Felicity Reads!

Felicity has been developing her imagination a lot. She likes to read to herself and has decided that all that is really involved in reading is summarizing the pictures. With every book that she pulls off the shelf she exclaims, "This is a good one!" Hopefully you can hear this on the tape. We were trying to covertly tape this, as once she sees we have the camera she immediately wants to hold it rather than perform in front of it.

So cute you could eat her up...

Harmonica!!

More footage of our little music lover...

Rock On!

If Chris doesn't want to be a professor, he and Felicity could be in a band...

Happy Hanukkah (Day 5,6,7)

We have had a very successful Hanukkah. Felicity is excited about it, associates it with parties, food, and friends. Mission accomplished. Although I am still nervous about her getting too excited about Christmas--the lights, the trees, the fact that it is everywhere--I am resting assured that we did our duty to let her know that Hanukkah is very much a part of who she is :)

In the last few weeks Felicity has made quite a developmental turn. She is becoming more of a companion than a toddler that needs to be entertained. She likes to "help." And, as you can see in the video below, "helping" could be detrimental to some people's health...

Extreme Makeover: Hanukkah Edition

Happy Hanukkah (Day 5)

Tonight's Hanukkah went in a slightly different order...

Since tomorrow is the Hanukkah brunch I had a lot of clearning, cooking, and organizing to do. So, Chris took Felicity to the public library so I could get something done. This wasn't as smooth as it ought to have been, as Felicity has this new fascination with blue Scotch-brite sponges and insists on carrying one with her at all times. For some children it's an Elmo doll, but for my child, it's a dish sponge.

I managed to get nearly everything done and was finishing the kitchen when they got home. Chris and Felicity were in the other room watching Bob the Builder (thank you, DVR) and suddenly I heard Chris exclaim, "When did Felicity get magnetic dress up dolls?" And before he had finished the sentence, both of us were staring at a slew of opened presents on the dining room floor. She had opened four. Noticing that we were investigating her previous activity, Felicity stated, "I open Hanukkah presents." She grinned ear to ear.

Oh well. She still did want to light the candles and proceeded to dance like a mad woman to the dreidel song, so I don't really think it's really just about the presents.

And, for the record, I just put the little present bandit to bed. And she was clutching her sponge.

Happy Hanukkah! (Day 3 and 4)

It's official. Felicity has caught on to Hanukkah.

Tonight after we went to the grocery store, she ran into the house, took her coat and boots off, and before I knew it she was standing on a kitchen chair putting candles in the menorah. Herself.

I asked her, "Felicity, do you want to light the candles."
"Yup," she replied, grabbing the matches.

I thought, "How sweet. She's really getting a sense of what this is all about. How great that she's embracing her Jewish identity at such a young age."

So we lit the candles.
We said the blessing.
We talked about how the candles were hot.
And again, she told ME not to touch them.

And then, faster than I have ever seen her move, she got down off the chair, ran into the dining room, and exclaimed, "I GET A PRESENT NOW!"

I guess she's not really embracing her Jewish identity, but I can at least rest assured that she understands the philosophical notion of necessary connection.

Happy Hanukkah (Day 2)

Last night for Hanukkah Felicity got a recorder. (Thanks, Nanny.) And she and her Daddy played a duet with her on the recorder and Chris on the harmonica. It was, well, it was creative.

And while Felicity didn't really get us anything for Hanukkah, she did say the sweetest thing. Unprompted.

Chris said, "I love you Felicity."

And she replied, "I love you my heart." ["I love you with all my heart."]

I could have burst into tears right then.

Happy Hanukkah! (Day 1)

Happy Hanukkah everyone!
This year is the first year that I think Felicity "gets" Hanukkah. She keeps saying "Happy Hanukkah" over and over and she even helped me light the menorah. She, of course, let me know that it was hot and reminded me not to touch it.
That's her thing lately, she has begun to parent us. In fact, this evening she gave Chris a round of applause for "going pee-pee on the potty."

Despite the fact that she has more than her fair share of eight presents, she is more interested in the styrofoam peanuts that Nanny packed her presents in.

In my effort to make Hanukkah exciting--(you have to understand the trials and tribulations that we Jewish kids go through when EVERYWHERE you look there's Christmas!)--we are having a Hanukkah party on Sunday morning. Felicity loves a good party, and we'll have a ton of kids here so she might begin to equate Hanukkah with fun.

Apart from those upcoming events we are just beginning to feel a true Midwest winter. It hasn't stopped snowing since 1 this afternoon and it's supposed to go until noon tomorrow. Should make for interesting driving in the morning...

My new favorite photo

We made something that negotiates

There's something quite amazing when you realize that your little baby is now a real person. To a certain degree I was struck by this when her social security card arrived in the mail a few months after she was born. We made something with a social security card. It was freaky.

But that same sort of amazement and shock has been hitting us with more force as of late. In short: We made something that negotiates.

The negotiating Felicity is a very different Felicity than the one who could sit for hours looking at her own hands. This one thinks that everything is debatable. Whether it's one more book, or one more rock [in the rocking chair], or one more sip [usually beer, I gotta be honest], she is constantly contorting and twisting the rules. In short, she's my daughter.

