How have I managed to forget a Christmas post!?! 

We spent a quiet Christmas here in Nashville with the Bryants.  Mother Nature cooperated for a change, and we actually had a white Christmas.  It was beautiful!  Any attempts at building a snowman resulted in a snowball fight, so Frosty was never completed.  Alas, the boys had ample distractions courtesy of Santa and... well, all of you.  We had packages galore and Peter eagerly opened every one on Christmas Eve, played with it for a while, and then moved on to the next one.  Except for the new big firetruck.  That one has hardly left his side.  And the astronaut costume has already been washed twice he's been wearing it so much.  Davis was quite happy to watch the shenanigans, as long as we kept his snack tray full of Cheerios.  The boys went to bed and we had our big meal before retiring at about 10pm. 


Right as I slid under the covers, I heard commotion coming from Peter's room.  He was up.  He was playing, like he does at 5am.  The kid thought it was morning and I hadn't even been asleep yet.  We spent the next 3 1/2 hours negotiating, cuddling, answering questions about Santa, letting him sleep with the firetruck beside him and then taking it away when he moved his party out into the hallway to make siren sounds.  It was a mess, and we were exhausted. 

Then dawn cracked.  To Peter's credit, he waited patiently for us to get him out of his room before bolting for the basement.  He couldn't wait to see if Santa had come, what presents he brought, or if he and the reindeer ate their snacks.  He initially went to Davis's pile of loot and seemed excited until he spotted his stash across the room.  All the toys were hits, but it seems that Davis's play tent and talking house are the family favorites.  Peter may play with Davis's toys more than he plays with his own!  Well, except for the 3-4 hours he spends in his room "paying kyvetly" [playing quietly] in the super early morning and at rest time.  I'm not exactly present to keep tabs during those hours, but a good many of his new toys are in there with him.  We enjoyed a lazy weekend - well, the boys and I did.  Everyone else got stir-crazy and had to go do stuff.  I may have gotten out of pajamas once!  

Santa, is that you?!

So, so excited!

Angels, I tell you.

In the space suit working on the firetruck - it has a real wind-up hose!

As the holidays wind down, I've tried to press pause and really enjoy this time with the boys.  I can get so bogged down in the daily grind that I forget to relish where they are and what they are learning and doing every day.  They are really at magical ages right now, both figuring out where they fit in to our family and the big wide world.  Peter asks questions constantly - relevant, important, imaginative questions.  Davis is jabbering away and always on the move, exploring and questioning in his own way.  2010 has been a big year for our family, a challenging year for me -  I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for us. 

I bit the bullet today.  I decided that I was DONE with all of this nap time nonsense and told Peter that we'd try something new this week.  No naps.  He could play quietly in his room, but he did not have to nap.  His eyes got big and he had me repeat myself just to ensure that he understood me properly.

Flash forward four hours, we have finished lunch and Davis is in bed.  We have moved several (quiet) Christmas toys upstairs to his room and we are getting ourselves situated for this new arrangement.  A quick refresher course in the guidelines, kiss kiss, and I am off to "untrim" the tree.  Three minutes later I am summoned by the sound of tears and screaming.  There, standing at the potty, is a devastated little boy who had an accident before he could get to the bathroom.  Okay, okay -- clean up and back to toy time.  Back to the Christmas tree.  About 2 minutes later I am again summoned by tears.  "Mommy, I can't find my lovey!"  After a brief ransack of the bed sheets, he was reunited with Lovey and seemed quite exhausted.  So I asked if he wanted to lie down for a bit and cuddle with Lovey.  With all the lights on, of course, because he doesn't have to take a nap.  Yes, please.


Now my no-nap-monster is napping peacefully in a brightly lit room surrounded by loot from Santa.  Who said reverse psychology doesn't work?

You want to know the real irony?  Davis won't take an afternoon nap.  I think he is dropping a nap already, only he's dropping the afternoon nap instead of the morning nap.  So I don't get a bit of that dreamy period where both boys are on the same nap schedule.  Alas, I'll be spending the next couple of months moving Davis's nap bit by bit from the AM to the PM.  

Guess there's a new no-nap-monster in town!  At least this one can't talk back.

 Davis drank milk.  From a cup.

Are you with me? Did you catch that?  DAVIS IS DRINKING MILK FROM A SIPPY CUP!!!!

After three months of spoon feeding formula three times a day and worrying constantly about his intake or whether or not I was okay to give him table food or how much weight he was gaining, he finally surrendered to the cup.  It was as if he was gifting me on his 11 month birthday.

Did you feel that?  The humongous weight being lifted off of my shoulders?  Merry Christmas indeed.

Loves to play peekaboo while hiding behind the Gladware

This little piggy...

He's not been very vocal since he was an infant.  I suppose he learned that he wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise so he was saving his breath.  He has begun making lots of sounds, though the house favorite is when he mimics "fa-la-la-la-la."  Video to come.

This morning, I spent an hour crawling around on the floor with my two boys, chasing and wrestling and watching them play together and love each other.  Davis adores his big brother and Peter thinks it's pretty cool that he can now play with "Baby Davis" without being so very gentle.  I held my breath a few times but Davis just laughed and laughed. Thank goodness he's already got a sense of humor.

Before lunch we ran to get the boys some long johns and snow pants for what we suspect may be a white Christmas.  Peter is keeping watch for enough snow to build a snowman, so I hope we get more than 3/8 of an inch this time!

Hoping you're all surrounded by those you love.  Judging by the traffic I saw, I also hoping you're finished with all your shopping!  Merry, merry!

So it dawns on me I haven't even mentioned that I spent my first night away from the kids in 15 months. I love my children, but oh my goodness, it was so nice to wake up and laze a bit without tornadoes and monkeys bombarding me at first light (or before). Thanks to my sweet in-laws for letting Hayes and me sneak out for the night! That was last weekend, and this weekend Hayes took Peter out for some shopping. It's all very hush-hush and I'm perfectly fine with that. It was even worthwhile to just be responsible for one child for a while. I forget what a difference it makes to only have one! (No offense to anybody with one child - that has its own set of challenges, I know!)

We have been needing a new toaster oven. Our old one isn't broken but it's several years old, crusty, and we've wondered more than once if it was going to catch fire. Mind you we would be in very capable hands given the practice Peter has had putting out fires. So we were toasting a waffle for breakfast and Peter ran up asking me where my new toaster oven is. I knew exactly what was happening, so I just laughed and excused myself so Daddy could remind him of the meaning of the word "secret." Upon my return, Hayes very apologetically told me not to worry, that the toaster oven wasn't part of my Christmas - it was just a good deal. So now I have a beautiful, clean, non-hazardous toaster oven adorning my counter. Our next move is to test and see if the microwave and toaster oven simultaneously still blows a fuse. Perhaps on my next wish list I'll add: new electrical system for the house. Some days I feel like I never want to move out of this house, but others I feel like Shelley Long in that 80s movie called "Money Pit." I suppose the title says it all.

A moment worth remembering: I was buying new eyeglasses last week and Peter came with me to pick them up. We were in this swanky boutique and I had given Peter strict orders about his behavior so he was angelic. As we walked in, he asked what they would do and I replied that they would measure my eyes and make sure the new glasses fit my nose and ears correctly. He thought for a moment and then asked, "But Mommy, what kind of measuring tape do they use?" The gears are ALWAYS turning.

Davis is so much more oral than Peter ever was. He eats everything, whereas Peter hardly even put toys in his mouth as a baby. I know that I'm probably less attentive this go 'round because I have two, but I still consider myself to be pretty vigilant. I even adopted the silly little habit of taking shoes off at the door so we don't track stuff in from outside. He still finds contraband! I have found in his tiny little mouth: leaves, pine needles (Christmas tree), styrofoam, old Cheerios, all manner of toys and my personal favorite was a large green crayon that turned his whole mouth green for an afternoon. But I will say this - the kid loves Cheerios. Peter never liked Cheerios so I always had to prepare a little mini-meal something to occupy him while I fixed his meals. Now all I have to do is buckle Davis in and dump Cheerios on his tray and he is a happy camper. Only problem is that he finishes them so fast that I almost always have to dump another tray full before I can finish making his food. Perhaps he won't be a poky eater like his brother.

Okay, so maybe he doesn't finish them all... but he kicks and squeals when he sees them coming!

Ladies and Gentlemen, feast your eyes upon the one cup in America from which Davis will drink. Is it a bottle? Is it a sippy? I don't much care, because it means that after three months of not drinking, I can now satisfy his thirst with more than a spoonful of oatmeal flavored formula. He still won't drink milk from it, but progress is progress. And I am the tiniest bit less neurotic as a result.

As I type, I hear two boys playing in their rooms. On one hand, it's nice to have a moment of peace even if they aren't napping. On the other hand, my afternoon is toast. Sleepy McGrump and Cranky McScreech shall be in bed by 5:30 this evening, and I won't be very far behind them. Merry, merry!


[Ed note: one down at 5:15 and the other at 5:45. Amazing what you can accomplish at night with that bedtime!]

Here Lately

• After a lengthy reminder about the merits of using the potty EVEN if he's in the midst of the most fun playtime EVER
S: So next time you get that feeling...
P: You're right, Mommy. That's right.

Think he's tired of hearing that speech? Or perhaps he's had some training from his daddy on how to get me to back off. Either way, I'm in trouble.

• We have a new puppy! His name is Davis and he is into everything. EVERYTHING. Always has something in his mouth - cooking utensils, pot lids, toy cranes, books, crayons, a cymbal, and occasionally a cup.



• Peter's new favorite toy is the baby gate at the foot of our stairs. I installed it yesterday after I looked up from laundry and saw Davis making his way onto the third step. So much for "baby steps." (Ba - dum - dum) He went from uninterested to the third step in one nap. Yikes. Peter of course doesn't remember the gate from his baby days, but he has decided that the screws, switches and pedal make a perfect firetruck. Every day that passes without an eye injury from the swinging gate, I will consider a triumph.

• Winter has arrived.



And I'm juuuuust about ready for spring.

• Peter was dressed and ready to go out and almost made it out the door before I realized I had put him in Davis's coat. Oops.

• No words necessary.



Along these lines, I must announce that Peter is now in underwear full-time (except for sleeping). He has yet to poop on the potty, but we're managing. He doesn't even use that little potty shown above anymore. I'd love to shove that thing in the attic and not think about it for at least a year, but my brain is telling me I should give Davis a head start. I sure don't want to miss my window the next time around. I know - getting a wee bit ahead of myself.

• Over a much anticipated dinner of Papa John's (hey - it's Friday of a long week!), Peter asked Hayes questions about his day. While not verbatim, it went something like this.

P: How was your day Daddy?
H: it was good, Peter. I had lots of meetings. (an hour by hour retelling of his agenda) We talked alot about big numbers but I'm glad to be home with you.
P: What kind of big numbers? Like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 17 18 19 20? Like that?
H: Even bigger. (cue discussion about how much is a million)
P: Tell me more about your day, Daddy!
H: I don't have that much more to tell. I worked a lot with Excel.
P: What's Excel, Daddy?
H: It's a computer program that I use to solve number problems. Do you know how to use the computer?
P: (pausing to consider if he actually accomplishes anything when he presses buttons and moves the mouse around) Ummm. No sir.
H: Well buddy I want to hear about you. Will you tell me about your day with Mommy and Davis?
P: No. (crams three bites worth of pizza into his mouth)

And that was the end of that.

Hayes is off of his conference call now, so I think I'll go start a movie. TGIF.

Peter was so excited to tell me all about the Christmas pageant that the four year olds performed at school. He loved sitting "way up high" in the choir loft but his favorite part was a bit more... unexpected.

"I saw Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus! There were angels and three wise men. And three wise ladies."

Wait. What?!

For the record, I investigated. There were no wise ladies per se. I suppose Peter is just an equal opportunity audience member. Either that or he already knows that you can't have a wise man without a wise lady.

That's my boy!

Once upon a time there was a girl with a pretty good head on her shoulders. She liked school so much that she became a teacher. She enjoyed order and organization, though she also appreciated a little spontaneity every now and again. :)

Along came motherhood. Keys disappeared for days on end. Eye glasses went missing until someone with good vision could find them. Fortunately, children never got lost. All sorts of investments were made in organizational tools and homes for various loose items. But over time, misplaced items became more frequent and expensive. Library books that were "right there last night!" A bag of Christmas gifts that was "spontaneously" stashed in one of approximately 37 stash spots. A ransacked house. Twice. What was once mere frustration grew to warrant a trip to the loony bin. Or the spa.

So much for spontaneity.

The end.

[Ed. Note: Missing gifts have been located. They were in a 38th stash spot. Who knew the top of the bathroom closet could serve such a purpose so well?]

Working on "Fa, la, la, la, la!"  Well, "la!" anyway.

Our Christmas cards came in today, which is always an exciting day for me. I spend a lot of time poring over literally thousands of cards and always end up asking Hayes to choose from a few because I can't make a decision to save my life.

The cards are fine. Wrong envelope lining, but I refuse to wait another week to start this process.

Once the kids were in bed, I began to gather supplies and print out The List. Then I pictured myself spending the next two days hand addressing each envelope like a good little girl.

Not going to happen. See to-do list from earlier post.

So I'm doing something I swore I'd never do. I'm using mailing labels.



I know, I know. But I figure those two days are much better spent loving on my family.



On the plus side, train tables make great workspaces.

The Good:







Not pictured: the obscene amount of icing consumed in the process. Just by Peter, of course. No self-respecting grown-up would sacrifice such art for a simple "yum." Right?


The Bad:






Looks like Chiefy Boy got to my ornament package before I even knew it arrived. I gathered these scraps from our front yard this morning. (sigh)

The Ugly:







So many things to cross off... and two little people who make it their mission to keep me from doing so. Good thing they're cute. :)

Christmas hasn't even happened yet, but I can already tell that it's going to be magical for the boys. Mr. Flapperjinks told me so.

Superman

Clark Kent
(hint: he's the one NOT singing)

Another moment to record for posterity:

It began like any other school day, with all of us awake by 5:30 but only Peter willing to get up and actually start the day so early.

We dressed, we ate, we gasped at the temperature of 27 degrees. We added another layer. Just before go time, Peter needed to use the potty. (YES!) Simultaneously, Davis had a dirty diaper. I changed it while cheering for Peter, then met Peter in the laundry room to wash hands, brush teeth and dispose of said diaper. (Before you start wondering why we brush teeth in the laundry room, note that I have a huge utility sink and a tall step stool that make the process much tidier and more comfortable for everyone. ) Where is Davis, you ask? Oh! He's crawling to meet us. Start tooth brushing. Davis, Davis Bo Bavis..... Davis? Davis?

Oh $&:%!

Yes, he crawled to the bathroom. Where I had not yet cleaned and flushed the potty. I'll spare further detail, but I am happy to report that I got there in time. Although little hands did get washed and yes, the potty immediately got cleaned. Peter waited patiently holding a mouthful of toothpaste and spit and then we finished our routine and jetted off to school.

Breathe.

I told Hayes last night at dinner, "I'm definitely not opposed to having more children, but I think this time we might should wait a little while longer before we put that up for discussion." :) He agreed wholeheartedly and we gulped down our margaritas.

I love that man.

The Roadtrip

Prologue:
The South Carolina flag has a blue field with a palmetto tree under a crescent moon. Given Reenie's ties to SC and our regular trips there, Peter knows a crescent moon as a "South Carolina moon" or as a "present moon." We see lots of present moons in our stories and enjoy seeing all the phases of the moon when we bid it good night. Every night. I digress...

Day One: All day today we have been on the road inching toward South Carolina. Peter said repeatedly, "I just want to be in South Carolina!" I even suggested that we rethink the Santa list since "all he wanted" was to be in SC. That didn't go well. Anyhow, he was so excited when we finally crossed the state line into the Palmetto State. We were greeted by this beautiful sight:



A full moon. Peter looked and thought for a moment, then remarked, "But we're in South Carolina. It should be a South Carolina moon!" Hard to argue that point...

Both boys have been such troopers. Davis has clearly improved his attitude toward roadtrips, but we may invest in some soundproofing earphones for the ride home. His squeals, although happy noises, do not a pleasant car ride make. We stopped three times in total - two meals and a pit stop/petting zoo. Odd combination, I know. But hey, we got to run around and feed llamas, geese and goats while Hayes filled up the car. Everybody wins.

Return trip: Our visit in South Carolina was a week full of adventures. Peter's fever dissipated, allowing him to go on walks, bike rides, fire station and petting zoo visits. Even a few jaunts to the beach. He so loved playing with his cousins, especially watching the big kids. There were lots of new babies this year, and Davis just wanted to touch those tiny babies! The Aunts, as usual, took great care of us and fed us very well. Hayes, McCall and I even got to sneak out and see Harry Potter one night. Add outlet shopping and golfing - Hayes and I managed a little vacation within our vacation. Hilton Head is such a great place for families; we are so fortunate to share it with the whole clan for Thanksgiving.

Oh! And to give a sense of how fast these boys grow... We realized on Tuesday that the shoes I bought Peter 9 weeks ago were so tight that his toes were hurting. Oh. My. Goodness. We bought new shoes that afternoon.

By week's end, we were all so exhausted that the ride home was fairly quiet. We were all in bed by 8pm and the kids slept 13 hours. Well, Peter was in his room for 13 hours. We continue to struggle with early wakeups, so we are trying out a new approach this week and we will see how it goes. We all have colds; I am really looking forward to feeling better so our lives can resume beyond the house. The best news is that Peter wore big boy pants to school yesterday, kept them dry all morning, and used the potty at snacktime. This is big, people. Now if only I could get him to poop on the potty. I've promised him so much already - I can't imagine what else it would take.

I'm still playing catch-up, and one of these days I hope to trim our Christmas tree. In the meantime, here are some pictures from our trip.

Oh what a difference a day makes...





This was taken Friday, as we welcomed a 103 degree fever but no other symptoms. Mommy mission: keep Kid 2 away from Kid 1 (impossible on any given day) AND finish packing for a road trip. With a to do list taking up an entire page, I was able to mark off three things. Ruh-roh. Naturally, this happens the very morning Nanny - my second set of hands/eyes/lap -leaves on a jet plane...

After several pow-wows, very little food, a conversation with the pediatrician and a sad boy BEGGING to go to bed at 6pm:



This morning, we're off! (Note he's on the phone, chatty as can be.) He rallied overnight and his fever came down. He is back to his rambunctious, silly self and we are two very relieved parents. No further symptoms developed so we decided to move ahead as planned. Plus, they have pediatricians in SC, right? ;) it was a comical evening and an early morning for us, but we made it happen. So far the drive has been gorgeous - colors you only ever see in fall foliage.

Davis is currently snoozing after a particularly high-pitched serenade through Chattanooga. I just realized that he's already big enough to turn his car seat, yet I still have to wait for his birthday. I suspect he'll become a much better traveller come January 22!

Watching his big brother's antics -- always so entertained by Peter!

Learned about Squanto today

Their first bath together... D was up late!  ;)

splishing and a splashing...

... and so much splashing that P was "excused" from the tub a bit early.  

Peter has been making huge strides with naps and potty training.  If we were not traveling this coming week, I'd be doing a potty boot camp and taking the diapers away.  I think we are to that point, but I suppose I'll be thankful for diapers on the 10 hour drive to South Carolina.  He's still up around 5:30 each morning, but at least he's not trashing his room anymore.  Baby steps, right?  He didn't nap today (first time in weeks), so he was in bed early.  Both kids were in bed by 6:30.  It is therefore way past my bedtime, as morning time will come extra early tomorrow.

Five Thousand Words

I have commandeered the car stereo for the past few days, as a girl can only handle so much "I've Been Working on the Railroad" before she begins referring to everyone as Dinah. Consequently, Peter is getting a taste of the songs that I (gasp) enjoy hearing, and he has offered some interesting commentary. After a rousing rendition of "I and Love and You," he thought for a second and said, "Mommy, he should just say I love you." Yes, Peanut. That would sure make more sense.

