Lonely

Every day at school, I have to leave the classroom to pump. I usually do this twice a day; once when my students are in PE or Spanish, and once during lunch. At lunch time, a parapro comes to my classroom to relieve me to pump for about 10-15 minutes.

Surprisingly, my students haven't asked me much about it. When I did this after having Leland, they all had a million questions (thankfully they were satisfied with very simple answers), but my current students have only asked me where I go at lunch time. I tell them that I have to go get Alden's milk and they are totally fine with this answer. Some kids know how it all works because they have younger siblings and they prefer not to talk about it.

Last week, a student asked me where I go to get Alden's milk, and I told her I usually go to the principal's office.

"Is Mrs. Ferris (the principal) there when you go?" she asked.

"No, she's not." I said.

"So, you're in there all by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Maybe you should ask Mrs. Ferris to stay with you sometime so you have someone to talk to. It's probably pretty lonely in there."

I managed not to laugh. I smiled and assured her that I'm okay, and I don't get too lonely. Then later I had a good laugh at the thought of inviting my principal to hang out with me while I pump. Awkward...

Oh, the innocence of children.

Memorial Day Weekend

I thoroughly enjoyed my three day weekend at home with my boys. Dave didn't even work this weekend, which was a bonus!

We started out with some outdoor play time on Friday afternoon. Leland was gifted this wagon by our daycare provider, Julie. She said she had two and never used this one. Leland loves it.

Saturday morning, I took the boys garage saling. I was hoping to find some clothes and outdoor toys, but we struck out. At our very last sale, we found these: a wind-up motorcycle, a firetruck, and some keys. Leland was in love with the motorcycle and firetruck, and he wanted to get the keys for his brother. For $1.50, I couldn't say no.

Saturday, Alden started getting up on his knees and rocking. Sometimes he seems pretty happy to be doing this, and sometimes he cries. Maybe it scares him?

We went to lunch on Saturday with my dear friend, Kristina. Her 30th birthday was Sunday, and so she was home visiting from West Virginia. I was so glad I got to spend some time with her. We miss her a lot.

After naps, we went outside to play and wash our cars. Alden loves the outdoors just like his big brother. He's so cute in Leland's old hat.

While outside, Leland had his first ice cream truck experience.

On Sunday, I took Leland to the park while Dave stayed home with Alden. A new splash pad was installed late last summer, and it was turned on this weekend. I thought Leland would love it, since he was such a big fan of the sprinkler last year. But he wasn't interested - he just wanted to swing. Oh well. I'm sure he'll come around. And since the park is only five minutes from our house, we'll have plenty of opportunities to try it this summer. And we both enjoyed our park date, just the two of us.

Then we search for rocks. Leland's latest favorite thing is to find two rocks wherever we go. Sometimes he takes them home, and sometimes he just throws them.

And on Monday, we did a little shopping/errand running, followed by more play time outside. Alden digs the new wagon.

This weekend was a taste of what summer will be like. Much different than last summer, now that I have two munchkins. But still lots of fun. Three more weeks until summer vacation - I can't even believed how fast the end of the year is going!

Ice Cream Truck

We've had a great weekend so far, and I love that we still have one more day of family fun. But before I do a weekend recap, I had to share about one of the most exciting things that happened this weekend. It wasn't a huge, once-in-a-lifetime event, but it's a fun one for sure.

Saturday afternoon, Leland had his first ice cream truck experience.

We were all out playing in the yard (and washing cars) when we heard the ice cream truck coming. I wasn't going to get Leland anything because I didn't have my wallet with me. So we just watched it go down the road. Leland didn't care - he had no idea what that truck was for. He just liked the music.

But because our neighborhood is shaped sort of like a figure-eight, and we live on the middle road, I knew it would come around again. So I grabbed my wallet (and my phone for a picture) and we caught it when it came back around.

Leland got an ice cream sandwich.

And he loved it.

