November 30

Good news:

Chris is feeling better, and so far neither the kids nor I have been at all under the weather. Hooray!

Also, my children are hilarious. Yesterday I told Facebook, but forgot to tell the blog, about Caleb's hilarity. He pointed to his Little People nativity set and said, "That's Busch Stadium, where Jesus lives!" I was baffled by the whole thing, but then I started thinking: I've been telling him that Jesus is in a manger, in the stable. "Stable" is a new word for him, but it sounds a lot like "stadium", so he just connected the dots.

Today he was playing with the same nativity set and started randomly shouting "Praise the God! Glory! Praise the God! Glory!" I really have no idea where that came from, but he did it several times today.

Hmm. What else?

Daisy napped for a grand total of five hours today. One nap was three straight hours, with no waking. How about that? Girl must have been tired.

She's totally into her feet right now. Also, she's really close to clapping. Is that age-appropriate, or am I imagining things?

Caleb was whiny this afternoon. When he whines, I figure he's either bored or tired or hungry. So today I set a bowl of baby carrots on this stool. (It's a blast from the past, on loan from Chris' sister Grace. The top is puzzle pieces that spell "Grace". Also, Caleb can do puzzles now. I don't know when that happened, but he went from zero to puzzles in one day. Crazy!) Caleb saw the carrots, then ran into the kitchen where I was working and said, "You want some hummus?"

Ok, kid. I'll give you hummus.

 I love that he uses the step stool as a snack table. It really is just the right size.

For dinnner tonight, Daisy had sweet potato and avocado and... 

blackberries.

They're on sale at Dierbergs right now for $1, so we tried them out.

She loves them!

It was really fun to watch her grab one in her hand, then suck frantically at her hand, trying to get at the blackberry-y goodness. She never did figure out that all she had to do was open her hand.

November 29

Everyone in the house (including the cat) is sleeping right now, except for me. The kiddos are down for the night, and my poor husband came home from work feeling really sick. He's been sleeping for three hours now, and I really hope he can shake off whatever it is he has, without passing it on to the rest of the family.

Last night was book club, so Chris was in charge of the kids and I got home late. After writing yesterday's blog post, I headed upstairs to go to bed... and found this:

This is not our normal sleeping arrangement, but it was quite possibly the sweetest thing I've seen in a long time. So I snuck back downstairs, grabbed the camera, played with the lights to get as much light as possible without waking either of my (sound asleep) loved ones, and snapped the picture. They both stayed asleep, and I climbed in bed to join the snuggling.

Today, Caleb and Daisy played with some Cardinals Santa hats that one of Chris' co-workers gave them. 

How cool is that?

I wish you could see their faces.

Daisy LOVES these hats. She doesn't care about wearing one, but as soon as she sees one on someone else, she starts grinning and trying to kiss/eat the white fur. It's really sweet.

Also sweet? 

Daisy's outfit today.

She rocked the layered look, including BabyLegs as legwarmers over her jeggings and striped socks. This girl is a fashionista!

I kind of like her.

November 28

Huh. My pictures have not been very good lately. I'm going to continue to blame this on the yucky, dreary November light. Thanks for sticking through this blah spell with me!

Here are some random playtime photos.

Daisy, having some diaper-free time on the blanket. Girl loves to be naked; I'm going to speculate that she gets that from her Daddy.

See? Naked and happy. I really hope she outgrows that. Otherwise, I foresee a rocky adolescence.

OK, this funny face Caleb is making? It's his fake crying face. It's accompanied by a sweet little "huh huh huh" that he seems to think is how crying sounds. (It's actually much too cheerful-sounding to be real crying.) Why is my child making fake crying sounds, you ask?

Well.

Before Chris' grandma died, she bought a bunch of books for the kids. (Have I already told this story? I feel like I've already told this story.) Among Grandma's things, Chris' mom found copies of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Cinderella, The Pied Piper, Jemima Puddleduck, The Lion and the Mouse, and the Princess and the Frog. She brought them home for Caleb and Daisy, and of course Caleb loves them. His favorite changes each day.

Caleb has discovered that even when we're not reading the books, we can "play" the books. Maybe I already wrote about how he plays Lion and the Mouse, using his mesh laundry bag as a net? He also really likes to play Princess and Frog. Of course, he is always the princess. In the book, the princess loves to toss her golden ball in the air and catch it, until one day when the ball falls into the well. The princess cries bitterly until a frog hops up and asks, "Princess, why are you crying?", then saves the day. Caleb has found his own golden (yellow) ball, which he tosses into his laundry hamper. Then does his lovely fake cry until I croak, "Princess, why are you crying?" and fetch his ball. I get bonus points if I return it to him using my mouth instead of my hands.

Yep.

What's especially funny is that sometimes he decides to play this game while we're out in public, like when we're waiting in line to check out at the grocery store. He doesn't have a ball then, but I know we're playing when he makes that face and starts with the "huh huh huh". The only way to stop my child's (fake) crying is to call him "princess" and ask him why he's crying in my froggiest voice.

I'm pretty sure everyone around us thinks I'm insane, or that I'm creating gender-identity issues for my son, but I'm getting used to it. It's actually rather funny.

At least, he thinks it is.

(Don't you like his frog prince shirt, too? That was a total fluke - we've had it for nearly a year. How funny!)

November 27

Today our neighbor, Drew (Of the motorcycle fame? That one. He just got a new bike to replace the one that was stolen - hooray!), came over to help us with some work in our basement. The work involved tools, so Caleb was eager to help his hero out.

(a shout-out to GREAT Aunt Mags, who sent the tool set nearly a year ago. Caleb feels like such a big boy when he gets to play with his very own tools!)

Daisy tried Greek yogurt sweetened with a little bit of blueberries for dinner. She really wanted to like it, and kept trying it, but she made a yucky face every time some actually made it into her mouth. It was also one of her first experiences with a spoon, and it was really funny to watch her try to figure out how to make the spoon work.  Eventually I just dropped a big dollop of yogurt on her tray, but that was really only good for smearing. I guess this is one of those foods that we'll just have to keep trying!

November 26

Chris took over the majority of the parenting today so that I could do fun things like get a hair cut and a massage. What a good man I have! Caleb and Daisy had so much fun playing with Daddy today.

This kid is so cute in his fuzzy jammies!

(Then I was busy all day and didn't take any photos until dinnertime. Oops.)

Daisy tried broccoli for the first time tonight. I was expecting it to not go over well, but surprisingly,

She really liked it!

Daisy definitely consumed more broccoli than Caleb did. Maybe it's because she doesn't know yet that there are better and tastier foods out there!

November 25

Caleb and Dasiy gave me a little something extra to be thankful for today: they slept an hour later than normal this morning. Then we had breakfast with Ryan and Grandma and Max, and spent the morning playing at Grandma's house.

Later, Daisy finally decided to show off her peek-a-boo skills for the camera.

Are you ready?

Where's Daisy?

Peek-a-boo!

Caleb thought these photos were hilarious. He made me flip through the last two over and over, so that it looked like Daisy was moving, while he squealed and giggled with delight.

What, the pictures didn't do anything for you? How about some video of her doing it?

The thing I love about this video is that it's totally clear that she understands what peek-a-boo is, she's doing it on purpose, and she enjoys it. What fun! We're entering a whole new stage now!

Daisy needed to take a nap, so I left Caleb happily playing with his Little People nativity while I put Daisy to sleep. I came back downstairs to find this:

Apparently the Virgin Mary decided that a donkey ride was no longer going to cut it, and hopped in the back of a pickup truck.

What a funny boy!

November 24

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for this year. Really, every year we've had so much to be thankful for. God is so good to us, and we are so thankful for all of the blessings He continually bestows upon us.

But. I'm exhausted. We hosted Thanksgiving dinner here, so the day involved baking and cooking and cleaning and prepping and table setting and hosting and eating and rearranging and cleaning and nursing nursing nursing. So while we have lots of great photos from today, I'm only taking the time to edit a few tonight. I'm sure you understand.

Caleb helped me bake the pies. Don't worry; his sippy cup full of water didn't go in the pecan pie. Also, every time I saw him put his finger in his nose or in his mouth (or, *shudder* in his nose and then in his mouth) I made him get down off his chair and go wash his hands, even though he wasn't actually touching the food.

