Author: Faith

Portrait of the Artist as a Three-Year-Old

So this little guy LOVES playing with my phone whenever he gets the chance. He’s supposed to only play the game I open for him but if I’m not looking he’ll switch between apps (and delete things and mess with my settings. Ahem.)

Recently E has been going through a photography phase (i.e. using the camera on my phone without my permission) and created these gems:

Deafening Suburban Silence
Mass Production of IndividualityUntitled Interior #16

If you liked how these turned out, wait until you see what E’s been working on lately. His self-portrait series focusing on the often ignored top-of-the-head might just take the art world by storm.

Curtains for Mimi’s Room

Mimi’s room is still far from finished. Right now she’s sleeping in our portable crib until I muster up the courage to move E to a twin bed (He still takes a 2-or-3 hour nap and I’m scare that he’ll give it up once he’s out of his crib). But while the finishing touches will need to wait for a while I’m slowing putting things together. My next project will be sewing some curtains.

The last time I was out IKEA some of the fabric caught my eye. These are two of my favorites. Which ever fabric I use I want to try and do some pinch pleats along the top.


Has anyone ever used pleat tape to sew curtains? If so, any tips?

Letter to E: Month Forty

Dear E,

This last month it seemed like you took giant bounding steps towards boyhood. It’s not just that you seem so big compared to your new little sister, although you do. You just seem more like a kid rather than a toddler.

This month the concept of needing money to buy things (toys!) crystallized in your mind. We were at the drug store getting some cough medicine for you and you and your dad were browsing the toy aisle and you saw a toy gun called The Popzooka that shot little foam balls. And you wanted it SO much. We told you we weren’t going to get it and you cried about it a bit. We explained that we didn’t have money to spend on a Popzooka. So the next day you went into my bag and pulled out some dollars and brought them to us and explained that now we could buy the Popzooka. (Sigh, and so it begins.)

Another big kid thing you’ve learned recently is how to say Not Nice Things. The other night we all went to Chick-fil-A and you didn’t want to stay with us while we ordered; you wanted to run right into the playroom. I was holding onto your hand to keep you from pulling away and you turned to me, scowling, and said “Stupid Mama!” I was shocked.

Your dad immediately hauled you away to have a discussion while I stood in line and by the time I joined you guys you sweetly apologized. You tried it again a day or two later (This time it was “Stupid Daddy” so at least you’re an equal opportunity offender) but after another immediate time out you seemed to get the drift and haven’t called us names since.

You’ve been needing a haircut for a while and your dad has been teasing you by smoothing your hair down over your eyes and saying “Hey E, you’re a little Bieber!” (look up Justin Bieber circa 2010) and every time you scowl and exasperatedly state “I am not a Beiber, ANYMORE!” as if you’re sick to death of us reproaching you with your tawdry past.

Things were been pretty crazy with your sister being born and then with her getting RSV and having to be hospitalized for a few days. While I stayed with her in the hospital you and your dad hung out at home watching movies and doing Reckless Boy Things like you cramming yourself into a clothes hamper and your dad picking it up and swinging you around the house in wild circles.

It was such a relief when Mimi recovered and was able to come home. I could tell that it was stressing you out to have the two of us away in the hospital and to see Mimi hooked up with wires. When we came home it was like a tightness melted out of you. You are already a great big brother, always wanting to know where “Baby Nomi” is and trying to help her if she’s crying.

You make us proud.

Love,

Mama

Real Life “Up” House

I remain firmly convinced, as I have been since middle school, that National Geographic must be one of the coolest places to work EVER.

Photos courtesy of National Geographic


Photos and info via My Modern Metropolis: On March 5 at dawn, National Geographic Channel and a team of scientists, engineers, and two world-class balloon pilots successfully launched a 16′ X 16′ house 18′ tall with 300 8′ colored weather balloons from a private airfield east of Los Angeles, and set a new world record for the largest balloon cluster flight ever attempted. The entire experimental aircraft was more than 10 stories high, reached an altitude of over 10,000 feet, and flew for approximately one hour.

How great is THAT?

Snotsucker

Thank you for the well-wishes and kind comments!

We are on the mend. Mimi is feeling better and I’m starting to relax about her breathing (or the possible lack thereof). One of the things that has helped quite a bit is the Nosefrida*, a nasal aspirator that you use by putting one end in your mouth and the other end in your baby’s nose and then sucking the snot out of their nose.

It sounds disgusting (both figuratively and literally) but it really is effective. And (very importantly!) there’s a replaceable foam filter in the middle to stop the snot so it doesn’t get into your mouth. I really prefer it to the blue bulb syringe you get at the hospital. I like being able to apply a long pull of suction instead of sticking the bulb syringe in and out of Mimi’s nose repeatedly which freaks her out, can make her little nose bleed, and doesn’t get as much mucus out.

I bought the Nosefrida on a whim before Mimi was born and I am so glad that I already had it when we came home from the hospital. In fact I’m so enamored of it that I might buy a couple for baby gifts. It’s not a very cute gift to receive but I’m pretty sure they’ll thank me later.

*That’s an Amazon Affiliate link