Tutti Frutti Cuties

Hello, Hello?

2011-09-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! Is anyone still checking this? I realize that it has been eons since I wrote anything. I also realize that I left on a morbid note.

Well, faithful readers (read Grandma and Dad), many things have happened since I last wrote. The highlights include: Claudia breaking her leg, a trip to Philly, Kindergarten for Claudia and Preschool for Wilson.

School is such a bittersweet milestone. I know that Claudia was ready and excited to go, but it is hard to let go. I was nervous about her starting Spanish immersion (a language that I don't know at all, save how to order a beer or two) and the bus is a scary proposition--no seatbelts and lots of older kids.

I guess I did not need to worry. The first day Claudia marched right on that bus and did not even turn around once! No wave, no tears--nothing! Her bus is packed with kids and she did not hesitate to find a seat. She was ready.

My mom said it best, "Claudia is a marvel. A real twenty-first century girl." I like that. I hope that her enthusiasm for school and new challenges will never wane.

It was also a big adventure for Wilson. His first time at school--really his first time away for me. He could properly be called a "mama's boy," so I was anticipating a lot of tears and clutching on to my pants with a pleading look of "don't leave me!"

Well, I guess I over-estimated my appeal or under-estimated the lure of a few good trucks and trains. Wilson found those toys and barely noticed when I kissed him good-bye on this first day. Geez, perhaps my company got quite stale over the summer?!?

Perhaps this is a much a new schooling for me as a mother as it is for them as new students. As hard as it is to see that you child may not need to hold your hand and have you walk them through the world, it is also awe-inspiring to see them make their own little paths. Gulp.

Understandably Inappropriate

2011-02-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

With my grandpa's death last week, I encountered a whole new aspect of parenting a four and a half-year-old--explaining death.

I wanted to talk to Claudia about the funeral before we went. Claudia had some expected questions about death, like "how do people die?" or "why do people die?" I tried my best to answer her questions honestly and age appropriately. I was actually surprised by her ready acceptance of my answers without fear. She thoughtful about what I was saying to her, but in the end it did not seem like "big deal" to her.

This isn't to say that she did have some moments of, shall we say, "insensitivity." For example the night that I found out that my grandpa died Scott had picked Claudia up from school and talked to her about it on the way home. When she walked in the door she said her "hellos" and then said, "Mom, you remember that you grandpa died?" I couldn't help it, I started to cry and told her, "yes, it hadn't slipped my mind."

She had another question for us after the funeral while we were taking the short drive to the cemetery. We were piled in the car and I was upset after the service and Claudia blurts out, "where are we taking the dead guy?" I hate to admit it, but Scott and I started to laugh. I guess it was a good relief from the sad emotions I was having.

Although, I have to say that Scott's response was strangely funny too. He said, "Well, we are taking the box that Mommy's grandpa is in to a place called a cemetery. We can visit him there."

That was it, no more explanation. I told him, "You need to elaborate on that." I just caught a glimpse of what her little mind must be thinking.... sitting and talking to him in the box?!?

However, I don't think that the more elaborate explanation is much better or less confusing. "We dig a hole. Place the box in the ground. Cover it up. Come later and visit the covered hole."

Again, she did not have any questions about the explanation. I guess when you're four you just take some things at face value.

Other than that the funeral went well. I miss my grandpa, but it was good to remember and celebrate what an amazing, loving, funny person he was.

Grandparents

2011-02-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

I received some very sad news today. My maternal grandfather passed away this morning. He would have been 92-years-old in June. What a long life to witness an overwhelming number of changes in the world.

He lived his entire life in the same couple square miles of Minnesota. His grandfather, father and he all farmed the same land and raised dairy cows and other livestock. He farmed the fields with large teams of horses and later with massive columbines. He knew every square inch of that land. He was a good and kind caretaker to all his animals (a "softy," I would say).

The farm was my favorite place to go as a child. Some of my fondest memories were summers spent running around that farm, playing in the barn, feeding the calves, wandering the pastures, and leading the cows home from the pasture to the barn for milking. It was just about the closest thing to heaven to a little kid who spent most of the time in the city.

Nights my grandma and grandpa would pop popcorn and we would play Uno. I still think of having zero points in Uno as "a goose egg" as my grandma would say. I clearly remember laughing all night during those games. My grandpa had a great laugh and an easy sense of humor. I will miss him.

I must remind myself that I have been very fortunate. I had all my grandparents well into my 30s, not many people get to have such amazing people in their lives for that long; I lost my paternal grandfather almost 3 years ago.

I very deliberately use the word "lost" because it does feel like losing something that is irreplaceable. There is no other relationship like the one between a grandparent and grandchild--all love and nothing else.

It is a pleasure to watch my kids have this special relationship with their grandparents. They are incredibly lucky to have the grandparents that they do. All love and spoiling and no criticisms or expectations.

So, thank you Grandpa, rest well now.

Special Surprises

2010-12-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Claudia is just full of the Christmas-giving spirit. They have been making special Christmas gifts to give away to family members at her school. She brought home a bag with a couple of wrapped gifts yesterday. I asked her if she wanted to put them under the tree, but she said, "Mom, I need to find a place to hide it in my room. I don't want Wilson to find it!" (pesky brothers!)

She then started to say, "Mom, you can't open this until Christmas! No peeking. It is so special! You are going to love it! I can't tell you what it is... it's got something really special in it. Oh! I can't say that! You can't open it until Christmas! It really special! Oh! I can't say that!"

I think that teachers at school must have drilled it into them that they can't tell anyone at home what the present is. I can't imagine how many times you have to tell a four or five-year-old not to give away a surprise for it to actually stick with them. My guess would be at least 1,000 times.

Now, she is finding other "gifts" to wrap and put under the tree. This morning she found "something really special to wrap up with used wrapping paper she found and put it under the tree for me. I have a feeling I am going to be missing a mascara or a sock or something for the next week until we open gifts on Christmas morning. I am sure there are going to be many "treasures" under the tree this year.

Letters to Santa

2010-12-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

The other day Claudia walked up to me and said that she wanted "such and such" for Christmas. I told her that that sounded "good." She said, "Mom!! I need to tell him that!" My immediate thought was, "oh no! I need to get these kids to a Santa ASAP! Christmas is coming!" Later I thought perhaps I could avoid the long lines and tormenting Wilson with a sure-to-be scary man in a red suit by having her write her letter to Santa.

So Claudia is at this moment sitting at our kitchen table and writing her letter to Santa. She is writing it (with Scott spelling the words). Wow, what a difference a year can make. Last year she was still working on singing her ABCs. Next year is Kindergarten! I can't believe it!

Here is her letter:

Dear Santa,
(She is cutting to the chase, no pleasantries. The man is busy!)
Barbie
Pillow Pet
Easy Bake Oven
kitchen set

She is also writing Wilson's letter for him:
blue mack (this is a semi-truck)
fire truck
cars

love
Claudia Wilson

Christmas Can't Come Soon Enough

2010-11-16T15:02:00.001-08:00

Poor Wilson! I think that he needs some new toys from Santa. (Sorry about the picture quality-it's from my cell phone.)

Broke-down Bunny

2010-10-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

I think that this may go down as one of Scott's favorite Claudie stories.

One lovely Sunday afternoon while Scott was mowing the yard, Claudia ran up to him breathless holding a plastic bag. She exclaimed in a panicked voice, "Daddy, I need your help! There is a broke-down bunny! Come on!"

She grabbed Scott's hand and led him across the street from our house and urgently pointed to a dead bunny on the side of the road. She had been biking and come upon this sad scene. She handed the bag to Scott and told him that he needed to take care of the bunny. (She did not like the way the bunny looked at her.) Scott scooped up the bunny and bought it to the garbage can.

Claudia was genuinely sad for the bunny and asked Scott if it was going to be lonely in the garbage can without any of its bunny friends and she thought maybe she could put some toys in the can with it. Scott explained that we throw away a lot of "interesting" things and the bunny would find things to play with in the can. She seemed satisfied with that.

