Come, Mommy

Change of Scene

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 01:30:00 +0000

I'm a fairly patient person. It takes quite a bit of aggravation to get me riled up. Even so, I have my limits. I've been trying for quite a while to figure out why this page loads so slowly in I.E. I've changed the sidebar and the header to no avail. Meanwhile, my attempts to fix the problem, and to even blog in general, were thwarted by Blogger's latest episode of orneriness. For much of the last week, Blogger has refused to allow me to save posts, upload pictures, and even, once, refused to acknowledge that I have a Blogger account. I've talked about exploring other blogging options, but never got around to exploring. Until this week, when, since I couldn't access my Blogger account, I decided to do that exploring.

I found a bunch of really neato options out there, but when push came to shove, this is what I put together. It is not finished yet, but I like the general layout and I'm having lots of fun playing around with it. Come on over and check out the new place!

Crafty Stuff Going On

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:44:00 +0000

I haven't been posting much the last couple of weeks. It's not due so much to inertia or a lack of blog fodder. Rather, I have been off indulging my inner crafty person. A while back, Chichimama wrote a post looking for folks who might be interested in doing an online knit-along, and I signed up. We all agreed on a felted bag as our first project. I'm not so much of a handbag person, but I've never done felting of a woolen article, and since this looked straightforward, I went for it.

I actually love to knit, but it's been several years since I attempted a project as I felt I had no time to focus on knitting what with chasing children all day long. It turned out that I have no time to attempt a complicated cable-knit pullover - I have one, 90% done, that I started before Liam was born. It's not a viable project at the moment as each time I work on it I have to sit down in complete silence, reorient myself to the pattern, and I can't stop in the middle of a row lest I lose count completely. This is what it would look like if I ever finished it.

Now, a smallish project that can be easily picked up for five or ten minutes and put down without worry fit the bill exactly. And it felt good to make something by hand again:

The Fibonacci Bag

I mucked around with the original pattern a bit. The pattern was written using chunky yarn, but I found some inexpensive worsted-weight wool on sale at a craft store, so I bought twice as much yardage as called for and knitted the whole bag with two strands of yarn to mimic a chunky weight. The felting process was interesting since the hot cycle on our machine isn't terribly hot, but I set it on "heavy-duty" to get as much mechanical action as possible and then ran it through the wash cycle twice. There's still a bit more stitch definition than I'd like in the finished product, but it's great for a first try. Now I know if I want to felt another knitted item I need to up the temperature on our hot water wash. Finally, instead of two straps (one on each long side of the bag), I knitted one extra-long one and attached it to the short side of the bag. It runs lengthwise along the bag. I may sew some ribbon just inside the top of the bag in order to be able to securely tie shut the bag, I don't want to have to replace my wallet anytime soon!

All in all it was a fun project, and now I'm pleased to have rediscovered one of my favorite pastimes. I've got a scarf that's almost finished that I started a couple of weeks ago. I should be able to finish that up over the weekend, and then I am planning to knit Kiri one of these Sunny-Side Up Hoodies. I have some gorgeous royal blue cotton yarn in my stash that would be perfect for a Spring sweater, and I have just enough to make a baby-size garment from that yarn. The Lemur has asked for one of these sweaters as well, and he would like his in a bright red, so that's my next next project. I think I've got enough planned for now!

I've been having fun the last couple of weeks being creative and practical all at the same time. Knitting truly is one of those activities that helps ease stress as it involves repetitive, soothing action, but doesn't occupy so much of my brain that I can't carry on a conversation or watch a good TV show at the same time. It really is a great hobby.

Thank you, Chichimama, for suggesting the knit-along. If you hadn't, I would still be sitting around thinking, "One day I'll have enough time to knit again!" Turns out I do have the time. It just has to be the right project.

A Painted Lemur

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:41:00 +0000

You might think that if I heard the voice of a certain Lemur, alone by himself in the bathroom, saying things like, "I'm decorating myself!", I would check the situation out.

I did. After I finished reading my e-mail.

This is what I discovered...

...a Painted Lemur!

"Look, Mommy! I decorated myself with your lip gloss!"

He sure did decorate himself. With the really nice lip gloss I got for Christmas.

But he was so pleased with himself and had such a good time painting that I just can't be mad!

We Have Lift-Off!

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:47:00 +0000

On your marks...

Get set...

CRAWL!!!

In Which Liam Expresses His Confusion

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:13:00 +0000

We were running late to nursery school one day last week, and of course traffic chose that day to be extra-heavy. A stressed-out driver sped by, zooming around us and the four cars in front by using the shoulder as a passing lane. I mumbled something under my breath (I thought!) about "idiot drivers." From the back seat came the voice of a very confused little boy...

"Mommy? Why are you calling him a 'Giddy-up Driver'? He wasn't riding a horse. Horsies don't go that fast!"

Moments like this are worth their weight in gold. As long as I'm not laughing so hard I drive the car into a tree.

10 Months Of Brotherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:45:00 +0000

I fell off the track with these "Brotherhood" posts - too much confusion over the holidays, I guess. At any rate, here we are at Ten Months of Brotherhood...

(how could it possibly have been ten months already???)

Here is the Big Brother with his favorite ferret friend, Pippi. Who, by the way, gave us a fright by losing his tail hair and thus fooling us into thinking he had adrenal disease. A trip to the vet later, it turns out to be a fals alarm. Phew! Usually when ferrets start to go bald, it's not good news.

Mr. Happy Baby and his favorite toy, a music box. He loves to turn it on by himself and rock back and forth to the beat. It's a great thing to soothe an awake baby at 3:00 A.M.

Mr. Lemur surprised us completely by ordering spaghetti at a restaurant. This is the same boy who has NEVER ordered anything other than grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese in his life. We may get to broaden our culinary horizons soon!

Getting Kieran all bundled up to take his brother to school.

"Mommy! Pop-Pop made me this hat from the newspaper! You've never seen anything like this in your life!"

"Daddy said it was OK that Kiri drives without a license..."

Look - a milestone! Liam got his first haircut at an actual salon! Our horizons are expanding by the minute!

"Mommy? Rides are funner when Kiri comes along!"

That is one of the best parts about the last couple of months - Kiri and Liam are starting to actually play together and laugh with each other. It's really sweet to see them enjoying each other so much, and to know this is only the beginning of their relationship. I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow and change together.

Little Kids Are So Literal

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:58:00 +0000

Tonight I heard Kevin and Liam in the living room. We've had issues recently trying to instill the idea of privacy and private activities in our son; his hand are often in his pants because, well, he's a little boy. (Why did no one inform me that this is one of the downsides of potty training?)

Kevin: "Hands out of your pants."

Liam: "Why?"

Kevin: "Hands out of your pants!"

Liam: "But I just like my hands IN my pants."

Kevin gave up and retreated upstairs. Liam popped into the kitchen with me, hands still you-know-where, and repeated a phrase that someone at school taught him. (This particular phrase is neither vulgar nor rude, but is very, very annoying should someone repeat it over and over while, say, one is fighting morning rush traffic on Route 1. Yes, I ended up begging him to be quiet or at least say something else.) And just to be sure I was paying attention, he said it about three more times.

Me: "Dude, are you just trying to annoy Daddy and me?"

Liam (absolutely horrified): "Oh, no! Oh, dear! Actually, I was just trying to annoy Daddy!"

Me (trying hard to look stern): "Well, thanks for the clarification."

Liam: "You're welcome, Mommy."

And with that, he stomped off to find his father.

The silence, she was golden.

Bored With Your Usual Snack?

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 23:55:00 +0000

It used to be that yogurt-covered Cheerios were the go-for snack around here. But today, things have changed for the messier...

The Menagerie House proudly presents...

The yogurt and Cheerios covered baby!

Ta da! Cute, no?

Says The Lemur, "Mommy, it's good thing Casey likes to clean babies and floors!"

That is very true, Son. Good observation!

By the way, Kieran had his nine-month check-up this morning. We finally found a new pediatrician, and she was great with Kieran. Now I have to make an appointment for The Lemur and see if he likes her as much as his brother and mom do. At any rate, Kieran is 20 pounds, 4 ounces, and 28 inches long. She was impressed by his Fuzzi Bunz and the fact that he eats entirely table food and breastmilk. (In truth I think he gets a lot of Casey fur, too, but I didn't mention that. It ~~is impossible to keep off our floors and furniture~~ just adds protein to his diet.) She feels he's doing great, and it was so nice to have a pediatrician who wasn't telling me what I was doing wrong. Phew!

Schnorpy Boys...

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:03:00 +0000

Two boys, both with colds, who wake up sick after Daddy has the audacity to leave for work for the day...

Liam : "Kiri, Mommy is NOT Daddy, but she's ok with handling schnorpy noses, OK??"

Hey You! Howdy! Hi!

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Hey, guys, it's that time again - Delurking Day. And from my logs it seems I have anonymous friends in many locations including central Florida, central Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Nepal, and Harvard Yard. I would love to know who you are, so please come out and introduce yourself. This is a friendly place here, and I'm kind of bored today as I'm at home with two sick children who are too sniffly and schnorpy to take out in public. Please make my day and tell me who you are!

(Thanks to Aimee for the neato button!)

In Which Liam Cuts To The Chase

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:01:00 +0000

Liam: "Mommy, was the world built?"

Me: "Hhhhhmmmmm?"

Liam: "You know, the world. How was it made?"

Me: "Well, the plants and animals grow, and the buildings are built by people."

Liam: "No. The world under the plants and animals. What about it?"

Me: "You mean the ground? The Earth? Where did that come from?"

Liam: "Yes."

Me: "Do you want the Biblical or the scientific explanation?"

Liam: "I just want the one that is actually right, Mommy."

Me: "Oh."

*********************

"Eh, forget the philosophical discussions. Just show me the FOOD!"

A Huge Milestone

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:44:00 +0000

With a huge sense of pride (and a subconscious feeling of, "At last, thank Heaven!") I am able to announce:

The Lemur has peed in the toilet!!! Long may it continue!

You may resume your normal blogging activities now...

The Good And Bad Of Being The Big Brother

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:47:00 +0000

Today, 8:30 AM:

Liam and Kieran are cuddling together in bed. Liam tells his baby brother, "Kiri, I just love you for all my life!"

Today, 10:30 AM:

Within one five minute period, Kieran "steals" his brother's favorite train, chews on one of Liam's Thomas trading cards, and then pulls Liam's hair when the big boy gets too close. Liam screams, "Mommy! He is not a nice baby! I love him for all my life, but he IS NOT BEING NICE!!!"

Sometimes being the big brother is not an easy job.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Wow am I out of practice on this blogging thing - it's been over a week since I posted. I got pretty sick with that bug I picked up from Mr. Lemur and it's only in the last couple of days I've been wanting to do anything beyond recovering basic respiratory function. But we have had some fun - Santa left plenty of cool things for the boys, and we did go to a really terrific New Year's Eve party last night, so we haven't been completely without fun.

In the meantime, I'm going to take one last nap before Kevin goes back to work and it's just the boys and me. I'll be back with some cute kid stories in the next few days!

Bits And Pieces Of Pre-Christmas Minutia

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:23:00 +0000

Yup, it's less than 48 hours until Christmas. The last week has been crazy because...

****

I found out Wednesday morning that I was the designated person responsible for acquiring bouquests for the teacher's assistant and for the aftercare teacher at Liam's school. This was not a problem as I was sure I could get FTD or somesuch website to deliver two bouquets to our house Wednesday afternoon that I could take to school for the Christmas party on Thursday. I called, and sure enough, I was guaranteed that two beautiful winter bouquets would be delivered by 5:00 PM. At 8:00, there were no bouquets, and the customer care center at the website was closed, as was the local florist. So I went to a nice grocery store, grabbed one of every kind of wintery flower they had on hand, and made two really nice bouquets for the teachers.

The next morning, I took my bouquets and both kids to school, had the party (the teachers really liked their flowers), and came home. On the porch were the two bouquets I had ordered the day before. They were very pretty and looked nice in my home, but since they had been ordered for another occasion and were late, too late in fact, I called the website back. They promptly refunded my money AND we got to keep the bouquets. So yay for flowerssenttoday.com!

