Mr. Helpful

Stats from Elliot's recent check-up:

29 inches and change (65%tile)

19 pounds and change (25%tile)



This keeps him at about the same height range, but drops his weight a little. the doctor said that happens a lot with breastfed babies.... they start out of the gate really high percentage and then around 9 months they settle into a lower weight that is more like what they will grow into. Anyway... tall and lean.



Also, he has a host of new words which mostly ( but not always) get used properly and in context:

mama

dada

cat (these top three are always correct when he says them and who he says them to)

ball

tickle

gotcha

hi

bye bye



and he repeats what we say so clearly, it feels like he's got a lot more words at his disposal even though it really is just random practice sounds.



Anyway, aside from the fact that he is growing fast and furiously and standing quite confidently without support, and cruising along furniture quite rapidly, he has yet to take an independent step......(for which I'm quite grateful). Other skills:

• helps with the dishes

• helps organize the kitchen drawers

• loves to sweep with his little broom. Seriously, he couldn't be happier than when he takes the broom and brushes it against the floor. I'll try to get a video of it.

• and climbs like a mountain goat. The other day I stepped out of his room for a second to put away a towel in the bathroom, and I came back to find him standing on his rocking chair holding onto the back slats and rocking back and forth with gleeful abandon. Later that morning I was washing dishes and turned around to see him trying to scale the oven by pulling himself up on the oven door handle and shoving with his feet to reach the stovetop. Fun! Can't leave this guy alone for a second!

'Tis the season

for Santa Trains! So far we've been on two different train rides to the North Pole. Too bad we're not amassing frequent flyer/rider miles!

Like last year we went on the North Pole Limited which was an old fashioned steam engine ride to the North Pole to pick up Santa. The ride included a large chocolate chip cookie, piping hot cocoa, and lots of carol singing while Santa's elves read The Polar Express to us. Owen loved it. We went with Owen's friend Luke who loves trains almost as much as Owen does. Click here for the pictures...

And then we went on the North County Santa Train! This one was on a bright clear Saturday morning and even though the Grinch tried to steal the train, a great time was had by all. Lots of fun pictures but this one is definitely my favorite:

Elliot's saying : who is this guy in red and why do they keep putting me in his lap?

Anyway, click on the photo to see the pictures.

Time for snowflakes

We had a nice cold rain to start off our December. So nice and refreshing! And then we had a beautiful crisp cool and sunny Sunday.

Today we hung our Christmas lights, listened to a little Ella Fitzgerald and had our annual Snowflake Party.

BDRFL

This will be a rambling post, I have a feeling. I was thinking the other day how some moms put their kids to sleep while they're still drowsy and awake and the babies drift off happily to sleep. My thought when I hear that is WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? AND WHAT PLANET ARE THEY FROM? and where can I get some of that medicine?

I don't know what it is, but Paul and I are incapable of letting our kids fall to sleep on their own. With Owen it was a huge challenge for his first two years because he just would not sleep unless someone was holding him. Many frustrated nights and and nap times ensued. We tried the whole cry it out thing and that just killed us as parents, so we just suffered until one day Owen was an expert sleeper. Now he loves going to sleep, rarely wakes up in the middle of the night (even with Elliot crying) and things are hunky dory. Enter baby number 2. Elliot also requires nursing and holding for him to sleep. The difference is that once he's sleeping he doesn't notice when I stick him in the crib (Owen used to jolt awake no matter how deeply he was sleeping and clamor to be held again). So as long as I can get Elliot to sleep, nap time is not an upsetting endeavor. Thank goodness. The only challenge is how long it takes me to get him to sleep. In the morning it doesn't really matter because Owen is in preschool (YAY!) and I just sit there in the rocker dreaming about all the things I'll do once Elliot's in his crib: exercise, blog, laundry, dishes, shower, knit. Unfortunately my list is always longer than the actual time Elliot will sleep but you get the idea.

