All Tuckered Out

Well, after all that absconding and standing, Birdie was tuckered OUT. Julie had no more said to Ted that we might want to push the Bird bath a bit as she'd gone down perfect the past two nights a little later than usual at 7pm, than Birdie looked like she might fall out of the high chair. She was fast asleep and tucked in the crib by 6:30pm--!!!!! (Here you can see her with her head cocked back a bit how she still sometimes does, and how she always used to--but with her mouth open slightly--looking every bit the baby bird, which is why she got her nickname.)

Hearts on My Butt

We returned home, Birdie waving (like she was Kate Middleton) to the adoring crowd waiting for her on the porch. The crowd being Joe, Lynn, Grandpa Tom, and Berenice. Grandpa Tom and Lynn had watched Joe while we were at the doctor with Clara. By the time we got home, Joe and Grandpa Tom were sporting green and pink leis, respectively, and were apparently singing 10 Little Indians. Birdie was immediately game for this action and wasted no time in absconding with the green lei.

We have noticed that, when she stands, she leads with her left and will often leave her right foot cocked so as to slide back down to a sit at a moment's notice--you know, just in case this whole standing thing doesn't work out. We asked Dr. Harrington about it, and learned that this tendency with one side or the other, or both, has some fancy name that we most promptly forgot, but that she will grow out of as she begins walking. In the meantime, we are to endeavor to move her out of sitting in the W-position (legs tucked behind) if we see it, and keep encouraging her to stand. As if to mock us, once we were home, Miss Birdie was all, "Oh watch me stick THIS landing, y'all! Uh huh. I have hearts on my butt and I am awesome." Over and over again.

Birdie's 12 Month Well-Child Exam

Brigade! Birdie is gathering her flock for her big birthday bash tomorrow. Her Grandpa Tom and Lynn have arrived, as well as her Grandparents Trump, and Aunt Kate has landed. We are expecting 29 total for the bash--and it's supposed to rain! So you'll want to stay close for breaking news of what is sure to be an event in all kinds of ways.

It is also always an event to see our beloved Dr. Harrington as we did today when Birdie had her 12 month well-child check up. The stats: 20 pounds, 11 ounces (44%) and 28 1/2 inches (30%). She continues to be a wee birdie. But she's rockin' the head circumference: 46cm (76%). Birdie was given a clean bill of health save a weensy bit of iron deficiency, common in your breast fed babies. We are to again give her a vitamin supplement with vitamin D in it. She was due to get her Hepitis A and B vaccines, but instead, she got the 15 month vaccines: MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and chicken pox. The former because there has been a measles outbreak here in Minnesota, and the later because there has been one reported case of chicken pox at Hot Zone Central (otherwise known as the KinderCare). (Birdie will get the 12 month vaccines at her 15 month well-child appointment.) Besides the vaccines, Birdie got a tongue depresser. Awesome!

Raspberries

Julie has been meaning to report that a week or so ago, when Clara was crawling about the bed and on and over Julie, Clara ended up with her head buried in Julie's neck. Lately, Clara's been making more noises, including sputtering with her lips. She happened to do that while her lips were against Julie's neck--effectively, an unintended raspberry. Julie let out a laugh, and Clara looked pretty pleased with herself. Julie had fun feeling Clara's throaty little giggle when the tables were turned! Clara has laughed and giggled before, but for Julie, this is the one that she'll remember as first.

It was the same with Joe. He'd laughed and giggled quite a bit, but the laugh Julie hears in her head, is from an afternoon he'd been sent home sick. It was May maybe, and a beautiful day so they were outside. Joe was pulling to stand those days, and so he did on Julie and let out a laugh of pride and delight. Sick--ha!

Happy Birdie Birthday

It's a Birdie Birthday! How fast this year has gone. . .And now here it is: Bird is one year old today. You know what that means, Brigade: Birdie had CAKE! Last night, we whipped up her first traditional Ekkers birthday cake.* It was presented to her following a dinner of quesadillas, black beans, and rice (quesadillas being Clara Jane's favorite, so far as we can tell). She seemed grasp pretty much straight off that the whole singing bit, and the blowing out of a candle bit, was a prelude to a more food bit. She reached her little hand out for the plate as she was serenaded. And when she got her piece, she attempted to shove the entire piece into her mouth at once. Later, she attempted to eat the crumbs directly from the table. That's Our Bird, Brigade. That's Our Bird.

*Duncan Hines classic yellow cake, strawberry jam (homemade where possible) between the layers, "easy chocolate frosting" (so says the recipe card from Grandma Jane). This cake kicked the last of our strawberry jam from this past summer, and the previous summer, the levels of which we have been keeping a careful, careful eye to be certain we had enough for this most important occasion.

