Growing Up Grove

When I was Three & For the Love of Science

2012-02-03T19:57:00.008-05:00

Nora Kate has taken to reminiscing about "When I was three, I..." (fill in the blank). It is quite hilarious, that at the ripe old age of 4, she considers being three her personal life history, filled with many lessons worthy of being passed down to her brother. I am very proud of her, she is growing up so fast and maybe she senses it too. She is doing "chores" she will proudly tell anyone: feeding and making sure her two baby kittens have water and a clean litter box. Today, she dressed herself from top to bottom proudly and completely independently. Love it-sad by it-love it (I waffle at these moments, but tend to outwardly only show the love it part of me). On Wednesday, Geoff and I attended the Columbus Public Schools' School Choice Fair, to select a kindergarten for our girl. I can hardly believe she will be old enough. We have to choose three schools to try and lottery into. Applications are due in 27 days.

I've been posting a lot on Facebook, and have decided that although I like connecting with old high school friends and lots of my cousins, I miss the posting and writing that this blog provides. Above is a picture from a great morning play date with our friend Evey. Jack is a pirate bumblebee, of course. Speaking of Jack, he just had his 3 year check-up (7 weeks late).

Jack, at age three and 1 1/2 months is 40.5 inches tall and 43 pounds--both in the 97th percentile. This is significant because Jack has always been a much lower percentile in height than weight. Now, he is at the top in both. That was yesterday. Today, for the love of science, Jack and Mommy participated in a 2 hour experience at the Ohio State University Lab for Family & Child Counseling that had he and I doing all kinds of fun things. We played with an Etch-a-Sketch where he could move one knob and I could only move the other and we had to try and complete a maze together. He had to sort things by color and shape, point to answers from 4 pictures, unlock a box with a toy inside, and put toys away on cue. He also endured the "treat" waiting game and the scary mask experiment. Jack waited a FULL eight minutes (the extent of the experiment), like he was told, to get a treat which was right in front of him. He did not lick it, taste it, or even touch it; even when he was left alone. The three 18 year old experimenters could not believe that he had so much patience. I simply said, "Second child. He is used to waiting for things." For my part, I was given a vocabulary quiz and was feeling pretty good until the last 10 words or so. I actually asked if the last word was English because I had never heard it. I am sooooooo curious how I did. Jack got every answer right in his tests, until he tired of the "games" and started his own by giving obviously wrong answers. When he pointed to a circle when asked to identify a diamond, I whispered in his ear, "Jackson Caulfield, are you playing a game with her?" He smiled at me and nodded his head ever so slightly, like we were in cahoots against them. It made me laugh and I hope the video tape caught the exchange. He is a brilliant kid who I had so much fun with--although I wanted to help him through the tasks. He didn't need me, except for comfort and security. It was a good day to be this kiddos' mom, which is nice given that upon coming home, my primary task was to wash poop out of underwear. Ah, motherhood.

Speaking of motherhood, my Eleanor has been quite the lovely child lately, after a long few months of throwing fits and yelling like a banshee for not getting her way. Honestly, the "terrible twos" is a misnomer or a left over from when people only lived until age 40. Three to Four and a half is B-A-D. Being told to "stop bossing me around" by a pre-schooler and the sassiest "NO!" you can ever imagine are hopefully memories now that my girl is on her way to five. Here, Reggie snuggles in for night night.

I don't remember when I was three, but Nora asked me the other day if I liked being an adult. I answered "Yes, I do" and then she grabbed my hand and said, "I'm glad you're a Mom best of all." Awwww, me too kiddo.

Nora Droppings

2011-12-31T13:59:00.000-05:00

Nora loves being a mother. A couple months ago I took the kids to the park and while I was busy playing with Jack, Nora found her way over to an 8 month old baby in the swing. I went over to make sure she was playing gently enough and the mother assured she had been “very sweet”. The baby’s name was Rex and Nora was happy pushing him and talking to him in a baby voice until it was time for Baby Rex and his siblings to leave. For the entire ride home and several days/weeks after she kept talking about Baby Rex and when we would see them again.

As a good older sister she also likes to mother Jack, at least when she isn’t picking on him. She will try and comfort him with toys, or songs when he is upset. She also like to be the “mother” during baths and tries to wash him, which results in the bathroom floor being covered in water. Sometimes she will talk to him in a baby voice, “You like trucks don’t you, Jackie?”, “You’re a good little boy!” and react like a proud Mama, “awwww, he is the cutest!”.

She has been talking like an expert and using the phrase “of course”, as in “Well, I needed to get the dinosaur eggs, of course”.

This confidence has cause her to argue with us on some phrases, such as when Wendy said we will be home in a jiffy, she said, "No, it's jippy. We will be home in a jippy!"

She also called Wendy's beauty mark a "booby mark".

Conversation with EKG the other day, as I was watching her eat an apple.

EKG:”Daddy, why are you looking at me?”

Me: “Because you are my daughter and I love you.”

EKG: After taking a bite of apple and thinking. “Daddy, ask me why I’m looking at you.”

Me: “Nora, why are you looking at me?”

EKG:”Because you are my daddy and I love you.”

The other night putting them to bed, Jack said, "Your beard is getting long, Daddy. You need to cut it." I asked Nora if I need to cut it and she looked up at me and touched it and said, "No Daddy, it's beautiful!"

Jack Droppings

2011-12-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

Here is a post of some random things I've jotted down about Jack, but never made it into a full post. Better clear out the drafts before the new year.

Jack, and one other girl in his class, have been using my/mine instead of I/I’m so we get

“Mine Burp”
“My love dump trucks!”
“My am poopy”
“My help you please, Mommy?”

Twinkle Twinkle has been his favorite bedtime song for months and months. He loves to sing along, off key, and sings it, “Twinkle twinkle, little star. How my wonder what you are.”

Other phrases that make us laugh:

“That unbelievable!”

“You amazing , daddy!”

"That an excavator!"

"My am Super Why!"

He also doesn’t say the “s” in words that start with an s and consonant, so he gets “crapes” (scrapes) and “cracthes” (scratches), he likes to “pie with my little eye” (spy) and he is a “peedy runner” (speedy). He likes “cool” (school) where the other day he made a “tar” (star) for the tree. He loves to point out “quirrels” (squirrels) and sometimes at night he gets “cared” (scared).

He has the sweetest, “Hi daddy!” I’ve ever heard, even when he uses it when I catch him on the stairs after he has gotten out of bed after bed time. It's followed with, "What are you doing,Buddy?" "Ummmmm, Nothing!"

He has also been a great delivery man, “my am making deliveries”, with his dump truck which he fills up with water bottles and brings to us on the couch.

"How did he die?"

2011-12-09T19:54:00.003-05:00

Ever since Nora was 2 or so she took an interest in how things died. I think this stems from her fascination with dinosaurs, since at the end of almost every book it talks about how they went extinct. I remember the first time she really understood that dinosaurs were extinct and how sad she was talking about missing them and never being able to see them.

Since then she has asked how my mom and Wendy's dad died, as well as how all of our old pets died. We have also talked about how plants die and she got sad this year when the trees lost their leaves. It was kind of striking at first, but since Wendy and I are "reality based parents", we were happy to explain how our loved ones have passed. Nora has always taken it in stride and has asked a lot of questions, about how we felt and how we still fell ("Do you miss her?"). There is a reason multiple teachers have called her the most empathetic kid they have ever taught.

About a month ago we were reading a book about Washington D.C. they showed the mint and a $5 dollar bill, so she asked who he was.

G:"Abraham Lincoln, he was President of the United States."
EKG: "Is he dead?"

G:"Yes he died a long time ago."

EKG:"How did he die?"

G:"Well, he was shot and died."

EKG: Looking confused -"But I get shots and I don't die."
G: Realizing I just crossed a line of childhood innocence - "Well a man shot him with a gun and killed him"
EKG:"What was that mans name?"
G: "His name was John Wilkes Booth."
EKG: "Why did he kill him?"
G: : Wish I had given cancer as the cause - "Well Lincoln did a lot of great things, but some of those things made some people mad."
EKG: "He must not have been a nice man."
G: "No he was not a nice man at all. But Lincoln accomplished so much before he was killed we still celebrate him as one of the greatest presidents."

She got very quiet and had tears in her eyes, so I hugged her and tried to be comforting. Well, as comforting as one can be about murder anyway.

It's funny how desensitized you become about murder and violence, it's on the news and in almost every tv show or movie. It was sweet, and a little sad, to see her shocked reaction to the idea that people would willingly kill each other. She is used to things dying and animals killing and eating meat, so I didn't think of the difference until I saw it in her eyes. I'm glad at almost 4.5 years old it came as such a surprise to her that humans can be cruel. For many kids her age person on person violence is a reality not a revelation. She will have plenty of time as an adult to deal with hurtful people, she should enjoy the innocence for as long as she can.

Of course, she was fine the next morning and the next time we read that book she remembered Lincoln's name. How he died didn't come up in the conversation.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T19:39:00.005-05:00

Pure Joy

2011-10-28T19:54:00.004-05:00

How is that for a kid having fun? Taken at Italian Fest a couple weeks ago.

End of Summer

2011-10-08T11:05:00.012-05:00

We have finished up summer with lots of outside walks, trips to the zoo, local festivals, and a wonderful weekend to visit family in Lyons, Ohio. The children often bring me sticks, flowers, acorns, leaves, and assorted grasses (Jack says, "A very beautiful flower for you, Mama!"). I simply do not have the heart to throw them away when they are so excited to give the beautiful nature to me; so, I started this Nature Bouquet to display the treasures. The rocks & shells are from Whidbey Island in the San Juan Islands of the Puget Sound. The whole thing has resulted in a lovely addition to the kitchen. It makes me smile and has the added benefit of making dish washing significantly less dreary.

Here's a look at the kiddos, growing so big with sweet smiles. Here with the "babies" they chose to take to school this particular day. I cannot help but flash forward to 5 or so years from now when they are in cahoots together scheming some way to outsmart me. Can't you see it too?

And look at our big 4 1/2 year old girl. Still has those dimples! I am drawn to the happy poses since the emotion regulation task of her age has us riding a roller coaster of significant highs and lows throughout the day. Whew buddy, I had no idea a kid could be so happy one minute and melt down into complete despair the next. It does make me appreciate parents all over the world, past and present, who have lived through their kid figuring out appropriate emotional responses to getting and not getting what they want.

Last weekend we visited Geoff's cousin, Susan and her family. Susan and Joe have been married for 33 years (amazing!). There is a quite famous picture of Geoff as a five year old in their wedding in a cutest white tuxedo ever. Geoff's mom Susie loved that picture and since it was just her birthday, I was thinking about how much she would love that we spent time with Susan and Joe on their family's land. There is a gorgeous pond, corn field, and barn, not to mention the breathtaking home. One of my favorite spots (which I discovered only because there were four extra adults around to keep eyes on the kids) is the big rock and grave marker of Susan's mom and Susie's sister, Barb. She is buried there by the pond under the shade of a pretty tree. I am comforted by knowing that anyone can visit Barb without effort; with a steaming hot cup of coffee in the foggy morning as I did; or even in your pajamas if you like! I really think we would all deal with death a little easier if we grew up with reminders of our dearly departed close to home.

Well, we played and visited a farm, chose wonderful vegetables and the best apples you'll ever eat (Seriously, Ohio should be famous for its honey crisp apples). Joe let the kids drive the tractor and we all took turns, even me!

And, as is true when you visit people with big hearts and a genuine love for children, the entertainment seemed effortless. Here Susan adorned Nora Kate with jewels and scarves until she found her inner gypsy. April and Luke were there the whole weekend too and so Nora and Jack both found friends in the young 20-somethings, who seemed to also delight in our babies. I know that you parents out there will understand this, if you have kids over the age of 2. Not everyone in the world finds our kids as amazing, funny, smart, or fascinating as Geoff and I do. Now, don't get me wrong, we all need our breaks from kid-centered attention. But, I have come to appreciate the adults we encounter who truly and genuinely find pleasure in my children's laughter. Those people who interact with them on their level instead of waiting for our kids to come to them. The rare individual who engages them in a way which challenges and cherishes them for simply being on the earth. Susan, Joe, Luke & April are these kind of people and we thank you so much for the love. Susan and Joe are about to become grandparents for the first time, but they are already really, really good at it!

So, as we enjoy the 80-degree weather outside in October, we have been blogging less and less; but hiking and walking and biking and leaf collecting cannot wait! We know you understand. Finally, I'll end the post by wishing Happy Birthday to baby Eleanor Rose, born just about a week ago now, to our friends Todd and Lauren. Welcome to the world little one!

Late Mama Musing on Her First Turning Four

2011-08-07T20:24:00.007-05:00

We did not forget to mention that Eleanor Kate turned four years old, but I am the Birthday blogger and I have been trying to relax in the evenings and not work on things on my To Do Lists. So, here I am talking about my kiddo's latest milestone, almost a month afterward. It's been a funny thing, these birthdays and how much they cause me to reflect. So much more than my own birthday. I can see all of the time since like a movie running in my head, and I get slightly emotional at how fast it is going. It is what everyone says: It goes fast, childhood is over in a blink, enjoy it now! Well, we do try.

Throughout are pictures of a happy Saturday birthday party. Nora invited her whole class and we had a nice turnout. The Dinosaur theme and pool backyard party was a hit! The slip 'n' slide was a huge hit, and everyone just had fun.

Here are the cupcakes!

So, what have I been musing about since Nora's 4th birthday? A bit of her present, future, and past. Right now, I think about how smart she is; how feisty and difficult she is; how very emotionally extreme she is from the happiest happy to the most negative and tortured sad; how creative and loving, thoughtful and amazing; how easily terrified she is of splinter removal while at the same time how easily she handles thunderstorms and scary episodes of Scooby Doo. How she makes me things at school and picks me weeds and flowers, tells jokes and sings like a kid, all loud and unashamed. Nearly every thought of her at 4 makes me smile.

Then, I find myself day dreaming about her future life: I wonder what she will become (I'm not a paleontologist yet! Maybe I'll be a zoologist!") and who she will love and how tall she will be (EK: "Mama, you're taller than Grandma." W: "Yep, and you'll probably be taller than me." EK: "Noooooooooo!!!!"). I wonder how well she will love herself (EK: "Nobody Loves me! Harumph" said just to get us protesting and hugging and kissing on her, usually ending in a fit of laughter); if she will struggle making friends or in school, and just how life will be with so much media. Who will her idols be? Her crushes? Her style definers? What will her master status be? How will she communicate with others?

And, well, then there are the looks back at her life up to now. Nora loves me telling stories about her in my tummy. Some of the facts she mixes up are pretty funny, but she loves the stories of kicking me when I would lay down and of being awaken by a pie pan and wooden spoon during a fetal heart monitor appointment. Oh, and I adore the pictures! Tiny itty bitty and then chubby baby girl, all smiles and heart melting hugs. Walking so easily, then loving a new baby brother, and trusting her Dad and I to "keep her safe, right mom?"