Afternoon naps are a little different. Usually when I'm putting Elliot down for nap time, Owen keeps himself busy doing fun stuff in the other room that Elliot can't play with -- like building marble runs, doing puzzles, or coloring with markers and crayons, that sort of thing. Occasionally when I'm nursing Elliot and trying to get him to sleep I'll hear some unidentifiable sounds in the living room. I sit there weighing the options: do I go see what Owen's doing and wake up Elliot in the process which means I have to start all over with the nap time ritual? or do I assume that I can clean up whatever Owen is doing and just let him do it? When I'm in this quandary, usually the mess wins out. I eventually get Elliot into his crib and emerge from the bedroom to find masking tape strung from fireplace to kitchen table to sink to floor or I find stickers placed on various items throughout the house. Owen is quite thrilled with his handiwork so I can't really fault him for it, plus he kept himself completely entertained.....

Anyway, the other day we were drawing and coloring and Owen drew a beautiful picture. I'd been helping him spell words ( he can write his letters very well, but needs help sounding out his words). I said, maybe we can write the word butterfly on the top of this picture? Owen was very excited, but at that moment I had to go help Elliot take his nap so I disappeared for a little while. When I came back, Owen held up his picture and said "Is this how you spell butterfly?"

He had done it all by himself and although it isn't spelled right, I'm in love with this picture! It's the very first word he has sounded out and spelled all on his own....

on the subject of sharing

Sharing excellent food, engaging company, fine conversation and the joy of family: Happy Thanksgiving!
And special thanks to Mom, a most wonderful host. We're so glad you're here!

And then there's the lack of sharing I've been doing on this blog. I hope to have more stories up soon.... but Elliot's crying to get out of his crib so I'll have to delay it yet another day....

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!

November 11

9 Months (in Mommy's tummy)

+

9 months (exploring the big wide world)

=

Look what I can do!

Maturity, Responsibility, Knowledge

Item 1: We were in the car the other day and Owen was talking about something and I said "What? I can't hear you" and he said ""No, no, no, Mommy!!!!! I was just talking to Elliot" and I swear I could hear in his voice how he was rolling his eyes when he said it.... then he continued telling Elliot whatever it was he was saying..... after my initial thought of "Cool, I love how they keep each other company", my next thought was "Oh no, the secrets are starting already?????? He's four going on 14!!!!!"

Item 2: A few weeks ago one Saturday, I was nursing Elliot into an afternoon nap in the bedroom while Paul and Owen were playing in the living room. Paul was "playing" with Owen while lying down on the couch and resting his eyes a little... well, Owen knew what had to be done... he said "DADDY!!!! Be responsible and wake up and PLAY with me!!!!!!!!"

Item 3: Other news? He counts to 100 easily and with only one or two prompts along the way, AND he knows all his continents:

Oh, and Owen has been learning to read! Tonight we went out for dinner and he was so excited to be able to sound out the signs in the "C-O-F-F-E-E ... Coffee!!!!!" Shop. "Where is another sign for me to read, Mommy?" He was sooooo eager and proud. What a fantastic world is opening up to him with this newfound ability.

My favorite recipe

It was another rough night. I went to bed at 9:15 thinking I might get ahead of the whole sleep thing, but the kids kept us up all night anyway due to coughs, runny noses, teething issues and general discomfort.

If you want to relive the trauma, here is my recipe for you to sleep as if you were at our house:

Begin by rousing yourself from a deep sleep to the sounds of a cranky wailing child and then stumble, cursing, eyes half closed, kicking your toes on the doorjambs while you blindly reach for your child in the dark crib and hope that he doesn't wake up the older one who is tossing and turning with a pillow over his head to drown out his brother's cries...... Now repeat 3 times in the course of the night (ALWAYS wait until you have just reached your deepest sleep before being awoken), then at 3am give up and bring the squalling child into bed with you feeling like you've lost the battle and are a bad parent for giving in. Don't forget to mutter to yourself epithets and grumbles because it's fun to make yourself more miserable by really provoking and stoking your bad mood. Then toss and turn because you have an infant in bed who likes to either poke his finger up your nose, scratch your cheek, kick his legs into your back or all of these things at once. After you've settled down and are back into your deep sleep ( but only just), the monitor comes to life again with the mature wails of your 4 year old who suddenly NEEDS a glass of water and a tissue. This time your husband goes to the rescue, repeating the whole muttering and cursing and stumbling that you experienced only hours before.

Then to top it off, wake up at 5:45 am to a smiling, beaming child who is looming over your face with a sweet look and a toothy grin as if to say "I slept GREAT!!!!!!!!! Why are you so cranky?"

Then kiss his cheek which is soft as silk and give him a butterfly kiss on his nose and poke him in the ribs until he can't breathe because he's giggling so hard, then the door opens and your older son waltzes in with a grin and a knock-knock joke that he thought if during the night, and he crawls into bed and gives everyone a morning hug. The boys sit on top of us, smiling and happy to see us, seemingly unaware of us trying desperately to grasp onto the lingering memories of our long-ago sleep. Then smile and sigh and get out of bed to make breakfast and enjoy the day.

Somehow, no matter how rough the night, the morning seems just fine...

Peace and Quiet

Elliot's teething has gotten OUT OF CONTROL this week. He currently has two bottom teeth, two top teeth and four more (yes, 4!!!) coming in. His sleep has been less than ideal, and to top it off seems to be getting yet another cold.... Last night was awful. He could not get comfortable and was tossing and turning and whimpering and crying pretty much all night. For the second ( or third?) time this week, I brought him into bed with me and he nursed all night long while I twisted my back to get comfortable and tried to keep him from crawling off the big bed while he squirmed in discomfort. Paul slept on the couch.

So, Owen's at school right now and Elliot's finaly taking his nap. Instead of washing dishes, mopping the kitchen floor, doing laundry or cleaning up the toys in the living room, I decided I would sit outside in the cool fall air, drink a cup of coffee and browse the internet.

I'm feeling a little bit like I'm wasting my morning..... but at the same time it's quite lovely and relaxing.

Sounds I hear: birds twittering, dogs barking secret messages to each other, leaves rustling in the breeze, hummingbirds fluttering their tiny little wings, ohhhhhhh and Elliot crying. Well, times up on my peaceful morning ( I think I got a 10 minutes break!!!! Wahooo!!!!!)

All Hallow's Week

After a long and stressful week full of confusion and doubt and concern and headaches (from the air quality, not the company).... we are back to a semblance of normality. And how lucky that everything calmed down just in time for a week of Halloween celebrations! Friday night Owen went to a friend's Halloween party in his carefully crafted costume which we have been building and shaping and creating for the past few weeks from a toaster-oven box:

And the party was so much fun! Bobbing for apples! Wrapping yourself up in tissue paper like a mummy! Eating Halloween cookies and sweets! It was a great break from a long week of being cooped up indoors. Then on Sunday we did our annual pumpkin carving. No pictures, unfortunately, but lots of yummy roasted pumpkin seeds and some pumpkin puree in batches in the freezer so I can whip up some pumpkin date cornbread at any old time of the year without ever having to touch a can of pumpkin..... yummy.

Then yesterday at Owen's playgroup, there was another costume and trick-or-treat bonanza... and then we went to Paul's company party which was the biggest pirate themed party I have personally ever attended.... these big tech companies don't mess around when it comes to funding a company party, let me tell you. AND, we haven't' even gotten to the actual night of Halloween!

The celebrations are never ending! YAY!

Thomas the Tank Engine/ Sir Topham Hatt/ Dinosaur

Happiness is:

We are ok.

We have been holed up at home for two days, with the windows and doors closed to keep the dust and ash particles out. We are very very lucky to be in an area that is not in direct line of the worst fires in California's history..... but over 500,000 of our fellow San Diegans can't say the same thing. Including Paul's parents who were evacuated early yesterday morning and have been hunkering down with us here at the house. Or my mom who bought a house in San Diego earlier this year only to find herself today packed and ready to go in case she gets a reverse 911 call telling her to evacuate too (with her two big dogs and her cat)...

The past few days have been very strange. We've been keeping busy, doing puzzles ( of course) and playing games and the like... but all the while there is an undercurrent of fear, worry, and realization as we hear the bad news and think "Oh, I know someone on that street." or "Doesn't so and so live there?"Not to mention all of us anxiously waiting to see if Paul's parents have a home to return to once this has run its course. That is, once the fires are under control. Which they aren't. At all.

We are trying to stay positive, and the adults keep surreptitiously going out to the garage to watch the news on our tv out there, or pausing to get a glass of water in the kitchen and quickly checking the news blogs on the laptop before Owen notices the scary images and starts asking questions that we can't answer to his satisfaction.

Owen knows what's going on and he is concerned, but we're trying to keep him informed in a sensible way..... Elliot is oblivious and as happy go lucky as can be. For both of them we are all truly grateful, because their innocence and hope help us to remember what is really important in this world.

Photos, buildings, clothes, and furniture are temporary. Family is forever.

The Puzzler

I've mentioned before how Owen likes puzzles? Well, I really mean it. I don't mean just any old puzzle aimed at 4 year-olds either. Owen is surprisingly good at the hard ones - 500 piece, 750 piece. He does quite a bit of it himself and in fact gets more than a little irritated when Paul or I feel the impulse to put a piece in place. Sometimes he wants me to find the pieces for him-- for instance I'll find a pile of red pieces and he'll figure out how they go together to make the barn, that sort of thing. But usually he'll find the pieces and put them all together on his own. It's not the fastest way to work, but it's so much fun!

Our favorites are Jane Wooster Scott and Linda Nelson Stocks.... there is nothing better than making a cup of tea and sitting down to put together a really cool puzzle. It's quite meditative and relaxing, and Owen and I get a good chat, or sing some fun songs while we're keeping busy. Lately we've been snatching minutes here and there to work.... since Elliot wants to "help" too we can really only work on it when he's napping. What that means is our kitchen table/dining table has been covered by puzzles-in-progress for the past few weeks.... we end up just putting placemats over the puzzle and eating right on top of it. Anyway, here are a few we've done in the past month:

And here's what our table looks like this morning:

That time of year (part 2)

for pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins! (or, as Owen calls them: pump-kmins). Click on Elliot and the Big Pumpkin to see the rest of the pictures...

I love October!

8 months today

Elliot is 8 months old today and here is a list of his accomplishments thus far:

• clapping


• drinking from a cup


• drinking from a sippy cup


• cruising along furniture edges with one hand free


• standing unaided for a brief second before squatting to the ground


• crawling across the house so fast that I fear for Percy the cat's tail


• eating copious amounts of food (muffins, pears, plum, rice, banana, sweet potato, spinach, peas, etc. ) he's eaten whatever I've put in front of him so far... the only thing he doesn't like seems to be yogurt...


• 4 teeth ( two on the bottom and two more poking through the top within the next day or two)


• stretching his arms over his head to show us "So big!!!!!!"


• crouching behind the couch and standing up really quickly to play peekaboo with us

I'm sure there are more, that's all I can think of at the moment...

Oh, and he did earn his first paycheck yesterday. My agent got him a job modeling for a German Catalog and the photo shoot was yesterday. Fun! This kid is already earning for college...

That time of year

for apples, apples, apples. Click on the picture to see our apple harvest adventure!

More cuteness

Last year at this time Paul was taking extended business trips to Japan and I was worrying about my pregnancy (doesn't everybody?) and wondering if Iwas going to have a boy or a girl... Paul brought back this Teddy Bear from Japan for our baby to be.

As Paul is fond of saying, the Japanese have an "unhealthy relationship with cute". As evidenced by this and this but most of all this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFVoLz88hiU

No title necessary...

Owen: When are we going to have another baby?
Me: (Spitting out my coffee) WHAT?!?!?!?!?!
Owen: When are we going to have another baby?
Me: (Coughing and spluttering) Uhhhhh. We're not!!!! Why? Do you want another one?
Owen: Yeah, because Elliot is growing so fast. I want another baby that grows more slowly.

A Video for you

This is from last month when Elliot was just figuring out the whole crawling thing.

shoes

Yes, this post is about shoes. We bought 6 pairs of shoes for the boys the other day since they are growing like the proverbial weeds. Elliot is already a size 4 and Owen is approaching 11. Yikes! I think I'll have a couple of basketball players on my hands!

I just had to show you all these pictures. Cuteness!!!

