Scientist, Editor, Wife, Mommy of 3

This kid is dedicated. Twice, I've caught him 4 steps up, trying to hurry before I catch him. So for our third child, we finally put up a gate.

He doesn't let that stop him from trying to get into trouble, like reading Siddartha.



Liam likes not the gate. Translation: "Lemme at those stairs!!!"



I've also updated the Summer 2011 album, should you care to peruse...

A few nights ago, I posted on FB that Liam was asleep in his own bed. That was short-lived. Two hours' worth of short-lived, in fact. He spends most of every night in bed with me, because heaven forbid he should wake up alone. I didn't set out to have a family bed, but I was never opposed to the idea, either. It just so happens that Liam is the first child for whom it seems to be the best option. I'm game for anything that makes life just a little bit easier these days, especially if it means a few more minutes' sleep.

We may start to see better sleep soon, though, as Liam's first tooth made its appearance today. It hasn't broken through entirely, but I can feel and see it. Now if only he'd start eating, we'd be golden. Maybe he's just too busy to eat, I dunno. He was scooching at 7 months, crawling at 8 months, and cruising a week after that. A week after that, he started climbing the stairs. He's good. Scary good. I bet he's walking by Thanksgiving.

He won't eat damn thing. Nothing makes it past that tongue of his - and if it does, he gacks it out. Nope, nothing but mama milk for this boob fan. And he is a fan. Everything I pump, he eats, and I can't for the life of me build up anything in storage. He nurses so much when I'm home that I can't pump extra. It's nuts.

Alright. I just needed to get that down, since I've been remiss in my journaling. Some day my boys will argue over who I loved more, and they'll point to my journal for proof.

I'm journaling so rarely anymore, I feel badly. Mostly because it means that Liam isn't getting the same written attention that Samuel and Dixon received.

To that end, I should note that Liam began to crawl (a highly efficient scooch) at 6 1/2 months and by 7 months (about a week ago), he started to get the hang of sitting up. He babbles "mamama mmmama" and now is dabbling with "ddduh dduh". He learned how to crawl out of the cosleeper, so Jeff raised the side. Now I have to work to bring him into bed with me. It's not difficult, but it means I wake up more than I'd like to, and Liam wakes me several times a night. He dislikes cereal and isn't eating anything else, really, so it's all mamma-milk, all the time. That's fine, I don't mind, but boy am I tired.

On the TMI front (but I want to record it for myself), I still haven't had a real period. At the beginning of June and the beginning of July, there was a 2-day minimal spotting event, but that was it. After Samuel and Dixon, the Flo-free honeymoon only lasted 3 months and ended with an apocalyptic vengeance. I don't know what's going on this time, but am trying not to look this beautiful gift horse in the mouth. Seventeen months and counting!

Dixon is edging into the defiant stage of being 2 years old. He's added "Oh, man!" and "Oh my goodness!" to his repertoire of regular exclamations ("No, mommy! BAD mommy!"). He is still the sweetest little boy I know. One of our favorite things to do is kiss each other. "More tiss mommy! Tiss here, mommy. Now tiss here!" He also loves to sing the alphabet. Over and over and over... :)

Samuel is maturing so fast that I often forget he's still only 4 years old. This is a strange age, with many insecurities, anxieties, and challenges for him. Overall, he's doing really well, though. Even at his worst he's still a great kid. He's a fan of Mumford & Sons and of Paul Simon, and has asked me to put a couple of albums on his mp3 player. We dance and sing in the car on the way to Pre-K. Of course, "Little Lion Man" is his favorite, so let's just hope he doesn't pick up all the lyrics.

Alright, time to stop rambling for now. See, if I wrote a little every day, I wouldn't have this pileup in my brain. Gotta work on that.

Off to pump!

Wow, it's almost been a month since I've popped my head in here. That may be my longest dry spell, ever.

( Words in here... )

Anyway, that was my bit of excitement for the week.

The only other news I have is that I was invited to submit a proposal for a job on Elance (my first ever) and got the job. If the client likes my work, he has 8 more projects in line. Yay for lucrative self-employed business successes! Maybe someday I'll be able to support my share of the household with my editing work alone. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

That's all my news that's fit to print. I'll leave you with a little video entertainment...

Today was Samuel's first Tae Kwon Do class. I was so excited for him, and so hopeful that he would enjoy it, and oh happy day! He loved it!

I keep writing and deleting, because I can't find the right words to describe how much fun we all had. The only downside was that Jeff had to work and couldn't be there with us. That broke his heart, I know.

In lieu of words, I'll share pictures!

Samuel TKD

I was hoping to post a little sump'm sump'm today, but a 5000-word assignment just landed in my inbox. No rest for the weary, eh?

