On Wednesday, Maxx made our family english muffin pizzas topped with hot dogs & onions. My mom made these for us growing up so in true Lee family tradition, we had to use Boars Head, gourmet processed meat. ha~
Maxx & Emo
At first, I wasn’t sure if he was having fun because he was so focused. Or maybe it was because I was being so bossy when he was just trying to have some fun. Go figure.
Since we were waiting for the pizza to bake, I let him play with water in the kitchen sink. He most definitely enjoyed that.
Maxx & Umma after the water fun
There aren’t too many activities to do with kiddies under 2. He still would rather eat crayons than color with them and you can only play with the same toys for so long. You just run out of stuff to do when it’s cold out. (I can’t WAIT for nicer weather, you have no idea.) But making pizza was really easy with no extra clean up. I had to wipe down the counter and give him a bath anyways. Oh and bonus is that you have dinner all ready once you’re done. Only thing is, you may want to use healthier toppings. :)
In addition to the ever so famous RookieMoms site, here are a few other activities to do with your young toddlers from Ohdeedoh.
After I had Ellie, I found myself feeling less productive than ever and not feeling like I was doing anything well. There just wasn't enough time in the day. I know, I know. I have 2 kids to take care of so I should expect this, right? Yes and no. I expect things to be harder but that doesn't mean I want to accept a mediocre life of doing the minimum. I remember our Pastor saying that we all have the same number of hours in a day as Mother Theresa and Gandhi did. Who knows if they had kids but either way, they got a heck lot more accomplished in their lives than I can ever imagine.
I seek out being a good wife & mom but I know God wants me to do other things too. I want to still do things that Joohyon Lee would do, such as make time for family & friends, have people over now and then, and of course figure out whatever else it is that God's got planned for me once the kiddies are off to school one day.
In order to do more, I need to start being more efficient and productive with my time. I was a project manager in my pre-mommy life and I’ve planned numerous events in my personal life but I’ve never actually applied my love for organizing to how I spend MY time. I’m a lazy butt & major procrastinator when it comes to my own life. Go figure.
When you're single or married without kids, you feel like you have the world ahead of you and all the time to do anything you want, whenever you want. If anything, you often get bored and waste time doing things that don't bring much satisfaction just to fill the time. What you don't know is that when you have kids, it takes 100 times more effort to do things you could've done so easily before. I know everyone says life gets harder as you get older, but who really can understand that or has any idea why or how exactly?
So no more wasting time. I want to be efficient and effective with how I spend my time so whether it's playing with the kiddies or relaxing, I want to do everything I do as best as I can so I can do as much as I can.
I'm literally hungry for time lately. I’m one that already sacrifices sleep in order to find the time to do the things I want but now I can only do that so much because I don’t have any down time to let my brain go blank now and then. I showered somewhat regularly before Ellie. :) Now, if I don't consciously plan for it, days will pass before I realize I haven't showered. ha! When I just had Maxx, I had to often do 2 things at once. Now, I find myself doing 3 at once and rushing like never before. I don’t like the rushing part cause it feels like I’m doing things half-a**ed. I have no idea why I thought having one kid was hard. It now seems like the easiest thing in the world. Hate how the past always seems easier than the present.
So…planning out my time is more important to me than ever. :)
I was looking for a pretty but functional 2010 calendar for my kitchen when I came across this article on Real Simple called "How I transformed My Mornings". I find myself falling in the “I Prepare in Advance and Try to Anticipate Snafus” category. Just plan as much as possible in advance and what happens is what happens, right? I know I sound a little neurotic but it’s the way I’m built and how I can successfully get things done. What I think is a little neurotic are the “My Husband and I Run Our Routine With Military Precision” or the “Timers Keep All of Us on Schedule” women. They’re being literal. Scary.
