Keeping Up With the Q's...

Flint's Inguinal Herniorrhaphy: A Tale of Two Hernias

2012-02-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

It would seem that our Flint has more than one tale to tell. About a week after Flint's 15 month checkup with Dr. Dickey, we found ourselves back in her office for another visit, this time to investigate what Luke and I had already diagnosed, via the internets: an inguinal hernia. At first, dear Dr. Dickey discovered a "reactive lymph node," then proceeded to tell me, complete with sketches on the exam room bed liner, about the lymphatic system. She was very emphatic about the lymphatic. And for that reason, I let her talk. However, being 100% positive that she was mistaken, I didn't listen to a dern thing she was saying. Mostly, I waited to talk, and planned on how I was going to tactfully redirect my pediatrician. About five minutes later (which seemed more like an anxiety-filled hour), I simply asked, while struggling to lift a wriggly escape artist back onto my lap, "Uh... so would it bulge when he strained?" To which she replied while peeling back his diaper again, "Bulge? No... let's take another look and see if you can show me what you're--- OH! Yeah. No. That's a hernia." We got a referral for a surgeon, many words of confidence in his skills, and a small spiel on femoral hernias.

We met with Dr. Hermann about a week later. He could tell Flint had not only one, but two hernias, and renamed them "inguinal" thankyouverymuch. And this diagnosis just by looking at him (then prodding at him to make sure). He was very patient, took his time and tried to form a relationship (however superficial) with us. His competence and confidence was very obvious, as he had performed over 25,000 of these repairs. He kept talking about how cool Flint was, and how smart and "what a neat kid!" And he was right. Flint is super cool. We had all our questions answered and soon afterward, set up an appointment for ... *gulp* surgery!

We had done the "day surgery" thing all before with Lyla and her ear tubes, so we kind of knew what to expect. I convinced myself that it would be easier the second time around, then I convinced myself that it would be far scarier since it was more invasive and would leave scars, then I thought of my parents and my brother and all they went through with his life-saving, life-threatening, horrifically traumatic surgeries and gained a little more perspective. Hernia repair should be a cake walk.

Monday, February 13th, we arrived at Cook's Pediatric Surgery Center with a hungry and thirsty Captain Awesome.

Attacking the magazine table in the waiting area.

Daddy attempting to keep the boy distracted with a game we call "Moo! Moo! WHOA!"

His happy spirit and the wonderful, experienced staff at the facility really did make this stressful morning almost a piece of cake. He got his "giggle juice" shortly after we arrived and were told we'd be able to begin a little early. I was confused by a few things just based on my experiences with Lyla's surgery. They didn't dress him in a gown or do excessive vitals or tests beforehand, and they didn't wheel him away on a gurney, but just carried him away, talking to him and keeping him happy (with the help of the sedative, of course). Luke and I were escorted to a private waiting room, which was nice... being all private... but a little smallish and uncomfortable. Fortunately, our wait wasn't long and we knew exactly the time frame to expect, who to expect to see first, and what would happen next, and most importantly, WHEN WE'D GET TO SEE FLINT!


Luke waiting = Skyrim

Emily waiting = iPhotos

After the doc came in and relieved any small concern we had that things wouldn't go perfectly, the wait got harder. At that moment, we knew it was just a matter of getting him into Recovery and the nurse showing up to grab us. In the meantime, there were plenty of other small kids coming-to and panicking, confused about where they were and why they felt weird and where their parents were. Or at least that's how I interpreted their little cries from inside our private room. I just dreaded thinking about Flint waking in a state of scared confusion and pain like that - without me immediately there to swoop him up. Moments later, a nurse opened up our door. She had Flinty on his wheely-bed and it was just as she was reaching for the door that he started to wake up and try to crawl off. He was upset and confused, but fortunately, we were right there. She quickly transferred him to my lap on the rocking chair for Mama comforting, and after a few minutes of hoarse, pitiful cries, he zonked out.

Flint's pulse-ox E.T. toe. Also pictured, toenails needing trimmed.

The nurse went over all the drugs that were in his system, how he was intubated (thus the hoarse voice), and the "block" he had in his groin that would affect him for the rest of the day (no walking on his own!). She removed his IV and he barely stirred. As pathetic as he was, it was kind of a rare treat to hold my sleeping baby. I haven't been able to do that in a long, long time! And he just... slept.

And slept...

After his recovery hour was up, the nurse said we could stay or go, depending on what we were comfortable with. They normally like to get some fluids in the patients, but the anesthesiologist didn't feel the need to push fluids on him and figured it best for him to rest if he needed it. She warned that he might vomit from the anesthesia. Just as we decided we were ready to go and Luke left to pull the car around, Flint's head jerked upright, his big brown eyes just huge, and asked with his regular playful half-smile, "Dada?" He sucked down a sippy cup of juice and we buckled him in and drove off. I thought better of sitting up front, but somehow convinced myself that it would be better if things seemed more normal for him. Had I stuck with my gut, Flint may not have soaked EVERYthing in the backseat with the vomited juice, not 5 minutes into our drive. I MAY have caught some of it in the barf-bag the nurse so lovingly made sure I took.

Flint and his sippy cup, super dopey.

After that, it was smooth sailing back home, then a day of dozing in and out, prescription pain meds, and lots of fluids. Flint was a little more "Flint" with each passing hour, and by the end of the evening, was somewhat difficult to discourage from his normal nighttime behaviors, including running all over the house, climbing on furniture, throwing balls. You know, basic toddler stuff. The next day was even harder, and by Wednesday he was actually permitted to resume his normal routine. Much to everyone's relief.

(The day after surgery, a little doped up on painkillers...)

The incisions were glued closed, not sutured. I'll probably be hated years from now for sharing this...

It has been a week, today, and Flint seems almost 100%. He's been a pretty fussy guy, lately, but he's also got the never-ending head cold the whole Q-Clan has, and is cutting teeth, so there's no telling what's truly ailin' him. We know one thing for sure, though, he is our all-time favorite goober boy. And we love him. Here's hoping this is the most serious medical issue he'll ever have. We're so grateful, too, for all the love and well-wishes he has received throughout this.

And thus, the two inguinal hernias ended.

Papa Came to Town

2012-01-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well, it's like it says. Papa came to town. Oh! And Lucinda!

Lucinda was kind enough to fix Lyla's bad Fantastic Sam's haircut.

We had the pleasure of hosting them for one night, then spent the next day together, along with the Wises. We all met up at the Fort Worth Zoo on a strangely warm January day to say hello to our favorite animals, picnic, and enjoy each other.

We've had a particularly rough winter, health-wise, at the Q home. I struggled, initially, in deciding whether or not Flint was healthy enough to attend. At the time, he was halfway through treatment for bronchitis and was supposed to receive breathing treatments throughout the day, and he was generally lethargic. He seemed better that day, and I rationalized that at least he'd be confined to a stroller and therefore less likely to run around irritating his cough. He definitely continued his malaise at the zoo - VERY unlike our boy to want to just sit or be held. He would not sleep in the stroller, either, so he was basically a lump, albeit a happy lump.

It was a gorgeous day! We wished we had made it out to the zoo a little earlier, though! I guess we underestimated how much time it would take to get through it all. And unfortunately, it closed at 4:00, before we had managed to get to the penguins, which is the animal Lyla requested the WHOLE time we were there. We ran ahead, though, and got to their measly habitat just in time. No train ride this time, though. We were definitely out of time, by then.

Everyone's favorite part was "the birdies." You may recall this being a favorite from previous trips to the zoo, as well! The kids (and grown-ups) had loads of fun feeding birds and coaxing them onto fingers, shoulders and arms. Lyla was thrilled when one perched on her arm!

The Wises followed us home after the zoo trip. We all chowed down on some pizza while Flint's late nap turned into super early bedtime. Here are some fun moments from our weekend:

As annoyed as I can be with crazy Texas weather, I am definitely grateful to be able to enjoy the outdoors in the middle of January! We had a lot of fun with our family that day, and can't wait to spend more time with Papa and Lucinda when they visit next... or... when we visit them next! Lookout, Colorado!
To see the rest of our pictures from the zoo trip and the month of January, go to Picasa, here!

Christmas Explosion!!

2012-01-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

(Pre-post: As evidenced by the date stamp of this post, we have been overwhelmed this month (mostly by repeated bouts of seasonal illness). Apologies for the time lapse between posts. I think this has been the longest lapse yet.)

The title of this blog refers mostly to the blog, itself, because I will now impart to you the Christmas-related happenings of 2011. And it will seem like an explosion.

Consider yourself warned.

Ka-Pow!

We put up our tree a few days after Thanksgiving. I'm not sure why we broke the "never before December" rule this year. I guess we were excited to do it for the kids and took advantage of the holiday weekend to spend the time together doing it. We knew from the start we shouldn't bother putting anything on the bottom half of the tree. I attempted to skirt the restriction by placing only non-breakable ones toward the bottom and shove any breakable ones deep toward the tree "trunk." It turns out, though, that Little Mr. Mischief Pants, the "ball" loving boy, could totally reach in there and yank them out. So, we had to rearrange. And replace ornaments that got pulled off. And rearrange, and replace. And rearrange, and replace. And that was pretty much the gist of our tree experience. Lyla had tons of fun unwrapping the ornaments and finding them a spot on a cluster of branches. She quite literally put them all in one place. I discretely moved them to spread them out over the course of several days, so as not to offend the darling dear.
Gia and Pap stole the children one afternoon and took them to the vintage railroad in Grapevine to ride on the "North Pole Express." Lyla had done this before, but she (probably) didn't remember, so it was super awesome for her again this time. The grandparents reported, however, that Flint was not such a fan of the experience. It was chilly outside and the whole sing-along part was too noisy for him. He was pretty cranky. Based on his attachment to his new train set from Santa, though, I am betting in a few years he will love it. Also reserved for loving in the future: Santa Claus, himself. What a horribly frightening man he is!
At the beginning of December, we discovered a small guest in our house, complete with a tiny note to greet us and explain she was an elf visiting until Christmas. Lyla was asked to name her. We were pleased she invented something all on her own, rather than reuse a friend's name. Thus, Mooshi came to stay with us for a month. She left notes every now and then to reward good behavior and attempt to correct naughtiness, and almost every night she got into mischief, herself. On Christmas Eve, she hopped into Santa's bag with him. We might see her again next year...
We opted out of a physical Xmas card this year in favor of trees and money. Instead, we posted this:
We hosted a playdate and decorated cookies! It turns out that children 5 and under care more about quantity of cookies decorated (and eaten) than quality of decorations. Aidan managed to make a few cute ones, but Lyla mostly scarfed.
Lyla "performed" a holiday "show" with her class at Pinnacle Montessori. They were adorable. (My favorite part in the video is when she starts lifting her shoulders during the song, although it seems a rather inefficient way to jingle the bells). There was more partying and more cookie decorating following the show, and the kids participated in a book exchange. Much to Lyla's disappointment, she did not receive the book that she brought.

We attended Roommate Christmas at Casa de Edwards and had a lovely time. It may have been my favorite RMC thus far. With a ban on gifts this year, we instead simply enjoyed each others' company, played in the neighborhood park, ate tons of delicious food (Mexican, for a change of pace!) and made some fun crafty-crafts. Oh! And the kids played together. Kristin and Mac got to experience their first RMC with their little man, who was crawling all over the place, participating in all the fun. I just love how RMC is turning into such a family-of-friends-together-time with all our little people.

Gia hosted her Ye Olde Annual Cookie-Baking Day. Lyla, Rain, and Faryn painted our traditional sugar cookies while Shannon, Dad and I all bickered with Mom (also a tradition) on the correct size of the chocolate chip cookie, and the perfect amount of time to bake them. I got to spoon most of them, so they were "too large and undercooked," which is totally why they had to make MORE just a few days later (*wink wink*). This was a long and fun day, but ended with a lot fewer cookies baked than normal, after le sister and I made a midday trip to Target to complete some Xmas shopping. Also... none of us seemed to really "need" cookies this year.
One afternoon, Gia kept an eye on Flint while Lyla and I went shopping together, this time so that she could choose gifts for everyone. To keep it simple and cheap, I took her to the Dollar Tree with a list that she and I made of all her family members. She was super excited about getting to shop all on her own, and I was super excited about how "into it" she was and totally in love with the idea of giving gifts. Just as the process was beginning to turn painful, we were done. I found most of her gift selections to be quite amusing. And some were plain hilarious. Like Batman bubble bath for Uncle "Burger," a large, etched crystal goblet for Pap, and a guide to getting 6-pack abs in 6 weeks for Uncle John.
Well, as if I weren't already impressed, the next day Lyla begged to wrap her gifts. So during Flint's nap time, she sat with me and selected wrapping paper, tore and placed tape (*her* tape - not mine!), chose tags, wrote her name on them and piled up all 16 presents. This took some serious focus! Even I was asking for a break after gift #10, but she wanted to do them all. I guess I owe a shout-out to Ms. Mene for helping Lyla learn how to focus so well and so long on a task. I'm sure her love of the whole process didn't hurt either.

We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family at Gia and Pap's house. We ate tons of yummy food, unwrapped gifts, drank wassail, played and played and played. Lyla was a wonderful and excited gift-giver and was gracious as ever receiving gifts. She was thrilled that Faryn passed down her dollhouse to her and super excited to get her very own table from Gia and Pap. Flint got lots of fun toys and clothes, an awesome new ride from his grandparents, and a basketball hoop from his aunt and uncle. All this among many other new treasures and toys, but fewer than last year. Gia deserves a pat on the back and another round of hugs, because Christmas was just as special as ever and she did manage to cut back a bit this year.
I was smart enough this year to bring pajamas for the kids so they could pass out on the way home. Of course Flint didn't even make it to the drive and petered out at his normal bedtime.

We made it home just in time for Santa to sneak in, eat some cookies and sneak out. I'm sure he was up really late.

Christmas morning was just fantastic. At first, I wasn't sure if Lyla even noticed that Santa had come because she crawled into bed with us at 7am, after having to pass through the living room on her way. She must have noticed, but had been too sleepy to process it. After some snuggle time in bed, Lyla asked to go see the stockings. She lit up when she saw that Santa had eaten the cookies and milk that Mommy left out (cause a certain someone passed out in the car the night before), and she got right to the dirty work: opening lots of gifts. All of the gifts! Her presents, Flint's... she helped Mommy and Daddy, too (just sometimes). She had her work cut out for her! For Lyla, a couple new dolls, a puzzle, a Captain America shield and mask, a helicopter, art supplies, play-doh, play jewelry, and other fun stuff. For Flint, some car toys, PJs, a toy cell phone, a doll of his very own (cause he loves Lyla's), a Bilibo, a toddler T-ball set, and new shoes. We saved the biggest for last - a train set to Lyla and Flint from Santa. We set it up on the coffee table and there it still sits. They have been playing with it every day.
Lyla and Flint gave Daddy a special gift, too.

A few hours later, we were heading to Nonna's for more family time! Again, Lyla loved giving out her gifts. After Anthony opened up his Thor hammer and helmet from us, she turned into Captain America and together they save-- smashed each other a lot. We had a fantastic dinner together, more wassail, and the kids had so much fun playing. And playing. And playing. Lyla insisted on opening toys from their packaging immediately so she could play with her cousins. In the end, another great family night was had by all and the children were 100% exhausted. I was too, but I was also just elated from all the fun. And very much looked forward to the next day - the long awaited day after Christmas, Q-proclaimed "Day of Much Rest and Play."

Oh! And if we haven't thanked you, yet, for your Christmas gifts, know that Thank You's are on the way soon (hopefully!)! We still have a mystery giver left to thank for a surprise delivery left on our porch a few days before Christmas. To you, Secret Santa, thanks SO much! The definite favorite among your goodies was Lyla's crown and jewels! She can be seen here, shouting, "Treat yourself!" as she tears through the house donning all her gems.

We had such a fun Christmas and we look forward to many more years of excitement, family, giving, chaos, and overspending (well, maybe not those last two)! Pheww!

Aaaaand, as always, there are plenty more photos HERE!

Flint's One-Year Stats

2011-12-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

He's going on 14-months, now, but I guess it's not too late to share an update on Captain Awesome. At 12.5 months, Flint weighed in at 24.1 lbs and was right on track for a 1-year-old boy with height/weight ratios just great.
He was not a fan of shots (duh). I did not anticipate that he would be a fan of shots (4!) but I also did not anticipate that he would cry for a straight 30 minutes following the shots (did I mention there were 4?). Poor buddy.

Flint is becoming quite the ham, with personality blossoming more and more each day. I think language learning is one of my favorite things about child development. I just LOVE it. Every time the boy says a new word or attempts a new sound, it gives me such joy, it's kind of silly. Maybe it has to do with my years teaching special ed, where any minute amount of progress in language is a noteworthy milestone marked by gold stars, standing ovations and fireworks of pride and excitement. He may not be a student of mine, but he still gets the fireworks.
Mr. Flint can name/request the following: Dada, Mama, cack-a (cracker), ball, Lyla (which he says pretty clearly, now, with many difference inflections (and yelling (wonder who he's imitating...))), dat ("that," accompanied by pointing), wa-wa (water or any other liquid), di-puh (diaper). He can also tell us "HI!" "no-no," "whoa-whoa-whoa," "yeah," "huwwo" (with my cell phone up to his ear) and "wow," and is able to answer what puppies and kitties say. In case you don't know, it's "wuh-wuh" (with a gruff Flint voice) and "neow." What he doesn't say, he signs, which is super cool because he can basically communicate all his wants/needs now. Hoorah!
He's trying to name Pap-Pap and Gia, as well, but clams up, naturally, when asked to say someone's name.

