Two is a funny age

This morning Aaron shaved his beard off. Adrian looked at him and asked "what's wrong with your face?"

And more Toddler Translations!

Toddler to English:

Man Book = Guide Book

Arm Clock = Alarm Clock

here I am!

Since we last spoke:

I have turned 27. It's a lot like 26, but closer to 30 and with less alcohol. (who knew?)

Fiona Leigh has turned 9 weeks old and passed her check up with flying colors--she's 11 1/2 pounds and says Iowa. I'm pretty sure that's just a fluke, but Grandparents Flecker seem to enjoy it. She also holds her wee noggin up and is determined to sit up--failing, but persevering.

Adrian has decided that the time for toilet training is now. He has told me that he's learning to go in the potty so he can go to karate chop school. We've had a week in underwear and he's doing very well. I am thrilled that he taking this step forward and even more thrilled that I only have to buy diapers for one now. He's pretty pleased with himself, too. He announced to his art class "I pee in the potty now". All were suitably impressed.

And now it's time for Toddler Translations!

From Toddler to English:

Joy Sauce= Soy Sauce
Fider Man= Spider Man
Anks= Thanks
Fantaskick Four= Fantastic Four
Masstass= Moustache

A month and then some.

Hello to all. Life has been busy busy. I am just starting to get used to sleep deprivation and life with two little ones. And my findings are thus: two children equals four times as much laundry and four times longer to get out the door. It doesn't seem like that would work out mathematically, but that's the reality of it.

Adrian has done very well with his sister, the main problems arising when he's tired and she needs to be fed. He's also decided that he's going to grow up to be a crane operator or Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs.

Fiona mostly does this. She's still spitting up frequently, earning her the moniker: puking princess of the south side. But she's also one of the smilingest babies I've ever known. I guess it's a good balance.
Here's the fearsome duo being all tucked in, at Adrian's request. And that's all I have for now--as I have to go change Adrian's stinky diaper. Fiona, for her part, hasn't pooped in 5 days.

I have no idea when the next installment will be, so just keep checking in.

4 weeks old tomorrow

Little Miss Fiona Leigh, at 3 weeks & 5 days old.

The differences between Fiona and Adrian at this age are astounding.
She is a champeen sleeper. She sleeps through nearly every noise imaginable, she has no trouble sleeping alone in her bed or her playpen, and usually lulls herself to sleep before she has a chance to get overtired and fussy. JOY! Fiona is now smiling, but most of her smiles are reserved for our resident thespian, Adrian Christopher. She LOVES to watch Adrian, and will babble to him more so than to us. And for his part, Adrian tells her (frequently) "I love you, Fiona" in a sweet and gentle voice. (It is at this point that I would like to say that I have the best kids ever) Unlike Adrian at this age, Fiona is not a screamer. She voices her disapproval by grunting, although she will let out a full cry if she's hungry and I'm not making quick enough with the breast milk.
I love how she stares intently at us when we hold her, as if she's trying to memorize our features. I love how she's so laid back and agreeable--it makes dealing with a 2 year old much more tolerable.
This 2-kid thing seems to be pretty spectacular, and although I am loopy from lack of sleep I would do it all over again for sure.

A mini vacation

Adrian has gone to Rock Island for a mini vacation with his grandparents and the house is very quiet...too quiet.
Last night to pass the time, Aaron and I played "find the smell"--there's an odd odor in our dining/kitchen area and we have no idea what it is or where it's coming from. Aaron even pulled out the fridge in case the cats had left us a half-digested treat behind it but no luck. So now in addition to haunted plumbing we have mysterious smells. I think it may be time to move.

Fiona is doing well, sleeping well and is a general joy to be around. Next week marks the first time I will be a mom alone with 2 little ones and I'm very nervous about the whole thing. I'm sure there's some kind of trick to it, but I don't know what that trick is yet. A friend of mine has opted for the never-leave-the-house method of child rearing but that doesn't appeal to me much. I'm sure I'll figure it out as the days tick by....

Sorry there are no pictures today--I'm charging the camera's batteries.

