Because sharing is caring, as is more frequent posting

Okay, so apparently even the mere thought of writing cohesive paragraphs for the Internet is enough to keep me from updating, so in an effort to get back on track, may I present--bullet points! Also known as The Lazy Blogger's Best Friend.

• Jillian Michaels must have read my last entry wherein I complained about my first yoga experience and then took note of Jen's recommendation to give power yoga a try, because two days ago she released a new DVD called Yoga Meltdown, based on "quickly flowing yoga sequences to burn mega calories," which sounds like just the thing to convert me. I still do the Shred every once and a while on my "Stretch and Strengthen" training days, and I've recently revisited her Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism workout for cross-training purposes, AND the average overall review on Amazon is pretty high, so while I'm still wary of the practice, I trust her enough to shell out $11.49 plus shipping. I know it's early, but has anyone tried this yet? If so, what did you think?
• Speaking of banishing fat, I'm only three pounds away from the weight listed on my driver's license. Go, body, go, quit making a liar out of me.
• Did you know that writing references letters to help your very good friends achieve their dream of overseas adoption is really hard work? Even when they are wonderful people and you just know they've got this thing in the bag. Really, really hard.
• Lost. OMG. Crazy momma Claire! Jack's sideways son! Evil incarnate Sayid! Mind = blown!
• I can't seem to keep my hands off my kids these days: hugging their torsos, smooching their cheeks, nuzzling their necks. Each new skill they acquire makes me more aware that their babyness will not last forever. Kara will not always moan piteously to "try Mommy and Daddy's bed?" when she wakes up in the middle of the night; Nathan won't always insist on sitting on my lap while I eat my dinner. And at the end of a long day, they will not always wait at the kitchen gate for me to come home from work. As excited as I am to increase our mobility and explore new activities as a family and SLEEP THROUGH THE DAMN NIGHT, ALREADY, part of me is sad, hating that the days where they would sleep for hours on my chest are gone. This is what gets to me the most about not having more children, I think: the idea of never experiencing those early weeks of sleep-deprived euphoria again: the moment they are placed in your arms for the first time; the way their body wraps around you like a blanket. Commenter dcmama on Amalah's Bounce Back post on family size summed it up perfectly when she asked, "How do I know that I'm not just missing being pregnant and hoping for a less awful first few months with a baby?" Nathan's pregnancy was such a surprise, and the first year dealing with two babies was so hard. SO HARD. Surely it's not always that difficult; surely I would have an easier time with baby number three if numbers one and two were more self-sufficient. What if, what if.
• I guess that last bullet point could have been an entry in and of itself.

Now let's move on to my second BFF - Pictures With Commentary:

 

This is Kara. Kara is my daughter, a little girl who's made pee-pee in the potty several times in the last seven days and who gets a kick of riding around the living room on Mommy or Daddy's back. She also continues to soak up language and manipulate common words and phrases to sound utterly adorable; if you have something she wants (usually related to food: peanuts, raisins, pretzels, etc.), she'll come up to you and ask, "What do you you say?" instead of actually saying the thing we've coached her to say ("Please"). And no, that second "you" isn't a typo. I don't know, either.

This is Nathan. Nathan is my son, a baby-toddler more commonly known around these parts as Buddy, Little Boobah, Freaky-deak, and Crazyhead, a whirlwind spit-fire who enjoyed his handful of experiences with snow and sledding much more than his sister, except after one unfortunate face plant mid-ride in the backyard. (Here is tangible evidence that I've been attempting an entry for almost two weeks, because not only has all our snow melted, but this Saturday we should see temperatures elevate to the fifties. Better late than never?)

Nathan is still mostly on baby food at this point, not because we enjoy paying for pre-packaged jars of beef and vegetable dinners but because he still has a hard time digesting large amounts of their non-mashed alternatives. He can handle things like bread and pizza and tuna cassarole in small amounts, but anything more than that sends his digestive tract into a tailspin. Luke fed him eggs yesterday and five minutes hadn't even passed before Nathan vomited. This isn't the first time he's reacted to table food this way, so instead of pushing him to play catch up with his sister's milestones, we are allowing him to progress at his own pace. Isn't that nice of us!

This is Luke. Luke is my husband, a grown man who was insanely excited to take a second stab at devouring "The Big Ugly" at Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream, an Indy-area franchise. Patrons who finish the one-pound burger (one pound! fully cooked!) earn the honor of getting their picture on the wall. Being an avid Man vs. Food fan, Luke wanted his picture on that wall, so finish it he did, future stomach pains be damned. Adam would have been so proud.

