Another Oldie

Gee, can you tell I'm spending my 'free time' working on a DVD for 2007?? Here is yet another oldie but goodie. Makes me excited for warm weather so Eli can get back out there and work on his game.

Explanation

I sent out my weekly 'kid brag' photo link this afternoon and I realized one of the events depicted might need a little more clarification. When I showed the picture of Eli chasing after Maddux in the red car, I mentioned that Lehr had only turned his back for about five seconds when this happened. I'm sure most of you are thinking, "Yeah right....no way that could have been only five seconds." Here is some video of Eli zooming up the driveway with Maddux to prove just how fast he can achieve that task.

The Words Just Keep On Coming

After lunch today, Eli wanted to wrestle Maddux. No shocker there. He had his shoes on though, and since he prefers to 'balance' on her legs (with his head and feet in the air), I asked him to take off his shoes to wrestle, saying we can only wrestle with socks on. He took them off and said to me, "Some-un coo-ed git hurt." I never said a word about Maddux getting hurt, and this is the first time he's wrestled her with his shoes, so this was not from memory. Based on my reaction, obviously I think this proves my child is incredibly gifted, considering he came up with that thought and sentence all on his own. Ha!

Here is some more video of the two wrestling. (Yes, I'm on a bit of a video-posting kick lately!)

Clap Your Hands...

Maddux hit a milestone this morning and I caught it on video. That's a big deal for a second child! Maddux and I were sitting on the computer room floor playing and she just started clapping. Not putting her hands together by chance, but really clapping. This is cool to me because that was a milestone Eli never really hit. (He was not a clapper until much later in life.) Her teeth seem to be a little less painful today too, so maybe that's what inspired her to start applauding.

Wednesday Wrap-Up

Maddux's teething is still pretty out of control. No longer do the ice 'popcicles' soothe her.... I'd forgotten how much a toothbrush helped Eli until today, so after dinner I ran out and bought one for her. So far, so good. The teething is causing her to have very very VERY rosy cheeks half the time. (The other half, they are normal.) The one place she's always happy is the pool; she drank about a gallon of pool water today though. The bad news for her is she only has two more classes!

Eli and I made a paper chain while Maddux took her morning nap. He helped, but not as much as last time. His main contribution was listing all of the things he'll do with Gappa Jib when he comes to visit next month. Mommy had to do all the 'hard labor', but such is life.

My boy became 'big' in my eyes today... When we returned home from Maddux's swim lesson, I left Eli downstairs while I went up to put Mad Dog down for a nap. When I returned two minutes later, he was playing his guitar (as usual). It wasn't until we sat down to make the chain that I realized he didn't have his jacket on anymore. I looked around and saw it hanging on the baby-gate by the kitchen. This was REALLY cool to me for a few reasons. First off, he didn't whine for me to help him take it off!! B) The only article of clothing I've had luck in convincing Eli to remove himself is a sock. And I work at this a lot. So he independently removed the jacket. (YIPPEE!) 3. Eli hung the jacket right where I always tell him to hang it. All on his own. Without any prompting. Life is good.

An Oldie But A Goodie

While reviewing some old videos last night, Lehr and I came across some footage of the kids in Eli's crib. He used to always ask for "baby nigh-nigh" right after his nap (meaning he wanted her in his crib with him), but Eli's been so busy recently, he's asked to get out as soon as we enter the room. I'd forgotten how sweet those moments used to be. You can see how Eli very 'attack-dog'-like guards his blanket and Snoopy in the first clip, but most of the times were more like the second, where he shared his blanket willingly and cuddled with her.

Wrestle Mania

As I mentioned last week, Eli has taken a liking to 'wrestling'. His teacher did say all the kids in his class are doing it, so at least I know Eli is not the instigator. We did still talk to him about it this weekend; there were a lot of reminders about where we do and do not wrestle. Nevertheless, when I picked him up today, his teacher said they were still wrestling a little, but she seemed much less bothered by it, so I think (HOPE!) that Eli is obeying when the teacher tells him it's time to stop.

