• Code Name: Garrett
  
• DOB: Jan 31, 2003
  
• Favorite foods: mac n' cheese, pizza, milk, ice cream, grapes, crčme brulče
  
• Favorite animals: 'a duck, a pig, a frog, a dog'
  
• Favorite words: tickle me me
  
• Favorite Soviet space mission: Sputnik
  
• Long-run goals: To stay up all night

• Code Name: Mary
  
• DOB: Nov 1, 2005
  
• Favorite foods: classified
  
• Favorite animals: classified
  
• Favorite words: classified
  
• Favorite Chinese emperor : Shen-Nung
  
• Long-run goals: world domination

4/4/2008 10:44-p.m.

1/2/2007 0:5-a.m. WE HAVE MOVED

Please visit our new blog at
http://MooAndMo.blogspot.com

1/2/2007 -1:11-a.m. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! I haven't made an entry in two months. (It always feels like a Catholic confession to start off an entry this way) I think that's a record lag for me. I made my last entry the day before Halloween, 2 days before Mary's birthday, and 3 days before my surgery. My doctor requested that I not type during my 3 week recovery and then the holidays were upon us. One of my new year resolutions is to create a new blog at blogspot so that I can more easily share photos and better organize our stories. So my penance for the long silence is to bring you a better blog. Also, I can make unrealistic promises never to create a blog lag again. Right. And I'll also stop biting my fingernails and write my best-selling novel.

We spent Christmas in Florence, SC this year with Grandmother and Granddad Fraley. Naturally we made arrangements with Santa to come to our house in Urbana on New Year's Eve instead of Christmas Eve so that we wouldn't miss the off loading of the sleigh. This year it feels like we are truly having the 12 days of Christmas, including pre-Christmas parties, school christmas pageants, Christmas Day, the extended Fraley family Christmas on Dec. 27, Santa's Visit on Dec. 31, and the arrival (tomorrow) of the UPS BROWN SLED delivery from the Martinez North Pole Substation. This ISN'T the year where Christmas came and went too quickly to really enjoy it. This is like Groundhog Day Christmas.

We had a very nice visit to SC. Garrett and Mary were really good travelers this year, with the exception of a few fatigue outbursts from Mary and an "Oops, I went potty in my seat" episode from Garrett. Considering the long drives we made, I think that's a pretty good travel report. Grandmommy and Granddaddy Fraley were very excited to see Garrett and Mary and rolled out the red carpet for them. Garrett was very happy to see his grandparents and made an eager trip down the stairs every morning to find them and get the fun started. Mary got to know her grandparents a little better since she is a year old now. She did an especially good job of making a map of their house. She knows where all the breakables, imported items, and speically loved objects are. She probably wore a path in the floor between the kitchen and the computer room. Mary LOVES to mess with other people's computers. We thank Grandmother and Granddad Fraley for making us so comfortable in our upstairs suite, and for all the hard work they did to create a lovely Christmas. Garrett is especially thankful for his remote control cars and extra bowls of ice cream.

We were also able to visit with a few friends, which is always nice for us since it's so hard to see people when you have kids. We visited with Brian and Tama in Florence (Tama, thanks for the trip down memory lane-- I really enjoyed watching you and your sister open your Christmas gifts!). We also visited with the Hankin family in Columbia , SC, where Garrett met his match(es). The Hankin twins, Noah and Jacob, are 2 years, 7 months old and they were fantastic company for Garrett. The three boys ran laps around the house, pretended to fall down and crash OVER and OVER again, ate pizza, threw balls up and down the stairs, jammed on keyboards, laughed, kicked, screamed, and yelped for joy for nearly 3 hours. Mary held her own and was unphased by the chaos. In fact, it seemed to make her extremely pleased and calm. She's an odd one. Anyway, Michelle (mommy) Hankin reports that Noah and Jacob have been asking for "Carrot" repeatedly and want to know when he is coming back. Jacob calls for Carrot in his sleep. Garrett certainly did not want to leave and told us how much fun he had at "friends" house. I wish we lived closer together so that the boys could play together more often, but we will certainly look forward to seeing you all when we return to SC.

Garrett misses having Grandparents around. Between GP's November visit and our trip to Florence, he has learned that there are people out there that miss him, love him, and can't wait to spoil him. He frequently asks if he's going to the beach with Grandmama and Granddaddy and inquires if we're going to see Pop, GP, and E-neena.

Garrett was most pleased by what Santa brought him this year. He did the same thing he did last year when he came down the stairs, except this year he said it more clearly: (GASP) "Oh WOOK! Lots of toys! OH! Dinosaur! Oh Dragon! C'mon, mommy!" The big hits this year were the remote control dinosaur that stomps, roars, has flashing lights for eyes and looks like it's going to tear your head off; the Batman sword that sounds like clashing metal when you swing it at something (or someone), and the Don't Break the Ice game. Mary's favorite toys are a bucket of plastic food (which she loads and unloads in Garrett's loader truck), Garrett's dinosaur, and her "laugh and learn" house from Paul. The laugh and learn is amazing. It has a door that Mary can go in and out of, a door bell, and porch light that she can turn on and off with a switch, a ball shoot, a mail slot, a window that opens and closes (and says, "up!" "Down!" a shape sorter, and a radio. It does EVERYTHING. She loves it. I'll post some pictures so that you can see her playing with it.

That was our Christmas (so far). More updates and details to come....

10/30/2006 4:20-p.m. Caroline

Mary had her 1 year check up today. She is 31 inches long and 21 lbs, 6 oz. She is in the 95th percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight. Wow! She sure has grown a lot in one year. Mary is trying to walk. She likes to hold on to her walker toy and see how far she can get. She also loves to push cars around the floor. She eats whatever we eat and she prefers to feed herself. She has 4 teeth. She loves to wave hello and she says hi, ball, and yum yum. She shakes her head "no" when she is doing something she knows she's not supposed to be doing. Mary also likes to sneak a hug from Garrett's dog when Garrett isn't looking. She giggles when she sees Dog sitting by himself. Then she goes after the dog, hugs it, and tries to find Garrett so that she can show him what she has. She can really be a little devil, but of course I think she's an angel!

10/14/2006 10:43-p.m. Caroline

Where does the time go? I'll have to give some quick bits about the kids in order to catch up.
--Mary was baptized on September 17. Emily, Anna, and Paul came from out of town to support us and I was so grateful to have them here. We also had great support from our local friends. Anna and Paul are Mary's Godparents. We had a fun party following the baptism.

--Mary wants to eat everything we are eating and she doesn't want to be patronized by being served tiny bites. She wants big people bites of food! If I'm eating something and not sharing it, she yips at me.

--Mary is now pulling up on all the furniture and actually climbing on top of whatever she can access: the playroom chairs, a playtable, the stairs. She also climbs through small spaces. She's a sneaky one!

--Lately Mary wants to fall asleep on top of me. I try to offer her other soothing sleep solutions, but she is resolute.

--Last week Mary dialed 911. Actually she dialed 9119. But the same thing happens. I heard a voice saying, "Hello? Do you need help? Is this an emergency?" I wrestled the phone out of Mary's hands and apologized profusely to the 911 operator who was not amused.

--Mary is saying "whaaa taaaaat?" She wants to know what everything is. Today Garrett was crawling around saying, "Mommy, I'm a baby!" I asked, "What do babies say?" He said, "whaaaa taaaat!"

--Mary pulls off her shoes and socks whenever she gets the chance. Sometimes she only gets one shoe off before I notice. I have a collection of single shoes.

--Mary is a very happy, smiling baby. I can't believe we're approaching her first birthday. She is evolving into such an amazing little girl. She approaches everything with gusto, she 's very determined, she knows exactly what she wants, and she thinks she is just as capable as Garrett. She really has no idea that she is a baby! I just love her.

--Garrett is doing great in speech therapy. He has finally figured out how to put his tongue at the roof of his mouth and bring it back down to say LA. He loves his speech therapist, Michelle. Except that last week she took his dog as a joke and said, "I have your dog!" The smile quickly vanished from Garrett's face and he grabbed his dog back. He said, "That's my dog, Michelle!" Then he increased the personal space between himself and Michelle and said, "You okay Dog?" She said, "Uh oh. Are you mad at me now." Garrett said, "No. Dog okay. It my dog." Garrett is so funny with his dog. Sometimes he offers it to you freely and willingly and sometimes he guards it with his life. He'll go hours without knowing where it is and then he'll become worried that he doesn't have it with him. He's not upset to have to leave the dog at home or in the car, but he is absolutely joyous to be reunited with it. If we ever lose dog, I will weep.

--Garrett is totally potty trained now, but he's kind of particular about his potty routine. He wants to go on the potty alone, mainly to keep Mary away. He sits down and tells me, "MOmmy, say 'show me when done!" I have to say, "Are you going potty Garrett? Okay, tell me when you're done." He is very happy when I say this. Then he says, "Mommy, I did it! I all done." I'll say, "okay, I'm coming to help you." Then he says, "Mommy, say 'I proud of you.'" Then I say, "Garrett, good job! I'm so proud of you." He says, "Thank you." Then he waits a second and says, "Mommy, say you're welcome." If he sees me go potty he makes an announcement: Mommy! You did it!" I think I should get him a bugle or something.

--Yesterday when I picked up Garrett from school he introduced me to his friends. He said, "Mommy! 'Dis Ben. 'Dis Emma. 'Dis Macy." Then he said, "Bye guys! See you later!" They said, "Bye, Garrett!" I had to say that it warmed my heart to see him so proud of his friends and to see his friends regard him warmly. This time last year he could barely say my name is Garrett.

--Garrett is going to be a dragon for Halloween. After I bought him his costume he wore it for a week and wanted to sleep with it. His name is Erydactyl. Garrett calls him Dactyl for short.

9/13/2006 9:52-p.m. Caroline

Today Mary had her first serving of cherrios. She was so pleased with them. She did a great job of picking them up and getting them in her mouth. Lately she likes to feed herself and Heaven help the person who takes her spoon. She's so cute the way she opens her mouth like a little bird to get a bit of apple or piece of bread.

Mary is grabbing for EVERYTHING, even furniture, lamp cords, magnets from the fridge, etc. When I was at the doctor's office today, she would not stop wrestling out of my arms to get to the container of antibacterial soap. SHe saw it and she had to have it and nobody was going to keep her from it. When I finally relented and put it in her hands, she went cross-eyed with delight. Basically she wants to pull at and suck on anything that is NOT a toy.

Yesterday Mary went to the cognitive psychology class to demonstrate what a 10 month old can do. She will look for an object that is hidden under a cloth. She will use social referencing to determine if an object is okay to touch. She will watch an object fall. She will use two objects together. All that good stuff.

9/9/2006 8:46-p.m. Caroline

Garrett

Garrett is doing a fantastic job using the potty. He is regularly announcing that he needs to use the potty. He can get on the potty by himself and he is always so proud of himself when he finishes. He says, "I DID IT!" He has used the potty at school, at a restaurant, and at the mall. I am so proud of him. I have told him over and over what a good, big boy he is.

A few of my favorite potty moments:

-Garrett was in the playroom, proudly wearing his new underwear. He was in a semi crouch position over Mary and said, "Mommy, I want to water Mary." I said, "What? Do you mean you want to PEE on her?" He said, "Yes!" I said, "No, Garrett. You cannot pee on Mary. That is definitely not okay. You only pee in the potty. Got it?"

-I was using the potty and Garrett came in to see what I was doing. He said, "Oh Mommy! You use potty?" I said, "Yep, I use the potty too." When I was finished he said, "Good job Mommy! You did it! You big girl!"

-Garrett has decided that the downstairs bathroom is "Garrett's potty." He said, "It not Mommy's. It not Mary's. It Garrett's. Okay? You go upstairs." Yet, he doesn't complain when we use his potty. I guess he's just allowing us to use it despite the fact that it is his.

Mary

Mary is not saying uh-oh anymore. I don't know why. She is crawling at warp speed and she loves to head for the outlets. She also LOVES Garrett's potty seat. She loves to race for the bathroom and yank Garrett's seat off the potty. I have to hide it from her.

Mary is very interested in chuncky foods right now. She wants diced apples, bananas, and cereal stars dipped in peanut butter. And she wants to feed them to herself, if you please.

Mary has graduated to a standard car seat. She is very happy in her new seat, which she inherited from her friend Olivia Drane. Coincidentally, the fabric pattern on Mary's seat is a cow pattern. It's quite fitting for her since we call her Miss Mary Moo or MooMoo.

Mary's baptism is next week. We are preparing to have some of our good friends arrive from out of town. After the baptism we are having a party in honor of Mary. In a very short period of time Mary has become such a special part of our lives. We love our Mary Moo!

8/28/2006 9:0-p.m. Caroline

Potty Report

Garrett went to school today and did not want to "go to the potty with friends." However, he DID come home and have a very successful potty day. He asked to go potty 5 times! He peed twice and pooped three times! He ONLY wanted to wear his underwear once he got home from school. Buying the Incredibles underwear was genius on my part.

8/28/2006 7:0-a.m. Caroline

Mary

Lately Mary has been waving hello and bye-bye every 10 minutes or so. Her routine goes something like this: scoot about 10 feet on the floor, stop, wave, and repeat. She looks like a wind-up toy. Occasionally she points instead of waves. She's also wanting to eat chunkier foods. Yesterday I took her grocery shopping and she kept grabbing at the bread bag. I opened it and broke of some pieces of bread and fed her like a little bird. She loved her little squares of bread.

Mary did pretty well at her first MMO Drop Off day last Friday. She was busy playing and didn't notice me leave. At some point she hurt her toe and was distressed, noticed I was gone, and started crying. They took her upstairs to Garrett's room to say hello, which helped. Then they gave her a bottle and rocked her to sleep. She's such a cuddler.

8/27/2006 10:58-a.m. Caroline

Potty Time!!!
Yippee! After a week of watching "Potty Time with Bear," just two days of wearing Incredibles Underwear, and four peeing on the floor episodes, Garrett has peed in the potty!!! This happened just moments ago, which is why I'm so excited about it. For the past hour Garrett has been standing at the computer with his daddy, doing the one-leg dance, but when we sat him on the potty, nothing happened. Finally he suggested that they go to the potty and proudly conducted his business. Everyone gave Garrett a kiss and a piece of chocolate.

I can't remember if I mentioned this, but the preschool had said that they didn't realize that Garrett wasn't potty trained. They don't have a diaper changing area in the classroom, so they don't take kids in diapers. However, they have agreed to give Garrett 3 weeks to potty train. They think he will catch on because they have a potty time everyday and he will see other boys using the potty. Friday I picked him up from preschool and asked him about his day. He said, "Went potty with friends." The teacher had told me that he didn't want to take a turn on the potty.

At home, Garrett has been hot and cold about sitting on the potty. He loves his Incredibles Underwear and he likes to point out that "these are Garretts! Not Mary's." He likes to play with his Cat-In-The-Hat finger puppets that my mom just sent while he's on the potty. Although there are some fun aspects to potty training for him, he is reluctant to sit on it. Yesterday he peed on the floor and I was cleaning it up while he sat on the potty to make sure he was really done. When I went to see him in the bathroom he said, "Oh, Mommy, I feel so bad." He had his hand on his face like he was ashamed. I said, "Why sweetpea?" He said, "I got floor all wet." I said, "Oh that's okay. We're learning how to use the potty and sometimes the floor gets wet. Next time you have to be wet, tell mommy that you want to use the potty." I was glad that he felt bad so that he would be motivated to avoid peeing on the floor.

Keep your fingers crossed that we have a successful potty day all day!

8/23/2006 2:49-a.m. Caroline

Meet the Teacher Day

Garrett will start preschool at MMO this Friday and Mary is enrolled in the nursery program. I probably won't leave Mary in the nursery very often, but it's nice to have the option. In honor of the first week of school, today was Meet The Teacher Day at MMO. I was excited to bring Mary and Garrett to the open house becuase I have been making a big deal about starting school, trying to get Garrett comfortable with and excited by the idea of going to school. Naturally it took hours to get ready to go this morning because I had to create bags of supplies for each child for their classroom. I was filling bags with Kleenex, diaper wipes, hand soap, Playdough, etc. and trying to keep an eye on the bambini. Garrett took a shower and Mary got a little sponge bath and we were all looking pretty spiffy for the event. Before we left the house I decided to address some mail that I had been neglecting. I anticipated that the mailman would come while I was out. I set Mary in the playroom with Garrett because they really enjoy playing together in there. After addressing a couple of envelopes, I heard a bad combination of noises coming from the playroom. Mary sounded distressed and Garrett was laughing. Garrett laughing is okay. Mary sounding distressed is normal, given that she's teething. But the combination of these two sounds is NOT okay. I went in the playroom to find Mary sitting paralyzed and confused on the floor, looking at me like, "Mommy, this isn't okay, right?" Garrett had a very guilty expression on his face and his hand was frozen in the air, gripping Mary's bottle of formula. Poor Mary had been SHOWERED with her own formula. Garrett had been shaking the bottle over her head, sprinkling her with formula until the bottle was empty. Mary must have been slightly amused by this at first because she didn't complain right away. Anyway, this is NOT the sort of thing that Mommies find amusing on Meet The Teacher Day. Garrett went to Time Out, Mary got a quick head wash with a dishtowel, and we left for school in very bad moods.

Garrett seemed very pleased to be back at school and was asking for his friend, Olivia, and pointing out his classroom with interest. Mary blended in to the nursery with no problem. She was interested in the toys and the other babies. Garrett's room was set up for crafts and play and I was feeling very good about having signed him up for a formal program. His teacher was very friendly and immediately had Garrett paint a plate and help him put his name on it. She informed me that the kids (10 total) will do a creative activity every day, go to the park every day (or the indoor gym), sing every day, read every day, have snack every day, and have free play every day. They will also go to the bathroom every day. That is good because I'm desperately trying to potty train Garrett and the more places he goes where they expect him to sit on the potty, the better! On our way out, Garrett's teacher gave him an apple and he ate the entire thing on the way home. When Chris got home today he asked Garrett, "Did you go to school today?" Garrett said, "Yes, I ate an apple!"

Come Poop or Highwater

Today was also one of those days that included a diaper blowout and multi-tasking circus act. Apparently I put Mary to bed with a dirty diaper. Of course, I didn't realize it was dirty. In retrospect I can see that she was trying to tell me something, but I chalked it up to Nap Refusal. You can imagine the unpleasant scene of a baby waking up too early from her nap, angry and uncomfortable because she's all wet and sticky. I picked her up to discover the horrible truth that she was slathered in poop. This is always a delicate situation, requiring stealth, slight of hand, and a few pro-wrestling moves to minimize damage. I have the good sense to keep a hospital bed mat on Mary's bed for just such occasions. I laid her on that and tried to remove her clothes without getting poop on her face and in her hair. She of course was wiggling and protesting (hence the pro-wrestling moves required by me), unaware that every move increased the likelihood of poop contamination. I don't need to tell you that my management of the situation involves holding my breath AND speaking at the same time, uttering things like, "It's okay baby... it will be over soon.... hold still now... no, no no, don't roll." What happened next was stupid on my part. For some reason, I had carried the phone into the room with me and when it rang, I answered it. Given the importance of having both of my hands available to me, it just wasn't smart. Maybe I was hoping it was a friend to whom I could scream, "Why is this happening to me?" Instead it was the Cramer Siding Project Manager, wanting to make arrangement with me for starting our bank breaking siding project. He was most cheerful and friendly. I had the phone between my head and my shoulder, holding Mary in a standing position against my body, praying that all the poop had been removed from her front. I said, "Yes, Thursday would be fine... just drop it anywhere... do I need to move my car... fine, good, yes..." Mary was saying, "Agh, yay, yay, ta, ta, ta..." directly into the receiver. I hung up, scooped up Mary with one arm, kicked the tub out from under the crib, carried to the bathroom with the other hand, dropped in the tub, put Mary on the floor, who was now charged by the sight of her tub, and ran the water. I stuck my head out the bathroom door and yelled for Garrett, telling him that I was putting the baby in the tub and to get up here, and plopped Mary in the water. We all had a moment of peace while Mary was in the tub. I tried to recall my conversation with the Siding Guy. Then, it was time to take Mary out of the tub and dress her. I couldn't use her room because it was contaminated. I dressed her in Garrett's room and then returned her to the bathroom floor to play with Garrett while I removed the offensive items from her room. For the second time in one day I heard the terrible combination of Garrett laughing and Mary sounding slightly distressed. I ran to the bathroom to find that Garrett had taken the we washcloth and used to to fling water all over the bathroom and all over Mary. Thank you, Garrett. When daddy gets home, mommy is going to make an appearance at the local bar.

8/6/2006 8:48-p.m. Caroline

Sunny Sunday

Garrett had a nice day today. He went to church with me in the morning. When he got out of the car and realized where we were, he said, "Mommy, Be Fwiet!" I said, "Okay, good idea." He was very good sitting in the pew with me and he was especially delighted with the little book and the music. After church we went to Schnucks to get donoughts. Garrett really likes to go get his doughnut. I let him pick out the one he wants. It always has chocolate on it. Today it was chocolate filled with vanilla creme. Then we brought the donoughts home to Mary and Daddy and all enjoyed them. After our tasty snack we decided to go to Babyland to look at baby gates. Little Miss Mary is picking up speed and she is showing interest in the stairs. Unfortunately Babyland is closed on Sunday so we went to the book store (Pages for all Ages) instead. Garrett had a good time playing in the children's section with Mary and I really enjoyed reading the children's books. I read a few to Garrett. He liked the one about the Dinosaur that didn't know she was extinct by Mo Willems. It was written by the same author that writes the Pigeon books that Garrett loves. After we had our fill at the bookstore we ran some errands and did some grocery shopping. It was exhausting because it was hot out and Mary didn't want to be still. She wanted to climb the grocery cart instead of sit in it. In fact, during our shopping trip I had to find a section of the grocery store where it would be safe to let her "walk". I held her hands and she took about 15 steps. She was trying to reach an empty cart.

Once we got home we were all tired and tried to rest and refuel. Then Garrett and I went to the Prairie Animal Farm Park with the Lleras family. This is great park that is designed like a farm and has a petting zoo that includes all of the animals that you might see on a farm. I will post some pictures of our visit soon. Behind the Farm Park, you can see the new water park that they've built in Champaign. There really are a lot of things that families can do for fun around here. I was having one of those days where I really appreciate the fact that we live here. Sometimes I get really homesick and I curse the state of Illinois and its distance from our loved ones, but overall I know we are in a good place for us. Anyway, Garrett had a very nice time looking at the animals and he pet a pony. After we met all the animals, we went to custard cup and had an ice cream treat. Garrett had a mini chocolate cup and I had a small root beer float. If only every day could have donoughts, ponies, chocolate ice cream, sunshine, good friends, and taking new steps!

8/4/2006 1:5-p.m. Caroline

Yesterday Mary had her 9 month checkup. She weighed in at 19 lbs 10 oz. She's in the 60th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height! She didn't have to have any shots yesterday and we were both glad about that! Mary is very healthy by all accounts. She eats and sleeps well and has an affectious little personality. The doctor said that she can eat any food that she can chew now. Yesterday I gave her a little bit of an apricot. She thought that was really interesting.

Garrett went bowling for the first time yesterday with Chris and Isabella! Apparently bowling is not Garrett's strong suit. He drops the ball in the alley with a big thud and doesn't give it enough force to make it to the pins in less that 60-90 seconds. According to Chris, it's painful to watch. After about 4 frames, Garrett and Isabella decided it would be more fun to run and dance.

7/30/2006 10:56-p.m. Caroline

Garrett scores big points with mommy.

Today I took Garrett with me to church. He's old enough to follow direction, so I thought I'd try out taking him with me. We listened to the Wiggles in the car on the way there and clapped with the music. It should come as no surprise then, that he started to clap after the opening song in church! I told Garrett that we were going into a big house and we needed to be very quiet in it. Through out the mass he would turn to me and say in a loud whisper, "Mommy, I quiet!" Or he would just put his finger to his lips. He did a good job with all the standing and sitting and kneeling. He tried to say the words I was saying and watched my lips move. He wanted to be held a few times, but overall he was a really good boy. I told him because he was so good we would go to the store and get doughnuts. He said, "Oh Yummy! Mommy, I good boy, I want chocate!"

Mary eats a whole food!

Tonight we had dinner at the Drasgow's house. We took a tour of their beautiful garden. Garrett enjoyed seeing all the plants and the vegetables. For dinner we had delicious pot roast, made with potatoes and onions from the Drasgow garden. We also had a tasty salad with cucumber and several varieties of tomato from the Drasgow garden. I had made some gnocchetti for Chris and Garrett and we all enjoyed those too---even Mary! The little gnochetti are so small and tender, so Chris decided to offer one to Mary. She really enjoyed it. I think she liked sucking the tomato sauce off of it. We'll see if she has some sort of weird reaction to it. It's so fun to see the look on a baby's face when they try a new food or feel a new texture.

Mary and Sam

Mary loves Baby Sam Drasgow. They are extremely calm and happy around each other. TOnight they gave each other a kiss! Sam likes to rotate in a circle on his butt like Mary does, but Mary is not trying to "butterfly stroke" across the room like Sam does. It won't be long before she figures out how to cross a room at warp speed.

7/26/2006 -1:25-a.m. Caroline

Garrett has a new saying and we have NO IDEA where he got it. It goes something like this: Blah, blah, blah, Daddy! I'm not scared of you!!! It's very strange. Why would he tell us he's not scared of us? And where did he hear the phrase, "I'm not scared of you?" It's a mystery.

Mary is trying to walk! She tries to pull up on everything and she is so pleased with herself when she does it successfully. She has a little giggle that makes her lose her balance. She likes for us to hold her up on her feet in a standing position. REcently she has taken a few steps when we do this. SHe still doesn't roll over much and she isn't crawling. She kind of scoots on her butt in order to move. Imgaine her sitting up with her feet turned inward. Then picture her putting her hands on the floor in front of her as far forward as they can go. Then she pulls her butt to catch up with her hands. Sometimes I see her in a different spot in the room and I have no idea how she got there.

Mary gets up way too early. Good Lord, she wakes up at 5:30 most mornings! Chris and I have sleepy arguments and begging sessions over who should get up with her.

Mary is being baptized on September 17th. Her godparents are Paul Walker and Anna Lynch. I'm really looking forward to her little ceremony. She'll probably be walking to the fountain by then. I hope we can manage her. She loves a bath.

7/8/2006 4:2-p.m. Caroline

Happy Birthday, Aunt Elaina! This morning we called Elaina and Garrett spontaneously sang happy birthday to her. Recently Garrett has been singing a lot more. His favorite songs are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. I'm going to teach him Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

Speaking of that, we bought Garrett a bat, ball, and soccer ball this morning. Garrett and Chris were just playing soccer in the driveway. Garrett made up some funny rules. Garrett is actually "Daddy." Chris has to answer to "Garrett." I was dubbed "people" and Mary's new name is "Friend." If Garrett wanted Chris to get the ball he said, "Go get it Garrett!" Then Chris would say, I don't want to. I want Milk!" Then Garrett would say, "You already had milk, Garrett. Have some coffee." Garrett was playing soccer in his sandals because he has outgrown his sneakers. He grew another inch (43 inches), so I guess his feet grew too. Back to the mall for new shoes!

7/6/2006 -1:51-a.m. Caroline

I would like it to be known that I post the blog entry late at night when I'm tired. And I can't edit my entry once it's up there. I'm seeing lots of typos from last nights entry and I'm mortified. I do know how to spell. Really, I'm not one of those people who is dependent on spell check (not that there's anything wrong with that Chris). Scrabble is my favorite game. Although once I did try to get away with playing the word PINCE (stop laughing, Kate! Chris, PINCE isn't a word).

7/6/2006 -1:44-a.m. Caroline

Today Garrett had his 3rd speech therapy session. Garrett seems to really enjoy the sessions. Michelle, his instructor, always has creative projects planned for Garrett. She also has clever ways to get him to move his tongue around and make new sounds. Today they worked with that candy where you lick a stick and then dip it in flavored sugar. Garrett had to reach his tongue all the way out in order to reach the sugar on the stick. Then he moved his tongue all the way to the left and all the way to the right to reach the sugar. He had fun with it. Today Garrett did a particularly good job with the ST sound. Mary watched Garrett's session very quietly. She really enjoys watching Garrett do most anything. Garrett told Michelle several times that "Dat baby Mary! She's my sister!"

Tonight Garrett and his daddy played soccer-basketball. We have a long driveway, which has a basketball hoop on one end and the street on the other end. Garrett and Chris played soccer on the street end (Chris was the goalie) and then threw the ball in the hoop if the ball reached the other end of the driveway. Garrett did a great job kicking the ball. He kind of dances around it with his toes until he gets a feel for a good kick. He's kicking with his right foot consistently.

Garrett is protesting his bed time now. He's never quite been this upset to go to bed. He says, "No, Daddy, no! I don't want to time a bed! I want to pay puter, I want to pay ball!" Chris says, "No, time for bed. Time to say night night." Then Garrett says, "I don't want to! I want good morning Garrett! Say good morning!"

Garrett says good morning to Mary every time she wakes up (morning, noon, or night!).

~Mary~
Mary is really enjoying her solid foods. In fact, she's trying to feed herself with the spoon. If she gets ahold of the spoon, I just let her have it and I go get another spoon. She does a good job of getting the spoon in her mouth. If she gets ahold of the bowl, we're in big trouble. Sometimes we play tug of war with the bowl and I'm never really sure who's going to win. I'm fighting for my life because if she gets it, baby food muck and guck flies everywhere! If I get it, she gets very upset. My new plan is to come to the table with an extra spoon and and extra bowl. She likes to suck on something in between bites.

7/4/2006 8:59-p.m. Caroline

Happy 4th of July! Today Garrett and Mary enjoyed having their daddy at home on a workday. Chris took Garrett to see the parade on Lincoln Avenue, which was disappointing. Basically it was an opportunity for all the politicians to drive by in cars with their names on it. My favorite "float" that Chris described was a truck titled "Fiesta." It had a message on it that said "We get youth fired up for Jesus!" On the back of the truck were some youth that looked like they were about to fall asleep. Chris said it should have been called "Siesta." Anyway, as you can tell it wasn't exactly a kid's idea of a good parade. They did have a policeman on a horse and Garrett thought that was cool.

Watch out Evil, here comes Garrett!

AFter the parade we went to the Lleras house for a tasty barbeque. On our way there Garrett was crossing the street with Chris and saw a motorcylcle approaching the stop sign. Garrett stopped in his trackes, planted his feet firmly on the ground, put his left arm out straight as a board, and pushed an imaginary button on his wrist, aimed strait at the cyclist. Guess who Garrett thinks he is? BUZZ LIGHTYEAR! I said, "Garrett, get out of the street. Who do you think you are? Buzz Lightyear?" He said, "No, I not Buzz Wightyear! I Garrett!! I go get it!"

Garrett played a little more baseball with Isabella this evening and I tried to observe his hand and foot preferences. He swong with his left arm, pitched with his right arm, ate with his right hand and kicked a ball with his right foot. I noticed a few other things. Garrett takes a natural stance when he gets ready to bat. When he takes a swing he actually steps into the swing, keeps one foot planted, and follows through with the swing only moving his upper body. Little League here we come!

7/3/2006 10:29-a.m. Caroline

~Mary~

Mary is an "uh-oh" machine. She sits around, playing and producing uh-ohs. She also waved a few more times yesterday. She's getting more adventurous with her attempts at standing and I have decided to put her cradle away now. Boo hoo. I will miss her nice little cradle.

~Garrett~

I had to buy Garrett size 5 pants yesterday. His pants are starting to rise above his ankles again. I can't believe how fast he grows. This year I have to find him a soccer team and a baseball team. I think he might actually be a good baseball player. He's 3 and a half and he has been throwing the ball with great speed and a good aim for about a year now. Yesterday Alejandro and Chris taught him how to swing a bat at a ball, using a t-ball set up. Alejandro said, "Garrett only hits homeruns." Chris pitched him the ball from about 15 feet and he hit it about 4 out of 5 times. I think that's kind of amazing! Later when I was taking a nap, I was thinking about Garrett hitting the ball and I realized he was hitting left handed! I don't think he's left handed. The thought made me jump up from my nap and consult Chris. We're not sure if he's left or right handed. Maybe he's a switch hitter :)

7/1/2006 -1:16-a.m. Caroline

According to Chris, Mary tried to crawl today. She moved backward instead of forward. I remember Garrett doing the same thing. Mary might be the first baby to walk before rolling over. She wants us to put her up on her feet and she's trying to pull up on any accessible surface now.

6/29/2006 10:3-p.m. Caroline

~Mary~

Mary is trying to stand up. When she sits up in her cradle, she pulls up on the cradle bar. I can't have her in there anymore unless I am sitting right there with my eyes fixed on her. I'm afraid she'll flip over the side. She rocks the cradle by wiggling her butt and then she grabs onto the side and tries to pull up. I look over at her and say, "Oh my goodness, Miss Moo! Are you standing?" Then she giggles and squeals as if she knows that she's doing something really big and slightly michievous.

