When Did That Happen?!

Since I've been hiding from the heat, I've been relying on other people to play outside with the girls.  My mommy's helpers have been invaluable and J has spent a lot of time with them, too.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I went out this morning with them while the weather was tolerable and discovered that C can pedal her tricycle!!  When did that happen?!

I had tried to show her a few times earlier this spring how to let her feet take turns pushing the pedals, but then my belly got too big to bend over and it got so crazy hot.  I knew she would figure it out eventually.  But I was still a little sad that I wasn't there when she did.  Go, C!  Such a big girl!  Maybe if I hide inside all summer with the baby, she'll figure out how to potty train herself, too.

Last Holdout

Apparently mama is the last holdout on naps around this house.  I finally surrendered and allowed C to have "quiet time" in her crib today instead of trying to force her to take a nap.  This is not very different from what we've been doing except that I didn't spend half an hour fighting with her to close her eyes at the beginning of the hour.  I put some books and a few toys in her crib and told her I would be back when the timer beeped.  She did really well for a first attempt.  I only had to go in once when her band-aid started bothering her.  And she played quietly, too, so I actually got in a short snooze.  We'll see how cooperative she is this afternoon.

It really burns me that I have to be okay with this.  I really want to be able to force her to take a nap, but that just isn't realistic.  And it's not healthy for our relationship to have this daily struggle.  So, I surrender.  I'm not sure why they don't want to take naps.  After all, I think it's glorious and look forward to that time of day more than any other.  Okay, not quite...bedtime is definitely my favorite.

Look Who's Two!

So, I'm a little behind with this one...what's new?  We celebrated C's second birthday two weeks ago with a double party at her cousins' house.  Grandma didn't get the pink memo or else she would blend into the decor.

Elmo was a big hit with the birthday girl.  Fortunately, he has an off button.  Nobody to blame for that one but myself.

Seems too soon, but she's definitely rounding the corner out of toddler and into preschool territory.  Her vocabulary has exploded and it has been so thrilling to listen to real conversations between my girls as they work out a conflict or make up a pretend world together.  Granted, we still have to remind her to use her words instead of resorting to tantrums.  But the words are there and coming more fluently.  The last couple of days she has been so endearing, asking "Mommy, it okay I (fill in blank with innocuous play idea) now?"  Who doesn't want to grant the every wish of a 2-year-old who asks permission to do things?  She likes to argue, too, just like big sister who is teaching her most of her words.  Getting them bundled up to go out a few days ago, I pulled a hat onto A's head only to be told by little sister, "Achooilly, Mom, that my hat."

She's taken to singing, which is always a hoot.  Her favorite tunes are from Mary Poppins.  She'll waltz around the house singing, "spoonful of sooger....medsin down, medsin dow-own, medsin go down."  Or she might wake up in her bed singing, "go fly a kite, up the height, go fly a kite soaring."  She also likes the ABC song, but insists on singing it at the top of her lungs; more of a shouting really.

I'm not impressed with the recent napping developments.  She's decided that falling asleep on her own is no fun anymore and I have to stand by her crib, hand on her back for a good ten minutes or so to get her to fall asleep for nap time.  Otherwise, she'll play for over an hour in there, talking to Elmo, kicking the walls, shouting her ABC's.  I'm of the opinion that she's too young to give up napping, but I'd be fine if she would play quietly.  I can handle an afternoon grump if I've had my nap, but keep me from my nap and we've all got problems.  I'm trying to convince us both it's a phase and we'll go back to the usual routine before baby brother arrives.

She's a real snuggle bug, always wanting snuggles when anything is wrong, or even if she's just cold.  Her "hold you, Mommy" has changed to "hold me" but the pitiful look is the same.  So sensitive to the least little reprimand...that big pouty lip makes it hard to scold her.  She loves to pray at meals and bedtime, always the same as her first prayer when I was away for an evening, "Dear God, Mommy back soon, Daddy back soon, A back soon, amen."

