Piss pot in the parking lot..

Imagine this: I'm pulling into a Target parking spot about 6 spaces from the door. There is a women who appears to be changing her daughter in the trunk of her van next to my spot.  That's not too strange, as I have done many a diaper change in our cars.  However, as I'm getting out I notice that the mom stands the three-year-old up and pulls up her underwear.  I'm now curious.  As she picks up her daughter, I see the mom also pick up a blue basin and dump it under her car.  Splash.

Wait, rewind.  Did that woman just dump her child's pee under her car?  I then notice the portable potty in the trunk of her car.  I am appalled, so much so that I am actually saying continuously out loud "Oh my gosh!  That is disgusting.  Disgusting.  Oh my gosh!"  It is ironic because two days ago we saw our first portable potties in the baby care section at BabiesRUs and were baffled by them then too.  I still can't envision an appropriate occasion to use such a device.  Camping?

Let's examine this case.  First of all, this woman is merely 20 yards away from a clean toilet, equipped with all the features of modern plumbing.  So she is either the most lazy person I have ever witnessed, or she doesn't think her child can make the short walk into the store.  Let's pretend that she isn't lazy and disgusting for a moment, and think about the child.  This child IS NOT potty trained if she is unable to hold it in long enough to make it to the store, and my assumption is this isn't the first time, since there was a throne set up in the trunk.  I'm not claiming to be Miss Perfect, but other than the glaring sanitation concerns I have with dumping urine on a well traveled parking lot, this women is teaching her daughter that it is appropriate to piss where ever her little heart desires rather than waiting for a restroom.

Lazy. Lazy. Lazy.  I am of the opinion that this mother thinks that parenting is supposed to be convenient.  Nothing about parenting is convenient or easy.  There have been countless occasions when we've had to - gasp - stop and go to the restroom, get food, change diapers, walk, etc. to keep the kids happy.  But don't you have to do that for adults too?  What about gas for the car?  Sure there are times when pulling over makes the trips longer, but that's the way things go.  In thinking about the piss pot, I can't help but wonder if this women allows her daughter to use it in transit: kid holding on for dear life, piss sloshing every which way, mom texting and smacking gum as she speeds along...  It is a sad commentary for what society has become.  Are we in such a rush that we can't make time for necessities such as urinating?

Insanity Personified

As you probably have noticed, the blog has a new look since my last post.  Besides the cosmetic changes, I also changed its name from "Insanity Personified."  Over the last month, every time I would post something, I would see the blog title and think about how outdated it was.   When I first started this blog, it was true; I felt totally out of my element 99% of the time, and kept wondering why I was so insane as to accept this trying new role.  Every day was a challenge.  I was either already insane or on my way there... 

In my defense, I had never been longer than 48 hours alone with the kids before staying home. I didn't know how to occupy their time and felt like the hours crawled.  So much has changed since then.  I don't have it all figured out just yet, but everyday doesn't seem so laborious.  We've got a little routine and the best part is that I know my kids better from all of our quality time, so solutions to formerly mysterious breakdowns are easier to come by.

I do a considerable amount of thinking when I am rocking Reagan to sleep, which is generally the only quiet time I have between the hours of 5:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.  This past week as I rocked, I was thinking about how precious she is and how much I enjoy the time we spend together in that chair each day.  I was reflecting on how fleeting this time is, as she will soon be running around and finding me annoying in just a blink of an eye.  Naturally, this made me think about our family size and whether this will be my last child who I rock in this glider.  I am flooded with snippets of conversations Jimmy and I have had 1000 times before, which always ends in a declaration of "THIS IS IT!"  For me it isn't that simple, and as I rocked I started making a list (something I am famous for) of all of the pros and cons to substantiate our decision to not have more children.

Pros:
1.  I think I was made to have babies.  Both pregnancies and deliveries were very easy.  Plus maternity pants are incredibly comfortable.
2.  I love kids and so does Jimmy.  I  think pretty much everything they do is hilarious, so having another one or two running around would add to the fun.
3.  All stages are fleeting.  Sure, there are many moments where you are convinced someone has replaced your child with a demon spawn, (a great example of this was our shopping trip yesterday... to keep it short, both kids were sans naps and by the third store we nearly left them both there) but those moods quickly pass and help you appreciate the good times.


