{Rubber-Sol: Why, hello there!}

If Only Time Could Stand Still...

Kate and her crazy hair. {click for larger}

I remember when Alison was just a tiny toddler.  After tucking her in for the night, I'd sometimes sneak into her room and watch her in the moonlight.  There I'd sit in the darkness, listening to her deep breathing and I'd find myself dreaming of her future. Sometimes, I'd sneak over to her bed and hold her little hand, pudgy and fat like a tiny sea star.  I'd gently brush her hair away from her face, kiss her on the forehead,  careful not to wake this sweet child. 

When Henry was a bit younger, I remember feeling so relieved to have a moment of peace and quiet while he napped.  Most days I'd feel victorious when I successfully put him down for the day's nap, but there were days, yes there were days, when I'd long to catch a rare glimpse of my sleeping boy.  I'd crack open his door, sometimes with Hank by my side, to peek at our slumbering boy.  There's nothing more peaceful, more angelic than a sleeping child.

And now there's Kate.  How lucky and blessed am I to wake up each morning to a smiling, bright eyed baby whose face lights up when she sees her mama?   Each morning, I pluck Kate from her crib, and hold her toasty warm body against mine and we dance a mama-baby dance, both of us cheek to cheek.   "Good morning, sweetpea. . . " I usually whisper into her tiny ear.  Her usual response is one of a broad grin and smiling eyes like crescent moons.

Kate's pearly buds have already started pushing through her gums, reminding me how quickly time passes with children.  Before I know it, she'll be crawling and walking and talking.  Oh my!  Who would have known that this tiny addition to our family would have me yearning for time to stand still, for moments to linger for just a wee bit longer?

There are moments when my mind flashes forward to the future, to the days when my kids are pubescent teens, and I already know in advance that I'll be nostalgic for these moments of now.  Long gone will be the days of needing Mama to tie shoes or to brush teeth or to scare away the monsters.  Far away will be the moments of holding Mama's hand or writing love notes for Mama.

So while the saga of daily chores and not-so-fun stuff continues to keep me on the go, go, go,  I know that the overall picture is what means the most to me.  I have three happy, healthy children and a beautiful, supportive husband all under one happy roof.  What more can a girl ask for?

Oooooh A Contest!

Okay kiddos.  I think it's time for a contest, don't you?!  I've been working hard on some top secret stuff for  The Paper Princess, and frankly, I'm in the contest mood!

Are you ready?

I said, ARE YOU READY? 

Okay, good.

Here's what you gotta do to win a super duper prize.  Simply leave a comment on this post.  If you feel like being a wisecracker, leave a joke.  Or two.  Feeling sassy?  Tell me something outrageous about YOU.  Don't know what to say?  Tell us about the weather in yer neck o' the woods.

Whatevah!

In a few days, I'll count up the number of comments and assign  a number to each and everyone of you!  Yes even you...shy-person-who's-never-commented-here before.   Then I'll have Employee #1 (aka Hank) pull THREE NUMBERS out of his hat (out of his Yankees' cap, I'm sure).  Those three peeps....why they'll get a FANTABULOUS PRIZE!  FOR FREE!  Woo hoo!

What will you win you ask?

It's a S-E-C-R-E-T, silly!  You'll find out soon enough Miss/Mr Ants in Yer Pants!

In the meantime, I'd like to share some goodies with y'all.  Today I came home to THREE packages.  Yep! THREE!  The first one was actually for Henry.  Here, take a peek, won't you?
His Dutch Aunt, Yvonne, spoiled him real good.  When she heard about Henry and his great big TUMBLE off of the slide, she sent some gifties to lift his spirit!  He was so utterly thrilled that the mailman "brought some mails" especially for him.  As you can see from these photos, he was quite eager to rip open the package!  Tucked inside the envelope was a gingham pouch filled with animals galore (Henry LOVES animals!), and (!) a book, I Can Fly!  I love this book oh so much as it features artwork by Mary Blair!  Thank you, Yvonne!  {Feel free to CLICK! for a better view!)

Well the fun continued folks.  Yep, it sure did.  I also received a package from new pal, Samantha, from Wales.  Her online shop, Plump Pudding, is about to launch, and when you get a chance, do take a peek at her stuff.  I've been visiting her site, oh several times a day!, to see if she's launched yet.  She sent a box of goodies for the kids (AND ME!). Click the photo for close-ups!  For Allie, she sent a little felt doll and bed clothes.  Alison was beside herself to receive these goodies as she likes to play "mama" to her dolls and to her real-life doll, Kate!  The pin cushion is for moi....and look at her labels!  Each item came in a sewn drawstring pouch.  The stuffed house is for Kate, and it's alread displayed in her room.  And the scotty dog was for Henry.  Boy he was lucky today!

