The big adventures of little women

The shameless commerce division

2009-01-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

Months ago, I heard about a segment on The Today Show featuring a woman who is making a killing on her blog. Her husband has quit his job to become her business manager, and she spends her days writing funny stories about her kid and counting her money. This sounded pretty good to me, although I had some misgivings about selling ad space on a Web site about my children.

Well, it's 2009, the economy is in shambles, and I figure if a woman can make a buck telling stories about diapers and breastfeeding, she should do it. With that noble philosophy in mind, I am moving my blogging efforts to www.countryfriedmama.com. This is a public site, and maybe one day it will get me on The Today Show. Maybe not. But it is a new venture, and I'm excited about it. I hope you'll check it out.

For now, this is the last posting in this location. Go bookmark www.countryfriedmama.com. See you there.

I now pronounce you...

2009-01-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

Do you have piles of stuff in your home that have been there so long you regard them as part of your permanent decor? I do, and I decided to knock one of them down today. At the bottom of this pile was our wedding album. I can't recall why I had taken it out, but on my way to return it to its actual home, Delia stopped me and asked to look at the pictures.

This fed her current obsession, inspired by Disney. Delia wants to know about getting married. Thank you, Sleeping Beauty. Delia wants to know if David and I are married (yes), when we got married (a long time ago), and why we got married (because we love each other).

After looking at the pictures, Delia decided she wanted to get married, too, and she would "get married with Daddy."

I said, "No, Daddy is married to me. You'll need to pick someone else."

"Okay," said Delia. "I'll get married with Grandpa."

"Umm, no," I said. "Girls can't marry their grandpas or their daddies." (There is an Alabama joke in here somewhere, but I'll just leave that alone.)

"How about Uncle Steve?"

"Nope."

Delia mulled this over for awhile, then decided she would like to marry Maleficent, the bad fairy from Sleeping Beauty. She seems nervous about this, particularly since Maleficent turns into a dragon at the end of the movie, but she is insistent. Maybe by the time Delia is ready to get married, it will be legal in this state for a sweet girl to marry an evil fairy.

Goodbye, 2008

2008-12-31T13:05:00.000-08:00

This year has been tough for many of us, for a lot of different reasons, but it also brought great joy:

As we enter 2009, Annabelle is learning to sit up, to scream (mostly with joy), to shake her toys, and maybe (please, please) to sleep a little bit more.

In 2008, Delia asked us approximately 5,397,002 questions. Her curiosity about everything continues to challenge and amuse us.

We're looking forward to more adventures with our little women in the coming year, and we wish you all a happy and healthy 2009.

Picture it in your mind

2008-12-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

Someday, I will find this funny, but today is not that day.

I made myself several notes to make sure I remembered to bring our video camera to Atlanta for Christmas. I haven't used it since Annabelle was born; things have just been kind of nuts here, and the time passes so quickly. Anyway, I wanted to capture Christmas morning: Delia's incessant chatter, Annabelle's funny expressions, their interactions with each other.

I remembered the camera. When we opened the case, though, there weren't any tapes inside. I was really upset, of course, but knew we had the last night of Hanukkah as a fall-back option. We would just take some video when we got home, I thought.

This afternoon, David went out and bought a bunch of tapes so we could make a movie tonight. At 6 p.m., with dinner ready and presents waiting, we went to find the video camera. Guess what? It's not here. Fabulous. Our car was busting at the seams when we packed everything up to come home. That camera must be the one thing we left behind.

Since there is no video of this holiday season, I thought I would write down some details about the girls that can't be glimpsed from the many photos we took. This list is as much for my own memory as for our blog audience, but I hope you find it interesting, as well.

*Delia makes "ooh" and "ahh" noises when other people open gifts.

*Annabelle is enthralled by the sun toy on her exersaucer. She has learned to spin herself around until she can see it.

*Delia has been singing Hanukkah songs at the top of her lungs in interesting places: Target, ZooLight Safari, Chik-fil-A.

*Delia was certain Santa was bringing her a castle. When she woke up Christmas morning, she asked whether she could play with it before she ever saw it.

*In a strange confluence of holidays, the dollies in the castle were celebrating Hanukkah. We tried to tell Delia that they had a candelabra on their dining room table, but she insisted it was a menorah.

*Delia is consistently calling her sister "Annabelly." Add this nickname to the growing list: BabyBelle, BunnyBelle, Belly.

*On December 21st, Annabelle rolled over for the first time from her belly to her back. She looked very surprised by her accomplishment.

*We discovered today that Annabelle can sit up on her own for about a minute at a time.

*Delia wrinkles her nose for emphasis. She shrugs her shoulders when she doesn't know the answer to a question. She uses her hands when she tells a story.

*Annabelle sucks her thumb. When she goes to sleep, she seems to prefer her thumb over her pacifier.

*Delia wants to play with Annabelle so badly, and she tries to be enthusiastic enough for both of them. Delia got a toy guitar for Hanukkah, and she plays it for Annabelle and yells, "Sing with me!" "Come on, let's dance!"

We'd love to have your comments on this post. What image comes to mind of the last time you saw Delia and Annabelle? I'm planning to order a blog book at the end of the week, and I'd love to have some comments to close out 2008.

It's a pig, and it's pink

2008-12-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

Since the 1950's it has been an Atlanta Christmas tradition to go to the Rich's department store and ride the pink pig. Delia's grandma didn't get a chance to ride it as a child, and neither did David. This year, three generations got on board for a ride on the refurbished pig, now at Macy's.

Delia rode the pig after a very busy, happy holiday.

On Christmas Eve, Delia and grandma set out a cookie for Santa, and a strawberry for Rudolph. (That poor reindeer got carrots at every other house. He needed something sweet.)

I later ate the cookie as Daddy and Grandpa put together some presents. Don't tell Delia.

On Christmas morning, Delia and Annabelle came downstairs in their reindeer jammies to find that Santa, as well as Grandma and Grandpa, had been very generous.

Later, we had dinner at Aunt Susan and Uncle James' house. Delia had a great time with cousin Hil, who probably wanted to watch the game, but gave in to Delia's demands for tickling instead.

We had fun playing with Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks for a great holiday!

Hanukkah highlights

2008-12-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

We're off to celebrate Christmas in Atlanta, but thought we'd post some pictures from the first few days of Hanukkah before we leave.

At least we don't have to celebrate Kwanzaa

2008-12-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

December is a very busy month at our house. We've decorated the Christmas tree, read stories about Hanukkah, baked Christmas cookies for the neighbors, hung up our Hanukkah decorations, visited Santa, and thoroughly confused our toddler.

Yesterday, Delia watched a Sesame Street video in which Elmo discusses all the December holidays: Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Ramadan (which I believe sometimes falls in December, sometimes not). One little boy in the movie told Elmo his family celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Good grief. I guess we got off relatively easy.

Our activities over the past few days might give you an idea of how we're gearing up for the holidays. At playgroup Thursday, the kids got all dressed up and exchanged gifts.

Nathan had on a very cute Christmas sweater when we arrived, but he prefers a more natural look.

Delia was very happy with her presents: Play-doh and a Sleeping Beauty doll. Thanks Ms. Michelle and Mary Catherine!

On Friday, we put away the red and green outfits and went to a Hanukkah party at Delia's school. She sat with the big kids while we watched a video of the first half of the school year. The newspaper covered the party, but did not run a picture of Delia. The fools.

Annabelle enjoyed hanging out with her Daddy.

Then last night, we went off to Zoolight Safari to see the Christmas lights and ride the carousel.

Here we are with the zoo's lone nod to Hanukkah:

And finally, Delia painted her own Menorah with some help from Daddy.

Hanukkah starts tonight, Christmas is Thursday, and I am exhausted already. Delia, though, is beyond excited. I fear she may spontaneously combust.

Actually, Annabelle doesn't need to sleep

2008-12-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

Delia says "actually" a lot these days.

"Actually, I would like some milk."
"Actually, I want to play doll house."
"Actually, I'm not tired."