Two years already.  Yet, it's hard to remember life before you, baby.  May God continue to fill your heart with song, your mouth with truth and our family with your sunshine.

Goodbyes

Today we said goodbye to Peter Mr. Beta Fish.  It became apparent yesterday morning that he was not long for this world when I saw him just lying on the rocks at the bottom of his bowl using all of his energy to gulp big breaths.  I prepared A by letting her know that Peter didn't look well, that he might be sick.  She thought he probably just needed a break.  By late afternoon, I knew he was gone.  She kept coming back to check and see if he had moved.  This morning, she noted that he hadn't moved all night long.

So after naps today we discussed funeral plans.  She suggested putting him in the trash; I countered with flushing him to the ocean.  Really, I knew that we wanted to do a little burial.  As hard as it would be to talk it through, I knew it was a good opportunity to introduce death and temporary goodbyes.  J agreed, so we talked about Peter's body being empty now and how he was with Jesus in heaven (I know...we bent the theology a bit to make it applicable.  I figure we can straighten that out later.)  She colored a pretty picture and wrote "Peter" on it.  Daddy folded it into a little box and we tromped outside in the drizzle to lay Peter to rest.

It wasn't until Daddy was covering the hole that the tears came.  "But what about Peter?!" she bawled.  I immediately followed suit.  It's not the goodbye to the fish that got to me, but the goodbye to a little bit of her innocence.  This was a baby step into the harsh reality that the world is not all fairies, rainbows and ballerinas.  I was so sad to see her sadness.  I am glad that we persevered and took the opportunity to have a tough conversation.  And I don't think she'll be upset for very long.  She was asking for a new fish before we made it back inside.

18 Months (Just Barely)

I'm really late making notes about C's 18-month milestone.  So late, that she's almost 19 months old.  Here's hoping I can focus long enough to finish this post in one sitting.

At 18 months, C, you are so affectionate.  I always said your sister knew no stranger, but you've upped the ante.  She wanted to talk to everyone we saw; you want to hug them all.  You do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, or species.  It doesn't even have to be an animate object.  You recently pitched a fit at the splash pad because you couldn't figure out how to hug the fountain of water coming out of the ground. You're starting to accept that sometimes you can't give a hug and blowing kisses is a reasonable substitute.  It's a shame those lizards at the pet store were in a cage and only got an air kiss.  (No, we weren't pet shopping; only passing time out of the summer heat.)

You like playing with baby dolls, looking at books in your bed, coloring at the table (and sometimes on it), taking your clothes off and trying to get them back on, racing your sister, wearing other people's shoes, dancing, most foods (pickles, olives, onions, french fries, all fruit), crunching ice, telling knock-knock jokes with no punch line, mimicking A (for better or worse), swinging on the big girl swing, helping mommy sweep, and sitting in a big chair at the table, just to name a few.

Elmo is your new crush.  It's the first time I've seen you glued to the television.  I found a pair of Elmo pajama's in the 24-month hand-me-downs and you've worn them all week.  I could hardly get you to take them off the first morning.  I made the mistake of letting you see that Elmo band-aids exist, and you had them open before we checked out.  We'll enjoy it while it lasts, because I've got a hunch that Disney princesses are not far behind.

You are fascinated by steps.  The only one we have at our house is the curb at the end of the driveway.  On rare mornings, when I'm feeling like I can handle the heat for fifteen minutes, you go almost to the street and step on and off the curb as many times as you can before the heat and humidity cause a chemical reaction that turns your mama into She-Hulk.  Any other time you see steps, you want to give them a try.  When the weather is cooler, I promise to find a big, long set of stairs somewhere that you can go up and down to your heart's content.

You're hitting the "let me do it myself" stage with full force.  It started with buckling your booster seat after you got out of it.  Now you want to buckle yourself into it, and you also want to buckle your own car seat.  You also fiercely want to be able to dress yourself, but you're just not that coordinated yet.  Boy, do you get mad, mad, mad when I have to intervene and help you.  You want to dress your baby dolls, too, but that takes awhile to master.  Your big sister has finally figured it out, thank goodness.

