Martha Stewart - The Early Years.

I bought a gingerbread tree for London and I to do together. She just loved it! We had a great deal of fun and I think a new holiday tradition has been born. :) Just look at that technique! I think she's ready for her own show. ;)
When can we eat it?

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Yucky weekend.

I'd post a picture, but trust me, you don't want one.

Saturday night the crud hit the fan here at the Saggau house. I was feeling like I had been in a fight with a steamroller and lost, so I went to bed at 8 pm with the kids. For the rest of the night, me and London and Kirby all took turns being revisted by our dinners. Sunday, Paul had to go to work, so I called Jackie to come over and take care of us. Boy howdy, did she take care of us!

She brought over "flu food" (soup, saltine crackers, mashed potatoes, etc), washed all the bedding, folded clothes, did the dishes (wash, dry, put away), took out the trash, gave Kirby a bath and tidied up the place all while London and I napped. Then gave London a bath while I "supervised" from the curled-up-ball position on the floor outside the bathroom door. I can't imagine having to go through that day without her!

Then Sunday night, it was Paul's turn. He is home from work today and taking it easy - as he dang well should! London is well enough today to FINALLY go back to school. Poor thing has missed almost 2 wks! I'm doing MUCH better and have a bit of an appetite back. I can also make it across the room now without everything going black - which, of course, is always nice. Kirby is doing better as well. Sick babies are always so heartbreaking!

I hope everyone else had a much better weekend. We wish you all happiness and health this time of year!

Thanksgiving afternoon.

Since this is what the rest of my family was doing Thanksgiving afternoon, I decided to get a little Christmas shopping done. Not wanting to be a part of the madness that is Black Friday, I set out to see if Wal-mart was open. Sure enough, as if there was any doubt, it was.

And let me tell you something - a new holiday tradition has been born. I was one of about 30 people in the store that afternoon. Apparently, the rest of America has something else to do Thanksgiving afternoon.

See example above.

Is that what I think it is?

I found this on one of the bedroom doors today. London quickly confessed saying, "It's a booger, Daddy."

Um, ew.

Who needs ya?

The Boy has decided he can't wait for us any longer. He has been pretty patient with us, and we have helped him out a few times, but apparently it wasn't enough. We have been busy and, let's face it, he is, after all, number two. So, with alacrity, he was off. That's right - he just started walking on his own. He stood up in the middle of the kitchen and, putting one foot in front of the other, he made himself master of bipedal progress. Okay, maybe not master, but he'll get there. Not bad for a ten month old.

Naturally, I decide this was an event worthy of video. I quickly grabbed the camera and readied it for what was sure to be a memorable stroll. So what did The Boy do? Yeah, he sat down. Then he decided the upright world wasn't all it seemed so he went back to his original method of locomotion - crawling. Seems about right. Patience pays off, however, and I did manage to get some video (see below).

The Boy is so much different from his sister in so many ways. He is much more aggressive in the way he plays and interacts with others. He loves to take two items (any two) and bang them together. London never showed much interest in making noise using household items but she was (still is) much more garrulous. Kirby also has more things figured out at a younger age. He is getting into the cabinets, pantry, and closets. London never showed much interest in such activities. He has it figured out that if he rolls a ball to us, we will roll it back. He also has figured out how to get us to laugh.

The other night, we were sitting at the dinner table eating and Kirby threw his head back against the wooden high chair and bumped his head. Hoping he had not hurt himself and trying to get his attention in case he had, I said loudly with a smile, "Bonk!" He thought that was funny and quickly decided to see if I would keep trading him my verbal comedy for his physical comedy. I was happy to oblige and he just kept bumping his head on the chair and laughing.

A couple of days ago he decided to see if the same rule applied using appliances. I was standing in the kitchen when he came crawling in, parked himself in front of the dishwasher and swiftly began bumping the back of his head against it while trying to gauge my reaction. We traded laughs for a few minutes. The Boy is a hoot.

