2010_12_21 Tuesday

Elise sat up all by herself today! She's been working on it for a few days but I witnessed a successful sit today. I even saw her flip from her belly to sitting upright. holy cow. Guess we'll be moving her crib down a notch now.

We've been giving her wooden clothes pins to play with while on the changing table, and she's decided to call them "ttttteeeees"... consistently.

We have Jonathan's parent/teacher conference today. Why am I nervous!?

2010_12_18 Saturday

The kiddos were up early today -- 7:30! -- so we managed to get to the diner and finish earlier that we typically even arrive! Then, Dave and Jonathan went off to wrestling practice while Elise and I went to Whole Foods to be fashion models. And, boy, did we score. She got a $50+ organic, free trade outfit (beanie, shirt, and pants), while I got a complete 100% organic cotton outfit (pants, tank top, sweater, and scarf). Plus, I got a free make-up job, all 100% organic hemp (?!). And, then I also got a parting gift of blue finger-less gloves. All for being there for 30 minutes or so and walking up and down their cafe area. Not bad for a day's work!!! Jonathan and Dave got there right as it was ending. Oh well.

2010_12_17 Friday

Our adventure for today landed us at the Crayola Factory. What fun! There were lots of Crayola-themed stations to do artwork, which was a neat idea, but Jonathan just isn't that into coloring yet. We did spend considerable time at their Magic Mold, a playdoh-y mush, station. I really liked their glow-in-the dark area, but he wanted to keep moving.

The upper level is also the PA Museum of Canals, which was completely kid-friendly and even more fun for Jonathan because he got to play in the water and drive a boat up a canal, through locks. They had lots of hands-on exhibits on the mules and how locks work. Dave would have really enjoyed it too!

To top the day off, Jonathan won a semester scholarship to the German School! It's 30 Saturdays from 9-12, but we're going to go for it and see how it goes. I'm really excited.

2010_12_09 Thursday

Ack, so much for my quiet, relaxing shower at 1:30PM. Elise went down for her nap with little objection. Jonathan has had a rough day, likely because he went to bed very late last night (b/c we were visiting friends). He had a hard time eating pizza for lunch (?!?!), and wasn't pleased about taking a rest/nap. He didn't need to pee. With the two of them relatively quiet, I got into the shower, and sure enough, within minutes he came running in to pee, tried to do it himself, but then peed everywhere. So, I gathered him, sobbing, up in the shower, which he definitely does not enjoy, rinsed him off, and then he hid under daddy's towel on the shower mat until I was done. Oh, to have 5 minutes of alone time....maybe in a few years....

oh right, then he managed to take a 3 hour nap afterward!!!

2010_12_07 Tuesday

Within the past couple of days, Elise has figured out how to kiss. She sort of makes a popping noise as her kiss. She's not actually blowing them to anyone; she's just kissing. It's a riot. She also won't do it on demand quite yet, but if you catch her doing it, you can solicit a couple of them!!

On top of that, she's also learning the sign for 'daddy' very quickly. That must be some remnant of our prehistoric times, an effort to keep the man around, right?! She's also pretty good with 'more,' although she may think it means 'I get another Cheerio when I slap my hands together.' She knows who Jonathan is by name. But, 'mommy' is nowhere in sight. Not even close.

Last night was St Nicklaus. Jonathan got a game called Ants in Your Pants, which he finds a hysterical title and a somewhat difficult game. It's very much like tiddlywinks. Elise got one of those wire tangles with wooden shapes that slide around. Dave got underware. And, I got a 2011 family calendar. St Nick is so wise!

2010_12_02 Thursday

On Tuesday, Jonathan had a complete melt-down at school. He hid behind my leg, wouldn't speak to anyone, and the sobbed when he realized I wasn't there any longer. The principal said he sulked for awhile but then realized everyone else was having fun and snapped out of it. So, today, en route to school, he said that he didn't need to cry at school today. He did last time but not this time. I said that everyone cries sometimes, but school was fun and we didn't need to cry there. He agreed. What a rascal.

2010_12_01 Wednesday

On the way home from Elise's Rutgers study, Jonathan chimed up from the back seat:

J2: "Mommy, there's a 't' on that building!"

J1: "yes, honey, that's a church. And, that 't' is a cross."

J2: "but, mommy, there's no 't' in church!"

2010_11_22 Monday

We went to Northlandz, a train museum, today. Jonathan really liked it. His favorite was the life-size train, although he was disappointed that there was only one tunnel to go through. We spent the better part of 3 hours watching model trains drive around and through tunnels. It was fun to follow them from room to room. It's a very cool place for a train-enthusiast.

2010_11_17 Wednesday

Oma got here yesterday evening, and we've been having a blast. We took her to Whole Foods today for art class, where we made Thanksgiving sandwiches and paper turkeys. Lots of Jonathan's friends were there, so he had a particularly good time. Afterward, we headed straight for the science center and stayed for about 3 hours. Great times and pretty empty (whew). Jonathan and Oma played in the toddler room for awhile; he really enjoyed showing her the rice table, the DIY cars and track, and the ball flinger-thingy. Then we ran through their zoo, which he typically loves but didn't seem to care for today. After a snack, we stopped at the construction exhibit on the way out, and they 'drove' an excavator. Good times!

At home, they've been playing with new puzzles and toys from Oma's goody bag. He's in for a sore awakening once she leaves (tomorrow). poor guy. However, Daddy comes home tomorrow night, so that will be good.