Also, I can't help but want a smart phone. Having one around when I’m out and need to schedule kiddie doc appointments or play dates. Or when I’m waiting in the car for M to wake up…I could check email or BLOG! :) Why didn’t Apple bring the iPhone to Verizon already? The Nexus One is out now but only TMobile carries it, right? And then today, Apple came out with the iPad but its huge and I have enough stuff to carry. My brother has the Droid. The hubs said that Verizon is doing really well with it so people must like it. Maybe I can get him to get me that - gotta see when my next upgrade is. But if I get the Droid and then a few months later, iPhone comes to Verizon…I’ll be SO annoyed. Okay, back to waiting…
I want to get a sewing machine already. (Yes, I know. I have no time and no money. Boo.)
I want to hem dress pants, shirts & skirts (skirts for Ellie one day cause I obviously don't wear them). I also want to hem expensive jeans to make them look like they weren't hemmed. It's SO expensive to get it done! Maybe I could be like Julie Andrews in Sound of Music and make dresses and play clothes for Ellie? Maybe some random things too like hats, dish towels, tissue box covers, and pouches for pens and change? You could make a ton of baby things too like changing pads, diaper/wipe pouches, bibs, burp cloths, blankets...dang! The list goes on. SO fun.
On Sunday, I was asking some mom friends at church where I can get cute hair accessories for Ellie. The ones I've seen online that I like are stinkin' expensive. My mom friends said that you lose them really easily, too. So even though Ellie has troll hair that's too short for anything yet, I'm going to try and make some myself so I don't have to spend much and I don't need to know how to use a sewing machine to make 'em!
I want to try to design ones for M & E on my own. :P
On a completely different note, I found a desktop wallpaper site I liked called PixiePresents. I downloaded this one. It makes me think of Maxx & Ellie a few years down the line. They're holding hands & looking up to God in the heavens. How precious.
This picture was taken about a week ago. Maxx looks SO cute when I go to get him after a nap. I was trying to capture the moment but his super cuteness went to crap when I pulled out my camera. He was NOT happy and made sure to tell me "No, no, no! Nite nite. Umma, no, no, no!" while pointing to the camera. Oops! I promised to never do it again. Boo on you Maxx! No fun for mommy, Mr. Crankypants. hahaha~
Anyways, this was the very same outfit and bedsheet I had to change yesterday afternoon when Maxx decided to scream and throw a fit, not wanting to nap. He threw his "nite nite" (aka his ghetto burp cloth lovey), blanket, tiger & elephant out of the crib and began calling for me. He got so upset that he threw up all of his morning strawberry yogurt & apples. *splatter!* Dairy is the WORST thing to throw up and clean up.
Then again today, SAME THING. Ugh. I'm not completely sure what it is. His napping was so good for the last 2 months since he got used to his 1 nap schedule. It was pretty out of the blue and nothing's been so different lately either. Who knows what the cause is but I'm REALLY REALLY hoping I don't have to take off all his clothes, clean his face & hands, clean the crib, floor and furniture, put another outfit on him, put on new bedding, pretreat all the stained clothes and bedding, run a load of laundry, then change my clothes AGAIN for the 3rd day in a row tomorrow. At least today, Ellie poo'd all up the back of her onsie right after Maxx's incident so I was able to wash her clothes in the same load. I can't stand stains and so anytime I can wash major ones right away, awesome.
It takes SO little for kids to throw up. I've changed a decent number of throw up sheets & mattress covers and blankets, but usually when he's been sick. Whatever muscle in his throat/esophagus that holds down his food must be weak and hard for little ones to control because whenever he's got a cold, he throws up multiple times a day. He'll eat, then being the super duper active kid he is, runs around, laughs his head off, dances and just goes bonkers. All this brings on the coughing attacks and then BAM! It's the projectile kind that happens in one spot, then he moves away cause he can't stand "jee-jee" (dirty things), and then again in another spot, and usually a 3rd time before there's nothing left in his tummy.
The first couple of times it happened, he got scared and ran to me freaking out so I held him & comforted him, vomit and all. He'd continue coughing and when he needed to throw up again, I could usually control where it landed to minimize the clean up.
The one time it was bad was at his 15 month doctor's appointment. That appointment was the worst EVER. He HATES the claustrophic offices and scary nurses at Tenafly Peds in Fort Lee. He screamed and cried so much he threw up all over me twice. It was all down the front and back of my shirt, and of course inside too. Yum. Fun times but I didn't care as long as I could comfort him.
