Tales of Me and the Husband

Have a sunnnnnnny weekend!

Let’s close out the weekend with a picture of this dreamboat eating some Cheerios with banana, k?  He’s been the most tender, sweet boy lately.  Giving kisses and hugs and just generally being a pretty awesome person to be around.  The other night he got into bed with Anders and I at around 3 am so for the rest of the night I had one on each side of me in a double bed (no, I didn’t sleep much more that night!) but, and I’m well aware of how cheesy it’ll sound, it was pretty great and I didn’t mind it one bit.

Don’t read if you haven’t seen the Game of Thrones finale.  But some theories.  The one about LOST was funny.

Interesting take on helicopter parenting.

I found this bookmarked on my parent’s computer and since my Mom’s like the mother of zen, you should probably take a looksie and get your ten-minute zen on.

I think I would wear this to everything if I owned it.  Evvvvverything.  Yes, even the DMV.

Since a serious road trip is on our bucket list, I was really excited to stumble upon this cool website.

This little girl!  What spunk!

This is a great boardshort for the man in your life.

And more Bachelorette commentary.  (How awful was Ian?!)

Have a good weekend!

(And, those who are well-traveled, lend me your footwear tips for logging lots of miles abroad!  I’ve got some ideas but I’ll take yours too!)

jersey shore!

we’re at the jersey shore!  parker, anders, and i arrived by plane on sunday morning.  i was officially outnumbered, and on a plane of all places, and it actually went swimmingly.  i prepared for nearly every scenario and packed all three of us into one carry-on and we made it!  with all limbs attached and even a stroller.  it’s a pretty short flight (less than an hour!) so even if the kids loss their collective sh*^!@, i knew the end was in sight.  but hats off to those little guys who were really good travelers.
now, we eagerly await more of our crew who’s driving down when school gets out in a week.  we miss you guys so much!  wawa hoagies await you when you get here (especially you, steve)!  and springers ice cream!  and lazy days on the beach!  
in the meantime, i’m enjoying a lot of nice time with my parents and my sister’s family and all sorts of cousins.  anders is getting passed around and making all the ladies swoon (i really do hate that word, but here it seems appropriate right?) and parker is going-going-going and then crashing hard at night.  
yesterday, we strolled cape may and split a strawberry peace pie and it was delicious.  it’s two shortbread cookies with frozen vanilla mousse and strawberry ice cream in the middle.  yes please.  we’ve visited the pool, and the beach, and just had quiet leisurely mornings.  it’s a treat to be here.
and that’s all she wrote.

co-sleeping 101.

co-sleeping!
before i begin, i should say that i’m noooo genius in the co-sleeping arena.  i’ve done it with both boys, though, so hours logged in bed with my boys?  of that there are many!  i realize this still doesn’t make me an expert.  but after uploading a few pictures like the above to instagram, i’ve had a few requests to do a post on it.  so here it is!
(disclaimer: take everything i say with a grain of salt and do your own research to determine whether or not co-sleeping will work for you.  this post should not be where your research ends!)
when i had my boys, i wasn’t necessarily like MUST CO-SLEEP ABOVE ALL ELSE but i quickly discovered that, for us, it was the best way for everyone to get the most solid sleep.  sleep > eating/showering/drinking/anything when you’re a new mom, yes?  if i’m tired, i’m cranky, and if i’m cranky, nobody’s happy!  co-sleeping is not for everybody.  it’s true that some babies and moms (or dads, or partners…) don’t take to co-sleeping.  some babies need their space, some moms are such light sleepers that every squeak their baby makes wakes them all night long, some dads are afraid of rolling over and hurting the baby, etc. etc. etc.  for me?  i sleep best when my babies are right next to me.  likewise, my boys have always slept longest and hardest when i’m right next to them.  they barely have to stir at night and i’m nursing, both of us back to sleep within seconds.  (at night i’ve found, especially with anders, burping is unnecessary.  i think babies nurse slower and calmer so there’s less swallowing of air and thus less need to burp.)
so, first things first.  co-sleeping has to work for all parties.  (steve’s always been happy to co-sleep, thankfully!  he might say i left him little choice in the matter.  what say you, steve?!)

now if we’ve established that it does indeed work for all parties, these are the basic rules i follow:
– don’t tie one on (get wasted) and go to sleep with your baby ever.  it’s that simple.  
– if you’re a really deep sleeper, perhaps co-sleeping will not work for you.  if you work odd hours or are overly exhausted, don’t co-sleep.
– wear (particularly in the colder months) a long-sleeve shirt to bed.  the reason is this: the baby’s face is roughly where your breasts are (for nursing).  the covers shouldn’t be right at your baby’s face.  and so, you should have the covers pulled up as high as your belly button thus leaving your shoulders/chest exposed.  so, long sleeve shirt.
– if you have an overly soft bed (or a water bed, do people still have water beds?) don’t co-sleep.
– keep the baby in the middle of the bed between you and your husband or between you and a barrier.  it was a learning curve, but now i can nurse on either side without switching positions.
– keep your room cool.
co-sleeping tools: you can use one of these and have the baby in your bed with you.  if that doesn’t work, this is another option that has the baby on mom’s side for easy access/nursing.  i’ve never used either, though one of my sister’s used the arm’s reach one.  we did use these on the outside of the bed with parker (and so you can be in the middle and have the baby on the outside, if that works better) for a long time.
is that all?  i struggled for awhile knowing what to even include in this post aside from, “i love co-sleeping!”  please feel free to ask any questions and i will answer them below.
(i’m well aware that co-sleeping gets some very bad press.  this is simply what has worked for us, and i’ve always taken it seriously.  as with all things baby, be smart.  your baby’s well-being is always top priority.)

Weekend links.

After I gave caterpillars “a story” (they have a family, a Mom and Dad, the outside is their home, they need to go home for dinner, etc.), Parker really buddied up to them–initially he thought he should kill them (he killed none.).  Boys.  We brought a few inside and he named them Rapunzel, Knight, Tennis, and… neither of us can remember the fourth’s name.  He was under strict instruction to watch them, and when he tired of that, they headed back outside (to see their family).  Now he’s always finding them, holding them gently, and releasing them.  He will not be a boy who kills all the bugs if it’s the last thing I do!

The disease of being busy.  Yep, I got it.

The ten most beautiful beaches in the world.  I think some Caribbean ones should’ve made the cut, but the Honopu one?!?  Woah.

Instagram’s getting an updated look.  Brace yourselves.

Future events determine what happens in the past.  I’m going to need Jordan to explain this one to me.

In the last two weeks, Zulily has had Ray-Bans, J. Crew Factory, and more.  Better all the time, if you’re not yet on their email list (once a day!).

I like this leather pouch.

Jon Snow impersonators.  (I’ll always say it John Snuhhhhh.)  The last guy is awesome.

I’ve spent more hours scrolling Airbnb than I care to admit.  It’s better than Pinterest.  Take this for example: a houseboat in Amsterdam.

This suit is so pretty.

Summer’s here!  So, sunburn remedies.  Any tried and true remedies out there not on this list?

6 breathing exercises to help you relax in 10 minutes or less.  Must learn these… and then DO THEM.

Have a great weekend!!

23/52.

anders, 6 months: i love his random long flyaway hairs — see that one coming off his head in that shot? 
parker, almost 4 years: if there could be a thought bubble above his head in this picture it would read, “now what should i get out of the shed to scatter all across the yard today???  the other day he was pulling out a tennis racket and steve saw one that he’d already gotten out and said, “parker!  there’s one right here, how many do you need?”  “buff two!”  (just two, for him and him alone.)

lindsey, 13 years: she’s had her iPod taken for various reasons, but the bright side of the punishment?  more time to be with us instead of staring at a screen!  (not sure she would say the same, though!)  she’s a pretty good sport about it all.

books we’re reading right now.

as i made this list, i thought, “poor anders!”  these books are much more geared for his big brother than they are for him.  i remember when we used to read to parker, it was all board books who’s corners have since been slobbered on, pieces of the paper removed.  now, anders has to keep up with these long stories!  sorry little man!  we’ll try to do better.
1. spy guy: this has some really clever rhyming in it that makes me giggle (and i have more fun reading books that rhyme and it’s all about me sooo…)
2. wherever you are my love will find you: just try to read a nancy tillman without crying.  JUST TRY.  when i read this to the boys i’m like, “listen kids, LISTEN TO ME.  THIS IS MY STORY TO YOU, MY LOVE WILL FIND YOU.”  it almost sounds threatening doesn’t it?  after this one, try any nancy tillman, really.
3. huge harold: bill peet for the win forever and for always (you really can’t lose with ANY bill peet except his christmas one.  that one sucks.  otherwise, grab one, grab all, he’s top 10 best children’s author ever.
4. we were tired of living in a house: this is really sweet.  these kids are, as the title suggests, tired of living in their house!  so they go out and attempt to build other forms of a home, and then when all is said and done, they discover they’d really rather just be at their home after all.
5. the relatives came: oh this book!  this is the sweetest story about family.  my favorite line: “but none of us thought about virginia much.  we were so busy hugging and eating and breathing together.”  sort of reminds me of our big summer rentals in sea isle city, new jersey with all my cousins.
6. norman the doorman: like bill peet, don freeman is also a stellar children’s author.  this one is about a sophisticated mouse who lives in a museum.  there’s a twist!  try mop top next!

summertime + bbqs.

As a kid, our next door neighbors were always grilling.  And, from our house, you could see their grill on the deck, the smoke rising from it, the Dad standing over it flipping the family’s burgers.  You could smell it coming straight in our kitchen and living room windows.  “What are the Moyers having tonight??  Is that steak?  Burgers?”  It smelled delicious.  We didn’t grill nearly as often.  In fact, I’m sure I’m just forgetting, but I really can’t recall my Dad ever grilling (or my Mom) as a kid.  I remember well, though, the familiar smell once warm weather hits.  The smell that told you some lucky devil was having dinner off the grill tonight.
Steve always says he’s bad at grilling.  He still really likes to give it a go though, and so, we do.  It usually involves him asking, several times, “Do you think it’s done yet?  Come look.  Does that look done to you?”  Then, we cut into a piece (the steak-lovers are wincing right now) and watch the blessed juices running down the grate instead of all over our plates (and then our mouths) where they should be.  A meat thermometer you say?  Parker pretended it was his walkie talkie, and now it’s long gone into the abyss of things kids lose.
Anyway, we recently got a new grill, and Steve’s thrilled.  So far, we’ve grilled pork burgers, regular burgers (my favorite, forever and ever), and even pizza on this grill so far (and it was not only edible but really good–thin crust!).  It’s new-to-us and Steve feels like he’s hit the grill jackpot with it.  Our house has a great, though small, deck on the back of it now, so you don’t want a giant grill taking up space.  But, isn’t it nice to grill where everyone’s congregating instead of having to be sequestered far from the house for it?  This one has a seriously small footprint (and four wheels, so you can easily roll it to where you need) but still has a really large grilling area.  It also has a natural gas or charcoal option.  It’s not tricky.  Simple, straight forward.  
Not only that, but it’s a really cool looking grill too.  Form and function (Steve’s always more concerned with function and, yes, form usually wins for me.).  Get this–the designer of the Macbook pro was behind it!  It’s stainless steel and has a really great cover that zips off and on really easily.  As I said, we’ve used it a bunch of times now, and it’s not only working great and giving us delicious food, but looking good too.  I see many more BBQs in our future.  Thanks Fuego!  
This post was in collaboration with Fuego.  Please check out their website if you’re in the market for a grill (Father’s Day?  Fourth of July?  Everyone needs a grill!).  It’s great (with some awesome press too!).  Thank you for reading!
And one of my favorites to do on the grill.

six months of anders emmett hunt.

