Package central

Today I got our fourth package of the week! (Keep them coming :)) On Monday I got two packages: one from Carol full of baby clothes and a book and JoAnn sent Madeleine a package of nursery rhyme cards. Yesterday we got another package from JoAnn full of things we hadn't been able to bring back with us from Christmas. And today I got the smallest package yet but (no offense to everyone else) it's my favorite! Carol's younger sister Stacy sent me this:

I'm thinking I'm going to put the rings I inherited from my grandmother in it until summer and then make it my summer wallet. Stacy has been quite crafty the last few months and I've been awed by her talent. I've seen pictures of an amazing and beautiful mobile she made for a friend's nursery and a purse for her step sister. Creative people like Stacy and my Aunt Janet who made the kids' quilts inspire me to be more creative, even if it's in the small things like playing with Madeleine. Someday I hope to pull out my sewing machine and do more with it but for now I'll stick with things I have more experience in like stockings. I ordered another applique kit to make Parker a stocking yesterday. I should get it the beginning of next week which gives me 11 months to finish it :) Then it should finally be my turn to make a stocking for myself. Maybe all of this inspiration will help me get them both done before Christmas 2009!

*Injury update*

Madeleine broke her 1-day streak of not getting hurt by falling into the foot board of our bed last night face first. Her nose swelled up instantly and is still swollen today but there's no sign that she broke it. I realized the last two times she got hurt on our bed Justin was there supervising. I'm starting to think I should supervise them both, but not even that is guaranteed to keep her from getting hurt. So far she hasn't gotten hurt today.

Everybody gets in on the fun

Toy box fun

I dug out a box full of fun, random things I've collected over the years and let Madeleine go through it today. She instantly gravitated to the stethescope. She's been following Maggie, Oreo and me around trying to listen to our heartbeats. She wasn't as fond of the glasses that match the stethescope but Parker decided he liked them. I got a good laugh out of this!

TV land

While in Virginia over Christmas, my mom gave me an extra converter box she had purchased but didn't need. That simple gift launched this family into present day technology. Justin and I got to watch our favorite show Scrubs for the first time on television! Up to this point we had only seen it on DVD and from various websites on our computer's small screen (imagine the two of us arguing back and forth about who gets the padded chair and what angle the screen has to be in order for both shortie and the giant to see it). I thoroughly enjoyed the show; however, Parker didn't get the memo that we were having special Scrubs time so he proceeded to refuse to fall asleep until I let him watch some too. I think he's a fan. Like me, Turk's his favorite.

As for an injury update, Madeleine managed to make it through the day unscathed. Hooray!

Bumps and bruises

Madeleine has crossed another threshold of toddlerhood: the daily injury. While I hope the tradition doesn't continue, she has been injured every day since the start of this past weekend. Saturday Madeleine got knocked over on her face by a full glass bottle that fell off the top of the refrigerator and hit the back of her head. Justin and I were both terrified! We checked her eyes to make sure she didn't have a concussion (she didn't). Besides a huge goose-egg on her head, she seemed perfectly normal. And yes, we have removed everything from the top of the fridge. Yesterday's injuries weren't as dramatic but nevertheless painful for her: she stabbed the roof of her mouth with a sharp corn chip and she bit her lip while jumping on the bed. Today she fell face first on the asphalt landing on her upper lip which is all scratched. She also cut the inside of her lip and the flap of skin that joins the lip to the gum was wedged between her front teeth where she has a gap like I do. That fall produced near hysterics--it was also practically nap time which didn't help. I don't think she needs more serious medical attention but I'll reevaluate after the swelling goes down.

Is this what it's like to have a 2-year old? I hadn't anticipated injury tears on top of normal every day defiance tears (those are the ones she sheds in response to my saying "no"). This phase needs to pass quickly.

On a happier note, I have another dancing video to share. I love watching her version of these songs I had long forgotten until a few months ago. If you have any childhood songs you remember loving, let me know so I can remember them too and pass them along to another generation!

Developments

Parker had his first shots on the 13th of January. Everything went really well; he only cried for a few seconds! He continues to be extraordinarily long (25.5 in.), and fairly hefty (15lbs.). Bigger news than either of these facts is that he rolled over for the first time that day in the doctor's office! It's a little early for him to be rolling over (he's far ahead of Madeleine in this respect) so now I can't turn my back on him on the changing table. He mainly rolls from his tummy to his back, although once I saw him do the reverse. He prefers being on his back so I'm not too surprised.

Madeleine is still slowly chugging along with her vocabulary. I'm sometimes frustrated that she doesn't say words, especially because I know she can make all of the sounds and puts them together when she wants to. It seems she just has very little desire and motivation to be articulate currently. For the most part, despite her vocal inhibitions, she's able to communicate pretty well with me. She's officially announced her undying love of Elmo. She wakes up asking for Elmo and she goes to bed saying goodnight to Elmo. We have a habit of watching Sesame Street when she wakes up in the morning as it gives me a few moments to get Parker up and moving. Ever since seeing "Elmo's World" on SS, she has begged watch the videos we own all day long. I try to only let her watch one 45 minute video a day but I pick my battles. Her love affair won't last forever and I'm grateful for a bit of peace and quiet to make dinner at night.

Along with Elmo has come a love of dancing, which is sometimes synonymous with running in circles. She's also grown to enjoy the songs we sing at story time at the library twice a week. She's gotten pretty good at the moves too!

Justin and I had our friends Jen and Ryan over Saturday night to play Risk (Lord of the Rings version!) and eat dinner. We were up past midnight playing! It was a lot of fun, even though I sacrificed many of my archers to keep the game going. The game ended in a massive tie because it got too late but I'm looking forward to a rematch sometime soon. Jen and Ryan brought over homemade beer, some wine, and pineapple upside down cake; they'll get themselves invited back a thousand times over for doing that!

I'm heading off to bed. Now that I've finally informed the public about the kids, it's time to dwell in the sweet bliss of slumber, until Parker wakes up to eat. Nighty night.

Fog

It's been really foggy here and as a result, we've had a lot of hoar frost, specifically air hoar. It makes it look as if the White Witch from Narnia blew a breath of icy air across the town.

I'm awed by how dramatically different everyday things look when coated in ice crystals. Our willow tree looked like it was covered in diamonds.

While I've enjoyed the strange beauty of the hoar frost, I'm looking forward to seeing the sun again soon.

I haven't posted much lately because I've been wrapped up in reading novels in my free time. I find it satisfying to read while nursing Parker at night; it is one of the few moments when the house is quiet and I'm relatively free to do as I please. I reread a novel I read in college called "Midnight's Children" by Salman Rushdie and then I quickly began and finished "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. I'm hoping to get the sequel to Pillars soon. I know you all probably miss hearing the daily updates on our little life but I've been enriched by taking time to read these books (Papa, thanks for teaching me caterwauling; I found it in Follett's book!).

I can't wait to share more about Parker's latest achievements and Madeleine's new words but I'll save that for next time. For now, all I have to say is GO STEELERS!