It's strange to think of that little baby now as someone with opinions (and a LOT of them). It's also wild to think of her becoming a real unique individual person. And we keep wondering what she will be like, what her life will be like, if she'll be an artist or a musician or a cut-throat attorney. This week my money's on the latter.

Cowboy Boots

We have been talking with Felicity about babies a lot lately. NO I AM NOT PREGNANT. NO. I DON'T PLAN TO BECOME PREGNANT ANYTIME SOON. I JUST CLIMBED BACK INTO A SIZE 6, MY BOOBS ARE BACK TO BEING MY OWN, AND I AM ENJOYING 8 CONSECUTIVE HOURS OF SLEEP. SO, NO. NO. NO. But we still have been talking to Felicity about it.

She tells us vehemently that she wants a sister. I am not sure if she really understands, but I do have a theory that she does. I explained to her last night that Auntie Mandy is coming to see her. And that Auntie Mandy was Mommy's sister. To which she replied, "Auntie Mandy bring Ti-ti pink cowboy boots." This might seem a bit of a strange request. But Auntie Mandy has brought Felicity shoes before. And so it is within the realm of possibility. Couple that with the fact that she spent Monday night running around Target in these:



So again this morning I asked her if she wanted a brother or a sister. She said, "I want Auntie Mandy to bring me pink cowboy boots." I said, "No, silly. Do you want a sister or a brother?" She looked at me a bit frustrated and shrieked, "I want COWBOY BOOTS!"

So, again, NO. I am not pregnant. But I am beginning to wonder if Felicity thinks we'll be able to buy a sister or brother at Target.

Don't Touch My Work

The first thing that Felicity wants to do when she wakes up in the morning is not eat breakfast. Nor is it watch t.v. Rather, it's "work." She sits herself down in her Elmo chair, places the matching desk in front of her, takes out a notebook and pencil and begins scribbling methodically on the paper. When you say, "Felicity, what are you doing?" She says, "I'm working, Mommy." If she has to leave the room--you know, for some really important reason like to check if the Play-doh is still in the kitchen or to bring a plastic waffle to sit beside her, she gets a most serious face, purses her lips, and, looking down her nose with a pointed finger, exclaims, "Mommy, don't touch my work!"

If Felicity could learn to blow her nose, that would be very cool...

Coming in a close second, though, is if the Review of Politics homepage had a bigger image to show that my husband got the LEAD ARTICLE. Now that would be cool.

Let me be clear, though, it's not quite as cool as freeing myself from wiping boogers. But it's definitely a close second.

New obsession: Water

Felicity's latest obsessions are playing with bubbles in the sink and brushing her teeth.
Had I known that I could have saved $5000 in toys and, instead, purchased some dish soap and a toothbrush, I would have that fancy new bedroom furniture I've had my eye on...

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time there was a young mom who thought that her little girl would never watch television, never eat candy, never talk about wanting to be a princess, and never eat multi-colored goldfish crackers made with unnatural ingredients.

Just this past week, though, that little girl looked up at her now-not-so-young-mom during a commercial break from Desperate Housewives, still wearing her tutu from earlier, and, through a mouthful of green and red goldfish crackers, exclaimed, "I want more Carlos."

It was precisely at that moment that the idealistic young mom was finally put to rest. I imagine that she is somewhere far far away reading to her little girl as they eat organic vegetables from her garden and carefully plan the daughter's eco-friendly, gender-neutral halloween costume.

Felicity is a "Balla-eeena"

On Saturday Felicity attended Maya's birthday party. It was at a ballet studio. Needless to say, she's sold on being a ballerina. See for yourself.

Random Outburts...

Life doesn't really stop for a 2 year old. The events that happen to us. All of the horrible and joyous events that we have to endure don't really translate for Felicity. No matter what's going on in my world, for her, she still climbs into our big bed in the morning, begins her day with oatmeal, makes the hard decision of hot pink or purple shoes, goes to school, and then comes home to play. The sky could literally be falling and she would still expect music class to being a 9 a.m. followed by a treat of teddy grahams for the car ride home. Her experiences really are her whole world.

This fact was ever so evident yesterday when we went to Milwaukee for James' memorial service. It was such a bittersweet experience. Elisabeth and Michael had done so much to commemorate their sweet James. There were photoboards everywhere showing his amazing progress over five years and highlighting the wonderful opportunities his parents had given him. Chris and I were solemn and reflective. But for Felicity, this was, as she herself declared, "a party." She ate cookies, she ran around with other little kids, and she laughed. In some ways she was celebrating James in a way more appropriate than any of us adults.

And while Chris and I did stop to marvel at just how well-behaved Felicity was. And just how cute it was to see her playing with "the big kids." We were, alas, reminded that she still was not truly aware of what was going on. During a reflective moment when everyone was silent during the service, Felicity rummaged through my purse, resurrecting a tampon. Proud of her excavation, she held it up and said--loudly--"Mommy, it's for the Nina." And I have to admit that in that most inopportune moment she did bring me back to reality.

Because when they win the World Series this will be funny

Right now the Cubs are playing Cincinnatti Reds. If the Cubs win tonight, it's going to be nearly impossible for the Brewers to catch them. So, it would be nice to watch them. But right now we are watching a little kids ballet recital on local cable access. Why? Because Felicity keeps saying, "More! More Ballerinas." Such is life.

No more secrets

MY STUDENTS NOW HAVE ACCESS TO THIS BLOG. In a moment of weakness pedagogical brilliance, I decided to let my rhetoric students see my blog. After all, they are enabling me to peek into their lives. So, it's only fair. The way I see it, this will either endear me to them or make them think I'm a complete idiot. If all else fails, reading about the trials and tribulations of raising a two year old might be good birth control. So, worst case scenario, I have done my Malthusian duty.

Although I have been at this whole teaching thing for nearly ten years, the whole teacher/parent thing has been relatively newer. And it's kind of funny to me how I get to maintain two identities. Take last night for example. As Chris and I drove Felicity out to dinner we had to pass through middle campus and we saw a slew of students going to eat at the caf for dinner. From the outside I am sure that we appeared to be a normal family. A few even waved to us. But on the inside of the car existed a different world. We (o.k. I ) was singing a song about poop at the top of my lungs. You see, amidst grading papers and planning lessons, I also have a high level of anxiety about whether Felicity, who has a constant case of constipation, has pooped. And, well, somewhere in between goals to publish my book and become proficient in ancient Greek, is my goal to make pooping a less scary experience for Felicity. My latest solution: making up songs about why pooping is fun.

I also have songs about getting rid of boogers and brushing teeth. But I don't think I'll put them on my C.V.

In Memoriam

JAMES AIDAN MULVEY
You will be missed.

Sending love and support to the Witt and Mulvey families.

Giving Birth...well, without the epidural.

And so it is that as of this afternoon, Chris has completed his dissertation.
It is sent.
His committee has it.
And he even found time to do laundry.

Guilty By Association

Every now and then I get a sneak peak into the mind of a two-year old. For example, if I say, "Felicity, you look tired." She opens her eyes wide and states strongly, "I'm AWAKE!" It occurs to me that her hearing me say, "You look tired," translates into her head as, "Let's go take a nap," which, of course, is met with much resistance.

But I think Felicity's ability to build connections is improving and, in turn, has been met with a need to alter our statements. A case in point: Whenever I am sleeping in (til 6:45 a.m., mind you!) Chris tells Felicity, "Mommy's at work." And whenever Chris is out at Starbuck's writing I tell her, "Daddy's at work." (Side note: we often go pick Chris up at Starbuck's after daycare.)

So, this morning, I dropped Felicity at daycare and went through our long good-bye transition that involves some tears, and a lot of clinging. I squatted down next to her and told her that she was going to have a good day and that Mommy was going to work. She looked at me puzzled and tilted her head. She grinned big and said, "No work! Mommy's AWAKE!"

And with that, it all began to make sense. Every time I have told her that I am going to work, I think she thought that I was going home to climb into bed. Adding insult to injury, I did my own mental connecting and deduced that Chris getting his Ph.D. meant that he now (literally) worked at Starbuck's.

As an aside, I now know just how my Mom felt when I was in First Grade and she went to a parent-teacher conference. There was a wall of drawings from the first graders called something like "What My Parents Do." And, amidst drawings of Daddy-doctors and Mommy-lawyers, stood my own gleaming rendition of how my Mom spent her day....I had drawn her lying on the couch. She was mortified. :)

I keep getting older, and they keep getting younger

I'm not so sure why it is that every year I am astonished by just how YOUNG the freshmen are. But I am. Perhaps it's because I began officially teaching college when I was just 22 years old. Back then I was still cool. I, too, went to the bar. I, too, listened to knew about hip music. I, too, knew the slang. But nine years later, I am finding, I am definitely not cool. And, worse than that, I am old. When this year's freshmen were lying in their cribs, I was strutting my stirrup pants and crimped hair, and listening to the Footloose soundtrack. On tape. This year's freshmen officially MISSED the eighties.

I remember taking a class in college that was taught by this very old history professor who talked a lot about growing up listening to the radio. We all thought it was "sooo weird" that he didn't have t.v. and how strange would it be to not watch 90210 the news! And I am beginning to feel the same way again. But it's the reverse. Students in my classes cannot understand how we didn't have the internet--or worse, FACEBOOK. Back when we were in college the best way to see your classmates was through perusing the "Freshmen Look Book" (which, by the way, was more affectionately known with "look" substituted by an alternate four letter word.) No Freshmen Look Books here, though. Just a lot of cell phones, ipods, iphones, and FACEBOOK.

I have done what I can, though, to remain current with the times. I don't wear "mom jeans." I carry a cell phone. I don't "text" but I do know how :) And I even created a FACEBOOK page. But the sad thing is that these things, instead of making me feel younger, serve as constant reminders that I am 31, not 19. And, for this year's freshmen, 31 might as well be 81.

C'est la vie.

A full day by 9 a.m.

And so it is that tomorrow is the first day of classes. And, for now, we think we're ready. It's absolutely amazing how much preparation goes into the first day of school that has NOTHING to do with school when you have a two year old. See, Chris teaches at 8 o'clock in the morning and I teach at 9:00 a.m. This means that by the time our students have barely rolled out of bed to cruise into either of our classes we will have done the following.

5:50 a.m.: Wake up to the sound of "Mommy!!! Mooooooommmmmmmmmyyy!! "
5:52 a.m.: Happily welcome soft baby into our bed.
5:53 a.m.: Rethink decision to invite soft baby into bed when soft baby uses us as climbing apparatus.
5:58 a.m.: Turn on Disney channel to catch The Wiggles (translation: permission to lay in bed for at least 20 minutes.)
6:20 a.m.: Honor the request, "I have oap-meal?"
6:21 a.m.: Make oatmeal while carrying Felicity in my arms. Carefully pour apple juice while balancing Felicity and oatmeal. Contemplate whether this is considered today's workout.
6:23 a.m.: Put in and take out at least four dvds until Felicity settles on one.
6:28 a.m.: Zone out to various kiddie dvd. Decide the Wiggles actually are good. Make note that we will go to their concert. Laugh at self for putting Wiggles on par with U2.
6:45 a.m.: Read (or at least take out) every book on the bookshelf.
7:00 a.m.: Read "Goodnight Gorilla" for the nine hundredth time and pretend to be surprised that the Gorilla follows the zookeeper home. Consider prospects for Academy Award.
7:15 a.m.: Trade off with Chris so I can straighten hair, get dressed, and give illusion that I am a young, hip, and well-rested professor.
7:25 a.m.: (YES. That's TEN minutes to get ready. TEN. T-E-N.) Get Felicity dressed. Persuade her that ruby slippers are not good for running. Sneak barrette in her hair. Bribe her to finish her breakfast. Explain that everything she wants to do (play play-doh, draw with markers, eat ice cream, watch Baby Einstein, etc.) can be done later. Cross fingers that she will forget some of those promises.
7:40 a.m.: Begin pilgrimage to the car.
7:50 a.m.: Arrive at car after investigating cracks on sidewalk, various dead bugs, discussing the "big kids" at the bus stop, and playing chase.
7:56 a.m.: Get stopped by train. Make choo-choo noises. Talk about the caboose.
8:15 a.m.: Arrive at daycare. Gather gear. Put on fake excited voice about how this is going to be a great day. Consider Academy Award prospects again.
8:25 a.m.: Sadly leave Felicity playing with friends and learning to share. Make promise to self to get back to daycare by 4. Realize that it will probably be more like 5. Decide to not think about it.
8:40 a.m.: Hold espresso in hands. Decide it is crack for parents of young children. Think about how Starbuck's is gift from God.
8:55 a.m.: Arrive at office. Gather materials for teaching.
9:00 a.m.: Show up at class. Hand out syllabus. Consider that hardest thing students had to do this morning was turn off alarm.

Sigh.

Eating Dinner

I have to admit that I do think it's pretty cool that my 2 year old likes Thai Food (tai-foo) and salmon (sa-meeen) and, well, don't go calling DCFS, but she also likes beer. As it turns out, though, her palate isn't as adventurous as I once thought. Her new favorite? Grilled cheese and tomato soup. We've already had it twice this week. And while I'm a bit starved for variety, I can't help but eat it just so as to see this:

Further Evidence That Her Genes Are Pink

Mommy: "Felicity, where are you going?"

Felicity: "Ahm go-weeng ta da stowe"

Mommy: "What are you going to buy?"

Felicity: "Ummmm...purpuh shooz."

Jokes

There comes a point in one's life as a parent, I think, where you finally stop having to sell yourself on the activities that you have committed yourself to and actually begin to consider them to be fun. What do I mean?

Well, for one thing, I used to look in the window at Gymboree and see these tired mommies and daddies running after their children on colored mats and climbers and think, "Thank God that's not me" as I made my way to Banana Republic to purchase a dry-clean-only silk shirt or something else that, today, would not be practical.

But I have to wonder if there's some sort of a brainwashing that comes with parenthood. For instance, I remember thinking that labor pains were the worst possible pains that anyone could have had and that, if I were a horse in that much pain, I would have been shot. But I also remember the nurse saying that I'd soon forget about these pains. And, lo and behold, I actually have heard myself say to a soon-to-be Mom, "Oh labor, yeah, it was bad, but not that bad."

But I am beginning to think that the brainwashing goes well beyond just the birthing pain. There's a brainwashing about what used to be considered "fun" and what now has replaced that old "fun."

Previous fun: drinking, late-night movies, gourmet dinners, sleeping in til 10, long phone conversations, a good book, vacations.

New fun: ice cream stores, DVDs of television shows, dinners that Felicity will eat, sleeping in til 7:30, quick calls on the way to the store, a good magazine article, trips to the mall.

Along with this new "fun" is also a new sense of humor that has been informed a ton by what Felicity finds funny. Right now she thinks that changing the words of songs is hil-ar-ious. So, instead of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" we have "Ti-ti had a little lamb." And instead of "Big Red Car" we sing "Big White Car." And she laughs as though it's the funniest thing she ever heard. And we laugh at her laughing. And, for a split second, I actually, honestly, totally and completely think that Ti-ti had a little lamb is right up there with Chris Rock.

Dance Machine

Not only do Chris and I know ALL THE WORDS to "The Wiggles: Big Red Car" and ALL THE WORDS to the Music Together CD. But Felicity has learned them too. And when she hears either one, she is overwhelmed by the urge to dance.

A Message For Auntie Mandy

Just watch.

Bossing Daddy Around

I'm not sure where she gets it. O.K., so I generally have an idea of where she gets it. But as of late, Felicity's favorite way to address Chris is to say this.

Victoria's Secret

The problem with blogging about a two-year old is that, well, I have a two-year-old. And having a two-year-old means that there is no time for very much. No time for much except playing with that previously-mentioned two-year-old. So, I apologize to my loyal four readers. We have been busy.

Felicity turned two on July 20. While it is quite cliche to mention it, time really does fly and suddenly I am struck with the fact that we have on our hands a little girl. And a little girl she is. While I confess I am not always successful in encouraging a gender-balanced play environment, I (and Felicity's grandparents I might add) do their best. This birthday Nanny and Papa outfitted Felicity's kitchen, and Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Eula and Aunt Teep got her a train set. Auntie Mandy got her some dressup stuff, and Mommy and Daddy facilitated a bug-themed party. She is a girly-girl though at heart and while I cringe at the notion that she will one day want to be a Princess, I am conforted by a colleague of mine's suggestion that I think of "Princess" as "Supreme Court Justice." So, when she insisted on wearing a tu-tu to her rough-and-tumble gymnastics class I just let it slide and thought of Sandra Day. And it was Daddy who said "No" to purchasing the Ruby Slippers she insisted on wearing around Target on Sunday. Seriously, she saw them and said "Ahhh!!!" her eyes wide as if catching the first day of an Anthropologie sale. If we actually looked at her DNA I am confident that her x-chromosomes would be pink.

Speaking of pink, we were in Victoria's Secret on Sunday for a little shopping trip. I will refrain from going into too much detail, but, suffice it to say that breastfeeding has dire consequences on one's potential to audition for Baywatch and that I watched Doctor 90210 with a bit more sympathy last week rather than contempt. So, we were in Victoria's Secret and Felicity was in the dressing room with me. Two things are notable about this. 1)She was interested in helping me try on bras, and she too tried some on. 2) There was no anxiety or panic. In our nursing days the sight of them would have sent her into a panic. I imagine it might be like being on a diet and going into Godiva. You want it. You need it. You can't have it. But she was fine. And was interested in shopping for bras more than getting to what was underneath. This is a milestone. Alas, we have reached a new level.

While Victoria's Secret had some positive outcomes, it also has contributed to some nightmares. Literal nightmares. While I was shopping Felicity and Daddy talked about the mannequins, which, Daddy referred to as "Big Dollies." Felicity woke up the next day upset and crying, saying, "No! No, Big Dolly. No Big Dolly Come See You." We inferred that she had had a nightmare about a mannequin. And I imagine that from a newly-weaned two-year-old point of view that a faceless big-breasted woman-figure wearing lingerie would be her personal hell. Poor baby.

In search of something to do...

As a lazy academic prominent scholar I spend all week surfing the internet and blogging working hard and writing. So, when the weekend comes we are excited to spend time with Felicity. But the weekend is also a bit daunting. When Felicity wakes up at 6 a.m. I am always struck with a panic---just what can I do for three hours until something opens?? Often we are blessed with time-sucking activities until naptime playdates and visits with friends. Other times we are greatful for trips to the corporate nightmare money-well-spent Gymboree. But yesterday we ventured to Lamb's Farm where it smells like pigs and you feel like you need another shower even if you don't touch anything. Felicity, of course, loved it. And she even wanted to climb in with the pigs. This, from a girl who once screamed at the top of her lungs when she found a speck of dirt on her hands. Ahh, time flies.

Congratulations, Nanny!

Just wanted to let you all know that as of July 10 Nanny is officially an American citizen.
Which means a lot. The most important thing, of course, is that she can cancel Chris' vote ;)

She liked the cake, but not as much as Felicity, who, by the way, pooped blue icing for two days. Too much information, I know. But it was rather, umm, interesting.

Summer Fun

This summer has been simply wonderful. What's great about it, you ask?
1. We are not getting married.
2. We are not moving.
3. I am not pregnant.
4. We do not have a newborn.
5. We have daycare.

The daycare thing is great. Like really great. But I miss Felicity like crazy. I have been able to get a lot of work done, but alas it is still not enough. The publishing requirements have me down lately as I am midway through four different projects yet none of them is complete. And, while I AM proud of him, my husband's recent publication sprint (2 down and 2 more on the way! )has me realizing that I, too, need to get in scholarly shape.

I have had a slave research assistant and so I have had quite a bit of help. Which is nice. Because I would be so far behind if I hadn't. And it's been some fun stuff. We've been researching the HPV vaccine controversy and the more I read about it the more angry I get. But I'll refrain from going all militant anti-vaccine on my dear readers and suffice it to say that the state of Texas is one scary place.

In other news, Felicity is doing great. We had another fantastic playdate with Noah on Sunday. (Now, as I write this I am realizing that it is Friday. My how time flies. And what have I actually done in terms of publishing!? Ahhh!!!) Felicity and Noah are now more aware of each other, but despite her many efforts, Noah hasn't quite been wooed by the Felicity charm and the spontaneous hugs.

Speaking of hugs, she's a hugging machine. She hugs everything and everyone. And hugging has joined the repertoire of procrastination tactics before bed. "Ti-ti hug Daddy?" "Ti-ti hug Mommy?" "Ti-ti hug popcorn?" Her hugs are so sweet that we let her get away with it. But only just a little bit.

She is very interested in narrating what I am doing. "Mommy takes a shower." "Mommy drinks hot juice" [hot juice= green tea.] And she is also interested in bossing us around. Her latest phrase is "COME ON!" Which, usually is directed at Chris. So from upstairs I frequently hear, "Da-ee, COME ON!" And when I went to investigate this yesterday morning I saw Chris and Felicity pushing baby strollers in a circle around the dining room, through the family room, and into the sunroom. Apparently Chris' stroller aptitude is not up to Felicity's standards.

We are trying to maintain Felicity's diet as best as we can. She is still fighting her pooping woes and the doctor told me to up her vegetable and fruit servings to 5 times a day. That takes work! And it means that there will be less french fries and more broccoli snacks. She is also supposed to lay of milk products. I am trying to prepare as much as I can during the day so that she can have well-balanced meals. Between cooking, shopping, cleaning, laundry, and trying to publish, I think I might need to sleep for a month.

We are expecting our onslaught of company this Friday for Felicity's birthday. It'll be great to see everyone and hopefully she can make a smooth transition back into her routine after everyone leaves. She loves loves loves the attention, but it is always hard to give her as much when grandparents leave! What can I say, we just can't compete.

Well, it's nearly noon and I need to get to the city for a meeting.

Bathtime Performance

As it turns out, the "doctor" part of doctor momma has been rather busy doing all of those boring things that professors do---like writing articles and sitting behind a computer. But, if I had more time to just be the "momma," I would have posted a ton of things about all that Felicity has been up to lately. So, in the interest of getting it all out there, I have compiled a list.

20 things I wish I could post about but I have no time.

20 She is obsessed with her doll, Baby Beatrice. Beatrice eats breakfast next to her in the doll highchair and Felicity "feeds" Beatrice, making "mmm" sounds as she places plastic waffles at Beatrice's mouth.

19. She loves cicadas more than ever. Last weekend I came down to see that she had collected a few that had flown into the house. She had them lying on a dryer sheet and informed me that they were "night night."

18. She has devised a new way to get my attention. First she screams, "Mommy!" When that fails she screams, "Ti-ti's Mommy!" and when that fails she screams "Rachel!" (pronouced: Way-chew)

17. She likes the t.v. show The Wiggles. IT's on ONLY at 6 a.m. This means that she has been rising at 6 a.m. Blah.

16. She has a new baby pool in the back yard. She exclaims, "Daddy, GET IN" when she is standing in it and Chris is watching her.

15. She will eat anything so long as it has a toothpick in it. Needless to say, every meal time in the Whidden house lately looks like a cocktail party.

14. She is very interested in talking about different people going "pee pee on potty." But she has yet to put herself in that category.

13. She had syrup on her pancakes for the first time yesterday. She devoured a plateful of pancakes. But she has also begun to eat eggs!!

12. She loves ice cream cones and will finish an adult sized ice cream cone. She calls it "i-beep." And when we put her in the stroller and head downtown she immediately knows it's for "i-beep."

11. She kisses and hugs everything and everyone. Yesterday she even kissed an ink stain on my sheets.

10. She LOVES raw onions. Strange, I know. And it looks like we'll have to up the toothbrushing. I don't think 2 year olds with onion breath are all that cute.

9. She has begun to take a gym class, which is good because she adores climbing. She has fallen prey to the corporate manipulation of Gymboree, though, and leaves the class proudly with her hands stamped with Gymbo the clown.

8. She can climb up the ladder to the big kid slide on the Circle all by herself and then slide down the slide.

7. She screams, "Hi, Lilly!" "Hi Phoebe!" and "Hi Paulette!" at the top of her lungs from the screen door at the front of the house.

6. She mimics everything I do. Last night when I was washing my face she needed her own washcloth and washed along with me.

5. She is protective of anything that is Mommy's. When I was done with my soup and passed it to Chris to finish, she freaked out and told him, "No, Daddy! That's Mommy's soup!" and wouldn't let him eat it.

4. She has become a world-traveler of local parks and play structures. This weekend alone we were at two outdoor mall play areas, the playground at the Circle, and at Gymboree.

3. She loves back scratches and gets angry if I stop before she's done enjoying them.

2. She finally will keep a barette in her hair.

1. She sings Twinkle Twinkle, Baa Baa Black Sheep. The Incy-Wincy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus, The ABCs, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and can count to 10. Look, see for yourself!

CICADAS!

It's official, the cicadas have taken over. It's our turn in the 17 year cycle. The next time this happens our little girl will be graduating from high school! It sounds like a UFO is landing outside and the cicadas are covering the trees. Despite my desire to scream and freak out at the sight of one of these red-eyed wonders, I have to maintain a fearless exterior, regularly picking them up, admiring them, and even kissing cicada boo-boos. The lengths we go as mothers.



It doesn't, however, seem to bother Felicity or her pal Noah. Felicity WANTS them on her tummy at all times. In addition she goes around the sidewalk and grass saying "Night night" to the cicadas that are "sleeping." I don't have the heart to tell her that they'll be sleeping for a very very long time and that her exclamations to "wake up, cicada!" (which, in truth, sounds something like "wate up kay-da") won't raise the dead.


It occurs to me that some of you might not be priviledged to the info on cicadas. So, you should check this out, or if you're feeling a burst of culinary creativity and you're up to your ankles in cicadas, try this!

High heels and sunglasses

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

O.K., so Mother's Day is actually Sunday. But Elisabeth just sent these fabulous photos of me and my little girl, so I had to post. They are just too good :)

Butterflies...

About two weeks ago Felicity and I ventured to Milwaukee to visit Noah and Elisabeth. Here are some photos from our experience at the butterfly room at the museum.











Her infatuation with caterpillars ("day-woa-woas") continues to grow. Despite the five thousand times we've read The Very Hungry Caterpillar she has yet to catch on that day-woa-woas turn into buh-flies.













She continues to refer to herself as "Ti-ti," even correcting us when we address her as "Felicity." And her obsession with doing things herself results in frequent exclamations of "No, Mommy, Ti-Ti do it." Usually this is with reference to eating oatmeal. And "Ti-ti do it" is also synonymous with "Ti-ti make mess."

Her vocabulary is really growing and her ability to form complete sentences never ceases to amaze us. She says, "Daddy taking shower" and "Mommy get dressed" as clear as can be. Both sets of grandparents have been here in the past week! She has had more attention than she knows what to do with and I fear that she will really understand what it feels like to miss someone this time. :(

On another note, Nanny has started her own blog. I'll plug it here for her for free :) http://britquilter.blogspot.com

Will post photos from the grandparents visit soon!

Haiku

Felicity's cute
Waking up at 4 a.m.
Is not very cute

The Trials and Tribulations of a Verbal Toddler

I have to admit it, I love that Felicity has words. It's hilarious most of the time to hear this little voice explain things to me, even if it's just, "More water, please, Mommy." But lately I have gotten a taste of a little vocabulary being a dangerous thing.

So, there's no better way to say this than to just say it. Felicity, well, has developed an affinity for talking about her "nina." "Nina" is her word for her private parts. She tells me that "nina" goes "pee-pee" and she also tells me when "nina" wants things...like juice or gummy bears. It's a bit strange, I'll admit, but at least she's understanding her anatomy, even if she is prone to personification.

So, you can only imagine the actual fear that I had when she started exclaiming "nina ouch" and "nina pee-pee hurt tee-tee." At first I was optimistic: Maybe she hated being wet and was ready for the potty. I had visions of her using the potty, my not needing to lug the diaper bag around anymore, and I had a taste of freedom. For just a second. But the complaining escalated and she began to get upset more. She seemed legitimately in pain.

Fast forward: Three hours of breastfeeding, two doctors, one horrific cathetar urine specimen, numerous nurses, an x-ray, and a triatholon of sorts around the emergency room later, there is NOTHING WRONG with her. She is fine. Nina is fine. But she is still complaining. (Felicity is complaining, that is. Despite her longing for gummy bears, Nina has been remarkably silent on this issue.)

So, we're back to where we started. No resolution. No explanation. Just another mystery of toddlerdom... If only Nina really could talk...

She "sings"!!

On Saturday morning Felicity started singing full lines of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She really only knows "How I wonder what you are," but she seems quite fond of singing that line over and over again.

Sometimes it gets a bit conflated with A-B-C-D and comes out a bit strange, but she definitely likes to sing the line--perhaps because her Daddy gives her a big round of applause!

This weekend has been truly hilarious in terms of language. She is repeating more sentences and when they come out of her mouth they are quite funny. At school they are trying to work with her to stop crying or getting frustrated (or shoving another child) when someone takes a toy away from her. So, they frequently say, "Don't push him, Felicity. Use your words." And then they follow this by saying, "Tell him 'No!' 'Mine.'" So, when she was getting frustrated this weekend and yelling at her purpushoes, I told her, "Don't yell, Felicity. Use your words. Say, 'help me, Mommy.'" And, although she did say, "Help me" occasionally, most of the time when I told her to "Use her words," no matter what the context, she exclaimed, "No. Mine."

At least she's learning...

Hives...

Hi there everyone! We have had an eventful Easter weekend. It began with two trips to the emergency room on Saturday for what has been diagnosed as a case of hives. One epi shot, three doses of predinisone and a ton of benadryl later, we still have this-->

It's been frustrating because we can't figure out what is causing it. No changes in food. No changes in soap. No changes in anything... Dr. Sears says that toddlers can get hives that are caused by a virus. So, here's hoping that this is all that it is. A virus seems somehow more manageable than, say, a wheat allergy! So, time will tell. It has been interesting to note that I do have one of those toddlers who is energized by benadryl as opposed to sedated. Glad I never dosed her before a long plane flight!!

Despite the hives we managed to have a pretty o.k. weekend. We attended a birthday party after the hives disappeared on Saturday (only to come back full force.) And on Sunday after they were down again we went to the children's museum. Felicity LOVED the children's museum. This was the first time that I think she "got it."



She very much enjoyed pretending to shop atthe grocerystore. She stocked her cart. And she even checked out!

She also enjoyed the water area, which, despite her rubber smock, proved to be a VERY wet experience. She LOVES to get wet.

Besides playing in the water, Felicity did manage to take care of some animals in the animal hospital. She bandaged a doggies "boo-boo" and she looked carefully at some x-rays.


Perhaps her absolute favorite thing, though...and this is out of EVERYTHING...











Was the music. She played in this area for a long long time....


So, despite our hives disaster we had an o.k. week. She's still inflamed and looks horrible, but she doesn't seem all that bothered. Occasionally she'll look down and say, "Spots!" but for the most part she is content to run around, try on everyone's shoes, and chat up a storm.

Her favorite thing to say right now is "all done." But she has stopped using it just in a food context. When friends of hers at school are crowding around her favorite teacher, Melissa (she says, "Mee-ma,") she'll let them know that they are "all done." And when Daddy is giving Felicity a bath and Mommy comes in the bathroom, she exclaims, "Daddy all done." And, at the hospital, when the doctor came in to examine her, before he had even gotten out his stethescope, she told him, "All done."

So, throughout all of this weekend we have seen even more words and more sentences. She continues to be obsessed with colors and identifying everything in terms of color. This morning she let me know that the zit on my chin was "red" and then declared the rest of my skin to be "yellow." Perhaps I am looking a little jaundiced?

I'll leave you all with a big smile from our favorite little girl as she eats (messily) a very juicy apple.

Some recent photos

O.K. So I think she's starting to look like me :)

Happy 80th Birthday Nanny!!

Nanny is in New Zealand celebrating her 80th birthday with Auntie Julie, Uncle Arthur, Lewis, Alex, and Nanny and Papa. We are so sorry that we couldn't be with her, but we decided to send along a brief movie of Felicity just for her.

Felicity on Film

So sorry it's been so long since I posted Felicity films.
I hope these are worth waiting for!

Her vocabulary continues to grow and she will repeat just about everything we say. She loves to take baths and to play with her foam letters. She officially "knows" the alphabet. And her favorite letters are "F" "Y" "S" "O" and "M." She can spot them on just about any sign and is thrilled with herself when she does.

Our terrible blizzard from last night only turned up about 6 inches of snow, but it has been raining steadily since this morning, so it's a slushy mess outside. It'll be a nightmare tomorrow if it freezes. This has limited our outings so Felicity has been house-bound today. It hasn't stopped her from playing (note the mess of toys in the videos!)

Well, enough typing...See for yourself.

Celebrity Look Alikes

Did this on http://www.myheritage.com

What do you think?

The Boobies Are Sleeping

Today, February 22, 2007 marks day two of cutting down to one nursing session a day. Felicity seems fine with it. Both yesterday and this morning I simply told her that "the boobies are sleeping." That seemed to make sense to her. She even said, "Shh. Boobies sleeping" and went about her business. In fact, when I picked her up at daycare yesterday, I grabbed her coat and hustled her to the car and she didn't even ask for it. The key: I never picked her up. This, you see, kept her away from the goods.

Once home, I kept her distracted by a long walk on campus. It was warm. Actually, it was only about 40 degrees, but in comparison to -30, this felt down right hot. It's amazing what your body gets used to. The walk, however, is where things got funny.

Living on campus means that Felicity is constantly the center of attention. People kept coming up to her to admire her pigtails and, to each and every one of them she replied, "Mommy's boobies sleeping." She said it fast. And only a few people who speak Felicity-ese could understand. But it was clear that she wanted the world to know that they were sleeping and that, much to my surprise, she was o.k. with it.

So, at last I see an end in sight. We've been connected now for 19 months. I'm getting tired. And, hey, so are the boobies. They are, after all, sleeping. :)

Noah Playdate!

On Saturday Noah and Elisabeth came to play!

We did some "art"! Felicity has so many new words. She can name all of the Sesame Street characters. She points to photographs in the house and names Mama, Dada, Max ("Mats"), Mandy (Mammie), Nanny, and Papa. We're still working on "Grandma" and "Grandpa."


Her other new words include:
oatmeal ("oap-mee"), bath ("baff"), F ("epf"), M ("em-ah"), couch ("cowsh"), music, spoon, nice job, upstairs, diaper ("di-perr"), Nanny's shoes ("nannyshoos"), coat, hat, mittens, boots. And a billion others!