He's Too Much

As many of you know, our son only knows foods that are white and yellow or basically in that color range.  Well, he knows other foods he just refuses to enjoy the beautiful range of flavors offered by foods of any other color.  He will live this year of his life mostly subsisting on macaroni and cheese, cheesy broccoli rice, plain rice, fried rice (no veggies), scrambled eggs, corn on the cob (only on the cob), yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, toast with cinnamon sugar, Auntie Anne's cinnamon sugar pretzel sticks, French toast, milk, grilled cheese sandwiches, Ramen noodles, cheese pizza, crackers, shortbread cookies, bagels with cream cheese, applesauce, water and apple juice.  So, in some ways, it isn't the absolute worst situation, but certainly he could do soooo much better.  In order to make sure he is getting all of the vitamins he needs, we fold a crushed Flinstone's vitamin into his applesauce.

A few nights ago, I went out to do some Christmas shopping and Kyle stayed home with the kids.  Dinner menu was macaroni and cheese and applesauce for dessert.  Tonight at dinner, Kyle asked me if I avoided putting the purple vitamins into Preston's applesauce.  I don't actually avoid using the purple vitamins and use whatever color lands in my hand out of the jar, so I asked why he would wonder such a thing.  Apparently, Kyle used a purple vitamin the other night and Preston refused to eat the applesauce.  When Kyle asked him why he didn't want to eat it, Preston replied that it was, "dirty."  That boy is so stinking silly!  Haha!  I don't want to forget this one.       

Sugar cookie with lots of frosting...never denied

And All She Wants to Do is...

...Walk, walk, walk.  Don Henley's song may say dance, dance, dance but our girl is walking up a storm.  It's official, she is a walker.  I know everyone's definition of walking is different.  I think when the primary mode of moving is on two feet, that is walking, and the girl is doing it 80% or more of the time.  She started this last Monday evening.  I've been needing to get some blogging done and this is one of the more exciting topics.  I checked yesterday to see when Preston started walking and I found something to be a bit an uncanny, they both started walking exactly seven days past their 11 month birthdays.

Claire is going to have to be tough with a brother like Preston.  He is always bowling her over, pushing, shoving, etc. (no we don't encourage it but we can't stop it every time).  I just can't believe she is so courageous to even think about walking with Preston around.  He is not slow moving or gentle around her.  Kyle and I actually made a bet with one another as to when she would start walking.  I said the end of January...he won.  Here's is a quick video. 

Just Wow

After speaking with the doctor this afternoon, we were told to head to Children's Hospital.  Total side note, I sounded like such an idiot at one point during the phone conversation.  We were talking about the size of the gash and I actually got out the ruler and measured it (that's not the idiot part).  It measured one inch long --relayed that information and then I measured the width...it measured 3/4 mm wide, mm hmm, yep, 3/4 mm.  Uh, what?  3/4 mm?  That's like a paper cut!  Haha!  Kyle heard me and said, "That can't be right, more like 3/4 of a centimeter."  Of course after I told her that she said we needed to go to the hospital.  Definitely not thrilled about going there in light of flu/cold season and long waits.  When we arrived, the triage nurse was already expecting us.  We checked in quickly and were headed back to a room within minutes.  The staff as well as Kyle and I were wondering why it was so...not busy.  No complaints here but really, it was strange to have no one waiting.  We truly were the only ones there.

We spoke to the ER doctor about our options.  Glue, stitches that dissolve or ones that have to be removed.  She said the best were the ones that needed to be removed (for various reasons).  They stuck a numbing gel patch on his cut in lieu of lidocaine shots and gave him baby percocet.  After 30 minutes the doctor came in and commented that little man "didn't seem stoned."  We said we thought he'd be the one to get hyper from the meds.  The next part was flushing the wound.  Kyle held Preston as they irrigated the cut.  It actually made me a little sick watching the water power spray open his cut more.  I had to look away.  So far, P was handling things pretty well. 

What followed was not fun in any way.  They took a sheet and rolled him up like a burrito, laid him on his back and put the medical lights on right over his head.  This is where it became pandemonium.  Preston broke out into hysterics.  Screaming, kicking, squirming, crying...I could not take it.  Kyle was holding his body, one nurse was holding his feet, another nurse was holding his head and the doctor began her work.  I began to sob.  P kept yelling, "down, down, no, no!"  and then, "momma!!!! momma!!!!"  My heart was broken, I could not help him because I was crying my eyes out.  Nothing Kyle said calmed the boy.  Then, another nurse watching said to me, "well, the stitches will dissolve."  Uh, no they won't, the doctor said she was using the ones that need to be removed!  I then asked out loud, should we maybe not use those kind since he is so traumatized by this?  The doctor agreed and then had to remove the first stitch to replace it with the other kind.  Meanwhile, Preston was still freaking out.  As Kyle says, suddenly, I rallied and went to my boy's side.  I began to talk to him and for whatever reason, he listened to me and began to calm.  We did some deep breathing and counting to ten.  After several counts to ten he realized it was not over and began to work himself up again.  I kept looking over wondering how in the hell it could take so long to do 3 stitches.  I just wanted unwrap Preston and hold him.  I told him about the trains we were going to see in the hospital and that calmed him again.  Then it was over.

