Getting in the Halloween Spirit

So we're one month out from Halloween now and we're already getting in the spirit. Laura had brought a bunch of random Halloween "crap" that my mom wanted to get rid of, so we started 2 "ghosting" buckets with it. Earlier today Laura and I went to Target to get a few more things to add and some candy. When Blythe got home from day care we put the buckets together. Blythe added LOTS of candy. So anyway, we put them aside until it got dark.

In the meantime we tried to get Blythe into the ghosting spirit by playing with a spider. One of the pieces of "crap" that my mom gave us was a spider that you put in water and it grows to be quite yucky and scary looking. Here's Blythe having fun with the spider:

Okay, so that was way more fun for me than it was for her.

To get her in a better mood, Daddy dressed up as a caterpiller (or really just got into the expandable tunnel).

And here's a picture of Ethan during the whole thing. He loves it when Blythe cries!

Finally when it got dark Laura, Blythe, and I "ghosted" 2 houses in the neighborhood (guess if they read this we've blown our cover). It was a little hard to keep Blythe quiet (pretty sure both houses already know it was us), but it was fun and a good way to end the day.

Aunt Laura visits

Aunt Laura and her little dog Rudy came to visit today. Gommy and Poppa dropped her off while they whisked away to a little resort area in West Virginia (I know...who knew they had those in West Virginia, right?). So anyway, they are staying for a few days. Because the weather was so nice today, Laura and I walked to the day care to pick up the kids. On the way there I always get so many stares, people wondering why I am pushing a double stroller with no kids. I just tell people I'm having twins and I'm just practicing...no, not really. No one ever asks, but if they did that's what I'd tell them.

Blythe was super-excited to see Laura and was in a really good mood the rest of the night. When we got home we played in the basement and after Daddy got home we had our daily dance party starting with, of course, "Low" by Flo Rida. I can tell even Ethan loves that song.

We had pizza for dinner, though Blythe basically ate none of it. We've been trying to teach her that she can't get down from the table until she asks to be excused. So far she's done pretty well...considering she is 2. Ethan had his dinner too and I gave him a few banana puffs afterward and he actually did feed himself two of them. So, that's another first! This is the time that "firsts" happen practically every day. So exciting.

I was also happy to see that day care has scheduled a field trip to the pumpkin patch. It's next Wednesday morning, so I gotta see if I can reschedule a meeting so I can go. Tomorrow is my "room mom" luncheon, so that should be fun times.

Some new "firsts"

We had a couple of new "firsts" today:
1. Blythe got undressed and dressed completely by herself. She started by taking off her pajama bottoms then her panties. She went to pick out some clean panties and actually brought back "normal" Happy Feet ones and not the giant plastic training pants she usually tries to pick out and tries to get me to let her wear. Anyway, this is all as I'm changing Ethan's diaper, so she goes back to her room to get some pants and comes back with some brown pants that were hanging in her closet. I still don't know how she got those down. Anyway, she put those on by herself. Then all of us headed to her room to pick out a shirt. She wanted to wear the Cookie Monster shirt (because navy blue goes so well with brown). Now came the hard part...she actually was able to take off her pajama shirt and then put on her Cookie Monster shirt. Of course it was backwards, but still...great accomplishment!

2. Ethan ate a "banana puff". They are those Gerber graduate cherio-type things that basically dissolve as soon as they go in your mouth. Even knowing this, it was still a bit scary. There's always the chance he could basically inhale it and choke. But he didn't and he did good (and I think he liked them). I tried to see if he would pick one up and feed it to himself. He tried. Almost made it into his mouth, but he dropped it on the floor. So that's another first....first time feeding the dogs. After that Juni wouldn't leave him alone for the rest of the day.

We didn't do too much today. We (actually Braden) did get the garage re-organized so after we get rid of the pile of trash in the garage we can park both cars in there. Blythe and I went to Walmart to get groceries. Just the girls (or GAYLES as Blythe says it). We'd go down every aisle and Blythe would find something she wanted and say, "Mommy I want that...can I have that?...yes or no?" As if "no" were an acceptable answer. Instead if I say "no", she says "but I WAAAANNNT it". Hmmm...still "no".

All in all it was a good weekend. We didn't really have anything planned and took it easy, which was nice. Aunt Laura comes tomorrow to stay for a few days, so that should be fun.

Cheering the Hokie swimmers

This morning Braden's swimmers had an intrasquad meet to start the season off. Since it started at 8:00am and I knew there wouldn't be too many spectators, I figured it would be a good opportunity for the kids to see the swimmers in action. Probably their only opportunity this year (at least both at the same time) because the other meets are so crowded and there is no chance that one of my children will sit still, let alone 2 at the same time, for several hours on end.

Of course we didn't make it there by 8:00 (it's a stuggle every day to get to day care by about 9:00), but we got there probably around 8:30. Not too bad! I had dressed the kids in their hokie gear (since it was an intrasquad meet, Ethan wore maroon and Blythe wore orange...I know...how clever of me) and we came ready to cheer! About as soon as we sat down, Blythe started cheering "Go Hokies!" Always cute when she says that, never gets old. Ethan seemed a bit overwhelmed by the loud noises and cheering, but I think he liked it. He even started clapping! It was the first time I have seen him clap. I think that's a "first" in the baby book, so I need to remember this day...Sept. 27.

We couldn't stay to the end...Ethan was getting too tired, but it was fun. Today is rainy, so definitely an inside day. A little while ago we went to Lowe's to get some shelving stuff for the garage so we can store all our crap so we can park 2 cars in the garage when it gets cold. Now it's a matter of actually putting the shelving up. Seems like an easy project, but no project is ever as easy as you think it is.

Anyway, maybe Ethan will want to work on his crawling later today. He seems so close, but he gets frustrated so easily. Just like Blythe was...he actually makes forward progress when he's frustrated and mad but he's too busy being mad to notice he's getting anywhere. Oh well, it won't be long and then he won't be the same baby anymore. He'll be "mobile Ethan"...uh, oh.

Playing in the bath

I couldn't decide which of these was funnier, so I'm putting them both up.

Crazy thing is that this morning he actually did it by himself! Well, not all of them, but he picked up the hammer and hit one of the balls in all by himself. Oh, they grow up so fast.

A few weeks ago Ethan finally outgrew the baby bathtub, so now he is in the "bath seat". We bought this when Blythe was a baby for the in between stage when they are too big for the baby bathtub yet not quite sitting so well in the big bathtub. We hardly used it for Blythe because bathtime was the highlight of the evening for us so usually one of us held Blythe upright while the other washed her. For Ethan though we use it all of the time. The thing with the bath seat though is that you have to put A LOT of water in the tub to use it. Seems so wasteful for one bath, so might as well have the kids bathe together. So anyway, they've been bathing together now for a few weeks and I've been meaning to take some pics so we finally did last night. Here they are in the tub:

Here's Blythe with her cool mohawk hairdo:

And here's a couple of other cute ones:

Biting and Scratching and Toys...oh my!

Yesterday when I picked Blythe up from school they told me she bit her friend on the arm...twice! I was shocked! She's never been a biter before. My kids (poor things) have always been on the receiving end of biters. Blythe, when she used to go to a half-time day care at a friends house, used to get bit quite often by my friend's son. And Ethan got bit one day in the nursery at day care. Fortunately she's at the age where she does know right from wrong, in fact both times she realized right away what she did was wrong and immediately offered a hug (though apparently that didn't stop her from doing it a second time). I had "the talk" with her after school and she of course got upset, but I guess time will tell if it did any good. The day before that she says to me, "I SCRATCH you". I said, "Uh, you better not...scratching is not allowed". I think she's picking this up from some of the boys at day care who are having these issues.

This morning Blythe was so cute though. After she got up and she, Ethan, and I were all in her room playing, she wanted to put her "bubba" (blankie) down and put all of her toys on it so she could play with them. She noticed Ethan had no toy to play with so she said, " I have to get Ethan a toy!". She ran to the next room, got him an age-appropriate toy and gave it to him. Then she realized I didn't have a toy either. She ran to the next room, brought me back an age-appropriate toy...no, just kidding. She gave me one of her stuffed animals so I wouldn't feel left out. How sweet!

