Change is good

This spring my mother brought me a flat of herbs for my garden. We have enjoyed them all summer long: fresh basil for our tomatoes, oregano and thyme for our pasta sauces, chives for our baked potatoes. But I was having a hard time finding any useful purpose for the fennel scented dill - a hybrid of sorts that may be better in concept than reality. A few weeks ago, however, I discovered that a very large and colorful caterpillar with gourmet taste had consumed nearly half the plant. Sawyer had recently taken home a bug box as a birthday party favor so I trimmed a twig off the plant and placed the caterpillar in the bug box thinking about how much Sawyer would enjoy looking at a real live Very Hungry Caterpillar:


For two days the thing ate and pooped up a storm - seriously, you wouldn't believe how much a caterpillar poops. I even had to cut another sprig off the fennel-dill plant for it. I really hadn't considered any long term plans for our new household pet. I just figured that we'd enjoy him for a few days and then release him back to nature. Imagine my horror when, on day three, I lifted Sawyer up to the window to say good morning to our caterpillar only to find him shriveled up at the bottom of the box - moldy, hard and brown. I've KILLED it, I thought.

Anybody who knows me knows I've harbored thing for butterflies since nearly dying on a mountaineering expedition in Patagonia. Of course, anybody who knows science knows that our little pet had likely metamorphosized into a pupa. But, I'd never actually seen this up close and was alarmed by the speed and, honestly, the severity of the change. He was half the size of his former self and not the same shape at all. And this was no Eric Carle cocoon either. (Apparently only moths actually make cocoons.) It more closely resembled a stumpy twig. I had already identified the caterpillar as a Black Swallowtail in my Peterson's First Guide to Caterpillars; but the book said that the species overwinters as a chrysalis and I hadn't signed on for six month roommate situation when I took the little guy in. We left twiggy in his box on the windowsill, primarily because I wasn't sure what to do with him. I still thought it was possible he had died. We added him to our nighttime prayers (Godbless mommy, daddy, justin, arden, duncan and the caterpillar) and hoped for the best.

So guess what I found this morning:

A beautiful butterfly!

Hatman

There is absolutely nothing remarkable about this video (taken by Scott with my cellphone) unless you understand that it was about 90 degrees outside last Sunday and we were driving to the pool. Sawyer has, for whatever reason, fallen in love with Scott's beanie. He carries it around hugging it like a stuffed animal and wants to put it on whenever we are going outside. Have you ever tried arguing with a 2-year-old? They have a way of being very convincing. So he pulled it down over his eyes and passed out in the 20 minutes it takes to get to the pool.

Saved

Scott and I sat down at Sawyer's little table to eat lunch with him today. As we tried to get comfortable with our knees at the same level as our ears, Sawyer sat very still in front of his PB&J not eating. We both turned to look at him. He looked down and, for one very brief moment, folded his hands in prayer. Did I mention his preschool is run by Baptists?

Arden 7 Months

Arden is my little over-achiever. She was crawling before six months, pulling up before 7 months and just wants to walk walk walk. She sees her big brother running circles around the living room and starts cracking up - I mean doubled over hysterical giggling. And then Sawyer starts cracking up and soon we are all laughing. Sawyer says "come here, come here" and holds out his hands to her encouraging her to walk over to him. I think he can't wait until she's racing circles with him, and I doubt it will be long. She's babbling up a storm and says mama and dada to nobody in particular. We're still nursing and haven't really started solid foods. No teeth yet. She hates all baby cereal and pureed food but will gum a frozen bagel like its going out of style. Just what I need. Another picky eater. When she's unhappy or wants to be held, she's got a screech that will curdle your blood. But she can also squeal in delight - something I never really heard from Sawyer - and all I can think is that she's SUCH A GIRL. The thing that surprises me most is how much the kids interact with each other already. I knew it would happen, but I just didn't realize that they would be so close so soon. They share and fight over toys (and Arden gets her way just as much as Sawyer - she will go after whatever he has) and look for each other whenever one is missing from the room. On the stats front, Arden is still short (35th) and fat (60th). But with her fuzzy head, she pulls the look off well.

