Susie's Leaning Tower of Chocolate for 2013 January

Thu Jan 03 2013 08:09 Funnies:
Maggie, tell Dalton what Chuck-e-Cheese is.
It's like Disneyland, but it's inside.

M: What are we going to do with these instruments? (ornaments)

Dalton, helping me pick out clothes for Sienna: Here's a fit out!

Dalton became obsessed with the word "Mister". It started from Mister Grinch he also noticed Mister Hooper on Sesame Street. And every other time someone says Mister. But most adorably and hilariously, he says, "Mister. What's a Mister??" all the time.

Apparently I invented a new game when I moved rooms FOUR times trying to keep Sienna away from noisy kids. Maggie asked if we can play "Quiet Time" again tomorrow. I hope not. That night she prayed in great detail about the "game." "Then mommy went to this room and I came in this room, then Mommy went to the other room..."

Mon Jan 07 2013 19:47 Sienna Stats: Here are the stats on Sienna from her 6 week appointment.

Weight: 10 lb 6 oz (55%)
Height: 23 1/4 (98%)
Head Circumferences 14 3/4 (62%)

Not only is she tall, she grew THREE INCHES since she was born! No wonder her head sticks out of the baby bjorn and her car seat straps seem low. Time to make some adjustments.

Tue Jan 15 2013 17:30 Mommy Laughing: Today after dinner, Dalton was having a "trick-or-treat". Pretty much all we have left is small packs of Nerds. I opened the pack and gave it to him, sitting at the table. He tried to pour it into his mouth, but spilled quite a few on the floor. In the split-second my mind was deciding whether or not to be mad (no - I was planning to clean the floor after bedtime anyway) he said, "I ate some."

Maggie and I found this hilarious and laughed and laughed. Maggie then tried to get me to laugh again.

Maggie: Besides spilling Nerds on the floor and saying, "I ate some" how can I make you laugh?
Me: Yeah, that isn't going to work twice. Tell me a joke.
Maggie: What drives a car, but isn't human?
Me: A chimpanzee?
Maggie: What's a chimpanzee?
Me: A really smart monkey.
Maggie: No, not a chimpanzee. A banana!
Me: .... *laughing hysterically*

It's funny because she has no idea how to tell a joke. I actually thought she was telling an actual joke from somewhere, but she just made something up. It worked though! But it didn't work twice.

(1) Tue Jan 15 2013 20:25 What the Cracker?:

Me: There ARE crackers in your seat. What are they doing there?
Dalton: They're sleeping.

(2) Wed Jan 16 2013 20:59 Sleep in Peace: Sienna was such a good sleeper last night. I fed her at 10 and she didn't wake up again until 6! Only problem is that she slept the rest of the day, too. She woke up at 11:30 (I had someone pick M up for school). And was up for an hour or so in the afternoon. Now she is sleeping on the floor where I put her 4 hours ago listening to me type and Daddy watch a show. I don't expect a repeat of last night, but it sure was nice to get 7 1/2 hours of sleep.

Sat Jan 19 2013 22:20 A Diaper to Remember: I blogged several days ago that Sienna had nearly slept through the night. She's continued to do so, for four nights in a row now. All the sleep is lovely, but it does come with side effects.

First, she wants to eat all the time when she is awake. Also, the abrupt change in our nursing schedule has left me with soreness that I suspect to be early signs of mastitis.

Luckily, I saw this third side effect coming and packed extra clothes for Disneyland today. No eating all night means no pooping all night, which means when she does poop - yikes.

We were just about to board a swinging gondola on Mickey's Fun Wheel when it happened. She was wearing two onesies, so it was hard to see how bad it was at first. By the time the ferris wheel had gone around once, I had a naked, crying baby face down on my lap, and her undershirt and half a pack of wipes in the motion sick bag so kindly provided.

Mind you, our car is swinging wildly this whole time. I didn't know what to hold on to: the clean clothes and diaper on the seat, the dirty bag sliding across the floor, the naked baby, the kids, or my lunch.

We managed to get her dressed on the second trip around. As we exited, Dalton picked up the white motion sick bag, with the top nicely folded down. "I bet he thinks it's donuts," I said. But he obediently put it in the trash.

John and I were both so nauseous from swinging while occupied, or maybe just the mess of it all. We didn't do many rides because of it, but luckily I was feeling well enough to use my fast pass for Radiator Springs Racers for the first time. Yay!