He was hesitant to share it. He's been pretty stingy with his treats lately, but eventually he gave mom and dad each a bite.

He only ate about half of it, which was fine with me. I wasn't intending on giving him the whole thing in the first place. But he was definitely a fan.

I love living in a place where the ice cream truck comes around. When I was a kid, we lived on a busy main road and the ice cream truck didn't come by our house. It's a magical piece of childhood that I'm glad my kids will get to experience.

More Toddler Talk

These days, there isn't much Leland can't say. He talks and talks and talks. I love all of our little conversations, and I love that 95% of the time, he can communicate his wants and needs. Some of the fun/funny things he says lately:

• Truck: ko-waht - He started out saying kwut (just flip-flopping the /t/ and /k/ sounds), but Dave started saying "trrrruck" to get him to say it, and now it's ko-waht. I find it hilarious. I know that in the blink of an eye he will be saying it correctly, so I am enjoying this funny way right now.

• Puffer Pete (from Chuggington): AH-poo-pete - When he first started this, I kept thinking he was saying "I poopy," but he was just asking for his chugger. Julie thought he was talking about Applebee's. Oh, and when he says Wilson, it always sounds like "Frozen." You can hear both of these in this video.

• eh-keh-kee-wah: excavator - His favorite word lately. The boy loves construction vehicles.

• Whenever he doesn't know what something is, he just says, "that one." Most of the time it's fine and we know what he's talking about, but sometimes he's pointing at a large area, and it takes us a while to figure it out.

• He says "window up" when he wants his window down. No matter how many times I explain it, he always says "window up."

• One day Leland was pointing downstairs to the dark basement, and Dave - not thinking very clearly, I suppose - told Leland there were monsters in the basement. I was so mad, and I worried that this would start the fear of monsters and such in our little man. But Leland wasn't scared at all. He went downstairs, turned on the lights, and proclaimed, "No monsters. Daddy killed the monsters." And he talks about it all the time. "Daddy killed the monsters" is one of his favorite phrases.

• Dave has been working weekends a lot lately. Last weekend, he was upset when Dave left in the morning, and Dave said, "I have to go. Daddy has to go make money." All day long, and every day since then whenever Dave is not around, Leland says, "Daddy makin' monies."

He is not shy about telling me exactly what he likes and doesn't like. I bought him several new shirts last week, and he doesn't like any of them. I'm hoping that's just because they're new, and he'll come around. This weekend, I tried to put my favorite one on him and he refused to put it on, resulting in the following conversation:

Leland: I don't like it!
Me: Well, I like it. I think it's handsome.
Leland: Mommy wear it.
Me: I can't wear it. It's too small for me.
Leland: Baby wear it.

Well, can't argue with that logic. Mommy likes it, mommy should wear it.

I'm not sure I will ever tire of toddler-speak. It's so entertaining.

Happy Mama Heart

Now that the weather is finally spring like, I am enjoying taking the boys for walks around the neighborhood as much as we can.

A few days ago, during one of our walks, I noticed Alden grabbing at Leland's hand. Leland wasn't really paying much attention, but then when Alden's hand brushed his, Leland grabbed a hold of it. I just happened to have just snapped a pic of them, so my phone was prepared to capture this sweet moment. 

It lasted about 30 seconds before Leland was back to pointing out all the different things he likes to look at.

Alden adores Leland - he's happy just to watch him, but he's ecstatic when Leland gives him attention. And even though Leland is a busy toddler, he still stops to interact with his brother. I love how much they love each other. It makes my heart so happy to see moments like this. 

Now I've Started Something

This past weekend, Leland had his first ever bubble bath.

I don't know why it took so long. I guess I've thought about getting him bubble bath before, but I always forgot once I was at the store. Well, this weekend, I actually remembered to buy some.

Leland loved it and didn't want to get out of the tub. He stayed until the water cooled down, and would have stayed forever. Tonight wasn't a bath night (we do every other night most of the time) and he asked for a bubble bath.

