Easter Outfit OTI Linkup

We loaded everyone up into the van to return back to our old faithful hospital Mass this morning but didn't even get to the end of our street before Simon realized the car was leaning way back and to the left thanks to a totally deflated tire. So ... we all piled into the Jetta clown car style to go to Mass just a few blocks away .... but not before taking a detour for some pictures.

As expected, the church was packed but we found half a pew to occupy just as the kids pulled out and secured their naughtiest hats. There was a couple sitting behind us and I'm fairly certain she was pregnant with her first and I think Sebastian inspired them to go purchase multiple books on how to discipline spirited (euphimism for "brat", much?) children. Julia cried the biggest crocodile tears for her blankie and her crib and repeatedly announced that she, "not wike Jesus" for the first 15 minutes and Theo was mostly okay.

Despite getting up insanely early I still only managed to pull on the first wrinkly things I saw on the floor of my closet after wasting too many minutes looking for something that would sort of fit Theo and not scream "pajamas!!" but I think the new shoes that my awesome sister-in-law let me have helped my frogfit a little tiny bit.

Easter Greenery:
sweater: Forever XXI
skirt: Target
shoes: Zara

Behavior:
Julia: B+ (after I promised a "BIG PRESENT" [Dora Band Aid] if she stopped crying she pulled it together)
Sebastian: F (his thrashing elicited a "you've got your hands full!" from the kind gentleman with three kids of his own before Mass was even over)
Theo: A- (he wanted to be held)

A special thank you to our visiting photographer (my brother Paul)

Happy, Happy Easter to you and yours (and a very happy birthday to the beautiful Ana!) Can't wait to see everyone's outfits. And if you don't want to dedicate a whole blog post -- feel free to go the Twitter or Insta route with #easteroti.

<div align="center"> <a href="http://camppatton.com/" title="Camp Patton"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiReAZwe79yo4RWJP7gf_V7a0o0JahQTUoosPQBV-sG_xMzGVnU5hwaK0hYhkBjiYcdMoZDLEMW-jNSGZ4SUJPEPdR9vqy3LCAO2iHayQy0abSqbOC9Yy-fkiwV0KqxLrWkEpi0d2hIjwSz/s1600/Button.jpg" alt="Camp Patton" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Thanks in advance for linking up! Don't forget to go see what Kayla and Erica cooked up in their necks of the Net.

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Easter Outift OTI Linkup

A few of you sweet ladies (that sounds like I'm implying you're 99 years of age - I'm not) have emailed and asked if there was going to be a What I Wore Easter and I didn't think there would be because Easter falls on a Sunday this year and Fine Linen and Purple always has that day allllll taken care of and I love them for it. But then Kayla asked if Erica and I would like to co-host an Easter OTI linkup and you know nothing makes my blogging heart go thump thump thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump like a linkup and I was so hyped up on salt and dairy and coffee with creamer that I responded with ...

alskdkajfhkasjdhfkjashdkjashdkfjhsDKJFHKFSHKJHFDJKhfkjFKJhfjkh !!!!!!!!!!!!

then I backspaced for a minute or ten and responded like a civilized emailer with a cordial ... "yes, please."

I can't wait to see all your finery. It's freezing cold and windy here and I'm REALLY fighting the urge to wear something warm and black but I'm not big on blasphemy so I'll find something warm and pastel.

Here's a button + code if you're outfit needs a little extra sparkle ...

<div align="center"> <a href="http://camppatton.com/" title="Camp Patton"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiReAZwe79yo4RWJP7gf_V7a0o0JahQTUoosPQBV-sG_xMzGVnU5hwaK0hYhkBjiYcdMoZDLEMW-jNSGZ4SUJPEPdR9vqy3LCAO2iHayQy0abSqbOC9Yy-fkiwV0KqxLrWkEpi0d2hIjwSz/s1600/Button.jpg" alt="Camp Patton" style="border:none;" /></a></div>


and if you want to join via Instagram or the Twitter - hash it #easteroti

(so many thanks to Kayla for the graphics ... I'm a Silverstone when it comes to that sort of stuffs)



Past holiday linkups ...

