From Minnesota to Colorado

Call us crazy, but we are going on a grand adventure next month. Never mind that we have a newborn in the house and a toddler who is still adjusting to said newborn and his toddler bed. Don't worry about the two dogs either, or Ben's final semester of grad school, my first semester back after having Baby No. 2 OR the upcoming track season. I mean, it's not like we're that busy, right? We have time to go from Minnesota to Colorado, don't you think?

So is this some sort of crazy road trip, you ask? No, my friends, we are moving one block over and half a block up - from Minnesota Avenue to Colorado Avenue in good, old Hastings! When we tried to buy and sell a house last spring we had horrible luck all around and never got one offer on our place even though we had multiple showings. After our supposed-to-be-ours new house went out from under us to another buyer, we decided the timing wasn't right and spent the next several months doing some rather large projects around the house for "someday". Well, Wednesday was that day; we signed papers to not only sell our place but also buy a new house. Technically we weren't even still on the market, but our realtor had an interested party who came to see the house and they liked it. And it just so happens that we managed to find one that we liked, too - just around the corner!

We are thrilled because we will have so much more space (can you say PLAYROOM?!) and we're still in a neighborhood that we like close to the park. Plus it is an older home that has all the charm, character and quirks that we love (and a much, much better kitchen!). So yes, we are crazy to be planning a move - in January, with a new baby, in Nebraska! - but in the end this is going to be such a good thing for our growing little family. So, if you have some empty boxes to spare or a truck bed to fill, or if you want to entertain a toddler or hold a baby, let us know. It's going to be a crazy start to 2012 and I'm guessing we'll need a few extra hands here and there!

A Rare Snuggle

Here is a question of nature vs. nurture...My son does not snuggle. Is this just who he is or because we never had him crawl into bed with us when he was teeny tiny for an afternoon nap or early morning snooze? I can't quite figure it out, but I'm leaning toward nature because, quite honestly, the child has rarely ever been able to sit still, even from Day One (and before, if my ribs remember correctly!). Even when he is going to sleep, he is moving. With Moo Cow and Monkey at his side, he reaches one arm up so he can twirl the hair on the top of his head and he chews/rolls his tongue around in his mouth; at least that is what he has been doing lately when I put him down for his daily afternoon nap (attempt). He also wants to be way, way covered up with his Thomas comforter, so much so that I worry he'll pull the blanket completely over his head when I turn to leave! But with all of these little routines, the closest thing I ever get to a snuggle is having him sit in my lap to read books before bed. Granted, I do get lots of smooches, especially when he's stalling, but HD has just never been a big hugger.

You can imagine my surprise today, then, when he reached up to wrap both arms around my neck as I sang our goodnight song to him prior to nap. "Mama, Mama," he kept saying, and he just wanted to sit there with his arms holding me close. It was so very sweet. At one point I closed my eyes and just held on back, trying to let the moment wash over me. These are the moments that I need to remember when I'm ready to tear my hair out because he's not listening or just threw something at me (again). These are the moments that demonstrate just how much he does care. These are the moments that make the struggles and sacrifices worthwhile, because honestly, I'm not sure if there is any better feeling than having your child pull you close just because they don't want to let you go.

When we have our bad days, I tell myself, "He won't be two forever." But today, I had the same thought run my head and it made me a little sad becuase he won't always want to wrap his arms around my neck and hold me tight. So I'm doing my best to relish in this snuggle because I know just how precious it is on so very many levels.

Owl Eyes

Normally I love my daughter's eyes. They are the most beautiful combination of dark and light blue and I hope that they retain that color forever. What I don't love, however, is when her beautiful blue eyes take on the spooked, perfect circle look that I have dubbed "Owl Eyes"; truly, they are alarmingly large and largely alarming. When we see these eyes, we know we are in for the long, long haul...like last night when Miss Raegan decided that she would snooze for about 20 minutes starting shortly after 7 p.m. and then would not close her eyes again to sleep until after 2 a.m. Seriously?! I swear I am not pumping her full of caffeine, so where do these evenings/nights come from? And it wasn't just that she wouldn't sleep. She wouldn't stop crying/screaming unless one of us was holding her. Did I mention that this weekend was Ben's turn with the stomach flu and both of us were exhausted from a long day with him totally out of commission? So yeah, not good timing for one of "those" nights. At least Harrison was visiting his grandparents for one more night so we didn't have to worry about all of the commotion waking him as well.

I should have tried to take a picture of Raegan's Owl Eyes last night. I mean, it's not like I could have made the situation any worse by doing so, and really, they are a sight to behold. I picked "owl" because "crazy" seemed mean and they really do resemble the large round eyes you might find on Harry Potter's favorite bird. Now that I think about it, though, the name is even more clever than I intended because of how these eyes are associated with her night owl moments. And just how is being clever working out for me (asks Tyler Durden)? Well, I'm still sleep deprived, but at least I'm finding some humor in it all.

Obviously, as I'm free to type and Ben is grading papers, Owl Eyes have not made an appearance yet tonight. Hopefully this means we're in the clear and will get some actual sleep later. If I don't, I know some other circles just below my eyes that will be growing and darkening even more than they already have.

First Outing with Two

I gave it just shy of four weeks, but today I took my first adventure with both kids and no Ben. I mean, we've been in the car just the three of us before, but this was a real honest-to-goodness event - a MOPS meeting. And guess what? We all survived! And we even enjoyed ourselves!

Raegan was the easiest. Not only did she sleep through the first half of it, she's also stinkin' adorable, so it was no problem finding willing arms to hold her when I needed help. Of course, she did decide to grace me with her worst diaper blowout to date and needed to nurse before we left, but I learned a thing or two from the last time I had a newborn so I had both an extra outfit (or two) in the diaper bag and with my nursing cover.

Harrison handled things really well considering it has been over a month since we've been to a meeting. Actually, I think it's been closer to six weeks, so that he remembered the routine & just went with it today was fantastic. Once upon a meeting we had tears at the goodbye when I would take him to the 2-yr-old room. Today I had to ask him - twice - to give me a smooch before I scooted out the door. The only issue was that I spent a little too much time chatting as the meeting wrapped up and he got freaked out when other moms started coming to get their kids. When I got there - still right at 11:00, which is end time - he was sitting on the lap of one of the childcare providers, sobbing. I hate to see him upset like that but it did melt my heart when he jumped up and ran over to see me saying, "Mama! Mama! Mama!" I gave him lots of hugs and kisses and told him that I missed him too. He seemed happy to know that and was also happy to see his baby sister which is always nice. He even stayed by my side as we walked back out to the van without even hanging on to my hand!

For me it was a challenge to get up and ready and there on time, but I am so glad that I did. It was so nice to see friendly and familiar faces and have some much needed adult time. The other thing I appreciate about MOPS meetings is that I can sound off about what issues we are struggling with and there is always someone there to listen, relate to, and help. Sometimes it really just means the most to know that you are not alone and your child is not the only child to do __________(fill in the blank with your misbehavior of choice). Not only did I get to vent about the struggles, but I also got to bask in the joy of being a "new" mom again and that is a positive boost that I really needed this week.

We continue to have highs and lows each day it seems and unfortunately some days this week have been more down than up. But I'm doing my best to keep my chin up and at least start each day fresh even if the previous one didn't go or end so well. Perhaps one of these days we'll just go up from start to finish. And even if we don't, at least I know I've got my family and friends and fellow moms to support me.