Rub a Dub Dub, Two Boys in a Tub

Our dinner was kind of messy tonight. Between banana chunks (for Henry) and chocolate pudding (for Nick), both of my sons needed a bath this evening. Lately, we've been giving them baths together.

Henry is so very excited to join Nick at bath time. He copies everything that Nick does, especially things that are splashing-related. Henry really looks up to his big brother.

At the end of this bath, the whole room was soaked, but Henry and Nick were very clean and very happy.

"I am kind of dirty, and I decided I need to have a bath."

One of Nick's birthday presents this year was a set of finger paint soap for the bathtub. He has been asking us for a bath ever since. I told him it was almost time for bed, and here's what he said. "Mommy, I am kind of dirty, and I decided I need to have a bath."

Greg immediately chimed in with, "Nick, you took a shower this morning." Then he said to me, "You know why he's asking for a bath, right? It's those finger paints for the tub." He was right.

I was up for some fun times, though, and I told my boy he could have a bath anyway. "With paint?," he asked? "Yes, Nick," I said. "With paint." Nick and I started out with the red paint, and my bathroom looked like the shower scene from Psycho. Things looked better once I took out the blue paint.

Finger painting is very fun, and Nick is not afraid to get dirty.

We experimented with mixing colors and writing letters with the paint. I made an N and an H, and then Nick made an O. What a mess!

We decided painting time was over when soap got into Nick's eyes. The funny part is, once I got the soap out, he wanted to scrub the paint off the walls himself with the washcloth. I think he enjoyed that as much as the painting, for some reason.  :)

Shaved Kitty Cats?

Have I ever mentioned that I'm allergic to cats? Greg and I have three, despite my allergy. I got Sebastian the day I graduated with my bachelor's degree, and adopted Molly one year later. Tubby is our third cat, and he was Greg's kitty before he met me. It is quite strange, though, that my two cats are somewhat messy, just like me, and Greg's cat is meticulously neat.

That's why I had Molly and Sebastian shaved. Both of them now look quite silly. Here's Nick petting Molly. She is only half-shaved because she fights to the death to prevent anyone from coming near her with a razor.

Sebastian is my long-haired kitty. He is rather fat and has trouble grooming himself. I do believe he's much happier naked, although he looks quite silly.

Check out Sebastian's puffball of a tail. My sister's friend Stephanie did the bathing and shaving, and my sister helped. Both of them looked like they'd been through a war when it was all over. And indeed they had. I'm not sure who won in the end, but both kitties are now clean, shaved, and fresh-smelling. I've noticed in the last few days that I don't have tumbleweeds of cat hair on my hardwood floors, and the couches are missing the thick layer of cat fur that is the norm around here.

Getting to Know Henry

Henry and I have been spending a lot of time together lately. Between midnight nursing, random cluster feeding sessions, and diaper changes, I feel like I know my younger son pretty well so far.

I took this picture of Henry yesterday while he was just staring at me. He does that a lot.

Henry sleeps pretty long stretches at night--up to four hours. This usually means that I only have to wake up once--Greg does the 11 p.m. feeding, I do the one at 3 or 4, and Greg is awake anyway at 7 and feeds Henry before he goes to work. I get to sleep until 8 or 9, thank goodness. At this stage with Nick, he was still waking up every hour or two to feed, and I was a gibberish-spouting zombie. No, really, I once put baby formula in my coffee.

Because Henry lets us sleep at night, we indulge his every wish during the daytime, and he gets snuggled quite a bit. Here's a little video clip of Henry being extra cute.

Things I've learned about Henry so far:

1. He is generally immune to Nick's loudness. I guess he was hearing it regularly in utero, so he just tunes it out. Even when he's sleeping, Nick's screeching seldom disturbs him, unless it's right next to him.

2. He loves having his little feet rubbed. When I pull out the lotion and go to town on his toes, he gets this look of perfect baby bliss on his face. 