Well, here is where I get emotional. I try every day. To keep you and your brother safe and healthy. I worry about you every day, but we live life and have fun and we make mistakes and you cry and I cry and we are learning together. I get frustrated more now than I used to baby girl, because I know how smart you are and how lazy you can be, and how hard-headed and uncompromising. I also smile more than I used to, like when you hug your brother and watch out for him and still want me to hold you and fall asleep when we snuggle. When your eyes light up after school and you tell me jokes and are the first one to laugh.You are amazing and 4 is a big one. One more short little year before school is kindergarten instead of child care. This is the year you learn to swim and ride a bike and write your name. So, a little looking back, reflecting on the present, and contemplating the future is normal for your mama. I am having loads of fun at the zoo, too. Happy Birthday Baby Girl, we could not adore you more.

"Tractors"

2011-07-24T20:20:00.002-05:00

We recently had some major plumbing work done (don't ask), but the one advantage is we had a "digger" parked in our yard for a couple of days. First thing is of course to put Gracie in the bucket.

Jack has been loving "tractors", what he calls any construction equipment, and points them out with glee when ever we pass one, which has been quite often as all of Columbus seems to be under construction. So being able to sit in one was pretty cool.

Here is a picture Nora took and me and Jack sitting in it.

This is a picture from the July birthdays at Aunt Pam's house. Nora got a pair of binoculars which was very fortunate as they were fighting over the pair Aunt Pam had. Here they are looking for something together. By the way, both kids agree that Aunt Pam's house has "the coolest toys."

Special Day

2011-07-17T19:45:00.011-05:00

Eleanor Kate is 4! To celebrate her birthday I took a day off work on the 13^th because that day there was a “Dino Madness” workshop for preschool kids at COSI. We didn’t tell her about the plan until the day before because waiting a few days can seem like forever to a 4 year old. When I told her Tuesday morning her face lit up and she was very excited about her “special day with my daddy.” It was the first thing she mentioned to me at pickup Tuesday and she said she had been telling all of her friends. The only sad thing was Jack, saying “Me too, Daddy?” when I was explaining the day to Nora, but I promised him his own special day coming up.

After we dropped off Jack and Mama, we swung back by home to get her first surprise, matching “Never Forget” dinosaur t-shirts. Then we headed to DK Diner in Grandview. It’s a great homey place with good reasonably priced food . . .oh and they make their own donuts. Nora did a good job eating her breakfast and picked out a donut with sprinkles. She didn’t touch the actual doughnut, except to lick the icing and sprinkles off the top.

We got to COSI and headed to the workshop room which was filled with all sorts of dinosaur books, several of which we own or have borrowed from the library. Nora picked out some ones we hadn’t read and we looked at those until the class started. The young girl/volunteer running the workshop was good with kids and friendly, but when it came to dinosaur knowledge she couldn’t hold a candle to Nora. She asked some basic questions (how big, carnivore/herbivore, what killed the dinos, etc.) and Nora, seated right next to her was firing off answers quicker than other kids could respond. I actually tried to slow her down so other kids could (incorrectly) answer some questions. One kid confidently proclaimed that “a cannonball” is what killed off the dinosaurs.

A couple of examples of our girl outclassing the teacher include:

Teacher: Was the T Rex a herbivore or carnivore?

Half the class: Carnivore!

Nora: So was Allosaurus, and giganotosaurs and carnotaurus and Troodons were sometimes

Teacher: I guess those are dinosaurs?

Walking into the exhibit is a flying reptile and the teacher mentioned it going in and out.

On the way in:

Nora: Pteranodon!

Teacher (unsure of herself): Or a pterodactyl . . .

On the way out:

Nora: A Quetzalcoatlus!!

Teacher: < looks at me>

Me: Had the largest wing span of any of the flying reptiles.

Teacher: Oh . . .

Nora also told the teacher there were dinosaurs who swam in the ocean and named Pleisiosaurs and Ichthyosaur. Technically not dinosaurs, but I’m pretty sure they were new animals to our teacher.

Back in the room they had some semi dino themed crafts for the kids to do. We buried a fossil in plaster in a Dixie cup and some other crafty stuff, but we ended up reading some more of the dino books we had not seen before.

After playing at COSI a bit after the workshop we headed to Wendy’s for lunch. While there I told her about what we were doing 4 years ago at that time, basically they were torturing Wendy for 14 hours trying to get Nora out. She enjoyed that story and asked about other things so I recounted her 1^st birthday and some of her old friends. One of the fun things as Nora gets older is we can have real conversations and she asks really good questions.

About 4 times during the day while talking to people at various stops she told them, “This is my special day with my daddy!” Not that they understood, but it made my heart swell every time. After a good lunch we headed home and fell asleep on the couch with her laying on my chest for a 2 hour nap. All in all just about a perfect “special day”. Now, where to take Jackie?

Never Enough ComFest

2011-07-02T22:17:00.006-05:00

Here are some more pictures from ComFest: Here is Nora putting Jackie to bed in the wagon (because he is a baby), under the watchful eye of a little girl close to us who was fascinated by Nora & Jack's toys.

Jack about to jump from said wagon.

And laughing really hard when he hit the ground. He did this about 35 times.

It's hard to tell from the picture below, but it shows Eleanor's brand new baby doll that we had only bought 5 hours earlier, in a "nest." Nora protected her baby in its nest by prowling around and growling at innocent Comfesters as they passed. After enough strange looks and fierce growling, we suggested that she move her baby to a less traveled area, which resulted in greatly reduced growls at, and strange looks from, strangers.

She has been loving the show Wild Kratts on PBS where the Kratt brothers use special suits to have the "creature powers" of the animal they are studying. So her imagination in being animals has been fun and challenging at the same time. There are only so many times I can respond to a grunt or growl when I ask, "What do you want to drink?"

And, isn't this a great picture? I believe most of you know that Eleanor was named at Comfest 2007, right? I think this picture shows how deep Comfest runs through her and it's probably because she was there only 2 weeks before her birth and at every one since (oh, and her parents try and live the Comfest principles in daily life).

Yeah, it's a good life hangin' out at Comfest.

ComFest

2011-07-02T10:02:00.004-05:00

We of course hit ComFest again this year and had a great time. Wendy and I got a sitter on Friday and took it in adult style and on Saturday we took the kiddos. The weather was perfect Saturday and our shift was about 5 hours.

The kids loved seeing all the sights and were very well behaved included carrying ketchup through the crowds following Mama to get back to our home spot near the Gazebo Stage to have some fries. Later in the evening me and the kids wandered up to the stage, it was a little loud for Jack but Nora and I had a good time dancing along with the music. I relish any time she is willing to dance with her dad.

We also had big fun with bubbles. I have a decent bubble wand, but "Mr. Bubble Guy showed up with a wand that made bubbles bigger than your head. Between the two of us we got quite a crowd of kids running around and popping bubbles.

Here is Jackson trying on my official "festival hat".

First Time Camping

2011-06-23T21:03:00.003-05:00

We spent the weekend camping in Hocking Hills, Ohio and weren't really sure how the kids would like it. But, we grew up on camping and camped a fair amount while dating and thought the kids were getting old enough to enjoy it. Well, we were right! Here they are looking at the stars, lanterns in hand, after a spirited game of firefly hunting.

And wet wood and rain deterred the actual campfire until the second night, so we tried S'mores on the camp stove. Not a terrible substitute, but definitely not the real thing. Jackie loved his!

And, Jack loved kickin' back in these big campfire chairs. So, we rented a boat for the lake, Nora fell between slats in the dock and bruised her leg pretty bad, but was a trooper. We spent an hour in the tent during a wicked thunderstorm, then went splashing in muddy puddles. Geoff told spooooky stories as Eleanor requested; Jack got scared, then into it. Wendy discovered that a "green campsite" is a good idea in theory, but a horrible sleeping situation when the ground cover is mulch and the air mattress has a hole.

It was a great success for a first go at camping as a family. We hope the kids grow up to love the outdoors and take advantage of the great national, state, and metro parks we have here in Ohio. And, something to look forward to....a woman stopped me in the bathroom and said, "We took our kids when they were their (Jack & Nora's) age. They don't remember it, so now we are back with them as teenagers doing it all again. It is even more fun!"
That is hard to imagine, but good to know.

So, what's in store next? It's ComFest Weekend!

Great Smiles

2011-06-13T21:15:00.002-05:00

Would you look at these great smiles? Nora asked me to cut her hair, so I did. Then, when my conservative trim wasn't short enough, we cut it some more. The result is super cute-ness. While not the greatest picture for showing you her actual haircut, it is priceless for that smile.

And, speaking of genuine, sweet smiles, here is our Jack giving Nora, his sister the photographer, a great wide grin. No one can make him smile quite like his sister.
Happy June everyone! Especially want to wish my Mom a Happy Birthday coming up this weekend. As you can see, we are having fun at our house! More soon after a weekend in the Woods camping (we hope we make it the whole weekend, we hope they have fun. If setting up the tent tonight is any indication, it will be a blast!). Happy Father's Day to those men we love who are Dads.

Dinosaurs, Mother's Day & Baseball

2011-05-30T22:08:00.010-05:00

As I swelter in the 95 degree heat of Central Ohio's Memorial Day (it is still hot at it is 11:30 pm), and since the kids are in bed and I am not working anymore tonight, I wanted to give an update of what we've been up to. First of all, Nora sailed through her ear tube follow-up perfectly, except for a sudden-onset full out panic/phobia of Dr. Grant. I literally had to hold her so that he could look in her ears while she screamed No!!! With the green light that everything looked great, she returned to her normal self. I am not sure if I notice a difference in her speech and/or hearing, but I think I do. Either way, she still says to me "You're my best mommy ever." and I love it.
Dinosaurs still rule our world. Above you'll see how dinosaurs were hung with care from our Oregon Maple in the back yard. It was a colony and Nora insisted they had to stay there. I thought it was artistic and creative, so we left them there through most of April. COSI's Dinosaur exhibit is finally here and we spent Friday night at the members-only preview. It's OK, but now Nora Kate has her sights on the new 80 animatronic dinos at Kings Island Amusement Park.
Dinosaurs are fine with the rest of us, since we are just catching up with the names and all of their facts; but I loathe the idea of paying $40 a person (including Nora!) for something that we will most likely enjoy for about 2 hours, then will have to leave for a nap. But, we will because she is our kid and it will make her happy. And, since she said to Geoff, "Daaaadddd! I'm not a paleontologist yet!" in the funniest tone, she is still completely engaged in the life. Below you can see that Nora has already received a baby Triceratops (who eats, raaahhs, snores, and follows your movements) for no reason except that it made her happy. Below, I snapped a picture of Nora laying down with Sara-Chomp for a nap. It was the sweetest thing.
Mother's Day was wonderful. Geoff is fantastic at letting the kids choose their own gifts for me so this year I received a beautifully decorated card, a stuffed penguin, a bag of cheese crackers (see picture below), a bag of truffles, lottery and a Starbucks gift card. I also got about 3 hours to myself at the coffee shop and a dress I selected for Nora since she refused to go shopping. But, my littlest one was happy to go shopping and came home holding a "We Love Mom" heart shaped balloon. Here he is eating "my" cheese crackers.

And, Jack has a new favorite thing. He loves baseball. He found his bat and asks Geoff, Nora and I to throw balls to him. Every time he manages to hit it, he gets this enormous grin on his face or yells "My Did it! My hit the ball!" (he is 28 months old!). "Play catch with me Daddy?" Of course. I probably already posted this picture, but it's so stinking cute, I'm posting it again. He fell asleep with his baseball glove on his hand, even though he's not sure why he would ever keep the thing on to catch a ball.
And, here he is (below) being a ladybug. He plopped that thing (actually, a baby doll table seat) on his head and immediately declared his existence as an insect. Seriously, he cracks me up. Today, he put on another toy and puttered around saying he was a car. But, then he would announce "My car in a crash!" and come over for some kisses and hugs to feel better. And, so while I am talking about my baby boy, he told me the other day "Mama, my like your dress! You look pretty!" I wanted to put that here so that when he is 15 and sulky, I can spend my sad time reading the blog and remember how sweet he was.
This weekend also had us at the Utica Ice Cream festival and the opening weekend of the new Columbus Commons downtown park. So, as June rolls in, we are hoping for a good weekend for camping and going to see those amusement park dinosaurs.

Cute Boy; Cute Phrases

2011-05-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

Jack has been talking so much more lately and comes up with something new that makes us smile everyday. Here are some recent things he has said.

"I love you sooo much!" Melts my heart every time he says it and yes, he said it first to daddy.

"Tiger! Tiger! RAAAH!" - Including one time at 2AM where he thought this was the funniest thing ever.

"Gum please!" Every morning in the car even though we have never once given him gum in the morning.

"For you Mama!" (flowers, leaves, a wild mushroom); "Here ya go Mama" for trash, gum wrappers, and extra babas (pacifiers) he is not using.
Sleeping with his baseball glove.

"Mine juice" Mine instead of my is the standard right now.
"My super sad" (My instead of I and picked up the "super" in front of everything from Nora)

"Help Please." About everything we are doing (dinner, laundry, reading the newspaper) and he gets quite upset when there is nothing for him to help with.

"City Bus!" "Lellow Bus" Whenever we see one on the way to or from school.

We also had this conversation after he saw a city bus.
Mom: "You want to ride a city bus?"
JC: "Yes!"
Dad: "Where should we take it?"
JC: "Ummm . . market!"
Mom: "The market?"
JC: "Yes! Buy Apples!"

So you can see he had our Saturday all planned out.

When we ask what he wants for dinner the answer is usually "Fries" or "Chips" although lately he has added "Dinosaur mac and cheese." For breakfast, there is only one thing Jack wants: pancakes! (and he always yells it!)

Here is Jack (and we can no longer call him "Baby" because he is a Big Boy!) watching some TV. And even Mom has to admit what a big boy he is turning into.

And, still a devoted fan of his sister Nora Kate. I was informed just this evening that Nora is the only one "allowed" to still call Jack our family's nickname for him Jackie Boo Bear. Really? Awwww, but I dubbed you that. No? Not me? Your dad wanted to call you Jukes! Just your sister? Harumph, OK. By the way, for faithful blog followers, Nora came through her ear tube surgery a on Monday just perfect. Although sobbing from the anesthesia waking up, by the afternoon she was napping. After that, she was great. When I said "Be careful of your ears!" She said, "Why?" Ah, yes, good. Follow up is on Tuesday, so we'll see. Reports from Nora have been, well, less than reliable.

Don't be that Mom who says "Not My Child"

2011-04-30T21:22:00.000-05:00

About two months ago, Nora had a rough time at school not listening to her teachers. She also started sucking her thumb about 4 months ago, out of the blue, at 3 1/2. Last month, we received results of hearing and speech screenings done at her school--one she failed; the other showing concern and recommending a complete evaluation. Last week, she complained of another earache.

All of those facts side by side on one page seem obviously, or at least plausibly, connected, but they happened on different days over four months, with varying degrees of salience in our daily life. The poor choices and ignoring teachers resolved after various strategies; it was a new teacher, she was testing; she needed to see that her parents supported the teacher. She also needed to work toward something she really wanted. Now, we get daily reports of consistently good behavior and listening to teacher directions. The thumb sucking was explained by lots of family, friends, and professionals as comfort-seeking and probably started as a result of seeing another child suck his/her thumb at school. Like any other information seeker, I googled thumb sucking in preschoolers and some doctor on some website advised not to make it a big deal or it could turn into a chronic habit. So, we left it alone, even though it seemed an odd thing.

During a visit with our pediatrician for ear infection #2, I asked how many ear infections Nora had in calendar year 2010. Answer: Two. It was February and this was number 2 for 2011. Number three was this past week, and it was painful. This was the first time she really complained about pain. The other two did not keep her from any normal daily activities, just a complaint shared here and there.

Then, the failed hearing screening. With it being done at her school, I wondered about the conditions. Was she tired? Did she cooperate? Her teacher handed me the results and said, "Don't worry about these, she went last and was overly tired. She was not happy to comply. I think if there was really a problem, we would know about it." My kiddo is strong willed and emotional when tired, OK.

So, my initial internal conversation went something like this: Of course Nora is fine. My child is smart and happy and she was tired, even the highly experienced child development expert said so.

Then, I talked with Geoff. What do you think? Yes, we have noticed her speech is not as clear as it could be. No, she doesn't always answer when we call her name. Following up certainly can't hurt. Information is always positive, regardless of what the actual information tells you. We should know whatever it is or be able to rule out anything we are worried about.

Then, the individual who actually screened her speech and hearing at school called me and point blank asked me if I would like to follow up on her recommendation and have Nora evaluated fully for a possible speech delay. Wow, OK, (internal thought: Do not be that mom who says "Not my child." What could it hurt? More information is always good. Could be expensive, but this is the age we need to understand any delays so that they can be resolved by the time she goes to school. She is the professional, Wendy. She will use standardized, objective tests. She is following up. Why would you ever be that parent? Say yes.) Yes, I think that is a good idea. Appointment set. We would wait three weeks for our April 12th appointment.

April 12: Nora is thrilled to hang out with me instead of staying at school. She knows it is a special day and that she has an appointment. We get coffee (her a hot cocoa), we get a doughnut. We don't rush, I let her pretend to drive in the car. We go for our appointment and she is bright, lovely, and polite. She answers the questions and knows a lot of words. I try to make out what the answers being recorded on the score sheets mean. I enjoy watching my daughter answer so many questions correctly. She is smart. I knew that.

Then, I offer to the Speech-Language Pathologist: She also failed her hearing screening. And so, she offers to do it again. Perfect, now I will see the conditions for myself. Having shared with her my suspicion that something might be causing chronic ear infections, she says: "If her middle ear is functioning properly, we will see a mountain shaped line on the machine. If there is fluid in her middle ear or it is not functioning, the line will be flat." I stare at the machine. I can tell she is giving Nora second chances to correctly identify the sounds she is making the machine deliver to her earphones. Nora raises her hand timidly or not at all. She looks at me and I smile, encouraging continued cooperation. Left ear: flat line. My heart sinks. It's Ok, do not show anxiety. Smile for Nora. One more ear and we can go and play again. Right ear: flat line. I feel tears coming to my eyes, but I push them aside and tell her what a great job she did. I now know what uncertainty looks like in my child. She didn't hear the frequencies. She raised her hand guessing rather than hearing. Do not panic, Wendy. It will be Ok. Wait until she tells you the results.

The evaluator leaves us for 15 minutes or so while she scores the tests she gave Nora. I am very eager to get the results, but I immediately get on the cell phone while Nora colors a picture to follow up on the referral to an ENT physician I requested two weeks ago at the pediatrician's office. They simply missed it, she explained. OK, no problem, do it now. I call and ask for the earliest available slot. The appointment is 10 days from now, but I take it even though it is during her regular nap time. We want first available. OK, one thing done on the mental check list.

The evaluator said Nora scored at the top on two of the four tests (range of typical for her age was 7 - 13. Nora scored 13 on two of the scales). Sigh of relief. OK, on test number 3, she scored a 10 (same scale, completely typical for her age). Another sigh of relief. Test number 4: range is 85 - 115 (just like IQ) and Nora scored 93. Typical again. This last one, though, was interesting. Given what I had shared about thumb sucking starting (very atypical for a 3 1/2 year old), chronic ear infections, and my plan to follow up with an ENT, plus the failed hearing screen; the evaluator put Nora in the category of being "at risk" for a developmental delay in articulation of communication. This means that she does not make all the sounds correctly while talking as we would expect for a child her age. Sounds can be substituted, left off, added or changed. These errors may make it hard for people to understand her. Ok, yes, I guess I had noticed that.

Then, she said that Nora did not demonstrate hearing any of the highest level frequencies during the hearing re-screen. This is interesting because the sounds she is not making correctly in her speech are all heard at these highest frequencies. She is making errors most likely because she cannot hear the sounds distinctively. HOLY SHIT! (Sorry if that offends, but that is what I thought). And, what is more interesting is that it is likely she started sucking her thumb to alleviate the pressure built up by the fluid in her middle ears. HOLY SHIT. Yes, OK, uh-huh, OK, will you write this down for me? Yes, she will send a complete report. She recommends what I already have planned. Do not do anything about thumb sucking at this time, she will probably stop once her ears stop hurting. Follow up with us if speech does not improve in 3 - 6 months. Oh my god, I hope her ears stop hurting. I hope they can be helped. I hope I have not caused this by using Q-tips to clean her ears. She does not need therapy for her speech. She does not have a delay or an impediment or a communication disorder. Oh my god, please let this be fixable. If it isn't, its OK, but please I hope her ears stop hurting.

So, we completed the appointment and I took Nora back to school. She was sad and obviously thought we would be together all day. Next appointment, I will take the whole day. I should have called off this day. But, I needed to call Geoff and tell him all of this. I also needed an emotional break. She, I could tell, needed a nap. But, I did tell Nora about the next appointment, which she got excited about. Maybe we'll get another doughnut. Maybe we'll laze around before it and hang out at our favorite coffee shop reading books. Maybe, I suggested, we'll even invite Daddy along.
OK Mama, she said. That is a great idea.

I find I am struggling to say exactly everything I am feeling (despite the enormous length of this post). I have not talked about this at work, which is rare for an open book like me. I am proud that I followed a tiny inkling. I am glad I was decisive and asked opinions of all kinds. I am so proud that Geoff and I were together, supporting shared decisions, on this, from the beginning. I am mad as hell that I didn't put the pieces together sooner. Why didn't I know immediately? I know that I am against the over use of antibiotics of our very young and that immune systems must be tested to grow strong, even if it means feeling the symptoms of illness. But, I also fear that real, life long, damage has been done. Or worse yet, that something I did or that I failed to do, caused this. I worry that I have punished her for things that she could not control: been exasperated at a loud voice or a very, very soft one; raised my voice when calling her name a third time; or sharing disappointment at ignoring her teachers when maybe she just didn't hear them. Even if all the fears become a reality, I do feel good about not being the mom who said Oh, not my child. There is no way she failed a hearing screening because she cannot hear. There is nothing we would learn from a speech evaluation. No, no thank you, there is nothing I need you to tell me about my child.

Now, we are post-ENT appointment. Dr. Iain Grant, a lovely and very experienced guy from New Zealand, who couldn't understand Nora either when she introduced herself as "Nora-saurus." He took one look at the Audiology results, asked us about her history and present confounding issues, and recommended tubes. Really? My brother had a horrible time with those. Well, it is that or you can try another round of antibiotics and see if it resolves. You would likely make it through summer without another ear infection, but I am not even sure of that. Her hearing is way below what it should be for a child her age. It is a common surgery with very uncommon chance of complications of any kind. Not doing it may result in more ear infections, further reduced hearing loss, or just prolong the cycle of infection/resolution/infection. It was settled then. Nora will have tubes placed in both ears on May 9th.

For a week, I didn't tell anyone. I digested it. Surgery. Actually, a 15 minute procedure, for which she will completely asleep, treated with Motrin, and released. We have no history of anyone in the family having an adverse reaction to anesthesia. That is the biggest risk for kids, but even that doesn't seem a worry for the veteran doctor. So, three separate pre-op phone calls later and we know everything except the time of the surgery. To distract from any worries, I just daydream about what it will do for her and why it is necessary: reduce pain in her ears, reduce likelihood of chronic ear infections, increase her ability to hear clearly, improve her articulation, and relieve the kiddo of any uncertainty she has about communicating with people. Yes, that is why information is never a bad thing.

On Monday, if the appointment is late enough in the day, I think we'll start our day by getting a doughnut. Yes, I think that is a great idea.

This is what happens

2011-04-22T17:38:00.002-05:00

when dad takes the kids to the park solo.

We had a nice walk and were playing at the new park 2 blocks from our house. I was pushing Nora in the swing and Jack came running towards me, tripped and his head landed on the pole holding up the swing set. I knew it was bad and not his normal fall (which we have gotten used to seeing), he was crying and trying to scream when I scooped him up. I turned to tell Nora it was time to go, argued with her for 20 seconds and when I turned back to Jack it looked like he was trying to smuggle a golf ball in his forehead.

Nora was still not happy to leave the park despite his obvious injury, so it was an interesting 2 block walk home to Mama. when I took the picture of Jack, Nora asked why I didn't take one of her. "You want a picture of you pouting while Jack is hurt?", I asked. "Yes!" So here is a picture of Nora pouting that we had to leave the park early even though her brother suffered a head contusion.

She did soften up a few minutes later and suggested we give Jack a "magic lollipop" to make his head feel better. We let Jack pick out a grape dum dum and after a few licks, he responded that his head did feel better. Magic lollipops, who knew?

We obviously kept an eye on Jack and he seemed back to himself before bed. He was ornery and good to go the next morning and hasn't shown any ill effects. His bump has now turned blue/purple and is draining around his eye. If the blue keeps going to his eye he will look like a boxer in a couple days.

Pictures from the zoo

2011-04-14T21:15:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Lindsey and Pam for taking them and sending them to us.

Big Shister & Her Little Bother

2011-03-20T20:18:00.008-05:00

Well, it really has started--sibling maltreatment. I remember it well, feeling entitled to treat my brother like crap just because he annoyed me. Well, our babies have entered the phase, or at least one of them has. Just this weekend, Nora started shutting her brother out of rooms and screaming "I need my space!" and pushing, biting, and basically screaming at him or melting down into an emotional mess when he touches her "stuff." Just when her school behavior is going so well, her emotional highs and lows seem to be leveling out, she has a new annoyance.

Nora's emotion and subsequent actions toward Jack are in constant vacillation. Each moment, Geoff and I are not sure which it will be as the movement between the two sides are so seamless. Love and hate, thoughtfulness and bullying, gentle and harmful.

And where is Jack in all of this? Let me preface this by saying, I know his time will come. He will be mean to her, pester her, emotionally push her buttons and not care a bit about her tears, but that day is not today. Today, he is the sad one wondering why she won't just let him play with her. Jack is outside the locked (a lock, which we never thought of until Nora started to use it as a solid barrier between her brother and herself) door repeating over and over "come in, shister? come in shister?" It was the saddest thing.

Then, he was sitting in my arms when I noticed a bite mark on his arm and, stayed silent as I listened to Nora's "I did it" confession (while smiling) and reminded her again to use words. And, he is the one who runs to give her a hug and a kiss goodnight, every night, before bed, saying "good night shister."

Of course Nora protects him fiercely, mothers him, and loves on him too. She has a special tone of voice for only him, she cuddles him and gives him treats when he has already finished his. She introduces him to everyone before introducing herself and she loves teaching him something new.

And, Jack, well, he just wants to do whatever she is doing. He wants to be included and play with her in whatever fun game she has invented. So, we watch and intervene as needed, remind about kindness and what a family is and try and let them work out their own frustrations, arguments, and problems. We also get lots of laughter and moments to be proud when they are sweet to each other.

Some recent pictures:Genuine smiles

With Mookie pup, giving him love

And here is Jack, in his sister's OSU jersey from cousin Lindsey, which he picked out to wear one morning. He wants to wear her shoes, and this day, her clothes. Maybe it reminded him of her through his day, or maybe he just likes the color pink. Who knows. But, look at how happy he is!

OK, last thought: I think most of you who still read the blog are also on Facebook. Why do you like Facebook? I have never been on it and don't have time to link up with people I don't currently have in my life, so I wonder if I am just getting old and cranky about technology or I just haven't discovered the magic that is a social networking site yet. Convince me.

Another Step

2011-03-08T22:01:00.002-05:00

It's funny the things you don't think about needing to teach your children in their way to becoming adults. Eleanor Kate's vocabulary has been increasing at an amazing rate and she has picked up some funny phrases from Wendy and I as well as from kids at school. Using these words/phrases in a socially acceptable way is a hurdle I never thought much about.

Nora has always loved seeing babies and instead of staring at them like a silent goon we have taught her to ask the parent, "What is the baby's name?" This seemed to work well, with few reminders, until she learned the phrase: "No Way!" Friday at the bookstore we ran into a mother with a baby, Nora asked his name and upon hearing Elliot said, "No Way!" The obviously experienced mother replied with "Way!" and we all had a laugh.

On Sunday, the first day that truly felt like spring, we went on a Family walk and ran into a young couple walking their baby. Nora was fascinated and after they told her the baby's name she replied with "No way!" . . . . awkward silence. Wendy and I told her that "No Way!" was not the most appropriate response after hearing the name of a baby and gave her some suggestions of what to say in future situations. I wasn't sure she got the idea of why that might catch people off guard, but thought we would talk about it later.

Half a block down the road I saw a striking male Cardinal on a branch 10 feet away. I pointed "the bright red bird" out to her. She excitedly asked, "What's that bird's name?", I said It's a Cardinal." and she replied "That's a nice name." It's fun to watch the little changes and nuances she picks up on every day and even if we aren't sure at the time she is listening to us.

She has also become pretty good at the camera, the pictures below are all by Eleanor Kate.

Moo Moo.

I call this one,Watch out behind you Coconut.

Jackie is not as big a fan of her new found passion for photography.

Nice use of sunlight in the background.

Everybody's Talkin'!

2011-02-10T19:26:00.007-05:00

Well, how fun is this? It is early evening and the kids are taking their THIRD bath in as many days. They love to play in the water and I can be on the computer and close enough to know what's happening in there. Currently, Nora is saying "Jaaaack, a T-Rex is bigger than a Triceratops. That is because he is a meat eater." Some other fun things overheard between the kiddos recently include:

Lemamame (Lemonade)
Rootbeer and Lemamame do not have caffeine. Coffee and ice tea do have caffeine, so we don't get to have those. Only Mamas and Daddys. *yes, exactly right*
Hippo-mot-o-mus (Hippopotamus)
Help me shister!
No-wa (Nora)
er-A-tops (Triceratops)
Ank-oo (Thank you)
*crying* Why are you sad, Nora? A: Jack said 'no' in a mean way to me
Budder, peez (asking for Peanut butter)

Earlier this week, Geoff walked into Jack's toddler classroom and watched in surprise as their teacher had 6 two-year-olds, quiet as could be, each on their own mat doing yoga. No kidding! I asked Jack what he did at school and he yelled "O-ga!" Isn't that adorable? Ha, I only wish I could have seen it myself.

It loses a bit when you can't hear it for yourself, but whenever I ask Jack to do something, he says "OK, Mama." in the sweetest little boy voice. He is still so much a baby, but he is growing so very fast into a boy. He and I wandered around a Target the other day and one lady stopped me after sharing an aisle with us for a few minutes and said, "He is so polite!" Yes, well thank you, he is. (Ha! That was public Jack, but I didn't mind the peez and ank-oos being noticed by a complete stranger, so I cheerfully smiled at her and beamed motherly pride).

Winter has us all acting a little nutty, especially as the temps here in central Ohio have hit 3 degrees (that what this morning's temp). The kids just decide they are puppy dogs or kittens or, more recently, babies (who need rocking and a song). It's all so imaginative. Add that to our never-ending play with dinosaurs and it makes for a household full of kids-as-animals!

In my non-Mommy world, I am taking a class. Strategic Leadership in Public Health at the Center for Public Health Practice at Ohio State University. It has been sort of fun, but if I were thinking about it at all, I don't think I would have added the extra reading and time onto an already-chaotic work life. Seriously, am I not busy enough? Why didn't that occur to me? But, I am learning some things and it is interesting. I did write my first actual paper in five years (I have been DONE with school for FIVE years! That is incredible in itself after 13 years of college/grad school). The paper was both hard (who really uses AMA for citations?) and easy (I really did write it pretty fast). The hard part now comes in that three classmates have to read and evaluate my paper. Really? I hate that peer-evaluation crap. It is a nice diverse group of people: a few MDs, Pharmacists, PhD Epidemiologists, Health Commissioners, and a few of us from work. The differing perspectives are nice. So, are there stimulating opportunities for self-reflection? yes. Will I learn something applicable to my real job? yes. I'll keep you posted on how the peer-to-peer learning is going (ugh)....and there is a GROUP assignment. double ugh.

Winter Post

2011-01-26T19:31:00.005-05:00

So, we are surviving winter here. It is cold and we have taken to watching shows and playing indoors for most of our family time. A few trips to COSI sprinkled in and we are almost done with January. Spring is just around the corner and learning to swim, ride bikes, maybe even a t-ball or gymnastics class. Nora still loves her dinosaurs and is appropriately moody for her 3.5 years.
Jack is now 35 pounds and 35 1/2 inches tall at age 2, which predicts his height at 6 feet as an adult, 4 inches shorter than his sister's prediction (twice the height she was at age 2: 38 inches). Nora, at age 3 1/2 is 50 pounds and 43 1/2 inches tall. Since we are now down to annual well child visits with Dr. O'Brien, height and weight updates will slow down. I don't see us measuring the children at home for any particular reason.
Jack adores his new hat. It has two guitars on it criss-crossed. I put absolutely no stalk into predictions, but if I were guessing today what he would be as an adult, I would guess he will be a musician. Only time will tell.
And look at this beautiful child. Ah, I seriously get a glimpse of her at 16 here, don't you? If I were making predictions about Eleanor Kate's future career, it would be paleontologist or author. We'll see. We just discovered the Columbus public elementary school is ranked among the worst in the entire state (thanks to Geoff and his mad data skills) and now am quite obsessed with navigating the lottery system to get her into the school of our choice. Hey, we all need hobbies I guess. Speaking of hobbies, Jack also likes to sing...into paintbrushes!

Christmas (better late than never)

2011-01-15T19:29:00.006-05:00

So, it occurred to me today that we had not posted pictures from Christmas. Yes, we did celebrate the holiday and it was fantastic. The kids opened almost every present under the tree together--at Nora's request. Of course, they made out like bandits thanks to Grandma and the whole Grove family here in Ohio. Dinosaurs were everywhere, as were dinosaur puzzles, dinosaur pajamas, dinosaur train talking dinosaurs, and talking baby dinosaurs. Needless to say, it was a very special day for the kids. The picture above is of Nora and her baby dinosaur Chomper, who since has even gone to work with Mama (because he is too little to stay home alone, of course). Below we are opening the many presents from Geoff's family at Pam & Scott's house.
Here is Jackie delivering presents from under the tree at home, where we started our morning with hot cinnamon rolls and presents followed by stockings.
And here Jack waits in anticipation for the word "go!"
And this one shows Nora brandishing her paleontologist tools as the kids get ready to unearth fossilized baby dinosaurs from their eggs.

Hockey

2010-12-22T23:11:00.004-05:00

A couple weeks ago we all went to an OSU hockey game. Here are the kids all decked out in OSU gear.
We had two tickets from Grandpa and in line to get a couple more this kid's dad offered us his extra two tickets. They were great seats so for the first period we piled into the parents section and I got inside information on Chris. The kids had a good time watching everything but hockey. Jackson loved the band and was air drumming along and he would also follow Brutus around the arena waving hello. Eleanor was more interested in the people and struck up several conversations with strangers. She has become quite friendly and will talk to people and introduce them to he family and tell them about Mookie or dinosaurs.

After the first period we moved to the Club Level where we could grab a pretzel and give the kids some room to run around.

They have several Brutuses (Bruti?) around the ground level. Here are Jack and I checking on out up close.

And hear is our sweet dog Mookie snuggled up with Mama Elle, who was lovingly wrapped in a blanket and then pushed to the bottom of the bed. Mookie made sure she had company though.

Happy Birthday Jackson!

2010-12-15T22:02:00.001-05:00

Can you believe this little monkey is 2? It seems like it has gone fast but I remember the many steps he has made over the last two years. He has really started to develop his own personality recently, as a ornery little bugger, and his laugh lights up the room. He is starting to make his preferences known for music, books, and shows, much to the chagrin of Miss Eleanor Kate.

I can't find the camera with pictures from his party so here are some from Thanksgiving.

Nora all dressed up and Jackie Boo Bear wearing some hair bands.

Here is a rare picture of all the Pollocks and Groves after a nice big meal.

Both kids were so sacked out from playing with cousin Lindsey they fell asleep quickly on the way home.

It's December Already

2010-11-30T20:59:00.000-05:00

Geoff has taught Jack to root for football games. I think here he is saying "touchdown!"

And, m& ms are getting Jack on the potty before age 2! He has had some good success--for candy and here you can see how very proud he is!

New hats for everyone! Jackson has taken to stealing Daddy's hat whenever he can and wearing it while running away. We managed to capture this cute picture when he stopped for a second.

And look at our girl, growing so big. We did some Thanksgiving Day shopping at Old Navy and scored the kids some hats and gloves for $5.

Some kiddo updates in the month of November 2010 include Jack counting to TEN on his own (age: 23 months), saying at least 100+ words, jumping with both feet, and singing. Nora continues to amaze us all with sentences like "Daddy, wake up! You are not nocturnal!" and singing full length songs by heart, "reading" stories to us, and honing her Dinosaur imitations (she plays like a baby dinosaur almost everyday, can name dinos like Ankylosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, and about 15 others by picture or features and can tell you whether they are herbivores, carnivores or omnivores.

Some Pictures From Last Month

2010-11-23T22:38:00.002-05:00

Well, before Thanksgiving better post some Halloween pictures.

Costumes from left to right: Triceratops (aka "Chomp"), Tired Mom, Tired Dad, and Bumblebee (aka "BEE!").

Chomp, following Scooby Doo (aka Taryn) up some stairs.

A wondering bumblebee not aware of the vampire dog in the background.

Jack putting on chapstick.

Jack eating poisons nuts at my cousin Luke's wedding in September. Congrats Luke and April.

Dino World Part 2

2010-11-03T20:24:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from Dinosaur World. It was really fun to see the dinosaurs in the "natural setting", like the triceratops with their babies and the brachiosaurs in the field.

This picture of Jack mugging me shows how tall some of the dinos were.

Along with the real life dinosaurs all the kids got to dig for real fossils. They got to sift through the sand for 15 minutes and fill up a cup and pick out their favorite 3 fossils. Nora found some cool ammonites and Jackson settled on some shark teeth.

Nora has gotten so interested in fossils from her dig and Dinosaur Train talking about them she has been looking for fossils in our back yard. She started looking at rocks around the yard that I've been ignoring for 7 years and found some real fossils of sea shells. We had a lot of fun trying to match them up and put them together.

As you leave Dino World of course there is a huge gift shop so we set each kid a limit and had them pick out what they wanted. This lead to a whole other dino world on the beds of our hotel room.

Dino World Part 1

2010-10-30T21:29:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that our Nora Kate is way into dinosaurs. It started with a viewing of Land Before Time and has blossomed into about 100 dinosaurs, books (Thank you Grandma & Nana Kathy!), puzzles (Thank you Grandma!), stuffed animals (Thank you Grandma!), a Triceratops costume for Halloween, and a family trip nearly 5 hours away to visit Dinosaur World. Here are some pictures from that trip south. It was a fantastic trip! You can find out more here.

In the mouth of a ferocious T-Rex
Uncovering the massive fossil of a dinosaur
Reaching out and touching one of the 150 dinosaurs
Even the playground got you up close and personal with dinosaurs!

Delaware County Fair

2010-09-23T20:46:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we met up with Pam, Scott, Skyler, and Lindsey to go to the Delaware County Fair. We went last year and had a great time. It's a perfect size fair with the little ones, still all the animals and rides, but without the acreage of the Ohio State Fair.

We got to eat some good fair food, including the kids first exposure to funnel cakes, powdered sugar was everywhere. We also got to see some of the harness racing. Here they are enjoying the race from the lawn (aka free) seats.

Nora and Jack had fun on the dinosaur ride. By the way our house is dinosaur central right now, it started with Ice Age and Land Before Time and has morphed into Dinosaur Train, Dinosaur King, and playing with dinosaurs and doing dinosaur puzzles. Thanks to Keri for the puzzles and helping increase our stock of dinosaurs. I think Wendy and I are halfway to our paleontologist degrees.

Skyler took Nora into the fun house.

And Lindsey rode the carousel with Jack and Nora (and Mama).

As at the Ohio State fair the kids loved all the animals. We saw a new born baby cow and baby ducks in the petting area and goats, rabbits, horses, chickens and turkeys, to name a few, in the barns. When we were wrestling the kids to the car Nora complained, "But I haven't seen enough animals!". I'm not sure if I've ever seen more animals in my life and I was getting tired of smelling their poop (the animals poop not the kids). Nora got to meet a very fuzzy rabbit.

The kids were exhausted and feel asleep on the way home. As it was nearing dinner time we tried to wake them up on the way in and sat them on the couch. Once we were done unloading this is how they looked. Guess they had a good time.

Following Nora

2010-09-06T18:51:00.000-05:00

So, Nora has a little brother and she tells everyone, including classmates that "This is my baby brother Jack." Or sometimes she introduces him as "Jackie Boo-Bear". So much so that one especially sophisticated five year old in her class once day replied, "We all know that Nora!" Well, we find it endearing. Lately, in our house, whatever Nora does, Jack does. She runs, he runs; she growls like a dinosaur (and she does, a lot), he growls; she climbs on top of tables, he does. You get the point. And Geoff snapped this gem of them sleeping together in the middle of the night, which I try to conjure up when they are fighting over toys.

And, here is our boy wearing a headband because if his sister has one, he wants one. Yeah, we love it too. By the way, Jack can say Nora now, as well as point out everyone in the family when you say "Where is...."; he says about a million words (OK, maybe 30, but he tries everything we say). My personal favorite besides "Nora" is "bup" which means "up." He also rides a tricycle, climbs everything in sight, and sings.

Here they are eating a homemade pudding parfait after playing naked with the water hose in the backyard and getting too cold. You might notice both kids got haircuts recently. Nora's locks of three posts back were trimmed up just below her shoulders although she would like it shorter and all of Jack's beautiful curls were trimmed off and now he really looks so much older and like a little man. *sigh* The babies are growin' up.

And, here is a fun one of Nora after she got all static-y. Reminded Geoff and I of the 1980s and I so want her to dress like an 80s punk rock girl for Halloween, but while she thought it was funny Mommy and Daddy were taking her picture and laughing, I am pretty sure the kid will end up being Spiderman or Diego for Halloween instead.

And, just so the kids can know when they are older what they were doing at 3 and 21 months old, here are a few highlights:

Grab toys out of each others hands (feeling entitled to do so), which immediately causes an emotional meltdown in the other one
Nora is very good about being safe and holding hands in parking lots. We are learning to look both ways before crossing the street; Jack is not. He darts into streets and runs away at every opportunity and giggles while doing it
Dinosaurs rule our house right now and both Mommy & Daddy are getting educated fast. I am pretty sure I didn't know what an Ankylosaurus or Diplodocus was two months ago and now I can spot them in a crowd of dinosaurs
You are both very lovey and cuddly; you give kisses and hugs; say "Sorry" when you've made a bad choice; and have infectious laughs
Jacky loves stomping in water of all kinds--puddles, poured water on the floor, dog dishes, bathtubs

We've been hittin' the zoo hard as the summer winds down. We did the Upper Arlington Arts festival today; plus our regular hangouts like parks and coffee shops. Walks together are getting easier for the most part and the days are much cooler. Except for an old plumbing issue which has resurfaced as a problem, things are good. Happy Labor Day everyone!

Mama's Birthday

2010-08-20T17:27:00.005-05:00

Wendy gave her version of her birthday so here is the view from Dad and Nora Kate. In the week leading up to the birthday Nora was very excited to go shopping for Mama. She talked about buying Mama flowers and a water bottle (what I got for fathers day). Sunday morning we decided to pick sunflowers from the yard and Nora and Jack were very excited to bring her each one after we picked them.

Wendy stayed with Jack, while I braved the store with Eleanor. She was so excited running around and grabbing literally everything she could reach saying, "lets get this for Mama!" So although Wendy got some interesting gifts, I actually used my veto power to keep her from getting really odd presents, like Star Wars trading cards, silly bands, and a horrible turquoise necklace to name a few. The card she picked out was a birthday card and had Tinkerbell on it, but it was for a granddaughter. I showed her the cards for Mom and after a quick glance she said, "None of those are sparkly enough for Mama." Tinkerbell card it is.

I thought it would be fun to bake something for Wendy so at the World Market, Nora and I decided on a Carmel Monkey Bread mix. I'm pretty sure that having "Monkey" in the title was the winning factor for Nora.

Here she is ready to start baking, complete with apron and doggie gloves. The doggie gloves didn't last long as they were covered with butter after her first baking task. While Wendy took Jack to the coffee shop and shopping, Nora and I got started. She helped me mix the bread and caramel mixes and dish it in the pan. It actually looked pretty bad before cooking and I wasn't sure how it would turn out.

One it was in the oven we had a lot of wrapping to do, as I couldn't find any birthday wrap we used Winnie the Pooh Xmas wrap from last year. She was a pretty good helper and loved putting tape on the presents even if the tape didn't actually hold the paper together. We got everything done just as Wendy was walking in the door to see her pile of presents. It was really fun to see Nora so excited and proud as we brought in the cake/bread with candles and sang happy birthday.

As to why the birthday girl was watching Jack while Nora and I did the shopping/cooking, it's because he is an absolute crazy man right now. In the last few weeks, he has had instances of running around in stores, hiding in clothes racks, and grabbing anything he can from the shelves and tossing them on the ground, all the time with an evil little chuckle. We aren't sure if Nora ever went through a hellion stage like Jack, or if it wasn't as bad since we could double team her and now we have to play man-to-man defense on the kids. See picture below for said evil grin while munching on a bread stick.

Birthday Mom

2010-08-16T08:36:00.007-05:00

I wanted to share some recent pictures we had taken of the kiddos. Jack was less than thrilled to have his picture taken, but since they were for Eleanor's third birthday, we didn't make him. We call this one: pout-y face with phantom mom-arm in background. Gotta love the photography studio, they give you every picture they take on a CD for posterity. Of course since Jack was in a bad mood, Nora Kate was in a fabulous mood! We got about 50 great pictures of her. This is one we didn't have printed, but just love it.

I also thought since I had all the time in the world today (a day off from work!), I would tell you about my "first" birthday as a mom. Today I am 36 years old and yesterday my family celebrated the milestone with me. Geoff can provide shopping details that are quite funny, but I received the neatest gifts from my 3 year old. They included a stretchable shark, stuffed raccoon, birthday balloon and flowers, veggie chips, truffles, lottery, lots of Starbucks gifts card money, fly-swatter, spiral notebook with puppy dog cover and a Tinkerbell card. On top of all that, my girl and her wonderful Daddy made me some Monkey Bread.

"You need help Mama?" she asked so sweetly opening every gift. "You like your present Mama?" after every gift, then quickly followed by "Can I see it Mama?" I hope you can see the genuinely big smile on my face. Recalling the evening just makes me laugh in such a good way.

I have had amazing birthdays my whole life. My mama made sure each anniversary of our birth was more than celebrated, which set me up for great expectations every August 16. Then, I married a lovely man who jumped right on board my "My birthday is special" bandwagon and has given me some unforgettable presents. So, I never expected it to get better than that, but it was truly heartwarming to see Nora's little face when I raved about each gift.

Of course, the real credit belongs to her daddy who didn't hesitate to spend the money, wrangle her at numerous stores, and spend time baking the coffee-cake-like Monkey Bread even when she got butter all over her puppy gloves. "Mama, I need my gloves for baking." OK love.

I loved my "first" birthday as a mom. It isn't my actual first birthday as a mom of course, but when your kid can pick out her own card to give you (Tinkerbell!); bake you a cake (well, Monkey Bread, yum!) and help wrap the many presents (in Winnie-the-pooh wrap) she picked out all by herself, it counts as the first. Thanks for the love my lovely family, you sure know how to make me feel very loved and very special.

Our Girl

2010-07-18T20:18:00.006-05:00

When Eleanor was due to be born, some faithful blog readers will recall that we did not know if she would be a girl or a boy. When she did come out, the Doctor said, "It's a boy" when she simply meant a girl. The scheduled induction was Friday, July 13, 2007 and we were excited about that, with the fun math about prime numbers and Fridays being lucky birthdays and all. Then she would not come out and ended up born via C-section at 12:34 am on Saturday 7-14-07. She was also supposed to be a "big" baby, but was this tiny little peanut, all legs and arms.

[Picture from July 14, 2007]

The past three years has brought us both sweetness and sass, over-dependence and fierce independence, singing and screaming, running and swimming! I cannot tell you how much I look forward to the adult our baby will grow into while I simultaneously ache at how fast her childhood is passing by. Our baby, our girl, our Nora Kate Grove.

[Picture from February 2008]

So, for her, here I allow myself a bit of a mama moment and reminisce and laugh at the things she does that make me laugh (she says "I am frusterated," I love that), the things that make my heart swell (she flings her arm around my neck when we snuggle in for a nap), and the things that have me asking my own mama 'Was I like that?' (I say: The sky is blue, Nora says: No it isn't. I say: Look up, see how blue? Nora says: No Mama, that is not blue).

[Picture from 2009]

I also feel the impulse to write down all the things I might not say well when it matters, when defining life moments may happen and I am not there or I fail miserably to say or do the thing you want me to say or do to instill your trust in me. But, it comes down to this: I love you my wonderful child and I always will. There is not a single thing you could do to un-secure that love; it was always there. I know I will not do everything right or even well in being your mama, but you will know that I am here and I love you. I will try to keep you safe and healthy in mind and body; but I will annoy and embarrass you, of that I am certain. That being said, you become whomever you want to become and do whatever work it is that excites you and we, your family, will be here when life gets tough or sad and when you need us.

[Picture from July 2010]

So, I hope you have enjoyed your birthday parties, your presents and the many treats as you turned three years old. I know I have enjoyed thinking back at all your growing and becoming and thinking ahead to all we have yet to do. You are no longer a baby, but you will always, now and forever, be our baby.

3

2010-07-14T00:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Eleanor Kate!

Free Range Kids

2010-07-12T12:09:00.006-05:00

So I was quoted in Forbes the other day by Lenore Skenazy, so that's pretty cool. Lenore is the founder of Free Range Kids which is a blog I try to read every day. The basic premise behind FRK is that 1) the world is actually a pretty safe place despite what the fear mongering media tells us everyday and 2) that kids should be allowed to explore this safe world in order to prepare them to become competent and independent adults. If parents are constantly interfering and protecting them how are they going to learn how the world works? Anyway, you can read a lot more of her thoughts at her blog which I will link at the side.

Our Free Range Kids have been doing great. Comfest was a great chance to let them explore our world for a while. Note the comfest world may have very little in common with the real world. Eleanor had a wonderful time walking around and meeting people and we met some many nice folks because of her exploring. We met people with bubbles, babies, beach ball, toys, and guitars. Everyone we met seemed to enjoy her inquisitive 3 year old mind. Jack was close behind slaying the ladies with his golden curls and sweet smiles.

N-O-R-A and J-A-C-K

2010-06-12T10:53:00.003-05:00

Music is big in our house right now. We saw They Might Be Giants a few weeks ago and if you haven’t discovered Here Comes Science, it is the best kids CD ever for two geeky parents and what are sure to be brilliant kids. We all love the songs. Yesterday, we spent the afternoon singing to Justin Roberts and his new CD. It is about the 4th time we have seen him and it is always a treat.
Nora is now only 5 weeks from three and surprising us constantly. The other day, she was drawing on her Aqua-doodle and all of a sudden, said, N-O-R-A. Whaaaat? She can spell her name? We didn’t teach her that! I just love that school of hers! At her parent-teacher conferences a few weeks ago, we heard that Nora’s teachers think she is “clever and bright” and “not just bright because she is one of the older kids in the class.” And, at the risk of sounding like one of those annoying moms (I know, but allow me this), one of the mothers at Nora's school said to me, “Nora is so smart!” Another mom said that the conversations she overhears during drop-off between Nora and her teacher Brigid are “outstanding for a child her age.”
It has been fun seeing the kids start to play together without any prompting from Geoff or I. Here they are sitting down on the porch reading together. Jack is such a willing participant in anything Nora suggests, it is just a nice thing to see. To that end, Nora has become a huge fan of “Go Diego Go” the cartoon series about animal rescues. She watched the show daily before bed and Jack sings “Go Go Go” in support! Gramma sent Nora a Baby Jaguar (Diego’s sidekick) and she carries that little thing everywhere. Jack gives him hugs when his sister lets him touch it. However, she has made it clear, the show is about her, not any of us. Example: Geoff said, “Hola Diego” at the start of one show recently and his sweet girl turned around and said “He not talking to you Daddy!” Well, that may not have been her best moment, but she is sweet running around the zoo or dog park yelling “It sounds like an animal is in trouble!”

She is a sweet girl. Just last night she said to me "You're a good mama" Really? she nodded yes and I just enjoyed the moment. I also was the very proud recipient of my first kid-made necklace, complete with a heart which says "Nora Loves Mommy" ahhh, I love this age. I figure I'll keep that necklace and wear it when she is completely absent of any positive emotion as a teenager.
And, with Father's Day fast approaching, I wanted to post this picture. These children adore their father and no one can get them giggling like he does. He puts up with their tantrums and refusals of him for mommy, but they look for him when he leaves and ask about him if he happens to not be with us. So, here's to you Ga Ga, you're a great Daddy!

In other family news, my brother and his wife had a baby boy on May 20, 2010. They named him James Lawrence Anthony, with all three of those names a tribute to men in their extended family. He came out perfect and healthy and with red hair and blue eyes. If they let me, I will post a picture soon. He is a cutie and joins big sister Dosha who is just over two.

Changes

2010-05-22T12:04:00.002-05:00

Jackson is suddenly starting to look like a little boy.

And Eleanor is starting to look like a baby jaguar.

A sleepy jaguar.

Showing some Bengals pride. I don't think the outfit will fit come football season.

Puddles and The Best Compliment Ever

2010-05-03T05:28:00.000-05:00

So, Jackson has become quite the runner. He loves being chased; he wants to be grabbed. Add this to the fact that he adores water (specifically, being in it) and we have a puddle jumper! It has been raining here in Columbus Ohio, like it should be in the Spring, and we have the great fortune of having a large mud puddle form just outside our door. This makes for a very happy set of Grove children. See below (and yes, I know they are getting sooooo big!) Catch me Mama
And Nora Kate loves water too. She especially loves jumping and getting us all wet. Here she is saying "Look at what I found in the water!"
A smile for Mama, but never both kids at the same time
"Come on Jack, you can trust me. Just take my hand"

So, in other news, we have had some amazing fun with the kids lately. Jack is very thoughtful for his age. He tussles all of us on the head, which means "gentle." We know this means gentle because he does it most to Mookie (our pup) when I say "Be gentle." He is saying all sorts of things (pup, ball, cat, go, cup) and giving loads of kisses and hugss. In six short weeks, he will join big sister Eleanor at her school finally and our G-School (code word for sucky school) days will be behind us.

So, speaking of Eleanor, here are some of the marvelous things she has shared with us just this past week or so:

"Daddy, you are my favorite boy." (How great is this? The best compliment ever)
"I like this Mama, it's just you and me" (Out on errands together)
"I will watch over my baby brother Jackie Boo" (and she does!)
"Elizabeth, Sara and Kate are the best teachers in the whole world!" And what about Brigid? I asked of her other teacher? "Brigid is my friend." (ahhhh, she likes school)

A Day at the Park 2

2010-04-22T09:37:00.003-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from that day. Thanks to Jeremy at Kester Imagery.

A Day at the Park

2010-04-22T09:36:00.006-05:00

One of the first nice days of spring last month we all went to our favorite park in Grandview to play. One of the other parents, Jeremy, there with his two small kids asked if we like to have some pictures of our kids playing. Turns out he and his wife are professional photographers and he said he be glad to take some pictures and e-mail them to us.

Jeremy insisted he didn't want any money of publicity, but that's the least we can do for the great pictures. The Kester Imagery studio is located in Mt Vernon, Ohio and they seemed like great people.

Nora was hamming it up for the camera, but Jack wasn't real sure about it and just put on his serious face.

Flowers and Springtime in Ohio

2010-03-17T10:16:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,
Sorry it has been so long since we have posted. The winter has broke here in Ohio and with temps reaching 60 degrees, we are outside meeting the play demands of our kiddos. Speaking of the now 15 month old Jackson and 4-months-from THREE (what???) Eleanor, they are super. Say what you will about being only 17 months a part in age, but they are so damn cute. Jack follows Nora around and she helps him a lot. They beam smiles at each other and love to be around one another. It's just sweet. Here they are attempting a nap:

And, look at our girl, so tall! And she is counting objects everywhere and doing things like taking a slice of pizza and announcing, "It's a triangle!" Uh--yeah, it is! I would put her at 85% potty trained, getting through most nights fine, but poopin the first thing upon going outside. Change in temperature? That's my theory. Her teachers report all good things from her, being sweet and helpful and making good choices, all of that stuff you hope you'll hear. Here is quote from one of her teacher notes, " I wanted you both to know that Nora was absolutely wonderful this week at school! She's been extra helpful, very polite (e.g., during snack times), and generally just a pleasure to be around. :)"

Asserting her independence has been the name of the game lately though, with some great outcomes and some frustrating (refusing to get in her carseat, despite the desperate attempts by her parents to rationalize with her) times as well. Ah, three!

Here are both kids enjoying a Gymboree birthday party, rapt with the teachers musical ability and chance to use moroccos.
And speaking of birthdays, Nora with her friend Collin--it was his 2nd birthday party.

Lastly, a picture of our happy boy. Believe it or not, after 8 - 9 months of having exactly 8 teeth, the kid is getting EIGHT more simultaneously--all flanking is existing 8. We go to the pediatrician today to get his well child check up so I'll have height, weight and head size to share later. He is growing a lot though, seems bigger to me. Losing the baby fat and looking so much like a little boy instead of a baby. He is a sweet little thing and talking!!! I swear he mimics everything we say and is pretty close, but has added woof woof, up, and his own name to the list of words he can say. Yay!

And, a shameless fund raising plus. The little school Nora attends is having an online fund raiser. It's a pretty easy thing to do for those of us who will buy flowers for our gardens anyway. It ends April 2, but you can order flowers from any where in the US and they will be delivered to your house. All the proceeds will go to help ICC gather supplies for our garden.

http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=1438

Snow and Such

2010-02-20T10:07:00.002-05:00

If you don't live here or haven't heard, Columbus has had three snow storms over the last two weeks. The kiddos are loving the snow and both love to shovel. Here is Jack ready to go. He has grown really attached to the shovels and throws quite a fit when we pass them by on our way out the door. I hope he is this willing to shovel when he is a teenager.

After one of the first storms Eleanor and I made some "baby snowmen". We check on them everyday, although the small baby has been almost completely covered up by the recent snow falls.

Playtime in the sink to get cleaned up.

Here is Jackson playing with mama.

My ladies after a hard day of playing.

EKG quotes

2010-02-08T16:16:00.005-05:00

So, it's already February. here is Eleanor with her Dad, who has become her favorite playmate. "Come play with me Dad" "Lay down Dad, you sick. I feed you soup!" "Let's go upstairs"
So, our girl is talking a lot. Here are a few of our favorite quotes as of late:
"I having a rough time"(when she woke up sick one night)
"You're fun, dad."
"Need more bottle, Jack?"
"I love your shirt." (after saying I love you, she always ends with this gem)
"You have a good day, mommy?"
"I like noodles!"
"You not feel well? I make you soup."
"You wanna hold my hand, Jack?"
"I missed you soooo much!"
"Okaaay Mom"

Jackson too is talking a lot. The only words we can make out are Dada, Mama and ball, all of the same first words Nora Kate said. He is also walking like a champ. He often takes walks around the three first floor rooms, in a circle, over and over. He also follows Mama and Mookie and Eleanor and Daddy around. he has also discovered that he can get just about anything he wants by screeching in a very loud, very high pitched yell. It makes the hair stand up on your neck. But, his kisses more than make up for the occasional screech.

We have all been battling colds, but Nora has it the worst. You'll have that in Ohio Februaries (today's high was in the low twenties). More snow tomorrow (just another 4 - 8 inches, so not bad). Its not hard to tolerate the snow when it is February because we'll have maybe 1 or 2 more snows and then it will be Spring! But, Nora loves shoveling snow with her dad and they built two baby snowmen (well, a "mama and baby snowman" according to Nora) this weekend, which are super cute. Here's a picture of the kids "reading."

Yesterday, Nora went to her friend Collin's birthday part at Gymboree Play & Music, which was FUN! Bubbles, parachutes, maracas, and so much more! Great idea for a kids birthday party and I am sure we will get to have many more of these kinds of days. Jack loved it too, which was very fun to watch.

And one more picture for Grandma! I have more, but can I find them?
Life has been busy, but we're having fun. No movement on our house, but it's back on the market at a lower price, so we'll see.

Xmas pictures (finally)

2010-01-30T09:50:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from Christmas morning we have finally gotten around to posting. As you can see the kids had a great time and were naturally spoiled rotten by generous family and friends.

"Ball!"

In other news Jackson has been walking for a few weeks and is getting pretty steady on his feet. Eleanor is becoming quite a big girl and loves to take care of her brother and make him laugh. We will have a more detailed update on how amazingly advanced and smart the kids are in the near future.

More B-day Pictures

2009-12-31T08:13:00.003-05:00

We hope everyone is having a great Holiday season. The kids made out like bandits and it looks like a toy store exploded in our living room. We will have some pictures of Xmas day madness up soon. But here are some pictures from Jackson's birthday party at the Pollocks. He got a cool winter hat from Grandpa and Charlotte. He likes it so much he will actually keep it on his head for more than 3 seconds unlike his other hats.

The nice thing about multiple birthday celebrations is multiple times to get your hands dirty eating cake.

Sister likes multiple chances at cake as well.

Our happy guy with his new train.

Jackson Caulfield is 1!

2009-12-16T21:19:00.004-05:00

Our baby is now a year old! We celebrated with a very small (Geoff, Nora, & I) birthday party, split a frosted brownie and opened gifts party last night. Jack loved icing and seemed to like his presents.

From the "party" a proud big sister shares in the celebrating! "Jack's a big boy now?" she asked after singing him a very sweet Happy Birthday song. Well, sort of....

At the pediatrician this morning, he weighed in at 28 pounds, 12 ounces (above 97th percentile, although Doc O'Brien said, "Well, he is getting closer to the line" meaning he is not so far above the highest percentile; 30 inches long (60th percentile) and has a head in the 95th percentile ("big brains run in our family," I said proudly). Look at that smile...

We also got the news that our dear friends Troy & Kathleen Carlson welcomes their brand new baby girl, Amelia "Millie" Jean Carlson into the world literally as we sucked the icing off our brownie. Congratulations and December 15 is a great day to be born!

So, despite a hectic past few weeks at work which included a FIVE day trip to DC for me (Geoff rocks for being at home with the kids that whole time alone), Christmas is on its way. My mom will be here in a week *yay* and we actually got our real live (is there any other kind, really?) tree this weekend. To that end, Nora Kate found the stockings and promptly put them on her feet. Right on girl, you wear those stockings!

And, after putting up the leaning tree, we promptly put a fence around it to keep the baby hands away from it and the ornaments we love. But here they are admiring the lights....
This is going to be one very fun Christmas. And, our cards are coming! Really. They might be late, but they are coming. Happy Holidays to everyone who reads the blog. Remember to enjoy the solstice!

Two Toddlers

2009-11-26T08:27:00.000-05:00

Our babies love being cuddled, tickled, and loved on. Eleanor is very fond of saying "Mama (or Daddy) has two babies" (her emphasis)! Well, they are developing so quickly, we really have to admit they are no longer babies. But, as my Mama still calls me, Geoff and I will probably always call them our babies. So, our two toddlers are remarkable and smart!

Here is an update of their amazing talents:

Jackson (11 months old)

Claps his hands when someone says "Yay" or "Good job!"
Does some of the motions for "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
Goes and gets books and opens them up to read
Walks with support
Crawls at lightening speed!
Pushes the shapes into the shape sorter
Wants to feed himself at every meal
Giving big kisses
Puts his hands on top of his head when his teacher says "Head!"
Waves bye-bye

Nora Kate (28 months old)

Sings the ABC's--pretty right on, although L,M,N,O,P are a bit jumbled (very cute)
Jumps with her two feet together (yay!)
Runs a lot and LOVES the game Tag
Hums lullabies to anyone going to sleep
Talks and cares for her baby dolls
Loves the zoo and asks ("zoo now") to go there almost every day.
Talks in complete sentences
Understands and anticipates others' needs ("This would be easier for Mama if the light was on" and she turns on the light or asks, "Mama, do you need some?" for cheese, butter, any sauce, seconds for food. "Daddy, you need a blanket" or "Daddy needs water" as she runs to get a bottle of water)

So, there they are. It's almost Jack's birthday and his Grandma is coming for a visit! We are battling illnesses, but in good spirits. Our Christmas picture is done, so look forward to getting those within the next few weeks. The Babies Grove may be renamed....weigh in. Anyone have ideas for this blogs name? The Grove Gang?

A Month in Pictures

2009-11-09T21:18:00.000-05:00

We started out October by making an Autumn Leaf Wreath. Nora is very into leaves this year and constantly says "Look Daddy, Look Mama" whenever she finds one that catches her eye. Well, we had to do something with them, so we taped them to a paper plate and cut out the center and thus, a wreath was born. Of course she would not smile for the camera....

And, we visited the Columbus Zoo for Boo at the Zoo, where they have costume parades and treat stations. Kids wear their costumes and fun is had by all.

This year, Nora was a lion and Jack, for his first Halloween, was a giraffe.

Nora talking to a tiger, her favorite animal these days.

Jack, actually wearing his giraffe head, which he didn't for most of dress up.

And Halloween night, shared by our good friends Sara & Brandon and Jessie & David. She how cooperative their kids are? Nora was a complete pill for any pictures, although Jack looks darn cute. Maddie is the sweet bumblebee and Taryn is the cute Tiger.
And here is EKG with a sweet, genuine smile with her kitty cat, Baby Jack. Everything Eleanor thinks is a baby is affectionately called "Baby Jack" *smile* despite acting somewhat aggressively toward him (the actual baby), these days. It's been a few long weekends in October with behavior like grabbing, pinching, biting, and pushing *sigh*

And, here are some recent ones of our boy Jack, who is now crawling fast, pulling himself up on everything and everyone (even Mookie sits still for his baby) and who yells if we don't allow him to feed himself, eat whatever we are eating, or have his mama.

This last one is for Grandma, who sent this sweet outfit. LOVE it! Seriously, couldn't he do print ads?

"Ampa" & Italian Fest

2009-10-28T09:14:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago Grandpa ("Ampa") came over to spend some time with the kids and watch the Bengals game. Turns out the kids dominated his time so he didn't catch much of the football game. After reading some books, Eleanor took him upstairs to play. For the next 45 minutes, while I watched the game, all we heard were giggles from both of them so whatever they were doing they had a good time. The next day several times she looked out the window calling for "Ampa".

The previous day we went to the Italian Festival. These fests have become more fun as Eleanor is able to enjoy the rides, bounce houses, and balloon animals (which lasted about 3 minutes before popping).

Jackson stays wide-eyed and enjoys watching everything going on around him. It's pretty clear he wants to get down and enjoy the fun. I can't imagine the craziness once he joins his sister in running around and exploring.

Enjoying some good pizza, which was only a sample of the Italian foods we ingested.

Raisin' [a stink about] Arizona

2009-10-12T21:29:00.003-05:00

I am about to leave Geoff and the kids for 3 full days and I am sad. I thought I might actually look forward to the rest and relaxation, the 90 degree Arizona heat, and hotel luxuries; but all I can think of is how hard this parenting is when you're flying solo. And, because I am me, what happens if something happens. To them, to me. Its a good thing we got goin, this family. Trips without them feel weird and wrong. So, I won't whine too much, but I'll say that I don't know how people who travel a lot do it.

To divert my attention and lift the spirit of this post a bit, here are some great updates: Jack is on the move! At 9.5 months old, he still doesn't roll off his back, but he is crawling everywhere! He goes head down, like a steam engine right into your leg, then tries to climb up. Its the sweetest thing. He also beams and gets very excited when we pick him up from school. It can turn even the worst day around when you go get him.And, tonight, we had Eleanor's parent-teacher conference at her school. They administered the Ages & Stages Questionnaire on her and she did great! Exceeded all scores except for gross motor since she still doesn't jump with both feet together. She does this little half hop instead. Her teachers talked about how she has become the biggest helper since three new "babies" (18 month olds, the youngest you can be to attend ICC) arrived in her class. They said "She is obviously very intelligent" and "She knows a lot of words." The one area of minor concern is her speech. Her teacher theorized that bigger kids tend not to learn how to use their back tongue muscles until they work on it. For example, Nora will pronounce bath as "Baff" and something about gutteral sounds. Basically, they did not think she sounded like other kids her age and although that did not worry them yet, they wanted us to be aware of it. Duly noted.Well, even as my mind cannot stop racing, I better get some sleep if I hope to actually wake up to my insanely early alarm. If you're reading this, send good thoughts to Geoff as he single-parents the best kids ever and to me as I work my ass off in Scottsdale. Love you family, Mama

Green Concert T-shirt

2009-10-07T09:38:00.002-05:00

The other day after a bath I told Eleanor to pick out an outfit to wear. I was changing my shirt, which is often required after giving her a bath and she saw my new shirt and said "mine?". I thought why not, so I let her wear my old Sam Roberts concert t-shirt from a show we saw many moons ago.

We then had a lot of fun trying to get her to pose for a picture. I'd tell her to stand still and as soon as I put the camera to my face she'd run toward me laughing. It turned into some really good pictures.

And what would a blog post be without a stinkin' cute picture of Jackson.

Delaware County Fair

2009-10-02T11:07:00.000-05:00

The other weekend we joined the Pollocks at the Delaware County Fair. It marked a lot of firsts for the kids. above is Eleanor's first real fair ride. Lindsey was nice enough to escort her on the crazy looking kangaroos. Despite the mad look on Nora's face, which she had the entire time, when I came to get her out she said "more" and was rather upset to leave.

Here is Jackson enjoying his first taste of a funnel cake, really just the powdered sugar. Needless to say he was a big fan.

We also got to see the early races of the Little Brown Jug, which is of course "the most prestigious 3-year-old pacing race in North America." Here are Skyler, Lindsey, and Eleanor checking out the action.

Jackson got into cheering on the horses while holding himself up on my shorts.

Eleanor also loved the baby animals that had in one building.

Due to a mistake in packing food for Jack we didn't get to stay as long as we wanted. Nora was not happy to go home and kept saying "more fair". At home later talking about how much she liked the fair I told her we would go again soon, she said "leave!" and walked right to the front door ready to hit the fair.

All pictures courtesy of Aunt Pam.

Well, crap, its been a while.....

2009-09-17T19:06:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. I know its been forever since we posted. Here's why: two toddlers, plus demanding jobs; a house on the market and football season. And, we're just tired at the end of the day. So, here's what we've been up to. Jackson had his 9 month old well-child visit yesterday. He is 26 pounds (Doc O'Brien said..."Buddy, you're the size of a toddler" to which Jackson flashed her a big toothy grin), not yet crawling although sooooo close, has 4 teeth breaking through gums and 2 more on their way, is eating foods now and dancing to music. He is so fun and sweet, gives lots of hugs and still lights up when Nora Kate comes near him.
Here is proof of our first french braid. It doesn't last even half the day, but it looks so sweet when its in. Eleanor is transitioning to big girl panties and bed this weekend, but mostly her updates include highly emotional outbursts multiple times a day, loves her school (reference last statement for how much), and singing. She repeats everything we say and sings the last word of every line for songs she knows. We have also overheard her singing the ABCs on her own which we are trying to get on video.
Here they are together, the two of them. Its been enormously fun watching Nora try to help Jack as he falls over or gets frustrated from not being able to crawl. We have seen some more jealousy now that he wants toys or "gets" to have a bottle. Whenever we feed him, Eleanor now says "Me eat too" so, we're trying to talk about feelings more and remind her she is a big girl.
And this picture shows that we bought Halloween costumes. Jack will be the giraffe you see above, but Nora had to wear it around an hour or so first. She loves wearing his clothes, so we let it go and leave that battle for more important stuff like not touching stoves or running into the street. We'll leave Eleanor's costume a mystery for now.....roar!
Did I mention the jealousy over bottles? Well, she may have been "delivering" this one to her brother, but she was down to a diaper, with shoes on and put all these headbands into her hair. It makes us laugh, this girls fashion sense. Just look at that face! Hard to believe she is ever ornery.

In other news, we're selling our house and if you'd like to buy it, leave us a comment. I won't post our address here, but its a great 109 year old house with original wood door frames & pocket doors, 3 bedrooms, plus a bonus 3rd floor room, full basement, galley kitchen with a large fenced backyard and hot tub. Its going for a steal given the economy (almost 1400 square feet for $209,900) and is in a great neighborhood. We actually had a great open house and 5 private showings in the 15 days we've been on the market.

Finally, a few congrats need mentioning. Our friends the Frymyers just added baby Jacob to their family. He joins big sis Maddie and is darling, just like her. My grad school chum Rachel and her husband Lee just welcomed their first baby, Olivia Ann a month ago; and my cousin Kevin and his wife Abby just had a son, although I have yet to see what they named him. Finally, a very special note about my cousin Matthew. This child (for I still see him as a four year old, despite being an adult and about to enter law school) just announced his engagement to Annie. I am certain they will enjoy a long happy marriage and just hope we get to be a part of their lives as they start out.

More updates coming soon!

August Update

2009-08-21T19:03:00.007-05:00

We are dreadfully behind in our blog posts. Here is Eleanor at her birthday party. We had a few friends and Grandma there. And "Melmo" (in cupcake form)--that was July 15th!Then, our friend Whit came home for Dan and Jenn Hammill's wedding. Since he and the kids were looking so good, we snapped their picture. It was a lovely wedding and we enjoyed all the effort made on the children's' behalf.

"Hey Mom! I love swings!" Here is a cute one of baby Jack (who is now 24 pounds and 8 months old). Who has now said Mama and Dada and is starting to sing. He also had a brilliant moment at the tambourine the other day where he picked up my hand to bang on the drum. Smart kid!And then, for ten days we were in Oregon. Visiting family and taking full advantage of Grandma watching her grand-kiddos, we met up with lots of friends. Here we are at the Wehage Family Camp out at South Beach State Park. These particular pictures are when Geoff and I took Nora Kate to see the tide pools when the tide was out.

It was so nice to see family. We had lots of campsite visitors and played BINGO (missed the big one by 1 number!!) and hung out with my brothers girlfriend Patience and their baby Dosha. It was a nice time and I think we are going to end up alternating years in Oregon with years in Canada with the Pollocks. Ah, camping, even in a yurt, it was fun.

Jackie Boo

2009-08-03T14:22:00.001-05:00

I thought we better do a Jackson update as Eleanor has been getting all the "press" recently. Jack has been a happy growing boy and continues to talk more and more. He loves his sister and lights up whenever she enters the room/car. Nora has gotten very good at making him giggle which puts everyone in a good mood.

He has started eating "real" food despite the fact he doesn't have any teeth yet. The way he gnaws and drools on everything we thought his teeth were coming months ago. He likes cereal (above) and fruit, but isn't sure about veggies yet.

He still isn't moving much, although will cover some ground in a sitting position. When in the crawling position he can't move himself, it got to be tough with the ~~fat~~ . . .er big bones, and he gets frustrated. It shouldn't be too long til he gets moving and our lives completely change (again).

"My 'troller"

2009-07-26T18:19:00.002-05:00

A couple weekends ago we gathered for the Grove-Pollock July birthdays. Eleanor received several great gifts but the biggest hit was the stroller from Grandpa and Charlotte. For well over a year she has enjoyed pushing her stroller. It actually started before she could walk and she would push her stroller while crawling on her knees. Our recent neighborhood walks are often slowed down as she wants to help push Jackson, so we should have known how much she she would love her own stroller.

She knew what it was right away and was excited to see it. Luckily Skyler and his engineering skills were there to help put together the dozen or so pieces.

She watched him intently every step of the way. We had trouble getting her attention to other gifts to open as she couldn't take her eyes off her "troller".

Once it was complete she grabbed it and began pushing it around saying, "My 'troller" over and over. Once we put a Raggedy Ann in the seat it was all over as she kept pushing it and checking on her baby every few steps.

After a few hours when it was time to leave the thrill of her new toy had not worn off. She insisted that the stroller ride next to her in the back seat and once we got home she continued to push it around for almost two hours until well past her bedtime. When we finally took her upstairs she needed it within sight and kept interrupting her books and videos with, "my 'troller". I'm sure she dreamed of pink strollers that night, as the first thing she said when she awoke was "my 'troller". In a conservative estimate I'd say Wendy and I heard "my troller" over 150 times in 24 hours.

Another phrase she has been saying lately are "ank you, mommy/daddy" when we give her something. We would like to thank the new school for this new politeness in our girl. As she gets more independent she is also saying "I did it!" whenever she puts on socks/shoes, removes a button/snap, replaces a pen cap, washes her hands, pretty much anything equals "I did it!".

The other morning I woke up to her repeating "I did it" over and over again for 10 or so minutes until she started calling for me. I should have been more apprehensive as to what she "did" while in her crib, as when I walked into her room she was completely naked holding up a diaper for me to dispose of, saying "Daddy! I did it!".

Two!

2009-07-14T22:49:00.000-05:00

Today is Eleanor Kate's second birthday and as her Mama, I am allowed some excitement, and nostalgia as I reflect on the past 2 years and what life has been like with my girl. It has been wonderful and exhausting, fun and funny. Some highlights (and there have been many as of late) include: She has become the best big sister. Recently, she started calling Jack "Boo" because her mom and dad call him that (a morph of Brother, Baby, and Buddy, we think...). She sees him after school and says "Hi Boo" and proceeds to do or say whatever it takes to make him giggle. You know the giggle, that of a seven month old boy....I swear there is no other sound like it in the whole world and it'll make you smile the widest smile.

She has the best smiles and she knows when she is being bad because she'll wait for you to notice. All of a sudden, she also says, "Sorry Mama" after she has done something I don't like and it about breaks my heart. It is the best thing to see her talking so much, understanding right and wrong, and seeing the buds of empathy take root.
Nora Kate makes us laugh every day. Here is she wearing her daddy's slippers (she loves putting our shoes on) and running away from me taking her picture. Today I got dressed while she and Jack were chatting in bed. I came in and he is stark naked and giggling and Nora was saying "uh-oh" which is what she says anytime Jack drools, spits up, pees, or otherwise makes a mess.
And, she lets you know when she is mad or needs snugglin. She is our baby and I keep thinking about how she will not always call me Mama, will not always search us out in the room, will not even keep running to us after school everyday with that wild excitement in her eyes.
We love her growing independence (she now dresses herself, feeds herself, drinks out of any cup around, and is mastering the potty slowly, but surely, celebrates her successes by telling us "Did it!") and yet, today, on her birthday, I have to admit, her babyhood is behind us now. Still, while I miss that baby stuff, I am so excited for her life. What will she be when she grows up? What will her passions be? Who will she love? It's all going fast enough, but still, this life of hers....I'm just happy I get to be a part of it.
Eleanor is growing into a kid who can socialize, who can feel for others, and who is soaking up every piece of her world with reckless abandon---exactly what I had hoped for her when she was born.

Oh, and she loves coffee. I know what some of you must be thinking, but really, I can't help it. Both her Dad and I are addicts, so it naturally happens that she loves it too (and not mochas, my friends, real coffee). Anyway, Happy Birthday Bean, you are my sunshine, my lovebug, my baby love, my girl. And I couldn't be happier to be your Mama.

North Carolina Trip

2009-07-01T19:19:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago Wendy had a conference to attend in Charlotte, NC and Eleanor and I decided to tag along while Jack stayed in Columbus with family and friends. EKG handled the 7+ hour drive great, although she did resist getting in the car seat after pit stops once she realized the enormity of the trip. Wendy or I sat in the back with her most of the drive singing songs and reading the same books over and over.

While Wendy was in her all day meeting EKG and I checked out the sites of Charlotte. There was a neat park near our hotel where she got entranced by the ducks and geese in the pond. We spent most of the morning quaking at the ducks and wondering why they kept swimming away.

After a nap, we hit downtown. Saturday in downtown Charlotte was bustling. I thought about taking her to the Children's Discovery place, but all the goings on kept us more than busy.

So we just walked around and looked at the fountains, parks, artwork, horses, and people. We grabbed some tacos from a local merchant and checked out the farmers market. Before I knew it we had spent almost 3 hours walking around. It was kinda fun to be on "Nora Time" and let her explore and look at things without any agenda.

The big fountain above was a big hit. We stayed here for quite a while looking at the water and the bigger kids running around. I think the only reason we left was she saw a horse drawn carriage go by and wanted to see it closer.

Updates by Wendy

2009-06-25T21:50:00.011-05:00

A lot has happened since we last posted. Jack had his 6 month well child visit with Doctor O'Brien and weighs 22 pounds (above 97th percentile), is at the 60% for height and has a pretty big head, although the actual percentile escapes me now. He has also been for a chest x-ray (I hated holding him down, but sang to him, which helped) which came back normal, did a week of steroids, which did nothing, and is now on a baby nebulizer for breathing treatments twice a day. All of this for a chest rattle that he's had since getting sick about 2.5 months ago. He also starred in the diapering video today and by all accounts was perfect. It took 3 cameramen, 1 nurse and 1 child care specialist an hour to make the video and Jack cooperated through it all. I will post segments when I get the final edited copy.

Also, Eleanor had her first serious injury. As many of you know, she has escaped injury quite miraculously given that she fell down an entire flight of stairs, bounced off the bed onto her head, tripped head-, chin-, and face-first into cement sidewalks without so much as a drop of blood. Well, we were enjoying a great meal on Father's Day at Geoff's sister's house and all of a sudden, cheesy potatoes were everywhere and Nora was screaming. She somehow got hot steaming potatoes onto her foot and anyway, two toes and three places on the top of her foot have blistered and burst. She has been a trooper and handled it well. With a Daddy who does her wound care, she has come out of it (we hope) with minimal emotional or physical trauma.

On Friday, my Grandma Elsa died. At almost 35, I still had both grandmothers until now. She was a great lady to lots of people and lived a very full life. Mother of 15 children (My Dad was #7), 39 grandchildren (I am #10), and 19 great-grandchildren (not sure of the order of everyone here), she and my grandfather left Canada for a warmer climate and found Portland, Oregon. They made a life there and from all accounts, it was a happy and good life. For a great life story, go to http://obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?n=elsa-catherine-wehage&pid=128805266

My middle name is Catherine, named after my grandmother. She taught me gin rummy one afternoon when no one else but the two of us were around (a VERY rare occurrence and one of my most special memories of her). She made every one of us a huge heart shaped sugar cookie every Valentine's Day and she gave the best hugs. She got to meet Geoff and Eleanor, but sadly, not Jack, whom I sure she would have mistaken for my Dad.

In happier news, I was also promoted at work, Geoff passed his 6 month probationary period at Department of Education with flying colors, and today opens ComFest weekend here in Columbus. It means Uncle Whit is in town and everyone in our household is excited and looking forward to good music, one rainstorm, draft beer in huge mugs, corn dogs, and pad tai. So, we'll have pictures to post soon of this weekend.

We also had their pictures done this past weekend for Eleanor's 2nd birthday and Jack's 6 month old shot. A sampling below:

mamadada

2009-06-11T09:47:00.008-05:00

With Eleanor growing up so fast and changing everyday I wanted to put down a few things I love about our life right now.

. . . when she says "mamadada". For months she has combined our names when she needs us, we have heard she does this at school and with babysitters as well.

. . . when she clings to my leg when a helicopter flies over head.

. . . how Nora and Jack delight in seeing each other and the way she tries to make him feel better when he is upset.

. . . the twinkle in her eye before she responds when she knows the answer to a question.

. . . they way she asks for "more" of anything she likes. It started with asking for more food or music/video and morphed into things like animals at the zoo, birds in the backyard, or firetrucks going passed us.

Jack is growing so fast. He is six months old on Monday, which is very hard to believe. Here is a recent one of our boy, whose smile is infectious and wonderful.

From Jack: I am sitting up pretty well these days, although I get tippy (as in, I tip over) if left alone. I want to put everything in my mouth and should get some teeth here pretty soon. I've started having some fussy time around 7-8 pm every night and I'm not 100% certain of why, but I'm growin' and see the Doc on Monday. Oh yeah, I've also accepted a starring role in a video about diapering babies for the Ohio Department of Health. Yeah, it's a non-paying role, but I'm working on building my resume. Ciao babies!

Rescue Run

2009-05-31T07:06:00.006-05:00

The whole family did last week's Rescue Run for Homeless Pets. It was very fun as Eleanor got to see hundreds of dogs and even a rabbit! Here she and Mookie are meeting Lou Seal, the mascot for the Columbus Clippers.

And here we let EK on the agility course only to be shooed off with some nonsense about insurance and liabilities. blah, blah, it was keeping her happy.

Geoff and Mookie, who slept the better part of the day after the event got his excitement up.

Mookie-Daddy-Baby girl

And here is how we managed the event....a new to us double stroller which both kids love to ride in. Its old and doesn't fold down, but it enables us to walk with both kids and Mookie too, so it is very handy. Should help out at the zoo and Highbanks and other family outings.

House update: We have replaced light fixtures, repaired the porch (Thanks Scott!), installed a glass block window, had the house professionally cleaned, rehung a door, spackled away cracks, painted the entry, upstairs hallway and bathroom, laid down a ton of mulch and are just waiting for the roof replacement and outdoor painting & porch staining, which should happen in the next week or so.

Easter Part Two

2009-05-13T17:23:00.003-05:00

We spent our Easter afternoon at "Nana" Kathy's house with her family for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Eleanor was a bit shy at first, but soon warmed up and had a good time playing with everyone.

She didn't get the concept of the Easter egg hunt at first. She looked at us like we were crazy for making her pick up colored eggs. Then she saw the M&Ms in the eggs and the light went on for her. After she finished her eggs she grabbed her bucket and went back out in the yard to look for more, unfortunately there were no eggs left as the other kids did a good job finding them.

In other news, I guess you could say we have begun potty training. Eleanor likes her potty and gets the idea you need to sit on it, however she feels the need to get completely naked while sitting. Although she has not done anything on the potty she picked up the idea that reading material is a required aspect.

Happy Easter!

2009-05-05T21:56:00.004-05:00

Yup that's right Happy Easter. Our queue has gotten so full of pictures and updates we are running a month or so behind schedule. So the kids look much older than they do in these pictures. For example, Jackson is currently sporting a moustache. Here is a picture of the kids posing in their Easter clothes before going out to eat. They might be a little young for forced posing . . .

The rest of the Easter festivities went better than posing together. EKG loved dying eggs and the only problem came we we ran out of eggs to color.

She got a cool Easter basket that was light on candy and heavy on toys and distractions (thanks dollar store!). Eleanor loved her new hair ties and tried them out with Mama. We have some more Easter pictures that we will try and have posted by Memorial Day.

First Zoo Visit

2009-04-28T05:28:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago we took our first trip to the Columbus Zoo as a family. The zoo was pretty crazy as it was one of the first days they were showing the new baby elephant to the public and by the time we got in the line was already well back of the pachyderm building. As our girl is not to fond of waiting for anything we took off in the opposite direction. Eleanor loved the coral reef exhibit and would giggle whenever a fish or shark would swim close.

Jackson was not so impressed with the animals.

EKG and Mama checking out the koala bears.

She also liked the manatees and made us turn a sleeping Jack around to he could see them.

Off to find more animals.

Brilliant!

2009-04-17T05:40:00.003-05:00

So, our girl is brilliant. Of course we knew it already, but today she proved it--3 times before 7 am. Nora is exactly 21 months old and she repeated the alphabet--the whole thing! Until today, she would always stop at the letter "f" but not today, boy, she went right through to "z" three times! Well, I am just so excited and so is she! And yes, we do have Easter pictures! Seriously, we are just so busy at home and the days are over before we even realize it. But, some updates include Eleanor learning about a "naughty spot" and showing great excitement to use her potty. Last night she stripped down completely naked twice to sit on her potty chair. She actually peed next to it, which we consider a step in the right direction. Jack is getting longer every day. He is controlling is neck well and coos at everyone a lot. Here is Jack, happy as a clam, after his sister brought him the doughnut holes last week. She brings him everything, offers him whatever she is eating or drinking or playing with. He can't play with her yet, but I just cant help but think that once he does want to play with her, she won't care one bit. Look at that smile! Wehages, I think he got your cheeks!
Here is Daddy and Nora Kate. She can do a mean lower lip pout and she knows just how to do it too. Jack does it and it breaks our hearts, but Nora doe sit to crack daddy and Mama up!
And here I am playing my new favorite game with Jackson. I kiss him on the cheeks and he moves, usually open-mouthed, to kiss me back. It is very sweet and I just can't resist giving kisses to my babies.

In other news, we are going to start working to get the house in order to sell. We have to do some painting, patching, moving of furniture, yard work, and power washing. Oh yeah, and we gave ourselves a month to do this. Wish us luck! We're pretty sure we are making the move to Grandview, about a mile from where we are now, but into a good school district while staying urban. We'll keep you updated as best we can!

While I'm home sick

2009-04-08T15:40:00.003-05:00

I might as well post some pictures.

A late happy St. Pat's Day!

Playing with Mom's purse on a nice spring day.

Taking care of "Jack!"

Uncle Ben stopped by for a visit (from Switzerland) and became Eleanor's best friend for a day.

Jackson still loves his sister and lights up when she is around.

Some Pictures

2009-04-02T08:37:00.002-05:00

Mookie helping with the laundry, which is never ending.

Some pictures from a birthday party for some of EKG's older friends.

EKG playing with her doggie carrier.

Update

2009-03-16T18:52:00.004-05:00

Has it really been 3 weeks since a post? With both parents working 40+ hours a week; keeping up with two kids; all four of us getting sick; AND having the kitchen remodeled a bit, the blog fell off the family to do list. Well, here we are, alive and well, and it's back on the list. Now, I just have to get my brackets done (note: all THREE of Wendy's alma maters are in the Big Dance this year---first time ever. Go Zags, Vikings, & Zips!).

We really are managing to have loads of fun. Jackson has started to smile and react to us. Eleanor loves it (and demands "more") when he smiles at her. And he complies, like a good little brother, despite the abuse she has heaped on him. Here she is giving him a pacifier, which she has taken up as her major contribution to his life.

Eleanor is making so many strides it is hard to know what to report. She continues to expand her vocabulary and understanding of what we are saying (listening to what we are saying is another matter). She now says "Butt" on a regular basis, plus almost anything her Mama or Daddy says outloud. She also sings along with certain songs (Row Your Boat, ABCs) and enjoys doing hand motions with others (Turtle, Itsy Bitsy Spider).

She likes to say "cheese" with the camera but getting her to look at the camera and say cheese when we are ready with the camera is a different story. Recently, she has asked to "drive," which means she sits behind the wheel of Mama's car and pushes all the radio buttons. She loves it!

Another fun think Nora Kate is doing these days is picking up bags or the camera and putting the strap on her arm, which is how her Mama carries bags, and then she'll call "Bye Bye" over her shoulder as she heads to the door. She even grabs our keys and puts them up to the doorknob. Everything we do, she tries to do.

We picked her up a little bike and with the nice weather, she has taken it for a couple of spins in the backyard. She hasn't gotten the hang of the pedals yet, but moves pretty good pushing herself along. We are hoping by the time we are taking regular family walks, she can ride while Jack occupies the stroller.
Well, that's it for now, we are all having fun doing weekend trips to the park and might head to North Carolina in June. Geoff is heading to Chicago for the opening of the tourney this weekend, which should be fun.

Chunky Monkey

2009-02-23T15:36:00.006-05:00

Our boy continues to grow and grow. At his 2 month appointment he weighed in at 16.6 pounds which is off the charts ("over 97th percentile") and his length has caught up a bit and he is in the 50th percentile. And we thought our girl was a big baby. As you can tell from pictures he has a nice extra layer to keep him warm this winter. He has blown by his early clothes and is about out of the 3 month size.Here he is with his teacher on his first day of school. Age: 9 weeks

We had Eleanor's 1.5 year appointment the same day ans she is in the 95th percentile in weight and height. The doc did find that she had an ear infection so she is taking bubblegum flavored medicine, which she loves.

She continues to have a interest in what Jack is doing and has started mimicking what we do by taking care of her baby. She likes to feed her baby, burp him, and change his diapers over and over and over . . .

Last Day

2009-02-13T11:02:00.006-05:00

Today is my last day home alone with my son Jack. It has made me somewhat reflective and put me in a blog-writing mood. Getting to be a mom full time is something I have enjoyed. It's given Jack and I time to get to know one another. But, I know this much about myself: I need to work outside the home. I love my job, my co-workers, my works' purpose. I also know that leaving every day makes me a better mom. So, after 9 weeks, it has come to an end. I'll miss our days together JC, but don't worry, we'll have lots of special time together as you grow.

Jack will start Goddard on Monday and Nora's teachers told me they will take her down to visit him from time to time. She will love that. I'll check in next week and let you know how the new schedule is working, how getting back to work is working, and when on earth the house chores get done (my best guess? On the weekends or after kids are asleep).

Adjusting to Baby Brother

2009-02-06T09:05:00.007-05:00

Since everyone asks how Nora is doing with a new baby brother, I thought I would show you. She is doing great, for the most part....she hugs, kisses, and loves on him as much as we will let her. And we let her, so that she feels connected to him, despite the petrie dish of germs she comes home from school as everyday. He needs to build his immune system anyway, right?

There has been one sort-of interesting thing... She wants to sit and be "in" his things, evidence below:In his vibrating chair. No vibrations or music needed, just likes to be in there yanking the dangling bunny down from its apparatus.

And, here she is in his Pack 'n' Play, which we used extensively with a newborn Eleanor for changing diapers and taking naps. Turns out with an 18 month old on the loose, it can be pretty dangerous for a newborn. Eleanor would come up to it and shake it vigorously while Jack was inside. She never did it for more than a second, but needless to say, the P 'n' P is now upstairs and used only when Nora is at school.
Nora's biggest hurdle to overcome with her baby brother is in not knowing that she is big and Jack is small. That his limbs do not move like a doll's limbs (she pulls at them in any random angle she pleases). And, that Mommy's and Daddy's attention is better when focused on one child rather than both at the same time.

But, despite the abuse she inflicts on him, Nora is ultra protective of Jack. Just yesterday, I took him in to meet his new teachers and then picked up Nora in her classroom. Well, she shoved 3 different kids away from the stroller when they came close to see Jack. While I corrected her to be nice to her friends, I was glad that she cared about him (even if it is just a possession thing and not a love thing). For being 17 months apart, Nora is doing great with him. So, we're all adjusting. One more week off and I am back to work, so we'll see how hectic life gets then.

Talking

2009-02-01T07:25:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks Eleanor's spoken vocabulary has been increasing daily. She started by trying to repeat words we would say, but recently has started saying new words on her own. For example, in the tub the other day she said "bubbles" without any prompting. Everyday more caveman grunts are replaced with words.

It would be impossible to make a complete list of everything she has said or tried to say, but currently her three favorite words are, "Jack!"(always said with great vigor), "Momma" (usually repeated over and over), and "nooooooo" (said in a sing song fashion with a head shake).

Jackson continues to develop and has started tracking our voices and movement. If he could run I'm sure he would whenever he heard "Jack!" as EKG can be a bit over zealous in her affection for her brother.

Milestones

2009-01-21T09:41:00.004-05:00

Jackson turned one month old last week and had his pediatrician appointment with the new Doc (our old Doc retired). We like Doc O'Brien so far as she was very relaxed, has kids of her own, and understood first hand why Jack's blanket had dog hair on it (she has a yellow lab)! We found out that our little guy is 11.5 pounds (90th percentile), 21 inches (25th %), and has a head measuring in the 75th percentile. Jack, my boy, you are sized like a linebacker at one month old. Now, if only you end up left handed, you have a great shot at becoming either a big league pitcher or president of the USA (did you all see that stat, that 50% of the presidents have been left handed?? Weird given that lefties used to be burned at the stake for suspicion of witchcraft).

Also last week, Eleanor turned a year & a half! Geoff and I stopped to think about it and were both stunned at how time has flown. She will have her 18 month pediatrician appointment a month late (so, next month) and we'll see how she is measuring then. Until then, here are a few more pictures of the kids since I am their mother and think they are so cute.

The Secret to Good Parenting

2009-01-20T11:59:00.008-05:00

I have figured out that good parents have the answer to one key question. That question is: Where can I take my toddler to be entertained when it is freezing outside? Seriously, finding the answer to that question (especially when you live urban and realize you have to travel to suburbia to find most of these places) that keeps us sane and Nora Kate from bopping her brother on the head because she is frustrated or bored.

Despite the cold weather, we are having some fun. See below:
Making jello jigglers:
Going outside anyway (Nora grabbed her Dad's coat and hat to go outside after he had taken her out and played in snow for a good 20 minutes, for which she thanked him with a kiss):
Going to other people's houses to play (Thank you Nana Kathy & Papa Steve, Sidney & Hannah!) and getting fun surprises like hats made just for you (Thank you McKenzie!)And, finally, taking the kiddo out for fast food and ice cream, just so you can play on the businesses' indoor play yards. We did this Sunday and it was a sure fire hit. Because absolutely none of the fast food places near us have play yards (we live in a college district, not a place where many people have kids), we opted for Graeters ice cream and Nora loved it. She is a tad young for some of the slides and things, but played basketball, climbed stairs and flew down slides, and rode a banana see-saw. Great fun! Plus, mom got to eat real ice cream.

So, we're having fun, trying to stay sane with nights full of broken sleep. Oh, and I am collecting estimates on a new roof and some kitchen remodeling. So, if you know anyone who does these kinds of things honestly for a fair price, pass her/his name along. Here is one more of Jack in his many layers to brace against the cold:

Time Flies

2009-01-09T11:06:00.003-05:00

Little Jack continues to get bigger and stronger everyday. He is staying awake for longer periods of time and wants to eat constantly. We took him to the doctor for a weigh in to make sure he was gaining weight and he well surpassed the doc's goal of gaining half ounce a day.

Eleanor continues to learn something new every minute. She now talks in complete sentences and reads out loud. Granted we can't understand what she is saying but what comes out is in the form of a sentence and she certainly knows what she wants. She will grab anything we are reading, hold it in front of her and read it aloud while walking around the house.

We got her ready for the Ohio State bowl game by teaching her "Go Bucks!" and trying to teach her the Oh - io chant. She can't quite get the h and i, so she does "O" with the arm motion and after we fill in the h and i she ends it with another enthusiastic "o".

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T07:43:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a good holiday season. Here are some pictures from our Christmas. Nora still loves her brother.

Playing with Uncle Scott on Christmas afternoon.

The whole clan.

Jack taking a snooze.

Eleanor ready to hit the road.

XMas Eve

2008-12-24T15:30:00.002-05:00

Our family of four is getting settled in nicely at home, mostly with a lot of help from Grandma. We aren't sure what we will will do when Keri goes back to Portland as we have gotten used to the extra pair of adult hands to help handle the kiddos.

To answer to most common question we have received, Eleanor loves her new brother. She is handling the new addition better than we could have hoped and she really seems to enjoy Jack. She loves to watch him, hold him, help feed him, and kiss him

A couple times she has gotten upset because she wants to climb in his pack and play or wants him awake so she can hold him, but considering how I thought she might react these episodes are nothing.

Tomorrow we are heading to the Pollocks to celebrate Christmas and unlike most of the country we won't have a white Christmas which will make the drive much less stressful. Happy Holidays to all our friends and family around the globe!

More Jackson

2008-12-17T16:13:00.005-05:00

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and love sent on behalf of our new family member. It is touching to know how many people care about our little clan. Here are some pictures of Eleanor trying to figure out who the little guy is.

Jack has been doing great so far, eating and sleeping like a champ, which is about all you are supposed to do at 36 hours old. He has made a good impression on all visitors so far, Grandma below.

Aunt Pam and Uncle Scott braved the slick conditions for a visit.

As did family friends Marv and Mary Lou Ward. They even brought a present for Nora, which I'm sure she will love. I'm sure we will love having something to distract her on her next visit. Thanks to everyone!

Here's Jackson

2008-12-15T16:51:00.002-05:00

Today, Jackson Caulfield Grove was born in Columbus , Ohio's Riverside Hospital. A scheduled C-section, Dr. Vanek delivered. Weighing in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring in at 20 inches, Jackson is healthy by all accounts.
With a head full of curly blonde hair, this kiddo screamed his way into the world, but is sleeping peacefully after breastfeeding like a champ.
Dad and son.
Mama is doing well after a rather unpleasant bout of nausea about 6 hours after the surgery. The itching from the morphine is enough to drive me mad, but even that is subsiding now.
Today, he met his Grandpa Grove & Charlotte and Grandma Wehage, plus his big sister Eleanor. Nora really wasn't sure about him at first, but then balked at being more than a foot away. I think they will have a very special relationship.

Holiday Memories

2008-12-12T09:25:00.004-05:00

As the Grove clan prepares to move forward with the addition of a new family member, I also find myself looking back. The Holidays are a natural time to reflect on the past year and previous Christmases. Having lost mom less than 3 years ago I find she still dominates my recollections this time of year. From the great food and of course presents to the comfy atmosphere with decorations in every corner of every room, I only have fond memories of the Holidays at the house on North Star Road. Mom's zeal for the season and joy in traditions made the time fun. I can still hear her singing certain Christmas carols when they come on the radio. I hope we can pass warm memories like these along to our children.

One of Mom's traditions was to collect Christmas themed Anna Lee dolls, which are known for having each face hand painted so no two are exactly the same. Admittedly they are an acquired taste. If I had never seen them before I'm sure I'd have no attachment to them, but unbiased opinions have no place in memories or tradition. Mom amassed such a collection that she gave me one of the larger Santas she had while I was in college. So he went with me too my stops in college and grad school and back to Columbus. I'd always set him out during the season, sometimes my only decoration, over the years he has been knocked over many times, been attacked by cats, and been stored improperly. Hardly the way to treat a fragile doll.

We didn't think anything of it when we were unpacking decorations and placed him on top of the TV, just another year of the mildly beat up Santa to look over us. But Eleanor wasn't going to let him sit there so easily. While ignoring many of the Christmas decorations we thought she'd like she started emphatically grunting and pointing at him and demanded we bring him down for inspection. Nora was a but scared at first but soon warmed up to him and spent hours looking at his stocking and candy cane and pointing over and over at his facial features and beard. The first night we actually had to put Santa "night night" (in a closet) because anytime we took him away but she could see him she demanded he come back down. Over the past couple weeks he is the first one she waves to when we walk into the room and he gets special "bye byes" when we leave. She still wants to play with him everyday and points/waves to him constantly. Even if she is playing with something else she wants him nearby.

One night Wendy said what I was thinking while Nora was obsessing over Santa, "That's her Grandma in her." It's incredibly sweet to see Eleanor takes to something Mom loved and cherished. It makes me sad they never met as I know Mom would have delighted in Nora and her antics and would have been tickled to no end that she loves Anna Lees. But I know I carry a lot of Mom in me as does Santa.

One Week

2008-12-08T14:59:00.003-05:00

We are one week away from our family growing to a brood of 4! So I thought I'd give an update as to how everyone is doing. Wendy is doing well. As expected she gets tired from chasing around Nora and carrying around another. It appears that Foz Tone is doing great as well. He moves around quite a bit, especially after cereal or ice cream. Eleanor is blissfully unaware of how significantly her world is going to change, but she has shown an interest in babies recently. We will see how she reacts to a baby that is around 24 hours a day and taking attention from her Mom and Dad. And, I'm doing what I can to keep the three of them happy and healthy while not getting caught up in worrying about how we will handle two kiddos and instead enjoying the experience.

Here is our girl curled up on Wendy after a hard day at school.

We had our first significant snow this weekend (about 2 inches), so Sunday afternoon we went out to play. This is Nora's first experience with walking in and playing with snow. She was a little unsure at first, but once she saw Mookie tearing around the yard she realized there was nothing to be afraid of.

She was fascinated and most of the time she was staring at her feet walking through the snow and how the snow stuck to her boots. She had a couple wipe outs, as expected, but bounced right back up. Then I taught her to feed snowballs to Mookie.

Thanksgiving Pictures

2008-12-03T14:15:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving at the Pollock's house was great. Eleanor had fun playing with all the new toys and had lots of people to entertain her. Here she is with Lindsey.

Sitting on Grandpa's lap.

And playing with Skyler.

Of course she also had fun with Casey who was trying to relax in her cage. Nora would have none of that.

Happy Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T07:29:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family. Know that even if you aren't with us you are in our thoughts. Love Geoff, Wendy, Eleanor, Mookie, and Foswhitt.

Here are some pictures of our little Turkey Bird.