Some pix, some words, a story and some news

The bath post had no pix so here are a few.

Over the past 2 days the lexicon has grown to include:

clown

trick or treat

phone

bus driver (well, something close to that)

seeds (as in pomegranate seeds)

dip dip (aka pancake syrup)

The story:

Last night during dinner, Jason says "phone". I acknowledge the new word, "Wow. Phone." But he keeps on "Phone. Phone. Phone."

So, I ask, "Who would you like to phone?" No answer. "Daddy?" I ask. A great big smile and a nod. Yesterday was Comics Wednesday, so Joe was out visiting with IANO and Joe O. I grab the phone and we call Daddy.

The conversation was hilarious. Jason was very chatty and told his Dad about his day and about playing and dinner and on and on. Kevin piped up and added some chatter. Thank you Alexander Graham Bell. Little did you know all those years ago how important your invention would be and what good would come of it. Then we wrapped up the conversation. Kisses, goodbyes and then back to dinner. All pretty funny.

And now the news. Joe's cousin Brian is not doing well. Not at all. We were told he would probably make it through the holidays and into the new year. However this morning we learned that he might have just days. His cancer has spread to his stomach and things just couldn't be worse. If you are a prayer, please offer one up for Brian, Kathy and Merry. If you aren't, any positive thoughts you can offer are appreciated too.

Then, hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.

New words and reaching milestones

The boys are learning new words every day as mentioned before. Their recognition of words, phrases and concepts continually amazes me. Over the weekend, Jason picked up a stuffed Stitch (from Disney's Lilo & Stitch) and started naming his facial features. Very cute and astute. But then this kind of thing can get weird...for example...during Saturday night's bath as we wash all his body parts, Jason starts touching and poking himself, specifically his penis. We call it a penis. No cutesy names or nicknames. It is what it is. Well, despite an inability to say the word they obviously know what the word means because after I acknowledged Jason's actions by saying, "Yes, we washed your penis." Kevin grabs his own and then reaches over and grabs Jason's. Ye-OW. Jason pushed his hand away and stood saying loudly, " UP!" Bathtime was OV-ERRR for Jason. I don't blame him.

Children's development books say that by 20 months kids should be able to name 6 body parts. Well, we've got that covered.

FYI: No cute pix of the boys naked in the bath. Didn't you hear about the people who lost custody of their kids because Walmart thought their bathtime photos were porn?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32904451/

So silly but

No big news today but lots of little things. The boys are changing daily. Not the way they did when they were infants but in so many different ways. It seems as if they look a bit more mature each day and they are starting to mimic Joe's and/or my mannerisms and facial expressions. I know where Jason gets that scowly eyebrow look and it's not from Bert. They are showing and telling us that they are becoming individuals as they display interest in new things or different things.

Reading continues to be a big deal at our house. No surprise given Joe's and my love of books and reading. Of course, the boys won't be allowed anywhere near Joe's collection of horror and suspense tomes for many years to come but in the meantime the boys are enjoying their own expanding library. In the pic above you see us enjoying Curious George Visits the Zoo. They are able to sit through longer stories now.

Other developments...The nighttime cup of milk is gone, having been replaced by one-on-one reading and cuddle time. Before bedtime, the four of us read together with me reading a book or 2 and then Joe reading a story or 2. Then it's prayers and we part with each parent taking a boy and going off to cuddle and read stories and (formerly) giving each boy his milk. The no-more-milk transition was gradual and the boys did great. The one-on-one mom/dad reading time seems to be an acceptable milk-substitute for the boys.

The boys are purdy smart. Each night after the family reads, I'll say, "Ok, time for prayers" and roughly half the time that is the cue for the boys to jump up and run to a toy and start playing acting as if they didn't hear me.

Both boys have learned how to use small ride-on toys. Here is a pic of Jason on an airplane. Kevin tends to stand over his ride and walk. A pretty funny visual.

Here's a cute pic taken by my folks. Jason is flying around the kitchen while Kevin is doing "happy feet" something akin to tap dancing.

Last night we had a traffic jam in the kitchen table rotary followed by a driver meltdown. Once we got all traffic going clockwise, calm was restored.

More cute kid tricks: Jason knows what certain animals say. So if you ask him "What does the cow/dog/cat/pig/duck/goose say?" He'll answer correctly. When I say, "What does Mommy say?" Sometimes he'll respond, "No." ha. ha. ha. Thanks.

Jason caught mid-flight.

It's difficult to tell what's going on in this one, eh? It's a snap of Kevin upside down on the changing bureau. He has Fred's ear in his mouth and trying to shimmy off the table while Joe valiantly tries to hold on to him AND change his diaper. Good luck with that Joe.

Kevin has finally found some favorite songs after months of not seeming to enjoy Jason's dinner music choices. Oscar the Grouch's "I love trash" and Ernie's "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon" are the big favorites as of last night when I found the missing Sesame Street CD and popped it in. Given his love for Cookie Monster I thought "C is for Cookie" would've been a hit but nope.

I made a new CD for the dinner hour and Jason has picked a couple of new favorites. This is a relief as we're all bit tired of "Popeye the Sailor Man". And, while Chickory Chick is still enjoyed, it's a big relief that Jason's taste has branched out to include the Bay City Rollers' "Saturday Night" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". I'm still holding out hope that he'll start to enjoy "I Like Bananas, Because They Don't Have Bones" a cute song from the 30's/40's.

Well, that's it for now ladies, gentlemen and ships at sea. Bundle up, it's going to a wet and chilly night.

Love,

Kathy

Finally! An update!

Wow...

finally

a

blog

update.

Belated Autumnal equinox wishes and

early Happy Halloween wishes.

The Autumn has been a busy and brutal one so the blog has been neglected.

The boys have been growing and changing minute by minute.

Here's some backstory and loads of pix to get everyone up to speed.

<- CHEESE!

<-- Cool white Bengal tiger at Southwick

Aunt Diane, Oma and Opa came to visit in May. They took the boys on many adventures that included visiting Joan and Ed's Deli - a family fave, the Christmas Tree Shop (a fave among the women in the family), a trip to the Southwick Zoo, and lots of fun running around the house, up and down the hall, and all over the backyard.

In July Oma and Opa visited again helping us out while Nanny Sue moved into her new cottage. Oma, Opa, Mimi and Papa took the boys to their favorite deli and then out shopping. Oma, Opa, the boys and I visited Southwick Zoo on possibly the hottest and muggiest day of the year. But what a great day and a fun time!

It was so much fun and I recommend the zoo to everyone as it's a great place to walk/exercise and see animals. One of the funnier stories from the day occurred when we were strolling through the deer park and stopped to sit on a bench next to a bog. Jason pinched his nose and said "pfft" which was his version of "P.U.". And yes, the bog did have an odor.

The boys have had daily adventures over the past few months such as meeting the new mail person and getting to see the mail truck up close (this is a really big deal to them), meeting Police Woman Kathy who gave them cool police badge stickers and a balsa wood airplane kit, seing a Ferrari drive up our street (ok, I was the one that found that to be cool), lots of fun walks with Sue, blowing bubbles in the backyard, learning how to go down the slide, swinging on the playground and so much more.

This was the second year that the boys participated in our annual apple picking adventure. They had a great time running in the field, picking apples and eating apples. They both had an apple in their hands or in their mouths throughout the whole afternoon. They laughed themselves silly watching their cousins Molly and Joey. Interestingly enough, as exciting as the apple picking was....the boys were fascinated and obsessed with all the airplanes that flew over the orchard. At the end of our adventure, Kevin spied a plane and then chased after it through the orchard. I tried to explain that the plane was going home and so were we.

The boys are both seriously tall. And, someone keeps feeding them rocks or putting rolls of quarters in their pockets, at least that is what my back tells me. The boys can climb the stairs and are starting to experiment with going down. The words are coming fast and furious with new words on a daily basis. A sampling: cheetah, up, down, pumpkin, street light, pirate (new today in fact), bus driver, no, more, mower, and noodle. Kevin is our daredevil, practicing jumping down from anything and everything. Jason loves to be spun in the swiveling, rocking chair. Both boys are adept at figuring out how things work. Kevin knows how to undo the buckle in the stroller. Jason knows how to undo the babygate at the nursery door...good thing he doesn't know how to pull back the safety latch.

