more pictures...

You will notice that there is not one single picture of Eli in this bunch. He has become very difficult to photograph. He will either stand in the shot and not smile or refuse to be in the shot. I took a couple today on the boat, and it is possible he was smiling... I am not going to get my hopes up though. Perhaps if I was better about taking pictures, I would get one or two of my son... Oh well, I will take what I can get.

The last picture is Isobel showing her cheer from cheer camp to her Grandparents. It is so cute. The final line of this cheer is "you think you can beat us, whatever!" Isobel definitely has the attitude for this final line. Those of you who have known me since high school can just imagine how well she does it... Oh and just for good measure... she has also inherited my classic, passive aggressive, "fine". I am sure there are a number of you smiling right now thinking that it is a classic example of what goes around...

Welcome...

This morning, shortly after 8:00, my family welcomed its newest member. We are happy to have him here, but wish he would have continued to call my sisters uterus home just a little longer, perhaps 7 weeks longer...

I am heartbroken that my sister has to live through this experience. Emmy was nowhere near this early and I remember the emptiness and pain that I suffered. The idea that Michelle's experience will be even more trying is unbearable. The saving grace is that I know my sister is a strong person and she will rise to the NICU challenge with grace and dignity.

If you would like to see some pictures of my gorgeous new nephew, you can do so here. I have to say, he is a lucky boy to get all that cute, curly, black hair. I guess if there was ever any question as to whether my sister and I are really related, they were answered when we had children. Isobel looks like Michelle and Ben looks like me... I wonder if this is the Universes way of telling us, or at least me, to leave the past in the past.

Happy Mother's Day!

My mother is perhaps one of the most amazing people I know. She is one of those people who loves unconditionally and will always put people first. However, she is also strong and is more than capable of sticking up for herself when it is necessary. I know that I can call my mom at 3:00 in the morning and she will be there to listen and I know that she will always find a way to help me no matter what it takes. She is amazing.

A couple of years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was one of the hardest things to ever happen to me, so I can't imagine how hard it was for her and my dad (and my sister, who was there to help mom through it). I consider myself lucky that I didn't have to see her daily struggles; I think it probably would have killed me. Of course, as she is my mother, she knew this and kept most of her pain from me, she was very brave for my sake and I thank her for that.

Today is Mother's Day and today Major League Baseball is covered in pink to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. So, if you feel like today is a good day for baseball, head out to your local MLB game and see all the players use pink bats and run pink ribbon bases. It is the third year of the event and is sure to be another success. Remember, most of the items used in the games will be auctioned off here. If you are interested, you can get some great sports memorabilia and help some amazing people, like my mom.

So, Happy Mother's Day to all of you! Especially to my mom who I love more than she will ever know.

I also want to say Happy Mother's Day to my sister. Although we may never see eye to eye (and she didn’t call Isobel back to share her favorite princess), she is an amazing mother and has made a difference in so many lives. She is able to handle an immense amount of stress while still maintaining her composure. I will always be grateful that she was strong enough to be there for our mom, when I wasn't.

lions and tigers and bears...

Today we went to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. It was a beautiful day. The weather was fantastic. It was sunny, in the upper 60's and Curious George and Max were at the zoo meeting kids. Isobel and Eli were so excited to see both of them, although Isobel didn't understand why Max was traveling without Ruby. It was our first visit to the zoo and we loved it, at first.

About 45 minutes after we got to the zoo Eli started refusing to get out of the stroller. He just sat there saying he wanted to go home. We assumed that he was just scared of the bigger animals (we were in the wolf habitat when this started), so we let him stay in the stroller and told him not to be afraid. At this point it was about 11:30 and he wasn't getting any better, so we decided he must be hungry. We asked him if he wanted to eat lunch and he said yes. So, we went to the Rhino Cafe for lunch. That is when we realized that it was more than just hunger or fear. He wouldn't eat or drink, he was crying and just wanted to be held and he felt a little warm. So, Jon took Eli and Emmy to the car and Isobel and I stood in line to see Max. Below you can see Eli's zoo progression... poor baby...

He fell back to sleep the second we got in the car and took a short nap. When he woke up he seemed to be feeling better, so we decided we would make a quick pit stop at Babies-R-Us. As we pulled into the parking space, I heard that noise... you know, the noise all moms dread, the one that means your child just threw up all over themselves in their car seat...

Eli was so shocked by this event. I don't even think he realized it happened. He just stared at his hands and said "Mommy, I need a wipe." After I told him that he was sick he turned to Isobel and said "Bel, I'm sick" and Isobel said "I know, sweetie, I am so sorry." I don't know how many times on the drive home she asked him if he was okay. It was very sweet... It made me realize that some of my posts about Isobel may seem a little harsh. She really is a sweet girl and she loves her brother very much. In fact, when we got home she watched Blue's Clues without complaint... a sweet shock for all who know her.

Here is Isobel with Max... she was very happy to meet him!

sweet, sweet Eli...

Last night Eli and I were lying on the couch watching The Office (Emmy's birthday cake pushed bed times back a bit). Isobel came downstairs whining about being cold. My sweet, sweet Eli held up his blanket so Isobel could join him. Now, when I say blanket, I mean blankie. It is not very big and he cannot function without it (or one of its many siblings). Isobel climbed up onto the couch next to him and they cuddled under this little blankie. It was almost the cutest thing I have ever seen them do...

Of course, my darling Isobel then wrapped herself up in Eli's blankie pulling it completely off of him. He started to cry and she just shrugged and said "I'm cold!”

This made me realize that I am quite a bit like Eli. I always assume people are intrinsically good and always going to do the right thing. I am usually proven wrong. How do I teach him that there should be limitations to his kindness? How do I teach him something that I never learned myself? How does one teach a child that people will take advantage of his kindness and most likely hurt him in the process? Is it something that should be taught or is it one of those lessons he should learn the "hard way"?

Crazy love...

Today Isobel had a friend over after school; everything seemed to be going great. Eli, Isobel and her friend (we will call her B) were upstairs in Eli's room playing dress up... everyone seemed so happy.

All of a sudden Isobel comes pounding down the stairs "Eli is having more fun with B than me. I think he likes her more." She was devastated by this possibility. I assured her that Eli likes no one in the world more than he likes her (which I believe to be true).

My brilliant solution is to color; with Isobel this seems to be the solution to any problem... so I call B and Eli down to color with Isobel.

I set up the big paper scroll to cover the table and pull out three little stools for the kids to sit on. Isobel sat in one and Eli and B came running down the stairs to join her.

This is when the drama really began...

Isobel wanted to sit next to Eli and B. B wanted to sit next to Eli and Isobel. After much debate, in the classic “sit here”, “no sit here” kind of way, Eli sat down next to B. Isobel started to cry, and not the "I really want attention kind of cry", but the "you just pulled my heart out of my chest and stomped on it" kind of cry. She jumped up and ran away. Poor Eli was shocked, he didn't know what happened. He had a look of pure horror on his face and went chasing after her yelling "I want to sit by you Bel". Then he told her he was sorry gave her a big hug and kiss and pulled his stool around so he could sit next to her.

It was crazy sweet, emphasis on the crazy.

I can't decide if they will be super close when they get older or if he will get so annoyed with her dramatic tendencies that he will avoid her completely. Either way, it is fun to watch now.

Standing on the sidelines...

It has been a bit surreal the last few weeks. Isobel and Eli have started really fighting. I can't quite figure out exactly what happens as this is what I always hear...

"mommy, Eli hit me"

"mommy, Bel hit me"

"Eli hit me first"

"Bel hit me first"

Then simultaneously they yell "him first" and "her first" while pointing at each other. They do this for about 2 minutes, start to laugh and run away. I don't have to do anything but sit by and watch the interaction.

Does this make me a lazy mom or a lucky mom? I guess only time will tell.

Sweet or Manipulative... you decide.

This morning Eli decided he wanted to play on the computer. We have a small selection of computer games the kids can play on our old computer. Eli chose a Dora the Explorer game which is advanced for his skill level, but he really wanted to play. I told him he could and asked Isobel to turn it on for him. This was the conversation that followed:

"Eli, sweetie, this game is way too hard for two year olds. It is only for five year olds. You can really only play Mickey Mouse or Winnie the Pooh."

"hmmmm.... want Mickey Mouse."

"Great choice, honey! That is a great choice. Just let me turn it on for you."

I am sitting in my office thinking "wow... I must have done something right... listen to how sweet she is... I am such a great mom." Then I hear this...

"Oh Honey, let me just show you how to play first."

It has been 30 minutes and Isobel is still showing Eli "how to play".

One would think that Eli would be screaming at this point... I expect to hear "I want to play, Bel, it is my turn"... but no, not my Eli. He is laughing and yelling "Good Job, Bel!”

So, maybe we did do something right after all...