Couches, Beds and Bottles

My voice is offically back. Thank goodness! This week has certainly been an interesting one. On Tuesday was bought a couch off of craigslist. I'm a BIG craigslist addict. It looked like a great deal so I sent Keith to check it out and he decided to buy it. Afterwards he told me, on the phone, that it had a smell but he wasn't sure what it was. When I got home I immediately knew that the smell was cigarettes. Keith also then informed me that he really didn't like the couch because it doesn't have enough back support. So I'm not sure why this smelly and uncomfortable couch is sitting in my living room.

Over the last few days I've managed to neutralize the smell to a tolerable level using baking soda and febreeze. I believe, over time, I can get rid of the smell all together. As for the comfort level of the couch, I actually like it and it matches our room pretty well. So, I decided to make a case for keeping the couch but Keith will not have it. So, now I have two couches taking up a lot of space in our small living room. The only solution is to sell one or both of them. I listed them both on craigslist to see which would sell first.

Here comes the most frustrating part. I've sold MANY things on craigslist in the past and had no trouble at all. But with this, I get email after email and NOBODY will follow through. I've people so much as say they want to come buy it right now and then never email me back. You've got to be kidding me! If I don't get one of these couches out of here soon I'm going to loose my mind.

On a more cheerful note, Noah got a big boy bed this week. He absolutely adored his racecar toddler bed but he kept rolling off at night or wanting to sleep in our bed. The other night I was fast asleep and when I rolled over I woke up because Noah was asleep across my legs like a puppy dog. I concluded that he must not really have enough room on his toddler bed. Since we got the twin size bed he has stopped coming into our room. He's been napping better too.


This week, Allison decided that she is done nursing. She would just cry all the time for about the last week and a half and I couldn't figure out why. I though she was teething so I kept giving her tylenol, orajel, and teething tablets to no avail. Finally, one night, I remembered that this is exactly how Noah acted when he was giving up nursing. So, I made a bottle and gave it to her and she hasn't wanted to nurse since. It's particularly weird because, up to this point I couldn't get her to take a bottle at all. Now she's just as happy as can be and loves to hold her own bottle and everything. Easier for me!

Final note, tonight we got the movie Enchanted from netflix. I absolutely loved it! If you are ever having a bad day just watch that movie and it will cheer you right up. So funny.

Laryngitis

Today I woke up and tried to speak and nothing came out. I've had laryngitis before but never like this. It's been a whole day and I still can't talk. In the past it's only lasted and few hours and then my voice is back. It was so sad when I tucked Noah into be and he wanted me to sing him a song and I just couldn't. I don't think he really understood. I just kept telling him that mommy's voice is broken today.

Over the course of the day, I noticed that Noah's behavior changed becuase I wasn't able to talk to him. If I needed to tell him something I'd get down to his level and whisper to him. He was almost more responsive to this than my usual tone. I try very hard not to yell but I definitely have a tone I use when I'm being firm with him. I simply could not do that today.

The other thing I noticed was that he also spoke more quietly. He likes to talk really loud at the dinner table and we are constantly telling him to quiet down and he rarely listens. At tonight's dinner it was very quiet because I was only speaking in whispers. Noah didn't feel the need to talk so loudly. There might be some benefit in speaking softly with children.

It's not a coincidence that parents who yell at their children tend to have very loud children. However, I never thought that if I spent an entire day whispering that it would cause such a dramatic change in the overall noise level of my home. When I do regain my voice perhaps I'll try to speak more quietly to my children.

"Please Help"

Today I was driving home from the grocery store. Allison was screaming in the back seat and Noah was complaining because he was hungry. I was feeling overwhelmed with the two of them. I pulled up to a light and saw a man standing on the median holding a cardboard sign that said "please help." Over the years I've had a rather cynical attitude towards the homeless. I almost never give them money because I am sure they'll go buy alchohol. I prepared myself to do the usual avoidence of eye contact and impatiently waited for the light to turn green.

