A Week In Pictures

Here is a look at our lives this past week. Enjoy!

Sunday- Topher finally gets to meet his hero Zach Branton! Looking good boys.

Monday and Tuesday- Hanging out with the Vogt girls for our first sleepover! We played outside, inside, watched tv, ate, and ate, and ate!

Wednesday- Lily's first haircut!!!!!!!!!!! She did so great. As did her Aunt Christin, who cut her hair.Thursday- Celebration! Lily turned 18 months on the 19th, Sungu turned 15 months on Monday, and Topher turned 6 months on Saturday. Plus Jeehon got this cake on sale, and cheap desserts are always worth celebrating!

Friday- Uncle Josh is the kicker for his high school football team, so we got dressed (some of us identically. Check out Chris getting Topher dressed. So cute!) and went to support the Highland Hawks. This was Topher's first football game! This is Topher and his beautiful Aunt Bre

Saturday- our intense little boy turns 6 months! he is now crawling-ish (using all his upper body strength and one leg) and eating solids and pooping everyday!

Bittersweet

Tuesday night was not the best night. Topher woke up every two hours again. And Lily joined in on the fun at 4:30 am. Awesome. Then the next night God knew that I would surely not make it if I didn't get more sleep, so Topher woke up at 3am, ate, went back to sleep, then woke up at 7:30. Lily didn't wake up until 6:58am, which used to be very early for her (and me), but now I suddenly consider that 'sleeping in'.

Then last night Topher woke up at 3:30am, ate and slept. Then Lily woke up at 3:50am screaming. It'd be one thing if she were just waking up in the early morning crying. I would just let her cry it out and fall back asleep. But this is no I'm-sad-and-kinda-lonly-do-you-want-to-cuddle-with-me crying. This is I'm-seriously-vexed- something- is-terribly-wrong crying. So I got up and picked my poor baby up.

I walked around her room with her. Then we went into the playroom where there's a couch. So we sat on the couch for awhile. We were both in and out of sleep, unfortunately we were both out more than in. Then I changed her diaper and went back into her room. There we laid on the floor and did the on again off again sleeping thing. Lily was all over the place! She would find a position she liked, would fall asleep for a few moments, then wake up, talk and play, move and fall asleep again. I too was trying to find a position that was good for me without waking my little monkey girl up.

In the midst of this sleepy tango, I woke up to find Lily sleeping on my head. If you can imagine this, her body was a tent and my head was the not-so-happy camper inside. But as tiring and ridiculous as it all was, I have to admit it is still making me laugh to remember waking up with Lily's belly on the side of my head. These are the best of times and the most tiring of times...

Birth Control!

I still have to do the dishes and go to bed before Topher wakes up to get fed. But I just wanted to send out another shout out to my parents.

How did you raise five kids???!?!

Our friends from California- Jeff, Sandy, and their kids Ellie, 3, and Ian, 1, were at our house from Wednesday till today. We had a GREAT time. Their kids are so sweet, and speak Korean better than me. (Well, the three year old does. It really sucks)

Anyway, on Wednesday we went to Tempe Marketplace to hang out, just the ten of us. It was man-on-man, one kid per adult. But then Chris had to work everyday since and so we were playing zone defense the rest of the week. But still, four adults should be ok with five kids. It was and it wasn't. Again- how did my parents do it???

We really had a great time, but man am I pooped! Not recommended to have five kids under the age of three in one house for any given time longer than two hours. Check out the pics. Absolutely amazing insanity. Everyday since Wednesday. Good night all.

Bath Time

I just had a pretty rough evening with the kids. I had very little patience left for anything or anyone, and of course both of my babies needed A LOT of attention from me. Simultaneously. And because I have been doing double-time breastfeeding this last week and a bit, I have been ravenously hungry. Patience and hunger are much like oil and water...



I didn't want to give Lily a bath after dinner. My plan was to feed her, give her some milk, change her into her jammies, and send her off to bed then get topher fed and in bed so that I could eat some real food! But of course Lily got most of her dinner in her hair, and meat in hair is never a good thing. So now I had to give her a bath. So I set Topher up in front of the tv so that I could give the Lilster a quick bath and get her to bed. Topher cried the whole time Lily bathed, which made for a short bath, which is unfortunate cause Lily sure loves being in the tub. I almost literally threw her down and ran to get Topher. I imagined that I would find him in some horribly awkward and uncomfortable position which would explain the tears and screams, but alas he was jsut fine. Just needing some lovin.

