Da Kids

Today I've been unintentionally mulling over some of the quirky things my kids do. Since this blog functions as the depository for my thoughts, I guess that means you're all subjected to these (that is, if you choose to continue reading despite my warning).

EVERETT:

On several occasions, I have caught Everett dancing along to some music in one of his early morning shows. As soon as he notices that I am watching him, he stops bashfully, giving me a shy little grin and looking as though he is about to burrow his face into his shoulder. Any of my freshman roommates can attest to the fact that I am definitely not a dancer. However, I have tried to encourage Everett to dance, with little luck. But I am glad to see there is a little bit of uninhibited child in him.

Everett loves helping me feed Ashley. While his spoon handling can be a little rough, Ashley has not complained and Everett generally does a very good job.

Everett has to sleep with these things, and nothing less (unless he is too tired to remember):
-All of his trains
-All of his cars and trucks, even big ones
-All of his little animals
-His doggies, his giraffe, and today, his Super Grover
-A bedspread that used to belong to Joel and is quite adult-sized (Joel called it his "special blanket" to Everett once and there has been no turning back).
-His pillow PLUS a red throw pillow I told him he could have
-All of his new vinyl window clings (which I usually tuck behind his pillow or sneak under his bed because I have an irrational fear that he will suffocate on them)

The beauty of it is that he is still small enough that he can still fit with all of these things in his little toddler bed. Barely.

Also, he will eat anything if I tell him it is a "treat". Score!


ASHLEY

Ashley has entered a new stage: the one in which I cannot eat in front of her without hearing a litany of wails and shrieks and desperate pleading cries, not to mention the frantic grabbing. Believe me, I tried today and it is futile. Restaurants are a whole new ballgame now.

Ashley has kind of started saying "mama". I'm not sure if she is really saying it or if she is just babbling, but often when she is playing on the floor and starts fussing, she looks around for me and says it over and over. You never know, though, so I'm not jumping to any conclusions.

Ashley will now sit contentedly and gnaw on a graham cracker quarter while I fix dinner. I don't know what I am going to do when it only takes her five seconds to finish one off, but until then, I am enjoying the means of distraction.

She also still loves to be bundled. I know members of my family can get her to sleep other ways, but I swear by this. If she is remotely tired, she will lay in her crib and put herself to sleep if I swaddle her up. AND, she is still not sleeping through the night! We have a backwards baby. She used to sleep through the night when she was very little, and now she wakes up twice or so. I told Joel that one of these times I'm going to declare it his night and make him get up with her and give her a bottle, but I can't make myself do that.

Ashley loves to participate in recreational squealing. She will sit--sometimes with her fingers in her mouth--and just squeal and squeal and squeal. These squeals are somewhat similar to the squeals she makes when she thinks Everett might do something to her, but they are unmistakable.

Here is a video of the recreational squealing, with some babbling thrown in. Feel free to skip over it. Squealing isn't something I always look forward to hearing :).

Busy Season

After our ice storm yesterday that left everything covered in over 1/4 inch of ice (ever saran-wrapped a car? This is what it is like, except with ice), and after watching Joel picking (hacking?) at the car door crack with his keys just so he could open it, and knowing how the roads are when they're covered in sheet ice, I assumed Joel would throw in the towel and say "surely they don't expect me to come into work yet."

But no, he went to work at the usual time. And the more I talk to people, the more I think he was the only one!

The plus side was that there was no one else on the road, so it took him a little less time than usual to get there. I guess everyone else just values their lives.

I just think it would be really nice if "Ice Season" didn't coincide with "Busy Season" !!!

Snow, Snow, Don't Go Away, Come Again Another Day

Yesterday we had a pretty good amount of snow fall. It's no 18 inches, for those of you in Utah, but seeing as (I believe) only 1-2 inches was predicted for this area, we did pretty well.

Everett has had some experience with snow before, but that was only when there was a light dusting on the cars, with none sticking on the ground. There was also snow during our recent trip to Utah, but I didn't bring any of his snow gear so I tried to not call attention to it.

When I told Everett we could go out and play in the snow, he was ecstatic. After I started getting his gear together, I realized that he didn't have any mittens, so I had to make some really quickly using some elastic and scrap fleece that we had on hand (this meant that since he saw me sew them he was excited to wear them, so I couldn't argue with that). They weren't very even or very good looking but they suited the purpose just fine, and they stayed on which was my main goal anyway. But between that and his dirty face, he looked a little like he doesn't have a mother.

