Kindergarten here we come

Is this the face that Ella's kindergarten teacher will know and love? Or will that be the mouth that never stops running? I fear she, like me, will have the report card statement "very good student, talks too much in class!" I guess there are worse things than having a million questions. And her questions are not, "why, mom? why why why?" they are more like "Mama, why does that tree have red leaves in the fall and the other trees leaves stay green?" QUESTIONS I AM INCAPABLE of answering. Yesterday she says to me, "Mama, umbrellas were invented in India." I have no idea whether she's right or not (but I'd bet on her rather than against her) but the fact that she knows India exists blows my mind. She also said to the lady cutting her hair, "Hey, did you hear about the .... what's it called mama (mama kept silent since I had NO clue where she was going with it), that big storm, oh Hurricane, in Mexico. It was flooding and the rain was coming down sideways!" Yes, she occassionally sees snipets of the news. The real world, she even heard something about 14 soldiers dying in Iraq the other day and said "Oh mama, that is so sad about those soldiers." Maybe I should shield her but I'd rather talk to her about real life. So she's not totally sheltered and ill-equipped to deal with the real world.

This brings me to a discussion about TV watching by kids on a listserv for Moms from the DC area. There were dozens of emails about how only 1/2 an hour a day should be allowed and on and on. I just flat out disagree. And finally had to post the following message:


I have a 5 year old just about ready to enter kindergarten and TV has always been a part of her life. Definitely more than the 30 minutes a day or whatever is recommended. We don't abuse it and when we tell her that's it and time to go...to bed, to do art, to school, she is extremely cooperative and happy to move on to another activity. We have always been very careful about WHAT she watches, not so much how much she watches. We get comments from our adult friends expressing amazement at her vocabulary and knowledge of even intricate concepts. I know we have played a large part in that by talking to her and doing our best to explain things to her, but I also know that she has learned an appreciation of many things and an understanding of even more from her shows (Baby Einstein, Sesame Street, Little Einstein, etc - think Noggin channel, though she does love Scooby Doo too). Another great resource for exposing your children at a young age to music is the Beethoven's Wig cd set. At first she just loved listening to the singing (they set classical pieces to lyrics that tell the story or history of the piece), now she can hear a classical composition and recognize it and even recall the name of the piece. "Mom this is Fur Elise" "Yes, Ella, it is!" Ultimately it is totally up to individual families to set limits. I also try to think back to when I was a kid and how much TV time we had. It was CONSTANT. And the quality of programming (Tom & Jerry, Flintstones, etc) was not nearly as good as it is today. Still, I made it into one of the most selective colleges in Virginia and have a successful fulfilling career. I guess I could be considered a bit of a slacker mom, but I try not to obsess too much about anything and just do the best job I can do with my children. As long as they are happy, healthy and engaged in what is going on around them, I am ok with that. Maybe I am in denial, but I am ok with that too!

Crab Fest #5

Wow, so we've been having a Crab Fest every year since Ella was born, making this #5. Time does fly. Typically they happen in July near my birthday, but this year with the new baby and all (yes, I am planning on using him as an excuse until he's at least 7) we (meaning me) had a little bit more trouble pulling it together. So ... it happened ... in August. Finally. I pared down the guest list a bit (no offense to anyone intended) and simplified the fixin's because I wanted to keep it simple. We had a great turnout. Absolutely fabulous weather, cool and breezy for August in Virginia. Nothing short of a miracle. No lightning! No electrocutions. Not a drop of rain. Lots of crabs, great friends, two cute kids, and beer. What more could you want for a summer evening.

Next year, maybe, we'll be back to our normal large partying selves. But maybe not as the Max will be mobile and 18 months old!

PS If you see yourself on this page and don't want to be on this page ... let me know, I'll gladly delete you!

Ella Entertaining (or being entertained by) our Guests














The Guys Talking about guy stuff














Current Guests w/ Future Guest in utero :)














Max Enjoying His First Crab Fest














The Sisters!

Our Littlest F1 Fan

I am not pleased with the team hat displayed. If I could find my JPM hat he'd have that on. I think he'll look more handsome in Black & Gray than Red & Yellow!

Separated by 33 years and some change...

I've been informed of the similarities between Max & I, what I hadn't noticed was how much Ella favors my brother. The chin, eyes, & nose...almost identical.

6 Month Check-up

We went for our 6 month check-up with Dr. G yesterday (yes, for those who are counting we were 17 days late!) and all is well!

Max is just shy of 22 lbs. I am not sure how long he is (bad mommy) but I know that his basic stats are as follows:

Weight: 95%
Height: 75%
Head: 80%

That means he's going to be a relatively tall, smart guy :) Or so I like to think. He also got a round of 4 immunizations. Last time (Dr. G swore) that he'd have to have 4!! in one day. His allergy testing so far has come back negative, which frankly shocks me just knowing my own allergy history. So we'll start reintroducing food. 1 at at time for at least 4 days before moving on to the next. We'll see how that goes. He soooooooo wants to eat!

Here's the little guy thinking he can fly.

Training for STJ

He seems to like it! He's working the dimple too don't you think?

I must be getting old. These are my nieces on Hung's side (duh:) This is them at my wedding. They are now almost going to college. The one on the left is a junior in high school, the one on the left a rising senior. Where has the time gone! In the moments when I think my babies will be babies forever (some say Ella is already not a baby but I just ignore them) I think of these kids and how fast their lives have been blowing by!

Cynthia (on the left) wasn't BORN when I met my husband. Aren't they cute?

Little Man

The little man getting ready for a dip. So the little guy is now a little over 6 months old and can do the following:

1 - Eat solid food - ok mushed baby food but still, he likes it. Smacks his lips and everything.

2 - Roll from back to front and front to back. Makes bed time interesting, though he is still a great sleeper.

3 - Make lots of noises ... his favorites seem to be oooooohhhhhhhh and aaaaahhhhhhhhh.

4 - Is very ticklish especially his tummy, sides and chunky leg rolls.

100 Days to Go

and very much counting....

Recovering from Utah

Not the sign I expected to see in Salt Lake City.

I got back from Utah around 11 pm on Thursday night to find my nephew waiting at the airport for me! A nice and funny surprise as he was holding a sign that said, "Aunt Amy, Math Genius" funny stuff. I was totally wiped out but happy to be home.

Ella had been sick from Saturday - Tuesday while I was gone. Running a fever and just generally feeling awful. Just a virus apparently and by the time I got home she was back to her normal self.

I had planned to work Friday but then changed my mind and decided to rest, and then ended up home with both kids as Jeannie was sick. They were great all day but man I was tired. I could barely keep my eyes open all day long. A week of 6am to 7pm workdays followed by dinner and drinks with coworkers makes for a very tired Amy. Oh well.

Yesterday we went to get Max his new carseat. He's too big for the carrier anymore. My back with thank me I am sure. Of course it was missing a piece when we got it out of the box so now we need to take another trip to Buy Buy Baby. We spent this morning laying around and then went to the pool for a little while with both kiddies. Now we are just enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon.