Wipeout!

Ok, I'm not sure how many of you have seen this show Wipeout on ABC, but Eric thinks it's hilarious. Of course he would. It was the ads proclaiming "Big balls!" that lured him in initially, and then when he saw how many people went flying into pools of muddy water, looking like they'll surface with desperate needs to see a chiropractor, he was pretty much hooked. Well, Logan watched the show with dad, and let me tell you, Logan's reactions to the the show trumped people taking a flying leap off of the big balls, in terms of funniness. When someone would bite it, Logan would laugh a laugh that sounded more like a squeal and say, "Did you see that, mama? That was amazing."

Auden has taken a cue from his big brother and has realized that communicating at a higher volume gets you much more noticed, so now he's squealing and screaming at the top of his lungs, usually for no reason at all. Just testing out the pipes he was given, I guess. And we've discovered that watching Logan spinning around in circles is pretty much the Wipeout equivalent for Auden. He squeals and giggles as his big brother gets dizzier and dizzier; after all, Logan likes an audience that appreciates his clowning around.

So, there you have it. Hilarity ensues as usual at the Hill household.

The Cracked-up Swimmer

So last night, I was changing Logan's diaper, and Eric was sitting on Logan's bed with the baby, apparently observing me to ensure I was doing a satisfactory job, but really just giving me a hard time: "Hey, did you clean his crack?"
"No, Eric. I must have missed that somehow."
"Crack?! What's cracked?!" Logan said, sounding anxious.
"No, honey. Daddy's talking about the crack in your butt."
"My butt's cracked? Where can I get a new one?!"
"Ah, no, you don't need a new one. Everyone has them. Don't worry."
Seriously. My kid kills me.

Big strides were made today, though; however, those strides had nothing to do with potty training. He's still fearful of the potty, and I'm not pushing it for now. But he did a great job at his swimming lessons today. He jumped into the pool several times, which he hated doing for the past two lessons for some reason. AND, he swam all by himself! He had this little floaty strapped to his back to keep him from going under, but he was kicking his legs and flapping his arms in a strange doggy-paddle-esqe motion that enabled him to cruise all around the shallow end throughout the greater part of his lesson while I just floated around (hands off!) beside him. He was super proud of himself, and I, of course, was so happy for him. Way to go, Logan the swimmer!

Zzzzz

So it looks like we're on a stretch of good sleeping here at the Hill household. Auden slept for 9 consecutive hours last night; woke at 4:30, and then slept for three more. Crazy! I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked at the alarm clock after hearing him fuss. Of course, Logan has been busy seeing how many days in a row he can go without a nap, play around after his bedtime, and still wake up at 6AM ready to start his day. That's OK, I know it's only a matter of time before he collapses of exhaustion one of these afternoons. As for the staying up past his bedtime thing, he probably gets that from me. I always used to stay up late, hunkered down under the covers reading a book with my flashlight. We put Logan to bed around 8:00 and he sits up and reads (OK, he looks at the pictures) or plays quietly with his cars. I've stopped pestering him, knowing that he thinks he's just sticking it to the man (am I "the man?!") by staying up late. Last night, Eric checked on him and he had fallen asleep against his bedrail, half of his body nearly hanging off the bed, his closet light on. Still, I feel like I can handle anything Logan throws at me sleep-wise if I'm getting more than two hours of uninterrupted sleep at night.

I Like Food; Food Tastes Good

This is the song I dedicate to my son, Auden, who is a voracious eater. He likes sweet potatoes; he likes green beans and rice (think green wallpaper paste); he likes winter squash; and, of course, he likes apples and pears. You put a spoon anywhere near this kid's face, and he's opening his mouth like a little baby bird, or perhaps like those monstrous koi fish in the pond at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. And beware if you're eating or drinking anything while he's within swiping range. His coordination isn't good enough yet to grab and hold your forkful of food, say, but he's a pro at grabbing the rim of your glass of water and pulling it toward himself.
He'll crack a hugh smile when he watches you eat, as though he's vicariously living out his epicurean adventures through you. Today, Eric was lounging on the couch with Auden, eating some Doritos, and there's Auden, taste-testing the bag. Yes, he likes food. Food tastes good.

Bossy McBosserson

So I was getting ready to go out today, and I had Auden playing on the floor. Logan, meanwhile, decided to visit his little brother. He got up in his face and smiled at him. Auden, of course smiled back and cooed. He also kicked his legs and flapped his arms, as he does when he gets excited, and he hit his big brother. Auden is pretty strong, but being only 4 1/2 months old, he really can't do much damage, of course. Well, Logan wouldn't agree with that estimation. He gasped and said, "Mommy, the baby kicked me! (Gasp) Now he just punched me in the face!" Auden must have thought that was pretty funny because he let out a little giggle. "Baby Auden, that is NOT funny!" Then I started to laugh. "Mommy, that is NOT funny! Baby Auden is being bad!" No amount of explaining could convince him that Auden was indeed innocent.

It's just a good thing that Auden didn't give Logan a bathtub kick. Auden has outgrown his baby tub, and so now we put him in the big tub. He thrashes around like mad, kicking his chubby legs. I think he's a natural born swimmer, which is good, but it sure makes it difficult to keep his little head above water.

Flippin' Milestones

Hope all of you had a great New Year's! We kicked off 2011 at the third annual kid-friendly New Years party hosted by our friends, Jen and Ben and their cute little boy Nate. This year Logan and Auden decided to stay awake until midnight, after which we packed them up and put them in the car for the 40 minute drive home. They slept like angels--when will they come up with car simulators you can use in the home to get your children to sleep well? Auden slept the entire four hours down to my parents when we drove down for Christmas and again when we drove back. That's the longest period of time he's slept yet.

Anyway, our day before going to the New Year's party was eventful. Logan was wanting to play with some markers that were given to us by some friends for their two-year-old's birthday party, and I nearly dumped them because they weren't washable but felt I was being too uppity about it, so I hung on to them instead. I should have listened to the uppity voice in my head or been more responsible and actually watched him play with them. But no, I had to go and make taco dip for the party while Eric was watching tv. From the kitchen, I heard Eric gasp and say, "Logan, you know you're not supposed to do that!" Then I heard the camera clicking, so I knew it had to be good. It was. Eric walked Logan into the kitchen to display Logan, whose face was bedecked in non-washable purple marker. What did Logan have to say for himself? "But Mom, it was an accident!" Luckily, I had a sample bottle of no-tears shampoo, and I scrubbed the stuff off. I can't say it didn't give me some pleasure to use some elbow grease while scrubbing those cute little cheeks. Especially after I saw the wall in the basement, which will probably have to be repainted now after Logan scribbled on it with that same purple marker. When will I stop being an idiot and watch my child when he plays with markers?

Auden is reminding me how quickly the time will fly before he, too, is moving around of his own volition. It kind of makes me hyperventilate just thinking about having two toddlers around. On New Year's Day, he started rolling from his back to his tummy. Eric had put him in his crib under his mobile for a few minutes, and when I went to get him, Auden was on his tummy. He did it a couple more times while playing on the floor, so it doesn't seem to have been a fluke. He must have taken it personally when one of our friends said he was surprised that Auden wasn't "doing anything" yet. So I'll have to relish these couple months of relative freedom while he's still unable to crawl.

Obviously, the pics are of Logan's New Year's Eve face graffiti and Auden's food-face.