A Princess's Tooth

Did I mention that Princess lost her first tooth? It was a big event. Yes, the tooth fairy came. She was so excited and proud, and her new tooth started growing in almost immediately.

She did a school project were she was supposed to show a day in the life of one of her teeth. The other children had teeth that got brushed, chewed food, etc. Princess's tooth had an exciting day including ballet lessons.

We're definitely not short on creativity in this house.

Angel's Self Portrait

She drew this in preschool today.

Crazy busy and just plain busy

I haven't blogged as often and I want or need to (despite all my best intentions). It's for the same reason why the floors are never as clean as I would like and my grandmother's mad at me for not calling. I have legitimately been busy.

There's no summer vacation on the agenda for us this year, but we are wearing out our annual zoo pass. Some days I think the kids belong at the zoo, and sometimes I think I probably belong in one of the cages. They all love coming.

We still don't feel completely settled or at home since moving. There are a lot of things I miss about our old life, and I worry about things like the tree we planted. I know we were supposed to move, but I still don't know why.

And suddenly summer

I feel like it was just Christmas...and suddenly it's summer and I have a toddler instead of a baby.

Little boss is now a confidently walking one-year-old. We discovered two new teeth in his mouth today, bringing the total to 5 on the top and 3 on the bottom. He is very good at using these teeth to eat all types of grown up foods (he particularly likes beans). He also uses them to gnaw on just about anything else he can get his hands on.

Little boss also had his first swim lesson today! It was a group baby/toddler class. It's an outdoor pool so he was shivering by the end of it. Other than being cold he enjoyed it. We sang cheesy songs and bounced up and down in the pool and chased rubber ducks and all those baby swim class standards.

Apparently I missed the memo though. I showed up with no makeup, my swimsuit, and junky flip flops. The other adults showed up in glamour mode and the teacher spent as much time taking pictures (or telling her assistant when to take pictures) as teaching the kids to swim. I felt like a paparazzi chased celeb who couldn't take her kid to the pool without unflattering photos circulating gossip mag's. I think I let the yummy mug club down, but little boss and I had fun anyway.

Welcome to summer.

So it's been awhile...

2011 was a crazy year from beginning to end.  Little Boss was born; Angel started preschool; life generally changed, as it has a tendency to do.  The end of the year only got even more insane.  We knew there was the possibility of an upcoming work related move, and then it happened much more quickly than we expected.  So I disappeared from the blogosphere for awhile.

Things are still hectic and stressful and busy and exhausting and wonderful.  This is life.  I can't wait for life to happen or think that I'll enjoy things when... If I do that, I'll miss it.  This is life.  This is my kids' childhood.  I already can't believe how big they're all getting.  Princess can read.  Angel is starting to learn letters and numbers.  Little Boss is not only starting to use words, but starting to put them together.

This is my life.  I spend most of it rushed off my feet and sleep deprived and underpaid, but you know what?  I look at my family, and life is good.

The Snip

We'd always said that when we were done having kids, my husband would go in for the snip.  I'm not sure who's idea it was first or when it first came up.  It just kind of made sense between us.  After Little Boss was born, hubby started looking up more information about vasectomies, and we decided for sure.

It took me awhile to accept that we're done.  We always said that we wanted at least three kids, but no more than five.  We have three beautiful healthy children, and we remember the one we don't have with us.  Being told  by medical professionals and experts that we shouldn't have more kids (due to my extensive scar tissue, high risk of another ectopic pregnancy, etc.) and deciding it on our own is different though.  After a lot of discussion and thought and meditation and prayer and time with my family, I feel good about it.  We're done.  Our family is complete.

So he went in for the snip.  He was remarkably calm about the whole thing and seemed to take it pretty well in stride.  Now we just have to wait for the tests to make sure that it took.

It is a little bittersweet, and it's weird to think that we can't have kids anymore.  I'll never take another pregnancy test or scrutinize the screen at the ultrasound to find out what we're having or hold our newborn baby with their special newborn baby smell.  On the other hand, I'm really excited not to have to worry about contraception anymore, and to know.  We're finished having kids.

In the time that we've been  married, I've spent most of it either pregnant or breastfeeding.  It will be a change, but a good one.  Our family's moving on.

Five Month Old Update

Little Boss's favorite cuddly toy.  His favorite toys are all Eeyore (this one, a little Eeyore rattle, and a noisy one).

Little Boss is five months old!  He's growing like crazy and getting huge. Seriously. He wears a mix of 6-9 and even 9-12 month old clothes.  He's not fat, he's just big. He's so long that he doesn't fit the same way when I'm holding him anymore.  When I breastfeed he kicks his legs around by my side, and when he snuggles against my chest now he stretches out everywhere rather than resting in a tiny bundle against me.

He's adorable.