What I Wore Thanksgiving
What I Wore Christmas 

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Good News on Good Friday

Is that title terribly irreverent?

Here, be distracted by our new chariot on its maiden voyage ...

We purchased this from a family that had a set of triplets, twins, and a singleton. I know!

Anyway, I heart Craigslist forever and ever. (I don't heart Julia's outfit that she curated all by herself - it seemed to really bring out the needy in her - a side I've neeeeever seen before).


Sprinting right along to the great news ... I went in for my scan this morning. Laying on a padded 2x4 for 45 minutes while being told every two minutes how many minutes remained of the ginorm camera being suspended 1/123812308109283th of a cm above my face was actually really relaxing and I enjoyed the quiet. The radiologist read the scan right then and there and it was totally clean! I chugged a big hospital coffee that Simon brought me in celebration. Oops.

Thank you thank you thank you for all of your sweet emails that you sent this week and especially this morning. I don't know how all of you nice people find the Camp -- I'm a lucky blogger. Don't turn on me, ever - pretty please.


Also noteworthy ...

Sebastian, inspired by Parker, is almost sort of talking!

and

Theo is starting to be happy and awake for longer periods of time - a milestone to love.


Rock Chalk!!

And! get your Easter outfits picture ready because there's going to be a link-up ... more on that a little tiny bit later.

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Conversations with Julia

 the cutest letter J shirt made by Adrienne and Christine

While watching me get dressed ...
Julia: oh, you going to take your picture outside?

While pulling on her belly button ...
Julia: wook!
Grace: oh, what is it?
Julia: baby feo-dora's comin out of dare!

Saw me coming down the stairs to the basement and quickly took down a bottle of teething tablets like a shot ...
Grace: what are you doing?
Julia: oh, I just found something in my mouf.

Before I tried to work out ...
Grace: want to do Jillian Michaels with me?
Julia: no sank you. She NOT nice.

Several minutes after I put her down for bed she started screaming in her crib so I went to rescue like the novice that I am
Grace: what's the deal in here?
Julia: I just want a hug and a kiss
Grace: (obliges)
Julia: (whispers in my ear) and some milk

Whenever she can sense that I'm agitated ...
Julia: whatz goin on with you, Grace?
Grace: nothing
Julia: oh, is it the stupid thing??
Grace:
Julia: dammit stupid thing? 

While dangling a toy over Theo's face ...

Julia: say please!!
Theo:
Julia: the answer is no you have to say please!!
Theo:
Julia: okay! no toy.

Julia walked into the living room ...
Grace: como estas?
Julia: no, I not a sauce.

She walked into Sebastian's room ...
Julia: what's dat smell?
Sebastian:
Julia: did you have a gas?
Sebastian:
Julia: you need to say scuze me, Bashy.
Sebastian:
Julia: say it! Say scuze me.

When I went to get her up from her nap and found her minions all laying face down
Grace: what are they doing?
Julia: the tummy times!

While I was changing Theo's diaper on the floor and she was watching a lot too closely ...
Julia: what's that??
Grace: can you hand me the wipes?
Julia: is that his tail?!

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is my crazy showing?

I wish I could go back in time to the blessed day when Simon and I professed our marriage vows (also known as ... our wedding day) and add the tiniest little addendum, "in sickness and in health and when Grace is on Thyrogen" because .... the Thyrogen be making me crazy. I don't really understand what it does but after my two doses over the course of 48 little hours ...

1) I sent a text to a Craigslist stranger meant for a Simon (nothing embarrassing -- just a freak out that said stranger was almost to our house and that I wasn't dressed and the big kids were screaming and the living room was a blizzard of bad word -- )

2) I got Theo all dressed and swaddled only to realize he was wearing zero diapers. Twice in a row.

