On April 20th, I went for my first appointment for my braces since getting them. It took 7 weeks for all of the pain to go away, meaning I could finally use ALL of my front teeth to bite into something like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and not be in any discomfort. At that point, I figured, hey, if I'm not feeling anything, the braces must not be doing anything.
Apparently, that assumption is inaccurate. This new fangled braces technology continues to work even if you don't feel anymore pain. Ok.....
The orthodontist looked at me, and said to tighten the bottoms, between my two incisors. I'll have another appointment 8 weeks later to change the wire entirely to a new wire. The good news about that is that I've made such progress that I'll get to skip a wire which I think means I'm already ahead of schedule. I've got my fingers crossed.....
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Rock-a-bye baaaaby....
On Monday night, I came into the living room to find Elektra not just on her belly (no surprise), but on her hands and knees, rocking back and forth. Oh yes, folks, Steve and I are officially in trouble; as soon as Elektra starts crawling, the house truly becomes a zoo. ha ha I predict Elektra will be crawling in 3 weeks, especially since she spent *all* day yesterday rocking back and forth, Eleanor said.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Weekend update
On Saturday, Steve went to FedEx Field to design the course for Sunday's autocross. I took Elektra to Yiayia and Papou's house, and then DJ and I went to the B&O Railroad Museum in downtown Baltimore.
DJ loves trains (choo choo!), but this wasn't just your ordinary day at the B&O... Thomas the Train was there! We caught up Grace and her caregivers (Nadia and Jeff and baby brother Evan) since Thomas is THE biggest thing in Grace's world right now. Thankfully, Grace and DJ recognized each other this time so there was no weirdess there.
We all walked around the museum, looking at all the trains, and the displays. We saw Sir Topham Hat (grace got a picture, DJ couldn't have cared less about him) and Thomas the Engine, life size, with a working whistle, steam, and eye moves. We saw the **big** antique passenger engines (wheels are what, 7ft tall?), too.
DJ and Grace took a ride on a kid-sized train, and DJ cried at the end because he didn't want to get off. He loved it! We took the kids back before we left for one last ride... Grace was anxious and didn't want to wait in line and DJ was so tired that he didn't really care one way or the other.
We also looked at the Lego train garden built by the Washington DC Metro Area Lego Train Club (www.WamaLTC.org). This train garden was huge and it was so incredibly detailed... it was amazing. I've never seen anything like it, and was so impressed. It had a full city scape in addition to a rural scape, too, including the silk stalks on corn growing in a field. Very cool stuff.
There was also a 5ft long lego replica of Thomas, and all of the Duplo Thomas sets in one display.
Meanwhile, DJ was a perfect little angel, holding onto my hand and walking almost the entire time. Grace was ga-ga over all of the Thomas stuff to see.
As the hours passed (we got there when the museum opened), the museum started to get really crowded. There were toddlers EVERYWHERE. It was becoming insanity very quickly. 2 hours after our arrival, DJ was pooped. He asked me to pick him up and he put his head on my shoulder. He was definitely done, but it was clear he (and Grace) loved it.
He took a 10 minute power nap in the car, and then a 3.5 hour nap at home later that afternoon. All that walking wears out a little guy like him!
Sunday, Grandmom's babysitting service came to watch the kids for us while Steve and I went to our autocross. Steve drove better than me (as usual!) as I was driving way to conservatively to ensure that I wouldn't spin the car. I didn't spin the car, but I coned 3 of my 4 runs. ::sigh:: We got home just after 1:30, and relieved Grandmom to let her have an afternoon to herself.
DJ got up from his nap late, so he went to bed late, too, but not after a complete meltdown when it was time to take a bath. Steve and I are clueless as to why DJ is melting down consistently when it comes to a bath now. Last night, he was beyond hysterical. It's really disconcerting and we're trying to wrap our brains around this one because we don't know what's scaring him.
It was a fast paced weekend, but it was also a lot of fun!
DJ loves trains (choo choo!), but this wasn't just your ordinary day at the B&O... Thomas the Train was there! We caught up Grace and her caregivers (Nadia and Jeff and baby brother Evan) since Thomas is THE biggest thing in Grace's world right now. Thankfully, Grace and DJ recognized each other this time so there was no weirdess there.
We all walked around the museum, looking at all the trains, and the displays. We saw Sir Topham Hat (grace got a picture, DJ couldn't have cared less about him) and Thomas the Engine, life size, with a working whistle, steam, and eye moves. We saw the **big** antique passenger engines (wheels are what, 7ft tall?), too.
DJ and Grace took a ride on a kid-sized train, and DJ cried at the end because he didn't want to get off. He loved it! We took the kids back before we left for one last ride... Grace was anxious and didn't want to wait in line and DJ was so tired that he didn't really care one way or the other.
We also looked at the Lego train garden built by the Washington DC Metro Area Lego Train Club (www.WamaLTC.org). This train garden was huge and it was so incredibly detailed... it was amazing. I've never seen anything like it, and was so impressed. It had a full city scape in addition to a rural scape, too, including the silk stalks on corn growing in a field. Very cool stuff.
There was also a 5ft long lego replica of Thomas, and all of the Duplo Thomas sets in one display.
Meanwhile, DJ was a perfect little angel, holding onto my hand and walking almost the entire time. Grace was ga-ga over all of the Thomas stuff to see.
As the hours passed (we got there when the museum opened), the museum started to get really crowded. There were toddlers EVERYWHERE. It was becoming insanity very quickly. 2 hours after our arrival, DJ was pooped. He asked me to pick him up and he put his head on my shoulder. He was definitely done, but it was clear he (and Grace) loved it.
He took a 10 minute power nap in the car, and then a 3.5 hour nap at home later that afternoon. All that walking wears out a little guy like him!
Sunday, Grandmom's babysitting service came to watch the kids for us while Steve and I went to our autocross. Steve drove better than me (as usual!) as I was driving way to conservatively to ensure that I wouldn't spin the car. I didn't spin the car, but I coned 3 of my 4 runs. ::sigh:: We got home just after 1:30, and relieved Grandmom to let her have an afternoon to herself.
DJ got up from his nap late, so he went to bed late, too, but not after a complete meltdown when it was time to take a bath. Steve and I are clueless as to why DJ is melting down consistently when it comes to a bath now. Last night, he was beyond hysterical. It's really disconcerting and we're trying to wrap our brains around this one because we don't know what's scaring him.
It was a fast paced weekend, but it was also a lot of fun!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Elektra crawls
Yes, Elektra is crawling... but backwards! She's pushing up on her arms, but not getting her legs under her. Then she pushes out with her arms and because her legs aren't under her, backwards she goes. She's actually pretty efficient at getting around for someone who doesn't actually crawl!! She never ceases to amaze us that she got from point A to point B (to get to toy C!).
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
DJ words (yes more!)
I'm writing down DJ's words as I hear/remember them.
daba - cup
sippy daba - sippy cup
sticky - sticky and stinky (they sound identical)
atdna - garage door
sleepy - sleeping
Biro - Spiro (his cousin)
Daddy base - daddy's bass drum
ball - ball
bicky - binky a.k.a. his pacifier
daba - cup
sippy daba - sippy cup
sticky - sticky and stinky (they sound identical)
atdna - garage door
sleepy - sleeping
Biro - Spiro (his cousin)
Daddy base - daddy's bass drum
ball - ball
bicky - binky a.k.a. his pacifier
Easter 2009
This past weekend was Easter for us Eastern Orthodox Christians. On Saturday, I took DJ to church to take communion. He was such a good boy; he wasn't a wiggle worm and mostly stayed quiet (since talking is his new favorite toy) throughout the half hour we were there. He also took communion like a champ. He fell asleep on the way to lunch where we were going to meet with Yiayia and Papou at Bob Evans.
At lunch, DJ saw Papou dipping his fried shrimp into coctail sauce and wanted some. I tried to supplement it with ketchup thinking that he probably wouldn't like the spiciness of the cocktail sauce, but that failed miserably. And as predicted, he didn't like the cocktail sauce either.
After lunch, we went to Sam's Club with Yiayia and Papou to get diapers, formula, and ground beef. DJ had a good time trying to pull down displays and was constantly watching Yiayia and Papou. He was very sad when we had to leave them. Little did he know we'd see them the next day!
On Easter Sunday, we packed the car with all of our child paraphenalia and headed up to my sister's house in Lancaster, PA. We were hoping to get there early so that DJ could settle in and then take a nap. However, because of his hour nap in the car and all of the activity at my sister's, DJ wanted no parts of a nap. Instead, he played with the sliding glass door and the pocket door almost the entire time we were there. However, he did take time out to watch his cousins Spiro and Sophia run around, and was saying "Biro!" to call for Spiro. DJ was very excited to play with his cousins.
Elektra, on the other hand, stay home with Steve on Saturday. During that nap, she rolled over onto her belly (despite the sleep positioner!), and slept that way. Upon waking up, however, she realized she was on her belly and yelled!!
On Sunday, she took an unusual hour-long nap in the morning, and then slept in the car on the way up to Lancaster. Elektra decided that Yiayia was her favorite person on Sunday, next to DJ. She hung out with Papou, too, but she was all smiles for Yiayia. Meanwhile, Papou was holding her, and she cuddled up with him, stuck her thumb in her mouth and started to fall asleep. I took her upstairs to the pack-n-play (which we'd set up for DJ), and she fell asleep almost immediately. She rolled over onto her belly and slept like that for over 2 hours.
Upon waking up, though, she was not happy... despite a bottle and solids, she was still very fussy. I figured out that she was teething, so I gave her some motrin. Half an hour later, she calmed down. Thia Athena rocked her in her car seat until the motrin kicked in, and she was happier.
Both of the kids fell asleep on the ride home, and neither child woke up when we transferred them to their cribs. They were beat! Before he fell asleep, DJ was waving out the window and saying, "Bye bye Biro! Bye bye Biro!" Cute!!
Meanwhile, dinner was delicious, the company was fantastic, and a wonderful day overall.
Christ is risen!
Que Pasca.
At lunch, DJ saw Papou dipping his fried shrimp into coctail sauce and wanted some. I tried to supplement it with ketchup thinking that he probably wouldn't like the spiciness of the cocktail sauce, but that failed miserably. And as predicted, he didn't like the cocktail sauce either.
After lunch, we went to Sam's Club with Yiayia and Papou to get diapers, formula, and ground beef. DJ had a good time trying to pull down displays and was constantly watching Yiayia and Papou. He was very sad when we had to leave them. Little did he know we'd see them the next day!
On Easter Sunday, we packed the car with all of our child paraphenalia and headed up to my sister's house in Lancaster, PA. We were hoping to get there early so that DJ could settle in and then take a nap. However, because of his hour nap in the car and all of the activity at my sister's, DJ wanted no parts of a nap. Instead, he played with the sliding glass door and the pocket door almost the entire time we were there. However, he did take time out to watch his cousins Spiro and Sophia run around, and was saying "Biro!" to call for Spiro. DJ was very excited to play with his cousins.
Elektra, on the other hand, stay home with Steve on Saturday. During that nap, she rolled over onto her belly (despite the sleep positioner!), and slept that way. Upon waking up, however, she realized she was on her belly and yelled!!
On Sunday, she took an unusual hour-long nap in the morning, and then slept in the car on the way up to Lancaster. Elektra decided that Yiayia was her favorite person on Sunday, next to DJ. She hung out with Papou, too, but she was all smiles for Yiayia. Meanwhile, Papou was holding her, and she cuddled up with him, stuck her thumb in her mouth and started to fall asleep. I took her upstairs to the pack-n-play (which we'd set up for DJ), and she fell asleep almost immediately. She rolled over onto her belly and slept like that for over 2 hours.
Upon waking up, though, she was not happy... despite a bottle and solids, she was still very fussy. I figured out that she was teething, so I gave her some motrin. Half an hour later, she calmed down. Thia Athena rocked her in her car seat until the motrin kicked in, and she was happier.
Both of the kids fell asleep on the ride home, and neither child woke up when we transferred them to their cribs. They were beat! Before he fell asleep, DJ was waving out the window and saying, "Bye bye Biro! Bye bye Biro!" Cute!!
Meanwhile, dinner was delicious, the company was fantastic, and a wonderful day overall.
Christ is risen!
Que Pasca.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
More DJ words!
Almost every day, now DJ busts out a new word or phrase...
toes
foot
mommy hair
circle
star
daddy car
diaper
toes
foot
mommy hair
circle
star
daddy car
diaper
Monday, April 13, 2009
Words are tumbling out!
DJ is just busting out the words left and right! Just in the last week, we've heard a score of new words such as:
zipper
sky
wall
ceiling
apple
walk ("alk")
car
buckle
t-shirt
light ("ite")
milk ("ilk")
beak (as in a bird's beak)
Keep those words coming, DJ!
zipper
sky
wall
ceiling
apple
walk ("alk")
car
buckle
t-shirt
light ("ite")
milk ("ilk")
beak (as in a bird's beak)
Keep those words coming, DJ!
Monday, April 06, 2009
LOTS of phrases!
DJ decided to talk more this weekend! He's really starting to put words together!
1. Mommy Sit.
On Friday night, he told me to "sit" and pointed at my chair (the banana chair). By Sunday, the phrase had changed to "Mommy sit" and point to where he wanted me to sit.
2. :person's name: Bye Byes.
Not this past Saturday, but the Saturday before, we were leaving for the grocery store, and DJ said, "Daddy Bye." It wasn't until Tuesday when I heard "Nory bye byes" from the back seat on the way home from Eleanor's house (Nory = Eleanor). This Saturday, DJ said "Daddy bye byes" and yesterday, he said, "Papou bye byes."
3. :person's name: Alk.
Steve figured this out. Alk = Walk. So when DJ put together "Daddy alk", Steve was compelled by the cuteness to go out for a walk with DJ.
4. More.
If DJ wants more of something, he's either used his sign for it or since the last what, month and half, he's been saying the word "More". So now he's compounded the phrase with someone's name e.g. "Mommy more" (to keep pushing him in the swing) OR he's adding a word at the end e.g. "More Nana" (more banana) or "More kwacker" (more cracker).
I'm trying to think of what the others are now, but I'm drawing a blank.
1. Mommy Sit.
On Friday night, he told me to "sit" and pointed at my chair (the banana chair). By Sunday, the phrase had changed to "Mommy sit" and point to where he wanted me to sit.
2. :person's name: Bye Byes.
Not this past Saturday, but the Saturday before, we were leaving for the grocery store, and DJ said, "Daddy Bye." It wasn't until Tuesday when I heard "Nory bye byes" from the back seat on the way home from Eleanor's house (Nory = Eleanor). This Saturday, DJ said "Daddy bye byes" and yesterday, he said, "Papou bye byes."
3. :person's name: Alk.
Steve figured this out. Alk = Walk. So when DJ put together "Daddy alk", Steve was compelled by the cuteness to go out for a walk with DJ.
4. More.
If DJ wants more of something, he's either used his sign for it or since the last what, month and half, he's been saying the word "More". So now he's compounded the phrase with someone's name e.g. "Mommy more" (to keep pushing him in the swing) OR he's adding a word at the end e.g. "More Nana" (more banana) or "More kwacker" (more cracker).
I'm trying to think of what the others are now, but I'm drawing a blank.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Elektra's first tooth!
I think it's here! Her first tooth is through! We've been on tooth watch for at least the last week, as we've been able to see this thing from under the gum since Saturday. This morning, I felt it again and finally, I felt a little sharpness instead of the usual hardspot. I suspect her chewing on toys today will bring it out further and she'll be a happier camper.
DJ's first real phrase
DJ and I were walking out the door yesterday to go to day care when he pointed at Steve's shoes in the corner and said, "Daddy shoes." Boy did he get a big kiss and lots of praise for that!
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