2010_11_11 Thursday

There are a couple of things of note that may or may not have actually happened today (memory is a little fuzzy) that are represented in the slideshow...

Elise realized that there is a baby in her mirror every time she looks. She tried to kiss her and find her behind the mirror, but was unsuccessful despite lots of cooing and chatter.

Jonathan wrote "MOM" on his board, but by the time I got the camera out, he had erased a good chunk of it. He wrote it vertically but that's still a good start.

Finally, we celebrated St Martin's this year just with making a pretzel. Since we were traveling to MD that evening, we really couldn't make a lantern and have a mini-parade. But, the pretzel was a big hit, again.

2010_11_09 Tuesday

Not only did Elise sleep through the night again tonight, but she found a baby in her mirror this morning. I was crying laughing, as she made faces at herself -- making her giggle -- and then tried to look behind the mirror for the baby she was playing with.

2010_11_06 Saturday

Today was a huge milestone for Elise -- she slept through the night!! And, not just how the doctors say that infants should sleep through the night, meaning 6 hours. She slept from 8pm until 8am!!! We were thrilled. I was also a wee bit sore and had to pump a lot! We went out to dinner last night, and she ate lots of carbs, so I think that may have held her through the night. Whatever it was, we are super happy!

2010_10_31 Sunday

So, it's Halloween!!!! Elise's top FOUR teeth have started to pop through. We noticed them coming last Sunday night, as we were driving, and now you can definitely feel the sharp nubs. We had her 6 month doctor's appointment on Thursday, Oct 28, and all is well. She's squarely in the 50th percentile for everything. Nothing astounding to report on that front.

For Halloween, she was a spider and I was her web. Jonathan was adamant about being a "white ghost." So, I made costumes for us this year. We tried them out at our Whole Foods program and tweeked them for the big day. Jonathan did not like only having eye holes, so I cut out an entire face hole for him. Then we tried it out again at our village 'parade,' which was actually 'mayhem.' He preferred it, but I think the hole was still too small and kept slipping. And, today we visited cousins Bobby and Catherine to trick-or-treat in their area. He decided to be Spiderman (one of Bobby's old costumes), which still worked out nicely b/c it matched our spider theme, and was much warmer. He was a real trouper, having gotten up early, pushed through our 3+ hour adventure at the mall to get new phones, the 1 hr drive up there, and then running after his cousins for a good 3 hours.

See our photos:

2010_10_25 Monday

Elise's top two teeth have popped through! I saw them today as she leaned backward to watch Jonathan. They've just broken skin, and they actually look more like canines than the front two, but we'll see as they come in more. Maybe that's what I've been feeling and why she was a real pill on the ride home last night!

2010_10_18 Monday

We went to the zoo today, and Jonathan rode George, the horse, for the first time. He was very brave and went with the nice lady who held onto him for the ride. Jonathan told her that he could see the parking lot where our car was from on top of George. He told me "I love George so much and I want to play with him." afterward.

2010_10_12 Tuesday

Today was mostly an uneventful day, buuuuut...

I picked up Jonathan from school as usual, but Morah Faygi asked to speak to me privately. I thought she was going to ream me for Jonathan's 'unusual' peeing. Instead, she said, "Jonathan knows his whole alphabet. I mean, he recognizes each letter. He knows that 'mom' starts with 'm'. I wouldn't expect that until the 4s [class of 4 year olds]. Jonathan is REALLY smart!" Oh boy did that make me beam. And, after all the house nonsense, that really made my day!

2010_10_06 Wednesday

Yesterday's school adventure was awesome -- no tears or wailing whatsoever!! I was so proud. He was, however, concerned that I needed to go "to the grocery store for apples." I don't know where he got that, but it was definitely on his mind!

This morning, Jonathan had red eggs and ham while I had blue eggs and ham. He thought that was pretty cool.

2010_09_30 Thursday

No school today. We had a really nice morning, snuggling in bed and giggling. Then the day was up and down. Jonathan had to sit and think because he hit me. grr.

Elise figured out how to hold a bottle at dinner tonight. That was pretty exciting.

Jonathan has these capsules that expand in water that we use in his bath. As he was sitting on the toilet looking at the pictures of the animals, he said: "Mommy, what is that character?" about the sting ray. Toward the evening, I had a massive sneezing attack that lasted for a few hours. I don't know if there's high pollen/mold/? but it's really affecting me. When I tucked Jonathan into bed, he asked me, "Mommy, are you falling apart?"

2010_09_28 Tuesday

This morning, again, was a fiasco. Jonathan peed through his diaper and pjs and so was very upset to start with, and when we started to get dressed for school, he completely lost his mind, screaming and crying hysterically (naked, mind you). Once he calmed down, he said that he was too tired for school -- that's after 12 hours of sleep! -- and wanted to sleep more. Fast forward to drop-off: He asked me to walk him to the stairs, gave me a kiss and a hug, and he pranced into school hardly even looking back at me. And, when I picked him up, he came out without any problems or tears -- yeah!!! He made a flag with blue and red stamps on it today. Not sure why, but it's cute.

While he was in school, Elise and I did her study at Rutgers and went to a fabric store so I can try my hand at DIY pillows and curtains.

2010_09_27 Monday

Mom: "I love you from here to the moon and back."

Jonathan: "I love you from here to the moon in front."

On the way home from the grocery store, Jonathan blurted out "Mommy, my school is that way." and was exactly right. The interesting part is that we were coming from the opposite direction we typically do, but he still knew it.

2010_09_22 Thursday

Jonathan doesn't have school today. He's been asking to play "potato" for some time now, and I just don't understand what he means. Well, I figured it out: he means PlayDoh!!! ha, so we pulled out the playdoh, and he's thrilled.

2010_09_16 Thursday

Today was Jonathan's second day of preschool. He's a riot. He was super excited to go today, and he barely looked back once he got into the classroom. When I came back to pick him up, he was in the arms of one of the teachers, crying. I thought he was hurt, but he was actually sad to leave school again, saying: "I don't want to go home, I want to play more at school." So, we hung out in his classroom for a few more minutes until he was ready to go home. What a cutie. Faygi said "he's an extremely good helper and good boy." awww.

Meanwhile, Elise and I went to Nana's Playgroup at our local retirement community. She got lots of 'oohs' and "aahs' from the residents. I felt really good about being there and chatting with a few of the ladies.

Then came dinner time. For the past three nights, Jonathan has just not been interested in dinner. So, tonight I actually let him decide what to have: mac-n-cheese (which he also had for lunch). When I gave it to him, he nibbled a bite or two. It is so insanely frustrating to me because he just starts to meld down, sassing me and making bad choices. Again tonight, he went to bed very early and with minimal dinner.

After doing some research on this, I'm vowing to let it go. He knows I'm not going to make another meal (he doesn't ask for anything else), and he'll eat when he's hungry. Dinner lasts 20 minutes and then we will move on with our nighttime routine, and I will not be frustrated or upset about it going forward. Apparently, this is a very typical 3-yr old phase; I suppose that makes me feel better...sort of.

Elise, on the other hand, is loving solid foods. She gobbles up all the 'oatmeal' I give her. I've certainly been giving her more than one tablespoon, as recommended, and it's not runny at all. She also likes the zwieback cookies, although they get hard to hold onto. She's got the hang of eating...now if she could only pick up those melty cheerios.

2010_09_14 Tuesday

Today was a huge day for both kids!!

Jonathan: He had his first official day of preschool today! I made him a Schultute to celebrate his first day. He was really excited about going, even when we got to school. But, once we got inside, he was perhaps a little overwhelmed by the attention and newness of it all, and he cowered behind my leg. Mora Faygi asked him to color some shoes, which he wasn't into, but he was more interested in exploring some puzzles, and I made my escape. When I picked him up, he hid in the doorway, not wanting to go home! So, that is a grand success in my book!!

I'm not quite sure why his nap was a flop today; I thought he'd be exhausted, but he was not. And, as has become the trend, dinner is pure torture and drags out for 30 minutes of him wanting to be fed or just sitting there whining. At about 2 minutes until time, he said he just wanted to go to bed; I don't know if that came out organically or if he was just repeating what I had been saying. Off to bed he went with me steamed. So, tonight he basically had one bite of chicken/broccoli/noodle casserole (which he has weekly!). I think I'm going to cut dinner down to 20 minutes, for my own sanity.

Elise: While her big brother was in school, we continued with her study participation at Rutgers. But, more exciting, she had her first official solid meal today -- breast milk and cereal -- for dinner. While she technically had banana and applesauce at Oma and Opa's house yesterday, this counts as the first meal (photos are of both 'meals'). She gobbled it down like a champ and barely made a mess! I don't recall how much to give in the early stages, so I actually had to cut her off.

Just goofing around:

2010_09_07 Tuesday

Last night, Elise was up no less than four times. I'm dragging today! I think she's gotten accustomed to sleeping with me since that's what we did while we were away. She's already had two naps today, although I haven't had one yet.

Today was Jonathan's first day of preschool (orientation, really). He was really hard to wake up and kept saying how he wanted to sleep more (guess we need to go to bed earlier!). At school, he was just ok, not his stellar self. He met his teachers (Mora Feygi, Mora Yaffa, and Mora Frumie). We sat in a circle, and each child was offered a sample of honey (for Rosh Hashana), but he wouldn't take it. He did love all the vehicles, though, and the kitchen. I tried to show him where the bathroom was to avoid any accidents, but we'll see.

I got him into most of the nature center classes that we wanted, so that was lucky too.

During lunch, we watched a few episodes of Elmo. In one, they talked about what made them happy, sad, angry, etc. I asked Jonathan what made him sad: "when daddy goes to Atlanta to work." boo. But, when I asked him what made him happy, he said: "kisses from mommy and daddy." awwww.

2010_09_05 Sunday

We spent the long weekend in DC for Clair's bridal shower. I was lucky enough to visit some dear, old friends, especially two who live out of the country. It really was a wonderful visit. Dave and Jonathan got to hang with the boys (especially Bobby) while Elise and I hung with the ladies.

We also spend the afternoon with PopPop, Grandma, Sam, Vicki, and Samantha. The drive home on Sunday night was pretty much a mess, as Jonathan refused to sleep until nearly 10:30pm. Then, of course, Elise woke up around midnight, screaming. We pulled into our driveway around 1:30am.

2010_08_29 Sunday

We had a wonderful extended weekend in Philadelphia. Shannon and Shawn arrived on Wednesday afternoon. We all went to Pat's for a famous Phily Cheesesteak, which was remarkably bad. But, we needed to buy some time before check-in at the Union League. We had a lovely dinner out, with too many appetizers, drinks, and food. The kids did pretty well, though. That evening we took a stroll to a grocery store that was literally next door to Grandpapa's; I freaked out that he might bump into us, but as luck had it, he was at the Union League!

On Thursday, Oma met us at the Please Touch Museum, and Shawn and Jonathan had a blast. The neat thing about the museum is that kids played completely organically: without any adult interference. They cooperated across age, gender, race, etc to get things done, and it was really something to observe. Lesson: adults are the ones who get in the way; let kids play! He's also a great pretender! We all observed him having tea parties with a Madhatter, watering the garden vegetables, and shopping in the grocery store, all with very realistic, yet pretend, stories.

Thursday night was Grandpapa's 80th birthday surprise party. What a great time. Jonathan actually wore his bow tie the entire night. What a handsome fellow. Elise was charming as ever and floated around the room with various friends/family of Grandpapa's. Oma asked Jonathan if he'd share his cranberry juice, so he told her to "get your own cranberry juice at the bar, Oma."

On Friday, we had breakfast at the Union League with Grandpapa and then headed back into New Jersey to visit Cheryl Lynn and her family. Bud has now been christened Uncle Bug; I was explaining to Jonathan where we were going, but he heard me say we were visiting Uncle Bug instead of Uncle Bud. We had a wonderful visit. Her three boys were absolutely incredible with Jonathan. He even went into the pond and the "fake beach" with them (with a life vest on and me melting down). There were a lot of naked bums at the pond too!

And, today, for the first time, I could actually SEE a tooth popping through!!! She's broken gums! It's her bottom right (as you look at her).

2010_08_20 Friday

I promised Jonathan that we'd go to the 'ball pit' today (read: IKEA). Now that he's potty trained, he can go in. I even called ahead to make sure it was open! I returned some items first, and he was chomping at the bit to get in the pit. So, I signed him in, he kicked off his shoes, and headed in, never once looking back. Since it was a weekday, he got to go for a full hour. Elise and I sat in the cafe, both to spy and for me to read. I only saw him for the last five minutes; I'm not quite sure what he was doing the rest of the time. BUT, when the monitor went to get him, he started bawling because he didn't want to leave. I guess he had fun. We ate lunch at the cafe, watching all the planes land at Newark and the cars on I-95 (no trains this time). He picked out all the FedEx planes. Elise was pretty annoyed with the whole day, so I Bjorned her and pushed an empty stroller through the store. On the down side, their ice cream machine was out, so we couldn't get our $1 cone this time. bummer. On the way home, he told me he "made lots of friends in the pits."

Dave got in EARLY tonight!!! like, 45 mins early. It was awesome. We all jumped in the car and got him no problem, and then we all stayed up until after 9pm to see him.

2010_08_19 Thursday

Today was the last of our free summer movies. It was a bit of a dumb one, but Jonathan was mesmerized, and Elise was mostly quiet. Afterward, we stopped by the pediatrician to pick up Jonathan's school forms and dropped them off at his preschool. Meanwhile, they had dropped off our welcome packet. It's so exciting. Jonathan seems to be hot and cold about going to school so far.

2010_08_18 Wednesday

This evening was our first HOOT OWLs dinner, which is for moms whose hubbies travel a lot. It was at a local park, and we had pizza delivered. I'm not sure Jonathan actually stopped running around between 4:30-6:30. Plus, he befriended a couple of little kids. He'd stand at the top of the ladder or the bottom of the slide and encourage them up/down. He even walked a boy, holding his hand, over to the big kid's playground, probably to his mother's dismay.

The very nice thing about tonight was that even with a bath and 4 stories, Jonathan and Elise were in bed before 7:30!! unheard of!

I had a terrible time sleeping, though; it may have been the glass of wine. I was wide awake between 1-3:30am. I even read for awhile. Nothing is more frustrating than watching those minutes click by. The kids slept well; Elise was up twice, and Jonathan got up around 8:45 but snuggled with me until 9, when E woke up for the day.

2010_08_15 Sunday

SHE ROLLED OVER!!!! I went in to get her after a very long nap this afternoon, and she was on her belly with her head popped up. Then, we put her down in the den, and she continued to flip over a couple of times. How scary and exciting!

Jonathan was super cute by laying down at her face to encourage her to flip over (although he kept saying 'hi, baby, come on' as if to encourage her to crawl). either way: awww.

2010_08_14 Saturday

We drove to Connecticut for the day. One of Dave's cousin's son was baptized. We actually missed the ceremony because of traffic, but we made it to the reception afterward. Elise is still tough in the car, although she does sleep for awhile now. The problem is that when she's awake, she screams. It was great to spend time with his cousins and their kids; most are about Jonathan's age. The ride home was about the same: E slept for 1/2 way and cried the other, and J had to pee in the trunk rather than stopping on I-95 at night.

It's been great to have Dave home for so long. Jonathan's been at his side for 99% of it. Dave's off to CA and ATL Tues AM-Fri PM.

2010_08_12 Thursday

What a garbage-y day. It started off on the wrong foot with Jonathan being fairly defiant as soon as he got up. He saw that Dave was working from home, so he wanted to spend the day with him and was pretty sour that I wouldn't let him.

We went to the movies, saw Aliens in the Attic, which I think was a bit too scary for him, although he seemed ok through it. I'm not sure he followed the story all that much. E slept through a lot of it.

