Polywog

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Dapper Dan

Dylan: Do you have a lot of babies?
Me: I have two babies. My Dylan baby and my Avery baby.
Dylan: You forgot Dapper Dan {my doll}.
Me: Oh! Dylan-baby, Avery-baby, and Dapper Dan-baby.
Dylan: No Silly! Dapper Dan is a KID!

Later...
Dylan: Me, Avery, Dapper Dan, Whoozit, and Rattle are going to the zoo to see the zoo-lights.
Me: Oh, fun! Am I coming too?
Dylan: Not this time. Me, Avery, Dapper Dan, Whoozit, and Rattle are going to the zoo. We'll see lots of Animals and we'll ride the train. It's a locomotive NOT a steam engine. I think its not a liner, but maybe a puffer billy.
Me: Sounds like a good time.
Dylan: Yes. Dapper Dan will ride in Avery's car seat. Whoozit will ride in Dylan's car seat. Rattle will sit in the big boy seat. Dylan will ride in the passenger seat. (Silence for a while) I think Avery had better drive.

posted by G&E # 10:04 PM

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Ball Machines

Cousin Lance (not to be confused with Doggy-Lance) has been in town from Salt Lake this week. Today, we were thrilled to have him join us for an OMSI outting. For the first time, we skipped the Science Playground and explored the Physics room. Dylan was a little uncertain at first, but I saw visions of my future. I think it involves many hours of rides in the glass elevator (he was very interested today, but wouldn't go in it) and exploring the physics of the "ball room" where balls are directed through air-filled shoots and tubes. We have to get Jake out here to give us a lesson.

I think Dylan will be crushed when he realizes that Lance can't stay in Portland indefinately.

posted by G&E # 10:20 PM

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Stitching!

Finally a knitting success! Avery and I left the boys at home and headed off to knitting night. Avery had a blast gooing at folks, sucking on her fingers, and even LETTING ME KNIT! It doesn't hurt that she's so cute everyone in the store wants to hold her. I can get several rows done before she finishes the circuit and comes back to me. Later we mastered knitting standing up with Avery in the sling. She likes that, though I wonder how baby slobber will affect my project-in-progress. It's a baby blanket for a friend, so we'll just consider it broken in.

posted by G&E # 9:50 PM

Monday, November 27, 2006

Wonderland

We were treated to a fabulous day of snow flurries...some flakes big enough to hang onto! We're looking forward to snow on the ground!

posted by G&E # 9:29 PM

Sunday, November 26, 2006

The Ball Box

I still don't like that my kids spend so much time in the fall subjected to the ball box (I think other families call it the TV).
Dylan hardly seems to notice it. But now, I'm not sure who's the bigger fan...Greg or Avery. She'll stop about anything to catch a glimpse of football. Urgh.
Might her first sentence be, "Go Dawgs?" Better than, "Sic 'em, Woof Woof Woof."

posted by G&E # 9:04 PM

Saturday, November 25, 2006

No lack of material

My deepest regrets for my omitted blog. If it makes you feel any better, or just sorry for me, I put Avery to sleep Thanksgiving night and feel asleep with her. I awoke to a clock that read 12:08am. My first thought was: OHHHHH NOOOOOOOO THE BLOG!!!! This is a serious comittment. Sorry to let my fans down. I'll try to do better in the remaining days. In the meantime, I'll blame it on the Tryptophan.