First Day Update

Long before the sun came up this morning Scott and I were awoken by the unmistakable sound of a dog about to upchuck on our bedroom floor. Scott flew out of bed and pushed Duncan out the sliding glass door of our bedroom. We were just falling back to sleep when we heard a bang from somewhere in the house. We didn't hear any crying but we listened quietly for a while. Then I heard a soft creaking on the wood floors in the hallway and there was Sawyer, sneaking towards us through the dark. It was the earliest he's ever been up and it was the first time he ever let himself out of his room in the night like that. He climbed into my arms and said something that sounded a lot like: "New School." We had been talking about it the night before and we think he was excited. A few minutes later we heard Arden making happy sounds in her bed. For whatever reason, the entire household was now up before the sun.

Hours later, we all dropped Sawyer off together for his first day of preschool. He walked in, started playing with trains, and pretty much ignored us. After about five minutes, it was clear that he was fine and that it was time for us to go. I knelt down and explained gently that we were about to leave.
"We'll see you later," I said.
"See ya!" he said without even looking up from the toy train he was assembling.
And that was that.

Arden did fine too. Her teacher is clearly a baby person and Arden didn't have one bit of stranger anxiety. Of course, she didn't really understand what was happening.

I haven't called to check on either of them yet. While I do wish I could be a fly on the wall, I think I'm probably better off not knowing, just imagining them looking as happy and content as they were this morning.

Super Nanny

Every dad dreams of hiring the hot 19-year-old nanny. This summer, we actually did. Not only is Tara cute (and very serious about her boyfriend), and smart (graduated tops in her class), she has been working with toddlers since she was old enough to earn a paycheck. She showed up to our house in the morning with craft projects for Sawyer. She made cleaning up a game - Sawyer is now neater than me, he takes his dishes to the sink and puts his shoes away. She folded laundry and emptied the dishwasher. She took the kids on little field trips. And she survived. Which is saying A LOT, because spending the entire day with a baby and a toddler is often more than their own mom can handle. I think this summer job had a unintended side effect. Tara - who told me in her interview that she wants 4 kids - has sworn off having children anytime in the next decade. In fact, she's going to focus on a degree in photography and traveling the world, she said. Ahhh. To be 19. We'll miss Tara, though I suspect she'll be around again. The kids start their first day at new preschools and daycare centers Monday. Back to packing everyone up in the morning, wrestling clothes on and force feeding on the way out the door. Sawyer will be going to preschool full time - the first time he's been away from me 5 days a week. Arden will be at daycare 3 days a week, the first time in her life that she's been cared for outside of the house. I am looking forward to a routine for Sawyers and more peer-group interaction. And the place where Arden is heading is new and so beautiful that I just want to get down on the floor and play. But, it took me an hour to pack everyone up for tomorrow morning, and I just kept thinking HOW MUCH I am going to miss the nanny.

The Big Picture

Always enjoy passing along a good website when I find one. The Big Picture has amazing photos from the opening ceremony of the Olympics, as well as other current events around the world.

Back to the Beach

Sorting through vacation photos is an overwhelming task - especially after such a great trip with four hard-core photographers in competition to nab the best shot. I hardly even touched the camera myself. Many of the best vacation photos were taken by our nanny Tara and friend John Kim. I've been putting off the sum-up of the vacation with hopes of putting together a nice little slideshow and video, but time is flying by and this album is now embarrassingly overdue so HERE IT IS, a photo vomit of sorts for those of you who don't mind flipping through 148 shots.

I especially need to note that our vacation would not have been a vacation at all were it not for our gracious hosts The Randalls, who invited us down and put us up in their time share for the week:

The Godkids (photo by John Kim)

and our nanny Tara who helped watch the kids so that we could have a few minutes of rest on the beach or time in the evenings:

When I came home and gave the vacation round up to my work pals, I told them, "Hands down, best vacation ever." And that's still about the only way I can sum it up. If you are going to go on vacation with the kids, then I have to say that the best way to do it is to go with another family, to have great digs (aka place to stay on the beach) and to bring some extra help.

How do you wash poop?

