Happy New Year!

For my New Years resolution.... I promise to not procrastinate any further and finish this post before midnight!

It has been a busy last two months of 2010 in the Robenalt household (apparently too busy for me to blog!) I made my Black Friday journey to NYC and watched the Bengals lose yet again to the Jets. Beth and I enjoyed shopping, seeing Promises, Promises, and eating huge calorie-filled cupcakes. While I was away, John took the boys to Cleveland, stopping in Columbus on the way back to see the Ohio State Michigan game. John played in a broomball tournament in Indy and we took the kids to breakfast with Santa. It was all capped off with a trip to Houston and a visit from Uncle Rory, leaving us to enjoy a quiet New Years Eve at home with some wine and our now traditional meal of lasagna and brownies.

Early in November, Liam and Charlie starting having breakthroughs on the eating front. Charlie decided that he did in fact like turkey-- at least the Boars Head Maple Glazed Honey Turkey that John likes so much. He also started sharing some apple slices with us-- although he declined the caramel dip that is my favorite accompaniment. This adventurousness with apples may have stemmed from a preschool exercise in which they tasted different types of apples and picked their favorites. Liam had at least one day where he ate some mac-n-cheese (although he outright refused it last night), and started to eat bananas when fed to him in small chunks from a fork. He's now an avid fan of graham crackers and drinking easily from a sippy cup.

We had some streaks of unseasonably warm weather in November, followed by a sudden bitter cold in December. Charlie requested Christmas lights this year, and we barely got one small bush covered before snow hit and lingered until just the past couple of days, when the unusually warm weather returned in time for New Years Eve. Charlie and I took Lucy for a walk today without even wearing coats! The week of Thanksgiving we had our new windows and front door installed, and we're anxious to see what that does for our winter heating bills.

Liam has been starting to mimic certain sounds from time to time. He has tried to repeat after me by saying "meow" and "bonk" and shaking his head to "no." Shortly after Thanksgiving, he started to get up from the floor to standing without holding on to anything. By the 15th he took his first two real steps toward John. On the Sunday before Christmas, while John was at the Bengals/Browns game, he really started walking around, several steps at a time. The trip to Houston completed his "training," as he spent hours trying to follow his brother and cousins around the house. He's a full on walker now. He's also popped through more teeth, although there are still a few gaps, which gives him a cute toothy smile.

Charlie has continued to entertain us with nightly re-enactments of Toy Story 3 in the family room. It is not uncommon to see him rolling around in a pile of stuffed animals, crying out "we're in the trash!" He was thrilled when I found an old barrel of monkeys in the basement. For Christmas, he asked Santa only for a Jessie and a Bullseye big enough for Woody and Jessie to ride on. He got both. Not only was this movie his first full length film seen in a theater, but it's the first he's really quoted specific lines from regularly.

Charlie started soccer classes last month and he is really enjoying them. I'm pleased with the exercises they run, and he seems to get a lot out of it. One Saturday after soccer I took him to Starbucks and treated him to a kid's hot chocolate. I now have a convert to the chocolate milk/hot chocolate fan club.

Charlie now wears big boy underwear all day every day, and only wears a pull-up at night "just in case." We're probably ready to try some nights without that extra security, but I'm nervous he'll have an accident and it will upset him more than me. We took the extra precaution of a pull-up for the plane ride to and from Houston also just in case.

Lucy will now be spending days in her crate while we're at work. Over the past couple of months, she started to carry around stuffed animals while we were away, leaving them in odd places in the house. Once in a while, she would tear a nose off a bear, or chew on a play hat. For a short time, a new plastic bone kept her chewing activities focused and the destruction of toys stopped. Then a piece of pizza disappeared off the counter, and a box of pasta was pulled out of a grocery bag and broken into. Gone are the days of her lounging on our bed while we're gone. The good news is that the reintroduction of the crate has gone quite smoothly, and she's falling into the old routine.

Perhaps my favorite story of the past two months, however, is what Charlie had to say after school on the day when the father of one of his classmates had come in to talk about Hanukkah traditions and Charlie was fascinated by the menorah. He wanted to know "Can we get one of those Hanukkah things, with the fire and stuff?"

Here's hoping you had a wonderful holiday season, no matter what traditions you observe, and that 2011 brings you peace, love, and joy.

Forty? Really???

Let me start this post by saying that I don't particularly like being the center of attention. And my good friends will also tell you that I don't like surprises. As a result, I requested a small dinner party for my birthday, complete with good food and good wine, and of course, chocolate for dessert.

Phase 1 of my big birthday celebration was held this past Saturday. While I don't like a fuss being made over me, I admit that it was fun to hear people guess the answers to trivia questions such as "What was Michelle's first car?" and "How many first cousins does Michelle have?" The food was, of course, delicious- the Bohl's always make a great meal. The decorations and favors, a production by Cincinnati Sophisticate (AKA Stephanie and Beth), were beautiful. And the company made for good fun conversation. Thanks go to Connie for watching the kids so we could stay out late.

After dinner, we retired to the Mariemont Inn, walking distance from dinner so we didn't have to drive. Beth went back to our place to stay with the kids so we could sleep uninterrupted and wake to have breakfast at our own pace. We enjoyed a child-free night on a Tempurpedic bed, and now we both want to buy one. John was particularly impressed with the tv hidden behind artwork, although the fireplace was fake. But by the end of breakfast I was missing the kids. We returned home and I spent Sunday doing absolutely nothing productive.

Last night when Charlie got home he could not wait to show me my birthday present, only the second gift he actually picked out all by himself (the first being the alligator for Liam's birthday last week). He's getting so big! I can't wait to display my new stuffed snowman for the holidays. I have a feeling that Charlie will be helping me use the stickers that he picked out to go with the snowman.

Phase 2 of Operation Big 4-0 started off this morning with all 5 of us in our bed, Charlie and John singing me Happy Birthday. After John left to drop the kids at daycare and go to work, I got to find out what it was like to be one of those people who sit in Starbucks, sipping their beverage, reading the paper or working on their laptop, while people like me rush in and out, stopping only to grab their chai tea latte on their way to a busy day at work or school. Unfortunately the time passed so quickly that by the time I got done perusing the birthday wishes on Facebook via my blackberry, there was no time to write the thank you notes that I had brought with me to work on, because I had to get to my massage and pedicure appointments. Taking today off was one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. Maybe this will become a new tradition for me.

This past decade definitely seemed to go by more quickly than the one prior. A decade ago, John and I just began dating, and now we've been married for 8 wonderful years and have 2 adorable kids. We've traveled together, bought a house, got a dog, struggled with the challenges of starting a family, drank a lot of wine, held annual Memorial Day weekend cookouts to kick off the summers, prepared countless pots of chili for Buckeye football games and Superbowls, played a lot of broomball, took tens of thousands of photos, said goodbye to loved ones, and made a lot of great new friends. For all of this I am thankful. Now on to the next decade, watching the kids grow up, and hopefully continuing some of the same activities that inspired us these past 10 years.

In 2 weeks I'll be packing for Phase 3 of the birthday hoopla. Beth and I will be continuing the new combined tradition of Black Friday shopping and football, this time in NYC. John thinks we're crazy, and maybe we are. Let's just hope the Bengals figure out how to win by then for my first live NFL game.

A nice friend reminded me that I spend a lot of my time focusing on taking care of others' needs, so I might just not load those clothes in the washer today, after all. Maybe I should abide by the answer in the party game trivia quiz about me and spend my precious moments alone in the house by catching up on the DVR and napping! Then again, as with shopping for Christmas gift wrap at the Container Store after my pedicure today, I just can't help myself! To the laundry I go.....

Cruisin' right along

Well, here we are, and another month has nearly passed us by. So much to report!

Charlie is learning his letters and numbers, even if he won't respond on cue when you ask him what one is. He and I participated in Cincinnati Walks, for Children's Hospital, and he recited the numbers on his walker bib, even remembering them several hours later. He sometimes starts reading out letters on a box or bag just at random.



Liam had his 1 year checkup last Friday. He measured 21 lbs, 14 oz (40th%) and 31 inches tall (85th%). His head remains Robenalt-sized at 19 inches (90th%). By this age, Charlie had started to drop in the height percentiles, so again we see they are very different kids. Liam is getting 3 new teeth on top, so he's finally starting to seem more comfortable with a variety of foods.

My parents came to visit for Liam's birthday party and to share Halloween with us. I finally broke down just before they got here and turned on the heat, which I'm sure they appreciated. While they were here, they helped me take both the kids shopping for new shoes. Charlie was just a half size too small for the Darth Vader shoes that John wanted me to buy (they looked pretty cool, I must say), and Liam's choices were limited in his size for a transition shoe (suitable for a child not quite walking on his own). But we found some good shoes and had a fun time shopping.



Liam's birthday party was a small affair. I experimented with making a honey ginger lemonade as a substitute for the standard party punch, and it tasted great, despite a near disastrous accident on the stove. Charlie went with Grandma and Grandpa to pick out a balloon for Liam and came back with Curious George. Charlie helped Liam open many nice gifts, but of course Liam was most interested in the tissue paper.

Halloween was cool and crisp and the weekend's weather was very pleasant overall. Grandma and I took the kids pretty far down the street in the wagon before heading back home to warm up. Liam looked adorable as a lion, and Charlie made a great Spiderman. Before Trick-or-Treating began, Charlie and Grandpa made a jack-o-lantern, which Charlie was curious to see with "fire inside" it. We all warmed up before and after the events outside with bowls of homemade minestrone soup that we had going in the crock pot all day.



The holiday of Reese Cups has afforded us (finally!) the chance to make sure that Charlie does not have a peanut allergy. After months of trying to get him to try a peanut butter cookie here or there, he finally shared some of John's candy. Not only is he apparently not allergic, but he loves the Reese Cups and Reese Pieces (which he calls M&Ms without the Ms). It's such a relief to not have to worry about that anymore.

Liam is (still) not sleeping nearly as well as Charlie at this age. Now that we're weaning him off the formula, he's also not interested in a bottle before bed most nights. No more rocking him to sleep with a full tummy. We've recently been through a series of nights where we've had to let him cry himself to sleep for 25 minutes, then 15, then 5-- finally we're at less than a minute. He still ends up in our bed before morning quite often, so I'm not sure I'm ready to declare victory yet. Needless to say, we're looking forward to the extra hour of sleep we'll get on Saturday when the time changes back.

Liam has been doing great in swimming classes. Just one more to go before the season is over. I managed to get Charlie enrolled in the Saturday morning soccer class that we'd been trying for last term, so that will start the week after. As soon as we knew he made the class, we went out and bought him the correct sized soccer ball and some shin guards for his tiny legs. He's already excited and talking about it.

It was a momentous day in our household on Wednesday when I stopped to buy the new Toy Story 3 movie on my way home. Upon seeing the case when he came home, Charlie said in his most excited voice, "Now we don't have to go somewhere to watch this, we can watch it at home!" Seeing the movie in the theater must have made a big impression on him. I still haven't been able to sit and watch it all the way through, but I'm sure I'll have caught most of it in bits and pieces by the time a week has passed.

Charlie's potty training goes well- and then not so well. John attempted the great underpant experiment one morning this week, letting Charlie go to pre-school in big boy underwear. The underwear did not make it home. We'll keep at it, and maybe I'll have exciting news to report soon!

Was that my exit?

The other night, after working a long 11+ hour day, I was headed to the grocery on the way home, and I drove right past the exit. I could blame it on the fact that I was daydreaming about the colors of some of the leaves that had just started to turn, and that I was admiring the way the last light of day was hitting them just so, but really I was just tired and distracted. It only frustrated me more that I had done this, when I realized that every extra minute in my journey potentially cost me getting home in time to see the kids before they went to bed.

Just as that day seemed to speed to a close before I was ready for it, so does the last month before Liam turns one year old. I've been neglectful of writing here, but not for lack of things to write. Like so many other things these days, it just seems difficult to make the time.

Since I wrote last, our lives have been busy, filled with kid-focused activities, as well as milestones in our own lives. Entertaining Lucy played in public as a 5-piece band for the first times over Labor Day weekend and then later that week. The whole family video chatted with Grandpa for his 70th birthday. We celebrated our anniversary by visiting the Museum Center (site of our nuptials) and attending the wedding of another "broomball couple," which required finding a new babysitter for the occasion. Charlie enjoyed riding more of the rides at P&G Dividend Day at Kings Island this year, since he has now surpassed the 36 inch mark (just barely!). Liam acquired a third tooth (off to the side on top) and had a nasty double ear infection that kept him from sleeping well for about a week. His formula was recalled and we went through a series of brief dietary changes (including starting to move him to whole milk and then retreating from that) before locating some non-recalled versions of the same brand to get him back on track. John upgraded his suit collection so that he could attend the ceremony where his work team was awarded the GBS Excellence Award for Building the Business.



While many of our friends were having fun with "back to school" activities, we had our own version of that season. Just after Labor Day, Liam started music classes one day per week at daycare and he loves them! That same week, Charlie started Tumblebees classes at the same gym where we held his birthday party. The first week went great, and after a minor hesitation and moment of shyness when he first met his teachers, he jumped right in and had a great time. He listened to instructions, and followed along, waiting his turn for each activity. The second week was rough, with a lot of fussing, and John had to go out in the gym with him to keep him calmed down. I took him back for the third week, and he screamed when it was time to go in, and said he didn't want to go. So we left right away and I got our money refunded. I used the credit on our account to enroll Liam in swimming lessons for the rest of the term. He is doing great, and seems to be a natural. Charlie has not mentioned tumbling since.

Meanwhile, at preschool, Charlie has made a great friend in Larry, who he had a blast with at Kings Island. His friend Odin from the toddler room just moved up to his room as well. He is saying goodbye to Katinka soon, when she moves "way over the ocean" to Geneva. We had a sad goodbye last week when Charlie had to say goodbye to Miss Shernaaz, one of his teachers, who moved to Chicago. He has really been enjoying playing doctor in the dramatic play area, and learned a great deal about dinosaurs last month while they studied them in depth. They made paper mache dinosaur eggs and later hatched them, went on digs in the sandbox for dinosaur bones, and learned how to tell what a dinosaur ate by the shape of his teeth and the length of his neck. Charlie still takes Spanish twice a week at school, but he misses his Stretch and Grow class which is on hold for the season.



Charlie's not the only one learning and growing like crazy. Liam pulled up to standing for the first time last Wednesday. He's already cruising around while holding on to the couch, or Charlie's table, or sometimes our hands. We had him back at the doctor today and it seems his ear infection is back. Hopefully this stronger antibiotic will kick it for good and we'll finally get some sleep.



Lucy, meanwhile, descends into puppy-hood, as she strives to maintain our attention. She is escaping the fence in the backyard more frequently, and has started to steal food from the counters or tables whenever we leave the house. I'm really hoping this is just a phase. The food is one thing, but she has also started to destroy some of Charlie's toys here and there-- luckily I've been able to shield him from it and it's been nothing important so far.

The whole family is looking forward to Halloween, always one of my favorite holidays. After looking through catalogs of costumes, Charlie went through a succession of what he wanted to be, which extended beyond Halloween and into "when I get big." Among the choices were a fireman, Batman, and a train. (I'm not sure how he thinks he will become a train when he grows up?) We have settled on Spiderman for a Halloween costume, and Liam will be a lion.

This time of year also brings the start of the fall broomball season, and this season John and I decided to play on a blender league team together for a few weeks. Charlie had a lot of fun watching us play on the big ice with Grandma watching over him and Liam. Beth also took Charlie to the last Reds game of the regular season. We had not taken him to a game since he was little and could easily sit in our laps without fidgeting. We've been watching some games on TV, and saw Gapper and Mr Redlegs at our local Skyline recently. And Great Grandma got him a t-ball set for the backyard for his birthday. So he was all geared up for the game. It was chilly, but we bundled him up, packed him a bag with some Teddy Grahams and a juice box, and he had a great time. When the Reds hit a homerun, and they set off fireworks, Charlie cheered and got excited. He told Beth that he wasn't scared of baseball fireworks. John got to see some Reds fireworks the week before that, when he attended the game where they clinched the division championship. Unfortunately, I saw no fireworks last night when I attended game 3 of the divisional series, and the Reds were eliminated from the playoffs after a disappointing error-filled run. Still even this Cardinals fan could appreciate the excitement in this city that hadn't seen a postseason MLB game for 15 years.

I will close with a promise (as always) to write more often, and not let so much time pass without sharing our life's ups and downs with our loyal blog readers. But as we head into the season of birthday parties, festive holidays, and outdoor celebrations, I know that this is a promise I'm only somewhat likely to keep. Perhaps I can keep my eyes on the road, though, and not miss my exit next time.

Off and crawling

August has been a busy month. We made some trips to the neighborhood pool, where Charlie easily made friends with whatever kids happened to be there. We went to the zoo on one really hot day-- for the Chin Baby Reunion. Charlie made a safari hat, and Liam got to see a snake close up. Charlie stayed clear of the snake, as his month has been peppered with bad dreams about snakes. Beth stayed with the boys last weekend while John and I went to California for a wedding. While we were gone, they visited the aquarium, ate at Skyline for dinner, and went to the pool. We are extremely grateful for Beth's willingness to take on this task, because we don't often get even a few hours away from the kids together, much less a few days.

Both kids were a little clingy to Mommy for a couple of days after we returned. But we all survived the separation.

Liam continues to grow bigger every day. He's into size 4 diapers now, and wearing 12-18 month clothes. He still has only 2 teeth, but he's starting to enjoy some soft finger foods like Kix and Gerber puffs. He babbles a lot now, and kind of says "mah mah." He's not been sleeping all the way through the night, but usually only wakes once about 3 or 4 AM to have a bottle and then goes back to sleep for a couple of hours.


Charlie has been making progress with the potty training. We're not all the way there yet, but hope to be turning another corner soon. I sure will be glad to stop buying diapers for two kids! Charlie has been trying to learn some of his letters, and surprises me sometimes with the numbers or letters he doesn't willingly admit to knowing, but which he clearly does. He likes to talk about how he is "a really good _____" or "a really fast _____"-- fill in the blank with runner, eater, climber, walker, drawer, etc. Today he almost changed one of Liam's diapers all by himself. He really is a good helper for Mommy and Daddy.

Liam finally took his first crawling "steps" today. Even without actually crawling, it was amazing how quickly he could move around the family room, especially when wires and cords were within sight. It's time again to pull out the big heavy boxes to block the entertainment center from little hands!

Yesterday we spent the day in Oxford for Broomfest. John and I played on different teams, and neither made it past the first bracket round after the preliminary round robin. We were tired after 3 games each, and the kids were ready to go home then, so it was just as well. We were happy that cousin Morgan, a freshman there at Miami, got to stop by and visit for a while. She and Charlie had a lot of fun playing and he showed her what a fast runner he was as they circled the lobby again and again.

The band, now with five members, is finally ready for their first event over Labor Day weekend. I don't know yet whether I'll try to head down there with the boys, since I'd want to head home before the fireworks start anyway. Maybe I can get Charlie to watch them on TV with me.

I can't believe it's almost September-- time to finalize plans for Liam's first birthday. It will be here before we know it. In the meantime, the boys say "Who Dey!"

Growing up fast

We've had more milestones this past week. We told the teachers at Charlie's daycare that we wanted him to work on going to the potty, and he went 5 times on the first day! Charlie also had his second visit to the dentist last week, the first time for a cleaning. He did great. Charlie has been developing a "sense of humor." He asks me things like "is this Dad's car?" while pointing at my car. Then he says "just kidding!"

Liam is still not rolling over on his own, but just in the past couple of days he has started to reach out from a sitting position nearly into a crawl position. And he no longer cries immediately when he's stretched out on his belly. He's been really interested in reaching for Lucy's feet when she's nearby-- it might just be the motivation he needs to crawl. (until he gets scratched by her claws!) We have been putting "finger food" in front of Liam on his highchair tray for about two weeks now, but he still is not very interested in putting it in his mouth. He does like to play with it, though.

Liam had his 9 month visit to the pediatrician on Friday-- he measured 21 pounds (70th%), and was 28.5 inches long (70th%). His head was, of course, in the 80th% at 18.25 inches. He still only has two teeth, and everything else checked out fine. The doctor encouraged us to get him in to see Charlie's dermatologist about the rash on his face, and so we did that this morning. We were able to get an appointment sooner once she knew the situation. She gave us a prescription for his eczema, and suggested we use the same special sunscreen we use for Charlie on his face daily. She also followed up with the rheumatologist to see if he wanted to see them both, and he does.

Meanwhile, Liam is now going on a week of being home from daycare, due to a bug that has been going around his room. He finally cleared up the diarrhea symptoms today, and then came down with a new rash all over his back and belly, so he'll be home again tomorrow. Between his face, the eczema, and now this, he's one spotted baby!

it's all about context

Last week I was watching the kids while John had band practice. I would give Charlie an instruction, such as "finish your hot dog" or "wipe your face." Each time he would say "Yes sir!" and give me a sort of weak salute. He had never exhibited this behavior before, so in an effort to figure out where he had learned that phrase and the gesture, I asked him "Who says that?" Charlie simply said "the green men." Luckily, I remembered that he's been on a Toy Story kick recently, and it all came together.

Liam had his first parent conference at daycare last week. He got good marks for being a good eater. It was no surprise that he failed tummy time. It's becoming obvious to us that he will learn to crawl about the same time he starts to walk. He's getting really good at scooting on his bottom while never leaving a seated position. It's like he's bopping along to a tune that only he can hear. He's also showing signs of being able to hold his own bottle, but he's not quite determined enough to do it for more than a few sips. He seems perfectly content letting you hold the bottle for him.

We had a nice overnight visit to Cleveland two weekends ago. We saw a lot of Robenalts at Morgan's graduation party, and Charlie got to ride on Uncle Tom's new boat. It was a short ride, but memorable. Of course, Charlie would tell you that he was really sad that he didn't get to drive the boat, because he wanted to drive.

Last weekend we enjoyed being home at last after a series of trips away. Liam had his first haircut, and we made a trip to the pool. Charlie had fun running with me in the rain when we went out to fetch breakfast from Panera. We've had lots of thunderstorms and showers popping up, it's been so HOT this summer. But it hasn't been enough rain to keep the front yard from going brown. Last year I kept to a regimen of watering the front, and it turned out to be a pretty wet summer with the grass was growing long past August. This year I didn't even try to keep up, given all of our travel schedule, and wouldn't you know it, it's on the normal pace to brown up in the next few weeks.

Liam was sent home this past Monday with a strange rash on his back and part of his stomach. I had given him baby food with corn in it for the first time on Saturday, and the rash appeared sometime by Sunday. He had the food again on Monday and it was about the time the rash was spotted at daycare. I feared a food allergy or reaction of some sort. The pediatrician didn't think it was anything to be concerned about, but did order blood tests to check for allergies.

While John took Liam to get his blood test that evening, Charlie and I went to the UPS depot to ship a birthday package to the Brewoods. I also had a small envelope to return to Amazon. Charlie proudly carried the envelope for me, and put it up on the counter. While I paid for the box to be shipped, Charlie took interest in the process. I noticed he was watching anxiously as the box went down the conveyor and through a little doorway back into the warehouse. So I explained to him that the box was going to be put on a big truck that would take it all the way to Kansas.

I told Charlie we should go back outside and look at the trucks. I pointed out the big trucks like the one that would take the box to Kansas. And then we looked at some of the dark brown local delivery trucks. I explained that one of those trucks would take the box to Nathan and Briana's house, and that the driver would knock on the door and tell them that they had a package. Some drivers walked by just then, and one of them waved to Charlie. Charlie wanted to wait and see our box be put on the truck, so I had to explain that the truck going to Kansas might not leave for a while. On the way home, I told Charlie that it would take three days for our box to get to Kansas.

About the time that the birthday gifts reached the Brewood house, we learned that Liam's blood tests came back negative. No allergy to corn (or wheat, soy, milk, or even peanuts, amongst other things). What a relief! Given his eczema and seemingly sensitive skin, it's possible that the rash was just a reaction to some stain remover I had used on his clothes. Now if we could just figure out what is causing the rash on his face-- just like Charlie has had. In fact, when we went in to the pediatrician last week, everyone assumed that the rash we were there for was the one on Liam's cheeks. We're due to take him in to Charlie's dermatologist, but not until October. Unfortunately he counts as a new patient, but luckily there was a cancellation and we don't have to wait quite as long to get him in to see her as we did with Charlie.

It's time to watch the Cards play the Cubs on ESPN. For the first time since I've lived in Cincinnati (now 18 years), the Reds and the Cards are both in contention. I've always been able to pull for the Reds, except when they played against the Cards. But now I have mixed feelings, when the two teams have been trading back and forth between first and second place in the NL Central. I guess I'll just have to think positively-- it's looking very likely that I'll have a team to cheer for in the playoffs no matter what happens!

More Summer Family Fun

We had a great 4th of July weekend in the small town of New Harmony, Indiana, where we attended the Toska family reunion (hopefully the first of many!)



It was nice to get together with some folks we hadn't seen in a few years, meet new family members, and just relax for a few days. Charlie had a great time with his second cousin Patrick, who is about 6 months older. They really hit it off. Liam and Grace, both about 8 months old, seemed to get along alright as well!

Despite a dozen or so bug bites per person, and the extreme summer heat and humidity, we enjoyed the town as well. I didn't really get to explore the small shops at all, but Charlie and I walked one of the labyrinths on a hot hot day. It was surprisingly relaxing. The 4th of July golf cart parade was awaited with much anticipation. And a good portion of our group enjoyed the fireworks.


Tomorrow we head off to Cleveland to visit with the Robenalt side of the family, and to celebrate Morgan's high school graduation. Charlie is excited to visit with everyone up there, although he did ask me yesterday about the time we went there and Mommy and Daddy weren't there. He clearly has not forgotten that we left him there for 5 days last summer while we went on our adult-only vacation!

Parenting Tip #37

We had a wonderful trip to Iowa to visit with Charlie and Liam's Great Grandma Knepper. While we were there, Liam's Aunt Christine discovered that he had broken through two front teeth on the bottom. They were just peeking through, but now they're quite visible. No sign of teeth up top yet.

In addition to a nice visit with family, John got to take some great photos of a fire training exercise that was going on in Perry. We spotted some flames a couple of blocks away from the playground where the kids were playing, and he and Todd went to investigate.

Last weekend John completed the Warrior Dash in Illinois with a group of friends. While he was off running, jumping, and climbing around through the mud, I went to St. Louis with the boys to meet up for a weekend of fun with the Brewoods. Dad flew up from Houston on Thursday to accompany me on the trip, so we had a nice homemade steak dinner that night to celebrate Fathers Day for him and John in advance.

Which brings us to Parenting Tip #37. Watch what you do in front of your children-- they might try to mimic you. On the drive home, I asked Charlie what he was doing in the backseat. He said "I'm doing like Daddy does." I shrugged, and kept on driving. When we stopped to eat, I went to get him out of the car, and found that he had torn up a tissue into small bits and shoved most of them up his nose, both sides. I was able to pull all but one piece out-- I could see it, but could not reach it. Apparently, Charlie had observed John trying to stop a nosebleed with tissues in his nose, and decided that would be a good way to clean out his nose, which apparently had "boogers."

A trip to the doctor on Monday morning was required to extract the last piece of tissue, and Charlie was very brave during the procedure. We also got Liam some antibiotics for his developing ear infection while we were there (he'd had a cough and congestion for just over a week). So it was a productive visit.

This weekend we're enjoying time at home, before our next two weekend trips away. John and Charlie went to see Toy Story 3 (in 3D!) this afternoon. It was Charlie's first feature film in a theater, and he did great. I broke down and trimmed a bit of Liam's hair (just the section that was hanging down over his ears) because he was looking a bit scruffy. It will only be a few weeks before we'll probably be having to get his first professional haircut-- it's creeping down toward his eyes in front.

Charlie has a new carseat in my car now. Liam is nearly too heavy for the infant seat, and I wanted to hand down Charlie's seats and get him new booster seats, now that he's 3 years old and over 30 pounds. While he could stay in his old seats for quite a while, I wanted to try and avoid buying a second set of expensive seats for Liam. But unfortunately the booster seats all seem to require a minimum height of 38 inches, and Charlie is just under 36. So I got a combination seat to try-- still with the harness, but will convert to the booster when he grows a bit. He's excited because it's easier for him to climb into himself, and it has a cupholder, which his old seat didn't.

We hope to take the kids to the pool tomorrow. We'll see if Charlie's swim lessons continue to pay off. So far it seems like they have-- he had a great time swimming around in a noodle while we were in St. Louis.

Kicking off our Tour of the Midwest

Tomorrow we kick off our 5 week tour of the Midwest, as we head for the airport and fly to Iowa to visit the kids' Great Grandma Knepper. It's a mini-reunion of sorts-- all six of her great grandkids will be there on Saturday for a small gathering. Next weekend, while John is at the Warrior Dash in Illinois, I will drive with the kids and my dad to St. Louis, where we'll spend the weekend visiting with my sister Christine and her family, who will have driven in from Kansas. After a weekend at home, we'll head on 4th of July weekend to Indiana, for a family reunion on John's side (his mother's family). The following weekend we plan to head to Cleveland to visit some Robenalts and celebrate high school graduations for two of John's cousins.

While the month ahead has excitement on the road, the month just past was full of activities at home. Charlie has settled into Preschool, and seems to have built some favorite activities already. John likes to say that he picks the math and science stations when he drops off in the morning, but for me, he seems to head for the sensory table or the block area most of the time when he doesn't head straight for snacks. His favorite thing to build with the blocks is either a house for the animals or a fire station. He's been really diligent about cleaning up after himself, and has learned the various routines of the room. Yesterday was their first water play day for the summer, and he had a great time. He has started taking Spanish two days a week at the daycare, and continues his Stretch and Grow class once a week.

At home, we converted Charlie's bed back to the smaller toddler size, because he did not seem to like it "big." He kept wanting to sleep on the floor. When we made the change, we also put the new Star Wars sheets on the bed, and now he's excited by them. Now that Charlie is 3, we tried to get him to taste some peanut butter cookies so we can eliminate thoughts of a peanut allergy, but he refused to try them-- he was completely non-interested. As part two of my Mothers Day gift (the first was our trip to the zoo), John bought me some new planters for the front porch, and Charlie went with me to pick out some flowers to put in them. He used his new gardening tools (birthday gift) to help me dig in the dirt and plant the flowers. He enjoys going out with me about once a week to water them-- he wants to make sure they don't "died."

The second half of May included several birthday parties, our own annual grill out, the Civil Rights game (Cards vs. Reds), and a playdate with one of Charlie's toddler room friends. Charlie finished up his Saturday morning swimming lessons just this past Saturday. I got a chance to head out with the girls to see SATC2, and to the butterfly show for a photography night. Work has continued to be hectic for both John and me. Somewhere in the midst of all this craziness, Charlie said to me one day, "When you get little like a boy, you can play on the monkey bars, and I will go to work." I told him that sounded good to me!

While Charlie keeps us entertained with his new vocabulary and grasp of new concepts, Liam quietly grows like a weed. He still hates tummy time, and I don't know when he'll ever get around to really rolling over easily and eventually crawling, but he's sitting up well and sleeping really well at night. Still no teeth in sight, but we've been working through various new fruits and vegetables and different cereals. His hair still stands on end, and he's quite the charmer in the infant room.

The contents of my car

I have notes on a dozen or so little things that I want to journal here on this blog soon, but I just can't seem to find the time to sit down and get it all together-- all the cute things Charlie has said or done, the birthday parties we've gone to, the way Liam is eating like a horse. But it occurred to me today that it might be interesting to shed light on my daily life by describing the current contents of my car.

Umbrellas. One large IKEA umbrella for me, one small froggie umbrella for Charlie (which he invariably takes apart if you let him hold it on the way to school). Got to have these in the car all the time, because I can't be expected to remember to bring one when rain is predicted. Not along with Charlie's backpack, Liam's bottles, the diaper bag, my laptop, my purse, and a change of shoes or whatever else I'm needing for the day.

Balls. One old cracked broomball that we let Charlie play with, and one small Ohio State football that we gave Charlie for Christmas. We let Charlie bring them with him for the car ride once upon a time, and now there they sit, on the floor of the backseat. They are buddies with the rubber fire truck bath toy that they share the space with.

A magazine. For kids. Taken by Charlie to look at on the way to school one day, before he decided that he would give it to me, so I could "look at it at work." If only I had the time-- a few pictures of cute little animals might give me some calming peace in the middle of my hectic day.

