Snug As A Bug in A Rug

This evening I went to wake Gabe up from his nap, opened his door, and find this sight. Ou est la Gabe?















Oui. Oui. Gabe is asleep beneath his nifty little rug.














I'm talking skin to hardwood floor, here, folks. Looks real cozy. He had his face somewhat snuggled on his blankie, but the rest of him (he was just in his diaper), sort of made sticky little scuffing noises from it's contact with the floor as he rearranged himself. Guess it's good I swept in there this morning.

The last I had seen, he was sneakily driving his little piece of charcoal (?) along the roads on his rug, and had zipped back into bed when he saw me checking on him. :) What a goose.

Life

Daddy and baby.














So, the other day when I went to Goodwill I had very happy hunting. I found Gabe this "electric guitar" that was just his size, and makes all sorts of relevant noises. One of his favorite things is that he can make flamboyant motions of lifting the guitar neck high and then going down fast - just like he sees on Daddy's guitar video. :) He was very excited about his "pessant" (present). I also found him a big plush football that he thought was very special.

And then I found this little dollhouse for me. Tim shook his head and looked at me perplexedly, but looking at this little kitchen with the refrigerator and towels and teakettle and everything makes me want to purr with happiness.


























Now, isn't that nice? :)

In other news, two days ago Israel started saying "mom-mom-mom-mom". Not really knowing what he's saying, of course; just working in some new syllables.

The Nighty-Night Routine

Scene 1. Lights up on a squirming, giggling, 2 1/2 year old boy-child wiggling around fiercely in his toddler-bed, legs kicking, and somersaulting on his pillow up against the wall at the head of his bed. Tired shadows circle his eyes, and they look pink and tired. Two frazzled-looking parents stand looking down at their whirling little off-spring. A sleeping baby lies in a crib in a room across the hall...

Mommy: "Ok, Gabe. It's time to go to sleep now. You are fresh and clean from your bath, you have on a shirt and pants, you had a snack and your milk and your teeth brushed; we read books, you gave Chloe a hug and a kiss, you let her out your bedroom door and then closed it, we said prayers, Mommy told you a story, Daddy sang you at least 3 songs, Mommy and Daddy gave you a goodnight hug and kiss, Daddy covered you up with your multiple blankets just so, and Mommy got you a sippy cup of water."

Gabe: (chewing on his pacifier) "Can I...can I...can I..." (Mommy interrupts.)

Mommy: (firmly) "Gabriel, take your pacifier out to talk to Mommy. Mommy cannot understand you." (Gabriel pulls pacifier out immediately from his upside down position.)

Gabe: "Can I haff...some moak (milk)?" (hopeful expression)

Mommy: (again firmly) "No Gabe, you cannot have more milk. You already drank your milk, and we brushed your teeth. You cannot have any more milk, because we do not want you to get teeth ouchies. (Gabe flops back onto the bed and eyes her.) Now lay your head on your pillow - right now. (Gabe giggles and wiggles his way onto his pillow.) Ok - night night sweetheart. Mommy loves you."

(Mommy and Daddy exit stage left to a study, set up with comfy chair and desk with deskchair. A protesting cry arises from the bed in the corner. Mommy stops, exchanges glances with Daddy, sighs deeply, and pokes her head back into the room. Daddy settles into comfy chair and picks up his schoolbook.)

Mommy: "What, Gabe?"

Gabe: "I need...I need a hug."

Mommy: "Ok, Mommy will give you one more hug, and then you need to GO TO SLEEP!!! (Crosses room swiftly and gathers Gabe in for a quick hug and kiss, during which he closes his eyes happily and snuggles in.) Ok. It is time to go to sleep. Nighty-night!" (Scurries quickly out of room, thinking hopeful thoughts of blogging/book reading/tea drinking. She hurries to the computer and begins typing.)

(Gabe lays quietly in bed for 14.7 seconds, then his head pops up and he looks around. He struggles out of his blankets and trots quickly to the door, where he stands for a few minutes, slowly turns the knob and gradually opens the door. Mommy's and Daddy's heads turn to the hallway, and a wee little bugger shuffles into view, with a "who-me?" look on his face.)

Daddy: (VERY firmly.) GABRIEL TIMOTHY MILLER. What do you think you are doing?

