First of 2010.

First post of the new year! It only took me 8 days to write my first post of 2010. Although, it has been significantly longer between posts. Don't ask me what's wrong with me lately, I don't know either.

After two weeks of winter break, Evelyn is back in school and let me tell you, things are QUIET when she's gone. All of my kids have inherited the "quiet in public, obnoxious in private" gene. So on the days when she doesn't have school? It's blow horn city around here. Especially, especially during Wesley and Elliott's naptime.

Awesome.

Speaking of Elliott, the two babies are becoming quite buddy-buddy. They seem to nap better when they go down together, although Elliott doesn't like to nap for any longer than one hour and 45 minutes, max. Whereas my baby, if the conditions allow, can sleep for up to three hours. This is after sleeping anywhere between 12-14 hours a night. What can I say, all my children also inherited my "sleep so much it's impossible you can be tired but you're still tired anyways" gene.

My genes - future therapy gold.



Speaking of tired.

I am t.i.r.e.d.

All. the. time.

No, I'm not pregnant. Moving along.

I suppose this dreary weather has something to do with things but generally I'm just always so exhausted. I admit, I've been sleeping later than I should and waking up a few times during the night.

Curse you, small bladder! Curses!

Also, my diet has been horrible these last couple of months. These days my main food groups have consisted of coffee and creamer. And yet, here I am. SO. TIRED.

I also can't remember the last time I enjoyed a fruit or vegetable. Sure, I'll grab one of the kids' apple slices here and there but I don't think I've actually eaten an entire apple or any healthy green vegetables. In fact, I really can't tell you what I've been eating. And yet, my arms are still sausagy and I have whole milk cottage cheese on my thighs. Damn metabolism.

Anyways, I don't really believe in setting New Years resolutions because I think it's silly to only have goals during one time of the year. I know I need to start eating better and exercising (UGH) even though it is something I abhor. I've dusted off our trusty treadmill in the garage and one of these days maybe I'll use it.

Hey, I said maybe.

Baby steps.

***

Proof that my son is incapable of taking a decent picture.

Hey, let's take a picture!

Put your hand down!

Dude, open your eyes!

Hello, did you even hear what I said? YOUR EYES. OPEN.

OK, now close your mouth!

Not your eyes. Your mouth.

....Oh nevermind.

Illness sucks.

Tending to a sick child is one of most stressful things we'll ever face as parents. Not only do we have to constantly wipe and sanitize every surface of our home every five minutes, we have to worry about spewing bodily fluids, hacking coughs and lots of tears. Having three kids, I have to worry about this triple time because not only am I trying and hoping that John and I will avoid the sickness so we can adequately care for the children, we have to try and ensure that the other children will not get sick. I haven't yet decided which is worse - all of the kids being sick at one time or the tag team method my children usually employ of one after the other after the other.

This time around it started with Evelyn. Tuesday morning she woke up complaining about how she wasn't feeling well but she did not have any other symptoms besides the whining and let's face it, if whining were a symptom, there would always be something wrong with all of the children in the world.

I thought about keeping her home from school but Tuesday was picture retake day and there was NO WAY she'd be missing that.

Priorities.

She was fine throughout the day until a couple hours after I picked her up in the afternoon. By that night she was running a high fever and had body aches and chills. I spent the next two days walking around with a can of lysol, spraying randomly here and there while my kids played in their rooms, oblivious to the germs breeding on every toy they handled. I did my best to sanitize their things while they were occupied with other things - movies, coloring, pooping.Evelyn spent most of the two days huddled in a ball on her bed like a pathetic little lump. Evelyn's fever finally broke last night and today she is as good as new. And as loud as ever.

Unfortunately, Oliver woke up very early this morning with a slight fever. I tucked him back in and he slept for another few hours, emerging around 9:00 with the very rosy, flushed cheeks. No amount of bribing would get him to take any form of fever reducer so I had to resort to mixing children's advil with some cranberry juice. Now, if you know my son, you know the two true ways to his heart - trains and food. Unfortunately, I wasn't about to bribe him with a train (we already did that with the flu shots - go ahead. JUDGE MY PARENTING SKILLS.) so I figured a sweet concoction of juice and advil would do the trick. And it worked! He sucked that liquid down like a soldier in the Saraha desert. Hopefully he'll get better over the weekend.

