Daniel, the Chuck E Cheese Mastermind

Joshua burst my bubble the other day. After a whole winter of people telling me I look like a Disney Princess (Anna from Frozen), and walking around feeling pretty good about myself……la-te-da….. Joshua says, “You don’t really look like Anna to me.  You gotta take us to go see How to Train Your Dragons 2!  Hiccup’s mom is who you really look like!  I mean, you might look a little like Anna, but really you look like Hiccup’s Mom!!  Can […]

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Spring Break Just Got a Whole Lot Better!

New York in the fall has nothing on DC in the spring! Ah, Spring, that glorious time of year when I want to wear short sleeves, but I can’t find them.  My nose is stuffy, my eyes itch, and yet for some reason I feel wholly and ridiculously happy.  I want to hug the spring this year–every zyrtec requiring moment of it is pulling me out of the dark-ish zone I’ve been inhabiting for too long to admit! This spring […]

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How I Lose the Pregnancy Weight

  What I look like, every single time, right after giving birth:  This was a few days after I had Caleb. I weighed about 170 pounds in this photo. And this is what I normally look like: That’s a 35 pound difference.  (After all, a few pounds actually DO belong to the baby.)   This is not my favorite topic:  weight loss.  I don’t like discussing it because it often makes us feel bad. Maybe it’s just me, but when […]

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The Mid-Day Slump

I tend to start my days off really, really slowly.  I drag myself downstairs, or usually one of the boys drags me down the stairs.  I feed people.  I make myself coffee. An hour later, I’m fully awake and ready to tackle the day.  I make a list and have GREAT BIG, HUGE plans to save the world and solve all of my problems that day.  I begin crossing things off my list. Mishaps happen along the way, and by […]

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Expert Tips for Flying with an Infant (that I learned the hard way)

expert tips for flying with a baby

I’m back from my Alabama visit!  I caught the last flight from Atlanta to Baltimore last night.  It is a good thing too because  each flight after it was cancelled, due to the weather. And boy, do I have some tips to share about flying with an infant. Of course, I had to go and learn them all the hard way. Best things about my trip: The visit part was awesome.  The flying part was where the work came in. […]

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“A short phase of long days”

Looks like the swaddling days are coming to a close.  It’s an important game to him, though.  He insists (via crying) that I swaddle him, or he won’t go to sleep.  As soon as I leave the room, he pulls his arms out, but he gets mad if I pull them out for him.  ….So I guess it doesn’t hurt anything if I always swaddle him loosely enough for him to escape? Things I’ve heard around our house: Caleb:  Hey, […]

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The New Normal Postpartum

 John David and me 6 weeks postpartum I have returned to wearing make-up –finally– but my hair straightener will probably be completely rusted before it sees usage again!      I just love this little outfit.  By the way, after Daniel the Chubby it’s nice to have a baby who can fit into newborn socks! He’s still grow-grow-growing, and he still looks like Joshua to me. *********   The New Normal   It’s been 7 weeks now, and I’m not […]

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The Fourth Week Postpartum

4th week postpartum

John David, 3 1/2 weeks old, in an outfit provided by my friend Helena, who let it be known, is the greatest meatball maker ever!  Yeah, he sleeps better during the day than he does at night. When it comes to technology, there is a lot that I don’t get.  The photo app on my tablet is one of those things.  I never made this collage of three photos, shown above.  The tablet just made it for me…without me asking […]

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Feeding the Littlest Brother

  I am officially tired of resting.  Unfortunately, after a couple hours on my feet, my body is not so tired of resting.  I guess that’s the thing about nursing a baby.  It does make you rest.   I’m definitely no longer an invalid.  I’m ready to get on with life now.   One of the oddest things about having a baby with three other children is trying to breastfeed the baby, with three little boys buzzing around.  I try […]

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First Day Alone

He’s so cute when he wakes up…..but sometimes I just want him to go back to sleep…. Does that sound bad?  I really adore him!  It’s just that now that the Percoset is no longer working me over, I am soooooo sleepy. Alan went back to work today.  He left work early, so it wasn’t a whole day, but it was my first day back into the routine. My older three boys are in Alabama with their grandparents, so this […]

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