What's up with us

If it seems like I've been quiet lately, it's not without good reason. Lots o' stuff going on around here:

The Good:

-Two adorably cute kids who are getting more adorable as the days go by... and more exhausting. I seriously love these two, but... Oh. My. Damn. Why doesn't my three year old nap anymore? Or my 5 month old for that matter?

-We put an offer on a house. It is totally an amazing house. I love it so much I might just run away with it to some deserted island for the rest of our lives. Caper about in loin cloths and live off the land and sea.

Anyway, it's under contract right now, which brings me to...

The Bad:

-We have to find a buyer for our house. Also, we have to make our house presentable enough for said buyer to walk through our house. Easier said than done with my offspring, and one fairly neurotic dog underfoot.

The Ugly:

-There hasn't been much sleeping around these parts lately. Mattias has decided he likes to rock and roll all night, as well as party every day. It's been bad. Like, I want to run away bad. Or, I am going to go play in traffic so I can get hit by a car and rest in the hospital bad. We've also been dealing with high/low blood sugars during the night as well as night terrors with Elise. It is so freaking exhausting.

Soooo, that's it. Hopefully things will be getting back to normal on all fronts very soon.

Seriously? Has it been 5 months?

Wow, my little man is 5 months old today... I cannot believe how big he's gotten. Mattias is a tall (long?) skinny baby, and he's already outgrown some 6 month clothes. I love how he loves his big sister and absolutely lights up when he sees her. Nobody can make him smile like Elise.

He can sit up for about 5 - 10 seconds at a time, thinks that sleeping during the day is for the birds, and really, really wants to eat actual food (we're waiting until 6 months on the advice of our doc).

Happy 5 months, Mr. Man! We love you and love you!


Now... enjoy these uber-cute pictures!

He loves to smile

Love. Him.

Me and my little man... I seriously look like I need to go to sleep for about a week. It's pretty much how I look all the time

Little boy blue... and he looks good in it!

Love this face... mwah!

Mattias's first snow. In Texas. Yes... Texas

Okay... technically it's not his first snow, as I seem to recall a dusting that happened either earlier this year or late last year. But it was all melted by noon, so it doesn't count. This? We've been stuck in our house since Tuesday, so I think this officially counts.

Snow baby!

Elise showing Mattias how to make a snow angel


Holding both Mattias and the camera... kind of a tricky shot. Cute, nonetheless

The girls from next door came knocking, asking if Elise wanted to come out and build a snowman... how sweet are they?

Elise and the girls posing with "Heart" (named by Elise). Heart's eyes are lifesavers and the mouth is one of those candy fruit slices. I have finally found a use for leftover Halloween candy!

Snow Day in Texas. Yes... Texas

If it wasn't for the precarious ice hidden beneath the snow on the roads (making it a wee bit dangerous to navigate them), I would so be digging this. It is, however, way better than a Texas summer. You can always put clothes on, but walking around naked is not allowed (at least, outside the house).

Here are a few shots of Elise enjoying the white stuff. I might try to wrangle Mattias into a snowsuit later. You know, if I'm feeling a bit crazy.

Pause

Mattias just moved into his crib the other night (okay, so I started this post over a month ago. These days I only have time to write one or two sentences a day. Who knew that kids would be so time consuming?). At almost 4 (5) months old, he was just a growth spurt shy of being too big for his bassinet, so we found some time and mustered up the energy to put his crib together.

As he lay in his new digs, grinning gummily and gurgling happily while he looked around, my heart broke; just a little bit. Even though he looked so itty-bitty in there, my little boy was getting bigger.

Which, of course, is one of your goals as a parent. You could never win Parent of the Year if your children shrank, am I right?

But it seems we are in such hurry for our kids to grow up, we come down with a bad case of "Can't Wait-itis". We can't wait for them to leave the "lump" stage/start smiling/sleep through the night/sit up/eat solid foods/say Mama/start walking/talk in sentences/go to school... We wish they would grow up so fast that we blink and before you know it, they're coming to visit you for the holidays in their mini van with their 2.5 kids.

Lately, when the time affords me, I've been sitting in the rocking chair with Mattias before his nap time. I love the feeling of his body curled into a perfect fit in my arms as he slowly drifts off to sleep. Of course, all the "experts" will tell you this is horrible parenting technique and I'm setting him up for a life of failure and a penchant to rob banks by not allowing him to fall asleep on his own. Since they only fit in our arms like that for such a short period of time, I am going to take advantage of it for as long as I can.

Since no self-respecting 18 year old should be sleeping in a bassinet, I knew this day was coming. I just wish it didn't make me so sad.