For anyone who still reads this livejournal account, I've moved our family's blog to http://markelzfamily.com. That's where you'll get the latest info on our kids and and the new baby, when she arrives. My personal url, www.maureenmarkelz.com is going to be used for work purposes. So if you're really interested in literacy education - get on over there and soak it all in. No takers? :)

I woke up with an odd feeling - usually I'm jolted awake by a headbutt from Lucy. But this morning it was quiet, and Hannah was still asleep. At 6:30. Something's not right....

Sure enough. Lucy's not in her bed. She's not downstairs. She's in the BASEMENT. Just hanging out by herself.

Guess we'll need to lock the gate upstairs from now on....

Hannah acting like a big kid:
- Says, "Lucy, everything you do is ANNOYING."
- "Mom, can Victoria come for a playdate? Her mom says yes."

Lucy's new words:
- "Ready"
- "Where are you?"
- "Mine"
- "For me!"

June:
- Kicking so hard my whole stomach wobbles and shakes.
- Head down, with her feet on my right side.


 

Today was one of those days when you actually do get everything done that you had hoped. I love those days.

We made the conversion from Hannah's room to Hannah's & Lucy's room this morning. We found a good toddler bed for Lucy on Craigslist and it fits perfectly in the corner. We need to work out a solution for Lucy's clothes, but other than that it was an easy switch. That goes for the furniture. The girls will be another story as Hannah is quite the explorer during her nap and sleep times - often staying up a good half hour to 45 minutes after we put her to bed, piddling around in her room. We'll start the transition slowly and see how it goes. We have 'til May!

Speaking of the baby, man is she a mover! I don't remember either girl waking me up with kicks this early in the pregnancy. Hannah can feel her kick now and enjoys calling to "June Bug" to get her to move.

I also made Mark Bittman's No Knead bread today and it was SO GOOD. The recipe is 2 years old, and has been an internet sensation ever since, but I'm just getting to it now. Basically it takes all the work out of making your own bread - it is so easy that people have posted videos of their six year olds making it on You Tube. This will definitely become a staple. So yummy.

All in all a nice, relaxing weekend. We got about 8 inches of snow today, but it's not as cold as it has been. Might be warm enough to get the girls out in their snowsuits tomorrow! I'm also excited for all the inauguration festivities this week. Watching the whistle-stop yesterday and the concert today felt so historic. Tuesday will be a great day.

We are finally back home in Boston after a whirlwind Christmas in Chicago. The trip started rough, with both girls on the tail-end of the stomach flu the day we left. Hannah even managed to throw up one last time on my new couch about 20 minutes before the cab came to take us to the airport! But we made it through the flight puke-free, and were one of the last to land in Chicago before a snowstorm barreled through. After the flu, came a round of head colds that put us all out of sorts with sinus headaches & runny noses. It wasn't until the weekend that we all started to feel better.

Christmas was fun with the girls. In this pic they are setting out their cookies for Santa. Hannah was super into it this year - very curious about the logistics of it all. She got her two most-requested items: The "Pee-Pee In the Potty" Doll (a crowd favorite) and Ponyville Amusement Park. Lucy was just as interested in Hannah's toys as her own, and was much more excited about the Hershey's Kisses in her stocking than opening presents.

Lucy was so much fun on this trip because she really started trying to talk. She can repeat many words you ask her to say with some accuracy. She uses "Dada" and "Mama" all the time now. And once she was done being sick, she was just darn cute - free with the hugs and lots of silliness. Hannah spent most of her days in Grandpa's basement, making forts with Uncle Kevin and raiding Grandpa's candy stash.

Trapp & I managed to steal away for a few fun nights on the town - visiting old friends, staying at a swank hotel in the city, and having some delicious meals. The second half of the trip went too fast - with people and places left on our "next time" agenda.

It felt somewhat bizarre to be back in Chicago - we are kind of in limbo where Boston is too new to feel truly home, but Chicago isn't quite home either. I guess for now, home is where these two little munchkins are - a pretty good place to be.

Next event - ultrasound on Friday to find out if we are having a girl or boy!

