Christmas in Mich

We had a great time in Michigan. Good thing that Grammy got us all PJ's though, as must everyone was under the weather and we spent a good deal of time hanging out in Retsema Tartan. Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas from Eleanor

Princess and the Pea

A couple days ago, Eleanor and Gemma were playing in the living room while I made dinner. They had the couch cushions down off the couch and were bouncing. I kept hearing muffled cries of frustration from Gemma, and I finally asked Eleanor if she thought they could find a game to play that wasn't so rough.

"How about Princess and the Pea?" asked Eleanor. Not a good idea, since a big part of the roughhousing involved squeezing Gemma between cushions. "No I don't think so."

"How about Winnie the Pooh, that's not so rough?"

"Great."

Eleanor then turned to Gemma and say, "Hello Pooh, how would you like to play Princess and the Pea?"

Tattoo Counting

Eleanor had some tattoos left over from Halloween -- she took them out of her bag and asked if she could put them on herself. I asked her if she knew how, and she explained the procedure:

"You go in the bathroom and put it on your hand. Then you run water over it and count to the number that is one after the number before the one that you count next."

Gem loves to dance

The Harcasema Reunion

It was so much fun visiting with the kids, Ray, Joel, Josers, and Matt (and Jack too) in NH! We all missed Uncle Thom and Aunt Jonelle, but tried to catch them by phone to have them there in spirit as well. The Caswell girls could only make it for one night of a slumber party, which of course included very little slumber. Ray and Joel were gracious hosts, even giving up their bed for the Caswell Clan. Uncle Joel wins a prize for BBQing in the middle of a wet noreaster downpour. Michigan beat State. Local Brews. Euchre. Gingerbread pancakes. And of course, Jude stole the show with his sweet little burbles, smiles, and cuddly sleep in our arms (Ray and Joel changed diapers - we just enjoyed the precious little one.) Thanks guys for a great visit!

Rosie Red and the Googah Band

Eleanor latest identity is Rosie Red, the cowgirl. She has the fringed red leather jacket from Grammy, a true "Texas Hat" from dad, and a denim cowgirl skirt from nana. To this she adds pink or leopard print leggings, mismatched bright blue socks, and her rain boots. Give this girl her horsie, and she's off. Of course Gemma and Googah can't help but join in the fun!

Strike!!!!

The girls go candlepin bowling for their first time while visiting with their aunties and uncles in NH. Eleanor bowled a spare and earned the highest score. Gemma dropped and hurled the poor balls for half the game before retiring to her role as score keeper. Her favorite part, of course, was the stylish pair of bowling shoes.

A new cousin!

Eleanor and Gemma are so pleased to announce the arrival of their little cuz, Jude Lawrence. We went down to visit the little dude, his parents, and his grammy at his home in Newmarket, NH. Eleanor was not a bit disappointed that his name is not actually Cucumber Geoff Caswell Hartter as she had suggested. And yes, he is way too cute!

Today tomorrow

Eleanor has got this sense that whenever she wakes up it's tomorrow. It extends to whenever she's in "quiet time" (which is neither quiet, nor a lot of time...) -- before she goes up to her room she'll ask, "what are we going to do tomorrow?" meaning what are we going to do when I come down. We've had lots of conversations about how it's not actually "tomorrow" yet when she comes down from quiet time. Yesterday before quiet time she asked, "Will it still be today tomorrow?" Zen koan anyone?

Family Reunion

All five sibs were reunited when we traveled to Michigan to see Thom (for the first time in three years), meet his fiance, Jonelle, and attend a big engagement fiesta, celebrate Matt's graduation from GVSU, and shower Rachel and her little "soccer dude". We had such a great time visiting and there are many stories to tell.

One quote from Eleanor keeps passing through my mind. "Momma, Momma! Hoover doesn't listen just like I don't listen!" she says excitedly after Grammy explained to her what it meant that Grammy's older dog, Hoover, is deaf.

Tales from Nana's

Eleanor is now wanting to play "petanarian" at my house....and has chosen the name of "Doctor Lucy....no, Fred" (names from the "McDuff" book I read to her). She wanted to put drops in Maggie's eyes but we settled for letting her "examine" Maggie's belly, as she was "four legs up" wanting to be scratched (like Fergus, in another book).

Gemma is following in the "pawprints", too.......I ask, "What does Maggie say?" and she says, "Woof!".....Then I ask, "What does Gemma say?"....and she says "Woof". That's why she and Maggie get along so well.....they speak the same language.

No no no...

Eleanor: "Daddy?"
Daddy: "Yes?"
Eleanor: "No, no, no! I was talking to Mom!"

Birdbumps

Some of just a couple quotes from yesterday...

Elly was talking about "Otter Space," letting me know that, "a spaceship is like a planet that flies when it's really dark."

She also observed that "in the Beauty and the Beast movie they don't sing. They just pretend: it's just their voices singing."

She also posed this jokey riddle, "Daddy, do gooses have bird bumps?" And followed it up with, "Do birds have goosebumps?" She explained that, "That's a funny joke," and when I asked her who told it to her, she said, "The trees, the plants, the butterflies. And our lamp."

Bugs, Mammals, Fish, Birds, Trumpets...

Eleanor asked if Bumblebees were bugs. I told her they were and decided we'd spend some time with the "aminal" kingdom -- she knew right away that dolphins were different than sharks, say, and that mice were certainly not bugs. She rattled right along until I hit her with, "what are hornets?"

"Trumpets! Doot-do-DOOO!"

Learning Language

Both girls are definitely into communication. Gemma definitely understands quite a bit. For awhile now, if you ask for a hug, she'll drop what she is doing and walk over to you, arms outstretched, and give you a little squeeze. She looks a bit like Frankenstein when going in for the hug (Jud says maybe more like one of the early Draculas going in for a bite). In the picture above, she is coming in for a hug and to grab the camera as well. Makes taking pictures a bit more tricky than when she was inert on her back.

Today, Gemma learned her first official word of sign language (other than "hi", "bye" and "up"). With Eleanor's help, she learned to put her hands together in the sign that means "more". So, I peeled an entire grapefruit today and between Gemma and Eleanor asking for more, I had only one bite.
At night, routine for Eleanor includes two books and either songs or a story made up by yours truly. Often she will tell a short story after mine that always seems to hit on the same themes and characters as I talked about. Tonight, she asked to tell the story of Mulan. Granted, she knows nothing about Mulan other than that she is some sort of Disney "Princess". Don't get me started on the Disney princesses. So, she started telling the story about Mulan.
"Is it scary? Why is it scary? What happens?"
I let her know that asking questions is not telling a story. So she starts again.
"Is the story of Mulan going to be too scary for you, Momma? Are you sure? We'll fast forward through the scary parts. Why is it scary? What happens?"
So I told her that if I answered all her questions, I would be telling the story.
"Got you again, Momma, " she says with a sly smile.
We are definitely in for some trouble with this one...

Boys vs. Girls

"Momma, do boys wear underwear"
"Yes..."
"Do boys go potty"
"Yes..."
"Boys go potty backwards. Daddy goes potty standing up. Girls go potty frontwards so they can see their mommas."

Morning with the Girls

Elly wanted to change the music away from Bob Dylan -- the next song was Jim Croce. I told her who it was and asked her if she knew anyone else named "Jim." Her eyes lit up: "Jim-Nastics!"

Gemma came up to dance with me, held her hands up and Elly said, "She's marrying you! Gemma can be the groom and you can be the bride. ---Posted by Jud

Colds and Warms

Elly's Dad says, "You look a little pale, Eleanor -- a little flushed. I'm not feeling too well either. I think I'm coming down with a cold."
Elly answers, "I think I'm coming down with a warm."

Learning to Walk in Michigan

Poor Ms. Gemma got sick over our stay in Michigan (note the pink cheeks). But she was a real trooper. She focused on developing her walking skills. By the time we returned to Maine, walking had become her primary mode of locomotion.

