A trip to Bainbridge Island

About 7 months ago one of the moms from my & Addie's  PEPS group had twin boys and
moved to Bainbridge Island (these 2 big life changes happened right about the same time).
We had been wanting to see her, her daughter Elsa and the twins for quite a while. We finally scheduled it and made it happen. This was a very fun adventure for Addie because it involved not only riding a ferry but also carpooling with a friend. I decided it would work best to leave Etta at home with Matt so we did not need to be constrained by her nap schedule. So we got to carpool with Addie's PEPS friend Beckett, his mom Brennan & her little baby Delaney. Addie got to sit in a big-girl booster in the backseat of their car between Beckett & Delaney, and she loved the carpooling experience!

No gathering of toddlers is complete without multiple snack-times!

 Beckett's little sister Delaney was quite a content little sweetheart

as she got taken out of the car, put back in the car, brought upstairs, then back downstairs, etc.

Basically she was at the whims of her older sibling's schedule and interests, 

which is the way it is with basically every second child until they are old enough to truly protest :)

 Here is Elsa's little brother Olin.

 And his twin brother Henry. (Isn't it great how different they look!)

Not the most flattering picture of Henry, but the only one I took.

He truly is a cutie in person.

 Elsa was practicing her camera skills and Addie was a willing model.

 They are all in the same picture, but not exactly looking at the camera :)

 Next time we will have to get picture of Addie & Beckett out on the ferry deck. 

They were not thrilled about this location right by all the cars but we were about to get in our car 

and realized we had no picture of them and the water.

A little bit sleepy while eating their snack on the ferry ride home.

Did I mention that Addie loved carpooling with Beckett? She loved it! She wants to do it again.
She said specifically that she wants to go on the ferry and visit Elsa,
but I think a trip just about anywhere is more fun when it is shared with friends!

Visiting Coen at home

Last night we brought dinner to Myron & Lori so we could visit with them and baby Coen. 

The girls were thrilled to be at Myron & Lori's apartment and see Maya.

Mostly it was Maya they were excited to see (I thought I took a couple pictures of them playing with her but evidently not). As Coen gets older and more interactive I know they will have a lot of fun with him too.

(Sorry, these pictures were not posted in the order they were taken in. Etta arrived in clothes and left in pj's)

Both girls wanted to peek at Coen's itsy-bitsy toes. 

Etta tried to touch his face a couple of times because she is very into pointing out eyes and noses 

(but she tends to poke or squeeze more than just point). 

The little guy snoozed the entire time we were there.
Addie was fascinated with all the baby gear.
His bed, bouncy seat, etc are all extremely interesting to her.
(I remember it was the same when we had Etta.)
After visiting Coen at the hospital she liked pretending that Lion was an itsy-bitsy fresh-from-her-tummy newborn baby and she was at the hospital. She wanted him only in a diaper and then double swaddled just like Coen was at the hospital. After visiting them last night, Addie wanted a hooter-hider so she could nurse Lion in privacy like Lori was nursing Coen when we first arrived.   :)

Haircuts

It was time for haircuts for the girls.
I delayed for a while partly because I am cheap (and haircuts are not) and
partly because getting hair cut might mean losing some curl.
But both of them had to have their hair pulled back during every meal to keep it out of their eyes and mouth
so I knew it was time.

Etta drooled all over her cape. Poor girl has had an eruption of teeth lately and mass amounts of drool.

Addie had a bit of a tail in back because the middle of her hair grew longer than the sides. 

So it got trimmed straight in back. It needed it, but the tail was the part with the most curl and I was sad to see the curl go. I am not a huge fan of the current length. It is past her shoulders but not much. So it does not sit above her shoulders but instead kind of gets "caught" at her shoulders and bunches up there (if that makes any sense). So I am not sure if her next cut will be shorter or if I will let it grow out again and next time we will just do a little trim to clean it up and get rid of split ends.

Etta did not have much cut off the back and her curl was not drastically affected.

It is still surprising sometimes to realize how blond her hair has gotten compared to its dark brown at birth.

Her hair is pretty but I actually miss the brown 

(and some of the beautiful in-between stages where it was reddish) quite a lot.

Both girls look much better from the front: cue bangs and a bit of facial framing
 to keep the hair out of the eyes and mouth.

Some numbers in the life of Etta

10- busy little fingers
9-little teeth
8-words she consistently signs: all done, more, please, thank you, gorilla, eat, hot, change (for diaper change)
7-hours of sleep I got in a row once this week thanks to her sleeping through the night, for which I am so very thankful
6-approximate number of times she eats each day
5- number of cousins she has
4- approximate number of times she poops each day
3-her shoe size (although 80% of the time she is barefoot, the rest of the time she is in Robeez)
2- legs that are working on their walking
1- big sister who loves her very much

Parking Ticket

So here is my sob story:

I went to the gym this morning with both girls. The gym has a small lot which parking is free in, but the lot was full. So I parked on the street and fed the meter. When we were done at the gym, I checked and had about 15 minutes left on my time. So we went across the street to the library since I had books along that were due. Originally I was going to drive to the Greenwood Library, but Ballard library was right there so it seemed more efficient. We returned the books and looked through some board books in the childrens section. We did not browse the shelves or check out books or anything because I was trying to be careful on time. On our way out Addie told me she needed to go potty. So we visited the bathroom but as often happens lately, once she is on the potty she says she does not need to go. So we exited the building and I looked across the street towards our car and had a sinking feeling as I saw the parking enforcement vehicle. Sure enough there was a ticket on my window because I was 10 minutes over. I was so upset. I actually waited around a few more minutes so I could talk to the person who ticketed me, but once the ticket is issued there is no going back.

Seriously, what should I have done different? Skipped the gym so I did not have to park on the street? Then I would have to pay the gym childcare cost for not cancelling ahead of time. Buckled the girls in their carseats, moved the car one block so I could park in the free parking garage at the library? Such a hassle for such a short errand. Fed the meter more? Except that with Seattle's meters, there is no plopping an extra quarter in to add more time on, you are starting over on your time since you are paying by an automated machine that issues tickets for more than just your one parking spot. Skipped going to Ballard library? I could have gone to Greenwood instead, I just thought we would be ok and it would be no big deal. Told Addie we did not have time to visit the bathroom? But I want her to know that when she says she needs to go potty that I take her seriously and respond as soon as I am able (more on that later maybe).
I guess what I should have done was drop the books but not even enter the library so I took no chances of my time running out. Lesson learned? Not sure...

So I am thinking over whether I want to pay it. I can request a hearing and tell them my story. That would be admitting I am at fault, which I know I am by a measly 10 minutes, but hoping they lower the fine. But I dont know that it would be worth it because I would have to drag the kids along with me and who knows what time of day it would be at. Or I would have to pay a babysitter and at that point I am not saving any money even if I do get the fine reduced and feel better about someone having compassion.

So what should have been a visit to the gym where I paid $6 for childcare now cost me $6 plus $2.50 for parking plus a $40 ticket and on top of that, once again, Etta cried the entire time she was in the childcare there. Argh!

Coen meets his cousins

I had thought we would wait to see baby Coen until we brought them a meal on Sat. I know how important it is for the new mom & dad to try to get sleep at the hospital. But Lori's mom needed a ride to the aiport. So we went there this morning. I got to swaddle & hold the precious newborn. On the way there Addie was excited to meet him & wanted to try to hold him for a picture. We got there & she just acted shy and hardly wanted to say hi or walk into the room. We might get some better pictures when we visit on Sat. After the visit, Addie was ready to talk again and one of the things she pointed out is that Maya (their dog) is now a big sister!

baby, baby, baby

There have already been 3 little additions to the Marston clan in 2011!

Elizabeth Joy Berschauer (AKA "Eliza") was born on Jan 11 to Matt's cousin Janelle & her husband Patrick. Eliza weighed in at 9lbs and was 22 inches long. She joins big brothers Ethan, Isaac & Silas.

Annie Christine Marston was born on Jan 21 to Matt's cousin Tim & his wife Hilary. 
She has a head of dark hair and was 7 lbs 7 oz and 19 inches long.


