Sunday, August 19, 2012
It's been a while
I don't like being in the first line out on the ice for the first game at the start of a broomball tournament. There is that moment right before the ball drops when the excitement of anticipation for the day is suddenly replaced with butterflies in my stomach. It passes quickly, but for just a second, I'm nervous. It's so much easier to jump out on the ice to sub on the fly once play has begun.
I feel like that tonight, as Charlie approaches his first day of Kindergarten tomorrow. For a couple of weeks now, we've been buying school supplies, trying on new school clothes, planning out schedules and talking to Charlie about what to expect. Now I'm waiting for that ball to drop. I wonder who his friends will be, will he eat his lunch, will he like his teacher. And will he stay out of trouble.
I told myself that I'd catch up on this blog before school started. That way, it would be easier to keep up again once the excitement of Kindergarten began. And here I am, like the night before final exams, sneaking in an entry. Nothing will replace the last year and a half of entries, but I've kept notes on some things I'd like to share.
For now, I'm going to set this aside and get to bed early. Tomorrow is a big day. I've always wanted to keep up this diary of sorts so that I would not forget the little things that make me smile, the kids' milestones, and the challenges we've overcome. But rather than agonize over documenting the past, I am going to focus on tomorrow. I want to be fully engaged for my little guy, who is not so little anymore. I'm so excited for all the new things he's going to learn, the new relationships he'll make, and the way he'll challenge me to keep up.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
March Madness
So I told myself I wasn't going to let another day go by without getting the blog at least one month closer to being caught up. Those of you reading this as a note on my FB feed may recall our status updates and some amusing photos that were posted from our many visits to medical establishments in the month of March. Let's just say that I drained my healthcare reimbursement account for the year in the span of about 2 weeks.
The month started dramatically. John had a nosebleed just after midnight on the 1st, which he couldn't stop. I eventually convinced him, after I think about an hour and a half, to let me call a friend to drive him to the ER (he wanted to drive himself!). I stayed home and nervously waited with the kids asleep in bed until he returned. Chemical cauterization had it stopped-- but only temporarily, as it turns out. Over the course of the next several days we made several return trips to ERs, and we made the acquaintance of a very nice ENT. John wasted no time becoming a frequent patient of that practice. We moved from the first treatment on to packing, then a few rounds of electrical cauterization, with a couple of balloons mixed in, along with heavy painkillers and a couple of antibiotics to prevent infection. By mid month there were only minor episodes of bleeding.
Probably the worst part of the nosebleed episodes was the Saturday when I had to run home from the mall with Charlie to take John into the ER, and having to explain to him what was happening with his daddy. He had either been asleep or at school for all the episodes up to that point. We are thankful for the friends who helped us watch kids or drive to hospitals during this span of time-- you know who you are!
The rest of the month included a sinus infection for me, and I think an ear infection for Liam. Only Charlie remained healthy the entire month. But we still managed to have some fun.
Mid-month we had a fabulous outing to the Cincinnati International Wine Festival with friends. We once again attended the Saturday afternoon tasting, followed by our traditional meal at Jeff Ruby's for dinner. This year we followed that up with a great James Taylor concert before the night was over. The following week John took Charlie to his first circus. They didn't stay for the whole show, because it ran into Charlie's bedtime, but Charlie seemed to especially like certain things, including the motorcycles. We finished the month by attending Opening Day for the Reds -- this year held on a Thursday. For the first time in a while, the Reds actually won, and in dramatic walk-off home-run fashion.
For the kids, there were of course milestones in March as well. They continued to grow like weeds. I remember glancing across the room and thinking I saw Charlie at the play piano, but it turned out it was Liam. Charlie no longer needed his long pants rolled up, and he nearly mastered buttoning his own shirt. During the first part of the month, Liam started saying "ooooh!" a lot when something excited him. One day, he grabbed his diaper and walked over to a container of wipes-- turns out he had a dirty diaper and we just didn't smell it yet. He did it again about 3 days later. Mid-month we turned Liam's car seat around to face forward in the car, which he loves.
