We headed off to Salem yesterday to do lots of not going into all the witch museums because the kids (Gabe) would go crazy. We did have a beautiful day, especially on the waterfront. Also, we and every other tourista got a good laugh out of the local liquor store. Not as good as the Bunghole Liquors we passed on the way there (eww) but close enough. Sorry about the out-of-orderedness of the pictures, but I can't be bothered to rearrange them.

Our First Catch!

I got the kids bug nets so they could pretend they're bugs and catch each other. (Well, not really, I've actually told them that's the thing the thing they can't do.) Alex managed to catch a very lazy and very large dragonfly instead.

Soon...

Tonsillectomy Recovery

Gabey was the biggest helper with Alex's recovery process, as seen here.

More Beach Pics

Beach Pics

Just a little selection of pictures from our trip to Cape May. Grammy, you can thank me later for not posting any nap pictures.

Lulu!

Last night we were trying to round up the troops for bed time, dragging them unwillingly from the basement. Gabey was, surprisingly, the most resistant for once, so I just sauntered upstairs and left him alone to contemplate being by himself. He, of course, started to follow me, but was lagging behind. I ended up all the way upstairs setting up toothbrushes without him, and decided to investigate what the hold-up was.

As I went down the hallway to the steps, I heard him chanting Lulu over and over. What the heck? I heard Auntie Lulu on the answering machine as I got closer, so that mystery was solved. How cute that he was waiting, listening to his favorite Aunt! I rounded the corner to something more than a doting, starry-eyed nephew thinking fond thoughts of fun times with Lulu. Instead of that angelic scene, I found him mid-hallway, naked, with one hand on his diaper, the other on his, erm, unmentionables, looking down at both with a confused/amused look on his face. The diaper was wet on the outside, and behind him (no idea exactly how that happened) was a puddle. :i

He continued to chant Lulu while I grabbed the diaper, absorbed the puddle (hey, isn't that what they're for?) and scooted him into a new diaper.

Once again, I remember that too much time (in this case, less than a minute) alone and the children get in far too much trouble.

Butt MoooOOOOoooom

Potty humor is so great. I think I've never heard the word butt more than I have the last couple days, except for the last time it was the buzz word in our house, which was, what, a month or two ago? Did it stop being the buzz word since Alex learned it? I guess not. I mean, guess what? Chicken butt. *sigh*

Alex decided to display her distinctly Daddy-like social charms yesterday by making it National Call Everyone *insert name here* Poop Day. And then just randomly saying butt while up in their face. Charming, my little angel, just charming. I'm so glad you don't know how to expel gasses at will, or our past and future play dates would be even more awkward for Mommy.

I actually struggled with letting her do her rude little thing yesterday, because of course, my mommy instinct is to help her out with her problems, even the ones she doesn't see she has. Because, of course, she didn't seem to care that everyone was a bit put off by her language and behavior - at least from my point of view. I realized after a few "Alex, be nice!"s that she should probably do this social thing on her own. After all, I'm her mom, not her handler, and I've done what I can do. I can only assume that someday soon, in school I guess, she'll find a few social graces that no one knew she had and her friends will forgive her for all the butts.

In vaguely related news, I also realized yesterday that Gabey is truly the pesky little brother and needs to be removed from play dates at the expense of his (and my) sanity so Alex and her friends can play uninterrupted. We had to flee to the basement yesterday, leaving big sister and a friend all by themselves in Alex's room, presumably to talk about butts. More for the friend than for Alex, but still, it was his first taste of true isolation from the fun, and he did pretty well. I, on the other hand, worried about upstairs goings-on while simultaneously trying to pry crayons out of Gabey's gaping maw, so it was less than relaxing for me. Somehow, everyone ended the play date alive and happy, if with multicolored teeth for at least one person, and I've realized that it's going to be heavenly around here when both kids are old enough to play alone with a friend. And not eat crayons. Or markers.

Rainy Day Plans

Well, I'm hiding in the basement as Gabey tries to tell me (via monitor) that he's awake. It's just before 7, and I'm just not ready. It's a rainy day, so I'm guessing there'll be a visit to the library. Here's how it'll go down.

After several hours of build-up - because we don't do anything without eagerly anticipating it for far too long first - I'll force the kids into clothes. Child abuse to make them have both tops and bottoms on, but I'm just that mean of a mommy some times. Anyway, then we'll pile into the car after Gabey inspects the entire garage for interesting things and rings the bell many times on the tricycle. While balanced precariously on the seat and almost falling head first on the concrete, of course.

Then, once in the car, the instant requests for music begin. That's before I've sat down in my seat or even gotten the keys in my hand to start up the car. Why wait for power to the cd player when you could nag ahead of time just to be sure? So, miraculously, the music will come on when the car starts, and peace will reign. Sort of, because the entire trip must consist of dueling conversations between the three of us. It's always debatable whose conversation wins, but there are always three competitors.

We'll get to the library, and Alex will be occupied with whatever menagerie of toys she's brought, so she'll sit in the car playing instead of getting out, then I'll tell her how it's a parking lot and she can't wander away from the car to which she'll respond by wandering away from the car just slowly enough that I can catch her. We'll toddle in, letting Gabey walk until he gets frustrated. I'll heave him in my arms, and when we get to the door someone will be leaving and they'll hold the door, most likely, or almost as likely, they'll rush out and let the door slam into our faces.

Then, the fun begins as I try to look at books and the kids try to look at the same books by stealing them from me and running away to either look for pictures (Alex) or eat them (Gabey). Then, off to run in circles after Gabey in the children's section as Alex picks oout the strangest possible cds and tries to convince me that the video tapes are ok to check out despite our stark lack of a vcr. She'll then grab the closest books on the closest shelf and say they look good and can we read them in their entirety as Gabey runs up the ramp and out of sight for the 17th time. We grab those books, unread, and the crazy cd, and likely a dvd I've picked out that Alex will "never watch" and check out, Gabey balanced on the edge of the checkout desk and trying to grab the librarian, other books, the scanner, the monitor, pencils, pens (ooh, they're the best) and anything else in his path.

Then, books, dvd and cd in a bag, we'll toddle back out and get distracted by something epic like a piece of paper on the floor or a book with a fish on it, and finally back to the car. We must listen to the new, truly awful cd (or maybe it's not - sometimes it's good and I have to add it to the must-buy list. Though mostly they end up on the must return as soon as it's due list.) Then home.

Throw in a bathroom trip where Gabey splashes in the toilet and Alex gets soaked, and that's what we've got on tap for -part- of today. Oh yeah, in the rain.

Cherry Tomato Cheeks

And also, she's a bit wet after "swimming" in the pool. Summertime summarized in one picture.

It's a bit hard to tell what exactly what is going on here, but I'll summarize. The kids were playing nicely together. So this is a rare picture of sibling love. It looks pretty tame, but what started out as Alex kissing Gabey's cheeks while he giggled hysterically turned a bit ugly when kisses turned into face squishes. And more giggling, so I guess not too terribly ugly after all. Gabey tolerates many semi-violent acts from his sister when they're delivered with smiles and laughter. Not sure how I feel about that, but for now, it works.

The rest of their afternoon was spent on the slide - they pushed each other down, taking nice turns and generally having a good time until Alex decided Gabe could go down head first. He protest for a minute, crying to mommy, then went back for more. Feet first.

Then, tomato picking and eating. A perfect mix of wholesome entertainment and mild sibling-on-sibling violence, or as we call it, a day that ends in y.

Tomato!

Petunia Pickin'

Cricket Tamer

I think this sums up a large part of our Summer activities. No crickets were harmed in the making of this picture. But the cricket did end up a little dirty by the end because Alex needed a reason to give him a bath. He had a lucky escape before he saw any water.

Birthday Girl and Summer Fun

I confess that I've been away from the blog for far too long, but in my defense, Summer has been crazy. Alex has been going to camp, Gabey has been running in all directions, and the adults have been busy around the house and at work, so there's not been much time for sitting.

