviously blue?  Or would you just think the house looks nicer but not be able to put your finger on why?  (Before (which used to be the After) and the new After) Yeah, it looks blue.  I hope no one turns me in.

It used to be the meh outdoors.  If you recall, the front yard started like this: I must apologize again for the crappy before pictures.  Anyway, the front beds contained FOUR sago palms.  These are not my favorite plants.  Not even my favorite palms.  I in no way felt like they belonged in the front yard of our house.  We also had a wall of oleander.  I don't mind them but I don't appreciate them being planted right in front of my dining room windows.  Lordy, people.  Do me a favor.  If you decide to plant something in the ground?  Read the tag that comes with it.  Plants are like puppies--they get bigger.  Anyway, we also had a mishmash of three different kinds of hardscape (none that I like) and a TON of this crazy groundcover (see front left of the photo above).  And some poorly placed shrubs. So I enlisted the help of nice people who found my ads on Craigslist.  They came and dug out about 90% of the groundcover I hated.  I gave it to them for free.  Same thing

My goodness this was a busy month, Buns!  Yesterday especially.  We took so many pictures and had so many wardrobe changes.  But more on that later. You have gotten so big!  I think you're around 20 pounds now.  Still a good 10 pounds lighter than your sister (which makes a world of difference) but you're so squirmy that you're hard to hold sometimes.  You still love being held, though.  You're in 9-month clothes.  We had to buy some the other day since Mama was still trying to squeeze you into some 3-6 month stuff. You've gotten better at eating solids and have 3 meals a day.  You've tried yogurt now and had meat once (chicken).  We've tried to give you finger foods (peas, puffs, bread) a few times and it's hit-n-miss.  You have managed to squeak out 2 teeth, though!  I swear, they've looked ready to pop through for months now.  You're still on the bottle.  Mama wants to try to get you started on a sippy cup.  Still a lover of the pac