An Elmo-rific Birthday

-or-

Where, oh where did my baby go?



Somebody really likes Elmo.  Someone formerly known as "The Baby".  (Okay, actually we still call him the baby, but since he is now TWO YEARS OLD, we should probably switch it up at some point...)

Birthday Baby Boy and Brother

The celebration was low-key... because while I love the idea of elaborate birthday parties, I'm more into attending them than planning and executing them.  So he received some fun presents (tent and Elmo backpack) from Grandma & Grandpa... and $4 worth of Elmo merchandise from mom & dad from Target's dollar spot.  (Yep, that's right--we spent a whopping $4 plus tax on our kid for his birthday.  Technically, $8 if you add in the cupcake liners and Elmo cupcake toppers.)

siblings trying not to open watching delightedly the opening of presents 

Aunt, Uncle, Cousin & Baby Cousin joined us for dinner and cupcakes that evening, which made the day more festive! 

Elmo-rific cupcake tower 

Birthday Boy on Dad's lap, singing "Happy Birthday" to himself

And to top off the evening, the little guy serenaded us with his favorite song.  "Elmo's World", of course.  We didn't capture it on video that night, but here he is tonight after his bath.  Clutching the new Elmo given to him by his Cousin.  (Please kindly ignore my own singing...)

"Being Quiet" vs. "Being Good"

I seem to have a difficult time deciding between if I want my kids to "be quiet" or to "be good" in the afternoons....  Is it too much to ask for both?  (rhetorical question)

I should've KNOWN there was a reason why I was having an uninterrupted phone conversation.  I thought that maybe all of my implorations to please-not-talk-to-me-on-the-phone-unless-there-is-an-emergency (the definition of emergency being blood or vomit) were finally paying off.  To the boys' credit, I did actually finish the conversation.  Also, miraculously, the scene of the crime was a tile floor, and not carpet.

Why, yes, that is a dis-assembled Hungry, Hungry Hippos game in his hand and in the background.  Apparently, the game was too large to fit in the makeshift "tub" in its entirety.

Why Big Sisters Are Awesome

Thank You, Idina Menzel!

Or maybe the thanks should go to Stephen Schwartz, the composer. Or maybe thanks are due to the original Broadway cast of Wicked, since if they hadn't recorded a CD, I wouldn't own the song that changed my morning to one of (insert descriptive perjorative noun of your own choosing here) to one of, well, something approaching normalcy.

The Baby (who is actually now a toddler, but is still my baby. why must he grow up? and if he must grow up, why can't he FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD stop screaming?!?) had spent the morning either (1) screaming for no apparent reason, (2) riding around on my hip and whining mixed with screaming until I would put him in his crib, or (3) screaming because I had put him in his crib. After round 5 (actual count--not an exaggeration!) of this super-fun game, I was in his room trying to sort laundry, when he burst into a grin, squealed with delight, and went running to the living room. Curious, I followed him, and found him sitting in a chair in front of the computer, bobbing his head, and HAPPY (read: not screaming), listening to "No Good Deed" from the Wicked soundtrack.

About 15 minutes earlier, I had started listening to one of the ten-year-old's playlists from the songs on our computer, in an effort to distract myself from the screaming. The baby had expressed zero interest so far in a variety of danceable pop songs, and even U2... but Idina Menzel? Sold! As the song was winding down, I had to wonder if he would respond that favorably to the whole soundtrack, and not just that song...? Jackpot! And while he seemed to like all the music, he really responded to the songs with Ms. Menzel. He even started dancing to "The Wizard and I".

Plus, he stayed not-screamy for an entire hour and a half afterward.

Idina, I am now your biggest fan.

It Was Only a Matter of Time

In good news, I haven't had a anyone spill the contents of a box of cereal in 8-1/2 years.

In even better news, unlike last time, the contents were NOT dumped out on a hide-a-bed couch where the cushions had all ready been removed (going into practically every crevice), just minutes after I got out of the shower in preparation to take a 3-month-old to the pediatrician, with the realization that if I didn't clean up the cereal immediately the 21-month-old grinning girl would dance in the kid-tested-mother-approved contents, smashing them into dust in the living room, and as I looked at my watch to see whether we would be on time to the doctor appointment, vacuuming in my, ahem, unmentionables, I thought, "I don't think this is what my high school classmates thought I would be doing when they voted me Most Likely to Succeed."

Anyway, comparatively, having Lucky Charms spilled on a TILE FLOOR is practically heavenly! (Just ask the happy baby!)

Plus, I have to give the baby props for not only managing to get it off the table, where we all thought it was out of reach, but for knowing that it was in his best interest to do so while everyone else was out of the room. Smart baby.

Also, notice in the video how carefully he grabs a marshmallow amidst the cereal mess. Good thing he's our 4th... because 8-1/2 years ago, I promise that taking a picture of our toddler girl dancing in cereal never even crossed my mind....

Unrelated: All four of our babies have worn those pajamas! (sniff, sniff)

Please, Please Stop Growing Up!

*or*
My Baby Turns Six Years Old!

Right, I know that since I technically still have an actual baby, our third child probably no longer counts as my "baby"... but would he please stop getting older, all ready? Aah! The other day when I asked him if he could please just stay six and my little boy forever, he looked at me with a look that suggested I was differently-abled and said, "Mom, that's not even possible!"

We were all VERY lucky to have Grandma & Grandpa in town for the birthday event, and so we pulled the girls out of school early and ate lunch with the fam, grandparents, Aunt & Uncle & Nephew at everyone's dream birthday place: Chuck E. Cheese! I was a little hesitant, but it was actually awesome--who knew that Mondays-mid-day are DEAD at Chuck E. Cheese?!? Seriously, there was only one other family, and a few moms w/pre-schoolers... and by the time we left, we were literally the only ones there besides the employees. Very, very fun! And (surprise!), we actually remembered not only the camera, but to TAKE pictures!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

(Careful, buddy, that's HOT!)

The baby turned ONE YEAR OLD on Friday, October 23rd.... where in the world did that year go?!? (No, seriously!)

Things That Have Not Changed In A Year:

• still is completely and spellbinding-ly adorable (love those dimples!)
• still has no teeth
• still is a sometimes snuggler (even in the hospital, he liked some snuggles, but not all the time... and he's that way to this day)
• still screams like a banshee

We didn't celebrate his b-day on the actual day (Dad was out of town); we waited until Monday night when we could have Uncle & Aunt & Cousin over for pancake dinner & cupcakes. The baby was a little mystified by all the attention, but it didn't seem to phase him. And once he realized that the concoction on his tray was edible... well he just dug right in!