Utah Trip

In mid-July my sister Emily flew to my house from Chicago. She spent a couple days here in California with us - we went to the beach, of course - and then Todd took off for his two-week Army training and Emily helped me drive the kids out to Utah. It was tons of fun to see Emily (it had been 14 months) and get to hang out with her sans husbands so we could make each other our #1 for a while like old times. I wish we lived closer.

Along the drive, we visited Todd in Sacramento and played in a helicopter, then stopped at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. We spent the night in Reno and drove the rest of the way the next day.

We stayed at my parents' house in Smithfield. We went shopping and made jewelry and talked fashion and hairstyles. A neighbor invited us to come pick cherries off his tree. All of my siblings gathered for the weekend and we had a reunion. I can't even remember the last time all six of us were together. It's been years. Friday night we made dutch oven dinner (Southwest chicken) and cherry pie and spent the whole evening talking, laughing, reminiscing... It felt like Christmas being all together again. Saturday we went up to Tony Grove, a gorgeous spot in the mountains we traditionally camped at all growing up. We hiked around the lake and roasted hot dogs and s'mores over a campfire.
There was still snow in a couple spots! Brr.. . Hazel was thrilled. We visited my Grandma Holley and my Grandma and Grandpa Bingham. I loved having the chance to see them all. It had been a long time since I'd last seen them - 14 months (Scott and Caprice's wedding).

I went to the Salt Lake LDS Temple and had a wonderful, uplifting experience. I need to go to the temple more often.My mom watched my kids while I was inside the temple. Hazel spent the whole time playing in the fountains at the Conference Center. When I came back I found her dipping her whole head in the water. She was drenched and delighted.The next day Mom and I took the kids to the Heritage West Pioneer Center south of Logan. It was a huge hit! Hazel learned how pioneers used to wash their clothes.
She gathered chicken eggs.We visited a blacksmith shop and a woodworker's shop. And Hazel rode a pony. I was completely blown away. I thought she'd be too scared to even get on, but it was quite the opposite: she refused to get off when the ride was over! I left my kids with my parents while I went to Belize with Todd (next post!). They were completely spoiled. Jack cut a tooth, ate a ton, and learned to pull up to standing at furniture while I was gone. I missed him so much I thought my heart would break. None of their neighbors have fences in their yard, so Hazel had free reign to all their playground equipment and trampolines.

My parents set up a play station in the kitchen that kept Hazel happily occupied for hours at a time. It had a kitchen cupboard with dishes, a child-sized picnic table, and a gorgeous dollhouse my Grandpa Holley built. (They're watching fireworks on the roof.)

Mom made her a dress-up dress that she has worn every single day since.

And my parents took the kids to a parade.

(I stole almost all these photos from my mom. A couple are from my phone. I need to be so much better about getting my camera out!)

General Updates

Jack is seven months old. I'm so sad that he's growing up so fast. I know I've only got a couple months left until he starts walking and that makes my heart ache. He's figured out how to do everything since my last post six weeks ago.
He sits independently. He plays quite happily by himself as long as you start him off near the toy bins.He crawls. Quickly. Through the chair legs and even up the stairs.He pulls up to standing on the furniture.He got his first two teeth (not simultaneously - a week and a half apart). He eats solid foods. And eats and eats. And eats. He's a bottomless pit. He still snuggles quite freely, although now that he's mobile he won't stay for long. He loves to blow raspberries. He's obsessed with jumping and makes my triceps burn every day. He's a champion sleeper but is unhappy that we're trying to move him into Hazel's room. He's grown quite accustomed to his tight quarters in our bathroom.


Hazel's latest is that she's hoarding all her possessions in every container she can find up as high as she can reach so that Jack won't choke/won't touch her stuff. My counter top has looked like this for days:The couch blanket was missing for days until I found it today stuffed behind the TV.OCD??? She's so funny.

In other big news, Hazel's been in big girl panties for four days straight and only had one accident so far. Hooray! I'm really hoping this is the real deal and I'll have a fully potty-trained child in a week or two. The big hurdle: #2. She still hasn't pooped in the potty. I'm getting nervous for constipation issues. Any advice would be welcome.

Hazel's deep into her pretend world. She currently spends a lot of time being Sleeping Beauty, Nephi, Mommy, and Baby Hazel. She's also started having toys act out parts instead of having to be the character herself.

We signed her up for parent/tot swimming lessons this summer. She is a lot more confident in the water than she was last year. She likes to hold on to the wall of the pool and coast around the perimeter. She's also fairly comfortable with blowing bubbles in the water, but she won't stick her whole face in yet.
I'm trying to motivate myself to start up a book club. Todd's prepping to run a 100 mile marathon (again). We're recuperating from vacation, which I will blog about sometime soon, I hope.

What We Call Jack Around Here

I've always had a penchant for nicknames. And I've always loved the name Jack, partly because it's soooo easy to turn into nicknames. I'm a little out of control. It's been funny to overhear Hazel call Jack all the names I call him, too. Here's just a small list - what I brainstormed in sixty seconds. I'm sure there's more.

Jacker Backer
Jackerona
Jacky
Jacky-Boy
Cutie Boy
Sweetie Boy
Jumping Jack
Jack Be Nimble
Jack In the Box
Jackster
Jacker
Jacko
Jackie-O
Jack Jack
Jack Attack
Mr. Jack
Little Brother
Baby Boy
Handsome Man
Cutie Patootie
Chunk a Hunk
Happy Boy
Little Man
Boyfriend

Photos by my mom.

Russian River Trip - aka "The Cottage"

This weekend we took a trip up to Guerneyville, CA to explore the area near the Russian River. The drive took us just over two hours, north through San Francisco and then into the hills. We left Thursday night after dinner and baths. Hazel stayed awake the whole time, too psyched to see our "cottage" I suppose. When we got just outside San Francisco, she thought all the tall buildings were temples. She was thrilled to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, even though it was dark. Photo courtesy of images.google.com.

We had just put civilization behind us and headed deep into the woods when I realized I must not have used the restroom before we left. When it became an emergency-level situation, Todd pulled off the main road and found a spot for me to take care of business. To my complete horror, thirty seconds later a truck pulled up behind us and shot a photo of me squatting! Who would do that? I asked myself, then realized that College Todd would have. And it might even have been College Angie's idea. So I laughed and forgave them.

The place we stayed at was actually a mobile home. We called it our cottage and we loved it.We had a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. It was similar in square footage to our apartment we actually live in. Also it had a huge deck. But oh, the yard! That was paradise. Huge (I don't know, an acre or two I'd say) with lots of trees and plenty of open space, a fire pit, hot tub, and two delicious hammocks.Friday we rented a canoe and forged our way through the extremely mild Russian River. As in, it was super easy for one person to paddle our whole family upstream. It was relaxing. Hazel and Todd worked the paddles and I kept Jack happy. The water was a comfortable enough temperature for us to dock the canoe for a bit and let Hazel swim about in the shallow parts and throw handfuls of mud around.Photo courtesy of images.google.com.

I stared dreamily at all the private docks and decided I would love to own a home like that, all private and spaced out from the neighbors, with all its own space and yard and everything and then a little walk down to your own dock, where you've got patio furniture and a kayak or two and pool floaties all sitting there waiting for you to come play. What a dream to bring a book down to the dock and read and sunbathe and watch people float past. What a party to bring the kids down for a swim or go float in your tubes for a while. That's the life. Maybe someday...Photos courtesy of images.google.com.

After the river we took the kids back to the house for naps. And then here's the best part! While the kids were sleeping, instead of being quietly trapped in my living room with nothing to do but laundry, Todd and I took books outside and read while we lounged in the hammocks. Bliss!We spent the entire rest of the day and evening outside. We soaked up every minute of our pretend "we have a yard" life. Hazel ran and ran and ran and ran. She mostly pretended to be Robin Hood. She'd get "tied up" in the hammock by Prince John (Todd - and Jack was Hiss), then sneak out and run to her hideout. I was Maid Mariam, and she kept telling me it wasn't the getting married part yet. She was too busy dodging Prince John to give me a real part to pay, except sometimes she instructed me to call out to her for help so she could come rescue me from Prince John, too. This statue was her hideout. That night we used the fire pit to roast hot dogs and make s'mores. Then after the kids were in bed Todd and I got in the hot tub, only to discover that it was more of a warm tub and the part to heat it up was broken. Bummer, but the stars were amazing and I saw the Big Dipper more clearly than I ever have before in my life.

