Our New Baby

Two Cutie-Patooties (plus a few more for good measure)

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:20:00 +0000

We've been busy, busy, busy celebrating the end-of-summer and enjoying these last few weeks of the season.

My favorite new Libbyism is how she says "my-zhul" instead of "smile." Then she gives this big cheesedoggy smile, er, my-zhul.

We went to the zoo to celebrate my birthday with Nora and Owen, Evie and Sophie, and Alejandro. If you can't find them, my two kids are the ones trying to pick up the wood chips. (Emma to eat and Libby to put them on her head; both were successful.)

This little pursed-lip look is vintage Emma. She's so sweet and cute I can't stand it.

Emma loves pulling herself up on everything and anything. Drop-n-Roar Dino is getting quite the workout.

Happy Birthday, Mommy...

noreply@blogger.com (Martin) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:28:00 +0000

...let's get ripped.

Toothed Wonder

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:07:00 +0000

Emma, a k a The Toothless Wonder, has finally gotten her first tooth! It broke through just a few days ago. In a cruel twist of fate, Libby has been working on her 2-year-old molars at the same time. As you can imagine, we've had some crabbiness around here lately (or, in Libby's words, "Emma cwabby").

Emma is not yet crawling (I know, I know -- I've been claiming she's close for months now), but I'm officially going to call her mobile. I put her down about three or four feet from some wet cat food the other day and ran outside to water the plants. I came in to find Emma chewing exuberantly and joyfully clutching chunks of cat food in her fat little fist. Yummm!

In other Emma dietary news, she had her usual snack at the beach today: sand -- and lots of it. I was doing a pretty good job of keeping her out of it until my attention wandered. I looked up to find Libby holding a shovel of sand to Emma's mouth as Little Sis sucked gleefully. Such a helpful sister! (Oh, well. As our friend Paula said today at playgroup, someone once told her that kids eat five pounds of dirt in their first few years of life; your job as a good parent is to just make sure they don't the whole five pounds at once.)

Speaking of Emma's eating, she has now started eating some solids. She adores Cheerios and Rice Krispies. Basically, she has to feed herself or she gags up a storm. If anyone has any advice on good finger food for a toothless wonder, I'd be grateful. We've done the cereal, toast strips, pasta, and peas. It's a little carb-heavy. Any thoughts, anyone?

Emma diving into some Rice Krispies.

Libby spent her time in Lakeside exactly the same as last time: pushing around the beloved Cozy Coupe.

Summer's yummy bounty. (She had the leftover corn for breakfast the next day, too.)

Reading the paper with cousin Kennedy.

Emma Cwabby.

We Miss You, Daddy!

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:21:00 +0000

Martin's off in Denver for a few days, and we already miss him like crazy. The girls and I had a little photo shoot to help him to remember us.

And then things got a little ugly, and we had to stop.

A special message to Daddy from Libby:

................................mmmmmmmmmm k /
4

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:10:00 +0000

A brief sampling of things I love right now:

1. Libby's name for a garbage truck is "dump trash truck." Until recently it was actually "fire truck? dump trash?".

2. If Libby doesn't fall asleep right away, she sits in her crib and talks to her dolls and stuffed animals and sings and reads her books. (Sometimes with all of the dolls and books and animals and blankets in her crib, there's hardly room for Libby herself.)

3. Emma's metronome foot. When you put Emma on her tummy (and I know I've said this for a long time, but the kid is SO close to crawling), her little foot just tap-tap-taps at the floor like a little metronome. The people downstairs must wonder what the heck it is.

4. Libby's curiosity. Everything is a question. Everything is picked up immediately (not any curse words yet, though, thank God).

5. Libby's counting. "One, two, three, five, seven, nine, ten."

6. Emma's belly laugh and Libby's smile -- both of which we are seeing a lot these days. Despite how exhausted I look in these pictures (and, yes, I'm pretty darn tired) and how crabby I often am (sorry, Martin), life is really good right now.

Libby on the ferry.

The girls and I have breakfast on the porch in Maine.

Emma gets a head-to-tummy tickle from Mommy...

... and loves it.

MainePictures

noreply@blogger.com (Martin) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:27:00 +0000

All the Maine photos can now be viewed on Flickr. Apparently some people had trouble with the other gallery (though it's still available and prettier).

What, Me Worry?

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:24:00 +0000

Back from Maine

noreply@blogger.com (Martin) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:03:00 +0000

And a new video awaits.

A larger version can be seen (temporarily) here along with all the photos from our trip.

Your Turn, Lor

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:56:00 +0000

My friend Lori said she'd update her Lauren's blog if I'd finally update mine. OK, Goias, have at it!

Both girls have recently gotten haircuts. Emma's little baby mullet (her birth hair reached halfway down her back in a beautiful, raggedy line ... classsssy) is now history, thanks to a surprisingly good trim by Daddy (done outside at Grandma and Grandpa's over the 4th).

She looks so much older with the hair all neat in the back. As you can see, though, she's still our smiley little Peepers. (I'm still convinced, by the way, that Peepers will be mobile soon. She works and works on the crawling.)

And speaking of looking older.... Libby also got a haircut while we were in Ohio (for the outrageous price of $6!). I couldn't stop looking at her for a full day as I wondered where the hell my wee little baby girl had gone. She went from this:

To this:

And now two more pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Emma and Libby take in their first Fourth of July parade.

This is how Libby spent most of our time at G&G's -- outside and pushing something or other around. Here, she's allowing Grandpa to help out. (Hey, Lor -- recognize the doll? She used to be mine.)

Life's a Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:32:00 +0000

I've been told in no uncertain terms that I am falling down on my duties of posting pictures. Apologies. I'm a little busy here, people. Jeesh. I mean, I've got lots of ~~soaps to watch~~ mothering to do.

We are finally enjoying good Chicago weather and have been taking advantage of our beautiful nearby beaches. Libby is in love and can't get enough. Beach, sand, and park are all very popular words around here these days.

While I'm waiting for the photos to upload, I'll share a favorite Libby story from a couple of months ago. So Libby often insists on eating whatever Emma gets to eat, so she has a heaping, yummy bowl of baby rice cereal (made with water, no less!) when Emma does. One day I gave Libby her bowl and then went back and dickered around with Emma's trying to get it just the right consistency (not that it matters because she loathes solids).

All of a sudden I heard a "Good, Emma!" When the comment finally broke through my daydreams, I turned around to find Emma's face smeared in Libby's cereal and Libby jamming her spoon into Emma's mouth (or at least the vicinity of her mouth).

Emma gets to eat lots of things from big sis Libby. I've found everything from a slice of bread to a piece of stick cheese in her mouth. (At least Libby gets her to take it. Most of the time, I just get raspberries when I'm trying to feed her solids.)

Our Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:33:00 +0000

Tonight we ate dinner outside on our back deck. Libby was beside herself with joy and proclaimed "outside!" at least 107 times before, during, and after the meal. While we were eating, she looked up at the sky and cried, "Moon!" "Yes, yes," we said. "That's the moon, little genius." Then she yelled, "Peekaboo, Moon!" and flung her hands up in the air toward it. Peekaboo is her new way of saying "I see you."

Libby loves looking at parenting magazines. This picture will show you why I once called my mom and said that I swore Libby was going to start tearing our recipes any second.

Fine table manners. The kid watches me drink the last of the milk from my cereal bowl far too often. Here she's digging the egg drop soup at a Chinese restaurant. Man, did she chow down!

This is Emma's standard tummy time look. Notice how there are no tears? She's so chill. She's always like, "That's cool. I'll just hang out here for a couple of hours. No biggie." I swear she's already trying to get into crawling position even.

More tummy time. I know the picture is dark, but I love 1) the rivulet of spit running down her chin and 2) the cat paw jammed in her face (and she's apparently totally fine with that).

The girl will not eat her solids. We had reached a better point a ways back, but she just is not into it. We've tried rice cereal, bananas, sweet potatoes, peas, avocado, and even pears. Nothing will entice her. She does love sitting up in her high chair, though. (P.S. Like the drool?)

Saved the best for last. A beauty, isn't she?

Speaking of Libby

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Tue, 20 May 2008 02:25:00 +0000

So Libby's speech in the last couple of week has been so interesting. It started with her adding the names of people when she'd say stuff: "Here ... Emma" [said as she hands something to Emma]. "Bye-bye ... Da-da."

And then a couple of days ago she started adding her own name to the narrations: "Peeeee-yyuuu ... Bibby" [said while I'm changing her dipe, and all I can say is that kid ain't lyin']. I love the cadence of how she says these narrations with a slight beat too long and a slightly different tone. I told Martin it sounds a lot like one of those fill-in-a-name-to-a-recording things (like Libby's Elmo Knows Your Name doll, which says "I like kitties, too ... LIBBY.") So she'll say things like, "Uh-oh ... BIBBY."

Then yesterday she jumped from adding names and started stringing ideas together. She's started with "more." "More ice" (ice cubes are her favorite food group). "More dog." "More airplane." (In case you were wondering, I'm excellent at conjuring up more airplanes.)

It's so exciting! I feel like we're on the beginning of the long march toward sentences. Way to go ... BIBBY.

The Big Time

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:11:00 +0000

Thanks to my sharp-eyed friend Susan, who spotted a request for interviews with moms of Emmas (and other popular names), the girls and I are now famous!

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136270

Emma Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:31:00 +0000

Happy Mother's Day! Sorry the pix are importing sideways. Why do they do that?