That rule definitely applied to Alex's fourth birthday party, which explains why every single picture is a bit blurry. She had a great time with her playgroup friends and didn't stop moving until after the party was over when she took a five minute siesta. She then drew on her reserves and ran around like a fool until bedtime that night.

As I mentioned, she's been at camp. Mostly the highlight of each camp day is playing in the mud, or possibly covering herself with shaving cream, but she's also taken the time to learn that "butt" is far more funny than she previously thought. So we're working on ignoring that particular word in the futile hope that it will go away. Because disciplining it away has the opposite effect. Fun times.

Gabe is going through a language explosion right now, using fancy words like popsicle, maybe, balloon (baaaawoooon), and pool. He's also full-on working on shedding that pesky nap, which is the downside of him growing up so fast, but it was bound to happen since sleep is not the kids' favorite thing to do. One of his favorite things to do is pick berries, so I'm on a mission to remove all questionable berries from the property to leave him with only blueberries and blackberries.

The picture of Gabey was meant to capture the entire Summer he's been having, and I think it pretty much sums it all up, minus the berries.

Duuuuuuude

Mr. Awesome Takes Flight

Need I say more? Oh yes, no small children were harmed in the making of this picture. Or the aftermath of this picture, which was, truth be told, just some uneventful catching of a small child.

By Popular Request

Here's even more of Gabey with the horses. And even more of the horses in the second picture. They're boy horses. Obviously. We usually mostly see the horses rear ends when we come close to say hello, so this picture represents an average visit to the fence line. Even after giving them treats, the boys mostly are unimpressed with us. We're used to it, being cat owners, but still, you'd think they'd love us a little bit by now. In any case, Gabe still says hello to them (now literally says hello, by the way) several times a day.

Short

Kind of Distracting

We were in the city. Gabey and I were waiting in a garden area while Daddy and Alex rode a carousel, and all I could watch (besides Gabey throwing gravel around) was this naughty fly action happening on the rock next to me. Way to ruin a family-oriented weekend, flies. (Though I guess what they were doing was kind of family-oriented, too...)

We Inspect the Wisteria at the Library

Eeeeeeeeeevil

Need I say more?

Gabey Hangs Out With the Neigh-bors

Who also snuffled his head, most likely smelling him for treats. He had no treats, so they left.

Babyproofing!

Since Gabey has decided that everything is more fun when you grab it and throw it around or climb on it, we've taken some drastic measures. Here's Jeff's solution to the problem of the constantly falling lamp. Now it will not fall, nor will it ever bang annoyingly up against the wall. Because, as we know, the annoying noises are as dangerous to our sanity as falling lamps are to our safety. Next on Jeff's list (after securing the other lamp that's cleverly wedged between the wall, the couch and a chair for now, is figuring out how to prevent Gabey from unplugging the newly secured lamp.

In Case There Was Any Doubt...

It's been a bit of laziness that's mostly responsible for me not teaching the kids any sign language when they've been too young to talk properly. There was also that nagging doubt that they'd just gesture wildly at me every time they wanted more ice cream instead of just asking. Alex did great without it; anyone who knows her knows that talking is her main thing, so it was never a surprise that she could always convey her needs in a concise fashion.

Gabey, on the other hand, has decided that words are for Alex, and that he can get by just find with the wild gestures, mainly frantic pointing. He knows a few key words, but it rarely helps me to know that he wants Diesel or a random "that". "That" or "this" is all I hear most of the time. Pointing to a cup (sometimes called a "bup"), pointing to whatever Alex has, pointing to forbidden things like the cat water bowl or a hot pan - works for him. Too well, I'm sure, but he's a boy, and I'll just allow the grunts and gestures because they're bound to be around for a long time.