As you can see, I certainly have no lack of adorable blogging inspiration.

posted by G&E # 4:58 PM

Friday, November 24, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
We were busy busy busy in the kitchen and we had an unbelievable amount of food. Yum Yum Yum.

posted by G&E # 11:19 AM

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Growing

This is a picture of Dylan last Thanksgiving. A year has brought so many changes, but he doesn't look all that different. Luckily, he hasn't outgrown these shoes yet.

posted by G&E # 9:54 PM

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Try Try Again

Let's hope that Avery likes knitting because I think she'll be joining me for future Mom's nights out at the knitting store. Tonight I left our two beautiful babes with Greg at 6:40pm. Greg was willing to do what it took, but I asked him to call me if things got out of hand. I didn't want Avery screaming just so I could have time to myself. At 7:10 I got the phone call. We couldn't hear each other very well, but this is what I made out: WWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA....you don't have to come home....WWWHHHHAAAAA...but Avery is screaming her head off (that was obvious)...WWWHHHHAAAA...and there's nothing I can do about it..WWWWHHHHHAAAAAA... and Dylan is pooping. Needless to say I came home. Cudoos to Greg for trying, but we probably won't try that again for a while. At least not in the evening. Poor babies.

posted by G&E # 8:56 PM

Monday, November 20, 2006

Tempered Child

One of my favorite Dylanisms is his affirmative. Usually, no matter the question...if the answer, is "yes" Dylan says:
"Yes, a little bit, not too much."
As in...
Did you eat your sandwich? "Yes, a little bit, not too much."
Are you cold? "Yes, a little bit, not too much."
Did you have fun? "Yes, a little bit, not too much."
Do you love me? "Yes, a little bit, not too much."

posted by G&E # 9:06 PM

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Baby Talk

People often compliment Dylan on his language skills. I don't usually think much about it, but tonight Dylan said to me, "Mama, please move Avery so I can have free-range of the bed". That seems like a funny request from a 2 1/2 year old. I guess it just reflects quirky parents.

posted by G&E # 9:02 PM

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Mmmm Marsee

We took another adventure today over the 3 bridges, into Sellwood, and up to West Moreland for our favorite burritos. Then over the Bybee bridge and home through East Moreland. We do like this town. Seeing this photo makes me wish I'd stopped and bought some bagels. Dylan was happy because we saw two trains pass under our bridges.

posted by G&E # 5:52 PM

Friday, November 17, 2006

Bye Bye Boppy

Forget 'Almost'. Mom's group declared Avery officially sitting today. It's a good thing because she might drown in drool if she were prone. Teeth anyone?

Does anyone know if they've progressed from the troubles with Dolly the cloned sheep? Poor Dylan is tossing about in a stormy sea of fighting hard for independence while clinging desperately to babyhood. The only antidote seems to be endless cuddles. Extra arms, or better still, an extra me would be wonderful.

posted by G&E # 8:55 PM

Thursday, November 16, 2006

On Food and Fetal Snoozes

Note that Avery isn't too far from sitting up by herself, though she tends to list forward in search of something to drool on.

Funny things Dylan has said in the last hour.
1) In the grocery store Dylan (who only occasionally gets juice) asks, "Is juice in Season yet Mommy?"
2) At Lunch, Dylan looks up and states, "Momma, when I was in your Belly there were no covers to pull up when I got sleepy". I was surprised at this revelation, but upon further inquiry he would only tell me, "It was soooooooooooooooo dark in there."

posted by G&E # 3:00 PM

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Daddy Sandwich

We're busy perfecting our circus act. Avery adds to the fun by grabbing Greg's nose.

posted by G&E # 8:03 PM

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

First Bounces

Last night, Avery took her first bounces in the Johnny-Jump-Up. She already likes it more than Dylan ever did. Maybe we'll start eatting dinner again after all!

posted by G&E # 3:11 PM

Monday, November 13, 2006

Yummies

As promised, my favorite-of-the-moment birthday cake recipe. Actually, I'm stunned by the internet age. This recipe was given to me by a friend, but I just found the exact recipe on-line. Go figure. No secrets anymore.
Honey Devil's Food Cake

This is an especially good cake if you have wacko-friends like I have, who refuse to eat refined sugar, but are happy to devour an entire devil's food cake in one mom's group. The frosting is really good too, but of course Greg insists on Buttercream.

Just to counter that diabetic coma, here's my favorite recipe for Dylan approved healthy muffins. They are awesome. I rarely have dates on hand (Dylan eats them all), so I always substitute raisins.
Nutritious Muffins

Okay, I've made it to National Blogging Month, Day 13. Thanks Jake for the recipe suggestion! Come on all you other readers(????), give us some food for thought!

posted by G&E # 2:17 PM

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Aaaaawwwwwww, Dad!

The Hydes are very happy because the 3 bridges project is officially open. That means we can walk or ride bikes from our neighborhood (or from Gresham/Boring for that matter) all the way to Sellwood and then on up the river. Yesterday we checked out the following great features:
1) Tideman Johnson Creek park is reopened with new trails and restored streambanks which are intended to foster salmon returns and wetland health.
2) A bridge over the railroad tracks! Wow!
3) A bridge over Highway 99! Wow!!!!
4) A bridge over Johnson Creek! Wow! (Hope folks have flood insurance this winter)
5) Easy and scenic access to Sellwood so we can continue to charade as Sellwoodians.

For those who don't know, Sellwood is a great neighborhood in Portland. We live nearby, but not IN Sellwood. In addition to lots of cool shops and parks, Sellwood has a great Parents group of which I'm an active member. Sadly, the first question anyone asks is exactly where in Sellwood I live. Normally I hang my head and mutter "Milwaukie", but now I have a solution. I'll just add a new accronym to the Sellwood list (e.g SoTac for South of Tacoma).
"I live in EJC". That's East Johnson Creek. Maybe I'll try it out at playgroup tomorrow.

On the other hand, maybe I'll just take pride in Milwaukie. It's starting to be a pretty cool place to live.

posted by G&E # 5:21 PM

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Picture Me Here

If I'm at home, and you have to guess what I'm doing...and I'm not playing choo choo trains...I'm probably here. Balancing babes and a good story book (or sometimes an annoying one) is a pretty good feat, but we are well practiced. For a month or so, we did this while sitting on the potty...but luckily those days are nearly gone (for now). I remember the delight of my Mom reading to me (not on the potty). She always had wonderful voices for each character. Greg and I have improved dramatically. Those first few stories were pretty rough. Now stories are getting a big more educational. This may speak poorly of my own education, but I've learned more through some of Dylan's story books than I've learned in years. Dylan does get frustrated though when Greg and I interrupt Richard Scary to discuss some scholarly point.

posted by G&E # 6:50 PM

Friday, November 10, 2006

Pack for the Tracks

Greg had the day off and we had a most excellent morning adventure. We took Silver to the Loyd Center and rode the choo choo train (i.e. light rail) into downtown portland. There we hit the toystore for some time at the train table and to purchase a couple of much needed switches for our own train set up (Mom and Dad were getting bored with the old layout). Then we took the portland street car down to Powell's world of books. Somehow we came home with Scuffy the Tugboat instead of a train book, but we read several there and I think the deviation from our theme can be overlooked. Then we did it all in reverse and had a seriously fun time. It rained the whole time, but no one cared. Even Avery enjoyed the train. Dylan was so wound up by the whole adventure he was still talking about it even after he fell asleep for his nap. Why dream of sugar plum fairies when you can dream about choo choo rides to choo choo stores and more choo choos to buy choo choo stories. Wow.

posted by G&E # 9:27 PM

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Work Out

This is Avery just waking up after a long walk tonight snuggled up in the Ergo. Wouldn't you love to get your workout this way?

By the way, Itch to Stitch was a total dud. Start time was 6:30. Avery was still awake at 7:30 after an hour of my best snooze-inducing efforts. I finally took a very sleepy (but notably awake) baby with me. Turns out all the other knitters had variations of the same issue, and the only two folks still there when I arrived were trying to figure out how to cast on. One was then called home by a flustered Daddy (note: cell phones can ruin Moms' night out). I helped the other woman cast on, but not easily...you can imagine trying to learn to knit while your instructor bounces up and down. Then I went home. Ah, we'll try again next week. Maybe the babies (and Daddies)will have heard the news...Santa Claus is coming to town.

