(not-so) accidental milestone

Buddy was bathing and a familiar expression crossed his face.  I really did not want to have to bleach the tub and all its toys again... so I grabbed the padded potty seat, scooped him up, and set him on there.  We've had false alarms where nothing has transpired before.... this time was not a false alarm.  I think he liked the praise he received for using the potty, because he kept climbing out and wanting to sit on the potty seat again. 

The funny thing was that I pulled Bear's training potty out of storage today.  It makes a good step stool and the two of them have been fighting over the Dora step stool ever since Buddy has become obsessed with brushing his teeth.  Looks like it might be mutipurposed.

there's a new name...

in Buddy's vocabulary
and it's ella's, yes it's ella.

(sometimes la-la.)

He giggles and grins with pride as he looks at his 4 month old cousin and calls her name.

Precious.

Wordless Wednesday

(Thank you, S&G, for these wonderful photos!)

an unwelcome guest

Hannah was playing in our room when she let out a small shriek and exclaimed, "Mommy, there's a lizard in there!" First she said it ran behind the bookshelf. Then she said it went under the dresser. She also said it was very tiny and then changed her story to very long. She also thought it was beautiful rainbow colored. I looked and did not see anything, jostled the shelf and the dresser, to no avail. I told her to tell Daddy about it when we got home, but was beginning to doubt her story. She has really gotten into imaginative play, and she likes watching dinosaur train on pbs, so could she have imagined it. "It ran away because it was scared that I am so much bigger," she said.

Daddy came home. After the cuddle fest in the living room, the kids climbing all over him in sheer joy, he went to our room. I had Hannah tell him what she saw, and sure enough, peeking out from the doorway to the bathroom, was an ugly lizard, 4-6 inch lizard with creepy eyes.


I had caught a lizard OUTSIDE for Bear last Spring, but the thought of having one in my own bedroom FREAKED me out. It HAD to be caught. I retrieved the canning jar that once held homemade canned tomatoes from a dear friend (thankfully we were able to used them up before the lizard came and it was clean). Sensing the jar alone would not do the trick, J went and got the broom and dustpan. The goal, to sweep the lizard into the jar. We got Bear to go to the other room in case we had to kill it, but I really did not want lizard innards in my bathroom or bedroom, or to explain to our tenderhearted girl why it had to die. I pushed a box into the doorframe to try to block it in the bathroom. J tried to sweep it into the jar. It escaped onto the carpet. Thankfully, he stopped it by catching it by the tail with one of his tools, scraped/swept it into the jar, and I got the lid on. Whew. Crisis averted.

Bear named it Alexa, after one of the Barbie Princesses. I hardly think the name fits. I did not want it anywhere near our apartment, so I do hope it was just a common salamander/lizard and not another tenant's exotic escapee, because Daddy and Bear set it free among the landscaping outside. I hope a cat or some other animal finds it for a snack.

Halloween Trip home 2009

The kids and I went home to Tennessee for the weekend, and we had a wonderful visit. My parents' house is on the market, and they are praying it sells so they can move further south this winter, so this may be our list visit to the place they've been since I was almost 17.

The kiddos enjoyed having more space to run around (inside and out), and for Halloween we visited our old neighborhood, where we spent time with some of our best friends in the subdivision and went trick or treating together. This was my first year trick-or-treating as a Mom, and I was tired out, but glad we did it. Last year, Daddy took Bear around the 'hood while Buddy and I greeted the trick or treaters. The year before, we went to a church event in Memphis at Gramma Debbie's church, and the year before, well, Bear was only a week old so a select few got to peek at her before they took their treats from my Mom.

Bear dressed up as a fairy princess, and Buddy was disguised as a penguin, which suited him perfectly with his current gait as he learns to walk.

