Saturday, an earful

Friday am: Libby's right ear is full of green gook, but she is happy, I just figure it's a bunch of wax
Friday: go shopping!
Friday afternoon: Libby's ear gook is running everywhere and her right eye is oozing, too . . . call the doctor . . . make an appointment for the morning
Saturday am: Libby's ear is still full of gook (kind of good so the doctor can see it) . . . the doctor says Libby has a doozy of an ear infection and her eardrum has ruptured . . . Libby has not been sick or fussy, she hasn't pulled on her ear or seemed uncomfortable at all . . . mommy feels bad that the poor child's ear basically exploded.
Get stinky pink liquid antibiotic medicine from the pharmacy, feed awkwardly to the now deaf-in-one-ear baby, continue on with life, keeping the ear away from water and wind. Laugh at Libby as she turns her head funny ways to hear us. Go back to the doctor in a few weeks to check the ear. Still looking for a good way to feed a baby a teaspoon of medicine.

Deer Hunter

A few days after Christmas, mommy and Libby went shopping and Chucky took Emma hunting. I think mommy and Libby had more fun! Emma was very excited to go hunting, but didn't want Chucky to actually hunt. She didn't want to walk through the woods and didn't want him to get his gun out. She said she had a good time just hanging out in the truck and eating all day. . . and peeing in the leaves.

Princesses and Dinosaurs

For Christmas Emma received a princess sleeping bag that has an air mattress in it. She pumped up the mattress all by herself, stomping on the pump with her foot for what seemed like 15 minutes. She was very proud of it and layed in it all afternoon. At bedtime, she took it up to her room and fell asleep in it. The next morning I asked her if she slept all night in it or if she got up in her real bed. She said she got up in her real bed because she was dreaming about dinosaurs and she was scared. When I asked her what the dinosaurs did, she said, "They bit a piece off of Libby!" The horror.
Here are the princesses before the nightmare:

Christmas Day 2007

The girls didn't get to bed until 9:30 on Christmas Eve, so at 7:45 when Emma had not come downstairs yet, I woke her up! The first thing she said when she came into the den was, "I knew I wanted that train!" She looked at everything real quick, then immediately wanted her stocking, and wanted to see what was in everyone else's, too.

Santa Claus was a little mixed up when he put the dollhouse together.


I am sure Santa worked very hard to assemble the train, but as you can see in the picture, it was disassembled in a hurry. Shelby stands by the remnants. Here is every den in America:




I love this picture, it shows how "grabby" Libby is and that she wants everything Emma has! Check out the little fingers coming from her green sleeve.


Pop Pop helps Libby open her Christmas gifts.

This is sweet sweet Libby with a maraca, moments before the famous Emma-meltdown-over-the-drum incident. To make the story short, I ended up carrying Emma to the car while she was shoeless, crying and screaming for her drum.

Angels Among Us

This is Emma's 3 year old preschool class. She's the angel in the blue pants. Addie, Sarah, Evie, Logan, Jason, Abigail, Thomas, Allison, Emma O. and Emma F. (All names according to Emma O.!)

Eight Months

Libby at eight months: laughing, smiling, waving (sort of!), trying to scoot, has zero teeth but eats green beans, mashed potatoes, gerber puffs, pound cake, eggs - she likes to eat! She loves peek a boo and watching the cat and the dog, and she has looked at the christmas lights with wonder. She can't crawl yet, but I'm sure the first place she will go is to Emma. Libby always wants whatever Emma has, and Emma does a good job of keeping things away from Libby.

Busted by a three year old

mommy: "You are a good mopper, Emma!"
emma: "Yeah, better than you!"
mommy: speechless . . . wondering if I should tell her to just say thank you, that everything is not a competition . . . and wanting to laugh at the same time . . . and wondering when I last mopped . . . then I went to get more water for her mop and Shelby ate my cereal while Libby giggled at everything. Is it Friday yet?

Overheard

Overheard yesterday while sitting at a lunch table with ten strangers, at a tax conference in Richmond:
"And what does your wife do?"
"She stays at home and raises the kids. She works harder than I do."
Amen, brother.

