The Sense of Entitlement

Just a few minutes ago, Stephen came into the kitchen crying. "Where's our garage?" he said.

I repeated back to him: "Our garage?"

"Yes," he said.

"Stephen, we don't have a garage."

The look of sorrow on his face was truly devastating.

I guess being at grandma and grandpa's house got him used to the fact that houses have garages. And our Little People toy house has a garage.

I guess we have a lot of work to do to help him understand what a "need" is.

Of Trucks, Somersaults, and Bathtime

Stephen continues to crack us up with his drama and out-of-the-blue statements.

Today we were walking down a sidewalk and there was a truck blocking the sidewalk because it wasn't pulled up far enough in a driveway. Stephen said to me, "How are we EVER going to get around that truck?" (I showed him and we continued on our walk without a hitch.)

Then after his nap he wanted to do some somersaults. He just started doing them a week or so ago and he inevitably uses them as a stalling technique when he doesn't want to do something else. "I need do somersault," he tells me.

But then he asked me, "Does Great Grandma do somersaults?"

We still haven't gotten an answer.

Last week dad got Stephen to a pretty good point where he was enjoying taking baths again. But a couple days ago when I gave him one, he still didn't want me pouring the water over his head. (I've tried having him tilt his head back, holding a washcloth over his eyes, etc.) But then later in his bath he took a little toy cup and poured water on his own head.

So tonight I got smart. I shampooed his hair and then let him play for awhile. Then I said, "why don't you pour water on your head?" And he proceeded to fill up his little toy teacup and lift it up to drip down the side of his head. And behind him, I had a plastic cup full of water that I brought up from behind and gushed on him. He didn't mind at all because he thought he was doing it himself!

My Daughter's Quirks

One of Abby's many funny practices is that she likes to eat food while carrying it around. And she wants to have the whole piece. For certain foods that is a problem, because we can't give her food she could choke on. But there are many things that aren't a problem.

For instance, this morning she was vehemently rejecting the bits of banana that we were giving her but still reaching for the peel itself. I let her have it, and she proceeded to walk around with it proudly, sucking occasionally on the top of the fruit.

Well, Stephen wanted a bite and she was happy to oblige!

This evening during dinner, she didn't want peas or raisins. And she didn't want the little pieces of mom's good Jarlsberg cheese. She wanted the big hunk of it, "to go," please.

I know I could just refuse to let her eat this way, but really it just backfires on me when she is extra-hungry at night and wakes repeatedly.

Before I had Abby, I didn't know why parts of toys ended up all over people's houses. Stephen pretty much plays with toys where he finds them. But as I type this, she is bringing me a windmill from a train set in the other room. Thanks, kiddo.

What have we done?

Stephen is giving Abby a haircut with a fork.

Strange Ideas Out of the Mouths of Toddlers

It used to be that we had fun listening to Stephen mispronounce words. And while he still gets some words wrong, he really does enunciate pretty well. Now he comes up with funny combinations and phrases, such as "Grandma Stephen."

Here are some gems from today. I really, truly do not know where he gets this stuff.

"Drip drop 110"

"Stephen eats daddy's knee!" (said at the dinner table, when he was supposed to be eating shepherd's pie)

"nomeeneemyneeosidodiaheeabby" (his fun name for abby, which he says exactly the same way every time)

----

I just went through his clothes and he has plenty of 3T and 4T summer clothes. He's going to be excited about all the trucks and animals on his t-shirts, especially the lobster one. We go say hi to them every time we are at the grocery store.

Saxophone Party

After classes and juries were over, the classical saxophone professor invited her studio over to her house for an outdoor lunch/dinner (middle of the afternoon).

Before we left, we told Stephen we were going to a party. He said, "birthday!" But we said it was a saxophone party, not a birthday party. He didn't fight it at all, but happily got in the burley and we all biked over there (not a short ride; they're on the other side of town).

We enjoyed the party, especially the swing and slide they had in their backyard. And we went out in the paddleboat.

Then at one point Stephen was standing around the food table, enjoying the chips and crackers, and he suddenly exclaimed, "Happy birthday, Saxophone!" (I guess he didn't "get it" after all.)

The picture from the bike trailer is after BOTH of them had slept on the way home. Stephen woke up as soon as we stopped biking but Abby was a little more sleepy.

