Concertino

After multiple attempts, when she would shut down when the camera appeared, we finally have it recorded for posterity:  Miss M's first official concert. Let the festivities begin!



Sibling love...

Saved for posterity (or evidence when the teenage years arrive):

And, some daddy love (until Little E is big enough to take on her big brother and sister):

Snow Day!

Though since it was Sunday and the day after Christmas, we didn't get off of work or school.  Still.  Any snow day (without ice) is a good day.  The kids and I went out in the morning.  We had a hand-me-down snow suit for M.  She had trouble walking around in the snow in it, however, and when she'd topple over (frequently), she couldn't get herself back to standing position.  So C and I spent a lot of time pulling her upright.  We also had three (!!!) sets of hand-me-down boots for her--including a set in pink to go with the snow suit.  Now that's accessorizing!  (Where are my pink boots when I need them?)  Unfortunately, all three sets of boots were a bit too big, so she kept kicking them off and walking around in the snow in her socks.  Needless to say, she went back inside rather quickly.  But not before we got lots of good photos of her in the snow.

C helped me clean off the car.  And got his wish to throw snowballs and to build a snowman.  The snow was perfect for packing and snowman building.  As I shoveled the snow from the driveway, I dumped it in a pile for C and I to use as the body of the snowman.  C used the snow from the hood of the car to form a massive head for the snowman.  Remarkably, it held together all the way from the car to the snowman and even held together when we set it on the body.  But then we tried to pack a neck around it to hold it steady and it split into three large sections.  Humpy Dumpty may not go back together again, but C and I were able to refashion the head.  Then find some scraps of whatever is lying around for a nose, a hat and scarf, and bingo--a passable snowman.

Now, how to keep the kids entertained the rest of the week...

A White Christmas in Southtown?!

Mrs. C must have paid a visit to Mother Nature and they ganged up on Heat Meiser to allow snow in Southtown.  The first time since 1947!  This is our third White Christmas in a row.  Unprecedented!  Come to think of it, the snow must be due to one particular d!@# Yankee being down here this year for the first time.  We were home for Christmas this year and nature tried to make it feel like being at the old home.

C got us started this morning, coming into the bedroom to announce with enthusiasm that there were lots of presents around the tree.  I then had to come into the hall with him to look downstairs to see for myself. He then informed me that we would wait to open them, until Mommy and Mena were awake and we had breakfast.  But in the meantime, he would have a chocolate milk!  Remarkable self-discipline and planning.  MY BOY!

It was lots of fun to see him rip open his packages and cheer with delight to see what was inside.  And EVERYTHING was a big thrill.  M opened a pillow pet first and gave it a big hug.  Her big present was a rider that plays music.  It's really for outside, but she rode it all over the house and had a good ole time.

M also liked little E's presents and was not happy when we would not unbox them so that she could play with them.  Little E was so excited with the festivities that she slept through them.   Presumably so she could make sure that she could stay up at night...  Party on...

M's vocabulary has been increasing dramatically.  She likes to say "Dank you"--with a smile--when you hand her something.  She constantly surprises us with new "proto-words" she speaks.  The last few days, she has wanted to do the motions to "Itsy-bitsy spider."

We'll see if it keeps snowing.  The ground was wet before the snow, so it will have to snow quite a bit for any to stick.  C has already proposed that we skip church tomorrow so that he can build a snowman and throw snowballs.  He's planning on lots o' snow.  If we do get to play in the snow, we'll have posts two days in a row.  Talk about unprecedented...

And Now There Are Five

Ellie joined us at 7:03 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 21. Labor started at 5:20 a.m. T was not deterred; she went to church and sang in the choir while having contractions. After lunch, we called Oma and Opa to tell them "You might want to start packing." They had planned to arrive Monday, Nov. 29. We also called M & J to give them the heads up that C & M might be coming over to play. T spent most of the afternoon upstairs with blinds drawn in her dark Mommy cave, while E and the kids played outside in the sunshine and leaves. We arrived at the hospital around 5 and T was already fully effaced and dilated to 5 cm. She quickly got an epidural. When told by Dr. B that she was racing someone else down the hall, T sped up her contractions and had Ellie ready to go by the time Dr. B returned to check on her. In her downtime, T kept the world updated on Facebook. (Because if it is necessary for people to share daily minutia, sharing each contraction is critical.) 4 or 5 pushes and it was over. Thankfully, it was about as quick and easy as they come (esp. for me!) Then T wanted a cheeseburger!

The daughter of one of our friends, when told of Ellie's arrival, asked, "Is she Chinese or black or what?" An excellent question! Consistent with her brother and sister, Ellie does not at this point look like either her mother or father. So she fits right in with our motely crew!

Once C's school was done on Monday, Oma and Opa had arrived, and we all went to the hospital to meet baby sister. C got a chance to hold her. M was intrigued but didn't quit know what to make of the situation. When in doubt, cling onto Dad!

On her first dr's visit on Wed, Ellie had dropped some weight. So T got some advice from the dr and a "lactation technician" on how to feed her. These procedures worked fine until Thursday (Thanksgiving) morning when Ellie decided that she would rather sleep than stick to the prescribed schedule of the medical professionals. Of course, violating the orders of medicals professionals is not to be tolerated in this house, so a kind dr at our pediatrician's office agreed to come in to see Little E to spare us a trip to the emergency room. Once at the dr's office, Little E, of course, then decided that she was willing to eat and all was right with the world; we could return home and eat our Thanksgiving meal. Babies prefer sleeping to eating; Babies refuse to be put on a schedule; who knew?

And so opens the next chapter of life in the H household. This ought to be fun...

Sibling tour & Trunk or Treat

Ellie's arrival must be soon as this morning we took C&M to the hospital for a "sibling tour" of the maternity ward. C was very interested in looking at the babies. As he observed, "They're small." He also became our nurse guide's helper--anything that needed to be distributed to children or adults, he was there and had it done in no time. He also won the "diaper your stuffed animal" contest easily (photo below). He had diapered "mommy doggie" before the nurse had finished her instructions. He left everyone else in the dust. T observed that he must be paying attention when we diaper M as he certainly knew what to do!

C has been asking for a pumpkin, so we got a medium-sized one after lunch. C and I carved it when we got home. It was my first pumpkin carving since I was a kid. And it really made me feel like a Dad to do one for, and with, my son. I remember Mom always did great carvings--with expressions, teeth, I think I remember eyebrows too. I didn't try anything complicated but followed C's instructions for small eyes, a triangular nose and a round mouth. It won't win any artistic awards but it's competent, esp. for my first one. I didn't have to cover up any gaffs and both C and I retained all our digits (or, for cousin A, phalangies!!!). Since I'm likely to be carving a pumpkin yearly for well into the future, I'll have plenty of opportunities to hone my craft (or lose my fingers...).

This evening, Advent had its fall festival and Trunk or Treat. Attendance was great. They had lots of activities and games for kids. C, of course, loved the inflatible slides and bounce house. M liked the bounce house too. She couldn't walk on its floor but enjoyed just rolling around on it and getting bounced by the jumping of the bigger kids. C dressed as Iron man, M as Winnie the Pooh (see below). T made sure C collected candy for M too, though as M doesn't eat candy yet, it explains why C was consistently instructed to choose the candy that T likes. After dark, they had a fire pit and smores. C did a great job toasting the marshmellows as I tried to keep M from diving into the fire. I'll give her credit for persistence if not prudence! She also is refusing to let others feed her so she grabbed a smore and got gooey marshmellow over both hands and was fascinated by her ability to generate long strands of goo stretching between her hands. Some got wiped on me as I tried to get it off of her hands.


What a fun day! And tomorrow, the kids will go on the CROP walk with me, and then Trick or Treating in the neighborhood in the evening.

A fun day w/ Ba...

Well, C was in a "Mommy, take our picture" kind of mood...so, of course, I oblige. When the camera came a courtin', Miss M turned into a major ham & made her mission in life to become so fast that I would be unable to capture her digital image for posterity. Fortunately, the camera has a relatively quick shutter speed, so in the immortal words of Leo from Little Einsteins, "Mission Completion."