And last, but not least, I received a surprise goody from the ever so sweet Aimee Roo!  We were e-mailing how we both like Sanrio characters (her faves are Keroppi and Cinnamoroll;  mine the adorable Deery Lou).  And before I know it, this wonderful pouch showed up on my doorstep with these f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s goodies.  Hello Kitty will always rank as my alltime fave. . .the bubble gum was DELISH, and reminded me of my childhood!  Thank you Aimee!

In my next post, I'd like to showoff some goods I bought from some great indie shops out there, and I'd especially like to highlight the owners' generosity!  So many slipped in little extra bits into my packages. . .

 

In Which He Dreams of Sailboats.

Has it truly been one week since Henry's accident?!  This week just about swallowed me whole with its continual demands to be everywhere at once.  Doctor's appointments and xrays up the kazoo.  But!  The good news is that Henry is back to his usual, rambunctious self!  It must be because of all of your good thoughts and vibes, prayers and anecdotes, e-mails and e-cards!  THANK YOU all!  It's so nice to know that my little one was in so many of your thoughts!

To make a long, drawn out story as short as can be, Henry is A-OK!  Well as A-OK as one can be with a full arm cast!  We're so grateful that Henry managed to escape THE METAL PINS (oh the horror!) AND SURGERY!  So a big WHEW! on that one!  He was supposed to get his "real" cast last Wednesday, but due to swelling the doc postponed that until this Wednesday. 

The first couple of days were rather delicate ones in that Henry needed an extra dose o' love and care.  He moved about gingerly, taking great care to watch for his arm.  Within two days, though, he was CLIMBING RIGHT BACK UP THAT SLIDE!  Uh, hello buddy!  Remember your pal, THE SLIDE?  The very thing that got you in this mess in the first place?!  *Sigh*  Boys!

I think Henry's most refined skill to date is that of getting his own glass o' water.  This requires him to climb up a chair to get a cup (and don't cringe moms....cast or no cast, I dash to his aid!)....walking over to the water dispenser. . . propping the cup between his tummy and the dispenser while he pulls the lever with his good hand to allow the water to flow. . . and finally grabbing the full cup before it tips over.  Very talented that boy.  Anyway, if you want to read a detailed account of Henry's broken arm ordeal, please visit Hank's site.  (You can also view the xrays!).

Anyway, though Henry is back to his normal shenanigans, he does manage to deal out his share of cute.  Lately he's been saying things like, "When I get bigger. . . blah blah blah."  Well the other day he said this to me, "Mama when me get bigger, I go on a boat.......and Mama, when you get bigger, you come too?  And we eat ice peam (cream) togedder?"  There's another variation in which he dreams of taking me on his motorcycle to get ice peam too. It's all very fricken cute.

Onto other news, Alison gave us a scare today too.  She was busy playing next door with a neighbor boy when suddenly the dad came running over with Alison in his arms.  She had tears streaming down her face....apparently one of the boys had flipped her out of a hammock onto the ground.  Lovely.  Can you imagine two broken arms?  That would have been a big DISASTER!  Luckily there were no injuries.  Man.  That was close.

And speaking of neighbors. . . they're moving.  They're packing up their goods, cashing out on their house (their house is now worth, oh SEVEN TIMES more than it was when they bought it a few years back).  They're moving to a cleaner, prettier west coast state.  And get this.  With their profit, they're PAYING CASH for their new home....AND they're pocketing a large lump o' cash to boot!  My lord the California housing market is C-R-A-Z-Y!

Anyway, I think I'll close here.  I'm exhausted.  Stay tuned though.  More shop updates.  More exciting stuff to come!

And thank you again for your kind comments.  It was so uplifting to read them when things were uncertain.  So thanks blogworld. :)

P.S. Pleae go and read Hank's post U Can't Touch This.....Henry's back in business afterall.

What the Heck is Going On?

Okay, so I'm in the final stretch.  Maternity leave has officially started, and I'm in full-blown nesting mode.  I never knew about the nesting instinct before becoming pregnant.  Heck! There are a lot of things I never knew about pregnancy.  For those of you who are curious, here are my top 10 pregnancy "discoveries!"

1. LOOPINESS, a.k.a.  "The Duh Factor" - Who knew raging hormones would affect my ability to think like a normal adult?  Instead I've become quite the airhead who forgets names, switches sounds in words (i.e. "I'd like the Meatless Peggie Vatty"), and spaces out.  The Duh Factor has even stumped my five year old daughter.  I've seen her cock her eyebrows at me as if to say, "WTF?"

2.  MANE ATTRACTION.  During pregnancy, the estrogen hormone causes hair to remain in the growing phase and stimulate the growth of one's hair.  So my hair has been thicker, fuller, and more luxurious!  Sounds great, right?  Well, yeah.  It's great for now.  But just wait until the Bun is four months or so, and my hair will begin to fall out in excessive amounts.  Google has taught me that there's even a name for this symptom.  It's called:  Telogen Effluvium.  Boy can't wait for that to happen again.

3.  I HEART TUMS.  Again our mischevious friend PROGESTERONE proves naughty by causing bouts of HEARTBURN.  Oh joy!  The feeling of having that falafel sandwich lodged at the base of my throat has never been so fun.  I get to relive my meals over.  And over.  And over again.

4.  BOOBY PRIZE.   Hey gals!  Wanna have bigger boobs?  GET PREGNANT.  Bigger, bustier, bouncier boobs.  In my case, I actually have cleavage right now.  In fact it goes really well with my BIG BELLY.  But in the end, after breastfeeding is over, so is the boob factor.  Boo.

5.  MARKY MARK AND THE FUNKY BUNCH(es) of scars.  Okay so it's a known factor that the belly stretches to accommodate the baby, and as a result, those fun stretch marks appear.  But did you know that your stomach will ITCH like crazy as it's stretching?  Yep, it does.  To add salt to the wounds, you'll get NEW stretch marks with each subsequent pregnancy.  Yes, that's right!  A new batch...in different places!

6. CHOOS NEW SHOES.  Right now my feet feel like Bolillos.  Fat and doughy.  I think I knead a new pair of shoes.  But I'll stray from the Jimmy  variety. I'd rather wear flip flops all day instead of cramming these puppies into anything constricting.  Okay so we all know about swollen feet and such, but ladies did you know that your feet actually "grow" during pregnancy?  My feet are a half size larger since having Alison.  Weird, huh?

7.  BLOODY MARY.  It's common for women to have FIFTY PERCENT MORE BLOOD in her body during pregnancy.  So what does that mean?  An increase in blood is responsible for overheating, bloody noses, bleeding gums, itchy skin (shall I go on?), dizziness, leg cramps.  One good thing about this increase in blood volume is that ROSY glow!!  I guess, my trip to Transyvania has been postponed until further ado.

8.  MAINTAIN YOUR POISE.  Okay, so this is one embarrassing pregnancy side effect.  It's called URINARY INCONTINENCE.   Yep, that's right!  I CAN'T HOLD IN MY PEE.  Cough = pee.  Laughter = pee.  Running = pee.  Bending over to tie shoe = pee.  Doing the splits ** = pee.  I've never daydreamed about wearing my son's diapers more than ever.  Actually, I broke down and purchased some POISE pads.  Life has been dreamy ever since.

9.  IN DUE TIME.  Okay so the gestational periods of various animals may not be well known fact (an elephant's gestational period is 620 days?  Sheesh!).  But it is common knowledge that a human gestational period is nine months, right?  Well, not really.  It's actually TEN MONTHS.  Forty weeks = ten months (if you assume each month to be four weeks).  That puts the human race neck and neck with the dolphin's gestational period of 276 days.  BRING IT ON, Flipper! 

10. FROM HERE TO MATERNITY.  Being pregnant for the third time has made me fall in love with my husband all over again.  My love for him has manifested itself in the very breath and the heartbeat of our children.  I see my sweet husband in the caramel colored curls of Alison's hair, and I see him in the caterpillar green of Henry's eyes.  I hear him through their voices and through their bursts of laughter. 

The memory of having him by my side, holding my hand as I pushed our two babes into this world was a gush of happiness so deep and so magical.  It's a feeling that I'll never forget.  It's the image of him cradling Alison in his arms, kissing her gently on her pink forehead before passing her to me for the first time.  It's the memory of him smiling through tears as Henry came wailing into this world.  It's God's blessing that I get to relive all of this happiness one more time.

** Silly readers, I can't do the splits.

Rubber Sol's Boiling Point

EPISODE 24, AKA “Oh God, Wait Until Your Father Gets Home”

CAST:
HENRY:  devilish toddler with a penchant for shenanigans. 
ALLIE:  cranky youngster on a Valentine sugar high
LESLIE:  exhausted, frumpy, loopy, highly volatile mom on the verge of explosion.

