A new joke

Pip has added a new joke. It's a Matt Stone joke cleaned up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-1ofzhf1ug

His full repertoire is now:

1. Knock, knock ... who's there? ... police ... police who? ... police let me in, it's cold out here!
2. It's so cold outside, I saw a turkey with a capon!
3. Oh look, a polar bear in the snow (when he get's to the blank page at the end of a book)!
4. Who has two thumbs and loves (insert name here)? THIS GUY!!!

Not so Magical Vivian

Meanwhile, Vivian has been going through a rough phase. Welcome the tantrums. Except it took me a while to realize what was going on. Her tantrums aren't anything like Pip's .. which involve extreme anger, flailing, yelling, crying, and screaming. Generally several good kicks are thrown in. Vivian just turns on this annoying whine/cry and yanks on me incessantly.

This may not be as frightening as Pip's version, but man does it drive me crazy. Doesn't get what she wants ... "waaaaahhhhh! Mommy!" (yank, yank, yank). Ugh, I'm going crazy around here..

Plus she's decided bedtime is for the birds and she'd much rather play. So every night she cries at the top of her lungs for about an hour. We go in every so often to reassure her (she yells "go!" to us, pointing outside of her room and urging us to let her out). This is not fun.

About the only thing that consoles her is reading to her animals. She has these 4 board books that belong to a set. We've noticed before naps she'll read them to her stuffed animals, eventually falling asleep calmly. Here's a little clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLqPOu9fw0Q

So at nighttime we've started leaving a nightlight on for her and encouraging her to read to her animals before bed as well. This has worked a little. Plus the Ferberizing always does the trick. We're down to usually 10 minutes of crying max and one stop in for reassurance.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to see the bright side of the tantrums (this is not easy and I am constantly finding myself irrationally annoyed by my sweet pea) -- it's a great model for Pip. She'll be freaking out because she can't climb into the pilot "by self" (she insists on doing EVERYTHING this way ALL THE TIME) or because she can't put on her shoes "by self" or because I'm not letting her fill her sippy cup with milk "by self" ... whatever it is ... and start the dreaded whine/cry/yank combo. I get to look at Pip, who also seems exasperated, and say "see Pip, this just isn't fair." And he seems to nod back at me, like, "yeah, maybe tantrums aren't quite such a great idea." Ahh -- a new alliance is developing.

Magical Pip

Before I get into this post, I want to be clear up-front. Parenting life is rarely ... rarely ... full of the moments I am about to describe. That is why I am posting it as magical. I am hardly tooting my own horn, or Pip's horn, as it were. I'm still reeling that this happened and so I have to write about it.

This night started out fairly routinely. A Friday, we were unwinding after dinner. All of us sprawled on the floor, digesting dinners, playing with toys, running, jumping, talking. You can figure which of us was doing which. All of a sudden Phil and I noticed Pip was cleaning up toys. Not getting out new ones. It was about 15 minutes to bedtime. We exchanged glances. Pip continued with even greater zest. Silently, without drawing attention to himself, he walked over to the wipes, drew one out and now wiped down each toy before carefully putting it away. "Are you seeing this?", Phil and I seemed to say in unison to each other.

One by one, Magical Pip picked up every last toy downstairs. He scoured the place looking for stragglers, quietly returning them to their proper place. I whispered to Phil, "we gotta reward this." And Phil just as quietly slipped Magical Pip some M&M's as if to the maitre'd for a window table. Pip popped them in his mouth and continued his quested uninterrupted.

Next, Magical Pip announced, "Come on Vivie, it's time for bed." He turned and clomped upstairs telling Vivie to get her pajamas on. He went into his room, happily telling me he was about to get dressed for bed and inviting me to watch his undressing and dressing prowess. I watched in amazement. When finished, he announced, "Ok, now we brush our teeth" and marched into the bathroom where he led a instructional on teeth brushing for a one person audience.