Gabe: (Nonchalantly and avoiding parental eyes.) Ooh - that's Mommy. Hey Mommy, whatchu doin', Momm - ohh - dat's C'oe (Chloe)! What she - look at C'oe. (Nodding) She's a good girl. Oh! Whas dat?"

Daddy: "GABRIEL. You get back in bed RIGHT. NOW."

Gabe: (eyes whip right back to steely-eyed parents. Breaks into insta-whine.) I need a diapa! I needa f'esh (fresh) diapa! I pee!!! I pee!!! (Pats in general area of freshly diapered crotch and squirms like diaper is saturated with pee.)

Mommy: (getting out of chair) Gabriel, Mommy will change your diaper, but you need to go back to your room right now. (She exits study, bumping into Gabe who is craning his neck to see what he might be missing in the living room.) RIGHT. NOW. (Gabe scurries loudly down the hall, causing Mommy to wince as he thunders past the room of the sleeping baby. Diapa' changing ensues, as Mommy exchanges diaper with .0007 ounces of urine for diaper with .0000 ounces of urine.) Ok, Gabe. Mommy changed your diaper, and now it is time to GO TO SLEEP. If you come out of your room again, you will get leg smacks. Do you hear Mommy?! (Stares sternly at offspring, who is currently working his way back out of bed. He wiggles back into bed a few inches.) Night. Mommy loves. (her exit is cut short by the whine lifting from the bed.)

Gabe: "Can I haff 'nother one paci'?"

Mommy: (tightly) Mommy will get you another one paci'. And then you are going to go to sleep. (Hurries out to living area, peering beneath chairs and cushions, finally triumphantly coming up with pacifier. Hurries back into bedroom, thrusts pacifier at child in bed, and does quick exit, with hasty return to desk chair.)

(Silence. For 20 seconds. Suspicious noises waft out of Elder Child's room, with small stool-sized objects being moved across the floor. "Someone" rustles within the closet. The bedroom door opens, and then closes, and then opens. Footsteps pad quietly into the hall, and small child peers into study. Daddy sighs and gets out of his chair. As he walks toward bedroom, pounding feet race back to toddlerbed. Stern admonishment is given, reminder spank is administered, and covers are rearranged over yawning son. Small wail arises from bed as Daddy begins to exit.)

Gabe: "Can you sit wiff me?"

(Daddy turns and obligingly sinks down onto rug, lying back and stretching his arms over his head. Eyes close. 10 seconds pass. Deep-sleep paci' sucking noises come from zonked out son. Daddy stands up and walks out sleepily to return to schoolbook. Mommy pounds away at keyboard. The house is blissfully quiet as both children (finally) snooze. It is 10:50 PM. All is well.)

Buddies

Feet grabbin' man.















Daddy and boy. These boys have such a lovin' daddy.















This is our resident "dwummah in a box". :)

Oh, my Trials and Travails...

1. First, let me whine and complain. My husband is on the computer ALL. THE. TIME. Let me say that once more. AT. ALL. TIMES. If it is not school, then it is working on job application stuff, and if it is not job application, then it is blogging, and if it is not blogging, it is looking up guitar boring-ness-es. Huff. Sputter. If you have thought I seem to be blogging less recently, you would be correct. And this would be why. Hmmpph. (It should be noted for the record that he is a very fine husband nonetheless, and is simply being responsibly industrious. Smooch.)

2. The past two days when I was doing my taxes online, our Walmart Connect program continuously kicked me off every 3-5 minutes the entire time. I was about ready to go knock some heads together, somewhere, somebody. Scowl and glower. (Is my good mood contagious yet?)

3. Today Gabe and I were bored, so we decided to go to Krogers. Gabe was thrilled to ride in a nifty little car attached to the shopping cart. A gleeful time was had by all.

4. When I put Israel down for his naps on his stomach, he flips over to his back and lays there, fussing, like an extremely cuddly large beetle, waving his arms and legs in the air. Mommy has to rescue Baby Beetle and give him kisses.

5. Israel is switching to two naps a day. He is astoundingly and bewilderingly chipper at hours he shouldn’t be. On Sunday, he was awake for about 5 hours before I finally confusedly just put his little grinny self to bed.

6. I was slightly worried that Israel wasn’t doing enough “standing”, when I would hold him on my lap, but I discovered that when I put his feet on the floor and hold him steady, he stands for 4-5 seconds, and very sturdily. He must not like to stand on my legs for some reason.

7. Top Gabe sentences we hear el-constanto. “Whatchu doin’, Mommy? Whatchu doin’, Mommy? Whatchu doin’ Mommy?” “Hey guys, stop! The baby’s s’eepin!” (I know I said that one yesterday, but he’s says it constantly.) “I’m haffing a good time! I’m haffing fun!” “He’s sill-wy (silly)!!! Daddy’s sill-wy” “I’m dwummin’!” ““I luff him! (Israel) He’s a good boy. Daddy’s a good boy. Mommy’s a good girl. She’s a good girl. C’oe’s (Chloe) a good girl.” (He nods affirmatively as he says all of that.) “I need dis (this).” Today he asked for some “muse-kat”. We finally figured out it was “music”. :)

8. I was going to add some pictures, but apparently Blogger has joined my list of those-who-need-to-be-stared-at-lengthily-and-with-great-hostility. So, later, mebbe. Off to go gesticulate wildly amid flying spittle….man, I have a hard life.

9. :)

Gabe-isms

Gabe has been making me smile a lot recently, if only behind my hand so he can't see it. He's so funny since he has the ability to "think for himself" and consider all his available options. In the above picture, he requested "hot tea and chocolate", and was putting his (mommy pre-measured) sugar in his own tea. And having a great time. What a sweetheart. The other day I asked him what he wanted for a snack and he said animal cackuh's (crackers) and cheese. It just cracks me up how he has all these opinions now.

His choice of words also makes me laugh. He says "Hey guys, lets go to chuch (church)!" Or "Hey guys, huss (hush)!! De baby's s'eepin (sleeping)!" (Like he EVER heeds commands to hush. That child does NOT understand the concept of whispering. He bleats everything out at full volume, particularly when you most want him to be the quietest.) One time when Tim was telling him not to do something, he turned to him and said "Honey, huss!"

The other thing that amuses me vastly (and warms my heart) is his transparency. He does not yet have the concept of hiding what he is doing - he just wants you to go away so you can't see him. The other day he was sitting on the arm of the couch with his drumsticks. The boy has been warned and punished countless times about NOT drumming on the lampshade (he ruined two). So I'm sitting there looking at him and he says "Hey, guys, scootch! (that's how he says to move) Get back! How 'bout you go to kitchen? (hopeful face)" If only those mommy eyes would leave him and his drumsticks be.

By the way, don't believe that we are effectively bossed. We are not. "Gabriel, you do not tell Mommy what to do. You may not tell Daddy to hush." But it sure does make for some inner chortles.

Roll-y Poly

He finally did it. Tonight when I laid him down to sleep I put him at the bottom of his crib on his stomach with his head towards the top of the crib. He went down with nary a peep nor a mewl. Twenty minutes later after Noisiest Child Ever thudded, thumped, and bellowed his way down the hall (as is the norm), I heard him crying, and went in to discover him on his back at the top of his crib with his head towards the bottom of his crib and the blanket over his face. He must have been working hard!! :) Six months and one day to roll from stomach to back.

This is from his nap this evening. Have you ever seen anything so dear? Sigh….

Der Snitchity

That Snoochie-Girl of ours has been driving me up the wall lately. She has this bossy little "RUFF" bark that makes me want to give her a good whack every now and then just for good measure. She has been drinking and peeing a lot recently, which means I keep getting "instructed" to refill her water bowl and/or let her out the door and/or let her back in and/or give her some pizza and/or give her some chicken and/or get her toys down and/or throw her little rubber duck for her. Little rat dog. She stares at you with this beady little look, little eyes bright and intent, tail quivering, nostrils quivering. That's her "give me pizza" look. Poor little sassy snooch. She was such a baby dog before there were children, and now she's the dog who needs whacks. Where is the justice in this, she asks? Ah well. Off to rummage in the trash and eat some Q-tips....

My little Squeeze'ums Man is 6 months old today. This is what he is doing so far:
*Is in 12-18 month clothing
*Sucks his thumb sometimes
*Loves his over-the-door-frame jumper thing
*Loves to get attention from Gabe
*Loves his crackly-eared red dog
*Still hasn't rolled over, but is very close
*Still doesn't use his legs to "stand" very much at all

*Can sit unsupported for brief periods before falling over
*Really able to support upper body with arms when he is on his stomach
*Likes to grab his feet
*Usually takes 3 naps a day, with 2 of 45 minutes and one being several hours. *He often cries 5-8 minutes at a time before falling asleep for naps, and I usually nurse him to sleep in the evening.
*Goes to sleep around 8:30-9:30 PM and wakes up from 6:30-8:30 AM, waking approximately twice in between.
*Has a very cheerful dispostion, with lots and lots of smiles.
*Has silky dark brown hair - that's one of the things I hear people comment on the most, besides his size - "He has beautiful hair!"
*Is still breastfeeding almost exclusively, although he is all for the baby food idea.
*Drools EXCESSIVELY, but still no signs of any baby choppers in there.

Mmmmm....tasty

Mmmmmm. Tasty. One of my first jobs this morning was to clean up a nice, fresh steaming pile of dog vomit. I like to start my days out right. Poor Snooch wasn't quite feeling up to snuff, apparently.
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Tim is in the middle of a three-day intensive Bioethics class, and he had class from 8-5 today. So I had a day with the wee ones. We took a nice stroll around the block, since the sunshine was out today, and did fun things like "everybody take a nap at the same time". That one's a rarity.
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Today while we were eating lunch, Gabe spilled his soup on his shirt and pants, so we "had" to take them off, and then he spilt his V-8 juice on his diaper, so that had to come off too. :) So he was a buck-naked soup eater.
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When Gabe got up from his nap today, he asked if I would put Israel in his swing so he could play piano for him. :) They get such a big kick out of each other. Gabe loves having an audience, and Israel thinks anything Gabe is doing is just great.
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I keep forgetting to mention that Israel has been sporadically sucking his thumb over the past several weeks.
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Today I strapped Israel into his swing, and then turned around briefly to do something, and when I turned back, he had used his highly camouflaged Abs Of Steel to sit all the way up from the reclining back.

Today I sat him on the bed and he stayed mostly sitting before slowly toppling to the side. I'm always so startled when he does something new...

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I have been asking God to bring us a highchair. Someone stole ours off of our carport while we were gone over Christmas, where we had taken it out of the van and not taken it inside. Israel is going to be 6 months, and I really need to get started on feeding him food, since he's been clamouring for it for quite a while now, and it is a pain to feed him in his bouncer on the floor or on your lap, because he's so messy.

I had decided that I would just get one next time I went to Walmart, and then today I got an email about a consignment sale and went tonight and found one for $15. Kind of nice to see a prayer answered, huh? It was one of those sales where you wait in a big long line with your heart pounding with adreneline, toes to the starting line, and then everybody rushes in with arms flailing to grab-the-best-first-quick-quick. Blech. But I did pretty well.

There was a cutest ever little high chair there for $40, but I would much rather pay $15....but I still had to eye it a little jealously as it moved forward in the pay line ahead of me. Tim does not understand this sort of jealousy. It was so cute and green and tan and had little wheels and a ruffle. Mine was wipeable plastic and utilitarian and intensely functional. And $15. Gabe was all excited about it, and needed to try it out. He immediately put his animal cookies in the cup holder slot. So anyways, thank you God for looking out for us...

Two Things

So tonight I'm hammering away at tax preparation, and there are two things that come to mind:

1. First of all, it seems I have more to be thankful for than I was previously thinking about; for example - no one in our household has been blinded and/or permanently and totally disabled in the year of 2006. It makes me cringe, whisper a prayer of thanks to God, and quickly change the screen everytime I see those words "permanently and totally disabled". Yet by the grace of God go we...

2. Wow. I think I might have me 10-12 children a year. Just think of the tax refunds!!! George W. Bush, this I love about you...

Mommy's Home!!!

I love to see Israel just light up when I come home from work. His face is just wreathed in happy grins and he flaps his arms and coos and coos. Makes me feel loved. 'Course maybe he's just happy to see his milk carton. :) Today he started saying "Da-da-da-da". Tim said he is only doing it when he is upset. It was sort of startling to hear a consonant sound coming out of his mouth! He's just a wee little bugger!

Gabe shares his happiness to see me in a different way. He sort of eyes me sideways while sucking busily on his pacifier, and then grins and wiggles a little and gestures to whatever he is currently doing. That is always his way of being happy to see someone. If someone is talking to him on the phone, he talks about what he is seeing, or sits the phone down and does an excited headstand. He also gets really upset when I leave the room after saying hello.

Gotta go get the boy in the bath now. Toodles...

Lovin' Buddies

Gabe

Last night after twelve, I snuck into Gabe's room to get a towel out of the closet (we keep our towels on some shelves in there) and was surprised to see his closet door closed - we usually keep it open as a "night-light" for Gabe. When I tugged the door open, I found a sleeping boy asleep on top of his blankie wedged between the door and the shelf apparently quite comfortably! :) He woke up as soon as I opened the door and went to his bed. We had heard him making some movement noises in his room after we put him to bed, but decided to let him go as long as he wasn't yelling. He can open and close his closet door now, and must have decided he would sleep in there, because we were right next to his room and he never banged on the door or yelled. What a goof. He grinned and said "Yeah!" when we asked him about it today. He also grinned and said "Yeah" when Tim asked him if he voted for George W. Bush, so....perhaps our source is not that on top of it.

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Today I played drums for worship at church, and during practice Gabe diligently played "drums" on the stage behind me, much to the delight of everyone who saw him. Everyone is always so surprised at the rhythm abilities he already has. He is also currently into guitar, so we'll see which he prefers.

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The other night in VA, I was putting Gabe to bed, and he looked out the window and said "Sunshine is sleeping!" I agreed that yes, the sunshine was sleeping. "Sunshine takin' a nap!", he chirped. Yes, I agreed. The sunshine was taking a nap. As he folded down onto his pillow and blankets, he said "Sunshine has b'ankies (blankies) too!" :)

Israel

Israel is into a foot grabbing stage. Over the past week when we were in VA, he really started to hold himself up more while being held. He is generally a harder baby to hold, because he is such a chunka-chunka burnin' love!! with not a whole lot of muscular ability as of yet. He is right on the verge of rolling from back to front. I keep trying to tempt him with interesting little blinky light things, but am unsuccessful as of yet. He continues to have a very endearing personality - he's just so smiley and squeezy.

Early Birds in VA

I seem to have birthed me an Early Bird. The past while, Israel has woken like clockwork around before 7 AM, (my eyes are squinching shut in a giant yawn as I think of it) and I cannot describe to you the Tremendous Despair that washes over me at the sound of his very first happy gurgle and coo of the day - it comes WAY before I feel it should, whilst the sky is still dark and my entire body is still blindly groping for my bed. Mommy is NOT an Early Bird. I seem to have just settled down for my long winter's nap only several hours before my child's eyelids cheerily pop open. It doesn't seem matter what time he fell asleep; of late his wake time is set.

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We went to Virginia this week, and had a great time. Gabriel, of course, had a stupendously excellent time helping his Gwanddaddy ou'side. It was so nice, because we could just open the door and let him outside to play on the porch, and we can't do that here, because we are too close to the road. He loves to play outside. He gave tolerant Emmy Dog lots of hugs and went with Granddaddy to the Home and Garden Show and the Tool Sale and other important things I'm sure I forget that boys need to help with. And we had Easter meals with Heatwoles and Beerys. And Tim wrote two papers. Thanks Mom and Dad for all your help. And then we took the long drive home today with two wiggly boys and a Snooch. Phew. Glad that's over. (The drive, not the week at home.)

This is Israel with his Granddaddy and Emmy Dog.

This is Daddy and Boys. Tim is such a good daddy, and does such a good job with his baby boys.

Uncle Quentin reading to his nephew.

Grandma, Granddaddy, and Grandbabies

Scenes from the ride home

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By the way, I keep forgetting to post this: at 5 months and 6 days, Israel was 20 1/2 pounds, and Gabriel was 27 pounds at 2 years and 6 months. Hmm. This week, at 5 months 2 1/2 weeks, Israel was 21 pounds. Catching up fast, it seems...catching up fast. Oh my dear.