COUNTDOWN TO JULY

This summer my family is having our very first reunion, and we're all going to stay together in this amazing home, in one of our favorite locations: Bodega Bay!

There will be 17 of us under one roof. And outside that roof, this will be our view:

There is a short trail to the beach and plenty to keep us entertained for a long weekend. We can't wait to hang out with everyone (some of whom we haven't seen since December of 2007) and relax on the bay. Come on July, let the countdown begin!

FIRST FALL

Good thing we moved our mattress to the floor, because Cora crawled off the bed last night. I had just gotten her to sleep, all curled up on her tummy (have I mentioned she sleeps on her tummy now?), and gone downstairs to grab the monitor and start doing my evening chores. As I'm walking across the kitchen to get the monitor, I hear a thud, then baby screams and Jay's running feet simultaneously (he was back in James' room getting him to sleep). We bound up the stairs, him right behind me (we haven't run upstairs that fast since James vomited that one time after we introduced solids), and find Cora on the floor, on her back, at the corner of the bed. I guess she wasn't asleep after all, and came looking for me as soon as I got out of bed, because I was literally away from her for less than a minute. Luckily, she wasn't hurt (no bumps or bruises - hooray for carpet and a short fall), and she stopped crying quickly after I picked her up and calmed her down. Jeesh. That unexpected drama caused me to sit at the end of the bed and watch her for 10 full minutes after she went back to sleep before I dared go back downstairs. I suppose it's time to start teaching her how to properly get down off the bed...

REFERRED

Cora had her ear recheck this afternoon, and it did not go well. First, we were in the waiting room for 1.5 hours. Then we waited in the exam room for another half hour. By the time we left (another half hour later), Cora had a shot of penicillin, another round of antibiotics, and a referral to the ENT. Her left ear is still badly infected (bulging was the word Doc Smith used) and the right is still red and irritated. This makes ear infection #4 in the past 2 months, and her 5th overall. Sigh. The only good news is that her newly developed cough and runny nose are nothing to worry about. And she's still gaining weight (she is up to 19 lbs, fully dressed). Next week we go to the ENT and discuss tubes...

ELI IS 2!

Well, living 2000 miles away, we missed the party again. But I did get some adorable photos from Mom and Taryn of Eli's big day! The little daredevil looks just like his Daddy, dontcha think?

SUMMER MEANS...

...shorty PJs...

...and mosquito bites. Yup, unfortunately Cora got her first mosquito bite yesterday.

She also got her first bloody nose yesterday... We were all hanging out in our room, getting ready for a morning adventure out to the local Home and Garden Show (which was really just a couple of booths set up in the parking lot of the outlet mall, interspersed with mini recitals from miniature cheerleaders, a clown with bubbles, and a bake sale - the real reason we went) when Cora took a nose-dive. We aren't even sure how it happened. We were both standing right there. So was James. She was crawling from the carpet to the wood floor in our bathroom and somehow face-planted. She was furious, and we were scared she broke her nose. But she stopped crying (well, screaming, to be honest) within a minute or so and it only bled a little. No swelling, no bruising, and she seems fine. Jeesh. Both our kids experienced their first bloody nose in the past month... I hope that isn't any indication of how the summer is going to go...

SING INTO THE MIC

CORA'S FIRST WORD(S)

Cora is starting to talk. That much is for sure. The debate lies in exactly WHEN she started talking, and what her first word was...

Was it 'car' a couple months ago? Or, "cah" as Cora says it? Perhaps not, since she certainly didn't associate the word "car" with cars. At least, we don't think. And maybe she was saying 'cat'? Who knows. She's doesn't say it much anymore...

Was it 'Dada' a couple weeks ago? Maybe. We've heard her say it a few times, usually in response to Jay's prompting. She's becoming a better mimic by the week. And if I ask her where Dada is, she WILL usually turn her head to look. Whether she's actually looking for Jay, who knows...

Then on Thursday night, she said VERY clearly, one of the cutest of all baby phrases: "uh oh". Though for Cora, it goes 'uh, uh oh'. Adorable, I tell ya. She repeated it over and over again, while she crawled circles around the kitchen island. She responsed to me when I said it. She said it for Jay too. She even said it to herself in her reflection on the fridge door.

So there you have it. Those are Cora's first words!