Later when we were about to head out for day care, I had to go potty (I know...too much information, blah, blah). But anyway, I asked Blythe if she could sit with Ethan while I went and show him some of her toys and keep him entertained. She did exactly as I asked and Ethan loved it! I still had to go potty with the door open, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. I have dreams that one day I might be able to shut the bathroom door when I go, but for now I was happy at least not having them both in there with me.

Oh, and one of the other mom's at the day care and I are meeting with the administrator today at 2pm to go over our "concerns". Will keep you updated on what happens with that.

Hi Ma!

So this morning Ethan says to me, "Ma, can I have the keys to the car?" No, actually he just said "Ma"...but it was beautiful! He seemed so proud of himself too (as he should be). He definitely likes this talking stuff. Yesterday they said he was a blabber mouth at day care. Then he was up talking at 4am this morning (just for a little while, then went back to sleep), then again at 6am, before finally getting up for the day at 8am! I can't wait until he's old enough to converse with his sister, though after that comes fighting with his sister and I'm not up for that.

Blythe went to the volleyball game last night with Daddy so they could cheer on the Hokies. The first 300 people to the game got free popcorn, so guess what Blythe had for dinner last night? Oh well. I don't exactly win "Mom of the Year" awards for the foods I feed my children. I'm hoping in time they will learn to like other foods. Blythe is basically a vegetarian except she eats chicken nuggets. Actually she's an "at home" vegetarian. Not a "at the next door neighbor's house" vegetarian or an "at day care" vegetarian. At those places, she'll eat almost anything. Even Ethan - at home I tried to feed him squash baby food. Wouldn't touch the stuff. Spit it out after every bite. At day care - ate almost the whole jar. Though Blythe did seem to have a renewed interest in oatmeal this morning, so maybe we'll at least be able to add that to the "allowable breakfast items".

I dropped the kids off at day care this morning and they were reading a pumpkin patch book, so it brought up the topic of Halloween. Blythe has 4 costumes she could wear this year. But apparently the new administrator at the day care says they can't dress up for Halloween this year. Says if they can't celebrate some holidays, then they can't celebrate any (she must be an Obama supporter). That makes no sense! I guess I get not celebrating the religious holidays (even though probably 98% of the day care is Christian), but Halloween? Valentines Day? Then I asked about the field trip to the pumpkin patch they take every year and they were doubtful that would be allowed. That celebrates Fall. Last time I checked, everyone celebrates Fall. Fortunately I'm a "Room Mom" (whatever that is), so I will be attending a "Room Mom" luncheon next week. I'm sure the other parents feel the same way, so hopefully we can be heard. This new administrator (who's my age) acts like she's the dictator of the day care, and I am not happy about it. There....that's my rant of the day. Now I feel a little better!

The baby eats boobies

Blythe has been all about "her baby" lately. Not a particular baby doll, just what ever one is handy to pick up. She'll say"shhh...my baby is sleeping"..."I want a gummy bear..oh, my baby wants one too"..."my baby's going to watch tv"..."my baby wants to play in the sandbox"...you get the picture. She brings a baby to daycare with her everyday too.

So I guess I wasn't that surprised last night when she sat right next to me while I was nursing Ethan, lifted her shirt up, and put her baby to her chest. She said, "My baby needs to eat my booby now". Then when she was done she said, "My baby's done eating my boobies now". Then after her baby had apparently spit up, she went to get a burp rag to clean it up.

Do you know how hard it is to keep a straight face after your 2 year old tells you her baby is "done eating her boobies"? It's incredibly hard, but I did my best. I just wish Braden hadn't been in another room during that time so someone else could have shared the conversation with us.

As for an update on Ethan, he slept great last night (yeah!) and for about 3 minutes this morning I thought he might NOT have a runny nose, but then the snot faucet started running. Oh well. I did read yesterday that kids in day care obviously have more coughs and runny noses, but they are at lower risk of several diseases including asthma and even childhood leukemia because of the immunities they build up. So that's good news. Ethan has definitely started talking more too. I caught a "Na, Ba, Da" from him yesterday. No "Ma" though...darn it!

