The Snots

When we got sniffles when we were growing up (and I think he still says it), my dad used to say "You might think it's funny, but it's SNOT!" I, in turn, say it to Lucy all the time. Well, I've been saying it a lot the past few days. Both girls have had a cold. Lucy's is better now but Harper is a snotty mess. She hates having her face cleaned up and definitely does not want her nose wiped (and I MUST wipe it every few minutes- seriously it is a lot of nastiness on her face). She twists and turns, screams, cries and throws herself about each and everytime. Harper will be playing peacefully on her blanket and I will look over, she will pop her head up and there it is, snot from one ear to the other, in her hair, behind he ears, on her hands and all over her shirt. It happens in a matter of seconds. She is one big gross mess. And she thinks it's funny. She sneezes and laughs, she drools all over her toys and plays in the mess, she looks at herself in the mirror and wipes her wet, snotty hands all over her face, squealing and loving every minute of it. She might think it's funny that her nose is really runny, but it's snot!
the shoulders on my shirts will never be the same. crusty. slimy. snotty.

Make that one more for dinner

Lucy was given the movie "Mary Poppins" for her birthday. I had no idea when I suggested the movie that it was 2 1/2 hours long so we hadn't watched it until today, when I allowed Lucy to skip nap and tune to the tube instead. Did she like it? That might be an understatement. She sang the songs throughout the night (or her versions, maybe even better!), she talked about "getting the giggles", "flying with umbrellas" and the "spooky fireplace guys". She loved the carousel, the penguins and the bird lady. But the proof that she truly LOVED the movie? She asked if Mary Poppins could join us for Thanksgiving dinner. When I began explaining that Mary Poppins wasn't a real person, her face began to dim... so I lied. I told her that Mary Poppins lives in England and they don't celebrate Thanksgiving there so she wouldn't be able to make it for the big feast. When she confirmed that Poppins was indeed real, I said "Of course!" and she said, "well, then she'll have to come over some other time. To babysit. That's a plan, isn't it Momma?" If only we could find a Mary Poppins to watch the girls, Ian and I would get a lot more dates in, that would definitely be a good plan.

More than turkey

Lucy is gearing up for Thanksgiving. She is insisting that she will be helping with all the cooking. I've decided I will let her make the dressing all by herself. With the proper ingredients out and measured, I don't think she can do too much harm. The proof will be in the stuffing.
She is very excited about Gramzie and Pop Pop coming into town as well. She has lots of plans, and questions about their visit. She is very excited about having some friends join us as well. The only thing she isn't too jazz about- the fact that Barack Obama and Ina Garten won't be joining us. Here she was today, jumping up and down, telling me about everyone coming to Thanksgiving dinner and then she throws in "and Barack Obama and Ina and Gramzie and Pop Pop!" I stopped her and said, "Barack Obama and Ina won't be able to make it to Thanksgiving this year. They need to be with their families." Her face fell, she said "Oh no, I wanted to invite them over for dinner. When can they come?" I reminded her that we didn't actually know the President-elect or the food network star and that we could invite them the best way we knew, but they may not be able to come. She thought for a minute and then said, "that's ok. I'll tell Santa to deliver the invitation. They can come for dinner together another day." Hear that Santa? You've got some work to do.

What a face!

Flashing dimples.

In the hat that my Nanni knitted for Lucy.

Teacher, teacher

Anybody that knew me when I was a little girl knows that I was always in charge. I was the play director, the dance instructor and the teacher. I would make my sister and all our friends do whatever I said (ok, so maybe you don't have to have known me when I was little, time doesn't change everything).
Lucy is the same way. Harper is not her target, yet, but LaLa is. Lucy has started pretending to be the teacher and LaLa the student. I love to see Lucy setting out clothes, a lunch and a backpack for LaLa and getting her ready for school. Then she puts LaLa in her babydoll carseat and into her imaginary car, drives her to "school" and then gets to work. She sets up art projects, free time activities, a lunch room, a storytime and even takes her out to the "playground". Other students include GaGa, Dippa Dippa, Siga, and Fred- although they seem to be the ones that get in trouble all the time. Troublemakers may not earn high marks, but Lucy certainly gets an A+ in pretend play.

Warm November Days

We had a few warm days last week. The weather warranted a walk out the Dyke Marsh trail, swinging and playground time and tree climbing. Here are the girls enjoying the weather.

Insert Foot in Mouth

I think the photo says it all. Harper was chewing on her foot. It must have looked tasty, Lucy decided to taste the other. What's so unusual about that? Harper thought it was hilarious.

A few videos

Learning to sit. She definitely has it down now, although falling over is in the cards still.