Flint is at the "runs everywhere" stage already, too, and is more into the cabinets, drawers, bins, baskets, EVERYTHING!, than Lyla ever was. Or maybe it's that I can spare slightly less attention for immediate redirection. I also hear "it's a boy thing," on this one.

(Doing more "boy" things... *eye roll*)

Mister still wins prizes for being:
A good sleeper. Well, maybe not always "good" but usually "easy." He's never had much trouble just laying down and going to sleep with no hubbub to help him catch his Z's. He does occasionally like to fool around, but he's content to do so. And that's fine by me!

A Super fantastic dancer-boy. The boy's got rhythm! He loves to hit the power button on Lyla's radio and just jam to whatever's on. If he sees Mama, though, he insists on partnering up. So it's kind of tricky to catch him doing his thing without getting roped in. Thus, few videos exist of his danciness.

An eating machine. He's pickier than Lyla ever was, but the kid can pack. It. Away. Seriously. He never stops eating. As Aunt Shannon pointed out to me, my children seem very food-driven. I'm going to have to figure out how to get to the root of this one and help them curb it! Eek! Favorites are yogurt (which he signs for by flailing his pointer finger around emphatically), crackers (which includes anything crunchy that's not necessarily a cracker) and most any fruits. On veggies, the kid is still eating purees because he simply will not chew regular cooked veggies. I'd complain, but purees aren't all that terrible and, as the Doc said, he won't be going to college still eating baby food. So... I guess he'll figure it out at his own pace. And hopefully by that time he'll have also figured out how to eat without humming loudly or otherwise vocalizing... noisily.

A blankie-cuddling champion. I had a special blankie as a kid (*cough* and as an adult *cough*), so it makes me happy that Flint has taken a liking to a certain comfort item as well. Luckily for him (and me) the blankie he prefers has a few copies and versions at our home. We actually have four of the same blankie with only a slightly different pattern. It seems like he only cares about the feel of it anyway. He has, however, caught on to the existence of more than one, and sometimes opts for double the snuggle.

My favorite little boy ever. And he is, in fact, turning quickly into a little boy. Oh, what a weed he is...

We're good...

2011-11-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2011 was good. Good food, of course. Good company... yes.

A few days before Thanksgiving, Faryn came over for the day and we made Thanksgiving cookies. We had to get creative because we didn't really have any cookie-cutters shaped like Pilgrims or Indians or turkeys or stuffing or cornucopias or ... anything related to Thanksgiving. A hand-shaped cookie cutter sufficed to make a quasi turkey, though. Hey, they had fun... and that was the point.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with the Pearson side of the family, had our traditional Thanksgiving food, and just enjoyed each other for the day. Flint managed to sleep through the meal, which lowered the stress level at the table to nearly zero. He was missed, though.

The kids played in the backyard and the big dogs frolicked and cavorted as big dogs ought to. Maya managed to sniff out a nest of rats hiding in Dad's woodpile. Believe it or not, in 6 years, this was her first kill. Poor baby rat.

I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to insert my spiel on how thankful we are, right? Well, we are. We've got an overabundance of most things (apart from millions of dollars... and it just doesn't feel right to complain about that one, somehow) and enough love to last many lifetimes. We're good. Life is good. We're thankful.

Cheers!

Lyla at her Thanksgiving Feast at school.

:)

Halloween, 2011

2011-11-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

TRICK OR TREAT!

Lyla and Flint had a very Happy Halloween as Queen Lyla Celeste and Sir William Flint!

This year, we trick-or-treated in our own neighborhood (a first!) and with... just ourselves (also, a first!). We stuck to Vista Greens mainly because Luke wasn't feeling tip-top, and certain 3-year-olds hadn't napped. And while we had a very pleasant and private evening as a family, we did miss the hub-bub that could have been. And we missed being with our favorite peeps, of course.

Our Halloween-related discoveries were as follows.

When children are permitted to wear their costumes to school on October 31st, have a backup ready for trick-or-treating, or send them in a different costume (see paint pictured on Lyla's dress).

Our children are adorable.

Our neighborhood is lame on Halloween. Well, it's lame any day, but on Halloween in particular, our neighbors are either non-participants, or the overwhelmingly obsessed with Halloween types. Fortunately, our children found that amusing, though we had to travel halfway around the whole neighborhood to hit enough houses to bring in a decent haul.

Lyla prefers the company of her cousins and/or friends, and is fully accustomed to having her grandparents present at all meaningful (and most of the less meaningful) events.

The evil cycle of complaining and candy, which shall now be referred to as the CCC, applies to babies with exponentially dramatic repercussions. It goes like this: Flint's complaints are quickly eased by a simple piece of candy. Candy is quickly consumed. Flint's complaints resume and while the original complaint is assuaged, the newer complaint is far louder and more urgent. Repeat.

Candy + Baby = Sticky

There are far too many princesses. Which is why we were relieved that Lyla chose to be a queen.

Lyla might be the most bull-headed person I know. Ever. Despite repeated warnings from both parents and despite several prior experiences involving tripping over the front of her lengthy dress whilst running, she continued to run at full speed. And every time she tripped over the front of her dress and fell, we would demonstrate how to either hold the dress up while running or simply walk. She would promptly stand and continue on her merry way of stubbornness. Maybe her hard head lessens the blow when she crashes? Who knows. This is why we wince when she runs. The fall is inevitable.

As Gabba Gabba says, "Too much candy's gonna make you sick!"

What happened to giving out the good candy?

Mmmm. Candy.

Long story short, we had fun. Here are some pics and videos.

More photos available HERE!

Fall Festivities

2011-10-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Finally, some crisp weather! Granted, there are still those sneaky 75-degree days in the mix, but we are certainly welcoming the cool air, the morning dew, the heat dial on the thermostat at night, and enjoying the lower sun, the turning leaves and the time we can spend outdoors playing together!

It's been a busy October. We just barely made it to the Pumpkin Farm in time for Halloween!

One event that kept us so busy was the wedding of our good friends, Kerry and Craig. They got married in Houston in the middle of the month and we took a brief family road trip southward about five hours to join in the celebration of their marriage. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful ceremony. We were so happy to have been a part of it, and the kids did great, although they WORE their mother OUT! Luke, being the Best Man, was unable to parent-assist for much of the evening. Thank goodness for helpful friends (I owe Melissa and Kristin each an evening of childcare) willing to love on Mr. Flint while I literally chased Lyla round Craig's parents' enormous (and gorgeous) backyard!
Lyla continues to ask to go "back to the hotel." Why are hotels SO fun!? Flint was not too fond of that portion of the trip. In fact, every time we opened the door to our room, he cried. I guess he didn't like being couped up. We spent lots of time just walking around the halls "exploring."
We finally made it to the Pumpkin Farm on the 29th. Cutting it close, I know! And even then, we only managed to get there about 45 minutes before sunset. In any event, it was the perfect amount of evening sunny and Fall chilly. Lyla totally hammed it up for the camera so she could hurry up, get the pictures done and go play! We did our traditional shot in the wooden stand-ups, posed with some punkin's, then the girly took off to go slide, explore the hay-stack house, old tractors, little pedal-tractors and gawk at the corn maze. Flint had fun throwing various sizes of orange "balls" (yes, pumpkins) around and screaming at the other kids (mostly the little girls playing with each other, who were also doing lots of screaming). He'd seriously just stand there and shriek, all grins, trying to mimic them (or maybe flirt?). When it started to cool off, he became very snuggly and sleepy. That, along with Lyla's need for "her own food" resulted in a pretty quick trip to the pumpkin patch. We had Lyla pick out pumpkins for both Flint and herself, paid, then went across the street to Gia and Pap's to steal some dinner for the starving girly.

Sunday, we invited family over to assist in the carving of the great pumpkins. Whether or not our itty-bitty punkins were "great" is yet to be determined. Lyla designed both pumpkins on paper beforehand and decided what was to be drawn, where, and how big/small/scary/funny, etc. When she insisted on eye lashes for both pumpkins, I suggested maybe just her jack-o-lantern should have them. "But Flint has eyelashes, too. See?" She pointed to Flint's eyes. Too true, Lyla. Too true.

Other photos from October, the pumpkin patch and carving pumpkins are HERE!

Happy 1st Birthday, Flint!

2011-10-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

On October 20, 2011, our happy, easy-going, goofy, ball-loving, high-five giving, babbly, screechy, speed-walking, jumpy-dancing, cracker-eating monster, toothy-smiling, big-brown-eyed, finger-sucking, wiggly, busy, hilarious and adorable Mr. William Flint turned ONE!
On his actual birthday, we celebrated by opening gifts from Mommy and Daddy just before Lyla went to school. Later, during naptime, Lyla and Mommy baked our favorite little dude his first birthday cake. Chocolate, chocolate! Yum! Lyla had tons of fun following the directions and helping stir and pour (read: taste). We made Flint a special mini-cake all to himself and used the rest of the batter for cupcakes and a few mini-buggy cakes.

That evening, Gia, Pap, Aunt Shan and Uncle John paid a visit and watched Captain Carb Junkie dive into the messy deliciousness. I set up a backdrop and prepared to snap some photos while he stuffed his face and smeared chocolate everywhere. Much to Flint's confusion and simultaneous delight, everyone sang Happy Birthday and Luke set the tiny mocha tower in front of him, then offered him the first taste. Slowly, but surely, he went to town. He hardly moved from his spot beside his special treat and diligently worked his way through the gooey icing to fistfuls of crumbly cake. I thought surely we'd have to pry his fingers off the cake plate, but he soon had his fill and simply stood up to walk away - Cue Daddy for emergency fast-bath! The boy literally left a chocolate ring around the tub!

Two days later, we celebrated all over again at Flint's First Birthday Party! Per what has now been deemed tradition, he had his first party at Grandma and Pap's house. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful Fall day (Okay, maybe it could have been a little more "Fallish," Texas! But we thank you for the sunshine, though we stayed in the shade as much as we could).

We went with a "ball" theme, since that seems to be Flint's #1 mostfavoritethingever.
Gia bought a small kiddie pool and filled it with several bags of ball-pit balls (I think the count ended up being something like 500). The boy had plenty of practice time in the days prior to the party.

With the ball pit being outside (another favorite) on party day, he was super excited. He rolled around, threw balls, gnawed on balls, swam around in the balls, buried himself in the balls (with assistance, of course) and simply chilled out, as well. He was accompanied by family and some close family-friends. Gideon won the prize, though, for most chillaxed.

Flint was not too keen on the opening presents part. I imagine it's hard to understand something like that when it isn't a regular experience. But with his sister's help, he did his best. We tried to go pretty fast to hold his attention. It's been a week, now, and I can safely say (and my wrecked house can attest!) that he is thankful for all the wonderful toys, books, clothes, and hand crocheted Yoda hats he received.

And again, Flint got to chow down on loads of sugary cake, this time in the shape of a ball! Mmm. Everyone else enjoyed cake balls and brownie balls while Flint shredded his own cakey "mah." Following more playtime in the yard with his besties, the boy crashed for a few hours. I know naps are greatness, but birthday naps must be super awesome. They always seem to last a little longer...

What a day! We had so much fun enjoying our little man. A year ago, I remember not being able to wrap my head around how I could ever love another child as much as I love my Lyla. Well, Flint, you enlightened me! And while I don't tend to think of the day of your birth with quite such fondness (at least all the part before you finally came out), I'd relive it everyday for my favorite little boy of all time. We love you SO much! Happy Birthday, Son-shine!
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More birthday pics (yes, there are more... ah!) in this album on Picasa.

September Summary

2011-10-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Apparently, September has come and gone and I haven't a blog post to show for it.

Oops.

What did we do in September...? Well, according to our 584 photographs:

We went swimming at Gia and Pap's a few times. With the heat index finally cracking, the pool temp dropped from Giant Bathtub to Pleasant and Refreshing, so we took full advantage. Even on chillier days toward the end of the month, Lyla still stripped to nekkid-bum and hopped in, justifying, "But I want to be cold." She also checked "diving for objects" off her list of water-activities-to-master-this-summer.

Lyla spent a solid two weeks sleeping in her bed tent, and loving it.

We had two playdates at Parr Park with our buddies. Flint really enjoyed the freedom of walking around the playground and trying to climb the equipment. It occurred to me, then, that the boy may require his first pair of shoes, which were purchased promptly.

We hosted a playdate at our house. We played, had sammiches, baked cookies and made some yummy (gross) Toy Story fruit snacks from a fabulous (clearance item) candy-making kit. The process was cool (sticky) and the gummies were colorful (difficult) and cute (painfully sweet).

Flint's spherical toy preference grew to an acute obsession. He easily utters (or screams, demands, whispers, proclaims) the word "muh" (ball) at least 100 times a day as he chases after any number of hard, soft, plastic, rubber, large, medium, small balls all over the house. His favorite game involves taking Lyla's Sky Ball (super bouncy, excellent ball - thanks Uncle Les) to the foyer of the house and marching back and forth along the tile from the front door to the living room, throwing it, retrieving it, throwing it, retrieving it... you get the idea. He is also a huge fan of the fist-size balls that come with so many baby/toddler toys. At any given moment he has at least one clutched in his fist. And admittedly, he has gone to bed with one on a number of occasions.

It rained. It finally rained. We were so enthralled, we took our 100% organic, nutritious frozen pizza dinner (there was broccoli, too!) into the garage for a garage picnic to watch it fall. Lyla was psyched. Flint was confused. I'm pretty sure he had no idea what the wet stuff was, and he tried to run out into it several times, so he had to be confined to stroller-dinner.

Aunt Debbie visited. We were really bummed we didn't get to see her as much as we'd hoped, but we did manage one photo (although it's not the best). We will have to visit her soon in Colorado!

Lyla, having been successfully going to sleep in her own bed without assistance, then staying in her bed all night, earned her very own fish tank. For every night she completed all on her own, she earned a component to the tank. Tank, filter, gravel, plants, rock, "No Fishing" sign, water, water dechlorinator, then FISH! We took her to Petsmart to pick out a new buddy. After only a few minutes of deliberation and much redirection from the foster kitties nearby, she selected a Zebra Danio. On our way home, she decided to name him... I mean HER... "Twinkle Star." A week later, after keeping up the good work, she earned Twinkle Star a tank-mate, "Flower," a florecent pink Danio. So far, both fishies are... well... alive.

We went to Haydrienne's Lego-themed birthday party! Gideon made raspberry noises for approximately two hours while Lyla tore Haydi's room apart and Haydi read some of her new books. Flint wandered around deliriously, rubbing his eyes and "barking" at the dog.

Flint turned 11 months! Wow!

We rocked out.

And lastly, Emily (that's me) has been trying to get her photo business off the ground. Hence, the huge lag in posts! I'm working on getting a website together and growing my portfolio. In the last few months, I've had a plenty of shoots and I get more comfortable and confident each time. Q&U Photography should be up and officially running in the next couple of months! And perhaps this girl can start making a little dough doing something she really, really loves!

Catch up on our other photos on Picasa!

Back to School!

2011-08-27T13:58:00.001-07:00

I guess we can say "back to school" since Lyla has been in school before. Just not this school. We have entertained the idea of enrolling Lyla in a Montessori school for a year, now, and after seeing a new one open up roughly ten minutes from our house, I had to go check it out. Lyla has been ready to go back to school since, well, her last day at Compass Preschool back in May.

I was impressed with all the new, shiny materials, of course, friendly faces, happy kids, great curriculum, methodology, etc. Everything seemed a good fit. Even the price was very reasonable. A few days later, I started out to get the girl registered and got a call from our realtor saying we may have an offer on the house. So, I promptly turned around and informed the school of our "on the fence" situation. After another week of not-knowingness, it surfaced that the potential buyers couldn't get pre-approved for a loan. So, I got in my car and headed back to Pinnacle Montessori to make it official.

My Lyla started the very next day! And she, of course, did great! I couldn't even shed a tear because she was just so happy to be going and easy to drop off. She is currently enrolled half-day, 5 days a week. We are considering some of the other schedule options, like full day 3x a week or even full-time-full-time. I miss having her at home with me! With half-day, the only thing she's really missing is naptime, but at the same time, noon is an awkward time to have to get back to the school to pick her up, particularly with Flint's schedule. Luckily the school is very flexible and we'll be able to experiment until we figure out what works best for our family.

In the meantime, Lyla is getting to know Ms. Minnie (or maybe it's Meenie?) and Ms. Aisha, as well as a classroom full of new kids of all different backgrounds, ages ranging from 3-6 years, and not to mention a whole new set of boundaries and routines.

