Poop attack of December 2010

I can't seem to find a post about it, but I recall the Diaper Explosion of May 2007...

It was a warm spring morning and I was entertaining a friend in town. We stopped to nurse Baby Ellie in the car before heading to our next destination. Baby Ellie pooped as she often did when feeding. I didn't think much of it and waited until she finished eating. When I finally did see the damage, it was EVERYWHERE. Not only did it escape her diaper and clothese, the mess was all over the back seat and all over my pants. I had never seen anything like it.

I spent a lot of time cleaning it up and trying to pretend like it was no big deal (I didn't want to scare my friend away from parenthood) and we went off to pick up Daddy from work. When he got in the car he asked why the baby was naked in her carseat. I responded with "Don't ask." Once we got home, I quickly headed upstairs to change my pants. Michael noticed and tried to warn me. It looked as though it was ME who messed my pants. Oh. My. God. It was the nastiest experience EVER.

Until last night.

Daddy now holds the record for experiencing the nastiest thing ever. Ellie had to go potty and apparently Addie followed her into the bathroom. When she came back out she was smacking her lips. "Maybe she ate some toilet paper" Ellie suggests. Upon further inspection Daddy found poop smeared EVERYWHERE in the bathroom. It was on the door, cabinets, floor... everywhere. The problem? Apparently Addie's diaper wasn't put on well and it fell through her pants. And as any toddler would do, she was curious about the substance. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

Ellie and Brynn

From the very beginning these two girls seemed to have a special connection. I don't know what it was about each other but for whatever reason they decided that the other babies in their classroom were not nearly as cool as each other. Now that I look back, I can see traditions that they started even before they were crawling... like this one, sharing their breakfast every morning. To this day they look forward to sharing their breakfasts together... bananas, yogurt, cereal... What's Ellie's is Brynn's and what's Brynn's is Ellie's. And to this day, Brynn is often my only hope of leaving Ellie at daycare without her melting down.
At first, as with all babies, they mostly just smiled at each other and parallel played close to each other, but it didn't take long for them to actually start interacting together. Look at how cute they are on their first trick-or-treating at daycare. They weren't too sure what was going on but it didn't take them long to realize people put candy into their bags if they just held them up. Ellie took it one step further... the trick to getting her to participate was that Bun Bun was in her bag. She showed everyone her Bun Bun and they mistook the gesture as "give me candy." Too funny.
Soon came the seesaw. The girls invented a new game where they BOTH got on the rocking horse and seesawed together. It was a huge hit. All the other kids would join in. When we arrived at school, Brynn would almost always be happily playing with someone else (sometimes even on the seesaw horse) but would push that kid aside as soon as she saw La-Lo (Ellie). And the first thing Ellie would do when she arrived was head to the horse and say "Brynn! Seesaw!"

Bounce Town is a major contributor to their friendship. Around 18 months of age we started hanging out together after school and bouncing on the big balloons. This only solidified their friendship and it was so cute to watch them chase each other around.
Bounce Town night was always an easy night with lots of fun. I wish I could say that taking pictures of the girls was as easy but I don't have any of them together on the air castles, except this one:
And of course, as luck would have it, the settings on my camera were wrong and I had to convert it to black and white. Go figure.
Have you noticed the size difference yet? Brynn is such a sweetie and has always been teeny tiny. Eventually she would catch up to Ellie but she's still quite a bit smaller.
Wherever we are, these girls love to do what the other is doing. Eat what the other is eating. Laugh when the other is laughing, even if they don't know why.
And Ellie is by far more silly whenever Brynn is around. I think Brynn is a naturally silly little girl and Ellie often wants to pretend she is too. Ellie is naturally serious, though, so the only silliness she has usually originates from Brynn.
One of my favorite days spent with Brynn was when we took them to the farm. OMG! They were running everywhere and couldn't stop laughing and giggling. They LOVED it! And they were always right by each other. We've tried to hang out with other friends of Ellie's but for whatever reason they run off in different directions and it's more of a "Hi there, bye now!" sort of experience. With Brynn, they remain by each other's sides no matter what we're doing.

Oh Halloween... Have you ever seen two cuter bugs? To this day Ellie claims she wants to be a bee for Halloween just like Brynn. Sigh. I'm thinking she doesn't quite get the point.
Look how grown up they look!
It took awhile to teach the girls how to go down the slide together, but it was neat to finally see them get it.
And of course, you can't be two little girls without a princess night or two. Brynn's favorite princess is the Blue one. Ellie's is usually Belle or Sleeping Beauty.
Dancing...
Swinging...
And flying kites... I don't think there is anything we've tried to do with Brynn that Ellie didn't truly enjoy.
And boy do they love to hug... though sometimes it's more like a tackle (usually with Brynnie on the bottom).
Most recently we went to the carnival. And you don't have to try too hard to see how excited they were about the rides.
I can't believe they're now old enough to ride some of the rides all by themselves, and you can tell they're so proud.
We've also added swimming to the list of things the girls do together and it's always a hit - surprise surprise. Usually they start off nervous but by the end of the swim they're both so proud that they can swim all by themselves (with a swimming jacket).
I saved my favorite for last (though the fact that it's the most recent photo was helpful too). Look at how grown up our girls are, just so happy to be sitting outside and having "tea" together. I am really looking forward to seeing their friendship develop even more. Brynn's Mommy met her best friend when they were both 18 months old... so who knows? These girls might be together for a very long time.

And now I end this crazy long post with hugs... and lots of them.

Raising two beautiful souls

Remember this stinkin' cute picture that I posted the other day? It also happens to be the one in the center of my background. I haven't been able to stop staring at it since.

Sometimes I take a photo where I feel like it portrays my daughter's personality perfectly (can't explain it) and I can't stop staring at it. That's the first one of Addie that makes me feel that way.

I'm not sure when I first felt this way about a photo of Baby Ellie. When I go back and look through old photos, this is the one that stands out. But it's hard to say. I certainly didn't have the same perspective about it as I do now.

With Ellie, because I didn't know what was in store, I always assumed that her personality was present in every picture. For some reason, with Addie, I'm aware of the fact that a child's personality really starts to blossom when they can start exploring the world on their own. How else can you really get a glimpse into what a person is like unless you see how they take in the world around them?

It's an exciting moment for me. I wish I could describe it better. What is it about certain photos that make you not only appreciate the moment but also makes you excited for what the future has in store? There are those rare photos that make me realize that I'm raising two beautiful souls. And sometimes, regardless of the honor, I have a hard time grasping its full significance.

Baby hair fashion trends

You know how fashion trends often align themselves with different decades? Remember how in the 80s it was cool to wear tight jeans and roll up the ends so that they were even tighter, and then tuck them into your socks? Yeah, me neither. The pendulum swung the other direction in the next decade when you were only cool if your pants only stayed up if you kept your legs in a wide stance. Ah-hem. Well, it seems as though baby trends change even quicker than those of the society around them, and I have witnessed the pendulum swinging in my own little family.

When Ellie was a baby she went through a stage where she was rocking the Jean-Luc Picard look. She insisted that it was the in-thing no matter how much I complained about how difficult it made it to get a cute picture of her.
Fast forward to a few years later and the fashion trends have already changed. Addie claims that the Jean-Luc Picard look was "soo 2007" and she'd never be caught dead with such a haircut. Instead, she sports a square-ish patch that, from certain angles, resembles a Mohawk. As cool as she thinks her older sister is, she knows she needs to keep ahead of the fashion trends in her own group of baby friends. Those babies can be so judgmental! I tried to tell her that Mohawks make someone look like a bad-@$$ and she just smiled knowingly. I think she is planning something. Should I be afraid?

Sugar and Spice

Who is who? Either way, they're both filled with the sweet stuff.

The Baby Who

I always assumed that if we had a second daughter, there would be tons of examples of pictures where the two of them look exactly like each other. That doesn't seem to be the case. But I do have my moments when I think, "Wow! Which baby are you?"




Oh, yeah. You're the wonderfully chubby one. Yummy.


You're the baby who gives me great big smiles first thing in the morning. In fact, you give me great big smiles whenever I appear. When you're not happy, you're content. It takes a lot to get you upset and is usually because you're either hungry or tired. But you give us an overly gracious warning period where you start talking up a storm just to give us a heads-up that you will have a break-down in approximately 15 minutes. That's quite a wise idea because your well-meaning parents are often preoccupied with your sister.


You're the baby who loves the car seat that your sister despised and isn't too keen on the baby carriers that she loved (We'll have to work on that since you're getting so big). You aren't too sure what to think of the swing that your sister loved, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.


You're our little thumper. You love to kick your legs up and down whenever you get excited. If you're bored and trying to put yourself to sleep, you'll kick the floor so hard that it makes the entire house thump. Who knew such a little person could do that? And yet, somehow, you still haven't discovered your feet.


You're the baby who is content to just sit and watch what is going on around her, especially if your big sister is anywhere in sight. You have very little need for toys. You love being held, without requiring the additional effort of bouncing or walking. When Mommy or Daddy hold you, you relax instantly like you just want to melt into our arms. After rocking you for just a few verses of Twinkle Twinkle, you're already to pass out. We can lay you down ofter just minutes of singing and you will fall asleep. ON. YOUR. OWN. You must feel so confident and secure. But you should come with a warning label: Do not wake me up. You give the worst evil glares whenever someone wakes you before you're ready. But you're all talk. You're the baby who understands that just because Mommy is sleeping next to you, it doesn't mean it's play time. I never knew how peaceful it could be to sleep next to a baby.

You're the baby who goes along for the ride, no matter what the plan is. You do not get tired of spending all day in the house. As long as you're with Mommy, you're entertained enough.

You're the easy, cuddly baby. You're the baby who makes me question my decision to stay at work. We just mesh well during the days and instead of getting a break, I miss you when I'm gone. However, after a long day at work, I can always count on the big smile you give me when you see me again to re-energize my energy.


You're the baby who, from the moment you were born, makes me feel like my life is complete.

Jinxing it

I wanted to announce that today, Monday March 15, 2010 it appears as though no member of my family is sick. The first time since the beginning of January. Mark your calendars because this is a very special day for everyone. Ellie is no longer sick - in fact our weekend was much much more pleasant than the previous one and she seems to be back to her normal mostly pleasant self. Addie woke this morning with a clear nose and I'm sure she was surprised that I did not have to suck her brains out of her nose. Michael hasn't been sick since returning from the UK a week or so ago. And me... I think I'm finally over my cough.

Yay! I just wanted to mention the good news in case it goes away.

UPDATE: Bah! My husband just reminded me that we had baby vomit to deal with last night but I'm nearly certain it's because we over stuffed the poor thing. I don't think she's really sick... but I'm taking that as yesterday's news and today we're all healthy! Let me have this one. Please????

Second Daughter

When Ellie was born, it took me by surprise how difficult a little baby could be. Anyone who was witness to Baby Ellie's first 8 months could testify that she was by far more difficult than the average baby. We all agree that the changing moment in her life was when she learned how to crawl. Suddenly a whole world of enjoyment was opened up to us. She was kind and thoughtful and sweet and funny. We could not get enough of Ellie. I could not take my eyes off of her. It was like seeing a fantastic new movie in the theaters. You just want to watch it over and over again. Remember the movie Titanic? Yeah, I was guilty of seeing it 9 times in the theater. Ellie was like that - I just couldn't stop watching her. I couldn't soak in enough of the entertainment she gave me every day, even if any given day had the same beginning and ending as the one before. I knew I had something good and I wanted to watch over and over again because each time I would notice something new. Something amazing. And I wanted to write about it all, share it all with the world because I knew that eventually everyone would agree with me - this little girl was something special, something the world has never seen before.

Telling the world about Addie has been more difficult. I'm not nearly as stressed with her as I was with Ellie. Instead of focusing on how I am going to make it through this moment, I find myself reveling in every moment with her. It's peaceful. It feels like I've already known this baby for much longer than her 4 months. We just click without even trying. She's like a classic movie - one that just always has been a favorite and you can't quite remember the first time you watched it. Princess Bride, anyone? It's not surprising or new, but it's familiar and comforting. And just as entertaining. I don't feel like I need to tell the world about how wonderful she is. They just already know. She's perfect. Anyone can see that without me explaining it to them. And I almost don't want to. I find that I want to keep her all to myself. I treasure every moment I have alone with her, knowing that the moments won't last long. She's already 4.5 months old and I feel like if I keep her to myself then it will slow time down just a little more.

Having Addie in my life is like a reminder that you can indeed have more than one favorite movie. There may be other movies that catch your attention and keep you entertained, but they're not like this one. Every one is unique. This one happens to be a classic. This one is, and always has been, a favorite. Doesn't it just make you want to sit back, relax, curl up on a couch and snuggle and just sit and stare?

A tribute to Bun Bun (repost)

I'm republishing this because I came across a video of Bun Bun helping us teach Ellie how to crawl...

After taking this first picture, I thought all I wanted to do was find the first picture I have of Ellie with her beloved Bun Bun but then I got carried away in memories of everything Ellie has been through with Bun Bun by her side (or in her mouth). Here are some of my favorites:And of course, some videos... Bun Bun even helped us teach Ellie how to crawl and count!