Boys will be boys...and sometimes girls

So, I don't know of many little guys more dedicated to being a boy than Sam Sam the Wild Man. He is fully committed to all things boy. Right out of the gate, he was all burps and gas. He loved to eat and now eats almost as much as I do (sometimes more). I worried a little when I found out I was pregnant with a boy. I'm totally girlie, as is my sweet daughter. I mean, pink, dress me up, loves shoes, and still believes in princesses living happily ever after. I kind of thought that our boy didn't stand a chance. I figured when he got old enough I'd hand him a ball or a truck and say, "Um, here. This is for you. I hear you are into these." In retrospect, there was nothing to worry about.

He is loud. He yells. Almost always ("I JUST LOVE MY BABY!!" comes out the same volume as "BIG BOYS DON'T HAVE TO SIT IN TIME OUT!!!"). He runs fast, vaults over my leather couch, jumps on my heirloom quilt, drops my good dishes into the sink with gusto. He tackles his sister, lifts gallons of milk to show his strength, and adds sound effects to any situation. He refuses to eat cereal that has girls on the front (only boys or animals) or use the purple foamy soap in the bath ("ORANGE IS FOR BOYS, PURPLE IS FOR GIRLS"). He gleefully makes "guns" out of anything--blocks, books, flowers, drinking straws. Not sure how he even knows what they are. We don't have guns, talk about them....we are a peace-loving people.

Which is why, it was such a surprise to see him waltzing into the room, swathed in pink satin and organza. "Hey, buddy. You're wearing Girlie's flower girl dress?"
"Yes, I am a princess," he said in a very princess-y voice.
"Wow. I thought you we're a little boy."
"No, I am a princess now." I had to admit he made a really beautiful girl. Meg appeared behind him smiling. "Do you like my sister?" she batted her eyelashes. Ah, the mastermind behind this estrogen packed room. I just had to laugh. Though J would have blown a gasket had he been here, I actually found it hilarious and figured that when he was ready, he would be a boy again. So I didn't make him change. The next time I saw them, they had bright purple lip gloss smeared clown-style around their mouths and eyebrows. I enjoyed the water-and-pretend-cookie tea party with them, addressing them as "Your Highness" and "Lovely Princess."

Apparently, it goes both ways. Later, they both came out of Sam Sam's room--each sporting a pair of his swimming trunks. Both shirtless. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. HEW IS MY BWUZZER (brother)."

...and then there was the time that I got old...

It's been coming on for a while now. Little signs. Hints that "aging" applied to me. Most recently, we bought a minivan. That pretty much sealed the deal. Not that (for a minivan) it's not fine, it's just that my "hip" factor took a serious dive. Even the "new car smell" wasn't comforting. Not like my white Camry was so edgy, it just wasn't made to tote around multiple kids, swimming gear, the stroller, and groceries all at the same time. It's kind of like driving around a big, mobile billboard that screams "Hey, look at me! I'm totally old! SUCH a mom, right here!" All my minivan-driving mommy friends threw around "convenient" and "roomy" and "great to travel in." "You'll love it" they all promised. But, it was like turning 30 all over again.

30. Thirty. Treinta. Trente. I'd never actually thought I'd make it to thirty. Not that I thought something bad would happen to me, I just never actually pictured being 30. It's like you cross some invisible threshold. All of a sudden you start hearing things like "lower metabolism" and "cholesterol testing". I started noticing wrinkles on my face that I swear were not there the day before. Especially when my eyebrows go up in surprise that I have wrinkles---that's really when they show. And the white hairs that are in stark contrast to my almost black hair? They went and got buddies and now there are too many to comfortably pluck out in two minutes.

On the 4th of July this year, our city's Freedom Festival featured several live bands over the two-day celebration, including Candlebox and Gin Blossoms. J and I high-fived over the fact that such hot bands were coming (picture "rock on" hands and some gentle head banging). Then, with a sudden start, we realized these were hot bands, not they are hot bands. Were hot bands...in "our day." We have a "day" now.

