tonyaharrington.com/blog

Only little once

tonya — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:52:23 +0000

Today Emma Kate said, “Will you get my fork for me. You know I’m only little once.” So smart. So big. So right.

It’s why we sleep with our kids.

It’s why we let them bathe themselves in ducky tubs.

We marvel at them. We savor them. They’re only little once.

I am in love

tonya — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:13:36 +0000

Spring tease

tonya — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:59:10 +0000

Today we are teased with a hint of spring weather. Feeling the warm sunshine reminds me of all I have to be thankful for today.

I love the sound of kids laughing as it trickles into the house through the cracked windows. I love the hesitant smile on baby Liam’s face as he gently swings for the first time. I love that it’s warm enough for Emma Kate to play outside wearing a tank top. I love that friends Ned and Lori are prepping their garden today (they inspired me to reserve a gardening book at the library). I love the fact that Jack counts by two as the kids play hide and seek outside. I love that Disney World’s rates have decreased (totally unrelated to this post but true). I love that the Wii is not the kids’ only form of exercise today. I love that the back door is open.

I love that Jack still crawls on my lap when he is tired and wants to be held (what he is doing at this moment). Time to stop blogging and start cuddling…

Just last week…

And today…

Dinner time blahs

tonya — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:52:22 +0000

Cooking is so overrated. To begin with, I spend WAY too much time looking for healthy recipes (my fault… I know) and trekking to multiple grocery stores to locate ingredients. Then, in between moments of 5 o’clock parenting (and we know how much fun that can be), I prep food and get dinner started. 2 hours later… “Yuck… I don’t like that.” “Mommy, can I have a waffle?” “Honey, you know I don’t like mushrooms.” Really? Sometimes I wonder why I even bother. I could much more easily just throw a pack of pop-tarts at everyone and be done with it.

Truth be told I actually love to cook (eat). I could watch Food Network all day (minus the segments that involve the preparation of dead carcasses of course). I am obsessed with non-fiction reading that addresses nutrition, and I fantasize about living in Asheville among all the vegetarian restaurants (and cool coffee shops).

A few of my favorite food blogs:
Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Vegan Lunch Box
Vegan Dad
Vegan Yum Yum

Recently, the kids and I made these yummy donuts from Vegan Yum Yum:

And, I could nibble these ten little fingers all day:

Dear friends who cook,

What do you do to get your kids to eat what you prepare?

Sincerely,
One tired short order cook

[Comments welcomed and encouraged!]

BTW BFF LOL

tonya — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:58:44 +0000

So Emma Kate is home with me today (even though she doesn’t feel sick… at all). This was her second round of the 24 hour tummy bug, and it seems to go away as quickly as it comes on. If she keeps up at this pace, she will definitely be returning to school tomorrow. We decided to use our time together this morning to catch up on this week’s homework. EK’s class is currently studying abbreviations (things like Tues. for Tuesday and Feb. for February). In generating her own list of abbreviations, Emma Kate was quite proud when she added “BTW” to her list. (For those of you who are not familiar with text jargon, “BTW” stands for “By the way”). Too funny. Next on her list of abbreviations… BFF. Love my girl.

Home with Jack now. After being a mommy to three for five months, I am STILL trying to figure out how to balance my time. I often joke with my BFF that I wish there were two (or perhaps three) of me. Not to sound narcissistic… but it really would make things a lot easier. If this were the case, I could nurse and snuggle baby Liam while building Legos with Jack and doing homework with EK. It never ceases to amaze me how much my children long for my attention. Emma Kate just now… “Mommy, I’m bored” (said in a whiny tone of course). Really, kids, I PROMISE… I’m not that much fun to play with!

BTW… I’m posting every day! (A fourth me would work hard at being a better mommy blogger).

