Lilah: Mommy, let's play rock star princess.
Me: What's that?
Lilah: Well, it's just like the regular princess game only I'm also a rock star. You be all the princes and I'm going to pick one of the princes at the ball to get to marry me. You can use your own voice this time.
An explanation: The Princess Game is legendary and dreaded in our house. I invented it (curse me!) and now wish it would go away. It involves someone (either Lilah or a grown-up) selecting an imaginary mate at a "ball" from a line of imaginary prospects: Prince Cassiova, Prince Luluwu, Prince Williwick . . . each prospective mate is acted out and fails to live up to royal standards: messy clothes, bad manners, weak singing or dancing skills, inability to perform arithmetic (I insist on this one). Finally an acceptable prince appears (or, if we're playing in reverse, Lilah is called up). Cue the swelling music: a happy ending ensues!
This time, for rock star princess, Lilah hastens to assure me that I don't have to try to sing in a masculine voice. For some reason, this is the part of the game that really bugs me, especially when she tries to make me play it when we have company.
Lilah: Mommy, you can sing in your regular voice.
Me: Okay. Good.
Lilah: Just try to PRETEND you can sing as sweetly as me.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Collin "milking" Ian
Brief story, but worth saving for posterity, I think.
Me: Collin, why don't you say good morning to Ian? Say something nice to him before you run off to be crazy.
Collin: (in simpering baby voice) Ian, you're the youngest person in this house!
Ian: (whimper, quivery lip)
Collin: (same voice) No, no, don't cry! That means you'll be the last to die!
Me: Collin, why don't you say good morning to Ian? Say something nice to him before you run off to be crazy.
Collin: (in simpering baby voice) Ian, you're the youngest person in this house!
Ian: (whimper, quivery lip)
Collin: (same voice) No, no, don't cry! That means you'll be the last to die!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Happiest baby in the house
I feel like this one speaks for itself. Wish we had more moments like this one, though I know they're coming! Ian is wonderful, smells good, has a nice soft fuzzy head, and loves his mommy and daddy and sister very much. His big brother is honestly a little scary because he moves very quickly and is very loud and has already beaned Ian on the head with a basketball. (Collin's response: "Whoops." Resume play.)
But this picture is hopefully our future with this little guy, who looks like he's cheering for something, doesn't he? Maybe (hopefully) it's me and Ryan, who are now outnumbered by our own children and thus trying to re-learn parenting as a zone-defensive skill.
Wish us ALL luck!
But this picture is hopefully our future with this little guy, who looks like he's cheering for something, doesn't he? Maybe (hopefully) it's me and Ryan, who are now outnumbered by our own children and thus trying to re-learn parenting as a zone-defensive skill.
Wish us ALL luck!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Holding hands
After three weeks or so, life with five in our house is settling in. Ian is growing well, having exceeded his birth weight by a half pound at his 2-week check-up. He's finally got his days and nights in proper order, and is starting to sleep for three- to four-hour stretches at night, a sign that someday he might sleep for five or even six hours at a clip.
The rest of us are doing pretty well, too. Collin is spouting into pure boyhood, and really wants to do nothing more with his summer days than to run, climb, kick, throw, swim, thwack, and any other highly physical activity you can imagine.
Lilah is taking her role of big sister very seriously, and in between dress-up and the craft of the minute, has found joy in giving her baby brother baths. She also had a great visit with Mom-Mom and Pappy, which was followed by a visit from Evie Rhody (accompanied graciously by her parents and sister!)
As for the grown-ups, all is generally well. Ann is recovering in due course, and sleep deprivation seems the worst (and most predictable) lingering effect. We've been happy to entertain visitors to the new baby and his family, with a few dinners with friends, plus the great weekend with the Rhodys...Uncle Paul and Auntie Nette come next, with Erin close behind, and Auntie Paula and Uncle Scott rounding out a busy July.
Meanwhile, I am simply trying to get my time in with the baby boy, rocking him to sleep, taking him on the occasional walk, burping him on my shoulder, hodling his hand. It's hard not to be consumed with these tiny things, and good just the same. At the same time, I'm trying to keep the twins engaged and active with trips to the park, the Claycomb family campout, the ice-cream store, and the park again...But with June over, I'm also returning to writing, trying to make more headway on the book project I'm working on, and beginning the planning for fall, which is--frighteningly--just around the bend...
The rest of us are doing pretty well, too. Collin is spouting into pure boyhood, and really wants to do nothing more with his summer days than to run, climb, kick, throw, swim, thwack, and any other highly physical activity you can imagine.
Lilah is taking her role of big sister very seriously, and in between dress-up and the craft of the minute, has found joy in giving her baby brother baths. She also had a great visit with Mom-Mom and Pappy, which was followed by a visit from Evie Rhody (accompanied graciously by her parents and sister!)
As for the grown-ups, all is generally well. Ann is recovering in due course, and sleep deprivation seems the worst (and most predictable) lingering effect. We've been happy to entertain visitors to the new baby and his family, with a few dinners with friends, plus the great weekend with the Rhodys...Uncle Paul and Auntie Nette come next, with Erin close behind, and Auntie Paula and Uncle Scott rounding out a busy July.
Meanwhile, I am simply trying to get my time in with the baby boy, rocking him to sleep, taking him on the occasional walk, burping him on my shoulder, hodling his hand. It's hard not to be consumed with these tiny things, and good just the same. At the same time, I'm trying to keep the twins engaged and active with trips to the park, the Claycomb family campout, the ice-cream store, and the park again...But with June over, I'm also returning to writing, trying to make more headway on the book project I'm working on, and beginning the planning for fall, which is--frighteningly--just around the bend...
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Ian at Rest
So, Ian...how do we begin to describe you?
We spent a lot of time chronicling the twins' first days, and since, honestly, moving from 2 kids to 3 has changed our lives so much less dramatically than starting out with twins did, it's less easy to observe those changes.
This is all the more true since Ian is a mellow sort, eating, sleeping, and chattering more or less predictably and smoothly since he came home a week ago.
As a father of singleton this time around, I'm doing a lot less infant care than I did with the twins, though I am doing about as much twin-care. Today, father's day, I got to nap with Ian, but I also took the twins to the park for soccer, catch and races. Ian, as a result, spends a lot of time like this: in Ann's arms, awake or asleep.
He doesn't like to sleep on non-human surfaces at all, and it's been a challenge to get him to sleep for more than about 45 minutes in a crib or bassinet...but he's slept for an hour and a half in the sling with me, and done similar stretches napping, snoozing, and outright passing-out with Ann.
But he's a beautiful boy, and I say that not only because he seems to resemble my baby pictures a lot, but because he's just plain beautiful. So far he's got my blue eyes, but I'm still holding out for them to change to his mommy's beautiful hazel.
But so far, perfect: healthy, strong, affectionate. And even if he weren't, I'd love him anyway.
We spent a lot of time chronicling the twins' first days, and since, honestly, moving from 2 kids to 3 has changed our lives so much less dramatically than starting out with twins did, it's less easy to observe those changes.
This is all the more true since Ian is a mellow sort, eating, sleeping, and chattering more or less predictably and smoothly since he came home a week ago.
As a father of singleton this time around, I'm doing a lot less infant care than I did with the twins, though I am doing about as much twin-care. Today, father's day, I got to nap with Ian, but I also took the twins to the park for soccer, catch and races. Ian, as a result, spends a lot of time like this: in Ann's arms, awake or asleep.
He doesn't like to sleep on non-human surfaces at all, and it's been a challenge to get him to sleep for more than about 45 minutes in a crib or bassinet...but he's slept for an hour and a half in the sling with me, and done similar stretches napping, snoozing, and outright passing-out with Ann.
But he's a beautiful boy, and I say that not only because he seems to resemble my baby pictures a lot, but because he's just plain beautiful. So far he's got my blue eyes, but I'm still holding out for them to change to his mommy's beautiful hazel.
But so far, perfect: healthy, strong, affectionate. And even if he weren't, I'd love him anyway.
Attic project complete!
At long last, the attic is complete, and the kids have moved into their new rooms, which they love. There are several pictures up on Flickr, so you can see the results if you so desire, but the end result is this: after downsizing from 4200 square feet to about 1600, we're back up to about 2100, which seems just right for the family.
The kids love the new space, with separate areas for each for sleeping and playing. Lilah's got her new bed with a bookshelf headboard and drawer storage, while Collin has moved up to a full sized bed nestled in the eaves (though we couldn't manage to fit a full sized boxspring up the stairs, so it's a low bed....
Playing features include space for Collin's air hockey table, and a new "hammock" in lavender/blue/ink striped fabric in the corner to hold extra stuffed animals. The kids are actually asking to go play in their rooms this weekend, so the renovation seemd to be complete. We now have a few things to move into the guest room from the garage, and a little rearranging in our room now that the path to the attic stairs needn't be quite so open, but within a week or so, we should be really and truly settled in after late April's move.
The kids love the new space, with separate areas for each for sleeping and playing. Lilah's got her new bed with a bookshelf headboard and drawer storage, while Collin has moved up to a full sized bed nestled in the eaves (though we couldn't manage to fit a full sized boxspring up the stairs, so it's a low bed....
Playing features include space for Collin's air hockey table, and a new "hammock" in lavender/blue/ink striped fabric in the corner to hold extra stuffed animals. The kids are actually asking to go play in their rooms this weekend, so the renovation seemd to be complete. We now have a few things to move into the guest room from the garage, and a little rearranging in our room now that the path to the attic stairs needn't be quite so open, but within a week or so, we should be really and truly settled in after late April's move.
A photographer captures the image
We have what one visitor affectionately called a postage-stamp yard: about 20x25, it's a big room, but a tiny backyard. Still the kids have found things to do back there. A quick jump over to the Flickr page will reveal a game of Monkey in the Middle, and a snback break under the hanging grapevines. Plus, Lilah and I (and Collin some too), have begun a few small gardening projects, along the back of the house and the side of the freestanding garage: tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli...basil, dill, rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme...butterfly bushes, delphinium, morning glories...
It seems, actually, that I've finally found a yard small enough that I'm not wasting my energy simply maintaining, and instead am working to cultivate it. It's tiny, but it fits...
It seems, actually, that I've finally found a yard small enough that I'm not wasting my energy simply maintaining, and instead am working to cultivate it. It's tiny, but it fits...
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