Snow Bunny

As the "signs of fall are all around " (to quote Trouble) and the thermometer is dropping, it is time to break out the jackets and hats. Especially if you are tiny with a newly developing immune system.

So, Nibbles and I went to Old Navy in search of a fleece jacket for her afternoon walks. Jacket selection was slim, but this hat made the trip worth while:

Maybe I'm biased. . . I didn't think it was possible to make this face any cuter, until I put this hat on her head.

While I'm bragging about how cute she is, we entered Hannah in the Gap Casting Call. She can win a $1,000 gift card or a vacation. If you want to vote for her, click here.

Love, The Trahans

May the Force Be With You

Halloween is fast approaching. And, being that Mikie is obsessed with Star Wars, he insisted on being "Luke Skywalker". More specifically, Luke Skywalker in his flight costume with a blue lightsaber (or lightsaVer as Mikie calls it). Anticipating that Mike would decide he needed to get dressed up to take the kids trick-or-treating, I ordered him a costume also. Mike is going to be Darth Vader (taking the "Luke, I am your father" line to a whole new level). And, to finish out the Star Wars theme, Hannah is going to be an Ewok.

While I have had concerns that Hannah will despise me when she is older because I made her an Ewok instead of a Princess, I am now concerned that she would rather have been a Jedi like her brother:Mikie wanted someone to place Star Wars with, and he got his wish. Unfortunately, the lightsaber is bigger than she is, so it makes it difficult for her to "fight back". And, since Mikie has a fight scene choreographed in his head that includes pulling out your lightsaber and flicking it open, playtime included a lot of panic attacks on my part.

Days later, Mikie wanted to know if Hannah's costume came with a stick like in the movie. I told him, "No, and we aren't going to get her one either. She's just a baby." His response (in true Mikie fashion), "Well, we can get her a little gun instead." The kid has an answer for everything. . .

Love, The Trahans

Lady's Man

It's fall, and with the changing seasons comes our battle with croup. Last season, our pediatrician was kind enough to give us some prednisone to give him if he comes down with it at night to prevent having to go to the ER. So, when Mikie came home barking like a seal yesterday, we tried to give him the steroid. Unfortunately, he had such a bad outbreak that we drove to the ER anyway.

After a long night in the ER, Mike agreed to stay home with Trouble while I went to work to "relax" (note the sarcasm).

At lunch time, Mike called to let me know how the patient was doing. Instead of "hello", he started the conversation with "Your son is such a flirt." Yeah, cause he gets that from me. . . I naively ask, "Why, what did he do now?" convinced the answer would have something to do with a girl in the waiting room. The real answer: "He asked the doctor for her phone number and then invited her to his birthday party."

Someone should tell Hannah because he told her he was going to marry her when he grows up.

Love, The Trahans

Mommy's Little Helper

Cuteness alert. Hannah helped me do laundry recently. Somehow, I kept her from eating/drooling on Mikie's pajamas. Instead, she decided to show me her newest trick. . . Peek-a-boo. Cutest video ever.

Love, The Trahans

Moving Away

Mikie frequently threatens to "move to a different neighborhood." So, Mike was not surprised when Mikie got mad and threatened to move away. . .

Mikie: "I'm going to move to a different neighborhood."

Mike: "How are you going to get there."

Mikie: "I'll call a taxi."

Note: the irony here is that we don't have taxis near our house.

Mike: "Do you know the phone number?"

Mikie: "Yeah."

Mike: "What is it?"

Mikie: "Well, I'm not going to tell you!"

Mike: "What are you going to wear for clothes?"

Mikie: "I'm going to wear MY clothes."

Mike: "So you're going to take those with you?"

Mikie: "Yeah, I'm going to take my drawers. I'm going to take ALL my clothes. And, I'm going to take all my toys too."

Mike: "Well, then you better get a U-Haul instead of a taxi."

The logic here is priceless. I don't know which one of them was worse.

Love, The Trahans

Hannah Highlights

When Mike and I first got married, we planned on having two kids, three years apart. Then, Mikie turned one. And the thought of voluntarily giving him a sidekick to recruit in his plot to overrule the household had very little appeal. When I became pregnant with Hannah, Mike and I both said that we already had one troublemaker, so it was only fair to get an easy child. Actually, I think our exact words were "God owes us an easy one." Although she made life miserable while in utero, she has been a blessing. She sleeps through the night, she eats her food, she's generally happy, especially if Mikie's around.

Unfortunately for her sake, Hannah is so pleasant, it is easy to neglect her in the chaos that is her brother. I spend such a large amount of time arguing with Mikie, catering to Mikie, working with Mikie on homework, trying to multitask and feed or entertain Hannah at the same time. She doesn't seem bothered by this (unless I stop feeding her breakfast in order to help Mikie with something. . . this girl is serious about eating). But, looking at the blog, I realize how little attention is given to our super sidekick. And, so I devote this post to Nibbles and her amazing new personal eccentricities that light up my day.

Like me, Hannah loves to sing in the car. Also like me, Hannah doesn't seem to know all the lyrics (although it may have something to do with the fact that she can't talk yet). When I turn on the radio (instead of books on CD), Hannah starts "singing" along. I managed to record her one night on my iPhone. Unfortunately, Blogger does not support audio. So I made a slide show of Hannah photos with her singing in the background.

In her effort to be as independent as Mikie, Hannah is desperately trying to walk. She has tried pulling herself up on toys (unfortunately, since they weigh less than she does, she typically succeeds in pulling the toy down on herself). I started putting her in Mikie's old walker. As you can see in the video, she succeeded in walking, albeit backwards.

Occasionally, she will attempt to crawl, usually when we have left her to her own devices and she is desperate to move to a new location. Alas, I have not succeeded in capturing this on video. Mostly, because I find her so pitiful, I run to rescue her. She looks like a sad little inchworm, scooting her legs up underneath her, then flailing around until she has succeeded in pushing her face forward along the carpet (a task which usually involves whimpering for added effect).

To take after Mikie, she has also learned my least favorite trick. . . splashing mom during bath time. I have to admit, I have a slightly higher tolerance for splashing when it's Hannah because she is so amused by it (and, while she is always happy, it is difficult to make her giggle). The amusement stops when my sleeves are completely soaked.

And, her quirky characteristic: she eats with one leg in the air. Like a puppy peeing on a tree. It's like she is demonstrating her flexibility. Between this and her love of the little ballet barre at school, maybe she'll be a dancer. Assuming she didn't get my coordination and grace. Ha ha.

Love, The Trahans

Chaos and Cake

I got in a very bad habit of throwing multiple parties to celebrate Mikie's birthday. I don't even know how it happened. We started out innocently enough. Having spent much of his first year dining out with his working parents, we feared that he wouldn't understand it was his birthday unless people came out singing to him. So, the day before his birthday, we took him to TGI Friday's the day before his birthday so that the entire wait staff could sing to him. Then there was the obligatory birthday cupcake for breakfast on his actual birthday (Mike was leaving town on business, so we couldn't have it at dinner). And, one party, with all our family and friends in attendance.

By Mikie's second birthday, we were trying to sell our house and move to New England. So, we had one combined birthday/goodbye party with anyone who was available.

