Big Waves, Rough Day

So the red flags came out yesterday because of a hurricane passing by. No rain, just big swells and a nasty riptide. I went out in it anyway, for about 10 minutes. This morning I was so jacked up--pulled some muscle across my back--that I couldn't lift Cordelia.

I explained to Cody what happened and he was fascinated. This afternoon we went into very shallow--but still big--surf and Cody got tossed around pretty good, too. After which he explained that he, too, was now jacked up.

In case you can't make them out, the relevant translations are "bonked upside my earhole" and "kind of a righteous one."

Cordelia's Official Portrait

(The Scream, Edvard Munch)

If any of you faithful readers have teenaged daughters to whom you'd like sell the concept of abstinence, send them to our house for an evening. Or, an hour of an evening.

If any of you faithful readers have been wondering why I haven't blogged -- or why I haven't been inclined to photograph this magical, magical time in my darling children's lives -- see above. And if Munch had considered a companion piece titled The Tantrum, I'd point you to that, too.

"Loose seal! Watch out for loose seal!"

Twenty dollars to the first person who gets that. Come on, Kelly and Monika. I'm counting on you.

I'm still in the process of finding the perfect stuffie for Cordelia. It has to be small, like Patches. Soft, like Patches. With something to hold onto, like Patches' ears. This seal, though sweet, doesn't quite work. And she has a lot of fabulous stuffies, but they're all slightly too big to be in her crib with her at this point. (Cody's crib, on the other hand, is now so full of "buddies" that a few nights ago he woke up crying out, "Daddy! DADDY! Please clear some space for Cody!" because he kept trying to find his pillow and couldn't--it was buried under 15 stuffed animals, and it was too dark for him to make any progress on his own.)

This seal is ok, but not "the one." Right size, and soft, but has plastic protruding whiskers. And nothing to really grab onto. The problem is, the one Cordelia has gravitated to so far is, well, Patches. You can see the problem. Whatever she ends up with, it just can't be a puppy, or Cody will plotz. As he did when he realized he had inadvertently dropped Patches into her carseat:

And just for fun, a postscript:

Buster: A coward? I'm not a coward. Would a coward have THIS? [holds out a stuffed seal]

Lucille: What the hell is that?

Buster: These are my awards, Mother. From Army. The seal is for marksmanship and the gorilla is for sand racing.

In the Buff

The life skill Cody and I have been working on most recently is Getting Yourself Undressed. It's easier than Getting Yourself Dressed--I figure we'll work our way up to that. Anyway, he's been working at it a few days, and I thought it still might take awhile for him to get the hang of it.

I was wrong.

Birdie went to take a nap and we decided it was hot enough already for the pool. I told Cody to try to take off his jammies while I filled the pool. When I turned around 45 seconds later, there was a neat pile of shorts, T-shirt, and diaper. He decided to just bypass the swim diaper and go for the gold, tossing in his excavator and dump truck. Naked in a pool with an excavator: the stuff of 2-year-old fantasies.

The good life.

The Very Noisy Night

That's the title of Cody's current favorite bedtime story. It features a Big Mouse who is sleeping soundly, and a Little Mouse who, well, has a little trouble falling asleep. Well, my little mouse didn't do so well with her shots. We finally got her to sleep around 8:30 p.m. and she slept until 11:30. That's 11:30 p.m.

Yep.

In fairness, she dozed on and off until about 1:30, after which she was up until about 5:30 -- feverish and restless. She would only be still when she was lying on my chest, but would get so sweaty that I'd move her, and she'd wake right back up to whimper. Once I got some Tylenol into her, she started to cool off and calm down. I crawled back into bed at 5:40. And she woke up at 5:50. And Cody woke up at 6:00.

But there is no way I can feel anything but sympathy when I see this pitiful little faccia. Hopefully today will be better!

The Bird @ Four Months

Cordelia-bird had her 4 month check-up. She has finally caught up to Cody's weight...at his 2 month check-up. She's 13 pounds, 14 ounces. (He was 13 pounds, 9 ounces at 8 weeks. She's 18 weeks.) She's 24 1/2 inches long--solidly in the 50th percentile for height and weight, as usual. Her head is in the 75th percentile. (I remember the doctor telling us that if there were more than a 100th percentile, that would be Cody's head.) She's a healthy little peanut, though quite unhappy about her shots. So, a few "before" pictures, as her feverish little face and band-aids are just too heartbreaking to publish.

Isn't she lovely, though?

Surf's Up

In preparation for our upcoming vacation, Cody got a life jacket.

And he won't take it off.

"I'm Cordelia's Big Brother"

My feet are so much bigger than my sister's!
Mommy and I chose a friend for Cordelia: a little froggie! Of course, I tried to keep him but then I got a new bear instead. I named him Buddy. Then I was happy to give the frog to Cordelia-bird.


Mom was happy about it too. I couldn't get a read on Cordelia though. I'm secretly hoping maybe she doesn't cotton to the frog and I'll get him, too.
We are wearing matching shirts! You can't see mine, but it says "I'm Cordelia's Big Brother." That's true! See what hers says?

Catching Up

Hi everyone! It's been quite a week. We are all a bit tired because my little sister is giving Mommy a run for her money. Mom has described that in other terms but I am not allowed to say those words. But I have some things to tell you. Remember when my Granny came a couple of weeks ago? Well, she brought me the most AMAZING present: a pillowcase for my pillow! She MADE it! And guess what it has all over it??

Excavators!

And cranes! And cement mixers! And dump trucks!

Can you even believe she made it? My Granny and my Grandma Robbie are amazing. They can make anything.

My pillow is even more comfortable now. Thank you Granny!

Also, our Jeep broke! And a real live tow truck had to come to our street and take it away! It was awesome. I got a little nervous when the Jeep drove up, but then Danny the Tow Truck Driver put chains on it, and Dad explained how those are kind of like a seatbelt for the Jeep. And that made me feel better.


And, I climbed a tree! (Almost) all by my own self!



And, Mommy bought me these amazing inventions called ice pops. They are the best thing I've ever tasted and I really have the hang of how you squeeze them up from the bottom.

I think I'm going to talk Mommy into letting me have them 5 or 6 times a day. She says I will be a walking pixie stick. I don't know what that means but it sounds kind of awesome. I'll keep you posted.