Poor Baby

So we just got back from a long trip today and Abby has been having the toughest time going to sleep. We tried the usual ... letting her eat more, gas drops, rubbing her tummy ... and I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I would have eaten that is upsetting her so much. Ryan suggested that her body is sore from so much time in the carseat. Likely. But it hasn't bothered her other times. So why tonight?

I felt in her mouth to the place where her 8th tooth is supposed to be coming in any day ... she's had 7 teeth for about 3 months. And then I reached back a little further. A tooth is poking through. I reached back on the other side. Another one. Upon further investigation ... yep ... both are molars.

Ouch.

We treated her and she immediately calmed down. Did I go the "natural" or "medical" route? You, my dear blog readers, who hail from so many different camps, will never know ...

Abby Turned One

Many of my readers are on facebook and would have seen plenty about Abby's 1st birthday. But for the sake of those who aren't, here's a quick rundown.

For Stephen's sake, we needed to have a party. And Grandma Leatherman was in town, so we decked the walls with streamers, baked a chocolate cake for all of the (5 adult) guests, and purchased Abby her very own cupcake from Cakes on Walnut. It even came in a cute box!!!

She enjoyed the festivities, and now has a drawer stuffed full of clothes and toys that make her brother jealous.

She's a fun kid (except when she doesn't want to go to sleep at night). She says a handful of words, unintelligible to anyone but her family. It goes a little bit like this:
"Do" means: do (she has to keep busy); dog; kitty; daddy
"Stee" means: Stephen
"Mamamamama" means: mommy; food
"shoo" means: shoe
"t" means: tent
"zhu" means: cheerio
... and that's all I can think of right now.

A Step Closer to Enlisting

Before

and after

Chickpea Crackers

The kids are [drumroll please] BOTH sleeping ... so I poured myself a bowl of cereal and topped it with some half frozen milk. Stephen must have been playing with the dial in the refrigerator. But I'm not upset. (See first sentence for reason why.)

Since I know some celiacs and some other people (such as the girl I babysit) who avoid wheat, I sometimes try my hand at gluten-free cooking. I know many common meals such as chili already are gluten-free; it's the things that almost always contain wheat that need the special twist to make them gluten-free.

A friend of mine posted a recipe for Chickpea crackers a couple weeks ago and I gave them a try. I'm sure the author enjoyed them but they just didn't cut it for me. I couldn't nail down what it was about them that I didn't care for but since I now have a bag full of chickpea flour (it's not very expensive and is most commonly found in the baking aisle with the selection of Bob's Red Mill flours) in the cupboard I wanted to give it another shot. Here's what I came up with. I was pretty happy with it! (And by posting it I can throw away the post-it note it's scribbled on.)

1/2 c chickpea flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
2 T ground flaxseed
1 T sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t oil
2-4 T water, enough to make it stick together but not too sticky!

Mix ingredients together to form a ball.
Using enough flour (this is where I cheated and used wheat, but you wouldn't have to) so as not to get the dough stuck on the rolling pin or the counter, roll the dough out.
Cut into squares with a knife.
Put on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
Let cool on a cooling rack.

This doesn't make a huge batch but was a good snack for me and the kids yesterday.

Abby Tries More Food

As Abby is approaching one year of age, I have begun introducing to her some of the staple foods that most of us enjoy on a daily basis. Because of the history of allergies in my family, I have been extra cautious and waited longer than most doctors recommend waiting to introduce the big three: wheat, dairy, and eggs. Of course there are other "big ones," such as peanuts and fish, but in my family WD&E were the culprits.

Saturday we started out with wheat. I made some whole wheat crackers that were very bland but also very simple. She has eaten some every day since then.

Today I delved into dairy. I probably will still wait quite awhile before doing straight milk, as that is not tolerated as well as cheese and yogurt. Besides, she still nurses a lot. So for lunch I mixed up some berries with some plain yogurt. (That's what this video shows.)


I think Saturday will be the egg day, since we have friends visiting and I'll be making a casserole for them.

And while she isn't having any major reactions such as ezcema or hives, I must say I find the wheat to be somewhat suspect. Her nose has been running and I don't think she's sick at all. I'll give it a couple days before I decide to eliminate it again. I hope for her sake that she doesn't have to be on a special diet. But then again, there are worse things, and it would probably help her to eat healthier.

