To the Out-of-Staters

Had to vacuum today- we have fruit flies :)

Little piece of advice to anyone moving out of state:
Instead of taking all of your time to pack and clean.....make sure you pick up all of your medical records and choose new doctors. Turns out there is at least a two month wait list for well-baby visits down here and they won't even THINK about scheduling you for one until they have medical records in hand (which apparently take a month to mail!). So, here I sit with a bloody eye (webMD says it's okay, so I'm not too worried) and a tooth that needs extracted soon while my records slowly find their way down South.....and Bela is on day 2 without her meds for GERD. Luckily she'll get her script today we hope (because it's not pretty without meds!). Aunt Gretchen- you might want to find a ped for little Braden Jr. just in case the wait for well baby exams is at least two months in Buffalo (like it is out here). Meanwhile, just hope none of us get too much sicker :)
I like Dave's email that read: "I still think Michigan's where it's at....unless you want a job!" How true how true! But at least you guys get to eat apples- we have one cider mill in the state and it's LAAAAME!

Lots of Updating....

DANG YANKEES
Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a foreign country…..in fact, when Braden and I flew down to look at apartments before we moved, Braden actually had a panic moment when he went to pay a cashier because he thought he had forgotten to change his money…..oh wait, it’s still U.S. currency in the South. For all you Southerners (Mariah, Ryan, Sig…) go ahead and have a good laugh at my expense. Frankly, I deserve it. It’s a little bit Yankiee and a lot bit Charbonneau that has caused me a long maladjustment period here in sunny SC. It started a few weeks ago (I think I may have mentioned this earlier) when I saw Emma playing in a very large sand mound by our apartment door. A brief thought of “maybe she shouldn’t be playing in that” passed through my mind, but the fact that I was trying to buckle a fussing Bela into her carseat kept me from actually doing anything about it……after a minute or so I went to get Emma to put her in the car when I noticed that she was covered in ants, not the cute black ones we have in Michigan……that would be too easy. No, these suckers were fire ants! Dang, I had read about these. What’s the good in being an English major if I put none of my knowledge of literature to work?! So I brushed them off and put her in the car. A day or so later I noticed what looked like pus filled pimples on her toes. Chalking it up to the Cinderella sandles she insists on wearing causing blisters, we promptly went and bought boy sandals which are waaaay more comfortable for her. Soon after those little bubbly sores popped and out oozed a gross pus like substance. YUCK! After asking Aunt Mariah what this could have been, she said it was definitely a battle with fire ants! And turns out these crazy bugs are everywhere. I used to let Emma sit in the curb at the park while loading Bela into the car (so that she could play in the dirt while I took my time) but then some guy said “Uh, Miss, you might not want to let her play there- that’s a fire ant hill”. Please remind me again that I’m the Yankee idiot who lets her child play with fire ants all the time. So now Emma hugs my leg (so she doesn’t run into traffic) while I load her sister. It works out I guess.
So the ants are different…..but the snakes…..that’s another ballgame. For Memorial weekend, we decided at the last minute to take a trip down to Savannah to visit Aunt Mariah and Ryan (more about this later!). They took us on a nature walk through a little trail where we came across a snake. Now, I’ve never seen anything but a garter snake unless it was behind glass at the zoo. But this thing was all coiled up and ready to attack. So our hero of the day Braden decided to get a better look. Seriously you Southerners can laugh out loud at this one (who does that?!) Luckily it didn’t attack, but Braden thought he’d add humor to the tense situation (thanks to the Charbonneau side of me!) and said “Yup, definitely a Cobra”. But seriously, there are some deadly snakes here, so really he shouldn’t have messed with it. Mariah told us later she had come across a diamondback rattler in the same park before. We saw one more snake before finally leaving the park, whew, in one piece.
Okay, the snakes are different too. But the cats? We were loading Emma into the car when she spotted a “kitty kitty” and got excited. But this thing looked big and a bit strange, so we wouldn’t let her out to see it. It was far away, so who knows what it was- could have been a large mangy cat, but…..??? Again, I’m a Yankee. This is all new to me. So I decided it’s time for a manual. Really, it should be a law that if you move to the South, you need to be handed a manual on the wildlife that could be found in your backyard or crawling up your wall (still trying to identify the 2 inch long insects that crawl up our walls that have about 20 legs, 2 large antennae, and move faster than lightning- did I mention the nasty crunch they make or the guts that are leaving stains on our walls?). So I plan on contacting the county and seeing if a guide to dangerous backyard wildlife exists. If it doesn’t, then I am planning a day trip to the library soon (this is the Charbonneau in me again). Until then, all playing in the dirt and excursions into the woods are coming to a halt. These Yankees aren’t going to fall prey to anymore Confederate bugs- wait…..is that politically incorrect? If so, I’ll take it off, please tell me.
So the wildlife is different…..as is the post office. I’ve sent out a few packages so far and have discovered that we have the Pony Express down here. Our mothers still have not received their Mother’s Day presents. Grant it, we sent them out a little late, but it’s been over a week! AND, our pediatric records have only now just gotten here!! Oy yoy yoy!
On the flipside, I’m finding out that the South is a wonderful place to raise kids. We get to be outside all of the time and the people are so friendly down here! Faith is a lot stronger too (can’t say GD on the radio and Sunday services are on almost every FM radio channel on Sunday mornings) and there are SOOOO many stay at home moms- I’m in heaven!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Today Emma walked around all day practicing “Happy Bud-day Unco Benger” (Happy birthday by the way!) only to chicken out when the time came to sing it to him. But she did great singing it all day (minus the couple of times she sang “Happy Bud-day Monkey Benger”), so I guess that’s all you can ask. We are really hoping and praying to see Uncle Benger and Aunt Gretchen (and little Braden Jr.) soon!

