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."