Logan says:

Eric: So, what do you want to do?
Carly: Well, Logan needs a nap now.
Eric: Oh, yeah.
Logan: (Staring blankly at the wall) No, I don't need a nap.
Carly: Yes, you do.
Logan: But I'm not nappy.

Screwy Schedules

As Eric mentioned briefly in the last post, Logan has taken to putting off bedtime as long as is toddelerly possible, which is a bit of an annoyance because as much as we love our kids, let's face it, we breathe a sigh of relief when they go to bed. And I've got four hours before I'm up for every two with Auden. So having Logan stay up way past his bedtime is not something I like to experience. I think it's the holidays and Eric being back home for the two weeks--it's kind of thrown us off our schedule, but we'll get in another groove here again soon. Until then, I guess Eric and I will continue to be crotchety toward each other, since New Year's Eve will only make things worse in terms of sleep deprivation.

And our lack of a regular schedule has thrown off my blogging, too. We didn't even blog about Christmas. We had a white Christmas down by my folks, which was really nice. Usually, southern Illinois gets the damaging ice instead of the picturesque snows, but this time it got cold enough to put on a pretty nice show. Eric has been keeping up with his marathon training, so on Christmas Eve, he prided himself on his feat of jogging to Missouri and back. It started snowing about one hour into his 2 1/2 hour workout, but apparently it didn't bother him. Nor did he get nervous about jogging across the suspension bridge, which has a really narrow shoulder, in poor weather. No, he was worried about the 25 or so deer he saw ambling across the trail he was running. He said a couple of bucks gave him a "So you want a piece of me?" look, but decided he probably wasn't worth the calorie expenditure.

We had a nice visit with Great-Grandma and pa Kop and Uncle Kevin--I actually washed all of the dishes without grandma catching on--granted, she was distracted by my dad and uncle who were teaching her how to work her new digital camera. Then we went back to mom and dad's to bake Christmas cookies. Mom makes THE best sugar cookies, and I'm too lazy to make them myself, so I'm happy to help out.

Opening presents was pretty fun this year. Logan got some really nice stuff--a kitchen set, plenty of cars and candy (just as he wished), and Auden got a few cute toys and cozy clothes. Auden was such a sweet baby--everyone remarked about how peaceful and happy he is. He's now sitting up pretty well when seated in his boppy, and, in true infant form, he tries to put everything into his mouth--including his feet. He bends all the way over, trying to reach those adorable toes. He just has a little too much tummy to get at them though.

Christmas Day at my Grandma O'dell's was nice, but I think we may have infected the family. My aunt took ill, and we soon dispersed after opening presents and playing a couple of rounds of Buzz Word.

Well, I think I had better go. Logan has switched his bedroom light back on for the second time tonight...

The Sleepless Wonder

Logan decided he did not want to go to bed last night. Fun for everyone.

Bug-a-boo

Well, I have been hit. Last night I got violently ill twice and today I feel sort of like a truck hit me, but fortunately, this thing should run its course and I'll be feeling better by this evening. I'm just continuing to wash my hands like crazy and saying little prayers that Auden stays well. We were going to head down to my family's this afternoon, but it looks like this launch has been scrubbed. We're hoping we'll all be able to take off on Christmas Eve day...

Logan says:

(While wielding a toy screwdriver)
"I'm going to screw you up, mom!"
Truer words were never spoken.

Eric and Logan are recovering from food poisoning or some kind of flu. I suspect food poisoning because they had no fever, but I can't seem to allow myself to rule out flu because Logan ate next to nothing for the two days prior to his throwing up Sunday night and Monday morning. Thankfully, because his bowels were so bare, it was an easy cleanup, but the poor guy and his dad felt pretty miserable. Auden and I remain healthy, and I'm knocking firmly on wood. Last time I remember getting the stomach flu, I was about 8 years old (so you know that was a bad bug, since it's the last one I can remember at 32 years of age) and my whole family were stricken one by one. I thought I was pretty tough--no virus can take me down! But then, after eating about three helpings of mostaccioli, I got sick on New Year's eve all over my aunt's bedroom floor. I don't think I or my aunt ate mostaccioli again for years after that. So here's hoping our holidays--and yours--are healthy!

For you, Stine

Epicurious Babe and Candyland

Christmas is so close now we can taste it...literally. On Thursday, it was a really cold, overcast day, so I proclaimed it Pajama Day in the Hill household (for some reason I was the only one who actually remained in my pjs for the entire day...and slept in them again that night) and embarked on making comfort foods. I threw together a batch of yummy lentil soup, dragged our bread machine out of storage, dusted it off, and made a big loaf of wheat bread, and baked two dozen Snickerdoodles. Fewer things say Christmas to me more than Snickerdoodles, my favorite holiday cookie. Logan helped with the cookies, which we made while Auden was napping. He dumped the ingredients into the mixing bowl for me and then retreated to his bedroom, frightened by the mixer. That kid really has to get over his fear of noisy things. He came back in time to help dip the dough into the cinnamon-sugar mixture, but decided on the first one that it was much better to dip his finger into the mix, rather than the soon-to-be cookie. In fact, before long, he was dipping his whole face into the bowl, sticking his tongue into the cinnamon and sugar. So the idea of bringing the cookies to Aunt Jackie's went right out the window. I guess deep down I really didn't want to share them anyway.

Auden has been trying new tastes as well. At his four-month appointment, the doc said Auden can now have solids, and that it's best to give him a variety of stuff, rather than introducing foods slowly. So, we decided to try carrots for his first food endeavor. We put him in his Bumbo and spooned the lukewarm stuff into his mouth. Surprisingly, he seemed to like it. Of course, he's still getting the hang of swallowing stuff that isn't liquid, so he pushed a lot of it out of his mouth, but he ended up eating about a tablespoon of the stuff. Next we tried pears mixed with cereal. Not quite as fond of the consistency of that, but still he ate a bit and wasn't displeased.

We just returned from a very nice couple of days with Eric's family--we traveled to Wisconsin to be with Grammy and Papa Hill, Aunt Jackie, Uncle John, and Isabel. We drove there last night, put the kids to bed after a short visit, and woke up ready to celebrate--especially Logan, who was harping on us to open gifts as soon as he regained consciousness. He got some very nice toys, and Isabel had fun with the toy cuttable fruit we got her. So fun seeing little ones at Christmas time. The boys, except for Auden, decided to brave the cold and trek outside for a while. Logan suited up, and the guys took turns dragging him in a sled, Eric on cross-country skis and John and Papa in snowshoes. At one point, the dog dragged Logan, but I think he needed a small dog team to pull him through the drifts. Still, it was a pretty adorable sight.

Logan says:

"Mom, I a big kid, so I can go to pretty-school!"
"You mean pre-school?"
"No, pretty-school! I can go there and talk to kids, and you can leave maybe."

Logan says:

Logan: The dinosaurs will crush our house and it will be in their bellies, and we will cry.

Mom: Well, you'd better tell them to leave us alone, because they're scared of you and they'll listen to you.

Logan (exits his bedroom to yell out the living room window): Hey, you dinosaurs! You leave our house alone! Go away!
(returns to his bedroom) I think I scared 'em, momma.

And the pictures are showing some brotherly love. Auden's starting to roll to his sides and can kind of scoot himself around serpent-style. Here's a pic of him roughing up Logan a little; one of the boys in their similar winter hats, and one of them just before going out to play in the snow.

Meanderings

Since it's snowed, I've felt a little claustrophobic around here. I grew up in southern Illinois, where I didn't really have a serious winter coat, but a glorified windbreaker, my entire life, so let's just say I am a weenie when it comes to facing the cold months here. Nonetheless, I know snow can be fun, so I bundled up Logan and Auden in their snow gear and braved the frosty day. I decided to have Logan sit in a little sled we bought at a garage sale this summer, and I pulled him around the back yard. Fun for him; not so fun for me, who was trying to lug not only my 2 1/2 year old on the sled, but also my 19-pound goliath, poofy snowsuit-wearing infant across the yard. Still, I made a nice little track before I called it quits and encouraged Logan to make some snowballs or shovel some snow. Unfortunately, the snow wasn't the packing kind, so Logan was freaking out because his mittens wouldn't allow him much mobility and the snow wasn't cooperating. At that, I threw in the towel and decided to retreat indoors for some hot cocoa.

