Summer's Here!

Well, it may as well be. The temperature in the past few days has gone from the high-50's/low-60's to the mid-/high-90's. To say that the difference between the relatively cool weather and the relatively warm weather is dramatic is an understatement. There was no warning, no tentative increase over the space of a couple of weeks, to herald the approach of summer.

My car is covered in a thick coating of pollen. Normally blue, it is now a yellowish-green. Carpenter bees buzz as they fly clumsily around the patio, the stairs outside, and over the crowns of the verdant bushes along the walkway to the parking lot. The only thing missing is the cicadas, but I figure they're coming. Any day now, just wait.

March saw Stephen turn four years old. He's turned into such a big kid, it's amazing to me that he was ever as small as Madeline. Not to mention that Maddy is growing and growing and growing, too. She's huge! And the terrible twos? Let's just say that they've been a lot more interesting with Madeline (and not in a particularly good way) than they ever were with Stephen.

Welcome to Tantrum City, population: Us.

With that preamble out of the way, I suppose I'll post a few pictures for the fans out there (with appropriate commentary, of course). Sit back, relax, and witness the new faces of my pride and joy.

Stephen and Madeline at the Aerospace Museum
For Stephen's birthday, I took him and his sister to the Aerospace Museum to see the planes. They were both relatively well-behaved, but they ran me ragged. Literally. Video below to prove it:


Later on in the evening, we celebrated Stephen's special day with ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins.

Stephen blows out his candle. I wonder what his wish was?
Since Stephen's birthday, we've been out a few times. I've taken the kids hiking at a nearby park. With one of them, it's manageable. With both of them, let's just say it's like herding cats. Madeline would rather play with dirt, and Stephen likes to fill his pockets with rocks. See below for a glimpse of our last expedition:

The kids, hiking. Me, behind the camera, saying, "Come on, guys!"
So that's our world in a nutshell. I'll try to get a picture of my pollen-laden car, because it's unreal. There's so much pollen on my car that it reduces my mileage. Well, not really. But still, it's disturbing.

Photo Update

A quick photo update!

Maddy's Birthday (Ice Cream) Cake
Maddy blows out her candles (with a little help from Stephen)
She really enjoyed her cake...
...and so did Stephen!

Two Years Ago, Today

Two years ago this morning, Amy and I were sitting in a hospital room waiting for Madeline to show up. I took a quick video, and here it is. You can hear Maddy's heart beating through the machinery that's hooked up to Amy's belly. Don't worry about what we're saying, it's not all that important.

After she finally arrived, Madeline did her best to keep us worried. Puffy and obviously uncomfortable, she had trouble breathing. They put her under an oxygen hood and I sat with her while the doctors fixed Amy up.

Later that day, Amy and Madeline got a formal introduction. Maddy was tired, and so was Amy. Amy also had a headache from her spinal anesthesia, and wasn't feeling real hot.

By the time we bundled Maddy up and took her home, we were all ready to kiss the hospital goodbye. It was a rough few days, but having Maddy home at last was worth the wait.


Today, Madeline's a very precocious two-year old. She's very much about what is hers and, more importantly, what isn't everyone else's. She has a temper, and she doesn't care who knows it. But much of the time, she's very sweet and I feel that I'm a very lucky father. After all, she's got a wonderful personality, she's beautiful, and she never fails to make me smile with her singing and dancing.

Happy Birthday, little girl.

Wow

It's been a long time since I've posted here. No excuses.

Everyone is doing well. Virginia is moving on towards winter, and you can feel it in the chilly morning air. Stephen often asks to go down to the playground, but once he feels how cold it is outside he begs to come back inside.

Madeline is in her fuss mode a lot lately. We figure it's just that age; Amy seems to remember that Stephen was fussy around this time, too, but I'm not so sure. Maybe it's just one of those things I choose not to remember. It doesn't help that we're weening her off of pacifiers, a crutch that Stephen never bothered to pick up.

Oh, the humanity!

Yesterday was the annual Mythic Halloween party (for the kids). Employees with small children brought them in for games and trick or treating. Last year, Stephen was terrified of dressing up. This year, he's gung ho about free candy.

Here's a picture or two of the little guy in his Jedi costume!

Bring on the Sith!
At least he believes me when I say, "I am your father!"
More later, when we have the real Halloween!

Stephen is Three

Stephen turned three years old on Friday. He was fairly excited about it, and he seemed to enjoy all the attention. He even went so far as to tell his mother, "I'm three, mommy. I don't need to take a nap."

He's fallen into a pattern of behavior in the past few weeks that seems to be standard three year-old: screaming. It seems to be based on frustration, because it tends to occur when it's time to shift gears, go to bed, eat ... well, anything, really.

