8 months old (with videos!)

I really love this age.  Sam is not yet crawling.  He's still content to ride along in the carrier. He still easily falls asleep in my arms.  And he is so, SO adorable!

Samuel: 22lbs 8oz, 28.25"

Amelia: 18lbs 12oz, 27.25"

Marley: 17lbs 2oz, 27"

And now for the videos!!



He can't get down from (or up to) sitting on his own, yet.  I mean, he can, but it involves falling on his face, so I usually just help him:)



Playing one of his favorite games!



I love that there are tons of "floor raspberries" videos that YouTube recommends after you watch this one.  Apparently, this is a common thing among babies this age.



Okay, one more. You might want to turn your volume down for this one.

Wipin' butts and takin' names

Jeff gets back tonight, and I only had one nervous breakdown while he was gone. Yes, I realize there's still time, but I'll count that as a success. Hooray! AND the house has been thoroughly de-sick-ified. HUGE hooray! Thanks for all the well-wishes. I think we are all better now - just in time for summer!

ETA: Oh, right. So, as the parent of three young children, I've recently been thinking about the massive amount of time I spend wiping butts.

Baby butts: Wiping baby butts is the most time-intensive. Generally, there are multiple poops each day. Plus, there are poopy diapers to deal with afterward.

Potty-training butts: During this stage the actual wiping gets easier (usually), but a lot of time is spent waiting for the poop's arrival. And when there's a miss...just, yuck.

Big kid butts: We're SO close to being completely potty-independent now. But five year-olds still need help wiping, and the learning process is a bit...messy.

So, by my calculation*, I spend roughly 65% of my day taking care of the potty needs of others.

*I didn't actually do any sort of calculation. This number may be a little off.

Enjoy some random photos!

Crappy Father's Day!

Marley was the first to get hit.  Last weekend he threw up in the car on the way home from Nai Nai and Grandpa Boston's house.  We thought he was just car sick.  Then he threw up every hour all night long.  Jeff earned his Daddy stripes by "sleeping" in a chair in the living room and holding a bucket under Marley's head each time he needed to hurl.

We managed to have a somewhat normal week, even making it out to see a Mariner's game one evening!  Then, it was Amelia's turn.  Poor girl came out of her room at one o'clock in the morning, covered in puke.  Jeff headed back to the chair to be the official bucket holder.  Sam and I stayed quarantined in our room, hoping that it would pass us by.

No such luck.  By Saturday night, we were all violently ill.  Except Marley.  He was fully recovered.  And full of energy.  Since no one else had an appetite, he figured he should get to have whatever he wanted for dinner.  He requested Huevos Rancheros.  He got a bowl of cereal.

There was no breakfast in bed or fun family outing for us on Father's Day.  Jeff and I took turns cleaning up poop and puke off of everything and everyone in the house.  I have never done so much laundry in my life.  Seriously, being this sick is terrible under any circumstances.  But, with both of us basically unable to function and still having to take care of Projectile Vomit Baby, Diarrhea Girl, and Super Peppy Boy, it's amazing we all survived!

Well, at least we have so far.  I'm really hoping the worst is behind us because Jeff is out of town at a conference for the rest of the week.  Wish me luck!  I'm also hoping he orders himself breakfast in bed one day to make up for the plain piece of toast and watered down apple juice he got for Father's Day.

And here's what the kids had to say about their dad earlier in the week, during happier times.

Marley: "My dad makes blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  He plays Mario with me.  We went to the baseball game and he got me a bag of peanuts and it was really yummy.  I love my dad because he loves me.  And I love that he is the best dad ever.  And that is the end of my story."

Amelia: "I love to play with my dad and I love when he sits next to me when we're eating dinner.  And when he gives me Rice Krispies for breakfast and all that stuff.  When I'm sad, daddy plays my special calm down music for me.  Marley says it's sleep music, but I say it's calm down music."

Sam: "Da-Da-Da-Da-Da-Da-Da-Da!"

Edit: Here are a few photos from the game. Check out the awesome 2nd row seats Jeff scored for us!