Never a dull moment ...

"Mommy, we need tattoos. When can we go get one?"

David (from downstairs): "Madeleine, can you bring me a shirt?"
Madeleine (to me): "I can't bring daddy a shirt. I have to go potty. He is just going to have to deal with it."

Me: "Can't everyone pick up their stuff and stop making more work for me??!?"
Madeleine: "Welcome to my world mommy."

Remember when ...

Christopher is a very happy baby. He babbles, squeals and gurgles quite freequently, usually starting at 4:30 AM. If left alone, he'll fall back asleep about 6.

Yesterday morning he was pretty vocal, to the point I pulled the plug on the monitor but we could still hear him quite clearly from across the hall. Since their bedrooms share a wall, I wondered if Madeleine heard him too. She came out of her room at 6 and came into our bedroom where I was getting ready.

"Mommy, do you remember when you went to the hospital to get my baby brother or sister"

"I remember."

"Why did you bring home the noisy baby, Mommy? We need a quiet baby at our house."

I guess she heard him.

Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

I have been in a huge cooking slump for, oh, I'd say almost a year. It was hard to cook anything the first 4 months I was pregnant since I spent most of the time nauseous. Never really got back into it once the morning sickness passed.

I am back to work and am now faced with the challenge of making sure Madeleine is bathed and in bed by every night by 7:30 . I need to get back into the habit of planning meals so it is either ready to go into the oven when we get home or we can reheat leftovers.

The recipe below was really quick and easy. The original from allrecipes was pretty rich as written - I eliminated the olive oil and swapped half and half for the heavy cream and figured it as at least 8 servings instead of 6. I also used basil instead of the parsley called for. Both Madeleine and David ate without comment so I assume it was a hit with them.

Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

16 ounces pasta
1 pound Italian sausage -- casings removed and crumbled
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced onion
3 whole garlic cloves -- chopped
28 ounces tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

Spray a large, deep skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Cook sausage and pepper flakes until sausage is evenly brown. Drain. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Sprinkle with basil.

My Sister Tracey

David's parents came for a visit a couple of weeks ago. A couple of days before they were to leave, Madeleine came down for breakfast:

"My sister Tracey likes bacon too. We need to save some for her."

"Your what?"

"My sister. Tracey is my sister. She lives with my mommy's mom."

Some of the stuff that comes out of her mouth just amazes me. A sister? Named Tracey - or is that Tracy or Traci? Not exactly a popular name among the kids these days and the only Tracy I can think of that we know here is male.

Talk of Tracey faded after a week or so. I can only imagine what she will come up with next.

Flaming Fish

A year has gone by since I last brought out the planks and tried to grill some salmon. I soaked the planks overnight this time, but as seen in the picture, it still did not work out exactly as planned. At least this time, they waited until the salmon was almost done before they caught fire.

I decided that maybe the problem was the planks were too old, so I bought some more. If at first you don't succeed ...

He told me mommy ...

Madeleine, why does Christopher have princess stickers all over his legs?
He told me he wanted them on mommy.

Why does Christopher have all the cards from Memory with him in the swing?
He told me he wanted to play with me mommy.

Madeleine, why is your brother wearing your sunglasses?
He told me the light is too bright and it hurts his eyes.

Who put all the bibs on your brother?
I did mommy. He told me he wanted them all on so he doesn't get all dirty.

Where are all the pacifiers?
I hid them mommy. He told me he doesn't like them.

Madeleine, why are you resting your head on his chest?
I hugging him mommy. He told me he loves me.

The Van is HERE!!

I am so excited, I don't know what else to say. Madeleine happily got in the van this morning so daddy could drive her to daycare. I am sure the fact that the van has the Disney Channel (free for a few months) didn't hurt.

A Day in the Life ...

My maternity leave is slightly more than half over . Just over 4 weeks before I have to be back sitting at my desk ... of course unless someone starts continually sleeping for longer periods of time, one may find me sleeping at my desk.

So, what exactly do I do all day? Some may say I instigate (or agitate). I like to think of it as interacting.

Close to eating time but sound asleep, not bothering anyone:

What was that? Did I just feel a bug? Did my mommy poke me? What is that bright flash?

Look who woke up!!

Big smile when I see it is my mommy:

OK, enough with the flash. I'm tired. Either feed me or let me sleep.

OK, one more smile and then put the camera away!!

I warned you ....

The Van Saga Continues

I hate Chrylser. Procrastinators drive me crazy. Put the 2 together ...

David ordered his van close to 7 weeks ago. The company in Iowa City that will make the modifications to the van stopped by the house 5 weeks ago and got a check from him for a deposit. Where is the van? Phoenix (actually right around the corner from my old apartment).

