Chava

It dawned on me the other day that maybe I am subconsciously compensating for how frustrated I was with Chava for the first three months of her life with the fierce love I feel for her now. I still cringe a little bit when I remember going to visit Al at his office and having his co-workers ooh and ahh over her and I just responded by saying, "Yeah, she looks cute NOW, but really she is a total pain in the ass." But you know what? She was very, very tough. And she's going to be tough again, I can tell. She is incredibly stubborn, does a killer pout with her bottom lip stuck waaaay out, can charm the pants off anyone, and is painfully lovable.

Also, check out her luscious locks in that last picture. If only we could bathe her in the morning every day, she would win the "best hair" prize at daycare for sure.

I learned from the best

Let's face it, I'm a worrier (thanks, Mom!). I really try to tamp it down with the kids because I figure two generations of worriers is enough, and I don't want them to carry the worry gene. I am very proud to say that I have never turned around and followed a fire engine going in the direction of our house (although I have paused long enough to think, "Huh. Did I turn off the stove?") but then again, so far I have never left either of the kids home alone, either, so really, if everything burned down we'd be psyched to rebuild with the insurance money (well, it would be a drag, but you get my drift).

I secretly perseverate, though, on the kids' health. Secretly, because Al is an anti-worrier and thinks I am ridiculous for worrying. And says things like, "Yes, he's going to die, do you feel better?" which doesn't really help me much. So, you know, their yearly checkups always stress me out and luckily Al usually takes them and I don't have to freak out our very level-headed pediatrician with my anxiety (like I did when I burst in to hysterical tears when she told me Maddox had Lyme Disease, which is sort of like saying, "you're kid has an ear infection," in retrospect).

But really, if this news was relayed to you, how would you feel?

Maddox has some odd little bumps on his neck that periodically grow in size and then break open and ooze... something. So I told Al to ask the doctor about them. They're small, and I wasn't really worried. The doctor couldn't even find them. But she told Al that it may be the remnants of primordial gills. So my kid is like..... fishman?

Also failed the hearing test in one ear. Now that, I can stress about.

It's nature, stupid, it's all nature

It is so interesting to have a boy and a girl. Now, I know that even if Chava was a boy, she would be different from Maddox in many, many ways. But there is just such a caretaking aspect to her that I don't think we would see in a boy. If I get mad or upset, she comes right over to say, "That's okay, Mommy!" (well, it sounds more like "dats otay, Mommy!"). When someone (anyone) is crying she remarks on it and wants to know why. She gets very concerned when you have a boo boo (although, to his credit, Maddox is quick to notice bandaids, too). She loves to play with dolls - push them around in their strollers, change their diapers, feed them in the high chair Sal made. Maddox has been enjoying smacking at everything in sight with a roll from wrapping paper and Chava is simultaneously carrying around a purple balloon to protect it and comfort it from Maddox's violence.

Maddox's birthday party

We invited 5 kids. One girl came 20 minutes early with her older brother (although I had mentioned to the mom that this was okay) and the mom did a dump and run. The other girl's parents called to ask if it was okay to drop her off. I said it was fine if they thought she would be okay - but then I got worried when she declined to eat lunch because "I was sick this morning and so I'm going slowly." WTF?????

Anyway, I think Maddox had fun. We started off by making pizza (too much chaos to take pictures) and then went outside for "donut on a string" eating (thanks, Cat, for the idea) and pinata battering. Then back inside for pizza, followed by 20 minutes of crazy jumping around in the living room and then cake (train cake, for which Al did most of the decorating). I must admit, it was some of the longest 90 minutes I can remember. And this was only 6 kids. Thankfully, Jill was there (the only other parent, which meant we had a lot of Bob's sandwiches to eat) to help play ringmaster.


Chava quickly elected to eat her donut in a more efficient manner.

Maddox turns 4

Of course, the only pictures I took of the day involve eating. But how else would Maddox elect to celebrate his birthday? We started out with the traditional Eckhouse family waffles and ice cream with chocolate syrup. I have to say, though, that Maddox prefers plain yogurt and maple syrup, so he ate my waffle and I ate his. He also has not put down the three trains that Uncle Seffie, Aunt Catherine and Cousin Henry sent. Big winners.





We finished the day with candles in a piece of Iggy's bread pudding (Maddox's choice). Delish.

I'm a little choked up that he's 4. He just seems so big. Except for the fact that the damn kid still insists on crapping in a diaper.

Halloween

Maddox wanted to be the cow again, from last year. We had hoped Chavie might wear the pumpkin costume handed down through Michela and Eli but she wanted no part of it - although she really did want to take both her pocketbooks along with her trick or treat bag with her, so we told everyone she was dressed up as a bag lady.




















She keeps her arms up so the bags don't fall off.



















Enjoying the loot.

Buddy

I remember sitting in the back seat of Seth and Catherine's rental car one Passover, Henry in the middle and Andrew on the other side. Andrew called Henry "Buddy" and Henry, in his little not-quite-one-year-old voice repeated the word - "BUD-dy." It was so cute. Then, whenever Hen would see a picture of Andrew, he would point and say excitedly, "Buddy!"

