All blue sticks

 

My husband and I were joking around the other day about Monopoly --- and Risk and Settlers of Catan and Scrabble and every other board game that takes more than one hour to play... which I cannot stand!!! They may be great games, but even before I had kids I barely had the patience or attention span to play them. My husband loves them all, naturally. He tried to tack LIFE onto that list, but I spoke up and said, no, I love that game! I played it all the time growing up. He said, yeah, you just liked having a little car and adding pink sticks to it. I said yes, all pink sticks, or even number pink and blue.

We had a little laugh about my car-come-true... all blue!

4th of July fam

CIMG1004.JPG

HFMD

Cas has Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. If your kids have never had it, PRAY TO GOD they never will. Watching Cas suffer the last three days  has rivaled sitting by his bed in the NICU the week he was born. He has terrible sores all inside his mouth, throat, and on his lips. He is in severe pain and doesn't want to eat anything except maybe yogurt or popsicles. There is a slight rash over his entire body, with concentrated rashes and sores popping up on his hands, ankles and knees. Sometimes he will point to a painful spot on his arm, leg or face that doesn't have any visible sore on it. Jay and I are taxed to the max. Jake spent yesterday with Nana and Grandad, who are lifesavers for us. We are doing everything we can to keep the baby from getting it, but I think it will come down to God intervening on our behalf to protect him, because the virus is highly contagious even a few days before the fever starts.

All this after all four of us got a nasty several-day-long stomach virus last week. 

I have had to reach up to heaven constantly just to make it through the morning, and then through the afternoon, and then through the evening, and then through the night with Cas waking wailing several times a night. He grabs me and wraps his arms and legs around me and I lay with him until he falls back asleep. And then I pray some more that I won't get it, as I lie on his saliva-drenched pillow with his mouth an inch from mine.

Carnton

IMG_0211.JPG

Words, words, words

Today Cas said "map" and "help" for the first time. He is gaining a new word almost everyday... at least the ones other people might understand. His "Norris Code" is growing even more quickly. But I must record a few more memories to catch up:

+ One day on a family walk we came to a little walking bridge, which excited Cas, since his train set has a bridge. "Choo-Chooo!" He yelled out. Jay said, "No, Cas, that's a bridge. Bridge." To which Cas replied adamently, "NO, CHOO-CHOOO."

+ When Cas sleeps, he bunches up the corners of his blanket just so, and fold his arms across his tummy just so (unless he is extra tired). His dad did exactly the same.

+ I'll never forget the day Cas showed me he understood his baby brother's birth. Jake was a couple weeks old when Cas pointed to my belly like he did when it was very large and we would talk about the baby being in mama's belly (have I mentioned being 8 mos pregnant during the hottest month in recorded history?).

"Mama's belly," I said... "is there a baby in mama's belly?"
Cas shook his head and pointed to "Jetch."
We went back and forth a couple times with this. "Where's your baby brother? In mama's belly?" "No, Jetch."
I can't tell you how happy this made me. He totally understood! He was only 20 mos old and I had no idea what he thought about it all. Until that day.

+ Which reminds me of the morning I gave birth to Jake. Our neighbor Heather came over to stay with Cas at 6:30am. We woke him up to let him know we were leaving. He was in Heather's arms, very confused at being awakened early, about to go back to sleep. I got face to face with him and explained that mama was going to the hospital and the baby was going to come out of my belly and then he could come see his baby brother at the hospital. He looked at me like, what are you talking about? just let me go back to sleep. At the end of my explanation, I said "... but I guess that's too complicated to take in at this hour..." to which he quickly and firmly nodded an "uh-huh!" It was so funny, I guess you had to be there.

Oh by the way, we found the ever-loved Pooh.

gotta love spring

Guess who loves to swing!!!

Fan of the Game - Cas's first baseball game

CIMG0597
Just what do you think you're doing? Grandmother is giving me a bath. Buzz off.

