Eleven Moves in Three Years

I counted.

This will be my 11th move in the last 3 years, and hopefully the only move for the next 3+ years. I have become pretty efficient at packing, but that does not mean I enjoy it. Every time I move I just have more things. Now we have all of this baby stuff to move, and I'm sure the load will only get heavier throughout the years. Troy has conveniently been in New York and has therefore avoided all of the packing.

The good news is we closed on our house today! We are officially homeowners!!

I guess we'll pack and move Blake.

Hours of packing + Grandma's much needed help = Silliness

Single Mommyhood

Troy is in New York for ten days on a business trip which has left me to conquer life as a single mom. I definitely haven't been bored with all of the projects I have been working on, but I am a little lonesome. Evenings are the worst without my buddy to hang out with. When Blake wakes up from his late afternoon nap, I think, how can entertain him for the next three hours till he goes to bed? I am used to Troy coming home during that time. Blake and I have stayed busy with a lot of friends which has helped pass the time. I know I am a big lonely wuss. Some of my friend's husbands have been gone for months at a time for internships or military service, but I still miss my man.

We got together with some of my friends from Michigan that I grew up with. Coincidentally, all three of our moms got together the same day for lunch back home.

Thad and Blake.

Trying to get a picture of Thad, Kylie, and Blake while they were happy was impossible.

I volunteered to watch all three babies while Kourtni and Alyssa were occupied with something else. I was pretty confident that I could handle it, until two babies were crying at the same time. I already had one baby in my arms, and no more arms to help the other one! I don't know how moms with triplets do it (or twins for that matter).

My friend Kristen came over and we had a girls' night. We watched movies that Troy wouldn't be caught dead watching and worked on scrapbooking projects. She also practiced a shiatsu massage on me because she had to demonstrate it the next day for her students at the massage school. I felt so spoiled.

I also had a true idiot mom moment. I guess I didn't realize that Blake is clearly too big for his infant tub. I was just in the habit of always giving him his bath there, and I never noticed that he outgrew it. Kristen about died laughing, and said, "I've never seen a baby that big in one of those tubs before!"

Needless to say, we transitioned to the real tub and it fits Blake much better.

Child of Wonder, Child of Joy

Blackmail

This one is for the teenage girls that try to date Blake.

To Share or Not to Share

Our next door neighbor's little boy was born one day after Blake. It has been really fun to see the two of them go through the same stages at the same time. Braydon and Blake are finally starting to notice each other, but mostly each other's toys. It turns out Blake is a toy hog. He took all of Braydon's toys away, but Braydon didn't care. Occasionally Braydon would grab a toy back, but Blake didn't seem to mind either. If only they could stay this passive through their toddler years!

"Quick, I'll grab the toy while Braydon isn't looking!"

"Now I'm happy because I have all the toys."

Problem Solving 101

Problem Number 1: Blake does not roll over onto his back once he is on his tummy. I realize that there are much worse and more serious problems that exist with many babies. However, for us, it really has been a struggle for the past couple of months. Blake immediately rolls onto his tummy whenever he is put into his crib, gets tired and mad, and forgets that he can roll back over. He has trouble falling asleep and staying asleep because of his rolling difficulties. Every baby has their "thing" and this has been Blake's.

Solution: I taught him how to do it (or at least I like to take the credit). I practiced with him all week by rolling him with a blanket. I pulled up the edge which made him roll by himself. He actually thought it was a fun game, and today, all of that rolling practice proved to be very worthwhile! He has been rolling in both directions continuously. Every time I have gotten him up from a nap, instead of the mad, exhausted grunts of struggle that he usually exhibits on his tummy, he has been happily laying on his back with a smile. Hooray Triumphant Blake!

Problem Number 2: We have an apartment lease that we are trying to get out of early because we are moving.

Solution: I posted it on Craigslist today. Apparently married housing is a hot commodity because within 2 hours of my posting, I received 41 phone calls, 3 people looked at it, a deposit was made and a contract was signed. It was CRAZY! Everytime I had a break in between phone calls to check my voice mail, I had 7 or 8 new messages. I had to stop answering my phone and change my voice mail to say the apartment had been rented. I had no idea it would be snatched up so fast! It's no beauty by any means, but married housing is so hard to find that people from out of state were even making commitments to put a deposit down today. We're just glad it is off our shoulders. Blake is also glad that he gets his mommy back from phone call mania. Until packing mania begins...

Problem Number 3: Blake is very ticklish.

Solution: Make a video of his giggling and share it with all of you.

7 Months on 7/7

...and busier than ever.

Happy 4th of July

Since I was a little girl, the 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday.

It was a big deal in my hometown in Michigan.

We woke up early to line up for the big parade that went down the main street of our town. I was usually dressed up as a character of whichever community theater play I was in. The best year was when I played the part of the fiddler from Fiddler on the Roof, and as I was waving from the float, one child shouted, "Look, mom, he's a girl!" When I got older, I performed stunts and gymnastics with my cheerleading team in the parade and did back-handsprings down the hard gravel of Wilson Ave. 

Then there was the art fair, three on three basketball tournaments, and the penny carnival that I worked at to save money for camp. There were elephant ears, hot air balloons, and concerts. Sometimes my family did a matinee community theater performance. We always topped off the afternoon with a big American barbecue with my cousins, aunts, and uncles and took a quick dip in the pool.

Finally, we covered ourselves in bug spray in an attempt to avoid the mosquitoes, and caught fireflies on our walk to watch the town fireworks. We sat right under the barn where they launched the fireworks, ooo-ing and aaah-ing over the lit up sky. There was something so special about our whole town being out that day and seeing so many familiar faces.

I hope that our children will one day be able to experience the magic of freedom and festivities.

Unfortunately, my husband is a little bit of a holiday killer. Little bit is probably an understatement. He hates parades, fairs, and fireworks (don't even get me started on Christmas). I had to coerce him for a half an hour to get him to watch the fireworks with me. I raved about how romantic it would be, and how we could talk and hold hands. However, it was finally his mom that gave him the ultimate guilt trip to convince him to go. I am hoping he will catch the spirit in future years. Because my love for the 4th of July is not going away.