Itchy?

They call it the seven year itch.  You know, that seventh year of marriage.  I've always found it a funny phrase.  Well, this is our seventh year and I don't see any (new) itching going on.

We celebrated with Disneyland.  On our actual anniversary, April 16th, Jim and I spent the day at the park without kids.  We got to go on big-kid rides.  Jim was especially anxious to check out the new Star Tours.  It was overhauled last year but we (I) couldn't go on it because I was pregnant.

But two weeks before our anniversary, we had a nice dinner at Club 33.  If you don't know what that is, it is an exclusive restaurant in the park overlooking New Orleans Square.  You have to be or know a member.  There is an exorbitant annual fee for members and the wait list has been cut off since it had reached about 15 years.  Jim has had various connections so we have been lucky to have the opportunity to go a couple times.

This was our (my) first night away from kids and it was a really wonderful time for us to connect.

You enter through a not-so-obvious door, check your coats and step into a little elevator.  Since it was our anniversary they gave us pins and wrote our names and "7th" on them.

I enjoy having an elegant dinner.  Afterwards they brought us a complimentary little treat (in addition to the dessert we ordered).

Jim tried to get a picture of the room without the flash so that we didn't disturb the other guests.

Walking through Disney in heals and a dress was weird (not to mention uncomfortable) and you can feel the looks from people visiting the park.  But you also feel like you have a little secret...kinda fun.

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

Cuteness (in General)

It's time to just share some photos.

I am continuing the tradition of taking monthly baby pictures in the glider chair next to the bear we got from FAO Schwartz.  Below are the two month shots which are already too old.  It won't be long before I take Emily's 3-month pictures.  Craziness!!

 

I know these shots are similar, but I simply couldn't pick which one to share.  They're both so cute!  Emily's smile is just delicious!

Please notice her hair that is sticking up.  She was born with it and I love it.  It won't be there for ever, so we must appreciate it now.  Take a moment if you will...

One more moment.  Go ahead .

Josh is so in love with his little sister.  He asks to hold her a lot.  Emily lights up when she sees him.

Yesterday was supposed to be a rainy day, although the rain didn't arrive until about 10pm.  But it was dreary and cloudy all day which felt like a perfect time to teach Josh how to make oatmeal cookies.  He loved it.

Well, one part in particular.

Every time we added an ingredient he would say "Now eat some?"

Good boy!

Could it be...?

I went into Blogger today to see if I had any comments to moderate and to my surprise the layout of Blogger has changed.  Hallelujah!  I have had a lot of issues with how difficult it is to create blog posts and more specifically with how photos are handled. I also hate that I have to check for comments since the notification doesn't seem to work right.  Many times I have considered changing the host, but I'm just too lazy to care enough right now.

So much has changed with Blogger that I can only hope that my private gripes have been addressed.  I can't wait to play with it.

I just had to share my little tidbit of joy for the day (besides Emily's super-big grins).  =D

UPDATE:  So far I am extremely happy with Blogger's update.  Most of my grumbles have been fixed.  Pictures are easy to load and place, editing tools are better, I'm notified of comments now, and lots of other new stuff too.  HOORAY!!

Today's Lesson: Birthmarks

I've been educating myself. Aren't you proud of me? Since I'm not working, I have to keep my mind from turning to mush.

I'm learning about a couple types of birthmarks. The ones known colloquially as "stork bite" and "strawberry mark". I'm learning about them because my kids have them. So, let me share my wealth of knowledge (so far).

Stork Bite: nevus flammeus nuchae
reddish or pink patches often found above the hairline at the back of the neck, on the eyelids or between the eyes. These marks are caused by collections of capillary blood vessels close to the skin. Patches on the forehead or eyelids usually fade with time. Those on the nape of the neck usually don't fade but are covered by hair. (Mayo Clinic)

Strawberry Mark: hemangioma
a benign self-resolving tumor of cells that line the blood vessels. It usually appears during the first weeks of life and resolves by age 10. (Wikepedia)

Josh was born with several stork bites. The biggest, most noticeable one is on his forehead and comes down between his eyebrows just a little bit. He also has them on his head and neck. They have all faded to some degree with the one on his forehead practically unnoticeable now. He also has a mark on his tushy which I thought was a stork bite, but since doing research I think now that maybe it's just a birth mark. I love the one on his tushy and hope that it doesn't fade.

Here's the one on the back of his head at about 2-months old.
(Remember that mullet? hee hee)

This is what his forehead looked like at about 4 months.

My jokester dad always likes to say "I can Photoshop that out for you..."

Emily also has these stork bites. The back of her head and neck look pretty similar to Josh's. She also has a tiny one in between her eyebrows and a small one on her right eyelid. The one on her eyelid really becomes noticeable when she's been crying.

The newest development, however, has been these strawberry marks. Around the time Emily's umbilical cord fell off I saw a tiny little red mark just above her belly button. Initially I thought she had scratched herself or that the dried cord had scratched her. What became weird was that this "scratch" didn't heal in the normal amount of time for a scratch. It continued to get bigger and darker and eventually I could feel it raising up on her skin. I wasn't urgently concerned so waited to ask the doctor at her 2-month appointment.

That's when I learned the word "hemangioma."

The doc said it can continue to grow, but usually reaches it's biggest by 6 months. Then it slowly starts to fade and shrink. I've heard conflicting time frames, but the longest range seems to say that by the age of 10 it should be as healed as it is going to be.

One month

Two months

You can see how much it's changed just in one month. What I really love is that it currently is kinda heart-shaped.

In the week following this appointment, we became aware of a bruised looking lump on the back of Emily's neck. It was probably about the size of a small walnut. I didn't want to mess around with anything on the neck, or near the spine, so back to the doctor we went. Turns out this was a hemangioma too. It's just so deep under the skin, that's why it's blue not red. I really hope this one doesn't grow much bigger. Even though I know it doesn't hurt her, it looks like it should and makes me feel terrible.

All of this sparked a memory from when I visited my cousin several years ago and I confirmed with her that her daughter had the same thing. It was nice to get the first hand account of both a raised red mark and a lump mostly resolving.

It sounds like an obvious and over-simplified statement, but having kids sure is educational.

Fishing For Kitties

So I sent a picture to my sister with the caption "Fishing for Kitties." That seems to have tickled her and she wants to know more. So let me share.



We have two cat toys which Josh likes to call "kitty wopes". He's even designated which one is for Bailey and which is for Sophie. In the picture, Josh is holding Sophie's kitty wope.

These ropes are a great way for Josh to play with the kitties and all parties thoroughly enjoy it.

Next we have the fort. Josh is playing on it more as he gets older and more physical. The kitties like to lounge in the "dungeon" below. You can see a round portal from the dungeon. Sometimes you'll even see a kitty there.

Thus, we have a perfect spot for Kitty Fishing. Baiting the cat to pounce.

Much fun.

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#18

Things I Never Imagined Before Kids #18:

Singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to our cat, Bailey.

Josh insisted.

Happy Easter!

We went to an Easter Egg Hunt yesterday and it was so much fun!! Josh kept calling it an Easter Egg Party.

"Do the {clap, clap} Potty Dance..."

I have a son. I am a girl. So the "boy" potty thing is new for me.

Joshua has taken to potty training really well. We started his official training just before he turned 2 and had great success. I had heard that cloth diapers can help to get kids trained earlier, and while I don't know that is true across the board, I do want to believe it helped us. We are at the point where he only wears a Pull-Up at night and he wakes dry most of the time. We haven't had any daytime accidents in quite a while.

A couple weeks ago Josh started hinting at standing to go potty. I stood him in front of his training potty once, but he decided that wasn't for him. Then he wanted to be using the "big potty" more and more, even to the point where we now put a stool in front of it so he can climb up. Again, he would consider standing to pee, but then change his mind.

Several days ago he finally took the plunge (does that count as a pun?). Again, I'm a girl, so the technique is a little elusive to me. There was a little dribbling. But he did it! And really well. Since then he almost always stands. He likes to lift the lid and the seat. He understand the difference of the seat being up depending on sitting or standing. I'm thinking I should look for those potty targets to give him something to aim at.

His interest in standing simply came from observation. He has seen others do it and the planted seed has been growing. I love how he is just willing to try things like that.

I Got to Say Something New Today...

"Josh, time to come in for dinner."

Kinda cool.

I've been letting Joshua play outside by himself for short spurts. It makes me a little nervous, but it also gives me some relief. He stays in the backyard, and while I recently learned he knows how to open the gate, I so far have confidence that he won't do it on his own. I don't consider him a flight risk. My biggest fear right now is injury. But so far so good. He hasn't learned to be a dare-devil yet.

It's nice to give him more freedom.