The baby percocet and hysteria had the boy a little woozy, so I carried him to see the trains.  We headed home for a nap with 3 stitches.  My fears of going to the ER with Preston have finally become reality.  I just hope we don't have too many more of these and definitely nothing more serious.  I need to take pictures tomorrow.          

Another Owie

Waiting to hear back from the doctor to see if we should go and wait for, oh, 12 hours in the ER for yet another Preston bash up.  This time it was spinning around Preston vs. wall.  I think it needs a couple stitches but my husband isn't sure so he wants us to wait to talk to the doc.  Ugh, not my idea of a Sunday afternoon/evening/night.  What do you think?

One Down...

One down, one to go...
He did it!
Finally!
Hello, doctor.
Kyle Eash Ph.D

Just a few ways of saying, Kyle Passed His Doctoral Thesis Defense Today!  He was officially awarded his Ph.D, today.  I attended his defense this morning and I am so incredibly proud of him.  I don't think I understood 75% of what he said (too much science stuff for me), but he sounded good!  :)        

So, he technically needs to get the signature of the Chair of the Department, but that is just for official purposes.

Next on the plate, M.D.

It Takes All Kinds

Not as hot topic as this post, but more funny to me than anything.  Kyle is up and ready to head out the door bright and early with the kids for his Saturday morning crazy-dad-get-up.  He puts the kids in the BOB, leashes up both dogs and throws on his Rollerblades for exercise and to get the kids out...ummmm, this isn't the funny part...or is it?! 

I'm sitting at the desk in front of the computer and Kyle comes back in to grab bags for the dog poo.  He says, "Is it odd that our neighbor is on a ladder in front of his house cleaning his windows with a huge stogie lit up at 8am?"  Seriously?  Hilarious and odd, being that he is about 25 and not 70.  Let me share with you, this.  Our neighbors moved in a few months ago and the husband introduced himself to me one day while Preston and I were out front playing.  I know his name and he did ask what my name was as well as Preston's.  About two weeks later, he got out of his car and P and I were outside again.  Our neighbor said to me, "I don't believe we've ever met.  I know my wife said she met you, but I'm _____, and your name is?"  Okay, strange, but I humored him and answered.  No joke, another week or so goes by and deja vu, it happened AGAIN!  He said, "hello," and then, "I don't think we've met before, I'm ____, what is your name?  And little man's?"  Really, what is going on here? 

His wife is always running away when she gets out of her car and she laughs nervously and loudly every time we see her.  She goes, hahah, hehehe giggle, giggle and then "Hiieeeeee!"  They have a baby Claire's age that we have seen maybe three times.

Another day, we were looking out back because their dogs were barking like crazy at someone.  Well, they don't have a fenced in yard and apparently the dogs were in the alley barking at a woman and her dog.  The wife was telling the lady the dogs were friendly and then the husband comes out of his house with no shirt on and boxers, yelling, "Come here, boys!"  It was so funny.

The strangest thing is, I love our neighborhood.  We have all kinds of people and it is great.  I wouldn't leave.  I don't need or want Whitopia...can't wait to read this.  

So, a rambling post, but question to you all.  Would that seem odd to you?  That?  Which part, right?  Mostly the stogie deal because I know the introductions thing is definitely out there.

Oh and a picture for the great grandparents and grand parents, too. 

    

Potato Corn Chowder

A friend posted this recipe on her Facebook page a couple months back.  I talked about it here and I think a third request for a post on this recipe is a charm.  Here it is and thanks to C for her recipe, it is delicious.  I changed a tiny bit of the recipe for our liking and I'm sure you can ad lib if you think of something else.

(1) 14.75 oz can of creamed corn
4 cups of frozen corn
3 large potatoes cut into 1" chunks
1 medium onion diced
32 oz carton of chicken or vegetable broth
1 and 1/2 pints of Half and Half
1/2 stick of butter
2 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of pepper
(1) 13.5 oz can of coconut milk...this is an addition I want to try...got to give my Islander roots a shout out

Add everything except Half and Half, butter and coconut milk (if you are trying the cm) into the Crock Pot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours
Use an immersion blender and puree to your liking (I prefer a chunkier texture as does, C) or use a slotted spoon and put in a regular blender to puree (add some of the liquid)
Return everything to Crock Pot and add Half and Half, butter and coconut milk
Cook on high for 1 hour
 (Serves 6)
 

What Would You Do?

I don't get many comments on a regular basis, but I am really asking my readers (family, friends and strangers) to please leave a comment.

On Sunday early afternoon, Kyle took Claire to the park to play on the playground while Preston napped. He reports that a few minutes after being there, a couple arrived with their child. They stood on the perimeter of the playground but on the playground and began smoking a joint. I will not say what Kyle said or did. I just want to know what you all would do.