I have a feeling I've started something, and he's going to want every bath to be a bubble bath.

If I Had a Million Dollars

If I were a millionaire, one thing I would love to do is just go around giving people money. Or giving gifts of things people need.

I would love to go up to some of my school families and give them all brand new shoes, money for groceries, or a dependable car. 

In my life, I have been blessed to always have enough, and in many ways, more than enough. We're not wealthy, but we can pay our bills and still afford to go out to eat or buy something on our "want" list. It hurts my heart to see people not have enough, or to just barely have enough. I would love to just go around giving people things they want or need. But...I'm not a millionaire. Right now, we don't have much "extra" either.

But one area where I find I have plenty is the breastmilk department. I may not be blessed with a huge bank account, but I am blessed with the ability to make lots and lots of milk.

So last week, I was happy to be able to help a mom in my area feed her newborn baby. I was contacted to see if I could donate to this baby who was allergic to formula and her mom wasn't producing enough milk yet. The baby was admitted to the hospital because of this and was not gaining weight.

I was asked for a small amount at first, and then was contacted again to see if I could give more. In total, I was able to donate about 75oz of breastmilk.

After donating about 75 oz, I still have two containers like this in my freezer.

I was so happy to be able to help. And, really, it helped me as well. With summer coming, I won't be needing as much frozen milk because I'll be nursing most of the time. The frozen milk I donated would likely have gone bad before we could use it. The mother gave me a card saying thank you you and said that her daughter reached her birthweight. 

I am happy that I have been blessed with more than enough breastmilk so that I could help someone in need. I still have a decent stockpile in my freezer. I'm not sure I would be able to donate much more because I will need what I have, but at least I could help one person.

I still wouldn't mind a few million dollars though. Just sayin'.

Seven Months

Dear Alden,

Today is May 17, and you are seven months old. I think this was the fastest month yet. I didn't even realize your monthly birthday was coming up until yesterday!

You are growing and changing so fast, sweet boy. This month, you started sitting up by yourself. You are still a little wobbly, so I keep the Boppy pillow behind you, but you're getting better at sitting up every day. You roll all the time, and you're starting to scoot a little bit. A few days ago, you scooted yourself backwards and ended up halfway under your pack and play. And just this morning, I was sitting behind you and you pushed your legs against me several times to scoot forward.

You sleep (or lack of it) routine still puzzles me. You still don't sleep well at all, but you now like to co-sleep again, which is helpful to me because at least now I don't have to physically get up every time you need me. You're just right there. Some nights you get a three hour stretch, but most of the time, you're still waking up every two hours. The last week has been more, and I'm wondering if your teeth are bothering you. I know that eventually you will sleep, so I'm just trying to not focus on it. Plus, summer is just around the corner, and then I won't have to wake up quite so early in the morning.

You are still wearing 9 month clothes. Your pants are a little short sometimes, but onesies still fit you great. You weigh around 18 pounds, and are about 28 inches long. You are wearing size 3 diapers during the day, and size 4 at night.

You love most foods that you have tried. Peaches seem to be a little tart for your liking, but you still will eat them. You take two 5oz bottles during the day at daycare, and you nurse many times a night. When at home, you probably nurse three times during the day.

Leland is the most interesting thing in your world. You are always watching him, and whenever he goes near you, you smile your biggest smile and giggle. You simply adore him. And he adores you right back. Recently, you have been playing together more and more. This makes my heart so happy. I know you two will be the best of friends (and also arch enemies at times - that's how siblings work).

While you are definitely a mama's boy, you also love your daddy. He makes you smile and giggle just like Leland. You like to spend time with him, but once you see me, you want me. And you will cry until you get me. At night, Daddy tries to help get you back to sleep when you wake up, but most of the time you won't rest until you have me.

