The Jager Family

April!

2010-04-29T09:01:00.001-07:00

Wow, time flies! Spring has come and we've been spending lots of time outside. Rain doesn't stop the kids either---Mia loves to play in the rain and Henry seems to enjoy it too. They get pretty wet and dirty, get undressed outside or in the back hall, and then right into the tub.

One of the things we do outside is bubbles. Never mind that I have several wands or bubble machines, there will always be fighting. Oh well.

Here's Henry in the playhouse, about 5 seconds before he put chalk in his mouth.

Easter came and went, Mia had a good time coloring eggs. Henry wasn't that interested, but he's fairly young. And he doesn't have the same patience Mia does.

Easter morning was lots of fun. Both kids liked their baskets, especially the chocolate that was inside.

Here's the best picture I could get that morning, a little blurry. Don't you love their Target outfits? :)

It was nice when we were at my mom and dad's so the kids ran around outside for awhile.

One of Henry's new favorite things is walking around with my shoes on. He doesn't just slide them on, take a few steps, and take them off. He'll walk all around the house, for a long time. It cracks me up.

One night this past month was Parents Night at Mia's school. So Tim and I got to go to school with Mia and play and do some activities. This is the handwashing station. Hand-washing is fairly complicated! Really, it's part of their Life Skills area. Get some water from the tap in a pitcher (ceramic!), pour it into a bowl, wash hands, dump bowl out into bucket, dump bucket into sink, all while wearing apron to protect clothes. I'm glad she gets to do that at school, since there will be no carrying around of ceramic pitchers here!

2010 is the year of babies, and I got to hold my first little newborn friend a few weeks ago. Claire is a real sweetheart! Mia is anxious to be friends with her.

We have already added new mulch to the front yard. For us, that is a big deal. In fact we bought it AND put it down in the same day! It's cocoa mulch and it really smells like you are putting down chocolate. Yummy. Still smells good even now. Mia was happy to help us.

That's all for now...April is almost over. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Mia and Henry's first cousin, who was due this past Sunday. Darn these late babies making us wait! Next month---two more babies!!!

March Post!

2010-03-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

March has been a busy month as well! TWO baby showers----Sarah and Stacy. Sarah is due at the end of April, and Stacy is due mid-May. Very exciting! Tim and I also celebrated our 7 year anniversary on March 15. Unfortunately, we found out that our favorite restaurant---which we reserve ONLY for anniversary dinners---has closed. :( Goodbye, Courtyard Bistro. We will miss you.

Mia had spring break this month, so Tim took a couple of days off so we could do some fun family activities. We went to Jump Zone one day, Mia has been there before but it was Henry's first time. I wish I had some good pictures, but I didn't have the camera on the right setting so they were blurry. But we all had fun. Tim took off his shoes and jumped with the kids. Henry was all over the place---jumping in the inflatables, and jumping on the floor. He made friends with a little girl and boy who were older than him. Somehow, even though he doesn't talk, they thought he was fun, and a little crazy. We caught the little girl making the "cuckoo" sign with her finger to her little brother in reference to Henry. Yes, little girl, he is.

The next day we went to the Frankfort Kids Museum. I'd been there with the kids a few times, but Tim hadn't been. It changes every time I go there! Henry was finally old enough to enjoy the activities without me worrying that he would choke on something. I didn't get a picture of it, but he was really into the 911 corner because there were lots of phones, and also a computer.

Both of the kids spent a long time playing at the table with smooth stones. Yes, Henry tried to put a few in his mouth but overall he was good.

We ended that afternoon with a trip to our favorite local restaurant---Culver's! The kids got ice cream and loved it. I have a funny video I will post later about that.

This past weekend, we had visitors! My friend Mandy from Springfield drove up with her son Cameron who is the same age as Henry. We had a great weekend. Of course, I'm forever building up my stash of embarrassing photos, so here is one of the boys taking a bath.

And looking out the window.........
I have to say they did well together. There were no fights, and Henry didn't pull Cameron's hair which bodes well for him joining the 2 year program at Mia's school this coming fall. We played outside, went shopping and to Red Robin (yum!), and Tim stayed home Saturday night so Mandy and I could go to dinner with friends.

A couple of cute random pictures...Henry got some sunglasses and wanted to try them on, and Mia did not want to be left out. Here is a shot of Henry trying to hug her, and Mia saying "He's giving me too much hugs!" I tell her there is no such thing! Note the bruise on her cheek: she ran into the piano at Tim's parents house last weekend--it's taking long to go away.

Mia wanted a picture by herself. I think she was posing.

Henry got a new toy this weekend--a microwave! He has become obsessed with ours, and is now tall enough to open it up, and put toys in, and try to cook them. Bad news. So I got him his own and it's helping! It has a light and a clock and spins. It came with a play hamburger that is forever getting lost. Both kids like it. See Mia in the background drinking her milk on the couch? She's silly.

And now a video...I hope it works. I let it upload overnight while I slept. This is Henry in a timeout. He had taken a toy and whipped it across the room, which is a no-no. Make sure you have the volume up. You can hear my stern/trying not to laugh voice, and Henry's little pouts.

February Post!

2010-03-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted, and there is enough that I am splitting it into two posts.

First up--we had our first annual Valentine's Day party. I call it annual because Mia has already been asking for the next one, so I am guessing each year we'll do a little something special. This year we had some of my girl friends over, we had snacks and Mia and I had made cupcakes. She was so excited because they were her "favorite"....and then she proceeded to lick off a little frosting and then be done.

Henry was not so picky---he loved the whole thing!

Even bigger news....Mia went on a plane for the very first time!! She and I flew to Colorado to visit my friend Amy, her husband Paul and daughter Madeline. Madeline turned 2 shortly after our visit. I had gone back and forth about whether to bring Mia with and I am SOO glad I did. She turned out to be a great travel buddy. Even being at the airport with her was so fun.

I found a set of Southwest Airline toy planes and trucks in the gift shop which we purchased and it was a huge hit. She has played with it ever since. We see a lot of planes whenever we're outside or driving and when she sees an obvious Southwest plane she yells "That's the plane I already rided on!!"

She was great at the airport and great on the plane. She watched a bit of Cinderella, colored, and chatted with me.

Our actual visit was great too. The girls got along really well, and we were very comfortable there.

Activities included going to an aquarium, swimming at the park district's indoor pool, going out for mexican food, and lots of playing. Amy and I even got to go on a few walks by ourselves, and also to a movie one night. Mia was really comfortable with Paul and he was great to stay home and man the fort while we went out.

We were sad to go, and ever since we have been home, Mia asks all the time if we can get on a plane and go to Madeline's house. I tell her we have to save our money because it's expensive. Today when I said that her response was "Can we buy a spaceship and go to outer space?"

Besides all that, we went to Julie's baby shower! Her baby is due......yesterday! So we are all anxiously awaiting some news and I am constantly checking my cell phone! Come on, baby Swan!

Sister and Brother

2010-02-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

Mia's Favorites

2010-01-29T15:50:00.000-08:00

Today at lunch Mia and I were talking about her favorite things, so I said I would interview her and ask her a bunch. Here are the results:

Favorite Color: Green, Blue and Yellow--she likes all three.

Favorite Food: Grilled Cheese!!

Favorite Tv Show: Little Einsteins

Favorite Toys to play with: Planes, Helicopters, Cars

Favorite Place to Go: Curious George (we just saw a live stage version Friday)

Favorite Store: The Mall (most likely because of the "makin-go-round" and Kiddie Train

Favorite People besides mom and dad and Henry: nana and papa, and uncle and kiki...and so on. The list was long!
Favorite Song: Curious George Theme

Favorite Thing to Do: Play downstairs (especially with Grandma)

Favorite Dessert: Cupcakes (I've never seen her eat one but she knows we're making some
for Valentine's Day).

Favorite Restaurant: Target. ??? I asked what she ate there and she said "Cookies!" We get
cookies at Starbucks sometimes.

Favorite thing to do with Henry: Run and play with toys
Favorite Animal: Elephant

Favorite Book: The Little Red Train (I think this is a british kids book about trains I found in
the bargain section at Borders!)

Favorite Movie: Talking Words Factory

Also, more funny things Mia says: mango is "flamango". As in "I want the banana and flamango fruit squeezer". Lol!

Mia has discovered Superheroes

2010-01-26T08:14:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Superman 1 and 2 played on tv--no commercials! The first movie caught Mia's eye and she was hooked. Have you watched the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve lately? Wow, Hollywood has come a long way in special effects and costume design. But he made such a good Superman. Mia decided Superman 2 was not as good as Superman 1, and with characters like Zod in his flashy, low-cut black one-peice, who can blame her?

In the picture above, you will note Mia is wearing a purple cape--it has an "M" for Mia, and was given to her by my good friend Mandy (thanks Mandy!). What you can't quite see, is that Tim is wearing Henry's blue cape with an "H" on it. Tim got a good workout flying Mia around the house for awhile, and she did not want to stop! What a fun little girl she is.

Learning to adjust

2010-01-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

Well, there are definitely some changes going on around here. For starters, the kids have a new babysitter temporarily---Grandma!! (Tim's mom). It's going really well. We are grateful that she is able to help us out while Kathryn is doing her student teaching (she will be a librarian soon!). Kathryn will be back in April until sometime in the summer. After that point....who knows? We will probably start looking to hire someone to take over in Fall 2010. I dread that process!

Also, Henry has hit a phase, and it's not a great one. He's still very sweet and lovable...but he also goes through VERY needy/clingy patches throughout the day. It's hard to get anything done when this is occurring. Sometimes I'll be with Mia in the bathroom and he just flips out! If he gets really bad, I'll put him in his crib to calm down and that usually works. The fact is, I can't just hold him all day long. And he needs to learn that. If I'm not doing anything and we're just hanging out--well, sure, he can sit on my lap. But if I'm cooking, or washing dishes or in the bathroom---nope! I'm sure he'll get through it. Mia probably went through it as well and I just forgot.

He is trying to talk more. Mostly gibberish, but he likes to yell "ball" when he sees one, and says mom, and maybe more or Mia...I'm not sure. Mia is very tolerant of Henry. He pulls her hair and bothers her, and she deals with it really well. When he's upset, she gives him a hug and a kiss. She's a good big sister.

Mia seems to be dropping her nap. It's getting more occasional lately. If Grandma is here, it pretty much doesn't happen. It's ok, but she has to go to bed early those days.

Now here are a few pictures:

A few weeks ago, I took the kids to Culver's on a Friday (my day off). We had a nice lunch. I may have mentioned this before but the Culver's by my house is a great place for us to go. They are so accommodating of me and the kids, they bring stuff to my table, help me carry food and drinks and open doors. We always have a good time there. I think Henry must have been worn out afterwards, because I was in the kitchen and heard....nothing, coming from the living room. I knew Mia was drinking her milk, but what about Henry? He doesn't do ANYTHING quietly. So I peeked around the corner, and there he was, fast asleep on the rug! Note the chocolate ice cream on his shirt. It was ALL OVER.

This picture is a little more recent. Mia wanted Daddy to give her a pretend bath. In her doll bathtub.

About a month ago, I went to Target after dropping Mia off at school. It was pretty early, and the store was nearly empty. Naturally I got my Starbucks coffee first, and the girl working that day asked if she could give Henry a small cup of whipped cream. I said, sure, why not? Henry was in HEAVEN. And yes, it got all over everything, but I didn't care because it kept him happy and occupied. What a nice girl that was!

This is funny. Last week, Tim left our bedroom to go take a shower in the morning. I was still in bed. He came back for his glasses and left again. He doesn't usually do that. Then he came back again and I was about to ask "Why won't you let me sleep?" and he said there was a dog in our backyard. NOT Oscar.

Somehow, sometime after we went to bed but before Tim got up, the dog in the picture above got into our yard. The gates were closed. He either jumped, or someone let him in (this is Tim's theory, which I doubt). He was very nice. He didn't bark. He tried to come in when Tim went outside to look for tags, which he didn't have. We didn't want to just let him out, there is a lot of traffic at that time of the day because of the train. And he obviously couldn't stay there. So I called animal control, but it was before they were "open". So I called the police. They sent an office to come get him. This big, tall guy came with no leash or anything. I got Oscar's leash and brought it outside and the cop told me "I'm not a dog person". So I got the leash on this fairly big dog's collar and led him out to the car. He hopped right in! I hope he was able to get home that day. He really was nice. It's a mystery how he ended up in our yard.

Next week Tim and I are taking Mia to see Curious George at the Rosemont theater. I told her 2 days ago, which may have been a mistake, because she has asked every day to go. She doesn't quite understand the concept of "next week". She even tried to get Grandma to drive her there after school yesterday, she told her "just go straight". Ha ha! So we will have a lot of fun I'm sure. Henry will stay with Grandma. I hope to have pictures from that with my next post!

Lots and lots of pictures

2010-01-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

Since I last posted, Christmas has come and gone, as has New Year's Day. We had a really great couple of weeks. Tim was home for 2 weeks and I worked only a few days. Mia was off school except for a few "fun days", and we got to see our friends and family quite a bit. A few times, the kids got to go out and play in the snow.

We all went shopping together a few times, and one time on the way home, I looked back to see Henry doing this. Multi-tasking at its best.

One day after coming in from the store, or someplace like that, I noticed that Mia was helping Henry take off his socks and shoes without me asking her to. I was so proud and happy!

I was on the verge of putting the tree away even before Christmas, when out of desperation, we put it in a pack and play. It looked like crap, and it didn't really keep Mia out, but it did keep Henry from pulling off ornaments or knocking it down.

Finally it was Christmas! We had my family over on Christmas Eve. We made stuffed shells for the first time and it turned out great. We learned Henry isn't much into unwrapping presents.

Christmas morning came, and Mia was very happy to see that Santa indeed had come and brought gifts. Naturally, Henry went right to Mia's stash....

....and Mia went to Henry's.

Here is Henry relaxing on his floor cushion Santa got him.

I attempted to take picture of the kids before Church on Christmas Day, and here is Henry trying to give Mia a hug. It didn't go over so well.

But we did get a fairly decent picture of me and Mia.

Henry on his cushion again, watching tv.

At some point after Christmas, I realized we forgot to put together Mia's gingerbread house! Tim helped her put it together. The next day, she had some at breakfast (I was asleep). I'm glad she did, because later that night we went to a New Year's Eve party for a few hours and came home to what appeared to be white frosting on the floor. Yes, Oscar had eaten her ENTIRE house! Bad dog!

Because that was very disappointing, I went to Michael's where all their Christmas stuff was on major clearance and got Mia some gingerbread men to decorate.

Doesn't this look delicious?

The last picture: Mia very proud with the little bear she made at preschool this past week.

Funny Things Mia Says

2009-12-17T19:35:00.001-08:00

Thought I'd dedicate a post to the way Mia says some things which make us laugh:

Remote Control: "moto"
Penguin: "puengin"
Christmas: "Chrimas"
I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas: "That feeling song" (Mia's #1 request in the car)
Jingle Bells: "Dingle Bells"
Breakfast: "Breasass"
Refrigerator: "gerjator"
Pirate's Booty (a snack she likes): "Pirate's boopy"

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure there's lots more. Some other funny sayings...when you give her something she doesn't like she says "That's not my favorite!"

Edited: I thought of some more, well, Mia just said it so I remember.

Everybody: "Allbody"
Anything: "Nanything"

Hee hee!

Greetings!!

2009-12-11T08:22:00.000-08:00

So, the great thing about our new camera is the awesome video it takes. The bad thing is, because the video is so awesome, it takes forever to upload to this website! So only one video today, though I have many more to share.

Below is Mia standing next to our new tv!! It is pretty awesome. We got a good deal on Amazon. The shipping wasn't super extra great, but it was free shipping. We have a mount for it, Tim bought a shelf for the cable box, and he is in the process of setting up a sound system of some kind (it's a little over my head). I think that's the last major purchase for the basement, although I do need some sort of cabinetry for my craft stuff. I am loving some stuff from Ikea!

Last weekend we went to the Christmas festival in downtown Tinley Park. There is a tent with food and vendors, and carolers, santa is in the station (but we didn't do this), and there are carriage rides. We did this last year and it was a lot of fun so we went again. Here we are on the carriage ride.

They also had a "train ride" (which was really some kind of lawn mower-tractor thing pulling carts behind it) and a little kids ferris wheel. Mia went on and had a good time.

How did we know she wanted to ride this? She told us. See below.

Ha ha!! She kept mentioned a "steering wheel" to me when we were on the train ride and I had no idea what she meant!!

We are getting ready for christmas. We still have a LOT of shopping to do. We have our tree up but it's a little bit of a disaster because we can't keep Henry away from it. It's in the corner, and we have our coffee table blocking it off--but Henry climbs on the table! And when we catch him, he takes whatever extremely breakable ornament is in his hand, and throws it. Ugh. I can't wait to take it down.

Mia is really enjoying Christmas...the decorations, the advent calendar, the Little People nativity set, and all the Christmas shows on tv. We have watched a Charlie Brown Christmas a few times. My favorite line: "Of all the Charlie Browns in this world, you're the Charlie Browniest!" I was laughing so hard!

In other news, Mia has another cold. But it's been at least a month since her last, and it's not a bad one. And in my insistence on staying positive, I tell myself, well, she'll be fine by Christmas!!

Take care!

Playing in the Leaves

2009-11-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

This past weekend the weather was so beautiful, we figured we would take the kids outside to play in leaves. And Tim figured he might as well rake some since we were out there. First time in years! (Ha ha). Right away, Henry was sure to find a big, dangerous branch. Mia dove right into the leaves.

Here's Mia throwing leaves on Henry. (We told her to!)

Pretty Mia in the leaves.

Tim practically buried Henry in the leaves. He didn't really mind. I'm hoping that wasn't our last "nice" weekend. Winter can stay away for awhile longer!

Play date!!

2009-11-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

Last week I took Mia for a play date with two of my friends and their sons. We went to Jump Zone in Mokena and the kids had a blast. We had coupons so it ended up being about $5 for each child, but really--I think even the full price of $8 would have been worth it. We were there nearly 2 hours, and I'm sure Mia would have stayed longer if I let her. There is a very big warehouse type room with several large inflatables. This picture below is a good example of how much fun Mia was having!

There was one inflatable with a large, fast slide, and after one try Mia was hooked. She was pretty much fearless.

Here is a sweet picture with Mia and the two other little boys. Aren't they cute? And they were all well-behaved. I would have loved for Henry to be there, but he's a bit too young.

And here's how tired both kids were on the way home. Henry had a fun visit at Grandma's while we were at Jump Zone, and Mia was just pooped. This was even before lunch! I would definitely go back there.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a great Halloween! I have always loved holidays, but I must say that having kids really makes it a lot more fun. This year, Mia was VERY into decorations and everything about Halloween and it was fun that she was so eager.

Here's a little picture of Henry with black frosting on his mouth. Where did he get black frosting?

From Mia's gingerbread haunted house, of course! I, unfortunately, did not get to be there when she built it but Tim took pictures and video for me. I was at the Oprah show. One of these years, I am either going to get free stuff or see a cool celebrity. This time, it was Patrick Swayze's widow. (SIGH). We still had fun.

I love this picture because it is very typical of Henry. For him it made perfect sense to sit down on the pumpkin.

Mia actually carved a pumpkin herself (with Dad's help). In a later photo you will see the results.

I had initially wanted Mia to be a cat, and Henry to be a mouse. Well, the mouse costume I got for him was a piece of crap. And Mia decided the night before that she wanted to be a ghost. So on Halloween, we threw together a quick ghost costume for her, and I have to say I think it turned out pretty good. I had luckily bought a little halloween outfit for Henry that looked like a costume so he wore that.

Here we are at one of the houses. Mia did such a great job saying trick or treat. Every time they shut the door she said "I want to go to another house" and she kept telling us she wanted to go to 10 houses. We went to more than 10, but she'd say "Remember--I said ten houses." So funny!

Tim loves Halloween and he really wanted to be in costume, so here he is.

And here are our pumpkins! Tim's is the scary one, mine is the stereotype jack-o-lantern, and Mia's are the two in back. The one on the right she drew and Tim carved, but she actually helped carve the one on the left.

Ok, this picture has nothing to do with Halloween, but it cracks me up. Henry is sticking his belly out, and pinching his own leg, while getting into the diapers. This is a very good snapshot of his personality. (Gosh, I love him).

Video

2009-10-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

I hope this works!

Lots of Updates!

2009-10-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Mia is now 3 years old! She had a great birthday. We started the morning off with opening presents, including a really big rocket (from Little Einsteins), which Henry also happened to like.

Mia also got to have her toenails painted for the first time, which she loves. I bought this polish called Piggy Paint, which is made for kids and non-toxic. It doesn't even smell! And the nail polish remover doesn't smell either. We have a few colors for Mia to pick from. She just has to learn that they don't get repainted every single night.

Next stop was Odyssey Fun World in Tinley Park. It's a kids place, with mini golf, bumper cars, video games, and an indoor play area. It's very close to our house, so we figured...why not? The picture below shows how crowded it was that day. Granted, we did get there right at opening.

The kids had a lot of fun. The indoor climbing structure was TALL. I climbed up high with Mia and started to get nervous!

There was a couple of ball pits, which both of the kids loved so much I had to overlook the fact that it was FILTHY.

Later that night we had family and friends over for a small party for Mia. Just snacks and dessert--Mia got to have her favorite for dinner: Grilled Cheese from Culver's. I'd post pictures of the party, but I just have a bunch of her opening presents. Here is a picture that shows Mia's diverse taste in toys: a train track, a semi, and a tea set.

In other exciting news, Henry got his first haircut! While he was ALWAYS adorable, his hair was getting a bit unruly. So I had to say goodbye to his little tail (see below). Don't worry--I kept it!

He was so good at the salon. We went to a special kids place nearby that has special cars for the kids to sit in, a tv, and toys for kids who are waiting. The perfect place for kids. The only not perfect part was the price---VERY high for what amounted to a trim. But I wanted his first haircut to not be traumatic and it was a success. Now he looks more like a little boy.

Even more exciting--we got a new camera! It was my birthday present from Tim. It takes really good pictures, but even better it takes GREAT videos. Unfortunately the timing stinks, as Google recently discontinued the video upload to Blogger. (Why, Google?). So I have to figure out how to post my really cute new videos. But here's a nice picture of Mia.

Ahh...and here's Henry doing what he does best: getting into trouble!

Yep, more trouble...he loves to climb up on the couch and run and jump.

Well, that's all for now. We're planning to go to a pumpkin farm this weekend so expect pictures of that soon! (And some video, hopefully.)

Cute Videos

2009-09-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

10 Quick Things

2009-09-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

1. Mia has tantrums now. Most recently over the fact that I told her the snacks we were buying were for her birthday party at school (which will last 15 minutes) and we weren't going to open them. (Indivdual small packages of choc. chip bunny grahams). She started crying and yelling, and didn't stop, all the way out of the store, all the way home, on the way inside. She went in her room for a while to calm down. This usually works. Honestly, had I known I had a lot of extra snacks I would have said she could have one. But I wasn't sure and once she was in a tantrum I was not budging. I want her to understand that crying + yelling ≠ getting her way.

2. Henry will very soon be able to climb on the couch. And this scares me.

3. Mia will be 3 on Friday. It's hard to believe.

4. The other night at dinner, Mia was having chicken nuggets, which she requested. (I should have known that was too easy). After 2 bites, she started singing a song. "I...don't...want...eat...chicken...too...much." The camera wasn't nearby or I'd have captured it and posted it here. It was very musical. I also caught her humming Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", or "A Little Night Music" while we were shopping at Target. For this, I thank Little Einsteins! There is also a composer and famous artist featured. It's nice to know she is absorbing this kind of stuff.

5. I am going to take Henry to get his first hair cut in the next week or so. His little curly tail was cute but now it's turning into a mullet, and he's too cute for that.

6. Mia got to go on a fire truck at school and they also had a fire drill. She said it was "loud but not too loud" and some kids were scared but she wasn't. I believe her, because the teacher said she was brave. There is a parents night next week and I hope they show pictures!

7. I have decided on Mia and Henry's Halloween Costumes.

8. Tim and I are the same age for 2 more weeks.

9. I am really looking forward to fall TV.

10. I'm tired of wearing summer clothes and I'm looking forward to sweaters and coats. Does this make me weird?

The garbage cans are back

2009-09-05T08:46:00.001-07:00

Friday when Tim got home from work, our cans were back. I KNOW they were at our neighbors because one had a broken handle and now ours does too. We didn't see who returned them. I am so curious because our neighbors didn't even put out their garbage.

-- Post From My iPhone

More than a cold!

2009-09-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Oops! I ended up taking Mia to the doctor Wednesday afternoon because she had a cough that didn't sound great. Turns out she has a cold---AND an ear infection! It's nothing super serious, she has antibiotics. She hadn't complained about her ears at all, and still had no fever. I guess two colds in a row was just too much for her ears. I brought Henry with and had his ears checked and they were fine. And, disturbingly, when we tell Mia it's time to take medicine she says "I like medicine!" I kept her home on Thursday, and she didn't even ask about school. I think it's not permanent for her yet. By Tuesday, I'm sure she'll be fine.

Garbage can news: well, it's garbage day again, and luckily our garbage fit in one big black bag, which Tim put on the curb. I was really anxious to see if our neighbors would place one of OUR cans on the curb full of THEIR garbage. To my dismay...they didn't put out any cans!! This is unusual. Either they are out of town, or...they just forgot. So we'll see. This weekend we will be buying more cans and labeling them!

We have a lot going on this weekend. Our friend/cousin/Henry's godmother Julie is having a 30th birthday party. And we are also going to the cottage for a day or two. It probably won't be warm enough to swim but we'll still have fun.

Today I took the kids grocery shopping, a typical thing we do on Fridays. Today we went to the "nice" Jewel....the one in Orland that is bigger and has a better selection of everything. I figured it was a good time to try out one of those car carts for the kids. They ride in the car, and the cart is empty. That Jewel is big so I didn't feel so bad using it. Well, what a fiasco! First they are hard to push and I kept bumping into people (gently). I had just Mia in there for awhile, and once Henry got antsy I put them both in there. They went back and forth between having fun and pulling each other's hair and hugging and strangling and so on. And as we were about to check out, Mia told me her race car (matchbox car) was missing, so I had to go look for it. I couldn't find it and was about to give up when another nice mom heard me mention a car and say she saw one on a jello display. Someone had picked it up and put it there. So, we got it. Phew! Then we checked out, and the bagger and cashier told me I couldn't push that cart outside. Apparently they were getting stolen (BY WHO?) so I had to transfer Henry to a regular cart, put the groceries in back, and have Mia hold my hand. I had REALLY filled the cart because usually Mia is in the back so I can't get as much. I was nervous about her holding my hand and also being able to push a heavy cart. But we did ok. Still, it's a dumb rule.

I hope everyone has a good holiday weekend!

Yay for Preschool!

2009-09-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Mia started preschool this week, and it's going great. On Sunday her nose started running---yes, AGAIN--so I wasn't sure if she'd be able to go on Monday. I didn't want her to feel crappy on her first day, and I didn't want the teachers to be annoyed with us. It was very disappointing, after all the anticipation! On Monday morning I got Mia up and she seemed ok...runny nose still, but otherwise fine. I asked her if she wanted to go and she said yes. But I was kind of thinking no. I called up the school and said Mia had a runny nose and I wasn't sure if I should send her. They asked if she had a fever (no) and if her runny nose was clear (yes). If so---we should send her! So at this point we had no much time to get ready and had to rush. But she was VERY excited. At dropoff she told the administrator who got her out of the car that she had a tissue for her nose, and I had switched the carseats in the van (they want the preschoolers to be on the passenger side, and Mia was on the other side). She wasn't afraid and didn't cry and didn't even look back. It made it much easier for me. :) I was especially happy that she would get to start the year with all the other kids. I think maybe next week sometime I'll stop by and peek in and see her with all the kids. She hasn't been able to tell me any of their names yet.

Today she was more hesitant because it was an assistant that Mia is not quite comfortable with, but with encouragement from Tim, Mia walked into preschool. I know she had fun...I know she played and went on the playground. I also know that both days, she has come home with tiny rocks in her pockets. Apparently she is stealing the playground rocks a few at a time! What is really funny about that is at parents orientation, the administrator mentioned another child doing the same.

She gets up earlier on Tuesdays and Wednesdays now, and today she was tired enough for a nap, and went to bed easily too, so I guess she is getting worn out. I'm glad Fridays she will get to sleep in.

So now both kids have colds again, but they are pretty minor. We go through a lot of kleenex but otherwise it's ok.

Henry is REALLY trying to communicate. Today I asked him to say "Mama" and he did! And I asked if he wanted dinner, and he made a sound that is his "yes" response, and pointed at his high chair. He is still getting into E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, and saying "NO" doesn't do much. I look forward to getting past that with him. Mia was always so good and trustworthy. Maybe that's a girl thing.

In other news, our garbage cans got stolen on Friday. Friday is our garbage day. I have been trying in recent weeks to put the cans back by our garage right away so we are not the only people on the block whose cans are still at the curb on Sunday. I've been doing a good job I think. This past Friday, when I was taking the kids for a walk (at which point I had planned to move the cans back), I realized....our garbage cans were gone. Our recycling bin was still there. But the cans---whose lids have been long gone---were missing. They hadn't rolled across the street, or been blown away by wind. They were just GONE. Later in the weekend, we spotted what appears to be one of our lidless garbage cans at our neighbors house. Our neighbors have different cans than us. I don't understand it. They are...well.....older. (OLD). In the brief conversations I've had with the woman lately, I've come to wonder if maybe she is forgetting things. But at some point, wouldn't one of them look at the selection of garbage cans by their garage and say..."Say...one of these isn't ours!". I'm not sure. In any case, it's not a huge deal. We were planning to get new ones--with lids--anyway. And I will be labelling them somehow so it doesn't happen again. We still don't know where the second one went.

Pictures and Videos

2009-08-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Let's jump right in. It's hard to get a picture that shows Mia's new haircut, and this is the best I could do. It's quite a bit shorter, MUCH easier to wash and comb and not so crazy anymore. She looks a little older (sniff sniff). But cute!

Last night, Mia and Tim put together her new toddler bed. Mia was SOOOOO excited!! See below. Also, check out the videos at the end of this post. Tim said it was worth the money just to see her so happy. And she slept GREAT. She was happy to be able to get in bed by herself, and this morning, to get out on her own. Hey--I like that part too!! She did NOT nap today. But that's not because of the bed, she's just not napping lately. And it kills me.

Our friend Matt went to Disney World recently, and asked if I wanted anything. Yes! Mickey Ears for the kids!! Pictures below. (Their names are even on them!)

I think I posted already that I went to visit Mandy in Springfield a few weeks ago. Compare the pictures below. The first is Mia and Lucas, when Mia was close to 1 year old. The second is Henry and Cameron, both about 13 months. My, how time flies. Our little sweethearts. (Yes Mandy, they are sweethearts, even though they don't always act like it.)

I went with Mia to her preschool orientation today. She wasn't very shy..but they are really going to have to work with her on following direction, particularly with circle time on the rug. They were supposed to sit nicely with their legs crossed. Mia laid down and tried to crawl to the dollhouse. She'll get it eventually. They are also big on walking instead of running, using quiet voices, and putting things back when they're done. Yes!! I can't wait for her to learn that stuff since we are clearly incapable of teaching it in our house. Her full schedule starts next week, and I am less nervous about dropoff.

Now some awesome videos. Enjoy.

Mia's stats

2009-08-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

Mia had her 3 year checkup today, a few weeks early so she could get it in before preschool starts. She is still petite, but the most important thing is she is on the same growth curve (20% for weight, 25% for height) that she always has been. The doctor said that is fine. I also am secretly pleased that I am not the only parent with a picky eater. Our pediatrician has major issues with his little boy as well, and we always talk about it when I see him. So I know that, if a pediatrician has a hard time getting his kid to eat, maybe I didn't screw something up---maybe some kids are just PICKY (stubborn). The fact that she drinks a good amount of milk and no juice is a plus, and she drinks a lot of water also. And she's smart and all that. So....we're good. He was surprised that the toy she had brought with was an airplane. He said "is this yours?" and she said "yeah, I have a helicopter too."Ahh....my little girl.

This afternoon is the interview with Mia's teacher. We will be meeting with her one on one, to give Mia a chance to be comfortable with her, and with the classroom. I am very happy to be able to show Mia that there IS indeed a tiny little potty that she will be able to sit on by herself. (I wish I had one in my house). I know she will love everything there. We are dropping off her "special school shoes" (ballet slippers) and also a change of clothing in case of accidents.

This is a major week for me. All these changes. I think change is hard for me. Particularly when it comes to the kids. Usually it works out fine. But I can't help but be a little nervous about it all. And I am constantly questioning myself. So if you're reading thing, and don't think I'm a total nutjob, could you tell me so?

Oh--and so the bedrail I got for Mia's crib---no good. Not for cribs only twin beds and up. And the convertible rail that goes with a crib is $70. When looking on amazon I realized we could get an actual toddler bed for $79. So we did. I bought a nice, white, wooden toddler bed. It's low to the ground, has half rails, and uses her crib mattress. I am sure she will love it. We should be getting that tomorrow or Wednesday.

Mia's haircut went very well, (thanks to Jen T. at Amato), and I will post pics soon. It's so much easier to clean and comb.

Big Changes

2009-08-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

We are about to see some big changes in our household. Next week, Mia beings Preschool!!! We talk about it all the time, and she is very excited, even though she doesn't really know what school is. We tell her she will learn things and play with other kids. (Isn't that preschool?). This Friday Tim and I have a parents orientation. On Monday, I take Mia for an "interview" with the teacher...she will get to meet her, talk to her one on one, and see the classroom. Wednesday and Thursdays are Mia's orientation days. Shortened days, with I THINK just all new kids, and a parent in the room at all times, doing their own thing. Then the following week on Monday, is her first full day. It's only 3 hours a day. A good length of time. I am equal parts excited and terrified. Mostly terrified at how I will feel, not Mia. I'm sure there will be an adjustment period for her, and she will probably not like being left there on her own at first, but she'll adapt, she always does. And though I KNOW she will love it, love being with other kids, and learning new things.....I am going to miss her!!! And so will Henry! Boo hoo.......

Below is a picture of Mia with her new "special school shoes". At the preschool Mia will attend, a Montessori school, all the kids wear ballet slippers to class. Keeps the dirt off the floors from their regular shoes, keeps their feet clean and allows them to be flexible and comfortable. Mia loves hers. (Did you know they sell ballet stuff at Target? Is there no end to Target's offerings?)

Here are the kids playing in Henry's room. Mia loves to put blankets down and call them a "rug". (Even though there is already a rug). And she loves to pretend to sleep. Henry wanted to lay down next to her, for 3 seconds.

Last week, my parents and I took the kids to the Frankfort Kids Museum. This is a great place. Mia could spend all day there. The adults got worn out fairly quickly, mostly from keeping Henry from putting stuff in his mouth. In the picture below, Mia is really that happy to be playing at the bean table. (Like a sand table, but less messy.)

Henry wanted to touch (and eat) everything!

Just a cute picture of Henry. Playing with a duck.

Mia reading in her room. Notice the blanket she has put down?

A few weekends ago, I went to visit my friend Mandy in Springfield. Mandy and I met when I was in graduate school 50 years ago, and we are still good friends. Mandy has 2 kids the same age as mine (2 boys) and we love to get together with the kids. So far, we have only traveled with one at a time. I wonder when we'll be ready for all the kids at once? Here are the boys eating.

And here they are playing. Cameron is a little bigger than Henry.

Right now, Mia, Henry and I all have colds. Don't ask where we caught them, because I don't know. Henry got sick first, then Mia, then me. Tim, so far, has been spared. It's annoying but I'm hoping Mia will be well before school starts. We sure have had a lot of sicknesses this year.

I am also contemplating removing a crib rail from Mia's crib. Yes, she's still in a crib. She has never complained about it or tried to climb out. But since she's starting school, I feel like maybe it's time. I have a bedrail to attach so she doesn't roll off, but she can still get in and out by herself. We will also be buying a regular size pillow, because her toddler pillow is not big enough to accomodate her head, and the two bears she liked to have on the pillow next to her. I bought a new sheet set--with a topsheet--for when we do this.

That's all for now. I'll post back about how orientation goes! Oh, and I'm taking Mia for a haircut Saturday and I'm contemplating getting quite a bit cut off. Her hair is LONG. And it gets messy easily. I'd like to still be able to pull it in a ponytail, but maybe not a foot long ponytail. I'll see how I feel about it when I get to the salon.

Dear Chicago Sun-Times....

2009-08-10T10:49:00.001-07:00

I am a fool.

I was once a subscriber a few years back. I was scheduled to receive a paper every day. Often I would not receive it, and USUALLY this occurred on the all-important Sunday. Sunday is the best day for the newspaper! And it is VERY frustrating to not receive it. I probably called in to complain 6 or 7 times. (But I missed the paper more often than that.) Usually I'd get a refund. I did not want a refund. I wanted my paper. When I called the automated system, the recording ALWAYS said "You will receive your paper today." I never did. NEVER.

I think I downgraded to weekends, but even that wasn't good. So I cancelled. Please, look up my history in your computer system. You'll see all this.

Well, in a fit of...misplaced hope, maybe....I decided to subscribe again, for Saturday and Sunday service. It took about a month before my first missed paper, and you guessed it---it was this past weekend. I received neither Saturday nor Sunday.

I am at a complete loss. How hard is it to deliver the newspaper to me? I know you know my address because a month has gone by where I did in fact get my paper on weekends. And suddenly this? No paper? And yes, I called the hotline, put in all my info, and was told I would receive the paper. No paper came.

I hope someone from the Sun-Times reads this, because I am at my wit's end, and feel the need to make my issue a little more public. Should I switch to the Chicago Tribune and hope my luck is better? I'll have to think about it......

Lots of pictures, and a few videos

2009-07-28T20:11:00.001-07:00

I am finally catching up on pictures so I'll just dive right in.

The first is Henry falling asleep during lunch on the day of his party. He didn't have a morning nap and this was the result.

Here is Henry and my mom (Nana) when everyone was arriving at the party.

Here is Henry, very excited about the cake!

Here is Henry playing with one of his favorite toys--Mia's doll stroller. He has fun pushing it around the basement.

I was trying to help Henry open presents, but Mia was more interested than he was!

Henry WAS pretty interested in the tissue paper.......

Henry has a new trick. You say "Where's your nose?" and then he points to his nose. And sticks his finger in.

A new fun activity for Mia to do is paint at her table outside. She has some watercolors she uses and really enjoys it.

We took the kids to a park nearby one day and we had the place to ourselves. It was nice to let Henry walk around, he is pretty fascinated with the mulch.

Mia is brave enough now to explore the playground on her own (which makes me nervous).

I just like this picture because I think Henry is extremely cute!

Another one of Mia's new tricks--climbing the slide. Henry likes this trick because Mia takes off her shoes which makes it easier for Henry to eat them.

We also got the kiddie pool out this week, and both kids loved it. We had little water guns for them. Mia liked to shoot hers at Daddy....

...and Henry drank the water from his.

See, he is super cute!

Now two videos. Here's a good video of Henry enjoying his first birthday cake. It was messy but he liked it!

And below is a video of the kids in the pool, with Henry displaying his advanced communication skills.

Ok, all better

2009-07-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

So...no more puking in this house, and I'm pretty sure Mia is sick to death of hearing me ask if her tummy feels sick. Right when she was getting better, Henry had these two days of not wanting to nap (AT ALL), low fever one day and SUPER cranky, so I was expecting...well, I don't know what I was expecting, but I was worried he was coming down with something. But I think he has caught up on sleep and now he's fine. He's starting to show more preference at meal times, and not just automatically eating what we give him, but I guess that's normal and he still doesn't come close to Mia's level of pickiness so we're ok.
We actually got Mia checked out at the ER Wedenesday night..she had been better Tuesday, then Wednesday morning was not good and the rest of the day she was acting lethargic. I called the Insurance company's 24 hour nurse line (which was a woman reading off of a flow chart, I'm sure: Vomiting? Yes or No. Fever? Yes or No. Pretty useless. Thanks Blue Cross.), and then the pediatrician who recommended taking her in. The attending doctor at the ER told Tim that the doctors don't really know, but just say that to be cautious. But I was looking for cautious so I'm ok with that. We've never dealt with this kind of thing, and had no idea how to handle it. Now, in fact, we know that we have to FORCE Mia to drink pedialyte. Once she had it, it was easier to get her to drink her "juice". She drank it easily from home the next 2 days. Hydration is key, and we also gave her regular foods too soon. Next time we deal with something like this (let it be years from now, please), we'll know better how to handle it. But boy am I glad this week is over!!

And Henry and Tim did not get sick. Thank goodness for that.

Tim and I have vacation time this week so we're planning on doing fun family stuff, like go to the pool and water park, maybe the kids museum, go to the park, things like that. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!!

Now that we're all good here, I can post some pictures. And I will in the next post!

(Note: I wrote this a long time ago, but I am just now posting. I am so behind!)

Sick and sick

2009-07-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

I would love to post about Henry's 1st Birthday party, and to add some pictures, but shortly after our last guests left on Sunday night, I came down with some sort of ugly stomach bug. I never got to sleep before I was getting sick. And then a couple of hours later, Mia woke up with the same thing!! (I think because she had a chance to fall asleep explains why I went first.). At this point I still have no idea what it is, or how we got it. Virus? Food? I don't know.

I was better within about 36 hours. I am back at work today and feeling...ok. Not great. I definitely won't get sick anymore, but I'm feeling a little lethargic and still trying to rehydrate. Mia had been doing better yesterday afternoon and evening, and then we had a setback this morning which I HOPE was due mostly to the fact that her stomach was empty. (I felt queasy this morning too.) I hated to leave, but their babysitter is keeping me posted, she is eating a little and drinking a little very slowly.

So far, Henry and Tim are ok, which adds to my confusion. Will Henry get sick? If so, when?? We have plans Friday night to go to a year after reception party, by ourselves, and next week Tim has the week off for our "vacation week". I sure hope everyone is well by then.

And meanwhile, I'm at work, but not really concentrating well, because I'm thinking of Mia. :(

Grilled cheese, cupcakes, and love

2009-07-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a really nice evening celebrating Henry's birthday. Look at him in his cute little shirt I got him.

We started off by heading to Culver's ("Grilled cheese store", if you're Mia), and we got to sit in the nice big table in the back, which is in it's own little nook.

Henry was very excited to eat, as he usually is.
Both kids ate well, and we skipped on the ice cream this time because I had purchased cupcakes from Creative Cakes in Tinley Park when I went to order Henry's cake earlier that day. Yum!!

Henry opened his gifts, and as I knew he would be, he was all over his new sippy cup. Look at Tim and Mia checking out Henry's new bus while Henry is desperately trying to get something out of that cup.

Here is a shot of Henry enjoying his cupcake. His cupcake was in the same flavor and style as his cake would be and he loved it!

To end this post, a very sweet video of Mia loving Henry.

Another quick picture

2009-07-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

I got the kids a wagon off of Craigslist, in perfect shape for less than half the regular price and they love it. Here they are yesterday on our walk.

-- Post From My iPhone

Henry is 1 Today!!

2009-07-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it--Henry is a year old. My little baby, where has he gone?? I still vividly remember the (painful) day he was born, and now he's running around our house, keeping up with his big sister. Here is a very cute recent picture of him:

Today we will have a very lowkey, family celebration, the big party will be this coming weekend. We'll give Henry his present, try to explain to Mia that it is a present for HIM, although he will share with her, have a fun dinner at Culver's (I know, we spoil them), and maybe take a nice walk outside. The night will probably end with something like this:

Ugh, Summer

2009-06-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

I know, I know---it's summer! Yippee, right!? Except, I can't stand this 90 degree stuff. We can't play outside so really, what's the use? Plus our A/C is not the greatest, so as I sit here in a tiny house, and write this, the thermostat says 82 degrees. All the shades are shut and no lights are on so I don't know what to do. Except get a new A/C which we almost had to do last year. Can it just go back down to the 80s, please? Mia has a new sand table, and we actually have sand to put in it but it's too hot to be outside.

Otherwise, things are good. Mia has been signed up for preschool in Tinley Park. Yay! I talk about it all the time, and she REALLY wants to go, even though she has no clue what it is. But I know she will like it. It's a montessori school very close to our house. I'm a little nervous, since she's never really done anything like this before, but I'm sure it will go well. Hmm...I just saw a guy with a yellow construction vest walk around our house. Anyway. I think it will also be good for Henry to get some 1-on-1 time too. Although, I think he will really miss her. And eventually, be very jealous.

Speaking of Henry, he is basically an expert walker! He falls down a lot but he rarely crawls. He also has developed some fantastic tantrums. They don't last long but they are very new to us---Mia never threw herself on the ground like he does. Sometimes he just sits back, sometimes he's standing and actually falls back. I'm not sure what he's trying to accomplish but I figure he'll get over it eventually, so I'm not worried about it. He's still very cute, even when pouting. I think he's just started to really WANT things to go his way, and gets mad when they don't. Welcome to life, Henry!

Henry will be 1 in just a few short weeks and I can't believe it!! Hopefully our A/C is working by the time of his party. Thank goodness at least our basement is finished and it's nice and cool down there.

Mia is a nonstop talker/commentor/explainer/question asker/tour guide. I'm sure this is typical. Our car rides usually consist of Mia pointing out every: airplane, antenna tower, water tower, bridge, truck, garbage truck, train, train tracks, church, etc. Sometimes I wish we lived in farmland. But I guess then we'd be hearing about haystacks and barns, so oh well! She also likes to tell me everything I am doing ("You drinking water, Mom?"), and her two newest obsessions are finding the speaker on EVERYTHING (toys, electronic devices, and so on) AND making sure she gets to see the Organic symbol on her food. We buy mostly organic for the kids and boy that label is burned in my brain now. At least it's not, like, the "High Fructose Corn Syrup" label or something.

Oscar is....(SIGH). Where did we go wrong, Cesar Millan? Wait--don't answer that. I know---everywhere. He has taken to pooping in the basement sometimes. After being trained for years! He also wants to dig holes in our yard. But here's what he does: he has his ball (his most treasured possesion), and since we don't have time to play with him, he decides he will play with himself. So he puts his ball somewhere he can't get it---through the slots in the fence, under something...so that in order to retrieve it he must dig a hole or trench. And he is REALLY good at it. Too good. So good that our yard is wrecked, and our fence is even worse. Our fence is nice too (or was, before we moved in). Not to mention, he is not too pleasant with the kids. We have talked about maybe getting a dog walker. Someone who can give him some exercise, and pay attention to him. Last week a girl in our neighborhood was walking her dog with her dad, and gave me a flyer for her "business"--babysitting, dog walking, etc. She was about...14 maybe? I would just worry that she couldn't handle Oscar very well. And then I think, ok, we don't have time to cut our own grass each week (we hired someone) and now we can't even walk our dog?? What is wrong with us??

On to some pictures and video!

Here is Henry in the middle of one of his fits, and Mia trying to comfort him.

Here is a cute one of the kids snuggling on the couch together.

Here is a video of Henry walking, WHILE sucking his thumb (which he does all the time).

And here is a video of something that would never happen if I was home.

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: My favorite drugstore products

2009-05-21T07:36:00.001-07:00

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: My favorite drugstore products

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Lots of New Stuff

2009-05-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite a few weeks. In the span of two weeks, I went to the doctor 3 times. Once with both kids, once with each kid. Mia had a funky eyelid infection, requiring two different antibiotics before it went away, and Henry had a funky butt rash which turned out to be excema! Nothing some hydrocortisone can't clear up.

My mom and I took Mia to see Elmo Grows Up at the Rosemont Theater. The ride there was entertaining enough, as Mia finds it necessary to point out EVERY SINGLE TOWER that we pass. There are lots out there, folks! And being near the airport, we saw lots of "real big planes!". The show itself was pretty cute, we had good front row balcony seats and the theater wasn't packed. Mia got a bit antsy, but since we were front row she could stand up and jump and wiggle as she wanted to. Here is a funny picutre of the scene where Telly wants to be a cowboy.

After the show, we came back home and picked up Henry and Tim and went to a nice lunch, wherein Henry ate everything we put in front of him. His first taste of pineapple, and he was MAD when I took it away!

See, when there is no food, he will find something else to chew on! This was at Mother's Day brunch with my family.

Oh, now this is big. We had a very long wait for the brunch, and a few of us decided to head over to a nearby Starbucks to kill time. Imagine my surprise when we came upon a dog who looks exactly like Oscar!! This beauty is named Jackie and she was a GOOD girl. We could pet her and approach her, and----no growls or barks!! She could teach Oscar a thing or two. After talking with the couple who own her (and love her dearly) we think maybe she could be Oscar's long lost cousin. I fear we can no longer blame Oscar's behavior issues on his breed. Either he has personality issues or his owners were sucky trainers.

A few pictures of my little cutie. I could not have imagined how different Henry would be from Mia. For starters, he is a pleasure to feed. No longer are my dinnertimes a complete waste of time, because if Mia won't eat it, well, Henry will, with gusto! He likes everything and wants to eat and eat (and eat and eat). He is also very rambunctious. He can take one or two steps on his own before falling down, and is all over the place. He's very strong, he loves to play and roughhouse, and he tonight started clapping and will do so when we ask him to. He is definitely a little boy.

Another funny picture from Easter.

And a major milestone---the first bath together!! Come on, everyone has pictures like this from when they were little, in fact, I think all the guests at my wedding were lucky to see a picture of me and my older brother in the tub. Excuse my editing, I wanted to keep it decent. Both kids liked it. For the time being, I think we'll have to keep the baths separate unless we're both home. But it saves time, that's for sure!

That's all for now. I'll try to keep up a little better in the future, I'm sure I'll have some video of Henry walking really soon!

Acrobat?

2009-04-24T15:52:00.001-07:00

Not sure if this will show up but this is Mia in her crib, about an hour into naptime. That is her foot sticking through the rails!

-- Post From My iPhone

My brilliant daughter

2009-04-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Mia did this today, all by herself.

Because she is clearly smart, and I also think, needs some interaction with peers, I have been looking for some sort of class or group activity to enroll her in. She's only 2 1/2, too young for preschool. So I looked into our local park district. They have LOTS of stuff--for 3 and up. Very little for 2 year olds, and what they do have is more along the lines of....stuffing your own teddy bear, playing with playdough, etc. And it's for 30-45 minutes. And it's a parent/child activity. I still may sign up for a few things, because it would be fun for her. But I'm looking for something that would also be challenging. There is an Art Building that does a lot of art classes, and there is one for 3 and up, and I am thinking of asking if she can enroll. I'm guessing that 3 is the youngest age that the park district feels comfortable with in terms of parents dropping kids off. But I would be willing (or Tim, I am sure) to sit in the class, in the back, in order for Mia to attend. This class is an hour on Saturdays. And it's right by our house, walking distance. I need to talk to Tim about it.

More pictures

2009-04-22T20:39:00.001-07:00

Henry asleep at Kohl's this past weekend. Did you know that Kohl's has mini toilets for little kids in their bathrooms??

And here is how Mia rides at Target.

Quick Update

2009-04-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of photos---in the first, a picture of me and Mia at a paint your own pottery place. It's been done two weeks and we haven't picked it up! Mia had a good time, and we we re there a little over an hour and Mia only got bored at the very end. She painted a gecko, and an elephant. I did a mug.

Also, more recently, Mia and her Daddy took a train ride--Mia's first! She was very excited to go, and ever since, has wanted to go again pretty much every day. The train runs by our house about a thousand times a day so she's always known about it. She told me that night, that the train was "Real big, real tall, real high".

Our little conversations are really great. She also asks me if I'm happy sometimes, and I say yes, very. In the car on the way home from the store today, Henry was getting fussy because it was dinnertime and that boy likes to eat. So I heard Mia say, "I know, Henry, I know. Almost home." It was so sweet!! I also like to pretend that I don't know which house is ours and Mia has to find it for us.

This past weekend, Tim's sister was married and Mia was the flower girl. She was very cute, and did a great job. Unfortunately, her dress only made it through the ceremony and then she spilled her milk on it. But her backup dress, a khaki shirtdress was super cute too! Mia had a great time all weekend, she loves a party. Henry didn't fare quite as well, since he tires more easily and doesn't like to be held all day. But we are back to our regular routine now and doing well. I'll post photos when I get them!

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: Why I'll (probably) never do daycare

2009-04-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: Why I'll (probably) never do daycare

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Mia Reading Dr. Seuss

2009-04-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what book she is reading?

Funny

2009-03-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

Sometime shortly after Mia was born, I took to calling her honey bunny, which got shortened to honey. I probably call her "honey" more than I call her Mia. It's my term of endearment for her. Well, in the last few days, Mia has started calling ME honey. It is so hilarious to hear her say "help me, honey", or "play that, honey?". It cracks me up! She was calling my mom honey today too. So all day long we're just calling each other honey back and forth because I say it without thinking. "Ok, honey?" "Ok, honey." Hah!

Hurrah for Spring!

2009-03-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, we had Spring for a few days at least. What great weather, it was wonderful. We got to go outside and visit the park more than once, take walks, hang out in the (pitiful) backyard. Can't wait for more good weather.

The kids are doing great. Well, actually about 2 hour ago Mia puked. But she seems fine now and keeps saying "Ok now!". It was disgusting, but I didn't even gag. I guess my reflexes turned off. I am impressed by myself. I hope it was a one time thing.

Otherwise, we're doing well. Henry has his first tooth! It's not all the way out yet, but it's definitely through the skin and as sharp little bugger. I can't wait to see more. He is loving every bite of food I give him, I try to give him a little taste of anything I eat, and I can tell he wants to rip it out of my hands and go to town.

Below is a funny picture of the kids behind a chair in our living room. This chair is in the corner and not intended for play, especially behind it. I came up from throwing some laundry in and couldn't see the kids. I heard Mia say "Play, Henry!" and I saw Henry's little foot sticking out. I don't even want to know how he got back there (I'm guessing his sister "helped").

Here is a cute picture of Henry asleep in his high chair. Mia never did this. Mama wasn't home and Dad was feeding Mia and doing dishes and turned around and saw Henry asleep.

Speaking of sleep, Henry has made major improvements in this area. He takes two good naps a day, 1.5-2.5 hours. He goes to sleep easily at night and usually sleeps all night. It makes things much easier for everyone else. He is starting to hold onto furniture and take steps. It scares me, but I know he'll get better at it.

This past weekend one of my closest friends came for a visit with her little boy Cameron. Cameron is about a week older than Henry. They had a lot of fun together and we had a great weekend. We took the kids shopping, visited the new Red Robin (yum!) and played with the kids.

I like how Henry has his foot resting on Cameron in this picture like it's no big deal.

That's all for now. Time to watch The Office!

So You Think You Can Dance 2023?

2009-03-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

A nice night for ice cream

2009-03-17T17:20:00.001-07:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Picture Update

2009-03-16T10:38:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I posted pictures of the kids. So here are a few:

The weather was so great yesterday, we took the kids for a walk to the park in our neighborhood. They both have colds but seem to be getting better and it was nice to get fresh air. Henry had fun in the baby swing, I think he almost fell asleep.

Mia never liked the swing until this year! She even let me swing next to her, which was fun. (Although, the older I get, the less I enjoy swings. Motion sickness gets worse with age for me!)

On our way back Mia walked the last block to our house, so we walked REALLY slow. She "helped" walk Oscar.

Last week we visited the new KidsWork Children's Museum in Frankfort. It was a lot of fun! Julie came with us, because it would have been hard by myself with the two kids. It was really fun for Mia. Henry liked to crawl around and try to put stuff in his mouth, but I would say for age 2+ it's a great place. We were there an hour and a half and did not play with everything.

Here is Julie showing her godson the magnets! I think he may be trying to eat it.

And here is Mia playing with the little plastic gears.

One of the great things about the nice weather is being able to open the door and let some light in. Mia always liked looking out the door and playing there and Henry seems to as well. Now we just have to worry about them competing for space.

Henry likes to give everything a taste.

Here they are playing together in the tent. This was the 6th picture I took. Mia was not happy in the first 5, but she got over it.

As always, Mia continues to be creative. I finally opened up some washable paints I got her. She loves to use them. I always say "Not until Daddy is home" because I don't want to deal with it, ha ha. So now when Tim comes home she right away wants to paint. Don't you like her hairdo? This is typical for an end of the day.

Henry gets all over the place really fast now. He stands whenever there is something to pull up next to and he thinks he should be walking. He will be walking very soon I think. He is a great eater so far which is a relief. We are all looking forward to spring so we can spend some more time outside.

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: The Verdict: Target beats Jewel and Peapod

2009-03-12T07:29:00.001-07:00

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: The Verdict: Target beats Jewel and Peapod

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Honestly!

2009-03-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

Do you see this child? He is standing all the time now even though he's only barely 8 months old! He also regularly tries to launch himself off the changing table.

-- Post From My iPhone

Mobile Posting

2009-03-10T06:03:00.001-07:00

Now I can post from my IPhone. Sweet!!

-- Post From My iPhone

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: A Casual coffee drinker's review of Starbucks Via

2009-03-03T16:16:00.001-08:00

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: A Casual coffee drinker's review of Starbucks Via

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A Great Cause

2009-03-03T08:24:00.001-08:00

A very good friend of mine is walking in the Chicago Breast Cancer 3 Day walk this year. If you haven't already, please donate to this wonderful cause!

http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/ChicagoEvent?px=3137686&pg=personal&fr_id=1293&et=OBAqrmdHa8c_Wt-iNQDPVw..&s_tafId=84847

In case you didn't notice...

2009-02-24T18:26:00.002-08:00

I started this new thing writing for the Chicago edition of the Examiner online. I make about 25 cents a day. Seriously. But I'm not doing it for the money (obviously), I think it's fun and can be a great networking tool. I am the "Chicago Working Mom Examiner". If you have any article ideas for me, let me know!!

In other news....the kids are good. Mia is aging me prematurely with her eating habits. Dinnertime is never fun. She is stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. I have learned this much: getting mad doesn't help. All it does is leave us both upset, and no food has been eaten. So I am trying VERY HARD to not get upset. There is a tiny part of me afraid she is going to lose weight with our new "this is your meal, take it or leave it" plan, but I'll reassess after a week. It stinks. What is her deal? I am pretty sure Henry will not be the same. Thank god.

This weekend I will have my first night away from Henry. I will miss him and Mia very much! Mia has been away from us several times, she stays at my parents house probably once a month or so, and she loves to go there. But Henry has never been away from me.

Potty training...well, we're not really training anymore, are we? She still wears pullups for naps and bedtime. Most of the time she is dry after a nap, but wet after bed. So that will take time. But absolutely no accidents during the day, and she wears underwear when we leave the house also. My mom told me it's the easiest she's ever heard of. It is definitely easier than I expected. Can't wait to get rid of her diaper pail once and for all!

Well, I've put off eating my chocolate ice cream long enough. Good night.

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: The Culture of the commuter train

2009-02-24T18:26:00.001-08:00

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: The Culture of the commuter train

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Chicago Working Moms Examiner: Make 12 mess-free meals in 2 hours

2009-02-24T07:32:00.001-08:00

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: Make 12 mess-free meals in 2 hours

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Chicago Working Moms Examiner: How to entertain your kids for the last months of winter

2009-02-22T18:00:00.001-08:00

Chicago Working Moms Examiner: How to entertain your kids for the last months of winter

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Oh, what a night.....

2009-02-18T18:32:00.000-08:00

Tonight was not the best of nights for us. It looked promising, when I got home from work and learned Henry took TWO naps today, 1 hr 45 minutes and 2.5 hours! That is his best ever. Right around dinnertime, things took a turn for the worse. Mia refused to eat her dinner, and it turned into a nearly 2 hour cry fest. Tim is getting Mia to bed, and I am in my room, hiding away. Mia not eating is hard for me.
To remind myself that it's just a blip in our life, and that everything else makes up for it, here are some cute pictures and a very funny video.

Potty Training

2009-02-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

Potty training is going REALLY well. Our first day consisted of many accidents and one poop in the potty. The next day a few accidents, the following day only one, and Sunday there has been only one tiny accident. Mia is getting very good at recognizing when she has to go. I haven't changed her diaper (aside from in the morning and after naps) in a long time!! It's easier than I expected, and Mia is just as happy about the whole thing as we are. She loves to get her chocolate treats, is sure to point out that she gets TWO for pooping, and is just generally happy overall. In fact, her behavior has been really good since we started. Almost like she's grown up a little bit. Occasionally she will want to sit on the potty for too long, but we'll work on that.

I didn't realize how amusing this whole process would be. I thought it would be agonizing, and it just isn't. Maybe because she really IS ready. And it's so funny to hear her celebrate after each potty experience. "Yeah, pee potty. Me! chocolate treat! ME, Mama! Big pee!" Hilarious. (If she pees a lot, it's a big pee. If she pees a little, it's a tiny pee.)

One thing that is a tiny bit difficult is she is wanting to ALWAYS go potty before bed, and I think partly it's to delay going to bed, but we have to nip it in the bud, because she's been going to bed closer to 10pm lately, and that's not good. But it's hard, because.....what if she really does have to go? For instance last night I got back from dinner with friends at 9:30pm and Tim was getting Mia ready for bed. He told me she had twice tricked him into sitting her on the potty to poop, but nothing happened. I took over bedtime and went to brush her teeth, and she started crying, saying "Poop potty!" I thought she might be stalling, but then I thought...what if she poops in her diaper? I'd feel awful. And it wouldn't go along with the whole potty training thing. So I said "Ok, two minutes---but no tv, no toys, no drawing. Just pooping!" She said ok. The potty chair was still in our living room, on a towel.

She sat down, and sat there, and sat there. I kept telling her to hurry up, it was very late, she could go in the morning. Every time I picked up her diaper she started to cry and said "NO!" and took the diaper away. Finally, we had the following conversation:

Me: Mia, I don't hear any poop, and I don't see any poop.
Mia: Yeah.
Me: Where is the poop?
Mia: Hide and seek.
Me: The poop is playing Hide and Seek?
Mia: Yeah.
Me: Where is the poop hiding?
Mia: Butt.

Tim was sitting on the couch while this was going on and we laughed hard. Tim said: "Poop, where are you? Come out poop!" and Mia started asking if the poop was hiding in the drawer, on the table, in the tv, etc. Finally a minute or two later, she actually pooped, and was very happy.

That was about the funniest few minutes of my life, I swear.

Dropping like Flies

2009-02-04T07:22:00.000-08:00

Well, three of the human occupants of our house are sick with colds. First Henry, then Mia, and now me. Tim has avoided it so far, I hope he continues to feel well. Henry seems no worse today, but boy he is sure sleeping bad. Up 2-3 times at night. I'm hoping he's past the worst of it. Mia sleeps ok but is really congested. I'm dealing with it. I hate for any of us to be sick, especially the kids, but at least the only thing we have going on this weekend is potty training, and a cold shouldn't interfere with that!
And my god, is it cold today! I'm really looking forward to these 40 degree temperatures we've been promised, and I'm having dreams of spring.

Mia's Haircut

2009-01-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

Mia got her hair cut recently, at the salon I go to, by my hairdresser. I wasn't sure how she'd handle it, but she was PERFECT!

She let my hairdresser put clips in her hair, use a flatiron, comb it out, and cut it. She didn't complain or fidget or anything. I was so proud of her. I had REALLY talked it up to her all week and I guess she enjoyed it.

Not very much got cut off, but she looks like a little girl with a nice hair cut instead of a little girl who was raised by wolves. It is much easier to comb and I'm happy with it.

I have decided to start potty training Mia. I think she's ready. In the last few days she has sat on the potty several times, but nothing has happened. Often she will sit down and I notice she had recently peed in her diaper. She'll read a book, or drink water, but so far nothing yet. She pushes and pushes and sometimes farts but I remind her that in order to get a "chachi tree" (chocolate treat) she has to either pee or poop. But I don't pressure her---I always tell her we can try again later and that she's doing a good job trying to go. I think I will try this until next weekend at which point I may have a potty training "boot camp" where she wears underwear and I have her try every half hour or so. Doesn't that sound like fun?? We'll see how it goes.

Another Day, Another Drawing

2009-01-29T20:45:00.000-08:00

Mia's latest, on her Magna Doodle. How great is she?

Creative Genius?

2009-01-21T20:25:00.000-08:00

If you read this blog at all, you know that Mia is quite the artist. Here is an example of her latest work, titled (by Mia) "Green Elmo".

Ok, it's a tad on the scary side, but exceptional nonetheless.

This week, she demonstrated for us a new skill, self-taught of course. See below, how Mia embraces her inner monkey by drawing with her.....FEET!

Wonders never cease when you give Mia some crayons. She is still practicing her letters every night.

Check back soon for pictures of her first REAL haircut.

I got an IPhone!!!

2009-01-17T20:56:00.001-08:00

Well, I don't have it yet. But we ordered it. Yippee!!! I am so excited!! I'm sorry, but I do love technology and to be able to access the internet anywhere is going to be so sweet. Plus I'll be able to store more than 5 pictures on my camera. And have gps!!

In other news, Mia will be getting her first real haircut this coming Thursday. I'm taking her to my hairdresser, who I've been going to for over 10 years now. I knew her even before I was engaged--that's long!! So we have a history. She has been looking forward to giving Mia a haircut ever since she was born! I'm just getting the back evened up so it will be easier to manage. I hope it goes ok, I don't want Mia to freak out. I've been talking about it to prepare her. I will be taking my camera with my so I'll try to post pictures.

Ok, I'm better now.

2009-01-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

My last post was a little bit bitter. A little bit. But I try very hard to be outwardly (if not inwardly) decent in my interaction with the world at large, and I guess my feelings get hurt when stuff like that happens. Oh well. I'll get over it. I made my train today. And resisted the urge to give a dirty look to the conductor who felt no pity yesterday. He probably forgot about me as soon as I walked away.

So here's some happier stuff. I'm grateful I don't have to leave the house tomorrow. I ran to the grocery store tonight so I'd be fully stocked with the essentials: milk, cheese and yogurt (have you met my daughter, the dairy addict?). We got Mia to eat half a flinstone vitamin today. She wanted to hold it and play with it for awhile before tasting. We think she ate half, though where the other half is, we don't know. She says Oscar ate it---and that very well may be true, but I'd rather know for sure. I'd hate for Henry to find it on the floor tomorrow. I had to eat one first to show Mia they were indeed edible. Those things are pretty tasty.

I recently got a new carseat for Mia and I really like it. It's a Graco, and my good friend Mandy alerted me to a deal on Amazon. It's a forward facing seat, which converts to a highback booster and regular booster, and holds up to 100lbs. So it will be the last seat we ever need for her. It's very comfy and has a nice cup holder which is a HUGE plus for the girl who needs a drink when we leave the house. Henry will be in Mia's old seat soon enough, he is getting too big to carry around in the infant carrier. Here is a picture of Mia trying out her new seat as soon as it came out of the box. As always, Oscar found a way to sneak in the picture.

Here is a funny video of Henry in his Jumperoo. I will never tire of watching him in it. He totally loves it.

And here is a video of Mia "reading".

Dear Metra.....

2009-01-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say thanks for your total disregard yesterday. I've been riding the train for over 8 years now, which means I've spent thousands of dollars for my commute. But yesterday I might as well have been a hobo looking for a free ride. I left my purse at the office. I realized this when I was in my seat on the train, looking for my train ticket. The ticket, and all my money, were back in the office in my purse. I could have done without everything but the ticket. I walked all the way back to speak with the conductors about my situation. To those conductors I say:
I realize you were having an important conversation about sports, but would it have killed you to actually LOOK AT ME when I was talking to you? When one of you--you know, the one who hasn't been to a dentist in 15 years---finally acknowledged me, you said "What do you want me to do?" I asked if I could pay for my ride tomorrow, by getting two rides punched on my ticket instead of one. Finally with disgust, the other conductor told me to go inside and talk to the "Trainmaster". I said "Who is that?!?" and he waved in the general direction of the station. You said maybe I can get a pass in there if I explain my dilemma.

To the lady at the ticket counter, I say: hey thanks lady, for making me feel like an idiot when I asked about a pass. Finally you told me to go through the double doors marked "lost and found".

And to the trainmaster, or wizard of the station, or whatever you prefer to be called: thanks for not even letting me finish before laughing, continuing your walk down the hall, and telling me that you don't give out passes. I told you that you better inform your conductors of that because they sent me in there!

Maybe if I'd been one of those sad women who is inappropriately friendly with the train conductors, I'd have had an easier time. Should I bat my eyes and make suggestive remarks? (PUKE). Maybe if I'd all along had more respect and reverence for the all-mighty Trainmaster and his minions, someone would have listened. Those guys wield a lot of power with their hole punchers, after all. Or maybe I will just never, ever forget my purse and train ticket at work again because of this experience. I'm not pissed because I had to go back to work. I'm pissed because I got treated like crap. There is a way to be business-like without being unfriendly. And people with jobs such as yours, really should be aware of that.

And since I'm on a roll, those hats they wear are stupid.

Christmas Recap

2009-01-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

Our two weeks of vacation are nearly over. It's been nice having Tim home. We were pretty busy the whole time---shopping, going to parties, having fun. I can't believe it's 2009.

Here is Mia all ready to go shopping. She is really a trooper, and is very good when we take her places. I always have her pick something out to bring with. On this particular day, it was her little computer. "Mia's puter" she says.

These pictures are slightly out of order. Here is Henry enjoying some toys Santa brought him.

Here is a picture of me and Henry Christmas morning.

Here is Mia looking at what Santa brought her. She was a little hesitant at first but it didn't take her very long to get excited. In case you haven't figured it out yet, we had matching pjs on!

Here are the kids on our bed Christmas morning.

Aww....little Henry. He loves his jumperoo but I guess he was tired this day and fell asleep!

Christmas Eve with my parents and brothers. Our living room was FULL of presents.

A few days before Christmas, Mia and I decorated some Gingerbread Man cookies (prebaked). She had a lot of fun, although she didn't want to eat any. (Can't say I blame her.)

Here she is triumphant after finishing a cookie.

Here is Mia playing with legos in a very strange place.

And here she is with her stocking. If you were 2, what would you do with a stocking??

And that's all for now!

Seriously???

2008-12-30T16:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, So Mia knows her letters, she has for a long time. She recognizes all of them and knows what sound they make. This is nothing new. But last night, she was drawing and I heard her say "I, T, X, O". So I lean over and see what she drew, below.

Today I'm in my room, she's in hers, and I hear her say "P, Q", thinking nothing of it, we sing the alphabet all the time. Then she brings me the paper below and says "Mia, draw!" and I look and there is a P and Q, clear as day. I mean, is this normal for 2 year olds? I am afraid she has some gift and I won't do the right thing to encourage it.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-19T10:15:00.000-08:00

I need to burn of some caffeine, so what better way than with a new post? Sorry, no pictures--battery is charging.
What I'm listening to: Mia playing, it goes something like this---ok, nernie? Alright, nernie. See, nernie? Guy, nernie, guy. Weeeeee!
I would love to know what she is thinking.

Christmas cards are assembled, in envelopes, and addressed. But I just can't get to the post office right now so they will get mailed tomorrow, I hope they get there in time!

Friday is typically my day to do things around the house but I try to get out with the kids too. But this weather is preventing us from going anywhere. I was hoping to get Henry to nap so I could take Mia outside to blow off some steam but this kid is nap-resistant!! He acts like he doesn't need to nap. Why is that? So we have played upstairs, in the basement, on the floor, colored, watched Curious George....I'm about to give Mia lunch and then it will be her naptime. Henry will probably nap at this time too, and then maybe I can start wrapping presents!

Tim is off work the next 2 weeks and I am SOOO happy. It will be great to have him around all day and night. We will have plenty of time to finish shopping and get presents ready. Lots of playtime with the kids. Maybe even a date night--woo hoo!

Besides that, there is another good thing happening this Christmas. Julie will be home. Finally. Best christmas present. (Though if Santa is reading, I still do want an Iphone, I know it's unnecessary and trendy but I covet it.)

Stay warm and safe everyone!!!

Fun at Dinner

2008-12-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

This video very accurately portrays how dinnertime goes at our house every night. It's a blast, really.

Fun in the Jumperoo

2008-12-16T19:48:00.000-08:00

Henry sure loves his Jumperoo, which is great, because we got it as a gift when Mia was born and she HATED IT. She cried everytime we put her in it!! I'm glad we kept it because Henry loves it. He laughs and laughs when Mia jumps in front of him too.

The Terrible Twos

2008-12-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

I bet you thought this post was going to be about Mia. Nope.

It's about Oscar.
Oscar is our labradoodle. Actually he will be 3 December 20. I, for one, won't feel like celebrating. Why, you ask? Sometime over the last couple of months, Oscar decided he would start stealing food. Every day.

This is extremely frustrating to me. First of all, Oscar eats well. Not only does he get THREE meals a day (most dogs only get 2), he also gets to eat pretty much anything that falls on the floor, and gets extra goodies from Tim in the way of broccoli stems, apple pieces, cherry tomatoes, etc. He is not neglected. Granted he doesn't get much exercise lately, but in the food department, he is blessed.

Not to mention, I do not like to cook dinner. Most people know this. But as I want to be a responsible parent and nice wife, I try. I go to Dinner by Design (by the way---highly recommend this), make a bunch of meals to freeze, and try to put a meal together, somehow. I do not go through all this effort so that OSCAR can have two peices of stuffed chicken parmiagiana. That is food lost, money lost, and time lost on a stinkin dog. (And he does stink, actually.)

It is also sometimes difficult to get Mia to eat. We get her food ready on the counter usually. I need to be able to leave the room for a second or two if necessary and know that Oscar will not eat Mia's food.

Because you see, we don't leave food out and then leave the house. Oh no, we are not so foolish. Oscar steals food when we are around the corner, in the other room! He barely waits for us to be out of sight! And oh, is he sneaky. He is crafty, he is quiet. He will eat a whole meal and not disturb the plate. The toothpicks holding the chicken breasts together didn't stop him either. He ate them too.

Yesterday while nursing Henry, I heard the rustle of a paper plate, and ran to the living room (Still nursing Henry) to find Oscar had stolen food. I yelled at him and shoved him out the back door. I think I had been out of the kitchen for 1 whole minute.

I am at my wit's end. It is one thing that we had to deal with Oscar's inopportune barking and whining (which has improved). But this food stealing is intolerable. I am afraid I will have to call the animal abuse hotline on myself if he does it again.

Is it too much to ask....

2008-12-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

for Illinois to have a governor free from suspicion of corruption??

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-rod-blagojevich-illinois-governor-2,0,4785755.story

Henry is 5 Months Old!

2008-12-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been 5 months since Henry was born. 5 months since we became a family of 4. 5 months since I took my time eating a meal. 5 months since I took longer than a 5 minute shower. 5 months since my heart grew so much bigger. A good 5 months.

This past weekend was our town's Christmas festival in the downtown area. There was a tent with food and crafts, Santa at the train station, and carriage rides. I've actually never been on a carriage ride, and we took the kids. It was cold but fun! Henry was snuggled into his little snowsuit and he was as chilled as could be. Mia was quiet and took it all in. We had a good time.

We managed to get our tree up, fairly early for us. We have a new fake tree this year that takes up less room in our small living room. Mia loves our tree. I am trying to teach her that the ornaments STAY on the tree and are not toys to play with. It's a daily struggle.

Henry is becoming quite more active, he loves his exersaucer, and has used the jumperoo as well. He doesn't really jump yet, he just moves around, and sometimes Mia likes to help him out. He doesn't mind---he loves his big sister.

Henry has also started eating solids. We started with just plain cereal (blecch!) and just in the last couple of days I added pears. He is doing really well with it.

Henry is very intent on grabbing anything his reach: his toys, Mia's hair, Oscar's tail, his socks. He found his feet and spends a lot of time trying to get them in his mouth.

He is also still sleeping well, which means I am sleeping fairly well too. I could still do with a good 9 or10 hour stretch, but, well, maybe that will be my Christmas present this year. :)

Dear Comcast Man...

2008-12-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. We have to break up.

You see, we are switching to ATT U-Verse. Honestly, I have no real complaints with my Comcast Service these past years. We love our DVR, and can't imagine life without it. My 2 year old daughter thinks all commercials should be skipped and will hand me the remote to do so. She also must think that Curious George plays on a constant loop. But you see, ATT has Total Home DVR. We will soon be able to record 4 programs at once, but not only that---we will be able to watch them from any TV in our house!! By the end of December, my husband can watch How It's Made in one room, while I watch Heroes in the other. And our monthly cost isn't going to increase really. And if we forget to set something up to record, we can do it from the internet at work, or a friend's house. The only downside is PBS Kids Sprout does not come with the package we want. We can live with that.

I hope you will not take this personally. But I think that until Comcast comes up with something similar, ATT is going to steal a lot of their customers away.

Christmastime is Here

2008-11-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas Season has officially started, and I'm pretty excited. This year, Mia is a little more aware of what's going on. She loves decorations, we have an advent calendar, I'm going to decorate gingerbread men with her....and the list goes on. I sort of feel like a little kid again myself.

We had Thanksgiving at our house for the first time, and it was a success! Tim cooked two turkeys---one in a deep fryer, and one is some kind of new broiler thing. (Both were items borrowed from his boss.) Both turkeys were excellent, but Tim preferred the fried turkey if for no other reason than it cooked FAST. All the other food was good too, and with our finished basement we had plenty of room for everyone. I don't have pictures, but my mom took some so hopefully I'll get some from her to post.

Now that Mia can count, she is compulsively counting EVERYTHING. Sometimes she forgets numbers, but it's pretty funny. She also still loves to color and draw, especially now that her new coloring table has been put together.

So, I joined the masses on Black Friday and did a little shopping. I left around 6am and was home by 10:30 so it wasn't a bad day. I got quite a few things, including an ottoman for our basement. The only craziness I witnessed was at Carsons. The mall itself was a madhouse, I almost kept driving home when I couldn't find a spot after 10 minutes. Luckily it didn't take too long. I think some people think they need to buy ALL their presents on that day. And they will just grab whatever is on sale. I don't like shopping that way.

I also had to take Henry to the doctor Friday. He has a mild case of thrush. In fact, the mildest the doctor has ever seen ha ha. (Hey, I'm proactive.) I won't go into it here, but if you're a mom you probably know what it is. Anyway, we have medicine and it's nearly gone already--no big deal.

Well, my book is calling, so I'm going to take advantage of the quiet night (kids in bed, Tim at hockey) to get some reading in.

In case you're wondering.....

2008-11-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

Henry slept from 8:30 to 6:45 am. And he never cried. BEST. NIGHT. EVER.
I slept good too, even though I started a book I didn't want to put down. What a great way to start a holiday weekend! Thanks for all your tips on sleeping, keep them coming!

All about sleep....

2008-11-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

This post is about sleep. Sleep is a concept that I am consumed with. How to get Henry to sleep better (and longer), whether or not Mia sleeps enough at night or during her nap, how I can manage to nap when I am home, and being able to sleep more at night. I feel like all day, every day, I am looking forward to sleep, and this is not a good feeling. I feel slightly less than human. I drink coffee but it can only do so much. And I don't want to drink it all day long. As I write this I am yawning so much my jaw hurts. And I'd like to get to the point where, when I have a bit of free time, I don't automatically decide to use it to get some more sleep. That's not really living.

The good news is, Henry had his best night of sleep ever last night. We had been making steady progress and then Saturday and Sunday nights were bad, leaving me feeling particularly tired and frustrated. Monday night came, he cried for about 20 minutes after I put him to bed, and then fell asleep. (At which point I started breathing again.). To my surprise, he slept straight through until 5:30am! Now, because life is cruel and unfair, I didn't sleep well. I went to bed at 10, wondering when Henry would wake up, and it was hard for me to settle my mind. I felt like I was just....waiting...for Henry to cry. But he never did! Maybe if he does this a few more times my body and mind will adapt and we'll all sleep better. I could have, in theory, slept 7.5 hours straight which would have been the longest I have slept since July.

If you have any tips on sleeping, I would appreciate it. Not so much for Henry, but for me! I go through periods where I go to bed and just lay there. I don't want to take anything for it since I'm nursing. I only drink one cup of coffee per day in the morning or early afternoon. (And don't tell me to give it up--I need it!). I've heard the warm milk trick, but I'm avoiding dairy and I like my milk ice cold. I want to exercise...but I feel like I can't incorporate that into my life UNTIL I'm feeling better and more rested. This afternoon on my way home from work I will fall dead asleep, and then when it's time for bed, I'll just lay there. Well, who knows, tonight may be different.

Video of Mia Counting

2008-11-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Village....

2008-11-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

not only did you send a policeman to our house, but we also got a very official (yet strangely worded and clearly cut-and-pasted) letter regarding our violation of blah blah ordinance about our garbage. Particularly the garbage "on the northside of the garage". This would be the big pile that Tim and I put out there on Saturday.
IF I was going to explain myself to you via phone call or letter, I would say this: I am very sorry about the garbage, more sorry than you even know. To think that stuff was in my HOME all these years. What our friendly anonymous neighbor is looking at is liberation. My family's liberation from unnecessary "stuff". See, getting rid of clutter is the first step towards making ourselves more presentable as homeowners. We fully intend on expanding this notion to include our yard, but now that winter is upon us, we have to wait until Spring. I greatly regret that anyone had to see our old suitcases and chair and cardboard boxes. I will say though, you should be glad we keep our garage door closed---THAT would be shocking.

Weekends are the only time we are together to tackle things like garages and garbage which is why the pile has been there a few days, but I promise you that we FULLY intend on moving it 15 feet to the west side of our yard (i.e., where it was a few days ago) so that the garbage men may take it far, far away. Let me warn you though--this will not be the end of our garbage. But we will try to make the pile neater next time. It would help if the raccoons would leave us alone.
They tear up our garbage all the time.

While we're talking, can we get another recycling bin? Since it is only collected every other week, my husband and I don't know what to do with the extra. We could fill up two bins with recyclables. (We are not totally irresponsible). Thanks.

Am I the only one....

2008-11-19T08:58:00.001-08:00

who looks at pictures of my kids all day when I'm at work? I can't go an hour without looking at their faces. I'm a little addicted.

Someone called the police on us.....

2008-11-18T18:28:00.001-08:00

because there was garbage by the street 4 days before pickup. Yes, that's right, one of our...ahem...FRIENDLY neighbors anonymously called the POLICE. This is a serious offense, right? Our poor babysitter....she told the cop that she watches the kids but she'd move it and he said no big deal, he'd move it, just to let us know. It sounds like the cop was not particularly concerned. There wasn't even much there, in fact what was there were things we thought might get taken. (In fact, two old suitcases WERE taken yesterday.) The cop moved what was left....about 15 feet away, to the huge pile by our fence. We are not slobs. But we are doing some renovating and paring down, and this creates garbage. We will be done soon. In the meantime, we will be extra careful not to put our block to shame.

What a nice night!!

2008-11-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

Tim got home at 4:30. That calls for celebration, and what better way than a trip to Alsip Nursery followed up by Mia's (and Henry's) first trip to Steak and Shake!! We got a new skinny (fake) christmas tree, which will be so much easier to deal with and will fit our room better. We also visited the puppies, fish and birds. Steak and Shake was fun, Tim and I hadn't been there in a LONG time. I ordered the Steakburger Platter, which ended up being three meat patties. Totally unnecessary. I also had (GASP) a milkshake. Hopefully Henry is not in pain tomorrow from the dairy I consumed. But how could I resist? You can't go to Steak and Shake and NOT get a shake, right? We were home by 7, it was great. Henry cried 25 minutes before falling asleep. So already an improvement. Yay Henry!

Dear Comcast Man......

2008-11-18T18:18:00.000-08:00

I am still getting Comcast mailings, every day. I am already a Comcast customer. Why must I be assaulted with them? I would give you my address to take me off the list, but how do I know you're not a cyberstalker?

Mia Counts!

2008-11-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

We have been working with Mia on learning her numbers and she is really coming along! She can count from 1 to 10, with encouragement (and a bit of translation). It's really cute. Now I'm convinced she can learn the alphabet too. See, she already knows all her letters and what they sound like, she just doesn't say the alphabet in order. I've been singing it ad nauseum around the house and every now and then she'll join me for a few letters.

Oh and everything little is a "baby_____" and bigger is "mama____". So we have baby crayons and mama crayons, baby cows and mama cows, etc. She also likes to "grab" food from books we are looking at, to pretend to eat. But she doesn't just grab it. She holds it a few seconds. And if she needs to use that hand for something she will transfer this pretend food item to the other hand. She really commits when she's pretending! She also licked the cover of my latest Martha Stewart magazine, which features Christmas Cookies. I'm not sure if she actually thought it would taste like anything.

We are working on trying to get Henry to fall asleep on his own, which means listening to him cry a while. It breaks my heart but I know it's best for him in the long run, and I do have limits. So far he hasn't come close to the limit. We did this with Mia at the same age and it worked really well and she was a very good sleeper afterwards, so hopefully Henry adjusts just as well. When he is awake he is still his happy little self.

A nice way to spend an afternoon

2008-11-13T11:07:00.000-08:00

A Mia Funny

2008-11-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but we get a Comcast ad in the mail EVERY SINGLE DAY. It drives me insane. Anyway, I was going through the mail, and Mia likes to help me do this. I put it on the table and was playing with Henry on the floor. Mia grabbed the Comcast ad and pointed to a man in a picture and said "Daddy". I said "Well, he's probably somebody's daddy..." but I didn't really pay attention. A few minutes later when I went to throw the ad away, I looked at the picture again and realized it was William Shatner.

Some pictures

2008-11-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Henry with his new godparents, Julie and Gordon. I wish I had more, but Tim and I weren't able to take many pictures. Hopefully the grandparents will share a few with me.

My little Mia is becoming quite creative. Below is a "choo choo" that she made all on her own with her toys.

Now here she shows REAL talent. Mia is very into her crayons lately, she says "draw" when she wants to draw or color. A few days ago, she drew this--with no help or input from me. I said "What did you draw?" and she said "Daddy!". You can clearly see a head, eyes, a mouth and maybe arms or legs, I'm not sure. But for a 2 year old, this is great!! And only JUST turned 2. So I try to encourage her to draw. Perhaps she has inherted an artistic ability that her Uncle Todd also has (but clearly skipped over me.)

And another video of Henry laughing, which will never get old. He is ticklish, so whenever I am getting him dressed or undressed, I tickle his belly and chest and he laughs.

Election Day

2008-11-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

Did you vote today? Or plan to? I did. I got to my polling place at 6:15 am and there was a short line. People waiting in line were very friendly, I could sense that people were pretty hyped up about this election. I was a few people behind my neighbors who live across the street and wished I had the guts to say hello. See, they are nice people. The problem is, our very first interaction with them 5 years ago was to let them know that their son accidentally shot a bb at our big picture window and broke it. They were very understanding and paid for the cost of replacement, but it sort of made for an awkward first meeting. We could have been more......well....neighborly about things and tried to smooth it over, but Tim and I have decided we are not very good neighbors. Not that we don't LIKE our neighbors---we're just so busy doing other things we don't really have the chance to get to know them. I was remind how easy it could be this weekend when Mia, who was supposed to be carrying paper towels in the house while Tim unloaded the groceries from the van, kept stopping to wave and say Hi to the very same boy, who is now a young man, that shot the bb at our window. He was working in the yard and was very nice and yelled "Hi" back to Mia, who was pointing at Tim and saying "daddy", just in case he didn't know who Tim was. The house next to us is now for sale, and I have resolved that when it sells and new people move in, I will try to be welcoming to them. And apologize in advance for the torture that Oscar's barking will inflict on them.

This past weekend was a busy one!! Julie and Gordon flew into town to become Henry's godparents. Julie wanted to see all her friends, so we had a get together at our house on Saturday night...utilizing our basement! What a great space it is now. It was nice to see everyone. It was hard to get Mia to go to sleep and stay asleep because there was so much going on, but we all had a nice time visiting. Sunday was Henry's baptism ceremony and we had a nice meal afterwards at our house. Henry was great during the ceremony, only cried a bit after the water part. He was by far the biggest and oldest baby being baptized (there were 6 total). Did we wait too long? He's only 4 months. Mia wanted to come up with us to stand in front of the altar, and at one point after Tim lit the candle, I saw out of the corner of my eye that Mia was chewing on the box that the candle came in. Oops.

Yesterday Tim and I were both exhausted from all the hard work in the basement and having two parties in a row. Tim also had a hockey game late Sunday night (but really---that was a choice so not quite the same as me getting up 3x with Henry right?). Henry has a stuffy nose and is waking more at night, and Mia does now too. Hopefully it will pass soon, neither one seems very sick. I am very much looking forward to no real plans until Thanksgiving. We are having Thanksgiving at our house for the very first time!!! It will be a lot of work, but we'll have help and it will be SO great to not have to drive to two different houses this year.

I'll post some pictures from the baptism this week sometime, after I download them from my camera.

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-10-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

(Please Post in the comments if you can't see these pictures. )

Daytime Halloween Outfits

Can you guess what their costumes are?? I hope so!!

For Mia, Candy is not for eating. It's for throwing, smashing, playing in, and stepping on. (I'm ok with that.)

Sweet sleep

2008-10-29T09:02:00.001-07:00

Henry slept through the night again. Yippee!! Mia slept all night too, after the standard requests for cookie, milk, and water.

Where's the connection?

2008-10-28T19:19:00.001-07:00

I have recently discovered that if you google: "oh family very hairy", our blog comes up at the top of the list. I find that completely hilarious.

Two videos

2008-10-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Mia being artistic with soy nut butter.

And a video of our Henry laughing!

Well rested

2008-10-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

I THINK Henry slept all night again. See, I was having sinus issues and took benadryl before bed last night (after I fed Henry). He went down at 8:30, I gave him his pacifier at 9:30...and I went to bed. The next thing I knew it was 6am, and I got up to feed him. If he woke up earlier, I sure don't remember. I find it hard to believe I would have sleepwalked over to his room and fed him. So that means he slept all night again! He even slept more this morning, until 7:30 and then 9:30. Guess he was tired.
I have 2 videos to post, I'll try to get to them later this afternoon.

Springfield Trip

2008-10-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I drove down to Springfield with Henry to visit my good friend Mandy. I met Mandy when I was in graduate school (she had graduated) through other friends, and we became very good friends and have remained so ever since. Mandy has a son, Lucas, who is 2 months older than Mia. And she also has a son Cameron, born about a week or so before Henry. It has been great to share the pregnancies and baby stages with such a good friend.

In case you haven't met Mandy, she is a smaller gal. So I was shocked when Cameron was born and he was BIG. 9lbs 8oz , I think. Anyway, below is a picture of Cameron. He's still big, but he's a happy guy.

Here is Henry and Cameron together. Henry seems big to me, because he is bigger than Mia was, but compared to Cameron he's not so big! I just love that they will grow up together, even if most of that time it will be at a distance.

Here is Henry invading Cameron's personal space. Henry is rolling and moving a lot now, and he rolled right into Cameron.

And here is Mandy holding Henry. Aww........

One interesting thing about this trip: I left my suitcase at home. I was so concerned about remembering everything for Henry, that I forgot my own stuff! Luckily I had my toiletries. Mandy loaned me pjs, and I bought some clothes the next day. I was surprised at how little I cared--that's not like me. :) And I even turned around after I was a few blocks away to get the Netflix movies I had left at home. We watched Indiana Jones---blecch. No good.

New hat and mittens

2008-10-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

Did I pick the right color or what?

Comparison Pictures

2008-10-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a comparison of Henry and Mia. Mia was about 2 months, and Henry is 3.5 months. Can you see the resemblance? (click the picture to view larger).

Good Stuff!

2008-10-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

I've got new pictures, but it's late, and I have important tv to watch, so I need to keep this short.

Henry slept the whole night last night!!!

Yes, that is cause for celebration. It was a first time, and it was a surprise. I know full well that it may not happen again anytime soon. But knowing that it CAN happen, does a lot for a tired mama's state of mind. And funny enough--I sort of missed snuggling with him last night. He's so cuddly in his sleepers. I couldn't wait to see both him and Mia when I got home from work today. And some of you moms might relate. When I woke up at 5am to go to work (UGH), and realized Henry hadn't gotten up, I was happy. At first. Then I thought, well, I hope he's ok. And it took a lot of willpower not to check on him, and risk waking him. I managed to get to work, (thinking about him the whole time), and couldn't WAIT to call Tim and ask how things went.

And before you think I actually slept 7 hours straight or some nonsense like that---Mia woke up twice last night. 3am and a little after. The first time who knows, but covering her with her blue blanket worked. The second time she must have had a dream, about Oscar. She was saying "Oscar? Doggie?" and I had to tell her Oscar was asleep and she laid back down.

This weekend I go to visit my good friend Mandy and I get to meet her son Cameron! Cameron was born a week or so before Henry was. By all reports, he is a hefty little guy so I can't wait to see how big he is. Mia will be staying home with her Dad...I'm sure they will have a lot of fun (at Tim's parents house, which is where he will probably go, because why should he take care of her on his own if he doesn't have to?) :)

We have a busy few weeks coming up. Next weekend is Henry's baptism, and his future godparents, Julie and Gordon, are flying in for the event. We will be having a little party afterwards at our house. Our basement is ALMOST done. ALMOST.

That's all for now. I'll post pictures after my visit, I'm sure I will have plenty!

Last Pumpkin Farm picture!

2008-10-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here is Mia, loving the little pumpkin. We came home with two impossibly small pumpkins for her.

(See posts below for more.)

More Pumpkin farm!

2008-10-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hmm...I tried to post these all at once but it didn't work. See the post below for more. Here is a very rare picture of all of us.

Henry was so content, he fell asleep!

Here is Mia, wanting desperately to go in the big blowup jumping thing, but not having the courage to go in on her own. She stood there for ten minutes, watching.

And here she is going down the slide being assisted by Uncle Evan or "Uncle" as she calls him.

Pumpkin Farm!!!

2008-10-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday we visited the pumpkin farm. Last year it was the day of the Chicago Marathon and it was about 100 degrees. This year...it was the day of the Chicago Marathon and it was about 85 degrees. Is it too much to ask for fall weather? Oh well, we still had fun. Henry was SOO good, he was perfectly content the whole time in the baby bjorn which made things very easy for us.

They had a petting zoo, and Mia got to feed the goats and sheep. She enjoyed it, after some coaxing from Tim. She preferred feeding them one peice at a time.

See how cute Henry is! This is during our snack break. Ok, the food was pretty bad, but what did we expect?

Mia went down a blowup slide with Tim. She has yet to learn to let go and just slide down fast, she likes to break using her hands and feet.

Rejoining the land of the living

2008-10-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day back at work after maternity leave. Waking up at 5am wasn't so great, but heck, I haven't been sleeping much anyway, might as well get paid for being tired! After about an hour at my desk, I felt like I had never left. Yay, me.

I missed Mia and Henry a lot, but I didn't feel the guilt I felt the first time around with Mia, mostly because I know what great care Kathryn gives them, and I figure even though I'm gone, Henry has Mia at least. I mean, our house is not boring when I'm gone, believe it or not--Mia keeps things rocking and rolling!

No headaches, no colds, and no fainting spells in our house---good for us!

Shall we get to pictures?

Can you spot the monkey in this picture? This is Tim and Mia at Tropic World at the Brookfield Zoo---I was outside with Henry.

Here is Mia showing off a lovely princess set she got for her birthday from Sylvie Barrero. Although you can't tell from the look on her face, she really likes it.

Here's another zoo picture, having our picnic lunch. Mia ate teddy grahams. And a few fries.

Oh, my little Henry! But not so little anymore! He's such a big boy, and still very happy.

Ahh...here is a picture of me with friends from high school. Yes, we've known each other THAT long. It's so funny to think of us hanging out in the cafeteria before school, and now, all these years later, married, with kids.....real adults. But when we're together it almost feels as if no time has passed. Please note that Mia is hard at work on her laptop. She couldn't be bothered to look at the camera.

I can't believe it's October already....Halloween is coming soon, very closely followed by Christmas according to all the store displays. Don't rush me!

Are you all getting your flu shots? I think I'll get one again this year---they seem to work for me. I can get one for free at work.

I'm so tempted to post basement pictures but it's not 100% done yet, so I'll wait. We still need a countertop and sink and I have to paint the trim. HOW TEDIOUS!! I am tempted to hire someone--is that lame? I just have so many other things I'd rather do.....like dominate Word Twist on facebook (tee hee).

Ok, well, that's all for now, time for me to get to bed.

I wanted to have some good updates...

2008-10-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

but unfortunately we've had a rough couple of days. Mia had been sick with a cold, which seemed to improve, and then she ended up throwing up in her bed last night. I came down with a really bad headache (migraine maybe?) that made me dizzy and hardly able to walk, and when returning from henry's room last night after a feeding, I fainted in the hallway! Wow that was scary and I hope it never happens again. Tim took me to the ER this morning because I still had the headache and my ribs hurt a lot from falling. They did a catscan which turned out fine, and xrays showed no rib fractures, so I got IV fluids and pain medicine and they let me go home. Tim had taken some vacation days to do things with us, and then ended up having to call in sick 2 days in a row to take care of us.
On top of that we're having issues with Mia sleeping...she goes to bed and then cries until we come in and she'll ask for a diaper change, to go in our bed, any number of things. As soon as I say no, she lays back down like it's no big deal. Which tells me she's just looking for attention. I might have to start ignoring her when she does this. And she woke up at 5:45 this morning. What, is she crazy?

So send good thoughts our way please, we could use them.

Mia's sick!!

2008-09-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

The dreaded cold that has been making the rounds has found its latest target. So far it's just a runny nose, I hope it doesn't get much worse. I feel bad for sick little kids, they can't just dope themselves with Sudafed to feel better. That was my miracle drug when I was sick 2 weeks ago.

We had Mia's 2nd Birthday party this past weekend, I will post pictures soon. She was a bit overwhelmed with all the people coming over (even though she knew them all), and didn't get that you open a present and then move onto the next instead of stopping to play, but she had fun. The balloon is still one of the biggest hits by far.

We have doors in our basement!! Yes, progress is still being made and it's looking quite nice. What will we do with ourselves when it's done? Live, perhaps?

I go back to work in less than 2 weeks. I am very thankful that it's only part time--2 days at the office, 2 days at home. I couldn't have a better work setup really. I am very lucky. I don't mind going back THAT much--I get to eat lunch on my own, at a leisurely pace, with both hands. I can shop on my lunch break if I want. I am forced to make myself look presentable. There is a Starbucks across the street. I can nap on the train. Oh, and I like the work. So it's all good. (Remind me of this when I have to get up at 5:15 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, ok?)