Example: Last night, he and I were playing with his Lincoln Logs, building a little house. It was time for his bath, and I told him so, to which he stood up, screamed, and ran into the corner, all sorts of angry. Nothing really placated him; he was mad because I was making him stop playing with his logs.

Well, we made it into the bathroom (him kicking and struggling the whole way), got him into the tub, and then he was fine. Of course, when it was time to get out of the tub, we had more fussing and screaming. Suddenly, the kid who didn't want to take a bath didn't want to stop taking a bath.


Just about everything is a struggle. I can only assume he's trying to establish some kind of control over his life. We give him lots of choices, and it's not like he gets away with murder. Hopefully, it will pass after a time. Seems that it's a pretty common trope among three year-old kids.

I still love him, of course, and he's good more often than he's rotten. I feel sorry for him, because he's at a point where he's on an emotional roller coaster. He can't control his emotions very well, and that's got to be pretty rough.


Maddy, of course, continues to be cute as a button. She says, "Uh-oh," now, which is pretty hilarious.

She like playing with the Lincoln Logs, too!

Madeline: Year One Retrospective

Seeing as I did one of these for my boy on his first birthday, I reckon it's only fair to do one for my little girl. The only thing lacking are sonograms of Maddy, which we never had scanned.

Enjoy!

Ten Minutes OldMaddy didn't spring whole from her mother's womb, perfect and happy the way that Stephen had. No, sir. They had trouble getting her to breathe at first, and she spent a good time under an oxygen hood (pictured). She was puffy and generally unhappy, and I was worried sick.

One Day OldIt turned out well enough. Maddy was a lot fussier than Stephen, and Amy wasn't feeling so hot after the surgery. I was very much attached to my little girl right from the start, though.

One Month OldMaddy continued to be fussy, but I don't recall it being terrible. Getting used to another baby in the house wasn't as big a transition this time around. After Stephen, we could do anything. It was all old hat.

Two Months OldThis is when Maddy started to smile, when she started to get a personality of her own instead of being just another demanding, crying, screaming, diaper-filling machine.

3 Months OldI'm pretty sure she started getting happier around the 3-4 month mark. Less fussiness, more character. There were times, of course, when she'd just cry and cry (like at our going-away party at Frank & Lisa's), but you could usually attribute that to her being tired, overstimulated, or both.

4 Months OldShe was just about four months old when we moved to Virginia. I remember long stretches of road where she would cry because she was hungry, or (more likely) because she was tired of being in the car seat.

5 Months OldMaddy in our new apartment in Virginia. This is probably the only home she remembers, given how young she was when we left California. She's definitely queen of the roost now. She walks around like she owns the place.

6 Months OldMy happy girl!

7 Months OldThanks to our friends and family, we had a lot of clothes for Maddy to wear. The older she gets, the more I realize that baby girls' fashions are incredibly silly. Butt ruffles are everywhere (though not on this little dress, which is one of her more fashionable outfits).

8 Months OldEight months was pre-crawling. She did a lot of rolling around, and was content to sit on our laps while we ate, or watched TV, or played computer games. Once she learned to move under her own power, those days were history.

9 Months OldFully into the crawling mode now. This picture was taken on Thanksgiving, prior to us driving to visit Amy's grandparents in Pennsylvania.

10 Months OldMaddy's first Christmas. We flew to California and saw most of our friends and loved ones. Maddy was her usual cheerful self. I think she was more or less oblivious to the holiday, but she enjoyed the attention. The plane ride, on the other hand, was quite the adventure. Never again will I fly with a child on my lap, even one as cute as my daughter.

11 Months OldHappy New Year! Unfortunately, photo taking went by the wayside in January 2008. As in, I think I've got two or three pictures of the kids in January, and this is one of them. It's a companion piece to the SS Sterilite photo I posted a week or so ago. By the tint of her rosy cheeks, I think Maddy was suffering from her first bona fide cold at the time. Poor baby!

1 Year OldEnter the now. She's a year old, and she's got an agenda. She walks, she babbles constantly, she's into everything she can get her hands on. She follows Stephen around. He manhandles her, but she gives as good as she gets. The two kids get along pretty well, though he doesn't always know his own strength. Despite the occasional intersibling violence, Maddy has no fear of her brother. At all.

That's my girl's first year in a nutshell.

Happy Birthday to Maddy!

Today was Madeline's first birthday. She's officially one year old!

We celebrated by baking and frosting a cake (see above; yes, I know the "1" is backwards in the picture).

Maddy was intrigued by all the fuss, but she wasn't quite sure what we were up to.

While I cut the cake, Stephen helped himself to the frosting at the base of the candle. Surprisingly, he didn't eat any of the wax in his enthusiasm.

Her first taste of the chocolate decadence that had been placed before her ...

... and the sudden realization that, golly, this stuff tastes GREAT!

Touchdown! Maddy shows her appreciation for the sweets! While the cake itself wasn't a huge hit, the frosting was. She thought that stuff was the bomb.

While Madeline took her post-cake bath, Stephen and I horsed around in a futile attempt to work off a portion of his sugar rush.

As I told my little girl when I put her down for bed this evening, "I love you. It's been a great year since you came into our lives."

Yes, yes. It's been far too long.

Despite my exhaustion, I'm going out on a limb and posting some pictures of the kids. Not only that, I've got a special movie that is for Grandma and Grandpa's eyes only! So the rest of you, don't watch it!

(Well, I can't stop you from watching it, so go ahead ... just ignore me calling the camera a phone, and we'll get along fine!)


Also, a couple pics of the kids ...

Madeline, TV & French Fry JunkieShe eats solids these days. She's so used to eating what we eat, that she won't deign to eat baby food any longer. Maddy is such a snob.

The Kids, Out for a CruiseThis is just prior to their three hour cruise on the SS Sterilite. Which one is the Skipper, and which one is Gilligan? You decide!

Stephen (Maddy for Scale)Stephen has always been a camera hog. Maddy doesn't seem to care for them. She'd rather watch whatever trash is on the TV (which is, thankfully, off-camera). To tell the truth, we rarely have the television on. I understand that there are a couple of shows the kids watch regularly (Teletubbies, Blues Clues, Comfy Couch). Next time I have an impromptu photo shoot, there will be no TV, and there will be no French fries!

My Son, the HamboneI'm not sure where he inherited his fixation on cameras, considering Amy and I hate having our pictures taken. Maybe when he's old and fat, he'll feel the same way.

More later!

Ladies and Gentlemen ... I Present Madeline!

Yes, the amazing baby and her kissy face! What a marvel!

Madeline is full of holiday cheer

Christmas Tree 2007
This year, we've got an artificial tree! Gasp! I've probably said it a million times: "I'm never going to buy an artificial tree."

Well, we needed some holiday cheer around the apartment, and since we'll be out of town for a bit, I didn't want to worry about watering (or otherwise caring for) a half-dead zombie Christmas tree, like in years past. Consider it a temporary concession.

It's Snowing

We've had our first snowfall, as you can see:


Stephen was hyped! He woke right up and wanted to go outside. Amy will take him out later and let him make snow angels and whatever else.

I drove to work this morning, my first time driving in snow. To see the other folks on the road, you'd think it was their first time, too. It could've been worse. I suppose it will get worse as winter goes on.

Also, some pics of the kids from Thanksgiving. We took these before we left, but the battery in the camera was dying, so we weren't able to take any more.

Maddie in her Thanksgiving best.
Stephen and His Kitty Want Cranberries!
Can't say much now, gotta get to work!

Latest Snaps

So here it is, November already. Sheesh. This year is zipping by.

The news: Maddie crawls, she has nigh on ten teeth, and she likes to stand up. She'll be walking by Thanksgiving, or Christmas at the latest.

Stephen has entered an entirely new phase of not wanting to eat. It's a nightly struggle just to get him to eat something, anything.

His new favorite phrase? "I don't like that." He's specific, too, such as saying, "I don't like eating," or "I don't like going to bed."

Amy seems to be getting along fine. I, on the other hand, am suffering from some back pain. Feels like a nerve to me, but then again, I'm not precisely a doctor. I spent today on my back, trying to give it all some rest. If I'm not feeling better by this weekend, I am definitely going to see how good EA's medical insurance is.

For the time being, here are some new pictures of the kids. Enjoy!

Stephen & Daddy Watch TVI don't remember what we were watching. Amy took this picture when I wasn't paying attention. It's the last time I trust the woman with a camera.

Maddie in the JumperWe bought this jumper thing, sort of a bungee cord with a seat, for Stephen around the time he was learning to walk. He hated it. Maddie, on the other hand, thinks it's the best thing since soy formula.

Stephen on the Trail: "What's that?"Stephen and I went hiking again. He tends to point and ask, "What's that?" a lot.

Maddie Meets the Great PumpkinHalloween came and went with a whimper. Stephen, too terrified of his Halloween costume (a Jedi, no less), refused to wear it. No tricks or treats were to be had. Maybe he'll be more in the spirit next year.

Stephen at Helen & Paul'sWe took a drive to visit Helen & Paul a couple of weeks ago. We took a lot of pictures, but here's one of Stephen, quite at home. He loves Helen and Paul, and he likes running around their house (both inside and outside). We're heading up there for Thanksgiving this year. I only hope he'll eat something.

Until next time...