That last one makes me want to cry. When Delia says it, she means the opposite. It's a sure sign that we need to hurry home for a nap. Annabelle, though, seems to not need sleep. It is 3:14 p.m., and she has not slept for more than 15 minutes at a time since she got up at 6:15 this morning.

My beautiful Annabelle does not sleep during the day. She does not sleep at night. Is this some kind of superhuman power? Imagine what she will accomplish in her lifetime with all those extra hours the rest of us waste in our beds!

Cereal does not help. Peas do not help (but they have done some interesting things to her diapers). Cry-it-out does not help. Begging her does not help.

This, too, shall pass, of course. I know I will look back on this time and feel like it went by too fast. In the middle of the night, though, time...stands...still.

Sweet (wide awake) sisters

Doing our part to save the newspaper industry

2008-12-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

Our two-year-old, reading the New York Times Book Review:

Mean Mommy

2008-12-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

I have debated with myself whether or not to tell this story. It's mean, but I can't hold back.

I have had about enough of the Birmingham Zoo. I took Delia to a Bedtime Story event there recently, and although she had fun, I was unimpressed. It was a Christmas theme, which I somehow missed. A volunteer read the kids "The Night Before Christmas," then went back and talked about each picture in great detail. Boring. Finally, she said, "I thought we were going to have a special visitor..." Aha. She was stalling for Santa.

Finally, in walks Santa. Some of you might remember this moment from last year. Delia has clearly gotten over her fear of Santa since then. If she were going to be afraid of him, I would have seen it this year. Zoo Santa had a limp. His hands shook. He had a very strong foreign accent of indiscernible origin. He was clearly uncomfortable with children.

Delia didn't care, though. The guy was handing out cookies and asking her what she wanted for Christmas. She hustled up there and asked for a castle with dollies inside. ("Santa" has already taken care of this request, by the way.)

Then we got to the animals. Last year, I took Delia to several zoo classes. No matter what the theme of the class -- fast animals, green animals, soft animals -- the volunteer brought out a chinchilla, a rat, and a snake. Guess who we got to pet on this fine evening? Our old friends, chinchilla, rat, and snake.

The Santa:

The cookie:

The chinchilla:

Ha, ha, ha

2008-12-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

Guess who started laughing? Annabelle has a great sense of humor. Things she finds funny include: kisses on the neck, shaking bunny toys, anything Delia does. She does not, however, have a sense of humor about the cold.

Here we are at the tree farm this weekend:

And here I am retreating to the car with a screaming Annabelle attached to me.

Massachusetts-born Delia did not have any trouble with this version of "cold," though. She helped Daddy pick out a great tree.

Delia enjoyed the hayride...

...and hung out with Ms. Melissa while Annabelle and I sat in the car.

We tried to get a family portrait again, once Annabelle had fallen asleep.

So many firsts, and a second

2008-12-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

The blog has been up long enough now that we are on our second round of some events, but they're all new to Annabelle.

She had a big first this week. We made her some lovely rice mush, which she is tolerating, but not loving. I can't blame her, really. Yuck.

This morning we got dressed early to go to the local Christmas Parade.

At last year's parade, Delia was happy to just pick up all the leftover Halloween candy hucked at her by pageant queens and boy scouts. This year, she wanted to eat it.

Last year, Delia didn't recognize the big bearded guy on the back of the fire truck. This year, she saw him and asked when she would get her presents.

The stats

2008-12-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

Annabelle had her four-month check-up this morning. We were a little early by the calendar, but none too early by our needs. We have a green light to start cereal. Hooray! We're waiting for Daddy to be home tonight so we can all witness this major milestone. Dr. Hamm says Annabelle can enjoy her rice mush for a couple of weeks, then move on to either veggies or fruit.

This seems early compared to Delia's schedule, but Annabelle is a different baby. It might take more to fill up a kid who weighs...

17 pounds!

Yup. She's not wasting away. She's also 25 inches long, which makes her bigger than 96% of babies her age.

In other news, Annabelle is flexing her tummy and back muscles. Check it out:

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

For the past week, Annabelle has looked pretty much like this...

...or this:

Popular theories for her foul mood include teething, ear ache, and an urge for solid foods. My current theory is the poor child is exhausted. It's time for sleep training.

Despite Annabelle's anxiety, we had a nice Thanksgiving. Delia was shy for about two minutes, then put her cousins to work entertaining her.

Annabelle settled in for some rocking with Grandpappy, then watched a bit of football from a comfy spot on the floor.

Delia had fun playing with Aunt Susan's doll.

And the food was yummy.

After Thanksgiving, we skipped the Black Friday craziness and went to the zoo.

Cold, but not cold enough

2008-11-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

Our trip North was cold enough to require winter coats, but sadly not cold enough for Delia to build a snowman. Bubbe tried to make it up to her with a snowman craft. Wouldn't it be nice if all disappointments could be cured with a glue stick?

"Bunnybelle" enjoyed meeting her cousin Eli.

This is our attempt to recreate a cousins photo from our childhoods. (We were much more cooperative, I think.)

Bubbe collected some hats for David and Jason to play with.

These three will be trouble one day, no doubt about it.

Delia and Annabelle love their Uncle Jason.

Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?

2008-11-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

As we got on the plane to come home from Massachusetts, the flight attendant invited Delia to take a peek in the cockpit. The pilot, who clearly enjoys his work, turned around and asked her, "Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?" Hilarious. (And if you don't know this scene from Airplane, go out and rent this movie right now.) It was a great ending to a great trip. Here are a few of the highlights. I'll load more photos tomorrow.

Traveling with babies is not easy. Have you ever changed a poopie diaper on the floor of a tiny puddle-jumper? If not, you have not lived.

The cousins photo (We missed you, Elana.)

We had a nice time visiting Uncle Steve and Aunt Maureen.

Uncle Jason with Annabelle and her belly

Delia got to see the penguins (both real and fake) at the New England Aquarium.

Naptime

2008-11-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

On the last night of Halloween, my true love gave to me

2008-10-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well, our week-long celebration of this sugar-laden holiday is over. We had a great time last night. Delia and David trick-or-treated a few houses in our neighborhood, then we all went to make the rounds in our friend Nathan's neighborhood with his family. And boy, did we make the rounds. The kids were on a mission. There was no dilly dallying around. They ran to the doors, got their candy, ran back to their vehicles and headed to the next destination. It was hilarious and strange.

On Halloween morning, Delia helped Daddy get ready for work before heading to school for her Halloween party. Here's David as Clark Kent.

During trick-or-treat last night, Delia shared a wagon with Nathan's friend, Cameron. She didn't learn his name, though, and just called him "dragon" all night, as in, "Let's go dragon. Time to get back in the wagon!"

Begging for treats at strangers' doors seemed to come naturally to our little penguin. She even tried to enter a few homes.

Delia made this spider hat at school and wore it this morning as she poured over her loot. This reminded me of the nights my brother and I would sort through our candy together. I remember that we traded pieces in an amicable manner. Do you remember it that way, Jason?

The candy thing is brand new to Delia. As she planned out what she would eat first, she held up a Twix bar and said, "Is this a granola bar?" I wish. This kid is overtired and oversugared today. Not a nice combination.

Annabelle slept through most of her first Halloween and woke up much happier this morning than her sister.

Brrr!

2008-10-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

The cold weather has turned up here just in time for Halloween. (Stop laughing, Yankee relatives!)

We went to a friend's fall-themed birthday party this weekend, where Delia snuggled up to a scarecrow.

On Sunday, Delia and Daddy went to look for her first jack-'o-lantern.

Yesterday we went to a Halloween party where Delia loaded up on sugar and tested out her penguin costume for the first time. Poor Annabelle didn't get any sweets, but she did get a good nap.

Drama queen

2008-10-24T14:44:00.001-07:00

Delia did not nap well today. When she woke up from a very brief snooze, she was crying, a sure sign that she did not get enough sleep. Crying made her nose run. Her runny nose made her upset, so she cried more. And on, and on.

Twenty minutes after she woke up, she was still crying off and on and sniffling. I tried to distract her by sending her on an errand to her room.

A few minutes later, I heard renewed hysterics and went to check on her. She was standing in front of her mirror, watching herself cry.

This is not a new thing. That girl in the mirror makes Delia miserable. If she catches a glimpse of herself, she immediately starts pouting.

I swear, Delia can make herself cry just by looking at her own reflection.

Some coloring finally helped Delia get over herself.

Meanwhile, Annabelle stayed chill.

Lovely ladies

2008-10-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

A little post nap snuggling

My babies with their babies

While Delia naps...

2008-10-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

...Annabelle and I try once again to capture a smile for the blog. Here are our efforts:

"Not only will I not smile, I will give you my sternest look, silly woman."

"Get that camera out of my face, or I will stick my tongue out at you."

"Okay, fine, here's my smile. The flash is sure to wash it out anyway if you hold the camera that close to me."

Beat down on aisle three

2008-10-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well, this is what I get for bragging.

We moved Annabelle to her crib last night. She did not approve, and she did not sleep. She did not sleep this morning, either, despite many attempts to help her nap. Finally, I gave up and loaded the girls into the car to go grocery shopping.

In aisle three at Publix, a woman stopped me to mention how much she missed this time in her children's lives, how wonderful it is. Annabelle was screaming in the Baby Bjorn. Delia was dropping crackers all over the floor. I tried to smile politely, but I'm sure it looked more like a grimace. She meant well. I know she is right, but it was hard to hear it today.

We did have a great weekend, though, visiting family in Atlanta.

Delia was so excited to see her cousin Marysa.

Grandpappy read Delia a cute Halloween book.

Aunt Susan knows how to have a good time: building a castle with blocks.

Aunt Susan made Annabelle a beautiful blanket and matching hat. It might actually be cold enough for her to wear that hat soon. I actually turned the heat on last night.

Delia conducted an orchestra at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

We introduced Annabelle to Memommie.

Hallelujah!

2008-10-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

Guess who slept through the night last night for the first time?

What will we see today?

2008-10-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Delia is on a mission to find interesting things outside her car window. There is a giant spider on someone's lawn up the street. A car dealership down the road has an enormous blue monkey in its parking lot. She is still asking about a huge peach we saw on our way to Florida in March. We often discuss these wonders during our daily travels.

Yesterday, we saw some scarecrows at Aldridge Gardens. Delia was pretty excited about that, but she still wanted to see that blue ape on the way home.

Meanwhile, Annabelle is starting to enjoy the mobile over her crib. Those little animals are fascinating. They go around and around and around...

"If you're happy and you know it, crap your hands"

2008-10-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

This is what Delia has been singing in the car lately. I've inserted her pronunciation for your enjoyment.

Annabelle has been happy and she knows it. We're getting more smiles lately, although I have yet to capture a good one in a picture. She had her two-month appointment this week, and now weighs in at 14 lbs. 1 oz. She is 22 1/2 inches long. That puts her in the 97th percentile for weight and 95th for length. We grow big babies over here!

A moment to look toward the future

2008-10-06T11:54:00.001-07:00

This weekend we had a naming ceremony for Annabelle and Delia at the synagogue. It was short and sweet. The rabbi said a blessing for the girls and gave them their Hebrew names: Devorah for Delia and Chana for Annabelle. Devorah, Hebrew for Deborah, was the prophetess and judge who led the revolt against the Canaanite king in the Bible. Chana means gracious or merciful.

In introducing these names, Rabbi Miller expressed a hope that each of our daughters will share the qualities of strength and grace implied by the names we chose for them.

He also asked us to say something about our hopes and dreams for our children. We came up with the following: (David read the bolded parts and I read the others.)

We spend a lot of time thinking about sleep schedules, potty training, dirty diapers, feedings, missing toys, misplaced pacifiers, and toddler diplomacy. But as we thought about this ceremony – and the names our girls will carry with them for the rest of their lives – we talked about some of the values and rewards we wish for them, beyond the smaller goals that now consume our days and nights. They are:

Curiosity

Patience

Laughter

The love of those around them

The strength to be who they are and not who others want them to be

An appreciation of language and books

The courage to pursue their dreams

Sound judgment

Lack of interest in revealing clothes, unusual body piercings and tattoos

Reason

Love for themselves, others and the earth

The path of fairness and justice

A purist's sense for baseball with disdain for domed stadiums, artificial turf, steroids and the designated hitter

Compassion and tolerance

A lifelong pursuit of truth

Wisdom

A love of newspapers and National Public Radio

Spirituality

Good health and happiness

Discernment

And when it comes to boys - 20 or 25 years from now - a strong right hook

These pictures came out really dark, but you get the idea...

Pumpkin time, again

2008-10-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's been a year since our last trip to the pumpkin patch. (Take a look at how small we were back then.)

We had a great time today.

We love our Daddy.

And Mommy is okay, too.

The hayride was a big hit.

Delia tried out a lot of pumpkins before settling on a little one she could carry herself.

We tried (and failed) to take a group shot of the kids.

We played for awhile in the hay maze while we waited for the hayride.

It takes a village to get a smile. Thanks, everyone, for amusing Delia while I snapped this photo.

And thank you, Annabelle, for making it so easy to keep up with our pals.

We had a picnic in the grass before going home.

Mary Catherine found some giant produce during our picnic.

Annabelle slept on the way up and back, but Mary Catherine and Delia were wide awake this year. There was a fair share of the two-year-old version of "She's touching me!" on the way there, but the girls played pretty well together on the ride home.

Freebird!

2008-09-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend! We went to an awesome concert Saturday. There were a dozen of our favorite singers there. We danced, we sang, we came home with overpriced souvenirs.

Yes, you guessed it: we snagged tickets to Sesame Street Live! Oh, how life has changed in a few short years. These days, the only shows we go to start at 10:30 in the morning and feature costumed characters.

Delia and I had some one-on-one time Saturday with all of her best buddies from Sesame Street. We went to the show with our friends Caroline and Miss Audrey. Delia seemed enthralled with the whole thing, at least until intermission. After that, she got a bit distracted, but the event was a hit overall.

We now have an $8 Elmo head balloon floating around the house. It has really been freaking me out when I come around a corner in the dark...

Elmo is even more fantastic (if you ask Delia) in person.

We're talking about the same child, right?

2008-09-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Delia's teacher e-mailed me this picture this morning with the message, "Life is good in preschool." Delia often comes home with paint still on her hands or clothes, so I wasn't too surprised to see it all over her face.

Later this morning, I went to school to help with lunch. Miss Amy, who teaches art after school to 3- and 4-year-olds, told me Delia "has the gift." Apparently, the way she holds a pencil and makes swirly circles is extremely advanced for her age. Miss Amy says she can't wait to get her hands on Delia.

Who knew?

Glamour shots

2008-09-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the shots we had taken this weekend:

This one sure would have been cute if Annabelle had stopped crying and Delia had agreed to kneel beside her sister. Oh, well.

"These are their stories"

2008-09-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've never been involved in a police interrogation, but I watch a lot of Law and Order. (Had Annabelle been a boy, she may have been named Lenny Briscoe Joyner.) From my extensive L&O research, I know that the cops like to trip up suspects by asking the same question 10 different ways. Delia seems to have been born with an instinct for this kind of work.

We had photos taken yesterday. This morning, I loaded the girls into the car to pick up our prints. When we got there, the studio was closed. Delia was not happy, as she had been looking forward to spending five more minutes playing with the Legos table in the waiting area.

This was the line of questioning I got on the drive home:

"Where did we go?"
"Did we get the pictures?"
"What happened to us?"
"Why can't I play Legos?"
"Are we going to get the pictures?"
"Where are we?"
"What's happening?"
"Did we take pictures?"
"Was Mommy in the pictures?"
"Was Daddy in the pictures?"
"Was Annabelle in the pictures?"
"Was Delia in the pictures?"
"Can I see the pictures?"
"When will we get the pictures?"
"What happened?"

Oh, man. I would have confessed to any crime just to make it stop.

Please don't ask me why there aren't any pictures with this post.