Little Boys' Dreams Do Come True

We had such a busy day yesterday. And not just lots to do. There was a lot going on all at once that I knew would be a lot of fun for Stephen. It all started out with a birthday party. Stephen has officially "discovered" that birthday parties are the BEST! Cake and toys and kids ... what's not to love about that? At this party, the kids made individual pizzas and then did some songs/activities. Eating the pizzas and the cake was great fun, too.

After that, we drove over to the Champaign Public Library where Steve Roslonek was giving a free concert. Stephen recognized him from his Steve Songs segment between SuperWhy and Clifford. His favorite song is about shapes: "Line line circle circle square square square square triangle triangle ..." And thankfully Steve saw to it that that song was performed for the crowd. (Our friend Nadia even got to help him with the motions!!) We also saw SuperWhy who was quite large. Sadly, Alpha Pig didn't make it; he is Stephen's favorite!

Even though Stephen had done a lot at that point, I thought he might enjoy seeing some of the animals at the Vet Med school's open house. The crowds were a little too intense for him, so we ended up making a bunny ears hat and then running around the pen with the obedience dogs.

After that, I made him rest by watching a movie. We had some people over for a discussion last night and the boy zonked out at 7:30 (early for him; he goes to bed between 8 and 9).

Today has been a magnificent day for me, despite the rainy weather. I slept in and Ryan got up with Stephen. Then I went to a coffee shop by myself for an hour and a half. Now I'm home but BOTH kids are sleeping and that's been the case for over an hour. It'll be nice with Abby and Stephen's naps (or Stephen's rest time when he doesn't nap) coincide all the time.





Oh, and speaking of little boys' dreams ... some people reading this might like to know that I heard Stephen saying "how bout legos, grandpa?" when he was going to sleep last night ...

Des Moines Update

I'd say we did pretty well getting all the kids in the picture, even though they aren't all smiling. This was at Rita's house on Friday night. We had a little pizza party, and it was here that Stephen discovered his love of Cheetos.

I wanted to include this one, just to show off Abby's lovely hair and because Anna was so excited to be holding her little buddy.

Here are Abby and Addie, who is 2.5 months younger. They were both quite social when we got together to play on Friday morning.

Stephen was pretty excited to visit "Uncle" Peter at his pharmacy in Adair.

Those who are my friends on Facebook might have known that Grandma Susan got us in (or out, depending on how you look at it) to see the helicopter at Methodist Hospital.

Stephen even got to sit in the pilot's seat!


It was a wonderful week, seeing friends and family. It always goes by too quickly. In other news, Ryan sprained his wrist the Friday before we left. We're thankful that it doesn't seem to be broken. (We did have an x-ray done and nothing showed up.) We're currently in the middle of making sure that our home is a safe place for all of us to be. We had some lead contamination that seems to have been taken care of, and now we're wondering if the glaze on the bathtub that was supposed to seal in the lead is causing its own problems. It's disconcerting to feel like my own house is poisoning our children.

"__________, Come over!"

Stephen has decreed that the following people need to come over to our house:

• Gina
• Maya
• Phoena
• John and Jackie
• Obama
• Aunt Sherry

Stephen is also very sad that we aren't currently getting in the car to go to grandma and grandpa's house. But how could we? We're waiting for friends to come visit us . . .

Toddler Revenge and Ingenuity

Yesterday when we were taking a walk, soaking in the glorious weather, a man walked past us and teased Stephen a little bit for wearing a Hawkeyes jacket. Understandable--we do live in Illini territory!

Not to be intimidated, Stephen announced to me right after he passed us, "Follow her!" (tee hee - last time he'll mess with my kid!)

Stephen likes watching tractor clips on youtube, and this is one he's been asking for a lot recently. (It's not really worth watching unless you like watching tractors; it's of a tractor driving on its rear wheels.)

Keeping that in mind, this is what I saw him pushing this across the floor this morning. (Who taught him how to do that?!?)

Highlights and Lowlights

The kids and I are back from a 6-day trip to Texas to see my parents and to give Ryan some time to really work on his school and air force stuff. I'm glad we were able to go, but the trip was not without its challenges. I'll mention here some good and some less-than-desirable circumstances.

On the way there, Stephen and Abby were delightful travel companions. On our 2nd flight, the young woman next to us was sleeping almost the whole time. As we were getting ready to deplane, Stephen noticed that she still had her eyes closed. He started pointing at her frantically: "WAKE! WAKE! WAKE!" I promised him that I'd make sure she got off the plane, too, but at that point she was already smiling at him. Stephen was so excited when he saw mom, dad, and Emily waiting for us that he sped up from his casual stroll to an all-out run to greet them.

We got to have lunch at the restaurant where Emily works. It was a busy time for them, so she was pretty busy, and Stephen didn't understand why he couldn't have "Tantie Em" all to himself.

I was given a few names of women to connect with in San Antonio (hi Bethany and Julie and Sherri) ... and that was really nice as we weren't really there to be tourists but rather to get a feel for what the locals do.

While I'm glad we got to go to San Antonio for the day, it was a little overwhelming for me. The hour-long wait at the visitor center to get onto the base was tiring and the city is too big to just drive around a few areas where we might want to live.

Wednesday when mom and I got back from toy shopping, Stephen was resting on the couch with a fever. He continued to get sicker and sicker and we finally took him to the minute clinic at the CVS down the street. We did that mostly so they could take a look at his ears to see if he would be able to handle the airplane ride today. She heard his wheezing and sent us immediately to urgent care. "Urgent care" was not a good name for this place, as we waited 2.5 hours to see a doctor and get a prescription for a sinus infection. The medicine did its work and Stephen is much better today!

We celebrated Emily's 25th birthday with a giant cookie. Stephen sort of ruined the little bit of surprise it would have been; when she walked in the house he said, "CANDLES!"

I mentionned the toy shopping before. Mom and I found a great deal on toy train track (all you could fit in a gallon ziploc for $5!) and I got a magnetic calendar that I won't use for awhile. We also found the pushtoy for Abby that she LOVES!

MAMACITAS!

Today was pretty much a nightmare at the airports. We flew Austin-Chicago-Indianapolis and then drove home. Stephen hardly ever wants to sit in the stroller, and that's fine when we aren't in a hurry and when he is being cooperative and staying close to me. After being sick Wednesday and Thursday, he was still feeling rather weak and would really have prefered to sit on the couch with mommy watching Thomas the Tank Engine. So hooray for being home with 2 sleeping kids :).

Mamacita's

My one request, food-wise, was that we eat at a Mexican place while the kids and I were visiting mom and dad in Texas. So this was on our way home from San Antonio yesterday and it was sure great! We also enjoyed a nice lunch at The Cove and took a quick tour of Lackland AFB, where Ryan will be working sometime later this year.

Abby got a new push toy today and loved it. Mom has a video of it up on YouTube.

I would post more, but I'm anticipating a rough night with a little boy with a fever and a girl who gets me up a lot anyway.

Not Just Another Fire Station

No, this is a fire station made of recyclables! When Carolyn and Susan were here this weekend, we put this together during naps and after bedtime. The station is made of cereal boxes, and the truck is made of an egg carton.

Speaking of egg cartons, we picked up some eggs at Meijer tonight, and soon afterwards, I asked Stephen to put a jar of peanut butter in the cart. Oops! Right on top of the eggs. I checked, and 2 eggs were broken in a significant way. Long story short, I got a dozen solid eggs and Meijer didn't make me pay for the broken ones. That was nice.

You Know You're a Mother When ...

... you think "living on the edge" means going to the library without a diaper bag.

This is precisely what I did a couple of hours ago.

And I'm sure that you're now thinking I'm going to tell you a thrilling poop story. But I'm not. It was fine. There were no catastrophes.

But we did stumble upon a birthday party for Abraham Lincoln, complete with cake and punch! Ever since going to the museum a few weeks ago, Stephen has noticed Abe's picture just about everywhere. And since he's on the Illinois license plate, we hear about dear ol' Abe quite a bit.

And now we're waiting for Susan and Carolyn to arrive. It'll be a little later than they expected since Obama decided to go to Peoria when they were driving through.

Lest You Think Abby Is Adopted ...

My dad has been having fun digitizing old slides.

Here are two: One is of my sister Emily when she's about a year old. The other is of my dad (on the right) and his twin brother sitting on their grandparents' laps.