On her first day, I was encouraged to stay a little while and take some photos while Lyla got settled. During that time, a handful of new friends introduced themselves to her, complete with handshakes, then demonstrated how the morning stations are done. I watched one adorable little girl show her how to read a short primer book, then offer it to her and ask her if she wanted to try it all by herself. She was quiet as a clam at that moment, shy especially for her, but I knew she'd warm up quick. Ms. Minnie said later that Lyla perked up fast and exclaimed with excitement when it was time to line up for recess, "Ooo, I wanna go outside!" And after school, while she was thrilled to see me, among the first things she told me was, "But I didn't sleep yet!" because she had been hoping to nap at school after lunch.

Dressed and ready to go!

In front of school!In her new class, with her helper-buddy...

After we picked her up. She had a good day!Day 2 - dressed and ready!

It's been about two weeks, now (if you can't tell by the date on this post!), and Lyla has gotten the swing of the routine, but she's still adjusting at school. In Montessori terms, they are working on achieving "normalization." In my opinion, it's a poor choice of words, but it basically refers to "the natural or normal state for a human as characterized by four attributes: 1. A love of work or activity , 2. Concentration on an activity, 3. Self-discipline, 4. Sociability or joyful work."

"The understanding of normalization doesn’t require a leap of faith when you consider those moments you feel most alive and more 'you' than any other time. When we do what we love and love doing it because we have the skill and self-discipline to do the activity well, those are the blissful moments of being human... In a Montessori school we are trying to help the child attain a natural or normal developmental process, which is referred to as normalization.."

To read more about Montessori methodology and philosophy, go here!

Last week (after promising I wasn't "that parent"), I met with the director, Mrs. Cathy, to ask some questions and express some concerns about feeling disconnected. There hadn't been much communication and barely even an introduction to the class or teacher. She was very reassuring and explained the rough start being due to some administration changes right at the opening of the school. Things are now beginning to settle, and it seems like everyone is finding their groove. I am hoping to get a little more communication from the teachers to get a better idea of what's going on while my baby girl is at school. Cause, while she can tell me with her excellent verbal skills, she won't share much with me beyond, "I played on the playground. We sang 'I am hungry' and Brandon hit me and got in trouble."

In a few days, there will be an orientation for parents, and a PTA meeting. I'm kind of excited to be on "the other side" right now and hope to get very involved at her school through PTA, volunteering, and maybe substituting.

We're looking forward to a very exciting year for our girl! She loves learning and what better way to help her soak up all she can in that spongy head of hers than to immerse her in an environment that fosters just that!?

More August and September pics at Picasa! (coming soon)

Leaps & Bounds

2011-08-14T11:34:00.002-07:00

The boy is growing. There's no stopping him.

Here are some milestones recently reached...

While at the beach, Flint decided to start taking some serious steps. Prior to our trip, he could manage two or three steps before collapsing, and at just 8 months! He hit the 9-month mark on July 20th, and decided to take off!

Here's a clip from the beach, just a couple of weeks ago:

Here's a clip from last week:

Since then, he's pretty much got it down, with just a few falls here and there!

He also cut his top two teeth, followed by a third soon after. We've yet to see the fourth up top, so for now, he is contentedly asymmetrical, and totalling 5 teeth in all. I can't remember Lyla's top teeth when she was tiny, but Flint's definitely seem kind of... far apart. I'm thinking either they will scoot together as they grow out some more, or we'll just insert another tooth in the middle and no one will notice.

The boy is also mimicking much more. He can spout out "ma-ma-ma's" and "da-da-da's" on command and has called out for Lyla a few times with something that sounds kind of like a very breathy "high-la." He raises his hands for "How big are you?" to show he is "so big," waves hi and bye like a pro, signs "all done" and recently started to shake his head "no." This one is particularly amusing, as he doesn't quite understand the meaning of "no-no" just yet, but he is certain that shaking his head must precede specific activities, such as splashing in the dog's water bowl, grabbing Mommy's cup, or using the fake Ficus to pull up on prior to distributing peat moss all over the carpet. So, occasionally, before partaking in such activities, Flint will first engage our attention and then shake his head. He hasn't quite figured out how to shake his head from side to side, either, so mostly he just shimmies his entire body until his head shakes like a bobble-head. It's very cute. He will also shake his head on demand, like here:

As seen in the video, Flint also recently started giving kisses. They look more like my childhood impression of movie stars making out (wide-mouthed and slobbery), but he leans in intentionally and sort of mouths, well, our mouths. It's kind of amazing to see the different levels of awareness light up his face as he learns more and more. It's like a little person is awakening inside his small baby self. The other day I asked him to give me a toy he was holding, and was very much surprised by the fact that he actually seemed to understand. He placed the toy in my hand, and while he was reluctant to actually release it, I was still very impressed. Another "first." Luke has (sorta) taught Flint how to "give five." I mean he does "give it," -- it's just in a very polite, gentle manner. And the most recent "first" development is clapping. I think Flint was as proud of himself as I was. Adorable.

While we're on the subject of "firsts," (it seems to be a common trend in all these baby updates), Flint got his first official haircut a few weeks ago, before leaving for the beach. He was unfazed by the process, and mostly amused himself with trying to find his hands beneath the giant pool of black draped over his little self. When we got home, Mama got to work on some stylin'. I hadn't been able to play with his hair in a while because the top was so long.
At his 9-month well check-up with Dr. Dickey, Flint weighed in at 22.4lbs (91st percentile) and measured 28 3/4 inches (dropping from 91st to 59th percentile). He has slowed down quite a bit, and slimmed down, as well. He does still have some baby chub, but he looks more and more like a little toddler boy every day! The doc said she couldn't give any predictions as to his eventual height since he's been on a few different growth curves.

Summary: Our walking bobble-head boy is defiant, indecisive, hilarious and amazing.

Will keep you posted as he continues to grow and impress us!

Watch Flint Grow!

Padre!

2011-07-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Our Padre adventure was a lengthy one. We got some much needed time away from home, away from work and away from the ol' rut that our daily routine can sometimes bore us into. Luke had off a full week of work, plus a day for travel. We (I) spent several days preparing, and an entire day packing up the car to get ready for the trek south. We were super worried about keeping the kids occupied and happy in the car, so we made plans to leave in the middle of the night in order to maximize time spent sleeping during the drive. So... at 3:00am Friday morning, we loaded up and headed out. Luke did the bulk of the drive with the assistance of some trusty Redbulls while I slept (read: closed my eyes and watched streetlights on the back of my eyelids and listened to the blinker click-click-click) and kept kids comfortable. Lyla and Flint both woke up during the transfer to the car at 3, Lyla with a huge, sleepy grin on her face, knowing she was on her way to sandy toes and buckets of saltwater. They both drifted off again soon afterward and it was smooth sailin' til breakfast. We had one quick stop at McGarbage, the only available food, then with only an hour left for me to man the wheel (smacking myself in the face to stay awake), arrived at the condo in Padre before 11:00am!

We promptly unloaded, ate, visited with our condo-mates, then repacked to head to the National Seashore about 8 miles away, through Texas grasslands and endless sandy dunes. What a gorgeous, well-maintained beach! Lyla immediately ran to the water and played in the sand. Flint seemed pretty excited, too, and soon took to crawling straight through the wet sand and along the tapering breakers in just enough depth for his hands to splash a tiny, satisfying "smack, smack, smack..." He was particularly fond of the salty water and kept sucking on his fingers or our shoulders. It was kind of tricky trying to keep sand out of his mouth.

The following day, Nonna, Mia and her family arrived. We spent the rest of the week with them, Luke's childhood friend, Geoff, and his fiance, Ileah, making several trips to the seashore, visiting souvenir shops, going to their favorite seafood restaurant (Black-Beard's!), riding Les' boat around the canal, fishing (not me, but Luke went out one morning at 4am!), Rock Band at night, and having loads of fun together!

Lyla had a blast on the beach with her cousins. Each one was buried and made into a mermaid, they sifted through huge piles of tiny clams, let itty-bitty snails stick to their fingers, built sand castles and drip castles, hunted for sand crabs, searched for seashells, dug holes, buried feet, jumped over waves, floated on the "up-and-downs," had sludge fights and rolled around in the dunes. We saw a coyote creep along in broad daylight and one evening just at dusk watched several deer wandering at the crest of the dunes. And among our most treasured discoveries was, of course, a vinage television set! No one could be sure where it came from, exactly, but it was one of those things that was just perfectly out of place. Obviously, we made the most of it and pretended to watch it, change the channel, rearranged it, etc. Not to fret, though! After we moved it and took photos with it, we returned it to its natural habitat over in the vines by the dunes. We wouldn't want to harm the ecosystem!

Our favorite moments were those spent on the beach, of course, and one day in particular when Luke, the kids and I left first thing in the morning to have a day to ourselves. It was fraught with gnats and evil green-headed-bitey flies to begin with, making for a frustrating start (you may recall a certain bug-friendly 3-year-old who does NOT like flies thankyouverymuch), but as the sun lifted higher and the day grew hotter, the pests disappeared and we enjoyed our time there. There was a long tide pool perfect for little people to splash in, lots of interesting driftwood to explore, and soft sand for optimal toe-burying. We snacked from our cooler, played in the waves, built a sand castle complete with swimming pool, played in the waves some more, applied and reapplied and re-reapplied sunscreen, and Lyla was awarded a Wilderness Explorer Badge for her superb skills in Defecation Under Natural Conditions (someone pooped in a hole and buried it (proudly)). Unfortunately, we ran out of sunscreen midday and our literal day-in-the-sun had to come to an end. I have a very strict policy against pink children.

One night, we surprised Nonna with a mini birthday celebration on the beach, complete with windblown decorations and even a cake! Other trips to the beach were made, mostly later in the day, for shorter lengths of time. There were also adventures in the "party cove" along the canal behind the house, where the guys did some water-skiing, and we all explored the mud-flats. At one point, Flint sat directly on top of a crab. Fortunately the little guy didn't get him, but we found his attitude toward Flint to be most humorously crabby. Lyla and Flint both enjoyed the boat rides. In fact, I probably would have enjoyed them a little more if they enjoyed them a little less. I had to keep a pretty tight grip on that girl's life-jacket straps! And Captain Photo-lady snapped lots of 8-month pics of Mr. Flint just before he turned 9 months old.

And alas, Luke had to return to work, as did Les. And Geoff and Ileah had to venture back west. So Sunday morning, all departed and the kids and I had a day of "rest." There was much movie-watching, snacking, vegging, and quiet relaxing... but also much laundry-doing, general cleaning and bed-making, as my sister and her family were due to arrive that evening!

By this time, the drill was starting to wear on me. I was beginning to feel like I needed a vacation from my vacation! We had a few more trips out to the seashore and one photo adventure (part of Gia's Mother's Day gift) gone completely awry due to a few impossible youths and a very impatient photographer. We stopped in a gorgeous field of tall, colorful grass, wherein there was much complaining of heat and itching and a certain 9-month-old refused to part with his mother (also the camera-woman) and a certain 3-year-old who acted so completely like a 3-year-old, completely engrossed in her own little happy world.

There was also a stop at the beach, wherein Lyla promptly ran into the ocean and soaked her cute cotton dress, Faryn panicked everytime she had to look somewhere sunny (ha!), Flint desparately wanted to crawl around on his own or be held ONLY by Mama... and no one did anything they were supposed to do when they were supposed to do it. Except Rain, of course, who could very easily make a living as a model. Thus, the best photo from that evening was one of everyone's backside.

Our last day at the beach we spent with Aunt Shannon and the kids. There was a very still, clear tide pool, where we were able to watch some fishies up close and even fed some (some complained about the lack of guacamole for their tortilla chips). There were also many, many seagulls hanging out nearby... waiting for something interesting to happen. So, I would occasionally walk by the girls in the tide-pool with their faces in the water and casually drop some crumbled up tortilla chips. They would only notice the birds when they were hovering at an uncomfortable distance, and in abundance. Faryn and I got a kick out of taking video of the older girls as they would panic and frantically scamper to try to shoo the gulls away. I'm still not sure whether they knew I was the culprit!
The original travel plans for the return trip involved the kids and I tagging along with my sister and her family to San Antonio for a visit to Sea World. However, I was both ready to be home and completely disagreeable to the idea of trudging through a theme park with an umbrella stroller (containing a baby) and a strong-willed 3-year-old in blazing 110-degree heat. So, I decided we would cut our trip a couple days short and head home Wednesday. I was pretty nervous about driving 7+ hours alone with the kids, but we actually managed pretty well. We left super early again, had to make lots of stops and get really creative about using disgusting gas station restrooms (umbrella stroller to the rescue!), but we did it! We left at 5am and arrived in sunny Colleyville at 2pm. That's right. We stopped to see Gia and Pap before even making it to our own home. That's how much we missed them!

All in all, it was a great trip! We are looking forward to seeing more beach next year!

Bye, Beach!

More Photos HERE!

Independence Day, 2011

2011-07-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our country's birthday the usual way - at Aunt Shan and Uncle Booger's annual fireworks extravaganza (on the 3rd). After hosting a quick dinner with Gia, Pap and John, and with the entire family appropriately dressed like patriotic dorks, we towed our lawn chairs, blankets and coolers over to the massive Davidson backyard for the show.

Flint was super tired, having skipped his evening nap. With his bedtime getting pushed a few hours, we thought we would be in for a very grouchy evening or even worse, firework terror. However he did pretty well, albeit drowsy. He sat very happily through all the noise of the fireworks show and seemed to enjoy the display. He continues to impress all with his easy-going nature and happiness.

Lyla, as usual, loved it at first, then grew kind of bored and distracted until the finale. She jumped from lap to lap, pretended to catch the fireworks with her hand, held Daddy's ears for him, and played with a glow necklace or three in between ooohs and aaahs. Aunt Shannon had ordered a water slide bouncy apparatus thing that she was super excited about, but after a few ant bites, attempts to play among the older, rougher kids, and encounters with wet grass (oh no!) she gave up and put her dry dress back on. This night, snow cones and soda pop were more her style.

Needless to say, Flint crashed in the car before making it out of Roanoke. Little Miss wore her glow necklaces "like a robot." She wore them while showering. She wore them through story time. She wore them to sleep.

And when she woke up the next morning, she refused to take them off. She wore them all day long, even to the hospital to wait on our dear friends' new firecracker, Baby Violet. Since then, she has gone to bed with one around her waist like a belt at least a half-dozen times. If she can find one, she's got it on.

Happy Birthday, USA!
And Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Violet Sue! We already love you!

Sweet Summer

2011-06-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

Or should I say "Sweaty Summer?" Either way, we have been having all kinds of fun keeping cool in the pool. We took the first plunge back in May, when it was a mere 85 degrees out and the pool at Grandma and Grandpap's was still refreshing (not bath water). Flint and Lyla have been enjoying playtime in two inflatable kiddie pools in the yard at home. One larger one for my little fishie girl and a smaller infant one for Flint to splash around in without too much risk. They've also made a few trips to the splash pad in Roanoke and their local pool, as well.

They both really love the water. Having two non-swimmers, I envisioned my summer to be quite tiresome and waterlogged with two bambinos hanging on me in the deep end. After Lyla's school-year ended, we invited some classmates over to Gia's house for some water playtime. It was entertaining to see the different comfort levels of all the kids, and the complete lack of fear in a few. With two unappealing baby pools set up and no adults suited up (or willing?) to get in to the big pool, it should have obvious to us that the inevitable outcome would be 4 kids going in and under and 2 grown-ups leaving the playdate in wet clothes. Kind of funny, yes, but also scary. There were only a handful of kids there and the odds were still not in our favor. The horrible topic of drowning very quickly took over the #1 spot on my mental list of things to worry about.

So... I called Emler Swim School and got some class information. I looked into lessons at the YMCA. I chatted with other parents, did research, checked out at-home lesson plans online to use myself, considered other local options, and as usual, weighed my options indecisively. For a week or so I did this, and all the while continued to swim with Lyla and encourage her to try new things in the water, like sticking her face in. I got overly defensive when others seemed too pushy towards her, although she never seemed bothered by it. And before I could even make any decisions about swim lessons, Lyla reminded me of how amazing she is.

One day, she started to hold her breath and stick her face in. Maybe because she saw her cousins doing it... who knows? And of course, I made a ridiculous fuss over how wonderful it was. The next day, at a local pool, I watched as she held her breath and creeped along the bottom of the shallow end. The depth of 2 feet seemed just perfect for her to find her comfort zone. I tried not to interfere unless she looked like she was struggling, but she was just so calm and curious. A natural.

Day Three, we were back at Grandma's for some swim time with some close friends and her buddy, Aidan. This is when she really blew me away. She started holding her breath for longer periods of time, pushing off the steps, gliding toward me, kicked more purposely, and had a BLAST. I watched her let herself fall off the steps and figure out how to get back on. She swam to me at probably six feet away. She gave me kisses under water, jumped in and swam to me and bravely (the scary kind of brave) let go of me at random to explore and attempt to swim on her own. This kid wore herself out and made her mama proud, albeit perhaps more terrified at her false sense of confidence.

