Pre-Vacation

I guess I inadvertently had a little blog vacation since I haven't posted in over a week.  Let's just say that things have been busy, mostly in a good way.  On the bright side, the lack of posts usually means that no parenting issue is bothering me enough to necessitate a post.  This blog is a great way to vent and talk through things, and if nothing is eating away enough at me to post it, I suppose that's good.  Boring, but good. 

Most of last week was spent gearing up for this week's vacation.  We're both off work, though Craig is still having to chip away at a major long-term project and I spent many hours last week working in the evenings to clear out as many projects as possible before being away from the office for a week.  If I don't do it, no one does, and I didn't want things sitting around that long.  So by Friday morning I really only needed to work a couple hours to finish off my week, which I actually had to put in on Saturday anyway...so Friday could have been skipped entirely, which was even more annoying since I took a half day of vacation for a weeding we were attending that afternoon.  My parents came into town to watch the kids for the night, which was so great.  The kids did well, and we had a really lovely evening out. 

I don't want to bore you, with pictures of a wedding of people you don't know (former co-worker of ours--from both my era and recently for Craig), but it was a really pretty, photogenic wedding, and obviously I love taking pictures!  So here are a few to set the stage for our vacation...

The church was the chapel at Nazareth College.  I briefly considered Nazareth when they started sending me literature when I was in high school, but I think the more sensible financial scenario of Geneseo won out pretty easily.  The chapel and the campus were really pretty, though...

Some of Geneseo's buildings have a similar feel, but they're not quite as beautifully maintained, nor are they quite this grand.

 I loved the stained glass window above the altar...so pretty.

The ceremony was nice and very personalized to them (while still being very traditional), which is always more fun.  We stuck around after to chat with Craig's co-workers, and happened to catch some of the wedding photos.  Turns out that gorgeous building made a nice backdrop for photos...

The reception was at a local winery that neither of us had ever been to.  It was really beautiful, though.  And I couldn't resist snapping a picture of some grapes near where we parked...

On the vine!

 And I couldn't resist this rose on the way in...

I was very excited by the hard cider option at the open bar, since I'm not really a beer or wine person.  Definite points on that one!  We enjoyed the lovely weather out on the deck, and I made Craig take a selfie in front of the vineyards...

The inside room was pretty, as well, and the dance floor was perfectly placed.  Tell me that is not a gorgeous view...

The food was great and we really enjoyed our time there.  They had a photo booth and they even provided a little pouch for the strip with a magnet on the back, so it's gracing our fridge as I type!  Instead of a guest book they had a painting of a tree and everyone had to pick a leaf to write their names.  Their DJ made them play a cute version of the Newlywed Game--less corny than I'd have thought and it moved along nicely.  They had sticks with bride and groom rubber duckies on the ends to answer the questions, and sat back to back.  It was cute.  I was a tiny bit disappointed that there wasn't a traditional wedding cake (they cut a small one but that was it--none was served), but the alternative was pretty darn awesome...


S'mores Bar!

Yes, a s'mores bar with regular grahams, chocolate grahams, Ritz crackers, regular chocolate, cookies & cream chocolate, Reese's peanut butter cups, Andes candies, peanut butter, and possibly Nutella.  Plus all of the marshmallows you could want, both on skewers and in bowls.  They had three charcoal-filled pans to roast over.  It was awesome.

We went home very full, but thankfully we had a low-key day ahead to prepare for our vacation.  Not that we didn't keep plenty busy, but I wasn't feeling great the next day, so that slowed things down a bit more.  I can't say that it was a hangover since I only had a few drinks over the four hours we were there, but perhaps the rich combination messed me up.  Carter was also a little iffy in the diaper region, so perhaps I got what he had.  I had to do a little packing and preparing, but a lot of that got finished up on Sunday...and on time, no less!

More on our vacation soon...but for now, bed!

Soccer!

Last Friday was an interesting day.

It was a normal day of work and all, but it had some twists and turns.  I went out to lunch with my boss and the intern who we've had for over a year and hoped to hire, only to have the powers that be thwart our efforts.  Friday was her last day so we took her out to Chipotle, and who was sitting down to eat on the patio when we arrived but Craig and a few of his co-workers.  Small world! We didn't eat together but it was nice to glance over and see him there.

We had decided earlier in the week to go to the Rhinos game that night.  We haven't been to one in ages, and the summer is rapidly dwindling.  One of Craig's best friends (and I guy I worked with for years, as well) works there, so we have a nice connection for tickets.  I got a little nervous, however, as I walked out of work, because the pleasant day had suddenly turned stormy.  I stepped off the elevator into the parking garage at work, and in the blink of an eye I saw a flash of lightning and heard thunder a mere millisecond later.  I barely had time to process the lightning before the boom hit.  Yikes.  I drove through torrential downpours halfway home, but when I got to Greece, I realized the roads were dry! 

Back at home we checked the radar to ensure the game would be happening, and while we were packing up to go, there was another cell working its way northeast.  Originally I thought it might just graze our area, but soon enough the black sky was upon us and it started to rain...hard.  And then it started to HAIL.  Twice.  It rained really hard for at least 20 minutes straight.  It was crazy, but it was fun introducing Jacob to the hail.  He was fascinated by the ice balls, which were between pebble and dime-sized.  Carter was not a fan and simply wanted to be attached to me for the whole thing as we watched from the porch.  Eventually the weather passed and we headed out for a quick fast food meal on our way to the game. 

We got to the game a little late, but it had been delayed a bit anyway and the kids' ability to sit and watch is always a little iffy, so I don't worry too much when we miss a bit.  As we arrived, the weather was pleasant, though there was a definite dampness in the air since everything was saturated.  The sunset looked pretty cool, as it was a giant red ball.  This picture does not do it justice, but rest assured, the sun was a red ball with crisp edges and no cloud interference.

We sat down (thank goodness I remembered to bring a towel!) and enjoyed the rest of the first half.  Carter was cracking everyone up because he kept pointing to the field and saying "ball" over and over again.  He was bouncing to music and absolutely loving it.

My boys!

 The clouds stuck around, but no more rain fell and it was a pleasant night. 

The building with the red lettering on top is Kodak's headquarters...the rest of the skyline is behind the scoreboard.  My building is actually blocked by the left leg.

We purposely stuck around through the end of the game, even though I'm usually hesitant because late nights are tough.  Jacob really wanted to go on the field and it was a nice chance to test out fireworks with Carter.  We went down to the field to watch.  This picture doesn't show you much in the way of fireworks, but it gives you an idea of our vantage point...

This picture is blurry because I had the "fireworks" setting on and between a slow shutter and trying to hold Carter with one arm and the camera with the other hand, I was only able to get a blurry picture with a cool fireworks effect...

Love the look of the fireworks here when you zoom in.  Sorry about the people.

The boys enjoyed running around on the turf...

And for the record, Carter didn't even flinch with the fireworks...though they weren't too loud, either.

Watching Jacob play on the turf brought back memories of one of the last times I remember him doing that, as shown in this post.  He was only two then, less than a year older than Carter is now.  Back then he was so small in comparison to so many of the kids that were playing, and he had a hard time making it through his playtime unscathed as there were kids and balls flying past him.  This time he did his own thing off to the side until the net was freed up, but it amazed me to realize how big he's gotten.

He just wanted to be out there and didn't care that he wasn't playing with the real goal.  Kudos to him for being patient.  He got his chance, though.

It was a pretty late night by the time we finished chatting with some friends and headed home, but the boys went down fine and it was a good night as a whole.  I'm so thankful the weather cleared to allow us to go!

Saturday we had big plans, as well, but they were a big secret!  My cousin (and Jacob's godmother) Lori is turning 30 this week, and one of her good friends set out earlier in the summer to do a big surprise birthday party for her.  She had settled on a date quite a while back and the task for most of the summer had been to plan and keep it a secret.  In the past couple weeks things nearly went awry because Lori set up some plans to spend a long weekend with some friends of hers who had rented a cottage in the Thousand Islands.  Ironically, those friends who invited her were invited to the party but forgot, and Lori was planning on leaving the day of the party!  Everyone had to scramble a bit, but it all worked out in the end.  I contributed some pictures for some photo boards, and made a double batch of a family favorite casserole that Lori loves, and we headed off to the late afternoon party.  It was a hot afternoon and the rain had held off (and was supposed to hold off for the most part), and Lori's friends Ken and Mandy had a really nice setup in their backyard.  We all eagerly awaited Lori's arrival, and she sure was surprised when she got there!  She had a slight inkling something was up the night before, but she had no idea what was in the works!

I was too far back in the yard to get a great shot of the initial reaction (she doubled over), but I did catch this shot once she was once again upright and was finishing wiping the tears out from behind her glasses.  Mandy (the planner) is on the right, and my Aunt Lynne (Lori's mom) is on the left.

There was plenty of family in town to celebrate, and quite a few friends.  Jacob enjoyed snacking and was a very good boy despite not having a lot of stuff to do.  Carter rarely strayed far from me, but he did like sitting on that toy in the background of the picture!  The food was awesome and it was fun to look at all of the old pictures.  As we were eating, however, the gray clouds started to roll in and we could hear thunder rumbling.  We rushed through dessert and then started to break down most of the party to bring inside.  Despite the crowd we still enjoyed another hour or so indoors.  The rain never got crazy bad while we were there, but it was in other places.  We've had some pretty good storms on and off since that batch on Friday and we're all ready for the rain to be done.

Sunday was a pretty low-key day.  I did some yard work and laundry and paid bills, and the boys watched Scooby-Doo and played some baseball outside while the weather cooperated.  Carter napped.  It really hasn't been nice enough for the pool lately, which has been a bummer.  We went out for a nice dinner at Jacob's favorite place, Pizzeria Uno (yay for a $15 off $30 coupon--with leftovers to boot!), and did some quick shopping.  Now we're into another week.  The bad news is that I have a crazy amount of work to do, and I'm currently alone in my department with my boss on vacation and my fellow analyst at home sick with the plague (seriously, she's been sick since midday Thursday and still had a fever as of Monday morning--God forbid I get that!).  The good news is that vacation is looming, but I have so much to do before that happens.  I have a feeling I will be doing some work over the weekend or during my vacation just to keep up.  UGH.  We also have a wedding on Friday night, but no other set plans for the weekend until we hopefully leave on our "vacation" Sunday.  More on that soon...

Two It Is

I haven't heard the question a lot, but I have heard it--"Are you going to try for a girl?"  I've discussed this topic here before, so perhaps this is beating a dead horse, but now that we're nearly 18 months removed from Carter's birth, I guess I want to revisit it a bit because I feel like things are clearer for me than even I expected they would be.

I said for years that we'd be stopping at two, though I did say that if #2 was a boy, there was a tiny chance we'd go for #3.  Still, the risk of ending up with boy #3 was daunting, and while I know we'd love another boy just as much, going through all of that and not getting a daughter seems a little...I don't know...pointless, maybe?  Aside from having a girl who can be my dear friend forever (without, in theory, completely alienating her spouse, as I feel like is the big challenge with boys as they grow up and get married), I feel like there's nothing about parenthood that I can't experience with my two boys.  Sure, there are girl things I'd like to relive, but there are lots of girl things that I think I wouldn't like as much, so perhaps I should just take my two boys as a sign that I'm not cut out for that.

I've always heard people say that after they had a child, they felt their family was complete.  I can't say that I've had that specific feeling, but I can say that I emphatically feel "done".  There is a part of me that melts when in the presence of a newborn and loves all those tiny baby things--squeaks, uncoordinated movements, tiny toes--but honestly, I just can't fathom doing it all again.  I'm fascinated by seeing how our genes combine, and I love watching babies grow and learn and turn into little people.  On some level I'd love to see what #3 would be like, boy or girl.  But to do it again for that reason would be foolish and at least partly selfish.  There are so many reasons it would be a bad idea.  Let's explore, shall we?

Jacob - We've made no secret of Jacob's dislike of his brother.  Not only doesn't he like him, but he truly doesn't love him, which is so sad.  He has no concern for his well being, and he really wants nothing to do with him.  I hope that someday that will change, but geez, what if it doesn't?  I can't imagine bringing another child into this family that Jacob could resent.  And I have no desire to keep another kid out of Jacob's stuff.  If every other reason didn't exist and this was the only thing stopping us, I might just tell him to suck it up and deal (which we do tell him anyway), but given that all the reasons below exist, this is just one more to add to the list.

Health - If the kids we had were generally healthy and didn't have any random medical issues, perhaps I'd be more open to having another.  But with Jacob's behavior issues and Celiac disease, and Carter's former rice intolerance, along with the reflux and cow's milk protein issues both have had, I really have no desire to see what surprises #3 would have up their sleeve.  As annoying as the issues are, I know they're not super serious, and I always worry that #3 would be the one to give us a doozy...or God forbid, we have a third and one of the other two comes out with something even bigger and makes everything impossibly overwhelming.  On a more practical level, dealing with two sick kids at a time (or in a row) seems like enough.  I don't need to add any more to that, nor do I have enough sick days to get through the year.

Space - If we had another kid, we'd either have to buy another house or combine bedrooms.  If Jacob couldn't peacefully share space with Carter, then we'd have to switch rooms entirely to have Carter share with a sibling.  No thanks.  We'd also have to buy a van, not just to fit all of the car seats, but to fit everything we'd need to be able to go anywhere for more than a few hours.  Two kids have enough stuff.  And the toys...we don't really have room for more boy toys, and we certainly wouldn't have room for a whole new slew of girl toys!  I've always said that the world is built for families of four--three bedroom houses, your average sedan, booths at restaurants, two person amusement park rides, two-parent man-to-man defense--and adding a third throws everything for a loop.

