Lesson 7

This is going to be one of the rare (so far) lessons that you and your brother will share.

You are getting so big! 5 months old, and already you have 6 teeth. You're rolling all over the floor, babbling, laughing... you're getting so big so fast. It seems faster than it was with your brother. Maybe because I know you're our last child. I took you guys to the planetarium yesterday and you were amazed. I know you didn't understand anything said, but you were mesmerized by the screen. It won't be long and you'll be asking to go. There aren't many things that I think "Man, I can't WAIT until the kids are older." In fact, I can only think of one. Laundry. I hate doing laundry, I would rather clean an entire house than fold laundry. I don't mind washing and drying it, but folding it is torture to me. So, as soon as you're old enough, I'm going to teach you to do your own laundry. Which brings me to lesson7.


Laundry. Here's how you do it. First sort it. Whites, towels/bedding, blue jeans, clothes you don't want to dry (usually nice work clothes or new clothes you don't want to shrink,) and colors. Wash anything you don't want to shrink in cold water. It will also help keep colors from running. If you are washing a new shirt or something that is a bright color, like red, for the first time wash it by itself. Fill the washer with your clothes, you don't want it to be so full it can't spin. Add soap, use the cup and line to measure. Add fabric softner (in our machine now, it goes in the center.) If you have clothes you don't want to shrink, when they are finished washing, hang them up on hangers to dry. Otherwise, put them in the dryer. The longer they sit in the dryer after it's finished, the more wrinkled they will get. Whites are washed in hot water, add a little (1/4 cup) of bleach IF they need it. I find it helpful to alternate loads by how much folding, that way it doesn't seem like I'm folding laundry all day. I'll wash whites, which is typically a LOT of folding, then follow up with towels or jeans since they don't have a lot of folding. After laundry is folded, PUT IT AWAY. In your closet or dresser. Not the floor. After you have washed, dried, folded, and put all your laundry away, run the washer empty on hot. This will help wash out any gunk from dirt or soap. We'll work on ironing another day.

Lesson 6

Boy, you are growing so fast. I swear, even faster that William. By the time you were 3 months, you had 2 teeth. You'll be 5 months old in 4 days, and you have 3 bottom teeth and 4 more top teeth that are going to break through any day. You and your brother are very similar, but you're very different. I think you're going to be the sensitive one. You don't like to be left in a room alone for long. When you go to Nana's house, you refuse to eat, but then scream like you're dying when I get there for a bottle. You're not as out going as your brother so far. You remind me of me. Once you're comfortable, you're happy and a bundle of action, but until then you're cautious and reserved. When I was a Freshman in college, I tried my hand at stand up during open mic night at my dorm. What resulted was something so bad that the next year, a NEW Freshman asked if I was "that girl who bombed." I can honestly say I was glad that none of my friends were able to make it, and I wish I had been drunk... at least then I would have had an excuse. But, I did it. While I'd never do it again, I did at least attempt it once... and never want to speak of it again. Which brings me to lesson 6.

Learn to laugh AT yourself. Someday, you're going to do something so mortifying you'll never want to talk about it again. The only way your going to be able to look yourself in the mirror the next day if you learn to laugh at whatever dumb thing you did. If you learn to laugh at yourself, you'll be able to let others laugh too... just make sure you don't do it on tape. :) No embarrassment is so bad you'll die. Don't let those embarrassments be the reason you don't have fun in life. Everyone has done something they're embarrassed about, so don't let it keep you down.