I Know This Much

Activity Advent 2011

2011-11-17T10:13:00.000-05:00

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

Can you tell I'm getting a little excited...

Supplies:
Advent Bags (etsy)
Activity Card styling

2009
2010
Our Calendar of Activities this Year:

Bring out the decorations!
Elf-Yourself with Daddy (jibjab)!
Shaving Cream Snowscape in Media Tub!
Get our Christmas Tree (Lowelands Farm)
Shoes out for St Nick (read St Nick Story)
Make Salt Dough Ornaments
Decorate Ornaments
Holiday Movie Party
Visit the National Tree
Write Letters to Santa
Go (Attempt!) Ice Skating!
Popcorn and Cranberry Garland for outdoor trees!
Bake Gingerbread!
Visit Santa (@FairLakes Mall)
SnowFlake Craft
Pick out new yearly ornaments!
Breakfast in Bed for the Birthday Boy!
Carter's B-day Party
Make "Snow" for Media Table!
Christmas Cookie baking
Wrap family gifts while listening to Carols!
COCOA PICNIC!!
Breakfast for dinner!
Take a drive in Jammies (with Cocoa!) to see the neighborhood lights!
Read the night before Christmas and unwrap new jammies!

In addition to the above, we'll be hanging with our old pal "Noodle" the elf on the shelf (he is scheduled to arrive on Thanksgiving night).

We'll also be starting a new tradition: I am in the process of wrapping all of our (24 of them anyway!) Christmas books so that the kids can open one a night to read before bed- I think the combination of opening a "gift" each night and watching the substantial stack dwindle will really get them excited for Christmas day! (here's a neat take on the same idea!)

I really love this time of year- I wish I had the energy to put this kind of effort into every month for the kids :)

Tiny Dancer

2011-07-13T12:46:00.000-04:00

The first day of ballet...

I die.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T19:31:00.000-04:00

Ohhhhhh... Mother's day...

What a wonderful, luxurious, heaven-sent day.

Breakfast in bed, flowers and cards, Champagne,

PJ's till noon, naps and purple velvet cake-

the two little creatures that ~~ate all my cake~~ gave me my title aren't half bad either!

Teacher Appreciation Week

2011-05-04T15:57:00.000-04:00

Having once been a teacher, I have to say, teaching is a rewarding, EXHAUSTING, heartwarming, and (OMG did I mention) EXHAUSTING job! I mean, the part of you that is filled-up daily by delicately shaping the lives of future generations, can quickly be depleted again by the ~~parents!~~ effort it takes to keep up the requisite sing-song-y, sweet, smiling affect whilst coercing THE.LEARNING for hours on end.

In honor of every saintly individual- standing tall in front of the chalk-board 180 days a year, wiping noses (and bottoms) of children that they did NOT spawn, fighting the cesspool of mutant super germs passed on by little fingers, and maneuvering the land-mines of IEP meetings, parent conferences and field trips- I say thank you. And by that I mean;

THANK.YOU!ENJOY.A.COOKIE.AND.A.CUP.OF.COFFEE.

AND.POSSIBLY.EVEN.A.MOMENT.OF.WELL.DESERVED.QUIET.

AND.HEARTFELT.UNADULTERATED.GRATITUDE.

Steal this idea: Ceramic buckets with chalkboard detail from Michael's, concept and book-mark template from Modern Parents Messy Kids, cookie-pops and sprinkles from the loving fingers of a happy student.

Easter

2011-04-25T07:16:00.002-04:00

90 Years

2011-04-25T07:13:00.000-04:00

Today, My Grandfather turns 90.

Saturday night we celebrated all 9 decades of life that this amazing man has seen.

8 of his 9 grandchildren!

All four of his great-grandchilden

(if you count the top of Carter's head!)

Li'l Spartans: Class of 2025 Ununion

2011-04-24T14:28:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I ran into an old friend from high school at a local park. As we caught up, she mentioned how many alum are still local and that many of us have kids in the under 6 set. This prompted the idea to throw together a Future Spartans mini reunion; and thanks in large part to facebook, here you have it:

The kids had a blast playing together

And it was wonderful catching up with old classmates

Half-y Birthday to you

2011-04-04T21:00:00.001-04:00

I keep writing (and deleting) sentimental posts about my baby is growing up, and how she's all THREE AND A HALF, and how we totally can justify celebrating unbirthdays around here. But really I just wanted to make a cake [SHOCKER!]

Half-y Birthday to you,

Half-y Birhtday to you,

Half-y Birthday dear child of a peculiar age

Half-y Birthday to youuuuu!

Your Resident Fool

2011-04-01T15:06:00.002-04:00

Oh my gawd, you guys. I.am.a.RIOT!

I mean Seriously, hysterical.

Because I can totally April Fool's the SHIT out of my kids*. (At the ages of 2 and 3).
And because that's not really eggs I served them- And because they think I am the funniest human being on the planet**
_________________________________________________________

*In case you're wondering- yes, actually, I did have kids specifically to satisfy my need to be a complete and utter tool surrounding every.single.Halmark.holiday.***

**save for maybe that guy in the Statue of Liberty costume on the corner this morning, and possibly also the dude at the gym who can't put his arms down.

***See you tomorrow with a detailed re-cap of Sophia's half birthday (yeah, you heard me!)

Because Parking is Bad Enough on a Monday

2011-03-28T13:37:00.002-04:00

Ahhh, Springtime in DC...

The Tidal Basin,

The Cherry Blossoms,

The Blustery Sub-Zero Wind Chill.

Thank goodness for wooly picnic blankets (that are better used as wooly-blanket-type-blankets!) and mounted police officers (who serve, protect, and completely distract small children from the discomforts of frost bite!).

Cassie's Cake

2011-03-21T14:19:00.001-04:00

I think I mentioned the "practice cake". I'd like to introduce you to the "Not Practice Cake".

Here she is, In all her glory- on site and fully decked out.

Marble pound cake (for 30) with butter-cream frosting and fondant decorations, topped with chocolate star lollies.

The end.

Of Cake and Other Guilty Pleasures

2011-03-15T15:41:00.001-04:00

Two stories:

1. I'm creating a cake for a friend's second birthday party, and decided to throw together a practice cake

(Practice Cake [prak-tis keyk] noun- a bad habit I have of subjecting my husband and children to an identical version of a cake they will be enjoying at an upcoming occasion (and because I'm a stellar planner, this bright idea usually strikes no more than 7 days in advance of said occasion- see also: kids cracked out on loads of sugary frosting)).

As it turns out, this particular cake is stressing me out, as the buttercream to marble cake ratio is tricky. Dense cake + Super sweet icing = weirdness- You care, I know, stay with me... So anyway, I baked (another!) cake this weekend and decided to pawn it off on a few poor souls that aren't related to me... enter the second (and more relevant) of the two stories.

2. About a year ago my best mommy-friend ~~forced~~ strongly encouraged me to start watching trashy television programming- My apparent lack of "reality" tv consumption was not only troubling to her, but it seriously hindered our ability to make excuses for random mid-week wine drinking.

So, yeah, The Bachelor. Here's the thing- We watch. We drink copious amounts of wine. We snark. And on occasion, we find reason to do so at each others houses while the hubbies tend to the kids. I was easily sold.

Last night was The Bachelor Finale- What better reason to set up a dessert buffet, invite the girls over and trash talk the night away. It turns out that half the women I know (and their MEN, btw- Patton!) watch the show- so again, easy sell.

Below: the breakdown of empty calories I force-fed my beautiful skinny friends

I call this masterpiece "What television program is complete without marble cake" Makes perfect sense, no!?!

"Dearest girlfriends, please indulge in Chocolate Ameretto Mousse shooters topped with cakepop roses, you are looking fab and I've been baking practice cakes- let's level the scales, shall we?"

Chocolate covered-strawberries, Chocolate Wine (yea- you heard me!), champagne... I hear that if you haven't given these things up for Lent that the calories AND guilt don't count. Score.

And Lastly, please forgive the gratuitous iphone photo of the open (and enjoyed) second bottle of chocolate wine- Now may be a good time to reiterate the stellar planner bit- or catch up to that wagon I've fallen off.

Be Mine

2011-02-08T14:11:00.002-05:00

Seems I'm only a holiday blogger- ah well, what can I do?
So, Valentine's Day; on with it, then-

I unabashedly stole* the greatest kids valentine idea in all of the world- I am totally in love with this cute and original (?) photo card idea...

It starts with a cute picture of your little one with a fist outstretched:

It then gets a bit of the photoshop treatment:

Then print and slit with an exacto-knife, insert a lollipop... and Voila', insta-VALENTINE!:

Too cute, right!?! You're welcome!

*All craftiness credit goes to Alissa from 24-7-365 blog.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2010-12-20T15:44:00.000-05:00

OMG you guys,

Cocoa Picnic.

I think I anticipate this day as much as I do Christmas. Is that totally crazy?- Don't answer that.

2010-12-18T15:09:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we go out of the house.

And sometimes that does not end in disaster.

Here we are enjoying our Nation's Christmas Tree- which I, for the record, think would be much better done by less draping and more wrapping of lights. Just sayin'.

But there were trains! So, Tree? What Tree?

2010-12-15T14:59:00.000-05:00

I started a tradition of collecting an ornament, yearly, for each of the kids. This year I let them pick their own.

I have big plans to keep and box them separately, so that Sofie and Carter can hang their own ornaments on our tree each Christmas.

Then, when they're fully grown and out on their own- I'm gonna pawn them off as sweet keepsakes, whereby forcing them to manage years worth of their own crap!

Ha Ha- now, how's that for some passive aggressive mom-shit!

Happy Birthday TWO you...

2010-12-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the boy's second birthday party and let me tell you- the kid is a pro! I have to say that I was shocked (amused?) to find that he totally got the whole birthday thing. He was psyched for the cake and candles, he got some awesome AWESOME gifts from friends and family and he totally LOVED the attention (shocker, right!?!). Here's your recap:

He's two so this thing was all about the trains

Ride-on Thomas the Train curtesy of the grandparents

Blue fondant: the only part of the cake worth eating

Not sure what I'm more proud of: Getting the boy to his second birthday or making this cake... probably the boy, but it could go either way!!

Visions of Sugarplums

2010-12-13T14:40:00.000-05:00

December Haiku:

A month of the sick

Fa la la la la gingerbread!

a cure for gray days

Santa Train

2010-12-13T14:08:00.000-05:00

A good friend let me in on a well kept secret- well, maybe it's not soo well kept, or even a secret at all- but it is the VRE's Santa train. The Virgina Railway Express runs a holiday train to promote rail safety, collect for Toy's for Tots, and send quivers of joy up and down the spines of little boys everywhere.

It was a wonderful chance to take the kids on their first train ride, and, oh! See SANTA, again! But, thanks to the sick, it ended up as mama-son date day, as the girl rested up from round two of the bug and dad stayed home to bleach the house within an inch of it's life.

It went a little something like this:

The boy LOVED it! But what's not to love- Trains! and Santa! and Mommy time! WOW!
You can bet we'll be first in line for tickets next year!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2010-12-10T12:50:00.002-05:00

We went to sit on the big guys lap. It was actually less annoying than I anticipated it would be. Our local mall had a sweet spread in a Narnia, ice palace kind of theme. The line for Santa was queued through a snow globe with falling "snow" which kept the kids quite entertained. See below:

Fun with scooping and dumping

Wonderment and awe

Breakdancing?

After vigorously attempting to remove the "snow"flakes from every inch of both children's bodies before moving on to the VERY.IMPORTANT.SANTA.PICTURE, I tried to snap a cutesy winter-time-both-babies-in-front-of-the-tree-shot:

This was the best one. yikes.

And here you have it... the Pièce de résistance :

I know, right?

Bah Hum(Stomach)Bug....

2010-12-09T12:31:00.001-05:00

In an effort to thwart any and all holiday related fun-having, we came down with a nasty stomach bug last week. It started with Carter on Monday and worked it's way through Sophia and Pat- before circling back around to the kids for round two. Wheeeeee. That was ~~fun~~ absolutely disgusting!*
Anyway, we managed little more than to squeak out a few advent-ish crafts and read (ad nauseum**) our stash of Christmas books. But stay tuned, we have some fun outings/activities coming up!

*Dear Santa, I'd like to request an update for my Christmas list to include: a replenished supply of Clorox, an incinerator to "take care of" the "soiled" sheets and towels, and possibly that thing where certain memories can be permanently erased from one's conscious- there are just somethings a lady never needs to see again. Thanks, C

**Pun totally intended.

The lights are brighly shining

2010-12-07T12:19:00.000-05:00

This whole advent thing really does it for me. (Don't worry- I'm seeking therapy) I just love having a plan, engaging the kids, and sharing these lovely moments of budding tradition.

The other day we took a few moments to learn about St Nicholas and to tell some really cute stories about the kindness he showed those in need. I also found this little nugget, which is interesting, if nothing else. Of course the kids were psyched to leave their shoes out for St Nick, in hopes that he might stop by with a little treat. He did, of course and both Carter and Sophia were delighted to find an orange (for health) in their sneakers. So delighted, in fact, that Sophia neglected to check her other shoe and went hours before finding that the jolly old guy also left two coin (for wealth) and a bit of chocolate (for happiness:). I couldn't get to the camera fast enough, so the blurry chocolate smear on Sophia's chin is our only documentation of St Nick's visit...