My beautiful baby boy, I know I tell you this all the time, but you bring so much joy to our lives. Aside from the not sleeping, you are the easiest, happiest baby ever. We love your smiles and snuggles. I could seriously snuggle you and sniff you forever. Maybe you feel the same way about me and that's why you need me all night long. That's what I tell myself, so if that's not true, just let me think that.

Happy seven months, Alden Walker. I love you to the moon and back.

Love,
Mama

New Baby and Tractors

Last night, we went to a little party to meet our newest niece, Emily (Dave's sister's baby). 

However, I didn't get to spend much time with her. See, the party was at Emily's grandparents' house - not my in-laws, but her paternal grandparents. And they have all kinds of fun toys for the kids to play with, and Leland ran off to play with them before we made it inside.

He saw two of these toy Gator tractors and fell in love. Leland had never ridden on a PowerWheels or anything like it, but Leland is the least apprehensive child I've ever seen. He jumped right in, and his cousin, Lukas, drove him around.

And then after a couple of minutes, he was ready to try it on his own. He did great with the foot pedal, but not so much the steering. I had to run alongside him and turn the wheel every now and then. But he had so much fun!

Grandpa Bob also has some real tractors, and Leland couldn't resist climbing on one.

This is Heaven for Leland.

Leland has been asking to drive tractors ever since. I think we may have to invest in one of these this summer.

Mother's Day Recap

I didn't have a huge wish list for Mother's Day. My plans involved going to church, playing at the park, and getting ice cream (you might have noticed that just about every celebration includes ice cream and/or baked good with me). I didn't get my ice cream, but I still had a great day with my munchkins (and my husband, who actually wasn't working!). 

It started at 5:30am, which technically is sleeping in, since I usually get up at 5:00. While sleeping later sounds amazing, it's hard to sleep when you have these precious faces smiling at you. 

We made it to church by 9:00, which is quite a feat these days. Leland had fun in the nursery while Alden stayed with us. I think next time he's going to need to be in the nursery though - he's too distracting during service. He's quiet, but very smiley and wiggly. Makes it hard to focus.

After church, we went to the park. Leland could spend all day on the swings. And Alden could spend all day watching Leland on the swings. This was Alden's first time on a swing, and he loved it.

Then we went home for lunch and nap. 

Leland and I went for a walk after nap. We started out in the yard, and then suddenly, Leland started walking down the driveway like he was on a mission. I asked him where he was going and he said, "I go Julie's." I told him Julie's (our daycare) was too far away, and we couldn't walk there, so he said, "Go see Grandma?" 

Lucky for us, Grandma lives right behind us (our backyards touch), so we walked around the neighborhood to get there, instead of through the yard. Unfortunately, Grandma was working, but we got to see Grandpa, and then we hijacked their wagon and took it for a spin around the 'hood.

It was a pretty laid back Mother's Day, which is what I prefer. Nothing fancy; just hanging with my boys. To me, that's what Mother's Day is all about - spending time with the ones who make me a mama.

I hope all of you mamas out there in blog land had a great day as well.

Mother's Day Craft

As a teacher, one of my duties is to come up with projects for my students to make as gifts for Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc. Sometimes I have a super hard time coming up with something, and sometimes I have a great idea, but it doesn't turn out perfectly.

But sometimes I have a great idea and it turns out AMAZING.

A few years ago, my class made pins using Shrinky Dinks for Mother's Day. Shrinky Dinks are special papers that you can decorate and then bake in the oven for a couple of minutes and they shrink down and thicken up. I loved this craft when we did it a few years ago, but since I have students for three years in a row, we can't do it every year.

But the group I have this year has not made them with me before, so I was excited to do this craft with them.

First, I cut the Shrinky Dink paper into six pieces. I used my scrapbooking tools to round the corners. Then I had students decorate them with sharpies. They drew pictures and wrote notes. I asked them to make sure to write big so that when the papers shrunk down, the words would still be readable.