With two little kids running around, we got rid of our end tables long ago. You can't set a candle or coffee cup on them anyway - one of the little buggers will knock it over or take a swig. Therefore, our fireplace mantle is the collector of all non-touchable objects. That means, this Christmas, it holds the stockings & their holders, a photo of the girls, and a ceramic nativity scene. It's a bit overcrowded for my taste, but it's only for the holidays.

But the visual crowding can mean you don't see everything that you should.

Like the beer bottle that's been standing behind the three wise men all day. At least I hope it's only been today.

Lucy doesn't want to be carried down the steps anymore. And she doesn't want to hold your hand, or scoot, or go backwards. She wants to walk down the stairs. By herself. This is physically impossible for her short, stubby legs to do. So she stands on the top step, and refuses to take your hand. And she lets her toes edge forward, until she's about to lose her balance, and then she instinctively grabs for your hand. But once she's stable, she pulls her hand back and yells with a look that says, "HOW DARE YOU HOLD MY HAND!" And we repeat this 5-7 times before she admits defeat and scoots down on her butt.

Lord knows what the teenage years are going to be like with this one.

It's been quite a while. What can I say? I've got two kids, two grad school classes, a husband running a start-up, and I'm pregnant to boot. Which means? I'm tired. So tired. The usual energy rush of the second trimester hasn't kicked in yet, so I'm still napping in the afternoons in order to make it through the day, and frequently falling asleep on the couch at night. That doesn't leave a lot of kid-free hours to do much else!

The girls are doing well. Hannah's busy with school and ballet classes. She's becoming much more attuned to the social aspects of school - who played with whom, who is her friend etc. - and that is difficult to listen to at times. You want her to like everyone and you want everyone to like her. But that's not very true to life, so you try to guide her as best you can. She's very excited for Christmas and has a long list of items she plans to ask Santa for. We'll see which things are shipable to Chicago...

Lucy continues to grow fast. She is working so hard on language now. She says "Mama" and "Dada" (the latter much more than the former) and she makes an "EEEEEE" sound for "please" when she wants something. She's also quite the singer and dancer. We can tell what song she has in her head by the notes she sings and dance moves she's doing. She and Hannah play together and fight with each other much more regularly now. There's a fair amount of yelling and complaining, but then they'll spend twenty minutes walking in circles around the house in their ballet tutus holding hands or hiding in the kitchen cabinet giggling. Can't complain much about that.

Both girls had fun this weekend when Evan and Todd came in for a quick visit. It's so funny to see all three of them together and think of them growing older each time they visit over the years. Fun times with cousins are some of my favorite childhood memories. Hannah's a little curious as to why she only has one cousin. Hear that all you newly-married aunts and uncles? Better get on that. We're doing more than our share.

This week I make my first Thanksgiving dinner for our family and some friends from GamerDNA. I'm excited to take it all on - and crossing my fingers that I time it all correctly. Then it's off to Chicago for a quick weekend wedding. So much to do!

Seems posts are coming along monthly now - life is just too busy!

I've started classes and am really enjoying them. They make my week a little more hectic and busy - which is a good thing for me. I've always thrived on stress - don't do well with tons of free time. That's not to say that things outside of school are not busy - the girls sure keep my on my toes. I'm beginning to understand all those articles in Real Simple about how to do more with less time, stay organized etc. It's a juggling act.

Hannah's a busy girl as well - she had 2 birthday parties to attend this weekend! The first was all the kids from her class and it was nice to meet the other parents of the kids she's with at school. She's loving preschool, enjoys the art room the most, and is making friends. Then Sunday we had another party for our neighbor's grandchild who we play with regularly. So she's quite the social party hopper! She's very much becoming a little "kid" who focuses intently on rules, things being fair, and what she considers her territory (i.e. things Lucy can't touch). This leads to a few more meltdowns that usual, but she's been such an easy kid, we can't complain.

Lucy has moved into full-on toddler mode. She's got the funniest little stance and is getting around pretty fast these days. She's a very busy little girl - constantly taking things out, putting things in, tasting objects that are not food... We continue to call her the destructor because she walks through a room and tears everything apart. She's starting to use sounds for words like mama, dada, "Ha" for Hannah and wa-wa for water. Even though she still is pretty clingy and definitely wants me with her at all times, she's doing better with strangers and has warmed up to our babysitter. What a relief! What we've learned about Lucy is that she is very opinionated. She's going to let you know (loudly) when she doesn't like something. But that's not always a bad thing. She's going to be a tough little girl, which I'm glad about. No one will ever push her around on the playground, that's for sure!

