Asleep...really, really asleep

When we got back from the zoo last week, all of us felt pretty tired. Afton didn't get much of a nap that day, and me and Stef were worn out from walking around in the warm weather and from all the work it takes to spend an afternoon out of the house with two kids (which is probably equivalent to getting ready for a two week vacation without kids).

Yet with all the tiredness going around, Mya was the only one that got a real nap that day. When we got home we put her car seat on the table while we looked online for some photos of Brooke since she'd been born a few hours earlier. I grabbed the camera when we heard this coming from the kitchen...

Stefanie wishes she was getting that kind of quality sleep again.

Zoo Day

Pictures outside to occupy Afton before going to the zoo. On the left is her "evil eye", and then the right is Afton laughing at herself for pulling out the evil eye. We told Afton yesterday that we'd be going to the zoo, and sure enough, when I got her out of bed in the morning the first thing she said was, "Go to zoo today? And ride the train? And see the tigers and elephants?"

This "animal" is the first that has ever made Afton timid. She must have really thought it was a real gorilla, and wondered why her dad was getting so close to it, because it took some real coaxing for her to get close enough for a picture.





Afton loved to watch this fox run around his 8x8 cell, er, I mean habitat. She followed it back and forth until finally bending over and putting her hands on her knees like in the first picture. Then she was sure to tell the little girl in pic #2 and her mom that the animal they were looking at was a fox...very helpful.



Stef and Mya on the train ride.



Mya's almost constant grin, and the ever increasing in regularity bubble beard. She just might be cutting another tooth because she is a slobbery little child right now.



What a great lesson this rotating globe teaches the kids and parents that visit the zoo: no matter who you are, where you come from, or what sickness you might have, your germs are good enough to share with every child that day. I'm sure we'll be proud of whatever "memories" Afton brings home from the water globe.



Once it warmed up we took Afton's jacket off and put on her sunglasses, and then into the pockets went her little hands and out came a cool little strut.



Too cool for school!

Shocking Good Time

Stefanie hadn't told me about these photos before I grabbed the camera and looked at them. We've laughed at Afton a lot as she rolls around and climbs up and down on the couches because her hair will stick straight out with all the static build-up. Looks like Stef had a little science project going with her cushion hut.

Time and Place for Cuteness

Silly me for thinking there might be certain times during the day when a two-year old isn't allowed to be so cute you just have to laugh and not worry about what you were trying to accomplish, in a hurry, at that time.

Snail's Pace

Afton caught on to the idea of potty training very quickly, and does pretty a good job now of telling us when she needs to use the potty. One day she was watching a cartoon when she said, "Daddy, need to go potty." So I jumped up and started to move quickly towards the bathroom. Afton likes to hustle around the house during certain games, so we often run towards the bathroom so she'll follow and get there in time.

But this time I got there way before her, and when I turned to see what was taking so long I saw Afton barely moving down the hallway. Her arms were turning in circular motions at her side, her head was down, and she was making almost zero progress toward our intended goal. She kept on with her exaggerated movements, and in a frustrated tone I said, "Afton, what are you doing? We need to hurry and get on the potty." Her reply: "No, I going like a snail."

Sound It Out

Afton has gone through lots of different phases when it comes to her going to bed for the night. She used to like her door to be open, for a parent to be in the room, to take a drink with her, to read books or sing songs...the latest pre-sleep pattern is for her to take as many stuffed animal friends into her bed with her as possible. Sometimes she'll take the same couple of stuffed toys in for days in a row, and other times she'll pick new ones each night.

A couple of nights ago I set her in bed with some "friends" that she had already selected and then turned to leave the room. I was tired, knew Afton should be tired, and I wasn't in the mood to stand bedside while Afton jabbered on or made several other requests. But as I started to leave the following conversation ensued in her dark bedroom.

Afton: "Daddy."

Me: "What?"

Afton: {points, waving her finger randomly in the air}

Me: "Afton, dad is tired, so you're going to have to just tell me what you want."

Afton: {points, waving her finger randomly in the air}

Me: "Afton, you need to just talk like a big girl. What do you want?"

Afton: "Ra."

Me: "What?"

Afton: "Ra-BUH." {giggles}

Me: "What?! I don't know what you want."

Afton: "Ra-buh-IT." {places hands over mouth and giggles}

How does a two year old know they're being funny, to the point of not being able to hold in their laughter as they go through the joke? And how Afton decided to sound the word out (even if she did add an extra syllable) is beyond me. I went from tired and impatient to not being able to stifle a chuckle as I got her a toy rabbit to sleep with.

Trip to see the "Farmers"

I'm not exactly sure how or why, but Afton absolutely loves animals. I like animals about as much as I do dieting or Ute football. She loves to go to the zoo, to see the neighbor's horses at Grandma's house, to play with stray cats...any and every chance to get close to and/or touch an animal makes Afton's day. So she was pretty stoked when Grandma planned a little visit to the Titmus farm to look at their different animals. Even though we kept telling her she was going to the "farm", she kept telling us, "Going to the farmers."

They got to see peacocks, sheep, dogs, and I guess a quail. Afton's report to me after they got back was pretty emphatic about the peacock having "shiny tails" and that she did indeed see a quail (she made some silly hand motions, I guess to show what the qualis wings and tail looked like). Dad had the unfortunate duty of staying behind with Mya while the others went to see the animals... I was so bummed to not be able to breathe in that fine animal air.

Afton with Grandma at the "farmers".





Afton spots her long lost friend.



Stefanie said Afton kept telling the little lamb, "Hi sheep . Come OVER here. Hi sheep. Come OVER here." No fear about touching the lamb, of course. She even requested to ride the lamb multiple times. And she'd get so excited that after petting it she'd immediately put her hands up in her face. Dad might have had a nervous breakdown had he been there.

Who Knew?

Over the past several days, Mya had been going through some changes in her behavior and general daily patterns. She was waking up more at night, had started slobbering a ton, and was sucking on her hand/fingers a lot. The last day or two she also was upset during her "feedings"; she'd continually unlatch and fight Stefanie. Since she's been nothing short of an angel baby thus far, I guess we should have investigated a little more to see what was going on. But instead we didn't put together the prefect puzzle of tell tale signs of a baby teething.

She is just barely over three months old, but her first tooth has already cut through and we can see a little white tooth peeking through the gums. It is a bottom tooth, but is located more towards the back of her mouth instead of the more common central location with early teeth.

Grinner

I've mentioned to Stefanie several times that it seems Mya has a little switch, and anytime you want her to smile you can just flip that switch and she obliges. It doesn't matter if it is first thing in the morning, right after her nap, before dinner, or right before she goes to bed...almost every single time someone picks her up and gets close to her she gives a big grin back. It isn't always easy to catch her cute expressions in a still photo, but when I downloaded the most recent photos from the camera it looks like Stef caught her an on especially happy day.

Potty Training Update, Day Two

Afton no longer thinks her big girl underwear are beautiful.

Afton likes Easter candy a lot, especially peeps.

Easter candy, especially peeps, has served as a terrific incentive for potty training thus far.

Wish us luck. "Us" because Stefanie is at home potty training, me because I hope when I get home my wife still wants to be married to me, and Afton because I doubt she wants to visit the dentist.

The Secret for Beautiful Offspring

After arriving home from work one evening last week, I marveled, as I am often wont to do, at how beautiful my two little girls are. I thought to myself, "Self, how is it that you ended up with two little girls as cute as Afton and Mya?" And then like dew from heaven, pure intelligence flowed into my mind, revealing the secret behind having beautiful children:

Marry a beautiful woman and then hope your genes don't muck things up.

Here's to hoping my genes continue to be hidden. Stefanie would probably feel a little better about her luck with future kids if her family portraits looked a little more like these:

"THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL!"

I'm not sure how this whole potty training thing is going to go, and I have to say I'm relieved that yet again Stefanie will be the one at home doing most of the heavy lifting. But Afton sure got excited about her new "big girl" underwear. She wanted to get every pair out of its packaging to lay it out on the floor, and for every pair she would say, "Beautiful." (That is her new word that she's been using lately. We walked outside to get in the car one day and she commented "mama's car beautiful".)

The Week in Pictures

I came home from work and found Afton watching TV. She'd brought the big bear from her room to use as a chair, and when she heard me come in she actually had the blanket over her head. This is right after she played "peek-a-boo" with me.

Mya resting in our room.

Afton helping her mom cook.

Being silly on her pony and getting entirely too close to the TV as usual. And yes, this is the closest we'll ever get to having a pet.

Mya has started to really pay attention to different "visual stimuli" around her. And she still grins more than any baby we've seen. Almost any moment you get close to her and give her attention she'll smile right back.

Curlers before bed, getting ready for a cute hair day tomorrow.

Afton looked absolutely darling with her hair done this way. Stefanie brought the girls up to the office to visit and I wish I could have gotten a picture of Afton running down the hallway towards me.