Your 18-month well-check was pretty routine.  We got sent to the pediatric orthopedist, but that turned out to be nothing to worry over.  I'm supposed to keep an eye out for your fourth front tooth on the bottom.  It hasn't come in yet and it might not be there at all, since most of your one-year molars are in now.  Also not a problem, but we might have to take some steps later to make sure there is space there for your adult tooth.

You warm my heart and make me smile with your big, tight hugs and happy face.  You're getting over an ear infection and I had to hold you in the rocking chair through a few naps this week.  It wasn't convenient, but it was my pleasure to comfort you and have you relax into my arms.  What does God have planned for you, little bit?  How can I help you get there?  Can't wait to see.

Four Years Old

Dear A,

You turned four this month. I'm a little late making notes about it, because we spent so much time getting ready for your party and then recuperating. You wanted a princess party with princess cupcakes. I did my best to give you all you wanted without selling out to Disney.

You started reading last month, and I can't slow you down. You're sounding out street signs, billboards, and magazine headlines. Daddy has been reading chapter books to you at bedtime for a few months now and you soak up all the new vocabulary. Sometimes I hear you narrating your play and it sounds so sophisticated.

You love to color, especially with markers. You make a picture for somebody at least once a day. You send them to the office with Daddy, mail them to cousins and grandmas, and still I have a big stack to sneak out of the house somehow. Your drawings are taking shape with recognizable people and houses, suns and flowers.

You have successfully quit sucking your thumb and got to paint your nails for the first time as a reward. 
You're still stuck on a sippy cup, but I'm working on phasing that one out, too. Your afternoon nap is becoming less regular without the help of your thumb to go to sleep. You've been enjoying quiet time every other day or so. At night, you want to sleep on the top bunk and sometimes you even make it to sleep without your beloved meatsy.

You ask so many, really good questions. "Where did the white plug in C's room come from? (electrical plug) Why do some kids have the same as me and others don't? (referring to body parts) Mommy, do you have a baby in your tummy or did you eat too much ice cream? (the latter, unfortunately)"

You're a great big sister, very helpful when you want to be. But it's hard to play with C sometimes, because she just doesn't understand your rules yet and you are all about the rules. You'll have to learn how to work things out with her because she's getting big and she's not afraid to hurt you. Today you made a "park" for her in the living room with lots of things you thought she would enjoy. You promised that she could play however she wanted and you wouldn't get angry. That was a very big gesture on your part.

I'm really trying to work with you right now to be a smidge less dramatic. You tend to have huge reactions to little problems, and the resulting battle is very draining. So then the next meltdown is a little bigger and the whole thing kind of snowballs our day. You have so many words, so it's really frustrating when you resort to flailing around on the floor and screaming. With God's help, we'll smooth out that rough edge before your next birthday.

I am so proud to call you my daughter and feel blessed beyond measure that God has placed you in our family. I pray we will have the wisdom and love to cultivate your soul into the beautiful masterpiece He has envisioned.

Here Goes

Today is the day we say goodbye to thumb-sucking. Well, at least we take the first step and hope it works a miracle and we can really say goodbye to thumb-sucking without having to figure out what further action may be necessary. I just painted A's thumb with yucky clear polish marketed to help folks stop biting their nails.

First I said a little speech, "Thank you, thumb, for your years of service providing comfort and well-being. You have been a good friend. But, A is 4 now, and it is time to say goodbye to baby ways. It makes us a little bit sad to grow up, but we're also excited to see what will come next." We told her she could get pretty pink polish once we knew she was all done sucking her thumb. As the yucky polish went on, she cried and said, "I don't want pink polish." Then we took turns blowing as hard as we could on her nail to dry the polish. That turned pretty silly, so we ended on a good note.

She's already had one run-in with the bitter polish in the last half hour and it did produce some tears. But mainly she just wanted some juice stat to wash away the flavor. I told her that I used to suck on my fingers when I was little girl and my parents put the yucky polish on my nails, too. I distinctly remember waking up screaming in the middle of the night when my usual habit betrayed me. I hope I will be able to summon my compassion tonight if the same thing happens to my daughter.

We have no plans for today, so we'll hang out at home and see what kind of progress is made. Here goes...

Big Day for My Little Girl

Today was a big day for my firstborn. It marks the beginning of two new chapters in her life, and the very sad, sad, sad end to one chapter in my life. Today was the first day we tried quiet time instead of a nap. That's right, Mommy, say goodbye to that blissful island oasis in the center of your day known as all-babies-sleeping-and-mommy-probably-is-too.

She's been having a really rough time staying in bed at bedtime and it just didn't feel right to keep punishing her for getting out of bed so many times. J and I talked it over and thought we'd give it a try to eliminate the nap and see if that helps. She did great during quiet time. I put her in my room with quiet toys, coloring books, and Beatrix Potter on cd. She only came out twice, both times to tell me the cd story had stopped unexpectedly. I set a timer for 90 minutes and she played really well the whole time. I was pretty impressed with how well it went. We'll see if we can keep it up and if it makes a difference at bedtime. Added bonus if she stays in bed later in the mornings; can I get an amen?!

After quiet time, we were blessed with another hour together while C snoozed on and on (yet another bonus of having loud sister across the house during nap). I had received my order of homeschool books yesterday and was ready to start doing reading lessons, so we jumped right in. She's been spelling words and sounding them out with letters on the fridge for about two weeks now, so I knew the climate was ripe for cultivating her interest in reading. Sure enough, she breezed through two reading lessons in about 15 minutes and then read her first book to me!! My baby can read! "Mat sat. Sam sat. Mat sat on Sam. Sam sat on Mat. Mat sat. Sam sat. The End." It really pulls on the ol' heart strings, doesn't it?

I know we've got a long road ahead of us before she is a fluent reader, but knowing how she loves words and their meanings, I'm really excited for her. I can't wait to see how her world is going to grow exponentially as she starts absorbing the written word. Learning to read is one of my primary goals for her over the next school year. I was planning to wait until fall to start, but I think we'll do well to dive in over the summer. I'm so excited! I don't think I've felt this way about reaching a milestone before. First foods, first tooth, even first words and steps...totally pale in comparison. Something about being able to open the door of reading and watch the implications, the possibilities dawn on her little brain.

Mind you, I will likely regret having taught her to read by this time next year when she can read every magazine headline in the checkout line. But I will bask in the wonder of this remarkable new discovery as long as I can, with each new word learned, each new book read. After all, mommy-no-more-naps needs something to look forward to.

Official Video

Here ya go, only a couple of weeks late...

I think it was the chocolate milkshake that motivated her.

Fifteen Months

C's well-check was all good news on Monday morning. She's holding steady in the 25th percentile for height and weight. She weighs 20 lbs, 13 oz and measured 30" tall. Her doctor said she looked great. We were in the after-hours clinic several months ago for an ear infection and the doctor on call noticed an innocent hurt murmur. Apparently an elevated fever will increase the vibration and make it easier to detect. Our regular pediatrician has been checking every time we go in and he said that it was still very normal and nothing to be concerned about, no restrictions, limitations, or concerns. He said that some cardiologists would claim we all have a heart murmur, but most are just not detectable. I'm not worried and you shouldn't be either (Grandma & Nana).

48 hours has made a huge difference in the walking. She's really been concentrating on that and defaulting less and less to crawling. J has a good video of her on his iPhone, but he has yet to email it to me so you don't get to see it either.

