clean-up, clean-up

everybody everywhere, clean-up, clean-up, everybody do your share. You know that lovely song we all sing to get our kids to clean up their toys. Well this has always been an issue with Ella. She won't clean-up! We used to have the rule as clean-up before bed which was always a disaster since she didn't want to go to bed anyhow. Then a while back I had an idea and changed it to clean-up before dinner. She DOES want to eat! This has worked much better, but is still always a very unpleasant time of day. Then David had a brilliant idea. The trash bag.

You might be wondering any number of things right now. So let me set your mind at ease. If Ella doesn't clean-up by the deadline we set, then any toys left out get put into one of our white trashcan liner bags and she doesn't get them back for 24 hours! Let me tell you. There is trouble in River City when this happens. (If you don't get that, then you are WAY too young to be reading my blog!) just kidding.....

Ella gets hysterical when we mention the trashbag and completely flips when we get it out and really goes over the top when we start to put things in it. Whew! What a great idea. Let's hear it for Papa and his clean-up trick! He and I both laugh (trying to hide it of course) when this all happens because we think it's so great and just can't believe it actually works.

I know I promised STL info and pics but it is way too hot in here to do that now. Let's hear it for A/C in the whole house at once someday!!

skinned knees and flippin' over

Today I took Ella out for a bike ride to the playground. While there she tripped and fell and skinned her knees--of course she would fall on one of the few sections that's not rubber. Anyhow, most importantly she did not fall off of her bike to get these injuries :-). She's going to be just fine in spite of what our neighbors must think based on her blood curdling screams while I cleaned her knees. (She fell on the concrete, and then into the black dirt--not a good combo).

AND, while we were gone, Nicholas FINALLY succeeded in turning over. Sadly, nobody even saw it happen. David had put him on his floorgym to play while he was doing some things. He put him down on his back, and the next time he saw him he was on his tummy looking in the mirror! All week he has been trying really hard to flip from his tummy to his back, and from his back to his tummy. He even woke up about 3 a.m. a couple of days ago squirming around in his bed trying to flip over! And when he's on his tummy he looks like an inch worm trying to scoot around. I think we have an early mover on our hands. I checked in Ella's baby book and she flipped one direction at 17 weeks and the other at 19 weeks--much later than Nicholas.

Here are some fun pictures completely unrelated. Nicholas loves to lick or suck on Ella's arms when she holds him!
BTW-Next up will be the recount of our trip to St. Louis. AND if you ever notice any typos, the 't' key on our keyboard has not been working very well. You have to really slap it down to get it to work. Sorry.

Double Vision

Gabriella-3 months

Nicholas-3 months

I've meant to do this more often, and will try to in the future. They're very similar, but different as well. No doubt they're siblings though! Ella was much chunkier at this age. Must be the reflux.

3 months

Can you believe it's been 3 months? I can't. Nicholas is growing up so fast. David and I were discussing how it's so different with him. When Ella was a baby we were so excited as she grew and reached new developmental milestones. With Nicholas, we want to stop the clock because we know how quickly he will turn 3 years before we blink an eye. Here is the best 3 month photo shoot I could do on that particular day. And no I did not change his clothes for the picture (or choose them for that) he just goes through many outfits per day with his messy pukin' and poopin' as we call it!

Bashful baby blues (from Papa of course)

His favorite playtime on his gym

Look how long I am!

DD (Dimple and Double chin)

I'm in love with another man

o.k., so it's really just a boy, and o.k. yes, a baby boy--and, well of course MY baby boy. After mothering Ella I was doubtful and concerned about how I could love another child. Especially, how could I love a boy--I didn't know anything about caring for baby boys. But I do. I love him so much. His smiles melt my heart, his coos and talking delight me. He is destined to be a Mama's boy. My dimple dumplin', my baby boy, my buster brown, my sweet Nikky. The new man in my life. I'm so in love.

"The best 4th of July ever"

So Ella just declared this the best 4th of July ever! She and I went up to the roof of our building and looked all around the city to see fireworks going off all over the place, and then sat and watched the fireworks show from a very exclusive private club that's right up at the corner. It was perfect. No crowds, no smoke, no dangerous fireworks being set off by drunk people around us. (I still don't get why they sell these things in the grocery store. I grew up in California where they are illegal and completely understand why!)

It was just the two of us and the sliver of the moon. A lifelong memory for both Mother and daughter. This was the first year that she was not terrified of the noise and we could actually watch a fireworks show. Thank you Papa for keeping our sweet sick Nicholas sheltered safely inside from the noise, and chilly night.

Happy Independence Day and remember this is how we received our Independence.

Baby Boy news and other happenings

Nicholas is being increasingly more subjected to playing with Ella's dolls. This weekend we were using his carseat carrier (we had borrowed a friend's car) and she thought he needed "regular baby" to hold since he was of course upset and screaming for most of the car ride.
These are his 8 week pictures that I never posted two weeks ago. So the one with the baby is more recent (taken Sunday). His hair is really growing and is very light blonde just like Ella's was. He also started "talking" about a week ago and converses quite well with us. It's very sweet, just like his whole personality. He particularly seems to like it when I sing his theme song to him: "Let's hear it for the boy!" Also, he was 11 1/2 pounds and 23 inches at his two month check up where he received 5 shots (4 sticks in the leg and 1 oral dose). This is worse than when Ella got them. They no longer use the combo vaccine so that means one more stick in the leg, and then the oral vaccine is so new they didn't even have it when Ella was his age. He survived with a very slight fever and fussiness--pretty much how Ella has always reacted.
An update with the bear and book to show his growth.
He loves for Ella to hold him. If you think about it he spends just as much time with her as he does with me. He will contentedly lie in her lap and even suck on her arm like he does to me sometimes. The bad news is that he's beginning to be upset when she cries, screams and throws fits. The even worse news is that she's doing all of the above even more frequently these days. She's very upset about our whole pending move. As we prepared the house for a showing and then an open house over the weekend, she would act out even more, and of course they always seem to happen right during naptime. Yes, we could ask them not to do things at that time of day, but we really need to sell and want no limits on people seeing this place. Notice the new quote in the sidebar about crying happened late Sunday afternoon after this weekend flurry of house selling activities came to an end. I must admit, even for me and David this is stressful--and we're not 3 years old! It's no fun living in a hotel room or corporate apartment as I call it now. Though most hotel rooms and corporate apartments at least have some artwork hanging on the walls! We're not enjoying the echo and hope this process does not drag out too long for our family's well being.We were able to attend the last French wiggleworms before Madame Rose takes the rest of the summer off. We hadn't been in two months. It was so fun for Ella to be back and see Madame Rose, all of her friends, sing her French songs and for everyone to meet Nicholas. We have gone to this class since she was 11 months old! Fun Fun!

Lastly, the seasonal allergies have hit Ella hard. Nicholas has just got his first cold :-( and David had a high fever with sweats and chills all weekend. Hopefully we'll get this all under control before next week when we board the Amtrak for St. Louis!