And then there's little Wesley. Sweet little Wesley. I'm trying to dilligently to make sure he doesn't get sick but my efforts may be in vain, especially since he is in the phase of putting anything into his mouth, including the leaves that blow in when I open the front door. Crunchy! I'm hoping he'll manage to stave off any sickness and stay healthy.

I just hope John and I manage to avoid falling ill. Because the last thing I need is to tend to a large man-baby.

***

Photos of the random variety

Evelyn was sad because I kept taking pics of Wesley so I offered to take a picture of her and Oliver. Aaand this is what they gave me.

Wesley learning to use a fork. His fork must be selective because somehow it wouldn't pick up any of the green vegetables on the table. Heh

Someone insisted on taking a picture together. Can you tell which kid isn't quite pleased?

Happy to have the pink princess chair all to himself. Maybe it's time I get him his own chair. That is not pink. Oh and not ugly.

Ladies, you like what you see?

Oliver

Oliver,

It's been a long year, hasn't it? You've gone from baby to boy in about five seconds flat. I have so much I want to say, so much I could write about.

I could write how you've changed, evolved, grown.

I could write about how you've become obsessed, completely obsessed with all things trains.

I could write about how your appetite is astonishing! and how you rival that of a professional competitive eater.

I could write about how you drive me crazy sometimes with your random tantrums and agressive hitting and pushing.

I could write about how you like to wake up at ungodly times during the morning and greet us with your shrieks.

I could write about how you are such a good big brother to Wesley and how you love to give him hugs all day long.

I could write about how you think you shouldn't nap even though you totally should.

I could write about how you are potty training very well but have issues wearing pants. Or even underwear, for that matter.

I could write about all these things that would let people know what kind of kid you are. What kind of personality is blossoming in your curious huge headed little body of yours

But all I simply want to write about, want people to know, is that

I love you.

I love all of you.

The tantrums and the shrieks. The tears and the pain. The laughs and the hugs. The sweet and the crazy.

You are all of these and more. and I love you.

Happy 3rd birthday, baby boy.

Love,
Mommy

Randoms. Quotes. Pics

Well.

It's been quite the Oliver show around here on this blog lately, hasn't it? I do have two other children, I swear I do! And they give me just as much joy and grief as the next so I figure it only fair to share the blog time, don't you?

Hmmm, not much has been going on these days. A couple weeks ago it was so hot I could barely stand to do anything. Even preparing meals for the kids had me sweating like Richard Simmons. Thankfully it's cooled down considerably so I'm back to my usual half grumpy self (instead of full on grump, if you didn't know).

The next few weeks are going to be quite busy for me, as I have two birthdays plus preparation for Evelyn's first day of school. *SOBS* Let's not talk about that right now, ok?

***

Funny quotes from the kids:

(Driving in car on way home from playdate)
Evelyn: "Mommy, Oh my goodness, Wesley just totally passed out. "

Oliver: "This is my golden eagle" (points to his boy stuff. Yeah, I don't know either.)

Evelyn: "Mommy, for Oliver's birthday let's take him to Chunkin cheeses."

And lastly...

Evelyn: "Mommy, Oliver and my crotch look different. I have a bajyna!"

EH.....

***

Pictures! Crappy ones but hey, just take what you can get mmkay?

Waiting for me to rescue him from the crib. He looks all shifty eyed, doesn't he? And also, pointy chin!

Um... I think Evelyn took this picture? Pretty good job, if you ask me. Baby's not too shabby either.

Now this is what he looks like when we first enter his crib to rescue him. Looks like his smile is going to rip his face in half.

Poor Peanut, subjected to Evelyn's diva-like ways.

Evelyn: "No Peanut. You stay there!"

Peanut: "eh..............."

Oliver's been doing pretty well with the potty training and napping, thank goodness! He went through a phase of skipping naps which just about did me in. DID. ME. IN. I say.

During that time, I'd find him in sprawled on the ground, passed out from delirium.