Some parents avoid Halloween altogether and some substitute it with a church based activity, but we've taken to participate in the fun aspects and not focus on the scary in the tradition I grew up... trick or treating in our "safe" neighborhood, with parents and friends. This year's weather in Middle TN was perfect... crisp, cool fall air, the sound of leaves crunching under our feet, and the scent of someone burning a fire in their fireplace. Hannah was so excited about being home that when we encountered a scary costume or decoration, it did not phase her. In fact, after she got over being startled by a pirate ghost at one home, she kept tapping it with her wand and laughing, and then Brandon laughed too. The man who was giving out candy just stood there waiting to finish playing with his "scary" decoration, with an understanding smile.

The funniest encounter of the evening was when I took Brandon out of his costume. He had stuffed a plate from our friends' plastic tea set inside his puffy penguin suit, and apparently it stayed there during our adventure trick-or-treating.

Bear's FOUR!!!

We had a good weekend for Bear's birthday. Caslon and Camera Guy and the sweetest little girl born since mine came to celebrate with us. Daddy came home from "school." The theme was Disney Princess. Early arriving gifts from others as well as gifts from Mommy and Daddy were wrapped in pink princess paper. Balloons abounded, and the cake was, of course, Princess themed (From Publix).

This is the first year that Hannah really anticipated her birthday. Since the arrival of her tutu a couple of weeks ago, she has been asking about when her party would be, who would be coming, etc. It was hard because so many people we love could not be with us due to distance, one friend who we hoped could come got sick, and the others came off of a CRAZY week and could not make it, either. Thankfully, when it came down to it, Bear seemed to enjoy the time we had, and it was great to just hang out and relax with family.

Now all about my girl. She's a good mix. While she is obsessed with all things princess, Barbie, fairy, and my little pony related she also like watching old she-ra videos and has such a vivid imagination. Her hair is darkening and her curls fall in looser waves than they used to. She keeps asking me when she will get freckles, and pointing to non-existent ones that she thinks are on her arm. She wants a dog, but seems to know not to push the issue too much. In the last couple of weeks she has wanted to pay for things by herself at the store, so I think it might be time to start working on an allowance and teaching her about earning. She is sweet, a great big sister, and super-sensitive. If I am talking on the phone and she hears an emotion in my voice, she asks what is wrong. She asks if I am angry,sad or frustrated when she senses it.

I cannot believe my baby is growing into such a sweet girl so quickly.

Bear speaks

Bear: "Mommy, you did good job making this yummy fruit salad."
Mommy: "Why, thank you. It wasn't very hard. I just popped open the can and there it was."

Overheard, a few minutes later: "She just popped open the can and there it was."

Watch out world! (and watch your stuff)

Buddy is walking. Almost running. And he likes to hide things. As I type this, he's trying to hide his jammie-clad self and a clean diaper which he confiscated out of his cainet behind a small wicker chest. I suspect the chest will not survive the attack, as little pieces keep cracking off. My camera is down in the car, Bear is in the bathrub, and I am trying to understand his fascination with cramming himself into tight places. He also retrieved a sock he had hidden back there. This morning I found a toy train in the top of the diaper champ, along with wipes he thought needed to be thrown away. In the past 5 minutes, I have picked him up and moved him no less than 10 times. He's behaving almost like a puppy who has found its spot to mark... but he is dressed, so I don't have to worry about cleaning up that kind of mess this time. Ok, to his play saucer he goes. If you keep up with me on facebook, you know this attempt to corral the kid won't last long. He has figured out how to climb out. He grips around the top and under the edges with his fists. Kicks his legs back and tries to shimmy his legs up through the seat. Then he either shakes the saucer til it tips over and he climbs out sideways, or manages to straddle one leg over the side and then the other without tipping it. Except right now he's tired and getting frustrated instead of remaining determined. (Yes, I do believe it's time to clean up the saucer and put it into storage.) I smile at him from across and he cries in protest. I do believe it's time to finish off that sippy cup and go to bed, son.

new words

Brandon- My friend Cheri took the kiddos down to her church's nursery tonight during their revival service so I could listen to the preacher. Brandon was characteristically fussy after being taken from his Mommy, so she took him for a walk outside. Apparently when he saw Frosty the white kitty, he tried to say "cat" but doesn't quite have the hard "c" sound. Still, she has 4 kids of her own and knows when a kid knows what he's saying. He's saying "ba" for a lot of things. "bye", "bottle (sippy cup), and "bath", to name a few. and he's beginning to use a couple of signs. Waving his hands= all done. He tried to sign "please" after I modeled it for him today. He waves bye, even though I think his palm is usually toward himself, and that can mean "Bye" to someone or "I want to go bye-bye."

Hannah- I told her Bear she was "exasperating" me tonight as I tried to get her to brush her teeth, etc.... "What does "sassassperating" mean, Mom?"

they're growing too fast

I haven't taken Brandon in for his 1 year check-up yet, and he's 13 months. He's big. And walking more every day. And climbing to the point that he scares me, but I don't want to confine him into the saucer ALL the time. However, I might have to if he does not stop being such a dare devil. I really am getting scared that he might hurt himself by climbing, and falling and cracking his skull. When he heard Daddy's voice through the phone, he said "da-da." He LOVES the phone... puts it up next to his ear and grins. He also loves talking to his Grandparents. Every once in a while I get a reminder that he's still a baby. He woke up at 10:30 last night for some milk, which was followed by snuggle time on Mommy's shoulder. I don't mind the wake-up at that time, especially since he tends to sleep in until 8 am most days now.

Hannah is growing up, too, obviously. I can't believe her 4th birthday is approaching sooo quickly. She's handing daddy's mid-week absence for training so well. We're almost 1/4 of the way done! She does ask about him, and sometimes when she misses him a lot, she tears up but won't talk to him, but she's doing well. She tries to watch out for little bro, most of the time, except when she wants to wrestle him or hug his neck. (Sometimes she forgets that she's not gentle enough.) She resumed gymnastics this week, and really seemed to like it. She loves old She-Ra videos and her all things princess (disney or Barbie) and Fairytopia. She asks about our old friends and our old house, but she also loves having a playground in walking distance as well as a swimming pool and balcony. She has taken to sleeping in Mommy's bed while Daddy is away, which would not be so bad except she hogs it. I love cuddling, but don't like feeling pushed out of my own bed. One of her favorite nightime phrases is ," Mommy, I NEED you!!!"

you can't keep a good man down

watch out, world!!!

Brandon took 8 steps last night! He's taken 1-3 steps on several occasions.

*****
I asked Hannah to clean up her potato heads. I began helping her, to reduce the whine factor. Brandon immediately followed suit, picking up the pieces and putting them into the case.

****
overheard during play-doh time: "This is a necklace because it's for wearing around your neck." (Hannah made jewelry out of her play-doh.)

he's not so little anymore..

oh, he's still my baby, and always will be mama's boy, but our one-year-old is definitely a toddler now. He's on day 2 of NO bottle, just sippy cups. He is cruising, standing for 30 seconds +, taking 1-2 steps at a time, and climbing like crazy. Onto couches, chairs, step stools, you name it. He insists on having silverware of some kind when he eats, and if something has a button, he will press it. He knows Mommy's buttons to press, too. I'm going to work on finding a pediatrician so we can get all the official stats... he is definitely a big, strong boy! :)

Happy birthday, Brandon!!!

an ordinary 1st birthday

11:04 a.m.
Birthday cake #1 is cooling. Big sis is playing baseball with the happy birthday balloon and "'1" candle, exclaiming "batter-up!" while she plays. Birthday boy loudly protests the imposed naptime from his crib, and Mommy is going to take a shower.

quotable quotes

Bear, age 3 years,10 months:

• "I don't want to take a nap. I want to stay crabby ALL day."

• Bear:"Where are the cheerios?"

Mom: "On the counter."
Bear: "Did you put them on the counter so I can't reach them?"

our troopers

Bear and her Buddy have been such troopers during the moving process. Poor bear wanted so badly to sleep in her new room tonight, but she had to sleep on the couch instead. It's interesting to try to look at things through childrens' eyes. Once he got past the sense of chaos from the unloading of the moving truck, Brandon took it upon himself to explore every square inch of our new place. Hannah mostly entertained herself, quoting her favorite videos, singing, throwing snap-bead-toys up in the air and saying, "heads up!" She also helped carry some light things up to our apartment from the car.
I've realized that we will have to teach her about safety in our new community. Not because it seems unsafe, but because an apartment community is just different with all the people in close proximity. No yards, even small ones, to separate. But on the bright side, she is looking forward to learning to swim in the pool, and we have a playground in walking distance!

who's who?