Papers before baking

Then, I placed them in the oven according to the directions (375 degrees for 1-3 minutes). The papers shrink up, and in that process, they fold, bend, cup, etc (scaring the kajeebees out of me because I thought they were ruined). And then they lay flat again. It's crazy.

During baking

After baking

Size comparison: original size vs. after baking

The papers shrink to 1/3 their original size, and they get something like 9 times thicker. They turned out so cute.

After they were baked, we glued pins to the back and voila! Adorable Mother's Day gifts.

I love that they are student-created. The students designed the pins themselves and it was a fun project for them.

I also love that it's pretty inexpensive. I bought the materials at Michael's, and with my 15% teacher discount, the cost to do this project for three classes was less than $15. And we had a lot of leftover papers and pins to use for future projects. So - fun project, end result is cute, and it's easy on my checkbook. Winner!

One of my students gave his to his mom early. I saw her wearing it today and she said she loved it, and that it was one of those "keep forever and ever" gifts. Yay!

Glitz and Glamour

I bet you all didn't know this, but teaching is not the most glamorous job in the world. I mean, it's fabulous, don't get me wrong. There is nothing else I would rather do for a job. But it's not always clean and pretty.

For example, today in my classroom, a boy came to me and said his tooth was loose and bleeding. Considering the age group I teach, I see lots of loose and bloody teeth, and it's no big deal. Well, actually, it is a very big deal, because it means they will lose that tooth, and that is just about the most exciting thing a second grader can experience.

Anyway, I told him (in the loudest whisper I could muster, as I had no voice today) that he could go check it out in the bathroom and clean up if he needed to. And I told him to let me know if he needed me. I'm here for ya, man, even though bloody teeth are kinda gross.

A few minutes later, he returned to the classroom. Toothless. Usually, this is cause for excitement and everyone rushes around the student to see the toothless grin. However, the boy seemed rather unphased - like it was really no big thing.

And then he told me that it was an adult tooth. He lost an ADULT TOOTH! My brain went into panic mode while I calmly asked him if he was sure.

You've lost that tooth before?

Yes. (Oh crap.)

You're sure it was an adult tooth?

Yes. (Oh no.)

Where is your tooth?

In the garbage. (Oh geez!)

You threw it away?

Yeah, I don't believe in the Tooth Fairy.

Well, if it's a permanent tooth, you're going to want it back.

And that's when I knew what I had to do. I sent him to the office with a note to call his parents (I couldn't call since I didn't have a voice), and I grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and went garbage picking.

Yes, I dug through a bloody trash can. (So much blood. Which is why I just knew it had to be an adult tooth. Plus, by the end of 2nd grade, most kids have lost the two front teeth.)

Found the tooth. Sent it to the office, where the wonderful office staff put it in milk; I didn't have any in my room or I would have done the same thing.

I was worried. I mean, if he was going to save this tooth, he needed to get to a dentist ASAP! My poor 2nd grade boy missing a tooth forever was so sad to think about.

Eventually, I talked to his mom and let her know. And that's when she assured me that it was NOT a permanent tooth.

Oh, thank the Lord. I was so relieved, but also slightly grossed out that I just dug through the bloody boys bathroom trash can to find a tooth that no one needed.

So, yes, my job is super glam. Be jealous.

Softer Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone has their preferences when it comes to cookies. Some like them chewy. Some like them crispy. Some like them nearly burnt (weirdos). Me? I like mine soft. 

I've been making chocolate chip cookies since I was a kid, and I've pretty much always used the same recipe - the one on the chocolate chips bag, never thinking of trying anything else. They taste delicious, but I never got that soft cookie, unless it was right out of the oven. They always turned hard the next day. 

I recently came across this recipe from Betty Crocker, and decided to try it out. 

And oh my gosh! These are the softest cookies ever! They taste a little different than the regular recipe from the back of the chocolate chip bag. They're sweeter, and have less of a buttery taste. I do love the buttery flavor of the original recipe I've always used, but the softness of these cookies makes up for it. 

