Shots

In a span of less than 24 hours, Emma told a worker at Oberweiss, the drive-thru waiter at Charcoal Delights, a librarian, the grocery cart herder (um...at least I think that's his title?) and a Target cashier that she "got 4 shots at the doctor's all together, two in each arm."

Some laughed, others were confused (especially the worker who clearly did not speak English), all were indulgent, but only the Target cashier looked Emma right in the eye and asked, "4 shots for 4 years, I bet?" "Yes, that is right, I am 4 years old," answered Emma. "Humph," said the cashier. "They make you earn those years, don't they?" "Yes, they do," Emma solemnly replied. "Well, you better get used to it," the cashier advised. "It ain't gonna get any easier." "Okay," Em sighed after a slight pause. "I guess I can do that."

Then they high-fived each other, we left the store, and Em has not mentioned her shots again.

Since her doctor's appointment yesterday, Chris and I have lavished Emma with kisses, cuddles, praise, sympathy...and, of course, many treats. But it took a total stranger to give her the specific validation she apparently needed.

One more reason to love Target, I guess.

Playing Hooky

Normally on Tuesdays, we are up and moving the minute the clock hits 7. I have to get both girls dressed, fed, packed up, and out the door fast in order to drop off Em at school, Soph at the nursery, and myself at the gym before my 9:15 class. But today, I played hooky from the gym. I've never skipped my Tuesday class before, but this morning...I don't know, I just wasn't feeling it. So, I decided to be lazy and roll around in bed with my daughters instead. I feel kinda guilty for missing my workout, but I don't regret the extra time with Em and Soph one bit. We had a good time, which does my heart good...and that is, in fact, the main reason I work out anyway, so really, what's the diff? Cool, I feel less guilty now. :)

Weekend

We had a nice weekend. After a crazy-busy week of tech, ICT's latest show opened Saturday night to positive audience response and a Jeff Recommendation - whoo-hoo! The show is great, I highly encourage all local blog-readers to check it out. Mostly though, I'm just so glad it's open...it's been a long, long road of hard work and I'm so glad now to put it out in the world.

We also took full advantage of the glorious weather. Em got to ride her bike, I took a jog, we all went for a walk in the park together. It was also a big weekend for connecting with friends. My college roommate Rebecca - or should I say Dr. Bernstein, since that is how she is now professionally known (that also deserves a whoo-hoo!) - visited on Friday while in town for a reunion. I was finally able to meet her husband and son, and found them both utterly charming. It was so wonderful to see her again after so many years, and more wonderful still to discover that even though we are now wives & mothers with so much different in our lives, a large part of both of us remains unchanged from those young girls of 16 years ago who almost killed each other as roommates before becoming lifelong friends. Saturday we went to dinner with our friends Harry and Elizabeth and their adorable 6-month-old son Jasper. And today we met Deb, Scott, Brynn and Jack at Legoland. Here are Em and Brynn posing with a Lego clown, and then Chris and Em mugging with the Lego version of Indiana Jones. Sophie spent most of her time in the stroller, craning her neck to take in each new thing as Emma excitedly bounced from one area to another.
Then tonight, Bonnie & Jayme came over to watch a truly heinous Emmy Award telecast on TV with me. It's always more fun to watch when you have people to make fun of them with, and this particular awards show was definitely ripe for mocking.

My favorite part of the whole weekend though was a quiet moment this afternoon with just Sophie and me. We'd just gotten back from Legoland, and Chris & Em were napping. Sophie, curiously enough, went straight for the Legos once unleashed on the floor and proceeded to engage in some sort of bizarre, moving/throwing ritual with the toy that both fascinated me and cracked me up. I swear I felt like I was witnessing the Sophie version of fetch. It's so amazing to watch her steadily improve her mobility. She just recently learned to go from her stomach to sitting and back again effortlessly, and she still possesses this weird compulsion to turn herself in a circle that has led all of us to dub her "Sit-N-Spin." I took a video to document her funny, 9-month-old movements for later recollection. Enjoy, and revel in her baby brilliance.

Weekend

Despite the unrelenting onslaught of rain this weekend, we had a good time. We went to South Bend on Saturday to celebrate Isabella Maggie turning 1 year old! The party had a whole ladybug theme, and Izzy was just a doll in her bug outfit. Here's the birthday girl with her Mommy (and brilliant party mastermind) Tracy.
I got some great snaps of the kids with various family members...which is often challenging b/c Sophie isn't always very eager to go to other people. First there's Aunt Jayme with Emma, and then Grandma & Aunt Cara both with Sophie.
I like to call this picture "Sophie Attacks," because out of nowhere that's what she decided to do to her poor cousin Cadin...
We spent the rest of the weekend at either Grandma's or Grandpa's. Here's one of my favorite pics of Sophie just hanging out with Grifin, totally content to just play with her older cousin (who by the way is getting WAY too big, you are still only 12 so you can STOP GROWING anytime Grif, you are making me feel old!)
It was just nice to visit and let the girls play b/c we won't be getting back to Indiana for awhile. I have a hilarious video too of Sophie spitting out all her baby food at poor Grandma, but that will have to wait for another day...I am tired and my bed beckons me. Ciao.

Sophie Still Likes Baths

Emma on a Wednesday

We spent a LOT of time in the car today. All of these conversations/observations happened in our beloved Stella (ie, our Honda) while on the road.

• After some discussion, Em decides she would like to be a "nice cat" for Halloween, and she will wear all black with a tail, cat ears, drawn-on whiskers and nose, and painted black fingernails for "small claws, because I'm a nice cat and I don't scratch people." After some thought, Em also declares she needs "a bowl with soy milk in it so I can lick it on my four legs and say 'Meow! Trick or Treat! Give me some candy please!'"
• Apropos to nothing, Em breaks a rare moment of complete silence (ie, no baby babble) by shouting from the back seat, "Sophie's doing fine back here. She's just talking away." Then several more moments of silence, followed by, "You crack me up, Sophie. You really do."
  
• Em: "Knock knock." Me: "Who's there?" Em: "Caribou." Me: "Caribou who?" Em: "Caribou's coming to seeeeeeeeeee you."
• A car honks its horn and Em yells, "Stop that, lady! Stop that conkin' right now! Conkin' is rude!"
• Emma randomly asks, "Mommy, remember when we were in St. Louis and I turned 4 on my birthday and 3 cut off?" "Yes, I remember," I answer. Long pause, and then Em says softly, "Bye, 3."
• After debating who will carve a jack-o-lantern for us this year, Em says, "Daddy should do the jack-o-lantern, he's gooder at it. He's gooder at everything." "Better at everything than Mommy?" I ask. "Yes," Emma answers. "Except toenails."
• Emma asks if she can be a mermaid, and I tell her she can for pretend but not for real. "Why not?" she demands. "Because in real life little girls can't turn into mermaids, just like they can't turn into cats or monkeys or spiders," I explain. "But In Little Mermaid they maked her legs, so why can't I get maked into a mermaid?" she asks. I go on about Little Mermaid being a cartoon, not real life, and say again that she can pretend to be a mermaid, but she can't really be a mermaid. "Yes I can," she insists. "We just need a magic wand." "Fine," I reply. "If you find a magic wand that works for real and can turn you into a mermaid, then let me know." "Okay," she says. "I have an idea. Let's go get one at Target."
  

Weekend

We had a nice weekend. I took the girls to the Nature Museum Saturday. Em loved the butterfly haven and the river works area and the playground with the swinging vines. I loved getting out of the house for a bit after a Friday of sickness. Sophie loved chewing on her stroller strap.

Today we all went to the zoo. Em loved the carousel and the train ride and the monkeys. I loved the restraint I showed at not ripping a "Women for McCain" button off an elderly woman's blazer lapel and hurling it into the trash. (Yes, she was wearing a blazer...to the zoo. In 70 degree weather. But I digress.) Sophie loved chewing on her stroller strap.

Mostly, we are just glad Chris is back home safe and sound. Tonight he created a game called Baby in a Box for the kids, which basically consists of throwing one of them in a box and shaking them back and forth. Sophie was dubious, Emma was delighted.

My favorite part of today was giving Sophie a bath and then shaping her hair into a faux-mohawk while she flashed evil-baby faces at me. Now that's entertainment.

Hope you all had a good weekend too.

Stuff

Emma was very excited today when I picked her up from school. She couldn't wait to tell me about the yellow rice and beans she had for lunch and that it was her favorite lunch EVER...and she went on and on and ON about the guest teacher that taught the children "yoda." (She means yoga.) The teacher asked each child to name their favorite animal, and then she had the group do each animal's pose. Em showed me the elephant and giraffe, and then she demonstrated how to breathe in and out, in and out, "from your sender." (I think she means center.) Apparently I do not know how to breathe properly b/c she informed me I was doing it wrong. I apologized profusely for my breathing ignorance and begged her forgiveness. Her grudging reply? "It's okay, I guess. Just breathe better next time."

In other news, I forgot to mention earlier that Sophie's first tooth came in last Friday - or at least that's when Grandma discovered it. (Yes, Grandma--not Mommy...I leave for ONE DAY and milestones are reached, ain't that always the case?) The tooth is barely through the surface and hard to see, but it's definitely there. Sophie has been a much more pleasant baby to be around since "the breakthrough," as I like to call it. In fact, today we spent two and a half hours at the mall after NO morning nap, and she let out nary a cry. When she so chooses, she is quite the angel baby.

And lastly, we are all missing Chris tonight. He is in Buffalo visiting his Nonnie, and Emma seems to be having trouble comprehending the time line of his departure and return. She told Miss Louise today that Daddy was gone "forever," and then she asked me if Daddy was going to be home for dinner. Tonight when I put her to bed, she asked me to have Daddy tiptoe in and give her a kiss when he got home. (She always asks this when one of us is gone at bedtime.) I reminded her that Chris isn't back until Saturday. She told me that was perfect - she'll be up by then "b/c Saturday is after 7, so he won't even waken me up!" I decided to let her flawed logic go and simply replied, "Okay, I'll tell him."

Let's Get Physical

Leaving the gym today, I noticed a saying by the exit that I'd never paid attention to before: "Your cholesterol, blood pressure, waistline and sanity thank you."

Boy, did that sentence strike a chord with me. I have been going to the gym for six months now, which is hands DOWN a life record for me. And not just going "when I can" or "once in awhile" - I've been going regularly, maintaining a minimum 4-day-a-week schedule, and actually loving it. Can you believe that? I, Jennifer Mathews, couch potato queen since the mid-'80s, LOVE going to the gym. If you had told me that a year ago, I seriously would have laughed in your face. But it's true. And all four things in the above list are finally starting to give me due props.

Of course, they thank me in different degrees - sanity kicked in first, and that more than anything is what keeps me going back. Because of extra work hours last week and then the long holiday weekend, today was my first day back to the gym in almost a week, and I kid you not - last night I was like a kid on Christmas Eve. I couldn't wait for morning. I was so antsy to get to the gym today that I got there 30 minutes before my class started! If I go too long without exercising now, I get tense, edgy, sluggish, and not very fun to be around. I need it to feel normal, like...well, like me.

My body took a bit longer to get on board, but it too is now showing appreciation for all my hard work. I was in relatively good health before I started exercising, but my glucose levels were off the charts. But just recently I had lab work done and my doctor couldn't believe the difference in my numbers. After Sophie was born I was right on the cusp of full-blown diabetes, and now I am in total normal range. And my cholesterol and blood pressure levels are both better than ever. That was really, really, really great to hear.

The waistline is the last to show its thanks - ain't that always the case? But it's starting to get with the program too. And the shape of my body is general is beginning to change. Clothes are fitting me differently, I'm down a size, and I'm seeing a difference. (And so is my husband!)

But the best part is that overall, I just feel better. I feel good, inside and out. And I love the example I'm setting for the girls. I love taking them with me and knowing they are having a blast playing in the nursery while I'm sweating upstairs. It's a part of our daily routine now, just like eating lunch and taking naps. The girls see and absorb that and they learn that exercise is as essential as brushing your teeth or taking a bath...it's something you NEED to do, it's important, and it's a priority in our family.

I still have a long way to go before I get where I want to be, but I'm well on my way. And the most exciting thing about it all? I know that nothing's going to stop me now. Not even myself.

Last Gasp of Summer

We had a great Labor Day weekend. First Grandma came up on Thursday to help babysit the girls while I worked, and then we all headed back to Indiana to celebrate Callie's 5th birthday. We tried to get outside as much as we could - although weirdly enough, none of the following pictures reflect that at all. Oh summer, how we will miss you!

Grandma & her girls

Can you believe Cadin is almost 3 months YOUNGER than Sophie?

Gran, Cadin, me & Sophie

Emma helps Callie with her presents

The girls and me at the end of a loooong day