The third birthday started to get out of hand. First was a party with my mom and sister on Labor Day weekend. Second, a party with Mike's mom's family, Mikie's friends from daycare, and our neighbors. At that party, one of the kids took chalk to our new television while his older brother threw Mikie's $80 toy piano down the stairs. The third party had Mike's dad's family, my dad, plus our friends from college. Three parties. Three cakes. Three days of cooking and cleaning.

Evidently, we didn't learn our lesson by Mikie's fourth birthday. In keeping with the trend, four years old = four parties. One party in Connecticut at the daycare, for the convenience of Mikie's school friends. Thankfully, the staff came to man the party, planning games and art activities, and decorating. So, all I had to do was bring the food and goodie bags. One party with my parents on Labor Day weekend. One party with Mike's mom's family and our neighbors. And, the last party with Mike's dad's family and our friends. Four parties. Four cakes. You basically spend an entire month celebrating one child's birthday.

With two kids, I saw the handwriting on the wall. If I continued throwing four birthday parties per child, we would be having eight parties for two kids. At risk: loss of money, sanity, and an increased chance of spoiled children. And so I convinced myself it would be easier to invite everyone over for one big party, forgetting that there was a reason we switched to having multiple parties in the first place.

Exhibit A: The chaos

The party was SUPPOSED to be a Transformer themed water party. We bought kiddie pools, water balloons, water guns, water slide. And then, it rained. So our outdoor party was forced to move indoors, and with it, the chaos. Two hundred and fifty balls later, and one of the kiddie pools was converted to a ball pit. I think it was the highlight of the party, and the biggest mess ever.Exhibit B: The cake

Mikie doesn't eat actual cake, and store bought ice cream cakes aren't large enough to feed the number of people in attendance. So, working mother who feels the need to overcompensate for the fact that she isn't home during the day spends her evenings making an ice cream caking from scratch.On the plus side: everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, Mikie and Hannah slept fabulously, and we only had to clean up once. And, as an added bonus, our TV escaped unscathed.Happy Belated Birthday, Trouble.

Love, The Trahans

Labor Day

Labor Day weekend has become more and more chaotic since we moved North. Yes, there is Mikie's birthday (which I think is more labor intensive now than it was five years ago when I was IN LABOR!). But, there is also the pride and joy of Woodstock, Connecticut: The Woodstock Fair.

Yes, every Labor Day weekend, the local fairgrounds in Woodstock become overrun with carnies, rides, animals, tractors, go carts, music, and the scent of fried food. The question on everyone's lips is not "Are you going to the Fair" as much as "What day are you going to the Fair." Because, just as most civilized people recognize that there is only one "City", to locals, there is only one "Fair".

And so, in spite of last year's debacle, I agreed to go back for more. And, it was well worth the money. Mikie has grown a lot in the last year, and was now tall enough to ride more rides. So, while Mike and Mikie ran from ride to ride, Hannah and I had a fabulous time people watching. Well, Hannah's concept of people watching is really smiling/flirting at her adoring fans. And, oh the fans she has. Random children from town came running towards us yelling "NIBBLES" followed by "Where's Mikie?" I'm not sure which of my children is most popular. . .

Unfortunately, we didn't bring the camera or video phone (which would have been one more thing I had to lug around). So, the only picture we have is of Mikie mugging it up in the fun house:

At 7am on Sunday morning, Trouble woke up, happy to inform us that it was his birthday and demand his presents. Hannah graciously allowed us to interrupt her beauty sleep to bear witness to the craziness. And, for our family members who weren't able to travel to celebrate with us in person, we video taped the entire event. I know, try and contain your enthusiasm. The video is ten minutes long. However, if you survive all the way to the 7 minute mark, you are rewarded with an amusing royal wave to Grand Da (whom he originally thought was sleeping in the next room) in thanks for his present.

Immediately after filming this video, Mike had to begin construction on the Temple of Doom Lego set. Two hours and fifteen minutes later, he had completed his masterpiece. Unfortunately, I can't show you a picture of the finished product, because Mikie decided it needed to be disassembled fifteen minutes after it was complete. Lucky for Mikie, it was his birthday. Otherwise, I think Mike would might thrown him out of the house in frustration. . .

The combination of Fair and presents, coupled with party hopping in Rhode Island and swimming with friends in New Hampshire was enough activity to make Mike and I long for a vacation from our vacation. Sadly, every weekend this month is occupied with as much activity, so we're not sure when we will get a break. Maybe October. . .

Love, The Trahans

Bust a Move

Since Hannah's arrival, it is more difficult to take Mikie to the movies. Primarily because if I am paying for a babysitter, I feel I should get my money's worth and go out with my husband, not my five year old (no offense, Mikie). Mikie doesn't seem bothered by this. In fact, I think he enjoys "making a movie theater" at home more than going out. We pop popcorn (we each have our own bowl), turn down the lights, and stay up past our bedtime watching a movie, just the three of us.

On Labor Day weekend, the feature presentation was "Underdog". Fabulous live action movie based on the cartoon, featuring Jim Belushi and Jason Lee as the voice of Underdog. Mikie loved it because he seems to love all live action movies with animals (Stuart Little, Hotel for Dogs, etc.). Mike and I liked it because, as family movies go, it was amusing.

At the end, Mikie was on a high (Underdog having saved the day). As the music blared and credits rolled, he couldn't sit still. He started dancing around, in the amusing way a five year old does that reminds me of a cross between "Kung Fu Panda" meets Elaine Benes dancing on "Seinfeld". In his free time (the five seconds it took us to start video taping him), he invented a new move called "The Twistie". Check out the video below. . . I promise it is very entertaining.



I can't wait to show him this when he's in college. I'm SURE he will appreciate it.

Love, The Trahans

The Big Day

Today was the big day. Or at least it was a big day for me. Mikie's first day of school. Mikie and I weren't on different wavelengths, because, as you can see from the video, he seemed to think this was no different than any other day. He would go to school (albeit different from where he usually goes), Hannah would go to daycare, and Mom would go to work.

I of course was (am) a sappy emotional mess. I waited at school to take pictures of him getting on the bus. Then, I drove to the school to take pictures and video of him getting off the bus. I admit, I did cry. Although, I managed to keep from crying until AFTER Mikie was in school so I didn't have to deal with the exasperated look he would give me.

On my drive from the school to work, I remembered sending him to daycare for the first time. He was eight weeks old, and everyone told me I would cry when I left him. He and I were both fine, neither of us crying. I told people that we appreciated each other more having our time apart. So, I never would have guessed that kindergarten would be my emotional downfall.

I attempted to load this video twice. The original video was set to Natalie Merchant (yes, I know, it was sappy and cheesey, and when you are a mom, you can mock me). After two failed attempts uploading to YouTube, I finally succeeded, only to get a message from YouTube that portions of the video were copywrited. So, back to the drawing board. No Natalie Merchant. This time the audio is Mikie detailing his first day's activities.

Love, The Trahans

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I like to say that absent-mindedness is a sign of intelligence. Mostly because I can't blame my forgetfulness on other things (old age, pregnancy, etc.). . .

Two weeks ago, I took Mikie for a haircut. The "salon" (I don't know that you can call the kiddy equivalent of Hair Cuttery a "salon") looks you up in the system based on the last four digits of your phone number. One small problem: I could not remember the last four digits of my phone number. After 30 seconds, I succeeded in blurting out four digits. As the girl struggled to find us in the system, I realized my mistake and said "Wait, no, those are the last four digits of my social security number." So, now everyone knows I have memory issues. Instead of pulling out my cell phone to look up my phone number, I stare at Mikie, as if my five year old knows the answer. He didn't. But, eventually, I did come up with the number, and we succeeded in getting Mikie's haircut.

I thought that was bad. I can remember every ingredient in every one of the thirty-five formulas I have launching this fall, but I can't remember my phone number. However, today trumped all previous not-so-senior moments. . .

Today was Mikie's kindergarten orientation. Mike took the afternoon off and drove an hour and a half to attend. As Mikie dragged us around every inch of the crowded, un-air conditioned classroom, Mike comments "They have Hannah's birthday." Not sure what he meant, I walked over to the birthday board to see this:What's wrong with this picture? Mikie was born on September 6th; HANNAH was born on February 19th. Why would the teacher put the wrong birthday down? Because Mikie's mom cannot accurately fill out simple school enrollment forms correctly.

And so, I made a GREAT first impression on Mikie's teacher. My first time meeting her and I had to say, "Hi, I'm Lauren Trahan, Mikie's mom. I don't know my kid's birthday."

Small consolation: if I'm bad for writing down the wrong birthday, how bad is the administrative office that didn't think to question why they were admitting a kindergartner born in 2009?

Love, The Trahans

The Pick-Up Line

Because Hurricane Bill was wreaking havoc on our favorite beach, we spent this weekend cooling off at a water park near our house. It was very relaxing. Hannah enjoyed floating around the lake, watching Mikie demonstrate his swimming moves. Mike and Mikie enjoyed the water slides. And, Grandma Pookie and I enjoyed relaxing.

Right before we left, Mikie, chick magnet extraordinaire, attracted the attention of a three year old girl, Zoe. Zoe "swam" by a few times, trying to attract Mikie's attention (to no avail). When we complemented her on her swimming skills, Mikie came over to regale Zoe's parents with his ability to blow bubbles in the water. To which Zoe responded, "I can blow bubbles with my butt." Ah, love in bloom. . .

Even more amusing than Zoe's pick-up line was Mikie's. At one point he yelled "Come meet your Destiny!" Don Juan? No. Just a five year old quoting lines from Star Wars. Until we enlightened Zoe's parents, they were pretty amused with his pick-up line.

God help us when he actually has interest in girls. . .

Love, The Trahans

Major Milestones

Six months, slightly over 16 pounds, and Hannah sits up! She still has her moments. If brother runs by, and she turns her head, down she goes. But, if she has something directly in front of her to occupy her attention, she is pretty good at keeping her balance: Which brings me to Hannah's next talent: impersonating a cat. Her new favorite toy is a cage type ball with another mirrored ball inside. Not unlike a big cat toy. It reminds me of that old Saturday Night Live skit where Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn are cat toy salesmen who need to "road test" all of the new products. If you haven't seen the skit, you can find it here. If you have, then you can further appreciate Hannah playing with her new toy (click on the picture below to see the video).Love, The Trahans

Picture Day

Since Mikie is fast approaching the big 0-5, and Hannah is now six months old, we decided to take them both to have their pictures taken. We arrived at 10:30 am and were finished around lunch time. I don't know which was more exhausting, getting Hannah to smile, getting Mikie to smile normally (ie, not a cheese plastered on smile), or selecting what to order. While we were immersed in the chaos , I was expecting the shoot to yield a bunch of horrible pictures. However, I am impressed with the results:

HannahTrouble & Super NibblesAnd then there was Mikie:

This picture of Mikie makes me cry. Because, when I look at him every day, I don't notice how big he has gotten (although I tease him anytime he makes me lift him that he must have gotten bigger while I was at work). Then, I see these pictures and realize he is not a baby anymore. . . tall and lanky. . . just under four feet tall. . . 45 pounds. . . starting kindergarten on Wednesday. It seems like only yesterday he was blonde and chubby and looked like this: If I am this sentimental on Saturday, wait until my first day of school post on Wednesday. . .

Love, The Trahans

Another Mikie Moment

Last week, I had to get my car inspected, a task made all the more interesting (challenging) having the kids with me.

At 5pm, we pulled into the gas station. I love this gas station because it is a) located on my way home from work, b) is full serve only, c) participates in the discount gas program with the grocery store, and d) will inspect my car while I wait. . . something my car dealership doesn't do. Unfortunately, they are a gas station with a convenience store that is smaller than my closet (no lie). So, while my car is on a riser in a garage, I'm forced to stand outside and wait. Normally, I wouldn't mind. But, it happened to be 86 degrees outside and I had two tired children with me. . .

In my infinite wisdom, I decided to buy Mikie a snack in the convenience store. Unfortunately, they don't sell perishable items. . . including milk. While most kids would HAPPILY drink a soda or juice, Mikie is NOT most kids. If he can't drink milk, he will begrudgingly drink water. As I reached for a water and small bag of Oreos, Mikie picked up a bag of Oreo Cakesters. Conversation ensued:

Mom: "Those aren't real Oreos."

Mikie: "I know. They're Cakesters."

So, either he learned how to read, or he had Oreo Cakesters at school. The second option seemed more plausible, so I gave in. While I paid, Mikie struck up a conversation with the cashier (who happened to be the owner):

Mikie: "Hey! What do you think of my sister?"

Owner: looking at me "What did he say?"

Mikie: "Do you like my sister? Don't you think she's cute?"

Mom: embarrassed, "Mikie, come outside."

Of course, Mikie quickly realized that he does NOT like Cakesters, and that he needs to feed them to an ant. And, since he has given his snack to an insect, he needs real Oreos. As he gets up to go inside and help himself, I inform him that he will not be buying more cookies because I was out of money.

Finally, the car was ready. As I loaded the brood into the car, Mikie yells to the owner: "Hey, guy. Next time, get some milk, or we're never going to come here again."

I don't know where he gets his attitude from. Must be Mike. . .

Love, The Trahan

Bathtime

Working late means the kids and I don't get home until close to 7pm. Since they both go to bed at 8pm, I have a little over an hour to make dinner for Mikie, feed Hannah (solid food plus juice plus a bottle of formula), and bathe both kids before it's time for bed. And (in an ideal world) I have time to eat and play with them.

Unfortunately, this doesn't leave me with enough free time to perfect cloning myself. So, I am forced to find other ways to accomplish all of these tasks. The simplest solution: bathe both kids at the same time.

This is easier said then done. The easiest solution would be to bathe Hannah in her baby tub in my bathroom while Mikie takes a shower. But, Mikie LOVES baths. And Hannah LOVES anything related to Mikie: him or his toys. So, I struggle to hold Hannah in a sitting (or standing) position in the tub while Mikie splashes around her. It gets particularly hairy when soap is involved, as soapy wet babies are as slippery as greased pigs (so I would imagine, having never actually held a greased pig). I am slowly perfecting the routine: fill tub, put both kids in tub, clean Hannah while she is entertained by toys/Mikie, remove Hannah from the tub, dry her off and put a diaper on her, shampoo and condition Mikie's hair, entertain Hannah while Mikie cleans himself/splashes/floats/swims in the tub, drain the tub.

