Jon & Kate Plus 8

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

I love this show! After fertility treatments, this couple now has twin girls and a set of sextuplets. The kids are so cute, and the parents are so frazzled, it's very entertaining, especially when I'm feeling that MY life as a young mother is stressful. Dave didn't like to watch it at first, but he soon got sucked in. Whenever I felt like he'd watched one too many football games that week, I'd say, "that's OK, but I get to watch Jon & Kate!" Dave thinks that Kate is a crazy control freak, but I think anyone raising two 6-year-olds and six 3-year-olds is entitled to a little insanity. He even has the gall to say, when Kate's stressing out over something Jon thinks is petty, "she reminds me of you a little bit!" They snip at each other a bit when they're stressed, but they're a sweet family trying to get through one day at a time, just like everyone else, except with more kids!

12/31/07 - Back and Forth

We had our inspection yesterday, and found a lot of issues that need to be addressed, namely a leaky roof, dry rot, and some shoddy plumbing and electrical work the homeowner tried to do himself.  During the inspection, we had a sudden thunderstorm with hail, snow, and then rain, so the inspector got a good idea of any roof problems, and whether the crawlspace was likely to flood.  LOL!  By the time we left it had melted to mostly slush, but it sure was pretty while it lasted!  We're asking the owners to take care of all repairs, and had a general contractor come out and give us bid we could include with the request.  We should know their decision within a couple days.  

 

I was a little disappointed that we were so busy during my parent’s visit, running back and forth to the new house, meeting with our realtor and signing paperwork, but they didn’t seem to mind.  They watched Eva for three hours so we could be at the house during the inspection, but of course I brought Amanda.  At one point I was in the back bedroom when I tripped over the footboard that was sticking out (hidden behind the bedspread), and landed on my face with Amanda in my arms.  I freaked out, thinking she must really be hurt, but my right elbow took most of the impact, and my arm was under her back so her head only bumped the carpet a little bit.  It gave both of us a horrible scare, but no lasting harm done. 

Riding High

A few weeks ago, Dave got himself an indoor bike trainer from Ebay. It's usually not a good idea to buy yourself anything just before Christmas (several of us who were planning to buy one as a present were forced to change our plans), but I'm glad he got exactly what he wanted.  I'm not a bike expert, so I really wouldn't know a good model from a crappy one.  Once Dave got the tracking number, he watched its progress religiously online, and came home every day asking "did my package arrive yet?"  For someone who loves the outdoors, not being able to get out and ride in the winter weather has really been hard on him.  It arrived a few days ago, and Dave was like a kid in a candy store.  He immediately set it up in our living room and rode off all that pent up steam until his legs burned.  Eva got on the front of the bike and pretended to pedal with her legs swinging in the air, wearing her bike helmet like a true Daddy's girl.  She wears it in the house all the time anyway, as if to be constantly ready for Daddy to take her for a ride on the back of his bike, like he did back in San Diego. 

Potty Training With Elmo

Eva has been so stubborn about not wanting to use the potty, turning down even stickers and M&M's just to sit on it.  So I got her a Sesame Street DVD about Elmo using the potty, hoping her strong tendency to imitate everything she sees and hears would work in my favor.  Sure enough, the last couple times I put on the DVD, she's taken off her diaper and sat on her toddler potty while watching it, all by herself.  She'll still just say "no" if I ask her, "do you want to try the potty?"  But then later she'll come up to me out of the blue and ask to "try potty", though it's usually after a dirty diaper change, or a way to stall at bedtime.  I'm just hoping that her desire to be like Elmo will eventually help win the day. 

12/29/07 - We're In Escrow!!

It's so exciting to think that soon we can leave this apartment and have our own place again, I can hardly believe it!  It's a 4 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, 1104 sq ft home on a quiet street and huge 1/4 acre corner lot.  We might even have room to get that big dog now!    But I'm getting ahead of myself.  First we have to get our inspection report and a contractor bid for the repairs, and see if we can get the sellers to at least split the cost.  That will all be done in the next two days.  Once escrow closes, we have a few projects before we move in.  We have to put up a fence on either side to close off the backyard, so Eva doesn't wander into the street.  Dave wants to scrape the popcorn off the ceilings and lay down new flooring.  And we'll have to buy ourselves a washer and dryer.  But we'll see how it goes and take it one step at a time.

