Gone fishin'

Autumn's latest favorite activity is fishing! We use cardboard tubes from wrapping paper as our poles and then sit on the rug and fish into the wood-floor "ocean". Her fish are usually "giant" and either green or purple. When I catch one she eats it right off my pole and tells me how good it was!

She's also very fond of having birthday parties. She sets up her table with her Melissa & Doug play birthday cake set, has her stuffed friends sit around, puts one of the wooden candles on top, and then makes me sing her the "birthday song"... over, and over, and over. I think based on how many parties she's had, she's older than I am!

Autumn's New Job

She cooks the food to order then delivers it - lions are much more efficient than cars and wearing swimmy diapers on your feet makes you travel even faster! Now that's service with a smile!

Curly Hair???

Evan's hair looks curly after his bath but straightens shortly thereafter. Wonder what it will look like when he gets older?

Promenade, one and all!

I still remember hearing my old gym teach singing that while we learned to square dance in 5th grade... but anyway, today we went with Biddy and Grammy to the Promenade Shops since it was relatively mild outside. Evan's first outing was nice until he needed to eat and he and I had to leave while Autumn, Dada, Biddy, and Grammy stayed to walk around some more. Autumn enjoyed looking at the "boats" at LL Bean and seeing all the puppies walking around.

Lil' Fashionista!

Please, no pictures...

Playing Possum

We watched Curious George today and there was a possum. Here's some of Autumn's conversation...
I'm a baby possum.
Possums like toast bread and cheese.
What's up possum?

Rub a dub, dub

Evan started rubbing his eyes when he's tired... so cute! Now if I could only get him to keep that pacifier in he'd be asleep!

Evan's 3-Month Birthday

We had a 3-month party for Autumn so we wanted to celebrate Evan's milestone, too... plus we like excuses to have cake! Autumn thought it was her birthday again (boy, will she be disappointed when she learns that you only have one birthday a year!). She enjoyed her cake. Evan slept through the majority of the festivities.

Funny things said by Autumn

1/19 Come on B'en - Let's dance
B'en, what is wrong?

1/20 My toes are sleeping....shhhhh. They awake now, let's dance!

New Species Discovered!

Autumn discovered and thus named 3 little-known species of dinosaurs - the Mamasaur, Dadasaur, and Babysaur! These recent discoveries were pictured on our quilt... I forget which one is green, which is yellow, and which is red - you'll have to ask her!

Evan's American Idol Audition

What does a Reindeer in headlights look like?

This...

Do-Do-Do-Do Elmo's World

Autumn sang this very catchy tune SIXTY-FIVE TIMES at 12:30am (she sings do-do-do-do instead of la-la-la-la since, according to Aunt Jess, children can't say L's until they are older)... I just wanted to go to sleep but that was not in her plan. We watched Elmo's World and "Fairies" until 2am when I was finally able to get her into her own bed again.

Sweet Dreams!

Evan has started to "sleep through the night" this week. He usually falls asleep around 11pm and then will sleep until about 6:30. If only I could sleep that long.. I have to pump around midnight and again at 4:30. In any case, he's doing great - a much better sleeper than Autumn was at this age!

Cannibals in the house!

Autumn was playing with her Tigger and then went and got her little Tigger and told "big Tigger" to eat "little Tigger"...hmmmm

I tepple, Mom!

Autumn is becoming more interested in her baby brother and thankfully, less bothered when he cries although she has much empathy for him when he gets his diaper changed or a bath. It doesn't bother him but since she doesn't like those activities, she cries for him. When he's fussy she will go over to him and "shhh" him and say "B'en, it's OK". She tells me "B'en coot" and she loves when he touches her. She puts her hand or arm right up to his so that he's basically touching her and then when he moves his hand she squeals in delight "it tickles". She smiles at him and he smiles at her - it's fun to see the beginnings of their relationship. Today he was lying on the floor and she was hovering over him and I started to tell her to be careful and she looked as me and said "I tepple (aka careful), Mom" - she already knew what I was going to say.

I'm a Princess

Autumn put a white sock on her hand and started doing a "princess wave" and then said "Mama, I'm a princess"... too funny! Her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is her "castle".

Update: 1/13/10
Today Autumn told me I was a princess (it's nice to be a princess sometimes!) and she was a baby princess... she'll always be my baby princess!!!

He's a sucker!

In a good way... Baby Evan found his thumb today. I caught him sucking it a few times but he still is not able to make smooth motions with his arms so he jerks it out quite frequently and has a hard time finding it again. He gets frustrated with it.

Update: 1/14/09
He's getting better at finding it and keeping it in for longer - he occupied himself for about 15 minutes sucking his thumb but then got really mad when it came out!

No B'en!

Autumn was playing her piano this morning and I was making Evan dance along to the music. Later she wanted him to dance again but I had just fed him and didn't want to hold him the same way so I told her he couldn't dance right now. As I was changing positions I moved him and I guess she thought he was trying to dance and she said "No B'en, Mama said no!".

Today we made "tiny", "little", "big" and "GIANT!" circles when we colored. I was impressed when she said "giant" the other day and equally impressed today when she came out with "it's tiny" when I told her one was "little". Today she started asking "What's next" as we were reading a book. She now adds to the story, too - "there's the moon, it's night" or "it's the beach, it's hot". She just amazes me. B'En also had his own accomplishments...pooping through 4 outfits in less than 24 hours!

That's better!

My tummy was sticking out a little (still have 5lbs of baby weight to lose) and Autumn comes over and pulls my shirt down and says "that's better". Boy, is she lucky Christmas is over and I probably won't remember that comment come her birthday - LOL!

1-2-3

Tonight as Autumn was making "soup" she counted the tissue paper bits she was putting in - one, two, three. That was the first time she counted something by herself!

Ding Dong!

The other night Autumn started saying "ding dong" over and over again. We laughed and it became another one of those "wonder where she got that" moments. Tonight we figured it out - the Elmo Christmas Special. Jennifer Hudson sings Carol of the Bells along with the "scary mouse" and other forest friends.

Note from Jim: Jen taught Autumn to say "Daddy is a ding dong." That's just wrong :)

Video of the song from the special is on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-QATGekLL4

Snowshakes!

Autumn rips up napkins, paper towels, tissue paper, and anything else she can find to make either food or snow. Today it was snow and Jim told her they were "snowflakes". She can't say the "l" in certain words (Jess said that is hard for them at this age) so it comes out "snow shakes".

It's Giant!

We were sitting at Autumn's new table tonight coloring and making circles (circles and snakes are her favorite things to color). She made a small circle and I said "that one is little". Then she made a large one and I said "that one is very, very big" to which she replied "it's giant!". I didn't know she knew that word, let alone be able to use it in context. I am constantly amazed!

"ights"

Tonight we went to see "ights" - aka Lights in the Parkway. There was no line, which was great when you have a toddler who's always saying she's "stuck" when in her car seat. We think she liked them, particularly the train since she yelled "all aboard, tickets please!". Afterwards we went to see lights in Pop's neighborhood - almost equally as impressive.

Sad Puppies

There's a commercial for the ASPCA on during the Elmo Christmas special. Every time it comes on she says "oh, puppy sad". If she had money, she's be giving it - the Sarah McGlocklin song and the sad phots get her every time!