And now for the embarrassing naked pictures: As you can see, Hannah spends most of her time biting the basketball hoop, which is why all of her photos are of her wrinkly bum. Mikie doesn't sit still for long. Actually, Mikie doesn't SIT (preferring to completely immerse himself in water), so this is the closest we came to getting a picture of them together:

It probably isn't faster, but it does "save water for the fish" (a concept Mikie has recently become concerned about), and, if nothing else, is amusing.

Love, The Trahans

The Burger Drama

Mikie's daycare has a hot lunch program in conjunction with one of the local restaurants. For $5, you can sign up for a sandwich, hotdog, hamburger, or daily special, along with a drink, and side (typically fruit and chips). Very convenient for those mornings where I lack motivation to make Mikie a lunch (usually because I am racing out the door at the last minute). Mikie is VERY picky about what he will eat: turkey on white bread (in spite of the fact that he doesn't eat the bread) with mustard (he won't eat it without) or a hotdog with ketchup, mustard, and NO bun. If I don't get the order right, I typically get a lecture on how I should "always make him a lunch from home."

Monday ended up being a school lunch day for the Trahans. And, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have SWORN that I checked hotdog on the lunch menu. But, when I dropped Mikie off on Tuesday morning, the teacher informed me that I had made a mistake and they ordered him a hamburger. Since Mikie hadn't mentioned it, I assumed it was no big deal.

On Tuesday evening, a second teacher asked me if anyone told me about the "Burger Drama". Evidently, as the teacher was passing out the lunches, she noticed Mikie stand up, walk over to the trash can, and throw his ENTIRE lunch bag in the trash. Confused, she went over, took the lunch out of the trash and opened the bag to find his hamburger and sides, completely untouched. When she questioned him, he told her he didn't like anything and would just eat ketchup.

Thankfully, they had some extra hotdogs from the camp cook-out and made him a hotdog for lunch, so he didn't have to go on a hunger strike.

He wouldn't survive a day in catholic school. I can still hear the nuns lecturing me because I didn't finish eating all of my peanut butter sandwich. . .

Love, The Trahans

A Girl After My Own Heart

My dad loves to tell people how, as a child, I tried to convince him that I had two stomachs: one for dinner, and a second one for dessert. So, no matter how little I ate of my dinner, I was never too full for dessert.

In comparison, Mikie seemed nothing like me. When I was pregnant with him, I threw up every time I tried to consume chocolate, no matter how small the amount. By the end of my nine months, abstaining from chocolate, I was convinced I was carrying someone else's child I will admit, since birth, he has redeemed himself. Taking after me, he now eats ice cream no matter what time of day or how cold it is outside. He drinks every last melted drop of his ice cream and then asks if he can "have a taste" of yours. Like the official tasters in a royal court. . .

Hannah on the other hand has been a chocolate lover since the beginning. She seemed to crave it in utero. I'm thankful that she doesn't have teeth, because I think she would bite us in a fit of rage every time we go to Friendly's and flaunt our frozen desserts in front of her. She literally salivates over the menu. I took these pictures on one of our recent trips:That's my girl. . . if I can't have the real thing, I'm going to eat this menu! Let's hope her lactose issues don't last beyond her first birthday. Otherwise, I'm going to buy stock in whoever makes Lactaid.

Unfortunately, I now need to figure out how my parents got around that dessert stomach argument before she can use it against me.

Love, The Trahans

Killer Baby

Before I had Mikie, I always imagined I would have two kids, spaced three years apart. Mostly because Katie and I are three years apart in age, and I think we get along well together. I feared if my kids were born too close together, the oldest would be too young to appreciate the youngest. If they were born too far apart, they wouldn't be close because they wouldn't have anything in common. . .

Then Mikie turned two, and there was no way Mike or I could muster the energy to have a second. Especially if child number two had anything near Mikie's activity level. And so, three years turned into almost five years difference in age.

I guess things do work out for the best, because, so far, Mikie and Hannah are enamored with each other. Hannah is content to watch Mikie eat, play, bathe, watch cartoons, etc. for prolonged periods of time. And Mikie is the first to try and comfort her when she cries.

I will admit, there are times Mikie wishes Hannah were older. Best example, I picked them both up from daycare in June. To make my life a little easier, Mikie's teacher walked him over to Hannah's classroom at the end of the day, so I only had to stop in one place. All the girls loved to watch Mikie entertain them each afternoon. As I loaded everyone into the car, Mikie told me that "Campbell is a baby, but she WALKS." As if to imply that we got a dud. . .In spite of the fact that Hannah can't walk, this video is a perfect example of how much fun they have together. It reminds me of the scene from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" with the Killer Bunny. She may not have huge sharp teeth, but she can drown you in drool!

Love, The Trahans

Kids Bouncing on Trampolines

I was tempted to title this "Shaken Baby Syndrome", but figured child welfare services would definitely wake me up in the morning to take away my kids. As it is, when you see the video, you may question why they haven't come already. Please note, Hannah is ecstatically happy the entire time. In fact, bouncing with Mikie is one of her favorite activities (evident by the look of hero worship plastered on her face). Actually, doing anything with Mikie or near Mikie makes her happy. I wonder how long that will last. . .

Love, The Trahans

Mikie Says the Darndest Things

By the time I arrived home with the kids last night, we were too tired to cook. So, we headed off to TGI Fridays (appropriately, since it WAS Friday). And, as with any outing with Mikie, he came up with some great one-liners.

For background, Mikie had returned from a field trip to the Mystic Aquarium where he purchased an octopus. Originally, he told us it was a squid, aptly named "Squidy". But, Krista thought it was an octopus. And, since none of us knew the difference between a squid and an octopus, Mike googled it. Squid have fins on the sides of their heads while octopi do not. And, octopi tend to be smaller than squid.

Of course, once we determined that the toy was indeed an octopus, Krista asked Mikie if it had a different name, since "Squidy" seemed inappropriate now. To which Mikie replied, "Its name is Octopussy."

After dinner, Mike was carrying Mikie out of the restaurant. For whatever reason, there was a police officer standing at the door. As we walked past him, Mikie announces amidst a fit of giggles, "I am an ice cream mobile." The officer chuckled, not really knowing how to respond. As Mike continued to drag him out of the restaurant, he yelled back "Actually, my name is Mikie Trahan." As random Friday's patrons were turning to stare and laughing, he added, "I'm expensive!" Understatement of the year. . .

Love, The Trahans

Like Mother Like Daughter

Or brother? When Mikie was born, I always said he looked like me. He obviously has Mike's coloring, but I still believe he has a lot of my facial features. However, as he has gotten older, people argue more and more that he looks exactly like Mike. Mike RARELY drives to Connecticut to pick Mikie up from daycare, so some of the staff don't know him. Each time he has gone, all I hear the next day is "Mikie looks EXACTLY like his dad" or "I had never met your husband, but as soon as he walked in, I said, 'You must be Mikie's dad'."

As any woman who carried a child around for nine months and gave birth to him, it's pretty frustrating to not get credit for doing so. All I wanted was for ONE of my kids to look like me.

In spite of Hannah having red hair, everyone tells me how much she looks like Mikie. And, I will agree that they look alike. But, I still believe she looks like me too. So, I am posting pictures to prove my point:

MomHannahMikieHannah

So, if Hannah looks like me, and Hannah looks like Mikie, does that prove that Mikie also looks like me?

Love, The Trahans

Father Michael

I will admit, in the month since we baptized Hannah, we have been so busy with sick kids, work, traveling, birthday parties, etc, that we haven't been back to church. So, we are somewhat confused as to when Mikie became so religious. Recently, he has started saying "Amen" to EVERYTHING. For example:

Mom: "Mikie, how about Dunkin Donuts for breakfast?"

Mikie: "AMEN!"

We'll have to break him of this habit before we go back to church.

Love, The Trahans

Don't Leave Home

I always said I would never have more than two kids. When you have two kids, one person can leave town and life is still manageable. After all, you have two hands, so you can still grab on to each one and keep them from running into traffic. That was before I had two kids.

Mike has been traveling for business more frequently. Since I am the one who takes the kids to daycare/camp every day, I wasn't expecting life to be any less convenient. With Mike home, my day typically consists of: wake up, get ready for work, wake up Mikie, get him ready for camp, pack lunches for both kids, wake up Hannah, get her ready for daycare, load all kids and accessories into SUV, drive 40 minutes to daycare, drop off Hannah, drive 10 minutes to camp, drop off Mikie, drive 3 minutes to work, work 8 1/2 hours, pick up Mikie, pick up Hannah, drive home, unload car, make dinner for Mikie, feed Hannah, make dinner for grown ups. By the time Mike arrives home and we have eaten, we can then divide and conquer: Mike bathes Mikie and puts him to bed; I bathe and feed Hannah and put her to bed, then Mike typically cleans up from dinner and empties everyone's lunchboxes.

So, when Mike leaves town, my schedule becomes even more complicated. Both kids have ended up in the tub together (which they both love, but is a little nerve racking since Hannah is little and slippery, and Mikie causes tidal waves with all the movement and splashing). Both kids read bedtime stories together. And, I end up doing all the dishes by myself.

On its own, all of that makes for an EXHAUSTING day. It's hard to imagine it getting any worse, right?

WRONG. On Monday evening, Hannah had a meltdown. Never in my life have I heard a cry like this. If I closed my eyes, the image it conjured up was that of someone on fire. When she would BRIEFLY stop crying, she was hyperventilating. I tried everything: food, lukewarm bath, checking her toes for hairs wrapped around them, taking her temperature, a suppository in case she was constipated, baby Tylenol in case she was teething. After two hours, I broke down and called the pediatrician, knowing they were going to have me drive to the pediatric ER 40 MINUTES AWAY.

In route, Hannah settled down and fell asleep. Before going all the way back home, I decided to stop at Target and see what happened when she woke up. As with all Target trips, I ended up buying a lot more than I intended. Probably in large part because, for the first time all night, Hannah was happy and smiling. Boy, if impulse shopping cheers her up at 4 months, we are going to have problems when she hits 16. . .

Unfortunately, the moment we left the store, Hannah was hysterical again. All the way to Worcester, through the parking garage, and into the revolving door to the ER. And, Murphy's Law, the minute we emerged in the waiting room on the other side, silence. Not just silence; after she stopped hyperventilating, she was smiling and flirting with the staff.

The resident in the ER was useless, and we went home close to midnight with no conclusive diagnosis and instructions to follow up with our pediatrician in the morning.

I fell asleep around 1:30am, only to be greeted at 6am by Mikie, announcing that he had "a barky seal cough". Surely this was a joke. He could not possibly have croup. He just got over an episode not two months ago. He must be lying in hopes of eating a popsicle for breakfast. Then, I heard him cough and realized he wasn't lying.

To recap, not 24 hours after Mike left town, I had two sick kids on my hands. Dr. Mikie was correct in his self-diagnosis of croup. And, Hannah ended up with a mild ear infection and a head cold.

And so, I have decided that, as with most of my preconceived notions on parenting, my thoughts on being able to handle two kids by myself was naive.

Thankfully, Mike is back home, and hopefully won't have to travel again soon. If so, I may seriously consider hiring a babysitter to move in for the week.

Love, The Trahans

Life as Mikie's Mom

Here is what happened today when I picked Mikie up from camp:

Mom approaches door of school. Door is locked. Mom rings doorbell and waits for teacher to let her in. Teacher comes to door. Conversation ensues:

Teacher: "Mikie gave me quite a scare today. . ."

Mom: realizing Mikie had a swim lesson "Ugh. Did he almost drown again?"

Teacher: looking at me like I was crazy "No, he locked himself in the bathroom."

Mom: laughing "Oh. Sorry, he does that at home too. Did he tell you he needed 'privacy'? I usually keep a key above all the doors so that I can pick the lock."

Teacher: "I was trying to figure out, can I shimmy this with a credit card? But I had no way to get it open. I was screaming, 'Press the button'!"

Mom: "He always opens it eventually. He locked me out of a stall at Babies 'R Us two weeks ago. . . one with a bolt. I thought I was going to have to squeeze under a stall."

Realizing that the other parents and kids were looking at me, as if to say "this isn't the way a normal parent should react", I walked off to find Mikie. I found him playing Legos on the floor in one of the classrooms. I looked and noticed that the front of his shorts were wet.

Mom: "Mikie, why are your shorts wet."

Mikie: "Kaden made me laugh and I had an accident."

Mom: "Did you tell anyone?"

Mikie: "I thought you would be mad."

Mom: exasperated "Mikie, you have to tell someone when you have an accident so that you can change your clothes."

Mikie: "Want to hear Kaden's joke? He made his frog say 'Time to tuck-in for bed.' Isn't that funny?"

Okay, I get laughing so hard you pee your pants. But, I was expecting a REALLY funny joke. In my mind, this doesn't qualify.

I changed his clothes, hustled him off to the car, and we went to pick up Hannah. But, I wonder, why does this happen to me? I see other parents walk in each morning, their kids carrying their own lunchbox. I look like a tornado hit me each morning, Mikie running into school with me walking behind, hauling lunch, changes of clothes, baseball gloves, etc. And, every evening, as if I haven't learned my lesson, I walk right back into the eye of the storm.

At least I have amusing stories to tell. . .

Love, The Trahans

What's Wrong With This Picture

On Monday, I arrived at camp to pick Mikie up. He had his first swimming lesson earlier in the day, so I wasn't surprised to find him wearing different clothes than when I left. However, I'm not sure how he managed this:

Somehow, he managed to get his shorts on backwards, in spite of the fact that the snap was snapped and the zipper was up.

None of the staff noticed, until they saw me taking his picture in the parking lot. . .

I don't know why I continue to be surprised, but I am. You would think I would be conditioned by this point. . .

Love, The Trahans

Welcome to Boston

If you love the sound of a Boston accent, look no further than the Trahan household. Yes, my worst fears have become reality. . . Mikie talks like a Mass-hole.

I can't pinpoint when or how it happened. First, it was the occassional dropped 'r', like "cah" (translation: car) and "falk" (translation: fork). Next thing I know, EVERYTHING out of his mouth that has an 'o' or 'a' now sounds like the "aw" in Yawkey Way. Some examples from this weekend. I apologize in advance because I have no idea how to represent this phonetically. . .

"Mowm" = Mom

"Take the bun awf my haut dawg" = Take the bun off my hot dog

The best is when Mikie tells "knawk-knawk" jokes (translation: knock-knock jokes). Here is an audio clip from Friday night.

Usually, his knock-knock jokes make no sense, but this one was actually wicked funny. I'm not sure if it was because of the punchline, or because of his accent.

Love, The Trahans

Moon Over Mendon

Southwick's Zoo is 15 miles from our house. While not as big as the Philadelphia Zoo, it is a pretty decent size, with most major zoo animals (giraffes, lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, monkeys, etc.) Plus, they have a sky ride (which Mikie loves). In the three years we have been hear, Mike and Mikie have gone to the zoo two or three times. And, in the same time span, I have gone to the zoo zero times.We decided the weather was somewhat decent, so we would go to the zoo this weekend. Hannah was intrigued by all of the animals, but she was smitten with the giraffes. Mikie was on a mission to find the spider monkeys, his favorite animal. As we passed all the primates, we encountered the following monkey friend:Yes, it is a picture of his behind. I'm not sure if he mooned us because he wanted us to leave him alone, or because he thought he was funny. If you watch the video, you can see how much he LOVED mooning us. And, in case you are wondering what that obnoxious siren noise is, that is coming from the same monkey. In addition to the mayhem in the monkey house, we saw a number of other animals. And, Mikie and I enjoyed a ride on Humphrey, the Camel. His keeper informed us that his hump was filled with fat cells, not WATER (I feel deceived!)Love, The Trahans

The "Near Miss"

When my sister was a toddler (possibly even younger), we went to a company picnic hosted by my mom's employer. They had a pool, but being 4 and 1, we weren't allowed to go swimming by ourselves. I don't even think my parents brought bathing suits (my dad is allergic to chlorine and my mom probably didn't want to get her hair wet). . .

My sister had other plans. She toddled right over to the edge of the pool and went in.

Obviously, my parent's IMMEDIATELY went in after her (I was probably sitting "angelically" off to the side watching, waiting for her to get yelled at). And, she was fine (arguably annoyed that she couldn't go back in). . .

I tell you this because I have always thought Mikie and my sister were kindred spirits. I just didn't realize to what extent. . .

On Friday, the camp took the kids on a field trip to the town beach. Mikie was ECSTATIC. First, he got to ride a school bus for the first time. Second, he drove past Nibbles's school (he claims he waved to her from the bus). Third, he had a hot dog for lunch. Lastly (and most importantly), he got to go SWIMMING.

Now, Mikie can't swim. We took him to Red Cross swim classes in Maryland (nearly three years ago), and he has zero fear of the water. He knows to kick his legs and move his arms, and he knows that he can float if he lays on his back with his head back, but he can't swim without support (either a grown-up or floatation device). However, I didn't expect there to be any issues. Obviously, it was a beach. Like the beach we go to when we visit Grandma Kerrie, I assumed he would play in the shallow water with his friends. There would be a lifeguard and adult supervision. What could go wrong?

In hindsight, I realize how naive I was. After all, this is MIKIE we're talking about. Mikie, who reminds me of my sister on a daily basis. We can't go anywhere without there being a story to tell afterwards.

Friday was no different. Around 2pm, I received a call from the owner of the daycare who runs the summer camp. He was calling to tell me about an "incident" that occurred with Mikie at the beach. . .

Typically, "incident" means Mikie bit/hit/harassed/wrestled/etc. some kid at school. OR it means he was injured and I need to come take him to the ER. So my mind immediately jumped to three possible scenarios:

1. Mikie drowned.
2. Mikie drowned another child.
3. Mikie jumped in the water, hit his head on something, and has a concussion.

Mikie was splashing in the water, playing with his friends. In his excitement, he didn't realize that he was bouncing further away, until the beach dropped off. A life guard and paramedics rushed in to rescue him.

Aside from being physically okay, Mikie is totally unscathed by the incident. When I asked him about his day, he didn't even tell me about his "near miss". And, according to the teacher, he went right back into the water, not wanting to leave to eat lunch, let alone leave when it started raining. He eventually admitted to Mike and I that he "accidentally" went into a "deep section" and it was "really cold" and "seaweed was touching my foot."

And, I learned a valuable parenting lesson: Always send your kid out with a life vest. Especially if your child's name is Mikie Trahan (or Katie McLaughlin).

Love, The Trahans

Mother of the Year

Because Mikie will be starting school in the fall (fingers crossed), he was eligible for "summer camp". It is run by the daycare out of the local elementary school. Benefit: it's cheaper, Mikie gets to familiarize himself with the school he will attend, it has more activities and field trips. Mainly, it's cheaper. Downside: it's in a different location, which requires me to drop off and pick up two kids at TWO different places.

Like most people in the work place, I operate on auto pilot when I get in the car in the morning. I travel the same route, to the same places. I am used to dropping Hannah off at door #1, driving around the corner of the building, dropping Mikie off at door #2, before driving the remaining 10 minutes to work. I don't think about where I am going; I think about the other cars on the road, and what I need to accomplish over the course of the day (between home and work).

Today was day eight of summer camp. And, today was the THIRD TIME I have forgotten to drop Mikie off at camp. I get to the turn for Crabtree, and then realize that Trouble is still in the back seat, watching his movies and eating his breakfast.

Thankfully, work and camp are 3 minutes from each other. So, I only end up a few minutes late for work. I laughed to another mother how confused I am having to go to two places. She admitted that she drove all the way to HARTFORD (an hour away) before she realized her child was sleeping in the car!

Love, The Trahans

Guilty

I swear I don't know where he gets these comments from. Yesterday, at lunch, Mikie turned to Mike, face covered in peanut butter and bread, and asked "Is there guilt written all over my face?"

I'm assuming he has heard someone (possibly a teacher) say "You have guilt written all over your face." Especially given the fact that Mikie IS frequently doing something he shouldn't.

Love, The Trahans

Hannah's Baptism

Poor Hannah. . . I don't know if it is because she's the second child or because she's so easy going, but she tends to be an after thought...On June 13th (before Trouble's graduation), we baptised Hannah. Like the little princess she is, it looked like she was holding court, sitting in Mike's arm looking around as if to say "Hello, adoring fans. Thank you for coming out to witness my special day. Feel free to bask in my glow."We were lucky to have a lots of family and friends in attendance, including Uncle Josh and Auntie Shell, Hannah's godparents. Even luckier, the weather was as nice as we could expect. The rain stayed away all day, which was fortunate, since we had close to fifty guests in attendance.

Best of all, Mikie slept through the ENTIRE service, waking up at the end to groggily kiss Hannah and pose for a family photo. . .

Love, The Trahans

The Graduate

I have been very behind in my blogging. But, it has been an eventful couple of weeks. Between Hannah rolling over and Mikie being attacked by fleas, Mikie graduated from preschool. It was quite the affair, complete with caps and gowns and a luau themed after party. If you have time for a laugh, click here to watch the video. The highlight is counting backwards in the song "Five Green and Speckled Frogs". It must not be a prerequisite for graduation since no one but the teacher could remember how many frogs were left. Mikie was holding up four fingers when they got down to zero frogs. . .

If you don't have time to watch the video (or, like Mike and I, will have kiddy songs stuck in your head for a week), see pictures below:As you can see, even Hannah got into the theme with a tiny lei bracelet. She had sandals that I purchased at Old Navy (they were gaudy and gold with flowers). In spite of the fact I think her chubby feet are big, they were way too small for the 3-6 month sandals. In true beach spirit, she was forced to go barefoot.As a graduation present, Mikie is now the proud owner of an ecotarium containing two dwarf frogs and a snail. If you're four, it's both fun AND educational. He named them Flippy, Tert, and Snaily. He wants everyone to know that "Snaily is the snail". In case you were confused. I get Flippy, but have no idea where "Tert" comes from. Either way, they are the perfect pets for our family. . . they get fed twice a week and cleaned once a month. And, the only cost (other than the $29.99 I paid for them and their habitat) is for bottled water once a month (they came with a two year supply of food). Hopefully, I didn't just jinx myself by bragging about how idiot proof they are.

Love, The Trahans

Chicken Pox

When I was dressing Mikie this morning, I noticed that he had a LOT of what I originally thought were bug bites all over his body. It seemed odd to have been bitten all over his front, back, and legs. My gut told me he could have chicken pox. Because that would be my luck. . .

Conveniently enough, we had a 9:15 appointment with the pediatrician for Hannah's four month check-up. I figured I could ask her to look at his spots while we were there. . .

When I arrived, I learned a very valuable lesson: if you are ever in dire need of seeing a pediatrician, and have no desire to wait, tell the receptionist your child may have chicken pox. Our conversation went like this:

Mom: "While I'm here, can anyone look at my son? He had what I thought were bug bites yesterday, but they are all over his body and I am concerned they might be chicken pox."

Receptionist: "Is he here now?"

Mom: "Yes."

Receptionist: panic in her voice "Is he in the waiting room?"

Mom: "Yes." Although, in my head, I am thinking, "No, I left him in the car so that I could be arrested. Of course he's in the waiting room!"

Receptionist: panic escalating to annoyance "He can't be in the waiting room!"

Mom: looking around "Well, where should he sit?"

Receptionist: pointing to a bench outside of the office "Outside on that bench."

Now, I'm just annoyed. I'm not stupid. I know that the chicken pox is highly contagious. But, looking around the office, the ONLY one who should be freaking out with worry is me. I'M the parent with a four month old infant, who has been showered with kisses from her spotted sibling. There are two other families in the office: a dad and his teenage daughter, and a mom with her teenage son. Both kids have either had chicken pox or been vaccinated for it (since the public schools all require it). And, since the staff manning the desk are all forty plus years old, I am assuming that, like me, they have probably had the chicken pox as well.

I call Trouble over, and have him sit on the floor next to me. Because, I am still checking us in and REFUSE to let my four year old sit outside by himself. Still panicking (and noticing that I am not removing my child from the office with any urgency), the receptionist calls a nurse.

So, after arriving at 8:50 for a 9:15 appointment, we were in a room by 8:55 and had a doctor sitting in front of us by 9am. All for. . . flea bites. Yes, Mikie was covered in FLEA BITES. Since we don't have pets (other than Mikie's new frogs and snail), I'm can't entirely explain this. But, I am thankful that it isn't chicken pox (since flea bites aren't contagious).

As if the pandemonium we caused amongst the office staff wasn't amusing enough, there were a few prize comments from Mikie. The first came when I tried to explain what was going on:

Mom: "Mikie, you have to stay in this room while I take Hannah to be weighted. The nurses think you're very sick. How crazy is that? You don't feel sick, do you?"

Mikie: "No."

Mom: "We think the bug bites on your body might be chicken pox. Chicken pox make you really itchy."

Mikie: "But chicken pox have chickens on them."

Mom: puzzled. . . struggling to figure out where he heard this from. . .

Mikie: "In Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Pete gets the chicken pox and they do the chicken dance and the spots go away."

Mom: "Well, that's just a cartoon. Unfortunately, it isn't that easy in real life."

The second conversation occurred while we were waiting for the nurse to come back with Hannah's vaccines:

Mikie: "Sing Hannah's song."

Mom: singing to Hannah and Mikie

Mikie: "Mom, sing it very loud so everyone can hear."

Mom: "Mikie, please spare me some of my dignity. I don't need to be known as that crazy lady singing songs about tinkle and poo to her kids." Yeah, I'm already known as the mother of the flea bitten child who thought he had chicken pox.

Let's just say that I couldn't leave the office fast enough. No sooner had I gotten my kids strapped into the car, then I realized I hadn't scheduled Hannah's six month appointment. I decided that it was going to take all my energy to get the kids to their respective daycare/summer camps and go to work, and that dragging them back inside just wasn't going to happen. I'll call later this week when the staff has forgotten the chaos we caused. Hopefully. . .

Love, The Trahans

Hannah Rolls Over

The title says it all. On Friday, June 19th (her four month birthday), Hannah regaled us with her new talent. . . the ability to roll over. There really isn't anything amusing about this, just pure cuteness. Although, as you can see in the video, she really works those abs in the process.

While we made a big deal of it, she seemed thoroughly annoyed. Not because she was stuck on her stomach, but rather that, after all her effort, Mike and Mikie returned back to chasing each other up the stairs to bed. I guess it's true what they say about the second child. . . they're somewhat forgotten. . .

Love, The Trahans

A Little Crazy

I'm not sure if parenthood makes you a little crazy, or if craziness is a prerequisite of the job. For instance, before kids, I would occasionally talk to myself. Typically, I would THINK I was talking to someone, then, realizing they had left the room, would continue to talk to myself by saying "Oh, no one's hear; I guess I'm talking to myself."

You would think that is bad enough. But, having kids has taken my craziness to a new level. First, there are the silly songs. I make up songs for everything. With Mikie, there was the "Mom Loves Mikie" song, the "Spit Up Song", and the ever popular "Snap the Snaps" song for those times when you are laying on the changing table, waiting for someone to snap your snaps. And so, I needed to have a song for Hannah. Something unique. Something like this.

And the craziness doesn't stop with silly songs. There is a plethora of nicknames. Because I can't just call my children by their ACTUAL names. Mikie was "Sir", "Mikie Bear", "Mister Peanut", "Peanut", "Squishy", "Sir Squishy", "Smeagle (rhymes with beagle), and the ever popular "Trouble" (among others). Again, we need names for Hannah. She has become "Nibbles", "Super Nibbles", "Niblet", "Hannah Banana", "Banana", "Tiny", "Mister Tiny", "Princess", "Princess Tinklepants", and the crowd pleaser "Princess Hannah, Duchess of Tinkledom, Countess of Flatulence".

I know. . . she will kill me when she's older. . .

However, the piece de resistance is the conversations. I have full conversations as if Hannah is talking to me. For example, here is one from dinner earlier this week:

Mom: as myself, while placing Hannah in her highchair "Banana, would you like to sit at the table?"

Hannah: smiling "AAAHHHHH".

Mom: still as myself "Here, let me give you your tray to bang on."

Hannah: angrily "AAAAHHHHH!"

Mom: as Hannah "Why do I need a tray? No one else has one."

Mom: as myself "Valid point, Hannah. I'll put it away."

No, I do not have multiple personalities. I just have this craziness that forces me to make up dialogues with my children. What's worse is I don't even realize I'm doing it. Mike and my cousin where making fun of me after the fact, and I didn't even know what they were talking about.

Someone should research this. If you can have Baby-brain while your pregnant, is it so far fetched to think that you could suffer from parental schizophrenia?

Love, The Trahans

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I think I've mentioned it before, but Hannah loves her big brother. Actually, love may not be a strong enough word to describe how she feels. . . WORSHIPS is more accurate. If Hannah's crying, nine times out of ten, Mikie can get her to stop by coming over and talking to her.

