Janie Turns 2!

Janie turned two on Saturday, and we had a Barney-themed birthday party to celebrate.  Here are a few pictures of the preparations and festivities. 

Jane's Happy Birthday Sign

Invitations

Dino cookies out of the oven

Frosted dinosaur sugar cookies.  (Great job decorating, Philip!)

Slicing open the crayons (you'll see why later)

Chopping up the crayons

Into the dinosaur molds

Crayons out of the oven

Ta da!  Dino crayons!

Dino PBJ

Dino chicken nuggets

Janie's cake

Make a wish...

Do you think they're related?

Partying with Aunt Maddy

Opening presents.  She tried to hold everything all at once!

Barney DVD!  Yessss!

Family Shot.  The one picture we have of Janie in her full outfit (well, minus the bow.  Close enough!)

Walt loved the balloons

Hours and hours of fun

Another round of "Happy Birthday" that night as a family

It was a fantastic day.  In fact, I think Jane would say it was the best day so far in her two years of life!  Janie is (and we are) so blessed to have such good buddies to help us celebrate.  I didn't get pictures of everything I wanted to that day because we were so busy having fun and visiting with our friends.  That's what matters, after all!  Thank you to everyone who made it such a special day for Janie.  We love you!

Week In Review

Recent Milestones/Developments/Victories/Funny Things:

Our gaggy baby Walt is adjusting to textures!  This week he tried yogurt bites, puffs, and moved on to 3rd stage foods.  He must be going through a growth spurt because he suddenly has an insatiable appetite and he's taking long naps.

We're working on teaching Jane how to pray before meals.  On Wednesday morning, Jane and I prayed before breakfast and started eating.  A few minutes into her oatmeal, Jane put her spoon down and spontaneously attempted the prayer by herself.  "Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  Amen."  Hooray!  Sure, she had a crazy combination of hand gestures, but it's starting to look and sound like the real deal.  Hearing her little voice pray so slowly and reverently reminds me to slow down. 

When I got Walt up from his nap today there was a rosary in the crib with him.  I don't know how it got in there.  My suspicion is that Jane thought Walt needed to work on his prayer life.  Maybe it would help him to stop swiping her toys. 

Favorite Quotes of the Week:

From the changing table this morning.  Jane said, "Daddy work.  Daddy loves me!"

Whenever I get the diaper bag down or put on a jacket, Jane says, "Mama shopping?  Church?"

Every time we arrived in the parish parking lot this week for events, Jane said, "Church!  Jesus!" 

Looking at nightlight in nursery on rocking chair, Jane said, "Oh, woooooooooow!"  She quickly followed with, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

The pregnant squirrel came to visit everyday.  At least we think the squirrel is pregnant.  Maybe she's just fat and I'm not helping her to make good choices with her diet.  She loves NutriGrain bars. 

Where did my baby go?!  Walt's size 12 month clothes are getting tight and his 12-24 month socks squeeze his chunky calves and ankles like sausages. 

We had record high temperatures early in the week and went for a walk on Monday night.  It was so nice to get out and about as a family in the fresh air. 

The hummus was in the middle of the table.  When I had my back turned, Jane pulled it closer to her, scooped a big heap out of the bowl, and put it on her tray.  This girl loves her hummus!

Walt loves his food and has to have it right away.  He was starting to whimper, and Jane immediately ran out of the room.  I thought she might have been trying to escape the noise.  She came back a few seconds later with her ladybug nightlight.  She pushed it up on Walt's tray and said, "Here, Walt.  Ladybug."

The Girls

Philip playing with the kids after dinner

There's no such thing as too many accessories, Mom.

Sometimes Walt makes faces that are so eerily Philip.  I love those footie jammies. 

I've started pushing Jane into the table without the tray that goes on her booster chair.  That way she can eat from the table like a big girl.  She was eating some Goldfish crackers Thursday morning, and I left her while I went to change Walt's diaper.  I was gone for less than a minute when I heard a huge crash.  She had pushed herself back and the side strap on her booster seat came loose.  The momentum must have sent the whole chair backward.  Jane was shaken up, but she didn't get hurt.  As I was hugging her, she said through tears, "Mama, I scare you?  Goldfish SCARY!"  She decided that Goldfish crackers are now very scary things. 

