A Few Random Pictures From The Weekend

James and Uncle Phil making a slam-dunk!
James hiding between the door and the screen door.


My friend Candi and I at the shower
Katie all dolled up for her shower


Great Grandma was happy to hold the baby for a while!

Those aren't blueberries!!

A two year old plus some yummy looking berries equals trouble. That’s what I found out this morning. We were out in the garden picking the last peppers of the season. James was piddling around, chucking green tomatoes in the air and bonking himself on the head. In a split second, I turned around and he had bright pinkish purple juice all over his chin and hands. Although he could only have eaten a few, I wasn’t sure what in the world they were. Thanks to the power of Google, I quickly typed in a few words and found out that James had eaten Pokeweed berries. People grow these things as ornamental plants, apparently. You can even buy them online. Cool. My son ate an ornamental plant. But wait. I kept reading. The berries, as well as the roots, can cause:

“retching or vomiting after two hours or more. These signs may be followed by dyspnea, perspiration, spasms, severe purging, prostration, tremors, watery diarrhea (often bloody) and, sometimes, convulsions. If a fatal quantity is eaten, perhaps including roots, the above signs are followed by paralysis of the respiratory organs and other narcotic effects, culminating in the death of the poisoned person.” (wikipedia.com)

Of course, I was now concerned. Although I figured that he couldn’t have eaten very many, I didn’t want to find out by waiting. I called poison control and they said that he probably didn’t get enough to cause any harm. The worst thing that could happen is that he might get a stomach ache and diarrhea (like you wanted to know). But the good news is, 24 hours have passed and he’s still kickin’. He may have shaved a year off my life, but he’s fine.

James is Watching Over You, Little Fishies

James in now the patron saint of microscopic fishies. Jeff and his work pal, Sal, have been getting into a little fish farming in addition to their normal engineering duties. They have managed to breed a couple batches of fish, and kill off an undetermined number of them. Maybe they felt like they were being watched too closely, but that's only a guess. To give the tank a little flair, they have added a picture of James to entertain the fish. Sal also added a nice touch with the rocks: notice the parting of the Red Sea? There was also a bubbling Champagne glass in there but it was removed due to some technical difficulties. So now you know what engineers do for fun! And if you are wondering where the fish are...they are there...right by James' forehead. They are VERY small!

C'mon in! There's plenty of room in James' tent :)

Tired of shopping: James fell asleep on the way home

'Holt, pees!' James loves to hold Katie and laugh as she wiggles around. He calls her 'Kate-Dawg' since that's what Jeff calls her.

Mind Your Own Beeswax!

We went to the pediatrician today. A double whammy: both kids had to get check-ups. But as my mom reminded me, check-ups aren’t what they used to be. Its more of an interrogation of your home conditions than a health check for your kids. Yeah, they got weighed and measured. Katie has gained 2+ pounds and 1 ½ inches in 6 weeks! And James is just about 3’ tall! But anyway, while the doctor was looking in their ears and poking their bellies, she fired away with question after question. Do I read lots of books to them, can James stack at least 5 blocks, does Katie sleep on her back, does James eat fruits and veggies, how much does he eat, when do they go to bed, when do they wake up, when do they take naps, are we going to put James in preschool this year or next year (note there was no option to not put him in preschool), how is James’ behavior, how many times do they poop and pee. They asked me to fill out a survey, for the second time, about my moods, feelings, etc. Seriously!? Is this all relevant information? Will I get turned in to social services if my baby sleeps on her side instead of her back?! Or if my kid goes one day without eating his veggies?! And here is the kicker, the question that most annoyed me! Do you have guns in the house? I wanted to say ‘No, but what if I did? I don’t have a problem with gun ownership.’ Rach said I should have noted that my president was Charleton Heston. Mom said I should have told them that I owned a glue gun. That would’ve been funny! But I just said no. Honestly, what is this world coming to! Are they going to start asking me if I make sure my kids watch Baby Einstein and go to Mommy and Me Yoga classes? Argh!