His new-found love of Oreos has brought on a whole new communication skill, though. Mostly, it's frantic excited noises, waving in the Oreos' direction, and "THAT, THAT, THAT!!!!!!!!!!!". Then, pointing to himself, as if there was any doubt who he wanted the Oreos for. Then pointing to his gaping maw, as if to say "Put it right there. I don't have to hold it, I just HAVE TO EAT IT." He goes from fairly insistent to crazed Cookie Monster minus the fur and sophistication of my favorite Sesame Street character. It's compelling. He always gets one Oreo. There is no other thing he wants more, so I'm thinking he needs to work on his words for that, but for now, the cave-baby approach will do.

Preschool!!!

After far too long debating, waiting, procrastinating, we've gotten Alex into a preschool. The 5 minutes from home preschool has her on a waiting list, but looking at how Alex is at home (crazy) and how Mommy and Gabey are (also crazy) I decided the time was now and we just needed to get her in somewhere. Luckily, a few friends in our playgroup all send their kids to one preschool, so I visited on Wednesday and sent her off on Friday for her first day!

It went like this. We got there and she charged right inside, ignoring the director who stands at the door awaiting high fives and/or hugs from each kid every morning. She trucked her way upstairs and proceeded right off to the play dough table to make cookies, stopping only to ask where the oven was to bake those cookies.

Taking the hint, I demanded a quick kiss goodbye and Gabe and I went on our way to an idyllic grocery shopping trip - he got to sit with my purse instead of with a bitey sister - and then we got home for our baby play date. A couple hours later, and we were back in the car to pick up big sister.

I had to park sort of far away because so many parents were there to pick up the kiddies, but from almost two blocks away I heard very loud screaming and crying. I quickly recognized the voice. Imagining that the whole morning had gone that way, I walked a bit faster.

Upon my arrival to the playground I was greeted by one of Alex's teachers who informed me that she had gotten a bit muddy and I should try to remember to bring spare clothes next time. Apparently she had fallen on her bottom in the mud and the screaming was because she got stuck there. But as I looked over, she was playing with the older boys (gasp) and generally very happy. Also very muddy.

A few minutes later, we were headed home, much to Alex's horror. She screamed all the way to the car because she didn't want to leave. As did Gabey, because he was enjoying his time in the playground too but didn't get to get muddy! Poor guy. Anyway, I calmed her down, took a few pictures, and she got "un-upset" (and also put on some clean pants from a friend). All was well again. She told me bits and pieces of what happened that morning - something about snack, friends, a pet show where Ottowina won a ribbon. She asked what Gabey and I did. She asked what the cats did while she was gone.

The rest of the day proceeded as per usual. Fighting with brother, sort of eating lunch, playgroup.

First day, a success. We'll see how long it takes for her to get used to being on her own, but I do predict at least one day of tears when she realizes that Mommy and Gabey will not be joining her at preschool.

Springtime in New England, A Poem

A is for Almost warm enough outside.
B is for Bodies of all the squirrels who died.
C is for Crazy. What kind? Stir.
D is for Diesel throwing up her fur.
E is for Enough, get outside.
F is for Foxes who care not their hunts to hide.
G is for Gabey walking everywhere.
H is for Help me, he's pulling out my hair.
I is for Itchy from poison ivy soon.
J is for Jeff who stays inside until noon.
K is for Kite. This wind is good for that.
L is for Licking. That cats are all about that.
M is for Missing Spring that actually shows up.
N is for No Gabey, please don't grab Alex's cup.
O is for Open as in when will these windows be?
P is for Probably not until May 23.
Q is for Quite enough of cold weather and this sweater.
R is for Ready for weather that is better.
S is for Sunshine, which sometimes we see.
T is for Tempers which flare for Alex and me.
U is for Umpteenth time I've gotten up with Gabey.
V is for Very tired of dealing with issues of baby.
W is for Waiting for flowers to appear.
X is for Xylophone. What else could you expect here?
Y is for Yelling across windswept yard and library.
Z is for Zooming toward Alex being less contrary.

Also, I'm no poet, and yes, some of those were a stretch.