Look, I don't teach him to sing with his mouth full of food but this was too funny. He likes to make up words, just like daddy!

Protecting my cubs

This is where I feel it is needed to defend my crazy little son. I'm sure if you were to go back and read my older posts about Oliver, you'd think he was some out of control brat. And while he sometimes may be a little out of control, he is most certainly not a brat and he is not a horrible kid. He's a little crazy, a little unpredictable but incredibly sweet and funny. He loves to giggle and learn new things everyday. He's also not even 3 yet.

So when I hear people who don't really even know him. or um, me for that matter, say things like

"That Oliver. Man.........He's something else" *Shakes head in disbelief and disgust*

The mama bear in me wants to growl back, "That Oliver WHAT?!?!?" and then claw their eyes out. Uh, kidding, kidding.

Kind of.

Ok, not really.

No kid is perfect. Not yours and not mine and not that other kid at the table next to you. Oliver is definitely more sensitive to things than his big sister. If he misses a nap he's extremely grumpy. His appetite knows no bounds and he has a hard time computing the word "no more"into his demanding little brain and stomach. He has an infectious laugh and the cutest squinty eyes when he's happy. He loves to be free (like a dog off a leash, I like to say) and run around outside with his sister and friends. He likes when I sing him a song and hold him tight before bedtime. He drags his trusty green blanket all over the house, taking the time to stop and take a deep whiff of the fabric before continuing on his way.

Is he a little harder to reason with? Sure. But remember, he's not even 3 yet. Does he drive me crazy when he wanders off while we're at the store? Of course. Does he have some aggression issues against little Andrew and Chloe that he may need to work out? Um, YES. Do I have moments at home when I wish I could lock him in the closet? Yes No Maybe. Does he need a haircut? Depends you who ask.

For all of his crazy antics when we're out and about, no one who doesn't know us should really be judging us by what they see. Being a parent is a tough job but I think being a mother is even more difficult. People are so quick to judge the mom for anything the child may or may not be doing correctly but if the father does something, anything at ALL then it is somehow praise worthy. It is almost as if the baggage of judging and being judged comes with being a mom.

It's like the minute you push the baby out of your body, the world says "Congratulations! Let the judging begin!" Instead of lifting each other up, we've resorted to tearing apart the parenting choices of others. When Oliver's having a day when he's particularly out of sorts, I feel this silent judgement being cast upon me. People wondering why I can't control my son, why my son isn't as behaved as the other kids, etc...I feel this especially from people who don't have kids. People who don't yet know.

I admit it, when I was childless I often used the phrase

"When I have a kid, he/she isn't going to (Insert offense*)".

*cry on the plane
*freak out at a restaurant
*flail on the ground in protest
*sleep in my bed
*fall asleep in my arms
*Seriously, this list could go on...

And then I actually had a kid(s) and God was like "HA HA HA, remember when you said this?" and then SHAZZAM! Lightning struck or whatever and the said offense actually happened. to ME.

I think people spend way too much time tearing each other down when we should be giving more of an effort to build one another up. As fellow Christians, parents, friends, we owe it to each other to lend a hand of support, a word of comfort or just a nod of understanding. Now is that too much to ask?

So before you all go judging me or my kids or the person next to you who is not wearing shoes in a public restroom, take a step back and maybe give them a chance. and an old pair of flip flops?

I'm tired. The end.

Ah, here's to another chapter written in the Oliver Saga.
Today was a doozy, people.

DOOZY

I'll keep it short by just saying that we had to leave a birthday party at Point Defiance Zoo before it even began. Yes, it was that fantastic. Imagine lots of tears, whining, flailing and hissing.

Oh and Oliver was pretty worked up too. Heh.

He hasn't napped in, Oh I don't know, what feels like about one million years, so the 2:00pm start for the party already had me quaking in my flip flops. Prime meltdown time! I was hoping (in vain, might I add) that he would somehow cooperate and be calm and cool.

