Life in the Frog Pond

It's Stock Show Time

2011-02-21T20:41:00.005-06:00

With Lucy really loving animals, and the ice and snow FINALLY melting away, I set out to take the kids to the Fort Worth Stock Show on its last open day. We went to the FFA Barn and saw pigs, goats, chickens, etc. and then went on to the petting zoo near the midway to get up close with more goats, bunnies, and even llamas. Ethan didn't want to come in at first--he's not that keen on animals. But then he saw the llamas in a pen, and decided it would be okay. Lucy didn't pet anything, but was completely unphased by goats coming right up to her. She just smiled.

One great perk to our admission to the stock show was free entry to the science museum, so we spent quite a bit of time in there, playing and exploring. Both kids found tons of fun things to get involved in. We probably need to renew our family membership.

Snow Days

2011-02-21T16:02:00.003-06:00

So, in what is starting to be a bit of a trend here in Texas, we had some snow again this February. It really started out with a good layer of ice and freezing rain, then it stayed way below freezing for several days and then we got a few inches of snow on top. FUN! It kept most things closed for 4 days (not my office, luckily I could work from home), and parents everywhere were dying to get out of the house by the end of it. The rolling blackouts never hit us, so at least we didn't have to turn off the seemingly endless flow of videos. :-) Here is some video of Ethan and Lucy playing in the snow. Neither has boots, so I imagine their feet were cold, but no one complained, and they had a great time. It was a really dry snow, so no snowball fights or snowmen, but there was still fun to be had.

And some pictures!

YUM YUM YUM

2011-02-18T09:27:00.003-06:00

Lucy has been a good eater since she started eating table food. But I finally caught some of it on video. She was really loving these leftovers.

Best Big Brother EVER

2011-01-17T13:53:00.003-06:00

After his basketball game on Saturday, Ethan, without any discussion or urging or anything, took Lucy's hand and guided her through the crowd in the gym and then outside all the way to the car. It was SUPER precious. Lucy, of course, totally loved it.

Ethan's Class Christmas Performance

2010-12-20T16:23:00.002-06:00

The parents of Ethan's kindergarten class were invited to a Christmas party last week and we got a performance by our kiddos as part of the package. They all did so well and were so excited, it was FUN!

Frosty the Snowman:

Feliz Navidad:

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-16T21:41:00.001-06:00

In His Name Religious Christmas Card

Customize your Christmas cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Poor, Neglected Little Blog

2010-11-13T21:47:00.003-06:00

Yeah, it's been nearly 2 months since I posted anything. But you saw what that last post was, right? Lucy walking? Pretty much explains why I haven't had time to post anything. :-) And I still don't have a bunch of time for a great post full of pictures and stuff. So, we'll have to settle for a quick top 10 list.

Top 10 Things Going on in Our House Right Now:

1. Lucy and Ethan bonding. Lucy is so enamored of her big brother. She loves to go in with me in the mornings to wake him up. She sits on his bed and pats him, sometimes laying her head on him and giggling. Sometimes I catch Ethan holding her hand across their car seats on the way to/from school.

2. Being a big kid. Lucy has been in the toddler room at school for a while now. She's getting better at taking one, long nap in the middle of the day and loves all the outside playtime and especially eating. That girl loves to eat.

3. Sight words. Ethan's kindergarten class has learned lots of sight words. Ethan likes to practice them at home and point them out when he sees them other places. Places he's called out "SIGHT WORD!!" include: church, TCU football games, numerous restaurants, and the grocery store.

4. Sleeping. Or not. Lucy still is not a good nighttime sleeper. Everyone just got done with a round of ear infections, so maybe we can work on that some more here soon. For the time being, she's up 3 or more times a night (and the time change just makes it ever so much better--NOT) and, like her brother at that age, much prefers Mommy in the middle of the night.

5. Signing and Such. Lucy has started to sign "more" in the last couple of weeks. She's also started blowing kisses (blew one this morning to Daddy, completely un-prompted), saying "uh oh" when things drop, and reaching for her crib when she's ready to be by herself at night. Not many actual words still, though I've heard things that might have been "more," "up," "ball," "door," and "hey daddy." (seriously, that last one, Rick and I both stopped and said, "it really sounded like she just said, "hey Daddy.")

6. Such opposites. Part of the amazing thing about having more than one kid, is seeing how different they can be. Lucy eats like crazy; Ethan is super picky. Ethan has always been cautious and careful; Lucy is a wild child, diving headfirst into whatever looks like fun. Ethan has always been cuddly; Lucy likes a few cuddles, but not for long, she's anxious to get moving again. Lucy puts dirt and other fun things in her mouth; Ethan would never even touch the sand for the longest time. I'm just loving watching them each develop their own personality.

7. Football, Football, Football. It's not ALL about the kids, right? We've been spending a lot of time at TCU football games together (Lucy loves it, Ethan is still not big on the noise), and if Mommy and Daddy have a few awake minutes to talk, it is probably about TCU football, the BCS, or some other subject related to those two. (I've started reading "Death to the BCS" and am really enjoying it. I looked at Ethan's journal in his kindergarten class and I'd say that 80% of what he draws each day is about a football game or something related to it (lots of "Frog Horns" in there).

8. Ethan and Miss Courtney. I think Ethan might have a little crush on his teacher. At the very least he really likes her as his teacher. He often wants to draw her a picture, or take her something that we've done at home to show her. This from a kid who rarely voluntarily picked up a crayon or marker 6 months ago. The refridgerator in his classroom was covered in pictures he had brought her.

9. I like to "Move It Move It." I think we knew pretty early on that Lucy was going to be a "large motor" kind of girl, but now we have no doubt. Lucy loves to move and play. She chases Ethan around the house, bangs on the glass door to go outside and play, thinks she can slide down our little twisty slide all by herself (she can't, not sitting anyway, on her tummy she's all good), turns herself around on our bed to go over the side "feet first" (we remind her a lot) despite the fact that it is a really long way down and she probably shouldn't do that on her own. Rick and I could barely keep up with her at the park, even with one of us manning each side of the little climber/slide. She and I took a class at The Little Gym one Saturday that included a little tumbling, lots of exploring on mats and tunnels, etc., balls, a parachute, and bubbles, and that is going to be her Christmas present: a whole semester of "Birds" classes. I'm really excited because I know she'll love it.

10. Love, Love, Love. There's a lot of love in this house. Lucy shows her love to all of us with hugs and sometimes big, open mouthed kisses (or blown ones). My heart melts to hear Ethan say, "I love you Lu Lu." each night, and Rick and I certainly love the both of them more and more every day!

I know, I said before no pictures. But I've gotten inspired, so here's a few recent ones. :-)

One Step at a Time

2010-09-30T21:23:00.002-05:00

So, here's how our week had been going:

Monday: Lucy is beginning the transition to the toddler room at school, first step, taking one nap a day, on a cot rather than a crib. This day, she slept only 30 minutes in the middle of the day, fell asleep on the way home, slept through dinner, woke up when getting moved to her crib, so she nursed and went right to bed, no bath, no dinner, no pjs. She was up a couple times in the night.

Tuesday: Again only 30 minutes of nap. Fell asleep on the way home, woke up a little while after getting home, but was SUPER fussy, so I wrestled her into pjs and again, straight to bed (she did manage to get some dinner in her at school at least. She was up several (like 4 or 5) times in the night.

Wednesday: Another 30 minute nap. Fell asleep on the way to Purple Cow for dinner, was woken up by wild children everywhere and wouldn't calm down. Rick took her home, bathed her (while screaming) and dealt with her fussiness until I could get home to nurse her and put her to bed. She slept until 4 am before waking to nurse at all.

