Curly Straight

TJ was holding Julia's hands today and we were all dancing and singing ourselves to the following very popular children's songs. (ahem)

Shake what your mama gave ya.

Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, your booty.

Shake your moneymaker.

I gotta say, one of my favorite things in the whole world is rubbing Julia's little bald, soft head. Sometimes I use my hand, sometimes my cheek. It is so soft and fuzzy and cute and lovable, I am in no hurry for her to get lots of hair.

TJ just said "Oh my gosh, I forgot to put my sunglasses on when I was outside. Oh my gosh."

I just took a shower and came downstairs to answer my phone.

TJ was standing in the kitchen eating a bowl of popcorn wearing his Mickey Mouse ears.

It is not fun getting my blues together and I really think I should have more ribbons.

TJ told me today he wanted it to be Groundhog Day.

My little Bomb Diggity of a baby, my little 9-month solid chunk of love, is getting her 8th tooth. Bottom right (her right), which will make 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom.

I'm blowing raspberries at her right now and she is CRACKING up. She's not hard to please.

Julia is the bomb. She is getting big. I just bought her the bigger car seat today, which is crazy. She has her 8th tooth coming in and loves to laugh. She is bald and I love her little round head. She breathes heavily when she sees something that excites her, which makes me love her even more. She uses her right arm to drag her body all over the house, which reminds us of Sweet Pea from Popeye. She is such a love.

TJ is hiding behind one of the couch cushions right now.

He's crying, because I ate a piece of his popcorn as I was bringing it to him at the table.

Julia, on the other hand, happily munching on a handful of cheese, a bunch of cheerios and two slices of turkey.

TJ has macaroni and cheese and grape tomatoes he's eating right now. He's drinking a Gatorade Frost that was in the fridge.

He asked, "Mommy can I put these in here?" and I said "do you think it's a good idea?" but I'm secretly psyched, because I love to mix foods and flavors together and he's not so into it. Like one time he freaked out because there was broccoli mixed in with his pasta.

Anyway, I said yes, but turns out he was talking about mixing in the Gatorade with the mac and cheese.

And he's eating it.

It is such a sweet sight to see TJ being gentle and kind to his sister. One of my favorite things is when he shows something to Julia, and explains it to her in a higher-pitched voice than his usual tone of speaking.

"See Julia, this is a banana," he'll say, showing her a piece of toy food, holding it right up to her face. "See, Julia, it's a banana."

He'll repeat it, which is something I know he gets from watching us. It's nice to know that he is picking up some good habits.

TJ's school teaches the kids to be polite, but also to be assertive. Most three year olds don't seem to have a problem with letting others know how they feel.

The school does not encourage inappropriate behavior and will say to the kids, "No, thank you, that's not how we treat our friends" or whatever the appropriate response to the situation is.

Well, TJ has taken to using this term but has added his own little spin to it. Whenever someone does something he doesn't like, he will say very meanly, "no THANK YOU!" with an emphasis on the "thank you" - he'll say that part very loudly. Sometimes I try to give him a kiss and he may not want a kiss right then, again with the mean "No THANK YOU!" - I hate to say it but it makes me laugh every time.

I try to hide it from him because once he knows what works to get my attention, he definitely will use that trick again. Case in point, funny faces at the dinner table. "Look at this face, Mom." Or his new favorite song and the dance he does to the classic "Shake what your momma gave ya." I told him that one was only for home. Politely, though. Maybe if he does it out in public, I'll try his old standby - "No THANK YOU!"

TJ was pissed that his present wasn't a Pooh Bear camera, which is what he's been asking for.

I better get on that.

Julia was none too happy to hang out with Santa for the second time this year either.

I didn't mean to have Celine Dion's "Miracle" playing on loop for two hours straight during your nap.

It is a beautiful song and all, but there is such a thing as Celine Dion overdose.

I blame it on TJ. He must have hit the "loop" button when I wasn't looking.

Mama: TJ Where are you?

TJ: I'm taking care of my babies.

Mama: Come upstairs.

TJ, as he's walking up the stairs: I'm taking care of my babies.

Mama: What are their name?

TJ, entering the room with two stuffed animals: Charlie and Fussy Bear.

Aaaaah, suddenly my sweet little girl is getting into EVERYTHING!

Opening drawers, pulling the blender out from the cabinet, closing doors, eating everything in her sight, messing with wires.

She LOVES paper and cardboard and wants it in her mouth.

And she's not even officially crawling yet. I am not sure she will, I think she's going to continue with the right armed low crawl until she walks. I'm predicting (hoping) 13 months.

We attended an Owl Walk and Talk (my made up name, yes, Audobon Society, feel free to take it!) tonight. TJ was really well behaved until the very moment we arrived home, and were putting him to bed two hours later than his usual bedtime.

At the owl talk, he sat there very patiently and rapt, listening to the woman speak about the owls. He laughed when we laughed and was fascinated by the box I told him probably held a live owl.

Once the owl came out, he was also quite fascinated with the tarp underneath the owl (to catch poo) and also very concerned with the speaker's foot on the tarp. "Why is her foot on the tarp? I want her to move her foot," he said. He was also wondering where the owl's bumbum is located, after we told him the purpose of the tarp.

During the walk, he was good, too, although we both ended up carrying him much of the time and we didn't see any owls. The lady made owl calls to summon the owls, to no avail.

When we arrived home and I asked TJ his favorite part, he said "hearing the owls."

Julia stayed at home with Mimi, and the owl's big round eyes reminded me of my little girl.

When Julia gets sleepy, she shows very obvious signs - yawning, eye rubbing, thumb sucking (if she's really exhausted). She's been sleeping straight through the night without waking up even once for a while - the last month or so for sure.

She goes down, sometimes around 6:30, sometimes 7ish and sleeps through for about 12 hours. Sometimes she wakes up early, like 6 a.m. (like today) and wants a bottle. She cries until I grab her and we sit in the chair. She cuddles up and she sucks it down like it's gonna get away from her.

When she's done,I put her back into her crib, she grabs her blankie and inserts her thumb into mouth and crashes out for a couple more hours.

She is such a superbaby. It really does amaze me. Lucky us!

TJ: Mommy, is it snowing out yet?

Mama: No, not yet.

TJ: It is still a wonderful day.

TJ accidentally spills his pretzels all over the kitchen floor.

"Those are for Julia" he says, walking away.

I'm going to go google this now, but I don't think it exists.

Peanut butter coffee.

They have chocolate coffee, raspberry coffee, hazelnut, eggnog, Kahlua but I have never heard of such a thing as peanut butter coffee. I kind of want it to exist so I can try it.

Update: googled it and found this guy http://phronko.blogspot.com/2006/09/food-logic-volume-2-peanut-butter.html who had the same thought.

Everything taste better with peanut butter, someone commented on his blog...which leads me to what else but bacon.

Bacon flavored coffee?

Just did a search.

Yup, it exists.

So I somehow twisted my knee tonight.

Was I doing some extreme sport, kickboxing perhaps? Alligator wrestling? Hot yoga?

No, actually, I was in the middle of a heated game of Wii Bowling.

Amadeus just walked into the basement carrying a pair of Julia's pink socks in his mouth.

As I was getting the kids ready to take TJ to school this morning, I hadn't got dressed myself yet, I was too busy feeding them breakfast and getting them both dressed into warm winter clothes. I was still in what I slept in- a powder blue and white striped long john top and cozy gray pj bottoms with snowflakes on them.

As I was helping TJ get into his shoes, he looked at me and said "is that what you are wearing?"

We have a hand puzzle that features all the fingers in a different color with a number on each.

Somehow the orange middle finger got separated from the rest of the puzzle and I walk by it whenever I go downstairs.

It makes me laugh every time.

Now that TJ is in his big* boy bed, we read him his nighttime stories in bed.

We tell him all the people who love him and then say goodnight.

He usually asks whichever one of us is tucking him in if we will stay with him "for a few minutes."

Sometimes we do, sometimes not.

Well, apparently he's starting to get greedy because now he says "I want you to stay with me for a long time."

It's very sweet.

*understatement about the bed

Julia's FAVORITE thing in the whole world is, by far, paper, in any and all forms. She will crawl with her one armed low crawl to far away lands to get her hands on a piece of paper or cardboard or a napkin, if she spots it.

Imagine her excitement, right now, as we speak. She has a roll of wrapping paper in one hand and just discovered a full ream of Office Max printer paper.

Baby Happiness!

Julia just low crawled FAST across the floor because she saw the cat's tail hanging down in between the curtains.

I'm pretty sure she says "cat" and definitely "dog" and means it.

She is 10 months old today!

Ten months ago, a little bundle of joy arrived in our lives.

Really, we could not have asked for more. She's just right. In every way.

2007: bathrobe

2008: Pooh Bear camera

Watched TJ at his little pre-school singing performance today. It was so cute. I actually had forgotten about it and had planned to go to the gym. Cut the workout short and hightailed it there. Got there about two songs in and he was happy to see me.

