Happy Halloween!

 We started our Halloween celebrations off right by visiting Phoebe's favorite guys who are always in costume. I guess since she dresses like a firefighter 364 days out of the year, she decided to be a "radiologist" for this one day. Bruce was a skeleton and Oliver was a pirate, complete with marker-made beard that he contributed to.

 We went to the school's fall party and did the usual games and pumpkin painting and such.

 Phoebe wanted to get a picture with her new best friend from school. Of course it couldn't be one with a straight face.

Continuing with last year's tradition, we brought Miss J - a fairy princess - along with us. After the party and a bite to eat at Miss J's, we went trick-or-treating on Beacon Hill. The kids got a ridiculous amount of candy and have been binge-eating it ever since.

My favorite part of the experience was hearing people comment on Phoebe's costume. When it got cold, she put her Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sweatshirt on.

Nice person passing out candy: "Oh how cute, we have a Ninja Turtle!"
Phoebe: "No, I'm a radiologist."
Nice person: "You look like a Ninja Turtle."
Phoebe: "Look at my ID badge."

Growth

Oliver is up to a whopping 3 pounds, 12 ounces today. Growth is slow-going (or so it seems), but it is heading in the correct direction. This week we have been teaching Oliver to open his mouth correctly - with his tongue out and down rather than stuck to the roof of his mouth. We also tried breastfeeding with some success. He is still getting the hang of sucking and swallowing, but progressing well. Now he needs to beef up a bit so he has the energy to wake up and eat by mouth.

Bulking up is easier said than done. He is "eating" via the tube in his nose; every three hours he gets about 1.5 ounces of breastmilk mixed with formula powder to add calories, plus a little extra protein powder (he really is trying to bulk up!). Oliver sleeps almost the entire day, and the nurses like it that way: he is using all those calories to grow rather than to wiggle around or cry. I've only heard him cry 4-5 times since he's been born, and by the time I grab the camera he's done crying. He has a very quiet cry though - like a little lamb.

Yesterday we took advantage of the nice weather and headed to the beach. We met up with Miss J, who I'm told still talks about me but appeared much more interested in Phoebe. Granted, Phoebe was way more playful than I was; I sat in a beach chair under an umbrella almost the entire time. Phoebe ran around collecting shells, climbing rocks, and splashing in shallow tidal pools.

 Bruce helped build a sand castle city with a group of kids, found shells and even a live crab, did a little swimming, and got in a water fight with grandma.

Speaking of grandma, she is doing a fantastic job keeping up with Phoebe's playdates, Bruce's school schedule, and my recovery. Just in the past few days she has made butterhorn rolls, a pineapple upside down cake, blueberry pie, picnic brownies, and pasta salad.

Bruce the budding photographer

Ever since Bruce started his own blog, he has gotten more confident with the camera. He knows where to find it, how to turn it on, put the flash up, and snap pictures. My sister's kids are just as confident; here is some of their work.
When Bruce has the camera, Phoebe is most likely in front of it. She is doing a ballerina twirl in the top picture. Directly above, I am not quite sure what is going on there but she looks like she is having a good time with the camera.
Phoebe wanted her blankie documented. My sister made this for Phoebe and she is very much attached to it. We have reached the point where it does not have to travel with us to school and back every morning, but she cannot sleep without it and it's the first thing she asks for when she is hurt or sad.
I'm glad Bruce caught this on camera: Phoebe scarfing down some broccoli. Phoebe is a serious snacker and loves to swipe items off the kitchen counter while I am cooking. I can't get her to eat broccoli while seated at the table, but I am not going to stop her from stuffing it in her mouth on the run. She also loves to get into the pantry and chew through cardboard boxes until she gets to crackers or whatever she wants.
Miss J is growing up: she has enough hair for a tiny ponytail, can say a few words in English and French, loves to read books together and on her own, and can walk around and make mischief faster than ever.