He got used to throwing up pretty quickly and now he usually throws up, says "jee jee!", then steps away to continue to play and laugh again as if nothng happened. That cracks me up. Kids are resilient and so free spirited at the most random times. Taking a picture of today's incident crossed my mind but I figured that'd be too much visual for you all. ha~!
Here's a pic of sickie Maxx watching his afternoon Sesame Street a couple of weeks ago. What an ahjuhshee. Usually he'll completely ignore you when he's so focused or if you're blocking his view, he'll just move over. I guess not this time. Can you see the look of irritation on his face? hahaha~ Sorry Maxxie. I'll post cuter pics of you next time! :D
I just put Ellie down after rocking her for an hour. She's sick again, only after being better for only a week. Babies this little shouldn't be allowed to get sick so often, if at all. It's so sad. The look on her face while I was trying to get her to sleep said "Why can't I breathe?". Now and then, she'd accidentally catch an easier breath through her mouth not having realized that there's another way to breathe besides the boogie filled nostrils. So sad.
Gunn and I took turns holding her all weekend. She slept maybe an hour total in the pack n' play all 3 days combined. At least we didn't have to hold her at night. She just gets up a couple more times than her usual 1-2 times a night. Hope this cold is shorter than the last. We're on day 4. Tonight, I prayed again that no one else in the family gets sick. That's THE WORST thing.
I used to love the winter 'cause of pretty snow, snowboarding, fireplaces, hot coca, sitting on your couch under a blanket watching a good movie. I'm sure I'll like it again in a few years but right now, it sucks. On top of everyone being sick every other week...Maxx is stuck at home and gets so bored with the same ol' toys. My body never felt kinds of chills from the inside as it does now. Age? Having had 2 kids? Whatever it is, it sucks. The floor in my house is always cold. Heating a house vs. an apartment makes me all cost conscious so even though a tshirt and sweatshirt is enough for me, Ellie is always in 3 layers and so is Maxx. This is partially due to my neurotic mother which drives me nuts. Poor Maxx is always wearing a longsleeve onesie, a nehbok top & bottom (longjohns), then a sweatshirt & sweatpants, and on top of it all slippers instead of regular socks. That's a lot of stinkin' clothes to carry on a little body that runs around all day long. It's also a lot of stinkin' layers to change for every diaper change, bath, nap and going out/coming home. I dream of springtime which i never did before because of my allergies. I recently bought Maxx swimming trunks and a toy for our deck. I'm also thinking of what stuff to buy to make our deck cozier - an outdoor rug? plants? A bench for sure.
Aaaaaanyways, even though Ellie's sick, she's growing and healthy overall. According to her recent doctors appointment, she's now 10 lbs & 5 oz, which is the 40th%ile. Her height & head circumference are both about 60th%ile. (Anyone know exactly why head circumference is so important? I should ask next month.)
Happy 2 Month Ellie. I'm so curious as to what kind of 6 month old, 1 yr old, 18 month old, 2 yr old....you're going to be. I pray to God everyday that I do what he wants me to do as a mom. Hope I'm doing what I'm supposed to be and not missing anything since my head's barely screwed on these days. :D
Maxx trying to hug Ellie
:: Take 1 :: "How the heck do I hug her?"
:: Take 2 :: Too close, squishing his nose.
:: Take 3 :: Finally got it but closed his eyes for some reason.
From left to right: Gunn's coffee with half & half and splenda, my sister's coffee only half filled with regular milk & splenda, Maxx's milk, Maxx's water, and now Ellie's bottle of hot water at just the right temperature so it hits room temp by the time she needs to eat.
Not included in photo: MY coffee, VERY important.
The number of drink containers I prep every Sunday am has now grown to 5. This is probably the easiest part of my Sunday morning. It wasn't too bad with just Maxx but now it really requires planning. Today was my first time back at church since I had Ellie. (I was only going to wait a month like I had with Maxx but we all got hit with colds right around Christmas so it took a bit longer.) Last night I worked out the Sunday AM sched with Gunn but even with all that prep, we were still rushing and 10 minutes late for service. Erg.
My mom lives with us in our 3 bedroom and my sis lives in the ground floor apartment. This is what my Sundays mornings will now look like in 2010:
7:00a - Wake up, wash up & get ready while Gunn feeds Ellie then washes up while watching her
7:30a - Make coffee, feed Maxx
8:00a - Find something to eat with my coffee, pack all the drinks mentioned above as well as snacks for Maxx
8:30a - Find/make something for Gunn to eat
8:45a - Gunn brings Ellie & her carseat down and has his coffee and a bite to eat
8:50a - Gunn drives my mom to her church & then comes back to pick up the rest of us
9:05a - Gunn packs all the bags and baby stroller into the car, then comes back up for Ellie
I put on Maxx's jacket, hat, mittens & shoes and bring him to the car
9:15a - Leave for church (9:30a service)
* Can you tell I was a project manager pre-babies?
All this doesn't include packing the diaper bag the night before. Sorta sucks having a winter baby 'cause not only does everyone get sick all the time but you have to carry around extra blankets, warm clothes for babies, etc. Makes everything take so much longer.
This schedule only has 10 minutes padded in, in case anything goes wrong like having to change either kiddie's clothes a 2nd time. It doesn't even include getting Maxx dressed & giving him some milk in the morning which my mom does for me since they share a room. I don't know how moms with 2 or more kids do it without any help. My heros I tell you.
Today, I got up late so I didn't get to drink any coffee and only got to eat half a banana I shared with Maxx. And Gunn only got a hobbang with his cup of coffee. This is unfortunately becoming a pattern. Sorry Gunn. I used to never eat breakfast but ever since I got preggers the first time, I make it a point to eat something in the morning. I'm not one to eat right but I realize it makes SUCH a difference.
I was so focused on getting to church on time this morning that I forgot why I go to church. But as I stood there in the theater during praise, it all felt so good. I missed worship time. With life being so much more hectic now, there is less God in my life but now is the time that I need more. Hopefully, in near future posts, I'll have figured out how to do that.
So the only thing I forgot to do this morning was pack my camera. I wanted to take pics of our church kiddies. I swear they are the cutest things in the world.
Here's Maxx & his bud Kayla before their younger sibs were born.
I'll have to take a bunch of pics sometime to show you how freakin' cute all the kiddies are. For now, I leave you with another Maxx video. It's for my chef sister who taught Maxx how to say "oil". I swear, Maxx is getting cuter, smarter and more entertaining every day. I'm probably so biased right now 'cause he doesn't want anyone lately, except me. He's extra loving towards me lately and I'm a down right sucker for it!
Yesterday, our little critter burned the index & middle fingers on his right hand on a pan while I was frying eggs & kielbasa. (Not very healthy I know.) It was SO sad.
I felt SO bad since I saw him fiddling with the stove knobs like he usually does but I didn't stop him. I didn't realize he grew tall enough to reach any higher. UGH. M fusses a ton when he's tired but he's not a big crier. But yesterday, he cried for so long and was physically freaking out. It was worse than when I took him to the doctor for his 15 month appointment and he cried so hard he threw up all over me. THAT was not fun either.
Anyways, he kept tugging at his right hand and rubbing it on my shirt screaming "All done!" which also means "All gone". He wanted the pain to go away but it wasn't so it was that over and over again. He was flailing his body all over the place one second and hugging me the next. He must have slapped me in the face on each side like he was hitting me with cymbals 4 or 5 times which was actually a little funny. I tried giving him ice to play with which he'd usually LOVE but he wasn't having it and was all over the place. Then I tried putting ice in a bag and held him down for 30 seconds here and there to cool off his fingers. I took a look at that point and was relieved to find that it wasn't that bad. I held him and walked around my house for about 30 minutes but he wouldn't stop the hysteria so I put him down and told him I wouldn't pick him up until he stopped crying. He was so good. He tried so hard to stop crying but couldn't completely and he'd let out a yelp here and there. I knew his burn wasn't that bad and he hardly ever cries because of pain so I realized he was just SUPER bothered by the weird feeling on his fingertips. I'll probably talk about it again in another post but genetics is a freaky thing. M is really "particular" aka anal and his type isn't from me. hahaha. The weird feeling in his fingers were driving him literally nuts.
Finally after what felt like an hour, he calmed down when I turned on Sesame Street for the 2nd time cause he wanted to watch "Eh-bee" (Abby), "Meh-mee" (Murray), "Eh-ma" (Elmo), "Bih-buh" (Big Bird) & "Goh-bah" (Grover). He literally listed all those characters between all the wailing and sniffling. That's how I knew he was feeling better. He was so tired from all the freaking out that he passed out while I was changing his diaper and clothes for his nap. Poor M. Mommy's sorry and will try to be more attentive next time. I was trying to make breakfast, entertain you, and figure out if E needed to eat all at the same time.
Even though I felt horrible, I realized that I'm learning to handle the guilt better cause I know there's only so much I can do at the same time. Also, I didn't feel as terrible as the day he hit his head on our coffee table and then an hour later I whacked his head against the dryer door. I totally drowned in guilt that day. I think that day was worse for me than my poor 6 month old.
Whenever I feel like a bad mom, I try to think bigger and tell myself that kids get hurt. It happens and it's okay and it sounds silly over little things like bumps and burns but God is in control of those thing too.
On a much brighter note, M is LOVING his new "pee-tee" tent that emo got him for Christmas. It arrived a little late but the timing was perfect because he's still got the remnants of his cold and has been cranky from the lack of sleep and bored of the few toys he has. He keeps all his stuffed animals in it and brings in whatever toy he's currently playing with. Hopefully he won't miss his turtle pool which used to hold all his animals. You can only patch that thing up so many times.
He needs a haircut badly, can you tell?
Only special people are allowed in the tent...like me. ha! He loves it when I scare him by shouting boo! and sticking my head through the door. My sister even made a moon and stars and hung them at the top on the inside.
His hair gets a little crazy when he's in the tent. Not sure if anything can be done about that.
The other new "toy" is a pair of Paul Frank boots that "ah-juh-jee" (ah-juh-shee aka Fedex guy) brought yesterday. M calls all delivery people that. With all the snow lately, I've been dying to take Maxx to play in the snow but he's been sick so i "luckily" had time to order a pair of boots and mittens. SO cute, right? Cheap too.
The boots are a little big cause he's just about a size 5 now and they're 5/6. I had him practice walking in the boots also cause he's so used to his flexible pedipeds and now he wants to do it like 10 times a day. I don't mind since I'm running out of stuff for him to do indoors lately.
Practicing got him walking better but getting up & down still needs some work. And if you listen carefully, you can hear my mom talking about the burn from the am. :\
It's been ages since I've Xanga'd cause life got a bit hectic when I had a baby. Now, a year and a half and another baby later, I've decided to start blogging again. As it is, I can barely find time to eat and shower but I'm determined to do my best to decently keep up with it...the site that is. It all started cause I recently started following a few mom blogs that I found myself really liking. I figured, I think I can do this...I am a pretty open person, right?
So I thought time was flying with just M but now with E too, OMG, the weeks go by and I have no idea what I did that week and I feel like I've gotten so little done. I don't want time to fly by and realize years later that I didn't make holidays as special as I'd liked to for my family, or that I didn't teach my kids certain things when it was my job to, or worst of all, that I didn't fulfill God's purpose for my life. Being the productive natured God fearing person that I am, that scares the crap out of me. With the new year starting, I found myself needing to refocus.
Gees, that sounded really serious which is so unlike me. My postings will probably be far from it, too. hahah... I mainly just want to document my family's life so I can see if I'm being and doing all the things I hoped to as a wife and mom, and just as me. And also in a sort of J&K+8 way, easily record my kids lives. I probably won't be able write as much as I'd like to about G since he's the private introverted one of the two of us and he'll probably be reading every post...boo.