But, never mind that the check out lady totally didn't bother to check my ID when the scanner registered that I was buying rubber cement. Never mind that I look at the restaurant hostesses and wonder if they can drive yet. Never mind that I look for my music in the "Easy Listening" section at Best Buy. It's okay that I look forward to bed at about the same time my night used to begin. So what if that "stow and go" seating is really nice and "convenient". I'm 30...for a couple more months, anyway. Old enough to have a little of the wisdom life has to offer, old enough to be taken seriously. And, really, people--being 'old' feels sooo much younger than I ever thought it would.

Grocery Shopping with Sam Sam

Okay, who wants to go grocery shopping with me??
I know, me neither, but I have an $8 off coupon that expires today.

No, you need to change.
Because we just can't wear swimsuits to the store.
We just can't.
Fine. But your shirt doesn't match.

Now, guys, when we get to the store, we can't use a race car cart--baby Red doesn't fit in one.
Because baby Red doesn't fit in it.
Because baby Red doesn't fit in it.
He just doesn't.

Um, I guess you can hang on the side, but you have to be REALLY careful and hang on tight.
Please don't throw your head back.
Just stand up straight. Seriously, you're going to get schmucked.
I'm not kidding, you're going to--
We'll put ice on it at home.

No, we don't need lettuce. Or that lettuce. Nope, not that one either.
Eggs, I do need eggs. Just one, just one.
Please put those eggs down.

CAREFULLY, son!

Okay, help me pick out some good bananas! Be soft, soft--oh, don't toss them, please!
No twist ties in our noses. Please.
Okay, I need four refrigerated cans of pizza dough. Can you please put them softly in the cart?
Oh, please stop dropping them on the eggs. Not the eggs.

SON. PLEASE. STOP. DROPPING. THEM. ON. THE. EGGS.

Then you'd better hurry up. We're going. Seriously. Okay, bye.

I can't believe that you can run and jump and grab onto a moving cart! That was hilarious. You should be a stunt man.

A stunt man.

It's a guy who--never mind. Forget it. Let's not give you any ideas.

Okay, bread is next.
No, that loaf of bread is $5. Let's get this one instead. Put it right there in the cart.
Please stop kicking the bread.

Hamburger. How does this one look? No, stop poking holes.
I know it's squishy. I know. It doesn't matter.

Almost done. Let's go.
Please stop shouting "It's a disaster!!"
What is that from? Ratatouille? Sheesh...

Can you help me load things onto the counter? No, this counter.
The lady needs them on this side, you don't have to walk around to give it to her.

Please stop yelling "It's a DISASTER!"

I'm not kidding.

Can you get buckled into your seat? Go ahead, get buckled in. No, you're not a big boy yet.
I know, yes, you're a big boy. Not big enough.
When you're fifteen.

Sammy, it's not a disaster.

Oh, shoot, I forgot to get that rain check...
Forget it....so not worth it...

Where'd the Summer Go??

So, clearly we've been busy. Last post, Little Red had just joined our family. Now, he's two months old and weighing in at a whopping 14 lbs and 23 inches long. He's at that adorable chubby baby stage where it looks like he has rubber bands around his wrist and his thighs look like a little stack of tires. I could just eat him up.

He's a fantastic baby. One of those "angel babies" J and I have only ever heard about. He is happy as can be, usually, and has a gummy grin that fills his whole double-chinned face. He loves his sleep (must get that from me), and goes to sleep for the night at about 9:30/10:00 p.m. This morning we had to wake him up to nurse at 7:00 a.m.

A lot has happened this past little while. J took a two week vacation, I mean, business trip to China and Hong Kong. It was a fabulous experience. He had a great time and brought back lots of treats for everyone. The kids and I stayed down in Kansas with Grandma and Grandpa the whole time, where we got to see all of my siblings except Mr. and Mrs. Las Vegas. The kids had a blast playing with everyone, taking summer classes (Tinkerbell, Tumbling, Thomas the Tank Engine, Musical Instruments, and Ballet), swimming, going to the park, and visiting Grandpa's "foot office."

Girlie is set to start KINDERGARTEN next month. Very, very big, traumatic time for me. She's revvin' to go, I'm having bad dreams about the bus. The only things I'm looking forward to are buying school supplies (why is that always so fun for me?) and the outfits. I do love to dress her. I've always thought that if another daughter isn't in the cards for me, at least the one I have is as sweet and girlie as I could ever want. Little diva, she does wardrobe changes at least hourly. Sometimes more. ...Not sure how she's going to handle staying in one outfit for an entire afternoon at school...

Sam Sam is as wild as ever. He's making up for Girlie never doing the whole "terrible twos" thing. He's full of life, energy, enthusiasm. One volume: LOUD. One speed: FAST. One way: HIS. He keeps things fun and interesting. He adores "his baby." He loves him very...vigorously. Several times a day he comes up and says, "Mommy, I just love my baby."

I've just started getting out to playgroups, church, running errands with all three kids. It's actually going okay. We've even done a couple movies, including Wall-E. Sam Sam does Wall-E's "Eve-a!!" imitation perfectly and it's hilarious. Anyway, we've started to get into the groove of life, then I look up and think, "Where'd the summer go??"

Drumroll, please...

Announcing the newest sweetheart to join our family: Little Red! Our little guy came at 4:54 a.m. on Monday, May 19, 2008.
He weighed 7 lbs 14 oz, and was 21 1/4" long. His most notable feature: his reddish hair!! I couldn't have been more surprised. The labor and delivery was (relatively speaking) great and pretty easy (again, this is still labor and delivery, mind you). Everyone gave him the weird-ish compliment of looking like a "c-section baby." He was out in three pushes, so he was all pink and perfectly shaped. He is a little doll, and so good and peaceful (that's unusual for our newborn offspring). We had a wonderful, wonderful experience at Progress West Hospital and came home on Wednesday. It was really funny, Girlie and Little Red are almost exactly 5 years apart, and we had Girlie's delivery nurse for Little Red's delivery. Five years later, different hospital--what are the odds? For my part, I'm doing (again, relatively) great. Recovery is going super fast and great. I even took all three kids to the doctor, BY MYSELF yesterday. Even I was impressed. I'm still totally exhausted; he nurses like it's going out of style, and for some reason, he's extra hungry at night. But, besides that, he's doing great, I'm up and about, the kids are completely in love with him (I have to protect Little Red from all of the extreme lovin'), and Mom is here helping us all. J hasn't noticed any change in sleeping pattern, but don't worry, his time is coming. J did an amazing job of juggling everything in our life while I was in the hospital. He was really, really wonderful and I feel so blessed to have such a support.

!!Aye-yay-yay!!

Fiesta time at our casa! Girlie's 5th birthday was celebrated with Latin flair on May 10th (yes, 15 days early, due to the pending arrival of little Anderson-Dirk ---see previous post for inside joke). Girlie and five of her closest girlfriends got together for a little pin the tail on the burro, Mexican Hat Dance, limbo, and breaking Mommy's 4-day-project pinata. They all had a great time feasting on chicken taquitos, chips, salsa, strawberry punch and lemonade, and...an 11:00 a.m. ice cream sundae bar. J and Sam-Sam went on the Father-Son camp out the night before, so it was up to Mommy and Girlie to get the party all ready the night before (which happened to include ice cream and a slumber party in Mommy's room). Girlie woke up this morning with a huge smile on her face. What can I say? The girl was born to party.

Sam-Sam looks serious about doing damage to the pinata.


Everyone got down to business with the sprinkles, whipped topping, chocolate, marshmallows, candies, caramel, and nuts. Lest you think it unhealthy, though, don't worry--it was all natural ice cream.

Preggo Mama

Well, I'm due in 6 days, and counting. Here I am, 9 months pregnant. Clothes are washed in Dreft, bassinet is set up in our room, the freezer is stocked with J-fixable food, and Mom is on standby--we're ready for our little guy's arrival. Except for his name. Any suggestions would be welcome. I am still favoring "Anderson", while J is getting so desperate for another candidate he actually suggested "Dirk". No offense to any Dirks who may be reading this.

St. Louis Saturday

What a fun day!! We slept in until 7:15 a.m. and then all enjoyed breakfast as a family. We took off on our adventure.

First stop: Carousel. This 1920's carousel was salvaged when the Forest Park Highlands burnt to the ground (the carousel was the only thing left standing). We all had a great time riding it. J and I each stood by one of the kids. J wanted to ride, but chickened out. : )















Sam Sam had a great time waving at everyone (and himself, when he saw his reflection in the mirror).






















Girlie in front of the carousel. She thought it was a little magical and maybe we should get one.





















Next stop: Butterfly House. We had a wonderful time watching a movie about caterpillars and butterflies. The kids had so much fun watching all the blue morph butterflies and were so careful not to touch them. The whole, very humid, building was all a-flutter with 1500 butterflies.

March Madness

Well, we've had a fun month. No, nothing to do with basketball or any other sport that claims extra madness during a certain month. Here's what we've been up to.

March 6, 2008
Girlie and I went to Kindergarten Registration. It was tearful and exciting (tearful for me, exciting for Girlie). Then we had some girl bonding time--lunch, manicures, and pedicures (picture to the left). She's so excited to ride the bus and meet her teacher.









March 11, 2008

We went to the Parents as Teachers Spring Fling and saw the Spring Bunny (no, not the Easter Bunny, the politically correct, non-denominational, non-offensive "Spring Bunny", because, hey, who can argue with the name of a season, for crying out loud). Girlie and Sam Sam walked right up to sit on his lap, those friendly little folks. Girlie later questioned me about the "real-ness" of the bunny. Smarty.

Then we met friends at Zachary's Playground, a huge, fantastic, all-accessible playground that my friend spent years of her life dreaming of, raising money for, and building--inspired by her disabled son. The kids love the swings and the castle the best.





March 17, 2008

A fun "drive-in movie" activity. The kids got to race around in their respective vehicles while watching a big screen showing of "Cars." They seemed to do a pretty good job of sharing (the blue trike seemed to be the favorite, over the "convertible" coupe with the "hoopty" wheel). We saw our friends Vincent and Carson there as well. Just for the record, none of us was wearing green that day.


Riley's very fashionable "cone head" statement.


















March 21, 2008

We met "Maisy" at the library. Girlie again seriously questioned the "real-ness" of the large mouse character, who suspiciously didn't say a word. Sam Sam seems to have gotten over his babyhood fear of large, mascot-type creatures.













March 21, 2008

We met our friends at Ft. Zumwalt Park for an Easter egg hunt. The kids really got into it, even though they, in turn, took big spills in the muddy grass. They got lots of fun eggs, and started devouring the candy with gusto.

Go Go Gadget Pediatric Neurologist

After Girlie's scary seizure on Jan. 29, 2008, her pediatrician recommended that we see the pediatric neurology specialists at Children's Hospital. They were going to do an awake/asleep EEG, which meant that I had to somehow get my sweet non-napping preschooler to just...fall asleep...at 10:00 a.m. J and I took turns on "Mission: Keep Girlie Awake"--I stayed up with her watching movies until midnight, then J got her up at 5:00 a.m. When he tried to wake her up, she REALLY didn't want any part of it. He kept trying to convince her, "Come on, remember? It's part of our plan. We're going to drink hot chocolate and watch 'Little Mermaid'." She sighed and conceded, "Fine. But this is the last movie, and then I'm going to sleep." She did great at the hospital, fell asleep as soon as we let her, then we all treated ourselves to chicken nuggets at McDonalds (Girlie's choice). We're glad that things seem to be going well now, and pray that our luck continues. We're grateful for all the prayers and thoughts from our friends and loved ones.