And, now, I'm having a terrible time getting the kids down for naps. Jonathan screamed incessantly (just to make noise) and then peed on his floor. Elise has been screaming/wailing for a good 90 mins by now. I've poked in to make sure she hasn't thrown up on herself or has a poopy diaper, etc, but she just doesn't want to nap. I'm at my wit's end, so both can cry it out until I pull myself back together (sounds like J2 has stopped, but E is far from it). ugh.

2010_08_05 Thursday

I have been working like a banshee on a surprise while Dave's been gone. I repainted Elise's room. The walls and ceiling were an awful, faded teal, so I fixed all the holes, white-washed the ceiling, and painted the walls a pale purple. It took him 24 hrs to go into her room and see it. I love how it's turned out, though. I'm much happier in there; I'm hoping she is too. Next up is to hang our gingham purple shades. I think we'll do a yellow accent, so I'm hunting for a funky yellow table lamp to get started.

I have grand ambitions for denim-ish stripes in Jonathan's room. I'd love to finally stain the secretary's desk that has been calling to me from the basement for nearly two years now. And, some of our gardens are horrendous and need massive overhauls. All these projects should keep me busy while hubster is away.

2010_08_04 Wednesday

We made it to Whole Foods today. They had a dinosaur theme, so we took along two books to share. And, Jonathan made a cute dino out of construction paper.

I had the pleasure of hosting both Iris and Aylin for a short visit this afternoon. Great to see them, even if J and Alanya were crazy.

It was ungodly hot/humid today, so after a stroll into town (and a juice on the way home), Jonathan and I took a bath together, a first. What fun we had making waves and splashing around. I guess we got clean too, who knows! He made some funny comments like "Mommy, you have big boobs." etc that I suppose all kids say at some point.

I finished my big surprise today (painted Elise's room). There's nothing hanging on the walls yet, but the color is great. It's just a solid purple; I'd like to have a chair-rail hung and then add dark purple stripes along the bottom section, but I'm happy with a solid color for now. I'd also like to do Jonathan's room too in white and dark blue stripes, maybe. And, I have a secretary to stain and position in the foyer. That should keep me busy when Dave is traveling...at least for a little while!

2010_08_03 Tuesday

Sitting at a red light in town, Jonathan says: "Mommy, ladies have rings in their ears, but daddy's do not." HA!

2010_08_01 Sunday

It's been awhile, and while there haven't been any remarkable developmental items to report, I am so happy about Jonathan's potty training. He's been dry consistently; he even had a dry diaper overnight, and he does wake up in the morning to go to the bathroom. It's very exciting.

On a different note, Dave is quitting his job for one with his old buddies. He now is working 50% in ATL, for the foreseeable future. So, the three of us are flying solo this week. We dropped him off at the airport tonight. When I told Jonathan that we'd pick him back up on Thursday, his response was: "Mommy, are you kidding me?" ha, I couldn't help but laugh.

Below are a few new shots of the kiddies. I had planned to get Jonathan's 3 yr old ones done on Friday but had to cancel b/c he was in a complete funk. Maybe I'll use some of these. Enjoy!

2010_07_16 Friday

Jonathan: "psst, mom, I want to tell you a secret."

I lean over, and he whispers in my ear.

Jonathan: "you are so pretty, mommy."

I well up.

2010_07_15 Thursday

Jonathan got a cool alphabet game from Aunt D that he's been playing with daddy pretty consistently. I got to play with him for the first time tonight. I was amazed at how well he could play it (some rhyming, some letter identification, some word correction). gesh! But even more impressive: one of his words was 'bat,' and he recounted a full story about a bat we saw at the Newark Museum 2-3 weeks ago, telling me how the bat was hiding in a cave and we pushed a button to see it's skeleton.

2010_07_11 Sunday

Jonathan's birthday celebration continued today. We went to the diner, per his request, although he acted a bit shy when the ladies -- including Donna -- came by. grr. That's so frustrating, and a tad embarrassing, since he sees them just about weekly!

Then we made a day of Maplewoodstock, a local music festival. It was very hot, but we stayed for about 2 hours. Dave and Jonathan explored various tents, including a bounce-house, while E and I hung out in the shade and jammed with the musicians.

2010_07_10 Saturday

Is it really possible that our baby is 3 years old today!?!? wow, has time flown by. We had a really great day, which started off with a leisurely wake-up and then a road-trip to Phillipsburg, NJ to the Day with Thomas train extravaganza. Now, Thomas was sold out, but we managed to get on a real steam engine train, and there were tons of Thomas-y things going on -- including two bounce-houses -- that sated Jonathan's needs. Afterward, we ventured into PA for dinner with the Kutz family. Elise, on the other hand, still does NOT enjoy car rides.

2010_07_08 Thursday

We had our first preschool 'interview' today at a synagogue. I'm afraid it's a bit too religious for my taste, although it's seems like a wonderful program. Jonathan was oddly not himself; he was very shy and clingy; then again, everything was new to him.

I've got both kids screaming as they take their naps (and I have lunch). Jonathan is pitching a fit because I wouldn't give him any water before he sleeps...of course, he's in his big boy underwear, so that would be asking for trouble, and he's screeching away like an owl. Elise is basically down already.

2010_07_07 Wednesday

Ugh, it's above 100 degrees again today! I went in to wake Jonathan and he was yelling "no, no, no..." in his sleep. When he finally did wake up, he was upset and crying, but he couldn't tell me what his dream was or what upset him. I guess that's a developmental milestone we haven't passed yet.

After our weekly visit to Whole Foods' art program, where Jonathan made a green ladybug out of a paper plate, he got on his bathing suit and took a plunge in our pool while Elise took a nap...or at least tried to. Meanwhile, the power went out for about 30 mins.

He's still doing perfectly with potty training. We venture out in big boy underwear routinely now; we just have to make sure he goes before we leave to maximize our time out. But, so far, so good!

While dinner is lasting an eternity these days, we've come up with a plan to have an analogue clock to watch the minutes tick by. And, if he takes x amount of time, he can still play in the den, have two books, etc. But if he goes past it, things start to get taken away, until ultimately it's straight to bed. On a much more positive note, he actually spat out his toothpaste for the first time last night! wahoo! He's really hitting a lot of milestones in a short amount of time!!!

2010_07_06 Tuesday

Got back from a long and wonderful weekend at the Barony. Jonathan is potty trained!! He's been so good, and no accidents since about a week ago! He even made it through one nap, and he woke up yesterday with a dry diaper. However, this morning's diaper wasn't dry, so we'll keep going with the night-time diapers. How very exciting, though!!!

On a less exciting note, the drive home was atrocious. Elise was horrible. It took us 7 hours for what should have taken 4 hours. She was a mess, screaming the whole way; we think it's a gassy problem. I was sandwiched in the back and didn't do a whole lot of help. So, I switched out her car seat for the other one we have, and she made it to and from the grocery store with whimpers, but not screams. Hopefully, this car seat is at a better angle or is somehow more comfortable for her.

Today it is 102. Too hot to do much. blech.

2010_06_29 Tuesday

We are into our second day of big boy underpants, with four successes (sometimes poops/pees/both), two failures (one b/c it was far more fun to play with daddy), and one false alarm so far.

Mom: "can I have the yellow train?"

Jonathan: "can you ask nicely, mommy?"

Mom: "may I please have the yellow train?"

Jonathan: "of course you may, mommy! nice asking."

We also made popcicles this morning and he's enjoying the fruits (haha, it's all pureed fruit) of his labor as dessert.

Daddy: "You are eating 'bowtie' noodles."

Mommy: "Sometimes daddies wear bowties to work."

J2: "I wear bowties on Friday, Saturday, and Monday. I have [list as many colors as he could think of] bowties."

2010_06_22 Tuesday

This entry isn't so much a log, but a repository.

I took the kids to the Staten Island Children's Museum at some point in June/July, but I've forgotten which day it was. It took forever to find it, but was worth the trip. But, I some great photos that should be seen...

along with some of us just goofing around (again, date forgotten!)...

and

2010_06_20 Sunday

We hosted Oma/Opa (+dogs) and the MD and NY Hardwicks for a Father's Day BBQ.

2010_06_19 Saturday

Shannon/Shawn and Elise/I went to Costco in preparation for our Father's Day BBQ. Dave and Jonathan went to the fire station for an open house. Then, we all went to the Cassidy's for a BBQ. Shannon/Shawn and Elise/I left a little early to get them packed and back to LGA.

2010_06_18 Friday

GG, Great Aunt Holly, and Oma came to visit us. And, Kevin/Melissa stopped by afterward!

2010_06_17 Thursday

Grandpoppy came to visit us! I couldn't believe how comfortable Jonathan was with him; he just chatted away like they were old buds. Jonathan also used his blocks as snacks for everyone, and he 'cooked' them in the den while we 'ate' in the living room.

2010_06_16 Wednesday

We went to our Whole Foods art class and made hand/foot prints for Father's Day!

2010_06_15 Tuesday

We went to the zoo!! It was Shawn's first time ever. Everyone enjoyed the train, and everyone but me enjoyed the carousel.

2010_06_14 Monday

Shannon and Shawn arrived late at night for a visit until Saturday.

2010_06_08 Tuesday

After quite a late morning (J2 got up close to 10am!), we headed to the Liberty Science Center for the day. All the obnoxious school trips notwithstanding, we had a great time. He spent most of the time in the toddler play room, which has a rice table, a ball machine, and a build-your-own car race track. I was able to pull him away to see the Eat and Be Eaten animal exhibit, which I really like. Then, we swung through a communication exhibit, which had a movie about the news and sourcing. (some day, I'd like to moozy through it for my own knowledge.) J2 turned to me and asked if he could watch "the daddy movie," so I asked him what that was; his response was that "there were lots of daddies in the movie [news anchors and reporters] and that there were no mommy movies on right now." After a little snack, we visited the construction exhibit, which had a Muppets movie and a Spiderman movie clip showing the use of skyscrapers. He liked that, and he enjoyed building his own skyscraper with the foamy blocks we have at home (and that he never touches).

Was able to nurse Elise a couple of times in relative privacy.

2010_06_07 Monday

This weekend, Elise and I flew to Buffalo, NY, by way of IAD and PHI. She was absolutely amazing...she didn't make a peep in any of the four flights. She slept the entire time. People even commented that they didn't realize there was a baby in the plane, which is the ultimate compliment IMHO. The Borgosz/Jolly wedding was great. They are so perfect together. I had a blast seeing many of the DC crew. They were also all very helpful while I nursed Elise or had to pee, etc. While it was tough to lug the carseat and a dufflebag around various airports, the entire trip was as smooth and as fun as I could have hoped for. I brought Jonathan a Buffalo stuffed animal home, and he now tells me that I went "to a buffalo wedding."

Jonathan and Dave went to another Home Depot Kids' Workshop and made a mini-fussball table. It sounded like they had a really good time too.

2010_06_03 Thursday

Jonathan: "Mommy, I only poop on Fridays."

2010_05_28 Friday

Jonathan: We were at the cookie store yesterday, and the man asked if the smiley face was sugar. Jonathan turned his head and said, "no, here's the sugar," implying that it was in the back of his head. Jonathan is doing great. He can hold a full conversation without any trouble, although he can be a little shy around strangers. He's very polite, saying "excuse me please" when he wants to interrupt. He loves Sesame Street; I'm not thrilled about TV but sometimes it's a necessary evil while I deal with Elise. His eating has slowed down considerably, which can be frustrating b/c I know he can do it by himself. I've been told that that happens when a new child enters the picture. Potty training has also slowed a bit, although he still prefers to poop on the potty. Sometimes, though, it's an attention-getting ploy. His sleeping is still phenomenal. We've also started to encourage him to just get up and come out of his room when he wakes up. So far, so good. He is amazing with Elise: so gentle and caring, and he calls her "Baby Elise." It's very cute to watch him, and he even asks to hold her on occasion.

Elise: Today, she is one month old. Wow, where did the time go? She's got great head control already. She's been sleeping with us so far and is able to sleep through the night (with maybe one feeding around 3am). I'm hoping she can continue with that once she goes into her own room, which should be soon. She's such a content child; she only cries when she needs something...although around 8pm, she tends to get particularly gassy and needs help getting it out.

2010_05_25 Tuesday

While today is nothing special, I've had a few revelations of note.

- I have amazing kids. Jonathan truly is wonderful in coping with Elise's arrival. I've heard horror stories of kids completely going crazy, but he's nothing but sweet. Elise basically sleeps through the night, and has from the beginning!

- I CAN do this. While I realize I'm not the first person in the world to have two kids, it was a scary undertaking to be alone with them. After about 10 days now, I'm feeling pretty confident in being able to deal.

- My house is messy but loved. My ToDo list keeps growing, but I'll keep at it. Someday I might catch up.

2010_05_18 Tuesday

Boy, is it unnerving to have two kids crying hysterically at the same time. How do you decide who to comfort first!?! (besides me, of course!)

2010_05_17 Monday

Today I'm officially all by myself with the two kids...no one is home with me! Last night was a total disaster. Jonathan was up until 12:22 screaming after I took away his light (and 'blue man', the night light) because he was reading and playing at 11:00. It was heartbreaking to hear his scream, but necessary to get it out.

Today he told me that he "doesn't want daddy to go to work" and asked if he could come to work with daddy, but "daddy said no." Maybe one of these days, we'll go in and meet him for lunch.

We spent the morning playing with Josh between our yards. Then, I decided to venture into town for a pizza lunch. We managed quite well actually!!! But, a woman stopped me and asked me why I keep Jonathan's hair so short -- what kind of a question is that?? And, better yet, how do I respond!?! "well, because I like it that way, you moron!?"

2010_05_06 Thursday

Thank god I didn't have a c-section. Tonight, Elise was a farting machine, and Dave and I were in tears laughing as she tooted away. (Had I had stitches, I would have been crying in pain.) I don't know what made her so gassy, but she was just letting them rip! And, we just couldn't help ourselves.

I've also posted a couple of pictures of Elise on my Facebook page.

2010_05_01 Saturday

Jonathan relayed to me that "cheekmunks" ate through Oma's car wires, causing her delay in getting up here!

2010_04_28 Wednesday

I woke up this morning at 3am in full-blown labor. Since I wasn't 100% sure what was going on, I waited about an hour before waking David up. I called Oma for advice and for her to get here pronto. I also called Dr Parchment for her advice; she said to meet her at the hospital around 5am. The contractions were 5-6 minutes apart at that point, so it really was time to get a move on. Dave ran Jonathan over to Josh's house at 4:30am (and he accidentally dropped his cell phone in Josh's room). I was hurting by then, but I took a shower and packed my bag, and met Dave in the car. We pulled out, but had to stop at Josh's to find the cell (b/c Dave had to contact work to notify them). I felt like the baby was going to be born in the car. Dave flew through all the stop lights, on my plea.

We got to Overlook Hospital around 5:30am. When they checked me, I was already 5cm dilated and nearly fully effaced, and the contractions were killing me. After they asked if I wanted an epidural, and I emphatically said "YES!", they decided that I couldn't have one because the baby was coming so fast. Shortly thereafter, I was 10cm and fully effaced; this of course, after the nurses told me that I could expect another 5 hours of labor. After pushing for what seemed like an eternity, I realized that she hadn't even crowned yet. That was a tough pill to swallow. But, once she did crown, the rest happened very quickly.

Elise was born at 6:56am au natural. What a divine experience, although not one I'd volunteer to do again, especially without the epidural! David cut her cord. By the time most people were waking up, I was already in the recovery room nursing her and making as many phone calls as I could handle.

2010_04_26 Monday

I keep meaning to post about our dinner routine now. David is now telling Jonathan a story (or two or three) about Ponathan's daily adventures. They are typically recounts of things Jonathan has done throughout the day or things he enjoys doing. Tonight's adventure was Ponathan going to the zoo (yesterday was Ponathan going over the bridge and to the park). Ponathan is a spin-off of PopPop's stories about Pavid and Peven. And, Jonathan LOVES to hear stories about Ponathan and even corrects David when he slips up with his Ps and Js. It's a hoot to listen to the story and watch Jonathan be super attentive (and inhale dinner so he can hear the whole story).

2010_04_25 Sunday

Jonathan got up this morning; it was dark and rainy so we all got a little more sleep than usual. He came downstairs and got some pretzels nearly by himself. Then, when I asked him where he was going, he told me: "I'm going crazy!" -- thanks, Opa!!!

2010_04_22 Thursday

One little family 'tradition' that my greatgrandmother began is "getting sugar" from each other. Sugar is found in the nape of the neck, so it involves lots of snuggly kisses behind the head. Well, as of yesterday, Jonathan has started telling me that "Sugar is closed, mommy!" and flips his head back so I can't get to his nape....so, I resort to stealing his watermelons, which are in his knees. He can't keep his head in the sky very well when I'm tickling his knees. What a rascal.

2010_04_16 Friday

Jonathan woke up 'early' today and had breakfast (@ 8) with Dave before he left for work. He really liked that. And, he was very excited to tell me that "daddy is bringing popcorn home after work." So, the JDH's walked into town around 9:30 to get mommy some coffee; the cafe owner also gave Jonathan a smiley-face cookie (just what he needed at 9:30am!), but he was very pleased with that.

On the way home, Jonathan saw some tulips and wandered into a flower bed, which I generally don't allow him to do, but he went over to cup the blossom and smell the flower. I wish I had had a camera; it was really a cute moment.

Now we are back home, and the final contractors are here installing our glass shower walls/doors and mirror. Not sure how long they'll be here.

2010_04_15 Thursday

"Mommy, if you read a book to me, your tummy won't hurt." in reference to my Braxton-Hicks contractions...

2010_04_10 Saturday

What a great day we've had!! We started the morning off as a family at the Youth Gardening Club in town. Dave and Jonathan picked up bagels while I got ready and then picked me up on the way to the club. We (trans)planted nasturium, lettuce, basil, marigolds, coleus, and one other plant. Jonathan brought his rake and seemed to enjoy shoveling in the soil and watering anything. What a nice morning. Then, we went to our local elementary school playground for a few hours, and then we walked into town for some ice cream. Jonathan did a pretty fantastic nose plant in the wood chips at the school, although he didn't cry one tear, but we thought he might need some calcium...or maybe that was for me....

He's down for a nap now. Dave's got some work to do, and I may hit the grocery store for some staples.

Oh yeah, and only 13 more days to go (more or less). While I'm still pretty small, I'm ready to get on with the next phase of our family!!

2010_04_07 Wednesday

I don't think today could have been any more beautiful. Should top out at about 80 degrees. Finally, I had a long morning to myself: no contractors, no alarm clock. It was wonderful, especially after two nights of nearly no sleep.

I got Jonathan up around 10am, although he was already awake, just quiet. And, we had a very quick European-style (ie light) breakfast (cheese cubes, strawberries, breakfast bar, etc) before heading over to Whole Foods for our art class. We cut out blue fruits/veggies and glued them together; nothing fancy, just a project. Jonathan got to see Joshua, Marco, and Anouk, so he was pretty happy. He's getting good at cutting with scissors; not sure if that's a good thing!!

We stopped at the playground on the way home, and Jonathan was able to use the big-boy swings. He's slowly getting the idea that you don't just let go. And, he ran around a bit to get some energy out. When we got home, I swept out the garage while he drove his cars around. Now we can finally park in our garage again. Dave did a great job in cleaning out the excess junk in there before the dumpster left. So, now we can fit both cars and Jonathan's summer toys without too much trouble. He also did some chalk drawings before lunchtime.

2010_04_04 Sunday

Today is Jonathan's 1,000th day alive!! and it's Easter too.

We went to the diner today around 11. I went in to get Jonathan out of bed, and he was comfortably reading with nearly 1/2 of his books spread over his bed. Who knows how long he's actually wide awake, but I suppose it's great that he can occupy himself until someone comes to get him.

After brunch, we came home for a private Easter egg hunt, but not before I ventured to three stores (Target was closed!?!?!?) to get M&Ms to fill our plastic eggs. With a minor distraction of bubbles in the front yard, I was able to scatter some eggs around the backyard. And, he got a kick out of hunting them down. Then we came inside to check out the loot and to see what he got in his baskets from Nana and the Easter bunny. He got more bubbles, tried out a yo-yo, and has some new outside chalk (and he made out better than for Halloween with the candy!). It was a fun day.

While he napped, I moved his carseat to behind the driver, vacuumed under his seat, and installed the infant car seat, with sun visor and mirror. I also did some minor clothes arranging, etc in the baby's room. And, now the boys are at the local park, so I have a little bit of quiet time. ahhh...

2010_04_03 Saturday

We had a lovely day at Nana and Grandpa's house today. All the cousins got to hang out and play. Jen even organized an Easter Egg hunt, which went over so well that we had to do it twice. Vicky brought hardboiled eggs and dye, so the kiddies dyed up some eggs as well and then decorated them. Jonathan didn't quite get the decoration part so much, but he thought the dying part was pretty neat. Of course, all his eggs were blue.