~Garrett~

Today I treated Garrett to a chocolate milkshake from Steak and Shake because he was being such a good boy in Target. Actually, I also bought him an enormous blue ball in Target, which he attentively carried around the whole store as I shopped. You could barely see his head behind the ball. He said, "Oh tank you for bue ball, mommy! Tank you!" Then he said tank you for his chocolate shake, "I wike it , mommy! It goooood!" Later I asked him if I could have a sip and he said, "No, mommy! It my chocate!" Looking hurt, I said, "Please." He said, "Okay, mommy, here go." Since I said please.

Tonight Garrett did not want to go to bed because he wanted to stay up and play computer with his daddy. He made a big fuss and cried. Finally he was in bed. Five minutes later he opened his door and came into the library. Chris said, "Garrett, get back in your bed!" Garrett cried, "I don't want to bed, daddy! I want pay compooter!" He was so sad and disappointed. I got him more milk and put him back to bed. 15 minutes later we heard his door open again. This time Garrett was more cautious; he first stuck out Dog's nose to take a look around. I only saw Dog poking his head around the door. Then Garrett's head followed. To his dismay Chris and I were staring right at him. Chris gave him the stern "Go to bed" directive again and that's the last we saw of him or Dog. Poor Garrett.

6/29/2006 0:4-a.m. Caroline

Today Mary was saying "uh-oh" over and over. She would drop something out of reach, try to grab it, fail, and say, "Uh-oh! Uh-oh!" It was the cutest darned thing. She also has another tooth! Now she has two teeth on the bottom.

Garrett had his speech therapy appointment today. It is so fun to watch him try new things. He was playing games with his therapist, Michelle, that were designed to get him to put his tongue at back of his top teeth to make an "L" sound like "la." He did a pretty good job. He likes the game in which he gets to make faces in the mirror. (Garrett is a bit of a ham and he likes to watch his image. He often makes super hero and action figure poses at his reflection in the oven door.) He also played a game with Michelle in which they drew a ladybug, cut out spots and glued them to the bug. They used lots of Ls as they were saying legs and ladybug. Garrett was much better at using the scissors and paste that I expected.

"That's not daddy!"

Garrett and I have a new game. When it's time for daddy to come home, we go out on the front porch and wait for daddy. We're looking for a man on a bicyle. Every time a car drives by Garrett says, "That's not daddy!" If a person walks by, he says, "That's not daddy! That's people." And if a person rides by on a bike, he looks very carefully and says, "That's not daddy? Where daddy go? I can't find him." Eventually we spot daddy and I say, "Is THAT daddy?" He gasps with anticipation, realizes that it's daddy, and says, "Daddy!!! Daddy, daddy, daddy! There he is." Then he greets Chris with a big hug. Mary also realizes that it is daddy and startes to wiggle her legs, smile, hide her face, and peek back out at him. You'd think it was Christmas day.

6/24/2006 10:41-p.m. Caroline

Garrett: Stories and Updates

Update: Garrett started speech therapy last Wednesday. He has improved quite a bit from his initial assessment, but he still has a few problems that can be addressed in speech therapy. He's having a very difficult time starting words with an "L". He can't figure out how to put his tongue behind his upper teeth in order to make the L sound. We're trying all sorts of things to get him to do it and I'm feeling very silly making all these L faces. Garrett also likes to replace some sounds with other sounds, but not consistently. For example, he'll say "moo," "missed it!" "My turn," and "Mary," but not "milk." Instead he says, "Nilk." We try to get him to say Milk with no N, but it's very hard. The other day I told him, "Garrett if you can say the word Milk, I'll give you some." He said, "Nilk!" I said, "No. Try Mmmmmm."
He said, "Mmmmmm."
"Good. Now try Ilk!"
"Nilk!"
"No, no, no. Just IiiiLlllKkkk."
"EeeeeellllK!"
"Good! Now try Mmmmm Iiiillk. Milk!"
"Mmmmmm NILK!"
"Nope! Mmmmmm Iiilllk."
"Mmmmm NILK! Nilk, Mommy! I want some Nilk!"
Then I tried doing it more energetically, as if my words were hopping. "Mm! Ilk! Milk!"
Garrett used a deep voice to counter my high one, "NILK."
This went on for 15 minutes until he finally said Milk. I clapped and danced and gave him the milk.

Story: These People Hurt Head.
Recently our friends, The Fischer's (Bill, Emily, Aidan, and Ella), came to visit. Garrett is 6 months older than Aidan. Ella is about 8 months older than Mary. We had a full house and a lot of fun. Garrett and Aidan inspire each other to be as rambunctious as humanly possible. Before you can say, "Be careful," they are bouncing off chairs, couches, window sills, beds, stairs, and each other, laughing and squealing the whole time. Aidan must be made of steel, but Garrett is a bit more tender. He came to me crying at least three times because he had "hurt head" on something, including Aidan's head, the wall, and a table. The morning of the Fischer departure we were all eating breakfast together and Garrett paused to say, "Mommy, these people hurt head!" Despite the bruises, we had a fantastic time with Em and Bill and their family. We hope they'll come again soon!

Big Car Trip to South Carolina
In June we took a big car trip to South Carolina to visit Garrett and Mary's Grandmother and Grandad. They had a new house with a special room for Garrett. Garrett really liked his new room, particularly the big robot that was in it. Garrett had a great visit with his grandparents. He went to Myrtle Beach and jumped in the water, ate an ice cream cone, and went on a bunch of boardwalk rides. He visited his Great Granddad Fraley at his nursing home and played a game of "pass the frisbee" with him. Garrett also enjoyed playing in the yard with his granddad and trying to splash him from his inflatable pool. Finally, Garrett went to Chucky Cheese several times. He loved the pizza and the games. He liked it so much that now he asks to go to "Chocolate Cheese!"

6/24/2006 9:18-p.m. Caroline

Mary--A Rambling of Her Recent Developments

Mary is developing so quickly! I can't believe she is just about 8 months old now. She wants to sit up all the time and reach for ANYTHING. She especially likes things that make a crinkly noise and things that she can bang. She experiences total bliss when handed a set of metal measuring spoons. She waved bye bye twice the other day. She's not doing it all the time, but she does in the right context. We were all shocked and surprised and I think she was wondering, "What? What did I do that was so great?" A couple of weeks ago, just after we returned from South Carolina, her bottom tooth poked through. Since then she has been sleeping very well. She is also eating lots of baby food now. This morning we went out to breakfast and she had a slice of banana from Garrett's banana pancakes. She was pleased to be included in the meal. She's not crawling yet and she still has very little interest in rolling over, but the other day she rocked back and forth on her hands and knees. Mary continues to be totally enthralled with her brother, Garrett. She smiles and jiggles with glee when she sees him. Garrett enjoys eliciting this response from her. Mary loves to talk and makes all sorts of chatty noises. Maybe she'll be like her mommy and have expensive phone bills. When Chris is around, Mary is not happy unless he is holding her while he is standing. Poor Chris cannot sit down when Mary is awake. We think she is a very sweet and fun little girl. Well, Chris thinks she's a little crabby because of that holding problem, but overall she's an amazing, healthy baby.

5/3/2006 -1:43-a.m. Caroline

Mary had her 6 month check up today. I can't believe she is already 6 months old! Time flies. Before you know it, she'll be too big to cuddle and I'll be telling Chris that it's time for number 3 (ha ha, Chris, just kidding... sort of.) Mary weighed in at 16 pounds, 12 ounces today. I thought they were going to tell me that she weighs 20 pounds because she's a big baby. She's in the 75th percentile for both height and weight so she's a well-proportioned big baby. She did very well with her vaccinations too. TOday we had a different nurse than usual and I was able to hold her for all the shots. She was startled, but she didn't cry too much.

The doctor asked me if Mary is rolling over yet and I said, "Nope. She kind of turns to her side, but that's it. She really just likes to lay on her back and hold her feet." He looked puzzled. He asked, "Well, does she roll from her front to her back?" I said, "Nope. She doesn't like to be on her stomach. Watch." I demonstrated. I put Mary on her stomache and she immediately began to fuss. He said, "Well, let's check out her muscles." He did a number of things to determine if her muscles were developed and that she could use them. Then he said, "Well, she's in good shape and has all the tools necessary to roll over. She just chooses not to do it." I said, "Well, she's a very happy and pleasant baby. I guess she's not motivated to change her position yet." I remember that Garrett took his dear sweet time with rolling over too. I'm not worried.

Mary has now eaten bananas, apples, and carrots. She loves to eat from her spoon.

Garrett is doing pretty well. He is speaking in complete sentences now. TOday at the gas station he said, "Oh, wook, mommy! Two Dogs! Oh, they're cute dogs." Sure enough, a man was walking two dogs across the lot. They were cute. I said, "Yes, Garrett! Those ARE two cute dogs." He can't do L sounds yet, but he's definitely improving. He's especially good at saying, "No, Mommy! I don't want to bed! I'm sad mommy, I'm sad." Garrett really doesn't want to go to bed at night. But when he gets into bed he really enjoys his bedtime stories.

Garrett has added a new emotion to his repetoire. Now is uses the word "scared" in addition to happy and sad. He is scared of polar bears and crocodiles.

Garrett LOVES Mary. He is always pointing out that she is cute and he wants to make her smile. She laughes when he jumps around in front of her seat. When she starts laughing, he says, "Oh, wook! Baby smeeles!" It sounds kind of like "Baby smells" but he's saying "Baby smiles." He'll say, "I want to make baby smeele mommmy!"

4/8/2006 -1:38-a.m. Caroline

Mary likes to have her clothes taken off, but she does not like to have them put back on. After her clothes come off, she likes to pull her feet toward her head and hold them. She loves to have kisses on her tummy. She loves to watch Garrett do just about anything. She has started to let us know that she'd like our attention by letting out small coughs. Cough-cough (pick me up). Cough-cough (I'd like a hug). Cough-cough-cough-cough (A change of scenery, please!) Cough-cough-cough-cough-cough (Yoo hoo, I'm awake! Is anybody out there?)

4/8/2006 -1:31-a.m. Caroline

Devil in a Blue Dress

Earlier this week when I took Garrett to MMO he eagerly joined his classmates in play. I hung up his coat and put his diaper in his cubby and turned to say goodbye to him. He was wearing a pink hat with a flower in it and he said, "Look, Mommy! Hat! It beautiful!" I said, "Yes, Garrett, that is a beautiful hat. See you in a little while." I left and returned 2 hours later. Sarah, one of Garrett's teachers said, "Oh, Garrett's mommy his here. Wait until you see your son." I looked for Garrett who was running toward me saying, "Mommeeee!" There in all his splendor was Garrett in a shiny blue fairy princess dress with blue sequins on it. He said, "Look, Mommy! Blue! It beautiful!" I said, "It sure is!" Nearby on the floor was a little girl named Tiffany who was sulking with her arms crossed across her chest because Garrett would not relinquish her favorite blue princess costume.

Not Car, Tractor!

On another morning this week Garrett and I took advantage of a rare opportunity. Mary was sleeping and the weather was very nice, so we went outside to play in the yard. I pulled Garrett's tractor out of the garage to see if his feet could reach the pedals and if he could ride it a little better than he had last Fall. Garrett was delighted to rediscover his tractor. We practiced riding it up and down the driveway and sidewalk. After about 15 minutes, Garrett paused and pointed in the direction of Lincoln Avenue, which is the street we take to get most anywhere we go. He said, “Mommy, that way?” I said, “Well, we can go a little farther down the street, but that’s all.” He said, “Mommy? Mall-neigh-neigh?” I said, “You want to drive this tractor all the way to the mall?!” He said, “YES!” I said, “ No, Garrett. That is way to far. We have to get in the car to go to the mall.” He said, “No, not car. Tractor!”

Oh no! Umbrella!

Garrett and I were leaving the MMO building to head out to the car. I was pushing Mary through the doors in her stroller and Garrett was holding on to his Dora umbrella. The weather was terrible. It was raining and windy. I was working hard to keep the plastic cover on Mary’s stroller so that she wouldn’t get wet. I had given up on keeping myself dry. Garrett insisted on carrying his own Dora umbrella and the minute we got outside he said, “Help, Mommy. I need help!” I opened the umbrella for him and said, “Now, hold on tight Garrett. It’s windy.” Approximately one second later a gust of wind came along and blew the umbrella out of Garrett’s hands. Garrett said, “Oh no! Umbrella!” I said, “Oh no. Garrett, DON’T MOVE!” Without thinking I went after the umbrella. It blew away farther toward the parking lot. I make a quick assessment. Could I get to the umbrella before the direction-following-timer in Garrett’s head expired? I had seconds before he remembered that I told him not to move. Given the importance of the umbrella and the crying that would ensue if it blew away for good, I made a mad dash into the parking lot and recovered it. Just then, Garrett went DING and started to move. I yelled, “NO! Don’t move!” as I made my way back to him. I shooed us all in the direction of the car, buckled everyone in, and, soaking wet, got into my own seat. Garrett said, “Too cold, mommy.” I said, “Yep too cold, and too windy. Mommy, all done.”

3/27/2006 10:0-p.m. Caroline

Every day Garrett and Mary do something noteworthy and I think, “I’ll have to blog that.” But then, time gets away from me and I miss the chance to write down the little quips, behaviors, and moments that make having Garrett and Mary so rewarding. I’m going to try to jog my memory (which is awful these days) and try to remember a few things.

Mary had a bath tonight and she seemed to really enjoy it. We had been sticking her in the shower with Chris, giving her a quick wash, and then handing her over to mommy to be dried and dressed. She just didn’t seem to enjoy baths. But tonight she had little smiles and kicked the water and generally seemed surprised by her nakedness and the feel of the water. I think giving a baby a bath is one of those experiences that you’d like to freeze frame for all time.

Mary has been getting up a little earlier this past month. Chris is usually the one that gets up with her because we all know that I am not a morning person. I have to give my body a 15 minute pep talk before it will move. Mary usually wakes up happy. This morning she was gurgling and cooing and trying to alert us to the fact that she was awake and ready to eat.

In the morning Mary and Garrett watch a “baby show”—a baby Einstein video that is targeted toward babies in the first year. Garret used to watch these too, but now he’s moved on to more exciting things like “The Backyardigans,” “Dr. Seuss,” and toddler appropriate Einsteins. When Mary sees the introduction to the baby show (a caterpillar crawls across the screen and the Disney logo flashes) she gets a big smile, hides her face or kicks her feet and looks back at the TV to confirm that her little friend is really there. It’s so cute. The thirty minute show allows us to get ourselves ready for the day. Usually, I make it downstairs and into the playroom in time to catch some of the show. The other day I sat on the couch next to Garrett, who was watching the show with his horse, dog, and dragon. He said, “Oh, hello mommy!” I said, “Hello, Garrett. Are you watching a show.”
“Yes, baby show! Want dog mommy? Here you go.” (He gives me his dog)
“Oh, thank you! Are you sure?”
“No, no, no mommy! Mommy, horse. Here you go.” (He exchanged the horse for the dog) “Mary gets dog!” (He gives Mary his dog.)
I said, “Wow, Garrett. That’s sweet of you to give Mary your dog.”
“Yes. Mommy horse, Mary dog, and Garrett Dragon!”
We all watched the rest of the show with our designated pal.

Garrett is currently OBSESSED with his “hotdog book.” My cousin Ginny sent Garrett a book called, “A Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog.” It’s a very silly book in which a Pigeon finds a hot dog and is looking forward to eating it. Then a little duckling comes along and asks the Pigeon what he has and what does it taste like? The Pigeon is eager to eat the hotdog and wants it all for himself, but he can’t stand the idea that this little duckling doesn’t know what a hotdog tastes like. After much angst he decides to share the hotdog with the duckling. Before the hotdog obsession, Garrett wanted to go to bed with “a dog, a milk, a blanket, and a pillow.” Now Garrett says, “I want a dog, a milk, a blanket, and hotdog book! Okay!”

Garrett likes to go to the indoor gym at his school where he rides around on a bicycle with training wheels. When I ask him if he had fun at school, he says, “Yes, rode a bicycle!”

Garrett loves his friend Olivia. Last Friday we went to the mall with Olivia’s family (Olivia, Olivia’s brother Caleb, and Olivia’s mommy Amy). At some point Olivia’s mommy decided that Olivia was not doing as she was told and should be confined to her stroller. However, Garrett was insistent on holding Olivia’s hand. So Garrett kept pace with Olivia’s stroller and held on to Olivia as we walked the mall. Olivia’s mommy tried her best not to run over Garrett.

Every time we get out of the car, Garrett has to warn me in a shocked voice, as if doom is eminent, “OH NO! Mommy, careful cars! Oh, cars! Be Careful!”

Garrett might have a future as a concert pianist. He likes to play the electric piano and sing a song. He makes up the music and the song. He sways back and forth Stevie Wonder style. It’s hilarious. His last performance was titled, “Mommy, Dog.”

When we go out for breakfast Garrett places his own order. He tells the waitress that he’ll have pancakes. In fact, he tells her about 3 times.

Garrett has been sitting on the potty about once a day, but he doesn’t do anything. He just wants an excuse to flush the toilet and use some toilet paper. I’m happy that he’s willing to sit on it by himself. The other day, I was using the bathroom and he was in the bathroom with me (I understand that this is not a pretty picture, but the story is worth telling). Garrett picked up his Sesame Street potty seat and put it on his head. He said, “Look, mommy! Hat!” I was helpless because I was sitting on the potty myself, so I said, “Oh Garrett, yuck! Don’t put the potty on your head.” Just then he pushed the potty seat all the way down to his neck as if to wear it like a necklace. He said, “Uh oh, Mommy! Stuck!” He tried to get the potty off his head, but it wouldn’t come off as easily as it went on. He started to panic. “Mommy, potty stuck! Help!” I said, “Don’t panic. Come closer! I can’t reach you from here.” He repeated, “Mommy, help! I can’t do it! It’s stuck.” I finished my business and went to rescue my poor son with the potty around his neck. When we got it off we both had a good laugh and washed our hands.

3/16/2006 8:34-p.m. Michael

Chris and Caroline are busy throwing a party right now, so I'm a guest updater.

Tonight I talked to Garrett quite a bit. We played ball for a little while, then he helped me get out of the water in WoW.

Garrett is developing quite the vocabulary. Moreover, although he hasn't seen me in over a month, he remembered me when I arived at the party.

3/12/2006 7:11-a.m. Caroline

Mary

Mary is doing really well. She had her 4 month appointment last Monday. She weighed 14 pounds and 3.5 ounces. She is 24.5 inches long. She's just above the average for height and weight. Mary loves to smile at people who smile at her. I think she's going to be a social butterfly. On the other hand, she seems a bit reserved and cautious at times. She startles easily and wants to be held close. Unlike her brother, she goes to bed fairly easily at 7:30 p.m. and is up early at 6:30 a.m. She might be the only person in the house who isn't a night owl. I can just see myself kicking Garrett out of bed to get him to school on time as Mary is fully prepared to head out the door.

Mary is not rolling over yet, but she is very engaged with her toys. She likes to pull objects close to her and explore them with her mouth. She also loves her Baby Mozart and Baby Bach shows. She gets a big sheepish smile when she sees the Baby Einstein caterpillar crawl across the TV screen. It's like her friend has come to see her. Garrett calls Mary's shows "the Baby's shows," and he loves to sit down beside Mary's bouncy seat and watch them with her. He likes to tell her about all the images that are coming up. For example, he'll say, "Here comes the kickin (chicken)!" or "Uh oh, Mary! Gagon! (Dragon)"

Garrett

Garrett is both demonstrating that he's still a baby and needs to be coddled and that he's a big boy and needs to be in charge. He wants to have his diaper changed up on the changing table where Mary has her diaper changed, but he has also been sitting on the potty and interested in the whole potty operation. He sometimes picks up Mary's pacifier and sucks on it even though he has never enjoyed pacifiers. Then he wants to sit back and eat chips and salsa with his daddy. He likes to be lifted into his carseat (he had been getting into it by himself when I was pregnant), but he unlatches his own seatbelt and hops out of the car as soon as I open the door. He frequently asks to be "up" and wants me to carry him and hug him, but then he'll boot me out of the big person chair and expect me to sit on the floor.

I think having a new baby in the house has made Garrett closer to his dog. He wants his dog when he is sad, which is a word he uses when he's not getting the attention that he wants. He hugs and kisses his dog for comfort and he talks to the dog a lot more. "Oh, poor dog. You okay dog? (hugs and rocks him) 'Dat better? Okay." Yesterday he called out for dog as if the dog could answer back. "Doooggggg! Where are you? Dog?! (Searches for dog) Oh 'der you are. 'Wan sit down dog? Okay." Garrett frequently offers his dog to Mary when she's upset: "Oh, poor Mareee. Want dog, Mary? Here go. (Puts his dog on her chest)." Garrett is truly a very sweet boy.

3/5/2006 10:50-p.m. Caroline

Bed, All Done!

Last week I told Garrett that he needed to take a nap. He was downright cranky and I thought he could benefit from some rest. He resisted and said, "No, mommy, I not. I don't want to." I said, "Well, you have to try Garrett." He said, "No, I don't want to. No bed. I wan' downstairs." I said, "Nope. Up, up, up." I gave him some milk, but I couldn't find his dog. I promised that I would look for it and bring it to him when I had found it. I'll admit that I didn't look very hard. But the playroom was a disaster area thanks to Garrett's undecisive mood and I couldn't bear to look through it. It wasn't long before he was calling out to me and reminding me that his dog was missing from the bed. I returned to his room and said, "I'm sorry, Garrett. I'm still looking for Dog. I'll bring him soon." He said, "Mommy, Dog! I need dog." I said, "Yes, right. I'm going now to look." I FINALLY found the darn thing and brought it to him. He said, "Oh thank you. Mommy? I don't want bed. I go downstairs. Okay!?" I said, "No, now you have Dog and you can go to sleep." I was upstairs checking my email while Garrett literally groaned every so often in protest to being in the bed. Then I went downstairs. I didn't hear anything for about 30 minutes and I thought, "Praise God. I think he's asleep." 15 more minutes went by and I heard a creak. I went upstairs and found him in the hallway. He had both arms raised in the air as if he was surrending to the police, each hand holding an object-- Dog and Elephant. He said, "Mommy, bed all done! No more bed!" I said, "You mean you're not going back to that bed no matter what?" He said in a matter-of-fact I-can't-make-it-any-plainer tone, "BED...ALL...DONE. Okay." Then he dropped his arms and made his way toward the stairs, grumbling all the way. He must have been saying, "These mommies just don't listen anymore."

3/2/2006 -1:57-a.m. Caroline

I guess it's been two weeks since I made an entry. Wow. Time flies. Well, we have been very busy here with our daily routine. Mary is growing by the minute. She has her 4 month appointment on Monday. I'm curious to see where she will lie on the weight and length charts. She is both long and heavy! I can't believe how big she is already! She's wearing her 6 month clothes now, but she still fits in to some of her 3-6 month clothes. I bought her some stuff for spring and I got it to fit 6-12 months. I wonder if the doctor will tell me that she's ready for solids. Just seems like she has a healthy appetite and could move on to cereal. She loves to grab for things and bring them to her mouth. She's much more oral than Garrett was. I continue to feel totally blessed to have Mary in our lives. It's true that it's a lot more work to have two kids, but aside from that, she is such a joyful baby. She loves to smile at me and people who stop to admire her. She also LOVES to have her daddy carry her in the Baby Bjiorn (facing out). She is sleeping well (from 7:30 pm until 6:30 am)and enjoys watching Baby Mozart with her brother and laying on her activity playmat. When she's on her mat, she kicks the chimes with her feet and reaches for the toys hanging from the arches. I am going to be in real trouble when she starts to crawl because she will wan to find all of the small toy pieces that belong to Garrett.

Garrett is going through a BIG mommy phase. He wants me all the time. He wants me to put Mary down and pick him up and hold him the way that I hold Mary. Interestingly, he is quite affectionate with Mary and wants to kiss her and offer her his toys. He just doesn't want ME to be affectionate with her. When I need to give her lots of affection, he gets onery and fiesty. He tells me, "NO, mommy! I not. I don't want to." He often tells me I have "two mimits!" If I go out of the room, he says, "No, mommy, sit down!" or "Mommy, where going? Wait for me!" It's so cute and sad. I've been trying to pay special attention to him, but it is hard. When Mary goes to sleep or sits in her swing, I want to rest. Tonight I took Garrett to church with me for Ash Wednesday. He was so good in the church. He was quiet and took an interest in the books in the pews. He went up to get his ashes in a very orderly way. When we got out of the church he said, "Mommy, I quiet and dog quiet too. Now cars and careful!" I said, "Yes, you were such a good boy. You were quiet and sat nicely in your seat. Now we have to go back to the car and be careful of the other cars." I have to admit, it was really nice to have some time alone with him. I actually miss hanging out with my little buddy.

Speaking of buddies, Garrett's bedtime club is growing. First he just wanted to go to bed with his dog. Then he got attached to his dragon and the dragon was promoted to bed buddy. About 3 weeks ago I bought him this elephant at Target and it has also been promoted. In fact the elephant is more important than the dragon. Then Emily sent him a Woody doll, who Garrett calls "Booey." It is very important that Booey now join him for bedtime. Sometimes the horse, duck, and "other dog" are thrown into the mix. It's a good thing that Garrett has a double bed. He lays on his pillow with Dog and Elephant. All of the other animals, mythological figures, and Pixar creations take up the other pillow. They are all tucked into the blankets. When Garrett went to bed with his Dog, he said, "Mommy, I have a milk, a dog, and a blanket! Night night." Then he said, "Mommy, milk, dog, elephant, blanket! Night night." Now he says, "Night, night mommy. I tired."

Garrett saw the speech pathologist last week. It was an interesting appointment, worthy of more description here, but for now I just want to tell one story. I too am tired. Anyway, part of the evaluation involved Garrett viewing a tablet of pictures and answering questions about the objects on the pages. He was able to identify most things, even if he didn't pronounce them correctly. Curiously he began every answer with , "I don't know.... Horse." There was in fact a horse on the page. The woman asked him, "What color is the horse?" Garrett said, "I don't know... yellow." The horse was indeed yellow. It was strange that he started every answer like that. I hope he hasn't inherited my test anxiety. But, I digress. The woman flipped the page to a page that had on it a cup with a handle, a knife , and a spoon. Garrett said, "OH! 'Poon!" Yes, Garrett, that IS a SPoon. Can you tell me what this is (pointing to the knife)?" "I don't know... fork!"
"No, it's not a fork. What else could it be?"
"I don't know, 'poon."
"The SPoon is below it. This object is a knife. Can you say knife?"
"No... not ife. 'Poon!"
"Okay, how about this one...what is this up here (pointing to the cup.)
"OH! COPPEE! HOT."
I said, "He said 'coffee' and he's telling you it's hot. His daddy will be so proud."
The woman said, "Coffee can go inside, can't it. But what is it?"
Garrett looked at her confidently and said, "Coppee. Hot. Be carebul."

2/16/2006 1:0-p.m. Caroline

Thank you~

Thank you to all of you who sent Valentine's cards and special treats to Mary and Garrett. Garrett especially enjoyed your thoughtfulness!

2/16/2006 12:57-a.m. Caroline

3rd Year Check-up Results: Big, Brave Boy!

Garrett had his third year check up today and he was a VERY good boy. He is above the 90th percentile for height and weight (3ft. 4 in., 37lbs--he lost a pound while he was sick last week). The doctor recommended finding a good basketball program for him. Of course he looked at me and said, "Where does he get the height? Not from you!" Ha ha. Garrett is fit as a fiddle, but I did discuss two areas of concern with his doctor: speech and milk addiction. He gave me a referal for a speech pathologist just to make sure that Garrett doesn't have a speech delay that we should be concerned about. Dr. Swearingen stated that it's worth an examination just to prevent him from having trouble communicating with peers. In other words, he doesn't want him to be teased because other kids can't understand him. Clearly Garrett understands everything he is told and can follow directions, etc. He doesn't have a problem understaning people or hearing; he just has some difficulty annunciating his words.

The second issue is Garrett's addiction to milk. I explained to the dr. that we go through a half a gallon of milk a day! He said that Garrett should not have more than 24 ounces of milk a day. He also ordered some lab work because the excess of milk could prevent him from getting enough iron in his diet. I was SO nervous about taking Garrett to the lab for blood work. When I turned in my form to the lab receptionist, I asked, "Do you have somebody back there who is really good with kids? This is his first blood test." She assured me that she had a good one and we waited for his name to be called. I know I was more nervous than Garrett was because he had no idea what was about to happen to him. I need not have worried. The techs were fantastic! They called Garrett's name and said, "Hey there, buddy. Want to sit up there in the chair with mommy?" Garrett said, "Oh, okay!" I took off his overshirt and he sat in my lap. Then the tech with the needle said, "Okay, buddy, I'm going to put this string around your arm, look at your arm, and then put a little stick on it." He said, "Okayeee." I held him in a hug and he let the nice lady do her job without so much as a squeak! He watched the blood draw and he didn't even say ouch or cry. They put on his bandaid and told him, "Wow! What a big boy. You did a great job." He said, "Tank you." They asked him if he'd like some stickers and a lollipop. He said, "Oh, yes!" He gleefully picked out some stickers and a lollipop. Then, because Garrett knows a good opportunity when he sees one, he said, "Mommy, I want an ice cream cone!" I said, "You got it! You know why? Because you were such a good boy for the doctor and the nurses. You were even more brave than mommy." So, at 10:30 in the morning we went through the drive thru at Dairy Queen and had ice cream.

One more thing....

I took Mary to the doctor on Sunday because she wouldn't stop crying and had to be upright against my shoulder. I felt sure she had an ear infection because she was so miserable and particular about her position. My friend Christy went with me to help carry our stuff so that I could keep Mary comfortable. It broke my heart to see Mary in pain. We waited over an hour in the waiting room of the "convenient care" building and finally heard our name called. By this time Mary was calm and comfortable. I put her down on the examination table to change her diaper and she started in with her usual doctor's office performance: happy coos, giggling and kicking. I said, "Oh no you don't, miss Mary! I want to see the suffering child that I to hold all night and all morning!" She seemed pleased to hear me talk to her and cooed some more. I said (affectionately), "Miss Mary, I'm leaving you on that table with no hugs until you cry. Nobody will believe us that you are suffering." Just before the doctor came in, she started in with her wailing and pathetically sad faces. The doctor said, "Oh, my! How long has she been crying like that?" I told a little fib and said, "All night and all morning! This is not like her, she's just miserable." The doctor looked in her ear and said, "Well, I don't see an infection in this one. Let me check the other...." I held my breath. I couldn't believe that she was okay. She said, "Well, I'm not seeing anything in this ear either, but she does have quite a bit of wax down there. Let's get it out and look again." She cleaned out her ears and looked again and sure enough Mary had an infection in the ear that she had been pressing into me. I really believe that if she hadn't been crying so hard, the doctor would have seen that smiling, happy, active baby and been sure that there was nothing wrong with her. I got her prescription for antibiotics and she was much improved after 24 hours.

2/8/2006 4:12-p.m. Caroline

Mary and Garrett have been sick since my last entry. We have been in survival mode since Sunday morning. Poor Garrett has had this awful cough, runny nose and mild fever. Mary has a cough and some congestion, but no fever. I was quite worried about her yesterday because she wouldn't keep her formula down. She finally took two bottles successfully last night and another two this morning. Despite her stuffy nose and cough she is still sleeping through the night. I think she is doing okay because of all the rest that she is able to get.

Of course, the second I heard her little cough on Sunday, I was making plans to call the dr. first thing Monday morning and get one of his same day appointments. I called at 7:00 am and got an 11:15. I took Garrett with me too so that I could have him checked out surreptitiously. There is an unspoken rule among children that is specifically designed to frustrate parents. It goes something like this: While I am at home, I will exhibit strange symptoms, behave as if I am on my death bed and worry my mother sick; when I get to the doctor I will conceal all of my symptoms and make her look like crazy hypochondrical zealot. Indeed, at just 3 months of age Mary has learned the rule and has carried it out. I tenderly bundled my little sickie and put her in clothing that would be easy to remove for her exam. I packed extra clothes in case she spit up on the originals. I had the kleenex ready for the runny nose and watery eyes, the bottles ready for the sudden appetite, and the hugs ready for the discomfort that she couldn't communicate. I took my poor miserable baby to the doctor, with her poor miserable brother in tow. They sniffled and coughed in the car, in the elevator, and in the waiting room, much to the dismay of all other people around them. I reminded Garrett to cover his cough every time he sprayed some poor unsuspecting bystander. I wiped his nose and tried to comfort Mary who was unsettled and uncomfortable. I was grateful and relieved when it was out turn to see the doctor.

