Wow, It's Been A Long Time Between Posts

It's been insanely busy here between schedules and illnesses (mine). I survived my first semester of graduate school and I love my work. Despite suffering from walking pneumonia this fall, I did manage to do very well this fall. I'm proud of what I have accomplished so far though I feel like I'm still behind the eight ball. Bruce's semester went well but kept him busy. The kids have both completely adjusted to school and are really thriving. Belle is saying new words every few days and the little devil understands everything we say. She doesn't usually choose to obey us or do as we ask but she grins and does whatever she wants to do, however, she usually howls when we retrieve her from someplace she's not supposed to be (usually the kitchen). She is a big time climber and still adores her big brother, she follows him around and imitates everything he does much to his delight (for the time being). She'll also come over to him and start whacking him on the head with a toy and all he does is say "ow, Belle's hitting me." At least he doesn't hit girls.

Jack is becoming very independent and is still very witty. A few recent gems he's shared: At my birthday dinner at an Indian restaurant he wanted to eat a lemon. All we had left was a piece that Bruce had squeezed over the chicken tikka masala. On one side it looked fine but the backside was blown out, I told Bruce to give it to him anyway, Jack wouldn't care. I was so wrong... Jack gladly took it but then looked at the backside and holds it up saying "I can't eat this, it's all messed up." When Jack's Papa was visiting recently they were washing their hands in the bathroom and Jack says "I'm going to tell mommy that we were playing in the bathroom. We're both going to get put in timeout." When I tell Jack that he's funny and he makes me laugh he says "you're right mommy, I'm funny." Around Halloween, Jack wanted to sleep with his pumpkin and I told him that it wasn't a good idea to sleep with vegetables.

I'm in the process of uploading photos from the fall and writing about our holidays. I hope that everyone has had a wonderful holiday season.

A Very Exciting Week

This has been a very exciting and full week with the Cohen family. Bruce and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary though we didn't have a chance to go out and celebrate yet. It has gone by so quickly it's hard to believe that it's been eight years. Belle has started using a fork and she is pretty good at getting things on the fork and into her mouth. Of course sometimes she's so proud that she shows us what she has done and the food falls off the fork and onto her lap or tray. She's quite tenacious and she just tries again. Jack had his first gymnastics class on Thursday morning at his school. He loved it and he said that "he jumped up in the air and kicked my legs" and "I flipped" and "the teacher put on music." We're just glad that he liked it so much and had fun. We suspect that Thursdays will be his favorite day of the week. Jack's teacher Miss Vicky was kind enough to send out pictures of the kids during the class so we could see what they were doing. I've included those pictures; Jack is wearing a yellow shirt and brown and orange pants. We really love the kids' school and love hearing about their day even though they are usually covered in dirt from head to toe. They are working so hard at learning about their world!

Jack on the balance beam:



Jack walking up the ramp:

School Daze

I just realized that I haven't posted in almost a month. It's been a very busy few weeks and it's not going to let up until mid-December. The kids have adjusted to school, Jack loved it from day one and Belle seemed to love it for a few days until she realized that it wasn't a temporary situation. After a week or so of sobbing when we left her she has acclimated to her new routine and now loves it. Bruce and I are very happy with their new school and they are learning so much every day. I was going to include a picture of them on their first day of school but blogger is being a bit difficult. I will try again another day to post the picture.

Bruce has been very busy teaching, organizing and casting but his rehearsals haven't started yet. I love graduate school though I do have my moments of "OMG what did I get myself into?" However, overall it's been great and I love being a graduate assistant. The day to day schedule of the family is getting easier as we've all adjusted to the routine. Bruce and I need to find more time to sleep but that's hardly newsworthy. So far, it's been a great semester I just need to finish my research so I can start writing my papers. I'm writing a paper on Catherine the Great, Ramon Llull and a historiography on the French and Indian war. I'm looking forward to fall break so I can do nothing but read and write!

Happy Birthday Jack!

It's so hard to believe that Jack is turning three! It really does seem like yesterday that he was born; he's gone from a helpless little blob to a precocious and darling child of three. I didn't start to blog until Jack was almost 2 1/2 so I never shared his birth story. In honor of Jack's third birthday I will reminisce about the day he was born.

Jack's due date was August 30, 2006. We had just moved into our first house which was in Ogden, Utah. We had been in our new house for four days and I was trying like mad to get unpacked and organized. I kept telling myself and everyone else that the baby boy was going to be late; most first babies are late and I really needed the time to set up the house. On August 20 Bruce and I had done some work around the house and we cleaned our old apartment. I admit that I hadn't had nearly enough water that day and I probably did too much physical work at nine months pregnant. At 10:45 PM we were about to get ready for bed and I stood up. I paused for a second and turned to Bruce and said "hm, I think that my water just broke." I took a step and I was 99% sure that this was the case. I called my doula Joy and told her what was going on. We agreed that we would go to the hospital and call her if my water did break and she would meet us there. I took a shower and started freaking out because the house was a disaster. Boxes filled the living room from floor to ceiling; we didn't know where the car seat was and I hadn't even packed a bag. We managed to find things for me to pack and we left for the hospital. My mom was going to be coming in in a few days to help us with the new baby and I was in an absolute panic that my mom wasn't here yet. She made arrangement to leave first thing in the morning. When we got to the hospital it was around midnight and it was determined that my water had broken (and I was dehydrated) and we weren't going anywhere. I hadn't started having contractions that I could feel and I wasn't dilated very far but my doctor was willing to work with us as I wanted to avoid pitocin at all costs. Bruce and I got our stuff settled into my room and then we started walking laps in the hallway. After about an hour or so the contractions started kicking in so we went back to our room so I could concentrate on each contraction better. I labored all night and thanks to Bruce and our doula I made it through without any drugs. After over seventeen hours of labor and 2 1/2 hours of pushing Jackson Bremen Cohen was born on August 21 at 4:44 PM. He weighed 8.5 lbs and was 20.5 inches long, I thought that he was a big baby... until we had Belle! Of course Jack did give me a fourth degree tear which slowed me down considerably. Recovering from that tear was worse than the entire labor and delivery. Jack was not a natural nurser, I had to work very hard to get us synced up but it payed off and he nursed for 13 months.

While Jack and I were in the hospital we had some amazing friends come over to the house and help Bruce get it into livable shape. We still had a lot of work to do but at least when we came home as a family we could find all of the baby stuff for Jack. The last three years have flown by with our son, watching him grow and blossom has been has been a magical journey. I'm looking forward to the next three years and beyond.

You Have to Become A Parent to Understand Your Parents

Growing up you hear your parents say things to you that you can't truly understand until you become a parent like them. As a teenager and young adult, we bristle when our parents call us their baby. My mom still tells me that I will always be her baby... I finally get it. Jack and I were having a conversation where I called him my baby boy. He was very insistent that he is not a baby, he is a big boy. I told him that he would always be my baby and that he would understand someday. I've also realized that all of the cliches about falling in love with your children are true... I would do anything for them. My kids make me want to be a better person and to be a strong example for them. These are things that you hear before you become a parent, you understand them in your head... But you can't feel them until you have your first child. This is for Bruce, my Mom and Dad, MommySherry and PapaCohen. Thanks for doing a great job, being a fantastic example of what a parent is and how deep a parent's love goes. My fellow young parents, it's wonderful to know that I'm not alone on this challenging and marvelous journey.

Jack the Funny Man

This week Jack has told me that he is "going to run to Disney World all by myself." It's amazing that he still remembers everything from May! He now tells me all the time that he's going to "keep my eye on you" and today I asked him to put something away in his room and he told Belle to "keep an eye on Mommy." I guess I need supervision! Jack has also been telling me that "you don't tell me no" to which I reply "that's my job." The other day he was talking to himself in the backseat and he kept saying "I say no, that's my job." Bruce asked him what Mommy's job was and Jack said "to say no." It's very clear what I say around the house a lot! Jack is now very into the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, I asked him what his pirate name is and of course he said "Captain Jack." He put on his Pirate Mickey Mouse jammies before we watched the movie and his Pirate Mickey Mouse hat and during the movie he kept saying "I need my sword to fight the pirates!" So cute. I can't believe that he's going to be three in a week!



Jack is still so sweet with Belle, he loves to climb into her crib when she wakes up in the morning or from her nap. Jack also likes to take her hands and help her walk though she does very well on her own now. She laughs the whole time she's walking with him. Belle walks all the time now but she likes to walk with her hands up above her head. Kids are strange but fun.

She's Not A Bed!

Earlier this evening Bruce and I were sitting on the sofa and Bruce put his head on my shoulder. We were tired (shocking), catching up on the day and watching the kids play. Jack comes up to us and demands to his Daddy "don't lay on her!" We were surprised and Bruce asked why he shouldn't be laying on Mommy. Jack said "she's not a bed." Children are so wise.

Jack is also fascinated with Bruce going to the office or going to work. A couple of days ago Jack got some play keys and said "I have to go to work, I'm going to the office." I asked him what he did for work and he said "play with toys." Great work if you can get it.

I borrowed a great idea from a friend and picked up some squeaker shoes for Belle. The little dickens can walk but I'm hoping to motivate her to walk more, whenever she walks the shoes make a little squeak. The squeaker can be removed but I find it cute and it's nice to know where she is if I'm trying to get things done. However, I know my son and if Belle had squeaker shoes he would want some too so I went ahead and picked up a pair for him too. We have a pair of squeakers whenever we go out and both kids are entertained merely by walking!

I bought these for Belle:

And I got these ones for Jack:

I will be uploading more photos soon, it's been a very busy summer so once I get them off the camera watch out for picture overload!

From the Mouths of Babes

Jack and I were watching "The Little Mermaid" the other day and as she was going through her transformation he asked me what was happening to her. I told him that she was turning into a human. He looked at me quizzically and said "a human?" I said "yes, you're a human." As he thought about that I said "is daddy a human?" Jack said "yes" and then I asked if I was a human and he said "no." I was bemused so I asked him "what am I?" Jack said "you're a lady." After a series of questions about who in the family was a human, it turns out that to an almost three year old men and boys are humans and women and girls are ladies.

He still makes me smile when I thank him for something, he says "you're welcome, it's my pleasure." Such a polite little toddler.