Body Count

The neighborhood foxes have decided that we're worthy of tributes in the form of dead squirrels and other mystery animals. So far I've found a half squirrel on the driveway, saw the male fox drop a half squirrel on the sidewalk, picked up a white, fluffy chunk of mystery animal from the front yard, and even discovered an almost entire squirrel on the front porch. Apparently foxes only like squirrel middles, and most definitely not the tails.

What a downer to try to venture outside with the kiddies only to realize that yet another ritual sacrifice has occurred just outside our door and we have to get the snow/squirrel shovel out again! Alex is convinced that looking at half squirrels is a good idea, but so far I've kept her well away from the carnage.

In likely not-at-all-related news, the parsley has already disappeared completely from the garden. I'm hoping that it was squirrels, because clearly we won't be having too many problems with them for much longer...

I Hate Those Days

The days when I realize that the kids and I have done virtually nothing fun, stimulating, interesting, or with any sort of good day quality to them. Yesterday was one of those days.

The kids woke up amazingly late - almost 9:00!!!!!! - and I had the morning to myself, so I did the usual slothy stuff I do when I can. Like think about the treadmill and then drink another cup of coffee. When they did wake up, we did our normal breakfast thing (Alex sort of eats, Gabey mostly eats until he's had enough and swats it all over the place etc. etc etc.) and then it was off to the races.

We hit two grocery stores - Sriracha needed to be bought and they don't have that at our regular store. In the rain. The trip was complete with Alex slopping through puddles and rude, large women in a small car trying to run us and another grocery shopper over on their way to (I'm assuming here) get their donuts, ice cream and 50-packs of butter for the day.

Then, it was a blur until a relatively unsuccessful library trip - one book for Mommy, one video for Alex and lots of screaming when she was denied block playtime - and we were suddenly back home getting ready for dinner. There was one quick ice cream game in there, but really, at the end of the day, I couldn't think of much else that we did that would constitute a good day.

Boo.

So, off I am right now to have a better, more action-packed day with the kiddies, one of which is whining in his crib right now. He's up first, so I'll let him pick what we get to do. I predict running in circles and pulling out electrical cords all day.

Always Forgetting This...

Alex has decided that the saying is "Babies and gentlemen...". I now say this all the time.

10 Til 9

And the kids are still asleep, or at least, in their rooms and very quiet. Gabey has his reason - he sprouted a pretty big fever yesterday and had it until at least 2 this morning. I'm hoping it's teething -related, but his cough tells me otherwise. I'm sure a doctor's visit would prove what the last 5 visits for various family members has proved - that there area heck of a lot of viral infections going around that we can't do anything about. Boo, but also hooray to the doctors who don't prescribe antibiotics for everything under the sun.

Alex is probably just sleeping in because it's cloudy. She's probably half woken up, noticed that it's still vaguely dark outside, and decided to go back to sleep. Her father's daughter, for sure.

Anyway, I'm hoping that we'll leave the house for more than just groceries today, but that all depends on whether or not Gabey's feeling up to some out of the house time. I suppose, were I the pinnacle of exemplary parenting and good citizenship, I'd keep us all locked up indoors (or at least very much alone in the house and surrounding yard) until he seemed to be healthy again, but at least one family member has been sick from the month of February until this moment, and that's just not going to cut it. We've been chained at home for the last two days, and I'm feeling my crazy coming on. Not to mention that Jeff's got a late night scheduled, so it's me and the kiddies for a loooooooong day alone.

So, perhaps an adventure into the rainy wilds today. We're our of Sriracha, so that pretty much counts as a grocery emergency. And maybe the library is calling our name, assuming Gabey isn't coughing his little lungs out in that sort of "I'll get everyone within a five block radius sick." sort of way. Only time will tell, but for now, maybe I should just line up the craft options for Alex and the fever reducers for Gabey. Just in case.

Apparently sting rays feel slimy. The sharks spurned our advances.

Sand and WATER Table

WATER!!!!! And lots of sand. Everywhere.

Vroom

At least he smiles when he's around the coupe. I guess I do too, now that it's together.

Big Helper

Cozy Coupe...