When I took off Mary's clothes so that she could be weighed, she smiled and cooed as if I was playing a little game with her. Her little eyes changed from watery to sparkly. She lay still on the scale and flashed me a smile. She let the nurse take her temperature and miraculously stopped her own nose from running. She did not cough once. NOT ONCE! The doctor came in and she was positively pleased to see him. She kicked with glee. She smiled when he put that cone thing in her ear. She was quiet as a mouse when he listened to her chest. Meanwhile, I'm going on and on like a neurotic parent: "You should hear her cough. It's really awful. but she's in a good mood. I mean, she's sleeping well and eating. The cough is both dry and congested sounding... Garrett is worse. I'm afraid she's a day behind his misery." (Flash to Garrett who is marveling, SILENTLY, over the Sea Horse issue of My Big Backyard). The doctor gave me expert opinion: "Looks like a little cold. Nothing to worry about. She could use a few more fluids. Watch her temperature. Use the humidifier. Let her hang out in the bathroom when the shower is running." In my babbling explanation of what is wrong with my children, I forgot to mention what I was doing to help them. "Oh, yeah. I'm doing all that" I lamely added. Then I asked him if he could kindly check Garrett's ears too. All clear. Let us know if the temps go up.

Now what do you think happened when the doctor left the room? Did you guess that coughing and crying ensued? YOU'RE RIGHT! I had Garrett holding the bottle for Mary so that I could get her clothes back on without her head exploding with mucus. Garrett couldnt' hold it straight becase he was having a coughing fit. Next time I'm going to capture their symptoms on video tape before I go in. I'm completely serious. Remember that I am the one who took pictures of Garrett's exzema the day before I took him to the doctor because the previous time I tried to have a professional look at it, it magically disappeared and I was told he had dry skin and that I should apply a moisturizer. The next time I was armed with real photos of scaly, red, itchy, patchy elbows and legs. We left with a prescription for a steroid cream. Now I'm ready to capture exciting footage of the 2006 cold season. Lights, camera, action.

2/4/2006 4:2-p.m. Caroline

Garrett's 3rd Birthday

Monday: Garrett has had a very exciting birthday. On Monday, (the 30th) he received Elaina's birthday card and we decided to open it even though his birthday was the next day. I said, "Garrett look! It's a birthday card from Elaina and it has cupcakes on it." Elaina had put cupcake stickers all around the card. Garrett said, "Oh, wow! Mommy, it bootiful. So bootiful." I said, "Yes, it certainly is. Let's open it." We opened the card and it opened up three times to reveal circus animals. Garrett liked all the animals. On the back of the card there were outlines of animals so that a lucky 3 year old could color them in. I said, "Garrett, look: you can color on this side." He looked at the drawings carefully and said, "Oh kewl, mommy. So kewl." The card was the highlight of Garrett's day. He got a few other cards, but we waited to open them.

Tuesday: On Tuesday Chris and I wished Garrett a happy birthday. I think he didn't understand why we were so excited about it, but he played along anyway. I took him to MMO so that I could go out and get him a cake and buy some wrapping paper to wrap the gifts that had arrived for him. I only had 2.5 hours to drop him off, go to the store, pick out the cake and paper, go home to wrap everything and get back to school to pick him up. While I was out shopping I also got him a happy-birthday balloon that was the shape of a cupcake and had streamers and stars bursting out of the bottom of it. got Garrett a Boston Cream Cake because I thought it would appeal to his love of doughnuts. Mary needed to be fed and changed in the middle of my mad dash to be festive and I barely finished my task. When Garrett came home from school he had a nice collection of wrapped presents, a balloon, a cake, and a happy birthday sign. I presented Garrett with the balloon when we got inside the house and he said, "Oh, thank you, mommy, thank you so much! It so bootiful." Since that day Garrett has been doting over his balloon.

For Garrett's birthday dinner we had his favorite spaghetti and then we had cake. He loved his cake and was so absorbed in the cake that we decided to only open one birthday present and save the rest for his party on Saturday. Chris and I got him a fold out jungle gym that includes tunnels and tents and comes with a golf club, 3 golf balls, and larger balls which can be tossed into a ball-toss portion of the gym. He had a very good time hiding in the tents and playing with the balls.

In honor of Garrett's birthday, Mary rolled over.

Saturday: Mall-Neigh-Neigh, Pizza, Cupcakes, and Friends. Today we invited Garrett's friends (Sam, Natalie, Isabella, Olivia, Caleb, and Nathan) to join us at the food court in the mall for multiple carousel rides, pizza, cupcakes, and general good cheer. Chris filled his pocket with neigh-neigh tokens and the kids took several rides each after eating pizza and drinking juice. Then we had cupcakes and went to the play area to run off all the sugar. The kids had a great time chasing each other around and climbing the play structures. Garrett also got his picture taken with the tooth fairy who was visiting the mall for an educational dental demonstration. Finally, we all came home and plopped down, worn out and happy. After Garrett had rested we decided to open a few birthday presents. He got some neat books from Grandmother and Granddad Fraley, A Polar Express DVD from Elaina, and a Viking Ship from mommy and daddy. As I type, the Vikings are at war with the Pirates. Sounds like a Super Bowl match-up! I think we'll open Pop and GP's presents tomorrow and drag out the birthday fun a little longer.

1/28/2006 10:27-a.m. Caroline

A Boy and His Dog

Garrett was in my bed again this morning. When he woke up he searched for his dog under the blankets. He said, "Hello, Dog. You hiding bankets again? Wake up? No, Dog, not yet." Then he rolled over and hugged his dog in a sleeping position. "Big hug, Dog, big hug."

1/27/2006 9:10-p.m. Caroline

Tonight Garrett, Mary, and I went to the mall with Isabella and her mommy, Christy. Garrett and Isabella rammed their heads into each other while they were hopping, hand-in-hand. Both of them started to cry hysterically. It was loud, attention-getting wailing. I'm sure they really did hurt themselves, but the crying just kind of escalated in an unnatural way. I said, "You know what? I think we need a car." At the mall they rent these car-shaped strollers for a small fortune. They have a single car and a double car. I thought it would be best if we just put them in the car and rode them around. They cheered up right away and enjoyed their ride through the mall. Before we left the mall, Garrett and Isabella took a final ride on the carousel. I had offered our car to another woman with a child while they were on the horses since we would be leaving afterward. When Garrett saw the girl climbing into his car, he said, "Hey!" I said, "Garrett, we're going to share our car." He said, "Okayeee," in a kind of disgruntled way. I said, "Garrett, say bye-bye to the girl." He looked at her and said, "BYE BYE!!! Have fun mall neigh-neigh!!" It was so cute.

1/27/2006 2:48-p.m. Caroline

I woke up at 7:00 in Garrett’s bed (while dreaming that I was negotiating a contract for my first book). Sometime in the night he wanted some milk and seemed upset, so I fetched it and stayed with him in his bed. He must have been having another nightmare because he was kicking me and seemed angry that I existed. I was frustrated not to know how my book contract worked out. I got him more milk and returned to the bed and noticed that he had wet it. I said, “C’mon, Garrett, get up. We have to get in the shower.”
“No, mommy, no.”
“C’mon Garrett, you’re all wet. Let’s go.”
“Okay, mommy.”
I undressed Garrett hoping that Mary would sleep at least 20 more minutes even though I could hear her whimper periodically. I put Garrett in the shower and he said, “Too hot, mommy.” I adjusted the water. “Tank you, mommy.” Then I climbed in the shower with him and he wouldn’t share the water with me. I was really cold and looking forward to feeling the hot, but not too hot, water. Garrett, said, “No, mommy, no. I not,” which is his way of refusing these days.
I said, “C’mon, Garrett. Move for a second. Mommy’s cold.”
“Garrett cold too.”
“Garrett please share with mommy.”
“No. Garrett too.”
This is why I make it a rule never to share my shower. I’m not a morning person. It takes me at least an hour to develop my usually charming personality. I need my shower to gather my thoughts and relax myself for the day. Garrett wouldn’t even let me get warm, much less think. Eventually we worked out a system that allowed us both to be wet. It involved standing sideways, rather than face forward. Garrett turned off the water when we finished and I stepped out of the tub to dress. I couldn’t go through my usual moisturizing routine because I was in a rush to dress before Mary woke and Garrett got cold. I quickly dressed myself and then pulled Garrett out of the tub to dry him off. He then announced that he had to poop. I said, “Garrett, do you think you can poop on the potty?”
“No.”
“See Elmo and Big Bird on the potty seat? Do you want to try sitting there?”
“Okay.”
I tried to contain my enthusiasm because he never agrees to sit on the potty. “Great, come over here and sit on the potty.”
“No”
“You just said you’d try.”
“Okay.”
Finally Garret sat on the potty. And unlike most times when he sits on the potty, he didn’t hop off right away. I encouraged him to poop. I was nearly giddy with anticipation. I tried to encourage him without making a big deal about it, “You’re doing great, Garrett.”
“Oh. Tank you.”
“Try to poop, okay.”
“Okay.” He did nothing. But he let me let go of him so that he could sit by himself. I went to the sink to brush my teeth. I said, “Garrett if you poop on the potty, I’ll take you the mall today.”
“OH! Okay.” He promptly hopped off the potty and buck naked said, “C’mon, mommy, let’s go. Mall-neigh-neigh.”
Shoot! I messed up. He thought we could go to the mall immediately. I tried to explain conditional behavior, “No, no, no. You get to go the mall when you poop on the potty. You didn’t poop. When you poop, we go to the mall.”
“Come on, mommy! Come on!” He paused. “Mommy, I want milk.”
“We’ll have milk after we’re done getting ready. Let’s put on your pants.”
“Okay.”
Preparing myself for the next battle, I drew in a sigh and said, “Put one hand on my shoulder here. Put the other hand on my shoulder over here.”
“Okay.” He put both hands on one shoulder.
“No, one hand here.”
“Okay.”
“Now put your foot in here.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Put your other foot here.” Nothing. “Garrett, lift your leg, bend your knee, put your foot in here.”
“Okay.” He lifted his leg, he bent his knee, and then put his foot in the same hole as the first leg. It took me a minute to figure out why I couldn’t get his pants up. “Garrett, wrong hole. Lift your leg again. Take it out of the hole.”
“Okay.”
“Now put it in this hole.”
“Okayeee.” He was successful.
“Good! Okay! Now let’s get your socks and shoes.”
“Okay.”
We went to his bed and he climbed onto the wet spot so that I could put on his socks. “Garrett, no, don’t lay there. It’s wet. Mommy has to take off the sheet.”
“Okayee.”
I moved him to a dry spot and started to put on the socks and then noticed that he needed his vampire toenails clipped. “Wait here, Garrett. I have to get the clipper.”
“Okay. Mommy, I want milk.”
“Yes, we’ll have milk when we’re finished with this.” I retrieved the clipper and returned to the bed.
“Mommy, milk!”
“Yes, Garrett, hold still.”
“Tickles, mommy.” Wiggle, wiggle.
“Garrett, pleaseeee.” We finished with the trimming. “Now, socks and shoes.”
“BOOTS!”
“Yes, socks and boots.” Finally, Garrett was assembled. “Now, you go play on the computer and I’ll get Mary.”
“Okay, Mommy. Mommy, milk! I want milk. Milk, mommy, milk!”
“Okay, first Mary and then milk.” Good Lord! He finally toddled off to the computer and I decided to quickly make the beds since Mary was not quite awake yet. I stripped Garrett’s bed and changed his sheets, gathered all the dirty clothes from the bathroom and bedrooms, made my own bed, put away a basket of clothes that had been sitting on my bedroom floor for three days, hung the wet towels in the bathroom, and put on my own socks and shoes. Then I went to Mary who was now making impatient sounds. I peered into her crib and she gave me a sweet smile. “Hello, Miss Mary,” I said cheerfully, “Are you ready for your tasties? Yes? Mommy’s going to change your didee first.”
“Coo.”
“Are you happy this morning? Oh good!”
“Aaaaaaaa.”
“Okay, I know you’re hungry. Let’s get this dirty didee off first.” I handled the diaper and fixed her bottle at the bathroom sink. She was eager for her milk and I carted her off to the library so that I could watch Garrett while I fed her.
Garrett saw us come into the room and said, “Mommy-milk!”
“Yes, Garrett, I know you want milk. Hold on. I have to feed Mary and then dress her and then we’ll go downstairs and have milk.” I tried to feed Mary while simultaneously looking at a baby safety magazine. I dropped it as I turned the page to look at socket protectors. Oh well, so much for child safety. Garrett reminded me about the milk four more times. Mary finished her bottle and I took her to her room to change her clothes. She grunted down the hallway, suggested that poop was on it’s way. “Darn, Miss Mary. I just changed that diaper. Well, that’s okay, we’ve got it all out of the way now.” I changed Mary’s diaper again and selected her clothes. Then I heard Garrett’s distinct grunting coming from down the hall. “Garrett, do you have poop?” I called.
“YESSSS!!!”
I winced. Damn! I have to do it all again. I realized that I put on Mary’s pants before her onsie, had to remove the pants, put on the onsie, and then place the pants over the onsie. I put on her sweater and Garrett came into the room.
“Mommy, milk!’
“Well, Garrett, let’s go change your diaper and then we’ll get milk.”
“No, I not! Milk!”
“Yes. Diaper, then milk.” I had Garrett lay on his bed, lay Mary next to him, removed the boots and the pants and changed the diaper. It was gross and I lost my appetite for breakfast. Just coffee this morning, thank you… if I can ever get down the stairs. Okay, pants on, forget the shoes, pick up the baby. Head for the stairs.
Garrett handed me the empty bottle of milk and I took it from him. He said, “Say tank you!”
“Thank you, Garrett.”
“You’re gelcome.”
“Thank you, for allowing me to serve you,” I added. I looked at my watch and noticed it was now 9:00. It took two hours, two bottles, and four diapers, and the patience of Job to get down the stairs.
“Your gelcome, mommy. Now milk.”
“Now coffee, now Sesame Street, now rest.”

1/16/2006 4:19-p.m. Caroline (who else?)

Today we got a package from my parents which was filled with styrofoam peanuts. It took Garrett about 2 seconds to determine that these funny shaped objects could be highly entertaining. While I was in the kitchen putting away the contents of the box, Garrett took the S-shaped peanuts and munched them in his hands. When I came back to the living room, there were munched up peanuts all over the place.

Garrett said, "Mommy! 'S' Mommy, S!"
"Yes, that does look like an S," I said.
"Yes, an S."
"You're making a mess, with the S."
"YES!
"Do you like making messes with esses?"
"Yesses."

1/13/2006 -1:40-a.m. Caroline

We've had a normal week here. Garrett is having a great time playing with all of his Christmas presents. He is especially fond of his big barn and all the animals, his Blackbeard pirate ship, his marble-maze tubes, his Hungry Hippos game, and his play dough. Garrett's pirates are at war with each other. They try to knock each other off the ship while shouting, "My ship! No! My Ship!" The other day one pirate asked the other pirate, "Want go Mall-Neigh-Neigh?" The second pirate replied, "Okay, I coming."

Garrett continues to dote on his new sister, Mary. He just loves her. He has taken her playmat, however. He says it's his new bed. He likes to lay on it and make a tent over it with is blanket. If I put Mary on the mat, he says, "No, Mommy! My bed! My bed!" and goes into hysterics. I asked him if he could share the mat. He said, "No, mommy,no. I sad. Big hug." We had a hug, but he was still unwilling to share the mat.

Mary's account of the day:

Today I wore a nice dress and went out to breakfast with Mommy, Mommy's friend Christy, and Christy's mommy, Shiela. I had a very nice time. I sat in my car seat, very alert, and took in the scenery and enjoyed the conversation. I fell asleep toward the end and woke up in the Mall where Mommy was buying a new coat for Garrett who is getting bigger every day, just like I am. I am wearing my 3-6 month cloths already and Mommy is very sad that all those cute 0-3 month clothes will have to be put away. Before we left the mall, I had a big fit because I needed my diaper changed. Mommy took care of the problem gave me a little extra food to eat. Then I was quite happy and was quiet until we got home. Then I wanted to be held and fed again. I spent some time in my swing where I enjoyed a nice nap. It's hard to sleep with Garrett playing pirate all day, but what can you do? When Garrett was upstairs playing on the computer, Mommy and I had a photo shoot on the couch. Mommy kept telling me smile, but I wasn't in the mood. I smiled a few times, but mommy missed it. I took another nap and the next time I woke up, Daddy was coming in the door. He played with me and fed me while Mommy made dinner. I decided to give everyone some peace and slept in my swing while they ate dinner. That was nice of me, wasn't it? After dinner, I perked up again and Daddy put me in my Leap Frog bouncy chair. Cheryl and Glenn gave it to me. I love all the lights and the music and the tingly seat. I can only take it for about 15 minutes and then I think I'm just going to go out of my head with stimulation. I have to get out of the chair right away. One minute I'm cooing up a storm and then all of a sudden I cry so that mommy will get me out. Of course, Mommy picked up on my discomfort right away and picked me up. We went upstairs and she put me in my crib so that I could stare up at my pretty butterflies. They flutter over my head and I like to watch them. Mommy talked to me as I watched my butterflies and she sorted my clothes. She sending the ones that don't fit to her friends who are also having new baby girls. After the butterfly activity, I decided that I was ready for one final meal and a few more cuddles and now I am off to sleep. I'm going to try to sleep all night because Mommy and Daddy seem so happy in the morning when I have slept all night. I plan to be a better sleeper than my brother Garrett who wakes up 3 times a night. Last night he just shot up in bed and screamed. Then he screamed again because I guess he noticed mommy was in the bed with him and he wasn't expecting to see her. Mommy screamed too. Then Daddy ran into the room and wanted to know what was the matter. I tried to tune all of this commotion out, but it's kind of hard. I let everyone calm down for about a half hour and then I decided that I could use a meal. It was daddy who finally came to my aid. I hated to wake him, but I'm a growing girl and I need my tasties. I plan to get into my 6 month clothes by the time I am 5 months. So, night night for now. Got to get my rest. --Mary Violet

1/5/2006 -1:37-a.m. Caroline

We have lots to catch up on, including our visit with Elaina in Urbana, our Christmas visit with GP and Pop in California, our New Year's visit with Grandmama and Grandad Fraley in Urbana, and Garrett's first big visit from Santa Claus. Naturally, Garrett has been doing many cute things that need to be logged and it is my greatest hope that I will get a chance to provide these episodes in great detail for you. However, now is not that time. It's almost 11:30 and I've had a very full day.

This morning I took Mary for her 2 month "Well Baby" doctor visit. She weighed in at 11 lbs, 5 ounces. The little cherub has gained 4 pounds since her birth. She is 23.5 inches long. Her weight is average, but she's way above average in height. I have a feeling that one day our family photo will feature 3 very tall individuals and one very short one, unless we include a dog and in that case there will be two short individuals. I am going to encourage Chris to put on some middle-age pounds so that I'm not the only one that is not lean in the photo. But, I digress. In addition to getting measured, Mary also had to have a round of vaccinations. I don't know if it was worse for her or for me because I HATED handing her over to the needle-carrying, thigh-stabbing nurse. To make it even worse, I had to participate in holding her still. There were a total of three shots. The nurse came in and said, "Now, Mommy, I'm going to hold her thigh like this, and you're going to hold her foot like that. Then I'm going to poke her and you're going to pick her up and love her--there will be a little blood, so protect your clothing if you wish. Then we'll do it two more times." I nodded and agreed to let her hurt my child. I felt like a participant in the Milgram obedience studies (for my non-psychologist friends, those are the psych studies in which an experimenter commanded a subject to administer electric shocks to an unknown and unseen, but not unheard, victim. Amazingly, paricipants obeyed the experimenter and pushed buttons that would administer the shocks even though they felt it was cruel. Don't worry, there wasn't really anyone receiving shocks.) True to her word, the nurse clutched Mary's little leg while I held her foot and gave her the shot. Mary looked confused and then hurt and then let out a big cry while the nurse commanded, "Mommy, love her! Mommy love her." I'm not making this up. Then I would pick up Mary, hold her close and try to comfort her. Then, like a traitor, I'd hand her back over for another round. Each time her face looked more hurt and her cry was louder. The nurse should have said, "Mommy, betray her! Mommy, betray her!" That's how the day started. The rest of it really just included busy stuff, like playing with Garrett, having Garrett reunite with Isabella after a long holiday separation, and making dinner for Isabella's family--our very much missed neighbors. Garrett and Isabella had lots of big hugs and enjoyed showing each other their presents from Santa Claus.

By the way, we didn't get our Christmas cards out this year, so don't be wounded if you didn't get one ;) And please don't cross us off your Christmas Card list. We like hearing from you. One of these days we'll manage to have cards and stamps and time to address them and we'll happily send you all some holiday cheer. Until then we'd like to use this space to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

12/3/2005 9:31-a.m. Chris

Hi, all. Some new photos of Mary, as well as some pics of Garrett and Harry Harris during his visit.



link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.706sozxz&x=0&y=c41v5i

12/2/2005 7:52-p.m. Caroline

Garrett is kissing the baby a lot now and is increasingly interested in her. He's especially fond of shoving the pacifier in her mouth and rubbing her back. He also likes to bring her his toys, but he doesn't quite understand why she doesn't take them from him.

Mary is actually crying from time to time now. She cooed and smiled at me yesterday, which was really exciting. I can't believe how big she's getting! She almost weighs 9 pounds (I put her in a bowl and placed her on my kitchen scale). She is still sleeping for most of the day, but unfortunately she really likes to be awake from 11 pm til 1 am. That means that Chris and I are really tired when we go to bed. I was up with Mary until about 1 am last night. Then, this morning I got up at 6:30 to feed Mary and then went back to bed at 7. Then Garrett woke up and wanted milk. He actually came into our room to ask for it. When we didn't respond he went downstairs and got the gallon of milk from the fridge and carried it up to our bedroom. He said, "Milk, Daddy! Too heavy." Chris poured him the milk, went downstairs to return it to the fridge (the door had been left open) and then got back in the bed. He asked me, "Caroline, do want the first shower?" I grunted, "No." Fifteen minutes went by. He asked again, "Caroline, do you want to get in the shower first?" I couldn't believe he was asking me again. I just wanted to sleep. I said, "NO!" He said, "Well, what is your plan?" Plan? Since when do we have a plan? I said, "My plan is to stay in this bed as long as possible." I think I got up at 9. I don't remember.

What else can I tell you about the kiddos? Last night we went to the mall for our usual activities. Garrett was playing in the play area and Santa came by. I kept trying to get Garrett's attention because he was running around with the kids and didn't notice Santa. Finally, I grabbed him and brought him close to the Santa, who by this time was walking away. I said, "Garrett, look! Santa!" He gasped as if he couldn't believe his eyes and said, "Santa?! Look mommy!" He seemed nervous and went to run after him, but then thought better of it. Then Santa was gone and Garrett resumed his running.

In case any of you are wondering, I'm not doing much better. I figured out that I'm having a reaction to my liver meds. In otherwords, my coughing, throat problems, cold sores, etc. are due to my medication and not to some underlying illness. The good news is that I can't get the kids sick. The bad news is that I'm a moron and I mismanaged my medication to the extent that I'm reliving all the fun side effects that I experienced the first time I took it 13 years ago. Those of you who were with me at that time may remember that I lost my sense of taste at some point and it took a month to get it back. It will be a very cruel joke if I lose my sense of taste just when I am planning to go home for the holidays and intend to enjoy many seasonal goodies. Please pray for my taste buds.

That's it for now. Hope you are all well and enjoying this great time of year.

11/23/2005 4:25-p.m. Caroline

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We hope you have a great holiday weekend. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for this year. I am thankful that I had such a healthy pregnancy, a safe and manageable delivery, and a beautiful, precious baby. Garrett is thankful for milk and all the visits he had with grandparents this past year. Chris is thankful for his IPOD and the Internet :) We're having a very mellow Thanksgiving this year. This is the first year that we don't have visitors and are not going to visit anyone. Chris is going to make his tofurkey and I'm going to make my favorite side dishes. It's a good year to have a low key holiday because I have been sick for the last week and don't feel up to entertaining. It's also quite chilly and I'm glad that we are not taking Mary out. Still, we will miss having friends and family around us. We look forward to seeing many of you over the Christmas holiday!

Garrett did a funny thing this week. One afternoon he put in his usual request for "MORE MILK, mommy, MORE MILK!" I said, "Oh gosh Garrett, can't I get you something else? How about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." He said, "No. No sandich, mommy, more milk." I said, "How about some cheese or a yogurt?" He said, "No, mommy. No cheese. More milk." I asked again, "How about some pasta?" He looked at me, groaned, rolled his eyes, and said, "Mommy, I want milk. See!" He then left the room and went into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door, retrieved a gallon of milk and draggede it over to me. "See, mommy. Milk!! More milk." I said, "Oh, I see! You want more milk." He said, "Yeahhh! Here, mommy, too heaby."

Garrett kissed the baby today. I said, "Do you want to kiss the baby?" He said, "No. Mommy kiss baby." I said, "I can't kiss the baby. I have a boo boo on my lip." (I have a cold sore). I asked, "Can you kiss the baby for me?" He said, "Okay," with a shy grin. He leaned down and kissed her on her cheek and then looked away bashfully. I said, "Thank you, Garrett. That was sweet of you."

Mary has been doing very well. When she eats she interlocks her fingers and folds her arms across her chest as if she's praying. Then when I burp her she places one hand over the other on my shoulder and rests her chin on them. She is really the most content baby I've ever seen. The only time she seems unhappy is when she has a sponge bath or when her diaper is being changed. I think she doesn't like the cold air on her bottom.

One final note of thanks: As I mentioned, I've been quite sick this week. My coughing keeps me awake more than Mary does. Since I can't sleep during the day, I'm desperate for some extra sleep in the morning. Chris has been sacrificing his own sleep, taking charge of Garrett and Mary in the morning, and going into the office later than he would like so that I can get some rest. So, I'm especially grateful this Thanksgiving that I have such a considerate husband :)

11/18/2005 2:34-p.m. Caroline

First in the news is that GP left yesterday (insert BIG sad face). Gone are the days when Mary wakes up for her 5:30 am feeding and I bring her to my mom so that I can go back to sleep until 9. Gone are the expert baby burrito wraps (although I have developed an adequate ability to do it). Gone is the ability to run and errand and leave the kiddos at home with GP. Gone are the moments when I can casually mention, "You know, I'd really like my toilet bowl to fill more quickly and with more water," knowing that GP would rise to the challenge. I know we'll manage to hold down the fort without GP, but not with the same panache.

Second in the news is that Garrett is being very good to Mary. He will rock her cradle and he will peer over the top and watch her sleep. He lets me hold her on the couch while he rests his head in my lap. He doesn't seem to mind sharing his mommy. Garrett has also entered a new phase of gift giving. He will bring me several of his toys, one at a time, and say, "Here you go, Mommy." The other morning he was up and playing before I was and he brought me a bed full of toys: 3 bowling pins, 2 plastic giraffes, his special dog, and Dory and Nemo plush toys. His final offering was himself with his milk. The funny thing is that he will make multiple trips up and down the stairs to bring me these things. Today I have been presented with my sunglasses, a bottle of glue, three Christmas ornaments from the Christmas tree (yes, I have it up this early), and 2 leaves from the Ficus plant. I asked him not to bring me any more leaves.

Third in the news: Mary is 17 days old now and she is still the peaceful little cherub that she was when she came home from the hospital. She's looking bigger and more babyish to me (instead of a teeny tiny ball of buns, drawn up legs, and tucked in arms). She's eating well and sleeping well and spends more time alert and looking around than she did last week. She likes to be held as she looks around with her eyes wide and her mouth in the shape of a little "o".

Final piece of news: I FINALLY got my Illinois drivers license. I was avoiding the DMV like the plague. Because my wallet was stolen awhile ago, leaving me without my CA license, I actually had to take the driving test again! There's nothing like taking a driving test with an elderly man named Herb to make you feel like your 16 again. Actually, Herb was very nice and he explained to me what a complete stop would feel like to him (he should rock back in his seat) and warned me that if he didn't feel it, I wouldn't pass. I guess he felt it because I passed.

That's it for now.

11/12/2005 -1:30-a.m. Chris

Some recent photos of Mary below. (Caroline insisted upon taking the one of Mary's rear end.)


link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.8j4jpucv&x=0&y=aw6t8i

11/11/2005 10:28-p.m. Caroline

I forgot to mention that Mary had her first sponge bath at home tonight. She wasn't crazy about it, but she smells much better now.

11/11/2005 10:26-p.m. Caroline

So where is that birth story?

I know, I know. I should have posted Mary's birth story by now. I did write one out, but I'm not happy with it, so I need to fix it up and post it. The trouble is that it's hard to get a chance to write creatively with the new baby on board. And I'm having a good time with my mom. Until I get the birth story up, here are a few updates about Garrett and Mary.

Baby: Sleep; Mommy: Hide; Garrett: Ball!

Many people have asked how Garrett is responding to the new baby. Since we have brought Mary home, Garrett has shown very little interest in the baby. He cares that his own routine is not disrupted and so far the baby has interfered much with his shows, computer, and playing activities. We haven't been able to go out much and I think he'd a little upset about that. He's mentioned the 'Mall-Neigh neigh' several times and I hate to tell him that we can't go.

There have been a few changes in Garrett's behavior, such as he wants me to sit down with him a lot. He gets upset when I put on one of his shows and then leave the room. He wants me to sit down next to him so that he can tell me everything that he's seeing. I try to sit with him as much as I can. He also wants me to play ball with him. If I indicate that I am leaving the ball game, then he gets very upset. He also wants me to hide under the blanket so that he can come find me. Unfortunately this activity makes it hard to watch the baby. Yesterday I was finishing one of Mary's feedings and Garrett came into the room with the hiding blanket. He said, "Baby sleep!" I thought he was identifying that the baby was asleep on my shoulder. I said, "Yes, the baby is sleeping." He said, "No, baby sleep!" and pointed to the cradle. I put the baby down in the cradle. Then he said, "Thank you. Mommy hide!" I said, "Oh, you want the baby to sleep so that we can play the hiding game. Okay." When we were finished with the game, he said, "Now Garrett ball." That has been the extent of his protest behavior.

Nice gestures

Garrett has also done a few nice things for the baby. Occasionally he'll say, "Hi, baby." Yesterday he found a babyish toy and said, "Baby's." Then he put it in the cradle next to Mary and said, "Here go, baby." Today Garrett's friend Isabella came by to say hello. Isabella was talking about a pretend game that she had been playing and Garrett tried to interrupt her about 10 times saying, "Look, Ba! Baby!" I thought it was really cute that he wanted to show off the baby.

Mary, Mary, Quite Content.

So far, Mary is a very managable baby (knock on wood!). She sleeps almost all day. When she's awake she looks around like she's taking in a few details and then she goes back to sleep. She has been home 8 days and she has yet to cry. That's right, she doesn't really cry. She coos, she gurgles, she grunts, she makes a small fussy noise, but so far there have been no oh-my-god-what-could-possibly-be-wrong-with-her wails. We have not had to ponder what could be making her so unhappy (too hot, too cold, gassy, needs to burp, wet diaper, tight diaper, overstimulated, etc.) Nope. We watch her sleep, feed her, burp her, change her, wrap her, and put her back in her cozy cradle to sleep. We had a few nights where she was awake and slightly bothered by gas, but for all the other nights she wakes every four hours to eat and then goes back to sleep. By this point in my description of Mary, there may be those of you who had long sleepless nights with your newborn that want to send us hate mail. Keep in mind that we deserve this baby because Garrett STILL wakes up twice a night and wants "MORE MILK! MORE MILK!" I secretly think that any day now Mary is going to realize that she is in a world where she can make demands and will start voicing her wishes and desires in the form of unsettling noises and cries. I'm enjoying her peaceful side while it lasts.

Another possible explanation for Mary's unbelievable demeanor is the presence of my mother. My mother can wrap a baby like a burrito and the little bundle of love is the coziest thing you've ever seen. She sleeps like she's back in the womb. Chris and I cannot manage the Paula wrap. Grandma Paula is also an expert burper. It's no mystery why Mary has suffered from gas between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am when Chris and I are solely responsible for wrapping, feeding, and burping her. Also, thanks to my mom we are relatively rested and sane. You can all expect a future update, following my mom's departure, in which we will describe more adverse conditions, such as sleeplessness, confusion, and assumptions that the baby must be going through some kind of growth spurt.

In summary, all is as well as can be expected here. Garrett is patient and good spirited, I am recovering very well, Mary is the picture of peace, and Chris is hanging in there too. I hope all of our updates are this good!