Money - Daycare alone is crazy, let alone another mouth to feed...particularly if that mouth needs an unexpected couple thousand dollars worth of formula to get through the first year of life.  Then add in the medical costs (per my point above), and any sports or other activities they'd want to do when they got older.  And, of course, if it's a girl, there are so many new things we'd want to buy.  Not to mention that we'd need a new car seat, since the infant one was technically "expired" and definitely on its last legs when we retired it.  But again, the potential of a new house and/or new car adds to the cost, and if we ever want to go on vacation again, two kids is plenty to wrangle and pay for (or, quite frankly, drop off with the grandparents once in a while).

Exhaustion - I didn't find two kids to be that overwhelming early on, but the older Carter has gotten and with Jacob's entrance into school and sports, things ratcheted up a bit over the past year.  I am constantly burning the candle at both ends, and I hate it.  I love my kids and my husband and I wouldn't be doing this sort of craziness for anyone else, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't make me nuts to always be so harried.  I can't imagine throwing yet another kid's needs and activities into our schedule.  Add into it that Craig is gone most weekends for about half the year, and I only have two hands.  So three kids out in public would be beyond overwhelming, meaning we'd spend half the year holed up in our house, with me frustrated at my inability to get things done.  I already feel like home and work each suffer at the expense of each other, and I can't even imagine how tired I'd be with a third.

Me - I'm not exactly a spring chicken anymore, you know.  I wasn't that young when I started having kids, and having #2 at the ripe old age of 34-1/2 wasn't exactly the original plan.  A lot of times you hear about the risks of having kids after 35--increased risks for almost everything--and I'm not really prepared to take those risks at this point.  Pregnancy was hard enough with one kid, let alone two.  My last pregnancy was tough all around, with the exception of a few months in the middle, and after having Carter three weeks early, I wonder if it could possibly get worse.  With two kids to take care of already, it's such a big risk.  And you know, the older I get, the harder it is to maintain the energy and enthusiasm for playing and being active with them. 

Progress - Remember how I posted a while back about liking progress?  I think a lot of that plays into this, too.  I wouldn't change anything for the world, but I'll admit that it's nice to get past certain phases of babyhood.  I don't want to worry about being pregnant or preparing for maternity leave again.  I don't want to set up another nursery or wash multiple bins of tiny baby stuff.  I don't really want to be woken up again every three hours (or less) to feed a baby.  I don't really feel like spending another year making and washing bottles.  I like not having my house cluttered up with certain baby equipment like the swing or jumperoo (though there's plenty else to take their place, those big pieces are such a relief to put away).  I'm ready to move past the phase where going anywhere takes a major packing effort, and where I'm nervous leaving the baby for any sort of extended time away.  I like moving past those phases, where we can be more flexible and less weighed down.  I guess what I'm saying is that having a baby can be hard on a practicality level, and the thought of starting over again for more years of the same limitations just doesn't appeal to me this time around.  I was totally on board for doing it a second time, but I felt a palpable sense of relief when I passed by certain phases this time, knowing it should be done for good.

Ironically, I have two friends who are due for (surprise) third babies in the next couple months (though both have a boy and a girl already), and a third who just had her third.  Perhaps that's why this has been on my mind a lot lately.  Despite all of my reasons above, I'd certainly find a way to muddle through if we somehow ended up with a surprise third baby.  Part of me would be thrilled, though I know I'd be intimidated by the logistics.  That fear is what keeps me with a crawl space full of baby stuff.  But for now, I'm definitely more comfortable than I imagined I'd be with being done.  And whenever I have a weak moment, I remind myself of the reasons above and once again feel at peace with the decision.  Part of me will always wonder, but I feel so blessed to have the boys we have (despite our challenges) and can't really ask for anything more.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

I find summer weekends to be a very delicate balance.  Summer is so short and we try to cram so much in, but it definitely doesn't leave a lot of time for relaxation most of the time.  Usually I can't decide what's more important--enjoy every minute to the fullest, or try to rest up a bit after a long week.  I suppose it's pretty hard to rest with kids anyway, so during the summer in particular we choose to suck it up and push through while the activities are available and the weather is nice enough to make it worth our while.

I love being home and not having to pack up and rush around, but truth be told, too much time at home and we're all driving each other nuts.  Carter won't leave Jacob alone, and Jacob is not particularly nice about expressing his displeasure.  Carter isn't phased, however, so the cycle repeats itself constantly.  Jacob monopolizes Craig's time, Craig just wants to rest, and honestly so do I...but the long-term agony of not getting anything accomplished during Carter's amazing marathon naps tortures me even more than being tired.  So usually I'm cramming in what I can while I can.  Every once in a while I need a weekend at home being productive, but ultimately I feel like the best, most memorable weekends are ones where we get out and explore the world and interact with other people.  I suppose I still like to do it on our own terms, but it's nice to get out and prevent the kids from getting in each other's space.  If it's any indication how things have been lately, my Facebook status on Friday night (already) theorized that the kids must have put aside their differences for long enough to set up a lucrative bet on who can drive Mommy and Daddy nuts first.  Between Jacob's incessant nonsense talk and annoyance with his brother, and Carter's tendency to throw food, follow his brother, and get into everything, by Friday night patience was already wearing thin.

