She's only 11 months old and WALKING! This just really got going this last week. Her max distance so far is probably a stretch as far s five or six feet. She is so adventurous. It started last weekend or so when she'd be leaning against something then launch out with no clear destination or objective. The first time she just fell on her face; then she made it a step or two; and now she is clearing massive distances. I am utterly amazed.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
WALKING!
She's only 11 months old and WALKING! This just really got going this last week. Her max distance so far is probably a stretch as far s five or six feet. She is so adventurous. It started last weekend or so when she'd be leaning against something then launch out with no clear destination or objective. The first time she just fell on her face; then she made it a step or two; and now she is clearing massive distances. I am utterly amazed.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Home-Bound but Present
We have been utterly home-bound, now for weeks. Between the cold outside and the colds the kid have inside, there has been no chance of us adventuring out. So, my life has been pretty much centered on playing with the kids and homemaking. While reflecting on the situation with a great friend of mine, who also happens to be the busiest woman in the world, she commented how nice it must be to really focus on the house and be present for my kids. Hmmm. Well, I hadn't really though of it that way. I've mostly been thinking, "Oh woe is me... I haven't left the house in over a week... These kids and cabin-fever will surely send me to the loony bin."
After some reflection, I've been thinking about my home life a little differently. Sure, life as a shut-in can get a little depressing if you let it. But, there is a lot to keep me occupied and PRESENT. The first of which are my kids. We have truly been enjoying more play time and snuggle time than we ever enjoyed when we were busy and social in Omaha. Little things like Georgia throwing her little chubby arms around my neck and the hysterical sound of Normy laughing at full tilt, really do make this all worth while. They have been discovering how to communicate with each other and us parents more and more this week. So, here are some photos of me stopping to smell the roses, and still managing to get my house work done.
Georgia and Normy Make the Bed
And help with the laundry.
Shoo, after all those chores, let's watch some Thomas and Friends!Tuesday, January 27, 2009
For My Mother
Behold! My First Photo Wall!!!
Those of you who know my Mama, you know that she treasures photos in a slightly obsessive way. I seem to have inherited that gene from her. The photo walls in her house are massive feats of geometry and patience. Not to mention, a lot of time spent picking just the right pictures. One of her most recent displays is a collection of pictures of her children bathing, pretend-shaving (Zach), brushing teeth, potty training, etc. on the wall in her bathroom. It is spectacular. When I visit, I go into her bathroom to poop, so I can spend the extra time looking at the wall. OK, too much info. Sorry.
Anyway, after a days worth of work, here is my first picture wall!
Anyway, after a days worth of work, here is my first picture wall!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Today's Highlights
5:39 AM: Georgia takes her first steps with the push-toy.
5:42 AM: Normy steals push-toy, leaving Georgia standing bewildered for several seconds.
5:43 AM: Normy is on the hunt to bulldoze into all moving targets.Look out Jack.
3:45 PM: Georgia is grateful that Normy is napping so that she can pull
apart Mama's kitchen in relative peace.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Smoochy's Icecicle
*This post has been modified from it's previous comic version to reflect standards of Internet decency. You can email me for the non-edited version if you're curios.
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Once and Future Normy
Did you know I don't ever call him Normy anymore?
It's hard for many of you to think of him in any other way, I'm sure. It was a conscious decision on my part. Somewhere between 18 months and his second birthday I decided that we had given him a perfectly good name, and we should use it. It wasn't his fault that it was confusing to have two Jacobs, why should he get shafted out of his name? So I went cold turkey. These days I've been missing "Normy" a little bit. I wonder if I can reintroduce it as a proper nick-name. We sometimes call Georgia "Peaches" and she knows it's her nick-name. Balance. Anyway, these days he's all Jacob, and he knows it. The other morning I was video-taping Georgia eating Cheerios at the breakfast table when I heard Jacob next to me spell, "J-A-C-O-B." I've got it all on tape!
Like millions of other two and a half year-olds, Normy is obsessed with Cars. Santa gave him these Cars cars for Christmas, and the other day I came across him playing with them just like the movie scene. For those of you who haven't watched the movie 6000 times like I have, this is EXACTLY how the final moments of Lightning's big race goes. Here Jacob was busy saying "Tires! Pit Stop!" and making this noise like the tires going on. I was AMAZED. But I shouldn't have been. The kid only knows maybe 40 words, and yet he can quote Cars like nobody's business.
He is an incedibly industrious and focused person. There is no chance this kid has ADD. Now he might have a touch of OCD, but that's a whole other story. He sat here for over and hour and a half filling the cookie cutters with crayons in different ways.
He was mesmerized.
I think this was the day I managed to serve a hot breakfast, bake two loaves of banana bread, a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and fix stuffed peppers for dinner. He was so busy with the crayons and cookie cutters that he forgot to ask for "Thomas Now!" or to bully his sister.
Actually, I can't complain about his relationship with Georgia. For as rough as he can be with her, I really think it is ALMOST all out of affection. He just doesn't know how to be gentle. He loves to crawl around the floor with her. He'll see her playing peacefully and run across the room at her at warp speed. Half the time it's to knock her over and take the toy she was playing with the other half of the time he gives her a hug and kisses her forehead.
I love that he loves his robe. He is so picky about his clothes. Lately, he has a real problem with shirts and socks. Nearly every time I dress him lately he wants his shirt off. "Shirt of NOW!!!" he'll wail and wine. The same goes for his shoes and socks. Despite the fact that it is sixty something degrees in the house he is fore ver taking off his shoes and socks. Every afternoon, when I go to him after his nap he's taken off his socks. On laundry day I have to check behind his crib for the half a dozen pairs hiding out under it.
Actually, he really doesn't like clothes at all. This morning before breakfast he striped down and the climbed right up into his chair as if to say, "Alright, let's eat! I'm ready!" After I stopped laughing I helped him back into his clothes and diaper so he could eat his oatmeal.
I just wish I could keep socks on him!
It's hard for many of you to think of him in any other way, I'm sure. It was a conscious decision on my part. Somewhere between 18 months and his second birthday I decided that we had given him a perfectly good name, and we should use it. It wasn't his fault that it was confusing to have two Jacobs, why should he get shafted out of his name? So I went cold turkey. These days I've been missing "Normy" a little bit. I wonder if I can reintroduce it as a proper nick-name. We sometimes call Georgia "Peaches" and she knows it's her nick-name. Balance. Anyway, these days he's all Jacob, and he knows it. The other morning I was video-taping Georgia eating Cheerios at the breakfast table when I heard Jacob next to me spell, "J-A-C-O-B." I've got it all on tape!
Like millions of other two and a half year-olds, Normy is obsessed with Cars. Santa gave him these Cars cars for Christmas, and the other day I came across him playing with them just like the movie scene. For those of you who haven't watched the movie 6000 times like I have, this is EXACTLY how the final moments of Lightning's big race goes. Here Jacob was busy saying "Tires! Pit Stop!" and making this noise like the tires going on. I was AMAZED. But I shouldn't have been. The kid only knows maybe 40 words, and yet he can quote Cars like nobody's business.
He is an incedibly industrious and focused person. There is no chance this kid has ADD. Now he might have a touch of OCD, but that's a whole other story. He sat here for over and hour and a half filling the cookie cutters with crayons in different ways.
He was mesmerized.
I think this was the day I managed to serve a hot breakfast, bake two loaves of banana bread, a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and fix stuffed peppers for dinner. He was so busy with the crayons and cookie cutters that he forgot to ask for "Thomas Now!" or to bully his sister.
Actually, I can't complain about his relationship with Georgia. For as rough as he can be with her, I really think it is ALMOST all out of affection. He just doesn't know how to be gentle. He loves to crawl around the floor with her. He'll see her playing peacefully and run across the room at her at warp speed. Half the time it's to knock her over and take the toy she was playing with the other half of the time he gives her a hug and kisses her forehead.
