tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76431859030612942352024-02-19T17:32:58.756-08:00Growing up Vinalhavena new mom and dad raise their children on a small island in maine...Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-56779538627877953752014-06-15T18:25:00.001-07:002014-06-15T18:25:21.764-07:00Dads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Feeling so blessed</div>
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...for these two magnificent men</div>
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...for the beautiful weather</div>
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...for promise of more family visits to come (i'm looking at you, mom!)</div>
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Happy Father's Day to the men who act as role models, as mentors, as friends.</div>
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The work you do every day is beyond words.</div>
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-54883501719506339772014-06-03T10:25:00.001-07:002014-06-03T10:25:26.457-07:00{him}: this week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
so much excitement, we can barely stand it.</div>
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the dentist!!! we went to see the dentist for the first time! we are now enamored with all things dental - floss! new toothbrush (pooh toothbrush no less)! pink mouthwash! (no, not really. i scooted that one out of his goody bag before he saw it. he got a ring that says "look, ma, no cavities", a necklace shaped like a tooth that you can open and actually put your lost tooth in. he got to choose his toothpaste flavor (orange, in case you were wondering), and got his "teeth tickled".<br />
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ah, he was such a champ.<br />
the next day, he got to watch mama as she got her teeth cleaned. he had quite the view, too from atop my belly, shoveling blueberries into his mouth and playing commentator.<br />
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come to think of it, he got a sticker at my appointment, too. how is that fair?Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-32494895753915139372014-05-10T05:16:00.002-07:002014-05-10T05:16:35.930-07:00{she} this week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy much?</div>
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This little girls is almost 10 months old! How did that happen?</div>
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You can't see the top ones here, but she has FOUR teeth now and is just about to get a whole mouthful more. These things are flying into her head, I tell you.</div>
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Can you believe this awesome sweater I got at the consignment shop for $5? Someone obviously spend a lot of time (and probably money on that gorgeous yarn!) on it, and I'm so delighted that it's a part of our world. She's been teething on those buttons like a crazy person and just LOVES to take whatever she's wearing off - particularly her hat. I have a feeling I might have two kiddos running naked before too long.</div>
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This little girl is a smart one. She's taking it all in, learning, learning, learning every day. She's certainly thinking about crawling, or at least finding her way around, but is pretty content now to sit and play. </div>
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She's becoming a bit more clingy with me, which is fine. I know it's just a stage, and the sweet baby snuggles are just that - so sweet. It's hard to make dinner sometimes when she's howling to be held by me, but I know I'll miss these days when they're gone.</div>
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Just this week, she's begun holding her arms and hands up to be picked up. It's the most irresistable thing (except, perhaps, when she's covered in egg salad). </div>
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She's also talk, talk, talking all the time - mostly baby blabbers, but lots of "DA! Dadadadadadadada".</div>
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I'm starting what will likely be a long and stressful week, so I'm trying to take a moment to settle in here and think about my baby girl. She's an absolute dream and I just love her to bits. I hope I'm able to keep balance this summer between doing the work that inspires me and spending time with these beautiful babies who grow up so fast.</div>
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Deep breath.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-84848164696519538762014-04-21T17:31:00.001-07:002014-04-21T17:31:59.833-07:00{him} this week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Spring is here at last! This boy learned how to do the thing that I've always been so jealous of boys for - he is an outside pee-er. We made sure he knows he can't just "drop trou" and pee wherever he wants to. He's already got a tree he uses, and he finds any opportunity he can to go to his tree. How many times does this kid have to go in a ten minute span, you may ask? You don't want to know.<br />
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In addition to that exciting development, Finn has also decided to use the moderately warmer weather to haul out the kiddy pool, strip down, and plonk his bottom down in the 1/2 inch of water I've filled it up with before leaping up, yelling "brrrrr! it's TOLD!!!", and running inside to be dried off, just to do it all over again moments later.<br />
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Ah, springtime. How I love you.<br />
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-20579083786590841772014-04-17T09:46:00.001-07:002014-04-17T09:46:40.088-07:00kids!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A few weeks ago, we got the opportunity to go to a "goat tea"...I mean, really. Who could resist an invitation like that?</div>
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Some friends of ours have a small goat dairy, and two of the ladies had just had babies. There were three in all and we went up to spend some time with them. The owner and cheesemaker wants to get the goats as well-adjusted to humans and human contact as possible, so from day one, they are consistently handled by adults, and these babies were being bottle-fed already, so Finn got to take the opportunity to feed one of the babes.</div>
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We probably won't have goats in our world - chickens and pigs are definite possibilities, but goats are a whole different ballgame - longer term, more pet-like. Plus there's the whole milking thing. So it's nice to have friends with such great critters for us to come and hang out with. Lorelei didn't mind sharing my lap at all :)</div>
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....and then! More goats!</div>
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Another friend has a pair of does who both kidded within about 5 days of one another, and then there were more bouncing, beautiful babies...and this on the most gorgeous "first" sunny, warm spring day. What a treat.</div>
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-77168645776598570652014-03-27T17:19:00.004-07:002014-03-27T17:19:48.625-07:00{them} ...this week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lorelei.</div>
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8 months, 13 days.</div>
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I don't know where all this hair is coming from, but it's starting to grow down over her perfect little ears now. We often say to each other, "I can't wait until..."</div>
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but I can. I can wait. This is all going so, so, so much faster than Finn's babyhood.</div>
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Maybe it's knowing she's our last.</div>
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She's laughing all the time, smiling all the time, so delighted to see "her" people. She shows it by flapping, like she's going to take off, or by slapping my chest repeatedly. It's hilarious. She's going to have quite the sense of humor. Or I guess she already does.</div>
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Finn.</div>
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2 years, 8 months, 24 days</div>
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Favorite game: Running naked.</div>
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At the end of the day, between taking off clothes and putting on jammies (or between bath and jammies, if it's a bath night), Finn runs naked. This is exactly what you're thinking, except that in addition to running around our house naked, he also yells, "I'M RUNNING NAKED!!!!" over. and over. and over. It's pretty much the most hysterical thing ever.</div>
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Siblings. </div>
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Their connection grows every day. It's amazing to watch. It changes our whole family dynamic. He runs up the stairs to see her when she wakes up from her nap, yelling, "I'm coming, Lorelei!". When she cries, he sings "Twinkle Twinkle" (tinkle tinkle). He shares with her (so far). He makes her laugh. He tickles her. </div>
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And she sucks it all up. She knows exactly who she is and where she belongs. She knows he's got her back.</div>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-70192717833487066512014-03-20T17:59:00.003-07:002014-03-20T17:59:41.245-07:00zzzzzzzzzz....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's so funny. I uploaded this picture onto this post a few days ago intending to write a little blurb about it, and I just came on to do that and WOAH! That kid looks like me! It's so funny when it hits me - kind of a moment of "how can that be possible" with "oh yeah, i MADE her (with help)".<br />
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So incredible. Miracles, these little critters.<br />
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Unfortunately, this little miracle is giving us a bit of a hard time. Luckily, more often than not, this is her general MO:<br />
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But a sleeper this girl is NOT. Her brother is a dream sleeper, and has been for a while (not that was always the case). I'm sort of hoping that Lorelei follows in her brother's footsteps, but I'm a bit concerned that she's getting waaaaay too used to sleeping in the bed with us. She's still nursing, so it's easy to just roll over and pop a boob in her mouth if she fusses. We've gotten through lots of nights that way, but now she's just sort of used to nursing to sleep, waking, nursing, waking, nursing...and it gets old. It's hard to move around in bed. I've taken to propping myself up from behind with a pillow so I'm kind of on my side and kind of on my back, but this little bugger just keeps scooting over so I'm practically falling off the bed. I've been trying to make a concerted effort to put her back in her room each time I get her back to sleep, but that requires a lot more waking up than just rolling over, and is more disruptive to the ever-elusive sleep. I'm also really trying to get her down in her bed when she's at least partially asleep, rather than soundly so. I'm hoping that once she learns to fall asleep on her own in her own bed, when she wakes, she'll be better at re-settling.<br />
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Hopefully, these two strategies at least begin to start solving our nighttime issues, because if not, we're pulling out the big guns - sleep training - again. I talked with my parents about me and Finn spending the night at their house so his sleep isn't disrupted and he gets used to sleeping in some new digs, something we've been meaning to give him more experience with for a while. We went to Boston a few weeks ago and stayed with some friends just outside of the city, and he woke up in the night each night we were there, so getting him used to new spaces/noises is on our "to-do" list so he's better equipped as he grows up to sleep in new places.<br />
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So yeah. I can barely contain myself that my selfless, amazing husband is willing to go through two nights of torture with our daughter so we can all sleep better. The man is a saint.<br />
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But I mean, really - this kiddo is a freaking angel and we thank our lucky stars EVERY DAY that she's ours.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-23849711129092439462014-03-15T04:36:00.000-07:002014-03-15T04:36:07.057-07:00he's got his own language<br />
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Finn is a toddler. He has a toddler language. It's hilarious. Here are some examples.<br />
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down-downstairs - because you can't just say it once.<br />
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baby DIE - by far the most hilarious thing finn says - "CR" isn't a sound he can make, so "D" begins any word starting with that sound, and you should see the funny looks we get at the grocery store and lorelei starts crying and finn is yelling "baby die! baby die!" at the top of his lungs.<br />
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dampa & nammie - his island grandparents, who he sees regularly. it's so funny - i'm just realizing that he recognizes vehicles now. we'll drive through town and he'll be able to point out "dampa"'s truck, even if it's not in a likely location. or if we're driving by their house, he'll say, "where's nammie" because her car isn't in the driveway. smart cookie, this kid.<br />
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nammie boo-boo - my mom, who lives in CT...I had always hoped that finn would come up with some awesome names for his grandparents. some friends are called gummy and gumpy by their grandkids, which just melts my heart. i mean, really - does it get any cuter than that? so i'm THRILLED that he came up with this freaking adorable nickname for my mom. it's just the cutest darn thing. and even though he doesn't get to see her all that often, he still talks about her every day in his fun, imaginative playtime now. she's either reading him a book or taking a nap. it's really very sweet.<br />
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i doit - "do" and "it" are combined into one word here...it basically means, I'll do it myself, and believe me, he says it a LOT. usually accompanied by lots of "no!"s.<br />
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oo-why - Lorelei<br />
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binn, or sometimes winn - Finn <br />
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nee-na - granola. he and i have a granola-making date each week, and if i'm not up and at em early enough with breakfast on the table pretty much as soon as he wakes up, he can be very demanding about having some. <br />
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eep, beah, manha (as in mahna mahna!) - the triumvirate - sheep, bear, and llama...<br />
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ur-up - syrup (this is pretty obvious, but pretty hilarious)<br />
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croc-a-di-dill - crocodile...pretty obvious, but this one kills me every time<br />
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woddy: coffee. our son is well versed in the beverages that make his parents happy - wine, beer, woddy.<br />
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Oh man, there's more, so much more...and more than that besides since there's still some stuff I don't understand all the way. He responds to some things with a perky little "oh!", and sometimes when he gets really excited trying to explain something, he winds himself up into a loop ..."and, and, and, and, and, and, and..."<br />
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I want to get these all down now because as fast as this kid is growing and as quickly as he's learning, I know it will all be a blip on the radar of development.<br />
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I went in to say goodnight to Finn after putting Lorelei down last night and he just wanted to talk - to talk, and talk, and talk...processing all of those thoughts in that little brain. And all he wanted me to do was listen, and I did, and it was awesome. Man, so much happens in so little time and sometimes all they want is for you to listen, and I have to say...it was probably the most satisfying moment of my day. Because I really LIKE him. I LIKE him SO MUCH. He just chattered on about types of animals and how bears were animals and how they live in the woods and maybe we could go in the woods and see the bears and do they eat poop (insert hysterical laughter. poop is hilarious). He's such a little guy, but so big at the same time. It's really starting to fly, this time thing.<br />
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I was telling Chad that it's going to be SO COOL when Lorelei is Finn's age and she's talking and her real personality is starting to shine through. So Lorelei will be 2 & 1/2 and Finn will be 4 & 1/2 and then they can stop growing up.<br />
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Right?<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-19259536827604772582014-03-06T17:19:00.000-08:002014-03-06T17:19:11.469-08:00moving...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i started a bit of an adventure this week.<br />
for the next month, i'm participating in a challenge to track mileage. we self-report at the end of each week, and whoever logs the most miles by the end of the month wins a jackpot!<br />
i'm not a gambler, but figured this was something i could put my money behind, especially since i have ulterior motives.<br />
i've been a bit bummed this winter that i haven't been more active with my kids - it's hard to go sledding or ice skating with finn when i've got lorelei usually strapped to me in some way, and it's hard to get out with her and have any consistent movement when finn is lollygagging behind me, shuffling his feet and whining to be picked up five minutes after we leave the house, even though he was insistent when we left that he wanted to walk by himself.<br />
i've been training for a half marathon for a few months now and have gotten up to 8 miles, which isn't too shabby, but i've done all my running either with a friend, our dog (nugget), or by myself. so my goal for this challenge is to get outside with both of my kids...to emulate an active lifestyle for them. it might be more inconvenient and take a bit of extra planning, but it's been a long winter and we've been cooped up for a lot of it and it's time to suck it up and do something that might be a little tricky now, but that will be a small step toward their understanding of a healthy life.<br />
finn just got a super cute pair of snowshoes in the mail the other day, so we're going to try our hand at a tromp around the yard in preparation for a real hike in the woods...at least if we get another significant snowfall!<br />
(i have to say, i know a lot of people are SO over winter, but i'm sort of loving it. i'm sorry if you hate me for that, but it's been a long time since i've been able to get out and play in the snow. the past few winters haven't been conducive to sledding and ice skating and snowman making and it's FUN to play in the snow!)<br />
that picture up there was one that i snapped on my early am walk with the pooch this morning. it made being out before 7am worth it :)<br />
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-87957804696504764442014-03-06T17:18:00.002-08:002014-03-06T17:18:36.627-08:00huzzah!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My swap gift arrived! </div>
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Yay!!</div>
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I think something like this was exactly what I was after - "meeting" new people who are so far away and - in many ways - so different from me, but who now feel a bit closer.</div>
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The woman who created this gorgeous trivet is Renee of <a href="http://heirloomseasons.blogspot.com/">Heirloom Seasons</a>. I've only just discovered her via this lovely gift and have enjoyed delving into her life via her blog. So far, I've found it so inspiring, such a good reminder to slow down and to pay attention to what's important.</div>
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Renee mentioned in her note that she sews from her vintage feedsack pieces. I'm just in love with some of these patterns and can't quite decide which I like best. Finn keeps changing his mind, too. </div>
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I just adore these little bookmarks.</div>
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Thank you, Renee (and <a href="http://www.sweetpotatoclaire.blogspot.com/">Amanda</a> and <a href="http://www.twelve22.org/">Anna</a>)! </div>
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What a lovely time it's been swapping - looking forward to another one this summer!</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-21992529090554964832014-03-01T17:09:00.002-08:002014-03-01T17:09:56.058-08:00swappy swappertonconfession time:<br />
i didn't just randomly decide to start blogging more regularly. i had a motive.<br />
<br />
so i was recently a part of a <a href="http://www.sweetpotatoclaire.blogspot.com/2014/01/blogger-swap-youre-invited.html">blogger swap</a> where we were invited to put together little crafty packages for someone we don't know, but who also blogs. i SCORED with anna, my swap-ee (is that the correct terminology? i don't even know. anyway, she blogs <a href="http://www.twelve22.org/">here</a> and has been suuuuch a bloggy inspiration to me - she is a super consistent blogger.<br />
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then i realized...oh no! what is the person who drew my name to swap with going to think about my terrible bloggy housekeeping???<br />
<br />
so yes, judgment played a role in my return to the blogosphere...and i'm glad it did! i now spend a few minutes each night putting down thoughts, adding to blog posts i've already got going, and thinking about my kids, reflecting on the day, and thinking about what i want to put "out there".<br />
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so thank you, bloggy friends i don't know - thank you for getting me back in the "groove" (and to allow me to write a post when i get to say "bloggy" all the time!)<br />
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as for the swap itself, i'm quite remiss in that i completely spaced on bringing my phone with me to the post office, so as i was packing it up, i had NO way to take photos of it. in it was a "cold weather survival kit". i made some body butter, some chest rub (half strength so she can use it on her babe if need be), and some peppermint lip balm. (THEN i read <a href="http://sweetpotatoclaire.blogspot.com/2014/02/this-and-that.html">this post</a> wherein i totally look like i copied the woman running the swap! but really, i already had it packed up by then!) (<a href="http://www.twelve22.org/blog/2014/02/25/sunny-day-treats/">here's the post</a> where anna received my gift!). i also whipped up a pair of pants for her daughter and a matching pair for lorelei...which i can at least take a picture of since i have such a cute model!<br />
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i also tossed in a card from kirk, who blogs <a href="http://vinalhavensightings.blogspot.com/">here</a> and takes amazing photographs.<br />
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I am waiting with baited breath for my swap package - wonder who "got" me and what's making its way to me right now! Will update when it arrives :)<br />
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Either way, I'm so grateful to Amanda for organizing this swap, and by extension, breathing new life back into my blog!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-16543247236126749612014-02-27T16:18:00.000-08:002014-02-27T16:18:56.609-08:00play space transformationjust before christmas, we made a pretty huge change to our living room - we took out a chimney that had occupied the dead center (more or less), thereby creating a completely open space. after living in it for a while, it became clear to me what we needed to to. we needed to get a big, honking couch. one that might juuuuust make it into the vehicle we bring to pick it up.<br />
that was a story in and of itself.<br />
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but, long story short, we got it, as well as a few other odds and ends, home, and have been loving up on our new living space ever since.<br />
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one of the best parts about the transformation is the new toy/play area...there's TONS of storage, which means that things almost always look at least tidy, if not clean, and (in my opinion), it looks awesome! it's just <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10196431/">this</a> bookcase with a few of <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30219281/">these</a>...<br />
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finn loves it, i love it, guests and other kids love it...win, win, win, win, win.</div>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-87995706283674780012014-02-23T17:48:00.002-08:002014-02-23T17:48:53.371-08:00the n wordno, not THAT word!<br />
sheesh. what kind of blog do you think this is, anyway?<br />
<br />
no, the n word i'm talking about is<br />
<br />
.....<br />
<br />
NIPPLES!!!!!!<br />
<br />
.....<br />
<br />
i don't think that many exclamation points can even begin to express how excited finn is about nipples - his own, mine when i'm feeding lorelei, the fact that everyone has them, his enthusiasm for showing his own to people....<br />
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case in point:<br />
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yesterday, i had some friends over. we were discussing their wedding, trying to hammer out some details and get them in a good place...all is going swimmingly, and then...<br />
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finn drops his undies, pulls up his shirt and yells at the top of his voice<br />
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(you guessed it)<br />
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NIPPLES!!!!!!!!<br />
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perhaps i should use a different font size...would that help?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">NIPPLES!!!!!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><br /></span>
why he needed to drop his undies to show everyone his nipples remains a mystery.<br />
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oh, who am i kidding, most of the things this kid remain a mystery to me.<br />
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a hilarious, adorable mystery, but a mystery nonetheless.<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-12396655955770745752014-02-23T03:19:00.003-08:002014-02-23T03:19:35.738-08:00{she}...this weekTWO!<br />
Two teeth, ha ha.<br />
(to be read in the voice of "The Count" from Sesame Street.<br />
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leaps and bounds this week, people - leaps and bounds. in addition to cutting her first two teeth, this little girl is chowing down on everything in sight...tonight, it was chicken stew with biscuits.<br />
we're loosely following a method called "baby led weaning", wherein the baby gets whatever the family is eating in baby-appropriate sizes on a tray and goes to town feeding him or herself. it's so much less stressful than making or buying her special food - she just gets what we get and mashes it all over herself, tosses it off the high chair, feeds the dog, etc. it's a total mess, but she loves it in a way she did NOT like purees (she's still getting most of her nutrients from me, anyway - this is more like practice eating), and her hand-eye coordination is kicking into high gear. now, she gets things into her mouth on the first try...most of the time, anyway.<br />
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unfortunately, with cutting teeth comes teething, and while she's just been her delightful little self during the day, she has woken up more often during the night. i'm afraid we may have to do the sleep training thing again, which i am most decidedly not looking forward to...but midnight and 4am are starting to be my least favorite times of day.<br />
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we're heading south to an avett brothers concert in a few weeks, and are only planning to bring lorelei (finn will have his first sleepover with his island grandparents), and we're both really looking forward to getting some two-on-one time with her. it's so rare that she gets us all to herself with her <strike>needy</strike>, <strike>demanding</strike>, <strike>drama-queen</strike>, rambunctious brother around, requesting our attention at all times.<br />
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this babyhood is flying, FLYing by in a way that finn's didn't...whereas with finn, i couldn't wait for him to get older, especially for those first few months, i'm already really missing those early days with lorelei. mostly because i feel like i really did miss them - it's so hard to savor time with number two when number one (in more ways than one around here!) has a whole other set of much more pressing needs (at least in his mind, and he doesn't mind sharing that with everyone within earshot).<br />
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stay little just a while longer, please, l...please?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAj5PjB71doQ3279yi1S9Az2MkLAmg0MCIc_bXrStuDLyhG_MP9YiGG4P5RaeW2b7ff_epeZJsKXepssvv78RUanxGf5kAv17F-HNI3Y_7gOk4fm1yUV7_blN1Kap9S4yS-sjjYW1uUOe/s1600/IMG_0828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAj5PjB71doQ3279yi1S9Az2MkLAmg0MCIc_bXrStuDLyhG_MP9YiGG4P5RaeW2b7ff_epeZJsKXepssvv78RUanxGf5kAv17F-HNI3Y_7gOk4fm1yUV7_blN1Kap9S4yS-sjjYW1uUOe/s1600/IMG_0828.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-30919174318013707372014-02-20T03:35:00.001-08:002014-02-20T03:35:12.093-08:00us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9WJKE9azaJUx1bLrcvtMgwAK4raDx2CgvRVzW9d2E39k_lgk0qyLB3cmw-DNubloUtiH16zReuX4KgiplK2IdRFxcPKdVI06GsKCI4-3abkaqPtKwi2se3bvxBVLmEBUrhfhP9mFgLLt/s1600/QZ4A6679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9WJKE9azaJUx1bLrcvtMgwAK4raDx2CgvRVzW9d2E39k_lgk0qyLB3cmw-DNubloUtiH16zReuX4KgiplK2IdRFxcPKdVI06GsKCI4-3abkaqPtKwi2se3bvxBVLmEBUrhfhP9mFgLLt/s1600/QZ4A6679.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Back in September, when Lorelei was just two months old, we asked <a href="http://labellavitablog.com/">Amanda</a> to come back out and photograph our family - our COMPLETE family - and we're so glad we did. Here are a few shots from that day, and <a href="http://labellavitablog.com/the-crossman-family/">here's a link to her blog</a>, where she posted a few more. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSmxWkCW9o9-9fvDVQtTARuv9aYll5cL-EC_rjGOtEw5jER-FrRbm-VSKni7uWW2V6hTbK__r_T6AcjGsNoVaaySL3N-4zY34hRskHCaEbBEtT3RkMORyqhbZzxxRlCrkN-9z91jmcsF3/s1600/QZ4A6476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSmxWkCW9o9-9fvDVQtTARuv9aYll5cL-EC_rjGOtEw5jER-FrRbm-VSKni7uWW2V6hTbK__r_T6AcjGsNoVaaySL3N-4zY34hRskHCaEbBEtT3RkMORyqhbZzxxRlCrkN-9z91jmcsF3/s1600/QZ4A6476.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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I know there are some duplicates, but I chose my faves...no, that's not true - I chose a smattering of my faves. I just sort of closed my eyes and clicked, because if I didn't, they ALL would have wound up on here, no joke.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4DCuySUXN5Ne3nuPFvMC3OrkLyITd-T0gdEQG9G_o9lw4mCkwAFe0psD0tqpIV8hQWYQ9BBld_hidRc75M6bH3vvvwh15V8ZjBX7b8ZX86gX8BHQsrAnIQXpgqfYoD7r14WEXYMT0l0r/s1600/QZ4A6391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4DCuySUXN5Ne3nuPFvMC3OrkLyITd-T0gdEQG9G_o9lw4mCkwAFe0psD0tqpIV8hQWYQ9BBld_hidRc75M6bH3vvvwh15V8ZjBX7b8ZX86gX8BHQsrAnIQXpgqfYoD7r14WEXYMT0l0r/s1600/QZ4A6391.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's amazing how much things can change in just a few months - I mean, my boy is so much bigger, yes, but my GIRL? She's such a little lump here, and now - my goodness, NOW - she's such a person, has such a personALITY. It's funny how much a heart can grow - you think you have as much love as it's possible to give, and then - there's more. I fall more in love with these guys every day...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19O1yGsyqVQNT-7e6dap5Rw9DXkajrQqrRqH-BuxsiBpCqypm-gNh1DVx8eSL8tVK2sAQeOk3jPfj8p4KX3rWcMbJG1IDvMeHTmhYHZi4OOB5Cq3A1bG1UMwLMYKIQOumlOCW52Yp6c7w/s1600/QZ4A6559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19O1yGsyqVQNT-7e6dap5Rw9DXkajrQqrRqH-BuxsiBpCqypm-gNh1DVx8eSL8tVK2sAQeOk3jPfj8p4KX3rWcMbJG1IDvMeHTmhYHZi4OOB5Cq3A1bG1UMwLMYKIQOumlOCW52Yp6c7w/s1600/QZ4A6559.jpg" height="288" width="400" /></a></div>
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ALL of these guys (yes, that means you, Chad :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FteZi8DNp8l9ZVhK9e07e_GWWfiG9_OydP0TLTDwJp9V3WFLxKqDOlHv9azBK8X6Ub9Pt00dq64VopDactVHD05Cni8u3oISjKckfjBEyqxejMcjrmsQhqVDqMpP_nNF4F72limYCQj7/s1600/QZ4A6397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FteZi8DNp8l9ZVhK9e07e_GWWfiG9_OydP0TLTDwJp9V3WFLxKqDOlHv9azBK8X6Ub9Pt00dq64VopDactVHD05Cni8u3oISjKckfjBEyqxejMcjrmsQhqVDqMpP_nNF4F72limYCQj7/s1600/QZ4A6397.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-74223189213560413332014-02-16T17:03:00.000-08:002014-02-16T17:03:11.530-08:00what's a group of 7 called? this week, i want to share a phenomenon that's been developing for the past two years, slowly but surely...finn's stuffies. <br />