Off to bed I go-- the next update will cover our rainy spring here in Cincinnati.
The month started dramatically. John had a nosebleed just after midnight on the 1st, which he couldn't stop. I eventually convinced him, after I think about an hour and a half, to let me call a friend to drive him to the ER (he wanted to drive himself!). I stayed home and nervously waited with the kids asleep in bed until he returned. Chemical cauterization had it stopped-- but only temporarily, as it turns out. Over the course of the next several days we made several return trips to ERs, and we made the acquaintance of a very nice ENT. John wasted no time becoming a frequent patient of that practice. We moved from the first treatment on to packing, then a few rounds of electrical cauterization, with a couple of balloons mixed in, along with heavy painkillers and a couple of antibiotics to prevent infection. By mid month there were only minor episodes of bleeding.
Probably the worst part of the nosebleed episodes was the Saturday when I had to run home from the mall with Charlie to take John into the ER, and having to explain to him what was happening with his daddy. He had either been asleep or at school for all the episodes up to that point. We are thankful for the friends who helped us watch kids or drive to hospitals during this span of time-- you know who you are!
The rest of the month included a sinus infection for me, and I think an ear infection for Liam. Only Charlie remained healthy the entire month. But we still managed to have some fun.
Mid-month we had a fabulous outing to the Cincinnati International Wine Festival with friends. We once again attended the Saturday afternoon tasting, followed by our traditional meal at Jeff Ruby's for dinner. This year we followed that up with a great James Taylor concert before the night was over. The following week John took Charlie to his first circus. They didn't stay for the whole show, because it ran into Charlie's bedtime, but Charlie seemed to especially like certain things, including the motorcycles. We finished the month by attending Opening Day for the Reds -- this year held on a Thursday. For the first time in a while, the Reds actually won, and in dramatic walk-off home-run fashion.
For the kids, there were of course milestones in March as well. They continued to grow like weeds. I remember glancing across the room and thinking I saw Charlie at the play piano, but it turned out it was Liam. Charlie no longer needed his long pants rolled up, and he nearly mastered buttoning his own shirt. During the first part of the month, Liam started saying "ooooh!" a lot when something excited him. One day, he grabbed his diaper and walked over to a container of wipes-- turns out he had a dirty diaper and we just didn't smell it yet. He did it again about 3 days later. Mid-month we turned Liam's car seat around to face forward in the car, which he loves.
Off to bed I go-- the next update will cover our rainy spring here in Cincinnati.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Catching up- January and February
So here's what I would have written, had I been keeping up with this blog the first two months of the year.....
Liam loves to feed Lucy. He does it on purpose. Charlie would drop food from the high chair, but Liam does it intentionally.
Liam had his 15 month appointment at the pediatrician at the end of January. He was just over 23 pounds (35th%) and 32 inches tall (75th%). Of course, his head remained at the 95th% (He IS a Robenalt.) He was over an inch taller than Charlie was at this age. It's quite apparent that their body shapes are pretty well opposite, like many of their attributes. They're both long in the torso, though, like their father.
During the week of 2/6, Charlie drew his first person-like figure. A blob with long lines coming out of it for arms and legs. Liam started saying "go!" and "row row row" (your boat). Charlie also had a good visit to the dentist.
Later in February, Charlie started using a new phrase... "What the....?" Liam learned how to climb up on the sofa or the La-z-boy by himself. Of course this makes him very proud.
Charlie's pre-school class had a beach party over lunch one day in February. John and I walked over along with many other parents, and we spread out towels in the gross motor room outside the Sunflower classroom for our picnic. I wore my floppy sun hat, and John pretended not to be embarrassed. Charlie was very pleased that we came.
I took Charlie to a Cyclones hockey game where the CBA put on a broomball exhibition during intermission. He ate cotton candy and got a new souvenir hockey stick. We stayed for almost the whole game. After the game, Charlie asked, "Can I learn to play hockey?"
