Resolutions 2010 - Updated!

hmmm what to do this year.

1.  Learn tennis.  I have always thought I would like it, so i look forward to learning how to play.
2.  Do a race.  I think I might do at least one spring triathlon this year.
3.  Take some time off.  I have been working to build up my leave.  I have 4 weeks in the bank now, which is the cushion I wanted to build up since my sick leave seems to get used up so quickly.  I might take some time around the fourth to just hang out with the kids.
4.  Dance more.
5.  Introduce my kids to some language other than Spanish.  The Spanish videos are pretty good.  We need to listen to the disks more in the car. Peanut is interested in Spanish.  She asks what something means in Spanish or asks me to say certain phrases.
6.  Go to church at least once a month.  We got out of the habit and have maybe gone 6 times this year.  BabyP is better now so he doesn't scream when I drop him off at childcare.  That makes the visit much more enjoyable for everyone.
7.  Enjoy my job.  It has been a tough year for me at work.  I am actively working on making things better.
8.  Breathe more.  Relax my shoulders and work on my posture.

Christmas - that other holiday

You ask Peanut what happens on Christmas and she says "IT IS MY MOMMA'S BIRTHDAY!"  That is the kind of kid I hope I always have, one that thinks my birthday is just as cool as some fat dude with a sack full of presents.  I guess you don't have to be good for my Birthday to come, so maybe it is more of a given.

Peanut's "big" present was a wooden doll house for her princess.  She loves it so much she decided to eat some of the princesses.  (Side Note, but does anyone elses four year old still stick EVERYTHING in their mouth.  I trust her brother more than I trust her to not choke.)

The present I was more proud of for BabyP was a wagon, which turned out to be a big flop.  The pots and pans were a hit.  Also, I bought a screaming car thing at a yard sale for 50 cents which he loves.  The pots and pans are also nice to pile around you when you are trying to close yourself into a box.

Of course, if the box doesn't close, you should just scream.

(It is so funny to me that he is such a sweet good natured boy who just completely looses it, but then gets over it and moves on.)

So prior to the Christmas gift opening extravaganza, we painted some salt dough ornaments.  I think this is going to be one of the traditions we keep.  The kids seem to like it, and I enjoyed pulling out the weird looking ornaments that Peanut made last year.

We also made sure to paint our bellys a little bit.

Then we made cookies.  Peanut wanted to make oatmeal cookies so the reindeer could eat them.  She originally picked out ginger bread cookies to make, but rolling and cutting out dough with a four year old and a 19 month old did not sound like fun to me.  So this is what peanut looked like when we were making the cookies.

And evidently this is what I look like when she takes my pictures.  Why can't anyone ever get my head in pictures?  Am I really that tall?  Notice the fancy aprons?  My neighbor had them made for us.  She rulz.

So we made the cookies, and they were delicious.  Peanut did not eat any because she wanted to save them for Santa Clause and Ms. Clause. 

These two gangsters were sitting quietly waiting to open their Christmas Eve present.  We open one present on Christmas Eve. Their pajamas are matching grinch pajamas.  The LOVED having matching pajamas.  Peanut thought it was cool to match someone, and BabyP thought it was cool to do ANYTHING like his sister.  (Side note, aren't her chubby cheeks so cute.  I forget that she has them because she is growing up so fast)

Here is Peanut waiting next to the cookies and the stockings.  We put out magic reindeer food to make the reindeer fly really high.  She drew a bunch of cookies on a sheet of paper to let Santa know how many cookies he was allowed to take.  She even drew in the raisins for him.  Curious what she is eating?  It is magic reindeer food (when do they quit being so gross?)

So the tree looked lovely when we went to bed.  Santa wrote a nice letter, which was really exciting to find, but as always, he left a big mess.  He took some, but not all, of the cookies and scattered his magic reindeer feed all over the floor.

When we woke up at 3, someone, who had a lot of fiber throughout the night had to go to the bathroom.  She finished off the magic reindeer feed (which is oats, flour, and glitter) as well as finishing off the rest of the cookies.  It serves her right for needing to be outside.  I like to think she learned her lesson, but I think she prefers to be outside looking in on us as opposed to really being among us.

