Itchy

To avoid the craziness that is dinner time while my husband is away, he suggested I grab something for the kids and me tonight. Not having to come home and cook sounded appealing, so I decided to take him up on it. When I picked them up, I asked Cole what he wanted and although he said a cheeseburger, my pregnancy cravings steered him to Chick-fil-a. He asked if we could eat there, and I thought sure, we can do that. No clean up at home. Keep them out of the house and out of trouble. Maybe.

They were actually pretty good while we ate, but Cole was eyeing up the indoor play area, and I knew we weren't getting out of there without at least a few minutes of climbing. That being said, I hate these things. I know hate is a strong word, but they make me feel annoyed and tense and itchy. Yes, itchy.

I braced myself as we went in and then let my kids go. Less than 30 seconds before the first kid banged into me. Actually jumped up on the bench where I was sitting and fell on me. Great. And where were her parents? Watching from right outside that little hot box and smiling. No, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Because of course, I was the only parent in there. Like usual. Of course, since half the kids appeared to be pre- adolescent, I guess they didn't need chaperones. I quickly decided that Chloe was entirely too little to be running around with all of the big kids, so I alternated holding her and pushing her towards the "toddler area" where an 8 year old was matching up the spinning animals on the wall and yelling at my 4 year old for touching them. Good times.

After no more than 15 minutes, I had had enough and told Cole we were leaving. It was a miracle that no one had plowed over either of my kids as is the norm, but it was still time to go. As we exited, I took advantage of the wet wipes and disinfected all of us. Cole loudly announced, "Yum, this smells like a shot!" No idea what that meant, but I just kept my head down. Back to the table for shoes and clean up, and Cole started playing with a vase on the table. "Is there water in this?" "Yes, don't touch it." I look down at Chloe's feet and the contents of the vase are swimming across the table. Of course. Quick clean up of the puddle and we are almost out the door.

And then the power goes out. Half the people in there are escaping their own homes that are powerless from the recent bad weather, and now these families are sitting in the dark in Chick-fil-a of all places. I pull my kids to the door and escape as quickly as I can. Cole asks, "Can we come here next time?" Sure, buddy, we'll be back really soon.

*** There are only pictures of my kids in order to protect the "innocent."

Day 1

Today starts an interesting new chapter for our family. My husband is in a new position in his company which will require him to travel more than he ever has before. I'm happy and excited for him, but I've definitely been thinking about the effect this will have on all of us, with 2 young kids and a 3^rd due to make his arrival any day now. This is how Day 1 went.

Normally, I go into work late on Mondays, but I was actually scheduled to be off today, which was really nice with the impending weather. Both kids had their share of Super Bowl fun, so after kissing Daddy goodbye around 6:30 this morning, we all slept in until 9:30! So nice for this very pregnant mom to get some extra sleep. Our plan was to eat breakfast and get ready to go out for the day- picking up a couple baby things at Target and then to NJ to meet up with my sister. I looked outside and saw that the snow had different plans for us. Yuck. The new plan was not to go stir crazy.

Being silly the camera

I made breakfast and told the kids they could eat in front of the tv today. First broken rule of the day. Chloe started off by taking food that wasn’t hers, climbing on everyone and hitting. First time out of the day. Back to breakfast, and I’m talking to Cole when Chloe knocks over her tray table, all the food on it and somehow manages to flip herself off the couch on top of the mess. First tears and injury of the day. Meanwhile, I’m hearing from Kevin that he is sitting on the runway in Philly, while I’m feeling my first Braxton Hicks of this pregnancy and praying that that’s all it is. (It was.) Oh, and Cole asks how soon until Daddy comes home. Thursday is a long way off for all of us at this point.

Hiding from Mommy

Cuddle time with their baby brother

After breakfast, Cole asks to play Madden on the Wii- his new obsession. This is an unusual day, so we’re breaking more rules, and I say yes to electronics at 10am. He plays that while Chloe occupies herself with her toys, so I take advantage of the time to check work emails. Well, neither of them like that idea because Cole feels the need to yell to me about every single play he makes, so that “good job, Buddy” becomes the only thing I say for what seems like forever, and Chloe follows me in wearing Cole’s shoes and tries to climb on my lap.

Back to the living room for more playing, followed by Chloe going down for a nap, and Mommy sorting and organizing baby clothes. The batteries in the Wii remote go, and we have a break from hearing, “I got a touchdown!” for the time being. After Chloe wakes up, we have lunch which is fairly uneventful, except that I can tell all 3 of us are already getting cabin fever. I need a plan. I look outside and the snow has slowed way down and our streets are cleared. I decide we’re making a break for it. I text and call my sister, but no answer, so I decide on Target. The kids are just excited to be going somewhere.

