It's Here! :)

So excited that this exhibit has finally come to Baltimore! :D
I've been tracking Body Worlds since I heard about it a couple years ago and waiting patiently for it to come to town... it looks SO neat. I LOVE stuff like this, as evidenced by how much Discovery Health channel I watch. ;)

Has anyone else seen it in any other cities?

Never heard of it? Here, check out the about page and watch the video!

Thank Goodness! :D

Simon's ear tube surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday at some crazy early time in the morning. I am ecstatic.. especially since the ENT said if we had flown with him with all this fluid in his ears, he would have been in horrible pain at the very least and at worst, could have ruptured an eardrum. Good times.

He also informed me, without mincing words, that, "This kid can't hear worth a darn."

Wonderful! Sheesh. No wonder he's so darn quiet.

Oh well, at least it'll all be taken care of VERY soon. :)

SO happy happy happy!!! My baby will finally be better!

Top 100 Baby Names of 2007 Are In!

Click here for the list.

Benjamin is number 34. Bleh. But that's okay. It's still my most favorite boy name ever. :)

But Simon didn't make the list! Woohoo! Nor did my #3 boy name! Nor did my current #1 girl name! Hoping they stay that way!

Book Recs...

Tom and I were out on our date on Saturday and we wandered through Greetings and Readings with our coffee. I found my way to the children's section and stumbled upon this book that I've decided I'm getting Ben for his birthday.

It seriously made me cry IN the store...

Here's the synopsis/excerpt from Amazon (though the excerpt they chose it doesn't do it justice)
"Each spread tells, foremost, the story of what happens month by month, from minutes after birth to baby's first birthday. Then, under the flaps, young brothers and sisters see how far they've come since. So when the main image is about a floppy two-month-old being bathed in the sink, under the flap it's: "Now you've mastered the art of bubbly disguises,/So tub time is filled with jokes and surprises.""

I also saw this book, which I think I'm going to get him too. They also have one for Only children, Middle children, and Youngest Children... so I'll probably get those last two as well. If you have been reading here for awhile, you know I'm a huge believer in the effect of birth order on kids' personalities and these books are just so cute and well written to make each child feel special, no matter where they fall in the birth line. :)

Airport Visits Are Way More Fun When You Aren't Actually Flying...

So much less stress! ;) I savored it because 12 days from now, we'll be the frazzled family with way too much stuff trying to make it to our gate on time. (sigh)

Ben LOVED the observation gallery and got ot burn off a lot of energy just running around and around around!


There was a nice man (actually, that guy in the picture above) there who was taking pictures of his little boy too and offered to take our picture. We so rarely get a picture of all four of us so I jumped at the chance!


I love this picture of Tom pointing out the planes taking off and landing to Ben


Playing in the airplane (he was pretending it was a starship and trying to get the other kids to go along with him)


Piloting


You can probably guess what he thought this was...(I honestly have no idea what it actually is)


Planes!


Little Dude just watching the action...


Happy with his toy and watching big brother run


Serious boy...

Pleasant Valley Sunday...

Tom watched the boys all morning while I massively cleaned the kitchen and the bathrooms... seriously, I think there is no greater gift he can give me than time to get things done that I have to neglect during the week because I can't manage with both kids. So YAY... I feel accomplished. :)

When Simon gets up from his nap, we're heading to the airport to let Ben play on the observation deck for awhile. We don't get to do this when we actually fly because we are too rushed. But it's such a fun family activity.

In Simonville, things are improving steadily now that he is on the antibiotic. And, unrelated, but for the last almost two weeks or so, he has settled into the most predictible and easy schedule! He sleeps all night 7-7 or so. Goes down for a nap between 9 and 9:30a.m., takes another one around 11:30 or 12. And a third sometime between 3:30 and 4p.m. It's amazing how clockwork he has gotten and it makes life so easy. :) I'm worried that our upcoming trip is going to disrupt all this good fortune... but we'll see.. If so, hopefully, he'll settle back into it quickly when we get home. :\

Off to pack the diaper bag. :) Happy Sunday, everyone!

Random Saturday...

Ben got his hair cut today... that was our big accomplishment. He was amazingly good and cooperative. No more crying or thrashing around. Whew! I've been letting his hair grow for awhile because I'm going for an all one length sort of bowl cut look... laugh if you must, but I think it's cute on little boys. ;) Here's the best picture I could get because he was busy running around the living room this evening and didn't want to stop to say cheese.


He has gotten back into Star Wars a little and has been playing light sabers in the living room. See below.


Simon encountered one on the floor during his travels and was intrigued.

He found it later when it was open and was even MORE intrigued. He even looked at me as if to ask, "Am I allowed to touch this? Because it's WAY cool."


I discovered the red-eye reduction setting on my camera, finally! So yay! No more devil children!

Ooh! And I've been trying out recipes from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook I got for Christmas. I made chocolate pudding tonight with avocado puree. Sounds gross right? Not at all! It even passed the super-picky three-year-old test... so I'm impressed!

Yeah, so our day was rather uneventful in case you can't tell! :) Off to enjoy a quiet evening...

Little Dude Update...

Little Dude had a doctor's appointment this morning. Surprise! He still has an ear infection in one ear and fluid in both. The doctor agreed that tubes are in order and a.s.a.p. especially since we are traveling. She called the ENT (who I had already made an appointment with... yay for insurance with no referrals!!) and he said he would do his best to get Simon in for surgery before we leave for our trip. Cross your fingers we can pull this off (it's awfully quick turnaround) because it really is the best possible thing right now... we wouldn't have to worry about fluid or ear infections during our trip and that would be a huge weight off my shoulders. Never thought I'd be so excited for one of my children to have surgery, but I am! (it helps that we've done it before and I know how quick and painless it is)

The doctor commented that the fact that he is such a good eater and thus, so big and healthy has really protected him from all these colds turning into anything much worse. :) God really knows what he's doing, doesn't he? ;)

Speaking of his size, he was weighed today and he actually hasn't gained anything since his six-month appoinment. He is now 21.5 pounds and 74th percentile. His height however is a strangely different story. He's only 26.5 inches, maybe 27... he's a wriggly little guy, so it's hard to tell... but somewhere in the 7th-15th percentile for height... interesting combination there, me thinks.

No shots today yet again... (sigh) My pediatrician promised me he'd be better enough after this round of antibiotic to be able to get his six-month shots at the pre-op appointment before his tube surgery. We'll see!

Seriously?

I snapped this picture just before Simon and I left to go pick up Ben from school this afternoon. (good light and he was just being cute) :)


So anyway, please note the outfit. Head to toe baby blue (you can't see his toes, but trust me, blue).

20 minutes later, I stood in the stairwell of the preschool with Simon in my arms in this outfit. The woman behind me was cooing at him and said to me, "So cute. Is your baby a boy or a girl?"

Really?!

Now, I'm not one to get offended at this question as I understand that babies are kind of unisex looking. (Maybe I'd get more prickly about it if I had a dainty little girl who was contantly getting mistaken for a boy... but whatever...)

I mean, not to be all gender stereotypey but he was dressed entirely in blue... and with toy trains on his hat! I'm not sure he could have looked more boyish if I had him in a shirt that said, "Hey. I'm a dude."

So said, of course, "He's a boy." Then I waited for the usual "Wow. He's huge!" comment. But instead, she said, "Oh, really? I thought for sure he was a girl!" She continued talking to him and then said this two more times.

I just... I'm at a loss for words I guess...hrm...

So Much to Do... Why Am I Sitting Here?

I just needed a minute of quiet time. Ben is back at school. (woohoo!) Simon is napping. I'm having my breakfast... finally.

* Little dude slept 13 hours again last night. That rocks.

* We started getting the stupid free paper again when the new year started even though we called and stopped it last year. For some reason, few things annoy me quite as much as that stupid paper littering my front lawn every day. Also, I am severely PMS'ing so now was NOT a good time... I will admit I got a little snippy on the phone with the cancellation department.

* I found bunkbeds for Ben's room that are perfect. There is actually a set I like better, but these are $400 cheaper, so they win.
I can't wait to order them. They are on supersale right now, so I'm debating getting them now since they will probably take until close to Ben's bday to get here anyway!

