9.30.19 - Joy statuses

9.26.19 - Kid Snippets: walk with Clara and creeper Jane

It was a beautiful day so while everyone else napped, Clara and I went for a walk around Mimi and Gpa's neighborhood. Clara was interested in everything: mailboxes, storm drains, trees, flowers, a turtle statue, her own shadow, hills, dogs, everything. It was nice to be able to give her the attention to comment on it all without me being distracted by the other kids. At one point I asked if she was getting tired and she replied "No! I'm not tired, I'm so happy!"  When we returned everyone was still napping so we read books on the front porch and played hide and seek in the front and backyards. It was really idyllic.

At each storm drain she yelled "Helllooo in there!"

I remember as a young kid feeling pretty unsettled if I was supposed to sleep somewhere other than our own home, so I imagine it feels the same way at least to Jane (Clara passes right out). Just before I posted this status Gpa pointed out that Jane was sitting quietly at the top of the stairs, in the dark, just watching the adults downstairs. I told her to go lie down but I could tell she didn't. I waited a bit then went upstairs and she had been sitting in mine and Jack's room. When she saw me she silently scattered back to her room, and I followed her and tucked her in again. I'm pretty sure as I write this she's spying on me from the top of the stairs again though. Creeper.

9.19.19 - Kid Snippets: early bird Jane

The last few days Jane has woken up 20-30 mins before everyone else, quietly come into our room and crawled into bed between Jack and me. It usually means I'm also now up 20-30 mins before everyone else, but it's sweet to get some uninterrupted cuddle time with her so I haven't stopped her.

Today once we all started getting up, she went back into the nursery to try to open the curtains herself. Then I hear:

Jane: Ca-wah, wake up!
Clara: ...............
Jane: Ca-wah! Wake UP!
Clara: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

9.16.19 - Hide and seek with kitties

I just played a round of hide and seek with the girls. Clara, who says her name is Myrna (the name of my mom's cat), counted to 10 in all meows, then meowed around the apartment looking for me. I hid in my walk in closet and Jane joined me. She stayed quiet the whole time, but she kept leaving the closet to look around and see if Clara was coming. Finally she got bored and started meowing herself and went and joined Clara, then led Clara straight to me. And instead of saying "I fooooound you!" Clara announced "Meow meooooow meow!"

Lol.

9.14.19 - Kid Snippets: wuvvv you

Jack opened the front door to go take out the trash.

Jane: Bye Dada! I wuuvvvvvv you!

9.13.19 - Help holding the baby

Not long before Calvin was born I made a FB status telling people if they wanted to come hold him for awhile I would welcome it. I think people who haven't had newborns don't really understand how helpful it can be to just take a turn holding the baby so the parent can get anything else done. Anyway, when I made the status I had two FB friends message me to say they'd be happy to take me up on it. I kept them in mind, and last week or maybe the week before when I started to feel overwhelmed with being alone in my apartment with Calvin all day, I contacted both of them to see if they were still interested. Both said yes. :)

So on Wednesday of this week, my friend Wynette came over around 1:30 p.m. to help out. She held Calvin for a bit but he actually fell asleep, so she put him in his swing and insisted on helping me with whatever I liked. So she helped me clean up and she very thoroughly vacuumed our living room and kitchen, including cleaning under the fridge. While she did that I worked on a few things in the back room. I also had a little bit of CER work that needed to be done before the end of the day. I hadn't had a chance to get to it yet, but since Wynette was around I was able to go in my room and really focus, and when Calvin inevitably woke up she took him and kept him busy so I could finish. Plus it was just nice to have her company and to be able to chat while we got things done. On top of all that, she brought presents for every person in my family: a new outfit (overalls) for Calvin, a book each for Clara and Jane about being older siblings, and a Target gift card for Jack and me. By the time she left I felt so rested and mollified with what I'd gotten done. It was a much needed break.

Impressed with Calvin's head lift.
Waiting for Wynette to arrive.

Then today Jack's former classmate Nicole also came to help hold Calvin. She was delightful. She and I kept up a conversation pretty easily for basically the whole time she was here: approximately 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. In fact at noon I let her know that Jack was going to pick up Calvin around 1:30p and she said she could stay longer. It felt as if I blinked and it was already 1p. We talked about kids, job hunting, relationships, how we each ended up with the men in our lives (I love telling those stories). And while we chatted she walked Calvin around and I cleaned, organized his dresser, baked muffins, just got all sorts of things done. It was uplifting both in having the pleasant company and in being able to get stuff done around the house, and by the time she left I felt great.

9.6.19 - Kid Snippets: pretend phone

Jane likes to take my phone and pretend she's talking to Mimi or Gpa. The topic of conversation is always "appo nay nays" - apples and bananas.

9.5.19 - Mom's Fried Chicken

I haven't actually tried to make this yet, but I wanted to keep the recipe somewhere I could find it again. And this food is definitely in my joy inventory - one of my all-time favorites from childhood. Oh to be able to cook like my mother.

Mom’s Fried Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut up

2 cups milk

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp. onion powder

1 T. paprika

Soak chicken in milk. Mix dry ingredients together.  Heat 1 inch of oil in skillet on medium high until hot (drop of water “dances” on top). Dip each piece of chicken into flour mixture, back into milk, and again in flour mixture, set on plate. Carefully add enough pieces of chicken to hot oil to fill pan without pieces touching each other. Fry until first side is golden, about 5 min. Turn to other side, reduce heat to medium low and cover pan; cook 10 min. Uncover pan and return heat to medium high for about 5 more min. Drain on paper towels.

8.31.19 - Joy statuses

8.27.19 - Kid Snippets: hide and seek & Jane watching Calvin

Clara loves to play hide-and-seek although she doesn't 100% understand it yet. Yesterday I would count down from 10 and then say "Ready or not, here I come!" Then I'd walk around the apartment saying "Where is Clara?" And from her hiding space she'd yell to me "No! Say 'where is Dumbo?'"

Jane's attempt to play hide and seek.

Jane is pretty attentive to Calvin. If he makes any kind of noise while sleeping she runs to tell me he's waking up. And now every time I change him she runs through the apartment to find her little stool, brings it back to the changing table, and stands on it so she can pat his head and try to hold his hand while I'm changing him.

Jane "holds" Calvin on the nursing pillow in the rocking chair.

Last night after we put the girls to bed Calvin was wide awake. We put him in bed between us to hang out for a while. Again Jack kissed his head and maybe three or four times in a row, every time he kissed Calvin's head Calvin broke out into a big wide-mouthed smile. Of course he stopped once I grabbed my camera.

8.18.19 - Mom's visit

Jack just left to take Mom to the airport to go home, which is always a bit sad. It was really nice having her here.

She made us and the girls a lot of food: she convinced Clara to try cantaloupe by saying it was "orange candy watermelon." She made them GF french toast and oatmeal and other breakfasts. The other night she made us GF eggplant Parmesan, which was awesome. She made one meal of chicken and rice to freeze for us to have later. She bought pizza one night (ultra cheap large pizza from Costco for us and expensive small GF pizza from California Pizza Kitchen for the girls). She helped us get through a lot of the produce Don & Merlene had left by making salads and dicing fruit and leaving it around for us to eat.

GF cookies in cups at Jama's hotel room.

She was also really helpful with the girls. She got them out of the apartment a lot: she took Jane to the library while Jack was taking Clara to the dentist. She took both girls to her hotel room to explore for awhile. She took them on a couple errands and yesterday, before it was too hot out, she also took them to the playground. It's good for them to break up the routine. And of course when we were all at home she kept them pretty busy, reading and doing crafts and finding Sesame Street videos and playing hide and seek, etc. She gave them baths and helped get them to bed, but most importantly she took them in the morning. Calvin is already a pretty good sleeper from a newborn but it still means I'm getting perhaps 6-7 hours sleep a night interrupted 2-3 times by 45 min-1 hour feeding sessions, so it's still pretty bad sleep. Having Mom here early to take the girls when they woke up allowed me to sleep in a bit later and that makes a huge difference.

Hanging out in Jama's hotel room.

Hanging out at the McKinley library.

I also love how many pictures and videos she takes of the kids. I love to chronicle things and it's nice when I'm not the only one doing so, and she takes some pretty great pictures.

Sister Mary Jane

8.17.19 - Kid Snippets: orange candy watermelon

Mom has convinced Clara that cantaloupe is "orange candy watermelon" and now Clara loves to eat it.

On the other hand I can't get Jane to try new foods for the life of me. I told her she could have half a brownie if she ate *one bite* of her turkey burger. She put the bite in her mouths, let it fall out onto the floor, picked it up, took it into the kitchen, and threw it in the trash.