Thursday: We think we might be really smart and leave her blanket with her at school (now she's allowed to have one, the infants are not) to help with nap. Her teachers must have been tired of this no sleeping too, because today she took 2 naps, about 45 minutes each. Not great, but much better. She ate like a crazy person both at school and again at home. And then, then, she showed us what (maybe) she's been working up to all week:

I also think I see a new tooth just breaking through up top, so that may have something to do with some of the sleeplessness too.

Somehow we knew that once she decided to do it she'd really be moving; she was just so steady cruising around. And sure enough, within an hour of taking her first 5 solo steps in a row, she was able to walk (though still arms out, legs wide, and a bit like a mummy) from one end of her room to the hallway. As if it wasn't hard enough to contain her already, I'm sure we're in for a whole new level of exercise around here.

Lucy is ONE!

2010-09-26T22:13:00.004-05:00

Well, it hardly seems like it's been a month, much less a year, but here we are, at Lucy's first birthday.

Her 12 month stats:
Height: 30 1/4 inches (84th percentile)--I am doubting the nurse's measuring and think she's only 28 1/2 or so
Weight: 18 lbs. 4 ounces (9th percentile)
Head: 45 cm (47th percentile)

So, she's all over the map, but perfect just as she is! She's not quite walking yet, but is very, very close. We're sure that one moment we'll turn our back only to find that she's walked to the other end of the house when we turn around.

Lucy had a great first birthday party. We had lots of friends and family and it was Ladybug themed for our little ladybug. I made and decorated the cake (making Rick a very special ladybug cake for his birthday a week earlier as practice) and we got some cute cookies from J.Rae's bakery. We had a fun BBQ and the kids loved the ladybug pinata. Lucy was a real party animal and had a great time with all the people and fun, and she really loved her cake (see video below). She was in a great mood, even for a Friday evening party, so we're really thankful she was able to enjoy it.

Silly Songs

2010-09-10T21:14:00.004-05:00

I have a lot of bloggin to catch up on, but for now I will leave you with just these two videos of some very silly songs that Ethan has brought home from Kindergarten. Enjoy!

Sunday Chicken

Months of the Year, Macarena Style

Pulling Up

2010-06-30T22:36:00.004-05:00

Lucy has been starting to try and pull up for a while now and tonight she really got it down. Once she started she didn't want to stop. Can't believe she's doing this already!!! (She also just started "real" crawling in the last couple of days too--my video of that is too dark, so you'll have to wait.)

YMCA Basketball

2010-06-30T22:02:00.003-05:00

Last night, Ethan had his first YMCA Basketball practice. Very important since Rick is now "Coach Waters" and will be coaching the 3 and 4 year olds this summer. We've got two practices and then they play 8 games. They will use a "mini-ball" and shoot on 6 foot rims. All 10 kids showed up for our first practice where the biggest thrill was probably getting to pick out a jersey. Ethan immediately noticed that there colors were quite like the BRONCOS! That's my boy! As you would imagine, they all have widely varying skills, but it looked like everyone was having fun and the parents all seem like a nice bunch (a couple of the dads helped out as assistant coaches). Rick did a great job encouraging the kids to have a good time and learn a little about how to play the game. We're looking forward to this season.

College World Series!!!

2010-06-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

So, TCU did, in fact, make it to the CWS as we had hoped, and Rick even made the trip up to Omaha to see a few games. Braving a couple of all-night drives up and back with a buddy, they enjoyed seeing the Frogs play and took in some of the sights in Omaha. We're really proud of the Frogs and their great season. Next year we plan on making it a family trip! :-)

Check out Rick's story about the TCU-themed ice cream flavor in Omaha: http://www.magazine.tcu.edu/OnCampus/Article.aspx?articleId=143

9 Months Old!

2010-06-18T21:43:00.000-05:00

Lucy is 9 months old and going strong.

Stats:

Height: 27 1/2 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 16 lbs. 5 oz. (11th percentile!!!!)
Head: 44 cm (52nd percentile)

The Road to Omaha (We Hope)

2010-06-12T01:01:00.003-05:00

We bought Standing Room Only tickets to one of the games last weekend in the TCU Regional Baseball Tournament. We sat on the hill in right field with the kids and had a good time. Rick will attend one of the Super Regional games down in Austin tomorrow, and if the Frogs win (since they won already today), it will be on to the College World Series in Omaha. GO FROGS!

Clapping

2010-06-12T00:36:00.002-05:00

Lucy seems to be going gangbusters with some of these milestone developments lately. Just as I was wondering when she might start clapping, she did! I was so glad to capture this at the park one day after school.

8 Months Old

2010-06-12T00:34:00.003-05:00

As you can tell by the collage of pictures below, we might not be able to keep taking these size-comparison photos every month. Lucy just won't sit still! I was afraid she was going to leap off the chair. :-)

Let's Celebrate!

2010-06-12T00:18:00.003-05:00

At the end of May we headed down to San Antonio to celebrate a couple of different events. First, Rick's cousin, Jill, was graduating from Medical School. We're so proud of this major accomplishment and we were excited to share in her celebration. Also, Buff and Joan celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, so we teamed up with Brad and Nicole to throw them a luncheon party in their honor. It was great to see everyone. For most if was the first time to meet Lucy, so that was special too. Buff and Joan treated us to some really nice accommodations at the Hyatt Hill Country and the cousins had a BLAST playing in the pool and multiple hotel rooms. Enjoy the slideshow below!

On the Move

2010-06-12T00:03:00.002-05:00

Lucy, in an effort to keep up with big brother, I'm certain, is now on the move. She has created her own special sort of creep/crawl that looks a lot like the centipede or worm from 80s dance moves. She uses her toes to push her forward. She gets on her hands and knees, but so far hasn't done too much crawling that way. In honor of this major milestone, a video montage:

Tubes

2010-06-11T23:52:00.003-05:00

So, Lucy has inherited the bad ear anatomy from my side of the family, just like Ethan. After her first ear infection took 3 antibiotics and a month to get rid of and her second one still wasn't gone after shots of a high-powered antibiotic, it was time to see the ENT. Since Lucy slept so great early on and hadn't seen a full night's sleep since her first ear infection, I was pretty much ready to get the surgery scheduled ASAP!!!

The ENT agreed that she needed the tubes, so away we went. I accompanied Lucy to the hospital on my own since we had to be there so early and they frown on siblings tagging along. Lucy did great. She came out of the anesthesia quickly and was ready to go home. Her ears drained for several days (she had a new infection by the time of the surgery) and she had a hard time getting used to not having that pressure when she laid down, but has not adjusted.

Here's a picture of her in her hospital gown in the playroom at the Children's Hospital, waiting for her turn.

7 Months Old

2010-05-01T23:24:00.004-05:00

I'm a little late posting, but sure enough, Lucy is 7 months old (and will be 8 in a blink of an eye since mom is so tardy).

She's approximately 15 and a half pounds or so. And about 25 inches long I think. Totally unofficial stats since we don't have a checkup this month. Of course, that's not for lack of doctor's visits. We've been there A LOT. Lucy had another round of ear infections, this time not resolving until she had 2 shots of antibiotics. Poor thing was completely miserable and so were we all. So, we've been to the ENT doctor and Lucy's scheduled for tubes on May 13th. I'm praying that she doesn't get another infection before then (still has some fluid in there this week the dr. said), because I'm not likely to live through it.

She just started to wave today (at Daddy), and is still busy rolling around and scooting her little butt here and there trying to crawl. I've seen her very nearly on her hands and knees, so you know it's coming. Know what else is coming? TEETH. Or at least we think so. Lots of waking up with her fist in her mouth and all that jazz. So yay, more reasons to be up at night. WooHoo.

