Finger Lickin' Good

I'm all about finger food with Gus. I was clueless about this with Leo. I thought if he had to chew anything (no matter how soft), he could choke. Now I know that chewing is important, even if you're toothless! Leo does finally like to chew things but he won't dare eat anything crunchy.

The other nice thing about finger food is that the kid can do it himself. (Although Leo liked soft food so much it seems like he's always been spoon-savvy.) I don't have time to sit there and shovel food into Gus' mouth but then again, he's only seven months old so it's not so easy for him to pick it up either.

A friend told me about putting wheat germ on stuff to make it easier for babies to pick up food themselves. It totally works! The only downside: it's a big 'ol mess.

But Gus doesn't mind! Here he is picking up and chewing bananas!

Gus also likes Happy Baby puffs, steamed apples, steamed sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli and avocado! He can pretty much pick it all up himself. And if he can't, well that's what that trough in the bib is for.

Hollywood Heavy Weight

I have two things about Leo that I want to report and I'm very pleased with the title I've come up with to cover the dual topics.

1. Leo is eating more and it's showing! It's not just the horizontal stripes either. He's gained about two pounds and to me, his face looks fuller. His teacher even commented that he's eating his lunch now. Woo hoo!

2. In other news, Leo is taking his "stories" to a new level. He's now making up movies. He wants to know all about movie making. "What's a set?" "What does the director do?' He then explained to me how it all works: "The director makes the movie and then he puts the movie on the truck and the truck takes it to the movie theater and they show the movie."

In these videos Leo is an actor, not a director (although he still bosses me around plenty by telling me exactly which lines to say). He's playing the part of the conductor on the Dinosaur Train:

Now that you know the two topics, isn't my title pretty awesome?

Griddle me this, Writinggal

As a minimalist, I normally shun kitchen non-essentials. For instance, we have a sandwich maker and if it were up to me, we wouldn't. I mean, a sandwich maker? I am the sandwich maker. I don't need a machine for that. What's next? A cereal maker?

But about two weeks ago I decided we need a griddle. I like to make pancakes and I could only make two at a time in the pan. And when you make pancakes two at a time, everybody eats separately. Kinda puts a damper on fun family breakfast.

When I told Frank my griddle idea he was surprised: "Where are you going to put it?" he asked. (My minimalism has infected him!) But then he said, "You've got three boys living in the house. That's A LOT of pancakes. You need a griddle."

So I am so stoked about our new griddle that we found at Walmart!

I've already made pancakes on it (as you can see) and they turned out great. The griddle has a tilt feature so we can make burgers and then let the grease drain.

We did have to do some rearranging to make it fit in the cabinets. Usually when I buy something new--anything at all--I get rid of something. Haven't done that yet.

I've got my eye on you, sandwich maker.

Sibling Slumber Party

Over Christmas Leo and Gus did a good job sleeping in the same room while visiting family. I don't think, however, that they are ready to share a bed yet. Here they are practicing!

The Wine Goblet and The Washcloth

I was just ordering a wedding present online and pickins' were slim. The things that were left on the registry weren't quite enough for a whole gift so I needed to buy two things. I ended up pulling a Frank and buying two totally unrelated items:

--a scale and water filter replacements

I saw Frank do this at one of the first weddings we attended together. We went to Macy's on the day of the wedding (who does that anymore?) and printed out the registry. He saw that the couple needed wine goblets. Now, he didn't want to purchase the desired amount of wine goblets (four?) nor did he even care to invest in TWO wine goblets. He did, however, think it would be in poor taste to buy simply ONE wine goblet. He wanted to spend about $5-$10 more so he ventured over to the bath section with his list and grabbed a washcloth. ONE washcloth.

I'm pretty sure when he had them wrap it he told them to put the wash cloth in the wine goblet. How puzzled the newlyweds must have been to receive such a gift.

"Did Frank think we might need a wash cloth in case we spill the wine?"

"Maybe he figured after drinking wine, surely one of us would need to take a shower?"

"It probably wasn't even his idea. Bet it was that new girlfriend of his. She looked a little ditsy. Is she the one who started the macarena at the reception?"

Frank didn't understand that gifts should be themed. Like if you buy a toaster you can also buy a bread box. (Although that's a silly example because neither of us would ever spend that much on a wedding gift!) How about if you buy them a mixing bowl you can also buy a rolling pin? Or if you buy a toothbrush holder you could purchase a matching soap dispenser? Or here's an idea: If you buy them a wine goblet, get them another wine goblet!

I wonder what this couple will think of my scale/water filter replacement gift:

"Maybe she thought we work out a lot so we'll need to drink lots of water and weigh ourselves."

"Is she saying we're fat so we need to drink more water and check our weights daily?"

"It was probably Frank's idea. He's totally judgmental about weight and water and especially water weight."

Darn. Now we've insulted them. I knew I should have gone with the bath mat and the spatula.

Gus has been here seven months

Grandpa Ron says Gus is "Easy Money." I've got a few days left of that because Gus is about to be on the move! And I predict that once our sweet boy is mobile, he is going to be into everything. He's showing small signs of mischievousness already. For instance, if I give him a toy to play with but there's a non-toy item near by like a shoe, he'll go straight for the shoe.

"Who me? Mischievous?"

I also predict that he is going to be a climber and one of those kids who gets into cabinets. I say this because a). he's very squirmy and is already difficult to diaper (lots of rolling around) and b). Leo was not a climber nor a cabinet looter so I figure this one will be.

Gus is doing the military scoot so he does a combination of that and rolling and boy, that kid can get around the room! In fact, as I write this he is all over the playroom/guest room/office...most likely trying to get into non-toy things!

He's still very good-natured and smiles and laughs all the time. He loves to cuddle!

Lots has happened on the food front too: In just a little over one month of eating Gus has tried sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, bananas, apples, oatmeal and those puff things that babies eat. And not all of these are pureed! The other night we went to Bahama Breeze and I forgot to bring food for Gus (which is really more for distraction). I saw that they had a banana milkshake on the menu so I ordered it for him...just kidding, you can't give milkshakes to babies! No, I asked the waitress for a banana and she gave me one. Little Gus ate almost the whole thing! I didn't mush it up or anything. This is actually a big step for me since I was so scared to have Leo chew anything. That kid still doesn't like to chew!

Gus is also very vocal, despite his generally quiet demeanor. He pretty much yells the whole time he's in the high chair, demanding more food. I've been showing him the sign for "more" and "food" and I can just tell he's going to do it any day now. He also says "ma-ma-ma" and "da-da-da" but just in a babbling way, not addressing us. But if I really wanted to stretch it, I could say that he's saying Mama and Dada already :)

Okay, just a few more things to note since Gus is about to make his way under the couch...sleeps well, spits up a lot...

This pic was taken right before Gus sucked on Leo's shoulder to which Leo was greatly offended.

A bare-bottomed Leo trying to crash our photo shoot!

Playtime with Leo and Gus

It's just starting and it's so fun to watch: Leo and Gus are playing together! This involves Leo rough housing with Gus while I scream, "Gentle! Gentle!" and Gus giggles uncontrollably. I think Leo would have to break one of his bones before he'd cry. This is what Gus is thinking:

"Yes! Roll right on top of me. That would be so cool!"

"I'm not sure what we're doing but if Leo's doing it then it must be good."

"Squeeze harder!"

"Sure! Twist my head. Maybe it can spin around!"

Identical Cousins

I used to love the Patty Duke Show: "But they're cousins, identical cousins all the way, one pair of matching bookends, different as night and day..."

Now we've got our own set of identical cousins! Okay, they're not identical but sometimes, in pictures, I can't tell the babies apart (and I am the mother of one of them)!

This year Leo went from having one cousin to having two more cousins and a brother. So the cousins as a group are five. This Christmas marked the first time they were all together.

Leo: 3 years, 8 months

Gus, 6 and 1/2 months

Charlie, 3 months

Franklin 9 months

Ellie, 2 years, 2 months

The 2011 babies are all bald, blue-eyed and chubby!

Leo and Ellie may not be identical but they are both super cute
Here they are putting out cookies for Santa
Christmas tummy time with Gus and Charlie
"Leo, hug your cousin!"
Ah, the traditional reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas...on the iPad

Leo and Ellie riding on her really cool dump truck
Santa's little helpers...Charlie and Gus (Seriously, who's who? Only a mother can tell!)

The three little old men! Even their names are old-men-esque--Gus, Charlie and Franklin!
We can't wait for more fun times with the cousin crew!

It's okay to be fascinated with the Kardashians

Here are the definitions of fascinate, according to Dictionary.com:

Adjective:

1. To attract and hold attentively by a unique power, personal charm and unusual nature, or some other special characteristic.

2.

to arouse the interest or curiosity of; allure.

3.

to transfix or deprive of the power of resistance, asthrough terror: The sight of the snake fascinated the rabbit.

Verb:

to capture the interest or hold the attention.

Don't Kim, Kourtney, Khole and the gang meet these criteria? Then it's OKAY that Barbara Walters put them on her "Most Fascinating People" list. People--like Bill O'Reilly--got all bent out of shape that Babs included the K's on her list.

He said, "They have no talent. They can't sing, they can't act. They just sit around and whine."

She came back with, "You cannot totally disregard pop culture because you know nothing about it."

Then he said, "I don't think they set a good example to young American women."

It's really all about semantics, people. "Fascinating" to Bill O'Reilly means that you must have done something great. You must have worked really hard and achieved something. But to B.W. it means you captured everyone's attention, which, if you look above at my trusty definition, is exactly what fascinating means.

I'll admit it, every now and then if I happen to be flipping around, I have sometimes been inclined to keep up with the Kardashians. I do find them fascinating.

What does Kourtney see in Scott?

How does Kim have such a prominent rear while the rest of her body is so petite?

Is Bruce Jenner thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?"

How can Khloe and Lamar seem like soul mates when they only dated like, a month, before getting married?

What's the deal with Rob?

Besides, they are always on the cover of my US Weekly so I can't get away from them. In fact, in December, there was a K sis on the cover three weeks in a row. I used to call it Jess Weekly (since Jessica Simpson was always on the cover) but now I think I'll call it Kardashian Weekly.

Now, if there really was a magazine called that, I would not buy it. I'm not that fascinated by them. (Although I may be fascinated enough to read the cover of it in the checkout line).

December Doings

It's been a busy December! Leo has been bringing home enough Christmas crafts to last us till Easter and Gus is doing new things every...well, every three or four days!

First, we are totally saving water because they can now bathe together. Gus is still a little unsteady so we have to be extra careful and hold his fat little arm. And Leo runs extra water so I guess we're not actually saving the earth with this system.

But talk about efficient, I can carry Gus AND the laundry in one trip. I remember doing this with Leo too. (Bonus: I get a little workout in!)
Frank is trying to follow in his friend Aaron's footsteps by getting famous by having a video with daddy/guitar + baby dancing go viral on YouTube. So far Gus isn't ready for millions of hits.
Gus had his six month appointment and Leo came along to ham it up. He is wearing the patch that they use for the baby eye exams. He, of course, thinks he is a pirate. Gus, of course, thinks he is a weirdo. (Notice Leo also brought his own shot needle along!)
Gus weighed in at 17 pounds, 2 oz. He's now in the 50th percentile which means perfect, right?
Leo loves to wear this Santa hat. When I walked in to set him free from "relax time" he had it on and even posed for a pic. The other night I went in to check on him and he was sleeping in it. So cute!
Merry Christmas, y'all!

Blog Blurbs

When I used to write a blog every weekday, I'd always ask Frank the night before, "What should I write about on my blog tomorrow?" and he'd say, "You could write about the pressures of writing a blog." And I'd say, "Nobody wants to read about that!" But now, every time I start to write a blog I feel like I should apologize for not writing more often. Kinda like in the Catholic church, "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two years since my last confession." (What about the people who go every week? Do they have to apologize too?)

Forgive me, blog readers for I have failed you. It has been over a week since my last post. And forgive me again because I do need to say that I'm currently too busy getting ready for Christmas and all its' shenanigans (no offense, Baby Jesus) to write an actual blog. Instead, I'll give you smatterings for all the blogs that are floating in my head.

Old Mom's Tales: It's cold and flu season. We're right in the thick of it. And I know, I just know, that people are going to say things like, "I let my kid go outside without a hat so she caught a cold" or "I went to get the mail and my hair was wet so look at me now--sick as a dog!" Do these people never watch John Stossel and his helpful myth versus fact reports? Since I'm the only one, I'll pass on the good news: You DO NOT get colds from being cold! They really need to change the name of that cureless disease.

A fellow ranter: Okay, her blog is WAY bigger than mine so it's silly of me to even compare but I recently started following www.peopleIwanttopunchinthethroat.com She writes about well, people she'd like to punch in the throat. Like if I were writing that blog, I would write about the people who think they get colds from being cold. Or the lady at Walmart who I had this interaction with:

Me: I'm going to need gift receipts for all of these items. They're all going to the same place so can I just get one gift receipt or do I need separate gift receipts for each?

Walmart lady: You can do either.

Me: Then I'd like to just do one. So it's okay if I have some other items that aren't gifts too?

Walmart lady: Yes.

Me: So these bananas, for instance, (setting bananas on conveyor belt), can they be on the same receipt as the gift receipt even though they're not a gift?

Walmart lady: Yes.

At the end of the transaction I said again, "And just wanted to remind you that I'm going to need a gift receipt."

She then hands me a receipt. I said, "Thanks. And where is my gift receipt?" She said, "This is your gift receipt." There was then a lot of back and forth about how this is a "receipt" but not a "GIFT receipt." It had prices on it therefore, how is that a gift receipt? She then told me I would need to get gift receipts for each item and I would have to go to customer service to do that. O.M.G. I mean, could I have been more clear? She should be grateful that she was sort of hideous looking and that's why I didn't go off on her.

So anyway, this other blog about punching people in the throat would have something like that. And on Facebook she'll mention some people she wants to punch in the throat and inevitably people comment and say how mean she is and how "if she doesn't have something nice to say..." Seriously? These are people FOLLOWING her on Facebook! What did they expect? As one person commented, "You're following a blog called "people I want to punch in the throat," not 'butterflies and rainbows.'"

Facebook funnies: recently there was a list somewhere about stuff white girls love to post on Facebook. Some of my faves were posting about having the best husband in the world while said husband is sitting right next to them, making their post the lyrics to any Kings of Leon song and this one which I'll paste:

Write angry letters to companies (Dear EZ PARK, I hate you!), unorganized groups of people (Dear slutty freshmen who think that leggings can be worn as pants…), and non-entities (Dear unseasonably cold weather, WTF?!)

I have a few of my own to add to the list:

--Add "sigh" to the end of a post (Folding the laundry again. Feel like that's all I ever do. Sigh.)

--Say they're "Lovin' Life!" or "I love my life!" or "Life is good!"

--Use their children as their profile pictures. Now, with this one I could potentially offend LOTS of people but let me explain:

--I'm not saying it's BAD, I'm just saying I've noticed that this is something white girls like to do. Now, for me, I have a policy. I do not have a profile picture that I'm not in. Well, once I had the 3Day logo and another time I had Angela from the Office during Doppleganger's week. But other than that, I am in the photo. I mean, it's MY Facebook account, not my kids'. My kids may be in the picture (and they usually are because I rarely have a photo taken alone anymore) but I am always there too.

Wooh, these mini blogs have turned into one long blog. I will try to post again before the end of 2011. And if I have nothing to say I can always go back to "The Pressures of Writing a Blog."

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

--

A Blue (Ridge) Christmas

Last weekend we rode the Santa Express train from the mountains of Blue Ridge, Georgia to the North Pole. Once at the North Pole (which is surprisingly just a 30 minute hop from Blue Ridge), we picked up Santa and he rode back with us, visiting with the children along the way. Our tickets also got us a story from Santa's helper, some caroling and visits with Santa's buddies--Rudolph and a freakishly skinny Frosty. (Wish I had pictures of that creepy character).

Here I am with Santa...I mean Gus! It was his first train ride.

This was Leo's third Christmas train ride with Santa. He did one in Durango in '09 and the Blue Ridge one last year. He is clinging to his ticket :)
Ready to go tot he North Pole!
We thought Gus would sleep on the train but no...
Not when there was so much to see!
And to suck on!
All the boys on the train.
Leo's thinking, "Does Santa know that I've been naughty?"
Gus says, "Some old dude with a long white beard wants to hold me? Whatever."

This picture tells two stories: 1). He must be so tired to fall asleep while watching a Thomas video and 2). We stopped by the yummy chocolate place in downtown Blue Ridge after the train ride.

And here is just a cute Christmas pic of Leo and his buddies, John and Etienne. They have recently discovered the wonders of candy canes!

Holiday Albums + Celebrity Perfumes

What do these two things have in common? EVERYTHING!

The other day we were listening to the Jimmy Eat World Christmas album. I thought, "What made Jimmy Eat World think they should do a Christmas album?" I mean, James Taylor, sure. It just doesn't seem like a rock band who writes its own songs would want/need to perform holiday songs.

So my theory is that bands/singers who make Christmas albums think it's easy, quick money. Then they act like they really love the genre but really think it's kinda cheesy.

It's exactly the same with celebs who peddle perfumes. When I heard my buddy Jennifer Aniston was launching a scent, my first thought was, "Yes, I think I WOULD like to smell like Jen!" But then I thought, "Why would she, a super successful actress who is constantly making movies (albeit some not so great), need to push perfume?" And then you can fill in the same theory: CELEBS who make PERFUME think it's easy, quick money. Then they act like they really love the genre but really think it's kinda cheesy.

I saw Sarah Jessica Parker on Oprah once, talking about her perfume. She was all, "I have always wanted to do this!" No way. Her manager said, "You should do a perfume" and she said, "No, that's so cheesy. Plus, I have way too much going on" and her manager replied with, "It's super easy money. You don't really have to do anything but smell it and make sure it's not gross." Then SJP said, "Sign me up!"

Little trivia: Which singers have done both a holiday album AND a perfume? (Answers below. I can't make them upside down but wish I could.)

Jessica Simpson

Mariah Carey

Christina Aguilera

There are probably more but these are just ones I guessed and looked up and confirmed. Now, if Jennifer Aniston made a Christmas album, I would probably buy that.

Gus has been here six months

We cannot believe our baby has been here for half of a year! People keep telling me that they feel like it's flown by and I feel that way too. I'm trying to really cherish every moment with Gus. It's easy to do because he is such a good-natured guy. I also feel like this last month has brought the most change in Gus. Since he's older and more wakeful, we're getting to know him better. It used to be that he slept most of the time and when he was awake he was happy and cute. But now he's awake more of the time and well, he's still happy and cute. Sure, the kid cries but he gets over everything really quickly.

Here's what Gus does lately:

--Rolls everywhere! He could get across the entire house by rolling. If we turn our heads for a second he's across the room. I'll put him down on the floor in our room while I'm getting ready and the next thing I know, he's almost under the bed!

--Babbles and squeals: I think he will be an early talker like his big brother.

--Sports two bottom teeth.

--Eats sweet potatoes, rice cereal and as of last night, broccoli. I actually gave him broccoli to pick up. I would have never done that with Leo. But there was Gus on the eve of his six month birthday, picking up broccoli.

--Loves peek-a-boo. This is a sure-fire way to get him to laugh. Either that, or zerberting his cheek. He's an easy audience.

--Eating our faces. If you hold him close he will come at you with a wide open mouth, ready to devour you. We love it!

--His big brother. Now that Gus spends time in the exersaucer, he is at a level where Leo can interact with him. Gus loves it when Leo talks to him, sings to him and even wrestles with him. He laughs and laughs and just loves to watch Leo.

More pics of Gus, the BBE!! Notice his shirt says "Chillin'." So appropriate for our laid-back Gussy.