11/3/2005 6:25-p.m. Chris

And some more pics:

Carle Hospital

Photos that Amy took

11/3/2005 9:21-a.m. Chris

Hi, all. Here are a few more photos (see link below). Caroline is drafting a story of the birth which we will post within the next 24 hours. Caroline and Mary are supposed to come home today. I hope Mary will like her new home.



link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.4s9hax3j&x=0&y=qlumyb

11/1/2005 6:54-p.m. Chris

Hi, all. Mary is here! She weighted a bit over 7 pounds and came with no problems whatsoever. We'll post more later, but, in the meantime, I've created a link to some photos below for those who are eager to see the new addition.




link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.2my6xabz&x=0&y=-u6l6iq

11/1/2005 -1:12-a.m. caroline

Hi Everyone. I'm writing this blog update from the hospital. They lend you a computer if you ask for it. My contractions are about 4 minutes apart, but I'm still talking and in good spirits so I'm not ready to deliver yet. Tonight Isabella came over to see Garrett for Halloween. THey were so cute in their costumes. THey couldn't go trick or treating because of the rain, but they had a good time anyway. Garrett went home with Isabella and is sleeping over at her house while we all hang out here and wait for Mary to arrive. I'm nervous about the delivery, but very glad to be getting on with the show. I hope I can deliver before Garrett starts to miss me. I'll have Chris post another update when we've made more progress. They don't anticipate moving me to a labor room until about 6 am.

10/31/2005 -1:5-a.m. Caroline

No Baby Yet

Tomorrow is Mary's due date. I had really hoped that she would be here already since I can't stand being pregnant one more minute, but apparently she's not ready to come yet. I'm scheduled to go to the hospital late tomorrow night for an induction. If all goes according to plan, she will be born on November 1st. I'm still hoping that she will come on her own before I have to be induced. Wish us luck. I will be so relieved once I know that she is healthy and has a safe delivery. We will post an update on her birth and a picture as soon as we can.

10/24/2005 3:23-p.m. Caroline

For those of you who are checking the blog to see if we've had the baby yet, I thought I'd let you know that she is still on the inside. I'm having LOTS of FALSE labor(i.e., Braxton-Hicks contractions), which means that I get to pretend that something could happen any time, but in actuality nothing is happening. Garrett and I have become total homebodies because I'm afraid that we'll be out, say, for example, on the neigh-neigh at the mall, and my water will break and I'll have to carry Garrett to the car while trying desperately not to drop the baby in the parking lot, and drive us both to the hospital. So for this week, we're lying low. I'd like to have a non-dramatic birth story.

10/19/2005 10:26-p.m. Caroline

Just a quick update on what's going on with us.
Garrett: He is totally obsessed with the Winnie the Pooh Heffalump Halloween Movie. He wants to watch this movie twice a day and it has surpassed Toy Story on his list of favorite videos. And, yes, he does do lots of other things besides watch videos, but in my current condition (see below) the movies are a Godsend. Garrett is also very interested in lollipops right now. He calles them "Wa-wee-pops." Last week we were trying to nap on my bed and he noticed that toe, which was painted pink, was poking through a hole in my sock. He asked, "Mommy, what's that?" I said, "That's my toe." He said, "Oh. It looks like a wa-wee-pop!"

Me: Today I had my 38 week check up. I am 1 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and baby Mary is at a -2 station. In prego land, that means that the door is opening, and the baby is ready to pass through with the appropriate contractions. I have been having many non-progressive contractions and I'm willing to bet that I'm going to have this baby in the next week. But, we'll see. I was wrong about Garrett. He was overdue and I thought he was going to show up on Christmas day.

Chris: Working very hard because he thinks my water is going to break any minute. He is actually more prepared to go to the hospital than I am. He just needs to grab his IPOD and go.

10/11/2005 10:52-p.m. Caroline

Curtis Apple Orchard

It's that time of year again-- time to go to Curtis Apple Orchard and "pat the pumpkins." After Paul left for the airport on Sunday, we decided to make the most of the great weather and take Garrett to the Apple Orchard. They have lots of fun things for kids to do there, but on Sunday they had a special treat: PONY RIDES! Chris was reluctant to take Garrett on the "poor ponies" who are made to walk in cirlces with kids on their backs, but Garrett and I insisted. Garrett had a great time riding his pony and wasn't at all afraid to ride a real neigh-neigh. Garrett also saw goats, roosters, and chickens up close. He walked through a maze, and checked out all the pumpkins. He tried to lift several of them, but they were too heavy. Then he found a small one that he could carry around for a while before he decided to abandon it. After our pumpkin inspection we all enjoyed some tasty apple fritters and fresh apple slushies. Garrett wants to go back for another pony ride and Chris and I want to go back for more slushies and fritters. Yum, yum!

10/11/2005 10:47-p.m. Caroline

Garrett had a great weekend with his godfather, Paul, this past weekend. Paul arrived late on Friday night and Garrett was pleasantly surprised to see him when he woke up on Saturday morning. Garrett recognized Paul immediately from the picture on his wall. He said, "Hi Paul." We all went out to breakfast to the Courier Cafe and Garrett enjoyed some banana pancakes. Later that day we went out to custard cup and Garrett showed Paul how he likes to put every one's empty custard cup in the garbage can. Then we went to the park and Paul was a great climbing and exploring buddy. Paul is definitely a better park companion than mommy right now because mommy can barely move ten feet without becoming uncomfortable. The highlight of Garrett's visit with Paul was showing him all the neat things he can do on his computer. I'm sure it will be a long time before the sound, "Paul? Watch!" leaves his ears. Garrett asked Paul to watch what he was doing about every 3 seconds (even though Paul never actually took his eyes off of Garrett). On Sunday morning Paul took Garrett to the mall to ride the carousel, have an ice cream cone, and play in the play area. Garrett really liked showing Paul all his favorite places! Thanks for coming to see us, Paul!

9/28/2005 2:28-p.m. Caroline

Strike a Pose

Garrett did the funniest thing this morning. I picked him up from MMO and put him in his carseat. As I had finished buckling him in, he said, "Mommy, watch!" Then he crossed one leg over the other, looked off into the distance with a frozen glare, and put his hand on his head as if he was trying to make a handle. He looked like a frozen teapot. Then he broke the pose and started laughing. I started laughing too and I said, "Garrett, are you strking a pose? You're so funny." He said, "Funny, mommy, funny." I wonder if they sang the teapot song in school today.

9/28/2005 -1:6-a.m. Caroline

5 Weeeks To Go?

I'm in my 35th week now and Mary appears to be getting much heavier. I will know how much heavier when I go to my appointment on Thursday morning. I remember when I was pregnant with Garrett I was sure he would come early. I feel the same way about this baby. It just doesn't seem like there is enough room for her to get any bigger. Garrett was 5 days late and I guess Mary will come close to her due date (hopefully not past it!)

9/28/2005 -1:0-a.m. Caroline

This morning I took Garrett to MMO. When we walked into the school, Garrett trotted down the hall and showed me the room where they have music class (on Tuesdays). Garrett said, "Mommy! See! Oh-zick!" I said, "Yes, that's where you have your music class. You can have a music class today." Then I took him down to the LBK room and he willingly went in to play and said, "Bye, Mommy." When I went to pick him up a few hours later he said he wasn't ready to go home. I told him I had some milk for him in the car and that we could go home and watch his new favorite story with the pig in it (Toy Story). Then he agreed to come with me. On the way out of the building he said, "I had fun today. We had music." Of course it sounded more like, "Mommy, 'ad 'un oohday. Oh-zick." I really hope that he'll start to pronounce the beginning of words soon.

9/22/2005 11:27-a.m. Caroline

Mary and I had an active day yesterday. I had so many Braxton-Hicks contractions I figured that Mary was planning on coming out way too early. I also had some flu symptoms and eventually it was determined that I was dehydrated. (Yes, I was drinking lots of water, but it didn't want to stay in my system). Anyway, it turns out that dehydration can cause contractions. They finally stopped about 10pm last night and I had a very good night of sleep. Spending a day wondering if I was going into labor made me realize that I am really not ready to have her yet. Let the nesting begin!

9/18/2005 2:52-p.m. Caroline

By the way, we have updated the website to include more current pics of Garrett that appear to the left. If you get an old one, just refresh your screen. We also are including info about Mary now. We noticed that if Mary is actually born on her due date, she and Garrett will have the same numbers in their birthday (0131 and 1031). Weird. Speaking of Mary, I had an ultrasound last Thursday and she is looking really good. She's about 4.5 pounds now. It's amazing how much she looks like a newborn baby already. She has full cheeks and lips and is wiggling around like crazy. She likes to kick my liver and is making me crave lots of chicken enchiladas with ranchero sauce (from El Toro, of course). I'm starting to get nervous about the delivery and I worry that she will come any day now, even though I have 6 weeks left. Keep your fingers crossed that we have a safe, non-surgical delivery. My fears of hospitals, needles, IVs, and blood are intruding my thoughts. I'd like to have one of those labors where your water breaks at home, then you go to the hospital to discover that you are actually 7 cm dilated and there is no time for needles because the baby is going to fall out any second. Then, because this is the second baby, she slides right out and we all go home. Well, one can hope.

9/18/2005 2:41-p.m. Caroline

Our Broken Record

Chris and I are going a little nuts with Garrett right now. To put it nicely, he is in a new "demand & pout" phase. Sometimes his demands sound more like polite requests, but then he repeats them 1000 times until the request is satisfied. Here are a few examples of how these annoying dialogues play out:

G: Mommy?
M: Yes, Garrett?
G: Mall-neigh-neigh?
M: You want to ride the horse at the mall? Okay. We'll go there this afternoon.
G: Okay. (5 second pause) Mommy?
M: Yes?
G: Mall-neigh-neigh?
M: Yep, we're going to go there later.
G: Oh cool. (7 second pause). Mommy! Mall-neigh-neigh!
M: Garrett, I hear you telling me that you want to ride the horse at the mall and I told you we're going to go there later.
G: Yeah, okay. (10 second pause). Mommy, mall-neigh-neigh.
M: Garrett, if you say it one more time, you'll never see that horse again.
G: Okayyyeeee. Mommy?
M: Don't say it.
G: (Silence) (Soft, timid voice) Mommy?
M: Yes, Garrett?
G: (Whisper) Mall. Neigh neigh.

Now, you can review that dialogue, except everywhere you see "Mall-neigh-neigh," substitute "More Milk," or "A-frog-a-pig-a-duck-a-dog!" The animals refer to his favorite video. He will request it every five seconds until the video is playing.

The 'demand-pout' version of this is much worse and usually takes place in front of the computer. Garrett has become more obsessed with the computer and he has his favorite websites. He wakes up in the middle of the night requesting a particular page. We have to convince him that we can look at the page tomorrow and for now he has to sleep. Here is an example of the demand-pout business:

M: Garrett, it's time to put the computer away and put on your pajamas.
G: No, mommy, no. Enguin! (referring to a game where Garrett tries to catch penguins that slide across the ice)
M: Well, you've been playing with the penguins for a while. Now it's time to get ready for bed.
G: NO! Enguin!
M: Nope. Bed.
G: NO!
M: Yes.
G: NO! (His hands are clenched in fists by now)
M: Garrett, I'm going to count to three. (He knows that when I get to three, he has to go to time out).
G: Noooo! NO!
M: One.
G: No. Enguin!
M: Two.
G: (Get's out of the chair, puts his fists down and stomps and starts to cry). Enguin, mommy!
M: We can play with the Penguin tomorrow. How about some milk for now?
G: (In a pouting voice) More milk. Dog.
(Just to show me that he's in charge, he demands the milk and the dog as if I wouldn't have offered them to him otherwise.)

RUG BUGS

Garrett seems to think that the little fuzzies that come off the rugs are bugs because when you blow on them, they scatter across the wood floor. He likes to perch himself on the couch and look for wayward rug bugs. He says, "C'mon mommy! Bug!" Then we have to peer over the couch and blow the bugs around. He laughs when they start to move around. He is sorely disappointed when I sweep and the rug bugs are gone.

MMO UPDATE

I took Garrett to MMO several times last week. He is having a great time over there and isn't particularly interested in leaving when I come to pick him up. I have to tell him, "Come on home with mommy and we'll have some milk and a show."

NO NAPS FOR GARRETT, COFFEE FOR MOMMY.

Garrett has given up his naps. His timing is great because I am hitting a new fatigue phase of my pregnancy and could really use a nap in the afternoon. I even tried convincing him to nap with me on my bed, but it was too tempting to taunt me while I try to sleep. He wanted to play tug of war with my pillow. Then he wanted to touch my closed eyelids. Then he wanted to hide under the covers so that I could search for him. He did this all very quietly and even whispered my name when he wanted to get my attention. I said, "What Garrett?" He said, "Feathersword?" I said, "We can see Captain Feathersword after our nap." He said, "Okay.... Mommy?" Yes, Garrett? "A-frog-a-pig-a-duck-a-dog?" Anticipating the endless series of requests that were about to be whispered to me, I gave up on the nap and tickled him on the bed until he stopped laughing and said, "NO mommy! BIg hug!" He says big hug when he wants you to stop tickling him and hug him instead. Thus ends two traditions for us: Garrett's nap and my caffeine free pregnancy.

9/9/2005 4:39-p.m. Caroline

I took Garrett to the dr. today to have his "rash" looked at. He has big red patches on the insides of his elbows and behind his knees and down his legs. He has been telling me about his "boo boos" for a while now. I took him to the dr. a few weeks ago, but we were not able to see our regular dr. The Dr. that we saw then said he had dry skin. After treating Garrett for dry skin for two weeks, I decided to take him back to our regular dr. because his rash doesn't look any better. As I suspected, he has eczema. He was a very good boy in the dr.s office. He let the nurse weigh him (34 lbs) and take his temperature. He also let the doctor examine him without a fuss. He was reluctant to leave the dr. office because he likes to look at the fish tank in the waiting room. I'm glad we have the right diagnosis for him now and can treat him properly. I put on his new medicine and he laughed the whole time because the eczema is in very ticklish places.

9/8/2005 2:46-p.m. Caroline

Mommy's Big Morning

Yesterday was a big day for me and Garrett. With the encouragement of my friend Amy, I decided that it was time to go to "Mother's Morning Out," which is a drop off child care program for babies and toddlers. They divide the kids into age appropriate classrooms and engage them in various activities while moms or dads go out to do whatever it is they need to do with their child-free time. I thought it would be good to introduce Garrett to the program before the baby comes so that he has a familiar place to go when I need to take the baby to the doctor or sense that Garrett needs to play with some other children. I don't want him to think that he is being sent to this place because I'd rather be with the baby. Many of my new friends and acquaintances here in Champaign-Urbana have spoken very highly of the MMO program, so I registered Garrett with some confidence.

So yesterday morning Garrett and I headed out for MMO to check out our new scene. Amy and her daughter Olivia were meeting us there and I explained to Garrett that we were going to go play with Olivia who is in his new play group. We entered the building and there were a lot of kids in the various classrooms. I was looking for someone to help me and answer some questions. They quickly shuffled me and Garrett to the "Little Big Kids" room since that is the class that I had registered for. There are about 8-10 kids in the room who seemed quite content to be there and were involved in various forms of play. Garrett wasn't on the LBK list however and the woman in charge asked me how old he is. I said, "Well, he's two, but he'll be three in January. The woman I spoke to on the phone said that he could go into the LBK class because he's just past the cut off." SHe said, "Well, he's clearly two! Let's take him upstairs where the two's are." She took us upstairs and said, "This is Garrett, he's clearly two." She went to the check in sheet to check him in, but his name wasn't on that list either. I wondered what the heck it means that he is "clearly two" when she has known Garrett for one minute and we're both looking at a kid who is in the 90th percentile for height. What is "clearly two" about him? But I waited to voice my concern. "Well, she says, "he belongs here. I'll just have to check my list, but I need to call another child's parent first." I told her that I'd meet her downstairs in her office and tried to explain that I didn't intend to leave him here today anyway... we're just coming to see the facility.... I have some questions about the forms...." I realized that I was stalling. My friend Amy said, "Caroline, it's okay. Leave Garrett here with Olivia. We'll leave the room. It's okay." I looked around the room and I started to fight off a panic attack. I was looking at 15 two year olds who are "clearly two." 5 of them were unhappy and two wanted their mommies. Garrett had already found a truck to play with. Another kid had something coming out of her nose and a woman was trying to console her. The room just seemed too small to me. I told myself that I was just going downstairs for a few minutes to have some questions answered. I wasn't actually leaving him with a bunch of strangers. Garrett didn't even notice that I had left.

Downstairs the woman in charge was dealing with the parent call that she said she had to make. Apparently, a girl in the preschool needed to go home. A nice woman wass waiting with the ill girl and she asked me if she could answer some questions for me. I asked her a few questions about the forms and then I ask her if she can tell me what the difference is between the Two's group and the "Little Big Kids" group. She explained that it's really just an age difference. The LBK's are in a music class right now because it's a Wednesday and music sessions are available on Wednesday. She tells me that the twos group will be coming down for the music session next. My friend Amy chimed in, "Yes, you'll see them coming in a minute. They come down the stairs on their butts because some of them can't do stairs yet." I thought I was going to cry because my son is in a class of kids who can't use their feet. Sure enough I looked toward the stairs and they were all slowly, but surely, coming down the stairs on their butts, including Garrett who is bringing up the rear. I could only conclude that he thinks it's part of a game to go down on your butt. I started to imagine him wanting to come down our stairs at home on his butt now that he does it at school. Eventually the Twos reached the music room and Garrett said, "Hi, Mommy" as he passed me, but he didn't leave the group. I poked my head into the class after a few minutes and saw that he was really enjoying himself. He was clapping and putting his hands in the air and trying to sing the songs. I left the doorway to talk to the woman-in-charge about my questions.

I'm sure that this woman deals with a lot of parents who think that their child is a cut above the rest and she thinks that I'm a twit for wanting my two year old in the Big Kid class, but I didn't care. I asked her point blank, "I understand that you have age cut offs for these classes and you have some two year olds in the LBK class because their going to turn 3 by the end of December. But what other differences can you tell me about between these two classes?" She said, "The only difference is their birthday." I said, "Well, for example, we went into the LBK class and the kids looked content and occupied. We went into the twos class and one third of them were crying and another third of them looked dazed. Do you attribute this to age, personality, development, time of day, or what?" She said, "Well there is one kid in there who always cries. You probably saw him. Most of them calm down once they get involved." I wondered if there was a point in this conversation where I should mention that I have a Ph.D. in social and personality psychology and specialized in the study of Attachment, but quickly decide that this is not the time to engage the woman in such banter. Instead I said, "I noticed that the LBK class was painting and had art smocks on. Do the Twos paint?" She informed me that all classes have art time, gym time, free play time, and snack time." I said, "Well, okay. I'm willing to try the twos class, but I enrolled him in the LBK class and I'm still confused as to why he's not in there... and I know about the birthday cut off." I handed over my forms and ask a final question about payment and my friend Amy dragged me out of the building. Garrett was no longer in the music room.

Amy asked, "Are you okay?"
"No. My knees are shaking, I feel like my blood pressure just dropped like a stone, and I might throw up." I have spent two and a half years parenting Garrett and I just handed him over to three adults that I don't know and 15 little people. For the first time I really, really understood that nobody knows Garrett better than I do and nobody is truly qualified to care for him like I am. I have never prided myself on being a stay at home mom, or bought into the argument that it's important to sacrifice my own time and career for him. I just do it because I like it. But, sitting on the bench outside the building, knowing that he was inside without my supervision, I got the point. Nobody cares more than I do if he cries, if he hurts himself, if he's happy, if he's in the right room with the right teachers and playmates, if he's challenged, if he's lonely, or if he's discovering something for the first time. I felt totally helpless and strange to think that I am putting him in the care of people who care about him less than I do.

My friend Amy brought me back to earth and said, "I know how you feel, Caroline. But it's good for you to have a place to bring him. He'll have fun. This is a good program. Do you want to go run an errand?" I said, "No. I have nowhere to go. I didn't plan on leaving him here today. I'm just going to wait and I'll go back in and get him. I'll just give him some time to check it out." Just then we were joined by some friends from our scrapbooking group. The other women shared their own experiences with me. They also felt guilty and unsure when the first "dropped off" their kids. They are all relieved to have the option to bring their kids to a safe place when they need time to themselves, or have to work in the morning, or simply want to go to the doctor or grocery store without their toddler. They all have two or three children and sometimes they feel it's better for their first child to have a place to play while they manage the other children. I know it all makes sense and I started to feel better. We said our goodbyes and I went back into the building to retreive Garrett.

When I walked into the Twos room, I was so surprised at what I saw! Garrett was sitting in a chair at a table with all the other kids. He was totally content, as were all the other kids, except the one perpetual crier. They were having a snack. All the kids had little napkins with their snack laid out. Garrett was drinking juice from a cup with no lid! He said, "Hi, mommy, " but didn't leave his chair. He said, "Mm! Juice." I felt weird for interrupting, so I just hung back and asked some questions. Will Garrett have his own cubby? How many diapers should I bring? Can I bring him his own snack? What time to they play in the gym? After I had exhausted my questions, I asked Garrett if he was ready to go home.
"No," He says very matter of factly.
"No? You don't want to come home with mommy?"
"No. Juice!"
"Well, it's time for us to go now, but you can come back another time." He picked up a truck. "Garrett, say bye bye to the truck. We'll come back. Let's go to the mall and see the neigh-neigh."
"Mall-neigh-neigh? Okay. B'BYE!!"

We went to the mall, rode the neigh-neigh, got an ice cream cone, played in the play area and had a grand time... just me and Garrett. Then we went to the shoe store and had his foot measured. He got some stickers and we headed home for our milk and a show. When we got home, there was a message on the machine from the MMO woman. She found my form and indeed Garrett is in the LBK class and she'll just put his name down there. Feeling much better, I watched the show with Garrett and we talked about all the animals that we saw on the show. I thought what a big brave boy I have. A big boy who is ready for more friends, more activities, more challenges. It's a good thing I'm having another baby because I very much need a distraction from the reality that my precious baby Garrett is growing up.

Our New Friends

Garrett has a new friend named Sam. His parents just moved to Urbana from Los Angeles. His Daddy works in the same department at Chris. His mommy will teach in the department also. Sam is 3 and has a cool, big house on Michigan Street. Yesterday afternoon we played with Sam in the park and then went to Sam's house because it was rather hot outside. Garrett and Sam played quite nicely together. Sam's older sister, Natalie, drew a special picture for Garrett: a horse standing in a field with a dog. I had told her that Garrett loves horse and dogs. Natalie is quite an artist. Sam and Natalie also have two cats and a parakeet. Garrett is very happy to have some more friends.

8/17/2005 9:28-p.m. Caroline

Garrett has been doing some pretty cute things recently, but I haven't been doing a very good job of logging them here. The past two weeks I have used all my spare time to read 6 Harry Potter books. You could say that I was obsessed, but it was a much more tolerable obsession than "nesting." There are three Garrett moments that stand out in my mind: "Bye Bye Bug", "Help! A Bug" and "Oh Wow, Leaves."

"Bye Bye Bug"
On Saturday mornings Chris, Garrett, and I have been going out for breakfast, picking up a few veggies at the Farmer's Market, and playing in the toy store. We have to go to the toy store because it is between the market and the cafe. When Garrett is in this vicinity he starts saying, "Choo-choo twain! Choo choo!" because the store very wisely provides two train tables for children to play with while their parents peruse the store. Saturday mornings at the toy store are really crowded because every kid at the farmer's market has a toy store radar device like Garrett's. On this particular morning there were some really bratty kids in the store. They didn't want to share the trains ("MY TRAIN!"), or they didn't want to leave when their parents said it was time to go. One kid was zooming toy cars out of the store into the path of people walking the mall. The whole scene was stressing me out because I had to resist the urge to parent other people's children. Yet, the annoying behavior of some of these other children made me aware of how great it is to be Garrett's mommy. I was brimming with pride as he shared the trains, said hello to the other children, and played quietly. When it was time to go, I said, "Okay, Garrett, say bye bye to the trains and toys. Time to go." Garrett then proceded to kiss the life-sized stuffed dogs good-bye, saying, "Bye-bye dog. See soon." I was grateful that he didn't have a tantrum and thought to myself, "What a good, thoughtful, sensitive, sociable kid I have!" Then, as we exited the mall, Garrett noticed a small harmless bug crawling on the sidewalk. He said, "Oh bug! Bye bye bug." And without hesitation, stomped on it as hard as he could.

"Help! A Bug!"

A few weeks ago I had to go to the clinic for some prenatal lab work. Chris took Garrett for the morning so that I could have my blood drawn in peace. They went to the bike shop and then came by the clinic to pick me up. When I got into the car (with Harry Potter V in hand) Chris and I discussed the possibility of grabbing a bagel before I dropped him off at work. As we were talking, Garrett was trying to get my attention. In a very calm, deliberate voice, Garrett said, "Mom? Mommy? Mommy?" I turned around and said, "Yes, Garrett?" His head was turned all the way to the right, flush against his carseat and his eyes were cast down as if he was spying on something without being noticable. Having my attention, he said, "Mom. Bug." I saw a very, very small fly resting on the chest buckle of his car seat. I said, "Oh, yes, Garrett, that's a fly. Looks like he likes you." The fly and Garrett seemed to be having a competition to see who could be the stillest, until the fly suddenly moved to Garrett's forhead. I said, "Oh, now he's on your head." Garrett moved his eyes upward without moving his head. I said, "don't worry, he won't hurt you." Then the fly started to walk down the side of Garrett's face. Garrett opened his mouth and kind of moaned with fear. I said, "Well, close your mouth because he's headed for it." Garrett continued to moan, mouth agape. I said, "Oh gosh, Garrett! Close your mouth." Garrett said, "Help! Bug! Help!" still without moving his head. Just before the fly took a tour of Garrett's mouth, I unbuckled my seatbelt and swatted it away. It kept coming back until we got out of the car and forced it to leave.

"Oh Wow! Leaves!"

Chris and Garrett and I were exiting the mall through some automatic doors and we were greeted by a gust of wind. Garrett paused to study the movement of the automatic doors and as they closed, he noticed a pocket of wind was spinning about 50 leaves in a circle at the corner of the exit. Garrett said, "Oh Wow!! Eafs!" He approached the circle of spinning leaves and then boldly stepped inside of it. The leaves were spinning all around him and he was laughing with delight. The he tried to catch some of the leaves and toss them them back into the circle. It was fun to watch him catch them and then replace them. Every 30 seconds or so he would say, "Oh WOW!" and "Where go, eaf? Where go?" Finally, the wind died down and the leaves were swept to the corner. Garrett said, "Bye bye eafs." I really wish I had had my camera with me.

7/29/2005 3:4-p.m. Caroline

July has been an active and exciting month for Garrett. We have suffered from the heat wave that seems to be sweeping the nation, so we have spent a lot of time looking for fun indoor activities. The most exciting indoor activity this month was our trip to the movie theater. Garrett really enjoys watching his shows at home, but it was definitely a new experience to see a "BIG SHOW." We went to the movies with Isabella and her parents to see Madagascar. Garrett and Isabella sat in booster seats and shared some popcorn. It was so cute to see them sitting and watching the big show as if they were on a date. After about 40 minutes they got a little restless and decided it would be more fun to chase each other around the theater. Thank goodness we were the only ones in there. When the credits and end music came on, they danced in front of the theater. The song was very upbeat and the lyrics repeated, "I like to move it, move it, move it!"

Naturally we have been making our usual visit to the mall to ride the carousel, but our $3 special has changed. Now it includes one ride on the carousel and lunch at Taco Bell. Garrett LOVES his spicy chicken soft taco and lemonade. He eats the whole taco.

Garrett has developed a new skill, which would totally amaze you if you saw him. We have always played around on the computer together, but just recently Garrett has taken control of the computer. He is 2.5 years old and he can use the computer mouse like a pro. He clicks, he drags, he clicks and drags, he manipulates objects while playing games, he selects items, etc. His favorite webpage is the Boohbah Zone. Boohbah Zone is the first thing that he wants to do in the morning, as well as several times in the afternoon. When we go to Chris's office to pick him up or visit him for lunch, Garrett gives his daddy a hug hello and promptly climbs up into his office chair to operate the computer.

In addition to developing new skills, Garrett is improving on some that he already has. He is talking up a storm now and he just loves to talk on the phone and immitate his mommy. Some of his regular phrases are "C'mon daddy, c'mon mommy," "Go get daddy work," "Oh no! Dog!" "My neem g'et," "Here you go," and "Hmm... let's see." He also likes to point out all of the things that belong to daddy. (He is particularly interested in Daddy right now and asks for him when he wakes up). He points to the Ipod, computer, stereo, and anything electronic and says, "Daddy's!" He says, "Daddy's shoes, Daddy's bag," and so forth. He also likes to tell you what is his with special emphasis on the word my, such as my dog! No, my juice! My poon (spoon). He says, "Okay, mommy," after everything I say. I say, "Garrett, I'll be right back." "Okay mommy. See (y)ou soon." I say, "Garrett, wait right there." OKayyee! He is also saying please and thank you with regularity. I could hand him a dirty diaper and he'd say, "Tankoo."

Finally, Garrett is able to climb in and out of his car seat and the car without any help. This is a huge bonus for me because I've had quite a bit of back pain with this pregnancy (thanks to several oversized features of my body, only one of which is my belly). It's great not to have to lift Garrett anymore.

That's it for now. The next entry will feature the details of our great visit with Grandmama and Granddaddy Fraley and some new pictures.

7/1/2005 -1:53-a.m. Caroline

Garrett had a great time in California with Pop, GP, and "Neena" (aka, Elaina). He would wake up in the morning and say, "Pop? GP? Neena?" Garrett spent most of his time playing in GP's backyard with his Daddy while I ran errands and took care of wedding-week details with GP, Elaina, and Pop. Chris took Garrett to the park and for lots of rides in his special red car. Garrett also enjoy watering his plants in his own pot in the backyard. He collected flowers from around the yard and put them in his pot. Then he filled his watering can and carefully toted it to his pot. He called it "my pot."

In all the excitement of wedding planning, Garrett observed lots of people talking on cell phones and he quickly learned how to flip up the top of the cell phone to begin a conversation and then to flip it down after saying, "bye bye." On our plane trip back Chris cut out a paper cell phone from an ad in the airplane magazine and Garrett used it like a real phone for hours. He would press the paper phone to his ear and say, "Ha-woe? Hey Neena. Um.. yeah...home...GP!... 'kay...bye." Click. The other day I bought him a Nemo cell phone at the Disney store and he has been having many conversations with Nemo and countless other imaginary people.

Garrett was the life of the party at Elaina's wedding. He wore a little suit with a vest and hopped around the yard for hours, dancing with the other kids and saying "cheese!" any time he spotted a camera. He even stole a big kiss from the bride during her portrait session. Garrett got a big surprise at the end of the wedding when ELaina and Andy departed on a horse and buggy. Garrett got to see two live neigh-neighs! After a long night of dancing, eating cake, posing for pictures, and waving to the neigh-neighs, Garrett collapsed in his bed at 11:30 pm!

Garrett really misses all his grandparents and his aunt, but he is happy back here at home and is enjoying getting reaquainted with all his favorite friends and places. Today he fell in love with a new place: the sprinkler park. More on that tomorrow. I think I need to take a few pictures to really capture the scene.

6/30/2005 -1:48-a.m. Chris

Oopps! I forgot to add our Florence photos to the blog. Here they are: Florence Photos. I'll add some CA photos soon.


link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.3wvkgekr&x=0&y=j8po77

6/16/2005 10:17-p.m. Caroline

Yesterday evening Garrett enjoyed a nice evening in the park. On Wednesday nights the park next to our house has live music and fun stuff for kids. Last night the music was that kind of peppy music that involves fiddles and banjos and other fun instruments. Garrett loved the music and he started dancing in front of the band immeidately. He danced and hopped and swung his arms around until he was exhausted. It was so cute to see him so excited by the music. Chris and I have decided that they must have given us the wrong baby at the hospital because Garrett loves three things that we detest, or have no skill at: water activities, dancing, and sports. I seriously think we have a baseball player on our hands. When Garrett and I play catch, I have to watch out for his fast ball, which he is able to aim perfectly at my head. Anyway, it was nice to be home to enjoy the festivities in our neighborhood last night. Next time I'll bring my camera so you can all see him dancing the night away.

6/13/2005 2:22-p.m. Caroline

We've been out of town so much it has been difficult to keep up with Garrett's blog. I still have to report on our trip to California in May, but I'm going to work backward from the present.

Yesterday we returned from South Carolina where we were visiting Chris's family. We were there 8 days and Garrett really enjoyed the company of his grandmother and granddad. Here is Garretts top 10 list (in no particular order) of his favorite parts of his visit:

1. Watching his "show!" with his grandparents, particulary the Baby DaVinci which is all about body parts and features the song "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (knees and toes)." Garrett liked to plop in the bean bag and sing along with the show.

2. Going to Krispy Kreme with his mommy and daddy to watch all the little donuts make their way down the assembly line. He also enjoyed a nice, fresh hot donut.

3. Putting his feet in the pool. Garrett was emphatic about sitting on the edge of the pool and dangling his feet in the water. He would ask about the "wa wa" incessantly. He particularly liked tossing a leaf or two into the water and seeing where they would float off to. Garrett has a special swim suit at his grandmas house, which we called a "Nice suit." Garrett started asking for his "nice," and it took us a while to figure out that he wanted the swim suit. He was entralled with the nice and even wanted to sleep with it one night.