Not a week later, though, this kid was swimming with underwater strokes, coming up for breaths, jumping in like a maniac and going at least half the pool. I am confident that if she fell in, she could get to a wall or stairs and get out on her own. What a weight off my shoulders! And I have no one to thank! Not a swim teacher, not a relative, not myself... instead I am just thankFUL. My daughter has this remarkable, relaxed curiousity, and natural ability in the water that she discovered and honed all on her own. She is a fish.

I had hopes she would be a swimmer by the end of summer. Now, I have hopes that she'll be perfecting her butterfly. Realistically, though, she grows more and more comfortable and confident each time she's in the water. I just hope her skills keep increasing so that Mama's fears can keep decreasing. She should get plenty of practice between our season passes at Hawaiian Falls, her Grandpap's pool, and our upcoming trip to Padre.

As for Flint, he likes the water, but he's no "water baby." Mama is too chicken let him go under. Aunt Shannon isn't, though. Which is why she is never to be trusted alone with my son in the water. I am content to watch him frog-kick and jiggle frantically with his big goofy grin, and smack the water excitedly (then immediately grimace at the splash hitting his face).

I love these wet kids!

The Boy

2011-06-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

The boy is crawling everywhere. Fast. Turn away from him for even a moment and he's in the kitchen splashing in the dog's water bowl, or pulling up to peak in the bathtub. Oh, yeah. That's the other thing - he's pulling up! Also fast. Which leads me to the next thing... he's starting to cruise. Now, if you're like my husband and you don't know what "cruising" is (which means you're looking at me like I'm crazy and also rude for using terms which are obviously made-up), it means he's walking while holding onto furniture, walls, etc. It's also indicitive of his more recent obsession with holding onto our fingers while he speed walks all over the place. Not so fun on the back, but this is where being short scores Mommy bonus points. Wait, or does it?

He's also babbling lots of consonant-vowel sounds (like nah-nah-nah, deh-deh-deh, bah-beh-baiou, etc.), slobbering plenty, playing with his lips and tongue while vocalizing ('cause that makes for all kinds of insanely adorable sounds, and he knows it), demanding food more and more, breast-feeding less and less, banging toys on surfaces, taking baths in the big tub (sometimes with big sister), handling bites of actual real food, splashing in the pool, whining lots for Mommy's attention, and using his thumb and index finger to pincer-grasp small objects (countless small objects... which end up in his mouth a lot of the time - eek!).

Before we know it, we'll have a toddler. And to think, we just grew out of one!

101 Things to Love About Lyla Celeste

2011-06-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

1, She speaks her own language, 2, Her Grandma's fantastic blue eyes, 3, The way she baby-talks to her brother with the biggest goofy grin of all, 4, She believes sharing to be nice, therefore will share anything you have that she wants, 5, She calls macaroni & cheese "roni's," 6, The way she says, "Oh," during a conversation like a three-year-old going on 30, 7, She is bound and determined to be bound and determined to do what she wants, 8, She can't not get the floor soaking wet during bathtime, 9, Best. Snuggles. Ever., 10, The silly way she makes her voice deep and rattly when she's talking about something funny, 11, All critters she rescues are released to the grass to "find their Mommy," 12, She thinks meat is ridiculous, 13, She doesn't understand why being naked could ever not be good, 14, When she tries to make a "yuck" noise it sounds like she's choking, 15, She greets Daddy after work with hysterical giggles, as if his mere appearance was meant to make her laugh, 16, She wants to go to the moon, 17, Events occurring at times other than the present are "on yesterday" or "on Saturday," 18, Mercer Meyer clearly wrote the Little Critter books "just for her," 19, Thick head, 20, Kind heart, 21, Almost always eager to help, 22, Refers to people as her possessions (my Faryn, my Aidan), 23, Has hobbit feet, 24, She loves monsters, robots, bugs, getting dirty and running, but thinks princesses are cool, too, 25, She appreciates a good Miyazaki film, 26, She makes sure nothing on the floor is "too small for baby brudder," 27, Prefers painting with her whole hand to using a brush, 28, Enjoys discussions, 29, Talks to her toys like Mommy talks to her, mostly when Mommy isn't around, 30, Isn't quite sure whether when she locked a dragon in her bathroom it was a dream or really happened, 31, Loves a good game of hide-and-seek, 32, Thinks getting dressed means we're going somewhere, 33, Repeats phrases she probably shouldn't, like "That's ridiculous," "What am I going to do with you!" and "Knock it off!" all in good humor, 34, She is clumsy to a fault, but most boo-boo's don't faze her, 35, Her hair gets longer when she brushes it, 36, Wears and abandons Mommy's shoes that click-clack all over the house, 37, Manhandles the cat and bosses the dog, 38, Cannot determine the difference between breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 39, Thinks steeples are "Jesus towers" or spaceships, 40, Prefers her milk warmed, thankyouverymuch, 41, The way she drags people into her room, closes herself inside with them and attemps to block the door to ensure her playmate's presence, 42, Her bold nature and willingness to try most things, 43, She loves, wants and needs her mommy, but has no trouble leaving her, 44, She swims like a fish, 45, Any kid her age is "her friend," 46, She can operate any techy gadget, 47, Eats popcorn by the mouth-explosion-full, 48, Collects all collectibly smallish items and contains them in various containers, then pours, spills, shifts and recontains them just for the sake of containing, 49, Drinks hose water, 50, Wants to live in a a lighthouse. Or on a farm. Or in a castle, 51, Points out cows and "baby cows" from the backseat, always followed by a squealy, "So cute," 52, Has a Gia and Pap-Pap, as well as a Nonna and Papa, 53, Thinks McDonald's is a farm, 54, Likes to put things in the fridge that don't belong there, "so they can be cold," 55, Adores her cousins, 56, Has difficulty not smiling when she's in big trouble, 57, Has never been jealous of her baby brother, 58, Wild child, 59, Burrows her feet when she sleeps, 60, Has an appreciation for cleanliness, 70, She is a thrill-seeker, 71, At three years, she already has great arguments for her case, whatever it may be, 72, The way her nose crinkles a little when she smiles, 73, Her compulsion to spread things out frantically when they are in a pile on the floor, 74, Her utter heartbreak over her lost balloon, 75, She can operate (and enjoys it) a vacuum cleaner, 76, How she asks, "What's that says?" when she sees written word, 77, She has a strong desire to attend school, 78, She insists upon wearing a dress or nightgown in order to dance, 79, She watches the credits at the end of movies, 80, Says "gotfor" instead of "forgot," 81, Going for walks is "her favorite," 82, Red is her favorite color, 83, Says things she cares about are "special for me," 84, Is stubborn, impatient, demanding and authoritarian, but says please and thank-you, 85, Asks for popsicles for breakfast, even though the answer is always no, 86, Always stops at the creek to throw pebbles and big rocks, 87, HATES bubbles in the bath, 88, Giggles when she brushes her teeth, cause it tickles 89, Enjoys making mud, 90, Plays in the rain, 91, Removes all clothes if even the smallest drop of liquid gets them wet, 92, Constantly asks to go to the beach, 93, She wants to walk on power lines (like the Catbus), 94, Doesn't like when it's "sweaty outside," 95, Would rather multitask, 96, She loves her aunts, uncles, grandparents and great-grandparents and wants to visit them every day, 97, She loves to help bake, especially if it involves licking the batter from the bowl, 98, Wants to swing higher and faster, 99, Provides a running commentary as her nails are being trimmed, 100, Calls any item she sleeps with a "dolly," even if it's a book or piece of plastic broccoli, 101, She turned two happy, ordinary grown-ups into two over-joyed, over-proud, over-amazed, over-crazy-in-love parents.

We love this kid.

Main Street Days!

2011-05-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

We attended Main Street Days as a family this year. Last year, Luke was bummed he missed out on all the fun because he had to work. At 2 years old, Lyla was kind of hysterical last year "riding the rides."
A year ago:

This year:

This year, she was so excited and unsurprisingly adventurous. She wanted to ride every ride we passed, but unfortunately she wasn't big enough to ride very many without an adult. After getting the Merry-Go-Round out of the way, she hopped (literally) over to the Tilt-a-Whirl with Aunt Shannon and Faryn. I was anxious for her at first, this being an entirely different caliber of ride. Silly me. "The pink ride" quickly became her favorite. Flint and I watched her goofy grin and listened to her delightful squeals from the side as she spun around again and again.

>I accompanied her down the giant slide, which went much slower than last year due to increased levels of friction on the new sittin' sacks (at least I hope that's why...). Too slow for Lyla, I guess, because she never asked to go again. Luke took her on the ferris wheel, which despite my fascination with it and certainty that it meets all carni safety standards, is not one for me.

She also really, really, really enjoyed the Scrambler, which she rode repeatedly for probably 20 minutes.

We took an unexpectedly long break to have some pizza at Napoli's, which may have been the longest and most stressful meal we've had with the bambinos. Hunger + crowds + tired baby + hungry baby + demanding toddler + looooong wait for food + NOISE! = disaster. Positive: indoor restroom with plumbing!

After dinner, it was back to the rides! All the way until 9:00pm, when Lyla's ride-pass expired!

As we made our way to the gates, Lyla found some good ol' fashion country music and lights on the sidewalk to dance on. She jammed with some buddies for a little bit, then we slugged our way to the car...

Needless to say, we were pooped. Good times.

Mother's Day x 2!

2011-05-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Mother's Day in a relaxed manner. I was given options on how to spend the day and opted for the least stressful of all of them. My dear husband made a delicious pancake breakfast while I went back to bed for a little while after Flint's first feeding. And he got me a spa certificate, minus the certificate because the spa was out of them, so I took that opportunity to reassign the massage money toward my new lens fund. We visited Gia later that afternoon and Pap made a yummy dinner for all of us. We even ventured into the pool, though briefly. Lyla cannot wait for it to warm up enough to stay in. All. Day. It was a great day!

It felt nice to be recognized and extra appreciated on Mother's Day, but this year it felt particularly nice to be Mom x2! I'm so glad Flint is here to complete our family (until we decide he needs a baby brother or sister in a few years... although I know one uterus (and one husband) that currently disagrees with this plan!) and couldn't be more proud of my baby girl! It's hard to imagine my life without my babies. Happy Mother's Day to my two favorite mother-makers, and to all the other mothers and kids in our lives!

A week later, we visited Luke's grandparents after he had a postponed 1:1 Mother's Day outting with his mom. Lyla enjoyed bossing Great-Grandma around and attempting to trap her in the office with their modest vintage toy collection. Lyla also helped Great-Grandma water her flowers in the backyard, they threw a ball around together, and discussed apple skins. Great Grandma and Grandpa have got to be the sweetest, lovingest people ever - we can only hope Lyla and Flint inherited even just a small portion of their longevity and kindness. Unfortunately, there aren't many pictures to show for this lovely day, as Luke was placed in charge of Documentation. Ha!

We love you, Mommies, Grand-Mommies, Aunts, Great-Aunts, & Friend-Mommies!

Lake Spontaneous

2011-05-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we didn't go to a lake called Spontaneous. But we were spontaneous at the lake!

One day after school, Lyla, Flint and I had no where to be and no one to see, so we made an impromptu stop at Grapevine Lake. Thanks be to Maya, we had a large blanket in the trunk (Maya being the dog and the blanket being there for when she rides with us), so we laid it out on the pebbles by the very still water and just chilled. Spontaneity is great, however, sun burns aren't. So we stayed only briefly with plans to return the following day, SPF-ready and with Daddy!

And return, we did! We spread out and enjoyed the sunshine and breeze - perfect lounging weather, but not quite perfect swimming weather. That did not stop the Lima Bean, however, who begged Mommy and Daddy to go "way far out there" with her. She was dismissed over and over again... and when her teeth began chattering from the chill, perhaps she realized why. We left the shore only once to go swing for a while, then returned for "just five more minute" which slowly turned into another hour or so...

It was a very pleasant day!

6 Months Old!

2011-05-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

On April 20th, Flint hit the half-year mark!

Eight days later, he cut his first tooth, and yesterday, he officially started crawling (the real kind of crawling - no more inch-worming or army-crawlin'!)... Look out! He still stops every couple of feet to take a small break and lay on his tummy, but we can tell he improves his "technique" with each attempt. He looks like a little monkey.

Flint continues to impress us with his size, weighing in at roughly 21 lbs and measuring 28 inches. He is in the 89th and 91st percentiles respectively. Dr. Dickey said, "His body just wants to be this size and it's fine." He's the size of an average 9 1/2 month-old and completely proportionate for his height/weight. Given that some of his clothes are size 12 months and even some 18-months, I was a little surprised his stats weren't higher. But also relieved.

Our boy sticks to caring most about a small selection of items and activities. Among them, nursing, sucking on his two fingers, ice and/or ice-pops, baths, dancing (ha!), being outside, supported standing and walking, and most of all, Mommy. He is a Mama's Boy for sure. It's actually been kind of difficult for Flint to share his love with other people, particularly if Mommy is around because Mommy totally trumps everyone else. Most of the time even Daddy. And even Grandma, which is a big deal... cause she's the main spoiler!

Flint hasn't been too interested in solids, and his disinterest causes us to forget to encourage them a lot of the time. We're going to try to do better at offering them and I am going to start offering them before nursing instead of after, so he has more room in his tummy. He was a fan of sweet potatoes and green beans for a while, until he found out about bananas and other sweet fruits. He has never really been a fan of rice cereal, but we understand that's no big deal since it's just empty carbs anyhow. He gets vocally grumpy when he is denied actual solid foods that the rest of the family is eating, such as breakfast cereal, pizza, sandwiches, popsicles... anything, really.

The other day, I listened to giggles from the backseat of my car as Lyla and Flint exchanged raspberries back and forth. I caught a few glimpses from the driver's seat and found it to be one of the more adorable (and a little gross) things I've seen. Lyla would stick her tongue out and spray an over-abundance of spit as she raspberried towards Flint. Flint would smirk and then poke his tongue just barely between his lips and attempt the same. His raspberry sound was meak and extremely moist, but the fact that they were conversing playfully was just heart-melting. When I went to get them out of the car, both kids had very wet chins. Hee hee. I love that he's starting to mimick! Time to start signing a lot more!

We've had a lot of success adopting the "Baby Wise" sleeping patterns. Flint has been so much easier to get down than Lyla ever was. It may have something to do with the fact the he hasn't once slept in our bed with us (Lyla still crawls in bed with us in the middle of the night almost every night). Right now, Flint has a consistent feeding and sleeping schedule and it has helped him learn to go to sleep on his own (mostly) and sleep through the night. He typically goes down around 9pm and gets up some time between 6:30 and 7:30am. A lot of the time, I can just lay him in his crib and he'll go to sleep independently, sometimes after a little bit of cooing and babbling. Sometimes I sway and snuggle him a little bit and help him get close to sleep. I am toying with the idea of dropping his 8:45 feeding and seeing if that would help him go to bed earlier. Here's hoping that it doesn't cause him to wake up in the middle of the night again.

I always thought people were crazy to say that #2 is much easier. I know what they mean, now, though. It's not that it's easier having two kids. That is definitely not easier. But the second child is a lot less stressful than the first just because of the advantage on the learning curve. The amount of worry is significantly decreased. He spit up? Burp cloth -go. He's crying? He's tired. Put him in his crib. What's that horrendous squealing noise? Ah. Remove Lyla from the scene. Hopefully, Flint will continue to be an easy-going kind of guy because of it.

No, but really, Flint adores his sister. She is his #1 source of comedy relief. All his great giggles stem from something dumb she is doing. Bouncing around, shaking her hair from side to side, fake-sneezing, making raspberries, spraying Maya with the hose. We can dance around like maniacal idiots and baby-talk at ridiculous volumes til the cows come home and he'll appease us with a meager smirk. But send in the three-year-old clown and he'll belt out the belly laughs. The best is the noise he makes when he inhales after laughing. It's that raspy kind of sound you'd expect to hear from an old man after he's chuckled so hard he lost his breath. Adorable.

Well, it's Mother's Day and I have been "off duty" all morning. What have I done with my time? Blogged about my children. And Luke has just come in to inform me that he went to get Flint out of his crib and the boy had both hands on the frame and was trying to pull up. I guess we have another milestone to await just around the corner!

Watch Flint grow Here!

Easter, 2011!

2011-04-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

This year, Easter was particularly fun! Two kids = two baskets of goodies = double the goodies Mommy can share!

We dyed eggs with Grandma and Grandpap the night before Easter. Lyla had lots of fun playing with the colors and watching the eggs change. Despite a distaste for hard-boiled eggs, she very much wanted to take them all home with us. She talked about the Easter bunny that night and was very excited to see what was in her basket the next morning, though she seemed a little torn on whether or not the bunny was real. At three years old, we're proud of her skepticism.