Today, we went to story time at the library, and it was a nice change of scenery. Many other moms seemed to have the same idea I did, as the place was wall-to-wall with toddlers. It was funny seeing Logan's reaction to the event, though. The woman read from books that had little motions to go with them--a smart move, since she had a roomful of toddlers to entertain. Logan just stared at her and everyone else for most of the session, not really engaging in anything, and I start to worry: "Is my son going to be totally awkward and shy around people, or what?" It's funny how you're afraid your child will succumb to all those weaknesses you had as a child, or have as an adult. I remember when I was little my uncle's friend would call me "shy girl" because I was always so quiet at family parties and I would feel so embarrassed. So after story time was done, the woman passed out papers for coloring, and the kids moseyed over to the tables with crayons. I decided I'd hang back and see how Logan would interact with the other kids, so I struck up a conversation with a couple of moms and let Logan do his thing. He colored for a bit, but soon lost interest and left the table to look for some cars. He played by himself for a while, and one by one, the kids started leaving for home. Then, Logan spotted a little girl and her older brother a few feet away. They made eye contact. Would Logan try to talk to them? Suddenly a lightbulb seemed to go on, and he said to the little girl, "Hey, when I was born, I used to be a baby!" What a pickup line. Well, being a baby seems to work for Auden, who gets plenty of attention these days, so why not go with it? The funny thing is, it worked. Instead of looking at him like he was daft, the little girl smiled and said, "I used to be a baby, too!" Logan gave her one of his cars; they found a third one somewhere else for the big brother, and the three of them played some sort of wagon train game, following each other around the children's section for quite some time. Phew. I guess Logan isn't doomed to be a social outcast after all. Or is he? Tonight when I picked him up from the Y and asked him if he talked to any other kids, he said, "No, I was kind of being shy. But I did talk to some older kids." "What did you talk about?" "I don't know. Probably about something stupid." I couldn't help but laugh over that one.

Auden still has it easy. This weekend, he was baptized. All the family was there, soaking up all that adorableness. Auden usually sleeps through church, but he had to be "on" this Sunday, so he missed his nap and was a little surly looking when we went up to the altar to have him baptized. He wasn't on the verge of wailing or anything; he just looked at everyone with this surly expression, his forehead wrinkled like an old man's. The pastor said she thought he would be very studious, an excuse for his serious expression. Even when he wasn't being his usual smiley self, he still got some laughs. At the party afterwards, he was passed around like a hot potato and everyone said what a good baby he is--he's just so happy and pleasant. He doesn't have anything to prove--people just love him automatically, just like they should. When do things stop being that simple?

Holiday Hustle and the Hamper

In my list of Thanksgiving "I'm thankful for's" I should have also expressed my gratitude for online shopping and Amazon's free shipping on orders of $25 or more. They have made my holidays so much more pleasant, and I was able to ignore all the Christmas junk that was set up WAY too early this year. Now I think it's out a week before Halloween or something. Let's just skip Thanksgiving all together, shall we? I mean, there's hardly anything about that holiday retailers can sink their teeth into. Maybe eventually we'll have a strange permutation of Thanksgiving one of these years in the future that involves a jolly old turkey who scuttles around leaving presents for grateful little children. He's paying it forward for another year of avoiding the chopping block or something...

Anyway, Logan is cognizant enough to know what he wants for Christmas this year, and he's pretty excited about the holiday. When I asked him what he'd like Santa to bring him, he simply asked for "Cars and candy." How adorable is that? I could spend maybe $15 on his gifts this Christmas and he'd be overjoyed. Of course, I won't, but it's nice knowing that I don't have to. I'd better remember this year because it's probably the last one which will involve such simple requests.

While I was procuring some things for the holidays and this weekend's festivities (Auden is being baptized), I picked up a clothes hamper for Logan. It's pretty cute: a collapsible, canister-shaped hamper made of nylon, and it's cleverly fashioned to look like a lion. When the top is pulled closed, the lion's face shows, so it's like the opening of the hamper is the lion's mouth. I was hoping he might be interested in it enough to want to deposit his clothes into it on a regular basis. Boy was I wrong.

I put the hamper in Logan's closet and asked him to check out the lion living in his closet. He looked at me like I was crazy, but then I explained that I wasn't lyin' (yes, I had to say it), there was indeed a lion in his closet. He cautiously walked into his room, and he smiled and giggled to find the hamper waiting for him with a pile of dirty clothes beside it.
"This is your lion, and he needs to eat. You know what he likes best?"
"What?"
"Dirty clothes. So when you take off your dirty clothes, you should feed them to your lion."

I did not expect the frenzy of activity that ensued after that explanation. He quickly dumped all of his clothes into the hamper, and then started on the basket full of clean clothes I had folded and was about to put away.
"No, Logan. The lion only likes dirty clothes."
"But there ISN'T any more!"

I directed him to our bedroom, and he scampered off, bringing back a couple armloads of mommy and daddy's dirty clothes. Before long, the lion was full, so we took it into the laundry room to deposit its first meal. I had no idea I had bought a bulimic lion for a clothes hamper, but, hey--it worked out. I had a pretty good laugh about Logan's excitement over a simple clean-up session.

Logan says:

Today I thought I would finally talk to Logan about what Thanksgiving is all about. "It's a holiday that helps us remember to be thankful for what we have. I'm thankful for daddy and you and Auden, and for all the rest of our family. I'm thankful John and Brittany are doing better. I'm thankful I get to stay home with you this year and that we have a nice, safe place to live. What are you thankful for, Logan?"

"Cake."

Pink eraser and palpitations

We just returned from my parents' house for a pre-Thanksgiving get-together. It was good seeing everyone, and Auden continued to melt everyone's hearts; Logan was resident jester. Auden is becoming more lively by the day--he loves to stand up (assisted, of course) in your lap and smile. He giggles at his elephant toy and grabs on to it (and daddy's face) with both hands.

And Logan...Well, you can always predict that he will do something unpredictable. We were just hanging around my mom and dad's house, and Logan got into Papa George's office supply drawer--one of his favorite things to do. Logan took off with one of those pencil-top erasers. He put it on his pinkie finger, and proudly showed everyone around how stylish his new prosthetic finger tip was. I should have known what was coming, but I didn't. After he had shown me his hot pink rubber finger bling, he put it in his mouth. "Spit that out right now, mister!" I panicked a little because when he put the eraser in his mouth, he was looking up at me, and I was afraid he would choke on it. Well, he put his head down, but no eraser came out. He looked up at me again with a surprised look on his face and said, "Mommy, it's in my belly!" In disbelief, I made him open his mouth and I looked inside--no eraser. I looked around on the floor to see if it had somehow bounced out of sight. No eraser. It really was in his belly. Great. He hadn't choked on it, and it was small enough that I figured it would have an easy enough time making an exit. At least it wasn't sharp or poisonous, right? All I would have to do would be to search through his poop for a bright pink eraser. Yet another thing I never in my life thought I would be doing. Well, the eraser made its way out the very next day. Apparently, the bowels aren't as fond of erasers as they are of chewing gum, which stuck around in his system for more than a week. Ah, the joys of having a toddler.

A-OK!

Good news! Logan's heart is just fine. The news came this morning and I couldn't be more relieved! Thanks to everyone for keeping us in your thoughts!

Luckily, we had a built-in celebration--we had a play date with several moms I used to teach with who are also now stay-at-home moms. The kids all played together well, and though there were half a dozen toddlers in the same room, no one was hurt, and they all shared their toys fairly well. No huge tantrums. Yay. But we did marvel at the fact that pre-school and kindergarten teachers have to handle at least twice the number of kids. Solo. And get those kids to learn stuff, not just prevent them from bopping each other on the head. I thought teaching high school was tough some days, but at least most of my kids had the ability to be rational most of the time. So, here's a bit shout-out to all you teachers of little folks. Kuddos to you!

Children's books are funny

Logan loves his books--a trait I hope he keeps forever. And I especially like it that he's interested in many of the same books I loved as a kid. I had what I thought were clear memories of my favorite childhood books...until I started reading them to Logan. Now I look at them sometimes with a befuddled expression, wondering, "So what was the message this author was trying to get across?" I leave you with my new impressions of a few of Logan's (and my former) favorite books:

Scuffy the Tugboat, the tale of a pompous little toy tugboat that isn't happy to be a mere toy in a toy shop, but wants "bigger things" for himself. Sorry to spoil the ending, but he eventually makes it to the ocean, is overwhelmed and frightened, and is saved by the toy store owner. Scuffy happily returns to the toy store after his escapade. So, I ask, what is the moral of this story? Don't bother adventuring too far away from home, because you'll probably just have the pants scared off of you anyway?

