Saturday, January 31, 2009

Froggies n' such....

Will greatly enjoys the book, "Ten Little Ladybugs"
Uncle Ryan and Aunt Cari gave Will a cute set of Froggies in a bucket from the World Wildlife Fund. He loved them! Especially the wooden handle of the bucket.


Will contemplates the significance of Laa Laa from his carseat.



Friday, January 30, 2009

A STEP! in the right direction!

At 5:22pm eastern time we had one actual STEP!! He was standing up in front of the bookcase I have baskets on and I think he realized he was close enough to just take one step and get there, so he DID! Of course once he got there he dumped out the baskets, and currently he is sitting on the floor pulling out wipes one by one. I should stop him.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Kelly vs Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori, whom I have the utmost respect for, believed that a child comes into this world a "Sponge" longing to absorb knowledge and if placed in the correct environment will learn and react to the world properly without any adult interference. Well, I am coming to believe that children are born feral and it is our duty to socialize them and domesticate them. My dear little boy today was a holy terror at the baby playground. He is already blocking other children from using equipment, pulling and pushing other kids to stop them from using something he is using, and has been hitting more and more. I thought at first, "He can't possibly be trying to actually hurt people!" But now I think he might be doing these things on purpose. I thought he was too young for intentional actions like that! I can see I am in for a long road ahead of public fits galore, and lots of embarrassment.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Growth Spurt?

Will slept from 9:30 am till 11:30 am and then 2:15 pm till 4pm and was still ready to go to bed at 8! He was also eating tons today. I think he may be growing, he doesn't seem sick. We were massively cabin feverish today so I took him over to Petsmart to look at animals. He liked the fish and the parakeets, and he can keep liking them at the store. I am not a bird person, though I do like fish for their "Flushability".

Monday, January 26, 2009

Baby Gym Fun!
















Though it doesn't look like it in these pictures, William had a wonderful time today at the baby gym! He was going non stop for about an hour and a half and was totally exhausted by the end. In fact he was so tired out he had his first real public fit today! Another milestone!

Building a Healthy Foundation or, Don't Feed Him Crap

Will has transferred almost completely all of a sudden to table foods. I was not prepared for such an abrupt end. I am dealing with a lot of stess around his nutrition. What if I am not feeding him well enough? What about his fruits and veggies? Is he getting enough protein? Calcium? I don't know why I am so stressed by this responsibility, but I am. I think there is also a big component of this that is linked to my lifelong obesity issue. I want Will to be like Jason, not me. However, Jason's diet consists of chips, 1/2 pound blocks of cheddar, and dry cereal eaten while reading the paper and drinking nothing but coffee. Hmmm. So how do I get him to eat healthy like me but look like Jason? Hopefully genetics will play out in his favor. So far he loves rice, pasta, chicken, grapes, cantalope, pizza, cheese, chili beans, tomato sauce, waffles, and chex cereal. He cut his 8th tooth 2 days ago, and looks quite nice with a matching top and bottom set of 4. I am having a really tough time with him getting much fluid from a cup. He just seems to love his bottle so much more. He will take sips from the cup, but will drink 6 oz from a bottle in 5 minutes!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Day with Daddy





Please ignore all the messiness around him in these pictures. I have become powerless against it.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Mmmm...Chili







Will ate some full fledged Chili today complete with Beans and Meat and seemed to enjoy it a great deal! He was angry with me though for forcing him to wear the dreaded bib with sleeves!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The whole story....

At 3 am I woke up, got dressed in long johns, wind proof pants, t-shirt, polar fleece shirt, wool socks, and coat, hat, and 2 pair of gloves. I went in and woke up Ann K and Ann G, and they got all bundled up as well. I decided to bring 2 waterproof pads to sit on, since I figured the marble or ground would be cold, and possibly damp. I also had cereal bars, water, and string cheese. We left for the train station at 3:45, and as we were driving there were very few people on the road. I was getting nervous that there was no need to have gotten everyone up so early. Then we came around the bend. The line of cars to get into the metro station was huge! I am really glad we didn't arrive any later than we did. We got parked by about 4:15, then went into the station. It was already hopping, but we got on the second train that came through. The train filled up quickly, and we were packed in like sardines by the time we made it to Metro Center. We arrived at about 5, and stopped at Starbucks for coffee. It was packed and the lines for the parade was already forming! The parade wasn't even starting for 10 hours! We decided to go to the Lincoln Memorial to watch so we headed there. We were about 12 blocks or so from it, and there were many roads blocked so getting there was frustrating. We finally made it to the memorial. It was still dark, and very cold. There were about 100 people already on the steps, and more milling around. The Jumbotron screens were not set up yet, and it made me nervous. There were supposed to be three! The Lincoln Memorial bathrooms were open so we decided to use flush toilets while we had the chance! On the way I asked a man who was working in the area about the screens and he said they were cancelled and to move up to the next closer ones. Ugh. The next closer ones were at the WWII memorial, but it is behind the hill of the Washington Monument, so if we went up the hill we could get a view of the capitol and the screens. We went up the hill and found a good spot. It was steadily filling up, but not yet to sardine level. We were cold, but somehow Ann K actually managed to NAP on the ground! Amazing. Ann G and I were just too damn cold to do much. I finally was so cold that I wanted something hot at any cost, so Ann K and I went to seek out refreshments. The line at the tent was about 45 min long and at the end was cruddy hot chocolate, an 8 oz cup for 2 bucks! And I thought Starbucks was bad! At the very least it was hot! I also got a hotdog for 6 dollars, yikes! And they didn't have relish. When we finally returned it had reached sardine levels in the crowds and we had a really hard time finding Ann and our previous spot. We tried the cell phone, but the system was overwhelmed and not working. We finally found her and we enjoyed some hot chocolate, or at least warm chocolate. It was about 10:30 am now and the band started playing. Prior to this they had replayed the HBO special from the night previous that had been at the Lincoln Memorial, Bruce Springsteen et all. It was nice to have something to watch while you're waiting. The crowd kept packing in during this time, and taller people kept gathering in front of me. It's always at times like this I hate being short! So pretty soon, it was 11:30 and the congressmen and women were introduced, we watched the former presidents being led down the hall and introduced, then the kids, then President Bush and Laura, and VP Dick and Lynne. You really couldn't hear it on TV, but as George W came out the crowd let out this enormous thundering BOO. I am in no way and never have been a supporter, but I was extremely bothered by this. This was not the time nor the place for this very disrespectful gesture. He's done. It's over. Just let it go. Then Michelle came out, and the crowd roared. When they finally brought out Barack the crowd literally vibrated the earth with the cheering and clapping and stomping! It was amazing to feel the thunder that 1.8 million people can create! To hear them chanting his name was incredible. The sea of people in front of me as far as I could see was breathtaking. The speech was very powerful, and inspiring, as always. He makes me feel that it will all be ok. Many people were crying, I wasn't because I was seriously just too cold. The rest of the inauguration went fine, and then came the mass exodus to get out! It was so crazy, the police kept moving the exits farther and farther down the mall. We were literally trapped into a mass of people slowly moving between row after row of port-o-potties. By the way, there was enough port-o-potties, there were not really any lines to use them. I used one, out of sheer desperation, but I brought latex gloves and antibacterial wipes and left it in much better shape than I found it. Ugh! We finally got out at 19th street and made our way slowly back to the Metro Center. The national guard kept shifting crowds from one street to another, and there were so many people that no one was on sidewalks, instead just taking the streets! We stopped to buy souvenirs, and got some hot drinks and a treat at Au Bon Pain. Then we finally got on the metro and arrived back in Gaithersburg. We got back home about 13 hours after we had left that morning. I am sore and tired, huge blisters on my feet, and it took me hours to feel warm again. So, would I do it again? No. Not unless I had a ticket, or warmer weather. Twenty degree temps for 12 plus hours was too much for me. But I am really grateful that I was there to see this. 8 years ago, when I saw Barack speak at the DNC I would never have thought I would be lucky enough to be present at his inauguration of our great country. I felt blessed to have been a little part of such an amazing event!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I, Barack Obama.....

Ann K and I ready to go at 3:30am
The line to get into the parking garage at the Metro Station. At 4:00 am.
Waiting for the train to let us board.
My coat was so full of stuff, since we weren't supposed to bring bags, I looked kinda crazy!
Ann K and Ann G on the Metro. Excitement was building!
Ann K checking out the scene with her binoculars.
Sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial.
The Crowds start to grow. It's about 7 am now.
At 8, it's just cold.



By 10am the madness begins.

By 11 am it's like a sardine can.


My view of the Washington Monument. I was about 20 feet from the base.
Cheering and Flag Waving during the Speeches.
Barack giving his speech.
White Guys dancing to Bob Marley. Always entertaining.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Will's First Snow!







Ann Klinger made Will this adorable hat in Badger Colors of course!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Cool new ride...







One of my friends and fellow workers at the clinic gave Will this fantastic push wagon today. He loves it. It has removable sides like a wagon, and it is very stable so he can climb in and out easily. I love freebies!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

18 feet in 11 seconds. Jason actually measured it.

Inauguration Plans

All right. I am just about ready to face the crowds and take on the freezing temps. Ann and I are getting on the Metro at 4am Tuesday morning. We are planning on watching it from the Lincoln Memorial, they will have Jumbo-Tron screens set up for the non-ticket holding rabble all over the National Mall. I am wearing Longjohns, 2 pair of wool socks,polarfleece shirt, thick sweatpants,my Wisconsin parka, hat, scarf, face shield, and 2 pairs of gloves. It is supposed to be below freezing temps and windy so I am hauling all the Wisconsin winter gear out. I figure I can always take it off, but if I leave it at home I may be very sorry. I have hand warmers as well, hand sanitizer, wipes for the bathroom, cough drops, cereal bars, and a radio. Why the radio? If I can't hear the inauguration from the sound system I can listen live on NPR. Kleenex is a must and the cough drops are for keeping my mouth wet since I am planning on not drinking anything all day so I don't have to pee in one of those God-Forsaken Port-o-Potties! I am sure at some point I will have to but I am trying to minimize trips. It will be a day to remember on many levels!

Random pics from the past week.


















Monday, January 12, 2009

Gabriela's First Haircut!







This weekend Gabriela and Alessandra came over to play and we took them to the salon close by for haircuts. It was Gabi's first and she really liked it! I can't seem to get the pictures in order, blogger is having issues!

The Challenge...

Will has been testing lately. Already. He pinches you, which actually hurts, and then you tell him no, and he looks at you like, "What? I was just pinching you, Wuss!" The bigger problem is that when he looks at me like that I start to laugh, because it is pretty darn cute. So then he thinks it's funny. I can't figure out how to stay stern and serious, I always end up laughing. I must learn to control it.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Growing up...


My little boy is getting big. And opinionated. And stubborn. Like me. Ugh. He has so many of the same traits that I value and resent in myself at the same time. I love that I am determined, and I love that he is too, until I have to take away the phone. Or make him to stop hitting the TV with a block. He screams, he flails his limbs, he arches his back, and he strikes out. Already. I realized that the old adage of "What comes around goes around" is true. I am now on the receiving end of all the "Challenges" I gave my mother. I see the passion and zest for life that courses through my veins in his. I hope that I have the ability to harness and mold this little firecracker into a productive member of society....