3) On my way to an appointment at the hospital that I frequent so very much I found myself WAY off course, having taken a premature and very wrong exit which is odd because a breakdown of where I go when I trot onto the interstate ...

would show that the van can pretty much drive itself there by now.

4) Cried so hard while watching this movie (I've read the book! I know what happens!) that Simon heard me sniffling from the other room. I might cry over spilled oyster crackers but I generally don't cry over tragic and untimely movie deaths.

5) Teared up because I was so grateful to Hallie for texting me that Smash was available on Hulu so that I might catch up on the second season.
 

To say that I need to get a grip would be the understatement of all eternity. I looked up the side effects of the crazy drug on the almighty internet and "insane with a side of cry baby" wasn't listed. Weird.

Poor Simon sought refuge from Mrs. Rochester and took the kids outside so that he could shovel the driveway the other night. Fun! Freezing cold + kids prone to bolting into the street in the freezing cold. He took some pics and I felt like I was there minus the unpleasant ...

Simon said he could've taken a whole series of photos solely of Sebastian's falls face first into the snow and his futile and fruitless attempts to get up while Julia watched ...

I stayed inside with Skinny ...

which was as terrible as it looks.


Anyway, I just returned from taking my little radioactive iodine pill in preparation for Friday's scan and am hoping there are no emo side effects for the sake of Simon, our chipmunks, and you - kind readers. If there are ... I promise to blog all about it. Get your brow furrows and head shakes ready.

Thank you for your patience. Regularly scheduled slightly less nutso will return after my first eight servings of iodine. Promise.

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Open to Interpretation

It was Kayla's pick this time around and this is what she threw us ...

source

Get your whelmed pants on ... 

Why I didn't pose naturally in front of our minivan I'll never know. Also, the model might have a camera prop but I've got a genuine stray hair from a head of my very own in my face so .... we're tied. 

I'm obviously struggling here as I could've sworn these pants were pink as the prettiest sunset but it appears as though they are actually stop sign siren red. They always stop Sebastian in his tracks when I wear them and now I can see why. I bought them this past weekend to wear while hitting up the nightlife scene with some younger, hipper ladies and the jury is still out whether they were a savvy purchase or not. And while I love the look of an open shirt over a t-shirt ... I think I would look ridiculous if I tried it.  My bff+e Jessica (blog now private which I hate because it's a real diamond) pulls it off so well and I almost hate her for it.

the stuffs:

shirt: H&M $5 rack 

pants: Target

bootlets: Forever XXI 

necklace: c/o Lisa Leonard Designs

glasses: c/o Glassesdirect.com 

Now go see what Erica and Kayla wore - I'm sure it's a little less patriotic meets scraggle hair.

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Wichita Weekend

Let me go ahead and bullet point our weekend for you because paragraphs sound like a lot of work right now and sometimes I regress into lazy infant mode/my current medication situation is getting the best of me.

+ the seven hour drive up wasn't terrible. Julia watched Curious George nine times in a row and slept for 18 minutes (!!!!!! call the miracle police because the last time she slept in the car she was two months of age), Sebastian was a trooper because he doesn't care about screens like his sister does and he only got really angry about being strapped in for multiple hours a few times, Theo was okay, Simon got a little stressed while driving in some thick traffic and I made fun of him BUT I almost had a total meltdown driving back on Sunday so .. karma's a big b.

+ Julia was SO excited to see "grampa and grampa" and understood their house and their house alone to be all of Wichita. Sebastian sought to destroy everything at his eye level and learned how to say please when he wanted more bacon. Well ... if "piss" counts and this mama bear is counting it. Theo was completely inconsolable for the first time in his life both nights ... maybe he missed the solitude of his Pack-n-Play in the attic? My respect for parents of colicky babies is HIGH.

+ Mary's bridal shower was amazing. If I had to pinpoint my greatest notstrengths it would definitely be interior decorating and planning parties so I really appreciated all the work that Simon's mom, sister Elizabeth, and Mary's bff Meg put into throwing the best party complete with a mimosa bar, potted plant party favors, a stellar soundtrack, and not a single game in sight.

+ the Bachelorette party was also a huge success. We went to a restaurant that served a great, relatively safe salad as far as iodine is concerned (because, you know, the party was about ME), the company was stellar and only toward to endish of the night did we see another bachelorette party toting around a naked male dummy that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Wow.

+ Wichita State beat Gonzaga! I love a good Cinderella story and as a former Shocker (best mascot? absolutely) myself (if a few summer and night classes count while teaching) ... I was more excited than I generally ever get about sports. Shocker Nation (until they play KU).

+ the kids weren't terrible for Palm Saturday night Mass! I carried Bash up to communion and he stuck his tongue out and leaned allllll the way to the priest's hand for a serving of what everyone else was having and I lost it by way of the giggles but other than that .... no complaints.

+ the eight hour drive home was a little bit scary. I love driving on long trips because the kids know that I can't be bothered with 89 trivial requests but after we hit a few ice patches (fine ... snow, whatever) and I lost a leeeedle bit of control of the van while watching the ginorm truck fishtail like crazy in front of us I handed the wheel over to Simon while I gulped back tears of adrenaline.

+ We told Julia we were going home to Saint Louis and she was completely horrified when we pulled up to our house as she thought we were going to visit someone by the name of Louis. She was finally sort of placated when I explained that we would be visiting her tomorrow. And tomorrow never came.

+ Traveling with kids can be super stressful with sleep schedules thrown off (and I live and breathe by the children's sleep schedules ... roll those eyes!), new "strangers" in the mix, and forgotten stuffs (always) but I was oh so pleasantly surprised by this weekend. A new Patton frontier? Possibly.

+ Weekend recaps can make for stale blog posts and this is probably one of the stalest (most stale?) so please accept my half-hearted apology.

And now back to your Tuesday afternoon grind.

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just so we're clear ...

What the fack-feck-fick-fock-whut?


My threshold for caring if complaining about the interminable winter is boring, annoying, cliche, annoying, eye rolly, or old news is at a big fat zero because this is beyond depressing. I'm going to take a wild guess that Mother Nature must've never been cooped up in a fevered cabin with a Julia and a Sebastian because if she had she never ever would've punished us earth dwellers with a little bit of hell frozen way over.

I remember buying some winter clothes for the kids last fall at a thrift store and the clerk chuckled and asked if I was new to St. Louis because the winters were actually "pretty mild" and that I seemed to be preparing for a long, cold one instead.

Well, who's chuckling now, clerky? Exactly.

No one.


I have a busy day ahead of me crafting an elaborate and fail-proof campaign to convince Simon that we absolutely must move to the warmest climate known to man approximately one second after residency has come to a blessed close so off I shiver/chatter/shuffle.
 


(on a brighter note ... just 56 more days until my favorite day of May)

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7 Quick Takes

Joining Jen and linking up with her over at Conversion Diary.

1. I got up early this morning to go get some bloodwork done before Simon went to work and the lady couldn't stop yawning and saying that she still felt half asleep.

UMMMMMMM. please wake up before you extract blood from my vein by way of a needle.  (It was fine -- not great but not awful)

Also, I took off my jacket to roll up my sleeve and ..... oh, look my dark purple shirt that I threw on in the dark is covered in spit up. I guess it was good she was half asleep because my appearance repulsed even myself.

2. Even though Daniel left last Sunday .. a few things still stick out in my mind from his visit ...

wellllll ... at least the pillow's in focus. Sorry Dan!


3. He and Simon took the kids out on Saturday morning and I showered and 'got ready for the day' and when he returned he asked ..

Daniel: oh, did you go running?
Grace: no
Daniel: oh, did you do a workout dvd or something?
Grace: no, why?
Daniel: oh ... well ... are those just your house clothes then?
Grace: shut up (and yes)

4. Then on Saturday night ... the house was too quiet so Daniel went to go check on the kids in the basement. He found Sebastian standing in the laundry room .... quiet and looking confused while he heard Julia's muffled screams coming from ........ the closed dryer.