Bear: Mommy, get up, you can't stay in bed all day.
(about 7:53 a.m.)

a new 1st

Tonight was Brandon's first time obviously recognizing a voice through the telephone. Grandma T. had called and was on speaker phone, and his face LIT UP. He also babbled to her. It was SO cute. Then big sis got out of the bath tub, and they were practically fighting eachother for the phone.

There are so many firsts that you don't record, I had to jot this one down somewhere so I would not forget. It was so sweet.

On a similar note. I really think he's starting to understand and voluntarily use "yes" and "no" head nods from time to time.... I wonder how long it will be until he SAYS "no"?

time flies...

Where have 11 months gone? I did not realize how much Brandon has grown until we met our newest family member this weekend. Ella Grey is so cute, so tiny...

Hannah loved to hold her. Brandon seemed to think his new cousin is a baby doll, and quickly gained the new nickname Bam-Bam. We decided not to let him get too close to her after that.

So much has happened in the kids' lives this summer... a week in WI to visit great Gramma, a week in Memphis, packing up our house and moving in with GranWendy and Grandad until we move... location yet to be disclosed. They have been troopers. Other than a setback in sleeping habits, especially for the not-so-little-anymore boy, they seem to take every change in stride. We are so thankful to all our friends and family who have helped in this transition.

Brandon weighed in around 19.5 lbs at 9 months, and I'll guess he is around 21 lbs now (11 months). He is strong, has mastered climbing up stairs and is beginning to figure out how to lay down and scoot down them. He eats anything and everything... Great Gram even said he eats too much, and anyone who knows her knows that's not a common thing out of her mouth.

Hannah measured 38 1/2" tall a month ago at great gram's. I have no idea how much she weighs. 35 lbs, maybe? She is growing up... no longer a toddler, that's for sure. She likes writing the letter "H," but resists learning to write the rest of her name. I think it's safe to say she's been fully potty trained for 4-6 months... except for an occasional leak when she gets too busy.

The kids love to wrestle eachother, play with eachother, etc.

Brandon woke me up at 4 for a bottle, I could not sleep, but I am feeling sleepy now, so maybe it will be less than a month before my next post.

then and now:

August 28th, 2008:
July 25, 2009:
July 26th, 2009:


Welcome to the world, Cousin Ella!
Congratulations, Aunt Sara and Uncle Grant- we love our new cousin. She is "soo cute and adorable!"

he swears we don't feed him

but the stats say otherwise. Buddy weighed in at a healthy 18 lbs 12 oz at his 9 month check up.

NEvertheless, he has become quite the beggar. If we're eating something, he wants to try it. Great Gramma actually said he eats too much when we were at her house last week. He'll down some food and then a bottle, or vice versa. WE pretty much always have to stop his meal.

LEftovers found on the floor? No problem. And now we can add a new food item to his list of tastings. Purina cat food.


We'Re at tech mom's this week, and tonight J discovered the sink in the upstairs bathroom had overflowed. The bucket under the sink had some water in it, and the clock Tech Dad made that had been placed there during the recarpeting also got wet. The new carpet was wet. So while Bear watche her cartoon, Buddy was left momentarily unattended. Oops. Don't pretend it's never happened to you.

When I came backdownstairs, he was playing with catfood in the kitchen and water was splashed on the floor. And sure enough, his breath confirmed my fear.

My question is... does it taste like chicken?

photo catch up

Buddy is crawling like a pro on all fours.

simple things fascinate kids...

playing with barbie. i mean, princess alexa.

wrestling

Hannah has mastered writing the letter H. She doesn't really seem that interested in writing her name, and I have not pushed her. Brandon is curious about those markers....