Caleb's favorite part was eating the leftover pie crust. Before we baked it, he ate big chunks of it. After we cut out hearts and coated them in cinnamon and sugar, he was even happier.

Daisy did a great job at her first Thanksgiving. She had turkey, loved the mashed potatoes, and even enjoyed some cranberry sauce! She also really enjoyed all of the attention from her grandparents.

What a good day! Now to help my husband (who has been washing dishes for nearly an hour and a half) dry dishes and put them away.



November 23

OK, first the exciting news:

Daisy plays peek-a-boo! I almost died when I saw it. In fact, I might have actually died. I may be typing this from the dead right now - it was that cute.

Daisy and I had taken a nap together while Caleb napped, and when she woke up I was lying right next to her. We spent a little time snuggling and talking, and then I pulled the bed sheet in front of my face, then dropped it quickly. I did that maybe three times in a row, then stopped. Then Daisy grabbed the sheet and pulled it in front of her face. I didn't think much of it until she quickly dropped it and started laughing. Then she did it over and over, and that's when I died.

I suppose the act in itself isn't very special; all babies learn to play peek-a-boo. But it was a special moment for me, because I got a glimpse of the little person she's becoming. Daisy's baby days are numbered, and each day that passes draws her closer to toddler-hood, and then person-hood. How exciting is that? How much of a relief is that? (I confess: she's been sucking me dry lately. She has a cold and is nursing constantly and needs me every 45 minutes. I'm a bit frustrated with the needy-baby-thing.)

Anyway. Here's our day:

Daisy can entertain herself for a solid thirty minutes like this. We just fill that little basket with all of her toys, and she happily empties it and plays with the toys. When all the toys are out, she plays with the basket. I love that she's so easy to entertain!

Normally, Caleb turns everything into a guitar. I was laughing to myself about this yesterday, when it occurred to me that most boys turn everything into a gun. I am so thankful that my child has no idea what a gun is, let alone what it does!

Today, however, he started turning everything into a microphone. Here, you see him singing, "You Can Close Your Eyes" into his toy screwdriver. The long red stick is half of a pair of rhythm sticks. It was also a microphone at one point. 

My sweet bed-headed boy.

Still singing "You Can Close Your Eyes." I discovered today that he knows the verses, too. Really, he should have them memorized; he's listened to them at least seventeen million time.

Daisy enjoyed some diaper-free time today.

While Caleb napped, Daisy helped me with my pre-Thanksgiving cooking.

Well, she sat on the floor of the kitchen and chewed on a spoon. That's about as helpful as she gets these days.

She likes to help.

Then Caleb woke up. 

Caleb was running around the kitchen, and Daisy was so excited she just couldn't stand it! She loves watching Caleb run and play!

Nope. She never smiles like this for me. Only for her brother. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

November 22

OK, it's not my fault. It's these short, gloomy, rainy November days. The light is so bad that I just don't want to  take pictures.

I did manage to take a few of Daisy today, though.

She's totally obsessed with this book right now. It's from a line of books called Indestructibles; if you ever want to buy a book for a baby or toddler, you can't possibly go wrong with one of these. They really are indescructible, and they won't poke/cut/harm the baby, either. Caleb and Daisy have both chewed, slobbered, tugged on, crumpled, and generally mutilated the three Indestructibles books we have, and they're still in perfect shape. I also like that the ones we have feature bright, bold illustrations, but no words. It's fun to tell a new story each time, and now Caleb's at the age where I can ask him to tell me what's happening in each picture. (Now that I'm looking at these books on Amazon, I see several new titles that involve nursery rhymes. Those would be great Christmas gifts for Daisy...)

Yum.

There's the cover. Love these books!

Unfortunately, no pictures of Caleb today. Maybe tomorrow. But Chris and I were just looking at pictures of Caleb when he was six and a half months old, just like Daisy is now. We were baffled by how chubby he looks, even though he was a solidly average baby. I guess having a skinny girl will change your perspective! Here's a reminder of our sweet little boy at this age:

January 26, 2010

I would like to report that the epic battles of the nap were, in fact, worth it, and now he does, in fact, go easily to sleep for his and stay asleep. So there's that. But reading that post reminds me that since Daisy doesn't have her own room, we haven't yet broached the battle of going to sleep on her own. I still nurse her to sleep every time. I dread the day that we  have to start fighting that fight, but I fear it's coming soon... but not yet. Another day. So I won't worry about it now.