Eli's favorite wrestling partner is still Maddux. Even over Mommy and Daddy. He'll race through his meal if he thinks there is a chance he'll be able to wrestle 'Ma-ax' once he's done. Maybe this has to do with her inability to wrestle back..who knows. She is rolling over him a bit on her own now, so he'll get a taste of his own medicine soon enough. Until then, they both love this activity BIG time, so I allow it as long as everyone stays safe. (On a side note, even though I have to remind Eli not to put too much weight on Maddux, he constantly checks with me to see where he can 'wrestle' her, which means where can he put weight on her.)

Rainy Days

Last week I bought Eli a pair of rain boots to splash around in, and barely a day passed before he had a chance to use them! Over the weekend we received more rain and, of course, Eli wanted to play outside. We suited him up in the rubber boots and sent him out. He felt a bit awkward in the galoshes, but he soon discovered the joy of jumping in puddles and whatnot while remaining (somewhat) dry. Unfortunately for him, our neighborhood has great drainage, so the puddles didn't last for long. I think rain is in the forecast again for this week: good news for Eli!

Oh What A Night...

Last night Lehr volunteered to watch the kids so I could go to a fest/concert in Midtown with "D" and Carolyn. It was a much needed 'night out' with my two best friends, and even though it was freezing outside, Cowboy Mouth put on a great show.

While the three of us were dancing on a hill in Piedmont Park to keep warm, Lehr thought it wise to take (both!) kids to dinner all by himself. Ah, grasshopper....so much to learn. Not only is that a difficult task to take on when you're alone, but with Maddux's current teeth situation, it's darn near impossible. (Last night Maddux cried/screamed through almost the entire meal at the house...just because.) He learned his lesson and he won't be attempting that again any time soon!

Before "the dinner", Lehr had the kids out in the driveway, enjoying the reprieve from the rain. Maddux was in the red car, as usual, and Eli was just running around. Apparently, Lehr turned his back to grab the camera only to find Eli, with Maddux, at the top of our driveway. Lehr was able to point and click just as Eli 'let go' of the car and Maddux came flying down the driveway. She was oh-so happy to have so much one-on-one attention from Eli; Lehr let them continue this game for quite some time. For some reason, Maddux knows exactly how to grip the steering wheel to hold on. Her smile since teething has changed a bit. Right now I think it resembles Chandler ("Friends") when he was trying to pose for his engagement photos.

Circus Circus

Courtesy of Cooper and Finley, the four of us were able to see the circus this morning. We didn't tell Eli where we were going until we got in the car, but once we did, he was very excited. As expected, when Lehr first put Eli down in the 'circus', he got a bit overwhelmed and asked to be held, but he soon warmed up. He enjoyed seeing the clowns, the tigers, the elephants, and the swinging trapeze. When we got home we soon found his favorite part of the circus: the clowns at the very beginning. The minute we walked in the door Eli ran straight to his 'food' and started to toss them in the air in an effort to make them land on his head. He kept saying, "Guys. Pears and Apples droppin' on the head!!" Maddux wasn't too thrilled with the show, but Lehr did get her to nap on his chest for about 30 minutes.

Rent-A-Kid

I'll rent his services by the hour!!

Today was a not-so-great day fueled by Maddux's teething (two in 36-hours does not a happy baby make) and Eli's fatigue over a busy week. So to combat my less than stellar attitude, I'm posting some video of Eli showing off his love for helping and cleaning. Notice how he slows down as he approaches the furniture, but still goes all the way to the edge of the carpet. Daddy has taught him well!

Let's Get Physical!

When Eli's teacher put him in my car after school yesterday she told me he was very "physical" all day. As I was unsure what she meant by that, I asked for further explanation. She said he wasn't being mean or aggressive; he was quite joyful and happy the entire day. The boy in him has definitely come out as Eli bear hugged and rolled on the ground with his classmates continually. I was able to see this first-hand after his nap as he cried, "Wrestle!!" and then rolled on the ground towards Maddux. He then proceeded to roll over her, laughing the whole time. It was rather difficult for me to convince Eli that he can't steam-roll his sister because she was laughing as much as him. For now we'll just work on not rolling over her head and abdomen. We will also be working on identifying when and where 'wrestling' is appropriate!