3. Henry prefers my right side. Every time I lay him across my stomach, he scoots over to my right side, exactly where he laid when he was inside of me. Strange.

4. He hates being cold and wet. I mean he really hates it. View the evidence below from a spongebath last week:

5. Henry loves to put his fingers in his mouth. We're trying to get him binky-trained, but he prefers his whole hand right now.

6. He does push ups all the time--he wants to see everyone's faces. Henry has done this since his first night in the hospital, and he's pretty strong. He pushes far enough up that he can peer questioningly into your eyes. Then he just kind of stares.

7. He already looks up to his big brother. Nick is always showing him his toys and talking to him, and Henry really listens.

8. He likes story time. Henry sits with me and Nick while I read to him, and he sure seems to be paying attention. Perhaps he just likes my voice, but (since I'm a teacher) I am very glad he's already listening to stories at only two weeks old.

9. Henry has very long fingers and toes, and a cute, pointy little chin.

I can't wait to learn more about Henry as he grows. He's already such an interesting little person.

Bad Parenting Moment

I have a confession to make. Greg and I had a bad parenting moment yesterday. I'm sure we're not the only parents to have done this by accident. When we got Nick ready for his day around 10 a.m., we gave him a fresh diaper and outfit, then left to go shopping and out to lunch. It was a pretty busy day, because we had a ton of errands to run. By the time we got home and Greg was making dinner, Nick (who hadn't had a nap) was pretty beat. He came up to me and asked if we could "Watch doggies on puter." Nick and I love to watch videos on http://www.cuteoverload.com/ together. Anyway, I picked him up and sat him on my lap, and . . .

His diaper exploded. I mean that there was so much baby pee that the gel escaped and we were both soaked. That diaper must've weighed at least five pounds. I had no idea there was so much gel and goop inside of a diaper. I was actually impressed at its capacity. "Greg!" I shouted. "When was the last time you changed his diaper?"

"I thought you did it!" he replied. Yes, our poor little boy went more than 8 hours in the same diaper. I guess each of us thought the other had changed him, and thus Nick tested the capacity of his diapers. It was only a wet diaper, but it was really, really wet. So wet that both Nick and I had soaked shirts and pants. Nick's socks were even soaked after the explosion. For about five minutes, I felt like the world's worst parent. I had to put him in the bath, though, so he wasn't too upset about the whole diaper explosion thing.

One of Nick's many Christmas gifts was some fun bath foam, which he thinks is a ton of fun. He is also rather fond of his rubber duckie collection.

So, that was my bad parenting moment. Nick was just fine, but man, did I feel guilty. Please tell me we're not the only ones who have forgotten to change a kid's diaper all day. . . Please?

No More Cast!

Yup, Nick got his cast off on Tuesday. The doctor said his arm was all healed, and apparently he didn't even get scared when they came at him with the saw to cut off the cast. I guess the doctor was saying that after three weeks with his arm bent all funny, most adults would have a hard time bending it. But little kids are so flexible. Greg said Nick moved his arm all around right away as soon as the cast came off. He is under orders to avoid the playground for at least another week or so, and then he's totally good to go.

When I saw Nick later that evening, I insisted on a bath. So Grandma Toni and I gave him quite a splashy one. He hadn't had a real bath in three weeks, and this boy gets dirty. Now he is all clean. Nick was absolutely thrilled to be able to sit in a full bath and splash with both of his hands (and his feet, too).

After his bath, Nick ran around in circles making funny noises and yelling and just generally being silly. He is getting better about recognizing shapes. He knows square, circle, and star for sure. (square=bear and circle=erkel) He's still working on triangle. I took this video of him right after his bath. Listen through until the end to hear what he says he did (and right after a bath, too).

Bathtime and a visit from Aunt Mandy

My sister came over today to visit and take some pictures of Nick. She took hundreds, and my little man got lots of attention. He really loves to strike a pose. . . he even knows not to blink when there's a flash. In the shot above, Nick was playing with his squishy hippo that squirts water.