Easter 2011

Easter was a rager. Joe and Clara awoke to find that the Easter Bunny had come and left two baskets, one for each of them, each containing books, a ball, a stuffed dog, and other Easter sundries. Clara was, and continues to be, pretty enchanted with her ball, which has strips of iridescent shimmery paper inside, floating about in some sort of liquid. Joe is quite taken with both "puppy dogs." He quickly discovered that Clara's barks when pitched (with the requisite toddler brute, I-know-not-my-own-strength) against the floor, and his has been added to the menagerie with which he sleeps.

It turns out, the Easter Bunny also left FORTY eggs outside! Marco came over with his entourage while Clara was sleeping and he and Joe hunted them all down and then looted the loot. Turns out, the Easter Bunny knew all of the things Joe and Marco like: Band-Aids, chap sticks, stickers, "hair bands" (aka Live Strong-esque bracelets; these happened to announce to the world that the wearer loves monkeys--or Paul Frank) and fruit snacks. That Easter Bunny. What a bunny!

After the hunt, it was time for lunch. Clara woke from her morning nap to find five extra people in her house! (Not a word was breathed of the hunt. One imagines she will be right in this mix next year.) She took all the new faces in stride as she does pretty much everything. Joe and Marco followed her lead and took in stride being told they could not eat fruit snacks for lunch. (Still, the only child with any interest in the "fancy mac and cheese" was Clara.)

The morning ended, as these things perhaps will, with one child in tears and the others looking on with disinterested detachment. At least the tears were because the good times were ending. (Joe is still talking about re-staging the egg hunt. You gotta have a brother's back, especially when it comes to an Easter egg hunt.)

A Toothbrush Tale

Fans! Big Easter weekend. Much to report on. But between yard sale preparing, pansy planting, mulch spreading, grass reseeding, house cleaning, egg hunting, and what have you, we are more tired than the Easter Bunny. Thus, the full report of the Easter weekend doings will follow at a later date. In the meantime, we share this story with you:

A few months ago, Julie and Ted got themselves electric toothbrushes. Ted likes to motor around the downstairs as he brushes. He always has--i.e. his motoring is not a function of the motor in his toothbrush. In the mornings, this habit means that he motors about brushing, after showering, while Joe finishes up his cereal. The other night, Joe got a new toothbrush. Previously, he'd always had a toothbrush emblazoned with some character with whom he did not have the sort of relationship that demanded that character be on everything he touched, but it is impossible to find things that are not emblazoned with Elmo/Thomas/Dora/Sponge Bob/etc. This toothbrush, however, is maybe Target's private label, Up & Up brand, and thus, has no characters. It is purple, inlaid with green, and sort of chunky. Ted reports that Joe looked at it and said something like he had to press the buttons, then pressed "the buttons," and then proceeded to motor around brushing his teeth while making the noise you hear here.

(You know what he's doing there at the end, right, Fans? Goin' in to "see my family.")

Big Boy in a Big Boy Bed

Tonight was another milestone for Joe - sleeping in his bed without a bedrail. We took it off his bed before bath time tonight, and he was very excited the rest of the night - often reminding Julie and Ted that he was a big boy and didn't need his bedrail anymore. This milestone was reached not by design but because Joe managed to break the bedrail after about 12 months of evenings spent carousing in bed kicking and pushing on the bedrail for fun while belting out tunes, taking off his pajamas, and rehashing his day's feats and disappointments before finally collapsing into a deep slumber. Here you see him in the deep slumber, sans shirt and sans bedrail. (As you can see Neaky, Panda, Blankie, Elephant, and Teddy aren't alloted much space by the Big Boy.)

Yum!

On Wednesday we all met up at Yum! (a local eatery) with Marco and his handlers to celebrate Marco's third birthday! Joe and Marco both had big bowls of mac and cheese and large glasses of milk while the adults ate and chatted and Clara surveyed the goings on, nibbled on food and squawked for some attention (end of the day is rough for a little one). Then came the cupcakes (a Yum! specialty). Joe and Marco split a lemon filled cupcake (not that they knew what they picked) and Joe happily ate all the icing and left the cake and lemon curd to sit on his plate. Then came the sugar rush....the boys grabbed their respective toy cars and proceeded to roll them up and down the wall with delight without any regard for other diners personal space, then Joe decided to go explore the restaurant with its low tables of merchandise and display cases of cakes and cookies. Predictably, it ended with Joe unable to follow instructions meant to maintain civility in a public place, which meant being picked up and escorted out of the building (and protesting as only a preschooler knows how to protest). Clara exited calmly with her mother and we all went home for the night. Tantrum aside, it was a very fun time celebrating Marco's birthday!

Another snow day

This morning we awoke again to snow covered ground. Joe was quick to suggest using the snow brush on the car which had a good inch of fluffy snow on it. The good news is that it all melted by the time we came home this evening, and there are promises of true spring weather on Easter day, and the southerners* arrive next weekend for Clara's birthday party so it better warm up quick!