Regardless of what you do or have done in your life (smoked it in the past, currently smoke it or never touched it) are there boundaries for this when in a public place especially a playground? I know some would argue that marijuana is no more harmful than a cigarette and it is just a matter of what the government decided should be illegal...fine, then would smoking a regular cigarette in close proximity to babies and children be legit? You certainly don't have to tell me where you personally stand on the wider issue just simply let me know what you would have done/said or if you would have done/said anything at all if you were there with your 10 month old.

Whatever

-Yesterday, I had one of those moments with Preston where I just felt crazy mad. He was going from one stinker thing to the next, I felt like I could just lock him in his room for the morning. He has taken to body blocking his sister when he doesn't want her to have something of his...it's no surprise being that his parents are/were dog trainers and he sees us do it with our dogs. Body blocking is quite effective, just not so nice when the one being blocked is a 10 month old who falls over with a little shove. P has also taken to sitting and bouncing on Claire. It started out with the two of them playing on his little chair, he kind of bounces on her and she laughs but as I'm sure most toddlers do, Preston takes it too far. Apparently, any toy that Clarie had, was worth gold because she could not have anything without it being snatched from her hands by her big brother. The bathroom sink has become an obsession and whenever we forget to close the door, Pre heads in and turns on the water and leaves it on until either Kyle or I go in and discover it. Whining, oh, God, the whining! We just decided yesterday that we are going to count whining because it is a mommy hot button. I can deal with a little whine here and there but when it goes on and on, it feels like my nerves are being sent electrical shocks.

Was my point of this little replay of my morning all just to vent and complain? A little bit yes, especially since Preston can read this someday and see how much he could make mom feel crazy! But, I wanted to share the redemption story. Of course, it always occurs (me forgetting about the bad days) but this particular moment was just so sweet, I wanted to make sure I remember it. After lunch, Preston took his duck lovey and put him on his lap, put his blanket on him and said, "book." P then walked over, picked up his favorite Curious George book, went back to the couch and started "reading" his book to duck. He even put duck's face up to the pictures to point out certain things (like the dump truck). Finally, he brought duck over to his chair, put duck down on his belly and covered him up. This routine is what we do with Preston for naps and bedtime (except he doesn't sleep on his little chair, haha) and we have never pretended to do the routine with duck. I forget how imaginative little brains are.

-Why do I love Google Reader? I think everyone should have Google Reader if they read blogs. Even if your list of blogs to read isn't long, it is great. First off, I have iGoogle set as my home page when I open the Internet browser. I have Google Reader added as one of my page elements. So, here is why I like this set up. Whenever someone writes a blog, it pops up in my reader and I avoid having to check their blog regularly. The best and possibly weirdest reason, is that when I see several new posts, I get that feeling I used to as a child when I had a pen pal. Remember pen pals? Oh, my, do kids do that anymore? Anyway, it's like mail of the sort that I want to receive (no bills or junk mail) and it's different than email because my inbox is always full of junk/spam (but I do like personal email from friends). Okay, rambling, but just another random thing on my mind!

-She took a step! A single step, but a step nonetheless. Very exciting and she only just turned 10 months. Now, she could wait to walk until she is 15 months old for all we know, but still, we were pumped. Honestly, I want her to walk, this crawling jazz is annoying with dirty clothes and hands that pick up every speck of dust and animal fur on the floor. She is already mobile and getting into things so let's just take it to the next level and get vertical, Claire!

-Sunny and mid-60's predicted for the week. Must get out and enjoy because it doesn't last long! Boo on daylight savings, the sun goes down way too early! Oh, and whose crazy idea was it to do this spring forward and fall back thing? Seriously, the kids bodies (sleep schedules) just don't get that concept. Stupidness, I tell ya.

Halloween 2009

I have not made a crafty thing in I don't know how many years. When I was younger, I really got into that kind of stuff. I figured with kids, now is the time to tap into that fun creative spirit again...umm...or something like that. My first attempt at it was not the best but then again, not the worst. Preston's Halloween costume was homemade and I thought it would be nice and cheap to go this route. Well, let's just say, not so much. After buying everything needed, I spent more than I would have on a ready made costume. It's a good thing it was "fun" (I just keep telling myself that) because it was not cheap.

I have never gone into a fabric store and why would I? I don't own a sewing machine and I have no idea how to sew, knit, cross-stitch?(is that a word), or quilt. Now, maybe I could have shopped around to price things out, but being my normal procrastinating self, I waited until Friday to buy the components of P's costume. A yard of felt was 6 dollars...FELT?...six dollars! Faux hair, a small square of red felt, fabric glue, hot glue gun, thimbles, glue sticks, face paint, black sweat pants and black t-shirt...what does it make?

Trolkenstein!

