Emma at 10 months, strawberry picking, and house projects!

We have had a great last couple of weeks here at home. Work officially finished up for me at the end of April so May has somewhat been back to normal. We had a great weekend with Tim's mom (Nina) a few weekends back and then a quick but fun trip to PA to see my family for Mother's Day weekend. We have gone strawberry picking twice because it is such a fun activity for the kids. I love that they can run and play at the farm without me constantly having to yell, "Stay away from the street," or "watch out for that person walking down the sidewalk," or "don't throw your ball in that person's yard." I made jam with the 40 pounds of strawberries we picked. I must say, making jam gave me a new sense of accomplishment. I commented to Tim that I think I am now ready to live on a farm :)

The spring has given us a renewed desire to finish some house projects. We are finally going to brick our backyard, giving up on the hopes of grass and a garden. As one person commented, "your backyard is the Ritz Carlton for mosquitoes." It is true. Our backyard does not drain well and does not get much sun so it is pretty disgusting for most of the summer. We are excited to get it done and "add another room" to our house. We are also working on exposing some of the brick that has been covered up, patching our roof and skylight, and repairing some plumbing issues that come along with having a 1902 house. Lastly, we are going to re-paint our entire house...and by we I mean Isaac the painter. It has been fun picking out paint colors and fixing things up a bit.

Emma went in for her nine month check up last week, but was four weeks late so really I guess it was her 10 month check up. She came in at a whopping 15 pounds, just slightly in the 2nd percentile. She is so tiny we just have to laugh. When she is wearing cloth diapers she is in 6-9 month clothes, but if I put on a disposable diaper she can still wear her 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes. Emma's eye also seems to be doing a bit better. She has had a good eye week and we are hoping that the tear duct is unblocked for good. Our little petite pea continues to amaze us however with her eating ability. Some new foods this past week are eggs, yogurt, strawberries, pumpernickel bread, chicken and black beans.

Ian, or should I say "Ian the builder", has somehow turned our house into a construction zone. He finds a way to make everything a project that needs to be fixed from the couch to his bed, to the stairwell. He has a new found love for string and these days our house usually looks like a scene from Parent Trap. Ian has also had a blast watering our pots every morning and watching his own strawberries grow. We have also been chronicling the growth of our pomegranates, peaches, and grapes. Ian's godfather Nate came to visit this past weekend and I don't think Ian left his side the entire time even waking him up every morning. Sorry Nate!

The kids and I head to the beach this weekend with some friends while Tim goes on his annual golf trip. We are looking forward to some time in the sand.

Bits and Bobs

Ian got his first stomach flu last night. It was quite interesting. He made it to the toilet/bathtub a few times, but not so much several other times. I was doing laundry all night. Ian was so pathetic it was quite cute. He is still a little sick and I am shocked that I have time to blog amidst all of this, but I don't really have much to do but sit around and wait for him to get sick again. Ian kept crying for water all night long and I wouldn't give it to him for fear he would just get sick again. At one point I must have dosed off because I woke up and Ian was up on the sink in the bathroom trying to drink water straight out of the faucet.

My friend Kate sometimes does a rundown on her blog called "bits and bobs" from her days in England. Since we have an impending royal wedding which I am getting quite excited for I thought I would list our "bits and bobs" from the last couple of weeks.

1) Tim had a board meeting in Palm Beach at the beginning of April and I got to tag along. Poor Tim had to wear his suit and attend meetings all day but I got to sit in the sun and order fruity drinks for three days. My parents and siblings took on the task of taking care of Ian and Emma. Ian and Emma had so much fun at their grandparents house they didn't want to leave at the end. Ian cried from his carseat as we backed out of the driveway, "I don't want to go home."

2) My mom thinks that Ian is destined to become a politician. I am not sure where he has picked it up but he he this is how he asks for things these days, "Mom, you are so nice. Can I please have a lollipop?" Or when at my Mom's house, "Mom-Mom, I love being at your house. Can I please have some candy?"

3) Emma...oh Emma. How do I put her personality into words? She is a bruiser. She gets knocked down and gets right back up. She is climbing up stairs and yesterday I caught her trying to climb out of the crib. NINE MONTHS people! I am not ready for this. She is SO into Ian. She loves everything about him, including pulling his hair. She thinks she can swim but she can't. We also call Emma the Slimer. She constantly has stuff oozing out of her nose, eyes, mouth. She is just disgusting, but in a cute way. She is eating us out of house and home. She eats EVERYTHING in sight.

4) We went to Sewickley to be with Tim's parents and family for Easter. We had the entire third floor to ourselves and the kids did great. We were able to capture a few shots of the weekend, but all in all Ian and Emma had a blast tearing apart Nina and Grandpa's house and hanging out with the family. Ian got to plant strawberries with Nina. Tim and I got to go to a hot yoga class which we loved! Susannah taught the class and did an amazing job. Ian had his first Easter egg hunt and was so excited to find his Easter basket up in a tree!

5) It is SO hot in DC right now. I was not ready for the 90 degree weather. Where did the spring go?

6) I finished up my first full month and a half of consulting work. Becky and my Mom were awesome and came down to watch Ian and Emma while I went into work. I now have a two month break before the next filing project in July.

Sometimes they just need to be separated:

Found it!

Easter shot:

Tuckered out from church:

Nothing like a cinnamon bun at church to get one to listen:

Our sweet Emma:

Ian the tree climber:

Love those athletic legs:

Our days seem to be completely governed by the weather, which has been very hot and cold lately. It will be almost 80 degrees one day and then back down to 40 degrees and raining the next. We are taking advantage of the nicer days though and exploring DC, going to the zoo, and playing at the various local parks. As for the nasty rainy days? We have been painting A LOT as well as trying out some new art projects that include potatoes, string, and pasta.

The cherry blossoms are out and gorgeous! I fear they won't last long though as you can see from some of the pictures the petals are already starting to fall. Emma loves crawling around at the park and trying to pull herself up on everything. She has been playing really well by herself and has a tendency to become fixated on one toy. As you can see her eyes are still goopy and her tear ducts are still blocked. She does not seem to be bothered by it at all but I really wish they would clear up.

The newest yogi baby was born last week and Aidan has a new baby brother, Shane. Although I don't have any pictures of Shane who is so adorable, I do have some pictures of Ian and Aidan playing at the park. Ian and Aidan are frenemies and love to nag each other. Ian refused to pose in a picture with Aidan, and Aidan chose not to get dirty and muddy with Ian at the park despite Ian's pleading.

Tim flew to Palm Beach this morning and we got to go on the runway and watch him take off. I have never seen Ian so excited. I thought the loud noise would scare him, but he wanted to get out of the car and watch Tim take off. The takeoff took forever though so we ended up watching from the car, but it was still pretty neat. I leave on Friday to meet Tim in Palm Beach and get some R&R while Ian and Emma get to spend the weekend with my parents, sisters, and brother.

Friday Winnie the Pooh quote

If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.

Winnie the Pooh

Eeyore, Pooh's Little Instruction Book

These days I feel like Ian is not hearing me at all. Or maybe something is getting lost in translation. Or maybe he is hearing me but just choosing not to listen. Or maybe he is listening, but just choosing not to obey. Are these the terrible twos?

At the risk of boring you to death, I am using the blog to chronicle Ian and Emma at each stage of their life. In lieu of a baby book which I seem to be awful at updating.

Ian at two and a half

- repeats the same thing over and over again.

-has at least one temper tantrum a day...doesn't kick and scream, just cries very loud and says, "Mommy" over and over again

-has started picking up Emma when I am not looking and moving her from room to room

- is really into lacrosse, yoga, and wrestling right now. Tim is teaching him moves in all three.

- loves swimming with me on the weekends

- talks SO MUCH

- is still into robbers and shooting bad guys

- loves Bob the Builder right now, although he sometimes calls it Tom the Builder. It is the only show he will watch. I overheard him talking on his cell phone the other day as he was hammering a chair, "Hi Bobby, you have a job for me?"

Emma at eight and a half months

- is eating so much! loves all types of squash, lentils, carrots, oatmeal, apples, pears, grapes, peas, spinach, potatoes

- does not like bananas

- is always on the move

-loves to pull herself up on EVERYTHING. Thinks she can stand and walk by herself so she will let goand then fall. Balanced for a few seconds on her feet yesterday

-LOVES Pippin. This is an understatement. If Pippin is in the room she just stares at him. Does not like it when he barks though.

- Is putting EVERYTHING in her mouth. Ian didn't go through this phase so it is new to me. I constantly have to watch Emma to make sure she isn't trying to swallow anything.

Pippin at four and a half years

- is still a curmudgen that likes to sleep on the guest bed during the day and has recently took to sleeping in the nursery at night

- still barks at everyone who walks by our house

- favorite mailcarrier is Cassandra and like Ian is a fan of Tyrone the exterminator

- does not like UPS

- still is on the heavy side...probably from eating too many sticks

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."”