Monday
Aug302010
More Benjamin photography
Benjamin's been borrowing my camera again....
I have very few good photos of me with any of my kids... so this one is a keeper!
Monday, August 30, 2010 at 03:18PMWednesday
Aug252010
It was either a baptism or Halloween
Though on many (many) occasions we contemplated exchanging this baby Silas, we ended up keeping him. And at a year, the warranty expired. So we decided to go ahead and have him baptized.
Except for getting out of bed at 9:30am for a baptism taking place at 10:10am – and Jonathan complaining that out of the 30 minutes available for getting ready, I spent 29 of them on myself – it went well. (His Mom was here and the kids were all out in the living room with her.)
The boys stayed reasonably still… [Thankfully. Since the last time they made an official appearance in front of the congregation, they began singing with the other kids, then giving each other full body hugs – then the giggling started and they ended up rolling around on the floor. I was horrified.] … and Silas just turned away as the water trickled down his neck. No diva-esque howls.
One person commented that Silas looked just like Casper the Friendly Ghost. Another wanted to borrow the dress I was wearing for her Halloween costume.
At home we tried for some family photos to memorialize the day. I was trying to get the three boys together – and told Jonathan “Hold onto him!” meaning Silas, but this is how each person interpreted my command:
And all of us, with our happy-go-lucky children:
Wednesday
Aug182010
An apology to Jae, as he recovers from hypothermia
Once again, it is Miami Spice time when we avail ourselves of tasty restaurant experiences that are normally out of our budget. (Unless Jonathan is entertaining clients and then it’s Hello, Bring On The $18 Cocktails.) We went to Azul the other night and I had the most amazing squid ink gnocchi and crispy Ipswitch clams - - but that is not the point of this post...
Our friends Samantha and Charlie also went to Azul – on a different night - and I went over to basically sit on their couch while their kids slept. How could I mess that up? Let me tell you.
Well, actually I didn’t sit on their couch. I did Tracy Anderson’s Mat Workout video (series one) for the third time, and – for the third time – came close to dying. So, after 45 minutes of arms-legs-abs torture, I am sweating.
So… I turn down the thermostat a bit for a few minutes just to cool off for a brief moment before creating a few Art Cards.
At home when I’m hot, I turn down the thermostat. I adjust the thermostat in our house maybe 3 or 4 times a day without thinking much about it. And for some reason apparently I didn’t think much about adjusting someone else’s thermostat either. Even though I Don’t Live There. And I’m only there for Three Hours. Brainless.
Of course… I didn’t remember to turn up the thermostat. I didn’t remember until a few hours later when, at 1:30am, Silas woke up crying. Instead of thinking, "Why is Silas crying?" my first thought (I kid you not) was "OH MY GOSH, JAE IS HUDDLED IN A CORNER OF HIS CRIB SHIVERING TO DEATH BECAUSE I FORGOT TO PUT THE THERMOSTAT BACK UP!!"
I'm not very lucid when I first wake up and I was seriously debating whether or not to call Samantha to tell her. [Like. She. Hadn't. Figured. It. Out. Already.]
I mean, Julia is five and was under some covers, but Baby Jae (he’s two now, but we still call him Baby Jae) was vulnerable and exposed and was in desperate need of a hot water bottle and fleece blanket. STAT!
I’m pacing with a screaming Silas, mainlining Tylenol into his veins since all his teeth have decided to come in within two weeks of each other. But all the while fretting about poor Baby Jae who by now is probably too weak to cry for help. Should I call? Should I call?
Silas ended up crying for half an hour and by the end of it I was awake enough to realize that I probably didn’t need to call Samantha, but still dazed enough to not be able to fall back asleep because JAE WAS GETTING FROSTBITE.
Lesson learned. Never touch another person’s thermostat.
Tuesday
Aug172010
Pulling air into the air
A field trip to the Miami Science Museum... Benjamin pulling Jonah into the air (which os only slightly more difficult than pulling air into the air):
We saw the Caberet Mechanical Theatre, a travelling exhibit of handmade wooden toys such as the one below: "Trainee Banana Ripener."
Untitled from SeaBird on Vimeo.
The boys' favorite part was seeing (and spying on) the Wild and Ferocious Male Humans in their natural habitat. (I had to pull them away - quite embarrassing - "WE WANT TO SPY ON THE WORKING MEN!")
My favorite part is always the wall of baby mangroves, each in their own individual cups of water (below). I want to do something like this on a shaded outdoor wall of our new house, but am still trying to figure out how. From a distance - like in the photo - it looks really cool, but those cups are actually plastic and they're attached to the walls with binder clips hanging on nails. Bleh. I found test tubes with small holes pre-drilled, but they're $3 each, and when you need a hundred or so....
Wednesday
Aug112010
Highlights from yesterday
5:10am -- Dream interrupted by crying Silas. Go to fridge to retrieve 1.5 ounce milk bottle. Hand to standing/wailing Silas in crib. Go back to my bed.
6:30am -- Dream interrupted by crying Silas. Go to crib to retrieve Silas, nurse him on the big bed in the boys’ room. We both fall asleep afterwards.
7:15am -- Silas wakes up, pushes himself off bed, plays on ground.
Over the next hour -- Each of the boys wake up, play with Silas, go to the bathroom, and eat their snack. Me = dozing and dreaming. (I had a crazy amount of dreams last night.)
8:30am -- I come to because the noise has diminished somewhat. All three boys have moved from the bedroom to the living room. Must get out of bed now.
11am -- Babysitter arrives. I barricade myself in my bedroom to pack up stuff and work on my computer.
11:15am -- Benjamin requests to enter. Request denied.
11:35am -- Benjamin requests to enter. Request denied.
11:55am -- Benjamin requests to enter. Request denied. He goes to eat his lunch.
12:25am -- Benjamin requests to enter. Request denied.
3:30pm -- While Silas is still napping, the older boys and I make terrariums using baby food jars. They boys introduce a tropical storm into the delicate ecosystems in their attempt to sprinkle a few drops of water. Must leave lids off for several days.
4pm – Finish the rest of our lessons: handwriting, memory verse, listen to/read about Mozart, build volcanoes out of play dough.
4:30pm – Try to catch the post office before it closes. Let the boys run up and down the ramp outside 53 times to burn off energy.
6:30pm -- Put all three boys in our shower.
6:35pm -- Respond to a Hazmat call from Benjamin. Silas has pooped in the shower for the third day in a row. It’s all over his hands. Why buy toys for this kid when he can make his own?
7pm -- Retrieve Silas and his pruned toes from shower – he loves to play in there forever and who am I to stop him?
7:15pm – Silas picks up the food on his tray one piece at a time and flings it to the floor in protest. Such a diva. Will eat only fruit. Through gritted teeth, I tell him for the 943rd time that the third child is not supposed to be the most difficult.
9:30pm – I collapse into bed, wiped out. Good thing, too. Because Silas was up from 11:30pm – 1:15am crying inconsolably (second tooth coming in, I suspect). Much holding and dancing and loud music and drinking of liquids. Finally “All The Single Ladies” gets his attention (and probably all of the neighbors). By the third repeat he is happily munching cherries, cooing, and goes down without a peep. Thank you, Beyonce.