And he looked a little like that boy in A Christmas Story with all of his snow layers on. You know the one I'm talking about? Didn't he have so many layers on he could move his arms or something?

Everett wandered around in silent wonder almost the entire time. I think he was so amazed that he didn't really know what to say. It was pretty fun to watch. And, the first thing I heard this morning after Joel left for work was "ahd? (Outside?) No? (Snow?)" How do you explain to a toddler that we can't go out for another few hours? I settled for telling him he had to take his nap first and that it is too cold out there now, but he hasn't stopped asking. It's pretty fun to see him this excited.

I tried to get Everett interested in the concept of snowballs. He was interested, but he was only interested in chucking them at the ground. He's pointing to it in this picture.


This is what Everett looks like when he's doing his mock "Oh! Where is it?" actions.

Everything is more interesting when it snows, especially pine branches that fling the snow wildly when you shake them.

Slush balls: another fun discovery, but mostly just for squishing.


Yes, Ashley was there with us. At least, I think she was. I can't quite tell what is under all those layers.

Q: How do you know when it's time to go get hot chocolate?
A: When your cheeks start to look like strawberries!

Cold Day Cravings

When it is cold and snowy or icy outside, I always crave a big pot of home made soup and a warm loaf of bread. I know everyone probably has a good bread recipe of their own, but here is a wheat bread recipe I have really enjoyed using. It is simple and wholesome, and it is perfect partnered with a dreary day. I am certainly not the world's best bread maker; it comes out badly more often than not, but it is nice to have this recipe to practice on.

(FYI: I always have better luck when I proof the yeast in the water and then add that mixture to the first ingredients.)

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see additional notes for a 100% whole wheat version)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Instructions:

1. *Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

Also, I usually add some potato flakes to make it less dense, and some oatmeal to give it some texture. Sometimes I'll throw in some flax seed for flavor, and if you put a couple tablespoons of molasses in there it also gives the bread a richer flavor.

Hitting

Everett has a big problem with hitting Ashley. He never does it maliciously. It is as though it is an impulse he can't control, actually. He'll just be walking by her and all of a sudden he'll take a toy he is holding and bop her on the head with it. He never does it to get her reaction, because when she starts wailing, he's ignored her and already moved on to the next thing. He doesn't do it to get my reaction, because he doesn't pay any attention to me after he does it, either.

Sometimes he'll knock her over, or he'll sit on her, or he'll do other things, but mostly it is hitting her over the head.

When he does this I put him in time-out for quite a while, and sometimes I even yell at him if I'm frustrated (but I am always very stern with him).

I am trying to not give him too much attention for it, in case that is part of the reason he keeps doing it, but when I watch him, it never seems like he is even thinking about what he's doing. That is the thing I'm confused about handling. It seems like he just does it for no particular reason, even though he understands the consequences.

I've tried explaining it to him, I've tried punishing him, I've tried giving him lots of positive attention and encouragement, but nothing seems to make a difference. Two minutes later, he'll walk by her and BOP! Another hit over the head, and then he has immediately moved on to his next activity.

I am trying to train him to 1) think about what he is doing and to 2) choose not to do this particular thing, but it is not working. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am starting to feel at a loss! I know this is probably a stage, but short of whacking him over the head myself, how do I help him pay attention to what he is doing? And how do I get him to stop! I feel like the neighbors hear crying kids all day (Everett, having been put in time-out, and Ashley, having been hit and left alone while I'm putting him there).

Everybody Loves. . .Ridiculous Nicknames

The other night Joel and I were watching Everybody Loves Raymond. Debra was very upset with Ray for the latest mindless thing he did, and had been discussing it with Ray's family. As soon as they left the house, Ray entered from the back door, completely unaware of Debra's anger. When he walked in the door, he greeted her by saying,

"Hey, Jellycheeks!"


I immediately started laughing and turned to Joel, only to see that he was also turning to me and laughing.

At the same time we said:

Me: If you ever call me that, so help me, you'll be so sorry!
Joel: I am SO going to call you that from now on!


Thank you, Raymond. I've heard this nickname no less than five times since then. I guess that's the joy of being married!

Recipe for a Few Minutes of Quiet

99 cents' worth of clear vinyl remnants from Walmart (of which you will only use a small portion)


Sharpie markers (regular and fine-tipped for details)


A few favorite books or images printed out from the computer--special characters (ie Lightning McQueen) included


A few minutes of time


Scissors

And. . . .Voila!