Ok, and now for a LONG update

Owen is LOVING school. Thriving, growing, developing new friends, becoming more independent ( in a good way), and that doesn't include the "academic" part of what he's getting. It's hard to believe he's learned so much in just three weeks.

While he's in school, I'm trying to organize my life in such a way that ensures that I can spend time playing with him and enjoying his company in the afternoon. As busy as he is in the mornings at school, in the afternoons we've been working on Legos, puzzles, music, art, bike riding, park outings, playing soccer, and other fun stuff. Not all at once, of course, but we are definitely keeping busy.

Elliot tries his hand at soccer:

Elliot helps Owen at the piano:

Also, we've finally begun having regular museum outings on our Free Tuesdays here. It's ridiculous to me that I've lived in San Diego 8 years and haven't taken advantage of this yet... So for the past month, every Tuesday I've picked Owen up from school and we head to the park to see what museum we can explore.... or what art we can crawl in, on top of and around:

I'm having a lot of fun with the boys these days. Elliot is into everything and I mean EVERYTHING. It's actually better when we get out of the house and do stuff, because otherwise I literally spend all day pulling Elliot away from what interests him most (usually something he's not supposed to be into). Although, sometimes I do let him explore, like tonight he helped us as we unloaded the dishwasher:

He climbed up there all by himself, by the way. He is so solid and strong, its truly astonishing!!

aack.

This has been a crazy few weeks. We've had some great fun enjoying the approach and arrival of autumn... My favorite season even in southern California!!! There is just a new smell to the air that makes me want to get out and enjoy the day.

So here I was thinking that I would have so much more time since Owen started school... and yet I still find myself with a To-DO list a mile long, a bathroom that hasn't been cleaned in too long (I won't say the actually length of time for fear of alienating those of you readers who visit my house and actually have to USE the bathroom), along with all the other things that sit in the back of your mind until you sit down and then they scream at you "DON'T FORGET ME!!!!!!!". Since the sitting down doesn't happen all that much now either, those voices are getting louder and more adamant. No, I'm not going crazy, just wishing I had either 36 hours in a day or a baby who took naps longer than 20 minutes..... Oh, and a solid night sleep would do wonders for me too.

Enough rambling. This is all just an excuse to say I barely have time to keep myself up to date, let alone this blog, so pardon me for the delay. I've got to go make sure Elliot isn't putting his hand in the litter box, chasing after the cat or sticking one of a million dangerous items into his mouth.

Aack! Indeed!

Color Me Amazed

OK, so I know every Mommy thinks their child is brilliant and way ahead of the curve..... but listen to this: I already discussed how Elliot has been crawling. Well, when we got back from Kansas City, he decided that crawling was for babies. He stands, he pulls himself up, he lets go and tries to walk! This is no joke. He just turned 7 months old yesterday, folks.

I can't put him down or leave him anywhere because the first thing he does is look for the nearest leverage point, crawls to it and then pulls himself up. He squeals with delight and lets go with one hand and looks around, then toddles along the edge of whatever furniture he's grabbing.

Forget watching him sit and play with all the cool baby toys. Forget letting him play in the living room while I... oh, I don't know, go to the bathroom? shower? sit down for a moment? Nope, he is on the move and I have to follow him around to protect him from the inevitable head bonk when he loses his balance. Is it too late to install wall to wall rubber flooring in our house?

At least he gets to play the piano during our Family Music Hour:

Notice him up on his tiptoes to reach the keys? Yesterday I watched as he pulled himself OFF THE FLOOR with his arms. He hung in the air for a moment before realizing he didn't have contact with the ground then he got really freaked out. You and me both, kid.

Murphy's Law as it pertains to preschoolers:

Last week? First Week of SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!! Very exciting, very thrilling, Owen loved it.

This week? Home sick with a yucky cold. So far he has attended 4 days and been home sick for 2. I sent him to school today just because I couldn't handle 2 cranky snotty children...... (because of course Elliot got it too). Anyway, this doesn't bode well for the rest of the year. Here's hoping the ratio improves as he builds up his immunities. (Fingers crossed).

Boys of Summer

I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day Weekend....

So far this has been the best day ever...

Warning: Exclamation points invaded this post!!!!

It is currently 11:45 am.

I slept for 7 1/2 hours last night!!!!!!! (Elliot slept for 11 hours!!!!!)

This morning I dropped Owen off at preschool and went to the gym where Elliot played in the daycare while I exercised and showered!!!!! Elliot fell asleep on the way home and is still sleeping!!!!!!!!

So I made dinner (Vindaloo Vegetables are in the slow cooker as we speak) and some yummy Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip muffins, and loaded up the dishwasher and now I'm blogging and enjoying a coffee.

Wow. Life is good.

Cat Beard

The perils of crawling in a house with two cats: the dreaded Cat Beard.

I vacuum, I swear!!!!!!!

HIGHS and LOWS

Owen, Elliot and I went on a dog days of summer vacation without Daddy -- a plane ride to Kansas City to visit Dzia Dzia and Grandma Fran!

Adventure! Drama! Hilarity!

We had some LOWS...Owen was diagnosed with Roseola right before we left, which meant he had a fever off and on for a week and then a scary looking rash. He was in good spirits and full of energy though, and the doctor said go ahead on your trip. The first night we were there, Owen woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever and wanted to get into the big bed with me. So I gave him some motrin and put him in the big bed just in time for him to vomit his dinner -- including the chocolate ice cream he had for dessert--- all over the nice white sheets and the down pillows. Owen's response? "I don't want to be in the big bed anymore!!!!!!" No kidding. So I stripped the bed and did a load of laundry at 3 in the morning and then sang Owen back to sleep while rubbing his back for 1 1/2 hours. That was the first night.

Then I fell down the stairs while holding Elliot (What can I say, I'm just a California girl who isn't used to those large midwestern houses with more than one story).... Luckily I was only two steps from the bottom and my reflex was to yank Elliot up and out of the way. He was totally fine -- but I did manage to land with full force on my tailbone and got a beautiful sore butt for the rest of the week! (It still hurts).

Then Elliot decided to get super cranky and spent the last three nights waking up literally EVERY HOUR.

Restful vacation week? not so much.

BUT... we had some wonderful HIGHS as well.

Swimming:

Playing:

Grilling:

And, of course, bingo:

It was fun , fun, fun.

And, I learned some valuable lessons:

1. I actually DON'T have to check my email all day long every day, because I really don't miss that much. Shocker, I know.

2. If I don't watch tv (or more realistically, something/ anything from Netflix, which is my downfall) after the kids go to bed, I could actually accomplish some projects that have been on my to-do list for EVER!!!!!! or even better, I could sit and have a glass of wine and chat ( yes, CHAT!!!!!) with my husband. Wow. Thanks Dad and Fran for showing me the light.

3. When traveling on a plane with two small children after bedtime, only one child will sleep at a time, which means that although you won't be completely frazzled, the days of closing your eyes and resting are OVER.

and finally,

4. No matter how much I wanted it to be something else, Elliot will follow in his brother's footsteps. DA-DA is his first word. The first thing Elliot did when we returned from our weeklong jaunt was put his hand on Paul's arm and say (all sparkly and bright) "Da-Da!!!!!!" Meanwhile his sound for me continues to be complaining and desperate:"MMMMMMMMMMah. MMMMMMMMMAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Oh well.

Anyway, thanks for the wonderful trip Dad and Fran! Owen and Elliot and I miss you already.

Owen's Job Descriptions

We went to the park yesterday to get out of the house on one of the hottest days of the year. Not just hot, stifling....


Owen wanted to take his boomerang so we walked down the hill with Owen casually tossing his boomerang around. It fumbled and landed in the busy street, only about 1 ft. from the curb, but still IN the street. Owen ran to get it, but stopped as he reached the curb and pulled himself up short right before/as I was saying "OWEN!!! STOP!!!!!!!!" I returned the boomerang to him and congratulated him on stopping and reminded him that he was NEVER under ANY circumstances to run into the street to get something.


He said "I know, I know, I almost forgot the rule about running into the street...". I said, Well, that's what I'm here for, to make sure you don't forget the rules. In fact, that's my job as Mommy, to teach you how to stay safe and to make sure you grow up to be a good boy. Then Owen said: "And Daddy's job is to go to work and make money for our family, and my job is to entertain Elliot and clean up my toys!!!!!"