A few more Cas-isms

These will be random as I try to capture his cuteness from my memory and commit it to paper.

1. His lack of words has for the most part not thrown a wrench in our communication. We have little guessing games where I list, for example, his choices for lunch. (If I thought he could even try to say peanut butter sandwich I would of course ask him to say it instead of me listing.) When I say the one he wants, he lets out this grinny giggle that is just the cutest thing ever and shrugs his shoulders like I just told a joke, or found a tickle-spot, or... said his favorite lunch food!

2. I hope you have all heard him call for his dad. "Bop-Bop!" or variations thereof replaced "dada" several months ago. Jay loves it.

3. He does another Elmo-type guessing game where he will see a tail on a dinosaur, let's say, and if you follow, it goes like this...

"Does Mama have a tail (pointing to my back side)?" "Nooooo"
"Does Jakey have a tail?" "Noooooo"
"Does Cas have a tail?" "Nooooo"
"Does the dinosaur have a tail?" "Yeah!!!!!"

4. When he plays blocks, he finds an object and wants to make a house or garage for that object. In case any of you find yourself in a room with Cas and blocks, the word "house" sounds like "hass, hass, hass!!!" Of course anything over 3 blocks tall will be crashed ("asshhhh") into rubble asap.

5. If I announce an errand, it is very important to put shoes on immediately. As we leave, he points to everyone's feet saying "esh" and making sure they have their shoes on. This includes the baby. It's a good thing I have robeez for Jake - Cas went shoe-less as a spring/summer infant - or we would never be allowed to leave the house! Of course, a shirt and pants are on the list, too, but he could be in his diaper and point straight to his feet. Oh and then he looks around the house for his shoes. "Where are your shoes?" "Don know? don now?" as he shakes his head and holds his hands out palms up.
In the same vein, if we tell Cas we are going somewhere later that day, he pops up to get his shoes and socks, ready to go right then if he is excited about the event.

6. Last one for tonight - Occasionally the boys will be down for naps at the same time. They will both be asleep, and then at one point, I'll hear Jake laughing. I walk into their room to see Cas jumping on the crib railing, not making a peep otherwise, and Jake laughing hysterically at him. It is the best. Ever. I can't help but be a softy on this one and let Cas get away with getting out of bed. (Cas is in a big bed and Jake is in the crib.) The way Cas says Jakey tops it off. I love my boys!!!!

T-I-double g - ER!!!

Oh my gosh, this is the best. We spent the week at my parent's house, and they have a 14" stuffed Tigger that bounces and talks. And has a nice long tail, of course. Cas took an especially strong liking to it this week. He put Tigger in Jake's highchair, put a bib on him, and told me Tigger wanted to eat pizza. I warmed it up and Cas served it to him from the special chair grandmother pulled up to feed Jake from -- until my sister's dog snatched the pizza from his hand, which caused great grief. Cas then proceeded to sit in the recliner, pull up his shirt and "nurse" Tigger. He sat there very still, looking around, holding Tigger just like I hold Jake. He did this at least 3 times while we were there. Tigger went EVERYWHERE with us, always had his own seat at the table, needed a shirt to go out, etc. Needless to say we brought Tigger home with us, where he continues to receive the best care and attention any stuffed animal could. I have never seen Cas be so maternal!

I wish I could upload the pics from my phone here. One day.

I suppose Tigger has made up for losing a 3" little plastic Pooh-bear, which Cas did not part with for weeks until he was lost on a day we planted some bushes and put out new mulch. I suspect he is 6 inches under a nandina, sleeping soundly. Maybe one day we'll have a dog who will dig it up in a moment of divine inspiration. The Lord knows how much Pooh means to him - he must have asked for Pooh 5 times a day for 2 weeks - and we must have combed the yard for him at least a dozen times! What fun.

The wonderful Nana has searched for a new Pooh, which Cas received today - a soft one, about 7" tall. I can't wait to see the fun they will have together, and watch him walk around with Pooh AND Tigger AND juice AND hold my hand to go down stairs. Even more fun!

On Mother's Day

What a wonderful day - weekend, really - this has been. My amazing husband has cooked or taken me out for every meal - and washed the dishes! This morning he made an amazing lunch for me and his mother - steelhead trout, J.Alexander's orzo, Houston's lime-cilantro vinaegrette (never know that spelling!), and Houston's cheese bread. Delicious. I feel like a queen, I told him; I've hardly lifted a finger all weekend! I like this whole Mother's Day thing.

I started reading a book for pleasure this weekend too - Widow of the South. I'll be at a luncheon with the author on Fri. so I hope to at least make a dent in this historical fiction piece. So far it is fascinating. It stirs me to do more research about our not-so-little town that was once dotted with "plain grey-roofed houses" and woodland and farmland as far as you could see. I love historical research. In another life I would do it all day long, and write novels like Robert Hicks.

In this life, however, I am wearing the weight of motherhood a little lighter this week than the last several. I had lunch with Kristine, one of my heroes, who made the whole hour all about me, and after listening gave me three assignments: don't be so hard on myself, look in the mirror every day and tell myself I'm doing a good job, and choose quality time with my children over housework any day - without guilt! What a relief. She even sent me a Mother's Day card reminding me that my house will one day burn but my children are eternal. A good dose of perspective can lighten any load. I love you, Kristine!

The lunch was perfectly followed by a visit from my wonderful Mother, who said the same thing. "Just don't worry about the house, honey!" Since then, I haven't worried a bit... and felt so free... and do you know, my house probably looks exactly the same to any one else?! Well, there may be a few more dishes in the sink, but honestly, why should house-keeping be so stressful???

George

CIMG3118.JPG

I don't think I ever told you about George. At the time of Cas's second bday (but first bday party, thanks to a few rounds of the stomach virus), Curious George was his favorite. He still is... along with Pooh and Tigger and Thomas and of course Nana. In his head I think he plays the 6 degrees of Curious George. They other day he told me George was somehow involved with ants ( I think that's what he was communicating). I've never seen that show or book, but I'd wager it exists. Because I know about the other ones - the fire truck, the zoo, the chicks, the ice cream truck, the birthday party...

So for the big day I decided to make a George cake, even though I haven't touched a piping tool in 15 years. I borrowed all the gear from my incredible neighbor Heather. To my delight, I found a page w/George bday cake ideas, created a template of my own, baked up a banana muffin recipe, and thoroughly enjoyed every floret and line iced. Jay would insert a big laugh here and tell about the storm that came through in the middle of cake-icing that night... tornado sirens were going off, he was collecting flashlights and children, and I just kept piping until he told me it was time to get in the closet!!! I was in the zone, man. I spent $12 on icing dye -- the cost of trying to live a non-hydrogenated-oil life -- but Cas was thrilled when he saw George the next morning. And I have to say I was too!

my boys

CIMG3052.JPG

26.2 miles

We had friends stay with us last weekend. They came up from Bham for Mike to run in the marathon. He did it! AMAZING!!! I am dumbfounded by the thought of running 6 hours straight. Many cheers for Mike.

More than once the Lord has said to me, "Just run. Just do it." I suppose because I often feel like sitting down... and maybe not getting up for a long time.

Mike said after the race that it was mostly a mental battle - trying not to think about how many miles are left, trying not to get discouraged. He also said the hardest part was starting up again after a brief stop for water. I think I spend to much of my emotional energy thinking about how many hours are still left in the day; how many days until the weather is nice enough to play outside; how many weeks are there until my boys stop teething, start talking, stop making messes, start playing soccer. This is what I bring to the Lord when he tells me to just run. Between the lines I read, "stop thinking, stop measuring, stop comparing, stop looking at your lack. Just run. Don't stop.

I think about this everyday when I feel like calling it quits.

