What a day...

We finally got all of the Christmas stuff out of the attic.  It may take us a while to get it all up but we do have our Christmas tree up!

So last night we had a Danish Smorgasbord to have an early Christmas celebration before Ian's grandma went up north for the holiday.  I put the kids in their holiday best-they were so cute!  Who does not love this time of year?  Ewww, Ian decided that he was going to give Avery liver pate and she ate it...after the third mouthful she decided she was not su

re if she liked it or not.  It was making me sick just watching him give it to her.  

Although we did not do much today, a lot happened.  Let's see, little Miss Jumper was jumping on the couch when I was trying to feed Owen and guess what finally happened-yep, she slid right down the crack and on to her head.  It was inevitable, she just would not listen and there you have it.  It was pretty funny actually, there was no damage done and she kept saying, "boom-head".  

Then let's see, I went to let Frances back in and what did I discover?  Yep, she was digging!  That dog then ran from me for 10 minutes while Owen slept and Avery stood at the kitchen door laughing.  Avery finally, after standing there, for what was probably a century to her, figured out how to open the door and she was off!  I was chasing her down trying to make sure she did not step in dog poop while all the while, trying to wrangle Frances who turned my punishing her into a game.  So Avery under one arm, literally like a sack of potatoes and in the other hand, Frances' collar, twisted (she can get out of it otherwise) I was rubbing her nose in the hole she had just made worse in the middle of the grass and in all the other places I discovered.  Urgh-so frustrating!!!

Yes, it only gets better, so I had to go pee, so kill me.  I put Owen in his crib and turned on the butterfly mobile (yes, I could not stomach spending another $50 on a mobile when it is used for a couple of months) and went into the bathroom...Avery was running around back and forth from her room to Owen's and back.  Meanwhile, Owen's mobile had stopped playing...then, I hear it start going again.  At first I thought that the mobile started going again then I heard the ticking of the knob...no s**t!  Avery had climbed into Owen's crib and was turning the mobile back on for him.  I ran in and she was standing up turning the knob and looked at me and said, "Owen crying"...seriously???  You should have seen the look on Owen's face-I am sure you can guess, wide-eyed!  I caught Avery trying to climb in again and could not help but capture it.  Sorry for the angle, I can't get it to turn.

Let's see, to conclude the day, Owen is so close to turning over from his back to his front.  I caught the attempt on video but it was too dark and you can't see.  He is so cute!

Snip Snip...

Yes, as you may have been made aware, Ian had his little "procedure" on Friday and so we had to find ways to entertain ourselves while taking it easy.  Dad, although unable to really get up and move around, was a great place to park a child while I attempted to make Avery lunch for the fourth time (she is so picky and uninterested half the time it makes us crazy) or play another game of "Let's go poo poo on the potty".  That is really getting old, really, s**t or get off the pot already (what perfect context)!  She does get much of her quality reading in then.

Avery also found many ways of entertaining herself.  Not sure why, but she loves the eye legos.  She dumps them all out and then goes and hunts them down.  Not sure if it is funny, or if we need to be concerned.

As I think I might have mentioned before, Owen loves the floor gym.  He will hang out there and grab at the hanging birds and stare at the flashing/singing star.  Hey, what ever gets him going is fine with me (at least for now).  Avery has always loved that darn thing too...now she lays down next to him and hangs out too...only problem, she has absolutely no concept of where her body is in relation to Owens.  He often has that ever so popular look of total shock on his face when she starts in on him.

Anyway, we were going through the cabinet and found the ever popular hill-billy teeth from last Halloween, just thought that we might do a little side by side or maybe up and down comparison...

Avery at 6 months...

Owen at 3 and a half...those jammies have been retired.  The shirt was like a belly shirt.

The weekend was not a total bust, we went to the park Sunday morning for a little run around with Avery's friend "Guna" and then home again home again for "Hot Dogs" (yes we say the 'g' now) and a nap.  Ian some how managed to get the Christmas lights up on the house, watch football and we even decorated the Christmas tree...the rest of the decorations need to go up and of course, don't forget the menorah. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, I have to say that Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday; it does not get much better than friends, family, good food.  It was always our family's biggest holiday.  Ian worked this year and I was really nervous about making mashed potatoes for 16 (my speciality) and getting both kids dressed, myself dressed and all of us over to my moms house-but it all just worked out. 

Avery also decided to demonstrate proficient she has gotten at climbing up and down off the couch.  I know that she has done this before, but she actually had confidence in herself now...not good.  Nothing is sacred.  I had to change Owen's diaper and left Avery in the living room (as I often do) and went and changed Owen's diaper and clothes.  I came back and she was on the couch-had changed the channel on the TV, was drinking water from my water bottle and looked as if she was texting-possibly somewhere in the middle east.  Great!

I then decided to give Avery her new favorite breakfast, Oatmeal!  She loves to eat it herself, urgh, what a sticky mess!

We did make it to my mom's house and I have to say that I was so nervous about drinks being left low and Avery running amuck and getting wasted off low-lying booze.  Nope-no tanked toddler and in fact, everyone was so helpful I can't thank everyone enough.  Everyone wanted to hold Owen and Avery really is so much fun (just requires a little extra watching-she can get into most anything).

The following day Ian was home and we went to the park with the kids, I was really cold!  But Avery had a blast and daddy ran all over with her.  It was a great weekend.

Seriously???

So yesterday we had doctors appointments for both, Avery and Owen.  Ian was home and I met the three of them at the doctors office (remember, I am back at work now).  Can I just say, our doctor rocks!  He does not get excited, listens, calls us at home, and well, basically is the smartest man alive in my book!  He said that Avery is definitely verbally advanced and that the constant running is normal for her, so not to worry, she is just a "High Energy Child"-that can't be good coming from a person who deals with kids constantly!  Thought I would up date everyone on their stats:

Avery-18 months

Weight: 21 pounds 11 ounces (7th percentile)

Height: 31 3/4 inches (48th percentile)

Head: 18 1/2 inches (61st percentile)

*I asked why she is not gaining much weight and he said something to the effect of, "Have you not seen her move?"...point taken.

Owen-3 months

Weight: 13 pounds 12 ounces (29th percentile) *Which seems huge compared to Avery

Height: 24 1/2 inches (52nd percentile)

Head: 16 1/2 inches (54th percentile)

So kids go back and forth on so many things...one thing that she would not wear to save her life when she was younger were hats.  Now, she seems to wear them even when she does not need to. Thanks Uncle Ronna for the beanie-it seems to be part of the required wardrobe for putting Elmo night night (he is under the blanket).

For all those parents out there who don't have one of the floor gyms, you are missing out on at least 30 minutes of straight down time.  You can eat a quick meal while watching a 30 minute DVR-ed show and still have time to go to the bathroom all by yourself!  

What you can't see here is that his legs are kicking and he is talking to the star that is apparently telling him the most amazing story ever-perhaps of a land where milk flows like water?

 Tonight I got home from work just in time for Ian to leave.  He took 12 hours of vacation to watch the kids so that I could go to work.  Sometimes child care is a real challenge but anyway, while we were eating, Avery decided to entertain herself...she is just so cute!

Just in case you could not get the full effect of her "costume"...

Ok, so daddy is off to work and Avery is off to bed, it is time for the Littlest Lowe to get a bath a topper and to get off to bed.  I leave him in the swing (another item any parent must own) and get everything ready...bath time here we come.  So about halfway through our bath, everyone is happy and we are enjoying ourselves, LL decides he is too comfortable and poops everywhere...this is the first time he has made such a performance!  Ironically, Avery only did it when Ian was gone also.  It presents quite a challenge; ok, have to get the kid clean while avoiding the crap in the sling-thingy in the tub.  Everything got wet but the poop remained in the tub-the sling acted much like a siv and filtered it nicely.  I am not sure if we would actually call this a successful bath or not, but I got a clean kid out of it so, why not?

Happy Thanksgiving...I know we have a lot to be thankful for.  

Back to the Grind...

So Avery was sick all last week so no school for her but that is ok, we found stuff to entertain ourselves with...

Grandma Itsy gave Avery a picnic table and we put it in the kitchen for her to color and eat and play at.  She loves it, although we don't, she keeps getting up when she is eating.  I think that I will stick to strapping her down for a while.

This weekend was my mom's birthday and we went to Julian to "hike" but we got there and it was 65 degrees...we left a record breaking Santa Ana day by the beach so we were all wearing shorts and tank-tops.  We got there and it was so cold that Avery was wearing my mom's extra shirt, I was wearing my brother's sweatshirt and Owen was wearing his "in case of an accident" pants.  It turned into an eat, swing and get the heck out of there trip.  I think that we may have actually spent just as much time driving as we did there.  Here is a picture of Owen after he got a freshie...he is just so happy.

When we got home everyone got showers and got ready for bed.  Seriously, if that kid is not smiling he looks shocked.  Not sure if he is just that amazed at the wonderful family he has or scared for his life because of his spastic sister...either way, it is pretty funny.

I started back to work this week, what a disaster.  I just could really do without the whole working thing.  Oh well, money does not grow on trees so until it does, "Hi Ho Hi Ho It's Off To Work I Go..."

Lots to do so little time...2

Ok, this would be the second installment of the two part saga of the last couple of weeks...post our return from NY, Avery got pretty sick so no school, which is a real bummer for me mostly.  We all survived but not without getting whatever Avery had.  We hung out and it even rained on the road to recovery so it felt like we were not missing out on much being stuck at home.

For whatever reason, my son always looks a bit shocked.  I guess I can't blame him considering his company.

I also turned 30 this last week and we decided to have a party to commemorate the occasion.  A lot of planning was done by myself and good ol' Ronna, or Monna if you are Avery.  One of the nights she was over my mom also came over to help chase after the kids and hang out...

Avery's favorite song these days is a modified version of "If You Are Happy And You Know It", I thought that you all should be rewarded for reading this fine work of literature with a little "Happy" (don't mind my lovely voice) from one of those "planning" evenings.

Finally, I will conclude our blog for the last couple of weeks with a story from our evening "showie".  Avery and I took a shower to, well, get us both clean.  It is actually really fun, she loves the water and her "friends" in the shower and I can kill two birds with one stone.  Anyway, so there I am shampooing my hair when I look down to see Avery squatting, which is not out of the ordinary, however...something was not quite right...crap, no really, crap!  Avery was taking a poo in the showie!  I was yelling for Ian to get a little help because I had shampoo dripping down my face.  He never came-he could not hear me-whatever!  Anyway, I turned off the water, grabbed "Ora" (the Dora potty seat) and threw her on there.  I then took the two breast pads that I had taken off prior to jumping in the shower and used them to pick up the log on my shower floor.  We have Bleach Wipes in every bathroom, and I used them to clean the poo-spots and then turned the shower back on to rinse all of the nasty away.  All the while, no more poop from Avery, we got back in the shower and proceeded to complete the task at hand.  No photos of this event for obvious reasons.

Anyway, I hope you all feel as if you have participated in the last couple weeks of craziness.  I go back to work in a week, not sure how I feel about that but I will do what has to be done. 

Lots to do so little time...1

Ok, so a lot has happened over the last couple of weeks.  I will continue the adventures in a two part series to be sure to capture all of the fun, and well, not so fun details.

We went back east to New York to visit my dad and his wife and family at the end of October and through the beginning of November.  We made it, let's put it that way.  The flight out was actually not bad at all and the "Family Line" to go through security was a blessing.  We did not feel rushed-this line was made for us!  Avery played with all her new toys and read her new books within the first 15 minutes, so you may be asking yourself, what did you do the rest of the way...that is a very good question, the same things over and over again but it worked!  We arrived safely at JFK to a rainy cold snap that we were not prepared for.  We had to go get more pjs from Cost Co (all of which we had at home).  Avery had so much fun with her PopUp, Abuela and cousins.  But I think that she had the most fun with Martha and Sophie, their dogs.  Sophie got up and ran the minute she heard the tip toes of Avery come running her general direction, but Martha, good old Martha, she would just lie there and let Avery have her way with her.  What a wonderful dog!

Ok, so I figured out why Martha was so sweet and gentle with Avery...

We spent Owen's first Halloween here with everyone and well, the picture says it all...we started out strong and melted down!  I think my face sums it all up! 

We also got lucky and were able to go to Cousin Ryan's 2nd Birthday Party...Avery loves PopUp, wanna know why???  He gives her what ever she wants, including Diet Coke!  And yes, there is a balloon tied to her shirt...

Owen got passed around to everyone at the party, it was great for mommy and daddy!  What a cute little man!

I will conclude this episode of the two part series with the flight home and thank you's.  We arrived at JFK with just enough time to make it through the slower than slow line at the American Airlines desk where we checked two VERY heavy bags and two carseats.  Why two you may be asking yourself...well, Owen did not have one at the other end and we thought it would be best for Avery to have hers on the plane so that she would feel comfortable...yeah, for any of you who have the Britax Marathon-a carseat we really LOVE, do NOT bring it on the plane, I repeat, do not bring it on the plane!  The seat was so bloody big that once we got it buckled in Avery would be kicking the back of the seat in front of us.  Just great!  Ok, so I interjected a bit of additional information into my already long story!  Anyway, we made it and then eventually made it through security.  This time the "Family Line" just meant anyone who snuck under the velvet rope.  We got on the plane and got situated when Avery decided she did not want to drink anything so we had to do something to get her to move her jaw...we had Annie's Organic Fruit Gummies...perfect, or so we thought.  Avery choked on one, which is not shocking on its own, but the fact that she decided to go in after it was not so good.  She puked everywhere!  Ian Hulk Hogan-ed her shirt off and we proceeded to change her clothes and calm her down.  Eventually she did not smell anymore and she actually did great for the rest of the flight.

Thank you PopUp and Abuela for having us, or better yet, tolerating us.  That place looked like a tornado had gone through by the time we left!  We are glad we went but are even more glad we are home.

It's Been a While

For all of you devout followers, sorry I let you down.  I have been a bit busy lately.  Ian has been working like crazy and well, I have not really had much to write about.  There was a lull in the typical Lowe excitement.  Now, I am not saying that Avery has not been her typical self-not listening and screaming...just nothing note worthy.

A couple of nights ago, while Ian made Avery's dinner (so sad, I can't even remember what it was, it is not even like there are a lot of choices these days), Avery and I decorated the pumpkin she picked out from the Pumpkin Patch.  She did a really good job.  She would get a few pieces in and then would rearrange them according to what she deemed accurate.  Take a look at the final product..."The Punt-tin".  Here she is, posing with her pumpkin and her "Hot Dod"!

Today I put Avery in her Halloween Costume.  She loves it and well, why deprive a child of such simple pleasures.  It was pretty warm out but oh well...what a cute monkey and such a simple costume.  It will keep her warm and is easy to put on and take off.  Shoot, she can wear her jammies underneath.

I also got out of the house all alone!  It was the second time I have gotten away from the little buggers since Owen was born.  The first time was nothing glamorous, I went to Rite Aid to get a prescription filled.  This time Ian's mom and boyfriend came down to help out and play with Avery.  She loves them so much and wow, could I use the break.  I got out and ran a few errands for about an hour and a half.  I did not know what to do with myself.  Walking into a store with just a purse is a bit foreign. I kept trying to figure out what I was missing.  Needless to say, I had to hit the grocery store for a few essential items-namely bananas, and saw this mini cake. I had to get it for Avery.  And she LOVED it!

What a day!

Today was interesting.  Avery was a mess, I think that she actually whined all day!  Ian was at work and I was on the verge...I maintained but wow, what a day.  I am going to guess that Avery's teeth hurt...her incisors are coming in on the bottom-all the better to bite you with my dear (ok, so she does not bite yet but we are just waiting).

Avery had a bath this evening and I decided to change her on the ABC Floor Mat in her room.  I dried her off and let her run around a bit...ok, so next time she says "Dipee Dipee" I will listen.  She totally peed on the floor.  Let's hope she does not make this a habit.

Owen finally got some long awaited tummy time.  He actually does not mind it at all.  The day before yesterday he actually fell asleep...is he a cute kid or what?  He has the wide-eyed look just like his sister.  He is also sleeping pretty well for 8 weeks.  He goes down between 7:30 and 8:30 pm and wakes up at like 3:30 am and then eats for a bit and then goes back down until like 6 am.  I know I should not complain but Avery was sleeping through the night at about 9 and a half weeks...not sure if we are totally on track for that but heres to hoping!

I am tired!

So I have decided that there is a point in parenting, perhaps about 2 months in, when you realize you are tired.  It hit me a couple of days ago and I just want to take a nap!  I love my kids but man, I would do anything for a little 2-3 hour nap!  Better yet, a full, 10 hours of night time sleep...maybe one day!  Oh well...all in all, today was a good day though.

This morning started off with a bang, or should I say plop...Avery got up in quite a good mood and drank her milk, after which she said she had to go poo poo.  Anyone who has spoken to us recently knows that Avery is sporadically potty training.  I think that she really does not like having a dirty diaper but does not want to spend the time on the pot-can't really blame her. However, the whole thing is making us a bit nuts, it is time to s**t or get off the pot!  An A.M. B.M. was had by my little one (old pic same concept).

Since we were having such a good morning, Avery and I left Owen and Daddy to sleep and set off into the kitchen to make breakfast...the first try was ableskeever which was a total bust...we opted for chocolate chip pancakes instead.

We also made it our mission to hit the "local" (not really-more like 30 minute drive) pumpkin patch.  The irony of this is that I am allergic to hay and decided that would be the determining factor in the length of our stay.  When I start breaking out in hives we would leave...we managed a hay ride (yep-pretty dumb but anything for my kids) and the petting zoo and one quick ride on the swing and down a slide.  A good day was had by all!  Oh, and check out the kids...they were holding hands.  How cute is that??  And we were going to move Owen's seat so Avery could not kick him and throw things at him.

And because I know enquiring minds want to know, no, Avery did not have a hot dog today.  She asked for one this morning but we never caved and she is on her way to a dog-free existence once again...

Still Going...

Ok, so I missed a day, sorry!  Yesterday was a bit crazy!  Avery, when asked what she wanted for breakfast, did ask for a hot dog but I put the kibosh on that.  However, she did get one when she got home from school but only after doing the hot dog dance for daddy.   We then rushed to The Rancho Bernardo Winery for our annual family pictures with our wedding photographer, Brant and yeah, we were a half hour late...wanna make something of it?  Got some cute ones though...

Today was nuts...Avery was just not having it.  What you may ask is it?  Yeah, good question, we could not figure it out either.  She was just a mess one minute and then happy the next.  She even had daddy swaddling her monkey (get your minds out of the gutter!).

Owen and I went back out to the mall to return some stuff, because, anyone who knows me knows that if I have something that needs to be returned it must be returned immediately or it will haunt me until I get it out of my car.  While we were gone Ian and Avery went on a bike ride at the bay...she had to wear her helmet, guess how much she liked it???

Again, poor Owen gets pushed to the side because he is just a good kid, ok, so maybe he is constantly eating and sucking-literally-the life out of me but still, he should get some face time too...rock on little man (daddy dressed him today-so cute)

Day Two and Going Strong!

Well, perhaps this is a good thing after all.  I have actually been taking photos of my kids.  Anyone who knows me knows I am terrible at remembering to use the camera, that goes for Ian too.  Not a good combo; one of us should be snap happy.  

Today I dropped off and picked up from school.  And let me tell you, the kid I dropped off looked nothing like the kid I picked up...Avery was so crusty it was not even funny; between the faded whiskers that had been painted on her face sometime mid morning-if I had to take a guess (that would not rub off even with the wash cloth in the bath), the amazing amount of fine sand that she must have rolled around in and the snot that had crusted on her face, she was still so excited to see me, it did not even matter.  Oh yeah, don't forget the water spout hair-do that her teacher insists on putting her hair in.  That is perhaps one of the best parts of being  a parent; pick up from school!  

The minute we walked in the door Avery was doing the "Hot Dog Dance".  This child is addicted to hot dogs!  I finally went to Whole Foods and bought her the nitrate free ones but still, how many hot dogs should one child really consume in a week?  Avery has also taken to yoga...Downward Dog is a popular one (the other day her hands slipped and down she went, right on her head-I may be a bad parent for this, but I could not stop laughing).  Perhaps in a last ditch effort to burn off the millions of calories she is consuming in hot dogs (in our defence, it is the only meat she will eat).

On a lighter note, yes, I do have a son, he just does not get as much air time because, well, nothing personal Owen, but he really does not do much.  He has really gotten the hang of smiling though...

Am I really doing this???

Ok, so it took a wedding, a dog, and two pregnancy's with subsequent children to actually start one of these.  I am not sure if I am embarrassed or excited, either way, here goes nothing...for all of you who don't know, Avery has started school and I have to admit that although I feel guilty about my joy and relief of her absence on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays (at least until I go back to work), I also feel so sad that she is gone.  This morning was the first time I dropped her off by myself with Owen in tow.  Whom ever said that adding a second child is like adding three more was SO right.  I was lucky I remembered her bedding (we have to take it home every week), her "blankie", her milk and water sippy cups, and lunch...but wait, it is Monday, pizza, thank God.  Whom ever came up with that plan was brilliant.  Poor Owen's head bobbed back and forth in his infant seat while I herded Avery into her classroom, signed her in and said good bye.  But wait, there was something I wanted to tell her teacher, now what was it???  Oh, "Avery has a ..." and before I could even finish my sentence, realized, she was not the only one, it was like a snotty nose convention, every child in the play yard (all of four others) had a nice greenish river of snot flowing out of their respective nostrils!  Great, the first "pre-school cold'...I am sure there will be more to come.  Well, off to bed before feeding time again...let's see if I can keep this up!