I love my kids! Really!!!

I realize that I often complain about my children. Say how awful they are (they are), say how much they drive me crazy (constantly), how they do nothing but fight and scream (true story). Yes, it's all true. They drive me crazy and I don't often have those transcendent, "i love my kids, they amaze me" moments. But I do love them. Really! So I thought i'd take a few minutes to say some nice things about my kids.

BRICE:

* he's amazingly smart: curious, thoughtful, intelligent
* he's soulful: on those rare occasions when it's only us and he looks into my eyes and tells me what he's thinking, i'm often left breathless
* he is endlessly enthusiastic
* he loves music: especially classical--he can identify different songs and tell you where he heard them last
* he is great with Scully: loves him desperately, tries to care for him like he's his parent.
* I am so curious to see what path he chooses when he grows up: I have my own ideas, but that's for another post


HARRY:

* he is possibly the happiest child you will ever meet: he is bubbly, playful, he doesn't walk--he hops and skips
* he is a very tender child: if you yell out in pain, he is the first at your side to make sure you're okay.
* he loves his brother: this amazes Seth and me. Brice is terrible to him, yet he keeps on loving him
* he is easy: if you discipline him, he repents. If you change plans, he can flow. Happily.
* he is endlessly cuddly: he will sit on your lap for hours if you read to him, turning his head frequently to kiss your face.

Yes, these are my children. I love them. I do. I look forward to this Fall, when they are both in preschool, but not at the same time. In the morning, it's me and Brice. In the afternoon, it's me and Harry. I look forward to them getting older, getting along. I look forward to enjoying motherhood more.

Yes, they drive me insane. They have driven me into therapy (love therapy!). But when they are quiet and focused on something, I look at them. Look at their blue/grey eyes and floppy hair. I drink them in at these times. I take them in and i'm deeply grateful.

Told you he is cute!

Welcome Scully!

So, I can't find my computer cords. Which means I can't upload pics of my newest love--Scully.

As I posted recently, we had plans to get a sweet little lab puppy at the beginning of July. However, everyone I talked to scared the bejeezus out of me, telling me I was insane and how much work lab puppies were. So cute, but hey, they stay puppies in spirit until they are 2 or 3. And frankly, that sounded like a LOT OF WORK. And then one afternoon, I was talking to my neighbor. She had just adopted a black lab puppy. I said something along the lines of "it's not THAT hard, right? I mean, it's not like having a newborn, right?" To which she replied, "well, actually..." I don't know the rest of what she said, because I raced back to my house and was on the phone with the breeder before she finished her sentence. CANCEL CANCEL!!!

So, after getting over my guilt of saying goodbye (pre-saying Hello) to my little lab, I decided to put the dog thing on hold. And then adopting an adult lab. But THEN, a couple weeks after getting (somewhat) moved into our new house, I was browsing the website of a breeder of goldendoodles. She had posted that they had a 12-week old housetrained goldendoodle up for adoption. I briefly told Seth my idea as I was dialing, and then she answered. No, they didn't have her anymore. But hey, they had a littler of minis that we could come see if we were interested. (Sidenote: they also occasionally sold litters of labs, so I thought we could go on a "fact-finding" trip to see the puppies and talk to her about the differences bt doodles and labs). The next day, we were on our way. To just look and talk.

But then...she handed me a dog to hold. He was creamy and fluffy and cuddly and he fell asleep in my arms. So I bought him. Right then and there. He was 7 weeks old. The next week (today!) we went to get him. Sweet little Scully is lovely and fluffy and cuddly and I could eat him up with a spoon! Brice named him (so much better than Gilbert, his other choice). He is the lovliest little guy and to prove it, i'm going to scour the house to find the cord to upload the pictures.

Welcome home, Scully.

Hold the Gluten!

If you know us, and you know Brice, you know that things have not been easy. He's been a tough kid from the moment he was born--strong-willed, temper tantrums that would go for hours, defiance, moods (!!), etc. You name it. And if you have a tough kid, you know that whenever you talk about the issues, people give you LOTS of suggestions. Finally, after several people suggested this, we tried to put Brice on a gluten-free diet this past January.

It wasn't hard; we live by Trader Joes and Whole Foods, so we are close to lots of excellent gluten-free options. We've always been careful about food dye. The change we saw in Brice was amazing. He calmed down, he was happier, easier to work with (note: not easy; still Brice. Same issues, just at a very manageable level).

So, a few weeks ago, we decided to try and add a little gluten back in. And oh. my. goodness. The poor child. Poor us! It was night and day. It was hard for me to even be around him. So, for the past 5 or so days, we're back (all of us) off gluten. And even though i'm sure there is still some in his system, he's back to Brice. Hard, but happy-ish. Excitable, but accessible.

My predictions

I've talked to several people over the past few weeks who do not watch American Idol. WHAT??? This is the best season EVER.

Simon Who???

But I know lots of you are watching and dying to know who will win. Let me tell you:

Top Four:
Haley
Scotty
Lauren
James

Top Three:
Scotty
Lauren
James

Top Two (can you guess?):
Lauren
James

Winner:
James

I think he's the best, but I also love a good story. And James has a good story.

Our newest addition!

Yes, we are getting a dog. A puppy to be exact. I've wanted one since my own dog (a yellow lab) died when I was sixteen. We've not been in a place yet where it made sense to get a dog. We've either been in a small condo downtown or renting. And we wanted to wait until the boys were a bit older.

Seth was more reticent than I was, as he wasn't raised with a dog. He grew up in China and was always moving and a dog represented (and still does) restriction. But we figure by buying a house and having two little kids, we're already pretty restricted. And to me, I can't imagine raising kids and not having a dog. I grew up with one, and times playing with Gabe are some of my favorite childhood memories.

Frankly, I think i'm more nervous about bringing a puppy home than I would be bringing a third child home. At least with a baby, i'd (sorta) know what I was doing and know what to expect. And my youngest, Harrison, would not be terrified of a new baby. Harry is both fascinated with and terrified of dogs. He calls all dogs "scary puppy"--he always squeals when he sees them and desperately wants to pet them. But he just can't work up the courage. Brice, on the other hand, is fantastic with dogs. Very gentle. Puts his hand out for them to inspect him. He really wants to help me with the puppy and is hopeful that someday the dog will sleep in his room with him.

So, it should be quite a summer. New house, new dog, new neighbors. I'm sure it will be fine, right?

I mean, how hard could it be?? (cue ominous music...)


(note: our puppy has not actually been born yet; the above photo is a pic of a puppy who was born last year from the same parents we're getting ours from)

I promise

to do a proper post very soon.