5. This video of the kids that Dan took. I don't know why it cracks me up every time.

6. We're going to Wichita this weekend and I get to go to Simon's sister's bachelorette party. I won't tell you how many outfits I tried on that, despite my very best efforts, STILL scream "going to the grocery store to grab eggs and formula and maybe some Dora Band Aids"  ............ if you happen to be out and about in the 'ta on Saturday night and you see a blonde mom in a sheet .... that will be me.

7. Okay I still have alllllll the packing to do because I wasted my morning tearing through all of my clothes and getting mad at the internet that kept going out because I really was counting on it to babysit while I got us all ready to go.


Have a sunny weekend.


ps ... Beth left this comment on the Camp's facebook page regarding Bloglovin':

 So ... pick your poison.

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All Things Thyroid + Low Iodine Diet

Like most posts around here ... this will be interesting to approximately no one but in the spirit of recording the vast majority of the trivials that go down at the Camp ... I'll pound out a medium post all about my thyroidless self. Me me me me me, as usual. I promise I won't make this into a medical saga drama as those can be ....... not my thing. (Regular drama? I'm all about it.)

I won't assume you have but if you haven't ... feel free to read all about the thyroid cancer diagnosis and thyroidectomy here. Pretty standard as thyroid cancer and removals go. I was ~17 weeks pregnant with Julia when we found out the little tiny nodule was cancerous and was able to have surgery like a regular not-preg but the treatment had to wait until after she was born. The radioactive iodine treatment is years and years better than chemo so I really shouldn't say anything negative about it but it's a little bit of a logistical headache because:

1. Before you take the iodine you have to be on a low iodine diet so that (to quote my favorite blogger, "I don't know science" so this will be rough) the iodine will cling to any remaining thyroid tissue (thyroids love iodine - I think) and light up nice and bright on the follow-up scan.

2. You have to be very hypothyroid before you can take the radioactive iodine (no matter the size of the dose). Hypothyroidism comes with being VERY tired and sluggish and (for me!) an emotional wreck. Your TSH needs to be at least 30 (regular TSH is 1-4ish) before you can take the iodine.

3. I'm lucky enough to be able to NOT have to stop taking my synthetic thyroid (synthroid - creative name!) for 5-6 weeks prior to the treatment/scans because a fancy little drug by the name of Thyrogen exists. It's spendy but we've been lucky in that our insurance has covered the cost of the injections (mostly covered, at least).

4. When I needed the treatment 2.5 years ago there was a Thyrogen shortage (of course there was) so we had to wait until some vials became available and they eventually did.

5. Doctors claim that there are no side effects to the Thyrogen injections but I can assure you (along with my poor sister who was visiting to help with Julia at the time) that I either turned into a temporary hypochondriac or they were lying because after the second dose I went outside to the parking lot at the hospital and couldn't find my car and crumpled into a huge pile of tears. Wreck.

6. I probably shouldn't blog next week, come to think of it.

7. So the real issue comes post-treatment when you can't be around people for a few days after. It was not fun not being in the same room as Julia when she was just Theo's age but Simon was the best mom--dad combo there ever was and I don't think Julia missed me for a second.

8. Are you asleep yet? I see a glimmer of drool on your chin and I don't blame you.

9. I'm not taking a hefty dose this time because I'm merely going for a scan (a scan that is long overdue because of Sebastian and Theo's pregnancies) but I still shouldn't hold the kids close to my neck after next Wednesday afternoon (so I'll probably just hold them by their feet far away from my body) because I'll be "radioactive" (I mean ... you know what I mean) and I don't want to zap THEIR thyroids. Luckily (!) my brother Paul will be visiting for Easter and will be employed to do all the heavy lifting around here until Simon gets home from work.