so these are the friends that finn sleeps with. he doesn't usually take them out of the house, thank goodness, since i'm sure we'd have lost one or more by now - we've certainly had our share of scares.<br />
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so. <br />
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it started as one - a gift from one of chad's caretaking clients: sheep.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMJyRbLE9SqsuXGX74EzqGcWOXBNAWlkFEOle9MevRL3g6YLzMotGSJKbq2HNKFdPRetKdlWDcAI-HGWnuPgrCQ0w1PgILWDuG1_umUI8TtUlyVL-hYjWU7XVdeWXYWyqbaQ-ho6Nt_wQ/s1600/IMG_0789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMJyRbLE9SqsuXGX74EzqGcWOXBNAWlkFEOle9MevRL3g6YLzMotGSJKbq2HNKFdPRetKdlWDcAI-HGWnuPgrCQ0w1PgILWDuG1_umUI8TtUlyVL-hYjWU7XVdeWXYWyqbaQ-ho6Nt_wQ/s1600/IMG_0789.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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then my mom got sheep a friend: bear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Rlxzu_G4V-I8oWwQyU-lg5IszyCmKQet32CptJ4e_gRuAtZ2OFSmAyu2o5gsJPDHls7uSVLoRTOzeNen9bo7TqUycz0J0pJM0YQ36bBLv8wd2t2f4LKo9ovWT4wnlnz5u-vl3Zy6y6-M/s1600/IMG_0790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Rlxzu_G4V-I8oWwQyU-lg5IszyCmKQet32CptJ4e_gRuAtZ2OFSmAyu2o5gsJPDHls7uSVLoRTOzeNen9bo7TqUycz0J0pJM0YQ36bBLv8wd2t2f4LKo9ovWT4wnlnz5u-vl3Zy6y6-M/s1600/IMG_0790.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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a couple of months ago, we took a trip downeast to visit chad's mom and finn picked out a new member (the three are now nicknamed the triumvirate)...llama joined the crew.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bR6m0QDDQUrLtKw4YIM8Mat_xCW2pmvKxFo-3Z9kILIgNXs4i6m06gtF6178fivwCM6iO4XGnOP5Hb0o4YlNH0cMJzCx4zlZ_yW8tIClX0usb44GNxLGyuT9Al_ZLEUMW7EO0NMkjE08/s1600/IMG_0792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bR6m0QDDQUrLtKw4YIM8Mat_xCW2pmvKxFo-3Z9kILIgNXs4i6m06gtF6178fivwCM6iO4XGnOP5Hb0o4YlNH0cMJzCx4zlZ_yW8tIClX0usb44GNxLGyuT9Al_ZLEUMW7EO0NMkjE08/s1600/IMG_0792.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
then the strangest thing happened - three became six virtually overnight. one night, he went to sleep with his three "regulars", and in the morning, he woke up with six - welcome to "bunny bear", platypus, and "rachel bear".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6gysbLRzS7w20_BJeNaVbJZnccB9lTDioJ5OHhW9YqdxHxhUAmfoxluIyxSZRq84Oz0Ab_N5EV5hyH8YAXcYDTn7-3sCHiIv_DosGA4V27qON5Jqr_haonShu5ey2MIDPBa-KdLb3gPj/s1600/IMG_0794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6gysbLRzS7w20_BJeNaVbJZnccB9lTDioJ5OHhW9YqdxHxhUAmfoxluIyxSZRq84Oz0Ab_N5EV5hyH8YAXcYDTn7-3sCHiIv_DosGA4V27qON5Jqr_haonShu5ey2MIDPBa-KdLb3gPj/s1600/IMG_0794.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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i'll stop here for a quick intro to these characters - finn's had all three since he was wee - in one case, before he was born.<br />
"rachel bear", so named after the woman who gave him to me - was the first gift i received when i found out i was pregnant in the UK. <br />
"bunny bear", a flawlessly handknit bear wearing a full bunny suit was made for him by another dear friend from england, but given to him in person when he was just a few days old.<br />
platypus was sewn for finn by his "nammie", my stepmom and the grandmother he sees most often. it's made of scraps from a hat that she made for him (which, i believe, was made from scraps from a hat that she made for herself).<br />
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and so there were six.<br />
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and then we had a visit from chad's mom a few weeks ago now and giraffe found a home in our hearts - and finn's arms.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdxRwW0Mrp1UILAKYKsAqP90ULeXULF-aYY7CiGjjHnkQdKATuvMVXsU8XgkNoC7n3kkwOPFdeqi128mjVFm71frak_eFjYS6LbIgJL5HO1GTd6jWvXHORMViLDRKVkyfYZbRicIF4mon/s1600/IMG_0795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdxRwW0Mrp1UILAKYKsAqP90ULeXULF-aYY7CiGjjHnkQdKATuvMVXsU8XgkNoC7n3kkwOPFdeqi128mjVFm71frak_eFjYS6LbIgJL5HO1GTd6jWvXHORMViLDRKVkyfYZbRicIF4mon/s1600/IMG_0795.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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so now, there are seven. there is a bit of an overrepresentation of a certain brand name, but i'm ok with that - <a href="http://www.jellycat.com/">jellycat</a> (sheep, bear, and giraffe are all jellycat) is my undisputed favorite brand of stuffy.<br />
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i'm getting a little nervous that we're going to have to hire someone to carry these guys around, but so far, he can carry them all - just. pretty sure we're at maximum capacity now - i'm hopeful that he doesn't take a shine to another!<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-76043782694636473392014-02-11T18:31:00.002-08:002014-02-11T18:31:46.480-08:00{him}...this week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtubqMbLo2YtCkrqttrPWxieE9SMJKcRZyG3xv7pLxSIe02QPHw7sDWdHxD-OOf05mcWk_ZKni-ZVOnUXteyO8IDaH8k1hLBMdGUSwUgkEw5JPVHG7zOLSgHAuoa9jJbg9AgqcTsdfFwg/s1600/IMG_0275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtubqMbLo2YtCkrqttrPWxieE9SMJKcRZyG3xv7pLxSIe02QPHw7sDWdHxD-OOf05mcWk_ZKni-ZVOnUXteyO8IDaH8k1hLBMdGUSwUgkEw5JPVHG7zOLSgHAuoa9jJbg9AgqcTsdfFwg/s1600/IMG_0275.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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i mean, come on.</div>
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can we just stop there? look at this guy - he's just a dream...until he does something like this: </div>
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where does he get his sense of humor? clearly, this boy loves an audience.</div>
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let's see - what's going on with finn these days? </div>
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***he's talking up a storm - definitely still has his own language (more to come on that topic), but i'm often pleasantly surprised by how well some adults can understand him, especially if they're paying attention to HIM and not trying to have a conversation with me.</div>
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***imaginative play is in full effect. there is a grocery store in our bathroom, and he is constantly serving us ice cream from behind various pieces of furniture. he's almost always whipping up something (usually hot dogs) in his kitchen. his new favorite game (and mine!) is "naptime", where he covers you up with blankets and reads books to you. yup, finn...that's my kind of game. oh, also, he's decided that there's a rooster living in our guest room. yup, like i said. full effect.</div>
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***he's almost completely potty trained! he was just READY one day (especially about wearing undies, thanks to a book we got for Christmas). we still wear a diaper at night, but he's woken up dry from both naps and overnights, so we'll be transitioning out of those soon, too! how freaking awesome is that? let me tell you: SO awesome.</div>
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i mean, the dude is two. SO TWO...all of it - every inch the obstinate, stubborn, dig-his-heels-in little twit.</div>
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but then he says, "i wud you mama" in that little voice that makes every cell in my body MELT, and i get back up and dust myself off and get ready for another wild ride.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-87019455774941378922014-02-10T12:55:00.000-08:002014-02-10T12:55:28.799-08:00{she}...this week.i, sarah, solemnly swear to be a better blogger...<br />
man, if i blogged as much as i think about blogging, i would...blog...a lot. sorry, it's kind of late and my brain is a bit mushy.<br />
but really, i've been thinking about what i want this blog to be and what purpose i want it to serve for me, and it's really about my kids - remembering where they are RIGHT NOW, as individuals. so i'm going to commit to writing a bit about each of them every week - probably one blog post for each of them because i feel like miss lorelei often gets a bit overshadowed by her brother, who's doing so much all the time, while she just sort of takes it in.<br />
