Random Questions

When you are up at 4AM many a night, your mind starts to wander. I have these random questions that pop into my head & I wish I could find the answers.......

1) What is the best age to take your kids on a Disney vacation? (saw a commercial & I REALLY want to see Mickey!)2) What painter honestly thinks FLAT paint is a good idea in a home with children?

3) When will this flabby belly go away?

4) Do we have any ice cream left?

5) Why does my 2 year old get out of his bed at 5AM EVERY morning?

6) Could Super Nanny help keep my child in his own bed?

7) Why would anyone want to date Jon Gosselin?
8) How did I get so lucky to go to bed at night & the thing I worry about most is which kid will be waking up first....I don't have to worry about bombings, earthquakes, starvation....SO LUCKY.

9) How does adding one kid increase you laundry loads exponentially?

10) How am I going to keep up with this laundry when I go back to work?

11) When does "It's Complicated" come out on DVD? I absolutely loved that movie (saw with MIL last weekend....so great to get out of the house!)

12) Will I ever get to see Journey in concert again? Don't Stop Believing......

13) Did Channing poop AGAIN?

14) Am I really done having kids?

15) What the heck is the movie Avatar about?

16) What took us so long to get a DVR? (Hours & hours of Barney & Friends recorded to keep Griff happy!)

17) Will my volleyball team kick me off the squad if I'm absolutely terrible tonight?

18) Does anyone else find George Stephanopoulos extremely sexy (in spite of his Ken-like hair)? Grrrrr

19) Was Amy serious about going to see PINK or Lady Gaga in concert this summer? (I hope so!)

20) Will I get a nap today?

anyway...that's what I ponder at 4 in the morning.

Amateur Photo Shoot

After Channing's bath this afternoon she begged me to take some photos of her since she was feeling oh so pretty. She decided to put on her party dress--even though we weren't having guests or going anywhere. My kind of gal--dressing up just because!

I was never a big fan of bows on little girls. Looks like they are wrapped up like presents.....but I have to admit, I'm starting to change my attitude towards them.
It is pretty darn cute.

What a little flirt!

She's starting to smile!

Channing 5 weeks old

She also wanted to show her athletic side.

Future WNBA star? Maybe an Olympic gold medalist in track? Possibly a professional tennis player? Golf pro?

The possibilities are endless.

Well almost.

I'm guessing she won't be a gymnast or a horse jockey. Not if the size of her feet are any indication of how big she'll be!

Check out those long piggies!

What I've Learned (so far)

I've learned a few things about myself these past few weeks being a temporary stay-at-home mom of two children, and all. The first thing I have learned is that I will NEVER be a permanent stay-at-home mom. I have the utmost respect for moms that are able to stay at home with their children. I LOVE my kids more than life itself, but I do not have the energy to be with them 24/7. It is hard work! Is that wrong? I am fortunate that I love my job outside of the home, & we need the income, so I'll keep on working!

I've learned that you have to multi-task with a toddler & a newborn. This morning as I was feeding Channing, & Hubs was taking a nap {He first let me take a 2 1/2 hour nap. It was WONDERFUL!}, Griff went to his usual place behind the chair to do his business. Moments later he came around the chair stating he needed to go potty. Well, I could smell that he had already done the deed, so I said no, just wait a few minutes & Mommy will change your diaper. Well, the kid proceeded to run into the bathroom, take off his soiled diaper, put his hands in the poo, & then sit on the potty....meanwhile getting poo on everything around him. Excellent. Silly me, I should have been able to assist my child to the toilet & feed my baby simultaneously. {sorry, no pics, I was too frazzled to find the whole ordeal amusing at the time}

I've learned that my memory is fading. I seriously cannot remember the last time Griff had a bath. We usually bathe him every other day...unless it is summer & he is playing outside--then sometimes the kid gets several baths in a day---anyway, I know he had a bath Tuesday before the Orange Bowl, but after that everything is fuzzy. Oh, and we won't get parents of the year for constantly forgetting to change his diaper. I change Channing's so often, that I sometimes forget to change Griff's for hours. Poor neglected kid. He'll most likely be the smelly kid in school & I'm certain he's going to have some sort of complex & need therapy down the road.

I've learned that the longer I am stuck in the house, the more redecorating I will do, the more internet shopping I will do, and ultimately, the more money I will spend. When you constantly stare at your mantel, or a wall, or your laundry room, or your bathroom, or your bedroom....the more you want to change things up. I really need a change of scenery!

Here are some pics of the mantel. I haven't changed anything else...and don't plan to {relax Hubs}, but I did need to get rid of the Christmas decor & I thought I'd freshen things up. It might be a little too much glass; but for now, I like it.

I've learned I hate snow. {I think at some point in my life I already knew that one}
I also hate windchill.
These negative degree days SUCK!


I've learned that Channing is developing her own little personality. She's starting to talk & play more. She hates to nap in her crib, loves to eat, & we're all in trouble if she doesn't burp.

She's also starting to go bald. Bye bye pretty dark hair. I was concerned at first, but the trusty internet tells me that this happens with fluctuations in hormone levels after birth. But, the most important thing I've learned is that my babies go from this.......

{griff 7wks old}

....to this

in such a short period of time & even though some days are VERY frustrating, I shouldn't take any of it for granted. Time flies, and I need to cherish every moment with my kids!

{Have I mentioned Griff hates wearing pants? Hope the indecent exposure phase will pass.}

Channing 4 weeks old

Hard to believe this tank was 4 weeks old on Tuesday. She keeps growing & growing. Since the holidays are over with, my newest challenge is trying to get her to sleep more at night & not so much during the day. Unfortunately that task isn't going so well. The girl has her days & nights mixed up. I try to keep her up more during the day, but she starts to get overly tired & VERY cranky. Then Momma starts to get cranky. Bad combo. Channing loves her swing. I also love her swing. That seems to be our go-to at 2AM when she can't seem to get comfortable anywhere else. Hubs & I just keep reminding ourselves that she is ONLY 4 weeks old. Some babies do not sleep through the night until they are 11 months old (right Hubs?). I think the most frustrating part is that Griff has decided he needs to be getting up during the night also....& it is usually after we've put Channing back to sleep & are starting to fall back to sleep ourselves. At this point we would be elated if just ONE kid would sleep through the night!

Aah, parenthood.She might have my eyes, but she still has Daddy's cheeks!

And what is up with this weather?

Can it get any colder?

Could we get any more snow?

Yes & Yes.

I'm happy to be warm & cozy in my house, but it would be nice to be able to start taking Channing out into the world. I was hoping to be able to walk the mall with her by now, but it is too dang cold to be taking my newborn out. I guess our mother/daughter shopping sprees will have to wait.


Oh, & How about them Hawkeyes?!

My kiddos really enjoyed the victory!

Should I Be Concerned?

With all the toys Griff got for Christmas, all he wanted to do was play with the breast pump.

New Kids On The Block

Do you think Griff has enough cars?

And that's not even all of them.

Ridiculous.

Since we don't have daycare this week I've had both kids at home with me. Challenging. Luckily my MIL & FIL have taken Griff a few mornings so I can get a little more sleep & get something done around the house.

I can't believe this little girl is 3 weeks old already. Unfortunately she isn't sleeping through the night yet. Hubs & I are hoping it will happen in another week or so. HA! Griffin was sleeping through the night by the time he was 8 weeks old. I'm hoping Channing follows suit since that is when I'll be heading back to work.

Wow, Griff looks huge! Ummm, so does Channing next to little Owen.

Griffin almost 28 months old; Channing 3 weeks old; Owen 4 days old

The proud dads

The proud Becker clan

(Nice smile Griff)

Christmas Pics

Wednesday night we celebrated Christmas at Jason's parent's house. Ruth outdid herself with a delicious meal & then we opened presents. OK, Griffin opened presents. He pretty much opened everyone's presents. The kid just likes to tear up paper.

Thursday we headed up to my parent's house. The weather wasn't too bad & we were very thankful for that. My sister Kelly and her husband finally got to meet Channing.

My Dad loved rocking Channing.

(yes, Kelly held the baby A LOT.)

And no Christmas is complete without someone in the family getting a Snuggie.

And Grandma's neighbor outdoing himself again this year with Santa, Mrs. Claus & Frosty all fishing off his boat.

Classy.

When we got home Griff found that Santa had stopped at our house also. Santa really came through.

Cars & Bob The Builder books.

Exactly what Griff asked for.

Thank you Santa!