Scott has asked Claudia a number of times to repeat the story of the broke-down bunny and when she is asked what it means to be a "broke-down" bunny, she will say that the bunny "died-ed."

It is sort of a sad and gross story if you think about it, but the part that I like best is that she really did feel for the little bunny and wanted to make sure that it was entertained while awaiting the trip to the dump. (Of course she doesn't really realize where the garbage ends up. I know that we should tell her about landfills and whatnot in order to give her some "green education," but that sure wasn't the time!)

Fall

2010-10-07T14:27:00.001-07:00

All I can say is, "Oh my!" We are a busy family here in Chanhassen (or as my sister refers to it "Chan-happin'). We returned from our wonderful trip to The Shore to a very new Fall routine. Claudia started school, soccer and gymnastics the first week that we returned.

Claudia is greatly enjoying school. I think that she is just mostly happy that she isn't relying solely on me for her entertainment. I think that my company grew rather tiresome for her by the end of the summer. She has made a lot of new friends. We are still working on names. I asked her for the first 3 weeks if she played with any friends and she said that she did and when I asked for their names she did not have a clue.

Soccer is fairly hysterical. I don't know if Claudia had ever really kicked a ball before she started that first night. She has improved and is really having fun. She has a particular way of kicking the ball-very danceline-esque with a straight leg that gets pretty high up in the air. She is certainly the only member of her team to skip to the ball while she is playing. She is a great "social ambassador" for her team as well. At the last game, her coach was told by a little girl on the opposing team that "Claudia can't play right now because we are making friends." Claudia did not see any problems with that.

All and all things are going very well. The kids are tired as are Scott and I. I think that I am getting a good glimpse into what the next 15 years are going to be like--CRAZY and BUSY!

See some photos from our great trip and Claudia's soccer in the upper-right corner.

I hope I can get my GTL done by Saturday...

2010-08-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

because we are off to visit "The Shore" on Saturday!

Wilson has been working on his "blow out" so that he is ready to "creep" on the ladies at the beach. He has been practicing his "fist pump" in the hopes of attracting a sweet girl with a great "pouf." Scott and Uncle Bret will be on "grenade watch" for him because they are totally "juiced."

If you have no idea what I am talking about I am so very proud of you! (If you would like to know, check it out here.)

This one's for you, Dad

2010-08-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I made it back! My sister and I had a wonderful time visiting my mom. Her new adopted country is more beautiful than I had imagined. Truly, I don't think I could see a more picturesque place. I would LOVE to show you some photos (and I will) but I did not bring my camera with me and I am waiting for my sister to send me hers (this is a not so very subtle hint, Sarah).

So, not wanting to try to tell you about my trip without providing illustrations, I, however, apparently still need to update my blog--this according to my dad. I have to tell you that I find it just a little funny to receive a text message from my dad stating, "you can call tonight or update your blog." First, the reason why I find it funny is that my dad is texting me. He recently got an I-Phone and has started to text, many texts complete with an "OMG" or a "TTFN," which I find charming to say the least. The second reason why I find this funny is that he really does read my blog. I would never have guessed that he would have adopted this form of media. I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised, it is a great way to know what's going on with the grandkids (and you don't have to change diapers to learn about it).

So, not wanting to disappoint my dear ol' dad, I would like to update my blog with some of my favorite and often repeatedly-heard sayings from my childhood a la dad: (I should add that most of these were then followed with a "Rachael Anne"

1.) "You are skating on thin ice." (I actually said this to Claudia a couple of weeks ago! I couldn't believe it. I don't think that she has learned the laws of physics yet, so I don't think this saying made too much of an impression. Do you think that only parents in the Northern climates can say this?)

2)"It's no skin off my nose." ("teeth" was sometimes used in place of nose.) This one actually always grossed me out just thinking about skin off of a nose. Yuck.

3)"You are cruisin' for a bruisin'" I should clarify that the bruising did not really ever come into being. I think that I can only attribute that to some infinite patience on my dad's part. I was a bit of a, oh let's just say, "handful."

4)"You're just cutting off your nose to spite your face." Again, really, really grossed me out, but made an impression.

I certainly don't want to give the impression that my dad only had things like this to say, that is certainly not the case, but these are phrases that instantly spring to mind when I am dealing with my own "handfuls." Which times, of course, are so exceedingly rare because my children are angels.

So, thank you Dad for many useful and strangely gross saying to use with my children. And thank you as well for being a super, duper fantastic dad and grandpa! We love you!

Away

2010-07-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

(Yes, I did change the blog background. You're not going crazy!)

Oh faithful readers, I will be away for a little while. I am going to be leaving my hubby, my kids, my doggies, and my country for a visit with the frogs.

I am going to be visiting my mom in the South of France. I know, I know, poor me. I am having some nervous feelings (Rhett Butler, where is my fainting couch and smelling salts?!?) about leaving. I have not flown by myself since Claudia was born. Now, I will be jumping across the pond, as they say!

The kids will be in good hands while I am away. Our 15-year-old babysitter will be taking care of the kids while Scott is at work. I have a real fear that Wilson and Claudia are going to prefer her to me when I get home. I think that I will need to self-medicate while I am away. Perhaps with some french wine, bread and chocolate. (Yes, definitely chocolate.)

On the serious side, if you think about it on the 28th and again on the 6th, could you please send good thoughts for a safe journey for my sister and me?

Au revoir!

A Lot Can Happen...

2010-07-13T08:18:00.001-07:00

in the time it takes for me to take a shower. Oh, let's just take yesterday for instance. While I was very quickly taking my shower, Claudia decided that Wilson was going to be a "big boy" who wears underpants. Not just any underpants, mind you, but pink "Hello Kitty" underpants.

I got out of the shower and Claudia burst into my room and said, "Mom, Wilson is a big boy and he is going to wear underwear now. He has them on right now!" Of course I assumed that he had only the underwear on, but Claudia surprised me. She put them on over his diaper and then put his shorts on top of them.

I didn't feel like fighting that fight, so off we went to return some things at the mall. Really, no incidents there. That happened later.

After Wilson's nap, he saw the underwear and insisted on wearing them. This time he needed to put them on OVER his shorts. While this was happening, Claudia and Scott decided they would take a walk to the neighborhood park. Of course Wilson was going to accompany them.

Good ol' Daddy didn't think it was worth the fight either and off they went to the park where they saw some neighborhood kids and a dad. I guess the conversation between the dads went like this:

Scott: "Pay no mind to Wilson's pink underpants."

Other Dad: "I wasn't even going to ask."

That just struck me as too, too funny when Scott told me about it last night! (Just picture the scene.)

Oh, Wilson these last two posts are for sure going to cost us some money in therapy bills one day.

Girls have all the fun?

2010-07-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Wilson may just think so. Claudia received some really fun "girly" things for her birthday--bracelets, headbands, make-up (really it's chap stick), etc. Why wouldn't Wilson want to use them for some entertainment?

I am sure that he will want to burn these pictures when he is 14. I think that it may be good to have a few "blackmail photographs" in my back pocket to be used strategically.

Really, the final blow to a 14-year-old boy would be a photo of him getting make-up on by his sister. I think that I would only pull this out in the most dire circumstances.

Birthday Bonanza

2010-07-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

What a birthday party! The Friday before Claudia's birthday we had a party with some her friends. What a great time! It was so wonderful to have the room to host a party. (Our old house never really accommodated more than 5 people very well.) The "older" girls found Claudia's dress up clothes right away and stayed in them through the whole party. (So much for the new birthday dress that I bought for Claudie.)

Here are some photos from the day:

Coco all dressed up

Lilly as Snow White (it was great--I didn't have to pay for a Disney character to appear at the party!)

Seriously, I had a great dress for Claudia and she ends up wearing this sad dress!

Elliot and little sis Stella

You can count on Lucy to "clean up" after everyone with the vacuum

Sweet Alison cheering on her friend Claudie!

Claudia is one lucky little girl to have such great friends. I am doubly lucky that Claudie's friends have such fantastic moms!

Give Thanks

2010-06-19T10:05:00.001-07:00

I once saw a billboard while driving that said, "Give thanks for your healthy kids." It was advertising for St. Jude's or another children's health non-profit. I remember thinking, "That is so true. I need to be more appreciative that I have healthy kids." This took on a whole new meaning for me this past Thursday.

Wilson had been ill for a couple of days with a bad chest cold, high fever and vomiting. We went to the doctor's office on Thursday to get him checked out. The doctor was concerned about his cough and so he ordered a chest x-ray.

After two trys at the chest x-ray, we sat waiting for the results. I was thinking worst case scenario is he would have pneumonia. (I should learn not to tempt fate like that.) The doctor came in and said that he was "perplexed." He took me out in the hallway to view the x-rays.

From what I remember of the conversation, he was saying that Wilson's chest was clear, but the"shadow" around his liver was much larger than they would expect. We walked back into the room and he said that we needed to go to Children's Hospital to have a radiologist read the x-ray. Panic was taking over. The doctor then said, "During my external exam I did not feel a mass or lump" and I asked, "Is that what you think it is?" He replied, "I don't know." Sheer terror set in.

We went to Children's and Wilson's x-rays were examined and an ultrasound was ordered. Finally, after a number of truly agonizing hours the doctor said, "The ultrasound was totally clear. We don't have to worry about all that really bad, scary stuff."

I have felt relief in my life: the safe birth of my children, passing the bar exam, etc. but nothing can touch the relief and gratitude that I felt at hearing those words. To be able to walk out of the hospital that night holding Wilson was such a gift and one that I won't soon forget.

I can't help thinking about all the parents that don't get the same news that we did and that don't get to carry their healthy child home with them. I really cannot imagine what they must go through. I had a very small glimpse that day and I can only say that it must be beyond belief and I don't know if there are adequate words to describe the agony, terror, and heartache that they feel.

It seems like it often takes something scary to wake us up and remind us to be thankful for what we have. I hope that this experience will stay with me and serve as a reminder every day to be thankful for my wonderful kids. I hope that I won't need a billboard or another terrifying situation to remind me to truly give thanks.

Everyone give your kids, spouse, partner, friend, pet, parent, etc. a hug tonight.

Chanhassen Nice

2010-06-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

You know the saying, "Minnesota Nice," but I think that the heart of the "nice" is in Chanhassen. Truly, I am continually surprised by how friendly everyone is here-everyday encounters at Target (this is very important as I go there almost every, single day), the grocery store, gas station, etc. are just so darn nice.

We have met so many of our neighbors just being outside gardening and playing with the kids. What a great 'hood we've found. Scott was with the neighborhood men last Friday until 3:30 in the morning! (When I asked him what they talked about for 8(!) hours his answer was, of course, "oh, nothing much.") Claudia is-as I write this-having a tea party at the neighbor's house. We also have had 2 playdates with some adorable twin boys who are Claudia's age from the neighborhood who I met while weeding the garden one day. (Well, that sounds kind of creepy. I met their mother while I was outside. Although, I was just about ready to accost any child that looked halfway "normal" and close to Claudia's age with a "hey, do you want to be my daughter's friend?" because Claudia had been saying to me, "Mom, when are you going to find some new friends for me at our new house?" I am sure that wouldn't have scared any street-savvy kid away and/or brought a suspicious mom or dad to my door.)

We are making ourselves at home here and not freaking out the neighbor kids (yet). It feels great.

Dancing with the...

2010-06-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Walkers! (Well, Wilson and Claudia Walker that is.)

We were practicing dancing this morning for the big wedding this weekend. My cousin Hannah is getting married and so the whole Lawson gang will be there (yay Hannah!). This will be the first wedding for Claudia and Wilson. I foresee that Claudia will be quite enamoured with all the elements of the wedding--getting dressed up in a new dress, the bride and bridesmaid dresses, the cake and the dancing.

Purely in preparation for this grand event, (I hate to admit this) Claudia may have seen a couple of episodes of the latest round of "Dancing with the Stars." She loved it! I think that the lifts and spins really made an impression on her. (Poor Wilson...the little guy is just along for the ride. Anyone have an air sickness bag?)

Please see below:

Well, Lawson family, consider this your fair warning. I think that I am going to be bringing a couple of dancing fools!

Finally! A True Use for Dog Hair!

2010-05-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

As I said in my last post, we have A LOT of dog hair floating around this house. Martha is a veritable fur factory. I have said more times than I care to remember, "if we could sell dog fur, we would be millionaires by now."

Well, I may have not found a way to make money off the dog fur, but I have discovered a way to put it to some really great use--using it to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf. I knew that many hair salons are collecting their clients' hair clippings and sending them to organizations that make "hair booms" or "hair mats." I guess animal fur can be used similarly. Apparently, hair and fur are great oil absorbers.

I found an organization that you can sign up with that will give you information on where you can send your fur: A Matter of Trust. I found a large number of hair salons and groomers in the Twin Cities that are collecting hair/fur.

If you are a dog, cat, horse owner and you want to finally make some use out of all the fur, I would encourage you to sign up with this website. Or, if you don't feel like signing up with another website, I would check with an area groomer and see if they are collecting fur. If they aren't maybe they did not know that they could and you can encourage them to start a new collection site!

Happy grooming!

We did it!

2010-05-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

[insert big sigh of relief]

We made it through the "big move." It actually went very well.

It was very bittersweet to leave our little house in Minneapolis. The hardest part was when Claudia and Wilson were in the house for the last time. I had been trying to prepare them (well really just Claudia) for the fact that she was not going to be back at that house ever again, but I did not want to make it too overly-dramatic. The last time that they were in the house I told Claudia that she should say "goodbye" to the house. She went into her room and said, "Goodbye room. I will miss you." I hadn't cried until that point, but you can bet I did after I heard that.

I walked Wilson into his little blue room (that I had so lovingly decorated as a nursery before Claudia was born) and told him to say "goodbye" and he waved his hand. That just about broke me in two pieces.

Scott and I said goodbye the next day and that went without tears. I think I was just too excited to get into our new house.

The new house is better than I anticipated. We love it and it feels like we have already been here for awhile. We walked to the Chanhassen Library the other day. I love that we are within walking distance to "downtown Chan!" The kids are making themselves right at home. The only family members that seem to be having some adjustment problems our Martha and Frannie (our canine children). Who would have thought that I would have to comfort our dogs more than our kids?!? I think Martha has already lost a couple pounds of fur (she sheds when she's nervous, which is so much fun).

Have a Chantastic day!

There's always time for...

2010-04-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

a princess dance!

Despite our crazy schedule lately with getting the house packed for our move, we found some time on Saturday night to enjoy a little party. It was the second annual daddy/daughter princess dance in Hastings. Claudia, Scott, cousin Brynne and uncle Eric were among the royalty in attendance.

Here are some photos of the beautiful princesses:

Meanwhile, the mommies spent the evening with a couple of hams:

March Madness

2010-04-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have a new appreciation for that phrase. (Yep! I AM BACK!)

So, we put our house on the market late on a Thursday night. The following weekend we had 3 showings and lo and behold we got an offer on our house on that Sunday! Yippee!

Then it struck us that we needed to find a place to live. We were concentrating so hard on getting our house ready and enticing people to want to live there that I kind of forgot that we then needed to find a place. So, our house-hunting frenzy began--for about a week.

We found a wonderful house in Chanhassen. Chanhassen! Where is Chanhassen, you say?!? As my mother-in-law said, "I was looking at the map of the Twin Cities and I swear Chanhassen is almost to South Dakota!" Well, not quite. It is a wonderful little suburb on the west side of Minneapolis (just west of Eden Prairie). It is only a mere 15 to 20 minutes from our house now.

If you would like to check it out, click here. You will see that it was voted the best town to raise a family in by Family Circle magazine (one of the top 10 in the country!) and the best town to live in by Money Magazine in 2005.

We close on our little house on May 14. I have not really come to grips yet that we are going to be leaving this house forever. It has been a wonderful home for us for the past 11 years. We got engaged (in the living room), married while living here, raised our babies here. This house has been the backdrop to a lot of our history (and photos).

Now, it is time for packing.... ugh!

For Sale

2010-03-04T16:59:00.001-08:00

Well avid readers, yes, this is a new post. I realize that I have left you hanging for a little while.

We have been hip deep in dry walling, painting, cleaning, and generally clearing out our house to get it ready for putting it on the market. What a month it has been! It officially went on the market today.

I firmly believe that all members of the family need to pitch in for this process, so here are Claudia's wonderful efforts to help out. Wilson's role has been more "supervisory."

Babies No More

2010-01-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

I feel like it has just dawned on me in the last couple of days that we don't have a baby anymore. We are now the parents of a preschooler and a toddler. The kids seem to have grown up more in the past month than in the six months before that.

I am amazed that we are going to have to register Claudia for kindergarten one year from now. How is it possible that she is going to be in elementary school in a year and a half? I am so excited for her to start on that path--new friends, adventures, learning. I must admit that I am sad too that she isn't my little baby girl anymore. (Well, I tell her she will always be my baby girl, but you know what I mean.)

I have also found it very hard to know how I should be parenting her lately. She still is just 3, but she seems to be "maturing" well beyond what I expected her to be at 3. She still has the temper tantrums (almost daily) but she is also wanting to be more independent from me, which isn't all that different from before, but what is different is that she can actually do so much more independently than she used to.

I am trying to give her the independence that she craves. I am trying to step back and let her try things her way even if it isn't the way I would do it. It is hard. I keep questioning if I am guiding her enough or being to strict.

If anyone has any advice or wants to commiserate with me, leave me a comment. Please!

Let's Dance!

2010-01-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

Claudia and Wilson LOVE to dance. Take a look! (Oh, and sorry for my annoying commentary.)

Wilson Is Officially a Walker

2010-01-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

No, I didn't get any paternity results back. There really wasn't any need for that; the evidence was pretty clear when he was born and looked exactly like Claudia. But, our little guy is walking all the time now.

It is pretty amazing to think that just a year ago he was just basically still an eating/sleeping/pooping lump-a very cute lump, but still just a tiny lil' babe.

One peculiar habit that he is displaying is that he holds his arms very high out in front of him as he walks. I am assuming that it is for balance, but it does look just a little funny.

Way to go little monkey!

New Look

2010-01-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I am trying out a new look for the blog. What do you think? Any comments? I know that I have at least 2 people that read this still. (Hi Grandma and Sandy!)

Goldfish or Elephant?

2010-01-08T14:39:00.001-08:00

I have heard that a goldfish has such a short memory that by the time one swims in a circle they forget that they just did it and so swim in circles all day. Do they think, "Wow, this looks cool, I think I'll swim this way!" each time? Sad.

I have also heard that elephants have such amazing memories that they can find a watering hole when the only other time they visited it was when they were tiny calves many, many years before. Cool.

I have found that Claudia alternates between having a memory like a goldfish and an elephant daily (or hourly or by the minute). We can have a conversation like:

Me: Claudia, get your coat we are going to go.

C: Where are we going Mama?

Me: inevitably: Target.

2.2 seconds later...

Me: Claudie. Go. Get. Your. Coat.

C: Why? Where are we going?

Did we just circle around the fishbowl?

Then there are other times that that she will remember a place that we have visited once or she will remember something I told her in passing weeks before. She at times will pick up and continue a conversation that was started days before.

Did we just find the watering hole?

Say Cheese!

2009-12-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

The annual Christmas card photo dilemma was upon us again! I don't know why, but every year I think, "we simply must have a wonderful photo to put on our Christmas card!" Every year I set about the morning of the photo getting kid(s) ready: a bath, ironing clothes, drying hair, applying hair products. Really, I should just give it up.

This year, I had the bright idea of going to the St. Paul Conservatory for the photos. I thought it would be nice to get a picture in the "sunken garden" room, which always has a beautiful arrangement for seasonal flowers. This year was no different. The garden was filled with thousands of Poinsettias--truly gorgeous!

After admiring the beautiful flowers, we set about to make an equally beautiful photo of our children. This was not so easy. Poor Wilson, I forgot when I was dressing Wilson in an adorable snowman sweater that the Conservatory is a greenhouse and thus very warm. Although, his warmth really did not stop his desire to, shall we say, "explore" his surroundings. His explorations could not be stopped even when it was most undesirable, like when we needed him to stay still for a picture.

Here are a couple examples:

Claudia and Wilson also saw a number of things that they needed to draw our attention to, which of course, requires pointing:

Finally, there was the general pulling and pushing that siblings must now and then inflict at inopportune moments:

We did manage to find a couple of photos that worked--out of the 176(!) that we took. When you receive your Christmas card from us this year, you will notice that none of the photos on the card have both Claudia and Wilson smiling at the camera at the same time, but now you know that it wasn't from a lack of effort on the part of their parents.

Next year, it's going to be a text-only card!

Stylin'

2009-12-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

It goes a little something like this every morning at the Walker household: Claudia wakes up, walks to the bottom of the stairs leading up to our room and flicks on the (very, very bright) overhead light in our room. She says, "Mom, come down here now. I want my breakfast and can you turn on my show?"

After my eyes adjust to the blinding light, I get out of bed. We get breakfast and then we go into Claudia's room. She picks out her outfit. I try to steer her in certain directions (mostly unsuccessfully), like to avoid too many competing patterns or to wear weather-appropriate clothing. I hold firm to not allowing her to wear just shorts in the cold, although she can wear shorts over her pants, which she does (often).

Then we sit down to do her hair. She sits on one of her white chairs and I spray detangler and try to comb without pulling too hard. (Lord, I remember my mom or dad just about giving me migraines when they did my hair when I was little--didn't they have detangler?!?)

Wilson is normally up for this routine. He busies himself in a number of (un)constructive ways, like pulling out all of Claudia's clothes from her drawers or putting things in his mouth that just shouldn't go there. Well, that is until recently. Now Wilson has become a surprisingly willing participant in the morning beauty routine.

Here's a visual representation of the routine:

First, you spray the detangler:

Then you brush:

It always helps to applaud your stylist:

Final product: ADORABLE!

Toy Hall of Fame

2009-11-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

Apparently there is a National Toy Hall of Fame. Inductees to this Hall of Fame include such favorites as the Big Wheel, Slinky, Etch A Sketch, as well as, the stick, cardboard box, and ball. I would like to nominate the common household dishwasher.

As evidence of the overwhelming enjoyment derived from this wonderful toy, please see exhibits A., B., and C. below:

Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Exhibit C:
Do I have a second?

Good Vs. Bad (According to Wilson)

2009-11-17T11:34:00.001-08:00

First birthday cake tastes: Good, very, very good!

Blue marker tastes: Bad, very, very bad!

What did we do before the internet?

2009-10-21T12:41:00.001-07:00

Yep, I know. It has been a while since my last post. This time it really wasn't my fault. We decided that Time Warner had received enough of our money and so we made a switch in Internet service.

The new service is great (thank you, City of Minneapolis for the foresight to have citywide WI-FI!). What wasn't so great is that it took 3 weeks for them to get out and install the service. The 3 week wait was an eternity! I had the same feelings as when the power goes out and you walk into a dark room and flick on the light switch. I would be thinking, "oh, I need to google _____. Oh, yeah, I can't." Or, "I should look up that number. Wait! I have to get out the phone book? Where is that thing?"

So, that is why there hasn't been a post.

A couple of updates from the past 3 weeks:
Wilson stood up in the middle of the room without holding on to anything. And, I am pretty sure that he now says, "Mom" or "Momma" and it is actually directed at me. That really is one of the coolest things!

Cleanest Kids in the Land

2009-09-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

I may have the makings of a child with O.C.D. on my hands. Claudia is slightly obsessed (well, really that is an understatement, but I am trying not to be overly dramatic here) with taking baths these days. If she had it her way, she would take a bath in the morning after she wakes up, one after lunch before her nap, one after her nap, and one before bed.

I don't know if it is really a desire to germ and dirt free or if it is that I am that boring to be around that she has to find entertainment in the tub, or if she is just taking after her dad and really loving to "swim."

Well, I should clarify, she would only be taking after her dad if we are talking about him after the age of 12 or so when he started swimming year round. Apparently, so he says, he only took a bath once a week when he was growing up. I find this hard to believe because Sandy, Scott's mom, is so clean herself. I have often commented that she keeps her house so nice and clean that I would literally eat off her garage floor. (I am not kidding!)

Also, she often gives the kids baths when she is visiting, and not just once a week. Sometimes, citing the cause for the bath to be that the "kids smell like tomato soup." Come on, admit it, you know the smell--although I think that they smell a little more like chicken noodle soup.

If Scott really did only take a bath once a week, he must have been one really soupy smelling kid!

Stinky

2009-09-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

So this morning I was in Claudia's room helping her get dressed for the day. I had not done my morning routine yet. Here is what happened next:

Claudia: Scrunching her face up: Pee-ewh! You have something in your mouth that is stinky!!!

Me: What? I haven't eaten anything!

Claudia: Something in your mouth is really stinky!

Me: Realization dawning: Oh, I guess it is my breath. I haven't brushed my teeth yet.

Claudia: Yeah, your breath IS STINKY! STINKY! STINKY!

oh, so sad for me.

Busted!

2009-09-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Last night right before Claudia's bed time I was in our kitchen and for some reason the chocolate chip cookies in the cupboard were just relentlessly calling my name! I decided to eat one (just to shut them up!) but, I did not want Claudia to see me. I try to avoid a large dose of sugar immediately before putting her to bed as I have found that it does really help with the whole going to bed thing.

So, I quickly gobbled it up, but made the mistake of walking out of the kitchen and sitting down on the couch next to Claudia before I was completely done chewing the last bite. Here is what followed:

Claudia: What's that in your mouth? What are you eating?

Me: Nothing!!

Claudia: No, I can smell chocolate in your mouth. What are you eating?

Me: Laughing very hard: Oh my gosh, you busted me!

Claudia then proceeded to make me open my mouth and breath on her so she could smell the chocolate again.

Wow, she like a bloodhound for chocolate! I guess I will have to eat ALL my cookies in the kitchen and then brush my teeth next time.

Yes, I realize that I took the summer off...

2009-09-15T10:25:00.001-07:00

I have heard from my avid readers (hi Grandma and Gran Sandy!) that you were missing the updates on the Walker family. I guess I reverted back to my childhood and took the summer off along with Claudia.

Alas, Claudia started her first day of preschool today and I supposed that I should get back to my homework as well. But, I keep thinking, "could fall be here already?" and "is Wilson really going to be turning one in just a month and a half?" It just seems like the summer couldn't really be over yet!?!

We did have a fantastic summer. Wilson had a lot of "firsts" like: crawling, standing up on his own, and crawling up the stairs. He also grew so much hair this summer! I need to get him a haircut, but I have been putting it off because I feel like that will change him from just a lil' babe to a little big boy.

Claudia was home with Wilson and I this summer. I have to admit that I was a little worried that she was going to get quite bored with just her old mom and little brother to keep her company, but that was not the case. We were busier than I thought possible--so many picnics and playdates. Why is it that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when eaten outside at a picnic is so much more exciting than when eaten at home? I don't know, but I am thankful that is the case!

We finished off our summer with a FANTASTIC trip to the New Jersey shore with Grandma Sandy and Auntie Amy and Uncle Bret. We had a great time even though the sun did not shine on us one time! (Well, that's not entirely true, the skies cleared as we were driving off the island to go home.) You can see a slide show of the vacation photos on the upper right corner.

Well, I am feeling a bit rusty at this. Please forgive me. I guess it will take me a couple of homework assignments to get back in the swing of things.

Honestly, Too Cute

2009-06-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Claudia and I just ran to the grocery store to get some milk. She loves the store we went to because they have child-size carts. She was walking up and down the aisles pushing the cart with one hand and in the other she had her "phone," (which was actually a calculator that she found at home today) pressed to her ear and she was saying, "Yeah, yeah...yeah, I am at the store."

Honestly, too cute.

Perhaps I Shouldn't Have...

2009-06-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

taught Claudia driving rules.

Yes, this is another post about the car. I seem to have many, many posts about driving, playing or "parenting" in the car. Hmmm. I guess we may be spending too much time in or around the car.

So, Claudia has become a bit of a back seat driver. I am the only one to blame. I decided that I would teach her the rules of the road: red light means stop, green light means go. Seemed harmless enough. I also thought that it would help with her yelling from the back seat, "Mama, GO! I want to GO!" when we were stopped at a stop light.

You would think that it was pretty obvious that I couldn't go because there was a large car or truck in front of me. But what is obvious to an adult isn't that way to an almost 3 year old. I often and repeatedly had to explain that if I drove forward and "bumped" into the car in front of us, the car would break and we couldn't drive ANYWHERE and that includes school, Noodles, the library, etc. We would be stuck at home.

This (I think) wonderful explanation would prompt Claudia to say, "Why?" I took her meaning to be, "Why won't the car in front of us GO?" So, I taught her red light/green light.

Now when we are driving she will shout, "Mama, it's greeeen!" Many times it is, sometimes it isn't. Or, if we are stopped and I am doing a little daydreaming at a red light, Claudia will shake me out of my reverie with a "Mom, it's greeen, GO!" I have to say most of the time, she is right, it is green, but it is just green for the other cars. You know, there is almost always a green light visible at a stoplight, it just isn't always a green for you to go.

Favorite Toy

2009-05-31T14:24:00.001-07:00

Claudia has a new favorite toy(s)--our cars. She is truly obsessed with getting in and out of them, unlocking the doors, and pretending to drive.

The other weekend I was gardening all afternoon and Claudia spent the entire time playing with the cars. At one point, she went into the house, found the spare set of Scott's keys, (they were stuffed in our "junk drawer") found the correct key and inserted it in the lock and opened the door! I asked Scott if he helped her find the keys or if he at least told her where they were and he did not.

I overheard her talking all afternoon to Cole. They must have gone to Target and Home Depot 20 times that day.

That same day one of our neighbors was walking by and we were discussing Claudia's new obsession and she said that she saw Scott just standing by the car one day after work and she was worried that Claudia had locked herself in the car, but then she realized that Scott did not look panicked so she assumed that all was well.

He will often stand by the car patiently waiting while she plays for a half hour. Oh lucky girl to have such a patient father! I think that she will test his patience when she turns 16 and actually can reach the pedals and legally operate a car. Oh! that thought literally turns my stomach!

A Poop-tastic Lesson

2009-05-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

I think that it is best to spare you the details and instead let Claudia's question to me as I was drying her (thoroughly disinfected body) off last night sum up a bath time incident.

Claudia: Mama, why did my baby brother poop in my bath? [I should say that her tone was not angry or accusatory, but just inquisitive.]

Before I could stop laughing she answered the question herself.

Claudia: I know, sometimes babies just poop on you.

What an interesting life lesson. We all know that sometimes poop happens (this is a G-rated blog). Many times, I like to think, that it isn't personal it just happens. It may happen when you least expect it, like when you are trying to get clean in a bath, but you just need to recognize that sometimes people poop on you.

So, thank you, baby Wilson for the interesting and quite literal life lesson. I was greatly impressed with how well your sister handled your little test.

Crazy May

2009-05-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Yes we are still here! We made it through the May birthdays and events extravaganza. Whew!

Each May, we run a bit of a gauntlet of birthdays and events. It starts with Claudia's and Wilson's cousin, Brynne's birthday on May 9, then it is Auntie Amy's birthday on May 14, then cousin Zack's birthday on May 17 and finally Auntie's Sarah's birthday on May 19. Also, each year Mother's Day in somewhere in the mix. This year, we also had a special visitor, Grammy, all the way from France for a couple of weeks.

Hence, you can hopefully see why I haven't had too much free time to tell you about the happenings at the Walker household.

I do have a String Bean update: Wilson had his six month appointment and has maintained his "slim" stature. He weighed 14 lbs. 12 oz. and was 27- 1/4 inches, which puts him at the 20th percentile for weight and 75th for height.

We have started solid foods and much to my relief he is not taking after his sister's, shall we say, picky food preferences. He has eaten everything, although the baby food broccoli wasn't a big hit. I guess I can't really blame him.

More soon.

Does it really start this early? Really?

2009-04-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was feeding Wilson and Claudia was in the basement with Scott. She came upstairs and we had the following conversation:

C: Mom, Dad is bawthering me.

Me: Dad is what? He's bawthering you?

C: No, Dad is bawthering me.

Me: Oh, he's bothering you?

C: Yes.

Me: What is he doing to bother you?

C: He keeps saying Todd-ee, Todd-ee, Todd-ee. [translation: Claudia can't say her c's so she says Todd-ee-a for Claudia or Todd-ee for Claudie.)

Me: Oh, kidd0, Daddy doesn't mean to bother you. He is just saying your name. [I must admit that I don't like it when Scott does this to me, but I thought better than to tell her that. You know, keep a united front and all.] Did you tell him that it bothered you when he said your name like that?

C: Yes.

I spoke to Scott about this later and I guess Claudia did indeed tell him to "stop bawthering her." I really did think that we had at least a couple more years before we bothered her. Oh well.

(Un)imaginary Friends

2009-04-24T13:03:00.001-07:00

I know that many children have imaginary friends. I recently met a four-year-old boy who had an imaginary friend, Jeff, who is a police officer. This little boy's mother did not know where or why her son got the name and they don't know any police officers. Apparently, Jeff does come in handy at times because he will keep the little boy "in line" by correcting his bad behavior. (Are you thinking what I immediately thought: "where can I get a Jeff?")

Claudia has some "imaginary" friends as well. I put the imaginary in quotes because her friends are actually friends from school that are living, breathing humans, but they often come to play at our house in Claudia's mind. Cole, Jack Henry, and Jackson are frequent visitors. They are adorable, little boys who are right around Claudia's age. They play together at school and Claudia frequently says that they are her best friends.

Typically, Cole, Jack Henry and Jackson will pop in at our house unannounced, sometimes in the middle of lunch or perhaps in the middle of a conversation. Claudia will turn to me and say, "Cole's here." I then play along and say, "Hi Cole, glad you could come and play with us." One night Cole and Jack Henry slept over. Claudia laid out two set of pjs for them--pink and green footie pajamas--and brought them to bed with her. In the morning, I was cleaning up her bed and went to put the pjs back in her drawer and she informed me that they were dirty and needed to go in the laundry basket because Cole and Jack Henry wore them to bed.

When she is talking to her friends, she often uses a very sweet voice, much like the voice she talks to Wilson in--her "mommy voice."

I haven't yet had to make an extra plate for dinner or really go the "extra mile" to accommodate our guests. Yesterday, however, I did commit a grave faux pas. We were getting out of the car at home and I unbuckled Claudia and went around to get Wilson. I heard Claudia using her "mommy voice" and re-buckling her seat belt on her car seat. I walked around to help her get out and then closed the car door. At that moment Claudia let our a scream, "MOM! MOM! No! Cole's in there! Cole can't get out!" She had huge tears instantly running down her cheeks. I immediately opened the door and Claudia asked me to unbuckle Cole so that he could get out. Whew!

I did not have imaginary friends when I was growing up. I guess I wasn't that imaginative. I certainly only try to encourage Claudia's creativity, but at times I can't help feeling like this whole imaginary friends things is a little "I see dead people"/Sixth Sense-y. I try not to get creeped out, but I often what to ask her, "You don't really see them, right?"

Holding Hands

2009-04-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

I think like most people I am often doing one thing and thinking about a million other things at the same time. There are times when I snap out of this bad habit and become much more "present" and can just focus on what I am doing at that moment. One thing that seems to do the trick most often is when I get to hold Claudia's or Wilson's hand.

It is one of my most favorite things, especially on a cool, crisp morning when I am walking Claudia in to school. We have a rule that she must hold hands in parking lots, for obvious reasons. I particularly enjoy when I don't have to remind her of our rule and she just reaches up and takes my hand--the air is cool and her hand is always so warm. I gently squeeze her hand in mine, my fingers wrap perfectly around her little palm. When this happens I find myself thinking, "remember this, remember this feeling."

Another time that I cherish is when Wilson is nursing and he reaches up and grabs my finger and holds it tightly in his tiny, little hand. He normally only does this when he is tired and getting nestled in for a long sleep. His eyes are closed and he looks so content. I listen to his breath and it is like a little lullaby for me.

I don't know when I will abolish the hand holding rule, but I hope that I can enforce it for a number of more years. I know that I need a reminder to slow down and enjoy, or really savor my kids.

If you have read this far, I thank you for indulging my sentimentality. (Maybe I have a future in Hallmark Greeting cards?)

She's Going to Kill Us for Posting This (One Day)...

2009-04-10T14:30:00.001-07:00

This is photo was taken without her knowledge. I guess she is really taking after her daddy.

Two-Seven Needs to Eat Too, Right?

2009-04-07T16:50:00.001-07:00

Rock Stars!

2009-04-06T09:03:00.001-07:00

Yes, that is right! We went rock climbing! Claudia was a champ, as you can see. I was amazed at how she actually understood the purpose of rock climbing. She was really trying to climb up the wall--reaching with her arms and placing her feet on the rocks.

The place that we went has automatic harness/rope mechanisms. They operate kind of like a seat belt, so as you climb, they retract and when you fall they slowly release you to the ground. However, Claudia is right at the threshold for minimum weight and so you will see that she had a red rope attached to her harness that we had to keep hold of in case the ropes tried to pull her up to the top!

I think my favorite part of the whole thing is her headband/sweatband. She really looks like a professional, or Jane Fonda circa 1980 (you decide).

Here are some other photos from the day. Auntie Amy was visiting from Maryland and she rocked at this rock climbing! Of course, Scott did really well too!

Sweet, little Wilson enjoyed all the activity and the colorful walls.

Macaroni Monster

2009-03-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

I think that I have created a monster--a macaroni monster. Let's just say that Claudia is a bit of a picky eater. She has certain foods that she likes and she will occasionally eat them. One food that I can get her to eat on a regular basis is macaroni n' cheese. Her very favorite place to get this tasty dish is "Noodles & Co." Claudia has a short-hand for the name, "Roni."

During the winter in Minnesota, sometimes stay-at-home moms are short on indoor activities for kids. There are only so many places to go and trying to discover a new game to play in the same four walls of your house just isn't possible. That is when you pack up the kids and go and get lunch just to get out of the house.

It has been a long and cold winter in Minnesota.

So, I guess I inadvertently created a monster by going to "Roni" more than I should have. Now, Claudia almost has a Pavlovian response every time we get in the car and she will say, "can we go get 'roni, mamma?"

When Gran was in town from Philly, she had to eat "Roni" 5 times (she was only here for 12 days-you do the math)! We are such frequent diners at our local "Roni" that one time we walked in and one of the employees ran over to us and asked, "did you leave a baby's hat here?" And, we had. I was very thankful, but also a little mortified that we ate there so much that they recognized us the instant we walked in the door. I wonder if they think, "oh, here is that mom again who obviously can't cook lunch for her kids!"

Since that incident, I have taken to trying to change up the "Roni"s that we go to. I think that in the past 2 weeks, we have gone to 4 different "Roni"s. Thank goodness it is a chain restaurant! Although, I now feel a bit like a drug addict that has to spread out the places that we go to for "hits."

Summer truly can't come soon enough! I wonder if I am going to have to put Claudia in treatment for 'roni withdrawal?

Breaking News!

2009-03-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

Wilson just rolled from his back to his tummy! If you are an avid reader, as I am sure you are(!), you know that Wilson has been rolling from his tummy to his back for awhile, but this is the first time that he did it the other way! While I was quite proud of him, he was quite upset to be on his tummy (I guess he forgot that he could roll to his back).

Way to go little monkey!

We're Back!

2009-03-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since our last post! We were sidelined a bit by some visitors--Gran from Philly and some illness bugs from H-E-(double hockey sticks).

Gran came all the way from Philly for a visit and she showered us with lots of love and gifts; and we kindly repaid her by giving her a going away present of the stomach flu. Actually, this is not the first time that we have been so generous with Gran. It seems like just about every other time that Gran visits we give her this type of "gift." She must really love Claudia and Wilson to keep coming back for more visits!

Fortunately, neither Claudia nor Wilson actually got this flu bug (just Scott and I), but poor Wilson did get two ear infections and TWO teeth! Yep! Two teeth at four and a half months! I have to tell you that as a nursing mother, I could have done without teeth this early.

Finally, we think that Wilson might just be famous! We all went with Grandpa to the WCHA hockey tournament semi-final game today. As part of the fun, they have "Dance Mania," where they play music and film people dancing to show on the jumbo-tran. Wilson, along with Grandpa in the background, made it onto the jumbo-tran! I don't know if I just imagined it (due to motherly-pride), but I do believe I heard an "ahhh!" from the fans in the stadium.

More soon....

Doctor's Report

2009-02-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

Wilson had his 4 month check-up on Wednesday. Our doctor's official opinion is that Wilson is a bit of a "string bean." He is 25-3/4 inches long and 13 lbs. 5 oz. This puts him in the 20th percentile for weight and 75th for height.

This is very similar to how Claudia has grown. They both are really taking after me.

Ha-ha! Boy! I can barely type that without laughing!

During our doctor's visit I came to the realization that these routine check-ups make me nervous. I feel like they are a parenting test. I prepare my answers and some thoughtful questions ahead of time. I try to give additional information that may win me some extra credit. For instance, when our doctor asked if Wilson is moving and squirming around a lot, I added, "oh yes, he is rolling from his tummy to back. He has been doing that for about a month already!"

I even did the dreaded mommy quick spit face clean up. You know, when you think that you only have a second to clean up an ishy on baby's face so you lick your finger and wipe it off. Oh, god! I hated it when my mom did that!

So, I did not get a visit from Children's Protective Services after the visit, so I must have received a passing grade. I think that the extra credit helped.

Pee-Pee in the Potty!

2009-02-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Yes! Yes! That is right! Claudia is using the potty!

We had a potty party on Sunday. What's a potty party, you say? Well, it involves teaching a dolly to use the potty (including such stage props as prunes for poopy) and a potty chart with stickers and lots and lots of treats and liquids.

Claudia greatly enjoyed her potty party, although we discovered that she was not keen on actually peeing in the potty. She would sit on the potty and then jump up and say "I went potty! I went potty!" without actually leaving anything in the potty.

So, it looked like the potty party was planned a little too early. I decided that we would try again in a month or two.

Then yesterday, Claudia saw her underwear and said that she wanted to wear it. I was envisioning another day of pretend peeing. Then much to my surprise, she went into the bathroom and ran out and said that she really did go potty. I went in to check it out and much to my delight there was indeed pee-pee in the potty! I don't think that I have ever been so excited to see pee! We danced and sang, "Claudie went pee-pee in the potty!" and then we got treats.

She later went poopy too!

All in all, a very good day! Way to go Claudie!!

Will You...

2009-02-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

....BE MY VALENTINE?

How can you resist? Happy Valentine's Day!!

Rare Male Marsupial Found...

2009-02-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

Scientist photographed a rare and highly-prized male marsupial today. This specimen was found on a not-so-remote frozen tundra in North America. Scientists believe that this may be the first photograph of this type of creature performing this complex task (dusting).

(The most simple explanation for this photograph is that Claudia became quite jealous of Wilson when he was riding in the Baby Bjorn on his momma while she was vaccuming, so, of course, the most logical remedy is to ride in a sling on daddy while he dusts, RIGHT?)

15 Random Things!

2009-02-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

I am taking this idea from a friend of mine-- thank you, Jamie (I have a link to her blog in my blog list). Although Jamie was a little more adventurous and has 25 random things on her blog.

I was also inspired to do this after a conversation with another friend of mine, Emily (I also have a link to her blog) after she was saying that she tries to "burn into her memory" the cute or endearing things that her daughter, Lucy, does so when Lucy is a teenager Emily can try very hard to remember those things during "tiresome teenage moments."

Claudia:
1)We chose Claudia's first name from a book, "The Perfect Baby Name," which says that if you repeat sounds in a first and last name it is easier for people to remember. The "aw" in Claudia is similar to the "w" in Walker.
2)Claudia's middle name is Mac Laren. It is the Scottish clan name for my maiden name, Lawson.
3)She was born on June 30, the same birthday as her uncle, Eric.
4)She was very nice to her momma, as she only made me push for 10 minutes.
5)Her whole labor and delivery was only 6 hours, 40 minutes.
6)She was also a peanut, weighing only 6 lbs., 1 oz.
7)She has no birthmarks and very few freckles.
8)She was born with steely blue eyes and her eye color changed up until she was about 7 months old (her passport, which she got at 6 months says she has blue eyes). Her eyes are hazel now (just like her paternal grandma).
9) She did not eat any fruit until about 4 months ago, when she started to occasionally eat apple slices, but she will drink any kind of fruit juice.
10)One of her favorite things is when you make up a song about people she knows, really all it is is just singing everyone's name to a different beat.
11)She loves to sing as well, I will often hear her singing, "Tinkle, Tinkle is a star."
12)She LOVES to go to home depot and recognizes home depot commericals on t.v.
13)She likes to pretend to drive a car and is always going to Target to get food or Home Depot.
14)Instead of saying the she peed, she says that she "peeped."
15)She is a very good mommy to her Two-Seven. I often hear her singing songs to her dolly and she will nurse her as well.

Wilson:
1) Wilson's first name was first paternal great-grandfather's name.
2)His middle name, Coulter, is his maternal grandfather's and great-grandfather's middle names. It was the maiden name of one of his great, great-grandmother's.
4)He has stork-bite birthmarks on the back of his neck.
5)He decided that it was time to start to make his entrance into the world while I was shopping at Target (thankfully, he waited to really arrive until I was at the hospital).
6)He as a very average sized baby-- 7 lbs. and 4 oz. and was in the 50 percentile for his weight, length and head circumference.
7) He still his a very average sized infant--measuring 50% at all his subsequent visits.
8) He was also very nice to his mommy and only made me push for about 5 minutes.
9)His whole labor and delivery was 10 hours.
10)He was born on the same day as his paternal grandmother- October 25 (just 3 hours shy of my birthday).
11) He laughed for the first time on Sunday, February 1. (It was one of the best sounds that I have ever heard!)
12)His favorite person to look at is his sister.
13)When he smiles, he often wrinkles up his face and sticks his tongue out a little.
14)As a newborn, he had a very little cry and sounded like a kitten meowing.
15)He clasps his hands (like he is praying) when he nurses.

First Bath Together and Other Fun Things...

2009-01-31T07:35:00.000-08:00

Claudia and Wilson shared their first bath together this week. As you can see, Wilson did not particularly enjoy this "first."

This, I have to admit, saddened me because I was reminded the other day during a conversation with my sister how much fun we used to have in the bath together. We would lure an unsuspecting pet, normally one our much too tolerant cats, into the bathroom and then, oh so "accidently," the cat would inadvertently "fall" into the tub! Or, we would drain the water out of the tub and soap it up and slip and slide around the tub. Although, now that I think about it, I do seem to remember that I normally ended up being in the back and taking the brunt of the forceful push-offs that sent us flying across that porcelin mini-autoban. Ah, memories....

Back to the present. Claudia and Scott have found a new special place to play in--the "Super Tent." I don't know who came up with the name, but I do know that they normally spend a little time in it each night when Scott comes home from work. It is located in the basement and constructed of couch cushions and blankets.

Playing in a tent must be something that only dads can enjoy with their kids. It must bring back the long last boy scout days or something. I don't know, but to me, sitting on the floor and crouching down in a small space leaves a lot to be desired. What a good dad and husband to spare me this!

Breaking News!

2009-01-30T10:26:00.000-08:00

A milestone has been reached at the Walker household! Wilson has rolled over from his tummy to his back! Yeah, Baby Wilson!

A Post From Scott:

2009-01-26T16:42:00.000-08:00

This is daddy's first post, so it may not be as witty as mommy's, but I'll do my best.

My - how times have changed since we grew up. We didn't have VCR's or Microwaves, let alone a camera. In these modern times, Claudia has found a new hobby - digital photography. Once in a while we let Cluadia snap a few pictures with our old camera, and surprisingly she gets some pretty cute shots (probably about one in ten, which is about what Rachael and I average when taking pictures). Anyhow - this is a picture of Claudia taking a picture of her favorite new subject - Baby Wilson!

Daddy Duties

2009-01-23T18:57:00.000-08:00

I don't know how it happened, but Scott has become the bathgiver at our house. Claudia and Scott will spend what seems like hours in the bathroom. Claudia will get all wrinkled and cold from sitting in the bath so long, but they just love it.

I normally stay out of the bathroom during baths, first and foremost, because our bathroom doesn't accommodate much more than one and a half people (it is what my grandpa would call a 'one butt' bathroom) and I think that it is nice for Scott to have something that only he does with the kids.

I have always had the inkling that Claudia likes this time alone with her dad, but an exchange that Claudia and I had last night confirmed this.

Scene: Me standing in the bathroom running the bath water, in walks Claudia.
Claudia: "Oh, you're in here."
Me: "Yes, I am running your bath water."
Claudia: "You should go, I just want daddy."
End of scene: Me trying not to feel hurt walking out of the bathroom.

So, that got me a little curious about what is so fantastic about daddy's bath-giving skills. I waited a little while and then went in to check it out.

Here is what I found.

Yep, that is Scott getting his hair shampooed and rinsed. No wonder Claudia likes when she has bath time with daddy.

(Oh, and if you look just over Scott's right shoulder, you will see floating face down in the water another of Claudia's dolls, "Rubber Baby." This unfortunate, little doll got its name because Scott and I would say to each other, "Oh, will you get that rubber baby so Claudia can give it a bath?")

Some News

2009-01-19T15:42:00.001-08:00

This seems to be the best way to inform you of a very major decision at the Walker household. I have decided not to return to my position at the museum and instead join the ranks of the full-time moms!

I have agonized over this decision--I love the museum and have always felt very honored to work there. However, I know how quickly kids grow up--I can't believe that Claudia is turning 3 on her next birthday(!)-- and I feel like I would regret not staying at home with Claudia and Wilson if I had the opportunity to.

So, we are off on a new adventure! I am thrilled (and I must admit a little scared)!

More time to blog--lucky you!

I Suffer from Some Guilt

2009-01-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

As a second child, I have often given my parents a hard time about the lack of photos of me as a child. There are ample professional photos of my sister, Sarah, at age appropriate intervals. I think that the first professional photo of me was taken at around age 5 (of course with my sister in it). (You can stop the violin playing now.)

I vowed to myself that I would treat my second child differently. In looking at the posts that I have submitted so far, I realize that I have failed thus far. So, please enjoy a photo of Wilson--a very sweet and blog-neglected little boy.

Please meet Two-Seven and Two-Eight!

2009-01-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

Here they are!

Two-Seven is on the left and Two-Eight is on the right.

Many of you have asked about these little dollies and wondered why Claudia named her dolls numbers. We really don't have a good explanation except that she is learning to count at school and we get quite excited every time she counts.

Some more about Claudia...

2009-01-15T08:15:00.000-08:00

Claudia seems to pick up new words and phrases daily. She has recently adopted a new phrase that she thinks works to excuse her doing all manner of things-- "I can't, I have full hands." "Full hands" have stopped her from eating, putting on boots, hats, mittens, picking up toys (the list goes on and on).

I have tried to use the phrase on her to no avail.

Scott and I have also noticed that Claudia is sort of freakishly strong. Last night, Claudia wanted to play with her Dora doll house in the living room, I should be more precise, she wanted to play right in the center of the living room where the coffee table is located. Scott told her that he could move the table a bit to accommodate her dollhouse. Claudia agreed and promptly picked up the end of the 20+ pound coffee table and dragged it across the living room about 4 feet. Please keep in mind that Claudia is a bit of a string bean and probably only outweighs that coffee table by about 8 pounds.

I know that I would certainly have trouble picking up something that was 2/3 of my bodyweight, which would equal ah, 60 pounds :)

The Best Thing About Winter in Minnesota...

2009-01-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

THE HATS!!

What else?

2009-01-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

My second post, oh, this is fun! Are you having fun yet?

Claudia has picked up a new phrase, "What else?" I think that this may be a more mature version of her previous stage of asking "why?" I never thought that I would yearn for the days of "why" but, that might be the case.

Here's why:

In my experience, I have found that the "why" questions lead me down a path--at times circuitous--but, at least, a foreseeable path. Why is normally always answered with a "because" so, all you have to do is come up with the answer. Generally the questions are fairly common with well-known, predictable answers. With the "what else" there is the pressure of coming up with new material.

To illustrate my point:

A typical "why" exchange:

Me: Claudia, you need to eat something, anything!

Claudia: Why?

Me: Because if you don't you will wilt away.

Claudia: Why?

Me: Because all people need to eat food.

So on and so forth.

A true life "What else?" example:

While driving in the car on the way home from Grandpa's 60th birthday party:

Claudia: Sing abc's.

Scott & I: Ok. (We proceed to sing the song.)

After the end of the song

Claudia: What else?

Scott and I sang "Happy Birthday," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," "You Are My Sunshine," etc., etc., etc. Every time after we finished, she followed it with "What else?" Scott and I started to run out of songs to sing. Claudia then started to yell, "What else, What else, What else!!!!" I literally became panicked! Thank God by that time we pulled up to the house or I was prepared to break into "Paul Revere" by the Beastie Boys (sing along with me now: "Looking for a girl, I ran into a guy. His name is M.C.A., I said 'Howdy,' he said 'Hi....'")

Of course, the "whys" will sometimes make you wonder if you child is mature enough for particular answers.

Again while driving in the car

Claudia: Yook mama! A boy!

Me: Yes, that is a boy.

Claudia: Why?

Me: (internal dialogue: Do I answer with God? Biology? What?!?)

My Tutti Frutti Cuties!

2009-01-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay! So, we haven't been the best at sending photos of our children or sharing special stories. We know this and feel guilty about it more often than you can imagine. Scott and I decided that we would try this to see if this would help keep all our friends and family in far off places (France, Philly, Maryland, Brooklyn) and not so far off places up-to-date on the goings on at the Walker household.

There are just a couple of caveats: one: I don't make any promises on the frequency of posts and two: I make no promises that my grammar or spelling will always be correct.

So, if you are okay with those two things, join us for this little adventure!

Here they are! Claudia and Wilson Walker. Currently, Claudia is two and a half (going on 16) and Wilson is 10 weeks.

I keep hearing from other mothers that each age in childhood is better than the last. I don't know if that is true, but I sure do love toddlerhood. Of course Claudia has her moments, but even in those moments you have to step back and think, "what if we all showed and felt our emotions as openly and freely as a toddler?" Sometimes I would love to just throw myself on the floor and scream, cry and kick my legs when I don't get my way. Or I love when Claudia gets so excited about something that she actually screams and shakes all over!

Here are a couple of my favorite Claudiaisms:

One: I love the way that she pronounces all words that start with "L" as if they start with "Y." So, "look" turns into "yook" and "Lilly" is "Yilly."

Two: When she asks you a question, she follows it with, "yes or no?" So, she will say, "Can I have a cookie? Yes or no?"

Three: I love that she names all her baby dolls with a number. Her favorite dolly is "two-seven." For Christmas she got a Cabbage Patch Kid and she proceeded to name it "two-eight."

Wilson has only been with us for just two and a half months, but I now can't imagine life without him. What an absolute sweetheart of a little baby!

Warning: if you are a new mom and sleep deprived, don't read the next sentence!

Wilson slept last night from 10:00 to 8:30! Now, that is a little boy who takes after his father.