Two BIG things happened this past week, with no help from Tim and me. First, Ian potty trained himself. He decided that he was finally just going to only go on the toilet. This was proceeded by several accidents that were pretty much all my fault. I feel awful. I was so bad at asking if he had to go to the bathroom before we went to the store or before we went out to play. If Ian said he had to go to the bathroom I usually said, "how long can you hold it?" since we were usually in the check out line at the grocery store. So, it seems as though Ian took matters into his own hands and decided that it was worth it to only go to the bathroom on the toilet.

Second, Emma has now decided that she likes to sleep between the hours of midnight and 5am. Previously, she was waking up at 2 or 3 am for a feeding, but has now enjoyed sleeping straight through. Emma sleeps from 7pm-7am with two feedings. Not bad...although for some reason I feel more tired.

Ian received a nerf gun and bell for his bike in reward for his potty training. Emma is now allowed to smoke the nerfs in reward for her new sleeping schedule.

Last weekend, Ian hosted his first ever bird feeder party. I would say it was quite a success. I was very impressed by all of the boy's painting abilities. The party however quickly turned into a wrestling match. Is this a sign of things to come? What happened to our sweet little boys?

The elephants came to town last week for the circus. Ian, Emma and I walked down to the Capitol to see the circus as they marched through the streets on the way to the Verizon Center to perform. There were donkeys and clowns as well, but the best part of the parade were the street cleaners that followed.

Ian, Emma, and I took a trip to Annapolis last week as well with Amy. We walked up and down the cobblestone streets and walked on the pier near the harbor, dreaming of a life out of DC. Nina and Grandpa also came for a visit making this past week a great one!

We returned from our east coast trip last Sunday. We were welcomed home by Tim who was excited to see us after a week away....spent the day as a family...and then the sickness started. Ian got it first: a high fever followed by an awful sore throat followed by a running nose and cough. Ian passed it on to Tim who passed it on to Emma. Today is the first day that everyone seems a little better. We finally slept for four hours straight last night. Today is a good day.

I didn't take many pictures over the last two weeks...no one was really in the mood. What I did document however was Emma eating her first "puffs" and Ian enjoying a little book on cd in his boxer briefs.

Even in sickness Ian and Emma seem to grow older by the day. Ian woke up a few days ago saying, "Mommy, I had a dream last night that I taught you how to do this," and immediately went in to half moon yoga position. It is true, I need help with half moon, but we were shocked that Ian could remember his dreams. We made a HUGE deal out of him remembering his dream and thought it was so cool. The next day he woke up from his nap saying that he had a dream that he ate french fries and so he wanted to go to Star and Shamrock for french fries and an afternoon snack. I am beginning to question these dreams...

Emma turned 8 months over the course of her sickness. She hacked and wheezed her way from seven to eight months. Emma is eating a ton of solid food now. She loves cheerios and puffs that melt in her mouth. Emma is also really taken to the pac and play and doesn't seem to LOVE her crib so we are debating having her sleep in the pac and play all the time. It is just amazing how much better and longer she sleeps when she is in the pac and play.

This weekend Ian and I had two big trips. On Saturday morning we went to a new Wegmans that opened up near our house, about twenty minutes away. It was amazing! I plan on going back again this week. Ian was completely overwhelmed and totally made out...he left with a shovel, his very own rake, two packs of gum, and a powerbar. Then this morning we went to a new local indoor pool that opened. It was awesome...and perfect for toddlers. Ian could walk into the water himself and play as if he was in a bathtub. We had the pool completely to ourselves and had a great time.

We have had some beautiful days here over the last two weeks which have made them more bearable. Daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses have made their way to the surface and are starting to brighten up the Hill!!!

