Kate!

I've been asked to post a picture of Kate, so here you go dear friend of mine!

Kate is an enigma to me. Girls have always been a foreign concept to me, I never thought I would get one. I used to love hearing stories about girls and the differences between girls and boys, and I always said I was a better mom to boys than girls. I don't know if that is true or not anymore, I guess time will tell.

The interesting thing about it is that I never realized how much I wanted a girl until I had one.

Luke!

My little Luke, also known as "Ukey, Ukey, Ukey" in some parts (especially the South), is such a great little guy! He has two wonderful smiles, one with his mouth wide-open and beaming eyes and another as he sucks his bottom with a grin. The latter is new since his first tooth! His laughs are just contagious, big belly laughs nothing short of hilarious due to not much more than a glance from anyone. He's a super-happy guy and so much fun to be around!

But he's got this issue I cannot figure out. He loves to wake up and hang out within the 5 o'clock hour. Granted, I love the boy and love to spend time with him but I also like to sleep! This is a problem.

He usually wakes up singing. He'll make musical noises in his crib until one of us goes to get him. He wakes up with one of those aforementioned grins and a squeal of delight. Baby talk for "Good morning, great to see you!" If we don't go in there quickly enough, he usually will serenade us for about five minutes before frustration sets in, he will start to cry. Alas, we would prefer to go in to a squealing baby rather than a fuss-bucket!

I would like to think he just wants to spend some quality time with me. I sometimes feel like I'm short-changing my kids, especially the babies, because I cannot spend as much quality time with each one as I would like. I'm a busy mom with five kids, unfortunately there's a lot to do! So maybe he just needs some one-on-one time with me. Honestly, I could think of better times. I look very haggardly when I wake up before the sun, my breath is atrocious, and I'm grumpy (coffee can take the edge off, but it's not a perfect solution). I don't want to spend any time with me, why would this little guy?

We've tried letting him cry but he will just get hysterical and usually wakes up Kate. We've tried pelting him with food at night to ward off the morning hungry pains. We've tried getting him to sleep later but then we are just burning the candle at both ends. Nothing seems to help!

Today he woke up at 4:59, a minute before Steve's alarm went off. I got him up, changed his diaper, and made him a bottle and me some coffee. We went downstairs and played and I read the paper. I do enjoy the quiet time in the house, it is quite peaceful, but I would trade it in a heartbeat for another two hours of sleep.

Fast-forward two and a half hours. Kate wakes up with a big grin and a desire to play. Luke is crabby and wants to go back to sleep...me too! I get her up, he goes to sleep. Sweet dreams my little one!

My day is just beginning!

A Big Challenge

I have come to realize through much experiences and observations that I am not the mom I want to be. I know we are not all perfect, but there are certainly many ways for me to improve. I don't want to change the world, just tweak my world a little bit.

My kids are picky. My husband is picky. I am told I am picky too, though I disagree with this a bit. I read an article a couple of months ago in the Washington Post about picky eaters. The article talked about "supertasters", people whose sense of taste and texture is much more heightened than most. Steve whole-heartedly subscribes to this position. He has always been a picky eater, mostly with vegetables, saying the texture just isn't good. I think he sees it as an excuse and another way to be "super." The article also said people who eat one item at a time on their plate (that's me!) are picky. I would say that it has less to do with pickiness and a lot more to do with my OCD (something I may address another time), but call it what you like! My kids basically follow in their dad's footsteps. They see his nose flare at the green beans (texture!) and suddenly I'm the bad guy for even thinking they should put this toxic, green vegetable in their bodies. A mushroom may put them over the edge.

We have made some subtle changes over the years. We switched to Ovaltine rather than Hershey's Syrup for chocolate milk, use 1% rather than 2% milk (skim milk may be in our future), water down all juice for the kids, and I make my own popsicles to cut down on sugar. My kids take their lunches to school so I can see what they're eating. I even belong to a local CSA for organic fruits and vegetables and a local dairy co-op for organic milk and eggs. I have bought a couple of books to lead me in the right direction and a couple more for recipes once I am there. I am armed with all the ammunition, let's roll!

My first step is to encourage five servings of fruits and veggies a day. I will keep you updated! Wish me luck!