In fact, all this exhaustion probably contributed to the week plus that Rick and I just spent miserably sick. And I mean SICK. 6 days with fever is crazy for grownups. Apparently it was allergies turned into upper respiratory infections, but we had red, goupy eyes, coughs, aches, chills. It was LOUSY. But we made it through and are feeling better, finally.

Ethan's favorite phrase is "No, No, No. Not for babies." Which he says he learned from me even though I can't think of when I've ever said it. He's still a great big brother and guaranteed to brighten Lucy's mood no matter what. I've started making Lucy's baby food at home and am really having fun with it. I had to take a bunch more milk to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas to make room in the freezer, so I'm hoping to put a bunch more in there this weekend. So far we've done avocado and banana (a big hit), butternut squash, carrots, and blueberry quinoa (a strike out--couldn't get it smooth enough for her). She had some organic baby food last week and I'm going to recreate their recipes, because she completely loved it. So, coming soon: sweet potato and white bean with cinnamon, and roasted pears. I tasted those and would've eaten them myself. They were outstanding.

I'll be back soon with 8 month pictures in just a couple of weeks!

Lucy Moving

2010-03-31T21:44:00.002-05:00

So, I'm going to try and post this video of Lucy moving around that I took with my phone. For whatever reason it is too big to email, won't compress in .zip files and is generally being a big pain--especially for such a SUPER CUTE video. Also, it is sideways. I was holding the phone vertically like you would think you should, but this is how it came out and I can't figure out how to change it, and I've tried a bunch of different things. So, hopefully the darn thing will upload and play! Because really, it is just so much fun. :-)

6 Months Old!

2010-03-29T21:53:00.004-05:00

Well, our little girl is 6 months old! If you can't believe it, imagine how we feel! How is it possible her first year is half over? Okay, enough of that talk, it's making me sad.

First, the stats:

Height: 24 3/4 inches
Weight: 14 lbs. 4 oz.
Head 41 cm.

That's all in about the 25th percentile. So, if you're thinking, um. . . did she shrink since last month? Of course not, but apparently someone (or maybe 2 someones) wasn't real good with the measuring tape. The doctor seemed to think the 4 month measurement may have been the outlier, but this seems a little short to me too. I'm guessing the right answer is somewhere in between. Maybe we'll try at home and see what we come up with.

Lucy is rolling all around, all directions. She has also recently started to "revolve." While lying on her tummy (which except for while sleeping is pretty much her standard position these days--remember how mad it made her just a little while ago?), she lifts her feet off the ground, pushes up with her arms and spins herself around to whatever she needs. She can also do a little scooting in this position by digging her toes in and pushing herself forward. The rear end is starting to get up in the air too, so I'm sure it won't be long that she will be completely on the move.

We've started a few foods: rice cereal, oatmeal, and wheat cereal. We've also tried green beans, squash, sweet potatoes and bananas. Of course, bananas were the only one of those (besides the cereals) that she even seemed to like at all. She seems to like to eat, especially if we're all at the table, and reports from daycare are that she thinks she's "hot stuff" sitting at the table with the "big" kids. She is moving in the right direction with sitting up too, and can do it for a very short time on her own if she's got her legs in the right position.

As for the sleeping. . . we've taken quite a few steps backward in that area. Since her ear infection, which took nearly a month to get over, and the bad cold that came right after that, we just can't get back to good sleep. She wakes up 3-4 (sometimes more) times a night. Sometimes nursing, other times just screaming and carrying on with no way to comfort her really at all. Many nights she wakes up between 1 and 3 am only to stay awake for 2 hours. We don't play, we keep trying to let her cry a few minutes before going to her, etc. but it isn't working. Every night we just hope it is better than the night before and that at some point we can get back to the great sleeper she was from 3-4.5 months! (Naps are a mess too--we can't get in a schedule to save our lives.)

Even though the sleeping is a big frustration, Lucy is as sweet as can be. Big brother Ethan continues to amuse her to no end, and he is as sweet as a big brother could be. I love watching them together. Here are a few other pictures of the last month.

Lucy's Baptism

2010-03-27T22:56:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday we celebrated Lucy's Baptism. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Rick flew my mom in to surprise me (she got here Wednesday), and his folks joined us Friday afternoon. We celebrated after the service with lunch at our house for 16 (counting Lucy, who slept through the meal), and everyone had a great time. It was a very special day. Here's the slideshow of the pictures we've collected from various sources (lucky for us a professional photographer/friend was taking pictures of the service that day for other purposes, so we got some great shots from him).

Some of my favorite things to watch for:

Lucy's hand on Ethan's shoulder in the picture of the 4 of us.
Ethan trying to peer into the font to see the water during the baptism.
Ethan clapping at the conclusion of the baptism.

Ethan and the Finger Counting Song

2010-03-11T22:02:00.002-06:00

Ethan's finger counting song. Hadn't heard this one ever before until tonight. In case you can't hear/understand him: "1 finger points; 2 fingers walk; 3 fingers stand up, talk, talk, talk; 4 fingers count, 1, 2, 3, 4; oh look! I've got one more. 5 fingers up, 5 fingers down, 5 fingers, all around; 5 fingers here, 5 fingers there; 10 fingers to wash my hair."

The Hankie Hat

2010-03-10T21:53:00.005-06:00

We're getting ready for Lucy's baptism in a couple of weeks and there was one thing for her that I wanted but hadn't been able to find recently. And that is a hankie hat. I had one (given to me by my aunt I think), but it seems to have disappeared. So, my mom agreed to make one for Lucy. Basically, it is a little bonnet made out of a hankerchief that the baby wears for their baptism. Then, when she grows up and gets married, she just pulls the ribbon out and it becomes the hankerchief to carry. Her "something old."

Lucy is wearing a gown that was worn by my grandfather when he was a baby, and my mom had some others of his also. So, she used that material to make the hat. Basically that means this really is a family heirloom, and the fabric is nearly 100 years old, as he was born in 1915.

Here are some pictures of Lucy modeling the bonnet, along with the poem that goes with it.

I'm just a little hankerchief,
Quite square as you can see,
But with a stitch or two they made
A bonnet out of me.

I'll be worn home from the hospital
Or on the christening day;
Then neatly pressed and folded,
I'll be carefully packed away.

On her wedding day a bride must have,
Traditionally, something old--
Good luck, good health and happiness
It brings her, so it's told.

Then what could be more pleasant
Than to unpack little me,
To snip a stitch or two and find
Her hankerchief I'll be.

And if I'm first worn by a boy
He'll surely someday wed;
Then he can give his lovely bride
The hanky once worn on his head.

5 Months Old and On a Roll!

2010-02-22T22:47:00.005-06:00

Here we are, Lucy is 5 months old and we can hardly believe it! The months are just flying by!

She has had a very busy last couple of weeks. Lucy got her first ear infection, and we're on our 2nd antibiotic trying to get rid of it. So, the great sleeper she once was has faded into the background here lately. There's been lots of waking and crying (and screaming). Poor thing even has what looks like freckles under her eyes, except they are actually broken blood vessels from screaming and crying with her ear pain. This whole experience has really thrown her for a loop. She's not sleeping well at night or during the day; she's started to refuse bottles, presumably from the ear pain; she's just fussier in general and just not herself.

This could also be due to some developmental leaps she's been making here lately as well. The day after her 5-month-aversary she learned to roll from her back to her tummy (she's gone the other way for a while now). Every time you lay her down she rolls over to her tummy, but is quickly frustrated with how little she can do in that position. Sometimes she'll roll herself back over, but this doesn't seem to help her outlook much either.

Lucy has also started to do what we like to call the "frog sit." Leaning forward and propping herself up with both hands. It won't be long before she's full-on sitting unsupported.