Just another Monday

Monday: Chucky comes home early from work and needs a ride to the service station to pick up his truck, but Libby is sleeping so we wait awhile. He and Emma lounge around on the couch and watch a show or two, then we all get dressed and head out to the car. Chucky notices the back of Emma's pants are wet, so he fusses at her, and I say when did that happen, Emma? She tells us, "when I were on the couch!" Just then I see the back of Chucky's leg, at the bottom, there is a wet spot. Heeeheeee I can't stop laughing! He got peed on and didn't even know it! Turns out he had on long johns under his jeans and I guess it didn't go all the way through. OK. So he gets Emma changed and we go to the service station. Chucky's truck is locked up in the garage, so he calls his cousin who hopefully has a key to the building. While waiting, Emma has to pee again. So Chucky takes her behind a car to pee in the leaves. He comes back and says she peed on his hand. Heeeheee again! Chucky's cousin comes and doesn't have a key. Libby is crying by now because it's past time for her bottle. So we all go back home, no truck, peed on, and irritated. Just call us the Griswalds. We are well on our way of continuing the Gaskins tradition of not being able to travel without an incident, or two.

Parade, again

Libby was in the Record office all bundled up and ready for the parade a few minutes early. I guess it was too comfy and warm because she fell asleep in my arms before the parade even started. I had this "coat" for Emma and never used it . . . and I don't even remember how I got it. Did I buy it? Did someone hand it down to us? I can't see myself buying this . . . so thanks to whoever must have given it to us.

Last week Emma let the dental hygienist clean her teeth, after much persuading and joking of course. But when the dentist entered the room she cried and clung to me and never let him get near her. The hygienist had to show the dentist her teeth from across the room. I was so proud of her - this was major progress at the dentist's office! After the dentist, we ate a quick lunch in the mall and went to the portrait studio there and had some great pictures taken of Emma and Libby. I couldn't believe my luck. That they were both awake and happy, and that we managed a quick lunch (nothing is quick with a 3 year old), and that this far into the day, with all the stressful things we were doing, there had been minimal amounts of tears. And this was just a few days after willingly sitting with Santa. What a week.

Not much else going on . . except there's so much going on I can't remember what I've been doing nor have had time to write about it. I've been shopping and wrapping and going to tax conferences and working and trying to take on on-line class and I haven't cooked in so long . . . Chucky has been enjoying hunting season and is almost looking forward to it being over . . . Shelby is still itchy . . . Emma is at the church Christmas program with Nannie . . . I'm going to do laundry now.

Gifts

Yesterday while Emma was at school I wrapped a bunch of gifts. They are stashed in a corner in the dining room in hopes that Shelby, Dot and Emma will not bother them. Emma saw them first thing this morning and asked me if Santa Claus had come. Awwww. It was just so cute! When I told her that those were gifts from us to other people, like Ghee and PopPop, she got upset because I didn't let her help me wrap. A 3 year old is the best and the worst helper. Eager, but slow and particular and often incapable. Always cute and exasperasting at the same time, always a gift.

Parade

No picture available of Libby - who was in a thick pink coat-type-thing with legs and was shaped like a starfish. She was warm in my lap and I am the photographer so that will remain a memory for only me!

A Moment with Santa

We visited Santa at Patrick Henry Mall. Emma's friends Linton and Garrison went first and had a delightful time. Emma got close, then backed up a little and had tears in her eyes. Santa and I convinced her that she needed to help him hold onto Libby. So up on his lap she went. No crying. Picture (notice her grip on Libby's arm). Then I got Libby (who was pulling on Santa's beard when her arm was not in Emma's grip), and asked Emma if she wanted to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas. And she looked up at him and said "traintrackdollouse!" Then he gave her a candy cane and we walked away. I was so shocked that it was so painless. Visits with Emma and Santa have been so difficult in the past. I am still telling her how proud I am of her. She was so brave . . . but maybe, just a little, I like it when she didn't like anyone else but me! I don't know if she was able to do it without crying because of Libby, or because she saw her friends do it, or because she's just another year older and is so much more social than she's ever been. She surprises me constantly.

Decorating

The tree is up, the stockings are hung and Chucky handled the dreaded lights and timers. Most of the gifts are wrapped. We've been to see Santa. My neck and shoulders are in pain from the stress. But two smiling sweet little girls make it all worthwhile. Libby stayed with me inside while I decorated, and Emma played outside while Chucky decorated out there. Here's my helper: