Happy Half Birthday Henry!

My baby is now officially two and a half! We continue to celebrate half birthdays around here because you can never have too much cake. Here are some pictures of the big day.

Henry Funnies

Here are some recent funny statements from Henry

• Last night he was stirring an egg for me while I was making dinner. Adam walked in the front door and Henry said "Daddy, never eat raw eggs!"
• Today Henry and I were playing ball in the hall (in our apartment). I laid down on the floor and Henry said "Mama, get up. The floor is dirty!"
• He was listening to the radio this morning and dancing. When the song ended he said "Mama, more Rock!"
• Whenever I ask him if he needs to use the bathroom he says "Mmm, no thanks!"
• He asked for something to eat and I asked him what he wanted. In his best teenager voice he said "Uh Food?" What a little smart alec.

Like A Plague Was Upon Us

Whew! We have just ended a NINE day bout of the stomach virus at our house.

It started with Henry tossing his cookies last Saturday and ended with me begging for mercy yesterday when left home alone with two kids and a relentless GI virus. It was the week that would never end. We dropped off a huge bag of laundry to be washed at the laundromat but still did 10 loads of laundry over the course of the plague. I think every pillow, blanket, sheet and article of clothing was hit in some way. Adam even had to have his spring jacket dry cleaned. I have yet to figure out how to get some of it out of our seagrass carpets with all of the nooks and crannies.

Keep your fingers crossed, but despite Molly's attempt to include Daddy by projectile vomiting in his face while he was sleeping, Adam has not caught it. The one good point of all of it is that I have lost 7.5 pounds in a week. Pretty efficient diet if you ask me!

My Naughty Girl

Molly's nickname is "The Little Bad Girl" or LBG for short.

She loves to be held, hates to be left alone in any sort of contraption and always prefers to sleep with someone holding her. She takes very short naps for an infant, usually about thirty minutes long. She will sleep a lot longer if she is strapped to someone's chest, so I know she is capable. She doesn't cry a lot anymore, she just does this pitiful little whimper. When you get near to her, she rewards you with the biggest, most beautiful smile that you are powerless not to pick her up. I know I am being manipulated by her of course, but who could resist?

My sister's rule is that if a baby wakes up crying, they are not done sleeping. Well, I am not sure what to do with Molly then. She takes one of her "micro-naps" and then wakes up just cooing away. She then gives you a little belly laugh when she sees you.

Last night, Henry was being a goofball and doing a little dance in his room. He would race around a toy, singing the ABC song. Every time he did it, Molly was cracking up. I couldn't believe that a baby this young could laugh like that. I have a feeling that she is going to be a lot of fun!

Hi Grandma!

My Wardrobe Crisis

Adam and I often have the conversation as to why I have so few clothes. His solution is to "just go buy yourself some." For a man, shopping is very easy. If you know your waist size and inseam length you can shop almost anywhere. You can safely order clothing on-line and be assured that it will fit. He can also pop out during lunch or on his way home and hit fancy stores in mid-town unencumbered by small, rowdy children.

Admittedly, I don't like to shop even in the best of circumstances. However, I am pretty handy with the internet and not shy to use the credit card, so there must be something else that he is missing. I started to mull it over since I was beginning to think he had a point. Why do I persist in wearing the same two pairs of pants, and a white V neck every day? I feel like I do buy clothing; where does it all go? And then it hit me. Of the past 36 months, I have been pregnant for almost 20 months, nursing for 19 months, and had a weird post-partum body for another 9 months. Add in my change in career and the seasonal changes and that is a lot of different clothing needs and sizes.

Take my current situation for example. I am out of maternity clothes and down to my pre-pregnancy weight, but my hips are still a little out of whack. We are approaching a change in season, so I have been holding off buying anything new. I had some larger clothes from after Henry, but UPS lost all of them when my sister tried to send them.

New York City, despite it's big shopping reputation doesn't have any malls. The thought of schlepping my two maniacs around to different stores during the day sounds about as appealing as a root canal. While Henry would be running in one direction Molly would be screaming about being in the stroller. Or, if I had him trapped in the stroller she would be attached to me in a carrier, which doesn't make trying on clothing very convenient. I have tried to look on-line but it is so difficult to tell if something like jeans will look nice. I shudder at the thought of putting a measuring tape to my body right now.

So, I persist in looking like a slob. Fortunately Spring has arrived with its change in weather so now I am free to pull the trigger. Look forward to the spiffier new me soon.

Earning His Stripes

Henry has caught some sort of stomach bug. We were on the way home from the circus on Saturday and were just nearing our subway stop when he got a peculiar look on his face and then proceeded to vomit all over himself, the seat, the floor and Adam.

Adam rushed him off and ran him up to our apartment. Henry was in hysterics, crying that he needed a bath. We got him cleaned up and into bed. Over the next day and a half, he proceeded to vomit a few more times. Each time, he would start screaming "Daddy I need a bath!" Never Mommy, not once. Even in the middle of the night (twice), he woke screaming for Adam. Normally I might be a teensy bit offended that he wasn't calling for me, but not in this case! Adam was making fun of me that I never seemed to be nearby when disaster struck. Apparently he doesn't know about my vomit radar.

Henry has some fun new phrases lately. Who knows where he picks this stuff up.

• He walks into the room very casually and says "Hey Mama" or "Hey Molly" like he is a teenager.
• He says "I'm doing it MYself" while poking himself very vigorously in the chest.
• Every time he leaves the room he says "Molly, Henry will be right back" and waits for her to acknowledge him. I usually have to do it for her or else he would be waiting a few months
• I gave him some chocolate the other day. He said "Oooh, don't tell Daddy!" Oops, where did he learn that one?

Henry and Molly Happenings

• We were at the park yesterday for hours because it was so warm out. Henry was climbing the wrong way up the baby slide and told me it was so slippery that he needed his snow boots.
• Henry was throwing his big ball into places that were too high for him to reach or behind objects on purpose. He would then demand a rope so that he could get the ball. Where does he hear these things? Is he watching MacGuyver reruns at night?
• Henry found a business card on Adam's nightstand. I was explaining to him that it had an address and a number on it. He exclaimed that it must be "a map." Pretty good guess I think.
• Henry was playing his guitar this evening and we were singing. Molly was cooing and smiling on my lap during the "ABC Song." Henry gave me the cut sign halfway through and signaled the "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Molly's eyes welled up and her bottom lip started to quiver. We switched back and she smiled again. We went back to the spider song and she cried. An arachnophobe in the making?

Life Lesson Number One

You should always listen to your mother.

Henry learned that the hard way yesterday. He took a slug of vanilla extract followed by a big mouthful of baking soda. As tempting as the banana chocolate chip muffins in our freezer look, you might want to take a pass if offered one.