The sleep saga continues. Peter has been up by 5am every day this week. And yes, this was happening prior to the time change. We have a few strategies but all require consistency so we have to try each for several days before declaring failure. In case you're wondering, we have yet to declare success. Anything requiring me to be coherent and consistent at 4:30 in the morning is doomed, yet we press onward.

On the flip side, Peter is being rewarded with stickers when he demonstrates good listening/sharing/attitude, etc. Basically, anytime he does what he's supposed to do, he gets a sticker. When he was choosing a prize to work toward, we discussed a mommy date or an outing with Daddy, a special toy or various places we could go. The kid chose pizza. Despite the fact that we eat pizza many Fridays, all he wants is to have pizza for supper. So we are trying to fill up the firetruck picture with stickers. It's a win-win. He's thrilled and I don't have to cook.

Perhaps I'll be extra vigilant and get a night off in... oh, say...2027? Note to self: next time, draw a smaller truck.

I know it has been a while since most of you have seen baby Davis. He's been the long and lean one since he was born, and then I started giving him formula. Folks, he has gained 3 pounds in 6 weeks. He's a butterball! With those big, bright eyes he reminds me of an owl. All this nonsense about refusing bottles and self-weaning -- he definitely knows something I don't. He's pulling up and starting to cruise along the furniture, so I suspect my baby gate-less days are numbered. We have our moments, of course, but infallibly he is described as so happy/smiley/easy. I suppose hearing that makes me feel pretty happy and smiley myself.

We are taking advantage of milder weather and I've snapped a few pictures from our adventures. My good pictures are on the big camera, but here are a few from my phone.

Driving the super cart at the grocery store - together- for the first time. Peter always gets a cookie from the bakery as a card carrying member of the cookie club, but you can see how that could be a problem with wandering hands so close by.

(Post costume Halloween) Sparky!?! No - meet Davis the ninja.

Playing side-by-side. Heavenly. Short-lived.

I literally was away for 90 seconds. "Wook Mommy! I

made a tower with my buckets but I knocked it over."

A daddy sandwich?

If it crinkles, he will come.

Comfy much?

We are gearing up for our big road trip to SC for Thanksgiving. Hayes is putting on the pressure to get an iPad for the trip. Kidding - we both want one but are trying to wait for the next one to come out early next year. I wish we could rent one! Sure would take the edge off of a 10 hour drive. It'll be so nice to visit with the family now that Davis is a wee bit more independent. He reminds us all of Pop Kennedy, so it'll be great for them to spend some time together.  I guess I should start making my list of lists! 

TGIF!

I've heard that having a child is like having a mirror in front of you at all times; they reflect words, actions, and mannerisms that they learn from watching and listening to you. From Peter I am learning a great deal about my own lexicon - I suppose I should just be glad that no expletives have been passed on!

Things Peter apparently hears me say:
• That's not fair.
• Keep your hands to yourself.
• (during timeout) Let's try again.
• Gotcha you rascal!
• You don't tell me what to do.
• It's quiet time so please stop talking.
• I have an idea!
• No, no baby Davis.
• In fact, ...
• What did you say?
• Here comes trouble! (when Davis is approaching)

Along those same lines, I'm a wee bit concerned that Davis is going to learn his big brother's name is "Mister" or "Buster." I am so my mother sometimes.

Well, we clearly survived another day. Peter isn't helping my caffeine habit. For the record, we tried a new approach with bedtime last night and Peter slept until 5am. Instead of 5:30 yesterday. Instead of 6:30 three weeks ago. I fear I may have to drop the nap altogether to insure we all sleep until dawn. Back to the drawing board!

Dear Family and Friends,
There is clearly no way for both Peter and me to survive age three. Given how much energy he has at 5:30 am... well, it's been nice knowing you.
syb

Happy Halloween...

 from Sparky the Fire Dog,

 his master Fire Chief Peter (thrilled, isn't he?!),

 and Franken Bryant.

 "Happy Trick or Treat!"