Trapp & I are finding our groove here in Boston. We've got favorite restaurants, friends we see regularly, and a routine that works (for now). We do feel disconnected from all the Cubs action - it's hard here with all these Red Sox fans. And we have yet to find a pizza place here we like. We do miss us some Aurelios. But Arlington is starting to feel like "our town". It's a good place to stay for a while.

Quick update but I have no pics because the camera's batteries are dead. :(

We've spent the weekend looking for a new couch. Which I am super excited about, but discouraged by how hard it is to find what I want. The one I've had in mind all this time from Crate & Barrel is not carried there anymore, and the closest Room & Board store (where there are quite a few sofas I like) is in New York City. Hmpf. But I'm determined to not make a quick, convenient decision - I've waited so long for a new couch, I want to be very happy with what I choose.

Hannah has taken to calling us "Mom" and "Dad" this week instead of "Momma" and "Daddy" which sounds incredible old coming from her little voice. She's grown so much this summer that I've had to buy all new clothes and shoes for preschool next week. She is sprouting like a weed, and every dress we bought at the beginning of the summer is well above her knees now. She's SUPER into princesses these days - princess EVERYTHING. And boy does this girl have the gift of gab. I mean she puts me to shame. I have to periodically institute "no talking times" so I can think clearly for a few minutes each day. But Trapp & I are just so pleased with just how darn happy she is. She's a positive kid and that can take you far in this world.

Lucy is becoming more and more the toddler. It's very clear that she understands a lot of what we say now and she LOVES running little errands for us: "Throw this in the garbage." "Put the oatmeal box in the cabinet." "Put the shoes in the shoe box." She claps for herself when she accomplishes these small tasks and looks so proud.

One more week before the rush of school for me and Hannah. It will shake up our schedule quite a bit, but I'm excited to be a bit more busy. I'm at my best when I have a full plate!

I found this tonight when introducing my friend to MXC - the most hilarious MXC I've ever seen.

Serious lack of updating on the girls lately, sorry about that. Our summer has finally simmered down to a lazy, event-less pace which is so nice after the craziness of moving-traveling that was June and July. Our days are spent running errands and taking advantage of the nice weather. Lots of trips to the park, farmers' market,  and library. We also spend a good hour most nights playing outside with the kids in the neighborhood - riding bikes and filling the dumptruck with dirt from the driveway. (baths are not optional these days)

Lucy is becoming more of a toddler every day - with the walking skills and attitude to prove it. She's pretty nimble - when she does fall, she hops onto her feet and gets back at it. No talking yet, but lots of babbling which she is sure means something. She does make the "H" sound for Hannah and hot (when touching my coffee cup in the morning). Her favorite things these days are books - flipping through the pages, looking at the pictures. She loves that there is a framed print of the "great green room" from "Goodnight Moon" hanging in the library and she pulls me over to it every time we are there to point out the red balloon and the kittens. She sure is a momma's girl - and that can get a little difficult at times. She is happy as a clam, as long as I am in view and ready to give her my full attention. But if I have to do something (i.e. use the bathroom, make dinner) she is crying at the door or at my feet. And not just a whining cry. It's a dear-god-take-a-breath-lucy kind of cry. We're trying to break her in to accepting babysitters, but we've worn out our welcome at the gym. Hopefully the neighbor who is going to watch her while I'm at class won't ditch us when she sees how tricky Lucy can be.

Class? Oh yeah! I'm enrolled at Lesley University to begin taking classes this fall towards a Reading Specialist license. I've been seriously missing teaching, but not able yet to go back full time. And there aren't many part-time education jobs that are worth their while. So I'll be a part-time student for the next 2 years which I am really looking forward to. It'll give me a chance to meet other people in teaching here in Boston and keep up to date on education issues while I take a little more time off.

Another one getting ready for school is Hannah - she starts preschool in September. She'll be going two days a week in the morning. It's a much bigger preschool than the Montessori school we were going to in Flossmoor, but it looks really welcoming and exciting. They appear to have a lot of family activities so it should be a good way to meet other playmates and parents. She will also be going to ballet class once a week which she is really excited about. Hannah's hilarious these days with her princess-obsession. This afternoon, she danced around the kitchen in a tutu with two wands in her hands while she dramatically acted out each song on our princess cd.  She also is learning to write letters and can count to 20. She loves painting and drawing with chalk on our front sidewalk. Her biggest struggle is dealing with her sister when Lucy wants to knock down her Lego tower or take part in what she's doing. Sibling rivalry is definitely upon us!

If you've made it this far into the entry, you are either a) a grandparent, or b) really bored. But I have to write these things down because I have no other record of their development! I had to record when Hannah first sat, walked, spoke, etc. in her preschool application, and I had to furiously search through my blog archives to remember. So while the entries are mundane, they are saving me from having to fill in a baby book!

Favorite thing this morning: listening to Hannah sing the theme song to Cinderella:

"So this is wuv, mmmmm, So this is wuv........"



Also, I had a dream last night that Kim had her baby - am I psychic, Kim?

Last weekend we packed up to go to Marblehead, Massachusetts - another sleepy ocean-side town with cute attractions, expensive houses to gawk at, and beautiful beaches to visit. This time we got caught in a big rainstorm, which hampered the adventure a little bit. But soon the skies cleared and we were able to run around the beach and stick our toes in the very cold Atlantic. Hannah loves the water and exploring the rocks on the beach. Lucy likes eating sand, so she's a bit restricted.

Coming up this weekend is Kennebunkport, Maine. We have a weekend-long company party to attend there, which looks like it will be really fun. The girls will be staying with a nanny one night, so we'll see how that goes. Lucy definitely doesn't warm up to strangers too quickly. The town looks like a beautiful little place, though. Should be fun to explore. Who knows, maybe we can hitch a ride in a golf cart with Bush '41! :)

Our 4^th of July has been the perfect kind of weekend so far – a good mix of family, vegging-out, sight-seeing, and eating. Friday, Katie & Benjamin came down from Vermont to visit with us and celebrate the 4^th. After watching an episode of Tyler’s Ultimate, I decided to try to make fried chicken for the first time and it came out really well! It was a little tricky to maintain the optimal temperature of the oil, but I got the hang of it after the first few batches. We were all too tired from too much food & Rock Band to go see fireworks – not to mention the 10pm launchtime is WAY past the girls’ bedtimes – so we all passed out in the living room watching baseball. Not a bad end to a nice day.

Saturday we had a nice lazy morning on the deck drinking watered-down coffee and watching the girls play. After Katie & Benjamin headed off to their next destination, we decided to do a little roadtrip ourselves and took off for Gloucester, Massachusetts. (pronounced - GLAWSTAH) It only took about 45 minutes to get there. We parked at Fort Point Beach, played at the playground for a while, and then walked the boardwalk up the shore. Hannah loved throwing rocks into the water and looking through the telescopes at the lighthouse. Lucy liked watching all the dogs go by and being carried along the beach. After another stop at the park, we drove to the Gull Restaurant and had a really nice meal overlooking the harbor. This place reminded both of us a lot of the Spit in Homer, Alaska. We then headed to Essex, to a toy shop called The Silly Goose (perfect for our Goose) that was filled to the brim with all kinds of little notions. Hannah picked out a new magic wand and Lucy found a maracas that was especially tasty. On our way out of town, we happened upon Woodman’s which we were told had an ice cream shop in the back. Little did we know that the front is a world-famous seafood shop that had a line out the door and down the street. We’ll definitely need to go back there! Luckily, the ice cream shop wasn’t nearly as crowded, so we enjoyed some cones while Lucy practiced her new walking skills amongst the picnic tables.

Both girls were pretty tired by the time we got home. Mom & Dad are too. An early turn-in sounds like the perfect ending to this day!

I'm sitting here on our deck with the fans cooling me from above, the wireless laptop and a cup of coffee, while Lucy sleeps upstairs (baby monitor humming right here) and Hannah colors the brick with colored chalk.

Tough life, I tell ya.

The Goose's birthday has come to an end, and I think it's safe to say she had a grand time. We had a little early birthday celebration in Chicago with the McNulty clan on Saturday. Then we had a few friends over here in Boston on her actual birthday as well. She tackled both cakes with might, but seemed pretty oblivious to the whole gift-opening deal. She sure likes the toys once they are opened, though.