The Family Stone

My family is here right now for a belated Christmas visit.  Eva has been having a blast playing with Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Caleb and Aunt Barocha, and their little dog, Mocha.  We exchanged presents last night, and tonight Grandma made a fancy prime rib dinner.  It was supposed to be just a late Christmas celebration, but it ended up also being a celebration dinner for our new house.  They got to walk through with us the second time around and were glad to see it.  Hopefully the next time they see us, we’ll be moving in! 

12/25/07 - White Christmas

We visited David at work today, as he served up Christmas dinner to his residents and their families.  They had a roaring fireplace and a beautiful Christmas tree.  Just as we were leaving, it started to snow!  It was a thick, wet snow, mixed with rain, but it was white!  Unfortunately, it only stuck for about an hour.  At 34 degrees, it just wasn’t cold enough.   Tomorrow morning it’s supposed to snow again, but melt by afternoon.  Kind of a bummer.  Since we have to bundle up anyway, it would be nice to have the snow stick around long enough for the kids to play in it. 

12/24/07 - Uncle Larry

We had a nice surprise today.  Uncle Larry, who works for one of the airlines, had a short layover at PDX, so we drove over and visited with him for a couple hours.  It was great to see him, even if just for a short time, and he even brought us some of Aunt Nanci's delicious prime rib from the night before, packed in dry ice! 

Christmas Eve

Dave had to work today, and will again tomorrow, so we decided to open presents tonight.  Eva and Amanda made out like little bandits, with adorable outfits and fun new toys from their loving Grandma, Aunts and Uncles.  Eva was so excited she couldn't decide what to play with first.  She went from playing her toy guitar to trying to dress her new cloth dollies, to playing carpenter with her wooden tool box, and testing out sister's toys in between.  Towards the end of the evening, as she started getting tired, Eva started grabbing stuff out of our hands, getting possessive and yelling "no!" if we tried to touch her new things.  We'd make her let go and ask nicely for the item, and if she threw a fit she lost it completely for the next few minutes.  She's got "please" and "thank you" down; looks like we'll be working on sharing next.  I've noticed she's started grabbing things away from Amanda lately, so it has to be nipped in the bud.  It's a tough lesson for preschoolers, but it has to be learned, especially with a baby sister in the house.

'Tis the Season...For Mischief

Eva just couldn't help herself today.  She was rearranging and stacking the presents under the tree all day, and finally broke into a present: her personalized Dora ornament for her third Christmas.  She knew the minute she spotted me that she wasn't supposed to be doing that, and started wrapping it back up.  Later she saw my chocolate soymilk on the table and couldn't resist drinking half of it when my back was turned.  She noticed Daddy left a carton of Donald Duck orange juice on the table, and decided to unscrew the cap and pour herself some "ducky juice" when nobody was looking.  I didn't even know she was coordinated enough to do that!

12/23/07 - All I Want For Christmas

We finally got our tree!  It’s just a tabletop one, but it came pre-lit and fits our apartment just fine, so we’re happy!  Amanda is teething in earnest right now.  She's fussy, drooling like a faucet, and wanting to nurse 24/7.  You know the old Nat King Cole song about the two front teeth?  Amanda's version would be, "All I Want for Christmas is My First Front Tooth".  She turns 5 months old on Christmas Eve, so I'm hoping it will be her first Christmas present, and then we can all relax.  It's been hard to sleep at night because she wants to nurse continuously, and she'll often wake up and cry when I try to pull away.  Since she's drinking so much I have to do an extra diaper change during the night, or it'll leak and I'll have to wash the sheets.  During the day she won't sleep for more than 10 minutes unless I'm holding her.  I think the issue isn't that she's hungry, but that she wants the comfort, and I'm her favorite teether.  Eva seems to have a low tolerance for all the drooling.  She says "Uh oh, wet!" if a drop makes it down Amanda's front, and tries to mop it up with a burp rag.  Pretty fastidious for a girl who dips her fingers in mud puddles to taste the water, and takes apart sandwiches and oreos so she can eat each ingredient in the messiest possible fashion. 

My Little Preschooler

Eva picks up things so quickly. She found a toy stethoscope at the doctor's and played that she was listening to my heart, then Amanda's, saying "OK, fine!"  I've caught her pushing down on sister's back, trying to "adjust" her the same way she sees the chiropractor do with me.  Sesame Street has renewed her interest in the alphabet, and she is able to recognize and name several letters and numbers now.  At the grocery store, she pointed to the number "3" above the aisle and proudly announced, "Mommy, three!"  The other day I found her writing the letter “O” on a piece of paper, saying "Oh!" as she drew each one.  They were crude, of course, but mostly recognizable.  She can count to 12 now, too.  Colors are more difficult, because it's sometimes hard for them to understand that different objects with completely different shades can still all be called "green".  At the eye doctor they tried to show her an image on the wall, and have her point to the same image on the paper in front of her.  She didn't quite get the idea, so I'm going to practice with her using cards from the game Memory.

Family Practice

The doctor I went to for Thyroid testing is so sweet, and so good with kids, I decided to bring the girls to her from now on instead of a pediatrician. She claimed Amanda is so cute it made her "ovaries ache", and jokingly threatened that if I ever brought Eva back, she might just keep her.  Of course, a little flattery doesn't hurt.  It's nice to have a bit of the old-fashioned family doctor experience instead of everyone going to their own specialist (my tests came back normal, btw).  Yesterday I took Eva in for a cough that she'd had every morning for over a week.  Turns out she's not sick, but was trying to clear her chest after a runny nose at night.  Eva is nervous around doctors, but this lady put her at ease, and even got her talking.  She had wrapped Christmas presents for all the kids, so Eva got a new coloring book.  After that icebreaker, Eva stood still on the scale for her (34'' tall and 31lbs already!), and then obediently tried to "blow out" doctor's "flash light" (lighted scope) while she listened to her chest. 

 

The doctor said all she needed was a decongestant before bed to help clear it up, but of course all children's cold medicines have been pulled from the shelves.  I told her I had stocked up just before they were pulled, which she thought was great.  She says the manufacturers were afraid of lawsuits from people administering incorrect dosages, not because they didn't work, like the media claims.  "Of course they work!" she said, "It's the same medicine in adult cold medicine, just in smaller amounts.  It doesn't shorten the cold, but it does treat the symptoms, which is all we wanted anyway.  And what am I supposed to tell parents when their baby is up all night because they can't breathe with a stuffy nose?  Someday some desperate parent will end up giving their kid cold medicine meant for adults, and that's what scares me."  She says she hopes they'll be made available again someday, even if by prescription.  Apparently no other country has gotten rid of them, because there's no evidence of harm when used correctly, and other countries aren't as lawsuit happy. 

12/21/07 - Christmas Traditions

When I was little, we had all sorts of Christmas traditions to look forward to.  We'd dig out all the Christmas boxes and listen to holiday music on Thanksgiving Day, and then watch "Gentle Persuasion" (my Mom's favorite movie) or "Muppet's Christmas Carol".  When we decorated the tree, my brother Tim and I always got to camp out under it the first night, and again on Christmas night (after all the presents were gone).  Tim even insisted on sleeping under the tree the year he got the flu, and threw up on my sleeping bag.  Yuck!  On Christmas Eve, my parents would wake us and bundle us up for the midnight service.  We'd watch as candle after candle was lit until the whole room glowed, to remind us that Jesus is the light in a dark world.

I'm looking forward to watching my kids enjoy the traditions, and hope to add a few of my own.  Our MOPS group shared a great idea to make cinnamon rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree, put green food coloring in the icing, and let the kids decorate it like they would a gingerbread house.  That becomes breakfast for Christmas morning.  A friend once told me that her parents gave her an ornament every year that represented something memorable about that year.  I really liked the idea, and of course there was one thing I could think of for Eva's two-year-old interests: Dora the Explorer!  So she has a Dora ornament for Christmas 2007.  And of course, Amanda has her "Baby's First Christmas" ornament.