On a side note, today proved to be an interesting outing for the family. Our close friends, John & Wendy (aka Uncle John & Aunt Wendy to the kids), are moving to Savannah (*insert C pouty face by me*). So, to celebrate, we went to lunch at a local restaurant (very family friendly, w/ yummy food).

Miss M decided that absolutely no highchair could keep her contained, resulting in Ba (aka Dada) having to keep a squiggly toddler (who seemed to develop additional limbs, taking on an octopus persona) on his lap, feed said toddler, all the while trying to eat his reuben. Miss M rapidly decided lunch was done and chose to go on the lam - several times. With a rapidly expanding waistline, I have been unable to keep pace or remain on the lead lap with Miss M. Therefore, Ba bounced up and down (much like a weeble, wobble), laid chase to the heir to the Nascar Points Cup and chased our Speed Racer throughout the restaurant.

Laps led our driving diva behind the counter, as well as an attempted breakout through the front doors. Thankfully, Miss M turned on the charm. The counter employees were very understanding as Ba sprinted behind the counter and extricated Miss M before additional havoc could rein. C summized the situation best by saying (referring to Miss M and the employees), "Maybe her wants to help them work."

Miss M earned a new nickname - the Toddler Houdini, Miss Monkey, or Octo-toddler - take your pick.

Happy 1st Gotcha Day Mena!

We celebrated our one year anniversary with M today. She got two special treats: a piece of cake and a baby doll we got for her in Ethiopia. (When going through the bag of Gotcha Day gifts, I noticed the gifts are almost all for older children. So, while she's too young to remember receiving the same doll before, she may get it for a few more Gotcha Days. My grandmother would be proud: She loved to give recycled gifts and cards--and then would deny it and pretend to be insulted when you pointed it out.)

C was so excited when he got home from school today. His class had their first trip to the library. And he could not believe that they let him take a book home with him. But he also made sure that T and I understood that we had to return it next week. He and I sat down on the couch to read it right away. Until he decided that he wanted to look at the pictures first (though he did tell me what was happening). By the time he was done looking at the pictures, he was ready to play on the computer. But M had just arrived downstairs from her nap and plunked herself in my lap. So at least I got to read about Clifford to someone!

Labor Day at the Zoo

M has been very interested in animal flash cards and C's Big Backyard magazine so we decided to go the zoo for entertainment today. As we've already been to the NC zoo a few times, we went to the Riverside Zoo in Columbia, SC. It's smaller and more compact than the NC zoo which was generally a positive on a very hot day with young kids and a pregnant wife.

The kids had a good time, though C was consistently ready to see the next animal rather than the one we were actually viewing. He especially liked lion, the tiger, and meercat (oh my; wait, that's not how it goes...), and the fish--especially the sharks--at the aquarium. He was amused by the "laughing" macaws. The funniest scene occurred at the tiger area. The tiger was apace about and roaring regularly. So C, and then M, roared back him. He'd roar, they'd roar back--loudly. Cute. Lots of good pictures to see below.


M has discovered belly buttons and now randomly pulls up any of our shirts in order to poke our belly buttons. Her own is not as interesting for whatever reason. C is mystified by the innie vs. outie issue. T has attempted to save us from the one of the most important mysteries of life by explaining it to us. Fortunately, I didn't understand so it can remain a mystery to me. Maybe C understood as he hasn't asked again; or maybe he realized he really didn't want the answer. Many mysteries in life are that way...they are much more interesting when they are mysterious.

First Day of School! Ever!

C's big day went very well. Fortunately, we arrive at the bus stop early as the bus arrived six minutes early. Two other boys from the neighborhood got on at the same time and this gave C confidence to follow them up the steps and onto the bus. He had been telling us for weeks that we was scared of getting on the bus. We called goodbye to him and he turned to wave (see the photo below). Somehow we got through it without any of us bawling all over the place or C hanging onto our legs! It's one of those events in life that you seem to anticipate for so long, with such a mix of emotions and then it's over so quickly. The yellow bus swings around the corner. "There's the bus." The doors open, the kid gets on the bus and has to wait for the people ahead of him to get up the stairs. Then, zip, the bus is off and around the next corner. Probably 30 seconds max.

