Loudmouth Mommy

Stitches

This afternoon I was sitting at the computer in the living room trying to sign us up for dental insurance when Ruby suddenly screamed and then ran in from the kitchen. She was completely naked and covered in blood.

It was terrifying.

I grabbed Ruby and saw that she had a deep cut on her left thumb, between the base and the joint. Fingers bleed a lot so it seemed much worse than it actually was. She had climbed onto the counter and opened a keurig cup with a sharp knife from the knife block, cutting herself in the process.

The cut looked bad enough that I decided to take her to the ER. Fortunately Matty was able to come with us because it would have been a rough trip alone. The doctor was excellent and did end up giving Ruby four stitches . To do this they strapped her to a body board, leaving only her left arm free. You can imagine how much Ruby enjoyed that.

She seems fine now and I am just grateful that it wasn’t worse.

Waiting for the doctor:

The nurse gave her a Popsicle when it was all over:

Lounging with Joe after the hospital:

Joe. Because he is so cute:

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Categories Joseph, Ruby

Beat Air Force!

5 Oct

We all went to the Navy/Air Force game in Annapolis today. It was crazy hot and humid but we still had fun. Joe met my company-mate Wes, who is going to become a father in March…

…and our friend Lauren, who served with Matty on Rushmore.

Ruby had fun with our friend Ashley and her cute pug Leroy.

When Ruby had had enough fun (well before halftime), Matty carried both her and Joe out of the stadium. Best. Husband. Ever.

Bedtime tonight went much better than last night. Ruby screamed for a while but she fell asleep in her own bed instead of our floor, which she prefers, before 8:30. We’ll call that a success. Baby steps.

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Categories Uncategorized

Difficult Day

4 Oct

So our day started off nice enough. As you can see, we are going through a “clothing optional” phase here at Chateau Shellock, and my sweet naked babies had a nice little morning snuggle.

Ruby’s mood quickly devolved and she spent the rest of the day making messes and testing me over and over and over again until she finally passed out just after 4.

Right now (it is 10:20) she is still freaking out about going to bed. I don’t know what to do with my little girl.

Any advice on how to deal with a particularly strong-willed two-year-old would be most appreciated.

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Back-to-Front

3 Oct

Joey rolled over from his back to his tummy today–twice! The first time I missed it but a bunch of the ladies in my small group saw him. Then I put him on his back again and he did it for me. Last night he was really close and I recorded several failed attempts, but I didn’t think to get my phone out today. One day I will catch him on tape–I promise.

Instead of awesome rolling footage here is a pic of Joe in the BOB:

Naked Ruby decided that she wanted to sit in “my own red seat on the counter” this afternoon:

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Categories Joseph, Ruby

To Market to Market

2 Oct

The kids and I had a little adventure today. I needed pork cheeks and slab bacon for a chili so we headed down to Eastern Market. As we were entering the Pentagon City metro stop a news crew tried to interview me about the shutdown. Ruby was itching to get on the train so I refused and kept walking.

Once we got to Capitol Hill I decided to take Ruby to a park so that she could burn off some energy and I could nurse Joe. The play areas in Lincoln Park were padlocked due to the shutdown (there were signs) but the side gates had been left open so we were able to play. CNN had a camera crew there but they did not try to talk to me.

After the park we went to the market, where pork cheeks were nowhere to be found (I got pork shoulder instead). At the bakery I ran into Dennis Kucinich and had a lovely chat, during which he asked me if the kids are twins. Ruby fell asleep in the stroller, which was a nice change of pace. She stayed asleep through the metro ride home.

When we got home I started cooking and my friend Shawna came over. Later our friends Charlie and Margaret came to dinner. Sweet Joe kept me company while I cooked.

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Sniffly

1 Oct

Poor Joe has the sniffles, which means that neither he not I slept very well last night. He is so very sweet and I hate to see him sick.

I bought three stroller “leashes” for $10 off of amazon the other day. Originally I just planned on using one for extra security for myself when going down steep hills, but Ruby loves to hold onto one when she wants to walk rather than ride in the stroller, which I love as it keeps her close to me. Today she held on while we walked to meet some friends at the park.

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Categories Joseph, Ruby

New Earrings

28 Sep

Ruby lost one of her earring backs in Virginia Beach last week so we decided to get her some new earrings today . It was difficult getting a picture of her with her pearls; you can barely see them in this picture, where she is telling me she wants to come with us to Oktoberfest (Ruby stayed with our sitter, Brenda, and Matty, Joe, and I had a great time).

Here Ruby is ready to go shopping earlier:

Sister-brother bonding time:

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Categories Joseph, Ruby

Rolling and Sitting

27 Sep

Our little Joebear hit a big milestone today. I put him down for tummy time and then turned away for a minute. When I turned back around Joe was on his back! Despite many attempts to get him to repeat this feat over the course of the day, Ruby and I failed. He is also very close to rolling over back- to-front.

Joe has been sitting so well in his red seat I decided to see how he would fare sitting all by himself. He actually did pretty well, if only for a minute or two.

“Look Mommy, we’re best fwiends!”

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Categories Joseph, Ruby

Order in the Chaos

26 Sep

My small group met today at our house. We studied Genesis 1, when God created order from chaos. As we discussed how to apply the passage to our daily lives Ruby disappeared upstairs. She was quiet and I was enjoying myself so I just let her be.

Big mistake.

Apparently she had decided to teach me my own lesson. When I finally ventured upstairs this is what I found:

(that is my makeup in the sink)

What you can’t see is that the little trash can is full of powder and water and there is POOP IN THE BATHTUB! When I asked Ruby what she had done she said “I just make this big mess!” Thank God my wonderful friends were here to help; I was able to laugh a little instead of collapsing in a puddle of frustrated tears.

The children gave me a little gift later on when they both napped for about 30 minutes. Instead of being productive I watched “More Business of Being Born” on Netflix–heavenly.