So Emma is almost five months old. So far, we've survived (and -- somehow -- so has Emma despite Libby). Some updates:

Emma has rolled over a couple of times but has yet to do it consistently.

She now has had a couple of solids -- banana and rice cereal. The first couple of meals resulted in gagging and puking, so we waited and have tried intermittently since then. The last two meals have finally been more successful. Hurray! Today she even kicked her little legs with excitement throughout the meal.

She slept through the night (9-4) about a week ago and last night gave me a Mother's Day present of 11-4. Ahhhhh. Stretches of undisturbed sleep. Heaven.

And most important: She has begun noticing the kitties and reaches out for them all the time now. Run, Nub and Seven, run.

A Message From Libby

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:40:00 +0000

bbbbbbb////////llllll

And Pictures Libby Chose:

Libby Hearts Emma

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:05:00 +0000

I wish it were easier getting a good picture of the two of them together. Sigh. One or the other seems to always look drunk.

Edward Blunderhands

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:22:00 +0000

I just left a ditch the size of the Grand Canyon in my youngest daughter's hand. That is all. (I must go now to collect my Mother of the Year award.)

Update: In case you don't see my comment, I actually nail-clipped a huge ditch out of Emma's fingertip. Worse than I ever have in the past. Thankfully, Libby has toughened Emma up to where she didn't mind so much.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Elton John

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:10:00 +0000

Is it wrong that I sing "All the Young Girls Love Alice" whenever I see Libby in these? Is that inappropriate to sing to your 18-month-old daughter?

Congrats, Auntie Julie!

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:58:00 +0000

Emma and I flew up to St. Paul Saturday for a whirlwind visit to celebrate my friend Julie's wedding to Tomkin. It was a beautiful, heartfelt celebration, and -- outside of the lovely bride and groom -- Emma was quite the hit of the party. She was a wonderful, smiley, cooing doll!

Emma's first plane trip!

Emma sported her first barrette for the occasion.

Didn't Julie look gorgeous? (And Mary Beth wasn't too shabby either!)

Emma and Mommy.

Emma Jo and Aunt Jo.

Totally cashed out after being the life of the party.

Emma met some famous people on the way home.

Frickin' adorable

noreply@blogger.com (Martin) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:36:00 +0000

New video. Enjoy.

Thanks, Grandma Betsey!

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:36:00 +0000

So I took the pictures Martin last posted as a thank-you to Grandma Betsey for these adorable outfits she sent the girls for Easter. I put them on the girls to commemorate the first decent weather we've had around here in, oh, 107 months. Here are a couple more outtakes from the photo shoot. By the way, I have no idea why Libby insisted on holding her arm like that, but I like the gentlemanly look of it. "May I escort you to your chair, Madam?" And I love that Emma's clutching it like the genteel little lady she is (cue a loud belch from Emma).

And here's another shot of Smiley Peepers (a k a Eczema Head ... poor girl).

One of Martin's colleagues was so sweet and brought this adorable little coat back for Libby from somewhere in South America (Bolivia? Chile?). Libby ADORES it and refuses to wear any other "toat." In fact, she often insists on wearing it around the house for hours on end.

And is it just me, or is there something a little creepy about this? I keep waiting for the doll's head to do a 360 while she pulls out a miniature butcher's knife. (I owe these terrible images to a really creepy "Fantasy Island" evil-doll episode that scarred me profoundly.)

Our kids are the cutest

noreply@blogger.com (Martin) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 02:44:00 +0000

New pics that prove it.

...or not...

Howdy, Strangers!

noreply@blogger.com (Kerri) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:12:00 +0000

Sorry we haven't had much time to post lately. Things have been quite hectic around here for a few weeks. I'm hoping things will slow down a smidge soon, so I can post more updates for Emma and Lib's anxiously awaiting fans. (I'm also hoping things will slow down a little so Mama can have a teensy-weensy bit of sanity back.)

In the meantime, to give you a little hit o' the Emma-Libbers cuteness:

Usually, Libby plays Naked Duck Girl at bathtime, but apparently the night of this performance, the role was played by Daddy.

Nanook of the North. I know -- adorable, right? But I've seen it enough, thank you. No ... more ... snow!

Smily Peepers -- a happy girl.

Enjoying the Ohio blizzard with cousins Diana ("Nnnnn-nah") and Kennedy ("Dee-Dee").

Enjoying Ohio chips and dip. Grandma has great treats.

And speaking of photos

noreply@blogger.com (Martin) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:35:00 +0000

You may have noticed the new Flickr "badge" to the right. It shows a rotating bunch of the pictures from our Flickr site. Click on a photo and you'll be taken to a larger version at Flickr. From there you can click on my "photostream" to get all the pictures we've posted.

Photoshop

noreply@blogger.com (Martin) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:25:00 +0000

I've been craving some nice black-and-white pictures of the girls so I started playing around in photoshop. This one turned out pretty well.