10. Um ... questions?

So ... the diet is terrible. My endocrinologist said, "it's not that bad! you just eat unseasoned chicken and ..... some salad" ...... well, it is that bad but thank you for that little ray of optimism. I probably rely on dairy in my daily diet too much but it's really hard to avoid dairy, salt (unless it's non-iodized which it NEVER is), seafood (easy), potato skins, red dye #2 (or something like that), meat that isn't fresh (no deli meat) and I guess that's it. So basically that leaves us with fruit and vegetables and unseasoned chicken and hummus. A super nice friend brought over unsalted tortilla chips and unsalted salsa so I've been living on that as well. Oh, there are recipes to make your own bread using potatoes and meals that require more thought and time than I like to devote to meal prep so I shouldn't complain but it's not the most fun. Luckily, alcohol is on the list of allowed foods.

What else? Nothing. Maybe you've noticed the scar on my neck ... but probably not. I scar easily and it seems that everyone elses thyroidectomy scars are pretty much invisible. Here's a pic from the other night ...

I guess it isn't that noticeable but it makes necklaces look silly and out of place and really cramps my vapid style.

I'll let you know when the scan comes back nice and clean (on Good Friday .... the day I can finally eat all the cheese and chocolate in the world. Why??? A little punishment for doing a 4th grade lenten sacrifice and only giving up french fries? probably.) Last time on the day I was given the go ahead to eat iodine ... Simon took me to Five Guys where I may have gotten sick from eating SO much ... but I kept on eating. I'm not proud of that fact but I can't promise it won't happen again. Gross? Absolutely.

If you made it through .... pat yourself on the head. Good job.

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boys are gross

.... so I decided to be a cool mom for once and just let him eat the rest before I bathed him. Normally Julia is a stellar tattler but after I got him scrubbed free of avocado blood, dressed in fresh clothes of his own, and set him free while I mopped the bathroom floor with his splashes ... I came out to find him eating ANOTHER ONE in a similarly neat and tidy manner.

cool and stoopid,

Mom (giving up)

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A post about not posting. (Where's Alanis?)

I started watching Failure to Launch this morning while trying to squeeze in some Jillian. I think it set a nice little tone for the day. After 17 minutes and 17 interruptions by way of my charges I quit. Sebastian had woken up at an ungodly hour and Julia can smell when Sebastian is awake and she is asleep so she woke up at a less ungodly but still an ungodly hour as well. It felt like I should be throwing food at the kids (lunch) before the most wonderful time of the day began (naps) at 8:12 in the am and I knew no one would live to see their naps if we all stayed cooped up in the cabin. I found a crayon sticking out of Theo's mouth and decided then and there that we all needed out. Simon was in a surgery soooooo ... Costco it was.

before Julia accessorized with a backpack, bear head purse, and turquoise necklace.

It was freezing outside and miserable trying to get the three kids into the cart with the proper legs in the proper cart leg holes with Julia narrating, "it's just too code!! it's not too hot!!" and did I grab my Costco card? yes! and no! we are not buying that jar of 5,000 Jelly Bellies and OH MY GOSH Julia your life is not over because the receipt with the smiley that the nice worker drew on the back blew away. She couldn't hear me over her, "MY FAAAAACE!!!" .... sobs that were so loud and dramatic that she stopped an elderly lady in her tracks before Gladys popped her eyes out of stare mode and made her way into the warehouse.

We visited Simon and I stared at his pizza and bread sticks filled with cheese while I munched on some "leafs" as Julia calls them and probably cheated with some Italian dressing. Whatever.

We got home and after I finallllllllly got all the kids to sleep ... and started tap tap tapping away about all things thyroid and low iodine diets because everyone cares about both sexy subjects when BAM ... the zest of reality ... Sebastian started his blood curdling screams and was UP.

violet pants, sister that was suddenly awake as well, and all.

And thus .... my failure to launch a post about thyroid and low iodine diets. I'll reprioritize and get it done tomorrow ....