this smiley boy has been such a light to our lives through a long and dark winter.  he has the sweetest temperament.  i catch him giggling at his brother parker (perched on my hip and with parker just below, he gets the best view of the whirlwind of a three year old), at his own reflection in the mirror, grinning ear to ear as we ride along in the car (i do so love watching him in the rear view mirror), as william heads his way to say hello, as steve gives him raspberries on his stomach.  he’s the kickiest baby, his arms and legs are constantly flapping and kicking and when he really gets into it, he has this serious look on his face.  he lights up when familiar people make eye contact with him, but it seems as though he’ll lend a smile to anyone who looks at him.  in the mornings, he is my wake up call, and he will lie there kicking and cooing and staring at the trees outside the window until i stir enough to open my eyes and look back at him.  when i do, without fail, he always gives me an enormous smile as if to say, “she’s awake!  she’s awake!”  he has the fairest skin, i’m always covering him when we’re out, and the bluest eyes and his hair, which is just starting to come in, seems to be blonde.  i wonder if it’ll be straight or wavy.  he’s ready to do more than his body will allow, which does result in some discontentment at times.  he wants to sit up, he wants to crawl, he wants to eat, he wants to talk!  oh anders, it’ll all come in time!
so much of him is simple and easy.  he came into this world without much ado, he sleeps like a dream, and nurses great too.  the hardest part of anders is me, really.  since he’s been born, it’s all felt like it has been flying by and to say it’s left me, at times, gasping for air, isn’t an overstatement.  here i am writing his six month post?!  how!!  i really, really, really love being the mother of a baby.  yes it’s hard and there are times when i’m eager to hand him off so i can get laundry folded, emails answered, take a shower.  but there is something so desperately beautiful in it all.  in being needed so much, in having another’s face light up at the very sight of you.  it’s chaos, but if you let yourself sit in it, you’ll find such satisfaction.  it’s such hard work but it is such good work too.
i sometimes (a lot of times) wish i were different.  it’s a blessing and a curse, this heartache that i feel as a mother.  my friend recently shared these words by debra ginsberg with me, knowing they’d resonate so fully: “Through the blur, I wondered if I was alone or if other parents felt the same way I did – that everything involving our children was painful in some way. The emotions, whether they were joy, sorrow, love or pride, were so deep and sharp that in the end they left you raw, exposed and yes, in pain. The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that – a parent’s heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.”  i mean, it’s so beautiful, right?  do all mothers feel this way?  i really do wonder that.  how can one feel the highs so fully without also feeling the sorrow the lows bring.  and so, since he’s been here with us, i have looked at him and thought, “gosh, i wish this would last longer than i know it will,” instead of just enjoying the moment!  if you’re wondering whether i drive myself crazy the answer is yes.  i really love it, and so, its passing is mourned.
i’ll end with a little note to my littlest love on his six months and one day birthday.
dear anders,
you’re so big!  you’re so bright!  your personality lights up this home, and your big bright eyes do too.  you are rosy, your cheeks and your disposition, and i’m so, so glad you’re here.  i remember finding out i was pregnant with you in our downstairs bathroom of our old house.  i gave your brother the test so he could hand it to your dad when he got home from work.  i was so shocked and so happy to know you were on your way.  you’ve been so nice to us, so easygoing ever since.  i can’t believe you’ve been here six months already.  i wonder if you’ll ever know how hard it is to watch your kids grow up, or if that’s something only moms feel so deeply.  i am pretty certain you’re going to make people really happy in this world, as you’ve made us so far.  there’s something really good in you.  you might be thinking that moms are supposed to say that, but i can just tell.  i love you to the moon and back.  happy six months, baby boy (okay if i call you that forever?).
love mom

Have a splendid weekend!

Parker just had his last day of tots soccer (Steve was a coach!).  At first he began it really shy and wanting to mostly watch, and by the end of the six weeks, he got right in there.  It was really sweet.  
This weekend’s weather looks just right.  70s and sunny.  I hope to put down my phone and do some reading on the deck!  Plus, we’re going out to eat with some friends on Sunday.  Otherwise, a lot of walking and catching up on sleep (I’ve been staying up way too late lately, and–waah, waah–I am tired!).

This is a cute piece for a baby in the summertime (plus – sale!).

I just got this book out at the library.  Read it?  I’ve heard good things.

A Boston summer bucket list by my friend.  It’s a good list.  We’ll definitely make it to the Greenway at least once this summer!

No more love locks on the Pont des Arts bridge.  Did you put one there?  WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIP?

Having experienced some heartbreaking losses in his life, Joe Biden talks about compassion.

This is one of my favorite apps for Parker’s iPad time.  At $5.99 a chapter, it’s expensive, but we buy maybe one a month?  It touches on nearly everything toddler iPad time should.  Following directions, colors, shapes, numbers, while still being fun.

Self-driving cars.  How insane will it be to see them on the road?

This necklace is the prettiest.

No doubt you’ve seen the Caitlyn Jenner Vanity Fair cover by now.  Here’s the I Am Cait trailer.

“I have the heart of a warrior and the spirit of a gypsy.” This hilarious Bachelorette commentary, again.  Wish I’d written it myself.

I never thought I’d be linking to a spatula but then I never knew I’d find the perfect spatula.  We’re huge egg eaters around here and this is theeee thinnest, flimsiest (in a good way) spatula that gets under your eggs or pancakes perfectly.  It’s sort of been a love affair.

Have a good weekend!

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