Come, Mommy

Change of Scene

2008-02-17T20:30:00.003-05:00

I'm a fairly patient person. It takes quite a bit of aggravation to get me riled up. Even so, I have my limits. I've been trying for quite a while to figure out why this page loads so slowly in I.E. I've changed the sidebar and the header to no avail. Meanwhile, my attempts to fix the problem, and to even blog in general, were thwarted by Blogger's latest episode of orneriness. For much of the last week, Blogger has refused to allow me to save posts, upload pictures, and even, once, refused to acknowledge that I have a Blogger account. I've talked about exploring other blogging options, but never got around to exploring. Until this week, when, since I couldn't access my Blogger account, I decided to do that exploring.

I found a bunch of really neato options out there, but when push came to shove, this is what I put together. It is not finished yet, but I like the general layout and I'm having lots of fun playing around with it. Come on over and check out the new place!

Crafty Stuff Going On

2008-02-14T19:44:00.005-05:00

I haven't been posting much the last couple of weeks. It's not due so much to inertia or a lack of blog fodder. Rather, I have been off indulging my inner crafty person. A while back, Chichimama wrote a post looking for folks who might be interested in doing an online knit-along, and I signed up. We all agreed on a felted bag as our first project. I'm not so much of a handbag person, but I've never done felting of a woolen article, and since this looked straightforward, I went for it.

I actually love to knit, but it's been several years since I attempted a project as I felt I had no time to focus on knitting what with chasing children all day long. It turned out that I have no time to attempt a complicated cable-knit pullover - I have one, 90% done, that I started before Liam was born. It's not a viable project at the moment as each time I work on it I have to sit down in complete silence, reorient myself to the pattern, and I can't stop in the middle of a row lest I lose count completely. This is what it would look like if I ever finished it.

Now, a smallish project that can be easily picked up for five or ten minutes and put down without worry fit the bill exactly. And it felt good to make something by hand again:

The Fibonacci Bag

I mucked around with the original pattern a bit. The pattern was written using chunky yarn, but I found some inexpensive worsted-weight wool on sale at a craft store, so I bought twice as much yardage as called for and knitted the whole bag with two strands of yarn to mimic a chunky weight. The felting process was interesting since the hot cycle on our machine isn't terribly hot, but I set it on "heavy-duty" to get as much mechanical action as possible and then ran it through the wash cycle twice. There's still a bit more stitch definition than I'd like in the finished product, but it's great for a first try. Now I know if I want to felt another knitted item I need to up the temperature on our hot water wash. Finally, instead of two straps (one on each long side of the bag), I knitted one extra-long one and attached it to the short side of the bag. It runs lengthwise along the bag. I may sew some ribbon just inside the top of the bag in order to be able to securely tie shut the bag, I don't want to have to replace my wallet anytime soon!

All in all it was a fun project, and now I'm pleased to have rediscovered one of my favorite pastimes. I've got a scarf that's almost finished that I started a couple of weeks ago. I should be able to finish that up over the weekend, and then I am planning to knit Kiri one of these Sunny-Side Up Hoodies. I have some gorgeous royal blue cotton yarn in my stash that would be perfect for a Spring sweater, and I have just enough to make a baby-size garment from that yarn. The Lemur has asked for one of these sweaters as well, and he would like his in a bright red, so that's my next next project. I think I've got enough planned for now!

I've been having fun the last couple of weeks being creative and practical all at the same time. Knitting truly is one of those activities that helps ease stress as it involves repetitive, soothing action, but doesn't occupy so much of my brain that I can't carry on a conversation or watch a good TV show at the same time. It really is a great hobby.

Thank you, Chichimama, for suggesting the knit-along. If you hadn't, I would still be sitting around thinking, "One day I'll have enough time to knit again!" Turns out I do have the time. It just has to be the right project.

A Painted Lemur

2008-02-07T19:41:00.000-05:00

You might think that if I heard the voice of a certain Lemur, alone by himself in the bathroom, saying things like, "I'm decorating myself!", I would check the situation out.

I did. After I finished reading my e-mail.

This is what I discovered...

...a Painted Lemur!

"Look, Mommy! I decorated myself with your lip gloss!"

He sure did decorate himself. With the really nice lip gloss I got for Christmas.

But he was so pleased with himself and had such a good time painting that I just can't be mad!

We Have Lift-Off!

2008-02-01T19:47:00.001-05:00

On your marks...

Get set...

CRAWL!!!

In Which Liam Expresses His Confusion

2008-01-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

We were running late to nursery school one day last week, and of course traffic chose that day to be extra-heavy. A stressed-out driver sped by, zooming around us and the four cars in front by using the shoulder as a passing lane. I mumbled something under my breath (I thought!) about "idiot drivers." From the back seat came the voice of a very confused little boy...

"Mommy? Why are you calling him a 'Giddy-up Driver'? He wasn't riding a horse. Horsies don't go that fast!"

Moments like this are worth their weight in gold. As long as I'm not laughing so hard I drive the car into a tree.

10 Months Of Brotherhood

2008-01-23T13:45:00.000-05:00

I fell off the track with these "Brotherhood" posts - too much confusion over the holidays, I guess. At any rate, here we are at Ten Months of Brotherhood...

(how could it possibly have been ten months already???)

Here is the Big Brother with his favorite ferret friend, Pippi. Who, by the way, gave us a fright by losing his tail hair and thus fooling us into thinking he had adrenal disease. A trip to the vet later, it turns out to be a fals alarm. Phew! Usually when ferrets start to go bald, it's not good news.

Mr. Happy Baby and his favorite toy, a music box. He loves to turn it on by himself and rock back and forth to the beat. It's a great thing to soothe an awake baby at 3:00 A.M.

Mr. Lemur surprised us completely by ordering spaghetti at a restaurant. This is the same boy who has NEVER ordered anything other than grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese in his life. We may get to broaden our culinary horizons soon!

Getting Kieran all bundled up to take his brother to school.

"Mommy! Pop-Pop made me this hat from the newspaper! You've never seen anything like this in your life!"

"Daddy said it was OK that Kiri drives without a license..."

Look - a milestone! Liam got his first haircut at an actual salon! Our horizons are expanding by the minute!

"Mommy? Rides are funner when Kiri comes along!"

That is one of the best parts about the last couple of months - Kiri and Liam are starting to actually play together and laugh with each other. It's really sweet to see them enjoying each other so much, and to know this is only the beginning of their relationship. I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow and change together.

Little Kids Are So Literal

2008-01-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

Tonight I heard Kevin and Liam in the living room. We've had issues recently trying to instill the idea of privacy and private activities in our son; his hand are often in his pants because, well, he's a little boy. (Why did no one inform me that this is one of the downsides of potty training?)

Kevin: "Hands out of your pants."

Liam: "Why?"

Kevin: "Hands out of your pants!"

Liam: "But I just like my hands IN my pants."

Kevin gave up and retreated upstairs. Liam popped into the kitchen with me, hands still you-know-where, and repeated a phrase that someone at school taught him. (This particular phrase is neither vulgar nor rude, but is very, very annoying should someone repeat it over and over while, say, one is fighting morning rush traffic on Route 1. Yes, I ended up begging him to be quiet or at least say something else.) And just to be sure I was paying attention, he said it about three more times.

Me: "Dude, are you just trying to annoy Daddy and me?"

Liam (absolutely horrified): "Oh, no! Oh, dear! Actually, I was just trying to annoy Daddy!"

Me (trying hard to look stern): "Well, thanks for the clarification."

Liam: "You're welcome, Mommy."

And with that, he stomped off to find his father.

The silence, she was golden.

Bored With Your Usual Snack?

2008-01-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

It used to be that yogurt-covered Cheerios were the go-for snack around here. But today, things have changed for the messier...

The Menagerie House proudly presents...

The yogurt and Cheerios covered baby!

Ta da! Cute, no?

Says The Lemur, "Mommy, it's good thing Casey likes to clean babies and floors!"

That is very true, Son. Good observation!

By the way, Kieran had his nine-month check-up this morning. We finally found a new pediatrician, and she was great with Kieran. Now I have to make an appointment for The Lemur and see if he likes her as much as his brother and mom do. At any rate, Kieran is 20 pounds, 4 ounces, and 28 inches long. She was impressed by his Fuzzi Bunz and the fact that he eats entirely table food and breastmilk. (In truth I think he gets a lot of Casey fur, too, but I didn't mention that. It ~~is impossible to keep off our floors and furniture~~ just adds protein to his diet.) She feels he's doing great, and it was so nice to have a pediatrician who wasn't telling me what I was doing wrong. Phew!

Schnorpy Boys...

2008-01-13T20:03:00.001-05:00

Two boys, both with colds, who wake up sick after Daddy has the audacity to leave for work for the day...

Liam : "Kiri, Mommy is NOT Daddy, but she's ok with handling schnorpy noses, OK??"

Hey You! Howdy! Hi!

2008-01-10T10:20:00.000-05:00

Hey, guys, it's that time again - Delurking Day. And from my logs it seems I have anonymous friends in many locations including central Florida, central Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Nepal, and Harvard Yard. I would love to know who you are, so please come out and introduce yourself. This is a friendly place here, and I'm kind of bored today as I'm at home with two sick children who are too sniffly and schnorpy to take out in public. Please make my day and tell me who you are!

(Thanks to Aimee for the neato button!)

In Which Liam Cuts To The Chase

2008-01-08T19:01:00.001-05:00

Liam: "Mommy, was the world built?"

Me: "Hhhhhmmmmm?"

Liam: "You know, the world. How was it made?"

Me: "Well, the plants and animals grow, and the buildings are built by people."

Liam: "No. The world under the plants and animals. What about it?"

Me: "You mean the ground? The Earth? Where did that come from?"

Liam: "Yes."

Me: "Do you want the Biblical or the scientific explanation?"

Liam: "I just want the one that is actually right, Mommy."

Me: "Oh."

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"Eh, forget the philosophical discussions. Just show me the FOOD!"

A Huge Milestone

2008-01-06T12:44:00.000-05:00

With a huge sense of pride (and a subconscious feeling of, "At last, thank Heaven!") I am able to announce:

The Lemur has peed in the toilet!!! Long may it continue!

You may resume your normal blogging activities now...

The Good And Bad Of Being The Big Brother

2008-01-03T11:47:00.000-05:00

Today, 8:30 AM:

Liam and Kieran are cuddling together in bed. Liam tells his baby brother, "Kiri, I just love you for all my life!"

Today, 10:30 AM:

Within one five minute period, Kieran "steals" his brother's favorite train, chews on one of Liam's Thomas trading cards, and then pulls Liam's hair when the big boy gets too close. Liam screams, "Mommy! He is not a nice baby! I love him for all my life, but he IS NOT BEING NICE!!!"

Sometimes being the big brother is not an easy job.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

Wow am I out of practice on this blogging thing - it's been over a week since I posted. I got pretty sick with that bug I picked up from Mr. Lemur and it's only in the last couple of days I've been wanting to do anything beyond recovering basic respiratory function. But we have had some fun - Santa left plenty of cool things for the boys, and we did go to a really terrific New Year's Eve party last night, so we haven't been completely without fun.

In the meantime, I'm going to take one last nap before Kevin goes back to work and it's just the boys and me. I'll be back with some cute kid stories in the next few days!

Bits And Pieces Of Pre-Christmas Minutia

2007-12-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

Yup, it's less than 48 hours until Christmas. The last week has been crazy because...

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I found out Wednesday morning that I was the designated person responsible for acquiring bouquests for the teacher's assistant and for the aftercare teacher at Liam's school. This was not a problem as I was sure I could get FTD or somesuch website to deliver two bouquets to our house Wednesday afternoon that I could take to school for the Christmas party on Thursday. I called, and sure enough, I was guaranteed that two beautiful winter bouquets would be delivered by 5:00 PM. At 8:00, there were no bouquets, and the customer care center at the website was closed, as was the local florist. So I went to a nice grocery store, grabbed one of every kind of wintery flower they had on hand, and made two really nice bouquets for the teachers.

The next morning, I took my bouquets and both kids to school, had the party (the teachers really liked their flowers), and came home. On the porch were the two bouquets I had ordered the day before. They were very pretty and looked nice in my home, but since they had been ordered for another occasion and were late, too late in fact, I called the website back. They promptly refunded my money AND we got to keep the bouquets. So yay for flowerssenttoday.com!

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Liam came down with an ear infection Monday. He did make it school this week, more because he wanted to go than because he was really up to going, but he's still a little tired. His pediatrician got herself fired for telling him rudely that his symptoms don't make sense, and his ears don't hurt when she peers inside.

(There's a long story here, but I'm not going into it now. Suffice it to say a change in medical staff is necessary.)

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Kieran caught the bug from Liam, and ran his first high fever - he woke up at 3:30 Friday morning with a 101.3⁰ temperature. But with Motrin and TLC, he seems better by this weekend..

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I caught the bug from the kids, and spent this morning in the ER. I thought about waiting and calling my internist tomorrow morning, but really, that's crazy. I don't even know if the office is open on Christmas Eve.

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My husband is wonderful. He's handled both kids pretty much by himself since Friday afternoon, except for nursing duties.

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Yesterday, Kevin and the boys made these yummy white chocolate chip-cranberry cookies. They are so good!

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And, while waiting for my antibiotic prescription to be filled, I bought Kevin and me a bottle of champagne for refreshment while playing Santa tomorrow night. I hope the kids cooperate and stay asleep.

(Don't worry, I didn't buy anything requiring complex assembly.)

*******

I don't know if I'll be back before the Big Day, but if not, Happy Holidays to everyone!

Lookee What The Mailman Brought Today!

2007-12-21T17:12:00.001-05:00

(In case you can't tell, it's a Valentine's Day catalogue.)

Enough, people, enough already!

Christmas Surprise

2007-12-17T19:52:00.000-05:00

We were sitting on the couch by the front window Saturday afternoon. The Lemur, who is currently obsessed with fire engines and Christmas, heard a siren. It became apparent that the siren not only belonged to a fire truck, but that said firetruck was coming down our street. Then, wonder of wonders, we realized that there was more than one truck. Liam jumped onto the back of the couch to spectate.

Not one, not two, but three fire engines came slowly driving down the street, lights and sirens in full action. And then, on the back of the ladder truck, who should appear but Santa himself, standing tall and proud on the back of the truck.

Liam was beside himself as he realized that not only does Santa bring toys to small children, but he also is a way cool dude because "he hangs out with the firemen, Mommy."

Christmas magic takes many forms, and when I saw the look of wonder on his face as Santa appeared, I realized why we do this stressful season again and again each year - because, buried in the lists of things to do, make, and buy, are moments of pure joy. If Liam gets even one moment like that each Christmas, it will make all the craziness worthwhile.

Tempting

2007-12-13T10:18:00.000-05:00

So here I am in the midst of what the Weather Service euphemistically calls "a wintry mix" (to give it that certain holiday feeling, I guess), and which is materializing as about half an inch of sleet on my back deck.

Oh my, look at what the mailman brought us today.

Sounds wonderful, eh?

This Train Is Bound For... Snacking

2007-12-11T14:49:00.000-05:00

With apologies to the lovely person who first wrote the American spiritual "This Train is Bound for Glory," we present our afternoon project today...

...the beginnings of the coal tender...

...filling the coal tender...

...the finished train with its chocolate chip "coal" and stockpile of extra "coal"...

...we left poor Kieran with only a tube of wrapping paper and an empty Cliff bar box for amusement, and some freshly-steamed asparagus for a snack...

...the train artist himself!

..the TRAIN!

And also! We got out tree up this weekend, so the holidays may commence at the Menagerie House! YAY!

Sick Day

2007-12-05T08:42:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone,

It's me, Kieran. Guess what? The Lemur has a cold and he gave it to me and Mommy. So we've been stuck in the house for the last two days. Here's what's up ('cause I know Gran-Gran is curious...)

We've played with the ferrets. A lot. We might have worn them out. Or not. Ferrets love to play almost as much as four year old boys. Here's Pippi climbing up Mommy's sweater. The Lemur was chasing him.

(Yes, Mommy knows his tail is bald. We have a vet appointment next week, don't worry!)

Oh no! Now The Lemur is chasing ME in his sports car!

And he put glasses on me!

And a hat! Because Mommy and The Lemur and I are wrapping Christmas presents, I guess. Now I'm ready for action...OK...

...and look! I have stolen The Lemur's train. It's yummy. Hopefully he won't be too upset.

I hope everyone else is healthy! I will be back after everyone here is well again!

Hugs,
Kieran

Question Of The Day

2007-11-29T13:27:00.000-05:00

Here goes:

Liam: "Mommy, when Kieran was in your tummy, was it dark in there?"

Me: "Um, sure, I guess...Why?"

Liam: "I want to know how he could see to find the train he brought when he was born. I don't think he's old enough to build one, and babies can't go to Target by their own."

Answers, anyone?

2007-11-27T19:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lemur!

Liam at four months...

...and now at four years.

Happy Birthday to the boy who introduced us to, and is continuing to teach, the fine art of parenting. In four years you've gone from being an adored baby to being an adored older brother. There have been big changes in your life this year. You've got a baby brother, whom you love fiercely except when he's stealing your toys (which, I hesitate to tell you, may happen more often as time goes on). You've started nursery school, which you love, except for early in the morning when you say, "I just want to stay here all this day with you, Mommy." When you are running around with your friends or playing gently with your brother, it's clear you are well on the road to Big Boyness. The next few years will undoubtedly bring more changes, but with your gentle spirit and buoyant personality, you'll weather them with style.

Thank you for the best four years of our lives, and here's to many more to come. Happy Birthday, Super Lemur!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Thankful Boy

2007-11-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

Liam: "Mommy, why do we not have school tomorrow?"

Me: "Tomorrow is a big holiday. It's called Thanksgiving."

Liam: "What is Thanksgiving?"

Me: "Well, it's a day where we have a big family dinner and think about all the things we're thankful for."

Liam: "What is 'thankful'?"

Me: "'Thankful' means being happy about all the people and things in our lives that we love. I'm thankful for you and Kieran, Daddy, Gran-Gran, Pop-Pop - "

Liam: "What about Casey? And Pippi? And Stormy? And Houdini?"

Me: "I'm thankful for them, as well."

...a moment of silence...

Liam: "Well, I love all those things, too. But actually I'm really thankful for vanilla ice cream."

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Home Again

2007-11-20T20:00:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted photos of our trip yet - I just realized Thanksgiving is this week, and Liam's birthday party here at home is next week. Also it turns out that if you overstimulate two kids for a week and then return them home, there's a bit of a shock factor, and some misbehavior and sleep issues result - but it was well worth that to see all of our family in one spot. Here are some highlights:

This is from a trip to Fredericksburg that Gran-Gran, the boys, and I took. Liam "adopted" this James at the toy store. Gran-Gran paid his adoption fees!

(Liam says, "Thank you, Gran-Gran!")

Balancing on some rocks on a sunny morning.

Learning the basics of bronco riding.

Kevin and Kieran sunning themselves on a rock above the Guadalupe River.

Pop-Pop and Liam made a fire engine cake for Liam's 4th birthday, and had a great time doing it. Liam isn't technically 4 until the 27th, but we did an early family party. It was great because he had everyone in the family there. I'm not showing photos here to protect the privacy of other family members who might not want their pictures on the blogosphere, but trust me, it was a wonderful party.

The finished cake! And the proud pastry chef!

All this fun makes a fellow tired! The kids were pretty much spent by dinnertime each night, but they were having so.much,fun. (The one thing we didn't get a chance to do was to get together with Karen, a blogfriend of mine who I met years ago as she is a longtime friend of my sister-in-law, Janet. Karen, I'm sorry we didn't get together, and I hope we can have a Blogger meet-up next time we come to Texas. Hopefully by then you'll be feeling better, too.)

Thanks for a wonderful week, Pop-Pop and Gran-Gran. I truly hope the visit was all you hoped it would be, and that we can come back soon!

Yeehaw!

2007-11-15T22:10:00.000-05:00

Howdy, ya'll! We're having a fun time here. So much so that screen time is limited. I'll post about the trip after we get home this weekend. Meanwhile, I'm off to get ready for the family party for Mr. Lemur, who is about to turn 4!

The To-Do List

2007-11-08T07:46:00.000-05:00

Thins to do between now and tomorrow night:

1. Laundry

2. a. Packing (clothes)
b. Packing (toys and travel diversions)
c. Packing (snacks)

3. a. Take the dog to the kennel.
b. Don't forget his meds.
c. He's got the doggie equivalent of athlete's foot, and his feet itch horribly, poor thing.

4. a. Take the ferrets to their caretaker.
b. Don't forget the ferrets' meds.
c. They all are on amoxicillin for a respiratory infection.
d. Remind self not to share pathogenic bacteria with pets.

5. Get new pair of glasses.

6. Clean the fish tank.

7. Parent-teacher conference tomorrow morning.

8. Lantern walk for Martinmas tomorrow night.

9. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. (Mushy brain, ya know?)

So, with all that, why am I lying in bed blogging while the kids are peacefully napping? Because it's just so warm, cozy, and relaxing. Motherhood has its privileges, you see!

Bits 'N' Pieces Of Stuff (Random)

2007-11-06T14:25:00.000-05:00

We're getting ready to leave town for a week. We're going to Gran-Gran's. Actually, the boys and I are going to Gran-Gran's, while Kevin gets the fun of attending a conference for most of the week.

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I always get stressed out by travel plans. I'm trying hard not to get all frazzled, but I'm not having much luck in that department.

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I can't remember most of the things I was planning to include in this post - after answering "why" questions all day, my brain is most mushy.

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Example "why" questions:

1. "Why are operas so long?"
2. "Why does Santa live at the North Pole?"
3. "Why can't I eat French fries all day long?"
4. "Why are there so many cars on Route 1?"
5. "What are there so many cars on every road?"
6. "Why aren't you answering me, Mommy? Mommy? MOMMEE?"

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It's the peak of the autumn color around here, and it's really pretty driving to school in the mornings

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I was in the pet store last Saturday, and walked in to find a huge display of Christmas goodies for dogs and cats. I was busy thinking it's kind of early for Christmas stuff, but Liam ran ahead of me yelling, "Mommy! Look! They brought Christmas back!" He was so happy I couldn't be grinchy for long.

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I guess I better start that Christmas shopping. Soon.

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I leave you with the cute picture du jour:

"Mommy, in this picture I am the SuperLemur Express speeding down the track. I almost seemed to fly!!!"

Two Years

2007-11-04T12:44:00.001-05:00

Two years ago, I started this blog. I had one son, pretty much still a baby....

...and now I have a pre-schooler and a whole new baby.

Life is good.

Placeholder

2007-11-02T15:08:00.000-04:00

Zithromax is my friend, as is this channel, although I find it somewhat unnerving that my son is running around the house yelling, "Don't go away, Sproutlets, we'll be right back!"

I'll be right back, too, as long as you're willing to define "right back" as being "when this darn sinusitis/tonsillitis thing gets better." I owe about 27 different people e-mails - hang in there, guys, I'll get back to you soon, hopefully in the next couple of days.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T17:32:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween from SuperLemur!

(PS - Note the long, ringed tail. He's very proud of it!)

The Perfect Storm

2007-10-29T17:25:00.001-04:00

I have a cold. And I didn't get much sleep last night. Throw in a teething baby and a mysteriously foul-mooded three-year-old, and it made for a Perfect Storm. Tantrum after tantrum (from the three-year-old), clingy fussiness (from the baby), and me wondering alternately, "What happened to my sunny Lemur?" and "If I just dropped him at school and didn't come back would anyone notice?" There was way too much TV viewing going on here today, but it was that or Mommy losing her mind...

But thankfully Kevin came home and caged the Peevish Primate....

Phew...

Thank Heaven days like this are rare. My nerves would not survive frequent onslaughts of this behavior, I assure you!

Seven Months Of Brotherhood

2007-10-26T11:25:00.001-04:00

Here we are at the end of October with pumpkins and leaves galore. Soon it will be time for Christmas shopping. The time, she flies by....

Gran-Gran took this picture in our front yard. I am envious of her photographic talent.

Here's Liam picking out a Halloween pumpkin...

...and playing in the leaves.

The weather has been crazy, too. Tuesday I was cramming the kids into now-too-small summer clothes, and then on Thursday, it was bunting time.

I just love little boys in stripes and overalls.

Colored leaves make a great toy on a trip to the zoo...

...and we learned that orangutans use large leaves to shelter themselves from sun and rain. Apparently the same logic applies to Lemurs, as well.

Boo!

"I'm so glad you came out of Mommy's tummy, Kiri!"

(Yes, that is an actual quote from SuperLemur. Long may the sentiment continue!)

This is the shortest seven months I've ever known. Time seem to go even faster with the second baby...

Big Bird and Nursing

2007-10-24T20:35:00.000-04:00

The thoughtful Karen over at Nine Texans just sent me this link saying, "Big Bird is on board with 'the agenda' too." Check it out...

...and while you're at it hop on over to Karen's place and leave her some cheerful notes. She's in her first trimester and is having a rough time of it. Thank you, Karen, and hang in there - pretty soon you'll have another little baby to rock and nurse!

I'll Take This As A Compliment

2007-10-21T19:23:00.000-04:00

A local hospital was running a "Baby Shower" here today. It was pretty much what you'd expect - booths promoting various baby goods and services to expectant and new moms. Kieran and I were there manning the La Leche League booth. At one point we went for a walk. Hanging out at the babywearing booth, I overheard a formula company rep say to a local pediatrician:

"Those La Leche League people definitely have an agenda, but MY GOD they have happy babies!"

"Happy, happy, happy - that's me!"

