Don't Ask. Don't Tell

This is how I found Captain Bananas this morning.

Happy Birthday Uncle Brooke.

Blinding Me With Science!

We took a trip to the Maryland Science Center today, courtesy of the Herman Dyer family membership. They have a huge children's room with great hands-on activities for the little ones. Jane loved the water table, the submarine rooms (which I had to follow her around in on my knees) and the spinning ball thing. It was so great not to be responsible for 20 children while at the Science Center. I forget that I don't have to dread "field trips" now that I only have one child to follow around. A city school field trip was entering the children's room as we were leaving, and I can't say I was missing my job at that moment. Anyway, we had a well planned (thanks to our cruise director/nazi Hilary) great time. Thanks again Heidi!

If the visor fits...

Today, Jane and I enjoyed a trip to Target together. I had to know that something was going to go wrong, because she was way too compliant about riding in the cart. Picture it: There we were in the middle of a toy aisle shopping for a neighbors birthday present. Enter stage left a mother pushing a cart with a little boy Jane's age riding in it. The woman picks up a random toy. Jane points her finger at the woman and rips into a litany of "NO"s, only to be punctuated with a "bad". So it went like this, "NO NO NO NO NO NO--BAD!". Everyone looked stunned, except Jane who just took the opportunity to repeat herself. "NO NO NO NO NO--BAD"

There is no recovery from that, but to leave the other mother and her cherub in the aisle to count their blessings.

We have to start talking nicer to the cats.

Our Morning with Harper

Harper came over to play this morning. She and Jane had a lot of fun playing in Jane's crib! This blog has made me realize who stupidly hard it is to photograph two children. I take back everything I said about that woman at Sears Portrait studio (everything besides that comment about her poor fashion sense, she still deserved that)

Merry McLoughlin!

We certainly can stretch out the holidays, can't we!

Today, Lucy, Allen, Uncle Scott and The Grandpa all came over for the very last Christmas celebration. Jane and Allen haven't seen each other in a while and although there were some squabbles about "sharing"(you can guess whose child was against the idea :0 ), they had a great time together. Allen has just started walking, however, I believe he was born to dance. Such a happy boy!

Goo Goo Fan Club

Without a doubt, Janie is the president of the Goo Goo Fan Club. For those of you who may not know, Goo Goo is my (Amy's) mother. And Jane is absolutely obsessed with Goo Goo these days--really, it's verging on stalking. Jane has to call Goo Goo about 10 times a day. Unfortunately for Jane, (and simultaneously fortunately for Goo Goo) Jane has not learned how to dial yet, but that doesn't stop here from picking up any phone (or rectangular prism) and calling Goo Goo. The conversation goes something like this: "Doo Doo? Hi. Doo Doo? Hi. Doo Doo dat di do elmo do nay." To get the true effect you have to imagine her cradling the "phone" up to her ear with her shoulder, her eyes glanced to the side and lots of pointing with the free hand. She also pauses during the conversation so that Goo Goo can reply. Goo Goo is also demanded after nap and every time we get in the car. Hilary and I both agreed, that we would demand Goo Goo many times a day as well, if it didn't make us weird.

What can we say, she is the best Goo Goo we know!

Let It Snow!

Hey, what's more fun than a snowman?

Splashing in snowmelt puddles!

Good Morning Sybil!

Jane likes to vary her morning moods.
Some mornings she wakes up happy and ready to go (just like her father)

And some mornings... well, let's not say who she takes after.

A Very Koelbl Christmas

It took a while for us to all get together, but Chris and his kids were able to come up on Saturday so that we could finally celebrate Christmas together. We had a pancake brunch and everyone enjoyed opening presents and playing outside in the fresh air. Janie is so in love with her cousin Kennedy and Kennedy is so good with Janie. If only she was old enough to babysit....

Stay tuned for a Merry McLoughlin scheduled for this Sunday!

Little Mommy

Janie loves her baby dolls these days. Andrew and I have named them all and she can identify who is who. The baby dolls often need to be swaddled (preferably in tea towels) and they are well fed and bathed by Jane daily. Uncle Brooke's favorite "Jane trick" is when she sniffs the baby's butt when asked if they pooped. Andrew made her a doll bed for Christmas and every night Baby Wilma, Baby Hannah, and Baby Merriwether get 5 blankets piled on top of them and Janie pats them passionately about 5 times and they magically go to sleep. I think it would be more fair if she'd have to nurse and rock them (in a broken chair) all to sleep for at least thirty minutes while listening to Annoying International Lullabies coupled with a white noise machine. And then she should have to creep out of the room while praying that the charming hard wood floors won't creak and cursing all of the people with wall to wall carpeting and a door that didn't click so loudly that it wakes up the baby... But I digress. It's nice that she enjoys being a mommy. It does make me proud.

the first rule of fight club...

Just to get it out in the open, Janie has a terrible bruise on her cheek right now. She moves so quickly and so quietly these days I swear she is half ninja. It was New Years Eve and I put her down to open the car door and she ran behind me and I clipped her with the car door. She cried briefly, but I cried longer. The good news is that the bruise is many colors and matches all of her outfits beautifully! There goes my nomination for Mom of the Year.

Keeping up with the Joneses

I have to admit that this blog has become something totally different than what was intended. Hilary told me that her New Year's Resolution was to start a blog about Harper and Merriwether. Being the incredibly supportive younger sister (and middle child) that I am, I immediately started to make fun of her and this whole "blogging craze" including the word "blog" itself and all of it's tenses. So I was going to start a parody blog to her "Little Mockingbirds" blog called "Mocking the Birds" and tease her and her queerness without mercy before the eyes of the world wide web.
But, that was the old Amy. Oh, I still plan on mocking her daily (otherwise she wouldn't know who I was), but once I started making the page I fell in love with idea of making a page for Jane. This is proof that stretchmarks and sleep deprivation coupled with the loneliness of SAHM-hood can really take the sting out of your stinger. I want my baby to have a blog too. A pretty pink one where I can post pictures of her and bore the universe with all of her marvels. Did you know that she can sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider?" Well, she can't--but I think she can. Yes, I have perfectly logical reasons for making Janie a blog--regular communication with out-of-town and busy-in-town (Uncle Brooke) relatives.
But as Andrew will attest, I find little use for logical reasons.
So here we go!