Just after the light turned the man ran out in front of my car. I almost ran him over. He was running to the car next to mine where a woman was offering him a few dollars. As he ran by he looked me right in the face. There was something about him that caught my attention. He was very young. He looked like he was only a few years older than myself. He was tall and strong and looked quite capable of working. I began thinking of the economic hard times we are experiencing in this country. Surely, there are many who are out asking for help who are NOT alchoholics. For all I knew, this man had a family and was simply out of work and out of options. I was overcome with guilt for having such a bad attitude towards this man. How could I, as a mother, deny this man a little bit of charity? Yeah, I don't have a lot but I can certainly afford to spare a little for someone who has nothing.

I pulled into the next shopping center and found a Subway. With two screaming kids in tow I bought a sandwich, cookies and some juice. With a few dollars added to the bag I drove back to place the man had been and he was gone. I panicked. Noah was in the back seat begging for the cookies he knew I had. I kept telling him they were for someone who had no food. I drove every direction from that point figuring he couldn't have gone very far in only 10 minutes on foot. Finally I found him and was able to deliver the food. He expressed gratitude and we continued on our ways. I drove away wishing I could have done more. I wanted to know who he was and learn his story.

The fact is, that I will most likely never see him again. But I have seen many like him and done nothing. I suppose I have a lot of time to make up for that. Upon reflecting on this experience I can't help but think of my own children. The poor and homeless are somebody's children too. If nothing else, they are children of our Heavenly Father. I can only hope that if, Heaven forbid, one of my children were is such a situation that somebody who show them compassion.

The Latest

Here's Noah in his cardboard box-airplane.

We've been on a smoothie kick lately. Smoothies make the best mustaches!

We had a very nice Valentines day last week. Keith's parents came over and we had some steaks cooked on the grill, yummy! We then made some candy with a little kit I found at the store. It was really easy and fun. Noah got to help. I wish I had taken some pictures before we gave them all away.

After putting the kids to bed, we went out to a dance put on by our church. It was specifically for the adults. They had a chocolate fountain and played a few of our favorite songs. We enjoyed dancing the Electric Slide and the YMCA, oh yeah!

My aunt and uncle were in town this weekend. Monday we went to my parent's house for lunch with everyone. My brother and his family were also there. It was really fun. That night we went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic, which I LOVED! Apparently I was the only one who loved it. It was not the kind of movie one takes seriously but is very entertaining.

The kids have been up to their usual shinanigans. Today Noah decided he didn't need to wear diapers anymore. I was pretty happy about that until he peed all over my foot. I don't think he's quite ready for potty training just yet. Allison loves watching Noah play. She especially loves it when he runs in circles in the living room. When he laughs, she laughs, which makes him laugh, which makes her laugh.....and so on. Next thing we know we are all laughing for no reason at all.

Allison fresh from the bathtub wearing the hooded towel Grandma Huling made for her.

This video is of Noah singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." He sings it all the time, especially at the dinner table and when riding in the car.

Shopping Carts

I am way overdue for a new post. Better late than never, right? Things have been quite busy for us around here. Keith started the winter season of his basketball league. He played the fall season and liked it so he signed up again. It's at a place called Hoops Magic. It's HUGE! It has 5 full courts in one gym. Quite amazing.

I am currently training for a half marathon. It's been a goal of mine since after I had Noah. I decided when I got pregnant with Allison that I wouldn't have any more babies until I did it. So, we bought a treadmill and I started a training program. It's pretty hard, but has been easier than I expected. I have been able to reach each goal so far. I am only up to running 3 miles at a time but I still have 9 1/2 weeks to go. The race in is Ocean City, MD on April 17th. I figured a coast would be pretty flat so that's why I picked it.

Allison is now sitting up all by herself. She does fall over after a little while but she's getting stronger and stronger. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. She really enjoys solid food and I am considering putting her on formula. I've been nursing her for almost 6 months now and I'm getting kind of tired of it. Keith thinks I should go till she's 9 months. We'll see.





Noah is still Noah. He's getting bigger and bigger and more and more independent. Last week we found a toy shopping cart at the thrift store. Best 99cents I ever spent. He loves that thing! This morning we went grocery shopping and he insisted on using his own little cart. So we walked through the store and I filled his cart first and then mine. He kept stopping to tell everyone all the things he had in his cart. It was pretty cute.


Here's Noah "teaching" Allison to sit up. He thought is was really fun to fall down.