Hannah took this pic of mommy and buddy. With Mommy's camera.

sporting her shorter 'do! The back is definitely less curly than the front/sides... more wavy. sigh. It's a lot easier to brush at this length, though any care does not seem to last long.

it's ben a while..

Sorry. Those close to me have kept up on Facebook, so I don't feel TOO guilty. Updates:

• the kids have a new cousin: Benjamin! Woo hoo!!!! Congrats Adam and Amy!!!
• Brandon is 9 months old. Already. Cruising the furniture, sometimes pushing his walker, pulling himself up on everything, opening cabinets and drawers he has no business getting into because he's a baby and that's what they do, he's heavy, but i haven't weighed him since his 6 month check up at 7 months, he has 4 teeth... 2 on top, 2 on bottom, i really don't feel like dragging him to the doctor unless he's sick. Do I have to bring him in for a 9 month well baby check?
• Hannah is 3 years 7 months. She and I got haircuts yesterday... both somewhat drastic, though mine is similar to past styles. Hers is chin-length, probably 6-8 inches were cut off the back. She informed the beauticians that she did not need a face wax and Brandon did not need a haircut. And she ordered me to go first. That actually worked out well, because Brandon lost patience as our stylist finished my hair, so Hannah fed him puffs to appease him until I could give him his bottle. She is such a great helper!!! She's also adjusting pretty well to mommy's new-found efforts to keep the house presentable. She even thanked me for cleaning our house when she returned from two days with Aunt Becca, Uncle Brett, and Cousin Juliana last week! Ha!
  

balance beam- no problem!

My friend Amanda e-mailed this photo that she took of Bear at gymnastics this morning. I also took a couple, which I will upload later. Her expression cracks me up- she looks bored.

standing!

Buddy has been trying to pull himself up on furniture for at least the past week. I set him down to play in the living room yesterday morning, and a couple of minutes later, I returned to find this:
It wasn't a fluke, either. I found him standing in his crib after naptime. Daddy lowered the mattress to the bottom setting before bedtime. Yes, our boy has mastered standing on his own two feet... with support from objects.

Big sis made sure Buddy had plenty of bath toys

2 teeth!

watch out, world, here comes our little man!

He's mastered the army crawl... He slides on his belly, gets wherever he needs to go... I can't wait til he figures out that he'll go faster with he tummy off the ground. Ok, yes I can....

God bless the older gentleman at Costco...

he's the first person in a LONG time who has asked me if Bear's curls are natural. This was as she handed him my receipt for verification and then returned it to me. He was charmed like a soldier watching Shirley Temple in one of her movies.

I'm beginning to think of Costco as a necessary evil. There are certain things that ARE worth buying there, especially with coupons. But the cost per package is usually high enough that it's $100+ a visit (way + today)..... and that always give Daddy receipt shock. On the bright side, we won't run ot of wipes or diapers anytime soon (I don't normally buy them there, but they had a $9 off coupon that made it worth it.)

almost...

he's almost crawling! he kicks his little legs and waves his little arms, pushes himself up on those cute little arms and kicks those cute legs some more, shaking his little tush and grunting his quiet little baby boy grunt... then he decides to roll over and reach for the trash can instead of the toy he had been aiming for.... oh, wait... now he's doing the running man crawl (in place) and squeaking trying to get to the power cords. time to intervene...

stylin'

Our little girl has her own unique sense of style. Sometimes, she is girly; other times, not so much. She's a good mix. Well, her hair has been increasingly difficult to brush, so today I decided to take her to the local less expensive salon for a cut. It turned out to be another trim, and she seemed a little nervous having a man cut her hair while the lady who cut it last time helped another customer. Plus, it was busy, unlike her first haircut, when we had the place all to ourself.

while we were gone, a neighbor dropped off this cute gift for her


and earlier in the day:

My friend Kirsten and I slinging our baby boys!
She and her family just adopted her sweet boy from Ethiopia. He has the sweetest smile and cutest curls! And a very proud big brother, too!
Someday Buddy will hate that I put pink bunny ears on him. But sis didn't want them at the moment, and Daddy certainly would not wear them!

sis decided to wear her ears after all. and the rainboots came in handy in the wet backyard where the egg hunt took place.

spring comes in like a lion..

has a whole new meaning in this house.