4. Eating meals with with mommy, daddy, grandmother, and granddad. Apparently Garrett is a social eater. He eats much better when we are all seated at the table together. He likes to eat and proclaim "NUM, NUM!" to the table.

5. Going to the park with Grandma, or sitting outside on the porch with grandmother and granddad.

6. Going to Myrtle Beach where Garrett had a very, very good time playing in the water and letting the tide splash over his feet. He also went on lots of rides on the boardwalk, including several carousel rides, a boat ride, several train rides, a mini ferris wheel, and a car ride. All those rides and beach activity worked up quite an appetite for soft serve ice cream cones and fettucini alfredo. Garrett was so tired out by the end of our trip to Myrtle Beach that he fell asleep two hours early and didn't wake up until 8 the next morning!

7. Visiting with Great Granddaddy Fraley, Great Grandmother Evans, and Aunt Connie. Garrett enjoyed sitting in their laps and showing them how much he's grown.

8. Showing Grandmother Fraley how clever he is by climbing out of his pack-n-play and showing up unannounced in the hallway.

9. Riding all the airplanes and saying "weeeee!" as we took off and landed.

10. By far, the most unusual and interesting thing that Garrett did during his visit was take a trip to Great Granddaddy's farm, climb up into the combine, and plow a row of wheat with his great uncle Van Fraley! How many two and a half year olds get to do that?!

We'll post the pictures from our trip soon. Thanks to Grandmother and Granddad Fraley for the nice visit!

6/2/2005 10:58-p.m. Caroline

Garrett just returned from California, where he was visiting his "Bop" and "GP." Garrett was great on our flight out and our flight back. Chris and I gave him an A- for his performance as a traveling toddler. He was docked points for having a minor tantrum when he couldn't ride the moving walkway that was moving in the opposite direction of the terminal for our connecting flight. He also had moments of being strongly opposed to hand holding, which is mandatory in crowded places. He got extra points for sleeping for one leg of our returned flight, playing quietly with his toys in his seat, and exiting the plane in a manner that did not hold up everyone else.

Chris and I were exhausted by the time we arrived in California late Wednesday night (May 18), but Garrett was ready for action. He saw my dad in the airport and said, "BOP!" We had been telling him that when we got of the airplane, he would see Pop. Even as the plane was landing, he was looking out the window, calling, "Bop? Bop?" (My dad is the only grandparent that Garrett calls by name because it is easy to say Pop. Later in our visit, we taught Garrett to say "GP" for "grandma Paula" when addressing my mom.) Pop had some snacks ready for us in the car since we were coming off of a long flight and Garrett happily munched on his snack, saying, "Num, num!" I thought for sure he would fall asleep in the car, but he stayed alert. When we got to my parent's house, he was the first one to reach the front door and immediately started exploring the toys that my parents had set out for him. One of the toys was a "neigh neigh" on a wooden pole (the kind you pretend to ride around.) If you press his ear, he makes a galloping sound. Garrett was thrilled to see a neigh neigh and proceded to press the ear over and over. Finally, we put him to bed and that was the end of Garrett's big travel day. I'll have to continue Garrett's trip to California tomorrow because I'm tired now. I've only covered the first of 13 days!

Tomorrow we get ready to leave for South Carolina where we will visit Chris's parents. Garrett is going to start expecting to be showered with attention by the time we're through visiting everyone this summer.

5/14/2005 8:17-p.m. Caroline

Today Garrett had a good time at Chris's division picnic party. They had an inflatable bouncey thingy that kids can jump in. Garrett really enjoyed hopping up and down in it. He also liked playing on the play structure and blowing bubbles. He said, "Bubbles!" very clearly.

Garrett has been boycotting his naps this week, just when I am particularly tired. We have been going to the mall for our $3 special in order to wear him out. The $3 special includes taking a ride on the carousel ($1), playing in the play zone (free), having and ice-cream cone ($1), and then taking another ride on the "neigh-neigh" on the way out. He usually falls asleep in the car on the way home. At night he is quite pleased to wear his Wiggles pajamas, read 20 books, and brush his teeth before recluctantly going to bed. Watching him brush his teeth is fun. He has been using the scale as a step stool in the bathroom. He pulls it out from under the bench in our bathroom, carries it over to the sink, selects his toothbrush from the cup of toothbrushes, and asks me to put on some toothpaste. Then he rubs the toothbrush in his mouth and places it under the water (which must be on at full speed), and repeats this process about 10 times until he's ready to put the toothbrush back in the cup. THEN he can go to bed.

3 more days until our big visit to California to see Elaina, Pop, Grandma Paula, and Grandma Lee!

5/2/2005 2:32-p.m. Caroline

I forgot to mention in that last entry that Garrett has also been saying "milk" for the last week or so. He wakes up at 7 a.m. saying, "Nilk! Nilk!" Then he wants me to go downstairs, get him some milk, hand it to him in his crib, pick him up, and bring him to our bed (with his dog) where he can consume the milk. I try to get some more sleep while he drinks the milk. When he's finished, he says, "Uh, nilk, aw dun." He hands me the bottle and then he either plays with me, or tries to get a few more zzzs himself. If he's feeling playful, he'll pat me on the back and say, "Hawoe, Mama." Then he'll turn to Chris, "Hawoe Duh-duh." Then he'll go back and forth, "Mama, duh-duh, mama, duh-duh." Sometimes he'll tickle me or ask me to give his dog a kiss. Eventually Chris askes him if he's ready to get in the shower. He says, "Wah-wah!," hops off the bed, says, "bye bye little mama," and follows Chris into the bathroom. The whole ritual is pretty cute, except for the part where I have to go downstairs and get the milk. (Chris gets it sometimes too.)

5/2/2005 2:23-p.m. Caroline

Garrett is saying "YES!" I'm so excited about this because he has been so fond of "NO!" He's says no even when we all know the answer is yes. For example,
"Garrett, are you tired?"
"No."
"Garrett are you hungry?"
"No."
"Garrett, do you need your didee changed?"
"No."
"Yes, you do."
"No."
But now we are hearing the glorious sound of "Yes!" In fact, he says yes with so much enthusiasm that it's hard not to get excited about it.
"Garrett do you want to see Isabella?"
"Yyyyeeeeessss!"
"Garrett, do you want to go get Daddy?"
"Yeahsss!" His yes sound like he is saying yeah + sssss.

Many of you have been asking how I am feeling (i.e., with this new baby). I'm feeling pretty good. Today I start my 14th week, which means I am just about out of my first trimester with no incidences of morning sickness or any other adverse reactions, except for sore joints and a little fatigue here and there. In fact, sometimes I doubt that I am actually pregnant. I have my next doctor appointment on Monday, May 9. I'll be happy to hear the heartbeat and get proof that it's still in there. Sometime in the next two months we will have the ultrasound. Yeahssss, we are going to find out what we're having. Yeahhhsss, we are going to share the information. NO! We have not decided on names and NO!, I don't think we're going to talk about names this time (no Internet voting). We are affectionately referring to this baby as Spappy McNivens until otherwise named. I would bet our house that I'm having another boy. But enough about me and Spappy. This is Garrett's blog.

4/28/2005 10:54-a.m. Caroline

Garrett received his new train pieces from his Pop (my dad) yesterday. The box arrived when he was napping so I opened it and put the train boxes on the piano in his playroom. When he woke up from his nap, he toddled into his playroom on his own. From the other room I heard happy annoucements, "CHOO CHOO! CHOO CHOO!" He saw the boxes on the piano and immediately recognized them as new accessories for his train set. He got a drawbridge and a gravel loader. I snapped the pieces together and he spent the next hour and a half moving trains and cars over the bridge and loading gravel in the gravel truck. Thanks, Pop! By the way, the hives are long gone and have been replaced by an irritating cold. Fortunately it hasn't effected his mood. He's happy as always.

4/22/2005 2:45-p.m. Caroline

Poor little Garrett came down with the hives yesterday! I hope it is his first and last case, although if he's anything like his mommy, he'll probably be plagued by itchy ailments forever and ever. I had the hives at least 3 times when I was a kid.

Yesterday when I picked Garrett up from the sitter, I noticed some red splotchyness on his back and around his pants. I thought maybe he was having a reaction to his diaper or something. I decided to wait to see if it was worth worrying about because little bumps have a way of coming and going. Garrett and I went shopping and ran errands and had a general good time until about 5 pm. He was an absolute angel everywhere we went and I forgot about the rash. When we got home, he refused to walk from the car to the front door and was hobbling in discomfort. I thought that was strange and noticed some red marks on his face. I carried him inside, gave him a bottle, and played some games with him that usually make him laugh. Then we decided to go get daddy. When we got back home, he wouldn't walk again. So I checked him from head to toe and he was covered in these icky welts! He didn't have a temperature or any other problems, so we took him to the clinic to be seen by a doctor. The doctor told us to give him some Benedryl at night and an anti-drowsy antihistamine in the morning, which he prescribed. We took him home and gave him an oatmeal bath and put him to bed. He needed to be held as he fell asleep, but he slept fine. Today he is in good spirits and his back and torso have cleared up. He's still splotchy on his arms, legs, and face. We're all mystified at what could have caused the outbreak.

4/17/2005 10:39-a.m. Caroline

Garrett is bursting with new words. He's saying Elmo now when he sees the Seasame Street character. Yesterday we went to Olivia Drane's birthday party and Garrett had a cupcake. He loved his cupcake and kept saying, "More cake! More cake!" I think I already mentioned that I am trying to train him to say, "I have poop" when he needs a diaper change. He loves to say this and then laugh. I think potty training is in our near future. Recently Garrett is enthralled with his daddy. He calls for him around the house when he doesn't see him. When I tell him, "We're going to get daddy," he gets really excited and heads for the door. He knows the path to Chris's office. If I am going in that direction, he says, "Duh-duh!" He's also saying "rock" and points out all the rocks on our walks, or in the garden. He's also putting two or three words together now. He'll say, "wah nilk" for want milk. He tried to speak entire sentences to me, but I just don't understand him yet. In general, he's trying a lot harder to say what he wants to say.

4/13/2005 6:50-p.m. Caroline

Chris and Garret and I went to Chicago this weekend for a little change of scenery and to celebrate my publication (JPSP--Dissertation article). Mostly, we just wanted to go somewhere. We stayed with our friends, Jenny and Thomas, and they were great hosts. We walked around our old neighborhood and stopped in at our favorite places. Garrett seemed right at home. He was on his best behavior the whole weekend. On Sunday we all went to the Lincoln Park Zoo after a nice breakfast at Cold Comfort Cafe (where Garrett devoured his banana pancakes). I thought Garrett would be totally captivated by the zoo since he loves to watch his animal vidoes and make animal noises. Mainly he was intersted in people watching and exhibits that included water. For example, I kept saying, "Garrett look at that big lion! Do you see the big lion?" He pointed to the stream of water that was part of the lion exhibit and said, "Wah wah! Wah wah!" Naturally, his favorite exhibits were the sea lions and the polar bears. Both were very active swimmers while we were there and Garrett enjoyed watching the sea lions and polar bears swim past his nose in the underwater veiwing areas. He truly is a water baby.

Garrett has been VERY energetic this week. In fact, he has refused to nap every day. He is into everything (not toys) and is talking non-stop. He wants to open drawers, write on things that shouldn't be written on, sort mail, get into the pantry, pick up rocks in the yard, pull the toilet paper off of the roll, and so on. Honestly, he is exhuasting me. He seems to enjoy his new found energy level and apparently it is exhausting him too. He goes to bed at 8:00 sharp and we have to wake him up at 8:30 am! Chris and I actually overslept on Monday because our little human alarm clock didn't go off.

I think Garrett is just weeks away from talking coherently. He is constantly trying to form sentences, but I can't understand him very well. Today I told him, "When you have poop, I want you to say, 'Mama, I have poop!'" He said, "Boop! Hab Boop!" Later I said, "C'mom, let's go get daddy." He repeated, "Get daddy!" Yesterday I was angry because he was doing something he shouldn't be doing where he shouldn't be doing it. I said, "Garrett, MOVE!" I pointed my finger very assertively in the direction away from where he was standing. He just stared at me and grinned and I repeated, "MOVE! NOW. MOVE!" I had to physically move him and then he spent the next twenty minutes dancing around the house with his finger pointed out, saying, "Moo! Moo!" followed by a laugh. What a twurp!

Garrett is also getting better at his alphabet. On the way back from Chicago, he and Chris played a game in the car in which they alternated saying letters. Chris said, "A!" Then, Garrett said, "B!" Chris said, "C" and Garrett said, "D!" They went through the whole alphabet like this.

4/4/2005 9:42-p.m. Caroline

Garrett has been enjoying the great weather we've had for the past few days. He loves to play in the yard and climb on the big rocks in the yard. If he's lucky, Lola, the neighbor's dog, will come out to greet him while he's playing outside. Garrett loves to watch Lola catch her frisbee. The only problem with the nice weather is that it's hard to get Garrett back in the house!

I think I may have mentioned before that Garrett will throw everything out of his crib if he doesn't want to go down for his nap. It's not unusual for me to go in there and find his blankets, puppy, bottle, and toys on the floor outside beneath the crib. Now he has found something new to throw on the floor: his socks! I guess he ran out of things to throw and took off the only items of clothing that he could remove. I regularly find his socks on the floor now.

Garrett's favorite thing to say these days is "no mine." The funny thing is that he uses it so inappropriately. If he doesn't want to come inside, he says, "NO! Mine!" Or if I tell him not to touch something he says "Nomine." He often says it like it's all one word. Today I played a little game with him. Everytime he said nomine, I said it too. If he said it louder, I said it louder too. Then I started to say it at the same time he said it. He thought this was hilarious. After we said it together about 10 times, he finished laughing and said, "Oh, Mamma." It was the cutest thing.

3/30/2005 5:49-p.m. Caroline

I forgot to mention some other exciting news! My good friend Emily had her baby yesterday. She had a girl and named her Ella Rose. Also, my good friend Cristina had her baby today. She also had a girl and named her Caroline Leah. No, she's not named after me, but isn't it a lovely name? I haven't heard from Cristina yet, but Emily is doing well and recovering in the hospital. I'm hoping Emily and Cristina will show me how to manage two children since they are both such good mommies :) If all goes well, our second children will be exactly 7 months apart. I'm due on October 31st.

3/30/2005 5:41-p.m. Caroline

I just wanted to report that Garrett is not showing any more signs of illness. He's also been a little more successful at speaking. He has a book that Cristina sent to him called, "The Longest Parade." The pages of the book fold out to create one very long parade. When Garrett and I read this book I always say, "Wow! It's the longest book in the world!" He repeats enthusiastically, "Da ongest bok in da wood!" He also has started using his first adjective regularly. He says, "Hello little dog," "Goodbye little dog," and "Goodbye little mamma." He gets big, big points for calling me little.

Garrett is really excited about this Saturday's basketball game. Go Illinois!! He is going to wear his special Illinois t-shirt. And on Sunday he is going to wear his Boston Red Sox gear in celebration of the opening of the Red Sox season. We'll have to outfit him with some Oakland A's gear soon. Sorry, Paul. When the A's play the Red Sox, we'll be wearing green!

In other news.... I had my first official doctor visit for the new baby. It's reall in there. I saw the little peanut myself. We'll have a new pregnancy blog for the new baby soon. Garrett might not want to share this space. Garrett has been saying mamma and baby in the same sentence. Apparently he is aware of something.

3/20/2005 10:20-p.m. Chris

Here are some new photos of Garrett playing with his trainset.


link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.1n39j2yr&x=0&y=-cmbeta

3/18/2005 2:5-p.m. Caroline

Garrett and I have been really sick for the past week. This cold is really kicking my butt, which is particularly annoying since I am pregnant and have a very limited selection of medicine that I can take. Yesterday I took Garrett to the doctor because his cold did not seem to be getting better. I wasn't worried about him because he had not had a fever and was generally in a very good mood. However, it seemed strange that his symptoms were not going away and his cough sounded terrible. The doctor said that he probably has RSV, which is what they call a very bad cold when you are 2. The problem is that it is very contageous and can develop into something serious, like pnemonia, if gets out of hand. The doctor didn't prescribe anything for Garrett and advised that we keep a close eye on him. We're supposed to watch for changes in his energy level and keep him hydrated. The weather is beautiful this week (finally!) and it's a real disappointment that Garrett and I can't spend more time outside.

Today Garrett told me that he wanted the moon when we were deciding which baby einstein to watch. I offered him the Wiggles and he said, "No! Whan moon." I think that is the first full sentence that he has spoken to me :)

3/8/2005 3:3-p.m. Caroline

This morning Garrett and I went to Story Time at the Champaign Library. Garrett had a great time. He liked listening to the stories, singing songs with the other kids, and participating in the activities. He loves to do anything that gives him the chance to clap his hands, wiggle his fingers or hips, hop, stomp, and fall down on the floor. After story time we read some other books. I don't know why it has taken me so long to take Garrett to the library, but we'll definitely be going more often. We really had a good time.

Garrett is expecting a big brother or sister in November (2nd), providing everything goes well. I'm excited, Garrett is oblivious, and Chris is anxious.

3/3/2005 10:48-p.m. Chris

Long time, no update. We'll post something substantive soon--I promise. In the meantime, here are 4 photos of Garrett playing at his new table.



link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.3ip4rs03&x=0&y=fgf69a

3/3/2005 3:20-p.m. Caroline

I guess the month of February 2005 will be a black hole in Garrett's written history since there is only one entry on February 2. It was a very busy month, as well as a sad one. My uncle Chacci died on Valentine's Day and Garrett and I left immediately for California to be with my family. Chacci was a very, very special person to me and I am happy that he had the opportunity to know Garrett, who brought him much happiness. He loved to hear about Garrett's antics and asked my sister, Elaina, about Garrett every day. I know I will share Chacci's memory with Garrett as he grows up because he was like a second father to me. I often talk about how much I treasure my childhood memories, especially those that took place with my grandparents in Lafayette. I often fail to mention that Chacci was there too, living with my grandparents and keeping watch over them as my grandfather's health declined. Chacci gave a great gift of companionship to his parents and to my sisters and myself. He was also very good at talking to children and making them feel special and important. He was a highly-regarded educator by his students and colleagues, but he was an even better uncle. He always took interest in our school experiences, projects, peer relationships, and future goals. He taught my sisters and me the value of making family feel important. I hope that I can pass that on to my children. Chacci had been sick with complications related to diabetes and heart disease for the last 5 years and I'm glad that he's not uncomfortable anymore. However, his passing is still a source of sadness for us. I'm writing about him here because I want Garrett to know that he had a great uncle who loved him very much even if he didn't get to seem him often.

So what were Garrett and I up to in California? The weather was beautiful and Garrett enjoyed riding around the yard and neighborhood in his big red car. He yelled, "Choo choo!" over and over during his big rides outside. We went to my Grandma Lee's house nearly every day that we were home because Garrett makes her happy. She could use some cheering up and we were happy to visit with her. Grandma loved to watch Garrett watch his Wiggles videos and imitate the dancers. Garrett showed Grandma all his animals and told what kinds of sounds they make. He also made her very happy by eating a big bowl of her angel hair pasta. We took a big ride to the Hayward cemetary with Grandma one day and Garrett showed Grandma how good he can be in the car. He also showed her how cranky he can be when he's out of milk!

Garrett got a big kick out of "Pop" during this visit. He has learned to say Pop's name, which he pronounces "Bop!" I would get him out of his crib in the morning and he would search the upstairs looking for Bop and calling out his name. When Pop came home from some very long days at work, Garrett cheered him up by giving him a big smile, pointing at him, and proclaiming, "BOP!" My dad pushes Garrett's nose and makes a big honking sound and Garrett is delighted every time. Garrett enjoyed watching Pop mow the lawn and follow after him with the broom.

Garrett also cheered up Elaina, whom Garrett now calls "Nay Nah", and Grandma Paula. He gave them both lots of hugs and kisses. Grandma Paula and Elaina also spent some time playing with Garrett and listening to him recite his numbers (he can count to 15), letters, and sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Grandma Paula was a big help to me when she watched Garrett so that I could go out to dinner with my Dad and then a friend or two.

Unfortunately, Grandma Paula and I were a little careless one day when we were out with Garrett and we lost track of Original Puppy. I'm afraid Original Puppy was lost somewhere between Target and Gymboree. We retraced our steps when we realized that OP was missing, but we couldn't find him anywhere. Believe it or not, it was a tough loss for me and my mom. We couldn't look Garrett in the eye for several hours and immediately bought him 3 new puppies. Of course, they don't provide the comfort, warmth, and security of Original Puppy. Thank goodness we have Backup Puppy, which we will have to guard with our very lives.

Garrett and I were not quite ready to leave our sunny accomodations in California. We were definitely not ready to say goodbye to Grandma Lee. We wish that we could visit her every day because she is going through a very hard time and she needs us. But, we were gone for two weeks and we missed Garrett's daddy. It was time to come home. Garrett was a very good boy on the flight back to Illinois, despite being selected for a secondary security check (Garrett, not me) and waiting through two delays. When we arrived in Bloomington Chris was waiting for us inside the airport. I said to Garrett, "Who is that? Is that Daddy!?" Garrett was so happy to see his daddy. He said, "DUHDUH!!", hopped off his stroller and ran toward his daddy as fast as his little legs could carry him. Unfortunately his field of vision was that great and he ran straight into a man with a suitcase who nearly stepped on him after knocking him down. Garrett popped up without incident and continued to run toward daddy.

2/2/2005 1:32-p.m. Caroline

This week Garrett has been going to Isabella's house in the morning. We're having Isabella's nanny watch Garrett for 6 hours a week so that I can go to the department and work on my paper revisions and grant proposal. Garrett goes to Isabella's from 8:45-11:00 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On Monday, Garrett's first day, he started playing and Isabella helped him take of his coat. It's so cute when she does this. It's like she's inviting him to stay. She says, "C'mon G'rett. Take dis off!" Garrett didn't even notice that I left. When I came to pick him up he was happy to see me. I said, "Hi Garrett. It's time to say goodbye to your friends." He stood at the front door, put his right arm straight up in the air and said, "B'bye! Bye. Bye." He was very energetic about it. Today when I came in to get him he was standing and drinking a sippy cup. I said, "Hello Garrett!" He said, "Mama," with surprise and carefully put down his cup. Then he toddled over to me, patted me, said mama again and gave me a hug. I said, "Hi! Are you ready to say good bye?" With lots of drama and enthusiasm he waved as if there was a crowd before him and he was a prince. He said, "B'bye! Bye bye! BYE. BYE!" Elysse, another two year old, gave Garrett a hug and said, "Bye G'ret." I said, "Garrett can you give Elysse a hug?" He put his arms around her shoulders, put his head against her, and then let go and covered his face and a laughed as if he was embarrassed. The he said again, "Bye bye." He said bye bye about 5 more times when we were outside, heading toward the car. We only went around the corner to get home. I said, "Okay Garrett, we're home!" He said, "Ome!"

Garrett got a "neigh neigh" for his birthday from Pop and Grandma Paula. The "neigh neigh" has actually been in the garage since October and Garrett frequently says hello and goodbye to the neigh neigh when we get in the car. On Sunday night Chris brought the Neigh Neigh in to the house so that he could put it together in preparation for Garrett's birthday. Garrett came across the box in the foyer and was so surprised to see Neigh Neigh in the house. He said, "Neigh Neigh! Ah-woe, Neigh Neigh!" Then he leaned over and kissed the picture of the horse's face on the box. It was as if he had run into an old friend.

After much frustration, Chris put together the Neigh Neigh and Garrett was very happy to see his friend liberated from the box. Now he frequently requests rides on the Neigh Neigh. Even Isabella, who is quite good at speaking and can say the word 'horse', asked for a ride on the Neigh Neigh.

Garrett is trying really hard to expand his vocabulary. When looking at his pictures he can now identify Paul (Pau), Elaina (Naynah), and Pop (Bop). He's also trying to say hello (ah-woe), numbers 1-15 (that's how many steps we have), and Isabella (bayah). He's added monkey and pig to his animal sounds. When he likes his food, he says, "Num Num!" Chris still thinks he's "delayed or something" but I think Garrett is doing just fine. He had his 2-yr check-up last Thursday. He is 30 lbs and 36 inches! He's a tall, skinny kid according to the doctor. He had to have a Chicken Pox vaccine (school rules), which he didn't like at all, but on his way out the door he managed to yell, "BYE BYE!" It sounded more like, "Good Ridance!"

1/20/2005 3:11-p.m. Caroline

Garrett had a great time at the mall last Saturday with Isabella and Isabella's mommy and daddy. We all rode the carousel, played in the play area, and went out for Mexican food. Garrett LOVES Mexican food. He especially likes to suck salsa off of chips. He ate almost all of Chris's cheese enchilada.

Garrett is getting more and more independent. Sometimes that's a really good thing and other times it's not so good. He is climbing the stairs by himself and counts them as he goes. He said, "uhn, two, tee, ore, bive, si, eben, eigh, nigh, ten." If I try to take his hand on the stairs, he pulls it away and says, "no-no!" Unfortunately he also says no-no when I want to change his diaper, put him in the cart at the store, or put on his gloves.

Today Garrett and I went to the pet store to look at the animals. He wanted to put his hands in the fish tank several times, but I managed to save the fish. He enjoyed watching the birds fly around and he went crazy over the kittens. We tried to go to some other places but Garrett refused to sit down in his seat and not touch the products, so we had to leave. I tried to bring him into the card store 3 times. We had 3 "chats" outside the store about his behavior. I thought we had reached an understanding each time, but every time we went into the store he acted out. If any of you have birthdays coming up, you'll know why you're card didn't arrive. I guess Garrett is just tired of the cold weather and goes a little crazy when he has the chance to get out of the house. It will be nice when we can start going to the park again. After our attempts at shopping, we went to Amy's house to play with Caleb and Olivia. Caleb and Olivia are so nice about sharing their toys and Amy makes a good PB&J!

1/10/2005 9:2-a.m. Caroline

Yesterday Garrett rode the escalator at the Mall for the first time, meaning that he actually stood on the steps and watched himself rise to the second floor. He was very impressed by the escalator. He also took a ride on the carousel, which is always a source of pleasure for him. He did not want to get off his horse when the ride came to an end. We got some snacks in the food court and sat at a table next to the carousel and watched it go around for about 20 minutes. Also, yesterday Chris reports that Garrett looked in the mirror, touched his nose, and said, "nose."

1/5/2005 10:24-a.m. Caroline

Dear Family and Friends,

We need your help! Garrett is saying a word that we do not understand. Apparently the word can be used in situations of distress or discontent. When Garrett would like to get out of his crib, or he can't get to sleep, or he generally just wants to whine about something, he says (in a sad and pathetic way) "Doughey" (prounounced dough-eee). Chris and I have no idea what doughey means. First, I thought it was doggie. But Garrett will ask for his "daw," receive his daw, and still cry out "doughey." This morning I thought it might mean, "Hold me." But as he was saying "doughey," he didn't want to be picked up. He never says doughey when he's happy. This morning he was running with his banana. He slipped and fell. The banana was safe and he appeared to be fine. As he got to his feet, he contemplated the fact that he had fallen, grabbed on to my leg, said, "doughey," as if to complain, and then happily took a bite of his banana. Maybe he's saying, "Why me?" or "Poor me!" I can't imagine where he might have heard that enough times to say it. I mean, after all, all of my pity parties are internalized. I think it must be an expression because he doesn't point to anything when he says it and there is nothing you can really give him that will make him stop saying it. If you know what our son is trying to tell us, please let us know.

1/4/2005 10:25-p.m. Caroline

Garrett seems to be doing well today and he ate a little better than usual. Lately he's a really picky eater. I'm really tired of watching him push his food away or throw it on the floor, so when he eats and says, "Num num!" it just about makes my day. It's funny that little things like this can make such a big difference in my day. I used to experience relief when I finished a paper or had a gratifying conversation with my advisor or had a nice day out with Chris. Now I just want my baby to swallow his food and indicate that he liked it. Well, that's not all I want, as Chris will tell you, but it will do for now.

Garrett played with Isabella this evening. When it was time for her mommy to put her to bed, he stood at the bottom of the stairs and waved bye-bye to her. Then he did the cutest thing ever. He blew her kisses.

Garrett's new word is "home" but it sounds more like "oom." If we pull into the driveway, he says, "ear oom" for "we're home!" He's trying so hard to pronounce the H.

1/3/2005 5:17-p.m. Caroline

We have finally recovered from the flu. Chris and I were really sick yesterday and it was a challenge to keep up with Garrett. We took turns laying on the floor in his playroom while the other one of us slept. I hope that's the last of the flue for us this year.

Garrett is enjoying all of his new toys from Christmas. He was spoiled by all of his grandparents and he is very grateful. I think his birthday will be a little anticlimatic.

I haven't made an entry in a while. The last six weeks have been really busy. I didn't even get our Christmas cards out. Sorry to those of you who may have wondered what happened to us.

We want to say congratulations to Joe and Isabelle for having their baby: Ana Elizabeth Spano! I hope I spelled her name right. She came two weeks early, but is healthy and doing all the usual baby things. Isabelle is doing well too. She makes having a baby sound easy.

Happy New Year!

1/1/2005 3:34-p.m. Chris

Here is a link to our Christmas photos from Florence. Captions not there yet.



link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.5m14rbk3&x=0&y=-j7g60t

12/31/2004 9:19-a.m. Chris

We spent the past week in S.C., visiting my family. Garrett had a wonderful time hanging out with his grandparents. He loves the attention they give him.

Unfortunately, Garrett seems quite sick at the moment. He has thrown up 6 or more times since 3:00 a.m. We'll be taking him to the doctor soon. He doesn't have a fever. We'll update more later--and post some Christmas photos.

12/9/2004 3:44-p.m. Chris

Caroline called this morning and said that Garrett went to see Santa yesterday at the mall in CA. Garrett has become a Santa nut in recent weeks, and gets excited whenever he sees the white-bearded guy in the red suit. Apparently Garrett was dancing in the waiting line, cooing and pointing, and saying "zanta" admist other kinds of babbling. He sat on Santa's lap and was a very good boy. I always assumed he would freak out for his first Santa experience, but I was wrong.

We'll have to give this a shot in S.C. I'm sure he'll go nuts to see another Santa.

12/4/2004 4:13-p.m. Chris

Today is Granddad Fraley's birthday. Happy birthday to Grandpa!

Garrett and Caroline are currently in California, hopefully enjoying some good weather and fresh avocados. According to Caroline, Garrett earned a B+ on his flight out there. Apparently he refused to nap, but, for the most part, was well behaved and patient on the plane. By luck of the draw he had his own seat, thus he was a little less constrained than we had anticipated. He had a lot of fun jumping up and down in his seat and playing the kamikaze game.

Come home soon, Garrett.

11/27/2004 3:35-p.m. Chris

Garrett spent the last two days in Chicago, hanging out with Jenny and Thomas for Thanksgiving. He had a great time playing with Thomas' drums and moving the fridge magnets from the fridge to Jenny's metal cans in the living room and then back again. He also enjoyed eating Daddy's Tofurkey beer brats. He didn't seem particularly interested in real turkey, but I did hear that it was good.

Jenny had a 5-foot-long pillow shaped and decorated like banana in the guest room, and Garrett was quite fascinated by it. He immediately recognized it as a banana. He also had a lot of fun rolling on top of it.

Unfortunately, it is rainy and cold here. I don't know if we'll be able to get Garrett out of the house too easily. I'm sure he's feeling a bit cooped up.

11/23/2004 9:47-p.m. Chris

Garrett went to Isabella's tonight so his parrents could eat pizza and watch the Amazing Race TV show with their friends. Garrett had a fun time dancing with Isabella and playing with all her toys. He even gave the dog a lot of kisses.

Speaking of kisses: He's very loving with his kisses these days. In addition to posing to receive kisses, he is giving them and making a little kiss sound as he puckers his lips. He even gives his toy animal kisses. Very cute.

11/19/2004 11:21-a.m. Caroline

Garrett has been enjoying himself this week. Chris has been taking him to Custard Cup because it closes for the season on Saturday. Garrett starts to get excited when we are driving and he sees the Big Cup in the Sky. Garrett insists on having his own spoon now. Fortunately he isn't insisting on having his own cup yet. Sometimes he does pretty well with the spoon and other times he is covered in frozen custard.

Garrett has a new fascination with Christmas. He has been watching his Baby Santa video, which has many Christmas images and songs in it. When the video comes on, he pulls out his Christmas Touch and Feel Book and shows me the images in his book that look like the images on the video. He gets particularly excited when the "neigh neighs" come out for the jingle bells song. When we are out running errands he points to all the Santas and snowmen. Last night we had an unexpected treat. We went to the mall to get Chris some new shoes (Chris's obsession with his torn up Dr. Martens is another story). When we walked into the mall, it was decorated for Christmas and there was a Santa station. Garrett could not contain himself. He was making all sorts of excited sounds and pointing like a hunting dog. Santa wasn't there yet, so I figured that it was too early for Santa and he'd probably be there after Thanksgiving. We went to the food court/carousel area. There was some sort of magic show with tons of kids sitting around a stage. The magician had an assistant: Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. After he paid homage to the neigh neighs on the carousel, Garrett became intrigued by Rudolf. I think he was trying to figure out if Rudolf is a horse. He did not call him a neigh neigh. We finally moved on to the shoe store and watched Chris decide on a pair of shoes while he shook his head and grunted because they don't make his shoes the way they used to and so forth. Then we heard a horns, trumpets, and tubas playing Christmas music and heading in our direction. It was a procession for Santa! I think Garrett was more interested in the music than Santa, but he was captivated by the entire scene. It was truly a red letter day.