Jeff, 1999-2007

2007-10-17T22:37:00.001-04:00

The sweet white ferret in the picture above, Jeff came to us over a year ago from a shelter along with his buddies Penny and Pippi. We didn't know if he would make the transition to our house at the advanced ago of 7+, but he did. He's given us a great deal of love and a lot of cuddles. Thank you for gracing us with your gentle nature, Jeff, and peaceful travels along the Rainbow Bridge.

Our History In Numbers

2007-10-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

3 years together in college (all fun)
+ 3 years of grad school (mostly fun, but some blah)
+5 jobs (all good)
+ 4 houses (don't remind me about our mortgage)
+ 5 (6?? 7???) vacations to DisneyWorld (let's go next year. Again!)
+10 cars (7 of them Saturns)
+ 2 dogs (both neurotic)
+ 15 ferrets (crazy, every last one of 'em)
+ 2 beautiful kids (gorgeous!)
+ Numerous ups and downs (many, many, many)
------------------------------------
17 years of marriage (with many more to come)

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

Six Months Of Brotherhood

2007-10-07T12:48:00.001-04:00

In six months we've gone from a little boy and his newborn baby brother to a full-fledged pre-schooler who has a little brother almost half his size:

Don't they just look like they're up to something?

Liam dyed this silk at his school's Michaelmas festival. He brought it home and promptly used it to transform himself into Super Lemur, a broccoli-eating primate...

Speaking of fall festivities - Liam found all these "treasures" on a bike ride. We brought them home and made a wreath with them.

Meanwhile, back in Babyland, Kieran demonstrates the "sit up and pull off the socks" maneuver.

I think it's a construction worker playing guitar, but I'm not entirely sure...

Mmmmmm, peaches!

All this eating and playing sure make a fellow tired!

I can't believe it's been six months already!

Nursery Rhyme Improv

2007-10-02T20:00:00.000-04:00

Liam (mumbling to himself):

"Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses,
And all the King's men,
Couldn't put Humpty together again....

Um, Mommy? Mommy? MOMMMEEE??"

Me: "Yes?"

Liam: "What happens next? What's the next rhyme?"

Me: "Um, Hickory Dickory Dock?"

Liam: "No, no, no. What happened to Humpty Dumpty? After he fell?"

Me: "I'm not sure..."

Liam (looking like he won't take no for an answer): "What's the next rhyme? Where he got undamaged?"

Me (thinking fast):

Humpty Dumpty got off the ground
And glued himself all nice and round.
All the King's horses
And all the King's men
Were shown how to fix him so nicely, then!"

Liam: "Thanks, Mom....um????

Me: "Yes??"

Liam: "What happens in Hickory Dickory Dock after the clock strikes one and the mouse runs down? Where does he go?"

Me: "Let me think about it and get back to you tomorrow."

Liam: "OK. Or maybe I should just ask at school."

********

With questions like this it's a good thing he's broadening his information sources!

Baby On A Swing

2007-09-26T22:32:00.000-04:00

Yeah, we're up to here with colds and various and sundry broken appliances, so no, this is not a written post. Anyway, Kevin took the boys to the park last night and got this video on his phone:

He may have a cold, but he still loves to swing. I ask you, is there anything cuter than a giggling baby?

I think not.

Best Laid Plans

2007-09-23T21:02:00.000-04:00

Six months ago today Kieran was born in the very room where I am typing this post. I had all kind of plans to do a big half-birthday post today. Then life, as it has a tendency to do, got in the way of those plans.

I wrote this post last September.

Today was carbon copy of that day. Same squirrels, same acorns, same puffy clouds in the sky. The same sick boy. The only difference is that now there's a baby brother who has the cold, too, and now I'm feeling feverish and scratchy-throated. The half-birthday post will have to wait, along with the one detailing how much certain Lemurs love school (oh, I hope he can go Tuesday - I really don't want to be the meanie who makes him stay home!)

Stay tuned - when we are reasonably virus-free around here, I'll post the Six Months of Brotherhood Half-Birthday post.

The First Pun

2007-09-21T20:32:00.000-04:00

Liam came running into the kitchen...

"Mommy! Come, Mommy! I have baby cows on the backs of my legs."

Me: "What???"

Liam: "You know, like baby elephants?"

Me: "What???"

Liam (holding out his leg in exasperation): "See???"

And he pointed to the...

Me: "Oh! I get it! You have calves on your legs!"

Liam: "Yeah! It's all a bad joke!"

And then he ran off, leaving me to fret over whether he has inherited my sense of humor or that of my father-in-law.

(Sorry, Pop-Pop.)

Hey, I think The Lemur is a funny guy!

One Way To Pay For College

2007-09-19T20:38:00.000-04:00

Liam (who's been attending La Leche League meetings since he was eight weeks old) saw a woman bottle-feeding her baby...

Liam: "Why is that baby not drinking from his mommy?"

Me: "Well, not every mommy nurses her baby."

Liam (eyes wide open): "Why?"

Me: "There are lots of reasons."

Liam considered this for a moment....

Liam: "Mommy?"

Me: "Yes?"

Liam: "You need to go over there and show her how to nurse her baby. Or else you could nurse the baby yourself. I don't think he likes that bottle."

How much do you think I could contribute to the boys' college fund if I signed on as a wetnurse or impromptu lactation consultant?

Mm Mm Mm Mm Milestone!

2007-09-14T22:32:00.001-04:00

The last couple of weeks, Kieran has been begging for food whenever he sees us eating. Although he's a couple of weeks shy of six months, we decided to go ahead and offer him some simple foods anyway. It was the right decision. He proved he was more than ready for solids the first night when he grabbed the spoon right out of my hand and stuck it in his mouth on his own. On the first try. And then got mad because using a spoon slows down his dinner. So we opted for Plan B - Baby-Led Weaning.*

We handed him an entire banana. This is what ensued:

"Thank Heaven! Finally someone recognizes that I AM HUNGRY! I will not be trifled with!"

"Wowza, these banana thingies are slippery!"

"OK, OK, I think I've got it...

...mmmmmmmm! Delicious!"

A whole new world is opening up for one starving baby!

**********

*No, we're not weaning in the "stop nursing" sense. We're all about extended breastfeeding over here. Baby-Led Weaning is a method of introducing solid foods in which babies are started with true solids, not purees or mushes. The theory is that if the baby can get the food to his mouth and gum it, then he's better off nutritionally and not at increased risk for choking. And since Kieran has a hissy fit about using spoons as anything other than toys, clearly he's on board with this plan.

The Seasons Meet

2007-09-13T23:23:00.001-04:00

The leaves from our redbud trees have started to turn yellow and fall to the ground. I found this one atop summer's last crepe myrtle blooms. Soon all the blooms will be gone. The yard will go from summery pinks and purples to the oranges and reds of fall.

Inspired by this post at Jo(e)'s place.

Two Milestones

2007-09-11T21:00:00.001-04:00

He got his first wheels 18 months ago. That trike was fiercely loved, but alas, the lad finally outgrew his first love. This weekend we went bike shopping at a real bike store and brought home this beauty. I would call it a "two-wheeler," but Liam insists it is a "training wheeler." He called his old trike "Thomas." The name of the new bike has yet to be revealed. But the relationship is off to a great start, and despite a couple of falls and one skinned knee, he's been out riding several times a day since he brought his new love home.

Despite weeks of insisting, "I never, ever want to go to school," Mr. Leaping Lemur attended his first morning of nursery school today. He had a good time once he realized that a) the playground includes a rope swing for flying, and b) his teacher was wearing Disney Crocs "just! like! mine! (except mine are yellow)!"

The true test will occur tomorrow as today parents were invited to tag along for the morning. Tomorrow will be the first day with just the children and the teachers, but Liam did say he thought everything would be fine as long as he could wear his Crocs to school. Wish us luck!

Truth From A Three-Year-Old

2007-09-07T15:29:00.000-04:00

Liam: "Why does Daddy go to work in the mornings?"

Me: "Because he likes his job and because it earns money for us."

Liam: "Well, see, that's not what he said."

Me: "No? What did he say?"

Liam: "He said he goes to work because the people there actually listen to him."

Me (laughing): "Well, I see...maybe he was talking to himself, or he was joking?"

Liam: "No, I don't think so. You know me, I never listen to anyone!"

One thing I will say for three-year-olds - you'll get the truth, whether you want it or not!

Enter The Sibling Rivalry

2007-09-05T20:42:00.000-04:00

Quote 1:

"Mommy, I want you all to myself this day. I think Daddy should take Kieran to work with him."

Quote 2:

(After Kieran let out a series of happy baby shrieks)

"See. Mommy? I'm the big boy and I know how to control myself."

I guess the baby brother honeymoon is over. Yikes.

The Good And Bad Of Parenting...

2007-08-31T21:18:00.000-04:00

...set to Pachelbel's Canon in D...

As seen at Karen's place.

22 Weeks Of Brotherhood

2007-08-29T18:46:00.001-04:00

I'm late once again, no news there. Without further adieu, I give you the latest set of brotherhood pictures...

The first couple of photos are not the kids (!!!). We took a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo, and I got a couple of interesting shots while there. This is the view from the Zooballoon, a giant helium balloon that takes passengers 450 feet above the Zoo. This is the view of the Philadelphia skyline with the Schuylkill River in the foreground. Liam and I went up together, and he was most impressed by a) the crew teams rowing on the river, and b) the trainyard.

This Galapagos tortoise has a bad leg, so the Zoo keepers and vets managed to rig up a big roller skate for his belly. Definitely an example of low-tech being the clever solution to a problem.

Because Robbie and Gran-Gran asked, here's a picture of Kieran and me at the Zoo.

Kieran is still all about spoons as toys. Also, he's starting to eye our food. Solids will on the menu soon, I think.

I love this picture because it's a great shot of both Liam and Kevin, and then you look at Kieran and he's clearly questioning how he came to be related to these two.

Look at this! An arboreal Leaping Lemur!

Nanny nanny boo boo!
I stick my tongue out at you!

Two brothers! Yes, Kieran is really as big as he looks in this photo. He's just shy of 18 pounds at the moment, which makes him 1/2 the weight of The Lemur. Wow.

That is the photo roundup for now. Coming soon - The Goodyear Blimp Stops Mr. 3's Tantrum In Mid-Screech!

Three Is Hard

2007-08-26T16:16:00.000-04:00

One day earlier this summer Liam and I were up the street at the farm buying some veggies for dinner. While we were there we met another neighborhood mom (I'll call her Maggie) who was there with her twin boys, age 2, and her four-month old baby. We saw them there a couple more times, and she and I thought it would be fun to have a playdate. On Friday, they came over.

When I told Liam of the plan that morning he told me he didn't want them to come over, but couldn't give me a reason why. Thinking that he would change his mind once the boys arrived, as has happened previously with other playdates, I didn't give it any more thought.

I should have.

The family arrived at the door and Liam started screaming. In a matter of seconds the whole thing escalated to a purple-faced tantrum in which he kept sobbing and yelling that he wanted them to leave. He grabbed Maggie's hand and tried to pull her back out of the door.

I had no idea what to do other than take him into another room and try to calm him down. I told him I would talk to Maggie and see what we could do. Maggie and I agreed to give it ten minutes and see what happened. We attempted some small talk. Periodically Liam would scream out, "Are they gone yet?" Once he ran in to retrieve some especially important toys. Maggie asked him what would help him feel better.

He answered, "I want my Mommy to myself, and I want you and your children to leave."

Ouch.

After remarking on how well he speaks, and admitting to being a bit worried about having three-year-old twins on her hands, Maggie and her kids left. I felt bad, especially since they walked over in the heat. And a bit embarrassed. And a bit mad, since I had been looking forward to some adult conversation. And confused, since Liam's only had a tantrum of this magnitude once before, and that was the day after Kieran was born.

I spent the remainder of Friday and a lot of Saturday thinking things like "He's going to be a tantruming 3-year-old forever" and "I'll never be able to have anyone over again" and "I have to teach him to behave and soon!" Then this essay by Anna Quindlen was serendipitously sent to me by a friend.

In it, Anna Quindlen talks about how important it is to enjoy our children at each stage, because they grow quickly and soon all we have are memories and photos. So I got to thinking - what is a 3-year-old?

3 is a lot of baby wrapped up in a mercurial shell that looks an awful lot like a big boy, especially when you've got a baby brother in the house.

3 is easily provoked, and 3 doesn't yet have the skills to manage anger.

3 is realizing you have power, and learning how to use it.

3 is being a bit scared of that power.

3 is a lot of pressure. Adults expect you to go to school and use a potty, and maybe, just maybe, you don't want to.

3 is not having the choices you wish you had.

3 is sometimes way too big a job for such a small and inexperienced person.

3 isn't always bad, though,

3 is fun because you can teach your baby brother to sign "I love you!"

3 is exciting because on your next birthday you will be four! years! old! and will have a red fire engine cake!

3 is telling your Mommy, "The best thing about loving you is hugging you."

And 3 is almost over. November brings Birthday Number 4, and probably a whole new set of challenges.

(And maybe, just maybe, fewer tantrums.)

