Strike!

We went bowling this morning with Ben's classmates (all but one of them) and their mommies. It was really REALLY fun! The kids had a blast playing with each other outside of school and I got a chance to talk to the other moms for quite a bit. They really are a nice bunch of moms and the kids are all just adorable and sweet and play so well together... it's unfortunate that I think Ben is one of the only kids in his class doing 3-day/AM school next year, so we probably won't see much of these kids after this year is over. :( The rest are doing PM or full days.

The little girls are all such junior mommies. They nearly smothered Simon while they were fussing over him, but he loved every minute of it. They fed him Cheerios and handed him his sippy cup and petted his head. It was really funny to watch... girls are just so different than boys. I can't imagine how long it will take me to adjust to the differences if I ever do have one.

Some pictures...
The gang minus three... left to right -- Keira, Miel, Carly, Ben, and Ella. Miel and Carly currently have a war going on about whose prince Ben is. ;)


Having a snack. The other two had arrived by now... Dylan, far right and Ava, far left.


Carly wanted to hold the babies. (Miel's baby sister is about two months younger than Simon and was there too)


Little girls, little girls... everywhere, little girls...and Simon is in there somewhere...


Ben keeping score


Ben waiting for the red ball... it always had to be the red ball.

This is Just Cool...

More Brandon...

Ew.

I just discovered there is an entire ant society, probably four generations worth, existing in the ficus tree in my living room. (which is now on the deck until I figure out how to exterminate it)

Also, the ant traps I have put all over the first floor for the Annual Marching Of the Ants? (presumably to join their friends in the ficus) The ants actively avoid them. Nice.

Another Great Review!

And my brother is in this one! :)

Birds and Bees and the Mess They Make...

This is the first year I've really put it all together... Ben vs. allergies, I mean. Last year, it took us until the end of the summer to figure out why his skin turned to alligator hide and why his eyes kept swelling shut and why he was so cranky. They all seemed independent of each other before then. He'd wake up with a huge hive under one eye. His skin would get bumpy after... sun exposure? heat exposure? exposure? ??? He was cranky... but he was three and he's a moody kid anyway.

This year, it REALLY all makes sense and I actually saw the progression. April came and with it, the pollen and THAT turned sweet, yet sometimes challenging Ben into supercranky- 24/7-challenging-itchy-whiny-Ben-who-also-now-can't-sleep-through-the-night. Seriously. The allergies CHANGE his personality. It's weird and really, really sad. I want the other Ben back. Four was turning out to be such a nice age until the allergies struck. He even LOOKS different. Huge, dark circles under his swollen eyes. His nose is all red and gross. He's just not in good shape.

Zyrtec? Does nothing. Claritin? Does even less than nothing. Benadryl seems to help somewhat, so we're doing a lot of that. We have an appointment in about two weeks with an allergist that Erikarecommended. I can't WAIT. I just want Ben to get some relief... I've had seasonal allergies my whole life, but nothing that even comes close to what he has. I'll never complain about a little sneezing, sniffling again.

Simon will more than likely be afflicted too. It just takes 2-3 years of exposure for seasonal allergies to really get going. (sigh)

Simon Says...

Bear ("Beh"), Bubble ("Buhbuh"), and Mail ("Meh").

So fun!

Fair!

Today was Ben's school fair! It was SO cute... lots of little games for the kids to play, a moonbounce, pony rides... we stayed probably two hours and did everything there was to do!



Ben had his first ever pony ride: (I was, frankly, shocked he agreed to this)


He moonbounced...


...Sported a cowboy hat (while I silently prayed this would not usher in some kind of obsessive cowboy phase)


...Played with his neighborhood friend Trey...


...Carried an egg on a spoon...


...The sign made me laugh...


Simon chilled in the backpack...


We ran into one of Ben's classmates (Carly) while playing the Dig in the Sand game... her mom once again asked me about a playdate. I gave up and we are going bowling on Wednesday. ;)



And, so exciting! I bought a bajillion tickets for the the teacher's basket raffle and threw them all in Mrs. Poe's basket. (the teacher who got the most tickets in their basket got $$ to spend on their classroom)... anyway, thanks to all those tickets, I won this insane assortment of beach stuff! I actually didn't find out until my SIL called. Apparently they made her drag all the stuff home. ;) Don't know yet if Mrs. Poe won... I think she had some stiff competition with the basket that included a wine refrigerator and six bottles of wine.

Review!

I found the first review of the movie my brother was in (which premiered last night at the Tribeca Film Festical)... and it's good! :)
Woohoo!

You can Read it here. Brandon isn't mentioned, but it's awesome to know people are liking the movie. I'm guessing that can only mean good things!

Simon Says...

"Ball"

It uh... sounds a lot like "brother" ;) The only difference is that ball is only one syllable. Well, that and he's usually holding or trying to get a "baw" when he says it. We're apparently all about the B words here this week. Too bad mommy and daddy and all the grandparents all start with different letters. ;)

Official and Stuff...

