Going with the Flow

Two of my favorite tools for keeping a healthy and happy perspective about motherhood are phone calls to my own Mom and blogging. I know, it may sound funny, but often when I feel myself getting overwhelmed by a situation, I can get my sense of humor back if I will just think of what my Mom would say or imagine some of you laughing with me as I blog about it. The following is one of those experiences.

Okay, most people who know me know that I like to get things done. One of my simple pleasures is crossing items off of my to-do list. One of my biggest frustrations is starting a project and only getting half-way through. However, since having Jacob, I have learned to be a little bit more flexible in my expectations for completing a project. One of the best examples of this change comes from cleaning my house. My personal preference is to get it all done in the same morning, but Jacob does not seem to enjoy that very much. So, my new strategy is "One area at a time". That way I feel like I can at least cross that area off of my list, and he avoids feeling neglected for an entire day.

I used to be able to get him started with some toys or books or something, and then I would have a good 15 or 20 minutes to work on the "area" for that day. However, recently he has decided that doing what Mom is doing is much more fun than playing on his own. Having gleaned some wisdom from my Mother, I try to look at this time together as play time with a little bit of work. Sometimes that perspective works, sometimes it does not:) Like the other day when I decided the bathroom was going to be our 'area'. I put Jacob in the bath-tub (fully clothed) with a cloth, and I told him that he got to 'clean' the bathtub while I worked on everything else. All I needed was a solid 8 or 10 minutes, and I could get it all done. Instead, this is my best recollection of how it went:

9:00- Jacob in tub, fully clothed, no water, and a cloth. Me putting on my cleaning gloves and turning on the sink.

9:01-Jacob noticing the water running, and asking for the bath water to be turned on. Me turning the bath water on at a trickle, putting cleaner in the toilet, and removing a few items from the counter top.

9:02-Jacob realizing that he could easily get more water to come out by turning the knob a little more. Jacob in tub, fully clothed, pants soaked, wet cloth, and crying because the water was cold. Me taking off my gloves, taking off his pants, getting a wash bin, putting it in the tub, filling it up with a little bit of warm water, and giving him a bath toy to play with in the warm water.

9:03-Jacob wearing only a diaper and a shirt, sitting in the tub, playing with his toys. Me putting my gloves back on, quickly cleaning the sink and counter top, thinking to myself, "Phew two uninterrupted minutes, this is going pretty well! Then thinking, why is he being so quiet?"

9:05-Me looking at Jacob. Jacob squished inside the wash bin full of water, legs squeezed into the tiny space, diaper expanding right before our eyes, and asking for all of his bath toys to be close enough that he can still reach them.

9:06-Me talking off my gloves, scooting Jacob his toys, and putting my gloves back on to get to the toilet. Jacob realizing his diaper has now expanded to such a size that he can no longer stand up or lean to get out of the bin, letting me know that he is not happy about this, and shivering from the cold.

9:07-Me on the verge of feeling sorry for myself because I can't even clean 1 bathroom in peace, thinking of what my Mom would say and what a great blog post this could make, taking off my gloves, getting the camera, talking Jacob into smiling for the camera, promising I will help him after we get one good shot, and laughing as I lift him and his at least 3lb diaper out of the tub. Jacob wondering why Mom just left the bathroom instead of helping him, crying in distress, agreeing to smile for one picture, and relieved that I picked him up.

9:08- Jacob and me in his room, getting a new, light-weight diaper, and deciding that playing with some blocks is a much better idea than finishing today's 'area'! So much for 8 to 10 uninterrupted minutes!

p.s. I did eventually get the bathroom done as Jacob napped, and I did have some good laughs with my Mom that same afternoon! Hope you enjoy!

Happy Birthday Joey

27 years ago Joseph T Moore came into this world!

We celebrated with dinner at one of Joey's favorites: Johnny Rockets, and for dessert...brownies with ice cream! Joey prefers his brownies all mixed up and the ice cream melted, almost like a bowl of cereal and milk. You might want to try it once, in his honor!
We love Joey, and Jacob and I want to share a few things that make him great.
He helps us laugh!
He will do almost anything to help make diaper changes easier
(including sing ELMO songs)!
He loves people just as they are.
*Those are Jacob's pj pants,

and Joey was trying to help me convince Jacob that it is a good idea to wear them!
We love you Joey! Happy Birthday!

p.s. In the first picture Joey was 17 months old. Jacob is now 15 months, and the similarities are amazing! (except Jacob does not have any socks that are as sweet as the ones Joey has on, nor would he leave them on if we had them!)
I love photographs!

CLOTHES!

My cousin Trisha first introduced me to the idea of using sign language to help your baby communicate, and I loved the idea. So, I have been using basic signs with Jacob since he was about 6 months old. Until a few months ago, it was basically just that, me signing and Jacob watching. I was about to give up when seemingly overnight he started using a bunch of the signs. It has been so great for him to be able to tell us when he wants more, or is done, or if he wants milk, etc. (We started with signs about food). Anway, I totally recommend baby signing to everyone! I love the perk of being able to communicate with my baby!

Of course there are some drawbacks to him knowing the he can communicate what he wants. The biggest one being that once he tells me he wants something he wants it RIGHT THEN! We are working on the concepts of waiting and not getting exactly what you want. As you can imagine it has been quite an adventure! I certainly have to pick my battles! For example: He will sign that he wants crackers all day long, and I have the fun task of convincing him that other food is a great option as well:)

Along with food signs he has learned a few for clothing signs (shoes, socks, hat, and coat), and that has lead to some funny moments. He is now sure that his job is to tell me what to put on and when. Some mornings I will go in to get him, and the first thing he does is sign for his hat or shoes or coat. Since I figure it is less detrimental to his health than the eating battle, I usually go along with it. Most days I manage to get a pair of pants on as well (Anyone know that sign?). The following are a few pictures of some of the outfits he has dressed himself in, including my coats which he enjoys much more than his own.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

That's him under my beige coat, searching through his drawer for another coat because he kept tripping on mine!

In his full garb!

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Vitamin D

Warning: If you live in a cold or overcast climate please know that this post is not designed to make you feel bad. We just thought it might give you a few more reasons to plan a visit:)

One of the aspects of life in California we love is the sun shine. Although it has been 'cool' here lately, we have had plenty of time to get outside and stock up on our Vitamin D. A few of our favorite outings include:

trips to the beach (Jacob loves to just wade in a little water and walk around in the sand),

outings to the park (where Jacob even got a ride in a mini-Escalade...pics to come later),

and bubbles on the porch.

Here are a few pics for you to enjoy! Whenever you want to stock up on your Vitamin D, we would love to see you. (That includes you Aunt CoCoa)

Lounging after the beach! With the keys (another one of Jacob's favorite things)