Week in Review

The weather is absolutely gorgeous these days (high around 76-80 each day) but the mornings are getting brighter later, which makes it so harder to get up every day. Then soon we will get earlier nights in return. So I guess it's all even then.

As you know we celebrated Ava's second birthday last Sunday, with a little family fun on her actual birthday October 21, this past Tuesday. That night we went to Denny's (yes, I know, Elliott laughed at me too but I had coupons and she wasn't particular! Bonus - when we got there we found out it was kids night and she got to eat free!) followed by Cold Stone Creamery. She had a fantastic time all night - making faces at a couple of boys at Denny's (who in turn entertained her back), picking out her own ice cream flavor at Cold Stone ("blue", i.e. cotton candy), then dancing to her own beat after her ice cream high to the amusement of the other Cold Stone guests. The poor girl is really jazzed up over it all and continues to think every day is her birthday, asking to blow out candles and open presents. I have to tell her that her birthday is done, but so far she doesn't believe me.

Lily cut her first tooth sometime this past week. It completely escaped my notice until one morning she must have been chewing on my finger or something, and lo and behold there it was! She must be working on some more in there as she is constantly chewing on things and drooling all over herself, to which Ava reports to me that Lily is "spitting up". Yesterday Lily also accomplished pulling herself up on a chair in the living room, which means it isn't just the crib she is successful at. She also tries to stand straight up from the floor without the aid of a chair, but it results in her doing a headstand, a form of the yoga pose "downward facing dog." It is quite funny to see her with straightened legs and head on the floor.

Wednesday we went to the pediatrician for Ava's two year well-check and flu shots for both. Ava is doing very well, almost three feet tall. The doctor says her language skills are quite advanced for her age (once again, I take no credit; it must be PBS) and warned me that she may also be a bit more challenging to discipline as she will learn to reason earlier and pit mommy against daddy. Check and check on that one (anyone remember the "fingers drop" incident?). So now I really am challenging myself to step it up a notch as her mom/educator. Momma Kay suggested moving on to helping her write her letters (since she knows them all) and learning opposites (hot/cold, up/down). We'll see how she does, but I'm sure the answer will be "great."

Once again Jack had a little medical scare this week. The stupid dog, for the first time I can remember, got into a dirty diaper. I wouldn't have been so concerned but he ate the filling. ALL OF IT. Which expands. In his stomach. Elliott noticed that night that we was quite fat and if you looked down at him from the top he was quite wide. His belly seemed pretty hard as well and Elliott suggested we call Lizzie, our resident vet tech (how can I never remember that??) who at 10pm came over to check him out. She suggested we keep an eye on him and make sure he was pooping OK, to know that his intestines weren't blocked. After an uncomfortable night for him (I'm sure) the morning brought a renewed appetite and a couple rounds of visiting his favorite spot in the backyard to get rid of some of that diaper filling. Sigh of relief! HOWEVER he did it again this morning!! He wiggled open the baby gate to the office and got into the trash. So I have decided that if he decided to kill himself by eating diapers, so be it.

Today I am attempting to make chicken stock. I had decided to make a turkey and rice soup that I LOVE (and since I also needed to use up some carrots and celery) but since I didn't have turkey I decided to use dark chicken meat. So I went to the store, picked up some thighs and thought "why don't I just make stock first?" I had watched Martha Stewart yesterday when she did it and it seemed easy enough. Plus I had to cook the chicken anyway for the soup, so why not? I wish I had the results of both the stock and the soup to report to you right now, but alas you will have to wait. The stock just finished cooking and I still need to strain it and then make the soup. If it turns out well I will let you know!