So I stomped upstairs with baby in arms, ready to pass out from hunger. We walked by Lily's room and I could hear that she was still crying. Nothing I could do about that. I turned on the bath water, undressed the Toph, and put him in front of the mirror. Boy does my boy love seeing himself in the old looking glass. It brings an automatic smile to both our faces. I put him in the tub and proceeded to wash him and my bad feelings away. How can you be mad while washing a cute, chubby baby in the tub? You can't. It's impossible. Then I wrapped him in his towel and admired my baby wrapped up in his towel. How can you resist a baby that smells like Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo, wrapped up in a towel? You can't. It's impossible. And then I put my little Tophy in his pjs and smiled at my son, wondering how I could be mad at such a cute little kid. It is impossible to resist a cute, clean baby in his pjs. I dare you to try.

So now I know why they tell you to have a bedtime routine that includes taking a bath. Sure the kids need to be cleaned up after a hard day of playing and such. But the parents need it more just so they can fall in love with their kids again. Especially before having to go down to the kitchen to clean up the insane mess from the day.

And I would just like to add that I really miss my sister and Sungu, and Chris when he works at night. And I realize that I was alone for one difficult evening, but single parents do this all the time. So my hat goes off to those amazing men and women.

Date Night

I know that it is recommended that couples have a date night once a week, but Chris and I do not have one. We don't even have date nights once a month. I don't remember the last time we had a legitimate date night. Partially cause we moved, partially cause we have so many dang children, partially cause Jeehon lives with us, and partially cause Chris' work schedule has been all over the place. Actually, it's a miracle that we had a date night at all!



It couldn't have happened without the help of the lovely Jennifer and Justin Watson, Chris' brother and sister-in-law. Man, we love them! And fortunately our kids love them too. So we really needed to have as cheap a date night as possible, and how! We had a gift card to eith Chili's, Macaroni Grill, or On the Border. I prepared myself all day for eating at On the Border (or is it Over the Border? ...) because Chris is very fond of Mexican food. As am I, jst not as much as Chris. Interestingly enough, Chris prepared himself all day for eating at Macaroni Grill cause he thought for sure that I would not want Mexican. What a good hubby. Anyway, we went to On/Over/Beyond the Border, cause I wanted to make my husband happy, and cause I amped myself up to eat a chimichanga all day. Win Win.

Then we went to Dunkin Donuts where we both ordered decaf coffees at the drive-thru window. The guy said they had to brew a new pot and asked if we could wait two minutes. Business was real slow for them and there was no one behind us. And we were on a date with no kids in the back seat so all we had was time. And as we waited the guy offered us a free donut, and when my coffee came out, they also gave us a voucher for a free coffee for next time. This was the best part of the date yet!

Then we drove to our neighborhood and drank our coffees at the park near our house. I had been eyeing the monkey bars when I had gone to the park earlier that day with the kids. So I put my coffee down and went over to the 5 seemingly unthreatening bars, that used to be my favorite when I was a kid. I was always a real skinny kid. But pretty strong too. I swam a bunch, and did gymnastics for a bit, and played softball too. I know my body has changed some over the last couple years, but I am at the same weight I was in high school, and I am constantly carrying one child, and maneuvering my double stroller is a full body workout! So I got on the monkey bars and I just hung there. For about five seconds. And I could not move to save my life! Part of me fell off because I wasn't strong enough to hold myself up any longer, and the other part of me fell off cause Chris was laughing so hard, so I couldn't help but laugh too. Chris of course dominated the stupid bars. And then he made me try again. After numerous embarrassing attempts I finally moved two more rungs up. Didn't finish the course though. Oh well. I told you I had issues with finishing what I start. Anyway, that was probably the worst, though funniest part of our date.

We ended the night with 'The Music Man' musical which Chris had borrowed from his friend Jeff (did I tell you this was a cheap date or what?) Of course with the lights off I started to fall asleep much to Chris' chagrin. He really wanted me to fully experience the wonderment that was this musical. So I got up, got some laundry and started folding it. Then Chris sat next to me and helped. Could this date get any better?!?! Yes it could. Chris started falling asleep about fifteen minutes later and so we both called it a night. Oh wonderful, glorious sleep! And that was my awesome date with my awesome husband.

Concerned Neighbor

We got an anonomous letter from 'a concerned neighbor' last week on Friday. It was a newspaper clipping about dogs. The article talked about how there is no such thing as 'outdoor dogs' in Arizona, cause it is too dang hot. It went on about how if your dog barks at firetrucks, birds, or anything that annoys them or gets their attention, it is because they are bored and need to be inside the house with the family.