Of course, they aren't the clearest singers, being three years old and all, but I could figure out the songs very easily.

Very politically correct, too. A Christmas song, a song about a dreidel,one about Kwanzaa, and to wrap it up, We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Well.

Tonight I asked TJ to sing it to Daddy and he obliged. Like this: We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Ear.

He said it a bunch of times. Then, just to verify, tonight when I was saying goodnight to him, we had the following conversation:

Mama: Goodnight
TJ: Goodnight
Mama: Sweet dreams
TJ: Sweet dreams
Mama: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
TJ: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Ear.

So cute.

The first ingredient on Trader Joe's chicken potstickers is boneless chicken.

Might make for some rough eating if they had bones in them.

102.8 temp.

No food in this house yet for Christmas dinner.

John's working today and tomorrow.

I wonder if they would mind mac and cheese instead of turkey and lasagna.

Probably wouldn't be a big hit.

All I really care about is getting her feeling like herself again.

Everything else will work out just fine.

I find it somewhat hilarious that there is a squirrel that loves to hang out on the top of the dog pen fence.

I'm pretty sure she is taunting Georgia, the Hater of All Things Squirrel.

TJ: Mama, am I tall?

Mama: Yes, you are tall, TJ.

TJ: Am I as tall as you?

Mama: Not yet, but someday you will be.

TJ: Will I be as tall as Daddy?

Mama: Yes, I think so.

TJ: Someday will I be a daddy?

Mama: TJ, let me wipe your nose. I'll do it gently.

TJ: Is Daddy hard?

Mama: What? I don't understand what you mean. Is Daddy hurt?

TJ (yelling really loudly): WHEN DADDY WIPES MY BOOGA SNOTS, DOES HE DO IT HARD?

TJ: No.

Mama: TJ, don't say no to me.

TJ: Nope.

I find it absolutely astonishing that my very intelligent husband can't find the mayonnaise if it's behind something else in the fridge.

Yet, he somehow manages to find the two beers that I had stashed way down at the bottom of the refrigerator, behind all the Christmas leftovers.

It seems to me that people are jumping the gun a little more than usual with the Happy New Year wishes?

It's still 2008.

I don't remember hearing Happy New Year so early and so often in past years. Is it going the way of Christmas, which now somehow starts around Halloween?

Julia has a not-so-subtle way of letting us know when she is done with her bottle.

She slaps the bottle away from her.
It's a big THWACK with her hand, and there is no doubt she is saying she is done.

She CAN hold her own bottle, however, she prefers kicking back in our laps, with her hands usually balled up into little fists, sucking it down as we hold it for her. Who can blame her, really?

Roar!

It all started when I told TJ to pretend he was a Tiger to get him to eat his food. It worked! Then he told me that I am Mama Lion and Julia is Baby Lion and he is Brother Lion. We incorporated roaring into our conversation for about the next half hour.

It was silly and fun!

I'm pretty sure Julia roared one time.

I put them down for naps early, so we can go to Edaville Railroad right when it opens. The way I got TJ to sleep early? Sleeping milk, my so-called concoction (chocolate milk) that makes boys sleep very very quickly, so I tell him.

It's all in the mind, because it worked!

My little Chunk of Love is starting to stand, she kind of pulls herself up if something is there to support her.

I'll stop calling her category New Baby once she turns a year old in a couple of months. Sniffle.

Is it wrong that I just googled do they sell beer at Edaville Railroad?

It was all going too smoothly. I decided not to go to the gym and actually managed to get 30 minutes in on the treadmill, interrupted only once to go get Julia when she woke up from her nap.

We were to leave at 3 pm to meet the Ws at 4 at Edaville. I was plugging away, getting stuff done, had coupons printed out, directions printed out; coats, hats and mittens ready to go.

2:50 rolls around and TJ makes a noise. I usually give him a few minutes to "hatch" when he wakes so he is a little more coherent. Maybe that was my mistake, not giving him that time. He was extremely crabby - he was crying and when I asked what's wrong, he said his throat hurt and he still wanted to sleep. I told him he could if he wanted to. He changed his tune to wanting to sleep in the car so we could go to the railroad.

I had him drink juice, that usually snaps him out of his crazy crankiness and it made a difference, he was getting back to normal.

Finally get everything together, get them into the car, go to grab the stroller. Flat tires. Oh well, it still rolls, so I take it anyway.

