At Long Last

I hesitate to even write about this, because I know that the second I put it in writing, everything can change, but I might as well relish the moment, SO-there's no doubt about it, for the past week or two, Delaney has really taken an interest in Elliot. A month or two ago, Laney always was pointing for me to put Elliot down (far away from her-and even more importantly-out of my arms and far away from me!), but now, she wants him to be close to her---in her room, next to the bathtub, next to her sandbox or playing with her at the park. She tries to pick him up and gives him smiles, hugs and kisses. Instead of running off and hiding his bottle, she now wants to help feed him.

Of course, Delaney has her limits. This morning Elliot was chewing on her stuffed giraffe, and Delaney was not happy about it. After she grabbed the giraffe from Elliot, I told her that she had to give him another toy. Laney reluctantly went over to her toy bin and carefully sorted through her toys, setting aside all of her favorites, second favorites, third favorites, fourth favorites.....-until she dug up a green plastic cup for Elliot!

Night Time Flirt

Our little guy is a shameless flirt. It doesn't make a difference what time of day--morning, noon or middle of the night-Elliot's ready with his smiles and giggles. When he was just a couple of months old, he would wake up (repeatedly) throughout the night and just want to play-he couldn't stop giggling and smiling. Elliot is sleeping better at night (Thank God!), but I genuinely miss this alone time with him-especially his sweet smile and little giggle. And sometimes, while he is sleeping, I'll sneak into his room and snooze on the futon just to be close to him---pretty pathetic, huh?!

Pretty In Yellow

Our pretty little girl.

Guacamole

Guacamole, sour cream, butter, cream cheese, ranch dressing, mustard and ketchup--if it's a condiment, dressing or sauce, Delaney will eat it. She won't eat the bagel, but will eat the cream cheese; she'll toss aside the turkey and cheese but scrape the mustard off of the roll; she'll throw the hamburger on the floor but eat the ketchup; and tonight, she wanted nothing to do with the steak fajita but ate fistfulls of guacamole.

As her Aunt Lynde commented-if Delaney's ever homeless, she'll do quite well. Aunt Lynde-don't you worry, Delaney will always have your phone number!

Elliot's New Buddy

Elliot loves Mr. Froggy. Aunt Sheila gave Mr. Froggy to Delaney for her first birthday, but Elliot certainly has claimed the little green guy as 'his' toy. Elliot spends a good portion of his day hugging Mr. Froggy and giving him slobbery kisses, as well as chewing on his very large tag (why do babies love tags so much?).

Nap Time

Nothing is sweeter than a sleeping baby-especially when it's my sleeping baby!

Nap time is sacred at our house; it's second only to 'wine time' as my favorite time of day. I have a whole list of rules for nap time: No one enters or leaves the house during nap time, all phones (including cell phones) must be turned off for the duration of nap time, the TV volume must be set to a '1' or '2'...... The list goes on and on. And God help anyone who dares to ignore my not-so-polite "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on our front door.

Nap time can make or break the rest of our day. One fussy baby is not fun, two fussy babies border on miserable and there's no word to describe two fussy babies and a cranky mommy.

Water Table Heaven

Grandma Mary and Gramps gave Delaney & Elliot a water and sand table for Easter. The table combines Delaney's two favorite elements-water and sand (or dirt!), and she loves it! I was hesitant to get a sand box for Delaney and figured that it would just lead to tons of sand indoors---which it has, but it's totally worth it because she has so much fun!

Pulling Her Own Weight

Delaney helped Daddy out at Star Nursery today, hauling mulch for the yard and sand for her new table (more to come tomorrow!). It was quite the scene-a little pint sized girl using all of her might to pull and push the fully loaded Radio Flyer wagon (with her beloved binky in tow-of course).

Our Little Man

Cool, calm and collected-that's our little man.

Cozy Coupe

Dave's coworker Abby generously gave us this little car for Delaney, and the Cozy Coupe has definitely been the 'it' toy for the Schwartz household today. Laney is a little obsessed with the car. She puts all of her dollies in the car as well as piles of her beloved dirt. Dave and I decided that the car would be an outdoor toy (due to its size); however, I apparently am not very persuasive to a 20 month old and have been lugging the toy inside-outside-inside-outside-inside-outside all day. I'm a slave to the Cozy Coupe.

My First Baby

Five years ago today, Dave and I adopted Clancey James from the Victor Valley Animal Shelter. Clancey is one of a kind (truly). He has lived with us in four different homes and has had to adjust to three additions to our family (Penny June, Delaney and Elliot). Clancey is probably about six years old, but has the energy of a pup and really hasn't slowed down much. He's crazy. Really crazy and fun. And smarter than anything. He won't walk on linoleum or over bridges. He protects Penny at the dog park. He's great with babies and kids, but not so great with eager toddlers. He loves to play catch and never turns down a long walk-even on a summer day in Las Vegas. Clancey is a great dog and friend.

Just Hangin' Around

Today was a great day for a couple of reasons-Dave didn't have to work and the weather was perfect! We played outside for a lot of the day and had a wonderful time. We call Elliot our 'steady Eddie'; he's very even tempered and just goes with the flow. He gets dragged around to every park in town and passed around at playdates, and is almost always super easy going. He's a great sport. He watches Delaney so intently-it's adorable. Delaney is definitely tempermental. When she's happy, she is so much fun and there is no one else that I would rather be around, and when she's cranky, she is super difficult. She's small but mighty. It's so much fun to watch their individual personalities develop.

Clark County Fair

The Schwartz Family headed to the Clark County Fair this morning. Against Dave's wishes, I dressed both of the babies in denim overalls (apparently, matching outfits frighten him). Delaney kept taking Elliot's hat, which was just a tad bit small on her. There was a cluster of activities for the little kids, including a sandbox, musical instruments and bikes, where Delaney spent most of her time happily playing with her daddy. She met a turtle named Sparky and thought that the cows looked a lot like dogs. She loved slushy lemonade. And of course, she managed to dig around in some dirt and play with water---her two favorite activities. Elliot was happy under the shady trees, playing on his blanket.

Happy Birthday Dave!

Happy Birthday Dave! Next year is the Big 3-0!We went out to dinner over the weekend in Pittsburgh, and I had meant for it to be Dave's birthday dinner, but since the food was not-so-hot and the service was just plain bad, I think that we'll have to redo the dinner when Dave's parents visit in May!

Home Again, Home Again

Dave took this picture while we were in Pittsburgh this past weekend, and I love it-my two beautiful babies!

We made it safely back to Vegas on Monday night. The flight went amazingly well; there were lots of empty seats so we were able to spread out. Delaney didn't sleep a wink but Dave kept her entertained and happy. Elliot took a long snooze in my arms. Traveling with two babies under the age of two is quite the experience, but the entire trip was a success.

Sometimes Delaney is just inconsolably cranky, and this afternoon was one of those times. It was not fun at all. She screamed, she cried, she threw herself on the ground, she kicked-she did everything but take a nap. And then somehow, for some reason, she became absolutely delightful about 30 minutes before bedtime (right before her daddy came home-of course!), and I didn't want her to go to bed! She can drive me crazy.

Homeward Bound

We're headed home tomorrow. Although I really like our life in Las Vegas, I can't say that I'm really anxious to get home and to our usual routine. We've had a great two weeks. I've been so spoiled-I've had so much company and help with the kids and with laundry, cooking and bottles; it's been wonderful. Dave and I are used to doing everything ourselves, so we REALLY appreciate the help when we get it. We look forward to returning in July.

Static Electricity

This picture speaks for itself!

Elliot's First Mets Game

Where else to watch his first Mets game than Pittsburgh, PA??? Since we've been out of town, Elliot had to wait almost a full week into the 2008 season until he had the pleasure of watching the Mets with his daddy.

Nude Model

For educational purposes, Elliot bared it all in front of dozens of Grandma B's preschoolers. As mommy bathed him, Elliot was a little taken aback by all of the little faces, but remained composed until the girls started shrieking (from his splashing). He was a big hit!

Siblings

Before Elliot was born, everyone told me that Delaney would be so young when Elliot arrived that she would adjust very easily to having a little brother. Well, that hasn't exactly been the case. She was and is very aware of his presence, and is not happy at all when he takes attention away from her. Nearly every time that I feed Elliot, Delaney still throws herself to the ground and cries. When I hold him, she often cries. Delaney sometimes takes Elliot's bottles and hides his binkies (see above picture!). I can't say that I think that things are getting easier; I constantly feel torn between them. And although maybe these little episodes shouldn't bother me, they break my heart a little. I so want them to be close, and I so want them to feel loved.

Circus Circus

Pepah watched Elliot today, while I took Delaney to Grandma B's preschool. It was 'circus day' at school, so all of the teachers were dressed as clowns and the kids participated in circus activities--games, decorating balloons.... It was so cute and made me really look forward to Delaney and Elliot being in preschool. Delaney was a trooper but definitely was totally exhausted by the end of the day. She thought that the clowns were a little scary, but who doesn't think that clowns are scary?! She loved playing with the Play-Doh (she could barely reach the table!) and balloons.