Monday musings

tonya — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:40:07 +0000

Let’s face it… Mondays are almost never easy. But today serves as a good reminder for me to be thankful for uneventful Mondays. It’s Presidents’ Day, and the kids are (thankfully) out of school. The morning started with a mad rush to get out the door to secure more baby wipes before baby Liam decided to poop again- we were down to one baby wipe. In my haste to make up beds and pick up the kids’ rooms, I tripped over Legos in Jack’s room and landed my foot directly on top of the pointed edge of a plastic Star Wars ship (ouch). I bandaged my foot and hobbled out the door in the rain with both boys (Emma Kate was at a sleepover). Once everyone was buckled up, Jack announced that he had to pee RIGHT NOW. So, we unbuckled and battled the rain to go back inside. We left again. Upon arriving at Harris Teeter, I proceeded to pull the stroller out with an umbrella in my hand. Well, the wind whisked the umbrella away, slamming it into my head in the process, and throwing it across the parking lot. I retrieved the umbrella, fought the rain again with the boys, grabbed the baby wipes, and treated myself to a GRANDE soy latte. We then proceeded to pick up Jack’s friend Aidan for a playdate. When we arrived home and walked in the door, the phone was ringing. Emma Kate. “Mommy, I’m sick. I just threw up twice.” Picked up EK from Jane’s house, thanked Miss Lori for cleaning up throw up, called Aidan’s mom so he could be picked up. It’s three hours later. With a throbbing foot (still can’t put any weight on it), a sick girl, and a cold latte in hand, I may not have accomplished much today, but I am blessed with three small people to love and enjoy.

Yet, I am left wondering… how could I have tripped over Legos in THIS room??

Happy Valentines to my little people (and my big guy)

tonya — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:58:02 +0000

Yes, this must be my longest blogging hiatus ever. Three kids + one busy household to organize = no time for blogging! I am composing this post one-handed with a sleeping post-nursing Liam on my lap, procrastinating work that looms on today’s horizon.

I am so in love with my little valentines. Exactly one year ago, we announced to EK and Jack that our family was growing and they would have a new little one to love. Time has passed so quickly, and baby Liam is growing so fast. At five months, Liam has such a sweet disposition. He purposefully gives out kisses (picture big open mouthed sloppy baby drool) and has the cutest baby lips and blue eyes that suck you right in. Liam’s most recent feats include trying to sit, growling (so funny), and reaching out and examining objects in his world. He is such an amazing little guy and the perfect addition to our family.

My little valentine Jack is growing into a big kid with big ideas and big boy ways. He is 100% obsessed with Star Wars and can (literally) spend all day in his room building original Lego constructions. The most interesting thing about his designs? They are always symmetrical (his description, not mine).

My valentine girl is constantly facing the conundrum of wanting to be little and wanting to be so big. Emma Kate is an amazing big sister (particularly to baby Liam). She is loving her new dance class (hip hop and tap) and has fallen into a natural rhythm in her piano playing. It always amazes me when she sits down and by ear picks out the tune to a favorite song (I could never ever do this).

Of course I cannot close out this Valentine’s post without mention of dear hubby who tweeted his ‘Happy Valentines’ to me today. While the romance has changed a bit with three kids (think completing things on my honey-do list versus writing me sappy love poems), Chris remains my Prince Charming.

It is now midnight. I have been squeezing in blogging minutes throughout the day. Pictures to come.