I don't know when I started calling Maddox "Buddy," but it seems to have stuck. Sometimes I feel bad, because it seems sort of generic (on the other hand, he may be perfectly glad to be called Buddy rather than Moshe PuPu, as we sometimes call him now), but I can't help myself, it just comes naturally to my lips.

Chava has never really jumped to call Maddox Maddox. I don't even think I can put letters to what she does with the pronunciation of his name (although I should try, because it might be just as fun as telling you that she calls the rabbit at M's school the "yabbit"). She's got the "Ma" part down, it's really the second syllable she has a hard time with. But she's solved that problem. She just calls him "Buddy."

Dress Up

I am less concerned about Maddox's interest in cross-dressing than I am about Chava's utter insistence that she be able to shop freely in Maddox's dresser. She loves his boxer shorts and especially likes to wear them over her own pants. I think her teen years are going to be very interesting.

Jewish homies

WWJD?

Let's just say, hypothetically, that you had a child about to turn 4, whose favorite word in the whole world was buttcrack. Would you, throwing caution to the wind, actually make him a buttcrack birthday cake for his party? Buttcake?

What dinner sounds like at our house

Me: Maddox, what would you like to drink?
Maddox: A glass of.... BUTTCRACK!
Me: Please don't use that word. Would you like milk or water?
Maddox: I would like watery BUTTCRACK!
Maddox: Chava, can you say BUTTCRACK?
Chava: Butt cream!
Maddox: No, BUTTCRACK!
Chava: ButtPASTE!
Maddox: No, BUTTCRACK BUTTCRACK BUTTCRACK!!!
Chava (at the top of her lungs): BUTTCRACK!

Pictures from while we were away

Someone can fill me in on exactly what was going on here.

Things that suck

1. Still having pictures in the camera from the weekend we were in Vegas that I haven't uploaded.
2. Maddox enjoying using "butt" in every sentence he speaks (with extra points for incorporating "crack" or "paste" along with it).
3. Chava getting up at 4:30 a.m. for the day yesterday.
4. Maddox having some annoying freak out thing last night from 11:16 til about 3.

Things that don't suck:

1. Seeing Chava's feet in little size 6 bowling shoes.
2. Maddox taking a two hour nap yesterday.
3. Grumpaw and Nonna feeding us all weekend and then giving us meals for the upcoming week.
4. Going out for lunch today with Al on a gift card a student gave me (to a place famous for their chocolate desserts, hurrah!).
   

Smartass

This morning I made Maddox's favorite breakfast - eggs, bacon, and bagels. I was busy cooking the eggs, shmearing the bagels, and was letting the bacon cool. Maddox was clamoring for his breakfast ceaselessly. Finally, I said, "Maddox! Look at me! I am one person and I can only do one thing at a time!" He replied, "But you have two hands....."

Apple picking, the series

A Weekend in Amherst

We started off on Saturday strolling around the UMass campus (clearly, not fasting). The kids loved the pond (where Al caught a bunch of little fish in the net right off the bat) but the big hit was the badminton racquets from Grammy and Bob's house. We also went up to the 23rd floor of the library to look out the window. The kids were not so interested in the view but loved playing hide and seek in the stacks. Luckily, no students were studying at 10 a.m. on a Saturday.




























After naptime we headed out to Atkins for a donut (for energy!) and some apple picking.

I don't have much to report

Maddox has been sleeping a little better. Chava is still a little tazmanian devil but in a cute way. Especially now that she has pigtails in more often. We are gearing up for our big weekend away (no kids and VEGAS, baby!) in two weeks. I think I'll stock plenty of booze and chocolate for the adults (because, let's be honest, that's who I'm worried about). We have been mentioning it to Maddox but not dwelling on it, but I don't think he's really put it together at all. Ahhh well, he'll be in for a rude awakening.

Posessed by the devil, or....?

Maddox has been a real pill the last few days. Tantruming over everything, trying to convince us that he's sick so he won't have to go to school/eat dinner/do anything but watch t.v., up a lot at night, you get the picture. Friends tell me it's just being 3, and it will all magically change when he turns 4. It did improve this a.m. after he ate three pieces of pastrami, a waffle with yogurt and syrup, and then a cup of yogurt. Growth spurt, anyone?

The pastrami boy at work.














Trying to convince his sister that she, too, wants to eat pastrami at 7 a.m.














She gives me the look like, "Mom, what up with Maddox?!"

Yesterday

Chava ate bird poop at the playground. And then laughed - LAUGHED! - when I tried to grab it out of her mouth. That's why we're punishing her by sending her to Bright Horizons today, just in case she asks you.

Some major events over the weekend...

that I sadly have no pictures of. But first, pictures at the new Children's Museum (HBS rented it out Saturday night and it was a huge hit with our kids):





































But the MUCH bigger deal was that we went to Ikea on Sunday and Maddox actually asked to go to the kids' place where you can drop them off (and LEAVE them) for 45 minutes. I did not have the camera, but if I did you would have seen this on my face: