New Record

I am pretty sure we set a new record of how many times I had to change clothes after getting puked on. A few times I had to change every stitch of clothing we both had on. Poor little guy. He had his 6 month shots on Friday morning and was running a fever by Friday night. Then on Saturday morning he had a fever, and let's just say it was coming out both ends. Not pretty. The papers they gave us on the vaccines said that fever, vomiting and diarrhea were side effects, or he could have picked up something from the doctor's waiting room. I always get the first appointment of the day hoping there aren't too many germs around, but it was completely packed this time. I mean kids were hacking all over the place and laying on the floor.

I didn't realize he was sick during this photo shoot, but he was not happy! (Still pretty adorable though!) Other than this, he was actually pretty happy through the weekend, even though he didn't feel well.

There were several nice days this week (thank goodness since we had no heat), so we got a chance to play outside. I sure am going to miss playing outside this winter. John Paul took a few naps in his swing which is right by the front door, so Madeleine and I got to play in the driveway together. We had a great time and drew some elaborate houses with sidewalk chalk. Madeleine likes me to draw BIG houses and then she stands in the house :) She also likes me to draw paths between the houses and she walks from house to house.
We inherited a bag of hats and shoes from Ava this week too, and Madeleine had a great time trying them all out! Actually when I was busy with John Paul this weekend, I just put the big bag in the middle of the floor and it kept her busy for a long time trying all this stuff on!
We did get a few good shots with their halloween shirts on. We got Madeleine's pumpkin at the grocery store and it basically took up the whole cart. We went to the pumpkin patch to get John Paul's (they charge by inches!) Madeleine is excited about carving them this week. I still haven't figured out costumes but I do have backups. There is a party at the local Catholic bookstore on Halloween and they get a special treat if they dress as a saint. If I had more time and talent, I'd love for them to be St. Madeleine Sophie Barat and Pope John Paul II. However I'm thinking it's not going to happen at this point. Maybe I'll be able to do it next year when they're older and can understand better.
This was before the meltdown. He was happy for a minute. One good thing about him being sick this weekend was I got a lot of cuddle time with him.

6 month stats

17.25 lbs, 50th percentile
27.75 inches, 90th percentile

The doc says he's going to be tall and skinny like his sister! Speaking of Madeleine, here are her 6 month stats for comparison.

He is doing great and we don't have to go back until he's a year old.

One way to make me mad

I'm already mad that we need to spend several grand on a new furnace and a/c.

So this guy comes over last night to give us an estimate - our third one. He acts extremely nice to us and our kids - even talking to Madeleine and asking her questions, and offering to let her help him measure, etc. He talked about his own kids, said John Paul was cute, and gave us a good deal. We decided to go ahead with this company (and they're here right now by the way, with my front door propped open and ladybugs everywhere, and no end in sight.)

About half an hour after he left, our neighbor calls. He said he had followed the guy out of our neighborhood when he left about 7:30 last night. The guy was driving in the middle of the street and there's a part of our street that curves sharply to the right. The guy swung left and went into the other lane, where there was an elderly man walking his dog. He came close to hitting him. The guy threw his hands up in the air. The man stopped his car, backed up, and cussed the old man out!!! Our neighbor said he was ready to get out of his car and "thump him" if he laid a hand on the old man. When he saw our neighbor looking like he was getting out of his car, he drove away.

Ok, so I was completely shocked. It makes me SO mad when people act one way around people and then the total opposite way when they think no one is looking. Ken called the company and talked to the guy's supervisor. The guy called and apologized to us today, and said that the man had cussed at him first. Whatever. The old man was probably scared because the guy almost hit him!! I hope he gets some kind of discipline for this.

Happy 6 months!

My big boy is 6 months old today. Unbelievable. It seems like I was just waiting for him and thinking he'd NEVER get here.