CD cases. One for a kiddie music CD, one for the book on CD that I've been listening to when the kids are not in the car. Because that is the only way I get to read books these days. (I've been in the middle of the same paperback since February.)

Cookies. A bag of mini Lorna Doones, to be exact, sitting on the front seat in case I pick up Charlie from school and he looks up at me and asks "you got something for me to eat?" Because I am, after all, put on this earth to make sure that Charlie is never hungry or thirsty, even for 10 seconds.

Reusable grocery bags. Lots of them. All over the trunk. If I don't keep them in the car, I'll forget to take them to the store.

A pacifier. Liam must have had 7 of them at daycare, so they sent an extra one home with me the other day when I dropped off. And now there it sits, in my cup holder. Maybe I'll leave it there for emergencies. For me. When I think I'm going cuckoo and want to cry.

The car is currently free of empty Starbucks cups, and at least the floor is not completely covered with goldfish crackers or fruit loops, but I still feel like I drive around in clutter all of the time. I was never a person who had a lot of items in my car-- until I became a busy working mother of two.

Officially a PreSchooler

Charlie is now officially a preschool student. He made it through his transition this week rather smoothly. In his new room, they just started a unit on "Family." Charlie named the members of his family, but sadly, left out Lucy, apparently. When asked what he likes to do with his family, he said "play games." Funny, until getting three board games for his birthday, I am not so sure that would have been his response! But he sure does like them, even if he only has the patience to get half way through. Gifts like the Star Wars sheets and pajamas that we were so excited to give him didn't even get a second look. He just set those aside. But I can understand-- trumped by toys!

Charlie talks about wanting to be with his friends in the toddler room, and I'm sure he'll miss them, but he seems to be acclimating well to his new surroundings and all the routines of the new room. He talks a lot about the big playground he gets to play on now, and the fact that in preschool, you leave your shoes on when you nap ("That's silly!" he says.) Tonight he came home, held up seven fingers, and talked about how there are seven days in the week. He couldn't tell us what day it was today, but he was obviously excited about the new things he's learning.

Liam has been home the remainder of the week with his diarrhea. John and I alternated days working from home, and remained semi-productive. Today was a pretty good day-- almost solid diapers. I jumped ahead of my plan this week and fed Liam bananas (I'd not yet worked my way through all of the veggies, and had not planned to start the sweet fruits quite yet) and although they took some getting used to, he was gulping them down eagerly by last night. Bananas were always one of Charlie's favorites.

I'm looking forward to date night at the baseball game tomorrow, and then we have two more 3-year-old birthday parties to attend on Sunday. It will be another busy weekend.

We have a 3 year old!

Charlie turned 3 last Friday. It was his last full day in his toddler room at daycare before he began the transition to preschool on Monday. John and I took off work a little early and visited his room at afternoon snack time to have a party with pudding and sprinkles. Charlie very proudly served his other friends, but then sat at a table all by himself to eat his pudding.

After the pudding party, we headed home to open some presents before going to dinner. We opened presents that had been mailed in from family. Charlie received a super hero version of Chutes & Ladders, which he dubbed "the ladder shooting game." He chose corn dogs for dinner, so we went to BW3 so John could watch the Cavs game while we ate. After getting the kids home to bed, John headed off to see Iron Man 2 with friends, and I went to bed early!

Saturday morning brought Charlie's weekly swim lesson, and that afternoon was his birthday party, also at Kids First Sports. He had a great time running and jumping and climbing all over the place. He wasn't much for the rope swings, and he would not go on the giant inflatable slide, but he loved everything else, from the rings to the trampolines to the balance beam.

After playing in the gym for about an hour, we had pizza, cake, and ice cream in one of the party rooms. Charlie needed help to blow out the 3 stubborn candles on his slice of cake, but he got the job done. We concluded with presents and said goodbye to all of our friends.

On Sunday we went to the zoo with Connie for Mothers Day. Dora and Diego were making appearances to celebrate the new 4D movie that was playing. Charlie and I went in and saw the movie, which Charlie fully enjoyed. It was his first "real" movie theater experience, and I wasn't sure how he'd do with the 3D glasses. But he's still talking about how we got wet in the waterfall, and had to push the button on the remote that appeared to be floating out in front of us. We enjoyed trying to find all of the zoo babies, and saw several animals out that we had not seen in a while. Charlie came home with a stuffed Swiper the fox that we bought after the movie.

While we were at the zoo, Liam had a blowout diaper. By the end of the day, he'd changed clothes 5 times. I thought it was the new cereal we were feeding him, but turns out he likely has a virus. They called and sent him home Monday afternoon from daycare, and we haven't gotten his symptoms down long enough yet to send him back. Unfortunately, this means he is missing picture days. I was looking forward to seeing what sort of shots they would be able to get of the boys together.

Two big boys!

My boys are getting so big! Late last week we made a trip to the pediatrician. Charlie had his 3 year visit, and Liam his 6 months. Liam weighed 18 lbs 4 oz (55th%), and was 26 3/4 in (70th%). His head measured 17 3/4 in (80th%). Charlie was 32 lbs (75th%) but only 35 1/4 in (10th%). He sure looks lean, though, despite how the percentiles would make you think. Both were in good health. Liam likely has eczema (mainly on his forehead), but I was told how to treat it so it is not too uncomfortable.

I took Charlie to the Butterfly Show on Saturday, thinking that it would be a great treat for him, spending some time alone with Mommy. And I was looking forward to taking some good pictures. It was predicted to be a rainy weekend, so it seemed a good indoor activity for the day. Charlie enjoyed the orchid room at the conservatory, and was somewhat interested in the cactus plants in the desert room. But when we got to the butterfly area, he was ready to leave within 30 seconds. He clung to me, wanted to be picked up, and said he was "ready to go now." So our visit was short. Luckily, I bought the pin instead of a one-day ticket, so I can go back later to get my photos.

Sometime in the past couple of weeks, since we got some M&Ms in an Easter basket, Charlie has realized that he likes them very much. For some reason, he is mixing up "letters" and "numbers" and calls the M&M's "numbers" because they have "numbers" on them. Similarly, the other day, he asked to wear his Miami t-shirt, by calling it "the one with the numbers." At least he realizes the shapes mean something-- he just thinks letters are numbers (and maybe vice versa?)

Charlie has also decided that he wants his bed put back to the smaller toddler size. He's been sleeping on the floor for the past week, apparently because he does not like the bigger bed. John plans to set it back to the smaller size this weekend.

I can't believe my little guy is almost 3! We're looking forward to celebrating his birthday at daycare this Friday, and then at his party on Saturday. I wish more of his friends from daycare were able to attend the party, but he'll have fun no matter what.

Liam is growing fast as well. He loves to try and stand up (with us holding his hands, of course). About 10 days ago he rolled over from his back to his front and back again for the first time. Occasionally now he'll roll halfway over on to his side while sleeping. But when he wakes up like that, he's usually confused and upset by it. He loves to sit in the bouncy seat, but instead of kicking it like crazy to get the lights and sound to go (as Charlie used to do), he rocks it with his shoulders until it is almost going like a rocker or a swing. He loves his big brother Charlie, and smiles and laughs whenever he sees him.



Liam is much more the thumb sucker than Charlie ever was. He also likes the Nuk pacifiers, and won't touch the Soothies that were Charlie's favorite. He is a very smiley baby, and usually only fusses when he's cold or hungry. What we thought was the start of teething last month was apparently just side effects of his cough or something else. Still no teeth have appeared. Just another way he's different from Charlie-- Charlie had a good start on teeth by the time he was 6 months old.

The Gingerbread Man

Two days ago, while running away from me down the hall at daycare, Charlie exclaimed "You can't catch me, I'm a gingerbread man!" I think that just about summarizes how I feel these days. Seems like having the time to update this blog just seems to elude my grasp, and little by little, day by day, I fear I am forgetting all the "good stuff" that I want to memorialize.

It's been a busy month since I last wrote. We visited Houston for Easter weekend and had a great time. Charlie spent most of the weekend chasing invisible "bad guys" around Grandma and Grandpa's house. He also played imaginary "ball" with Great Grandma. She would pitch the imaginary ball and he would hit it with his imaginary bat. It was great fun to watch, and I was so glad she could participate in the play while sitting in her chair. At one point, Charlie found some straw hats upstairs, and came into the room wearing one, declaring that it was time to have a "hee haw party!" I have no idea where he got that one!



