big weekend plans

There are big goings on in our neck of the woods. Sure, it's the start of football season and a three-day weekend (for those in my family who are not me...stupid project I got hired to work on!). But for A and E, this weekend's all about growing up.

As you know, we are working with E's potty training, and thus far it's been relatively painless. Sure, we've had an accident here and there, but so far so good. This weekend, we are just going to keep on keeping on with that. Maybe we'll do an outing or two to Target in panties. Or, maybe I'll even let her sit on the upholstered furniture again. The point is to have her pretty much fully potty trained by Tuesday when she changes classes at school. The timing isn't fantastic...just when she's gotten used to the old classroom, we're pulling the ole switcharoo on her. However, I think she'll get a lot more out of the new setting and the older kids. I'll keep you posted.

As for little miss A...I wouldn't be surprised if she was walking by the end of the weekend. She's definitely taking a lot more steps (11 in a row yesterday at school!). And, yesterday, she was able to get herself up to standing without any assistance.

We're going into this weekend with a baby and a little girl...we'll be coming out with a toddler and a big girl. :::sniff::: It's amazing how time goes by so fast.

it's that time of year again

Yep, ladies and gents (gents? are there any gents reading this?) football season has begun. As I type this, LSU is playing Mississippi State. And we are watching it. For the next three months (and throughout the holiday season), Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays will be all football, all the time. AFC, NFC, SEC, ACC, Big East, Conference USA, PAC-10...we'll watch them all. If I'm not vigilant...a Division II or Classic game will be sneaked in as well.

And if it's a Saturday chez Slacker and our TV isn't tuned into football? Why, John will be at a game. I wish I were exaggerating, but when queried on what games he was planning on going to, John's reply was the following:

UT vs. Southern Miss, UVA vs. GT, UT vs. Geogia, UVA vs. UConn, UVA vs. Wake Forest, UT vs. Arkansas, and UVA vs. VA Tech.

My friend from work, Kristin, once mentioned that her husband didn't watch football. "So...you actually do stuff on the weekend?" I asked her. What a strange concept that is to me. But for me, the haunting strains of Rocky Top will be constantly playing in my head, and the color orange will figure prominently in not only John's but A and E's wardrobes every Saturday.

It's football season yet again...wahoowa!

praise for mommy

As a mom of young children, the concept of privacy has gone the way of the dodo. I haven't really gone to the bathroom by myself since Spring 2005. So it was no suprise yesterday to have E come barging into the master bath last night.

"Mommy, what are you doing? Are you going pee pee on the potty?" she asked.
"Yes, E. That's what I'm doing," I replied.
"Good job, Mommy! I'm SO proud of you!"

It's nice to get a little praise every now and again.

the name game

Since we are on the topics of names, I was thinking about my own girls names. I love both of their names so much -- they honor family members and fit them so well (now that I know her, A is so not a Susannah Jane). But, I have violated some of my own major "When I'm a parent, I'll never..." rules.

First of all, I have taken to calling both girls by nicknames on occasion. I had wanted to abstain from nicknames because, with the exception of a 6-month period after college when I tried to be "mature", I have never, ever gone by my given name of Kathleen. My parents even *named* me with the sole intention of calling me Katie. So, it was kind of a pain growing up -- correcting everyone on the first day of school, having people assume my nickname was Kathy. I wanted to keep the girls from that. But here I am, calling the girls Lizzie and Addie on occasion.

Secondly, I wanted to give the girls names of equal popularity. While my name never cracked the top ten, my sister Kara's was practically unheard of. So all that really cool personalized stuff that little girls want (pencils, barrettes, coffee mugs, bracelets)? If they had Katie, there was pretty much no chance that they had Kara, too. So what do I do? Name my first daughter a name that (according to the Baby Name Voyager) has consistently been in the top 20 since...oh...the 1800s. And my second daughter...her name peaked at 169 in the 1910s, fell out of the top 1000 in the 1950s and didn't even reappear in the top 1000 until 2003 (it was 467 in 2006).

Eh...it's not the first time (and certainly not the last) I've had to eat my words with regard to my parenting choices.

the hot top chez slacker mama

Last night, John and I sat down and chatted over a beer (mine was my new fave, Smuttynose IPA and John's was a Coors Light). And while we discussed the usual -- E's potty training, A's walking attempts, coordination of day care drop off/pick up -- the big topic in our house was Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan's baby boy.

We've been discussing this on and off for the last week or so...it's the perfect fodder in our house, combining our loves of celebrity babies (mine) and sports (his). We've talked about whether or not we think they should get back to better (we do, but don't think they will). We discussed whether Tom should have gone to the preseason game in Charlotte last Thursday night (we were torn on this one). But last night, we were discussing the baby's name, which had been released.

It's John Edward Thomas Moynahan. Both of us were very shocked not so much that his last name is Moynahan and not Brady, but that Brady didn't even make one of the four names bestowed upon the kid. Even Scary Spice put Murphy in her daughter's name, despite being totally estranged and making the kid's last name "Murphy Brown" (heh). I like the name Brady as a general rule. And the names John, Edward, and Thomas are all traditional, so you would think that despite their unconventional parental arrangement they would honor both parents. We also found it ironic that Bridget played Big's ex-wife on SATC...the show in which a big story line was given to Miranda Hobbes naming her son Brady Hobbes. Brady was the baby's father (and her ex-boyfriend) Steve's last name.

We both kind of think that it's a foreshadowing of the parental involvement Tom Brady will have with his son, which is sad. What are your thoughts and opinions?

going "cool" turkey

After some success this weekend by letting E wear her brand new panties (we have Dora! we have Elmo and Zoe! we have Princesses!), yesterday she did not go once on the potty at school...opting for her pull-ups instead. So today we're taking the cool turkey approach with E's potty training today. We packed her Dora backpack with 4 complete changes of clothes and sent her off to school with her Sleeping Beauty panties on. If she does well, YAY! If she doesn't, no biggie and they'll put her back in Pull-ups. Keep your fingers crossed!

UPDATE! E had a *great* day at school. She had had only one accident there and then a small accident at home! Woo hoo! Of course, when I called, her teacher Miss Shanna said that the next hurdle will be getting her used to the new class. They sent her over for a bit today and she cried...so they sent her back. If it isn't one thing it's another, I guess!

if i had a nickel for every time...

...I walked out of the house with my hair looking like Jennifer Garner's, I'd be a rich, rich woman.

name that tune

E's bedtime routine has remained relatively unchanged in the 3 years since she was born. Take a bath, put on jammies, brush teeth and wash face, read stories, sing songs and then it's time for bed. While I've already discussed how we sometimes have different ideas about what to read, it's the song part that gets tricky.

When E was a baby, I could sing whatever I wanted. But, as she got older, she would go on various kicks. We sang O Susannah so much when she was about 18 months that we considered naming A that. Then we went through the American Idol phase, where I would start singing songs, only to be rejected.

"The sun will come out tomor...." I would begin.
"No!" E would say.
"I'm a little Froggie and my mommy..." I would try.
"NO!" E would interject.
"Raindrops on roses..."
"NO NO NO!" she would tell me.

This would go on for five minutes before we would eventually settle on a song.

We've sang lullabyes, we've sang Lauri Berkner, we've sang The Beatles, we've sang musicals, The Sound of Music and Annie being particular favorites. Heck, we've even sang the theme songs to Dora, Diego and the Backyardigans. But now we're in a new stage...the request for a song that doesn't exist.

"Sing the Snow White song," E told me last night. It was an ode to the Snow White panties she had been wearing that day.
"E, there's no such thing as a Snow White song. Well...how about: Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to sleep we go..." I sing.
"No, the SNOW WHITE song," she tells me. I look at her blankly, so she begins.

Snow White is a princess
:::mumble mumble mumble:::
She has a friend Cinderella
:::mumble mumble mumble:::
And Ariel is a princess, too.
And there is Sonya Lee
who is a Little People...

Well, duh. The Snow White song. How silly of me!

she's boy crazy already!

At the ripe old age of 11 months, A is certifiably boy crazy. First of all, she has a boyfriend at school, Cooper. Cooper turned 1 in July, and, according to A's teachers, they spend most of the day playing with each other -- chasing each other and playing peek-a-boo. On Friday when I went to pick her up, A was shoeless and sockless. There were two shoes but only one sock in her cubby. I asked Miss Megan where the other sock was and she said casually, "Oh, it must have gotten mixed in with Cooper's stuff." Not sure how 1-year-olds clothes end up intermingled...but might have to ask Cooper what his intentions are with my little baby!

And then there was today. Daddy's company picnic was today. After a unseasonably cool streak, it was eleventy thousand degrees out today, but there we were hanging out under some pavillion in the outskirts of Baltimore. Anyway, Daddy's co-worker, Randy, had brought his two sons, Kyle (2 years) and Luke (10 months). A was smitten with Luke...she cruised on over to his little push car and proceded to try and climb onto it and give him a kiss. Thankfully, no clothing was removed in this incident.

But we're gonna have to lock her up in a few years!

which 'do is a "do"?

A and I played beauty shop this morning while E slept in. Here are your four choices...vote on your favorite in the comments.

Au Naturel

Barrette

Pebbles

Piggles

She did wear the Piggles (which is what E calls pigtails) to school today. Got many compliments. And E liked them so much, she even let me put some in her hair, too!

rules you'd never thought you'd have to make

Tonight, E was protesting her bedtime using the latest technique she has been developing – walking out of her room and throwing things over the railing of our two-story foyer. The funny part of this is when she throws Silky over...the soft fluttering of her security blanket to the floor doesn't have the impact that she hopes for, and it often goes unnoticed by Daddy and me until she starts yelling for us to bring Silky up.

Anyhoo, tonight's protest victim was her Webkin's Pink Pony that she got for her birthday. Again, Daddy and I did not know about his unfortunate leap. When I went in to check on E, she asked me to take the tag off of Pink Pony. I asked where he was and she said "Downstairs." I had to tell her, "You know the rule, E. You don't get to sleep with anything you throw over the railing."

It struck me the "you throw it, you don't sleep with it" rule, while absurd was not the most absurd rule in our household. In fact, here are a few rules that we have.

"E we do not bonk your sister on the head with toys.

"No thank you, A. No licking the toilet."

"E, no drinking mommy's coffee."

Well, it's late and I can't think of more right now but feel free to add your own.

oldie but goodie: picture edition

This is one of my favorite pictures of the girls. It was taken during an unusually warm stretch back in March (E was 2 1/2 and A was 6 months).

The picture was taken during the Pebbles look for A...before I became a bowaholic. Truth be told, I'm considering going back to the Pebbles look for A. Sweet baby A has inherited the curly hair that I had as a child (and that Nonna and Kiki still have). At this point, it's short enough to give her the appearance of permanent bed head. And when I do try to tame the mop, she takes the bows out of her hair. But, she barely stays still long enough for me to change her diaper, let alone do her hair. Maybe I'll play hairdresser tonight and you can vote on her best look...

it was good while it lasted...

You know how when you go to the dentist and they clean your teeth and after sitting there through the scraping, the polishing and the suctionion of your spit (and tounge for that matter), your teeth feel so sparkly fresh and clean you promise yourself that you are never going to eat or drink for the rest of the day so that you can keep that feeling as long as possible? Yeah...lasted about 45 seconds once I got home.

Popcorn and Diet Coke 1, Shiny Happy Teeth 0.

And my devotion to flossing every single night? I'm sure that will end by Saturday.

e is for elephant...

And elephants never forget. E's memory constantly amazes me. Things we say in passing and things we do months ago, she remembers now. And sometimes people get linked to events in E's mind that I'm sure they would rather not be.

Back in June, my friend Heidi was telling me how horrified she was to find out she had two cavities that needed to be filled. Joking around, I was telling E that "Miss Heidi has to go to the dentist because she has a funky mouth." Well, this morning E asked me if I was working at home or "going to my classroom" as she likes to call it. I told her I was working at home because I had to go to the dentist.

"You have a funky mouth, just like Miss Heidi does?" she asked me.

Perhaps the person who will forever be scarred by this is her friend, Maura. When Maura came for a visit back in February, she was knee-deep in potty training. She had a slight setback while staying with us and had two accidents (one pee-pee, one poopy). Anyway, whenever we talk about potty training in our house, which is more often these days, and mention that it's okay if E has accidents. She tells us, "I have accidents just like Maura does."

I'm assuming that when the girls are grown she won't associate Maura with the perils of potty-training...but until then, she's the accident girl in our neck of the woods.

guess she won't be on the bottle much longer

Great. The Washington Post has an article about safety concerns with clear bottles and the use of the chemical bisphenol A, which among other things *might* cause hyperactivity and early onset of puberty. Both the popular Avent bottles and our family favorite, Dr. Brown's bottles are named as containing the chemical.

E still took a nighttime bottle until she was 18 months. She loved her some Dr. Brown's bottles. A certainly won't get that luxury now. I picked up some Sip & Smile cups the other day, and they were definitely the best-received sippy thus far. She event took an entire feeding with the cup. Looks like I'll be pressing the issue a bit further.

two steps forward...one step back

A is *this close* to walking! Last night, she had a blast taking a few wobbly steps between me and Daddy. Granted, some times she wasn't walking so much as falling forward...and other times she would just stand there, lower herself slooooowly to the ground and bolt across the floor on her hands and knees. But she defintitely took a few steps in earnest. I tried to record this for posterity on the camcorder, but it was out of juice. Go figure.

But, as much as she's becoming a toddler in the walking department, we were back to a midnight cuddle and cry-fest last night. According to Babycenter, waking up at night is typical of babies on the cusp of reaching major milestones in cognitive and motor development and with separation anxiety. A is the perfect storm of all three. Throw in some teeth coming in and I guess I'll be praying to the Gods of Starbucks for just a bit longer.

things e says...an oldie but goodie

A few months ago, E was thumbing through the latest Babies'R'Us catalog when she came across this picture for the Superyard XL.


"Hey!" she yelled. "Those kids are trapped in a net!"

Watch Diego much?

a great start to the week...

And, no, I'm not being sarcastic! It's only 8:50, but it's already been quite a good day. A's back to sleeping through the night so I was able to get a workout in this morning. When she did get up this morning she was a huge cuddle-bunny...content just to snuggle for a few minutes before starting her day. When E got up, she was also in good spirits, and then she pee-peed on the potty. (Sure, it was only a few drops, and I'm pretty sure she filled her Pull-up by the time we got to school...but Rome wasn't built in a day).

But perhaps the best part of this morning was how easy drop-off was. E is usually fine with drop-off...though if she's the first kid in her class, she gets a little clingy. But A has still been pretty bad. She usually cries when I try to put her down. And, though she's fine by the time I check in on her on my way out the door, it's still pretty heart-wrenching for me.

Today, however, A's "boyfriend" Cooper was there, as was a new toy for the cruising kids that had all sorts of cool balls. I put her down on the floor and she just crawled away from me. I tried to kiss her and say good-bye but she didn't even slow down for that! And then when E walked into her room, one kid ran across the room to hug her shouting "E! E's here!". The rest gathered round and E got to proudly display her new Dora back pack that she got for her birthday. She, too, ran off before I could get my full array of kisses.

Today's my work from home day...no commute, I've got a hot cup of coffee, Internet access and leftover ice cream cake in the house...it's a good day indeed.

happy birthday, e!

E is three years old today! It's amazing that, in a little over a thousand days, she has grown from this:


to this:


My baby is such a big girl now!

happy retirement, pop-pop!

Today is the last day of work for A & E's Pop-pop (aka, my dad). After 30 plus years in the workforce, he is retiring! While no one is quite sure how he will fill his days in his golden years (afterall, there are only so many hikes and man-chores you can do in a week), one thing we all can agree on is that this retirement is well deserved.

One of the cool things about being a parent is that you suddenly have a greater appreciation for all of the things that your parents did for you. Since I recently went back to work, the balance between work and parenting is on the forefront of my mind...and I'm totally in awe of how well both my parents handled this growing up. My mom always had heinous commutes, often getting up at 4:45 am during the week to fit it all in. And, my dad's job has always involved extensive travel. Despite this, they were very involved parents and I remember the times that they were there, and not the times they weren't.

For example, when Kiki and I were sophomores in high school, we played JV Soccer. My dad made it to every game. For any parent, this is a feat (I mean, JV Soccer isn't the most action-packed game around). But, for my dad, this was amazing considering one of our games was held during a business trip to Philly. So my dad drove to Philadelphia in the morning, went to his appointments, drove back down to watch the game, went to bed and then got up in the wee hours of the morning to drive back up to Philadelphia the next day. The kicker? He was the only parent in the stand (it was an away game). I can still picture him doing a one-person wave in the bleachers.

So, enjoy your retirement, Daddy! And thanks for all you did (and continue to do) for me! I'm doing the one-person wave in your honor right now.