Coen Nicholas Harris Marston was just born an hour ago to Matt's brother Myron & wife Lori. He was 8lbs 15oz. Addie & I have been eagerly awaiting his arrival & talking about him. We can not wait to meet him and I am sure we will have pictures to share soon!


Another of Matt's cousins is pregnant and expecting her 2nd child this June. That is all the Marston babies on the 2011 docket so far. No Walburg baby announcements for 2011 but the year is young. 

Big, Little

I could not resist these cute Big Sister/Little Sister shirts.

It is funny how much the two look like each other. 

When Etta was born we got comments about how Addie was a "mini-me" 

and Etta with her full head of dark hair was a "mini-Matt".

Now some days some people remark about how much Etta looks like me.

It makes me remember when I was growing up how my 3 sisters & 

I would go through stages of who we looked like. 

At certain ages I looked like my sister Diane 

(I think we even got asked if we were twins because she was just as tall as me). 

At other ages I would resemble one of my older sisters more. 

Now keep in mind that we really could never look that different from each other: 

we all have blond hair & blue eyes :)

A post about poop

I have been putting Etta on the potty about once a day lately. I would not by any means say I am practicing elimination communication, but I am interested in her being aware of her body's functions. I know she understands when she is poopy. If I ask her if she is, she is able to tell me her version of the word "yes". She never says yes when she is not poopy. She does sometimes say no when she is in fact poopy, but that is because (I think) she is having a fun time playing & does not want to be taken away to have her diaper changed. There have also been a few times lately when Matt or I have gone to get her after nap and she has said "change" and done the sign for diaper change that we taught her - and she is in fact poopy at those times. There have been a few times lately after nap when I ask her if she wants to sit on the potty and she say yes. Then I discover that she has already done poop in her diaper. So I think she is saying yes to the potty knowing that poop goes in the potty when I shake it off her cloth diaper. There have also been times over the past few months that Addie or I will be going poop and Etta will sit in the bumbo which is in the bathroom and do her own poop. All this to say, she knows about where poop goes.

So this morning when I got her up I did not smell any poop. Which is rare lately because since her stint of rotavirus  basically every morning when I go in there is a super poopy smelly diaper waiting for me. So I started changing her and not only was there no poop, her diaper was basically dry. I asked her if she wanted to sit on the potty and she said yes. So to the potty we went. Usually she squirms and wants down very quickly. Today she was more patient and I could tell she was working on trying. So I expected to hear a tinkle, tinkle. Instead, surprise! I heard the plunk, plunk of little poops! Cleaning up a little bum after pooping in the potty is SO much easier than when the poop is in the diaper. She got a sticker as a reward (don't tell her Addie got jelly beans when she did poops in the potty!) So I am not going to expect her to be potty trained by the age of 18 months or anything. But I am going to continue having her sit on the potty, especially at natural times like right before bath. I also want to try to catch her at her typical poop times too (often right after meals). We will see how it goes...

Grumble grumble grumble

It feels like one of those days. One of those days where I try hard to be a good mom but my patience is very thin. One of those days when things are just not going my way. It might not be quite as extreme as "alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day" but then again the day is not done yet.

It snowed last night. Snow is pretty but the city of Seattle seems truly scared to leave the house in it or if they do leave the house they are pathetic drivers. I know that is a big blanket statement. I know I can not claim to have years of experience with driving in the snow. I know the weather in Portland where I grew up is very similar to this. But yet it is not. Where my family lived we had freezing rain and black ice we had to deal with. And we safely did. Sure we avoided driving if we could, but a couple inches of snow did not seem to bring the city to a standstill. I lived in CO in Aug-Dec during a year of college. People in CO drive in snow all the time. I learned to drive in it. I spun out once but no one was hurt, no damage was done, it made me more cautious and aware.
Plus, and this is big: it was not snowing this morning, it was raining. The rain had been falling and making mush of the snow for hours. Yet Seattle Public Schools were on 2 hr late start and that meant Addies co-op class was cancelled.
I love co-op, I love being in class with her, so "snow" days that are not truly snowy are disappointing to me. It is not like we could play in the nasty wet slushy snow. So no class today.