Interesting. I know lots of people who have their dogs outside during the day. Whether it's because they are at work all day, or just cause their dogs like being outside all day. Meeklo barks because he is alive. He seems to think that it is his duty to bark. We had a bark collar on him for awhile, it emitted this high pitched noise every time he barked loudly. At first it startled him, but then he got used to it and probably thought it was a heart monitor or something telling him that he was still alive and well. He barks when he is outside, he also barked when we had him in the house many moons ago (read: prechild era)

I got the mail and saw the article and saved it for Chris. Big mistake. He actually read the whole darn thing and was saddened cause he agreed with it. To a degree. He really wants the dogs in the house with us. I do not. I don't want another thing/person to clean up after. My sister REALLY doesn't want the dogs in the house because 1. she is slightly afraid of them (what? Mally is pushing 150lbs. What's to be scared of?...) 2. she thinks they are the filthiest beasts in the world and cannot even entertain the notion of living in the same house as them. Especially while she has a child that insists on licking EVERYTHING.

So this article really ruffled quite a few feathers. My mom was afraid we were going to get arrested by the police. Jeehon mentioned in passing that she didn't mind if the dogs moved into the house, cause then she would just move to Toronto. I told Chris that if my sister moved to Toronto because of the dogs I would be ashamed and sad and mad, etc. Chris wants the dogs in the house, but he also wants to meet this concerned neighbor who didn't even have the common decency to come and meet us face to face. Had they come and voiced their opinion, Chris would have 'politely' told them that the main reason our dogs are outside is because Jeehon is living with us because her husband is in Iraq fighting for the freedom of idiots like this new neighbor of ours.

The dogs are getting a lot more loving now in this house than they did when we lived in Gilbert. I hated our backyard in the other house, so I never went outside. They were entirely Chris' responsibility. Now that we live here, Lily loves going outside and so we hang out with the dogs at least once a day, change their water, and spray down the patio to cool it down. Don't they look like happy pups from their pics? Mally just loves giving the kids pony rides.

Anyway, so I mentioned all this to my friend Mary Beth when she came over for coffee and cake on Wednesday (one of my favorite times of the week!) I started off with 'Oh yeah, Chris and I almost got divorced this week...' When I finished telling her all of the above, she calmly asked if I knew who our concerned neighbor was, and I told her I didn't. She then very slowly said 'It was Jeff.' Her husband. It was a joke. Apparently he has a few articles that he was going to mail to us, well, really Chris, and he started off with this one. He probably should have sent the one about weeds first. Anyway, after I processed everything, I realized it was the funniest, and not funniest jokes anyone has ever played on us. Jeff felt really bad about it all when Mary Beth told him what our reaction was. But then we all remembered that we had forgotten Jeff's birthday earlier this month, so now we are all even.

Habits

Some time last week Topher went to bed at 8ish, as usual, and then woke up at midnight, 3am, 5am, and 7am. That night really really sucked. I woke up and fed Topher each time, cause I thought for sure that something must be wrong. He was sounding a bit nasaly and congested, so I figured the best thing for him was breast milk. Right? Right?...



The next night was more of the same. Then the night after when he woke up at midnight squealing like a baby pig, I decided to medicate him. I am NOT fond of medication, for myself, and even less for my babies, so it took me a while to come to this decision. I figured it must be his gums/teeth again so we gave the little man some meds, more breastmilk, and then he was off to Snoozeville. Till 5am. Praise the Lord!



Then the next night we were back to square one. Now I know you are supposed to let the babies learn to soothe themselves. And to get them to sleep through the night you shouldn't touch them a whole bunch and you should never feed them. Blahblahblah. That's fine when you have one baby. But two is a totally different story. A few times already we have had different combos of babies waking other babies up- Sungu woke Lily up once, Lily woke Topher up another time, Topher has woken up Lily, and Jeehon, and Sungu, etc... There are too many people living here right now for me to just let Topher cry it out.

Until now. Jeehon is in Cali with Sungu and my mom left yesterday. So I should be letting Topher learn how to soothe himself by crying and crying and crying. Easier said than done. My number one fear is Lily. If he wakes her up, will she stay awake? That is unacceptable. Whether it's 4am or 7am. I do not like for Lily to wake up a second earlier than she is ready to wake up for numerous reasons. And there's always 'The Tired Policeman' who needs his sleep, and I definitely do not want Topher waking Chris up, especially since he has been working the night shift the last two days.

But here's a question for the ages- why did this horrible 'waking up 20 times a night' thing become a pattern? Topher slept for about eleven hours straight three days in a row a few weeks ago. Why didn't THAT become a pattern?!?