HA HA HA HA HA! I'm so funny! Phew!
*Wipes tears from eyes*

Anyways, he was just basically uncontrollable today. Let's face it, the odds were not in my favor. I was grossly outnumbered 3 to 1 since John had to work today. You'd think I'd be used to the gross outnumbering right? Imagine me chasing Oliver while wearing the baby in a sling and waiting for Evelyn to catch up since she was running after me like I was going to abandon her.

Please. Abandon the good one?

Usually when he acts up I just try and deal with it the best I can, but today I decided I needed to be much more militant in my discipline. If he couldn't control himself, I'd follow through with my previously empty threats to "calm down or we're going home." I needed him to understand that his behavior was simply unacceptable. And let's face it, ANNOYING.

So anyways, I (literally) tossed him in the stroller and wheeled us the hell out of that place. I was able to contain my anger until we got to the car and then did what any self respecting parent would do.

I rolled up the window and yelled at him like a crazy woman.

He was crying so much he gagged and vomited all over himself. At this point I was so irritated I decided to just keep driving and let him soak in his vomit until we got home.

I know!

Mom of the Year 2009!

He eventually fell asleep from the sheer exhaustion of being evil. When I pulled into the driveway, he woke up with a look on his face that was like,

"Wuh? What happened? Why am I covered in vomit and where is my piece of birthday cake, lady?"

He acted like nothing had ever happened.

NOTHING.

*Sighs*

Sometimes I wish I drank.

Potty training. So it begins.

I woke up this morning and decided that today would be the day.

I'm going to start potty training Oliver.

Yeah, I don't know what I'm thinking either.

We're talking about a kid who poops mountains, pees like an endless fountain and was born without a mechanism for moderation. He is an "all in" sort of kid. He's extreme in most things he does - his obsessions, his food, his moods.

So again. What am I thinking, you ask?

Well. For one thing, he'll be 3 years old in less than a month (SOB) and for another, I'm pretty tired of spending $100 at Costco on diapers and wipes.

So hopefully by the end of this week he'll be (mostly) potty trained.
Like I said, I'm going totally gung ho on this thing.

Side note - it seems as though the potty training is somehow interfering with his naps. Because I've been letting him walk around without any bottoms on (currently he is wearing socks and a tank top. heh heh) I think he does not like the idea of wearing a diaper during naps. So it looks like I may have to forgo naps for a while if I want to get him used to the idea of going to the bathroom on the toilet.


Dilemma: Giving up naps to save money on diapers but in turn, sacrificing sanity.

Really, I can't win this one can I....

Today's stats:

He's had one tiny accident but has already figured out he needs to sit on the toilet when he feels the urge to pee. He's already gone to the bathroom at least 6 times. We're doling out many gummy bears today.

He has yet to poop. I'm a little scared.
Hold me?

***

Dude, this kid is huge.

Naps. Ring Slings. Grocery carts.

Oliver is trying to give up his naps.

He's not even three yet!

Is it too much to ask that he gives me at least one more good year of napping? Please? C'MON! Throw me a bone.

I just heard him come out of his room. *ANGER!*

Update: He wandered around upstairs for a while before retreating back to his room and flopping on the bed. VICTORY IS MINE.


***

I've always touted the greatness that is the Ergo baby carrier but my new obsession is now the ring sling! The ergo is great to carry front OR back but it does require alittle extra effort with all the clipping and hoisting. The great thing about the ring sling (look. I'm a poet!) is that it is easily portable. I can just roll it up and stuff it in my bag. Plus, I can carry Wesley a variety of different ways, from having him face me to sitting on my hip to forward facing like a kangaroo. I wish I had tried to use the sling when Wesley was a little lighter but he's still under 20 lbs so it's not so bad. My shoulder does seem to get sore after an hour or so but it is still quite handy to wear, especially when I'm chasing after the other two kids.

See! Look how cute!

***

I've been feeling a little off kilter lately and can't seem to figure out exactly why. I am just feeling extremely lethargic and unmotivated and it's beginning to wear a bit on the kids. I mean, I'm a total homebody but it's not fair for me to project that onto my kids, right? So that's why I've been trying to make more of an effort to take them out of the house during the day. John works such irregular hours that many days I'm home alone for very long stretches. This makes for some challenging dilemmas, such as grocery shopping. I've been wanting to try grocery home delivery but john always scoffs at the idea. I guess he'd rather have rice and egg again instead of letting me just buy normal groceries! Either that or Fred Meyer and Top Foods need to make larger grocery carts so I can shove all my children in there while fitting groceries in as well.

