Kiddos

Colorado

My dad sent me one of those funny e-mails the other day ... it made me laugh and miss home, so I thought I would share (just my favorites). Yes, I know, I'm a nerd ...

You're from Colorado if ...

You have no accent at all, but can hear other people's. And then you make fun of them.

'Humid' is over 25%.

Your sense of direction is: Toward the mountains and Away from the mountains.

You say 'the interstate' and everybody knows which one.

You think that April is a totally normal month for a blizzard. (And that snow in September and May is not that weird, either.)

You grew up planning your Halloween costumes around your coat. (And snow boots!)

You know what the Continental Divide is.

You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.

You always know the elevation of where you are.

You wake up to a beautiful, 80 degree day and you check to see if it's going to snow tomorrow.

Everybody wears jeans to church.

You actually know that "South Park" is a real place not just a show on TV.

Your two favorite teams are the Broncos and whoever is beating the crap out of the Raiders.

When people out East tell you they have mountains in their state too, you just laugh.

You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels 'sticky' (I usually think 'sticky' and 'thick') and you notice the sky is no longer quite the same blue.

Little man

Yesterday, Elijah woke up from his nap with a huge, leaking poopy diaper. I was changing all of his clothes (his favorite sweat pants) when he said, "Mama, I want to wear my tie." So here's the outfit he picked out. What a funny kid!

The beard experiment, day 4

Day 4: the pencil mustache

The beard experiment, day 3

Just a mustache now.

The beard experiment, day 2

Day 2: Friendly mutton chops

I think he looks a little scary, but the kids don't seem to mind!

Elijah is two and a half!

On Tuesday I took Elijah to see his doctor for his two and a half year old well kid visit. He did very well. They measured him like a big kid for the first time, which was fun but seemed a little less precise, since he definitely was not standing straight up when they did his height. Officially, he only grew a 1/2 inch or so since July, but I know it's been more than that - you can see how much taller he is, plus in July he was wearing size 2T, and has since grown into his 3Ts, and they're getting less long on him all the time. Anyway, he is 38 inches tall (give or take some slouching!) and 33 pounds, and in the 85th-88th percentile for both. Wow! After a pretty lightweight first year or so, Elijah's weight has been steadily drawing even with his height. I'm always amazed and proud of him when he's gained weight, but I think I can safely get out of that "must feed the boy!" mindset for now (at least until he gets to high school and starts growing too fast for his own good).

E is meeting all of his milestones within a normal range - a little ahead in some things (like counting, recognizing his letters, and verbal skills), right on schedule for some things (like gross motor skills, turning paper book pages, and memorizing favorite books), and a little behind in some others (like chewing well - his 2 yr molars are just now coming in). We did not have the (rather silly) milestone questionnaire with his new doctor here that we had with his doctor in Colorado, which I didn't mind at all. (I really liked his doctor, but the questionnaire was a little over the top, I think.) At his new doctor the conversation went more like this, "How's he doing? Do you have any concerns?" Very laid back, which is nice. We talked about vitamins and when to start going to the dentist. (Oooh, doesn't that sound like fun!) Elijah hasn't been interested in potty training at all yet, but I'm not worried about that yet. The doctor said that since Elijah is so verbal, we should expect him to start the "terrible threes" any time now. I think he actually turned three about a month ago.

We have been a little sorry that we took Elijah's pacifiers away lately; with Molly teething and crying a lot during the night, he has been less able to sleep through it all without the help of his pacifier. But there's always something - there will be lots more teething to get through - and I didn't want to keep putting it off forever. He hardly even mentions them anymore, and I think he got over it pretty quickly. I have been putting Molly in our room some days during their shared afternoon nap so he can actually sleep - we're all much happier when he sleeps well.

Elijah has been doing a really good job with letters and the sounds they make. He can tell what letter most words start with (there are a few confusing sounds in English that he has trouble with, of course), and enjoys playing the, "What starts with [letter]?" game. He is still counting well, and getting better with the big numbers all the time. I think the highest he's gone so far is 109. Some of his favorite sayings right now are, "I just want to play for a couple minutes," and "I don't want to [whatever]!" He likes to wash his hands and to help me with the laundry. He just keeps growing up!

Molly's first tooth!

Molly's first tooth came through yesterday - no picture of it though, since I can feel it but you can't really see much yet. I was hoping that we'll be able to get some better sleep now (the last several nights have been miserable!) but last night wasn't much better. Maybe she has two on the way! Molly also started trying to wave yesterday - how cute.

Poor baby.

A little experiment

Patrick and another guy at work decided to take advantage of the students' winter break and grow out their beards while things were all casual around the office. Now that they've had a few weeks to grow them out, they are going to spend this last week shaving them off piece by piece, enjoying some crazy facial hair styles as they go. We'll post Patrick's pictures each day until he's clean-shaven again. (Hooray - I can't wait!)

Here is the full beard, before the shaving began:

Reading together

Elijah enjoys "reading" his books, and Molly loves to listen to him. Here are some little clips of him reading one of his favorite books, Dr. Seuss's ABC.

In Elijah's words

At dinner tonight:

Elijah: Daddy, may I use that knife, please?

Daddy: No chum, knives are dangerous. You'll have to grow a lot before you can learn to use a knife.

Elijah: Will you grow, please?

Daddy: Not tonight - it takes a long time to grow.

Elijah: Maybe after nap time?


Early this morning, before it was time to get up, Molly started fussing. I got up to help her, and I heard Elijah saying, "Molly, Molly, Molly! Go back to sleep, it's still nap time." If only he could reach to put her pacifier back in!

More portraits

I've been meaning to scan and post the portraits that we've had taken this year, but it seems to have taken me many months. So here's a little flashback for you - these were taken in August.

Molly, 2 months old

Elijah and Daddy

Elijah & Mama

All of us

Some portraits

Here are some portraits that we had taken in November. I think they came out pretty well, especially considering how difficult it is to get both kiddos looking at the same time!

Miss Molly - 4 1/2 months old

Elijah just decided to tickle her - it was cute.

All of us. Three of these sweaters are from Ireland, and Bobbi found another one for Elijah to match!

Us in 2006, with Elijah in the little sweater

Cute kids

Tagged!

Jackie tagged me with this fun little meme:

Here are the rules:
1. go to your documents/pictures.
2. go to your 6th file.
3. go to your 6th picture.
4. blog about it.
5. and I'm supposed to tag 6 people ...

So here's my picture:



This is a shot of a baby quilt that I made about a year ago for Matt, the son of our friends Mike & Tori. I like this picture because you can see the individual blocks well enough to see the prints, but you still get the overall feeling of it. I really liked how this quilt turned out, despite the fact that I made it in a big rush! (You can read my post about the quilt here.) It also reminds me that I miss our little group of friends from a Bible study we were in back in Colorado before Elijah was born. I'm glad that we were around long enough to meet little Matt, but sad that we moved away before Elijah and Matt could be friends.

So there you are. It's not exactly the picture I was expecting (I don't think there are very many pictures in all those files that aren't of my kids), but I guess that's what makes the whole thing fun!

I don't think I have 6 people that haven't already been tagged, but ...
I'll tag
1. Wizzy (only if you aren't too crazy busy!)
2. Anne
3. Amanda

You can do it if you want to!

Baby, it's cold out there!

It's been a pretty cold couple of days, and apparently today (20 degrees) is as warm as we're going to get for the rest of the week. It's been quite cold and sometimes snowy so far this January, so Shmuffin world has been pretty much confined to our little apartment. (I guess this is New England in the winter. What else can you expect?) We're doing our best not to go completely stir crazy, though. The kids have been enjoying some warm and comfortable days hanging out in their sweats. Elijah has been in heaven - the kid would only wear sweat pants if I let him. We have also been doing our best to find fun, and different, things to do inside.

Elijah in his favorite sweat pants, eating lunch.