How Not To Fundraise

2007-08-23T21:41:00.000-04:00

Tonight at 8:22 PM we had the kids both sound asleep. The doorbell rang. Kevin and I both fell over ourselves trying to answer it before the kids woke up. A young man popped his head in the door and announced loudly, "I'm from LocalHighSchool Football Team. We're selling these cards that give you discounts at area restaurants."

Of course, that woke up both kids. Kevin announced he was planning to take money from LocalHighSchool Football Team.

At 9:15 PM, Liam was back asleep.

At 9:30, Kieran was still up and I was thinking about calling LocalHighSchool Football Team's coach and inviting him over to rock a baby for a bit.

At 9:44 PM, Kieran was asleep.

At 10:00, the phone rang. It was LocalStateUniversity looking for donations. I was not very polite to the undergrad on the other end of the phone. He did promise, "never, ever to call this late again."

I still need someone to rock the baby back to sleep.

No Pun Intended

2007-08-21T20:43:00.000-04:00

Liam was asking a string of "why" questions tonight. Kevin attempted to quell the interrogation.

Kevin: "Why, why, why, why, why. Can you say 'why, why, why, why, why' backwards?"

Liam, not missing a beat, turned himself around 180^o, and shouted, "Why, why, why, why, why!"

The child is clearly brighter than either of his parents.

Two Questions

2007-08-19T20:26:00.000-04:00

Question 1:

Me: "Hey, I bought a different kind of cheese at the store this morning."

Liam: "Is it going to taste bad?"

********

Question 2:

Liam: "Are babies sad when they come out of their mommies' tummies?"

********

Anyone know how to answer these queries?

Bits And Pieces Of This And That

2007-08-18T21:12:00.001-04:00

Breaking News: Having two kids really can get in the way of blogging. They give me lots of fodder, but by the time I actually remember that there was a cute moment I wanted to write about I can never seem to find time to post. I need to find a way to make sleep optional. Then I could have time to blog and read or knit, perhaps. Imagination is a wonderful thing, no?

In the meantime I present ya'll with another stream-of-consciousness Bits and Pieces post.

********

From the Department of Lemur Training we have news of complete surrender by the Lemur Parents. We outsourced Sanitary Education to a close friend of mine who teaches young autistic children. As a result of this career she has lots and lots of experience with potty learning. She managed to get Liam to decorate his potty with drawings and clean up "accidents" caused by toy animals who couldn't get to the bathroom on time. She also left us with an Elmo toy that Liam thinks is just the bees' knees.

As she left, she said, "He is one tough nut to crack. I'm not sure this can be done right now."

This morning, The Lemur pointed to his potty and declared, "You see that paper on the potty, Mommy? All of it is signs that say, 'Leaping Lemur does not have to sit on the potty!'"

However, progress was definitely made in that it seems that The Lemur is no longer afraid to at least talk about the potty. And he's all about playing with Elmo, which is good. So for now, we'll leave it at that and see where thing go if the "Lemurs do not have to sit on the potty" rule remains in effect.

Thank you for attempting this, Lisa! It's a wonderful person who will even consider potty teaching someone else's child. I owe you big time.

********

We took an afternoon trip to the Shore today, and on the boardwalk we happened to see this table:

It's an open casting call for Wife Swap. The families that appear on the show each get $20,000. Kevin said that wasn't enough money for him to part with me for a week. Now, how sweet is my husband????

On the other hand maybe we should have enquired further, as we have on our hands...

********

(cue suspenseful music)

An Unpaid For Baby!

Zounds!

Actually, he's paid for. It's his entrance into the world that is not. Yes indeedy-do, Large Insurance Company That Starts With A denied our appeal. Fun times, indeed.

********

Ah, but the plot thickens. I mentioned our plight to the neighbors who live right behind us, both of whom are lawyers. The wife is in healthcare related law and used to work for the Insurance Bureau before deciding to stay home with their daughters. She had a baby last January, and has coverage through the same Insurance Company Of Little Common Sense. In her case, the birth was covered, but the baby's pediatric care was not. And their appeal has gone nowhere, either.

She and her husband are very angry. And very well connected in the health insurance world.

I suspect thing are going to get interesting around here.

********

Obligatory Cute Baby Picture:

"What's with the six months of exclusive breastfeeding, you doctor dudes? Has no one informed you that books are delicious????"

********

For my friend Robbie, who just spent a week at Sturgis - see what the fire department was raffling off at the beach today for their fund-raiser? The Lemur assures me that this is a "very cool and likely very loud motorcycle." And he took this picture himself...

********

Liam tried his hand at a boardwalk game today. Apparently we are raising a very non-materialistic kiddo. When he managed to catch a fish, he was thrilled, but when presented with a prize, he burst into tears. I guess it's all about the game for him.

********

Tomorrow we are going back-to-school shopping. Liam needs boots, a raincoat, and new shoes for school. And a backpack. And a some new clothes that meet the dress code. It's the first time we've ever done school shopping. It's a milestone for all of us.

Three weeks until Liam's nursery school starts. And he was Kieran's age only three weeks ago, I swear.

Exactly who gave my kids permission to grow up???

********

Oh, and Liam's a bit down in the dumps that his school does not use school buses. He really wants to ride one. This is the closest we've been able to come:

He did allow as to how he might be OK with my driving him if a) he gets his music on the stereo, and b) Kieran comes along, too. Aaaaawwwww.......

********

That's it from these parts. Maybe one of these days I'll have an actual story or anecdote or well-constructed essay.

Hey, a girl can dream.....

Imagination Land, 1:23 PM

2007-08-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

Scene from a New Jersey childhood...

Liam is trying to play trains on the floor. Casey is blocking his way.

Liam: "Mommy! Make Casey move!"

Me: "Oh, is there a dog on your railway tracks?"

Liam: "No. Not really. He's not a dog. He's a big traffic jam and my trains can't go down Route 1 now. It's a problem."

Me: "Hhhmm. I think we ought to call the Department of Transportation."

20 Weeks Of Brotherhood

2007-08-11T05:06:00.001-04:00

Here we go again! It's the bi-weekly photo roundup. Someone please explain to me how this baby got to be nearly five.months.old.already????

"Um, Mommy?? I like the shirt you picked, but Leaping Lemur is at it again. Would someone please help the baby and remove these glasses already?"

"On second thought, they help me project a certain beach dude attitude."

"Mommy, you can't even imagine how hot I am."

(He does look like he's steaming away, doesn't he?")

"Mommy! It almost seems like I'm driving a steam train!"

(We were having fun times with dry ice and water.)

And then disaster struck. One big kid with stomach flu..

...and the next day, Kieran woke up with a cold. This was the scene for much of yesterday. They are both feeling better today, fortunately.

Is this not a classic baby picture??

As for the Lemur Training, it was put on hold by the stomach bug. Hopefully we will have progress soon. If not, I guess he'll learn to use the bathroom eventually, perhaps even by college. Ack.

And that's the scoop from the Menagerie House. I'll be back soon, undoubtedly with further Misadventure in Parenting.

The Power Of One...

2007-08-06T14:41:00.000-04:00

...happy nursing couple!*

"Breastfeeding is a mother's gift to herself, her baby and the earth."

Pamela K. Wiggins, IBCLC
Breastfeeding: A Mother's Gift

******************

Inspired by yesterday's post at Nine Texans.

A Quick Conversation...

2007-08-03T21:28:00.000-04:00

...in honor of World Breastfeeding Week.

Liam: "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Come, Mommy!"

Me (teasing, looking all around): "What Mommy? I don't see any Mommy!"

Liam: "You! You're the Mommy!"

Me: "I am?? How do you know that?"

Liam (all seriousness now): "Weeeeellllll, um, you have long hair."

Me: "Aha. And?"

Liam: "You carry babies and kids around all day. And sometimes ferrets."

Me: "Mmmmmmhhhhhhhmmmm, and?

Liam (triumphantly): "And!!! You have the milk! That makes you the Mommy!"

I almost broke a rib laughing when I heard that!

18 Weeks Of Brotherhood

2007-08-01T18:52:00.000-04:00

I was just looking at my stats page, and it seems someone found my blog with the search phrase "puddle of pee under the table." Which is apropos in that we are submerged in the world of potty training here, and well, thanks for asking, it's going so-so. I'm not going to write about it just yet because a) I'm afraid of jinxing the minor successes we've had this far, and b) my nerves have had it for tonight.

Anyway, I'm way late with the biweekly Brotherhood post, so here you go...

~~No Name Diesel Engine~~ Leaping Lemur gets down and rocks with his "kintar."

Here's Kieran attempting his new trick, the roll-over.

Pets are great for kids. See how much Pippi and Liam love each other? (Ignore the fact that Pippi's eyeballs are bulging from being hugged.)

Kieran still loves his spoon!

Gran-Gran and Pop-Pop were up here for a few days before we went to Chicago. Here are Kieran and Pop-Pop enjoying a visit.

Two brothers together.

And my favorite picture, GG (Great-Grandma) and the boys. They all look so gorgeous! And thanks to Gran-Gran for all the pictures!

Coming soon (I think) ~~Misadventures in Parenting~~ "How to Potty Train a Lemur in Thirty-ish Days."

Imagine the bizarre search terms I'll be seeing from that title...

Morning Cnversation, 6:00 AM

2007-07-30T12:30:00.000-04:00

Liam: "Mommy, why are you so grumpy?"

Me: "I guess I just don't like being up this early in the morning."

Liam: "Oh. You know what?"

Me : " What?"

Liam: "I love you. Even when you're grumpy."

Aaaaaaawwwwwwww...........

The Rest Of The Chicago Story - With Pictures

2007-07-26T12:27:00.001-04:00

Here are the pictures I promised the other day...

Kevin and Liam spent a morning at the Chicago Children's Museum. It seems Liam's new best friend, Big Bird, came along for the ride. Actually, Big Bird was very helpful this trip - he pecked elevator buttons right and left, and also "ate" his way down Ontario Street one afternoon and trimmed away excess shrubbery.

A fun time was had playing drums.

And here's Chef No Name Diesel Engine creating a tofu stir-fry at the wok station.

We had lunch outside at the Navy Pier one day, and Liam had fun letting his little brother play with his hair.

A quick shot of the older son at lunch.

More brotherly goofing around.

The conference ended as well as it began, and I just wish it could have been a bit longer. The last morning of the conference, Kieran and I caught a cab to the Hilton. The cabbie turned out to be a recent immigrant from Somalia. He saw Kieran's Maya Wrap, and then he asked me if all the mothers at the Hilton this week were American. I told him not everyone was, but the majority were. He thought that was interesting, as apparently he'd never seen so many babies in slings outside of Africa, and he asked what the conference was about. I told him it was about breastfeeding and other aspects of raising babies and young children. He got me with this comment...

"Why do you need a conference about nursing and carrying babies? Isn't that just what you're supposed to do with them?"

Yes, sir, it is, but not everyone has that idea yet. We're working on it.

(And then I realized some parenting frustrations are universal. Our cabbie went on to ask, only half in jest, if I knew of any conferences discussing how to get five-year-olds to brush their teeth and go to bed at a reasonable hour.)

We had one extra day in Chicago, and we had the distinct pleasure of a playdate in the park with Amy, Kevin, Carter, and Archie. Amy and I have known each other on-line for almost four years, and I have always admired her parenting style, so it was exciting to finally meet in real life. The boys got to burn off some steam playing ball, the adults got to visit, and a fun time was had by all. Thanks for the meetup, you guys. I hope we can do it again next year!

We then played around at the Navy Pier a bit more, and then that night we walked up to Watertower Place and had dinner at a 50's-style diner that had the best mushroom burgers I've ever eaten.

The next morning we came home, fortunately without major problems. There was my ID issue. My wallet was never found, and my passport was safely tucked away in the safety deposit box at our bank (no, they wouldn't let anyone else in to get it, even with our permission), so I had no picture ID. When we checked in at the airport, no one even blinked an eye. It turns out you can fly without ID. You just have to be willing to go through the extensive hand search (Kevin and Amy, you two were right!) That was all kind of a relief, but Liam wasn't prepared for me to disappear for as long as that took. Kevin ended up trying to convince a crying 3-year-old to go through a separate line with him and Kieran. No one was happy until the four of us were back together again, and then all was well.

Today we've been doing the laundry and opening all our mail that accumulated during our trip. And lookee what came:

This bracelet was made by the lovely Kate as my prize for guessing how many odd socks her boys had squirreled away in their room (28). It is gorgeous - I love the color of blue, and the heart clasp - the picture does not do it justice, trust me. Thank you, Kate! It's is so pretty, and it fits perfectly.

And that is the tale of Chicago '07. I hope we get to go to Chicago again, whether it's for a conference or not, and I hope there is another La Leche League International Conference in the next few years, whether it's in Chicago or not. And next time I won't lose my wallet!