SNOW!  We received about 10" of snow on Saturday.  This is the view from our living room window.  A burning bush usually blocks the view, but the weight from the snow bent the branches down to the ground!

The deck.  Check out the precariously leaning pine...

Walt and Monty, hanging on the couch

Philip had to work all day today.  Fortunately, he made it there and back through the snow in his little Honda Civic.  We're looking forward to a quiet family day tomorrow at home.  

On to preparations for Jane's birthday next week!  How is she already 2?! 

Light a candle and eat a stack of pancakes!

I'm so glad Philip gave me the book The Catholic Home: Celebrations and Traditions for Holidays, Feast Days, and Every Day by Meredith Gould.  If not for this book, I probably wouldn't know about the feast day we're celebrating today.  

Today is the Presentation of our Lord, aka Candlemas (formerly the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin).  Candlemas is celebrated every year on February 2.  February 2 is 40 days after Christmas.  (Again, that number 40!  Dr. Taylor Marshall gives a great bullet point summary of the number 40 and its appearances in the Bible in this blog post.)   

Back to today's feast day:  The Gospel of Luke recounts the presentation of Jesus in the Great Temple of Jerusalem.  To fulfill mosaic law, Mary and Joseph bring the male baby Jesus to be presented at the temple and to offer a sacrifice 40 days after His birth.  They encounter Simeon, an elderly man.  

"...it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  And inspired by the Holy Spirit he came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 'Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:26-32).

The prophetess Anna also meets the Holy Family, gives thanks to God, and tells everyone she meets about Him, the "redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38).

In celebration of Jesus, "a light for revelation to the Gentiles," (Luke 2:32) Catholics bless and light candles on this day.  All of the candles that a Catholic church will use in the upcoming year are blessed on February 2.  Here is the prayer to be said by priests to bless the candles at Candlemas:

God our Father,
Source of all light,
today you revealed to Simeon
Your light of revelation to the nations.
Bless + these candles and make them holy.
May we who carry them to praise your glory
walk in the path of goodness
and come to the light that shines forever
Grant this through Christ our Lord. 

Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil are great and all, but I never knew it was a rip-off of an older tradition.

According to this article on Candlemas,

Candlemas Day was also the day when some cultures predicted weather patterns. Farmers believed that the remainder of winter would be the opposite of whatever the weather was like on Candlemas Day. An old English song goes:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,
Go winter, and come not again.

Thus if the sun cast a shadow on Candlemas day, more winter was on the way; if there was no shadow, winter was thought to be ending soon. This practice led to the folklore behind "Groundhog's Day," which falls on Candlemas Day.

If candles aren't your thing, adopt the European tradition of eating crepes or pancakes on Candlemas Day.  Because they are yellow and round in shape like the sun, they are supposed to make us think of Christ, the "Light of Light."  That's definitely a tradition I can get behind--especially if my grandma's buttermilk pancake recipe is involved.  I'd take a stack of pancakes any day over a stinky groundhog!

So, happy Candlemas Day to you!  Get some candles blessed, light them, thank Jesus for being our "Light of Light," and eat a stack of pancakes!

Encouragement On THOSE Days

No matter our age, our vocation, our sex, we are all called to sainthood.  

"We are at Jesus’ disposal. If he wants you to be sick in bed, if he wants you to proclaim His work in the street, if he wants you to clean the toilets all day, that’s all right, everything is all right. We must say, 'I belong to you. You can do whatever you like.' And this is our strength. This is the joy of the Lord."  - Blessed Mother Teresa

When we respond to our station in life joyfully, especially in difficult times, it gives glory to God.  Imagine the great joy Mother Teresa gave God by embracing her vocation to the religious life, serving the poor and rejected, and treating all those that she met as though they were Christ in a "distressing disguise."  

I don't know about you, but I, uh, well, struggle a bit with that most days.   

When the babies wake up at 5:30, they don't take a nap, refuse to eat, have 8 timeouts in the pasta aisle at Walmart, Monty (our dog) has his fifth accident of the day by the door, someone hits the mailbox, a speeding driver nearly hits us and flips us off, or Philip has to work all weekend, I don't always feel like offering it up.  

Instead, I am really good at throwing myself a grand ol' pity party.  Population: 1 scary mama!  Look out, world!  I'm having a pity party, and you're only invited if you tell me, "Wow!  That does suck!"  

Once I realize for the millionth time that doing that only makes me (and the people around me) feel worse, I end up turning skyward.  When I pray for it, I'm able to will myself to stop the pity party and "offer it up."  

As a stay-at-home mom, it's so easy and tempting to listen to the devil on the bad days.  He usually tells me something along the lines of, "What you do doesn't matter.  You're wasting your life here.  All you accomplished today was changing some diapers, some cooking, and changing a few loads of laundry.  Zip-a-dee-doo-dah-day!  You didn't even shower before 5!  What kind of a life is that?!"  

On the days when I haven't spent time in prayer, I'm more likely to listen to that voice. What's worse is that sometimes I even start to believe that voice.  Sooner or later, I inevitably end up brought to my knees in frustration.  I'm convinced it's God's way of saying, "Remember Me?  You need Me.  I'm always here, just waiting for you.  Stop trying to shoulder it all on your own.  Come to Me.  I'll give you rest." 

"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  Matthew 11:30

So, here's the good news:  it turns out holier and wiser people than me (understatement of the century!) are human and experience their share of those days.  Fortunately for me, some of them have written about their struggles, and their words are so encouraging.  

I came across a beautiful prayer written by Mother Angelica called "A Prayer at Day's End."  I think about this prayer on those days. 

A Prayer at Day's End by Mother Angelica

Good night, Lord.  Thank You for Your Grace and Strength today.  I didn't do all the things I wanted to.  I wasn't like Jesus all the times I could have been and I didn't think of You as much as my soul needed to.  All in all, it wasn't the day I planned when I saw the light this morning.  I have acquired more self-knowledge and I do realize I need to put forth more effort.  I am the recipient of Your Merciful Love for once again You put up with my many frailties.  It seems the only thing I have left tonight is my desire to know You better and love You more.  I end the day a little more humbled by the realization of my weakness but exulting in Your Holiness and Goodness.  I shall find my joy in You and not in myself.  If I have grown in seeking You alone then it has been a good day indeed.  Good night, dear Lord; let Your Angels protect me and intercede for me while I sleep.  Let Your Son's Mother make ready many graces for tomorrow, that I may love You more and be more like Jesus.  Amen.

Image from divinewordradio.com

If a woman as holy as Mother Angelica has those days, I'm surely guaranteed them.  

Now, I'm not saying the bad things go away when my prayer life is strong.  Sometimes the opposite is true.  I'm saying a strong prayer life makes it easier to "offer it up" and roll with the punches when the bad things come.  When my prayer life is strong, the bad things become opportunities to unite my sufferings to Christ on the cross--even the little inconveniences.  When my prayer life isn't happening, the prayers turn into, "Lord, WHY ME?!"  When my prayer life is strong, I'm able to will myself to say quick prayers like, "Lord, I offer up Jane's temper tantrum in the grocery store to You.  Thank You for this very public exercise in humility."  Yup, I've learned to pray even when I'm making this face--especially when I'm making this face! 

Jane likes to run over and hug my leg throughout the day.  Just like Jane needs those little moments to know that she's loved, I need to have the same little "check-ins" with God.  My prayers, especially the little ones throughout the day, may not be as beautiful or eloquent as Mother Angelica's, but I think God loves them just the same.  I'm just His little girl, checking in to make sure that I'm still loved and that I'm not as wretched as the devil tries to tell me I am.  

After my little check-in with God, He gives me a grace-filled pat on the head, and sends me along to "be a good girl" - to try my darnedest to become a saint.

Catholic After-School Programs

I am so excited to share information about some solid, Catholic programs for youth!  

Let's quickly get the bad news out of the way.  Not all after-school programs are created equal.  I would take that a step further and say that not all after-school programs have business taking place in our Catholic schools and parishes.  

Unfortunately, after reading about the Girl Scouts of America and their connection with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), I'd put the Girl Scouts in the category of not belonging in the Catholic school setting.  To find out why, read about the organization's ties to Planned Parenthood and WAGGGS here, here, here, and here.  Be sure to read the "Happy, Healthy, Hot" sexual education flier distributed by WAGGGS.   

Instead of dwelling on all of that, let's talk about two great programs geared for Catholic youth!

I hope you will prayerfully consider bringing these two programs to your parish:

1. Little Flowers Girls' Club
2. Blue Knights Club for Boys

Here's a little history on the publishing company that started the Little Flowers Girls' Club and the Blue Knights Club for Boys:

In home-schooling, mom - Joan Stromberg - found an abundance of Christian material to integrate into unit studies, yet a notable lack of Catholic material. Using her degree in journalism and history, she decided to bring Mother Cabrini to life in a way that would appeal to children ages 7-12 while teaching them solid American History at the same time. The Glory of America series was then born, through which the values, traditions, and heritage of our Catholic American past can be passed on to our children.

Since then the company continued to grow in its service of the Faith by publishing the club guides and material for the Little Flowers Girls' Club and the Blue Knights Club for Boys, developed repsectively by Rachel Watkins and Major Dan McGuire. These two product lines are amazing tools for training our children in wholesome Catholic human formation and cultivating in them a life of virtues and authentic Catholic morals. 

AWESOME!  An authentically Catholic after-school program that any parish could adopt and be proud of!  

I'm obviously ecstatic about both the boys' and girls' clubs, but I'm especially encouraged to see a girls' club that celebrates femininity in a fun, age-appropriate after-school program.  

Here's a little on the Little Flowers Girls' Club:

Little Flowers Girls' Club® is a Catholic program for girls ages 5 and up based on learning Catholic virtues through the lives of Catholic saints, Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Developed by a Catholic mom of eleven, Rachel Watkins, and based on Fr. Lasance's Catholic Girls' Guide, the Club strives to bring the Catholic faith alive and inspire the girls to become authentic Catholic women.

Each club is run at the local level...there is no national organization, registration or database of groups. If you are looking for a group in your area, please contact your local Catholic parish or Catholic homeschooling support group. If you don't find one in your area, why not start one? It is easy and you can cater the program to fit your needs.

Nine virtues are included in each of three different wreaths or years of study. A fourth year, studying the gifts of the Spirit is also available. The format of the Clubs is flexible, with groups meeting monthly, bi-monthly or weekly. Badges for the virtues are earned by studying the saint associated with the virtue, memorizing relevant scripture verses and studying the Catechism. The program is flexible enough to use with a variety of age groups. Little Flowers Girls' Club® has also been successfully implemented in the family. Sashes, aprons, bandanas, t-shirts and other items are extras that add to the experience, but are not necessary to running a successful Club.

The Leader's Guide for each wreath offers suggestions for running meetings, planning crafts and activities, talks on virtues and other relevant information. The Member's Guide includes the activities, saints' biographies, pictures of the saints, and prayers for each girl. Each of the girls in the Club should purchase their own Member's Guide.

If that's not exciting enough for you, know that the program has the stamp of approval in Baltimore.  "The first two Wreaths of the Little Flowers Girls’ Club program have already received the Imprimatur from the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The rest of the programs and years are now under review from that same archdiocese. The authors, all Catholic moms and dads, bow to the authority of the Magisterium in teaching faith and morals and try to live their lives accordingly."

How adorable are the sash and flower virtue badges for the girls?!

Photo from the Little Flowers Girls' Club site

Virtue patches

Check out the Blue Knights gear.  I don't know a little boy who wouldn't want to wear this sweet cape and armor!

Pictures from the Blue Knights Club for Boys site

Year 1 Patch set

Are you interested in bringing these programs to your parish?  The websites offer you all of the information you need to get a troop started.  

I'm learning all that I can so that I can be a troop leader for a Little Flowers Girls Club troop when Janie turns 5!  In the meantime, the website offers information for parents of boys and girls to promote "the growth of virtue in the lives of our children through the teaching of the Faith, authentic human formation, and the values of our history and Catholic heritage."  Love it!   

"How's it going?"

Here is a story of a little social experiment from 2007.  It made me reflect on my time living in Spain, the beautiful people that I met there, and what they have to teach us crazy Americans about living.

"In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After one hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?"
 
Here's a video of the footage at Metro Station. 



We're always running from one place to the next.  We end up letting the clock rule our days as we move through our often over-scheduled lives.  You may think I sound extreme, but I think this fosters what Blessed John Paul II called "the culture of death."  We're so wrapped up in our own lives, our own goals, that we're too busy to see or appreciate the beauty and dignity of the people around us. 

This made me think about my time studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain during my junior year of college.  

Salamanca's Plaza Mayor.  Here are the people, gathered to watch a concert as they eat, drink, and be merry.

When I arrived, I immediately noticed how much faster the Americans walked than the Spaniards.  Struck by this, I let my camera record my view as I walked from the Plaza Mayor to my home, and I walked at my usual pace.  It was Palm Sunday. 


As I rush by, I see the faces of the elderly among the infants and everyone in between.  They're all walking arm in arm, laughing and talking loudly with their wild arms, carrying their palms homeward where they'll have the midday meal as a family.  

"Domingo de Ramos" in Salamanca's Plaza Mayor (Palm Sunday)

Watching that video makes me sad.  Why was I in such a rush anyway?  Where was I hoping to go on a Sunday when everything was closed during the siesta hours?  


A few months after I took that video, my time in Spain was coming to an end and I was studying for my final exams at the local university.  I had become friends with one of the locals from one of my classes--Davíd.  After class, I asked him if he needed to make any photocopies for our upcoming exam.  He said he did but that he didn't have time to join me--he had to be somewhere in two hours.  Two hours?  What's the rush?  There's plenty that can get done in two hours!  

I laughed and told him I had never heard of a Spaniard being in a hurry.  I said it would only take him ten minutes to walk home in the small town of Salamanca, so I didn't understand why he was in such a rush.  He said that might be true if he were American.  I said I didn't understand.  He said he would inevitably run into all of his friends on our way to the photocopy machine, at the University buildings, and on his way home.  I asked him what the big deal was.  "Can't you just say that you're in a hurry, make your photocopies, and be on your way?"


Here came my lesson on Spanish culture.  "No, Catherine, I can't.  It doesn't work like that here.  If I see a friend, I am expected to have a real conversation.  You Americans are so strange.  You walk right by each other and say, 'Hey!  How's it going?' and you don't even stop or wait for the response.  You just keep on going.  If I see one of my friends, he or she will expect me to talk with them for more than a minute.  Anything less would be rude, and they would be offended.  Being in a hurry to get somewhere is no excuse.  So, imagine if I run into a lot of my friends, how much time that would mean it would take for me to get home."  I envisioned him exchanging the traditional kisses, having conversations with his friends having churros con chocolate in the café of the University building.  

Valor, the best spot for Spanish "hot chocolate" (think the consistency of a melted Hershey's bar!) and churros.

Man, those Spaniards know how to live. 

What Davíd said about us crazy Americans stung for the millisecond before I realized he was completely right.  I thought of all of the exchanges exactly like that that I had had with people on campus back in the United States.  Walking in front of the Union, on my way to and from class, running into each other off campus...  "How's it going?" was the new "Hi."  I don't even know how many times someone has asked me how I'm doing or how it's going, and I give my response to the air as they walk right on by.   

So, Davíd went on his way home, and I went to make my photocopies.  I continued on with my frenetic pace and arrived at the photocopy machine to find two chatty girls making copies together.  Did they not see me?  Hello?!  Couldn't they hurry up already?  C'mon, ladies!  Chop, chop!  I have places to go, and people to see...  

Wait, no I don't.  This is it.  This is exactly where I'm supposed to be as a student studying abroad.  Instead of looking at my watch and tapping my foot impatiently, I should be across the hall in the café with my classmates, eating those amazing churros and talking (borderline yelling like an authentic española) while I wait.  

No, I reasoned with myself.  If I do that, someone else will show up to make photocopies, and I'll have to wait another half an hour.  I better stay in line.   

Meanwhile, Davíd was leisurely making his way home, making time for all of the people he would see and the conversations he would have.  He built in time for these things.  He didn't see them as delays or inconveniences--they were welcome intermissions that he welcomed and looked forward to.  He probably even stopped at a café on his way home to have some tapas and a cerveza.  (After all, it's not polite to eat on the run in Spain.  I learned this the morning I walked to class as I ate a banana.  As my host mother told me, the proper thing to do is sit down to enjoy the meal.)     

I was the typical American, and Davíd was the typical Spaniard.  I was living to work.  He was working to live.