Paul told the Corinthians to run - but not just for kicks - Run to Win, he said. That's a whole new level that I really cannot attain to right now. Maybe as I train my body for running it will come closer.

pics

almost 2!

Dada is teaching Cas all kinds of awesome things lately!

He's here!

I promise, I will add pictures later. It's taking forever to upload and my time is limited! John Kay, born Sept 29, is awesome! Baby Jake has lots of brown hair with blonde and RED highlights and undertones. His birth, miraculous and full of joy, was so redeeming for Jay and I. Cas loves his brother - he smothers him (literally) in hugs and kisses every day, tells me how to care for Jake, and squeals whenever he hears the slightest baby's cry coming from the bedroom. For the first few weeks, the first thing he said each morning was "Jetch? Jetch?" (Jake, that is). We've had some hitting, biting, and falling, but 90% of it is accidental or done with the intent of playing or showing affection, so I usually don't get too upset.

I love having two boys. I love being a family of four. It is much more than twice the fun (and twice the work!)

I've got to carve out some Rachel enrichment times, though - I need it now even more, so I don't lose myself in dirty floors and sippy cup searches and cries of hunger! And so I attempt to re-enter the world of blogging.

T-minus 5 weeks

Well, it looks like we have survived the mother of all heat waves. This boy is going to hear all about the record-breaking summer I bore him through! It's amazing how much better I've felt in the last couple days since it's cooled down to a mere 92 or so. Our A/C is doing great this week but could not compete with the 100 to 107 degree temps of the previous three weeks!

The c-section is scheduled for 7:30am on Mon, Oct 1. On this day in history, William Rhenquist, Jimmy Carter, and Julie Andrews were born. The USPS began special deliveries, the first world series began, the Model T hit the market, the People's Republic of China was formed, Johnny Carson debuted on the Tonight Show, Disney World opened, and Michael Jackson's white glove was stolen. Oh, and two of my friends' sons were born. Sounds like a good day to be born! Of course he may come earlier, but I hope not!

Cas was born on the equivalent of Sept. 5th, a week from today. Strange and a little un-nerving!

I am getting excited about meeting this little guy, and apprehensive about the exhaustion and chaos that will ensue. But I know it will be worth it.

wheels on the bus

One day Jay was reading a song book to Cas (his favorite is "the wheels on the bus go round and round...") and after a couple of songs, Cas reached up and pinched Jay's mouth shut with his fingers. I guess Mama will do all the singing in our house!!! That's ok, Dada does all the wrestling.

18 months

Cas turns 18 months on Monday! He is growing out of his clothes faster than I can even wash them. Literally. I keep thinking I will get used to seeing him get bigger overnight, but I still feel like my heart is running to keep up with this little boy who has hardly any baby left in him.

His Nana taught him to do this (in picture) when you ask, "Cas, how old are you?"

prego

We are no more than eight weeks from meeting our second son! What a thrilling and crazy time.

I personally think feeling a baby move inside you is the most amazing experience in the universe. I am so honored to carry a child! What a mysterious wonder of a privilege. The closer we get the more I start to think about how difficult it will be when the baby is small. I just repeat to myself, I will have help, I will have help, I will have help! I can't wait for you all to meet #2.

More on Cas

The latest developments:

When I ask him, "where's the baby?" he points to my belly and smiles and usually proceeds to hug and rub my belly affectionately. I wish I knew what he was thinking... it is so cute!


He usually has a Cas-word-of-the-day, so that when you ask him to say something, he will respond with that 'word.'

Cas, say apple.

aahhhh-POH (which actually sounds like apple and gets lots of praise)

Cas, can you say cheese?

aahhhh-POH

Do you want to go to Zoe's house?

aahhhhhh----POH!!! (with a big nod and a run to the door)


Other real words he has said a few times: juice, hot, cheese, ball (ahh-ball), yes, this, mama, and the very popular "DA!" which he will yell throughout the house looking for Jay.