Excuse Me Guys, I Have a Plan

Toddlers hear everything. While this is not a newsflash it does tend to surprise me when Jack repeats my common phrases. I obviously use the terms "guys" and "plan" on a very regular basis. The other day Bruce, his dad (Jack's Pappa) and I were talking. Jack comes up to us and says "excuse me guys, I have a plan." He then regaled us with said plan to our dumbfound surprise. Jack's Grammie has been visiting and he has been directing "Drammie" as to how things operate and where things go. After she read him a story a few nights ago she forgot the book on his bed. We start hearing him scream "you forgot to put the book away! Put the book away!" She went and got the book and started to put it away on a lower shelf and he told her to"put it on the top shelf" which is funny because the top shelf is dedicated to books that are more delicate and could easily be ripped, i.e. books that we don't want Jack to be able to get on his own. The next night she remembered to take the book and put it away but she heard a little voice call out "did you put it on the top shelf?" He also assured Grammie that playing with his whale toy in the bathroom was OK by telling her that "it's perfectly fine, Drammie." Jack also told her that as she was supervising his bathroom usage while eating a piece of cinnamon bread that "you can't eat in the bathroom Drammie, you have to eat at the table." He does know the rules even if he doesn't always follow them. When my mom was visiting he told her that he was going to come get her in the morning by knocking on her door "I'm going to knock knock knock on your door Dramma (Grandma)." He then showed her how he was going to knock by rapping his little knuckles on his bed. Too cute.



Jack is now totally diaper free! He hasn't had an accident during the day or at night for weeks and we couldn't be prouder of him. Now we just need to work on his aim when he's standing up...



Bruce and I are also dealing with a lot of phobias with Jack. He's developed a fear of the bathtub drain though it does seem to be getting better and he's a little afraid of the new humidifier. We just keep telling him that he's safe, we won't let anything happen to him and everything is OK. We keep telling ourselves that these are phases and they will pass as quickly as they came on.

We're also gearing up for the beginning of school. I can't believe that Jack and Belle are going to both be in school full time in a month! I know that it's going to be a lot harder on me than it will be for them but it's exciting nonetheless.

Belle's One Year Check-up

Belle is healthy just as we thought. When she was born she was 20.5 inches long and 10.8 lbs. Now she is 30 inches long and 19.7 lbs which puts her in the 75th percentile for length and 10-25th percentile for weight. At one, Jack was 30.5 inches long and 19.8 lbs so both of our kids are growing in a similar fashion. Belle is walking when she feels like it, she got across the room tonight because I had a toy that she wanted. She laughed the whole way across the floor because she thought that she was clever by holding back how skilled she is with the whole walking thing. Little devil.

Happy Birthday Belle!

I can't believe that Belle is one already. This past year went by incredibly fast, faster it seems than it did during Jack's first year. Having two kids makes everyday fly by so I really shouldn't feel surprised by her first birthday. We had a lovely day complete with pancakes and eggs for breakfast and cake for dessert. She loved her new toys and for the first time was more interested in playing with them than chewing on them. Of course Jack is also captivated by the new toys and he is learning that he has to ask Belle if he can play with her toys. She may not understand the concept of sharing but Jack is old enough to learn how sharing works. We did give Jack a small toy which did mitigate the jealousy but he still wanted to play with her toys first. Belle hasn't had her first year check up yet so I'll post her stats once we have them. She did take her first steps last night and she is getting much better at walking by herself. She thinks that she is pretty cool.

Since I didn't start blogging until Belle was six months old I thought that I would share her birth story. It really does feel like yesterday that we were waiting for her to make her arrival. I'll share Jack's on his birthday in August when he turns three!

Belle's due date was June 25, 2008. When I woke up that morning I was planning on having a quiet day at home with my mom and Jack. I woke up really tired and around 9:00 am I had a light breakfast. As I was sitting at the kitchen table I thought that I felt a contraction. Bruce was about to leave for work but stayed with me and started timing contractions. They were about ten minutes apart so I called our doula Mary. We had planned on calling her when they got to five minutes apart. I checked my email and got the rest of my hospital bag together. I saw a recall notice that Belle's crib had been recalled so I tore her crib apart and called customer service. It turned out that her crib was fine but it was an experience tearing apart a crib while in labor. By 10:00 am my contractions were five minutes apart and I called my doula to let her know. She was going to head over to our house and I went to shower. By the time I was done with my shower my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and Bruce called Mary who told us that she would meet us at the hospital. Bruce took our bags out to the car, we said goodbye to Jack and we started the drive to Little Rock. It's only 20-30 minutes to get to the hospital but my contractions were coming really strong and fast and we were honestly afraid that we were going to end up delivering in the car! We got to the hospital around 12:00 and we were settled into our room around 12:30 pm and I was already dilated to 8 cm. Our doula and the nursing staff were great and of course Bruce was an amazing coach. The nurses were very supportive of unmedicated births and they never once mentioned pain medication to me. The pain was quite bad but manageable, (thank you Bradley Method) I was grateful that I didn't have back labor like I did with Jack. By 2:00 pm we were ready to push and Dr. Wyatt almost didn't make it to the delivery. Belle was born at 2:15 PM weighing 10.8 lbs and she was 20.5 inches long. She was a big healthy girl and much easier to deliver than her brother! It was a great birth experience and I am still glad that she decided to be quick in her arrival. Belle did spend a day in the NICU due to the fact that we noticed a change in her personality and she kept on spitting up clear liquid. It turned out that she inhaled some fluid on her exit. It was a little scary for us initially but the staff did a great job explaining the situation. She nursed wonderfully from the very beginning and I am a little sad that our nursing time is coming to an end. She has turned one and she doesn't need me for all of her nutrients, it's time for her to become a big girl and for me to have my body to myself again. Except of course for all of those delicious kid snuggles from my two delightful children.

