"Poo Poo Potty"

Don't get too excited.  We are NOT potty training.  We just like to sit on the pot.  I don't know when this started, but both babies love the toilet.  They like to say "poo poo potty" and want you to go through the whole rigamarole of taking their clothes off, taking their diaper off, and perching their tiny little hineys on the potty, just to sit there for four seconds and ask to get down. For good measure, Sissy grunts a little, too...just so you think she's really going to perform.  I thought all this interest meant they might start trying to go on the potty, so we bought a cute football potty seat that fits over the regular potty.  (I ain't trying to get one of those potties where you have to dump the contents out when they're done)  They like to carry the potty seat around, and talk about it, but so far no one has actually gone in the potty.  I'm not sure how to explain to them how it works....so for now, we're just testing out the throne. 

Holly and Andrew

A few days after Christmas (in the midst of HORRIBLE morning sickness) I took some pics of Holly and Andrew.....they were great sports, and let me try out all sorts of things in my quest to become a semi-proficient hobby photographer...We had a really good time!  

I know, I know...things have been a little slow on the blogfront.  But wait!  (like an infomercial)  I have a good excuse!!  For those of who that don't know, we are excited to announce that Hatter baby number three will be arriving in late July (most likely).  We are excited, and a little worried that our tentative sense of normalcy and control is about to go right out the window.  Oh well!  Anyway, the reason for the poor blogging is that the fetus is making me SICK as a dog.  As in, more sick than I was with the babies.  As in: so sick I was SURE it was more than one again.  As in: so sick I am taking Zofran, the drug they give chemo patients for nausea.  Today is a good day, though...so I blog!  

Christmas was so much fun for the babies....they TOTALLY understood the point of presents, and kept handing us wrapped gifts and telling us to "Open, open!"  They got lots of fun Elmo stuff (our favorite), two rocking horseys, a kitchen, and lots of other fun stuff.  Shawn and I (er, "Santa") hardly got them anything at all, because we knew they would be inundated by all the other family members....and we were right!  All the excitement makes me look forward even more to next year, when they will begin to understand all the pretend and magic of Christmas.  They are already amazing me everyday with how big they are.....they are putting two words together all over the place, and talking up a storm.  I love that we can ask them about something that happened earlier in the day, and they can talk about it later.  Yesterday I took them to the church nursery because I had MOPS, and later I was asking them what they did in their classroom.  Cale told me "balls" because he loves the big plastic swimming pool filled with balls....Sissy said "Slide" because they have a little fisher price slide in the room.  Amazing!  We actually had a little tiny conversation! I can't believe how old they seem sometimes...yesterday we actually walked in to the church, instead of using a stroller.  I am torn between wanting them to be "old enough" when the new baby gets here, and wanting to cling on desperately to these last few months of babyhood.....I told Shawn last night that he better enjoy it while it lasts, because they aren't going to seem like babies to us in a few months.....

I haven't updated in quite a while, so in the spirit of efficiency, (and because I love lists), here is an "update list" for you:

-babies still hate Santa.  Maybe it is because it is the same drunk Santa from last year with wine stained teeth.  I am a little scared of him, too, and don't want to sit on his lap so I can't blame them.

-Hayden calls herself "Hayben" and Cale says "Thissy" (Sissy) and thinks it applies to either her or him.

-Cale says "op own" when we get to steps.  I finally figured out he is saying "hop down", which I guess I say a lot.

-Both babies say "Amen!" when Shawn finishes their prayer at night.

-They both make hilarious noises when they see Christmas lights.  It is a combination of "oooohhhh" and "wow" and makes me think I must sound like a hundred year old lady when I am looking at lights.

-The last few days in the mornings, Hayden says to me, "Moka, all gone".  ONE DAY we were out of milk and I told the poor thing it was "all gone" and she can't let me forget it.  

-Last week, I was talking to the babies, saying "Guess who's coming over for dinner?  Mimi and.....Mimi and...."  I'm thinking they are going to answer back "Popo" because you can't ever say "Mimi" without hearing "Popo" right afterward (like IkeandTina Turner)  Hayden finally looked at me and said "Elmo?"  Sure baby, Mimi and Elmo are coming over for dinner.

-I finally have the craft room I've always wanted.  I promise to post pics as soon as it's looking a little more organized.  It is the BEST thing for someone trying to do a little business in their own home...it was getting really old having embroidery projects laying all over couches.

-My brother is getting married April 4th.  Yippee!!!  Her name is Holly, and she is beautiful, smart, lots of fun, and loves my babies which is good enough for me! :)

I am realizing that there is probably too much going on to actually post an efficient update....i guess i just need to do better at keeping on top of it.  For now, I'm off to bed, to enjoy for a while the cable that is finally installed. We lived for a two week period without it, and that felt like it lasted as long as junior high.  I am NOT one of those people who says I don't watch any TV.  (Mostly I don't believe those people anyway.  Either they don't have cable or they are saying it to sound more cerebral.)  Anyway, off topic!  Off to bed for now, with better updates to come (I promise!)

So much to be thankful for....a wonderful family, healthy, hilarious babies, (that now repeat everything they hear), amazing friends, a newly renovated home to move in to....I am just so satisfied right now I could bust open! (Or maybe it's all the turkey and dressing I ate...hmmmmm) We are halfway moved in to our house, so Thanksgiving was at Mimi and Popo's again this year, even though I had volunteered to have it at my house. (This was weeks ago when I thought we would be LONG settled in our house....wrong-o!) We are slowly but surely moving our things out of their house and into ours, so the upstairs is still pretty horrendous. We spent today relaxing, because tomorrow is going to be BUSY. I am debating whether or not I want to elbow my way through a herd of Black Friday shoppers tomorrow before I go over to the house and supervise the delivery of the last of our stuff. I had no IDEA we had so much stuff....when I think I am making a dent in the boxes, I find another stack somewhere. But, no worries....it is finally happening and for that I am grateful. Feeling especially lucky to have been able to fix up our home (that desperately needed it) especially in this day and age of the questionable financial market and even worse real estate situation. Happy Thanksgiving to all my dear friends! I hope all find yourselves with lots to be thankful for!

The newest project....

This is my new favorite dress pattern for Hayden....It is pretty simple, and I love that it looks cute like this or over a long sleeved onesie and leggings. Hopefully her little chest doesn't get too much bigger, because then she'll be able to wear it this spring and summer, too-as a tunic. I am having so much fun making these, and I am withstanding the urge to monogram them so that any possible baby girls in this family can enjoy them, too.

Events worth noting...

1. We went to Wurstfest last weekend. The babies rode the merry-go-round. (Cale twice, Hayden once, if you count refusing to sit on a horse and being held by Mimi.) Cale ate saurkraut and both babies danced to oompah. German, maybe?
2. Cale said his first sentence Friday. Shawn put him in the car and shut the door and Cale said, "Bye-bye, Dada". It was adorable, and surprising. I was SURE it would be Hayden who spoke in sentences first, but lately Cale has been chatty Cathy....
3. Little Miss Hayden provided us with our first ever emergency room visit on Sunday. We were eating at Jason's Deli, and we were about to leave when she stood up in her high chair. She WAS strapped in, but the belt came loose the minute she pushed on it. She was literally an arm's length away from me, but it happened too fast for me to do anything. (Guilt!!!) She stood up, the chair (on wheels...WHY????) went flying, and she fell straight back onto her head. It made the most horrible sound I have ever heard in my life....I picked her up right away, and we were both crying (her worse than me, but not by much) I ran out the door, Shawn followed.....then we ran back in to get Cale (thank you random lady for watching him while we freaked out) We rushed to the hospital, only to find out that you have to be comatose or bleeding to death to incite any urgency in the medical staff. Finally, finally, finally we were seen (after having to deal with an ill informed RN in triage with a fourth grade vocabulary, and a PA who knew next to nothing about babies' soft spots) and they did head x-rays. They initially thought she had a skull fracture, but it turned out to be her suture (soft spot) that wasn't totally closed yet. Thank you JESUS for protecting her little head.....I was sure she was hurt, but she is totally back to her normal self today....Now if I could just stop picturing her falling...