* We are leaving for Florida in 14 days! Two days in DW and five further south at the Disney resort in Vero Beach. I am excited....

*... except that now I'm concerned about flying with the little dude while he has fluid in his ears...

*... we have a doctor's appointment in the morning so I guess I'll bring it up then.

(sigh)

That's all for now... I really do need to go get something done while I have the chance. :)

Oh Good. This Will Be Interesting...

So I was just updating my calendar, adding bdays and whatnot...

Guess what I discovered?

Simon's 1st bday? Falls on Mother's Day. Oy.

Ben's bday? Easter Monday.

Anyone want to give me some ideas on how to plan THOSE parties? (we are only doing family parties this year, by the way... so at least I don't have a crazy kids' party to worry about...)

My Matching Outfits Love Goes Beyond Just the Brothers...

Cousins get in on the action too. ;)

Project Sleep: 12 Hours or Bust...

You may have noticed this post title has regularly been one of my post categories...

Well, I am pleased to report... that Simon has been sleeping since 7p.m. It is now 7:30a.m.... no eating, no fussing, no waking of any kind.

Project Sleep is a success! :) :) :) Now, how long it will take to make this a regular occurence remains to be seen...

Woohoo! :D

Climbin' Simon...

I have waited seven and a half months to use that post title...

Anyway... so... like... yeeeeeeeah....



Big brother ALSO came up with the same use for this particular toy when he was about eight months old... sadly, we had different doors at the time so I can't use the pic as a good height comparison... drat. ;(

Year in Review...

Stolen, as it is every year, from my sister-in-law...

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Became a mommy of two!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make resolutions, though I guess we did kind of resolve to get to church more regularly, and we made great strides toward that, though slacked off quite a bit after Simon was born. You know, sleep deprived and all...

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I feel like everyone I know gave birth this past year. My sister-in-law, Mandy, Meghan, Beth, Jill, Leslie, Val, Jenn, Tracy... did I leave anyone out?

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Our kitty cat, Milo

5. What countries did you visit?
Sadly, none... I don't even think we managed the Epcot ones this past year.

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 11th. :)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Blogging through labor! Well, that, and actually creating and birthing a healthy child. But I was pretty proud of the live blogging. ;)

9. What was your biggest failure?
Getting Ben's binky away from him... I'm such a softie. Now we're shooting for his fourth birthday.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Lots of puking, lots of acid reflux, a stomach virus that required a very painful shot at L&D, several colds and sinus infections... bleh.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Hrm... gotta go with the Baby Bjorn. It was a lifesaver!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Tom, who put up with me being pregnant again and was always at the ready to help with whatever he could after Simon was born.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
:X Several of you close to me can probably guess the answer to this one...

14. Where did most of your money go?
Retiling the bathroom, paying for the birth our new little one whose hospital bills were astronomical compared to the $11 we paid for our first child's birth.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Fooling people about whether Simon was a boy or a girl... ;) (for what it's worth, I've given it lots of thought, and I do think the next one will remain a secret as well)

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Elton John, "Blessed"

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
much happier... it helps that I can eat without puking...that goes a long way toward happiness in my book

18. Thinner or fatter?
Thinner, given that I was four (five?) months pregnant this time last year!

19. Richer or poorer?
Probably unchanged... though my t-shirt shop did extremely well this year and enabled me to pay for some house projects I really wanted to do.

20. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Relishing my time with only one child. My GOSH my life was easy...

21. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wiping off pee pee off of toilet seats... but I didn't really have a choice. ;)

22. How will you be spending Christmas?
Probably similar to this year, only Simon will be a little more aware of things next year.

23. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I did... with my second little boy.

24. Any one night stands?
Remind to just delete this stupid question next year.

25. What was your favorite TV program?
Lost, when it was on.... and House.

26. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
nah. Hate is too much work.