...is from Hell. But if it's as much fun for the kiddies to play with as it was a nightmare to out together, it will officially be the best toy ever. I shall say no more because the tears, screams and general agony of yesterday's car build are still fresh in my mind and I'd like to start the day on a more positive note.

So, yay lots of coffee and an actual conversation with the 'band without interruption (except for a quick lovin' visit from Diesel).

And No...

Gabey slept through the night the night before last, but last night at 11:00, he was up and hungry/cranky/toothy. No amount of feeding and pre-medicating (which we hardly ever do unless he's well and truly cranky before bed) will guarantee a good night's sleep. Not that it really matters if he sleeps anyway, because we're usually up at least once every night regardless. But still...

Then he was back up again at 4:30 with another case of the hungry/cranky/toothies. These six teeth that are lurking beneath the surface had better make an appearance soon.

It doesn't help that we've all been exchanging illnesses since the beginning of March or so. And that Gabe's pink eye seems to be on a comeback tour. And that every day it's supposed to be warm but these lovely New England winds blow the temperatures into the 30's until, say, Gabey's supposed nap time in the afternoon. I won't even go into the horror of the April Fool's snow.

I will, however, mention that we've got crocuses popping up at the end of the driveway. Of course, what better place to plant one of the tiniest seasonal plants than at the end of the driveway where you can only see them poking their heads out as you're frantically driving hither and yon. Seriously, I think the previous owners were afraid of plants getting too close to the house.

The daffodils have finally started to make their appearances as well. I was a bit concerned that the chipmunks had eaten all 200 of them this winter, but now that a few are slowly popping up, I'm pretty sure that at least a dozen have survive the chipocalypse that shredded the Cotoneaster and left trails in the lawn.

Other plants are budding up a bit - the thornless blackberry being most notable. I've got one tiny canna from seed popping up so far, but some of those other really old seeds are less enthusiastic about sprouting.

Nothing else of note going on at the moment except the continuation of eye-drops for Gabey and maybe a doctor's visit for *gasp* me today because I've had a sore throat for the last 18 DAYS!!! Other than that, I expect nothing but lots of time-outs due to violent outbursts and many, many spilled Cheerios today.

Easter Preview, Sort Of

Alex got a new hat for Easter, but Gabey can borrow it too.

Defusing the Baby Bomb

So Gabe has been teething for, um, how old is he now? Yeah, almost that long. He's up at least once every night, and most evenings are similar. First, the tiny cries. Like he's mostly asleep and considering whether or not he should wake up, but he's leaning toward waking up. Or not. He likes to keep it interesting. So, when it's my night, I usually wait for him to make up his mind. Which I probably will stop doing, because I begrudgingly admit that leaping up and taking him on when he's half asleep is usually the better option. But anyway... so, I wait. He inevitably will be quiet just enough that he fools me into drifting off before he whimpers again, just enough to wake me up and convince me that this could go on for hours and I should really get my warm clothes on and get it in gear.

So, after theoretically putting my clothes on correctly though they've mysteriously turned themselves backwards, inside out and flung themselves across the room to hide behind, say, the banana tree, I stumble to the kitchen and make a bottle. If I make a big bottle, he won't be the slightest bit hungry, but if I make a little bottle he'll be ravenous, so really, does it matter how much I make. Nine times out of ten, no it does not.

I take the bottle upstairs, obviously, attempting to not miss any steps on the way. Into his room to do the blind diaper change where he flings himself around, getting himself stuck on the diaper tabs and likely making sure the diaper is just so far off base that he can pee out of it. Then, once his sleeper suit and sleep sack are mostly back on, it's bottle time. If he's hungry (small bottle) he'll eat quickly, which means that I'll soon feel the dripping of a previously leak-free bottle all over the place and will have to adjust the bottle, making him scream like a banshee. If he's not hungry (huge bottle) he'll arch himself backwards, slamming his head right into the nearest hard surface. Screaming like a banshee.