SHOW SYNOPSIS:  Watch this episode of RS’s Boiling Point as Henry and Allie push their mother to the edge. Again.  The scene opens at Allie’s preschool.  As rain strikes down, providing muddy pools o’ fun for Henry, dozens of mothers, perfectly coifed and manicured, line up to pick up their children from class.  Henry has a new umbrella which sets the stage for poked eyes, errant splashing, and random tantrums.

Watch as the fun continues at home when Henry refuses to come into the house.  Watch him run circles in the driveway, only to collapse into a heap right in the middle of a fresh puddle of water!  And what will Leslie do when Henry shoves his hand down his pants to reveal a hand covered in poo?   The gags and laughter are non-stop in this episode.

OTHER EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:   
• Guffaw as Leslie frantically apologizes to other mothers for her son’s antics:
L: “Sorry there.  (he he)  I know your LV purse is new and all, but my son, my son.....”    
Other Mother:“Excuse me, isn’t that your son over there? (points to Henry running across the muddy field)
L: (horrified, but laughs softly) “Ha ha.....er..... ‘HENRY GET BACK HERE NOW!’”

• Watch as Leslie tries to decipher the unrelenting, desperate pleas of her three year old.
H:  “Umbrewa, Mama, umbrewa!”
L:  “Here you go,  Henry...”
H:  “No, Mama, Noooooo!  Um-bre-wa!”
L:  “Do you want me to fold it up?”
H:  “Uh huh....” (Leslie begins folding....)
H:  “No Mama, Nooooooo!  NO umbrewa!” (shoves umbrella;  it drops into the mud)
L and H:  “WAAAAAAAA”

• You’ll (continue to) thank God you’re not Leslie when:
- Alison's freshly crafted Valentines fall into a puddle of rain.
- Alison says, "Mama your tummy is getting real, real big.....kinda like a whale"
- Henry showers the living room floor with three boxes of candy hearts (just after Leslie's swept the floor)
- a loud shatter comes from Henry's room (two broken bowls)
- Henry grabs his sister's candy and then throws it under the couch, rendering it "unreachable"
- As Leslie moves the couch to retrieve candy, Henry spanks Leslie's butt with his toy car.

And finally, watch as the episode wraps up:
Leslie calls Hank at work, scaring him to death.
L: "Hi uh.....I'm having a really bad day, and...... (voice goes up several octaves) ....Henry broke a.... (sob sob sob) ......and then candy hearts .... (full-blown wailing) ........"
H: ".....I'm coming home...."
L:  "No don't (sob) come home . . . and then I was a whale....."

*****
Yep, so that was my day yesterday.  It's all rather funny now that I look back on the chain of shenanigans.  But when I'm in the moment, I feel like a tea kettle on boil! 

Oh Violet . . . Anne . . . , please tell me these little boys grow up to be gentlemen.  They do, right?

I'm Baaaack!

Today was the last day of my 6 week vacation -- BAH! Work resumes tomorrow, and the Monday doldrums will return, I'm sure. The best part of this trimester, though, is that January is full of conferences, February is short and sweet (not to mention several holidays in a row), and March will fly by as the last weeks of the trimester always tend to do. We're still kinda on Hawai'i time -- waking up at 11 a.m. the past few days. So dreamy! Tomorrow will be rough, but soon enough life will return to its normal routine and rhythym (hopefully!).

Returning to Hawai'i was most amazing as I feel renewed in energy and spirit. Spending time with dear Hank and my two babes 24/7 brought us closer together. Time at work and school attributes to a sometimes rushed daily life, and this family vacation definitely restored the sanctity (and sanity!) of our little family. Our trip to sunny HI also let us visit with extended family -- I feel renewed on the family front as well. Being one of the few members born on the mainland, I always feel a sense of personal history in Hawai'i (after all, my family has been on the islands since the 1800s!).

While I was vacationing, I missed blogging and all of you, dear readers. Whenever something funny or blog-worthy happened, I felt the urge to type them up for all to share. I guess those stories will unfold with time. Returning home, I was overwhelmed by the gracious greetings and thoughtful notes awaiting me. I enjoyed receiving the cards and goodies from you all: HelloYvetty, Yvonne, Sweet Peas, Hope, Marilyn, Alexis, Ani, and JustJenn. I must say that this internet thing has sure brought some new friends into my life. And for that, I'm eternally grateful!

Dear readers, I also have a bit of EXCITING news to share with you all. Hank and I are expecting our THIRD baby....our due date is June 30th. I've been waiting anxiously to share the news with all of you. I kinda let it leak out to some of you earlier, but now that we're past the first trimester, I thought I'd share it with you all! We've already had a few ultrasounds, and just the other day we heard its heartbeat for the first time. Next month we get to find out the gender (please WISH hard for a GIRL!).

