E.J. in black and white

Double stroller woes

I have no desire to own a double stroller.
They are big, bulky, and just plain inconvenient.
I have put off buying one.
Do I really need one?
We already own three strollers.
Sick I know.
But to plead my case I do use them all.
Really.

So far when I have been out and about with
both boys it has worked.
Evan gets the baby Bjorn and Max gets the
stroller or cart. It has been ok for the most part.

There is a problem ( or problems I foresee)...sometimes it is hard
to have Evan on me. ( even though I love having him so close)
1. I am really not able to try on clothes if I am clothes shopping.
2. He can get in the way of my reaching certain items
( I am climbing shelves to reach something which is hard enough alone)
3. It is sometimes easier to tend to them both if they are
not on me.
4. Soon Evan will be a lot heavier.
5. Perhaps it is more convenient?

Should I just give in and get one?
If so, a new problem arises.
Tandem or side by side?
Woe is me.
Silly problem...this I know.

SO, for those of you who have a double stroller, or have dealt
with a double stroller, or have not given in to owning a
double stroller, or just have some advice...lets hear it.
I need to make a decision here.

a future in lawn care?

Maxwell followed my brother Peter the whole time
he mowed the lawn this evening. I had to get a few
(not very good I'm afraid, but still fun) snapshots.

learning tricks of the trade...

done for the day.

Baby Bjorn and the past few days...

Can I just say I love this thing. I actually got is as a gift from my Grandmother for Maxwell but he did not care for it much. Evan on the other hand, could probably live in it...and he pretty much does. He spends the majority of the day in it, sleeping or looking around. I have three slings too,but I am more of an older baby sling user. I think I was a bitunsold on the Baby Bjorn, too expensive, not comfortable, but now I love it.
Justin's Grandmother passed away this past week and yesterday the family spent the whole day together and Evan spent the whole day in it, not making so much as a peep. Maxwell on the other hand, well lets not get into that. Lets justsay he is definitely in what they call the "terrible two's". I have to say though I feel a little bad since so much is going on in his world right now; a new baby, moving, lots of family gatherings that I know are very wearing for him. But he loves people and can adjust to most situations well so I am proud of him too.
I guess these days have been wearing on us all lately. As we were getting ready to leave yesterday, (it took us over 2 hours to get ready) I mentioned to Justin that I felt like we were Hillbillies...Justin could not find a black belt, I had NO pants or black shoes(that I liked anyway), Maxwell had no dress shoes, and well Evan, he looked cute. Somehow we got it together. Justin borrowed a belt from my brother, I found a pair of mystery pants that I had not packed away (and they fit!), borrowed shoes from my Mom, and Max actually looked cute with his gym shoes with his dress outfit. On the way home last night though, I could hardly keep my eyes open. I always like to stay awake when we are driving late home, I love that time with Just. The boys sleeping in back and just us and the quiet, open road.
Justin is stressing about finishing his thesis, it is so funny because we are so different, yet so alike in many ways. When it comes to crunch time, things are getting close to the deadline and stress levels begin to rise, I begin working at my best. Justin on the otherhand begins to freak out and really stress way before the end, but we both manage to always get it done. Somehow.
Anyway, life is a bit chaotic right now but it is good for us. A good reminder that God is in control no matter what is going on, he may be teaching us things that we do not even recognize right now. God is amazing. So mysterious. So perfect, that we need to just continue to focus on him and his glory no matter what is going on.

our Friday...

Happy baby...

Maxwell playing...

Just worked at home today...I love when he does.

rain rain went away...

It seems like any day we are spending the day at home it is raining. But today it was a little warmer and the sun was bright! Maxwell, Evan, and I spent the afternoon walking and playing in the park. Maxwell was especially happy to venture outdoors again!

Happy 31st Anniversary!

September 20 , 1975
Today is my parents 31st Anniversary. They spent the afternoon in Chicago at Millennium Park and had a Austrian Wine Tasting and Dinner to finish off the evening.
Happy Anniversary. Looking forward to seeing your next 31 years; thanks for all you have done for us and taught us. Love you both.

Welcome Miles!

The long awaited third baby is here.
Nicole's water broke last night around
6pm, contractions started about 9:30
and soon he was here!

Miles Aaron Tantillo
9-17-2006- 8:08 am
8 lbs. 10z.
21 inches long
Congrats Marc & Nic!
Cannot wait to meet your firstborn tommorow.
(thanks Aunt Sue for the pictures !)

great...

