Oh What A Beautiful Morning....

I'm going to totally jinx myself and comment on what a WONDERFUL day it is. It's only halftime (AKA nap time), but both kids have had a totally great day so far. He had school this morning, complete with an Easter party I had to plan. Eli's classmates got to find eggs in their playground, which was a blast to see. They were so into it and all of the kids understood the eggs were 'hiding'. We then had a snack in the classroom (no-frosting cupcakes and goldfish) before the kids played some music with their 'instruments'. The instruments were colored paper-towel rolls which they used to play drums, horns, flutes, cymbals, and violins. The instruments resembled Eli's boomwhackers, as the rolls were covered in colored construction paper - what an easy craft!

The great part of the day really came when we got home. I put Eli in his high chair for lunch and he looked at me and said, "Thank you Mommy making muffins Easter party." Eli thinks all muffin/cupcake type treats are muffins, so he assumed the snack today was such. This was so sweet to me because no one (namely Lehr) was there to prompt him to say that. It was totally on his own. The only reason he knew I made them is because he saw me baking for about two minutes last night. But he remembered and appreciated. Then, after I served him lunch, he said, "Thank you Mommy makin' quesadillas." No prompting again, just sweet gratitude for the lunch I prepared. Life is good. The hard work is paying off in little bits and pieces, and it makes it all worth while.

Maddux seems to be a bit better today also. No more teeth have popped through, but her nose and drooling have decreased significantly in the last 24 hours and she seems less irritable today. She even woke up from her morning nap happy....just like she used to before this last week of craziness happened. Maddux is now eating pieces of pear, banana and apple on her own, though they don't always make it to her mouth without help. She is also eating tofu, which she seems to love as much as Eli did.

First Haircut

I've trimmed Eli's bangs, and I've buzzed a Mohawk or two in the past, but he's never had a real, paid-for (by a trained person, not just mom) haircut. I decided to change that this afternoon as his hair has been looking, at best, messy for a few weeks now. The poor kid has some weird hair-growth patterns which, I'm sure, weren't helped by Mommy's untrained shears. His hair wasn't long, but it was unkempt. So I decided to go all out and try the daddy of barbershops for kids, Pigtails & Crewcuts. They have cool 'chairs' for the kids to sit in, and the stylists are trained in cutting as kids are moving. In addition, they have a HUGE play area to wait in, complete with a train table with all of the bells and whistles. Literally. Eli could not get enough of making the table 'make noise'. As far as the haircut procedure went, Eli really ate it up, though I don't think he needed all the hoop-la...he's pretty used to sitting still for me while I trim here and there. Regardless, he got ten minutes of "The Bee Movie" and some animal crackers out of the deal.

Times Like These....

Can I just say that I love, love, LOVE that both of my kids are comforted by me picking them up? Even more when I sing "You Are My Sunshine?" I knew Eli had an attachment to that song, as he's heard it multiple times a day for 2 1/2 years now, but even Maddux is now on-board. Last week she was upset during a drive home from the park (a rarity for her, but she had been peacefully sleeping in the bjorn before I put her in her carseat), so I tried to calm her by singing. She stopped immediately when I started singing that song.

Maddux is more of a 'cuddler' than Eli, and it warms my heart when I put her on my shoulder before bed and she rests there and nuzzles my neck. Eli never did this as a baby, but he's started to recently. When I pick him up before his nap, he'll lean into me and rest on my shoulder while he sticks his thumb in his mouth. Mommy goes to her happy place immediately.

A Jersey Boy?

For some reason, Eli has started using an accent while saying certain words. I have no idea where he got it from, considering his classmates don't have one, nor do any of our immediate friends... The accent doesn't show up all the time, but it's becoming increasingly more common.

His most prominent words are:
cars = ca-oars
on = oh-ennn
ball = b-oo-awl
off = oo-waahf

(By the way, we survived the storms. I went in to comfort Eli during Friday night's madness, which is something that NEVER happens, and he was fine after that. Maddux slept right through, as Eli usually does. Saturday we were downtown when it hit, so we witnessed golfball-sized hail, but we were able to get safely under protection until it passed.)

D is for Drums

After the kids' (early) naps this afternoon, we took them to a children's concert featuring They Might Be Giants. For months now, Eli has been a big fan of their podcasts, which included little 'videos' for their kid-friendly songs. The videos had puppets, cartoons, and band members, which totally keep his attention, and they're only a few minutes each (one or two short songs' worth), so he's only in front of the screen for a short time. Of course he wore a blank stare the entire concert (even though minutes before, in the car, he was singing along with all of his favorite songs). Maddux did pretty well, especially considering each kid had a shortened nap so we could make the 3PM show.

If you have iTunes, check out the free TMBG podcast. Each Friday night they put out a new 'video' with one or two of their songs. If you don't have iTunes, and you don't feel like joining the rest of the world, click here to see a small sampling of the latest videos. If you're not interested in the video, at least have a listen to their kids' music: it's stuff you'll find yourself singing even after your kids go to bed...

Eli's favorites: "D is for Drums" and "L M N O"
Lehr's faves: "Apartment Four" and "Seven Days of The Week"
Cole's Top Picks: "High Five" and "Figure Eight"

The Battle of The Blanket

And Mommy is not winning...

It's been well established that Eli prefers his 'special' blanket to the Mommy blanket. The Mommy blanket that I spent over a month on, every night. The Mommy blanket that I lovingly knit for him every day and night while Eli was napping or sleeping. I chalked the preference of the special blanket up to the fact that I was too late in my offering. Grandma gave Eli the special blanket the day he was born, whereas I didn't knit him the Mommy blanket until he was about 18-months old. No brainer, right?

So when Maddux came around I thought I had it all figured out. I knit her blanket while I was pregnant and she received it the week she came home from the hospital. Of course, my mom wanted to give her a 'special' blanket too, since Eli's was so well received. Since we didn't find out her gender before her arrival, Grandma waited to order it until she met Maddie in person. Even better news for me; I had a total jump start! For the first few months, Maddux seemed to like and maybe even prefer the Mommy blanket, but in the last few weeks that has changed. About a week ago I noticed Maddux curling up with the special blanket while she slept. I thought maybe (just maybe!!!) it was a coincidence; maybe it was the closest blanket to her (both the special and Mommy blanket are in the crib). So I placed her down for a few naps at one end of the crib (where the aquarium is), and I stuck the special blanket in a far corner, almost out of sight. Then I'd drape the Mommy blanket over her back. No tricking this girl: when I'd check on her after she fell asleep, she was in that far corner, with the blanket in hand. Then, to my dismay, as I put her to sleep last night, she reached out for the special blanket and stuck her thumb in her mouth as soon as her fingers touched the corner....just like Eli does. Once again, I'm so glad I spent so much time and energy knitting those Mommy blankets!!

Good Times

Eli has had a rough few days. After his 'incident' on Sunday, his health seemed fine, but he's been moody to an extreme this week. I'm 90% sure it's teeth (yeah, those 2-year molars that I've been complaining about for months still have not popped through), but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Today he seemed to feel much better, though he still cried a little when he ate dinner ("TEEF HURT!!!"). The gem of the day came from one of his teachers. As she put Eli in the car after school this morning she told me that in the past few weeks, Eli has been exceptionally polite. She says that he uses "please" and "thank you" ALL the time...both she and his main teacher are very impressed. Although we haven't changed or increased our amount of 'training' in this area, Lehr and I have noticed an increased politeness also. We both made a big deal out of the compliment today; I could almost see Eli's chest swell with pride.

On The Move

Here's a clip of Maddux's crawl....ish. She gets the job done, but it's a combination of rolling, scooting, hopping and crawling. Also, she has cat-like qualities in her play, batting around toys with her 'paws'. I remember Eli doing the same thing. Poor, confused kids!