I'm writing "brother" in the first word blank. Simon picked up one of my framed pictures in the living room this afternoon, pointed to Ben and said "Buher". He did it two more times before I finally decided to give up and say it was for real.

I guess we now know who Simon deems most important around here! ;)



p.s. Yes, I corrected the baby book. One of the milestones listed was "I can sit supported" Um... if you prop them up enough, can't babies pretty much do that from birth? We used to wedge Ben in the crack of the couch! Anyway, I thought it was dumb, so I fixed it. I'm kind of ocd with the baby book in case ya couldn't already tell. ;)

Visit! :)

An old friend from my working-outside-the-home past life is coming for a visit this afternoon! :) Ben and I are so excited! Me, because I can't wait to see her and catch up. Ben, because he wants to grill her on her Disney knowledge. (she's a Disney freak like us) ;) She is quite pregnant and I can't to see her in this state...as much as she made fun of me when I blew up like a balloon with Ben... oh yes, paybacks, they rock.

Also, isn't is fun how fast OTHER peoples' pregnancies go? Especially when you only see them once or twice while they are pregnant? Wish mine felt like they went that quickly...

Part-Time Work for SAHM's! :)

My friend Tracy, (who currently lives in Hong Kong but is coming home for a visit soon...hi Tracy!) just posted on her blog about a really awesome part-time work opportunity that is perfect for SAHM's! :) She asked me to post about it here because a lot of you are, in fact, SAHM's. If you want more details, hop on over to her blog!

I realized, upon rereading those last sentences that this sounds like some strange pyramid scheme or something. LOL. I promise it's not. Just go read her post about it if you want to know more... it's too detailed to summarize here!

Update Dump...

* Ben woke up SCREAMING at the top of his lungs. While this is not particuarly uncommon, this morning it was warranted. The poor child can't breathe through his nose, has a dry cough and his left eye is practically swollen shut. Does anyone know (since the doctor's office isn't open yet) if you can give Benedryl while they still have Zyrtec in their system? And for those of us who have been around us lately, no fear... it's just his allergies. :( Must make that allergist appointment today.

* Which brings me to my second bullet. WHY is it so hard to make appointments of any kind when you have children? I have a list of five appointments to make... some for me, some for Ben, one for Simon... been trying to do it for three weeks now. THat will be today's goal...

* Just since Sunday, Simon has pretty much mastered standing alone. I know I've said this before, but it continually amazes me how one day they seems a million light years away from doing something and the next day, they can be right there in front of you doing it, the whole time looking at you as if to say, "What's with you? It's no big thing!" Anyway, so he's standing and even standing and squatting down to get things... however, he will only do it on his terms. God forbid you try to put him down in a standing position. I see a lot of cries of "I do mahsef!!!" over the next few years.


* Words... you know, I still haven't filled in that blank in the baby book for "first word." For some reason, I find that blank very intimidating. I never know what to call a word. I was confident Simon was saying "brother" the other day, but after that day, he hasn't said it again. So now I find myself second guessing it. I think I have also have heard "hello" a handful of times, as well as a few other things that might be actual words. (possibly - "light", "all done", "that", "have that" "ball" and "bye bye"...??) But I just can't bring myself to fill in the blank. And now I have been watching videos of Ben when he was between 11-13 months and I hear him saying all KINDS of things that I didn't notice were words back then! My solution has just been to create a running 'Maybe' list on the side of the baby book page and when we get a consistent one, that will be it. Am I making this too difficult? I am, aren't I? He also roars when he holds up the lion from his Little People ark... do animal sounds count? ;)

* I got the opportunity to test drive "the puppy" yesterday when my neighbor Beth brought theirs outside. I think it's a go. ;) Simon loved it and I didn't mind the sensitivity thing. He also took a liking to a baby doll one of the little girls had outside, so really, the Cabbage Patch Kid is on his birthday list for a reason. He and Ben BOTH love baby dolls... and he keeps stealing and drooling all over Ben's CBK.

I think that's my brain dump for now... off to go try to fix Ben. He is miserable, though he is currently sipping blueberry tea through a straw. (his request) and watching PBS, so it's temporarily quiet. Ahhhhhhhh....

Hrm...

Okay, so you all have me second guessing the puppy birthday gift idea. ;) That thing sounds annoying! Back to the drawing board...

Sorting Out the Fact from the Hype...

And, honestly, I don't know how to do it. I just figure better safe than sorry, and better late than never. So I'm now the proud owner of 9 Evenflo, old-school glass bottles. Obviously, the mass hysteria news stories have been effective because the shelves at BRU are nearly picked clean of "BPA-FREE!" bottles. (and yes, the Evenflo ones are already labeled as such... sigh... I feel like such a gullible sheep) However, if you need an Avent or a Dr. Browns? They have tons. ;)

Interesting to note, I was at the pediatrician's office this morning and asked her about it. She hadn't heard a thing. Not sure if I should be concerned that she is in the dark, or less worried because it's not on a pediatrician's radar (of all people).
The nurse, however, had heard about it and just kind of said, "It's always something... take it with a grain of salt... I used glass bottles with my kids 30 years ago.... etc" That's kind of how I feel... it's always something. But for whatever reason, I've actually decided to jump on the bandwagon with this something...

I figured while I was playing the part of the paranoid, reads-too-much mommy, I'd ask about the MMR that Simon is scheduled to get next month. I pretty much got the standard, "You can delay it until 15 months if you want to... but there is no proof yada blah blah... if your child is going to be autistic, it will get triggered eventually and there is no evidence that it's the shot that does it..."

I generally pride myself in not overreacting to news hype about things related to babies and kids... but I've just really started to be of the mindset that you really have to be your own (and your childrens') advocate because you can't trust anyone else to do what in your and their best interest. I'm just asking questions. I mostly believe there is no link between the MMR and autism... but if there is even the slightest chance that there is, will it hurt me or my child to ask questions about it? To delay it? No.

After speaking with the nurse at length, I really don't think I WILL be delaying it. It's one of those things where I think you just have to say if it's meant to be it's meant to be and God's in control. But I still don't think it hurts to learn as much as you can...

Sorry for the rambling! ;)

What To Get the Baby Who Has Inherited Everything...

I'm getting Simon a couple little birthday presents...he deserves a few new things of his own now and then, and I've purged a LOT of toys since Ben was this age and finally have it down to a respectable collection of simple, versatile baby toys. So, I figure there's a little room to build on it with some nice things that will last through the next baby and will be able to be passed around to the cousins over the years.

I picked up a wooden pounding bench at Toys R Us over the weekend. You know, the classic little toy with the hammer and pegs? Somehow, we managed not to end up with one of those with Ben, and I think Simon will have fun with it for quite awhile.

I think I'm also going to get him the little Laugh and Learn Puppy that goes with the house we have. I just got the house out of the attic for him and remembered that it has always bothered me that there is a seat/bowl and bone for the puppy that doesn't come with the house. ;)


I'll probably get him a book or two as well...

What toys for the under two set do you love/hate? :)

Just Plain Annoyed...

So, I'm sure you've all heard about the whole BPA and bottle/sippy cups drama, which has been around for a LONG time now (I remember hearing vague stirrings about it when Benjamin was still using bottles)... but is just now getting more serious attention. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a recent sky-is-falling blog post on the topic, as well as a more unbiased article)

Here's what I find especially annoying. WHY is it that can I still walk into Target and buy an Avent bottle? Even if there is a SMALL risk of harm, these bottles/cups etc should be off the shelves entirely! More and more I am discovering (and I know I'm probably way late to the party) that I can't trust companies to protect me or my family and that I really have to take it into my own hands-- doing the research and not just buying products blindly trusting that because it's a big company with a good reputation like Playtex, Gerber, etc that they are doing what is in the best interest of their consumers.

And now I'm in a bit of a rock/hard place situation with this. First off, both of my children used these bottles for nearly an entire year. I have microwaved them (not often, but once in awhile), I have run them through the dishwasher probably every other day AND they were stored in the attic prior to Simon getting them. So yeah, if there is PBA in them to be released into the milk, my kids have been exposed to it, no doubt! Simon is about a month or two away from being off bottles entirely, but I am still thinking I'll pitch the Avents and buy glass bottles to finish out the year and them store for the next baby.

I'm ticked. TICKED TICKED TICKED. And I'm REALLY ticked at myself for not paying any attention to the little bit of press I heard about this three years ago.

(sigh)

It's enough to make even ME a crunchy, "all natural"-everything, simpler is better advocate. Maybe I should go back to the cloth diapers too because God only knows what they are going to discover is in the Luvs and Pampers that will eventually kill us all.

Glorious Day for Photography...

! We were outside this afternoon at Tom's parents' house for his birthday dinner and the beautiful day/colors just BEGGED me to take a thousand pictures of the kids.

I'll try to whittle it down to my absolute favorites...

Cousins... all three! All sitting near each other and ALMOST looking in the same direction! No one sneezing, or crawling away, holding a bottle in front of their face, or crying! Woohoo! This may be the first time this has been this successful since Anastasia was three days old and Simon was 3-1/2 months!


The "serious" version of the above picture. ;) Don't their expressions just make you laugh?


"Hey! You have a mouth too!"


The little ones...


Watching the big "kids" (uncles, Pap, one aunt and Ben) playing wiffle ball...


You know how I feel about baby feet... this is Anastasia's. ;)


What a pose!


Uncle Marc and Simon scrunching faces at each other


Ben playing wiffle ball


Mommy helping Simon hit the ball


Simon...


Simon and Aunt Sarah... quick story about Sarah: there is a running joke in the family that each couple is responsible for producing four grandchildren. Tom and have committed to just three, Marc and Krystyna are at one and may stay there, but two max... that leaves Sarah responsible for the other 7-8. ;) The wedding is in August and then we're thinking she better get moving on that, no? ;)

One Small Step for Baby Kind..