Dave says he likes these better. A nice, fluffy, SOFT cookie. Perfect with milk. 

The recipe makes a lot, so I only baked about half of the dough and stuck the rest in the freezer. Which is kind of awesome; next time I want cookies, I can just thaw the dough and bake! I can even bake just a few if I want. Could be dangerous, though, having cookie dough around. It probably won't make it to the baking stage. 

So if you're like me and you want a big, soft cookie (or a whole bunch of dough to eat) try this recipe. Yum!

Stinkin Hormones

When I was pregnant with Leland, I developed a strange bump on my lip that looked like a blood blister.

Ignore my unshowered, lazy-day look. 

It didn't hurt, but it drove me crazy. I could always feel it, and, obviously, see it. I tried popping it, but it always came back. I read that this was somewhat normal, so I decided to try and ignore it and hoped it would go away after he was born. It didn't. 

I went to a dermatologist to get it checked out when Leland was about a year old. He told me it was caused by hormones and would likely go away after I was done nursing. He said if it didn't go away after that, he could remove it. 

Well, I was pregnant again before we were done nursing, so I never got the chance to see if it would go away on its own. After Alden was born, I called the office to see if they could just remove it, even though I'm still nursing. He said no. He said to wait until I'm done nursing again, because it will likely just come right back if I'm still nursing. The bummer is that I plan on nursing Alden until 18 months-2 years, so it'll be a long time before I can have it removed. 

So I've had this red dot on my lip for two and a half years now. It doesn't bug me as much anymore; I think I've gotten used to it. But every so often I catch someone looking at it during a conversation, or a student will ask me what it is, and then I am reminded.

Hormones. Who needs 'em?

Six Month Well Check

This cutie pie had his six month well check on Friday.

He weighed 18 pounds, 4 ounces, which puts him in the 57th percentile. And his length of 28 inches puts him in the 90th percentile. That's two pounds and two inches bigger than Leland was at this age. The doctor said he's long and somewhat slender. The long part I believe, but slender? Check out that chunk! Either way, the doc says he's very healthy.

He gave me some more ideas of things to try for Alden's eczema that only seems to flare up on his head (which makes applying lotion and things difficult because his hair gets in the way).

And he gave me a few suggestions for getting him to sleep better, which included letting him cry it out. I just can't do that. I'm sure that it forces babies to be more independent, but I just can't. I guess I can't be that desperate yet if I'm not willing to try that. But perhaps he heard all that talk about making him cry, because he slept the best he has ever slept that night. One three hour stretch (can't remember the last time that happened), and one four hour stretch (that has NEVER happened). I guess he doesn't want me to make him cry, so he took it easy on me for one night.

Anywhoser...looks like I've got a happy, healthy, and insanely handsome boy on my hands.

Our Weekend in Pictures

Dave was working on Saturday, so I took the boys out for a bit. We went to Michael's to get materials for my students' Mother's Day crafts. 

Then we went to Toys R Us. I figured an entire week sans paci was deserving of a new chugger for Leland. I didn't tell him that's what it was for, because my strategy in losing the paci is to never talk about it. Leland chose Hodge for his new toy. And bonus! He came with a hopper car!

Later that morning, Leland put on my winter hat and walked around like this (hands in his pockets) for a good half hour. 

After nap, we had a little dance session. Here we are "gettin' jiggy with it." Leland loves him some 90s jams. 

Sunday, we went grocery shopping, and Leland loved his ride on Sandy, as usual. 

Alden has nearly perfected sitting up on the last few days. He's still a little wobbly at times, but is doing very well with it. 

Leland and I made cookies. 

Leland's favorite part is mixing, but he also loves tasting the dough.

And while Daddy took Leland outside for a little while, Alden and I enjoyed some snuggle time. 

Nothing extraordinary, as far as weekends go, and that's perfectly alright with me. I love our simple, laid back weekends.