He brought home some drawings, said they played outside before lunch, and watched "Franklin." For lunch, he had chicken nuggets, chocolate milk, french fries and KETCHUP! As long as they have ketchup, we're okay...

The last few days M has crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip when she doesn't want to do something. It is quite humorous, nevertheless, it is a sign of what is to come...

One day of school done, somewhere between 13 and 22 years to go. Here's to a long and fruitful voyage!

Happy B-day, C

Today was C's birthday--though he denies it because there were no "candles". The candles and the first eating of the cake were last Saturday when Oma, Opa, Maw Maw, Kristy and Hannah could join us. We had a fun time feeding the animals at the Lazy 5 ranch. C's favorite animal was the ostrich because they came right up to the wagon, put their heads over the railing and ate right out of the buckets.

We had lunch at the Chik-fil-a in Mooreville. The staff was great, allowing us to bring in a cake. They brought the cow (who appreciated the chance to come inside the air conditioning after a few hours waving at cars outdoors). M screamed and giggled with delight at the sight of the cow, but would lean away as he approached. C, who is usually scared of costumed creatures, was full of high-fives for the bovine. The manager allowed C to ring a cow bell and led the patrons in singing Happy Birthday.

After a year of claiming that he would be 5 on his next birthday, when several people asked him today how old he is, he replies "4." When I gave him a look, he revised: "6." Somewhere in there. Math was never my thing either.

M was pleased to receive a visit from Bella in her room today. As Bella left, M followed her. This is not unusual. The twist was her singing the song we use to find C when playing hide and seek (to the tune of Frere Jacques)--and the words were almost clear: "Where is Bella? Where is Bella?"

This will be funny when you're 12

We were scheduled to have the first showing of our house tonight so spent a considerable part of the day recleaning and decluttering an already clean and decluttered house. The showing was 6-7 pm so we went out to dinner. About 6:30, Aunt K calls to say the ADT had called her to say that our security alarm had gone off. T turns to me, "Did you set the alarm on?" Before I can say no, C chimes in enthusiastically "I pushed the button!" Doh! He had wanted to push the button to unlock the car doors and apparently pushed buttons on the other fob as well. I've pushed the buttons on the wrong fob myself so its easy to see how this would happen. Nevertheless...groan...

New words

Most families make a big deal over a child's "first word." This is proving somewhat difficult for us as T and I are unable to reach consensus on the standards for an utterance constituting a word. T counts "da da" as the first word. I reject this because, for a long while, M called any object "da da." I was "da da" but so was C, the neighbor's dog, birds outside, etc. By my reasoning "duck" is the first word--although the uncertainty here is that she isn't refering to a web-footed quacker, but patting her head to play "Duck, duck, goose" (see earlier post). Regardless of which word counts as first, we do agree on the order of the words that have followed: ball, Bela (pronounced Bel-Wa), and most recently, dog. Bela of course is the cat and T is most unhappy that M has said the cat's name before "ma ma". (Despite T's coaching her to say "ma ma". M's response to such coaching is to shake her head no.)

M has discovered where Bela's cat treats are kept in the pantry and when the door is open will grab them, hold them over her head and march to the couch in den--behind which Bela is usually sleeping or hiding--and wave them around. M's logic, I suppose, is that a cat will come to play with a shreeking baby waving a plastic container in hopes that the baby will be able to open the container and provide a yummy cat treat. Genetically a cat, Bela is able to ignore such logic, resist the temptation of a treat, a look at M with mild annoyance ("you woke me up for this. I would pity humans but it's not worth the effort.")

C's new word is girlfriend. He took a fancy to one of the high school girls who taught his class at Vacation Bible School this week. Fri afternoon he drew her a picture. Unfortunately, she wasn't in church this morning for him to deliver it. We asked him why she was his girlfriend. He replied "She's bootiful and she's nice to me." Two excellent reasons! The Vietnamese Valentino is now stateside.

To Shake or To Nod? That is the Question

Ms. M has started to communicate. A few days ago, she started to shake her head "no" in response to questions. Most of the time, we suspect she meant "yes" so we showed her how to nod to say "yes." She seems to get it as now she both nods and shakes and the head movement generally matches the answer we'd anticipate. It's cool to know that she understands what we're saying and is very helpful to be able to get feedback from her.

She's also started to join us in prayers before meals by reaching out to hold our hands. Previously, she would get quiet and would stare at us but would usually withdraw her hand or avoid our attempt to grab her hand. Now she'll actually reach out for our hands.

Despite rarely wearing shoes in her first year, M has developed a shoe fetish. (Dad's editorial comment: OH NO!!! There goes the college fund...) She sees shoes and she sticks her foot out and points her toes, in essense, asking to try them on. She even wants to try on C's shoes, mommy's shoes, daddy's shoes. Her own shoes are either too small or a bit too big and she walks out of them. No matter, she continues on with a shoe on one foot only. Onward and upwards...

Duck, duck...

C likes to play "Duck, duck, goose" and chase me (or be chased by him) around the lower level of the house. M has taken a fancy to it too. When C asks to play, M will get a big grin, pat herself on the head and say "duck, duck." It is really cute. Also cute is her singing, which she does nearly constantly. She started with "Twinkle, twinkle" but now mostly sings "Frere Jacques" which is the tune she and I use (with our revised lyrics) when searching for C during Hide and Seek.

She is now walking (quickly!). She still stumbles but has the gist of it. She mades the loop around the downstairs in little time. If the bathroom door is open, she makes a beeline there as she enjoys splashing her hands in the toilet. Yikes! She had her first serious spill yesterday morning, falling face-first into the corner of the bathroom wall. A huge Goose egg swelled up within a minute. She screamed for a while but seemed to be more upset about us trying to hold an ice pack on her head than the wound itself.

She also has four teeth and a strong preference for feeding herself--even if much of the food ends up on the chair or on the floor... She's starting to drink more from her sippy cuts and less from her bottles, though she also likes to dump the milk out of the cup onto the tray of her chair, the carpet, etc.

At bed time, she and C have been giving her other hugs and kisses. More precisely, C gives M a kiss on the forehead; M piles on top of his torso and tries to wrap her arms around him. Her "kisses" tend to be mini-licks. Tonight, C and M were playing with a neighbor who has a red, battery-powered car. C drove and M rode in the passenger seat and seemed to have the time of her life.

C and I went to the pool at the local Y several times last week. He now puts his face in the water and even dives under the water and under the water sprays in the kiddie pool/fountain area. He also wrote a letter to Oma and Opa last week and was very exited to put it in the mail. When we talked to them on Sunday, he wanted confirmation that they had received his letter.

The Finer Points of Bathing

C and M have enjoyed bathing together for the past few months. We've been using the master bath since it get fit both M's baby tub and C. M, however, has spent more time and effort trying to crawl out of the baby tub and into the main tub than bathing, so we started putting them together in their own bathroom.

Now that she doesn't have to concentrate on planning her escapes from the baby tub, M can observe C's bathtime routine. Last night, I poured liquied soap into C's hands and he rubbed his hands together to create lots o' suds. M rubs her hands together and then on her chest and abdomen as if she's spreading the soap on her body. Then C puts suds on his face and uses his fingers to "shave" (now we're on second degree of imitation). M rubs her palms on her cheeks and then dips her hands in the water, then back to her face. Then she puts her hands onthe top of her head and makes circular motions as if she is washing her hair. Once I did start to wash her hair, she repeated the motions to assist. All very amusing. Then as I was helping C, M started "washing" the tub wall--one of C's favorite bathtub activities. All very amusing and endearing.

T reports that M has walked 18 steps before "sitting"; 11 is the max so far for me. Making progress. She's also eating almost all adult food now. This morning she broke off half of C's breakfast banana and snarfed it down. C refused to eat most of the rest of the banana since M had touched it, so M finished it too.

Steppin' Out With My Baby

Yesterday Miss M started taking a few steps independently. Four was her longest walk and most were two or three steps. But ya gotta start somewhere. And these were controlled steps with an upright body position, mind you, not legs stumbling to stay under the body of a child propelled by gravity. It will still be a little while before we can claim she's walking, but we're getting closer.

She also has had three teeth pop through in the last week or so. No drooling, no fussing, none of the usual symptoms. T is now claiming that her 9 months of predictions are correct. Nostradamus step aside!

The last few days have been really hot and humid so the kids have been enjoying the pool. The local YMCA has a nice wading pool and splash grounds that good for them get wet. Hopefully they'll be used to the water when we go to the Poconos and they'll be ready to jump right in with the cousins.

Into the Hands of the Lord

"Into the Hands of the Lord." A song fitting for Miss M's baptism.

Many thanks to Miss Laura Nolan who gracefully sang such a moving piece. It truly means so much to us that you have blessed us with the incredible gift of your voice. We also are greatful to our Director of Music Ministries, Annette Nolan, who accompanied Laura on the piano.

Please enjoy. We hope you are as moved by the talents of these two lovely women, and more importantly, the song's message.

Baptism, Birthday and a Bonus

We had a house full today for M's baptism and belated Birthday celebration. We've had the house torn up the last few days for painting, but T made sure the house was all fixed up (except for the spackle marks on the walls). We had burgers, hot dogs, mac 'n cheese, Southern style coleslaw ala Aunt Kiki, and birthday cake. Entertaining pictures of the birthday girl and her first cake below.






Baptism went very well. The look on M's face as Pastor Ward tilted her back to put the water on her head was priceless: with eyes bulging, her expression was "What the !@#$%?" But she didn't cry or scream. Then she adamantly clung onto me rather than being shown off to the congregation by the pastor. When Ward explained to C that we could use the "baptism box" to store momentos of the baptism, including the candle, C objected that it was on fire. We assured him that we would put out the fire before placing the candle in the box. C whispered to me that he had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the baptism. I told him to go to Oma (which he did) and ask her to take him. But then he returned to the font w/o going to the bathroom. So I held my breath for the rest of the ceremony that he would be able to hold it. He did.


C had an end of year musical at preschool last week. He rehearsed his part at home and made T and I sing along and do the "Father Turtle" lines. In practice, his teacher, Miss Lori, used C as an example to the other children of how to say their lines--loudly and distinctly! He had no trouble being heard the night of the musical and even interrupted a few others to give them mid-musical instructions on how to do it correctly.


M has been crawling up and down the stairs. Usually 3 stairs up, turn to check to make sure you're behind her, one down. If the gate is closed, she'll hang on the top of the gate and bounce up and down with her knees, smiling and laughing. She's taking more of an interest in walking while holding an adult's hands. She takes big steps and walks really fast. She can march in a big circle around our downstairs. It won't be too long until we post the "she's walking" post. T also sees (and FEELS!) evidence of one tooth on the bottom gum ready to break through (a somewhat more precise piece of evidence to back up her assertions that M is about ready to teeth--we're in month 7 of those predictions).

Our blog title "and then there were four" will soon become antiquated as baby #3 appears for first time below! But I think we'll keep the title for a while just to prove how little we know... And that explains the painting reference above: if you plan for four and then have 5 in the family, ya' suddenly need more bedrooms and a freakin' minivan!

Free nursing cover giveaway...

Freebies are great, especially for the expectant mom in your life. MB Sprout is giving away a free nursing cover. Deadline is Thursday, 5/13 at midnight. Check it out: http://mbsprout.blogspot.com/

Check out their site. They have some great nursing covers, car seat canopies, aprons, minky lovies, and burpies!

I Go to the Hills...

Good news today: we received M's final adoption paperwork from the county court. Not that you (or we) were waiting in suspense...


Last weekend, we needed a break and used a colleague's summer house near Grandfather Mountain. We went up on Friday afternoon and returned Sunday afternoon. The weather was hot in Charlotte and very pleasant in the mountains (surprisingly, it only dropped to 60 at night!).

Saturday morning we went to Grandfather mountain. We went to the top first since the weather was good. At the top (that is, the top of the road, not the top of the mountain) is a "mile high swinging bridge." Fortunately, the 2000s version doesn't really swing. But it leads you to a short walk to a rock outcropping where you can get a 360 view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. It was hazy, but you could still see quite well.


We then went to the "zoo." C was very excited to see the cougars, the otters, the deer, and the bears (ok, just about everything that was large and moved). You could buy food to throw to the bears, so they just sat up with their mouths open to catch the food. One was so lazy (and apparently well fed) that he wouldn't even bother to get up to pick up food that didn't land directly in his mouth. We also saw the nature museum and had lunch at a picnic shelter. One of the workers brought a corn snake. After her short presentation, everyone could pet the snake. C refused to touch it, but interestingly enough, later declared that seeing the snake was the best part of the day. M has little fear and touched the snake (she probably would have put it in her mouth had we given her the chance...)


Thereafter, we went to Tweetsie Railroad, a small amusement park between Boone and Blowing Rock. As luck would have it, it was their opening weekend for the summer. The rides are mostly oriented towards kids, so C had a good time. And, of course, he got to ride the train which was a big thrill. M enjoyed looking out the window of the train too--things were moving and she was out of the stroller.


Around 5 pm, the cold winds kicked up and we noticed dark clouds covering the mountains. Normally, this is a sign that you should get moving to avoid a thunderstorm, but apparently there is an exemption to this rule if you have not yet stopped at the candy shop. (I can concede, that by Rogers and Hammerstein's logic, if candy is one of your favorite things, it will make you feel better during a thunderstorm.) Fortunately, we did not get hit by a thunderstorm, but that didn't mean we totally avoided trouble. Rather than take the Blue Ridge Parkway back to the weekend house (the way we came), we took the state route that was lower (I thought it stayed in the valley) and thus was less likely to be foggy. It was lower than the Parkway, but it was a very curvy mountain road with plenty of fog--though it was not thick enough to be dangerous. Upon our return to the house, went out to enjoy the evening on the deck and saw a fox down on the golf course.

Sunday morning the clouds were low and moving quickly. Our journey for the morning was to Linville Falls, a short hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway. M took the stroller and smiled and waved to everyone we passed while C helped Mum Mum when he wasn't jumping off rocks or tree stumps. We walked past the falls to an overlook where we got a great view of the falls. Then we walked back to the falls where we could see lots of water disappearing over big rocks (the traditional top of the falls view!). Linville Falls get lots of press in NC but we were less impressed with them than falls in Dupont Forest outside of Hendersonville. Our hypothesis is that Linville Falls get more attention because they are closer to the tourist areas.


Kids updates. C has been doing very well at preschool. His vocabulary has expanded and he knows his numbers and letters. He likes to draw and brings home many scraps of paper with his scribblings daily. He likes for me to sit on the swing and have me pull him as high as possible before releasing the swing. His instructions are worth sharing and are said with superfast speed and super enthusiasm: "Please get me superhigh that I ever saw. Higher than [the tree, the house, the sky, outerspace, rocket ships] so that no one can see me [or my head and eyes and ears, or my arm, my eyebrows]. Eyebrows is my all-time personal favorite. M is regularly pulling herself to standing position and moving laterally along the furniture. She can push herself up to standing position from the floor and hold it for a few seconds. She'll walk several steps holding an adult's hands. It won't be too long until she's walking. In fact, she'll be walking before she has her first teeth (despite T's weekly predictions for the past 6 months that teething has started.) M's first birthday is the 16th and baptism is Memorial Day weekend, so we should get a disorienting flurry of posts this month!

Getting to No

M has made lots of progress in the last month. Since starting to crawl, she is now pulling herself to a standing position using furniture, bathtubs, toilets, my leg, etc. She is also communicating when she does not what something. Obviously this can come in the form of scrunchy faces and screeches, but it also comes in the form of both arms waving in front of her chest, with her arms fully crossing her body and each other. As in: "You come near me with that, you lose a hand in my buzzsaw." Even though she can't say the word "no" yet, she can send a clear message. She also lets us know her displeasure when we remove something from her grasp that is on its way to her mouth. As something is on her way to her mouth several times a minute, she is either putting something in her mouth or telling us off for preventing her from succeeding in her mission.

She had her 9 month check-up last week. She's doing very well on everything but is only in the 3rd percentile in weight. We're now giving her some stage 3 foods and feeding her a bit more often. Of course, since most American kids now seem to be classified as obese, it may not take being anorexic to be well below average in weight.



