Ju Ju and "Bubbles Mouth"

Already, motherhood it is the most challenging yet rewarding thing I have ever done. (And I'm only just over two years into it...) Even when my back and arms are aching from holding my big boy and my ears are ringing from Julia's crying while I hold fussy Gabe because she wants to be held, I know I am so lucky to have these two funny people in my life. I wouldn't want it any other way. Playing with dolls almost daily until I was twelve, I grew up dreaming of becoming a real mom. And here I am, living the dream. It may not seem like a dream-life when I have slobber on my shirt sleeve, no make-up on, disheveled hair, and feel so exhausted all I want to do is collapse. But it truly is. I love my little friends.

Remind me to revisit this post tomorrow, when the kids won't be soundly sleeping and I will most likely need to refocus. How can I not feel like I have the best job in the world when I see these faces?

Julia calls Gabe "Bubbles Mouth." And I bet he'll call her Ju Ju, like most everyone else does.

Julia's lunch today

Strawberries, carrots, and a peanut butter and jam sandwich with sprouts? And some Ranch dressing to dip it all in? Whatever you say...

Actually, I never saw her dip the strawberries. But that pbj&s was in there all the way.

I don't know where she gets it

One of Julia's favorite jobs is to help put away the dishes from the dishwasher. After we empty the bottom rack I throw all her cups and bowls from the top rack down so she can hand them to me while I put the glass things away. I was quite surprised when she gave the dishes to me in matching color pairs! She's been doing this for months. Also, during bathtime a few days ago, Jonny noticed she had carefully organized the colored foam numbers on the side of the tub. Not only were they sorted according to color, but also by number (or shape, to her) within each color group. We are quite impressed with Julia's organizational tendencies and at a loss as to where they came from...

Okay, sarcasm aside, those who know me well can see clearly why Julia may like things a certain way. But no, I am not obsessive about it. My closet isn't even color-coordinated. And when I put away the plastic dishes, they are stacked as they are grabbed. Julia would be appalled!

As if hummus wasn't enough to make a mother proud...

Julia has been a pretty picky eater lately. I hope it's just the silly two-year-old in her that's making her shy away from some of her previously favorite meals. For instance, just a few months ago she and I regularly ate avocado, sprouts, and tomato sandwiches for lunch several times a week. Now she won't even touch guacamole, which she used to down by the spoonful! It's not so bad, she'll still eat several things - including a few vegetables like carrots, celery (thanks to the Wonder Pets), frozen mixed veggies, cucumbers, and corn on the cob. (Corn is her recent favorite. She'll eat it any time of day, any day of the week - even raw.) She faithfully eats her plain oatmeal with a banana for breakfast, and any other fruit you give her. PB&J is hit and miss these days. Meals we can count on her eating: waffle and egg, french toast, pasta, mac & cheese, burrito, quesadilla, rice pudding (although she won't eat rice any other way), and pizza. And of coarse she'll eat crackers, cereal, and a treat or dessert of any kind. Hmm, the more I write, the less picky I think she is! I guess what gets me is when she suddenly won't eat things she used to love. (Plus, I am probably the least picky eater I know so nearly everyone else is a picky eater to me.) Oh well, the point of this much-longer-than-intended-post is that today we had a few breakthroughs:

She will rarely try anything new. But when I got out some hummus with our veggies this afternoon, she ate it all. First she daintily dipped the carrots but soon dug her fingers in and even tried to "drink it" like she does her oatmeal at times. Wow! (You can buy a pack of 16 serving size hummus cups at Costco. Awesome.) I was thrilled that for once this week her afternoon snack was something other than yogurt or grapes and goldfish.

And now, for the second and biggest breakthrough of the day. Dinner time is always tricky. I want her to eat what we are having but this is usually not the case. Today I tried out a new turkey meatloaf recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious. (I just bought the book on Amazon and can't wait to pack my freezer with purees. I think it should be titled Deceptively Nutritious, though.) I was trying to decide on a back-up plan for Julia's meal when I remembered people telling me about presenting meals to kids in mini muffin tins. I decided to give it a try. Julia sat down to a muffin tin full or peas, carrots, ranch, ketchup, cheese cubes, and meatloaf. I could hardly believe it when she took a bite of the meatloaf on her own accord! By the time dinner was done, so was every speck of food and dip in her tin, except for one lonely carrot. I couldn't believe it. She never eats any kind of meat and even peas have not been a big hit in the past. I was elated. Few things make me happier these days than when Julia has eaten a good meal.

