BA ge BOLL GO! (colinspeak)

As many of you know, Colin is obsessed with basketball. The small basketball Anthony bought him on a whim at Home Depot has become his "lovey," meaning he carries it everywhere and sometimes even sleeps with it. When I get him from the nursery after my workouts at the rec center, we have to go in the gym and "shoot some hoops." He also loves to watch the big boys play across the street. This week Anthony got him his own mini BB goal at Walmart.



After Anthony brought it home, Colin put his basketball in the goal for AN HOUR. For a toddler with a 30 second attention span, this is an eternity. The goal is the perfect height - he has to stand on his tippy tippy toes and push the ball over the rim - not every try makes it, but enough do to make it really fun.


Oh No, Mommy, I missed one!



Here's Colin preparing for another shot while Anna bounces in the background.

Notice anything about Colin-O's hair?

That's right, Colin got a real hair cut today. I loved his long curls, but for the past 2 days its just been long and frizzy. And, he is so tender-headed as soon as you start spraying the detangling spray, he starts saying, "Ow, ow, owwww... hurt." So after we spent gobs of time outside today in the gorgeous spring weather, I finally turned Dora on, sat him in a chair, and cut it. Yes, I cut it myself, and I didn't even need a bowl! Both Anthony and I are thrilled with the results. Still long and curly, but so cute and no "owies" when I combed it out after bathtime!

It's thrush, you dunce

I took Colin to the pediatrician today, kind of half-heartedly. He's had some upper respiratory virus for 3 days, the main symptom of which is copious clear nasal discharge. But, Anthony thought he may have been tugging at his ears, and his mouth ulcers had really flared up. He's had a lot of oral ulcers, but I knew these were usually viral and self-limiting, so I didn't worry too much about them. With this recent virus, though, his poor lips and tongue were covered with sores. I figured I should take him in today, since I was already off.

We couldn't see his usual pediatrician, but I really like our 2nd choice pediatrician's nurse. "You think he has an ear infection?" she chirped as she gave Colin a cup of water to play with. "Yeah, maybe...." I hedged. "Has he been really grumpy, pulling at his ears?" she asked as she cajoled him into an axillary temperature. "Kind off..." I said. "He's got a lot of ulcers in his mouth." "Oh, poor baby," she said, "the doctor will be right in." Actually, it took a while, and I distracted him with the cup of water, raisins, and a bunch of "Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear..." (cute English tickling game).

The doctor said both ears had an early infection. Then she looked in his mouth. "That looks like thrush," she said, "See that white plaque? Has he had it before?" Thrush is a fungal/yeast infection that a lot of newborns get, but Colin had not been diagnosed before. He probably had it before, but I just thought it was a virus. Oops. "I'm going to give him an antibiotic for his ears, which alone would make his thrush worse, and then we're going to treat him with an antifungal for the thrush." "Well, that should make for some really great stools," I said.

Fortunately, the medicines taste really good, and Colin says (like Dora's backpack), "Num num num num num, delicioso." Except it sounds like "num num all-doe." Also ketchup, which sounds like "pickles" in Colin-speak, really burns those lesions, so no chance in using the dip-dip to get those veggies down.

The Cat's Name

Is Claudio.

Anna chose it from a short list of choices I gave her. As soon as she heard it, she said, "Claudio. I like Claudio. His name is Claudio." Anthony thinks his name should be Boots, a horribly generic name that everyone at my work scoffs at.

Anthony: His name should be Boots. He even answers to it.

Anna: Daddy, his name is Claudio.

Anthony: It doesn't matter, he's not our cat anyway.

Anna's face registers shock, then confusion, then surprise. Then, she leans in to me and whispers: "I'm gonna tell him his name is Claudio." Good choice, Anna!

This is what Colin says to the cat: "Diddy.....whey-ahh-yoo?" Then he chases him mercilessly. He also likes to put food in his bowl.

The Cowgirl Returns home!

Here is Anna, in her cowgirl finery, upon her arrival home.

We were so happy to see her! She did very well on her first big trip, though she did get a little homesick. Saturday night she spiked a fever, and that made her want her mommy, and daddy, and home. I think she would have been fine if it hadn't been for another vile virus. There's nothing like feeling cruddy to make you want your mommy and familiar surroundings.