Saturday morning we hiked through the Armstrong Redwoods State Preserve. We kept our eyes peeled for tree hollows so Hazel could climb in and pretend to be an owl. We found a tree slide that we probably would have walked right past if there hadn't been other kids there sliding on. It was awesome, a long slice of redwood bark that was smooth and just laying at the perfect angle. Hazel slid on it three or four times, then decided to get more adventurous and climb the super steep hill behind it. Todd had to take over spotting duties.

That afternoon the kids napped while we read in the hammocks again. Then we all played in the yard. I wish really bad we had a nice big yard like that. It was so fun. Todd grilled hamburgers and we ate on the deck.By the way, I only did breakfast on the trip, easy stuff like bagels and cream cheese and coffee cake from a mix. Todd packed picnic lunches for us before we left each morning, and he made us great dinners both nights. That was another great part about this trip: relinquishing the kitchen to him.

Saturday night we all four got in the warm tub and played with the kids in it like it was a little swimming pool. Then we put them to bed and Todd and I read together. Todd went searching for a blanket and came back with a Snugli. He didn't even know what it was! I made him pose for a picture, and then we used it and made jokes all night. One final look at the stars before going to bed. Aah, lovely.

Sunday morning we cleaned up and said goodbye to our cottage. Hazel was excited to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge again. We made it home with just enough time to change clothes and hop back in the car to attend afternoon church. Now we're in the throughs of unpacking and otherwise de-tripping.

The best part? Two and a half days together with no cell phone coverage. It was full-on family bonding and we loved it.

Habitot

On Saturday my mom and I took the kids up to Habitot Children's Discovery Museum in Berkeley because they're letting military families in for free this summer. We'll be back. It was a fun-filled 2 1/2 hours that only ended because Jack had reached his time limit, not because Hazel was done exploring. Well worth the drive up.It was the perfect spot to take an imaginative girl, as it leaned heavily toward dramatic play. They had a cafe/grocery area with play food and shopping carts. A fire truck with a siren and a defibrillator in the back. A hospital newborn unit with baby dolls, supplied with baths and beds, diapers blankets and onesies, and hospital scrubs (even booties!) in pink and blue. A pet veterinary clinic with a variety of dogs and loads of medical tables, stethoscopes, and injectors for shots. It also had an x-ray table. Hazel spent oodles of time carrying around babies and playing doctor in every setting.There was a wiggle wall where the kids could climb about ten feet high and pretend they were rodents (Hazel was Templeton from Charlotte's Web). A big hit was the make-up counter, with Hollywood bulbs, swivel stools, and face paint in crayon shape. Hazel really went to town drawing on her own face! I thought the art area was a bit of a let-down (not heavily stocked) but it had enough to make my child happy: paper and colored glue (elmers/tempera mix), glitter, puff balls, and feathers. And a wall they could paint on all they wanted. Hazel was thrilled to paint so big standing up. She immediately announced she was Rapunzel, pointed to her shoulder, and whispered that "Pascali" was sitting right there. Then she got to work, informing me that I was Mother Gothel and feeding me lines to say as she painted castles, towers, and Flynn Rider on the wall. There was also a water exploration area, a library, a little baby room that crawlers and early walkers would adore, train tables, and rider cars that kids were taking all over the place. What a hit!

Scuba Certified

On the calendar: a no-kids trip to Belize with Todd's family in August! Considering Belize has the next-best coral reef in the world after Australia, it seemed a crying shame to go without becoming a certified scuba diver. So Todd and I registered for classes about three weeks ago, thereby locking us in for not only three evenings of classes (ie: dates) but a weekend getaway to Monterey as well.That very getaway is what I am just now returning from, a refreshed, rejuvenated, new woman. For the same price as a teenage babysitter who would, by some miracle, love to watch our midgets from 6am to 5pm on Saturday AND Sunday (surviving church as part of the deal), we instead bought my mom a plane ticket to come out here. Excellent choice. That meant Todd and I could leave Friday evening and have an entire weekend together sans kids.

It was bueno. We did two dives on Saturday, and two more on Sunday. We saw starfish as large as my head, gorgeous red kelp on coral beds, tall forests of brown kelp, big fish, little fish, otters, seals, eels. The visibility was low (2-5 feet Saturday, 5-10 feet Sunday) so I'm sure it could be even better another time, but it was still excellent.I discovered Todd has a penchant for distraction. Three of our four dives, we got lost from our group because Todd was so intently studying the sealife that I couldn't get his attention before the others had swam too far away for us to see them, and I didn't want to lose him. It got to be a bit of a running joke by the last dive.

We made friends with the other couple certifying. Saturday night we all went out to dinner and we also stopped by a place where you could go through a lazer maze and try not to trip the lazers. So Mission Impossible! It was a blast.The Navy Gateway we stayed at had peacocks on the grounds. When we saw them in the evening, we felt glamorous and got right close for a photo shoot. When we discovered the next morning that they walk around the hotel being nature's alarm clocks, they lost some of their allure.Todd and I got some much-needed couple time (first time we've gone out alone together since Jack was born). It was empowering to flirt and laugh and be out on the town and not have anything to worry about. (Thanks, Mom! We knew the kids were well taken care of.)

I also really appreciated the chance to take a break from motherhood. I love it so much, but it is a taxing job. It was refreshing to not be responsible for anyone else, to not worry about what to put in a diaper bag or what time it was and who was tired or hungry. It just felt so good to be a woman and a wife and a friend and that's all. It also felt good to come home and have Hazel run into my arms and get hyper because she was so excited we were home. And what a priceless feeling to snuggle Jack to sleep tonight. It was good to take a breather from that so I could remember how much I love it.

The Trenches Part 2, and Other Things

We're taking a break from potty training. Classic first child, guinea pig moment, but Todd and I were not casual and positive enough and it turned into a battle of wills, which obviously, we will not win. Hazel refuses to sit on the potty, and is back in diapers for the time being. Blast.Jack hit his five month mark last week. Unbelievable. He has been rocking on hands and knees for a couple of weeks now, and he scoots backwards all over the place. He's even beginning to steer so that he doesn't get stuck under the furniture. He's still just as happy and chill as he was on Day 1. What a great personality!

He's made it quite apparent that he wants what we have at the dinner table, so we've taken to letting him suck on fruit we're eating (apples, plums, etc) and a couple of nights ago he started with the rice cereal. He was quite enthusiastic and did really well, so it's time to dust off the ol' highchair and bring it in.Hazel reached her 2 1/2 year mark last week. She's trying to drop her nap, and I'm fighting it for all it's worth. She spends an hour or more in her room every afternoon, but only sleeps a couple days a week. She loves to role play and changes her identity a dozen times a day AND gets put out if you don't call her by the correct name of the moment. It's very tricky to keep track of.

She's still obsessive compulsive. She does a sweep of her room every nap and bedtime, after we leave. If there's anything in there that's not supposed to be, she shoves it under her door. Once it was a small toy that was under her bed next to the wall. It's a serious white glove sweep. She checks every nook and cranny of the room. Todd thought about hiding under the bed to watch her process, but we decided not to because it'll just get added to the list of things she checks for all the time. Hidden camera, perhaps?

Hazel's getting better and better with Jack. I love to see her playing with him, and the best sound in the world is the two of them laughing together. Lately she's blown on his tummy, asked to hold him again (and did not want to let him go) and climbed into the pack and play to say hello to him after he woke up. Oh yes, Jack sleeps in the bathroom in the pack and play. Naps in my room, spends his nights in the bathroom. We plan to keep it that way until he's more solid on sleeping through the night. I always feed him before I go to bed, and then he usually sleeps until 7 or 8 the next morning, but once or twice a week he's up for a feeding at 5. Another month, maybe, and we'll try putting him back in Hazel's room. We got too tired of Hazel and Jack waking each other up every night.