OR, I could just put the two in the cart and carry Wesley in the ring sling!I am such a genius.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

***

Speaking of, do you like his hat? Here he is eating "Wunch.... or di di di di dinnuh!" (see previous video)

So happy when I finally rescue him from his crib.

Playing on Yoon yi's deck. Must have been really bright out that day. heh.

A morning in the life

Update: Oliver got up at a reasonably early time today.
I got up and fed him yogurt. He was in a good mood and I'm working on it with a cup of coffee. Not a morning person but I'm trying.

Are you happy, Lisa?

***

5:05am: Hear strange noises coming from the kids' room. Angrily* pop out of bed, rip off eye mask and stomp into hallway only to see the tiny head of a one Oliver Bang scurrying back into his room and under the covers like he never left there in the first place.

Go in the room and whisper-scold him and tell him to stay. in. your. bed. until it's time to get up (which is basically whenever I roll out of bed)


*Would like to add that anger is disproportionate to violation. What can I say, I am not a morning person.

5:11am - Hear squeak of door as Oliver tries to slowly sneak out of room again and back into hallway

5:12am - Stomp back into hallway, throw Korean death stare in direction of boy (I say in the general direction of the kid because I don't have my glasses on so who knows what I'm actually looking at) and he obediently runs back in and tucks himself in.

5:15am - Hear rustling in his room but decide to give him another chance to fall asleep. Check on the camera monitor. He appears to be getting sleepy again.

5:20am - Check the camera one more time before replacing eye mask and attempting to sleep for a couple more hours.

5:25am - Begin to drift off.

5:49am - Sleepy but not yet in slumber. Decide to check monitor one more time.

5:50am - WHAT THE!
Oliver's bed is empty. Door is open.
Once again rip off eye mask, bound out of room and burst into hallway.

Hear smacking of lips. Hmm, sounds like Oliver might be throwing up? It is coming from down below. I look over the railing and see Oliver crouched in front of the living room couch.

I ask him to come upstairs.

He ignores.

I ask again.

He ignores. again.

In anger, I storm downstairs and find him.. get this.... eating macaroni and cheese out of a container.

With his hands.

5:55am - I'm fuming! Snatch container out of his hands and throw in garbage, despite his protests. In kitchen, find a stepstool placed in front of the refridgerator. Explains the macaroni and cheese. Btw, we have childproof locks on our utensil drawers. This explains the hands.

6:03am - Supress urge to spank and instead not so nicely nudge him up the stairs while whisper -yelling at the kid. He retreats to his room in tears, declaring that he's "so hungry!", and you want to know something? I don't even care.

You hear me? DON'T. EVEN. CARE.

My heart is made of stone. STONE.

6:09am - Jump back into bed muttering all sorts of angry nonsense until John hisses at me to shut my pie hole, it's 6:00 in the morning woman!

6:20am - Allow myself to calm down. Breathe deeply. Say a prayer for patience and serenity and drift off.....

8:00am: I wake up to find that John is already downstairs making breakfast for the kids.

God must have heard my prayer for serenity.

Now if we could just work on the patience part.

***

He is very lucky he's cute.

Bonding

Sharing a moment over Starbucks

Pictures and a video

I've been in a writing funk for a while so please forgive. I'm padding this post with lots of pictures which I'm sure will make Lisa very happy.

Also, four out of five of us Bangs have been sick - The lucky one who escaped illness is currently out celebrating on the golf course ;) - so it's been a rather dreary few days for us. Thankfully most of us are on the mend.

Anyways, enjoy the pics (All taken from my point and shoot Nikon)


Peanut taking a nap with Purple Monkey. She tolerates the kids pretty well considering they scream her name constantly. She can't help that she's popular, you know....

Doesn't Elliott look extra happy here? It's so difficult to get him to smile. I often say I have to act extra stupid to get him to crack. He's a tough nut, this one.

I tried to get a shot of all the kids but Oliver got bored and left. Obviously Wesley was trying to follow his big brother. I like how Evelyn is trying to look all casual in this pic.

Elliott's smiling so hard his face is gonna rip!

Do you like Wesley's shiner? It's actually just a scratch that I covered with neosporin. Shiny!

Deep thoughts....

I love Peanut.

Cousins! Don't they look like they're jumping?

Elliott's throwin gang signs, yo!

I found Evelyn asleep in my bed with my face mask. She must have found it under my pillow. HA HA HA.


BONUS VIDEO:

I remember watching a video of when we were younger. Lisa and I were playing in our little pool out in the back and suddenly my mom started spraying us with the hose. Of course we screamed because the water was freezing cold but the funniest thing I can remember about the video is how distinctly you can hear my sister yell to my mom, "I HATE YOU!"

Man, we started at a young age. HEH.

Anyways, I tried the same thing on my kids but they thought it was pretty funny. I really thought they would cry (I'm so mean!) but they actually enjoyed being sprayed with the hose. Yes, it was THAT hot last week.

Can't say I blame him

This is what I get for waking up late and letting this kid roam around the house unsupervised.

I suppose I asked for it.

*Scroll down to pause the blog music before watching

A few things to note:

- Apparently I sound like a man when I wake up in the morning? Eh

- I think Oliver had his hand in his mouth because he was trying to suck the chocolate remnants off. UGH

- I was trying very hard not to laugh. I mean... c'mon. How could I scold him? He was just so happy to eat it! It was a chocolate covered donut. with sprinkles!

Small talk

[Scene: Sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch]

Evelyn: "Oliver, what did you do last night?"

Oliver: "Uh... sleep....?"

Evelyn: "Oh yeah?"

Oliver: "Yeah"

[End Scene]

Maybe this will become a habit.

I finally woke up early* today and had some quality alone time with a large cup of freshly brewed coffee and the internets.

We'll see how long I can keep this up.

I would also like to add that Oliver slept until 8:30 which is late for him and very nice for me. Oh, and I thought I'd mention that I'm nursing (w/ no hands! Big thighs have got to be good for something, right?) Wesley I as type this.

*for those of you who know me, early means anytime before 8:00am)

I'm going to sleep after this. I PROMISE

Do you ever have one of those moments when you feel like writing but don't have much to write about? Well, I do. I'm having one of those moments right now actually. Which is why so far I have yet to written anything interesting. or important. or relevant.

So yeah, I just feel like banging away on the keyboard. Today's been a relatively slow today. The last couple of weeks have been more lazy than normal, if that's even possible. I've been sleeping later (bad. BAD!) which in my case means past 12:00 and when this happens, I'm pretty much shot the next day. When I finally peel myself out of bed around 9:00, Oliver's already been up for who knows how long, roaming the house with his blanket dragging behind him. By this time, he's starving and ready for breakfast. Usually the first thing he says when he sees me is

"Can I eat?"

*hangs head in shame*

How bad of a mother can I be? Making my son wait for breakfast so I can get some sleep! Jeez. I really need to sleep earlier. Anyways, he can't really reach anything ready to eat in the pantry although I know he's tried. I've woken up many mornings to find the pantry open, chair pushed up to the front and random things strewn about the kitchen - rice, cans of tuna and spam and a large bottle of syrup. Once he realizes he can't eat any of it, he usually just makes some sort of fort by stacking up the cans. I guess he's got to figure out how to pass the time until the rest of us wake up, right?

Man, just typing that out makes me feel kind of guilty. But not guilty enough to get out of bed at 6 or 7 or whatever time it is he decides to get up for the day. Thank goodness the rest of my kids like to sleep as much as I do. I know this will all change once Evelyn starts school in the fall so I'm just going to enjoy the opportunity to be a little lazy less structured. That is, until I have to drive her to school with the younger two in tow. That should be fun! Uh huh...

And no, I'm not going to send her on the bus. Not this year. I'm She's not ready...

***

I'll leave you with a picture of my two sweet boys.

The same very boys that will very likely eat me out of house and home.