Cons:
1. Swimsuit modeling career would be stalled another year.  Sad news. 
2. Expensive.  We would have to get a new car, at the very least, and would max out our house's capacity.  I've also donated everything that we aren't using, so we'd have to start all over buying baby gear and clothes.
3. Already feel out numbered.  I can't count the number of times a day that I wish I were an octopus.  I never have enough hands, and coupled with the fact that I hate taking multiple trips, having another child is nearly impossible.
4. Inconvenient.  I would have to stop drinking fun stuff like caffeine and alcohol for another two years, which is really annoying.  Another inconvenience off the top of my head: it would take longer to get a table at a restaurant because a party of 5 upgrades us from a small table to a booth or larger table.
5.  I know they say that love multiplies, but I'm not sure I am capable of loving another child as much as I love the two we already have.
6. Infant stage: I can't stand it.  Sure they're small and cute, but they are all work and no play.  They might not technically restrict your ability to go places, but when you do go somewhere you need a trailer to carry all of the extra crap.  Plus another year of diapers, bottles, and spit up.  No thanks!
7. Jimmy would divorce me.  Sure, this would mean that I could finally hit the singles scene again, but I suspect the dating pool would be smaller for a single mother with three kids.  Plus, I would be further outnumbered with no one obligated to listen to my complaints.
8.  Sleep, the final and most convincing argument for me.  We haven't had a good night's rest since our cruise a year ago when we left Ashton with my parents.  I really don't have the strength to go through another year of sleepless nights, and just thinking about it makes me exhausted!

With that, I think it is settled.  I'll stick to loving the ones I've got!

BUSTED!  Little man climbed up on the desk to do work.  Sneaky little sucker...

As I was correcting (and taking a picture) of Ashton, Reagan swiped his juice and drank it like a pro!  You can't turn your attention for one second around these two!

Bustin' a Move!

Hello, my name is Chelsea and you are?

 The kids waiting for Grammy and Papa's arrival.

I received a call on Thursday afternoon from my Dad telling me that he and my mom were a few hours away from driving to Maryland.  My parents live in Charleston, SC, so this news was a little surprising.  Of course, my parents are always welcome to our house, but they typically have very little flexibility for impromptu visits because of their family owned business. As my dad always says, "owning your own business allows you to choose your own hours.  We can work whatever 16 hours of the day we want!"

I have always wanted to live closer to my parents and am jealous of friends who have family near by.  For example, we just visited our good friends Kevin and Katie to see their week-old daughter, Kaylee.  First of all, Kaylee is gorgeous and not the polite gorgeous, but a truly beautifully crafted baby.  Kevin and Katie live a stone's throw away from both of their parents and are surrounded by Katie's tight knit extended family.  Lucky, lucky, lucky.  Not only has family been constantly stopping by to help with Kaylee, but more importantly, as Kaylee grows up she will make lasting memories with her family.  In an effort to bridge the distance between my parents and our family, we have a video phone that we try to use about once a week.  The kids love it and it makes it seem as if my parents live closer.

Ashton requested to "Mwah Kaylee."  Kevin, this won't be the last of these!

Their visit this weekend was great and three things made this visit better than many others.  First of all, Ashton stopped hating my mom.  I have no idea why, but the past 6 months or so, Ashton loved to talk to Grammy via video phone, but can't stand her in person.  In the past she couldn't do anything right.  He was constantly yelling "No!" and swatting at her for no apparent reason.  This really hurt my mom's feelings, even though she tried to play it off like it didn't.  Somehow Ashton and Grammy have not only reached an understanding, but he seems to genuinely like Grammy.  Ashton even asked to hang out with Grammy alone a couple of times, which was a very welcomed change of pace.

Another highlight of the trip was Beau stopped hating Ashton.  Beau, my parents' fourth child dog,  is a fantastic, well-behaved dog, but he is always skittish around kids.  There wasn't a worry that Beau would hurt the kids, but he made it clear that he wanted no part in playing with them by staying as far away as possible.  After only a few moments, Beau warmed up to the kids and began to tolerate their existence!  As the weekend progressed, Ashton figured out a sure way to Beau's heart- he secretly passed food to him under the table!  From there, Beau was sold.  Ashton and Papa took him on walks; Reagan chased him around our ottoman; Beau ate all of Ashton's lunch; Reagan ate a handful of Beau's food... It was actually fun to have Beau around as his interaction with the kids was always entertaining!