Thanks, Bubbe!

2008-09-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

Bubbe was here all week taking good care of us, and taking pictures. She got some great ones.

When she wasn't taking photos, Bubbe was cooking...

...cleaning up...

...and helping Delia put Teddy in the Baby Bjorn.

Ghetto monogramming

2008-09-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

Several of Delia's friends went off to school for the first time this week. As I watched their mommies prepare them for preschool, I realized I have done some things poorly, and I worry that Delia's teachers are talking trash about me.

Example #1: Delia's lunchbag. All her friends have cute fabric bags with their names embroidered on the side. Delia has been carrying her lunch to school for a year in a bag I bought at CVS. No monogram for this poor kid. Her tacky mom wrote her name in big, black letters with a Sharpie. Oh, my. I don't even know how much I don't know.

I do know that it is a challenge to fit three adults in Delia's bathroom for a photo shoot, but David, Bubbe and I did it tonight to capture the first pictures of the girls in the bath together.

Before

During

After

If we had any doubt that Annabelle is a different baby than her sister, tonight proves otherwise. She barely fussed in the bath. Delia, as I recall, pitched a huge fit during her first bath.

I can blog on three hours of sleep

2008-08-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Annabelle seems to be a pretty mellow kid, with one exception: she hates the flash of the camera. This has made it difficult to fulfill my blogging duties, but I have managed to capture a few images over the last couple of days.

Today is Annabelle's 17th day. She has been awake all morning (and most of the night, although we're not quite as happy about that). It's been fun to have her looking at us after two weeks of her being mostly asleep.

So far, the swing is not the magical thing it was for Delia, but Annabelle did sleep in it for a bit the other day.

Big sister didn't trust the batteries to swing on their own, so she helped.

Delia insisted I take this picture.

Our big girl

Our little girl

Attempt #2 to take both children out in public: success!

2008-08-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

We went to Target today! Oh, please, no applause necessary. Thank you! Thank you, very much. Oh, you're all too kind. Stop, really.

Annabelle rode happily and quietly in the Baby Bjorn. Delia rode mostly happily and not quietly in the shopping cart. We bought diapers, Pull-Ups, milk, detergent. After we checked out, I was feeling pretty confident, so we stopped at the in-store Starbucks where I bought an iced tea. This means that I maneuvered the cart with ONE HAND out to the car!

I'm feeling capable today. Maybe I'll try to clean the house next.

Attempt #1 to take both children out in public: failure

2008-08-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

I felt motivated to check some things off the to-do list today. I fed and changed Annabelle, got a snack and drink for Delia, changed her Pull-Up, loaded both girls in the car, and dragged the gigantic double stroller out of the garage. Off we went to the dry cleaner, where we dropped off some things at the convenient drive-through window.

The next stop was not as successful. I really wanted some frozen yogurt tonight to eat while we watch the convention on TV. We need fruit for the morning. We're running out of detergent. It was a small enough list that I thought I could carry everything in my grocery bag while pushing the stroller.

We arrive at the store. Sky looks threatening, but I'm invested in this plan now. Annabelle into stroller. Delia into stroller. I'm pushing the thing toward the store and to the left, but it will only go right. I look and look for a brake that needs to be released, but no luck. I'm pretty much pushing the damn thing in circles when a friend spots me from across the parking lot. She is gracious and helpful, even tells me I look great when I know I look like hell (baggy T-shirt, dark circles under the eyes, no make-up). We both try and try with the stroller, but no luck. I pull the car around, re-load the girls, and go home, where I may just sit and hide for the next year until Annabelle learns how to walk.

I am not a stupid person. I feel stupid today.

Thankfully, there are no photos to go with this ridiculous story.

The way we shop now

2008-08-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a pretty crummy weekend. A big tree branch came down during the storm Saturday, knocking out our power, cable and phone lines. We had no electricity for 26 long hours. No air conditioning, no television, no lights. With a jealous, whiny toddler and a newborn, this was an added stress we did not need.

In the midst of this, we decided it was time to buy some furniture for the playroom. It's fun to sit on the floor and all, but a sofa will be better. David and Delia went to scout out some sleeper sofas so we can have guests come and stay with us in relative comfort.

Through the power of digital cameras, Annabelle and I were able to stay home and still have a vote in narrowing down the choices. On Sunday, after we viewed the photos, we had our first big retail outing with Annabelle in tow. It went quickly, and therefore pretty well.

I will blame the state of Delia's hair on the weather, but I have to admit that it has looked a little bit worse every day since Annabelle was born. Finding time for the simplest tasks has been a bit of a challenge.

Hanging out in bed all day

2008-08-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

The girls hung out on Delia's bed this morning, then Annabelle helped me with the laundry this afternoon. We're taking it easy around here...

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!

2008-08-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

We have been very well taken care of during the past week.

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa for entertaining Delia while we were at the hospital and once we got home. The shower of attention (not to mention gifts) helped her make an unexpectedly smooth transition into big-sisterhood. And we are grateful for all your help with meals and projects around the house. It's wonderful to have so much support while we try to figure out how to juggle the needs of a newborn and a toddler.

It will be so much easier to complete my to-do list...

2008-08-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

...with all this extra time in the middle of the night! During our last night in the hospital, Annabelle went to the nursery for five hours in a row. When they brought her to me to nurse, it took me 20 minutes to convince her to wake up and eat.

On our first night home, she has refused to sleep anywhere except on one of us. We have been taking two-hour shifts. I've tried to prop her up on her Boppy pillow, snuggle her into her car seat, and lay her on her back. No luck.

On the positive side, I now have time to update the blog! Perhaps I will balance the checkbook next, or maybe grade some essays. What did you accomplish at 4 a.m., hmm?

Thank you, Dr. Straughn. We had a positively pleasant labor and delivery, at least when compared to the way Delia entered the world. Notice that Annabelle is asleep in this picture.

This is Annabelle's first ride in the car. We had to put socks over her hands because she was scratching her face. Notice that Annabelle is asleep in this picture.

Daddy carried Annabelle into the house for the first time. Notice that she is, once again, asleep in this picture.

Once we got home, we pulled out Delia's first photo album so she could see pictures of the day we brought her home. Annabelle looks a lot like her big sister did back then. Notice that Annabelle is sleeping in this picture, too.

Delia has reacted really well to her baby sister so far. She wants to hold her and is excited to help change diapers. Once again, Annabelle is sleeping in this photo.

It's 4:07 now. Delia will be up in two hours, and I'm sure once that happens, Annabelle will once again decide she would like to be sleeping. It is day one at home. Here we go...

...and tomorrow we will be four.

2008-08-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

We're scheduled to have this little one sometime tomorrow. It's strange to know the date ahead of time, but it has made lots of logistical things easier. Grandma and Grandpa came into town tonight to help us out with Delia, so there will be no middle of the night phone calls to our generous friends down the road.

Delia has been freaking out a bit, probably because her mother has been freaking out a bit. Today at school, she hit another girl and then said, "My baby sister will be born tomorrow." There is no subtlety to her anxiety. It's pretty clear.

There is no subtlety to my anxiety, either. AT&T still hasn't fixed our phones. It has been a week. Why can't the phone company provide phone service? At one point today I yelled at a guy in their call center and told him he had until 5 p.m. before I canceled our account. At 5 p.m. I called back and cried while I begged some other guy to please, please fix the darn phones.

I'm looking forward to some nice, relaxing time in labor tomorrow. :-)

My next turn on this blog will be to change the title and post some pictures of our new baby and our two sweet girls together.

The update

2008-08-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

There is no update.

"Candy" seems disinterested in all the predictions that were made regarding an early arrival date. In any case, we have an appointment for Thursday morning to go give her a gentle push. At most, we have four more days until we are a family of four!

Kid-free playgroup

2008-08-04T15:58:00.001-07:00

Thank you to the RPC for a lovely baby shower.

You all look fabulous and tan, and I look round and 15-months pregnant, but I'll post these pictures anyway.

It was wonderful to get together without the kiddos, and I know "Candy" will get a lot of use from all of your thoughtful gifts. We are lucky to have found such good friends!

Where are the photos?

2008-08-01T05:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately. The camera is safely tucked away in the hospital bag, and I am afraid that if I touch it we will find ourselves in the hospital with no camera with which to take "Candy's" first photo.

So here is a photo-free update instead. Delia has adjusted pretty well to the new house. We moved on Wednesday, and last night we pulled into the driveway and she said, "Is this home sweet home?"

Her first night in her new room was a bit rough, though. At 5 a.m. Thursday we heard her screaming. I ran down the hall (not easy to do at 9 months pregnant) and saw Delia's little feet kicking frantically against her pillow. Her head was tucked all the way under her covers and she was yelling, "stuck!" It was hard not to laugh.

Delia has her own bathroom in the new house, and she loves it. She picked out a butterfly shower curtain and she's using the big potty in there. David helped her down from it on our first day here. She walked out of the bathroom and yelled, "Next customer!" Where does she get this stuff?

Because life is not hectic enough...

2008-07-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

...I scheduled a photo shoot for us this morning.

Yes, we have a lot going on already. For those of you who don't know, we are unexpectedly moving in 10 days. It seems our landlord decided he would like to sell this house now. "Oh, are you pregnant?" he said. "Umm, yes. Could you have picked a less convenient time to do this?"

Also, the latest prediction on "Candy's" arrival is that she may show up earlier rather than later. We are keeping our fingers crossed that she will hang tight at least until we get into our new house.

Despite the drama going on around here, I wanted to get some shots of Delia close to her second birthday, as well as some "belly shots" before Candy is born.

We ordered some of these, and we'll be sending them out as soon as we can.

Enjoy!

Two fools decide to go to the McWane Center

2008-07-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

On a recent, potentially stormy Saturday, two fools decided to go to the McWane Center to entertain their daughter. Little did they know, it was the museum's 10th birthday party. Every toddler in Birmingham was there. What a nightmare. Delia had fun, while her mom and dad ran after her trying not to lose her in the massive crowds.

Can someone please tell me what Spiderman has to do with science?

Delia barely weighed enough to make this piano play, but she liked it anyway.

We gathered pegs for the world's largest LightBrite.

Delia worked on a car engine, then we made our escape.

Twenty questions

2008-07-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

I can't come up with a full list of twenty questions in Delia's vocabulary, but she is asking us each of the following questions at least twenty times a day. It doesn't matter if we answer her question or not. She just keeps repeating the question, over and over and over and over...

1. What's happening?
2. What happened? (Often said while standing in the midst of some kind of mess she made herself.)
3. What are you talking about?
4. Where are we going?
5. What are you doing?
6. What are you thinking?
7. Can you come play with me?
8. What time is it? (I burst out laughing when she said this. Did she have somewhere to be?)
9. What does that mean?
10. What's that?
11. How was your day? (Her response to this question is always the same: "My day is going well so far.")

After a long day of asking questions, Delia likes to hang out in her Elmo panties and sing karaoke.

Give a girl a little personal space

2008-07-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

I went in to get Delia after her nap today and she was snuggled up with her teddy, just hanging out on her bed. I sat down and started talking to her, and she said, "Can you get out of here, please?"

Excuse me? I thought we had at least another decade before she would start saying this kind of stuff to us.

Obviously, I have no pictures to go with this story since I was escorted out of the room. Here's an older photo instead. I took this while Delia was helping me clean up after her birthday party.

Our first and last three-person vacation

2008-06-30T04:49:00.000-07:00

As we left the beach yesterday, David mentioned this weekend was the first time the three of us took a trip just for fun and not to visit family (which is, of course, fun, too).

With the baby due in seven weeks (!!), it will also probably be the last time the three of us do this.

We had a great time, but Delia wasn't too fond of the beach.

The waves were too rough for her...

...and the sand was too dirty. As soon as she touched the beach, she said she wanted to take a shower.

Good thing there was a pool!

Daddy made Delia a sand throne.

We played 3-2-1 Blastoff! at the pool.

Beautiful surprise in today's school bag

2008-06-18T13:23:00.003-07:00

Delia came home from "camp" last week with a hand-painted picture frame for her Daddy for father's day. Today, the teacher sent home a photo to go in the frame.

My first two thoughts when I saw this picture: "I'm so glad she was wearing something cute," and "How did we create this gorgeous child?"

Happy belated father's day, David!

Let's go to the zoo!

2008-06-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Well, these pictures are a couple of weeks old now, but too cute not to post.

All ready to brave the sun at the zoo.

Taking a rest in the Butterfly Encounter. Delia has learned to say "cheese" when someone takes out a camera. Can you tell?

Kicking back with Uncle Jason.

Grandma and Bubbe come through with more birthday photos

2008-06-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, someone else was taking some pictures during Delia's birthday weekend!

It was a hot couple of days. Delia woke up from this nap sweaty but happy.

At dinner the night before her party, Delia discovered corn on the cob. She ate her weight in the stuff, and now she wants corn on the cob, green beans on the cob, carrots on the cob, etc.

Cousin Marysa helped Delia open her presents.

Grandma and Grandpa got Delia a bicycle and she LOVES it.

Delia checked out the party preparations before her guests arrived.

Mathilde was the real star of the weekend. Delia is still asking where her doggie is.

I had originally planned to make a cake for the party. I'm glad we abandoned that plan. Hooray for bakery cakes!

Party, party, party

2008-06-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Delia enjoyed her second birthday party last weekend. I didn't take as many pictures as I had hoped to, but here are a few. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a fun day.

Snuggle

2008-06-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

I think this is one of my new favorite pictures of Delia. Bubbe took it on the way to the airport Monday. It hit 90+ degrees that day, but the weather didn't stop Delia from snuggling up with her hippo blanket. (See, Uncle Jason, she loves it!)

Delia's birthday slideshow

2008-06-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

Well, the mommy blog bandit strikes again. Delia's friend Chase had a great video at his birthday party last month, and we swiped the idea from his mom. This is the photo montage David and I put together for Delia's party:

Mommy blog bandit

2008-06-04T18:37:00.001-07:00

I shamelessly stole these photos right off our friend Caroline's blog. They're so darn cute, though, how could I resist? Audrey took these at her house during a Memorial Day weekend cookout.

Forgive me, Audrey. Feel free to steal from me anytime! :-)

A well-documented birthday

2008-05-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Delia had a busy second birthday, and we captured the whole thing in photos.

In the morning, we went to the McWane Center with friends.

Delia and Nathan co-piloted the rocket ship.

We drove trucks...

...and operated cranes.

After naptime, Delia played outside with her new sand and water table.

As it turns out, the water side was the big hit. "Dirt," she told me, "is dirty." OK. Good thing we didn't get the sandbox.

We had cake after dinner.

Delia practiced blowing out the candle. Maybe she'll do it herself at her party on Saturday.

Delia opened her present from Auntie Maureen and Uncle Steve, but first she read the card.

She got some socks with the Red Sox mascot on them. She recognized Wally the Green Monster right away.

She also got some great blocks, a cute outfit, and a book that Daddy read to her before bedtime. Thanks, Steve and Maureen!

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

2008-05-27T05:59:00.000-07:00

I don't think two years have ever passed so quickly.

On May 27, 2006, we were exhausted and overwhelmed and happy. Today, we are still exhausted and overwhelmed and happy, but the joys and challenges are so different than they were on Delia's first day.

Happy birthday, sweet girl.

You help your toddler floss every night, right?

2008-05-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

Delia had her first dentist appointment on Monday. I have been dreading this event for six months, but had been trying to talk it up to her.

The dentist had a killer playroom. The hygienist showed us a movie about little kid superheroes who fight plaque. All was going well. Then "Ms. Tammy" took Delia's hand and told me to go back to the waiting room while they did her cleaning and exam. Gulp. I waited for the yelling, but only heard, "Ya, ya, let's go!" Hmm.