Margie and Morgan also came to visit us for a couple of hours, and Charlie and Liam had a great time with them.
February ended dramatically, as you'll (hopefully) read soon in my March update!
Liam loves to feed Lucy. He does it on purpose. Charlie would drop food from the high chair, but Liam does it intentionally.
Liam had his 15 month appointment at the pediatrician at the end of January. He was just over 23 pounds (35th%) and 32 inches tall (75th%). Of course, his head remained at the 95th% (He IS a Robenalt.) He was over an inch taller than Charlie was at this age. It's quite apparent that their body shapes are pretty well opposite, like many of their attributes. They're both long in the torso, though, like their father.
During the week of 2/6, Charlie drew his first person-like figure. A blob with long lines coming out of it for arms and legs. Liam started saying "go!" and "row row row" (your boat). Charlie also had a good visit to the dentist.
Later in February, Charlie started using a new phrase... "What the....?" Liam learned how to climb up on the sofa or the La-z-boy by himself. Of course this makes him very proud.
Charlie's pre-school class had a beach party over lunch one day in February. John and I walked over along with many other parents, and we spread out towels in the gross motor room outside the Sunflower classroom for our picnic. I wore my floppy sun hat, and John pretended not to be embarrassed. Charlie was very pleased that we came.
I took Charlie to a Cyclones hockey game where the CBA put on a broomball exhibition during intermission. He ate cotton candy and got a new souvenir hockey stick. We stayed for almost the whole game. After the game, Charlie asked, "Can I learn to play hockey?"
Margie and Morgan also came to visit us for a couple of hours, and Charlie and Liam had a great time with them.
February ended dramatically, as you'll (hopefully) read soon in my March update!
Don't Take Me Out to the Ballgame
I used to wait anxiously for my Cardinals to come to Cincinnati two or three times each summer so that I could go see them play in person. For some reason, maybe the proximity of the cities and their similarity, the stands always had plenty of fellow fans for me to smile at and nod to. There would be a fair amount of joking around with Reds fans. The people sitting next to me might say "Eww, I have to sit next to you?" But they would smile, and after a little baseball talk, maybe a debate about whether Pujols was one of the greatest players they've ever seen, or oohing and aahing over a great play by one of the Reds, we'd depart as friends.
And then, Molina (my favorite Cardinal) and Phillips (who I like pretty well) got into that altercation last year. While I still like them both as players, I sure wish that had never happened.
In April in St. Louis, I witnessed my fellow St. Louis fans actually boo a player like I've never heard them before. My town I was so proud of for being good fans of the game, appreciative of good players from whatever team they represented, let me down. In May, we went to see the Cardinals here with the boys, and the atmosphere was a little less friendly than I remember it.
Then came last night. It was an exciting game in the end, though the first 6 innings were not much to look at, other than a couple of Heisey homeruns. The 7th was spectacular (on both sides), and the Reds and the Cardinals spent the rest of the game duking it out. I didn't even mind when in the end, my Cardinals lost due to a walk-off homerun by (of all people) Brandon Phillips. You see, I'm used to witnessing the Cardinals lose in Cincinnati. For a while, it was sort of a running joke that if I wore my number 5 t-shirt to the game, it was guaranteed they would lose. I've rarely been to a game where they won here, but I come to see them play-- win or lose.
But the whole experience of the evening was enough to make me think that next year, I'll just wait until we make our annual trip to St. Louis to go see them play. Sure, I still saw a lot of Cardinals tshirts and jerseys in the stands and walking around. But there was no friendly joking with the other fans. And on the way to the stadium, a guy yelled at me about how the Cardinals F***ing Suck (twice), and then called me a F***ing B****h, just because I was wearing my jersey. I had to watch as John ran off to defend my honor, wondering if he would end up walking into the game with bloody nose or a broken hand. After the game, waiting by myself in a crowded area for John to come out of the restroom, I was jostled and pushed by fans making several unfriendly comments about the Cards. I was feeling claustrophobic and just wanted to get the heck out of there.