Partly because she nearly dives into your plate if you have food nearby, and partly because we thought it might be a good idea if someone else could feed her, since she's refusing bottles--we gave Lucy her first taste of cereal this past weekend. As you can see in the video and pictures below, she seemed to like it pretty well. Ethan was funny too, playing with his trains right there in the room while we were feeding her, and not paying much attention, but repeatedly saying that he didn't "want to miss it," and was anxious to watch the video on the tv when we were done.

Because Babies Don't Keep

2010-02-20T22:55:00.003-06:00

I saw part of this in a friend's facebook status the other day and I've been thinking about it ever since, so I went to find the whole poem. As all moms know, the days of sweet cuddling with your baby don't last forever, and you miss them when they're gone. But many are the days where you don't cherish those moments because of chores, errands, work, and all the other things we try to cram into our days. So now, as Lucy is in a phase of wanting to be held a lot, and needing a little more cuddling to get to sleep at nap time, I'm reminding myself that this time will never come again, and the chores will still be there whenever I get to them.

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

-Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T23:23:00.001-06:00

I created this collage at www.picnik.com. It's free for simple things like this, or you can upgrade to premium for more fun stuff.

SNOW! (Again)

2010-02-11T23:32:00.000-06:00

I know I said before that we had snow at Christmas and again right after. But this time I really mean it. We had nearly 8 inches in our yard, and some places had over a foot. It set records for Texas, took out power all over the place (ours for 10 hours, which, as it turned out, was on the very low end--many were without for 3 days. Here are some of our pictures of the big event.

Waking Up Is Hard to Do

2010-02-08T09:20:00.002-06:00

This morning, I went in to wake Ethan up. I crawled up on the bed next to him, rubbed his back and said, "Ethan, it's time to start waking up."

He rolled over to me, cuddled close and said, "You've got to quit making that cow noise."

Then he went back to sleep!

My Sweet Boy

2010-01-28T17:53:00.002-06:00

On the way to school yesterday:

M: "Ethan, see those flowers, those are called pansies."
E: "Pansies? I wish I had some for you."
E: "I'm going to pick some flowers for Mommy."
M: "Aww."

Love that little munchkin!!

Lucy Babbling

2010-01-23T12:05:00.002-06:00

4 Months Old!

2010-01-22T21:10:00.000-06:00

Lucy's 4 month stats:
12 lbs. 9 oz. (30th percentile)
25 3/4 inches (90th percentile)
Head circ. 16 inches (50th percentile)

She's 1/2 inch longer than Ethan was at 4 months, but 2 lbs. lighter. Lucy has found her thumb at nighttime (not so much during the day), and that has helped her sleeping tremendously. She usually sleeps about 9 pm to between 6 and 7 am, but every once in a while (like today!) gives us a full 12 hours. She is still more of a cat napper during the day, but has napped longer stretches at daycare, so we're hopeful that will become more of a habit at home too.

She's been at daycare for 2 weeks now, attending just Tues. through Thurs. and staying with me when I work from home on Mondays and Fridays. It has been much harder on me than on her so far. It really is amazing the amount of preparation it now takes to get us out the door in the morning. I'm up daily at 5:30 to pump, wash bottles and pump stuff, pack everything for the day, nurse her when she wakes and get myself showered and ready. We are out the door by 8:15 and I'm getting to work at 9:00. It was my goal to start getting in earlier, but I just don't know that I can get up much earlier than 5:30, so I may just leave earlier in the evenings on Tues.-Thurs. and make up the extra hours on the days I work from home.

Lucy's play area when I'm working from home:

Ethan is still in the running for best big brother ever, helping bathe Lucy, bringing burp cloths, and giving her kisses on the head. He gets extra points for being the first to make her really laugh. He sneezed in the bathtub last night and she just laughed and laughed (until we brought out the video camera of course). Lucy is very close to rolling over from back to tummy, she just needs a little bit more push to get her hips over, so we're looking forward to that any day now (and reminding ourselves not to walk away from the changing table or anywhere else we lay her down).

Lucy has acquired several nicknames around our house:
Lucy Lou
Lu Lu
LuBird
Babycakes
Luey
Lucy Luce
Little Lu
Sweet Pea

I'm sure I'm missing some from that list too.

Here are a few other recent photos of Lucy:

Learning Adventures

2010-01-12T00:29:00.000-06:00

Ethan's new favorite saying? "Never write a Q without a U." He says it A LOT. :-)

We've Got Snow, Yes We Do!

2009-12-29T22:45:00.000-06:00

3 Months Old

2009-12-28T22:50:00.000-06:00

And about 12 pounds, as far as we can tell. More official numbers will come at 4 months, when she has another checkup.

Magic!!

2009-12-22T12:54:00.000-06:00

We've been lighting our Advent candles each night and doing some activities that Ethan got in Sunday School (there's a strip of red, green or white paper for each day and it has on it a Bible passage to read and some related activity to do, when you're done with each one, you create a paper link chain). Ethan really likes to blow out the candles, but because he blows through his teeth, he's finding that he isn't always successfull. So, he likes to take turns. Each of us takes a candle.

The other night, Rick was the last to go. Instead of blowing out the candle, he clapped over it, causing it to go out. The look on Ethan's face was a priceless combination of astonishment, fear, concern (he didn't want Daddy to "get brown"), and indignation. He put his hands on his hips and said, "Next time Daddy, you should blow it, don't do magic!"

Long or short?

2009-12-21T15:04:00.000-06:00

Grammie and I were out doing some shopping with the kids. While in the car we had this exchange:

M: “Ethan, do you need to go to the bathroom?”
E: “No. I don’t need to.”
M: “Then why is your hand in your pants?”
E: “I was just trying to see if it was long or short.”
Grammie: “And which is it?”
E: “Long.”

Supressed giggles and eye rolls from the front seat. Ah. Boys.

Say "Cheese!"

2009-12-04T22:27:00.001-06:00

So, in preparation for Christmas cards, and also to get some baby pictures of Lucy and a new family photo of all four of us, Rick asked his friend, Sharon Steinman Ellman to take some pictures of us. We decided to take the family photos at Frog Fountain at TCU. Also, they had just put up the big TCU Christmas tree, so that gave us an alternate backdrop for some Christmas card pictures. Well, it was COLD the day we did this. Poor Lucy didn't know what to think, and Ethan had a red nose and rosy cheeks most of the time.

After we were done at TCU Sharon came to our house and set up a mini studio in Ethan's room to do Lucy's pictures. We did a few, but she was hungry, so Sharon ended up taking quite a few of Ethan while I fed Lucy. Ethan has fallen in love with a Santa hat, and he was loving having his picture taken. Sharon was great, they included Ethan's favorite trains and had all kinds of fun. Here are a few shots from our sessions. (And if you're looking for a photographer, we highly recommend Sharon. You can find her at http://www.ellmanphotography.com/.)

Growing and Growing!

2009-12-03T19:18:00.000-06:00

Here's Lucy at 1 month old:
Stats: 21.5 inches tall, 7 lbs. 7 oz.

and at 2 months:
Stats: 22.75 inches tall, 9 lbs. 6 oz.

And Then There Were Four

2009-09-18T13:43:00.001-05:00

I know, it has taken me FOREVER to get this post up. But hey, I'm a little busy around here, okay? Lucy Buxton Waters arrived at 7:47 am on Friday, September 18, 2009. She weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. and was 20 inches long. A very petite little lady compared to her big brother (Ethan was 7 lbs. 8.8 oz. and 20.5 inches--not so much bigger, but on that scale, it makes a big difference).

It was a pretty wild day. Rick and I arrived at the hospital at 5 am (Grammie and Sir were at our house by 4:30 to wait for Ethan to get up and then to get him to school). Things really went very smoothly. The Spinal, which I was TERRIFIED about, given my bad experience with the epidural when Ethan was born, wasn't TOO terrible. Pretty uncomfortable at moments, but overall much less horrible. And man does it kick in fast. The had me lay down on my side once it was in ("quickly, quickly" they were telling me), and my toes were tingling by the time I was down. The surgery went well with no complications. I felt like this one took longer than it did with Ethan, and I got nauseated and uncomfortable several times, but Russel, my anesthesiologist who hung out up by my head the whole time, took good care of me and got me feeling better. I did ask Rick to stand up a couple of times to see where they were, especially once the baby was out. It just seemed to take FOREVER to sew me up, and all I wanted was to be sitting up (instead of laying down with my head angled to the floor) holding my new little girl!

Lucy was a very sleepy girl at first, so we had a hard time waking her up to eat, and she lost quite a bit of weight in the hospital. That continued after coming home, and she didn't make it back to her birth weight by 2 weeks, so I started pumping milk after her feedings and we would supplement her with a bottle. Since she was so sleepy, this helped her get more milk, since she could get it much quicker and easier from the bottle. This practice paid off and she started to gain weight.

Ethan has been a wonderful big brother so far. The first time he came to the hospital he didn't even really want to look at her too close, but each day his interest grew and then he even wanted to hold her. Since we've been home he's been nothing but sweet to her. He doesn't seem phased by her crying, and often tries to help calm her, saying, "It's alright Lucy, Luce." Such a good big brother!

We're struggling with sleeping, as expected, but are enjoying getting used to being a "Table for Four." :-) Here are some pictures from Lucy's first days.

"Twas the Night Before. . ."

2009-09-17T21:18:00.002-05:00

So, here we are, the night before the big day. What started out as a relatively peaceful day of finishing up odds and ends around the house erupted in a flurry of activity when late this afternoon I got a call from the hospital asking if I could possibly be there at 5 a.m. instead of 11 a.m. Apparently some early morning spots opened up and the Dr. (who is on call anyway) wanted to move me up in the day. So, that cut our countdown hours about in half and certainly increased the nerves.

Luckily Grammie and Sir are already here and will be able to come over early tomorrow to be here with Ethan and get him to school before joining us at the hospital. By that time Lucy will be here!!! I don't think reality of that has sunken in for me just yet. I'm trying not to focus on the details of how she's getting here thinking about spinals and surgery is kinda freaking me out these last few days).

Ethan has developed a little cough the last day or two, so we're trying to have a normal bedtime routine here tonight.

Next time I post, we'll be a family of 4!!!!

38 Weeks (5 days to go)!

2009-09-13T20:59:00.000-05:00

Power's Out!

2009-09-12T00:16:00.002-05:00

Oh no! What to do when a night of thunder, lightning, and heavy rains puts us without power? Well, take a bath by candlelight of course! Follow it up with a video on the portable DVD player. What? The battery isn't charged? Good thing I remembered to get the power cord out of the other car when it went in the shop. Now we can plug in and watch in the car in the garage! (It was a little warm out there for me, so Rick braved it with Ethan.)

37 Weeks (plus a few days)

2009-09-07T22:33:00.001-05:00

Elbows

2009-08-31T23:06:00.002-05:00

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this baby girl had 6 arms. All elbows this child! (And now she's elbowing me because I've been sitting to long and she needs to move. . . time to find another position.)

36 Weeks

2009-08-30T13:53:00.002-05:00

We Have New Names

2009-08-28T21:39:00.002-05:00

Well, we've already made the switch (mostly) from "Mommy" and "Daddy" to "Mom" and "Dad" (Ethan even called me "Mother" once--that was a trip!), but now Ethan has developed yet another way to describe us and I honestly don't know how to take it:

E: "You're a donut!"

and sometimes:

E: "You're a piece of pizza!"

These are interchangeable between Rick and I, and can even (apparently) be used at the same time. I have no idea where it comes from or what it means (is it a put down? a compliment? a "bad word" he uses when he's mad?). "Food" for thought I suppose. :-)

Healthy Snacks

2009-08-24T00:13:00.002-05:00

Ethan before bed, "I need something from the kitchen."
Me: "What do you think you need?"
E: "Can you give me some choices?"
Me: "You can have an apple."
E: "I want something else healthy. Is a pear healthy?"

He got the pear. :-)

4 Year Checkup

2009-08-21T10:14:00.002-05:00

Ethan had his 4-year-old checkup yesterday, and this time with a new pediatrician. His old one has retired, so we selected someone else in the group, and I think we're pretty happy after this first meeting anyway.

Ethan really doesn't like going to the doctor, but after talking about getting weighed and measured, and that they would listen to him with the stethoscope. He said, "Just like George?" (from a Curious George story), and he seemed to calm down a bit. He was actually great through the whole visit, talking with the nurses and doctor, having his hearing and vision checked, the whole deal. Then there were the shots. He had to get 4!!! One in each arm and one in each leg. He was a real trooper, but just couldn't help crying on the last two, and I don't blame him. Poor little guy. Rick and I decided that was worth a treat, so he got to go to the bookstore after school yesterday to get the "Troublesome Trucks" to go with his Thomas the Train set. He's also quite proud of all his band aids and is still wearing them today.

Here's the scoop on our 4 year old:
Height: 41.25 inches (around 75th percentile)
Weight: 34.5 pounds (around 50th percentile)

All in line with his patterns since birth. He passed his hearing and vision screenings, and named and drew some shapes for the doctor too (circle, square, triangle--apparently 3, 4, and 5 year old milestones she said).

Here's a picture of Ethan in the back yard with his paper airplane from a few days ago. Such a grown up boy!

35 weeks

2009-08-20T16:19:00.000-05:00

1 month to delivery!!!

Crazy Hat Day

2009-08-19T16:17:00.000-05:00

This is what Ethan wore to school for crazy hat day. Love it!

Unexpected

2009-08-18T00:33:00.002-05:00

So, apparently while I was at yoga tonight, Rick was talking to Ethan a little bit about the baby coming and how she would get here. Because later, when I was putting Ethan to bed he looked at me and said, "The doctor is going to cut your tummy?"

I was a little stunned, but assumed they had been talking about it. So, I just said, "Yes, and then what?" and Ethan said, "Then Lucy will be here." So, he's got that part straight anyway. We'll see how much he likes it when it actually happens.

Pancakes and the Red Plate!

2009-08-13T00:33:00.003-05:00

What does every boy need for breakfast on his 4th birthday? Cinnamon pancakes and the red, "You Are Special Today" plate! (He probably could have lived without the big mosquito bite over his eye though.)

Ethan's 4th Birthday Party

2009-08-13T00:24:00.003-05:00

We had a really great time at Ethan's birthday party. Everyone came and enjoyed burgers and hot dogs, cake and ice cream, and a pinata for the kids. The kids really had a blast just playing inside and out and the grown ups enjoyed getting to catch up and see people we hadn't seen in a while. Ethan, when greeted with "Happy Birthday!" responded in kind with another "Happy Birthday!" and was thrilled to show everyone his big boy room and bed. We are so thankful to everyone that came and helped make it a really fun day.

Garage Sale

2009-08-12T23:43:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, before having Ethan's party on Sunday, we had a garage sale to clean out everything we haven't been using lately and make way for a new baby. I was lucky in that Rick's folks came up to help man the sale, so I didn't have to sit outside in the heat all day. I did get to have the fun of sorting and pricing though, and that went long into the night. Poor Rick ended up staying up all night--which was lucky since we had shoppers with flashlights showing up at 6:15 in the morning! Here's a couple of pictures of the preparation.