More baby pics if you can stand the cuteness

The Great Train Cake Caper of 2007. Bet you didn't know you could suck sprinkles (or as Adrian says, "fwinkles") right out of the bottle. He's actually cleaner than Grandma. Grandma had cake batter on her pants, and frosting on her shirt. Fwinkle-free though.
Good morning. No cake for me, thanks.
My first whistling lesson. I need more practice.
Another victim of baby sleep fumes. It seems that when an adult is holding a sleeping baby, the adult also falls victim to sleep. Toddlers are unaffected by this phenomenon.

Posted by Grandma. Hopefully mom will get the OK tomorrow to drive and climb stairs!

How to talk like a 2 (and 1/2 ) year old

Child: I don't WANT to go outside. NO. I WANT to go outside. NO. Yes. I want, I don't want... (Child dissolves in tears because now he has 1) forgotten what it was he was talking about, and 2) can't remember if he wants or doesn't want it. Adults are trying not to laugh.)

Repeat for every conceivable notion during the day. (Lemonade, play with blocks, turn off/on TV, etc. Very entertaining, plus, uses up lots of time!

Monkey see, monkey do and other toddler fun

Adrian: My belly hurts. I need staples too. (Staples courtesy of Grandma and an eyeliner pencil)

Watching Fiona sleep...
Adrian: Fiona smiled!
Kara: Do you think she's dreaming?
Adrian: Yes.
Kara: What do you think she's dreaming about?
Adrian: Mommy's boobies.

Kara sets Adrian's dinner plate in front of him at the table. He pats her poochy belly. "Fiona's back inside!"

(Again from Grandma)

Grandma couldn't resist

Cuter every day...

It's somebody's birthday (yesterday)

This is baby Fiona Leigh, born June 14, 2007, 7 lbs 7 oz, 20.5 inches long. Lots of hair. Big brother was more intrigued with the buttons on the hospital bed. Mom doing fine. This is Grandma reporting. Mom will update when she can manage the stairs to get to the computer. She would love to talk to you on the phone. If you have her number, give her a buzz. She'll call you back, eventually!

Reasons why I love summer...

Lets start with 1. wicked cool ladybug hats
2. Lighting bugs (and catching lighting bugs with Adrian)
3. Summer produce: YUM!
4. Playing in the sprinkler with a delighted 2 1/2 year old
5. The way the sunlight streams through the windows in the mornings
6. Popsicles & trips to Baskin-Robbins
7. Gardening
8. Thunderstorms
9. Food off the grill
10. Birthdays! Mine and (in THREE DAYS) baby # 2's!

7 and counting

SEVEN DAYS TO BABY.

And I am remarkably unconcerned about the whole thing, really. Maybe it's because I know what to expect, maybe it's because this time it's scheduled rather than whenever the baby feels like it, maybe it's because I'm too busy with Adrian to really think about anything farther away than two days from now. Whatever the reason, the only thing I feel I really have to do between now and then is get a haircut. And probably schedule one for Adrian, too.

I am losing steam in other areas of my domesticity. For example, I really think that sandwiches for dinner is a fantastic idea. And while I know that the living room floor needs to be vacuumed I just don't feel like picking up all of Adrian's toys to get that accomplished. I am currently trying out for the title of world champion butt-sitter and I have to say I think I'm a contender.

Check it out

New post on Kara Paints, complete with photos.

Also-AD woke up at 6:15 this morning because, and I quote, "it's morning now".
So tired.
Must Nap.

Our morning at the shrine to commercialism

This morning we took Adrian to the Build-A-Bear Workshop at the mall to make a lovey for himself and one for his impending sister. Aunt Toots had given us gift cards for this purpose waaay back at Christmas and we figured it might make more sense to wait until we were really close to baby day before we went.
Adrian chose Big Bird for himself and a bunny for Fiona. This is him saying "Thanks, Aunt Toots!"

And once you've finished the choosing/stuffing/fluffing/dressing you get to type in some quick info and you get a birth certificate for your bundle of fluff. As a side note; Adrian's Big Bird was outfitted in a spider man t-shirt and a construction hard hat.