All that needed to happen was the transfer of the van from the dealer in Phoenix to a dealer in Nebraska. The dealer in Nebraska would sell it (or whatever) to the mods people in Iowa City, they would add the hand controls change out the seat and David would be all set. Right.

Since Chrysler declared bankruptcy (or whatever happened) all the dealers had to reapply for their financing which means there was no transfer of vehicles between dealers. Van has been sitting on the lot down in Phoenix.

David finally got word yesterday that the van was getting on a truck and headed to Nebraska. Now all we need is for it to get to Iowa City and for the mods to be made, which is estimated to take 3 days.

Dare I dream that he'll have a van by the end of the month and I can sleep in past 6? OK, OK, I am up at 6 AM every morning anyway (Christopher prefers breakfast at 5) but it would REALLY be nice to not have to get up and showered that early. Bonus - not only would I save money on gas but my car seems to be on autopilot through the Starbucks drive thru.

Strawberry Picking

It was a beautiful, although very windy, day here yesterday. The strawberries that we planted in our yard this year aren't doing much (although I didn't expect that they would) and the ones I have been buying at the grocery store have been very sour. So, Madeleine and I left the boys at home and we headed up to Independence, IA to pick some strawberries at Bagge Strawberries.

Independence is about an hour away from where we live. Thirty miles up the highway and then the rest of the drive is through rolling hills complete with farms and farm smells (courtesty of the cows we saw along the way). Granted we live in a small town too (population 900) but at least we are 15 minutes away from 2 somewhat large cities. All Independence seemed to have was a Walmart and a Fareway. and it wasn't that close to a lager city. Where do they shop??!!?

We arrived a little before noon and there were about 15 people already out in the field picking. We stopped at the little building on the edge of the property to find out what exactly we were supposed to be doing. We each got a basket and then were given a ride on a golf cart out to the field.

We were dropped off in the field and led to the row where we would start picking. Basically we could pick in that row for as long as we wanted and we were given a flag so we could mark where we left off. Before he left, Madeleine was told she could taste test as many of the strawberries as she wanted, and I'd say she took that statement to heart. When we left she had red smears all around her mouth.

Busy picking strawberries:

When we were finished we started walking back to get our strawberries weighed and to pay for them. About halfway back we stopped and Madeleine posed with our haul:

We ended up picking about 13 1/2 pounds of strawberries, at $1.20 a pound, ended up costing us just over $16. Not a bad price when you consider the grocery store charges about 4.99 for a 2 pound box.

Now, what to do with all these strawberries ...

Welcome Christopher Matthew!!!

OK, so I'm a little behind, but honestly, is anyone surprised??!?!

My maternity leave started a week early when I went for my weekly doctor appointment and my blood pressure was still creeping up. Add to that a nice weight gain in a week and the doctor decided it was better for me to be home on partial bed rest. We scheduled the induction for June 6 although I was keeping my fingers crossed baby was going to decide to arrive beforehand.

So, Saturday morning arrived and I was still pregnant so off we went to the hospital. After a long, boring day in which I ate more Jell-O and drank more Sprite than I ever have (while David got to eat real food) baby finally decided to arrive at 7:30 Saturday night:

Christopher Matthew

8 pounds, 6.5 ounces

20 inches long

Christopher ended up being a 1/2 ounce lighter and a 1/2 inch shorter than his big sister but I'm guessing he would have been a 9-pounder if he was allowed to come on his own. At first I thought he didn't have any hair but once they brought him over we realized he had a head full of blond hair. Both of us had lighter hair when we were little, but Christopher is as blond as my brother (the only blond) was when he was little. Funny how genetics work.

David's parents had arrived on Madeleine's birthday for about 10 days. It was nice to have the help although a certain someone got pretty spoiled. She also moved to the preschool room in the midst of all of this so going back to daycare this past week was a bit of an adjustment. She wanted to go back to her 'old friends' and then she flat out didn't want to go at all. Hoping next week goes a little more smoothly.

Things are going pretty well though. He is a great eater and a decent sleeper, despite his hatred of the swaddle. With Madeleine, the miracle blanket was the ONLY thing I tried that actually helped her sleep for any amount of time. Christopher manages to break out his arms and legs in no time and then falls asleep with a look on his face like he is taunting 'go ahead mom, swaddle me up again, I dare you'. In other words, he is his father's son.

Here are a few more picture. For those interested, there are more pictures uploaded to myphotoalbum.com (link is on the right). Have to keep the grandparents happy by keeping the photo website updated.

Coming home from the hospital. There are very few cute boy clothes out there, I am discovering.

