How the Hickeys Got Their Groove Back

We took some time off from soccer. Liam and Maddie played a few seasons when we first moved here, then Bella joined for 63% of one season. (we discovered she doesn't "do" cold) We bundled up tiny little baby Jackson and took him to the field every Saturday morning for hours of soccer, yelling and wind. Then this past fall, I missed the signups. And it was just easier. With all three kids going to three different schools, by the time everyone was home at 4:30, I couldn't imagine getting in the car and going somewhere else. I am really possessive of our time at home. Kids need to play outside, to daydream, to eat dinner with their families.

Since I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the school year was nearing a close, I signed Liam and Maddie up for a 6 week soccer session at our local YMCA. It's perfect. Maddie's team practices for 30 minutes, then plays for 30 minutes each Saturday. Liam's team practices one evening a week and plays a 40 minute game each Saturday. It's low pressure, with no parents screaming. (except for this one dad yelling at his kid in Spanish today)

The other advantage of this laid back group is our kids are really shining. Liam and Maddie each scored 2 goals today during their games. The coach took Liam and two other guys out of the game because they were beating on the other team so badly.

Here's a few pictures of the Hickey kids in all their glory...

Liam is doing a great job of managing the ball.

Maddie was the go-to girl that everyone was throwing in or kicking to.

She also volunteered to play goal.

Jackson and Bella both had a fever and a cough.
They were not having any fun.

Busy day, busy day...

Jackson has reached that age where kids start to really resist naps. He desperately needs them, but has trouble giving it up. It's hard sometimes because we tend to be on the go and sometimes he'll fall asleep at 8:30 am on the way home from dropping off kids at school, or will hold out until we go pick up Liam at 3:00 pm. Other days, he completely crashes.

Exhibit A:



I offered him a graham cracker. He didn't want it and acted offended that I offered. He threw the cracker on the kitchen floor and proceeded to eat the scrambled eggs that were on the table. After eating the eggs, he started asking for the cracker again. I let him get down to get the cracker. I am not sure if he actually took a bite. I do know that I watched him slowly put his head down on the floor. He didn't move for a few seconds, then a minute, then another minute. So, like the great mom that I am, I grabbed the camera.

I have so many pictures of the kids sleeping in unusual places and positions that I could create a whole new blog just for them. Maybe I'll post a few more here and there...

Lost in Translation

All of the children have gone through a phase where they speak their own language. Some of them have had words that were so cute that their version of words made it into the Hickey vernacular. "Strawbabies" will always be our favorite fruit and forever we will refer to Liam as "Miam" as Maddie did in her first year. "Miam, no frow!" was the battle cry of young Maddie as she tried desperately to get him to stop throwing toys at her.

Jackson has taken this to a whole new level. We were in Florida visiting last week and then stopped in Ohio on the way home. With Jackson visiting family that doesn't see him every day, we realize that we need an English to Jacksonese dictionary. You may find a few things that seem a little backward - don't worry, that's just how he roll.

Heh-wo = Hello
Sah-ee = Sorry
Me! Me! = Yes, I want that!
Mine = No, I don't want that.
Eggies = Sausage (also hot dog, bratwurst, or any other sausage-like food)
Aw-foo = Waffle
Cee-yul = Cereal
Gah-grai = Blueberries or Grapes (they are completely interchangeable to him - but keep one or the other coming)
Eee-yuh = Yogurt
Foo = Food (as in, get me some)
Ee = Eat (as in, get me some food, see above)
A Go-go = Drink (maybe he really wants Whiskey to drink?)
Bee-bees = Nipples
Beh-ee = Belly
Ah-eee = Eyes (usually scream/whined in the car when sun is in his eyes)

Kn-kee = Any of these three things: Stinky (need a new diaper), Blankie, or Cookie
Keeeeee.... = Please?
Sha-shu, Mah-mee = Thank you, Mommy!
Bee = Bird
Bih = Bib
Shoo = Shoes
Sah = Socks
Uh-oh = Uh-oh
Pill = Spill
Shu-Shu = Train (also, car, truck or anything else he could potentially ride or drive)
Yeeeaaaaahhhhhh! [arms raised in the air triumphantly] = I just did something/arrived somewhere AWESOME!
Bye! Bye, mama! = Bye (usually said while walking away and waving after putting on one of the kids boots or my purse)