When Jack got home from work today he came over and gave Calvin a kiss on the head and Calvin broke into a huge open-mouthed grin. Absolutely delightful. To see if it was a fluke, Jack kissed him on the head again, and he did it again. Best moment of the day.

8.13.19 - Kid Snippets: Can I have a "yes"?

Mom is making Clara a grilled cheese sandwich.

Clara: Can I have just cheese?
Mom (to me): Can she have just cheese?
Me: No! [To Clara] No you can't have just cheese.
Clara: Can I have a "yes"?

8.11.19 - Kid Snippets: Girls adjust to Calvin

We brought Calvin home a few hours ago. He was asleep when we got here, and Clara wanted us to wake him up, which of course we didn't do. We put him in his bassinet and Clara brought his burp cloth. She wanted to also get him a pillow and some toys but we had to explain he doesn't get anything else in the bassinet. She then stood next to him for awhile and made observations like "The baby is sleeping! She's so tired. She's so cute!" (We're still working on the pronoun thing.)

Later when he woke up fussing, Jane reported to me "Mama. MAMA. Beh-beh cwying!" I got set up on our bed to nurse him and explained to Clara and Jane that he's eating. Jane observed "Cah-bih [Calvin] bite!" She wanted to climb up on the bed to give him one of the balloons Don & Merlene got for him. I asked if she wanted to give him a kiss and she giggled and basically did an air kiss. I don't think she's actually touched him yet but she's building up to it.

Jack is playing hide and seek with the girls. Clara hid in the bathroom by sitting on the bathroom floor and putting a towel over her head. And then Jane brought Jack to the bathroom to tell him that's where Clara was.

8.8.19 - Kid Snippets: Suspicious food and kissing toes

Tonight Merlene made pasta with strips of steak (well done) in it. I guess Clara is not used to steak, because she casually asked if the brown chunks were poop. Mimi (Merlene) assured Clara she would never try to feed her poop.

Jane is at the age where if she stubs her toes and I kiss them she says they feel better. Only now she's just started asking me to kiss them over the slightest thing. Tonight she was sitting in my lap while eating her dinner and literally nothing happened, and suddenly she fussed and held her foot up to me and said "Mommy! Toeeesssss!" She just wants me to kiss her toes from time to time to be safe, I guess.

8.7.19 - Kid Snippets: Clara's introductions

Yesterday we had a consultation with Clara's behavioral therapist supervisor. Don and Merlene had taken the girls out, and when they all returned, Clara saw the supervisor and said "Oh! Hi! This is Mimi and this is Gpa!" I don't know where she learned introductions but it was awesome.

8.7.19 - Super helpful in-laws

Calvin is due tomorrow. The last few days I have been so physically uncomfortable and exhausted. I need a nap every day to get through it. Most positions are uncomfortable to stay in for long because of my huge belly. So I was looking forward to Don & Merlene coming out on Monday to help out.

We typically try to have them out close to the due date in the hopes of maximizing their help once the newborn is here, but having them a few days early is tremendously helpful too. Since they've been here they've done a bunch of grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, getting the girls out of the house to the park, and other errands.

Last night Don went with Jack to our offsite storage to pull a bunch of totes with baby supplies and bring them all back to the apartment, and then this morning Merlene helped me go through alllll the baby clothes we have from newborn to 12 month and sort girl, boy, and neutral clothes to decide what to keep on hand. There are countless little moments when they help the girls with something (getting a tissue, finding a cup, changing a diaper, etc.) that mean I don't have to get up and down over and over all day, and while that might not seem like a lot to someone able-bodied, right now it sure seems like a lot to me.

If history tells me anything I won't have the time/energy to fully document their trip once Calvin gets here, but I wanted to at least write this quick note of appreciation for how much easier they are making everything for me right now.

8.8.19 - No sign of Calvin yet, headed to the Folsom Zoo to walk around.

8.1.19 - Kid Snippets: Jane doesn't like clothes

As soon as Jane gets home each evening she runs up to me and asks for my help taking off all her clothes. Then she happily smacks both her hands against her belly a few times and runs around the living room.

7.31.19 - July joy statuses

7.29.19 - Kid snippets: sink corn

I drained some canned corn in the sink, took what I was going to eat, got derailed and left the rest sitting there. Jane, who historically picks corn out of her food, got excited about sink corn, brought her stool into the kitchen, and is eating the corn out of the colander by the spoonful.