Moore Interesting Every Day

Update At Last

Posting is clearly not for someone with my schedule.  Sorry to those I continue to disappoint (fortunately, this is probably only 3 people!).  So I will (yet again) make a resolution to do better, at least add pictures more often.  Top updates since last post:

1.  Christmas was fantastic for all and kids were thoroughly spoiled.

 

2.  I worked New Year's Eve at the hospital, but there was apparently a party going on at my house that night

 

 
 
3.  My work life is a complete and chaotic mess due to various complicated business and legal issues but I still love what I do and am grateful to have a job-- at all, in this economy-- that I really do enjoy for the most part.  And am also grateful to have so many patients that I am really attached to and enjoy being part of their lives.  Those patients really make all the other hassles worth it, and I've been blessed with a lot of those experiences recently.

4.  We moved!!  In a whirlwind span of a month, we put our house on the market and moved into a temporary place (apparently we have too much crap to be able to sell our house while we are actually still living in it...) in northern KY.  This is fabulous for me because the hospital is 5 minutes away, as is Goddard, but stinks for Rodger, whose new job is quite a ways up the interstate in cincinnati... ugh.  So it probably won't last for long, but I will enjoy it for now.  Trekking 25 minutes there and back to a delivery in the middle of the night-- sometimes more than once a night-- has been hard for the past 5 years, so this is amazingly easier.  I even sleep better because I don't have that hanging over my head every time I am on call.  Thank you, God!

5.  Anna moved into a big-girl bed with the move, and she is doing awesome!  She is still treating it somewhat like a crib (lays in it anyway she pleases all night long) but at least she isn't falling out of it!

The learning curve might be a little steep, but we'll get there!

   

Aidan had to give up his top bunk for Anna, but he seems to like the new arrangement, and has been making room for all his friends in his new sleep set-up: (this photo was not in any way posed/staged)

    
 
 
6.  Anna is also going on the potty regularly and I think we are very close to underwear... this will be about a year ahead of aidan's time-line, so I am loving that!  And with the loss of the diaper/pull-up will go the last trace of baby in that girl; she seems so old!  It is scary to listen to her talk; she has full conversations with complete and complex sentences.  She doesn't just say "I need to go potty"  -- instead she says " I need to go potty.  I think I wanna go potty upstairs.  I'm gonna go upstairs, mommy.  You wanna come too?  What a great idea!  Let's go upstairs, mommy.  Aidan, you can stay downstairs.  We'll be right back!"  She never stops. 

7.  My sister Rachel is engaged!  The wedding is set for August in Nashville, and she is planning to have the kids in the wedding, too.  I hope Aidan gets to wear a tuxedo; I will have to enlist some reinforcements in the photography department, though, since I am her matron of honor and will probably have to relinquish my beloved camera for a bit...  I will figure something out, cause it sounds like Anna's dress is going to be adorable, too.

8.  And last, but not least:  Disney World 2010 has come and gone.  We just got back last week-end, and this year was fantastic.  Our weather was really pretty good, so the kids got plenty of pool time, too, so it was a perfect vacation.  I think we have most of the park stuff down to a science after 3 years, but the weather is very unpredictable at this time of year, and last year we froze... so I was thrilled to have nice weather this year.  Plus, I really love to get Anna into some shorts so I can squeeze those thighs!  Aidan was still very much into all the characters this year, although he gave most of the princesses the cold shoulder (which was 180 degrees from last year).  Most, but not all... he still retains considerable love in his heart for his beloved Mulan, and we happened to get the exact same Mulan this year as last year, and she deserves a raise in my opinion; she was really sweet to the kids and spent lots of time talking to them and taking pictures.  Anna, apparently, is keeping her options open.  Even though she acts like a tomboy most of the time, she was VERY interested in the princesses and kept saying she wanted a snow white dress like she saw other girls wearing.  And she was mesmerizedby Cinderella when we had lunch in the castle; I thought she was going to go home with her!

 

Aidan's big interests this year were pins and star wars.  He was obsessed with wearing his pins (on his lanyard) everyday, and had to show each character he met that he had one of their pins... and he kept wanting to trade pins with every employee at Disney World, even when he had no pins left that he was willing to part with... next year we will get a bunch of loser pins that no one likes, just so they have a stash to trade with.  But he was very proud of all of his loot; I must have 20 pictures of him showing off his pins.  He also developed a new obsession with Yoda from Star Wars shortly before our vacation, and this turned out well for him because there is a star tours ride at Hollywood studios, and they had lots of Yoda merchandise for him to beg for... He came home with a Yoda stuffed animal, a matted print (which is now framed and hanging over his bed) and a yoda t-shirt that says  "My finger, pull."  No joke.  He picked it himself.  Some of those boy characteristics are obviously hardwired on the DNA; no question of nature vs. nurture there!

I have whittled the 800+ photos we came home with down  and put a selection in an album at the right top of the page for those who are interested; anyone who wants the abbreviated version need only scroll down for a brief summary:

 

  

 

 

   

     

 

  

     

  

   

 

 

Aidan actually did NOT have a Peter Pan pin, and was somewhat distressed about this when we met Peter Pan...

 

 

 

 

 

The Force was definitely with us... we survived another vacation at Disney World!   
 
  
 
 
 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

It's Always Something

It usually doesn't occur to me to post something unless I have some new pictures to share.  I have had some recent conversations with my 4 year old, however, that are almost as good as pictures.  I can't always explain them, but they definitely always make me laugh.  So, as Aidan is fond of saying, "Enjoy!"

1. It's Always Something

Aidan and Mommy are building pirate legos.  This is an activity confined to the dining room table because otherwise the 2 year old will ensure that some of the most vitally important tiny pieces will end up down the heating vents.

Mommy:  Keep the legos on the table, Aidan.  Any legos that hit the floor will belong to me, understand?

Aidan:  grumbles under his breath

Mommy:  Aidan?  Do you understand?  Don't drop the legos on the floor or I will take them away.

Aidan:  Vacant stare

Mommy:  Aidan?  Did you hear me?

Aidan:  It's always something!

2.  Welcome to India

Rodger had surgery 2 weeks ago and spent one night over after his procedure.  That night the kids and I made some get well cards for him.  Since Aidan is able to write all his letters, he usually tells me what he wants to say and I spell it out for him. 

Mommy:  What do you want to say to Daddy in his card?

Aidan:  I don't know.

Mommy:  You could say, 'Feel better soon, Daddy.'  Or 'Don't forget to take your medicine.'

Aidan:  Or....   I could say 'Welcome to India!'

3.  Krispy Kreme

Every mom has those little games they play with their kids.  Like every night before bed, Aidan and I play "I love you more."  Usually corresponding to Aidan's favorite things.  I love you more than purple popsicles.  I love you more than sleeping in the tent.  I love you more than going bowling...  you get the idea.  And he's good, too.  He always comes up with new ones that surprise me.  Another one of our games started with me calling him a nut.  He will say something goofy --salami, salami, bologna (see popeye for explanation) or surprising or hilarious (I personally think he has quite a precocious wit and appreciation of humor) and I will call him a nut.  Usually we just keep going until we've listed all the nuts we can think of.  The last time; however, he got me.

Mommy:  You are a nut!!  What kind of nut are you?

Aidan:  I'm a pine nut!

Mommy:  Are you sure?  You look like  a walnut to me.

Aidan:  No!!  I'm a peanut.

Mommy:  Really??  You might be a macadamia nut.

Aidan:  No!!

Mommy:  Brazil nut?

Aidan:  No!!

Mommy:  What are you then, a cashew?

Aidan:  No!  I'm a Donut!!

4.  You better watch out!

This is the first year that Aidan really seems to know who Santa is, and he talks about him all the time.  Clearly we still have some gaps to fill; however, because he did ask me what an elf was and had never heard of Rudolph.  But I digress.

Aidan:  Miss Stephanie says that Santa is always watching us to see if we be good or if we be bad. (I'm sure that is like fingernails on a chalkboard for his former-teacher grandmother... sorry!)

Mommy:  That's true.  Do you know what happens if Santa sees you being good?

Aidan:  I get lots of presents!

Mommy:  Something like that, yes.  And what happens if Santa sees you being bad?

Aidan:  I only get one present (fake pouts). 

Mommy:  No, you get a lump of coal.  Do you know what coal is?

Aidan:  No

Mommy:  Coal is like a rock.  A black rock.

Aidan:  Oooohhh!!  Black is my FAVORITE color!!!

5.  If you can't say something nice...

Last, but not least, I hope this never happens to any of you.  You would think the son of an obstetrician would know better-- or at least be more accurate!  Last week Aidan and I were in an elevator going to a doctor's appointment at children's hospital.  We get on and he pushes the button for our floor.  Then another girl gets on and she lets him push the button for her floor.  In his excitement, he turned to smile at her, and.... well, let's just say she hadn't been using her ab-master recently.  She had a little bit of a gut hanging over her jeans.  And my son proudly announced to her:  You have a baby in your belly!  Pregnant pause...  She was very nice about it.  She just looked at him and said: No, not yet.  I wanted to melt into the back wall of the elevator.  Fortunately we only had to ride 2 floors with her before she got off.  She probably went straight to the gym, poor thing.  Nothing like the blunt honesty of a 4 year old to get you motivated.

      That's my nut!  Drilling a hole in his own safety goggles.

   Course, his sister's not much better off

 

  Forget the 3 pairs of sunglasses she has; she'd rather wear Mr. Potato Head's glasses

 
 

Stinger Verses Fangs

Halloween was lots of fun this year.  Our neighborhood is kind of difficult, with busy streets that are hard to cross with toddlers.  So this year, we planned to go to Nashville and trick-or-treat at in my parents' neighborhood, where you can walk right down the middle of the street. 

Anna didn't get much say in her costume.  Actually, she didn't get any say.  I made an unusual diversion from my usual once-upon-a-child only policy of children's clothing to buy aidan some new underwear back in august. I was sooooo happy that we were finally in underwear 24-7 and they pretty much sell the same underwear at target, Almaty, etc. and we needed some COOL underwear to celebrate.  And Gymboree has really cool underwear, I have to admit.  As much as I hate to pay those prices, we NEEDED to celebrate.  It just so happened that while I was there getting underwear-- which totally met my expectations, by the way-- they were having a sale where everything in the store was 30% off.  AND they had halloween costumes out.  And they had a bumblebee costume.  I didn't stand a chance.  Anna's fate was decided.  And she was the cutest bee ever... even without the antennae headband.

   

Aidan's costume, however, was more difficult.  First off, we had some difficulty sticking to a choice.  Every week he had a new idea.  First, he wanted to be a witch.  That was a little difficult for me.  Trying to figure out how I was going to make him a cool witch without making him to girlie.  Fortunately for me, he changed his mind in about 10 days.  His next choice was Buzz Lightyear.  This one I had mixed emotions about.  On the one hand, I knew this would be available from the Disney Store, which would make my life tons easier. But at the same time, I wanted a costume that involved a little more creativity than a plastic mask and jumpsuit.  But I also wanted to let him make his own choice so he would be excited about it.  So I waited it out for the next 2 weeks, and sure enough, he changed his mind again .   The next (and final!) choice was... Dracula.  This proved more difficult than I would have imagined.  In my mind, Dracula was a pretty common choice for Halloween and would be available at any Halloween Super Store.  This assessment failed to take into account all the recent vampire obsessions.... True Blood, Twilight, etc...  So by my 4th store, I FINALLY found a vampire costume.  And I had my face painting book that I used to paint Frankenstein last year, so we were finally set!  I did buy him fake teeth and red paint for blood, but Aidan was adamant that he wanted NO BLOOD and NO TEETH.  Okay, whatever.  So we compromised with me painting teeth on his face and no blood what-so-ever.

   

Personally, I think the hair gel made the outfit!  The impulse to put it in his hair was to get it out of his face paint, but it worked out well.  I couldn't resist making him even creepier with photoshop:

  

The kids had a blast, which was kind of funny since neither one of them likes candy.  But they were sooooo excited to collect it in their pumpkins! (Lucky for Mommy!)  Anna couldn't get enough of it.  She is still going around the house with her pumpkin, yelling "TWICK or TWEET!"

   

Oh, did I mention that my father also dressed up with the kids?  He was quite a hit with the neighbors!

  

Move over Robert Pattinson (or whatever his name is)! There's a new sheriff in town!!

    The neighbors went all out with their decorations!

 

I think Aidan didn't know what to think about this one!  He was intrigued for sure, but obviously missed the irony of the moment.  He just kept saying, "that's like my cape!"  "That's dracula like me!"

      

  

  

We had a GREAT time, and got lots of good candy loot for mommy, too.  I have a few other pictures from the week-end that are worth posting:

  

  

 

Personally, I thought my face painting was WAY better than this mask!

  

   

  Happy Halloween!!  Twick or Tweet!!  Hopefully, you all had as much fun as we did!

  

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 

Belated Birthday Boy

Obviously, it's been a while since this poor little blog has been updated.  Surprise, surprise...  Will keep it somewhat brief in order to have time for subsequent updates. 

Aidan had another birthday.  The joint birthday party was on the week-end after his birthday, so we decided to go out to dinner on his actual birthday.  When asked what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he said STEAK!!  In order to give the dinner more of a celebratory feeling, we took him to a Japanese steakhouse where they cook the food right in front of you with lots of smoke, fire and various food-flinging antics.  Great idea for a 4 year old.  Bad for the terrified 2 year old who got tagged along.

 

   (Anna WAS actually here but was terrified of the smoke/fire, and was clinging to my neck) 

   

  Some brilliant person figured out a way to rubber band chopsticks together so kids can enjoy them, too

  

Yummmmm.... STEAK!!

 

This way also works when you find yourself tired of the mechanics of chopsticks...

And on to the Birthday Chair photos!  (collective groan can be heard from my children)

 

Aidan: 4th birthday

Aidan:  3rd birthday

 

Aidan:  2nd birthday

 

Aidan: 1st birthday

  

Aidan: Birth
 

The birthday party was a huge hit!  We had another joint birthday party for the kids, although this was probably the last year for that.  This year's party was at the Jump Zone, which is a warehouse of giant inflatable bouncy things with giant slides.  I don't know how else to describe it.  There may not be many great photos to post however; the kids were moving so fast that there is a lot of blur and red eye.  The video would be priceless, but I am not equipped technically to put it up here.  We'll see what we can come up with.  Halloween pics definitely forthcoming. 

 

  

 

Beach Vacation

Finally!!  The long awaited beach photos are here!  My brother was married on September 5 on the middle of a beach in Florida, God bless him!  Actually, I should probably say God bless Terri, his wife.  Something tells me he could have cared less where he got married, but I was certainly grateful for the beach wedding.  When you are married to a redhead, there aren't a lot of days at the beach in your vacations, so I was excited for an excuse to go to the beach.   And my sister has some amazingly generous friends who let us stay in their enormous and gorgeous beach house.  Holy cow, this was an amazing place to have a vacation!  First of all, we were all able to stay under one roof-- Rachel, Dan, Paul, Terri, Julian, my mom and dad, Rodger, Aidan, Anna and I.  And technically, there were still 3 beds available.  Second of all, this house was completely furnished.  And then some.  Personally, I was most excited about the washer/dryer, but my kids were most excited about the pool.  What a great week for them; they would wake up from a nap and say, "I want to go swimming."  And there was their own private pool, right outside the back door. So first off, I need to say a special thank you to Mindy and Jason, for their incredible generosity. We had a fantastic time! Now, let's get to some pictures!

  

Chiquita (as her Aunt Rachel calls her) is fearless; she jumped right in!

 

 

 

Aidan has a natural diving stance, and he definitely looked the part while swimming in his underwear... almost like a speedo.  I see swim lessons in our future next year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My brother Paul and his mini-me, Julian, who is about 7 months younger than Anna

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out this body!! I couldn't get enough of Anna in a bathing suit!

 

 

 

I'm submitting this one for the next Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.  I love this one so much I have it as my screen-saver right now...  I just want to pinch those thighs!

Moving on to the beach...

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Anna was perfectly happy digging in the sand, until my Dad caught a giant crab in the water and everyone gathered around him to look at it...  that was the point where she freaked out.  She had ZERO interest in going anywhere near the waves, and I guess she thought we were all going to leave her there... I went to the water's edge to take a picture of the crab for Aidan, and when I turned around, this is what I saw:

You have to admit, it's kind of pitiful!

 

 

She managed to get over her trauma by trying to bury Rachel in the sand

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving on to the Wedding Day...

 

 

 

 

They started out looking so cute... running around in the sand... right before sunset...  initially, it was picturesque

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we waited for the ceremony to start, however... things became less picturesque, and more... sandy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is BEFORE the wedding even started...

I'll throw in a few pictures of the bride and groom, although I am working on a surprise for them, so I don't want to throw all of my cards on the table just yet!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't mind the random rubber-necker walking by in the background... I'm not proficient enough with photoshop to know how to make her go away...  I'm sure my mom can fix that for them

It was a beautiful wedding and everyone had a good time... everyone except the baby who wanted his mommy!  Fortunately the ceremony was short, but he had to wait out the pictures before she could hold him...

We did manage to get some family photos by the beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aidan can always be counted on for comic relief... 

And then we moved on to the reception, where Aidan spent the night bouncing back and forth between the bride and the cake.  It's not what you think... he is still an alien being who doesn't like sweets, but the cake was decorated with very large, beautiful shells, unlike any he had managed to find on the beach, so he was fascinated.  As for the bride, he was fairly smitten.  He spent quite a bit of time at the bride and groom's table... flirting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

   

The next morning Aidan said to me, "Mommy, I want Terri to be the princess again." 

Luckily, I have a file on my computer where I keep track of all the crazy, cute and occasionally freakishly perceptive things my children say.  There is NO way I am going to trust my brain to remember all of this when I am old and want to surround myself with nostalgia.  Hopefully I will still have enough eyesight to read!

Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday Anna!! Baby girl turned 2 on September 9 (that's right, 9-9-09), and her pathetic mother is just now getting around to putting the birthday on the blog.  We are having another joint birthday party for both kids next week-end-- yes, it's lame, but at this point, our friends are all the same and it would be unfair to ask them to come to individual parties two weeks apart.  But Anna did get to party in style on her big day at CEC... that's right, nothing's too good for our baby!  Aidan actually spent his second birthday at CEC also, although his birthday came with a new baby sister.  And let's not forget the torture of the birthday chair and the requisite photo...  Aw Mom... do we HAVE to???

    

  Anna starts out serious this year, but this doesn't last long

   

   

  Just to give some perspective, here are the birthday chair pictures for the past two years:

  

   Age 1

  

  24 hours old (birth)

Aidan's birthday is on Tuesday, and then our party is the following week-end.  Our party is going to be at the Jump Zone, which is a warehouse full of giant inflatable bouncing things, or as Aidan calls them, "jumpy castles."  Hopefully there should be some good photos from the party; will try to be more timely in posting them.  I anticipate some down time at the hospital tomorrow on call, so am hoping to FINALLY get some pictures up from our beach vacation. 

Happy Birthday Anna!  The year of the "Terrible Two's" is upon us.  Or perhaps a better description in Anna's case would be "tyrannical two's."  Man that girl is bossy!  Don't get me wrong, it mostly makes me laugh, but truly I should probably be afraid.  Afraid of what's to come.  It started a few months ago, when she really started to talk.  In the beginning, it was mostly 2-3 word sentences, but they all seemed to follow a certain theme...  "Mine!"   "My turn!"   "My do it!"  But now we've moved on.  Now she speaks in complete sentences and has even added the fine art of mimic to her repertoire.  The other night I was getting Aidan's food ready in the kitchen while Anna was eating her dinner at the dining room table, when Aidan apparently ran up and stole a piece of cheese from Anna's plate... First I heard screaming and then -- in all seriousness-- Anna yelled, very sternly, "Walk away Aidan!  No thank you!"

All I could do was laugh.  I'm sure it won't be so funny when she is 13 and I am on the receiving end of her wit.  But for now I will laugh. 

Another Goodbye

We are having a rough summer.  And while I still have lots of happy memories and pictures to post from my brother's wedding in Florida a week ago, I first need to take a moment to say that, sadly, shortly before the wedding, my grandfather on my mother's side passed away.  He has been chronically ill for at least 8 years now, and had multiple vessel by-pass surgery when I was an intern 8 years ago.  Fortunately, he was in good enough shape to make it to my wedding 5 years ago, but his ability to travel was obviously somewhat limited by his heath status, and he lived quite a distance from us in Iowa.  Luckily for me, one of my cousins got married nearby in Iowa last October, so I took the kids and we spent a few extra days up there before the wedding so they could have a chance to meet their great-grandfather and vice-versa.

                                 

                           (I never think Anna has much hair until I look back at older pictures)

                      

                              (Aidan showing off his teeth... my Grandfather was a dentist)

   Good-bye Grandpa Jerry!  The Cardinals jacket will fit Anna this year, and she will wear it for you!

Poop Chronicles

Underwear is fabulous!!!  Aidan has been exclusively wearing underwear for 3 solid weeks now, with NO accidents.  He is even SLEEPING in underwear; it's amazing.  For someone who refused to cooperate with the Mothers-For-Underwear Movement for what felt like forever, he sure climbed on board quickly!  And has yet to fall off the wagon.  I am filled with joy and gratitude.  And a tiny, ever-so-slightly bit of new-found frustration at the unpredictability of an almost 4 year-old sphincter.  I realize some of you may be wrinkling your nose at the word sphincter, but I assure you that I mean that in a strictly anatomical reference kind of way.  Besides, when you are a gynecologist, very few words are off-limit in your world.  Okay, so here we go!  The first few episodes of the Poop Chronicles have left me with many hilarious memories...

                                               Episode One:  To Read Or Not To Read

                             

Aidan has decided that pooping requires quality reading material.  Here's how it usually goes down:  the urge to poop hits him quick and he will usually proclaim, while running towards the bathroom, "I have to go poop!"  Just before he hits the bathroom door, however, he realizes he has forgotten his literary companion.  This prompts a quick U-turn back towards the living room to grab his selection du jour (which for the past three weeks has been the same): Blue's Clues: The Shape Detectives.  This is actually Anna's book and quite honestly is an intellectual demotion for him.  He has no interest whatsoever in this book except when he needs to... drop the kids off at the pool, so to speak.  I guess the small words, big pictures and lift-the-flap structure stimulates some kind of inner peace that relaxes the GI tract.  He even leaves the book in the bathroom, propped up against the wall. 

                                     Episode Two:  Supersize Takes On a New Meaning

While Rodger and Anna were away last week I took Aidan to breakfast at McDonald's one morning.  This particular McDonald's has one of those elaborate play areas with tunnels and slides, and Aidan still wakes up at 6 am, so saturdays can be long...  By 8 am we needed to do something, so we went to McDonald's so he could play and I could drink coffee and read a bit.  We were the only 2 people in the play area so early and he was loving having all the tunnels to himself.  He would run through the tunnel asking me "which way, mommy?"  He had a hard time finding his way up to the top of the structure, so I would guide him as I sipped my coffee... keep going straight... take the green tunnel... etc.  So he is following my directions, and I say "keep going straight" and all of a sudden he stops dead in his tracks and starts hauling butt in the other direction... I had no idea what he was doing, if he changed his mind about where he wanted to go,  if something scared him, or what.  All of a sudden he comes bursting out of the play structure, still running-- towards the door of the McDonald's-- yelling "I have to go poop!!" His face was panic stricken, so I new we had little time!  Of course he is wearing socks but no shoes (following the rules of the play area) and as soon as we get inside the door of the McDonald's he starts to skid across the floor --which is, of course, being mopped at 8 am-- so I scoop him up under one arm and swerve around the employee mopping the floor, arriving in the stall just in time for the most insanely large deposit ever made in that bathroom, I'm guessing.  Holy Cow!  Talk about supersized!  Okay, enough said about episode Two.

                                                      Episode Three:  Cruelty to Anna

Rodger had to have a steroid injection in his neck, and when I picked the kids up from school that night he was feeling nauseous and sore, so I took the kids out to dinner in order to give him a couple of  hours of peace before bringing the chaos of Thing 1 and Thing 2 back to the house.  We were still pretty new to underwear, but I was feeling ambitious.  So I took the kids to BW3 (even MY ambition has it's limits) and the first thing we did-- before even getting a table-- was go to the bathroom so Aidan could potty.  I am carrying Anna so as to prevent her from touching anything in the bathroom, and we all 3 go into the stall together.  Thank God for handicap stalls.  Not wanting to put Anna down, I raise the lid of the toilet with my foot and unsnap Aidan's shorts with my free hand.  Aidan proceeds to pee, and then announces to me:  "I don't have to wash my hands because I didn't touch the potty."  I'm only half listening, because Anna is fighting for liberation.  So he informs me a second time:  "I don't have to wash my hands.  But you have to wash your foot."  At this point I am confused, and I realize that I have missed part of this conversation, because why on earth would I need to wash my foot before dinner???  So I ask him, "why do I have to wash my foot?"  And he tells me, "because you touched the potty with your shoe."  Aha-aaa!  So THIS is how the mind of a 3 year old works!  Okay, I get it.  So we all wash our hands-- after arguing briefly about whether or not failing to touch the potty exempts you from hand washing-- and we are seated for dinner.  Unfortunately, Anna lives and dies by her stomach, so she is starting to get cranky.  We order macaroni, and I am pacifying her with a sticker book while she hollers for macaroni every 5 seconds or so.  After what feels like an eternity, the macaroni arrives, and just as the server is setting Anna's macaroni in front of her, Aidan looks up at me with panic and says.... you guessed it!  "I have to poop!"  Unfortunately for Anna, this is not a sphincter that can wait 20 minutes so that she can eat the macaroni that has just  been placed in front of her.  This is a sphincter that demands IMMEDIATE attention.  So Aidan jumps up from the table and runs to the bathroom.  I jump up behind him, unbuckle Anna from her high chair -- kicking and screaming-- head for the bathroom, then run back to the table to get my purse and then run back to the bathroom where Aidan is sweating, trying to get his pants down by himself.  Everyone in the restaurant must have wondered what in the world was going on, as I am running after a 3 year old while carrying a screaming toddler...  MACARONI!!!   MACARONI!!!  At this point, I have to face the fact that she is going to get dirty, so I set her down on the floor in order to get Aidan's pants down --BEFORE he poops in his underwear-- and she proceeds to flail around the bathroom stall screaming at the top of her lungs.  MAC-A-RONI. It was a top notch performance, and there may in fact be some little gold statues in her future. 

                                             Episode Four:  Biggs is Unfortunately.... Big

 

We have a local grocery store called Biggs.  On the way home tonight, I needed to stop and print off some pictures at the little kodak kiosk.  This took about 2 minutes, but I also realized that I needed some pepcid, and the pharmacy is right next to the photo area.  So the kids and I make a quick detour to the antacid isle when Aidan says, "Mom! My poop is going to come out!"  Of course, my first thought is, "oh, crap!" (but this isn't funny OR ironic when you are in the moment) so I give the bottle of pepcid to Anna, grab Aidan with my other hand, and take off running for the bathroom.  I REALLY didn't want to have to put him into his car seat naked, which is what I would have had to do if he pooped in his underwear, so we were tearing across that store at the speed of light.  Unfortunately, Biggs truly is a big store, and the bathroom was about as far as you could get from the pharmacy.  And the store clerk who was emptying the trash as we came screeching through the bathroom door gave me a disapproving look as I blatantly ignored the sign on the bathroom door asking me to please not bring unpaid for merchandise into the bathroom.  Whatever.  I wasn't going to risk poop-pants over a bottle of pepcid.  Besides, Anna was holding it, and she clearly doesn't know any better.  She can't even read!  And I'm happy to report that although it was a close call-- perhaps the closest to date-- episode 4 ended happily, with clean underwear. 

We clearly have many challenges ahead of us, but hopefully I am on my way to becoming a Jedi of Potty Training Knowledge.  Here's what I've learned so far:

1.  The toilet WILL always get touched by the toddler somehow. The bathroom, however, will not always contain soap. I may need to invent a key-chain purell bottle.

2.  Never take 2 children to a restaurant by yourself unless they are both in diapers.

3.  Limit any shopping to a 100 foot radius from the bathroom.  Anything that is located farther from that can probably be lived without.  Seriously. 

4.  It is not enough to have extra shorts and extra underwear stashed in the car.  You must keep a pair of underwear (and a ziplock bag for the accident pair) in your purse because lets face it, you don't want to have to go out to the car after he poops in his pants.  BE PREPARED.  Thank you, Boy Scouts!

5.  A strong sphincter that can patiently wait until the next bathroom opportunity presents itself is something to add to your mental list of personal accomplishments.  Think where you'd be without it!  It is one thing to race across restaurants and grocery stores like a crazy woman if you are carrying toddlers.  People see the kids and they sort of give you a free pass, like they know there has to be a reasonable explanation for your behavior, even if they don't know what it is.  An adult racing to the  bathroom by him or herself...  not so easy to explain.  So the next time you feel like an underachiever, think again!  At least you don't worry about pooping your pants!  You've come a long way, baby!

Tomorrow's Forecast: Dry!!!

Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! We have made it to the Promised Land:  Underwear!!!  I never would have believed that a measly square foot of clothing (and its presence on the body of my 3 year old) could make a grown woman do deliriously happy.  Well, live and learn.  Underwear has become a regular part of Aidan's wardrobe, and the pride I feel escapes my vocabulary.  I now understand why "pride" is often followed by "joy" in conversation.  I feel not only pride but also joy.  And gratitude, definitely gratitude.  It has been a LONG road for us.  Long, long, long.  Time and time again, I've tried to get Aidan into underwear, with NO success.  And last thursday I gave it another (renewed) effort, with complete and total success.  He's been in underwear for the past 11 days, with NO accidents!!!  I couldn't be prouder if he had early admission to Harvard.

                        

                                            Redneck children celebrating on the porch. 

That is the extent of our news since the last post, and sadly, that is enough to sustain me.  I can fill up the remainder of the post with random photos. 

                      

                                                      Cheese with Aunt Rachel

                                  

                                                    Picking blueberries with Grandma

                           

                                                            Anna's first baseball game

                          

                                      She managed to find a hat with a bumblebee on it

                           

                                   Cheese just doesn't cut it for this one; this one's fromage

                            

                                                         Taking a walk with Grandma

                           

                                                   Sunday afternoon at a friend's pool

                           

                            

                           

                                                            Papa takes Aidan for a ride

                                   

                               

                                                               Group coloring session

                              

                                                         No caption comes to mind

                          

                                           Rachel's dogs patiently waiting for donations

                                

                                                                 Bathtub Santa #1 

                                             

                                                               Bathtub Santa #2

                        

                             Looking onward to whatever the next week has in store for us

                                                                              

                 

PAPA REMEMBERED

Our family has suffered a great loss recently.  As most of you know, 2 weeks ago Rodger's Dad passed away.  "Papa with the pens."  That is how Aidan identified him.  Understandable, since his front shirt pocket was always filled to capacity with pens.  The kids were all drawn to these pens, without exception, and he would always direct them to the mechanical eraser, as he considered it safe to play with.  So much entertainment was had with Papa's front shirt pocket; when Rodger later asked me if I could think of anything of Papa's that the children might like to have to remember him by, I said-- how about the mechanical eraser?  Only to be told that he thought it had already been claimed by Monte.  And if you think I am exaggerating the importance of the pens, think again.  The pens even made the eulogy.

We are sad to lose him, but thankful for all of our wonderful memories.  We were fortunate to have recently spent some time with Grandma and Papa over Mother's Day.  While loud and filled with the chaos that can only be provided by having 3 toddlers at the table, he seemed to enjoy this last big family dinner, playing with Anna at the end of the table:

                         

                         

                  

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time.  Thank God for the super-fast, lightning speed of the digital SLR cameras these days.  Gotta be quick to catch such a tender moment between a sick old man and a hyperactive little girl.  In his eulogy, the pastor spoke at length about Jim's love of his grandchildren, and this photo captures that perfectly.  Here is a little collection of our memories with Papa  (several of which include attempts on the front pocket pens):

                

                                 

                          

                        

                         

                       

                                   It's Dr. Evil, I didn't spend six years in Evil Medical School

                                               to be called "Mister," thank you very much.

                      

                                                            (I just LOVE this picture!)

 

                      

                                                              (And this one, too.)

                      

                               

                          

                                                   (oooohh.... what have we here???)

                         

                          

                         

                        

                        

                         

                       (Anna slowly makes her move.  The key is not to look directly AT the pens)

                      

                           

                    

                              (Apparently Aidan had a little too much punch at Monte's wedding)

                          

                         

                         

                                                 (too cute; I don't even know what to say)

                         

                     

                     

                      

                             (YOU try to get a 1 yr old and 3 yr old to pose for a picture with

                              Grandma and Papa.  Let me know how that works out for you.)

                         

                                     (maybe he won't notice if I go for the glasses, too)

                     

                          (Ok,so, it turns out he DID need the glasses, but I got the eraser!)

                          

                                             (come on, Papa, everybody loves goldfish)

                    

                  

                                                            (My absolute favorite)

                          

                                              (Yes, we're STILL clutching that eraser)

                    

                         (Don't you wish you knew what these two were thinking just then?)

 

                    

                             (apparently Aidan was plotting his next siege on Papa's pocket)

                                

                                          (who says black loafers don't go with denim?)

                    

                                              (waiting patiently for dinner to be served)

                    

                       (sadly, an engineering PhD isn't always sufficient when assembling toys)

                   

                             "Hey Carter, have you SEEN this thing??? It's friggin awesome!!"

                     

                      

                           

                                 (Damn... I could've sworn I had more pens in that pocket...)

                    

               

                 Mother's Day 2009: apparently Aidan didn't get Lexie's memo about leaning forward

                 in order to be visible in the photo.  At least one eyeball is visible behind Rodger.

That's it for this trip down memory lane.  Sorry about the length; we have so many cute pictures of the kids with Papa, I wanted to include as many as I could.  Hopefully Papa is feeling better where he is now,  looking down and smiling on all the crazy antics his grand-kids are up to.  We miss you Papa!