On Saturday we sort of got to sleep in now that baseball is over.  But then we had to get up and start packing for spending the rest of the weekend in Buffalo.  We had our nephew's birthday party on Saturday afternoon, and my family reunion on Sunday.  We got a bit of a late start on Saturday--both because packing was a bit of a challenge and I wanted to let Carter get a decent nap.  We finally got on the road and had a nice time at the party.  The forecast for the weekend had been a little sketchy, but it turned out to be a beautiful day.  There were a couple light sprinkles, enough to create this lovely thing:

There's a rainbow there!

One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing Craig's parents' new puppy!  His name is Teddy, and he is so cute!  He was not sure what to make of Carter, though!  You'd think a baby wouldn't be that intimidating, but perhaps having someone so close to the ground threw him off.  He would follow Carter around, but then the second Carters stopped, Teddy went on the defensive and growled at him.  Luckily he never got mean, just loud, and that made for some cute stuff to watch all weekend...

Pretty sure Teddy was growling here!

Awwww...not sure who's cuter!

Seriously?!

What a sweetie!

That night Carter went to bed pretty early, which gave Jacob and me some time to go into the pool and swim.  Craig was out with his dad and brother, so it was just the two of us.  It was glorious.  The pool was so warm, it was a gorgeous night, and we had a really nice time.  We played fake volleyball, raced across the pool, and laughed a lot.  I showed him how I can do a handstand in the pool and impressed him when I dove for a toy.  I'm not really a pool person--I can't open my eyes and I have to plug my nose--but it was really a nice time.  I have loved being in the pool at night ever since I was a little girl.  I remember doing it when visiting my aunt and uncle when I was 12 (and watching planes, most likely taking off from O'Hare), and enjoying it at my mom's cousin's house when our reunion was there every few years.  It's just so peaceful and so comfortable.  Eventually it was bedtime, and while it took him a bit to go down, all in all it wasn't a bad night. 

We had a crazy thunderstorm overnight but the kids slept through it and we woke up to a beautiful sunny day.  Craig and Jacob were back in the pool for a while in the morning, and I spent most of that time watching Carter wander around the house and Teddy try to figure out this tiny human.  At one point Carter picked up this Frisbee ring, and he was sticking his face--and then his whole head--through it.  I snapped this picture, and while it sort of looks like he's got a toilet seat on his head, I can't get over how sweet his face is here...

We headed out around 12:30 and stopped to pick up some extra food for the reunion.  We got to see my parents, some of my aunts and uncles, Lori, and some other assorted more distant relatives.  It wasn't a great turnout, but it was nice.  It was Carter's first time at the reunion, and Jacob's first time back since he got sick there a couple years ago (and again on the drive home--yay).  With one now-healthy kid and one rookie, I was excited to (re)introduce them to a place where I have so many great memories.  I've been going to reunions there as long as I can remember, and I cherish all of the memories of playing there with my cousins.  Playing in the sand, collecting rocks, diving into the waves, and stuffing our faces with amazing treats....so fun!  Of course, the post-picnic hangover was always a little rough--full belly, sunburn, long drive, sand and sunscreen everywhere--but it was all a part of the experience.  And I love being able to pass it along to another generation.

Jacob had a great time checking out the sports facilities at the camp with Craig, and after lunch it was time to head down to the beach.  Here is Carter getting his first taste of sand...well, the real taste came a bit later when he tried to actually eat it, but he happily dug in the sand and played with rocks for quite a while.

Jacob got into it, too.  He loved making a mess, and was happy to show me...

He went into the water a bit on his own, too.  He was originally going to bury my legs, but once my help left, I needed my legs free so I buried his...

After a while I took Carter down to the water.  I'd gotten his feet in Craig's parents' pool with only a couple whimpers, so I thought I'd see how the lake was.  He didn't like it.  He started trembling and whining so I had to pick him up. 

I took a couple artsy shots of the rocks along the shore and took one last picture of Jacob before we tried to rinse and de-sand as much as we could.

We headed back up to snack a little more and pack up for the long ride home.  Both boys were out within a few minutes of starting the drive, but it was inevitable.  It made for some creative bedtime arrangements, but we managed and it was all worth it.  I loved being able to share that with them. 

It was definitely a tiring weekend, and another overnight thunderstorm and a very dark morning did not help any of us when it was time to get up this morning.  It was a rainy, dreary day in the low 60s (definitely not end of July weather), so I'm even more thankful we had two beautiful days to squeeze in a couple summer favorites over the weekend.  We'll pay for it a bit this week, but I'm so happy we got to do it.

The Cute, The Bad, and the Ugly

It's been a pretty quiet week around these parts, which I suppose is good.  That's not to say we haven't been dealing with "stuff", but sports are over for now and there isn't a whole lot of extraneous stuff on the schedule this week.  The weekend will be a different story, but this week is definitely quieter than usual at the moment. 

It's still been a bit of a tough week around here.  For every moment that the kids are cute, there are about five moments when we're pulling out our hair.  Here's a sampling of what the kids are up to these days:

• Civil wars - The boys will not leave each other alone.  It is a constant battle around here.  Carter wants to get into Jacob's toys and into his personal space, and Jacob won't have it.  He is constantly climbing upstairs to get into Jacob's room.  Jacob basically tosses Carter off him or tries to slam the door in his face.  He's annoyed right now because his beloved basketball hoop he got for his birthday won't let his door close fully, so Carter can get in.  If we do shut the door, Carter still goes up there and cries like crazy outside the door.  Our stairs do not work well with gates, so we're just sort of stuck this way.  On the flip side, when we try to distract Carter, Jacob finds a way to ruin it.  He either wants to get in on what we're doing, or he'll steal whatever Carter has...anything to spoil the party.  And inevitably, 10 seconds later Carter gets into Jacob's stuff, and we remind him that if he wouldn't have spoiled Carter's fun, Carter wouldn't have gotten into his stuff.
• The spitting - Part two of the civil war is the constant spitting battle.  Carter has always liked to blow raspberries.  It was actually one of the "normal" baby skills that Jacob took extra long to do, but Carter has been doing it since the Baby Center emails said he should be.  Well, lately Carter's been doing it a ton, and when he spits on Jacob, it drives Jacob nuts.  Of course, at times Jacob does it back to him, which only encourages him.  Carter is completely unphased by Jacob's displays of anger (not to mention mine), so mostly he just finds the outbursts entertaining.  But it is BRUTAL.
• Carter has an uncanny ability to get into everything he shouldn't.  His toys are completely uninteresting in comparison to Jacob's stuff, lacrosse sticks, balls, electronics cables, Jacob's drawing utensils, stacks of papers, our potato chip cabinet, and crumbs on the floor.  He just doesn't get the word "no" yet, at least not for more than a second.  It makes it very hard to multitask with him around.
• Aside from tormenting his brother, Jacob has been pretty much status quo.  Still a lot of potty talk and back talk and smart alecky comments.  Still, he's having some good moments.  He enjoyed his field trip to the trampoline place today (yay, no injuries), he's been loving playing Lego again, and he seems to be taking a bit of a break with sports.  He loves Scooby-Doo, old ones and newer ones.  He's been nice enough to smile for pictures lately, which has been lovely.  But he's also got a fascination with smacking butts--his own (his dance move) or other people's (including mine). 
• Carter is still a fantastic sleeper, and it's gone to a new level lately because he truly loves bedtime.  He says "night-night" constantly, and loves snuggling up with blankets.  It's so cute.  He's also always saying "bye-bye", everywhere we go.  I almost got him saying "hi" the other night, but he hasn't done it again.  He says his own version of "thank you", which is so sweet, and he's taken to saying a very matter-of-fact "no" when he's asked questions--usually about food.  I know I will be hating that word soon enough, but for the moment he's so sweet and decisive when he uses it that it's really cute.  Not to mention that I'm relieved to know what he wants!  He has started saying "More" and signing please, which is not only helpful but polite, and once in a while he signs "All Done".  The other night I asked him if he was all done with dinner and his arms shot up in the air immediately.  Seriously cute.  Still not a lot of other words coming out yet, but it's nice to have a little more progress. 
• Carter's walking is getting pretty good, though he's still a little unstable at times.  He's trying hard to run, though, and he wants to go down stairs in the worst way.  He's making progress, but I think he's been luckier than skilled!  These days it's rare to catch him crawling at all, and he looks like such an independent little boy when he walks around.  He's also getting considerably more hair, so he's looking older these days.  He keeps ending up with a bit of a mullet, but it's starting to even out.   He seems to be teething again, this time for the canines, but other than having to chew on everything, he seems happy enough.  Oh, and how he carries his bedtime books back to his bookshelf for me is the absolute sweetest thing ever.
• We're trying to figure out a fall sport for Jacob.  We want to do basketball but so far haven't found a non-winter league that doesn't conflict with lacrosse.  We might have to do a six-week clinic-type thing like we did with soccer before Carter was born, but we'll see.  The break is nice for now, but I think he'll want that outlet again sooner or later.
• Work is driving both Craig and me a little crazy, but our vacation week is in sight...even if we don't know exactly what we're doing with it yet.  We have it bookended by a couple weddings, I have a long list of to dos, and we're hoping to visit Toronto for a couple days, but aside from that, we don't have any set plans.  I need to get on that.