So, either after the bottle or after the arching back, I'll flip him over and he'll go to sleep on my chest. Yay! Almost done. Or am I? Of course not. He'll be dead asleep, sleeping like, duh, a baby, and suddenly, his head itches. For entire minutes of scratching. Hours, possibly. Then, back to sleep like nothing ever happened. After the inevitable scratching, a few things could happen. Sometimes, no actual settling down occurs and the bottle gets popped back in. Maybe he'll eat, maybe he won't. Maybe he'll scream, maybe he won't. So, any number of flips around from bottle to chest occur until I think that he's surely asleep for good. With a possible bottle refill in there somewhere.

Anyway, I should know better, because mostly, when I stand up to transition him to the crib, he wakes up. Screams, maybe, but wakes up definitely. Then I snuggle him back to his false sense of security. But when I put that hand around his chest to lower him into the crib, he always knows what's happening and wakes up again, no matter how sleepy he was mere seconds before. So I plop him ever so gently into the crib anyway, rubbing, patting, thumping his back depending on the urgency of the crying. I cover him with his favorite fleecy blanket, which he may or may not get himself hopelessly tangled in, what with all the tossing, turning and flailing he does for no good reason.

Sometimes, I pick him back up and the whole bottle-snuggle-ease-into-the-crib thing happens again. Sometimes three times or more. Some times he quiets down, only to tune back up the second my hand leaves crib space. Some times he's at full-out snore, completely still, and even waits until I'm out of the room with my hand on the outer door knob when he cries again. Inevitably, though, it almost always end up with me giving him angry looks, mumbling threatening words, and trying to figure out which stage I should start with all over again.

But sometimes, okay, at some point every night, he'll actually commit to sleeping, and I can leave. Sometimes to get into bed and hear him cry for more, but if I'm really lucky, for him to stay asleep, only making the tiniest little coughs to keep me awake for the next hour or so.

Rinse and repeat every four hours or so, and that's been nearly every night since, say January. Good times. But Jeff and I share the baby love, switching nights so we only have murderous urges every other night, and someday, it'll only be once in a while. So we'll take the advice of every other parent we've met with older kids and enjoy the time that he's a baby, crying for no good reason and waking us up at any old hour of the night to make us jump through hoops so he can get the sleep he needs. Right. Because we'll miss these late-night "feedings" and all those cute little baby things he does. Uh-huh.

And again I say, he's lucky he's cute and that humans don't eat their young.

* Oh yeah, I forgot to mention before that Alex sometimes wakes up during all of Gabey's drama. She'll scream, Jeff (or I) will go calm her down while trying to get Gabey to calm down too. Fun times two!

Well, at least he looks at the camera pretty consistently...

The Tastiest Part of All

Benches, they're what's for mid-afternoon snack when the crackers keep falling through the same bench. Clearly, Gabey is sharpening his teeth so to better defend himself from Alex's nibbliness.

Snacks at Tower Hill

Why I bother with shoes is beyond me.

Pink Eye Sucks

I've said it before and I'll say it at least one more time today. Giving eye drops to an 11 month old boy is like being a matador in a bull fight where the swords and spears are replaced with Q-Tips that you have to make stick. 4 times a day. :i Here's hoping Alex and the rest of us dodge the pink eye bullet.

Van Goghing to Her Room

Alex has been a bit punchy recently, what with being sick with a nasty virus that made her sprout random fevers for 10 days straight!!! So I'm willing to give her an ever so tiny pass on things like, say, how many peas she eats before she gets a treat. Or how many times she gets to -try- to kick my butt in Candyland. (I am the Queen of Candyland more than not, as evidenced by her frequent trips to the dark end of the basement to cross her arms and pout.) But when it comes to brother abuse, that's crossing the line.

I appreciate that Gabey likes to wrestle her. He usually loves the attention, at least for a bit. I mean, she's obviously his role model (shudder) right now, so of course, if she wants to harm him bodily while giggling, it's mostly okay by him. But she has this habit of grabbing him the easiest possible way, which for her seems to be by the neck/throat. While mildly amusing to watch because it's so very violently unlike her to be that rough, it's not cool to grab anyone by the neck. Least of all delicate little flowers like Gabey.

