Shopping, what a snore.

We had a busy morning around here: an early run, a visit to the allergist, and then grocery shopping. Moses usually naps mid-afternoon these days so I wasn't worried about encroaching on his schedule but boy was I wrong.


And, while we're checking out he takes the opportunity to get more, er, comfortable.

Our own little Mater

For the past three weeks, I've been telling this story to anyone who will listen so I figured I'd finally put it down for posterity.

The other day, Moses and I were playing with a battery-operated car in the driveway when it fell off the driveway into the grass. I heard Moses say something under his breath and then he bolted into the house. He reemerged, with his tow truck, and proceeded to tow his car onto the driveway! It. was. the. cutest. thing.

By the way, Moses calls tow trucks "car ups."

He digs it

Literal vs. Figurative

Moses loves to run. If he so much as hears the word, he gets in a tizzy about the prospect of running, and racing (or "waycing") is a common mode of bodily transportation around our house.

When we went to the park on a school day a couple weeks ago, Moses saw the kids from the nearby elementary running the mile around the park. That was all the motivation he needed. He said, "I run," and then took off from the playground to join their ranks. Milo and I followed close behind in the stroller. Moses ran his little legs off for 5 minutes and then stopped and walked with me and Milo. When another group of kids passed us a couple minutes later, he started running again--pumping his sweet little toddler arms. This time, he had some fans in the running elementary kids, and they cheered him on. He stopped a few minutes later after the kids out ran him and we walked back to the playground. That's how much he loves running.

I just need to remember that when I choose my verbs.

I had to go to the store for a few items yesterday morning so I told Moses that he had to get dressed. He grunted to let me know he wasn't going to make it easy so I said, "We just have to run to the store and we will come right back home." He was suddenly excited and didn't fight getting dressed. We went out to the car, but he said "run," took off towards the sidewalk, got in his runner's stance and said, "race." Oops. It was then I saw my error. I had to correct the misunderstanding and tell him that we weren't really running to the store but driving. He was not happy. I will have to choose my verbs more carefully from now on and consider the literal versus figurative ramifications.

And he's off!

At 9 months, 1 week, 5 days old, Milo is walking! He's been taking single steps for the last week, but in the past 24 hours, he's strung those steps together--his current record is 7. All he does now is a seemingly endless cycle of up, walk, then down. We can't believe our littlest boy is already walking. It seems like just yesterday that brother was taking his first steps, too.



This development gives me hope that we'll soon see the end of the pick-up-every-single-thing-on-the-ground-that's-a potential-choking-hazard-and-put-it-in-my-mouth stage. Seriously. I've never seen anything like it. Moses could've cared less for anything inedible, but Milo--Milo's a sucker for any small rock or dirt clod or pecan. It's made any time spent outside a chore!

Up, up, up!

For two weeks now, Milo's been standing solo, solo I say! Not only that, but he can now stand on his own, no props needed. He just pushes his little tush up in the air and voila!, he stands. He gets so tickled by his standing--he just flaps his arms and claps and giggles. Such a cutie.

We always thought Moses' mobility came early, but brother's milestones are coming even sooner. A little sibling rivalry perhaps? I think he just wants to pal around with his brother more.

We don't have too great a video of him standing, but you can kind of see his skills here, from last weekend:

(Did you hear Moses say "Mi -Lo?" He's been practicing his Ls lately and accentuates them nonstop. Mi-Lo. Ye-LLow. He-LLo.)

A little pomp and circumstance

Well, it's official! In May I'll be graduating with my MA in Technical Communication. Woot! I received word today that my portfolio passed the committee and I'm officially graduating! I've been so anxious about the news and so I'm relieved to know the 80 hours I spent assembling my portfolio over spring break while Dave watched the boys was worth it (thanks again, Dave). I'm so very happy that I'm finally closing this chapter of my life and starting a new one (even though finding a job might be a little tough at the moment!).

Although everything worked out, I don't really recommend graduate school with two kiddos under three. One was doable. Two = Insanity.

Woot. Woot. Woot.

Anybody out there?

My poor little blog, how I've forgotten you. Not forgotten so much as neglected in favor of other things like school, sleep, cooking, cleaning, and other crucial needs.

We're on the other side of Chicken Pox for both boys now. Milo didn't actually come down with it until 21 days after Moses. Milo's fever that we wrote off as a Chicken Pox symptom was actually a double ear infection, poor boy. When he eventually came down with the pox, I was hugely surprised because our pediatrician said that we were out of the woods if he didn't have them 8 days after Moses since the exposure was so intimate. Wrong! He had very few pox though and seemed to weather the virus well. Now, we won't need that vaccination for either boy!

Milo's been crawling for several weeks now and two weeks ago he started pulling up on everything. It's a lost cause to hope he'll just sit in one place anymore. He's cruising our furniture, too, but with lots of supervision since he's still pretty unsteady.