My little Buddy brings so much joy to our family with his huge smile and contagious laugh. He's still really laid back. It's interesting I could tell this about him right away when he was born. He's just an easy going kid, fun to be around. He loves his mama best these days. When someone else holds him he usually looks around for me and then sticks out his lip and makes the saddest face. If that doesn't work he starts crying, but suddenly feels better when I take him back!
John Paul is one big boy! I'm not sure how much he weighs (we'll find out on Friday at his doctor appointment) but he is definitely in size 12 month clothes. He is thin though -not a fat roll to be found on this kid.
So far he has eaten sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, avocados, and today he had carrots. I definitely think he likes apples best. We're trying pears and butternut squash next. I'm not sure if he really enjoys eating or not yet.
He still really likes me to wear him in the Moby Wrap or Hotsling. The Moby is definitely my favorite with this big boy! It's definitely easier to take them both somewhere if I can wear him. What's a better accessory than an adorable baby??
He loves going for walks in the double stroller and sitting next to Madeleine. Speaking of Madeleine, I think she's his second favorite person in the world. He just lights up when he sees her, and she makes him laugh every day. I love seeing their relationship develop. When Madeleine walks down the stairs, sometimes I walk backwards in front of her carrying John Paul. He thinks this is hilarious! He cracks up the whole way down.

He went through a stretch where he slept completely through the night - a few nights up to 12 hours. But most of the time he still gives me the 4am wake up call. I don't mind though, he goes to sleep pretty quick. My very favorite part of the day is in the morning - he wakes up around 6am and Ken changes his diaper and brings him in our bed. He nurses and then cuddles up with me for about another hour until we get up. He is so sweet and I just love him!

Blog friends

John Paul didn't think Sew was going to steal him this time :)

And Madeleine LOVES her. Probably because she brings her the most perfect toys. A pink Dora cell phone and binoculars! Thanks Sew!
And, Madeleine and Mary had an awesome time together at Mary's house. Cathy and Joe and I have been chatting since the girls were born. Since they're almost the exact same age we go through all the stages together. My kid doesn't know how to smile for the camera! You have to catch her un-posed to get a good one. Mary, on the other hand, is great at smiling for the camera!
Madeleine tried to "feed" Mary, and Mary was a willing recipient :) They were so cute together!
John Paul got a chance to stretch his arms and legs and roll around on their carpet. He did great in the car - cried a little right at the end of the trip on the way there, but on the way home, he was asleep after 5 minutes and slept the entire way home. What a good boy! He loved Joe too.
I love my blog friends!! This makes 5 sets of new friends we've met in person through the blog. I am SO glad I got to meet all of them.

Terrific.

This has probably been the longest I've gone without posting since Madeleine was born! We've been mostly fine, just busy.

We got to hang out with Sew last week, which was great! We had gelato, Qdoba, made two trips to Whole Foods, and just had a nice visit. I got some good pictures which I will post later.

Yesterday we decided to make an unexpected road trip to Chicago to go to mass at St. John Cantius in Chicago, and meet some great blog friends. Their daughter is a few weeks older than Madeleine and we've been chatting since the girls were babies. It was so great to meet them finally! Their church was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, including in Rome! The music was fabulous as well, and I loved the Eucharistic Procession after mass. Ken had already gone to the 8am mass that day, so he and Madeleine went to Starbucks and John Paul and I went to the mass. Mary and Madeleine were like two peas in a pod, and played great together. John Paul was a big fan of Mary's Daddy :) The drive home took forever, and we had to stop at Walmart at 11pm to get space heaters for our room and John Paul's room. (Madeleine already has one.) Luckily John Paul slept the entire way. Madeleine chattered constantly for about 2 hours but finally fell asleep. We just moved them to their beds when we got home, no problem. Thanks for having us Cathy and Joe!! We had a great time.

So here's the sarcastic "terrific" part. A few mornings ago our furnace started making a horrible noise. Ken turned it off and it was off all day yesterday, so it was freezing in the house. We called the guys out and they came at 12:20 (of course after they said they'd be here between 8-12.) The part we need would cost $1245. But the guy said our furnace was basically made for a trailer, and was extremely inefficient. It's also 18 years old. So the guy is coming right now to give us an estimate for a new furnace, and outdoor unit too, which is over 30 years old. We should have stayed in the apartment. I hope it's not too bad....... I hate these unexpected expenses.

Buddy's first meal

So I thought John Paul was getting kind of hungry. And he's a week away from turning 6 months old, so I decided to feed him tonight! I steamed and pureed some sweet potatoes for him, and mixed it with a little milk :) Here is his first bite...

He loved it! He grabbed the spoon and pulled it into his mouth every time!
I know there's a lot of pictures....
I couldn't choose just a few!! He really enjoyed eating, I'm so glad!