It Ain’t Easy Being Green

Plywood. Tinfoil. Copper tubing. Black spray paint. If this sounds like the makings of a drug-manufacturing operation, think again. These are a few of the supplies needed to complete the new supplemental heat system Jeff is creating, otherwise known as the PARABOLIC TROUGH. In the ongoing effort to harness the power of the “15 million watt light bulb in the sky,” he has devised the plans for this heat-producing contraption. Before you think that Jeff is going ‘green’ for environmental reasons or in support of Al Gore, let me explain. (Nothing wrong with environmental reasons, by the way) Rather, he is attempting to harness the sun in order to:

1. Make use of the free energy coming from the sun (Very cost effective, eh?)
2. Prove to wife that he can and WILL not only design the PT but actually execute the plans
3. Perhaps shave a few pennies off the ol’ electric bill
4. To make us appear to all our neighbors as eccentric and strange, and to fuel conspiracy theories amongst them

In a nutshell, he plans to paint the copper black, stick it in a parabola shaped through lined with tinfoil, fill it with water, pressurize it (I think), and stick it out in the sun. The parabola will intensify the heat of the sun and heat the water in the pipe. Then the water is forced through the pipe into the house somehow. And voila! Heat! (And you thought I wasn’t listening, honey!) There may be something involving a fan or a car’s radiator after that. I get that part confused with the last home heating invention. If it does involve a radiator inside my house, I have suggested making paper flames to glue to the front. That way we can pretend we are sitting around a fire, instead of a radiator. Sounds cool, right? I remember growing up, a friend of ours lived way out on the edge of nothing. Her dad always had these strange whirly-gig things outside, and I heard it was some sort of experiment. It was like he was a mad scientist, trying to harness the wind. Little did I know that I would someday grow up to marry a mad scientist who would dream up ways to harness the sun. The part that worries me the most was the statement Jeff made right after explaining his plans. I quote: “I just have to figure out how to keep the thing from blowing up.” That would be a start. Maybe someday we’ll be rich and famous from the Parabolic Trough. Then, I will have to eat my words. For now, I am interested to see how the PT is going to work out. Go, Jeff!

One Month

Katie is already one month old!

Welcome to the 'Burbs

Anywhere people live in close proximity to each other, weird things are bound to happen. Actually weird things happen everywhere. There are just neighbors here to notice them. So, that leads me to give you the low-down on the strange things that happen in our 'hood. I would like to state up front that I do not sit at my window with binoculars. I don't even own binoculars. BUT, being home all day and taking daily walks provides me with a sufficient amount of neighborhood drama. So, in no particular order, here are a few things that have made me scratch my head lately.
I like to take the kiddies out for a walk almost everyday. This week we saw two grown men acting like complete idiots! Our neighborhood has a greenbelt running along side of it. Its basically a narrow strip of woods and a small creek flanked by a strip of grass. Our token 'open space.' So, there were two guys standing there on the grass of the greenbelt. At first I thought they may be fishing. (You never know what you may catch in there: sunnies, bluegill, a shopping cart maybe) But upon closer inspection, I realized that they were wielding golf clubs and the bucket was full of golf balls. I wondered if they were trying to hit the balls into the creek. Sounds pointless, but what else would they be doing? Well, turns out that they were whizzing golf balls into the woods across the creek. One after the other, they were sending these golf balls at rocket speed into the woods. Whats wrong with that, you wonder? Well, the woods are the local hangout for neighborhood kids. They explore, play, ride bikes and probably do lots of nefarious things back there. In fact, the woods were alive with the sound of kids, even as the idiots sent projectiles rocketing their way. I don't exactly know what they were thinking, but I sure hope no one was hurt. As if to prove their intelligence, as I was walking past, one of the men crouched down to get another ball and saluted us with a horrifying two-bun salute. Yikes! I need therapy!
Last week we saw a man scouring the greenbelt near the baseball field with a metal detector. I've seen this guy before. He goes all along the greenbelt waving his magic wand around looking for.......what?!? Seriously, does he think he's going to find something fabulous? He might, but there's a better chance that all he'll turn up are a few nickels and someone's lost half of a 'Best Friends' necklace. I can't see how its worth his time to poke around our neighborhood looking for someone's discarded treasures. Hmmmmm...maybe its a cover-up operation for something more interesting. I'll have to develop a conspiracy theory about that one.
While I am in therapy for seeing some stranger's hind end, I think I will mention my neighbor's bird. Its enough to make me crazy. Our neighbors are the kind of people who collect pets. They have a menagerie of birds, dogs and cats. Their newest addition to the aviary has the loudest and most hideous bird noise I have ever heard. It sounds somewhat like an air horn and can be heard inside our house, with the windows closed! And the offending bird is across the street inside its own house! It reminds me of the dog with the mutant bark/wail that used to live next door to my grandparents. Is there some kind of obscure sound ordinance that prohibits the owning of loud obnoxious birds? I'll have to check into that!
In case this sounds like the neighborhood of your dreams, there are several houses for sale on our street! Seriously, its a nice neighborhood, but even nice neighborhoods have their weirdos. Hopefully I'm not one of them.

Word Spurt

If there is such a thing, James has just had a word spurt. (Like a growth spurt for the brain) He has been repeating words we say, as if he has said them all along. Except that they are totally new words for him. He now says 'orange juice,' as opposed to just asking for juice. He says 'home,' when we are going home. I was telling him that Great Grandpa and Grandma Cheyney were coming to visit soon. He said 'Ba-Paw Cheen,' for Grandpa Cheyney. He asks for his 'shirt' and 'pats.' He has even told me, two days in a row, that he is 'ting-tee.' (Stinky) Oh, and he tries to say 'nasty.' That cracked me up when I realized what he was trying to say. He told Grandpa that he wanted 'more of that.' Wow! A real sentence! He says 'peez' and 'tats.' One of my favorite James-isms is 'Jootz peez?' (Juice, please?) Pretty soon we'll be having regular conversations with him.

Feeling Grateful

Katie has been home with us for four weeks now. Each day, I keep thinking 'James would have been home for a week by now', or 'James was still on his monitor at four weeks.' What a difference it is to have a healthy baby. We've actually been able to experience all the little newborn things, without the health worries and the monitor. We can hold our baby whenever we want. We don't have to go through miles of hospital hallways and scrub up to see her. We don't have to stick little wires to her, or awaken to the shrill alarm of the monitor. I can dress her in anything, without thinking about where the wires will come out. Each night, sometimes several times a night, I look over into her crib and watch and listen to the sound of her breathing. I hold the monitor up to my ear and strain to hear the sound of James sleeping. I even listen to Jeff's breathing. I don't think I will ever forget what it was like to watch my sweet James struggling for each breath. Now the sound of breathing is such a comforting sound. When I can hear at least a peep out of everyone in the family, then all is well and I can go back to sleep. I am so grateful to have both my babies home with me, healthy.


"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever."

1 Chronicles 16:34

Dressed Up

Katie got to dress up for the first time today. The truth is, I got to dress Katie up for the first time. She could really care less. But hey, its my right as a mother to dress her in cute little things, right? We also managed to get James to stop for a millisecond to pose for the camera.

Jeff and James watching Veggie Tales

Zzzzzzzz.....

James reading with Katie

Peees, Bee-bee? (Please can I hold the baby?)

The Mad Scientists and Their Ill-fated Experiments

Jeff and James have been up to some strange business. Here are three of their experiments, in no particular order:

Experiment #1: Sneak into bathroom and experiment with a roll of toilet paper and lots of water. Conclusion: Toilet paper makes a mess when wet and sticks to all your fingers.

Experiment #2: Slop a dollop of mashed butternut squash on Mom's plate from a foot or two above the plate. Conclusion: Not a good idea. Squash uses the plate as a springing board and flies onto Mommy's shirt, the table, the door and the wall.

Experiment #3: Jump up and down on the bed in an energetic frenzy. Take a flying leap onto Mom's carefully organized piles of recipes. Roll around on said recipes. Repeat.
Conclusion: Jumping on recipes is fun, like jumping into a pile of leaves. It doesn't, however, do anything for the organization of the recipes.

Can you guess who did what? James was responsible for #1 & 3. Jeff can take credit for flinging squash everywhere. And who cleans up these messes??? Hmmm....

Siblings (I can actually say that!)

So James and Katie are siblings. Weird that I can claim that I am the mother of siblings. It still hasn't quite sunk in that I have TWO. Its amazing to watch how James has taken to her. I think they already have their own language together, or at least James does. He gets right into her face and says quietly, "Hi!" He gives her more impromptu kisses than Jeff or I ever get. He talks to her when she is crying. If she spits up, he finds something to wipe it up with. A couple days ago, he had just gotten out of the bath and was wrapped up in a towel. He saw that Katie had spit up and used the corner of his towel to wipe her chin. James also grabs Katie's hand to wave "hi". He thinks that all those flailing baby movements are her wanting to wave hello. James does have his moments when he doesn't quite understand what gentle really means. He is a two year old boy after all. He already laughs hysterically any time Katie burps, hiccups, or makes other noises if you know what I mean. Kids obviously don't have to be programmed to think that stuff is funny. I'm sure it won't be long before they are plotting together, 'hiding' under the covers from us and giggling loudly all the while. That'll be fun!