So yeah, in what has turned out to be his signature way, Simon just unceremoniously took a step. I didn't even know the kid could stand on his own for an appreciable length of time yet, but, as it turns out, the opportunity to HOLD my video camera is amazing motivation. It was while attempting to grab said camera that he took this rather flukish first step. He also stood longer on his own than he EVER has.

I somehow doubt the next steps will come quickly... but a step's a step, baby!

I wasn't in any hurry to get him walking until he gained this last pound or so... I mean seriously y'all, this kid is DEAD WEIGHT. I either need to get him walking or find a stroller he'll tolerate because my arms are breaking.

Anyway, I DID capture this on video (for once!) since I was taping him So I'll get it uploaded a.s.a.p! :)

Here's the video, which would SO not hold up in a court of law... you can't even see his feet because he was so close to me. When you see him jerk a little to one side, that's when he took the step. LOL. I even marked it on the video so you don't miss it... but you probably will anyway because it's happens in about an eighth of a second!

You're Kidding...

Our pediatrician just called me with the results of Simon's 9-month bloodwork that I just finally went and got done two days ago. (the standard lead and anemia testing)
Get this, he's borderline anemic! You'd think of my two kids it's the OTHER one that would be anemic... but anyway.

It's just very weird, considering:
a) he eats anything and everything
and
b) he still takes more formula than whole milk.. probably 15 ounces or so a day.

Anyway, so now I have to up the green veggies and whole milk and then take him for an iron study. (more bloodwork) After that, she's going to decide whether he needs to be on an iron supplement.

I swear, this kid just can't catch a break!

Simon Says...

This will be the title/category I'm going to use for Simon's words... sorry, but it was just too easy. ;)

So, anyway, Little Dude surprised us last night by saying...
"BROTHER!"

Actually, it sounds more like "bruhbr". But it's definitely in reference to Ben because he said it always directed at Ben and always after we'd point to Ben and say, "brother".

Again, wish I could get it on film, but you know how that goes. We'll keep trying. ;)

Little People, Big World... ;)

I found the link for this cool adult height estimater thingy on my buddy Claire's blog.

I plugged in Ben's numbers and... oh my.. the poor kid. It predicts he'll only be 5'6" by the time he's 18. I guess he won't be going out for the basketball team, huh? ;)

Sadly, I can't really make any guesses about Simon. The formula only works from age 2and up. I plugged in an inch taller than Ben's two-year height (though right now he's the same height as Ben was at the same age, I *think*). But kinda think he's going to be a shorty too if he stays on the same growth curve height-wise.

Sorry boys! No NBA! ;)

Quirky McQuirkison

I stole this from Krystyna... you are supposed to list six quirks/weird habits you have. Gah. I am the quirkiest person ever. This list could get mighty long if I were not limited to six.

1) I rub my feet together while I fall asleep. I usually don't even realize I'm doing it until Tom gets annoyed by it. I probably did it in utero or something.

2) One side of my nose is, by some strange genetic/prenatal oops, missing cartilage. You can't see anything weird about it, but if you touch it, you can feel a strange soft, squishy spot. Makes for a good icebreaker in awkward social situations. "So, you wanna touch my nose?"

3) I get followed around stores by security types ALL the time. I must look shifty or something or fit some kind of profile because it's CONSTANT. Drives me NUTS. Part of it might be linked to #4....

4) I HATE making eye contact with strangers from a distance. I never know what to do... do I make eye contact and keep staring until I get close enough to wave/smile/say hi? So generally, when I enter, say, a store and there is someone standing at the front greeting/watching people I will look ANYWHERE but at them. I have all kinds of weird social quirks, frankly and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

5) I count the kids' toys as I put them away. 75 legos, 16 monkeys in the barrel, 62 tub letters... I have an obsession about having all the pieces to things. As a kid, I was the biggest slob and so irresponsible with my toys and belongings. Yet, it would drive me insane when I couldn't play with something because it was missing pieces or when I couldn't find a favorite thing. I think now, I overcompensate a bit... ;)

6) Back to being a slob... here's the thing. With me, it's all or nothing. I read somewhere about this being called "discouraged perfectionism." I'm definitely a perfectionist and if something can't be perfect, I'll often throw up my hands and give up. (current example: my front and back yards... G-H-E-T-T-O!) So yeah, that's why when you see my house, it's either squeaky clean or completey trashed. (you won't see it trashed these days unless you come over when I've just had a baby or am sick, because I force myself to stay on top of things... but trust me, it's a daily struggle) Having kids has forced me to be a little less "all or nothing" with the house. I can at least not have a total panic attack now when the bathrooms upstairs are dirty, as long as the main floor is spotless.

Told you I was weird... ;P I'm sure I could benefit from a good dose of some kind of medication. But I prefer to just be quirky me... ;) This is why I really can't fault Ben for being a weirdo about ridiculous things...