*Southern of course includes Tucson, but even Philadelphia and Chicago are downright tropical sounding to us these days!

(We should also note that we are grateful it wasn't tornados like in North Carolina or the 9 inches of snow Green Bay, WI got today.)

A Birthmark Update

As longtime readers know, Our Bird has a birthmark (a "capillary malformation") all along her left leg from just under the diaper line all the way down to her tootsies. She saw a birthmark specialist, Dr. Nelson, shortly after she was born. (Longtime readers may again recall that she impressed him greatly by pooping on his trouser leg, sock, and shoe.) At the time, Dr. Nelson's sense was that her birthmark would not impact the growth of the limb (as when it does, it usually "presents" at birth), but he wanted to examine her again at a year. He measured her legs and compared the color of the birthmark to the pictures he'd taken of it nearly a year ago. Her legs are the same length and circumference and the birthmark is lighter in color, all of which means the birthmark likely isn't having deeper effects on the limb. It is now safely treated as a cosmetic issue that we will discuss with Baby Bird when she is older and starting to develop her sense of self and have thoughts and opinions about how she looks. The appearance of the sort of birthmark our Baby Bird has can be reduced with lasers, but cannot be eliminated entirely. In some locations on the body, early treatment with lasers can increase the effectiveness of the treatment, but such is not the case with where Baby Bird's birthmark is.

It can be easy, you know, to get worked up about things like birthmarks. Dr. Nelson's office happens to be in the Hematology and Oncology Speciality Clinic, which means we arrived for our appointment with our lovely little girl and shared the waiting area with lots of other little people who were obviously waging the sort of a battle everyone dreads. We felt very lucky to be there to have a birthmark examined, and to have Our Bird, and Our Hero, with no such fights to wage at so young an age.

Taking Care of Business: The Aftermath

Here is a video of the damage, which Boo slept though entirely having been all day at doggie daycare due to the porch ceiling replacement work beginning. (Left at home with an interloper on the porch with a nail gun, her nerves would have been shot. She'd have never recovered.) She was really very, very sleepy. She could not take of business as usual--i.e. making a pest of herself at dinnertime.

Taking Care of Business

Joe was busy last night. As you can see, he was sporting both his business socks, and his business stickers. It is best to be appropriately attired when one is taking care of business. There was the business of signing* and making some Easter cards. Black was requested, though we did explain that purple is traditional for Easter. No matter! The black piece of construction paper did not actually become a card. It was instead cut into oblivion with the scissors. Naturally, the pieces then had to be swept up. Joe said he had to "broom" them up. Julie told him they had to be "swept" up with the broom. Joe set her straight, reiterating that the pieces would be broomed up. Naturally, after the brooming was done, there was the Swiffering to do, and the other thing** to do something with, and the big rollering to do. Then, it was time to play with Play Doh, but Joe got out the Aquadoodle mat. But then it was time to go grocery shopping, and put on Mommy's "walking" shoes, which were found on the stairs. And no evening--no evening, Fans--is complete without getting out Mommy's vacuum. Yes, Our Hero's work is never done. As we have acknowledged here before, Raleigh House would go to pot without him.

*Joe's mark, if you will, is still a snake--i.e. a straight line.

**The very seldom used Swiffer duster a la a feather duster's extension handle.

Applesauce

Clara Jane had applesauce at lunch today. Dining with the bambini can be a fraught affair as one tries to keep Berenice back from the table, make sure catsup isn't eaten with one's finger, keeps the cups upright, tries to keep Berenice back from the table, honors requests for more of an item, prompts the delivery of such requests in a strong voice with strong words, signs to Clara, tries to keep Berenice back from the table, and, oh yes, eat. So it was that Julie was spooning the applesauce into Birdie's mouth when she paused, and distractedly let the spoon hover in midair, when she turned to find the Bird had taken matters into her own hands. "Yes," she seemed to say, "I will just drink my applesauce on up. I like to do it MY-SELF anyway!" Worked out great--as you can see in the second picture.

A Project

As longtime Fans know, Our Hero is fond of mousing about in the basement. The basement is filled with wonders. Whenever Julie goes down to put some laundry in the washer or the dryer, and Joe is around, he accompanies her (Crocs required; socks, too, but just for right now). Lately, Julie has been down in the basement a bit more than usual. She's planning to have a yard sale early this summer so she's been sorting through things and organizing it as she goes. This morning, she was down there post-bacon and eggs, with Clara on her back in the Ergo and Joe flitting about doing "a project." As Joe put it, "I got to do a project." He could not, in fact, come upstairs when Julie went to put Clara down for her nap so occupied was he with his project. Said project was removing all of the Jumparoo pieces from their box, placing them on or in front of the steps (safety first!), and beginning to assemble them.

Snuggle In

In the morning, we usually all pile into Joe's bed for some snuggles. Between the four of us, Neaky, Panda Bear, Teddy Bear, Blue Dinosaur, and (sometimes) Blankie, it's sort of a tight fit. But then, a snuggle in isn't really any fun if you're not all mixed up like a pile of puppies. Before long, Clara squawks to be nursed and Joe asks, "What are we going to make today, Daddy?" If it's a weekday, it's Cheerios and apple juice, which is often met with some consternation now that Joe has been introduced to bacon. (He went through a period where he would say, "Take it away, Daddy. Take it away.") If it's Saturday or Sunday, the answer will be waffles, pancakes, or bacon and eggs. Cinnamon sugar toast is now de rigueur for the wee set after it's introduction as a sick day snack this past winter. Clara loves her some breakfast food and seems especially fond of waffles and eggs.

The Berenstain Bears

A few weeks ago, Julie was in a Borders store that was closing, spending a gift card, when she picked up some Berenstain Bears (hereinafter, BB!) paperbacks: The BB and the Messy Room, The BB Go to School, and The BB Forget Their Manners, the first two of which were favorites of Julie's when she was younger. The Berenstain Bears adventures are rather longer than those of our other literary friends, but Julie thought by mid-summer, Joe might be game for Brother Bear and Sister Bear. So, she set the BB books on the shelf and forgot about them. Joe found them this past week, and wouldn't you know it? He can't get enough of them, and--so far anyway--the likes the Julie's favorites best, too.

At the same time, Joe has been all about the Olivia books. We have two from the library (Olivia (the original") and Olivia and the Missing Toy) and one of our own (Olivia Saves the Circus). The Easter Bunny will be bringing Olivia Forms a Band. Of late, Joe has negotiated for an Olivia book to replace "five things." He and Julie shake on it when striking the deal.

Bamboo Shampoo

Today, Joe informed us that praying mantises eat the Daddies. That's right, Fans. The two-week theme which we are in the midst of is insects.

He's hashing out other things, too. During his bath, after the shampoo had been put on his head and Ted was lathering it up, Joe mused that panda bears eat bamboo. He then asked what animal ate conditioner.

The Bird Rebounds!

Clara needed to stay home from school today, so it was father-daughter day at the Raleigh House. We are happy to report that she is mostly back to her normal self, napping at the regular times, playing when awake, and eating well (though only safe foods like bananas). Today our early morning adventures included an art project and reading before first nap. After nap, Clara watched the end of Price is Right (she insisted!) before we headed off for a good walk. It is in the 50s and overcast, so a blanket was required. After our walk we sat down to lunch, and then waited to hear Obama's budget speech - which put Clara to sleep. After second nap we had some Cheerio snack and then play while we wait for the rest of the pack to come home. She should be good for school tomorrow!

Our Hero: Not Down For the Count

Joe, mercifully and knock wood, is most decidedly not down for the count. He is trying his very best to be quiet upon climbing into bed, but it is difficult, you know, when you are two and three-quarters really. Tonight, he removed the top of L'Elephanto and let it crash to the floor. Whoops. When Julie went in to check on the bambini before heading up to bed, she found Joe sans pajama top, and his pajama pants on inside out. Neeky had no comment. Neeky wouldn't rat a brother out though. A lion has his pride.*

*Get it?!

Birdie: Still Mostly Down

Brigade. This morning, Our Birdie went to the doctor. It's Tuesday and Dr. Harrington is not in on Tuesday, so we saw a different doctor, who ordered up an x-ray. Ted has apparently taken Joe to the x-ray room, but it was a first for the both Birds. Baby Bird DID NOT LIKE IT as it involved being placed on something cold and then left--abandoned!--behind a closed door by her mama while the picture was snapped. It matters not that it was for but a moment. The film confirmed that Baby Bird does indeed have a touch on pneumonia in her right lung, and given all of the other buggies with which she is dealing, the doctor decided to treat her. So she is now on Amoxicillin, with a probiotic or yogurt to try and mitigate the tide of diarrhea in which she is already awash.

Birdie spent most of the day asleep. She was pretty lethargic. She had rallied a bit by dinner when she eagerly ate five Saltines, and slurped down some water. Earlier in the afternoon, she had half a container of yogurt with her first dose of antibiotics. She continued to throw up a tiny bit in her sleep this afternoon, but mostly, she seems to be keeping things down--which is good as it means she didn't have to have a shot of antibiotics before or instead of the oral course.

Birdie is staying home again tomorrow, of course, and--of course--we will keep you abreast of all news from the nest as it develops.

Birdie: Still Down For the Count

Brigade, Our Birdie is really sick! She slept through the night, but we discovered some vomit on her blanket this morning. What a toughie! She never even squawked out! She smelled like a zoo when Julie picked her up, so she went straight to the changing table. Ordinarily, such an act is sure to bring a torrent of wails, but this morning, Birdie just didn't have it in her. She does, in fact, now have diarrhea, too, and she's feverish. Meanwhile, her breathing is still pretty raspy. She nursed one side, sat up, and then pitched forward on to Julie where she promptly fell asleep for about 10 minutes. Then, she woke up, pointed at Julie, nursed the other side, then fell asleep again. She is, in a word, lethargic. Down for the count. Given all of that, and that the first time we saw the birthmark specialist, she pooped on his suit pant and shoes, we'll be rescheduling that appointment. But we will be going to the pediatrician later today and will keep you posted as to further developments.

Birdie Has a Tummy Bug | Update

Birdie woke up a little after three (unheard of!), but then was just sort of resting in her crib. She finally squawked just before four, and Julie went to get her. It was a lovely day here again, so they went outside and watched the late afternoon comings and goings from a blanket, banged around on the musical table a bit, and read some books. Mostly though, Birdie just wanted to snuggle. So snuggled she was, before a little spin around the neighborhood. She had a little water (a very little--indignant wailing ensued when it was taken away because Julie didn't want her gulping it on an empty tank) which she threw up within the hour. But she rallied to iChat with her Aunt Kate for Kate's birthday (though truth be told, Joe did most of the talking for the two of them). She has so far, kept down the tiny bit of water and breast milk she had before bed. She was sleeping soundly (albeit wheezily--still has her "smoker's congestion"!) before Wails McGee went in and wailed it up for nearly 45 minutes, and before I-Like-To-Shove-The-Door-Open-and-Mosey-On-In Berenice shoved their door open and moseyed on in. Obviously Birdie will be home again tomorrow. She's meant to have her annual visit with the birthmark specialist, but we'll see how she is in the morning.

Birdie Has a Tummy Bug

Well, as wrote yesterday, the fun never does stop around here! Ms. Shelby called Julie around eleven this morning to report that Birdie had vomited twice. She had managed to get it in her ear, so she was, apparently, stripped down and bathed in one of the little sinks in the room with--from the smell of it--the soap in the institutional dispenser. Poor Birdie. The indignity of it all! So Julie dashed out to collect her. Upon arrival, she found Birdie sitting like a big little girl at the little table having a cracker and some water. Ms. Shelby, wisely and mercifully, had not given Clara the tacos that were on the menu for lunch. The Birds stopped at the little Target quickly to pick up some more bananas, some applesauce, and some Saltines and then headed home. They were SO CLOSE to home when Birdie threw up again. She was bathed again and rocked down to sleep, which came on quick.

Clara's Pants

After we came inside, Julie wanted to get the laundry from yesterday put away, and some ironing done (the fun never stops around here!), so she trooped upstairs and Ted nicely agreed to come, too, so there were extra hands to keep the wee hands away from the ironing board and the iron's cord. Julie set up a little barricade cordoning off the side of the floor where she was ironing, and Ted started to edit some home videos. He had just finished viewing some footage of Joe wearing Clara's pants when Joe announced he needed to go downstairs. This is how he was found.* Fans, can't you just hear the little gears clicking? "Clara's pants! Wearing those was super fun! I forgot how super fun that was. . .I need to go find me some of Clara's pants. Maybe a shirt, too. . ."

*Eagle-eyed readers will note the presence of his (Little Gym) medal on the floor in the background. It had been put in the drawer of the desk upstairs during a tidying up sweep and was rediscovered during the obligatory opening up of the desk drawer when upstairs.

Front Yard Clean-Up

As we've reported, spring has been slow to come to Minnesota, and we've had quite a bit of snow. We had thought we'd give the yard another week to dry out, but it was a warm day with the sun going in and out, so we got after the front yard (easier than the back; plus, the grass is "resting" in the back after a fall and winter of dog wear) while the bambini were napping, and kept at it after they woke up. Clara rode around in the Ergo carrier for the first time, and Joe was everywhere: helping rake, picking up sticks, poking the ground with the weeding fork, moving rocks, lining up the broken trellises. The place would go to pot without him.

Saturday Mornings

Of late, the Birds have fallen into a routine on Saturday mornings, in which Julie begins cleaning the kitchen usually, before putting Clara down for her nap at 9am. The, Julie races about to finish the rest of the cleaning before Clara wakes up at 11am, including keeping the laundry going. If everything goes smoothly, the cleaning is wrapping up just as Clara is popping up, and then, the Birds can fold laundry together before starting lunch so its nearly ready by the time the boys come home from Little Gym and doing the week's shopping. Last Saturday, the Birds were able to fold laundry on the porch. This Saturday, it was overcast so the porch didn't warm up enough to really enjoy being out there, so the Birds folded the laundry inside in the living room. Berenice supervised from the couch. Baby Bird supervised Berenice.

Sheep-y

The other morning, in the midst of the upstairs morning milieu, Joe asked to read a book on the bed. Julie said she couldn't read him a book just then, but that she would put him up on the bed and he could look at one. He readily agreed (not your everyday occurrence right now, we might add) and asked for the furry dog book*. The second page of this book features a pink poodle with a fluffy tail. Joe "read": "That's not my puppy, it's tail is too. . .", and here he hesitated before deciding upon: "sheep-y." Sheep-y, fluffy. . .It must be acknowledged that this particular tail does look rather sheep-y.

But this same week, on the way home, Joe pointed out some goose [sic]. Julie said, "Some geese!" and Joe repeated "geese." Time was, not so long ago, the geese were "geeses." So even though the goal is to master such English language trickery, it still made Julie's heart catch a bit.

*That's Not My Puppy. . .

Congested Birdie Shines On

On Friday, Ms. Shelby called Julie to say that Clara had a "temperature" (of 99.7). Clara's been congested for a little over two weeks now (Shelby had called earlier in the week to say that Clara was "wheezing" during a nap!), so Julie decided to make an appointment to take her in--less for the "fever," and more for the wet-sounding breathing. Our beloved Dr. Harrington was on vacation, so we saw a different Dr. H. He listened to Clara and said she sounded like a smoker! Oh, but Our Bird was at her most sparkly! No flies on her! Antibiotics?! Who needs antibiotics?! So this other Dr. H showed us how to cup a hand and give her some firm swaps on the back with it to loosen up all the gunk, and we'll see. We were in and out in less than 15 minutes, which meant we had time to take the Bird (and the Boo) on a spin around the neighborhood in the sunshine.

Also on Friday, there was a fire drill at school. We are told that Clara clapped her hands at the fanfare and festivities. Yes for safety! Can't you just see it?

Bee-Bopping Birdie

Now Bird Brigade, as you know, Our Bird is just so chock full of sunshine she can barely contain it all. On Thursday, we arrived at daycare to find Miss Shelby already spinning the Taylor Swift tunes. (Miss Shelby is from Texas and so also loves her some country music.) Julie set Clara Jane down on the floor and popped off her hat and hoodie, and Clara Jane immediately--immediately!--started bee-bopping her little head and threw her arms up in the air and waved them around. We know there are some among our readership that are not country music fans, but it was pretty gosh durn cute.

Morning Books with Clara Jane

We have been meaning to report that Clara Jane knows the word "book." We know, because in the morning, she sits right up, and after a quick pull up to the knees at the headboard, plops herself back down and tucks herself in against Julie, and when Julie says to her, "Are you ready for books?" she looks at them piled on the nightstand, and away we go. Here, you can see her gnashing away on Pat the Bunny.* (The Easter Bunny may be brining her a new copy in her Easter basket.)

We can also report that Clara Jane said "all done," Thursday evening, as she was signing it, as well, when she was all done with dinner. Just once, but it was clear as a bell.

*Here you can also see her sporting her sea creatures pjs, which are Julie and Ted's favorite. (Julie really likes Baby Bird in a purple, aqua, or a navy.)

No Books

We're all smiles here*, but it was a touch-and-go, fraught night. It is, perhaps, enough to say that tonight, Julie and Joe did not read books before Joe went to bed. It was just one of those nights where words fail (and failed--quite literally and all the way around) and by bath time, we had one little boy, naked and sprawled on the bath mat, crying, and two parents trying valiantly to ignore him until he had stopped, one of them hoping desperately he would do so quickly so she wouldn't have to make good on what she'd said earlier--i.e. if we didn't get this bath rolling soon because Joe was on the floor crying, we wouldn't have time to read books. But you know, when you're two and a half and someone hasn't done the bath toys just so (among other things), it can take some time to pull one's self together, and by the time Our Hero had, it was well past bedtime. He began to pitch a fresh fit when Julie said we didn't have time to read books tonight, but then, rather suddenly, he just stopped. Julie asked him to hold her hand and walk to bed, and he did, and that was that. He fell asleep pretty quickly and no wonder after all that crying, and a bonk on his head from the mean old bathroom floor during the start of the temper tantrum in the bathroom. Julie of course started crying as soon as she'd shut the door behind her. Reading with Joe at night, and Clara in the morning, are two of the very best pieces of her day. Lately, Joe has been all about the Olivia books--especially Olivia and the Missing Toy--and Julie sort of loves Olivia, too. The two and a half year old in Julie's heart is in pieces, bawling on the bath mat.

*When Julie got Joe out of the bath, she told Joe he looked like Obi-Wan Kenobi. Joe solemnly told her no. So she said, "Joe-b Wan Kenobi?" to which Joe solemnly replied, "I'm Joe Ekkers." Julie said it was a good thing as that meant he was her son that she loved very much! And then she hoisted him up without managing to bonk anyone's anything on anything in the smallest room in the house, and get Neaky from his perch on top of the toilet, and then there the three of us were in the mirror and Julie said, "Isn't that a picture," and we decided to get Ted to take one.

Of Vacuums and Bicycle Pumps

We can report that Our Hero is no longer afraid of the vacuum cleaner. To the contrary, he is all about the vacuum. Joe's vacuum resides right next to "Mommy's vacuum" and the "little vacuum" (also Mommy's; the dyson handheld) in the hall closet these days. You can't put a thing past Our Hero though and he knows that it's Mommy's vacuum that's the real deal. Earlier this week, Julie allowed Joe to put his hand on the handle, too, while she was vacuuming up some insulation that fell from the porch ceiling after Ted removed a board to better survey the damage wrought by the winter and an ill-fitting window.* Shortly thereafter, he discovered that the cord unwinds. Whoa. I think it's safe to say that was a highlight of Our Hero's week. Now, getting out the vacuum is a go-to activity for Joe. We have agreed after some tense discussion, that the vacuum comes out only after Clara is in the bath and thus, on her way to bed because the loud noise might scare here, and she might hurt herself with the cord. We have also established that plugging in the vacuum is "Mommy-Daddy Only." Last night, we used the attachments. Whoa again.

Also making an appearance this weekend: the bicycle pump. The tires of the stroller needed to be pumped up and the pump was stashed on the porch once Ted had finished this task. Joe glommed on to it upon our return. Keen-eyed observers will note that the pump and Joe share something in common. Joe did not notice this, and is not likely to now as the pump is back in the garage after being dragged about on a toddler tour of the house.

*The porch ceiling will be replaced on Monday, April 18, which means demolition watching fun on April 17, and no porch that day!

Pee Pee Incident

Sunday night saw another momentous happening: Joe peed--not in the potty, but not in his diaper either. Fans, all hell may have broken loose for a minute or two. Joe was running about bare bottomed, and was in the midst of washing his hands when he started screaming so loudly and so intensely, Julie thought he'd accidentally turned the cold water off, leaving only the hot water running, and had scalded himself. It scared the pee pee out of us! But we soon figured out he'd peed and pee was running all down his legs and puddling on his stool under his feet, dripping onto the floor and rug, and down the base of the sink. We can only imagine how Joe felt: the pee was going but so was the water and his hands were soapy and the toilet's over there and you're up here on the stool and what do you do? Nothing that couldn't be cured though by a soapy-handed, slightly-damp-with-pee-pee hug, and a fresh, new diaper.

Saturday Afternoon

Today was an exciting day, no doubt. But we would be remiss if we did not report on the unremarkable, and thus all the sweeter, post-afternoon naps hours on Saturday. Bird, as usual, was up at 3:01pm! Julie swooped in and scooped her up before Our Hero awoke. (He had a bit of a cough all weekend so we endeavored to let him sleep.) After a snack, the Birds hit the road with Bird in the stroller for the first walk of the season! It was fabulous! Bird was decked out in her hoodie, and took Mortimer the Moose and Pierre Le Peacock along for the ride. They walked down to the Starfoxes and, fortified with a chai tea latte (iced, as befitting the spring sunshine), they wound their way home the long way. They bumped into Graham and Connor, both sporting their new kicks, out taking Sara and Derek for a walk. So the Birds walked a few blocks with them before turning for home.

When they got there, they were greeted by Ted and Joe on the porch; Joe, chillin' like a villain with his bowl of goldfish. Once the goldfish had been polished off, we were off again. This time to the driveway so Joe could ride his bike. There was a house a block away on the corner on the Remodeler's Showcase Tour that was going on this past weekend, so we motored over there and poked around. (This would bet he site of multiple mini loader sightings earlier this season.) Then, it was time to head home and mess around on the porch before dinner. Clara went under the furniture; Joe put on Julie's sunglasses.

Nothing to it, but sometimes, that feels like everything.

Cow Milk For Bird

It was a big day for Clara, too. Tonight, at dinner, she had milk--from a cow. We gave it to her with no fanfare whatsoever, and she slurped it down with gusto straight away! We have, over the past three weeks, dropped both the 3pm and noon bottles at daycare, in that order, leaving only the 9am bottle. As it did with Joe, Julie's milk supply has been diminishing as a result, and so, as with Joe, we decided to introduce whole milk slightly in advance of a year. We were encouraged even more when Clara's new teacher, Miss Shelby, reported today at pick-up, that Clara was not at all interested in the 9am bottle. Now, it could be that she's teething. Historically, she's not interested in nursing or her bottles when she's teething, but it could also be that she has sussed out that bottles are not what the big birds drink from, and she is getting to be an awfully big Bird. We shall see, but look at that gaze. That's a big bird gaze.

The Big Boy Room | The First Taste

Fans, as you know, today was the beginning of Joe's transition to "the Big Boy Room," aka Pre-C. As you have--no doubt--been waiting with bated breath all to learn how it went down ever since first hearing about it, let's get right to it. Our Hero (pictured here back at home in his Big Boy fishy tie and showing off his new kicks) spent the morning there, pre-lunch, and had a grand time and shed no tears going, or coming. Once he has fully transitioned, we will not receive written reports of his daily doings. But as he is still officially in the Twos room, we do, and today's included what was done in the Big Boy Room--i.e. talked about spiders and insects, discussed the difference. We have a book that is called something like Giant Pop-Up Bugs, featuring, close-up and--would you believe it?--giant, pop-up bugs, and thus, we have discussed the number of legs as a categorical feature for your arachnid family or your insect family. But when questioned on the way home, as to how many legs a spider has, Our Hero replied, "You tell me." The cadence of the delivery suggests this a phrase he hears at school a lot.

Interestingly, this was all just after we'd been waiting for the choo-choo train to roll past, a choo-choo train comprised mainly of hopper cars, to which Our Hero charmingly referred to as "grasshopper cars."

Warm Enough for the Porch

By the time Clara was up from her morning nap, it was warm enough to be on the porch. She's had some pretty awful looking diaper rash off and on all week (no sooner will it clear up, then it's back), so Julie let her roam around there sans diaper while Julie folded some laundry. Clara helped.

Spring? Close Enough.

Spring is taking it's sweet time coming to the Great White North, but we decided it was spring enough to pack up the puffies. Joe is again sporting his green fleece and green striped hat--quite matchy-matchy. But Bird is mixing and matching patterns this season with her bird hat, her faintly tropical-esque (and yet faux fur trimmed) hoodie, and her polka dot vest. She is very fashion forward.

Da Da | Bird's First Word?

We had a big moment on Saturday that we have been woefully remiss in reporting to you, the Bird Brigade. Some of you may have noticed in the previous post that we told you after Bird is deposited in her crib at day's end, she just gazes at Julie as Julie leaves the room. Just over a week ago, it was not always so. Then, Clara would sit right up after being placed in her crib and wail with increasing intensity as Julie left. It has tempered a bit, but last weekend, found Clara's affections very much tethered to Ted. In fact, when he and Joe returned from the Little Gym and grocery shopping wilds late Saturday morning, Clara--who was crawling about in the kitchen as Julie made lunch--crawled over to the back door, popped her head around the rolling butcher block, sat right up and said, "Da Da!" Full out. She's not said it again, but this is the first word we have heard.*

*Allegedly, she pointed at Julie's picture at school and said "Ma Ma." Allegedly.

Birdie Tucking In

Clara will be in her infant room until mid-summer, but she is, suddenly, so big. She still loves to wad herself up and tuck into wherever she can, but Julie has noticed the tucking is more cumbersome. Clara winds down for the night quickly. Her bedtime is 6:45pm, and after she is done with her ever-so-efficient-nursing, she does. Not. Want. To. Read. Books. She is done and done. She will wad herself up on Julie's chest, pop her two fingers in her mouth, and doze until she is carted downstairs to her crib. (Once there, she flips over to her belly, reinserts her fingers back into her mouth, and gazes at Julie as Julie leaves.) This past week, Julie has noticed, with some sadness, that keeping Clara all tucked up is a little like tucking up a leggy colt. But, happily, Julie thinks Bird will always be one that likes to snuggle in.

Big Days Ahead For Our Big Boy

Yesterday was a big day. We received a memo (festooned with the multiple exclamation marks that are de rigueur for all KinderCare communications!) alerting us to the fact that Joe will begin his transition to the next room at KinderCare: Preschool C (or "Pre-C" as it is known in intra-C lingo). Pre-C is the "transitional" pre-school room! Meaning children in it are not yet potty trained!

However, it's a tiny bit confusing in that if a child is potty trained, he or she will still have a stop over in Pre-C, before moving on to Pre-A or Pre-B. The transition can take anywhere from no time at all, to two weeks. In the preschool rooms, the units are two weeks long, instead of a month, and a new letter is introduced every two weeks, as well. Joe's new teachers will be Mr. Adam* and Ms. Jessica. The memo did not highlight the following, but we know from those who have gone before us that at pick-up and drop-off, the preschoolers are mixed with the pre-Kers, in the Pre-K rooms, and apparently, the Pre-K rooms have some pretty sweet toys. So, settle in, Fans. This next chapter promises to be a rich one.

*Among the KinderCare parents, Mr. Adam is know as Mr.-Adam-Did-You-Know-He's-Ms.-Bethany's-Boyfriend? Really, that choo-choo train of words follows Mr. Adam's name about 95% of the time you first hear about him for any reason, until you and the other parent with whom you are talking have that foundational fact well laid from past conversations. Ms. Bethany is a teacher in the other "Twos" room and she and Adam are, apparently, an item. Ms. Bethany has a good head on her shoulders, and seems like a catch. So we have high hopes for Mr. Adam, Ms. Manisha and Ms. Marjorie being a tough act to follow.