Plus my body is really tired because I did not sleep well last night. Etta has been sleeping in great in the mornings, but that is her way of compensating for her 2 hr awake & crying stretches at night. We are still not over those. And to make it worse, we have to repeatedly go in and check on her. Having diarrhea has meant poopy diapers over night (which has not been an issue for months & months). We cant just leave her in a poopy diaper because then it is against her skin all night and makes her diaper rash flare up. And that is not pleasant for her.

So my body is sore because even with earplugs in I can hear her some and my body was tense because I was wondering about the snow and Etta's diaper and such.

So I corralled the girls out of the house so I did not go crazy. We got to the grocery store and had to park up top. So we can take the elevator or the stairs down. Elevators make my head a little sick so I avoid them when possible. So we did the stairs. Which took forever because Addie was wearing rain boots because of the slush but she does not walk good in rain boots. At the top of the stairs she saw one of those car-style shopping carts with steering wheels that 2 kids can ride in and she wanted to use it. But the seat was wet and it would have required using the elevator so I told her we would look for one when we got down the stairs. But there were no shopping cars down there. They were all outside and were all wet. So I could put Etta in a wet cart, or go back upstairs for a cart, or carry Etta. Since I was only going to get 2 things and since neither was heavy or bulky I decided to carry her. Which was not good on my sore body. I had thought that maybe sugar would make my day go a little better (it would not help my blood sugar or my effort to lose the baby weight still on me, but it might improve my mood). So I was thinking if Addie asked nicely for a treat I would buy one since I sometimes, but not always, do for her. But she did not ask. Better for our health, but I was still in a crummy mood.

So then we went to the library. I had decided that the librarians are always super friendly so instead of doing my own searching on the shelves or the online database, I would ask for help. I want to start reading books to Addie about fears/monsters in the closet, etc since that is something we are dealing with a bit. A perfect little request for an experienced helpful childrens librarian. Except it was this lady's first day on the job. Literally. She tried to help but the books she came back with had freaky looking monsters on them. The books were aimed at older kids and since so much of fears can be visual, cute pictures are much preferred over ugly scary monsters. So thanks but no thanks. I will search on my own after all.

We got home and ate lunch. That went fairly well and it is always a god idea to get fruit and protein into my body. Then I needed to take a bday card out to the mailbox before the mailman came. So slish slosh out I went while the girls played inside. I came back after about 90 seconds and Addie hands me a super sharp large broken-off piece of wood (looks like it came from a dowel plus has a red handle on it) and told me Etta had it. Panic! Thanks goodness Addie is both smart and careful and took it gently from Etta. Seriously, though, how did that happen in that 1 minute I was gone and where on earth did the piece come from? I searched and realized it came from a child-size wooden rolling pin of theirs. It is a mystery to me how it broke, but at least no damage was done.

My bad mood needs to get better. I may need to artificially stimulate it with coffee (which I already tried this morning). I may need to help my sore body with ibuprofen, which I already tried with no clear effect this morning. I may need sugar for a mood lift, but then I might have a mood dip too. Could we just fast forward through this day or something please?! I know I am feeling sorry for myself. But I need to get it all off my chest and move on. The girls are both napping. I want to too. But my phone rings and the garbage trucks clank by and a siren goes past. Literally. these things are all happening. Maybe I should bake some cookies instead of nap? I am going to attempt it again. 20 minutes of quiet rest is all I truly need.

No luck. My brain does not want to settle down. So  a few more minutes under my warm blanket and then it is time to get up. Maybe being productive will help me feel better about my day.

Addie's 3 yr Stats.

34 lbs (76%)
38 1/4 (76%)
and they no longer do head measurements at this age, but they do take her blood pressure -
she is at a healthy 80/60

I am actually surprised she is in the 76% for weight. I know she is tall but she is thin. But I guess the weight is spread all across her long body :)
Now if only her feet would have a slight growth spurt so I could safely say goodbye to some of the grubby shoes she wears everyday :)

In other news, we (The Dr & I that is) think Etta might have Rotavirus. She was vaccinated for it when she was young, but I guess that is not a 100% life long immunity. Don't worry, she is not contagious unless other kids eat her poop (gross!). I am very diligent about washing my hands (in fact they are constantly dry & chapped because they get washed so much). But she got some germs from somewhere & she got some yucky bugs in her tummy & her good bugs need to be restored. Her only symptom has been diarrhea; no fever, no vomiting, no lethargy. She has been in a perfectly happy mood... until we change her diaper. Which happens a lot when there is diarrhea. All the wiping led to a truly truly nasty painful diaper rash. So the poor girl has had an ouchy bum for quite a few days. Hopefully we can put this behind (ha, ha!) us soon.

A few of my favorite things

Well, I like crisp apple strudel & brown paper packages tide with string as mush as Julie Andrews maybe. But my completely non-exhaustive list is going to be things I encounter on a daily or weekly basis. A lot of these will be kid items but they will mostly be what I am using lately, not the very best things to buy when you are pregnant or have a newborn. So here goes:

-Amazon Fresh. I feel guilty every time I order from them. I have multiple grocery stores with good selection a quick walk away. But online grocery ordering is so dang convenient. There is no getting home from the grocery store with 2 cranky kids just to realize you forgot to buy one of them important things on your list. I can come & go on my list over a matter of hours or days depending on how soon I set it up. I can open my front door at 6:30 in the morning and have the coffee I desperately added to the order at 10pm the night before. If I order over $150 from them in one month, there is no delivery charge the entire next month. Their produce has always been really good quality. I, as most people, am picky about produce - but they know that & they only offer things that are in really good condition. My only complaint about them? They do not deliver in all neighborhoods and they do not do gift certificates. If they did, this would be my go-to gift for all new moms.

-Jack Johnson's songs from the Curious George film. We received 4 different kids cd's this Christmas, and I am really loving this one. The girls will grow into the other ones as they get older but this is one I love right now and they seem to enjoy as well. It is great because it can be background music which I can tune out while doing other things (some kids music is too obnoxious to tune-out) and then when I am listening I want to sing along or dance to (to Etta's great amusement).

-bbib by oots. I do not know why I did not buy one like 2 years ago. They are simple but brilliant: cloth bibs with arms. We have been quite happy with our Kiddopatamus rinse & roll bibs that are plastic with a big pouch to collect all the food chunks that fall. But bibs with arms are great because they protect the arms and sleeves. Etta got one for Christmas and Addie loves it and always wants to wear it. I would buy more in sizes for both girls but they are expensive. I have seen them on the babysteals deal-of-the-day a couple times and always contemplated getting some but never followed up. I will snatch them up quick if I see them again. Matt suggested just putting them in an old T-shirt of ours. I am sure we could create something similar. Maybe my mom is bored and needs a new sewing project?!

-Kids size CamelBak. When Addie first started drinking from sippies she truly did not understand the tipping concept, so we found that straw-style worked best. We used the Nuby cup with handles, then when she got older and was drinking more we transitioned to the larger size with no handles. My complaint with the Nuby with handles is that it does not come clean very well. The bottom part gets water stuck between it & the bottle. Then over time this gets dirty brown. They are not actually drinking from a dirty cup, but it looks like it. Also, as teeth come in, little mouths like to chew on straws. This of course is not a good idea. Especially since it is hard to find the straw replacements. We did find them and bought a multi-pack before we had Etta because we did not want the waste of throwing the entire cup away but for the money we spent, new cups would have been better. When Etta was ready for sippies, she did not want to tip, she just wanted a straw style like her big sister so the Nuby cups were her favorite too. Addie has  transitioned to the CamelBaks and they seem to get the straw parts cleaner a lot easier, plus you can buy replacement straw parts easily. She loves them because they are just like Daddys.  My only complaint with the CamelBak? That they dont come in a smaller sippy size with handles!