As you can see, he finished the entire bowl! I had some extra so I froze it in ice cube trays so he can have a few more servings for the next few days.
I'm excited to start this new phase of his life! I got this book at Borders last weekend called 100 Best Purees for Babies. The recipes look great!

We also had a great time with Sew yesterday and today... great pictures coming up!

I don't want to jinx it....

But John Paul has slept through the night for the PAST 5 NIGHTS!! I can't even believe it. Last night he slept almost 12 hours! I woke up at 5:30 and kept going in to check on him. I couldn't believe he wasn't awake yet! He is just the sweetest baby.

Today Madeleine decided she didn't want to go to sleep at naptime. She has to have several stuffed animals in her crib with her, but if she doesn't go to sleep, I give her a warning and then take her animals away. Today John Paul went to sleep around 1, and I put Madeleine to bed. He woke up at 2 and she still hadn't gone to sleep. I had already been in there a few times so I went in carrying John Paul and put her animals on her chair. Then I told her she could choose ONE animal. (I'm a big softie.) She studied them for a minute, then looked at me and said shyly, "Can I have John Paul?"

BFF

We had a fantastic visit with the Lameys this weekend! Brenda and I have been blog friends since the beginning of these girls' lives. The girls are about 6 weeks apart so we have gone through all the joys and issues of being new moms together. So we finally got to meet in real life and have our girls meet. Are they not the cutest girls??


They were pretty funny - they didn't really pay much attention to each other for about the first 24 hours. They played with seperate things at our house and didn't say a word to each other for a while. Although Madeleine started entertaining the crowds with her renditions of "the Hokey Pokey song" and "Sam the Dinosaur" complete with motions pretty much before they even sat down!

By the second evening, Madeleine and Maggie were BFF. It was really cute to see them play together. We had a great time at the Children's Museum (twice) and the zoo. It was Madeleine's first time at the zoo so I will have to do a different post for that!

Do you see my kid trying to kiss a penguin? She also kissed goats.

Such cute girls. I'm sure they will miss each other! B, C and M, we hope you guys come back soon! You are always welcome.

Brenda's version of the trip is here. The girls held hands all through the zoo and we all enjoyed our mini-vacation. Thanks again for coming!

Blogworthy

The other day John Paul had on his blue Colts shirt, gray pants and red socks. I had laid out his clothes and Ken was putting them on him.

Ken, "Red socks, huh?"
Me: "Yep"
Ken: "Well, that's ok. It's like they say on What Not to Wear, red shoes can make an outfit 'Pop'"

After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing so hard, I said, "You know that's going on the blog, right?"

Bad Dreams

Madeleine's had a bad dream the past few nights, about a black dog who comes in her room and bites and scratches her, and then goes and bites John Paul. She is pretty scared about it and remembered the dream in surprising detail. She didn't want to go to bed tonight.

So we talked about her guardian angel, how he's strong and can protect her from bad dreams. Then we said the Angel of God prayer a few times. After that I tucked her in and she went right to sleep.

It made me so sad! It was like I was helpless to protect her from this. I hope her guardian angel helps her.

Also, she had kind of a bad experience in the church nursery this week. When I went in to get her after the mom's meeting, she was sitting in a chair looking like she was about to cry. I went over to her and she had a big scratch on her face. I picked her up and she said "Mommy I wanted you SO BAD and you didn't come." The kid knows how to rip my heart out. The lady in charge said that she and another kid were going for a toy at the same time and she got scratched. She also said that she laid on the floor like she was really tired. That usually means low blood sugar. Then Madeleine told me a mean boy wouldn't let her play with any toys. I asked her what he said and she said, "NO! You can't play with anything!"

So I was a little upset about the whole thing. It was obvious to me that she was about to cry. I think someone should have come and gotten me when she got scratched on the face and it drew blood. She didn't feel comfortable asking anyone to come get me, so she just sat there and held back her tears and had a miserable time. I may be overprotective, but I won't be taking her back.

Poor kid has had a rough week! She is very excited about getting to play with Maggie this weekend though!

Thoughts

I should really go private one of these days, so I can say what is REALLY on my mind. I thought about it a lot last year around election time when I got some stupid comments. But I ended up not going private because I have made so many great friends through the blog world and I don't want to miss these opportunities. But sometimes I think it might be worth it. If I want my kids to have these blog posts someday, do I want them to have the REAL me or the sugar-coated, leaving stuff out I really want to say me? Hm....