Normally, we would post a picture of C; however, he has suddenly developed an acute case of camera-itis. The past few times T tried to capture C in photography, he's channeled his inner Kate Austen (non-Lost fans are most likely lost themselves) and took flight, saying "Camera, mommy, run, hide!"

C is doing a great job as a big brother, though he doesn't like M to touch him or play with his toys while he is playing with them. Somewhat surprisingly, he doesn't seem to mind if she plays with one when he is playing with another type of toy or is occupied doing something else.

We had a conference with his pre-school teacher on President's Day. She said he is very social. He can never tell us what he has done that day because his day revolves around doing things with particular classmates not around doing particular activities. (So I've shifted my "on the drive home question" from "What did you do this morning?" to "Who did you play with this morning?" Though I think the most common response is still "I don't know.") He is the leader of a roving band of mischief-makers. (I've dubbed them the "unholy trinity".) That's an interesting change from last year when he tended to be a follower. It is important to keep him interested and engaged in something or he starts to plan mayhem. He generally, however, is very cooperative and obeys when asked to stop what he is doing. He learns very quickly but if he doesn't get something right away, can get frustrated easily. One thing he has learned is that if he gets a time-out at pre-school, he loses TV privileges at home. So when it happens, he no longer throws another fit over losing TV. He does, however, have the not uncommon ability to forget entirely that he has been given a time-out at pre-school. Last week, the teacher stuck her head out of the door at pick-up time. (And all the parents start thinking, "Don't look at me! Don't let it be my kid.") She walks up to me, smiles and says, "We have a really unique one." If you can simultaneously chuckle and groan, that's what I did. C was taking puzzle pieces, ripping them apart, and then eating them. Yes indeed, that is a unique one! When he exited the room, he claimed no recollection of anything to do with puzzles or with putting anything (including snacks) in his mouth that morning. I should have asked him if he remembered eating breakfast...apparently it wasn't enough...

On Tuesday, we had our fourth snow of the winter! A record in my 10 years down here. It started snowing about noon and snowed steadily all afternoon but didn't start laying on the grass until about 5. The roads just remained wet. By the next morning we had about half an inch on the grass and of course it melted by noon. So we didn't get any snowmen or snow balls out of this one. As it is now March, we may have to wait until next year...

Only 12 days left until St. Patrick's Day. Better start stocking up on, ahem, cabbage...

She likes to move it, move it...

Life as we know it is over (in a good way, of course). Miss M is now an official crawler - yes, you read it right - crawler, as in forward momentum. We're not talking a few scoots, folks. Just yesterday (literally), Miss M was able to scoot forward two spaces. And now, let the video speak for itself...

Christmas 2009

With C and M both crashing early this evening (no naps due to the roof replacement), opportunities presented themselves for creating a Christmas slideshow. Hope you enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A Go for Snow Time...

Welcome to the merged blog debut. In lieu of separate blogs, Ba and Mum-mum decided to combine C's and M's antics together for your one-stop reading and viewing pleasure!

Jan. 29--Mena's first snow!!! As you'll see in the photos below, she didn't quite know what to make of it. C had a wonderful time. It started snowing late in the day, so we went out after dinner. There wasn't enough on the ground to make a snowman, unfortunately, because overnight it turned to sleet, then back to snow again. What lay on the ground in the morning, then, was two inches of "crust" that was too hard to do anything with. But that was better than the two inches of ice on the roads. It was a quiet weekend as no one could go anywhere, church was canceled on Sunday, schools were still canceled on Monday. C and I got out everyday to play in the snow and had a good time.

M is moving around on her own quite a bit. Mostly, its a backwards crawl; she hasn't figure out how to propel forward yet. She's had a few days of runny nose in the past month, but overall has been very healthy through a cold month.

C has been the healthiest person in the household, he's had no problems. We've visted several magent schools in the past month so we can apply for kindergarten for him for next year. Earlier today, he identified rhyming words on his own: "muppet" and "puppet." (He's been obsessed by Muppet clips on YouTube the last several days, esp. the Muppets singing Bohemian Rhapsody).