Dad suggested a couple of weeks ago that I should get Kirby a helmet. I declined saying that I wasn't really worried about Kirby's health since he took up cigars last month. Boys will be boys. The video is a bit dark as I forgot to turn on enough lights. Enjoy!

Love,
Paul

Update

London is doing so much better! It's safe to say, she is back to her old self. She is eating again (asking for candy, to boot!) and, as always, has far more energy than I ever will!

It seems the bug has passed by Kirby and the rest of us, too. Whew!

Someone is confined to the couch today.

Something has gotten ahold of Baby Girl these last few days. It started on Wednesday when London began complaining of a sore throat and sore tummy. Her temp was only slightly elevated. She was a little worse off yesterday and spent time on & off the couch.

Last night, however, it all came to a head. In the middle of the night, she had the chills so bad that her shivers were actually shaking the bed. She felt considerably warm, so I gave her a dose of children's medicine to help bring down her fever. I wrapped a down blanket around her, but when that didn't do much to warm her, I snuggled up against her, resting her head on my arm. I was finally able to get the almost convulsive-like shivers quieted down when she looked up at me with a rather unusual look on her face. I thought to myself, "Oh! I know that look!" and in a split-second London was vomiting all over my shoulder, neck and chest. Three good heaves and she had me drenched! Not to mention, making a bit of a mess out of herself.

I got us cleaned up and changed and our vomit sprayed hair up in ponytails (I am NOT showering myself or bathing a child at 2 a.m.) and moved us down to the foot of the bed where we slept cross-wise the rest of the night. At that time, I checked her temp and she was at a whopping 104.6! Yikes! I opted not to give her anymore medicine since that was what seemed to kick off the ralphfest. Plus, I felt that her body needed to do it's work.

By morning, the fever had broken, and though physically spent, she's feeling a little better. I have confined her to the couch and we are having a children's video marathon. She's dozed off for now, getting some much needed sleep.

Now I wait for Kirby's turn.

Hey, I was right!

Kirby-boy is such a happy lil' dude and rarely gets his diaper in a twist about anything that when he is cranky, it's annoying cause for alarm. So once it's figured out that there really isn't a problem - Clean diaper - check! Full tummy - check! Adequate nap - check! - I find myself at a loss. So the words, "I don't know what's stuck in your diaper, lil' dude, but get it out" tend to be said several a couple times a day. London has even picked up on the phrase and will politely inform me, "Mommy, I think something's stuck in his diaper" from time to time.

Well, the other day, Mr. Grumblebutt would not stop with the fussing - not any crying or tears, mind you (I'm not that mean of a mommy) but just some general complaining that was not coming to an end. He had just feasted on his yummy, star-shaped baby treats and, even though I had changed his diaper not long before, I asked Paul to check his buns again.

And, what did Daddy find? This:

Turns out, I was right! There WAS something stuck in his diaper! Lodged right in between those cute little buns of his. Apparently, the sun may not shine down there but it is where the stars go! We'll have to teach Kirby the fine art of storing up your food. Afterall, that's what Tupperware is for!

Fun with Kirby.

Kirby LOVES this game! He can't get enough of it!

I feed him! I really do!

"He's got something in his mouth" is a common phrase here in the Saggau house. The Boy puts it ALL in his mouth. It seems he will never be found guilty of a discerning palatte. London alerted me to the latest just a little while ago. The kids have a ball pit in the living room filled with a variety of balls. Some are Nerf-like and so are a bit...well, a bit too easy to bite into, let's say.

Case in point:

Lucky for Kirby, he also has a pretty reliable gag reflex. Good thing, too, because I'm not sure how foam baseball pieces would look mixed in with baby poo but I know I don't want to find out!

Belated Thank You

Thank you, Mema for this adorable, little Pumpkin Girl you sent to London for Halloween. It's just too cute! We just love it! Thanks for all the goodies, too! Yum!

Thank you to Grammy Mary and Papa Paul, as well for the cards and stickers. Who knew that stickers would be such a staple in a little girl's life? Is it surprising that she has already found a place for them all? They have been happily "stuck" in a variety of places.