Day 370 | Official Baby Model

/
Ever since Chase was a wee baby, we knew he had the potential to be a baby model (like all parents think). Today this thought became a reality, though.

We got Chase's school pictures back and included in the photo envelope (aside from the best photo ever) was a letter stating his was "one of the better school portraits we have done this year" and they want to use his photo for publicity next year. See? He's going to be famous! There's a definite possibility that this letter is included in all the envelopes but I choose not to believe that. :)

Day 369 | Walking

/
I realized I haven't given an update on Robbe's walking status since he's taken off. He started committing to walking back at the end of March but it took a few more weeks before he made the total transition. But as of mid-April, the appeal clicked and he's walking about 95% of the time now--just dropping to hands and knees when he really really wants something (and he needs to beat his brother to that something).

There's really nothing cuter than a little early-walker. He sticks his belly out, holds his hands up high, and takes the sweetest little stutter-steps. Oh, and there are a few tumbles thrown in there, too.

My opinion about having spring babies being the best continues to hold up: walking in time for playground season? Woohoo!

Day 368 | Chase Mart

/
Chase has really been honing his customer service skills at Chase Mart (his grocery store, obviously) since his birthday.

Grandpa Paul and Uncle Brian would be so proud. He's going to be ready to take his own shift at the store when we're back Wisconsin this summer. Even down to the "Welcome to Chase Mart," "Is there anything I can help you find," and "Thank you for shopping."

Special note: Thanks to Uncle Brian and Aunt Tera for the great cash register birthday gift!

Day 366 | Solo Time

/
Chris was sweet enough to take the kiddos on a "Boys Day" adventure this morning so I had some quality solo time. Woohoo!

My choice of activities? Long, quiet walks, people watching while knitting, and lunch all by myself.  Intermixed with all that? Listening to the Serial podcast (so good!). I'm already 9 episodes into the 12 episode series. It's addicting. I've managed to listen to all 9 episodes in three days but only because I ducked out during nap yesterday to grocery shop (with earphones in) and cleaned the house (with earphones in) on top of this glorious baby-free morning.

The real question is how long it'll take for me to get through the last three. I'm guessing next weekend.

Day 364 | One Whole Year

/
The boys and I frolicking this morning at the National Arboretum.
It's been a year. One whole year of blogging. Our life is at the same time unrecognizable and exactly the same. In celebration of my accomplishment (it's a pretty big deal that I managed to keep this up), I'm posting my top eleven favorite blog posts from the past year.

But first, I'm going to start the tradition of posting last year's blog post from this date as a throwback: Capitol Play Time. See any resemblances to today's photo? My idea of recreating the scene from last year. I promise this won't become a tradition!

And now the best of the best blog posts, in my opinion and in no particular order:
  1. Playing Tourist
  2. Depicting Motherhood
  3. Happy Father's Day
  4. Sunday Shopping
  5. Feeling Nostalgic
  6. It's Nice to See
  7. Favorite Things Tees
  8. Homemade Baby Food
  9. Toddler Travel Tips
  10. Books for the Babies
  11. On Being a Stay at Home Mom
And just to warn you, there might be some changes coming to the blog. I'm still throwing around some ideas in my head. Stay tuned.

Day 363 | On Being a Stay at Home Mom: Point/Counterpoint

/
I've been thinking about writing this post for months and just never got motivated. Ever since recording this podcast with my friend and then listening to the second podcast in the series (in this one she interviewed a working mom), the topic has been ever-present in the back of my mind. So now, here it is: My first (but maybe not last!) point/counterpoint. I don't think this needs to be said but, as a disclaimer, this is just my perspective and everyone's decision about how to raise their child/ren is personal and I offer no judgement.

