Renewed Effort #2

Okay...I have been going facebook crazy, back at work, treo work email obsessed, etc, etc. In the meantime, three months have passed....thank you! I have survived three more months of scheduling babysitters, working crazy hours, waking up 3-4 times a night, listening to screaming kids, and dealing with the crappy WA weather (it was seriously NOT this bad when I was growing up). Makes me dream of those So Cal days with Matt, having an impromptu pool party with sex drugs & rock n' roll, being tan, and laying in bed all weekend watching the Real World...........ahhhhh. I AM looking forward to this summer: trip to KY to visit my besties, IN relatives, taking Rex to water slides, not having to worry about coats for the kids, getting drunk a few times with Matt, sitting on our balcony in the sun, running in shorts, watching Sloane learn to crawl/walk. Can you tell I am desperate for some warm weather????? Now, to get through what may be the most challenging bargaining season at work...

Big Week

• Sloane took a nap in her crib for the first time...Sloane is 4 mo, 3 wks. Didn't happen with Rex until he was 6 mo, 3 wks. Didn't get a pic of Sloane...she is very sensitive to the flash, but here was little Rexy's first crib nap.

• Sloane weighed almost 15 lbs at the doc and is 26 1/2 in...3/4 in. longer than Rex was at the same age. 90% for height!! Then (1 wk.) and Now shots:

• Sloane went running in the jogging stroller for the first time without the carseat. It was SO MUCH lighter!

• Rex got his 2nd hair cut. He LOVES getting his hair cut. Rex is a total metro at 2! Pre-hair cut...(no new pics yet):

Lame

Just wanted to say that I'm really behind on posting here...guess I kinda took a holiday break. I'm sure ALL of my followers are very concerned about me. Don't worry...everything is fine, normal, and bordering on insane. Sloane has learned to screech and is sucking her fingers 24/7 (she gets that from her thumb sucking mom...yep, til 5th grade or so). Rex is expanding his vocab and obsessed with Matt (guess now that he doesn't need my boob I am basically useless). The snow has melted (thank you) and we rang in 2009 with 3 bottles of wine, seared ahi (yeah, finally cooked something), and choc cake from costco. Man...we survived one more year...can't believe it. Happy New Year!!

Dance fever!!

Shitty video and Matt is talking on phone but this IS Rex's fav song right now along with Abominable Snowman in the Market by Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers.

CA or bust

Okay...it snowed last weekend....of course it can't snow during the week so we have the chance of a day off "NO!" Rex totally digs snowmen and Santa right now, so he was pretty excited about the snow (from inside). Things turned out a little different than expected...

Sloane, of course, had to deck herself out in her new down snow suit from REI...so Northwest of her! She demanded it, too!


Things were good at first...Rex was checking it out.

Wow...even a smile. Now we are talking. I love this bush/grass thing we have in our yard. Reminds me of Westport, CT.

Ok...now he is getting a little cold and seems to be channeling our poor palm tree...something about if you knock your boots together three times you will go somewhere warm??
Ummm...the snow is making my boots very "messy" (fav word right now) and I don't like it.

Now my hands are freezing and I don't really care that I refused to wear gloves.

Get me the hell out of this cold shit and back into the 76 degree house (yeah...we overdo the heat):

Tree Hunt

We got our tree up after walking around in the rain, shoving the tree in our car (barely fit between the kids...kept thinking Sloane was going to get suffocated by the plastic around it), perusing the mall for some new ornaments at 8 PM (drunk sales lady at Macy's took about an hour to wrap up the ones we bought), and finally getting the thing up and decorated by 10 PM. Sloane slept through the tree selection and mall trip and Rex could barely control himself...Christmas, Santa, trees, lights, and snowmen are his new obsession.

Short and Sweet

I am so sleep deprived that I'm probably going to die. Please tell my children to sleep.

Rex's plea to Santa...

In case you were wondering what Rex wants for x-mas...

Back to work tomorrow...

I am actually looking forward to a little break from the kids, but going back to work is making me a little sad. There is so much stress associated with my work stuff: gotta pump, want to see Sloane at lunch to nurse (as much as I can), have to make sure that Rex makes it from Nick's house back to our house mid-day, have to make sure all of the babysitters (Tom & 2 cool gals who just graduated from WWU) know their schedules, have to pack lunches, make sure milk is ready, keep our house semi-clean so that people don't think we are totally disgusting, have to worry that Sloane won't want to drink from the bottle (she has pretty much refused up to this point except for one successful attempt by Tom), have to juggle my late night meetings and Matt not getting home til late cuz he has to drive so far for work...the list goes on.

Plus...I'm gonna miss my kiddos even though today it took me an hour and half to get Rex to sleep and I had to resort to letting Sloane cry while I rocked him to sleep. I hate to hear babies cry!! There was a point today that I thought...I am soooo thankful that I work!!

This has been a crazy 3 1/2 months, though. A few memories:

-Fun trips to Vancouver BC while Matt was on his maternity leave

-My first time taking both kids out together to the park

-Building up my courage to become a pro at grocery shopping with both kids

-Rex sitting patiently in his carseat while I nursed Sloane just about everywhere we went

-Trips to the Children's Museum, library, toy store, parks (ALL of them)

-Many a jog in the jogging stroller from 70 degree weather to now 45 degree weather

-Reading books, taking naps, playing "guys"

-Picking up Rex from Nick's and see that big smile on his face

-Snuggling in bed with Sloane

-Shopping trips to the mall with Sloane in the front pack

-Late morning elliptical trainer workouts with Sloane in the front pack while watching Beverly Hills 90210 reruns

Rex and Sloane today (my last day :( ):

Thanksgiving '08...A Photo Journal

Before the trip to Everett...Matt had to run to the store for a meat thermometer cuz I bought one that isn't made for staying in the oven (woops!). I had the chance to snap a few...Rex wasn't in the mood as he was still on his sugar high (see previous post) and refused to take a nap:Made it to Everett with 0 gas left in the tank, but no crying babies!! Our ongoing search for a decent family photo:

And the Grandparentals (before spending the wild night with Rex):

Everyone starting to get their "drink on":

After Liam slipped Rex a little something...
Sloane FINALLY wakes up in time put on her pjs post-feast:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

We are off to the parentals this afternoon. Rex, of course, woke up at 7 AM. I started baking a caramel apple pie (almost finished now) and some ambrosia salad. Rex ate 10 slices of sugared apples, pie dough, maraschino cherries, a waffle, a veggie sausage, and a half of a banana. The kid has only been awake for 2 1/2 hours! I sliced apples with Sloane in the front pack and had visions of accidentally wounding her...we made it though! So, I just have the free range turkey breast to go. Matt is awake now to entertain Rex a little bit, but I have to say Rex was a pretty darn good boy (as long as I kept feeding him sugar...at one point he actually asked to try the raw flour and brown sugar). One more little invention that is great to keep him occupied:He can stand on it and be counter height. He eats there, watches me not cook, reads books, etc. Okay...Sloane wants to eat and then have to get the kids in the double jogger. I am thankful for these days that Matt runs with me so that I have a partner in pushing it. I still would love to see a web board just for moms who actually jog with their double jogger.

Oh....HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! 1 year later, 1 more kid, 1 more house...everything else pretty much status quo!

The pie (yes...I made the crust):

Rex and Matt downloading x-mas songs for the big t-giving fiesta later:

Sloane and Kate tired after all of the morning cooking:

Sloane looking adorable a few days ago (hey...had to throw it in!):