Happy Halloween

Autumn Cleaning

Started Autumn Cleaning tonight, with the first “room” – the front porch. Swept off all of the leaves, knocked down cob webs, changed lightbulbs, put out the fall flag, etc.

The “etc” included being scared half to death by a bird still nesting in one of the light fixtures (thought it was an empty nest – can’t see in from below) and nearly being electrocuted by a broken light fixture (again, couldn’t see) caused by yet another bird. Such fun, indeed.

One room down, 13 to go! (That’s including the back patio and the garage.)

Now to go knit, and try to get my heart rate under 200.

A New Parlor Game

Fun and Games at Casa de Snark on a Saturday night:

Due to two distractible babies (who shall remain nameless) I’ve started watching a lot of television on mute while nursing. They’re facing away from it, so don’t get nosy unless they hear dialogue/music.

As such, I’ve been enjoying playing “guess the couple” on the real estate shows on HGTV. Three people, touring a house. Which of them, if any, are a couple? (And sometimes the answer is none of the above, which really throws me for a loop.) Yes, friends, I need to get out more.

Random Friday

1) As of yesterday, Chloe is a verbal beast. “Mama” in context, correctly applied. Swoon.

2) I win the mother of the year award, after both babies sustained significant bonks to the noggin within 10 seconds of each other tonight. Chloe crawled off the seat of the recliner as I was bringing Emma over to join her, and in my failed attempt to catch Chloe, Emma somehow got a bonk to her forehead with a bruise and small scrape. (Meanwhile, Chloe landed on her head on the floor.) Fortunately, it was time for nursie, which cures all ills.

3) It’s definitely fall, because I’m starting a new knitting project. Just a simple baby blanket (so that both mugwumps can have one to sleep with this winter) but it’s something.

4) Nanny J and I took the girls out for Mexican food tonight, which unbeknownst to us was Karaoke night. Emma loved every bit of it, and was getting her baby freak on by dancing on the table. (I held her lower half, and she wiggled her little butt and waved her arms in the air.) Nanny J and I think that her singing was better than some of the legitimate performers, too. This kid’s a musical one.

Our First Year

The party was an absolute success, with monkey smash cakes and the requisite amount of crepe paper and helium balloons, and a small group of pleasant friends and family.  The babies received many sweet gifts, and were thrilled with their wagon (from Grandma and Grandpa) and the ride-on plush giraffe and elephant from Mama.

The last year’s retrospective:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I can’t believe how quickly they’ve grown!

Twelve Months

My little monkeys are a year old!  Their birthday party is this afternoon (3 pm, prime after-nap playtime) featuring a jungle theme, monkey cakes (for them) and the old-family-recipe chocolate cake for the grownups, and lime punch for everyone.

The girls just continue to amaze and delight me.  They crawl at a high rate of speed now (Chloe still a little froglet, and Emma still doing the asymmetrical thing, but they both get there) and are interested in everything.  They’re babbling up a storm, and Nanny J and I both think that Chloe is starting to quack when she sees her toy ducks.  I think we’re only days from meaningful words from both of them.

Chloe pulls up to her knees now, and Emma thinks it looks like a nice idea.  They both can get from crawling to a sit easily, and are constant motion-machines in their play-yard.

We have to nurse in a quiet, boring room now (TV on mute, mom) or they’re constantly popping off to check out the action.  Even the dog is interesting when she walks through the living room.  The recliner, with one baby sitting on each leg, is now the preferred nursing position (rather than double football with the big ol’ nursing pillow) and they often pat each other, hold hands or attempt to poke one another in the eye during their nursie time.

They’re showing a ton of loving behavior these days, with frequent spontaneous kisses from Chloe (including many directed at Emma) and lots of arm-patting from Emma (particularly directed at Chloe when she’s having a little meltdown.)

They nurse 3 to 4 times a day now (morning, naptime once or twice, and bedtime.)  They regularly sleep through the night (11-12 hours) plus two good naps (2ish hours each.)  The occasional night wakeup is generally due to illness or teething.   And they love to eat everything and anything.  They’ve started using their sippy cups independently, and think that milk (whole) and apple juice (diluted) are the nectar of the gods.

They’re starting to edge out of 3-6 month clothes, and the size 1 summer sandals are just almost too small.  An OK thing, as we’re into October.  Size 3 diapers are still the thing.  Chloe still has 6 teeth with no more threatening, and Emma now has two (both lower incisors) and is working on an upper.

We’ve had another full month, with a trip to the state fair, and one to the pumpkin patch, and plenty of time on the porch swing with a pile of Boynton books.  I can now recite “But Not The Hippopotamus” from memory, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chloe:

Likes:

Pancakes at the local pancake house

Tickles

Acrobatics at changing time

Dislikes:

Mother’s boring insistence on occasional sleep

Waiting for anything

Emma:

Likes:

Pop Goes The Weasel

Bananas

Attempting to access the nursies in any and all public locations

Dislikes:

Being the sole occupant of Baby Shawshank

Camera flashes

Board Silly

In honor of taking my recertification boards today (yes, it’s been 6 years – time flies) I give you the following, with my apologies for not blogging much.  I’ve been spending my free time reading up on the intricacies of rheumatology labs and metabolic disorders.

Interested in a medical specialty?  Let the following flowchart help you decide.

GroupThink Made Simple

It’s all so clear now…

Thanks, PowerLine!

Chloe’s Big Day

Pulling to stand for the first time (and swinging back and forth from the wall of Baby Shawshank.)

Using her sippy at the table, rather than just in bed.

Blackberry pie.

(E enjoyed the pie, too, but is still working on the sippy & standing action.  She’s not far behind!)

On School

Look, ma, a new category!

That’s right, friends and neighbors.  We’re officially starting homeschooling, after a fashion.  Since the little ones are so little, it’s more like “learning at home” – but organized learning, in addition to all of the random little things that we do all day.

It would probably be overkill for most people to do an organized several-days-a-week learning plan with 1-year-olds, but I’ve noticed that the days just get away from us, and I don’t get some of the little learning bits accomplished that I’d like to do.  I’d like to teach them nursery rhymes, and sit down and sing together, and read really good picture books to them.  That sort of thing.

Ultimately, I hope to homeschool them well into the traditional school years.  Maybe through high school.    We’ll have to see.  At present, I know the following bits of data:

1) We live in an utterly horrible elementary school district.  The school is just lousy, all the way around.  (We’re one of two small nice neighborhoods on the edge of the slums, so 95% of the district is slum.  We’re separated by a creek and some big streets and the hospitals & library from most of it, so don’t have crime problems, etc, but I really don’t want my kids in with those kids.)  Public school isn’t an option, unless we move.  (And furthermore, I’m really unimpressed with public schooling in general, my local school’s particular faults aside.)

2) Private schooling is prohibitively expensive in this town, for two kids on one income.  There’s a wonderful private Christian school, but even kindy would be $8K a year, and I’m going to have daycare to pay until they’re 10 or older, so that’s a no-go.  Maybe when they’re in jr high or high school.

3) I’ve always loved the idea of homeschooling.  Starbuck was homeschooled, and I have several friends who are homeschooling, and it looks like something I’d be into.  Even if I do end my sentences with prepositions on occasion.

More on our curriculum and that sort of thing in coming days.  Our first official day is Tuesday!