so, without further ado, here's what the littlest of us is up to:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFwWRRWBMv5hkbOsJ41gJNafmx5cbHR9bKDrkVhajpZOA6Gj-76VmPK9av57OSjgW2SUME5mTGKuh0vFt4GjEKHZr_62M7UWNBI8Tq9etu-f6Si5HMnQ9wtDqVG9kOea1fF5ByYrYxNsz/s1600/IMG_0706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFwWRRWBMv5hkbOsJ41gJNafmx5cbHR9bKDrkVhajpZOA6Gj-76VmPK9av57OSjgW2SUME5mTGKuh0vFt4GjEKHZr_62M7UWNBI8Tq9etu-f6Si5HMnQ9wtDqVG9kOea1fF5ByYrYxNsz/s1600/IMG_0706.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
she.<br />
is.<br />
awesome.<br />
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i can't believe how different she is from finn - she's totally willing to hang out and explore things on her own for what sometimes seems like ages while i'm getting dinner ready or doing a load of laundry. she's perfectly content most of the time and has such focus on whatever she's checking out. it's phenomenal to see. she's ENCHANTED by her brother, giving him the lions share of the belly laughs and giggles that she's full of to him. it's so freaking heartwarming to see, sometimes i feel like a hallmark after school special. we got an iphone a couple of months ago and i'm just one of those crazy parents with tons of photos and videos of her kids now. see, here are some:<br />
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and here's an entertaining video from a while ago now - thanksgiving or christmas, maybe? <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz16RvzaJQ53_k1S6uu-9OkRhob3XaCHb-McyLD7Mtz6SjHpvTZDBj18hA2YikDFfUuz6kqWcFWBYYfnG5MMA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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lorelei is tipping the scales at a whopping 20.2 pounds - the 100th percentile, i might add. she has THE BEST THIGHS in the world - the BEST. i can't get enough of the rolls on this girl. her eyes are this really awesome blue/gray/green that seems to change every other day, and her eyelashes are just growing and growing and growing. i'm a little afraid of what she might do with those eyelashes some day.<br />
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god, at this age, everything is a headline:<br />
she's sitting up!<br />
she's eating solid food!<br />
she's ticklish (that's been a fun discovery!)<br />
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oh, the solid food thing is so fun. we did purees for about a minute and a half, but this girl wants REAL food - like whatever is on my plate, not mush. so she's been chowing down on whatever we're eating - had falafel with tzatziki a few days ago and looooved it. it's so much easier than purees, and she's having WAY more fun making a huge mess of herself. luckily, we have a dog, so the floor isn't completely covered in food, despite her best attempts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud5z8grN45SusMIbaTPxdC0X0muwUKULHUsxQg-56OeCgBMftkB4IAHJMjC7fOfmYG2LLqg42EYdH0-KOHom1j6eUppCTB9PzIqDbyQueKgjV1OTUk9EhDKKA1Hr5oDgqkfMtdKoEwzj_/s1600/IMG_0714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud5z8grN45SusMIbaTPxdC0X0muwUKULHUsxQg-56OeCgBMftkB4IAHJMjC7fOfmYG2LLqg42EYdH0-KOHom1j6eUppCTB9PzIqDbyQueKgjV1OTUk9EhDKKA1Hr5oDgqkfMtdKoEwzj_/s1600/IMG_0714.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
now, it isn't all peaches and cream 100% of the time. we were ice skating today and she was very demanding that i feed.her.NOW! in the middle of the pond. that took a bit of finagling. but yesterday, she hung out for an hour while i snowshoed with an awesome group of women.<br />
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we did have to do a bit of "sleep training" with her because i was getting really cranky and she was in bed with us, waking up every 2-3 hours, soaking through and generally disrupting not only our sleep, but hers and oftentimes her brother (and BELIEVE ME, you don't want to wake that sleeping giant). god, i remember writing a blog post back in the day about never being able to let finn cry it out. guess what - it works. as much as it sucks, and as high as i'm sure my blood pressure was, she's sleeping in her own bed now and consistently wakes up once a night to eat, then goes right back down. she's happier, we're happier, she wakes up with a diaper that isn't wringing wet at 3am. win, win, win. it was the right decision for us and for her.<br />
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i'll see you all again later this week with a finn update. it's been so long, i hardly know where to start.<br />
xo<br />
<br />
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-66365109923176602682013-12-15T17:48:00.002-08:002013-12-15T17:48:33.560-08:00the v word<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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this was always the plan...</div>
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one girl...</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-drLB157tff16hV-8pom3UQNMFtOmP34ukyp6nxdd8GppltIhKjwIUqt2BvpZSZDMroZdKaKY5FTb2lbnXYV5hwJJQ_QlUU7QrOaKgffjXRqazUSvV6iHUeVqT1w0jC1PJMjMZCQQbNo/s400/IMGP7899.jpg" width="267" /></div>
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one boy...</div>
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we'd always planned to have two, to replace ourselves in the world and then call it quits. there were a few moments there when finn was very small when we thought maybe it would just be one, but as time went on, our feelings changed and along came lorelei.</div>
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so here we are, a family of four. we're quickly approaching the end of the year, a year wherein "voluntary sterilization" is covered by our insurance company.</div>
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that's right, folks.</div>
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the v word...</div>
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vasectomy.</div>
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i'm writing because i'm shocked - SHOCKED - by the reaction i've been getting to my sharing this information.</div>
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"ooh, TMI!"</div>
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"doesn't chad care that you're telling me this?"</div>
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"my husband refuses - he wants me to do it instead" </div>
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ok, people. first of all, no. chad does not care that i'm talking about this on the interweb. in fact, he doesn't care that i talk about it with anyone. neither of us can figure out what the big deal is. </div>
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I PUSHED TWO PEOPLE OUT OF MY VAGINA, but we can't talk about an in-office appointment that takes 30 mintues and allows me to experience what it's like to be a single parent for 48 hours while my husband sits in bed, reading and watching the final battle scenes for every action movie from the last two decades (no, seriously, that's what he did). </div>
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WHAT is the big deal? are we really a society so attached to manhood that we can't talk about a simple procedure that puts men in a mild amount of discomfort (3 out of 10 at its words, according to chad) for a few days? compared to 18 months of pregnancy, not to mention two births and the battle to "get our bodies back", it seems like a small price to pay (and pay back your wife/partner!) to prevent further pregnancies.</div>
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funnily enough, we didn't get the "what if your kids die and you get divorced" talk - the only legitimate reason i could think of to pause in our decision to get done making babies. what IF? but neither of us is getting any younger and - much as we loooooooove them - babyhood is just something we'd like to put behind us. lorelei, at 5 months, is just getting super fun - those belly laughs are so addictive! </div>
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but let's not sugar coat this - this parenting gig is HARD. really, really, really HARD. like, i've started going to therapy hard. </div>
