Hop On Pop

When Paul gets home from night float, this is what happens. For as long as he can manage it......

He's such a good Daddy. We sure do miss him.

AB gently posing for a picture with her brother and cousin, Ann Edwards.

Ava Belle, 3.5 yrs old

Emmett, 17 mos

With any luck they'll have some of their Pap's musical talent. Or, at least they'll have some of his instruments.

My Mom knitted those precious matching sweaters...my Dad made the concertina...Paul and I made the kids.

I do realize that the last time I posted anything was during night float, back in June. Well, it's night float again and apparently it's the only time I have opportunity to post. This is Paul's last night float EVER! So, this may be my last post. Only kidding, I think. Anyway, it's been really cold here in Saint Louis. The low today was zero. Snow on the ground. Blistering winds. I find this sort of weather situation rather debilitating. Having lived in STL more than three years now, I am more capable of facing the cold than I once was, but there is nothing like facing the cold with two small children in tow. For instance, multiple layers. Easily takes us three times as long to get ready to leave the house with the sweaters, coats, hats, mittens, snow boots, etc. Yet, I'm considering the use of extra clothing in non-winter months as a general safety measure....it physically slows them down and opportunity for a 'prison break' becomes less likely. Actually, Ava Belle has been enjoying her new snow bib so much that she wears it all the time. All day at home, all day at school, you get the picture. If there is a chill in the air she insists upon wearing them. So, today we went to the mall to get a cookie. It was zero outside, forgive me. She picked out a lovely cookie iced with bright yellow and chocolate frosting, a lovely complement to her outfit. Anyway, we were walking through the mall and she said she needed to go potty....we finally got to the restroom and we began peeling layers off of her. I even brought an extra bag just to hold all of our winter accessories. When she was finished she came out and said, "Mommy, my clothes are wet." How did this happen? Well, she explained that maybe Emmett did it. This, by the way, is her current explanation for most situations where she feels her reputation, precious 3.5 yr old autonomy, or TV time might be in jeopardy. It was an accident. I didn't pull her clothes down enough and the rest is history. Luckily her short dress was spared and she was able to waltz around the mall (until we found some new panties) sporting her little dress, bare legs and bottom and her gigantic snow boots. She was delighted with herself. It was a cold walk to the car for her, but she managed...and so did I. Hope all is well with you all (if anyone even reads this thing). Happy New Year to you!

One Down, One To Go....

Night Float. You know, I have always considered myself fairly tough, but, I'm quickly being humbled by Paul's current rotation. He works nights, and it's been rough. And, it's only been a week. Last time Paul was working this rotation we just up and left, went to Birmingham and stayed with family. This time we decided that two weeks was too long to be apart so, the children and I are staying here and just working through it. Starting out, we've had a few strikes against us that has made the first week particularly....intense. A) Coxsackie virus. We both got home from vacation with headaches and fever. You know, the kind of headache that hurts to blink, extreme brightness and loud noises exacerbate the pain? Two kids with lots of energy, summertime in Saint Louis and husband-less days and nights meant that I was living on Advil, gatorade and the grace of God. B) Sink explosion. Our kitchen sink has always been a bit sensitive. Combine that with poor water pressure, an excessive amount of homegrown lettuces and the handy-work of one very skilled radiology resident, you'll get a plumber that stays so long your daughter will ask if he's joining us for dinner. C) We welcomed our newest neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Copperhead. Apparently, the grass in our backyard was approaching amazon status when we found that a family of copperhead snakes had moved in. I was able to find a nice gentleman (from Trussville, AL!!, no doubt) to come and mow our yard for us. I told Paul it was part of his father's day gift, he didn't have to mow the lawn and he gets to continue being a father to our children who should now be safe from the snakes (not that we've played in the backyard since.) So, it's been an adventurous week and we've got one more to go. I feel exhausted from long days and long nights even though I do have two of the most precious souls on earth to spend them with. Speaking of which, I took Ariel and Flounder to the pool by myself for the first time this week. I've been very nervous about how it might be going to the pool with two kids on my own, although you wouldn't have known it considering how prepared we were. We got there and I realized all the water accessories I'd brought were swimsuits and a Barbie. We managed to have a great time despite my poor planning and spent the afternoon cooling off in the water, playing and laughing. Both the children went to bed early so, I'm planning on springing for the pool pass and a couple of floaties. Anyway, we are hanging in there, a little tired, a little lonely, but okay.  I'm most thankful for our dear friends here who we've been able to hang out with, and of course I have my buddies Ben & Jerry to keep me company in the evenings. I will say that Paul definitely has the rough end of things, they stay very, very busy on this rotation. The other night it took him nearly three hours to finish a measly turkey sandwich. In my line of work, if I couldn't talk with my mouth full I'd have absolutely no conversations and it'd be amazing what my three year old would be able to get away with. We'll report on the next week, and I'll try to drum up some pics to go with. Until then....

We are back! After a wonderful vacation with all our family we are back home in STL. Happy to see our dear friends, our home (that feels like rather 'tight quarters' after being at the spacious lakehouse...at any minute I'm expecting the seven dwarfs) and our garden that looks strikingly similar to Miss Havisham's grounds.  It's been a tough landing back into reality, Paul is working nights so we are trying to figure out how best to manage without really seeing much of each other for two weeks, Ava Belle has digressed a bit on the potty-front (something to do with wearing a swimsuit all day and spending most of the time in the water....hmmm), but, it's nice to be home. As many of you already know, my sister-in-law's husband became very sick and spent some time in the CCU during our vacation, he is home now and resting. The virus made it's way through most of the lake house visitors, but we've since recovered and are praying that Rainer's heart regains it's strength with each day. I would ask, if you are so inclined, for you to join us in prayer for his recovery.  

I've picked a few of my favorite pics from the week....I think most of them are already up on my sister-in-law's, Laurie Ann, blog, but here they are as an encore....

Happy Ava Belle, the lake trip treated her well (minus the coxsackie virus, of course).
Anyu (my mother) and Emmett....light was just perfect that afternoon.
Tedrow family band....the Lake Martin Burger Boat really wanted to book us for the weekend at Chimney Rock, but, we just didn't have time. Maybe next year...
I love this pic, even though our niece, Ann Edwards, is a little unhappy, it just makes me smile.
Cinderella.
AB riding with Paul's parents (Minnie and T) around the cove in the little boat....
Mermaid.
Ping Pong Players.
AB fishing with Daddy...a little concerned about the distance between she and the fish.
Happiest little fella. Ever.

Goodbye Pink Potty

Ava Belle is officially potty trained. Hallelujah. It really wasn't so bad, actually, we just waited until she turned three and then told her that the diapers were for Emmett. She did 'mark her territory' across the better part of Saint Louis but, hey, urine is sterile, right? Well, that brings me to the real reason for this post. Urine, apparently, can be many things. Mainly, it's waste. But, it can also double as plant killer. Let me explain. We have a two story house with a finished basement, bathroom upstairs, bathroom downstairs, niente on the main floor. So, I purchased a very small, very discreet pink potty to pull out in those emergent moments when we couldn't make it to one of the other bathrooms. Quickly, it became routine to just carry the pink potty around with us from room to room on the main floor. For some reason, I found it a little tiring to run up/downstairs to have AB empty her bladder or for me to empty the potty each time she went (very frequently in the beginning) so, I began to open the front door and toss the tee-tee outside, just to the right of the door behind a large bush.  Please take note: I adhered to a very different regimen for discarding poop. This went on for......awhile. So, the other day as I was locking up I noticed the bush had all these dead leaves in one isolated area. It looked as if someone had sprayed it with acid. Hmmmm. I thought for just a moment. Then, I decided that we needed to say goodbye to the pink potty. For the most part, AB has had no problem making it to the up or downstairs potty in time. However, sometimes she's a little too busy playing and I'm just hoping that the finish on our floor is slightly more sturdy than the bush by the door. 

Where the Wild Things Are....

Little BraveHeart. AB painted his face for him. He didn't mind.

Well, they are here. In my house. In my bed. They are with me when I take a shower, actually, they are with me every time I go into the bathroom. You get the point. They are wild things. And, I am their Mommy which means that I have the potential to be the wildest of them all. This afternoon, following a rare fit of cleaning, Ava Belle walks downstairs and says, "Mommy, why does it smell like wild things in this house?" Hmmm. I wonder. This coming from a three year old who is wearing nothing but a pair of Elmo panties, backwards, and has a bright red tummy. Apparently, the baby in her belly told her to color it with a red marker.  I think it's time for good ole Daddy to come home and bring a little equilibrium back to the 'lair.'

We went to church on Mother's Day morning and, as has become ritual, we entered and had our quick family conference. 

Emily: I'll take Emmett, diaper bag, sling and find seats.

Paul: I'll take Ava Belle to the nursery.

Ava Belle: I want Mommy to take me, no, Daddy to take me. No, Emmett to take me. (We settle on Daddy.)

Then, we all split up. I find seats and sit with Emmett through a few songs, maybe one reading, and then he's had about enough. Or, should I say, I'm assuming the people sitting just by us have had enough. So, I do the 'excuse me please,' 'oops, pardon us,' and try and keep Emmett's sweet sticky hands from grabbing anyone's hair as we make our way out of the aisle and head to the "Room with a View," a special little room where mothers with babies who need a break from the service (for a variety of reasons) can come and sit and still enjoy through a large window and a speaker. By this time, Paul is just coming back down from dropping AB off at the nursery and that is pretty much how each Sunday goes. So, this week was Mother's Day and as I sat in the little room with all these other mothers I decided there wasn't a better place to spend Mother's Day morning at church. I must admit, most of the time in there is like a little party and, on occasion, we have even turned down the speaker because it was interrupting our conversations. We just chat and catch up, talk about potty training, talk about the latest and greatest teething toys, the marvelous advances made in cloth diapers and over these conversations we eventually open to eachother and share. We share lots of things. We laugh, get teary-eyed, offer wipes to one another. It's very special and I look forward to it every week. Then, when we see everyone circling around for communion we tuck our shirts and 'selves' back into place, see that our babies are stuffed snug in their slings, and partake in communion. I love Sunday mornings at church, and it was a great way to spend Mother's Day morning. So, to you ladies out there who I get to hang out with on Sundays, thank you for the extra hands when changing an unbelievably poopie diaper, thank you for encouraging me with your birth stories and listening to mine, thank you for not minding too much when my big boy pulls your little girls hair, thank you for the diaper tips and for the commiseration over lack of sleep. I am truly moved by your openness and delighted by your company. I thank you and Happy Mother's Day.