Window Clings!



Add magic markers, which wipe off easily, and you're in business!

(side note: we didn't have washable markers, so the ones we used sometimes took off thin layers of the sharpie if we left them on too long. Maybe washable markers would do this as well, but I want to try them next time and see.)


Do you have a windowless house? Try this method:



Curious George show not included, but feel free to take all the dust and smudges.

Question

How many of you like pureed soups? If you don't, is it the consistency that bothers you or the types of soups that are usually pureed (butternut squash, carrot, etc.)?

I am a yes. Joel is a no. I was just wondering if anyone else has an opinion about this.

It's a good thing. . .

That we kept Everett home from Nursery on Sunday. He had been acting "funny", meaning he had been acting sick, but with our thermometer on the blink we didn't have any hard evidence of a fever. Today, after a few harrowing days of yelling and heightened dramatics (admittedly not only from Everett), he has broken out into the trademark Roseola rash. Brilliant. Last time he had this, Ashley was being born, so this time I am glad I don't have to worry about germ transfer to a new-newborn.

On the bright side, this rash means that we're on the home stretch and I might only have a grumpy toddler for another day or two. I don't know where he picked it up since we haven't really been anywhere except playgroup lately, but I am glad he's alive and getting over it. I always know he can't be too sick when he still wants to chase balloons around the house!

Fun Stuff, OR, Unfinished-projects-as-usual

Last Valentine's Day I gave Joel a gift I was excited about, and one I thought he would be excited about. It was a nine generation genealogical fan chart--a little decorative, very informational, and very time-consuming. This means that what Joel actually got was a partially completed nine generation fan chart (in my defense, I didn't have all of the names, so I did most of what I could at that point). And, almost a year later, though it has moved from its original mailing tube to a frame on the wall, it is still incomplete. However, I am going to finish it by this upcoming Valentine's Day since Joel is beginning busy season and I will need something to keep me busy during his late nights.

Here is a link to the chart, if anyone wants to take a look at it online. It is pretty inexpensive compared to many I have seen. If you like the look of the chart but don't want to spend the hours it takes to hand-write it all out (or if you're like me and you never like the way your writing looks), you can upload a PAF file and they will send it to you all filled out. It is a fun way to get acquainted with your ancestors and it is neat to see simliarities in names through the years.

One goal I had with this chart was to put a collage of family photos around it. I finally got around to this a few days ago, which is funny because I'm just going to have to take it down in a few months when we move. I guess there wasn't really a point to putting it up now, but at least Everett has fun pointing out all the people in the photographs. Of course, since I put them up, some of the pictures are crooked, and the right side doesn't seem to balance the left side very well. But hey, I never claimed spacial reasoning was my strong point.

My favorite picture is the one on the upper left side. It's a series of four photos--beginning with Joel's grandfather, named Everett Wayne Johnson, and ending with my little Everett Wayne Johnson. Joel's father also shares that name, though the first and middle names are reversed. Joel only shares the name Wayne, but who's counting?

(Joel wouldn't move off the couch for the picture so he decided to just cower under the blanket. Yes that's right honey, I said cower.)



In other news, Ashley has just discovered Everett's alligator xylophone. She loves it and will play with it all day long. She likes to experiment by hitting it with different things. I really like this toy because it has buttons that sound the keys rather than having to hit it with the stick (mallet?) all the time.

Brrrrrrrrrrrr

Yesterday it was very cold here. This is definitely not a news flash to anyone who lives on the Northern or Eastern side of the United States, where a digit-freezing, cold front has stifled all outdoor activities in our areas.

Yesterday, after heaving a pitifully whimpering Everett home from the grocery store--his hands had caught a chill going out to the car, and yes, he was milking it--I decided to check the temperature. It was 11 degrees, which is respectable to any of us Nebraskans who have experienced an extreme wind chill, but they said it felt like -4. (Who are "they", and how do they tell what it feels like?) I didn't believe people when they said it would feel colder here with the humidity until my recent trip out to Utah, where it felt pretty nice even though the temperatures were low.

Just for fun, I also checked the temperature over yonder in South Bend, IN, where, in case you were wondering, Notre Dame is housed and where we will be living next year at this time. It was -14, but "they" said it "felt like" -30.

Fantastic.

Two questions surge to the forefront of my mind: One, how often does it get this cold there? Two, how long will it take me to lose my mind after being trapped inside for days with the kids?

Roomies

While I was in Utah I had a couple of hours free for a spur of the moment visit with two of my freshman/sophomore roommates. It was fantastic! It was great to see them and I am glad that we were able to chat for a little while.

L-R: Chelsea & baby Brooklynn, Amanda & twin boys, Me & Ashley
Everett was there, but wasn't fond of the whole picture-taking stuff. He was successful at distracting the babies, though.

P.S. For those of you who wanted a picture of my haircut, here you go.

These two girls lived with me when I met and got engaged to Joel. Chelsea spent that semester engaged (subsequently disappointing many guys in our ward), and Amanda dated Joel's roommate, whom she later married as well.

Funny story: Joel and I held hands on our first date, which at that point was being held in our small living room. Pack a bunch of college bodies in there and the air gets stifling pretty quickly, so we had opened all the windows, which looked out onto the parking lot and sidewalk. The milisecond we all said our good-nights and waved the guys away, I danced back to my room, wanting to relish the events of the date alone for a minute. These roommates (plus one more who isn't pictured) squealed, yelled, pounded and caused all sorts of a ruckus in the attempt to get me to open my door and share my feelings. They were so loud I think people over in Pakistan must have heard them.

Yep. Joel, still right outside our apartment and walking away at that point, heard everything. This cause a fair bit of ribbing from his roommates, who were with him and knew this was his first real hand-holding.

Don't worry. The next date (a BYU football game the next morning. . .we wasted no time), I cleared it all up. Those of you who know Joel know he is a little quiet, so I didn't want him to be weirded out. He was, but obviously not permanently. I think. . .

Well, it's fun to re-live the memories. At least, it is for me. Sorry to all the rest of you who could have happily lived the rest of your lives without hearing that story.

I only wish the rest of you roomies could have been there. Ahem, Camille, Emily, and Tori. Someday we'll all have to get together again. Maybe that will be next year, maybe when we drop our kids off at college. I don't care when it happens as long as it happens.

It seems like I never get pictures taken of me with the kids since I'm always behind the camera. Thanks for snapping this one, Chels!

The girls liked each other. Is a friendship meant to be? Maybe!
(Isn't little Brooke adorable? You've got to love those blue, blue eyes.
And she has fantastic hair. It looks like a little pixie cut.)

Aaaaaand.....an updated picture of Ashley.

Yesterday the kids and I went to pick up a few groceries at Trader Joe's. At checkout, Everett asked for a balloon and the employee gave him a cheery red one emblazoned with TRADER JOE'S and a few flowers.

Seeing an opportunity before me, I took the time to point out the letters on the balloon after we had gone out to the car. All week I have been trying unsuccessfully to get Everett to identify the letter A (or a) in real life, but today he scrunched his mouth to one side and pointed happily at the right letter! I was very excited and I loaded on the praise--Everett was a little taken aback with my reaction. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he thought about my reaction, so I asked him a few more times. He was happy to comply just to see me get so excited.

This morning, the balloon only floating half as high as yesterday, I asked Everett to find the letter A again. He did! Quickly, happily, and proudly. I was pleased. He came back a little later with the balloon and said excitedly, "letters!" (sounding more like ehts!).

So, maybe I am being somewhat successful, given that my only goal with teaching him the alphabet is for him to learn that there is such a thing as letters, that they are everywhere, and that they are fun.

Identifiable smells

I just walked in the house after running errands.

It smells like dirty diapers in here.

Great. Better break out the febreeze (and empty the trash).

My apologies to those of you who have already experienced this at my house.

Frost

Today we had a good layer of frost on our windows for the first time this year. We don't really have shade over our car so this might be why we have escaped this so far.

Since it is so cold today, I thought I would share one of my favorite cold day recipes. I always seem to crave a good crock pot meal when it is cold. It is painfully easy (so easy you wouldn't want anyone to know, but you can't tell by the taste). I came up with it one day when I hadn't gone grocery shopping and had to improvise. There is probably an actual recipe for this out there somewhere, so let me know if you know of one!

Here's what you need:

CROCK POT
Chicken/sausage (ground sausage or the kind in a log form, sliced)
1 can stewed tomatoes (Italian style, regular, or anything you like)
rice
seasonings

So, this is what you do. Salt and pepper the chicken (sometimes I like to use a poultry seasoning or Mrs. Dash). Put the chicken and tomatoes in first and let them slow roast together. Save the tomato can juice for later, if you want. After the chicken is almost done, I cook the rice separately until it is also almost done. I'll usually drain some of the chicken juice if it is really oily, then add some of the tomato can juice. Then I throw the rice in the crock pot with everything else. Add more seasonings to taste, or just taste :). Let it cook together until you're ready to eat.





This recipe is really easy to alter, and it is a good way to get rid of bone-in chicken thighs if you have them. You can put in minced garlic, onion, chives, bell peppers, corn, or just about anything. It is perfect for a cold day, and it is very hands-free. The chicken is good in it, but the sausage adds a little more flavor.

Airplane

In a few hours we're (not Joel) headed off to Utah for the weekend. My maternal Grandfather passed away early this week and we are going to attend his funeral. We're sorry to those of you who live in Utah that we will not be able to see. It is difficult to be so close to many of you and not have time to drop by, but we are only in town for a couple of days and there are a lot of things going on.

Ashley got Everett's flu yesterday morning and was still a little sick this morning. Sorry, all those who let their daughters play with Ashley during playgroup. We haven't been sick in this house for a few days and I didn't think she was going to get it until we went to the store afterward and she threw up all over the place. Hopefully no one got her germs, but if they did, take comfort in knowing that it only lasts 24 hours or so.

I spent all of last night hoping beyond all hope that she will be well by the time we take this trip. I fully admit that I was not saying this as much for her benefit as mine. Traveling on an airplane with a toddler and an up-chucking baby is not high on my to do list.

But, the flight is non-stop. Wahoo! Hopefully I have enough snacks, videos, toys, stickers and individually gift-wrapped crayons to keep Everett occupied.

Everett Projects

Everett has a major thing for animals. Something about them just fascinates him, and so it is something he loves to talk about. For Christmas, I went to Michael's and got a couple of their animal "toobs" for a great deal. Now he has a bunch of little animals that he loves getting out and naming. He knows everything from a wildebeest to a skunk to a crocodile. If you ask him what a Hyena says, he will reply "hee hee hee." It is really fun for me to be involved in something he is so interested in.

Not all of the animals are here. There are a lot, but he has fun with them.

I have been meaning for some time to begin some sort of scheduled "learning time" with Everett. Maybe I'm being completely ridiculous, but I think it will be beneficial for both of us to have this time together. I think he enjoys the one-on-one time more than anything.

I have wanted to start doing letters with Everett. Right now, he has zero interest in letters, numbers, or colors. This is fine. I do not have a problem with this because he is still so very young, but learning them is something I thought would be fun for us to do together. After all, this is sort of my "specialty" if you will. I don't have a degree and have never had a "real" job, but my favorite job I had was working as the kindergarten literacy coordinator at a Provo Elementary school. We did lots of activities with the letters of the alphabet. It is different gearing this toward a two year old instead of a five year old, but it is still pretty fun for me.

At first I was hesitant to get started on the letters and sounds because Everett still doesn't use all the sounds in his speech, but then I realized that if we begin to go over letters and sounds, this may actually improve his speech and get him more comfortable with verbalizing all those words that I just know are floating around in his little head. So if this is all he takes away from our letter studies, I will be a happy mom.

Our first letter was the letter A. Technically there are letters you should start with--the most common ones, but I decided to start at the beginning with a letter that I knew Everett could pronounce.

Our activity was really simple. We took a side of a cardboard box and cut out the letters. Then we took markers and colored them. This part surprised me--I took the marker and guided Everett's hand while I traced the letter and said "up, down, across". I wasn't trying to get him to write it; I just wanted to familiarize him with the shape of the letter. BUT, from then on, Everett would carefully choose a marker and say to himself "up, down, across" while he tried to follow my lines. After he was done, we glued little letters onto the bigger letters (Everett also has a thing for glue). I thought about doing things that start with the letter A, but he is too young to understand that concept, so I just decided to have him glue the mini letters on the respective larger letter to reinforce everything. When we were all finished, Everett got to choose a place to tape them on the wall. This is really effective for him because he is always so proud of the things he does. He was very excited to show Papa what he had made.

Everett ripped all the little a's off, so now they just look like random orange pieces.

The plan right now is to do a different letter every week. We'll do different activities each week with the same letter, but the most important thing to me is that we point out letters on things around us. I want him to begin to understand (maybe not now, but someday) that letters are everywhere, and that letters are important.

Mommy Time-Out

This morning (early this morning, but that's another story) I discovered the reason for Everett's hesitancy to ingest anything yesterday. It was laid out--albeit a little sloppily--for me on his pillow. Apparently he wanted me to observe his handiwork because he called out for me with a feeble "Maaama."

The flu. Now I feel really terrible about yesterday.

BUT, I am consoled because I know he probably doesn't remember yesterday as clearly as I do.

(And I am grateful because I have a husband who voluntarily got up and gave him a bath while I took care of the linens, but that is also another story.)

Mother of the Year Award

Today Everett woke up happy and energetic. I was excited to see that because we had a lot of activities for the day planned.

Enter mood swing #1, which ended up lasting all morning, with a short reprieve during an encore showing of Milo and Otis.

Then came lunch time. Everett didn't touch anything. But when I would take a bite out to offer him, he would tearfully demand that it stayed in his bowl (he has a thing for bowls). Then came nap time. Knowing my boy too well, and therefore knowing that if I were to put him down with no lunch and next-to-no breakfast in his belly, he would wake up making that giant mood swing look like a tiny gruffle.

So, I tried to interest him in eating his lunch.

I tried to coerce him into eating his lunch.

I tried to fool him into eating his lunch.

I tried to reason him into eating his lunch.

I tried begging (one bite? one sniff? look at it? please?).

Finally I cracked, and sent him to time-out. But because I was particularly frustrated, I sent him to time out in the windowless bathroom, and neglected to turn on the light.

He came out tearful, submissive, and agreeing to eat his lunch. I cried an inner cheer of triumph--at least he respects me as an authority figure, I considered.

And then, he climbed up to the counter and refused to look at it.

All the pent-up frustration I had carried from spending the morning with a yelling toddler exploded, and I angrily sent him to time-out again.

After I shut the door, I realized what a doofus I was. Putting a child in time-out for not eating his lunch? What kind of mother am I? Throwing his lunch, maybe. Hitting his sister, definitely. But for not having an interest in the hard-boiled egg I made him? Why?

My wish (besides reaching perfection sometime in the near future) is that he is old enough to really understand me when I hold him close and apologize, "I'm sorry I overreacted. I should not have yelled at you or put you in time-out for not eating your lunch. You do not have to eat if you are not hungry. I only wish that you would try so you will not be hungry later." If all he comes away with is that Mommy is sorry when she gets angry, then I suppose that is good enough.


So, here I sit after sending Everett to bed for the afternoon, harboring a secret hope that he won't die in his sleep having left us with this as our last experience together. It was difficult for me to drag myself from his room after he oh-so-gratefully laid down for his nap, and I am having a difficult time not rushing in there and clutching him up, but I know that when he wakes up we'll both be ready to have some fun. I hope so. I need to redeem myself in one way or another today.

Older and still Sweet

Ashley turned six months old on December 27th. The time sure flies! She is not very old yet but it still seems like she should be my little squawky, wrinkly newborn. Here are some things about Ashley:

• She sits up like a pro. She has been able to do this for a while but she would always get too excited and wobble herself over trying to get somewhere.
• She has started to lean over when I'm holding her in an attempt to get down and play with her brother.
• She is still smiley and friendly to everyone, even strangers.
• She loves to grab things and manipulate them.
• She has gone back to not sleeping through the night (she's had a big growth spurt).
• She giggles very easily.
• She cocks her head when she breaks into a grin, and she has a faint little dimple on her left cheek.
• She is a major jabberer. She is very loud. She loves sticking her fingers in her mouth and belting.
  
• She has started on solids and has loved it. She will voraciously eat anything anyone gives her at this point.

. . .Which brings me to the pictures we took of her first meal. She ate carrots and rice cereal. I don't think she was a big fan of the carrots because she kept making shuddering faces, but she was so excited with the novelty of eating that she kept eating them anyway.

Notice the one long strand on the top of her head? If she hadn't lost most of her hair, this is how long it all would be. As it is now, she has more hair growing in (a little lighter, but still dark brown), but she also has a scraggly mullet in the back. I haven't had the heart to cut it yet.

Yep, I think it is safe to say that eating was a success for her. I even waited (unintentionally) until she was starving and I didn't give her milk first to calm her appetite, like so many people recommend. She just dove right in and loved it.