My 19 month old daughter just asked to be put on the potty, and then she peed.

She's a fucking genius for sure.

Some Hints of Spring

Hops

Forsythia

Old bug

New spiders

Lilies

And to think that just a few hours later we were covered with more than two inches of hail. Yeah, that was interesting. 

--

For more Best Shot Monday photos, visit Mother May I. 

Stories

Scene: Just before bed, on the couch, snuggling with Sam.

Sam: *Coughing* Mommy, there is a little frog in my throat!

Mom: Well Sam, how did he get there?

Sam: Well, I put you in the potty and flushed you down the little hole. Even your big head went down. Then something was trying to get you!

Mom: What was it?

Sam: It was a little frog. It got you and put you in he mouth and swallowed you down to he belly. Then you made him jump in my mouth so that when I talk you can be there. Forever. The end.

Mom: Sam, that was a great story.

To Snip or Not To Snip? Part Four!

Last month you might recall a little photo project I did with Lucy and her bed head. The end goal was to take her in for her first haircut after the project was completed.

I still haven't done so.

You might also recall how much difficulty I had when it came to cutting Sam's hair for the first time. Even just earlier this year when he went from a mop-top-Beatles-esque hair-do to his current spiky style I kind of lost my composure a little. So yeah, I have issues with hair.

But she's a girl! Girls are allowed to have long hair! And she's finally letting me pull it back with barrettes and things to keep it out of her face occasionally! Which is adorable! I can't cut it! Don't make me! Nooooooooooooo!

That's approximately how my end of the conversation between me and SOB goes, in regards to Lucy's hair. He, of course, is the more practical (some might say mature) one, and doesn't see what the big fuss is all about.

Look at her hand. She is bring me a clip to put in her hair because she loves it so much! LOVES!

So I've been doing some research. There are a few little girls in Sam's class at school who have never had a haircut, and they are all 3+ years in age! Most of the others have the blunt cut bangs, but the two who have never seen the business end of the scissors have long, lovely all one length hair. Which requires little to no maintenance! No paying $17 for pesky bang trimmage. More importantly, no ultra-super-short bangs as a result of mom trying to save $17 by trimming them at home. 

So who's with me? All in favor of eschewing haircuts for Lucy until grade school raise your hand!

(FYI, In my head you are all raising your hands. All 14 of you. You guys are awesome!)

All opposed? 

(Crickets chirping. Again, in my head.)

So it's settled then. When SOB gets home I'll tell him that me and all of my imaginary internets took a vote and Lucy's hair will be spared. There's no way he can argue with me then, right?

Right?

--

In other news, you have a few more days to enter my Leap Frog giveaway! Only 7 entries so far! Your chances are splendid!

And did you ever wonder what happened with My Pet? Click over to Philly Moms Blog to read all about it! 

Days Go Passing Into Years

Only one week and two days after the last photo, I'm worried that these babies are going to be ready to go into the ground before the ground is ready for them! We spent Sunday tearing up and expanding last year's plot, and SOB is planning to buy a small roto-tiller this week for even more yard destroying fun! From left to right we have beans, peas and three types of tomatoes. And this is just one tray of three bursting with new green life. My taste buds are filled with longing.

Speaking of babies...

I am at the end of my first trimester. I'll be thirteen weeks tomorrow. Impressive, especially if you consider that this is what I looked like at twenty weeks when I was pregnant with Sam. If you click that link, please promise that you won't comment on how much thinner I was then, 'cause when I found the photo I almost cried. My arms! Were so skinny! And my back! Had no back rolls! And my boobs! Were a normal size! 

End rant. I will be that skinny again some day, I swear on my mutha. 

In other, much-greater-passing-of-time-related news, Pearl Jam's reissue of their debut album Ten landed on my doorstep yesterday. Because I am the ultimate fanboy (or girl, if you will) I got the 'so expensive my husband almost divorced me' edition with all the dvds and fancy doo-dads and ticket reproductions. It also contains a cassette and four record albums, so if anyone out there is local and owns a record player, or knows some magical way to convert vinyl to digital, drop me a line! 

I don't tend to get sentimental about music, but it's hard for me to believe that it's been eighteen years since this album came out. I remember being in middle school when my dad bought Ten. I remember loving it, but not telling anyone because all of my coolkid friends were into Dr. Dre and Snoop. I remember watching them on Unplugged and almost crying. I didn't see them live until 2003 (mostly because of my college era obsession with all things Ani DiFranco and Indigo Girls) but since then I've taken every opportunity I've had to see them live. I've sat in the front row and I've rocked my ass off at seven months pregnant. I have a live recording of every show I've seen, and a few that I haven't. 

I don't want to get all overly analytical about my Pearl Jam obsession, so I'll just end with saying that they are the greatest rock bank in history. I'm not looking for any debates or arguments (Danny), I'm just stating my opinion. And this is my blog, so my opinion is the only one that counts! Nyah! 

What made you feel old today?

Fun With Sam and Photoshop

I've been having some more fun playing around with photoshop. Early yesterday morning I snapped some shots of the kids right after they got out of bed. Because of the way the sun was coming in the window, I was trying to get a profile kind of shot on Sam. Unfortunately, it wasn't really working and most of my images just came out dark instead. Luckily, I was able to click click click and a few moments later, what was once a barely-worth-saving shot became one of my favorites from that session. 

Before and after

God what did I ever do without you Photoshop?

For more BSM fun visit Mother May I. 

Some Things Never Get Old

Yesterday found Lucy and me at the doctor's office. After a few minutes of watching college basketball we were escorted back to a darkened room where I lowered my pants and lifted my shirt. After a few strategically placed towels were, um, strategically placed and some warm goo was squirted on my belly, the screaming began. Lucy was tired and bored and kind of confused by the dark room and TV that didn't have anything interesting (to her) on it. For a few minutes I was pre-occupied with singing 'The Wheels on the Bus' and 'The Itsy-Bitsy Spider' over and over. 

All of a sudden I was pulled out of my pre-school serenade. I heard the familiar 'whoosh whoosh whoosh' of a little heartbeat, and I looked up at the screen. At twelve weeks I wasn't expecting to see much, but there, seemingly waving at me, was my baby. 

Look at its little baby nose! I could see arms moving to and fro and little legs kicking. I told Lulu to look at her baby, and even though I'm sure she was just repeating me, she looked up at the screen and exclaimed 'Baby!' 

After that I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen, screaming toddler be damned. I fished an old lollipop from my purse and that seems to keep her quiet. I watched as the little ten centimeter being flipped and swirled inside my belly, and I was amazed by it all. Just like when I saw Sam for the first time, and I was so sure I wouldn't cry, the tears burned in the corners of my eyes. 

It was a good day.

Close Your Eyes and Make A Wish...

For such a long, long time I've wished for photoshop. There was Christmas and my birthday, valentine's day. Nothing. But somehow, out of the blue, it arrived!

Before

After

Am I happy? YES! Visit The Land Of K.A. to see what everyone else is wishing for! 

Trains and Dinosaurs and Butterflies, Oh My!

From the 'things I want to do with the kids before baby #3 comes along and mucks everything up' file, I decided to take Sam to the Museum of Natural Sciences today to see some dinosaur bones. We had a few scheduling changes this week which put Lucy at school today instead of tomorrow, meaning Sam and I had the world at our fingertips! We called Aunt Yani and headed out on our adventure. 

I decided that since the weather was nice, we would take the train into town. The museum is only a few blocks from the station, so I grabbed the small stroller in case someone didn't want to walk Allison. Naturally, the train was Sam's favorite part. He clutched the ticket receipt from the conductor to his face. He even liked it better than 'the TV that lets dinosaurs eat you' as he called it. 

Ah green screen technology. What can't you do?

We saw lots of bones and lots of other dino-related items. And that was just the first floor! We also saw lots of fake, stuffed, real-ish looking animals like tigers and yaks. And some actually real animals like bunnies and turtles, and Butterflies! Oh the Butterflies!

Can you guess which part was mommy's favorite? 

Then another short walk and we were back at the train station, where I peed in an underground train station bathroom. Check that off of the list of things to do before I die. 

(Also check off bathe in iodine. Because that's what I did once I got home.)

On the return ride, we were on a new train where the seats can be reversed so that two rows face each other. I guess this is for groups traveling together, or for people who detest riding backwards. Sam just about popped a sprocket when the conductor showed him this trick and made it so that he was facing me instead of having me sitting behind him. He's been up in his room for almost two hours now, not sleeping, talking to himself about this amazing train feature. When I asked him his favorite part about the dinosaur museum, he said 'the train and the seat that goes backwards.' 

Boy am I glad I shelled out $34 bucks for the bones. At least I got to see pretty butterflies!

Pleasant Reminder

Don't forget about my Leap Frog tag reader giveaway going on over at The Cheese Says....Mmmm! Enter until Monday March 30th at noon!

Almost Like Christmas Morning

Last monday I planted seeds. On friday, several started sprouting! This year we got started earlier, and planted more variety than last year. Three types of tomato, four types of peppers, peas, beans, cucumbers, cantaloupe, tomatillos, three types of squash and corn. Yup, we're those weirdo suburbanites who grow corn in their front yard. That and the six types of hops which will grow upwards of twenty feet. We're planting those in the side of the yard and training them to grow to the roof. And don't forget the apple tree. Thank goodness I found out about Give What You Grow, a program that encourages home gardeners to donate their excesses to local food banks. 

After I got done snapping photos of my sprouts, I noticed the fine beads of condensation on the lids for my green houses. I set my aperture as low as it would go and started snapping away. It almost looked like a million little diamonds. The day was simply full of gifts. 

--

For more best shot monday photos, visit Mother May I. 

Lolly! Lolly! Lolly!

Thanks, Lora! Visit here to find out more info and to give someone you love a lolly!

First Date

This weekend SOB and I are going to celebrate the 13th anniversary of our first date. We can't actually remember the exact date, but sometime during the third year we were together we settled on the 16th of March. It's funny because I remember so much about that day, but I can't remember the exact date. I remember it was a Wednesday, so according to this March 1996 calendar it was either the 13th or the 20th. The 16th splits the difference, so that works for me.

I was a junior in high school at the time, and SOB was a big, bad senior. And when I say bad I mean that. Despite being ranked second in his class, he almost didn't graduate because of all of the tardies and missed days he racked up that year. He forged his parents' signatures and pretty much never came to school unless he had a test. Most of his teachers knew about his bad habits, but because of his charm and high GPA, he was given a lot of leeway. 

We actually skipped school together on our first date. I was kind of a newbie at the whole school skipping thing, so he had to give me explicit instructions so that I didn't get caught. I snuck out through the exit down by the art room and the shop room, where he waited for me in his 1978 sky blue dodge aspen station wagon. We drove into Pittsburgh, up to Oakland where the University of Pittsburgh is located, and decided what we were going to do over coffee at the now defunct Bee Hive cafe. It was only 8:30 in the morning, so not much else was open. 

At 10am, we made our way into the Carnegie Museum of Natural History where I remember being totally entranced in the hall of minerals and gems. We took in some of the dinosaur bones and then headed out for lunch. After we ate we went to see The Birdcage. Because we were supposed to be at academic team practice after school, he couldn't take me home too early so we went to a ginormous state park and played at the playground. I had never jumped off of the swings before, and decided that today was going to be the day. Of course I fell in the mud and had to make up an elaborate story explaining how I got so muddy at school. The story which involved a three foot strip of earth that divided the school's parking lot from the main drive, and I have no idea why anyone on earth believed me, but they did. He drove me home, and not even two hours later he was on my front porch again. That night we had our first kiss. 

(I'm not sure if we even confessed to these misdeeds, so if my mother is reading this she might be surprised. But they can't be mad at me now. I married the guy and had/am having his kids, so grand kids should make up for the lying we did 13 years ago, right?)

Tomorrow we're heading our for an afternoon flick and a late lunch. I'm hoping that we'll end the day with a kiss, just as sweet and warm as the first. 

Chillin' Out Maxin', Relaxing All Cool

An oldie, but an goodie. The was way back from when we were still in Atlanta. From before Sam's first haircut. When he was still a wee babe and Lucy was still in utero. I made a few adjustments from the original, and I think I like it. He was totally relaxed, can't you tell? In fact, I'm willing to bet there was a poop in his pants at that exact moment. 

For more relaxation, visit The Land of K.A. 