From the Trenches

*Disclaimer: There's a lot of potty language in here. I'm embarrassed to post, but need advice. Don't read if you'll be grossed out or judge me. ;)

Potty training is in full swing here. I've gotta admit, I'm wingin' it. Maybe I should have read a couple of books on the topic or feverishly discussed it at playgroup before digging in. It's been hovering over my head for many, many months now. We bought a little potty nearly a year ago, and Hazel's quite accomplished at using it before hopping in the tub each night. But as for going all out, first it seemed Hazel was not quite ready, then it seemed if we tried it would be a battle of wills, so it just wasn't happening.

About two weeks ago, we window shopped princess panties. Hazel was just about drooling. So we started talking it up. "When you go pee pee in the potty all the time, you can wear panties!!!"

Then Hazel started to annoy me by asking for diaper changes right after she went - even if it was just a little tinkle. I got tired of throwing away almost dry diapers and made her go potty and empty her bladder before I'd put a new one on. She started successfully keeping her diaper dry for several hours at a time.

So I got the princess pull-ups I bought months ago out of storage. Hazel was thrilled with them. She spent about thirty minutes straight that first day "practicing" pulling them down, sitting on the potty, pulling them up. She's still in a dress-only fashion bubble, so clothes aren't an issue right now. And I thought, what the heck, let's cold-turkey it. She hasn't been in a diaper since.

For the next couple of days, she'd start to pee in the pull-ups, stop herself, and finish the job in the bathroom. It's now been probably five days where she hasn't peed in the pull-ups at all. She's got it down.

It's the poop that's the problem.

She won't use the potty for it. I know it's supposedly normal for potty training to happen in stages, but how long should I expect? In the meantime, what do I do? I tried her in panties today instead of a pull-up and it was a big mistake. It did nothing to change her behavior and DID cause a scene in the store we were shopping at and DID make a gross mess I had to clean up (thankfully only on Hazel and not on the store floor) and it's WAY worse than cleaning up a diaper. So I think we'll be in pull-ups for a while yet.

I don't know what my next step should be. Do I stay chill and act like it's no big deal that she won't poop in the potty? Do I make a big deal that she's pooping on the princesses and they don't like it? How long until she does what she's supposed to do where she's supposed to do it?

Sibling Bonding

Twice today Hazel requested the pleasure of holding Jack herself. I haven't suggested this in a couple of months, due to a complete lack of interest, and I didn't want to pressure her or push her away from him. Today she snuggled him and let him hold her fingers and bring them up to his mouth. She even tickled his tummy a little bit. (That's what got him grinning in this picture.) It's rewarding to see their relationship start to develop. When Jack's crying in the car, Hazel will say things like, "I know, Jack. I know you're tired. We're almost home." I used to prompt her to say things like that. Now she does it on her own.

When Jack wakes up from a nap, Hazel's often the first one to hear his little squeaks, and she wants to be the first one in the room to greet him. "Hi Jack! Did you have a great nap?" If she's in the room when he wakes up in the morning, she stands on the crib edge and chats with him, leaning down so her face almost touches his.

Jack's been in love with Hazel since the first time his baby eyes focused on her. He chooses to watch her over anyone else in the room, every time. He loves it when she pays attention to him. Now that he's learned how to shriek and laugh, Hazel gets instant rewards for talking to him. It's made her much more interested in getting down on the floor and talking to him, or making sounds at him in the car. She loves that he gives her a big reaction.

I'm so grateful that through all the tough adjustments of having two kids, Hazel's never shown any animosity or jealousy towards Jack. She's always loved him and been soft and sweet with him, although she often prefers just to ignore him. I am crossing my fingers that they will have a tight friendship, play together happily, and take good care of each other.

Conversation held today in the car

(Keep in mind that Hazel still likes to feed us lines, like a director in a play.)

H: What was that sound?
A: I don't know, what was it?
H: A tootie fruitie from my bum bum!
A: Oh, well, just say 'oops, excuse me'.
H: Oops. Escuse me! (Laughs.) Daddy, you say, 'escuse you, Hazel.'
T: Excuse you, Hazel.
H: Mommy, you laugh.

Apparently, all my efforts to hide the fact that I find flatulence hilarious have been futile.