First Day Home with the Kids!

I woke about 6 a.m. today. It’s now automatic. Sometimes I don’t sleep through the night anymore but I think that it is the caffeine.

Mead said this morning, “ I want one little grape.”

We had quite a nice morning-so early to get up, but so much can be done at that time, no distractions.

Today is my first day home with both kids. It’s great! Isaac just had the first bottle and it is 11:58. He is on my chest in the Baby Bjorn. I am trying to take video snapshots of the day as I move around and do activities with the kids-and generally get the house clean.

The day went very well, walking, listening to my iPod, going to the library, music store, bookstore, then home. I learned that it’s really difficult to have two infants in the library at times, but it’s always better than staying home.

Mead Is Two

Hello world! It has been some time since I have written an entry about Mead! Probably been since I have had two. With Isaac, we don't have a free hand quite as much, but we are never bored. Mead's birthday lasted more than half a week. She has more toys than we know what to do with, and five boxes are in the basement because our house is just too small for them. What can you do...hopefully donate more to the college fund!

Isaac is five months old! He has gone through many changes. He can now spend tons of time on his stomach, although he sometimes likes to play with toys on his back. Uh-oh, there are some little people sounds, gotta go!

Big Girl Bed

It's 5:30 am. My eyes open. It is dark. I can't believe it. I am alone.

This is incredible. In the middle of the night, Mead decided to sleep the rest of the night in her big girl bed. I vaguely remember waking at night and she was there, but she must have crawled away and laid comfortably down just like a big kid. It's great! I hope it continues.

To give some background, we co-sleep. Mead began by sharing our bed with us. Slowly, we have been 'weaning' her from this as she becomes comfortable. She has her own bed

This is dad's weekend, and my dad (Mitch) was here for all of Saturday and some of Friday. The motto was "no appointments, no disappointments!" coined by him, and the only things we scheduled were meals, when we wanted to. The funniest thing happened when we went to B's Rustic tavern for a meal, got all ready, and strolled there. We were about 20 minutes into the meal when I decided it was a good time to start Mead 'coloring.' This would have been great except for the fact that I forgot to stick the diaper bag in the stroller! Oops.

We did go to the "Thomas" restaurant. This is definitely Mead's favorite because there is a train that continuously circles the dining room. In a few minutes we are leaving on a great adventure, but without Mitch since he left at 5:00 a.m. to catch his flight

Bless You!

Mead and I are sitting here looking at pictures. I sneezed. She took a slight pause from drinking, and without even taking the bottle from her mouth she said a slurred, "Bless you." Wow!

S'potty on Dudes!

The Button had two good experiences on the potty, so we got her one of her own. She is still quite young for this, but she expressed an interest in giving it a try. She seems to understand what the real potty is for, but the kiddie one seems to be confusing her because all she wants to do is stand on it, or in it.

Stop It!

We were having shrimp dinner, and the cat kept clawing Karrie to get some. After this happened three times, with her becoming more agitated with each instance, I pushed him away with my foot and said "Stop it!" loudly. There was a short pause followed by Mead yelling "STOP IT!" and pounding on the high chair table.

March Is Reading Month

After a really cool and free Saturday Concert at Elderly Instruments (Seth Bernard and Daisy Mae), we decided to continue our great adventure by reading for an hour at the local bookstore! We left with a duck, a Dora Book, and even some books for DAD!

A Great Snow Day, then Blamo!

I was waiting at the light at National Street when I heard that school was closed! What a suprise I missed the call. Mead still spent most of the day at Nano's house, so I could get some things done, Karrie however had to go. I got called names for that. I am running 3-0 on snowdays, so I'm feeling pretty good about that.

We had a great adventure at the library. We read books, played on computers, walked, and witnessed many interesting parenting strategies. We all note that one. No comment there, I'm not perfect, but at least I try to be positive.

The Button's day ended with a bang. She tumbled face first into the cube, shown in the close-up above. This was the first real face smash! Believe me, it left a mark, and it didn't sound good either. It happened fast. The silent cry. The ear shattering cry. Bloody nose! Ahh. Tell no more you say...but don't worry, she is fast asleep upstairs. Really no problem vor her.

The Button is Still Well

Here we are...Saturday, the day that the working world gets sick. Greatfully, Mead is doing fine. Karrie has had the cold for weeks, and I am noticing the first signs of it this morning.

Good News-The shower is fixed! The culprit-a rock in the pipe.

No great adventures this weekend...yet.

Always the Comedian, Mead Hams It Up!

Visiting is a great adventure for the Button. She always provides great entertainment! She had tons of fun at our friends house last night, who have a baby younger than her. She had some great practice as a big sister.

Dad's Home for Lunch!

Wow, how cool is it to live two minutes from work. That means that I can come home to visit for lunch, and have leftover suprise! Mead just figured out how to get into the stroller by herself. Here we are

Create A Space Weekend!

Karrie and I are both at our respective posts at the moment. She is sewing and I am typing. The button is fast asleep upstairs so we can hear the drone of the monitor over the grassy hill radio broadcast.

On inspiration from a mothering magazine article, we have decided to create some of our own space, for creative reasons. We are already extrememly enjoying this great adult only time. This has been something we have really dreamed about for years, but have only had moments of in the past. My band space was my own creative center, but Karrie has really not had one, outside of the gardens around the yard.

Although wonderful in many unbelievable ways, the Button does take a toll on creative outlets. Anything you do needs to have minimal setup and breakdown time, or it doesn't happen. Thus, the creative space can be left a mess, and you can get to it any time you want to, even if for a few minutes.

The really cool thing is that she is more independent everyday. She sits and plays for longer periods, and seems quite engaged in her activities. This could really pan out for many creative 'minutes.' Some of the things she does well on her own is drawing. She uses a more tactile version of the etch a sketch, but it comes with a magnetic pencil that lets her draw right on the surface! She does some great scribbles, you should see for yourself. Washable crayons are no longer out of the question either, but that activity needs more supervision.

She is still reading quite a bit, although sometimes I catch her with the book upside down. I help her with this, but she really doesn't mind either way. Her favorite books for this are Have You Seen Dogs and Everyone Poops.



Well its way past bedtime and the eyes are getting blurry.

Mead's Current Faves

1. Snuggling with Nursing Nina...
2. Practicing her ABC's. C is her favorite letter.
3. Splashing in the bathtub.
4. Watching "Bambi"
5. Helping fold the Diapers
6. Eating Sprouts
7. Going on great family adventures.
8. Walking
9. Talking
10. Making Animal Sounds

When Mead sees Thumper, she actually thumps her foot.

A Day At the Michigan History Museum!

It was decided over coffee. Go to the Michigan History Museum in Lansing. Mead especially loved the furs on the touch table. She took a wolf fur and wrapped it right around her neck, making wolf sounds and also saying "carf, carf." Very fun! You would not believe how much she is walking now! It is really amazing how much she can move and talk. When we are out, she walks about 30-40% of the time.