 

The romantic outing took place two Saturdays ago while leaving the kids with a sitter, the niece of my old boss who currently interns in my department. Now that our formula days are over, we have a little money to play with in our budget, so Luke's and my goal is to have a couple of dates each month to recharge our battery away from diapers and graham crackers and Nick, Jr. Our next one is tonight, and the plan is to hit someplace in downtown Indy that doesn't sport high chairs. What can I say? We are simple folk.

Okay, now YOUR turn. What's going on with you all lately? It's like we never talk anymore.

P.S. Remind me to tell you about last month's playdate with Katy where I locked a sleeping Kara in the car. Because that was so much fun!

Comments

[Kathleen]

It's good to hear from you again! I was just thinking last night that I hadn't read a Frema blog in a while. Weird! Anyway- glad to see the family is as adorable as ever! I'm with you on the "As excited as I am to increase our mobility and explore new activities as a family and SLEEP THROUGH THE DAMN NIGHT, ALREADY, part of me is sad, hating that the days where they would sleep for hours on my chest are gone. " Lucky for me, I'm a year behind you so that isn't gone for me yet... but I still emphasize. And, way to go Luke! Adam would be proud!

[Parker_B]

So glad you're back! Wonderful post as always. You are everything I wish I could be (mom, wife, homeowner, professional). Thanks for sharing with us.

[Jen L.]

Let me know how you like that new Jillian DVD. I may go buy it today. I think you'll like power yoga...or at the very least, you won't fall down or teeter quite as much. (or so was my experience...)

Glad you two are getting some date nights. They are so important. I miss my lunch dates with my husband. The new job (did you know I have a new job?) doesn't allow time for that, seeing as it's an hour away from home and all.

I miss you. Let's facebook chat or somethin'.

[rkmama]

I am so very jealous of your 50 degree weather. We've barely touched forty and it's killing me.

I've missed your posts but it looks like you guys are busy living a fabulous life. Well. Except for that whole locking Kara in the car thing. I am so paranoid about that, it's an irrationally large fear in my day to day life.

Sometimes bullet points and captions are the only way to get back out there. We don't care... thanks for the update!

[Su]

Thanks for the updates, I was wondering how you guys were doing!!!
Let me know how it goes with the DVD, I think I might buy it.
Updates from my side:
-My dear boyfriend finally proposed, we get married in 3 weeks
-Got a promotion at work (yay me!!!)
-Our first baby (Sarah, 2 years old this Tuesday) is growing wonderfully, just as Kara
-Our second baby finally let himself be seen, so we know that its a he (BF and I are still fighting over names)

Well just an overview
Am so glad you guys are AOK

[Molly]

Act like you've been tied up helping the hopeful get a baby or something. Oh, right. :) Do tell the world that this was no ordinary letter. This was writing a friend's life thesis, for what was required. I will be forever grateful. And so will our little pumpkin pie.

I love hearing all of Kara's phrases--- and Luke! The burger! Hahaha Can't wait to see you and spend a day catching up and shooting the breeze. Mom pants required.

[Molly]

Mom pants are not the same thing as Mom jeans. Totally not. Yoga pants. If I did yoga anymore. Rock on with your bad self.

[Jenny]

Yes, the letter, totally harder than one would imagine. Even though, as you said, it is in the bag!
Great to hear from you. I would come here every couple days only to leave disappointed...:(
Hope you enjoyed your date night out!

[DaddyD]

Life moves on into the future so fast that writing down what has happened is hard to do. Even so, the joy is there as it happens.

[Jess]

Bullet points are critical. I'm a fan myself lately.

So...lately? Had a baby. Had to bring said baby to ER. Had a sucky week with new baby, but am now at home and she's all kinds of keeping me awake. Par for the course.

I SO forgot how much work new babies are. This is what happens when your kids are born close together. The first two years are such a blur and you forget all the horrid stuff. *sigh* Need more coffe, I think.

[Amy]

You might want to have Nathan checked out by an allergist. The things you mention about his reactions to new foods are common allergic responses. Unfortunately, I'm familiar b/c of my own kids' experiences.

[Frema]

@Amy: Thanks for the suggestion--I remember you making a similar recommendation back when I mentioned Nathan's reaction to a swig of whole milk, before he was a year. (He was still a couple months shy of turning one and has been completely fine with it since we said good-bye to formula back in January.) I probably didn't explain myself very well, but it's not new foods per se that upset his tummy--and now that I think about what I'm saying, the problem isn't with his tummy at all. It seems to be the texture of certain foods that bothers him. (Like, he can handle pureed peas, but not mashed ones). No foods are off-limits, just the way they are presented to him. He is making progress, little by little--meat in size-three baby jars, tiny chunks of cheese. But if it takes more than a couple of bites for him to work it down the hatch, his mouth doesn't seem to know what to do, so his gag reflex kicks in and up it all goes. I did discuss the idea of allergies with Luke, though, and we agree it's something to at least keep in mind. Thanks for offering another point of view!