Night folks. Off to do that work I have procrastinated all day…

Liam Christopher

tonya — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:58:36 +0000

I had no idea that I would go into labor that Saturday. September 12th was a beautiful day. I had dropped off Emma Kate and her friend Ariana at Marlee’s birthday party, stopped by Target on my way home, and then was rushing to head back out the door for pick-up. We had plans to go to Wilkes to visit that day, and I was rushing to get stuff packed for our day trip. And then… unexpectedly, I started losing blood. Sweet Jack brought me the phone and said, “Mommy, you better call Dr. Peacock.” He was worried… so was I. Dr. Peacock said to immediately leave for the hospital… do not pass Go, do not collect $200, do not pack your hospital bags. So, after a little deliberation (can’t I just pack one small bag?), I headed out the door to drive myself to the hospital. Chris went to pick up the girls and then made arrangements to have Miss Whitney take Emma Kate and Jack to her house. Kathy (Ariana’s mom) and Malinda both offered words of encouragement on my drive to the hospital. Mom actually made it to the hospital before Chris, who was scrambling to get the kids ready and to pack our hospital bags. Labor lesson #1: always have your bags packed in advance. Upon arriving at the hospital, I was connected to monitors and was told that my vitals were fine and that baby was doing great. Dr. Peacock came to check on me later that evening, and after convincing him to do an ultrasound, he said baby looked perfect and he didn’t think there was anything to be concerned about. So, I spent an uneventful, sleepless night in the hospital. Labor lesson #2: hospital beds are NOT comfortable. Sunday morning I was disappointed to realize that my contractions were still irregular and pretty far apart (translation- it seemed I wasn’t making any progress). I remained connected to monitors and an IV and became more impatient by the minute. Dr. Peacock finally came strolling in about 4:00 that afternoon. We were fully prepared for him to tell me that I would be going home and put on bed rest for the next week or two. He did a quick exam and then informed me that I was 6 cm and in active labor. I looked at him in disbelief. This was active labor? Labor lesson #3: irregular, unnoticed contractions can make cervical change. At this point, I was given a portable monitor and told to move around to encourage baby to become engaged. Somehow, after walking and bouncing on a birthing ball, I was still making progress (and still not feeling the contractions). At 8 cm, Dr. Peacock broke my water, and I stayed in bed to wait out the next 2 cm. Up until 10 cm, labor was a breeze- I virtually felt no labor pains and was just eager to meet my new little guy. And then… at 10 cm… the pain increased significantly. It was 8:oo pm and I was surrounded by family- Chris, Mom, Dad, Malinda, Josh, and Jocie were all there (Grammy was at our house taking care of Emma Kate and Jack). Pretty suddenly, I realized that there was intense pressure and I began to rethink my choice to have a natural birthing experience. Labor lesson #4: epidurals are a good thing. After summoning Dr. Peacock (who suddenly appeared with an entourage of helpers), we were ready to push. After choosing to go sans epidural, I asked Dr. Peacock about other pain relief options- he simply smiled and said I needed to do the work. The next 45 minutes were excruciating.

At 9:11 pm on Sunday, September 13, Liam Christopher was born! He was absolutely perfect, and right from the beginning, it was obvious he was ours. He looked, at birth, just like big brother Jack. And, he reminded me of Emma Kate as well. He weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 20 inches long. His Apgar scores were 8 and 9. From the beginning, he has been an easy baby… sleeping and nursing like a champ, with a sweet, satisfied disposition. Labor lesson #5: newborns are little miracles.

Emma Kate and Jack stayed home from school the following day to meet their new baby brother. They both immediately fell in love with little Liam- holding and loving on him. Baby Liam’s other hospital visitors included Mawmaw, Pawpaw, Aunt Malinda, Uncle Josh, Cousin Jocie, Grammy, Miss Joanna, Miss Whitney, Miss Shannon, Mr. Ned and Jane.

Thank you to all our family and friends who have shared in Liam Christopher’s birth. From delicious vegan vittles to sweet new baby outfits, baby supplies, and loaned baby gear- we appreciate all of your thoughtfulness. We have been blessed with lots of visitors upon arriving home, and we look forward to sharing our new arrival with all of you soon

More pictures from Liam’s birthday…

School days

tonya — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:58:09 +0000

Emma Kate is now a second grader and Jack is entering his last year of preschool! It’s hard to believe they are so big! EK has smoothly made the transition into her new classroom with new friends. She ended a loop at the close of first grade, leaving the friends she had been with for two years. She is much more resilient than I am and is looking forward to making new friends and learning new things this year. I am proud of my little guy and how easy it was for him to transition into his new 4-year-old classroom. He is once again happy to return to school and is already singing new songs and talking about some of the activities he is doing. We are fortunate to have such wonderful learning environments for both kids.

Jack-fish

tonya — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:28:51 +0000

I love it when Emma Kate really steps into her big sister role. And, she has been doing just that this week while helping Jack learn to do new things in the pool. I have been amazed by how quickly Jack’s swimming has progressed this summer. He is now totally self-sufficient in the pool… swimming underwater, treading water, swimming above water, jumping from the side, and swimming to the bottom for dive sticks. Emma Kate taught him to jump from the pool’s side yesterday. Check him out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And, of course, EK needed a little video time:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I love my little swimmers! (And my newest iphone that allows me to video them swimming and directly upload to youtube!).