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we got what we wanted - who could ask for more than that?</div>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-34027395356626499112013-12-12T07:01:00.001-08:002013-12-12T07:01:39.797-08:00holy woahOK, so I'm totally outing myself here - I said I wasn't going on Facebook for a week to get some stuff done around the house (you know, stuff I should totally be doing right...now...whoopsie). But then I saw <a href="http://crappypictures.com/crappy-mohs-scale-crunchy-mamas/">this</a> and reeeeaaaally wanted to share it (I'm a 5 by the way), so I logged in...what could ONE LITTLE SHARE do?<br />
Well, then I realized I had a whole ton of notifications (what could it hurt to check my notifications???) and lo and behold, <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/babyproject/2011/07/04/137482827/naming-trends-and-how-parents-to-be-face-baby-name-hostility">this</a> popped up - time and time again on friends news feeds! Woah! Cool beans!<br />
So then I started feeling guilty about not being here in a while...so here you go - some cute pics of my kids. I've got a few posts started but not finished yet, so stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!<br />
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sleeping angel...no really, this kid is an angel.</div>
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a meeting of the minds at the candy store.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5WJz7enOqbPHc_BbWlYZNUVI52vtyVo4FVamN0QnTifl6Nco4u_WnNnYfzsrT1m0CdHxUsVLDhMPkx_8wCSC2Ei0fF4fEw2BERaODo4y1HUyaOQ6O4Y5QgA_7lEBzXLgQcFk9ssPpti6/s1600/IMG_0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5WJz7enOqbPHc_BbWlYZNUVI52vtyVo4FVamN0QnTifl6Nco4u_WnNnYfzsrT1m0CdHxUsVLDhMPkx_8wCSC2Ei0fF4fEw2BERaODo4y1HUyaOQ6O4Y5QgA_7lEBzXLgQcFk9ssPpti6/s400/IMG_0086.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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SUCH a delightful, smiley girl.</div>
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my favorite new face.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-6874754996925699952013-11-11T19:27:00.001-08:002013-11-11T19:27:48.461-08:00halloween 2013 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38FC_bbvPf8pa3N9f3U6Aii0Q2HoRpuTsrkON1b6eDHNAjELLwKBCIlpDwNGGaGbQikyWxxB5YxiFm0SM_rHmNqZbqZWo6ZXlkmFpjTDzmqAeuKhbDLK8UfMnDZ46iShpRUxp-5KcSnEP/s1600/dino1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38FC_bbvPf8pa3N9f3U6Aii0Q2HoRpuTsrkON1b6eDHNAjELLwKBCIlpDwNGGaGbQikyWxxB5YxiFm0SM_rHmNqZbqZWo6ZXlkmFpjTDzmqAeuKhbDLK8UfMnDZ46iShpRUxp-5KcSnEP/s640/dino1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
better late than never, right?<br />
behold, the results of a year of pinterest lurking and a few late nights in the studio for mama drinking red wine and listening to good music. i could get used to this!<br />
a terrifying finn-o-saurus <br />
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and a dinosaur egg ;)<br />
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it was such a wild and windy night here that we only hit a few houses on our mad dash around this island trying to avoid rain drops, but finn had a great time and keeps talking about how he's going to "knock doors, TRICK OR TREAT!!!" again next year ;)<br />
i was pleasantly surprised by the number of houses that had mom-approved offerings for this little lad - fruit gummy snacks, crackers and peanut butter, freshly baked cookies, and chocolate covered pretzels. daddy happily took care of all the hard core candy, but finn did get one lindt truffle to indulge in from go fish, our local toy/penny candy store where rachel was giving kiddos their choice of halloween goodies from her shop - quite the treat indeed.<br />
i'm thinking the whole family might get themed up next year - but what costumes to choose? happy decisions i can spend all night contemplating.<br />
hoping you had a scream of a time, too! ;)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-85511282993276974422013-11-08T11:36:00.000-08:002013-11-08T11:48:41.041-08:00my son is a coaster thief.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Finn has some pretty weird habits. </div>
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Fist of all, he steals things, most often coasters. Why coasters, you ask? Me, too.</div>
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He also steals other random, small things he has easy access to...</div>
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Actually, not always easy access. True story:</div>
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The other day, I brought in groceries from the car, as well as Lorelei in her car seat. I unbuckled Finn and left the door open for him so he could get out and come in by himself. I live on a dead end road and he is used to this little ritual. He even gets his door shut on the first try most of the time. </div>
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This time, however, was different. </div>
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Instead of exiting the car like a good little boy, Finn instead decided to close his door, climb into the front seat and push the "lock" button on the door, thus locking all the doors in the vehicle. </div>
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Clever boy.</div>
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No big deal, I'll just go get my spare key from the basket in the mud room.</div>
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Yep, you guessed it. No key. </div>
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I guess at this point, I should mention that, as I live on a small island and on a dead end road, I leave my keys in the car.</div>
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Yep, the car that is now locked with my son inside it. Super.</div>
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This wound up being much more of an emergency in my head than in reality, as it so happens that Finn is quite adept at understanding and following direction, so he was able to unlock the car without any trouble when I told him which button to press.</div>
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The question remains, though: where the h-e-double hockeysticks is my key (which it would cost several hundred dollars to replace, I might add).</div>
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Where, indeed?</div>
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Finn loves to play behind the rack that holds all of my pots/pans/dry goods. Why? WHY? WHYYYY?</div>
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I guess I can kind of "get" this one - it's a space only he can fit into and it requires climbing, which is ever so fun and entertaining. But he gets stuck or "hurt" almost ever day - you'd think that would be a deterrent, but no. </div>
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It seems Miss Lorelei is taking on her brothers strange self-harm habits and is currently sticking her fingers so far down her throat that she's gagging and choking herself.</div>
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I swear, if these kids outlive their toddler years, they definitely have some guardian angels on their sides. </div>
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-67268610526703274022013-10-29T17:27:00.000-07:002013-10-29T17:27:11.778-07:00balance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYe5nWcsLsatXUJiBQx6pzb5aHBMhqzevDTgloxa1l6lPS39K0OLhcRo0NlU3NCqdYExGUYZ500QKvduoafnwqYjaEmFnrTlY-MtVzAFrktIL1bOSVOMxO9pRhL8CPGFpBUHlBftmSVv2C/s1600/IMGP7895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYe5nWcsLsatXUJiBQx6pzb5aHBMhqzevDTgloxa1l6lPS39K0OLhcRo0NlU3NCqdYExGUYZ500QKvduoafnwqYjaEmFnrTlY-MtVzAFrktIL1bOSVOMxO9pRhL8CPGFpBUHlBftmSVv2C/s320/IMGP7895.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I feel like this photo of Finn does well to illustrate how fast time is now going by - ZOOM. The first few months, heck YEAR of Finn's life certainly took its time, but now that he's 2, and with Lorelei such an easy baby, WOAH...day follows day follows day and sometimes I just want to hit a pause button.<br />
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PAUSE, baby girl! PAUSE! I just want to snuggle these little faces, but I also can't wait to see who they become.<br />
There are days (like today) when I go from 8am to 7pm without snuggling them - it's crunch time around here, trying to get everything that can get done done before the snow starts flying (as it's already started to do in areas in Maine). I know it's not going to happen every day or every week. I just need to remember to make the most of the time I DO have with them now, because I'll never have these moments again.<br />
Everything I do, I do for them...but a lot of the time, everything I do takes me away from them for longer than I'd like. It's a tricky balance, but balance it is.<br />
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-14473053233374790872013-10-28T06:52:00.002-07:002013-10-28T06:52:22.495-07:00the "g" wordguilt, guilt, guilt.<br />
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i guess a lot of parenting is about uncertainty and guilt. will i ever really believe that i'm doing the best job i can? won't i always be second guessing myself?<br />
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i feel like the biggest challenge i've had in parenting - in LIFE, really - is living in the moment. my brain is always calling me somewhere else - other (better?) options, other activities...it's something i'd like to avoid passing on to my kids, so i try really, really hard to BE THERE for them. i don't always think i succeed, but at least i try.<br />
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and so it's been for the last few weeks that i've been making a concerted effort to live in the moment, trying to put down my camera and experience the day to day, trying to take quiet moments and soak it in. oh, who am i kidding? the only quiet moments are when finn is asleep.<br />
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ah, those precious nap times...you know, the ones where they tell you to sleep while they sleep? yeah, i never got the hang of that with finn...it's a good thing, i guess, because these two almost never sleep at the same time. lorelei sleeps until he goes down, then wakes up and is a chortling, gorgeous, smily girl for a couple of hours, until she drifts away, and he wakes up. it's tough sometimes, thinking of all the things i used to get done during finn's nap time (like making dinner, baking, sewing, knitting, BLOGGING ;) but MAN, it's so nice to get to spend that one-on-one time with her, soaking her up - can you believe she's THREE MONTHS OLD? i swear, at this point with finn, we were just surviving....getting through each day. but with her, the time is literally flying. lorelei is SUCH an easy baby. last night, she didn't wake up to eat until about 4:30, and even then, she just sort of gurgled happily in her crib until i came to get her, as opposed to the straight out screaming finn did multiple times a night at her age.<br />
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i try really hard not to call lorelei a "good" baby and finn a "bad" baby - i'm super grateful for each of them just the way they are...and their babyhoods tell me so much about who they'll be when they "grow up". not that i even want to THINK about them ever, ever growing up. we live in never-neverland, right?<br />
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i've already resigned myself to the fact that lorelei is going to be horrified by how much more i wrote about finn when he was wee. it's not that i don't have anything to say about her - i think about possible blog posts all the time, but by the time i have a chance to get it down on the screen, it's gone. my memory (almost wrote "momery" there - fitting, no?) is a total sieve. i hope, though, that she knows how much i love her - that she remembers these moments when i'm trying to be present, to spend time, to get to know her a little bit more every day...and hopefully the number of words will be eclipsed by the moments of attention and time.<br />
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or maybe she'll need therapy for her mommy issues and none if it will ever matter. i guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it ;)<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643185903061294235.post-35287861221457517812013-09-13T11:04:00.004-07:002013-09-13T11:04:48.728-07:00where we are.Can we just talk about poop for a minute?<br />
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Yes, I realize that's not the way to start a conversation after an 8 week hiatus, but it's what's on my mind right now.<br />
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It's 5am and I'm googling "infant constipation", my 8 week old grunting noisily in the background, having not had a significant bowel movement since Saturday. I'm pretty sure she's going to explode. Welcome to my world.<br />
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I look back at how much time and energy I had to write about my experiences with Finn, at how religiously I updated his baby book, how dang many pictures and videos I have of him, and I get concerned about Lorelei seeing all of this as she grows up as a sign that we love Finn more. I can certainly see how that might be the case and how a second child could be sad about it. This whole sibling thing is new to me, having grown up primarily as an only child with a single mom and I just want to make sure they're treated equitably. I guess the number of photos I've taken or the completion of a baby book doesn't necessarily indicate the level of love we have for a chile, though, huh? I would like to write a bit more about her, though, because I know that these days are short and that I will look back on them and wonder whether they were a dream.<br />
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Let me tell you a bit about my girl, Lorelei.<br />
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She's a little dream. She's just got this fantastic, chill disposition and can sleep through anything (actually seems to sleep better when her brother is screaming inches from her face and I'm running the vacuum). She's beginning to smile now, and quite obviously adores the men in her life, giving them these enormous, toothless grins, and saving the little milk drunk smirks for me. Her big eyes are taking it all in, and she's generally quietly observing (well, to be honest, she hasn't got much choice with her extrovert brother around), but can certainly make herself heard and her needs known when she wants to.<br />
Her eyelashes are coming in - every day, they seem to grow another inch, and I'm nearly convinced that she and Finn are going to have matching fans. I wonder and wonder whether her eyes will stay blue. She's such a little mystery to me, this dark haired, olive complexioned beauty who is somehow mine.<br />
She seems kind. And happy. And patient. Other things I can teach her, but these things are harder, and I'm glad they seem a part of her nature.<br />
Everyone is surprised by how strong my girl is. I hope her physical strength is an indication of her emotional fortitude ans her strength of character.<br />
She is a surprise, a gift, a blessing, and a miracle. I love her so.<br />
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And Finn? Well, Finn is just blowing my mind every day. He's talking up a storm, really communicating now (and imitating, and repeating - oh dear...need to censor ourselves sometimes!) We're just starting to see the beginnings of imaginative play - you know, when they start talking to themselves, making up stories? Oh man, it kills me. We were at the beach with the dog yesterday, and he was just having such a great time in his little world, picking up rocks and throwing them, narrating in this running babble the whole time.<br />
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The "terrible" parts of his "two" come and go, but are eclipsed by his obviously loving nature and sweet demeanor. These few weeks have been an adjustment for us all, but he's taken it all in stride, handling this new babe like a champ. Luckily, she's easy to love.<br />
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And me? Well, I'm tired. I've been giving massages since L was a few weeks old, but I started waitressing again last week and have been helping Chad on a roof a bit this week. It's all good, but taking its toll, and it's hard to get to sleep early - always something to be done, you know? I've got a great, supportive partner - once we all get back in the swing of things, it'll just be a matter of staying balanced. Oh, and I signed up for a half marathon in April. Because I'm insane.<br />
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Family photo session on Saturday and apple picking with some of our favorite people on Sunday - working, playing, loving, living - and on and on we spin on this little blue planet.<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456884750755451250noreply@blogger.com0