He's Happy. He's Knows It!

Yesterday, I was changing Simon's diaper and singing to him like I always do (when I'm not yelling at Ben to "STOP TRYING TO SEE THE POO ALREADY!!!") Anyway, so I'm singing...

"If you're happy and you know it..."

Simon clapped his hands twice, like it was no big thing, then grinned at me and waited for the next part.

"If you're happy and you know it..."

Clap. Clap.

I went ahead and finished it and he was right on cue, giggling his head off the entire time.

This is particularly amusing because a) I'm fairly sure this was the first time he clapped his hands. and b) I don't sing that song THAT often... though when I do, he's usually in my lap and I clap his hands for him. So I guess he picked it up that way.

Anyway, suffice to say, there was some serious cuteness happening. He brings his hands together with this look on his face the whole time like he just can't believe you can actually DO that with hands! I mean, mommy, are you SEEING this?! It's insane!

Of course, I spent the rest of the day on and off trying to capture it on video. But, well, like the blog curse, you know how that goes. It's all outtakes of me singing and him trying to grab the camera or crawl away or just going about his business and then me ad-libbing verses like "If you're happy and you know it, take off your sock/eat your lunch/break my camera/pee in your pants." ;) Maybe we'll try again today... or maybe I'll just give you the outtakes. ;)

Simon's First Bike Ride...

We got out the baby bike for Simon the other night and he had a ball. Now, if I could just figure out a way to get him around without having to stoop all the way over for blocks at a time, that'd be nice. ;)

Oh, It's Tuesday....

ETA: (edited to add, by the way) ;)
He chose ReggieMolly! Unfortunately, when we got to school, there was a sign in the stairwell that said Teddy Bear day was actually Thursday. But as it turned out, more than half his class brought their bears and whatnot today, so I am not the only one who was confused. ;)

Here he is with ReggieMolly before we left for school. He was SO excited about bringing him/her! "She will keep me company!" he kept saying... so cute...


This means, any minute now, Ben will wake up screaming like he's being kidnapped, "Oh NO! It's TUESDAY. I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL TODAY!!!!" (yeah, remember how I blogged about the drama being over with all that? Turns out, notsomuch.)

It's Teddy Bear day though and I'm hoping to get him excitedd/distracted about that. He has two teddy bears he loves and still hasn't decided which one will be bestowed the honor of going to school with him. Hrm... I'm lobbying for the disney bear because it's in been in all his pics since he was born... but he's thinking his new bear, Percy, who Uncle B brought back for him from Florida back in October.

Oh the suspense! ;) Pics later... well, maybe, depends on the screaming level.

Countertop Decor...

ETA: Pics... suggestions welcome, please! :)



Talk to me about your kitchen countertops. Not the actual counters themselves, but what is on them. (or not on them, as the case may be)

I have reclaimed a giant chunk (3.5 feet or so if I move my wooden cutting board) of my counter with the addition of our new built-in microwave (yay!) and now I don't know what to do with it.

I LOVE the idea and the look of completely open counters with all the kitchen tools hidden away in cabinets. (hello, neighbors who read this who are my kitchen decor inspiration) But I don't think I'll ever achieve this look entirely while in this particular house because I lack the cabinet space and we use our big huge giant monster toaster every day.

But anyway, I do have this whole one side of the counter open now. I'm leaning toward putting out a handful of nicely framed pics of the kids, which is apparently a hot trend in kitchen decor these days. My one neighbor keeps her laptop in this particular corner of free counter space, along with some pics, a combination which looks awesome... but I use my laptop all day long and don't know if I could stand not to cart it all over the house.

A plant is a good idea, but I have a black thumb. However, it's a spot that's close to the window, so maybe it could work...

So yeah, what's on your counters? What not on your counters?

I'll try and post a pic soon of the newly claimed real estate so maybe it will help you give me ideas. ;)

Daffodils..

This scene from Friday afternoon was quite the fortunate accident. My mom had just cut a bunch of wild daffodils and Ben wanted to hold them... she grabbed the camera and started snapping. He was wearing this blue shirt that day that just looked perfect against the yellow flowers! Just had to share...

Can't Imagine Life Without Two Now...

Side By Side...

My boys each at 11 months... ;) Siblings, yes. Lookalikes? Not so much these days.

Simon is 11 Months Old!

Dear Simon,

One month from today, you will be ONE! But for now, you are 11 months old, and you seem to be enjoying it.

I think your favorite part of being older is all the different foods you get to try. ;) This month, you have pretty much taken eating entirely into your own hands... literally. I feel like I spend my entire day putting food on your highchair tray and then cleaning it (and you) up again. But it's fun watching you enjoy all the different tastes and textures. We still haven't found anything you don't like!

I am starting to suspect you don't need much sleep. Though you have settled into a pretty predictable nap routine, your two naps are never much longer than 45 minutes or so. You are still not consistently sleeping all the way through the night. (although, of course, I started writing this two days ago and for the past two nights you have slept 12 hours straight just to prove me wrong!)

