That Will Be a Sad Day

So I used to run a couple of miles every few days. I quit that long ago. Probably about a month ago, Elias and I walked to the park to play, but I felt like I barely made it back. Just yesterday we only walked 5 blocks to the school to play, and I still had trouble making it home. How long until I can't make it to the car? That will be a sad day.

Christmas Day

We spent Christmas Eve baking cookies for Santa. Elias wasn't that disciplined about cutting them out with the cookie cutters, so we manned the decoration station using the sprinkles. Turns out Elias doesn't like sugar cookies all that much. Lucky for him, Santa does.

On Christmas morning, Elias woke up a tad after 5:00 and wanted breakfast. Seems he forgot all about Santa and his cookies. After breakfast, we headed to the tree for present opening! There were WAY too many presents under the tree...for Elias, Matt and me.

First it was the stocking. An orange in the bottom, of course.

Hey, what's that all about?

Then Elias, not versed in the ways of Christmas morning, wanted to play with all of his toys from Santa before moving on to opening other presents. We played a little, but he is a fast learner. Soon, we convinced him to see what else he got.

Aquadoodle pens from Santa.

Marjie and Paul sent way too many gifts. Here are some neat puzzles Elias got. We'll have to work on the picture posing a bit. Aunt Serena and Uncle Justin also sent Elias some great puzzles!

Elias got a lot of books this year too. Good thing that's what he asked for from Santa. Here is a Todd Parr book from his Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Doug, and cousins Ethan and Tate.

Lucky for us, it was the year of homemade gifts. These are our favorite kinds. Grandma Darleen made Elias a super-duper soft pillow case. He carried it around like a blanket most of the day, and it took some convincing to let me put it on his pillow for sleeping that night.


Unfortunately our camera died in the middle of present opening (and there was no stopping the opening now), so I didn't get any pictures of the wonderful stuff Matt and I got. To name a few things: Homemade birdfeeder, homemade knife sharpener, a small tree for displaying Serena's ornaments, a hand carved oven rack slider, photographs of the 4 seasons, a Serena painting masterpiece, some great donations to charities.

Back to Elias. He got a dog (that we named Blue) from Grandpa Don along with some more great books and a t-shirt for this summer. Plus a savings bond...for many summers from now.


Elias got a neat Peter Pan Pop-up book with songs from Aunt Nikki, Uncle Dan, and cousins Gavin and Cohen.


These are just the things I managed to get in pictures. Elias wound up with four neat new games to play too. I think there was even more, but why write about it when we could be playing with everything. Gotta go!

An Official Cheapskate

For those that really know me, it comes as no surprise that I am a cheapskate. Or perhaps a nicer way to put it is I am very practical. It definitely showed through on Christmas Eve. Elias had been talking about seeing Santa, so we went to the ritzy mall near our house to finally get the chance. We went right as it opened, so we only had to wait about 20 minutes in line. It weaved though a giant add for the new Narnia movie, an ice castle, throne (see the above picture), fake snow, and giant television screens showing a preview for the movie. I think the snow was Elias' favorite part (we haven't had any snow for many, many weeks here in Denver). As we neared Santa, I saw a woman asking for orders before people even got to the big man himself. Hmf, I thought. Do you have to buy the pictures before you even see them? I was going to be pretty peeved if we were required to spend $20 for Elias to sit on Santa's lap when I wasn't sure he was really all that interested, and I knew the pictures weren't going to be good. When it was our turn, I asked if we had to buy something beforehand. The woman said we could just visit. Sign us up for the visit only please...yes, I'm the cheap one. I'm pretty sure we were one of a very few people all day who didn't get their child's photo with Santa (no personal cameras allowed, of course). Elias told Santa he wanted a book for Christmas (I gave him that idea when we were in line), but that was about all he said. Once he was done, he couldn't wait to get back to the indoor playground they had. In fact, back at home, he mostly talked about how neat riding the glass elevator was. Santa didn't even come up. But luckily Santa still visited our house that night...good thing I waited to post this until now.

Baby Brother

Today, as Elias was still waking up from his extra long afternoon nap (I hope he doesn't get up before 5 tomorrow!), he said, "I want my baby brother." I told him he would have to wait 3 weeks (let's hope that's true). He said, "He's going to wiggle, and he's going to cry." I said, "Yep, and you are going to help me take care of him, right?" Let this be witness, Elias said, "Yes."

Sgabhetti

Matt got a gift certificate to the Macaroni Grill from his boss at work. Not our favorite place (plus not really near our house), but we decided to try going out to eat last night. It was a huge success. I brought Elias four tofu chicken nuggets which he wolfed down (he must have been hungry), and Matt ordered him some spaghetti off of the kids menu. He tried it (amazing) and liked it (unbelievable). He ate a little of that, but it took him the whole meal since he picks up each noodle by hand and eats from the middle out. Today, at lunch, he wanted some more sgabhetti. Matt is going to have to perfect a Macaroni Grill spaghetti recipe soon!

The Un-Shower

Taken by Elias

My good friends Carissa, Noah and Shari planned a baby shower for us, that wasn't really a shower, but just a get together with a bunch of great friends. They cooked marvelous food, we mingled, Elias took tons of pictures with the camera (although most of them people's shoes), and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.

After most folks had gone home, we played a fun game that is a twist on the telephone game. Each person writes down a setence, then passes it to the left. That person draws a picture of the sentence and folds the sentence down, so that the next person can't see the sentence, they can only see the picture. The paper is then passed to the left again. The next person tries to determine what the original sentence was and writes it down...etc, etc, etc. It carries on for as long as you want, or until you run out of room on the paper. The theme was, "Something to do with the Ecklund/Kiefer family and the new baby." People came up with some interesting stuff. A sampling below (It's too bad I can't provide the pictures):

Original sentence: Baby boy Kiefer-Ecklund will complete calculus proof by age 3.
Final sentence: Erica is sad because she is going to have another baby.

Original sentence: Erica's belly is filled with magic and DIAMONDS.
Final sentence: Mom deserves a diamond after the tornado Elias has made.

Original sentence: Elias thinks his brother should be named "Boy."
Final sentence: Elias can't wait to punch his little brother in the face.

Original sentence: Matt was having name indecision.
Final sentence: Matt wanted a baby; Erica wanted a cat.

The only down side to the party is that Elias ate too much chocolate and threw up all night long. I guess the good news was that I got to stay late at the party, so Matt had to clean most of it up!

The Cabriolet

The last few times we have gone up to our condo in Fraser, Elias and I have caught the bus to the bottom of the ski runs at Winter Park. What is the main attraction? The cabriolet. The cabriolet is a free lift that takes people from the paring lot to the ski area. The ride only lasts about 2.5 minutes, but Elias loves it. Whether you ask him or not, Elias is quick to let you know that we are on our way to ride the cabriolet. Then I pull him in a little red wagon to the lodge, and we watch the skiers. After a short stay, we reverse and head back for one last ride in the cabriolet before we take the bus back to the condo. It makes for a great morning out on the town.

Uncle David

Uncle David stopped by on his long drive from Missouri to California. It was great to see him. Elias had fun playing with him, even though his visit was so short. Matt and I even scored with a puzzle of the Winter Park Ski runs. How cool is that?

A Mini's Concert

Elias' teachers at school put on a Holiday concert last week. I can't imagine trying to get 20 two to three-year-olds to try and sings songs together. They sang The Snowman song, Dradle and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. One girl even had a solo of Frosty the Snowman. So cute. It lasted only about 10 minutes, but it was still fun. They had snacks afterward in their decorated classroom.

Oh Tannenbaum

The Christmas tree is up! Elias enjoyed the handmade ornaments and stockings the best (Check out our new, beautiful tree skirt). In fact, he snuggles and plays with his stocking all the time. If it has his name on it, Elias loves it.

Elias keeps talking about opening presents on Christmas and meeting Santa. He is very, very excited. I think we all are.

Every Day...Really?

I know it is winter. It is getting colder outside. It gets dark earlier. But do the kids really have to paint at school every day? Elias' clothes and I aren't sure we can take EVERY day.

Out on the Town

Last weekend Matt and I went out...together...without Elias...two nights in a row! We haven't both been out together in a very long time. On Friday, my new work had a holiday dinner, and on Saturday, my old work had a holiday dinner. Mika was our baby sitter (hard to believe...I remember when she was just 6). Friday didn't scare her away, so luckily she came back on Saturday (Thanks for dropping her off Shari!). It was a huge success. We are going to have to start doing this more often.

Not So Much

Probably the most frequent comment I get these days is, "I bet you are more than ready for the new baby to arrive." I'm sure people are thinking that I am probably uncomfortable (and remember, most people think I look huge) and tired of all of the pregnancy side effects. It is hard to think of a good response to this comment. Do I really want to have a crying newborn in the house, waking me up every few hours, stealing attention away from Elias and making him cranky? Is that somehow going to be better than what I've got now?

"So you are due in about 6 weeks? Probably be better if it was more like 4, huh?"

Not so much.

Thanksgiving

We celebrated our Thanksgiving on Friday with our good friends Noah and Carissa. Lucky for us, Noah's family was also in town. Doubly lucky for us, there are yet no grandkids for Noah's Mom, Barbara, to keep entertained. I think both Elias and Barbara had a wonderful time. So that, of course, means that Matt and I had a great time too. We had a huge spread of mushroom spinach pie, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, butternut squash casserole, brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce and homemade focaccia. There were chocolate covered pretzels (an Elias favorite...along with the chocolate coin he got), fudge, homemade candied nuts, pumpkin pie and apple strudel. Yummy yum yum. Man I'm getting hungry.

Happy Hanukkah

I know it is sideways. I have no idea how to turn it (I always hate when people post crap that isn't formatted right...oh well).

Christmas Wish List

A few people have asked me what Elias might like for Christmas. My ideas are pretty limited, so if you have some of your own that is probably your best bet. What I do know is that Elias definitely needs some new toys.

Games - He has Memory, and he seems to like looking at the cards, etc. I got him Candyland for Christmas this year, but I know there are tons more. I thought Cooties or Elefun he might really enjoy. At Target they have these plastic boxes that look like books. I've decided this is the way to go so the boxes don't get crushed. I'm certainly ready for him to be able to play some games.

Colorforms - These are those plasticy stickers that only stick to shiny surfaces. If you could find some with a neat theme, I think he would like them. I got him a puzzle that has some of those with it, and he likes it. He still LOVES stickers.

Puzzles - I got him one of these for Christmas this year too, but he seemed to like the puzzle I got him back in October a lot, so I am hoping new ones will spark his interest again.

Teacher Books - This is what Elias calls books with real pages (not board books). We have a few (Ex. Hop on Pop), but not too many of those. They would still need to be pretty short and easy to read with not a lot of words on each page. Most of the "teacher books" we have now are too long, and he gets bored.

Name Problem Solved

Matt and I still haven't decided on a name for the new baby...until today, that is. We have a list, but don't just love anything on it. I asked Elias what we should name his new baby brother. He said, "Boy." Practical, easy to spell, pronounce and remember. Perfect!

How Rude

"Excuse me. Can I get by you?" Sounds polite and nice enough right?

