Kiddo Update: Bonus Materials

What mom can remember every single thing that her kids are doing and saying in one sitting at her computer?  Certainly not me, and it's become abundantly clear as I've been thinking on it that I left out quite a bit of information in my last post.  So here, in no particular order, are some fun miscellaneous goodies on my bebes (enhanced by an impromptu photo op this morning):

Will

• Favorite books:  Still "Go, Dog, Go" by PD Eastman, but other faves include "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See" by Henry Holt.  Also any of the Sandra Boynton books and anything by Richard Scarry.  (Honorable mention:  his copy of "Goodnight Moon" doesn't get pulled out much anymore, but he still does request it from time to time; the poor thing is so raggedy that I'm tempted to toss it and get him a new copy, but it has his first baby teethmarks on it and I can't bear to part with it, at least for now.)
• Everyday activities:  lining up Matchbox and HotWheels cars, requisitioning one or both parents to "build BIG tower!" with blocks, or assembling a new line of track for his Thomas trains. He also adores playing hide-and-seek, sometimes involving us but usually involving hiding his humpback whale or orca toy and finding it.  (I think it must be genetic in every kid to peek through fingers while counting, and to do the speed-counting thing:  "1-2-3-45678910!")  He also really loves to pretend to be an airplane, holding his arms out to his sides and running around the living room in big figure-eight patterns, making all kinds of adorable zooming noises.  He gets SUPER-excited if he can get one or both parents to do it with him.  :)  He still loves drawing on his Magna-Doodle, too.  Will has an especial fondness for stickers, but I'm reserving my stash of those for potty-training bribery (yep, still working on this, too; sigh).  Will has this beautiful Melissa & Doug (if you haven't yet discovered these toys, you are in for a treat!) animal alphabet train puzzle, which he can put together entirely on his own, and he can say the names of all the animals, only occasionally getting tripped up on "G" for "gorilla" (of course it's a "monkey" too) and "N" for "norwhal" (yeah, cuz that just rolls off the tongue for any adult!?).  He also has a shapes puzzle and can say most of the shapes, but his clear favorite is a hexagon; in fact, if he sees a stop sign, he always points excitedly, "Hexagon, Mama, hexagon!"
• (Our) favorite expressions:  Anything he likes, he will exclaim, "(X thing), oh my favorite!" such as "Chocolate chips, oh my favorite!" or "Bathtime, oh my favorite!"  If he wants one of us to do something with him, like lay down for a nap or bedtime, he'll say "Mama's turn for bed rest" or "Daddy's turn for bed rest."  (He still hates going to bed alone...working on that.)  He also says "That's beautiful" and "That's perfect" quite a bit; again, I don't know where he gets his penchant for dramatic language.  :)  Another one:  somewhere he learned that when you do a karate chop, you're supposed to say "Hie-yah!" but for Will, it comes out "Pie-yah!"  Similarly, when he wants to say "Hooray," it comes out "Pooray!"  The substitution of the "p" for the "h" is entirely too cute to correct at this point.  Will is also fond of saying, "You try!" if he wants you to do something with him, and the funniest thing to do is to insist back, "No, you try!" which starts a back-and-forth "You try!" exchange that gets louder and more vehement and pretty hilarious at its loudest and most insistent.  And probably my absolute favorite thing he does...I deal with headaches sometimes that I have to rest off in order to keep them from becoming migraines, so I will occasionally lay on the couch until the pounding stops.  I usually stick in a video for the kiddos so they will be occupied right where I can keep at least one eye on them.  Anyway, if I'm laying on the couch, Will retrieves his beloved blanket and covers me in it, then leans down and kisses me on the cheek, sometimes several times in a row.  It's absolutely precious and heart-melting and even during a headache, I can't help but grin from ear to ear.

He's sporting a small scratch under his right eye, sustained from an in-the-night itch? He woke up with it a couple mornings ago, and looks like a little bruiser.

Lucy

• Favorite books:  "Barnyard Dance" by Sandra Boynton, "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" by Eileen Christelow, "Nursery Tales" by Mary Engelbreit, any/all of the Nancy Tillman books, and any/all of our Sesame Street book collection.
• Everyday activities:  Lucy loves to help her mama with laundry.  Her favorite thing is for me to open the dryer door (which opens down), place wet things on it, and allow her to push them into the dryer.  She always acts so proud of herself!  I've already mentioned that she is very musically inclined, so one of her favorite things is for me or Marty to sing her songs, and her ultimate favorite is "Itsy Bitsy Spider."  She doesn't quite have all the hand motions down, but she loves to try them, and when we're finished she'll say "Yay!" and clap enthusiastically.  Lucy also loves for me to put one of my robes or a blanket around her shoulders; she walks away with this look of pure girl vanity on her face, like "I am a PRINCESS and I'm SO pretty and you KNOW it."  It never fails to crack us up.  Another girlie-girl thing she does -- we have this set of rings that build onto a pole/tower, but instead of using them on the tower, she puts them on her arms like bangle bracelets.  I don't own a single bangle, so I think her desire to adorn herself with jewelry is purely genetic or instinctual, and of course I LOVE IT.  She also loves to play with phones, both real and play, and dig through my purse and wallet, pulling out every credit card and receipt.  I think it makes her feel big and important.  :)
• More words:  Marty and I have been paying attention to her words the last couple of days, because we knew she had more than what I was able to list the other day.  Here's what we came up with:  She loves rainbows and butterflies, but for now the words come out "bow" and "bye" but she's clearly working on them.  She also says:  choo-choo, yeah, comb, hot, and of course, poop.  Nice.  :)

Awwwwww.

Well, hopefully between last post and this one, I have a pretty comprehensive update.  I'm going to try to do this more often, especially as these two little people become more and more interesting, which seems to happen with each passing day!

Kiddo Update: Spring 2012

I've been working on this update for a couple months now and it's high time I get it posted already, so here goes!  (Also, I was remiss in sharing Easter pictures so forgive the abundance of Easter-themed images.)

William Champion

My little man with the soulful eyes.

• About:  You are now 34 months old, mere weeks away from your 3rd birthday.  We're going to have an "Ocean Friends"-themed birthday party for you in Indiana, so you can celebrate your big day with family (when we asked you what you wanted for your birthday party, you replied, "Elijah."  We think you might miss your cousins...).
• Interests:  You continue to love anything and everything planes, trains, and automobiles-related.  Anything that has an engine, basically.  (Something tells me we are in for it when you turn 18...)  Lately you've really become interested in helicopters and you like to find them in the sky (even when they're not really there).  You and Daddy love to watch a show on airplanes and you get really excited to say "albatross."

Beloved Thomas and Friends.

• You also continue to love ocean animals (thus, the theme of your party).  You often request to watch your "orca" movie, which is really just a documentary about the oceans.  You have these little bath squirter creatures and sometimes you won't take a bath unless you have "big orca, little orca, humpback whale, and shark" with you. 
• Activities:  Your favorite, favorite thing in the whole world is go to the park ("big park" -- the huge playground by a lake -- and "little park" -- a neighborhood park just down the street).

On Easter, playing in your cousins' backyard.

•  You dearly love to play with Play-Doh and will while away HOURS doing so.  Sometimes you don't fall asleep doing "couch rest" so I let you get up and play at the table.

You told me this was a choo-choo.  I can see it!

• Food & Entertainment:  You are still a very picky eater, although you've certainly expanded your palate and (most of the time) will obediently eat what's on your plate when told.  Your favorites are grilled cheese and tomato soup, hot dogs, and DONUTS (I think you live for donut day -- we get Dunkin' donut holes once a week).  You also have to have a big cup of orange juice first thing in the morning and, true Southern gent that you are, you love to have a cup of iced sweet tea (decaf!) with one of your daily meals.  Your favorite shows are the LeapFrog videos (numbers, the alphabet, phonics), Caillou, Kipper, Max & Ruby, and the perennial favorites Dora and Diego.

Sometimes your soup spoons magically turn into "heli-top-ters."

• Health & Development:  Thank the Lord, you are an extraordinarily healthy child.  I honestly can't remember the last time you were sick, and even then I think it was just a case of the sniffles.  Last month we took you out of speech therapy because we are just so pleased with how you're doing and want to let you continue to expand your speaking abilities on your own.  You now have so many words and phrases and sentences that we no longer keep track.  Mommy and Daddy have really learned this about you:  You might not develop according to the textbooks, but when you decide to grow in a certain area, you really go for it.  We've learned to stop worrying about you so much! 



Spittin' image of your Daddy.

• Extras:  You continue to enjoy playing on your own, but you're including Lucy more and more into your fun.  Sometimes I hear the two of you giggling about something and I know you have your own inside jokes already started (I certainly had that with my sisters!).  I know she can get on your nerves sometimes but you love her dearly and desperately hate to see her cry.  You are my sweet boy!



"I love Lucy."

Lucy Elizabeth

My fair little blue-eyed beauty.

• About:  You are now 21 months old.  We're also having your birthday party in Indiana, which will be baby doll-themed.  (I have some fun ideas up my sleeve for this!)
• Interests:  You adore your babies and you love for me to give you bottles and pacifiers (out of the stash that we still use for you!) for them.  You have a stroller that you push them around in, but usually you just carry one or two haphazardly on your hip. 

You have a serious love of the staircase and you have this crazy competitive need to beat your brother to the top every time -- wonder where you get that from?  Ha!

• Activities:  Besides following your brother around, you love to dance to almost any kind of music, but from what I can tell, you love Adele, Alison Krauss, and the BeeGees the most.  You also love the park and are much more of a daredevil than your brother was at this age; sometimes you scare us with your love of climbing on everything, but at least you prefer going down slides backwards (feet first) -- it just looks a little bit safer?!

Wheee!!!

• Food & Entertainment:  Just in the last couple of months, you've switched entirely to table food.  You adore feeding yourself and will sometimes get angry if Mommy or Daddy tries to help you finish up -- you're a big girl now!  You actually love vegetables -- you will eat broccoli, green beans, corn, and peas like they're delicacies.  You also really love hot dogs, deli ham, spaghetti, crackers, yogurt, bananas, and cookies.  Your favorite shows are Dora, Diego, Sesame Street, and the Lori Berkner Band.

You're a good eater but a super-messy one...

...so much so, that we often have to give you "sink baths" after each meal!

• Health & Development:  Little one, you have struggled with high fevers since you were 8 months old, and even though we took you to the doctor every*single*time, we were always told "It's just a virus."  Mommy and Daddy never liked that answer and felt that there had to be another explanation, and it turns out we were right.  After a series of really yucky high fevers this spring, we finally got referred to a specialist who told us that you have a funny thing called "PFAPA" (pronounced "piff-pah").  The bad news is, you will probably have to have your tonsils out sometime in the next couple years, but the good news is, we can treat you with steroids until then, and even if the tonsillectomy doesn't work, you will certainly outgrow this.  We hate that you've had to deal with these fevers but we feel so much better now that we have a diagnosis and a good plan to get you on the road to a lifetime of good health.  Developmentally, you've been a tiny bit reluctant to start talking, but just today Mommy looked up what's typical for a toddler your age, and essentially, you're supposed to have at least 12-15 words.  Well, good news, you have at least twice that number!  Here's the list that we compiled just off the top of our heads...you can say:  Mommy, Daddy, Pup, hi, bye-bye, up, down, help, stuck, (where) are you?, there you are, go, no, outside, shoes, car, look, baby, eyes, nose, ears, hat, ba-ba (bottle), ball, wow, uh-oh, Dora, Diego, and bubble.



You love to wear anything on your head!



You are also very interested in the texture of objects, like this Easter grass.  At the park, I have to double-check every plant that you touch because you can't seem to help yourself from touching anything with a leaf or bloom!

• Extras:  You are very mischievous and can pull off the perfectly innocent look when caught.



"What?  Is there a problem?"

• But more than anything, you are my little sprite who is constantly filled with joy and sparkle and energy and curiosity.  You love life!!!



So pretty.



So big!!!

Three Years of Santa Visits

Marty and I are *still* laughing about our visit with Santa today.  Check out the montage:

Year 1:  Happiness!  Santa is great!

