Ice Time

We took Ava ice skating today for the first time.

I should re-phrase, Daddy took Ava ice skating. Mommy sat on the sidelines with the camera and video camera....along with little brother Dean. We met up with Mr. Owen and Conal, as well as Uncle Tony & Uncle Joey. It was Conal's first time too and he did great. He clung onto that cone and wasn't letting go, it was adorable.

All in all, I would say it was a successful first lesson. Ava already asked if we could go again tomorrow, so that tells ya something right there.

Much like the first dip in the pool, I had a feeling the whole event may only be about 5 minutes total...or less. But I remained hopeful and encouraging, and I tried to prepare her for what was to come. She couldn't wait! To my delight, we were at the rink a good hour and a half.

I should mention that she started with tears...the skates were too tight. Daddy took care of that. Then he took her for a few spins around the ice in his arms. She clung to him for dear life. Eventually, she warmed up and Chet had her by the arms and she was skating around. Sort of. They had cones for the kids to hold onto but they were hard to come by. Ava got her hands on one a few times but Daddy wasn't a big fan.

Anyway, it's a monumental day for Daddy. He got to take his little princess ice skating. You know, Daddy...the hockey playin', backwards-sideways skatin', pro skate master that he is? Ha.

Actually, it was a pretty neat day for me too. Without getting overly mushy, I felt proud watching the two of them out there on the ice. One might almost categorize it as a "Daddy Date."

Apparently, Chet started skating at 4 years old. So, Ava has her old man beat by a pinch. Who knew? I have a feeling this was the first trip of many and that Daddy will be doing the roller-skating lessons as well. Truly a rite of passage.

(see slideshow below)

Ice Skating Fun

Fun & Games

It's all fun and games....until they realize I'm holding a camera...



(click to play video)

Dean Stats

We had Dean's 6 month check-up this morning. He had to get one little shot. He took it like a champ, although he definitely felt it this time around. He's doing great, nothing much new to report.

I promised the stats, so here goes:
Weight- 19 pounds, 9 ounces (90th percentile)
Height- 28.5 inches (95th percentile)

(No, he isn't losing weight, for those who are confused on why he weighed in more at his 5.5 month appt. He was fully dressed when the nurse weighed him as a favor to me, we were only there for a quick shot. So, I guess that diaper was fuller than I realized!)

6 Months

Dean is 6 months old today! Hooray!

Happy "half" birthday, Dean Douglas!
I can't believe another month has passed already.
Dean is seriously changing so fast, too fast!

What's new since last month? As you probably already know, Dean is saying Mama and Dada. It literally melts our hearts. So cute! He gets on a roll and he just keeps on chanting away. Speaking of being vocal...he is such a little screamer these days! He screams and screams, just as loud as he can. Presumably just to hear himself scream. Screaming for joy! Whatever the reason, he loves it, so I love it too. Touche.

Eating. We've slowly introduced Dean to a variety of fruits, and I think the month ahead we'll focus on veggies. He's had avocado, bananas, apples, peaches & pears so far. He's still eating solids just once a day, at the dinner table with the family. Ava gets a kick out of being a good helper and feeding her baby brother. You have to be careful though, if given the chance, he'll grab that spoon and attempt to shovel his grub in himself. That never works out so well, as you might imagine.

Dean has also had banana Puffs. Just a few each night. They do a great job keeping him entertained in between bites. His pudgy little fingers chase them around his highchair till he finally grasps one and works on getting it in his mouth. It's cute and great practice.

Dean has gotten really good at taking steps, while being supported, of course. He'll pull himself up with my fingers and walk across the room. As long as he has Mommy or Daddy helping him, he's off. Sissy really wants to help him too, but we aren't quite there yet.

Another thing, he's a full-fledged toe grabber, although he's been dabbling in that department for some time. He's aspiring to be a full-fledged toe eater. So far, he hasn't accomplished that (as far as I know), only with Mommy's help. It's amazing how flexible they are and how long they can hold that stretch. Boy does he get a kick out of his toesies in his mouth! Yum!

What else? I think we're on the verge of creeping. That's baby lingo for dragging yourself across the floor, usually preceding crawling. Right now he's mastered swimming in the air. That's not getting him very far. With my help, he gets creeping. I suspect he will be doing it on his own very soon. Uh-oh, watch out Mommy.

One last thing, he loves his little musical table. He stands there mesmerized by all the action, flipping this and pushing that. Ava loved that toy when she was little too. As long as Mommy is safely behind him, ready for the inevitable slide down to the ground, he'll stand there playing for a long while.

Well, that's probably more than enough.
His 6 month appt is coming up on Monday so I'll be sharing his stats then. Love you, little man of mine.

(see slideshow below)

6 Months Old

Welcome Baby Declan!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Erwell family on the birth of their son!

Declan Xander Erwell
10:25 am
2/19/09
6 pounds, 14 ounces
18 inches

Big sisters Mckenna & Camdyn are gonna be great little mommies!!
We can't wait to meet your sweet baby boy.
xoxo The G Family

Happy Bday Seth

Happy 5th Birthday, Seth!
I can't believe you are 5 years old already.
Watch out kindergarten, here you come!
Lots of birthday wishes from all of us in New York.
xo Love, Aunt Janis, Uncle Chet, Ava & Baby Dean

Happy Bday Adam

Happy 8th Birthday, Adam!
We love you SO much and wish we could celebrate your special day with you. Lots of love, hugs & kisses across the miles.
xo Love, Aunt Janis, Uncle Chet, Ava & Baby Dean

Special Delivery

OK- ever since I figured out how to post a video....FINALLY...several folks have asked me to post of video of Dean saying MAMA.