GEORGIA PEACHES
So I promised a little on the trip to Savannah….We decided to drive down to visit Aunt Mariah and Ryan for the weekend and it was a blast! Emma wanted sooo badly to see the beach (she’s been studying her “Dora Beach” book for the last month or so), so we decided to head down Saturday at naptime. We made the little more than three hour trip without stopping- woo hoo! After we checked into the hotel, we headed to the beach….only to have Bela start howling. After 20 minutes and a few stops to feed and change her diaper, we just couldn’t put poor Bela through that anymore, so we stopped at the “beach”. See, in Georgia (yes, this is where you Southerners can chuckle again when you hear a Northerner describe Georgia) there are parts where you can drive and drive and see nothing but that grassy wetlandy stuff where those airboats drive around (I’ve seen this only on tv before our trip). That’s what we were driving through. Bela was just howling so Braden suggested we stop and just let Emma play in the sand at this Fort something or other (the only place we could stop for miles) where there was a river, a bridge, and some sand. The other side of the road was that grassy wetlandy stuff. The Charbonneau side of me kicked in and I said “Absolutely NOT! The gators will eat her up!” I’ve seen enough t.v. to know those airboats are for Crocodile Hunters and other Animal Planet personnel and that we shouldn’t be messing with any of that. But Emma decided this was “THE BEACH!!!!!” and took her little water shoes and swim suit out to the river and splashed and collected seashells. The locals were lined up waiting to fish (apparently they can’t until the gate closes for the night) and looked at us like we were idiots (more reason for me to believe the river was loaded with gators). But that was enough beach for Emma, whew. So we never did see the ocean. That night Bela and I hung out at the hotel and watched crappy television while Emma and Braden headed to Aunt Mariah’s. When they got back, Emma went on and on about “Woosee and Meatball” (Lucy and Maple- Mariah’s two dogs). In order to calm her down and allow all of us to sleep, Braden set up a contraption made from metal poles and the comforter on the bed to make a room divider. That way Emma could sleep without feeling like it was a big slumber party with her sister and parents! But a couple of minutes later (while I was in the bathroom) I heard BANG, CRASH! And “Ooops, I sorry. Hi Daddy”. The room divider, which took 20 minutes to build, apparently takes a two year old (or almost two year old) approximately two minutes to take down. Luckily she’s a very good girl and laid down when we asked her to and fell asleep. Exactly 8 hours later though her little eyes popped open and she started talking again about “Woosee and Meatball”. The next day we spent hanging out at Mariah and Ryan’s house (which is THE coolest house ever- made from an old garage turned house, with decorating done via garbage picking and elbow grease…..seriously awesome, the fence is made from bamboo they had in their backyard, everything’s just awesome!) Anyways I digress…..while we were there Ryan found an old Civil War button in the backyard (apparently Sherman marched down their street back in the day). Excited by this awesome find, Braden, Ryan, and Mariah began digging and prodding all over the backyard. In an effort to “save time” Ryan was poking a metal rod into the ground when this geyser of water began spraying everywhere- it was like a scene from a movie (and I’m still laughing while I type this!) Turns out there is a PVC pipe that runs water to the neighbor’s house and Ryan just happened to puncture it! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! So rather than taking the heat and calling the landlord, the two boys decided to fix it with a bolt and some glue. I suggested they at least let the neighbors know there was a boil water issue in effect, but they seemed to think it would be okay. Hope they don’t get sick! That night we had yummy pizza and toured downtown Savannah (GORGEOUS!). We were sad to leave so soon, but we had a lot of fun. Here’s to hoping we get to see a lot of Mariah and Ryan, who are such amazing, artistic, creative, and loving people (not to mention fun and hilarious) as well as their dogs. Poor Meatball, she’ll never live that name down.

BELA, La Petite Charbonneau
The Little Munchkin is sick again, but she’s really growing into a happy baby overall. Her smiles can light up a room and she can now squeal in delight! She scoots to get around a little and sleeps with her little butt in the air while sucking her thumb. As her personality begins to shine through, we are realizing more and more that she is indeed all Charbonneau. She is very sensitive and can get her little feelings hurt easily (unlike Emma who likes to pretend she loves timeouts and uses this time for toe fuzz picking and singing her ABC’s). She’s a snuggler, a giggler, and needs to be within eye and earshot of her mama all of the time. She gets nervous when left to herself for very long and is just sooo lovable. Yup, Charbonneau all the way!

THE QUEEN OF CLEAN
The one piece of advice I got most from moms before having Emma was to forget about cleaning and enjoy the kids. So, I've spent the last two years really trying to live by that credo, cleaning enough to keep the bugs away and the toddler safe. But today Emma kept bringing me crumbs and scraps off the floor, and the last time she did she said "Mommy vacuum?" Okay, so when your toddler tells you that you need to be cleaner, that's bad isn't it? Sadly, I haven't vacuumed yet.....

The Scene of All Scenes

Happy Birthday Big Gwamma and Great Grandma Cobb!

Monday was just one of those days that I should not have pushed it by going to the DMV, but I did. Emma woke up on the wrong side of the crib. This was obvious by the way she kept saying "No" to everything and just making everything very difficult. But you gotta do what you gotta do, and after sitting at the DMV on Saturday for almost two hours to get our cars registered and finding out that we first have to pay taxes on them, I realized I had to drag the kids to do just that.
First we headed to the tax collector's office, where we waited for just a few minutes to get our bill assessed and then a few more to pay it. However, those minutes were made longer by the toddler who decided to go limp and start a Scarlett O'Hara scene when it was our turn to pay. It was quite a scene, and I'm sure if it were on film, there would be a nomination or two for her performance. However, with Bela in the pouch, and a diaper bag and about 5000 documents in tow, I did not much appreciate having to bend down and drag her little butt to the counter. Thanking my lucky stars that it was a quick trip, I dragged Emma next door to the DMV and in my shock at the enormous crowd inside, I neglected to watch as the door slammed on poor Emma's little hand. It took about five minutes outside to calm her down (and a promise of raisins once she got inside) and we were back waiting. Every chair was taken as well as every inch of standing room only space, but by some miracle we found an empty chair in the far corner. Emma sat there and ate her raisins meticulously for about a half hour before deciding the ants in her pants were just too much to bear. She did some jumping, some singing, and a little skipping (or so she thinks, it's really just ridiculous looking marching). Finally it was our turn (after a long 1 hour and 15 minutes), and I was so thankful that Emma had been pretty well-behaved. And then I said "Emma, you need to come up with mommy". That's when the scene of all scenes to beat any scene happened.......She said simply "No." and went back to her business. So I grabbed her hand (which I usually do and nothing ever happens) and she yanked it back and started her sloooooooowwww drop to the floor. I bend down grabbed her arm and dragged her little butt to the counter, her feet kicking in the air the whole way. When we got there, she started to scream. So I put her in timeout by my feet. Then she started howling, like I had just told her she would never eat again. After a minute I picked her back up and she promised to listen to me, so I let her stand by me. With an innocent little face she asked if she could sit in the "spesho (special) chair" that was in that far back corner. I told her no, so the next round of fits began. This time she was rolling on the floor, saying "oh no!" as she rolled back and forth. I picked her little butt up and put her in timeout again by my feet and this time the little punk started kicking the counter. I yanked her up and held her, and this time she knew I was furious. Meanwhile the entire place was chuckling. If it weren't my daughter I too would have found this little toddler's very dramatic scene a little humorous.....Then the compassionate lady at the counter asked her name and said "Emma, what's wrong which you girl? You better cut your mama some slack". After that, Emma put her head on my shoulder and just stayed put. She nearly fell asleep and Bela actually did as I rocked the two girls, all while pulling documents out of the diaper bag and signing checks and forms. I'm beginning to think I'm an octopus.....you kinda have to grow many limbs when you have no one to watch your kids.
Later on that night Braden took Emma to the park (see, she's the kind of kid who needs to get to the park before she has time to lose the privelage and then she's an angel- just has too much energy and doesn't know how to harness it for good yet) only to find that it was closed due to repairs. Her heart was broken. Her day was sooo horrible and all she wanted was this special date with dad, so she broke down into tears when he said "Emma, this way park is closed. Do you want to go to the store?" Since this is not like her at all (she's usually pretty flexible and doesn't care where she goes as long as it's out) he flew right back into the parking space and took her right past the yellow tape. Turns out all she wanted to do anyways was "feed chickens" which entailed spreading dirt all around. So I guess it wasn't too bad that they broke park rules. This has been the popular activity at the park lately....not sure where the feeding chickens thing came from- Cinderella maybe? She hasn't watched that since we were in Detroit though.... oh well.
Emma found the tools Grandma and Grandpa gave to her awhile ago and was thrilled to pieces. She made me laugh hysterically when she said "Emma Builder, yes she can!" (part of Bob the Builder's theme song) as she hammered and sawed a little shoebox. Speaking of Bob...there was a celebrity sighting at the park last week (can't remember if I already rambled on about this in another entry) when Emma saw a little boy dressed in a flannel shirt and jean overalls. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him....finally she whispered "Bob". She was honored to be in the "real" Bob the Builder's presence. (Really he was a three year old in Bob the Builder clothes, but don't tell her that- she went home and told dad she saw Bob!)
Bela is starting the teething process, waking up a lot and putting everything in her mouth. Emma likes the fact that she drools- finds it funny that she blows bubbles, though she's a bit disappointed that we won't "make Bewa bwow bubbos" (make Bela blow bubbles)- doesn't quite understand that it can't happen on command. She is also sleeping on her stomach with her butt totally up in the air. It's really funny! But at least the snoring has stopped- that was wretched for the longest time!
Both the girls are getting a little tanned despite the gallons of sunblock that we've gone through. They're cute as buttons as their hair grows lighter and their skin a little darker.

Back in the Saddle Again

There comes a time in every mom's life when you're forced (out of lonelieness or sheer boredom) to go out and make friends. It's not as easy as it was in college- you have a few too many, think yourself ultra witty and approach anyone you see.....No, it goes a little like this:

Scrub the kids til they shine like pennies (you don't think I'd actually take Emma out looking like she just ate oatmeal with her hands do you?), dress them in clothes that a.) don't smell and b.) actually match (this can get to be tricky by Friday), pack the diaper back with snacks that appear healthy (so I look a little concerned about the well-being of my children), and head to the park. Once there, all you can do is pray (really really hard) that your daughter won't roll in the mud and look like Pigpen or start talking gibberish and and acting like Animal. It's really a delicate dance this "dating" that goes on between moms at the park. But instead of doing my own makeup and dressing nicely ourselves, it's almost as if our kids are our display items.

At mass today we met an AWESOME couple with two kids themselves. At first we both tried to make our toddlers act like civilized humans, not wanting to be the "bad parent" (again, moms are always dating, looking for friends). Of course Emma got down off her chair, started jumping (and if that weren't enough) and announced to everyone "I jumping!". Later, when she got a case of the munchies, we slipped her a healthy snack. I felt good about this- not making me look too bad right? And then even later when she got a "boo boo" and about had a meltdown, I slipped her the secret weapon (chocolate milk in an opaque sippee cup). Her eyes got huuuuuge and she excitedly shouted to the whole congregation "TREAT MILK!!!" Arghhh, so much for not looking like the bad mom who gives her kid chocolate at 9 a.m. And when that ran out, she let out a nice big sigh and shouted "Allllll done chorch (church)" Luckily the little boy next to us was just as funny as Emma and we all got to talking after mass. They are wonderful and kind and totally non-judgmental (obviously!) which is a breath of fresh air (I tend to get the look from other moms that screams 'Wow, she is obviously way too young and inexperienced to handle those kids' a lot- especially when Emma pulls her punk moves). We traded numbers and are planning dinner and playdates very soon! They are both hilarious and soooo down to earth and understand everything that we're facing having just moved from Wisconsin themselves.

Emma's hair is now long enough to have a half ponytail.....well, it's more of a little blonde sprout on the top of her head, but everyone's gotta start somewhere! She doesn't seem to mind getting them put in either, which surprised me!

She swam in the apartment pool today as long as we'd let her. Her poor teeth were chattering and her body just trembling, so we finally dragged her out. Turns out her new favorite word is "no". Spent a good deal in timeout for that this weekend.

Her sentences are getting a lot bigger and the ideas a lot more complex. When I told her I couldn't hold her because I was holding Bela, she said "Get daddy hold Bela, mommy hold you". Hmmmm, makes sense I guess. So we did just that. She also sends herself to timeout a lot, or at least tells herself to go there ("go timeout right now! No frowing" (throwing)) and then doesn't listen to herself. She's definitely a punk sometimes, but overall a very well-behaved little girl (though those stories aren't as funny and don't make the blog).

Bela is talking and smiling more and crying a little louder these days. She's not wanting to fall asleep on her own anymore, so it's a little torturous to get her to do it. Probably doesn't help that when she does, a certain toddler goes running into her room, saying "SHHHH BABY SWEEPING!!" Well, the idea is right I guess, just not the volume level. Poor Bela's nerves must be shot.

As Bela's cheeks and chins grow in size and quantity, the comments from people also grow ("Oh, how cute- that baby is soooo chubby!") She really is a Buddha baby. I'm almost embarassed to admit that she's 100% nursed. Aren't formula babies supposed to be big and nursed babies petite? Obviously that is an untruth. She is in 9 month clothes and will be moving up sooner rather than later. In fact, she wore Emma's 18 month bathing suit to the pool today and it fit!! Hahaha!

In the middle of dinner today she asked for Yellow Grandpa (you're obviously missed a lot!). And she also did something else that was rather funny. She found a disposable camera that we hadn't developed and said "Take a picture Grammy Peace". Seems this smart little girl remembers that Grammy Peace always carries with her a disposable camera. Funny that she realized that it is different than our digital one. She kept saying "Dis Grammy Peace camera". So, you too are missed. In fact we miss everyone and can't wait for Bela's baptism!!!!

Scarlet O'Hara

It seems we have a little actress on our hands....but really, we all knew that right? No surprise on this end. However, it's getting much worse.....no, that implies that the acting is a bad thing.......it's getting much more pronouced shall we say? It seems every time our Emma is looking for a bit of attention or gets into trouble (and wants to avoid the dreaded timeout), she'll fake "fall", rub her little head and say "Ohhhhh, you okay?" She's looking for one of us to say, "Oh, Emma, are you okay?" and shower her with magic kisses (YESSSSS, they work now!!! HAHAHA!) and hugs. But see, these "falls" take a good ten seconds (I mean, really, if you're going to do it, why not make it look realistic- not Emma, she doesn't actually want to get hurt) and are usually accompanied by the most fake cries you can even imagine! Usually we just ignore these incredibly dramatic scenes, but sometimes when I'm feeling slightly less patient or in the mood to humor myself, I say "Oh yes, Emma I'm fine. Thanks for asking!" This response is never welcomed, let me tell you! She doesn't like putting on the drama for no reason and gets mad as a hatter when I give the incorrect response. Poor Scarlet.

Emma's little obsession with elephants has led to her new favorite pasttime: "Watch baby el-fant Dumbo" (very specific so as not to confuse us I guess). She especially likes the "Baby Mine" scene because that's the song we sing to her before she falls asleep......she usually will crawl on my lap and want to be cradled when this scene comes on. How precious (although an outsider might find this giant toddler being cradled like a baby rather funny).

Daddy's favorite cartoon has now become one of Emma's favorites as well. "Spudge Bob" (Spongebob Square Pants) has caught her eye and found a special place in her heart......though I LOATHE the show and won't let her watch it except on rare occasions. Although it's funny, it's AWFUL for kids and I will never understand how it found its way onto mainstream kid channels. Still, Emma loves him because Daddy does, so it must be cool right?

Bela is getting soooo strong. She's becoming increasingly difficult to diaper and can push herself up with straight arms while on her tummy. She's wanting to crawl and sit up soooo bad, but it'll be awhile. Her favorite thing to do is watch Emma, who makes her smile and giggle all the time. Although Emma loves Bela too and plays with and cuddles her, her new favorite trick is to say "Bela hold you!" (like she wants to hold Bela) and when I pull Bela out from her chair or carseat to let Emma hold her, Emma jumps into Bela's spot and says "Mommy hold Bela". Dang, outsmarted again! She loves all of Bela's contraptions (mainly because they have buckles) and doesn't really want to share them, although has yet to really complain about it (she just gets them in a sneaky way).

Emma is really starting to understand the camera phone with Grandma and Grandpa since we use it so much. Yesterday when Grandma said "Emma, what are you eating" she turned around and opened her mouth to show the screen what was in there (cereal). We laughed so hard, but it speaks volumes for what this camera phone has really allowed- a strong relationship between the grandparents and the girls that has never missed a beat despite miles in between. In fact, every day when Emma hears Daddy jiggling the door handle open, she says "Grandpa home!" and then "Grandma home?" and finally 'Daddy!"

Her new favorite stomping ground: Wal-Mart's fish section (cheaper than going to an aquarium right?) She could spend hours staring at those fish. And really I could too. So we hang out there a couple times a week! Hahaha.

The pictures are from the very cool Discovery Museum in Charlotte, Bela's first cereal attempt (which is very successful now- she loves the stuff!) and around the house.

Mama's Day

This little mama is using today to appreciate her own little mama. I don't know how it happened, but I got the best one heaven had to offer, and for that I am forever grateful. Even though she may not realize it or give herself enough credit, she made my childhood soooo much fun- playing and laughing with us, being forever patient when Jamie and I decided to tag-team the parents (which was daily), and allowing us to play in the mud and be kids without heaving a sigh when the laundry came. Really, there ought to be an award for that. Even when we were told NOT to wear our new school shoes and Jamie snuck out with them on a summer night and stepped in dog poo, there was just a smile and a shake of the head.

Even today my mama still takes care of me, making sure that I have everything I could ever want or dream of wanting in terms of love, affection, support, a best friend, and a personal groundskeeper (really, if we sell our house, it is TOTALLY because of you!). I can only hope that I can be half the mother you were, are, and always will be. My memories (tents and treats when dad went away) are so abundant and so precious. Thank you.

And thank you too for being such a loving, AMAZING "big gwamma" to our girls. I agree with Emma in that you deserve the very special label of "big" (reserved in this house only for monkey friends) for all that you do. They love the packages, letters, phone calls, and most of all when they can just play, play, play with you and then snuggle up to fall asleep in your arms. It's no wonder when Emma gets mad at me she grabs her Dora purse and says she's going to "Gwamma house" or that she asks for "Gwamma t.v." (our camera phone is hooked up to the t.v.) at 6 a.m. (and then at 6:05, 6:22, 6:27...... and so on!) She knows how wonderful you are too!

Miss Manners, The Singing Sensation

I thought Emma was wayyyy too young to really start using her manners, but I guess I was wrong. She thinks it's pretty entertaining to say "scuse me" when passing someone or when she burps. And I was shocked when, after a terrible little fit (that I was busy ignoring in the other room), she calmly walked up to me and said "Mommy, I sorry". Wow, okay. What a good girl!
Emma is our new singing sensation! EVERYTHING is turned to song in this house. On the way home from the park the other night she was singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" which was her very own special rendition:
"Itsy Spi-er up wa-er spout, down the rain and washed spi-er, out came rain, washed spi-er out, out came sun and washed spi-er out". We were laughing so hard, but between muffled chuckles, we kept encouraging her....and the song went on and on and on. That poor spider kept getting washed out. But usually the little ditties are not recognizable songs and just include anything she sees set to the tune inside her head. The lyrics have everything from Bob the Builder to monkey to grandpa in them.....and they are usually wrapped up with "all through the town" (from "Wheels on the Bus"). If Cinderella makes it into the song, there's a nice little twirl to go along with it too :)
I tried to give Emma a snack today, but since Mother Hubbard's cupboards were bare and she was really "hugry", I settled for the half of a "hagaber" (hamburger) that she didn't finish from last night's dinner. She gave me a look of surprise and wouldn't pick it up from the bowl it was in. I was a little confused until I saw her put her hands together and say "Amover son, speer, oh man!" while she tapped her tummy and forehead like a third base coach signalling to the batter. I had to bite my tongue to keep from keeling over in laughter. It took all I had to finish the prayer with her before letting her eat the burger. I thought she would eat her dinner an hour later, but 7 meatballs later I realized I was wrong.
Bela, too, loves to eat. She's been eating cereal for a few days now and gets sooooooo excited when it's cereal time! She opens her mouth big and wide and tries to eat her bib and thumb and anything else within arm's reach. We're already making 2-3 tablespoons of cereal twice a day! What can I say? The girls love to eat! In fact, Emma's new favorite book (besides the Big Sister books which are always a hit) is my cookbook for babies and toddlers. She picks out the "brock-wee" and "cay-ots" (brocolli and carrots) and gets super excited about all the pictures of food. She makes me laugh.
Naptime was quite a fiasco today. As usual, Emma asked for her "Elephants DVD" (a Baby Einstein video about animals that has been THE cat's meow since our zoo trip), and I promised she could watch it after a good nap. Since she was exhausted, I felt sure she would be asleep in a matter of seconds. But I could hear all kinds of funny conversation going on in her bedroom ("mmm yummy! heeheehee" among other things" and seconds turned to minutes which turned to over an hour, and finally I went in to see what was going on. There was a party at her crib and all her stuffed animals were invited (silly enough, I keep the basket of animals at the end of her crib). She saw me and started jumping up and down, shouting "Watching elephants! Elephants DVD!" I had to explain that she actually had to sleep in order to earn a video. Must have worked because I didn't hear a peep until she woke up a couple of hours later. When I walked in, I found her completely naked. "Uh, where's your diaper?" I asked her. "I don't know" was her response, and then she forked it over immediately. Since it was dry, I knew the pee was somewhere......hopefully not on the precious monkey!! She got all concerned and said "Oh no! Yucky! Clean it up!" and pointed to a big wet spot on the sheet. Whew! Monkey was spared. But to be safe, EVERYTHING went into our fantasticly HUGE washer. Really, it's quite nice.
My heart melts to Emma's new phrase (taught by Daddy). "Mommy bew-full". Next to "I love youuu", it's the best thing a mama could hear.
In Bela news- she's getting bigger and bigger and BIGGER, and YEAAA!!! SHE TOOK A BOTTLE!!!!! Whew, that only took 4 months! HAHAHA seriously! But that means mama might get some precious time with Emma. I would like that. But as I watch her become a little better at self-soothing, sleep in her own crib, and start to move around a little on her own (pushing up on heer arms, and scooting), I get a little pang of sadness......realizing my baby doesn't need me every second of the day. I'll miss the tummy to tummy sleep buddy and the nights when she would use me as a pacifier all night and I would wake up VERY deflated on just one side......what can I say? I thought that was pretty funny, and I didn't even have to wake up to feed her- how convenient! But then I look at Emma and all the funny things she does every second and realize there's so much more to come!
Emma got a special package from Grandma and Grandpa today and got SOOOOOO excited. She was thrilled with her Cinderella and George underwear, though she doesn't understand yet what they are. And she wanted to "play monkey" in the worst way, but we figured the glass piggy bank in the shape of a monkey's head was better left somewhere out of her reach. But her favorite thing of all was a bag of pictures that were tucked into the box. "OHHH GWAMPA!" she would say to every picture! Then she carefully sorted them and tucked them under the couch.....I don't know why- maybe she's like a squirrel and thought she'd come back later for them. As Emma would say "Fank you Gwamma ay Gwampa".

"Thi s Way" Park

Our daily trip to the park has resulted in many a funny stories. Here are just some of them......
Every time I try to roud up the kids in the morning it can get a little chaotic. See, there is only about a 5 minute window when both the kids are happy, awake, and willing to be rounded into carseats. As a result, I always forget something.....but I guess I didn't realize how bad I was until Emma started talking sooo well. Now, whenever I say "Emma, time to go to the park" she never fails to respond "I forgot keys" or something to the effect. Thanks Emma.
Our park is divided into two really nice areas- the "tot lot" and the older kids' area. During the day, if it's not too full, I let Emma roam the big kids' domain. She has coined it "this way park" I think because I have said sooo many "not this way" when there are too many big kids there.

I'm going to have to continue this later, as the silly one keeps saying "Buttons? Okay" and giving herself permission to type on my keyboard. Well, at least she's asking, just asking the wrong person. :)