1. Blog
2. kids

3. keeping Theo's left pectoral mostly safe
4. everything else
5. tell a bad joke
6. see you there

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Bloglovin'

Because I want to be a little bit more timely in hopping on a trendwagon than I've been in the past (I still feel like a clown wearing red lipstick, clean eating makes me shiver, and my first born's chic hairstyle brings all the jealous to the yard.)

 

(if you do ... thank you!! and if you don't ... my loss)


It will be hard to say goodbye to Google Reader (even though you can import all your olds into the new!!) ... but I think it will be like getting a new cellular ... it feels so unnatural initially but soon your fingers will have easily memorized all the best shortcuts and you'll have me under your favorite contacts in NO time. Just wait.

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Last Tuesday

Staying at home with little kids day after day after day after day is just about as taxing as it is monotonous. Let's start things out on an uplifting note, Grace. Okay. Fine, the kids show glimmers of cute and Theo's stomach:head ratio is hilarious and his smile is the definition of the good kind of infectious

and Sebastian bows down to him and considers it a "cuddle" and I can't help but cackle a little every single time he does it. It's not all terrible. Of course it isn't. It's just nice when one day rises above the rest because the days kind of smoosh themselves together into a fuzzy ball of grey during the colder months.

So, you can imagine how happy I was when last Tuesday rolled around. The sun was shining for the first time in what felt like an eternity (2 or 3 days probably), I was able to go get some lab work done all by myself (sing it) and I lucked into a skilled phlebotomist that didn't leave me feeling bruised and abused like some of them can, I dared to return to Whole Foods to buy some hemp milk (no iodine! but tastes like um ... something that rhymes with shit) and didn't walk out with my eyes rolling. Theo deviated from his usual "schedule" of awake while the big kids napped and the house was shockingly quiet for over an hour. Spa Patton? If the house shoe fits ....

When Sebastian woke up he didn't throw his usual "I just woke up and the world is ending" tantrum and was almost affectionate to his least favorite parent.

ALMOST.

It was the last day I could enjoy dairy, processed food, and dairy for a few weeks so I ate a lot of meals of cheese, cream cheese, cheese, and bacon. In retrospect I really should've inhaled a Shamrock Shake or five but ... C'est la hindsight.

Simon had to stay at the hospital later than usual for some training and I surprised myself with an attitude that didn't resemble that of a bratty 4-year-old and almost took it in stride like a normal adult wife should.

It was a decent day!

I didn't even let Crazy J get me down ...

What was she carrying on about? I don't know but I think it had something to do with ridiculous so after trying to reason with her (works approximately never) I just let her get it all out while Sebastian bathed and stared and I sent a picture to Simon and stared.

Later when she'd eased her way down from the crazy cliff I showed her the pictures and asked her what was wrong. Her response was fury and anger over "that girl" that was wearing her Dora shirt and that she wanted it back. An angry and a smartie - my favorite marriage.

But ... Simon came home earlier than anticipated from the hospital and it wasn't a terrible day that left me running for my side of the bed to curl up in fetal position (don't tell me you don't do it! don't). And I'm anticipating that the sun and the impending (please) warmer weather and a Craigslist triple jogger will help to procure about a zillion more of them.

No pressure, spring.

Or, pressure!

Lots and lots of pressure.

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How you know you live with a Julia

1. I honestly checked her windows to make sure that we hadn't been victims of the weirdest break in ever when I found her crib in a state of organized the other day. I'm glad Dora on the far right is putting that brush to good use.

2. Her "stuffs".

3. I heard her purring, "oh, sweetie!" from the kitchen last night and came into the living room to find her sweetie ready to ride (or run).

4. (not pictured) I found one of her beloved Dora band aids tucked deep inside Theo's diaper this morning and I'm hoping she'll eventually share the thought process behind that maneuver because band aids are normally reserved for shirts and "shoulders" (wrists).


Just another manic Monday with Julia child.

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