posted by G&E # 9:12 PM

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Puzzled

Getting the perfect train layout is no easy matter. Not enough curves and loops bores the crew. Tight curves and unneccsary switches cause trains to topple. Not enough pullouts and side loops means traffic jams. But with limited track (Santa's on the way!), options are few. We spend significant daily time with just this look on our face (see above).

posted by G&E # 8:29 PM

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

In Stitches

Tonight is 'Itch to Stitch' or Sellwood Playgroup's knitting night. It'll be Greg's first night home with the two babes. Hopefully, I'll put Avery to sleep before I leave and she'll stay that way. Hopefully. I think right now, Greg is wishing he'd joined the cell phone generation.

posted by G&E # 2:19 PM

Monday, November 06, 2006

Smiles

We've got lots to smile about.

posted by G&E # 7:36 PM

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Shaking up the Blog

If anyone is interested, Portland just had a 2.7 mag earthquake while I was doing that last blog. Maybe I'll go get earthquake insurance now!

posted by G&E # 9:47 PM

Bigger Towel Anyone?

When Dylan was a wee one, he loved to be swaddled. We called him our 'burrito baby'. To this day, Dylan likes to be swaddled up in his towel after bath time and paraded around the house (sometimes neighborhood...just kidding). He says, "Make me a Burrito Baby Daddy"! Now he complains, "My feet are poking out"! Anyone have a bigger towel?

It's been a big day.
1. Dylan showed us today that not only can he count proficiently, but knows his ABCs. Apparently, he HAS been holding out on us, because he acted like it was old hat. Go figure. We just hadn't thought to ask him. I wonder what else he knows. Periodic chart of elements?
2. Avery found her feet last night. One foot in each hand makes diaper changes more interesting. This morning, she promptly put her feet into her mouth. She says, "Ah, my long lost friends I thought I'd lost you". I'm sure they spent a lot of time together in utero.
3. Avery rolled over this morning for the first time Belly to Back. She too acted like this was no big whoop. I mentioned it at Tom and Sarah's tonight and on cue she did it twice more. "Yeah, whatever Mom. Ask me about Cadmium's valence electrons!"

posted by G&E # 9:32 PM

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Dylan Counts

Dylan's been counting for a long time, but its still so cute I have to share it. Greg says Dylan's been holding out on him because for months Dylan has been teasing Greg by skipping the number 7. That silly boy!

posted by G&E # 8:02 AM

Friday, November 03, 2006

No, Avery didn't eat the cake by herself. These are photos of Dylan at 4 months old. The photo in the sling would be hard to tell from one of Avery, but the other one makes it clear....Dylan was a weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee bit bigger.

posted by G&E # 2:23 PM

Thursday, November 02, 2006

I knew I could count on Jake and Beth for National Blogging Month support. I'll work on that ball throwing photo (really you should see him hit a wiffle ball), but in the meantime here's a flashback to our visit with Jake and Beth. In case you can't tell.....

Dylan has a really good time with Jake.

posted by G&E # 2:58 PM

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

I still think the hardest thing about parenting two young children is that I don't have enough hands. I used to think when people said that they meant to cook dinner, clean the house, or even just hold a baby, sippy cup, toddler, jacket, diaper bag, etc and open a door all at one time. That stuff is cake. Far harder is when Avery mews "hold me" and Dylan cries "snuggle me". The less well I do both, the more than both need, and less able I am to do either. Torture for all of us through and through.

I'm always a sucker for a challenge. Count me in for blogging every day in November . Thanks for the idea, Jake. However, like Dan and Ann, I'll count on you guys (our loyal reader(s)) for questions and suggestions to fuel our babbling blogs this month. I'll try to provide requested photos or baby info. Should be fun!

Last but not least...Happy Birthday Avery! 4 months today! And yes, we did have chocolate cake with buttercream frosting to celebrate. Super-sweet 'milkies' tonight, babe!

posted by G&E # 9:45 PM