We had a great Christmas and a wonderful time off.  I have always enjoyed Christmas, but I think it is extra special with young kids.  It is just so magically because they believe everything about it. 

2009 Resolution Wrap Up

So I made some resolutions in 2009.  Let's see how I did.

1. Get Fine in '09. This resolution has a couple of parts. The first is to lose that last 5 pounds (or more) of baby weight.

I did this.  I lost the weight.  I am pretty sure it is back again, but we are going to blame it on water.
 
The second part to "Get Fine in '09" is to try to care more about how I look when I go to work. I am going to take 10 minutes 3 times a week to put makeup on. I am also going to buy and USE eye cream. 


Well, i mostly did this.  If you average it out, I am pretty sure I wore makeup at least 3 times a week.  I didn't do so great with the eye cream, but I did use face cream pretty regularly.


2. Take Classes. I am going to take a digital camera class. I have already signed up for a Zumba class. I also hope to find a nice glass or clay class. There is also a class that you can take with your 3 year old on Saturday mornings at the Art Center. Something like that would be fun too. I also think I might start one of those Rosetta Stone courses and learn to speak some form of Chinese.

I took the Zumba class, but not a camera class.  I am reading my owner's manual, which I think counts for a little bit.  camera class will come this year.  We signed up for the gym this year, so i do a Wednesday night class which is nice and gets me away from the house.

3. Do one BIG project by myself. I think this project is going to be building some cabinetry down in the basement for the playroom. 

No.  I didn't do this.  I got too busy.  I give myself a break though because I forced to go back to work full time.

4. Autocross. So I am not really going to start autocrossing, but I am going to ask for a day on the weekend to myself every once in a while. I might use this day to go to Memphis and shop or maybe go on a nice hike with Meghan.


This might have happened once this year.  I don't know that I want to give up a weekend with the kids though.


5. Project 365. I am going to take a picture a day. I have a website but haven't set it up yet. 
This sucked.  I hated it.

6. Finish in February. Finish the sweater I started. Finish the kitchen and the baseboards. Finish all the little things around the house that I need to "get to".
FINISHED and two more to add to the pile of done sweaters.

7. Finances. This last year wrecked havoc on our finances. I took off work for 3 months with minimal salary and went part time after that. Mr. T. took off work for about 6 weeks. We bought a "new" vehicle. We added another kid to daycare. We threw a lot of money into the house. Luckily prior to this year, we had saved money for the house and for my maternity leave, but we still feel a little tight. Once we get our ends tied up on the house, we can refinance and save ourselves some money each month. I am also going to start working an hour more a day to increase our income. We need to get ourselves back on track financially. We need to start saving again and get back on budget.

I did all of these things, but we still seem to be moving slowly to our goal.   We spend a lot of money.  We need to think more about what we are doing.  I do well with buying the kids used clothes and toys, but I draw the line at shoes.  No more used shoes.  As a family we don't eat out very often, but both of us have gotten into the habit of eating out for lunch.  This is going to go on the resolution list again this year.

So that is that.  I am already thinking about 2010.

For Christmas

What did BabyP get for Christmas?


A sister with Matching Pajamas!


No way!  Put it back!

5 weeks come and gone

My inlaws have been in the states for the last 5 weeks.  They left this afternoon.  Mr. T. and Peanut are out dropping them off at the airport right now.  It feels sad in the house.  It is great to have family around, especially during the Christmas season when memories are made.  Not that memories aren't made other times of the year, but there is always something special about Christmas and Thanksgiving.  Of course, in Australia, they don't have Thanksgiving, so it is extra fun that they were able to experience it with us. 

The holiday season lasts a long time at the Tallgirl house.  We start in November and go straight through to Peanut's birthday.  Only on the weekend after her birthday party, can we sit down and really relax.  Or really, I guess I should say, sit down and think about all of the projects that need to be accomplished on the house this year.  It is enough to make me stick my head in the sand.  Luckily, I have a rock star party to plan between now and then.