Highlights from Ethan's 4 year old photo shoot

2009-08-09T23:50:00.009-05:00

Ethan is still not so sure about the big lights with "umbrellas" on them at professional photo places. So it took quite a while to get him in the room and comfortable sitting for his picture. The photographer was really sweet though, and was great with him, so eventually it all worked out. However, we still got quite a few pictures where he is looking very cautiously at the lights in the corners, waiting for them to flash. Here's a sampling of all the shots.

The Nursery

2009-08-06T23:48:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures of the not-yet-totally-completed nursery. Rick really did a great job on the polka dots! Basically, the painting is done and we put up the curtains and bedding just to see how it would all look together. Not sure yet what we're doing with the bed in the corner and a few other things. Also haven't hung her name tiles yet.

My Triumph over Texture (Or, Why I Will Be Blind by this Weekend)

2009-08-04T15:45:00.003-05:00

So we painted a stripe in the baby's room. Really 3 stripes. Turns out this is pretty dang hard to do on textured walls; there's just no way to get the painters tape flush against the wall everywhere, so you get some seepage that you have to clean up. (Someone has since told me of a little trick with paintable caulk, but it's too late for that on this one.)

BEFORE

To clean up the edges, I've been sitting very close to the wall with a small, flat edged artist's brush to make the line straight. I'm actually pretty proud of how it is turning out, but there's still a lot to do (we're also adding polka dots to the stripe once it is done), so I may very well go blind before we're done.

AFTER

Fun in Houston

2009-07-28T23:59:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we traveled to Houston to visit Rick's side of the family and celebrate the summer birthdays (of which Ethan is one). We all had fun and Ethan especially enjoyed playing with cousins Avery and Madi and swimming with MeMe. Check out how tired he looks in the cake pictures, we were wearing him out! Me too, as it was HOT and HUMID. This will be our last travel for a while, and my swollen ankles are thankful for that.

31 weeks

2009-07-28T23:53:00.001-05:00

2 months to go and getting bigger by the day.

The Big Boy Room

2009-07-17T23:22:00.003-05:00

Ethan is spending his first night in his "Big Boy Room" tonight. It took a long time settling down, and I had to lay with him until he fell asleep, but it is just the first night. The room is by no means done yet, but it is painted (with the exception of the mural) and the furniture is there and the bed is made.

Happy Tap Ethan

2009-07-13T01:46:00.004-05:00

Ethan, who never dances, and frequently tells me to quit dancing, seems to have found an interest in it with "Happy Tap Elmo" on the Sesame Street 25th Anniversary video.

Big Helper

2009-07-11T22:20:00.002-05:00

Ethan's been helping a little to paint his new "big boy" room. He really likes it, for a few minutes at least. We're hoping this will ease the transition to the new room and make him feel like he was involved in everything (instead of baby sister just booting him out of his own room).

Sleepy Head

2009-07-08T23:27:00.001-05:00

I heard Ethan waking up yesterday morning and went in to get him. . .

M: "Good morning sweet boy. Are you waking up?"
E: "NO! Not yet I said!"

and he rolled over and slept another 45 minutes. :-)

27 Weeks

2009-06-24T19:48:00.002-05:00

It's June. It's Texas. It's HOT. 'Nuff said.

Belly Pics!

2009-06-07T20:36:00.002-05:00

Scroll Down!

2009-06-07T00:34:00.001-05:00

I caught up on posting a few pictures, so you might scroll down to see if there's anything new you haven't seen.

The Difference between Having a Boy and Having a Girl

2009-06-06T23:46:00.002-05:00

So, there are a few differences between having a boy baby and having a girl baby that I've noticed so far:

1. Girl babies do make you sicker. It's not just a myth (at least not for me).
2. Girl babies do steal their Mommy's beauty--that's not a myth either. Greasy hair, breakouts--the boy didn't give me such trouble.
3. Also not a myth--boy babies make you hungrier than girl babies. (This might be a good thing, maybe I won't gain the whole 47 lbs. I did with Ethan this time.)
4. When shopping for items for baby boys you have a lot of choices: animals, trains, cars, etc., etc., etc. in a variety of colors: blue, red, green, orange. When shopping for girl items (and wanting to be feminine, not gender-neutral), you have two choices: pink or purple; butterflies or flowers. While some might argue that there are lots of shades of pink and purple, it is still really only two choices, because soft pink or Pepto pink, it is still pink. You can find other options if you really look, but in the average, standard, Babies R Us-type stores there are very few options.

I'll keep you posted if I figure out any of the other "mysteries of life." :-)

Getting Used to the "Big Brother" Idea

2009-05-31T23:06:00.003-05:00

Today, while shopping at Target, Ethan and I were in the infant/toddler area. We had picked up some shorts for him and were just walking through to the other side to continue on shopping. I had been saying NOTHING about the baby up to this point.

Ethan, who at this point had been at the front of the cart, pulling it around as I steered, stops at a rack and grabs something. . .

E: "How about this for baby sister?"

It was a little pink and green striped playsuit that says, "KISSES" across the front. Though honestly, it could have been mosquito netting and I would have bought it anyway. Just the idea that he picked something for her totally unprompted was soooo sweet. I'm sure there will be varying levels of this behavior (and other not-so-sweet behaviors) as we get closer to her arrival, and when she gets here. But for now I'm just relishing in the thought that Ethan is going to be a very sweet big brother.

Chalk Painting

2009-05-31T00:26:00.000-05:00

We got Ethan some of that new sidewalk chalk paint and he had a great time outside with it.

MMM. . . Corn

2009-05-22T00:19:00.001-05:00

A Father/Son Picnic

2009-05-20T00:21:00.001-05:00

Ethan's House

2009-05-10T13:57:00.000-05:00

We got some new kitchen chairs and Rick took the boxes and made Ethan a litle play house. He has loved getting to eat inside it from time to time, and we took it outside one weekend to paint it and give it some flair.

Anatomy Lesson

2009-05-06T21:48:00.002-05:00

Ethan got undressed in our room before bath, as we walked to the bathroom he said,

E: "Mommy, a penis is following you. A penis is following you!"

Mommy couldn't respond except to nod and turn away to giggle.

It's a GIRL!!!!

2009-05-02T20:56:00.003-05:00

We had an ultrasound this past Thursday, at about 19 weeks. The process was somewhat nerve-wracking because we were there on account of a positive AFP test. About 2 weeks ago we got the news that my blood test had come back positive, which means that it indicated a greater risk than would normally be expected of certain birth defects (Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and others). So, my doctor sent me to a high-risk pregnancy specialist to check everything out. We would have a session with a genetic counselor, a Level II ultrasound, and, if we wished, an amniocentesis. We had decided before the appointment to wait to decide about the amnio until we saw the results of the ultrasound. My regular doctor had encouraged us not to feel pressured to do the amnio if the ultrasound was clear because at that point the risk of miscarriage would be equal to the risk of there being anything wrong with the baby (that they couldn't see on ultrasound).

Two weeks was a long time to wait to find out what was going on and it was stessful for all of us. But, finally the day came and we tried to focus on the fact that the only thing we knew for sure was that we were having an ultrasound and would get to know the sex of the baby.

The genetic counselor was a very nice young woman who explained all the test results clearly and kindly. From my bloodwork they were worried about Down Syndrome more than any of the others, based on certain patterns for the 4 proteins that they test. We talked about the possible defects, chromosomes and genes. She charted the whole family and I found this part to be really interesting. We told her that we had decided not to do an amnio if the ultrasound showed no additional cause for concern, and she accepted that, but made sure to let us know that 50% of babies with Down Syndrome do not show any anomalies on ultrasound. But, a clear ultrasound would decrease the risk to a 1/510 chance (rather than the 1/255 chance the AFP test had indicated, by age alone my risk was 1/305), and with about a 1/200 chance of miscarriage after an amnio, we felt good about our decision.

So, the ultrasound was next. A sonographer would do the initial exam, taking measurements, etc. and then the doctor would come in for a closer look. As far as we can tell, the Level II ultrasound was not really any differnt from the regular ones, except that a more specialized person would be looking at them. Supposedly the computer is better or something, but we think the pictures are even a little more blurry than the ones we had with Ethan. The sonographer asked if we wanted to know the sex and we both eagerly said, "YES!" Then she just casually said, "Looks like a girl to me."

"WHAT!? Say that again." I said, sitting up. I was stunned and so was Rick. We were both pretty convinced we were having another boy. But she showed us on the sonogram that there didn't appear to be anything extra between the legs, and she labeled the photo for us. I could hardly contain my excitement. Another boy would have been a great joy, I'm sure, but I'm very happy to get to have one of each.

She finished her measurements and the doctor came in. This man had zero personality or bedside manner. But, he told us what we needed to know, he saw no signs of anything that would "raise the threat level" (thank you swine flu--I think his saying that was supposed to be a joke). So, it doesn't matter that he was a droll dud. We don't have to see him again! :-)

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers these past weeks. We are thankful that, as always, God is good! Here are the pictures of our little girl (now being referred to as "Baby Sister" in our house).

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-12T22:56:00.003-05:00

I need to catch up and upload lots of pictures and do some blogging, but this will have to do for right now (I'm going to take advantage of Ethan going to bed super early, and get to bed before midnight myself).

So Funny

2009-03-24T22:29:00.003-05:00

Tonight, Ethan came home and came to find me in the bedroom. He ran in with his usual, "Hi Mommy! It's Me!" Then, he climbed up on the bed and started looking at me funny, I realized that he was noticing that I had my hair pulled back, which I don't usually. He looked all around my head, really inspecting the clip in the back and then he said:

"You're a new Mommy."

If only we could always feel brand new with a different hairdo!

PS--He then took the clip out of my hair and tossed it across the room. :-)

Making Progress

2009-03-01T22:02:00.002-06:00

Upon arriving home from the TCU basketball game with Daddy:

E: "Mommy! I went tee tee in the Coliseum!"

Don't worry, he means in the potty, not just, "in the Coliseum."

Adding to the family

2009-02-22T19:14:00.005-06:00

Well, most of you who read this blog probably already know this, but we're adding to our family! A baby is on the way in September (Sept. 25th is the due date). I haven't been feeling too hot, which has kept me from blogging about this, and other little happenings around here. I'm 9.5 weeks along as of right now, and things are going as they should. We had a sonogram at 8 weeks, and here's the picture of the little peanut:

We also recorded a video of Ethan sharing the news to send out to family and friends. We might have a little newscaster on our hands!

Obviously, this means I will need to change the title of this blog as well as my posting name. I'm open to suggestions!

Gender Recognition

2009-02-22T19:12:00.002-06:00

In the car on the way home from church today:

E: "Mommy, you're a girl."
M: "Yes, I'm a girl."
E: "And Daddy is a boy."
M: "Yes, Daddy is a boy."
D: "What are you, Ethan?"
E: "I'm a boy." "And girls are ladies."
M&D: "Yes, that's right. Girls are ladies." (giggling)

Mr. Social

2009-02-22T19:06:00.002-06:00

Today in church, our Sunday School class (a class for parents of Toddlers/Pre-schoolers) was getting a special blessing, so most of us were there, with kids in tow, when a lot of them usually go to the nursery. This made for a pretty active back quarter. Ethan was happy to see all his little friends around, but he's one of the older ones, so is a little more used to sitting through church than some of the others. At one point, Connor, a little boy who was sitting down the row from us, was eager to show Ethan his train, but wouldn't get quite close enough for Ethan to reach it. Ethan wasn't interested in the train though. Instead, he just wanted to introduce himself and kept saying:

"Hi, I'm Ethan Waters." over and over and over again.

Oh Goodie, Guns

2009-01-31T00:13:00.002-06:00

Well, Ethan proved to me tonight that what people say is true, it doesn't matter if you give a boy a toy gun to play with, he'll make one out of something else eventually.

Tonight it happened. While watching "The Clone Wars" cartoon, which Rick records and Ethan knows as "the spaceship show," Ethan started making shooting noises. Next thing I know, he has grabbed a beaded necklace from one of his play bins and is aiming the end of the cord at me. Leave it to a boy to turn jewelry into a weapon.

Making an Effort

2009-01-27T15:23:00.002-06:00

Ethan has started to use the potty with some success at daycare, so we're amping up our efforts at home too. I made him this Potty Progress Chart to help give him some incentive. Each time he uses the potty (at home or at school) he gets to put a gold star on the chart. When he does it 5 times (and later 10 times) he'll get a little treat--a candy cane was his first treat. So far it seems to be helping, he loves getting to come home and put a star on his chart, but he's still reluctant to use the potty at home. But he's making a good effort!

Computer Games

2009-01-27T15:17:00.002-06:00

Ethan got a computer-type toy that hooks up to the tv for Christmas. The first time or two, he was really shaky with the mouse and got frustrated with it quickly, but in no time he became an expert. He only needs us to turn it on (because it is too high for him to reach) and he can sign in and play the games all by himself. He really likes the game where you make matches to open the gate, and he loves to use the arrows to move Dora around (getting an extra loud chuckle when he makes her fall in the water, over and over again).

Parrot

2009-01-05T22:02:00.001-06:00

There's no telling what these little guys are paying attention to. Case in point, New Year's Eve, we're on our way to a party, miss the street and have to turn around.

E: "Should we double back?"

The Kitchen

2008-12-31T13:51:00.004-06:00

After two years of deliberating, I finally picked a kitchen for Ethan and got it for Christmas. He just got it yesterday because I hadn't had time to put it together before that. It took me 4+ hours to put it together, calling in Rick from time to time for extra muscle power. Ethan played with it a little bit last night when he got home, so we'll just have to see if it turns out to be a winner or a dud.

The Christmas Rush

2008-12-30T12:55:00.008-06:00

Our holiday schedule was a little crazy this year, but we all had a fun time (until Ethan had to go back to day care today, which didn't make him very happy). Here's where we were:

Dec. 22nd--Finish all shopping, wrapping, baking, that we haven't been able to do for the last two weeks because Mommy and Ethan have been sick.

Dec. 23rd--Continue wrapping, packing, etc. Watch TCU beat Boise State in the Pointsettia bowl!! GO FROGS! Open presents at home so we don't have to cart them with us. (This was a long process as Ethan just wanted to play with each one, and not open anymore. Yay! for fun presents, but not so good on the time line. We were up LATE.)

Dec. 24th, Christmas Eve--PACK and try to get on the road to Houston. We finally made it out the door around 3:00. We arrived in Houston in time for dinner with Brad, Nicole, the girls, and MeMe and Pop. Ethan was thrilled to see everyone.

Dec. 25th, Christmas Day--After sleeping in (we'd had a late couple of nights) we made it over to Brad and Nicole's house for some presents and lunch. The kids played and played. We went back to MeMe and Pop's house for naps (Rick and E slept for 3+ hours). Then the rest of the family (and Nicole's parents) joined us for a lovely Christmas turkey at MeMe and Pop's. The kids love playing with the balls on the pool table, so that was the activity of choice (even taking precedence over more presents). Merry Christmas!

Dec. 26th--We took a little shopping trip with Pop to buy Ethan some much needed new shoes. After a quick bite to eat, it was on the road again, heading to Columbus, Texas. Rick's aunt's family owns a ranch there and they invited us there for the weekend. There were quite a few of us: Rick, Ethan, and me; Brad, Nicole, Avery, and Madi; MeMe and Pop; Greg, Gina, Forrest, Logan, and Preston (Rick's uncle and his family); Steve and Jenger (Rick's other uncle and wife), and Jenger's mom; Jill (Rick's cousin), and David and Robin (Rick's cousin and wife). It was a crowd, but the house was beautiful with plenty of room for all. We had fantastic hosts and everyone contributed to a meal or two. Ethan had a blast playing with all the cousins out under the big oak trees, playing football and just running around. We toasted marshmallows over the fire at night and watched the cattle stroll by in the morning. It was a terrific weekend.

Dec. 28th--After lunch we headed back home. Phew!

Below are a few pictures from our escapades. If you would like to see more please go to: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0ActWrJm5aOWLlI and enjoy the full slideshow of pictures from this great season. We hope you all had as nice a Christmas as we did.

JibJab

2008-12-21T19:11:00.001-06:00

In the JibJab video below, Ethan, who has no earthly idea about the juggernaut that is High School Musical, doesn't care about dancing with Gabriella (or that Mommy screwed up his face so the singing doesn't look right). He only cares that it is "him" playing basketball. And we watch it over and over again.

I'm Playing Basketball!

2008-12-21T19:08:00.001-06:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-18T20:35:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Nouns

2008-12-03T00:20:00.004-06:00

The last video we watched tonight before bed was the "Nouns" song on Schoolhouse Rock. While we were reading stories later, I'm making my way through The Little Engine That Could and Ethan couldn't care less. He's standing in the middle of the room, turning around and around and around. . .

E: "SuperFrog and penguin and lamp and crib. Those are nouns. Chair and Mommy and stool and Blue Dog and oranges. Those are nouns. Door and window and rug and penguin [yes, that one got in there more than once]. Those are nouns."

M: "Yes, E, those are nouns, good job!"

Here's the song in case you want to sing along: Schoolhouse Rock

Night Terrors

2008-12-02T17:53:00.004-06:00

Imagine Barry Gibb's falsetto: "Night terrors, night terrors, we know how to do it." Yeah, these are not as much fun as the BeeGees "Night Fever" song, even if they sound similar.

Last night, about 11:30, an hour or more after Ethan went to bed, we were startled by his crying. Screaming really. We went in, he wasn't awake, I rubbed his back and he seemed to settle down. As soon as I left the room he repeated the screaming and I went back in. The 3rd time I went ahead and picked him up. He was obviously not yet awake and was batting at me and still screaming and crying, stiff as a board. I tried rocking him for a while, and he had moments of calmness, but then would just start up again. Finally I decided I just needed to try and really wake him up. So we went out into the living room with the lights on. His eyes were open, but he wasn't really awake yet. Finally I could see that he was recognizing where he was and who we were, but he was still very disoriented and upset. We snuggled on my bed, but nothing made him happy, he didn't know what he wanted, and certainly, neither did I. Eventually, through much crying, screaming and fitting, we just all laid down together in our bed to go to sleep (after I accomplished the feat of removing my contacts with one hand, while holding a screaming, squirming 3-year-old with the other).

He slept well with us (squished up next to me, leaving me about 8 inches of bed for myself), but I'm hoping we don't have to do this again tonight, I don't want our room to become a habit. I'll keep you posted.

Like Father, Like Son

2008-11-22T19:39:00.004-06:00

For the last few TCU football games, Rick has taken Ethan up to the press box to watch the game from there. Ethan is not as adversely affected (i.e., screaming and crying) from the noise up there. He's been really good and knows that he has to "be quiet up there." So, Rick and Ethan have been enjoying the games from a new vantage point. Mommy sits in the regular seats because she wouldn't be as good as Ethan about being quiet when she wanted to cheer for her team!

Expressing His Emotions

2008-11-16T13:19:00.004-06:00

Lately I've been hearing Ethan say, "You blocked it!" quite a lot. I'm not completely sure where it came from, but now I know why he's saying it.

Today, at church, during a screaming fit because he wanted Mommy to change him but wanted to do it in the Men's Room. I would neither a) go get Daddy in the middle of the sermon after Ethan had already pitched a fit about wanting Mommy and not Daddy, nor b) take him in the Men's Room:

E: "I want to go in there! Not this one! Not this one!"
M: (Picking E up and taking him to the Ladies Room) "I'm sorry, but Mommy can't go in there."
E: "You blocked it!"
M: "Is that what you say when you're mad at me?"
E: "Yes. It. Is."

Mystery solved.

Update: Could it be that he got this from Charlie Brown and what he is really repeating is "You Blockhead!"? Probably. Guess we should put an end to that one.

Spineless?

2008-11-15T22:16:00.002-06:00

While watching a PBSKids segment about animals during Curious George:

E: "Backbones."
D: "Yes, vertebrae. Ethan, do you have a backbone?"
E: "No. I have a face."
M: (snickering) "I'm pretty sure you can have both."

Hat Day

2008-11-14T16:21:00.004-06:00

This week, something really appalling happened at work.

An employee in my deptartment who has ovarian cancer and has been going through chemo went to Human Resources to ask for a handicap parking sticker because she's pretty weak and having a hard time getting around. While she was there the HR representative told her she was in violation of the dress code because she was wearing a cap. The employee told her she has cancer and has no hair. HR Lady said it didn't matter, that there was no provision for cancer in the policy and that she would give her one week to get a wig. The employee said the only wig she had was her daughter's and it was in Nevada. HR Lady said she would give her a Fed Ex box.

The employee (very hurt and upset) reported the incident to her manager and she to the Director of our department. HR Lady originally denied the incident, saying that the employee must have misunderstood, and even after being confronted by several managers, never really admitted to any wrong doing (at least to anyone I've talked to). However, HR Lady's boss clearly knew it was inappropriate, because she called the employee and apologized, telling her that she should wear whatever makes her comfortable.

Everyone who hears this story can hardly believe it, and most people here really wanted to do something for the employee. Our facilities manager, who recently lost his wife to the same cancer, brough scarves and a couple of wigs for her. And the rest of us? We declared it hat day! Because certainly, with all that she has been going throuhg, she doesn't need to feel belittled or lonely. The whole department donned their most stylish/funny/ridiculous headwear for the day, and as other departments found out, some were able to run home or borrow hats to join in as well. We took a group picture that is below, and the employee felt nothing but love and support and she got a copy of the picture in a frame with a mat we all signed.

Stripes

2008-11-08T21:53:00.003-06:00

Ethan has noticed that I have lines on my forehead and that they get more pronounced in certain situations or with certain emotions. Since he's so in tune to people's emotional states lately, he is also paying a lot of attention to what he calls my "stripes."

E: "Are you mad Mommy?"
M: "No, Ethan, I'm not mad."
E: "But you have stripes."
M: "Yes, but I have stripes all the time--when I'm happy (big smile), when I'm thinking hard (furrowed brow). Not just when I'm angry."
E: (smoothing his forehead) "I have stripes too!"

The Negotiator

2008-11-08T21:49:00.003-06:00

Ethan has started trying to talk his way out of things, eating his dinner, naps, the usual. He has apparently picked up some of my habits of speech because when he's really trying to talk you into something it goes like this:

M: "No, Ethan, it is nap time. You need to go to sleep."
E: "Here's the thing Mommy. . . ."

He almost never actually tells you what the thing is though, he just stutters around repeating, "Here's the thing."

Last weekend I told him I didn't care what the thing was, he needed to take a nap. To which he retorted: "I LISTENED TO YOUR THING!"