So, why the change today? Was it the muffin tin presentation? Was it the way we all took bites at the same time and cheered with our hands in the air after almost each one? (And then toasted after a drink. She's big into "toasting" these days, thanks to Uncle Drew, I believe. Or did Emily teach it?) Is she turning over a new leaf? Or was it just a dream day for Mommy? I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Whatever the reason, I am proud of my little eater and so happy to know she is sleeping on a healthily full stomach tonight. (As opposed to last night when she went to bed with only a few Edamame beans, half a corn cob, and two tiny bites of sweet and sour chicken on rice in her tummy. Jonny thinks she learned her lesson after going to bed hungry. Hmm, I'm not so sure about that one.)

Oh, and if anyone has any other awesome toddler food ideas, please send them my way. I think I'll try more kabobs. It seems things are more fun on a stick.

P.S. Sorry I didn't snap a picture of Julia with hummus all over her face. Maybe next time.

big baby

Julia's two-year doctor appointment and Gabe's two-month visit were so close on the calendar that we were able to schedule them for the same time. (Very convenient for Mommy.) I thought we'd better make it a family affair, what with two kids getting shots and all, so Jonny met us at Dr. Glade's office.

If it looks like Gabe is humongous, that's because he is. He weighed in at a whopping 14 pounds even. That makes him exactly half of Julia's current weight.

At this rate, I don't know how long I'll be able to so easily push my two little ones as we run. Already, we barely made it up the hill at our first threesome 5k run last weekend!

Up and Running

I finally purchased a double jogging stroller a few weeks ago. I was nervous about running with Gabe at such a young age, but with an added head-support pillow he seems to sit comfortably. (Sometimes he does fuss a little when he is tired but can't quite fall asleep. As soon as we get home and I put him in the swing, he is out. This works out nicely as I am anxious to hop in the shower.) I was also relieved to find that Julia still enjoys strolling as I run. As long as she has her baggie of snacks ("nats") and I let her climb in by herself, we are good to go. It's a little tricky to get a toddler fed, a baby nursed, and all of us out the door before the day's heat sets in, but it is so worth it when I'm out there working hard and sweating. I have really missed that. And I love looking down to see the two little faces I adore as we run together. Julia even cheers us on. "Yea! The top!" she says, as we make it up a big hill. We are looking forward to our first 5k run together next week in Logan. We'll see how we three do!

P.S. As you may be able to tell, after much diliberation I purchased the Babytrend Expedition stroller. I really wanted to deluxe BOB stroller. I even bought it and decided to return it. I knew the Babytrend had almost everything I needed at about 1/3 the cost of the BOB. Plus, then I could also buy the Joovy Ultralight Sit'n'Stand for more compact strolling adventures. It was a long and hard double stroller search, but in the end I am happy with my decisions.

some firsts on the fourth

Despite our sniffles and sneezes, we had a great 4th of July weekend. (It just doesn't seem right to be sick in the summer. Really, chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight!? Oh well, we are all on the mend.) Looking through the pictures on my camera, I realized a lot of our festivities were firsts. All the more reason to document them...

Julia's First Movie: We four went to see the movie "Up." This was Julia's first time in the theater as a toddler. (The few movies we went to when she was a baby don't really count, I say. Technically this is Gabe's first movie too, but he slept through the whole thing, so again, it doesn't count.) She was captivated by the lights along the aisles, couldn't get enough popcorn, and was pretty entertained by the movie as well. (She loved the balloons, of course.) We nearly made it to the end, but decided to leave early as she was getting antsy. I wish I had a picture of Julia with both arms in the large popcorn bucket, but I figured it would be more courteous not to flash that shot during the movie!

Gabe's First Swim: Gabe tried out the water at the Lehi Pool for his first time. He was fairly content as long as the sun wasn't in his eyes. Check out the new look Cousin Jordan gave him:
Gabe's First Hike: This was not only Gabe's first hike, but Julia's first hike since last summer when we packed her around nearly every weekend. We were thrilled to find out that she is still happy to be in the backpack and loves to point out the rocks, trees, flowers, and water. Gabe and I hiked together with the Moby wrap. He fell asleep a few minutes into the short Battle Creek Falls hike. I loved having him close to me as we enjoyed being in the mountains as a family. Really, there was no where else we'd rather be that beautiful morning.

Melody's First Bake-Off Pie: Yes, I have made a few other pies in my day, but his was the first of mine to enter my Uncle Barry's Annual July 4th Pie Bake-Off. While this isn't really a contest, we begged for a first place pie after Barry declared them all winners. At that, he said my key lime was the most original and delicious. Victory! I couldn't wait to share my success with Emily, who tutored me in making the easy and, yes, delicious recipe. Thanks again, Em! Maybe next year I'll enter the chocolate mousse one. (But I still think nothing can beat a refreshing key lime pie.)
Gabe's First Fireworks: Well, I don't have a picture of crying Gabe and the fireworks Jonny set off in the street in broad daylight. But here is Julia, watching the show from inside. She ran in as soon as a loud one went off!
I hope everyone enjoyed a nice Independence Day. I always love this holiday and all the patriotic music, colors, and spirit that come with it.