Forgot my mittens, run back into the house and grab them.

Get onto the ramp for 95. Traffic stopped on the highway. Realize I left Julia's bottle in the microwave. Have no gas. Stop for gas in Pawtucket and the credit card machine at the pump is broken. There's no way I'm taking them out just to pay for gas, luckily the guy tells me over the intercom that I can use my debit. Informs me that "no, we don't have any baby bottles here for sale at the Shell station."

OK. Here we go, back onto 95 North. What's this? A detour to get back onto the highway. Traffic.

Get back on. Start to worry about Julia's bottle. Input CVS into the GPS and it says CVS 1 mile away, take ramp. So I do, with glee. On the ramp it says turn in 1.8 miles. Liar GPS.

Drive by a Shaws, decide to go there, turn around and miss the exit to get into the store. Finally make it in, didn't grab a cart, carrying Julia and TJ walking with us. Get to baby section, the whole way in TJ is asking for bubble gum from the machine at the front,l a balloon, Russell Stover candies, Sponge Bob something, , no no no to all. Grab bottle, formula, water at the cash register. TJ wants Reese Pieces. OK, that's fine. Two cash registers open, both with lines of people with full carts. No way. Will do the Self Checkout. Stand in line, people are taking their time, going s...l...o...w...l...y. Don't know how I'm going to scan it with Julia in my arms anyway. See Express line open, try to get there, blocked by a closed register line. Figure out it's at the end of the Self Checkout. Get there, buy the stuff. TJ holding one of the waters and the Reeses Pieces.

Walking in the parking lot, holding TJ's hand and the bag and Julia, notice her angora hat that my mother-in-law "paid a fortune for" (and TJ thinks makes her look like a cactus) is missing. Oh well, I'll just call the store later and get it some other time. We are in Mansfield and that's where we want to move so we'll be back.

TJ drops a water and starts crying. We get to the car, Julia is holding the cactus hat in her hand. Yay!

Get them in, give him the Reeses Pieces we are on our way. Again.

Cruise along 495 for a few miles. TJ makes up a really good and catchy song about going on a merry-go-round with his friends. Traffic jam. Take advantage of the stopped time to make a bottle. Try to hide what I'm doing from other drivers.

The directions tell me to take exit 2, but Liar GPS tells me to take exit 3. I listen to Liar GPS and take exit 3. Not a good decision, crazy way. Miss a turn, TJ calls me a bad girl.

On dark road with no lights for a few miles. TJ wants to know if we are lost. No, just on an adventure, I tell him.

Turn left, GPS says, I do and see the lights of Edaville Railroad. Park in front, get Julia out, it's freezing, need to throw on her snowsuit, get the stroller out, call Karen, oh no, where's my phone. In the front. No, it's not. Where is it? Ask some random people to call it, it's underneath my seat. Phone rings, it's my sister, I practically hang up on her - tell her I can't talk. I'm trying to change Julia, put one leg in, the other pops out, TJ has lost his mittens. Cars around, dark, can't see.

Finally hear "Anne?" - Karen had come to find me.

After that, all fine at Edaville. Rode the train, TJ and Matt rode Dumbo (called Jumbo, I think!) solo, ate food reminiscent of that at a ski lodge, we all rode the merry go round and that was it.

December 29, a day to celebrate. John actually folded some of the laundry on Dec. 29. First time ever.
Well, in a long time.
For those who think you don't turn into your parents, the way he folds laundry is EXACTLY the same way his mom folds laundry.

As Jason Mraz sings "It's Laundry Day!" - totally have that song in my head now.

TJ, from his bed: Mama, Mama! MaaaaaMa!

Mama, going in: Hi TJ

TJ: I want Daddy.

Mama, talking about the prize won at Edaville Railroad: TJ, don't go near Julia with that sword.

TJ: I won't Mama.

Mama: If you do, you will go right into time out.

TJ: OK.

Mama: Are you going to go near her with that sword?

TJ: No.

Mama: What will happen if you do?

TJ: She will eat it?

Mama: TJ, don't say no to me.

TJ: mmt mhmm.

Pause.

TJ: Does that mean no?

Sore throats seem to be common in the winter. Mine is sore right now. From an illness, perhaps strep throat?

No.

Earlier, TJ declared himself Oscar the Grouch, Julia Baby Grouch and me Mama Grouch.

So, my throat hurts from talking like Oscar the Grouch for the last hour.

TJ's song:

We wish you a Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Ear.

Good tidings we bring to you and my friends

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Ear.

Julia has a mullet.