Year 2:  Dodged a bullet with a sleeping Lucy, bribed Will with a sucker.  Decent shot.

Year 3:  The Santa visit which will live in infamy.

Now *that* is Christmas awesomeness, y'all! 

Updates on my kiddos

As we approach the end of 2011, I want to remember what the kids were doing at this point (and I haven't written anything about them in awhile, so I think it's time!)...

William Champion

• is 29 months today, as a matter of fact. 
• I can't remember the exact numbers from our last pediatrician visit, but he's 30-some pounds and 30-some inches tall.  He's wearing mostly size 2T and some 3T in clothes but a 4T in pajamas.  He wears a size 8(!) shoe.  He's also wearing a size 6 diaper.
• I haven't been in any rush to potty-train him (as I've read that it's much better to wait than to force the issue) but he's been giving me lots of signs lately, indicating a readiness to go for it.  So, right after Christmas we're going to get started! 
• is offically enrolled in speech therapy, though we haven't begun actual sessions (there's lots of screening and testing and planning that happens beforehand).  He will also be seeing a speech/language pathologist to help us move forward with appropriate therapies to improve his facial muscle tone and oral motor skills. 
• Despite any "delay," however, Will is improving all the time with his speech and is constantly adding to his vocabulary.  If a mom's gut is to be trusted as any kind of credible source for understanding a child's development (and I think it is!) then my whole theory on this is that Will was simply uninterested in speaking for a long time -- past the normal age for this interest to be piqued.  Just in the last couple months, though, we have seen this interest spark in him, as Will constantly repeats what we say (even if it's unintelligible, the effort is clearly there) and shows a growing desire to communicate wants and needs. 
• knows his A-B-C's and his numbers 1-10 (although he often inexplicably skips 6 and 7).  He's starting to show interest in the numbers after 10, too!  Will can identify lots of animals and make their sounds, though he doesn't seem to accept the fact that a zebra isn't a horse (it's a funny conversation to have with him).  He loves to point out body parts and facial features, especially his (or your) belly button -- this makes him giggle!  We are working hard on colors (he wants to call everything "blue" although I know he knows orange, yellow, red, green, purple, and pink, too, since he's correctly identified them before).  Next up is shapes; we've bought him stringing beads for Christmas to help him nail these, too.

• has had a recent EXPLOSION of interest in books (that's my boy!!!).  His favorites are "Dogs" by Sandra Boynton, "10 Tiny Puppies" (as shown above), "Go, Dog, Go" by P.D. Eastman (sensing a theme here?), Eric Carle's "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?", and "How Do Dinosaurs Count to 10?" (among lots of others). Will absolutely adores to sit in your lap and help you turn the pages, or sit and pore over all the pictures in one of his Bright Baby books.
• Also shown in that picture?  His last pacifier.  We've lost all the others and we're not going to replace this one.  He only uses it at naptime and bedtime (I don't know why he had it in this picture), but to be honest, I'm loathe to take it away from him altogether.  This has nothing to do with him but is rather my own hang-up; I'm just not quite ready to let go of one of the last semblances of his babyhood.  Plus it comforts him, right?  (Rationalize much?)
• loves to brush his teeth, although since he hasn't mastered spitting, we're still using non-fluoride training paste.  Will is also trying to help dress himself and likes to name the clothing items (he can say "pants," "shirt," "shoes," and "socks" really well but is working on "shorts" and "pajamas").
• recently started sleeping with a nightlight.  After some night-waking and crying, we put two and two together and realized it was just super-dark in his room and he didn't like it that way, so now he has a blue car nightlight that he'll specifically request if you fail to turn it on!
• also recently started singing!  His favorite is the "Backpack" song from Dora the Explorer (although it comes out "pack-pack" and is so cute I refuse to correct him for now).
• is working on his "polite" words.  I can't get him to say "please" for the life of me but my sweet boy LOVES to say "Thank you!" with lots of enthusiasm.
• is extremely affectionate.  He does this thing where he'll open his arms wide and say "Mama!" and come running to give me a hug.  Will also loves to give kisses and will make a belated smacking sound with his lips because I think he thinks he's supposed to actually make the sound rather than have it happen naturally.  It's too precious.
• has done some time in the time-out chair (the bottom step of our staircase).  He is rarely wilfully disobedient (although that's creeping up in places) but he does struggle with whining and sometimes mistreating his sister.  He is very good at taking his punishment, though, and 99% of the time is contrite and compliant after his 2 minutes are up.  So far, so good at curbing bad behavior with him!
• Favorites:
• Breakfast:  strawberry jam on toast, sliced bananas, orange juice or milk.
• Foods:  hot dogs, yogurt, raisins, animal cookies, ravioli/soft pasta, chicken, deli ham, grilled cheese, pickles, tomato soup(!), cooked carrots, Nutella, ice cream.  (Still struggling with veggies...)
• Activities:  playing with/lining up/organizing his Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, playing ball with his Daddy, coloring, going to the park, going to Sunday School, being read to, taking baths (he goes "swimming").
• Cartoons/movies:  (Richard Scarry's) Busytown Mysteries (he asks for "cat"), Kipper the Dog (he asks for "dog"), Peter Rabbit, Baby Bumblebee vocabulary builder videos.
• Dislikes:  getting his hair cut (and with his mop, we have to do it often, unfortunately), seeing Daddy leave for work, his baby sister being in his business, bedtime.

Lucy Elizabeth

• just turned 16 months.
• is in the upper 20s in weight and I simply have no idea how tall she is (I don't think they've measured her at the doctor's in quite awhile...), though I would venture to say upper 20s in inches.  LuLu is wearing both 18-month and 24-month sizes in clothing, depending on the manufacturer/brand.  She is wearing a size 5 diaper and a size 6 shoe.
• is not talking at all, really.  Sometimes I'm tempted to feel a bit dismayed by this, but now that I've seen Will's growth and development, I know that kids just develop at their own rates and most of the time, when they're just good and ready to do so and not before.  This doesn't necessarily indicate a problem (in fact, problems are rare but parents can be entirely too quick to the draw out of fear!) so we're not going to borrow any trouble unless/until our pediatrician expresses her concern.  Lucy babbles quite a bit and does have a handful of words (she loves to say "GO!" and "Yay!"), although she doesn't call any of us by name (she says something like "mama" but it's not quite there). 
• is extremely well-developed in her motor skills and physical abilities.  She has been walking since 13 months and is now running everywhere and climbing on things.  I accidentally left the baby gate open for a couple of minutes and found her about 5 steps up on the staircase!  The child has no fear and no sense of caution whatsoever.  This should prove to be interesting.
• is a champion sleeper.  If she happens to wake up at night, it's only because she's had a diaper leak or is in pain from teething, and even then it's clear that she's desperate to go back to sleep.  Her usual bedtime is anywhere from 7:30 to 8:30 (it all depends on what we've had going that day) and she will sleep for 11-12 hours solid.  She also goes down very well, too; we give her a bottle and rock her for a few minutes but only for comfort -- she is drowsy but still awake when we lay her down.  She is wonderful at settling herself in and going to sleep.  (Will was not this way AT ALL so Lucy's habits are a huge relief to us and a welcome change!)
• loves to rub her ears (or yours) as a comfort mechanism when falling asleep.  It's my favorite quirk of hers.
• is still taking warm milk bottles -- one in the morning and one at night.  Despite every effort to get her to take anything from a sippy or straw cup, she will only take a sip or two but won't actually drink for nourishment/to quench thirst.  I'm getting frustrated on this point since I can't keep buying different brands of cups to try with her, and I'm heartily sick of using bottles and I'm ready to see them go.  Dr. Estes encouraged us to try a cold-turkey approach (just don't give her a bottle one morning and give her milk in a cup instead) but I'm reluctant to try it this way (I hate any "method" of helping children to the next stage that isn't slow and gentle -- hello, WEANING).
• has garnered herself about half a dozen nicknames.  We call her "Lucy" quite a bit but we also call her "Boo-Boo," "Belles-Belles," "LuLu" or just "Lu" (or "Lou" -- her Daddy and I disagree on the spelling), and "Luce-my-goose" or "Lu-my-goo."  I know, we're weird.

• is not really into dolls yet, but does sometimes like to cuddle them and peer into their faces (I wonder if she's waiting for them to respond?).  Her favorite, favorite toy in the world is this little Fisher Price stereo that plays different kid tunes ("Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider") when you push various buttons.  She also loves this push-and-ride dinosaur that we bought for Will to help encourage him to walk (but he never used), a toy piano, and kitchen items (both play and real -- she loves bowls and spoons and spatulas).  She really loves all the Little People items and she's getting a couple more for Christmas, including a "zoo train" that plays music when you push it along, which I think is going to be a big hit with her!
• This girl LOVES TO DANCE, and her favorite music to dance to is the "Go, Diego, Go" theme song (I think because it has a strong beat?).  And she doesn't just bop about a bit, no -- Lucy waves her arms almost like a hula dance, and she shakes her little booty from side to side and up and down -- it is *hilarious* to watch. 
• struggles a bit with separation anxiety.  If her attention isn't focused on a toy or a show and I leave the room, she gets pretty unhappy, and will follow me about, trying to do what I'm doing (you can imagine how much work I don't get done when this happens).  I call her my little duckling, because she follows me around so much!  I actually love this most of the time and appreciate that she wants to be with me, but if I need to get work done or leave her in the nursery, things can get pretty dramatic and is very difficult on both of us.
• is progressing pretty slowly with her foods.  She is still eating mostly baby food (6 tubs a day!) plus cereal, but is finally moving on to some nibbles like Club crackers and honey-nut Cheerios.  She will eat green beans and raisins and ravioli but just kind of plays with other offered items.  In this area as well we're just moving at HER pace and that's okay with us!
• still has only the 4 teeth (both top and bottom front teeth).  Her incisors are coming through but PAINFULLY slowly.  Poor baby.
• is very expressive.  She will put her hands under her chin like she *knows* she's being really cute:

• has extremely wild hair.  And no one can seem to agree on whether she's dark blonde or light brunette.  I guess time will tell!
• Favorites:
• Cartoons/movies:  Dora and Diego are by far her favorites, but she also has an affinity for Sesame Street and Barney (that Will doesn't seem to share).
• Activities:  following Will around, following Mama around, snuggling on Daddy.  She loves the baby swing at the park and riding in the baby seat of the grocery cart but *only* if I let her hold my list and pen!  She also loves car rides and picture books and mirrors.  (What can I say?  She's a girl!)
• Doesn't like:  the church nursery, getting wiped up after a meal, being told "No."

"CHEESE!!!"

Cuteness overload

Prepare yourself...I'm insanely happy about these pictures and can't recommend the photographer *enough*.  She is the ever-fabulous Angie of Simply Angie Photography and can be found on Facebook and the Internet.  I went to high school with her and she's quite easily one of the sweetest people I know, in addition to being a rock star with a camera -- she offers very competitive pricing and will work with you on venues.  (She is not paying me or asking me to advertise her, we just love her that much!) 

And without further ado, here are 2-year pix of Will and 1-year pix of Lucy (taken in August, and shown here in no particular order):

Big boy bed

The big boy bed (excuse the lack of a bedskirt -- forgot to pick one up!)

The BIG BOY!

zzzzzzzzzzzzz

We transitioned Will into a big boy bed last night, and it could not have gone more smoothly.  He hasn't been sleeping well in his crib and we noticed that if he had room to stretch out, like in our bed, he slept far more soundly and for much longer.  And the light bulb went off!  We didn't get him down until 10 last night because it took awhile to assemble everything and then Will was just a little hyper with excitement about everything...but then he didn't move a muscle/make a sound until 7 this morning when he stirred just a bit and Marty re-settled him, and *then* he kept sleeping until after 10:00 -- so late that I finally just had to go in and wake him up at 10:15 because I didn't want him sleeping until noon!!!

I think the big boy bed is a big boy SUCCESS!  Hooray!

Multitude Monday...#91-100 (Yeah!)

Thankful for:

91.  A good heart-to-heart talk with my sister, even though it was over email.  Katie and I are both writers by nature so we actually embrace the opportunity to communicate in this way (you know, the Austen sisters wrote very sweet letters to each other, too!).  We are both experiencing lots of aha! moments (sorry for the Oprah-ism but it's apropos) lately and I'm relishing hers as she is relishing mine. 
92.  My instincts as a mom.  Last night I heard the tiniest moan come over the monitor and where I'd normally dismiss it (when not followed by cries) or cross my fingers and hope said child would fall back asleep, this time something told me to go investigate.  I found Will in his crib, uncovered and laying at a weird angle.  I started to readjust him but he held up his arms to me and said "Ma?"  I can't resist that.  When I sat down in the glider with him, I saw a sort of upset expression on his face.  I settled him in with his silkie (blanket) and he put his arm around me and sighed the most precious sigh of contented relaxation.  For whatever reason, he just needed me and I'm so glad I felt that instinctive need to respond.
93.  The aforementioned glider.  If rocking motions could be measured in miles, I think Marty and I could have circumnavigated the globe several times with our children by now...
94.  Dunkin' "Turbo" coffee.  It's our new addiction.
95.  The Indianapolis Colts.  Go ahead and laugh -- I'm kinda laughing, too.  But honestly, with Peyton Manning sidelined with an injury, and being led by two really really NOT GOOD (and that's being nice) backup quarterbacks, my team still went out there last night and played their hearts out.  They even had the game tied up with 2 minutes to go -- versus the Steelers, y'all!!!  I love fortitude and sportsmanship and work ethic and integrity, even in the face of certain loss.  I even had a couple tears in my eyes, as the camera showed the exhausted and sad faces of these big linebackers who I've come to love.  (I used to despise football.  Now I love it.  Just goes to show you that you should never say never!) 
96.  The anticipation of an afternoon out shopping with my kiddos today, as soon as they awake from their naps.  We're just going to do window-shopping but I relish the chance to get out and take a stroll with them in this late September sunshine.
97.  The fact that no one guilt-trips me over running the dishwasher twice (sometimes 3!) times a day.  It's the only way I can keep up with my kitchen, but because it is *MY KITCHEN*, I'll do it this way, thank you very much.
98.  The chance to teach Will new words.  His speech/language development is coming along slowly, and we're even a bit worried there might be a delay (his vocabulary falls in the normal range, but he isn't phrasing yet).  But he tries, God love him, he tries so hard.  Last night we were working on "arms," "towel," and "toothpaste."  His little eyes light up as I sound out the words; it's almost like I'm canting a magic spell and he's excited to have a front-row seat.  I just love the opportunity to teach him, period.
99.  Progress made in The Great MEGA-Clean of Autumn 2011.  I got all of Will's clothes organized this morning, along with some kitchen clean-up and several loads of laundry.  It's coming along!
100.  This being a big number, I'm going to make this item auspicious and say once again I'm thankful for my darling husband.  We fell in love in September (of 2007) so this time of year is extremely special to me and to us.  I love you, my Marty.

Soulful eyes

My son is not a typical 2-year-old boy in many respects.  Oh sure, he's extremely picky about foods and he can pitch a grand fit when he doesn't get his way.  But loud and boisterous?  He is not.  Hurtling headlong into play and activity?  He does not.  He is quiet, careful, thoughtful, and incredibly sweet. When I was pregnant with him, I got such a powerful vibe of sweetness from him, even in the womb.  I would tell people this, and I think only Marty believed me.

Will was a late bloomer when it came to walking, but even our pediatrician knows him well enough to point out that it's his personality to be cautious and thoughtful.  Exactly...it's like he really wanted to think about it for a while before committing to this walking thing.  I've often watched him in his quiet moments of play; he really gets lost in his own thoughts and imaginings and has to blink a few times to come back around if I need to get his attention.  Yes, he's a thinker, my Will.

And a feeler, too.  Sometimes, when I have to wipe his face with extra fervor because the peanut butter has dried on his chin, he'll say "Ma?" with a question in his voice, wondering why his Mommy is scrubbing at his face until it almost hurts.  Because he wants all to be well and for me to be happy, and happy with him.  Even the few times I've had to punish him, I'll be giving him my stern eyes and my lecturing voice, and he'll put his hands on my face and lean in to give me a kiss.  I've had to try so hard not to laugh when he does this, because sure, he's manipulating a bit, but I also know where it comes from -- a soft heart with sensitivity to emotion.  Yes, he's a feeler, my Will.

I've been struggling with some things this week.  Trying hard to get past a few obstacles that seem determined to stay in my path.  Just this morning I was having a quiet moment with my coffee at the kitchen table, reading the words of a dear friend, when I started softly crying, feeling overwhelmed with these roadblocks.  My kids were in the other room watching cartoons and playing, or I would never have given in to my emotions -- I hate crying in front of my children and I will do just about anything to avoid it or hide it.  But just then, Will walked into the room and came up to me, almost like he had busted me.  He put his arms up to be picked up, and I settled him on my lap where he took in the screen before me, the coffee cup, and the tears on my face.  He seemed to think for a moment, then he fixed those big green soulful eyes on me and gave me a look of such love and adoration, almost like he was saying, "Don't worry, Mama, it can't be that bad because see?  I love you!"  And I couldn't help but smile and wipe the tears away and return the tight hug that he was giving me. 

I love how children teach us so much.  I love how caring for their basic needs and meeting their demands for attention can take us away from whatever we might be doing that might be unnecessary or superfluous.  I love how kids force you to be in the moment.  And I love how my son showed me this morning that despite what else might be going on, I have him and his precious love for me.  I know some might read this and think I'm ascribing too much to a 2-year-old's capacity for understanding, but I can assure you, he understood enough to know that I needed some love.

My sweet boy. My thoughtful, feeling boy. My Will with his soulful eyes. 

At the Zoo

Last Friday, my sister Katie and I took the babies to the Indianapolis Zoo.  The morning was overcast and not overwhelmingly hot, so we were in high hopes that we wouldn't melt.  Unfortunately, by early afternoon the sun was out and blazing and the air was just plain sticky, but by then we'd packed in plenty of fun so we were ready to call it a day.  And what a day it was!  Will absolutely loved every second, though I don't think I can say as much for Lucy, who finally gave in to the nap that had been calling her name the whole time.  She did catch the dolphin show, so I know she had a great first experience, too!

Will and Mama at the dolphin show!  This is a free activity with admission and so worth the trouble of wrangling kids inside and up ramps without strollers (you have to leave them outside for some reason?).  We had great seats and the dolphins performed so well!

Lucy with my sister, "Aunt Modey" (don't ask, it's a family thing).  Lucy was a bit bug-eyed because the music was loud and people were clapping and I think that's her first experience with something like that(?).

It's difficult to get good pictures of an aquarium (and in a dark building) but I think you can see that the trainers were showing us how they work with the dolphins.  (The dolphins all have fabulous names and of course I can't remember a single one...)  Anyway, this dolphin performed lots of stunts for us; she was so much fun to watch!

Another shot of her; what a beauty!

At the Oceans exhibit, showing Will a manta ray!  He was utterly fascinated.

Now showing us a thing or two!

I love this picture -- Will wanted to grab ahold of these underwater friends so badly!

This is the view of Will that I see most often in a public place (where I feel safe for him to walk independently).  I end up chasing him and running myself ragged, but it's worth it for him to feel free to run and play for a little while at least!

Will acted like an old museum/exhibit pro, going to each display and even seemingly reading the information!  He was cracking me up.

My favorite picture of the day.  Will was waiting for the sea lion to circle back around.  He was just in awe.

Yup, that's awe on his face!

We finally made it out of Oceans and went to Plains, where they have a carousel.  First ride on one!

A zebra!  I would hold Will and tell him what the animal was (he knew "giraffe" but wasn't so familiar with zebras) and he would look at me like, Really Mom?  Are you putting me on???

Again, he didn't quite seem to believe it was a real lion!

Meanwhile, Lucy saw the inside of her eyelids...poor baby zonked after Oceans!

Another favorite picture -- I always wanted to be a mom and this shot says "Dream come true" to me, all the way to my mom shoes!

I saw this and started cracking up.  Katie thought I must have been losing my mind until I said, "Giraffes don't let their babies cry it out!" 

Not happy to be back in the stroller but fading fast...

...and officially faded!  He had the greatest time.