Happy Bathtimes

For about two months now, Eli has been protesting having his hair rinsed (after shampooing) about 75% of the time. We're not sure why because he loves to swim and jump in the pool, so any complaints about getting his eyes or ears wet doesn't hold water. (Poorly placed pun, I know.) About three nights ago Eli FINALLY agreed to lie back in the water and 'swim' to get his hair wet. He now thinks it is the funniest thing because he can still hear us, yet all noise is muffled. Check out my little monkey trying to climb out of her bathtub so she can splash the water. Oh, and speaking of Eli's manners (as I did yesterday), you can hear Maddux cough and Eli say, "Bess ou, Baby." Music to my ears....

Pink Elephants

What a busy day! Since it's Wednesday, the kids and I were at the YMCA first thing for Mad Dog's swim lesson. This girl really needs to learn to love the water more....ha!! Last night in her bath she was climbing out of the infant tub we have placed in the 'big' bath (she's still too slippery to sit in there on her own), so she could splash with her hands and put her face in the water. What a trip!

The lesson is over at 10, so I quickly changed Maddux, picked Eli up from the playroom, raced home (Maddux was asleep by then), left Maddie in the car while Eli and I went inside so I could pump a bottle for Maddux, get a snack for Eli, and run a comb through my pool-drenched hair. Back in the car by 10:45 (we didn't get home until about 10:20), raced downtown to pick up Lehr at his office all so we could be at Centennial Olympic Park by 11:30. The Barnum & Baily Circus is in town (we have tickets for Saturday's show) and they were feeding the elephants at the park today. I received this secret information in an offhand email, but I figured it had been 'leaked' somewhere more public. Not so. When Lehr tried to search it online today he couldn't find it listed under any public 'event' pages, and the crowd was not too large, considering the size of our city.

As we drove on the highway, Eli saw the skyline and shouted out, "Ca-Go!!!" (Chicago) His "Wrigley Field from A to Z" book has apparently taught him that any time you see large buildings, you're in Chi-town. When we arrived, Eli and Lehr ran around while Maddux and I held a spot in line. She was a bit fussy considering her busy morning (and also, her second tooth cut during the night). Once the elephants arrived, Eli went into quiet observation mode, as he usually does in these types of situations. He watched intently for about 20 minutes and then we let him run again. He kept telling me, "Eh-fents drop Aaapp-poles!" This kid has a good life...

First Tooth

What a rough morning Maddux had! She was not at all happy in the MOPS nursery. I was working in the toddler room next door and I could hear the poor girl crying her very very VERY tired cry that I rarely hear. I went over to help calm her for a few minutes because that was very out-of-character for her; she normally loves the church nursery! After her afternoon nap I discovered what was probably making her so unhappy: her first tooth cut!! Maddux's bottom left tooth is just barely through her gums, but I did feel it when she grabbed my finger to gnaw on as we played. Hopefully the one right next to it will cut as quickly so she can resume her happy-go-lucky disposition.

Manners

Eli is becoming a very polite little boy, and I could not be happier about it! We are still working on not interrupting when Mommy and Daddy are talking, and he does not get the concept of standing back when someone is walking through a doorway (let alone, "Ladies first), but we're working on it. What he does get is "please". Not only does he usually require no more than a look if he asks without using the magic word, but often times now he will answer with that word alone. Example: "Eli, would you like ketchup with your garden burger?" "Please!" Love this!! Another example of his manners is something Daddy taught Eli. Usually after we sit down to dinner Lehr will prompt Eli in some way to thank me for cooking our meal. Twice this week Eli has thanked me without a prompt. Once last night at dinner (blew me away!) and once today at lunch. Today cracked me up because Eli said, "Thank you, Mommy cooking dinner." Nevermind that it wasn't dinner; it was heartfelt appreciation!