Happy Father's Day!

A very happy father's day to all of the fathers in my life, especially to Bruce the wonderful father of my children. I am so grateful for everything he does for me, Jack and Belle including taking the first morning shift with the kids and knowing when I need some alone time. I always know that we are equal partners in parenting.

We had a very relaxing day at home with the kids which included morning naps, my making brunch which included french toast waffles and Bruce grilling steaks. All in all a very lovely day for our family.

Happy Birthday Bruce!

Today is my dear husband's birthday, I made him birthday panna cotta to celebrate as he is not partial to cake. I simply love growing older together with this man as our relationship really has grown sweeter with time (although it's always been pretty sweet). Happy birthday baby, here's to many more years together laughing and loving.

A Great Beginning to the Week

Belle has cut two new teeth and now has a grand total of eight teeth! She really enjoys using her new teeth and bites enthusiastically into her food and rips it apart. We are really excited that Jack is officially potty trained! It's been two weeks and he's only had a few accidents. He's still wearing a diaper at night but we're not going to even consider night time training until after he starts staying dry on his own or he turns three. We did try going diaper-free last night but that was a big mistake as he woke up at 6 am totally soaked. Potty training was so hard but we are both so proud of our boy. We're working hard on getting him to go all by himself as well as dressing and undressing himself. I think that he'll be a pro by the time school starts in August.

As a reward for his effort we took him to the zoo today where he rode a camel, the train and the carousel. He loved seeing all of the animals and wanted to ride the rhinoceros and the tigers but we explained that riding those animals would be a very bad idea indeed. Belle loved seeing the primates jump and swing around, it's wonderful to see her get so interested in the world around her. It was a lovely day out with the kids and we're looking forward to our next zoo day. Next weekend we're going to take the kids swimming!

What A Strong Willed Little Girl

Belle has really been showing herself to be a very strong willed little girl, if she doesn't want to have her face cleaned or her diaper changed she'll grab your hand and toss it away. I don't remember Jack ever doing that though he did show his displeasure when we messed with him. She also tries to remove her bib when she is done eating, sometimes she is successful and other times she screams as she tries to pull her bib over her head. Belle has also reached that delightful stage where she systematically throws everything of her tray. Fun. She's still a great eater but we are cleaning more things off of the floor now. Belle really doesn't have any interest in walking yet, she pulls up on everything and cruises the furniture but she gets around so fast by crawling why would she want to waste time learning to walk?

More Tales of Jack

I find Jack to be terribly funny, sometimes it's hard to repress laughter when he repeats something we shouldn't have said in the first place. On Friday, Bruce came home from rehearsal and we were trying to catch up on the day while I finished up dinner and he played with play dough with Jack. Jack looks up at Bruce and says "don't talk." Bruce was confused and said " you don't want me to talk" and Jack said "don't talk to mommy." He has no problem telling us when he wants our undivided attention.

We've been seriously potty training for a full week and I'm happy to report that it is going very well. He has to be trained by August as he is starting pre-school and he must to trained in order to attend class. He has been diaper free during the day for two days and we've had a couple of accidents but that's all part of the learning process. He's beginning to understand the connection between feeling the need to go and going. We think that he'll be in great shape within the next few weeks. We were prepared to do a lot of cleaning up but it hasn't been as bad as I was imagining it might be. Bruce and I are very proud of our little boy, I still can't believe that he's going to be three in three months. Where has the time gone?

It's Been a Busy Few Weeks

We've almost recovered from our vacation. We had a great time in Disney World and at the beach but it was a lot of work! Jack loved Disney World but Belle was just along for the ride (though she did love the characters). I'll post more details at a later date along with pictures from our trip. I finally got the April photos uploaded so feel free to browse them on our Picasa album.

Jack continues to amuse and frustrate us. Recent comic gems from Jack are included in the following stories: I was about to start packing for our trip and I asked Jack if he wanted to help. He thought about it for a second and said "no thank you, I'm busy." One night he did something naughty and I gave him a light swat on the bottom, he looked up at me horrified and said "you attacked me." On our road trip we had stopped for coffee and we got him a cookie. A couple of hours later he had lost interest in it so I started munching on it. He asked me what I was eating and I told him that I was eating his cookie. He glared at me and said "that's naughty."

We are doing very well on potty training this week and he's increased his successes on the toilet by one each day. Tomorrow he is ceremonially giving all of his diapers to Belle. It's likely to be a messy week or two but I am confident that he will be trained before Belle's birthday.

I Got the Assistantship!

Today I was offered one of the Graduate Assistantships, I'm flattered, excited and still a little shocked. I was preparing myself to get declined as I don't have a major or minor in History but I was pleasantly surprised by an email this afternoon. This is the best way to start a vacation. Disney world and the beach... Here we come!

Jack and Belle Have A New Cohen Cousin!

We are so excited for Flint and Alli! Their daughter Sierra Elise was born on April 29 at 2:40 am, 22 inches long and 8.4 lbs. We're hoping to meet her in August if we can make all of our schedules work together. I was trying to explain to Jack this morning that he had a new cousin and he said "cousin Autumn?" I said "no, cousin Sierra." He thought about it but still can't wrap his head around the concept.

Sometimes It's Like Living with a Screech Owl

Jack has always been such a sweet, quiet child... Until recently. He has discovered (all on his own) his lungs and his love of screeching, yelling and talking loudly. Ah, toddlers.

Movie Time!

I really love going to the movies with Jack, on Sunday we took him to see "Monsters vs. Aliens." He cracks me up because he watches movies just like an adult, when the popcorn bucket is in front of him he reaches in without even looking at it. Sometimes I think that he gets more excited about the popcorn than the movie! He's becoming such a little boy that calling him a toddler doesn't always seem right to either of us. It's terribly cliche but he'll always be my baby boy.

Belle's Nine Month Stats

Belle had her nine month check-up a couple of weeks ago. She has gone from 20.5 inches long (85th percentile) and 10.8 lbs (<97th percentile) to 28.75 inches long (75th percentile) and 16.9 lbs (5th percentile). She has become a string bean like her big brother and really has become a terrific eater, she is strictly on table food and she loves it. Belle also has learned how to drink from a straw which was very exciting for me. I am still entertained by how such small things make me cheer.

My Amazing Jack

I have to admit that before we had kids I always knew that I wanted a boy and a girl (we got lucky). However, I was always a little scared about having a boy. Would I be able to bond over trucks and trains? Will I become interested in sports? Will a boy have interest in food and cooking? I can happily say yes to all of those questions. Jack at 2 1/2 is becoming a total foodie, it is now confirmed that he likes anchovies. He's had them several times and always wants more. He loves "cooking" in his play kitchen and loves to help me bake. It takes me a little longer but I love teaching him how to cook and bake. I'll measure the ingredients and he dumps them into the bowl and stirs, he gets very excited to help mommy in the kitchen. I may never become a sports junkie but I am looking forward to enrolling him in soccer and martial arts in a few years. I do love playing with cars and trains with Jack. The Easter Bunny brought Jack a bunch of Thomas the Tank Engine and he has been obsessed with the trains ever since then. We have to force him stop playing and to eat sometimes and he always sprints back to the train set. He kills me when he looks up at me and says "you play trains with me mommy." My heart just melts. The trains really are fun and we arrange the track differently each time.

Jack absolutely blows me away. The kid has an astounding memory and as his language skills get more sophisticated I am constantly surprised by his vocabulary, of course we teach him new words almost every day. He really liked the word "roomy" which was used to describe the new minivan interior. Recently Jack woke up in the middle of the night because of a bad dream, Bruce went in to comfort him and Jack said that Handy Manny's toolbox would help him sleep. This toolbox is about three or four inches long, I would have no idea where it would be, but when Bruce asked him if he knew where it was he said that it was in the bathroom. Bruce went and looked and sure enough there it was. A week or so ago I took Jack grocery shopping with me, it was really windy and my list blew away. This really seemed to bother him at the time and he kept saying "you yost the yist?" (you lost the list). Once in a while he pipes up with "you yost the yist?"

He is still going through an aggressive stage with Belle but most days are pure pleasure. It's going to be hard on me when I start school in the fall and I'm not with them both all day, but I know that both kids are going to love being in pre-school.

Back on Track

After we got back from our trip to DC Belle went on a solid food eating strike. We tried everything to get her to eat solids to no avail. We decided to try moving her to table food and that didn't work either. We started thinking that she got spoiled by jarred baby food and prepared ourselves for a few weeks of reintroducing her to homemade food. Then we saw a tooth break through! It turns out she was teething really badly and didn't want anything solid at all. Now she is eating nothing but table food which has made our lives much easier. It's great to see her beginning to east just like Jack. We moved her on to table food much faster than we did with Jack, we're chalking that up to being first time parents, we just did things much slower with him. It's absolutely true that you get more laissez-faire with the second child, you just feel so much more confident in your parenting skills.

Belle is now crawling everywhere and pulling herself up on anything she can grab! She'll take a few steps alone but she is nowhere near ready to walk yet. Jack has begun to try carrying her and pulling her around so we have to watch the two of them constantly. He also still likes to "smother her with love", squeeze her face because "she's so cute, she's so adorable" and occasionally he grabs her head and starts banging it into the floor or whatever she's clinging to. Ah... fun with a toddler.

Guess Who Dressed Me!

This person also pointed out that her green socks matched the green flowers on her onesie. Really.

It's Been a Busy Few Weeks

We had a great visit with family while we were in Northern Virginia over spring break. We did Belle's baptism and naming and we got to see most of the immediate family. A few members of our family weren't able to make it and they were sorely missed.

The rest of the week was very full as we wanted to take Jack to see a few things in DC, Belle of course is just along for the ride at this point. On Monday we went to the National Zoo but as it is still pretty much winter many of the animals were hibernating or they were renovating exhibits for their busy months. However, there were still plenty of animals to see and it's a great zoo to walk around. We also went to see the FDR memorial on our way home as Bruce and I hadn't had a chance to see it yet. It's beautiful and particularly timely with what is going on with our economy today. On Tuesday we hung out at my parents house and let Jack and Belle and cousin Autumn have time to play (Jack and Belle adore their older cousin), that afternoon Bruce and I decided to bite the bullet and buy a mini-van. With two kids we really need the space and Jack always wants to climb into the car himself. Jack loves the new car and he is still gushing about it "I love big car, I love it." I am still getting used to driving such a big vehicle. On Wednesday we took all three kids to the Natural History Museum as we had promised Jack that he would get to see dinosaurs this week, Autumn also loves dinosaurs so both toddlers were thrilled by their afternoon at the museum. My dad was able to meet my mom, Bruce, me and the kids for lunch which was a nice treat for all of us. Thursday was filled with a trip to Sport Bounce, it's a place that has huge inflatables for the kids to jump in and slide down (pictures will be up soon). Bruce had to take Jack down once and then he was hooked. He scampered up himself from that point on and some of those slides are very big. We followed that up with a few hours at Chuck E. Cheese (much to Bruce's chagrin). Jack and Autumn had a great time running around and it's always difficult to drag them out of there and I'm happy to announce that Bruce survived his first trip to Chuck E. Cheese. Friday we took the kids to the Baltimore Aquarium, it's a great aquarium and all three kids loved it.

The longer we live away from the east coast the harder it is for me to leave my family after a visit. At least we had a comfortable ride back to Arkansas for us and the kids and after a week or so away it's always nice to come home.

Things I Never Thought I'd Cheer and Clap For

Smiling

Laughing

Burping

Rolling

Creeping

Crawling

Eating

Sitting

Standing

Walking

Running

Climbing

Jumping

Clapping

Waving

Cleaning

Peeing

Pooping



And then I had kids; I love every moment I share and witness with them.

Attica! Attica!

Jack has figured out how to climb over the baby gate. I was really hoping that we'd have another six months or so before this happened but our energetic boy will not be contained! I guess I shouldn't be terribly surprised, he's outgrowing his 3T pants and beginning to wear 4Ts, he's just so long and skinny! Of course he's terribly proud of himself and I'm still amazed at how much he has learned; watching your child go from an infant to an active toddler is astonishing to witness. He's really testing his limits with us and he's quickly learning where they are; it doesn't seem stop him from testing them again. We'll get through this phase just in time for Belle's turn, I suspect that it will be easier on us after going through it with Jack.

Spice It Up!

We were very excited for Belle to turn eight months old so we could start introducing her to spices. We had done the same for Jack and to this day he prefers strongly flavored foods including garlic, raw onion and blue cheese. We don't believe in kid food or in making special meals for the children so it is very important that they develop a taste for bold food. For Belle's first taste of real spice Bruce and I decided that garlic would be a good choice. We were so wrong. She did great with the first two or three bites and then sobbed and sucked down her water. We ended up giving her some plain fruit and she glared at me the whole time. Undeterred we mixed some cinnamon into her breakfast the next morning... It was a great success! She loved it and we proceeded to work our way through the sweeter spices like nutmeg and ginger before going back to the more savory ones. We jumped into Herbes de Provence and Italian blend which were both received very well. Tonight I decided to try garlic again, I mixed in some Italian seasoning and a little garlic powder and watched Belle's reactions as I fed her her dinner... Success! Belle is developing nicely into a great little eater just like her big brother.

I'm still surprised and entertained

after 2 1/2 years by how much we discuss bodily functions now that we have kids. It's cliche but it's true. Once you have kids you are constantly talking to your spouse about the condition of their diapers; are they just wet or have they had too much fruit the last few days? I just didn't realize how important it was until we had Jack. Of course now we talk about it all the time with him as we are trying to gently encourage him to potty train. We have days of progress and days of regression, I am still hoping that he'll be trained by the time he turns three.

I can't believe that Jack is 2 1/2, I look at him sometimes and he looks so grown up to me. It's getting easier to imagine him as a teenager and an adult, it's really making me cherish this time with small fries. Belle is starting to cruise and she is beginning to figure out how to get from sitting to crawling. We're in trouble once we have two toddlers but I suppose it's worse for the cats. Belle has gotten really fast at crawling, now if I leave her on the floor in her room she'll drag herself out to see where the party moved to. She's always so proud of herself when she finds us. A couple of days ago I told Jack that he was cute and he said "I not cute, I big boy." I replied "so you can't be big and cute?" He said "no, I big." I'm just glad that my big boy still likes to snuggle in the morning or when he wakes up from his afternoon nap.

Great News!

I totally forgot to announce my exciting news, I'm attending graduate school in the fall! I've been accepted to the University of Central Arkansas to begin my MA in history. I'm very happy to be getting back into school. As much as I love being home with my kids, going back to school to get my masters degree will be good for all of us. A history degree will give me a lot of options for my future career and I will love my studies. I know that the next couple of years will be a challenge but it will be worth it in the end. Now I'm just waiting to hear about an assistantship and we can start making plans.

Time Flies

I can't believe that February is almost over, Jack will be 2 1/2 in a few days and Belle will be 8 months next week. Jack's verbal skills are astounding me and Belle is getting more mobile every day. I am grateful that Jack still really loves his little sister and Belle absolutely adores her big brother. I really hope that their relationship stays close as they get older. I'm really enjoying seeing how different they are as children, both in development and in personality.


Belle is much more verbal than Jack was at this age. She's more outgoing and flirty than he was as well. As far as how they became mobile, Jack liked to roll from place to place while Belle prefers to practice downward dog and drag herself around in a military crawl. She can get across the room really fast! Belle is trying really hard to blow raspberries and makes all sorts of strange noises which has prompted Jack to say that she sounds like a bulldozer. It cracks me up every time! We're excited for Belle to turn 8 months so we can introduce her to new foods and finally introduce her to spices.


Jack is still obsessed with dinosaurs and can identify T-Rex, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops and Stegosaurus. He can actually say the word paleontologist but I'm not sure that he understand what it is. Jack is terribly funny to me, in addition to calling Belle a bulldozer (which I'm not sure she'll appreciate later in life) he likes to point to his head and say "idea" which is usually followed by "need scissors" or "need flashlight." He has a great memory and often looks up at me and says "something missing" which he will follow up with the missing items. At mealtime, he occasionally decides that he doesn't like his food stating that it's "too yucky."

Jack is definitely in the "gimme" phase which is not cute, we're working hard to teach him to say "may I please." It's not working yet but we're being persistent. He'll also say that needs something as in "I need chips" or "I need chocolate" which are most certainly not needs. Jack has also decided that he is Mickey Mouse, I am Minnie, Belle is Daisy and Bruce is Goofy. It has not escaped him that we are missing Donald and Pluto. Jack is very active, he loves to jump and dance and says that he has "happy feet." He has also become very particular about music, if he doesn't like the genre being played he will tell us to change it until he is satisfied. At least he has an opinion.

Another evening I was taking pictures of the kids and I started calling Belle a ham (because she is). Jack was very insistent that she wasn't a ham she is a baby. A little later I called her a ham again and he said "no, no, no, juicy steak." Last night as I put him to bed I told him that I'd see him in the morning, I usually say "but not too early" as he's been getting Bruce up between 6:00 - 6:30 am. As I finished saying "I'll see you in the morning" he said "not too early." He really slays me. He also got up around 5:00 am so obviously my request for sleep is not working. I guess that we should be glad that he's not waking us up with his dinosaurs in tow saying "dinosaur... roar. DINOSAUR...ROAR!!!"

Hello all, it's about time I jumped on this and contributed from the paternal side. Sandy's got the developmental news and color commentary pretty well documented; so I'll fill in the Op-Ed.

Where did un-educational cartoons go? I don't deny that I harbor a desire that the kids experience many of the same childhood experiences I fondly (though fuzzily) remember. One of these came to mind this morning. I'm usually the parent to get up with early-rising Jack in the morning. Lately this has involved a 5:30-6am "Daddy up" nudge; though this morning revallie was at a somewhat more merciful 6:45am.

Well, I can muster enough of my faculties to accomplish the routine diaper change/first-round breakfast logistics and settle in for some "toons" (Jack's colloquialism) while my ganglia warms up. And these "toons", dear friends and family, are not the toons of my youth... thus my point.

What the bloody hell happened to the pointless, violent, politically-incorrect cartoons of kinder-past? I certainly appreciate the educational value of current DisneyChan, Noggin and PBS kid programming... good stuff being imparted; all carefully, psychosocially massaged to imprint constructive civic behaviors and interpersonal skills. I believe these toons are indeed a valid teaching adjunct to what Sandy and I do.... but, at the same time, I wonder if Jack and Belle wouldn't also benefit from an occasional helping of the schadenfreude-centered, slapstick in the Coyote v. Roadrunner series; or the thinly veiled anti-communist dogma undergirding Rocky and Bullwinkle; or the burlesque absurdism of George of the Jungle and Mr. Magoo. No, these shows don't teach the value of bi-linguality and communal-effort; and yes they surely present a coarse, low-comic tone.... but I suspect these old-school toons still have value... if only to counter-balance the somewhat Stepfordian-flavor of the current slate.

That, and it is still damn-funny when that anvil drops on the Coyote's head.

Kids Say the Darnest Things

Toddlers are very entertaining as they learn new words and concepts every day. Recently Jack has been pointing to Belle and saying "Princess, Princess Belle" which is very sweet. The other day I asked him "if Belle is a Princess what are you?" He replied "I King." He likes to go around saying "I King, I King." We've also been motivating him to communicate his need to have his diaper changed with coins to put in his bank, it seems to be working so far. He loves to put a "poin" (his pronunciation for a coin) into his bank and then shake it to see how many "poins" he has saved. When he wants my full attention and I'm taking care of Belle he tells me "Belle down" or "Belle saucer" which is his way of telling me that he wants me to put his sister in the exersaucer. Jack is also well into the "me do it" phase, it seemed to start when he wanted to take his own temperature when he was sick and he loves to fill up sippy cups with water from the refrigerator. I've begun to have him help me bake, I sit him on the counter and let him pour in the ingredients, which he absolutely loves; he always says "me do it."

Poor Little Jack

Jack has been quite sick off and on for the last few weeks. Today we took him in to see the doctor after having a record temperature of 104 degrees last night. I got the fever down around 10:30 pm and he slept through the night. It's clear that he had an infection of some kind. The doctor had his blood count analysed and he has an undefined infection and they've changed his medication. He didn't have a fever tonight and he was actually bouncing around before bed so we're hoping that we're finally going to knock the bug out of our little boy. It's been so hard watching our normally healthy, energetic boy wanting to do nothing but lay on the sofa, snuggle and watch movies. I hope that we're going to see him back to normal very soon and for more than a week or two.

They Grow Up So Fast

The kids change so much in such a small period of time, I am constantly amazed. Belle is now seven months old and is pushing up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. She has become a terrific eater, just like her big brother. We can't wait until she's eight months old so we can start introducing her to different spices. She is also sleeping through the night most nights so we are beginning to catch up on sleep. We are hoping that one of these mornings we'll wake up feeling great instead of exhausted.

Jack is now fond of jumping up and down and off of bottom steps. His balance is pretty good for a two year old and can balance on each foot. We are now able to put him to bed without the baby gate and he is sleeping until seven a.m. He has also begun to mimic us and the last two nights he's been repeating Bruce using the lowest voice he can. It's pretty humorous to hear him try to imitate his Daddy. Jack still doesn't have any interest in potty training so we're trying not to push him. He is however very interested in flushing the toilet so we have to be vigilant about locking the bathroom door or to run if we hear him open it. So far he's only flushed bits of tissue but I'm trying to prepare myself for something that will be prime story telling material. Jack has also started throwing astounding tantrums which are not fun to handle but they are part of having a two year old. Life is never boring.

I Need Clothes!

After a dirty diaper change today I left Jack in his clean diaper for a moment while I dealt with the dipe. Suddenly I heard Jack yell "I need clothes!" I instructed him to pick out a pair of pants and a shirt and I hear him again demand "I need clothes!" Then he kept shouting "I need clothes, I need clothes!" I washed up and got the boy some clothes. I'm just glad that he's feeling better.

We spent two hours in the pediatric after hours clinic on Sunday after Jack's temperature soared to 102.9. Unfortunately, he had another double ear infection and he was given stronger antibiotics than he was last time. He is definitely feeling better today. We just wish that he would give us some signs that he was getting ill before getting really sick, but at least he's on the mend.

Exciting Week

We went to see a preschool for Jack this week. It was a local Montessori school and I was really pleased with what we saw. Jack loved it and keeps asking about going to school. They may be able to take Belle early which makes me really happy as I'd like to have both kids together in the same place. We're going to see a few more places before making any decisions.

Belle has started to really move around, she's pushing herself backwards and rolling all around. While it's fun to see her getting so active, I know that I only have a short period of time before I am literally chasing two small children around the house.

Toddler Fun at Dinner

Bruce prepared some lovely Mahi Mahi for dinner tonight. I put Jack's plate in front of him and told him that we were having fish. He looks at the fish, points at it and says "Nemo?" Jack looks up at me inquisitively and I say "no baby, that's not Nemo." Then he points to the fish again and says with a smile "Daddy?" I reply "no sweetie, that's not Nemo's Daddy." He looked at the fish again as if he was trying to come up with another fish name and just when I thought we might have problems with dinner he started to eat his Mahi Mahi. The little dickens was thoroughly amused with himself.

We're Seeing Real Progress

In December we introduced Belle to solids and baths in a real bathtub. The initial introductions were traumatic on both fronts... She sobbed through her first bath with her brother and kept her mouth tightly closed when we attempted to feed her cereal, avocado, banana, peaches, pears, sweet potatoes and squash... She just wasn't into solids. However, we have seen drastic changes in bath time and meal time. Belle now seems to enjoy her baths with Jack, she's now smiling and starting to make little splashes with her hands. Meal time has improved; she has begun to eat more and is almost enthusiastic as she grabs the spoon and helps to guide it into her mouth. We are relieved that she is on her way to becoming a good eater and a water baby like her big brother Jack. Belle also got her first tooth poking through on Christmas Day (the day she turned six months) it seems that she may be a very prompt little girl. Today we discovered that she is getting another tooth right next to the other one. They do grow up so fast.

Jack is an energetic and curious two year old. He's a fantastic big brother and really takes care of his little sister. We hope that this continues as they get older. We're beginning to shop for preschools for him as we really think that he'll thrive attending school in the fall. He is great with colors and we're starting to work more with him on letters and numbers. While he certainly throws his share of two year old tantrums he still has a sweet disposition. We remind ourselves that two is a short phase and we'll all get through it. His language skills blows us away and we're constantly surprised by his increased vocabulary and by his ability to communicate his needs.

Our days are never dull and we're constantly exhausted but we love every minute with our two kids.

Happy New Year!

I never thought that I would create a blog but here it is, 2009, and I'm writing my first blog post. In our fast paced world there many family members and friends that we don't get to communicate with on a regular basis, I feel that this will be good way to share what is going on with our family in bucolic Arkansas. Please stop by to see new pictures and videos and updates on ourselves and the kids.

2008 was great to us, we now have two amazing kids and life is never dull. If 2009 is half as wonderful as last year, it will be a good year. We hope that everyone has a fantastic 2009.