Despite the lack of sleep, you are almost always smiling. Strangers love talking to you when we are out and about because you usually have a big grin for them. Sometimes you'll smile at them and then quickly turn and nuzzle your head into my shoulder like you are playing shy. People, especially the little old ladies, dig this act that just think it's the cutest thing ever. You are quite the charmer. People are always telling me how calm you seem and how cuddly you look...Yes, you are quite the peaceful little guy most of the time, happily gazing at the world around you; and I can definitely attest to the cuddly part as you are still ALWAYS attached to my right hip WHILE you are gazing at the world around you.

You can crawl and cruise furniture at 90 miles an hour but still have no desire to be a biped. You get SO incredibly annoyed at me when I try to hold your hands and help you walk. Which brings me to another discovery about your little personality we've made this month... you insist on being completely independent in everything you do! You won't let ME help you walk, but you will do laps around the living room with your little block wagon. You'll walk on your own, I'm sure, when you are completely certain you don't need any help from any of us annoying big people. ;)

You are energetic and curious. I generally spend the day (the part when you are NOT eating) saving you from hurting yourself. You love to climb the stairs when I'm not looking, hunt for unprotected electrical sockets and wires, and tiny bits of Star Wars guys on the floor. But Ben broke me in well, and there is nothing you can try that I haven't already thought of! So, HA! So despite your best efforts, you'll emerge from this phase unscathed.

We're in the period now where we are eagerly awaiting you to speak some English, (though thanks to Leapfrog, your first words may come out in Spanish. "vamonos bebe!") If you are anything like your big brother, this may be kind of a long wait; but it doesn't stop me from listening for words everyday. I'm not counting any of these yet, but I do think your "ha dat" is when you want to "have that". You also say mama and dada in the general direction of the right people and a recent fascination with lights deja vu! has us saying this word constantly and you sometimes repeat, "luh luh" once in awhile while pointing at one. Two nights ago, I think I once even heard "ight!", come out of your mouth, but you won't repeat it because you are determined to make me think I'm nuts. So maybe we'll hear some words soon... no rush or anything, but it'll really help you get more of what you want. Like food. You like food, right?

My favorite things about you right now are your smiles, your fuzzy hair and your dimples -- GOSH I love those dimples. And I think my MOST favorite is the happy little squeal you let out when I come into your room in the morning.

You are such a sweet, adorable, cuddly and fun little man and I love you!

Here's to another fun month, Simeybean! This time next month, you get to eat cake! ;)

Love,
Mommy

Sheezy Peezy...

So I'm working on this really quite adorable little project for Ben's class for the end of the year. I'll share it with you when it's finished in May, but for now it's still a work in progress for two reasons: 1) I still have a couple upcoming events to get pictures of and 2) I have been BEGGING the other moms for pictures of their children for two months now. There are four of the other moms who actually check email and have been very helpful. The other three don't check email... I spoke to one in person and she told me she seriously has no idea how to send a picture or even get them off of her camera and that her husband will have to do it. ?! The second one, I guarantee has never touched a computer and the third has an email address which I'm waiting to see if she actually uses because she and I never seem to cross paths during pickup and dropoff.

Anyway, it's really irritating and I just don't get people who, in this day and age, don't know how to use basic email functions. I'm not saying you have to be an internet guru, but c'mon!

At any rate, I've resorted to taking pictures of their kids myself and Ben's teacher is going to take a few for me. It'll work and it will be cute in the end... but still so very ANNOYING when it could be so easy... :P

Re: American Idol

I'll try to make this brief because this is, after all a mommy blog and not a tv blog. ;)

American Idol last night. I only saw half the performances because Ben couldn't sleep. (which is a topic for another post... but ANYWAY...) But, inspirational songs? Gag. Could the deck be any more stacked for the Pipsqueak? What's next week going to be? "The Disney Songbook?" "Best of Broadway?"

simong@yahoo.com

The stalking of the electronic equipment in our house by the baby child is getting really, REALLLLLLY old. I forgot just how annoying this particular baby phase can be... almost as annoying as the phase that occurs around the same time where they keep trying to fling themselves headfirst off of various elevated surfaces. Occasionally though, it can be cute... like when he actually points the remote control at the television, puts the cell phone to his ear and says, "Oh?" or when he tries to check his email.

p.s. the browser actually WAS on my yahoo inbox... so if any of you in my address book got a message that looked like this today: "jfadglsfjkgjklgfjkadlujitirsdgoijsvjklnvf53689534853480934opifsdjlkfsdjklsdflkjfaklsjklajklga", it was from Simon. ;)

Shots Hangover...

It's 8:15 and Ben is still sleeping... he's also running a low grade fever (99) and was moany all night. Me thinks yesterday's shots (DTap and Polio) are having a bit of an after effect on him. I'm not even sure he'll make it to school today, but given that I'm pretty sure he'll be fine once I get him up and get a dose of Motrin into him, I'm not ruling out the idea of taking him in a little late. I hate for him to miss a day if he doesn't have to because it just sets us up for badness the next school day.

We'll see... poor guy. :(

ETA: 8:30... still sleeping. If we do get to school, it'll definitely be late, considering we usually leave in 20 minutes or so!

ETA: He woke up at 9:20 and was fine! Off to school! :)

4-Year Checkup...

Today was Ben's four-year checkup. He is healthy and on track and all that good stuff. He is, however, quite tiny. He weighs 32 pounds and is 33 inches tall. Our pediatrician, who is generally rather lacking in personality and a sense of humor, laughed when she calculated his percentiles. 10th and 5th, respectively. She and the nurse had a nice laugh about how Simon is definitely going to be bigger than Ben, and probably within the next couple years. Poor "big" brother. I'm sure he gets tired of hearing people say that! (though probably not as tired as *I* get of hearing my beautiful second child called words like "brute" and "bruiser")

Anyway, so yeah, healthy all around. Even the fluid in his ears has gone away... and one tube is close to falling out. (which it's supposed do around now) So yay! He got two shots and screamed bloody murder. I made a mental note to bring Tom along next year because I actually had quite a hard time physically restraining him!

Simon came along to get checked too... his ears are, amazingly and thankfully, FINE! He does however, have bronchitis in his right lung, so more antibiotics it is. Poor kiddo...

Off to wind down after the insane morning... naptimes for all! (I wish)

I'm Going to Build Him a Bubble...

It's 3a.m. Simon's up. Actually, he's been doing this for about three weeks now. Perhaps someday he will sleep through the night for more than a week at a time, but sadly, that time is not now.

On top of that, he's caught yet another cold, though I'm pretty sure he's actually passed the actual COLD part and has moved on to the clogged ears part. The screaming this evening before bed (and at his Nanny and Pap's house) was just ear-piercing. (for us. him? he probably can't hear anything anyway, so he's good) I swear, anytime we go anywhere and another child coughs in his general direction, I cringe now because I Just know how it's going to end up. And it seems no amount of using sanitizing wipes on grocery carts/hands/toys/big brothers does him any good at all.

Conveniently, Ben goes to the pediatrician for his 4-year checkup in the morning, so I'm just going to call first thing and ask for the two-for-one special.

Who knows. Maybe I'll get lucky again and be completely wrong about the ears. But, I suspect I'm right on the money this time. Did I mention the screaming?

(sigh)

Sketties...

Last night, I gave Simon spaghetti for dinner, one of his favorites. I was hoping we could avoid a horrible, tomatoey mess, so I decided to help him out and feed him the spaghetti while he fed himself the avocado I had sliced up for him. Everytime I'd get the spoon near his mouth, he'd cry and turn his head. I'd try again and he'd push it away and eat the avocado instead.

Confused, I wondered if he had suddenly decided he hated spaghetti, which seemed strange. And I KNEW he was hungry too, so it wasn't that...

I walked away to put some dishes in the sink and left the bowl and spoon on his tray. He spoon fed himself the entire bowl of spaghetti. OHMAHGAH what a mess... but honestly? I think he got the majority to his mouth... he did need a bath afterward, and his tummy is currently still stained orangey-red, but he was happy. Apparently, he no longer wants ANY help... which, though nice, is really REALLY MESSY!! Gah!

Also, note that the spoon is in his left hand! Maybe we got ourselves a real lefty this time! ;)

Progress on My Children's Various Addictions...

Well, after a whole week with no binky to fall asleep, I am now officially declaring Ben binky free!! He did it all on his own, so take that, Nanny 9-1-1! I am of the mind that there is no reason to put yourself or your child through a night of screaming just to break a habit. And I am proud to say that we (Ben, really) accomplished this with NO screaming, NO crying, and not even a mention of wanting the binky once he decided he was ready. :)

We're also making progress on Simon's bottle addiction. ;) During the day, he's down to a bottle before his 9a.m. nap and one before bed. The rest of the day, he drinks whole milk or formula from the sippy cup. He still wakes up once a night or so many nights and takes a bottle (or part of one) then too, but he'll naturally drop that when he's ready. He really is still hungry... it's only on the days that I get three really good-sized, protein-laden meals in him and two nice snacks that he makes it all night. (sigh) Feeding him takes a good chunk of the day!! Anyway, back to the bottle... I think we're going to work on eliminating the morning one next. The nighttime one will be the hardest, but it'll happen eventually. Shooting for by his birthday, but time's a tickin'. ;)

Now, speaking of addictions, if someone would just come hide my laptop a few times a day...

More School Yada Blah blah...

Of course he was fine when I left. I have to admit it was partially my fault this morning though. His teacher had gotten stopped in the office and so wasn't in the classroom yet when we got there, and I didn't want to leave until she came in, so I stalled a minute and that's when the waterworks started. The "bandaid exit" always works much better than the "hang out, kiss mommy and Simon, say goodbye exit."

My conference with Ben's teacher was interesting and enlightening. Ben's doing fine and Mrs. Poe seems to know and love the same Ben I do... except her version of Ben listens better (though still complains just as much as my version of Ben) ;) We did discuss that he needs help just chilling out and not THINKING about and ANALYZING everything. (hrm... a lot like his daddy) It got me thinking specifically about how Tom interacts with Ben... and we talked about this a little...how everything EVERYTHING between my husband and Ben is a teaching moment, something to discuss all the ins and outs of, how everything works. It's never just "look at that pretty flower!". It's "Look a flower! Let me tell you how the flower grows, why it's pink, what the leaves do, what its name is, what soil it grows best in..." And it's not 100% Tom, Ben feeds into it because he really wants to KNOW everything about things. We really need to do a little more encouraging Ben to just SMELL the roses, so to speak.

Anyway, I really would love to do something special for Ben's teacher for the end of the year because she has been so great with him, and with taking the time to talk with me several times this year. Any thoughts? About 2/3 of you, my dear readers, are teachers (seriously, like half my friends are elementary school teachers, what's with that?) so I'd love to hear from you. What you'd appreciate... what's the best way to say thank you?

School Day....

ETA: Bwhahahahahahahha! oh, Blog Curse, how funny you are. :P Of course, when I left Ben this morning (despite being 100% fine and happy on the way to school and when we walked in), he was freaking his freak out.

Thankfully, this no longer means major drama. I can't believe the school year is almost over! I'm working on a little project for the other moms for the end of the year, so have been looking back at pics from September and the kids have all grown so much! Ben looks so much older to me!

I have a conference with Ben's teacher this afternoon, which now I'm feeling sort of silly about even scheduling because we're not really having any issues right now. I almost canceled it but decided to go just out of curiosity. His teacher has a unique perspective on him...being the only person who spends any significant amount of time with him entirely independent of me and/or our family. It's just interesting info to hear a different, unbiased view on what he's really like... without me, with other kids, how he listens, what he's interested in.

I am so happy we found this school... it has been so good for Ben, and now I find myself very excited for Simon to start in their two's program the year after next. (with both his cousin AND our neighbor!) That's kinda cool because I've been dragging him in and out of there since he was two months old. I did the math, and with Ben and Simon both going all the way through, and a potential third child as well, we're going to be there for lots and lots of years!

Yay!

The "I'll Be Home from Work a Little Early!!" Curse Strikes Again...

My husband, though generally quite punctual, is horrible at estimating how long things take. So when he says he'll be home at a certain time (from anything out of the ordinary routine), I generally add about an hour to it. I didn't used to and I always ended up sitting around waiting and waiting and really ticked off. Now when I add an hour or two and I'm right, I just get to gloat. If I'm wrong, it's a pleasant surprise. Win win.

Granted, today's little snafu isn't his fault, But, I still called it yesterday when he said he was going to New York for a work conference. The train was supposed to get in at 4:30p.m., putting him home in the 5:00 range... early! Woohoo! (but I didn't celebrate of course, because I knew something would thwart his early arrival) Instead, there was a switching problem and, when I last heard from him, the train was actually going backwards through Philadelphia to get back to another switching station. I just checked online and the train is now scheduled to be an hour and a half late, which means he MIGHT make it home in time for bedtimes.

I hate being right all the time. :P

Hum Dee Dum...

Just another day... thusfar this morning I have accomplished the feeding of both children, the cleaning up from the feeding of both children, the bathing of both children and I'm hoping to put one down for a nap very shortly so that I can get a shower myself. That'd be nice.

American Idol is annoying me. I feel like they are setting up the little pipsqueak guy to win and he annoys me to death with his trite music choices and high school talent show performances. (credit goes to Television Without Pity for that description.) I'd definitely buy some David Cook music on ITunes, and some Brooke White... but the 13-year-olds want them some Pipqueak. Why do I watch this show?

I don't know what happened with GMA and my brother this morning. I watched 15 minutes of painting elephants (they can paint a better elephant than I can, and that's just sad!) before I gave up. As my family and I have discovered a lot lately, nothing is for sure in television/movies until you are actually ON. I think he is still going to be on, I just don't know what the story is yet.

More later... maybe some pics. It's just a hangin' out kinda day... :)

We Interrupt This April Fool's Joke to Bring You Breaking News...

ETA: Update: Brandon will be phone interviewed by GMA tomorrow morning and then will actually be ON the show on Friday.

This is worth ending my prank a bit early...

My brother was in USA Today this morning -- Click here for the story and video. It was REALLY well done!

Anyway, apparently the people at Good Morning America saw it, then perused his YouTube stuff and are now flying him up to NYC tomorrow to be on the show.

Crazy cool, huh? :)

Three...

Yeah. I know. Surprise! (to us too!)

Baby Three.