I love that he loves his robe. He is so picky about his clothes. Lately, he has a real problem with shirts and socks. Nearly every time I dress him lately he wants his shirt off. "Shirt of NOW!!!" he'll wail and wine. The same goes for his shoes and socks. Despite the fact that it is sixty something degrees in the house he is fore ver taking off his shoes and socks. Every afternoon, when I go to him after his nap he's taken off his socks. On laundry day I have to check behind his crib for the half a dozen pairs hiding out under it.
Actually, he really doesn't like clothes at all. This morning before breakfast he striped down and the climbed right up into his chair as if to say, "Alright, let's eat! I'm ready!" After I stopped laughing I helped him back into his clothes and diaper so he could eat his oatmeal.
I just wish I could keep socks on him!Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Our Weekend Excursion
The Martin Luther King, Jr.holiday weekend provided my Smoochy family a perfect opportunity to visit my best Smoochie and her family. Angie and I have been friends for nearly a decade now. We have come a long way together in that time. I couldn't ask for a better friend. Angie is one of those amazingly beautiful women who glow from the inside out. You will never meet a more loyal or generous person. We hadn't seen each other for almost a year, and now that I've moved to the Chicago suburbs we are only a short drive away from each other as she and her family live in the wonderful city of Madison, WI. I can assure you this won't be the last time I show you photos from a get-together with the Smoochies.
We had a delightful time this weekend. It was Angie's first chance to meet Georgia, and we had such a blast getting out kiddos together. Her son Mikey is a little lover-boy, and if only there were arranged marriages here in the US, it would be a done deal for Georgia!
The Obligatory Bath Picture!
Poor Mikey was a bit under-the-weather this weekend, but you can't tell in this sweet picture. The little guy had a cough that was slowing him down and making him out of sorts. But, every now and then the clouds would clear and out would come his sunny personality.
Normy was his usual maniacally loving and exuberant toddler-self. He was so excited to have a playmate, that some times his joy manifested in a complete inability to stay out of Mikey's personal space. It's like he just wanted to eat him up.
One of the highlight of our weekend was a trip to McDonald's to enjoy some burgers for lunch and a spin through the Playland to expend some energy before naps. SO MUCH FUN.
Angie and Mike make such a good pair.
By every standard the weekend was a complete success. Another of the highlights was getting to spend an afternoon with my long time friend, LisaLou, another Madison resident. I can't believe I didn't take my camera out while Lisa was visiting with us. I can be such a bone-head. Lisa and I go way back to the days of clubbing in Jacksonville. Again, I m really excited about living so close to her. I think it will give our relationship a huge shot in the arm. We have been in such different places for so long, that it's nice to find so much common ground after such a long time (both literally and figuratively). I have this picture of her from my wedding that perfectly captures how happy we were to see each other after a long time apart That was just how I felt hanging out with her on Saturday. She is quite possibly one of the most fun people I have ever know. A friend that really listens, and is just as great sharing a quite cup of coffee with or a beer in a noisy bar.
Not a great picture of either of us, but it was such a great moment.
We had a delightful time this weekend. It was Angie's first chance to meet Georgia, and we had such a blast getting out kiddos together. Her son Mikey is a little lover-boy, and if only there were arranged marriages here in the US, it would be a done deal for Georgia!
The Obligatory Bath Picture!
Poor Mikey was a bit under-the-weather this weekend, but you can't tell in this sweet picture. The little guy had a cough that was slowing him down and making him out of sorts. But, every now and then the clouds would clear and out would come his sunny personality.
Normy was his usual maniacally loving and exuberant toddler-self. He was so excited to have a playmate, that some times his joy manifested in a complete inability to stay out of Mikey's personal space. It's like he just wanted to eat him up.
One of the highlight of our weekend was a trip to McDonald's to enjoy some burgers for lunch and a spin through the Playland to expend some energy before naps. SO MUCH FUN.
Angie and Mike make such a good pair.
By every standard the weekend was a complete success. Another of the highlights was getting to spend an afternoon with my long time friend, LisaLou, another Madison resident. I can't believe I didn't take my camera out while Lisa was visiting with us. I can be such a bone-head. Lisa and I go way back to the days of clubbing in Jacksonville. Again, I m really excited about living so close to her. I think it will give our relationship a huge shot in the arm. We have been in such different places for so long, that it's nice to find so much common ground after such a long time (both literally and figuratively). I have this picture of her from my wedding that perfectly captures how happy we were to see each other after a long time apart That was just how I felt hanging out with her on Saturday. She is quite possibly one of the most fun people I have ever know. A friend that really listens, and is just as great sharing a quite cup of coffee with or a beer in a noisy bar.
Not a great picture of either of us, but it was such a great moment.So that will have to be it for now. It's time to make some popcorn and settle in for the inauguration. It all begins today folks, I can't wait to see how the next four years unfold. I for one, am optimistic.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Pictures of Georgia
I plan on adding captions here, I really do. I've had these pictures loaded all week, waiting for me to come back and write about how she is growing up and meeting her milestone; but I just can't seem to find the time. I have dishes in the kitchen waiting to be washed... maybe after that I can come back to this... until then you can see the pictures... that's what you want anyway. The captions are more for my memory's sake!
November 13th, Georgia was 8.5 months old.
This is about the time she really started crawling like a maniac. She had been mobile for months; but there is a difference between a baby that will crawl a few paces to get a desirable toy and the kid that just books. This was about the time Georgia started bookin'. It had been that shed just sit around and play with these plastic balls at PE-101,but in the above picture she was all over that place.
Thanksgiving: Brutal teething. Doesn't she look miserable? Well, despite this cheerful picture she was a mess that day. I gave her enough baby Tylenol to sink a battleship.
By the time this picture was taken in Florida, on December 9th, both of those front teeth had broken through the skin. Actually, they had probably been like this for half a week.
Seriously cruising. This picture was the first week in December. Here we are in early January and she is walking between furniture and standing without a prop for more than thirty seconds.
Her pretty party dress
You have to love the kissy-lips. This seems to be her go-to expression. I'm not sure what she's trying to express, but it sure is adorable. What's really funny is when she makes this face and sucks air in and out, making this cute little grunting noise.
She LOVES kissing.
She loves drawers...
...and stairs.
She climbed all the way to the top of our new stair case this week. Of course I followed right behind her to make sure she didn't plummet to her demise. She now is obsessed with the stairs and will take off to find them the second she's placed on the ground.
She also started clapping this month. I couldn't tell you when... but it's stinking cute, like the rest of her moves.
I'm pretty sure I must have done something wonderful in another life and that she is my reward.
November 13th, Georgia was 8.5 months old.
This is about the time she really started crawling like a maniac. She had been mobile for months; but there is a difference between a baby that will crawl a few paces to get a desirable toy and the kid that just books. This was about the time Georgia started bookin'. It had been that shed just sit around and play with these plastic balls at PE-101,but in the above picture she was all over that place.
Thanksgiving: Brutal teething. Doesn't she look miserable? Well, despite this cheerful picture she was a mess that day. I gave her enough baby Tylenol to sink a battleship.
By the time this picture was taken in Florida, on December 9th, both of those front teeth had broken through the skin. Actually, they had probably been like this for half a week.
Seriously cruising. This picture was the first week in December. Here we are in early January and she is walking between furniture and standing without a prop for more than thirty seconds.
Her pretty party dress
You have to love the kissy-lips. This seems to be her go-to expression. I'm not sure what she's trying to express, but it sure is adorable. What's really funny is when she makes this face and sucks air in and out, making this cute little grunting noise.
She LOVES kissing.
She loves drawers...
...and stairs.She climbed all the way to the top of our new stair case this week. Of course I followed right behind her to make sure she didn't plummet to her demise. She now is obsessed with the stairs and will take off to find them the second she's placed on the ground.
She also started clapping this month. I couldn't tell you when... but it's stinking cute, like the rest of her moves.
I'm pretty sure I must have done something wonderful in another life and that she is my reward.
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