What is a Mom's Work Worth?

Why hello there, it's me Mike, the husband. I don't often blog, but I thought the occasion was appropriate. I designed an infographic at work for Mother's Day and I thought some of Lydia's readership would appreciate it.

So to all you Mothers, and especially to you Lydia, thanks for everything!

[click to view full size]

Is that fun?

Pretty Girl

I know I'm biased as her mother, but sometimes Kate's beauty just takes my breath away.

Love those big brown eyes.

Handsome Devil

Little Owen is already 3 1/2 months old. Wha? How does that happen?

He loves face time and gives the best smiles and giggles. He is a great baby, almost always happy; eats well, sleeps well, travels well. Doesn't care for baths or loud noises though.

Smiley Guy

Laughing at Mama

He rolled over yesterday for the first time, but we missed it! After months of sucking on his knuckles, he finally found his thumb a couple days ago and seems to enjoy it. Loves Pat-a-Cake.

Finding his thumb

He seems to be growing well. Last time I had him on the scale he was just shy of 14 lbs, so he's nearly doubled his birth weight. He likes to stand and jump like his big sister. More updates on both kids after their doctor appointments in a couple of weeks.

This one's older (Owen was about 6 weeks) but it's fun to compare to the next one of Kate when she was about 3 months old. They look so much alike! Do you think so?

Awfully Quiet

Kate: Can we go to Nana's house?

Me: Let me go talk to Daddy about it. (Proceeds upstairs for said talk.)

....about 5 minutes pass....

Me: Hmm, I wonder what Kate is up to.
Mike: She has been awfully quiet.

...come downstairs to find this....It's pretty hard to discipline your child when you're laughing hysterically.
Yup Nutella.

Kinda gives new meaning to, "The proof is in the pudding."

And of course, this conversation from Baby Mama comes to mind:

Is that poop or chocolate? (tastes some). Chocolate!

What if that had been poop?

Like I said, kids are messy.

Pulling the Plug

After nearly three years, Kate is BINKY FREE!

That's right folks, we finally pulled the plug on this incessant sucker. We've been telling her for a couple of weeks that she's a big girl now and doesn't need it any more. Then on Friday night we told her that it was her very last night for the binky and that tomorrow we would be sending them to the cloud babies that need them.

Come Saturday morning, Mike went to the store and got some balloons while Kate and I watched the Pixar Short Partly Cloudy a couple of times so that she knew where her binkies were headed. We tried to make it a really memorable ceremony. Here are the pictures...

Oh yes, and that is the half-eaten balloon cookie she got as a consolation prize.

So it's been 4+ days and she's done amazingly well. Only asked for her binky a couple of times and has gone to bed at night without much fuss. That first night she asked for her blankie and when I gave it to her she said, "Please don't ever send my blankie away." So sad and so sweet at the same time.
I did say "at night" right? Oh, that's because since the flight of the binkies Kate hasn't had a nap. Previously she would skip her nap once a week or so, and last week she had a couple of WAY late nights after having had a nap, so we wondered if she was transitioning out of naps. I guess without a binkie, naptime just isn't worth it anymore. ;) Easier transition for her than for me BY FAR.

Kate is an amazing nearly 3-year-old. She is really into names and relationships, and she remembers names so well too. She tells us who is a daughter and who is a son and who has a mama. She loves to make-believe play with just about any pair of animals or dinosaurs or mermaids or dragons or whatever! She just has to have a toy for each hand and she's golden.

She comes up with the funniest things to say, too. She copies our words and intonations just perfectly. The other night when Mike got home she asked him, "How's your day, Daddy?" It was the way she said it--like an adult--that made it so memorable.
Yesterday as she was putting chapstick on my back (yep, my back) she was telling me, "Don't worry, Mama, it's just pressure. I'm making you beautiful." I tell her not to worry it's just pressure when I'm clipping her fingernails.

Another funny Kate story while we're on the subject:

The other night after having one of the biggest #2's on the potty Kate took a look and said, "Mama, I made some magic!"

We love you so much, Miss Kate.

First smile?