Sure enough, the bunny came! We had an extra basket this year for our sweet boy, and the Easter bunny very cleverly filled it with baby food and a few of Mommy's favorite candies. Naturally, I helped Flint out, since he can't eat chocolate yet. The bunny always hides the basket somewhere in the house, so first thing in the morning (after some breakfast and sufficient "wake-up" time), Lyla played a quick game of hide-and-seek to find her basket (under the vanity in her bathroom) and helped Flint find his (behind the rocking chair). She was most excited about the candy and Play-doh, and paid only minimal attention to the new sandals (that have to go back to the store because my daughter's feet are giant) or the Strawberry "Hortcake" figure. Some day... some exciting day... my girl will care about toys.

Easter morning turned quickly to Easter afternoon, where we spent time at Nonna's with the Wise clan eating delicious lunch, hunting eggs and otherwise achieving what objective seemed to be "make the biggest mess possible." It started with punching balloons - lots of balloons and hitting with balloons, which inevitably shifted to wrestling. Then, kids chased after poor Luke with silly string - all over the yard! Lyla was not a fan. She stood frozen with a look of panic, shouting, "Don't spray my Daddy!" Mia brought three-dozen confetti eggs, which were kept outdoors as well, thankfully, but still managed to get indoors (even back at *my* house), thanks to the efficient confetti vehicle known as human hair. Lyla had as much fun sweeping up the mess as she did making it. I thought I was safe when all the eggs were used up, but Les managed to pile together some loose confetti to toss into my hair. Lovely. Flint spent most of this time inside, scooting all over the place and occasionally getting up on all fours, rocking back and forth. He is so close to crawling!

There was also a quite humorous attempt at a decent photo of all five kids all dressed up. A couple of them would have been great if a certain goofball uncle hadn't been coaxing children to make faces. The photos are adorable, though.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted and 3/4 of us were very itchy. Luke's allergies were insane from the oak trees and somehow the silly-string irritated his skin, and Lyla and I had been eaten alive by mosquitoes (somewhere around 30 bites between the two of us). The fantastic family time together was well worth it all, though, as it always is at Nonna's. The drive home was extremely uneventful, with 3/4 of us sleeping. Can you guess who was driving? :p We made it home just in time to evade yet another giant looming Texas thunderstorm. Thank you, April, for the much-needed rain and the awesome lightning show!

Happy Easter! Happy Spring!
Picasa album for April!

Weeds

2011-04-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

My sweet Lyla girl... 3 years old.

My kids grow like weeds. Well, I guess most do. I recently completed Lyla's photos from her 3-year shoot(s). I got some portrait practice and Lyla had fun doing one of her favorite things - visiting our neighborhood pond. A week or so later, I finished up some less typical Lyla shots by taking her to the Botanical Gardens in Grapevine for some more color. Great Aunt Donna and Grandma came along to assist in keeping both kids happy and distracted from the camera. I am pretty proud of some of these! Still (and forever) so much more to learn!

There were also a couple of Flint and both kids together...

To see the whole group of photos at your own pace, minus slide show, go HERE!

Toy Story on Ice!

2011-04-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

One of Lyla's very awesome birthday gifts this year was a Mommy and Daddy date to go see Toy Story 3 on Ice! What a special treat from some very special people we are so thankful to have in Lyla's life! The time alone with our daughter was very much needed!

Lyla was disappointed, at first, to learn that she wouldn't be allowed to get onto the ice and skate with "her Jessie." When the music and lights started up the show, I looked over at my girl and saw absolute delight on her face. She was just beside herself with the excitement of being in the arena with her own special seat and so thrilled to see her favorite characters... so much so that I may have gotten a little choked up. Just maybe.

She asked repeatedly throughout the entire show to "go down there on the ice." When we explained to her that only the toys got to go on the ice and the people got to sit and watch, she nodded and seemed to understand... but her wheels were turning. Moments later, she claimed, "Mommy, I'm a toy, too. And I need to go there." Oh, our clever little fibber. She even renamed the ice "freeze" later on, in yet another attempt to persuade us to let her go skate, stating, "I want to go to the freeze."

She sat surprisingly well through the show and was particularly attentive during Jessie's dance and any upbeat song that Mommy could help her "dance" to from our seat. We volunteered exorbitant amounts of money for one over-priced Jessie T-shirt, one Jessie snow-cone, plus one box of popcorn with a soda all in the name of overjoying a three-year-old. Three trips to the potty, one intermission catered especially to antsy preschoolers and seventeen shifts from Luke's lap to mine to standing to sitting turned the show into an almost kinesthetic experience. The performance, itself, was very cute and entertaining - my favorites were actually Ken and Barbie, who totally stole the show dancing through wardrobe changes for the "closet of clothes" scene. The aliens were very adorable, as well, marching in on their knees to perfectly master the squeaky-toy waddle. So cute!

Knowing my Lyla doesn't transition all too well (even for a three-year-old), we gave her a few warnings as the finale approached, that she show would soon be over. She actually handled the ending well, but the departure from the American Airlines Center was a bit more challenging. Being overly tired, overly happy INside and overly resistent to exit, quickly turned any hope of a smooth descent from her Toy Story high into a rapid crash of flailing, screaming madness. Between bouts of throat-raking wails and hysterical sobs, we could make out, "I... wanna... stay... here..." It was a physical struggle to get her safely into her carseat and a serious auditory discomfort to listen to her belting out in desperation. Then... she fell asleep.

When we arrived at Nonna's to pick up Brudder, her eyes opened suddenly and she asked instantly, "Where's my Toy Story?" before drifting back to sleep temporarily on Daddy's shoulder.

What a special, special day!
Lyla: "I need some more tickets so I can do that again."
Mommy: "It was just one special day. Just one time."
Lyla: "I need to do one time some more."

Thanks to our dear friends for making it happen!

And for our next adventure... ice skating.

Three Best Years!

2011-03-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

On March 19th, my sweet, bouncy, loving, giggly, adventurous, vibrant little Lyla turned 3! What an exciting year it has been! How much she has learned and grown!

So... what's changed in a year?

She's taller, stronger, brighter, able to express anything, talks ALL the time, makes friends, loves friends, organizes games, plays pretend, explores her world with blatant over-confidence, enjoys foreign films (thanks, Miyazaki!), has favorite characters, toys, colors, knows how to play her mother, father, grandparents, aunts and uncles to try to get exactly what she wants, understands emotions, apologizes on her own (sometimes), has "taste" in clothes and preferences regarding most things, sneaks to do things she knows she shouldn't, completely and affectionately adores her baby brother, snuggles at just about any time and place, can proficiently run in Mommy's shoes that click-click, asks questions - lots and lots of adorable, curious, perfect little questions, sees the moon and wants to "go up there," appreciates things being tidy and clean, always tries for "one more book" at bedtime, dances wildly to all kinds of music, gets sarcasm and has a sense of humor, really, really, really wants to play video games, can operate most electronics as if this ability were innate, spends tons of time with the people she loves, wants to try new things every day, and just plain loves the world she is learning and the life she is living.

We still can't think of how much we love our baby girl without tapping the waterworks just a little. And she's not our "baby" anymore at all. And if we forget it, she will remind us.

To celebrate Lyla this year, we had another party at Grandma and Grandpap's house. It's really hard not to party in their beautiful, wide yard in the perfect spring weather, though next year we plan on trying something new (and simple!). Lyla loved the bounce house so much last year, she wanted to have another one this year. Gia and Lyla had been planning her cupcake-themed party for months, looking at cupcakes, buying cupcake decorations, talking about cupcakes, baking some "practice" cupcakes... so when the party day finally came, we were sure to have an overabundance of - yes, you guessed it - cupcakes! I might add, Gia does the best parties. And Pap has the most gorgeous yard of all time. Perfect. Day.

Lyla's actual birthday fell on a Saturday, so it was one of those rare occasions when we could celebrate on the real deal. The night before, Lyla saw me wrap something and place it on the fireplace. She (surprisingly) resisted any urges to tear it open prematurely, but upon awakening the morning of her birthday, jetted directly to the fireplace, mumbling something half-awake, presumably about the present. The special gift from Mommy and Daddy was a cat-bus plush toy from her (current) favorite movie, My Neighbor Totoro. Her reaction was a bit disappointing, truth be told, but in her defense, she was still very sleepy. She soon perked up, though, and ran circles (literally) with her new buddy.

Luke and I split up, then, so I could get to Gia's and set up for the party while he went to pick up the bounce house from the rental place. When he arrived with it, she watched set-up and scrambled in as quickly as she could to test out the bounc
e-a-bility and sample the slide.

Party guests - including cousins, close friends and a few buddies from school - started showing up soon after and had all kinds of fun together bouncing, sliding, painting cupcake banks, smashing open a cupcake pinata, eating all kinds of confections (or otherwise cupcake-shaped foods), and of course, devouring plenty of cupcakes. Lyla's gift-opening skills have improved significantly from last year, however, her distractibility (hello... bounce house?) could stand a little work.

I can honestly say I have never seen my daughter so filthy in all three of her very busy years, as she was by the end of the night. From a distance, this child had visible dirt from head to toe. It took two good scrubbings and a thorough soak to restore her to an acceptable state of cleanliness. What that says to me? She had fun. We did, too.

We love you, Lyla Celeste. Happy Birthday!

For more pics, go HERE!

Thanks, Gia and Pap, for all your hard work and prep for this fantastic party. We will remember it forever... and at 3, now, Lyla just may remember it, too!

Mommy is still working on Lyla's 3-year portraits, but they will be ready to share soon!

Fritz McPark!

2011-03-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

While our cousins were on Spring Break (and we were on pre-k hiatus due to Spring Break), we thought it would be nice to spend some time together and enjoy the beautiful, quickly shifting weather. We met up one afternoon at Fritz Park in Irving to enjoy a picnic lunch and relaxing afternoon in the sun. It so happened that the afternoon we chose turned out to be St. Patrick's Day! Nonna came prepared with green bracelets and funny-giant-green-flashy glasses.

We played on the playground, ate some yummy burgers (of the veggie variety for us Q's), roamed the fields, played catch, threw pebbles into the pretty creek, and even attempted some kite-flying. The kite endeavor, however, was very quickly deemed a failure as the super-gusts of wind whipped the poor princess kite out of Anthony's hands and slapped it directly into a tangled mess of tree branches. We watched the pink plastic dare to escape its grips only to be snared by another cluster of twigs just a few feet away. Alas...

Flint was most amused by the grocery sacks rustling on the picnic table. Lyla spent most of our park time on the swings and slides. We ventured across the creek bridge to sit by the pond a little while, too, which was definitely my favorite part. It was a gorgeous day, despite the rough breeze!

We are happy to welcome Spring and enjoy being outside again!

A Trip to the Zoo!

2011-03-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

Gia recently accompanied us (Lyla, Flint, and I) on a trip to the much-loved Ft. Worth Zoo! We were so glad she came with us. Me, especially, since I probably wouldn't have made it 20 minutes solo with my two childs. This would be Lyla's third trip to the zoo and she had been talking it up for a couple weeks before we actually made it out there one gorgeous February afternoon (beautiful Spring weather in Winter, of course... thank you, Texas!).

The lack of crowd was perfect, but there was also a slight lack of animals to see, unfortunately. It seems some exhibits were undergoing construction or super-cleaning, so we missed out on a few of my favorites - the sun bears, tigers, bird enclosure. Lyla didn't seem to mind, and Flint certainly didn't care much (he slept much of the time, really).

My girl loved the massive silver-back we saw, first thing, and I thought she would react with equal awe to every animal since it was only the first stop, but she really was just infatuated with the big guy. The penguins also amused her as they seemed to float just over her small baggie of skittles, perhaps intrigued by the colors, her perhaps equally amused by us. Most of our zoo tour, though, Lyla maintained that she wanted to go back to see the gorillas. And we did, of course, just after our train ride back to the front gate, another part that both kids seemed to really enjoy, albeit very brief.

Four Month Photos

2011-03-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

Flint is four months old! Okay, well by now he's almost five months old, but it takes some time to get pictures made and edited. I put together a slide show of favorites from the few "sessions" I did with my sweet boy. I definitely used him to practice my little hobby, but the perk is that I now have a great collection started for his baby book (haha... baby book...)

To see the images alone, visit Picasa: Flint 4 Months!

The Amazing Billy Boy, Willie-Will, William McFlintoch Flintostopher, William Jefferson Flinton, Flinty-Flint-FLINT!

2011-02-26T14:58:00.000-08:00

It’s true what they say about “the second one.” They don’t get nearly as much attention from the Parent-Paparazzi, there are far fewer sticky notes with mediocre mile-stones jotted down on them (or are they “inch-pebbles?”) and they spend a lot less time “engaged” by various stimuli. My William Flint is 4-months old and I know by this advanced age, our genius-baby Lyla had at least triple the blog entries and snapshots.

We recently visited our new buddy, Baby Gideon. I held his little 8-pound self and became instantly sentimental. Commenting on Gideon’s size in comparison to Flint’s, I was met with, “You know, you never talk about your son without mentioning how big he is.” Ha! And so true! I rarely talk about poor Mr. Flint without suggesting he’s monstrously ginormous. So I will mention it once again on our blog. He’s huge. Simply a beast. In all seriousness, though, it makes the already flying time seem to whiz past all the quicker! My baby boy already wears clothes a child more than double his age should be wearing!

At his four-month checkup, Flint weighed in at 18 lbs. 15 oz. His head measured 45 cm, and his height, 27 inches. Dr. Dickey stated what we already knew to be true ("He's too big!") and stomped on any fear that he was overweight by reassuring us that he is, indeed, proportionate. Proportionately and impressively the size of an "average" 8 month old, putting him in the 97th and 98th percentiles on height/weight/head circumference.

In his four short months, though, Flint has really accomplished more than physical growth. We thought we’d never get a smile to turn his serious chubby cheeks, but then he floored us with his perfect gummy grin around Christmastime. We are still a regular comedy troupe around him trying to get a snippet of his adorable giggle, but he is certainly not the liberal ham we were used to with his sister. At just four months, there seems to be plenty more time for us to perfect our stand-up bit, though, and in the meantime, we’ll take any brief guffaw we can get. And they are brief. In fact, we’ve discovered that much of the time when Flint is on the verge of laughter or has even amused us with a short smirky chuckle, it turns quickly to tearful sobs. It’s almost as if exploring this new emotion is just too much for him to handle. At times it makes the situation all the more humorous, but most of the time, it’s just plain sad.

Apart from his sharp wit and keen sense of humor, Flint’s personality is slowly emerging. He is mostly easy-going and content to lump around and observe. He’s a good observer. Mostly facing up, really… he is not a fan of the tummy-time, but who really is? Lately, he’s experimenting with some new vocals, serenading us with “Meh, mah, mmmm’s” and breathy squeals beyond levels of fathomable adorability. That’s right. He’s a true charmer. He’s been grasping at objects and bringing toys to his mouth to, well, mouth. It takes some practice, depending on the object, but some things are tough to hold! Flint definitely prefers blankets and soft toys over hard plastic ones, though, and loves to gnaw on a knuckle or fingertip if permitted (he may, in fact, be teething already... eek!). Grandma and I think he’s going to be a blankie-boy, which pleases me (I still have my blankie in my nightstand and I do believe it took marriage to break me of my blankie-sleeping habit). Oh! And while we’re on the subject of comfort, guess how this boy self-soothes? He must have gotten some advice from his older and wiser sister, because he's officially a finger-sucker. And not just a finger, but fingers. Plural. And not just any fingers – the exact two fingers Lyla (still, ohmygoshwhenwillitstop?) sucks.

Flint is officially rolling from tummy to back, though perhaps not easily. Occasionally when I go to get him out of his crib, he is sunny-side up when I had let him have a tummy nap. I suspect this skill will be super sharp and frequent by our next blog entry, along with sitting up. Currently, the boy holds himself up in sitting position just briefly before falling over, but his doughy abs are engaged and working hard to stay upright. He's always been quite good at being vertical. I'm positive he'll have the sitting thing figured out soon.
(Flint being vertical)

We also introduced Flint to his first food - rice cereal. Under doc's advice, we can start "having fun" with solids - even fruits and veggies. She shared something about some recent study on diabetes and allergies and apparently the "standard" with Lyla just two years ago has already changed. My theory is just to wing it, anyhow. Flint was not such a fan of opening his mouth for food, but my guess is that he'll catch on real quick and continue in his stout Quattrochi ways of hearty eating. We'll try other foods when he gets the hang of the whole spoon and mouth concept.

His personality is blossoming every day and if it's possible, I think I love him a little more every day, too. He's a sweet, sweet, Mommy-loving, easy-going, eye-smiling, finger-sucking, drooly, silly, handsome, perfect little man.

Oh, the many more milestones to reach! I will enjoy every last one (except maybe the first time he bites me...).

Life is Sweet

2011-02-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

What better time to brag about my sweeties than February? Right around Valentine's Day and as we've been spending so much time baking yummy treats (aka couped up inside from the freezing weather).

On a daily basis I have to remind myself (repeatedly) to slow down, calm down and settle down to enjoy as many sweet moments as I can with my babies. I (very) often fail, getting caught up in daily stresses and trying to accomplish far too much in too little time. But here are a few of the sweeter moments from our February, thus far...