So, I guess that's our current state of affairs.  Hopefully some fun activities coming up this weekend.  God knows we need to get out of the house a bit so Carter and Jacob don't drive each other crazy!  And I thought we'd avoid this a bit with two kids so far apart.  Ha!

Bye-Bye, Baseball...for now

It's hard to believe, but Jacob's baseball season is over.  What started in late April/early May has now finished.  It's a little weird to think we're done for the season already, because last year's season ran from late June to late August, so to be done with sports for the summer is pretty crazy.  While it will be nice to relax again on Saturday mornings and be able to spend entire weekends out of town, I will miss it.  It was usually a good excuse to sit out in pleasant weather, and over the course of the season, watching the kids was a blast.  Carter wasn't always the most patient, which was a challenge at times, but when I could watch the games, it was fun.

Early on it was tough to see if the kids would gel into a team, because there were a few older kids and a few younger ones, but as the season went on, everyone got into a pretty good groove at the plate.  It was so fun to watch some legit great hits--doubles where most hits are automatically singles--and a handful of nice plays in the field.  Most involved the most experienced kid on the team, who could actually catch and throw on target most of the time, but slowly but surely the kids are getting it.  A couple of them will move up next year, and some may not be back or be on the same team, but there were a couple kids from last year's team and a couple more from this year that I would love to be with again next year.  We love our coach (and he loves us because he's a huge Knighthawks fan!), and hopefully next year will be another good crew.  I will miss watching the little victories every week. 

Yesterday was the last game of the season, as well as our end-of-season picnic.  Here are a few highlights...

Ahhh, Jacob and his endless obsession with cleaning off home plate...

Our little pro

Just hanging out in between innings

End of the season team picture...Jacob is the third from the right in the bottom row, and Craig is in the red shirt in the top row.

This is how Carter *wanted* to spend the whole season...digging in the dirt and throwing the rocks.

Carter fell asleep on the way home from the game, and once I dropped him off in his crib, I ran off to Lowe's to pick up some mulch at Lowe's for this small patch of flower bed next to our garage.  It used to have a hydrangea, but it died, and ever since it's become overwhelmed with weeds.  I killed all of them a week or two ago, but I hadn't had a chance to get the mulch to cover it all.  I also bought a tiny azalea bush to plant.  I came home fed the awake members of the family some lunch, and went out to plant the azalea and dump out the mulch.  I also attempted to transplant another plant in the backyard from a bad spot to a better one, so we'll see if that takes.  Carter woke up around 2pm, and I spent the next hour preparing to go to the picnic (heating up a frozen gluten-free pizza and thawing an emergency cupcake) and feeding Carter a late lunch.  Off to the picnic we went...in the rain.

It was nice to finally catch up with other parents when I wasn't already doing double duty of taking care of Carter and trying to watch Jacob's game.  Mingling during games is hard!  And now that I got to chat with everyone at the picnic, I wish we had a couple more games left!  

Jacob spent pretty much the whole picnic here, despite the rain.  He was loving the basketball court with its adjustable hoop.  While most of his teammates played in the pool, or at least took shifts, he was all basketball, all the time.  He's in the black clothes on the left.



The cakes with all the kids and their numbers...so cool!  And so tasty!

Quick snap of Carter and Daddy on the basketball court.  Daddy helped Carter dunk once and it was so cute!

 And how waterlogged was Jacob after playing in the rain for a few hours?

Here he is with his trophy!  And very wet hair.

Despite the rain we had a great time.  We headed home and Carter and I packed up and headed to Buffalo for an overnight with my parents.  The goal was to go to the Canal Fest craft show, which is a long-time tradition.  My mom and I used to go with my grandma first thing in the morning on Saturday.  We don't buy much, but it's always fun to look!  Carter was an angel as we walked through the craft show, but a handful the rest of the weekend.  He's definitely inching toward the terrible twos already--testing boundaries, throwing tantrums, and just generally getting into trouble.  What a handful!

Still, it was a pretty good weekend.  I'm not sure what's next up in sports for Jacob.  Lacrosse doesn't start until November, and originally we were talking about soccer for the fall, but now we're leaning toward basketball.  I tried a bit tonight to find him a local league like Upwards or CYO, but it doesn't appear any of the ones I found were a good fit.  We'll keep looking, and if nothing else we'll do a little six-week clinic like we did for soccer right before Carter was born.  Just something to give him that outlet and keep him learning.  But for now we have plenty to keep us occupied for the rest of the summer!  But it won't be the same without baseball!

