Tooth Fairy please stop here!

The Collins boys are keeping the Tooth Fairy off the streets.  If she had any thoughts of picking up a day job she should think twice.  Tonight she will be making her second visit this week.  And in our oh so infinite wisdom we have stopped putting money aside for their college education and have started socking away funds to cover the cost of braces.  

FINALLY!!!

 

new developments and home decor

OK... so Sean has decided that he wants to crawl.  I KNOW!!!  He is able to get up on all fours and then does this lurch, rock, lurch, slither sort of inching along commando crawling thing.  I came back from the bathroom to find him gnawing on the leg of a dining room chair.  I left him on a blanket with lots of  baby approved items to keep his interest and 6 feet away from the nearest hazard. Obviously those items have lost their appeal and he has moved on to bigger and better things.  He is now a double threat... mobile with teeth...a force to be reckoned with.  We are in such trouble.  It is clear that he wants to be a big boy... he is no longer thrilled with the rattles and baby teething toys...no, he want the TV remote, the phone and all other toys that are composed of small parts not approved for those under the age of 3. It is also beyond me why he wrinkles his nose up at yummy applesauce and peaches send a shiver through his entire body but he will gladly sink his chops into a box of baby wipes, a shoe or edge of a cardboard box with utter joy.  For now he is still slow moving... I have that going for me... but he is gaining momentum and it is only a matter of time before he debunks everything I thought I knew about child-proofing a home.  Since we have an open floor plan now he has access to everything... for example we can't just put a gate up going into the kitchen.  I need to find new places for Sam's medical equipment and keep on Andrew to keep his small Lego pieces out of reach.  

It is also clear to me that my dreams of having a nicely decorated (I am serious... if anyone knows Nate from the Oparah Show... please give him my address), clean and well organized house are just that... dreams.  For now I will settle for our current decor which is best categorized as classic Hasbro with a dash of retro dinosaur and a mix of modern medical.  The native wall markings that are constantly being updated are all the rave these days are are sure to become the next big thing in home decor.  I have found that matchbox cars and other hard objects make the most interesting marks... nothing says FAB-U-LOUS like a gouge in wall (crayons and other removable marks are for amateurs).  And Sam worked really hard to add a touch of flare to our otherwise boring Ikea furniture.... that boy has a knack for distressing. Some people pay a lot of money for this sort of thing and how lucky are we that we have a furniture distressing savant right here in our own home who is willing to work just for the sheer joy of the work itself.  Ya... I'm spoiled.  And when you come to my house please note that the general disarray is an intentional part of the overall appeal and brings a bit of unity to our eclectic decorating style.  We worked really hard to achieve this level of Unkept Chik.

10 things that made me drop what I was doing ...

1.  "Moooooommmmm... I see blood!"

2.  "Sam lost a tooth and I can't find it... maybe he swallowed it?"

3.  "TURTLE!!!"  (When Sam tips over in his feeding chair... on purpose... while he is still strapped into it he looks like a turtle with a shell on his back)

4. " 23-19!!!!"  (when diaper contents are visible outside of the diaper)

5.  "I'm stuck."

6.  "Moooommmmmm... Sam has a crayon and he just scribbled on the TV screen."

7.  "Moooommmm... Sam got the remote and turned the channel again... I think it is a naughty show and I  don't think I should watch it."

8.  "Some guy is at the door... can I let him in?"

9.  "Moooommmm... Sam is sitting on Sean!"

10.  "COME WIPE MY BUTT!!!"

PLAYDATES: the good, the bad and the uninvited

down stairs = fun

Andrew has a friend over and they are having a good time in the basement... lots to do down there.  Upstairs it is a different story.  Sam is beside himself and desperately wants to be doing whatever it is the big boys are doing down there. The scene being played out at the gate to the basement is a quite dramatic and pathetic display mixed with a dash of "that's not fair", a pinch impending temper tantrum, numerous rounds of "baby tipping" and whining...lots and lots of whining.  Once the big boys come up for a breather I will take Sam down stairs to play on the swing... that will make him happy.  For now he is not thrilled with the balls, musical toys or even his favorite piano... baby tipping seems to be his only pleasure at the moment.  Sean has had better days and as the punishment trickles down... he has started biting me!  I know he just wants to nurse and go down for his nap but I refuse to allow him to work out his frustrations on me (OUCH!) perhaps he is just all worked up about being tipped over all morning... anyway you look it, everyone upstairs is just his side of miserable, bleeding or  beyond tired.  After lunch I will devise a scheme to get everyone downstairs and happy... it that doesn't work I have very large roll of duct tape and I am not afraid to use it!  

up stairs = no fun

Creature Feature

Plaetone

 

awwwwww!

Sean 7 months

Awwww! Yay you can say it.  This is the sort of photo that every mother loves, the infamous naked baby bath photo, that will as if by magic appear at various times of a child's life causing them to blush and roll their eyes.  This one is pretty "clean" so maybe he won't be too embarrassed.

Happy Easter

I think Andrew found most of the eggs before anyone else got up Easter morning.  Before he was too jacked up on sugar, we went to 8:30am mass then came home and started cooking.  We had a full house for dinner and everyone left fat and happy.

Before all our guests arrived, Andrew went outside and drew a message and "life size" Easter bunny with sidewalk chalk  in the driveway to greet everyone when they got here.  The sun was out and it was a beautiful day. Hard to believe that we got nearly 14 inches of snow just days prior

sleepy, sleepy tired bunny