My Annual Reminder

Even though we're toning it down this Christmas, it's still my favorite time of year.  It's my yearly reminder that God keeps His promises, and loves us more than any earthly father could.  I hold my little baby in my arms, and am amazed that the Creator of the universe would choose to come in such humble form, to walk in our shoes and ultimately give his life for us.  He didn't come to conquer the world with political power, but the heart with love.  He fought the empirical religious establishment of His day, bloated with hypocrisy and oppressive man-made rules, to build the bridge that allows us to experience God's forgiveness and unconditional love.   He became one of us.  Everything we go through, He suffered and understands.  An oppressed minority in a conquered land, with the shame of an assumed illegitimate birth.  Hunger, poverty, homelessness, loneliness, rejection, betrayal, even torture and death.  He conquered it all.  And because of Him, we can too.  What better way to greet the new year than to finish the old one with such a display of His love? 

Baby Hair

While most of her hair is short (or rubbing off), Amanda has a few really long stray hairs.  We call them her "Gollum threads", because they look just like the weird strands on the "Lord of the Rings" character.   I know, we're cruel parents!  LOL!  Dave wants to know why I won't trim them, but that would technically be her first haircut, and I'm not ready for that yet.  Besides, I didn't trim Eva's hair when it all rubbed off except for a mowhawk comb-over.  I did have to cut a tangled rubber band out of her hair once, but that doesn't count, right?  :)

Mom & Dad visit

Start:	Dec 27, '07
End:	Jan 1, '08
Location:	Home

Family for belated Christmas

12/19/07 - Playing Together

Eva and Amanda are so cute together.  I'm trying to give Amanda more floor time now, but I have to watch her closely to protect her from toddler roughness.  Eva doesn’t understand or appreciate Amanda's new skill of rolling over.  Whenever she sees Amanda start to roll, She'll grab her and turn her upright again, yelling, "Uh oh, sister fall!"   I'm trying to help her understand it's OK for Amanda to roll, but her protective little maternal instinct doesn't quite grasp the concept.  She pushes Amanda around the play mat, too, trying to get her to play with the toys dangling above her.  If Amanda doesn’t seem all that receptive, Eva will try to jam a toy into her little fist or mouth, saying “Here, ‘manda, toy!”  Amanda seems to think her big sister is loads of fun, though.  She watches her with wide eyes, beams smiles whenever Eva shows her affection, and reaches out to grab Eva's hair or clothes.  Eva doesn't like that part, and pulls away with an offended "Oh, sister grab it!"

Monkey See, Monkey Do

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she gets in trouble for handling Amanda too roughly, Eva turns to mothering her longsuffering dolls instead.  They can handle a lot more abuse.  One of the most unsettling parts of parenthood is seeing your own character, for better or worse, reflected in your children's behavior.  Lately Eva's been "acting out" familiar scenarios that she's seen and heard at home.  Sometimes it's cute, and sometimes embarrassing, but it's always revealing.  Like yesterday, when I barked at Eva to sit down for the third time.  An hour later I heard her chiding her dolly in the same harsh tone she had heard from me.  I hate to see my impatience mirrored by her.  Later Eva heard Amanda crying and came to comfort her, cooing "It's OK, 'manda" and patting her back like mommy.  That was gratifying.  It's amazing to see how much they actually hear and understand, even when we don't realize it. 

Chubby Cheeks

I'm realizing that Amanda isn't going to match Eva for baby weight, like I had expected. She isn't outgrowing her outfits or diapers as quickly. By this age, Eva was a mini sumo wrestler, while Amanda looks more like the typical Gerber baby.  I think the difference is the amount of time spent nursing.  With Eva, I used to pop in a DVD and relax on the couch while nursing, and before I knew it she had nursed through her entire nap (and probably most of that was hind-milk - the richer, higher fat milk).  With Amanda, I don't have that luxury unless Eva is asleep, and those naps keep getting shorter.  Even so, I'm much more likely to lay Amanda down once she's asleep, instead of letting her keep nursing indefinitely.  With a toddler running around and the number of times our nursing sessions get interrupted, I'm not always sure how much hind-milk she gets.  Still, Amanda is at a healthy weight and growth rate, and seems to have gotten used to the interruptions.  She's also more used to her car seat, bouncy seat, or playing on the floor, and is less likely to have a meltdown when I set her down, unless she's really tired.

