Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Brother + Sister = Love (Some days...) *UPDATED

We found out that Evelyn was a girl right before Christmas 2006. Already having a sweet little boy, we were quite thrilled to add a dainty girl to our little family. The day of that gender-telling ultrasound I immediately ran out and purchased these t-shirts:
Some days, Big Brother hearts lil sis....except for when she has to be fed or rocked during prime play time. He often asks if she is sleeping or many times suggests that perhaps Baby Evelyn should take a nap. Yet, Isaac greets her with a "Good Morning Baby Evelyn" at the beginning of each day and wants to kiss her head before bedtime at the close of our evening. Lil' Sis hearts Big Brother...except for when he takes her rattle or when he energetically swings the toys that hang from the toy bar on her bouncy seat. She smiles biggest for him and follows him with her eyes as he darts around the living room. Hopefully this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...









UPDATE: Okay, so perhaps Big Brother doesn't heart Lil Sister as much as we thought. Earlier today, Isaac noticed a bib of Evelyn's lying on the floor. Being one that cannot stand things out of place (wonder where he gets that), he said, "Oh No, Mommy, baby's bib." I asked him to pick it up and place it where it belongs, to which he replied "Sures." I thought nothing more of the incident until I found the bib in the trash later this afternoon. Hmmm. Tonight as I was washing Evelyn's bottles, I was one bottle short. I asked Tobe if he had seen the stray bottle. He said that Isaac had taken it to the kitchen for him earlier in the evening and made it "crash" (Isaac will take anything to the sink, as long as he gets to make a crash sound effect. Whatever works, my friend.). There was no bottle in the sink. I looked all around the kitchen until I thought of one final place to search.....the trash can. Buried beneath the piles of junk mail and coffee grinds I found the missing bottle. Hmmmm.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Life at Casa de Phillips

As always, casa de phillips is bursting with activity. Here are some highlights and interesting tidbits from our little family of four:



Evelyn is sleeping through the night almost every night....well, perhaps I should say that Evelyn WAS sleeping through the night almost every night until I removed the bumper on her crib. Many "child experts" say technically you should not put a bumper on a child's bed because it could pose a suffocation hazard. I never worried about this with Isaac because he was swaddled (this rendered him immobile) until about five months old when he slept. I figured by five months he was able to move around enough, thus preventing suffocation. Evelyn is swaddled as well, however that girl has the ability to move all over her bed when she sleeps. Yesterday I found her during two different naps with her little face right up against the bumper while she was sleeping. Her bumper--although adorable--is quite thick and I fear she will get her face caught in it so I sadly took it off yesterday. Her pretty pink and green bumper now resides under her bed. During the middle of the night when she woke up twice I came to the conclusion that she must have liked sleeping with her face close to the bumper. Both times she woke up her little head was pressed against the hard slats of her crib...and she was none too thrilled about it.



*****


I have come to the conclusion that Isaac is the slowest eater in the history of toddlers. He friend "Mornin" (Morgan) came to play on Tuesday. Alison and I let the kids make their own pizza and bake them for lunch. Morgan ate her lunch in about ten minutes. Isaac was still munching away at his meal 30 minutes later. At dinner, he usually starts eating his meal before Tobe and I sit down at the table and is still eating while we are cleaning up the kitchen. I fear he is going to be the lone child sitting in the school cafeteria, happily munching away on his lunch, while all of his friends are playing outside.


***


Saturday morning we all went on a walk and braved trekking down the sidewalk that runs in front of the duck's house. Tobe promised that he would scare the duck away should it come near us. It did chase us and Tobe did have to scare it off. On the way back to our house, we stayed on the opposite sidewalk across the street in order to avoid another confrontation with the duck. Despite the fact that the street separating the two sidewalks is quite the busy thoroughfare, the duck crossed the street--dodging cars--and tried to chase us again. I do not know why the duck has a vendetta against our family but I am tempted to call animal control. Can you even own a duck in the city limits? Don't we have leash laws?

***

Tobe witnessed a small drug bust on Wednesday evening....as he was taking out our trash. Yes, the upstanding teenager who lives across the street from us was arrested for drugs. We had been suspicious of the fact that a single man owns the home yet teenagers and young adults come and go at all hours of the day. Hopefully this little operation has been shut down. Just in case you are wondering: no, we do not live in the ghetto or in a questionable neighborhood. We live in normal, middle class suburbia where most people in our neighborhood are either young families or retired. However, whenever we sell this house we will not be mentioning this tiny little detail of potential drug dealing on the "Take One" flyer.

***

Speaking of our house, we moved in five years ago yesterday. Being the well-educated people that Tobe and I are, we chose the hottest day of the year in 2002 to move. Nice.

***

Wednesday, Evelyn was lying on her changing table after I finished changing her diaper, happily holding a toy rattle. Isaac walked up and began to remove the rattle from her hand before I reprimanded him. However, there really wasn't a need for me to tell him "No" because the moment he attempted to take the rattle from Evelyn, she let out the biggest wail. I didn't think the whole sibling fighting thing would start quite so early....

***

Isaac woke up early Thursday morning with a fever and has been battling a temperature on and off since then. He acts happy as can be, until the "feber" (fever) returns and then he just gets still. He has been fever-free all morning until noontime today. I had left the kitchen while he was eating lunch to use the restroom and when I returned I found him with his little head lying on the table. We cleaned up lunch and then I put him down for his nap on his big boy bed with an Elmo washcloth on his forehead and a sippy cup of apple juice in his hand (normally he naps in his crib and we never allow him to take drinks to bed...but everyone deserves a little special treatment when they are sick).

Have a great weekend!

Monday, July 23, 2007

Because it is Monday...

..here are some latest pictures to brighten your week (assuming that pictures of other people's children brighten your week)

I caved and purchased some bows for Evelyn. I just thought she might look even sweeter with a gigantic bow perched atop her head. This one is a bit too big for now, but I love the expression on her face in this shot. Perhaps she is trying to figure out how to keep her head up with such a large piece of fabric attached to it?
I did take the two month "block picture"....just a few days late
Our almost two year old!
His new favorite place to sit and read is the rocking chair in Evelyn's room. You might wonder what book he is reading....it is the Parent's Play Guide by Baby Einstein. For some reason it is one of his favorites!



Isaac's vocabulary has exploded in the past month and I haven't really posted much about the hilarious phrases he uses. He has gone from 2-3 word sentences to 5-7 word sentences in a short time. Here are some funny things he has said lately:
*"Mommy, email Al-son." (wanting me to email Alison so Morgan can come play)
*"I-ick hook clip. Mommy close door." (He knows how to hook his car seat clip, but likes to do so in the privacy of the backseat. I put him in the seat, stick his arms through the straps, then close the door....he hooks everything by himself. However, I still have to make sure the straps are tight and secure. This has been a lifesaver during all our rainy days.)
*"Happy Day...Happy Day" (He came through the kitchen singing this on Saturday. I asked him if he was singing the "Happy Birthday Song" to which he replied, "Yes." Guess he is gearing up for his party.)
*"Lets Go! Let's Go! Let's Go!" (said as he runs through the house)
* "Mommy find sailboat, train, airplane" (We live in a little boy's paradise. There is a lake, train depot, airport, and numerous construction sites five minutes from our house. Last week we went on an impromptu sailboat hunting expedition that involved driving around "Road Closed" barricades and attempting to sneak down to temporarily shut down boat ramps. Risking possible arrest was worth showing Isaac a real sailboat.)
*"Mommy, I-ick watch horse movie at I-ick's house" (Isaac has recently become obsessed with three Baby Einstein videos and talks about them CONSTANTLY! Seriously, come over to casa de phillips and you will hear the phrases "horse movie, cow movie, and elephant movie" about 50 times in five minutes. Julie Aigner-Clark is starting to become our worst enemy.)

I know I have not mentioned much about my Weight Watchers progress. I have been doing the program for seven weeks now and hit my pre-Evelyn pregnancy weight this morning! Yeah! Tobe bought me some new clothes at Banana Republic this weekend as a reward for working so hard at getting this baby weight off. That being said, I still have some pounds to lose to get to my pre-Isaac pregnancy weight, which is my end goal.
Happy Monday!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

This Child....

....slept from 8:00pm until 5:30am last night (which means that I slept from 10pm until 5:30am, which is a full nights sleep for me!). WOW! After all that rest, she must have been full of energy because today she rolled from back to tummy. Baby Olympics, here we come!




Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Flying the Friendly Skies...

We arrived back at casa de phillips on Sunday after a quick trip to Arkansas for a surprise birthday party for my grandfather. As always, we had an excellent time and I was able to see cousins who I haven't talked with in years. Evelyn was the perfect traveler and did not really seem to notice that we were somewhere else. Isaac did fine, but had some issues with being over-stimulated by all the people, toys, and changes. I am hoping he will back to normal today.



Many of you wondered about our aviation experiences, hoping for a funny story here or a cute tale there. I did make it to Arkansas with both children, two suitcases, two car seats, two carry-ons,the world's largest double stroller, and there was no need to take two muscle relaxers. Here are some tidbits from our flying experience:



*The night before we left Tobe and I had a 45 minute discussion on how exactly we were going to get everything from the car into the airport with just two adults. We figured out a system that made us look like Sherpas loaded down for a trek up Everest.



*Two days before we flew, I called the airline and secured a pass for Tobe to escort the children and me to the gate. This required proving that my husband was in no way involved in terrorist activity or has any desire to become a terrorist in the near future. The morning we checked in at the ticket counter, the employee helping us began talking in low, hushed tones to her coworker next to her. We were then questioned as to how we got the pass for Tobe to go through security and then proceeded to tell us we were breaking the law. I explained how I was traveling alone with two children under two and that her airline had granted my husband permission to escort me to the gate. She said she would allow it this time (Gracious, huh? Considering if she had not allowed it I would have immediately asked for her supervisor.) but then made the comment, "You take them to the grocery store by yourself, don't you?" We chose to smile and let this comment pass. However I wanted to tell her that although I do take my children many places by myself, the grocery store is not one of them. Once you put your toddler in the front of the cart and the baby carrier in the buggy, you have no room for the food.



*At security I was holding Evelyn trying to get our things as they came off the conveyor belt. The world's largest double stroller came shooting out of the x-ray machine and bonked her in the head. Nice.



*Tobe escorted me to the gate and was able to walk Isaac around before we boarded the plane. A nice airline employee carried the car seat onto the plane for me and a flight attendant held my bags for 0.7 seconds while I attempted to get Isaac into our aisle. The ever-friendly flight attendant shoved my bags at me and said, "Let me know if you need any help." before running off down the aisle away from us. I was then faced with the task of hooking the airplane seat belt through the car seat while preventing Isaac from roaming the aisles. Evelyn was attached to me in her sling during this process, which prevents me from bending over thus making the easy task of hooking a seat belt quite difficult. On airplanes, car seats must be placed next to the window (so luggage cannot fall on your child from overhead bins and kill them) which meant that it was almost impossible to buckle the seat belt due to the odd angle. I finally got it, plopped Isaac in the seat, and we sailed into the sky. The actual flight was uneventful...Evelyn slept in her sling, Isaac colored and read books, and I developed a strategy for exiting the plane upon arrival.



*Upon landing in Arkansas, we waited to deplane until most of the passengers exited the aircraft. I then had to lug the carseat, Isaac, two carry-ons, and Evelyn (still in her sling and thankfully still asleep) off the plane. Men: When you see a lady struggling with massive amounts of junk and traveling alone with children, offer her a hand. I have had complete strangers offer assistance in the past when traveling alone, but apparently no one seemed to notice my situation this time (or perhaps they thought I was a hired Sherpa and simply figured I was doing my job...)



*Tobe arrived in Arkansas on Thursday so we were able to fly back together as a family on Sunday. The TSA agents at the Little Rock airport are never in a hurry and security is always backed up, regardless of time of day. The one man checking boarding passes at the entrance to the security checkpoint felt the need to read each boarding card front and back. He was seriously taking about 45 seconds for each passenger before waving them through to security. Apparently TSA had also assigned three men to stand and converse about their weekend rather than actually work. Nice. Upon finally arriving at security, we were now faced with the fact that we might not make it for preboarding (VERY important when traveling with small children). Although the world's largest double stroller had fit through the x-ray machine before, the TSA agent did not think it would fit this time and called for a hand-check of the stroller. Ten minutes later we were still waiting for a hand check, when another agent folded the stroller up (in an incorrect fashion) and shoved it through the machine. Fortunately no explosive devices were found in the stroller and we were allowed to continue on to the gate, barely making it in time for preboard.



*Once the four of us were settled onto the plane (Isaac in his carseat by the window, Tobe in the middle, and me on the end with Evelyn in her sling) the flight attendant came over and told me I was not allowed to wear Evelyn during take-off and landing. Tobe and I questioned her, considering I had done it a few times when Isaac was a baby and had also placed Evelyn in the sling on Wednesday when we flew. The flight attendant said it was FAA policy and her reasoning was that if something happened during take-off or landing and I was killed (Nothing perks up a family trip like speaking of potential death) they would be unable to easily remove the baby from my body. Um, if something happens during take-off or landing that kills me and I am holding the baby, I don't think that sounds like the safest situation either. After "discussing" the situation with the flight attendant for a bit, we complied in fear of being banned from flying the friendly skies in the future.

*As we approached our fair city, we noticed that the airplane seemed to be much too high to land. Seems that the control tower never sent our plane landing coordinates which made us miss the airport. We spent several minutes circling our city and surrounding areas before being able to land safely.

*My favorite (note the sarcasm) part about our entire experience flying the friendly skies with two small children was that not one airline employee checked either child's identification. Children are allowed to fly with either birth certificates or shot records to prove who they are and how old they are. No one asked us to see any form of paperwork proving who these children were and if we even had a connection to them. Granted Isaac would not have been gleefully traveling along with kidnappers, but we were flying with an infant who had no way of letting others know if she was being carted around by black market baby sellers. Shoe bombers, terrorists in rural Arkansas, and deadly 4oz bottles of liquids don't scare me......the ability for people to fly with young children without having to show any paperwork frightens me silly.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

In Case You Were Wondering...

