Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Thy Golden Hair…

I found this place called “The Pumpkin Theatre” online a few weeks ago. As it turns out, they were showing “Rapunzel” in December. With “Tangled” fresh in our minds from those Disney folks, I thought it would be something fun for Isabelle. It was showing two weeks only. Last weekend, Uncle Don and Aunt Susan came to town but this weekend, we had only Christmas cooking and baking on our agenda. I had planned on doing that today (Saturday) but Ed had a lot of homework for his Grad class, and the Ravens don’t play until 8:20pm tomorrow night so I decided (on a whim) to take Isabelle up to see her first theatre play.

I had called the theatre this past week to find out if they still had tickets available and they did. There was no number to call this morning to check availability so I took a chance and, as it turns out, totally lucked out. The theatre was full! But we were able to buy tickets for $15 a seat at the door.

I was a little worried about whether or not she was “ready” for a theatre experience. Being quiet for an hour or 90 minutes (I wasn’t sure how long the show was going to be) is not Isabelle’s forte. We got there about 30 minutes before the play started. The tickets are “first come first served” as far as seats go. They have a few rows reserved for the members but we got the first row behind those, and we got the aisle. That way, we could make a fast escape if things got dicey.

We got to our seats with 15 minutes to spare. I asked Isabelle if she wanted to go to the lobby to get a special treat like a magic wand, or one of the other plastic goodies they were peddling in the lobby (for very reasonable prices, by the way!). She said she didn’t want anything. She was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, waiting anxiously for the “real Rapunzel” to arrive.

When the lights dimmed, and the actors took the stage, she was focused and mesmerized. She sat still and kept her trap shut for the full hour that the play lasted. She did want to sit in my lap for about 3 minutes when the evil witch took the stage but she quickly pulled it together and went back to her own seat. At one point in the show, Rapunzel and her Prince Brian went up one aisle and came down ours. Rapunzel and Prince Brian walked right by our seats and I think Isabelle fell eternally in love with the theatre at that precise moment. I had to chuckle when I saw her staring at Rapunzel’s shoes. ‘Atta girl!

After the show, Isabelle did want that magic wand I had hinted at. For $3, it was a cute, fun accessory to take home from the show. They had a full table of goodies that were all under $10. There is no food or beverages so be sure to eat lunch before the 1pm show or plan a snack before the 3pm one.

The Pumpkin Theatre was a fantabulous experience. The show was amazing. The theatre is small, intimate, and wonderful for a first-time experience. If you live in Maryland, have small kids, and want to expose them to the wonderful world of theatre arts, get over to The Pumpkin Theatre at St. Timothy’s School on Greenspring Avenue in Stevenson, Maryland. You won’t be disappointed.

Another year, another surgery

Isabelle had her semi-annual ENT visit today (that's an ear-nose-throat doc). She still has one PE tube hanging in there good as gold. The other one fell out ages ago. She's had a few ear infections over the past year and she's still mouth breathing even on the daily allergy meds and nose spray. And her tonsils are still huge, probably bigger than 6 months ago. They haven't gotten an official "infection" yet but it's just a matter of time and they are so big that they have caused some swallowing issues with food which can be really dangerous.

So the ENT specialist has decided we can't wait any longer. They wanted to wait until she was five but they think it's wise to take care of it now. We're heading to Tampa in February so we're going to be scheduling her surgery in March. She needs one full week of recuperation time (minimum). And then she can return to school as soon as she can come off the pain medication (determined by her). She can't fly for at least one month so we're waiting until after our trip to get this done.

I'm hoping this is the end of her ENT woes and we are done with ear infections, swallowing issues, mouth breating, snoring, and trouble sleeping.

Overheard for Christmas in the WWOI

We just got home from Puerto Rico late Monday night, and have been in a constant state of SCRAMBLE ever since. We had to jump right back into the school and work routines. But we also have to get ready for Christmas! Ack!

We raced out Tuesday night in the pouring rain to buy our tree. We decorated it Wednesday night. Ed is volunteering at the homeless shelter at our church tonight (Thursday) so Isabelle and I are handling the rest of the decorations around the house. Tomorrow night is my night to volunteer so I'm leaving Ed and Iz a "to do" list a mile long.

Uncle Don & Aunt SuSu are visiting from Chicago Saturday through Monday. And we're cramming in a home Ravens game on Sunday. Busy! Last night, Ed was starting the lights on the tree. To get in the Christmasy mood, I need to have the holiday music on, the TV off, and cookies baking in the oven.

So, there I was in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies while Isabelle was directing Ed on the light stringing activities in the living room. Some funny things overheard in the WWOI last night...

"Daddy...Mommy's bells are bigger than my bells...but you don't have any bells at all." (she was referring to the jingle bells on each of the stockings)

"Daddy, why does Elmo only have one ball? Oh no! Elmo's ball fell off! "


"Daddy, why is yours so short? Mine is so much bigger than yours." (what size is YOUR stocking?)

"What's this, Daddy?" (pointing to an ornament)
"It's a gazebo, where I got engaged to Mommy many years ago."
"Why did you get in a CAGE with Mommy?"

"Daddy, we really need to find Jesus." (I think we all do)

Happy Holidays everyone. May all of our Decembers be peaceful and bright.

Overheard in the WWOI

On the way to school today, a Jeep Wrangler passed us. Ed drives a Jeep Wrangler. I drive a Jeep Liberty. Both vehicles are in the Jeep family but Isabelle knows the difference in models and loves to point out other Wranglers and Liberties on the road "just like ours".

So this morning, the Wrangler passed, and she asked me, "Mommy, did you not wave at that other Jeep?"

I chuckled because she sees Ed do this all the time. Have you ever heard the phrase "it's a Jeep thing"? Yea, well, in case you aren't aware, people who drive Wranglers are in a weird little cult and they wave to each other on the road. Complete strangers, girls, guys, old peeps and young. If two Wranglers pass on the road, there's gonna be a double wave. (This really freaked me out the first time I drove Ed's Wrangler by myself because I didn't know it was a Jeep thing...but I digress.)

I tried to explain this Jeep thing to Iz by saying that only the people who drive Jeeps like Daddy's actually wave to each other. People who drive Mommy's type of Jeep don't wave.

She chewed on that for a minute and then asked, "does that mean Daddy is nice to people and you aren't?" (Ha ha, well most times I suppose that is true, yes.)

"Ummmmm..."

"Because waving to people is nice, right?"

"Yes, a wave is kind of like a smile from afar, so yes, waving to people is nice."

"Mommy, I'm going to wave to everybody for you, OK?"

"Thanks, kid, for gettin' my back."

In the Wonderful World of Iz, everyone smiles and waves to each other. And they live "happily efter after" too.

Megan Megan

Isabelle's cousin, Megan, was born at 8:31am on Friday 11/11/11. At 7 lbs. 14 oz. she is a beautiful healthy baby girl and we can't wait to meet her. Her full name is Megan Mae Egan, which, when written with just the middle initial spells out as Megan Megan.

Trick or Treat

Isabelle's favorite new cartoon is called Jake and the Neverland Pirates. There are 3 little pirates on the show, 2 boys and 1 girl. The girl's name is Izzi (but spelled differently). I figured Iz would probably be a Princess for Halloween this year but when we asked her, she was very determined to be a Pirate Princess. Since Jake is a new cartoon, they don't sell any of those costumes yet. But sure enough, a quick trip to K-Mart and we found a Pirate Princess costume that Iz just loved. We had good weather, got way too much candy, and have a cute picture.

Let it snow...huh?

Image taken January 27, 2011 with Nikon D3000

Today in Maryland, we have a forecast of snow. It's October. We should be wearing sweaters and trapsing through pumpkin patches. But alas, we have our shovels at the ready, movies lined up by the TV, and hot chocolate ready to brew.

Isabelle is so excited for snow! She's ready to go sledding now. Fortunately for us, she won't get a chance to sled in the bounties of this first "snow fall". It's gonna melt on contact, if it happens at all. Not so fortunate for her.

Ed & I were just assessing her winter clothes the other day to figure out what we need to find or buy. A snow suit is on the list but that's one of those things you just hate spending money on because you know, what if it doesn't snow? Well, considering we have snow in the forecast in OCTOBER, I think it's safe to go purchase a snowsuit. Maybe it will ward off the evil white stuff for the bulk of the next 4 months. We'll start at the consignment shops and emailing friends, and go from there.

Let it snow!

You'll poke your eye out

When I picked Isabelle up from school today, the teacher pulled me into the hallway and closed the door. Uh oh...

Turns out Isabelle was reading a book today and another kid was counting pumpkins on the page at the same time and Iz didn't like that so much, so she poked the kid in the eye. This led to a stint in the time-out chair so she could think about it, then she had to talk about it with the teacher, and obviously she had to apologize to the poor kid she poked.

At home, she gets no dessert for two nights, and we're just hoping this was a one-time thing.

So Grown Up

A lot of you family-member out-of-towners are going to see Isabelle very soon. Mom-Mom Su-Su and Pop-Pop Bill are coming to Maryland this weekend. Uncle Don is coming to visit in November (Aunt Susan will hopefully be able to visit in December). And then for Thanksgiving, we're going to see Grandpa Siler, Abuela Carmen, Aunt Jessie, Uncle Luis, Aunt Tashi, and Cousin Nafet for a very nice long 12-day vacation!

Y'all in Maryland get to see Iz a little more often, but Ed & I had to sit back, take notice, and sigh in disbelief tonight at how old? mature? grown-up? all-of-the-above? our little Isabelle is becoming! Maybe it's the new big girl school? Maybe it's just the fact that she's turning four? Maybe it's because we've been watching baby videos of her lately which make my heart melt into puddles?

But you really do have to see her. And talk to her. She ain't the same kid you last interacted with. Call her sometime. She answers the house phone now (yea, really). And she's just all of a sudden a big kid. I can't put it into words and it's driving us crazy.

Anyway, sorry, I'm just being nostalgic. My little brother and my sister-in-law are about to have a baby next month and they will be embarking on a great journey. A scary journey. But so worth the trip.

Jesus Is Coming...Perhaps Today

Ed & I saw that message on a church sign once. It kind of creeped us out. And we never forgot it. We kind of laugh about it now, but it did make us take pause when we read it all those years ago.

Tonight, we were saying bedtime prayers with Isabelle. She does a "special prayer" sometimes if we have someone who really needs an extra prayer, or we want to ask God to help us with something special.

She told us she had a special prayer tonight, so we waited for her to belt it out.

She prayed, "Dear God, I really hope we see you in our house tomorrow."

Ha ha, uhhhhh, I kind of hope we don't, Iz!!!

PS: As an addendum, we explained to her that God is always with us even when we don't see him. We didn't leave the poor kid hanging.

Click, Clack, Clique

I chaperoned Isabelle's first Field Trip today, to the County Fair, and I felt like I woke up in a bad dream, back on the grade school playground for the first time, wondering who would be my friend in an uncertain world. Why did none of my girlfriends warn me of the Preschool Mom Cliques that I was going to encounter?

There are 12 kids in Izzi's class, and I think I counted 6 chaperones? I figured, naively, that all 12 kids, 2 teachers, and 6 chaperones would hang out together today, getting to know one another, comparing stories, and sharing a few laughs. I was mistaken. Boy, was I mistaken.

When the kids got off the bus, each chaperone was handed their own child, plus a random kid they've never met with enough tickets to get in the gate.

All the chaperones were off and running with their kids, as I stood at the gate looking very perplexed. Did I miss the memo? Did they hand out an itinerary and I didn't get one? Where are we supposed to meet up?

I found the teacher and asked her what the plan was and she simply said, "Have fun! This is kind of how our Field Trips go, all the chaperones just do whatever the kids want to do. We don’t try to stick together. Just meet back at the bus at 11:20.”

I looked at my phone and saw 9:02 on the display. Two. Hours. Eighteen. Minutes. To. Go.

So off I went, a solo adult with two 3-year-old girls, in a sea of amped up Preschoolers and dazed chaperones. We made our way up the hill through the vendors who were opening their booths for the day. Isabelle’s friend (let’s call her Betsy) asked me to buy her every toy and piece of sugar we passed. I had to kindly say no and try to divert the girls’ attention to something else…like the next vendor…offering sugar…and plastic garbage…only to say no again.

I ran into a pair of Moms who were chaperoning their own 2 girls plus a third. I thought it would be fun for the girls to hang out together so I introduced myself to one of the Moms who was closest to me when standing at the pigpen (literally, a pen full of 200-pound hogs).

I simply said, “Hi, I’m Jen, Isabelle’s Mom.” She literally looked at me, said “Hi”, and turned her back and walked away. No introduction. No joke. Thanks for playing, but your kind isn’t welcome here.

This was the same Mom who was at Back-to-School night last week and made a snide remark about how “working Moms” should not volunteer their time if they aren’t serious about helping out.

As I found out, these 3 girls from class knew each other (and had been friends) before they got to this school. Enter the Premiere Preschool Mom Clique. I think I’m on the other side of that Iron Curtain, at least until the Cold war ends.

I had to laugh as she walked away with a slurp of pig s#it on her cork wedge sandals. Watch out, Mom Clique #1. Just wait ‘til I recruit my posse.

Overheard in the WWOI

We were sitting down to our Friday Pizza night. Ed got our "Pastore's Seasoning" out of the pantry (Italian Spice Mix). We both sprinkled a generous amount on our slices with Isabelle curiously looking on.

She looked at Ed and very seriously asked, "Daddy, why are you putting that grass on your pizza?"

Nutrimentum spiritus

That means "food for the soul", an inscription on the Royal Library in Berlin.

We had a family outing to the Library tonight. Let me tell ya, us Silers know how to have a good time! We had a stash of books to return and while we were there, Isabelle got her very own Library Card and a sticker to prove it. She's so cool.

But let me back up a bit. We were pulling into the parking lot and I reminded Isabelle (because it's been a while since she's been to the library) that we have to be very quiet in the Library and use our whispery voices. She agreed, said she remembered, and then demonstrated her very best whispers.

Then she took on a very concerned tone and asked, "But, Mommy, I can still sneeze, right?"

"Yes, of course you can still sneeze"

"And, Mommy, what if I have to cough? Will I get in trouble for making noise?"

"No, a cough is OK, just make sure to cough into your elbow."

"Right, Mommy...And Mommy? Is it OK to burp in the Library?"

After Ed & I finished laughing....

"Yes, I think that would be OK, Iz, but let's try not to burp in the Library, OK?"

"OK, Mommy...and I won't fart either, OK?"

Caterpillars crawl before they fly

School started last week (sort of) for Isabelle. After hunkering down for Hurricane Irene last Saturday and Sunday, we finally got power restored on Sunday night. We were the lucky ones, some just got it back this past weekend! Schools were closed for Monday and Tuesday last week due to widespread power outages. The county reopened school on Wednesday but there were still some individual schools in the county that were closed b/c of power outages. This week, all schools are open and back to a normal schedule.
In addition to the power outages, Isabelle came home from school SICK on Thursday so she missed Friday. So last week was just all messed up. She went to school today, and we've bribed her with a big ice cream outing on Friday if she can get through all this week without any tears. She managed to choke them back this morning so we'll see how she does the rest of the week. We're hoping this adjustment period goes by quickly and she starts to love school soon!

Here is her schedule in case you grandparents want to know what she's up to each day...

I Am 3, Going on 10

Isabelle came home from daycare the other day and walked into the house with a sad, pouty face and attitude. I knew something was up. I asked her what was going on and Ed just started to chuckle.

Iz walked over and buried her head in my shoulder and was doing the fake-cry thing. She told me (very seriously)...

"Mommy, I really want to be TEN!"

(me) "Ummm, WHAT?!!?!"

"I reallllllllly want to be ten. I don't want to be three anymore."

(me) "Go to your room. I can't deal with you right now."

Talk about a pouty face and attitude, you should have seen me the rest of the night.

Preschool here she comes!

Ed & I have been researching and touring preschools in the area this month. We love the daycare where Izzi has been for three years but we feel it's time for a change. Izzi has only boys at daycare right now and she really needs to meet some girlfriends. Plus, we want to get her into a more structured "school" setting to prepare her for Kindergarten in 2013.

Today, we visited St. Andrew's Methodist Day School right here in Edgewater. They have openings in the 3-year-old program and the program is amazing. They are a green school - they have rain gardens on campus, each class has their own garden to maintain, they have chickens and goats, and they incorporate environmental lessons into their schoolday.

The preschool program includes Religion, Spanish, Art, Music, Library/Reading, Phys Ed, Science, Social Studies, and Math. They also have clubs and extra-curricular activities for the kids who attend the 'extended care' hours (which Izzi will be in since we both work full time).

We got to meet a few teachers today (the school doesn't have a summer program but the teachers were there cleaning and organizing their classrooms) as well as a few parents who were volunteering their time to get ready for the schoolyear.

We still need to review the packet of information they sent us home with and discuss our options, but as soon as we left the tour, both of us said at the same time "I LOVE IT!!!".

So, I think we've found Izzi's new preschool. And one of the best parts - UNIFORMS! No more morning battles about what the princess is going to wear. Yippeeeee!

For you grandparents who want to read more about the school, click on the logo above and it will take you to the school's website.

Down on the bayou?

I pulled out the harmonica tonight just for fun and Izzi was instantly smitten. She started to play it and finally got the hang of it after a while. She started to play a deep slow riff and I asked her if her new song was called, "Down on the Bayou"?

She said, "No, it's called 'Clean Your Feet, And Take a Shower'. Ha ha. Point taken, Iz.

My Friend Ariel

Mom-Mom SuSu snapped this photo when we were in Florida a few weeks ago. How perfect that Iz and Ariel are mirroring each other...

Overheard in the WWOI

I'm still working right now (5:20pm) and Ed is in the kitchen making dinner. Isabelle is playing princess in her room. I just overheard Ed say...

"No, Iz, we talked about this. I'm just not comfortable with you putting a leash on yourself."

I better get in there....

Mermaids of Weeki Wachee

We just got home from a fabulous vacation in Tampa, visiting Mom-Mom SuSu and Pop-Pop Bill. We had great weather every day except for one. We were able to go out on Aunt Joann and Uncle Ron's boat, to a sandbar in the Gulf of Mexico, just outside of the Cotee River near New Port Ritchie. We saw fireworks in Safety Harbor for the 4th. We got a hotel room in St. Pete Beach for 2 nights and found an authentic Maryland Seafood restaurant at the beach! And we swam, swam, swam every day we were there. I think Isabelle averaged 6 hours per day in the water.

The one rainy day we had was Friday, and boy did it downpour! They got 3-5 inches of rain on Friday depending on where you were on the gulf coast. This was the day we had planned to go to Weeki Wachee anyway, so it wasn't so bad. The live mermaid shows of Weeki Wachee are indoors. They have a huge park there, most of which was closed due to the weather, but we enjoyed 3 shows in the indoor theatre and Isabelle was in heaven.

One of the current shows is "The Little Mermaid" which was really great, even if their Ariel didn't have red hair (of course Iz picked up on that immediately). Weeki Wachee is the only live mermaid shows in the country, so if you're ever in the Tampa area, check them out, it's pretty wild!

Congrats to Uncle Sean & Aunt Jenny

The wedding weekend was lovely, even if the rain was not. It was a little cool and rainy but we muddled through and still had a good time.

We started the trip on Thursday morning and drove 4 hours to Manasquan, New Jersey to stay with my Aunt Gail (Izzi's Great Aunt). We spent the entire afternoon and early evening on the beach. When we drove into town it was about 105 degrees (heat index) and even with the A/C on in the car, we were drenched with sweat when we arrived at Gail's. We quickly threw our bathing suits on and headed to the beach in Spring Lake, NJ and it was at least 15 degrees cooler there with a fabulous breeze off the Atlantic Ocean.

My cousins, Colin and Curran, both showed up with their wives and children and we had a great time catching up with family. We spent the night at Aunt Gail's house and finished the trip to Massachusetts on Friday morning. Aunt Gail followed us up and we arrived within a few minutes of each other.

We got to Massachusetts around 2pm on Friday and jumped into the hotel pool, again to cool off after a hot drive in the car. Then we had the Rehearsal and Dinner that night.

Saturday we had the whole day free since the wedding didn't start until 6:30pm. Mommy had plotted out all kinds of cool stuff for us to do that day, to explore the area. Unfortunately, all the cool stuff was outside. And it was raining. A lot.

So I got to go to a Dinosaur Fossil place with Grandpa and Daddy for a little bit that day, while Mommy went shopping with the girls. Then when we all met up again, Mommy & Daddy took me over to the Yankee Candle Flagship store. Boy was it HUGE! And so cool inside! They had a nighttime room with stars all over the ceiling and Christmas trees and villages and trains all over the room. And it SNOWED in there every 4 minutes. But it was a warm snow since it wasn't real.