The Poky Little Puppy: C'mon, you know this one. The puppy breaks the rules and ventures out with his sibs to explore the wide, wide world (very Scuffy-esque), and he avoids punishment by arriving home way past curfew. The consequence of his actions? He eats the dessert that was meant for the entire poochy family all by himself...twice. He finally gets his comeuppance when his puppy siblings destroy his route back home. That night, he gets no dessert. So, again, what's the moral? Go ahead and disobey your mother. Two times out of three, you'll have all the dessert your little stomach can handle?

Little Miss Naughty: I really don't think I need to explain myself about the wrong-headedness of this one.

While the moral message of some of his books might be confusing, Logan continues to show me just how much my actions teach him. We were in the basement this morning, and he was desperately searching for a toy: "Where is it?! I know I put it somewhere. It's got to be here somewhere." After initially shuddering, I chuckled to hear my words voiced so perfectly by my toddler. Just goes to show you how often I lose (or misplace) things on any given day.

Our trip to the hosipal

No, I didn't misspell "hospital." That's the way Logan pronounces it. The word "breakfast" seems to allude him, too. It comes out more like "bresick." Ah, it's pretty adorable the way toddlers pronounce things.

Well, that heart murmur of Logan's hasn't gone away since we heard it a month ago, so the doc suggested we have an echocardiogram done. Aside from being an extremely complicated word for me to pronounce, it's basically an ultrasound of the patient's heart. The pediatric cardiologists should be perusing pictures, videos, and sound clips of my son's little ticker tomorrow, and I'm really hoping they'll tell me he'll most likely grow out of this little noisy heartbeat thing. Logan doesn't seem to mind. He didn't seem to mind the whole test thing, either. You see, Logan thinks the hospital is one of the coolest places he knows. He associates it with the helicopter he saw take off just as we were leaving from one of my ultrasounds. And he thinks of the time Grammy Renee and Papa George came to stay with him, and then took him there to see his new baby brother. So every time we drive by the hospital, he asks if we can go there. "Not today, babe," I say, hoping to myself we won't have an unfortunate incident that will bring us there. No, Logan wasn't worried about the hospital. He was worried about shots.

He got a flu vaccine at his last doctor's checkup and was not keen on the idea of having another injection. Despite promises from his dad and I that he would not be given a shot, Logan, who is usually really shy around new people, introduced himself to the ultrasound tech by announcing loudly and plainly: "I don't want a shot." Once she told him she definitely wouldn't be giving him a shot, he relaxed a bit. But he sat wide-eyed through the whole procedure. For once in his life, he didn't wiggle an inch--the ultrasound tech loved him. And when were walking out the doors of the exam room, sucker in hand, he said," That was fun!" Yeah, I guess it was fun, but I don't really want to repeat it.

Even though I had been convinced this whole murmur thing is no big deal, that it's some little anomaly that will fix itself, I have to admit, I welled up a bit when they put the hospital band around his wrist and told him that this was his second hospital bracelet he's ever had. Well, now it's just the waiting game!

We managed to fit in even more fun today, the kind of fun I wouldn't mind repeating. We went swimming at the Y, the four of us--this was the baby's first trip to a pool. Once Auden got over the chilliness of the pool (why does it always get you right at the tummy?), he smiled and had a good time, while Logan was finally persuaded to doggie paddle (with mom assisting) across the pool a couple of times. Then it was home to jump in some leaf piles, watch daddy-o burn some yard waste in the back yard, and turn his nose up at his dinner. It's really all in a day's work for a toddler.

Auden, the tiny human sprinkler system

It's amazing how many times I've been peed on the past three months. I know, from other mothers telling me, and from my past experience with Logan, that little boys can put on the waterworks quite effectively during diaper changes. But this kid of mine takes the cake. Somehow, despite my tenting his sprayer with a burp cloth or receiving blanket, he still manages to kick it off and make it happen. Showers. All over himself, the wall, the changing table. Thankfully, he usually misses me. It shouldn't surprise me though. After all, his first action as a newborn was to baptize the nurses in the delivery room. I just didn't know that would be a talent that would stick with him quite this long. My favorite, though, is when I'm changing him--usually at 3 or 4 in the morning--and he sends up a shower. While I'm mopping that mess up, he follows it by spitting up all over himself. Even more rarely, I've had all three--explosive baby poop, pee, and spit up. That's when I imagine the hydra myth probably began with a sleep-deprived mother of a newborn who was overwhelmed with her son's dynamic diaper changes.

In other news, Auden has discovered his hands this week. He looked at them and had this amazed expression on his face, as if to say, "Hey, what are these things? And what can I do with them?" He quickly found out what they are and what he can do with them (aside from stuffing them in his mouth) when I hung a toy just beyond his grasp. He batted at and held on to it, grinning with satisfaction. We also think we've heard a couple of giggles issuing from our happy guy. He's definitely becoming more active and interested in his surroundings. The three-month characteristics are beginning to appear.

Funny story

Eric was in bed last night thumbing through Dr. Sears' book, Discipline. I've been reading it lately to find ways to deal with Logan's tantrums. Spoiler alert: There is no magic solution for solving all of your toddler's behavior issues. Drat. Anyway, Eric said, "Hey, this is interesting. It says that toddlers crave order and that you should shelve his toys on shelves instead of heaped in crates or boxes. (We put many of his toys in our toy-chest/ottomans and storage crates.) And it suggests installing eye-level hooks for hanging coats and clothes. That's a good way to teach him how to put his stuff away!"

"Yes," I said, and thought to myself of the numerous pairs of shoes and clothing items of Eric's that are usually strewn all over the living room and bedroom floor. "Will we teach you at the same time?"

More Halloween pics

Halloween and the candy coma

Well, Logan had a blast, this being the first Halloween that he understood the premise of the holiday: "I ring doorbell. Nice person opens door. Nice person hands me candy, or I grab a handful of it out of his/her bowl. I say 'Thank you!' and high- tail it out of there to the next house. Repeat aforementioned steps, ad nauseum." We learned pretty quickly it's more fun trick-or-treating with pals, and fortunately, we had a bunch of them around last night. First we buddied up with Jackson and Mimi; then, we found Zion and his sisters. Finally, he saw his buddy Jade from tumbling class. "Hey, I was looking for you!" he said as he dashed toward her. So the little pirate and Tinkerbell went traipsing along, pumpkin buckets swinging, procuring scrumptious candy.

The day before, we went to a fantastic party at Logan's friend, Evan's house. Evan's mommy did a bang-up job, as usual. It's nice to be a great party planner, but it's even nicer when you're good friends with one. There were games, cute spooky-themed food, and pumpkin decorating. Logan particularly liked the dance contest, and fortunately he had warmed up to everyone by the time it was time to boogie down.

And on Friday, we hosted some of our neighbors at our annual "Trick-or-drink" celebration. It's fun reconnecting with the people on our block. Of course, this year, I was shooting for our snacks and drinks to be pirate-themed but I hadn't gotten the stuff together since Logan had come down with a fever Thursday morning. I wasn't sure we would even have people over if he was sick, but he bounced right back, thankfully. So Friday afternoon was spent frantically cleaning the house and scrounging together the ingredients for our snack and drink ideas. We served "Pirate's blood," a spiked fruit punch, and "Arrrtichoke dip."

I have to admit, after trick-or-treating was over, I was glad to see Halloween go. This is the first year it's really become a full holiday status, what with something going on consecutive days. Now I'm just trying to figure out how I can get rid of all of this excess candy. Eric hasn't yet taken it to school to be used for bribery material for his kids. I have to say, the M&M's are nice for Logan bribes--he'll do just about anything for a candy fix. My little sugar fiend...And I made his first dentist appointment last night. How appropriate.