Well, let me explain the situation. Elias and I went to the grocery store today, and Elias wasn't really into it. We had to get one of those gigantic carts with the cars on the front (I mean, we just HAVE to have one) which Elias gets in and out of as we stop to get things off of the shelf. Those things are enormous, have a huge turning radius, and are next to impossible to steer. The aisles are jam packed with display cases on the floor and one of those kid carts barely fits down the aisle by itself. Elias is out of the cart and not excited about getting back in. More than once people ask me, the obviously really pregnant lady, if they can squeeze by. Are you kidding me? Where am I supposed to go? I can't get Elias to get back in the cart and you trying to shove your cart past us isn't really helping. Can you give me second please?

If you get annoyed with people bringing their kids to the store, you try shopping with one of those car carts. It will give you a whole new perspective.

Holy Blog Posts, Batman!

Sorry about that.

Who is Coming Over Tonight?

I have decided that Elias doesn't really like us that much. He would much rather be at school and loves it when people come over. On the way home from school, he asked, "Who is coming over tonight?" I told him, "Sorry, no one was coming." He asked, "Is baby brother coming over tonight?" I said, "No" (and sure hoped I was right). I asked him, "When is baby brother coming?" He said, "Not until January." He assures me he is going to play with him when he arrives.

Silly Parents

The things we parents worry about. We decided we better move Elias to the guest room sooner rather than later. We wanted to give enough time between moving him out of his old room and getting that room ready for the new baby...didn't want him to feel like he got displaced by his baby brother. Well, we were a bit apprehensive about this move. Would Elias have trouble sleeping?

We had planned on doing it last weekend and did follow through even though Elias was sick. Things have gone off without a hitch (knock on wood). In fact, from the moment I mentioned Elias getting his own "Big Boy" room (a week prior to the move), he wanted to know if that night he would be in his new room. Doh. "No, not until next weekend." Needless to say, I decided I better not mention it again until we were ready to actually move his bed.

It has gone so well, I have even started setting up his old room with the baby stuff. When I asked him if baby brother could have his old room, he said yes. Now, he points to it and says, "That is baby brother's room." Now if only baby brother can get such a nice reception when he actually arrives. One can dream.

My Brave Little Man

Many weeks ago I took Elias in to get the dreaded flu shot. I explained that Elias was going to get an owie, but he would get a band-aid and a sticker. He was mostly excited to play in the room with the toys (which we didn't get to do since the nurse is the one who give out the shots). He recovered from that blow pretty well (and still asks to go to the doctor almost every time we are in the car). He sat on my lap, got big eyes when he got stuck with the needle, but was pretty excited about his band-aid. I swear that kid feels no pain.

Pretzels

Even though Elias wasn't feeling great, he and Matt made homemade pretzels last weekend. Yummy! We gobbled them up; Matt and me that is. Elias didn't want any. That kid just won't try anything new. Sigh. Maybe next time.

My Wonderful Birthday

This past Wednesday was my 34th Birthday. I got so many wonderful gifts: A body pillow to help my aching hips when I sleep, a nightgown, a folk CD, a handmade Christmas tree skirt, an excuse (and some money) to go out with Matt, and some really great cards. The best present of all was that Elias started feeling better that morning. Couldn't ask for anything more.

A Brand New Project!

During all this chaos: Jury duty on Monday, Elias being sick, waking up in the middle of the night to take care of him - I started on my new project at work. The timing really couldn't have been much worse. I survived my first week, and I feel like I'm really going to like it. I wish I was going to have a little more time to get settled in before my maternity leave, but beggars can't be choosers. I should be getting my old salary and benefits back, the people seem nice, and the work looks interesting. That is pretty good during these rough times.

Sick Again

Last weekend Elias had another cold. Unfortunately, our wonder medicine didn't work so well this time. He was pretty wheezy and super duper crabby. This is not a good combination. On Sunday afternoon he started complaining that his ear hurt. Great. Now we have to decide to either wait and get in with the doctor on Monday or go to an after hours clinic. Well, I had jury duty on Monday, so we decided to take him in on Sunday afternoon.

Normally, I suppose, this isn't a big deal. The last time we took Elias to one of these places though, we were there for hours because his oxygen level was too low. We went in for an ear infection, but had to stay for forever because of his breathing. This time we dreaded the same. Luckily we got a doctor with some experience in the matter. He admitted that they were most concerned about Elias' breathing (that the ear infection was really secondary), but he promised we wouldn't be there for hours upon hours. He pumped Elias full of medicines (tylenol for a slight fever, a steroid to help with breathing, and a double dose of nebulizer treatment, back-to-back). Once that was done, the reading of his oxygen level dropped. What?? We were worried about a repeat from last time, but luckily the doctor knew his stuff. He said that sometimes it takes the body a while to process the new oxygen that it is getting, so there is a slight drop. Not to worry. Elias looked much better and seemed to be having little to no wheezing. We went home, got more steroids to give him over the next 4 days for his breathing, more medicine for the nebulizer, and, oh yeah, some antibiotics for that ear infection. Ugh.

It was a hard few days for Elias. He was crabby, but we sent him to school anyway. He likes being at school better than at home, so we figured we might as well send him. We are paying for it either way. Each morning they said he was OK, but the afternoons were rough (one day he cried for an hour). He didn't feel like eating, and he just wasn't himself. He was waking up at night, sometimes 2 or 3 times. Double Ugh.

By this past weekend, he was pretty much back to his old self. I'm giving this medicine one more cold, and then it may be back to the specialist. Current score: New medicine = 2, Cold = 1.

Not a Budding Artist Yet

I do realize Elias is a bit young to be making predictions, but he certainly doesn't seem to possess the artist's touch when tackling art projects. He seems to prefer to color with pen (or pencil) instead of markers. He also doesn't seem to spend much time with his artwork. He does, however, seem to have an amazing vocabulary. Today he drew a curved line on a piece of paper and said it was a crescent roll. A crescent roll? When has Elias ever had a crescent roll?

Why Don't You Just Go Up to Your Room if You Want?

As a follow up to the last post, one of the other behavior problems Elias has, I also don't really understand. When he gets mad (or wants attention), he hits..don't worry, that's not the part I don't understand. Sometimes I think he hits just so he will get a time out. I'm pretty certain that he knows that if he hits, he goes into time out. Also (just to make it clear), we remind him that if he hits again, he will get a time out. It seems to me we give him plenty of attention when this is occurring as well.

So then he seems to purposefully hit, just so he can be sent to his room. What? He is in there for 2 minutes (crying for Mommy the entire time), and then when it is over he wants to be cuddled and is over the hitting. Does he just want some time alone? I keep trying to tell him if he wants to go to his room, to just go up there and please, skip the hitting part. On this issue, I guess his 2-year-old mind just doesn't get mine, and I certainly don't get his.

Do Your Kids Do This?

Elias is generally a happy guy...unless he gets downright mad, or if he is sick (which unfortunately is happening more and more these days). When this happens it has become almost comical to me because he insists on doing things, but then refuses to do them. So conversations go something like this:

Elias: "I want to unlock the car!"
Me: "OK, here are the keys."
Elias: "No, I don't want to unlock the car!"
Me: "OK, Mommy will do it."
Elias: "I want to unlock the car!"
Me: "OK, go ahead."
Elias: "No, I don't want to unlock the car!"
Repeat, over and over again (I think it could go on indefinitely)
Me: "This is your last chance if you want to unlock the car, go ahead."
Elias: "No, I don't want to unlock the car!"
Me: I unlock the car
Elias: "Waaaaaaaaaa, I wanted to unlock the car!", and he throws a giant fit until he decides to calm down (sometimes an hour later).

Knowing this is how it goes every time, we get to the giant fit much sooner since I know it is the only way to make progress. And sometimes I think it is kind of funny. I must say this is not at all what I expected Elias to do when he was upset. I guess I thought he would just demand unreasonable things, or hit (which he does do when he is mad sometimes) or something. What do your kids do when they are super crabby? Is it hard to keep a straight face?

Why?

One can ask, "Why?" pretty much forever. You learn that once you have kids. Conversations between Elias and me go something like this:

Elias: Where is the fountain? (It is a fountain that is just a stream of water that sprays out of the ground)
Me: It's not on anymore.
Elias: Why?
Me: They turned it off for the winter.
Elias: Why?
Me: So the water wouldn't freeze in it and break it.
Elias: Why?
Me: So that it can be on again next year.
Elias: Why?
Me: Because people like to see the fountain.
Elias: Why?
Me: Because fountains are nice.
Elias: Why?
Me: I don't know.

This conversation repeats again the next day when we pass the place where the fountain used to run. A little tip for those of you visiting, the only real way to get out of these never-ending conversations is to say, "I don't know."

What's That Say?

One of Elias' favorite questions: What's that say? Soon he will be able to read the blog. Hmmm...that might become problematic.

My Little Clown

We spread Halloween out this year. Mom made this great clown costume which got nothing but wonderful comments from everyone. One woman said her Mom made her a costume just like it when she was a kid. Elias wore it to music class, Target, and school. We also went trick-or-treating up in Fraser at an outdoor mall. Elias got lots of little toys and candy. Turns out he is uber addicted to candy. He started throw gigantic tantrums about it, so now the candy is "all gone". Wonder what we will do next year when he's on to us?

Pen Pals

A very special package unexpectedly arrived for Elias a few weeks back. It was from Kyra, one of the friends Elias made this year at Cumberland Folk Week in Kentucky. She "wrote" a wonderful note, drew a few pictures and sent these two cars. Elias knew who she was right when he saw her picture. We sent a package back just the other day. What fun!

The Squirrels Eat it Mommy?

One of Elias' highlights of our MT vacation was going potty on the side of the road. We put him in a pull-up for the long car rides, but he would often say he had to go potty. We certainly wanted to encourage that, so we had him go outside a handful of times. He was successful at both peeing and pooping (I think he prefers outside to most public restrooms), but wanted to know if the squirrels were going to eat his poop. Where does the kid come up with these things?

Montana

It was a trip of hiking. It wasn't ideal timing being 6 months pregnant, but luckily Matt had Elias to carry around, so we were close (or closer) to an even match. And when I say hiking, I mean hiking...and right from the start. We left a little less than 2 hours to get from the airport parking lot to our gate, and it wasn't really enough time. The security line was over 45 minutes long (my theory is the new whole body imaging machines they have), so we had to run to the gate. The doors were closed, but luckily we weren't the only ones, and they opened them up and let us on-board. Also, the flight was nearly empty, so finding seats was not an issue.

Elias got a new (used) toy flip phone from Aunt Stephanie for the trip, and he must have made at least 100 calls. I sure hope he didn't go over his minutes. I'm not sure we would have survived the trip out there without it (as the trip home was not quite as nice...the newness had work off). We flew to Spokane and drove over 3 hours to get to Lakeside, MT. Our condo was right on the lake. What a beautiful view!

The day after we arrived, we visited a local State Park and did some hiking. Elias threw rocks into the lake, one of his favorite past-times.
The following day, we made the hour drive to Glacier National Park's West side. The park was virtually empty, so we hit the hikes recommended by the Park Ranger (as did everyone else in the park that day). We started with a 2 mile hike up to Hidden Lake.

We followed a waterfall up and into the very lush, green forest. It was a nice trail.

At the lake, we ate lunch. It was a bit chilly, but overall the weather for the trip was unbelievably warm.


After our hike in the forest, we decided to walk along Going-to-the-Sun road (part of it closed to vehicles for road work) to see the Garden Wall. Along the way was this amazingly blue water surrounded by purple rocks.


Since it was a road, it was easier than our previous hike to look at the surroundings while walking. Plus, Elias could ride in the stroller. I think both Matt and I enjoyed this road "hike" the most.


A bit to our disappointment, the only wildlife we saw was on roads. We saw these calivators (their name according to Elias) while doing our road hike. We had to stop for some big horned sheep on our drive to Lakeside, deer while in Lakeside, and cows on our way to Glacier.


After probably a mile too long (we had to walk back too), we saw the Garden Wall. I think we were glad we made it that far, and the park was breathtaking all along the way.

It was a long, but rewarding day. The following day we found some playgrounds in a nearby town and took it fairly easy. We had to rest up for our next big Glacier adventure.

Since we had decided we saw as much of the West side that we could see, we headed to the East side (a much, much longer drive) on Wednesday. It was a bit of a rough trip for Elias, but we made it, and saw most of the places on our list. We walked around the Sunrift Gorge (forever known as the George by Elias), hiked to a small waterfall, and did a short jaunt to Sun Point (although it was shady and very windy).


We didn't make it to Many Glacier (where we supposedly could see bears from our car) because Elias was ready to head home. We did stop at Two Medicine on the trip back to our vacation home (Elias keeps asking, "When are we going back to vacation home?"). We had time to throw a few rocks into the Two Medicine Lake.

Glacier National Park is a beautiful place to visit, and even thought the main road was closed in the middle, we went at a great time. I can't imagine how many people would have been there during the summer.

For the rest of our trip, we found more playgrounds, visited Dairy Queen, had breakfast at a great bakery (learning that Elias likes ketchup on his pancakes...Heck, I think it is safe to say he loves ketchup, as he dipped his banana in it tonight), hiked at Bigfork, and relaxed at the condo.

Montana gets two thumbs up!

5 Little Monkeys

We have two books in the "Five Little Monkeys" series. Elias really enjoys these books; I, however, tend to think of them as the "Bad Parenting" series.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed is the typical story of how 5 little monkeys jump on the bed. One falls off and bumps his head. Mama calls the doctor and the doctor says, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed." Well, Mama continues to allow each of her monkeys to jump on the bed until every one gets hurt. Once they have all fallen off the bed, she decides it is time to jump on her bed. Really great lesson.

Elias' new favorite book is Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake. This story is about a Mama monkey's birthday. Mama is asleep in bed with some very good earplugs. Her 5 little monkeys proceed to get all of the ingredients for a cake, mix it together, bake it in the oven, and use saws and hammers to make a birthday present without waking up Mama ("Shhh...don't wake up Mama"). The cake drips in the oven, so the fire department comes. Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you look at it...maybe the series could then be over), the house doesn't burn down. The fireman and little monkeys sing Happy Birthday to Mama (Elias loves to sing Happy Birthday at this part). Of course, Mama's birthday isn't until tomorrow, so the little monkeys scheme to do it again tomorrow. I can't deny that it would be nice to sleep through some of the things Elias gets into, but unfortunately even though he loves the, "Shhh...don't wake up Mama" part of the book, it doesn't seem to carry over into real life. Couldn't we get at least something good out of these horrible books? No such luck.

Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago, Elias, Noah, Carissa, Kat and I went to a pumpkin patch for some pre-Halloween fun. It wasn't quite the organic farm, pick your pumpkin from the vine kind of place we were hoping for, but everyone had a good time none-the-less. Elias enjoyed the petting zoo, two corn mazes, a balloon tent (although not for long), touching each and every pumpkin and riding in the wagon to pick out his own. We only ended up getting a mini pumpkin, but I think Elias was perfectly happy with it. He picked it out himself.

Books in Bed

Every night just before getting into bed, Elias picks out a book to take to bed. Last night he picked out Dr. Seuss's ABC book. We haven't read that one in a while so he was talking about how he picked out a new book. As Matt and I are singing his goodnight song, he opens the book to the first page, looks at it for a moment and says, "I can not read." We could barely finish singing his song because we were cracking up so much. It was as though for a moment he was planning on reading the book while in bed, but then only suddenly realized he didn't know how. It's only a matter of time, my Elias...only a matter of time.

Ahhh...It's Good to Be Home

Vacations are nice, but sometimes it is just as nice to make it back home.

Excuse Me Fall, I Don't Think Summer Got the Memo

Yesterday it was 90 degrees. 90 degrees at the end of September. This is nuts. Normally the heat wouldn't bother me too much, but it means we have to sleep with the windows opened. Opened windows means tooting trains all night long. Ugh. One night I convinced Matt it was cool enough to sleep with the windows closed. I only got up once to pee. That is a good night's sleep. Colder weather, you can't get here fast enough.

Catch 22

Cleaning our house is still a dilemna. I clean the house the most, and I'm also the one who thinks we should look into getting cleaning people (Matt isn't sure). If Matt cleaned the house more, perhaps I wouldn't think we needed cleaning people (but isn't that only because Matt would be the cleaning people?). Also, maybe then, he would want cleaning people, and I wouldn't. Hmmmm...what to do. Currently, the house is awaiting a decision on who will end up cleaning it.

"UNCLE!!!"

I think I'll go get out the vacuum.

So How Are You Feeling?

I must say this is the most asked question of my second pregnancy. All in all, things are going well. It really hasn't been that much different from the first time around. I had a little more morning sickness in the beginning, but it really wasn't bad at all. I feel much bigger this time, but was assured I am measuring right at 24 weeks. This also leads to the fact that I feel like it is taking FOREVER this time. I suppose when it comes, it will feel like it is too soon. I'm also a bit more tired, but I have a feeling Elias has almost everything to do with that.

The first time around I ate a lot of smoothies, but I think that was because there wasn't as much fresh fruit available as it was a little later in the season. This time, I seem to be eating a lot of banana bread. I don't think it is a craving thing, it is just we have had a lot of overripe bananas around, so banana bread it is. Probably the weirdest thing is my lack of craving for chocolate. I usually really feel like having chocolate at work after lunch...now, not so much.

Matt and I aren't doing as much prep work this time either. We aren't taking any classes at the hospital, and we haven't been reading the "What to Expect" book (who has time?). We also have no name picked out yet, but I'm not worried. That will come.

Elias knows he is getting a little brother in January, but I'm sure he doesn't really know what that means. I'm sure, neither do Matt and I.

Concert Fun

Matthew, Elias' Music Together teacher, told us about a childrens' musician who was playing at a free outdoor concert last Saturday. We hooked up the bike trailer and rode our bikes over to a nearby park to listen (on a side note, I was so sore the next day...my knees and hips...I could barely walk). The concert was a lot of fun, although Elias was pretty shy and didn't do much dancing or singing. Unfortunately when we went to ride home, we had a flat on the bike trailer (and no spare tubes). Matt rode home and brought the car back, and we managed to squeeze everything in the car. Even with that, we all had a good time. At home, listening to the CDs we bought after the show, Elias does some of the dance moves and says, "Thank you very much" after each song. Clearly, even though he didn't participate on Saturday, he was paying attention.

You Should Have Seen the Other Guy

When you ask Elias about his shiner, he hasn't figured out how to say, "You should have seen the other guy," but he will tell you he hit it on the toilet. After washing his hands one night, he slipped off his stool and got this giant black eye by hitting it on the toilet. He was a pretty brave boy and only cried for a few seconds. It swelled shut over night, but didn't seem to bother him too much. This is a few days after the accident. It has been over a week, and it is still a little purple around his eye, but the swelling is all gone. If this is the worst injury he gets, we will consider ourselves lucky.

I like to think of this one as showing both Elias' tough guy side and his book smart side (notice the blue crayon behind his ear)

Random Song Thoughts

I think it is pretty cool that Elias has been able to keep the beat for about 6 months now. Maybe 2 is a pretty common age to be able to drum along...although I suppose I do know quite a few people my age who have trouble. Let's hope he picks up some good dance moves while he's at it.

Elias likes a few specific country songs they play on the radio. Unfortunately, he doesn't quite understand radio yet. He always wants me to play his favorite songs on the radio, but I keep telling him they only play what they want...I have no control. Many times he gets mad and just wants me to turn it off. He likes the, "We don't have a lot of Mommies" song (which is really the song "Free" by the Zac Brown Band, and goes, "No we don't have a lot of money."), and he likes the "Uh, Oh" song where Elias always reminds me that we have to be careful of the sharp knife (which is really, "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry and has a line, "The sharp knife of a short life."). I think it is fun that he is really starting to listen to the lyrics.

Elias likes to sing a lot at home too. He has been bringing home some new songs from school. It always takes a while for us to get the lyrics down (and I'm still not quite certain how they go), but here are two below:

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. That's Saturday (shouted). That's Saturday (shouted).

They told me get a penny. I do not have a penny. Say, bubble gum (spin your hands around and around during the bubble gum part), bubble gum, bubble gum, bubble gum, POP! (clap on the POP part). Repeat for nickle, dime (which Elias calls diamond), quarter and dollar.

If you want to hear the tunes, you'll have to call and ask Elias to sing them for you.

G-Ma and G-Pa

Grandma Marjie and Grandpa Paul came for a visit. They were here for two wekeends and went out on their own adventure for the week between. It was a relaxing time with not much on the agenda. We did go up to the mountains for one weekend and even drove up to Grand Lake for a picnic.

Having a talk (I hope Paul gave him some good advice)

We also went and played on the playground.

As suspected, Elias asked for Grandma and Grandpa for many mornings after they left.

A Cold!

This is probably the one and only time I will be happy to report that Elias has gotten a cold. This is the first one he has had that tested out the new outrageously expensive medicine. While not a complete miracle worker, I am happy to report Elias did not have to spend a day at home moping around while having an enormous amount of trouble breathing. While not wheeze -free, he was breathing well enough not to miss any school. We increased his dosage, as prescribed, and it did the job of controlling most of his wheezing. Thank you test cold. Now that we know the medicine works, please do not return. You are not welcome here anymore.

Hey Guys, Whatcha Doing?

Elias has started asking, "Hey guys, whatcha doing?", or "Hey guys, whatcha having?" at dinner. He must have picked it up from school. He asks it over and over again. I guess this is the 2-year-old banter these days.

Such a Late Nighter

Elias is turning into such a late nighter. His bedtime is now (and has been for a few months) 7:00. I can easily think back to the good ol' days of 6:00. This is rough for Matt and me when we go to bed at 9:00 (OK, fine, it has been more like 8:00 for me now that I'm pregnant). That doesn't leave much down time for us. I suppose it will only get harder with two. What worries me is that Elias is getting up earlier and earlier in the mornings too. Does that mean naps are going to have to go soon too? I sure hope not. Maybe he is just growing, or hungry, or affected by the changing seasons, or maybe a pesky leprechaun is waking him up. Please, let it be anything but less nap time.

OK, so I Guess Elias Gets His Weird from Me

Elias has had a bug bite for a month that just wouldn't get better, so I took him into the doctor's office today. She prescribed some antibiotics that she thought would do the trick. Elias took off his bandaid, showed her his owie, and let her touch it without a peep. Only as we are leaving, after he gets a sticker, does he start bawling because he doesn't want to leave the doctor's office. What? Crying on the way out. Only my child.

