the one thing

i really have been so blessed with willem. he is a complete angel, and a dream of a baby.

but no baby is 100% perfect right?

right.

you see, we have this little issue. it's more of a laundry issue then anything else, but somedays it drives me a little bonkers.

so, spit up.

it's bad

and by bad, i mean a lot.

it's crazy somedays

when people ask how he is as a baby, i say how wonderful he is, and follow up with "but spits up like you wouldn't believe".

and of course i always get the reply of "well all babies do, that's why they wear bibs".

yeah yeah, i know i know, all babies spit up, it's just what they do. blah blah blah.

but seriously, it's to the extreme with my kid.

it's been confirmed to me many times by the many witnesses to his projectile explosions.

and it can't be explained away by the fact that he is formula fed, even when i was breastfeeding he was quite explosive.

so, here are a few things that i have learned when it comes to dealing with an up-chucky baby.

when burping the baby, it is best to relocate yourself, and him, to a floor that is hard, and will not allow for liquids to soak in. this makes it much easier to clean up. and gives you a reason to give the floor a good scrub. 

after the feeding is done, and you think all the burps are out, tummy time is still a bit of a gamble. there is still a large risk of a burp, spit up, and face plant. followed but extensive clean up, it gets in the mouth, up the nose, squished into the eyebrows. and if you're really lucky and miss when it happens, there also might be some rubbing around in it, and then it also finds it's way into the ears. overall, it's a real good time. 

and sometimes, even three hours after he is done eating, if you're really lucky there might be a little surprise left in there yet! "little" is really just a figure of speech in this case. 

so wear durable clothes that can handle being washed over, and over, and over again. 

keep stocked up on laundry detergent.

always have multiple receiving blankets around that now double as burp cloths 

(i like to call them drop cloths)

keep many changes of shirts at the changing table, and never put the one you actually want him to wear on him first, that one always get ruined. 

but mostly, i've learned there's just nothing you can do about it. 

so just love, hold, and sqeeze (but not too hard because that also results in up-chucking) that little guy, and know one day you won't have to change your clothes, and his, multiple times a day. 

when it has almost been a month and you can't think of anything else better to do....

you post pictures!

it's ok though, because my kid is way cute

costco totally jipped me! i was shorted an egg. should i now feel justified opening the package at the store to make sure i get all the eggs that they are charging me for?

all things new and exciting!

you guys, it's been wild for us this past month.

crazy busy kind of stuff. not like, holy crap i'm going out of my mind busy.

just more like, blogging? ain't nobody got time for that, kind of busy

you see, dennis FINALLY graduated last month.

praise the high heavens!

it feels like all of our married life has been building up to this one day, and you know what happened?

i got in an accident

that morning

not a bad one

but it still happend

in my defence, it was either that or certain death, sooooooo in the end i think it turned out ok

but back to dennis...

he did it!

he wore that cap and gown. stood so we could all take pictures of him. sat (and so did we) through three hours of people talking about nursing. then he proudly walked across that stage, and he didn't even trip. now that's something to be proud of.

most of his family and mine was able to come out and watch our boy in his great moment of accomplishment.

graduate.

not trip, that was just an added bonus.

and even though it was painfully long, it was all so worth it.

good job dennis!

next on the list.

i gave a talk in church

as a youth it seemed like i was giving talks all. the. time. and it was no big deal. but you see that was about 5 years ago. and i haven't peeped one word up at the pulpit since then.

so the weeks leading up to it, i was going a little out of my mind. not with the anticipation of standing infront of a group of people, that's a piece of cake (just don't actually look anyone in the eye and it's ok), but trying to figure out what to write was enough to send me right of the edge of sanity. i had one of those topics that seems meticulously specific, yet way too broad to make any kind of sense all at the same time. how is anyone even supposed to work with that?

anyway, i spent 2 weeks avoiding and worrying about it. then one week stressing and writing, crumpling, and the rewriting.

i say crumple, because i actually hand write everything first, then type out the finished version.

we went through a lot of paper, and i heard dennis tell me i'm too old fashioned many times.

well sunday came, i stood up and rocked that talk, sat back down and wondered what all the worrying was about. i'll probably remember next time.

you know when you are anticipating the arrival of something that you really don't want to happen, and all you let yourself think about to keep perspective is that exiting thing that is going to happend AFTER the thing you don't want to do?  

well i had one of those things.

remember that compulsive need for change that i have?

well that itch has finally been scratched.

WE MOVED!!!!

we finally have some more space, a lot more sunlight. a basement to help us out on those crazy hot summer days. a big beautiful yard. a huuuuge garage. bigger kitchen. two bathrooms. laundry room, complete with a full sized washer a dryer. and a few other goodies

you really just never know the value of these simple luxuries until you've lived three years without them.

so ya, there was one little minor set back there.

but mostly, things are really lookin' up for us lately.

hey ho!

pictures yo!

check out the size of that thing!

the best day

if you were to ask my father, when it comes to caring for little children the best day happens when...

... they sleep through the night for the first time...

and

... they can hold their own bottle, giving you a free hand...

and

... they can drink milk cold and not have to worry about waiting to heat up a bottle...

and

... they can drink cows milk...

and

...they can sit and play with toys to keep them preoccupied...

and

... they are finally potty trained...

and

...a few others, but i think you get it

it has been pointed out to him that "the best day" is a singular statement, but my dad has always been above the regular rules that many of us have to live by. so he sticks to his theory that when these things happen, it is the best day.

now i really hope that i'm not jinxing it by telling the world, but for the past three nights willem has slept through the night. like right through. a full 9-6 conk out. not a peep or wimper. just a wonderfully peaceful sleeping baby.

and you know what?

each of those days following really have been the best.

polka dot baby

isn't 3 months just the funnest?

i'm sure that every month from here on out i'm going to think is 100% better then the last, but for now, 3 months rocks!

willem is starting to become this little person with a personality to keep you laughing for hours.

the kid loves to talk. obviously not words yet, but he sure is trying his best. he will go on, and on, and on. honestly the most entertaining thing ever.

but the best thing ever? polka dots.  he loves them. i first noticed it when i was swaddling him up to go down for a nap. i had just changed my sheets to my super cute polka dot set (dennis looooooves them). and when i rolled him onto his side he caught site of that lovely pink pattern, and instantly the most precious little smile spread across his face, he let out a little coo, and it was love.

but don't worry, it's not just pink polka dots, he is a lover of all colours. blue ones on a the burp cloth. black on the back of a toy. multi colours of a blanket. and now white on my new phone case.

oh 3 months.  

you break my heart.