Other notes of interest for fifteen months:

• She really likes baby dolls now, especially pushing them around in a stroller.
• More words, including baby, dog, ball, mommy, daddy, row-row (for swinging), walk, more, juice, shoes, duck, book, and several animal noises
• She calls J "mommy" and asks for him all day. No really, it's not me she's looking for. When he comes home in the evening, she takes off for the door singing, "mamamamamama". He's man enough to be comfortable with that.
• Big fan of french fries, chips, and pizza. Notice the subtle change from frozen peas.
• Still walking all over the 18-month pants, so it's a good thing summer's coming and we can move into shorts.
• Loves to play with, or even near big sister
• Loves to play outside, but still won't brave a slide without being pulled down by her toes

As always, I can't believe how fast life is going; that my baby is already fifteen months old. Technically, she's not a baby anymore. Maybe the slower pace of summer will allow more time for soaking up the sweetness of a toddler.

Tomorrow's the Big Day

So A's thumb surgery is tomorrow morning. I talked to the pre-admissions nurse on Friday and got a few more details. We are to arrive at 6:45 am. We get to be in the room with her for just a short time, long enough to get her into a hospital gown and sign all the consent forms. They won't start anesthesia until they are in the OR. I'm a little anxious about that because I know she's going to be scared...strange place, strange people coming at her with a gas mask. She'll get enough gas to fall asleep and then they will start IV anesthesia. We will be back together when she wakes up. She should have full mobility in her thumbs when she wakes up. They estimate we'll be there about three hours.

I asked her what her favorite meal is and promised to make whatever she picked for supper. We'll be having mac and cheese with fish sticks, no fruits or veggies. Woo hoo! I also offered to rent a movie for her while she's recuperating on Monday. She's really been eager to watch the "Belle movie." Surgery's a big deal, so we're going to cave to yet another Disney princess. I'll be humming "Tale as Old as Time" for the next week.

We would be grateful for your prayers in the morning. We'll all need calm, quiet hearts and courage to face the unknown. Please pray for the surgeon and his team also. I will try to write up an update as soon as we get home. Thanks!

Finally!

Yesterday evening, right after J got home, while I was cooking supper, C took a few steps towards him. I grabbed the camera and we tried to get her to do it again, but this is all we got:

Maybe the maniacal laughter kept her from trying again. Or it could be the fun ear infection she's fighting. Either way, we disintegrated into this:

Then we took off for home group, so we didn't really have the opportunity to keep trying. Maybe she'll work more on it today.

It Had To Be Done

I debated, got other opinions, tried to avoid it, but it had to be done.  Please forgive me.

Now that it's done, I almost regret it.  But I have to remind myself of the snot-matted mess that was stuck to her nose every time she woke up.  It was really nasty.  It worked for awhile to put it up in the top knot, but she discovered it recently and hadn't stopped pulling out the pony tail holders.  I pulled three of them out of her mouth this morning and that was what sealed the deal for me.  Major choke hazard and all.  I'm surprised it took her this long to find them on top of her head.  Lest she pull one out on the way to the salon, I used barrettes for the car ride.

Hmm...pointy metal triangles...that's safer than cotton elastics.  This is also a good perspective shot to remind me that it really did need to be done.  She was great during the cut, didn't fuss at all and actually stayed pretty still.  It gives me hope for maintaining it myself.  

I don't know if there was a language barrier with the stylist or not, but it ended up a LOT shorter than I had hoped.  I know it will grow out fast, so I'm trying to be relaxed about it.  I originally combed through C's hair in the back as I described how I wanted to keep the length in the back and sides and just take care of the mass at the front.  She asked if I wanted to make bangs and I said yes.  Somehow she ended up working her way all the way around.  I kept saying, "That looks good.  I think that will be nice."  or "There we go, now we can see you."  I guess I wasn't explicit enough.  And once she took a whack at the back, we kind of had to even it out.  Not many one-year-olds running around with the wedge 'do these days.  Just don't be too shocked the next time you see our sweet "hair-do," which has been one of her nicknames.

Big sis got in on the action, too.  She was actually a little more of a squirt in the chair than C.  

We just trimmed up her bangs and evened out the back.  Nothing drastic.  But she would love if you noticed the next time you see her.  

Enough trauma for today.  Gotta save some sentiment for tomorrow.

One Year

Okay, I really thought I scheduled this post to run on her birthday, but I just realized it never did.  Oops!  Here's the big one-year-old post (just a week late):

Bless you, baby girl, you have made it a full year.  I know it's God's grace to both of us because I can barely remember any of it.  Know what you got for your first birthday?  A double ear infection.  Happy Birthday!  Good news is that you perk right up as long as we keep the motrin flowing. 

Guess what else you learned to do this week?

That's right, you're a climbing fool!  Step ladders, playscape at the park, the dishwasher door...you're trying to climb everything these days.  Yesterday you figured out how to climb onto one of the little kiddie chairs in the kitchen.  First attempt, you stood up and shook the chair while holding onto the back.  Second attempt, you scooted it to the fridge, climbed up and started swiping all that stuff you know you're not supposed to have.  Unfortunately, this also means that we have passed the point of no return on spankings and you are earning them daily.

Still not walking.  Hallelujah, Amen!  But you're getting close.

You weighed in at 20lbs this morning when we went to the doctor.  Your well-check is next week, though, so we'll see then about height and percentiles, etc.  You're between 12- and 18-month sizes right now, so you're either wearing high-waters or low-riders on any given day.  The hair on top of your head continues to outpace the rest of your hair resulting in a troublesome reverse-mullet that does not play nicely with a drippy winter nose.  Hence all the photos of you with a top knot.  I think I'll attempt a trim now that you're one.  But I know it will really alter the shape of your precious little face to frame it in bangs, so I'm hesitant to snip away that baby charm.

You're so snuggly.  You love to give hugs and even attempt kisses.  You've started snuggling stuffed animals and it's so cute to see you shove a bear under your tummy and roll all over it.  You've picked a favorite and even named it.

That's Aida Monkey (pronouned "ate a monkey").  You called it that a few weeks ago when you reached for it in your bed, and now you ask for Aida by name.  What's so sweet is that you latched on to the one that A picked out for you on the day you were born.

Happy Birthday, C!  You are such a joy and delight--you climbing, squealing, snuggling little piece of heaven.  Here's to another twelve months of doing all the things that I read about in parenting books and never thought my children would do.

Twelve Years

J and I had the immense blessing of being able to get away by ourselves for 24 hours to celebrate our twelfth wedding anniversary this past weekend.  While away, we reminisced about what we were doing to prepare for the wedding.  I'm sure I was vascilliating between giggling and crying with my closest friends as they helped me get dressed and direct the show from a back room.  He confided that two of his groomsmen were trying to convince him to drive to Mexico before it was too late, one was asking if he could ask me out if J did drive to Mexico, and one ever-present voice of reason in that motley group was telling them to leave him alone.  He assured me that he was never tempted to run, and I'm so glad he chose to stay. 

God is so wise, so compassionate, so merciful, tender and loving.  He demonstrated His character to me when He chose my husband and brought us together.  J brings out the best in me, makes me rise up to meet my potential.  He also knows me so well that he can provide rest for me before I even know I need it.  He challenges me to grow more like Christ and won't let me cling to the weaknesses of my flesh, no matter how proud I am of them.  He loves to give me good gifts and will give up his own desires to accommodate mine.  It thrills me to know that our marriage is not done growing.  We've grown into each other so well and God has been so good to us.  I love getting to know you, J, and I look forward to what God has in store for the years to come.

11 Months

I remember when A was a newborn, other moms would tell me to savor every moment because it goes by so fast. My internal narrator would scream, "NO! It is crawling by in torturous, sleep-derived seconds!" Going from no babies to one baby was like moving to Mars--other worldy, wholly foreign, culture shock. Adding a second baby was not nearly as dramatic a change. For the most part, we knew what to expect and how to respond. Her little life merged into ours much more smoothly. Now I can echo the other moms' sentiment that those tender moments really do fly by and before you now it, the first year is almost gone. Today is C's 11-month birthday.