The final treat was my parents' willingness to babysit for both nights they were in town.  Over the last six months, we have limited our spending on entertainment due to my new stay at home status and Jimmy's transition to his new job.  Unfortunately, the first thing we eliminated were our date nights.  To be fair, our friends have offered to babysit our kids, but I feel enormously guilty doing that to a friend.  When my parents offered to babysit, we quickly took them up on their offer. Family members are obligated, right?  It was a pleasure to get reacquainted with my husband and put our titles of Mommy and Dada on the back-burner for a few hours.  We ended up at the American Legion at the end of each night and our friends kept joshing us for being out.  I think we should resolve to get out more!

Saying farewell to my parents.  It was a great visit!

Pee pee time is cool among friends

I couldn't help but share this picture when I read our friends' blog!  The Maxsons had us over for movie night last week and Ashton and Tessa decided to use the potty together.  Kids do the darnedest things and provide us boring adults with a ton of material!  

Pictures Galore!

Happy to eat grapes too!

Goose comes by for a brief visit.  He is always so sweet to the kids.

Our brown-eyed girl, Reagan Grace.

I'm excited, so let's scream!

Spent hundreds of dollars on toys, but a sheet is infinitely more entertaining.

Big sibling squeeze!

Ashton, you look about 15 here. Please stop growing so quickly.

Ashton is a huge, huge fan of snow.  Jump, jump, jump!

Getting ready to pounce.

Strum, strum.  Tyler's a musician already.

Engineer Tyler on his 2nd birthday! Choo Choo!

Our happy snappy delighting in the little pleasures of life!

Boys talking at Tyler's birthday.

Boys saying, "any more pictures and you're going to have to pay us, Chels!"

Yippee, we're at the ice rink to watch Ashton ice skate for his first time!

Ashton is suited up and so excited to skate! 

The before picture in between Ashton's flapping wings and screams of "SKATE, SKATE, SKATE!!"

Jimmy was a saint lugging Ashton around the rink.  Though Ashton wasn't a pro at skating, his perma-smile made it a really special memory. 

Jen and Tyler were having a blast skating too!

Let's go skate, Mommy!

When Ashton was riding the 'Dada Chariot,' he thought he was Mr. Joe Cool of the ice rink.  Wave to Mommy, Ashton!

Mini hockey player, Tyler.

He must have been thinking about the best way to do a hockey stop... or that this crazy woman should stop taking pictures!

With much assistance from Jen and Jimmy, Ashton and Tyler are picture here skating together.

Baby switch!  Jen and Jimmy did a great job showing the boys the ropes.  We look forward to doing it again and to include Uncle Blue (Jason, Tyler's father) in the fun, since he was super sick and had to miss this trip.

Bumps and bruises are inevitable...

Since poor Reagan has the benefit of being the second child, she has been given more leeway to explore the world around her.  This weekend, my heart of steel (HA) was challenged as both Ashton and Reagan fell down four brick steps at Jimmy's parent's house.

Nancy and Dudley keep their dogs in their garage and Ashton loves to visit with them, often feeding them treats.  What kid wouldn't?  There is a baby gate at the top of the brick stairs to keep the dogs out of the newly renovated living area.  So there we were, doing what we have done 100 times before; nothing new.  Reagan crawls up to join in the fun with Ashton, and I am half holding onto the gate and half distracted talking to Nancy behind me.

Then all of the sudden CRASH, the baby gate gives way and both kids go flying down the stairs landing in a discombobulated pile on the concrete floor.  I was horrified, running, and yelling at the top of my lungs "JIMMY HELP!"  Both kids were crying and in shock, and frankly, so was I.  Reagan suffered the brunt of the fall because Ashton landed square on her head, forcing her to hit the concrete extra hard.

When such an innocent little being is hurt, it is heartbreaking.  I wished I could take her place, especially since I felt responsible and should have been paying full attention.  Luckily, God designed infants to be very pliable and equipped with short-term memory loss.  She recovered quickly, smiling only minutes after the trauma, though all of us cringed at the knot on her head and bruise on her eye.