One thing I'm thinking about right now is I get a little annoyed when people think I'm judging them just because I don't do things the same way as them. Ok, so I breastfeed exclusively until 6 months and don't start solid food until then. So I don't let my kids cry it out, I make my own baby food, I cloth diaper, I cook healthy food etc. Why do I do these things? Because I think it's best for my kids and I want to do the absolute best job I can do. But do I think people are bad parents who DON'T do these things? NO. I do not care. I do think that everyone should be the best parent they can be, but as long as they are doing that I don't care how they parent. I won't elaborate any more than that, right now anyway.

Also, I bought John Paul several outfits for fall and winter at Kohls in 6-9 months. I ended up taking them ALL back! The kid is huge! I got size 12 months, which is a little big but not much. I can't believe my 5 month old is wearing size 12 months and my 2 1/2 year old is wearing mostly 24 months. She can still wear 18 month shorts and skirts. There's not one fat roll on this kid though, he's just solid and very long.

They are both consistently in bed by 8 these days, which is great. I'm getting some knitting time and just relaxation in the evenings with Ken. And a few times John Paul has slept completely through the night! Like from 8 - 6 or 7! I can't believe it. Madeleine did not do this until 13 months. Of course he probably weighs the same as she did at a year.

More posts coming up - Ken's blogworthy comment, Madeleine's drumming, and the kitty cat!

I'm Back!

I've been offline since Friday! I thought I would hate it but it actually wasn't bad. I missed reading everyone's blog though and I have a lot to catch up on. I also have several posts rolling around in my head.

On Friday, At&t was supposed to come out here and install uverse. They were supposed to be here between 11-1. They got here at 11:30 and I was pleasantly surprised. Then they messed around out back for a while. The inside guy came in and said there wasn't a good signal so they had to wait for the outside guy. I put the kids to bed and waiting a few hours. The outside guy came. A few more hours pass and I have no idea what they're doing, but I wanted to meet my mom at Kohl's and then get my eyebrows done for the church directory pictures the next day. (I got them threaded for the first time! Interesting! I'd go back for sure.) Anyway, finally the inside guy came in and said the outside guy didn't do his job, and they wouldn't be able to finish that day. So he plugged the internet and phone back in from our old provider and said someone would come the next day. So I got ready to leave. THEN, the outside guy came back and knocked on my inside garage door. He asked me if they had installed it. I said no (and I didn't want to say, "Because they said YOU didn't do your job.") so I said because they couldn't get a good signal. He said he just fixed the signal and he thought the inside guy just didn't feel like finishing up after being here all day. So he said he'd call his manager and send someone out that day. Then he turned off my internet and phone. What the heck. So I waited for 45 minutes and no one came. I've scrapped the Kohl's idea but still have the idea that I am going to get my eyebrows done. So finally I called At&t and they said that no one was coming, and they would have someone call the first thing in the morning. Then the lady asks if I've been very satisfied. I say NO. She means with the phone call. I say yeah ok. Then she asks me to go online and take a survey and say I'm very satisfied. HELLO, they turned off my internet.

Of course they didn't call the next day. Ken finally called in the afternoon and they said they couldn't come till Tuesday. After several hours here they finally got it done today. Good LORD.

So we go to our church directory picture on Saturday. I had made our appointment at 11:40, which is before their naps. We got there and waited 45 minutes to even get our picture taken. Then the guy is saying, "Say Popsicle!" "Say Monkey!" Madeleine's the only one saying the words and her mouth looked funny in EVERY picture. Then, we wait another 10 minutes with 2 hungry fussy kids and the guy tries to put the hard sell on us to buy some. Um, NO. I told him I didn't like any of them. We picked one for the directory and got our free 8x10 but I was not happy with them.

Luckily we had a great day on Sunday at the Arts festival in town. I'll post pictures as soon as my mom emails them to me! Hint hint Mom!

I'm glad to be back!

Random event = happy girl!

The other day we came home and there was a horse trailer parked across the street, and a lady was leading a horse around the vacant lot. It was sprinkling outside, but Madeleine and I went across anyway and I asked the lady if she could see the horse. She got to pet him and her eyes were just huge. Then I asked the lady if we could give him some carrots. She said he'd love it. So we ran home really fast and cut up several carrots and she got to feed him. She LOVED feeding him and just giggled when he took the carrot out of her hands. Then, the lady asked if she wanted to sit on him! She was THRILLED beyond words! She sat on him and the lady told her to hang on to his mane. Then the horse started walking around pretty fast, but the lady was holding on to her and the lead. She was not scared one bit. She loved riding him and is still talking about it.

