houpley

... and very suspicious

Today is yet another birthday milestone. Today is not only Eli's three week birthday, but it is the day he was actually supposed to arrive. My dad picked up a tiny cupcake to celebrate. Eli celebrated with a bath. His first sorta-real bath. He didn't seem to mind at all and enjoyed the water. Eli is also celebrating today by finally having some eyebrows and eyelashes appear. Such a good boy. We have even caught his dimple during a few fleeting smiles. Happy the boys have matching dimples. Jackson is even excited to one day wear matching outfits. I plan to take advantage of this before he changes his mind. Jackson is so in love with his tiny brother. He loves to kiss the top of his head and I catch him breathing in his brother's scent. He is so happy to tell him all about Christmas. In the meantime Eli's appointments are shaping up. Eli will have his echo cardiogram and chest x-ray at the end of the month as well as his SoonerStart evaluation. Hopefully all will go wel...

You know it was a good birthday party when on the way home you had to briskly pull over into a car dealership parking lot because your newly and now overly excited four year old thought he might throw up so you scurried your pregnant ass out into the 123 degree heat and around to the back of the car to snatch a Spiderman gift bag out of the pile of gifts, remove the gift and shove it in his face when suddenly the moment passes and oh mama may I have one of these lovely balloons flying above the used cars?

Four arrived in early August and everything seems so much more grown up. It was as if Jackson had been waiting for four his whole life. This birthday was a big one. So many milestones: a big boy party at BounceU with all of his friends, Pre-K starting days later, a big-boy bed, a big-boy bike, tennis shoes that light up, becoming a big brother, etc. He was so excited to turn four it was as if he was being given the keys to the car in the morning. The night before his actual birthday we mistakenly told him, "Jackson, when you wake up in the morning you will be 4!" Well, sleep became impossible the instant this realization sunk in. He was so electrified by the concept, he eventually crept out of bed and down the hall with a grave look of concern on his still-three-year-old face. "Mama? I better change into some bigger pjs. These might not fit when I turn four in the night. They might get too tight."

Over Mother's Day weekend we attended one of Jackson's friends birthday parties. It was a lovely day and the kids enjoyed a giant water slide in the birthday girl's backyard. Most of the children were older than Jackson but he still jumped right in and enjoyed the sunshine and water. After a bit, a little girl arrived who was Jackson's age. In her little green and white striped bathing suit, she slowly ventured over to the slide. Later, I turned away from grown-up discussions about crazy cats and book clubs, to see the two of them sitting alone together in a corner of the play area deep in conversation. Her mother and I studied their body language and surmised they were comparing wounds. With such serious faces, they were swapping injury stories. Jackson had some impressive scrapes from recently slipping out of a tree and she had acquired a few band aids on her knee from a tumble at school. They were like two tiny, water-soaked vets one-upping each other. They talked un...

I try to watch my language around Jackson. I really do. But everybody knows some things just fly from your lips before your brain can calculate the damage. Especially in the middle of an elaborate tale or heated discussion. Who doesn't love some colorful language every now and then? We are, and have been, pretty careful around Jackson. So much so that really the only word he catches me with is "freakin'." I say "catches" because Jackson has declared himself The Boss of Bad Words, The BBW. The BBW runs a strict program. His tight regimen includes checking to ensure we aren't saying "weird" or "kill" or "dead" or "shoot" and so forth. It seems our efforts to keep him from name calling or using not-so-nice phrases with his friends has started to backfire. However, when you get down to it, a three-year-old has so little power in the household, we allow The BBW his rule. But I'm beginning to worry there has been a c...

I found this compliation again. It was made by my good friend Amanda Anderson of Red Frame Photography. I meant to post during all the birthday celebrations but...well....here it is now!

Hello 3. We've really only just met. In fact, I've only known you a week and already I'm learning more and more about your personality quirks. Just 7 days out of the gate and you're even more talkative than 2. Something I didn't think possible. It seems you've arrived with a pretty big voice, a bit more self-consciousness and even more awareness of the world happening around you. While 2 did not want to come near the noisy hair dryer, 3 requested I fix its hair before picture day this morning. Upon waking yesterday, 3's first thought was concern that the night-before's party was over. 3 is also very interested in loudly describing all the wall decor at various groceries and restaurants. In great detail. 3 has become an even more voracious reader, requesting books be read non-stop some evenings. 3 will start music class today and there is also a sudden interest in t-ball. 3 loves to practice, is actually quite good at it and even runs the bases, which are...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73102019@N00/4070334729/

Birthday photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/73102019@N00/sets/72157621914997225/ and here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/50981739@N00/sets/72157621819517849/ (hope these links work. otherwise, you may have to cut and paste.)

To top off our birthday-week-extravaganza, Jack was invited to his first little kid birthday party the Sunday after his party. His classmate, Sawyer's birthday party was held at The Little Gym. At first, I thought it would be just another giant, loud kid place riddled with pink eye. But when we arrived, it was a lovely place that the group of kids got to enjoy all to themselves. Jackson loved the gymnastic equipment and was a pro at the open-jupiter-jump-thing. Mama however, not so much. He did the parallel bars, walked the balance beam and climbed the rock wall. After much running, climbing and flinging of tiny bodies on to colorful, odd shaped items, the staff corralled the kids in line for a little pre-cake Purel. That was the moment I fell in love with The Little Gym. The staff Purelled each and every one of their little grubby fingers prior to them smashing Elmo cupcakes into their faces. My heart soared and I nearly made out with her. But I didn't want to embarrass the bo...

Birthday celebrations are over. Bits of wrapping paper have been vacuumed. Laundry is done. New outfits are ready for school tomorrow, new colorful trucks are being broken in while shiny new books are being memorized. And while everyone has returned home and the work week has already begun to drag by, Jack is still riding the birthday train. In fact, he is the conductor of the birthday train. All day at school, he sang "Happy Birthday." Apparently to anyone who will listen. This continued through dinner, at which point he asked for my strawberry and when I gave it to him he said "Happy-birthday-to-YOU!" like it was one word. A polite, proper, mannerly way to really show someone how thankful you for the bit of fruit. He's weaning himself from the fountain of birthday. Evidently, every day is a "Happy Birthday" kind of day. He may or may not get this birthday-continuation trait from me...

So here we are the morning of Jackson's (and Eric's) birthday celebration. Just this moment I hear Jackson eating breakfast with all the family that is slowly filling up our tiny house. That's how I prefer it- family bustling all around, chatting and laughing. Coffee is brewing and breakfast is warming up. It is a luxury we don't get to relish in very often. Well, not as often as we'd prefer. With family scattered across the world, it is always a treat when they drop in by car, by plane or even by Skype. When family arrives to take part, it makes my emotions swell even more. I take a step back and lose my breath for a second when I realize they are all here for him. Because they love him just as much as I do. Because they can't wait to see how this life unfolds. And mostly because they can't wait to see his face when he discovers there is frozen custard in his cake.

While for many parents the first birthday is an emotional event that many have a hard time accepting, I find I am having more heartache over Jackson's upcoming second birthday. It's just around the corner and I'm not quite ready to face the fact that he will be two. I guess because "one" is closer to baby. "One" was still little. Singular. Just still barely here. For Jackson's first birthday, we had a very big get together, grilled outside and enjoyed the pool. But two. Two is serious. Two is a kid. Momentous. Two has been around now. Familiar with the territory. Sophomoric. Two is major. Tries to boss you around now that it has gotten comfortable with the campus layout. I'm conflicted. Because two is also funny. Two is so quick. So willing to learn. Two is adorable. I always think "this is my favorite phase." But I find myself thinking that at every new phase. Each stage is my favorite. As we near the eve of his second birthday, I am o...

I know I still have a few months until Jack's second birthday but I have been toying with a theme for a while: Where the Wild Things Are Eric loved this book. I loved this book, and now Jack loves it. Only he calls it "Max Book." Anyway, I have a few decorations for the theme, then found out about the movie. Check it out. It looks fantastic: http://wherethewildthingsare.warnerbros.com/ And then I stumbled across this entry on one of my favorite blogs. So cool: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/05/sunday-sweets-reading-rocks.html Had to share with you. I also saw this link where one mom went a little nutso. But that costume is just adorable: http://creativepartiesandshowers.blogspot.com/2009/05/where-wild-things-are-birthday-party.html So I'm thinking more along these lines: http://partyperfectblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/back-by-popular-demand-wild-things.html I really love her idea of basing birthday parties on favorite children's books in the future especially be...