At the end of the exam, Dr. Rohner came out to tell me my baby did not cry at all and seemed to enjoy herself immensely. She got a great dental report card, as well as two bracelets, a temporary tattoo, a princess toothbrush, and instructions to floss every night. Ha, ha. Good one. I think I'll leave that job to David. A journalist doesn't need all 10 fingers, right?

Delia and her beloved dentist, Dr. Rohner. (One of my issues with being banished to the waiting room had to do with my blog obligations, but the hygienist took care of that, too. We got this photo in the mail today.)

Guess where Daddy went last week?

2008-05-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

No Girl Scouts were harmed in the creation of this post

2008-05-18T15:57:00.001-07:00

We have a fabulous library system here, and today they had an event to kick off the summer reading program. The theme was bugs (eww). Delia made a ladybug and a butterfly, dug in the dirt for worms, and saw a tarantula and some Madagascar cockroaches. (We pay a lot of money to an exterminator to make sure she never sees a cockroach, but she thought this one was pretty cool.)

I thought the highlight of the event would be the inflatables. These are those big things where the kids get inside and jump around. We waited until all the big kids got out, and then one of the event volunteers, a Girl Scout, asked if I wanted her to go in with Delia. Great! As I helped Delia off with her shoes, this sweet Scout turned to her buddy and said of my baby, "She's so cute. I was a fat baby, too."

What!? I will mess you up, little girl. Is there a merit badge for slandering toddlers? Grrr. I didn't have my camera to capture this ugly moment with the pre-teen Girl Scout, so instead I give you a photo of Delia's first pedicure. I painted her toenails, and David got down on the floor to blow on her toes until the polish dried. Delia seemed to enjoy the pampering.

Better late than never

2008-05-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

I finally called HP to ask for some help with our scanner. I've been meaning to post ultrasound pictures for more than a month, but that scanner has not worked since we got a new computer.

The HP guy told me to take the software CD they sent with the scanner and use it as a beer coaster. It's no good with our fabulous new laptop. Anyway, he helped me, so here are the month-old photos of "Candy."

Our vast library of prenatal books says Candy now has lots more fat under her skin and probably does not look like an alien anymore.

Alien sighting: Doesn't she have a beautiful skull? This picture might scare me if I hadn't seen a quite similar one of Delia.

A long, graceful leg and foot

Candy's first embarrassing family photo. The ultrasound technician was nice enough to include an arrow and the title, "It's a girl!"

Two things that happened today

2008-05-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

Thing one: I continued an inane e-mail exchange with my boss who seems to think some plagiarism is OK. If, say, 8% of an essay is stolen, she has implied I should let that go. Is 16% too much? Maybe not.

Thing two: I saw a clip of an interview from a recent Today Show in which a "mommy blogger" discusses how she is making $40,000 a month in ad revenue.

So I am sitting here thinking about how to convince David it really would be safe to open this blog up to the public at large. I am thinking about never grading another essay again. I am thinking about checking "save for college" off my to-do list in a mere few months.

Wouldn't corporate America leap at the chance to be a part of Delia's life and times?

In other news, Delia and I had a great trip to D.C. last weekend to visit cousins Sarah, Tony, and Eli.

Here are the photos we took that will embarrass these poor kids when they're teenagers:

The weather was crummy, but it gave us a chance to visit the museums. Delia loved the toddler room at The Building Museum.

Hands-on day at the zoo

2008-05-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

We got up this morning and went to the zoo, where Delia managed to get her hands on quite a few animals.

The lorikeets were interested in the little cups of nectar we bought. One was crawling all over David while he took this picture.

This alligator's name is Pip. Delia grabbed him by the tail. He looked like he was probably used to that kind of treatment.

Delia was very interested in riding the bus as we neared the petting zoo. We couldn't figure out what she meant until we came upon this tractor and she scrambled up into the seat. She didn't stay long, though, because the seat of this "bus" was getting pretty hot. Ouch!

Toddlers need well-balanced meals

2008-05-03T14:30:00.001-07:00

As Delia has grown, I have eased up a bit on some of my food phobias with her. When she was a baby, I made most of her baby food to avoid the preservatives in the jarred stuff. Later, I insisted on organic produce only, and no sugar.

The rules are falling by the wayside.

I'm six months pregnant, and I want ice cream. I deserve ice cream. Delia, my little shadow, is therefore eating ice cream for the first time. Needless to say, she likes it.

Today was a new low, though, nutritionally speaking.

What did you have for lunch?

Delia had ketchup.

We went to Five Guys for burgers and fries. Delia wanted to dip her fries in David's ketchup, suck off the ketchup, then redip. Her daddy did not think this was a good plan. We do not double dip in this family. So Delia started dipping one fry in, sucking off the ketchup, and putting the fry aside. She dipped her burger bun, sucked off the ketchup, put the bun aside, and on and on.

We did eventually convince her to eat some actual food.

When she wasn't dipping, she was checking out the ketchup supplies on surrounding tables.

I'm planning to serve mustard for dinner.

Living with the parrot

2008-04-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

Delia is cracking me up lately. I don't know if she understands half of what she says, but here are the latest gems:

*Delia can recite the numbers up to 13. She can say the alphabet. She can sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; Happy Birthday; and Itsy Bitsy Spider.

*"This is my tushie, this is my bum." (Repeated for a good five minutes in the bathtub this evening, while pointing to her bottom.) She later looked at my belly and asked whether the baby has a bum.

*Is there a song about the number of humps on a camel? Delia must have learned it at school today, because she spent the afternoon saying, "My camel has one humm, my camel has two humms." If anyone knows this song, please fill me in.

*Delia has been watching a PBS show called "Super Why" about these kids who solve problems in books. She loves the show, and I think she is dreaming about it. When she woke up from her nap the other day, she said, "Super Why to the rescue! Back to the book club."

*I need to talk to Delia's teachers about a potential incident with a rabbit. For a week Delia has randomly been saying, "sorry." When I ask her why she's sorry, she says, "Say sorry to the rabbit." The only rabbit she knows is at school. What did this child do that poor rabbit?

Return to Kids' Gym

2008-04-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Delia's friend Mary Catherine had her birthday party today at Kids' Gym. Delia used to go to a weekly class there, and she was VERY excited to go back today. We had a rough morning, though. From 6:30 to 10 a.m. all we heard was, "I want to go. I want to go to Mary Catherine's birthday party." This, of course, is my fault. I told her several days ago about the party, and she has been forcing us to sing Happy Birthday ever since.

It is past time I learn when to keep my mouth shut with Delia. I got into the habit early on of narrating my thoughts to her. I read somewhere that this would help her develop language skills. However, I haven't stopped doing it, and I must!

Yesterday, I told her we had to go stand in line at the registry of motor vehicles, then we would reward ourselves with ice cream. For ONE HOUR in that line all Delia talked about was ice cream. I don't think she had ever had ice cream before, but she was fixated on it. Every person in line talked to her about what flavor to get and where we would go to buy it. When we finally got the window, the clerk said we had a refund coming to us for our old car tags. "Maybe you can use it to buy the ice cream," she said. Oh, my.

Anyway, we had a great time at the party this morning. Happy Birthday, Mary Catherine!

This is the fit Delia threw in the middle of the party because she did not want to share. It isn't easy being a toddler.

The new adventures of "I can do it myself"

2008-04-25T05:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we stopped at the grocery store on our way to Miss Audrey's house for playgroup. Delia pushed her own cart, and picked out some strawberries.

I didn't notice until we got to the checkout, but she also picked out some other random items. Hmm.

At playgroup, the kids sat around and ate a yummy lunch.

It seems everyone is growing up all of a sudden.

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-04-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures today, but I thought I would share some of the funny stuff Delia has said lately.

*The other day Delia wanted me to play, and I kept saying, "OK, I'm coming," but I was engrossed in something and didn't move. Finally, she came over, looked up at me, and said, "Mommy, what's wrong with you?"

*Tonight, David asked Delia to do something and she said, "no." He said, "Excuse me?" And Delia replied, "Yes, ma'am."

*When we ask Delia what's in my belly, she says, "Baby." When we ask her what we should name the baby, she says, "Candy." Classy. We are seriously considering it. Can a "Candy" be a Supreme Court justice?

*As we were leaving the grocery store today, the cashier looked at Delia and said, "bye, bye." Delia said, "Bye. See you next time!"

*David and Delia were recently playing, and he kept saying, "5...4...3...2...1...blastoff!" Delia has her version of this, which she has been repeating often and in public: "1...2...3...bastards!"

Toddler-style Passover seder

2008-04-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Passover preparation, as I have recently learned, is not something one should do at the last minute. This is especially true in Birmingham, Alabama. We've been to five grocery stores in the past few days and have found a total of two boxes of matzo.

Despite this, we managed to have a toddler-friendly seder at our house on Sunday, complete with matzo ball soup, brisket, haroset, veggies, and bubbe's famous jello mold. I would like to take this moment to thank all the women in my family who have cooked Passover meals over the years. I never truly appreciated your hard work until I tried to do it myself (with help from David, of course.)

We started our meal with a discussion of the seder plate. Ours is a really beautiful one made in China. It doubles as a puzzle.

We poured the wine. We selected a fine bottle fit for pregnant women and almost-two-year-olds.

Matzo ball soup tastes even better when you eat it with your hands.

In between courses, we colored, just as they did in ancient times.

After dinner, Delia looked for the Afikomen. I remember losing out at this to my Burke cousins year after year, but Delia had no competition. She found it quickly with a few subtle hints (check the tent!).

Daddy gave her a prize to put in her piggy bank.

And when we were all good and stuffed, Delia decided to take a few pokes at her baby sister.

Chase's birthday

2008-04-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Delia went to her first real birthday party on Saturday.

She has been singing "Happy Birthday" for a couple of weeks now. I can't figure out where she learned it, but when it was finally an appropriate time to sing it, she played shy.

Oh, well. We had a great time, anyway. Happy Birthday, Chase!

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Conversation at our house today:

2008-04-17T14:20:00.001-07:00

Me: Delia, we've just had an urgent e-mail from Bubbe. She needs new pictures of you, stat. Let's go outside!
Delia: OK. Let's go.
Me: Can you do something cute?
Delia: I want to eat.
Me: Yes, but can you smile for the camera first?
Delia: I want to go pee pee.
Me: We just sat in the bathroom for half an hour, Delia. You do not need to go pee pee. Smile for Bubbe.
Delia: I see the kids.
Me: Yes, the kids are playing across the street. How about a smile?
Delia: Delia upside down.
Me: Yes, I see you turning upside down. How about a smile?
Delia: (Maniacal laughter.)

This is the face of a man...

2008-04-10T18:32:00.001-07:00

...who just found out he will spend the next couple of decades in a house full of women.

We're having another little GIRL!

We had a great view of her today during the ultrasound. She was very cooperative and showed her "business" right away. We also saw her flexing her little toes and sucking on her fingers. She looks to be about a pound right now, and the technician said she is in the 81st percentile for size at the moment. We are still on target for an August 21st due date, although the doctor said we could induce a week early to make labor a bit more manageable for me this time around, as well as for logistical purposes. We'll see...

I'll get some ultrasound pictures up here as soon as I figure out how to link my laptop to the scanner.

Learning is bad

2008-04-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

We moved Delia into her big-girl bed on Saturday, and things have gone really well. She hasn't fought bedtime, and she's sleeping well during naps and nights. In the morning, she has waited on her bed until I come to get her.

That all appears to be over.

Today Delia's friends came over and had a good time playing on her bed. Then they taught her how to climb down all by herself. Grrrr.

When everyone left, I got Delia settled for her nap. We read a "Madeline" story, sang a song, got all her stuffed animals arranged, and shut out the light. A short time later, I heard a knocking sound, and went to her door. The knocking stopped, but when I got down to look under the door, there were her little toes on the other side.

When she figures out how to turn that door knob, we'll really be in trouble.

The princess and the firefighter

2008-04-07T17:38:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, two little girls had a playdate. One dressed up in a firefighter's hat, and the other became a princess. Both, though, enjoyed coloring and playing. And at least one later had a fabulous afternoon nap!

"Do you think this hat goes with my bow?"

This princess prepared to pull her skirt on over her head.

Enough coloring books to go around.

"Don't look! It's not finished yet."

Fireman Small

2008-03-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Delia has a book about Fireman Small, who saves the day when a family has a fire in their home. Today, we went to a fire station to see the real deal. The fireman who greeted us was more like a "fireboy." When we asked his age, he said, "almost 20," as in," I'm 18, but I don't want to tell you that."

He was great with the kids, though. Delia loved sitting in the truck. She tolerated the siren. And she wanted nothing to do with fireboy once he donned all of his scary-looking gear.

I can't get this picture to flip for some reason, but I thought it was too cute not to share.

These eggs have crackers in them!

2008-03-27T05:51:00.001-07:00

Easter morning started like any other for our little princess...

...then Delia discovered someone had dropped eggs full of crackers, M&M's, and play-doh all over Grandma and Grandpa's house. Wow!

Later, we visited Memommie to bring her Easter basket.

Finally, Delia needed some time to just chill out and read.

"Can a girl get a little privacy, please?"

These bubbles are mine

2008-03-24T07:13:00.001-07:00

We seem to be working on a lot of important lessons all at once lately: potty-training; saying please, thank you, and sorry; and returning to a sleep schedule after daylight savings time messed us up.

We had a minor victory in these pursuits yesterday on the way home from Atlanta. Delia was kicking David's seat, and we told her she couldn't listen to her CD until she stopped. We shut the music off, then heard a plaintive, "sorry" from the back seat. That was the first time she said the word without us pestering her about it for 15 minutes. Success! We actually taught her something.

Sharing, however, is another matter. Grandma bought Delia a great bubble toy that is designed for toddlers and won't spill. However, our sweet girl was very reluctant to let the rest of us touch her new prize.

Grandma wanted to show Delia how to blow the bubbles, but didn't get too far with her.

Great-grandpappy had better luck.

"I like when you tickle me, but you still can't touch my bubbles!"

Big bed, small girl

2008-03-20T05:38:00.001-07:00

Delia's new "shurniture" arrived yesterday. When David saw it, he said he had the feeling we had purchased her a car, or something equally inappropriate for her age. Delia seemed to love her bed, though. We'll just have to find her a step stool!

From generation to generation

2008-03-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

More experienced stay-at-home mothers have told me that the days are long but the years go by quickly. I was thinking about that this weekend on the way home from my grandmother's funeral in Boca Raton. (A 12-hour drive during which Delia slept approximately one hour. Talk about a long day!)

It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was spending school vacations in Boca learning the rules to Canasta again, going out for pizza or the early-bird special, and explaining to my grandmother why watching PBS was not as good as going out to the movies.

How strange to be in Boca with my own family, hanging out with all my married cousins.
It was a sad, stressful couple of days, but it was nice to see everyone. We all have certainly scattered in recent years.

Delia had a chance to see her cousin Eli for the first time in a year. They were pretty cute together. They had fun watching each other spin and there were more than a few hugs and kisses exchanged. Their great-grandma would have enjoyed watching them, I think.

"This is my cousin, and that is her sippy cup."

Eli's Mommy, Sarah, knows all the best songs.

"That girl kissed me!"

Eli and his family had to catch a plane. Who would entertain Delia now?

Hooray for cousin Daniel! We would have paid him good money to drive home with us. Delia found him to be quite hilarious.

Don't underestimate the strength of a frightened mother

2008-03-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

We have always favored older homes. They can be quirky, but they also have unexpected charms. Our apartments in Montgomery, our place in Gloucester, our condo in Salem were all in older buildings and we loved them all. Sure, David's apartment in Montgomery was freezing in the winter, the floors in Gloucester sloped, and the HVAC in Salem needed some serious help, but these were small prices to pay (mostly) for the "cool" factor of older homes.

We live in a relatively old house here, too (at least by the local standards). The doors have been the biggest challenge. The hallway bathroom latch doesn't catch. Our bedroom door won't fit inside its frame. Oh, and the doorknobs all over the house stick.

This morning, I walked into Delia's closet to find her something to wear, and she shut the door behind me. This isn't unusual. It is, however, unusual for her to turn the knob. Which she did. From the inside, I turned the knob to the right. It wouldn't budge. I turned it to the left. It started to unscrew and threatened to fall off altogether. I was trapped.

It was 9:30 in the morning. I started counting hours until David came home from work. What kind of damage could Delia do alone in the house during 9 hours? Would she call her friends over to come party? Would they break into the apple juice and drink themselves silly? Would she draw on the cat? Put her babies in the oven?

I started to freak out a little bit. I don't think I could legitimately call it a panic attack, but its the closest I've ever come to experiencing one.

So I kicked the door down.

Really.

I ruined the doorframe.

Anyone know a reliable handyman?

The American Dream:

2008-03-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

Sesame Street, a sippy cup full of milk, and a potty.

Potty talk

2008-02-29T17:08:00.001-08:00

I don't want to set expectations too high, but Delia got her very own potty today.

Potty training was a big topic at playgroup yesterday. Delia's friend Chase just got one, and Miss Audrey is reading up on how to get Caroline ready.

Then, when I picked Delia up at school this morning, the older kids were lining up to go potty. When they were done, they each got an M&M as a reward. Delia really, really wanted one of those M&M's. There's a little chair in the bathroom where the teacher can sit and talk to a nervous pee-er. Delia pointed at the chair, looked at me, and said, "Sit down!" She seemed ready, and I felt like I hadn't been paying attention to the signs.

Delia was pretty excited to sit on her potty this evening, although she didn't produce any, ahem, results.

Our baby's first haircut

2008-02-24T18:33:00.001-08:00

Well, yesterday was a big day around here. In the morning, we went shopping for Delia's big-girl furniture. In the afternoon, we headed to "Sweet 'n Sassy" for her first haircut. I had very mixed feelings about doing this, but I'm happy with the results.

Before:

We had a drink in the car to steady our nerves.

Delia only cried until she got a lollipop.

I only cried when they handed me a lock of hair from my baby's first haircut. (Typing this makes me cry, too.)

After:

On strike!

2008-02-20T16:07:00.000-08:00

The writers may be back to work, but the nappers have walked out...at least our napper. We're not sure what her demands are, but Delia has been on a nap strike for close to a week. Management is getting nervous.

In other news, Delia is getting pretty good at stringing her words together. Here are some of the latest phrases:

-out the door
-see ya later
-take care
-sleep tight (I have no idea where she got this. We never say it.)
-sit down (As in, "Mommy, sit down!")
-right there
-I want _______ (The blank can be filled in with absolutely anything.)
-read book
-eat raisins
-Deeda paint ("Deeda" is Delia. Our baby likes to refer to herself in the third person.)
-dress up (This is how Delia ended up watching Sesame Street while wearing her finest jewels.)

Free advice

2008-02-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Don't give in to impulse shopping at Target, or this could happen to your living room:

Just like the first people to populate this land, Delia dragged her plush Dora chair into her teepee to make it a more comfortable place to read.

No-mess paints

2008-02-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

Delia got these great "no-mess paints" in her stocking at Christmas time. We finally broke them out earlier this week during a verrrry looong day.

Here she is arranging her color palette: Big Boy Blue, Yum Yum Yellow, and Ra Ra Red.

So far, so good. This no-mess thing is really working!

"Please, no more pictures. I am creating."

Hmm. No mess? No way. But the art work was worth the clean-up effort.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-15T14:39:00.001-08:00

We went a playgroup in the morning at Caroline's house. The girls found a quiet spot in front of the door where they could talk in private. "O-M-G, Caroline. Did you see what my mom is wearing today? It's not even red OR pink!"

Miss Audrey gave the kids bubbles in their goodie bags, and we broke them out before the party ended. Delia tried to catch some in a cup.

Later, after another day with no nap, we went to Barnes and Noble to play with the trains.

Grandma and Grandpa's visit

2008-02-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit last weekend. The weather was great, but Delia wasn't feeling well.

Delia, Grandma, Grandpa, and Daddy walked to the park, but Delia wasn't really up for it.

By Sunday, she was recovering, but still taking it easy with Daddy.

Baby of Frankenstein

2008-02-09T14:18:00.001-08:00

The other day, Delia put her sweatshirt over her head, and I cracked up.

Not wanting to disappoint a happy audience, Delia continued her act by putting her hands out in front of her, like the baby of Frankenstein, and walking around the kitchen.

The whole show was pretty hilarious until she walked into the wall.

Big girl

2008-02-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

We have told Delia so many times lately that she is getting to be a big girl. Now, she is telling us. She points to herself and says, "big girl," and she is just starting to move away from some "baby" things. It looks like we are done with the high chair, for example. She was fighting it so hard, I thought she would topple over. So, we went out and bought a little booster seat.

Big girls look right at the camera to have their pictures taken.

Big girls like to read at lunchtime.

Big girls need bibs, too.

Rainy days and Sundays always get me happy

2008-02-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

It doesn't snow much down here, but we have gotten a fair bit of rain lately. Once upon a time, we might have been sad to see rain on the weekend, but now we love it. More rain might mean an ease of the drought restrictions this summer, and it gives us an excuse to break out Delia's rain gear.

Rain coat and all-weather cowgirl boots provided by Grandma and Grandpa

Hand-decorated, one-of-a-kind umbrella designed by residents at Bubbe's nursing home

Hair styled by Mommy and a good, long nap

The Birmingham News covers the important issues

2008-02-03T14:33:00.001-08:00

Delia was engrossed in the newspaper recently, and I was so proud. Was she reading about the candidates' standings in the polls? Developments in Iraq? Predictions of a recession?

...or was she catching up on the latest diplomatic meeting in the state capitol?

Twice as nice

2008-01-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

Delia's friend Mary Catherine came over to play one morning last week. I think this was the closest I have yet seen Delia play with someone, rather than just near someone. The girls had a great time, and so did I. My fears about life with two kids started to ebb a bit. I will be outnumbered for most of the day, but it is wonderful to listen to little ones laughing at each other.

Bring me some carbs, and don't forget the sauce!

2008-01-29T14:40:00.000-08:00

We should strive to pass down the truly important traditions to our children.

Delia - January 2008

Rebecca - Sometime in the mid-70's

I wanna be a cowgirl

2008-01-24T14:56:00.001-08:00

Delia donned her horsey tights and pink cowgirl boots to head to Nathan's for playgroup this morning. Even though she was happy to see her friends, Delia seemed content to keep to herself today, at least more than usual.

Go, Pats! (Pass the crayons.)

2008-01-20T16:28:00.001-08:00

Multi-tasking: coloring dragons while watching the Patriots move on to the Super Bowl.

No, it can't be...snow!

2008-01-19T12:45:00.001-08:00

Well, it looks like we should have moved to Texas or Florida if we really wanted to outrun the snow.

It snowed for a bit here this morning, and the neighborhood kids made the most of it. So did the local newscasters. We had live coverage of people driving on almost-wet roads, kids trying to make angels in a 1/4 inch of snow, and "heavy snowfall" from Birmingham to Montgomery. My favorite tip from the TV guys was, "If you go outside, wear a hat and gloves."

Delia enjoyed it while it lasted.

These mittens are from last year's snowsuit. I hadn't even thought to buy her any new ones this year.

Daddy made this snowman.

The little kids next door gathered snow from every yard in the neighborhood to make these snowmen.

Read, Uncah!

2008-01-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

Uncle Steve came to visit last night on his way home from Mississippi. Delia had a great time with her "Uncah See." I think poor Uncah See was worn out, though, by the time he left this afternoon.

First, Delia said, "Read!"

Then she said, "More!"

"More!"

Then she said, "Doh!"

Then we had lunch at Panera, where Delia wore Uncah See's Patriots hat. She said, "I love that Tom Brady as much as turkey and cheese on wheat!" (Just kidding.)