NEW DECOR

James' birthday happens to be the day after Dr. Seuss' birthday, so there is usually a variety of Seuss celebrations during that week in March. This year, Zulily.com (one of my favorite deal websites) had a big sale on Dr. Seuss items, so I thought it was fitting to order a few things for James. In addition to a 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish lunch box and Lorax tote bag, I found a pack of posters that I thought would be perfect in the playroom. I had been wanting a letters and numbers poster for a while anyway...

It may be a while before he needs the Times Tables poster, but they look good up there, dontcha think? He's getting pretty good at the letters (A apple, B ball, etc.), and likes counting (even though he usually skips a couple of numbers, or repeats his favorites: 1, 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10). We've been working on the alphabet song, but so far he just wants us to sing it to him and he never joins in. All in good time...

FIRST DIP OF THE SEASON

1ST TEETH SCRUBBIN'

James did SO GREAT today at the dentist! It was his very first trip, and we were really impressed, surprised (we had built ourselves up for trauma), and proud of him.

We picked a pediatric dentistry office based on multiple recommendations from coworkers. The waiting room was filled with toys and puzzles, and even a room just with stairs and a slide. James made friends with a little 5-year-old girl and raced her down the slide while they waited their turns in the chair. When they called us back, Jay stayed with Cora while I took the little man in. The exam room was actually one big room with multiple tables, murals on the wall, stuffed frogs and figures everywhere, plants, plenty of light, and cheery dental hygienists. James' hygienist sat him on one of the exam tables and we talked about his brushing habits (and thumb sucking habit, and bedtime milk-sippy habit) while she showed him some of the equipment. When he got antsy, I came over and sat next to him. Then she laid him down, looked around his mouth, and commenced the tartar scraping and cleaning. It didn't phase him a bit! I wouldn't say he opened wide and said "Ah" or anything, but he allowed her to do her thing, just laying there calmly holding onto my hands with his. He liked the little suction/vacuum thingy and thought it tickled, but didn't seem as impressed with the cold water jet. There were no tears. A bit of fussing when it came time to polish his teeth with the bubblegum-flavored paste, but it was short-lived. I think the noise bothered him more than the invasion of space. Then there was a quick foamy flouride scrub that he didn't love, but didn't fight either. When she was done, we wandered around and looked at all the frogs and tooth displays until the dentist came out. She gave James a good once-over and talked to us about his thumb sucking. Basically, he needs to stop. Not immediately, but she'd like to see us wean him from it in the next 6 months or so. Currently, he has a bit of an underbite (class 1 or less) that would actually be worse if he DIDN'T suck his thumb (probably closer to class 3), so for now it's helping him. However, that won't always be the case, and we don't want his top teeth to flare outward down the road. We're going to play it by ear for now, and just encourage more activities that require both hands at once, and praise him when he's NOT sucking his thumb. If his habits don't change in 6 months, then we'll consider using the icky-flavored fingernail polish or some such thing. For now, he has clean, perfect teeth, and we're happy to know it.

(He thought the many drawers of teeth castings were super cool)

Oh yeah, and they were sweet enough to classify him as "under 2" so they could "grace" the appointment (meaning, we didn't pay a thing and neither will our insurance). Bonus!

SAVING SOME FOR LATER

(Look! She DOES have some hair!!)

BLS: STRAWBERRIES

Cora had strawberries for the first time last night, and she liked them so much I gave them to her again tonight. Luckily, she made the sour face again (since I didn't take any photos or video last night):

Let's see, other than strawberries, what's new in Cora's diet?... Grapes. I cut them VERY small (into eigths). She's not a big fan though and mostly just spits them out. She's been eating jasmine rice and black beans and LOVES it. She likes peas, especially if they're mixed with carrots. She's tried James' vanilla coconut milk (because she's fast and grabby, not because we gave it to her), as well as his V8 Fusion juice (peach mango - YUM). She's doing well drinking out of a regular cup (held by me) and sips from her own sippy cup on occasion. She's tried sausage and bacon and french toast and biscuits. She loves toast, especially with a little butter or cheese melted on top. She's even had hamburger a couple of times. We think she's a good little eater!

Her average daily food consumption now consists of a full container of YoBaby with Cheerios for breakfast, veggies for lunch (7-10 chunks), and whatever we're having for dinner (really, ANYTHING we're having we let her try, and most nights she eats better and is more experimental than James!) Sometimes they give her Puffs in the afternoon at daycare, but we don't do snacks at home. She only drinks water at dinner and so far hasn't had more than a few "tastes" of juice (I've given her some of my orange juice, in addition to the V8 she steals). The vast majority of her liquid intake is still breastmilk, and we intend to keep it that way for at least a few more months.

LITTLE FOOT

Remember those cute zebra shoeppers I got Cora this winter? She has a pair of awesome pink paisley ones too, with adorable little white felt flowers. She's never even worn them. No matter how cute they are, neither pair ever fit right. They would always just fall right off. Her feet are just so LITTLE. And I had ordered them small (size 0-3 months) because she has tiny little feet. Well, now that she's crawling and cruising, I figure it's time for her to wear shoes, at least when we're outside (like the park, so her feet don't turn black from all the funk on the ground). Back when I was still pregnant with her, I ordered her a bunch of shoes when they came up on my favorite sale sites (Baby Half Off, BabySteals, KidSteals, etc.), in all different sizes. Well, guess which ones 'fit' her? The smallest pair, of course. Size 3-6 months. They're big, but the construction of them (velcro closures) makes them stay on anyway. She looks like she's ready to take off running in them, right? Pink racing stripes and all!

She has another pair of size 3-6 months shoes. They're too fancy for daycare though. I had purchased them specifically for her baptism (white patent leather mary janes), but they didn't fit back when she was 6-months-old at her baptism. At all. So in the drawer they sit. Perhaps she can wear them on Easter?...

Maybe she'll get lucky and keep her tiny feet when she grows up, like her Grambot. At least they'll never sell out of her size in the popular styles! Oh, and hopefully when she starts walking, her big belly won't overload her tiny feet and send her sprawling too often. Especially since she no longer has a tiny head to balance her out!

THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THEY USED TO

So, we watched my all-time favorite Disney movie with James yesterday afternoon, The Fox and the Hound. I remember watching it a few years ago (for the first time in a long while) and being surprised by the "addle-brained female" and similar He-Man Woman-Hater comments made throughout. However, we hadn't even thought about how the hunting and bear attack scene would effect James. He was so concerned for Chief when he fell off the railroad track bridge (while chasing Tod) that he screamed (a very high-pitched terrified scream that we'd actually never heard from him before) and looked to us asking 'Okay?! Okay?! He okay?!', and that's when we realized that our baby boy is already at the age where we're going to have to start explaining the sad things in life to him. Chief was hurt, yes, but he was okay. Good thing we weren't watching Bambi... During the bear scene, James was sitting in his own chair near the TV and we could tell right away that he was visibly scared, but like a deer in headlights, he couldn't look away. Jay had to go scoop him up and hold him tight, and all the while James kept asking if the characters were okay. Poor Bub Bubs. I think we'll hold off on the other "old" Disney movies for a while, since "they don't make 'em like they used to", and that's probably a good thing in some instances!

On a more positive note, James really did enjoy the movie overall, and we loved that he kept naming things he saw on the screen... owl, birds, puppy, fox, big dog, baby (what he called baby Copper), man, snake (he thought the worm was a snake and we couldn't convince him otherwise!), trees, leaves, forest, bear, train tracks, car, rain, fire, house, etc.. And no, we have no intention of teaching him the words associated with hunting (kill, gun, etc.) anytime soon.

MILKIN' IT FOR ALL IT'S WORTH

A couple weeks ago, James started telling us his teeth 'huht'. He's getting his 2-year molars. He would even grab his cheek and look oh-so pitiful. We felt awful. We gave him pain meds, hugged him, and told him we were sorry his mouth hurt. Then he started in with the 'Owie! Huht.', followed by a whine and climbing our legs for attention and cuddles. We felt so bad that we gave him ice cream for dinner. Two nights in a row. And that's all it took for him to understand how to milk it. Now, anytime he isn't getting what he wants, or doesn't like what he's eating for dinner (or lunch, or breakfast), he just says 'Owie! Huht!!' and waits for his "make it better" treat. We are such suckers...

