AAAAIGH!!!!
Somebody buy it, already, before my heart breaks!!
- posted by Gary @ 4:59 PM |

 

There's a baby in there somewhere
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- posted by Lenise @ 6:02 PM |

 

Wacky boyz
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- posted by Lenise @ 6:01 PM |

 

Boyz on the loveseat
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- posted by Lenise @ 6:01 PM |

 

For once, Jay didn't take the car away!
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- posted by Lenise @ 6:00 PM |

 

A family resemblance?
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- posted by Lenise @ 6:00 PM |

 

Hamming it up
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:59 PM |

 

A common "outfit"
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:59 PM |

 

A common interest
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:58 PM |

 

Cleaning up after "babies!"
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:58 PM |

 

Baby chasing
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:57 PM |

 

Thanks for looking out for me, big brother!
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:57 PM |

 
Big Brother is Watching You
And it's a good thing! Paul and I were in the next room while Jay was playing his computer game (press a key, and a little picture appears on the screen with a sound- Q is a cat with a meow, for example) and Isaac was on the playroom floor. I think we were talking about Jay having added "three" to his number sequence (upon occasion) when he said "Babies!" and headed for Isaac. By the time we got there, Jay had already removed a couple of pieces of trash from Isaac's clenched fists and returned them to the garbage can. That's our big boy!
- posted by Lenise @ 2:43 PM |

 
ME!
So I haven't done a kiddo update in a while. But it's not like my children are growing up, or anything. HA!

So Isaac has a couple new hobbies: smacking his lips and saying "da da dada!" He's been a little slow with his consonants, but they're really starting to appear. I've heard some Vs and maybe Bs? besides the Ds and the spluttering. There's still a fair amount of yelling going on (he makes joyful noises; that can't be all bad), and the pulling up, crawling, and cruising are getting more skillful. So Isaac figured out how to roll back-to-front in bed with us some time ago. Now he can do it while his diaper is being changed. Goody. He's good at picking up the cheerios and popping them into his mouth. Not perfect, but good. Isaac loves rough play- bouncing on the bed, being tipped back quickly and sat upright again. He strains his neck back for the next dip and laughs when he gets kisses in the fold of his neck. He could be a model baby, were it not for his biting and clawing habits and his need to be fed 4-5 times between 11 PM and 6 AM...

Jay has finally traded in "Ga" for "Daddy", or something like it anyway. "Da-y" is pleased, I think. Jay knows the answer to "How many noses/chins/brothers/daddies do you have?" and is getting there with the "How many eyes/ears/arms/feet do you have?" We've been testing Jay by pausing when we read to him to see how many words he knows. He's quite good at filling in the words. He now calls his brother 'Saac (He used to be I-ish, then we got Jay to say "Eyes--Ik"). He also calls music 'sic, which can be confusing. Jay's a very busy boy who loves books, blocks, trains, VeggieTales, sirens, visits downtown or trips in the car, and walks. One of the words he uses most often is "babies", usually when Isaac is into something Jay doesn't think he should be into. And when we read the "God is Bigger" book, Jay likes to chime in at the end of the refrain: "[God is Bigger than the bogey man and He's watchin' over you and] Me!"
- posted by Lenise @ 9:16 PM |

 
More Photos
Of that house we had a contract on last winter here. Please check out the carpeting on that photo with the pink and purple walls. Verrry interesting.
- posted by Lenise @ 9:07 PM |

 
Scouting
So I've been on the lookout this weekend for a pair of smallish armchairs to replace the comfy but chunky loveseat in our living room. There's a pair of dainty dark-green upholstered 40's looking chairs at our favorite antiques spot I've been eyeing for a while, but they are sort of low (i.e. unfriendly to arthritic knees), and I was hoping for something navy blue. Plus, they're $300 each (which is why I haven't yet found a reason to buy them!) The same store has some Modern chairs with cream upholstery for $95 each, which could work, but might look weird next to my very vintage (and traditional) sofa. They've also got some cushy cream dining chairs- a set of 4 for $240, which is another possibility (our dining chairs need some TLC- glue in the joints- which we haven't gotten around to giving them- I got them for $2 apiece, so I won't feel the least bit guilty shedding them).

The shop next door had a couple of singletons that could help and a beautiful mahogany bench (with back) for kind of a lot of money, and their annex had a pair of adorable Eastlake Victorian parlor chairs with green upholstery for $95 a piece. I almost forgot the '40s chaise longue (looked it up, and yes, it's spelled correctly) at the first place- kind of narrow, arms on both sides- awesome piece of furniture, but not the best for seating 2 at Bible study. I think it was $240.

I decided today to give the third antique place a go. We'd only been there once before, and I thought the prices were high and the merchandise was not really up my alley, but they'd only just opened, so who knows! The proprietor was smoking outside when we approached, so rather than push past him with my double stroller and struggle with the door my own self, I asked him if he might have any smallish armchairs in stock. He replied in the affirmative, inviting me to bring my "babies inside". Then he asked me for specifics which I was not prepared to give, and started pointing a few out. After about a minute, I spotted a pair of smallish navy blue-upholstered armchairs. "Those look nice!" I said hopefully, whereupon I was informed that they had belonged to the fellow's twin brother, who had paid $700 to have them reupholstered. Before I had time to fully form the thought "he's going to want too much for those," the man named a very reasonable price and then proceeded to tell me before I left that he could knock another $10 a piece off. I told him they were my frontrunners but that my husband would have the final say.

Well, I pushed hubby back out the door when he came home, and the 30-yr old pair of navy blue chairs belong to US. Now we've just got to get the loveseat out and figure out whether we can fit those chairs into one of the cars!

Anyone want a free loveseat?
- posted by Gary @ 3:49 PM |

 
Handy Husband
In case I haven't complained about it recently, our newer car (age-wise, but not mileage-wise) is a '95 Saturn that leaks oil like a sieve. Granted, a lot of cars with 185,000 miles on them have much worse problems. In any case, it's easy to get worried about the Saturn, especially since it's got the "premium" stereo, which we've never been told how to unlock, should it lose power, which means we don't have a stereo, which means we are forced to HEAR the car when we drive it.

Friday, not only did I hear the car, I smelled the car, though I wasn't sure it was MY car. Monday, there was no question- that nasty smell was associated with my car. So I called my folks last night and quizzed my dad on what the problem was likely to be. His guess was oil cooking on the exhaust system- roughly in line with my own suspicions, since I already knew the car wasn't containing its oil very well. I had also mentioned the problem to Paul at dinner, when we swapped cars so I could drive the kids home and he could go to church and sing.

Paul came home and announced that he had fixed the car. This went beyond my expectations, and I was actually a little bit skeptical. Further questioning revealed that the oil cap had not been where it was supposed to be. Since Paul is in charge of making sure the car doesn't run out of oil, I'll let y'all surmise how things reached that state of affairs. The important thing is, we're back down to yellow alert where the Saturn is concerned.
- posted by Gary @ 2:26 PM |

 
Fate, You Are Really Getting on My Nerves!
Guess which house just came back on the market with a new low price.
- posted by Lenise @ 3:54 PM |

 
By the Way
How cute is this?

UPDATE: More photos here for the curious
- posted by Gary @ 11:10 PM |

 
Cruel, Cruel Fate
Is laughing at me.
- posted by Gary @ 10:52 PM |

 

Baby Gondolier
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:36 PM |

 

Cheerios'n'diapers
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:35 PM |

 

Our fieldtrip this morning: the Veterans' Garden on Center Street
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:35 PM |

 

A newly renovated building in the background
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:33 PM |

 

A moment of silent reflection at the Veterans' Garden
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:28 PM |

 

A moment was all Isaac could spare.
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:24 PM |

 

HI!!!!
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:22 PM |

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:20 PM |

 

Why does everyone ask me what's up?
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:20 PM |

 

This was nice. Do we get cookies now?
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:19 PM |

 
Been There, Done That Update 2
I broke down and called the nurseline last night. This was my second such experience. Last night, I hung up wondering, "You need a nursing degree to do this?" after she told me that I had several "yellow flags" which meant I should call a doctor. Flowcharts and scripts. You would think these nurses would be bored senseless, and, honestly, the one I got didn't sound too lively.

Long story short, my throat culture was negative, but the doctor told me I could have antibiotics if I wanted them 'cuz I have swollen glands and he didn't get a good look at my throat. Hasn't the medical profession changed? My former primary care doc once asked me whether I'd like a course of steroids for my arthritis. I turned her down, too. Sometimes I'd like to be in the hands of a good old-fashioned take-charge doctor whose confidence inspires confidence, and possibly a good old-fashioned placebo effect besides!

Hot lemonade and cold ice cream have both failed to soothe this troublesome throat tonight. I suspect it would be less irritated if it hadn't encountered a tongue depressor and a cotton swab this afternoon! At least I can breathe through my nose again...
- posted by Lenise @ 8:05 PM |

 
I-Crawls
Well, as I reported earlier, Isaac is really getting around. Now he crawls both in an odd crab-sidewinder-like motion, and, often, in the classic hands-and-knees stance. He's also pulling up on everything in sight and stealing snacks from the cat's bowl. Eeeeew!

Oh yeah- he's still not doing so well with sleeping. Anybody have any ideas?
- posted by Lenise @ 6:35 PM |

 

Choo Choo!!!
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- posted by Lenise @ 4:31 PM |

 

The world needs a hero?
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- posted by Lenise @ 4:30 PM |

 

I AM THAT HERO!!!
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- posted by Lenise @ 4:30 PM |

 

Jay's masterpiece- created with occasional guidance from Mama, and taller than Jay!
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- posted by Lenise @ 4:28 PM |

 
Been There, Done That Update
Now in addition to the boy's pink eye, I've picked up the husband's flu, or whatever the chills, fever, and muscle pain (in addition to the pre-existing stuffiness and headache) indicate.
- posted by Lenise @ 7:57 PM |

 
Eight Months Old
Isaac is getting where he wants, horizontally, these days. And last night, he pulled up on the loveseat. Jay did it a little bit earlier, but not by much. It's very strange to think Jay was once this age!

Isaac at 8 mos
Jay at 8 mos
- posted by Lenise @ 10:41 PM |

 
Because Merely Sharing a Cold is SO "Been There, Done That"
Jay and I are sharing pink eye. I sincerely hope I'm the only one he's deemed worthy of the honor! More antibiotic eyedrops. Yay.
- posted by Lenise @ 10:33 PM |