Elijah decided at lunchtime today that he'd rather sit in the highchair than in his booster seat - apparently he's feeling a little nostalgic (and whatever Molly does just looks so much more appealing than what he's doing). But by the time he was nearly done with lunch, he had decided that he likes his own chair better. (Today's menu - buttered noodles with Parmesan cheese and red peppers. I threw it together in a panic after I realized that I had no plan and no groceries for lunch. I was proud of myself - it was actually pretty good!)

Cozy and warm.

Sorry about the poor quality - but look!
They're playing together!!! And having so much fun!

Molly was pretty sassy yesterday in the designer sweatsuit that her Daddy bought her. Yep, satin and velor and ruffles and bows. Too cute! And very comfortable, too.

Elijah spent a long time yesterday playing with soapy water and some measuring and pouring utensils. He had so much fun!

Our latest challenge around here is sharing. Since Christmas, Molly has been sitting really well on her own, and is playing with toys a lot more. Elijah is struggling with a bad case of whatever Molly has is the most fun toy in the room. We're working on being kind and polite about sharing, but I think it's going to be a long, long road.

Pictures of Elijah

So handsome for church yesterday

Reading

More pictures of Molly

Playing with her new mirror toy

and her new baby doll

Pretty in pink

Molly with Nana

More pictures of the sweetie

I love the chubby little feet

And I love those big smiles!

Just a list ...

... of random things. I thought this one was interesting, so here is mine:

[Just boldface the items that you HAVE done, and leave the rest normal ...]

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity (skipped)

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain.

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegitables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29 Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33 Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41 Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45 Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60 Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Gotten flowers for no reason

64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a lawsuit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Too cute

I love him.

How could anyone resist that sweet little face?

He's just too cute.

Molly Kisses

This video is from a few weeks ago, I just haven't had time to edit and post it. Please disregard my PJs and morning hair - this was just too cute not to share because it is unflattering of me. Molly gives kisses with lots of energy and lots of slobber - I usually end up with a very wet face (and sometimes minor injuries when she gets carried away and head butts me in the mouth or the bridge of the nose!), but it's so fun!

Random after-Christmas news

Well, we're a week into the new year now - Happy 2009! I didn't make any resolutions this year, but here are some things we're doing around here in Shmuffin land.

First of all, Elijah celebrated the new year by giving up his pacifiers altogether. He was using them only to sleep (and a few exceptional circumstances) for over a year, but he was still very attached to them and showed no signs of ever giving them up on his own. We decided it would be better to break the habit now than to wait until ... well, whenever. We talked about it for a few weeks through December, and Elijah agreed that when Nana came to visit he would throw away his pacifiers. When the big day came, Elijah very happily ran and threw his pacifiers into the trash all by himself. He was happy and proud of himself at first, but a few minutes later when it was time to go to sleep he was quite sad. It took longer to get to sleep for the first few nights, and he was pretty sad, especially for the first two nights. But the really difficult part was nap time. Elijah went almost a week without sleeping during naps. I was really starting to think he was never going to nap again! But he's slept for the past two days now, so I think we're past the hardest part. I guess this means that he's really growing up!

For Christmas, Elijah got his own little backpack and some quiet toys to take to church. We are working on being quiet, and stretching him longer and longer before going to nursery. He lasted at least 10 minutes longer than usual this week, hooray!

I got some new little bins for Christmas that fit in the bookshelves to keep the kids' toys more organized. It really helps the living room look neater (at least when things are put away). Patrick and my mom helped me get both the living room toys and the kids' clothes sorted and organized last week, which was really nice. We also got out some of Elijah's paper books, and he has been very good with them so far - another sign that he's growing up. I am excited to have things more organized and tidy around here, especially since we spend so much time stuck inside in the winter.

We had some very cold days last week, and the other three apartments in our building had trouble with their heat. Finally a pipe burst in one of the downstairs apartments in the middle of the night - another fun night for Patrick. The broken pipe made our apartment really cold too, especially the kids' room, so we had to put space heaters everywhere for the night. It seems to all be working now, and everything should be dry and cleaned up when someone comes to move in down there this semester. I am so glad that our heat never went out!

Some random December pictures

Here are just a few fun pictures of Molly from last month.

Splashing!!!

Love the Bunny

Sleeping