Party Your Tail Off
3 out of 4.5 members of Team Brooks either had or celebrated a birthday this weekend. That’s a lot of cake. Friday was my favorite human’s birthday, and he was perfectly undercelebrated as requested. He can’t control me though (modern woman) so allow me to state, for the record, one more time: Taylor Brooks is the most loyal, loving, patient, compassionate person I know. I not only get to call him my husband but also my best friend. So happy birthday to that guy. If you don’t know him, you are sorely missing out. If you’ve followed this blog for more than 1 second you at least know his offspring,…
On 18 Months of Yumminess
My favorite chunky punkin is 1.5 years old TODAY. No one in our house can remember life without him, nor do we care to try. He is the funniest, hungriest, most coordinated bundle of steel around. He constantly makes people smile – young, old, strangers, friends. Maybe it’s his smirk. Maybe it’s his beach bod. Either way, he is the epitome of happiness. In just a few short weeks, this booger will be a middle child – a fact that makes my eyes spontaneously moist – so his one.point.five. baby years need to be celebrated. I can’t even begin to list all the things about him that bring us joy,…
Attempted Murder of a Matchmaker
Sunday night I went upstairs to pull a “Love You Forever” after the boys were in bed. Instead of climbing a ladder and breaking into their window like a freak (how did that seem so normal reading it as a kid?), I opted for the stairs. As I reached the top landing, a blast of heat hit me in the face. No, not a raging inferno. Worse. A broken AC unit in the middle of summer. You know, summer in Texas, the 3 (to 6) months of the year the state tries to burn its residents alive. #thanksobama I grabbed the boys and brought them downstairs, along with a crib mattress and a pack-n-play.…
ISO: Reputable Artisans for Preggos
I posted a few months ago on the evolution of pregnancies because subsequent pregnancies are no joke. I’m only on pregnancy 3 and I already wonder how people on round 5+ function. Does their uterus stay inside of their body for the entirety of the pregnancy? Do they pee their pants daily? I stay awake at night wondering these things, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m now 33 weeks pregnant and seriously contemplating starting my own goods/exchanges website. We have Craigslist….we have Angie’s List…..but what we don’t have is Preggie’s List. (Genius, I know.) Because let’s face it – third trimesterians could really benefit from specific goods and services. And not just from any…
Solo Parenting: Third Trimester Style
When you’re married to a CPA, ends of quarters are busy times because of numbers or something. (I don’t really understand.) Knowing Taylor would be working late every night and over the weekend, I psyched myself up for a fun time by myself with the boys. We all count down the second until daddy gets home from work. He is the ultimate wrestle machine and backyard baseball coach. Plus he distracts little hands long enough for me to accomplish something productive. (Laundry? Dishes? Toilet cleaning?) We like him. But with only 6 days of super long hours, the boys and I could TOTALLY DO IT solo, right? Day 1: make crib sheets for “little little brother”. One…
Mack “Attack” Brooks
Taylor and I almost share a birthday. We are off by 2 days, which means the day between our birthdays is prime time to celebrate. And in the summer of 2007, we celebrated by getting a dog together. This might seem like a normal idea but a) we weren’t married, b) we had 2 years of college left, and c) I was moving with friends into a rent house that didn’t allow dogs. (Yet we had 3. Sorry again, landlord Ann. The angry handwritten letters you left in our mailbox really did make us feel bad for being such horrible renters…) Getting a dog at that point in our lives was a horrible…
The World According to Beckett
Texas summer heat + third trimester belly + surprisingly fast oversized toddler + opinionated preschooler = a tired mama. And a tired mama = an impatient, grumpy mama. (At least in my case.) Do you ever have those moments when you float outside your body and hear the things you’re saying to your kids – or the tone of voice you’re using, or the ridiculous threats you’re making – and think, “Chill the heck out! They’re just kids.” Yeah, me either… The point is, I can see how I *might* have been hard on my biggest boy in recent months. I just want him to behave and speak like a civilized adult. IS THAT SO…
Ocean Lizard Animal Zebras
And just like that, we almost have a 4 year old. 4. How. The only thing you really need to know about an almost-4-year-old boy is how much of the day is spent in an alternate universe. There are about 12 seconds in a 24 hour period we are not living in the land of make-believe. It’s fun, creative, cute…all of the above. It’s also incredibly hard to play along. The plot lines in his make-believe world are super complex and ever-changing. I can never quite keep up with which character he is in which moment, or what my role is, or what foods/activities/words he does and doesn’t eat/do/say as said character. And just when you think you’ve…
Please Stop Wishing for a Girl on my Behalf
Brooks boy #3 has a name! A real name to put with a real face. (And real javelins disguised as legs that pierce my spinal column with each kick. That’s neither here nor there, just a struggle I’d like to mention.) A real name to get embroidered on bibs because that’s what Southern people love. I’m pretty excited about it. I should tell you his name – if for no other reason than to tempt you into making him bibs – but I won’t. I have taken a vow of silence. I’ve never been in the “let’s keep the gender/name/this entire pregnancy a secret until the baby is born” camp because I’m horrible (HORRIBLE) at keeping…
The Evolution of Pregnancies
Everything is different with each subsequent pregnancy. And I mean everything. Energy, womb elasticity, TUMS consumption…all of it. When you’re pregnant with your first, it consumes you. (And you kind of assume everyone else is consumed by it, too.) You think, eat, talk, sleep, and breathe “like a pregnant person”. Gone is normal life. It’s all replaced by pregnant life. (Like, I didn’t even vacuum when I was pregnant the first time because I thought it might be too strenuous. WHAT.) By your second, you realize “pregnant life” isn’t actually a thing. Yes, life during those 9 months is unique, but it’s not your whole identity like it once was. Your existing child now takes up…