Studio photo practice with my little muffins!
This was more frustrating than any combination of my most frustrating days from any week. Setting up said studio + fussing baby + curious toddler + general clumsiness + heat from studio lighting = poor combo! I never expected to get any good shots out of this, but just play with lighting and try to understand certain setups a little better. I did manage to get a few shots that I will cherish, not because they are awesome photos, but because they are of my two lovelies doing what they do best - cuddling and oggling one another. Here, Lyla gave Flint an "Eskimo kiss." I just adore how much she adores him!

Cake balls!
Grandma picked up an adorable book on making the cutest little cake-balls and cake-pops you'll ever see. We spent one afternoon making just basic cake balls to get the hang of it (and I don't think either of us had ulterior motives what-so-ever (Mmmm chocolate?)). Lyla, as usual, enjoyed helping with the baking, but mostly the licking of spoons and bowls and of course, her finger after sticking it in whatever chocolate goo she could (she destroyed a few cake balls in the process). While the cake was baking, Lyla and Flint went for a blanket ride, just like Grandma used to do for John and me when we were little. It definitely made me smile.

Valentine treats!
Lyla was super excited about Valentine's Day this year. Especially the part about sharing sweets with "her kids" at school. We totally stole this idea from a buddy in her class last year! Lyla posed (about 58 times!) with her fist out so we could print the photo and cut holes to slip a lollipop through to make it look like she was holding a giant sucker. Too cute! And the outtakes are just as darling!

An adorable bride!
Lyla recently took an interest in Mommy's wedding dress. I have no idea where this fascination came from. She has seen it in photos around the house and a couple weeks ago asked me where it was. Well, when she learned that it was zipped up in a giant bag in my closet, she was beside herself. For several days, she asked me to show it to her and would drag me into the closet so she could admire it and ask to try it on. After explaining to her that it was far too large for her, I pointed out that her cousin, Faryn, had a very beautiful dress on at the wedding, too. Then it occurred to me - Grandma still had Faryn's flower-girl dress at her house, and it was probably just the right size for Lyla, now. Needless to say, on our next trip to Grandma's house, out came the dress! Lyla was so stinkin' cute in it - she looked so pretty and acted so coy. She married her Pap and danced with Gia (and her Jessie doll), then twirled and pranced around in it for as long as she could stand it.

Sweet sounds!
Somewhere in the midst of Lyla's limelight and all the sugar and all the baked goods, little (big) Flint started elaborating on his cooing. He now squeals with delight or just to grab the attention of anyone nearby (and make eyes with them) and it really is one of the sweetest sounds in the whole wide world. More recently, he started to engage in a little game where he gets adorably breathy, long vocals in as his lips are tapped. It's kind of a chicken/egg scenario, but I maintain that he knows exactly what he's doing. He will start making noise and make more noise, the more you tap his lips. Plus, who really cares? It's cute either way.

Cupcaketh!
Lastly, the best way to close out a blog entry about sweet things... cupcakes! Or, as Lyla says, "cupcaketh." Several weeks ago, Lyla requested cupcakes. So, naturally, we dropped everything and made some cupcakes. We had lots of fun and they were delish! I snapped lots of photos that day and in the end, put together a little slideshow - enjoy!

Oh, and visit Picasa for the usual gazillion extra photos!

Snow! Then More Snow!

2011-02-16T20:28:00.000-08:00

We got snow in January... then we got MORE snow in February. And then... more snow. The first February snow was a lot more substantial than our previous flurries. However, the temperature was just faaaaar too uncomfortably cold to stay outside and play.

We tried a few times, but only lasted a few minutes. So to meet both our needs to play in something oh-so fun and to be warm and cozy, Mommy brought the snow INside!

It was a big hit, though certainly not long-term. Lyla spent most of her snow-play opportunity on snow-consumption, while I built "Jimmy, the Indoor Snowman." She got a kick out of him, and we let him look through the window at the world from whence he came (and longed to return to!). As he melted more and more and Lyla continued to fail at following directions to "stooooooop eeeeeating the snow," he was reunited with his powdery buddies on the patio. Much to Lyla's dismay.

Since it seemed her main desire was to munch on the snow, we then decided to make snow "ice cream." So simple, quick and fun! We scooped about 6 cups of clean snow into a bowl, then added some milk, sugar and vanilla extract. I was surprised to discover it wasn't half bad! In the end, I think Lyla preferred just plain old snow, but it didn't stop us from experimenting with food color (pink!) and other flavors (chocolate!). It was above all else, a small amount of entertainment while we were stuck inside (yet again!)...

Just as soon as we thought we were rid of the ice and snow, another storm blew through! This time, though, more fluffy snow accumulated than dangerous ice, and temperatures were a more comfortable level of freezing, so we got to play outside a lot more! Lyla shoveled snow into buckets with her neighborhood buddy, we threw snowballs, tried to make snow angels and ate plenty more snow. She tried sledding down the sidewalk in a Rubbermaid bin, but it didn't work so well...

As the road conditions improved, we trekked the four miles out to Shannon's house to do some REAL sledding down her backyard hill. Lyla really enjoyed going fast down the hill and experimented with all the riding buddy combinations and sliding solo. I *loved* hearing her screams of delight!

Even Flint joined in the fun. Very, very briefly...

Daddy joined us as soon as he got done working for the day, and very soon afterward, we all pooped out!

So long, snow! We enjoyed you while we could! (But we're also very glad to welcome the sun back into our lives...).

The HSP Bully

2011-01-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

SICKNESS…

Around four weeks ago, when putting a diaper on Lyla for naptime, I noticed a few small red spots on her bum which kind of resembled a cluster of blood blisters. I didn’t think much of it at that moment – the kid has all kinds of marks decorating her never-flawless bod at any given moment just from minor skin irritants, constant rough play and a highly experienced level of clumsiness. At night when I went to put on her bed-time diaper, a few of the spots were nickel-sized and an alarming shade of bright red. I responded as any naturally effective mother would and turned to my friend, The Internet, who told me most likely my daughter had Meningitis and would surely be hospitalized by morning and permanently damaged from all the nasty, horrible things that the disease is capable of. Then I did the next most operative thing, which was to call Grandma, who had seen the spots back when they were trivial and less concerning. Unfortunately, her guess was as god as mine. Fortunately, the day following was Flint’s 2-month check-up and he doc was able to squeeze Lyla in at the same time and take a look at the suspicious marks.

Donning an oversized T-shirt distributed by the nurse, Dr. Dickey investigated Lyla’s booty and said it looked like Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (which at that moment sounded like “Henoijlsjlfj Schjijoiweoiujf Lakjp Popeoipo!”). The symptoms she described sounded relatively inaccurate at the moment, because Lyla had not yet developed any of them other than the rash/lesions. She prescribed nothing and warned there could be some swelling, particularly near her joints, perhaps a fever, possibly abdominal pain, but to make sure to call if at any time there was “copious amount of blood in her urine.” Uhm. I don’t think we’d have swept that one under the rug under any circumstance. Like… ever. Also important to note, severe abdominal pain that does not subside. Again… no broom or carpet.

Getting only superficial information from the doc, we researched it further at home. The net said the disease is a non-contagious infection of the vascular system (vasculitis) and occurs usually following an illness the immune system didn’t fight properly (such as Strep or an Upper Respiratory Infection). It typically runs its course in 4-6 weeks but will recur in 1/3 of patients. There is a chance it could do a number on her kidneys (hence the request to pay attention to her pee and weekly re-checks at the doc office (Lyla really enjoys the part where she pees in the cup.).).

Like some kind of poster child for HSP, Lyla very promptly complained that her “tummies hurts,” developed plenty more hideous spots, swelled up like a leech at a blood bank and even decided to impress us with a slight fever. Since then, we’ve had symptoms come and go and at one point even thought the HSP was on its way out the door. We were met by an exacerbation of symptoms shortly after, hopefully hitting some kind of climax. One Saturday night, poor Lyla’s legs were so swollen, she couldn’t walk. Running my hands down them made her scream. They felt like a topographical map of San Francisco.

Lyla has been a real toughie dealing with this. She’s not bothered by it unless her joints swell up, and even then it’s usually nothing more than an annoyance. And for her toughness I am eternally grateful, because this disease looks just terrible. She already breaks our hearts, but to think of her in any further pain because of it would just turn us all into pathetic mush. We are 4 weeks into it and hopefully reaching the light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully she’s not one of the three that get to have a second HSP party. While she hasn’t been truly ill due to the HSP, she definitely hasn’t been herself… and we really miss our happy, healthy Lyla.

We’ll be sure to keep you posted on her progress!

(Missing from this post: photos and videos typical of Emily's bloggin' style. I thought I'd spare you the yucky images of purpura and swelling. Cause who needs to see that? (If it's you, feel free to see generic, non-Lyla images of it here!)).

School Days!

2011-01-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

After months of searching for a new “school” for Lyla, she has finally been enrolled! I have been looking at schools for her since Brudder was still just a (really big) bun in the oven, having difficulty deciding what was best for her. Part time? Full time? Montessori? Preschool? Daycare? A Mother’s Day Out? I visited over a half-dozen places and scoured the sites of several more. The church across the street from my mom’s house has a Mother’s Day Out type of preschool that seemed ideal. It’s just two days a week AND it’s right across the street from Gia. We were exactly one day away from having Lyla tested for placement at Keller Montessori when we got the call from Compass that they had an opening for Lyla. Thus, we concluded that it would be better for Lyla to go to part-time and get more Mommy-time and enable us to have a little more time to save up. In August, we will probably enroll her in a more “school” type setting, such as a Montessori. She’ll be 3 ½ then and have her few remaining potty issues resolved.

Lyla has had three full school days so far, and she’s really enjoying it. She’s a little confused about where her old friends and teachers are from the ECDC, but it seems playtime in the “Garage” (an open gym-like room with scooter-cars and bikes, etc.) trumps any hesitation she might have toward the unfamiliar. On her very first day, both Daddy and I dropped her off. If she was the slightest bit nervous, we didn't notice. In fact, I had very little time to snap any photos because she ran, yes ran, full speed into the foyer, and we had to chase her down before she got lost in the mix of kids! She used the potty first thing, then settled in beside another little girl for a fine motor table activity. I am so grateful that she made it so easy on us! I love that my girl loves school!

I am trying to take advantage of “school” as much as possible, from finding some time at the gym and doing grocery shopping sans She-Who-Likes-To-Run-Down-Aisles to spending some time in the house getting some cleaning done minus She-Who-Immediately-Undoes-All-That-Is-Clean. And when Flint naps, I have even managed a small amount of “Me-Time,” which has been very refreshing. Another benefit from the girly’s school attendance is that I am further encouraged to structure her days at home. Since it’s really important that she be awake and nourished the mornings of school, we are trying to follow the same-ish schedule as we do on those days. This means early to rise for everyone. But it also means nap, or at least “Quiet Time,” which Lyla has taken to surprisingly well. Which gives Mommy another opportunity to get things done!

As we fall more into our new routine and Lyla has more school experience, we are hoping to start hearing more about her days there, the friends she is making, her interactions with her teachers, and the exciting things she is learning!

Snow and Swimming in January!

2011-01-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

SNOW!

One chilly and dreary Sunday, we were surprised by a light snow shower mid-morning! Lyla was oh-so-excited and ready to play outside immediately, as demonstrated by her half-naked visit to the backyard via the doggy door. Once properly clothed and Mommy armed with her camera, we ventured to the front yard to play in the fat, wet flakes dropping from the sky. All Lyla could recall from her previous snow experience was that it’s edible, however, it wasn’t accumulating quite as well as last year, so I had to pause her to explain that one should not eat snow that is acquired by scraping it off the sidewalk, car, muddy grass or mailbox. This was difficult to accept until I demonstrated how to try to catch snow as it fell. We didn’t last long out in the cold, and soon returned to the warmth of the house with some yummy hot chocolate.

SWIMMING AND SPLASHING!

For Christmas, Shannon and fam got a one-night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, which included passes to the indoor waterpark for their check-in and check-out dates. We were invited to join in the fun at the waterpark for a little bit, and we took full advantage – even Flint, who went for his first swim ever in the middle of January! Lyla has a blast going down the slide in the kid zone (over and over and over again). She enjoyed wading in the security of only 2 feet of water, but also loved braving the waves in the wave pool. Mommy learned the hard way how very important it is to not take her eyes off the girl for even a fraction of a second. At one point in the wave pool, I exchanged a few words with my sister regarding a near-future concession purchase and when I glanced back at Lyla, well, there was no Lyla. In an almost-panic, I alerted the nearest lifeguard and bolted toward the kiddie slide area to find my girl happily (and Momlessly!) partaking in all the monotonous excitement the little yellow kiddie slide had to offer. Now, why no lifeguards in that area were alarmed at the acute lack-of-adult-with-child is beyond me, however, I managed well enough without their help. Lyla was not a fan of the discipline to follow, in which she took a time-out in a chair with a very clear view of all the fun she was missing and got a very stern talkin’-to regarding staying with Mommy. But apart from the one “incident,” we had a blast! We skedaddled around 8:00pm, starving and exhausted; I was totally shocked Lyla made it home awake.

She has talked about the water park ever since! By this summer, there will be a new waterpark out by Shannon’s house. I have a feeling we’re going to have a very wet summer!

Wrapping up the Holidays...

2011-01-14T15:26:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Luke and I got a special treat on New Year's Eve. Nonna watched the two bambinos while we went to the Stars game with Mia and Les. We watched the Canucks massacre the Stars from the lovely Dr. Pepper suite, enjoying cold beers, Tex-Mex and cookies. After the disappointing loss, we wandered through Victory (or lack of?) Park to see what the Dallas New Year's party was all about, but ultimately decided to head back to Nonna's to ring in 2011 with our darlings.

January 1st was "Q-Christmas" and we were super surprised to find out only a few days prior that Papa Sam would be able to make it! We headed out to Garland in the afternoon and caught up with all the Quattrochi's for catered dinner, traditional Q-punch (oh-so-yummy!), presents, and a game of "Battle of the Sexes." Lyla had lots of fun freaking her mother out by standing on a chair and leaning over the upstairs half-wall to peer downstairs while the other kids sniped us with Nerf darts. Flint had lots of cuddles from family - some meeting him for the first time.

After some quality party-time, though very much muted compared to years past (due to several cases of "Day-After-New-Years-Eve-Party"), Papa grabbed a ride with us back to our house (which still looked like a North Pole explosion) and slept in Lyla's flowery garden bed, much to her delight (free night in Mommy's bed!).

The following day, the Wises came by and hung out at our place to get in some Papa Sam time. The kids (and a few of the "grown-ups") had some fun with Lyla's present from Aunt Tammy, who very clearly does not have children and doesn't have to clean up kid-made messes. (Thanks, again, Tammy).

On such a lovely day, we couldn't stay couped up indoors for long. Lyla showed her cousins how stellar she is on her new bike, and showed Papa her favorite place in the neighborhood to go with Mommy and Daddy. At the creek, she demonstrated her superb rock selecting and throwing abilities. She and Anthony teamed up with Papa to chuck some super-big stones into the mucky water.

Our time with Papa was soon over, though, as he took the Wise clan to see a movie and then spend the night at Great-Grandma's. Our own Q clan stayed home to recuperate from the weeks of madness we've come to know as "Christmas..."

In December...

2011-01-01T09:23:00.001-08:00

Wow. Wow, wow, wow...

Last year around this time, we had just wrapped up Lyla's second Christmas, in which she delighted in the gift-receiving and post Christmas playtime, but didn't quite "get it." This year, she was reintroduced to Santa Claus and many of the stories that go along with the season, and she was able to participate and enjoy all the hub-bub.

With Flint in tow, now, we weren't able to do quite so many holiday activities as last year, but Luke and I were happy to reduce stress in as many ways as we could. Despite our efforts, however, this holiday was particularly stressful! I think we were both shocked by the overwhelming amount of "stuff" we had to get done! Between shopping, creating, wrapping, attending various "Christmases," visiting friends and family from out of town, designing and sending cards, managing only small amounts of sleep, and occasionally preparing and eating meals, we have been super-pooped!

We started our holiday season off with some photos by the Christmas tree, after decorating it - a process which took only a few days and LOTS of redirecting. Lyla was a big fan of holding Brudder Flint under the tree. Christmas parties started soon afterward with our annual Roommate Christmas at Mac and Kristin's place. Lyla and the kids had a blast with plastic slinkies on their staircase. Who knew those would be so fun!? Once the cousins were off school, we had our annual Cookie-baking Day at Grandma's house. Fortunately, she and Pap had already baked quite a few cookies, so the girls were required only for sugar cookie painting, chocolate chip and peanut-butter cookies. As usual, we ate waaaay too much sugar. While the cookies baked, the kids played their version of football outside in the beautiful 70-degree "winter" weather.

We spent Christmas Eve over at Grandma and PapPap's with Aunt Shannon and family. Lyla was very much overwhelmed by all the happenings and hardly ate a thing all day, causing her overwhelmed-self to completely melt down by nighttime. We saw, quite possibly, the worst and longest bout of upset-Lyla thus far. We figured Santa, however, was too busy to watch, because he still brought all kinds of goodies that night. He brought them very, very late because a certain 2-year old and her baby brother were up very, very late. Very.