-BabyLegs. Also known as leg warmers or arm warmers in our house. My sister tried pitching them as footless knee-high soccer socks to her husband who was not thrilled with the idea of his son in leg warmers. But I love them! I try to keep a pair in my diaper bag for just in case a little extra warmth in needed. And sometimes it is mama who is cold, so I slip them on my own arms :)

-Do-a-dots. I am not very artistic or creative, but I try to keep basic art supplies readily available. The do-a-dots are great because they are a step above crayons but not messy like paint. They are markers with a sponge tip applicator. Etta understands to dot them on the table better than she understands drawing with a crayon. Addie likes mixing the colors on the paper like she would with paint.

-Green Toys brand. We have had the toolbox and the tea set for quite a while and love them. Nothing has broken or chipped. There are no obnoxious lights or noises and they are easy to clean. We also have the firetruck now. In a few years, I may want the jump-rope for Addie. I keep my eye out for their new products because I am so happy with the ones I have.

-Edushape Sensory Balls. The girls love them. Their nubby texture is fun to touch and makes them easier to grip. Addie likes sitting and bouncing on the bigger size. Etta likes laying her tummy over them. Both girls like rolling and throwing them. They are by far the favorite balls in our house. The Rhino Toys Oball was their favorite before the nubby balls...

-Play kitchen along with pots, pans, cups, fake food, etc. I do not think brand is important on the kitchen. Sure the wood ones are beautiful and the Pottery Barn Kid ones I drool over. But as long as there are no batteries in our Little Tikes one, it is great with me as well as the girls. Today Addie spent quite a long time making pizza for Etta (Etta was mostly oblivious to this effort) and even set the table for her. Etta sees the play cups and pretends to drink from them. It gets used every single day now that I have moved it close to our kitchen instead of having it downstairs.

-Orchard board game by Haba. Kind of like Hi ho cherry-o but different. Well made pieces. Totally simple and mindless for an adult, but perfect for kids Addie's age.

- Deal-of-the-day sites. Warning: these get addictive. Since your time to think things over is limited, you may suffer buyers remorse. Then again you may wish the next day that you had purchased the deal (see bbib above)

Groupon - "collective buying power" -email you each day with a deal in your city for things like restaurants, gyms, museums, spas, etc

Mamabargains - one deal at a time, but more than one each day (just depends on how fast they are snatched up) They can have some really high priced items (like strollers) for good prices. Watch out for the shipping charges though!

Babysteals - email you a new deal each day - when it's gone, it's gone so decide fast!

Kidsteals -email you a new deal each day - when it's gone, it's gone so decide fast!

Tippr - collective buying similar to groupon



I am sure a lot of other things will pop into my mind over the next week or two, but that gives you a little glimpse into our house :)

Cousin Twins

This past weekend we got to spend two days in Kent: on Fri with the "immediate" family, on Sat with extended family. Matt, Etta & I drove up to Seattle Fri night to spend the night at our house, then drove back down Sat morning. But Addie did a sleepover at Grandma Karen & Papa Lorens place. She was really excited about this because Aunt May was staying there as well so they got to share a room. She did a great job. My girl is growing up!

Mike, Becka & Ellie were here from Boise & as always it was great to see them and watch the cousins interact (if not exactly play together).

 Etta being her silly self.

Becka & I coordinated so we could have Etta & Ellie be cousin-twins in the same shirt. 

(on a side not about shirts: Etta is soaking through at least 2 a day with her drool lately. 

It is a constant, steady, stream of saliva.)

 Ellie seemed to really like looking at big cousin Addie

Addie, in turn, really loved attention from her big second-cousin Kendra

Ransom & his parents came all the way from Pullman to spend time with the family

Myron & Lori brought Maya, so the girls got some good dog time in.

Addie informed Maya that she would be a big sister soon :)

Little boy Marston is due in about 1 1/2 weeks, so I will have their birth announcement to share soon.

 Lion, of course, was there. But Etta is not usually allowed this close to him.

 (I know it looks like Addie is kicking her unborn baby cousin, 

but I am pretty sure that is not in fact the case!)

Dr Addie was thrilled to get some new tools

We had a great Christmas time, but as always it is also nice to get back into our routine.