They also had a huge toy store and we bumped into Santa and Mrs. Claus!!! He talked to me for a long time and helped me make a special butterfly out of a pipe cleaner and some tissue paper. It was so much fun, and I told Santa I'd been a good girl so far this year! Just 6 months to go!

The wedding took place at Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in South Deerfield, MA. It was a greenhouse type room/area with tons of trees and waterfalls and ponds and gazebos and benches and beautiful lights. And they have over 4,000 butterflies in there!!! They were everywhere, landing on people's heads and shirts, floating all around us. It was really cool! Mommy was a little bit afraid but I told her butterflies don't make any noise so she would be safe.

I had a very special job in the wedding ceremony. Uncle Sean & Aunt Jenny asked me to be a flower girl along with Jenny's niece, Abby. I had so much fun getting dressed up like a princess and everyone said I did a really good job.

After the ceremony, we headed to a restaurant called Chandler's (at the Yankee Candle flagship store) for the reception. I was really really tired by that point and was kind of in a bad mood but I made it through to the end and even did a little dance party with the other kids.

On Sunday, we didn't get to split the trip up so we had a long 9-hour drive back to Edgewater. Thankfully, Mommy & Daddy had purchased a new portable DVD player for the trip so I watched movies most of the time. They also gave me dramamine so I didn't get car sick. That worked like a charm. No car sickness and I was drowsy and watching movies so the ride was peaceful (at least that's what they said).

Congratulations to Uncle Sean & Aunt Jenny!

Flower Girl

We're leaving tomorrow for Uncle Sean's wedding. What? Yes, Uncle Sean is getting hitched. His wife's name will be --- Jennifer Egan. Weird for me, but I guess I'll cope. I gave up the name 10.5 years ago so I guess I can pass it on. At least the name is being passed on to a reputable lady :)

Jenny & Sean asked Isabelle to be a flower girl in the wedding. I will post pictures as soon as I can. She is wearing a beautiful Lilly Pulitzer dress that her new soon-to-be Aunt Jenny bought for her (see pic on the left). It's white cotton lace with a hot pink flower applique on it, simply gorgeous. (That's a picture of the dress to the left, not a pic of Isabelle in the dress -- she hasn't gotten THAT big since you last saw her!)

When searching for white sandals, I found a pair with little white butterflies on the shoes. The wedding ceremony is at a place called "Magic Wings" which is a butterfly conservatory so Isabelle will be playing her part.

We've been practicing her flower girl duties all week, we hope she's up for the task. Worst case scenario, I will walk down the aisle with her if she's scared to go it alone. She'll have another fellow flower girl in Jenny's niece, Abby, who is 5 years old. But Iz tends to get a bit gun-shy when she doesn't know people so we'll just have to see how the whole thing goes down.

We're looking forward to the long weekend with family. But we are dreading the 8-hour car drive home on Sunday. On the trip up to Massachusetts, we're splitting the trip in half by driving to my Aunt Gail's house tomorrow in New Jersey. We'll hit the beach (it's supposed to be 100 degrees tomorrow!!!) and then finish the trip on Friday. But we have to the trip home in one straight-through drive to get back to work by Monday. We bought a portable DVD player with headphones and have 15 movies along for the ride. Hopefully we can make it work.

Congrats to Uncle Sean and Aunt Jenny! We can't wait to see everyone.

Ravens Magic

Izzi found a Ravens football toy in the house yesterday and she came into the kitchen while Ed & I were making dinner. She said...(and i quote)...

"Mommy! Daddy! I just took this RAVEN and I squashed it into a STEEWER head. And then I squashed it into a COLT head. And now they are DEAD!"

So, she's a true Ravens fan, even at 3! She may not be there with the Orioles yet, but hopefully she'll get there one day.

Oriole Magic

Uncle Don and Aunt Susan treated the whole family to a day out to Camden Yards on Mother's Day this year. Here are some pics from the day. We had great weather and a fun day together. Too bad the O's lost.

Thanks for my Dugout League subscription again, Uncle Don. I got a great new lunch box out of the deal, and that super cool lariat in the pic below.

Overheard in the Wonderful World of Iz

I walked into the living room tonight while Ed and Isabelle were working on a special art project. Right when I walked in, Ed said to Isabelle, "Do you have any more fairy balls over there? I need fairy balls to stick right here."

I turned around and walked out of the room, ha ha.

Healthy Habits

Isabelle was heading to swim class with Ed on Saturday. Before she left, I asked her what color lollipop she was going to choose today (the kids get to pick a lollipop on their way out if they have a good class).

She got a serious look on her face and said, "Well, actually, Mommy, I'm not going to take a lollipop today. Because lollipops don't make us healthy."

Maybe the Easter Bunny should pack apples and oranges into her basket this year instead of candy!

Where are you going? Where have you been?

Things have been so hectic the last few weeks, I've neglected Izzi's blog so I apologize. Some updates on the Siler's antics...

• Ed has been hard at work on his Masters Degree. He's taking online classes and thankfully has a one-month breather this month (April) until his next class starts in May.
• We have been hard at work doing some very long overdue home improvements, mostly focusing on the outside right now. We tore down the dilapidated old fence (destroyed by the double blizzard of 2010). The new fence is ordered and that will be started (hopefully) this weekend, weather permitting.
• We also ripped out our old dry-rotted wooden porch and spent two days this past week building a new one. It's low to the ground, so it's more like a wooden patio, but anything over 8 inches above grade required a building permit, so we skirted the system and built a low deck. We're hoping this will improve our summer dinners al fresco since we'll be above the wet sloppy yard that we always have in Edgewater since we're so close to the water.
• I signed up for a 10-week intensive online writing course (Fiction). I'm in week 4 right now and trying to keep up with all the homework, critiques of other student's writings, and balancing that with a full-time job and family life. There just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes.

As for Isabelle, she's as spunky as ever. We're in a consistent mode of dress-up at this stage. She is always wearing a princess dress, or Minnie Mouse ears, or a queen hat, or whatever. She acts out full episodes of her favorite cartoon, The Backyardigans, which typically requires Ed & I to play one of the parts. Of course, Iz always gets to be the nice characters while Ed & I take the spot of the wicked witch, or the mean Giant, or the ugly Beast. I guess it goes with the territory since she is an only child. I do really think that she's heading for the theater one day, if she keeps up this active of an imagination and playing out stories, we might have a budding artist on our hands. Too bad she can't keep a tune to save her life when she tries to sing.

We recently discovered that Isabelle has seasonal allergies. She had a pretty severe allergic attack about a month ago. We thought it was a pesky cold but then one day she woke up from nap screaming that her ear hurt. We took her to the Pediatrician who told us she ruptured her eardrum. Then we got her an emergency appointment at her ENT who told us the eardrum was fine (thanks, Pediatrician, for freaking us out). She had an ear infection in one ear (the ear where the tube has already fallen out on its own) and then the other ear was really full of fluid, but the tube was doing its job draining everything so that one was not infected.

We have to go back in June for a follow-up. If her ears have not fully drained of fluid at that point, then we are looking at another surgery this summer. They will remove the one tube, put two new ear tubes in. They will also remove her tonsils since they have to put her under anyway. We knew her tonsils would have to come out one day but they like to wait until kids are 5 or older now, unless the tonsils have repeat infections. Thankfully, Isabelle's have not been infected (yet) but they are HUGE and referred to as "kissing tonsils" because they actually touch each other in the back of her throat. This leads to sleeping problems b/c she cannot breathe efficiently when she lies down. Plus with the allergies, she was really having some sleeping issues.

She is now on daily allergy medications (one oral liquid, and one nose spray). We'll see what the ENT says when we return in June. We don't have an appointment date yet, they are going to call us when the June books open up for appointments.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Wanted to update everyone on the goings-on around here. Things are not going to slow down anytime soon but I'll try to post more regularly. What we have coming up...

• Our film-making contest (48-Hour Film Project) is coming up in two weeks (April 29-May 1)
• Ed starts his next Graduate class in May
• Uncle Don & Aunt Susan, Uncle Sean & Jenny come to town in May
• Jen has to travel to Denver for work the first week of June
• ENT follow-up in June -- surgery in June???
• Uncle Sean and soon-to-be-Aunt Jenny get married June 11

I'm tired just typing it all!

