"Mommmm....Lucy bites!!!"

Such is the cry of my 3 year old. Little does he remember that a year and 1/2 ago, he was biting like crazy. The kid was kicked out of the gym childcare, for Pete's sake!

Lucy has indeed entered the wonderful world of ferocious biting. She's marked up cousin Wally pretty good, and isn't above biting anyone who disregards her toy preference. This time, though, we're taking action:

Portabello Sandwich

Who said John's birthday wasn't brimming with excitement? The day included a visit with a blackhawk helicopter pilot, a picnic in the city, an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, and a trip to the local emergency room.
And a delicious portabello mushroom sandwich.

To enjoy, combine:
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1 t dried, crushed basil
1 t garlic
1 t sea salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
-----------------------------
other ingredients include:
3 portabello mushroom caps
1/4 C (several slices) red onion
4 T mayonnaise
1 t orange juice
fresh, sliced tomato
havarti cheese*
thickly sliced artisan bread or other crusty bread, toasted

Combine the first set of ingredients in a large pan (and a bit more olive oil, if necessary). Saute 3 sliced portabello mushroom caps and a few slices of red onion on low heat. The saute will take about 10 minutes, until the onions and mushrooms are tender and plump.

Meanwhile, combine about 4 T mayonnaise with 1 t orange juice. Set aside.
Now, here comes the tricky part.

Ideally, you should toast the bread so it's quite crusty. There is a lot of moisture in this sandwich. I used a toaster to mediocre results. Perhaps it would be best to carefully broil the bread with a havarti cheese slice on 2 pieces of the bread.

Then, assemble the sandwiches. Each should have
2 slices bread
1 well-melted slice of havarti
generous heap of portabello mushroom slices and onions
1-2 T citrus mayonnaise
several slices tomato

Eat hot. Yum!!

*Havarti cheese is one of my favorites, but I'd bet that goat cheese would be a fabulous addition to this sandwich. I think we'll try that next time.

Best

Waking up from a nap when you slept so hard, you woke up as if from a full night's rest.

Lucy Goose on her Throne

Oh, if only you had a sweetheart like my Lucy Lu. She is such a snuggler these days and is at my favorite age (don't tell the other kids) because she seems to learn new words a mile a minute. Sure, she throws her fair share of tantrums, but overall, she's a sweetie pie.

This weekend, we decided spontaneously to visit John's family in Wisconsin. The kids played hard all day on Saturday, running through the yard, digging up Grandpa's rock patio, and periodically running inside for Grandma's $250 cookies. Yum. Despite no naps, our two oldest were up screaming and moaning til nearly 11 at night. I thought they would never go to bed. It is such a challenge to travel with little kids...any change in routine can send them over the edge.

On the drive home yesterday, the kids and I both crashed. They fell asleep within seconds of the engine starting, and I fell apart because of lack of sleep/hormones/too much caffeine. Close to home, we stopped for gas and Lucy woke up.

"Baby!! Poopy! Ouch!" she told me. For a minute, I was confused. "Do YOU have to go poop?" I asked. "Yea," she replied.

I rushed the Goose into the gas station and sat her on the potty, where she pointed in amusement at a bunch of flies. Gross.

Although that attempt was unsuccessful, she pooped in her diaper at home later last night. Wanting her to further associate poop with the potty, John brought her to the bathroom after changing her and sat her again on the throne. This time, she grunted and went poop!!

I'm no fool this time around. I know Lucy won't be trained in a day, and maybe not even in a year. But a little glimpse into a one-kid-in-diapers world? I'll take what I can get.

All the Livelong Day

Today is the first day that my kids haven't screamed for 8 out of 10 hours. I'm not really exaggerating...as I told my mother-in-law, at least one of three is whining or screaming at any given moment. In fact, I consider it a pleasant moment if only one kid is screaming. So, that's how it's going. I don't really answer the phone (too hard to hear anyone with all the screaming and whining) or post on my blog (too hard to think with the constant headache).


Look at these bugs, though. It's hard to hate 'em.

I had a particularly difficult night with Jimmy on Wednesday. His screaming wouldn't end, forcing me to end a social engagement with great embarrassment. Aren't you supposed to know how to silence them by the 3rd kid? Anyway, last night John suggested that I take a break and enjoy the hot tub at the gym. It would figure that as soon as I entered the locker room for a long hot shower, a toddler with keen instinct started throwing the Tantrum to End All Tantrums. Hey, I'm a pro-family girl, but in that moment, I just wished to transport them to the appropriately-labeled Family Locker Room.

Retroactive Word of the Day: Milliner

milliner: Noun. A person who makes or sells women's hats [originally Milaner a native of Milan, once famous for its fancy goods].

I can't lunch with you today, Kathryn. I'm visiting the milliner to design my third violet hat.

Time to Sit Still for Just a Moment: One Month In

Dear Jimmy,
I'm sitting at our kitchen table, and you're tucked away in your car seat on the living room rug. You seem to prefer slumber in your car seat over any other place; so far, you've spent every night in that utilitarian little bed.
Our family is turned upside-down in love with you. The house is chaos with a newborn, a 1 and 1/2 year old, and a 3 year old, but no one really seems to mind. I've pretty much given up cleaning in exchange for feeding you and defending you from baby-loving siblings. Tommy and Lucy have their ears continually perked to hear the slightest noise coming from your lips. "Jimmy's awake!!" "Yimmy!!"
We watch for your eyes to open, we admire your long, slender fingers. We give you kisses and wait for you to join in the laughter of what has become, to be honest, our little family circus.
It's exhausting to be a mom to 3 kids so demanding of my time and energy---mental and physical. Most of the time, I feel like I could fall asleep on a moment's notice, Jimster. But then, there are days like today, when I wake up and realize the beauty that I'm blind to when I cave in to that exhaustion. In this chaos, I have to focus on the love that binds us.

You're starting to put just a little meat on your bones. I've been waiting for that to happen, and it makes my soul smile to see your round face with milk dribbling down to a slightly double chin. You have that sweet smell of baby, and I know I'm in love when even your dirtiest diaper smells wonderful. How strange is that? But it's the truth.

Today, Daddy fed you the 1st bottle.
Tomorrow, you'll probably be gabbing away like Lucy.
Or donning super-hero costumes like Tommy.
It goes so fast, my baby. I just want you to be my littlest for a while.

I love you, Jimmy.
Mama

Word of the Day: Mensch

A person having admirable characteristics, such as fortitude and firmness of purpose: “He radiates the kind of fundamental decency that has a name in Yiddish; he's a mensch” (James Atlas).

Little Captain

Tommy has been bugging me for about a week to purchase him a new hook. Where do you buy a hook when it's not Halloween? I had to resort to creativity. Gladware + straw + tape + aluminum foil = Hook. For the advanced version, apply black paint.

Here is an excerpt from this morning's pirate outing.
Neighbor Zach [exiting his home as he sees us walk past]: I heard all the noise and had to see what was going on....niiiiice hook!
Tommy [waving his hook, obviously]: I'm a pirate! And I have a new hook! We've got to fight the dragons! They're breathing fire!
Zach: Whoaaa...you're going to fight the dragons all by yourself?
Tommy: Yes! I'm a pirate.
Zach: I would be scared to fight them all by myself.
Tommy [looks at Zach as if he's missing critical brain cells]: Well....you don't have a hook.