So I've been teaching her how to take him by surprise by grabbing him around the torso. Much more effective if a body slam is your goal, and with brothers, it should probably always be the goal, right? She just can't bring herself to do it, though. Her little arm just naturally fits right below his chin. And brother wrestling disengages her ability to hear and think rationally, so she ignores any and all protests. I'll keep working, but for now, lots of time outs have ensued thanks to incorrect wrestling techniques.

We also limit her wrestling time to the amorphous "when Gabey wants to do it" schedule. I know, I know, do they wrestle or don't they? Not when do they, but it brings them so much joy when they're both on board I can't bring myself to entirely eliminate it. It's good for their, um, large motor skills and for practicing cooperation. As in, "Gabey, go this way." Gabey - giggling acknowledgement.

The one thing we do not tolerate around here is biting, no exceptions. Alex has decided that her teeth are her most potent weapon. She uses them at the grocery store when Gabey is "staring" at her, and at home for any occasion. Yesterday, she bit his ear, and promptly went to time out, followed by a finger chomping the likes of which have not been seen in this house since the last time.

Alas, Her Highness has awoken and is crying about the likelihood of there never being pancakes in the known universe again, so I should go. Before she bites me.

The Reason I Should Blog When Gabey Sleeps

What a brat.

Yes-Baby

Gabey has embraced the word yes. It's his answer to everything, but especially it's a counter to the word no. As in, "No Gabey, don't play with the floor lamp." To which he replies (with a grin) "Yes." (more like "Jis.") and shakes the lamp more violently than before. I think yes is ultimately better, especially when I remember way back to when Alex only said no and gave us the blank stares for yes. I guess we knew what she meant, but still, it's nice to have confirmation that you guessed right about baby's needs.

QotD Alex

"There is a big problem. The music stopped and I am not dancing. That is the big problem."

Spring?

Alex and I were outside yesterday doing our usual Gabey is a sleep thing, wandering aimlessly around the yard from activity to activity. Mostly sand-based activities since the sandbox has thawed out! But I couldn't help but notice that the chrysanthemums are budding up, the Stewartia is looking like it made it through Winter, the multiflora roses and poison ivy are taunting me from the hillside, and in general, Spring is getting ready to do its thing. Even the manure is trying to lure me in, just for a quick turn with the old digging fork.

Alex is also ready to do her thing, so her I am thinking about all the fabulous things I could be working on outside when in reality, I get to pick up some sticks while Alex builds and destroys a few sandcastles. Better than nothing, but I'm so close to doing actual garden work!!! Hopefully there'll be a trip for plants soon, because Alex does like to dig and help me plant things. Well, mostly look for worms, but whatever gets my hands dirty and her doing something vaguely garden-related...I may have to buy worms to seed in the garden so I can keep her close and interested while I do something more horticultural.

The neigh-bors are busy foraging in the somewhat thawed pasture for grass, but of course they ate it all in December and it's just now seeing the light of day again, so they're also resorting to coming over to the fence for exploratory sniffs. Just in case we happen to have carrots or apples in our hands. Which we don't. But they'll keep being "friendly" just in case, I'm sure.

We went to the mall today so Mommy could do some shopping (ha) and Alex got a donut. She ate the outside edge and we brought the middle home for later. We got home, and she asked about the donut's whereabouts. I told her it was on the kitchen counter (strategically out of reach) and she told me it was "donut-o-clock" so she should have the rest of it. Yeah, well, donut-o-clock was a while ago and the donut still sits, possibly to be eaten later, but maybe to be a stale squirrel treat.

Beer, Trees and Tapestries

Pretty much sums up our day yesterday. Sam Adams brewery tour, followed by a romp around Arnold Arboretum where they had a bunch of lovely tapestries. Jeff got into some of the pictures, and much fun was had by us. Then we came home, watched Milo and Otis for the 8th time and settled in for our night of one less hour's sleep. The end.