Moses is doing really well too. He's still obsessed with trains, construction vehicles, and sports. I bought a great Tonka truck coloring book from the dollar store, but he doesn't color in it: he just carries it all over the house and we read it like a book. We've also discovered "Mighty Machines." I thought they looked ridiculous initially, but the shows are really pretty great. The DVDs talk about a variety of vehicles and explain what each does and why they do it. It's pretty crazy how much Moses talks while watching those. Boys.

By the way, Moses is most assuredly a lefty! Dave's already planning Moses' sports career. Too bad they don't make sports toys for lefties at this age.

And then, day four.

I spoke too soon. The pox started doubling, maybe tripling, on Saturday night, and Moses woke today with them everywhere. His chest and back are just one giant blob of calamine lotion at this point, but thankfully his arms and legs aren't afflicted much. His poor little face and scalp have them, though, and one eye is red in the inside corner, which makes me wonder if he has one on or around his eye.

All things considered, he's doing well. We played a lot today: outside, prepping the backyard for summer, and inside, dancing and running around the house as we practiced counting laps. We've also been passing the time with lots of tattoos and stickers. Tonight he's resting more peacefully than last night because I remembered to give him some Benadryl to relieve the itching. I think the nights are the worst for him because he's so much more aware of the intense itchiness he's suffering.

The good news is that he's over or almost over the worst part now. I'm keeping an eye on brother though. We're nearly at the beginning of the 10-to-21-day incubation period.

How to blow a toddler's mind.

Show him pictures of himself as a baby and tell him it's him, not his baby brother, in the pictures.

Will. not. comprehend.

(We actually gave in and said, "Yes, it's baby Milo," because he wouldn't drop it and was getting very, very upset by the disconnection.)

Then, introduce him to a webcam.

Poxed-in

We're still quarantined over here. Yesterday, I questioned the chicken pox diagnosis I made when Moses woke with the same six pox he went to bed with. I'm not sure if it's just a mild case or if he's one of the lucky ones, but Moses isn't covered in a gazillion pox like I expected. I've only counted 32 so far (mainly on his chest and back), but I might be writing too soon since he developed more today than in the last two days combined. The pock marks range from teeny tiny dots to pencil eraser in size. He's been in good spirits except that every once in a while he gets fussy or clingy. The below pictures were taken after he climbed onto the couch with Milo's blanket to watch Super Why this morning. You wouldn't know it, but that's strange behavior for him. I typically have to wrangle him for breakfast and a change of clothes! My poor boy is still all smiles though.

The pox

Moses has the chicken pox!

A couple of hours ago I noticed a blister-looking bump on his back and thought it strange. I drug Moses into the bathroom and stood him on the toilet so I could better inspect him. I found 5 more pocks so I'm going to go out on a limb and saying he has the chicken pox. I knew it was going around because the nurse mentioned it at his last appointment when I politely declined the vaccine for it, again.

On one hand, I'm kind of excited that he's got them now because I didn't think it'd happen this soon, and now we'll have that virus checked off his childhood illness list (figuratively speaking of course--I'm not that organized). On the other hand, I feel sorry for him because I know the next week won't be too much fun. I'm really hoping that he won't even notice what's going on since he's such an active boy and illnesses don't typically phase his activity level.

No news on Milo yet. He doesn't have any pock marks at the moment, but I'm keeping an eye out for them. I really don't understand the incubation period of viruses and don't know what to expect when. I think the fact that I'm still breastfeeding him protects him some so we'll have to see what happens.

Amigos

Growing boys

The boys had their checkups last Friday: a late two-year checkup for Moses and a six-month one for Milo. The boys' checkups were done at the same time, which I usually try to avoid since it's chaos, but it was unavoidable this time and we all needed a good nap afterward.

Moses is doing well and growing like he should. Our skinny boy is 29 pounds and 37.25 inches tall, which puts him in the 93rd percentile for height and 50th for weight. His 2T pants started falling off recently, and I credit his non-stop movement for his weight loss (and mine, too). He has nearly all of his teeth: his eye teeth just broke the surface. His speech is still delayed, but it is picking up. If it hasn't improved much more by April, we're taking him in for a re-evaluation with the speech therapist. We know he'll talk in his own time, but we can't wait for those funny toddler-genius moments.


Some fun things he enjoys:

• Catching balls! He caught his first ball a month ago, to our surprise, and requests we play catch nightly now.
  
• Playing football and using his bike helmet as a football helmet.
  
• He adores baseball and football and cranes his next to see anything related to the sports.
• He shouts "go, go, go" at any sport we watch--we aren't sure where he picked that up since neither Dave nor I shout at the TV.
  
• Playing "backpack" or piggybacking on us as we run around the house.
• Showing more interest in the clothes he's wearing--preferring anything with a football or a baseball or jersey-like numbers. He also likes hats and headbands (think exercise).
• Brushing his teeth. I'm not sure whether it's the dot of toothpaste or the car toothbrush, but I have to restrict his brushing these days.
• Shoulder shrugging, just because.
  
• Making vehicle sounds for his cars, trains, plains, etc. His goldfish crackers also making swimming noises before they're eaten.
• TRAINS!
  

