Midweek Amusements

When we woke yesterday morning, it was pouring. Now, this sometimes happens here -- it'll be raining at 5:30 or 6 in the morning, and it'll clear up by 8 or so. But such was not the case yesterday. It just kept on raining. I should have known it would happen, because the commanding general was set to change command yesterday morning on the parade field. The girls and I were looking forward to attending and watching the band and all the battalions in the division. We'd even stopped by the rehearsal to check it out the day before. But the rain was enough to keep us away. Unfortunately the soldiers didn't get that choice. There wasn't a rain plan, so hundreds and hundreds of soldiers had to stand in the rain for several hours. Jim, of course, was one. Poor Jim.

We skipped the ceremony and visited the library's story hour instead, which is our usual Wednesday activity. Kathleen isn't very good at listening to the story. I'm not sure she even realizes that the woman in the front of the room is reading a story... But Kathleen loves the library. She spent our time there dashing around, looking at the shelves of books, repeating, "Library! New books! Library! New books!" Madeline must have been equally excited about being at the library, because she kept babbling all through story time. And we managed to log another first at the library (this one's for you, Krissy Toth): our first successful public pottying. I'm just glad it was at the children's library and not, say, Walmart.

We left the library and made a quick trip to the commissary. As we arrived at the commissary, the soldiers were marching off the parade field, and they crossed the street right next to the commissary parking lot. The girls and I took advantage of a break in the rain and walked over to watch them. Kathleen starting running in little circles and dancing when she saw the troops, yelling, "My Daddy! My Daddy! Soldiers marching! My Daddy! My Daddy!" The soldiers detailed to direct traffic thought she was hysterical. It was too bad her daddy didn't get to see her. (His battalion had been the first off the field, so they were long gone by then.) But he had a good laugh when he got home!

Keeping Busy

So, blogging has been a bit of a challenge lately. Generally the girls have napped at the same time in the afternoon, giving me (even on a bad day) at least 90 minutes to get things done. But for some reason, that just hasn't been happening lately. Instead the girls are tag-teaming -- I'll get one down just moments before her sister awakes. That arrangement is good for one-on-one time with each of the girls, which is precious, but not so good for overall productivity. So, things that can only be done when I've got two free hands and a clear head have beeen slightly neglected around here. Blogging, mopping the floors, the list goes on and on...

In an attempt to catch up, I got up early this morning. I did manage to get a little accomplished. I set two pots on the stove to simmer, one of apples and one of carrots. (We haven't started feeding Madeline fruits and veggies quite yet, but I've begun preparing some food for her so there will be plenty ready when she is.) I sat at the computer and, just as I began this entry, Madeline woke. It was about an hour earlier than I'd been expecting her, and I let her cry for a moment to see if she'd fall back to sleep. Her cries only became more insistent, so I went into her. The poor girl had gotten her leg stuck in the crib! Madeline's been rolling all over, making use of all the space in her crib, prefering to sleep on her stomach. This time her travelling didn't work out so well for her. I freed her, and tried to calm her, but no amount of soothing would convince her to go back to sleep, so she came out to work with me in the kitchen. So much for blogging!

And when the girls aren't sleeping (which is a lot!), they're busy! Kathleen is particularly busy. Lately I've found that it's best to have Kathleen very involved in whatever I'm trying to do, because a few unsupervised moments can lead to a big mess. Over the weekend we washed our cars, which was a fantastic chore for Kathleen. (Even a mess is clean, in that case!) She loved to help.

Kathleen has been helping me water flowers, sweep, plant cuttings, move laundry, do dishes, and cook. But chaos can ensue even when we're only a few feet apart. For example, a few days ago the girls and I were putting away clean laundry when Kathleen disappeared for a moment. By the time I crossed the hall and found her in Madeline's room, she'd covered her face in diaper cream. (Channeling her inner mime, perhaps?) When I stepped away from the sink yesterday while Kathleen was washing her hands, she emptied an entire bottle of lavender baby wash. Last week we were in the kitchen, cooking chili and corn muffins for our celebration of "If You Give a Moose a Muffin." (We've already eaten buckwheat pancakes for "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" and cookies for "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," so we've about exhausted that game.) I was standing at the sink rinsing the beans for chili, and when I turned around, Kathleen had emptied the bottle of chili powder across the floor, and was making her own art exhibit in the middle of the kitchen. By some miracle the amount I needed for the chili was still in the bottom of the jar!

I like to remind myself that Kathleen's busyness isn't an attempt to kill me or drive me crazy. (Some days that's easier than others.) It's simply her way of exploring her world, and (hopefully) a sign of curiosity and intelligence. And although it may give me a headache some days, I really wouldn't have it any other way!

Adventure!

"Adventure" is currently one of Kathleen's favorite words. We use "adventure" frequently, to convince Kathleen that an otherwise less-than-exciting outing is just what she wanted. The commissary? An adventure! The NEX (Navy Exchange)? An adventure! Schlepping around on a hundred errands when we'd all rather go to the park? An adventure!

However, we took advantage of Friday's "training holiday" to take a more legitimate adventure and visit the Honolulu Zoo. We hadn't been in ages -- the last time we'd gone was in March, I think. We spent the ride into town talking all about the different animals we'd see. By the time we arrived, Kathleen was very excited. Madeline, a little less so.

She rode in the stroller for the beginning of our tour of the zoo, but eventually moved to the Beco. Despite her laidback posture, we think Madeline really enjoyed the morning. Even if she didn't love the animals, she was amazingly well-behaved.

We traipsed all over the zoo. Fortunately for us, the Honolulu Zoo isn't all that big, so Kathleen was fine walking most of the time. She didn't want to sit in the stroller. When she did need a bit of a ride, she elected to sit on Daddy's shoulders.

Kathleen was mesmerized by the animals, particularly by the monkeys.

She was extremely impressed by them once they started moving around. To be honest, I found it pretty impressive, too. Those guys can move! Another highlight was the giant tortoise habitat. The turtles were out, slowly crawling around their exhibit. Of course, the thing that made the turtles exciting for Kathleen (and the preschool class that showed up while we were there) wasn't so much the turtles -- it was that a sprinkler was running to keep the turtles cool in the heat, and the kids got wet, too!

And just in case walking all over the zoo wasn't enough exercise, Kathleen stopped and tested out the playground next to the Keiki Zoo. (Keiki means "child," or in this case, "children's." The Keiki Zoo is the petting zoo.) The playground is set beneath some gorgeous old trees, so it's shady and cool, even in the heat of the day. Kathleen loved it!

Eventually, we called it a day and headed for home. Not that it was a whole day -- it was more like a long morning. Although we felt sure that Kathleen would fall asleep on the car ride home, she stayed awake for some Jamba Juice. That meant we got a whole nap in the afternoon. That, in my opinion, is a perfect adventure!

Checking up on Madeline

Big smiles
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Our littlest girl is giving us plenty to smile about these days. Madeline is amazingly social and has accumulated an array of crowd-pleasing skills -- she coos and gurgles, blows raspberries, and giggles. She'll watch until she's sure she has caught your eye, and then flash her biggest grin. She's quite the little flirt!

I can already see that our days of a stationary Madeline are numbered. We've still got a ways to go before I'll be chasing after her, but this little girl can hardly wait to get on the move! She's mastered rolling. I hadn't realized how adept she'd become until the other day, when I laid her on her back on a blanket to play while I folded laundry. I'd just straightened up when I noticed Madeline was already on her tummy, pushing herself up with one arm and reaching for a toy with the other!

And although I don't remember starting Kathleen this early, we've recently given Madeline her first couple tastes of rice cereal. So far, so good. She has taken a few tentative bites, and seems happy to be a part of meal time. I think watching all of us eat was making her a little jealous!

We took her in for her four month check up last week. (A little late, but she's still four months old!) Madeline weighed in at 14 pounds, 15 ounces, and she's 24 inches long. According to her pediatrician, those numbers put Madeline a touch above the 75th percentile. Madeline again charmed everyone in the office, and weathered her vaccinations like the little trooper she is.

And one more important thing about sweet Madeline: no one can make her laugh like her sister. Madeline laughs a lot, but she laughs most consistently for Kathleen. Honestly, half the time I can't even figure out what the two of them are laughing about. (Of course, I am well aware that in a few years time they'll be laughing about me!) Here's just one of example of our two giggling girls in action:

Surprise, Mama!

This afternoon Kathleen woke a little early from her nap. I was still nursing Madeline, so I didn't go to get her right away. Normally, if that happens, Kathleen sits in the rocking chair reading books, so I wasn't particularly concerned. Additionally, I was listening to her on the baby monitor (which we've begun doing since Kathleen's been sleeping in a toddler bed), so I felt confident that there wasn't much going on. Ah, how wrong I was!

After a few minutes, when a fully-fed Madeline had been placed in her crib, I went to get Kathleen from her nap. She had just begun fussing when I opened the door.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" I began. And then stopped, dumbstruck.

Kathleen sat on her bed, literally covered in baby powder. Her face was white like a mime's. Her bedsheets looked as though they'd been given a liberal dusting of powdered sugar. The floor was covered in powder, too, complete with toddler footprints. The air in the room was hazy with it.

My brain kicked in a few seconds later, when I told Kathleen not to move and that I'd be right back. I ran to the diaper bag, fished out the camera, and captured this moment of toddler mayhem:

After snapping two quick photos, I grabbed Kathleen and began (cautiously) to dust the powder off her. In a matter of seconds, I too, looked like I'd been rolling in powdered sugar. I tried to take stock of the damage, inspecting the linens and floor. Oddly enough, there wasn't any container of powder lying around the room.

Kathleen must have sensed my confusion, because she wriggled out of my arms and went straight to the dresser. She opened the top drawer, pulled out the now-empty bottle of baby powder, and handed it to me.

"Mama, this!" she explained.

All I could do was laugh. How could I be upset? After all, she did pick up after herself!

Soldiers Marching!

Watching the band march...

Daddy's battalion got a new commander this week, so on Monday the girls and I attended the girls' first change of command ceremony. This is a pretty impressive place to have a change of command -- from the parade field you can see the mountains, which are gorgeous. The day was sunny and warm, and the ceremony went beautifully.

We watched from a shady spot a little ways from the seating (since we're not always reliably quiet, so being right by the podium seemed a dangerous idea). To my delight, the girls were very well behaved. Madeline didn't fuss a bit. Kathleen even managed to stand with her hand over her heart for the entire national anthem. She loved the band's music and the marching soldiers. In fact, she'd say, "Soldiers marching!" every time they moved. She looked for Daddy, and I think she saw him as his company passed us. At least, she smiled like she'd seen him!

New Tricks for a New Year

Have you seen all these toys?
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

The girls are growing at a rate I find truly astonishing! Every day the two of them find new ways to entertain (and occasionally exasperate)each other (and their parents).

We recently rearranged some furniture and rediscovered the exersaucer, which had been stored in its box under Kathleen's crib. Even though we figured Madeline would be too small to use it, we decided to set it up, knowing that "too small" turns into "too big" all too quickly. Good thing we did, because Madeline took to it immediately. In fact, she seems to have been ruined for any other distracting device -- she's had enough of the bouncer and the swing. Only the exersaucer will do. She's surprisingly strong, able to hold herself up and turn herself around, looking at and testing out all the toys. And Madeline loves to have Kathleen play with her, manipulating the little puppet or demonstrating the gadgets. Madeline smiles and laughs as her big sister points out new things. The two really do get along famously.

Kathleen has also been busy trying out new things. We're so grateful for the warm weather here, because playing outside is one of our favorite things. Friends gave her a bubble-blowing lawnmower for her birthday, and she pushes it around the yard in little spurts, pausing to run after the bubbles. Kathleen's quite the little runner, and we have lots of fun playing tag and racing to the park. The other day we were playing outside when she began to use her Superman ball as a bouncer. (I'd say that she'd been inspired by Dwight Schrute, but she hasn't seen a moment of "The Office"! )

She took a number of tumbles off the ball as she bounced, but that only made her laugh harder. I wish I'd thought to take some video of it. It was hysterical!