Ian, Emma, and I traveled over 800 miles in the last week and boy what a difference a week makes. Ian is talking SO much. We chatted the entire 3 hours to Philly, 5 hours to Connecticut, and 6 plus hours home. He has so much on his mind including what he is going to be when he grows up which happens to be either "ME" or a "hockey player." He starts his stories with, "So..." or "Sometimes..." followed by a long pause. Ian is still potty training as well but we had no accidents during our car rides. We did have another motion sickness incident however, ten minutes from my sisters house in Connecticut on 84. If you know the road you know there are not many places to pull over. As I was changing Ian's clothes on the side of the road people kept honking at me like, "Are you crazy?"

Emma learned to sit up this past week. She was crawling around a bit before and pulling herself up, but could not sit up on her own. We are now able to put her on the floor without pillows surrounding her as she can sit up and then go into crawling position on her own. Emma loves playing with anything Ian is playing with. Right now her favorite toys are trains and balls, which oddly enough Ian never liked to play with. We are also getting ready to really baby proof the house again. We never got baby gates for Ian, but now with two kids we really need them. Emma has found the stairs and is very eager to climb them!

We had a great time visiting lots of family and friends this past week. Some of the highlights are below:

Celebrating Will's birthday at a local farm in Connecticut

Emma sitting up on her own at the best library ever (West Hartford)

Celebrating Becky's birthday

Visiting with Nana

Sitting in the wooden highchair at my parents house

Happy to be back home and in her own crib

Compassion and Distraction

Two year olds have to be the slowest creatures alive. It takes us an hour to get out the door. Ian is easily distracted and is impossible to get moving.

Me: Ian, do you have to go to the bathroom? Please go use the bathroom before we get your shoes and coat on.
Ian: Look Mommy, Emma is crawling.
Me: Yes, I know Ian. Emma is crawling. Now please go use the bathroom.
Ian: Why light not working Mommy?
Me: That light burnt out a few days ago and we haven't had time to change it yet. Now, please... we are late. To the bathroom!
Ian: What robber doing Mommy?
Me: I don't know what the robber is doing but if you don't go use the bathroom now I am going to leave you at home while Emma and I go shopping.
Ian: Will robber get me?
Me: No, I am not really going to leave you at home alone. PLEASE GO TO THE BATHROOM.

This scenario usually ends up with me picking Ian up, carrying him up the stairs to the bathroom and then doing everything for him in order to get out the door. I want him to learn to put on his shoes, coat, hat, and gloves, but the hour it takes is usually not worth it.

It also takes Ian hours to ride his bike to the park, get into the car, walk to the grocery store, etc. He is so concerned about every little thing. "Why stick on ground Mommy?" "Why man parking car Mommy?" "Why light red Mommy?" I am REALLY trying to have some patience and to realize that we are not on a schedule (sort of with Emma) so there is no rush, but boy it is annoying sometimes!

I have also started to realize that Ian has a lot of compassion for other people and other things. Either that or he is just super anxious or super nosy. It takes us hours to read one book. He wants to know why the girls in Madeline are all sad when they see the robber (hence his obsession with robbers). He gets upset when Emma is upset and he wants to know why she is crying. He got so scared by Hansel and Gretel that I will probably never read that book to him again. He gets really concerned when watching his shows. I am now extra cautious about what we read and watch.

On the flipside Emma is so happy about everything. She smiles all day and really only gets upset when you try to change her. She is pulling herself up to standing on almost everything possible and wants to get in and play with all of Ian's toys. They have sort of learned to coexist.

Below are a few pictures from the last two weeks...

Fun at the park

Emma grows up and moves to the back seat.

Ian helping out around the neighborhood

Our little touch of spring

Ian learning his colors

Valentines from Aunt Mel and Uncle Chris

Warm day at the park

Friday- Quote of the Week

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh," he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw, "I just wanted to be sure of you."”

Welcome Home Matt!

Uncle Matt arrived safely home from Afghanistan where he had been serving a six month tour. YAY!!!

But seriously, how can any of the other Aunts and Uncles compete with that? Uncle Matt is Ian's new best friend!!!

Emma Six months and Four different uses for the same box

Emma is over 6.5 months old. Wow! She has grown so much in the past month. She is now up to 14.5 pounds and is 25 inches long. She rolls over both ways and is CRAWLING. Yes, we can all gasp together! GASP!!! She has even pulled herself up to standing a few times and today took two steps while holding on to something. My life is about to change and I am not sure I am ready for it. Strike that, my life has changed and I am not ready for it.

Emma continues to laugh at Ian and loves the jumpy swing thing (not sure what to call it). She is going to sleep on her own but still wakes up 2-3 times a night. Sometimes Emma decides to cry so loud it wakes up Ian and sometimes she just whimpers softly so that if I come in and feed her quickly Ian will stay asleep. Every night feels like a juggling act and there is no consistency. It would be nice to have Ian and Emma in their own bedroom but we deal with what we have. Ian still comes into our bedroom at least once a night but will quickly fall back to sleep if we carry him back to his room. However, most nights I wake up and Ian is already in our bed, squished in between me and Tim, head-toe. Maybe when Emma gets older she can take a picture of us so we can see how funny we look.



This is my first full week at home with Ian and Emma. Some thoughts...
- I am getting way LESS done than I thought
- I can't wait until the weather warms up...these cold days inside are getting old. We have changed around our living room WAY too many times
- Ian and Emma both sick, not fun
- The library has become our home away from home
- The library after story hour, insanity
- Ian still says every day, "No work today Mommy? Oh, too tee Mommy (thank you)!"
- Homemade playdough...hmmm..must find a better recipe, this one was way too gooey
- I am baking WAY too much
- I am learning to let Ian just play and not get upset about the messes he makes. Those of you who know how ridiculous I am about clutter and dust would be so proud of me.
- Ian has become a pro at playing with anything, even an old box

Happy Birthday Reagan!

Today is Ronald Reagan's 100th Birthday. Tim just recently got back from a trip to the Reagan library in California. Here are some pictures of the library and the beautiful surrounding scenery.

There is a lost Thomas train in my office. Ian came into work with me last Saturday. I had a lot to finish up as this was my last week. Next week I will officially become a full time mom. Well sort of. I will still do consulting on the side, but only four times a year so yes, I am now technically a full time mom.

Some funny Ianisms...

Ian has a nightly prayer list. It includes Mommy, Daddy, Pippin, Santa, Andrew (Becky's boyfriend), pictures, lights, and his bedroom door. However, the other night Andrew got dropped off the list. Tyrone our exterminator now obviously has issues that we need to pray for. So we pray for Mommy, Daddy, Pippin, Santa, Tyrone, Ian's pictures, lights, and closet door. Emma is so sweet and harmless that she does not need prayer at this time and Ian is obviously expecting big presents from Santa next year.

The next day Ian says, "Mommy, I love Tyrone." As long as the mice and roaches stay away I do to!

Ian is so into Caillou these days. It is really the only thing we let him watch. Other than fighter planes of course. He wants Caillou to come over and play.

Ian hangs on our every word these days. You can't say much around him without him becoming completely concerned. Last night some animal chewed through our trash can to get at our trash and I was telling Tim and Ian started asking, "Mommy, why raccoon eat our trash? Mommy, why rat eat our trash?" He would not let it go.

The other day, Tim told Ian that when he was younger his shoulder popped out of its socket and Grandpa had to pop it back in. That night it took Ian quite a long time to fall asleep. He was so concerned about Tim's arm, and very interested in how Grandpa actually popped it back in.

I would just love to be a two year old for a couple of minutes again to see how their mind works. Sometimes I think Ian is so witty! We were talking about summer vacation and I asked him where mice went on vacation (not sure why I asked this but I am sure it had to do with something we were talking about) and he said, "Dunkin Donuts!." I was laughing so hard.

We had a little bit of snow here a few days ago and Ian and I went outside after Emma fell asleep to build a snowman. All New Englanders will laugh at our snow "gear". We did make a great snowman though!