(Of course I didn't have my camera with me, so these are from my phone.)

Thinking about food

For John Paul, that is! I'm kind of excited to start feeding him solid food. I'm going to try to hold out until he's 6 months, but if we start a week early it'll be ok - that is what we did with Madeleine. I really enjoyed making baby food for Madeleine, and I get to do that again soon! I actually picked up this great mini food processor thing today on freecycle, since our Magic Bullet bit the dust after months of continuous use. I think I'm going to start with bananas and sweet potatoes this time and just hold off on the rice cereal. Then I'll get to make him some fresh purees - all kinds of fruits and veggies for a while. It's so much fun to introduce them to new flavors! Hopefully he is a good eater like his sister. That kid loves so many things that kids don't normally enjoy I think. The kid ate half an acorn squash tonight, along with some great spiced lentils with carrots, onion, garlic and kielbasa over brown rice. She also loves artichokes, asparagus, and all kinds of fish. She eats anything we cook for ourselves. I hope she keeps this up!

Yesterday we went to a new Mom's group at a different church. They had babysitters in a room with a bunch of toys. As soon as she saw the toys she ran over and started playing. Almost all the other kids were crying because they didn't want their moms to leave. My girl did NOT mind that I wasn't there for an hour (we were just in the next room, but she didn't know that!) Later she said, "Mommy, all the kids were crying! I don't know why they were crying!" She did great and played well with all the other kids. I think she is developing some really good social skills and I'm proud to see that. She is kind and is good at sharing - most of the time! She really enjoys playing with other kids now. And I'm glad she feels so secure that she doesn't mind when I'm not there for a while.

John Paul on the other hand contributed several times to the conversation in the Mom's group. That kid is a talker!

Are you ready for some football??

Go COLTS!!!

5 months old!

We are mobile! John Paul has learned how to roll both ways really well. He really enjoys being on his tummy, even sleeping on his tummy most of the time now. He loves to push up on his arms and he can spin around in a circle. I never know where I'll find him in his crib when I get him up! I had the easiest time taking his 5 month pictures today. He is so smiley! They were all so good I had trouble picking just a few.

As you can see he is growing like crazy!

Where's your neck, John Paul?

I did end up getting the amber necklace. It seems to be working well so far. He had started arching his back and screaming like Madeleine did when she was teething, and also drooling all the time. Since wearing the necklace, he hasn't done that at all. No screaming in pain, no drooling. I think it's worth it so far, although he probably won't enjoy these pictures someday! Oh well, Mom's get to embarrass their kids, right? (Sorry I made you wear a necklace John Paul!)

Trying to fly.

He also found his feet and plays with them all the time, especially when I'm trying to change his diaper. It makes it a little challenging. He also sprouted a little more hair this month!

He is not sleeping through the night. On good nights he wakes up once, on other nights 3 times. At least he's sleeping in his crib full time now. He's getting really good at reaching for things and grabbing things, so I can't sit with him on my lap when I'm eating anymore (not very well anyway!) Speaking of eating, I forget when you can tell they're ready to start eating solid foods. Anyone want to refresh my memory? :)

Most of the time John Paul is in a GREAT mood. He smiles at everyone, and usually goes to everyone for a little while anyway. He starts to look around for me if someone else besides Daddy or Grandma is holding him. It's so funny, he is such a flirt. Last week at church this lady was sitting in front of us. She was just smiling at him the whole time during mass. After communion she said, "I know I'm a stranger, but do you mind if I hold him? He is just so cute and friendly!" I don't remember that ever happening before!!

A few weeks ago I gave him a sippy cup with a soft spout and handles with water in it. He doesn't know how to drink out of it yet (and I know he doesn't need water) but he really enjoys holding the handles and chewing on the spout - he gets a little water out but not much. His favorite thing though, is to drink water out of a beer mug! I'll have to get a picture of that for sure!

He also can sit up really well in the double side by side stroller now, which I am really happy about! He is pretty good at sitting up too. He leans forward and supports himself with his arms.

We love you John Paul!