How to Avoid That Pesky Second Child Syndrome

Everyone says the same thing. You won't take as many pictures of your second kid as you do the first. The second's baby book will sit unfilled while the first's has been filled out in calligraphy. You know the story. But guess what? There's a way to make sure that doesn't happen. It's called having an ridiculously advanced child. 

Not that I'm comparing or anything, but hey-zeus is my daughter shocking the hell out of me on a daily basis. Sam was a little behind with talking because of his ears, so I guess I didn't expect too much from Lulu in terms of words. Well, she's decided to prove me wrong because the girl can talk her way out of almost any situation already. She's mastered two word phrases like, 'Mommy, open!' or any other command type sentence. She understands various concepts and opposites like up and down, open and close, hot and cold. She can play several games and sing dozens of songs. 

People, she can count to 13. 

She can't drive yet, but probably by next week...

She can name all of her body parts, even down to differentiating between mouth, teeth and tongue. She will bring me a book and ask for a story. She will also sit by herself and 'read' her books for way longer than I can. She had a crazy attention span. She can operate toys designed for children Sam's age. She can feed the cat. 

You think I'm joking?

She can give hugs and kissed, but she can throw down a tantrum with the best of them. She must weigh more than thirty pounds by now, or else I'm getting weak. She's tall, her hair is long and her cheeks are rosy. She's so beautiful it takes my breath away. She runs, she tries to jump, she kicks a ball. 

I had a dream last weekend that the new baby was a girl, and that she was a miniature carbon copy of Lucy. 

And I was so happy. 

Spring Weekend

After five hours in the car, it was such a relief to be greeted with near seventy degree weather at my parents' house. The kids were able to get outside and burn off some energy. We were able to get outside and burn off some energy. I grabbed my camera and set out to capture some of the fun.

Between my husband and my father, the kids barely spent any time on the ground!

For more best shot Monday photos, visit Mother May I. 

Confusion

Sam threw up in the car today. It was only about 1.5 hours into our 5 hour drive, which means we got to enjoy the pleasant odor of vomit for an entire 3.5 hours! We're not really sure why he puked, as he didn't seem sick and didn't act sick afterwards at all. He was crying because I wouldn't give him any crackers three minutes after we changed him out of his pukey clothes. Because I'm a bad mom, right?

Anyway, all evening he kept telling me he was sick as he ran around like a wild monkey and stuffed food into his face. Finally, just before bed, he made the following proclamation: 

Mommy! I have a beaver!

I tried in vain to stifle my giggles. Which didn't go unnoticed. Which lead to the spastic repetition of the expression, 'I have a beaver!' 

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he was trying to tell me. Finally, he led me into the bathroom and demanded to have his temperature taken. 

DING!

Wall Street

Due to economic hardships, we haven't been able to come up with the $14.95 to take Lucy for her first hair cut. Tomorrow is pay day, however, so don't fret! Until then, we've taken to styling her hair in homage to several of Wall Street's finest. Here is Lucy, for comparison, with her freshly styled coif:

To me, it harkens back to this character:

But dad was more reminded of this guy:

What's your opinion? Is she more Gordon Gecko or Donald Trump?

--

Whichever way you choose, you should head on over to The Cheese Says....Mmmm! where Leap Frog is giving away a free Tag Reader and five books to one lucky reader and a Tag Reader and ten books to his or her local library in honor of National Reading Month. You have until March 30th to enter, but make haste! And spread the word!

The Pianist

She is an old woman. Her dyed red hair is thin enough to see her scalp. Her hands are wrinkled and covered with purplish veins. They are fragile looking hands that belie their abilities. 

Every day she comes for a swim, and when she is finished, she drapes her cardigan sweater over her bony shoulders and sits at the bench. There is a moment of silence when you can only hear the cover slip over the keys, and then the music comes forth in bright, bold peals. If you sit long enough and close your eyes, you could be in any great concert house. Piece after piece, she plays with her whole aged body moving along to the rhythms, some slow, some quick, her head dipping and swaying. The hands you thought couldn't fasten a button zip over the black and white so quickly they are a blur. 

She stops after a while, and you wipe a tear from your cheek. No amount of thanks could ever be adequate, so you simply bow your head as she looks back and you. 

28 Days

28 days of naps and mornings with my love Lucy ... See my Tabblo>

For more Best Shot Monday fun visit Tracy at Mother May I.