This evening was a perfect example. We came home from dinner. Mike was upstairs giving Mikie a bath and getting him ready for bed. Hannah was downstairs with Krista and I, chatting away in her Exersaucer. And then she heard him. That voice, echoing through the house. Hark, I hear Brother. All of the sudden, she was craning her neck, kicking her legs, trying desperately to find him. You can see what I mean in this video.

I finally gave in and took her upstairs to give Mikie a kiss goodnight. She was so happy to see him, I figured I would let her stay up with them for story time while I made more formula. Mikie wanted Mike to snuggle him, but there was no way Mike could snuggle Mikie, hold Hannah, and read a story (or if he could, I am impressed). So, Hannah and Brother snuggled up in Mikie's bed and Mikie held the flashlight while Mike read The Cat in the Hat to them. As usual, she was elated to be near him. I wonder how long this will last. . .

Love, The Trahans

Phi Kap in Training

Mikie has a Leapfrog toy called a "Word Wammer". It has three slots to insert magnetic letters to spell words. There are different challenges: you can pick three random letters and when you press them, the toy sounds out the word, or it will tell you a word and you have to find the letters and put them in the right sequence to spell the word.

One morning while eating breakfast, Mikie was playing with the "Word Wammer". It was asking him to find the letters in the word "pug". I helped Mikie sound out the letters (and gave him hints as to what color the letters were to help him locate them faster). And, after a few minutes, he had successfully spelled the word "pug".

Once you spell a word correctly, it gives you a new challenge, like "create a word that rhymes with 'pug'" or "create a new word by changing a letter in the word 'pug'". I was distracted, trying to get two kids fed and in the car, so I didn't notice the new word Mikie created until we got home: P-U-B.

Yes, he spelled pub. By himself. No help. And while we were all amused, I'm sure Mike gave him a high five when reading stories at bed time.

Love, The Trahans

Diva

I don't think Hannah likes me very much. Don't get me wrong, when she's hungry and I walk in with a bottle, she appreciates me. Well, not right away (especially if I change her first). But, she usually warms up to me once she starts eating.

The pediatrician told me at our two month check-up that she should start "talking". Obviously, not "hey, mom, where's my bottle?" but rather "gaaaa" and "aaahhh" and other cute baby noises said with a serious or flirtatious expression LIKE she is talking. At the time, she wasn't saying anything. She moved her mouth and I think she believed she was talking. But, not a single peep came out. It was especially cute.

Recently, she DID start making noises. But, I noticed that, instead of cute babbling noises, Hannah growls at me. For example: after bath time last week, I let her stand on her changing table (standing being her new favorite activity). I told her I needed to lay her down to change her, which I proceeded to do, and she started YELLING at me. Sounds like "GRRRR!" and "RAAAHHR!" As if that wasn't cute enough, the expression on her face was PRICELESS. At 3 1/2 months, she has already learned how to fire daggers with her eyes. The combination of expression and growls were enough to communicate, "How DARE you clean me?!? And change my diaper? I have more important things to do then waist my time laying here."

I thought maybe my grouchiness may have been infectious. Until bath time two nights ago. Both kids were dirty (Hannah was covered in sunscreen and Mikie was covered in, what else, dirt). So, Mike made Trouble shower in our bathroom while I bathed Hannah in the guest bathroom. As usual, Hannah was none too happy when removed from the tub. While I was struggling to dry her off, Mikie came bounding in from the other bathroom. He stuck his face nose to nose and started singing the "distraction" song (his name, not mine). Immediately, Hannah stopped crying, smiled up at him and started cooing, as if singing along.

Shocked, I told Mikie "I think Hannah likes you more than me." To which he responded, "No, she loves all of us, Mom."

Yeah, that sounds like the canned response that I tell him when he says he doesn't have any friends. . .

If she's like this at 4 months, what will life be like when she's 16 and despises me. . .

Love, The Trahans

"A" is for Attitude

Mike can be quite a wise ass. When we watch the Red Sox, and a player comes up to bat that I don't recognize, we tend to have the following conversations:

Lauren: "Who is this loser?" Because, anyone I don't know is assumed to be a loser.

Mike: "Bailey."

Lauren: "I gathered that from the name on his jersey. Who is Bailey?"

Mike: "A baseball player."

Lauren: "Thank you, Captain Obvious. I know he is a baseball player, since I am watching the game. Is he new? Is he up from Pawtucket? Where did he come from?"

You can see where I am going. He thinks he is incredibly funny. And, unfortunately for me, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Every Friday at "school", Mikie's class celebrates the letter of the week by bringing in an item from home that begins with the letter they studied that week. Mikie refers to it as "Bring a Toy to School Day." But, I am sure the teachers didn't intend for it to be restricted to toys. Last week was letter "T" week. Since Mikie is starting kindergarten, I was asking him questions to help him practice his letters:

Mom: "So, if this week is letter 'T' week, what letter is next week?"

Mikie: singing the alphabet to himself "W."

Mom: "No, just regular 'U'."

Mikie: "Oh. What begins with 'U'?"

Mom: "Umbrella. . . underpants. . . "

Mikie: "Mom, what is something fun that begins with 'U'?"

Mom: ". . . underwater. . . utensils. . . "

Mikie: "Mom, it needs to be a tu-tu-tu-TOY. That's why it's called 'Bring a TOY to School'."

He sounded just like me when I am sounding out the letters, trying to help him figure out what letter something starts with. As if I didn't understand the word. Or, didn't know what the difference between underpants and a toy were. As if that wasn't bad enough, he reminded us again today by asking "What's something fun that begins with 'U' and don't say 'umbrella' or 'underpants'."

Feel free to send your suggestions, as I only have three more days to come up with a "U" item that is "fun".

Love, The Trahans

Take this Job. . .

In the summer months, I try and work "summer hours". This entails working 8am to 5pm Monday through Thursday, and 8am to 2:30pm on Friday. It gives me a couple extra hours on Friday to go to the farm stand, play mini golf, or just enjoy being outside with Mikie. I don't know why I kill myself to work summer hours, because, the reality is I NEVER get out of work on time. But that's a different story altogether.

Last week was the start of summer hours. And, with Mike out of town (which means I get to bed later), it was impossible to get two kids up, dressed, and out the door by 7am. By Friday, my patience was worn thin, and my frustration was very visible.

Mikie: "Mom, why are you so mad at me."

Mom: "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself."

Mikie: "Why are you mad at yourself."

Mom: "Because, I just want to get to work on time ONCE this week. And, once again, I'm going to be late. And, people can lose their jobs if they are late all the time. Mommy won't lose her job, but I just like to be ON-TIME. . . ONCE."

Mikie: "Mom, you should just quit your job."

Mom: "Mikie, I'm not going to quit my job. I like my job."

Mikie: "But, if you ask your boss for a raise, and he says 'No', then you should just quit."

I sat there, confused, thinking "Where does he get this stuff from?" I was about to worry that he thought I didn't spend enough time with him and WANTED me to quit my job. And then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the "Jetsons" DVD on the passengers seat.

Note to self, give Mikie a more realistic view of career goals, success, and workplace etiquette before he gets a job. Otherwise, he is going to be in for a reality check when he finds out not everyone works Monday through Wednesday and plays gin rummy with their computer.

Love, the Trahans