Three Weeks Old Already!

Newspapers and Broccoli

So you are probably all wondering if I have gone over the sleep-deprived edge and lost my marbles. You're thinking that the new blog name has nothing to do with anything and is just, well, weird. Hey, what do you expect from us anyway? I was pestering Jeff to help me come up with a new blog name, and this is what he came up with. While I was trying to come up with something cute/catchy/relevant/etc, Jeff told me to be random. Strange, coming out of his mouth, but I needed some ideas. So, after me blurting out many random and really stupid ideas, Jeff came up with 'Newspapers and Broccoli'. Where did he come up with that, you may wonder? Allow me to explain: each day, sometimes several times a day, we hear the obnoxious sounds of 'Pop Goes the Weasel' wafting up the street. As the music gets louder, James usually rushes to the window to see the approach of the ice cream truck. At first, we would shout 'Look, James! Here comes the ice cream truck!' Now, our friends' kids call it the 'music truck,' and they are happily keeping them in the dark as long as they can. We thought that was pretty smart on their part. Jeff and I started calling it the 'Broccoli and Newspaper' truck. Maybe that will deter him for at least a little while. Considering that the top of the van is shaped like a giant popsicle, I seriously doubt it. Anyway, there you have it! The reason for our new title.

A Day In The World of James

James started off his morning right with a visit from Grammy. Grammy is always a sucker for taking him outside, so he was thrilled!

Later on, James entertained himself by trying on Mommy's 'boot-z'

James had his first culinary experience, making cookies for Daddy. I don't know who had more fun, James or ME!

After dinner, James managed to find the sour cream and eat it with a spoon. YUM!

Before bed, we wrangled him into getting a picture with Katie. He wasn't having any of it and wanted to play with his toolbox.

Alas! While adults are working their tails off making a living and keeping things in order, James is kicking around in women's shoes and eating sour cream by the spoonful. What a life, huh?

Who's who?

Things I Have Learned

Here are the things I have learned you can do with one hand (while holding a baby in the other).

1. Read a picture book
2. Assemble and fill a sippy cup
3. Load the dishwasher
4. Make pancakes
5. Do makeup
6. Get a slippery toddler out of the tub and wrapped in a towel
7. Push the double limo stroller home after our walk was cut short by baby crying
8. Help James put on his boots
9. Fold laundry
10. And my greatest feat so far, performed entirely with one hand: diapering and dressing my squirming older kid!!!!!!! Wow! I impress myself. Ha!

In Case You Happen To Be....

Traveling with a fledgling flamingo or any other assorted wild animals, take a hint from Jack Hanna and don't try to squeeze through an airport turnstile. "I never thought about the crate being square and the turnstile being round," he said. Well, duh. Mr. Hanna managed to get himself wedged precariously inside the turnstile along with his young flamingo friend. Local firefighters were called in to rescue the flamingo. Click here to read the whole story.

HELP

Due to recent events, the blog name "Jungle James" needs to be updated. Does anyone have any great ideas since I am feeling uninspired? If you have a great idea, leave a comment and let me know!

Have you seen my mommy?

We found this poor bunny in our yard today. It is obviously lost without its parental units as it sat in the same place all morning. We don't really know what to do with it, so we just put it in the backyard flower garden. Hopefully it finds its way in the world, before the groundhog finds it! May the force be with you, little bunny!

Giving the 'Bee-bee' a kiss

Katie and Uncle Phil

Look how small she is!

Taking a snooze

Haircut,anyone?

James is now a certified Barber if anyone needs a haircut. He currently has one style available: the buzz.

Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa:

Check this out: Loma has its own website. How's that for nifty.

http://www.lomacommunitychurch.com/

Here are a few of the latest pics. James has been doing the sweetest things for Katie. If she spits up, he goes and gets a napkin to wipe her face. He brings her blankets and burp clothes, and tries to put her socks on when they fall off. He also tells her 'up, up' when he wants her to play. He gives her 'bow-bows,' which is elbows. He invented this in lieu of the high five. He touches elbows. Not sure where he got that idea, but its really funny. He also laughs hysterically every time Katie sneezes. Before we know it they will be plotting together. As for Katie, she is doing everything a normal baby should be doing: eating, sleeping and pooping.