Click on this picture to see our Day at the Park photo set...


Oh, and Elliot is crawling. Yes, you heard me. Craw-Ling. CRAWLING!!!!!! 6 MONTHS OLD!!!!!I really thought I'd have a few more months of control before all hell broke loose, but I guess it's not to be. Welcome to the house of chaos. (It's a good thing Owen knows he has to pick up his toys as part of his job description).

vacation OVER!!!!!

Paul returned to work on Monday after quite a nice lay-off/severance/vacation month. A lot can happen in one week, but you wouldn't know because I can not find the time to blog about it! Paul's new job means he leaves shortly after 8am and returns around 7:30pm. Then we eat dinner together despite the late hour(sitting around the dinner table is very important to me) and then its the kids' bedtime, dishes, laundry, clean up the house to prepare for the next day's adventures, write bills, check e-mails, and then finally I get to fall into bed myself...

Plus, we all have colds.


Poor Elliot has a terrible drippy nose that is making him very unhappy. And, he is like a squirmy tornado when you try to hold him. Luckily he's excellent at sitting by himself and when he does fall its in a nice smooth controlled way so I don't really worry about him bonking his head on the floor. He is so close to really crawling, its scary. He gets his butt in the air and pushes with his feet as if just by force of will he can move across the room to where Owen is playing with choking hazards ( well, really just Legos and marbles and magnets and all those cool 4 yr.old toys that are just NOT appropriate for 6 month-olds.) Elliot is just desperate to get in on the action.

That's Elliot saying "MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmMMMMMM" which along with blowing raspberries and cooing and gurgling represent his beautiful baby language.

And Owen? I have a million posts I dream of sharing about him. For now, let's just say that every night after Paul has read him his bedtime stories and he comes in to say goodnight (as I'm nursing Elliot to sleep in the darkened office) he looks at me with the widest eyes and the most loving, trusting, expectant face and says "What's tomorrow?" (Tomorrow is Saturday) "What are we going to do tomorrow?!!!" (I don't know yet, we'll see what the day brings us!) "See you in the morning, I love you!"

I love you too, sweetheart.

La La Land

and, no, I'm not talking about the Teletubbies....

In an attempt to maximize our ever dwindling vacation days and to just get out of the house for awhile, we went to Los Angeles this week and had a wonderful few days hanging out in Santa Monica. We stayed in the perfect hotel (Doubletree Guest Suites) right near the Santa Monica pier. The suite was splendid, not so much for the decor or the art on the walls, but because we had a separate bedroom!!!!! Owen was a big boy and slept on the sofa bed all night long both nights, and we made Elliot a little bed on the floor where he slept reasonably well.... the best thing? Closing the door and having our own room to relax in.... reading, knitting, watching bad TV (is there any other kind?)... It was great.

I started to realize that vacationing with kids is actually better in many ways than the adult only way of doing things. With kids (especially babies) you are forced to sit in coffee shops for extended periods of time while they nap snuggled up next to you.... and with older kids, it's imperative that you find playgrounds and opportunities to run around and kick up your heels. Santa Monica's promenade and pier offered lots of chances to indulge both our kids' needs, as well as our own. We ate some truly wonderful food and drank some damn fine coffee and watched the crazy LA denizens to our heart's content. (Is it just me or does everyone in LA seem to spend an inordinate amount of money on skin care and clothes?)

Anyway, the other great thing about vacationing with kids? Using them as an excuse to be back in the hotel room by 8pm so EVERYBODY has a relaxing bedtime. A really nice vacation, to be sure. Only two nights, but well spent. And on our way home we stopped in Newport Beach, rode the auto ferry to Balboa Island and (among other things) thrilled Owen with his very first ferris wheel ride which he loved so much he wanted to go again and again...

This has been such a lovely summer, full of excitement and exploration and lots of ice cream and sunny days...

Click here to see the whole set of pictures....

Buddha Belly Babies

Elliot chills out with his buddy Roan in the kiddie pool: