An Avocado a Day...

...keeps the doctor away? I sure hope so. Because, "Hello, my name is Elsa and I'm an avoca-holic."

Here's how my avoca-day looks:

Breakfast: Two pieces of bread with Laughing Cow cheese, toasted, avocado on top.

Lunch: Tortilla with Laughing Cow cheese (okay, this might be an addiction too), turkey and avocado

Dinner: If there's a salad, there's definitely avocado. If it's Mexican (which it is like three-four nights a week), avos are for sure on top and if it's really anything else (spaghetti, pizza, chicken in the crock pot), I'll find a way to work in an avocado.

So I'm averaging about 1.5 avocados a day. Luckily, while they're still a pricey vegetable (or fruit?), they're not as expensive here as they were in Georgia. In Texas we get them from Mexico so there's always plenty of 'em and they usually look and feel good. I like to buy four at a time. Love those four-packs that come in the net bag!

How do I tell if it's good, you ask? A good avocado has a slight give when you touch it. But if you're like me, and you're eating it as soon as you get home, before you unload the groceries, then it's okay if it's already super squishy. If you wait to long to eat your avocado then it gets brown and to me, tastes like bologna.

I know avocados are good for you but I also know they're high in calories. Since that's really all I knew, I yearned for more information about my favorite fruit (confirmed that now). I found this handy fact sheet. I'm pasting only the tid-bits that were interesting to me:

Mexico is the world's top producer of avocados, with California coming in second.

The average avocado contains 300 calories and 30 grams of healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. (Totally worth it in the calorie department I think!) 

Avocados have the highest protein content of any fruit.

Avocados contain more potassium than bananas.

One avocado contains 81 mcg of lutein, an important nutrient for healthy eyes.

This is all so informative and exciting; it makes me crave avocados even more! Tonight is fajita night so naturally we are going to have avocados. I like to add a little salt, garlic and lime juice to them with our fajitas to give them that restaurant flavor. 

This is not a picture of me but I do feel like this girl! Apparently this image is from a Pinterest group for avocado lovers. Must go join! Avoca-dios!

Super Leo!

I hope I'm not jinxing anything but I feel fairly confident in saying that the terrible twos are finally over for Leo.

Oh, you thought that the terrible twos applied to kids who were two years old? Hahahahahahahaha.

In Leo's case, the terrible twos started around age two (remember the "goalie" phase?) and seem to
have wrapped up around four and a half.

I haven't written too much on the blog about the rough times with Leo because really, who wants to read that? But if I can sum it up, he's been defiant, stressed out, overly fearful, tantrum-ridden, prone to boo-boos (I once counted sixty in a day), angry, whiny and abusive. I'm sure I'm leaving out some other unflattering qualities but you get the picture.

I know taking kids places isn't easy for anyone but with Leo, I can assure you it was worse than most. I liken it to pushing a grocery cart with a bad wheel. You can't get anywhere without a struggle and everything takes longer.

So that's enough of the bad stuff. Here's the good stuff: Since Leo has been four and a half, he's been so much easier. We put him on a strict discipline program and we think that that, coupled with his age, has helped.

He hasn't had a big tantrum since then. Sure, he's gotten upset and even had what I would describe as "outbursts" but nothing like he used to. I have not been assaulted in the process. (And yes, I was before.) He still exaggerates boo boos but we're down to like two-five per day and sometimes they're even legitimate! He's also more brave than he used to be. He'll climb on anything at the playground, play in the indoor contraptions at fast-food places and he LOVES jumping in bounce houses! (The last one is HUGE!) He also listens better and most of the time responds with "okay, mommy" when I ask him to do something or stop doing something.

In general, he just seems happier and more comfortable. Here's another one of my awesome analogies: He seems like a kid who has had some reactive food taken out of his diet. You know like when kids are misbehaving and they take out gluten or dairy? That's how Leo acts.  It seems like something has been taken out of him. (Or maybe he was possessed? My thanks to whoever performed the exorcism!)

He's also becoming more independent:

He was still sleeping in a Pull-up (and filling it up every night too!) until a few weeks ago. Cousin Ellie came to visit and they slept in the same room. When they got ready for bed Leo was putting on his Pull-up and three-year-old Ellie wasn't! That didn't bother Leo and even though a bunch of moms told me it shouldn't bother me either, it did. I know every kid is different but to me, when you are almost five, it's time to give up the Pull-up. So we did it and I've only had to change the sheets a few times.  We wake him up to go the bathroom right before we go to bed because he does not get up himself. He is so out of it when we come in, sometimes he lays down on the bathroom floor and tries to go back to sleep!

The other thing he does that is SO helpful to me is that he can buckle himself into his car seat. He used to do the top buckles but not the bottom ones but now he does them all! It sounds like a small thing but it saves me a lot of time and trouble.

You already saw his cool "to do" list. That really helps the mornings to go smoothly.

Oh, and he's eating better! He finishes his lunch at school and tries new things at home. Just the other day, he ate steak!

Now, if you don't really know Leo, you might not realize that all of these things are big accomplishments. So as you read them just assume he was doing the exact opposite of that before. Like in the food category, he used to only eat mac and cheese and a short list of other foods. So for him to eat steak is incredible!

Is he an angel? Not at all! But now he's just doing typical four and a half year old stuff which I can handle. And since he's easier to take places, we've signed him up for a soccer team for the spring.

Don't worry that his quirks are gone: he still has tics. His current one is where he takes his fingers up to his cheeks and says, "Ding ding ding ding." It's odd but perhaps not as odd as his aversion to "little things" like Polo shirt logos. Nobody, not us, not his preschool teachers or his psychologist, can figure this one out. I like to say "there has never been a documented case of this."

So if you want to see our new and improved Leo, you are welcome to come visit. Just do NOT wear a Polo shirt.

The Long Goodbye

The following conversation did not actually take place. It is an exaggeration of how I feel during the ending-part of every customer service related phone call I make. 

Me: Thank you. I appreciate your help. Bye.

Customer Service Rep: You're welcome. Did I resolve your problem?

Me: Yes.

CSR: Great. We always like to make our customers happy. Now, is there anything else I can help you with today?

Me: No, thanks. You've been really helpful. Bye.

CSR: Oh, good. Just remember, whenever you have a problem, you can call us.

Me: Okay, that's good to know. I appreciate your help. Bye.

CSR: It's really my pleasure. Are you sure there is nothing else I can help you with today?

Me: Yes. I'm good. Bye.

CSR: Wonderful. You take care now.

Me: Okay. Bye.

CSR: And if there's anything else I can help you with, just don't hesitate to call. We're open from 8am-5pm Central Standard Time, Monday thru Friday and 8am-noon on Saturdays. We're closed on Sundays.

Me: Got it. Bye.

CSR: But if you do have a problem on Sunday, you can email us.

Me: Okay. Bye.

CSR: You have a wonderful afternoon.

Me: I will. Thanks.

CSR: I mean evening. It's evening already! Where did the day go?

Me: I don't know. (But I've got a pretty good idea where the last ten minutes have gone.)

CSR: Thanks again for calling.

Me: BYE!

CSR: Would you like to take part in a 15 minute customer service survey?

Me: If  I did I would just tell them how you cannot end a conversation!! This is far beyond the expectation of normal pleasantry exchange. We've exchanged far too many pleasantries! I cannot, I will not be pleasant anymore!! Good day, Sir!

CSR: So is that a no on the customer service survey?


Footnote: When thinking of a title for this blog, I came up with what I thought was sort of brilliant: The Rules of Disengagement. I posted it with that one feeling proud of myself. This whole topic reminded me of how I often get trapped in conversations with strangers (and people I know!). I decided to look up that blog. When I did a search, this post kept coming up. I was so confused until I realized I already posted a blog called The Rules of Disengagement. You can check it out too if you are so inclined.

The House Hunters Workout

I may not have my Workout of the Week blog anymore, but sometimes I still get the itch to share exercise ideas.

Ever since we moved back to Texas I've been doing what I call the House Hunters workout a few times a week (days I can't make it to the gym).  Hopefully you are familiar with HH or this might not make much sense to you. Feel free to check out my other posts on the subject to brush up.

The first thing you gotta do is DVR a bunch of House Hunters (House Hunters International works too.) There are two variations to the workout, one is interval based and one is endurance/strength. Allow me to elaborate.

Intervals:
I use the handy stopwatch on my iPhone and do 30 seconds to one minute of cardio followed by 30 seconds to one minute of a working recovery.
Here are the different cardio exercises I do:

Jumping rope
Jumping jacks
Jumping squats
(There's lots of jumping!)
Running in place (high knees)
Boxing
Mountain Climbers
Switch/Switch/Lunge (I learned about them from Kristi Yamaguchi. Here's some other chick demonstrating.)

So I do these intervals through the three house tours, fast forwarding through commercials. Then, when they reveal their house choice and show us their happy new home, I'm doing the plank, a back exercise and stretches. The whole workout takes about 23 minutes.

Endurance/Strength:
This one ties more into the show so I'll break it down like that.

Meeting the hunters/back story:
Warm-up + Cardio--one of the exercises listed above

House #1:

Weights/lower body
Triceps with wide squats x 24
Biceps with lunges x 16 each side
Shoulders with calf raises x 24


House #2:
Cardio

House #3:
More weights/lower body like:
Overhead press with squats x 24
Rows (no lower body) 16 each side
Flies with side to side squats x 24

Reveal/Home Tour:
Plank, back, stretches

Of course, if you don't like House Hunters (not sure we can be friends but...) you can use another TV show. It's good to have a plan. You know, so you're not just marching in place and fiddling around with weights while rolling your eyes at the Kardashians.

Football Fixation

Leo has this special football that Frank got for him from a co-worker who went to last year's Superbowl. It's so special that it sits on his dresser and nobody is to touch it. Gus spotted it awhile back and begged to play with it constantly. 

Last week Leo finally gave in and let Gus play with it. At first Gus was thrilled but now he's just obsessed: 

After a few more days of playing with it, Gus no longer remembered that it belonged to Leo. And Leo complained that Gus played with it for too long "for hours, for days, for weeks" and in this video, "for years." (Please notice the comic relief by Leo and the glow stick.) 

The Easily Offended

Do you ever notice there are people who just WANT to be offended? Like they're waiting for someone to say anything (even the most benign comment) so that they can go off on them? I guess this is nothing new. It's why we have the phrase "a chip on your shoulder." 

I knew a girl like this in elementary school. In fact, she made us all so nervous that we were going to say something wrong that I don't even know how to write the story without possibly offending her. So I'll just put it like this: we couldn't even say the color of a shirt if it was the same color as her skin without her saying, "You talking about me? You got a problem with ME?" 

I feel like that girl represents all the people who are offended by the VW Superbowl ad. Take a look if you haven't seen it yet: 

So this "ad expert" was on The Today Show and she said the spot was "so racist." I just don't see that at all. I think it's a stretch to say that anyone could be offended. The expert also said the guy in the ad was "talking black" which sounds more potentially offensive to me than the ad itself.

Here's why I don't think it's offensive: The happy guy is talking in a Jamaican accent. He's happy. He's got the island mentality. So VW is saying people who live in Jamaica are happy. They're positive. They look on the bright side of things. And Jamaican people should be offended?

Let's say they had the guy doing a German accent (which might actually make more sense). And he was still happy but he was drinking beer and polka dancing. Then is it racist?
How about Italians? They're happy, living the dolce vita, right? So what if the happy guy had an Italian accent and drank wine and ate pasta? Is VW still offending people?

So those of you who are offended, ask yourself two questions:
1. If I apply this to other groups, is it still offensive?
2. Am I REALLY offended? Or do I just think I'm supposed to be offended?

Okay, that's three questions. And if you're still offended then I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. If you choose to get vocal about your angst towards the ad, though, you know who will thank you? The folks at VW who just sold a bunch more cars.

Sit Gus Bottom

Here it is, Gus' first sentence: "Sit Gus Bottom." It means he wants you to help him sit in a chair or the couch or lately, a bar stool. I took this video a week ago and since then he says it more clearly (although I still don't think anyone would know what he was saying without a translator). 

In fact, now he says "I sit Gus Bottom" so it makes a little more sense. He'll say it over and over again until you help him into the chair. It's pretty cute. 

And speaking of pretty cute, here is a variation on his sentence: "Shake Gus Bottom." Enjoy! 

Scrubbin'

I've always envied people who have jobs that require them to wear scrubs. They look so comfortable. Elastic pants, roomy shirt, no worries about "is this okay for work?" or "did I wear this on Monday?" as you're getting dressed. And if you spill something on your scrubs, you just pull another pair out of the dispenser. (They come in a big tissue-like box, right?)

Doctors and nurses definitely need to wear scrubs. They have to be comfortable. And I suppose scrubs provide some level of sanitation? Actually, I'm not really sure why they have to wear scrubs but I accept it.

Have you noticed, though, that the number of jobs where it's appropriate to wear scrubs has increased? It's like if you have any tie at all to the medical field, you're sporting scrubs. Like the receptionist at a doctor's office. She sits at the front desk all day, doesn't even go into the exam rooms. Does she really need to wear scrubs? Wouldn't it make more sense for her to wear a twin set?

Leo's occupational therapist wears scrubs. I get that. OTs do a lot of physical work. It would be hard to do all that they do in a button down shirt and slacks. But at the same place, the speech pathologists wear scrubs. Come on. I call that cheating.

Because if speech pathologists, who sit in a room with one kid at at time, need to wear scrubs then teachers should certainly get to wear 'em. Those folks really need to be comfortable, dealing with 30 kids at a time.

And what about construction workers? I bet they'd prefer to be wearing the loose ensemble while they hammer away in all sorts of weather. Actually, they probably need to be more covered. Bad idea.

You know who needs scrubs the most? Stay at home moms! Boy, would I love it if scrubs were our uniform. I'd get a pair with my name and title on it! And I'd definitely get some with silly critters all over them. Scrubs would be perfect for taking the kids to preschool, going to work out, cleaning the house, chasing escape artists, changing diapers, cooking, picking up thrown food, wiping up spills, doing laundry, blogging!

I have heard, though, that scrubs can cause you to gain weight. That's because you don't notice you're packing on the pounds due to the loose fitting waist band. It expands as you expand!

So maybe I won't push for it among the stay at home mom crowd. Did ya hear that, doctor's office receptionists?

Pretty Funny

Over the weekend David, Laura, Ellie and Charlie came to visit: 

Leo says to Ellie, "Isn't my mommy pretty?" 

Ellie says, "Yes she is...but I'm prettier." 

Hey, she just calls it like she sees it! Here is Ellie, the fairest of them all. 

And here are all the pretty cousins (Charlie, Leo, Gus and Ellie), riding a horse at La Hacienda Ranch. 

Gettin' Our Business Done

Mornings were getting too hectic around here. I mean, if it's hard to get out the door for 9am preschool, how will we ever get out the door for before the rooster when it comes time for elementary school? 

We needed a system. 

(Now you're gonna want to get your Pinterest buttons ready because this is PRETTY clever.) 

We call the things Leo has to do in the morning "his business." He has to "get his business done before he can have fun." There's even a little song to it. He has to go potty, put on his shoes and socks and brush his teeth. Once he completes those tasks he can watch the iPad until it's time to go to school. How fast he gets his business done determines how much iPad time he has. 

One day I asked him to do a couple extra things--put his sticker on his sticker chart, do a worksheet from school plus his three items of business. I needed to blow dry my hair so I couldn't remind him before every step. Instead, I drew it in a cute little to do list: 

I'm no artist but Leo got the picture. He LOVED it because he got to mark an "X" each time he finished a task. (He prefers X's to check marks because of the pirate connection, obviously.) So lately Leo's been getting his business done in record time! 

Gus is really happy about that, as you can see. Or really, he's just excited to be at Marble Slab. 

I do have something to say about Gus with regards to getting his business done. He is OBSESSED with brushing his teeth. He wants to do it about six times a day. He reaches towards his toothbrush (a new spin brush!) and says, "Ah Buh Tee" which means "I Brush Teeth" (not that anyone but his mommy would understand that). He cries when we take it away.

You might think this means Gus has awesome oral hygiene. It does not. I refer you to the sentence above that says "He is OBSESSED with brushing his teeth." I didn't say he was obsessed with having ME brush his teeth. He basically just sucks on the toothbrush. If it weren't for the spinning action, I don't think one of his teeth would get cleaned. But I like to think, that after six times a day, for five minutes each time, at least four are getting brushed. Right?

I don't have time to fight with him about it. I have crafty to-do lists to draw!

Leo and Gus' New Year's Resolutions

Dress up as a cowboy at least once a week. Now that we're in Texas, we want to fit in. 

Play basketball while wearing footed pajamas; it helps me to slide on the court.

Decorate this house finally, starting with mommy and daddy's closet.

Wear my new clothes and try to act surprised when hoards of people compliment me on how good I look.

Also, try to get daddy to dress like us as much as possible.

Climb onto the barstool by myself--check. Work on not falling off. 

Bake. Sample. Repeat.

Cuddle and/or wrestle with each other.

Get more sleep.

Happy 2013!
Love,
Leo and Gus

I wanna hold your hand...or maybe I don't

I've been Catholic for almost eleven years. They call people like me "converts." It kinda sounds like "convicts" (which I guess is what they think you could end up as if you don't convert). I didn't make that drastic of a change, really. I was Episcopalian and because of that, I still maintain I should have been fast-tracked through the nine-month course.

That's because in lots of ways the two religions are the same--we say basically the same things at mass; we do the sign of the cross (except Episcopalians go back to the middle at the end of it) and we're all cool with drinking wine. I really appreciate that in a religion.

But here's something the Catholics do that I've never seen at an Episcopal church: they hold hands during The Lord's Prayer.

I have never liked this. And it's not because I loathe holding a stranger's hand (although it's not my favorite). It's because I'm never sure if the person next to me is going to do it or not. See, most people hold hands but some people don't. You never know who you've got next to you!

If that didn't sound awkward enough, it gets worse. When it comes time to say "Our Father..." everyone lifts their hands up like this:

Okay, not as high as the lady in the third row but you get the point. This makes it even more confusing! Is the person next to you lifting up their hands in praise or are they hand-holders? You don't know. You have to decide if you're going to make a move or just have your raised hands hover there next to each other. I just wish the church would tell us one way or the other and make it mandatory. They seem to do that with everything else.

Last Sunday Frank and I sat in the sanctuary while the kids went to the nursery. We are usually out in the narthex with them so I wasn't privy to what goes on at "big church." During the Our Father the dude next to me raised his hands and we were sitting so close that I thought I HAD to hold his hand. So I put my hand on his and he barely clasped it. Then I look around and notice that most people ARE NOT holding hands. Yikes! It's not a hand-holding church! How was I to know? I don't even think this guy was holding hands with his family member sitting next to him.

Oh, and another thing different in the Catholic church: when you get to the part about "deliver us from evil" you pause. The priest then says this whole thing about "deliver us from every evil and grant us peace in our day..." and it feels like it goes on for seven minutes. There I am, holding hands with some stranger who may or may not want to hold my hand and I just cannot wait until we get to "the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours." What a relief when that is over! Then you get to "The Peace" which has its own set of sociological flaws. (Do I peace the people behind me first? In front? Next to me? What if I put my hand out but they're shaking someone else's hand? Do I move on? Wait? Ahhh!)

When we were leaving mass on Sunday I said to Frank, "I don't think this is a hand-holding church. I kind of had to force the guy next to me to hold my hand." Frank said, "I know what you mean. I had to force the lady next to me. I saw that you were doing it so I thought I should too."

Great. Now Frank and I have some sort of reputation. We need to go back to the narthex with the kids. Or better yet, to confession.

Things I wish I liked: Wearing PJs all day

So we're fresh off the holidays and that means the clock is ticking on getting those decorations down. Well, my personal clock starts on January 1st (although I'm over it all by 12/27) and thankfully my volunteers (husband, dad and 4-year-old), took it all down by my deadline. I give everyone else until after Epiphany. Then I start to judge.

Anyway, this isn't about my Christmas decorations stance. It's one of my "famous" things I wish I liked. And since it was the holidays I heard a lot of people say things like, "Oh, it was so nice. Today we just stayed in our jammies all day!" And you know what? That DOES sound nice! Especially, if it's a cold and/or rainy/snowy day (any precipitation counts), wearing pajamas is awesome. With their elastic waistbands, flannel material and oversized tops, they've got to be the second most comfortable thing next to scrubs. (The entire healthcare industry is really a step ahead of the rest of us when it comes to their work uniforms but that's another blog.) Plus, you completely eliminate a step in the getting-ready-for-the-day process.  You don't have to figure out what to wear; you don't have to put it on. And not bothering with a bra is so freeing. Am I right, ladies?

But I can't do it. Except for Christmas (when I did get dressed by about 3:00), I don't think I've ever spent the day or even the majority of the day in my pajamas. I don't even let my kids eat breakfast in their pajamas. (Cruel mom alert!) Leo's clothes are laid out for him and he puts them on before he comes downstairs. The first thing I do when Gus gets up is put some clothes on the kid. To be honest, his PJs are usually a little damp anyway. Who would want to sit around in those? I'd have to put on new PJs and that's just silly.

If I were to wear my PJs all day I just don't think I could be productive. I would just feel icky. Like the way I feel when I turn on the TV during the day and Days of Our Lives is on. Makes me feel dirty, guilty, sloth-like.

It's not like I have to be dressed up or anything. I mean, a velour track suit is just fine. But if I wore said velour track suit to bed then I would have to change upon waking. Showering is optional.

You folks who can do jammy days are inspiring. I'm not saying you're TOTALLY lazy. It's just that you seem to be able to embrace that laziness and I admire that. I wish I could be that comfortable being comfortable.

Wearing PJs all day: I wish I liked you, but I don't.

(Oh, and if I come over and you're having a PJ day, don't feel like you need to change. But I would prefer it if you would put on a bra...and take down your Christmas tree. )

Pirate Passion

Many years from now when I look back at all the phases the boys went through--balls, trains, cars, dinosaurs, soccer, video games, skate boards, guitars, girls--I think the weirdest one will be pirates. Currently Leo is all pirates all the time. And coincidentally enough, the McDonald's by our house is pirate-themed. In the picture above Leo is posing with pirate Ronald; he played there today while wearing his new pirate sweater. He'd be wearing his pirate hat as well but I left it in the car.

It started with Jake and the Neverland Pirates, an innocent Disney show. So at first he was just into Jake and Jake happened to be a pirate. He didn't even say all the phrases right: "Ahoy, Maybe!" But somewhere along the way it morphed into an obsession with all things pirate-related. He watched a pirate movie, went to a pirate museum, has a toy pirate ship, constantly does a pirate puzzle, plays with all his toy pirates (including the cast of Jake and Pirates of the Caribbean), puts pirate stickers on everything, wears his pirate hat and uses pirate lingo in regular conversation. (Betcha didn't know that "Frosty" is an insult as in "You Frosty Mommy!")

Today he held "Pirate School" in which we had to listen to a lecture on different kinds of skulls and crossbones.  Apparently some are scary and some are not. At the end Leo said, "Any questions?" And Frank asked, "How do I know the difference between crossbones and an X?" They then had a spirited debate about this.

Three more funny pirate notes:

• He likes to go to Petsmart to look at the fish because some of them have pirate-themed tanks. 
• When we do the pirate puzzle, we have to talk like pirates: "Arggh, that piece goes over there" and "Shiver me timbers, if I put that piece under that one I'm gonna have to walk the plank!" 
• He calls his Jack Sparrow pirate Johnny Depp. (No idea who taught him that!) 

While I think this is an odd phase, I hope it sticks at least until he turns five. Target has super cute pirate-themed birthday stuff and that McDonald's has a very affordable party package. Ahoy, Maybe! 

Santa Sightings

Maybe it's because it's warm here or maybe it's because Leo and Gus have been so darn good, but Santa has been spending a lot of the Christmas season in the DFW area. The boys have had lots of opportunities to sit on his lap and remind him what gifts they want. Leo is a big fan; Gus, not so much. In fact, Leo is so familiar with the jolly guy that when we were in Starbucks, Leo asked a portly, bearded customer if HE was Santa. I think I saved it by saying, "Leo, he is not old enough to be Santa!" Leo sat on his lap anyway.

Here they are at church for "Breakfast with Santa." Leo felt a little jipped that we didn't actually eat WITH Santa. Gus felt a little jipped that he was expected to be happy about sitting in the lap of some strange looking man in a red suit with a long white beard.

The next weekend Santa came to our neighborhood's clubhouse.

 This time he even brought Leo and Gus gifts! Leo got some cool Jake and the Neverland Pirates stuff while Gus got a book that he already owned. (Jipped again!)

No wonder this is the closest Gus would get to Santa!

The next day we rode the North Pole Express in Grapevine. Since the train goes to the North Pole, we picked up Santa and he came on board! (Gus, who may just start an anti-Santa Facebook page, is not pictured.) 

The following weekend we went to cousin Jasper's house in Colleyville and whaddya know? Santa AND Mrs. Clause made an appearance. Gus agreed to be in the picture under two conditions: that he sit on mommy's lap (not Santa's) and got to hold his blanket.

Leo approached Santa at the end of the party just to reiterate that he had moved from Georgia to Texas and that he wanted "decorations" for Christmas.

Then Leo gave his new best friend one more hug. I think that was finally our last Santa encounter for the season...unless we run into him at Starbucks again.

Whatever happened to waterbeds?

I remember that, at any given sleepover between the years of 1987 and 1994, I would find myself slumbering on a waterbed. Usually I would share it--a twin!--with my bee-fry of the moment. When you sleep with another person on a waterbed, two things happen: 1. You roll towards the person and you both end up in the middle of the bed 2. You wake up sweaty due to the plastic mattress cover.

Although I never owned a waterbed (I was a daybed gal), I know that there are other downsides: You can't just plop down on your bed; if you plop you drop. And if you plop too hard, you might make it pop. You can't really set anything on your bed for fear it will tip over in a tidal wave. And then there's the big one: the threat of motion sickness!

But for some reason back in the era I mentioned, WBs were all the rage. I actually can think of more than one reason:

1. If you aren't prone to motion sickness, it can feel really cool to sleep on a waterbed. I bet it's even therapeutic.
2. Shelves. Instead of a boring old headboard, a lot of waterbeds had shelves. You could display all your night reading, tissues and knick knacks up there. Some even had a mirror.
3. The storage! Most waterbeds have drawers underneath them. That makes a ton of sense. Why have an extra dresser or chest-a-drawers when you could just pack it all into one unit? And while I'm asking questions, I'd like to know why regular (land?) beds DON'T have drawers underneath them? Why are they exclusively for WBs?

Like me, you have probably been wondering what happened to waterbeds.  I'm going to do a little research (perhaps Wikipedia) and find out.

I'm back. And I learned A LOT about waterbeds. They really were originally designed to be therapeutic. Apparently they're good for your back. Oh, and I was just guessing on the years 1987 thru 1994; I was sort of right. Their popularity peaked in 1987 with 22% of the market! Can you imagine if 22% of your friends had waterbeds right now? Like, let's say you have 16 friends. (Facebook friends don't count.) Well, that would be like...doing math...don't have a calculator so bear with me...like between three and four. Weird, right? Or are you not that stunned?

But the take away from my research was that WB's were a pain in the ass. They're heavy to move and you had to drain them first. They could spring leaks. You have to heat them and that gets expensive.

I'm sure their demise had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they're just plain Tacky. (Yes, that capital "T" is intentional.)

Gus has been here 18 months

Happy one-and-a-half birthday to August Frank!

I think 18 months is my favorite age. So today we will celebrate and then it's all down hill from here! It really is halfway between a baby and a kid. And that's how Gus looks too--kind of like a baby, kind of like a kid. He and Leo can really play together; they especially like to play in the backyard. Leo says they're playing pirates but I'm not sure Gus knows that. Gus just wants to play anything that has to do with balls. He looks out the window and says, "bawl" all day long. If he wants to distinguish between a regular ball and a basketball, he says, "bat ball."

He's serious about shoes. When he sees them, he says, "Shoe!" (Very clearly, I might add). And then you HAVE to put them on him. He doesn't understand why his shoes would be in sight but you wouldn't put them on him. Same with his jacket. If he sees it, it's gotta go on. Can't put on Leo's first.

He's also serious about his Dada. When Frank comes home, or if he just hears the door, he says, "Dada! Dada!" Gus looks like he's going to explode with happiness! He runs to Frank and insists that Frank hold him for the next 15 minutes. If he sees pictures of Frank or anything belonging to him (like a shirt) he says, "Dada! Dada!"

We took Gus to his 18 month appointment today. In preparation for it, I typed out the words he can say and other ways he communicates:

Gus’ Words:

Ball

Dada

Shoe

Woof Woof

Bye Bye

Uh-Oh

Cheese

Choo Choo
Belly Button (sounds like "Beh Bu'in) 

(Does not say Mama but will point to Mama when someone asks, “Where is mama?”)

Signs:

More
Food

All Done

Help

Wipe Hands

Thank you

Other communication notes:

·      Can point to people/things when asked: “Where is Grandmother?” or “Where is your blanket?”

·      Can follow directions: “Put the ball in the basket” or “Put the blocks in the bag” or “Go to your high chair.”

·      If we say, “I’m going to take your picture” he says, “Cheese!”

Can point to parts of his face when asked: “Where is your nose?” or “Where are your ears?" 
Does all the motions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider." 

Then, just for fun, I checked Leo's 18 month blog. He could say 75 words and speak in three word phrases! He could say Texas and we didn't even live here. The kid could say "umbrella!" Needless to say, I got a little concerned about Gus. So at his appointment today I shared that with the pediatrician--how much Leo said versus Gus.  As it turns out, Leo is the abnormal one! Gus is just fine. She said there are plenty of kids his age who say more and plenty who say less. He's right in the middle. Says she's not worried about him at all. "What about how he doesn't say Mama?" I asked. "Not unusual," she said. 

After the appointment we went to a friend's house and as I was picking Gus up out of the car, he pointed at me and said, "Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama." Leo said we should call the doctor and tell her! 

And here are Gus' stats from his appointment: 
Weight: 25 pounds, 2 oz. 64% 
Height: 33.3 inches 80% 
Head: 19 inches, 75% 

They even give grades and Gus got an A+ for physical exam and an A+ for development :) 

She also commented that he's very fast, when she saw him being chased by Leo all over the exam room. 

So to sum it up, our Gus doesn't say much but he's super cute, super sweet and super fast! We love him to pieces.