Zora, Zora, Zora! (Dedicated to all the kids who will call her "Dora!")

Above are some of the things people have made for the baby girl. Deborah, Donna's sister, made the two blankets with her name on them. Jane, a long-time family friend who goes to church with my fam, made the middle blanket. Mom (with help from my cousin, Ashley, and the aforementioned Jane) made the bumper, bed skirt(hot pink), & curtains. None of this ensemble is completed, but it all looks great so far! They used the Pottery Barn idea that I blogged about a long time ago (I drew birds & flowers for them to use as a pattern...& mailed them along with some cute fabric I picked up, but they did all the work). They blanket under the bumper was inspirational for them, too. I think they picked it up at a thrift store somewhere. :) More homemade gifts to blog soon. Thanks to mom (especially), Jane, Ashley, Aunt Donna, Deborah,...& all!!

Funny facials

First, there was the sour cream facial at supper. Later, we folded laundry & "tried on" funny make-up & hair-don'ts. The evening ended when L. "gave birth" to one of his dolls. ("popped" it out of his shirt.) He's really excited about the whole baby-getting-here thing. He knows a lot more than most 3-year-olds, too. Thanks to many books, discussions, & on-line pix, he's already sat through what would amount to a sex ed. class. Hey, at least he won't hear it at school (plus the nasty slang terms that tend to be laced around those stories). And he seems to take it all very matter-of-fact-ly, so no "grossed out" ideas so far. Maybe we're rearing a little OBGYN? At least, we hope, he'll be a gentle daddy & a woman-respecting man.

Up in the air feet, over the chair feet...

This past week, L. learned how to hop on one foot. It is a really big deal for him, for whatever reason. So, please enjoy the the photo documentation of this event. (As well as the Dr. Seuss quote.) :)

37 weeks...(a.k.a., "come on, kid!")

Here are a few pics of the "to term" belly! My super, wonderful midwife says that if I'm still preggers on April 14th (39 weeks) & all is well, we'll talk of getting the little girl here! Hooray! (oh, and we took one pic of my belly with L's belly...since I finally overtook him!! :)

All "by self"...and a love for veggies

So, someday he'll be angry at me for this pic, but I must post it. He likes to dress himself, potty, & wash hands "by self." He just does it in a creative order. ;)
He also "hearts" all kinds of veggies...one being celery. Here is today's "ants-on-a-log" feast that accompanied the rest of his lunch. I must admit, I have suckered many-a-child into loving celery through my mom's "ants" idea. We sometimes add nuts, or "termites," along with various other insects (dried fruit). Yum!

From the creators of Olivia Forms a Band comes...

Langston wears his sunglasses at night...as he forms a band.

Give Peace a Chance

Here are some pix of the peace rally we attended today. Langston attended his first protest at the tender age of 18ish months. He's been very politically active ever since. Get out there & be active, folks! "Be the change in the world that you want to see" (to loosely quote one wise sage). Read a little Jesus...his ideas on justice are quite different from those we see daily. Read, research, & try to understand what is going on locally, as well as around the world. Knowledge is powerful; ignorance isn't an excuse.

Rocky & friends

So...here are some of the narratives from of late. Rocky, L's "brother" has married Ruby. Max has married Bottlecap...and they have 6 children, so far. "Rocky" is about 4-yrs-old most of the time, but sometimes he's grown-up or whatever age he needs to be for that particular story. Langston likes to talk "marriage" & "family" a lot. Most of the time, he's going to marry Daisy & they'll have 10 kids (!). I always remind him that he must ask Daisy about all this...when they are grown-up. (So far, she's agreed to the marriage part, but I would think she'll need time with the whole "10 kids" thing.) :) OH, and I told him that to have 10 kids, they'd need a lot of $$ & space. Where would he put 10 kids? He looked at me & with all seriousness said, "Maybe I'll get a cage." (Ha,ha! Too many pet stores?)
Another "story of the week" for this past week has been that L. had "another family" before us, who all died in a car crash. (Sad!) And he still "loves & remembers them". They lived "way out past Rocky" (who lives in California, btw). He wrote a story, complete with black-blob-teardrops (bc it was a sad story), which is in one of the pix (strange shaped paper w. lots of letters). He "writes stories," "does homework," & "takes notes" all the time, so we have tons of papers with letters & shapes all over them.
He also drew pix of several animals. One is labeled, one is not. One is of a "brown horse, blue flamingo, orange frog, & green cow," the other is a "penguin holding something, a giraffe wearing a helmet, & a bunny." :) Of course, there are stories with each picture. The kid is a walking narrative.

Plastics for all?

More on plastics! I've been asked about which plastics we can use...to store things in, etc. Here are some helpful links. http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/91/sloanplastics
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/95/containers
And, most recently, from the lovely Kate...
http://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/index.htm

Long live stainless steel & glass!

For the love of tiny bums

Bum Genius brand is my fav in the world of cloth diapers (at least so far...ask me after a few newborn-breast-milk-blowouts...). I knew that I wanted to try cloth, but since we didn't have a washer/dryer, & I wasn't as brave as my friends, the Cathey's I decided to wait till we had washing in our home before I tried it. I also wasn't as brave as my friend, Stacy & didn't want to do old-school bird's eye & pins with plastic pants. (I would be the mom to pin her kid in the middle-of-the-night feeding marathons.) So, I searched the internet & asked many a "green" mommmy for recommendations. I tried Fuzzi Buns, Mommy's Touch, Haute Bottoms, & Bum Genius. So far, I'd say, FB & BG are the winners. I prefer FB because they seem super soft & absorb so well. The opening for the stuffer is huge & the snappy system was easy. Alas, I also want a one-size approach so that I can put L. in a cloth for napping & use the same cloth for sister. The solution for me was BG. The "one size" system allows kids to wear the diaper from a 8-35 lb. range. You snap the outer snaps down for a tiny & leave them all the way unsnapped for a toddler...in between sizes, you can figure out which snap you need. Plus, there is a simple, velcro tab to close the diaper, much like a disposable. The liner just slides in & wicks moisture away just like a disposable. And again, absorbs well. Pretty simple. When L. pooped in them, I did a vinegar-water rinse in the wash & then a regular wash (no fabric softener or dyer sheets) & all came out pretty well. I also used bio-degradable, flushable liners (to catch poo & toss it into the potty) pre-potty training. So, for the new mommies-to-be with whom I've spoken cloth diapering...there's my opinion. Here's the link to where I shop most. There are plenty more cloth diaper outlets on-line. This one has good sales & I've been happy with even the "clearance" stuff from here. Enjoy!! http://www.nickisdiapers.com/

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx (thanks, dad:)

Hi all! I've been asked what some of our favorite things to read are. I have to give props to Kate (Jackson of blogland's mom) for her list of books for small ones. L. still loves most of the books she mentions. (Anything Eric Carle is grand in our house.) To add to that list, we love anything Berenstain Bears, Little Critter, Charlie & Lola (Clarice Bean is a little weird), Fancy Nancy (Mel, Daisy would love these), Olivia (all things Ian Falconer), Knuffle Bunny (all things Mo Willems) for our series set. We also give love to Punk Farm, The Jolly Postman, & There's a Mouse About the House for just plain interactive fun. Then, there are the "learning books," such as Everyone Poops & Happy Birth Day. These are my personal fav (out of the tons that we read on potty training & new babies. Mr. Rogers has a good book on siblings. I can't remember the title exactly. Oh! And let us not forget the "classics"...In the Night Kitchen(be warned there is a artistic full frontal of a little boy) & Where the Wild Things Are.We also read all things Sesame Street & Dr. Seuss. Weekly, we choose things on animals, exercise, reptiles, or other fun topics with "real" pix & info. That's fun, too. One Seed is a good "first science" book. Well, I guess that's all I can think of for the moment. ;) Here are a few pix of L's "lion art" & "stick people" today. I scrapbooked one page & made a "Happy 5 years" card for my hubby while L. went wild with art. Enjoy!

Da Bunny, da bunny, whoa, I love da bunny...

For those of you who know Veggie Tales, I know you'll appreciate the title. ;) Here are a few pix of our Macomb Public Library egg hunt & Easter bunny visit. It was a short search *not many eggs, lots of toddlers.* It was also pretty chilly (& it snowed a little the next day...quite a bit on Easter). Aside from his chattering teeth at the beginning ("I'm fweezing, mom!") Langston had a grand time. He hung out with Claire & Madeline, the cuties pictured with him, & played at the library post-hunt. I had a good time attempting to film him & chatting with other moms.

a visit from the grandparents Key: new pots, baby Z's room...mostly complete

Donna & DeWayne came to visit from Friday-Sunday. The guys installed new two new "stools," as the plumbing folk say, did lots of "home repair," set up the crib, & hung the paintings in both kiddos rooms (just to name a few things). Donna & I finished shopping for the "odds & ends" for the baby (pack'n'play sheets, etc.). We all moved things around & set up little Zora's room. Langston "helped" choose which sheets went on the crib mattress & various other things. And we had our own "egg hunt" here in the house. ;)
We've still got a lot to do...painting the trim in Z's room, painting the bookcase (white), & replacing windows in both kid's rooms...but I wanted to wait till warmer weather for better ventilation before anyone painted anything near Langston or my-pregnant-self. Eventually we'll get her some fun lamp to go in her room, too. The naked Greek people look a little out of place in the nursery. :)

painting for baby Zora's room

Here's a painting that L. & I have been working on for a couple of days...I can't decide if I'm finished or not. I like it, but I thought of doing something fun...maybe a Zora N. Hurston quote somewhere in the bottom left corner. Thoughts?

St. Patty's Day at playgroup

Here are a few shots of L-town-Phillie & friends at playgroup on St. Patty's Day. Left to Right: Langston, Grant, Alex, & Joel. There are a few more "babies" that come, but these are the "big kids." :)

Rocky, Socky, & Rubby...not to mention all the rest

Langston has imaginary siblings. Many of them. The main "brother" that gets talked about is Rocky ("Wocky"). Rocky does pretty much everything that L. does. He is going to pre-school soon, he has a little brother (like Calvin & Milo), he is potty trained, he can jump really high (sometimes so high that he walks on the ceiling), he dances, sings, & is really funny. Some other siblings are: Rubby, Socky, Hoobie Carmens, Schoobie, Ruby, Max, & various other characters or friends. All these children have fun lives, wonderful parents, & can solve their problems with relative success. It's great to hear their stories...daily. So, this is the introduction to the "imaginary siblings." Expect some stories in great detail. They are usually some fun toddler tales...with words & phrases like, "I wouldn't prefer that." (To go potty before he did something else.)

Thanks, Emily, Grandmothers, & friends

We are fools for hand-me-downs. As long as they look okay & fit well, bring 'em on! We didn't purchase clothes for L. for the longest time bc of all our baby shower gifts & friends in G'ville. Now, I rely on Barclay's first cousin, Emily, mommy to 2 sweet boys, Nolan & Paul. L. gets so pumped when he sees the new dino/sports/spiderman/orange/blue things coming out of the bags. :) Of course, the grandmothers fill in the gaps with whatever we need as well. Then, we pass the "things we don't need/didn't fit, etc." along to various other children. This time, the elementary school needed 3T-4T clothes for accidents, so I got to give the some of Emily's stuff to them. There is also a shop in town that donates to a pregnant teens shelter, so some stuff usually goes there. Thanks to all who help us! Reuse, reduce waste, recycle,*clap, clap, clap! My lovely model is shown wearing 3 or 4 pair of shorts, 3 shirts (including a dino one), & a spiderman cap paid for by Grandmom, disliked by dad...oh, well, the kid is 3.

Everybody poos...sometimes

This pic is, yes, you guessed it! A poo pic. He asked me to take it & I figured I would post it to say, "Yea!" He's pooping most every day now. We are really proud of him. It has been a long road with L. and poo. He's been off & on since he was 20 months...holding it in for a week a time here & there. When we moved here, Dr. Lin told me "his colon is enlarged & he is full of poop." Yea. I've done so many things with or for him. We've talked about how, why, when one poos. He's read tons of books, watched movies, done charts, had parties,...you name it; we've done it. Finally, around age 3 , something clicked. He stopped peeing in the floor (only to tell me, "ah, mom, I peed...[like he cared]). My wonderful sister-in-law, Leslie, nurse pract. in Nashville, recommended that we "sit him on the potty for at least 10 min. a day," and that worked for us. It took up to 45 min sometimes, now he's good for only a few min. & then a poop. Anyway, we are thankful for our little guy...& cheer like mad every time he goes!

What's orange, blue, & gator all over...Langston!

Here's a pic of the wall hanging that I've been working on for a while. After what felt like a million measurements of the small, wooden stars today (and much "help" from my lovely model), it's finally done. The boy has a long name! :)
Oh, and I'm posting a pic of the cute gator lamp my dad ordered for my guys. Barclay has one in his office & Langston's is on his nightstand.

Spring break pix

We've played with many-a-pal on our spring break. Langston visited Madeline (thanks, Bradley), Claire (thanks, Julie), and we all hung out with Amir, Byron, & family. He & I had a wonderful playdate with some new friends today. It was a fun, all-boy, international group with lots of very pregnant mommies. (Amir & L. are playing a new fishing game in their pic.)
Spring break also gave Barclay a chance to clean & organize our garage & basement. (Thanks, honey, they both look much better.) He & L-town got to have some "boy time" & even took a few bike rides together. There is one pic of the first bike ride this spring.
We got some things ready for baby Zora. (I even packed her little bag. I sure hope it's a girl...lots of pink going into that bag. :) My mom is working on curtains for both kid's rooms & a bumper pad for the baby (that's who'll do the sewing, Mel.). I feel the beginning of "nesting" coming on, so hopefully it'll be soon, folks! (With Langston, I cleaned so much that one day, as I was wiping down baseboards for the ?th time, Barclay made a comment on how I was "near the end.")

Great lighting on a warm Macomb day

It snowed again today (yuck), but yesterday was warm & lovely. In fact, several days of Barclay's spring break were warm & spring-feeling. It made me hopeful that baby girl will be born into a time of flowers & chirping birds. Ahhh. We are longing for spring here. I know it will come someday, but sooner would be nicer. Here are several pix of L. enjoying the great outdoors.