Lucy putting on a show for Harper.

6 Month Check up

You would think that after all of Lucy's shots and Harper already having gone through a couple rounds, I would be more at ease about Harper getting shots. I'm not. Today was terrible, for me. I hate that my sweet little girl who is playing with the paper on the examining table (perhaps her favorite thing in the world- a place covered in crinkly, you may tear it up, chew it up, paper!) gets stung in one leg with two shots, recovers quickly and then gets two more shots in the other leg. It's just not fair.
Anyways, she is none-the-wiser already and had a great visit. Any parent has to love when they are at the doctor's office and their thoughts are confirmed- "your daughter is perfect". Of course!
Harper weighs 13.7 pounds. She is in the 75th percentile for height (must be the Legel side in her that gives her all that towering height) and 10th percentile weight. Long and lean. She does not have any teeth coming in afterall, just loving biting. She has started to get up on her knees and does some sort of awkward forward movement where she drags her head and pushes with her feet across the floor, butt in the air. It look painful and doesn't last long so maybe she will get the hang of something else soon. She does crazy yoga movements, sitting cross-legged, laying her belly completely flat on the floor to grab something and then coming right back up into a perfect sitting posture.
She had her first cookie today, it was a peace offering after the shots. She loved it. She wallowed in it. There will be a lot more cookies in her future if she has anything to say about it. Other than that, she is a big fan of eating. With her attitude, you would think that she would be a hefty little baby. Last night she screamed between each and every bite. The food just wasn't coming fast enough. She doubled her usual mealtime allowance and then needed milk just an hour or so later. Piggy. She is also hilarious when it comes to the cup. She knows what it is. She knows what comes out. She knows what to do. But will she cooperate and do it- no. She refuses to hold the cup with two hands so what we get is a little drunk at the table who slings her drink around, screams when it won't land in her mouth and chugs it and chokes it when she finally does manage to land it in her mouth. Sounds like a few friends I know. It doesn't help that Lucy thinks that all her antics are hilarious and that Lucy is the number one person Harper tries to impress.
On the funside of things, Harper loves bubbles, anything that rattles and shakes, anything cold. She gets a frozen washcloth or teether for "dessert" every night. She loves playing peek-a-boo and loves trying to grab the dog when he walks by. By far, her favorite thing, person or object in the world is Lucy (and the feeling is mutual). The downside to her growing up is that she is also starting to see what it is like being the little sister. She has her toys taken away by Lucy, she gets knocked down by her, she gets clocked by her and she isn't allowed to touch Lucy's things. I have a feeling that school mornings are going to turn out to be times when Harper gets a free run at the place, finally getting to play with the toys she always wants to play with- Lucy's.
I can't believe it has been 6 months. She is such a great baby and such a sweet little girl- but you can see the michief in those eyes, and I think the next 6 months will be a fun one to begin seeing what type of little girl Harper will turn out to be. In the meantime, she has been cleared to eat meat- so it will be turkey for Thanksgiving. Lucy and I have been talking about Thanksgiving, the pilgrims, and all that jazz. I think that with two healthy, happy girls we will have a lot to give thanks about.

Here is Harper making noise- a lot of it. She loves seeing how loud she can be. Lucy is in the tub, trying to get my attention. The video does not do the noise justice. It is ear piercing.

Tooth or no tooth?

Harper is a drooling machine. It has made her cheeks and chin raw, my clothes, her clothes, her toys and everything that comes near her soaking wet. She bites everything in site. And yet I'm not sure if there is a tooth or not. She thinks it is a big game when I try to look. There seems to be a little white spot, but I can't really tell since she starts giggling, razzing and talking everytime I try to look. Her sleep has been disrupted and she has been a little needy. It could be teeth, it could be that she is closing in on 6 months and has learned how to manipulate me. We'll see, in the meantime she is relishing the cold teething rings, the frozen wash cloths, the frozen veggies in her teething bag and the attention.

He can dance, too!

A word on the previously mentioned "Jack" Lucy's left hand man: he can dance. I found this out last night when Lucy was waving her hand about half and inch from my face while I was singing her bedtime stories. It was, as you can imagine, quite annoying. When I asked her to stop for the 15th time, she said, "It's Jack, he learned how to dance. Isn't he a good dancer?" I told her that it was bedtime and Jack needed to start getting quiet. She stroked her hand and whispered to Jack that it was time to go to sleep. Then Jack whacked me in the face and she scolded him. Folks, it's a bit like living with Sybil around here. They say imaginary friends and strong imaginations are signs of a highly intelligent child. I don't know about that, but I do know that hitting your mom in the face and then looking at her with a straight face and blaming it on your friend, who is indeed your hand, takes talent- and guts.

Harper, there's a boy on the phone for you

A boy calling my girls? Yes, and they both beamed and giggled and loved the very idea of it. Lucy chatted, whispered "I love you" and jumped up and down with excitement. Harper, her first phone experience, grinned from ear to ear and even added some babble to the conversation. The only boy who can get this type of love and attention from them is, of course, their Daddy. And did I mention he is smitten as well?
Ian is out of town for a few days and Lucy has said at least 40 times today (in the 6 hours since he left) that she misses him. She has activities that they need to play upon his return and she has school work to show as well. Harper looked for him at dinner (this is her favorite time of day to lay-it-on-thick. She bats her eyelashes, grins, plays coy, and flirts in every way imaginable). She ended up being her rottenest ever (yes, she enjoyed being told "No!", it only encouraged her). Spitting ensued, the dog was covered in squash, cereal was smeared in her hair. I guess flirting keeps her in check. Hurry home Daddy.

She's an Animal

She started out as "the little tree frog" then graduated to "little monkey". With the crazy hair she became the "little rooster" and when Halloween rolled around and she was screaming at us for food all the time and she became "the little monster". Today Harper morphed into a new animal: little opossum. Why? because she has found out that hanging upside down or turning her head to look at things from a sideways position is great fun. What animal will we have on our hands next? Who knows, maybe a screaching monkey or a crawling bug. It's a good thing we are the zoo-loving types.

Naming of Hands

On the right we have Jeff. On the left we have Jack. They are Lucy's hands. Yes, she named them. They are given kudos for accomplishing things like eating snacks, playing nicely, coloring, etc. They are consoled when one gets hurt (the other strokes the hurt hand and whispers sweet nothings to make the hurt hand feel better). They have their own story as well. Jeff is Jack's dad. Jack is 4 years old. Lucy says that Jeff isn't a particular age, because "grown ups aren't numbers". Lucy also likes when they get into capers: "Jack is a big mess. He is all purple!" (yes, she was finger painting). It might come across as bizarre for most, but Lucy naming her hands is pretty much the norm around here. We think it's hilarious and we try to trip her up with which hand is which games. She always knows who is who, and for that, I think, Jeff and Jack deserve a big thumbs up.

Sitting Pretty

She almost has it. Sitting that is. Until she throws herself backwards. She also has a hard time keeping her legs still- lots of kicking and shuffling, trying to kick off her socks or shoes or trying to lick her toes. She does think she is pretty big stuff when she finds herself sitting by herself, which usually leads to waving her arms and kicking her feet and then falling over. She is not deterred though. She just rolls over and tries to pull herself back to sitting, or finds a toy and starts playing.

She is moving backwards all the time. I keep finding her halfway under things- the dining room table, the coffee table, the tv stand. She just gets there and stops and waits for someone to rescue her.

Harper is also starting to sleep more and more in the big crib in Lucy's room. We are still trying to figure out schedules, etc and Lucy is a little too excited about her being in her room (she's thinking sleepover, I'm just thinking SLEEP!)

Lucy thinks she is the mom. I ask her a million times a day "who's the momma?" She wants to wipe Harper's nose, make her food, change her diaper, give her toys, take her shoes off, etc. It could be helpful if I wasn't afraid of her loving her to death.

And Harper's "mamamama" is the word of the day. Love it.

The only one

Lucy went to school today happy with election results and happy to be returning to school after a busy week and a missed day due to the elections. When I picked her up she was so excited to tell me that she was rewarded a special sticker because Miss Sue, the movement teacher, asked the class who won the election. Lucy was the only person in her class to know the answer. Perhaps the bigger reward was getting to tell Ian when he got home from work that she was the only one that knew the answer. "Barack Obama is the new president. He is the winner. He is the WINNER! I knew the answer. I got a sticker!" The town is full of big winners today!

Tushie times two

Why do both of our girls love to be naked? They really do. Harper is just like Lucy was when she was a baby. No matter what ails her, take her clothes off and she is a happy camper. Lucy still loves to run around shirtless or naked as a jaybird. This particular night, they hit their nude hour at the same time so the camera had to come out. Little buns all over the house and they were giddy with naked drunkeness. A streaker and a little chubby rolly polly- it was a good night.

Trick or Treat!

We had a great Halloween week. It started with Boo at the Zoo, pumpkin carving, then we had a Hallowen parade at Lucy's school on Thursday, Halloween on Friday (and then off to Pittsburgh). Lucy loved carving pumpkins and was definitely in charge of the night's fun. She dictated how the faces should look, what seeds to keep and roast and was in love with the final results when they were all aglow. Harper liked sticking her hands in the gooey insides and watching all the excitement.

For the Halloween parade, Lucy dug out her old ladybug costume (the theme was "all God's creatures"). As you can see in the video, Lucy is the hoppiest at school as well as at home.

Trick or treating went great. Lucy walked her little legs off, filled her goody bag and didn't get scared or whiny one bit. She chose all candy bars when givenn the choice and really liked seeing all the kids running crazy. Harper just went along with the spooktacular fun. Lucy is already gearing up for next year and the next. Her guess is that she will want to be a peacock next year, a ladybug the following year and a monkey after that.

Back to the 'burgh

Last week we thought that it was a good idea to let Lucy trick or treat then hop in the car by 8pm and head to Pittsburgh. We were willing to gamble on Lucy being hopped up on candy and not falling asleep until maybe 10pm or so. We were betting that Harper would sleep the entire way. We were wrong.

Here's how it really went down:

Trick or treat, in car and rolling down the street by 8:05, not bad.

Harper asleep by 8:10pm, great!

9pm-stop for Lucy potty break, ugh.

9:12, 10pm Reminding Lucy to go to sleep (again and again)

10:30- potty break #2 (really, two stops in 4 hours?)

10:35, 11pm, 11:10, 11:12, 11:15, 11:22,... Lucy whining that she is sleepy. No sleep in sight.

Midnight, roll into Pittsburgh (after missing an exit and having a 30 minute detour). Lucy drifts off to sleep. Harper wakes up. Lucy wakes up upon getting to the hotel.

1am- Harper still awake.

2am- Lucy still awake.

3am- Lucy tossing and turning, likely asleep. I start first coughing fit of the night.

8am- Harper wakes up- starving. All up, let the fun begin!

Even with a taxing drive there (and that doesn't even cover the hour and a half that Harper screamed on the way back to DC and the 4 stops we had to make to try to appease her), the girls were great all weekend. Naps were had, bedtimes were pushed far beyond their limits and yet, both were smiling and happy throughout the weekend. Lucy was thrilled to play and dance with Addison, Tracy, Donna, Michelle, Aunt Lauren and Grandma. Lucy was head over heals with Pops, as usual. Max was asleep the entire visit, or so it seemed, and Harper learned what fun it is to play with Pops' face and to watch all the fun at the wedding reception, as long as she didn't have to get into a car. It was a nice visit although a whirlwind. Lucy says, "next time we go to Pittsburgh we should stay 4 days."

Sleeping, and it's nothing but good news

Lucy is sleeping. It is 1am and Obama has been announced the President- Elect. It is tempting to wake her (or was a couple hours ago). We decided that it is better for her to sleep and start the day with good news. It can be predicted (pretty accurately) that the news will make Lucy hop up and down a million times over, squeal with delight and scream Obama's name. It will make her so happy. And she isn't the only one.
She voted today. I let her push all the buttons on the touch-screen voting machine. She got her sticker and she was pleased with herself, but very serious about the task at hand. Harper chewed on a stroller strap and made grins with all the other voters. It was a most positive voting experience, less than 10 minutes long and we got the results we were looking for. Yes, tomorrow will be a good day.

Who would you invite?

There are so many little fantasy games that grown ups play as conversation starters, get-to-know-yous, etc. One is "what books would you take with you on a deserted island?" Another is "If you could invite 12 people, dead or alive, to dinner, who would you invite?"
Lucy may not be playing some game, but she knows part of her answer, "Barack Obama and Ina." She asked me the other day if "Obama could come over for dinner when Ina comes." I said, sure, he could come, if and when Ina (from her favorite food network show) came over to dinner. I'm sure the other members of the dinner party would include Harper, La La, random family members or 3 year-old friends and perhaps a cartoon character or two, or maybe a teacher from school. I'm sure that a special, chosen stuffed animal or little animal figurine would be there as well. I'm sure noodles would be served, and maybe salad. And definitely Pez, jelly beans or smarties for dessert.
And after dinner, instead of cocktails, they would all take a big bubble bath, run around in the nude with a hooded towel on their head yelling "Lucy dragon or Ina dragon or Barack dragon", insist on 5 more minutes of play, need a bowl of Cheerios for a snack, pick out the world's longest bedtime story, kiss and tickle Harper before bed, and then proceed to dream up 2-10 more things they need before going to bed (a drink, a potty break, a tissue ...). Finally, the night would end with "twinkle twinkle little star" and a reminder to "keep the door cracked".