<-- Joey, Jason, Kevin and Molly

They both enjoyed the snowfall on Sunday and spent a lot of time standing at the nursery windows watching the big fat flakes fall.

New favorite songs: "Summertime" (as in "sum-sum-sum summertime, sum-sum-sum summertime), "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Row row row your boat", "Oom pow pow", "I Don't Want to Live On the Moon", and "Twinkle Twinkle".

<-- Post apple picking exhaustion!

The still love to read. Kevin's love of cars increases daily. His favorite comic book is based on the movie "Cars". We attended the neighbors annual "party in the driveway" and Kevin spent the entire time hovering around another party goer's cherry red Mini Cooper. He was completely fascinated by it and I couldn't deter him.

Jason's love of music equals his brother's car passion. He typically picks our dinner music and will ask for music by making a funny clicking sound. Different clicks mean different songs. However, he asks for "Summertime" by saying "sum sum sum" and "Row Your Boat" is (obviously) "row row row". "Itsy Bitsy Spider" is "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" and the accompanying hand motion of a climbing spider. He also loves "Peer Gynt Suite" but hasn't figured out how to ask for it or perhaps I'm not getting his hints?

He plays the drums and xylophone and when we visit Mimi and Papa's he plays their piano and organ. He created an impressive fugue on the organ 2 weeks ago. A bit dark but impressive.

Both boys need a haircut. But, they are so cute with that mod shaggy look...besides...a haircut is going to just make them look older and more like little boys. Speaking of, they've lost their baby-ish-ness. They are truly little boys. I noticed over the weekend that Kevin, who was clinging to his last bit of baby, was finally, really toddler. Those photos at the top of them in swings....don't their legs look a mile long? Cuties.

Take care!

The boys had their 18 month checkup today. Yes, they are 19 months old but it's tough to get an appointment this time of year.

Here's a photo of us all pre-haircut. The 2 shaggies and mommy.

The appointment went well. The Dr. commented several times on their easy going manner and how well-behaved they were. For those of you without children or pediatrican visit experience....there is a back and forth QA. We ask questions i.e. is it normal for them to speak Russian as such a young age? And, then, he asks questions "Do they spend time with other children? Do they get along?" etc etc

The boys are on target for growth and development.

The general overview is as follows:

Jason is in the 90th percentile for height. Layman's terms: He's one tall toddler.
He is in the 50 to 75% bracket for weight. So, he's average weight for his age.

Kevin was in the 88th percentile or 88% for height. Also, a tall toddler.
Kevin was right in the middle of the pack for weight. 50% on the dot.

The actual numbers were as follows:

Jason is 34" tall and weighs 27 lbs and 2 oz.
Kevin is 33 3/4" tall and weighs 25lbs and 8 oz.

They got flu shots and HiB shots. Kevin cried and Jason did not. We had the full Doherty team there....mom, dad and Sue.

Not much else to report. They saw fish at the Dr's office. They got 2 new Clifford the big red dog books from the Dr. Then...back home we went. Play. Snack. Nap. Although, I can hear a lot of banging overhead so the nap hasn't started yet. In fact, it sounds like furniture is being either moved or thrown.

Here are some snaps of the boys reading in their new favorite sitting spot. They are reading their new books about cars and books. Good taste in topic matters!

Have a nice Labor Day!
Love,
Kathy

1 1/2

Sorry for no post of late. Vacation, work overload and then the recent IE Service pack update have all kept me from being able to blog. Lots to tell ya'll but first .. a late milestone post.

The boys turned 1 1/2 on August 8th. Remember that we don't do months but for those of you still offering your age in months, the boys are 18 months old.

It's incredible to Joe and to me that the time has passed so quickly. The boys are really so amazing and we're having so much fun and perhaps that is why the time is fleeting. This post will be a brief one but I'll do a longer one detailing the past month and Oma's and Opa's visit.

Jason

27.2 lbs

3' tall (not a scientific measurement but complete guess)

Size 7 shoe

Wears 24 mo size clothing

curly hair

Jason likes:

Reading

Music

Figuring out how things work

Figuring out how things are built

Bubbles

Watching people

Playing the drums

Playing the maracas

Favorite songs: I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time, Chicory Chick by Sammy Kaye, Summer on the Animal Kingdom soundtrack, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat by Mel Blanc

Favorite Sesame Character: Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster

Favorite books: Little People Farm Flap book, The Little Engine That Could, Gallop, Fairytale book

Kevin

26.2 lbs

3' tall (again, a total guess)

Size 6 1/2 shoe

Wears 12-18 mo size clothing

wavy hair

Kevin likes:

Reading

Music

Running around the house

Climbing

Chasing/popping bubbles

Blowing bubbles in his milk

Favorite Sesame Character: Abby Cadabby, Oscar (pronounced Ok-ar)

Favorite books: Little People Search for Hippos, Elmo's Blanket, Zoom zoom, Baa Baa

Lots of new words from both lads: apple, Barry, Patriots, octopus, drive the bus (if you've read Mo Willems' "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" then this will make sense), upupup, spaceship (pretty close anyway), I see, ear, mouth, eyes, octopus, ball, bat, muah, Opa.

Jason is into making a fish face. The new issue of Animal Babies arrived and in it a little girl makes a fish face and on the opposite page is a fish face. Jason felt inspired enough to make his own fish face.

Kevin is into climbing everything. If left unattended, it's a certainty that upon return he'll be standing on something that he's climbed. He does a funny little dance shaking his booty after he's managed to climb up on something. It's something like a victory dance.

Speaking of dancing. Both boys like to. Kevin does a funny little thing that my parents called "happy feet" and that name has stuck. If you ask Kevin to show you his happy feet, he'll start dancing around. Cutey. Both boys like to dance and they are so darn cute when they do it.

Jason is big-time into music. We've heard King Biscuit Time's I Walk the Earth more times than anyone else on the Earth. I've been trying to expose him to more songs and Jason has expanded his special music list to include Mel Blanc and Sammy Kaye. Kevin is good natured about hearing the same song a zillion times and hasn't registered any complaints.

Must run. Ta!

Jumpy and Kicky's Big 4th of July Weekend Part I

Belated wishes of independence to you all. I'll dispense with the build up and get right to the interesting tidbits. K + J had a big biG bIG BIG weekend. On Friday, the 3rd, they went to a real shoe store and got real big boy shoes. We actually cheesed out a bit and did not get tie shoes but ones with velcro. We figure these shoes will prob fit for a NY minute so why spend precious seconds (un)tying laces?

Jason got some nifty Teva like Stride Rites and Kevin got a sharp Stride Rite sandal, fisherman style. See the pix? Jason's are the brown, Kevin's the blue.

No, we won't make them wear socks. That was just for the breaking in period. The boys got gelatto after their shoe shopping experience. Kevin likes vanilla. Jason, chocolate. We sat enjoying our frosty treat while a massive thunder and lightning storm raged outside.

On Saturday we attended the Buzzards Bay 4th of July parade and there's more about that in the post below (see Part II). On Sunday, Mimi and Papa came to play and oh boy, what fun! The weather was terrific and they all went for a walk and played at the playground. The boys had a blast.

Below are some snaps of different things. The boys have more access to different parts of the house now that they can walk. They enjoy being in the kitchen. They like to take my OXO spatulas and play the drums on the trash can. If you are ever a dinner guest, do not worry, I put them in the dishwasher for a good sanitizing AND I wipe down the can each night with a Clorox wipe.



This is Kevin's "You are annoying me" face. I love it. I laugh every time. Sometimes he makes a little hissy/rattling/purring noise that further communicates his annoyance. Hilarious.









Kevin likes the light in the hallway. See the spatula?

Here are the boys at the parade. It was hot. They were hot. But they had much fun!

Mom, Kevin and Jason enjoy the parade. (Like the action pose?)

Jason does his Buddy Rich impression. He's quite the drummer!