Happy New Year!

I want to blog. I really, really do. So many times I'm *this close* to sitting down and doing it when one of a thousand things happens and I'm putting it off again.

William:
-Has a heart-breaking and sometimes irritating habit of saying "I'm sorry." He says it so sincerely and sweetly. Sometimes he says it after he asks for something and I tell him, "Hang on a second, buddy." "Okay. I'm sorry, Mommy." That's when it's heartbreaking. Sometimes he says it after he's purposely gone and done something he 100% knows he's not supposed to do, or after he's just flown in the face of something I've asked him to do. "I'm sorry, mommy." That's when it's irritating, because I'm 75% sure he's figured out that it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. My smart little guy.
-Is getting more picky lately! Recently gagged-on foods have been peanut-butter banana and applesauce. I always swore I'd never have picky eaters and yesterday (Saturday) I left the house in tears for an emergency walk (to avoid losing it) because I'd just made two dozen sausage egg muffins (which smelled SUPER incredible, tasted great (according to Brian) and which I'm currently not eating because I'm on a cleanse) and both my kids didn't like them.
-Is getting so good at playing imaginatively by himself! His imagination is growing every day. For about six weeks there I was only allowed to be Wendy from Bob the Builder but that's let up. Now Will only occasionally asks to talk to Wendy.
-Is officially in a big boy bed! We transitioned him this month with NO problems! My naturally timid and cautious guy was excited to climb up for bed and nap into his big boy bed. He thinks it's a train, and yells "ALL ABOARD!" when he's getting in. Barrett is now in the crib and thankfully, our long search for bunk beds is over.
-Slipped and fell the other day and was crying on my lap. Barrett crawled over and peered curiously into Will's face when Will pushed his head away with one finger and said, "BARRETT, I'm trying to cry." Ha! He was scolded but that was pretty funny.
-Likes to ask us out of the blue, "Daddy/Mommy, how was your day?"
-Is lately obsessed with Bob and Larry (Veggie Tales). BtB may be a thing of the past! I love and loathe when phases come to an end.
-Loves to kiss Barrett on the head and is usually very kind to him, but is frustrated when Barrett crawls onto the scene and trashes his setup. Who wouldn't be? I'm sure it won't be too long before Barrett can play too, and they're buddies warding off child #3 (whenever he or she may come along).

Barrett:
-Is eleven months old!
-Is just the happiest little guy in the world... at least with me. For some reason I seem to be just the thing at all times of the day. He'll play happily and then come to me for a quick hug or a cuddle or a diaper change. He likes to ride on my back, which has come in handy a TON lately as he's kind of been a bit clingy. He definitely seems to be a momma's boy, but I don't blame him. I'm the one who just knows when he's hungry, tired, poopy, or teething.
-Always seems to have one cheek a little redder than the other when he's teething.
-Has a very unpleasant habit of biting when he's teething. He'll crawl up to me, climb up onto my pants legs, and then sink his teeth in. He'll do it to my shoulder, too, just to tell me he's happy that I'm holding him.
-I look at Barrett so often and just can't believe how beautiful he is. I can't believe how different than Will he looks and yet he's so equally cute. I feel like I find more joy in admiring him at this age than I did with Will, and that makes me sad. I think I was too stressed about Will's new stages and how I was adapting to them, feeling like I was never doing enough. I don't feel as much guilt with Barrett and I think I'm able to enjoy him more.
-Is rather a picky eater himself and I'm hoping it's something that he grows out of. Will did (until now!) so I'll bide my time.
-Is constantly talking, and it's adorable. Loud yells, quiet babbles, different sounds.
-Loves the motion of taking something out of a container and putting it back in.
-Is obsessed with our Tegu block wheels. When they're out, he'll crawl around the house with a wheel in each hand and will happily stick and unstick them for quite a while.
-Has been completely weaned since December 6. I needed to stop nursing him and it turns out that was a wonderful move. He has thrived on formula in a way he was not on my milk. I'm not sure if my pursuit of losing weight caused my milk to suffer, but after doing a very low-carb stint in the summer it just never seemed to come back quite the same. I also found he was spitting up only my milk, but never the formula. When I'd thaw my frozen stash, it would smell sour right away. I wish I could have kept nursing just for the comfort and bonding, but I had to quit because of LASIK (see below). With my next baby (Lord willing) things will be different.

Maegan and Brian:
-Are planning a couple huge projects over the next couple months. Many of the rooms on our first floor are plastered to appear old, and we love the look. The big living area, though, that includes the kitchen, dining room, living room, and hallway, are plain drywall, so Brian's going to be plastering and glazing those starting February 1st. THEN he's going to tackle refinishing the entire first floor floors. All of them. Every room on the first floor is wide-plank pine floors that were finished in a walnut-colored stain, and they look terrible. The stain's coming off everywhere (since pine is so soft, it makes sense) and we want just the natural color floors. That's going to be an enormous job. How am I going to help? Stay out of the way, move furniture, and have a good attitude when my house is torn up for two months. I may be making some trips to visit family and friends.
-I got LASIK surgery on the 16th (last Friday)!!! Twenty-four hours later and I felt like I was wearing my contacts (except a bit more blurry). Last night I fell asleep watching a movie and it was OKAY! No contacts to worry about! This morning I woke up and it was clear! No glasses to put on! Dr. Weingarten in Rochester Hills (Rochester Eye Care) was great and highly recommended. He said my vision will continue to improve over the next few weeks as my eyes heal, but already I'm so happy with the results. What a blessing!
-I am toward the end of a ten-day liquid fast (on Day 7) and starting a Whole30 on Thursday. I started out with three days of water fasting and then began drinking vegetable juice three or four times a day. This has been difficult. Every night I tell Brian, "Make me stop this fast. Don't make me stop this fast." I am doing it to seek the Lord but hoping the spiritual insights will come later because I'm having trouble not thinking about FOOD. I've started Whole30s before and have given up quickly but I'm trusting that my current mindset (eager to eat anything) will help me hit the ground running. Last year while nursing I read Fasting by Jentezen Franklin and was encouraged to start the new year out with a 40 day fast, so the ten days plus the Whole30 will be that for me.

I'm hoping to be blogging more, even just doing the "Today" blogs on my phone. The kids are going through so many little phases and stints and they're gone as quickly as they came. I want to cherish this time of life but GOLLY it's been very busy lately and will continue to be so as Brian works on the house. Suffice it to say, I am loving this life and dealing with the constant mom-guilt of not being superwoman and enjoying not being pregnant or nursing and at the moment, I'm just hungry. Carrot juice is the bomb.