0 for 2

Ahh, what a day full of challenges it has been. Today was the day of our play group's Halloween party, and I was just as excited as Logan. We were going to paint pumpkins, snack on treats, and play with other kids. I put Logan in his Halloween costume, which I stayed up late last night to finish, and he took to it as any toddler probably does: "Mom, this thing is wratchy! (scratchy) I don't want to wear it!" He was referring to the eye patch and bandana I had made. I gave him a package of M&Ms to pacify him while I quickly snapped some pictures. Then, I put Auden's parrot outfit on. It was adorable, if I do say so myself, and we were all set to go when I noticed Logan needed a diaper change. So I put Auden down in his car seat while I changed his brother. I was two steps away when I heard an explosive rip from Auden...and the rip wasn't his costume. Ugh, so I changed Logan, picked up Auden, turned him around, and saw a huge wet spot on his back, just above the adorable little tail feathers I affixed to his onesie last night. Arrrgh--a blow-out! I had no choice but to take him out of his costume, rinse it out, and hang it to dry. What a disappointing turn of events.

We were about 15 minutes late for the party, but Logan was super excited. "Mom! There are kids!" He said, and he did his little wiggly dance of joy. But as I was opening the door, I bumped him as he was scrambling to get in, and he fell down on the step, scraping his shin. I felt really bad about the fact that he was hurt, but man! From the screams that were issuing from his little body, you would have thought he had lost a limb! Since his scrape was bleeding just a bit, I decided he needed a band-aid. That just made him more hysterical. "No want a band-aid!" More screams. More tears. I tried taking him outside to see if he would calm down, but to no avail. I picked him up, lugged Auden out the door, and Logan continued to scream and cry the entire way home. I put him, still screaming and crying, into his bed with his blankie, covered him up, and he continued to scream and cry for another 20 minutes--an epic tantrum that lasted about an hour in its entirety. Throughout the whole episode, Auden was sleeping soundly. I sometimes wonder if they got his hearing test right at the hospital. Who could sleep through screaming like that? I'm really thankful that he is able to sleep through those disruptions, though, because it's about the only thing that keeps me sane in those moments. This is the second epic tantrum Logan has had in two weeks. And here's where I realize how schizophrenic a toddler is. When Logan woke up from his nap and I asked him if he wanted lunch, he replied, "No thank you. I'm not really that hungry." He sat down with a little bowl of cashews for a snack, and he asked, "Mom, do you want to share with me?" He gave me a few of his cashews, and so resumed the pleasantness of the afternoon.

Auden is cooing quite a bit now, which is a guaranteed heart-melter. His eyes are growing lighter; I think he'll have Eric's blue eyes just like Logan does. He loves to kick on his Einstein mat and set off the little flashy lights and tune of the star that sits at the top of its arch, and he's quite fond of his bouncy seat, which has a little rainforest scene that comes to life when he bats at one of the toys dangling in front of him. He smiles at the lights and little monkey and frog that move around. So precious. So that's what they're like before they are tiny walking time bombs of emotion...

Good Humour

You know you have finally attained adulthood when you no longer respond with the exuberant cry of joy at the sound of the ice cream man's mechanical tune, but with the icy shudder of annoyance.

Where I grew up, there were no ice cream men, those cheery little vans that cart delectable frozen treats. The closest I ever got to a vehicle carting ice cream treats was the Schwann man, and while I probably could have taken down a large box of ice cream sundae cones or rocket pops, I sure didn't carry that much cash on my person as a youngster. So I must have learned of the ice cream man from Leave it to Beaver or classic shows of that ilk because I have always associated those purveyors of yummy treats with times in the distant past that were more innocent and joyful. Who could resist, or even more absurdly, disdainfully deny, a simple ice cream treat?

Me. That's who.

Every evening around 4:00 or so the ice cream man rolls through our neighborhood in his van. The kids can hear the siren song of his mechanical ditties floating through the air from miles away, and immediately they dream of Spiderman ice creams with gumball eyes, prepackaged Sno cones (who ever has heard or such a thing?), or the classic ice cream sandwich. Now I'm not saying I didn't get a little excited the first or second time this fellow rolled down our lane. It was adorable introducing our hesitant little one to the ice cream man and choosing his first treat. But now I'm rueing the day I ever bought him that Spongebob Squarepants pop. Now Logan is an ice cream junkie, and I carry the guilt that I freely bought him his first frozen fix.

Two weeks ago, we were getting ready to leave for tumbling class. We were all outside; Logan was playing with the neighbors' kids, when all of a sudden, the tune rang out. Logan and the other kids went running to the end of the block, just like in those tv shows I used to watch, before I could even catch up with him. "No, Logan," I said, cursing the ice cream man under my breath. "We don't have time for an ice cream tonight. We have to go to tumbling class, and I can't let you eat an ice cream, clean you up, and make it there on time." I thought that excuse would work, not only because it was sincere; this kid loves tumbling class. Why would he allow an ice cream to make him miss any minute of it? Because ice cream is delicious. That's why. Thankfully, my neighbor decided to deny her kids a treat for that evening, too, and by the time we had them convinced, walked them back to our house, and stopped their whining, the ice cream man drove by our houses at a snail's pace just to rub salt in the wound. This guy is ruthless.

Tonight, Logan was at the park, playing happily, when that annoying little jingle rang out again. For a few minutes, he was so distracted trying to climb up the slide, he didn't even notice it. What luck! Oh, but as he ran to the jungle gym, he heard it. He stopped dead in his tracks and his head whirled in our direction, his mouth gaping wide. "It's the ice cream man!" He shouted. "Where is he?!"

"He's too far away right now, Logan. We can't see him," Eric and I explained. And it was true--he was several blocks away. "Ok, when he comes close, you catch him. Alright?" Logan said, pointing his finger at us. "Ok, Logan. But we don't have any money with us right now. Maybe we'll see him when we get back home. Why don't you go down the slide again?" We said, and I felt a little guilty as I hoped Logan would play at the park just long enough for the ice cream man to pass by our empty house.

Duh

I failed to mention Eric's big news in my last blog. He is officially an Urbanathlete, as he completed the Men's Health Urbanathalon in Chicago this past Saturday. The race included nearly 10 miles of running, broken up by various obstacles, such as climbing walls, Soldier Field steps. Of course, when I saw Eric after the race, he commented that it "really wasn't that challenging." Pfft. As for me, I'll admit I was a little sore just from walking around the lake front with Auden, trying to find a spot from which to wave at daddy as he jogged past. Umm, I think it's finally time to start using that Y membership we have...

I mentioned music, or Logan's love of it, in my last post, and yesterday he said something else music-related that I just couldn't resist putting down. I had my iPod on shuffle, and Beethoven's 5th in C minor came on. Logan was kind of lounging around the living room at the time, but when that came on, his head shot up, and, with a look of excitement on his face, he asked, "Mom, what's that!?" "Beethoven," I replied. "I love Baytoben!" he shouted. Too funny.

Photo ops

This is Auden modeling an outfit from Auntie Christine. The spit-up was his personal addition to the outfit.

This is Logan at the apple orchard just about when he hit the wall--nap time was calling.

As you can see, Logan is really eager for Auden to be a more active playfellow.

Catching Up

Wow, so it's been a long time since I've posted anything. It's not that nothing has been going on, it's just that it's been really difficult to find time to write lately. Nap time used to work out beautifully because Auden and Logan would sleep at the same time, but now, Auden sleeps most of the morning, so the afternoon is his time to shine. By the time I get dinner dishes put away in the evening, I don't really feel like blogging, so I've just been reading instead.

My parents made their annual October trip up here for a visit, and Logan was the main event for entertainment. He hunted dinosaurs with his wiffle ball bat; he took them to the apple orchard; he opened the presents they brought and ate inordinate amounts of candy. We were sad to see them go, as always, but we know we'll see them really soon, what with Logan pestering us to see Bart and Ginger all the time.

When we make the trip(s) to the apple orchard, we know Halloween is just around the bend, and this year Logan's going to be a pirate. Since I wanted to make my boys a trick-or-treating couple, I thought it would be fitting for Auden to be a parrot. So now I'm making costumes for both of them, even though I'm not all that creative, nor can I sew well. I've bought all the materials I need; now I just need to put them together...This whole endeavor may just end in my making a last minute trip to the costume store, especially if I don't start it soon. Even though his costume isn't complete, Logan is really excited about Halloween. We've been practicing trick-or-treating, and he has it down, especially since he knows he's getting candy out of the deal.

Speaking of candy, Logan went to DeKalb High's homecoming parade and he rounded up his first decent stash of parade candy. It was hard to tell what he enjoyed more, though, the candy or the bands, since he was bobbing his head to the beat of the music. His dancing made me think of all the parades I attended as a kid--and I attended many, since my dad was a middle school band director. Anyway, it does my heart good to see the love of music runs in the family.

Eric and I enjoyed some music for my birthday this weekend. We went to see the Lion King in Chicago, which was a really cool show. Admittedly, I was most interested in seeing the staging, costume, and puppets, and they were cool, but the music was really beautiful, too.

Earlier this week, Auden and Logan tag-teamed the doctor for Auden's 2 month immunizations and Logan's 2 1/2 year checkup. Immunizations are tricky for me. Of everything I've read, there has been no definitive link between autism and immunizations, yet I still get nervous when I'm taking them in to the doctor for their shots. And it's not only autism I worry about, it's the side-effects kids can have from the shots, too. Fortunately, they're really rare, but, you know, you always worry that rare case might in fact be your child. I know it's rare for kids to get the diseases my sons are being immunized against, but those diseases are making a resurgence, so, when I look at the statistics, I'm more afraid of the illnesses than the immunizations. As a parent, it's just a strange feeling to know that you could voluntarily be subjecting your children to something that might make them sick. But when you think about it, there are tons of things that affect your child's safety that you really can't control: environmental pollutants, water and food contaminants. I wonder if, one day, we'll find out that autism is actually caused by one or the combination of the many chemicals we're surrounded by on a daily basis. In any case, Auden continues to do well--14 lbs now and two feet long. The doctor detected a heart murmur from Logan, which makes us a little nervous, but we're supposed to check on it again in a month. Doc says it could possibly be the result of a recent growth spurt and will resolve itself--I hope that's the case.

Logan Says:

(While sitting at the bottom of the steps when I'm telling him to come upstairs.) "I can't. My wegs are bwoken."

(And later when I'm putting him to bed) "I love you sugar mommy!"

Eric's Superiority

I just don't understand it. Eric is much better at making Thai butternut squash soup than I am. OK. I can deal with that. He also makes better grilled cheese, and he's much better at fixing just about anything than I. But why, oh why is it that he's so much better at putting our sons to sleep?!? Before Auden came along, I used to have an hour-long bedtime ritual with Logan. We'd brush his teeth, read some books, sing some songs. I loved it: the cuddles, the quiet chats and sing alongs, the "I wuv yous" and "happy dreams." Now, with Auden around, that ritual has been pared down to a half hour or so, but when Eric puts Logan to bed, he's out in 5 minutes flat! I just can't believe it, so I pester him with questions: "Did you brush his teeth? Did you put him in his jammies?" I just can't see how he's done it. Now on some mornings, Logan will wake up in the clothes he had worn the day before, so then I know how Eric cut his time. Still, it's pretty impressive to me that he can get Logan from awake to sleepy in 5 minutes.

It's become the same with Auden. Don't get me wrong, I love holding the baby. I know this snuggly period doesn't last long, and I am cherishing it, believe me. But when he's sound asleep, lying in my arms, I'd like to put him down in his crib for a while so I can get some laundry done, read a book comfortably, write a blog post with both hands. Nope--tonight, I try putting him down in his bed--he stirs and his eyes pop open, as if to say, "Hey, mom. Where are you going? I wasn't sleeping; I was just resting my eyes!" I put the pacifier in his mouth and his eyes slowly close. I inch away from his bed toward the door. He grunts, and if I wait longer, he snorts. Sure signs he's about to let loose with a good cry. Eric, on the other hand, is usually able to put him in bed without so much as a whimper. It's maddening, really. Why does he have all the luck?

Logan says:

"Baby Auden is getting big now. He can fly pretty soon. I think I'll fly too with Daddy and Mommy. And I won't be scared. But I might get clouds up my nose."

Seven-week smiles

Well, it's official. Auden has started smiling--the real thing this time, though he still has plenty of gas. From sly smirks to wide, open-mouthed grins, he shows them all.

Yesterday we left the house in record time--1/2 hour flat, which is pretty good, but I think it's a record that can be broken. Maybe. As I was getting Logan ready, he was fighting me the whole way. As I was trying to get him out of his jammies, he cried,
"No, Mommy! Those are my favorite Spiderman pants!" When I picked a booger out of his nose, he whined, "No, Mommy! That's my favorite booger!" It's funny how often as a mother you figure you've just heard a sentence that's probably never been uttered before. Later that afternoon, we saw a motorcycle passing by, and Logan exclaimed, "I want to hug that motorcycle!" Another sentence that's probably a Logan original.

Today, I had to take Eric's car into the shop and I had to install our new back-up car seat. It had never been taken out of the packaging yet, so I had to adjust the harness straps and everything. What a frustrating way to start your day. Auden was screaming
his head off, Logan was taking out every toy with wheels he had and lining them up in the yard. Still, I managed to get the car seat in. While I was ready to pull my hair out one minute, I felt pretty proud of myself the next. I guess that's life, really.

Lots of activity...ends in laundry

What a weekend--starting on Friday, we had two events to attend every day of the weekend. We're not the biggest social butterflies as a general rule, so I was kind of unaccustomed to the pace. I already updated you all on Friday, and Saturday, the garage sale went well--I found some good warm running pants, a couple cute sweatshirts, a sleeping bag, and a pair of walkie talkies for Logan, a couple sleepers and an outfit for Auden, and some cute clothes for our niece, Isabel. After that, we went to celebrate Grammy Hill's birthday, which was a nice evening.

On Sunday, we all walked in Delnor Hospital's Walk for Women's Wellness, which we did in honor of Eric's cousin Brittany, who has been courageously battling cancer--in fact, she finished her last round of chemo today. It was chilly, but we bundled the kiddos up and enjoyed the crisp autumn weather. Then, we went to the Disney of Pumpkin Farms, Goebert's, which has a petting zoo filled not only goats, but also camels, llamas, giraffes, and other exotics. I wondered how these critters were and where and how this pumpkin farm procured these animals. Hmmm. We quickly realized how fast our son truly is. Any time Eric or I would take our eyes off Logan, he was tearing across the yard, heading toward some other attraction. Despite the fact that we explained why we wanted him to stay with us, he took off at top speed every chance we got. Auden, of course, slept through both events in the sling. I'm really savoring all this lack of mobility from him.

Today was pajama day in the Hill household, and mommy got a start on laundering the huge piles of clothes and blankets that have accumulated throughout the week. Same for the dishes. And tomorrow Logan's going to his grammy's so I'm looking forward to getting a lot of reading done...and maybe I'll get around to folding the baskets of laundry that are lined up here on the floor.

Oh, and my aunt asked for some pics, so hope you enjoy these!

Auden't First Bottle

This is Daddy-O. I gave Auden his very first bottle this morning. He was quite hesitant about it and gagged a few times because we had a medium flow nipple on it, but overall it went well. 3 ounces of Momma's milk delivered by Daddy! Momma went to a big garage sale this morning and so I had to watch the boys on my own. I forgot how much work it is! Anyway, we're sleeping at Grammy Hill's tonight because we are getting up early for a 5 mile walk tomorrow morn' That is all.

Sprockets

What a busy day today! First, we met our friends at The House in DeKalb today for lunch and play--Logan is really taking a liking to Saige. They struck up a friendship last year, and though they didn't remember each other, I guess they still have some mojo workin' because both get along swimmingly. We had some great food and coffee (I didn't share mine this time), and Auden, angelic child or child undergoing another growth spurt, slept peacefully through the whole play date. We made it home just in time to nap; Auden woke up, so I enjoyed seeing his bright eyes, though crossed at times, and little smiles. Oh, and those little hiccuppy noises he makes--they totally melt my heart. How fast this time will go.

Logan slept a good 2 1/2 hours today--bedtime came too late last night, and he woke up too early, so he was making up for lost time, I suppose. Then, we went to tumbling class sans Daddy-O, who was getting a drink with his coworkers after school. The past two sessions, Eric has been there for backup because it would not be easy to carry Auden around, even if he is in a sling, and help Logan tumble (or, more accurately, keeping him from running like a maniac all over the gym). But Auden has slept soundly through the last two classes. Wouldn't you know it? Auden picks today to be bright-eyed for class. It was OK--I put him in a sling and Logan took off a few more times than he has before, but we had a blast nonetheless.