In poor Pre's defense, I made the head piece too big so it kept falling over his eyes. He was supposed to be Frankenstein but I didn't have time to search for a used black blazer or black boots...we went with his old tan blazer from last year and tennis shoes. We consistently had two guesses as to what Preston was dressed up as. Thankfully, for mommy's self esteem, most people guessed Frankenstein, but about a quarter of the people guessed Troll. Shoot me people, I made the head too tall! Actually, Kyle helped make this and he was the measuring and cutting man. I was super paranoid about us burning ourselves with the hot glue and Kyle thought it was a great opportunity to freak me out by screaming out when I put the glue down onto the faux hair and told him to press it down, very carefully.

Claire was easy. No wrong guesses on our little flower!

She loved going trick or treating. Every house we went to, she wanted down to climb steps, crawl around or practice standing alone. No candy for the girl and almost no candy for Preston. He has never had a piece of candy, lollipop, gummy bear, M&M or otherwise. I have a ridiculous sweet tooth, so I don't get it. He loves cookies and cake but he won't touch candy. Well, I opened a mini-packet of Reese's Pieces and told him to try one. "NO! NO!" He wouldn't try it. So, I told him they were "baby cookies." Ha!Ha! Baby cookies! Well, he tried them and liked them so much he kept asking for, " more bady (he uses 'd') cookies!" That boy!

Dad and kids before heading out

Frankenstein and Purple Flower Girl

I must mention that the start of our Halloween 2009 was kicked off with a costume birthday party for our good friend, Eva Malone. She turned one. How fun will it be to have a Halloween birthday when she gets older? Good times.

Friends, A Crocodile, and Well Wishes

-If I could capture a picture or video of Claire doing her dramatic face and cry, I would. This girl is ridiculous. I've been saying for some time, that I know Claire is going to have a short fuse like me, but every day, it seems she makes her desires more and more apparent...and not by asking, "pretty please." She has a particular face that is like the rev up. Her mouth opens wide, the corners turn down, she squints her eyes and then she screams a certain way. Then the tears flow if she doesn't get what she wants and of course the screaming continues.

Over the weekend, Kyle took the kids to the zoo for a 1 hour quick visit while I did house stuff. Later that evening, he said, "Claire really embarrassed me today." I was rather curious. He went on to tell me that upon their arrival into the zoo, Claire was riding in the stroller while Preston walked with Kyle. Suddenly, she began to scream and cry (with tears) like something hurt her. He promptly took her out and...voila, the faucet was shut off in an instant. He carried her for a bit and then tried to put her back. He said it was like wrestling a crocodile to get her strapped back in with all of her wriggling and stiffening and screaming. Well our little girl with the crocodile tears cried very loudly making daddy feel like everyone was watching him torture his child. I suppose her tears aren't totally faked, but when the Claire-bee wants something she makes it known. Grandma Cheryl even got to witness this for the first time on her visit earlier this week. Our girl is gonna be a sassy one.

-Awhile back, I wrote a note to myself that I wanted to blog about an article I read in Parenting. "6 Friends Every Mom Needs" Here they are along with the first little blurb reason why you need them.

1. The Mom in the Same Boat---She gets it.
2. The No Kids Friend---For adult conversation and you can act like you're still cool.
3. The Been-There, Done-That Mom---She helps you through the moments when you don't know what to do.
4. I'll Do Anything For You Friend---She'll pick your kids up when you're in a pinch or help you with your yard sale
5. The Slightly Glam Friend---She helps you realize you can be a fashionable mom...and she can lend you her wardrobe
6. The Brutally Honest Pal---We all need to hear the truth sometimes.

Do you moms have all of these friends? I think I have a friend that fits the bill for each of these, some friends are sometimes a combination of a couple. The one friend that is hardest for me to find is the 'Been There, Done That Mom.' I try to grow friendships with moms with older kids (more than just a couple years older) but somehow, it is hard to keep up. I wish I did have a close friend of that sort because it would be nice to get advice here and there from a friend who might have a similar parenting philosophy as mine but has already made those hurdles that I come upon. Plus, it'd be nice to get advice from people with older kids other than say, my mom (even though she's awesome!). My 'Glam Mom Friend' is great to the extent that she makes me aware of current fashions, but in the end, I always end up om my go to everyday wear...sweats, t-shirts, running shoes and ponytail. Blah.

-My mom finally decided she was done dealing with the flare ups of a herniated disk in her neck, so she had surgery. She came out of surgery in one piece...(I guess technically, one piece less) and is at home healing up. The recovery time is going to be about 2 months and we are going to miss her twice weekly evening visits. Preston and Claire love having their grammy here to play and Kyle and I love her company as well as the help we get from her occupying the kids. Get well, mom! Hopefully you'll never have to worry about the pain again. Here is a picture of your sweet grand kids to help make you feel better!

This and That, etc.

Every fall, I get this wild hair. My mind starts churning. I feel like blogging more (I don't actually blog more) and I have more random thoughts that I want to write about just because. Not that I think any of these thoughts would be particularly interesting for anyone, I just get stuck in my own head sometimes and writing feels nice even if I just jot a few notes about these random musings.

-I haven't been huge on texting. Actually, I had a moment very recently where I said I was going to boycott texting because I read this article on SMS messaging (aka 'texting) in TIME. Cell phone carriers are making a boat load of money off of us when we text. My personal prohibition of texting didn't last very long, though. We had free phone upgrades and moved up to 'fancier' phones with unlimited texting in our plan. I just started texting and have been doing it here and there but certainly, I've sent more texts in the past two weeks than I have in my personal history of owning a cell phone.

This texting stuff can be dangerous. I haven't looked at the video that apparently went viral in Facebook, the one with the kid getting into a terrible crash while driving and texting...but I have started noticing A LOT of people texting in their cars while driving. It makes me nervous and I didn't pay attention to this until this week. I just started seeing random drivers engrossed in their phones sometimes while at a stop light (less worrisome) but sometimes while driving right next to me. I admit, I do look at my phone on occasion while driving but I haven't actually attempted texting. Has anyone else noticed this? Or do you text while you drive? Just wondering.

-That 5K I was training for, um, it didn't happen. The "training" went on for 2 weeks and I worked myself up to a whopping 1/2 mile of non-stop jogging and then the bad weather hit and then, no gym membership and I just kind of dropped the ball on it. I suppose we're getting out of training season for runs but Evie and I have agreed to start training together at the end of this month when she moves to my neighborhood. My personal goal is to run one of these by spring. I would say I'm committing to one of the upcoming holiday runs but I don't want to get barraged by more bad weather and not be able to stick with the program. Clearly, getting in shape is a much slower process than I ever imagined it would be, (I'm no longer a physically fit twenty something) so I need to make sure I give myself ample time to gear up. Ugh, if only I loved working out like some people (weirdos, haha) say they do!

-I am so proud of Kyle. He received a merit award through the American Society of Hematology which includes an honorarium, air fare, taxi, hotel, and food stipend at the ASH convention coming up in December. He also finished writing another paper for publication. It is submitted and we are waiting to hear if it will be published. My evenings have been a little lonely since he's been burning the midnight oil, but it seems his work might be paying off.

-How do you find a balance between living your life and trying to keep your little ones healthy in this cold and flu season? I'm not going to lie. I don't want to get the swine flu or any flu at that and I really don't want my kids to get it either. Now, I know there isn't anyone who wants to get it, but I feel particularly worried about it since I have asthma and since I've read that H1N1 especially gets the little ones more severely than seasonal. Although I know it is a really small percentage of kids who actually die from flu(H1N1) complications there is a statistically significant increase in pediatric deaths caused from the new flu compared to type A past season's deaths. I know most people, kids included, will just feel lousy for awhile, but I still feel nervous thinking, what if one of my babies were one of the unlucky ones? For me, it's like, the vaccine can't get here soon enough. We are doing what our pediatrician suggested...avoiding enclosed public places at their busiest (most crowded) times unless it is absolutely necessary, washing our hands frequently and this sounds kind of funny to me, but I guess it makes sense, staying at least 6 feet away from a person with a cough since the flu is passed through the air. Ask me in another month if we haven't gotten vaccinations whether or not I'm still trying to avoid busy times at indoor places. I might just be a little cooped up at that point. We shall see.

-Last week, I made a delicious Crock Pot meal. A friend posted the recipe on Facebook and I decided to try it out. Potato Corn Chowder. Yum. I want it again. BUT, I have so many recipes for the CP and it just happens to be Crock Pot season and I have to say, I love it because there is no easier way to make a meal than to throw all of the ingredients in and have a home cooked meal hours later.

-Halloween is coming up way fast. I bought Claire's costume but kind of wish I'd come up with something homemade...easy store bought or use my brain and creativity homemade?...I bought the girl's this year but I am going the other route for P. I'm really excited and hope he will wear it. Must get to the fabric store this weekend, though.

-Last night was a super fantastic evening out with a couple of my girlie friends. The conversation was quite lively, hilarious at times and rather deep at other moments. I wish I could do this every week. It was a total psyche refresher to get out, have a drink, have a meal and talk with adults. Those 4 hours flew by so quickly. Thanks for the good time, ladies! Oh, and Pi was great. Must try if you are in the mood for not a regular run of the mill type pizza.

-The kids are so big now and Claire barely seems like a baby, sometimes. She is acting more and more like a pre-toddler (ha...you know, like preteen...I know, dorky) and I've been having fleeting moments of baby fever. You know, wanting another, very likely our last, but then I snap out of it. It's not time...yet. :)

-OH! Even though I'm going to have a separate post on this sometime soon, check out my new (very sparse) photography blog. Haven't had much time to do anything with it. It's been sitting around with no posts for weeks and then I decided to say a little something. I even posted a link to my very small portfolio. Anyone need pictures? Anyone? Buuuuueller?

Drool

And I thought the girl was being difficult for no reason. Crabby, waking up earlier than usual, not falling asleep easily, these were some of the challenges we were having with little Claire-bee for over a week. We couldn't put her down, or I should say, when Kyle was around, Claire wouldn't let him put her down (princess is a daddy's girl through and through). She is fine when it's just me but when we are both here, she wants da. Someone was always trying to keep her happy.

What could be bothering her? Since we just went to see the doctor, I actually ruled out the crab inducing cause--teething. Dr. Schmandt inspected C's mouth on the 1st and said there was no sign of any teeth so I just forgot about it. Maybe the excessive drooling and chewing on everything should have been a tip-off but for whatever reason, I didn't give it much thought. Anyway, I guess a week makes a difference because on Sunday, I randomly decided to give her gums a little feel, lo and behold, a scratchy little tooth poking through on the bottom. Hooray for Claire! Her first tooth beginning to appear!

Random Claire tidbits:

Did I mention how well this girl is eating? She enjoys tasting whatever we give her.

Tonight was the first night Claire actually balanced herself while standing. I didn't think she'd do it since she'd normally just plop right down onto her butt if we encouraged her to stand. She also took some steps while holding my hands and that, too is something she generally doesn't do.

Preston's tools seem like good teething toys

I almost feel like I could wipe the drool off of my computer screen

Eight is Great

I tagged along with Chris to take some pictures of her friend's family....of eight! They were truly amazing, all of them so sweet. Can you believe they have TWO sets of twins and the second set (one month old) was a surprise! I loved working with the H family. Here a few from that day.

Baby Mia (her twin, Max, wasn't feeling so hot with reflux, poor baby)

Big sister, Remi checking out her sleeping sister

She really wanted to show me her flowers

Pretty girl

The big twins holding the newborn twins

The beautiful family

Pumpkins and Pies

It seems this past weekend was THE weekend for every last person to hit Eckerts or any other pumpkin patch/apple picking place. Sunday we headed to the Milstadt location to meet Mindy, Matt and their boys. Let me warn you if you haven't been, Milstadt charges $8 per person over 2, whereas the Belleville location is free. We've always gone to Belleville but I think it was a great idea to take Preston to Milstadt. They had tons of fun kiddie things and felt at times a little circusesque (not a word)...Camel rides (camels in the mid-west?) a small petting zoo (again, I felt kind of bad for the lonely kangaroo), pig races, carnival rides, kiddie karaoke, lots of carny food, tractor rides, apple and pumpkin picking, and some variety shows. Oh, and I must mention there were bees, lots and lots of bees. Mostly the bees were in the apple orchard but when I say there were bees, I mean like thousands. I realize I have a bug phobia but I'm allergic to bee stings so it only fuels my panic. Anyhow, it was the perfect day for our outing and the kids were happy the whole time, then again, we were outside. The tractor ride was the hit of the day. Preston loved it.

Just arrived and P wanted to ride...not for long!


Daddy with P and Claire in the Ergo...AND his "dad bag"

He surprised me when he said he wanted to go on this ride

Claire enjoying some of daddy's apple

This evening, I put a big lot of those apples we picked to good use. They were bound for the deliciousness that is apple pie and my mother in law's apple pie recipe, no less. I am not a fan of the super sweet apple pie variety so this recipe is perfect for my taste. Today was the first day that I got that fall/winter weather, urge to bake. I get it every year. Overcast, breezy, cool, perfect conditions for baking sweets.

We all got our flu shots today and Preston was completely cool. He sat on my lap while the nurse stuck the needle into his thigh and boy did she jab it in. All he said was, "ow," then it was over and he was off and running. I won't bet on it that he'll stay this calm about shots as he gets older but we shall see.

Now, off to enjoy some of that pie with Kyle.

Admitting It and Saying Goodbye

Preston has been a pretty easy kid. His demeanor has pretty much been laid back, if another kid took a toy out of his hand, Preston would look at the kid like, "Okay, whatever" and then move on to another toy. Honestly, I kind of worried that he'd get bullied because he never gets into the "mine" game and hasn't cared too terribly much when his toys are played with by others. I've been around quite a few other toddlers acting normally with regard to the possessiveness stuff. This is all to say, maybe I'm now getting my comeuppance. Suddenly, everything is "no" and he's testing us on a regular basis. Climbing up on the toilet to get anything down from the sink and to turn on the water. Getting into my makeup if I don't put it away (it's my fault if it isn't in a place he can't get to). Running into the dogs to get a reaction. He's also begun experimenting with giving Claire a little push here and there when she has something he wants. If we offer him food, he refuses only to come and get some just two minutes later because he must do everything himself. I know this is all normal behavior for a 2 year old but my it is a crazy sudden change. A switch has been flipped.

