Odds N Ends

It is nap time, but apparently someone forgot to mention this little detail to my children. One is singing random songs loudly from his big boy bed while the other is fussing in her crib. Were they not instructed in "Baby 101" that Mommy is much nicer after a quiet two hours to herself in which she accomplishes a variety of tasks on her to-do list?

Such lack of napping might require an early bedtime this evening, which works out well since Tobe and I have big plans once the little ones are in bed. Yes, 60% of the Christmas decor is still present in our house and tonight was deemed "Undeck the Halls" night. If the Phillips' bank accounts were much larger than they are, I would be tempted to throw everything on the curb...rather than packing it away nice and neatly....and starting anew next year. Alas that is not my luxury.

In an attempt to cloth my ever-growing daughter, the children and I headed out to the local mall this morning for a brisk walk and to exchange some size 9 month Christmas presents for a roomier size 12 month (seriously, if she keeps growing at this pace, Evelyn might be over six feet tall by the time she is in third grade.) garments. All was well during our shopping. Both kids were perky and happy, enjoying puttering along in our zippy red stroller. One store we had to make a stop in has a Lego table in the back, which Isaac is allowed to play at if he has been a good little shopper. He was happily playing Legos while I browsed the sale racks nearby (it is a small store...no Amber Alert potential here). Another little boy was also playing Legos, whose mother was watching from a close distance.

My ears suddenly perked up when I heard that mother say, "Now, Henry, don't bite."

And then again, "Remember, we don't bite."

I turned around in time to see Henry attempting to bite everything...from Isaac (which he didn't), to the Lego table, to a display of pajamas. The mom attempted to smile at me and I returned a friendly "We've been there too" look (Actually, biting has not been an issue for Isaac. However, a couple of months ago he went through a phase of wanting to hug the tar out of any child he encountered.). We encountered them again later on in the mall, where Henry was gnawing on the stroller. I almost tossed them a spare teething ring (from a safe distance) but opted to just keep on our merry way.

Speaking of teething (like that transition?), Evelyn has sprouted two bottom teeth. She also has got the army crawl down quite well and can really scoot if she is after something of value (either the remote, a forgotten magazine, or anything associated with Isaac). She is able to pull herself into a sitting position and loves to stand for long periods of time at our ottoman. Isaac really took the physical development quite slow, so this rapid pace is a new experience for us.

One area that she is not excelling at is eating. The girl only loves baby oatmeal and barely tolerates anything else. Isaac was eating mainly solid foods at nine months, yet I am worried this girl will have to have a bowl of goo with a candle stuck in the middle served at her first birthday. We recently introduced her to Gerber Veggie Puffs in order to improve her eating coordination. It only took a few times of showing her the puff goes into the mouth before she grasped the concept. Now, we simply place a few puffs on her tray and she goes after them in such a frenzy it resembles the board game "Hungry, Hungry Hippo." We took video of this last night because it is truly hilarious. Perhaps I will find the motivation to post it this weekend.

As I have mentioned before, Isaac has recently learned almost all of the 50 United States due to working a wooden puzzle (He only lacks learning the "little states" such as Delaware and Connecticut). He now has a placemat with the states on the front and their flags on the back. Last night he pointed to one of the flags and said, "That is Colorado's flag." Indeed it was. I figured perhaps my parents had taught him a few flags while they were here (the flags are not on his puzzle...just on the place mat). This morning he correctly pointed out Michigan's flag.

After a quick call to my mom where I found out they had not taught him any of the flags, we have decided that he is recognizing the state name. Most people start with the basic sight words of "Cat" or "Bat" but it looks like we will be beginning with "Pennsylvania."

Riots are beginning in each of the children's rooms....one is crying and the other one is loudly saying, "Mommy, I want to get up now!" Time for this rambling blog to find an end.

Enjoy the weekend!