Davíd and his friends would have heard Joshua Bell playing that violin at Metro Station and probably would have stopped to listen.  I probably would have walked right past in my rush to make my train. 

Little Moments at Home

Janie the Dinosaur helping me put dishes away

Janie (Tinkerbell) wearing her patch

Tinkerbell helping empty the dryer

Picking up Monty's toys that she dumped all over the floor

Talking and eating books

Giving Mom the stink eye when I told her she had to clean up the Play Doh.

The kids' rooms -- doors closed because it's naptime.  Yessssssss!

Whites

Colors

Happy dog during naptime

The mailman comes at the same time everyday.  I love knowing these patterns since I'm at home.

Prayer time.  My days never go as well without it.

Making Jane's "Happy Birthday" sign for her birthday party.

Afternoon snack time

Feeding Walt

Playing with Monty

Janie the Dragon "reading" to Walt

Recent Milestones/Developments/Victories/Funny Things:
Walt moves himself around on his belly in full circles and is starting to army crawl.  

Jane got a ladybug nightlight for Christmas.  It freaks her out in her room, but she likes to keep it in the nursery.  Every time I change Walt's diaper, she insists on following me into the nursery where she can play with her ladybug nightlight.  "Mama, ladybug hold you."  (Translation:  Mama, I want to hold the ladybug.)  I turn on the ladybug nightlight to her favorite color (blue), she says "lights on" (translation: turn the bedroom lights off), I turn the lights off, and Jane says "wow" when she sees the blue stars on the ceiling.  A few seconds later, she starts singing her version of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." 

We didn't eat out once this week!  We stuck to my menu, made nutritious meals, and only ate leftovers twice.  

Jane and Monty are bonding over Monty's "puppy prozac."  Monty has had to take medicine everyday since we got rid of Larry for his separation anxiety.  He won't take it unless we hide it in chunky peanut butter.  I say, "Jane, want to give Monty his medicine?"  Jane bolts to the pantry where we keep the peanut butter, digs a spoon out of the drawer, and I stick the pill into the dollop of peanut butter.  Monty comes running when he hears his pill bottle shake.  Janie giggles as she gets to hold out the spoon for Monty to eat off of.  I'm still working on getting her to stand still as she extends the spoon.  She doesn't understand that running after Monty freaks him out. 

We tried playing with PlayDoh for the first time this week.  I consider it a victory that it took Jane five minutes before temptation got the best of her and she tried a bite.  Fortunately, she didn't like the taste.

To convince Jane to leave a beloved stuffed animal in the car when we're running errands, we say, "Janie, Teddy has to take a nap.  He's tired."  Then we tuck him into her carseat.  "Night night, Teddy."  She blows the stuffed animal a kiss, and we get to run errands without fear of losing the friend.  


Walt may not be mobile, but he has quick hands!  He started swiping things away from us this week.  He's stolen toys from Jane, chewies from Monty, and swiped my phone from me. 

Despite waking up a full hour or hour and a half earlier since transitioning to her daybed, Jane took a solid 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap every single day this week!  This is a huge improvement from the 10 minute naps she was taking last week.  I thought I was going to lose my mind.  

Jane is a singing machine.  Current favorites include "The Alphabet Song," "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "Baa Baa Black Sleep," and anything that Barney sings.   


A very pregnant squirrel shows up on our deck everyday after lunch.  Janie and I stick a NutriGrain Bar on the deck rail where we can see it from the kitchen window.  Jane looks forward to seeing "silly squirrel" everyday after lunch.  


Favorite Quotes of the Week:
Jane, on Philip.  "Dada work.  Dada doctor.  Dada help people."

Jane threw a muffin on the floor at lunch.
Me:  Jane, no no.  We don't throw food.  What do you say?
Jane:  Sorry, Muffin.


Me:  I love you, Jane.
Jane:  I love you more.

When Jane wants to be held.  "Mama, hold you!"


From the kitchen table.
Me:  Wow, Jane!  You're a good eater!  Mommy is sooooo proud of you!  It makes me happy when you are a good eater!
Five minutes later, while I am eating my breakfast.
Jane:  Mama, Janie so proudda you!

Upon seeing Monty's accident by the back door, Jane had her first complete sentence.  "Monty, you are so gross!"