One of these things is not like the other...

So, Carter is officially 17 months old.  That means we're only a month away from a year and a half.  Seven months away from birthday #2.  And the terrible twos.  And since his birthday is less than two months after Christmas, that means that within that time we'll also have winter and Christmas again.  Wait, you mean summer won't last forever?  Oh, only another month and a half?  Darn.  This was just getting fun.  The worst thing about summer is how fast it goes, and with kids that seems to have become even more true.  Light speed, people....seriously.

So...just a few random thoughts as we hit this stage.  First of all, one of the things that has been very insightful the second time around is being able to look back at pictures of Jacob and see when he started looking like "him".  Baby pictures are cute and all, but there's a point at which you realize that the kid you have now doesn't really look much like the tiny baby in the pictures.  There are features, yes, but it's only once your kid reaches a certain age do you realize that their face hasn't changed a whole lot from a few years ago.  It thins out, but the look is pretty similar.  Looking back, Jacob truly started looking clearly like himself somewhere between a year and 18 months, which is obviously where Carter is now.  It's nice to know that we can start knowing that this is somewhat along the lines of what Carter is going to look like as he gets older.

And in case you don't believe me, here's a picture of Jacob from a few weeks older than Carter is now.  He was about a week shy of 18 months in this picture, and I kid you not, I see this face pretty much on a daily basis now when I do something that annoys Jacob...

I was looking for a picture closer to the age Carter is now, but when I saw this one I laughed out loud and HAD to include it here.  It is SO him.

I've talked at length on here about how different my two boys are.  There are some similarities these days.  Just like Jacob did, Carter says "ball" constantly and is always wanting to be holding a lacrosse stick.  He'll settle for a bat or hockey stick, but lacrosse is far preferred.  They started walking around the same time and seem to be similar in size.  At least, Carter is now wearing the same sneakers that Jacob has on in the picture below, and I noticed a video of Jacob at this age with a shirt that Carter wears right now.  I will say, however, that the hat Jacob is wearing below hasn't fit Carter's considerably larger head since the beginning of the summer, so there's that difference.  They both love being outside.  Carter is a better eater but their love for milk at this age is identical.  I know there are more, but even still--in so many ways these kids couldn't be more different.

Carter definitely seems to have an easier going personality than Jacob did at this age.  He has his moments, but he seems to have less tantrums and is generally more content.  As I mentioned, he's a way better eater.  It's an odd day when he doesn't eat the vast majority of what's on his tray, whereas getting Jacob to eat anything was a struggle.  Carter remained a great sleeper through teething and usually takes monster naps, unlike Jacob at this age, though he also seems to be a lighter sleeper in general, as he will often shift position when I come in to check on him.  Trying to wake Jacob is like trying to wake the dead.  Jacob seemed to talk a lot more a lot sooner than Carter, and he was always more of a snuggler than Carter has ever been.  The biggest difference, though, may be in their looks.

From the moment Carter was born, he looked different.  He was hairy and red, with dark hair.  Jacob was always so much fairer.  Jacob had a dimple, but Carter had crazy chubby cheeks.  Their faces really never looked that much alike, and their coloring has always set them apart.  I think the funniest difference is that Jacob's body shape has always been straight up and down, whereas Carter has these chubby thighs that stick out wider than his tiny butt.  It's hilarious.  Still, I wanted to look at old pictures where Jacob was Carter's age and see just how different they are. 

These pictures are a little closer to the age Carter is now that the one above, maybe a week younger than 17 months.

 

And for reference, here are a couple more of Carter from recently.  I'm only including the second one since he's sort of looking down, as it's the closest I can find to the one above.

 

They just don't really look alike.  And you know, I like it like that.  I'd hate to look at baby pictures and not know who was who.  I like that my boys are both such individuals and that they've both utilized separate sets of genes.  I have friends with two boys where you can barely tell them apart, and while that's cute in its own way, I love my boys just the way they are.  It's funny, though, because I still have a hard time thinking of them as a "set".  Because Jacob never wants to be near his brother, and because they never really do anything together except battle (you know, Carter wants to be near him, Jacob pushes him off, Carter tackles him), seeing them together is still a little disorienting or something.  It's almost like someone Photoshopped them together or superimposed one in the presence of the other.  Seeing them together just doesn't compute most of the time.  It probably doesn't help that Carter's proportions seem so much different than Jacob's, with his big head in particular.  It's hard to describe, but hopefully one of these days they'll interact normally or I'll at least be able to get some pictures of them together where they don't seem superimposed. 

 

Anyway, I love my little individuals.  I am still adjusting to the fact that Jacob is six, and now we're a month away from 18 months for Carter.  It just doesn't seem possible.  They are growing up way too fast!