Highlights from our shopping trip- we use the bathroom hand dryers for wet shoes (mommy hack of the day), Cole picks an outfit for his baby brother, the kids try on hats to send pictures to Daddy, and we raid the dollar bins (where Mommy comes off like Santa without having to break the bank).

Trying on hats

My poor injured baby (looks worse in person) 

Pretending to nap in the cart

Real nap on the way home

We head home and all go down for naps. It’s after 4 by this time, so we’re breaking the late day nap rule, and I know I’ll pay for it later, but I just can’t help myself. Chloe and I get up at 5:30 and Cole not until 6. We have leftovers for dinner and my normally picky eater (Cole) scarfs down his dinner while my good eater (Chloe) refuses to eat anything until I put a cupcake on her plate with her stromboli and carrots. That and juice boxes with dinner, and we have 2 more broken rules but happy kids.

Eyeing up her dinner of stromboli, carrots & cupcake

Cole insists on a family bath after dinner, so we all hop in together and send more pictures to Daddy (I'll keep those for us), so he doesn't feel like he’s missing out. Pajamas and books, everything laid out for tomorrow, bags by the front door, and I'm feeling pretty satisfied that the night will end well. (Besides a lot of questions from Cole about when Daddy will be home and wanting to wait up for him. Sigh.) Of course, I should know better because Mommy's Law is just like Murphy’s Law and it’s now 10pm, and both kids are still awake. After an hour of trying to get Cole settled in his bed, he’s now lying in mine because Chloe won’t stop talking. I'm hoping that the separation leads to some sleep for all of us. Wishful thinking but it’s my only solution for now. Until tomorrow…

Christmas “Vacation”

Last night, as I was putting Cole to bed and he was giving me a hard time (as is his norm lately), I told him that we had a very nice Christmas vacation all together, but that he is going back to school tomorrow and has to get a good night’s sleep. He said, “Vacation? Where did we go?”

So I had to explain that a vacation doesn't always mean going somewhere, but that Mommy and Daddy were off from work and we were all home spending time together and that can be a vacation, too. And then I thought that even with Christmas and New Year’s, it was just all the simple moments that made my 12 days home with my family so great. Here are some highlights...

Hanging out on Mommy & Daddy's bed

Waiting to hear their brother's heartbeat

BFF Christmas cuddles

Listening to big brother read

Playing Madden on the Wii

Very excited to own his new favorite Christmas movie

Girl time

Painting toes for NYE

Trying out our new suitcases

Lunch date w/ Aunt Kate & Olivia

Little Doc McStuffins

"Arrr matey!"

What's in a name?

Any pregnant woman can tell you that we get the same questions over and over again.

When are you due?

Do you know what you’re having?

Have you decided on a name?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love pregnancy and babies, and I don’t fault people for asking these questions. I’m sure I’ve asked them to other women tons of times. And it’s not so much that I mind answering them. It’s just that the last one can be kind of tricky.

Everyone has an opinion on what you should name your baby. And some people are not even a little bit shy about sharing their opinion with you. “You want to name your baby what?!” “Have you thought about…?” “How would you spell…?”

I think that giving someone the name that they will have for the rest of his or her life is a really big deal, and it’s not something that I take lightly. But I think that I need to learn my lesson about discussing baby names unless I am prepared for the faces, questions and possible judgments that I may encounter.

Some people thought that it was strange that we kept my daughter’s name virtually secret until she was born, but every time I mention a name for this baby, I am reminded why. So while we may go with another “C” name (not something that was ever planned) or we may name the baby the same name as someone who happens to play a sport somewhere (no, my son was not named after Cole Hamels), I think that for now, we’ll just be happy to call this little guy Baby Tinsley. No one can make a face about that. 

Humble Christmas Brag Letter

I was reading a blog about the "Humble" Christmas Brag Letter and thought that I wanted to write one this year. Now, I did not have the same idea in mind as this person was talking about... or I should say making fun of. I didn't want to write about how wonderful my life is or gush about my perfect children. (I love them, but they have their moments. Haha.) But I did have some things that I wanted to reflect upon and share and thought that this would be a good forum. And because today, 12/12, as some significance to me, I wanted to share it today rather than wait until the end of the year.