Sienna's second explosion happened in the car on the way home. It's a lot easier to deal with these sorts of things in the comfort of your own home than when swinging 150 feet above the ground. Especially since, by this point, a bath was clearly in order.

Sun Jan 20 2013 20:58 Nakey Boy: Dalton: I'm not nakey. I'm just going potty with no clothes on.

Sun Jan 27 2013 21:10 I Spy a Silly Boy: A couple Dalton funnies from this week.

We visited John at work for lunch one day. The next day we got on the freeway as if going to Daddy's work, but got off and headed in the opposite direction.
D: Let's play I spy. I go first. I spy something that's big and tall and it's Daddy's work. I spy a eat lunch and it's Daddy's work. I spy a drink of water and it's Daddy's work. I spy a treat and a poptart and it's Daddy's work. (He got a treat and a granola bar when we went).
Etc. So cute!

D: Are these socks clean?
Me: No, they're dirty. We need to wash them, then they'll be clean and you can wear them again.
Next thing I know, Dalton is in the bathroom washing his socks in the sink! I explained that Mommy washes clothes in the washing machine and that's what "laundry" is. Apparently, I usually just say "laundry" rather than washing clothes. He seriously thought we had to go wash his socks.

Another I Spy.
M, not wanting to play: I spy nothing.
D: Is it a bus?

Sun Jan 27 2013 21:46 Travel Bug: This post has been a long time coming. Lately, John and I have both had the beginnings of an itch to go somewhere. I'm wondering if these two of my highest desires conflict: one being home and the other being travel. I've decided not because at the root of it all is my family. John recalled a recent talk my L. Tom Perry where he quoted a letter he wrote to his mother saying, "You and Dad were never going on vacations alone. The family was always with you." Home is where the heart is. And I do like to drag my family all around the world (my easy-going personality makes that actually fun instead of miserable). And if we have more kids, we'll drag them. And when we have grand babies, we'll give them the opportunity. And when we're old and gray and have only each other, we'll be one of those adorable couples getting terrific use out of their Senior Pass to the National Parks, and working at Disney World.

I don't know where I'm going with this. The expiration of our Disney passes is just around the corner. We looked into some things for our trip to San Diego this summer and that helped. We are also planning a trip up the coast and to Yosemite to meet John's family. But it's not quite scratching that itch. From Tom Waits' song Shiver Me Timbers: My body's at home, but my heart’s in the wind

A few travel quotes I've collected:

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. – St. Augustine

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by. – Robert Frost

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. – Lao Tzu

Not all those who wander are lost. – J. R. R. Tolkien

Travellers never think that they are the foreigners. – Mason Cooley

There is no happiness for the person who does not travel. For Indra is the friend of the traveler, therefore wander! - Brahmann

Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken. - Frank Herbert

A few India specific travel quotes:

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving. –Lao Tzu

Embrace the detours. - Kevin Charbonneau

When overseas you learn more about your own country, than you do the place you're visiting. - Clint Borgen

The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it. – Rudyard Kipling

Travel is glamorous only in retrospect. – Paul Theroux

If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home. - James A. Michener

Tue Jan 29 2013 22:27 Three Times the Fun: Being a mom of three agrees with me. I don't think I've ever been so organized as a mom (for more than a few days at a time, at least). Sienna is a pretty easy going baby, which is nice since she gets dragged around everywhere. Poor third child.

Anyway, we can't seem to leave the house before 10 am, but I'm trying to plan ahead to keep things under control with three kids and John working late. Get dinner prepped anytime S is napping. Pack lunch for me and D if we're out so we don't spend money eating out. We even took dinner to Disneyland the last three times we went. Get Maggie's homework done early in the week. And use the evenings to catch up on everything that piled up while we were running around all day. Groceries that never got put away, piles of unfolded laundry, etc. Because it breaks my heart to wake up Sienna every time we have to go somewhere, I've been scheduling crazy days along with quiet home days.

A menu plan has been very helpful. And the crockpot. And a friend driving the kids to gymnastics. And my iphone/pinterest/calendar in the wee hours. And sometimes it requires kicking out the lazies and just doing it.

The one thing I haven't managed to get going again is activities for Dalton. He does get play dates and park time, but I miss doing crafts and activities with him. He gets far more ipad time than I'd like (even though I've found some fun educational apps), and we've taken to stopping at the park when Sienna's hungry if I know the alternative is going home and him playing on the ipad while I feed her. I can't seem to get him interested in toys very long, so I need to sit down and do stuff with him.