It's like the Reds finally pulled themselves out of the bottom half of the NL Central for a couple of years, won the Division once, and their fans think they're the Yankees all of a sudden. They still can't fill the ballpark with fans on a regular basis, but the fans who come seem to have an awfully nasty attitude.
When I went to see the Bengals play the Jets on their turf in November, sure, there was the guy a few rows in front of us who turned to flip us off every time the Jets made a first down. But most of the people around us joked with us about how bad the Bengals were (we fully admitted that) and admired our tiger face paint. We at least got compliments for showing our colors. We all laughed at the trash talk and I never felt threatened or scared.
I'm a Reds fan for most of the season. I'll go to plenty of Reds games. I've lived here now almost as long as I lived in St. Louis. My kids will be Reds fans, and I dress them in Reds gear all the time. But when the Reds play the Cardinals at Great American next year, I may not be in the stands. Because I can't go see the Cards play without showing my colors. As big of a fan as I am, I'm not going to get in a fistfight with someone over it. And I'm certainly not going to let my kids see that sort of bully behavior. They can be Reds fans, but I want them to be fans most of all of the sport itself, like my dad and my grandfather taught me to be.
And then, Molina (my favorite Cardinal) and Phillips (who I like pretty well) got into that altercation last year. While I still like them both as players, I sure wish that had never happened.
In April in St. Louis, I witnessed my fellow St. Louis fans actually boo a player like I've never heard them before. My town I was so proud of for being good fans of the game, appreciative of good players from whatever team they represented, let me down. In May, we went to see the Cardinals here with the boys, and the atmosphere was a little less friendly than I remember it.
Then came last night. It was an exciting game in the end, though the first 6 innings were not much to look at, other than a couple of Heisey homeruns. The 7th was spectacular (on both sides), and the Reds and the Cardinals spent the rest of the game duking it out. I didn't even mind when in the end, my Cardinals lost due to a walk-off homerun by (of all people) Brandon Phillips. You see, I'm used to witnessing the Cardinals lose in Cincinnati. For a while, it was sort of a running joke that if I wore my number 5 t-shirt to the game, it was guaranteed they would lose. I've rarely been to a game where they won here, but I come to see them play-- win or lose.
But the whole experience of the evening was enough to make me think that next year, I'll just wait until we make our annual trip to St. Louis to go see them play. Sure, I still saw a lot of Cardinals tshirts and jerseys in the stands and walking around. But there was no friendly joking with the other fans. And on the way to the stadium, a guy yelled at me about how the Cardinals F***ing Suck (twice), and then called me a F***ing B****h, just because I was wearing my jersey. I had to watch as John ran off to defend my honor, wondering if he would end up walking into the game with bloody nose or a broken hand. After the game, waiting by myself in a crowded area for John to come out of the restroom, I was jostled and pushed by fans making several unfriendly comments about the Cards. I was feeling claustrophobic and just wanted to get the heck out of there.
It's like the Reds finally pulled themselves out of the bottom half of the NL Central for a couple of years, won the Division once, and their fans think they're the Yankees all of a sudden. They still can't fill the ballpark with fans on a regular basis, but the fans who come seem to have an awfully nasty attitude.
When I went to see the Bengals play the Jets on their turf in November, sure, there was the guy a few rows in front of us who turned to flip us off every time the Jets made a first down. But most of the people around us joked with us about how bad the Bengals were (we fully admitted that) and admired our tiger face paint. We at least got compliments for showing our colors. We all laughed at the trash talk and I never felt threatened or scared.
I'm a Reds fan for most of the season. I'll go to plenty of Reds games. I've lived here now almost as long as I lived in St. Louis. My kids will be Reds fans, and I dress them in Reds gear all the time. But when the Reds play the Cardinals at Great American next year, I may not be in the stands. Because I can't go see the Cards play without showing my colors. As big of a fan as I am, I'm not going to get in a fistfight with someone over it. And I'm certainly not going to let my kids see that sort of bully behavior. They can be Reds fans, but I want them to be fans most of all of the sport itself, like my dad and my grandfather taught me to be.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
88 Weeks
I received one of those emails today, the ones generated based on some web form I completed long ago, listing my baby's due date and my email address, in order to get some formula rebate or coupons for diapers or the like. The title read "Your baby at 88 weeks." 88 weeks! That number (what seemed a rather large one) stuck in my head. '88 was the year I graduated high school. Could it be that my little guy is speeding toward adolescence before I've even gotten to enjoy him as a baby?
With Charlie, I guess things seemed to move slower, with only one child in the house. And I always figured (hoped, anyway) that another child would come along to round out our family, and I'd get to go through these moments all over again. I never panicked at how big he was getting-- I was just proud and excited at all the new things he was doing.
With Liam, I feel like everything is moving too quickly. Weeks go by and all of a sudden I'm struck by how big his feet are, or the fact that his head hits the kitchen table when he tries to walk under it. I don't take nearly as many videos of Liam as I did of Charlie, and I know it. I have to make an effort to remember the camera. It's not that I don't take photos or video-- I just shoot more on my Blackberry because it's so much faster to communicate and send those photos to family via email or Facebook in an instant. I'm two years behind on editing the videos I have taken as it is, so the only way for Grandma and Grandpa to see the kids' latest trick is to shoot it on the phone and email it instantly.
And now you're thinking..... but what about the blog? Yes, it's been more than 6 months now since I updated this site. I haven't forgotten about my readers-- ask my poor husband who hears me moan about how behind I am all the time. Trust me, I have the notes-- the first time Liam climbed into a chair by himself, the madness of March 2011, the heights and weights from each doctor visit, how Charlie celebrated his fourth birthday. I just need to sit down, with the TV off, the kids asleep (or out of the house), and no sporting event on TV to tug at my attention for an hour or two.
Now that I've broken my long silence, I'm hoping I can soon go back and catch up on all those moments I missed so far in 2011, and maybe in the process I can make time seem to go by a little more slowly for a while. For now, I need to get some sleep. Goodnight all.
With Charlie, I guess things seemed to move slower, with only one child in the house. And I always figured (hoped, anyway) that another child would come along to round out our family, and I'd get to go through these moments all over again. I never panicked at how big he was getting-- I was just proud and excited at all the new things he was doing.
With Liam, I feel like everything is moving too quickly. Weeks go by and all of a sudden I'm struck by how big his feet are, or the fact that his head hits the kitchen table when he tries to walk under it. I don't take nearly as many videos of Liam as I did of Charlie, and I know it. I have to make an effort to remember the camera. It's not that I don't take photos or video-- I just shoot more on my Blackberry because it's so much faster to communicate and send those photos to family via email or Facebook in an instant. I'm two years behind on editing the videos I have taken as it is, so the only way for Grandma and Grandpa to see the kids' latest trick is to shoot it on the phone and email it instantly.
And now you're thinking..... but what about the blog? Yes, it's been more than 6 months now since I updated this site. I haven't forgotten about my readers-- ask my poor husband who hears me moan about how behind I am all the time. Trust me, I have the notes-- the first time Liam climbed into a chair by himself, the madness of March 2011, the heights and weights from each doctor visit, how Charlie celebrated his fourth birthday. I just need to sit down, with the TV off, the kids asleep (or out of the house), and no sporting event on TV to tug at my attention for an hour or two.
Now that I've broken my long silence, I'm hoping I can soon go back and catch up on all those moments I missed so far in 2011, and maybe in the process I can make time seem to go by a little more slowly for a while. For now, I need to get some sleep. Goodnight all.
Friday, December 31, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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.....
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.....
Thursday, November 4, 2010
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!
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!
Monday, October 11, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
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!"
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!"
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, July 9, 2010
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!
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!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, June 4, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, May 28, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, May 14, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, May 10, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
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.
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.
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