Being a Stay at Home Mom is the Best
  1. I'm around for every moment. I haven't missed a milestone in either of the boys' lives and that's pretty amazing. Although, I will point out that Chris has also missed very few. I think the boys somehow withhold doing anything too awesome when it's just me. In fact, I think Robbe's first word might very well be "dadda," obviously.
  2. We *usually* don't have to be anywhere. It's a lovely luxury to have calm, non-stressful mornings and peaceful, non-rushed evenings. Sometimes it's hard to be completely present for these moments, but it is one of my favorite things about staying home with these boys: this quiet, free time to just play or read and not be constantly doing.
  3. I'm in control. As you might have gleaned by now, I'm a *bit* of a control freak. I need to know what's going on with my babies. I need to know what the schedule is going to look like. I need to know that expectations are being appropriately set and upheld. A little obsessive? Yes. But that's what keeps this ship afloat.
  4. I accomplish a lot. I'm a really good multitasker so I do manage to get a lot done, even with two babies, during the waking and naptime hours. My ability to grocery shop, clean, cook meals, run errands, etc., means that the evening and weekend time we get with Chris can be a lot more focused family time. This is a huge deal.
  5. I'm a teacher. I don't feel like I'm doing a very good job of instilling knowledge on a daily basis but one way or another I'm raising pretty intelligent little guys. Chase knows his alphabet, colors, and shapes. He's starting to spell and learning how to rhyme. He's very well mannered as well as patient and empathetic (seriously, you've never met a more empathetic three-year-old). Robbe, although he's not talking yet, can understand practically everything. He's starting to do baby sign language more and more every day (think: all done, more, thank you, dog, bird) and is a fun-loving, affectionate little guy with more of the world opening up to him every day. It's pretty inspiring to know that I did that. More accurately, Chris and I did that, but still. It's me a lot of the time. The boys don't watch tv and Chase's preschool does very little in terms of actual knowledge development (more focused on social development), so somehow I'm doing it.

Being a Stay at Home Mom is Definitely Not the Best
  1. Every day is the same: no weekends, no vacations. Of course the days when Chris is home makes a world of difference, as does having family or visiting another place, but in reality the same challenges exist every day: same meal schedule, same nap schedule, same segmented day.
  2. Isolation. Yes, I get to hang out with other mom friends but just in case you think we sit around gabbing and drinking wine while our children peacefully play together, let me just set the record straight: typically we get about one hour, maybe two hours if we're lucky, of social time before one of us has to leave for food, naps, bedtime, etc. And those one, maybe two hours, usually involve being in two different places (me following my baby, them following theirs) most of the time. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy these times with my friends, I just wish they weren't as crazy. And other than that, it's a lot of solo, one-on-two time with my boys.
  3. Babies are exhausting. Not just chasing after them all the time (that's definitely part of it), but constantly negotiating, playing, making small talk, rearing, feeding, disciplining, cleaning up after, etc. You get the picture. And that's only part of the challenge. I'm always on. If it's not managing the kids, it's managing the house and I feel the need to be productive all the time. I could definitely check out during naptime or after bedtime but there's always something that needs to be done and since I'm home so much, it's hard to just ignore forever. 
  4. Baby talk. Chatting with a three year old, although a full-time, non-stop job, is not the most fulfilling form of social interaction. I didn't know I could start to dislike a three letter word stretched into three syllables so much (w-h-y???). I long to use the other side of my brain: I used to be a problem-solver, negotiator, creative individual when the stakes were slightly different than how to get your babies to eat vegetables. I miss that.
  5. Working seems like a luxury. The grass is always greener, right? Chris thinks I'm crazy for being jealous of his commute and work-life. Although he loves his job (yay!), he wants more than anything to be home with us. And although I love my job (babies!), I want pretty desperately to have the independence and responsibility of getting out of the house sans-babies and contributing to society. That would probably last one day, but from the outside looking in, it sure does seem lovely.

Day 362 | Balance Bike

/
Today was a rough one. Robbe caught the cold that Chase and I came down with over the weekend. Seems like no big deal, right? A little congestion isn't that big of a deal, right? Well, Robbe begs to differ. Apparently a little congestion combined with teething (two more are so close!) and a desire to suck your thumb makes for difficult sleeping situations. It does make sense.

Let's not dwell on the very limited naps he's had the last two days or the very very limited sleep either of us got last night. Instead, let's smile at the photos of Chase sporting his new [blue] helmet while working on his balance bike skills. He's going to have this thing down by the end of the summer. Mark my words.

Oh, and if it's not too much to ask, think happy thoughts for a better sleep for all of us tonight. I need all the help I can get.

Day 361 | Chicken-less Nuggets

/

I found the inspiration for this recipe when Chase was Robbe's age and have been making it sporadically (whenever I think of it) ever since. It does take a bit of extra prep time leading up to lunch so that's the main challenge for me. 

These are about the most simple chicken-less nugget imaginable. Two ingredients: tofu (I prefer the extra-firm organic variety in the square container) and whole wheat flour. Oh, and oil for the pan. 

