Things on my Mind

What's been running through my mind the past two weeks? Obviously, all things Japan. Every now and then other things crept in as well. Here are some of them.....

Abby was dead certain that she colored this picture, even though it has Linus' name on the top. She regularly steals other kids work and claims it as her own. I'd give this burglarized artwork a B-.

You know that Abby takes after me when she flips over her coloring sheet and makes "lists" of things she needs to do on the back of her paper. It was really fun having her talk about what she drew and how it made her feel. I love that she has a can-do spirit about her -- always jamming her day full of things she wants to accomplish. Mad props for her organization!

Abby's new morning passion is a glass of milk and a nutella sandwich. Not the healthiest, but totally enjoyable. That being said, isn't a nutella sandwich just a white trash version of a chocolate croissant? Would I be classing-it-up by taking the crusts off?

Oliver had another doctor's appointment the other day. As we were waiting, a young mom came in with a baby (about 1.5) with a this-can't-even-be-real-it's-so-huge goose egg sticking out of her head. I don't speak German, but what I got out of the conversation was that the child got hurt at her kita and the lady brought her in to be looked at. The lady was clearly panicked, and her child was clearly in trouble.

Seconds after the nurse left to go get the doctor, the baby started projectile vomiting all over the waiting room. The mom was doing everything she could to try to calm the baby down and keep the puke somewhat contained. I immediately stopped breastfeeding Oliver and ran to the front desk to get the nurse.

I followed the nurse back into the room and witnessed the doctor telling her to go to the ER. After standing around for a few minutes, I realized that I didn't put my breast back into my nursing bra and I was just standing there holding Oliver with my milky boob hanging out for the world to see. Awesome. I guess I really have turned European.

I was so engrossed with the book To Kill a Mockingbird that I spent a whole afternoon reading it while sitting on a large pile of laundry and feeding/playing with Oliver with one hand. Yup, best mom ever.

Dear Oliver: It's time you learned to sit up, push up on your tummy, make some effort to crawl, and eat more solid foods. The doctor said 50% of your problem is in your head and that if you really wanted to do it your muscles are now strong enough. Unless you want me to start spending your college money on weekly massages for my super sore back from carrying you around all day, you better get your "sit on" ASAP. Love, Mom.

P.S -- I'll actually put something in that cup when you make the above mentioned changes. Until then, enjoy your air snack.

P.P.S -- I can't get enough of your chubby cheeks and adorable much-rounder head. Ugh. I just can't say no to you. I'd carry you around forever if you really wanted it :)

I love that 3 out of 4 of my "kids" are Saturday lazy bum nappers. I covet nap time.

This is what I did the day I found out about the earthquake in Japan -- updated my 72 hour kits and food storage.

Oliver was kind enough to test out the emergency knife and radio.

He is SO happy we are prepared.

We tried to do a trial run for Abby's pictures on Wednesday. I see we've mastered the badger look...

The caught by surprise look....

And the cringe look....

Max is obsessed with Oliver and his helmet. He always puts his on whenever Oliver comes to visit. Oliver is obsessed with anything Max plays with. He's the coolest. It's hard to tell in the video, but Max is "fake" knocking on Ollie's helmet. No children were harmed in this video.