November 21

Things I did today:

Nursed Daisy at least 43 times.

Supervised the inspection of our house for an occupancy permit for the future resident.
Emptied the dishwasher.
Re-loaded the dishwasher.
Drank three cups of coffee.

Helped Caleb make eight hand-made Thanksgiving cards.

Wrote and mailed three letters.

Washed, dried, and folded at least seven loads of laundry.

Peeled and chopped 72 crayons, then re-made them into multi-colored crayon cakes.

Wiped Caleb and Daisy's runny noses every 8 1/2 minutes.

Napped.

Watched Caleb run around outside with glowsticks.

Freed Caleb from the bathroom after he accidentally locked himself in. (he wanted to play with the glowsticks in the dark)

Made dinner.

Nursed Daisy for 36 minutes before she finally fell asleep.

Things I didn't do:

Take any decent pictures. This is all I've got. Sorry.

A crazy-looking and blurry Daisy, playing happily with her toys. The poor girl must feel terrible - her nose is running like a faucet.

Caleb using his wooden play knife to "help" me chop the crayons. (He may also have been sneaking mint M&Ms from the bag right next to the orange crayons. I got them for Chris, and he says they're the devil. Caleb likes them, too.)

Caleb running outside with glowsticks. Thanks to Sara for telling me about this - Target has 15-packs of glowsticks in their dollar section. They're only bracelet sized, instead of necklace sized, but still. Fifteen glowsticks for a dollar? Worth every penny.

November 20

Today Chris gave me the afternoon off so I could see the new Twilight film with some friends. (It was a terrible movie. I knew it would be bad, but I had to see it anyway. It's just one of those things.) I really needed the time away, and happily, it seems that no one even missed me!

Chris got both kids up from their naps, played with them all afternoon, and fed them dinner.

You can tell from their smiles that they love their Daddy. We're pretty lucky to have him!



November 19

Daisy and I woke up this morning (at 8:00! Praise the Lord!) to find this:

That would be Caleb,"helping" Daddy make waffles for us. Yum. What a good husbando I have.

After breakfast, we all headed to the library to do a little Consumer Reports research, then to Lowe's to...

 purchase appliances! Right now it looks like we'll be closing on the new house sometime early to mid-December, but Lowe's was having a pretty unbeatable sale. We bought a beautiful refrigerator, as well as a really fantastic washer and dryer. Then, though we were perfectly happy with the great sale price, Chris happened to ask if they could give us an additional discount. And they did! They took an extra 10% off! All told, we got our appliances for nearly half their regular price. Lowe's will hold on to them until we have possession of the house, then deliver and install them for free. And if - heaven forbid - something were to go terribly awry with the home purchase, we can still return them and get all of our money back. Pretty sweet, huh?

Buying appliances definitely makes the whole thing seem a lot more real. That's both exciting, and terrifying because 1. we still have  no tenant for our current home and 2. the new home needs a lot of work. A LOT. But we're ready to take it on!

This girl is ready to take it on, too. I'm thinking she's going to grow up with a hammer in one hand and a tape measure in the other. She'll either end up a really skilled do-it-yourselfer, or the kind of girl who only buys brand-new things. Only time will tell.

I promise to love her either way.

After his nap, Caleb spent some time running around in the mid-November chill.

He thought he was pretty hot stuff when he sat on his ball.

But then...

Whoops! He didn't mind, though.

My loveys.

(Daisy's pants? Size 12 months. Thank goodness for bulky cloth diapers; otherwise, I'd be sewing darts into all her pants. Her legs are much longer than her waist is wide.)

My plan for the new home and the kids is this:

Daisy will do the cleaning, and Caleb can do the yard work.

He's already a pro at mowing the lawn.

I even got him to till my garden for me today!

They just need to get a little bit bigger, and then my ultimate goal of doing nothing but sitting on the couch and eating bon-bons will finally be realized. It's about time.