We had a lovely Christmas (late) morning, after Mommy fed Flint and started making lots of noise to wake everyone else up. We made arrangements to get to Nonna's house a little later on so we could take our time and enjoy our morning with minimal stress. Lyla did MUCH better working at Quattrochi pace and playing with her presents as she opened them. Among her favorite gifts - her Toy Story figures, Alphie robot and new big-girl bike complete with training wheels and helmet. She had a lot to unwrap that morning, because she had to help Flint (and Maya and Ellie too!). Among Flint's favorites, his fluffy Chewbacca and new bumbo seat. Luke was a big fan of his "sugar lump" present from me:

...and I am so excited to now have some basic photo studio equipment to play with!

We made our way to Nonna's later in the afternoon for more gifting, Christmas dinner and family time. This was a very relaxed evening, especially after the kids opened gifts and began to busy themselves with their new toys. We stayed pretty late, hanging out, watching movies, eating way too much food (again), and playing with our new "toys." Luke and I got Rock Band Pro - going to have some fun with this one. Just as soon as we find some spare time. Ha!

During all this busy-busy-busy, Flint decided to start smiling and cooing up a storm. He hit his 2-month mark and saw Dr. Dickey for his check-up and vaccinations. He weighed in at 16lbs 1oz. - the typical size of an average 5-month old, with his head another two months ahead of the class, being the size of an average 7-month old's. We also received one of the best Christmas gifts of all. Well, sort of. His ear molds fell off on Christmas Day because his sensitive skin could no longer take the adhesive. While we weren't too thrilled by the skin infection present, we were very excited by the results. Both ears have improved their shape, though his left looks awesome. We may still have some ear issues down the road, but for now, we're happy to see our boy without goofy "muffs" on. And he looks surprisingly like his PapPap all of a sudden!

All in all, we had a wonderful holiday. We still have one more Christmas to celebrate - Q Christmas, this afternoon. Looking forward to that, and one more visit with some close friends from out of town. Then, it's safe to say we will be just as glad to be done with Christmas as we were to welcome it. That is, until we have to start the decor clean-up. Ugh!

Here are some clips from our December adventures!

See more photos: December and Watch Flint Grow!

Happy 2011!!!!!!

Oh So Grateful!

2010-12-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

Time to report on our Thanksgiving (less than a month late!)...

We were happy to host Turkey(less) Day this year in our humble 1800 square foot, dining-room-less home, all in the spirit of Thanksgivingness (it just didn't seem right to have our feast at a hotel). Papa Sam (Luke's dad) and his new wife, Lucinda, joined us from chilly Colorado, along with Great Grandma Q (aka "Crazy Grandma"), Luke's Uncle Karl, Aunt Tammy, and Uncle Leon, Mia, Les and the Wise cousins, bringing the feasting total to 14.

We were able to delegate a lot of dishes, including the turkey, to other family members to bring. I held onto my favorite green bean casserole, Pearson-style stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn bread and three pies. We borrowed some long tables and folding chairs from my parents and set them up in the living room so everyone could sit together.

It's no surprise to have a ton of food on Thanksgiving, however, when I say tons of food, I am only slightly exaggerating. All so yummy and abundant! A good time was had by all late into the night. Plenty of wine, good company, chatting, picture-taking, video-filming and laughing.

(forced to drink coffee within the baby mug... all in the name of love)

(just a joke... no underage drinking, here... though it would be the Q way, no doubt)

(wearing the hat Great Grandma made him... meant for a normal size head!)

Flint impressed everyone with his sweet, sleepy demeanor and stayed (mostly) calm and collected all night (there were a few "episodes" of "hunger"). Lyla "entertained" her cousins by locking them in her room and forcing them to play with her. And much like the time we hosted a couple years ago, all children ended up in the master bedroom, though this time rather than jumping on the bed and wrestling, they snuggled up and watched a movie together. Oh so cute!

Thanksgiving is my favorite. Delicious food, crisp weather, warm home, full bellies, happy family! My only disappointment from the day is forgetting to fulfill the Pearson Family tradition (all those dern Quattrochi's made me lose sight of what's truly important) of putting the baby on the turkey platter (that, and there was already an actual turkey on the platter and I wasn't about to add Flint to the main dish).

The day after Thanksgiving, Papa and Lucinda took Lyla, along with the Wise-guys, to the Gaylord to see the Ice show. They had lots of fun - Lyla talked on and on about the icy slide.

Another great perk to the holiday weekend was having my favorite man home for five straight days. It hadn't been that long since Luke had gone back to work from paternity leave, but boy did I miss having him home with me and the kiddos! I am thankful for all he does for the happiness of our family. As a grown-up, there is a lot to worry about in life, but my hubby alleviates so many of my worries. He makes me smile every day (even when he makes me mad... don't ask me how that works ;p), helps me get through all tasks - big and small, mundane and complicated. He loves me unconditionally, loves his children with every nook of his immense heart, and works his buns off to keep us all comfortable, safe, healthy and happy. And he's not too rough to look at, either.

I am also thankful for my two beautiful children. Lyla is our delightful, independent-thinking, brother-doting, Mommy-snuggling, Daddy-cuddling, crazy-dancing, pretend-playing, loud-singing, jibber-jabber-talking, unique and special little monster. Flint is our long-sleeping, much-eating, impressive-pooping, sweet-cooing, ceiling-fan-ogling, fast-growing, sister-tolerating, Mommy-snuggling, Daddy-cuddling, floppy-ear-having, wild-kicking, heart-melting, unique and special little stinker (literally). As I sit here typing this, a perpetual smile has invaded my ever-sleepy expression, thinking about my two favorite kiddos, perfect in spite of each imperfection, wonderful in spite of any difficult moment. They fill me with joy and give my life the most and best meaning.

I am also thankful for my two fantastic parents. My mom and dad have been the best support of all - always and forever. Yes, they are there to take in one or two kiddos when I need a hand, welcome me into their home just about every day (because being at home can be somewhat of a challenge for me), offer me much-needed advice on a regular basis, give me hugs, kisses, and tell me how much they love me. They do all those wonderful parenty-things, and more. I know I am the competent and confident mother I am today because I try my best to mother the way my mother did. And while I don't "father" my kids being that I'm not a father, I have learned as much from my dad about trying to find a balance between "work and play," structure and affection, to give my children a happy home, a life of learning and lots and lots of love. As a teacher, I know one of the best "methods" is modeling. If I can manage to model from my two favorite parents, I can only hope Lyla and Flint will one day try to do the same for their children, having learned just the same that their Mama is just plain awesome. And hopefully they will visit me as often as I visit my parents!

I am also thankful for our other dedicated family and friends. Not to lump "everyone else" into an auxiliary category, but I simply can't blog about all the brilliant people in my life. And of course just because there are lots of them doesn't make any one of them any less special and important. Our Q Family is very fortunate and we recognize that. Not a day goes by that I don't take a deep breath and realize how very wanted (and sometimes just needed!) all my favorite people are. Through sleepless nights and stressful days, sometimes it's hard to think about all that's right, but it really is. Heck, I am even grateful for my stress. I am pretty sure it means I'm living life! And what a great life it is!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Boxer Boy: A Tale of Two Ears

2010-11-21T10:18:00.001-08:00

When Flint first arrived, he had these adorably delicate butterfly ears, that were so soft and floppy they looked like they were opening like flower petals in the morning, or unfolding like butterfly wings. And they did open, but not quite as beautifully or as fully as one might expect. Then again he's not a flower. Or a butterfly. But we didn't think much of it. I just figured they would fix themselves in a matter of time as he grew and his cartilage hardened.

At our first appointment with the pediatrician, she made a small (playful) fuss about his ears to implicate they would not actually fix themselves and we should consider "molding" them. He was actually missing the third fold that makes the ear flatter against the head. I took this topic home to discuss with the dad-man, who agreed and somehow knew something like this was going to come up. We did some research and concluded it would be best to give the molding a "go" for now and see where it gets us, rather than wait and poor Flint possibly have to undergo cosmetic surgery in the future...

Friday was Flint's follow-up appointment, and the doctor attached the molds to his sweet little ears, a process not so enjoyable for him or his Mama, though it seemed to be painless. Babies definitely don't like to be forced to hold still, however, and I'm fairly certain all the prodding was uncomfortable. She shaved the hair from around his ears and cleaned them up before sticking a plastic frame around them - literally sticking with adhesive. Once the frame was in place, several other silicon-coated components were placed in his ear to get it in the correct shape, then some kind of soft, breathable soft was fastened overtop to hold everything in place.

And now, our son looks like a wrestler (or boxer?)...

I can honestly say, I hate these molds and wish we didn't have to do them, but it's for the best. He will wear them for 6 weeks, having them changed every 2 weeks until then. The doc says 8 out of 10 cases have "excellent results." So here's hoping that Flint will be one of those eight. He doesn't seem to mind them, thank goodness.

In other news, Flint hit the one-month mark yesterday. Check out his Watch Me Grow album to see how much he's already changed. The pediatrician was pleased with his weight gain - already 12 lbs and the size of a 2-month old! Aside from his physical growth, we are seeing a lot more awake time from our boy, with lots more eye contact. He's even tried cooing a few times - the sweetest sound of all time! He's been a really easy-going guy, though he does not enjoy tummy-time so much. He's responding well to his big sister's constant kissing and smothering, making some improvements with nursing (my boobs really appreciate it!), and enjoying as much "vertical" time as he can get. He has even taken to sleeping up to 6 hours at night for me, provided Daddy swaddles him up really tight and snuggly-warm.

Lyla is adjusting slowly, but surely. She definitely loves her brother and hasn't shown any signs of jealousy, though she is struggling to behave off and on and we're seeing lots of tantrums. Who knows if that's 2-year-old related or big-sister related? Maybe a bit of both. I welcome any tips on getting wildly independent 2-year-old girls to listen and mind. :)

We can't believe it's already been a month - so much has changed!

Oh, October!

2010-11-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

What I really wanted to do was blog individually about each of the following fun things we did in October. Well, as it turns out, newborns are about as much fans of blogging as two-year-olds are, which amounts to a slowly dying blog of no-post sadness. So, apart from springing forth a new life, here are some things we were up to in October...

Awaiting William Flint's birth, we took Lyla to Nash Farm in Grapevine and met Grandma there. It was particularly warm for a Fallish event, but that's Texas for ya! We drank a lot of Dr. Pepper, saw a ginormous cow (among other farmy animals) visited a small petting zoo (and petted said farmy animals), watched kids ride ponies (because we didn't want to wait in the longest line ever for Lyla to ride one, herself), posed on old tractors, galloped around on stick-horsies and watered an adorable veggie garden with a small tin watering can.

We had lots of fun taking all sorts of Fallish pictures in Grandpap's backyard...

A week after his birth, we went to the Pumpkin Farm by Grandma's house in Colleyville. We met up with Aunt Shannon and the girls to pick pumpkins, pose for pictures, visit some more farmy animals, get lost in a corn maze, eat kettle corn and play on some more old tractors, trucks and even a small playground. Lyla had tons of fun here with her cousins and family. And since it's across from Grandma's neighborhood, she continues to talk about the pumpkin place every time we go to Grandma's, which is almost every day!

We carved our pumpkins together a few days later. I was really hoping my girl would get elbow-deep into some guts with me, but she wasn't so much a fan. She decided which shapes each of the jack-o-lanterns' eyes, nose and mouth should be, though. She also found it amusing to sort pumpkin seeds from pumpkin guts so that I could cook them (yum!). Mostly, though, she wanted to "put fire in there" and "put it in the baffroom!" having recalled the pumpkin in the bathroom from the previous year, where Mommy must've placed it to show her its face in the pitch dark. What I anticipated to be an entertaining activity ended up being just that: Mommy entertaining Lyla with carving, scooping, cutting, and following all other directions regarding lighting and placement of the pumpkins.

We celebrated Halloween by trick-or-treating in Aunt Shannon's neighborhood. Lyla dressed as Jessie, the cowgirl from Toy Story, and Flint dressed appropriately as a cow. Her cow. Sort of. We were lucky to have Grandma with us to enjoy our sweet kiddos, and PapPap not far back at Shannon's house to order some much needed non-sugary food item (pizza) for dinner. Lyla took to trick-or-treating like a seasoned pro this year, and had no trouble knocking, holding out her pumpkin bucket and saying sweetly, "trick or treat." She followed each treat receipt with a pleasant, "Thank you. Happy Halloween," which made me tear up at every house. Every. Single. House. Thank you, hormones.

And that closes out October.

I'd better get on the ball. November is already halfway over! Ack!

(This post took approximately 1.5 weeks to do! Seriously.)

Oh yeah, and visit my Picasa for the rest of the insane amount of pictures...

Welcome William Flint!!!

2010-10-28T13:55:00.001-07:00

The Quattrochi's are (VERY) proud to present, William Flint, our newest family member, and most adorable son and brother.

Flint arrived Wednesday, October 20th, 2010, at 5:21pm after his long 41-week-stay in my humble (fickle) womb. He weighed in at an impressive 9 lbs, 13.5 oz. We knew he'd be big, but we were shocked at just how big! Our midwives anticipated a big 8... and even when he came out, they guessed only 9lbs.

We scheduled a "natural induction" for Tuesday, but rescheduled it for Wednesday after I gave it some thought and wanted to see if one more day would do the trick. It was a wise move for two main reasons: 1, there were two other births that ended up taking place on Tuesday, and 2, I went into labor on my own overnight Tuesday to Wednesday. I woke up with contractions all throughout the night, which were very inconsistent until around 3am, when they started coming a consistent 8 minutes apart and continued even when I got up and walked around and ate a snack, which was what killed all my previous "false" labors.

We went ahead to the birth center at our scheduled time because I was not entirely convinced that my labor wouldn't peter off as it had done oh-so-many times in the last few weeks. I was so pleasantly surprised when Jean, one of the midwives, checked me and exclaimed, "Girl, you are a good 6. I'd call it a 7."

*blink*

So, it would appear as though all that false labor I had been having was actually getting a lot accomplished. I'd take weeks of occasional, weak labor over hours of pain any day! Go uterus!

Our birth story follows...

Luke and I spent the next several hours on an alternating 30-minute regiment of breast pumping and walking in order to stimulate more consistent, stronger contractions. About three hours into it, things started to pick up. When I was checked again, I was at an 8 and Jean suggested we leave the bag of water in tact for a while longer since I wasn't in serious pain, but was still making progress. At that point, we called the family to let them know they should start heading to the birth center. We figured I'd be in labor only a little while longer because transitioning from 8 to 10 usually goes very fast.

I spent the next hour in the tub after Emily, the midwife student who supported me through the whole labor, broke my water and things started to really pick up (ouch). I moved to the toilet for a little while, which apparently is a good place to labor due to the nature of the seat. At this point, I was surprising myself with how vocal I was quickly becoming in response to the pain of each contraction, much to Luke's amusement at a few points, when apparently I sounded like Dori (from Nemo) speaking "whale."

Needless to say, natural labor is extremely intense and painful... I didn't want to move, for fear of bringing on another contraction, or having to cope through one while moving from one place to another. But I was encouraged to get back into the bathtub for the comfort of the warm water, and though I complied, was shortly moved again to the bed to push. Jean thought due to the angle and size of the baby, it'd be easier to push lying flat on the bed, inclined slightly backward. At this point, three hours into "transition," the toughest part of labor, I just wanted him O-U-T. So I rolled with it, although not quietly.

I kept waiting for this magical moment when contractions are supposed to change from "dilating" contractions to "pushing" contractions and feel different. This relief never came for me, nor did the true urge to push. Mostly I just wanted someone to pull the baby out so it would all be over, but alas, it doesn't quite work that way. I think I pushed for a solid 20 minutes before Flint's head was out. I was very much surprised (read: in a shocking amount of sheer agony) by the pressure and immense burning on top of the pain of each contraction, and found it difficult to "release" and bear down. While in the middle of a push, I discovered that my body would sort of reflex into some kind of uber-mega push in response, much akin to the sensation of vomiting and very similar to the complete lack of control one has when doing so.

There was a glimpse of hope when one of the birth assistants placed my hand on the baby's head. I knew it would soon be over and I'd be able to greet the little booger. At this point, however, the tone in their voices shifted to something more urgent as I was directed to push to get the shoulders out. With that urgency in mind, I pushed with all my sanity ... two more, maybe three times... and ... at last! William Flint Quattrochi was placed on my chest, seeming almost as worn out as me, but had enough in him to holler lots of beautiful, loud screams. I found out later that his cord was pinned between his shoulders and his exit, so we couldn't waste too much time with him stuck there.

Now, I thought he seemed small, probably due to his lack of Lyla-like Michelin rolls. The birthing team all laughed at the notion of him being tiny, and made their guesses before taking him to get weighed. Seriously? Almost 10 pounds?

Wow.