This weekend we will be watching general conference and I will race a 15K. Happy weekend!

Outnumbered.

I have heard that having one kid is relatively easy (or at least do-able), having two is almost better because the first has a playmate, and that three is the number where life gets really tricky because the parents are all of a sudden outnumbered. Things have gotten tricky here: Baby J's parents are out of the country for 10 days and they left her with me. Because she is the most easygoing baby on the planet, it hasn't been bad - but I'm left wondering why I still have an appendix and not a third arm. C'mon Evolution!

The day before J's parents left, Phoebe got this lovely bruise on her cheek while dancing in Bruce's bed. It also happened to be the day before Phoebe's two-year doctor's appointment. Nothing like a big bruise to reassure J's parents and the doctor that I'm an involved, stable parent. In other news, Phoebe dropped a few percentiles on the growth chart and is officially on a high-calorie diet. One of her favorite phrases is "delicious butter," so we should be making weight soon.Bruce likes to tell me how big his muscles are and how he does crunches and planks in gym class. I don't think he is flexing in front of the mirror yet, but he is heading in that direction of manliness. Bruce also told me that he and Phoebe should have been twins. He said it would have been more fun that way. I told him he'd have to share a birthday cake and a party with her. "No problem," he said. "She likes Star Wars," referring to his themed birthday party. I, for one, am glad they are not twins.

Baby J

The past few weeks have been very busy. I've reached that point where I only reply to life-or-death emails, make meals that take less than 15 minutes, and miss playgroups and events because of napping schedules. Sounds like I just had a baby, right? Sort of. I've inherited one during the day; I started nannying Baby J full-time about a month ago. She is four months old and still spends a good chunk of time eating and sleeping. She loves watching Phoebe and Bruce, and laughs when they make silly faces and noises at her.
I expected Phoebe to be jealous of the baby, but so far so good. Phoebe thinks Baby J is just a big baby doll. She likes to rub her hair gently and say "saw" (translation: "soft" - making lots of progress on communicating). She brings her blankets and toys. The only time she shows a tinge of jealousy is when I feed Baby J a bottle. Phoebe has been bottle-free for almost two weeks, but would still take a bottle if given the chance.
A few days ago, Scott was working a night shift and I didn't feel like making dinner. Bruce's favorite restaurant is Qdoba, so for $9 we had a nice date. It was totally worth it: the kids ate like they hadn't eaten in months. It was amazing.

Here's another one of our methods of coping with the crazy schedule: baking chocolate chip cookies. Bruce loves doing this - it's his thing. Phoebe is happy to sample the chocolate chips too.
Bruce likes to say, "The best exercise is to move every day." I think it's something he learned in gym class. We follow that advice and not only walk to and from school, but often stop at the park on the way home. Baby J is happy to get out for a walk, and Bruce and Phoebe are happy to be out of the house.
18-1/2 months. Have I mentioned that I just love this age? Phoebe learns so much every day and is absolutely adorable.
Bruce is still learning a ton too. We have had to institute a "no math at the table" rule. Last weekend we went to the Cambridge Science Festival and he built a robot that propels itself around and draws circles on paper.
Here is Bruce on the track at 7 a.m. Scott was working all night at the hospital and I didn't have time to run that evening, so I took Bruce and Phoebe to the track and ran circles around them before school. Mileage ended when Phoebe discovered the steeplechase pit, which was being filled for a meet later that day.
For Mother's Day, Scott made breakfast in bed for me. Phoebe sat next to me and stole my toast, leaving crumbs all over the bed. Bruce decided that breakfast in bed was super-cool and requested it for his birthday. That evening, we had a picnic with friends at the Arnold Arboretum's "Lilac Sunday." Bruce was in a much more pleasant mood on Sunday; the night before, I told him to put his PJs on and he told me I was the "meanest mom ever." I'm harsh, I know.
And finally, here is a picture of my dirt. I'm excited to eat some broccoli and tomatoes out of here!