We also got our tree up,

(did you notice our little buddy "Noodle" up there on the tree- that dude rocks!)

and semi-decorated....

I say "Semi" decorated because I have big plans...

...but I also have a sick kid, so we'll see how far I get on that one!

photo credit: Martha

Of all the trees, most lovely...

2010-12-04T23:48:00.000-05:00

For those following along at home, here's your recipe for "cutesy family holiday advent activity one."

Step one: find the most ridiculously adorable family run tree farm in all of the world

Step two: pick up a couple of parka-bundled cherubs and a hunky outdoorsy type

Step three: pick out the fir that makes you want to sing from the rooftops the chorus of Oh Tannenbaum

Step four: set to work your two cherubs and that hunk on your beloved evergreen's trunk

Step five: regret heavily your choice in attire, then enjoy a hot picnic lunch on a brisk December day

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2010-12-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

I'm back at it... the ever-so-sparatic blog posting thing. And also the advent activity thing (it's THE HOLIDAYS! AND SO SEASONAL! AND fodder for the blog posting, iiiaight!)

We're planning The Second Annual Demers Family Advent Full of Fun Holiday Activities (that's TSADFAFFHA for short) this year, and once again I plan to ~~bore the pants right off ya~~ share our adventures regularly.

Here are some of our loosely scheduled, holiday to-do's:

Take a quick trip to Williamsburg for fun and relaxation
Pick out and cut down our own Christmas tree
Start a St Nick Day tradition
Sit on the big guys lap
Make ornaments for our tree
Take a ride on the Santa train
Add to our yearly ornament collection
Have a birthday party for the little man (unrelated but hugely important)
Decorate a gingerbread house
Make a popcorn and cranberry garland for our deer family
Make marshmallows for roasting
Have a Christmas Movie night
Bake an insane load of cookies
Throw a cocoa picnic for friends
Visit the national Christmas tree
Have breakfast for dinner
Take a Jammie and Hot cocoa ride to check out the neighborhood lights
Read "The Night Before Christmas" by candle light on Christmas eve

Feel free to play along at home! I'll keep you posted.... it will be thrilling*

*Thrill subject to state of mind, sanity and sobriety

Punkin' Pickin'

2010-10-17T14:46:00.000-04:00

Dear Me in four months- This post is in answer to the question that you are cursing under your frozen bitter breath...

This is why we live in Virginia:

A gorgeous fall day for picking fresh pumpkins...

...straight from the vine.

Corn fields, pumpkin patch and wagons, Oh MY!

...And hayrides. Seriously- I love this stuff.

Sophia's Apple-Pickin' Third Birthday

2010-10-05T16:03:00.002-04:00

We certainly had an apple pickin' good time for Sophia's 3rd birthday!

The day began chilly, crisp and abundantly sunny (thank you accuweather for that delightfully descriptive nugget!)- in other words PERFECT -for our day at the orchard.

We arrived early to set up at the orchard's "top picnic spot" which overlooks both the orchard below and adjoining properties throughout the valley. It was truly a breathtaking backdrop for our outdoor soiree!

We used material and bunting from birthdays past to make the spot our own!

The tables were adorned with rustic breads, mini apple pies, grapes for snacking, a homemade attempt at maple-bacon kettle corn and caramel apples (all in keeping with our autumnal theme!)

We had a small station set up for the kids to decorate their own apple bags with paint apple prints and fabric markers

Then fun in the orchard apple picking before lunch was served. A menu of chili, sausage & peppers and a harvest apple green salad was set off by iced tea and warm local cider. mmmmmmm....

And for dessert- Birthday cake, of course! The birthday girl's only request was for purple- she got that in the form of an apple spice cake with maple buttercream frosting covered in purple fondant with marzipan fruits.

Take away moments: a gaggle of little ones "rock climbing" in the woods together

And the show stopper present: Mr Penguin (gifted by uncle Lucas)

it was a lovely day to celebrate an amazing little girl (if I do say so myself!)

The card says it all- Happy Birthday, Baby!

Hometown Fall Festival

2010-09-30T13:31:00.002-04:00

Horray! for Fall Festivals! ~~on 95 degree days!~~ There's something about the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, the back to school fever, and the crisp mornings that just makes me want to get all snuggly inside my sweater and read a good book. But since I live in the real world, I instead don a tank top, slap on some sunscreen and take the kids on the sweatest hayride of all time. Don't get me wrong- the smell of ponies at high noon is something to behold- it was the retrieval of straw from places I will refrain from mentioning that left me feeling a bit lackluster. But enough about me- the kids freekin' dug it!
I give you "Fall Festival- The Awesome!"

Big-Ass Firetrucks= Awesome

Big-Ass Firefighters=a.little.scary.omg.maybe.also.a.little.awesome.idunno.

Hayride=SuperAwesome with a side of "why so bumpy, mama!?!"

*Forgive the horrendous picture- Hay + Hot + It is the only one of seven that even hints at the fact that we were on a ride. of hay.

Pony Ride= The Awesomest!!!

Not being allowed to jump around in the sticky, germ ridden, petri-dish that is the bounce house= Not So Awesome! But, kids, you'll thank me next week when you don't have the plague- you're welcome very much.

The first day

2010-09-14T13:47:00.002-04:00

I have no words.

Except to say: "Wait! WHAT!!

It seems like I've been waiting a long time for this day. And still somehow I was unprepared for my tiny little baby to walk into a strange building full of stage people and disappear into a sea of strange children without so much as a goodbye.

Obligatory "Mamarattzi shot"

I cannot tell you who was more worried leaving Sophia alone; but my guess is that it was Carter. He called for her hourly, "woh-woh?".

From what I can gather, The first day had something to do with a book about bunnies, a bumped chin on the playground, standing in line (YEA!) behind someone (BOO!), and PAINTING! OMG! and hand-washing. Oh, and gram crackers. She Rocked It! The End.

On Being Orientated...

2010-09-09T17:15:00.001-04:00

Today was Sophia's Pre-school Orientation day. Basically an abbreviated day to get acquainted with the teachers and the classroom and the office fish. It was a lovely a morning. Grams took little brother to the park so I could stay with Sof's while she explored her new school. And, you guys, she loved it. She found her name on a pink butterfly on the classroom door, found out that she would get to pick a job to help her new teacher (who is LOVELY!) and played a few percussion instruments with her music teacher. Needless to say, Tuesday can't come soon enough- I'll save the sap for the then.

You Guys, ...I went Camping!

2010-09-06T16:54:00.003-04:00

I mean WE went camping! It was so much fun! If I'd known, perhaps I would have found time for such an activity earlier in my nearly 31 years. Pat pitched our tent, blew up the air mattress and set up the fire. I watched. With Glee. The kids, well, they just did this:

For, like, an hour!

I was very surprised that the kids actually fell asleep, and even more surprised that Sophia stayed asleep all night! I should admit, however, that while Carter did fall asleep (for the first time ever outside a crib or travel cot) and stay sleep for a number of solid hours, come 3am he was done with the whole camping thing so, it was off to bed for me and him. How's that you ask?... What? Did I not mention we were camping in the back yard? ...Must have slipped my mind...

It's a Girl! Part Three!

2010-09-05T16:37:00.002-04:00

Because she is a Girl and has super Girl-like tendencies, a little girl time was in order. So, in the sprit of "back to school" fever (or is it fervor?) a plan was concocted to take Sophia out for her first girls day. There would be shopping and snacking and time completely devoid of any pesky little "bothers!" We met Aunt Nisey at the biggest mall in all the land and shared a scone and chocolate milk before completely devouring the book store. It was then onto the clothes shopping of it all, and let me tell you- the girl knows what she likes.* We spent a bit of time in the playyard and then had a great lunch- It was a really lovely time and the girl is set for the season. We should all have a wardrobe like my three year old!

*Tangent- Have I told you the one about the matching? No, well... Sof has a thing about "matching." She will often tell her daddy when his yard clothes are not matching- for instance last weekend when he came down in his bright blue paint shorts and a deep red tee-shirt. I happen to find this little habit of her's quite amusing, especially since I have yet to be the butt of her criticisim. But I was ever so slightly (SUPER!) embarrassed the other day at the park when a young lad of about eight years galloped into the play yard dressed in blue and black. You can imagine the hue of my face as Sofie shouts "Mama!, Why that boy's clothes don't match!?" Yikes!... a monster we have created.

Our First Ice Cream Social

2010-08-30T16:28:00.003-04:00

Nothing too formal- We've been enjoying a summer full of impromptu dinner dates with our BFF's. This one happened to end in an ice cream outing for the kids. A sweet treat for a summer night:

Just Thought You'd Like to Know...

2010-08-03T16:36:00.000-04:00

There are some moments when this whole thing is totally and completely worth it...

2010-07-30T16:16:00.001-04:00

You may recall "head meets sidewalk incident of '09". I'd like to introduce you to "stairs with slate landing 2010":

Toddlers totally suck a walking. and stairs. And as for the combination of the two- forget it.

It's a Girl! Part Two!

2010-07-08T15:43:00.001-04:00

You may recall that we up and had ourselves a little girl. and then she turned into a little GIRL. and now everything she does has that special girrlie flourish. Exhibit the second: Her first haircut.

OMG! Hair cut and mirrors and blowdryers...SQUEEEEEE! The end result was something even better than the lollipop- PERMAGRIN.

Fourth..of something or another

2010-07-08T15:25:00.000-04:00

We spent the fourth of July out in the Sticks of Virginia* with some good friends. It was a perfect weekend getaway and it just so happens that we had the perfect view from out front porch rocking chairs of not one but 3 different fireworks shows! Horses and Rivers and Pyrotechnics, Oh MY!

*"the Sticks" is not an actual place. The actual place is Rivers Bend Ranch and I highly recommend it- but I'm highly biased.

And Then it Was Summer...

2010-06-17T14:38:00.001-04:00

OMG! Why so HOT?! The A/C has nothing on this insanity- and BTW; in case you were considering having two children and then also adding summer to the mix- let me tell you one thing: JOIN.A.POOL! Because this just won't cut it all summer long...

2010-05-30T14:28:00.001-04:00

Okay- I'm totally a sucker for super adorable family outings that incorporate fresh foods and the subsequent picking of said fresh foods. Enter our Great Strawberry Picking Adventure (a photo/video montage):

Makes me wistful for fall...

Totally Tooting my Own Horn: TOOOOT! TooT!

2010-05-05T14:17:00.000-04:00

I made this for my Dad's Birthday- I was feeling a bit bake-ish and the man LOVES him some Baseball. ToooooT!

Updates of the offspring variety

2010-04-08T23:07:00.005-04:00

So, I know. it's been a while but whatever. I'm over it- blogging takes time and time is a luxury I haven't been willing to pay for...yet.
Anyway- here I am, armed with video- of babies.

So there was this:

and I was all "Holy Crap- the kid is walking- quick knock him down..."

But then... NOTHING. He never did it again. Or he did it again once or twice but

then decided that was enough and he'd checked the box, so whatever. No walking.

At ALL! And despite my hair pulling and constant berating, no signs of being any
closer to walking than that-MORE THAN A MONTH AGO!

But wait!

What's that you say!?!

Surely he must be close!?!

Nah. Not a step-
OH- But today he decided he will do this:

For hours...
Awesome.

You wanna know what else goes on for hours around here:

Yup.
If you asked me to make a list of the top three things that unequivocally equal parenting fail in my book-
I'm fairly certain this would rank right between ax-murderer and Ke$ha

Double Awesome!

McD's Marketing and the Downfall of Civilization

2010-03-31T14:08:00.013-04:00

First, I'd like to state for the record that my daughter does NOT watch commercial television and has never witnessed the abomination that is THIS:

But, Second, Your Honor- I'd like to state that the child is simply pleading for a second helping of the delicious fish and veggie dinner we were enjoying this evening...

...Don't judge!

It's a Girl!

2010-03-06T14:07:00.001-05:00

I mean, we already knew that...for like years now. But I mean she's REALLY REALLY GIRLLIE. Exhibit the first:

Carterella Gets Her First Haircut

2010-02-14T14:56:00.001-05:00

It was time.

We took Carter for his first haircut this weekend.
Because we are good Americans, we chose one of those obnoxious places that smack of primary colors and mini TV's with Dora! or ScoobyDoo! or something equally annoying singing and dancing on screen. We really weren't sure what to expect in terms of Carter's reaction, so of course it was the WHOLE FAMILY and CAMERAS and DORA and YELLOW WALLS...what!?! That doesn't scream Zen surroundings for a first haircut to you?
Anyway, it was relatively uneventful. The timid hair cutter lady snipped (AT SNAILS PACE), Carter seamlessly followed the shiny scissors (Read [implements of DOOOOOOOM!]) and I hovered (as any good mama would do...). UNTIL (dum, dum, duuuuuuuum!) the timid hair cutter started acting like maybe she was done- and I'm all "ummm, maybe you could bring it up a little higher over the ear here..." and " no, really- up OVER the ear". And she's all giving me the stink eye and reaching for the blow dryer. Since I'm new at this whole thing I was trying not to make the poor lady cry, but I was starting to get a little frustrated at the whole "doesn't look like a single hair was harmed in the making of this haircut" haircut. And just as I was about to tell the meek stylist where she should put her scissors, she reached for her large jar of... wait for it... HAIR BOWS! The woman thought my uber masculine son was a girl! and was resisting my encouragement to actually CUT the hair because he would LOOK like a boy! Um, yeah. So we cleared that whole thing up, and Carter got a quick and dirty boys cut. We all got a lollipop and lived happily ever after. The end.

It was an event. I'm glad I packed tissues.

Snow Day: The Sequel!

2010-01-30T17:45:00.001-05:00

We're moving up in the world, folks...
You may remember the famed "Laundry Basket/Extension Cord Combo" from last year...
But, hold onto your hats...
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud going to unveil "Red Bucket and Old Rope" release date 01.30.10! Behold the Glory!

If this upward trend continues, we'll be pulling our 3rd and 4th graders around in golden chariots- wait, I mean sparkly unicorns will be pulling them....

(BELATED) End of Year Recap-or- my resolution is to be more timely...

2010-01-06T21:39:00.000-05:00

This was the celebratory "Made-it-through-the-holiday-madness" High Five! and while I'm a little late expressing my exacerbation for/to/with/at the whole holiday season, I will willingly admit it's because it's taken me this long to recover. But, ONWARD!

Topics to Cover (in a perfectly disjointed manner, befitting the outstanding quality of this blog):

1. The 25 Days of quite procrastinating and effing blog about it: Is over. This idea=fail. I really should know better. One quiet day in November I sat down and said to myself "self, you are crap at updating your blog!" Then I replied to myself "WTF, I'm a little busy watching Days of Our Lives RAISING CHILDREN and whatever...." But then I say, "oh, I know, genius idea- I'll commit to blogging EVERY DAY- ya know, coz I'll probably just be bored all month, what with the entertaining, and family and birthdays and Christmas and all..." Did I mention GENIUS!?! Anyway, I think I squeaked out 12 posts before completely giving up a week before Christmas. niiiiiceee.

2. Christmas: Was quite lovely. Busy (as we managed to conduct at least 3 separate family functions within the confines of the day) but really very very nice.

3. New years: Looked like this.

And Jammies. And snoring by 12:15 (which, by standards set in previous years, is AWESOME- coz at least we saw the ball drop (and some very inappropriate drunken kissing, by what I can only imagine were complete strangers) this year.

3. Obligatory New Year's Resolution Recap:

Last Year's Resolutions:

Show my husband and children love, patience and respect even when it's hard.
Keep on top of the household chores (clean as you go? what??)
Grow as a person, and stuff.
Call family members on the phone instead of assuming they've read the blog and/or checked Picasa.
Get over the Thing With The Phone.
Read at least one book that does not contain the words "Baby" or "Whisperer" or any combination of Baby & Whisperer in the title.
Write more Thank-You Notes
Go an entire year without peeing on a pregnancy test or even THINKING about peeing on a pregnancy test.

The Ugly Truth:

I gave this one an honest effort- but, Let us remember that, despite her age, my daughter has been "two" for the better part of this last year. So yeah- define patience.
::snort:: moving right along...
ummm...
I think I tried this once too- but I believe the phone calls were actually to tell the family to check the blog or picasa.
Didn't happen- though I am much better at responding to email via the phone- points for effort?
Read many this year- actually really enjoyed a few as well! So what if they were all vampire teen trash...
so.many.thank.you.notes. And I've still got the Christmas stack to mail.
Killed IT!! This is one resolution that I ROCKED!! WOOT WOOT! I love ending on a high note!

Stay tuned for this year's resolutions and The List....

Ketchup, No. Catsup, No. Catch-up. There it is...

2009-12-20T23:28:00.007-05:00

I have totally slacked off this last week with the posting. So, here you will find my lame-ass attempt to turn my homework in late for reduced credit, play catch up by compiling 5 days worth of stuff into one disjointed post.

Days 15-20 of the 25 days: I promise, it's almost over!

So, where did I leave off- ah, yes. The boy's birthday party. It was wonderful. I still have not gotten around to the thank you notes (they're on the list, I swear!) but, it was lovely. Then came the craziest of all crazy weeks- it went a little something like this:

Day 15: Recovered from the birthday party (and all it's assorted madness) and then finished up (RIGHT!- I think the force of that lie just caused a blood vessel in my head to explode!) my Christmas shopping. That right there, Christmas shopping, is ridiculous! Seriously. Why do we do this to ourselves- every.year. You think that as a species, we'd evolve. erggg. (that's right- you'll find me out- tomorrow- finishing up (!@$#@$) the Christmas shopping. In the 85 feet of snow that was dumped over my house this weekend. for fun.)

Day 16: Carter's real birthday. Part of the reason for my severe procrastination in blogging this week was due to the overwhelmingly sentimental post that I *wanted* to dedicate to my boy on his very first birthday. I spent the better part of two days, dreaming up eloquent prose* that would serve to excuse (at least a little bit of) my regular, snarky jabs toward my youngest. Instead, I made the hubbs take us out to dinner. And I ate like it was MY birthday- because, well because I made him, and that counts!

*Turns out that I'm even worse at 'eloquent prose' than I am at all this other babble, so, yeah. didn't happen. SHOCKER!

Day 17: Hold on to your panties, ladies. On Day 17, mama had herself a date night. Now, before you go getting all excited about Patton and I hitting the town- I should tell you, upfront, he was not invited. This date night was all about the "Awesome new BFF" and I getting out, sans babies and hitting the town (and hit it we did! matter-of-fact: we smacked that town square in her pretty little face!). We've known each other now SIX MONTHS (I know, and she keeps coming around- poor thing!) and this was our first opportunity to speak both in full sentences and without spelling out the naughty words. Oh, and wine....and gin and tonics (mee too!)...but we do that at all our play-dates- It's a two drink minimum around here!
I digress- We went out, ate some great food, divulged all our dirty little secrets, and NOT ONCE did we talk about the babies. We just took mommy-dating to a whole new level.

Day 18: I nursed the first hangover I've had in, what feels like, years. Then I rallied for yet another company holiday party. "yea."-said in complete and utter monotone. But this one, much like the last one, was far better than I could have anticipated. Wanna know why? Gonna tell you- we won stuff at this one too! Someone needs to send us lotto tickets or something- we are on FIRE lately! Seriously- this is just too shitty to even say.... in the company raffle, Patton and I won a Wii. I know, right?!?! We really are not this lucky. ever.
(Totally unrelated side-note: I feakin' love Wii boxing!)* Re.Diculous.

*Dear FCC, I was not paid for this endorsement. No part of Nintendo or their overpriced gaming company has compensated me in anyway. In fact, 48 hours ago- I would have laughed in the face of anyone accusing me of paying $50 for a video game. Tomorrow, however is a TOTALLY different story. Sincerely, C.

Day 19: The sky fell in -or- Welcome to the Snowpocalypse -or- snOMG 2009!
Here in the greater DC metro area, the magical machine in the sky that keeps all order and balance in the world broke. alot. and it snowed. a-really-freakin-lot.
We already had snow once this month, and around here, that pretty much does it for the month of December, but nooooooooooo...

Now, I'm not generally a narcissist, but in this case I'm gonna go ahead and state that the 18 feet inches (seriously, not an exaggeration) of life halting precipitation that was dumped on my house this weekend is due entirely to the fact that I'm hosting Christmas meals for two families in 5 days and have shopped for neither gift nor food for either.

But on the bright side, there was this:

and this:

and these guys:

And, really- what more do you need!?!

Day 20: In case you're keeping track, Day 20 looked exactly like the pictures above (mostly because the pictures used in describing Day 19's Snow-a-poloza were actually taken today. on Day 20. The end.

1 is One...

2009-12-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

Days 12-14 of the 25 Days (shut up, I was busy!)

I can tell this is going to be a crap post, mostly because I've been procrastinating it in a fashion befitting a LIT 201 midterm.

The weekend was great- it was the boy's birthday party, but somehow I can't get all snarky and excited about recounting it for you- except, Ooooh.... I know!

PHOTO MONTAGE! (niiiiiicccceee..... )

With out further ado- I give you:

Carter's First Birthday (Party- [He's not one until Wednesday- Don't rush it!])

The kid was a champ- He knew exactly what to do with the guests, the cake, and the gifts- OH, The GIFTS! It was a perfect little occasion enveloped in love.

Endless thanks to all of wonderful friends and family who joined us for this amazing milestone!

It's a "Lout Noyyyyyyse"

2009-12-11T19:24:00.001-05:00

Day 11 of The 25 Days...

This was KILLING me today! I think I made her say it 800 times... What are kids for, if not to endlessly entertain with their kid-like, kid-ness!?!

Happy Weekend!
See you Monday with the recap of Carter's First Birthday!!!

Cocoa Picnic

2009-12-10T21:02:00.002-05:00

Day 10 of the "25 days of quit procrastinating and effing blog about it" extravaganza

Disclaimer: It's Christmas time. And around here that means I get to pump my kids full of all kinds of ridiculous junk that I would otherwise avoid like the plague. I mean, really- I'm the one that hangs out with them from the time they wake up until the moment i can no longer tolerate the whining they go to bed, so I make an effort to keep the crap food in check. Seriously, the last thing I need in my day is a two year old all cracked out on sugar dough and hot chocolate...

That said, welcome to

The Demers Family Annual Sugar Dough and Cocoa Picnic!*

Complete with SUGAR! and Dough! and CHOCOLATE in all varieties!

*Because, secretly, I hate calm well behaved children that sleep through the night

A few notes on the above picture:

That is NOT a plate of meatballs despite it's meat-ball-ish-ness appearance, it is instead a very poor representation of Monkey Balls Bread
Please note the distressed look of longing on my poor son's face- he really, REALLY wants the meatballs
Sofie on the other hand really, REALLY wants to dig the soggy marshmallows out of her cocoa. Which makes me totally want to curl up into the fetal position and rock myself...
Yes, the animals are wearing scarves. Shut up.

iCovet

2009-12-09T21:58:00.004-05:00

Day 9 of The 25 days

Without getting into it (and i promise, I will TRY get into it- SOON) I am currently hyper-focused on amateur trend spotting, and have taken WITH VIGOR! an interest in window shopping (the cyber-version, that is).
Can I just say that I can NOT GET ENOUGH of the fashion!! Who knew there was such adorable stuff out there in the world of STORES! and SHOPPING! and GENERAL PLACES OUTSIDE OF MY HOUSE! I.had.no.idea.

Check it:

I want to be those pictures.

Aaaakkkkkk! I just need a million dollars. And a personal shopper, and someone to lay my clothes out for me at night, oh, and also another someone to hold the babies while I get dressed. And then I need some where to go.

...too much? I mean, the fat guy in the red suit has powers right?

Oh.

Nevermind.

Photos courtesy of:

Anthropologie

Piperlime

JCrew

Banana Republic

C is for Cookie! and also Camel! (but, that last part is unrelated...)

2009-12-08T21:41:00.002-05:00

Day 8 of the infuriatingly long 25 days of quit procrastinating and effing blog about it:

Allow me to introduce you to the best thing I've made in YEARS (not really, but they are delicious and they don't loose their minds every time I put them down for 4 seconds to go to the bathroom, so... they're certainly in contention- Do you HEAR that, son!?! ...ahem, where was I?) Aaaaahhhh, yes:

Shortbread Stars with Cinnamon Icing:
go now. and make them.

1 cup softened butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375. Cream together butter and sugar. Add salt and slowly add flour to combine. Turn dough out onto floured parchment, sprinkle with additional flour and top with another sheet of parchment. Roll to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen the butter. Using a small-ish cookie cutter dipped in flour, quickly cut shapes and arrange on cookie sheet. Return uncut dough to freezer until ready to cut and bake. Bake 7-9 minutes or until the edges start to brown

While the cookies cool make a Cinnamon Icing
Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a micowave safe dish. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2 cups of powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract-beat until creamy. Ice cool cookies with warm-ish icing- and try your hardest not to eat EVERY.SINGLE.LAST.ONE!

This Post was inspired by Evolving Mommy and her virtual Cookie Exchange.

These Cookies were inspired by Tongue-N-Cheeky and her INSANE infatuation with cinnamon extract.

This video was inspired by my dishwasher- who is endlessly grateful for a night off- thanks to the boy.

Best work party ever. (so far. (this year.))

2009-12-07T22:31:00.001-05:00

Day 7 of the 25 days posting extravaganza-

Ah, Christmas Party Season. It makes me feel a little bit stabby. All the ironing, and paying babysitters, and fake smiling, and pretending you care about that really great convention in [insert lame ass city here]. bleh. But, what are you going to do....I'm pretty sure a spouse's company holiday party falls into the "death and taxes" category. So, Onward!

The first of many holiday soirees, for the 2009 season, was this past weekend. What is interesting to me is that this year's parties have very nicely arranged themselves in order of reverse importance. For example, party one was a "take it or leave it" deal from the start (if I'm being honest, I was way heavy in the "leave it" camp). I tried hard to swing things in my favor by conveniently "forgetting" to mention it to any potential sitter until the day before, but, as fate would have it, we magically ended up with not one great sitter but THREE who were willing to (nay, INSISTING ON) the drive over the river and through the snow to hang out with our babies.

So I ironed, left cash for the sitters, greased up the chompers in preparation for a nice long evening of cheek numbing grin-age, and made it almost all the way through some guy's FASCINATING story about the Spleen Doctors* convention in San Something or another** over Columbus Day Weekend*** before politely excusing myself to the bar for "ANOTHER GLASS BOTTLE OF WINE, GOOD BARTENDER, STAT!"

Please note that ~ that little squiggle right there is precisely the point in this story that my tune changes. Because, hindsight being all that it is, I can look back and say, really, it was not.so.bad.

Here's where I'd enter all the delightful details, but I'll spare you the foreplay and get right down to it... We looked good, the food was FAB, and, you guys, WE.WON.PRIZES!

(For the record, we are not EVER the people that win stuff. I can't say that either the hubbs or myself have ever been caller 10 on the radio, gotten the opportunity to shout "BINGO!", or picked the right pony at the track, AND I've been getting that Publishers Clearing House "You've may have already won Eleventy-Frillion Dollars" notice for decades and still? NOTHING! But back to me putting my stilettoed heel in my mouth....)

Right, PRIZES! I haven't even told you what they are yet, and I'm not one to look a gift horse [see also: PRIZES!] in the mouth, but this may have been one of those every-fly-chasing-daisy-picking-uncoordinated-8-year-old-who-can-put-his-jersy-on-right(and of course even those who cant!) gets-a-trophy-for-showing-up kind of situations, but wanna know what has two thumbs and doesn't mind in the least: this girl.

In the Greatest Raffle That Ever Was, not only did I walk away with a 20lb gift basket of chocolate covered things (mmmm...chocolate-y things...) but, Patton won what may possibly be the greatest gift one could ever receive from an impartial third party (except of course for that Eleventy-Frillion Dollars): a SUBSTANTIAL gift card for a MAID SERVICE!
I know. RIGHT!! Genius Gift Giving.

So anyway, wanna know what I'm doing as soon as the masses retreat after the holidays (that's right, I said AFTER-this gift is all mine, bitches!)? Sitting my lazy ass down with a 20lb basket of bon bons and letting somebody else take a toothbrush to the toilet bowl!
SNAP! It just got all "Real Housewives of Annandale" up in here!

oh.my.gawd.holiday.parties.rock!

___________________________
*The very boring variety of doctor has been changed to an equally boring variety of doctor to protect the anonymity of the story teller
**to my knowledge there is no such place-if I am mistaken I greatly apologize to the good citizens of San Something
***It wasn't over Columbus Day, but now that we've gotten this far, I'm not really sure it matters... so, yeah.

Snow place like home for the holidays (LAME, lame....so very very lame, SORRY)

2009-12-06T22:56:00.000-05:00

Days 5 & 6 of the 25 days: Snow Days!!

You guys! It SNOWED!!!

But, let me be clear, because in this area that can mean a lot of things...
When Bob Ryan calls for snow, the general expectation is for something between a slightly white-ish rain, microscopic flakes of cold that instantly disappear upon entering the atmosphere, fat wet balls of hard water that quickly turn to slush (or as I like to call it- traffic halting sign of the apocalypse), or, every 85 leap-years or so, we'll actually get two inches of packable, throwable SNOW.

Saturday we got enough of the real stuff to:
1. Cover the trees in that awesome frosty dream-like state
2. Make the season actually feel festive
3. Finally motivate me to finish putting up the holiday decorations
4. (and this is the big one!) Make an honest-to-goodness SNOWMAN*
Look at it:

*So, I obviously use the term loosely, because clearly I really mean "make an honest-to-goodness-hideous-muddy-leaf-encrusted-stuff-of-nightmares-man," but we take what we can get around here.

4 of 25 -OR- I'm starting to bore myself.

2009-12-04T12:46:00.002-05:00

Day FOOOOOOOOUUUURRRR of the 25 days of quit procrastinating and effing blog about it.
Day ONE of bringing you absolutely NOTHING substantive and wondering what-the-mess I've gotten myself into.

But, back to ornaments (because they are simply riveting!)

I know, right!?! You HAVE to have one...

I'm thinking we'll start an etsy shop*

*Child labour laws be damned!

Ornamen-tastic!

2009-12-03T20:10:00.001-05:00

Day Three of the 25 days, and only a whole freak-load more to go!

Today's advent activity was to make salt-dough ornaments.
It went a little something like this:

Wanna play along??? Here you go.

Salt-Dough Ornament Recipe
(a compilation of many recipes found on the great wide interweb)

2c. Flour
1c. Salt
1c. Water

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl. When the dough begins to stiffen, kneed until smooth and moist but not sticky (add additional flour if the dough sticks to hands). Turn out onto floured work surface and roll to 1/4" thickness. Use holiday cookie cutters to shape dough ornaments and embellish using a toothpick. Using a straw, punch out a hole at the top of each shape for stringing. Place ornaments on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for an hour and a half or until firm and dry, but not yet browned. Allow to cool completely before coloring or painting. String with ribbon, hang and ENJOY!

Oooooh. This is going to be tough.

2009-12-02T23:15:00.001-05:00

Day two of the 25 days and I'm already at a loss.
So, here. Three quick stories:

1. Today I willfully and violently threw my 26 month old daughter in the face every child labor law ever enacted. But listen, she's been freeloading for over two years now, and seriously, there are just things that need doing around here. She kept whining every time I made her push the wheelbarrow, so I had her hand carry wood from the shed to the house. It was going along swimmingly, until she tripped and smooshed her finger. I'll set the scene:
back yard, pre-rain; <45 degrees F:
Sofie: "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! BUhu, buhuuuuh, buuhuuuuh...."
Me: What now you whiney little baby "Oh, Honey- what happened??!?"
Sofie: "Mama... yofie. smooshed. finger. that one." *sniff *sniff*
Me: Aaaaand what exactly would you like me to do about it "Oooooh, sweetie, shall I kiss it and make it better?"
Sofie: "Yeaah-huh. Mama. Kiss. Yofie. Finger. Riiighttheeeerre." (fyi- "right there" is ALWAYS one word- it's stupidly cute)
Me: "MUAAAAH! Now, back to work" ::pat's bottom:: "that wood's not going to stack itself."

1b. Then I made her string the tree with lights. BTW-I highly recommend children to anyone feeling overwhelmed by tedious house chores. They are magical. And by magical, I mean next to worthless- but sometimes they say cute stuff... so, there's that.

2. Carter exhibited a new skill today- it's one of those milestones that, as a parent, you know will set the stage for his whole life to come.
...yea, clink it buddy. Invaluable life skills, I'm telling you.

3. I have finally made the big league, you guys! This blog (and this humble writer) are going ALL.THE.WAY!
...well, actually, some of the way? maybe?
I just got my first solicitation from a company asking that I plug their product on this here little blog. I'm sure they think that all 4 of you that actually read this thing would be WAY interested in their product. But, because I totally respect your integrity, and also because I may want to use this as fodder for a post when I run out of VERY EXCITING things to tell you down the road, I'm saving the details for later... maybe.

There. Day 2. CHECK.

25 Days of Quit Procrastinating and Effing Blog About It -or- how to effectively OVERuse the strikethrough button

2009-12-01T22:27:00.004-05:00

::whispers:: bloggies, can you read me? come in, over??
i don't have much time- my position has been invaded by miniature head-hunters (with fistfulls of cheerios), compromised- but this message is important...
cool, noteworthy, Some sh*t is going on in this undisclosed location. My mission, as I choose to accept it, is as follows: Observe and (and here's the kicker) report said cool sh*t on a daily, regular basis...
I know, right?!?! Ridiculous notion, especially for someone as notoriously terrible about this whole blogging thing as I- but none-the-less a goal I'm willing to half-ass my way through, give the good old college try*, really really work toward.
I figure that by stating it here, I'll hold myself a little more accountable to you my dear readers, reader, mom.

So, on to it-

There was a Dead, Stuffed Bird in my House Thanksgiving. It was good. I will no longer bitch about the pants that weren't fitting, as this is no longer an issue in my life- thank you very much, second, third, 5th helping of stuffing.
Unrelated- what's your overall opinion of SPANX?? Just asking, you know, for no reason in particular.
Fun Fact: I really like setting the table. Here, look at it.

My children have really been pressuring me, begging me, totally disinterested in my sudden motivation to CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY SEASON! COUNTDOWN THE DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS! ENJOY THE MAGIC OF THIS PARTICULAR TIME OF YEAR!... er, whatever.
Here's the advent calendar I lovingly made for them, (who am I kidding!?!) ME!

My plan to keep this mostly daily posting thing going is to entertain, inspire, bore you to tears with the details of our daily advent activities. You're welcome! ...and see you tomorrow!

*Remind me to tell you about my patented definition of the "college try" (spoiler: it looks a whole lot more like trying a lot of colleges than trying hard in college) But that is a story for another day (and lord knows there are plenty of them coming up!)

alright, you guys, you. over and out!

On Being Busy, Having An Autumnal Blast, and Totally NOT Blogging About It

2009-10-26T07:30:00.004-04:00

A dear friend* let me know this weekend, in not so many words, that I am not so good at keeping up with this here blog. Well, I guess it was exactly that many words. So, fiiiiiiiiine... that may be true, but as I said to her and I will repeat here- Um..Hello!?!? TWO!!!! As in, 2 years old- and also- SERIOUSLY- Twooooooooo... and then you multiply that by a mobile BOY, carry the 8, add potty training, divide by the square root of squirming diaper changes and you get...Gaaaaahhhh! I need a drink.

So here it is- as I promised the lame photo montage brilliantly crafted update to recap the last...eh, I dunno, 3 months or so. You're welcome.

I like to call the above: "Family portrait by an old-ass-rusty tractor" OR "How we Demers like to pick us some apples"

This one is entitled: "A beautiful family celebration of the day my little angel turned from sugar sweet to time-sucking, needy yet somehow simultaneously totally independent, OMG.It's.MIIIINNNNEEEEEEE... ahem, Two."

Simply: "Punkinz- at the patch, natch."

Title: "Babies need mittens on freezing days in the mountains"
-I guess this is more a note to self than a title, but it turns out that this is an important little detail to remember when packing for a fall weekend getaway. To the mountains. When it's freezing. Who knew.

Titled in song: "Old McCourtney Has a Farm, E-I-E-I-O. And on this Farm She has the most ridiculously adorable tiny widdle animals like piggies and moo-cows and then we went to 'Boo at the Zoo' the end."

And Finally Ladies and Gentleman, I give you..."The Eight Times Multiplier"

* This one's for you, Kel. Thanks for kicking my booty- MUAH!

A Thousand Words Thursday...."I Suck at Blogging" Edition

2009-09-24T10:13:00.007-04:00

I don't exactly know what my problem is... maybe I find it impossible to carve out time to write a decent post these days becasuse I am:

A. Off traveling the world- exploring the far off reaches with out access to the internets (Far off reaches=OTHER neighborhood playgrounds).

B. Busy drawing up plans for world-peace (in crayon) and feeding starving children (not so much starving, as constantly hungary).

C. Wrangling Raising a Tasmanian Devil two-year-old and 9 month-old; all the while trying to maintain some semblance of sanity (not.working.)

D. Apple picking.

Yeah- We'll blame it on the apple picking...

A Thousand Words Thursday.... "I'm Not Saying I'm Clairvoyant" Edition

2009-09-03T08:00:00.003-04:00

Seems I may have a little Nostradamus in me after all... Or, at least I'm off to a good start. (Also- Awesome New BFF would totally let me plan the wedding, 'coz she's awesome like that!!)

Ode to the Genius Bar: a thank you in Haiku

2009-08-14T07:26:00.001-04:00

summer of iPhone

giddiness, joy, in-calling.

but then! Great Sadness...

only 12 days old.

Where have you gone fancy apps?

blank screen, blank stares... blank.

Life seems so empty.

In the hours without you...

disconnected, LOST!

AH, but there is hope.

genius abounds at Apple

I will text again!

Lady in Orange

(so sweet in understanding)

handles phone with care

And then, THERE IS LIFE!

diagnostic tests confirm

my baby is fine.

Thank you geniuses

this joyful summer: Preserved

Let's go to the pool.

A Thousand Words Thursday.... "Brace-Face" Edition

2009-08-13T09:05:00.008-04:00

Captions:

1. If you've known me forever, the caption on this photo reads:

"Ahh HAAA! Who's the babysitter now, bee-atch!"

2. If you met me within the last 18 months, the caption reads

"I'd like to introduce you to the all new, metal-free Courtney 3.0"

3. And If we've never officially met, the caption on this photo reads

"All is right with the world. Nothing to see here. Move along. "

A Thousand Words Thursday.... "'Coz We're Rebels Like That" Edition

2009-07-30T07:00:00.003-04:00

I can't imagine where she gets her blatant disregard for posted directives....

In case you were MISTAKENLY under the impression that I am anything less than the world's biggest dork:

2009-07-24T07:00:00.004-04:00

I'll say it up front: I don't get out much. (And, I mean that in about as many ways as it can be taken.) It's not that I don't do stuff- I do alot of stuff, like dishes and diapers and grocery shopping- it's just that when I get out of the house, it is with two babies in tow, and there is generally somewhere in the vicinity ZERO adult interaction.

So imagine my giddy-ness [see also: shreeky, jumping up-and-down-ness] at the events in my life that have occurred over the last week.

Enter Wayne and Garth with the flashback: "doo-dul-lee-doo"*

________________

Scene: Last Thursday/Farmer's Market Park/Playground- As I approach the playground (eagerly scanning for potential victims, kindred spirits.... ummm... someone to talk to) I noticed a very nice looking young mother of two, with a blanket spread out for her baby, engaging with her older son as he maneuvered the play structure.

Me: (moving more quickly, now eager to gain further intel on the subject. Should I duck behind a tree to don the camo gear, the black ninja suit, begin immediate wire tapping? No, play this one cool- be normal. JUST.ACT.NORMAL...) (nonchalantly, with a smile) Hi, there." (quick! look away! Don't seem too interested!)

Her: "Hi."

Me: (minutes are passing- oh gawd, now what!?!... um... think, think.... oh yeah, she's got kids- me too!... that's something in common!...) "How old's this little cutie?"

Her: "He's 6 months old today."

Me: (Squeeeeeeeee!!! JUST LIKE CARTER!! OMFG!...) Cooly: "Oh, my son is seven months old today. How fun!"

Her: "..." (I don't actually remember what she said here because I was too busy making us BFF's, and marrying off my daughter to her oldest son, and wondering if she'd be the type to get all up in the planning of a wedding, coz "Bee-atch, that's the M.O.B.'s job!".... wait, what?!)

Conversation continued: It was awesome, She was awesome, I was, fully and dramatically, NOT awesome. But, conversation continued to continue, despite my social ineptitude. Names were exchanged... Cute quips about failed mommy groups were exchanged... life stories were exchanged.... And then-We.Exchanged.Phone.Numbers!**

Me: (clutching my phone to my chest as if it all of a sudden contained a treasure map to the land of 'Nap.time.coffee.dates.filled.with.chocolate.' ) "It was really great to meet you, Awesome New BFF!"*** (oh my gawd, now what? When do I call? Wait a week? Two days? Now? No.. I should probably not call her until I'm at least out of sight.... akkkk, the stress....) "See you later."

Her: "Bye, Courtney!" (she used my name, *sniff*)

This week I called her- we're going to have a play-date! EEEeeeeekkkkk.... ****

______________

*Extra points for having any idea to what I am referring... Double extra points if you can find a video clip - I could not.

** This is a seriously big deal- I mean, this is big-time mommy-friending action! We're talking third base, people. I was getting a little clammy... *blush*

***Names have been changed to protect the innocent

**** Dear Awesome New BFF***, If you are reading this- I am TOTALLY not one of those weird, mommy-stalking lame-o's that writes blog posts about virtual strangers. nope. definitely not.

_______________

BUT WAIT- THERE'S MORE:

As if all that wasn't enough awesome to fill up the whole summer (and it absolutely IS!), I was (in a totally unrelated twist of events) invited to a "Girl's Night!"

And I went!

And drank wine.

And talked about children, instead of to children. And there were women there. Smart, cool, 'popular-crowd'-type women who have jobs and kids and brains. And we had conversations (containing many, many, FULL-sentences - none of which were interrupted by screaming babies with the sole mission of causing mommy-brain-melt!)

It was blissful. I stayed out past my bedtime. And then drove myself home- IN THE DARK. (Shut-up. It's all, you know, babies and daylight savings time, etc. ). I'm pretty sure the invitation was a fluke- but I don't care. It was wonderful- And now I bet they'll feel bad if they don't invite me again, so .... SCORE!!

A Thousand Words Thursday... "Gag Me" Edition

2009-07-23T07:00:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I just can't get over this family of mine. I am so lucky.

Them There Eyes....

2009-07-22T14:45:00.002-04:00

Acceptance Speech: "I'd like to thank the little people..."

2009-07-20T09:49:00.009-04:00

This is so unexpected...

I haven't prepared anything....

First I'd like to thank my husband for his endless understanding of my faceblogittermomitis (look it up, it's a real thing). Then I'd like to thank my children for the endless material...

But mostly I'd like to thank Christen over at La Vida Lista for bestowing upon me this very prestigious* blog award! Christen, you have officially knocked my socks off!! Thank you, Lady!

*okay- perhaps "prestigious" is a bit of an overstatement- but this is my big moment! I mean, with this kind of recognition I could do the impossible; become Evolving Mommy's BFF, babysit for Dooce, or even start a book club with Amalah... riiiiiiiiiiighhhhtt. (But a girl can dream).

Anywhoo- Here's the redtape.

1. In accepting this award, I am to pass it along to another deserving blogger.

I hereby proclaim Dumb Mom at Parenting BY Dummies to be the queen of the internet (a privilege of receiving this kick-ass award (or so I've just decided!))! She has been rocking my world since I found her, not long ago. Here you go, Dumb Mom!!

2. I am, also, to tell you some interesting tidbits about myself :

I am a big, no -giant nerd. I like books, and hanging out with my kids, and I think I just met a friend at the park the other day- but I'm afraid to call her.
I want to be Donna Reed when I grow up.
I am in no way interesting. at all. period.
see above.

That is all. I am off to bask in my own awesomeness... or whatever.

VACATION FAIL 2K9 -or- How Naptime Thwarted My Vacation

2009-07-15T09:35:00.009-04:00

The Plan: Spend a luxiourious 4 weeks in Country Club Heaven, all the while relaxing at the pool, strolling along the beach, and sipping alcohol-drenched frozed drinks with tiny little umbrellas.

The Reality: eh. not so much.

I had every intention of wisking my family away from the hustle and bustle of suburbia (ha!) for a relaxing month in sunny Florida. Arrangements had been made such that Patton would be able to "work remotley" for a week, then take a second week for vacation. I had convinced my mom to extend her stay, so that when Pat returned home to work, the babies and I could remain for another sun-filled and glorious two weeks. The mental preparation was extreme. The packing was insane. The amount of newly purchased sun-blocking-uv-filtering-keep-my-kids-out-of-the-sun-whilst-we're-in-the-sun gear was staggering.

*Editor's Note: In the interest in keeping things brief... well-manageable... well- more novella than epic tale- I've decided to take the cheap way out and simply list the atrocities in chronological order. This way we can all move on to more exciting things and leave this mess behind us. You're welcome.

Vacation Fail #1: For the purpose of preserving baby schedules, we decided to begin our 10, um 12, yea THIRTEEN+ hour car trip at 11 o'clock am. We figured this would allow for maximum nappage and night-time sleep in the car, while still allowing for activity time. Quick math puts us at our destination well past 1am- with two babies whose schedules were NOTHING resembling preserved. Add also- setting up beds, and oh yes, getting a toddler to sleep in a completely unfamiliar place after 13 hours in the car= NOT.SO.MUCH [read: FAIL]

Vacation Fail #2: We signed Sophia up for swimming lessons (more accurately infant water survival) withISR (truely an awesome company, seriously). Conveniently, our lessons were to start the first Monday of our vacation. The aforementioned late night arrival was (wait for it...) actually in the wee hours of our first Monday morning. Let's take a quick moment to talk about how toddlers, who have very limited experience with pools, and who have to be woken early, from very limited sleep after a long LOOOOONNNGGG day in the car, do not so much like to be dunked in the water by a strange lady. This one gets filed under both Vacation Fail and Parenting Fail. I suck.

Vacation Fail #C: This may be a continuation of the previous- but just for emphasis it gets it's own paragraph. We spent the subsequent two days trying DESPERATELY to get Sofie anywhere close to the water. Not surprisingly, Sofs wanted no part of getting in the water, with anyone. period. [Bright Side: eventually she was coaxed into the pool and ended up loving it so much that we had a hard time getting her out of the water without bribes of food and/or sleep]

Vacation Fail #the next: {Spoiler Alert!!} Vacationing with children is not even a little bit like real vacationing. Not at all. There was a whole lot of errand running and napping and acclimation that somehow took precedence over all of that dirty fun-having we had planned. We spent a solid three days at the beach before ever actually getting to the beach. And just for good measure, our first ocean side "experience" was all of 20 minutes long before Carter decided it was time for a nap (foreshadowing) and NO, the beach is no place for napping- don't be ridiculous.

Vacation Fail #80frillion: Apparently, just because my son has, up to this point, been an expert 'sleeper of naps whilst out and about', does in no way suggest that he will nap at all-anywhere-but in the back room of our condo while on vacation. FAaaaaaaIiiiiiiiiiiiiLlll....

Vacation Fail #80frillion and a half: Also, because we're having so much fun already, naps for both of my children went from a nice predictable 2 hours in the afternoon to oh.my.gawd.i.need.a.three.hour.nap.every.hour.and.a.half!

Vacation Fail #80frilion & 3/4: The three hour napping, every hour and a half, for each child was OF COURSE perfectly timed such that neither of them was awake at the same time. at all. ever*.

Vacation Fail #80frillion and 1: As a result of the aforementioned complete lack of predictability, Patton or I spent every moment between the hours of 8a and 4p in the house (with no pool) with one sleeping baby or another. Which subsequently meant that he and I were able to spend very little time together. boo.

The solution= pack it up and head on home. We made it 12 days.

Vacation 0; Babies 1

*any photo depicting more than one child awake at a time is a result of a tireless Photoshop effort- memories people... posterity and such.

Good to be back

2009-07-12T22:03:00.004-04:00

Welp- we're home. early. VERY early, from our planned month-long vacation. Despite the logistical nightmare that was our abbreviated trip to Florida, I'm very happy to be back. There are changes a brewin' and I can't wait to get back to a more regular schedule with more regular posting. I've got lots to update on this here blog, but even more to unpack- so for now, the teaser...

Stay tuned for the details of Vacation Fail- 2k9*

*I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn the perfect angles pictured above are actually alien changelings from the planet ohmygawdineedanothernapRIGHTTHISMINUTE sent to foil any and all attempts at surf, sand or sun. But more on that later.

So, you're ready to introduce solid foods...

2009-05-08T08:00:00.007-04:00

So, you're ready to introduce your baby to solid food. Don't fear, your child's first eating experience can be a wonderful milestone when approached with care and preparedness. Simply follow these 7 easy steps for eating success:

1. Make sure your child is happy, comfortable, and ready for his first taste of solid food.

2. Consider using an elevated sitting device or "high chair" for this exercise.

3. Fashion an overflow containment contraption or "bib" around the child's neck- this handy trick will help to ensure your willingness to continue the feeding process beyond the first attempt.

4. Prepare an appropriate menu for your baby's first meal. For maximum success-avoid foods that require skills such as gnawing, biting or chewing.

5. Place a small amount of food on a soft-tipped shoveling mechanism, often referred to as a "spoon"

6. Position food at, or about, your child's cry-hole or "mouth"as it is sometimes called.

7. Insert food and allow child to savor his first taste of solids.

Repeat steps 5-7 until the child's endlessly-needful-nourishment-receptacle (see also: stomach) has reached capacity (or "is full")

No doubt, if the above instructions were followed correctly, you're child throughly enjoyed his first experience with food.
Continue to feed your child regularly and he will grow and thrive. Good Luck, & Happy Eating!

A Thousand Words Thursday....'Someone's gotta do it' edition:

2009-05-07T13:10:00.006-04:00

Apparently, someone feels there's been one instance too many of crud-encrusted bare feet.

A Thousand Words Thursday....H1N1 Edition:

2009-04-30T11:26:00.006-04:00

Put the swine down, and back away slowly....

I'm really REALLY asking for it-

2009-04-28T13:52:00.005-04:00

So here's the deal... the babies are not giving me the usual bloggity-ammo. As a matter of fact, I am posting simply to let you know that I have nothing to post. Really. There's just a wonderful amount of nothing going on around here these last few days. Miss Sofs is being as awesome as ever, and the boy is working hard to take the title of "best baby on the entire planet!" away from his big sister. I don't want to jinx anything by telling you just how well-behaved everyone has been, so-for now-let's just say... eeking-fray amazing-ay abies-bay!*

And also- ohpleasegodtellmemychildrenwillneverevereverstopbeingthisawesome!!**

you may now bask in the glow of the super-babies:

...well, hello perfect angles!***

*I am operating under the assumption that the evil gods of 'there take THAT!' do not speak pig-latin

**I am also hoping to confuse the aforementioned whores of fate by speaking quickly and in italics

***Yes, I know that tomorrow when I'm screaming and crying and pulling my hair out-we'll all be able to look back on this post and laugh about how I just effing set myself up. I can't wait. no, really... I can.

A Thousand Words Thursday....

2009-04-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

The long awaited arrival of spring= eh.

If green is the new black, then I'm inching toward chartreuse...

2009-04-22T17:20:00.008-04:00

As a mom, I've been giving a lot of thought to the part I play in the world my children will inherit. I really want to make sure that at least a few of the beautiful parts of the planet I grew up with are available to my children. I won't lie, it's a difficult and, dare I say, uphill battle, to balance the deluge of information, the cost of "green-living," and the aspects that will actually work in my family and in my life. But, rather than grumble about the changes I've not yet made, or the difficult decisions that lay before me at each turn... I'll share some of the [VERY] small things Patton and I have implemented around this here house.

Probably the biggest decision we made, early on, was to use cloth diapers. We researched endlessly, crunched the numbers and decided that the benefits of cloth diapering were huge in comparison to the inconveniences (which I must admit are very small- especially considering the blow-out factor and the amount of poo I was handling on a regular basis with disposables) We loaded up on bumGenius 3.0's and have never looked back. When you factor in baby two, the cost savings in addition to the eco-savings, are H.U.G.E.
To go along with the diapering, we switched over to a high-efficiency front load washer and dryer. The washer uses a miniscule amount of water and detergent in comparison to a regular washer and it is amazing the difference it's made to our water consumption. That beast spins the hell out of the laundry, cutting the drying down to a fraction of it's old time! LOVE IT!
We use eco-friendly soaps all over the house: Laundry detergent by Charlie Soap(I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!) dish and hand soap by Kirkland's 'Environmentally Friendly' line (leave it to COSTCO to come up with a catchy name *Pshaw!) and use Seventh Generation or J.R. Watkins Natural Home Care cleaning products. Bleach use is near non-existent, though I must admit- it's been a bit more common in the last couple of weeks in ridding our house of the yuck that followed Sofie home.
I buy as much organic food stuffs as my budget will allow, and am making a concerted effort to buy local and in season (very hard to do at GIANT, but the local farmer's markets will start up again in the next couple of weeks and I'm salivating at the thought!).
I shy away from scary plastics in both furnishings and toys for my babies and encourage play with toys made of wood or other sustainable materials.* I also having been working hard to keep the purchase of new toys and products to a minimum. I am making the effort to search for gently used and recycled items before buying new (Thank you Craigslist and Freecycle!) *this is not to suggest that I don't have a fair share of Fisher Price lurking about!
We tote reusable grocery bags. We've switched to compact floresence. We use recycled containers instead of Ziplock bags. Just this week we installed a tankless water heater (which in addition to ultimately lowering our electricity consumption has encouraged us to use more cool water (saving us major dough!)). We turn off the lights at night, keep the thermostat at a reasonable (and sometimes not so reasonable temperature- 68 in the winter=BURRRRRRR) and keep our electronics plugged into a power strip which we switch off while not charging.

I know this is not life changing stuff- I also know there is a lot more we could and should be doing as responsible and educated citizens. But this is a fair start, and I hope to continue implementing positive changes... which leads me to the real reason for this post.... a question.

What small thing do you do in your daily routine that I might implement into mine? I'd love some new ideas to re-energize the pursuit. So, do tell!

And while you ponder... pictures... of all natural babies... made of real ingredients... and stuff.

A few of my faves.

2009-04-21T14:45:00.002-04:00

I am not so much a "product reviewer" but, just for today, I thought I'd list of few of my favorite things... all are baby related, but I love each of the following...intensely...

bumGenius 3.0 one-size diapers:

Quite possibly the best decision I ever made- for the environment and for my babies bums! I am, recently, even more appreciative- as we switched over to disposables during our recent bout with 'the sickness' and had to deal with the subsequent diaper rash that is associated with paper diapers. BumGenius are not only eco-friendly, and easy on the hineys... they are also SUPER-ADORABLE!!

The Baby Whisperer:

Best.Book.EVER! This was recommended to me by a close friend with amazing children and I have since passed it on to every one I know in the "knocked-up" department. I love the middle-of-the-road philosophies and time tested strategies for getting babies on a solid routine of eating and sleeping. If you have babies (or will have babies) READ IT! SIX TIMES!

Land of Nod:

Boy, oh boy! This website is DANGEROUSLY ADORABLE!! I love it all... no, I NEED it all! The toys and furniture KILL ME! Okay, I'll stop screaming about it and let you check it out for yourself... I mean it, Go CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!

Oompa toys:

Another amazing toy/gear website. This one boasts European and American made toys of the "not so toxic for your pres-shus little baby" variety. Awesome... and can I just say I LOVE Habba's doll collection

Tea Collection Clothing:

Super adorable clothing for the little ones! This is a prime example of a manufacturer that gets how cute boy clothing can be. If only I could afford closets and closets full ....

Cool Mom Picks:

For a proper foray into product reviews and all things awesome for mamas and babies- cool mom picks is the absolute best. I love the way they conveniently gather amazing tid bits from all over the web and deliver them daily to my reader. Many a cool find can be credited to these lovely ladies. .. Also, they produce incredible gift guides (for holidays and showers etc) and offer giveaways and drawings almost daily! Sweet!

There. Now you have all my secrets... this message will self destruct in 10 seconds

As Promised: The Gory Details of Our Last Two Weeks

2009-04-17T09:41:00.003-04:00

It went a little something like this:

Firstly, a late night wake up of a certain little girl, a week ago Monday, that included- but was not limited to, a high fever, quite a bit of moaning and the start of what would be 2 full weeks of a full-color spectrum of diarrhea (every. two. hours.)

Secondly, a Tuesday comprised of an even higher fever coupled with a VERY pathetic baby, who was completely unable (or unwilling) to eat. Every piece-of-shit thermometer in the house was employed to try to put a number to the steaming pile of magma that was my daughter's tiny body (hmmm... crappy-strip-of-plastic-forehead-thermometer reads 98 degrees [fail, this burn that I'm feeling is definitely not normal], useless-hunk-of-turd-ear-thermometer reads 95 degrees [wrong. again. the kid is on fire!], horribly-misshapen-fake-binky-thermometer reads 'err' [because what kid will actually entertain the idea of using this poor excuse for a pacifier- especially when sick!] and the really-are-you-kidding-me-flimsy-plastic-digital-thermometer thrust deep into the axillary only got up to 103.1 before the screaming, overtired, ball of sick squirmed away)*. The pediatrician was consulted and I was told not to be too concerned unless the temperature peaked higher than 104 (and I'm supposed to know this how, exactly!?!) or if she becomes lethargic. A follow up appointment was made for the next day.

Nextly, Wednesday seemed slightly less scary, as her fever broke and the diarrhea seemed to be lessening (and by "lessening" what I actually mean is "arriving in intervals of every 4 hours instead of every 2"). This resulted in a cancellation of the above mentioned appointment (FAIL!) and, wait for it.... oh yea... a 7pm jaunt out to the emergency room. Right before bedtime- Sofs had a particularly colorful (see also: RED, or BLOODY) stool which, needless to say freaked-my-freak! So with jammies on, scary diaper in tow, and blanky in-hand we headed out the door, to what I was certain would be a LONG. NIGHT. p.s. I was right about the long night.

Also-ly, Long ER story, short... we arrived, were quickly whisked off to the Pediatric Emergency Department (oh-la-la) and were seen by no less than 9 nurses, 4 (actual) doctors and 5 technicians. Six different individuals examined the lovely soiled diaper that I brought along, and many, many, scary freaking tests were ordered. My poor little baby endured a urine collection (NOT. FUN!) an abdominal ultrasound (longest ultrasound in all existence) and a chest x-ray (which, to hear Sofie tell it, must have been something like laying on a bed of nails and having someone literally reach inside to take a peek). The poo from the diaper was sampled and we hung around long enough to have a few yucky diagnoses ruled-out. We were discharged and sent home armed with no more information than we arrived with, but at least we got a free Gatorade out of the 6 hour ordeal! We were told to follow up with the pediatrician and await the results of the poo culture.

Subsequently, Sofie has started to feel better (albeit, slowly) and we came to learn, last friday the results of the stool culture. Are you sitting down? Maybe you'd like to take a moment to locate the hand sanitizer....

The culprit: Salmonella! #GAG! YACK! EWWWW...

We think we've narrowed down the source to a plate of eggs eaten at one of our favorite little breakfast joints. Needless to say we'll be eating our eggs, hard-cooked, from home for a while.

Anyway- the prognosis is good and Sofs seems to be back to her normal spunky self. Nothing to worry about and no harm done. We will be seeing the Pediatrician every two weeks until the bacteria is fully eliminated from her system (and washing/sanitizing the bloody hell out of everything. everywhere. forever. ewww.)

*I am, for the record, acutely aware that a 'rectal' is the only accurate measure of temperature in babies- but I was not [I REPEAT: NOT!] going in there, under these particular circumstances

Something akin to the conversation you'd have with a friend you hadn't spoken with in a year, because life got eighteen different shades of crazy.

2009-04-06T20:45:00.008-04:00

I'm gonna go ahead an skip right over the missing posts from the last 3 weeks. As a matter of fact, let's just hit the 'delete' button on the weeks themselves, and we'll save a lot of time that would otherwise have been wasted on bitching, and moaning, and general 'woe-is-me-ness." *Don't fret, I'll post info from a few of the more notable happenings of the last few weeks in the near future...But for now, something, ANYTHING to get the blog rolling again...

Aaaany waaaay... some updates:

I'm currently in the market for a 12 step program. Turns out I have an addiction, rather- I prefer the term sickness, but need intervention none the less. Hate 'em or Love 'em; I've got a thing for the Crocs.

It started out innocently enough with a pair for myself, but like all controversial items of apparel, they began to multiply.

Next, a pair was forced upon Pat, and before our very eyes his and mine made babies- lots and lots of babies. Now we have winter pairs, and extra pairs, and baby pairs, and HOLY CRAP! Foam foot-ware has taken over my house!

But tell me pink baby Crocs are not the cutest thing on the entire planet. Go ahead, just try. See, you can't.

And also- Sofie hit the 18 month mark a week ago Thursday. We snuck out of the house and shared a brownie in celebration. It was good. She is awesome.

Too- Carter is still growing at a ridiculous rate. He's all, "Suck-it, 6 month jammies! I will only entertain the idea of clothing in sizes greater than double my age!" I can't wait to watch the eyes bug-out of the pediatrician's head when she plot's his stats on the percentile-o-meter. Hmm, 4 months old, 65 lbs, 48 inches tall, and a head like a playground ball= 187th percentile.

(btw- those stats may be slightly exaggerated... he probably only weighs 50 lbs... this week :)

In other news, life around here has been pretty crazy. The whole two babies thing is shaping up to be almost as tricky as the legends foretold. I've got plenty of examples to cite, but since I've been averaging 3 and a half minutes of downtime per day, those stories will just have to wait.

But, remind me to tell you the one about Sofie and her visit to the magical land of pediatric emergency departments. I think it involves unicorns and an enchanted fairy. No. Wait...it's poo samples and an abdominal ultrasound, but whatever... I alway get those things mixed up.

It's not you... it's me

2009-04-06T09:42:00.004-04:00

Dear Interweb-thingy:

It's been weeks... and I know I haven't called, I've not written. Honestly, I've been neglectful of you- and I'm sorry. It's not that I don't value our relationship (I DO!) but, you know, you're just not the only thing in my life these days.

Your constant streams of information, and the uncanny way you let me [STALK], er, keep up with people I would otherwise never speak to, are very endearing qualities; but, you're also a bit of a know-it-all (GOOGLE!) and quite demanding (TWITTER) and often a big fat sap (Cutethingsfallingasleep)!

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is .... well, I just need some space. We can't hang out all the time like we used to. I have responsibilities, and priorities, and I just don't think you understand where I am in my life right now...

...no, don't cry, internet... I'm sorry.

...I've missed you too.

...Yes, I know I need you.

...You're right, I'm a schmuck.

...I'll try harder...

Let's meet at our secret spot, and I'll make all this up to you...

xoxo,

93 days...

2009-03-18T20:23:00.005-04:00

This post is a few days late... but, before you dock me a letter grade, let me explain.

Carter had his 1/4 birthday on Monday. Though not the biggest of deals; you may have gleaned from earlier posts that Patton and I were REALLY looking forward to this particular milestone. Tongue-in-cheek, we joked about how at 12:01 on the 16th, Carter would magically declare that he has 'worked out all the kinks and the ridiculously-obnoxious-painful-screechy-baby-gas is NO.MORE.'

Well, perhaps we should have let the boy in on our expectations, because his interpretation of being 3 months old, went a little something like this:

"WAAAAAAAAAAAA.....WAWAWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" etc.etc.... all.day.long.

The situation flew past insane by noon and was down right comical by 4p, at which time I loaded the babies into the car and began the most ancient of all parenting rituals (yeah, you know, the one that I would NEVER have to stoop to): driving around until the banshee in the back seat finally fell asleep.

By bedtime he had seriously tuckered himself out and (joy-of-all-joys) fell quickly and peacefully into sleep by 7:30.

But, here's the beauty-part- To make up for his very bad behavior, Carter redeemed himself by sleeping straight-through the night, 12 hours, without a peep until 7:30 the next morning! And then, to really drive his point home, he proceeded to have the very.best.day.ever! Perfectly on his little routine, napping and playing and cooing all in the right order, with not so much as a hint of gas all day. (tiny-little-butt-head.) And, today was another great day, so he's earned his keep for at least a little longer.

Happy 3 months & 2 days, little buddy- keep up the good work!

Oh, yeah... the OTHER one

2009-03-12T15:30:00.008-04:00

I'm feeling a bit guilty. In looking back over my last few posts (say like a WHOLE MONTHS WORTH) I realized that I'm all "Look at mama's girl, Look at mama's special widdle girl," "Isn't SHE so cute," "Don't we all just want to talk about Sofie ALL DAY LONG!!" with very little mention of mama's baby boy. It's slightly nauseating. And, honestly, it's about as "fair and balanced" around here as a FOX NEWS program.

BUT, here's the deal. Turns out that being 17-months old is a WHOLE LOT more note worthy than being 3 months old. I mean, really- with Kid One running, and playing in the snow, and diaper hiding and what-not. And Kid Two sleeping, and blinking and shrieking with gas pain; it's hard to equally represent my children on this here blog. But, in fairness to the boy (and those of you who do happen to recall that day last December when I birthed a wholly separate small child), here's the update.

*****

In a few days, Carter will be 3 months old. I know it doesn't sound like much, but this is a huge milestone. One that I am clawing toward with every ounce of patience, pragmatism and mind-over-matter that my body can muster. let me digress for a moment...

This little boy is amazing. All blue-eyed and squishy cheeked and nom-nommy kneed- he is a heart-breaker. And aside from the obvious superior cuteness- he is doing all the adorable little things that keep (most?) parents from eating their young. For example, he's got a smile that is simply heart-melting and a coo that distracts me from every.single.other thing in the world. The other great news: He is an awesome sleeper. Since 6 weeks, he's been sleeping a least 6 hours, and in the last few weeks has snoozed happily from 8p to 6a (with only a dream feed at 11p to tide him over). He's taking great daytime naps and is adorable and alert when awake.

Perfect, right!?! Well, only mostly perfect. Lest you think I lay golden eggs (they do hatch from eggs, right?) or sit around all day basking in the glow of perfect, angelic babies who poo rainbows and sunshine-here's where the karmic balance and the three month thing comes in...

In a word: babygas.

I may be very close to my wits end on the topic of infant gas pain. I know it's normal. I know it will pass (pun.yes.). But, DEAR GOD! It is unreasonable, and a huge cosmic FAIL , that a being who subsists entirely on one singular substance would have such a remarkably hard time processing said substance. And I understand gas. I realize that it is uncomfortable and sometimes a little bit sting-y. I know that babies can in no way be held at fault. But the screeching and the wailing and the absolute pitifulness of it all is... well, unbearable for us all.

I have read (in what I'm sure is a very scientific study written by 'the internet', or quite possibly 'them') that at or around the three month mark, a baby's digestive system finally gets it's lazy ass up off the couch and joins the rest of the work force. And, I'm told that it was at exactly three months that Sofs finally eased up on the 'round the clock methane production (though if it was as bad for her as it is for Carter- I have serious mom'nesia for the event). So I'm holding out hope that in another week or so this gas thing will be mostly behind (yes. again with the pun) us. And just in case this whole matter does not miraculously clear itself up by Monday, words of encouragement and/or home grown remedies would look nice in the comments section :)

******

I am so in love with this little guy- He totally makes my every day. But, the baby gas? NOT. SO. MUCH.

(in my best 'Gump-ian' accent:) And that's all I have to say about that.

So here, pictures of the boy that will make us all forget about... um, what was I grumbling about ....

simple math Q: toddler+running+downhill+concrete=

2009-03-09T10:29:00.009-04:00

..the first major marring of an otherwise adorable face.

It seems that along with a taste of the spring to come, the outside world is also sporting a whole new kind of gravity. Sofs was outside, enjoying the new weather and freedom, for no more than 10 min before the 'head meets walk-way incident of 2009' ensued. I believe there was some "running" involved, and a downward grade, and most importantly a serious lack of baby breaks, but mostly it must have been a sudden attack of vicious, vicious gravity.

It seems like a huge cosmic fail to give such a giant, fragile, bonk-able noggin to something so epic-ly uncoordinated and wobbly. But, for as loud as the "thwack", and for as ghastly as the remaining bruise, Sofie seemed remarkably tough about the whole thing. Of course there was screaming, and tears and hysterics (and Sofie was upset too :) ) but, she was reenacting the scenario (head whipping against the couch, all the while laughing maniacally) in under 5 minutes. She is such a trooper.

No residual side effects of the the head bump... save for maybe more head bumping. Perhaps it's because I was paying particular attention (or maybe the slight swelling caused her head to grow to even larger proportions-thus getting EVEN MORE in the way) but the rest of the weekend her head met EVERY. SINGLE. SHARP POINTY OBJECT in the house. And as I was reaching for the baby tylenol right before bedtime, she leaned down to get the binky and BASHED the other side of her forehead. TRAGIC.

But she's fine. In that toddler kind of way.

Because Sleds are overrated -OR- No One Buys a Sled in March

2009-03-04T11:21:00.004-05:00

A real snow day- Finally! Not that I care much for the cold, or the precip, or winter for that matter, but I am always at least a little happy when it snows. And this year for the obvious reasons... baby + snow = ADORABLE!

Sofs seemed mesmerized all morning by the abundance of white stuff outside (much more so this time than on her first SNOW DAY, but more than likely that's because she had a better idea of just how AWESOME snow days can be)!

I'll spare you the details and just post the video, but first, 2 words: LAUNDRY. BASKET.*

*and also, electrical cord... because you're not truly a hillbilly until you stuff your kid in a laundry basket and drag her through the snow with an extension cord... yee haw!

The Secret Ingredient

2009-03-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

With raised eyebrows, many people begrudgingly congratulated Patton and me on our pregnancy and the impending birth of our second child. They also felt it necessary to let us know that having children so close together was going to be, well... "A NIGHTMARE AND TOO HARD! OMG WHATAREYOUTHINKING!! ( ...I am, of course, paraphrasing.)

Anyway, some of the more subtile concerns for our welfare included (but were not limited to): Two babies with bottles in diapers, Not enough time to spend with either, SLEEP!, The older won't be able to "help-out" with the younger, etc etc...

WELL! We'll show you, Naysayers!! Turns out that last one was way off. I've got more help than I could ever have imagined :) ThankYouVeryMuch!

Other than the occasional "bring that to mama." request, I don't really ask for much in the way of help from Sofs. But, this incredibly perceptive and HELPFUL little girl has been picking up on some of the very subtile details of the day-to-day routine, and offering assistance in a way that only a 16 month-old can. For example:

When the baby cries- She goes to him. If he's within reach, she will try to offer him the binky, or a kiss or give him a gentle pat on the tummy.
When the baby's swing stops- She gives him a little push. She'll also start the music for him (wether he's around to hear it or not).
When the baby's mouth is open- She puts a Cheerio (or sippy cup of juice, or hunk of cheese...) in.
When the baby's eyes are closed- She sticks a finger in it to make sure it's still there.
When the baby gets his diaper changed- she takes care of the dirty diap for me.

So Helpful... in the horseshoes and hand-grenades kind of way.

I mean, I can't get over how adorable it is that she came out of the kitchen clapping as if to say, "I did it. You're Welcome!" And I also can't get over how glad I am that I realized the diaper was missing and NOT in the trashcan. It did not take me long to realize that to a baby, one cupboard is the same as the next, because WOOHOO! Prize in the baking cabinet!

So sweet. These are the moments that I'm really glad I had our babies close together. Because, if I had a 4 year old shoving dirty diapers in with the Bisquick, I'd be less than entertained.

Her BIG 3-0!!

2009-02-26T22:07:00.013-05:00

My very best friend on the whole entire planet just hit a major milestone in her life... She turned 30! To celebrate this momentous occasion, she and 14 of her closest girlfriends blew-off the entire male species, and spent Valentine's Day (yes, she's a Valentines baby- complete with heart shaped birthmark, or so the legend goes...) in real style. We took over a fantastic wine shop in the heart of Lisa's neighborhood, and brought a little bit of Paris to a girl who's never been. The atmosphere was perfect. Wine bottles flanked an oversized farm table adorned with candles, flowers and, of course, Eiffel tower figurines. We were even able to work with the Chef to create a delicious (and local!) 4 course dinner. Every detail was attended to, and the evening was beautiful. Here are a few of the pictures from the night:

Note the charming wine displays and the beautifully adorned table.

This is a sample of the place setting.

All 15 of us after enjoying the delicious meal.

The party planners with Lisa in the center.

If ever you have an excuse to throw a wine themed dinner party (or a dinner party of any kind!), I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Planet Wine. It was a truly lovely evening!

A quick post about baby heads....

2009-02-23T09:09:00.008-05:00

Of course, baby heads are all round and squishy and perfectly ripe for smooching. Of course, baby heads smell all sweet&delicious, and have that awesome fuzzy hair that tickles your nose. And of course, baby heads are seriously pissing me off lately! Don't mis-read, I love my babies and their adorable little faces, the puffy little cheeks and what-not.... but the baby heads are on notice.

Here's what I'm up against:

It's the scalp mostly. Cradle-cap more specifically. And horrible thin wispy baby hair. I mean what's a mom to do?

So, I've been battling the daemon called cradle-cap for a full 16 months. This nasty, scaly, fungus-of-the-head, that is persistent as all get out. Trying to be a good, and natural, mom, I patiently waited for it to pack it's bags and get the hell out of dodge, but it wouldn't. I started slathering Sof's poor head in oils of all sorts, but to no avail. I even pulled out the baby dandruff shampoos, in hopes of not needing to use the horrible, chemical-ladened cradle-cap remover, but again, it wouldn't budge. Finally, last week I broke down and doused her head in toxic "Gentle Natural Cradle Cap Care" (natural my ass- where, exactly, does one find 'Tocopheryl Acetate" in nature) and just like that the cap has been removed. I'm, a little bit, kicking myself for waiting so long to use this junk, but boy am I relieved to see it go.

And, just as I really found the groove in my victory dance- guess what... it's not gone at all.... the cradle-cap just switched kids. So now, I've got ANOTHER tiny-widdle, fragile, baby with disgusting scaly lizard head. ARRGgggggg... and the new dilemma, Do I just suck it up and get rid of the stuff, or do I give Carter the same natural treatments I gave Sofie until he's older and I'm more sick of this stuff!?! yuck.

Anyway, the other baby-head issue is an even harder one. There's no toxic potion to cure crappy thin hair. My poor little girl has the worst hair ever. I'm still holding out hope that it will, one day, just magically turn into the georgeous flowing locks that I dreamed she'd have- but that seems like the utter definition of a long shot. Maybe now that the cradle-crap (... I mean 'cap') is gone her scalp can breathe, and the hair follicles will come to life... or maybe not.

Oh well, I guess she needed some mortal trait :)

From the throws of toddlerdom

2009-02-18T10:21:00.004-05:00

It crossed my mind to question, early in my days as a new mother, what would be the defining moments that bookended each stage in my children's lives. Would I know the instant when my baby was no longer a 'newborn' and could be termed an 'infant'. Would there be a note slipped under the door announcing that I am now the proud owner of a real, honest to goodness b-a-b-y? Would I come upon a neon sign that would glow bright with "Toddler-ville, next 3 exits"? The short answer: uh, yup. We have officially entered Toddlerdom: population-Sofie. And, in case you're wondering how I know, (outside of the electric, hot-pink, flashing letters, floating directly over Sof's little blond head) here's what really tipped me off...

*I just spent 30 minutes picking small bits of ... well, I don't actually know what, exactly, but I spent 30 minutes picking IT out of the heating grate, because Sof's has achieved expert-status at putting things 'in'.

*Sofie has NOT achieved expert status in carrying bowls upright thus my vacuum cleaner has mysteriously taken on the smell of delicious toasted oats. And, really, if I picked-up each individual rogue cheerio by hand not only would I end up with scoliosis, I'd probably also get arthritis.

*In the time it took me to find the phone and miss a call from dear hubby (aprox 8 seconds), Sof managed to commandeer the television remote and order "Hancock" from pay-per-view... I can't even begin to describe what a coordinated effort it takes to push that many buttons in the proper succession- I have a hard time with it, and I can read.

*While holding my sanity for ransom- Sofie has come up with a list of demands (all signed): "please, help, more more up. Book potty, cookie, please. Please. Water up! PLEASE!" (tantrum ensues) Um, okay.... seriously, I can only assume the translation for that is "Mama, It's time for me to take a nap so you can have 3 seconds to yourself, and also I love you."

*And then the ubiquitous toddler dance; a delicately choreographed ballet that you can expect to engage in under Sofie's direction: Aaaand, ACTION: Open the cupboard, take out the puzzles, no, not puzzles, blocks. Empty contents of all block boxes, and now... puzzles. No more blocks or puzzles, please now THAT cabinet. HELP, I want THAAAT.... empty all contents of this cabinet, to find "that". Once entirely empty, decide "that" must be hiding somewhere else. Continue looking under ALL the other toys only to discern the mysterious object of my desire is now located on the bookshelf. Read this book, no, that book, NOOOO, stop.reading.just.turn.pages. Faster. Now this one and this one and this one and, ooooooh, cheerio (from last Friday) Now, UP and Water! No, not for drinking, for plaaaying. And Crayons! Noooo, not for coloring, for eating. mmmm... eating...COOKIE, COOKIE, COOKIE! Aaaand, CUT!

*Oh, and then potty-training. The End.

Back to Normal

2009-02-16T16:12:00.009-05:00

It's been a really big week... It really seems like things happen in large spurts around here. Like what, you ask? Well, I'll tell you:

Carter is now a full 2 months old and full of gorgeous, gummy

smiles and sweet baby sounds (which I pined for with Sophia, and

never got!) that make my heart flutter. He's sleeping between 6-7 1/2 hours straight through the night and taking

three luscious naps during the day. But, the little thing that takes the cake is the hour and a half (give or take) that he lays contentedly on the ottoman, studying the ceiling fan and catching the movements and noises of those around him- and then, when a face he recognizes pops into his periphery- bang! a big. fat. smile! It's the bright spot of my day, and it keeps me coming back for more!

And then Sofie. I can't even keep up with all the awesome that makes up this little girl. She's picking up new signs all the time and using them in such a way that it seems impossible not to oblige (mostly because she's learned to add "please" to the end of every request!). She passionately begs for "book" and "help" and "outside" and of course, "cookie!"

And, ohhh, the outside! With the perfectly mild weather of late, Sofie has discovered the great outdoors. Pat put the swing back up, and it's all I can do to keep this kid inside. She loves the back and forth and the in and out of it all. It's also amazing to watch her discover nature- grass and leaves and rocks are all fascinating in a way that I can't quite comprehend- but, boy I love to see it all through her sparkly blues!

And then there are the amazing new things that she suddenly seems to come up with. Today, for example, she apparently wanted to check on her little brother so she came into the great room, found and then dragged the step-stool over to the pack-n-play to climb up and peek inside. It was so deliberate that I almost fell over laughing. And this weekend, while we were upstairs getting dressed for the day, Sofie told me she was "sleepy"- I informed her that she couldn't possibly be, considering it was only 9:30a, and she insisted by toddling over to her crib and patting the mattress. When I, again, suggested that she probably wasn't really tired, she grabbed her pacifier, popped it in her mouth and pointed to the crib. I conceded and laid her in bed at which point she covered herself with her blanket and waved "night-night" to me, turned her head and promptly took a two hour nap. *Please take a moment to imagine me, mouth agape, brow furrowed and shoulders shrugged, as I'm being dismissed by the baby; Ridiculous. I really love how she's able to communicate with us in such a meaningful way.... though, I can no longer blame ignorance for not complying with her requests- Enter tantrums, stage left.

In overall, family news: it seems that things are finally settling down in a way that is conducive to getting things* done. (*Things like showers, grocery shopping, visiting and laundry- all the stuff that was on the back-burner for the past two months) Everyone is feeling healthy and well rested. The babies are predicitable and generally very contented. And The past two weeks have really felt 'normal.' And, it's been nice. I like it.

A Mouth-full.

2009-02-08T11:05:00.009-05:00

It has finally happened. After almost 8 weeks of grimacing and blank-stares, the little man finally gave in and cracked a smile... and a crooked one at that! It is way cuter than the gas faces that passed (pardon the pun) for happy faces in the early weeks, and this smile emerges almost (dare I say it?) frequently!

It's as if he's saying, behind those eyes, "Helllooooooo, Milk-

Machine..." Coz, more milk is just what this chunk needs, right!?!

In other news, Sofie now has 3 molars! She's been amazing about the whole process. I have heard horror stories of the nightmare that is cutting new teeth (especially these huge back ones!); but other than a little crankiness- Sof's has been a super-trooper! We're looking forward to all the new foods this milestone brings!

And life around here has reached some semblance of predictability and with it, calm. We hit the peak of gassiness/fussiness/"I absolutely will NOT sleep for more than 2 hours!" at around the 5-6 week mark. And then, on the day before Carter's 6 week b-day, he got happy. and slept. alot. Since then, the sleeping has been in long stretches, and at predictable times and has made for some very happy Demers. We're even managing to get out of the house a little these days! Meanwhile, Sofie is in the process of dropping her morning nap, which has allowed us time to explore new ways of playing together. We've been venturing outside (thank you very much snow-days and unseasonably mild days) and having full-fledged rock-out hours (iTunes and Maracas included) as well as exploring the world of mama's art supply box! So much fun!

Anyway- it's taken 2 months, but I feel like we're starting back towards normal. woo-hoo!

And also this- Perhaps I was remiss in not purchasing this adorable new dad set for Patton when Sophia was born... Seems we missed a few of the more subtle lessons in parenting :)

*I wonder if it's too late to get her the tee-shirt...

shhhhh.... the baby's sleeping

2009-01-30T10:17:00.005-05:00

First things, first. Before reading another word of this post, it is imperative that you lean in close (I'm going to whisper), cross all appendages, and find some wood upon which to knock....

I have hesitated to even think the following for fear of jinxing all the wonderment and fantastic-ness... but, I believe it may be more than mere coincidence at this point- Carter has (every night since Monday) slept at least 5 consecutive hours! And last night- A full 6 hour stretch, from 11:30p to 5:30am. BIG HUGE SIGH!!!

But wait, there's more! Apparently, the better a baby sleeps at night, the better he sleeps during the day, and the happier he is overall. Another benefit: the better a baby sleeps at night, the better his mommy sleeps and the happier she is overall! Amazing! I cannot even begin to describe how luxurious 6 hours of sleep feels (especially when compared to the two hour chunks of nights prior)! So, yeah. Things is good. In the dreamy kind of way :)

SNOW-DAY!! YAY!!

2009-01-27T15:40:00.006-05:00

Considering I haven't been out of the house in a month and a half, this years' below average winter temps have not affected me in the least. That said, the dreary, blustery days stacked end-to-end without reprieve do tend to drag on a bit. So, I am thrilled for our first real snow! Here's the picture tour of Sofie's first romp in the snow:

The pre-outing snow experience: she liked to hold it, to smush it, and, of course- Eat it. She did not so much like it soaking through her socks.

This is the sign for "please". As in, "please hurry up with all this dressing and TAKE ME OUTSIDE ALREADY!"

Here she is outside, sitting on the table, because her numerous attempts at standing in the snow in leather soled baby-boots ended in the large quantity of snow you see stuck to her hat.

Such a doll-baby!

And this is the moment directly before she let me know (in no uncertain terms) that fun time in the snow is O-V-E-R, thank you very much

Mid-Winter Time Warp

2009-01-26T20:29:00.003-05:00

Maybe you were wondering, "what happened to the Demers'?" or perhaps, "hmmm... no, one returned my call- I wonder how things are going over there." or even,"where's my friggin' thank-you note, already!?!" Here's my cleverly crafted* response to the above... in bulleted format:

WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE BUSY LATELY...

Patton:

came down with a killer cold and has managed to break the world record for it's duration- poor guy
despite being miserable, has been my hero and taken baby-duty on more than a few occasions
is the most awesome

Sophia:

has gotten a molar (or two- but, I'm not going in to check!)
is no longer willing to accept assistance in feeding herself.... all by herself- all the time
is saying real words (as in, using her voice!): "kouck-kouck" (cookie), "ba-ba-bat" (bath), "jouuch" (juice), "go-go-go" (go, go, go!)
gives adorable pursed-lip kisses and hugs with arms around your neck!
has circled back to check-off the milestones she altogether skipped (i.e. learning to sit herself up from laying down, standing unassisted from a seated position, pulling herself up in her crib, crawling and bending down to pick objects up from the floor). woo-hoo!
came down with a crappy cold that has green stuff oozing from her nose 100% of the time
turned into a real-live toddler, complete with strong opinions and the occasional temper-tantrum (due most often to not being able to reach/lift/cary something cumbersome- like the book called "DOG" that we've read 897,394,596,511 times... this week)
developed an intense obsession with this touch & feel book called "DOG"
has added the sign for please to the end of every request (SO CUTE!) to which it is impossible to say 'no'.
tells us when she's ready for a nap or bed by showing us the sign for 'sleepy' and heading directly for the stairs
has attempted to share with her little brother her binky (straight into his left eye), a very large and FULL bottle of cow's milk (right atop his tiny head) a varitey of cookies (generally in or about the mouth area), a pair of her daddy's shoes (again, atop his little head) and few very sharp and pointy wooden blocks (yep. also, too, the head)... she's so sweet

Carter:

is freakin' huge (12 lbs or so at present)
can withstand just about anything his big sister chooses to "share" with him- including the icky cold complete with oozing nose.
is starting to take interest in things other than the ceiling fan
may have attempted his first(not related to gas type) smile, but, really- it's anyone's guess.
has hit the 'six-week-peak' which is not nearly as fun as it might sound, what with it's rhyming-name and definitive innuendo.
is on a 3 hour/3 day cycle (2 hours sleeping to 1 hour eating/playing; 2 days of being a perfect baby to one day of gassy, gassy fussing)
is quite possibly the gassiest little person on the face of the planet
has had us running in circles trying to figure out if he is 'lactose intolerant', 'dairy sensitive' or just abnormally vocal about 'normal' baby gas
will without reservation take any one of three different styles of binky, the breast, a bottle, milk, or formula... thus making him the most easy-going (and AWESOME) baby ever!
has grown out of just about every article of clothing in the 0-3 month range.
is the newest love of my life

I am:

the only one in the house who isn't infectious at the moment
learning to type, cook, channel-surf and use the bathroom one handed, lest one or both of my children be left to their own devices for more than 17 seconds.
waaaaay behind on the general up keep of this house, a little stressed-out and VERY sleepy....
happier than I ever could have imagined!

*Perhaps 'cleverly-crafted' was a bit of a stretch... but maybe you'll let it slide just this once? And you'll get that thank-you note- come hell or high-water, or mid-april.

things... and stuff.

2009-01-13T16:21:00.000-05:00

So, two things:

Thing one: Carter is 4 whole weeks old today! It is absolutely mind-blowing that it's been four weeks since this amazing creature came into our lives. Somehow, I'm not exactly sure where 4 weeks has gone-and simultaneously-I can't believe he's only been part of our family for a mere 28 days! KA-RAZY!

Well- In these last four weeks Carter has morphed innumerable times... He's still mostly an eating/pooping/sleeping machine, But it seems that he's becoming increasingly more adept at all three of his fabulous characteristics! And, it's been amazing to watch him become increasingly more alert. His periods of wakefulness are getting longer by the day and he (like his big sister some 14 months ago) seems remarkably focused. He has an on-going love affair with the ceiling fan, the sunlight through the plantation shutters and (just recently) the singing/blinking baby-crack-addiction that is the Baby Einstein play mat Star. For me, the love affair is all about these new shared moments of sweet coos and eye-contact. It's incredible to watch those gorgeous blue eyes take it all in :)

Thing two: I would like to have a stern talk with whomever decided it was okay for my tiny-widdle-baby-girl to go ahead and grow up into a walking, talking, singing, feeding herself and heading-up-to-bed-all-on-her-own KID! I'm pretty sure that last month I had a baby and now all of a sudden I've got a seriously big-girl. In all honesty, it's pretty awesome to step back and watch Sof's do for herself, but I'm worried to sleep in or take too long in the shower for fear that when I emerge- she'll be a teenager. I do really love the hugs (with arms all the way around my neck) and kisses that don't involve wide-open mouths and/or tongues so I guess I'll let the growing-up thing slide. just this once.

Please pass the Christmas Ham...

2009-01-09T12:41:00.005-05:00

At my 36 week OB check-up, my doctor announced that based on my "fundal measurements" [READ: belly size] Carter should be born at or around the 8 pound mark. Seemed like a reasonable estimation given Sofie's birth weight of 8lb, 2 oz. Well- he was a full half pound PLUS smaller at birth. But, I'm starting to think that rather than letting that get him down, our little guy has viewed it as a challenge.

Most babies, after birth spend about a week loosing weight and then start to slowly gain it back at the rate of about an ounce a day. "Most babies" born on 12/16 at Carter's birth weight would weigh about 8 lb, 6 oz today.

Since I'm taking the time to post about the weight issue, I bet you guessed Carter does NOT weigh 8 lb, 6 oz... and you guessed right. So, let's see how our tiny little baby has chosen to interpret the issue of 'one ounce per day.' Carter weighed 7 lbs, 8 oz at birth. By the time we left the hospital he was down to 7 lbs, 1 oz. but by his two week appt he was an astounding 8 lb, 1 oz (for a gain of 16 oz in 11 days). But wait! Here's where it gets good... Today our little butterball weighed in at (prepare yourselves-) 9 lbs, 12 oz!! (yeah- you did the math right, it IS 43 oz in 21 days!) GOOD GOD- What am I feeding this kid!?!? I mean, other than the pureed cheesecake and pizza that I've been sneaking into his bottles, I can't imagine how this little guy is packing away the pounds. Holy Ham Hocks, Batman!

For reference (and out of curiosity) I just checked Sofie's stats: At birth- 8lb, 2 oz. At 2 weeks- 8lb, 13 oz (11 oz in 14 days) at one month- 10lb, 1 oz (31 oz in 28 days). Carter is kicking baby-Sofie's puny ass!

mmmmm..... nom nom nom... mini-linebacker:

Also, in case you're wondering how Hurricane Sophia is doing; she's currently registering as a Category 5 Toddler. She made landfall over the great room this morning at 10:42 am and left the following destruction in her wake:

Authorities are still searching for survivors :)

Officially Out-Numbered

2009-01-05T10:48:00.007-05:00

Today is my first day of mothering two children- ON MY OWN. Patton went back to work today after a truly amazing THREE WEEKS home. It was incredible having him here. Not only did he whip this place into shape, but he was stay-at-home-dad-extrodinaire! I was sad to see him go this morning but a little excited to get back to life as usual (+1) -or- to see how I'd do without him.Well, I am happy to report that, so far, all is going exactly as I had hoped. As a matter of fact, (I'm bragging here, so prepare yourselves...) Not only are both babies fed and napped, we are (ALL THREE) dressed and ready for the day. In addition to all that- I've even managed to sneak in a FULL-HOUR of down time, as both kiddo's napped -at the same time!

It remains to be seen how the second half of the day goes- but, I'm encouraged. And that goes a long way!

Update on the Kids:

Carter is, how to say this...., a VERY GOOD EATER. His is gaining weight at an alarming rate and seems much more a hearty baby than a fragile newborn. At his two week check up (last week) he was well up over his birth weight and looking good! For the last few days his has adopted a perfect little 3 hour routine and is both sleeping well and happy when awake. amazing.

And Sofie. She is my personal hero- Never-mind that we totally pulled the rug out from under her- what with the arrival of her little brother, the holidays and Dada being home for 3 weeks. Never-mind that, we think, her molars are coming in. She is just as happy and content as ever. Flawless in her routine- Sleeping great, playing independently and eating like a champ- She is simply awesome.

So, Here. Pictures. Of awesome babies.