So I guess I am hurting myself now and in the long run by not letting Topher cry his guts out. Whereas if he learns this lesson now, and wakes people up a few times this week, he shouldn't do it ever again. Right? Right???!? Well, it's hard to see 'the long run' at 3am. Or at 5. Or 7 if you had to get up at 3, and 5...

Mama Ham

My mommy is in town. She got in last Saturday. It's been a pretty darn good week! For those who don't know, she lives in Toronto with my dad and three brothers. It is costumary for Korean kids to live at home with their parents till they get married. My bros are 27 and 25. The 25 year olds are twins. Anyway, so she is here till the 11th, which will be a sad day in the Watson/Malloy household.

Before Saturday of last week I hadn't seen my mom since September of 2007, when I went to Toronto with Lily. Craziness. I have to admit, my relationship with my parents is the best when we don't live in the same city/country. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. (Side note, you know when I was younger I thought the saying was 'abstinence makes the heart grow fonder.' I guess that is true too though.) My parents drive me crazy with talk of getting my Ph. D (don't have a Masters yet folks) and I drive them crazy with not getting my Masters. But other than that, we are all good in the hood. There have been numerous times this week that I have wished my parents and I lived in the same zip code though.

My mom is like Santa- kids just love her. Topher has been cracking up at everything she does. When he hears her voice he can't focus on what he's doing, mostly eating. Which is never a good thing for me. Lots of milk has gone squirting in his eyes this week. (Is that too graphic? My apologies.) Lily gets really excited when my mom gets her when she wakes up in the mornings. But no one is more excited than me!

Anyway, my mom has been cooking non-stop and we are all loving it. Topher has pooed four times, my psoriasis (a skin thing. it sucks) has been getting better, and I Chris has been stuffing himself silly with kimchi and whatever meat concoction my mom comes up with. We are excited for the day when my parents are retired and living here in the Valley- because by the time that day comes, Barb and Jerry will already be nice and settled here and we will have six grandparents living in the same time zone. Glorious!

(So the picture is of my mom in her natural habitat- in the kitchen with a child strapped to her back. That's a traditional korean blanket that has two straps that you just tie around your body. Way better than a Snuggli, and way better and cheaper than an Ergo Baby.)

Finished! Or Refinished?

So we finally did it! We finished a project! Chris and I are not good at finishing what we start. Or I am really not good at finishing what I start, and Chris is better at finishing stuff, but not the best. Actually, I think one of my New Year's Resolutions was to start finishing what I started. Over the past year, here are some things that have yet to be done:

-My Masters. I started a master's program online doing Biblical Counseling. I was very glad that I was accepted in the program, but it was not for me. I got through one course. Pathetic.
-Wedding Thank You Cards. Probably finished 20 of em. Had about another 30 or so to go. Maybe more. I don't know. I bought the stamps and the stationary and everything. Maybe I will get arounf to them later. Probably not. (Is that tacky to send out thank you cards three years after you've gotten married?)
-Wedding Album/Scrapbook. You know what? I had a bunch of kids in the last two year. They really don't aid in my affliction of not being able to finish stuff. I shall continue to use them as my scape goat probably for the rest of my life...

Anyhoo, we got this awesome desk on Craig's List for $25. But man was it ugly! Just dinged up and a light oak color. We planned on sanding, then staining it. Chris got the sanding part down two weeks ago. We got around to putting the first coat of stain on it on Tuesday (or whenever I mentioned it last) and it still looked pretty ugly. Then we got a stain plus polyeurethin (oh my gosh. that's not how you spell it. i can't figure it out!) and that was money in the bank! Two coats of that was awesome. So now it's in our library/office/front room, and we couldn't be happier.

Chris and I had a great time working on this together. One valuable lesson we learned while working on the desk was to take the plank out of your eye before removing the spec out of your brother's (or your spouse's) eye. As we were putting on the first coat of the second stain, we looked at the others' work and immediately went to even out the drips and uneven brush strokes. We actually hit our brushes together as went crossed over to fix the others' mistakes, even though our own mistakes were the exact same. How quick we are to judge others!

Anyway, this project would not have been possible without the help of our kids, Amy, and Jeff. Our kids, for napping at the same time as each other. Amy, for her helpful hints and suggestions. And Jeff, for his muscles. This was one heavy piece of furniture. Thanks guys! And now we can actually park one car in our three-car garage. One down, two to go. We'll have to see if we ever get around to cleaning out/organizing the garage...