Then we ate lunch, rode the train (which gets an enthusiastic thumbs up) and came home.

I also popped into the Williams & Sonoma, which is my happy place.... Although Starbucks makes me pretty happy, too--and they just opened one across from our neighborhood. I haven't been in yet because if I do, I fear I may not want to ever leave.

And for those of you counting down: 16 DAYS TO BABY!

By popular demand

Aaron, AD, and Lunchbox on the couch.

My pregnant self at 33 weeks. (I know, I know our house is a mess. We're in the process of re-arranging for baby girl)
AD reading to Lunchbox. It was one of those moments where I cursed myself for not having the video camera charged up.

And that is all I have the energy for right now. More later.

Toddler's Anatomy

Lately we've been discussing anatomical differences--A.D.'s taken an interest in potty training so the whole "i-have-a-penis" thing is currently big news. And any time we see a boy in public, Adrian is quick to point out "he has a penis".

Hooray for recognizing that boy=penis, and boo for being so very verbal about it around complete and total strangers.

Revenge, served cold.

Last weekend, Aaron was switching from night shift to day shift. As he was trying to realign his internal clock he found himself full of energy at 3AM. What to do with all that energy? Apparently the answer is clean the kitchen. Unload the dishwasher, reload dishwasher, move stuff around, BE REALLY LOUD AND ANNOY YOUR VERY PREGNANT WIFE. His intentions were good, but once you wake the beast it tends to stay woken. Infuriated at having my sleep interrupted by a full grown human who should know better, I consoled myself coming up with a list of things I could do to get back at him without crossing the line. All mildly annoying, none of which are actually illegal. Pick and choose at your discretion and enjoy heartily.

1. Replace coffee with decaf.
2. Mix salt with coffee grounds.
3. Remove shoelaces from one of each pair of shoes
4. Reprogram cell phone directory so that 5 numbers are off by one digit
5. Reprogram stereo settings to least favorite music stations
6. Switch all video games into wrong boxes (this works with CDs, too)
7. Sign up for all kinds of embarrassing mail in their name
8. Replace alcohol with similar looking juice

And there were others, but it was a few days ago and my memory is fuzzy. Please note that I haven't actually DONE any of these, but coming up with them was a great tonic.

Three times in two days.

Here is something I never thought I'd blog about, but I suppose having a toddler it becomes inevitable.
Adrian dropped a deuce in the toilet. One yesterday and two today. I have never poured so much praise on one human being in the span of 48 hours, but anything that gets us closer to potty training is worth excessive praise.

the only downside to this is that every time I get on the phone he wants to tell whomever I'm talking to that he pooped in the potty.

Counting Down

We've come to that point in time during this gestation wherein I am becoming uncomfortable. This little one is laying sideways, with her feet placed in just the right way so that when she kicks, she gets me square in the bladder. (Let's hear it for keigel exercises or I'd never be able to leave the house for fear of wetting myself in public) Also, the dreaded heartburn has resumed it's daily onslaught--I am now at the bottom of my 3rd bottle of TUMS since I started this pregnancy. And everybody's favorite: the swelling! Ankles & fingers mostly.
It'll be quite the thing to watch as we still have another 7ish weeks to go. I'll try and get a photo of my belly up here soon so that you can see that I really do look like the world's worst basketball smuggler.

Bummed out

This weekend is Alumni weekend at my Alma Mater and I am bummed that I can't be there.

I enjoyed college--not just the social aspect of it but the learning bit as well. I always thought I'd go on and get another degree, but now I'm not sure what I want to do so I don't what degree to go get. The possibilities are endless...the cash flow is not. Therefore I feel that I should be absolutely sure about where I want to go with my next degree before I start throwing gobs of money at an institution of higher learning.

Some days I miss getting up and going to work. Other days I really appreciate not having to change out of my pajamas and being able to build block towers all day.

So yes. I'm nostalgic for old friends and those lovely mountains.