Milo's doing great, too. I can't believe he's already six-months old and sometimes worry I'm not challenging him enough because I still think of him as my baby! He is 18 pounds 9 ounces (50th percentile) and 27.25 inches (75th percentile). He doesn't have any teeth yet but he's chewing on everything. We're curious if we'll have to wait for those teeth as long as we did with Moses.

Milo enjoys:

• Sitting and playing on the floor, especially with brother's toys.
• Getting tickled or "eaten."
• Watching, watching, watching--he has to be in on all the action even if he's just a spectator.
• Belly scooting. I love watching him move around on his tummy, but he's getting a little too good at getting in to things.

Well, that's my long overdue update. I'd like to start posting more again soon, but time is short these days so I'm not going to make any promises.

A boy and his bike

Moses loves his tricycle these days. So much so that this was the scene at nap time today:

A return to normalcy

Well, I (we) made it! The boys and I picked Dave up from the airport last Wednesday night (and fell to our knees, fervently begging him not to leave again!) His trip to DC for the inauguration went fantastically though so, in retrospect, we were more than happy to part with him for those 5 days. It was a little rough in the sleep department for me though. I had both boys in bed with me since Moses has night terrors/nightmares and usually wakes up screaming a couple times a night (and those screams would startle Milo into crying). I think my current cold stems from those sleepless nights.

At the airport, several parents and students just gabbed my ear off with praise for Dave -- as a teacher and travel agent. It was yet another moment I was proud to be his wife. Moses was delighted to see him again but at first sight he wasn't sure what to do -- as if Dave's image was a mirage. Once he got over it, he clung to Dave as the students oohed and awed over the twosome.

Since I've deprived my last few posts of pictures, here are some taken during our week without Dave:






Dave also had a little more press coverage (without nervous balance-of-powers goofs) during and after the trip so we're relishing his 15-minutes!

Final Countdown

After much deliberation, I've decided to return to school in order to complete my master's degree this semester. The idea of sending Moses and Milo to day care twice a week is heartbreaking, but there's no good time to finish my degree, and there are two excellent classes being offered this semester (Document Design and Online Publishing for those curious) so I'm putting on my big girl panties and finishing. I don't anticipate an easy time of it, eek!, but hopefully, come May, I'll possess my M.A. in Technical Communication!

On that note, Moses and Milo's dry run at day care was today and so far, so good. I called to check up on them and was told that Moses had an excellent morning(even napping!) and Milo was adjusting. Even though Moses is my shy boy, I know he'll acclimate quickly, but we recently switched Milo to bottled breast milk from nursing, and while he accepts it most of the time, he has his stubborn moments.

Wish us all luck!

The President and the Patriarch

I'll be back with some updates later today, but for now, I wanted to post a link to Dave's interview on a local TV station about his upcoming trip to D.C. for the inauguration. Political differences aside, I'm proud of Dave for the hard work he's put into organizing this trip for himself, a coworker, and 24 of his students! It's such a great opportunity. Good job, honey!

Birthday Party!

Even though Moses couldn't have cared less, I threw him a tiny (smaller than tiny, actually, only 4 invitations went out and 3 of those were to family members) birthday party last weekend. Planning birthday parties is the only chance I seem to have at creativity these days. This year's party centered around planes since Moses loves anything relating to transportation. This wedding cake was my inspiration for the invitations and cupcakes.

I used a cupcake tower to display the devil's food cupcakes I made. Each was iced and topped with white cotton candy "clouds." I then used some wire to attach painted wooden biplanes to the cupcake tower structure. I added two red ribbon banners behind each plane, one that read "Happy" and another that read "Birthday."

Moses had a great time playing with his friend, Vivian, and visiting with Dave's parents. Moses wasn't into his cupcake (probably because Dave had already given him two cupcakes that day) but he successfully blew out one of his candles! He received even more Thomas the Train gear to add to what he'd already received (he's hit the train phase in a big way). He also got a dinosaur interactive book that he enjoys so long as we skip over the Tyrannosaurus Rex page.

Since Moses missed his napped that afternoon he was a bit a zombie for most of the party and ended up crashing shortly after everyone was gone.

Thanksgiving

Dave, Moses, Milo, and I traveled to Las Cruces, New Mexico for Thanksgiving. There, we saw lots of my aunts, uncles, and cousins as well as my grandparents. It was a brief trip, but we had a nice time visiting with everyone. Moses enjoyed his deep-fried turkey dinner and even had seconds. Thanksgiving night he watched the big kids make S'mores in a desert fire pit and braved playing with a sparkler. I know there are some great pictures of our trip floating out there, in other peoples cameras, but my camera's batteries died.

Since Moses' birthday fell on the Friday after Thanksgiving, we celebrated by having a little birthday party on Thanksgiving night. He wasn't quite sure what to think of all the people singing at him.

But he was very sure of his cake!

Since we were on the road, this was the only shot I thought to take of our two-year-old eating Clementines on his birthday.

Friday night we stayed at Dave's parents house before returning to Lubbock. In all, it was nice to see everyone despite being a brief trip. The boys were great travelers so I'm hoping for repeat performances the next time we head out of town.