Making Messes

Every baby has a way of making extra work for Mommy, just to keep things interesting.  Eva used to spit up by the quart, going through several outfits a day (not to mention my shirts, furniture, etc).  Amanda, on the other hand, prefers to wait until you take her diaper off to pee all over everything.  It never fails.  No matter how quickly I try to whisk a new diaper under her butt to replace the dirty one, she's already soaked the changing table.  Of course she thinks it's hilarious, and beams a smile at me while enjoying my reaction.

Conserving Energy

With colder weather and shorter days, we've been using the heaters and lights more.  Our power bill spiked $50 last month.  I'm trying to conserve energy, but there's a fine line between being conservative about energy usage, and walking around an apartment that's dark during the day.  I blame the apartment for most of our energy costs, anyway.  The thermostats are old and inaccurate, and I constantly have to turn them up or down because they're always about  5 degrees off where I put the thermostat needle.  They have old storm windows from the '70s, and I doubt the weather stripping has been replaced since then.  In order to prevent black mildew from growing in the condensation between the windows, we've been instructed to leave the outer window open a crack for ventilation.  Not that it really works.  It just prevents the windows from fogging up, but lets out the heat, and mildew grows anyway.  Actually, it’s probably the draft from the window that triggers the thermostat to overheat the room. The fan in the bathroom has to be run for hours to get rid of the steam, and it still mildews in there, too.  And then I'm running almost twice the loads of laundry because the washing machine is so small.  As we continue our house hunt, energy saving features like central heat and dual-paned windows are becoming more important priorities for me.  It would be so nice to know our home is energy efficient!

TV for Kids

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

SESAME STREET - It's just as creative and cute as ever, and the spoofs are hilarious! American "I", Law and Order: Special Alphabet Unit, Extreme Makeover: Letter Edition, The “Dr. Feel” Show, The Adventures of “Trash Gordon”. We've come a long way since "Pigs in Space"! Elmo gets e-mail and uses a computer, cell phone and camcorder. His voice is only slightly more pleasant than fingernails down a chalkboard, but so was Miss Piggy's, so I guess it's a fair trade off. I gotta say, though, I miss Animal, Gonzo, and the other classic Jim Hensen Muppets. How can you have Sesame Street without Kermit? It's just not right! Then again, Big Bird has been there for decades, and he's still learning his ABC's, so maybe it's a good thing that the others managed to move on. :)

DORA THE EXPLORER - Very creative way to cram so much bilingual preschool learning into so short a program. It's funny how they'll be facing some kind of dire emergency (like falling out of the sky) and then spend the next several minutes counting, picking the matching tools out of her backpack, or naming the right color or Spanish word to solve the problem. But hey, time constraints apparently aren't an issue in the cartoon world.

LITTLE EINSTEINS - A cute and fun way to introduce kids to classical music, works of art, and famous places. It encourages audience participation, too, and Eva has started patting her lap and saying "pat, pat" to make the car go, like the Little Einsteins do to power their rocket.

MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE - It's not Merry Melodies or Silly Symphonies, but it's good 3-D animation, educational, and the new actors' voices are pretty close to the original characters. Still, I much prefer the old classic Disney cartoons.

CLIFFORD, THE BIG RED DOG – Simple, sweet storylines to illustrate typical toddler moral dilemmas: sharing, bragging, taking things that aren’t yours, etc.

WONDERPETS - Interesting animation, to say the least. They sing instead of talk half the time, and have the weirdest "rescue" situations. Still, it works for the target audience, and it's adorable to hear Eva singing, "What's gonna work? Teamwork!"

The Amazing Change: Fighting to abolish modern day slavery.

http://www.amazingchange.com/
Become an abolitionist! Join the fight to end modern day slavery.

Festival Of Lights Petting Zoo

Eva loves animals, so this was a big hit!

Eva Pedals Her Bike

I can't believe Eva's already big enough to pedal her bike all by herself! And she's such a chatterbug, too. :)

First Snow '07

The first snow of December (and our first time living anywhere where it snows)!

Playing Grandpa Fall

Eva thought it was fun to push Grandpa over and then help him up, saying "Grandpa fall!", and then "I sorry, Eva!"

12/15/07 - Festival Of Lights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the girls to the Festival of Lights at The Grotto tonight. Apparently it's been an annual tradition for over 20 years, and we've heard so much about it. They decorate all the trees and gardens, with animated lights that illustrate the Christmas story.  There are carolers, a puppet show, and a life-sized nativity.  But the biggest hit by far was the petting zoo.  Eva loved seeing all the animals, and kept picking hay off the floor and offering it to the sheep, calling "C'mere, horsey!"  An eager goat bumped her onto the ground, and she told it "sorry".  And when we left, she was calling out "Bye, goats!  Bye, trees!  Bye, lights!"  It was really cute. 

Eva's Eyes

I took Eva to see her new pediatric ophthalmologist yesterday. He specializes in Strabismus, and came highly recommended by her last doctor back in San Diego.  Her appointment was at 10am, but we didn't get home until 2pm.  First I got a little lost finding the place, because half the streets on my MapQuest printout were closed for construction.  After I got there, two different technicians saw Eva before they decided to dilate her eyes for the doctor.  They sent us down to the cafeteria to eat lunch while waiting for the drops to work, and when we got back she was seen a third time, this time by the doctor.  He's pleased with her progress (all her medical records had been transferred to him), and says unless we start noticing a dramatic increase in her eyes crossing, he doesn't need to see her for another six months.  That's good news!  I got lost again trying to find a route around the construction to get home, but thankfully the girls slept the whole way.  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate one-way streets?  Usually they're on a grid so even strangers can find their way around, but these twist and turn and constantly change names, so they're frustratingly confusing.  I even stopped at a gas station to ask for directions, but the guy didn't know what to tell me with the streets blocked off.  I've never been tempted to get a GPS map for my car, until now!

12/12/07 - Holiday Spirit

I can hardly believe December is almost half over.  I don’t even have the lights up yet – just little window decals and holiday placemats, and Christmas music on iTunes.  Usually I'm gung-ho about getting everything decorated right after Thanksgiving, but this year we’re in the minimalist mood.  For one thing, we only consider this roach-ridden apartment as our stopping point between “real” homes, and don’t want to give it the satisfaction (stupid, I know, right?).  The Christmas decorations are packed away with all the other boxes from our move, and we'd rather not have to dig them out, only to repack them.  We even considered skipping the tree, since the 7-foot fake one we have in storage would never fit.  Still, it would be a shame not to have one for Amanda’s first Christmas, so maybe we’ll get a real one, just tabletop size. 

Back to Square One

House hunting is a very frustrating process.  I think the most tantalizing thing about making an offer was the thought that we wouldn't have to walk through a bunch of houses anymore, especially when they're still occupied.  There was the sweet deal down the street that had a great layout, deck and bay window, but mold issues in the kitchen (not to mention their teenage daughter smoking in the bathroom during our walk-thru) scratched it off the list.  There was the gorgeous 1896 house with the huge lot, and so much history and character, but the staircase was too steep, narrow and winding to fit furniture through, and there was no bathroom for the upstairs bedrooms.  And of course there was the beautifully remodeled 4-bedroom home with hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings and bright skylights.  Unfortunately, the only yard was the pass-through between us and the neighbor, there was no garage, and right next door was a senior care facility with an adjacent mental care facility.  Three strikes, you're out. 

Todder vs. Adult Logic

Reasons why toddlers should use the potty:

1. Even the cheapest generic size 6 diapers are $30 for a pack of 104 (or at least $60 a month).
2. Training pants cost even more.
3. The older you get, the worse they stink.
4. If you’re old enough to say “change, please!”, you’re old enough to do it yourself!
5. Mommy will give you a sticker or M&M.
6. Dora the Explorer uses the potty, because she’s a “big girl!”
7. So does Elmo, the Little Einsteins, and any other character you’re remotely interested in.

 Toddler’s reasons not to potty train:

1. It’s “YUCKY!”
2. See number 1.

12/9/07 - YWAM Shooting

An armed gunman walked into a Youth With A Mission student dorm in Colorado and opened fire, killing two and wounding two.  As a former YWAMer myself, this hits really close to home.  It could just as easily have been myself or Eva or Kate or Suzanne, or anyone else I was on staff with at the Los Angeles YWAM training base.  My heart goes out to those poor students and staff, and their families.  All they wanted was to dedicate their lives to sharing God's love and mercy with the world, and they paid the ultimate price. They are true martyrs - not taking others' lives, but laying down their own.  We live in a hurting world with hurting people, who sometimes lash out at the innocent. To me, this is just all the more reason why groups like YWAM are needed to help make the world a better place.

Amazing Grace

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Drama

We saw Amazing Grace on DVD while at my parents' house, and thought it was fantastic! If you liked Amistad or Roots, you'll love this movie. It's the story of William Wilberforce, who battled the British Parliment for years to finally abolish slavery in Great Britian, paving the way for the rest of Europe to do the same. The film gets it's name from his mentor, John Newton, who had been a slave trader for 20 years before turning his life around and composing the famous hymn "Amazing Grace", about his journey towards redemption and forgiveness.

Truth Or Fiction

http://www.truthorfiction.com/
Wondering if that forwarded e-mail is real or a hoax? Check it out before you pass it on!

12/7/07 - House Hunting

We put an offer in on a house, but the owner refused.  She seems a little unrealistic about how much her place is worth, based on the comparisons in the area.  Even our lender said she had financed the place across the street, and it appraised for several thousand less.  Since we're locked into our lease until March, we've got plenty of time to sit back and wait her out.  Since December and January are the slowest months for real estate, there are a lot of people dropping their prices right now, not to mention all the short sales from people trying to avoid foreclosure.  It's a buyer's market, and if we're patient, it should pay off in the end.  For now we're back to square one, scouring the MLS listings and touring houses.

Mommy's Little Helper

Eva is old enough to follow simple directions now, and she loves it when we give her little tasks to do. When I'm stranded on the couch nursing, I can ask her to bring me a tissue or pick a toy up off the floor, and she'll do it. She loves it when I give her something to throw in the trash, or send her into the other room to fetch an item, like her glasses.  When I fold laundry she'll help fold the burp rags, and when I'm unloading the dishwasher she'll hand me each item and say "here!" every time.  She likes to play with the broom and "sweep" the floor.  She tries to wipe the drool off Amanda's chin by mashing a burp rag into her face and practically smothering her, and once I caught her trying to "help" sister chew on a teething toy by shoving it so far into her mouth that she was gagging and her eyes were watering up.  Poor thing!  It's a miracle any of us survive older siblings!

Speaking Up

Eva can put words together into short sentences pretty easily now, and I never know what she's going to say next.  The first thing out of her mouth when greeting someone is always "waterfall!"  Apparently it made quite an impression: it's her favorite word now.  When I'm nursing Amanda, she likes to come over to the couch and have me give her a "horsey ride".  It's the best work-out I get: leg lifts with a 25-pound giggling toddler sitting on my foot.  She says "Careful, hold tight!"  clinging to my leg until she bounces off.  Then she’ll say, "I fall. Try again!" 

Kid Consumerism

We were watching a lot of kids TV while cooped up sick, and the flood of toy commercials for Christmas is ridiculous.  I'm glad so far Eva hasn't started asking for any of it.   Disney has a series of princess toys they're really pushing this year: a cash register, vanity, kitchen, throne, etc. They talk, play music, have blinking lights, a million small pieces you can lose, and a whole bunch of extras you have to buy to go with it.  It seems nowadays that everything has so many bells and whistles, there's no room for kids' imaginations anymore.  Give them a simple ball, a little red wagon or a set of building blocks, and they'd have just as much fun for 1/2 the price (and they'd last a lot longer, too)! 

