Avery's First Haircut

Sure, she might be close to 3 and a half, but she hasn't been fond of the idea of a haircut so we just haven't ever tried. But lately her hair was starting to get stringy so I started talking up the idea with her. I may have actually said that princesses get their hair cut. *cough*

(Just uttering that sentence made me question my own ethics. I mean, how far am I willing to go to manipulate my child into doing something I want her to do? A Princess reference? Really? It's like I don't even know myself anymore).

The problem with getting her hair cut was that I told her the story of "Frizzy Lizzy" to get her to let me brush her hair. My friend Lauren told me about this tactic after it worked with her daughter. So every night before bed I would tell Avery all about "Frizzy Lizzy" and how she would never let her mom brush or blow dry her hair. Finally, Lizzy's hair got so ratty that she had to have it all cut off and she looked like a BOY! (when you say "boy" by the way, you have to really emphasize the word. You know, like BOY is the worst thing you could ever be).

It solved my daily hair brushing issue but it created a phobia of hair cuts. She was so afraid that she would end up looking like a boy that she wouldn't go anywhere near a pair of shears.

So, I started talking to her about what it is like to get a hair cut. Then I took her with me when I got my hair cut so she could see what it was like at the salon. Then there was the whole princess reference...and she finally agreed to allow us to get her hair trimmed.

And this is where I bring up the second reason why it has taken so long to get her hair cut:

I didn't want to do it.

She has these curls that I am totally in love with. They are little ringlets that make it look like we curled her hair but didn't brush the curls out. And I was afraid that cutting her hair would get rid of the curls. I held out as long as I could but I started to realize that we had to blow dry her hair a lot more lately because it was getting stringy when we just let it dry. That meant that you couldn't really see her curls anyway.

So off to the salon we went...

The BEFORE picture. Just in case cutting her hair turned out to be the worst decision ever and her hair is ruined for life. It can happen. It happened to me in 3rd grade when my mom got my hair permed and cut like an old lady. TRUE STORY. I was never the same after that.
A shot of the back. It had been straightened that morning so I didn't even get one last shot of her curls.
Here she is at the salon with my hair stylist, Vilma. We knew better than to take her to a kid's place. Too much noise and distraction for our little scaredy cat.
She did a great job sitting still.
She even managed a smile every once in a while.
And the curls still seemed to be there, even as she was cutting.
Oh, and also, I asked her to only cut about 1 inch off her hair. I mean, let's not go crazy or anything.

I love this picture because you can see that she is looking at herself in the mirror.
And there you have it. She was all done and we all survived. Curls and everything.
And then later we went to a parade and she totally managed to avoid looking at the camera the entire time.

All was right with the world.

Up To My Eyes In Cake Balls, That's What

Oh, man. I am so far behind. Let's see...what have I been doing that has kept me from posting about Thanksgiving, the Turkey Trot or Avery's first haircut?

I know! I got caught cheating on my wife and she chased me down the lawn with a golf club. Now I am spending all my time trying to make things right and stay out of the media spotlight.

oh wait. That was someone else.

No! No! I was busy explaining how I ended up at the White House State Dinner last week. I got some vague emails saying something about possibly attending a ceremony that had nothing to do with the dinner and those gave me the impression that I was a welcomed guest for the main event.

no, that was someone else also.

Oh, I remember! I was busy escalating troop levels in Afghanistan. You know, right before I pick up my Nobel Peace Prize next week.

nope. Still not me.

Well there had to be some reason why I didn't post for 10 days but I just can't put my finger on it right now. Regardless, I will be back this weekend with a recap of our Thanksgiving holiday and my fun night at the Pioneer Woman's book signing. For now, since it is approaching 1 am and I just finished making almost 150 cake balls for the week, I'm just going to hit the sack.

WHEW!

Another Post I am Documenting for Future Therapy Sessions

Avery has it in her mind that you don't wear underwear with a leotard. Up until tonight I really didn't care either way. But tonight she wore a new long sleeve pink leotard to gymnastics and when she put it on I realized I could see her little tush right through it.

Asking her to take it off and put on panties was like asking Ohio State fans to stop being jerks. That is to say, it was met with much resistance.

Oh, man. She whined. She fussed. I think there was a foot stomp. Thankfully Matt came home at about that time and offered her ice cream after gymnastics if she would just put on panties. (If you need "parenting skills" mentors, we are available.)

She agreed to the ice cream and quickly took off her leotard and put panties on. As soon as they walked into class, Avery went up to one of her friends and Matt heard her say this:

"I'm wearing panties so I can get ice cream!"

I doubt we'll be invited to a play date with that family anytime soon.

The Greatest Surprise We Ever Survived

Jack is 20 months old today. That is the exact age Avery was when he was born. Just thinking about that makes my head spin a little.

I can't imagine having a newborn right now. Even if Jack was our only child, I can't imagine bringing home another baby because he is still very much a baby himself. Sure, he walks and talks to some degree (mostly just 2 word phrases and a lot of hand gestures mixed in with some sign language) but he still depends on us for almost everything. In fact, most of the time he still wants to be held--much to the displeasure of my back. When I look at him I realize just how much of a baby Avery was when he was born and it kind of blows my mind.

How did we handle a new baby when we already had one at home?

We were fooled by her vocabulary. By the time Jack was born she was speaking in complete sentences. I talked myself into believing she was a big girl. That's the only way I could feel better about robbing her of being the center of our attention at such a young age. But no matter how much I tried to convince myself that she was a big girl, I know now that she wasn't.

How did we handle a new baby when we already had one at home?

Jack is such a cuddler. I wonder if Avery would have been, too, if my lap hadn't been occupied by my pregnant belly. She loves to rock before bedtime like most kids do, but she rarely just sits in our laps and snuggles on the couch like Jack does. In fact, that is one of my favorite things about Jack. He loves to hug and lay his head on our shoulders when we hold him. He likes to wake up a little bit earlier than Avery so he can get some solo cuddle time with us before he starts the day. After about 10 minutes of that he demands a "banana!" or "Bar!" and the day begins.

How did we handle a new baby when we already had one at home?

Once it became obvious that I was pregnant, strangers would ask me when I was due. When Avery was with me, they would almost always follow my response with, "oh, my. Two in diapers. That is going to be so hard." Or the equally helpful, "20 months apart? Well you won't sleep for a few years but you should be ok after that." Matt and I would just look at each other knowing that we shared the same feeling of helplessness. I mean, there wasn't much we could do about it. The train had left the station. And realistically, this was the only "normal" we would know so we just figured we would take it one day at a time. But looking back, I don't know how we got through the early days of sleepless nights coupled with temper tantrums and potty training.

How did we handle a new baby when we already had one at home?

When I look at Jack I see a baby. Not because he is my youngest. Not because I am holding on to anything. Not because I don't want him to grow up. It's just a fact. My boy is still very much a dependent baby who needs help with everything from diaper changes to getting dressed to opening banana peels. His size may fool you but his sweet baby smell and unsteady walk reveals it to be true.

How did we handle a new baby when we already had one at home?

So when I look at Jack today, on his 20 month birthday, I wonder what in the world we were thinking. How did we mistake Avery for a big girl? How did we fool ourselves into believing that she was old enough to share our love, affection and most of all, our attention with a newborn? I can't even wrap my mind around the idea of having a new baby now--with Jack at this age. I can't even begin to comprehend how we would handle it.

And yet, we did. We did handle it. We handled everything. From midnight feedings for Jack and 6am wake up calls from Avery to breast feeding during temper tantrums. We managed to have 2 in diapers at the same time. We were able to sleep at night--after the first few months--with relative consistency. We grew closer not only in our marriage, but in our friendship.

Clearly we owe a lot of thanks to my parents and aunt for pitching in when the going got tough. There is no doubt that our Saturday nights of uninterrupted sleep keep us sane throughout the week. Maybe I should go as far as to say that we couldn't do it without them. I hope we never have to find out.

What I know for sure is that having our big baby boy in our lives has been such a blessing. We are so fortunate to get to raise two very different children and watch them both grow and develop in their own way. Seeing the two of them getting along and playing together just makes my heart want to burst. Avery is Jack's biggest fan and he loves her so much. They share (most of the time) and keep each other entertained.

I can't say that I would want to figure out how to handle 2 in diapers again. But I can say that I am certainly glad we were blessed with the chance to figure it out this time. Sleeping in past 6am on Sunday is great but we sure do miss seeing their faces light up when we get them out of bed in the morning. There is just no substitute for Jack's morning cuddles and Avery's attempts to sneak into our room by hiding under her blanket so we can't see her walking through the door.

Happy 20 months, my sweet boy. We are so blessed that we have you in our lives. And happy 40 months to my little girl; the greatest big sister we could have ever asked for.

Jack was being coy. 20 month picture.

I think he learned how to be coy from his big sister.

Avery at 40 months.

Things Jack Ate Today

Between 6:40 and 8:20 am, he ate:

• a banana
• a granola bar
• unsweetened applesauce
• unsalted pretzels
• grapes (2 servings)

And after each thing he yelled for me to get him MMMOOOORRRRREE! MAMA! MMMOOOORRREE!

Things I said no to when he asked:

• another banana
• another bar
• another serving of grapes
• triscuits

Someone hold me. We are going to be so poor when he is a teenager.

Nom Nom Nom.

I'm Sure Emeril Never Has To Put Up With Kids Like Mine

Avery loves to help us cook, as you might have gathered if you watched the video I posted of her last month. She helps Matt make smoothies for breakfast every morning and loves to help crack the eggs when I make cake balls. That's why we were excited when she turned 3 and we could take her to cooking classes at Young Chef's Academy.

It took us a few months to get a class that worked into our schedule (what?! It's football season!). So when we found out that a Big Chef/Little Chef class was coming up in November, we signed right up. Lucky for us, our friend Alex and his wife Lisa are the owners of the Young Chef's Academy in Round Rock so we have the hook up on when classes are coming up.

Our first class was last Saturday and just as we suspected, Avery loved it. She was so excited the whole car ride there. She asked questions about what they would have at the class and what her teacher's name would be. She was very intent on picking out her own apron, which would be pink, of course. We really couldn't get to class fast enough for that child. It might have been the longest 15 minute car ride of her life (and mine).

We got to YCA just in time for class to start. Chef Lisa came out to the lobby to meet the kids and go over the rules. That's when I realized that we have "that child."

Oh, you know the one I am talking about. Poor Chef Lisa could hardly get a word out before Avery was talking over her asking questions. Chef Lisa talked about grabbing an apron and Avery shouted, "I want a pink one!" before she could even finish her sentence. When Chef Lisa informed her that she only had white ones, Avery tried to tell her about the pink polka dot apron she has at home.

(That's when I considered backing up a little hoping that maybe I could pretend to be the parent of one of the other kids that was sitting there quietly.)

Even though the class was for kids 3-5 years old, somehow Avery was the only one that was talking like crazy. The others were sitting there like sweet angels just listening intently to what Lisa had to say.

Once we had our hands washed and aprons on, Chef Lisa reviewed the menu with everyone. When she started describing how to shred carrots for the first recipe, Avery said "I want to do it! I want to do it! I want to shred. I like carrots!" It didn't matter that Lisa had already prefaced her statement with the information that everyone would get a chance to help shred carrots.

Maybe Avery didn't believe her. Maybe Avery was experiencing some form of short term memory loss that caused her to forget that Lisa had, just seconds earlier, told everyone that they would get a chance to participate. Maybe Avery has a hearing problem and has gotten along in life just by watching for context clues. It's possible that she has trust issues and simply didn't believe Lisa. I really don't know. All I can say is that Lisa is a better woman than I am because I was ready to strangle this child of mine.

Don't even think that she would let me help her because that was NOT happening. We might still be there shredding that same carrot today if Chef Lisa wasn't good at being tricky. She was able to get the carrot away from Avery by distracting her with the next cool thing, which happened to be a knife.

While Lisa was trying to explain how to cut the bread, Avery was busy saying, "I want to cut! I want the pink knife! I want to cut. Can I have the pink knife? Can I have the pink knife? That knife, right there in your hand. Can I have it?" I thought her head might actually explode. She could hardly keep her bottom on the chair when she was waiting for Lisa to give her a knife and a plate.

It was right then that I realized that Lisa was sent directly from Heaven because there is no way that I could deal with children like mine all day. Especially with knives so close within reach.

OH THANK GOODNESS she happened to get the pink knife and plate. Imagine! I wonder how Chef Lisa knew that Avery wanted it so bad...

After she rolled her hotdog in the bread that she cut and smashed, she patiently waited for her turn to brush butter on her bread. She was uncharacteristically calm when she was waiting and I was thinking that maybe she was over her initial excitement and was settling down back into her normal self. (oh please! oh please! oh please! let her just be excited and not really like this in real life. oh please! oh please! oh please!)

The pictures make her look much more innocent than she really is.

Chef Lisa showed her what the ingredients for the carrot soup looked like after they were finished cooking but before they got mixed to smithereens. Despite already knowing everything, Avery was very interested when Lisa would show her ingredients, tools, or food that looked different. She did seem to pay attention to Lisa when she wasn't getting ready for a new task.

But her patience was short lived when Lisa brought out a wisk that they would use to mix the honey mustard. Before she could even tell everyone what they would be doing Avery wanted to make it clear that SHE COULD STIR. SHE WANTED TO STIR. SHE COULD DO IT. I'm not even sure Lisa finished her instructions before she just handed it over. I mean, it wasn't like anyone else was learning anything with Avery boldly proclaiming to KNOW HOW TO DO IT ALL. (I started to think that this should be a drinking class and not just a cooking class.)

I don't think Lisa got the wisk out of her hands before Avery took over.

And then she stirred again when it came time to mix the yogurt into the carrot soup.

Sweet relief came when all the food was done and it was time to eat. Chef Lisa talked about the importance of trying something even if you think you don't like it because "your tongue might like it even if your eyes don't" which actually sunk in with Avery. She tried everything and even though she didn't like the soup or honey mustard, it was new for her to at least have a taste.

Later when Grammie asked her about class she repeated her newfound knowledge that trying new things is good because your tongue might like it. I was happy to hear that she learned something in class since she seemed to know it all while we were there.

Well of course she has to try the hot dog. It's all about trying something new...

*(slaps hand to head)*

I think it might have killed her to actually look at the camera for one picture.

All that is to say that I guess I am going to owe huge Christmas gifts to Avery's teachers because I had no idea what they had to put up with all day. This was our first experience in a class together since she was 2 years old in Gymboree. She obviously wasn't such a know-it-all then. Everyone knows that 3 year olds are much more worldly than 2 year olds.

Matt is going to take her to the next class so I will be interested to see if she behaves the same way with him as she did with me. Lisa was fantastic with all the kids. It has to be tough to have some totally quiet kids that you aren't really getting any reaction from and then have Little Miss Chatterbox that you can't seem to find the "off" switch to. She had such great control of the class and Avery really did have a great time.

She can't wait to go back to YCA for another class in two weeks. I hope Lisa is all stocked up on patience by then. :-)

Two Times the Fun

We go to a lot of great birthday parties that I always intend to blog about but then time passes and it just seems weird to post about a party we went to several months ago, so I just move on without writing about them. Fortunately for me, the birthday party that we went to on Halloween was for a set of twins that turn 1 today, which makes this post's timing PERFECT.

(pats self on back since procrastination has finally paid off)

My sorority sister, Liz, and her husband Pecos welcomed baby girl Ali and baby boy Stone on November 10th, 2008. They waited several years for their turn to be blessed with such gifts so we were thrilled when we got the news that they were expecting twins! What a double blessing.

And double work. Double the diapers. Double the sleep training. Double the feeding schedules. Double the teething and the laundry and the colds. Double the waking up in the middle of the night. Double the growth spurts. But most of all, double the love and happiness that those babies brought into their parents lives. Double the kisses and cuddles and first smiles. While I know it has been exhausting for Liz over the past year, I also know that she wouldn't want it any other way.

Their party was in San Antonio, about an hour and a half away, from 12-3 which is prime nap time in this house. Both huge strikes against going. Plus it was Halloween so we had tight timelines that we had to stick to in order to be home in time to get! candy! from! strangers!

But none of that mattered since there was no way that we were going to let nap schedules or long car rides keep us from being there for the twins' big day. We really wanted to help celebrate such a great first year for the whole family. The toughest year is over and now on to the big milestones in year two!

We knew it would be a nice party because Liz and Pecos have always been great hosts but they far exceeded our expectations for this one. To start, the decorations were fantastic. They didn't miss a detail for the Halloween inspired affair. I wasn't smart enough to remember to take pictures, of course, but trust me. Awesome.

There was an orange and black painted archway that you walked through to get into the party. Once in the backyard they had a huge blow-up slide with a ball pit at the bottom and a big bouncy house to play in. Perfect for both of my kids! Avery loved the bouncy house so much that she hardly stopped jumping, even when she landed wrong and jammed her finger. Jack was a fan of the ball pit and playing on the swings. They also had a big blanket laid out in the lawn with toys that were perfect for the 6-12 month crowd. They really did have something for everyone, which gave us the chance to visit with friends our own age while the kids played.

The food table was perfectly decorated and stocked for both kids and adults. They had Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets, the cutest PB&J sandwiches, cream cheese dip made to look like a spider, oreos made to look like caterpillars, caramel apples with m&ms, pretzels and so much more. The drinks for kids were served in the cutest little plastic bottles that they got to take home and the treat bags were full of fun halloween candy and toys. The drinks for adults came out of a large silver keg. You just can't go wrong with that.

After the kids played and ate and played some more, Ali and Stone took off their costumes and got ready for some cake. It was clear that Stone was much more into it than Ali was. She pretty much gave us dirty looks the whole time (hey! I don't like it when people stare at me while I am eating, either) and didn't care too much for the cake. My kids were the exact same way the first time we gave them cake, so I could totally relate to her.

Stone seemed to think it was strange that we all gathered around them, sang the birthday song and then watched while he licked icing off the cake, but he didn't let that stop him from enjoying his special treat. It was fun to watch him discover how yummy cake and icing are.

Pretty soon after that Jack stuck his thumb in his mouth and laid his head down on Matt's shoulder so we knew it was time to head back to Austin. We sure had a great time celebrating such a special day with our friends. We just couldn't be happier for Liz and Pecos. They are such good parents and you can tell that those babies were definitely worth the wait.

Here are some pictures from the party.

Stone was looking at Pecos as if to ask

"Are you sure I can eat as much of this cake as I want to?"

Nom Nom Nom

Happy Guy with a face full of blue icing.

Ali wanted to enjoy her cake in peace.

I didn't want to make her mad so I just snuck in a few shots of her.

Like most girls, she wasn't a fan of getting her hands all dirty. But she did start to get into it after she realized how delicious cake is. Smart girl!

Ali and Stone playing in the ball pit. He was a monkey and she was a cat in a tutu. They were both very cute.

Jack also really enjoyed the ball pit. I had to take him out after he started indiscriminately throwing balls around. Safety first, kids. Safety first.

After 3 years of wanting nothing to do with bouncy houses, Avery is officially a fan. She hardly left the inflatable energy zapper the whole time we were there.

My dear friend, Amy, was in town from Denver for the week. It was wonderful to see her again after more than a year. I think the last time she was here I was still on maternity leave. It is crazy how time flies.

He isn't quite as light as when he was 2 months old. Let that be a lesson to you, Amy. Don't stay gone that long or you won't be able to lift him next time!

I don't remember this girl's name but her Aunt brought her to the party. She is one of Liz's neighbors, I believe. Anyway, she took a liking to Jack and it was so cute to see her holding his hand. Jack was slightly confused by it, but he went along for a few minutes. Girls have that kind of power over men, even at a young age.

Uh, kind of hard to deny that these two are father and son. Look at that facial expression that Matt is passing on to my sweet boy. I just want the girl that will eventually marry Jack to know that I had nothing to do with the looks that he gives. That is all thanks to Matt.

Jack put his thumb in his mouth as soon as we got into the car. I think he was asleep by the time we hit the interstate. We didn't get so lucky with Avery, but it didn't matter because the party was worth it. We all had a great time.

Happy 1st Birthday, Ali and Stone!