11/16/2004 9:40-a.m. Caroline

Yesterday Garrett and I attended a "Mothers and More" event called "Monday Mania." On some Mondays the park district and Mothers and More sponser this event and kids are invited to play together in a large open indoor space. The gym is filled with mats, toys, balls, tricycles, and craft tables. Garrett had a great time. He was particularly intrested in the toy cars and auto garage. Lately he likes anything with wheels. He moves his shopping cart around the house and says "choo choo." According to Garrett, anything that moves says choo choo. This includes the food on his dinner plate. Garrett had some beets with his dinner last night (which to my total surprise he loved) and at some point his beet became a car. He choo-chooed it around the perimeter of his plate.

Garrett really enjoyed his visit with his Grandmother and Granddad Fraley a few weeks ago. They came to see him on Halloween weekend. It was a beautiful weekend and we were able to do a lot outdoors: play at the park, take walks, go to the Farmer's market, carve pumpkins, and work in the yard. We also made our usual voyage to Custard Cup.

G-and-G-Fraley are always a big help when they are here. They play with Garrett so that I can enjoy my cooking time and they fix things around our house. Garrett loves to show his Grandparents his flashcards so that he can show them all the words he knows. He also started to give kisses while they were here! It's so cute to see Garrett give a kiss. He holds out his face and pinches his lips, but he doesn't quite pucker them. I'm sure he will have lots more kisses to give when he sees his grandparents in December.

11/13/2004 3:29-p.m. Caroline


Just sat down to finish my entry, but now Garrett is up from his nap. Here are the pictures that I promised.


link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=wvufma5.b1et045l&x=1&y=mjf5pm

11/13/2004 9:34-a.m. Caroline

Wow! We have been very busy and Garrett has been changing right and left. He has some new teeth and a lot of new words and sounds. Yesterday Garrett was looking at one of his language flashcards and he kept saying "Too Too, too too." I couldn't imagine what he was looking at. He recently has been saying "twwoooo" after we say, "one." I also think he's saying "teee" for three. I asked Garrett to show me the "too too" card and he revealed a train! He was saying "Choo choo!" I was so impressed. Garrett is also saying "neigh neigh" or "nee nee" for horse. He says "moo" for cow. He LOVES to sing Old MacDonald and sometimes it's the only way to cheer him up if he's crying (recently, he doesn't like to get in his carseat and we have to sing Old McD for the first 5 minutes of the car ride.) I think I need to find one of those annoying children's songs CDs for the car.

Garrett has two new expressions: "all done" and "uh-oh." He raises his hands in the air and says "aww duhn" everytime we finish a book, a video, or a meal. He says it everytime he possibly can. He says "uh-oh" when he has dropped something, can't reach it, or it doesn't seem to be working. For example, this morning I was giving Chris a haircut in the dining room. Garrett was on the living room couch (I thought) waiting for his banana. He started saying "uh-oh" over and over again. I looked over at the couch and didn't see him, but the Uh-oh's were clearly coming from the couch. After about 50 uh-ohs, I went to see what the problem was. He was laying flat on the floor looking under the couch. Somehow his puppy had fallen under the couch and he couldn't reach it.

Garrett is starting to identify the letters O and R wherever we are. We will be driving in the car and he'll say, "ARRRRRR." Sure enough there will be a big sign with a capital R in it, such as "Rhodes Furniture." The letters can fall anywhere in the word, but they have to be capital. He doesn't know small letters yet. If he is looking at his letter board, he can say O, R, Q, Y, and Mama (M). All other letters have and "eeee" sound. When my friends were here they swore they heard Garrett say "you're welcome" but I haven't heard that yet.

Garrett and I went to the doctor the other day for our annual check up. He measured 36 inches and weighed 27 lbs. He is the 90th percentile for height and the 50th for weight. The doctor looked at the graph and said, "Is daddy tall? He clearly doesn't get this from mommy." Ha ha. He doesn't get the long or the lean part from mommy. Poor mommy. Garrett is in good health, but I got a minor lecture for giving him a bottle. The doctor said that I should have already weaned him off of that. So, for the last couple of days we are using sippy cups only. He hasn't put up too much of a fuss.

Must sign off for now. I'll catch up on the visits and post some pictures next time.

11/13/2004 9:34-a.m. Caroline

Wow! We have been very busy and Garrett has been changing right and left. He has some new teeth and a lot of new words and sounds. Yesterday Garrett was looking at one of his language flashcards and he kept saying "Too Too, too too." I couldn't imagine what he was looking at. He recently has been saying "twwoooo" after we say, "one." I also think he's saying "teee" for three. I asked Garrett to show me the "too too" card and he revealed a train! He was saying "Choo choo!" I was so impressed. Garrett is also saying "neigh neigh" or "nee nee" for horse. He says "moo" for cow. He LOVES to sing Old MacDonald and sometimes it's the only way to cheer him up if he's crying (recently, he doesn't like to get in his carseat and we have to sing Old McD for the first 5 minutes of the car ride.) I think I need to find one of those annoying children's songs CDs for the car.

Garrett has two new expressions: "all done" and "uh-oh." He raises his hands in the air and says "aww duhn" everytime we finish a book, a video, or a meal. He says it everytime he possibly can. He says "uh-oh" when he has dropped something, can't reach it, or it doesn't seem to be working. For example, this morning I was giving Chris a haircut in the dining room. Garrett was on the living room couch (I thought) waiting for his banana. He started saying "uh-oh" over and over again. I looked over at the couch and didn't see him, but the Uh-oh's were clearly coming from the couch. After about 50 uh-ohs, I went to see what the problem was. He was laying flat on the floor looking under the couch. Somehow his puppy had fallen under the couch and he couldn't reach it.

Garrett is starting to identify the letters O and R wherever we are. We will be driving in the car and he'll say, "ARRRRRR." Sure enough there will be a big sign with a capital R in it, such as "Rhodes Furniture." The letters can fall anywhere in the word, but they have to be capital. He doesn't know small letters yet. If he is looking at his letter board, he can say O, R, Q, Y, and Mama (M). All other letters have and "eeee" sound. When my friends were here they swore they heard Garrett say "you're welcome" but I haven't heard that yet.

Garrett and I went to the doctor the other day for our annual check up. He measured 36 inches and weighed 27 lbs. He is the 90th percentile for height and the 50th for weight. The doctor looked at the graph and said, "Is daddy tall? He clearly doesn't get this from mommy." Ha ha. He doesn't get the long or the lean part from mommy. Poor mommy. Garrett is in good health, but I got a minor lecture for giving him a bottle. The doctor said that I should have already weaned him off of that. So, for the last couple of days we are using sippy cups only. He hasn't put up too much of a fuss.

Must sign off for now. I'll catch up on the visits and post some pictures next time.

11/12/2004 5:20-p.m. Chris

Hi, everyone. Don't worry: we will update the blog soon. Things have been quite busy around here. We had my parents over two weeks ago, and then Caroline's high school pals, and their babies, came out and stayed with us for a week. As soon as we're able to catch up on everyday life, we'll post some stories and photos.

10/25/2004 -1:26-a.m. Chris

Here are some photos from the past few days.


link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.c6qexvpb&x=0&y=-wh0abx

10/24/2004 3:48-p.m. Caroline

Garrett had a very exciting weekend. Jenny and Thomas came for a visit on Thursday and left on Sunday, and Ben and Michelle and their twin boys came Friday and left Saturday. For some reason unknown to all of us, Garrett loves to give Thomas the evil eye. Usually this involves staring at Thomas out of the corner of his eyes with a very suspicious and cautios glare. Thomas stares right back at him. By the end of the weekend Garrett was ready to give Thomas a hug goodbye, perhaps because Thomas was such a good sport singing Old MacDonald over and over.
Jenny also likes to sing Garretts songs and will let Garrett tell him about all the ducks on Old MacDonald's farm. Right now Old MacDonald only has ducks and "moos."

Garrett was an extremely good boy while I visited Michelle and helped her with Noah and Jacob (http://www.web-research-design.net/cgi-bin/hankin/blogdisplay.pl). He played very quietly with his toys and he was very cautious around the babies. He even showed them how to play with thier block. He went down for his nap without a peep and slept for 3 hours! When he woke up, we all went for a nice long walk around the neighborhood and looked at all the pretty trees and houses. On Saturday morning we all went to the Farmer's Market to "Pat the Pumpkins" and bring some home to carve. Then one crew went to Custard Cup, while Michelle, the boys, and I returned home for another round of diapers, bottles and baby cuddles. Noah and Jacob are really sweet boys and we all enjoyed having them visit with us. We also give a lot of credit to Ben and Michelle for all the hard and constant work they do to keep their boys happy and healthy! Needless to say, I have a whole new appreciation for my mother, aunt Lucy, and grandma Lee who devoted themselves to Mary and me when we were teeny weeny!

After the Hankin Family were on their way, we headed out to try some Urbana BBQ. Jenny and Thomas gave it a thumbs up, so it must be good. J & T are experts on food (any food!). Later we went to Chris's student's house for a social hour, but Garrett wasn't feeling too social. Chris took him home and put him to bed and I enjoyed a nice night out. We went to a local tavern to hear a Blue Grass band and watch the end of the World Series game (Go BOSOX!). It was a real treat to hang out with some of our Chicago friends. Jenny and Thomas left this morning. Then Garrett and Chris and I picked up lots and lots of leaves and resumed our usual Sunday activities. Garrett went grocery shopping with his daddy and fell asleep on the way home. I think we're all ready for a few days of rest so that we can recharge for our next visitors--Grandma and Granddad Fraley!

I'll have Chris post the pictures from this weekend.

10/20/2004 10:45-p.m. Chris

In honor of the Red Sox, here are some photos of Garrett in all his Boston cheer.

Enjoy!


link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.7q49w47j&x=0&y=nk335m

10/20/2004 11:41-a.m. Caroline

Erratum: That's supposed to be the UrbanA Coalition of Non-Tenured Professors.

10/20/2004 11:40-a.m. Caroline

Garrett has been back to his old self and has been sleeping really well. It's such a relief to see him active and healthy.

We had a group of non-tenured people over for dinner on Monday evening. Usually the Urban Coalition of Non-Tenured Professors meets in a public place, but the weather was so awful, I decided to invite people over for soup and salad instead. It's also more fun for Isabella and Garrett to play together in the playroom instead of in a restuarant. At point during dinner Garrett came to the table and offered Christy (Isabella's mother) a book. She said, "Hi Garrett. Would you like me to read this book?" Garrett kind of shook his head and moved behind her chair. He was mumbling something to himself and looked a little concerned. I thought this was strange. Usually when he brings a book, he wants it to be read to him, and he usually brings it to me. I followed Garrett's gaze, which was fixed on Christy's behind. From under her bottom, I could see the head and front paw of Garrett's beloved Original Puppy. I said, "Oh! You're sitting on his puppy." We all laughed and Christy released the puppy and gave it to Garrett. Christy said, "Oh my goodness. He wanted to trade me a book for his puppy." Garrett tottered off his play room hugging his puppy and cooing.

Garrett has a new love of life. When my parents came to visit this past weekend, they brought a singing bear that Garrett likes to play with at my grandmas house. Now we can't go anywhere without the bear. The bear sits at the table when we eat. The bear goes to the bedroom when Garrett naps. The bear stays in the playroom when we play. And the bear watches Baby Einstein. Garrett likes to make sure the bear is inlcuded when he plays, so he offers the bear his farm animals when he's playing with this animal farm. Garrett requests that the bear sing his song ("Let it be me") about once every half hour and sometimes requests an encore. He sways back and forth as the bear sings and tries to put things in his mouth as it moves up and down. The bear might take an unexpected vacation soon because there are only so many times I can sing along to "let it be me." Don't worry, he'll come back.

Garrett couldn't stay up for the Red Sox game last night so I watched it for him. What a nail biter! Oh boy. I'm so excited that the RS won. Today Garrett is wearing red and blue and his Red Sox hat. Go BOSOX!!!! I'll post the pictures when Chris gets home.

10/17/2004 4:13-p.m. Caroline

Garrett is feeling much, much better. He hasn't had a fever since he started his medication. He's still a little cranky, but he is playing and enjoying himself as usual. Thank goodness! Despite his illness, he had a nice time visiting with my family. He sure likes to sing the alphabet song and Old MacDonald for an audience. He sent them off with lots of "bye-bye's" this morning.

10/16/2004 -1:33-a.m. Caroline

Garrett has his first major illness. For the past couple of days he has been running a fever. He woke up last night and his fever was 102. Since Chris and I have been blessed to have such a healthy baby, we were totally new to the "sick baby" situation. I made an appointment this morning for Garrett to see the doctor. They couldn't see him until 3.

Garrett did not like going to the doctor at all. He was clinging to me for dear life. He wouldn't even stand on the scale. So guess what? I had to stand on the scale while the nurse held Garrett. Then I had to stand on the scale again while holding Garrett. Had I known that I would have to get on the scale, I would have sent Chris to do this task. Garrett also did not want to have his temperature taken (102.2), did not want to take off his clothes, and did not want to be examined by the doctor. He looked so sad and confused! The doctor thinks he has the beginnings of an ear infection. He gave us a prescription for antibiotics and told us to alternate giving Garrett Tylenol and Motrin to keep his fever down. He should feel better by Sunday.

Since my family is here visiting Garrett is getting lots of sympathy. But we are unable to do a lot of the things we wanted to do. We can't take Garrett to play in the parks, can't take Garrett to pick out a pumpkin, can't take Garrett to ride on the carousel, etc. We are having a good time in spite of it all. We take turns venturing out while somebody stays to give Garrett his TLC.

10/14/2004 2:52-p.m. Caroline

Garrett's Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Elaina are coming to visit him today. We are all excited to see them. Unfortunately poor little Garrett is not feeling well. I think he caught his daddy's cold. He wants lots of hugs, naps, stories and TLC. He is not particularly interested in food or going outside. He hasn't handed me his shoes once today. He's not running a fever, but he feels very warm. I hope he gets better soon! Perhaps he's feeling the general low spirits of Red Sox fans. The Red Sox have lost to the Yankees twice, despite the fact that Garrett is religiously wearing his Red Sox hat and sweater that Paul sent to him. Or maybe he feels ashamed because of the hideous haircut that I gave to him. (Note to first time mothers: don't try to cut baby's hair in the bathtub. There is such a thing as too-wet hair, and it's really hard to reach the opposite side of the head). Whatever the reason, we need to get our old Garrett back!

10/8/2004 12:57-a.m. Caroline

Here are some pictures of our trip to the park yesterday. We revisted the park with the cool structure and explored the park further. We took a great walk around the park and saw several beautiful gardens. It was such a beautiful day for a walk. There were lots of leaves falling from the trees and landing in our path. Garrett kept saying, "Eeef! Eeef!" The park also has some interesting structures to look at.

Today it is raining and Garrett and I have to have our fun indoors. We ran some errands this morning. In one store there was a long shelf of stuffed puppies and cats. Garrett hugged about 20 of them and placed them in the cart. Then we took them out of the cart and said good bye to them one at a time. As we were wheeling away, Garrett gave me "the saddest face I've ever seen," which is his devestated face. The tears started to roll down his cheeks. I had to go back to the isle and select a puppy to keep. I'm weak.

After the puppy incident we went to Schnucks. Garrett rode in the cart shaped like a car. He sat in the car with a puppy on each side (orginal puppy and new puppy) and moved the steering wheel back and forth. After his big drive, we came home for lunch and stories. Now he's down for a nap (I hope.)



link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=wvufma5.992b68lt&x=1&y=-rd6jjo

10/6/2004 2:2-p.m. Caroline

Garrett and I have been having a fun week. On Monday we went to Meadowbrook park, which is a very popular park here. It has a great play structure for small children and a lot of interesting textures for them to explore. It also has a nice walking path that is adorned by big sculptures. We went to the park to join a play group, but we stayed after everyone left. Some of the pictures that Chris posted below are from the park.

Yesterday (Tuesday) Garrett and I went to Curtis Apple Orchard with Amy and her kids, Caleb and Olivia. There are goats and chickens for the kids to see, a play area, a hay jump, apple orchards, a pumpkin patch, and a lunch area where you can enjoy Curtis Orchard Apple Cider and home made donuts and apple fritters. It's only about a 15 minute drive from our house, so it doesn't require a long trip in the car. Garrett didn't know what to think of a real live goat! He wasn't quite ready to feed the goat some straw. He was entranced by the pumpkins. He had to pat each pumpkin. He took it all very seriously as he often does with new stimuli. I think he was trying to figure out if the pumpkin could be classified as a ball. After pumpkin patting and a short wagon ride, we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apple fritters in the lunch room. Garrett was so good! He sat quietly in his stroller and munched on his snacks.

This morning Garrett and I went to the mall with Amy and Olivia (Caleb is at preschool today). We went before teh mall opened and walked a couple of miles! They have a black line that goes around the inside of the mall that is exactly 1 mile, so you can track your distance. The really hard part is to resist the shopping once the stores open. It was our lucky day at the mall because the Champaign County Fire Department was doing a demonstration for elementary kids. There was a large group there from St. Matthew's. (Note to Dad: the two Catholic schools here are St. Matthews and Holy Cross). The St. Matthews kids were participating in a demonstration with a fire fighter. They used a phone to dial 911. Then another phone would ring "at the fire department." The fire fighter answered and said, "911 emergency. What is the problem?" The 2nd grader said, "My house is on fire." The fire fighter said, "Are you in the house?" Kid: No! Fire fighter: "Is there any one else in the house?" Kid: "No!" Fire fighter: "Do you know your address?" Kid: (pause) "No!" Fire fighter: "Your address has just come up on my computer monitor. We will be there right away!"
Three kids went through this exercise and none of them knew their address. It was so cute. The fire volunteers gave Garrett and Olivia their own fire hat, a fire house nightlight, and a sticker badge. It was very exciting. We also rode the carousel again. Garrett still didn't want to ride on the horse, but he had a good time. He waved good bye to the carousel for a full three minutes.

10/5/2004 10:0-p.m. Chris

Garrett has been teething a lot lately. Poor baby. I hope he is able to sleep okay tonight.

Garrett had a fun trip to the apple orchard this morning. We've posted some photos below that Amy took of Garrett and her kids, Caleb and Olivia. Garrett enjoyed touching the pumpkins and riding in the wagon.


link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=am8ybe15.1j4fb4zl&x=1&y=xq54pw

9/29/2004 8:13-a.m. Chris

Owwwww Garrett woke up a bit earlier than usual this morning. Yawn.

Mo had a great time yesterday. He had a treat in the late afternoon because Teresa stopped by with Sienna and Lydia. Garrett loves playing with Sienna and Lydia. Actually, the three of them play/explore separately, but Garrett seems to enjoy their presence. He followed them around the yard. Sienna covered him with leaves and he seemed to enjoy that.

9/29/2004 -1:0-a.m. Caroline

Garrett and I had an eventful day today. We went to Hobby Lobby with Amy to feed my new scrapbooking addiction. Then we decided to keep exploring and set out to find the mall that we keep hearing about. We found it and it was so much fun. They have a play zone for kids and lots of mechanical things for kids to ride (for 50 cent a pop). Garrett wanted me to rent him a stroller shaped like a car, but I encouraged him to walk instead (we had forgotten our own stroller). Garrett walked the entire mall and waved to everyone that he passed. Then we grabbed a snack at the food court. Garrett ate half of a 7 layer burrito! The mall has a really nice carousel, so we decided to purchase a token and take a ride. I tried to put Garrett on a pretty horse, but it was a little to high up for his liking. He clung to my neck. We decided to sit in the chariot instead. Garrett waved to all the people as we spun around. He's so friendly.

When we got home, Garrett took a short nap and then stomped around in all the leaves. In fact, there were not enough leaves on the ground for him, so he proceeded to pull them out of the wheelbarrow and throw them on the ground with a vengence. He made a big announcement every time he threw down a fistful.

Tonight at dinner Garrett did a great job using his fork (provided by his Uncle Chacci). Chris and I clapped every time he stabbed a tortellini and put it in his mouth. When he had had enough he put his remaining food on my plate, piece by piece.

9/23/2004 10:57-p.m. Caroline

Garrett hands me his farmer from his new animal farm and then he starts to hum old Mac Donald had a farm. He wants me to sing with the farmer and then he holds out an animal and I'm supposed to include that animal in the song. If I name the animal first, then he hands me the animal that I am singing about.

Garrett is doing two new funny things with his words. He is preoccupied with bananas. Whenever he sees one, he says "Naaah-Nah." The word has to have a particular rhythm to it. He will say it with every bite of his banana. He also kept saying it in the grocery store because there was a picture of a banana on the ad in our grocery cart. The other thing he has been doing is saying "Mah-mah!" while patting his chest or tummy. I think he's putting the gesture with the word because I do that to let him know that I am Mama.

Garrett and I went to the grocery store with the mechanical horse and a mechanical dinosaur today. He really gets a kick out of riding the dinosaur.

Today Garrett and I met Chris on campus to walk home with him. Garrett took FOREVER to walk home because he smiled and waved at every student who passed us. He even waved at his own shadow. He put a lot of smiles on people's faces today.

9/23/2004 10:48-p.m. Chris

Garrett has been enjoying his new car quite a bit. He has yet to fuss in his new back seat.

We took him to Ying Yi and C.Y.'s house tonight for a department party. There was a Spam carving contest (yes, a nasty contest in which people carve sculptures from Spam). At the end of the carving, the crowd applauded for each entry. Garrett thought this was a hoot, and applauded and giggled at all the right moments. He was a good boy tonight, and, when we brought him home for bed, he went down without a fuss. I wonder if he is dreaming about Spam.

9/19/2004 9:33-p.m. Caroline

Garrett was moody today. He woke up from his nap cranky and had bouts of crying for no apparent reason. I wonder if he's getting another tooth. The high points of his day were going to the park and visiting with Isabella. We went to a different park today for a change of scenery. Garrett doesn't care which one we go to as long as he can sit in the swing for at least 20 minutes. He likes for me to sing him songs while he swings. When I have finished a song, he let's go of the handle bars and claps wildly. The park we went to today had tennis courts and Garrett enjoyed watching the tennis players hit the ball around. It was a beautiful breezy day here.

Garrett and I are thrilled that his new frousin (that's a cousin by friendship)is going to be born soon! Anna is having pre-labor symptoms and I have a hunch that baby Connor will be arriving tomorrow!! It's about time because he's a week overdue.

9/19/2004 -1:19-a.m. Chris

Another words I forgot to note: leaf (sounds like eeaf)

9/17/2004 8:57-p.m. Caroline

Garrett had a lot of fun this week. First, he received a gift from his Grandmother and Granddad Fraley: a cool animal farm with lots of fun animals to play with and moving farm vehicles. Garrett really loves to play with it. His friend, Isabella, likes to play with it too. Thank you for the gift! Second, Garrett got to play with 3 other kids last night. Apparently Chris already described this for you.

Chris forgot some of Garrett's words. He's also saying "Wah-wah" as often as he can. He runs to the hose and says wah-wah. He runs to the bird bath and says wah-wah. He points to the tub and the toilet and says wah-wah, etc. He is also able to point to more body parts, including feet, head, mouth, ears, nose, eyes, and tummy. He follows almost all the directions I give him. Today I said, "let's go downstairs and get the laundry" and he went to the basement stairs. If I say, "Get your shoes! Let's go outside," he does. If I say, "Do you want to watch your show," he gets very excited and points to the TV.

Garrett and I have been sharing a grapefruit in the morning. I can't believe how much he likes grapefruit! He also loves lemons. He takes after his mommy.

9/17/2004 12:29-a.m. Chris

Garrett had a blast last night. We had invited Brent and Teresa and their two daughters (Lydia and Sienna) and Alejandro and Christy and their 18-month-old daughter, Isabella, over for dinner. The kids had a wild, crazy, and loud time together in the playroom. Garrett seems particularly enamored with Sienna, who likes to hug him, carry him, and play with him. He also gets along well with Isabella. Garrett had a great time sharing his toys (he doesn't seem possessive yet), running around, giving things to people, and screaming his head off. He did not want the evening to end, and cried--more so that usual--when we put him to bed. Poor Garrett.

Here is a list of the words that he is now saying in a reliable, meaningful fashion:

dog
cat ("key key" or "at")
ball
clock (most recent addition)
duck (his first word)

He also says "mama" from time to time, but doesn't necessarily use the word to signify Caroline per se. Sometimes he simply says it when he is running around or wants something.

Another cute addition: He no longer cries endlessly for his bottle. When he wants his bottle, he brings it to me, places it in my hand, and waits for me to go fill it. It is nice to know that he better understands that I'm actually helping him when I disappear with his bottle to fill it rather than running away with his favorite object in the world, never to return.

9/11/2004 9:43-p.m. Caroline

Garrett had an eventful day today. We had a pleasant morning together. We set off for the Farmer's Market at 10:30. We spent an hour gathering our goodies and then we headed for the park. Garrett sat in the swing for about 20 minutes and then he RAN toward the stone cat. We went home for some lunch and then Garrett napped for 3 hours! He woke up a little disoriented and wanted to have a long hug. After he was ready to take on the world again, we packed the diaper bag and waited for Teresa (of Brent and Teresa) to pick us up. Brent and Teresa thoughtfully invited us over for pizza. Garrett enjoyed his pepporoni pizza and a handful of raspberries. And he especially enjoyed playing with Sienna and all of her cool toys. When we got home, Garrett was wiped out and lay in his crib while I read him "Goodnight Moon." It was so funny because he was on his back having his bottle and turning the pages of the book with his foot as I held it out. He knew it was funny because he giggled when the pages flipped.

9/10/2004 7:7-p.m. Caroline

Garrett has been such a good boy today. And he is really making me laugh. Today we were playing a sneezing game. He tossed me a big blue ring and I put it on my head and pretended that I didn't know it was there. Then I pretended that I had a big sneeze coming. I sucked in deep breaths like I was holding back a sneeze and then I let go, sneezed, and flung the ring off my head in his direction. He laughed so hard and tossed me the ring to do it again. We must have done it 100 times and he laughed so hard that he couldn't breathe. I don't think I've ever seen him laugh that hard.

We also had a good time at the park where Garrett finally noticed a scultpure of a jungle cat. He cooed at the cat and tried to hug it and pet it.

Garrett has a renewed interest in the Tupperware bin. I think he's playing a new game with himself. He's trying to see if he can get them all to fit in there. I have to arrange them in a particular way to get them to fit. He can't quite figure out how I do that. So he spent a good hour getting what he could in the bin and carefully arranging the other pieces around the room. When he had everything in it's place, he stood back, checked his work, and clapped.

After he completed his masterpiece we had dinner. He ate ALL of his dinner with enthusiasm. He had shredded chicken, tomatoes, green beans, and rice. Usually he'll pick one item and eat all of it (i.e., green beans), and leave the rest. But tonight he enjoyed everything. My grandma would be proud.

9/10/2004 11:16-a.m. Caroline

It's not the end of the day when I normally make my entries, but Garrett just did something so cute, I have to write it down.

He's watching his "Baby Shakespeare" video while I check some email. In the video they have kids singing their ABCs. He was making his usual noises and coos at the video until the alphabet song came on. Then he started singing the ABC song, trying to immitate the sounds of the letters and follow the tune. It was so cute!

9/9/2004 10:17-p.m. Caroline

Garrett was very active today and wasn't interested in taking his nap. Perhaps he sensed that something was amiss: his daddy is out of town. I replaced the flat tire on Garrett's stroller and we took a very long stroll through the neighborhood and he took a short snooze. We had a quiet dinner and took turns wondering what daddy might be doing. Garrett guessed that he was, "noong nah oooboob-ing" and I guessed that he was probably eating a bowl of eggplant tofu from Orange Hut.

This evening we shared a bowl of ice cream and played hide and seek in the curtains. It's so funny that Garrett will hide in the same hiding place over and over again and be just as surprised when I discover him.

He went to bed without much of a fuss for which I am grateful.

We miss you, Daddy. Come home and bring us presents.

9/8/2004 6:29-p.m. Caroline

Garrett was a wild child today. He had so much energy. Maybe he woke up with happy memories of his trip to Custard Cup last night. He shared a sundae with Daddy and had some of mommy's "Pumpin Pie Snowstorm." Yum. We went to Custard Cup because Grandma Lee sent us a $10 bill and said "Go get some icecream!" We did not hesitate.

I had to take away Garrett's cars today because he was throwing them at me. In fact, Garrett found many ways to test the rules today. He wanted to climb on things that he's not supposed to climb, eat things that he's not supposed to eat, and play games at diaper changing time. I said, "Garrett, c'mon. Time to change that di-dee," and patted the floor like usual. Instead of coming over and laying down, he patted the floor also and gave me a big grin. We played "copycat" for a while.

We also went to the park and played on the swing, merry-go-round, and slide. He really liked the slide. Then he noticed that a sprinkler was on in a yard that bordered the park, so he ran as fast as he could to reach the sprinkler.

Later, when daddy came home, we all went to Cafe Paradiso. Garrett had a chocolate milk and a cookie. He was quite happy to discover chocolate milk.

9/5/2004 9:3-a.m. Chris

Garrett has a minor cold, but seems to be in good spirits nonetheless.

We had quite the disaster yesterday in the park. Garrett must have pooed while we were playing on the swing set because, after 15 minutes or more of swinging, his jeans were completely soiled. Yuck. It was a long walk home.

Garrett is watching the Homestar Runner right now.

9/4/2004 8:25-p.m. Caroline

Garrett has been trying so hard to say "leaf." He started forming the word in California while picking up leaves with my mother. now he regularly says "eaf" when he picks up a leaf. He has no problem pronouncing the F sound at the end of a word, but he cannot put it at the beginning of a work, such as "fish."

Garrett went with us to the Farmer's market today after we gave Daddy a haircut on the deck (Garrett's job was to hold the spray bottle). He really enjoys the farmer's market and the toy store, which is located inside the mall next to the market. He likes to play with the train set. After the market we went to a new Chinese restaurant that was really good. The waitress gave Garrett a red balloon and he cooed with the balloon for a long time. All the excitement over the balloon tuckered him out and he fell asleep in the stroller on the walk home.

Garrett has rediscovered his stacking cars that were given to him by his Great Grandmother Evans. Today he spent 2 hours pushing the cars around the living room and moving them to various places. We took turns stacking the cars and hiding them and rolling them across the floor. He is absolutely delighted with the way that he can move these things around and stack them inside each other and on top of each other.

Another new obsession of Garrett's is his toothbrush. When he goes into the bathroom he heads straight for his toothbrush and wants me to put toothpaste on it. In fact, he likes to carry daddy's toothbrush in one hand and his own toothbrush in the other hand (mommy wouldn't dream of volunteering her toothbrush). He will spend quite a bit of time moving the toothbrushes around his mouth and then he will offer them to me.

9/3/2004 9:8-p.m. Chris

Garrett has been having a fun time lately. He had a chance to play with the dog next door (Lulu) this evening. Unfortunately for Garrett, Lulu is obsessed with her frisbee, and would much rather chase after a frisbee then give her attentions to a baby. Garrett, of course, doesn't know how to throw a frisbee yet; he simply holds the frisbee while cooing at Lulu. It is kind of funny to watch Garrett and Lulu "interact" with one another on such different planes.

Garrett lost a shoe today on one of his stroller rides. We're not sure how he got the shoe off, but Caroline was able to locate it through some backtracking.

I thought he said "bird" tonight, but we couldn't get him to say it again.

8/31/2004 9:44-p.m. Caroline

Garrett had a very social day today. This morning he woke up a little earlier than normal and was ready to get his day started. He played with his toys and helped me sweep the leaves outside for the first half of the morning and then my friend Amy called to see if Garrett wanted to play with Caleb and Olivia. He sure did! Amy and crew came over and played in Garrett's playroom. Then we went to Carle park and took rides on the swings. We took a nice stroll around the neighborhood and Amy and I peeked into as many houses as we could. We like to comment on all the old houses. When we got home, Garrett slept for a couple of hours and I did too! Then we had our lunch, played ball in the yard, did some chores, and headed out to pick up daddy from work. Garrett loves to ride the elevator in Daddy's building. He also loves to put his face in the drinking fountain on the way to Daddy's office. It was a beautiful evening and we had a nice walk home. Garrett finished his day by dragging the broom and the swifter all around the house and pulling all his diaper wipes out of the diaper wipe tub. Thanks for all your help Garrett!

8/29/2004 9:9-p.m. Chris

Here are some photos of Garrett during the move and during his most recent to CA for Caroline's PhD defense.


link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.4fc7gtwn&x=0&y=3lqiki

8/29/2004 8:13-p.m. Caroline

Garrett must be hitting his terrible twos early! He was full of protests today and especially rejects the ideas of nap time and bed time. When he's getting his way, he's the happiest baby you've ever seen. We're trying to focus on these moments.

Tonight we went to the grocery store and Garrett rode in the "car" cart. He had a good time driving his car all around the grocery store. Also, today he made a good effort to hum "Old MacDonald."

8/28/2004 -1:17-a.m. Caroline

Garrett had another good day today. The leaves are starting to fall off the trees here and he is having a great time collecting his leaves. He loves to go for long walks holding 3 or 4 leaves in each hand. If we pass people, he smiles at them and says, "Aaah!" He is very friendly. Today he was fascinated with the bird bath in our neighbor's front yard. He stood in front of it and said, "Wah-wah!" Then he dipped his leaves in the water. The only way to get Garrett to drop his leaves is to start clapping your hands. He drops everything and claps with you. Then he leans over and picks up his leaves again.

Today Garrett helped me put the clothes in the dryer. He especially likes to put the socks in. Later he helped me take the clean clothes out of the hamper when I brough them up from the dryer.

8/26/2004 -1:36-a.m. Caroline

Garrett had a great day today. He slept in until 9:30 and then spent the morning playing with his toys. It rained off and on today so we didn't get a chance to go out. Garrett didn't want to take his nap, but he was very interested in playing on mommy and daddy's big bed. We played hide and seek under the covers, he fell backwards onto the mattress, and we lay on our backs and shook the various "family band" rattles to the beat of the rain. Garrett stood on the mattress and looked out our bedroom window at the rain and said, "Wah-wah. Wah-wah!" Later we went outside to collect leaves while we waited for Daddy to come home. Garrett found a puddle in the driveway and pointed to it, saying, "Wah-wah!" With both fists full of leaves he stomped in the puddle of wah-wah in his little Converse shoes.

Garrett is in such a good mood these days. He's always been a happy baby, but now he is overjoyed. And now when I say, "Garrett, it's time to change that di-dee." He comes over to me, lays down, and puts his feet in the air!

8/8/2004 8:57-a.m. Chris

Garrett and Caroline are back home again! Garrett seems to be the same ole baby he was when he left, although his hair seems a bit thicker. He seems to be in good spirits, and slept all night last night and went to bed on time tonight. We took him to El Toro, a local Mexican restaurant, tonight to celebrate Caroline's graduation. He had a great time chomping on a cheese quesadilla and eating guac. It is starting to look as if quesadillas might be his new favorite food.

8/21/2004 1:10-a.m. Caroline

Yesterday morning I was so happy to see Garrett. I got in very late on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday because I had been preparing for my dissertion defense in Davis. By the time I got home, Garrett had been asleep for hours. Thursday morning when I left to catch the train for Davis, Garrett hugged me, clung to me, and cried as I was saying bye bye. I told him that this would be the last day that I'd walk out the door and not come back until tomorrow. I had to pry him off of me and his little tears had left big wet spots on my sleeve. This is not the way that I wanted to head out for my dissertation defense. I felt so bad about leaving him for another day. I know that he is having a great time with my mom and dad and sister, and his day is filled with lots of new activities and excursions.

My dissertation defense went very well and I am so relieved to have it over with. Despite my best efforts to supress all academic thoughts, I keep thinking about how nice it will be to submit my work for publication and to apply for a grant to continue my research. I can't even relax for a full day without thinking about something new to worry about and work toward.

This evening Garrett and I visited Anna and Steve Lynch. Anna treated Garrett to strawberries, grapes, and cheese. Garrett enjoyed flopping on Anna's bed and playing ball with Steve. While we were visiting Anna, Garrett did something for the first time: a summersault! I helped him with the first few attempts and then he did one on his own. Garrett thinks that summersaults are very funny!

Oh, one more thing. Elaina bought Garrett some Converse high tops and he loves them. If he's not wearing them, he shows them to anyone who hasn't recently seen them.

8/15/2004 0:4-a.m. Caroline

P.S. For those of you who think that my dissertation defense is scheduled for next Wednesday, and plan to inquire about my experience, you will have to wait an extra day. My defense has been moved to next Thursday.

8/15/2004 0:4-a.m. Caroline

Garrett did a great job on the plane on Wednesday. He really didn't want to get up at 4:30 in the morning. He tried to climb back into bed with his bottle and his puppy. And he didn't like leaving his daddy on the curb when we took the cab to the airport. Fortunately, his fatigue made for a very pleasant flight to California--he slept for 4 hours of the flight!

Garrett has been having a great time here in California. He loves his new ride-on fire truck and car-wagon that his grandma Paula picked up for him. At first he didn't know how to take a ride, but now he requests to be pushed around the yard. Garrett also loves to play with his ball on Grandma's new hardwood floors! Today he visited with his Great Grandma Lee and his Uncle Chacci. He showed them all of his new words and had some lemon cream pie. He also munched on some tasty cherry tomatoes from Elaina's garden.

Usually I am with Garrett all the time, but for the past few days, I have had to attend to my dissertation work and let my family look after him. One of the perks of this arrangement is that I get the opportunity to see Garrett get excited to be reunited with me. He greets me with a big smile and he practically jumps into my arms. Today he grabbed my face with both hands and let out a delighted scream. He is so affectionate and loving. He is really helping to diminish my anxiety because his playful nature reminds me that work is not the most important thing. (For all you dedicated, turbo academics out there who might be saying, "Work isn't most important? What is?" My answer is: having a good time with people you love. And that's enough introspection from me for one day.

8/11/2004 8:40-p.m. Chris

We took Garrett to the cafe down the street tonight. He had some root beer and went completely nuts. He would sing for the bottle, smile at it, point at it, and chug it. I hope he can get to sleep on his sugar high. He has to get up at 4:30 tomorrow so he and Caroline can catch a plane to CA.

8/10/2004 7:39-p.m. Caroline

Hello. Chris says I need to make more entries in the blog. He says that I'm not satisfying my audience. Today was a pretty routine day for Garrett. He woke in his usual good mood and Chris spent the morning with him. This morning I was working on my dissertation presentation and Garrett wanted to sit in my lap. I said, "Go find daddy, Garrett. Don't you want to play in the wah-wah with Daddy." Garrett got off my lap and went down the hall to join Chris in the shower. Garrett loves his showers!

Chris took Garrett to the park and then went to the office. Garrett had a good time taking every one of his books off the shelf and handing them to me. He didn't want to read them, he just wanted to hand them to me. Then he took all of his "family band" instruments out of the box and tried to carry them all. He couldn't carry the drums, the rattles, the drumstick, the clicker, and a pinwheel all at once, which really frustrated him. He cried and cried because he couldn't carry it all. I tried to show him how to use a basket to carry many things at once, but this did not suffice. He was finally consoled by being allowed to pull the chain on the closet light off and on.

Garrett also played many games of hide and seek with me today. This involves Garrett lying flat somewhere and slowly turning his head to make eye contact, or waiting for me to discover him in his flattened state. He also likes to hide against the wall.

Garrett wanted to help me empty the dishwasher and load it. It took a long time because he just wanted to shut the door and slide the racks back and forth. He lost interest in the dishwasher when he spotted a small clock. He kept saying, "Dock! Dock!" while bending over in the kitchen. It took me a minute to figure out that the clock was under the kitchen island. It's amazing how much he understands what we're saying. He is getting much better at communicating with us. He knows how to tell us what he wants and he knows how to tell us jokes in his own way. He has a really great sense of humor. I love how he switches from doing something funny and laughing at himself to throwing himself in my lap and saying, "ooohhh." It's like he's saying, "I like hanging out with you mommy." I like hanging out with Garrett too.

Now it's time for Garrett to go to bed and for me to continue working on my presentation. With any luck and some skill, one week from tomorrow I shall be done!

8/8/2004 8:57-a.m. Chris

Good morning. Bumpy just woke up and I'm giving him is morning banana. He can now finish off a large banana in about 6 large bites. I think he prides himself on stuffing as much nana in his mouth as he can. He'll make a good squirrel one day.

Speaking of squirrels: He chased a few of them around yesterday when I took him for a walk on campus. Garrett seems completely mystified when they run up the trees, but, unlike our old family dog, Garrett does notice that the squirrels have climbed the tree.

Garrett and I shared a yummy pizza at Za's (a local Italian cafe) on our walk yesterday. Apparently he likes the pesto, artichoke, mushroom, tomato combination. I guess it runs in the family!

We took Garrett to the market again yesterday morning. This time Brent and his kids came too. Brent's kids dote over Garrett, which is really funny to watch. Siena (who is 5 or 6) in particular likes to play with him, hug him, and carry him around. Garrett seems to get a kick out of it.

Oh no--at the moment Garrett has the remote for the VCR and is rewinding tapes. Better run . . .

8/6/2004 7:58-p.m. Caroline

Today Garrett made his first attempt to use crayons. I tried to show him how to draw and he tried to immitate me for about a half a second. Then he found other uses for the crayons. He tried to eat them and he moved them off the paper and on the paper. Then he put them in the box and took them out of the box. Every time I tried to draw he took the crayon from me and showed me that it was an item to be chewed, stored, or carefully placed on the couch. We'll try again tomorrow and see if he gets the idea.

8/6/2004 7:58-p.m. Chris

This is really cool: I'm typing this entry from our new laptop--which has a wireless connection to our DSL service. I'm typing this in Garrett's playroom. Now I'm typing it in the dining room. Very neat. Now we can surf the web while following Garrett around the house. A new era of childcare has begun!

Garrett decided that he didn't need more than 20 minutes of sleep this afternoon--despite not sleeping between 3 and 4 a.m. last night. We'll be putting him to bed soon (yes, we'll have the laptop in there as we lay him down).

Caroline and I took Garrett to the park this morning. He had a great time playing on the swing set. I think he has a bit of thrill-seeking in him. He seems happiest when he is defying either the rules of the physical world or the rules of the house.

We also took him for a walk around the neighborhood this evening. He saw several cats and many rabits. I had no idea how many rabits there would be in this neighborhood. Garrett's life is increasingly beginning to contain real-life animals--a very different scenario than that in Chicago (where we had real-life crack dealers).

His new quirk is collecting leaves when we walk around outside. Tonight he had about 5 leaves in his hand as we headed home. I think one of them ended up in his belly because he had leaf "crumbs" all over his face at one point. Sigh.

8/6/2004 -1:25-a.m. Chris

Garrett received a package today from Grandmom and Granddad Fraley. He loved the stuffed animals, especially the dolphin!

8/5/2004 -1:3-a.m. Chris

Caroline has just informed me that there is a hole in Backup Puppy. Apparently Backup Puppy is not as resilient as Original Puppy.

8/4/2004 10:56-p.m. Chris

Hmmm. The boy got up at 6:20 am today, but eventually zonked out again (after a big bottle) and slept until 10:00. I had to go to Chicago to return our rental car today, but Caroline tells me that Garrett had a nice time going to the park. He didn't want to stay there long, however, because he saw a water sprinkler in a yard across the street and wanted to play in the water. I think we'll have to get him his own sprinkler soon.

Tonight he tried to sneak his way up the spiral staircase. In fact, the little devil calculated the entire event. He began by shutting the door to his play room. Then, once he was sure that no one was coming in after him, he went for the stairs and began crawling. He was half-way up there by the time we caught him. I think we're going to need to get one of those 8-sided gates to gate of the perimeter of the staircase. Sigh. The safer we make this place for him, the more difficult it is for us (i.e., Caroline and I) to live here comfortably.

Garrett and I went for a little walk around the block late this evening. He brought four blocks with him. His new trick, which we may have noted previously, is carrying with him as many things as he can hold. Sometimes that includes a puppy in the mouth when the hands are full!

8/3/2004 10:12-p.m. Caroline

Yesterday Garrett and I went to the park to join our friend Amy and her kids, Caleb and Olivia, for a play date. Amy invited us so that I could meet some of her acquaintances from the Moms & More group that she has joined here. Garrett had a great time playing in the park and mingling with the other kids. He particularly liked the swings, picking up dirt and dropping it, and climbing up the slide. It's great to see Garrett hanging out with other kids. Hopefully he will learn the concept of sharing soon. Right now he thinks that everything in the world belongs to him. Amy brought out some snacks for her kids (Goldfish & peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) and Garrett figured that these snacks were for him too. I guess I have to learn the Universal Ways of the Mommy and pack group snacks wherever I go. Caleb, who has obviously learned how to share, was happy to offer Garrett some of his fish.

Today I plugged in my piano, which had been stored in our basement in Chicago. Garrett is very pleased to have the piano in his playroom and has been pounding out melodies all day. Thank goodness the piano has a volume control.

Garrett has been a real trooper while Chris and I have been running errands to get what we need for the house before we have to return the car. He has ridden carts all over town (Lowe's, Menards, Schnucks, Meier's, Best Buy, etc.) and he is ready to give a report on which one offers the best ride. He seems happiest in the Schnuck's cart because he can watch us put all his favorite goodies in the cart. At Best Buy Garrett quickly made his way to the DVD area and found the Nemo DVD case. He carried Nemo and his puppy around the store until it was time to go.

It is supposed to storm all day tomorrow, so I imagine that we will spend most of the day inside. Daddy is going to Chicago to return the car and will take the train back to Urbana.

8/1/2004 -1:47-a.m. Chris

Hello from Urbana! It has been one heck of a busy week for us. The movers came and packed up our apartment in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday, and loaded the truck on Weds. We drove down to Urbana for the walk through on Wed, and closed on the house Thursday morning. On Friday, the movers delivered our stuff, and we've been unpacking ever since.

Garrett has been quite the good boy throughout the process. Caroline and I have felt a bit guilty because we have held Garrett captive in his playpin, forcing him to watch Finding Nemo over and over again. That seems to do the trick, however. After seeing Nemo about 7 times during the Chicago end of the move, he watched it another 3 times on Friday as the movers delivered our stuff.

Now that the movers have left, we've been letting Garrett play around the house. He seems to be having fun, and doesn't seem to think that he is out of place. One of the downstairs rooms is carpeted, and we've made it his play room. All his toys are in there, and he has been going in and out of that room all day, playing with toys and checking up on us.

We took Garrett to the farmer's market in Urbana this morning. There were several musicians performing there, and Garrett got a huge kick out of watching them play. I see an accordian in Garrett's future. Garrett also got a chance to hang out with one of Neal Roese's daughers tonight when he dropped by to say hi. Garrett was absolutely fascinated by her. He followed her around the house, touched her hair, and watched her play with his toys.

7/27/2004 5:32-p.m. Chris

Wow! We're in the process of moving and it has been quite hectic experience. The movers packed up our house yesterday and today, and just finished packing up my office. (I'm typing this from the office because we no longer have our computers hooked up at home.) Tomorrow the movers are loading everything from the apartment onto the truck. That should give us enough time to clean up the apartment and make it to Urbana in time for the walk through at 6:00 p.m.

Garrett has been well tempered during the move thus far. For better or worse, we've been playing on 'repeat mode' the Finding Nemo DVD on the portable DVD player that Paul gave us. That has kept him fairly well occupied. We've been keeping him in his play pin in order to prevent him from getting accidentally packed. I've also taken him for a few walks, but I haven't wanted to wander too far from the apt.

So far, the packing of the house hasn't seemed to disturb him. In fact, last night, after the movers left, he had a great time playing hide-and-seek with us amidst the stacks of boxes. His crib was still up, so he was able to sleep in a normal environment. (The crib is still up, so he'll be able to sleep in it tonight too, thank goodness.) Tomorrow and Thursday we'll be staying in a hotel with which he is familiar (the inn at the Illini Union), so we don't expect any problems.

Except . . . he does seem to have some teeth coming in. He woke up at 6:40 this morning with aching gums. I hope that subsides soon.

Ah, I better wrap this up. I'm about to head home with Jenny and Thomas. We're going to join them, and the Hankins, for a good bye beer at Goose Island--one of Garrett's favorite pubs. The pub has a nice downstairs area where Garrett can run around, while still being relatively contained. We probably won't have a chance to blog again for a few days. I hope to have some good Bumpy stories when I return.

7/25/2004 9:37-p.m. Caroline

Garrett had a big day today. We took him to Cold Comfort Cafe, one of our favorite spots in Wicker Park, for breakfast. He had an order of banana pancakes. He couldn't eat them fast enough. Maybe he was famished because he ran the entire way to Cold Comfort (almost 1 mile). After breakfast, he sauntered home and wanted Chris to carry him for the last block. I thought for sure he would take a nice long nap when we got home, but to my surprise he would not sleep. In fact, he did not sleep until he went to bed at 8:30. Boy am I tired.

Tomorrow our packers come and we will not have access to our computer. We probably will not post another update until we have moved into our new house this Friday. Wish us luck!

7/24/2004 4:39-a.m. Caroline

Okay, I just read my new entry and then noticed that Garrett's father listed himself as Garrett's favorite parent. Hey Dad, I don't support this kind of favoritism. What's up with that? I think it's obvious who the webmaster is in this family!

7/24/2004 4:39-a.m. Caroline

Garrett went to Jenny and Thomas's house last night for a farwell bbq. He really enjoyed Thomas's lamb burgers and mac-n-cheese with hotdogs, as well as daddy's broccoli rabe pizza. He sat in the deck chair like a king on a throne and let the servants feed him tasty morsels all evening. When he wasn't feasting, Garrett enjoyed playing with a wiffle ball and a tin canister and several interesting magnets from Jenny's fridge--a banana and a pineapple. He turned the pineapple sideways and made his fish face at me to suggest that the pineapple was a fish. I was impressed because it did look like a fish when it was turned sideways.

7/21/2004 9:51-p.m. Chris

We took Garrett to Piece tonight to have pizza with Jenny, Thomas, and Josh. He had a great time munching on crust (his favorite part) and a slice of pizza with goat cheese and mushrooms (yum).

Before the pizza arrived, he did something I've never seen him do before. He gazed at Thomas from the corners of his eyes. Very suspicious looking. He did this several times, and then discovered he could do it while looking down rather than side-to-side. I don't know why he was doing this, but it was quite a trip. Thomas got a big hoot out of it.

There were a couple of other kids there too, and, once Garret started getting tired of sitting in his chair, I took him over to see the other babies. They were sitting on the floor when we arrived, and Garrett promptly followed suit. The three of them simply sat on the floor and stared at one another for several minutes.

On the way home, Garrett insisted on running. It was another hot and humid day today, but that didn't seem to stop him. He was hot and pooped by the time we got home. I put him to bed with a bottle, and haven't heard from him since. I hope he sleeps well tonight. He got up way too early this morning. Yawn.

7/21/2004 6:39-a.m. Chris

Yawn. Garrett is a punk. He woke up at 6:20 a.m.

7/20/2004 8:52-p.m. Chris

Garrett had a grand ole time today. He went for several "walks" in which he insisted upon running--which was crazy because it was over 90-degrees out there today. I suspect our days of lazy strolls are over.

He is still saying "wah wah" for water.

7/18/2004 3:27-p.m. Chris

Here are some new photos of Mo, including the Puppy Test (Original and Imposter/New Puppy) and Mo playing in the sink.


link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.4wokx4gf&x=0&y=wooexm

7/15/2004 8:22-p.m. Chris

Bumpy Mo isn't really saying any new words, but he definately seems to be understanding more. He can now correctly point to many objects in his book when I ask him "Where is the ___?" He can identify dogs, cats, balls, ducks, banannas, yogurt, strawberries, and stars.

He is still doing his crazy stunts on the couch. I'm afraid that he is going to fall and bust his head open, but so far things haven't been too bad. He fell and hit his face on the floor today, but he survived.

He has some new teeth coming in, including a molar.

Caroline cut his hair today. She put some product in it and make him look like a punk rock boy. He seems quite comfortable with that look. (Making his Daddy proud!)

7/9/2004 10:0-p.m. Caroline

Today Garrett wanted me to open my mouth wide so that he could press my tongue. He indicated this by opening his own mouth wide and pointing to my mouth. When he opened up, I could see two more teeth coming in! Maybe that's why he's been waking up in the middle of the night.

Garrett had some peanut seasame noodles for dinner and he loved them! He was using both hands to put the noodle pieces in his mouth. Then when he was finished, he picked up his plate and started to lick it! Part of me wanted to teach him that it was bad manners to lick your plate, but he was so happy and I was having a great time watching him. He would pick up the plate with both hands, press his face to it, lick it, and then set it down. He did this over and over for about 10 minutes, even when there was nothing left on the plate. I took some pictures that I will post soon.

7/8/2004 9:9-a.m. Caroline

As many of you know, Garrett has a little stuffed dog that he carries around with him. He loves to hug it, suck on the ears, and carry it around, pinching each ear with his thumbs and forefingers. We have never traveled without it.

Originally, Garrett was very attached to a cream colored bear that I received, along with some flowers, from Chris's parents when I delivered Garrett. The bear was just the right size for Garrett and he took to it.

One day, while out for a walk to Starbucks, Chris and Garrett lost the bear. Chris came back from his stroll and I immediately noticed the absense of the bear. Chris swore that in fact they did not have the bear when they left. But, I distinctly remembered seeing him with it. We search the neighborhood and retraced Chris's steps, but to no avail. The bear was gone.

Garrett was just three months old when the bear went missing and we had just passed the Easter season. I decided to search for a new bear. Surely, this bear was not unique. If they ship it out with millions of flowers, it must be readily available. Nope! I searched high and low. No bear.

A couple days after the incident I was in Walgreens with Garrett. They had many stuffed toys, some of which were marked down from Easter. Burried under a bunch of bunnies, I found a cream colored puppy that resembled the color and texture of the beloved bear. I presented it to Garrett and reached for it and cooed(the only form of expression he had at the time!). It had no tag so I asked th sales person how much it cost. After some research, she said, "$1.99." Sold!

Garrett loved his puppy from the first moment of their union on Isle 9 at Walgreens. Soon I started to worry that we would lose this bear as well. I decided that I should return to Walgreens and by a back-up puppy. If something happened to the puppy that replaced the bear, I could replace the puppy with the back-up puppy! Brilliant. Naturally, Walgreens did not have another puppy. I would have to keep close guard over the original puppy.

As the months rolled on, Garrett grew more and more attached to his puppy. He learned to hug and hugs his puppy regularly. He greets his puppy with a sigh: "Oohhh!" As if to say, "Thank goodness you're here."

Another Easter came and to my delight, I spotted another puppy at Walgreens! Oh joy! I was with Garrett and I didn't want him to see the backup puppy. I carefully purchased Backup Puppy for $1.99 and stowed him away for the fateful day when we lose Original Puppy.

By now you have surely realized the importance of Original Puppy. Occasionally Original Puppy needs a bath. I put him in a pillow case and toss him in the wash. I don't put him in the dryer (that would just be cruel). It's amazing how dirty Original Puppy can get! When he comes out of the washer all cleaned up, Garrett greets him in the usual way and welcomes him back.

This week I have noticed an unpleasant smell around Garrett. I finally realized that the smell is coming from Original Puppy. I guess it's time for a bath! Naturally, Chris and I did the laundry and forgot to wash the puppy. At $1.25 a load, I have to wait for the next load to wash the puppy.

I cannot stand the idea of Garrett sucking on this smelly puppy! This morning I suggested to Chris that we use Backup Puppy and toss Original Puppy in the hamper. I'll wash him today, even if I don't have a full load! I covertly switched the puppies and presented Garrett with Backup Puppy. He looked at BP very suspiciously, gave him a cautious hug and threw him on the floor. He was having no part of BP. Just to make sure I got the idea, he came into the office and threw BP at my feet. Chris decided that we should conduct a preference test. We placed OP and BP side by side. Garrett looked at each, picked up OP, and threw BP on the floor! I guess he knows an impostor when he sees one. I'll have to wash the darn puppy during his nap. Then (of course!) I am going to repeat the experiment.

7/7/2004 -1:8-a.m. Caroline

Help! Garrett is climbing onto EVERYTHING! I can't take my eyes off him for a second. Every time I turn around I find him standing on the pew, on the table chairs, and on the couch. To make matters worse, I think I have a thrill seeker on my hands. When he climbs onto the couch and reaches a standing position, he like to throw himself backwards toward the floor. He thinks this is hilarious. I tried to tell him today, "Hey, Garrett, that's neat but it's a really bad time to be scaring mommy like this. I have to finish my dissertation and get ready for our big move!" He didn't seem to think this mattered at all.

Garrett played a hiding game with me today. We like to chase each other around the house. Sometimes I pretend to run toward him, but then I duck behind a wall. He comes to find me and I say "BOO!" He laughs and runs away. Today he imitated me by pressing himself up against the wall and waiting for me to come find him! He had this big grin on his face when I found him. He "hid" from me twice. The second time he pressed himself against the wall in the kitchen. He has a great sense of humor.

Garrett is totally obsessed with water right now. If I have a glass of water he tries to put his hand in it. Whenever he sees water he points and says, "Wha-uh," "wo-wo," or "Wha-woo." We had a sudden down pour of rain today, so he climbed up on the pew, pressed his hands to the window and said, "Wha-woo!"

Today I saw Garrett display major separation-anxiety when Chris left for work. We were all out on the front porch and Chris was saying "bye-bye, Garrett." He reach for Chris and started to cry. Chris hugged him for a minute and then handed him back to me. He cried and watched Chris disappear around the corner. We went back inside and he continued to cry until I encouraged him to play with his ball.

Garrett likes to watch Finding Nemo. He points to the water (of course), makes fish faces at the fish, coughs when Nemo coughs, and dances at the credits. Today he screamed with glee when "Marlin" and "Dory" were being thrust out of the whale's spout. When I write the acknowlegements for my dissertation, I think I will have to thank Pixar for creating Nemo; Nemo time allows me to write a paragraph or two.

One last thing: on the 4th of July Garrett slept through all of the fireworks in our neighborhood and a major party happening right outside his window! It sounded like WWIII around here. I don't know how he did it.

22 more days until our move!

6/26/2004 -1:50-a.m. Chris

Here are the photos from CA.



link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.8bjfna07&x=0&y=-2bt2jy

6/26/2004 -1:20-a.m. Chris

There is nothing new to say, according to Caroline. I agree. Garrett is doing the same ole stuff. No new words, no new stunts, no new dances. I wish there was something more interesting to report.

We'll be taking him downstate for a UIUC party this weekend. Maybe he'll do something new and funky down there.

We'll be posting photos from our CA trip soon.

6/20/2004 12:26-a.m. Chris

Happy fathers' day to all of us pops!

Garrett continues to have a good time in CA. He's down for his nap at the moment. About time too: he was up at 5:30 a.m. today!

6/18/2004 3:10-p.m. Caroline

Yesterday Garrett visited with his Great Grandmother Lee (Tancredy) and his Great Uncle Chacci. Grandma has a singing bear that Garrett likes to play with. The bear sings and Garrett moves his head to the music and then hugs the bear and claps. Garrett also learned how to take sips from straw. Grandma Lee showed him how to do it with her big water cup. After the big visit to Grandma and Chacci's house, Garrett took a nice long nap and spent the rest of the afternoon with his Aunt Elaina. He really enjoyed the trip to the ice cream shop! Elaina watched Garrett while the rest of us went to Davis for my graduation ceremony. It was a long, happy day for all of us.

6/16/2004 10:43-a.m. Chris

Well, we made it to CA safely. Garrett earned a B- on his flight over. He only slept for an hour, and was generally pretty fidgity and fussy.

To make matters complicated, Garrett decided to have a poo in mid-flight. I've always feared joining the Mile High Diaper Club. To make sure the changing went smoothly, I first had to first set everything up perfectly. (Emily, Tama, Christina, and others--please take notes.) With Garrett in one arm and me ducking (the ceiling is slightly less than 6 feet high in that cramped space), I carefully placed a garbage bag in the sink. The bag needed to be arranged in a manner that would allow me to easily drop the diaper in the bag as I pulled it off the boy. I prepared the new diaper, placed it on the sink edge, as well as several diaper wipes, took a deep breath, and dropped his drawers. I had Garrett stand on the closed toilet seat while I took off his pants and removed the diaper. Fortunately, his poo was nicely stuck to his butt and didn't fall on the floor. I was able to wipe him while he was standing. He entertained himself by playing with the barf bags as I tried to wipe him in this awkward vertical position. Eventually I was able to get the clean diaper on, tie the bag, and get out of there. All in all, everything went well, but I wouldn't want to do it again.

6/14/2004 10:50-p.m. Chris

Garrett seemed to be feeling a bit better this evening. I took him to the department in the middle of the afternoon, and he handled that trip well. We said "hi" (translated from "neh neh see") to Len, Dan, and Ben while he was there. On the way home, we stopped by Aliance Bakery and bought a blueberry danish. Garrett danced to the radio while we were in line; the people working there got quite a kick out of it. We shared the danish on the way home.

We're heading out to CA tomorrow morning. I hope Garrett will do okay on the flight. I'm not looking forward to the plane ride. . .

6/13/2004 8:24-p.m. Caroline

Boo hoo. Garrett and I each have a cold! Poor Garrett is miserable with his stuffy nose. He has had a very short fuse today. For example, if he can't get a shape to fit in his shape sorter he pouts and whines as if he just can't win. He needed lots of hugs and special attention today. I was more than happy to give it to him because my own misery made it difficult to concentrate on my dissertation. Thankfully, I got some work done this morning, so the day was not a total loss. Garrett also has a bad diaper rash, making it even more difficult for him to get comfortable. We watched Finding Nemo today so that we could pass the time and try to forget about our stuffy noses. Garrett wanted to watch it standing up, probably because his butt hurts. Despite not feeling well, he was a good eater today. He ate all of his strawberries and bananas, all of his veggie burger with avocado, and all of his green bean salad. He also had some of his Daddy's cheese grits. Yum! Daddy's grits were perfect today.

We'll be in California the day after tomorrow. Let's hope that Garrett's nose isn't still stuffed up when we have to fly.

6/12/2004 9:21-a.m. Caroline

Here are a few notes on Garrett from the past few days:

Garrett has been doing some funny things lately. Yesterday Jenny and Thomas stopped by to see Garrett and he declared that we would all play with the ball. This involves Garrett hold the ball out with both hands, tightening all his muscles, and loudly saying something like, "ninghing-ba-huh!" We threw the ball from person to person and Garrett followed it. If it bounced he made a bouncing motion with his head. If it rolled he stomped his feet until he caught up with it. It was really cute. Jenny was wearing a skirt with a fish pattern on it and Garrett stopped the ball game to point to the fish and make his fish face (he opens his mouth and closes it in a lip smacking motion.)

Garrett has been eating his meals with more zeal lately. He takes a bite of his food, nods his head and says, "Mmm!" and then takes a dramatic sip of water from his sippy cup.

Garrett is getting alot better at naming objects that he knows. Every time I bring him a duck, he points and says, "DUCK!" The same thing happens for ball and dog. He'll also go find this objects if you ask him to bring you one. I can't wait for him to start talking. He's already making lots of assertive sounds and I swear he's babbling in sentences.

Garrett LOVES his bedtime book, "The Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear." The story goes like this: Hello, little mouse. What are you doing? OH! I see. Are you going to pick that red ripe strawberry? But little mouse, haven't you heard about the BIG HUNGRY BEAR? Oh how that bear loves red ripe strawberries! The BIG HUNGRY BEAR can smell a red ripe strawberry from a mile away. Especially one that has just been picked. BOOM BOOM BOOM! The bear will TROMP through the forest on his big hungry feet and, SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF, find the strawberry!

And so on... Anyway, Garrett will say OH! whenever we get to a part in the that has an oh!(i.e, Oh how that bear loves rrs's). When we say "BIG HUNGRY BEAR" he crawls away and hides his head and squeals with anticipation. We tickle him and grab his sides. When the bear sniffs for the strawberry, we sniff Garrett and he laughs and gets into a fetal position. The other day, Chris said that Garrett also said the Boom Boom Boom part!

Garrett is such a happy baby! He is great medicine for a busy mommy who is racing to finish her dissertation.

6/9/2004 7:16-p.m. Chris

I just added lots of photos from our trip to S.C.

More comments later. --Chris


link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.4artfvk7&x=0&y=jlke30

6/6/2004 1:34-p.m. Caroline

Some things that Chris didn't mention:

Garrett had a good time visiting with his great Grandmother Evans and his great Grandfather Fraley and his great Uncle David. He played on GGE's sun deck, he tried on GGF's hat (GGF is in his late eighties and still farms!), and he played the bug game with GUD (GUD pretended his hand was a bug and tried to "get" Garrett). Garrett's Grandmother Fraley has been making him lots of tasty treats and it appears that he favors pie and ice cream. He also enjoyed some green beans that she prepared for him. I'm not sure what he'll do when we get back to Chicago and all this attention is drastically reduced. Good thing he has a visit to California soon!