Today he was big on splashing. I'm not sure how he balanced well enough to lift his leg to shoulder-height. Perhaps Nick has been copying my pilates moves.

It's funny how the weekend goes by so quickly. I feel like I could use another day. Sigh.

Keeping up with posting. . .

I hope you enjoyed the slightly risque video of my son enjoying himself in the bathtub. We tried to adjust camera angle, but I believe some cheek was revealed. You'll also notice our sparkling clean new bathtub. Nick's grandpa (my stepdad) installed a new tub and some awesome ceramic tile, and he did a wonderful job. Nick takes baths every night lately, and he gets really mad when we try to take him out.

I'm very busy and I'm having a hard time keeping up with posting, so I think I'm going to try to do shorter posts. I've decided that shorter posts would be easier to keep up with during the week. That way I can keep posting every day or two without feeling overwhelmed.

I love my job and I feel very creatively fulfilled doing what I do, but lately it seems to be sucking up all of my time. Between writing letters back and forth to my second graders, grading tests for 5th graders, and designing lesson plans for K, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades, I feel like my brain is full. I do, however, feel like I'm giving my kids the best teacher they can have. Honestly, I've been working my tail off. Hopefully it will get easier as the year goes on.

This week, I spent most of my time writing journals and watching television. I know, I've said that I don't like tv. Well, the last two weeks I've gotten into a few new shows. I guess watching two or three shows a week isn't bad, considering how many some people watch. So far I've been watching Mercy, Modern Family, and Glee. I have also watched that new show, Flash Forward. I guess it's nice to have something on in the background while I'm grading papers, designing tests, and developing powerpoint presentations.

Now for more cute baby photos.

Exhaustion and Baby Cleanliness

Sometimes babies need baths. Especially since finger foods are messy. Yes, that is a half of a blueberry stuck to my son's forehead. I believe the orange stuff around his mouth is a mixture of carrots and banana.

Diaper changes can make baths even more necessary. You see, the "pincher grip" that is a developmental milestone for infants, is also a pain in the rear end. For once a baby can use the pincher grip to lift cheerios, he can also use it to lift a dirty diaper, whilst he is being changed. Thus, having the pincher grip, said baby boy can easily fling his dirty diaper up against the wall, coating both himself and his exhausted mother with its contents.

The easiest way to deal with such a foul mess is a bath. Of course, the bedraggled (and excrement covered) mother must first use baby wipes to clean off the worst of the mess from the baby's hands, feet, and tummy. Then she must change her shirt (which will never be the same again).

Next, the baby must be carried, naked of course, down to the kitchen so that a bath can be readied. This particular baby thinks that naked time is the best time, and he loves every second of his unclothed time.

The final step in this process is, of course, the bath, which sanitizes the baby until he again uses his pincher grip for evil deeds.

Here Nick is playing with his favorite rubber duckie. He got it from his Aunt Sarah, and he loves to wave it around and chew on it while sitting in the tub.

Singing in the tub is another of Nick's favorite hobbies. He bounces up and down and hums to the beat of his own drummer. Nick's favorite thing is when I spray him with the kitchen sprayer. It must tickle, because he giggles uproariously.

The video below shows Nick chewing his duckie and singing happily. It does not show how he threw a fit when I tried to take him out of the tub. It also does not show how he waited until he was covered in baby lotion to try to squirm away from me (while trying to avoid getting his pajamas put on).

I've been extremely tired since school started. I'm thinking it is my thyroid, and hoping this exhaustion will abate once the doctors have figured out the right level of medication. I have been going to sleep as early as 8 p.m., and sleeping through until 6 a.m. Yesterday I did a pilates DVD, and I was nearly asleep on my feet by the time I made it through. Today I went to the YMCA, and I could've easily gone to bed before 7 p.m. However, I had a baby to take care of and some poop to clean up.