I don't think we are going to go to Australia in March like we had planned.  There are a number of different reason, but mostly, we go to see Mr. T.'s family and we just had an extended visit with them.  I feel two ways about it.  It is sad because March is a wonderful time to be in Australia, but I also feel a bit relieved that I cans save up some more time and money before going. 

The kids loved getting to know their grandparents.  This is the first time both have really gotten to know Mr. T's dad.  Peanut met him when she was only 2 months old, so she doesn't remember their first meeting.  She really hit it off with her grandfather.  He would read her books and exclaimed merrily at any of the twenty billion silly things she does a day.  BabyP took a keen interest in granny.  Unfortunately, he couldn't say granny so he would call her by her first name.  In the morning we would hear, "Hi Nina!"  If he felt she wasn't being fast enough he would stand by the gate at the stairs and yell.  "NINA! PAPA! NINA!"  BabyP also found a warm spot in his grandfather's lap. 

It is neat to be able to share my kid's with both sets of parents.  Both of my children are loving and vibrant people.  We did this.  All six of us.  Mr. T and I made them, but we couldn't have produced these wonderful creatures with the love and stability they provided us.  Thanks to them, and if they ever want to babysit....

A Fun Game

What is everyone doing?

All Covered Up.

But it isn't quite right.

Now BabyP wants to see what is going on.

Hey wait for me!

Love Letter to a 19 month old

Dear BabyP,
so... you learned the word no.  You don't particularly know how to use the word, but you do know how to say it. 

"Would you like to nurse?"  "no"
"Would you like to eat?" "no"

You know you are suppose to answer, but you don't really mean no.  Just like you don't really want up when you request to get up.  I can be holding you and you will say "Pup", which is Up in your own special language.  It has been amazing to see how much your language has progressed in the last month.  You even seem to say things like "oooohhhh look at that"  of course it sounds more like "Ohhhh uckada"  I love that you are learning to talk.  It is shocking to me when you say a word I didn't know you knew like "cookie" or "night night". 

You are still not allowed to eat dairy, which causes you to throw some tantrums at daycare.  The other day was pizza day.  They gave you beanie weenies.  You threw your beanie weanies on the ground, grabbed your buddie's food, ran into the corner and ate it.  Food seems to get you in trouble a lot at school.  You often reach over and take your buddies food at school.  The funny part is that you try to be sneaky about it.

The other day someone gave you a cookie.  Instead of eating it, you hid it in the little kitchen we bought for you earlier this year.  Either the next day or a couple of hours later you were playing with the kitchen.  Something clicked in your head so you went to get the stool so you could reach the cookie you had stashed on top of the kitchen.  You were very careful not to let your sister see.  Over the course of the hour, you kept coming back to the same cookie.  Your sister never knew what she was missing.

I guess you did something similar with a sucker that I gave you yesterday, because your shirt and mouth were all pink.  Your granny said she saw you with a sucker, but no one gave one to you today.


Today,  you broke your sister's beloved snow globe.  She gave it a big shake to watch the snow come down.  Then you gave it a big shake.  Unfortunately, when you shook it, it flew out of your hand and smashed on the floor.  Instantly, you knew you had done something wrong.  As she erupted into tears, you went to her room to bring her back her favorite poodle.  The compassion in that act is amazing to me.  A year ago you were struggling to sit up, but today you are talking and apologizing to your sister in a very meaningful way.  You have observed her enough and learned enough about her behavior to know a cuddle from her dog would make her feel better AND YOU ARE ONLY 19 MONTHS OLD.


You are an insightful little boy and 'sweet like sugar'.  This last month, it has been amazing to watch you grow into a communicative little human.  I feel so happy and lucky to be your mom.

All my love,
your mum.

Santa came to the dayschool

And someone was not too impressed.

But someone else knows how to smile pretty for the picture.

Hey did I mention that I knitted these sweaters? because I did. Oh yes I did.

Only 2 more weeks!

This week was good. Really good. I can't really go into all of the reasons why I found it good, but I can say that I now have my own office. It is nice to spread out and close the door so I can do some writing without the radio blaring in my ears to keep the noise of the office out. We have also been tracking some health issues, which have been resolved on their own. My relief is palatable because the next step involved large needles and sedation. We aren't completely out of the woods yet, but we can see the clearing. It looks like the complications were the result of mono, which did not show up on the first test.

Yesterday we were finally able to pile into the car to look at Christmas lights. Peanut almost immediatly wanted to go home. Mr. T. was next to follow suite. BabyP was the true shining star of the group. He would say "oohhh wow. alskjdfiownef;kl nasdl;vnkoe4urtf[89tu fweoaihj xklzcnv09efukjdfvglsk;mdf. wow." I was driving, so I can't say for sure if he was pointing, but I know he was looking at both sides and exclaiming loudly. He really enjoyed it, which made me enjoy it even more then I already was.

Today was the big day that Peanut and I have been waiting for since.... July. We went and saw Princess and the Frog with some of Peanut's friends from day school. I really enjoyed the movie. It had a great message of work, balance, and friendship. I didn't necessarily mean to, but Peanut and I dressed like Snow Princesses. At the last minute, I got the nerve to dress up knowing I was going to be the ONLY adult dressed like a queen. I bought my outfit after Halloween about 3 years ago when I was still pregnant with BabyP. I bought Peanut's after Halloween this year.

Peanut has been saying some pretty funny things these days. We were coming back from getting her last H1N1 shot. (which by the way, she didn't like. I pointed out that all the people around us didn't like it either. I think it would have gone a lot smoother had a. she not seen kids screaming while they were waiting in line and b. 5 people weren't crowded around her telling her it was going to be "all right". ) Anyway she said "When i grow up I am going to do my job and go home and take lots of naps. I am going to hang out with the kids and watch grown up TV. I am also going to go to the grocery store and buy lots of things" She makes my life sound so glamorous!

I don't know what exactly she and her father were discussing, but it came up that the car was broken. I think Mr. T. said he had to take the car to Daniel, our mechanic. So she says "Is it broken like your race car?" (back story is that we have a car with two engines sitting NEXT to it in our carport.) "Yes it is broken like my race car", he says to her. "Well, maybe you should take your race car to Daniel. You aren't very good at fixing things. You should do that. You should take your race car to Daniel. You really aren't very good at fixing things. Daniel is. He is good at fixing things. You aren't." Man... she can cut like a knife.

BabyP is starting to ask for things which is great for me. I feel like I have a pet monkey because he is always pointing and grunting then dissolving into a pile of tears if he doesn't get his way. This phase will only last a couple of months, but once he can say something other than momma on a regular basis, I will be happy. Every day there is new and clearer words. He gets it, so it is just a matter of time.

Next week will be very busy for me at work. I have actually been asked to go to a retreat. I can't leave the kids all night because... well... if last night is any indication, NO ONE WILL SLEEP. The retreat is close, so I will spend all day there then come home. I am still nursing BabyP and am not ready to leave him or Alison for any extended period of time. The downside is that I will be working a lot, the upside is that I will get the time back in comp time. That means, I am going to take an extra day next week for Christmas. HURRAY!

It is a little quieter these days at the tallgirl house. My BIL left on Saturday and my MIL and FIL on Sunday. Now all we have to listen to is someone carrying on because she didn't take a nap.

Why oh why do kids ever give up naps!

The tree is up, and the house is decorated for the Christmas season. I have yet to put Christmas lights up. I am hoping we can do it by next weekend. I bought a lot of high efficiency ones last years at the after Christmas sale. My fingers are itching to see their little bursts on color on our roof line.

Peanut is excited to get her bed back after having to sleep on our floor for two weeks. She was really good natured about it. Of course, I bribed her just a bit, but it worked out. She originally wanted to go to build a Bear, but we were able to get hold of a princess Tiana doll that she opted for instead.

BabyP is doing really well with the talking. Peanut is too, but unfortunately her milestones include calling all of her grandparents by their first names and immediately doing what I have told her she can't do. ugh.. But BabyP is saying "sissy" and "yummus" for hummus. I saw him in his room memorizing the preamble to the constitution to recite to his grandmother and grandfather when they return in two weeks.

words

I could have sworn BabyP said tonight "I want pup" or... I want up in human terms.

I think the "I" was an accident.

but the want was not.

It seems that as soon as he turned 18 months, his language just exploded.

And for other stuff.

We went to the doctor yesterday. I asked about the continued coughing. There was no real answer, but there was some note taking.

We talked about his language, and the doctor thought it was fine. He even said he was doing good. He does have a lot of words, but not a lot of them can be understood by other people.

His stats are

weight 25 lbs 13.8 oz. - 46%
length 34.5 inches - 93% (I never really trust the length)
Head circumference - 19 inches or 61%. (and if case you were wondering that is only about 2.5 inches bigger than it was when he was born, and yes you should pity me)

The nurses took some blood to run an allergy test. It was pretty awful, but at least we will get some answers on his allergies. He was really angry when we held him down, but as soon as I could hold him, he was fine.

It just all happened?

I guess thanksgiving is over. I guess it has been over for a while. My in laws have been here for about two weeks, which makes me feel like I am on a perpetual holiday...

but only I go to work.

So my body doesn't really know what to think.

Thanksgiving was great. We had about 13 people, but 4 of them were really little. We had a great big spread. I ate the last of the soup made from the ham bone today, so most of the food MIGHT be gone from the refrigerator. It was fun to make dinner for people who have never had Thanksgiving before. I was sure to make sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top. Can you believe that some people might find that weird? My friend from Israel pointed that out to me one day. Who knew?

We spent the next couple of days in Memphis. Every time I go there, I like it more. Maybe I am just comparing it to Little Rock, but it is nice to go someplace that had/has money. The zoo is great, and there are lots of fun museums. The history of Memphis is interesting as well. It is like one of the great fallen southern cities. It seems like a lot of southern cities fell apart after desegregation and with American's complete reliance on the auto. On the flip side, it is nice to see those cities take a nod from the past and grow into something better than they were before. The trolleys that run the tourist around are the same trolleys that were taken out a number of years ago.

All of that leads us into today. We cooked about 6 dozen cookies tonight to sell at the church's Time and Talent sale. Peanut is all jacked up on sugar and being a maniac. BabyP is pretend feeding me and banging on my screen.

So, just a few pictures

This is the first year babyP has helped with the gingerbread house. It went Okay. Of course, a good sum of the candy was eaten.

Once the smoke was clear (literally), the table was set. I had a bit of an issue with an overflowing gratin.

MIL doing Tai Chi. Actually, I don't know what she is doing, but I like the picture.

We did one more swim lesson. She did much better this time. With prompting, she can jump in and swim back to the wall. She is also a master floater. She knew I was taking her picture, so she kept giggling and showing off.

A little Personality

I think this sums up my kids personalities.

Oh Sweet Internets

The internet has been down at the tallgirl household. There are three men here who are starting to twitch from withdrawl. Mr. T. almost bit my hand the other night when I asked for my iphone back. (He can be a bit internet aggressive). My brother in law works in computers, but evidently, I still get to be the chief of technology. I have patched a bit of internet together on Mr. T's computer, but I will be buying a new router soon.

VERY SOON.

Everyone arrived safely. Most of the clan spent last night in Dallas. It was a bit of sweet relief for me because I can start to focus on Thanksgiving. Most of the shopping is completed, but there is still a lot of cooking to do. I love Thanksgiving. I love pulling the China out of the cupboard and dusting off the nice napkins. I love eating off place settings that all match. I love the tradition and grandeur. I love to cook and eat.

I guess now that the internet is up, I should get into the kitchen and start cooking. It is hard to cook without my laptop, which holds all my recipes. It is almost like living in the dark ages where we had to use books and writing. The HORROR!

T-24

The in laws will be arriving soon. We should be doing more on the house, but instead we are ignoring our kids and playing on the computer. Well not so much ignoring them as being ignored by Peanut. She would rather play dolls then hang out with old mom and dad.

We should be okay because the 'magic cleaning' fairy comes tomorrow and makes the house spotless. I love the magic cleaning fairy. She also happens to be the 'pick the kids up when you are stuck in a meeting 1.5 hours away and you should be picking the kids up then' fairy. Not to mention the 'calling before she gives your dairy free kid a cupcake' fairy. She is a very good fairy. We love our magic fairy.

We all still have a case of the yucks. Just when we seem to be getting better, it gets worse again. I thought I was over my funk, but I guess I was wrong. That isn't going to stop me from sleep training BabyP again tonight. I started last week but gave up when his cough was persistant. He is now on a steriod to make it go away. I feel like this should be the end of the cold stuff. I sure hope, for his sake, it is. That poor bear.

It is weird to think this will be the first time Mr. T.'s father has met BabyP. It is nice that when they come, they can stay a while (5 weeks in this case). I wouldn't say that I take for granted that my mother and father are so close, but I just can't imagine it any other way. My MIL does a good job of seeing us once a year, so the kids will grow up know her, but it isn't like them living right down the street. I know it is hard for Mr. T when his mom and dad leave. When we win the lottery, we are moving my mom and dad to Australia. Until that day, we will make the most of the holidays we get together. I am so thankful we have a house that accommodate so many people at one time.

Apples to Apples

Peanut at 18 months.

This weekend brought to you by Disney Pixar's UP on blue ray and DVD

ya, we watch a bit of Disney. Peanut kept asking for Disney Pixar's Up, not just Up. We will watch it once it comes back into the video store, but it cracks me up to hear her whine about not getting to see it "Tell them to bring it to me." I don't think she gets the whole idea. oh well.

Spent the weekend pretty busy. Mr. T. worked on Saturday. I rode mountain bikes in the morning. Did you hear those angels singing? That is what it feels like to ride mountain bikes on Saturday mornings in the fall. Mountain biking is one of those things I kind of dread because it takes so much preperation, but once I am doing it, I am like "Holy Shit, why don't I do this all the time?"

Sunday was spent planning for the arrival of our guests on Friday. My MIL and FIL are going to stay for a couple of weeks. I needed to clean out the cabinets and put some childproof locks on them. The locks aren't necessarily FOR my in-laws, but with the locks on the cabinets, we can safely stash our items on the counter back into drawers without risk of someone killing themselves.

Can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving? I haven't yet planned our menu, but I am getting close. I placed an order for our turkey, which was a load off of my mind. I wanted a fresh one with no salt water added. Peanut has three things she is going to help me with. I think this year, she might make a trifle.

Peanut's health is improving. She is on a antibiotic after the doctor called and said she was positive for strep. I am worried BabyP might be getting ill, but he sounded better at the end of the day than he did at the beginning. I have resigned myself that he needs an antihistamine before he goes to bed. If he gets that, he cough seems to stay under control. Once this cough is completely gone, I will rest a little easier.

Everything else is just about the same as always. BabyP's diet is going well. He will only drink So Coconut milk, which they quit carrying at our Kroger. I have asked that they bring it back.

We are looking forward to our visitor's, my BIL, will be coming for Thanksgiving too. We are going to do a short vacation, which I am looking forward too. Going to work is a bit of a drain on me these days. I have hopes for the new year, but we will see. I think I need a nice vacation and a change of scenery.

They are DONE

well kinda...
The Peanut's sweater needs some buttons and BabyP's needs to be tacked at the collar some.

But here they are....

Peanut's was WAY shorter than it should have been. It should be a size 6, but the length is really like a size 5. I will check that next time.

Baby's P's turned out great. I had to size it up because the biggest size was 24 month. I wanted something bigger than that. I think he will be wearing this all year and maybe into next fall.

Love Letter to an 18 month old

Dear BabyP,

You are turning into such a funny little man. You talking has improved pretty dramatically this month. I still can't really understand most of what you are saying, but I can tell you are trying to say things like grapes and bear. You are working at it, and that is all I can ever ask you to do.

We found out this month that you are allergic to dairy. We removed it from your diet, and a whole new world of clear eyes and clear noses opened up to us. It is the magic pill I have been looking to find for the past year while you have been battling sinusitis. I feel a little sorry for you because I think you miss your milk and cheese crackers. We don't eat a lot of cheese, so cutting it from your diet isn't hard. The hard part is being sure that all of your care givers comply, and that you are given tasty alternatives to dairy. Because you are in day care, I feel a little out of control of that part of your life.

You admiration for you sister has been stepped up this month. When you see her, you run up to her and give her a hug. A couple of days last week she stayed home from school. When I picked you up from daycare, you tried to remind me about your sister, "dister, dister?" You weren't terribly convinced when I told you she was at home.

If she is laying on the floor, you are known to walk over to her and lay on top of her to give her a good cuddle.

Your favorite game to play is chase. It is fun, most of the time. I think your favorite part of chase is getting caught because you fall in a heap and laugh. My least favorite part is when you are going to something that will kill you or holding something that could kill you when you start running. Anytime I say "Come here." You look at me, giggle, and run in the exact opposite direction. If you have something you aren't supposed to have, you run into the corner by the refrigerator and work as hard as you can on opening whatever container should have been out of your reach.

You love to open things. I have half of my spices sitting on top of my counter now because you like to open the drawer they are in and get them out. You like to carry them around the house and try to open the jar. I know you can do it, but luckily, we have always caught you before you get the bottle open. I let you play with the red pepper because I am mean and figure if you did it once, you may not do it again.

Daisy is still big excitement in your life. It is funny to me how different you are compare to you sister in this regard. Your sister was pretty mean to Daisy, but you are incredibly sweet to her. Tonight, she was inside, and she actually let you sit on her like a horse. In contrast, when your sister was your age she wouldn't let her within 5 feet. You are incredibly sweet to Daisy. You like to give her treats, and if there are no treats, you hand feed her own food to her.

Your a sweet little boy. I have to think so because I am your mother, but even the folks at daycare think you are wonderful. Evidently, you don't hit or bite or do any naughty things that are characteristic of "boys". You love to cuddle and are pretty easy to please. I love that people like to be around you. I love that when we go to the park, you are never the one causing a raucous (knock on wood). I love that when we see a new dog or cat, you want to pet and cuddle it. I love that you care so much for you sister that you wake her up with cuddles, hand her your vitamins when you get them first, and go out of your way to hand her milk to her. You are a sweet sweet boy, and I hope you that is something that never ever ends.

I love you,

your mum.

Quick Notes

We have all been under the weather and busy, but I have some things I want to jot down so I will do it in bullet form.

• Somehow BabyP knows who Elmo is. When he sees him he says "melmo" and stands mesmerized.
• His speaking is improving considerably. He is starting to say two words together. And by starting I mean today he said bye bye sister and bye bye daddy.
• He can unscrew lids from sippy cups. He will not be getting a cup of water in his crib anymore.
• I can move him out of his crib, change his sheets, and move him back all without him waking up.
• He loves his sister.
• He loves his papa.
• He no longer likes soy milk, and they were out of the coconut milk at the grocery store. I bought him some toddler formula (insert irony here), but he didn't like that either. I wish I could give him milk.
• The popcorn at Target contains dairy.
• Peanut is in swim lessons this week. She is doing better than last time and seems to like her teacher a lot.
• Peanut is wheezing so we are working on getting over it.
  
• She has all but quit taking a nap which makes her really manic at the end of the day. She wants to go to be early which makes her wake up early and since she doesn't take a nap...
• She has been pretty good lately. I was feeling under the weather these last couple of days, but she has been spot on awesome. I asked her to get dressed this morning, and she did it! She even had on pants like I requested and had on her shoes. She even added some sun glasses because she is a fancy girl.
  

Weekend Done!

The big excitement this weekend was figuring out BabyP's diet. I might be imagining it, but it seems like as soon as he had just a bit of dairy, he would get a nasty runny nose. For example, he drank his sister milk then had a yucky nose. He ate a cheese cracker then had a yucky nose. For the most part he is symptom free. He does seem to have a cold, but I don't feel like I need to be watching him closely to take him to the doctor. Let's just hope it all works.

He has started to get a bit sassy. He was throwing his food off his tray bit by bit so I took his plate away. I gave him one noodle at a time. He would pick it up and look right at me. I would say "put it in your mouth." He would giggle and EAT PART OF IT. I would have to tell him to eat the whole thing before he would eat the whole noodle. He kept looking at me acting like he was going to throw it on the floor. He is so naughty!

Sister was pretty good this weekend. I think she might be coming down with something because she was a little horse and seemed really lethargic this evening. I doped her up with ibuprofen and benedryl and will hope for the best.

I spent most of the weekend playing with my mom's camera. I need to download some more pictures, which I plan on doing once I get my Brand New (to me) desk set up downstairs. Momma is taking some space back. I looked around and realized that the only place I had to put things was in Peanut's closet, which of course, doesn't work. I want to take over the whole office, but I am not allowed to (yet). My desk is really pretty and shiny though.

Dairy Free Dieting and some winter swimming

We went to the otolaryngologist yesterday to discuss the constant ear and sinus infections. She peered into his nose and his ears. We talked about what kind of things have been going on and how he never seems to be well. At least once a month he is on antibiotics,even with his tubes. We were happy because we have made it 5 weeks before having to go to the doctor again.

She suggested we take him off milk. I told her we had tried it before and bla bla bla. She was pretty insistent that we try it again. I thought, what the hell. I have nothing to lose.

Less than 24 hours later, he is almost symptom free. I had him a full hour before I saw any discharge from his nose, even then it was clear and thin. He still has a bit of a cough, but I think that will go away soon. I can't believe the change in his condition in only a short time. When I picked him up from school, his nose was clean, and his eyes were clear. It is really exciting to see him getting better, literally before my eyes.

I wonder if his skin will clear up a bit too.

We have him mostly on soy and coconut milk. He doesn't even act like there is a difference. It won't be hard to cut out cheese because he doesn't like to eat it anyway. He would prefer to eat regular spaghetti to mac and cheese any day of the week. I am concerned about him getting enough fat, so I am going to start him on flaxseed oil. He loves hummus and peanut butter, so it is great that he can eat foods he already enjoys.

In other news, he fell down an 8 foot embankment into a small stream at a local park. I was never any more than a foot from him the whole time, but I just couldn't catch him. He was barely under water when I yanked him out. He was pretty shocked and scared, once he got the water out of his lungs. It really sucked to watch it all unfold. I almost caught him right before he rolled in, but i just couldn't get my hands on his shirt. I felt so helpless.

It was only a couple of yards back to the car where I stripped him down completely. He had a sweatshirt in the car, and after a lot of digging, we found a diaper as well. He thought it was pretty nice to be free balling at the park. He was playing with acorns and yelling at his sister before I had the kids strapped into the car.

I think the whole thing shook his sister up. She kept saying "oh poor baby" over and over again. She was crying and on the verge of hysterics when I got back to the bridge she was standing on. She is a good girl. She cares about her brother.

This kid is so accident prone. I don't think he does anymore than his sister did. I was pulling her off of tables and telling her to get down too, but this boy just doesn't have the grace his sister does. He is going into dance at the first opportunity.

Candy Fairy

The Candy Fairy came Monday night. (the above picture had nothing to do with the candy fairy, but I thought it was funny)

First we wrote a note to her to tell her what we wanted. We place the candy outside because she can't get inside (or so I am told)

I thought this part was really cute.

She tried to sign it at my urging. She doesn't seemed too concerned about getting the letters in the correct sequence even though she can recite the spelling.

Then the candy fairy came. She took all the candy, but evidently, she does not like candy necklaces, so that one stayed.

I had to explain why the candy fairy did not bring brother a big sister doll. I told her she thought he might like the truck more. It is a bit of a toss up. He likes to be tidy and put things in the truck, but he also likes to cuddle his sister.

Although, you can't always say that is the case.

All the candy found a good home IN MY BELLY. Well, not all of it, but it did get eaten at work by me AND my coworkers.