Weh Be-wa? = Where's Bella?
Weh Bee-um? = Where's Liam?
Weh Ah-ee? = Where's Maddie? (just started last week)
Weh Dah-dee? = Where's Daddy?
Weh Mah-mee? = Where's Mommy?
Weh Yay-cee? = Where's Lacy?
If we reply to any of the above questions with "I don't know, where is (insert name)", he puts his hands up questioningly and says "Uhhh?" If we wait another second, he'll usually reply "kool." (school)

The saddest part is that he's been asking about Liam and Bella for about a month, but seemed to have trouble with "Maddie." We finally started coaching and encouraging him to say Maddie. It just wasn't fair. She catered to his every whim and need and all he did was ask where Bella was!

I'm a real boy!

The time had come. That baby had been sleeping in a crib attached "side-car" style to our bed. I loved it and we were all sleeping well, but the time had come for us all to move on. I could have stayed like that forever, waking in the middle of the night to him sliding over and laying his head on my pillow. But, it is important to allow him to develop his independence, and important for my husband and I to have our bed to ourselves again.

Grandma Dot had bought Jackson a darling toddler bed from Pottery Barn. We took down the crib and set it up. It's absolutely adorable. That baby seems to like the idea of it a bit more than actually sleeping in it all night, but it's growing on him.

He just looks so darn cute in it. And old. Really, really old.

That first baby seemed to like the new big boy bed too.

Joining the "boys with their own beds" club earned Jackson a big ol' "high five."

This is how he looks first thing out of bed in the morning and after naps. He slides down off the bed, stumbles out of the bedroom and says "hi!" "Hi!" It couldn't be any cuter.

I got the "Bad Mom Blues..."

First time moms tend to react quickly when their child is in a potentially dangerous situation. They rush over, sometimes even looking scared enough to scare the child. This can be a great way to deter babies from doing things they're not supposed to. When you get to the fourth child, however, some moms become a little more... relaxed. So, when Jackson climbed into the dryer, I didn't freak out as many moms might. I calmly reached up to turn the dial to off (preventing it from tumbling if the door closed all the way) and reached for the camera. Does that make me a bad mom? You decide...



How can you resist that smile? He's having too much fun!

First Day of School

Today was the big first day of school. All three kids are going to different schools: a Montessori magnet public school for Liam, a fine arts/performing arts magnet public school for Maddie and an arts/Reggio Emilia magnet public school for Bella. We had to apply for the lottery to get them in each school and it felt a little crazy to apply for them to go to three different schools. The alternative, though, was to send Maddie and Liam to the same school - the Montessori school would have been great for both, but really wouldn't have served Maddie's needs for arts. As far as sending them both to Maddie's school - Liam's enjoyment and success in school would have suffered too much in a traditional classroom, so that wasn't an option. Bella's easy - I could send her anywhere, but where she is going is so perfect for her - minimal academics with a focus on play and imagination. What kindergarten is SUPPOSED to be!


I always have to show a picture of "that child left behind" on the first day of school. He's thrilled to have all the toys... and the water softener salt... to himself.

Buddha 1, Jackson 0

We have a little statue of Buddha in our master bathroom. Jackson was playing around with it this morning and you know what? Right out of nowhere, it attacked him! Look under 0his left eye (your right) he's got a little cut. That Buddha has a mean left hook. John and I were completely shocked as we were always under the impression that Buddha was a peacemaker. This behavior is not what you'd expect from a deity of his caliber. Buddha, that is.

Jackson getting him back.

You should see the other guy.
(Well, honestly, the other guy is made of stone, he looks about the same.)

Happy Birthday to That Baby

That baby really enjoyed playing in the mulch.

The amazingly gratuitous cuteness of it all.

Behold the birthday boy in all his voluptuous glory.

Boys on the Side

I just love these boys. Jackson is finally to the age where he's not so fragile. For some time, I could only really leave Jackson in Maddie's care because she knows her own strength and doesn't play too aggressively with the babe. Liam and Bella tended to overestimate how much roughhousing he could handle. Now, he can actually fight back for the most part, so I can trust the other kids to watch him. Also, Maddie is gone for the week in Ohio and I need to shower. As they say, necessity is the mother of compromise. That is what they say, right?

Tub fun

Jackson loves the bathtub. We spent the afternoon at the pool and he and Bella really needed rinsed off. It was easier to just throw them in together. I've had to segregate tub time since the kids are getting older, but Jackson and Bella in the tub together was pretty funny.

A few months ago, I had to have a serious conversation with Liam about, well, urinating in the bathtub. Especially when the girls are next in line to get in after him. As soon as I put Jackson in the tub with Bella tonight, he stood in the water and peed directly into the water. Bella found it disgusting and quite offensive. I had to give her the same explanation that we have to give when they ask why we would encourage baby Jackson to burp, but we yell at them when they do it. Life is full of inequities.

Excuses? Hmmm....

There are always excuses for long blog hiatuses. I won't bore you. It's just life. It's been happening to me in the most unexpected ways and at the most unexpected times. It has just been full. Full of laughter and tears. Beginnings and endings. Planning and executing. Laundry and dishes.

Most importantly, I can't get enough of that baby. Sound asleep in my arms, yet I can't bring myself to lay him down. The time is slipping away too quickly and my last baby can get up and walk away. I'm not ready.

Freeze this moment for me? Please?

A Warped Sense of Reality

I found an old post that I never published. I guess it never felt complete, but here it is...

This is a difficult post to write. I have to find that delicate place between honesty and conceit. The fact is, our kids have always done well at things - excelled in certain areas. Don't get me wrong - we've had our fair share of "constructive criticism" at parent-teacher conferences, too. They are human. Partly, at least. We think the other part may be North American Hairless Monkey.

So, unfortunately for each subsequent Hickey child, the bar has been set pretty high. For example, after three years in a Waldorf preschool, having no exposure to letters before his first day of first grade, Liam learned to read in about four weeks. Not to be outdone, Maddie learned in the first three weeks of first grade.

Often, Maddie and Bella will be working on a drawing at the kitchen table. Bella will be blissfully drawing and after a while, look over at Maddie's work. Maddie has a level of intensity when drawing that cannot be matched. We just have to protect her space and let her work. Bella looks at Maddie's drawing, then at hers, then back at Maddie's. "I'm not a good artist," Bella inevitably replies. What do I say? No, Bella, you are an extraordinary artist. Your drawings, for age four, are quite advanced. Bella's teachers are impressed by how fully formed and fleshed out her drawings are. However, Maddie is almost three years older. Oh, and she's a freak of nature. How do you explain that to a four year-old who just wants her drawings to look as good as her sister's?

And then there's that baby. We have very athletic children. The kids have all spent most of their lives outside, so they learned to climb trees and build snowmen and generally are pretty coordinated. As babies, they all were ahead of the "typical" curve of baby development. Everyone sat up, crawled and walked before a year. Jackson will be 8 months in a few days and he's not walking yet. Ever since that Maddie walked at 7 months, the bar is high. It's sad to be a tiny bit disappointed in a baby that's just not walking yet.

As if the hats weren't enough...

It's not nice. Really. The things we do to our children for our amusement. Not nice at all.

Jackson, February 2007

Here's the thing. His head got wet and we smoothed his hair over to one side and it sort of looked like the Hitler comb-over. A little. So we grabbed an eyeliner and penciled in a little Hitler-stache. Wait. That's what any parent would do, right? Except. Um. Well, when you do something repeatedly... when it's a pattern... is it pathological? We've had the Children's Services Board called on us before. I guess it's your call.

Liam and Maddie, January 2001

That baby wears a hat, Part III

I can't help it. Sometimes the kids do it. Sometimes I do it. Sometimes, I think he grabs the hat himself. Either way, this baby looks really cute in hats. How can you resist?

That baby wears a hat, Part II (The Aviator)

I bought this little aviator's cap to keep his head warm since the hood on his coat keeps falling down in the wind. It's super soft, made of silk and wool. His head is almost too big for it. And, let's face it, he's a pretty baby. Everyone thinks he's a girl in it. [sad face]

Food is Fun!

The man is officially into food. Apples, pears, bananas, rice cakes, cheerios, cream of buckwheat cereal, sweet potatoes, carrots, homemade chicken broth with chicken bits... He's loving it! And although it seems hard to believe... he is getting fatter! I have also become that mom that calls their child anything but their given name. I normally can't stand it, but somehow the only name I can seem to call him is "chubbers!"

That baby wears a hat, Part I

The hat says "Baby's First Christmas." It was too cute to resist taking a few photos of...

Twenty Weeks Old