Just for fun, here is Madeleine's 5 month post.

Post office adventures

What a title - this is my life now! Today I had to go to the post office to mail two big packages. Of course my kids never take naps at the same time, so we didn't get to go until about 4:45.

Side note: yesterday I got a new rocking chair from my friend. It is FABULOUS. See, I had gotten a horrible rocking chair from a garage sale several years ago and was using it in John Paul's room. It was SO uncomfortable and had really hard arms and worst of all it squeaked when I rocked, so I couldn't even rock. I just sat there in the middle of the night getting madder and madder. This was NOT working out. Thank you M for the great rocking chair! Much better now.

Anyway, because I had gotten the rocking chair yesterday, I forgot to put the strollers back in the back of the van. When I got to the post office, I realized that I somehow had to get both kids and two huge packages in there without

A. Losing a kid
B. Losing a package

So, I put my Discover card and license in my pocket, John Paul in the hotsling, and instructed Madeleine to hold on to my pants while I tried to precariously balance the packages in the other hand opposite John Paul.

We made it to the door, then the counter, just as I was about to drop everything. I got them sent, then had to pick up a letter for Ken. I realized that I had forgotten the slip in the car. So we treked out to the car and got the slip, then came back in. By this time Madeleine had decided that she owned the post office and could go anywhere she wanted, hang on the poles, etc. So I picked her up and set her on the counter and stood right by her. It's not like I could hold her while I had John Paul in the sling. Then some lady comes over and says, "Ma'am, I can't allow you to put your child up on the counter." Ok then YOU chase her around while I'm waiting for this other lady to find my letter.

Anyway, we finished up and walked out to the car. I buckled Madeleine in her seat and gave her her milk. I walked around to my side and buckled John Paul in and then heard a CLUNK. Of course my kid had dropped her milk. On purpose. I decided I'd be nice and walk around and get it for her. So I opened the van door and walked around to her side, only to discover my drivers license on the ground on her side of the van. I totally would have driven away without it if she hadn't dropped her milk! Whew! Thanks Kid. :)

Hanging out at Grandma's

Ken was gone all weekend so we took advantage and spent some time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We ate dinner outside and John Paul enjoyed the exersaucer for the first time.

And everyone else enjoyed the hot tub (or the tiny ocean, as Madeleine calls it!) The big ocean (pool) has been way too cold to get in most of the summer.

We also got a new kitty. More on that later. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Where does she come up with this stuff?

Last night we went over to Sarah's house for dinner. John Paul has decided that he wants to be in bed by 8, which is a good AND bad thing. Bad when we're out somewhere and he wants to be home and in bed. He doesn't cry very often but he does when he is tired! So on the way home he screamed the entire time. Madeleine tried to calm him down from her carseat. She said,

Oh John Paul, I know you want to be home. We're almost home.
Oh John Paul, I know you need your diaper changed. Mommy will change your diaper when we get home.
Oh John Paul, I know you want to drink out of Mommy's belly button. You can drink out of it SOON!

(I was dying laughing in the front seat!)

2 1/2

My little girl is 2 1/2 today! She is SO much fun. I never get tired of hanging out with her. She makes me laugh every day, and sometimes I can't believe some of the stuff she says. I have never seen a kid her age talk this well. She is getting so good at expressing herself.

She has a very strong, stubborn personality, which can be good and bad! Someone recently told me that the best advice they could give about raising a daughter was not to break her spirit. She said the world would beat her down enough. I am taking this to heart. She has a beautiful spirit. It's hard to raise a strong willed child like this sometimes but I think that if we can form her conscience correctly, she will be an amazing adult. I think she'll be a leader, not worry about what other people think, not feel like she has to be like everyone else, not give in to peer pressure. She has her own ideas and I love that - most of the time ;)

Every morning I spray her hair down with a spray bottle and she wants to spray herself in the face with it. Silly girl.

We still like to hang out at Barnes and Nobles or Borders on Sunday mornings. She likes to do puzzles, color in her coloring books, or play with her sticker books. She talks to everyone who comes by, and the "regulars" love her. She loves books and we go to the library every week and get a new stack.

She LOVES her brother and I am SO happy about this! She hugs and kisses him all the time. She always wants to be with him. She loves the side by side double stroller and taking baths with him. She always tries to help when he cries, and still gives him her favorite toys - even her silkies! He loves her too, and she always makes him laugh. She loves this!