I had predicted that she would be walking by Christmas, but I think that was premature. She is crawling really fast, especially when she's heading for the roll of toilet paper. That has got to be hands-down her favorite contraband. I was doing dishes the other day when A yelled at me, "Mom, I need your help." I finished up the dish I was on and dried my hands before going to see what she needed. Baby girl had unrolled the entire roll of toilet paper and big sister was trying to get it all in the toilet. The closer I got, the faster C's little hands pulled. I could hear her speed up and start squealing. Ha! I just realized what we're getting her for Christmas...one of those free-standing toilet paper holders and a mega roll of Scott tissue! (I told J that idea and he said it would be even better if it would roll itself back up. Why doesn't someone make that as a toy?! You could market it to babies and cats. Brilliant!)

Less forbidden are the balls of baby socks that she loves to play with. She's been pretty grouchy lately when she gets up from her second nap, so I cuddle her and let her play in my lap until she's ready to ease into the afternoon. I handed her a couple of socks one time and she must have played in my lap for half an hour with those socks, hiding them in any little crevice she could find, stuffing them under her own leg, then pulling them right back out again. Socks are good friends right now. She really hasn't picked a lovey or stuffed animal to cling to. We've offered several, but can't tell that she really has any preference for them. She falls asleep sucking two fingers, but we seldom actually see her sucking on them. I don't think it's nearly as satiating for her as it is for A.

She's also pulling up and cruising around on furniture. She'll take a few wobbly steps with a push toy or holding on to a chair. But crawling is definitely the way to get around right now. She has three teeth, but that fourth one will be here any day. Still loves frozen peas, and she definitely thinks jar food is so last month. Dad did get her to eat some bananas by holding the jar up to her mouth like a cup. She slurped about half a jar that way. I tried not to watch. Wasn't quite as effective with the jar of carrots.

She's been in a screaming phase for the last few weeks and we are making progress toward curbing that means of communication. Progress, not perfection. We're trying to teach her the signs for "more," "juice" and "all done" since most of the screaming happens at meal times. J says she makes the sign for "milk" for him, but I've never seen it. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she understands "no mouth" and I'm actually really proud of her for obeying that instruction more often than not.

Where did 11 months go? Sweet baby girl, it is going too fast. Slow down--the toilet paper will always be there and it won't be long before you know how to open the door.

Nine Months Old

Last Thursday marked C's nine month birthday. I told A that morning and she asked if we were going to have cake and blow out candles. I conceded by having her help make vanilla pudding, which we all enjoyed later after a round of "Happy Birthday" to C.

At 9 months, C is weighing 16 lbs 7 oz.--still quite petite, but growing well in her own right. And she isn't small for lack of eating. She can still put away the frozen peas. In the last month, she has started crawling and pulling up. It took her a few days to figure out how to sit back down once she pulled up on something, but she's got it down well enough now that she even tried it in the bathtub tonight.

If I ever provoked you to envy by saying, "my baby doesn't ever really put things in her mouth," know that I am reaping what I sowed in spades. Spades, I tell ya. C is putting everything in her mouth plus all the things A never found. Here is a list of contraband she taste-tested today (yes, just today):

• ping pong ball
• long strand of toilet paper (how did that get in the living room?!)
• A's painted wooden treasure box whose paint comes off when wet (explaining the hot pink stain on C's shirt)
• miscellaneous fuzz (after I swept the floor)
• hair bow
• dishwasher detergent (tried to scrape the leftovers out of the soap compartment while I loaded the dishes)
• bathtub drain
• bottom of mommy's shoe
• night light (which she had just removed from the wall and was in the process of replacing when I walked in)

These are just the ones I know about. I readily acknowledge that she may also have consumed crusty food off the floor, leaves, and/or mud while my back was turned. While the night light was a little unnerving, the ping pong ball was stinkin' hilarious.

Happy 9-month Birthday, C!

Sit down

This is crazy huge. Are you sitting down?

