From the Mouths of Babes in November

Linus:  I'm a husky.  I play football.  Do huskies drive cars?
Me: Some do.
Linus: Do they drive on the freeway?
Me: Some do I guess.
Linus:  I'm a husky and I drive my car on the freeway.
Later while playing football...
Linus: Hut hut hike and then I'll drive on the freeway.

Linus: Ooh. Pretty Mama.   (Linus on seeing me in my black one-piece bathing suit)

While playing blocks with my sister, Sally's fiance, Bryan.
Bryan: What do you want to build?
Linus:  Not a gun. Mommy doesn't like guns.

Bad Hair: One Girl's Journey and a Miracle

When I was little, I was cute.  I had wispy, baby fine hair.  See evidence below. 

 

Kindergarten

My hair was always in my face or in two braids.  It stayed this way through 5th grade.  Oh how I wish someone would have explained to me that hair changes when you age, and that I could have relished that easy to manage hair.

And then I turned 12.

6th grade

Overnight my hair increased in thickness and became coarse and frizzy with unpredictable waves.  I could barely put a comb through it.  Time did not improve things.  They got worse.

7th grade

It is easy to see why boys weren't exactly banging down my door.  I slowly learned that applying heat could ease some of the volume.  My hair got a little less voluminous in high school and even seemed to calm a little in public.  However, I was always at the mercy of the weather.  Any moisture and I was right back at 7th grade.  And forget air drying.  It could take up to 4 hours and I was left with strangely textured hair.

I hit my low during the summer of 2006.  Dave and I were vacationing in Thailand.  For those who are unaware, Thailand is very humid.  Suddenly, I was reliving that episode of Friends where the gang goes to the Bahamas and I was Monica.  It was bad.  My fears were only confirmed by our tour guide.  The movie, Superman, had just opened starring Brandon Routh.  Our guide thought that Dave looked a little like him and took to calling Dave, "Superman."  Cute right?  Sure, until he then questioned why someone as good looking as Dave would be with me.  Burn.  I suffered through 3 weeks of excruciatingly bad hair.

Some people would say, "learn to live with it," "embrace it," "get over it."  I tried. Oh God I tried.  At one point about 4 years ago my hair decided it wanted to be more curly.  I tried putting in curl creme, rocking the curl.  I tried for about 6 months.  In the end, I was left with lumpy, frizzy, coarse hair that was curly in some parts, more wavy in others.

I thought things were looking up when I got pregnant with Linus.  My hair got a little straighter, a little smoother.  Sure I needed to blow dry and use a straightener (a 45 minute process), but I was looking better.  Then I got pregnant with Eileen and my hair reverted to a much more frizzy, unruly former self.  Some of my students wanted to know what happened to my hair and why I couldn't look like I did after I had Linus (I had a family pic on my desk).  Nothing like middle school to keep you real.

So I have spent the better part of my life struggling with my hair.  I don't know what happened, but suddenly in the last 2 months my hair decided to revisit life as a 7th grader.  Despite blow-drying straight, using high end smoothing gel, and a straightener, my hair refused to behave.  It was big and some parts looked like a rat and been munching on my hair (I'm not joking). 

I went to my haircut last Tuesday night.  I made sure to preserve my hair all day so that the stylist could see the mess it had become.  That morning I had read in People Magazine about the textured perm that Kate Middleton got, and it got me thinking about straightening perms.  As soon I mentioned this to the stylist, she asked me how I felt about organic.  When I said I didn't care, she suggested a Brazilian Blowout.  I was immediately on board.  She handed me a glass of wine and told me to not tell anyone where I got it done (since they don't officially offer the service).  It was only afterwards that I learned that those pregnant or breastfeeding should not get it done.  Whoops.  Well, I am almost done with nursing so it can't have done too much harm right?

I am pleased with the results.

No longer must I fear water or humidity.  I only need to blow dry if I so choose.  It can air dry in under an hour with zero frizz.  I can hardly believe it.  I have low maintenance hair!  It's a little weird not having any body but I'll adjust.  I can go swimming and get my hair wet!  I can walk to my car when it's raining and not ruin my hair for the day!  Hair anxiety is gone.  I am excited to grow my hair a little longer.  I haven't had it at my shoulders since I was 14 due to mushrooming effects.  Look out rainy, wet world!  I no longer fear you.

Soccer Practice

Today was the last day of the fall session of Lil' Kickers.  Linus did Lil' Kickers when he was 20 months and had fun.  We tried to do it again this past summer and it was a major fail, but we decided to give this fall a shot anyway.  It's been a lot of fun.

We always make sure to wear our matching sambas.

Eileen is Linus' biggest cheerleader.

Linus has gotten surprisingly good.  I am constantly amazed at this ability to dribble up the field and around things.  He also kicks left footed.

We lucked out and his class usually only had 3 kids.  This was great.  He loved the one on one attention, it helped rein in his silliness, and it allowed Eileen and I to sit out on the sidelines (the group next to us had 16 boys and 1 girl).  He loved his coach, Coach Kat.  I was really impressed by her and I hope he gets her again someday.

Linus and the girls

He still fits his soccer clothes from when he was 20 months (they were very big on him then).

Lil' Kickers is a very "Seattle" thing to do and probably a bit overpriced once you factor in the membership fee.  I didn't enroll him for the winter session.  I don't want him to get burnt out on soccer before he is out of preschool.  Instead, next week he is going to start gymnastics at the community center.  I really want to expose him to a lot of different sports.  If he misses soccer terribly, there is always the spring.  He is a little suspicious about gymnastics.  I can't wait until he is a little older and I can throw him in a dance class....

Eileen at One

Eileen turned 1 on Tuesday.  So far I am handling the milestone pretty well.  She's isn't walking yet so it is still easy to think of her as a baby.

November 15, 2010     Born 11:58 PM      7 lbs 4 oz    19 inches long 

She takes being 1 very seriously.

Today we visited the doctor and got her one year stats.  She was pretty angry about the whole shot thing.

Weight:  22 pounds  65th  percentile
Length:  29 inches     50th percentile
Head Circumference:  18.26 inches    85th percentile
Number of teeth: 8, but working hard on 9 and 10.

Eileen is a very silly baby.  One of her current favorite activities is to lay down on top of our feet.  She also likes to lay down on laps and have her belly scratched  like a puppy.  Some of her other favorites are:  wrestling, pulling books off shelves, eating, laughing maniacally, being outside,  playing with the toy kitchen, hanging upside down, and pulling off her shoes and socks.

Eileen has brought so much joy to our lives.  If someone could promise me that every baby would be as sweet, easy going, and as good a sleeper as Eileen, I would have problems saying no to a large family.

Gone Baby Gone

Or otherwise known as Baby Eileen's First Birthday

My precious little Eileen came into this world during an epic windstorm one year ago and my life has never been the same since.  Despite the fact that she won't remember this day I wanted to make it special.  We started out with a trip to Starbucks and the zoo while Linus was at preschool.  This was a pretty big deal since normally she is stuck in a stroller and subject to Linus' whims.

Dressed for the cold.

 It was a crisp, cold, clear day.  There were no school groups and hardly any visitors.  This meant all the animals were out.  It was unbelieveable!  It was incredible how great the animal viewing was.  I think we both enjoyed our leisurely stroll through the zoo.

In the trail of vines a few minutes before she fell asleep.

The kids took long naps and Dave came home early from work.  Dave and I made sure to both get pics with our birthday girl.

 Our friend, Megan, who is also the kids' godmother, joined us for dinner, cake, and presents. 

Why yes I did make the hat.  Thank you for asking.

Great minds think alike and Megan and I both got Eileen a noah's ark (one fisher price, one playmobile).  Linus was very helpful with the present opening and toy quality control.  He has been careful to product test all of her birthday presents--especially the baby dolls, stroller, and play tunnel.

She even managed to try to blow out the candles.

mmm. pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.

It was a simple first birthday.  Simple is good.  As I nursed and rocked a sleepy Eileen before bed, I tried to soak in all of her sweet babiness because I know all too well that my baby is growing up quickly and her baby days are numbered.

Cousins

My children are blessed to have so many cousins.  They only have one cousin on my side of the family, my nephew, Dylan.  My sister, Beth, and her son, Dylan, came up to visit this weekend to celebrate all the libra/scorpio birthdays.  Having only one cousin means that the kids have all developed a special relationship, enhanced only by how close their birthdays are.  They are each almost exactly one year apart (Eileen missed sharing Dylan's birthday by 2 minutes).

After the hubbub of family birthday party,  the kids all had a morning to just enjoy each other.  The weather wasn't too cold or wet so we headed to Meadowbrook Pond in hopes of running off some energy and maybe seeing some wildlife.

There were lots of fallen leaves to crunch.

These two really love each other.

Linus likes to help take care of and lead those younger than him.

 We didn't see any beavers, but it was really nice to enjoy the serene quality of the park.  Then it was back home for lunch and to play in race cars that Dave built.

It warms my heart when I see the kids play together.  This morning Linus told me he forgot to call Dylan last night.  I offered to let him call, but he said he could do it himself.  He proceeded to grab the phone from the play kitchen.  He told Dylan he had a nice time yesterday and wanted him to come over soon.  I couldn't have said it better myself.

Linus at Three

Linus is now three.   He is very proud to tell you he is growing up.  He gave up his binky this week.  There was some sadness on his part and naps are more difficult, but being 3 is a big deal and part of growing up is not needing a binky.  However, loveys are still very much okay. 

Linus now stands tall at 38 inches (56th percentile) and weights in at 33 pounds (64th percentile).

Linus keeps my days full.  He loves to dress in costumes and really commits to his roles.  Some of his current interests are:  baking,  reading, scuba, trucks, construction, sea turtles, exploring, science, soccer, swimming, and U Village of course.  He loves all his cousins and of course Eileen (when he isn't tormenting her).

 

He LOVES playing in boxes and tries to commandeer any that come into the house.

Linus dislikes: time outs, being told no, whatever is being served for dinner, when Eileen plays with his toys, and sitting still.

Linus has an abundance of energy and is constantly on the go.  I have to work hard to keep his days full--God bless preschool.  He has a very mischievous nature and you can often see the plotting going on in his eyes.  Linus enjoys being silly and constantly cracks himself up.  He is one smart little boy who keeps his teachers on their toes.

I'm so glad my baby boy still likes to snuggle and always has a kiss for me.  Even at his most frustrating, it's his sweetness that always wins everyone over. 

I can already tell that three is a completely different ballgame than two.   Friends have warned me about the difficulty and frustration of dealing with a 3 year old.  I will just need to remember all the wonderful things about this little boy who knows how to push all of my buttons.  But looking at my scuba boy as he gets ready for bed is enough to warm my heart and take on each new challenge.

From the Mouths of Babes in October

Linus wanted Eileen to join him in the rocking chair.
Dave:  You're rocking too fast.  I don't know if she'd like that.
Linus: She will fall on the ground and candy will come out.

Me:  You're the luckiest boy in the world (referring to the cardboard front end loader Dave built).
Linus:  No.  I'm the luckiest construction guy.

Linus: I'm going to ask very nicely.  Please may I ......

Linus wanted to pick up the food crumbs he dropped from the table.
Me: I'll pick up the ground when we're all done eating. 
Linus:  You can't pick up the ground.

Linus: I don't like you mommy.
Me:  Alright.  Why don't you like me?
Linus:  You did something bad.
Me: Linus, the only thing bad that I did was loving you.
Linus: Ohhh. That's so sweet.

Linus:  Mommy don't so something bad or I will put you in jail.  If you do something bad I will put you in double jail.