Miracle Medicine?

Elias has been on a new inhalant medicine for a month or two now. It is supposed to help with his wheezing when he gets a cold (unfortunately you can't just use it once the cold arrives). Lucky for us we haven't had to test it out yet. I suppose winter is coming soon, so colds will be prevalent soon enough.

When Elias and I went to see the specialist, he suggested for a child that has more than 3 colds a year, this medicine would be beneficial. He failed to mention the side affects, some of which can be dry mouth, upset stomach, cough, WHEEZING (hello?), stunted growth (although no effect on overall height...huh?) and a weaker immune system (hence more colds, right?). Luckily Elias doesn't seem to have any of the side affects that we can see.

The other thing the doctor failed to mention was the cost of this medicine. We have insurance, but we have a high deductible plan which means cost does matter a little bit to me. He proceeded to write a year's prescription (good thing Elias wasn't allergic to the medicine). I had the office change it to a 90 day supply so I could save a little bit on the mailorder. The thing is, they changed the way they wrote the prescription so I really ended up with a year's supply anyway. Elias is supposed to take it every other day (via a nebulizer) unless he starts getting a cold. Then we up the medication to once a day. If he starts getting wheezy, we do it twice a day. Converting that into a 90 day supply does become a bit tricky.

The kicker is the way the prescription company sent it. They mailed the medicine via Fed Ex, but then Fed Ex delivered it to our local post office (what?) who left it on our doorstep. Luckily I was home when they delivered it because losing $1000 worth of medicine would not have made me happy. Will it work miracles? At $1000, it better.

I'm weird. I know.

It isn't the extra weight, the clumsiness, the waking up in the middle of the night 4 times to pee (although this is a close second) that bother me. I don't mind the funny clothes, the uncomfortable sleeping positions, or the inability to eat a lot at one sitting. The thing that most bugs me about being pregnant is my inability to walk quickly. Just walking into work seems to take forever. I like getting where I need to be in a flash. I guess I will just have to wait at least another 5 months.

Big Boys

The school teaches the kids things I would never imagine doing at their age. When Elias gets to school, he changes from his pull-up into his big boys (underwear...and don't worry, he doesn't wear them on his head like in the picture). He wears them all day (even during nap-time) and has started coming home with no accidents. Ms. Sholanda suggested he start wearing them to and from school, so I guess we are officially starting the potty training (at home anyway). We haven't had as much luck at home as they have at school (usually one accident after school, but just pee).

Outings do make things difficult. Elias is often afraid to go potty in public restrooms, so when we leave the house for a long event, I usually put him in a pull-up. Then getting him back into his big boys at home becomes a challenge. He has just gotten used to peeing in his pants at home, so we will have to crack down soon to break him of the habit. I would also like to get it done before the new baby arrives. Oh the things to conquer!

I Kiss It

If you happen to bump your knee or hit your head and say, "ow," Elias will offer to kiss it. He will then declare it, "All better." He has even started kissing his own owies. So self sufficient. Now if he could only make a decent meal.

The Practical Gene

The new baby is definitely mine...HE is already being practical, just like his Mom. That's right, we are having another boy in January. We can reuse the clothes, the boys can "play", and we already know what boys are like. How very practical of you new baby boy. Glad I could pass along some genes.

Scared

Elias is scared of everything. Any noises he can't place, and even some he can. The train whistle, the fan in his room, the lamp, the futon that used to be up at the condo that isn't even in his room anymore. He has started sleeping in his bed at home fairly consistently (knock on wood), but sleeping up at the condo has been a nightmare...literally. We plan to get a bed for the room up there sometime this week or next in hopes that this will help naps and bedtime go more smoothly. Keep your fingers crossed.

The Magic of Dust

In the mornings, the sunlight shines into our front hallway. When Elias and I are home on Fridays, we usually end up in the hallway looking at the dust dancing in the rays of light. When do we lose the awe of childhood?

I guess once we have to start cleaning that dust.

Enormous Pregnant Lady

By request...

Mega Hikes

Last weekend we went up to the mountains and went hiking on Saturday (I forgot the camera, which is probably just as well). We planned to do a 4 mile hike, but ended up trying a different one. Nearly 5 hours later (and about 7 miles) we got back to the car. Matt carrying an extra 30 pounds on his back and me carrying an extra 10 pounds in the front made for a long and tiring hike. That, along with the fact that we weren't really sure where we were, inspired Matt to get a trail map at REI.

This weekend, we planned to do a 5 mile hike, but ended up hiking to the top of Bottle Peak (11,581 ft) which was probably a 6 mile hike. This time we were better prepared with a map, extra food and some inspiration to reach the summit. Our hard work paid off.

Elias planning our route

Matt carried Elias the whole way

We wore out Sumo

We made it!

I'm Enormous

apparently. Four people have asked me if I was expecting. Now I'm not sure I would ask a 6 month pregnant lady if she was going to have a baby, let alone a 4 month pregnant lady. I guess I am so big already that it seems apparent to most people. Gee...thanks.

I Need a Hug

Just recently, Elias has been saying randomly, "I need a hug." It just so happens that I also need a hug at that exact moment. It just works out.

Baby # Last

It has been officially announced, Matt and I are having a baby in January. It will be our second, but I really like to refer to the baby as our last (just for any of those hopefully Grandparents out there). In just a few weeks, we get to find out if the baby will be a girl or a boy. I can hardly wait!

Waiting on the Edge of Your Seat

I'm sure everyone has been dying to know if Elias ever got over his terrible 2 episodes from last week. I am happy to report he has. He is back to his happy most of the time self. In fact, he has started saying, "thank you" quite a lot. Thank you Elias.

A Revelation?

Or maybe just a "Duh" moment. I've complained more than once that I just don't feel inspired to do any house cleaning anymore. It is really hard to crack down and clean, so we seem to be letting it go more and more. I don't like coming home to a dirty house, but that is apparently not enough to get me to do anything about it. I think I just figured out why. I am forever picking up Elias toys, cleaning out his lunch box, washing the dishes, wiping his hands and face, etc. Just maintaining the house at its dirty state takes a lot of time every day, so putting extra effort into cleaning just isn't happening very often. At least now it makes a little more sense why I feel a lack of motivation. Or maybe better stated as, "Duh".

How is Elias Like an Elephant?

He never forgets...anything. Or so it seems. He remembers how most of his books go (unless he can read too). He somehow knew that one of the 5 purple beads was missing. There are 5 other colors of beads, so how did he know one of the purple ones was gone? Can he count now? He knows that we see a clock when we go in the tunnel, which we do once every few months. He points to a postcard on the fridge and says, "Wendy." Sure, her picture is on it, but we haven't seen Wendy for months (she lives in Durango, and has been to visit maybe 3 times). Not that Wendy isn't so much fun that no one would forget her, but still...I can't seem to remember what I did yesterday. Little kids' minds are amazing. Too bad we all have to grow up.

Just Being 2?

Since we got back from vacation #2, Elias has been super duper crabby. He doesn't want to do anything...is hitting, pouting, whining, and just down right not a pleasure to be around. I'm wondering if it is because he still has a bit of a cold, he learned some bad behavior from all of his cousins (none of them seemed THIS bad), or if he is just being 2. He was born in April, which means he is 2 for quite a while longer. Ugh.

This is My House

Near our house there is one of those clothing donation bins that is shaped like a red barn/school house. If you drive by it with Elias, you can hear all about "his house."

Accident Free Monday

At Elias' first day back at school since vacation, he had no potty accidents. Way to go Elias!

Cooking

Elias new favorite thing to do is to cook. He creates a magnificent fishy, O, pretzle delight. Perhaps it will be on the menu when you next visit.

My Mommy

Matt and I are now referred to as My Mommy and My Daddy. As if there were other parents around, and we might get confused. Where do kids get this stuff?

Family Reunion

Less than a week after our trip to Kentucky, we were headed out again to Illinois for a family reunion. Judy planned a wonderful trip where we stayed a resort with a super fun water park, amusement park, and lots of state parks only a few miles away. Elias had fun playing with all of his cousins...and frankly so did I.

At the amusement park, the only ride Elias could/would ride was the carousel. Matt rode with us once, but got a little sick to his stomach, so Elias and I rode it by ourselves a few more times.

We went on a few hikes. We went down into a canyon and found caves and a waterfall. It was beautiful.


We had a progressive dinner with wonderful food and a good chance to catch up with people. Luckily for us, some of our cousins dropped by in the evening after the kids were in bed, so we could really get a chance to talk. The young kids played games like duck, duck goose, and simon says right outside our villas. Everyone had a great time, and now we just count down the days until we get together again...unfortunately, 2 years is a lot of days to count.

Cumberland Folk Week

Let me start by saying, it was no Berea...but then, my last post might truly explain why that wouldn't even be possible, even if we had been at Berea. It was a long trip to the middle of nowhere Kentucky, to enjoy a week of dancing and fellowship at a family folk camp. The morning began with a community dance, followed by dance classes and daycare for Elias. It took Elias a while to warm up to his "school", but eventually he was telling Matt or me to go to our classes. We enjoyed a too short time of sharing songs, magic tricks, and stories at the fireplace just before lunch. After lunch the three of us napped, then it was back for more dancing and daycare for Elias. After dinner, there was another community dance and then an evening dance. Elias went to bed before the evening dance, and Matt and I traded off enjoying the music and people at night. They had hall monitors, but Elias wasn't too sure about sleeping in our room by himself.


It was a little hard eating because by the time one of us got through the lunch line, Elias was finished and was ready for trouble. Luckily, Elias made a great friend, Kyra, who was a saint of a girl. She would entertain him while eating, play with him while we finished, and then convince him to go with us when it was time to leave. I was ready to hire her as our full-time babysitter.


Some of the highlights were hearing Elias ask for more banjo playing, more fiddle playing and watching the accordion player with great interest (he played during both fire alarms...awesome!). He wanted to know when it was time to dance and was always excited when one of us left in the evening to go to the evening dance. He played the harp, made a crown, planted seeds, and played with playdough. It was fun, but I think overall Elias was still a little too young. I envyed the families whose kids sat at the kids table, had adult conversations during meals, and stayed up late on the porch rocking and talking. We just need a few more years.

Vacations

It seems like we were tricked as kids. Vacations meant leaving town, putting your cares behind you, meeting new people and having a blast...sometimes pretending to be someone you never could be at home. These days vacations mean planning, barely getting a chance to talk with adults, taking care of over-tired kids, and really needing a vacation once you get back home. Of course, it is still fun to get away, but I guess I just need to change my view of what taking a vacation means now. Next time I'll just remind myself ahead of time that it will be a lot of work, but how else will Elias get the true experience of vacation?

Big Bed

Ever since we got back from Florida (end of May), Elias has had his big bed in his room to sleep on. No more crib mattress on the floor for him. Unfortunately, sometimes he likes to sleep in it and sometimes he doesn't. I guess the floor is a comfort to him when he is having a hard time getting to sleep. Luckily, more and more he seems to get on his stool and climb up into bed on his own. Let's hope he starts to realize just how comfy it can be. Ah...if only I had time to climb up into my big bed.