********

Liam came down with an ear infection Monday. He did make it school this week, more because he wanted to go than because he was really up to going, but he's still a little tired. His pediatrician got herself fired for telling him rudely that his symptoms don't make sense, and his ears don't hurt when she peers inside.

(There's a long story here, but I'm not going into it now. Suffice it to say a change in medical staff is necessary.)

*********

Kieran caught the bug from Liam, and ran his first high fever - he woke up at 3:30 Friday morning with a 101.3⁰ temperature. But with Motrin and TLC, he seems better by this weekend..

********

I caught the bug from the kids, and spent this morning in the ER. I thought about waiting and calling my internist tomorrow morning, but really, that's crazy. I don't even know if the office is open on Christmas Eve.

********

My husband is wonderful. He's handled both kids pretty much by himself since Friday afternoon, except for nursing duties.

********

Yesterday, Kevin and the boys made these yummy white chocolate chip-cranberry cookies. They are so good!

********

And, while waiting for my antibiotic prescription to be filled, I bought Kevin and me a bottle of champagne for refreshment while playing Santa tomorrow night. I hope the kids cooperate and stay asleep.

(Don't worry, I didn't buy anything requiring complex assembly.)

*******

I don't know if I'll be back before the Big Day, but if not, Happy Holidays to everyone!

Lookee What The Mailman Brought Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:12:00 +0000

(In case you can't tell, it's a Valentine's Day catalogue.)

Enough, people, enough already!

Christmas Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:52:00 +0000

We were sitting on the couch by the front window Saturday afternoon. The Lemur, who is currently obsessed with fire engines and Christmas, heard a siren. It became apparent that the siren not only belonged to a fire truck, but that said firetruck was coming down our street. Then, wonder of wonders, we realized that there was more than one truck. Liam jumped onto the back of the couch to spectate.

Not one, not two, but three fire engines came slowly driving down the street, lights and sirens in full action. And then, on the back of the ladder truck, who should appear but Santa himself, standing tall and proud on the back of the truck.

Liam was beside himself as he realized that not only does Santa bring toys to small children, but he also is a way cool dude because "he hangs out with the firemen, Mommy."

Christmas magic takes many forms, and when I saw the look of wonder on his face as Santa appeared, I realized why we do this stressful season again and again each year - because, buried in the lists of things to do, make, and buy, are moments of pure joy. If Liam gets even one moment like that each Christmas, it will make all the craziness worthwhile.

Tempting

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:18:00 +0000

So here I am in the midst of what the Weather Service euphemistically calls "a wintry mix" (to give it that certain holiday feeling, I guess), and which is materializing as about half an inch of sleet on my back deck.

Oh my, look at what the mailman brought us today.

Sounds wonderful, eh?

This Train Is Bound For... Snacking

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:49:00 +0000

With apologies to the lovely person who first wrote the American spiritual "This Train is Bound for Glory," we present our afternoon project today...

...the beginnings of the coal tender...

...filling the coal tender...

...the finished train with its chocolate chip "coal" and stockpile of extra "coal"...

...we left poor Kieran with only a tube of wrapping paper and an empty Cliff bar box for amusement, and some freshly-steamed asparagus for a snack...

...the train artist himself!

..the TRAIN!

And also! We got out tree up this weekend, so the holidays may commence at the Menagerie House! YAY!

Sick Day

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:42:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

It's me, Kieran. Guess what? The Lemur has a cold and he gave it to me and Mommy. So we've been stuck in the house for the last two days. Here's what's up ('cause I know Gran-Gran is curious...)

We've played with the ferrets. A lot. We might have worn them out. Or not. Ferrets love to play almost as much as four year old boys. Here's Pippi climbing up Mommy's sweater. The Lemur was chasing him.

(Yes, Mommy knows his tail is bald. We have a vet appointment next week, don't worry!)

Oh no! Now The Lemur is chasing ME in his sports car!

And he put glasses on me!

And a hat! Because Mommy and The Lemur and I are wrapping Christmas presents, I guess. Now I'm ready for action...OK...

...and look! I have stolen The Lemur's train. It's yummy. Hopefully he won't be too upset.

I hope everyone else is healthy! I will be back after everyone here is well again!

Hugs,
Kieran

Question Of The Day

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:27:00 +0000

Here goes:

Liam: "Mommy, when Kieran was in your tummy, was it dark in there?"

Me: "Um, sure, I guess...Why?"

Liam: "I want to know how he could see to find the train he brought when he was born. I don't think he's old enough to build one, and babies can't go to Target by their own."

Answers, anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:04:00 +0000

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lemur!

Liam at four months...

...and now at four years.

Happy Birthday to the boy who introduced us to, and is continuing to teach, the fine art of parenting. In four years you've gone from being an adored baby to being an adored older brother. There have been big changes in your life this year. You've got a baby brother, whom you love fiercely except when he's stealing your toys (which, I hesitate to tell you, may happen more often as time goes on). You've started nursery school, which you love, except for early in the morning when you say, "I just want to stay here all this day with you, Mommy." When you are running around with your friends or playing gently with your brother, it's clear you are well on the road to Big Boyness. The next few years will undoubtedly bring more changes, but with your gentle spirit and buoyant personality, you'll weather them with style.

Thank you for the best four years of our lives, and here's to many more to come. Happy Birthday, Super Lemur!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Thankful Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:49:00 +0000

Liam: "Mommy, why do we not have school tomorrow?"

Me: "Tomorrow is a big holiday. It's called Thanksgiving."

Liam: "What is Thanksgiving?"

Me: "Well, it's a day where we have a big family dinner and think about all the things we're thankful for."

Liam: "What is 'thankful'?"

Me: "'Thankful' means being happy about all the people and things in our lives that we love. I'm thankful for you and Kieran, Daddy, Gran-Gran, Pop-Pop - "

Liam: "What about Casey? And Pippi? And Stormy? And Houdini?"

Me: "I'm thankful for them, as well."

...a moment of silence...

Liam: "Well, I love all those things, too. But actually I'm really thankful for vanilla ice cream."

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Home Again

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:00:00 +0000

I'm sorry I haven't posted photos of our trip yet - I just realized Thanksgiving is this week, and Liam's birthday party here at home is next week. Also it turns out that if you overstimulate two kids for a week and then return them home, there's a bit of a shock factor, and some misbehavior and sleep issues result - but it was well worth that to see all of our family in one spot. Here are some highlights:

This is from a trip to Fredericksburg that Gran-Gran, the boys, and I took. Liam "adopted" this James at the toy store. Gran-Gran paid his adoption fees!

(Liam says, "Thank you, Gran-Gran!")

Balancing on some rocks on a sunny morning.

Learning the basics of bronco riding.

Kevin and Kieran sunning themselves on a rock above the Guadalupe River.

Pop-Pop and Liam made a fire engine cake for Liam's 4th birthday, and had a great time doing it. Liam isn't technically 4 until the 27th, but we did an early family party. It was great because he had everyone in the family there. I'm not showing photos here to protect the privacy of other family members who might not want their pictures on the blogosphere, but trust me, it was a wonderful party.

The finished cake! And the proud pastry chef!

All this fun makes a fellow tired! The kids were pretty much spent by dinnertime each night, but they were having so.much,fun. (The one thing we didn't get a chance to do was to get together with Karen, a blogfriend of mine who I met years ago as she is a longtime friend of my sister-in-law, Janet. Karen, I'm sorry we didn't get together, and I hope we can have a Blogger meet-up next time we come to Texas. Hopefully by then you'll be feeling better, too.)

Thanks for a wonderful week, Pop-Pop and Gran-Gran. I truly hope the visit was all you hoped it would be, and that we can come back soon!

Yeehaw!

noreply@blogger.com (Liesl) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 03:10:00 +0000

Howdy, ya'll! We're having a fun time here. So much so that screen time is limited. I'll post about the trip after we get home this weekend. Meanwhile, I'm off to get ready for the family party for Mr. Lemur, who is about to turn 4!