Well, I don't have a good one on my camera, but I do have one that will suffice for the time being(circa Wed 2/11).

The problems with this video are:
it's sideways...
he is not a happy boy...
he only says it at the beginning, while whining...
my voice is quite high...
he doesn't want to be videoed...
he completely ignores his Mama...

What's good about this video:
he's a cutie...
he says Mama...
he gets seriously fascinated by the shadow his hand and fingers are casting at one point...

So- here it is. =)

happy heart day

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." ~Author Unknown

"You don't marry someone you can live with - you marry the person who you cannot live without. ~Authur Unknown

"The richest love is that which submits to the arbitration of time."
-Lawrence Durrell

Coffee Table Tales

Friends ~ Family ~ Bloggers.

Hear my cry. Heed my warning!

One 3.5 year old little girl...One unsuspecting little brother...One busy Mommy of 2...(oh wait, that's not me is it?)

One bottle of hand sanitizer.
Well, yes, 2 actually, but it was the gel kind that did the deed!One ruined coffee table!

Sigh...Who could have predicted that I would be blogging about my coffee table again? If you were spared the original drama, you can read about it here. But alas, today, on this Friday the 13th, I bring you another dose of coffee table tales.

Today was an extra special Friday. Ava had her Valentine's party at school. She got to wear her pretty pink dress and her big white bow. She was very excited. She proudly carried her valentine cards out the door this morning, along with 2 dozen frosted cupcakes for the big party. Sometime this afternoon, however, things turned sour. Could it have been all that sugar? All the candy and frosting? Those darn removable tattoos? We may never know.

Anyway, back to the drama. This afternoon, I walked past the coffee table on my way upstairs to put laundry away. I noticed a white film of some sort on the table, but I figured it was nothing big. Maybe some of the sugar from those sugar-stick candy things that Ava brought home from school. Not a huge deal, but I'd be back to investigate after my hands were free.

When I got to the top of the stairs, I couldn't wait any longer. I asked Ava what was all over the coffee table. She stood there peering up at me and said one word, "Soap." With that, I continued on and put the clothes away before heading back downstairs to take a closer look. When I reached the coffee table I could see that it was indeed white, but there was no residue or film or anything. That's when I realized that we had a problem.

"What kind of soap, Ava?"
She pointed to the diaper bag.
I asked her to show me what she was talking about.
She pulled out the liquid, gel hand sanitizer.
The little travel-sized bottle she was referring to is the bottle that I use on myself. I save the healthier version, foam pump thingy for her (when there isn't a sink in sight).

OK, deep breath. I revisited the coffee table. Apparently, hand sanitizer had BLEACHED my coffee table! Are you kidding me??!! I was rather annoyed. Very, rather annoyed. But, Ava felt bad right away. She kept apologizing. And besides, her nose was runny and I think she's coming down with a little cold. I couldn't get that mad at her. She shouldn't have gotten into it in the first place, but she didn't intentionally bleach my coffee table. I was just relieved that nothing else had happened with the awful stuff.

Well, after a half hour or so, I came to terms with the fact that this was permanent. Erghh! If you know me at all, you know that I am a stain-getter-outter! I will try and try, and try again till the stain is out! I didn't deal well knowing that I could do nothing to help my coffee table.

Then I was chatting with Bridget and she asked me if we had a protection plan. Yeah, we did buy one but I figured it was surely expired. She pushed me to look up the receipt, which I miraculously found within 5 seconds. Sure enough, we bought the protection plan and it doesn't expire until next month!! We bought this 5 years ago folks, I must have some good karma coming my way! I called the number and the wheels are in motion. SO- it looks like it'll all work out after all.

But, buyer beware. If hand sanitizer will do that to my coffee table, I don't want it anywhere near my kids hands...ever!
Or my coffee table!

Our Little Indian

a-daaaa, a-daaaa, a-daaaa...

I have a confession.
I have fallen short of being a fair and balanced blogger.

My husband is disappointed that I have not blogged his exciting news. Our exciting news. Dean's exciting news.
Yes, in fact, Dean is saying Dada.

It's more like a-daaa, a-daaa, a-daaa, a-daaa.
And, it is so darn cute!

I believe he first said it on Wednesday.
I was so excited. But, I was the only one who heard it.
Rats! That won't work. I need group confirmation on this!
Why? I dunno, I just do. I can't explain. You understand, right?

Later that night Chet was reading Ava a bedtime story.
Dean was on a roll....a-daaa, a-daaaa, a-daaaa.
In my defense, I did yell for Chet, but when he didn't answer, I let it go. I couldn't blatantly interrupt one Daddy moment for another, now could I?

So, I waited.
Surely he would say it again and we would all roar our cheering roars.

By Friday he had said it numerous times and Chet & Ava finally joined the club! Hooray! You go, Dean-o!

Sorry Dada that I've been a slacker on sharing your proud Daddy moment. It's been documented.

(Btw- Dean has been saying Mama constantly and Chet is joking that it's getting "really annoying!"....Never!)

We've been labelled.

We woke up this morning to an excited Ava.
She couldn't wait to show us what she'd made.
Apparently, she found some of my post-it strips and got to work.
She had ants in her pants when she presented them to us.
She couldn't wait for us to wear "our labels."
I'm really gonna miss 3...