Last year, around this time, I had a medical scare. I didn't post about it or share it with a ton of people, because it was personal, and I think I put enough of my business out there as it is, but it was a tough time for me and my family. On 12/12/12, I went in for surgery. One year ago today. It was scary, and we didn't know what was going to happen, but luckily, things went well, and shortly after, we got the call from the doctor that everything was a success. I still worry that something may recur, and I may always have that fear, but after getting a clean bill of health, I know that I have a lot to be thankful for.

I went into 2013 grateful, and not expecting much from the year. I was actually looking forward to it being quiet after my medical scare, a big loss in our family and the birth of our daughter all happening in 2012. I had no idea what we were in store for. 

Earlier this year, both Kevin and I earned promotions at work. After each putting in a few years at our respective jobs, this was a happy reward. In June, we both pushed ourselves physically and mentally to complete a Tough Mudder, arguably the most difficult race on the planet. We finished with a group of over 20 people and now have this accomplishment that we will never forget. That same month, our daughter Chloe turned 1 which of course came way too soon, but we celebrated with a great party at our house (another first for us). The end of the summer saw us taking Cole to preschool for the first time. Another event in our lives coming way too soon, but he loves it and is thriving, and we couldn't be prouder. 

As the fall approached, we were preparing for 2 weddings that would take us away. Kevin's brother, in 

Florida, and Kevin's oldest friend, in Mexico. Having not taken a vacation together since our honeymoon, we were thrilled to be able to have the time and help needed for these trips. Then on October 21st, we received the biggest shock of all when we found out that we were pregnant with our 3rd child. Yes, our 3rd in 4 years! Not only that, but I was already halfway through my pregnancy. This was mind blowing and unexpected and hard for us to wrap our heads around. But whether you believe in a higher being or some kind of destiny, we now know that this baby is meant to be. After the loss of Kevin's brother and not even knowing if we could have any more children after my medical history, this tiny little blessing came to be, and we couldn't be happier and more excited to meet our son in February. 

Now that I've written all of this, maybe it does sound a little braggy or boastful, but like I said, our life isn't perfect. We struggle just like every other family. But what I do know is that we are extremely lucky, too. One year ago today, I didn't know what my fate would be. And today, I was able to hear my son's heartbeat. This Christmas, that is the greatest gift I could have ever hoped for.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Just a number?

On a couple occasions now, Cole has told me how he is going to be 4 soon and will be too big for me. (I know; break a mother’s heart.) Last night, he was telling me again, and I told him (as I always do) that I don’t want him to grow up. This is how the rest of the conversation went:

Cole- “You want to keep me 3 like this forever?”

Me- “Yes, I love you being 3.”

Cole- “I want to keep you just like you are, too.”

Me- “How old do you think Mommy is?”

Cole (looks at me thoughtfully) - “15?”

Me- “Aww, you’re the best. Close, but actually, you are 3 and Mommy is 33.”

Cole (with big eyes) – “Wow, that’s a lot like all the way to outer space.”

Age perception by a 3 year old.

Career Predictions

One of the ideas that I saw and almost adopted for our first day of school picture was to ask Cole what he wants to be when he grows up. But because I didn't think that my 3 year old knew much about jobs or careers, I decided to skip that.

But of course, we've always wondered what he will be when he grows up. When he was born, we thought that Cole Tinsley sounded like a quarterback's name, and if you throw in his middle name Martin, he could then retire as a Senator. Walking in Philly with him one day as a baby, a drunk homeless man declared our son the future president of the United States. Thank you, sir.

I did have Cole tell me once last year that he wanted to be a doctor. When I asked him what kind, he told me a heart doctor. I'm under no delusions that this kid can yet say, not alone spell, cardiologist, but I appreciate the lofty aspirations.

Now that Cole is more than slightly obsessed with anything sports related and seems to be getting better and better, athletically speaking, his dad likes to tell him that he'll be our retirement one day with some sports career or another. (We can only hope.)

Then tonight at Wawa when he was in a silly and hyper mode, several women remarked on what a happy kid he is, one claiming that he has so much personality that he's going to be mayor someday. I could only think how extremely proud that one would make his politically involved father. And when we got home and it started raining, Cole said, "I knew it was going to rain because I looked out the window!" (Sounds qualified to be a weatherman to me.)

The final prediction Cole made himself. As I was contemplating my 3 year old's future as an all star athlete, politician and meteorologist, I asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up. He shrugged, smiled and replied simply, "Daddy."