Anthony and I both very much wanted to pick her up from the airport, but her arrival time was right smack in the middle of Colin's nap time. We tried calling 3 different babysitters, but no one could come last minute. Anthony graciously let me go get her. Her cheeks were bright with fever, but she was so happy to see me! As we walked around the airport, her all gussied up like a sweetheart of the rodeo, dragging her wheeled suitcase behind her, many heads turned, smiling at the little cowgirl. Several times I could hear her mumbling something under that 5-gallon hat. "What, baby?" I bent down to ask her. "I love you soooooo much, Mommy," she said. "Let's go home and see Daddy."




We snapped these photos, then let her change into something more comfortable. When Colin woke up, sad to say, he was more interested in the fact that Anna was watching "Dora the Explorer" than the fact that Anna was home. Oh well.

Happy trails.

I scream, you scream, we all scream...

While Anna was gone for the weekend, Anthony and I decided to capitalize on Colin's naptime. In the romantic tradition of married couples with children, we decided in advance that during Saturday's naptime to have some dessert.

But I worked all day Thursday and Friday, and Saturday morning, too. So by the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, I was a little tired.

"Let's just have vanilla ice cream," I said.

"Ohhhhhh!" Anthony groaned. "I was really hoping we could have banana splits."

"Anthony, I'm a little tired. I'm not saying let's not have dessert, I'm just saying let's just make it plain vanilla ice cream."

"But...." Anthony said, "I was really looking forward to a little something more."

"Remember Tuesday night?" I said, "When I made hot fudge sundaes? And that was all my idea. It was only 5 days ago."

"Okay..." Anthony said, disappointed.

"I can't believe you're complaining about vanilla ice cream. It's always good," I said.

"You're right," he said.

So, we had vanilla ice cream. And it was very, very good. Even Anthony said so.

More pics of Anna in El Paso

Here is Anna at the Zoo. Please notice it is a beautiful day and she is wearing her new Pooh Bear Sunglasses!


As they were walking, Anna said, "Nana, look, its North America!" Anna's Montessori school is big on geography. Here she is showing off our continent.


Here she is with her Nana.


Couldn't end without this shot of her in the backyard/garden!

Anna's Big Adventure

On Thursday night, my sister Emily came into town, and on Friday morning she and Anna flew to El Paso to visit my parents. I honestly don't know who was more excited, Anna or my mom! It is Anna's first big trip without her parents. She is having a grand time. Yesterday, she met everyone at my mom's office, then they went to Peter Piper Pizza. Anna rode her first Merry-go-round, and you can see the joy on her face, above! Later, they went to buy a "cowgirl outfit" including boots and a hat.

Today they went to the zoo. My mom said at the sea lion show, the audience was told after the show was over, the trainers would come down for questions. Anna said, "I have a question!" She was the only child who did. She asked them, "Why do they eat fish?" with a disgusted look on her face (she does not care for sea food, despite eating Alaskan Snow Crab on her first birthday). The trainers explained to her that it is their favorite food.

It is so great to see Anna having fun new adventures with people she loves. Anthony and I feel it will increase her independence and natural curiosity. We are enjoying some solo time with Colin, and we can't wait to get her at the airport tomorrow!

What's wrong with this picture?

"Who wants a bath?" we ask every night after dinner. "ME!" shouts Colin, with both hands up in the air. Tonight, he sat down on the bath mat and started tugging at his socks. "Stuck!" he said. "Its okay, I'll help you," I said, as I put the ankle part over his heel so that he could remove them on his own. Then I turned my back to assist Anna. I guess socks were all Colin could take the time to remove, because in that moment he slithered into the tub. Anna jumped in, too, to be in the picture. Boy, oh boy! that boy is fast!

Pizza Face

Last night, Anthony and I got to go to the Sneak Preview Party of the new Flagship Whole Foods that is opening in Downtown Austin. We had a great time and ate way too much organic gourmet food! Our wonderful babysitter, Jessica, stayed with the kids and fed them a Tony's Frozen Pizza. Not so organic or gourmet, but they loved it and ate the entire thing! Just look at that happy pizza face! (photo by Jessica, who is 17 and has a better digital camera than we do.)

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