Musical "talents"

Here are my musically gifted children.

I can just envision the future Christmas's, Thanksgivings, and other family get togethers where we all pay 10 cents to see the magnificent Blythe/Ethan duo. Blythe on vocals (of course) and Ethan playing the backup keyboard. Maybe Doug's little girl will get to play the maracas or tamborine too. Based on the musical "successes" of Braden and I, I'm going to guess their musical talents won't take them much further than that, but I guess you never know.

And "Low" by FloRIDa (or however you spell it) is Blythe's most "faborit" song. Apparently it's pretty popular with the toddlers these days. I have to admit, it is quite funny to see her dance and sing to it. Sometimes I'm embarrased to admit that she learned it at day care. I get the "what are they teaching those kids" look from people. She learns a lot at day care (and apparently she actually eats veggies there), so it's fine with me. The little ones love to dance and apparently the words are easy to learn. Though I'm pretty sure my favorite song at that age was "Jesus loves me". Hmmm.

Another Ethan?

So I just found out my next door neighbor is pregnant. Not the ones we hang out with virtually every day...the other ones. The ones we NEVER see. They are always traveling the world or working or just inside. When I was 7 months pregnant with Ethan I saw them out at a restaurant and they congratulated me on the pregnancy. Said they heard about it from my friend at church. Their house is about 15 feet from our house and they never saw me walk out to the mailbox? Get in my car? Walk to the playground with Blythe? So anyway, they're not exactly in touch with their neighbors. But we are on friendly terms.

So when I found out she was pregnant (my other next door neighbor told me), I emailed her to say congratulations (again, never see them so can't say it personally). I also asked if she knew what she was having. She finally responded today and said they were traveling in Greece. Said they are expecting a baby boy in early January. Said they just decided to name him Ethan. As far as I can tell from the email she is completely serious. I don't think she knows we named our son Ethan.

Now it wouldn't be that bad...I mean Ethan is the 2nd most popular name to name your son these days. But we actually have 2 other "baby Ethan's" in the neighborhood (not including ours). Our neighborhood is one street with 42 houses. So it's small. Is there really room for 4 'baby Ethan's'? I think I need to let her know just how many Ethan's there are just in case she thinks 4 might be too many. Did I also mention they are Asian? So are the other 2 Ethan's in the neighborhood. I just find that interesting.

The first blog

My mom found out that my cousin Amy has a blog, so she thought it would be a great idea for me to start a blog too (thanks a lot Amy)...just kidding. I actually needed one more reason to sit at the computer for just a few more minutes each day. So now I can only do 13 minutes of exercise each day instead of 15.

Anyway, a little about me to get things started. Braden is my husband. He's a swim coach at Virginia Tech and their season is September - March (so basically the whole school year). He's really good at what he does and very passionate about swimming.

Blythe is my daughter. She's 2 and 2/3 years old (for those of you trying to calculate that's 2 years and 8 months). She says the funniest things and has entered into the "Pearl" stage where she will repeat anything you tell her to. Watch out telemarketers.

Ethan is my son. He's 6.5 months old. He is a very, very happy baby who just cut his first 2 teeth and this morning was saying "Yeah, yeah", which Daddy tried to convince me was "Da da". Sorry! I've been secretly working with him on his "M" sounds so that "Ma ma" will come before "Da da".

And then there's me. I work from home as a project manager for a software company (you know, one of those jobs where people will ask my daughter when she gets older (or my husband now) "What does your mom do" and they will say "I'm not really sure".) Basically means I sit at a computer all day and have conference calls all day. Right now I'm in the middle of 4 projects going live at the same time, as you can probably tell by me starting a blog as if I have all the free time in the world.

Anyway, I guess that's good for now. This blog thing is new to me, so not sure how often I'll write. Guess we'll see.

Oh, and Blythe had "Crazy Day" again at school today. Here is a pic of her mohawk ponytail hairdo.