So my friend just had triplets and I think of her everyday...several times a day actually, especially during those moments when life just seems too much and you want to catch the first plane to Bora Bora. Like those days when Emma decides to poop six different times all over the house including on the toilet (I was trying to be uber Mom like my friend Katie who had her kids using the toilet at seven months...but note how I said ON the toilet and not IN the toilet), on and in the rug, on Ian's potty (another mistake), in the sink (because I was holding her over the sink to try to clean her), all over Ian's bed (while I was cleaning the changing table), and all over the wall (while I was changing her). While I was boraxing the heck out of our house I am pretty sure that Jill popped in to my mind and I thought...wow, imagine if I had triplets!

And so Jill totally earns the mother of the year award in my eyes. She is so calm and is always smiling. And that is why Jill deserves much more than a dinner made by me, but that is what she got. I have the easiest meal to take someone who just had a baby...or triplets...it is what I call chicken pulled pork. Really it is just pulled pork but you can use either chicken or pork. Whatever you happen to have in your freezer at the time. The best part about this recipe is that it makes your house smell amazing, and you can get everything ready the night before and just press "start" whenever is convenient.

Liz's Chicken Pulled Pork in the crock pot:

- throw one diced onion (any kind will do), a few sliced stalks of celery, and 3 diced carrots into the bottom of a crock pot.

- place either chicken breasts (I usually do around 5 or 6 so I have some leftovers) or a pork roast on top of the veggies

- pour in some barbecue sauce. I prefer the sweet and spicy ones.

- let sit on high for 7-9 hours

- shred the chicken or pork using two forks, stir with the veggies, and add more barbecue sauce if needed

- then turn to warm until ready to serve

The chicken pulled pork is great on a sandwich with a side salad I am sure, but we just eat it with biscuits.

Gingerbread squares wrapped in parchment with fortunes and famous quotations for dessert. Yum!

Happy Friday!!!

“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"”

Winnie the Pooh

Becky left tonight. Things seem so different around here without her. It is really hard to believe that she has been with us since the beginning of October. We are really going to miss her. She not only watched our children, but did laundry, dishes, made dinner, graced us with baked goods, and took out the trash on a daily basis. We basically would have been lost without her over these last four months.

With Becky leaving however it also means that I will be home with Ian and Emma full time after Monday. Wow! It is really hard to believe. I still have so much to finish up at Williams and Jensen so my excitement hasn't quite set in but I already have lists of things I want to do with Ian and Emma.

I cannot believe the month of January is almost over. Unfortunately I feel as though work basically consumed us this month, zapping us of energy, but on the flip side Ian and Emma seem to be sleeping much better. We have a bedtime routine in motion and cross your fingers, it seems to be working well. Both Ian and Emma are going to sleep on their own which gives us a few more minutes of extra time in the evenings, and they are sleeping fairly well at night only waking a few times. I always hesitate to show any sort of confidence on the sleep front because as soon as I do one of them starts crying or completely changes their habits.

January did bring a lot of "new" beginnings however. Ian FINALLY got a haircut...spread out over two days by two different people- Uncle Jesse and Tim. Emma is getting ready to crawl. She gets up on her knees and rocks back and forth. She is also starting to eat rice cereal and veggies three times a day. So far she likes peas and squash. Emma is still a little peanut for her age weighing in at 12 pounds at six months.

The spirit of Christmas is still alive in our house. I don't think Ian will let it die until next December. He prays for Santa every night and also insists on lighting candles every evening while we sing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. He whines for presents every day as well. When diapers were delivered yesterday he screamed, "My PRESENTS! THANK YOU MOMMY!"

THE HAIRCUT IN PICTURES

Seriously Mom, I can't see out of my eyes.

Jesse, do you even know what you are doing?

Hold Still.

Of course you can finish cutting the other side IF you let me watch Wallace and Gromit.

The new do..not too shabby.

Our little sunshine

Always smiling