I googled that question. Not until after I'd already washed poop down multiple drains of my house. I don't use cloth diapers because I want as little contact with poop as possible. I delayed motherhood for 32 years over the question of whether I be able to change a diaper. Ever. Dog poop makes me gag uncontrollably. Potty training freaks me out. Two babies and I never touched meconium. Cleaning up that poopy tar was Scott's penance for my labor. And, aside from a few disgusting newborn poop incidents - up-the-back explosions that turn the world yellow - things really haven't been that ... poopy. Sure there have been a few turds in the bathtub. (There were a few months when that should have been the name of our blog.) But, until last night I really didn't have any good poop stories. This one is a contender for the Top 10 Most Laughable Moments of My Mothering Career, right after the Baby Powder Incident:

It's been a long weekend stuck inside painting and cleaning the house. On Sunday night, Scott and I decide to put the kids to bed and eat a nice adult dinner. So, while he cooks I give the kids a bath. Some new soap has been waiting on the rim of the tub for two days and Sawyer CAN'T WAIT to get his hands on it. He hits the tub like Zest Man, scrubbing his cares away. But, as I rinse off Arden, disaster strikes. Soap gets in Sawyer's eyes and - despite the Johnson's label - it wasn't tear proof. (This is why I'm a soap snob). He's rubbing his eyes, making it worse and screaming bloody hell.

I put a dripping and naked Arden on the 2-by-3 bathroom shag. (She promptly crawls off). I grip Sawyer's head and force him to wash his eyes and then his hands under the running water. Hysteria wanes but bath time is officially over. Both kids are crying, wet and naked in Sawyer's bedroom. I look over the loft wall and eye Scott outside happily and obliviously grilling away. I get Arden dressed and find that Sawyer has pulled a jacket out of his drawer and is trying to put it on like pants. He won't listen to me (he's apparently forgotten what jackets are). I show him how to put the jacket on properly. Sometimes it's just easier to put the jacket on than to explain to a two year old why we don't put jackets on at bedtime. We find him some pajama pants and head downstairs to put Arden to bed and kiss Daddy goodnight. Dinner is ready so we decide to let Sawyer play a little longer while we eat. Halfway through my steak, which I am appreciating for its perfection, Scott asks me if I put a diaper on Sawyer. There's a long silence while I replay the scene in my mind. . . . Soap. Crying. Jacket. Pants. Hmmm.

Afraid to turn around, I asked Scott how he could tell that I forgot. Need I even say? Poop. Running down the legs of his pajama pants. I sweep him up at an arms length and carry him upstairs where I deal like a steel-stomached superwoman while Scott gags in the corner. I am here to tell you that dog poop is worse. But then there we are, wondering: How do you wash poop? (How's that for a question you never really want answered?) The worst part is that we then have to redo the whole bath scene with Sawyer - still traumatized by the Blinding Soap Incident. It takes two of us to get him bathed and dressed the second time.

No kidding, this parenting stuff is the hardest thing I've ever done.

Milestones zooming by

When Sawyer was a baby, I could hardly wait to reach each new milestone: cooing, crawling, pulling up, walking. Arden - overachiever that she is - has left me in her dust. Here we are, one day away from her seven month birthday and she can already crawl across the house, sit up whenever she wants and - this is the choker - PULL UP to standing. I caught the proof on my cell phone camera:

Cousins!

Strength in Arms!

Well my brother and his wife have made the Armstrong clan proud by giving birth to a son who will carry on the family name.

Kieran Alexander Armstrong arrived promptly on his due date - July 31, 2008 - at reasonable daylight hour - 1:35 pm and it appeared to be an easy delivery since Niki was walking the halls talking and smiling at 8 cm.

Kieran - in case you are wondering - is a Gaelic name meaning "little dark one" and is pronounce (KEER ahn). And, true to form, this little one came out with a head full of dark hair - only he wasn't so little: He weighed in at 8 lb 7 oz and 21 inches. I'm thinking that Niki's probably back to normal since she was ALL belly. To follow along with their parenting adventures, check out their website: http://sfarmstrongs.blogspot.com.

Gracie Ella Guzzetta
Cousin Gracie joined the family on Scott's side June 17. She weighed a whopping 9 plus pounds and kept her mother in labor for some 24 hours before an emergency C-section was performed. But she was quickly forgiven - see how cute she is!!

And if that seems like a lot of babies read this: The Next Baby Boom?