To be fair, P is still pretty amenable to what Kyle and I suggest. We've just had to begin more discipline and this is new for us because as I said, Pre has really been super easy and listened when we'd say something once. I've officially begun using our books 1,2,3 Magic-Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 and Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood (what's with the 'magic'?). The counting has been great but the staying calm with "love and logic" definitely presents this hot headed mommy a real challenge. With the counting, when we get to 3, a time out happens and we use a timer. The timer is a great tool for Preston to visually see how long he must remain in timeout and the beeping is great so he knows timeout is over. There are now days that I just want to scream as loudly as I can when the whining and crying and defying goes on seemingly endlessly. Frankly, I can see, in some of those moments how parents want or do spank because sometimes you just feel out of control right along with your little ones. But, I tell myself that therein lies the problem, if I feel so out of control to want to spank it is precisely the thing I should not do...someone's gotta hold the emotional reigns down and I'm the parent, blah blah blah. We just don't want to teach the kids that we solve our conflicts by hitting or hit because we feel out of control (or hit at all, even if we want to). Those days always become "outside" days, I must get the kids outside or we will all go crazy. I highly recommend both books though.

So, I give my easy days of parenting a farewell (better be a temporary one) and welcome quite reluctantly the new challenge of the terrible twos. Oh, the baby princess is a little more like her short tempered mommy. If she doesn't get her way, let the screaming ensue. So I've got a two year old and a drama queen, to boot!

Stark Beauty

Over the weekend, my friend Evie S allowed me to photograph her family so I could get some practice. Taking pictures of my little ones has become a serious problem. You see, I have hundreds (in just one month) and they are probably growing tired of the camera. It won't stop me from snapping away at them but I needed to expand my horizons.

On my very first outing exclusively to photograph a family other than mine we headed to Laclede's Landing. What a wonderful idea, Evie. Here are a few results from my first go.

The gorgeous family

Little man in the big city

The ET finger

On the lookout

Does mommy know how to dress this boy or what? (Scarf=cute)

Not a Toy for Tots

Our little lady has been moved up by her physical therapist, we're trying the big guns. She still has a head tilt with this pesky torticollis. The stretches and exercises are helping, just not enough. Claire gets to sport this really cool "necklace" the TOT Collar, two times per day for 1 hour each time.

Yay! Clap your hands!

At first, she was not happy with it on and who would blame the poor girl. After a little treat, she pretty much forgot about it. Now when we put it on her, she might grab at it for a moment or two but then she is off to play.

Picking up puffs

On to other Claire news now that she is a 9-month old. Healthy all around and Dr. Schmandt couldn't get over how developed her gross motor skills are (just like her big brother!). The girl would not be still in the examination room. Crawling, pulling up, banging on things, cruising the tiny room, showing off her vocal skills with lots of 'da da da's,' and Claire even demonstrated her perfect pincer grasp, the doctor was impressed. When she left the room, these were her last words, "Take care! Claire is great. But, she is...WOW! I mean, wow, she is just a ball of energy. She must tire you out!" Considering Preston's penchant for moving at full speed, I guess my point of reference may be a bit skewed. Both of my kids are wildly active and we love it (most of the time).

Numbers, shmumbers...big ol' head, did you expect it to change...90th, weight and height both right at 50th (19 pounds and 27.5 inches). Still, no teeth, not a single one even beginning to show its crown. She's eating meals like a champ though. She and Preston shared mac and cheese yesterday. The girl much prefers our food to the mushed up stuff. Doctor's orders were to continue giving her a mix by offering her both our food as well as the 3rd foods stuff she is growing bored with.

The girl loves this silly toy

Last bit, which seems to be a frequent topic of discussion but it's not so much about Claire, although she did receive a regular seasonal flu vaccination today. I asked about the H1N1 deal not unlike probably 98% of the rest of parents visiting the pediatrician. Both of our kids are still in the high risk group (under 5). The safety of the vaccination...Dr. Schmandt said she just attended a talk at Children's Hospital regarding the safety of the vaccine and pretty much all things related to the strain. She explained that the manufacturing process is exactly the same as the regular seasonal flu vaccine. Because this is a novel flu strain it has been tested on more people than the regular seasonal flu vaccination and so there is no logical reason to believe the regular seasonal flu vaccination is safer. A video link to Barnes-Jewish infectious disease specialist discussing H1N1. Our family will all be getting flu shots this year. Kyle works in the hospital, our kids are young and I have asthma that is only aggravated by upper respiratory colds and also allergies. Stay healthy wherever you come down on the decision to get a flu shot. :)

If you want to get a flu shot free in St Louis, they are doing them at the Center for Advanced Medicine (3rd floor) on the Barnes Jewish campus. Both adult and pediatric vaccinations are available at this location 8:30-5:00 October 5-9th.

Random fact: The amount of mercury in one 5.6 oz can of tuna has .115mg of mercury and the amount of mercury in a flu vaccine is .025. Anyway, clearly less is present in the shot.
Source: EPA. Mercury study report to Congress: Vol 4: An assessment of exposure to mercury in the US; 1997. www.epa.gov/mercury

In Lieu Of

Thanks to my friend Jenn G, I will have another reason to post more frequent updates concerning the kiddos. I knew there was a way to have your blog printed into a book but I never much explored that option. A couple of weeks back, she sent me a web address that does the blog printing and it is amazingly simple. I won't print mine until the end of the year but you can divide it up into years or make one big book from all of your archives, if you wish. I see Christmas wish list written all over this and it's not too pricey.