On Easter Sunday, Charlie and Grandpa and I went to the grocery store to pick up a few essentials. While we were there, Charlie got to decorate a bunny cake, which he shared with everyone after dinner. When we got back from the store, we discovered that the Easter Bunny had visited the house and left eggs for Charlie to find. He had great fun finding eggs, and then later sorting all of his chocolate coins by animal.

Charlie also spent time going to the moon, after discovering "rocket boots" belonging to Grandma. Liam enjoyed a lot of time on Great Grandma's lap.

On our way home, our flight was diverted to Dayton to refuel, because storms in Cincinnati were keeping us up in the air circling for too long. We ended up changing two dirty diapers for Liam on our laps while stretching across the aisle on the plane. Luckily I had plenty of formula, and only had to ask for more water to make the third bottle for the final leg of the flight. We returned home to find the house intact, but ants had invaded the kitchen counter and Charlie's table. We spent the following three weeks trying to completely evict them from the house, finally resorting to a spray to get rid of them.

Right before we left for Houston, Charlie obtained a scar on the other side of his face, when another child at daycare threw an object-- "the thing with pointy sides" (a prism)-- at him. I knew it was only a matter of time before the small line left by the biopsy last summer would be just another mark of boyhood to anyone who spotted it. While we were on our trip, Charlie displayed his "back and forth" dance for the first time. This amuses Liam quite a bit. Charlie has also learned the chicken dance at daycare, so he is officially a true Cincinnatian!

Liam started on rice cereal this past month, and is working his way through vegetables. We're starting to move him on to the size 3 diapers. He often sleeps mostly through the night, maybe waking only briefly once or twice for comforting or maybe once for a small bottle. I can't wait to see how big he is when we go in for his 6 month visit tomorrow.

We recently made Charlie's bed bigger (half way between the toddler bed and a full twin size). He helped John complete the task with his Handy Manny tools. I also took Charlie shopping at Toys R Us for the first time about a week ago. He wanted all sorts of things in the store. Many times I caught myself saying "maybe for your birthday." He was so well behaved I did buy him a small Diego no-spill bubble container.

As a make-up for one of the swimming classes Charlie missed while we were on our trips, we attended a "family fun swim" at Kids First Sports. It was Liam's first time in the pool, and we didn't keep him in there long. But he seemed to enjoy it. Charlie didn't want to get out of the pool, and we stayed nearly until the time was up. He still does not like going under water with his head, but he is growing to like the idea of swimming, and we've gotten lots of good ideas about toys to play with and games to do so that he gets more comfortable with the water. He's on his second session of classes now, and by summer we should be able to enjoy the pool more this year than last.

On other (non-kid related) notes, we very much enjoyed "Italian Night" with the movie club last weekend. We watched Godfather I and II, with a great meal of Italian food and wine in between. It was a marathon movie night, and by the end of the session, the discussion was short-lived, because everyone was ready to go to sleep! John's team and my team played against each other in the CBA Winter season finals-- his team won. Work has been busy for both of us, but we've been gearing up for a summer filled with fun activities and trips.

Bits and Pieces

Charlie helped me make some cupcakes this afternoon. He liked putting sprinkles on them. He liked eating the cupcakes even better.

Charlie is getting better at giving Lucy treats. Usually he says "sit boy" and then quickly throws them on the floor at her feet. But the other day I helped him hold the treat out in his hand for Lucy to take. Charlie was nervous, but Lucy was really gentle.

Charlie often calls his brother "Bay-bee-lee-am"- all one word. One of his favorite exclamations lately is "Goopa!" I'm not exactly sure what that means. He calls his favorite cereal "floop lutes." I have to laugh every time I hear that.

Charlie is funny about some of the food that he likes and doesn't like. Last week at our favorite Indian buffet, Charlie asked for some of the anise seed sprinkles as we were leaving. To our surprise, he really liked them. It was just like the first time he asked to try the saag paneer-- and now it's probably his favorite food. In contrast, when we were at Disney I tried to give him chocolate milk as a treat, and he did not like it. He also wouldn't drink apple juice out of a sippy cup. I presume it's because in his mind, juice is supposed to come in a box.

Swimming lessons have been very good for Charlie. This morning they tied a noodle around his waist and he swam on his own for the very first time. He seemed very proud that he did it by himself. He is getting more used to going under the water, although he still doesn't like it too much. Getting his head wet is not as traumatic anymore, anyway. We've signed him up for next session, also, so he should be good and ready for summer.

Liam loves to sit in the bumbo seat that Charlie never liked much. This morning we pulled out the exersaucer and let him try that for the first time, and he really enjoyed it. He loves being upright. Earlier this week we gave him his first rice cereal. Not much went down, but he didn't seem to hate it.

He's getting so big-- wearing size 2-3 diapers now for over a week. We had him at the doctor this morning for a cough and possible ear infection, and he weighed over 16 pounds. He's been keeping us up at night, between the cough and a gassy tummy and what we think is the start of teething. He has been drooling like crazy for the past 3 days. We can't keep a dry bib on him for more than a few minutes.

It's looking like rain tomorrow for the neighborhood Easter egg hunt, which is sort of a bummer. We'll have to do our own hunt inside the house with our plastic eggs. Luckily, Charlie won't know the difference.

Cute stuff Charlie does

Sometime shortly before our trip to Florida, Charlie took to saying "that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!" I'm not sure exactly where he got that, but it sure is darned cute to hear him say it.

While we were in the airport on the way back from Orlando, we went to get some milk from a Burger King. Charlie wanted to know why Old McDonald (aka Ronald McDonald) wasn't on the bottle.

Charlie had a helium filled balloon from when he got his haircut. After only about 24 hours, it had sunk down to the ground, no longer floating. Charlie asked me to "put it back up in the sky." At that moment, I sure wished I could!

One day a couple of weeks ago, Charlie was busy cleaning up all his toys. Then he paused, and told me "no snack tonight!" When he could see that I wasn't sure how to react, he told me to cry. I guess we've been using these techniques too much (or maybe just enough?)

Charlie is very proud of having his little brother at daycare. He loves to show him off to his own classmates and say "that's MY baby brother!" For a few days this past week, he was calling his Brutus Buddy his "baby" and was mimicking what we did to take care of Liam.


When we took Liam for his 4 month check-up at the pediatrician, Charlie was with us and we tried to entertain him with books they had at the office. When we'd get a few pages in to a book and he would discover a page that had been torn, he'd close it and put it aside, wanting a new book. As we were leaving the office, and he got a sticker from the front desk, he told them that they needed to get some new books, because the ones they had were torn.

4 month check up

Last Tuesday we took Liam in for his 4 month well-visit with the pediatrician. He weighed 15 pounds, 4 ounces (70th%). His height was 25 inches (55th%) and his head was 16 3/4 inches (45th%). He's a little bigger than Charlie was at this age (except the for the head). He's really caught up, after being born lighter.

His health is good in general. He caught Charlie's cough while we were in Florida, and when it didn't clear up after about 3 weeks, we put him on some antibiotics and it cleared right up. Other than that, we've had no worries.

I've survived the first month as a working mother of two

So I've been back to work a month now, and I guess you can tell I've been busy, because I haven't been posting much here. I'm going to try and catch up over the next week or so. I've got lots of notes I've jotted down and many things to tell you.

I guess I should start off with the tale of our first week back from Florida. As I mentioned at the end of my last post, we returned to a bit of snow. It just kept coming after that. We took both kids in to daycare the day after the Super Bowl, and then John and I went to brunch and to see a movie. We both wanted to relax before heading back to work, and this way Liam also had a relatively short first day so he could get used to things. He did fine. That night it snowed.

We received the notice about 5am the next morning that daycare would be on a 2 hour delay. Nice way to start back to work. We took our time getting ready, and left the house in just enough time to get to daycare just as they were supposed to open. The interstates still had quite a bit of snow on them, and the commute took us a little over twice as long as normal. When we arrived at daycare, we found out it was closed. They had changed the status from delay to closed right after we left the house.

There was no time to get back home before John's first meeting, so he took Charlie and I took Liam and we went to our respective offices. Charlie hung up John's phone while he was on a conference call, and I had to run across the street from my office to Walgreens to buy extra diapers for Liam, but other than that, it was rather uneventful. When we got to a stopping point in our work, we headed home and worked there for the rest of the day.

