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We had a wonderful time yesterday at our friend’s house for a Memorial Day BBQ. Susie found the highest vantage point to stay on the lookout for dogs:
It’s important to stay high when you’re dealing with dogs this tall:
Becky was happy to stay low to be eye-to-eye with her favorite little dog:
Jimmy was just tired as a dog:
I’m not a foot person…but I think these are awfully cute.
Toe fuzz and all. We had our first boating day yesterday, and although it started off a little rocky, it ended up being a fantastic day on the lake. Jim’s mom was kind enough to watch Jimmy for us for the afternoon, so we headed out to the lake with the girls and our friends. When we first got on board, the girls began crying…and basically didn’t stop for an hour. They were terrified, and Jim and I were dumbfounded. When we ended the season last year, the girls were huge fans of all things boat-related, so we didn’t know what happened to their bravado in a matter of months. After Jim and I tried everything we could think of to calm their nerves (including shameless bribery – large amounts of candy may or may not have been dangled in front of their runny noses), we concluded we were going to have to drop the girls and I back off at shore and try again another day. On the way back to the launch, Becky was so exhausted that she fell asleep in my arms. She slept for a whopping two minutes before being abruptly awakened when the boat hit a wave. Her eyes flew open and I expected her to start wailing; however, she looked around, refreshed, and started chattering about everything she saw. Susie looked over at her newly emboldened sister and decided that there was nothing to fear, so she too relaxed. The rest of the day was wonderful, and we Jim and I were thrilled to have our boat-lovers back. I don’t know what switch got flipped inside the girls’ heads, but I’m sure glad it did flip…because I was close to flipping out! Susie, Ashley and Becky – boating beauties! The girls are currently obsessed with a “Magic School Bus” DVD from their Grammie. For those who aren’t familiar with the cartoon series, it features school children led on adventures by their eccentric teacher. The class boards a magic bus that takes them on educational tours of the human body, weather patterns, and the like. Given how raptly they watch the show, I was hoping the girls would regale me with their newfound knowledge of how the digestive system works, or how our skeleton holds up our bodies. Nope. They’re all about the bus. Becky even created a “bus” in our family room made out of chairs:
If I remember correctly, one of my birthday wishes when I was a young child was to take a ride on a bus. Perhaps my girls will be so easily pleased! It was a gorgeous hot and sunny day today, so I dressed the girls in the only pairs of shorts I could find (note to self: go shopping!), grabbed the Baby Bjorn front pack that my cousin is generously lending to me, and set off on a hike. The girls were thrilled…
Jimmy was thrilled (for all of five minutes before he conked out)…
And I was thrilled to take in some new scenery.
So thankful for the sunshine and my sunny kiddos! I took this picture last week, and I love how it captures Becky’s adoration of her little brother. She talks about him all day, proudly introduces him to anyone we meet, begs to hold him and pet his head, and softly says, “Hey, Buddy” in the same gentle tone that she hears her daddy use. I can’t wait to see how their relationship matures with time.
It’s hard for me to believe that baby Jimmy is already four weeks old! He’s a very good baby and we’re all loving spending time with him (although I’d love to spend a little less time with him in the middle of the night!). I thought I’d jot down a few observations about his current development and behavior, mostly so I will have a record of his early days: As of today, 5/23/11: He completely fills out his newborn clothes and is starting to wear 0-3 month outfits He can fit in either newborn or Size 1 diapers He’s eating approximately every 3 hours round the clock, with an occasional 4 hour stretch at night His sisters (especially Becky) love to rub his head and offer him toys His cry sounds like a cross between a mewling kitten and a screeching Jurassic Park Velociraptor He likes his swing, but doesn’t seem to want it moving while he’s falling asleep He can lay in his crib for over a half an hour, just looking around, before fussing with fatigue He doesn’t seem bothered by noise at all; on the contrary, sometimes when it’s overly quiet, he’s fussier He doesn’t have too much of a fussy time right now, although he’s a bit reluctant to sleep in the afternoon (unfortunately, this wide-awake time coincides with his sisters’ nap time) He can hold his head up for long periods of time when he’s on his tummy He’s finally losing his sleepiness during the day, so I don’t have to constantly wake him up during his feedings (although I still have to occasionally) After he’s finished eating and I bring him up over my shoulder to burp, he stretches, rears his head back, twists his face in a half-yawn while pursing his lips, and then nuzzles his little warm head under my chin.
We recently opened our pool for the season and had a few visitors yesterday who were brave enough to jump into its teeth-chattering depths.
The girls begged me to let them go in as well, but I told them we’d have to wait until it got warmer. They grudgingly contented themselves with watching the swimmers from the back deck.
I’m only going to be able to put off getting into the pool for so long, since summer is just around the corner. I’m not a “pool person” (although I wasn’t a “lake person” either, but I realized when I met Jim that if I wanted to make a life with him, I was going to have to make a life with the boat!). I don’t mind lounging near the pool, and I love watching others enjoy it, but the prospect of actually submerging myself in the water along with two sinkable toddlers is low on my to-do list. But I don’t want the girls to avoid the pool just because I do, so we’ll start going in soon…once I can fit back into my pre-pregnancy bathing suit (that should buy me a year or two, right?!). All I can say is…
…I hope baby Jimmy doesn’t grow up to be as fearless as our friend Uriah.
And for interested parties, yes, Uriah was tied off while he was on our roof. But whether the rope would have provided more than just emotional reassurance, you can be the judge. Here’s what he was tied off to:
Jim’s toys come through once again!
P.S. Many thanks to Uriah for cleaning our gutters at the risk of his own life and limb. P.P.S. Even more thanks to his wife Ashley (a.k.a. Nerves-of-Steel) who let us send her husband onto our roof while tied to a tractor. |
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