He returned to me quickly for some Mommy-Baby bonding time. I spent the next two hours recovering energy, discovering my son, smiling at my husband, and shaking violently (thank you, hormones). They did my "repairs," saw that Baby Flint was nursing well, made sure I had a good meal, then sent us on our way. How nice to be able to go home to rest and start our lives as a family of four! Well, not just yet 4, since Grandma and PapPap kept Lyla for us. But I was very much looking forward to being home and not stuck in a hospital for days...

When we got home, Luke and I couldn't resist cleaning up the boy a little more. So, he got a quick sponge bath and hair-wash. All clean and eating well, he was already settling in!

Phew! What a day! One I won't forget any time soon! We were SO happy to have Flint home!

More pictures posted at Picasa, as usual! And more blog entries to come ASAP! We've got some catching up to do!

The Lake with Lyla

2010-10-01T19:18:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, bored with waiting for Baby Brudder and realizing our time with an only-child was drawing to an end, we had a spontaneous moment and decided to take Lyla to the lake for a picnic dinner and a little wander / play-time.

She delighted in throwing rocks and sticks in the water, walking along the bank, running through the tall grass, eating a picnic dinner (aka climbing around on the stone picnic table and consuming maybe one raisin), counting boats, and playing on the playground. She really wanted to go for a swim, but alas, we were losing sunlight, had no swimsuits, and the temperature wasn't all that warm (Yay, Fall!).

While I'm looking forward to embracing our new little guy just as much as I wanted to embrace Lyla, it'll be a bittersweet moment letting go of the "just us" time that I love so much while welcoming this new, exciting chapter for our family.

See other lake photos and the rest of September here.

Our next blog entry will be as a family of four! Wow!

Big Girl Awaits Little Brother

2010-09-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

New Status Achieved: Big Girl!

It's official. She just fell asleep all on her own and in her new twin bed. It isn't to say she won't wake up 3 hours from now and try to schmooze her way into my big-girl bed, but it's a start.

As Lyla transitions to live up to all her new titles, including "big girl," "big sister," and "Mommy's helper," the preparations for Baby Brudder's arrival are almost complete! We are still in limbo on this whole name business, but we are confident that something will click and stick when he decides to make his appearance. Hopefully. Actually, I am clueless and slightly terrified.

Here are some images of baby-prep with my favorite helper-girl.

Helping Daddy assemble a bouncy seat.

Testing out the cloth-diaper pail liner.

Offering a guided tour (aka wanting to get in the crib).

Demonstrating proper use of the bouncy seat using Baby Sally (really, she'd like to get in it, herself)...

Showing off Mommy's fantastic crocheting skills. It only took 3 months to make this "quick and easy" blanket, but not because it actually took that long...

The Big Sister Interview from Emily Quattrochi on Vimeo.

We are closer and closer to being 100% ready for "him." Some of us are a little more anxious for his arrival than others. Namely, those of us carrying the extra 30 lbs.

Mountains or Bust!

2010-09-10T09:58:00.001-07:00

We had anticipated Papa Sam and Lucinda's wedding for a while, but never made any firm decisions on whether or not my 8-months preggers self would join in the festivities, due to long-distance travel and high altitude. The plan was for me to stick around in good old Texas with Miss Lyla while Daddy bummed a ride with Aunt Mia's crew. However, being up to my neck in housework and stressful "nesting," I decided at the last minute that a long car drive with nothing to do might be just the thing I needed. Plus, I didn't want my Lyla to miss out on a chance to go somewhere new and see family she rarely sees.

So, Thursday when Luke got off work, I had mostly everything packed and ready to go. We zoomed off to Amarillo a little after 8:00pm, towards a beautiful (foreboding) lightning storm in the distance. About an hour into the dark drive, we were pelted with a classic Texas thunderstorm: cloud-to-ground lightning, booming thunder, minimal visibility, 60 mph winds. You know - perfect driving conditions! Fortunately, we were heading north as the storm was heading south, so we passed through it in about 30 minutes and managed to make Amarillo by 1:30am, laughing at our spontaneity all the while, and wondering if this may have been the worst idea ever...

Friday seemed like a much longer day, perhaps because we had to stop more frequently for food, stretching and relief, and also allow for some pauses on the interstate where there was road work. This didn't bother us initially, due to the lovely cool mountain breeze. We just opened the windows, sat and breather. Later on though, we were quite done. Lyla impressed us with her wonderful travel skills (aka watching videos on her DVD player, completely engrossed in "the zone"). She didn't complain once!

We arrived in Denver just in time for rush hour, extending our trip time by just a hair, and aggravating our star driver to no end. Got to the hotel with enough time to change clothes and head to Papa's house just a few minutes up the road for a visit and some appetizers before heading to a dinner. We wandered around Papa and Lucinda's gorgeous landscape and as Lyla got progressively more difficult to handle due to hunger and sleepiness, I concluded that Luke would be doing this dinner sans his Q-crew. Thus, Lyla and I soon found ourselves waiting exactly 7 minutes for our personal pan pizzas at the nearby Taco Bell / Pizza Hut and taking our meal to-go, back to the hotel. By this time, the previous night's sleeplessness and the loooong day of travel had caught up with my pregnancy hormones to have a little party, soon relieved by the arrival of the Wise-Guys to say their hellos and goodnights. Lyla and I were fast asleep after chowing down on our gourmet meal and watching approximately 2.5 minutes of Titanic on the La Quinta tube.

Day 3 consisted of wedding prep for most family members, Luke's part being repair work on Lucinda's burger-juiced Mac Book, my part being little black dress location and purchase, which proved to be a challenge. By "little black dress," I mean size 3T, which apparently isn't found at Target or Kohl's, leaving me at a loss. I made-do, as they say, by piecing together parts of various other outfits (which I planned to return later because I am sneaky that way!). Why might a 2-year-old need a black dress, you ask? Well, Lucinda had some adorable little butterfly wings for her to wear as an additional (and impromptu) flower girl, and the rest of the wedding party was wearing black. Even though I was dubious, it turned out very cute. Later on, we all caravanned to our new weekend home, the Columbine Inn, up in the mountains of Idaho Springs and discovered our new Mazda5 was not exactly made for 6% grades.

We settled in and relaxed a little while before reconvening for rehearsal dinner at a nearby Italian joint on the adorable main street of the town. Lyla did as well as she could for being a tired and hungry two-year-old, but admittedly, it's difficult to appease a busy, hungry, sleepy, overly-social little girl amongst a big crowd in a tight space. So, we spent a fair amount of time taking quick walks up the bricked sidewalk and switching off "Lyla duty" between Mommy and Daddy. Lyla was particularly fond of the piano man, and even boldly requested at one point that he play "Elmo" for her. We made it home pretty late that night and Miss Loopy-When-Sleepy spent a good 30 minutes jumping naked on the bed, singing loudly and cracking herself up.

Day 4 was Wedding Day. We had time to kill most of the day before the event was to begin, so we spent some time at a local park, wandered along the river, and ate at a pizza place down the street. My Aunt Debbie and family joined us briefly, there, and we were fortunate enough to visit for awhile, though departed in a dash to get to the nearby gold mine tour on time. Yes, that's right. Gold mine tour. It might have been a likable experience on a less stressful, cooler day, with no deadlines, having taken a nap and minus the 30 minute old-man lecture and dreadfully boring black and white mining video. By the time the actual tour began, Lyla (and Luke and I) were so worn out, instead of unloading the tram at the top of the mountain, we rode it back down and left. Lyla still talks about "the bus" as one of her favorite parts of the trip. A shame, though, we never saw the actual mines. In hindsight, it was a very good decision to select nap-time over mine-time. Also in hindsight, maybe 2 years old isn't an ideal starting age for any kind of "tour."

After the brief nap, we got dressed for the wedding and headed out to the breathtaking mountaintop where the ceremony was to take place. Now, I use "breathtaking" seriously. Breathtaking views, yes. Also breathtaking elevation (*gasp... gasp* lungs... collapsing...) and breathtaking panic on the way up (I thought we were going to roll off the narrow, steep, curvy mountainside and die). If he hadn't been busy getting groomed-up, I would have slapped Papa Sam upon our final ascent. The last part we had to walk up a rocky hill. Some of us in heals. And pregnant. In his defense, though, I guess I didn't technically have to attend. (And it was quite stunning).

The next several hours were spent taking photos, filming my sweet butterfly flower girl and trying to keep her from falling off a mountain-top. My nerves having gotten the best of me on the way up and completely dreading the journey down (in the pitch DARK!), I was mostly a useless, exhausted, anxious lump. Lyla really enjoyed her part, though, and upon completing her flowerly duties asked loudly to "do it again!" She also loved dancing with her cousins and exchanging glo-stix as the sky grew darker and darker. Needless to say, we survived the trip back down the mountain, and I am pretty sure apart from our early rise to hit the road back home, it was the best night of sleep I had the whole trip. Thank you, nerves.

We arranged to take two days to drive back to Texas, just in case, but we hoped to accomplish it in one day so we could use the second as a relax/recoup day. Success! We left the Inn at 6:30am and made it back to Keller at 9:30pm. What a long, long day... but we managed it! We were so happy to be back in our own beds. Regarding the messy house and still-to-be-done-nesting, not quite so happy.

Thanks to my parents and sister for taking care of our pets while we were away - we had a great time and hope to return to Colorado soon, hopefully able to partake in more outdoor activities and visit with family when they aren't busy getting married!

More Colorado/wedding pics and other September pics are HERE!

Behold: The Future!

2010-08-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

"Behold!" is something Lyla has been saying quite often lately, particularly when staging herself on Gia's fireplace and sweeping her hand broadly in front of her (having no idea, of course, what this means or why she does it), as taught by her Uncle John, and immediately followed by a loudly sung version of ABCD's or Itsy Bitsy Spider.

She is a total ham!

Here are some of her other antics of late. I wonder what the future brings for our uber-smart, multi-talented, happy-go-lucky, strong-willed "big girl..."

She also specializes in drama (particularly elaborate fit-throwing), nursing (boo-boo rinsing and Bandaid application), decorating (rearranging and misplacing Mommy and Daddy's stuff), painting (painting "jus' on paper!"), modeling for Mommy (sorta), nutrition (Gummy vitamins) and absolute independence (ignoring, defiance, bold assertion, you know... two-year-old stuff!). Oh how we love this girl!

Then July Flew By...

2010-08-01T16:07:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure where July went, but apparently it's gone!

We must have been busy for it to fly by so fast! I had to look back through our photos to make sure I could remember some of the things we've been up to.

We celebrated the 4th on the 3rd in Roanoke, at Aunt Shannon's house. We were lucky to have our cousin and her family visiting from out of town and I had a great time taking their pictures at the party. As usual, the Davidson's went all out with a bounce house/water-slide combo, grilling out, sparklers, and tons of yummy summer treats. Lyla anticipated the fireworks all day long and was quite impatient for them to start. When they did, she grabbed hold of her daddy's face, surprised at the depth and delay of the noise (but not at all afraid - ha)!

After nearly two weeks of rainy weather, the fireworks were an uncertainty, but the skies cleared for the night so we could enjoy them. It isn't to say, though, that we weren't enjoying the rainy weather!

Since the heat started to climb, we've spent as much time in cool water as possible. We got to go to Bedford Splash with Mary Jo and her kiddos. It was the perfect little waterpark for toddlers and young'ns. Lyla loved it! We also visited Pleasant Glade with some old daycare buddies, who Lyla misses dearly (and mentions daily), spent many hours in Pap's pool, and consumed at least one box of 100 count ice pops.

Other than that, we've tried to get as much activity in as possible while beating the Texas heat. Lyla did a gymnastics trial and really enjoyed it. She's been a bit of an artist lately, as well, favoring watercolors over crayons, and stamping her hands/feet over using paintbrushes. We've watched plenty of movies (if she had her way she'd watch them all day, every day). Favorites include Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Wall-E, Toy Story 2, Bolt, Monsters, Inc, Finding Nemo, and most recently, Shrek. One day did almost everything from the covert, air-conditioned surroundings of a living room fort.

Being such a good tube-magnet, Luke and I took her to her first movie not long ago. She impressed us with her amazing sit-stare-snack-slurp ability. All in all, she did surprisingly well for a two-year-old. She loves to retell the story of going to the movies with "Mommy and Daddy and Lyla and eat popcorn and candy and juice and watch Woody and Buzz and Jessie and Bullseye and the bear and the toys in the box..."

We've been saving most of our outdoor play until after dinner, when things finally start to cool off, and we've had to get a little inventive as far as what to actually do outside. While placing a small slide into a kiddie pool might seem like the most fun ever for a typical two-year-old, Lyla is more interested in running up and down the sidewalk as scantly clad as possible. I'm sure our neighbors are very impressed with her (lack of) modesty.

As you can see, she likes to get messy. But... she cleans up pretty nice!

And as usual, there are more pictures posted at Picasa.

Beach Babe!

2010-07-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

Our family trip to the beach in June was fantastic! We rented a perfect little beach house with some close friends and relaxed for a full week on the Gulf Coast, (sans oil spill goo, thankfully) enjoying the sound of the waves, collecting seashells, burying our feet, capturing tiny "crabbies," catching some rays, and riding the breakers. Lyla was hyped up about it weeks before our departure, telling me several times a day, "I wanna go to da beach!"

In anticipation of a long car ride down (aka "truck ride," thanks to Pap-Pap's loner!), Daddy and I invested in a portable DVD player and hooked it to the back of the seat in front of her so she could watch some of her favorites. So, the ride down was relatively painless.

We met up with some house-mates at a local (read: 40 minutes away from beach house) supermarket (read: Walmart) to stock up for the week's meals. By the time we got to the house, we were so ready to be there, and so pleasantly surprised by how immaculate and organized the place was. It certainly made for one happy Mama (who delighted in the fact that the owner had laminated scanned pages with the remotes on them delineating their uses and each button's function - woo hoo!).

Initially, we were disappointed by the lack of actual beach in front of the property. Since the hurricane two years ago, the beach beneath the deck completely disappeared. Sitting on the deck, though, with no land beneath us, felt like we were floating on the waves. Oh so peaceful and relaxing!

Apart from one trip to Moody Gardens and one fishing trip Luke took, we were total beach bums. Lyla seemed to enjoy the house as much as the beach, especially the loft and the stairs to the loft, which made for some slight stress. By the end of the week, she was a stair-climbing pro, though.

At Moody Gardens, we visited the Aquarium pyramid. Lyla enjoyed the seahorses and sharks in particular, and the underwater tunnel to view all the marine life. We then ventured over to the "Rainforest," which was another pyramid filled completely with plantlife (and humidity) and some animals to resemble an actual rainforest. We saw some really neat stuff, there. Lyla really liked the macaws we saw, and smelling the "root beer plant." From there, we visited the outdoor butterfly exhibit, which wasn't terribly impressive and unfortunately being at the end of our long day and outside in the heat, Lyla (read: Mommy) was kaput. All in all, an exciting day and tons of neat things you don't get to see every day!

Now, I know when I was a kid I loved the beach and swimming in the ocean, but it also had its drawbacks. I was nervous about big waves (still am) and not a huge fan of salty-eyes. My kid, however, was 100% sold on swimming and was brave beyond rationality (in my opinion). I'd let Luke take her out because I get a little too anxious about holding her and trying to balance my own (pregnant) self. That girl would try to swim away, not realizing that a.) she didn't actually know how to swim, b.) the waves would carry her away in a mini-flash, nor c.) what lurks in the unclear waters of the Gulf is meant to remain a mystery, yet something all should be wary of. When we put a swim ring on her to help minimize my slight panic-state, she would only swim off further and faster, singing loudly to herself and spinning around with a goofy grin on her face all the while. I loved, loved, loved, watching my sweet monkey go beach-bound.

We also set up Lyla's little pool on the deck, which was a life-saver for when we needed a break from the sun and salt. She was a complete ham, belly flopping in, spraying the deck with the hose and stripping out of her sandy suit to get clean.

One evening at sunset, Luke helped me take Lyla out in a cute little white dress to do a mini photo-session. The lighting was beautiful and I got a few photos that I'm proud of. It helps to have a completely adorable and photogenic daughter who totally mugs for the camera.

A couple of other times, we went out to the beach just before sunset, when it was cooling off. Daddy helped Lyla fly her Gabba Gabba kite, we searched for sand crabs and seashells, and played some Blongo-ball on the sand with our buddies.

Our last day there, it occurred to us to open up the canopy that we brought. We immediately regretted not having used it every day because it made the Texas heat so much more tolerable and we were able to stay outside for longer stretches of time. Live and learn, I guess! Being our last day, though, we milked every second of it outside.

Now, it may come as a surprise, but I took a few pictures. If you'd like to see 1/4th of them, please feel free to visit my Picasa beach album. We were ready to book another week at the beach immediately - it was sad to leave and return home to reality!

We had a great time!!!

New Q News!

2010-05-31T08:19:00.001-07:00

Some exciting news,
From the Q's,
Regarding the bundle
On its way...

We'd been dying to know,
Hoping it'd show,
On the sono image
The other day...

We couldn't have been more thrilled,
For our technician was so skilled,
At finding that certain
Shot without (much) delay...

Now we know that...

Lyla will be a big sis like no other,
To her new baby brother,
We can't wait to meet him!
October is too far away!