In the coming weeks we had a lot more snow, and several days where we carpooled in to work because of it. It was a record February in terms of snowfall for Cincinnati. It's been warm (up to the 50's-60's) and sunny here the past few days, but we still have piles of snow by the driveway. In the backyard, it was up to Lucy's tummy, and she kept retracing her steps so as to not have to plow a new way through the snow. When John took Charlie out back to build a fort in the snow, it was too deep and he didn't like it. So they came right back in.

Charlie went to two birthday parties in February that he enjoyed quite a bit. He got to dress as a fireman and sit in a real fire engine at Jack's 4th birthday. And he got to go bowling for the first time at Ryan's 5th birthday up in Columbus. He didn't have to wear bowling shoes, because they didn't have them small enough for his size.

He also started swimming lessons at a local indoor pool on Saturday mornings. We were surprised when we got to the first class to see that his buddy Oscar was enrolled in the same class! He still doesn't like to get his head wet, but we're seeing some progress, and really hope this will help our outings to the pool this summer a lot more fun.

We're still working out a routine in the mornings as far as getting the kids ready and in to daycare before work. Every day is a little bit different, depending on the weather, our schedules, and when the kids wake up. But Liam seems to do pretty well and has a good time while at the center. Charlie started an enrichment program called "Stretch and Grow" which he really seems to like. He loves helping with Liam's bottles at drop off, and he gets upset if I go get Liam before picking him up, because he likes to help at the end of the day, too. Pretty soon we'll be talking about transition up to pre-school for Charlie. How time flies!

A Visit to Mickey's House

For those who are interested, here is a detailed account of our trip to Florida last week.

Day 1:
We flew down to Orlando early Saturday morning and arrived at our hotel by lunchtime. Charlie did great on the flight, enjoying the Elmo sticker book that I had hidden in his backpack and playing with John. Liam and I sat across the aisle from them, and Liam slept quietly for most of the flight. Check-in went smoothly, and our luggage arrived promptly, as did the personalized mouse ears and autograph book package that I had pre-ordered for Charlie. (Charlie later dubbed the hat his "helmet ears," but he refused to wear them except for a brief time one evening.)

The weather was cool and threatening showers, so we decided not to head for any parks that day, and instead headed to Downtown Disney for dinner and some shopping. On the bus on the way there, Charlie asked if he could get "a manimal," and he ended up picking out a Goofy. We returned to the room in time to get in our pajamas before the nightly light show on Bay Lake began at 10pm in front of our hotel, within view of our balcony. Charlie got to stay up late and watch it, setting a precedent for the rest of the week (unfortunately).

Day 2:
We decided to make Sunday Magic Kingdom day. We started out walking over to the park just in time for it to open first thing in the morning. We headed straight for the back of the park to ride Winnie the Pooh. We had our first character sighting, and Charlie got autographs from Pooh and Tigger. He was shy, as we expected, so the autograph book was great to break the ice. He got just close enough to hand them the book.

He really liked playing in Pooh's playground area that was just the right size for toddlers, and we had to beg him to leave there. He rode the Dumbo ride with John, and we had some pizza for lunch. As soon as we realized that Charlie was tall enough to ride with John on the speedway, we made our way over there. I could barely see Charlie's head peeking around the steering wheel as I watched them round the final bend in the track.

Charlie was getting tired, and we had early reservations for dinner at our hotel, so we went back mid-afternoon, stopping to see Pluto for autographs on the way out. I think it was at some point during this day that Charlie learned to like riding on John's shoulders. He must have seen another kid doing that with his dad while waiting in line for a ride. We also caught him calling out "Mickey, where are you?" a couple of times.

We had a great dinner at Chef Mickey's that night. The food was wonderful, and meeting the characters was great. Although Charlie did not eat much, he seemed to really enjoy it. It was "extra magic hours" that night at Magic Kingdom, so we went back after dinner to enjoy a few more rides. We really enjoyed the short lines that the smaller crowds and cool weather afforded us.

Charlie was on the flying carpets (which he later called the "flying placemats") when the nightly fireworks started. In an effort to quickly get Charlie indoors away from the fireworks (which scare him), John took him on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. When he came off, he said "I don't like pirates." But it was still better than watching the fireworks! Even a couple of days later, when we walked by the Flying Carpets again, Charlie remarked about that ride having fireworks.

As we left the park that night, Charlie perched on John's shoulders, we saw Donald Duck walking along, and Charlie exclaimed, "Donald, look at me! I'm on Daddy's elbows!"

Day 3:
We started Monday at Hollywood Studios. We went straight for the Toy Story ride, which we'd been told was the best ride at Disney. We got our Fast Passes for later in the morning, then caught the Playhouse Disney show with Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse, Handy Manny, and Winnie the Pooh. Charlie was really tired, and really didn't enjoy meeting Woody and Buzz at the autograph session we caught after the show.

We had our second Character Dining experience this day for lunch. We had to wake Charlie up to go in (he had fallen asleep in the stroller). It started raining lightly before lunch, and after lunch we spent a little time walking around the park, dodging raindrops as we could. Charlie built a custom light saber by the Star Wars ride, though he was too little to actually go on the ride. John and I traded off going on the Toy Story ride with Charlie (since he didn't need his own ticket), and both really enjoyed it. After that, we headed back to the hotel for some rest.

Around dinner time, we tried taking the monorail over to Epcot, but Charlie was still tired (having refused to nap much), and Liam was fussy (probably gassy), so we only stayed long enough to ride the Nemo ride (which Charlie LOVED), and headed back. It was cool and rainy, and both kids were fighting coughs, so it was just as well. Charlie would not have enjoyed the fireworks show later, anyway. Again, we ended our night with the light show on the lake.

Day 4:
On Tuesday we headed back to Magic Kingdom, and got in the park early because we had a Character Dining reservation for breakfast before opening time. It was a great chance to get some photos in front of Cinderella's castle with no one else around. Charlie really got friendly with the characters at this meal, having worn off his shyness by now.

He fussed about eating any breakfast (again a delicious meal), but got close enough with Pluto to feel his whiskers (which we compared to Lucy's). By the time we finished breakfast it was pouring down rain, so we found a couple of things to do indoors (Charlie really liked the Country Bear Jamboree), and then headed back to the hotel via monorail when we realized the radar was showing another big wave of storms coming through.

We spent the afternoon back at the hotel, trying to get Charlie to nap, and finally taking him to the arcade for a little while. We walked back to the Magic Kingdom after the rain cleared, just in time to see the 3pm parade. We rode some more of Charlie's favorite rides (the lines for Buzz Lightyear were non-existent, probably due in part to the weather), and also caught a late dance party in front of the castle before heading off to dinner. Since the crowds were so light, we had great views and Charlie got to dance with some of the characters in the street. We also caught Tigger and Eyeore starting up an autograph session and got in line before it got too long. Before we left the park, we acquired a set of Pixar character bath toys that we had been eyeing for Charlie. He would not let go of them on the way back to the hotel.

We took a water launch over to the Polynesian Resort for dinner, and then rushed back via monorail to our room at the Contemporary in time for me to catch a shuttle to the airport to pick up our rental car for the rest of the week. John had a rough time comforting gassy Liam while I was gone, and I had a nice tour of Disney World, trying to find my way back to the resort in the dark without a map.

Day 5:
We saved Animal Kingdom for our last day at the parks. This was predicted to be the best day weather wise-- still quite cool and breezy but only partly cloudy and we saw the sun. Animal Kingdom was also open extra hours that evening. We packed up our things and got the rental car loaded and headed to the park mid-morning.

We quickly gained an appreciation for the low crowds we had seen on the previous days, as the park was quite crowded with the nice weather. Charlie was tired from having resisted sleep again the night before, and waking early, so at one point he took a nap in John's arms while we sat at a table by the water.

We thought Charlie would love the Finding Nemo musical show, but he really didn't care for it, asking to "go bye bye" several times in the middle. So we decided to skip the Lion King musical show, and instead just rode a dinosaur ride and had some pizza while catching a bit of the Jungle parade. I really enjoyed the animal floats. After a couple of extra rides on the dinosaurs, and buying a small organic cotton Mickey Mouse doll for Liam, we headed on out to get on the road to Sarasota. We arrived there in time to stop at Uncle Rory's house on the way to checking in to the hotel.

Day 6:
Rory had class in the morning, so John and I took the kids to Siesta Key beach for about an hour. I carried Liam in the Baby Bjorn and took photos while John and Charlie built sand castles. I took Liam out of the carrier long enough to put his feet in the sand, and he seemed to like the feel. But most of the time I just tried to keep him out of the sun.

Charlie would not go dip his toes in the water at the beach. I took a few steps in, and the water was cold. We visited our hotel pool as well, but the heater was broken, and the water was too cold for Charlie to swim. John enjoyed the hot tub for a while, though, especially after having carried Charlie around Disney for a few days.

Later Charlie fell asleep for a nap at the hotel, and Rory came over to visit for a while in our room. I ran out to get some snacks to bring back, and then we made it an early night.

Day 7:
We attempted another run at the beach in the morning, this time with Rory. But it was really cold and windy, and our visit only lasted about 20 minutes. We stopped at Einstein Bagels (an out of town treat for us) for lunch on the way back to the hotel. Rain storms came through that afternoon, and Charlie fought napping for a few hours. After being stuck in the hotel for a while, John went back out and visited with Rory for a while before coming back to get us for dinner. Charlie refused to eat his dinner, and it was obvious that the length of our trip was taking its toll on the little guy. Wyatt was sick as well, so we again made it an early night.

Day 8:
We gathered at the hotel briefly in the morning to exchange some belated Christmas gifts and visit for a while more with Rory, Sherry, and Wyatt before packing up to head back to Orlando for our flight home. Somewhere along the line, John became a fan of minivans (our rental car was one). The return trip was generally uneventful, especially considering the snow storms up and down the eastern half of the country that we were sure would interrupt our flight plans. Charlie and John sat in front of Liam and I on this flight, and Charlie got a window seat.

We were surprised when we got home to have had our driveway cleared by friends who knew we were returning that evening. What a pleasant surprise at the end of a long week!

Transition time

As I reflect on my last days before going back to work, I realize that my goals for my leave were much more ambitious than what could actually be accomplished. On the plus side, I did clean out about half of the basement, and I caught up on some movies that I had wanted to see. I read a library book and returned it only 7 days overdue. I decorated and undecorated for the holidays, and I experimented with some new recipes for dinner. But I didn't get to work on the kids' baby books, or edit any of our home videos from the past 12 months. Most meaningful, though, was the time I got to spend with Liam. I really did enjoy that, even though some days I felt as if I had gotten nothing accomplished. I was really fortunate to be able to stay home as long as I did. I've got to focus on the fact that it's sometimes just not important to cross things off a list.

One of my other accomplishments during my leave was to get Charlie to his first dentist appointment, which I did on Monday. We met with the dentist, and she counted Charlie's teeth. Next time he'll get them cleaned. Charlie enjoyed seeing the stuffed animals that they had at the office, and he got a balloon and a prize. As we walked through the exam area to see what the chairs looked like, another child was crying and upset. Charlie clearly made note of that, but I also pointed out the other child who was being examined quietly. Ever since the visit to the dentist, Charlie has been obsessed with brushing his teeth, not just before bed, but also sometimes in the afternoon or in the morning.

Charlie has been getting really good at catching a soft football, as long as it's thrown in the vicinity of his chest. The other day he put on my stocking cap, and John's gloves, and said the cap was his "helmet."

Liam sneezed yesterday, and Charlie said "he's making bless you." I guess he's so used to people saying "bless you" when he sneezes, that he thinks that is what it is called! He is learning other words for bodily functions, like "gas" and "fart." And he's showing more interest in trying to go on the potty again.

Liam has slowed down his eating a bit, but still sleeps through most of the night, getting up at about 4 or 5 for one feeding. I put him into his first 6 month outfit last night. It's amazing how much bigger he is than Charlie was at this age. 3 month photos are posted on my flickr site.

We're off tomorrow to Disney, and Charlie is really excited. I hope he becomes comfortable with the larger than life characters quickly, and isn't too shy. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to packing!

Our colorful world

We have realized that at some point in the last few weeks, Charlie has finally gotten his colors straight. Either he was faking ignorance before (purposely telling us the wrong answer when we asked him what color something was, or pretending not to know what to do when we asked him to point to an object of a particular color), or it just finally clicked. He is now freely, and sometimes voluntarily, pointing out what color things are, and getting them all correct. This makes life much easier, when you want to tell him to "bring me the yellow outfit for Liam" or "pick up that red block and put it away in the blue bin."

Liam has also reached a milestone of sorts-- he laughed for me for the first time about a week ago. He has not done it much since, but he smiles a great deal when he sees or hears someone he recognizes, even big brother Charlie. He continues to grow as well, although he has slowed down his eating a bit. We're transitioning to size 2 diapers this week, and only about half of the 3 month size clothes still fit him. I'm struggling with what exactly to pack to take with us to Florida. It will be nice once I can see what the weather is forecast to be that week. If it's going to be too warm, I may need to go buy some new shorts for Charlie!

Liam continues to impress us with how quickly he is getting to holding his head up for significant periods of time, and he's starting to want to push off a lot with his legs, like he's trying to get somewhere fast. He really likes the portable travel swing I got for him at the resale shop, and the carseat is still the easiest place for us to get him to sleep. He often sleeps in it next to his crib for at least half the night.

In other news, John is terribly busy at work, and struggles to keep up. I've been trying to do my best to relieve any burdens I can at home, but it means I am not accomplishing some of the projects I had hoped to complete while I was off work. Nothing critical-- just things I had wanted to catch up on, like editing videos I've taken of the kids this past year, filling out their baby books, and reorganizing the basement. Entertaining Lucy has now taken on a bass player, so practices (and the gear in the basement) continue to grow.

I'll try to post some photos on Flickr next week when Liam turns 3 months old. But I may not get a chance to post here again before our trip.

Snow days

Charlie is back at daycare this week after two snow days at the end of his first week at the new building. I think the stress of all the recent changes in his schedule and routines have taken their toll. He's been more irritable and the rash on his face has flared up a bit. He has also not been going down for naps or at bedtime as easily as he used to. But he seems to be getting back in the swing of things this week.

I had some fun taking some photos in the backyard last week of birds and snow. In an optimal world, I would have had some white clothes to wear, and left Lucy inside, so the birds would have been more trusting and come closer. But a little patience did finally pay off and I got a couple of really nice shots of some cardinals.


Charlie also had fun playing in the snow last week-- helping me shovel was his favorite thing, even more than sledding down the front yard. Some photos and video are posted on my flickr site.

Entertaining Lucy is back to practicing here in the new year, now including a drummer. Charlie is readjusting to the loud noises coming from the basement when it's time to go to sleep. Liam is getting accustomed to it as well.

I have been attempting to get motivated to finish up the list of tasks I had wanted to get done while I was on leave, but the snow days last week sort of sidetracked me. Now I have less than 3 weeks to prepare for our big Florida trip and my return to work. Liam generally lets me get some things done during the day, but every once in a while we have a night (like last night) when he doesn't sleep much, and it leaves me wanting to nap all day the following day. But the way his face lights up with a smile when he sees and hears me makes it difficult to be mad at him at all.

Little Big Boy

Liam had his 2 month check-up today at the pediatrician. We thought he felt heavier than Charlie at this age, and we were right! He weighed 12 pounds, 11 ounces (80th percentile), compared to 11 pounds, 2 ounces that Charlie weighed at his 2 month appointment. He has definitely made up for the fact that he was almost a pound lighter at birth.

His height measured at 23 inches (50th%) but I think he might actually be a bit longer, because he was fighting the nurse as she tried to stretch his legs out straight to measure him. His head was 16 inches (60th%).

Charlie had a good first day at the new daycare yesterday. They must have really worn him out, because he was looking very tired when we went out to dinner to celebrate. He was excited to see snow on the ground in the parking lot-- he said he wanted to "go crunch crunch and make handprints." One of these days he will learn the difference between handprints and footprints!

Photo recap of 2009

I decided to go through my flickr posts of photos taken in 2009, and select those that were my favorites, and which would also document the year for our family. You'll find a healthy mix of photos of the kids, along with a lot of animals and plants. Seems I tend to take a lot of the same sorts of photos. Maybe my resolution for 2010 should be to branch out and challenge myself to take more photos of inanimate objects. I seem to remember enjoying doing that before the kids came along.