6/6/2004 1:34-p.m. Chris

We've been in S.C. for the last few days so that Garrett can visit his grandparrents. We'll be here until the 9th. Garrett seems to be having a grand ole' time.

His new fascination is the clock in the breakfast room. Everytime it chimes (which is on the hour and half-hour), he stops whatever he is doing, points toward the clock, and utters something that sometimes sounds like "clock," but often sounds like "dat," "sdssa," or "snock." I prefer snock myself, and plan to begin teaching him how to wind the snock as soon as he is a bit older.

He has a new tooth coming in, and it seems to be giving him some trouble. He wakes up in the middle of the night obviously uncomfortable. I hope the tooth will come through soon so he (I) can sleep better.

Garrett is also obsessed with the pool in the backyard. At first, his obsession was safely limited to pointing at it (it is not a "snock," but more of a "wa" or a "dsedk"), but now he enjoys throwing leaves in it, which requires constant supervision on our part. We bought a baby swimsuit--a body suit with float pads--and took him in the pool the other day. He seemed to enjoy that, but it was a bit hard to tell--the experience was so new for him. We took some nice photos of him chasing leaves and a red ball around the pool; we'll post those as soon as we get back to our warm and cozy DSL connection in Chicago.

6/1/2004 6:25-p.m. Caroline

Garrett was SO GOOD today. He took a nice long nap, played peacefully with his toys, and giggled quite a bit. He ate mac & cheese and green beans for lunch and had an orange for dessert. He didn't throw any of it on the floor, which made me happy. Garrett also helped me fold laundry today. He carefully removed all of the daddy socks from the tub of dry clothes.

Today I asked Garrett, "Where is the duck?" He picked up a lion and I said, "No. That's a lion. ROAR! Bring me a duck. Quack quack." He scanned the area and found two ducks, held them both up high and said, "Dook!"

Today I gave Garrett a haircut. I put him in his booster seat and started a Baby Einstein video. He watched the video while I snipped his hair. I didn't do the greatest job, mainly because I was trying to figure out how to give Garrett a trim without cutting off his curls. Chris likes Garrett's hair long (imagine that!) and the more I snipped, the more I thought I was going to get in big trouble! Anyway, Garrett was a good baby while I cut his hair and he enjoyed his bath afterward.

Garrett is going to see his Fraley Grandparents tomorrow. He can't wait to play in the yard and go into the pool!

6/1/2004 0:33-a.m. Chris

Hmmm. Garrett was a bit grumpy today. He only napped for 30 minutes, and had his fair share of hissy fits over mundane things (e.g., not being able to get his block to go through the correct hole immediately). He did, however, go to bed on-time--around 8:00--and has been sleeping since.

No new tricks today. We took him to Piece for lunch, with Kate and Mike, who are in town visiting until tomorrow morning. He enjoyed playing in the pit area, but, whereas the pit used to contain him, he now wants to climb out of the pit via the stairs. So much for the pit.

He had a cute moment today in Quimby's Books. The store had some funky music playing and Garrett did one of his dances near the cash register. The clerk got a huge kick out of watching him dance. When he dances, he goes back and forth between moving his body side-to-side and squatting up and down--all motions are accompanied by huge grins, of course.

Hope he sleeps throught the night. Good night all.

5/30/2004 9:40-a.m. Chris

BTW: He's watching Homestar Runner on my lap as I type this.

5/30/2004 9:33-a.m. Chris

Garrett and I went to the Shed Aquarium yesterday. It took us a while to get there because we had to tranfer trains and then walk half a mile from the train stop to the aquarium. When we got there, we had to wait in line for 40 minutes to get inside. Plus it was raining. Needless to say, I was pooped by the time we got inside. Garrett was a good boy throughout the journey, thank goodness.

We met up with Brent Roberts (a future colleague from downstate) and his two daughters, Siena (5) and Lydia (3). Garrett likes hanging out with them, and Siena enjoys playing with Garrett--hugging him, mussing his hair, tugging on him, trying to lift him, etc.

Garrett was only partly interested in the fish; he really enjoys people watching too. Nonetheless, he did have his fish moments--especially for the larger tanks where the glass reaches from the floor to the ceiling. He made his fish face a few times (he puckers his lips in a fish-like way; his mother taught him that).

When we got home (me exhausted), we watched more fish--Finding Nemo. Saturday was our fish day.

5/29/2004 8:22-a.m. Chris

Garrett is watching cartoons on the web as I type this. He likes to sit on my lap when I'm working, so I typically have to show him Homestar Runner cartoons on one of the windows and type on the other window.

This morning he almost got the hang of using a fork to eat his bananna slices. The other day he learned how to grab the fork, once a slice was loaded, and stick it in his mouth. Today he was trying to stab the slices with the fork. He was using the wrong end of the fork, unfortunately.

He went nuts-o at the park again yesterday. He is in love with the fountain. In fact, I carried him away from the fountain and to the dog park, but he ran all the way back to the fountain after a minute. I guess fountains now trump dogs in Garrett's world.

5/27/2004 0:17-a.m. Caroline

Garrett had a great visit with the doctor. He is now 32 inches long and 25 pounds. I thought he'd be heavier and shorter! Garrett was a big show off for the doctor. He leaned down to pick up his First Words book held a squat and then sat to take a closer look at the book. He turned the pages, pointed to some objects and made sounds when he recognized the objects. He especially likes to point out the ball, the star, and the elephant. He also showed the doctor how he can laugh and slap his knee at the same time, clap, give a high five, wave, and hug. He was making all sorts of talking sounds and was qutie cheerful. I have to admit that I was feeling very proud that he belongs to me!

Today Garrett and I ran some errands and went to the park. As soon as we entered the park and he saw the fountain he tried to break free from his stroller. I undid his buckle and he ran as fast as he could toward the fountain. He held his hands under the water and studied the water spout. Eventually I had to to carry him away from the fountain and he cried as if he had lost all hope. I tried to reassure him that we were just going to see the dogs, but he didn't calm down until we had reached the gated area where the dogs were running around. He held his hands through the gate and panted to the doggies. A few of them gave him a sniff and he seemed pleased by that. Then we went to Walgreens to buy a toddler toothbrush. When we got home, I brushed his teeth and he thought it was a lot of fun. (I have been using a tooth cleaning gel that is applied with a finger brush, but he bites me!) Garrett's new toothbrush has Cookie Monster on it.

When I change Garrett's diaper, I sing an upbeat song, which I refer to as the diaper song. Basically, I sing "Change that Di-dee" to the tune of "Hold that tiger" Recently Garrett has been singing along with me. I start the song and he shakes his head back and forth in a "no" motion and sings, "Di-di, di-di, di-di." Sometimes I can't believe how cute he is.

5/25/2004 8:16-a.m. Chris

Caroline and Garrett got back from CA yesterday afternoon. Apparently Garrett was really easy to manage on the flight back. He read some of his books, squirmed for a little while, then konked out for the rest of the flight.

On the train ride home he stood in his seat and looked out the window, turning to me every once in a while for a Teddy Graham. As soon as he got home, he ran straight to his toy shelf and started playing. He seems to know where home is now. I wonder how quickly it will take him to consider Urbana his new home.

We're about to take Garrett to the doctor office for one of his checkups. I don't know whether he'll be getting a shot or not. I hope not; sometimes he gets a bit grumpy when he has a shot.

5/22/2004 8:57-a.m. Chris

Caroline called from CA last night and said that she and Garrett arrived safely. Unfortunately, their flight was delayed for 2 hours (after they had boarded), so she and Garrett were cramped in the plane--on a full flight--for a long time. Apparently Garrett behaved well. He entertained himself for a long time by putting the free snacks in the barf bag (manually, not orally) and taking them out again. I miss them.

5/21/2004 -1:47-a.m. Chris

I played the role of full-time daddy today while Caroline, Jenny, and Thomas went to see a Cubs vs. Giants game at Wrigley Field. (The Giants won.) Garrett and I spent most of the day listening to a book on CD while building towers with his blocks, playing ball in the living room, and snacking on goldfish. He chased a few pigeons at the park, but got most of his kicks from playing in the park fountain--which was finally turned on today. (I guess spring doesn't officially begin until the end of May in Chicago.) I think Garrett wanted to go *in* the fountain, and he'll probably figure out how to do that soon. In the meantime, he seems to enjoy hanging his hands over the fountain edge and splashing the water around.

No new words today and anything unusual. Some of his more recent behavioral inventions include standing on his tip-toes (mainly to grab [messy] things off the table) and adding blocks to his block towers with better agility.

Caroline is taking Garrett to CA tomorrow for three days for her Grandmother's 95 birthday party. Apparently friends and family from across the country will be attending. Garrett will be able to meet some of his distant cousins for the first time. (Grandma doesn't know he is coming [Caroline only recently decided to take him along] so she'll be pleasantly surprised.)

5/20/2004 0:23-a.m. Caroline

Garrett was such a good boy today! He had a good time playing with his toys and exploring the park. He didn't chase any pigeons today, but he got several nose nudges from the dogs. He loves it when the dogs acknowledge him. He was wary of the the other children in the park. He seems to be uncertain of other people his size.

When I was making dinner tonight, Garrett spotted some strawberries on the counter. He stood on his tip toes and grabbed for them. I had to feed him strawberries while I cooked. When we went through those, he requested grapes. As he was finishing off his grapes, he heard his daddy come in the door and he became very excited. He ran toward the door and greeted Chris with a big smile and laughs.

Today when I started to sing "If you're happy and you know it" Garrett ran to his Baby Tad (a singing frog) and pressed the button that would play the song with me. I think it was his way of singing along.

Garrett went to bed without a fuss tonight and hasn't made a peep. Hurray!

5/18/2004 2:19-p.m. Chris

Our Internet connection has been in-and-out lately, so I haven't been able to keep up with the new blog updates in the way that I had hoped.

Garrett had another fun trip to the park yesterday. His new passion is chasing pigeons around the gardens. The pigeons, being city-pigeons, are used to having people chase them (kids and drug addicts chase them alot, but for different reasons), so they don't exactly run or fly away--they just walk quickly. As such, Garrett is always a few steps behing them, hoping to catch up but not quite making it. The pigeon chase seems to keep him entertained for a long period of time.

He did not want to go to bed last night. For the last month or so, we've been putting him to bed at 8:00 on a pretty regular basis. This tends to work with minimal fuss (he has a bottle and konks out), but last night he cried for about an hour. Sigh. Caroline and I are trying to get better at letting him cry in order to enforce a specific sleep schedule. I hope he does well tonight. (He is napping right now as I type, and has been napping for a while. I hope it doesn't throw off his good-nite schedule.)

Better get back to work. -- Chris

5/16/2004 9:38-p.m. Chris

Garrett had a great time in the park today (Wicker Park). He got licked in the face by several dogs--something he really gets a kick from. He also had a fun time running around, playing with his ball, and stealing other peoples' soccer balls.

5/15/2004 7:16-p.m. Chris

Hope you're enjoying the new "blog" format for Bumpy's web page. This should allow us to post updates and links to photos more easily.

Speaking of which, here is a link to some recent photos of Garret on Ofoto:


link: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=6qzqs41r.40kz41jz&x=0&y=v1jjdt

Septemebr 27, 2003

We just uploaded 13 new Garrett videos. He now has two bottom teeth that are peaking. They are a bit hard to see in the videos, but they are there. -- Chris

September 13, 2003

Garrett is 32 weeks old now and he is on the move! He loves to scoot around the floor and to scale the furniture. He is pulling himself up in his crib and he gives a big smile and a wiggle when somebody comes into his room and spots him peering over the side. He appears to be proud of his new accomplishments! Garrett is also trying all sorts of new foods and tolerating them well. He especially likes green beans and potatoes. We can't believe how fast Garrett is growing. He is already 20 lbs and 28 inches. He is wearing 18 month-sized clothes. Garrett fills his days with many engaging activities. He loves to bounce in his Johnny Jump Up, provided by his aunt Elaina. He also loves to work in his office: a contraption that spins and has multiple activities for Garrett to spin, twirl, and shake. When he's tired of the office he likes to play in his play pen with a selection of his squishy toys or he likes to scoot around the rug and try to reach new objects and destinations. He especially loves to watch his Baby Einstein video, where he learns all about animals and shapes, before he has his breakfast. But, his favorite activity of all time is going to the dog park. Garrett squeals with delight when he sees the dogs wagging their tails and chasing each other. Sometimes they give him a little kiss and he laughs and reaches for the doggie's ears. He also likes the cats that live next door and that hang out in Myopic Books. Garrett is making lots of new sounds and loves to hear us make funny noises. He's almost able to say mama because he has learned to make the mmm sound and smack his lips. His most vocal sound is his Hulk grunt. He stands and holds the furniture and says, 'huuuugggghhhh!' He even flexes all his little muscles. The other day Garrett tried to pick up my shoe laces (he has a shoe fetish as far as I can tell) and was frustrated that he couldn't grab them-that's because they were mere shadows of my shoe laces. Garrett is able to pick up Cheerios and other small objects. He even tried to catch the dust that was visible in the sunlight. How cute! Garrett doesn't have any teeth yet, but they are definitely on their way. He gnaws and drools on everything. -- Caroline

June 18, 2003

This month Chris and Garrett and I have been on the Bumpy Molasses National Tour. Garrett took his first plane trip to Atlanta, Georgia where his daddy was presenting at a conference. He was a dream baby on the plane and we were extremely relieved! Garrett loved watching the light studded elevators go up and down in the Atlanta Hilton Hotel lobby. He also got a chance to visit our friends, Brian and Tama, and meet their new baby Quinlan. Garrett and Quinlan gave each other kisses! From Atlanta Garrett took his first long car ride to Florence, South Carolina where he visited his Grandma and Granddad Fraley and all of hid daddy's relatives. He seemed to enjoy the ride in the car and he particularly enjoyed meeting his relatives at the family cookout. Garrett is a big fan of his great granddaddy Fraley and his great grandmother Evans. While he was in Florence, Garrett took a stroll on the boardwalk at Myrtle beach, dipped a toe in the ocean, and got his feed full of sand! So did Granddad Fraley! Garrett also shopped the streets of Charleston and saw all the old houses that have been in Charleston for a long, long time. Garrett's next adventure was a trip to California to see his mommy's hometown and meet his California relatives. He was especially happy to meet his great Grandma Lee and his great Uncle Chacci. Garrett spent most of his time in California at his grandma's house. He kept an eye on Baci (mommy's dog) who was very friendly to him. Garrett seemed surprised to see such a furry friend moving around at his level. Garrett met another baby on his trip to California-Claire Johnson, who is just 11 weeks old. He's quite the ladies man. Garrett had a chance to meet many of mommy's relatives at the big Father's Day party that his grandma Paula and grandpa Richard (Pop) hosted. Garrett's never seen so many ribs and chicken! He had his own big helping of tasties. Garrett was a good sport and let everybody hold him without a single fuss! His mommy and daddy are so proud of him, especially since he was such a good boy on the plane! Garrett's next destination is Columbus, Ohio where mommy and daddy are attending a wedding. He plans to show off his new trick that he learned in California: holding his bottle and drinking his tasties all on his own! He's also looking forward to meeting his great grandfather Harry who lives in Indiana. What a busy summer this is! -- Caroline

May 11, 2003

New videos posted. Sorry for the delay! Garrett is continuing to be social. He smiles and coos regularly and likes to flirt with people he meets. He wishes both of his Grandmoms a happy Mother's Day!

April 20, 2003

Garrett has developed quite a bit since our last update. He weighs about 15 pounds now and has moved up to a size 2 diaper! His brown hair is growing in and his eyes are still blue. Garrett has spent many hours practicing to move his hands to hit a hanging object on his activity play mat. He loves to lie on his contoured changing pad and wiggle his arms and feet. He can see all the way up to our 14 foot ceilings, which is evidenced by his new fascination with our ceiling fan! Garrett loves to sit in his little car (Snap-N-Go) and gaze up at the fan. He laughs squeals as he watches it spin around. Garrett is also becoming quite a little charmer. He smiles and bats his eyelashes when you say, 'Hello, Garrett. Would you like to talk to me?' Garrett has had a few visitors in the past month. His Grandma Paula came to visit with him for a week, his Grandmother and Granddad Fraley came to meet him for the first time, and his Godfather, Paul, visited him for Easter. Garrett loves the Easter bunny that his grandmother Fraley brought for him and he likes to look at the colorful pages of his new book, 'Goodnight Moon.' Garrett has been to several restaurants now and he is such a good boy when we are out. As long as we have his 'tasties' (bottle) nearby, he is content to watch the people and take in the sights and sounds around him. Sometimes after a long day of exploring his environment, Garrett will sleep for a full 7 hours! We sure are happy about that. --Caroline and Chris

Mar 13, 2003

Happy birthday Grandmom Fraley!--Garrett

Mar 10, 2003

Garrett had a big weekend. He met his Grandpa (Pop) and his favorite aunt Elaina. In honor of their visit he produced some new coos and smiles. This morning Garrett lost his umbilical cord thingee and showed off his belly button. I got on the scale with Garrett today and subtracted my weight from our combined weight. He weighs 13 lbs!-Caroline

Feb 11, 2003

New video footage posted on 'images' page.--Chris

Feb 13, 2003

Garrett had his first check up yesterday and he did very well. The doctor gave him a physical exam and checked all his limbs, fingers, and toes. He's gained 1 lb 2 oz, which brings his weight to 8 lbs 11 oz. I guess all the formula that he scarfs down is going somewhere besides his diaper! Garrett tolerated his first trip outside very well. He was bundled in his snowsuit and slept through most of the trip. He especially enjoyed his ride on the train. He's such a good baby! -- Caroline

Feb 16, 2003

We've added Caroline's story of her labor and delivery. Please check the new 'stories' section. New stories will be posted from time to time. --Chris

Feb 21, 2003

New videos have been posted, including one on Bumpy's long awaited introduction to She-Bop. --Chris

Feb 28, 2003

Garrett had his one month birthday today. Happy birthday Bumps! Garrett now weighs 10 lbs and is showing exciting new signs of development. He is very attracted to the black and white contrasts on his squishy blocks and his activity play mat. He is also turning his head toward novel noises. He's getting very good at holding his head up and grows stronger every day. He's a big eater and I think he'd win any formula chugging contest hands down. --Caroline

Feb 10, 2003

We will be posting some Bumpy video footage soon, as well as Caroline's birth story. Stay tuned! -Chris

Feb 6, 2003

Feb 5, 2003

Labor and Delivery
If my mother hadn't been here I wouldn't have known that I was having contractions. At some point on Wednesday evening (Jan. 29) I told my mother that my stomach felt hard. She put her hands on my big belly and said, "Honey, that's a contraction." I was surprised to hear that I was having a contraction since it didn't really feel like anything. For the next 15 hours I followed her around my apartment like a lost puppy, asking, "Is this a contraction? Feel this. Is that one?" I had absolutely zero ability to tell the difference between a contraction and the solid mass of Bumpy's butt.

On Thursday morning I woke up very early with additional indications that I was in the pre-labor stage. (Note to pregnant friends: I had the seemingly elusive and mysterious "show" symptom and some other treats that they tell you about in the books and classes). Chris, who had been anxiously awaiting for me to announce that I was in labor for the past week, did his version of pacing for the next 12 hours: he busied himself at his computer, taking care of all those miscellaneous tasks that he didn't want to be bothered with directly after the big event. He paused occasionally to feel my stomach and put an extra item in the hospital bag. Chris's additions to the hospital bag might have something to do with our need to borrow a hospital cart upon checkout in order to carry our mountain of stuff out of the hospital. But, I digress.

At 3:00 my contractions started coming about 5 minutes apart and I learned to tell the difference between a baby butt and a rock-hard uterus: the contractions were accompanied by a small cramp. The contractions were not painful and I could talk through them so I didn't think that we should start hailing the cab for our ride to the hospital just yet. At our childbirth classes the nurse indicated that it wouldn't be time to go to the hospital until I was unable to talk through the contractions. In my pregnancy literature, the time-to-go rule is when you have 1 contraction every 5 minutes for 1 hour. By 7:00 p.m., I had met this requirement for a full three hours, but was still quite chatty through each contraction. My mom and Chris voted for going to the hospital. I voted for watching Harry Potter. I lost. I've heard a lot of birth stories by now and it seems that the pregnant woman is usually reluctant to go to the hospital even when she is clearly in labor. I'm not sure why this is but it might have something to do with the anti-climatic nature of the moment. Feeling a cramp every five minutes isn't as exciting as shouting, "My water broke!" and frantically waddling out the door. After nine months of tolerating a variety of discomforts, a breathless cramp hardly seems noteworthy.

Chris's big moment had finally arrived. I'm not sure which event made Chris more proud: becoming a father or taking a cab to the hospital. As you may or may not know, he is strongly opposed to owning a car and would gladly volunteer to be the poster boy for public transportation. I had suggested renting a car for the week that we were due and he failed to see any value in that idea. Why put one more car on the road when he can hail a cab in 5 minutes or less? So, it was with great anticipation, pride, and sense of duty that he hailed the cab and threw the over-stuffed bag in the trunk. After waiting SEVEN cold minutes on the curb, my mom and I piled in after him and away we went. We had an uneventful cab ride in that there was no moaning on my part or sketching driving on the cab driver's part. We might as well have been going to the movies or going out for a casual dinner.

Once we arrived at the hospital, we entered the emergency room, which we had been instructed to do by the labor and delivery unit. It's really ridiculous, but they have a policy about being escorted to the Labor and Delivery floor by wheel chair. I guess they don't want you to deliver in the elevator. When we arrived at L & D, the nurse put me in a triage room to run some tests to determine if I was indeed in labor and could be admitted, or if I was faking it and needed to be sent back home. Determining my labor status involved hooking me up to some monitors which could track my contractions and measure the baby's movement. They also examined me to estimate how dilated I was. My contractions indicated that I was in pre-term labor, but I was only 1.5 cm dilated (4 cm dilated is regarded as active labor). I think because I was overdue, they decided to give me a chance to progress in triage. Chris and I walked around the halls of the hospital for a couple of hours to inspire further dilation, pausing every five minutes to wait for a contraction to pass. At 10:00 the resident doctor re-examined me and said that I was a "tight 3 cm dilated." In retrospect I think that she was being generous. My mom and Chris and I were all eager to get Bumpy out into the world and the doctor seemed to think that I would go into active labor soon enough to warrant admitting me to labor and delivery. I was thankful that I wouldn't be looking for another cab anytime soon.

The labor and delivery room had a bed for me and a pink chair that can be extended as a bed for a guest. I was placed in the bed and strapped to the monitors once again. Then I was given an IV-a procedure that I was dreading more than pushing the baby out because I'm a big wimp with a needle phobia (bleeding to death is okay with me, but the sensation of something going INTO my veins is unbearable). I make it a point to tell all medical technicians that I am a big wimp with a needle phobia with the hope that they will be kinder to me. While the nurse was driving the needle into the back of my hand, I tried to focus on the cute little animals that were doing stupid tricks on the Animal Planet station on TV. Shouldn't we all have the option of looking at puppies when we're being stabbed with needles? Having been strapped and stabbed, I was now ready to wait for my body to reach the wonderful state of active labor. Chris was dutifully poised to offer me any needed support and to feed me ice chips at a moments notice, which was really impressive since he was fighting a wicked head cold and could barely breathe. (Chris tends to get sick during important moments in our lives. During our honeymoon, for example, he spent more time embracing his handkerchief than me.)

Throughout the night the monitors showed that the baby was doing well. He didn't show any signs of distress and his heart rate was perfect. In fact, he was doing a little too well. He was resistant to drop and engaged my pelvis, which would have stimulated the cervix to dilate. My mom suggested that I stop 'wearing the baby for an earring' so that we could get this show on the road. Finally, my uterus stopped cooperating too and my contractions started to move farther apart, rather than closer together. By 6:00 a.m. I was still a "tight 3" with no sign of progressing, Chris had survived on a diet of TheraFlu, Cheetos, and blueberry Pop Tarts, and my mom had monitor strip printouts burned on the insides of her eyelids.

At 6:30 the doctor on call paid us a visit and suggested that we begin a course of Pitocin, a synthetic hormone that stimulates labor. In other words, it makes you have lots of contractions so that you can hurry up and get the baby out. My doctor asked me if I wanted anything for pain and I said, "Yes, I'd like an epidural." I felt bad about wanting something for the pain that I didn't yet have, especially considering all the hype for having a "natural" childbirth. But, I decided to abandon my chronic need to please others and accept the drugs. I was already feeling fatigued since I'd been in pre-labor for 15 hours so I decided to treat myself to some pain relief before the real fun started. This turned out to be a very wise decision given the upcoming events of the baby's birth, but I'm getting ahead of myself. The anesthesiologist came in to administer my epidural, which comes with a big cart of intimidating medical instruments and monitors. He was just about ready to pop the needle in my spine when he overheard another resident anesthesiologist comment that people who take the medication that I take (for my liver disease) have low platelet counts (platelets are needed for clotting blood). If your blood won't clot, they won't give you the epidural because internal bleeding in the spine can lead to paralysis. All doctors have their own cut off for how low they're willing to let the platelet count be and still administer the epidural. My count was 102 and their cutoff was 100. The resident decided to wait for the attending physician to make the final call while he and the other residents did some "internet research" on my liver disease and medication. There's nothing like knowing that your anesthesiologists are learning as they go and that the internet is their guiding light. Naturally Chris was nervous about the prospect of my becoming paralyzed because then he'd be changing two sets of diapers for the next several years and beyond. The team of doctors finally made the decision to give me the epidural after making me fully aware of the risks. Of course this epidural drama prolonged the administration of the Pitocin and I was becoming more and more fatigued. I tried to put on my "no-big-deal" face when they gave me the epidural, but given my previously stated needle phobia, it didn't stick. I cried and squeezed several people's hands, including that of my nurse, Pat, who was probably a boot camp sergeant in her younger years. Pat made sure that I didn't wiggle or do anything unbecoming of a woman in labor with a needle in her back. Nonetheless, my blood pressure dropped dramatically and they had to put something in my IV to compensate for that. Also, the epidural comes with a catheter for peeing, so that was lovingly inserted into my pee place. This is when I officially lost the pregnancy glow and took on the form of a hair-matted, medically wired female Frankenstein. In all, I had tubes coming out of my left arm for the IV, a blood pressure cuff permanently strapped to my right arm that threatened to squeeze my arm off every 15 minutes, two belts strapped to my belly that were starting to itch, a wire taped to my back that couldn't be rubbed for fear of paralysis, and a tube coming out of my pee place to keep my bladder from getting in the way of anything. I started to hate the bed that I was in because it was hard as a brick and was making me itch. Later I would learn that the epidural tape was the source of my itching and had inspired a mild case of hives to break out on my back. (I'm going to remind Garrett of all of this one day when he refuses to eat his peas, drink is coffee, or put his shoes on.)

Now, let me return to the beautiful process of birthing children. Pat, the no-nonsense nurse, made it her mission to see that I delivered by the end of her shift. She punctually increased my Pitocin drip every 15 to 20 minutes. Every time she came in she was followed by two student nurses that were permitted to put their faces in my business and actually assisted with the placement of my catheter. Normally this would bother me, but I'm willing to do my part to assist in the education of young folk and figured that I might as well get used to the exposure of my private areas. Perhaps it was the total numbness in my legs and my growing dependency on ice chips that made me feel that I could do my part to educate the future nurses of America. Secretly I was thinking, "Hey girls, one day your butt is going to be on this table and countless people will be looking at your private places, so enjoy the view while you have it." Gosh, I don't know what got into me.

The rest of the afternoon is somewhat of a blur. Chris and my mom were taking turns going in and out of the room for coffee hits, fresh air, and food stuffs. Pat the Pit-bull came in to give me more drugs. I pressed my self-administer pain medication button a few times and tried to sleep. The doctor came in to examine me periodically and gave dismal reports of my snail-paced dilation. She decided to break my water around 3:00 p.m. to encourage the baby to do his part and drop into my pelvis. Around 6:00 p.m. we all did a cheer because he dropped and was at "zero station." My mom, who was trying her best not to show her concern, looked particularly relieved. She knew that I could only be on the Pitocin for so long-then they start talking C-section. The doctor came in and reduced my Pitocin because it was too high. I was contracting too much, which could put the baby in distress. At one point the baby looked "distressed," evidenced by a drop in heart rate, and they switched me from external to internal monitors. Oh, good, more wires going into my body. I was happy to lose the belts, but I was also mildly concerned about the baby. It must have been hard for him to sit through 27 hours of contractions.

Sadly, Pat did not experience the joy of seeing me deliver on her watch. Even sadder, my new nurse, Pam, was a body snatcher victim. She might as well have not been there at all. And so, at 10:00 p.m. when the doctor gleefully announced that I was fully dilated, and Pam sauntered out of the room as if the doctor had given a weather report, my mother, who had respectfully stayed out of the nurses way, took total control of my delivery. My head was still groggily swimming with the words, "fully dilated," when my mother said something like this:

"Okay Caroline, put the bed up. Sit upright! Now, draw your knees back. I'm going to tell you to push. Push like this. Watch me! Take in a deep breath. Hold it. Push. Let it out. Do it again. Okay? Go."

My legs were numb and I requested that Chris and my mother each take one and hold my knees in the required position. At first I held my breath wrong (I was puffing my cheeks out), but I was quickly corrected by sergeant Paula: No, No! Take it into your lungs, not into your mouth. Now hold it an push! That's it. Count to ten! Push! Push! Push! This was all happening so fast, yet my brain was still taking in information from the environment. For example, I noticed that Chris, who had sworn he would only look at my head because he didn't want to pass out, was looking for the baby's head in my private region. Cheater. Of course, he didn't expect that my private areas would be so close to my own head, considering how far I had drawn up my knees. Nor did he expect to be so involved in my pushing. I'm surprised he didn't have a bowel movement right there on the floor since I think he was pushing too.

Speaking of bowel movements, pushing a baby out is EXACTLY like having one. I was convinced that this is what I was actually doing, but, thankfully, it was not so.

Another environmental observation on my part was the total lack of medical staff in my room. As I was push-push-pushing, I breathlessly paused to ask my mother, "Mom, shouldn't there be medical staff here? Where are the doctors." She said, "They'll be here when they need to be here."

When I first started pushing, I needed my mother to tell me when I was having a contraction. She could read the monitor strip for contractions and was telling me when to push. Then, I didn't care if I was having a contraction or not. I wanted to push all the time. It felt like a Duraflame log was lodged in my insides and I was desperate to get it out. In fact, I became fearful that I could not get it out. It felt so big and so stuck! All of a sudden there were about 15 people in my room and half of my bed was gone. I was taking orders from three people and pushed without permission. I kept asking, "Can I push now," but I didn't wait for anyone to say yes. Then I heard the doctors say to each other, "I don't know where all the blood is coming from." I looked down and saw A LOT of blood. I decided not to look again. There was more discussion about the source of blood. Then I heard a little snip, snip and I think I said something profane. I was hoping to avoid having an episiotomy (i.e., there is not enough room for the baby's head to come out, so they create a little extra room by cutting you). I was growing very tired, my legs were shaking, and I was scared to death that I wouldn't get the baby out. I was getting all the usual words of encouragement, "You're almost there. You're doing great. We can see the head. Just a little bit more. Push again. You can do it." To this I responded, "No I can't! It's stuck! Get it out!" At last, it came out. I was exhausted and relieved and still scared as hell. I heard the baby crying. I was crying. Chris was crying. All I could do was cling to Chris. I thought my first instinct would be to look for the baby, but I felt far too weak to take him into my field of vision. I felt like my life depended on clinging to Chris (attachment theorists, eat your heart out).

I will spare you the details of my repair procedure. Suffice it to say that "all the blood" previously mentioned came from internal tearing and required internal stiches (yuck!). If the baby's head hadn't served as a tourniquet in the birth canal, I probably would have bled to death, especially given my clotting deficiency. I'm so proud of Chris for not fainting and he is proud of me for not dying. Garrett, held up remarkably well and scored a 9 on his Apgar test. What a good baby! When I finally got a look at Garrett, I thought that he was pretty cute for a newborn. The first thing I noticed was that my nose is on his face! I searched for signs of Chris in his little face as I recalled that fathers are more invested in their children when they can be certain that they are theirs (a.k.a. paternity certainty), but I was hard pressed to find them. The best I could come up with is that Garrett's chin looks more like Chris's chin than mine. Chris would not concur because he hasn't seen his chin in a while. Well, maybe as Garrett puts on some weight and his features become more distinctive we'll see more of ourselves in him. In the meantime we can all contemplate what I would look like as a boy.

Thus began the life of Garrett Tancredy Fraley, born January 31, 2003 at 11:21 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 9.5 ounces, and was 20 inches long. Garrett spent his first three days in the hospital, being treated with a course of antibiotics because I had a fever during delivery. Of course, the events of our recovery from labor and delivery is another story altogether.

Feb 4, 2003

Hi, everyone. I'm still working on this web page, so it is not complete yet. We will post updates on a fairly regular basis here. Within the next day or two, we'll be posting the details of the birth. See you soon. -- Chris