All princess, all the time

The obsession is on. It is all princess, all the time. You love to look the part and want to wear dresses every day now.

I took you to see a "Cinderella" puppet show. It was lovely and you did pretty well. Here you are dressed up for the performance.

Before the show started, you were looking at the program and asked "Is Cinderella going to be white?" In the picture, she had darker skin and was wearing a brown, rag dress. "Why is she brown?" This was strange because you have noticed race before and we have been talking about it at home, but you have not seemed opinionated about it.

I hope things change in your lifetime, but right now, race can be hard to talk about without offending people. Even a two-year-old can't get away with asking something like "But is she going to be white?" over and over again.

Finally, I looked at the picture again and said "Are you talking about her skin or her dress?" Yes, you were just wondering about her dress.

Lovely. Nice one mom.

Well, there are some folks in that theater that think we are weird.

Henry is crawling

Henry started crawling on Thanksgiving day! Here's a little video of the two kids in action.

Thanksgiving

We had a very quiet holiday. The grandparents and cousins coming from Idaho had to cancel because of storms so it was just us. Your dad did all the dinner preparation: choosing the recipes, the shopping, and the cooking. It was fantastic.

We took a walk to the Swap Shop and then watched Pocahontas. After talking a lot about Indians and pilgrims this month, the movie was a perfect fit. Lucy loved it and immediately wanted to watch it again. The fighting in the movie was confusing though. You asked about a hundred why questions. And I'll tell you, power lust, greed, and racism are not easy to explain in appropriate terms for a 2-year-old.

After dinner, we went to Franny and Dave's house to visit and have dessert. It was strange to be without our big family for the holiday and I am so grateful for friends who made us feel welcome and loved. That is what Thanksgiving is all about.

All in all, I feel so lucky I should run out and buy a lottery ticket. But you know what? I think I already won.

Henry's helmet is off!

Here is the before and after:

After 4.5 months, on 23 hours/day of helmet time, your plagiocephaly is officially cured! The clinic gave you a diploma and everything.

I was nervous going into this but we all got used to the helmet pretty quickly (you best of all) and I am very glad we did it. For other parents wondering about helmets and abnormal infant head shape, I would say:

• Get a referral and measurements taken as soon as you can. The head grows really fast for the first 12 months so it is much easier to correct problems. If we started Henry's helmet now at 9 months instead of at 6, he would be wearing it for over a year.
• Buy a new kitchen brush so you can easily scrub it every night with baby shampoo that agrees with your child's skin. Dry thoroughly with a fan. We hardly had odor issues and Henry's skin did really well.
• Get it checked often and whenever you are worried. I felt a little overprotective taking him in so much but it was hard not to attribute every fussy episode to the helmet.
• If you happen to have a 2-year-old, the helmet may just be a godsend. Many a parent asked me where they could get one at the playground.
• Plagiocephaly is more common in preemies, multiples, and boys. It is also more common than it used to be as a the result of the "Back to Sleep" campaign introduced in the 1990s to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. If you are concerned and your pediatrician isn't, get a second opinion. The last thing you need is one more worry keeping you up at night.

Almost 9 months - almost crawling

Henry,

The way you roll and awkwardly flop around to get from one place to the next reminds me of your sister at this stage. You can move but you can't quite steer to what you want to get to. This means you spend a fair amount of time backed up under a piece of furniture with one arm hooked around a chair leg, the other arm reaching for a forgotten raisin.

The way you obsess over wheels is not like your sister at all. You spend a lot of time looking at wheels, turning wheels, rolling wheels. Cracks me up!

Here you are - Mr. Big Stuff. I cannot believe how fast you are growing!

My own little bear cubs

Daddy and I both played with one of these when we were "cubs." Daddy got one for you on eBay.

I love that we call the bears Mama, Lucy, and Henry. Daddy bear must be at meetings.

Look alikes? Family faces at about 9-months old

Lucy

Henry

Mama

Daddy

I shall now call you chompers

Congratulations on the 4 teeth buddy. Just do me a favor and test them out on your toys, your food, your clothes...the furniture. Just definitely NOT on Mama.

Happy birthday mom

Here is my beautiful mother, with her lap full of kids. I spend a lot of my time like this. Well, minus the fancy hairdo, makeup, fingernail polish, and hand-made dress suit.

I have learned a lot from my mom but (I'm sorry to say) not what it takes to accomplish the glamour she's exuding in this photo.

You are amazing, Mom. I love you more than I can say.

Fall photos

Photos at: http://gallery.mac.com/mfivecrows#100288

Seriously in need of a transporter

"After our nap, shall we watch Snow White with Grandma?"

"After this book, shall we go to Grandma's for some apple juice."

"After lunch, shall we go get a kleenex at Grandma's?"

Clearly you had a good time and the excuses to go back keep coming.

If only Scotty were around to beam us at will. Sigh.

Tuckered

Cousins + swimming at Grandma's + trick-or-treating + candy + head colds + even more cousins - naps(!) = 2 very tired kids on the flight home

The last 20 minutes of the flight were not this serene however, as you both woke up screaming as we descended into a storm front. Your little ears are acutely aware of air pressure changes. Barometric pressure, you are not my friend.

I'll post some photos of the trip as soon as I can catch up with myself. What - it could totally happen? But yes, I wouldn't hold my breath either.

xo,

Your tuckered mama