After that, we met our friends Josh and Leah for dinner at the local Mediterranean place. And here is the origin of the title for today's blog entry. Leah, sweetheart that she is, bought Logan a DVD and Auden a cute little monkey wubbie--a stuffed animal monkey on top, blanket beneath. Logan, of course, took a liking to the monkey wubbie, so we let him play with it. We sort of had to find every diversion possible, because our meal took two hours in total--crazily slow service tonight. Anyway, Logan was standing by our table the monkey in his hands, and he says, "I'm petting my monkey!" I nearly fell off my chair, I was laughing so hard. Surely you must remember the days when Mike Meyers was on SNL and he did this skit that was a mockery of a German talk show--the "show" was called Sprockets, and he had a pet monkey. On every episode of Sprockets, he would try to coax someone to pet his monkey, but most of the guests were weirded out by the innuendo of it all. Anyway, that was what Logan's phrase brought to mind.

Tomorrow we're off to a huge garage sale that's held in the local high school's gym--kids stuff only. I'm hoping I can find some stuff for Logan to wear this fall and winter, some stuff we can use for our Halloween costumes, and some fun stuff to play with. My fingers are crossed!

Nickname

Oh, and I've come up with a pretty good nickname for Auden: Snorty McGrunterson, on account of his waking up at 4:00 every morning snorting and grunting up a storm. It's not too ostentatious, is it?

Survivor

Recently (i.e., today) I've begun to think I need to find some other means of employment. I can handle a one-month-old, no problem. But this 2 1/2 year old thing? That's a whole other story. Yesterday began like any other day. Logan watched some cartoons, we went outside to play, lunch time arrived, and Logan asked to go to bed. I know, I was a shocked as you are: He asked to go to bed. I should have known then that something sinister was developing. Auden was wide awake, and, despite my best efforts, I couldn't tempt him to fall asleep so all of us could nap for a while; thus, I went around the house with baby in arms getting some chores done. I noticed some noises issuing from Logan's room, but I thought to myself, "Maybe he's just playing quietly in there with his new castle toy, or maybe he's getting a book to take to bed with him. If he's quiet, I'm not going to upset the apple cart." So on I went with the chores. Not much later, I heard more rustling in there, and just as I was about to ask Logan what he was up to, I heard his little voice say, "Mommy, I need some paper!" "What do you need paper for?" I asked, a little afraid to hear his response. "I painting!" He shouted back proudly, and he opened his door. Lo and behold, he had spread out three paper plates and nicely put big blobs of tempra paints on them. With paintbrush in hand, he showed me his latest masterpiece: his bedroom floor (carpeted) was littered with lovely red, purple, green, and blue slashes of paint, as were his bed sheets and the his bean bag chair, and the pages of his Dr. Seuss alphabet book were stuck together with paint. Ok, the drawer I thought he couldn't get in to, the one where I had been stashing all of his art supplies? He can get into that after all. I was really mad...but somehow I couldn't be mad at him, just mad at myself for (once again) underestimating his craftiness. It was all kind of funny, really.


And then today, I was talking to a friend and sweeping the floor while Logan was playing and eating some goldfish crackers in the living room. As I was dumping the contents of the dustpan into the trash, I heard shattering glass and Logan's crying. My heart pounding, I ran into the living room to find Logan still holding my glass of water (well, the bottom of it, at least), and a huge puddle of water and pieces of glass all around him. I picked him up and asked him where he was hurt. No response, but I didn't see any blood. I asked him if he was hurt: "No!" "Then why are you crying?!" "I spilled mommy's water! I broke mommy's glass! I want some water!" Big sigh of relief. Another big cleanup after getting him some water and sitting him on the couch while I cleared away the glass.

So two major disasters in two days. Ok, they're certainly not BP-level disasters--Eric says I need a reality check--but they feel like a big deal, and I feel like a big moron. Hopefully I can keep my boys alive and well this year. How's that for goal setting?

Potty Training: Part Doo

Sorry for the cheezy title. I just couldn't resist.

I sometimes wonder what it takes to inspire other parents to begin potty training. Starting preschool, the kid's turning 4, whatever it may be...Let's face it. Potty training is not a fun chore because we don't want poo poo and pee pee where it doesn't belong. Well, today I became inspired by the grossest diaper I've had to change yet. And, of course, it was in a reusable diaper, so I couldn't just toss it. "This is sick, and I can't take it anymore!" was the cry that seemed to issue from my very being. So, we are giving it another go with the potty.

Logan ran around most of the day with just a shirt on, which was kind of funny, and he actually took to the plan. "Mom, I go pee pee and poo poo in the potty now!" He shouted happily. A good sign! And the good signs continued. He peeed three times in the potty today. He watched me dump the pee in the toilet and thought that was cool...it wasn't so cool when he tried it himself. He peed the third time while he was playing in the living room and I was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher. Before I knew what had happened, Logan ran up to the kitchen sink and launched the contents of the potty lift-out cup thingie into the sink. Just when I thought my day wasn't going to get any grosser...So, I congratulated Logan on a job well done as I was scrubbing out the sink, reminding him that maybe it would be better if mommy dumped the stuff out of the potty for a while.

Auden will be 6 weeks this Wednesday, and he's starting to stay awake for longer periods of time and looks around now with more interest than before. Those little smiles are coming more frequently, but it's still hard to tell if they're the real thing or not. He went to church for the first time yesterday. Everyone was excited to see him, and although we were a little nervous, we sat toward the back of the church instead of the balcony, which is next to the cry room. He slept through the service and only let out a couple of grunts. He hasn't given up the grunt yet. Since he was a newborn he's done that and other somewhat embarrassing noises. We were really afraid he was going to unleash one of his loud poops during a quiet moment in the service or something, but, thankfully, he restrained himself. All in all, it was a good day.

Fun Friday

This past Friday was an especially fun one on my Mommy-Is-Home adventure. I hooked up with the DeKalb mom's group, and we met at a nearby park to play with some of the kiddos and moms Logan and I hadn't seen in about a year. Logan had a blast playing with the kids, and I felt better that he had an opportunity to socialize with others his age. And I had fun, too, talking with the other moms. We went home, ate lunch, and napped for a couple hours. When we woke up, daddy-o was home and it was time for Logan's first-ever tumbling class. While most of the class consists of very young ones (around 1 year), there were two little girls Logan's age--one of which became Logan's partner in crime. The two of them were decidedly the most hyper of the bunch, and after they passed through the different obstacle courses the "coaches" had set up for the kids, they did a few laps around the gym, since the balance beam, bear walks, log rolls, and crawls through the nylon tunnel didn't sufficiently get the wiggles out. I knew the park and tumbling class met his approval because when we left both places, he said, "Mom, that fun!" And what did Auden do while Logan was out having a good time? Well, Auden did what Auden usually does best--he slept through it all.

On Saturday, we had a play date with the kids down the street, and rounding out the fun-filled weekend, was today. Eric and I asked some friends over for an impromptu get-together, and everyone made it out to watch the Bears game and catch up on things. We had a blast seeing some friends we aren't able to see often enough and Logan had lots of fun playing with his friends, too. This was the same bunch he wowed by eating sidewalk chalk; thankfully, there was no chalk around for him to eat today, though he did impress everyone with his monstrous ROAR-the one he uses when he chases the cats around the house. The only downside to a wonderful weekend with beautiful weather was that we had to miss Kitefest in DeKalb, but there's always next year...

Victorian Fest, Carnival Fun

We had a fest-fun-filled time at Grammy Renee's this Labor Day weekend. It was our first road trip with the new babe, and he did pretty well...not as well as his big brother, who slept through all but the last 20 minutes or so of the trip, but we stopped for two two-hour breaks, which gave us time to empty our bladders, fill our gas tank, and stretch our legs a bit.
This weekend was the Bethalto Homecoming, a carnival that features some pretty nice rides and tons of carnie food. I, of course, was on a quest for the perfect lemon shake-up, my favorite carnival treat. I have fond childhood memories of going to the state fair and procuring these lemony delights. They have to be made with real, juice-producing lemons, water, sugar, and ice, or they're simply not official lemon shake-ups.You'd be surprised at how many people can actually get these delightfully simple drinks wrong, but my, oh my, do they get them wrong. Eric bought a shake-up for me at this really official, fancy-looking lemon shake-up cart. I had my doubts, just because the signage looked too fancy. Yep, it was a phony shake-up. I should have lookd more closely at the cart, because instead of lemons stacked at the window, there were bottles of ReaLemon on ice. Yuck. The carnival food experience was somewhat redeemed when I bought a big bag of cotton candy. Who can get that wrong, really?
While I was getting sufficiently sugared up, Logan rode some of his first carnie rides. Luckily, this was a pretty upscale outfit, and I didn't fear for my son's life as he stepped into the little thrill-inducing carts. Eric decided to start with the scariest one (a bold move, but what else would you expect from Eric?) and hop on the kiddie roller coaster. The carts sped jerkily along the track fro what seemed an interminable amount of times, and each time the carts passed, we saw Logan look down at us with a very concerned look on his face. Eric was with him in the cart, persuading him that this was actually fun, and as Logan saw our smiles and applause as he exited the ride, he finally believed his dad--his look of anxiety turned to a smile of relief. On we went to the tamer rides. His favorite was a helicopter ride, which turned around like a carousel, and you could pull a lever to make the helicopter ascend or descend as you wished. Our personal favorite to witness, though, was the giant slide that Papa George took Logan down. First, it was pretty hilarious watching my dad lug Logan up the stories-high staircase that became progressively narrower as he climbed higher. Then watching him try to figure out how he was going to get Logan on his lap without making an early solo descent...priceless. I'm just glad it wasn't me who had to figure all that out.
The next day, we went to Jersey County's Victorian Festival, which is hosted by my cousin's in-laws, who own this Civil-War-era house. They have steam-powered threshing and plowing machines doing their things, a Civil War reenactment and embalming demonstration (yikes!), tours through the house, and Victorian-era crafters (metalsmiths, coopers, weavers, potters, etc.) making and selling their wares. While we had a great time walking around the grounds, I was most impressed by the authentic Lemon shake-ups. I bought two--just about enough for one for each hour we were there. The most exciting thing that happened to us, though, was parking. They use the farm fields on their property for parking, and thanks to the recent heavy rains, the ground was a bit soft, even terribly muddy in some small areas. Of course, Eric found that area in the lot where we were searching for a space. "Oh, there's a spot behind that car," I said, thinking Eric would avoid the massive muddy sinkhole that was in the corner behind the parking spot I pointed out. Nope. Eric drove in, and sank the wheels in pretty good. "It's front-wheel drive! We'll be able to rock it out," Eric said with confidence. I just groaned, remarking how similar this event was to the time he managed to get our rental car (a station wagon) stuck on the beach in New Zealand (It's a long story...). Luckily, a posse of four men working the parking lots, Eric, my brother, and my dad managed to push the car out of the mud. For the record, it was all my fault that Eric got us stuck in the mud because when I yelled, "Eric, don't drive into the mud!" I scared him and he hesitated. That moment of hesitation, according to Eric, was what caused all the troubles. Good thing I have big shoulders to carry this burden of guilt around.
Anyway, it was a fun weekend, and Eric's back to work again. A long week for him--Open House is tomorrow night, which means he'll be at school until 9:30 or so. No fun. But Logan, Auden, and I have been outside enjoying the wonderful weather. We braved the windstorm today and played on the playground, which was nice. I'm loving this fall-like weather, and I know I'll have to make the most of it because the winters are always so long and cold. Well, I'm off to bed for now so I can avoid being a zombie tomorrow!

Miracle Grow

Well, another week has passed us by, and so far, no more unfortunate incidents with markers--phew! Auden continues to be a good sport. He's still a very mellow baby, and what a chow hound! He's three weeks old and now weighs in at just shy of two pounds past his birth weight, 10 lbs, 5 oz. While he's usually quite content, we have noticed his temper developing--that's how I know he's mine--ha! Of course, his temper rears its ugly head when he's hungry or when he's having his clothes or diaper changed. And boy is his cry strange sounding. He definitely has a wind-up that sounds like a normal enough cry, but then when he's really upset, he breaks into, for lack of a better word, chatter--like he's part chipmunk or something. And with the chubby cheeks he's getting, he might start resembling that cute little rodent in another way. Oh, and this kid snorts...like all the time.

In brother news, I've learned Logan can be quite the precocious child when it comes to put-downs. The other day, I was rather grumpy, being short on sleep, and Logan was being a little challenging, jumping all over the couch. I angrily told him if he couldn't stop jumping on the couch, he would have to sit on the floor. "Mommy, why don't you go to work, too!" He huffed at me. Wha?!? I wasn't sure I heard him right...but yes, I had. How did my two year old become possessed with the abrasive angst of a teenager?

Today, we drove to Grammy and Papa Hill's, and as Eric drove us up a steep-ish hill, the engine revved up a bit. "Hey! Slow down, Daddy-O! You're going too fast!" Having a two-year old as a backseat driver isn't the most intimidating thing in the world, I suppose, but I'm sure Eric isn't happy to know that he has another person watching that lead foot of his. For the record, though, Eric is a pretty decent driver.

So, it's been two weeks of being a mom-at-home, and I think it's time to take stock of the experience thus far. I am absolutely loving this chance to stay home with my boys. As much as it can be a challenge to remain patient with my headstrong two-year old's antics while my newbie is spitting regurgitated milk all over me, I am rewarded by Logan's hilarious witticisms and Auden's gas-bubble smile. I have to admit, I felt a bit displaced as my colleagues and my husband began their school year and I remained at home, ultimately ignorant as to how much I would be learning from this adventure. My perspectives are still shifting. Instead of measuring my productivity by how many papers I've graded at the end of the day, I'm counting the funny stories and sometimes patting myself on the back that at least one disaster was averted.

I do yearn for a little more structure to my days, though. I think I'll try to give my days certain themes, like art or music day, just to make sure I've helped foster some chances for fun and creativity for Logan and me. And I do need to hook up with the local mom's group soon, but all in all, I feel so fortunate I'm able to stay home with my boys. Hopefully they feel the same way...at least most of the time :)

Jurassic Fort and the Sharpee Incident

Well, it's day three of being home with the boys. Eric is back to work, and we miss our Daddy-O being home, but we're finding ways to have fun. Yesterday, Logan and I built his very first fort in the living room. I remember my brother and I made some monster forts in our days, complete with fan-powered wind tunnels and several rooms, so the one I engineered in our living room was rather unimpressive by comparison. Still, it suited a toddler just fine. Knowing how sensitive our boy is to spookiness, I decided to keep it light by using the cloud patterned sheets we had in the linen closet. Auden was taking his morning nap, so I put him to bed while Logan and I tried out his hiding place.

He climbed in, wide-eyed and full of giggles. Of course, he said there were dinosaurs roaming outside, so we had to be quiet. I decided we should draw some of the dinosaurs he saw--some pretty interesting pictures were created, including the dinosaur's claws. Of course, I should have predicted what would be the result of this make-believe adventure. Logan woke up around 3AM today, crying over a nightmare about dinosaurs. Though he has scary dreams, at least he's starting to realize they're not real. As I was putting him back to bed and trying to reassure him everything was OK, he said, "Scary dreams aren't real."

Ok, I know childproofing is important, and I think Eric and I have done a decent job of it. At least I did until today. I was in our room getting dressed this morning, after having changed Auden, and Logan was in the living room playing quietly. The "quietly" should have tipped me off. Pretty soon, Logan comes in proudly wielding a Sharpee marker and says, "Mommy, I did it!" "Did what?" was all I could manage to say as I speed walked to the living room. Turns out "it" was a massive Sharpee scribble project all over our couch cushion. "Logan, WHY did you think this was a good idea?!" He starts crying. I give him a time-out, and for once he doesn't get up the second I put him there. In fact, he doesn't get up at all for the entire 2 minutes--an unbelievable feat these days. I used the 2 minutes of time like a champ, thinking to myself, "Ok, it's permanent marker, but it's still fresh, so maybe I have a chance of getting it out." I started with Simple Green's carpet and upholstery cleaner, and that made a small dent. So, I dialed it up and used Simple Green's multipurpose cleaner. Amazingly, that did the trick. I swear, I worship at the altar of Simple Green cleaning products. Oh, and I went through all the drawers and removed any pens, markers, and sharp stuff I could find and put them out of reach. Guess I should have really done that before...

I was pretty proud of myself for staying so calm after Logan's outpouring of artistic expression. Maybe my reaction was due to the fact that I know our couch is dying a slow death. When we bought it, we certainly weren't thinking "Kids." First, it's a single, solid color: tan; second, it's that suede-esque microfiber stuff, which cleans up nicely, true, but they don't tell you that it also shows every single water mark or whatever else so that it's constantly looking...I don't know, like a toddler spends a lot of time on it. Ah well.

Tonight, we put Logan in his big-boy bed. He went to sleep not without some tears and protests, but fall asleep he did. We got an assist by the fact that he missed his nap today, thanks to the noisy tree-trimming crew (we like to call them the "tree munchers") that was trimming up the trees on our parkway. Of course, they have to do it while my son is trying to take a nap. Couldn't they schedule around that or something? Geez. I guess I can feel better about it knowing we are now less likely to have a tree limb come through our living room windows during our next big storm. I know I'll sleep better tonight knowing that.

Last Day of Summer

It's back to school for me (eric) tomorrow. I can hardly believe that the summer is done. I don't really feel like getting into teacher-mode with the arrival of Auden, but ready or not the school year approaches. I am excited about teaching in my own classroom this year, and I feel like I have a good handle on the new curriculum we are using, but I feel funny going off to work and leaving Carly, Logan, and Auden. I imagine that is how Carly felt when I was staying at home with Logan. Time moves quickly in this here life. Logan is nearly two and a half and becoming such a big lil' boy. He is so full of energy and enthusiasm. And Auden...he is nearly two weeks old already. Where does the time go? Auden has been an angel...he is a very laid back baby and hardly fusses. He is becoming so alert during the day and I'm sad that I am not going to be around to witness it. I know we all have to make a living, but it hardly seems right that we have to sacrifice time with our kids. I am taking a lot of comfort in the fact that Carly gets to experience the rhythms of the stay-at-home life with our two boys. I hope she loves it like I did. And hey, I'll be home for dinner and the evenings so it's not like I'll be gone the entire day. Plus, the teacher-ly life has a lot of breaks in it. Anyway, today I officially hand-off the blog to Carly. She's now Mommy at Home and may find some time to blog. I'm looking forward to hearing about her adventures with the boys.

Welcome, Auden Henry!

Well, he's finally here! Our late arrival came into the world at 2:23AM on Wednesday, August 11 at Kishwaukee Hospital. I had him sans medication, though not necessarily by choice--I was about ready to beg for an epidural when, lo and behold, Auden was ready to make a quick entrance, so I missed the last call for nerve blockers. Sigh. He was 8lbs. 8oz. and 21 inches long; he earned an unheard of 10 on his APGAR score--a very healthy boy. And he continues to impress us--so very different from Logan as a baby, who was rather fussy, though I think Logan was probably reacting to our (or my) general apprehension about being a new parent. While Logan dropped weight like crazy after birth, Auden eats just about every hour to two hours, which is kind of maddening, but he's already gained 3 ounces beyond his birth weight. But aside from his being reassuringly healthy, he just seems to radiate this peacefulness, like he's some tiny yogi or something. And the fears I had, wondering how the baby would fit into our family, which seemed pretty complete with just Logan, wondering how I could possibly love another little person the way I love Logan, have been obliterated and I'm left feeling fascinated at the overwhelming capacity for love we humans have.

Happily, Logan is being a stellar big brother thus far. Expecting tears and fury, we have been pleasantly surprised to see that Logan is proud to look out for his little brother. I was burping the baby yesterday, and Logan was sitting with me, watching me carefully. With a concerned look, he said, "Mommy, don't hit Baby Auden." Eric and I then had to explain what burping is, and he had a good laugh over that phenomenon after he realized that I was certainly not abusing Auden. Logan has also learned that babies aren't always easy, however. Auden hates having his diaper changed. Unlike his big brother, he thinks nakedness is not a fun experience, and he was putting up a rare boisterous demonstration of his discontent. Logan, again watching over the baby, looked at me with a distasteful expression and said, "I no like this baby." Then he ran out of the bedroom and shut the door behind him. Oh, if only I could have heard Auden's opinions of his big brother this morning when Logan had meltdown after meltdown.

So life is exceptionally good. We feel great and are so thankful for our new baby boy, our big boy, our good health, and our wonderful, supportive families.

Baby Sandwich

It's August 3, and we're still anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby #2. The official due date is August 7, and, though I was hoping this baby would also have inherited Eric's urgent need for punctuality (Eric's always the first one to a party; Logan was born exactly one week early), it looks like he might have instead inherited my poor time management skills ("I'll get there when I get there--what's the rush?"). So I guess we--and everyone else--will be held in suspense for a while longer.

Just as our impatience is mounting, Logan is becoming increasingly excited about the baby's arrival, too. Today, on our walk to the library, Logan and I passed by a new playground the city is building. Logan asked if "baby Auden [would] play on playground?" When I explained that, for quite a while, baby Auden wouldn't be able to do all the cool things Logan can do, he gave me a somewhat disinterested "huh."

I next asked Logan what he wanted for lunch. He replied, "A baby Auden sandwich!" Weird. Brought me back to Swift's "A Modest Proposal," that and fairy tales about ogres and such. Although maybe his idea was sparked from our "Logan sandwich," a big sandwich hug Eric and I often give Logan, which he loves. Pretty funny in any case.

While we're on the topic of eating, Logan has been knocking me out with his new willingness to eat veggies of late. Yesterday, I served him couscous with shredded carrot for lunch. "Carrot?" he asked. "Yep," I replied. "Hmm." Then he happily ate it. He also ate the carrot coins and dip I served with dinner. AND asked for seconds. Score. Tonight, he ate zucchini orzo and took some bites of daddy-o's tomato slices. He was so happy about the tomatoes, he repeated "toe-may-toe" about five times just for laughs.

Maybe his new affection for veggies was inspired by our trip to Heritage Prairie Market Farm this morning. Eric and I have been inspired by Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and are looking into ways to buy more local produce, so we visited this farm, which operates a CSA. They have a cute little shop, and we had a nice time meeting the man who runs the farm operations and the woman who operates the cash register :) Unfortunately, our timing was a bit off. We were going to take Logan to see the goats, but it started raining, and the goats high-tailed it into the barn. Darn them for being so sensible. Still, we bought some produce and honey at the store, found out more about their CSA program, and Logan got the rare treat of eating chocolate before 10AM. All in all, it was a nice, albeit speedy jaunt to the farm.

Our last swim class was also tonight. We were wondering how Logan would handle it (or, more honestly, how we would handle Logan) since he neglected to take a nap today. Surprisingly, he had a great time--he actually asked to dunk under water with daddy-o several times, and he "surfed" on a little turtle-shaped boogie board. Understandably, he was happy to hit the hay tonight. He even went to sleep without hearing a story first--a phenomenal feat! And, I think I'm rather ready to hit the hay myself, so tah for now!

Shabbona Fun

Today Eric and I decided to take a little trip to a nearby state park, Shabbona Lake, which is, apparently, the Muskie capital of the state. The playground we discovered had an alarmingly tall old school metal slide, and Eric decided to take Logan down it. Wow, you can really get up some speed on those old things. Now I know why all the slides are plastic these days. Eric's landing was priceless--he skipped across the ground like a stone with Logan still on his lap. Luckily, the two of them arose unscathed. And, luckily, Eric didn't squish the baby toad he found when he got off the ground.

We then noticed some horses in a neighboring field. Logan was "too scared" to pet them, but they were friendly. Our little trip ended with a leisurely boat ride around Shabbona Lake, followed by a walk along the dam. I've never seen so many butterflies in one place--they were all over the wildflowers that lined the walk. Gorgeous!

Anyway, despite it being overcast, it was a beautiful day!

And, I noticed a couple more favorite words/phrases he said today, so here's an addendum to my previous list.

"Beautiful!" He says this about the butterflies today, which makes sense, but sometimes he says "beautiful" when he gets a fresh cup of milk or what have you. It's perhaps cuter when used for the latter occasion.

"Booger"--he says this often. It's usually followed by his showing me his finger, where the booger should be. Today was especially amusing when he stuck both of his fingers up his nose.

"Sometimes, ________ goes in da water!" Be it an alligator or a panda bear, the animals always go in the water...only sometimes, though.