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.

Mr. Manners

Henry is great about using his manners, often to comedic effect. He thinks that the word "No" must always be followed by "Thanks."

"Henry, it is time to go to bed." "No tanks!" "Henry, it is time to eat lunch." "No tanks mama"

"Excuse me" is another funny one. We were at the park yesterday and he wanted to pass some dogs. I always instruct him to give dogs a wide berth. He said "Excuse me doggies, Henry get past." If he gets stuck behind a crawling baby on the playground he will say "Excuse me baby" and wait for them to move.

Best Friends

Henry told me that Molly was his best friend. Here are some cute pictures of when he introduced her to the magic of television.

Daddy is tops!

Adam and Henry have always had a great relationship. They go to the park alone every weekend, Adam gives him his bath at night and reads him his books and they just adore each other. But, I think the first two years of life are generally more devoted to the mother-child relationship.

Now that Henry is more boy than baby it is sweet to watch their relationship develop. Henry is able to do things like kick a soccer ball, throw a football, run around and do older kid type things. He points out pictures of boats and it is always "Daddy's boat" and he says he wants to go on it. Recently he saw basketball on TV and I told him what it was. He said he wanted to play basketball "with Daddy" at the park. I swear I think Adam's eyes welled up a bit when Henry told him but he'd never admit that :)

The Mysteries of My Day

What sound does a giraffe make? No really, I need to know. Henry saw a picture of a giraffe yesterday and said "neigh neigh." Since I was in no position to correct him I told him his guess was as good as mine.

While we are at it, there should be some sort of manual for the non-animal loving parents. I have a hard time figuring out the noise the a hippo and a zebra make as well. Really, who comes up with stuff as the knowledge base for small children? Hardly useful information. Wouldn't it be more useful if he learned how I take my coffee in the morning?

Things I have learned as a mother

You might want to ask why I am posting at 12:25am instead of sleeping. I have determined that it is better to get slightly less sleep than be ripped out of peaceful slumber a mere 45 minutes after you lay down. Anywho, I digress. Back to the topic at hand.

• I have learned how to pick small toys up off the floor with my toes because I can't bend over with Molly strapped to my chest. Ahh, the pregnant feeling that never really went away. Except now I can hear her screaming.
• I have learned how to fix a toy vacuum with my non-dominant hand while balancing Molly on my lap and nursing her. And making sure she doesn't get clocked in the head at the same time.
• 100 different ways to prepare chicken, using carrots, celery and onion in the recipe.
• How to make crockpot surprise for dinner. It gets rid of wilting things in the refrigerator and the freezer so that I don't have to schlepp to the store with two small children.
• I have learned that it is possible for a small child to survive and thrive for weeks while seemingly eating only apples.
• I have learned what you are willing to turn a blind eye toward to gain ten minutes of peace and quiet. Hmm, you don't hear the sound of knives clanking do you? Nah...
• I have learned that it is possible for two toddlers to destroy a clean apartment in less than 10 minutes.
• I have learned that "Mommy Brain" is a real medical condition. It is embarrassing how bad my short term memory is. Unfortunately for Adam, my long term memory for grudge holding is sharper than ever :)
• I have learned that people who say their children will never watch TV have never had to entertain a two year old for 12 hours a day.
• No matter what you like to think, a toddler will always win. I think they should put a whining two year old in the room during hostage negotiations. It would certainly speed up the process. Case in point: Henry ate a Girl Scout Samoa with his breakfast last week.

Looks like my little Molly is stirring for some food. Ahh, I can finally call it a day.

Toddler Humor

Henry is quite the comedian. He has his regular bits, but these are some recent ones:

One of his friends is always saying things are "too messy." Henry has taken the phrase as his own, but it comes out sounding like "too nasty." He loves walking around telling me that things are too nasty and laughing like a crazy boy. I'm not sure where he has even heard this word.

He has nicknamed his cousin Charley "stinky Charlie" for some reason.

He likes to give you a cup of bathwater to drink and he tells you it is apple juice. You have to pretend to drink it and then pretend to spit it everywere, exclaiming "This isn't apple juice, it's bathwater!" He acts like this is the funniest thing he has ever heard.

How sweet it is to be loved by Henry

Henry adores Molly. I would love to say the feeling is mutual, but she is definitely coming around. She isn't terrified of him anymore, so I guess that is an improvement. She is even starting to smile at him a bit instead of quivering in fear.

Every morning when he wakes up, he walks into our room and says "He-row Baby Molly. Henry waked." He then goes over and gives her a kiss good morning. During the remainder of the day he narrates his activities for her. "Baby Molly...Henry eating breakpup (breakfast)." "Baby Molly...Henry watching WaPets (Wonderpets)." And on and on. I don't know if he really understands that she doesn't understand, but it is sweet nonetheless.

For some reason, he seems to believe that she whispers in my ear. She can't talk, yet she tells me things. It is quite hilarious. I narrate things that I want him to do, pretending Molly is saying it.

Overall, he is quite gentle with her and luckily has never tried to pick her up. He does constantly steal the socks off of her feet and the toy off of her lap.

Molly is THREE months old!

Boy, time certainly does fly! Here are some pictures of my sweet baby girl.

Speed Demon

Henry and his pals did their first road race on Sunday, a whopping 25 yards. The medal and race number made it totally worth spending the eight dollars, he talked about it all day.