This post contains a bit TMI, so if you are easily grossed out or offended, stop here and come back later....

Whether it's the formula feeding or some genetic cause, my babies are not typically "loose."
Well, after a bottle and some jarred apricots/apples/pear mix, that changed quite quickly. Buddy was playing on a blanket, and as I approached him, I could smell something... very quickly, I was glad I had not taken up that blanket off the floor....

"oh, no, mommy... it's a disaster!!!!" big sis exclaimed,
along with, "Eeww, Buddy stinks. That is SOOO gross!" She is such a girl!

actually, in spite of the fact that we were getting ready to go to an easter egg hunt, we actually had plenty of time built in. so "disaster" was a bit melodramatic. Nasty mess, yes, disaster, no.

"what's the big deal, dad?"

Hubby took care of the bathing duties while I tackled the laundry.... I was soo tempted to just trash the outfit, but it's only the 2nd or 3rd time it was worn, and I couldn't throw out his cute overalls. So into the prewash cycle they went, shortly followed by all the other items that needed some TLC...

The house didn't even stink when we returned from the egg hunt and Costco.

check-up/sick visit

Buddy's 6 month check-up and shots were at 7 months. He's 16 1/2 lbs, 27 inches long, and Doc said he's developmentally about 6-8 weeks ahead of the minimum goals for kids his age. He's rolling over, lifting his neck up high, and scooting around and rolling really well. He grabs onto and chews anything and everything within reach, but doesn't quite have the pincer grasp mastered yet. He thinks he can eat our food, to the point that he begged for beans and rice at the Mexican restaurant until I fed him some the other night. He inhaled them. He "talks" in his own little language, and I swear he knows how to cry my name. He LOVES his big sister, and doesn't seem to mind her invasions of personal space.

Bear has been fighting the crud on and off all month, and earlier this week she complained of an earache. We had her checked, and sure enough, she has a mild ear infection. Her first in a long time... like 2 years +. She hated seeing her brother hurt as he was given her shots, and was such a brave girl when they drew her blood that we split a flurry at McDonalds after the appointment. She weighs 33 pounds, I forgot to ask them to check her height, and since it was a sick check, that's not standard protocol at our office. But she's growing... somewhere between 3t and 4th pants and shirts, but 4t and 5t shorts. She loves all things princess, and her current favorite movie is Barbie and the Diamond Castle... we have it from netflix, and she won't let me send it back.

mommy's boys

I took this tonight. Buddy fell asleep on Daddy. When the camera flashed, he smiled.

Catey's spring break

"Cousin" Catey came over for a couple of days this week. We had lots of fun with her!

Hannah's 1st egg-coloring experience

Hannah was having a rough time; this is the only one where she was almost smiling.

The beads kept sliding under the metal frame for Catey's suncatcher...
it took us 4 tries to get it right...

Silly Hannah with her butterfly on her foot, and Catey's hard-earned suncatcher.
Sweet snuggles

Buddy's first word?

The past couple of days, I swear our little guy has been screaming for me when he wants something. "Mamamamama" is a recurring sound coming out of his mouth. It's usually only used when he's angry. But our friend Catey was here, and she exclaimed, "he's calling you!" I figure that if someone who is not normally around him recognizes it, than it MUST be his first word.

handedness?

I wonder when kids' handedness really starts being noticeable? While taking his bath, Buddy splashed almost entirely with his left hand.

Today, Bear tried to "bowl" on the Wii with her left hand. She had fruit snacks in her right. (Shows where her priorities are.)

pics... week of 3/16/09

she still looks so small from this angle...

practicing on her "balance beam" at home;
it would hurt a lot more if she fell here than at the gym!

evening chat outside- happy st patty's day

"look, mom, the frisbee is kinda like a necklace!"

pretty hyacinths & my pretty girl

the bib says, "grandma never says no!"