He has also been abusing the word 'Sowwy' lately. Sure, he says it when he is genuinely sorry (well, as genuinely sorry as a 2-year-old can be) about something he has done, but he also says it in the middle of doing something naughty. Or even right BEFORE he does something he knows he shouldn't. Sometimes he even gives us a devilish grin while saying it. Um. Yeah. It doesn't work like that buddy...

So, please explain to me how a 2-year-old understands how to manipulate so well. And then tell me how to stop it.

WHILE DADDY STUDIES...

Cora slept until 8:20 this morning. James until 8:40. (I know, right?) When we finally rolled out of bed, we threw some clothes on, grabbed some oatmeal breakfast cookies, and headed over to the Hancocks for a playdate with Coltin. The boys had a great time in the backyard sliding and riding ATVs and "gardening" and playing with Bella Dog. James had never driven a battery-powered vehicle before, and he seemed to really like the ATV. And whenever it got stuck in the tall grass, Coltin gave him a push start. So cute! Stirlin made a yummy lunch and we stayed and played for hours. Cora was a good girl and let Dawn hold her, but she was scared of Bella. She was also fascinated by Bella. Silly girl. Thanks so much for a really fun morning you guys! Next time you can come over and we'll let the boys destroy OUR house!

(And yes, I am completely in LOVE with these owl pants...)

ADDY AT 2.5-MONTHS

We think we have the cutest niece in the whole world!

Ni-Night

ANOTHER LOVELY AFTERNOON

We couldn't leave work early (because we got in late) and were too hungry for just ice cream, so we grabbed dinner to-go for a picnic at the park. Cora slept half the time, and James ran himself into sweaty exhaustion (he actually said 'Sleep?' when we were walking to the car near sunset). We couldn't ask for a more lovely end to the week.

PEEKABOO...

...It's Friday!

BOOTYFUL

DINNER DATES

We really love sharing dinner with friends. And impromptu dinners are super fun! We've been having Michelle over off and on since the semester started, since she and Jay are taking the same class on Tuesday nights. James has loved having weekly company, and is starting to demand more of Michelle's time and attention while she's here. If only she didn't have to go to 'skoo-uhl' with Daddy... He cracks me up, following her around and "helping" her set up her computer. Then asking 'Are you?' (Where are you?) over and over once class starts and we have to lock ourselves out in the living room, in the hopes that I can keep the kids "quiet" (yes, quiet is a relative term around here) for the duration. He's going to miss her this summer!

Tonight we were lucky enough to talk Christina and Will into coming over for chipotle chicken tacos. James was in such a horrible mood until he saw his buddy 'Wee-uhl' (yes, he says his name with 2 syllables, so southern)... then the rest of the evening was cake. And we even ate cake. Another bonus of inviting friends over for dinner!

ALL THE WORLD'S HIS STAGE...

James love to dance. Lately, his moves are looking questionable. He gets into a wide stance, then bounces, bounces, bounces until his booty is halfway down to the floor. Then he shakes it. His favorite 'stage' these days is the crawl-to-cruise jungle. It plays some of his favorite songs too...

(Won't this be a great blackmail photo when he starts dating?)

And no, we did not teach him that. Though I suppose our dancing skills are questionable as well.

CRUISE TO CRAWL?

Well, we were convinced that Cora would skip crawling and go straight to walking, considering she did things a bit out of order (after she pushed to sitting, she'd cruise if we stood her against something, and THEN she pulled to standing), but she has thrown us for a loop once again! She made some valid attempts at crawling last night (not just going from sitting to tummy to sitting and winding her way around the floor awkwardly, as she has been doing recently, but actually scooting forward on her hands and knees), then made real progress today. She's still pretty wobbly, of course, but she's a crawler! We tried to get video tonight, but she was far more interested in watching her brother play. You can get the idea though...

Maybe tomorrow I'll catch some video of her cruising (she's slow, but steady, and often just leans with her belly against something while she uses both her hands to play with toys).

SOMETIMES THE SAME

I've had a HARD time writing this blog post (hence the reason it's taken me so long), because, honestly, our kids really aren't very similar. But since I caught them (unplanned) in the same diaper with their matching Baltic Amber necklaces on the other night, I figured now was as good a time as any to put pen to paper (er, text to blog?...) They do have a FEW similarites, after all...

They have the exact same feet: prehensile abilities with very strong and grabby toes, and a crooked left 2nd toe (just like their mama).

They both like to disobey the rules of the couch (no standing!)

They both love to be carried. Always have. And probaby will for a long time yet.

They both love to eat. (James may be picky these days, but he still amazes us quantity-wise.)

They both seem to be at their most content when outside, no matter what we're doing. The fresh air, rustling breeze, sunshine (or rain), and sounds entrance them. It's a surefire way to get them to calm down and get happy.

They both love music and dancing. And now they both love their parents' singing (Cora used to just scream louder if I sang to her, but now she smiles at me).

They both love bathtime. And they both dislike getting clean diapers and PJs on afterward.

They are both good about sleeping in on the weekends, especially if they have a parent in bed with them. We often don't get up until 8am, which is lovely. And yes, we consider 8am to be very late.

TWICE THE AGE, HALF THE GAIN

James had his 2-year well baby exam this morning (I guess I should now call them wellness exams, or well child exams, since he's not a baby anymore - wah). He weighed in at 29.6 lbs and was 36 inches tall (holy jeez, that's 3 ft!) fully clothed - that's a gain of 8 whole pounds and almost 6 inches since his 1st birthday, which is about half as much as he grew during his first year of life (where he gained 13.6 lbs and 9.5 inches). His head measured 49.5 cm (up from 47 cm at 1-year). All in all, that puts him in the 75th percentile for weight, 75th for head circumference, and up to the 90th percentile for height! Our little man sure is growing up... Doc Smith ran the gamut of milestone questions and seemed happy (maybe even a little impressed) with his word list and physical abilities (the jumping, especially). The only vax he had to get was HepA (catching up, since he's on the delayed schedule), but he was pretty mad about it. He didn't cry for much of anything else this time though, so perhaps he's getting used to the good doctor finally. He even climbed up on the scale and stood in front of the measuring stick without a fight. Yay buddy! He doesn't go back for another wellness exam until he's THREE though. Whoa.

Cora also had a well baby exam this morning. Luckily for her, at 9-months there are no vaccinations. Not even for her alternate schedule. Doc Smith was pleased with her development too. The only "milestone" she hasn't hit (or exceeded) is saying mama or dada. Maybe next month, the good doc said. Her official stats are 18.6 lbs, 27.25 inches, and 43.5 cm. She's right on average across the board, so her head has grown quite a bit since 6 months (when she was still in the 5th percentile). She is developing beautifully. Unfortunately, she even hit the milestone of white-coat syndrome. Hooray...

Oh yeah, and on the downside, James has bronchitis and Cora has another bad ear infection (same ear - the left, though the right is also somewhat infected). So yeah, MORE antibiotics. So much for today's appointment being for "wellness" exams... Hopefully the spring weather will clear all the congestion out of our house and the kids (and us) will stay healthy for a while. We won't have to talk tubes for Cora unless the ear infections are still reocurring in the fall.

HEY, WAIT A MINUTE...

Maybe mimicking faces is just something that Grambot encourages? Here she is with James back when he was 9-months-old...

PARKED PICNIC

We wrapped up the weekend with another day enjoying the Mississippi springtime. We stole Daddy away from his studies today so he could picnic and play (luckily he aced his quiz tonight so that we didn't have to feel guilty). Many thanks to Katie for gathering the troops for a fun afternoon at the park!

Since we were going out in public, we had to dress Cora in something adorable (because there is just no point in doing it for daycare anymore - she's already reached the age/stage where her clothes get destroyed there).

While we all picnicked on blankets, James found the park bench more comfortable:

(Yes, he was very thirsty today. The sun will do that to a boy.)

He played on the swings and went down the slide a few times with Daddy, Mama, and Sandy.

Cora got a chance to swing again, this time with Desmond:

He was such a good sport. She leaned on him the whole time!

Luckily, she didn't squish him. He may be 3 weeks younger, but he's 3 lbs heavier. And I think it's all in his adorable dimpled cheeks!

Here is our Baby Doll, having fun swinging solo and giggling every time she kicks her mama:

1 AND 2

My-oh-my, how he's changed in a year...

MARCH PORTRAITS

As promised, James 2-year portraits.

And in case you want even more cuteness, here is Cora's 9-month portrait.

Portraits by Jay