At the end of the clip, you'll see Maddux doing some blanket time. The doll she's holding laughs and it totally cracks Mad Dog up! A taste of her excited, not-so-demure laugh occurs after the doll stops making noise.

Shameless

Yet another shameless kid/baby-worship post. I can't help it!! I am so in love with my kids today. Even though Eli is pretty moody, he is still one of my favorite things about each day. And Maddux is blossoming so quickly now. I caught her sleeping like her brother used to (and still does occasionally) this morning after her nap: on her stomach with her legs tucked underneath her..... Ahhh bliss.

Before her nap, I took Maddux and Eli out front (or 'frump' as Eli calls it sometimes - thanks, Lehr!!) to play in the sun. Bubbles were #1 on the agenda and Eli could not have been happier. He loved chasing them all around, but Maddux wasn't too phased by it. I think that was mainly because I had her in the red car and that's all she could focus on. She would hop up and down (as much as her seat belt would allow) any time I would push her at all, in anticipation for the push down the driveway. That child is as much of a daredevil as her brother!

Today Eli told me 'something else' for the first time. He asked what a random noise was at breakfast and I responded, "The garbage man?" He corrected me: "No. Sohm-fing eh-ss." The new way he uses phrases really amazes me. And Maddux says "mamamamama" all the time when she sees (or wants) me now. Life is good.

Taking A Stand

Maddux absolutely loves to pull herself to standing in her crib. The #1 reason she loves this is her aquarium. Any chance she has to be face-to-face with it is worth any bumps and bruises she might pick up in pursuit. Yesterday after her nap, Maddux and I spent a good thirty minutes in her room, playing with said aquarium. I watched her, laughing, for the first ten before I got the camera. She laughed hysterically, with a little 'HA!!!' added in there, as if she was proud of herself when she first stood. Then she licked the clear part non-stop. Not a little tongue-out lick, but a full-on face-mashed-against-the-plastic lick. This clip also demonstrates her 'speaking in tongues'....she does this several times each hour also.

Time Flies....

Both kids are so big - how did that happen? I've seen a few newborns (less than three months) at church recently and it feels so foreign to me. Yet it's been less than a year since Maddux was that small. And less than 2 1/2 years since Eli was. WOW! My two "big" kids watched a little pre-season Cubs action this weekend. Eli looks so grown up in this picture as he is GLUED to the game. His attention span lasts about an inning and then he becomes fervently adamant about going outside to play ball. From hitting to throwing to catching, he tells us at every chance, "Cubbies do dat!!"

Over the weekend Eli got really into his train table in a new way. He constructed an entire 'track' all by himself. From planning to execution, he was the engineer. Eli loves the 'curvy' pieces, so the end result would have been difficult for a real train to maneuver, but still...very impressed by my 'big boy'.

All Grows Up

Maddux is growing up so much each day...right before my eyes! She still isn't consecutively crawling, but she'll get where she needs to go by crawling, hopping, and rolling until she gets there. No longer is she content to sit and play in one spot. Also, sometimes she can get herself to a seated position on her own; Maddux will get up onto her knees, like she's going to hop, and then push back until she's sitting. Her new favorite thing to do is sit up in her crib and play with the aquarium (just like Eli loved to do). Now she'll pull up on the rails and stand too. Mad Dog has a new vocal sound now too...not sure how to describe it, but I will do my best to capture it soon to demonstrate. It's full of personality (much like her), I can tell you that!

Even though Maddux still does not do well in the pursuit of Cheerios or puffs when it comes to hand-mouth success, she has moved on to cooked egg yolks and wheat toast, which she seems to love. If I cut them into strips, she can easily hold them while still eating them, so everyone wins.

The Streak Has Broken!

So for as much as Maddux vomits, Eli has (had!) never until today. Even as a baby, he didn't spit up. I can recall a few small 'returns' of milk immediately after feeding when he was an infant, but nothing beyond that. That's all out the window now... Eli woke up from his nap whiny and moody again today, but since he's been that way for the last few days, we figured nothing out of the ordinary. After I fed Maddux, I joined Eli and Lehr in the computer room to watch a few minutes of another pre-season game. Eli got especially whiny/sad when something random and oh-so small happened, so I decided to take him into his room for a few minutes. I figured he and I could use some one-on-one conversation about what had him in such a funk the last week. We sat down and I started to rock him, but I immediately felt how warm he was. Inwardly, I groaned because a killer strand of the flu has been going around our church for several weeks and we've survived so far. Even though I knew I needed to get the thermometer to double check, I sat there for a few more moments, rocking and singing to him (as he was still whimpering a little). All of the sudden he sat up and I noticed he was shaking a little. I asked him if he felt ok and he said 'yes', but then it started. All over me and all over him. The poor kid didn't know what the heck was happening. After it stopped I called to Lehr for a towel. Of course it started again and then again after Lehr got there too. I quickly wiped us up and placed a clean towel between us and Eli fell against me immediately, exhausted. I rocked him for a good 45 minutes after that (yes, still in our stinky clothes!!) and he almost fell asleep a few times. Every five minutes or so I would ask him a question, but most of the time he wouldn't answer me, as he was just spent. The good news was, immediately after the 'incident', his temperature felt completely normal. Eli finally picked up his head off my chest when he heard Lehr vacuuming downstairs. (This is Eli's favorite chore.) Since then he's been running around, playing baseball and air guitar, and he ate a normal dinner, so this was just an isolated sickness. And here I thought I had the first puke-free child!!

Go, Daddy, GO!!

Eli, Maddux and I went to Lehr's weekly soccer game the other night since it was earlier than usual. I purposely didn't tell Eli until right before we left, and it turned out to be a good decision. He was so excited; he could barely contain himself! Part of that excitement was the thought that Eli was going to be playing soccer, but even when he found out that was not the case, he was still pumped. We had the seating area all to ourselves, so Eli could run around if/when he needed to, but he did a pretty good job watching the game. Whenever he saw Lehr run or go after the ball, Eli would yell, "Go, Daddy, Go!" or "Kick it, Daddy!!" Maddux was not so impressed, but that's the way it seems to go these days: one is happy while the other is not.

Turn Down Your Volume!

This was supposed to be a clip of Maddux waving, but it turned out to be more like a clip of her drooling and yelling. And no, she's not mad, nor is she hard of hearing. I think she suffers from the same affliction one of Will Ferrell's SNL characters (Jacob Silg) did: voice immodulation (he couldn't control the volume of his voice). And honestly, after watching this clip again I realized this is such a small peek into her louder-than-life voice.

Silly Rabbit

Eli learned how to hop like a bunny in music class this week. When he got home on Tuesday we ate lunch and I asked the usual questions: How was school, what did you sing, who did you play with, etc. His answers were standard: good. nothing. no one. After his nap, however, he slipped into a new skill without any prompting. We were practicing jumping (in prep for his swim class start next Monday) and in the midst of a hope, Eli started a bunny hop. I enjoyed it for about five minutes before I got the camera, so he was pretty tired of 'performing' in this clip.

Eli's new favorite word is "silly". For quite some time he's been telling us people are 'funny'. This usually means he likes them. We'll ask, "Who plays guitar at church?", to which Eli will respond, "Mr. Baker. He's Fah-neee!!" Or "Who lives in Chicago?", "Cubbies. They're Fah-neee!" Now he'll tell me people are silly. I think it started last week when we ran out of Eli's favorite cereal, Hop-hops. Lehr ate the last bowl, so when Eli asked me for some the next morning, I told him Daddy ate them all so now we had to go to the store, and I threw in a 'silly Daddy!' at the end. Eli thought this was hilarious and he'll use it all the time now, deeming everything from Daddy to Elmo to his whiffle balls 'silly'. And when he says it, the phrase comes out "siww-ee". This is particularly funny when he says it to Maddux: "Siww-ee Gow-el!" He hears me call her 'silly girl' all the time, so of course he repeats it. Silly Eli!

Donation Corner: Red Scarf Project

This month I'm highlighting the Orphan Foundation of America. Once orphans graduate from high school, it's often forgotten that they still need family and love. OFA works to send care packages to orphans in college and trade school.

The "Red Scarf" portion of this organization allows you to give in a more creative way. Inside those care packages are hand-knit red scarves. Taking the time to knit a scarf is a great way to let these kids know someone cares enough to take the time out for them.

If you're not handy with the sticks, there are many other ways to donate time and/or resources. Maybe you could write a grant, or sponsor a scholarship, or become a virtual mentor. There are also opportunities to package and donate complete care packages as a community, church, or neighborhood.

How Did That Happen?

How did Maddux change from this active baby-on-the-inside to a larger-than-life 8-month old? I swear it goes by so much quicker with the second (and, I can assume, any subsequent children)...

Maddux can sit and clap, as well as wave 'bye-bye' (when she wants). Her mealtimes are becoming much more intense: she prefers to scream for food which is a habit we are not too fond of. Either Eli never had that in him, or we broke him of it early....either way, I hope Maddux follows his footsteps soon! She eats a lot more now than she did a few weeks ago, but she still refuses to self-feed finger foods. The first attempt at a rice cake went well, but now she refuses them as well as wagon wheels (the only two foods she could/can hold for herself and get into her mouth). Mad Dog's menu has expanded to include asparagus and egg yolks (which she loves), plums and applesauce.

These days, Maddie is still happily sleeping twelve hours each night, and napping twice each day. One thing I wish she'd change about that is her ability to nap for 2+ hours in the afternoon only on the weekends. During the week she'll give me 60 or maybe 90 minutes in the afternoon, but when Daddy's home, she'll nap two-three hours with no problem. Maddux still loves to ride in the red car when we're outside, and spending that time with Eli is on her top ten list for sure. She attempts to crawl out of her bath seat every night so she can splash the water; it should be illegal to be as happy as she is when she's in the water. My favorite noise is (by far) Mad Dog's belly laugh when Eli talks to her or wrestles her. Priceless....

A Parrot

Eli's two new phrases are: "I know" and "k". And I know exactly where he learned them. About two hundred times a day, I give Eli a breakdown of our plans or instructions for the future. At the end of them, I usually say "OK?", but it comes out "k?" (By the way, I am not, in any way, asking Eli if he is ok with the direction/plan I've given. It's more of a check to see if he heard and/or understood me.) Now Eli will check in with me.
"Mommy makin' sammiches?"
"Yes, Eli. I'm making sandwiches for lunch."
"K.... Mommy makin' gw-apes?"
"Yes, we'll have grapes too."
"K."

The "I know" he gets from me, no doubt. I have a (bad) habit of saying that a lot. This is not my way of letting people know that I know everything...far from it. It's just something that comes out without me thinking about it.
"Eli, did you see the guy on our roof? He's fixing it!"
"I know! Woof guy up dere?"
"Yes, the roof guy is up there."
"I know."

Weekend Update

Maddux loves showing off her new clapping skill. What she loves even more is the fact that it's not the only trick she has up her sleeve. Saturday morning she started waving also. She lifts her arm above her head and flaps her hand up and down, smiling at herself all the while. She seems quite proud of her new found trick(s)!

Although I wouldn't classify her as a crawler yet, Maddux is definitely getting in a few forward motions each day. She still bunny hops most of them, but at least she knows how to use her arms to move forward now.

Today was a big day for Maddux as she moved up the food chain; she is now sitting in a 'big' car seat! Eli loves this fact because if they both reach out their hands in the car, they can 'hole hannns' now. I love hearing the two of them giggling at each other while I'm driving!