We're Inseparable!

From our newest poet to her mother when putting her to bed:

"We're Inseparable.
Like Zach and Wheezy ----(A two headed Dragon)
Like the Walrus and the Carpenter -----(Alice in Wonderland)
Like Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle Dee
Like You and ME!"


The picture is misleading, but I could find no decent pictures of me and Eleanor.

A Very Jasmine Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas in Michigan, travelling via MINH (our mini-van) with Jud driving through the night in both directions. Eleanor's top two requests for Santa were a Jasmine Barbie and Jasmine costume, and here she is in all her glory.

It's Destructive

Putting Eleanor to bed tonight. Sometimes her cd player skips and the music sounds strange. As I leave the room tonight she asks me to turn the music off because, "It's destructive". After turning off the music, Eleanor asks me, "Did you turn the music off?" I said that I had and she continues, "Why?"

Little Miss Director

Eleanor likes tries to take control when she can. We had a long bedtime stretch tonight. After teeth, stories, a drink of water, changing Gemma's pj's to match Elly's, and two trips to the potty, I was leaving to put Gemma to bed. Eleanor asked for just one more drink of water. When I said no and started to say she had already had plenty of opportunities, she interrupted with, "Momma, no talking! This is not a talking room, this is a drinking room."

Here is a picture of the two in the bath - very decent with all parts covered. Gemma is on my lap smiling at herself and her sister in the picture as I write.

Your Momma

Eleanor is way into familial relationships. She is frequently asking "Momma, who is your momma?" and so on and so forth to the nth degree. She has these relationsips pretty well figured out. For Thanksgiving today, we went over to Nana's for an amazing Thanksgiving dinner. When we later decided to go bowling with the kids, Nana volunteered to stay home with Gemma. As we are leaving in the van, Eleanor comments that, "Dadda, Gemma is staying home with your momma."

We had a great time eating, bowling, and playing today. Both girls adore their cousins, Boo and Tris.


Famili

Mush Veil

Eleanor calls Gemma's baby food "mush". She can't stand the stuff and will gag and at times throw up at the site of the baby food. Pleasant, I know. Makes it tough to feed both girls at once. We were trying to speed up the process today and asked Eleanor, "Do you think you'll throw up if we feed Gemma mush?" She said yes, so I proposed we needed a "mush veil". She instantly exclaimed, "I DON'T NEED A MUSH VEIL! What is a mush veil?"

Gemma now has a little tooth emerging on her top jaw. So, with just these two little tooth buds, she has learned to grind her teeth. Yikes. It is quite a sound!

Quote of the Day

Eleanor says the funniest things and does so with such frequency, that I can never recall what she has said. So, over the next week, I will post an Eleanor quote for each day. I wasn't home most of today, but listening over the monitor tonight while Jud was trying to get her back into bed after she got up to use the bathroom for at least fourth time I heard:

"Dad, I don't need help. I'm a big girl. I need my privacy".

Poor Gemma has been up nights coughing and "horking". But, Dad to the rescue - Here you see her rocked soundly asleep. What an angel.

When I grow Up

Last night it was, "what do you want to be when you grow up, Eleanor?"
"I want to have five jobs."
"Five!"
"Doctor, Princess, Mermaid, Pirate..."
She pauses to think. Knows that she's only listed four.
"Arista."
(Anoter mermaid.)

Swinging

The girls are as much fun as ever, but have been particularly busy lately. I've overheard Nana referring to Eleanor as "Hurricane Eleanor" and this is an apt name. Her language and thinking processes are just taking off. She is so entertaining. It would take me more than every waking minute to properly write down all the funny things this girl says. And meanwhile, she would be wrestling Ms. Gemma to the ground and fighting over a toy she truly didn't care about until Gemma started playing with it.

El always goes to sleep with a pile of books in her bed. She reads them, and then throws them over the side when she's done. She's very opinionated about what books she does or does not want each night. I know she's still awake when I am still hearing them clunk to the floor every couple of minutes. We bought some books at a library book sale. One was a Golden Book version of the Christmas Story. I guess the illustrations were not interesting enough to her. Tonight, when I was handing her books, she threw the book over the side saying, "I don't like Jesus".

Gemma is still just a joyful little girl. Several nights ago, she discovered they joys of sleeping on her tummy. I'm hoping this will revolutionize our sleeping schedule. It is desperately in need of a makeover. Tonight, she fell asleep cuddling with me positioned literally cheek to cheek. You gotta love these moments.

Lately, Gems has been having a lot of fun imitating others. She plays peekaboo using a curtain, gives razzes when you ask, and will even clap. Today, I realized she was imitating me chewing bubble gum. I kept opening her mouth to see what was there, but nothing was. I realized that she was mimicking my chewing motion as I chewed my gum.

Here are some pictures of the girls doing one thing they can have fun doing together.

"Evil" for short...

I was just putting Eleanor up to bed for quiet time. We were lying on the floor, having just read the tale of Two Bad Mice, which she very much appreciated. I said, “well, I'd better go downstairs and get to work.” “Can we make believe this is your work?” she asked. “Sure” I said. “Do you sleep at work?” “No.” “Why?” “You can't sleep and work at the same time.” She thought about it and I guess she must've said she was going to make believe it was HER work. So I said, “What do you do for work?” “I work at evil Wal-Mart. For Dresses. We call it 'Evil' for short.”

Halloween and more...

So much going on with the two little ones. Halloween was such fun with our little Beauty and the Beast.

Gemma's first tooth broke through the day before Halloween. Since then, she has been sleeping much better - thank goodness. This little girl is a mover! She loves to stand and dance - her whole body shaking up and down. Today, she did her crazy little dance for five seconds without holding on to anything today.

Eleanor's language brings humor to everyday life. Jud and I overheard her talking to her cousin, Tris. He was talking about Halloween parties and Eleanor's voice chimes in clearly, "Speaking of which" and segues into her typical talk about planning her birthday party (in March). Today, when I turned off the music in the van before "her" song was done, she shouts out, "Momma, your broke my heart".

Late Nights with Gemma

at

Gemma and her mom often don't get good quality time until after big sister Eleanor is in bed. Gems is quite a ham and loves to stand up on anything. She has a habit of pulling the carpet up and trying to eat the little pieces of whatever (dirt, hair, leaves - yum) that collects under there. She knows I don't approve, and you can see she looks guilty in this shot.

Fall is Patriots Season...and pizza...

Eleanor and Jud make a mean pizza from scratch for Patriot's viewing. Some chef's add aprons or other apparel in order to keep their clothes clean. Eleanor has an alternate way to keep her clothes clean. (I'm surprised it hasn't caught on with the late night televised cooking shows.)

Growing into the role

Being a big sister has not come naturally to Eleanor, but she is really starting to enjoy the role. She has learned to stop Gemma from crying by playing "Peek a Boo". She also knows which toys Gemma likes and will bring them when asked (usually). She'll push Gemma in her swing outside. Today, it broke my heart to see her assuming the role of big sister by gently holding Gemma in the wagon as we picked apples in an orchard. What a sweety.

Chesire Cat Princess

I don't know about everyone else, but Alice in Wonderland is a big hit in our home. For awhile, Eleanor would run around saying "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date..." I must say, with all her quick dashing she did a smashing impression of the white rabbit.
When we went to the Arts festival last weekend, Eleanor had her face painted to look like a cat. When asked what color stripes she wanted, she replied, "Purple, so I can be the Chesire cat."(Of course Chesire sounds remarkably like Treasure coming from Eleanor, but most adults still understand the reference.) At the next arts activity, Eleanor decorated a crown and declared herself "The Chesire Cat Princess". And here she is, though the paint is a bit faded as I had to wait till I got home to get a snapshot. I never seem to have my camera when I really need it.

A Justin Timberlake Fan?

I remember the first time Eleanor crawled forward. It was at Grandma Eleanor's house in Michigan. She needed some real incentive, something she really loved to get her moving. For Eleanor, it was the TV remote. Several nights ago, Jud and I watched Gemma crawl forward for the first time to reach the Justin Timberlake picture on the cover of Rolling Stone. And, she's off. Wish us luck...

7 months

Tomorrow, Gemma is 7 months old. Time really flies. She's still a smiley little girl, though she prefers to be cuddled while sleeping or becomes grouchy. Her language is limited to "da-da", playing with other random syllables, and making razzes. She sits very independently and lunges forward, but no major crawling. She will pull herself to standing when a good support is around and loves to jump in her "Johnny Jump Up." As you can see, Gemma is now taking baths in the big girl tub with her sister, who willingly dowses her sister even without a request. Foods are still pretty limited - baby food of the fruit in veggie type along with nursing. But we're not rushing her.
Many happy memories of this little one in the past 7 months. Happy Month Day Gemster!

Angels and Demons

Little girls are mostly angels, but there is a bit of devil in them. Eleanor and I found angel wings and halo at Target (our favorite store). When I tried to put the wings on over her clothes, Eleanor insisted she first needed to remove all her clothes to make the costume work. And I do mean ALL of her clothes. This is the "G" rated version.

In other news, Eleanor had her first day at preschool today. Jud reports she was excited to go and had a great day. I can't believe she's old enough!

Daddy's Girls

I had my first official day back at work on Thursday. I knew that I left the girls in good hands with their father. When I returned, I held Gemma in my lap as I talked to Jud about their day. Gemma clearly said "Da-da" and turned to look at her dad. That girl is a quick study with her father. I've been working on "Ma-ma" with her for months!

Gemma had been sleeping well, but took to waking frequently in the night starting the night before I returned to work (and could really have used some sleep). Good thing she's cute.

The two girls are starting to enjoy interactions, though El still tends to be a little rough. Eleanor would prefer to sit on her younger sister or cover Gemma's head with a blanket, but can pretty easily be persuaded to give her a kiss on the head or make silly faces to make her laugh instead.

The latest technology

Eleanor was playing with the computer keyboard, counting each number as she touched the key. She paused after nine and asked "Where is 10?" I gave her an explanation about how ten could be made using the zero and one keys. She kind of listened and then added at the end. "Momma, maybe next time we get a computer, we'll get one that has a 10!"

Even good times must come to an end.

Auntie Joey arrived the next day and Uncle Matt (Goozer Guy) made lots of time to hang out with the crew. The guys found a couple chances to play vids and Jud was able to conquer "Snood". Gemma, for some reason, enjoys Snood and continues in Maine to fall asleep on daddy's lap while he is playing.

We had a great trip to the zoo where Eleanor was somehow able to put aside her deep seeded terror of sheep and pat both sheep and goats in the "petting zoo". The older girls, Mars, Grammy, and Joey were able to pet and feed the more exotic rays and sharks. We had a picnic in the middle of several flocks of geese and ducks without attack or mess. Eleanor enjoyed the otters and the "acheetah".

Mom hosted a "music and game" night on Tuesday that was a fun way to visit with folks and gave them an opportunity to hear some of Jud's music. Jud had a successful gig in Saginaw at a venue to which he will return in December.

We also made at least three trips to the beach. We tended to favor the North Shore Park as it is easier to get to the water and more family friendly. Eleanor was in the water for hours, with the adults taking turns swimming with her, playing with Gemma under the umbrella, or taking a nap. (It takes a lot of energy to load up MINH and get the show on the road to the beach). Another fun water excursion was the Rycenga cousins pool party hosted by Aunt Carol.

On one night we had some great Mexican and Cold Stone Creamery. The performance of the West Shore Symphony that we caught at Spring Lake Park intrigued Eleanor, who listened intently on my lap. Jud and I also had several nights out, including an anniversary outing to watch the sun set, walk the beach, and see the full moon rise.

Michigan always involves at least one shopping trip, a visit to Dairy Treat, a night of Chinese food, late night euchre games and lots of visiting time. We missed Rachel and Joel very much, but they needed a chance to catch up after Joel's extended stay in Uganda. Of course, Thom was missed as well, but we didn't expect him to make the trip from Papua New Guinea.

I had lots of fun details about the girls and the visit that are now evading recall, but suffice to say, it was a very good vacation and we miss everyone in Michigan terribly.

Coast Guard Trip Continues

To continue the Coast Guard saga, Saturday was likely the fullest day the kids have seen. The Coast Guard parade was long, but we had a great partially shady spot at Ashley's family's place. Gemma slept through a great deal of it. I wasn't sure what El would do when the fire engines came by, but she was not too scared, covering her ears and hugging her folks. She sat with Van and Cade, and they all came away with sticky faces and cups/pockets full of candy.

Another party and Aunt Bec's and straight to the fireworks. Or the long walk to the fireworks, which didn't start until 10:30. By the end, Eleanor no longer covered her ears and has positive memories of them, so I think she wasn't traumatized. Grammy bought us all the"glow in the dark necklaces" that I always coveted as a child.

Eleanor was exhausted enough to fall asleep in the stroller ride back to the car with Gemma sleeping in her BambiniStyle sling. I've always rather enjoyed the late night exodus from the fireworks - with crowds of people flocking in one direction, blocking the streets, stumbling about with a united goal - to get home and to bed. Call me crazy, but good memories.

Why must babies grow up?

There is something dear about babies and children at any age. However, there is something about 6 month old babies that just breaks your heart. Watching Gemma at this stage, I feel teary on many occasions. The way she puts her arm on my arm as I carry her around on my hip. The way she smiles so easily and often at seeing her momma, daddy, or sister.

Her chubby yet strong little body is so warm and always ready to cuddle. Kissing her sweet little face or giving her a razz on her belly and hearing that giggle and watching her anticipate the next touch.

Hearing her quick breathing through her nose as she gets excited about something, like a corner of the blanket or getting ready to nurse. Lying in bed with her, wrapped around her little body and seeing her little smile as she drifts off to sleep.

She is growing so strong. Sitting up with confidence, and reaching, extending her body further and further. I truly wish little ones were like seasons so you could cherish each moment knowing you were not going to experience it again for a long time, but knowing it would return eventually.

Coast Guard City USA

I've been meaning for the past two weeks to post details of our trip to MI so I could remember the details and cute things the kids did. Now it is two weeks later and I will do my best.

The whole family traveled to Grand Haven, MI to visit, celebrate, and have a vacation away from home. We traveled in MINH, driving through the night and surviving relatively unscathed. (Truth be known, Jud did ALL of the night driving). On the way there, Eleanor slept less them mom, forcing Jud to listen to kid music throughout the long night. Arriving at mom's house around 10:00 am, our first day was all about recuperating. We did get a chance to pick some blueberries, about 6 pounds in maybe 20 minutes. Yummy!

The next day was the start of the parties. A celebration of Grandma Eleanor's 85th birthday at Aunt Becky's and Uncle Chuck's. It was rather amazing to see how much the little ones had grown. At only 3 years, Van can hit a wiffle ball out of the park. Gemma had a chance to play with Hannah Grace and Fisher, all born only days apart. While it was fun to visit a bit with cousins and aunts and uncles, Jud and I spent most of our time making sure Eleanor didn't run into the river and was playing well with the wee ones. Gemma was a social bug and enjoyed sitting with many relatives she had just met. While Gemma was able to sit on her own by the end of the trip, she visited with the other babes lying on the blanket - reaching out to them and trying to borrow their toys.

Circus Gemma

Well, here you have it: Gemma has started pulling herself up in her crib. Gotta lower that bed or she'll be swinging down to the ground and chasing the cat around like her sister does.

Eleanor is playing Macy and Griffin lately -- a couple of Tris and Bronwyn's friends. Daddy didn't want to be Griffin: too bad, dad. We tried to let Gemma be Griffin -- G for G, you know? The best Eleanor would concede to is that maybe Gemma can be "Little Griffin."