27. What was the best book you read?
Grace Eventually by Anne Lamott

28. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Regina Spektor

29. What did you want and get?
Another little boy/a little brother for Ben

30. What did you want and not get?
My Duck Shoes that I have asked for for the last five years or so...

31. What was your favorite film of this year?
Dan in Real Life

32. What did you do on your birthday?
I have NO idea... turned 30? Probably went out to eat...

33. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I had managed to keep Simon's name/sex a secret from more people

34. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Bleh Maternity.

35. What kept you sane?
My blog archives so that I could keep reminding myself when various pregnancy things would end and how temporary pregnancy stuff and newborn phases are...

36. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None

37. What political issue stirred you the most?
The insurance situation in this country just annoys me

38. Who did you miss?
I always miss people I've lost touch with

39. Who was the best new person you met?
Simon!

40. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
Two children (at least the ages mine are) really is ridiculously hard at times. Something has to give and it's usually my house cleanliness standards.

41. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Hey you, you're a child in my head
You haven't walked yet
Your first words have yet to be said
But I swear you'll be blessed

I know you're still just a dream
your eyes might be green
Or the bluest that I've ever seen
Anyway you'll be blessed

And you, you'll be blessed
You'll have the best
I promise you that
I'll pick a star from the sky
Pull your name from a hat
I promise you that, promise you that, promise you that
You'll be blessed

I need you before I'm too old
To have and to hold
To walk with you and watch you grow
And know that you're blessed

Neverending...

Based on the clinginess, the return to lack of sleeping, the protesting when being laid on his back, the poor eating, and the ridiculous amount of snot, I'd guess Simon now has another ear infection thanks to the week and a half of grossness that RSV brought us. The poor baby can't catch a break. It also occured to me the other day when I was pondering how quiet he is (while he does babble here and there, for the most part he is very, VERY quiet... I think unusually so for a 7-month old), that it probably has something to do with the fact that he has had two ears full of fluid for the past two months. Part of it is probably just his generally quiet personality, but I'm certain that not being able to hear well is a factor. :( And that makes me sad... this poor baby just thinks being sick is a way of life at this point.

I really want to get him the ear tubes a.s.a.p. because I saw how quickly they turned Ben around... no more constant snot! No more ear infections! No more antibiotics! And I don't think it's a coincidence at all that about two weeks after the tubes went in, he started talking nonstop and much more intelligibly. (prior to the tubes, some of his word pronunciations actually sounded like that of a deaf person)

But here the problem. Well, there are several, actually.
1) He can't get the tubes until he is healthy. We can't seem to get him healthy! He hasn't even been able to get his six-month vaccinations yet!

2) For the surgery he'd have to not have anything to eat past midnight the night before. He still wakes up to eat sometimes in the middle of the night. To NOT feed him then would mean hours of pitiful screaming.

3) He's so young. The tubes are only supposed to last a year or so (though Ben's are still in)... this means there's a HUGE likelihood we'd have to have it done more than once because he won't have grown out of the drainage issue by the time the first set of tubes fell out.

So much to ponder... I was doing some research and am wondering if prophylactic antibiotics aren't the way to go (apparently that is a popular option)... since he keeps getting the ear infections because it's cold and flu season and his brother keeps bringing things home, keeping him on constant antibioitics until spring might give him the change to get rid of the current infection and keep away new ones... just until he is a little older and we can do the tubes.

Anyone out there have any btdt experience with a young baby and constant ear infections? Ben was almost two when his started, so it was a different ballgame...

Is It, or Isn't It?

Both times I have given birth there has been one question that family members ask almost immediately after they find out all the vital statistics...

"Is the hair curly?!"

You see, my father's side of the family has a rather strong curly hair gene. (see my dad in Christmas pictures below to get an idea of what I am talking about if you don't know) My dad and all of his brothers have it, two of my cousins have it, my hair is fairly wavy (I straighten it) and my brother's is as well.

Ben fooled us for awhile because his baby hair was very fuzzy and as it grew out, it did curl up at the ends. But now, there is not a trace of a curl to be seen. His hair is as poker straight as it can possibly be. I would LOVE to have his hair... it would save me so much time in the mornings, and so much grief on humid days.

Fast forward to Simon. The little bit of hair he came out with looked curly while it was wet, before they cleaned him up. Then it sort of thinned out and was just blondish brown fuzz for awhile... now that it's growing in... well... see for yourself. I'm reserving judgement because, like I said, I was fooled by Ben!




And while I'm posting about my little guy and have a moment, I should quietly note that he has slept 12 hours for the past two nights. Ahhhh! I'll savor it as long as it lasts... because it's probably just a fleeting thing...

Also, is this not one of the cutest pictures of him EVER? It was one of those perfect accidental photographic moments...

Heh.

Benjamin was recounting Christmas to us and said that when he came down the stairs Christmas morning, he "mistletoed". I think this is the Christmas version of tip-toeing. ;)

Didn't See That One Coming!

I took Simon to Gymboree today (for the first time in WEEKS, thanks to various illnesses and school obligations).

As we got in the circle for the start of the class, I stood him up to look at one of the other babies. He was focused on her and then something silly the teacher was doing and I noticed he felt strangely stable, so I let go. And he STOOD there... for a good few seconds before I grabbed him because I expected him to just fall over. I have no idea how long he actually would have been able to stand there by himself!

Of course, I've been trying to get him to do it again all afternoon, because I'd swear I imagined it if the other mom hadn't seen it too. At home though, he's always cranning his neck around to look at Ben or something bright or shiny or trying to stoop back down to crawl around. I think the key was that he was focused on something that was straight in front of him.

I have to say, part of me hopes it was a huge fluke of him being just perfectly positioned or something because I did the math in my head and by the only baby skill timeline I have to go by (Ben), he could go from standing like that to taking steps in 2, 2-1/2 months... I suppose it could be a good thing because maybe it would cut down on the bumps to the head from him falling over like he does now...

...but life with two that can run from me? I'm just not sure I am ready for that...

Soooooo...

What's the big hit at your house?

It's actually really hard to tell what the favorite was here because Ben has bounced around all day between pretty much everything he got. There was a particulary amusing moment where he was dressed as a pirate, riding the Fisher Price Smart Cycle and jumping off every 15 seconds to go fix something with his tool set.

He won't even answer the question, "What was your favorite Christmas present?" He gets this overwhelmed look on his face and says, "Nevermind..."

It's actually easier to say what the big flop was... and THAT was most definitely the Leapster handheld game thing we gave him. Yeah, not only does it not work right, but Ben is just completely uninterested in it. And I can't blame him... I tried to play with it last night and it's just annoying and hard to use! It's going back to Amazon a.s.a.p and probably won't be returning.

Your turn! And if you can't answer for your kiddo, how about you? What was your favorite gift? I'm actually having trouble deciding that one myself... I got some really cool stuff this year... I think I'd have to say it's a tie between the
P-touch label maker my mom got me and the ice cream maker my brother and sister-in-law (mostly SIL, I'd guess) got me. And of course, there are the plethora of Yankee candles and ITunes cards which I can never have enough of!

The Annual Toy Purge Has Begun...

Most people who know me at all know I have a rather strict policy as far as how to deal with the influx of toys at Christmas and birthdays.

After reading this, you may decide I am officially insane, but here's the deal: however many toys come in, that same number of toys have to leave... by way of either being given to a charity or by getting stored in the attic. (toys have to earn this right though by passing my stringent Parental Annoyance Test)

Last night began phase I of the A.T.P. First, all new things get moved to their appropriate rooms where they will eventually live.

Today I am working on Phase II. During this phase, the new toys are incorporated into their respective play areas.

We have four places where toys are in our house these days.
-Bedrooms: Each of the boys have a few of their nicest toys (books, toys with tons of pieces like the K'nex Ben just got... d'oh, wooden toys and puzzles)

Living room: Our entertainment center houses another batch of toys. These are things like Legos and Lincoln Logs and other things with lots of pieces that I don't want to have strewn all over the main playroom. There are also some puzzles in here... quiet things we can all play with together on the main floor.

Playroom: A.K.A. the Baby Human Preschool: This is the hub of the toy insanity. I have managed to keep it relatively under control though, despite the best efforts of relatives to wall us in with toys. We have a toybox for the loose toys, a kitchen set that houses all the toy food/appliances/cups/bowls/pots/pans etc, two of those springy hampers, one of which has all costumes for dress up and the other with big cardboard building blocks, and a train table. Smaller things like cars/trains/Star Wars figures and art supplies are in labeled bins on a bookshelf. Ben has learned to appreciate the completely anal toy system almost as much as I have. I reserve some space on the floor for one or two bigger things... trucks, etc. There is also a closet for all the games and a few other bigger things that don't get played with on a regular basis, like the art easel...

Phase III is where the removed toys disappear to wherever their final destination is. Also during Phase III, I reevaluate the toys that are already in the attic with another round of the Parental Annoyance Test (this is a whole post that I 'll get later, btw) and possibly send some of them packing too. The Peekablocks may suffer this fate this year.

Am I ridiculously neurotic? Perhaps. But I figure I'm saving us a few hundred thousant dollars by doing all this... because otherwise? We'd have needed a new house two years ago with three extra rooms just to house all the STUFF.

Gah. I feel like I am in a neverending battle with STUFF.

Christmas: The Finale...

This morning was breakfast at our house with Grandmom, Poppy, Uncle Brandon and Aunt Debbie...
Ben was a little deer in the headlights at first and actually didn't want to have at the gifts, if you can believe that. He opened two things: his little yellow rain boots and yellow raincoat and then stopped completely for a half hour until our company arrived. Simon busied himself by crawling among the paper and bows and chasing down digital cameras.

The scene before chaos ensued...


The boys coming down the stairs


Deer meets headlights


Simon letting big brother help open his presents


Ben got his coffee maker! (and began playing barrista)


And we opened out Elf Shop gifts...
Simon got a figurine and a bath sponge


I got a spatula and knife


Tom got a screwdriver!


After that, it was off to Nanee and Paps for more gifts and dinner... :)

Among a great many other things... Ben got a clock from Uncle Taylor


And adoctor's costume (and a pirate costume) from Aunt Krystyna and Uncle Marc


Anastasia posed happily for lots of my flash-ridden pictures...



Simon got this fun little walker to keep at Nanee and Pap's and share with his cousin


And tried to eat more ornaments and digital cameras...


...before deciding again that his cousin looked mighty tasty...


Ben is now melting down in his room because he's "not tired." Simon fell asleep at 6:30, so goodness only knows what kind of night we will have... (sigh)

Merry Christmas to all... we here at the Baby Human house are looking forward to a quiet day after. :)

Christmas Part Deux...

Church was hm... interesting. For some reason, I assumed there would be Sunday school... oops, my bad. ;) There wasn't. I hadn't come prepared for such a scenario and Ben was none too pleased. Thankfully, his loud displeasure of the situation was mostly drowned out by the sea of other three-year-olds who were equally annoyed to have to sit in grown-up church. If you were sitting near our pew, you heard such charming things as:
"This church os BORING. I want to go to MY church (Sunday school)!"
"I don't want to sit here. I want to RUN!"
"I don't want to be at BORING church!"
"Make those church people stop TALKING!!!" (the sermon)

Yes, it was quite delightful. Although, there was some comic relief when he decided to sing along (loudly) to both Oh Come All Ye Faithful and Oh Holy Night with his own lyrics, which were comprised of everything he knows about the Christmas story.
"And the innkeeper.... no room!! Mary... Joseph! Baby Jeeeeeeeesus!!! Christ the Looooord!!!" A classic three-year-old moment... for sure. ;)

Then we went to Grandmom and Poppy's, where he was rewarded for his chuch behavior with truckloads of presents.

Here's a photodump from the evening...
Ben and his Aunt Debbie... the giver of "the bike" (see below)


The bike



Poppy and Simon


Uncle Brandon gave Simon the best toy EVER


Ben and his favorite thing so far next to The Bike... his toaster... but then again, he hasn't yet opened his coffee maker. ;)


My mom and I unintentionally dressed as twins...


Family pic


Yaya Joanie and her girls and their guys ;)


Simon and the most obnoxious toy in the history of all toys. Thanks Aunt Debbie! :P