Please stop disturbing my sleep to take my picture:

Surprise, surprise, sound asleep:

Happy Birthday Madeleine!

Madeleine turned 3 years old yesterday. Hard to believe - time goes by so fast!

We made some cupcakes to take to daycare and tumbling. They are actually cupcakes made in ice cream cones. I though that putting them in the pan with the aluminum foil would help them stay in place. If the city of Cedar Rapids patched potholes, then I think it would have worked:

When we wished her a 'Happy Birthday' in the morning we were informed that her birthday did not start until she put her birthday crown on at daycare:

Blowing out the candles on her birthday cake:

David's parents arrived yesterday too, so between her birthday, tumbling, the presents and all the sugar consumed she was a little wound!

Miss Independent

This afternoon I was out in the garden trying best I could to plant my vegetables. Not an easy task, planting, when you can't bend over.

I hear the lock click on the sliding door, it opens and out walks Madeleine. She picks up her pail and shovel and starts heading down the hill, waving at me as she goes by. I make a mental note to determine why she is wearing different pants. Door opens again a minute or so later and out comes David, yelling to her. Apparently he didn't know I was out there.

Last I knew she was headed downstairs to play in her playroom while he was working on finishing some plugs in our little storage room. I went outside to plant my vegetables. He asked her to get him a soda, and she did, somehow managing to spill it on her pants. Not a problem in Madeleine's world. She went upstairs, got new pants, put the dirty ones in the washer machine on the 2 hours sanitary cycle (yes, by themselves, no soap). She must have decided she was done playing inside, so she went out. Apparently she knows how to unlock the sliding door in the basement. That can't be a good thing.

Yesterday I was cleaning up after supper to turn around and see her IN the refrigerator. She had pulled up a chair to get some grapes, which I had all washed in a container for her. She always wants to get things for herself, so I try and keep her snacks in easy reach. She saw the yogurt I bought on the top shelf, couldn't reach it and decided that she had to move it down so it was within her reach when she opened the refrigerator. In order to do that though she had to step up on the freezer (we have the freezer in the bottom) and climb up on one of the drawers to pull the yogurt down and move it 'so Ma'line can reach it mommy'.

Are these escapades what I have to look forward to as she turns 3?

One step closer to a van!!

We finally received word that the state was going to pick up the tab for the modifications that David would need to have made to any van he would get - the biggie being the lowering of the floor so he can wheel in. While a truck would be easier for him, he needs to have something he can transport kids in. Huge relief as the cost of the modifications is almost as much as the base price of the van itself.

Frustrating though, since they (being The State) don't tell you everything you need to get together. For example, he needs a doctor's note saying he is OK to drive BUT then he gets another form that the doctor also needs to fill out. Could we not get everything the doctor needed to sign and fill out at the same time to save us a trip or two?

So ... fingers crossed that this all comes together in the next 5 weeks or so. We are supposed to be meeting the guy from The State at the car dealership one day this week to see what is available.

In baby news, a bit less than 6 weeks to go for me. Doctor appointment today showed that my blood pressure has decided to climb up a bit. They hooked me up for a non-stress test and all looked good with the baby so I got sent home (or back to work). Rather than go every other week, I have now earned myself an appointment and a non-stress test every week for the duration. Despite the fact I am ready to be done, this little one does need to stay put for a few more weeks until the lungs are fully developed. Of course, I still have a gazillion things to do before its' arrival!

Cream cheese fanatic

Madeleine loves her cream cheese, that's for sure.

We went grocery shopping this morning. I usually go on Friday after work (i.e., ALONE) but I've been working late all week and didn't want to deal with it. So, I went this morning and somehow ended up taking Madeleine with me.

Our grocery store has those carts that look like cars. I HATE them. They are hard to steer and you can't fit all that much in the basket. If you get the wrong bagger, they won't let you take it out to the parking lot (although we always bring them back). Many a time I have been left with a 2 yr old and all my bags w/ no cart (they don't seem to think you need a replacement).

So ... after an uneventful run through the store we were in the checkout lane. We didn't buy all that much and the cashier rang up everything pretty quickly. I was getting ready to swipe my debit card when the bagger said:

"Ma'am, are you going to pay for your cream cheese?"

I pointed to the tub that was sitting on the end of the belt, "I did. It already went through."

"No," he said, "I mean the cream cheese that your daughter has."

I walk to the front of the cart and look in. There sits Madeleine with 3 boxes of cream cheese, trying to wrap them all up in the piece of wax paper she got her slice of cheese in from the deli.

"Madeleine, what are you doing?"

"We NEED cream cheese mommy. We have no more."

I wonder if we would have be detained for shoplifting if we had made it out the front door of the store.