Happy Halloween!

We took Delaney trick-or-treating for the first time tonight and it was so much fun! Usually the best part of my day to day life is seeing her learn about the world and discover new things. Tonight was that sort of experience but Zap and Dash got to share in it as well. This made it so much more special.
Delaney and Zap practiced trick-or-treating today and she got really good at knocking ("Na-Na" she says as she knocks on the doors), saying Trick Or Treat (Dee Daa Da) and grabbing candy. They she'd say thank you (da doo) and we could also get her to say Happy Halloween (appy lo ween).
She was dressed as Elmo tonight and she seemed really happy. I'll post pictures soon.
The funniest part of the evening was watching her go from house to house and you could almost see her thinking "I knock, they give me candy".
We love seeing the world through her eyes. Keeps us young.

I've got stories...

about our adventures while our "Aunt" Brenna was here and what we've been up to the last few days, but I'm pooped.
I'm still working on getting us back into our schedule after having a visitor and during my downtime I can catch I'm working on sewing projects for all of our little buddies for Christmas.

OH. I finally got Delaney a Halloween costume. I think she likes it. I'm pondering putting both her and Dash in their costumes when I take them to Toddler Gym tomorrow :)

I promise an update by Thursday, cause if I wait until after Halloween, you may not get one until Thanksgiving..

road trip..followed by a doctor's visit

I woke up today itching to drive somewhere. BUT, Dash is such a poor car rider that I wasn't sure it could be done. We have a membership to our local children's museum and with the membership we purchased, we have reciprocal entry at other museums. SO, I looked at the list and decided to drive to Bellevue, WA to go to their museum.
Here's a picture of Delaney and Dash getting ready to go in the morning. She thought she was something else cuddling with her baby brother.

It's called KidsQuest. http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org/
I was really happy with it. The baby/toddler area is really well done. They have a sound exploration area, a water play area, a garage area, a craft area, and a play area with a sand box and a giant Lite-Bright. Overall, it was really worth the hour and a half drive. Especially since both babies slept on the way there.
Delaney had a great time. She loved the toddler area. Here she is playing with the farm toys.Delaney also really loved the big rig that they had outfitted for kids to play in. My dad drives a truck and I called him and told him how much she loved it. He promised to take her for a ride the next time he is out here.
Her absolute favorite was the water play area. You can hit buttons and shoot water, play in running water, paint with water, and watch boats float in the water. It just doesn't end. Although, when Delaney started trying to drink it I figured she should call it quits with that.
We were there for almost two hours and she didn't get bored. I'd like to take her back again; she was a little more shy than she usually is and I think that with another visit she'd be more outgoing and willing to explore. Today she kind of held back and held my hand a lot.


So after the museum, we decided to drop by the Osh K'osh store and pick up a few Halloween tops. I'm in the checkout line and holding Delaney's hand, trying to find my debit card, when Delaney went all jello on me. I got her standing up and she immediately started crying. I honestly thought she was just upset. I put her on the counter when I finished paying and then headed to the car. She did end up calming down and fell asleep on the way home. I talked to Zap about it and he and I weren't too worried. Last night, she had a really bad tantrum for fourty five minutes and we thought that maybe she was just still tired from everything last night and today on top of cutting her eyeteeth.
But when we got home, I pulled Dash out of the car and tried to get her. She started wailing. She wouldn't let me pick her up and once I got her she wouldn't let me put her down. I called Zap at work and we decided something was wrong and that her arm was most likely hurt. The doctor's was closed until 1:30 so I gave her some Tylenol to take the edge off of the pain. I called my neighbor Natalie to see if she could come over and help but she was away at a meeting. I called Zap again and asked him if he could come home because both babies were upset and needing cuddling at this point. Just before he got home, I got hold of the doctor's office and they said come right in.
Delaney and I went and left the boys at home. She was crying when she wasn't being held and had her head tilted towards the arm something pitiful in the car. Our wonderful nurse practitioners were ready for us and they looked at her to make sure that what we thought was wrong was the problem. She had "nursemaids elbow", where the elbow pops out of socket. Delaney was cradling the arm and wouldn't grip anything with it. Poor baby.
So Tammy quickly and quietly popped the elbow back into place and like magic, I got my baby girl back.
Once we got home, she was her silly, active, fun self again. She went down to bed without a fuss at all (except for asking to brush her teeth again).

Dash continues to do well. He slept for two five hour stretches last night and after a nice warm bath he went down to bed nice and easy.

ABC's

Delaney has been working on saying her ABC's. The trick is to get her doing something she likes, and then she enjoys singing them. I've shared this via facebook, but I think I have some readers who don't facebook (Dad) :) I was watching it before I uploaded it, and I thought that she initiated more letters than she did. Some days she can do three or four letters on her own. It's just so hard to catch it.
(While I was playing it, she was listening to herself and started saying letters from her playroom)




And not to be outdone, little brother is making his first video appearance.

It was a fun Friday

We started our morning out with a trip to Jo-Ann's to get some craft supplies. Our morning was a little rough. Dash is a lot like Delaney when it comes to car trips. He hates them. He screams and cries and there's really nothing I can do about it. I do make sure that he is nursed with a clean diaper before I load him in the car, but that doesn't seem to matter. However, look how cute he is when he isn't screaming :)

We got to Jo-Ann's and managed to find our items fairly quickly. We had to pick up some paint for our pumpkin and some craft paper to cover the table with so that Delaney could freely paint and color.
We got home and we immediately got into pumpkin painting. Delaney had a great time. She really enjoys squishing the paint in her hands. I think her pumpkin turned out pretty cute.


After that, Delaney had a nap and we spent our afternoon coloring and baking some cookies from our sugar cookie dough we made a few weeks ago. They were tasty with milk and Sesame Street.

This weekend should be fun. We're going to go and check out a private school in Tacoma that we're considering for Delaney and Dash. After that, our family friends Sean and Sheryl will be coming over to get their fill of baby love.

Sounds like Zap and the babies are on their way back from their walk.

settling in

I've decided that we're finally settling into life as a family of four. Now, this doesn't mean that the house is as clean or de-cluttered as I would like it, or that the floors get vacuumed or "sharked" every day, but we're getting there. We're eating dinner by 6:00 every night; it's a pretty healthy dinner, and everybody seems to be getting the love and attention they need.
We've been looking for some new recipes - my goal is to try one new recipe a week- and in doing so we found this great website: www.weelicious.com.
So far, we've made their corn chowder and veggie casserole and they've been really tasty. Delaney helped me make the corn chowder (Actually, she snacked on corn while I cooked), so I just KNEW she'd enjoy eating a nice warm bowl of it.
Nope. She flat out refused to eat even a bite of it. No idea why. But, we're going to be having it again this week, so we'll see how it goes over again.

I keep checking the calendar because I don't believe it, but Dash is going to be ten weeks old this Friday. And just after that, Delaney will be 19 months on the 18th. It's unreal how fast they get old. Some days are long for us, but when you take a step back, the week is over and the babies are closer to another big birthday.
At toddler gym today, my friend Christa was telling me about our friend Kristi's blog and a quote she has on her newest post: "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened." It is really fun to take a step back and see how blessed we are to have two healthy happy babies.

Another quote that gets me through the rough days is "Count your blessings, not your worries". When I have a rough day and I feel like I'm up to my elbows in dirty diapers, I remember that my helpful and thoughtful husband is coming home to help me take a breather. I also remember that my rough days are by no means any more rougher than some of my friends have it. And definitely nowhere near as rough as some people have it. And then when I get that breather or little break, I sometimes feel lonely. It does make you think about how quiet this house will be in eighteen or nineteen years. It also helps me to remember to cultivate that relationship with that helpful, thoughtful husband so that the house isn't TOO quiet in eighteen or nineteen years. I've learned in the last year or so that it is understandable how couples can let their marriage slip out of their hands and it makes me more determined to be sure that doesn't happen to us.

Well, my little man is dreaming in his swing and it sounds like he's waking up looking for some momma love. This weekend we're planning on doing another train ride; this time on the Mount Ranier Scenic Railroad to take one last look at the fall leaves. They're beautiful this year and I'm enjoying very much the chances we've had to get out and find new ways to see them.

I'm leaving you with a picture of my sous chef tasting the rewards of our baking project for this week; chocolate chip snack cake.

Love to you all.

planes, trains, and automobiles

On October 4th, 2009, my grandfather William Herndon passed away. Dash and I went back to Memphis to be with my family. Delaney and Zap weren't able to attend and it was a very hard situation for me, both for the reason we were in Memphis and because I'd never left Delaney alone overnight.
Dash and I flew home on Tuesday and he did a very good job on the flights. He's not a white knuckled flyer like his mom is. The flight from Phoenix to Memphis was very turbulent coming in and I had to hold the hand of the very generous woman who was sitting next to me.
We had a very nice visit home with family.
Here is Dash with my mom and grandmother.

Dash is chillin' with our family friend, John. He made the drive from Memphis to Vegas with me six or seven years ago. We had a really fun trip. Dash thought he was pretty awesome.
This is Dash with my uncle Tony and aunt Hilda. They are leaving for England for his work very soon and will be gone about three years. Despite the look of this picture, Dash did enjoy being cuddled by Hilda.

My grandfather's service was really nice and I think it was the way that he would have wanted it. Three of my best friends came to the service with us and they all enjoyed loving on Dash. Pictures of that to follow :)
We're all trying to figure out how to help my grandmother through this and hoping that she can make the best of the situation.

I got home late Saturday night after a very long day of travel and I can't tell you how excited I was to see Delaney and Zap at the airport. I'll call this our "automobile" section - we had a very long way home from Sea-Tac airport. Both babies fell asleep and Zap and I finally got to talk about the week. It was nice to be able to share the week with him. I'd only had a little bit of time to talk to him during the week.

Sunday morning, we got up and got ready to go to Chehalis for a ride on a steam train. Delaney loved it! She stood up and giggled as the train started off and her favorite part was when we took her up front to look out the open window. We saw horses, cows, beautiful pastures, and gorgeous fall trees. The colors were amazing: Oranges, pinks, reds, yellows, greens, and browns. It was so neat.

In other news, Delaney has started to get on top of our kitchen table to "steal" fruit. Here she is sneaking an apple.

This picture is older, but so cute! This is her learning to brush the monster's teeth on her first visit to the dentist.

Pumpkin Patch fun!

Today we went just down the road to Hunter's Pumpkin Patch. We buy our Christmas tree from this farm every year and it is such a fun place. Delaney had a great time just walking around and looking at the goats. They have a big two story slide that she went down about ten times - ALL BY HERSELF!! She was very brave.
We rode a tractor out to the pumpkin field and we all chose a pumpkin to carve (or paint as the case will probably be for her) and she even got to take home a little tiny pumpkin. After that, we ate some snacks and headed home.
Dash spent the whole time in the front carrier, snuggled up close to Papa or when he needed to nurse, snuggled up to me. I think he had a pretty good time.


Another "chore" that Delaney is great at: walking to get the mail every day. She now has her own key chain and key rack by the garage door. It takes about 30-45 minutes to complete this chore, so mommy loves it!

our field trip today

Today, Delaney, Dash and I met up with our friends Brooke and Liel and rode the bus for a loop around downtown. Delaney loved it! She stood on the seat and looked out the window and thought it was fun to be able to stand up in a moving vehicle.
Afterwards, we went through the farmer's market and she got to eat free samples of pears, plums, peaches, and even got a free apple. She's lately been into eating apples; yesterday she got into the fruit bowl and nibbled three apples.
Dash slept last night from 7 until 10:30 and then 11 until 3:30 and then until 6. He's doing really well.

And now, Delaney's up in her crib singing her ABC's.

Oh. I need to add in how stinking cute she is when she is feeding Edgar. She grabs his bowl, sits on the floor, and pours the kibble in. Then she calls Edgar, tells him OK, and pats him and tells him he's a good puppy.

She's good at her chores :)

Dash is two months old!

I'm a little late, but I need to do Dash's two month update and do a quick update on Delaney as well.
First for Dash. He officially hit two months yesterday and I did get his two month picture. I need to figure out how to put a photo in my post though so I can share it.
He is still in size 1 diapers, but I think we've bought our last box of them. At his two month checkup last week he was 11 pounds 14 ounces, so I'm pretty sure by now that he's up to 12 pounds.
During the day he nurses every two hours or less. I've figured out how to nurse him in the front carrier, so sometimes he just realizes how close he is to the breast and "needs" to nurse.
At night however, he usually nurses around 7 and then sleeps until 1:00 or 1:30. Then he wakes up again around 4:00 - 5:00 and sometimes will go back down until 6:30 or 7:00.
He's a very efficient nurser and so he usually only does about ten minutes per breast. But maybe 25-30% of the time he'll nurse 20 minutes on one. He is sleeping in his crib now until that 6:00 - 7:00 wakeup. At night, Zap rocks him back to sleep and sometimes this takes about an hour.
He likes to be swaddled still and still seems to enjoy skin to skin contact when he can have it. But, I think we're coming out of the fussy stage. He does need to be held most of the day, so he spends a lot of his day in the front carrier.
He's able to stay awake longer, sometimes up to two hours. He's also starting to coo and make smiley faces at us. I even think I've seen a little giggle.

He is losing that newborn smell. Sometimes he smells like Zap to me which I really love. His eyes are still very blue. And the straight, dark hair is growing into wavy dark hair. Another curly haired baby!

The breathing deal has resolved itself and now he may be "squeaky" one evening a week.

Delaney has started to be a little less gentle with him. Last week, we had to have the "no feet on brother" talk, but she does listen and still loves to kiss and hug him.

Here's my big update on Delaney: She now only uses her binky at night and during naps. We just started leaving it upstairs in the mornings and after naps and letting her know that she could have it again at naptime. We've had a few arguments and tears, but it's gone better than I would have thought.
Here are two funny binky stories. Yesterday at toddler gym, her friend Maisy had a binky and Delaney looked at her as if to say "How did you work it so that you get your binky??" A minute or so later, Delaney turned around and to nobody in particular, she made a face and tried to suck an imaginary binky. It was really pitiful. I nearly gave in, but I didn't even have a binky on hand.

After toddler gym on the way home, she fell asleep and I had to carry her up to bed and change her diaper. As I laid her on her mattress, she said "be-be", which is Delaney for binky. It was also really cute and pitiful at the same time. She immediately got her binky though.

Delaney also had her first dentist appointment which went really well. She got to play with all the equipment and squirt water, squirt air, suck with the straw and brush a monster doll's teeth. She did really well until the dentist went to count her teeth and that was hard for her. BUT, she was able to listen to me and make it through the counting. (She has eight by the way) :)