The kids have a sweet new ride from Aunt Marinda. This stroller does everything but push itself!

James 'holding' Katie

Little Old Man

Jeff and James have a new project: organizing the shed! Jeff organizes while James 'helps'!

Here is my son who thinks he is a little old man. Yesterday he pulled his chair and footstool up to the screen door and just sat and watched the neighborhood. Yikes! He is already turning out to be the perfect little suburbanite, snooping on the neighbors. All he needs now is a pair of binoculars and he'll be all set!

She's Awake!

Here you go, Aunt Marinda! Now you can see my eyes!

James giving Katie a kiss...Awwww! Katie's shirt says "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" Its from her cousin Shelly.

Here are the kids posing for the camera. Its so weird to say 'kids.' As in, two kids...all ours. That's pretty cool. Things are going well. James is trying to figure out how all this new 'bee-bee' stuff works. He's doing good, most of the time anyway. Katie is just a sweet little baby. She doesn't cry a lot and is pretty peaceful. Its so weird to have such a small baby at home. Fortunately, we have no worries about health this time around!!! After an amazingly quick labor (2hrs,15min.) she was checked out by the neonatologist and given a clean bill of health. We are so grateful. Having such a new baby here, I am realizing I missed a bunch of stuff with James since he was in the NICU for two weeks. I am glad it was only two weeks.

Guess that's all the details for now...my tired mommy brain just gave out on me and I have run out of things to ramble about. Time for a nap!

Meet your new sister/brother!

She's finally here!

Good thing I have two arms!

Grandpa meeting Katie for the first time

More Pictures to Come....

The new family!

She's Here!

Katie Grace
Born September 11, 2007 at 6:30 a.m.
7 lbs. 7 oz. 20 1/2 inches

Welcome to the World!

It's September 10th....

That means its James' second birthday!!!

Happy Birthday, James!

Where was a witty comment when I needed it?

So, I decided to stop in at the corner WaWa and get a hoagie. I don't normally do such things, but it sounded good and I am nine months pregnant. Rachel was with me so she waited with James in the car. What happened inside has me scratching my head and wondering what in the world some people are thinking (or not thinking). I went to the counter to pay for my sandwich. The lady leaned forward and asked when I was due. I responded with 'any day now.' As I was answering her question and getting out my money, she leaned over the counter and with both hands started rubbing my belly. And, she didn't stop. She made some comment about not seeming nine months pregnant, and asked if I knew what I was having. I told her we were expecting a girl. 'Oh, thats nice,' she says. 'Do you have any others?' I told her I had a son who was two today. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, James!) She replied by saying, 'That's too bad. Does he want a sister?' Now what on earth is 'That's too bad' supposed to mean???? That their birthdays will be close, or that I am having another one, or that I already have a boy?! I really wanted to shake the lady, and on top of that she was still rubbing my belly. I just hurried up and paid and on my way out, she says in a very cheerful voice, "Bring her in! I'd love to see her!" Uh, OK, lady. You'll be lucky if I even come back at all. That was too weird.

Where's your nose?

New fangled technology here, folks! Check out this video of James. Click on the arrow and it should play for you.

Bad Habits

When you have a kid, you figure out that you have some bad habits. Unfortunately you figure this out when you see your kid doing something you do. Here are a few things we have figured out. Don't slurp your cereal in front of your kid. They figure it out mighty quick, and think its hilarious to try and slurp their bowl of cereal. (This one is me, by the way) Don't spit in front of your kid, in the trashcan or anywhere else. You will soon see your pint-sized protege lifting the lid of the trashcan, standing on his tiptoes and spitting into the trashcan. (Hmmm...I wonder where he learned that!) Another thing we've learned is to be careful what you say. Whenever I need James to move, I say "Beep-Beep, excuse me!" Well, he picked up on the beep-beep part but can't say the excuse me part. So now I have a kid who says "Beep-Beep" when he wants me to move. Its not like he's being rude. He actually sounds cute, but I also don't want him to run around saying "Beep-Beep" to everyone who's in his way.

And the award for "worst-thing-to-do-in-front-of-your-kid" goes to Jeff, for showing James how to launch a baby doll across the room using none other than the baby's bouncy seat! And I quote, "He won't actually do that to the baby!"

Lets hope not....

Who Knew?

Check this out! There is actually a Beard and Mustache Championship (http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/) Who knew you could do such things with facial hair. But why?????