OH YES THERE IS! Or, there will be, I hope.

In the wee hours of Saturday night, Jeff and I are bundling the weejuns into my new mom-mobile (aka the 2011 Nissan Quest, which I adore but Jeff wishes I'd held out for more options, aka a sunroof and memory seats. C'es la vie, I'm content with my impulse purchase and have told myself not to look back or think about the one that was on ebay the very next day for a few hundred less and more options. DON'T LOOK BACK. Besides, I hate sunroofs.)

ANYwho. Sometime between the massive crush of work and 2:30 am Saturday morning, I will be packed and ready to go to Surfside Beach, SC. Oh, yes. I will finally be on the beach.

It's a bit nervewracking, though. The last time I took a beach vacation, I wasn't even married and certainly hadn't considered having three children within a 4-year span. So things are a bit different now, to say the least. I certainly don't fit in that teeny tiny bikini anymore...

We are determined to be lazy and just relax. No frenzy of tourist-y activities, just our family and the beach.

It will be glorious!

if you're actually being watched.

Jeff untied a slowly-deflating Spongebob from the upstairs railing (where other birthday balloons still cheerily dance) and let it go. Now free, Spongebob decided to pay me a visit here in my office. Thankfully, Jeff escorted him out, because he was kinda freaking me out.

In other news, Samuel dirtied his shirt on Sunday, so we took it off. After going shirtless for a while, he came to me in my office to tell me he wanted a shirt. So I gave him one.


And because Dixon can't not be in a photo and because I still think he's cute enough to eat...


Aaaaaand Liam's screaming, so off I go.

For those of you who are wondering why LJ is sputtering lately, here's what's going on.

If that link doesn't work for you, just search "livejournal ddos" to get the story.

Oh, hey! Hi there! I'm still here, and it looks like some of you are, too.

So, hi! Life is a blur of work and home.

Liam is a pleasant little fellow, very strong, pleasant, with a cute laugh that he's only had for a week or two. He's discovered his hands and is beginning to learn how to control them. He's affectionate, which at this point means he demands affection -- constantly. Our only trouble is Liam's habit of melting down into screams when all he really needs to do is go to sleep. Inconsolable baby is crazymaking for the grown ups. Samuel and Dixon helpfully inform us, "Mommy, Liam's crying" (or in Dixonese, "Mommy! Baby tying! Hush baby! Baby 'top it!")

Speaking of Dixon, he's full of words, but he's intelligible only to family, for the most part. He's a sharp one, though, and when the light goes on and we realize what he's saying, we're often stunned. He's already a creative little jokester who promises to be real trouble someday. Dixon is also solidly in the Terrible Twos, which, having had a 3 year-old, is not all that bad in comparison but annoying nonetheless. Dixon is fond of telling us "no" and telling us we're bad when we reprimand him. He's such a sensitive fellow that we're having a hard time finding a balance of discipline that gets the point across without causing him to melt down. Then again, he probably knows this and capitalizes on his ought-to-be illegally high-pitched scream to take advantage.

Samuel is (knock wood) starting to turn around with his behavior, which has me breathing a big sigh of (tentative, not wanting to jinx it) relief. He stayed on "green" all week last week, at home and at school, and we had a fantastic weekend. Bed time is still difficult, and he's still wound up tighter than a spring in the evenings, but it's slowly and gradually improving. Maybe his speech is finally catching up with his intellect, allowing him to express himself more effectively. He's teetering on the edge of literacy, and I'm so very excited about that. He's interested in numbers, math, and letters, words, and spelling. When I pick him up from school, he tells me what all the signs mean. "That one means you can't go left!" "That one says school bus stop ahead!" And the kids has got an incredible memory. What a wonder it is to watch him grow. My beautiful, handsome little man turns 4 this weekend. Blows my mind.

As for me, I'm just busy all the time. I learned a new, better way to wrap the baby, so baby-wearing is now much easier for me. I was able to run around the yard playing soccer with Samuel, with the baby in the wrap. Very cool. I can even pick up Dixon while wearing the baby, which makes Dixon happy, but makes my arms and posture miserable. In my down-time (aka nursing the baby), I play Words With Friends or read. I'm re-reading the Dune series paperbacks now, but when that's done I'll pull out the Kindle. I'm reading Ben Franklin's autobiography on the Kindle while I pump.

*sigh* Ramble ramble

We're going on vacation to Myrtle Beach over the Memorial Day weekend and the following week. When we get back, Samuel will start taking Tae Kwon Do, a fact that has me tickled pink. He's so physical, and I think this will be the perfect way for him to learn self-discipline and body control. Later this summer, I want to go to New England to see my friends and smoosh all our kids into a fantastic chaotic pile of fun.

So that's me lately. :)