Afterwards he waited for Vivie and then picked out the Thomas song book (with buttons to push for the songs) and climbed with her into her big bedroom chair. I was looking on with huge eyes, dumbstruck. Magic Pip proceeded to gently show Vivie which button to push on each page and let her push every one. We went through the book twice and every time he let her push the buttons. Once he accidentally pushed one while trying to show her which one. ... "Don't worry Vivie, when the song stops you can push it next time."

I was out of my gourd. I still am now looking back. Then Magical Pip slipped into his room for a song from Daddy. And hasn't been seen since.

Here are two clips of the cleaning part (and yes, that is me half asleep on the floor ... this Mommy stuff is tiring!!!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Etqf5bc-0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5nWbJ7YVLw

Struttin' and Airplane Dinners

Pip always picks his outfits and lately he also picks his jacket and hat. Since we only really have one major winter jacket, this is not really much of a choice. Until he found this leopard shrug I had set out for Vivian. He LOVES it. He also wants to bring his bike everywhere we go, but I've convinced him it is too big and also sometimes inappropriate (think grocery store). So he settles for wearing his helmet everywhere instead. This, then, is his new winter ensemble:



Meanwhile, Phil and I have discovered the only method for getting Vivian to eat dinner. Doesn't seem to matter how hungry this girl is, she will NOT sit still in any chair to eat. Simply too confining. So we gave up trying. This is much more effective. We eat. She runs about all over the house, usually pushing one of her babies in a stroller and muttering to herself all the way. When we're done eating, I stab some of her food on a fork and begin making a very loud, low airplane sound. I'm going for dive-bomber. She squeals with delight and comes bounding to the table. I dive-bomb a forkful in her mouth; she takes off running. Repeat. This way we got her to eat a full egg, one chicken nugget, several carrot sticks, and a lightning diver bomber round of applesauce. Oh, and a few bites of wheat bread. Pip will also join in the fun and we have double-diver bombers.

After dinner, Pip invented this bad idea. Luckily, all the food stayed down!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX7SWLTq5zc

Winter bikers

We're tired of being cooped up inside!!! Let us OUT! This was definitely Pip's mantra today and sometimes Vivie's. It's hard to be stuck inside all these cold months!

Finally Phil took him out for a run on the jogging stroller which turned into some backyard baseball and then bike riding. Even Vivie wanted to get in on the action.





Pip is a ricket man on his bike, speeding up and down the sidewalk. Poor Vivie can't even figure out the scooter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ5igB_tqAU

Children's Museum

Mom's Group went to the Boston Children's Museum today (after I got the oil change and a MA inspection for the Accord ... busy me!). As always, this is a raucous adventure .. with me mainly in watching, protecting, herding mode. We didn't nearly get to all the rooms but we succeeded in exhausting ourselves completely.

Curious George has a special exhibit at the museum this week. What luck! Vivian was thrilled to see him and said hi to every picture she saw all over the museum -- until she met him "in person". Then she was terrified. Luckily Pip bucked up and gave him a high five shortly after this pic was taken.


Here you see Pip (or mostly his legs) climbing the construction zone climber.


The golf ball, gravity, pendulum exhibit had all the kids mesmerized for a long time. Here Pip, Charlie, and Nicholas were in a fantasy land where placing the balls up high and watching them comes down the spiral was somehow rescuing people!


Vivian and Carolina open doors at the Curious George exhibit.

We also got some great videos. Pip in the Curious George rocket:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-V3PLPCQJM

Vivian rocked driving this car:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lSjLit_KhM

This was hysterical. Watch Vivie try to catch this golf ball after she drops it into the U curve:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgGfzXk-xBo

Later, when we got home, Vivian demonstrated her version of "jumping off the table" ... not what you'd think:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr2IPVUw2HU

AND ... finally, we got these poppers at the museum that never fail to make us laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OneWDnMIWWM

PANTRY COMPLETE!

The pantry is finally complete. We still need to paint outside and put some posts in when the ground un-freezes, but who cares about that!

Phil and I spent lots of the weekend filling it up and clearing out all the new-found space everywhere else in the house. I have to keep stopping myself from going into the bathroom for food now!

Pocket door open (obviously):


The shallow spice & can shelves:


Filled up!


You can kinda see the wine cooler there on the bottom.

Pink Eyes, Colds, Ear Infections, and a Rash

What a week. I'm nervous to say we're through it, but I think we might be. Started out with Pink Eye for Vivie on Saturday with a nasty cold to boot. Tuesday Pip woke up with Pink Eye and soon Phil was home with both of them in a gooey mess. Pip only got worse the next day (despite being on eye ointment) so I took him to the pedi who confirmed his first ever ear infection. Poor guy was miserable, pulling on his ear with watery eyes and a pout full of pain. He quickly got his first ever dose of antibiotics and we were back in business. Meanwhile Vivie was cleared for daycare today (while I stayed home with a recuperating Pip happy to tell everyone he couldn't go to school because ... and then he would sniffle his nose and look sad). But after her nap she woke with a mystery rash, so it was back to the pedi we went. It did indeed look strange and has been clearing in some places and showing up again in others all night. But the pedi felt it was some allergic reaction and not contagious nor anything to be too concerned about. What she did find was that Vivie also had an ear infection, completely unbeknownst to us.

Meanwhile I missed out on my long-planned trip to foxwoods with work friends (boo-hoo). But I suppose overall that will be a good thing for our budget.

In retrospect, I think perhaps Vivie's clingyness may have been at least in part due to her feeling so crappy. She's like a whole new person now. Giggling non-stop. Doesn't freak out if I leave the room. And, for better or worse, wants to do EVERYTHING herself. Pour her own milk, put on her own diaper, try potty, get in her car seat, get up on chairs, pretty much you name it -- she wants to do it.

I did get her to let me try a braid, though. And it actually worked! Here are pics of her first French braid!

I need Mommy

I think for posterity sake, I should document that Vivian needs me. ALL THE TIME. NEEDS. ALL THE TIME. It's gone beyond flattering. She cries for me in the morning. Practically gives poor Phil the stiff arm when given the choice between us. I know this is a phase. But really.

Last week was my final week of late nights for the second gig. It was great extra money but it was quickly turning from short term into permanent and I didn't want that to happen. So I promised only until the end of January and that time has come. I am hoping the extra two nights home with Vivian will help her to relax a bit.

In other news, she apparently peed on the potty at school a few weeks ago. I think this may have been coincidence, but she does show more interested in it at this age than Pip did. Pip was like, "toilet ... that's for old people!" when he was her age. So perhaps it's a sign she'll be quicker than he was.

They are little peas in pods. Last night Vivian was refusing to go to sleep, which is not her norm. She would cry and cry until we'd go up to her and then perk up and ask to come downstairs and play or read a book. Exasperated, I decided to let her cry some more. As I was coming down the stairs, Pip peaked his head from his bed and said "she's crying Mommy ... " I was like, yes, I know, and I don't care. That little sweetie went in there and for the next half hour they played and jumped together with wild abandon. Clearly this was Pip also taking advantage of a opportunity not to sleep. But I had no energy left to fight and it was cute. Finally I had to go up there and break them up.

The Kids Klubhouse!

I had to get over my aversion to places/things spelled incorrectly just for cheesy alliteration. We had Mom's group at the Kids Klubhouse today! What a blast. I took barely any pictures because I had to run around so much to keep up with these two. There was a big pirate ship, a castle, 2 huge jumpy houses, a race track with low-friction-easy-to-shuffle-and-steer-toddler-sized cars (the kids got them going so fast Pip would ask me if he could cross the "street"!).

Vivian LOVED the pirate plank and slidey board. She was all about it. Pip and his friends ran frantically through the place in a fun frenzy (there some perfectly valid alliteration for you) for nearly 3 hours.





Afterwards we hit Wendy's. Pip sat still for approximately 1.45 minutes yet still managed to hear 4/5's of his cheeseburger. Impressive.


The best news was that after this high adventure all 3 of us snagged happy naps at home. Priceless.