Chicago Update

2007-07-22T21:02:00.000-04:00

When I left for Chicago, I was dealing with a bit of a funk. Things are looking up now. In the last two days I've heard talks ranging from a fairly hard-core breastfeeding pharmacology session by Thomas Hale (I loved this talk being a medicinal chemist and all) to a discussion of natural childbirth by Ina May Gaskin to a discipline session given by William and Martha Sears to a talk celebrating the importance and value of breastfeeding from Peggy O'Mara. Everything I have heard has driven home for me the importance of gentle, loving guidance for kids starting at birth with the first nursing session and evolving as the child does to encompass lots of touch, respect, and safe limit setting. No one ever said that parenting is easy work, and it may in fact be harder to follow an attachment parenting paradigm, but if you look at the evidence, and you look at all the healthy, sweet kiddos roaming the halls of this conference, then you can see why parenting is such an important job. It's been affirming to hear all these greats in the field of breastfeeding/attachment parenting while at the same time tickling my baby and looking at all the other kids in the room. I'm feeling better about the world in general and parenting in particular.

I also love Chicago, and with the cool days that the Chamber of Commerce clearly ordered up for this anniversary conference, it's been fun being outside. Kieran and I sat outside at a coffee shop on Michigan Avenue yesterday. I looked down at the Congress Hotel. It used to be the Pick Congress, and my parents and I attended a fancy dinner there one night back in middle school when my dad passed his CPA exam and all the new CPA's were honored. I felt like such a grown-up that night. Then I remembered how I played in a concert with my high school band for a music educators' conference at the Hilton. And here I am again, at the Hilton, this time as a grown-up, attending my very own conference with my very own baby by my side.

Liam and Kevin have been having a great time doing the tourist thing. We were here last summer for a conference for Kevin, and Liam's now playing the old pro and showing his dad how cool the Navy Pier, the Museum of Science and Industry, and other spots are. As opposed to last year when it was really, really hot and humid, it's been dry and cool here, so no one has collapsed with the heat, and we've been eating outside whenever we have the chance. Kieran and I met the guys for lunch at the Navy Pier today. We sat outside and tried to explain the difference between the ocean and Lake Michigan to Liam - "But, Mommy, there's a lighthouse! That means it's an ocean!" I got some great photos of the boys, but I may have to wait until I get home to post them as Blogger isn't being photo-friendly tonight. (What's up with Blogger?? The other night it wouldn't let me post paragraphs. Anyway.) Trust me, though, everyone's having a fantastic time.

No one found my wallet, so that's the one thorn in all of this. We're going to see if we can get a photocopy of my birth certificate and/or a photocopy of my driver's license to help at the airport on Wednesday. However, since this is a post-9/11 world, we may not be able to, so things could get interesting trying to get home. If all else fails, the back-up plan is to run out and buy two car seats and then rent a car. It's about 15 hours home....hhhhmmmm, how many times can a 3-year-old ask, "Are we there yet?" in that time frame????

Wish us luck, and pray we never find the answer to that question!

Safe Travels

2007-07-20T22:26:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Chicago safe and sound, although I think Liam set a new record as to how many "why????" questions one child could ask in the time it takes to drive from our house to the airport. He was terrific during all the check-in and security rigamarole, even though he was obviously tired and on the verge of a meltdown....

...and in fact he collapsed shortly after take-off. He didn't even wake up for the snack service, so I know he was tired.

Kieran was awake for a lot of the trip, although he did sleep at the end. He was quite happy the whole time, though, so it was a fun flight. As we were getting off the plane one of the flight crew said to us, "You guys have great kids!"

Well, yup, we do think they're great kids, but don't you love it when the equation

1 Quiet Baby + 1 Sleeping Preschooler = 2 Great Kids

is the rule of the day?

We got a car to the hotel, got registered, and took went back to the room for a room service dinner. Both kids are sound asleep, and I think they'll be sleeping late in the morning since they are both really tired.

We had one small crisis today - my wallet got lost on the plane, which went on to LA after landing in Chicago. We called Southwest's lost and found in both Chicago and LA, but no one has turned the wallet in. If it hasn't been found by morning we'll have to replace a couple of credit cards. Of course, my driver's license was in there, so it might be interesting trying to get me back on a plane for home next week since I have no other forms of ID with me.

Oh well, there's nothing to be done about it tonight...

Tomorrow is another day - Kieran and I are going to hear Peggy O-Mara of 'Mothering' magazine fame speak, and Liam and Kevin are going to the Museum of Science and Industry, aka "The Jet Museum." It should be a fun day!

Last Minute Scramble

2007-07-19T18:32:00.000-04:00

We're flying out tomorrow morning to Chicago. I was afraid we wouldn't be able to go after getting sick last week, but I'm much better. After all, how ironic would it be to miss this because I was home sick in bed with mastitis?

After a mad last-minute scramble involving a) several loads of laundry that we needed for the trip, b) a dryer that was finally repaired at 4:30 this afternoon ( a whole 'nother post there, for now just say don't buy these dryers unless you want the repair guy as a frequent guest), and c) a realization by ~~my husband~~ someone that we never told the airline we were bringing a baby along, all is under control. Or as close as it gets around here.

See y'all in a few days, and Amy? See you Tuesday night!

16 Weeks Of Brotherhood

2007-07-15T19:54:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone for your get well wishes. I'm feeling much better, and I have a newfound respect for mastitis. I didn't quite appreciate before how it could just knock you flat, but boy howdy, it can. Thank goodness for antibiotics!

Here's the current round-up, abbreviated since I'm still trying to get some extra rest...

The boys and I have developed this ritual of going to the park every morning. This happened to be the morning I got sick. I had Kieran in the stroller as it was a bit hot for slinging.

~~Liam~~No Name Diesel Engine on his new favorite thing, the swings.

No, I have no idea where this name came from.

Then I got sick and went to bed, taking the baby with me. Here he is contemplating whether 'tis better to chew the Wild Doggie or the thumb.

Look out world, it's a rolling baby!!

The elder son continues to inflict unfortunate fashion choices on his sibling.

And the classic brotherhood picture - look how big Kieran's getting next to his brother.

And that is it for now. I'm going back to bed. More posts to come as health and circumstances dictate.

M Is For Miserable

2007-07-12T21:57:00.000-04:00

Remember that migraine I mentioned? What I didn't mention is that I spent most of Sunday in the local ER with it. We finally did manage to defeat it, but at a cost.

Kevin had the boys for the day while I was there, and Kieran was getting milk from my freezer stash. It turned out that eight hours is too long for me to go without nursing. So now I have mastitis. Lovely.

As soon as the antibiotics kick in and I no longer feel like I've been hit by a truck, I'll be back. Until then, blogging will be sparse...

Cute Conversation

2007-07-11T06:56:00.000-04:00

This is for my friend Robbie, who is quite the fan of biker culture. Liam was watching Sesame Street this morning. Elmo was up to his usual slapstick antics; this time driving a motorcycle around at a great rate of speed.

Liam: "When I get to be as big as Elmo, I mean when I get to be his age, I'm going to buy myself a big motorcycle."

Me: "Oh? And What are you going to do with this motorcycle?"

Liam; "Um, well, mostly wear a black jacket and drive across the neighbors' grass. 'Cause that's what Elmo's doing."

Elmo, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a positive role model for the youngsters of America..

The Great Maple Tree Takedown

2007-07-10T20:15:00.000-04:00

Thar she is in all her glory. You can see the split down the middle that the lightning caused. What's not apparent from this view is that that split isn't even a quarter of the way up the trunk of the tree. Hence the instability and danger.

Here's one of the tree dudes making his way up for a first inspection. It's a good thing we have this side yard for them to run the trucks on, or else they'd have had to climb neighboring trees and drop the branches from there, leading to both increased danger for the crew and increased cost for us. Liam was quite impressed with the trucks these guys brought.

There he is sawing down the first of the branches...

...and now the right-hand side of the tree is down.

Liam and Casey take a break from spectating. They were both out there the whole morning watching this operation.

Taking the branches off the left side of the tree...

And that's the main truck that's left. That's about twenty feet of trunk you're looking at. This was one huge tree. Fortunately there are crabapples and maples on either side of this picture that should grow in and replace the canopy in a couple of years.

The remaining stump has been a great toy. We counted the rings - the tree was 29 years old. It's a shame to see it go, but better that than having it fall on the house.

Placeholder...

2007-07-09T13:29:00.000-04:00

I'm around, I've just been dealing with a vicious migraine. Gotta love postpartum hormones. Or not. I should be back soon with the Great Maple Tree Takedown.

"How's your headache, Mommy?"

14 Weeks Of Brotherhood

2007-07-02T21:29:00.001-04:00

It's the usual bimonthly round-up of brotherhood pictures...

We are all about bad humor around here, so I must show you my "bug-eyed" son...

And look! The Super-Bug glasses open for indoor use!

Last weekend we went to the 1st birthday party of Violet, the little sister of one of Liam's best friends. Her mom, Lisa, is one amazing cake maker. The theme of the party was "drums", and look at the drum cake!

I'd show you a picture of the birthday girl, but I have a self-imposed rule against posting pictures of other folks' kids. Trust me, though, Violet was as cute as a button and had a great time.

This was the biggest gathering of people Kieran's ever seen. He alternated between being happy...

...and being a bit freaked out.

Last week, Liam, Kieran, and I took Stormy and Houdini down for their Lupron shots. As you can see, Kieran was perfectly dressed for the occasion.

The white ferret in the picture is Stormy. She's doing much better since we started her on theophylline for her heart block. She's got a lot of energy now that her heart's pumping in a more normal fashion. Here she is with Pippi, spending some time grooming.

And here is Houdini. Note two things about her - her hair is back! And I am able to hold her without being bitten. Clearly she's doing better as well.

More of the bad humor...say "Cheese", guys! (Kevin asked me to crop him out of this picture because he didn't like the expression on his face. But if I did, his mom might get mad at me, and I don't want that!

(Just kidding, Mom!)

Kieran is all into holding things these days. Here he is with his favorite toy, a wooden spoon. It's clearly The Best Thing Ever, and woe befall the person who separates boy and spoon.

This is a great shot I got of Liam at a local park. Doesn't he look like a junior coach with that sweat jacket and the whistle?

We spied this mommy duck and her babies as we were crossing over a bridge on our way home from the park. I took this picture from up on the bridge with the zoom lens, but without the zoom, those babies just disappear into the bank of the stream.

**********

And that's it from around here. Coming soon - exclusive coverage of the Maple Tree Take-Down!

Ah, The Joys Of Home Ownership - Updated!

2007-07-01T21:37:00.000-04:00

Anyone who's been reading here for any length of time has figured out that I love meteorology, and I get all excited when severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are predicted. Last Wednesday night karma came to bite me in the you-know-what in the form of a thunderstorm the likes of which I associate with Spring in the Midwest. There was one blinding flash of lightning and eardrum-shattering blast of thunder that left me hoping none of our neighbors' houses were hit. As it turns out, they weren't. Instead, it turned out to be one of the fourty feet tall swamp maples in our backyard:

Kevin found it yesterday, bark blasted off the tree in ginormous pieces and thrown several yards away from the tree.

And, worse still, the tree is splitting in two right down the middle of the trunk. We've already sent out an SOS to our arborist. I hope we can save the tree. It provides so much shade in our yard, and lots of birds and squirrels live there.

Also? Our dryer and dishwasher are both on the fritz, so I'll be calling about those tomorrow as well. And there goes the July budget just.like.that.

On the other hand, it's still better than renting and waiting for a landlord to take action. I think.

Evening update - The arborist was fairly alarmed at the sight of the tree, saying it could come down at any moment, even in the light breeze we had today. The tree unfortunately has to go for safety reasons. Since more severe weather is predicted here for Thursday, and Wednesday is a holiday, the crew will be here tomorrow bright and early to take it down. On the plus side, all the equipment will keep Liam entertained. On the down side, the estimate is $2200. Ouch.

And Conversations For The End Of The Day

2007-06-29T21:32:00.000-04:00

We went out to dinner tonight. Right before dessert Liam saw something that scared him enough to dive under the table. I have no idea what it was...

...but don't worry. Our waitress managed to lure him out quite easily with a dish of ice cream. At bedtime I asked him about it.

Me: What was it that scared you at dinner?

Liam: "I can't tell you."

Me: "Hhhhmmm. Was it a person?"

Liam: "I can't tell you."

Me: "Was it outside?"

Liam: "I can't tell you.

Me: "Was it a noise?"

Liam: "I just can't tell you, so please stop wondering."

**********

On the way home Kevin spotted some deer grazing in a field:

Kevin: "Oh, deer!"

Me: "Oh yeah, look at them."

Liam: "What's the problem?"

Me: "Nothing, why?"

Liam: "Daddy said, 'Oh, dear.'"

Me: "No not like that. He was talking about the deer in the field."

Liam: "But why was he saying 'Oh, dear' about the deer?"

Me: "He wasn't. He was just talking about the deer..."

Liam: "But why say 'Oh, dear' when..."

Kevin: "Hey look! Let's see if there are any dogs in the dog park!"

Nice save, ~~Dear~~ Kev!

Morning Conversation

2007-06-29T07:37:00.000-04:00

Liam (putting on his shoes): Can you help me, Mommy?"

Me: "Sure."

Liam (picking up a shoe): "Does this one go one my right foot?"