D'ats My Boy!

Eli has always been a 'strange bird', but now he's really coming into his own in that area. After Maddux's swim class today (where I could NOT keep her face out of the water, by her own preference), the three of us ran to Target. One of the items on my list was goggles. In preparation for Eli's swim class and the upcoming swim season, I figured we'd prevent any water-in-the-eyes issues before they even starts. Wouldn't you know, as soon as we got home and ate lunch, Eli wanted to try the goggles on. He loved them; he walked around the downstairs saying, "See trains!! See Mommy! See books!", as if he'd never been able to see those things before, without the goggles. He loved them so much that he kept them on until Lehr got home (early). He followed Lehr around the backyard, wearing the goggles all the while, pushing his truck. Eli wore the goggles so long that they actually steamed up on the inside.

Quick story from Saturday: Eli helped me mow the front yard. I bought him a plastic mower towards the end of the summer last year so he could help me with this, but he's much more involved now. He followed behind me very closely while I mowed. Since we decided to bag 100% this time, I had to empty the lawn bag several times while mowing. After about the third time I did my quick scan around the yard while I mowed up the hill, since Eli wasn't right behind me. My eyes found him over by the trash can, lifting up his mower and shaking it into the can. I guess he was bagging his clippings too!

A Pain In The Mouth

Maddux is not her usual happy-go-lucky self these days. She's still pretty smiley most of the day, but from around 4PM on each afternoon, the stress and pain of teething catches up with her. In an effort to try and relieve some of her discomfort today, I pulled a trick out of my mommy bag. When Eli was teething in the beginning, I'd put ice cubes in his mesh feeder. It makes a mess, but it's only water. Maddux was very pleased with this. She gnawed on three ice cubes, which allowed me to get dinner ready in some peace. Of course Eli saw her 'eating' ice and wanted to try it too. "Boff eat ice", he said. So I loaded it up and the two kids slurped away happily. Those of you who know us well know we don't give Eli much sugar (outside of fruit). For me, Eli's reaction to the meshed-ice was proof enough that sugar is not needed (for my kids) to make something special. It's amazing how excited he was about his ice-flavored 'pop-ick-le'....he thought he was getting a real treat!

Little Bunny Foo-Foo

Maddux is not yet crawling, but she's making forward movement while up on her hands and knees. It's so interesting to me because her movement evolution has been 100% different from Eli's. He rocked the army crawl for a month or two before he even rocked on his hands and knees. Maddux will spin around in circles while on her stomach, but makes no effort to pull herself forward. She will get up on her knees and rock though, and this weekend she started this 'hopping' movement' while up there. Most of the time she forgets to move her arms and ends up eating the carpet, but she'll figure it out.

Friday Fun Day

Today was a really great day all around. Cooper and Finley came over this morning to hang out and have lunch. Our weather has been so up and down recently, but it was supposed to warm up today, so we planned to eat and play outside. Eli got a little whiny while Cooper was here, but it was mostly because he wanted Coop to be interested in what Eli was, namely guitars and basketball, and Cooper was more into the trains. Once we went outside though, the boys both found a good time with the trucks in the backyard. Maddux and Finley just kinda 'hung out' while the boys entertained themselves: I'm sure these playdates will be much louder and busier when those girls get around to talking!

After naps, Lehr and Eli ran to trade out the rental car and get our "Earl" back (it's finally fixed from the wreck a few weeks back). Maddux and I walked across the street to hang out with some neighbors and wait for the boys. Once they returned, we all ordered pizza and let the kids play. Eli had a great time, especially with one of the older boys who really looked out for him.

Poor Maddux is still experiencing some teeth pain, but with no teeth to show for it. Her cheeks are always red and rashy from her drool, and there is never a moment when a fist or toy is not in her mouth. She is getting dangerously close to crawling: Mad Dog gets up on all fours and tries to 'hop' now.