Keeping up on the kids baby books has been utterly embarassing, as in, Claire's hasn't even been cracked open and Preston's hasn't been touched in a long, long time. Well, here you go, my little babes, baby books for you to look at when you get older and much more detailed in some ways than doing the old fashioned kind. Truly, it should be pretty cool for the kids to be able to read the blog in book form when they are grown. I know I would have thought it was pretty awesome. It'll be like looking back at real snippets from our lives, beyond just knowing when their first tooth came in or how much they weighed at six months. The pictures posted on the blog are also printed in the book...of course the videos won't make it, duh. We can save those to DVD's though.

I'm sure there are other companies offering blogs in print form, but this is the one I've checked out, but as I said, I haven't ordered one yet. It is called Blog2Print by SharedBook.

Cruising On

The little lady is now eight and a half months old. Seriously? Can my little baby be just a few months shy of turning one? Oh and with that birthday comes the new year and the new year will bring a new schedule for daddy and, well, everything feels like it is rushing right on by. No savoring, simply being, doing, acting in the moment. But, before I go thinking the next three and a half months by, it is time to share recent Claire developments.

It seems this girl is motivated by her big brother, to get moving. She is officially pulling up on anything and everything. Over the weekend she began cruising the sectional...the incentive was Preston's Matchbox car. Clairey loves her brother's cars and trucks. I wonder if it has anything to do with not having much else to choose from since mommy hasn't gone out and purchased many "girlie" type toys? I am beside myself happy to say the commando crawling is waning and conventional crawling has become the primary mode of getting about. I forgot how many clothing changes I had to do when there is a kiddo mostly on the floor. I have never vacuumed and mopped more than I have this past month. We were getting close to pinning a Swiffer cloth on Claire's shirts everyday since she'd been doing such a wonderful job dusting the floors with her clothes!

Pincer grasp down pat. Self feeding bite sized pieces like a pro. She loves all kinds of food. It's great being able to give your child something to eat and they actually try it! We've moved on to Stage 3 foods and Claire has tried all sorts of food from our plates.

Little lady loves repeating sounds we make. Right now, she says, dada, baba, ma, ka, eeee, aaaa, and ahhhh. This age is so fun and as far as I'm concerned, it just gets better. And now for the pictures.

Committing

I have not worked out in over 3 years. Yes, you read that correctly, three whole years. It feels kind of embarrassing to admit that but then again, I've been pregnant for much of that time and well, I was just a little afraid to do much more than walk with the scares I had carrying our babies. So here I am, out of shape and ready to turn things around.

Mindy came by with Nathan this morning and we walked to the park with the kids. Standing next to her makes me feel a lot bit doughy since she is seriously in shape. Well, my friend has become my motivator. She invited me to do a 5k with her next month and I accepted. I don't know if it is possible to get my terribly jiggly body, low capacity lungs and slow beating heart ready in just 4 short weeks after being essentially sedentary for 365 days x's 3 (well I haven't been completely sedentary running around after Preston, but). I know its just over 3 miles...I bet I couldn't even run a quarter of a mile without stopping at this point. So, I'm putting it out there in writing for you all to know. I've agreed to do this "fun" run; let's just hope I can say it's fun come 4pm on October 17th. Getting there will likely be torture. She asked if I'd be interested in training for and running a half marathon with her and although I'd love to in mind, I told her I'd better do this little 5k before agreeing to a possible suicide! :)

Well, my excuses only work so long and I'm officially ready to take my first, ummm, steps. Anyone interested in getting out there with a 33 year old on pace with the 70 year olds?

FINALLY!

I am happy to share, Preston has finally taken a little interest in his little sister. He has been getting down on the floor to play with her on random occasions and when she is doing her commando crawl (or as I like to call her, The Terminator) down the hallway towards Pre, he runs away laughing and then runs back towards her to make her laugh. It's adorable. Then yesterday and today, they've been playing with toys together. We are so loving this.

Here they are clearly into the ambulance

Buddies? We hope so!

Sleepers

Our little ones love their blankies. The other day, I went in to wake Claire from her morning nap... WHAT?! Waking a baby from a nap? I know, I know, it's actually not a usual event that happens around here, but I had to run errands and the girl decided to take a marathon nap. Well, I so wish I had brought my camera in with me because she was sleeping in the funniest, cutest position. She apparently fell asleep sitting somewhat. She was slumped over her blankie, booty on the bed, chest and face down, arms hugging the blanket. Description not as cute as the scene, oh well.

Over the weekend, the kids both napped well and I took a snap of them both. Pre was especially cute with the pillow between his legs. Love these two!