"Health officials are trying to find the source of a multistate E. coli outbreak and they're warning consumers that bagged spinach may be the source. One person has died and dozens of others have been sickened in the 10-state outbreak. The FDA is warning people not to eat bagged spinach and says washing it won't solve the problem because the bacteria is too tightly attached."- CNN.com

So yesterday I had a spinach salad for lunch.
Make that a tainted spinach salad.
No wonder it was on sale.
And of course my Mom bought it.
A little scary.
The outbreak is in ten states.
And yes, one of those states is Wisconsin.
Furthermore, the only death from the tainted spinach is IN WISCONSIN.

I am not sick or dead...yet.
So far so good.

one month...

Offically a month last Friday, E.J. is such a joy.
You forget how fast they grow.

on a more positive note...

This weeks posts have been some downers...a lot of complaining going on from my end of the keyboard.
I swear, normally I am more positive.
This verse is always a good one for me.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? - Matthew 6:25-27

I have to get this off my chest...no pun intended.

I have to be honest here.

I HATE breastfeeding.

There are two and only two reasons I do it.
1. Best for baby.
2. Justin wants me to.

Perhaps you have heard or read about how breastfeeding bonds you and your baby. Perhaps you have bonded more with your baby this way. I however do not feel more bonded to my baby when I breastfeed. I think that if I fed him through a bottle I would feel the same. Honestly I feel more depressed and worrisome when I am breastfeeding. I will say as the baby gets older and nurses less often I feel better about it but I still hate it. I am not entirely sure why even...it is not like I feel like he is constantly connected to me because you never know when he will want to nurse, that does not bother me at all, it is just not fun at all to me.
When I worked at Starbucks there was a woman who came in with her newborn and ALWAYS nursed. Now I am fine with people nursing in public, I do it if I have to, the problem I have is this...exposing yourself to the world. Just throw a blanket over your shoulder. It makes people uneasy to see that, and is inappropriate for men and children to see in public. I personally lost my appetite for a latte once I saw that babe sucking on his mothers breast.
Now I get that there is a certain beauty or whatever in a nursing child, but I just do not get it. I feel a little guilty that I do not like it but I don't.
I hate breastfeeding.
It is as simple and as complicated as that.

Happy Birthday Nixter.

Nicole and I as little girls.

Happy 26th to my best friend and cuz Nicole.
Nic has been there for it all, the good, the bad,
and the ugly. Hope your day is amazing. Cannot
wait to meet Miles Aaron...coming soon! I love
you.

dopey joke of the day.

My mind is like mush lately...cannot blog anything worth
writing about at the moment...
but I did get a kick out of this one.

Q: Why couldn't the 10 year old see the pirate movie?
A: Because it was rated arrrgh!

Out of the whirlwind.

I am finally starting to feel somewhat more calm again. My best friend Nicole called me on Friday morning to update me on her pregnancy and she could sense the stress in my voice. I did not realize how stressed I was until she asked how I was doing persistently. I thought I had done a pretty good job of packing our things for our upcoming two moves until Friday (moving day) came and I realized there was still a lot of random things laying around. I felt like I was in the aftermath of a Tornado that had ripped through our home. I had even gotten rid of a lot of things to goodwill, but we still had a lot. Once you have children it seems the amount of things you have doubles.
Anyway we got it all packed up, not exactly as organized as I would have liked but we got it done. We went to put stuff we would not need at my parents in a friends garage for the next couple of months and then to my parents to unload our stuff to our living quarters for the next few months.
Today is the first day I am starting to feel a little better. We have had a lot going on. A new baby, packing up our place that we loved, the place we first brought our boys home to, Maxwell adjusting to his new home, living with my family (which is wonderful but not being able to have your own place and space is hard when you are used to it), looking for somewhere to live when we move again in a few months, anxiety about moving to a new place, making sure all bills are paid, all servies cancelled, etc. It is a lot! But I honestly think the thing that is bugging me most is our big move away...to the unknown. Where we know nobody, have no church home, have no friends or family close by, and have no idea where the nearest Starbucks and Target is! I really do think that this is a good move for our family, a decision Just and I made together. People keep reminding me it is not permanent and we can always get out if it gets too bad. I know it will be fine, I just hope I love the city, that we get connected to a great church, and that we can feel at home there.
I guess I have been talking about this move a lot lately...it has been on my mind a lot obviously. I have friends who have done this before, and they are fine. I know I can do it too! But if you have any advice, please share it with me! Post a quick comment, or shoot me an e-mail! I just need some reassurance...I am a big pathetic baby.