...I am still here and have not been abducted by the duck. (I have avoided such areas on walks though).


In the morning we are heading out to Arkansas to visit the family. Here are the things Isaac told me at breakfast he was taking to Nanny and PopPop's house:

1. Baby Evelyn

2. Raffes (his giraffe blanket)

3.InkInk

4.Ike (stuffed dog...who actually is staying behind due to size)

4. Blankies (all four)

5.Fresh Apple Juice (he has gone from calling all juice "Green Apple Juice" to "Fresh Apple Juice")

6.Toast

7.Horse Movie

8. Cow Movie


Sounds like a great packing list to me! Tomorrow I am flying alone with the world's largest double stroller, two children under two, two carseats, two diaper bags, two suitcases...and two Xanax.


Fortunately I was able to convince the nice people at Southwest that my husband is not a terrorist and have secured him a pass to escort us to the gate.


In my absence, enjoy some latest pictures from life at casa de phillips:


Cartoons are best enjoyed wearing PJ's and a bucket hat. Two Months Old!

(oops...I already forgot to take her monthly block picture)

A few from our professional photo shoot which turned out okay



This was the only good shot of the four of us...and it isn't that great. I am sure we will giggle about this in upcoming years.










Brother/Sister Reading Time

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Just Ducky

Okay, here's a little secret....I am not a big animal person. By this I do not mean that I hate animals or do not appreciate them, rather that I am not the type to tear up over a "Missing Cat" poster or feel the need to stop at a Pet Adoption Fair. Animals are great and all....I am just not that into them.



However, Isaac loves animals. He gets giddy over chasing black birds at the park. We have yet to take him to the zoo (I know, we are horrible parents. But we seriously don't live terribly close to the zoo and I have issues with caging wild animals...I will save that soapbox for another post.) where I fear he might pass out from excitement over spotting real, live animals.



This morning as we were trucking along on our daily walk, we came upon a house that has a very small duck pond. By very small, I mean the size of a baby pool. There were three ducks mingling in the yard and I pointed them out to Isaac. He became ecstatic and started yelling, "Hi Duck!" One of the ducks waddles over to us (we had stopped at this point so Isaac could view the animals) in what appeared to be a friendly manner. We greeted the duck and started making our way down the sidewalk again.



It was then that I heard the sound of webbed feet on the pavement behind us and turned to notice the duck chasing us at quite the rapid pace and was almost at my heels. Seriously. I did not know ducks could move so rapidly, nor their bills look quite fierce. The image some people saw on their commute this morning was of me, running from a duck while pushing the world's most massive double stroller while attempting to pull the shade of the stroller over Evelyn to protect her and grab the bag of dry cereal from Isaac's hands to throw at the duck as a weapon. Fortunately, I was able to outrun the duck. However, we will not be taking the sidewalk tomorrow.



***



Right before Easter I bought Isaac and Evelyn coordinating Fourth of July outfits. I have been dying for Independence Day to arrive so they could look quite cute in their brother/sister ensemble. Apparently no one told Isaac how important such an event was to me and he was not the happy participant in the photo shoot I had planned.



We bribed him with a trip outside if he would simply act interested in Evelyn....this lasted 3.4 seconds.Getting your picture taken is exhaustingWe realized yesterday that we do not have a single picture of the four of us together yet. I now Know why. Getting these pictures taken was quite the experience because Isaac wanted no part of being in our family portrait. We are having professional pictures taken on Saturday and have very low expectations for this experience.

This is the famous "InkInk" who somehow ended up in the pictures








Tuesday morning Isaac and I baked Tobe's birthday cake. Isaac had a great time helping in this endeavor and made his own small cake in a cupcake holder. The plan was for him to decorate his small cake after his nap that day---but before I knew it he was eating the cake. We think this is the first time the child has eaten cake (he would not eat it at his one year birthday party) and he loved the fruit of his labors!






I am off to hang out with the husband before bedtime....where I hopefully won't have nightmares about rapid ducks chasing me.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Nobody Puts This Baby in a Corner

Evelyn will one day look back at this baby picture and not get the reference....thus giving me an annoyed look when I attempt to explain that Patrick Swayze didn't want Baby's father to repress her any longer and then Baby jumped off the stage into his arms in a carefully choreographed dance.....however, I giggle every time I see this onesie.
Our newest form of entertainment...a 49 cent sheet of poster board


Apparently nap time has ended here at casa de phillips, because everyone has decided to cry at the same time. Fun.