My belly has grown, but I have yet to wear maternity clothes. Yay! Last night I doodled this post's illustration to sum up how I feel about my dear, sweet husband. He has always made me feel so pampered, loved, and beautiful, even during pregnancy. During my pregnancy with Henry, I yearned to sleep on my stomach (my preferred sleeping position). Hank went out and had someone cut out a hole in a foam mattress to allow for my burgeoning belly to hang comfortably. I have to say, that is the darn sweetest thing anyone has done!

Now that you know my secret, and after I've done a bit of reflecting, doesn't this post and this post make sense? I was riding an emotional rollercoaster fued by pure progesterone! Not a fun ride, I tell ya!

Before I close, I'd also like to thank sweet Giao for sending me such a wonderfully thoughtful collage waaaaay back when. The collage (and yummy treats!) lifted my spirits, and they also made me feel so special! And also a big hug and thanks to JustJenn for that special, handcrafted card (scroll down to Nov. 20th). The card brought a good laugh and a happy smile to my face. Both of your thoughtfulness came when I was feeling low, and I am so grateful for that! :)

Well my friends, I've rambled a bit too much. I think I'll close here, but before I do, I thought I'd leave you with a picture of the FINISHED apron (this one went to my MIL) worn my moi (do I look pregnant?). I'll snap a pic of the one for my mom later. Now, get Gifty-ing! :)

P.S. I'm having trouble getting my right column to show up -- it gets smooshed onto the WAAAY bottom left column. I only see this in internet explorer, but not other browers. What shows up on your screen? And what browser are you using? Thanks so much!

Birthday Greetings

Birthday Greetings

¡Happy Birthday to my sweet Querido!  You are simply the BEST: friend, husband, *father*, coach, writer, poet.  May the birthday angels descend upon you with promises for a happy, fulfilling year ahead!  I love you to bits!

The Tree O' Worries

My branches are heavy with ripe worries and headaches, but things are looking much brighter today. Afterall, I my off-track time starts in a mere two weeks! Yay!

Smelly Pants

Smelly Pants

I thought I'd participate in Penelope's Illustration Friday. I had a lot of fun creating Lil' Smelly Pants. It's amazing how wee ones can create such monstrous, horrific smells! I've changed hundreds and hundreds of diapers, and changing the smelly ones can really put your gag reflex to the test! (I see all you moms -- and dads -- nodding your heads!)

Many thanks for your positive comments and feedback to my previous post. It felt really good to write it, and Hank appreciated it immensely. After scanning in the photograph, I was stunned to realize how much my husband resembles his father.

I anticipate another weekend of family fun as we'll celebrate my mother's birthday, and perhaps we'll head on out to the local pumpkin patch to pick this year's jack-o-lantern. I've got to get sewing! Halloween costumes, here I come!!!

A.D.I.D.A.F.

All Day I Dream About Food

My son, Henry, has been a rather robust fella ever since he was born. Weighing nearly 8 pounds and stretching out at nearly 22", he was considered larger than average. I can't imagine what his mass would have been had he stayed in the womb the remaining 4 weeks. He was an early bird, I suppose. At a wee week old, he gulped down milk much like a baby calf would. In fact he would drink so much, filling his tummy, that oftentimes he would vomit his meal back up (á la projectile style). Oh those were the days.

At a mere 9 months, he weighed in at a whopping twenty-eight pounds. TWENTY-EIGHT POUNDS! (Please let me add that at this point he was only 2 pounds lighter than thirty-two month old Allie). Now I'm sure you're imagining a fat baby, a little gordito. But no! He wore his weight well. He has always been an ACTIVE baby, so I suppose food continues to fuel his constant activity and movement.

Last night, just as Allie filled her belly on 2 whole ounces of air, Henry chowed down THREE HOTDOGS. THREE. Hank jokes that he'll be the first toddler to win Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest. I tell ya that Takeru Kobayashi has got nothin' on Henry. Nothin'. And this morning for breakfast? 4 waffles. Count 'em. ONETWOTHREEFOUR. All sitting compactly in Henry's belly.

There are days when I'll walk into the kitchen for, say a glass of water, and Henry will immediately follow me inquiring, "Eat, Mama? Me eat?" And then there are those moments, you know the ones that you'd like to forget about. The times when Henry opens the trash can to find a treasure of leftover food scraps. Yum, old taquitos never tasted so scrumptious.