I also make it a point to play with Nick for about an hour each day. Often, Nick will play happily by himself and I can just talk to him while I do whatever I have to, popping my head in and showing him different toys. It isn't that I'm not with him all afternoon and evening, but for one hour, I just focus on him, talking to him and playing with him in the baby cage. Then, after dinner and bathtime, I read two or three board books to him before bed. I think it's a good routine.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and Baby Baths

I'm sitting here in my living room filled with smoke. You see, I live in a community of rednecks that absolutely love to set off fireworks. I'm not talking about a couple of teenagers with sparklers here. It seriously looks like a professional show, except that the ones in charge of the explosives are very drunk and have no idea what they're doing. The smoke has drifted into our living room, and we just had to close all of the windows. I also had to take out my contact lenses because of the smoke. Greg was just saying he wished it hadn't stopped raining. I cannot believe that so many people, in the middle of an economic recession, can afford to blow up so much money.

Incidentally, Greg and I are just party animals tonight (eyes rolling). We're sitting here watching a National Geographic special that I checked out from the library. Guns, Germs, and Steel, based on the book by Jared Diamond, is an amazing movie that combines history, geography, anthropology, and biology. I'm loving it so far. Greg made me dinner, which was brown rice with black beans and tomatoes and the apple gouda chicken sausage I got from Costco last week. It was delicious!

On to the cookies. I don't feel quite so guilty when I make these cookies, because they have veggies, fruits, fiber, and whole wheat. How much do you have to change a recipe before it becomes your own? I have the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, but since I don't have to trick anyone into eating the recipes (not yet, anyway), I have tweaked them quite a bit. I like the original recipe, because it has both zucchini and banana, but I've switched out the raisins for chocolate chips, added more cinnamon and golden ground flaxseed, exchanged the walnuts for crushed almonds, and used a whole egg. I also made about seven other minor changes. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. They're delicious and very moist. The flaxseed and ground almonds are very healthy, too.


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (with flaxseed, banana, and zucchini)

1 c. white whole wheat flour
1 c. oats
3 T. of ground golden flaxseed
1/2 cup of almonds (I grind them in my Magic Bullet)
1 t. of baking soda (heaping)
1/2 t. salt (heaping)
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. of brown sugar (or brown sugar Splenda blend)
6 T. of butter (or Promise spread)
1/2 c. of pureed banana
1/2 c. of pureed zucchini
1 egg
2/3 cup of chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set the butter out to soften (not necessary if you're using promise spread).
2. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, flax, salt, almonds, and cinnamon in a big bowl and stir to mix. Do not use a mixer of any kind for these cookies, or they'll be too tough.
3. In another bowl, beat the sugar and margarine together by hand. Be careful not to overmix, stop when they're just combined.
4. Add the banana, zucchini, and egg, and stir lightly just to mix.
5. Pour in the flour mixture and chocolate chips, and stir just enough to make your dough.
6. Drop onto a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
7. Cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool for another ten. Don't eat them all before they're cool. I especially like the way these taste when stored in the fridge. :)


Nicholas has been requiring tons of baby baths lately. He is all about grabbing the spoon (full of blueberries or some such) and then smearing the contents on his hair, face, and body. He really loves his baths, though, and there comes a point after each meal where I have to decide: Is it worth it to try to scrub him off with a wet cloth, or would it be easier to just dump him in the tub? If Nick had a vote, I'm sure he'd opt for the tub. In the first picture, you see him chewing happily on one of the tub toys my friend Trina brought him. He loves to sit in the warm water and have me soap him down. I don't blame him. It does sound relaxing. In the second picture, you can see Nick's favorite way to recline. He likes this position because his feet are free to kick water at me. He has recently learned that he can kick a large amount of water out of the tub, and thinks that it is absolutely hilarious. Me, not so much, although it is pretty cute.