Weekend Edition

We've had a great weekend. OK, so for those of you whose lives do not involve raising children in the suburbs, it might sound pretty mundane. But from where I'm sitting, it was pretty awesome.

Friday night we hit our favorite Mexican restaurant, Fiesta Atzeca, where it is so loud and boisterous that no one can hear Jacob's magnadoodle clattering to the floor for the twenty seventh time. Yes, this would be the same restaurant where I took Jacob into the restroom with me and he very helpfully and loudly advised me to "POINT IT DOWN, MOMMY!" Yes, indeedy - kids do listen to what you tell them, and they repeat everything. As further proof of this fact, on the way home, we hit a very important milestone - Jacob used the phrase "Y'all" for the first time! I was so proud!

On Saturday, Bella and I hit the mall. Now, I'm not really a mall person. The consumerism gets to me. Yes, I am somewhat of a liberal hippy and walking by Hollisters/Abercrombie and Fitch and seeing rich kids with no jobs shell out $48 for a t-shirt really bugs me. It also bugs me that its so dark in there and what's with that smell they sort of pump out through the front? The throbbing music and bare chested mannequins and shuttered windows all give it that seedy night club feel and frankly I think it is a little weird. It reminds me of high school when we used to go to a teens only night at a club for Battle of the Bands. We'd sit there at like 7 p.m on a Tuesday and listen to our angst driven friends belt out covers of Sunday Bloody Sunday and People are People and think we were so cool. All that aside, I was able to get some things and am very happy to finally be out of maternity clothes.

On Sunday we took Bella to church for the first time - she did great, no fussing or diaper blow outs. We even attended a luncheon afterwards and she was happy the whole time. Afterwards, Will and I drove around to look at Open Houses. We go to Open Houses like some people blog surf (you know who you are!) - we just like to look. Since Bella was asleep in the car we took turns at one house, one person going in and the other waiting in the car with the kids. So I went into one place and the real estate agent asks me "So, when are you due?" Not the highlight of my day, especially since I had thought I was looking fairly good for only 6 weeks post-partem. Let me tell you, she couldn't have sold me the Taj Mahal for a buck after that!

Sunday night I went to the grocery with Bella. Our HEB has lots of organic foods and plays very good music and has warm tortilla samples, so I really don't mind going. I wear Bella in her sling and other than the fact that she toots a lot and people can't see her and assume it's me, we have a good time. I came home and Will and Jacob and I cooked up a variety of meals to have for the week. Jacob helped me with the Mexican casserole, he is very good at adding ingredients and stirring. We had Bella in her bouncer and it was nice to all be in the kitchen together. At one point Jacob picked up the wrong end of the bag of shredded cheese and it all dumped out. Two observations 1. Three cups of cheese looks like a lot when it's dumped out of the bag. 2. Sheltie dogs really like cheese.

So, that was our weekend! Sometimes nothing special is special, isn't it?

Days of Our Lives

Last Saturday, we held what Jacob calls his "Big Big Birthday Party". We had a lot of friends and family there and everyone had a good time. The party was held at a gym with games, music and activities led by Kids In Action. This was the first birthday where Jacob could understand that something was coming up in the future and could begin to really look forward to it and talk about it ahead of time. It was really fun for Will and I as we put together a party with all of his favorite things - the cake was decorated with scenes from his favorite book and all the music was from The Wiggles. There was one point at the party where Jacob was dancing to the music in the middle of the room and he just looked so happy!

On Wednesday, Jacob went to Tadpole Club again and this time I took some pictures. The session was about life in the pond and the rangers took the children out to the frog pond and dip netted creepy crawlies such as water spiders, tadpoles, fish and a crawdad for the children to look at.

Anabel continues to be a joy and wonder to me. I cannot believe she is already six weeks old. She completes our family so seamlessly, it is as though she has always been with us.

It is hard to juggle two children with such different needs. First off, there's just the logistics to figure out. Say you are in the parking lot - which child do you put in the car first? If you put the 3 year old in first then in order to have both hands free to buckle him in you have to put the baby in her carseat on the ground which is undesirable. If you put the baby in first then you don't have a free hand to hold the 3 year old's hand so he could wander off into trafffic - also undesirable. (Solution, have 3 year old "help" you with the baby seat so that they are in between the car door and your body or sometimes I have Jacob climb into the backseat of the car first, shut the door, then put Bella in on the other side, and then go back around and buckle Jacob in. Sound complicated? It is and I'm open to suggestions!) On the other hand some things work out great, like nursing Bella and reading to Jacob at the same time each evening. This is actually a really pleasant arrangement for all of us and one of my favorite times of day.

Then there's the emotional side of it. At some points during the day you have to make choices that you just don't have to make when you only have one child. Bella would like nothing more than to slumber in my arms all day and Jacob blossoms when I play with him and craves my undivided attention. I haven't yet figured out how to be in two places at once and so my heart aches a little each time I have to turn my attention from one child to the other. Thank God for the sling because it keeps Bella happy and frees up my hands to play with Jacob.

So, here I am, half way through my time as a temporary stay at home mom and it seems like I am just now figuring out how to handle everything and I'm feeling well and no longer so tired, inadequate and overwhelmed. It is pretty cool, to look up and realize, hey I'm enjoying this!

Happy Birthday Jacob!

To celebrate Jacob's third birthday, I thought I would share some favorite pictures of him.

And They Lived Happily Ever After...

I think that we have turned a corner in terms of Jacob's adjustment to life as a big brother. The past few weeks have been trying - almost anything could set him off and the simplest request such as "Please put on your shoes" could be met with defiance or a 15 minute temper tantrum. Seriously it's been like living with an alcoholic or something. We would find ourselves cautiously addressing him in uber-happy voices, "Umm.. Let's go to the park? Jacob? You like the park, right? and juice boxes? um, we could take snacks, right?" just hoping and praying that he would be amenable. This of course was a huge mistake because a three year old can smell fear a mile away.

The spell appears to have broken and on Sunday I felt like I had my old Jacob back. He was sunny, polite, helpful and loving towards his sister. We had no tantrums, and no potty accidents - not ONE. It was so wonderful! He has started to tell anyone who will listen "This is my sister, this is Bella." He also has a small pillow that he has designated as Bella's pillow and when we settle down for story times he insists that she needs to be on her pillow right next to his. Thankfully, Anabel is an extremely easy going baby who didn't mind being propped up on a tiny elephant pillow for a reading of Olivia followed by several loud renditions of "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Michael Row your Boat Ashore".

The Adventures of Jacob Fisher

Jacob has become quite the traveler this summer. First the trip to Paris in May and now last weekend's trip to Colorado & Wyoming for Great-Great Aunt Lou's 85th birthday. Not bad for a two year old!

In other news, today Jacob joined the Tadpole Club at Jesse Jones Park & Nature Center. This is a weekly program for preschoolers where they learn about nature, animals etc. It is led by Park Rangers and involves puppets, stories, crafts, nature walks etc. Jacob was very impressed and interested in everything but decided to "play it cool" by hiding behind my chair most of the program. He was eventually won over by a juice box and a particularly realistic hawk puppet. I'll try to get some pictures when we go back next week.