Yes, it's a chicken. A raw chicken. A raw, whole chicken. Only thing missing is the head and feathers. Any one who has known me for any length of time knows that I have an irrational neurosis about preparing or eating meat that resembles its original source too closely. That doesn't mean I don't want my meat to be fresh. I just prefer to not be able to envision the poor thing that gave it's life for my pot pie.

That said, I have come to terms with the fact that roasting a whole chicken is much more economical than buying chicken breasts. Alas, my penny-pinching has defeated my animal-lover. I did of my own accord and by my own hand prepare, roast, and consume the aforementioned chicken. (J did help take the leftover meat off the bones, but I was perfectly willing to do it.)

I had planned to document the whole experience in photos, because this is a pretty big milestone for me. But digital cameras and raw chickens are not normally good co-workers. So you only get the one photo while it was still nicely wrapped and sanitary, and only vaguely in the shape of a poor little chicken body.

Once I unwrapped said chicken, well, there you go. No mistaking it now--that's a headless chicken. The directions were easy enough. Rinse, pat dry, remove giblets from cavity, season, roast. I can do this. I even allowed myself only 15 minutes to get it done so I wouldn't hesitate. Rinsing done, little wings getting slightly more flappy. We'll skip the patting dry business. Remove giblets from cavity. Hmmm. Now that it's over, all I can say is that the directions were just trying to be polite. What I really had to do was put my hand inside the chicken's southern-most body opening, locate and remove its internal organs--all easily identifiable from my freshman biology class. That was obviously the most traumatic part, but then came the Great Pan Debacle of '09.

After seasoning the chicken, I put it in my pan of choice only to find that the lid wouldn't stay on. Wash hands, find new pan. Try again. Same dilemma. Allow me to point out that I have a big roasting pan, but the recipe pointed out the importance of using a pan that was just big enough so that the chicken would stay juicy and not dry out. So, wash hands, find new pan. Rinse, repeat. Finally ended up with the original pan, held closed by foil. You can imagine by this point how floppy the little bird had gotten at being handled so much. I really wanted to try holding it by its pitiful little wings and making it dance, but I was afraid I would rip the bones out of their sockets and the whole thing would have gone in the trash.

I am happy to report that this post is so long because it was a cathartic experience for me to have accomplished this and knowing I could blog about it gave me the wherewithal to do it. I have since learned that summoning the courage to insert my seasoning inside the chicken will yield more flavor (hat tip to my big sis), so I am willing to try again. In a few months.

Pink Arrow First

A's latest milestone came while tussling with Daddy on the couch this afternoon. He gave her a hearty tickle to which she protested, "Stop, stop, stop, Daddy! You're messing up my hair!" To my knowledge that is the first time she threw a flag on the play due to hair interference. (I have to mix in some sports metaphors to make up for the lack of actual sports being played in our house--Wii bowling doesn't count.)

J isn't much of a hunter (which I am ever so grateful for), so I don't think that is a sport that he is missing with his daughters. The only hunting that goes on around here is some intense hide-and-seek. We play at least three times a day. A has even learned that Mommy can play "just with your eyes" if my hands are otherwise employed. J says he might could keep up the hunt a little longer if A wasn't so obvious, "Okay, Daddy, you count to ten and I'm going to go hide in the pantry."

And our final pink milestone for the day...J asked me to teach A how to play bunko! Can you imagine?! I hadn't even thought of it as a viable pre-school game, but he knew she could do it and it approximates a board game (one of his favorite pastimes). Sure enough, she caught the fever. I can hear them at the table now, "I got one 2, Mom!" I told her that three of a kind makes a bunko and she was the perfect pupil when she rolled her first one. "BUNKO!" she yelled, practically quivering. J said the only difference between her and the noise at a usual bunko game is the size of her body. Notice he didn't say the size of her voice. Bunko, baby, BUNKO!

Told Ya

J was first to witness C crawling today. I confirmed it. Sis celebrated with shouts of how proud she was and what a big girl her baby sister was becoming. Month eight has been a busy one.