Me: "Yup, that's your right shoe."

Liam (picking up the other shoe): "And this is my left shoe?"

Me: "Yup, that's right."

Liam (looking puzzled): "No! It's not the right shoe. It's the left. Please make it not be a right shoe, Mommy!"

Me: "No, no, it is the left shoe. I just meant you are right that it's the left shoe...oh, never mind."

Liam: "Is this what you meant when you said some words sounds the same but mean different things?"

Me: "Yes. Exactly."

Liam: "Can I put this on my left foot?"

Me: "Yes, of course. Go right ahead."

Liam: "No!!! Not the right foot! The left! ....Let's just not talk about this any more."

Serves me right for attempting this conversation without morning caffeine in my system....

Bits and Pieces of Random Craziness

2007-06-24T21:27:00.000-04:00

Another of my famous catch-up posts. As usual this is motivated by wanting to post but having less than ideal brain power to compose something with flow, or even minimal cohesion. As usual there is no order to this post; the order of subjects is determined by what sparks my brain when...

Houdini is balding again. She started losing her hair in late May. So it's not quite a year out from surgery and she's developing disease in her remaining adrenal gland. I got her down to our vet in Philly who handles all the tricky ferret stuff, and we started her on monthly injections of Lupron. Stormy has been on Lupron for years (she developed adrenal disease at the young age of 19 months and had her right adrenal gland removed) and is just doing beautifully in terms of her remaining adrenal. Hopefully within a couple of months Houdini will be back in good health.

The catch is that Houdini has a bit of a history of aggression and biting. (Those of you who know her in real life (Hi Kevin, Mom, and Lisa!) now have permission to go find something to clean your monitors with 'cause I know you just spit out whatever it was you were drinking.) Her tumor is pumping out tons of testosterone and so you can imagine the biting issues that ensue with that. She's gotten me but good a few times in the last couple of weeks, and that is just a non- starter for me, no matter how much I love ferrets. I feel bad for her too as she's just constantly wired and she's hardly sleeping. So we put her on some Valium to calm her down, and it does seem to be helping. With any luck she won't need it for long, but it should help her comfort-wise until her hormones stabilize.

Yeah, it was kind of funny picking up a scrip at the pharmacy for a ferret who, in essence, is overdosed on steroids.

**********

Stormy has developed a partial heart block. $300 and a cardiologist visit later, she's on theophylline, and her heart is back at a normal rate. There's nothing we can do to cure the block, so it's a matter of time now, but she is eight years old, which is a fairly advanced age for a ferret.

Honestly, I shouldn't be complaining, but stuff like this is still hard.

**********

The other day Liam was eating a snack of whole-wheat crackers, apple slices, and cheese. Kevin came home from work, picked up a couple of sugar cookies, and walked into the the room with Liam. Says my son, who never met a cookie he didn't like, "Don't worry about me, Daddy. I'm happy here with my grow food!"

The same day he told me, "I like you and I love you and I think you're really fun" about ten times.

That same day, there were no tantrums.

I need to report this to an astronomer as clearly some celestial object is way, way out of alignment.

**********

I bought Elizabeth Pantley's potty-learning book. It would be an exceptionally positive thing if Liam was diaper-free by the start of nursery school this fall. Also, I just can't take a big boy in diapers any more. He's shown all the signs of readiness for a long, long time, and gentle persuasion and giving him time to develop interest have failed. If anything, he's more set in the idea that, in his words, "I will never, ever use the potty." I have been impressed by other titles in her parenting series, so I thought I'd give it a read.

As a sign of my desperation, I went for one of her ideas - buy a bunch of small presents, and any time the child uses the potty, he gets a present to unwrap. I know, I know. This is a blatant example of using ~~bribery~~ a reward system. It goes against all the Alfie Kohn I've read, but even Elizabeth Pantley is out-and-out saying that there are times for rewards, and I'm probably overthinking this, and bottom line, the.diapers.have.to.go. So....

There is a basket of wrapped toys and trinkets in our bathroom. Any deposit in the potty earns a present. Any attempt at the potty earns a sticker, five of which can be turned in for a Popsicle. Back when Liam was a baby this was one of those parenting things I swore I would never, ever, ever in a million years do, along with, if I recall correctly, allowing him to eat junk food, watch television, and of course I would never, ever lose my temper with my firstborn.

My friends, I'm here to tell you the mighty have fallen. Mightily.

And the three-year-old still says, "But I will never, ever use the potty."

Updates to follow.

Advice appreciated.

********

Partly because I never, ever want to go through this mess again, and partly because it seems like such a cool and natural idea, we have started EC with Kieran. We still have him in diapers, but when we're at home, I offer him the toilet when he's fussy. We've cut our diaper use in half this way, and more importantly, he'll grow through infancy and toddlerhood using the toilet every day. Hopefully he'll just transition into full-time pottying when he's ready.

Or at least that's my theory. And I'm sticking to it since a certain measure of my sanity is depending on it.

Or, perhaps, pigs will fly.

**********

When I started this blog I swore I would never speak of potty issues.

That thud? It's just the mighty eating dirt once again.

**********

Kevin and Liam went to the beach today. Kieran and I are folding laundry.

We've got 12 socks here, Kate!

**********

The boys just came back from the beach. Says Liam, "I was walking in the ocean when ZOOP up came the water to attack me and it knocked me right over!" I think they had a fun time.

**********

The excitement for this week to come is that Liam asked for gymnastics classes. He wants to learn how to stand on his head and walk on his hands. He's really looking forward to Tuesday, which is when his first class will be.

And as it's getting late, I'm out of here for now. More to come soon!

Shocked, Simply Shocked!

2007-06-19T15:21:00.001-04:00

Hi! It's me, Kieran. Mommy just told me our health insurance company has reneged on an agreement they made last fall to cover my birth. According to them, my birth was an uncovered "experimental treatment for a diagnosed illness or injury."

See my face? I'm shocked, too. Because, childbirth is, you know, an unproven and experimental treatment for pregnancy.

Zounds, Batman. The grown-up world is completely nuts.

12 Weeks Of Brotherhood

2007-06-18T21:26:00.000-04:00

Kieran is now twelve weeks old. He'll be three months old next Saturday. It always amazes me how pregnancy seems to take forever and a week, but then things speed up to the point where if I blink I'll miss a bunch of stuff. I did manage to get some pictures in the last couple of weeks, though.

Kieran's got the classic three-month-old move down pat - not only has he found his hands, he's using them to grab things. He thinks this is pretty cool.

And hey, look Ma! Things can go in one's mouth! Now is the time to begin the surveillance for choking hazards....

"Mommy! Watch! I'm Baby Cookie Monster Train*! I'm playing with my jungle gym!"

Hey, Ma, look! Feet are for kicking! Who knew?

"Mommy! Watch! Cookie Monster Train is rolling dangerously along the bridge! Choo-Choo!"

(For the parents out there, one question. What about this outfit says, "I got dressed all by my own?**")

Over-the-shoulder shot of Kieran sleeping through the railway bridge action. The boy loves his slings.

Note to self: Do not leave Cookie Monster Train unattended with finger paints. Not even for the time it takes to change a baby's diaper. It appears that a huge piece of paper is not nearly as alluring a canvas as are the back deck railings. Ahem.

(Kudos for self for at least leaving him unattended a) with washable paints and b) outside. Self, you learn slowly, but you do learn eventually.)

"Sure. Stick the poor Baby up here in a hand-me-down high chair with a bunch of toys. Go ahead and enjoy your dinner, dudes. Just so you know - the Baby is NOT AMUSED!"

I don't know if Liam really is going through a growth spurt or if it's just the contrast with a young baby, but he's looking really big boyish these days.

A happy ending to a Father's Day trip to the zoo - a popsicle covered sticky boy. I think it's the blue teeth that make the moment here.

And that's the two-week photo round-up from the Menagerie House. I hope you got at least a couple of grins out of it!

******************************************************************************

*For the record, as of three days ago, Cookie Monster Train the Express Engine has left the station for destinations unknown. He has been replaced by a small boy claiming to be one "Harry the Horse." This Horse dude apparently has a baby brother named "Deeby the Pony" and a mommy named "Beedy the Horse". His daddy goes by "Bobby the Horse".

**The answer: "Mommy? Um, I looked all over my sock drawer but I couldn't find the other copy of the dark blue sock. So my rule is dark blue and light blue match."

Happy Father's Day!

2007-06-17T08:20:00.001-04:00

Morning Conversation

2007-06-15T06:39:00.000-04:00

Liam: "Mommy? Why was Kieran born here at home?"

Me: "Well, some babies are born at home and some are born at the hospital."

Liam: "But we made a mistake."

Me: "How so?"

Liam: "Casey and Pippi and Houdini and Jeff and Stormy weren't born here or at a hospital. They came from the shelter."

Me: "But, but...

Liam: "Yeah, and that's our mistake. You always say we need to get our pets from the shelter!"

Me: "Oh. My."

8 Random Things

2007-06-13T23:40:00.000-04:00

I was tagged for this meme several weeks ago by Lindyloo over at Chronicles of Squidgyboo (click on over there and wish Squidge a Happy First Birthday, will ya?). Finally I am getting around to it. In no particular order, here are 8 Random Things About Me...

1. I'm a flutist. I earned a respectable amount of pocket change in college playing and teaching the instrument. I used to especially enjoy wedding receptions because no one really was listening so I could try out new pieces, and well, free dinner that doesn't come from the cafeteria is always a winner. I haven't played much since the kids came along, but hopefully as the kids get older I'll find some more time to play.

2. Because of this penchant for playing flute, I attended (in Kevin's words) an artsy-fartsy boarding school. It was a wonderful place. I think about it often mostly because being there opened my eyes to the interconnection of arts, science, math, and just about everything else. I always said that if I had kids and they had the interest, I would love for them to go there. That's still true in theory, but in truth I love them too much to part with them for the school year. I find myself hoping they'll opt for the summer camp instead.

3. I also sing. I love to sing, but was afraid to for years after being kicked out of the school chorus in sixth grade. (Don't worry, things worked out fine because I then joined the band and the results were numbers 1 and 2 above.) There is a local chorus I've sung with, and I'm planning to go back next fall. It's a great source of adult company and decent quality musicianship.

4. I'm a third generation organic chemist. My grandparents and father were all chemists engaged in petroleum research. My grandmother's older sister was a sugar chemist. She got her PhD in the '30's, and although I don't know for sure, I've always assumed she was one of the first female PhD chemists in the nation.

5. I love animals. I grew up with a menagerie of varying species. I've had ferrets for fifteen years now.

6. Ferrets are incredibly wonderful pets. They are however, prone to expensive medical problems, and they need a fair amount of well ferret-proofed space to roam and play. They are also not the best critters to have around young children, so we've had to work really hard to keep things safe for the ferrets with Liam around.

7. I'm officially middle-aged. It's not the fact that Sunday was my mumble-mumble-nth birthday that tells me that. It's the fact that last week I got my first pair of reading glasses that convinced me.

8. I hate wearing shoes. I own only about seven pairs, and most of them are sneakers or flip-flops of some variety. I don't even own a pair of high heels.

There you have it. 8 Random Things. I think at this juncture I'm supposed to tag 8 other people, but it's late, so if you're reading this and are up to the challenge, consider yourself tagged. And let me know you're playing so I can read along.

Let Off With A Warning

2007-06-09T21:49:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy week around here. Many things conspired to keep me from blogging - Kieran has decided sleep is overrated, Liam found a hornets' nest (don't worry - he's fine now, if a little wary of "naughty bugs"), and well, a bunch of minutia not worth detailing. But now, as promised, the story of how Liam saved me from a speeding ticket...

Last Sunday, Liam ~~was bribed with the offer of a doughnut~~ cheerfully agreed to accompany me on my grocery shopping trip in order to give Kevin and Kieran some time together. All was well. We were going down the road, I with my iced coffee, Liam with his chocolate glazed doughnut, when we crossed out of our town and into the one directly north of us. This particular municipality is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. As a consequence there's not much for the local constabulary to do other than sit at the edge of town and catch speeders. So truly, if you ever go through this town at more than 2 mph over the posted speed, you will be enjoying bonus points on your license. It's guaranteed.

All of a sudden Liam started screaming. From his view it was only fair that one could expect one's hands and face to stay perfectly clean when guzzling a chocolate doughnut. And now his hands and face were sticky, sticky, STICKY! Oh, the screaming was unbelievable. So was my headache. I promised him that when I could find a safe place to pull over, I would dig a wipe out of the diaper bag.

And then I saw the flashing lights in my rear-view mirror. I pulled over, rolled down the window, and started digging out the appropriate paperwork. Liam kept on screaming.

Liam: "Mommy!!! I neeeeeed a wipe! They are in the diaper bag! Please look in there!"

(At least he screams politely, my son.)

Me: "Yes, but I need to find some paperwork first."

Liam: "Why do you need paperwork?"

Me: "For this nice policeman here."

Liam: "What policeman? Please FIND MY WIPE! AAAARRRRGGGGGHH!"