Here's the scoop:

Cut the tofu into 1/2 by 1/2 inch strips. Once you have your strips,cut those into thirds (so they're about nugget-size).

Coat the tofu with the flour on all sides (you can add some seasoning, salt and pepper, if you prefer).

Heat oil in a pan on the stove over medium heat.

Cook until browned and turn as necessary.

There you go! Let 'em cool and feed them to the kiddos. Mine gobble them up. And I'll admit, with a little ketchup they do the trick for me, too.

Day 360 | Butterflies!

/
Today's outing has been on my DC to-do list since before I had babies. I finally finally got to see the butterflies at the National Museum of Natural History. We lucked out and got tickets by just walking in (I'm not sure if that's usually the case). You do have to pay for this exhibit but the $5 was totally worth it, in my opinion.

Chase was a little uncertain about these flying beauties (are you surprised?), but afterward they were his favorite part of the outing. Robbe, on the other hand, could not have been more excited. He squealed with excitement and pointed at all the butterflies the whole time. His reaction to the whole outing (we also watched the fishies for a bit and looked at some other animals) made me realize we need to do stuff like this more. He's really starting to take in and enjoy the world around him.

In other news, our month of visitors has come to an end. We dropped Grandma and Grandpa G. off at the airport this afternoon. In Chase's words, "I'm so sad." Back to the real world around here...

Day 359 | Checking It Off the List

/
Robbe impressed us all (and himself) by managing to walk with this giant box.
We continued the theme of being productive around the house and checking things off the list while my parents are here (I promise we're having fun, too!). Today's accomplishments? Cleaning windows, planting new plants, installing an opaque window cover, hanging our new birdhouse (I'll post a photo sometime soon), fixing a few of our bedroom doors (thanks, toothpicks!), and others that aren't popping into my head right now. Aren't we lucky to have so much help? And you can tell by the photo that the boys have been beyond helpful as well.

Day 357 | Day Out with Thomas

/
2015 is turning out to be quite a year for our little 3-year-old. Today's installment? A Day Out with Thomas.

Have we taken the train enthusiasm to the extreme? Maybe, but it was totally worth it! Chase had a blast on his first Mommy-Daddy-Chase-Grandpa Day (thanks, Mom, for hanging out with Robbe so we could go sans-baby). Oh, and Thomas being there didn't hurt.

Some of the highlights from the big event:
  • Meeting the big guy: Thomas, that is (middle photo)
  • Meeting Sir Topham Hat (top-left photo)
  • Riding on one of Thomas's coaches (top-right and bottom-left photos)
  • Train-themed crafts (stamps, coloring, necklace-making)
  • A petting zoo (What? Who would have expected that?)
  • Three train-themed kiddie rides (including a carousel)
  • Tons of real trains to tour and look at (we'll be back to the B&O Railroad Museum)
  • A toy wooden railway (like the one we have at home), which Chase proclaimed was his favorite part of the day, of course
  • And so much more!
The event as busy but really well organized and really enjoyable. We were only there for about three hours but there was enough to do to keep the kiddos entertained for much, much longer. The train ride, itself, was about 20 minutes long which was perfect for Chase's attention span. And I'm glad we opted for a morning train ride (10:45am) which enabled us to do a lot of the activities before the bulk of the crowd showed up. 

Overall, a really wonderful morning. I would highly, highly recommend for any train-loving friends. 

Day 355 | One Final Train Craft

/
Who am I kidding? There will definitely be future train crafts but I promise there will be a hiatus.

These are the party favors I made for Chase's friends. I bought standard train whistles and decided they needed some pizzazz so personalized them using the same method I did for the railroad crossing sign: Good old white glue and water.

The kiddos loved them!

Day 354 | Speaking Out

/
Before Mary Catherine headed back to Cape Cod (much to my dismay), we took a few minutes to record an episode on motherhood for her podcast Starr Struck Radio. I feel beyond honored to have been invited on the show and, I have to admit, I actually enjoyed myself.

If you're interested in my perspective on being a stay at home mom or if you just miss me and want to hear my voice (that one is geared towards you, Mom), take a listen. I think you'll enjoy it. And tune back in to listen to what Mary Catherine has to say every week. She'd be happy to be your friend, too!

You can listen by clicking the play button towards the middle of this page. Or click here to download the show (and all previous episodes) in iTunes.