 

Call me old fashioned, but I love classic toys that require a little imagination and help them learn.  At the community center they've got the plainest, ugliest play kitchen you've ever seen, and the kids love it!  They turn the knobs, put toy food in the cabinets and pretend to cook and serve it.  Eva loves to pretend she's washing her hands in the sink and drying them on the wall.  I remember my brother and I having more fun building forts and dressing up with beach towels and clothespins than we ever did with the fancy toys the grandparents sent us.  I want to give my girls toys that educate, not just entertain.  I hope Eva and Amanda grow up learning how to use their imaginations, to come up with ways to occupy themselves when they're bored, and have attention spans longer than 10 seconds.  It's a tall order in today's instant, electronic, entertainment obsessed world, but we'll do our best.

12/6/07 - Too Cute!!

OK, sometimes my 2-year-old is so cute, I just have to share. Eva asked me for apple juice, but I said no because she’d already had enough that day.  A few minutes later I heard a glass clanking, and ran into the kitchen to check.  There was Eva, calmly drinking apple juice from her plastic cup and looking up at me.  She had taken my glass of juice off the table, poured it into her cup, and considerately put the dirty glass away by depositing it into the kitchen sink. I’m surprised she could reach that far!  I put her in time out for stealing mommy’s juice, but it was so hard to keep a straight face.  She was so cool and nonchalant, and thought she was being so clever!  I’ve got to giver her kudos for her toddler problem-solving capabilities. 

Baby Steps

Eva’s burnt finger has healed nicely, but she still insists on wearing a “Dora” band-aid.  Some kind of new accessory, I guess.  It amazes me how fast they grow.  In some ways Eva is a budding preschooler, in others, she’s still a toddler.  She can usually articulate what she wants now, though sometimes I have to translate for others who aren’t around her as much, because of her pronunciation.  She’s in size 6 diapers now (the largest available), and wears all 2T clothes, though the pant legs are still a bit long.  Amanda is filling out her size 3 diapers now, and wearing 6 to 9 month clothes.  Thank goodness we saved all of Eva’s and the seasons were pretty much the same, because we haven’t had to buy her hardly any winter clothes. 

 

She may be growing like a weed, but Eva sometimes still wants to be treated like a baby.  Soon after we moved, Eva started wanting to be carried and held a lot, just like Amanda.  When she sees us carrying Amanda, she’ll come up to us with outstretched arms and a forlorn plea, “I hold you!”  Dave was getting tired of having to carry her everywhere when she could easily walk, so he tried a little reverse psychology by saying, “I’m glad you want to be carried like a baby. I want to hold you, too!”  But Eva just started repeating after him, so now she says, “Hold you, too!”  I think there might be a little jealousy that the baby gets held so much, so I’ll let her crawl up on the couch while I’m nursing and let her pat and kiss the baby, and give her a hug.  Usually that’s enough for her, and she’ll soon get down and go about her business, but there are times when she regresses, usually when she’s tired.

12/4/07 - Hair Days

Amanda’s hair is starting to rub off and fall out in places.  She has a few strands that are long enough to cover her ears or get into her eyes, which is kinda funny since her hair’s so sparse.  She’s not the only one with thinning hair, either.  I’ve officially reached that final postpartum stage where your hair starts falling out by the fistful.  I’ve got a couple embarrassing bare patches, but I know from experience they’ll be growing back soon, though I’ll have to go through that short, frizzy stage first.  I don’t think it will be as noticeable this time because all my hair is short. 

Catching ZZZ's

Amanda is a really good sleeper at night.  She goes down when Eva does around 9pm, and then I change and nurse her again before turning in myself between 11 and midnight (late, I know, but I'm night owl, what can I say?).  She wakes around 3 or 4am for another feeding, and then sleeps until about 7, when her big sister comes in to announce she's "wake" and ask for oatmeal.  During the day, Amanda likes to fall asleep nursing.  I make sure she's deeply asleep before I lay her down or she'll wake up and start wailing, and I have to start all over again.  Some days it takes longer than others, but I figure that bonding time is the only individual attention she gets, so I don't begrudge it.

 

Amanda is definitely a morning person, smiling and cooing when she first gets up, and totally cranky when she's tired.  Sometimes she'll wake from a nap, but lay there so quietly and contentedly I won't even notice she's up until I walk past the playpen and notice her big eyes following me.  Sometimes Eva tells me "sister 'wake", but I'm pretty sure that's when she's the culprit who woke her in the first place.