She's THIS CLOSE to walking - can walk when you are holding only one hand, and makes attempts to go solo throughout the day. Her favorite things to do are tackling people - mainly her sister, singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and dancing feverishly to the theme song of any TV show that comes on. (Her favorites being the opening tracks to "The Little Einsteins" and "Go Diego Go". All around, she's just SO HAPPY which makes her wonderful to be around every day.

Hannah is a riot these days. Her language skills are going through the roof, and she surprises us with phrases that do not sound like they come from a three year old. Yesterday, when I cut her peanut butter sandwich in a manner that was unsatisfactory, she said, "Look, mama. This is open, and this is folded. I don't want it folded. So you just think about that." I'm not even kidding. But with the reprimands come moments of over-the-top cuteness - like reminding me frequently that we are "best friends". And tonight, when I told her to go to sleep, she said she was just going to lie there and "think about growing up." Okay there, Hannah. But not too fast.

We're here! Posting's been pretty light since we started the move to Boston. We are getting ourselves settled in to our new surroundings and took some time off to do a Father's Day tourist activity - the Museum of Science. It's a great museum - very kid friendly and interactive. My favorite was definitely the Archimedean Excogitation by George Rhoads. You could sit for hours watching the chain reactions as the pool balls travel through the ramps. Hannah  loved the weather exhibit where she could create rainstorms by pressing buttons and "feel" a  simulated tornado. Lucy liked pressing all the buttons - and chewing on her shoe.

Hannah's doing pretty well with her adjustment to Arlington. We've been taking little walks each day to explore the bike path that runs along the back of our yard. She's constantly reassuring herself. "It's fun to go exploring, mama. Mama, is it fun to go exploring?" She has made friends with the neighbor's grandsons who are close in age. They ride bikes up and down the street and play tag. And she starts dancecamp tomorrow morning - a short 3-day minicamp for 3-year olds. While still in Chicago, we told Hannah that she could take ballet lessons and this is all that's available in the summer. She's a little worried about it, I can tell, but I think she'll be fine. We talked tonight about how it's okay to be a little scared when something's new, and that seemed to reassure her greatly. You can almost literally see the little workings of her mind as she makes sense of all of the change around us. She asks if people from Chicago can come visit and protests that they have a car when we say that it's too far. Before, far meant non-walkable. Now, far means non-drive-able. So that's taking a little time to sink in.

Lucy, on the other hand, seems to be oblivious to the change and happy as a clam. She is so close to walking - she takes about 3 steps and then drops to her knees and claps for herself. She loves tackling us and giving kisses. And boy does this kid eat like a champ. It doesn't matter what it is - salmon, swordfish, lasagna, cheese - it all goes in fast and she's looking for more. About the only thing Lucy definitely does not like is driving in the car. Which is troublesome when mommy misses her turn in the traffic circle and gets us lost for the third time that day. Luckily we just got a GPS. Hannah has named the lady's voice who gives us directions on the GPS Sally.

All and all, Trapper and I just can't help but feel like we've hit the jackpot here. The house is absolutely perfect, and made all the better by the nice neighbors and awesome neighborhood. Literally within walking distance, I have a gym, post office, ice cream parlor, old-school diner, Italian deli, Panera, and Trader Joe's. The path leads to the Reservoir, which has a little filtered kiddie-beach that will open this week. If we had to move from all of our friends and family in Chicago, we couldn't have found a luckier place.

Somewhere on I-94, all of our belongings (including our car!) are traveling eastward, headed to Boston. The movers started packing the house around 7:30am yesterday and pulled out of Flossmoor about 12 hours later.

We brought the girls by the house so Hannah could see everything being packed up. My hope is that this will help her understand where our belongings are when we stop at the house next week and it is empty. I learned that she doesn't understand the whole concept with perfect clarity when she asked when the movers were going to pack up grandma and grandpa's house. Ooops. Guess she'll learn soon enough that they won't be 3 miles away in Boston.

So now we are camped out at my parents' house. I fly out next weekend to help Trapper unpack boxes. Then the following week we will all be out there for good! The last phase of this transition has begun!