Officer: "Afternoon, ma'am. Do you know why I pulled you over?"

Liam: "Heeeellllllp! I'm all sticky!!"

Me: "Um, was I going too fast?"

Officer: "Yes, I clocked you going 49 in a 40 mph zone."

Liam: "Mommmmyyyyy!"

Me: "Buddy, you need to quiet down while I talk to the policeman."

Liam: "But I can't! My new rule is I can't be quiet!"

Officer: "Son, what's your name?"

Liam: "Cookie Monster Train. I'm an express engine."

Officer: "I see. And are you 2?

Liam: "No, I aren't. I'm 3!"

Officer: "I suspected as much... ma'am, why were you going so fast?"

Me (trying to be heard over the moaning from the back): Well, um, Cookie Monster back there is covered with doughnut goo and I was trying to find a spot to pull over so I could hand him a wipe and stop. the. screaming."

Officer (handing me back my license and registration): "Listen, son, did you make your Mommy drive too fast?"

Liam (proudly): "Yes I did. I was throwing a tantrum!"

Officer: "Well, that's very dangerous. You need to stay calm in the car. Got it?"

Liam: "Ulp."

Officer: "OK, ma'am. I'm letting you go with a warning. And you, Cookie Monster, need to be nice to your mother. I'm going to check up on you. Got it?"

Liam: "Yes."

Me: "Thank you, Officer.

Officer: "You're welcome. I've got twins this age at home. But seriously? Next time? Buy the Cookie Monster a cookie, not a doughnut. No frosting to cause problems."

And with that, he walked back to his car. He was still there guarding the entry into town when we came back from the store.

So, friends, that is how Liam saved me from a speeding ticket. And as a bonus, we've had absolutely no tantrums in the car since. None. The quiet, she is a wonderful thing. Aaaahhhh!

An Open Letter To My Blog Community

2007-06-03T21:03:00.001-04:00

Dear Gentle Readers (to steal a phrase from Miss Manners),

It is a sad fact of our world that there exist people who can not find it in their hearts to be kind to others. Not everyone out there is a warmhearted soul. Some people say and do unkind things to others as a reflection of the misery in their own hearts. Others find solace, or at least minor entertainment, in attempting to upset strangers from behind a cloak of anonymity. We seem to have one such person in our midst here.

So, Mr. Anonymous Troll, I don't know what issues are eating at you, and I am sorry that you are in such a place in your life. I truly hope that you find peace in some constructive manner. I strongly suggest that posting insults in this forum will not help you achieve this goal. This blog is part of a friendly and gentle community, and behavior such as yours does not contribute to the overall harmony I need. I would hate to ban particular IP addresses, anonymous comments, or start moderating comments by hand, but if that's what need to be done to ensure safety and civility in this here corner of the bitstream, then that's what will happen.

To the rest of my readers, hugs, and thanks for making this blog a safe place for me to share both cute kid/ferret stories and heartfelt vents about those same kids/ferrets!

Blessings,
Liesl

PS - This weekend was much better. I'm hoping for smoother sailing this week. Coming soon, for your reading amusement, "8 Random Things About Me" along with the amazing story entitled "How My 3.5 Year Old Saved Me From A Speeding Ticket."

10 Weeks Of Brotherhood - or - Why I Haven't Been Posting Much Lately

2007-06-02T20:51:00.000-04:00

Well, let's see. Kieran has decided to nurse all the time, day and night. I guess he's hitting the three month growth spurt a tad early. He's big kid already - 12 pounds, nine ounces and 24 inches at his two month check-up last week, and clearly he's intent on busting that growth chart curve. I say go for it, Kieran. I've never been a big believer in those growth charts anyway, particularly for breastfed babies, so go right ahead and prove 'em wrong. Just one thing, please. The next time you decide to declare a National Suck Mommy Dry Week, could ya send out a memo ahead of time?

Meanwhile, the Older Brother Previously Known as Leonard is now known 'round these parts as Diesel, or wait, no, Cookie Monster, or well, yesterday it was Cheese Monster. I'll have to call him by his given name for our purposes here until he decides on a new name for himself.

At any rate, said Older Brother is arising at 5:00 with the appearance of "Father Sun." If anyone knows of any thrilling activities for the young set in central NJ at that early hour, I'm all ears. The ferrets are getting a lot of early morning attention these days, and we're baking a lot of bread, and reading a lot of books.

The main problem with getting up that early is that everyone is good and tired by about noon. And since Liam is 3.5, nothing, including naps, can be discussed, much less accomplished, without a great deal of negotiating. Which leaves us more tired. And when Liam gets tired, he asks ever more "why" questions. And if I dare answer, "I don't know," the guaranteed result is a tantrum. It is flattering in some ways that my son thinks I know the answer to everything, but I gotta tell ya, the idea of a teenager who thinks I know nothing starts sounding vaguely appealing by about 2:00 P.M.

Also! Yet more with the whining! We have reached a critical juncture with regard to Liam's use (or non-use) of the potty. After a brief flirtation with potty-training last year, Liam returned to diapers swearing never to use the potty again. Things have reached a boiling point because of two things. His Fuzzi Bunz are too small for him, and are leaking regularly*, which freaks him out. Also, I have had had it up to my ears with changing big boy poopy diapers, and there have been some times where I have not been exactly polite about that fact. Since this weekend is Kevin's 30-something birthday and approximately Liam's 3.5 birthday, we baked a cake and had a double birthday celebration. We struck a deal beforehand that big boys of 3.5 could use the potty, but after having one accident on the floor, Liam is now terrified of giving up diapers. I truly think we are back to Square One. And he really needs to be out of diapers by September for nursery school. So, yeah, fun times.

And then, and then, just when I'm worked up and really furious at my firstborn, he'll turn around and do something really adorable like make funny faces at Kieran to stop his crying while telling him he's the best baby in the world. Or he'll grab my hand and Casey's collar, pull us all over to wherever the baby is, and declare that it is time for a group hug. The emotional ups and downs are exhausting!

Some days I wonder how much longer I can keep this up, and then somehow I get up the next day and do it all over again...I'm a big believer in non-punitive discipline and parenting through play, but on days where I'm scraping the bottom of the energy barrel, those seem like awfully lofty ideals. Especially when what seems really appealing is to throw myself on the floor and have a good old tantrum of my own. Bah!

I'm sure I'll be in a better mood in a few days - this level of contentiousness and funk can't last that long. I hope. Otherwise you may see me, baby in one hand, ferret carrier in the other, running madly away from home and (and I mean this in the most loving way possible) the moody, cantankerous 3.5 year old who resides inside. In the meantime, some pictures from the last two weeks...

Kieran taking a break at Liam's school.

The face of innocence.

Preparing the 3.5 year/30-something birthday cake.

The other reason I don't have many pictures this time is that Liam swiped my camera for his own uses and hid it for a few days...

*True story - at the vet's the other day, I saw Liam standing near a puddle of pee in the waiting room. I was about to get upset about his diaper leaking when I realized he wasn't worried, he wasn't freaking out, and there were six dogs in the vicinity. I've just got diaper issues on the brain and totally spaced on the idea that one of the dogs had had an accident.

Big Brotherly Advice

2007-05-31T20:21:00.000-04:00

I saw Liam lying next to Kieran on the floor this morning, holding his hands and telling him something with a very serious look on his face.

Liam: "Kieran? Baby Puppy? I have to tell you something."

Kieran: "Goo!"

Liam: "It's a secret. Daddy is much better than Mommy at playing ball. Daddy will also let you climb the ladder when he's trimming the bushes..."

Kieran: "Goo!"

Liam: "Yes, but, you are still so little. You need to stick by Mommy. She's the one with the milk. It's very strange and odd. Daddy has nipples, but no milk. So stick by Mommy for now, OK?"

Rat Video - My Best Friend - Starring Spooky

2007-05-26T21:54:00.001-04:00

I was at our vet's office yesterday with (three!!) ferrets. I saw that one our vet's clients had posted a link to this video he made about his pet rat, Spooky. If this is not the sweetest rat ever, I'll eat my hat. You must see Spooky! She is guaranteed to make you smile.

Two Months Of Brotherhood

2007-05-23T18:21:00.000-04:00

Kieran is two months old today, and now I'm remembering how much I enjoyed the 2 to 3 month old period when Liam was a baby. We've got lots and lots of smiles from Keiran, simple games he likes to play, and he's starting to reach out and try to touch things. Here are some items from the last couple of weeks:

Actual quote: "I know, I know, Kieran, I dropped my kazoo on your head. I'm sorry. I was just trying to drop it near your head. I missed."

The train fan consults a subway map on a father-son outing to the New York Aquarium. Kevin reports that from Liam's perspective it was all about the trains. They didn't spend much time at the Aquarium after all. It didn't hold a candle to New Jersey Transit and New York City subway trains.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Kieran takes an uninterrupted nap while Liam is away.

It's a sure sign of spring - a doubly bandaged skinned knee.

Liam joins the percussion section during music class.

Kieran's getting over his cold and enjoying the fact that he can breathe again.*

Hey there, Smiley Guy!*

Gran-Gran and her guys. Usually she's behind the camera, but I managed to snatch this rare opportunity to photograph her with the kids.

So there you go - a visit with Gran-Gran, a first cold almost gone, and lots of baby smiles. A pretty happy couple of weeks at the Menagerie House.

*If you like Kieran's "Made of 100% Mama's Milk" onesie, click on over to Amy's shop and buy one for the baby in your life!

More Evidence Of Overthinking

2007-05-22T12:35:00.000-04:00

So I saw an ad from a natural gas consortium showing scenes of wholesome daily American life (powered by natural gas, natch). The take-home lesson from the ad was that we need to conserve natural gas. Amongst the scenes in this ad was one of a mom heating up a bottle for her baby. So I thought proudly to myself, "See? I am so not wasting America's natural gas supply heating up formula for my baby. And further, formula manufacturing requires a significant energy output not only in making the formula, but in taking care of the cows, and also in raising the grain they eat. So, self, you are good person!"

Just for grins and giggles, I then calculated the carbon footprint for our family. We're a bit below the average American family in carbon emissions. Now, we'd be significantly below except for the fact that I just bought four plane tickets for us to go to Chicago in July. Air travel is not easy on the carbon emissions budget.

Now the irony of the situation is that we are going to Chicago to attend the La Leche League International Conference. All these breastfeeding advocates, a lot of whom also favor environmentally friendly lifestyles, contributing to carbon emissions by the very act of travelling to the Conference. It's bothering my overactive brain and my hyperaware conscience.

Maybe we should walk to Chicago?

The Poor Sick Baby! Now With Update!

2007-05-20T11:04:00.001-04:00

Little babies just look so sad when they are sick...

Yup, Kieran has his first cold. Liam came down with one earlier this week and both Kieran and I woke up with it yesterday. He's not all that sick in clinical terms - he's not running a fever, but does have some off-and-on sneezing and coughing, with a schnorpy nose and congestion. However, he's not sleeping well, he's tired, and reasonably enough, he just wants to be held. Hopefully with some TLC he can shake this off soon, and it'll be our last cold for the season. Famous last words, I know...

Updated 5/22/07: Thanks for all the get-well wishes, guys. Kieran's doing better. He's not as congested and not coughing quite as much. It seems his first cold is going to end up being a mild one. He's just trying to catch up on sleep he lost over the last couple of days. It would really help if every time he tried to nap, his brother did not run over, poke him, and yell, "Mommy! We have eyes!! Kieran's AWAKE!!!"

Which Baby Is Which??

2007-05-18T20:51:00.001-04:00

More of the look-alike brothers...

This is Liam at 10 weeks...

Was he ever really this tiny? I guess he was!

And down here we have Kieran at eight weeks.

Now can someone explain how he got to be eight weeks old already???

My Brain Is Oozing Out Of My Ears. Truly.

2007-05-16T22:49:00.000-04:00

4:00 this afternoon. Liam and I are both tired and cross, and it's pouring outside...

Liam: "Why is the rain falling down off the gutters?"

Me: "Because gravity pulls it towards the ground."

Liam: "Why does it not go down the waterspout instead?"

Me: "Well, some of it does. But some of it runs over the top of the gutters."

Liam: "Why does the rain not all go in either the waterspout or over the top of the gutters?"

Me: "Well, I guess it's raining too hard for all the rain to fit in one place or the other."

Liam: "Why is it raining too hard?"

Me: "Because there's a lot of water in the clouds?"

Liam; "Why is there a lot of water in the clouds?"

Me (getting tired): "I don't know."

Liam: "What?"

Me: "I don't know."

Liam (bursting into tears): "You DO know, Mommy, you DO!!!"

Me: "Uuummm...."

Liam: "You have to know! I have to learn!"

Me (too myself, but obviously too loudly): "This conversation is really pushing my buttons."

Liam: "It's not, Mommy. It's NOT! You don't have any buttons!"

Me: "Well, that's true. And you are very funny!"

It's hard to stay mad at this kid....

Make Christmas Come Back, Mommy!

2007-05-11T20:58:00.000-04:00

It's like this...Liam and I were a bit bored, and Kieran was napping, so I suggested we mop the floor.

Liam put on his "special unslippy clogs" and helped me mop the downstairs. Then we went outside to enjoy a Spring morning. We clipped some azalea and lilac branches, brought them in, and made bouquets.

Then Liam burst into tears....
"Mommy? I miss Christmas! It's not Christmas now because, see, flowers!!! We need trees for Christmas. Can you make Christmas come back??"

(The mood swings of 3-year-olds are as huge as they are unpredictable!)

Desperately, I suggested making gingerbread cut-outs...

And, yay for Mommy, the magic of the tree and star gingerbread cookies worked to calm down Liam...he was all back to the smiles again.

Um, Mommy? I fell asleep in this position and, um, Liam's screaming woke me up and, well, my neck is stuck. Can ya help me out here???

Ah, to have the physical and emotional flexibility of youngsters....

6 Weeks Of Brotherhood

2007-05-07T20:50:00.000-04:00

Liam and Kieran have been brothers for six weeks now, and things are going well. Some photos from Week 6:

I found some of my funky lab safety glasses in the basement. It seems Liam is considering a career as a chemist!

Can you tell some of us are all about the trains and the fire engines?

Liam climbs a tree at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Kieran got left at home with Mommy while the big boys went to the zoo. He doesn't look too upset about it, though.

Ha! Fooled ya! This is not Kieran. It's Liam, only he was about 10 weeks old at the time this picture was taken. Note the family resemblance. Also? Liam may be all about trains, but Mommy is all about hand-me-downs.

Mommy? This whole Tummy Time thing is overrated. How 'bout another ride in that Peanut Shell gizmo?

"Mommy? Can I hold Kieran?"

"Absolutely, Son!"

I just hope this all this loving togetherness lasts!

Just Call Me The Bird Shepherd

2007-05-05T16:00:00.000-04:00

I just had this amazing thing happen, and I had to post it especially for Steph's amusement...

I was lying on the bed nursing Kieran when I saw something fly overhead out of the corner of my eye. It really didn't register until the second time this happened that things should not be flying through the house unless thrown by a little boy. Said little boy is at the zoo with Daddy this afternoon, so I thought, "Eh?"

Figuring my eyes must be playing tricks on me, I kept an eye on the part of the room where I had last seen the thing fly. I was not disappointed when I saw a small wren flying back and forth from our bathroom to our skylight to our closet. He looked pretty freaked out and was banging himself into the skylight trying to escape. I grabbed a towel thinking maybe I could catch him gently and set him outside. Then I realized the bathroom window is missing a screen, so he might be able to exit under his own power.

I waited until he flew back into the bathroom, and then came in behind him, closed the door, and threw open the window. In about 30 seconds the little guy figured out that the glass was gone, and he flew out as if under jet power.

Ten minutes later, he's still singing loudly in our cherry tree. He looks quite happy. And I have done my good deed for the day!

Now I Remember Why I'm Not A Shop-A-Holic

2007-05-02T15:11:00.000-04:00

Lots of women regard shopping as an exercise in stress relief, or as a favorite pastime. I'm not one of them. I tend more towards the surgical strike method of shopping: make a list, go in the store, get exactly what I need, pay, and leave. I'm not a big fan of trying on lots of different clothes, or scouting out the new shoe styles, or walking about a mall just to see what's there. I don't know why this is, but it's the way I am, so there you go.

However, Monday was beautiful here, so I decided to head into Local College Town, which, being a college town, houses a lot of quaint shops and has a sweet downtown area. There is an excellent consignment shop for kids' clothing that was the intended destination as both boys need summer clothes. I love the shop because I love being able to support a local business and at the same time reduce our footprint by buying quality used clothing that has a lot of life left in it. Unfortunately, I forgot the store is closed on Mondays, so the kids and I (the whole plural use of the words "kid" and "child" still throws me for a bit of a loop) meandered about downtown, doing some window shopping.

We saw the usual college town/touristy types of things - logo T-shirt shops, coffee shops, body-piercing places, and gift shops, so we saw all kinds of items out for display. Two items, however, made my head spin. We saw this at a coffee shop:

It's a map of our shrinking landscape called a "Global Warming Mug." Apparently one puts one's (presumably organic and fair trade) hot coffee in the mug and is treated to the sight of the world's shorelines disappearing under water. Eh?

I'm all for crunchy environmentalism. Global warming is real and needs to be addressed, as far as I'm concerned. But I gotta ask how much energy is used in the manufacture and transport of these mugs. And the packaging? How much carbon does all this contribute to our atmosphere?

Is it just me, or does this product seem a bit ironic?

I was wondering how someone came up with the idea for this mug when I spied a package of these:

Organic Oreos. OK, so I buy a lot of organic food, but really, when it comes to Oreos, does it matter if the white sugar and flour that comprise them is organic? Nah, I didn't think so either, at least not in terms of nutrition, or, in this case, the lack thereof. I guess I could make a case for the introduction of organic foods to the general population, but if all that happens is that junk food becomes organic junk food, then the sad state of nutrition is this country will remain unchanged. I'm not sure I can even make a case for the environmental benefits of organic junk food.

What we have here is evidence that I think too much. I can't even go on a leisurely window-shopping stroll without considering the implications of consumerism to the downfall of the planet. Maybe I should learn to let window-shopping be window-shopping, and just do my part by not buying anything?

Would that save the planet and keep my kids amused at the same time? I don't know for sure, but one thing I do know - at least not liking to shop is easier on the wallet.

Real Mom Story

2007-04-30T19:32:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged for the Real Moms meme by Amy and Camille. As near as I can tell this game was started by Kristen at The Mom Trap. The basic idea is talk about something Real Moms do, follow up with the tag line, "Real Moms. Making...", and provide a picture. But several people have changed the rules, so I may do that myself. Heh.

Here's my Real Mom Story - I mowed the back yard on Sunday. Not that mowing a lawn is anything unusual in suburban USA, but the part of it that only another mom would get is that I did it to get a break from parenting for a bit, and also to help Kevin out. But mostly it was to get some time to myself.

Yes, it's true. I spent 45 minutes pushing a very loud mower 'round and 'round the backyard just so I cold escape the screaming of the Mighty and Powerful Leonard. He wasn't screaming in despair, or frustration, but apparently only to test his ability to sound like "a fire engine or an ambeebeelance." And the sound was about to break the last nerve in my nervous system.

So I got some alone time outside on a gorgeous Spring afternoon. Sure it was loud, and I accidentally sent a lone tulip to its death, but no one was sitting on me, leaking on me, or asking ten-umpty-thousand "Why???" questions. It was great. And Kevin was even impressed with my mighty mower skills.

Anyone need some yard work taken care of? Have mower, will travel.

Real Moms - Finding alone time in very strange places.....

And with this, I tag Chichimama, Rebecca, Steph, Kate, and Jennifer. Have fun, ladies!

Bits and Pieces of Mommy's First Week Alone With Two Kids

2007-04-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

Well, well, well, I managed to get both kids to sleep at the same time. Since we know it's not safe to let a young sibling co-sleep alone with a newborn, I'll have to sit here beside them with my laptop and ~~make use of unexpected blogging time~~ keep an eagle eye on the kids.

It's our first week without either Gran-Gran or Kevin at home with us, and we've managed to survive quite well. It's helped that Kieran likes to sleep for large parts of the morning so I can give Leonard some well-deserved one-on-one time. We've played a lot of train games, bathed all of the ferrets, cleaned out the ferrets' house, weeded a flower bed, played trains, read some books, played trains, filled the bird feeders, played trains....you get the idea. So we're settling in well, I think.

Leonard had a lot of tantrums the last few weeks of my pregnancy and right after Kieran was born, but they largely died away this week, so I think it was as much the disruption in everyday life as anything else that gave rise to them. And I'm glad thinkgs have settled out so well - I was pretty worried about my ability to cope with two. So far, so good!

The two sleeping boys. Actually, Leonard has informed me that he is still a Big Doggie Who Goes Woof and Kieran is a Baby Puppy, so in truth I guess this is a picture of two sleeping canines.

Kieran had his first Waldorf School experience this morning. He came along with us to Liam's Parent-Child class, where he hung out collecting admiring fans, nursing, and sleeping. You'll notice he is wearing a hand-knitted sweater, and he looks absolutely adorable in it. In Waldorf schools, all the kids learn to knit in the lower grades. That means there is a community appreciation for the hard work that goes into handmade garments, and the sweater was a big hit. Thank you so much for making it, Chichimama! I just wish I could fit into it, it's so soft and fuzzy!

I haven't been to school with Liam in several weeks now, and he's starting to really play with the big kids - previously, he had been hanging out with me for most of the morning. We have him registered for the nursery next fall, and Kevin and I had both been concerned he woldn't be ready to make the separation from me for the morning, but I think that's no longer an issue. He's clearly ready for more active play with small people who have a chance of keeping up with him!

Here's a shot of Kieran wrangling the Great Doggler...

We had Casey to the vet this week for his annual check-up and shots. It turns out he's got a low grade fungal infection in his ears, so we get the fun of cleaning them every day with a special wash. It's not as bad as one might expect - the Great Doggler groans and generally loves us massaging the goop into his ear canals. Evidently this infection is itchy, although he never gave us any signs of discomfort.

Of course, Leonard the Great Big Doggie has decided that he has "dirt and fungus and mushrooms" in his ears, so here he is lined up waiting for me to clean his ears, too. And evidently his ears are itchy, too, as he has asked me to "clean" his ears three times already today!

This is actually from last week, but it's a milestone, so I'm throwing it in...

Liam went to school last week with Gran-Gran, and brought home his first craft project. He picked out the colors and everything "because yellow is the best color." So now it's hanging up in our room - the first art project from our first baby!

And that's the run-down from this week. Now that I've managed my first week of solo parenting, hopefully I'll be able to refine my skills a bit and actually do some blogging next week. That's the plan, anyway!

Busy Baby

2007-04-20T18:28:00.000-04:00

It's me, Kieran. I am four weeks old today, and am confronted with a fine how-do-you-do. Mommy and Leonard and Gran-Gran have nasty colds and the most they can do to entertain me is lie there and cough. I have decided that I am now old enough to seek out entertainment for myself...

Here we have a fine specimen of the New Jersey Wild Dog. I will wrestle him into submission...

Almost there...gosh this guy is slippery...

and...

Whoa! Lookit me! I have tamed my first wild animal. I think it is now time to tame The Great Doggler. But I must find Mommy first. It takes a lot of milk to keep an animal wrangler going. Have great weekend, Y'all!

Irreverent TV Critic

2007-04-17T19:17:00.000-04:00

Liam doesn't watch much TV, so it affects him more than most kids his age when he does see it. This morning Kieran, Liam, and I were all lying in bed when Liam spied our new TV remote and asked to play with it. I told him he could. He managed to turn on the TV, and then, by random accident, found a channel that was playing a ~~Toddlerstock~~ Wiggles video. He stared in horror at the screen for a couple of minutes.

Liam: "Mommy? Those guys?"

Me: "They're called The Wiggles."

Liam: "Um? Those Wiggle Guys? Why are they so scary?"

Liam pauses in thought...

"Mommy? I think we should turn off the TV. Kieran's scared, too."

More thought...

"I guess The Wiggles generally aren't good for little kids to watch."

Somehow I don't think this is quite the reaction the Disney folks were going for with their morning line-up.

Penny, 2003-2007

2007-04-14T04:35:00.000-04:00

We adopted Penny from a local ferret shelter last August. She was a sweetheart of a ferret who had been placed at the shelter along with her brothers, Jeff and Pippi, because their owners were expecting a human baby and "couldn't keep" the ferrets. Well, then, who better to adopt the three than a family with one toddler and another baby on the way? And who already had two ferrets and a dog?

Yeah, we thought we were a prefect match, too.

Along the way it became clear that Penny, like many ferrets, had some fairly serious health problems, so we loved her as hard as we could and tried to keep in mind that her time with us might be short. Last week she and Jeff came down with a GI bug. Although Jeff is recovering, Penny did not, and she passed away last night.

We miss you, sweet ferret, as do Jeff, Pippi, Houdini, and Stormy. Thank you for spnding what time you could with us, and safe travels across the Rainbow Bridge.

Where's The Video Camera When I Need It?

2007-04-12T15:32:00.000-04:00

Liam and Kieran were lying next to each other on a blanket. Liam turned his head to kiss his brother. Rooting reflex triggered, Kieran latched onto Liam's nose. And didn't let go.

Liam: "Mommy! Mommy! Make him stop! He's eating me to death! Tell him I'm not milk! I am not milk! I am Leonard! HEEELP!"

Really, truly, I'm not laughing at you, Leonard...

Improving Moods

2007-04-09T05:15:00.000-04:00

Things are vastly better around the Menagerie House this weekend. We've had no meltdowns by either parents or children, we got the grocery shopping done, and we had sit down dinners two nights in a row. Things are indeed much better. YAY!

Now, I just need to work on the idea that photographing two kids at once means I have to move fast and just click the button already....