She is still pretty darn tiny! Today she wore a size 6-12 month skirt! I can barely keep 18 month shorts up on her, but they're way too short for her long legs. She wears 2T pants with adjustable waists, and usually 2T shirts even though they're too big. She has been taking a good 2 hour nap and going to bed around 9:00 - we put her to bed earlier than that but she talks and talks up there. Sometimes she'll call for us for some reason - she wants socks, a drink of milk, etc. If we don't make it RIGHT up there, when we get up there she'll say, "Mommy! I called and called for you!"

She loves helping me with everything, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, getting the mail, and she is proud that she's such a big helper. She loves playing with her baby dolls, carrying them around, feeding them bottles, taking them for walks in her stroller. She loves tea party and playing with her "food."

She's getting better at listening... she knows if she doesn't there will be a consequence. For example, if she wants to walk next to me instead of going in the stroller, she knows she has to stay by me, listen and follow directions or she'll go in her stroller. She LOVES animals and had a blast at the state fair. This child has absolutely no fear of anything. She will try anything. She loves climbing, going down the slide, and swinging. She's a very hands-on child and likes to get dirty. She still LOVES Dora and gets to watch it twice a day - once when she wakes up and once after nap. She is learning quite a few Spanish words.

I don't think she is ready for the potty yet so we're going to take it easy on that for awhile.

Ken and I just love her so much and still talk every day about how adorable she is. She gets cuter by the day. We are so blessed to have her!

John Paul's first bath in the big tub

Last night I gave John Paul a bath in the baby tub in the sink, like usual. Well he started kicking his little legs. When he kicks, he lifts his entire lower half of his body and slams it down - I have never SEEN so much water in my kitchen!! It was all over the floor, the counter, even the window! So I decided to try this tub seat tonight.


At first he was a little apprehensive about the seat, but settled right in and enjoyed himself! Madeleine thought it was great having her brother in the bath with her, especially pouring water all over him out of the fish.

His faces crack me up!

I did the entire bedtime routine with both kids by myself tonight, which is trickier than it sounds. (Ken had band practice.) The trick with the bath is to get all of John Paul's stuff - towel, diaper and jammies in the bathroom so I could take him out and get him dressed and warm, then get Madeleine out and dry. Then I read them both stories in Madeleine's room and had to give John Paul a board book to chew on. Madeleine went to bed, then I took John Paul in his room, turned on his CD, nursed him and put him to bed. Ah, peace and quiet!

Ok I may have gone a little overboard with the pictures, but two kids in the bath, can you even THINK of anything cuter than this?

Today was my last day with Baby Megan. We will miss her! She sure was an easy baby. Today I got really brave and decided to go to Chuck E Cheese with my mom and Ava and all 3 kids. It was tricky but worked out well. It was Madeleine's first time and that kid thought she was in heaven. Her favorite thing was the tubes she could crawl around and the big curly slide. I thought we were never going to get her out of there! Ava was too scared to go with her! I also got to play a few games of skee ball with John Paul in the Moby wrap, and he enjoyed that! I can't believe I forgot my camera. We had a great time!

Good thing he's a sturdy boy.

Today John Paul was in his swing and Madeleine was talking to him. My cell phone rang, and I walked out of the room to get it and had a 30 second conversation with Ken. I hung up and looked back and HE WAS NOT IN THE SWING!

His big sister decided she was going to try to pick him up, and dropped him on the floor. I gasped and picked him up and THEN he started crying (I think I scared him.) He cried for about 2 seconds and then started laughing at his sister. Madeleine got a very stern talking-to about not picking up her brother. (She only weighs about 8 pounds more than him!) I think she got it - and I have to make sure he's strapped in every time now! Don't worry, he is fine. I almost had a heart attack, but he's fine! I guess this will be a good story to tell them someday!

John Paul has spent the past 3 nights in his crib, and has taken several naps there too. I think he's getting a little more used to it. Today my friend gave me a "Baby go to sleep" cd - it's music with a heartbeat in the background. I nursed him upstairs with it playing, then put him in his crib, and he was asleep by 8:30! That's great for us!

I never thought say this....

But I need help picking out a necklace for my baby boy!!!

Go here and vote for what color you like!

http://hyenacart.com/inspiredbyfinn/index.php?c=19