Welcome Home

We found Pretty Lamb today! She was found isolated in a big Tupperware storage bin that we had emptied out for donation two weeks ago. I guess all those Lenten prayers worked. She is contentedly resting in Isabelle's lap as we speak. I can't even express how relieved we are. Welcome home, Pretty Pretty Pretty Lamb.

Spring Has Sprung...

...and the allergies have too.

Isabelle woke up from a nap at daycare on Tuesday screaming in pain, saying her ear hurt. We got her into the Pediatrician Wednesday morning and it appears she perforated her ear drum. It sounds worse than it is, a perforation heals itself within a week or two. But, if it happens too much, scar tissue can develop which would result in hearing loss (partial or complete depending on how much scar tissue develops).

She has had large tonsils since she was born, our ENT said they will most likely have to be removed eventually. These days, they try to wait until the child is 5 years old before doing that surgery, unless the tonsils start to have repeated infections, or the child gets Strep Throat a few times. Thankfully, Isabelle's tonsils haven't gotten infected yet, but they have actually grown. They are now in the category of "Kissing Tonsils" which means the tonsils are actually touching or overlapping in the back of her throat. This causes major sleep issues including apnea, and mouth breathing which can lead to mouth/teeth/jaw issues.

It appears the perforated ear drum was a result of a severe allergic reaction. Seasonal allergies typically don't show up in children until after the age of 2 and they can come on suddenly. Which is exactly what happened in this case. She had the allergy "shiners" which is reddish-purple rings around the eyes. Because she can't quite figure out how to blow her nose yet, the allergies caused a huge build-up of pressure in her ears and the ear drum bursts from that pressure.

So for now she's on an anti-biotic to kill any infection from the ear drum perf. She's also on a daily allergy regimen of Claritin and Nasonex spray. Oddly enough, she tolerates both very well. We got an emergency appointment with her ENT for next Wednesday so we'll know more about the tonsil situation next week and will keep you posted.

Of all the things we pass along to our offspring, I'm sorry she got Mommy's allergies.

R.I.P. Pretty Lamb

"Pretty Lamb is gone forever, isn't she Mommy?"

That was the question Isabelle asked me after a frenetic tearing-apart of our entire house came up empty in a search for our beloved "Pretty Lamb". Isabelle never had a binky, nor a blankie. But she did have a lovey. She originally clung to her Peter Rabbit for a few months, and we thought he was a keeper.

Then one day, we had cleared baby stuff out of the closets and had it bagged up and ready to go to its new home. The Gund "Comfy Cozy Mini Lammy" was laying on top of one of the outgoing bags. (Meanwhile, Isabelle had never paid ANY attention to the thing while it was in her room). But for some reason, she saw it and fell into instant infatuation. Poor Peter Rabbit got a kick to the curb and her new lovey was affectionately named "Pretty Lamb". And she hasn't left Isabelle's side in over a year.

We have no idea where Pretty Lamb is, but she is gone. Possibly forever. We never let Iz take her out in public for fear of the very situation we find ourselves in now. We're hoping she turns up around here, peacefully napping in some box or secret hiding place.

Ironically, the saddest members of the family and actually Ed & I. Iz seems to have moved on and doesn't even ask for Pretty Lamb anymore, after only a few days. I wanted Pretty Lamb to live in her memory box for many years, but alas, it doesn't look promising. And she's discontinued at Gund so I can't even fake Isabelle out with a replacement.

So, R.I.P. Pretty Lamb. Our little girl is growing up so fast, she apparently doesn't need you anymore. But Ed & I do....so please come home.

Heartbreaker

I got slammed at work on Monday, worked late the last two nights and will be working late again tonight. So goes it with the job that I have. I have deadlines, and they usually are unrealistic. But I work from home, so how can I complain, right? Riiiiight.

I just went downstairs to refill my water glass and see the family. Isabelle was playing in the living room with her doll house, while Ed was doing some schoolwork on his computer. Isabelle's doll house people were "having a conversation" and the two little girls asked the Mommy to play with them. But Mommy said she was TOO busy.

The girls walked away sad, but found Daddy. They asked him to play with them and HE said yes.

Wow. Shot the heart. The doll house never lies.

Sugary Goodness

We made it to 11am mass this morning. Our last Mass was in Tampa two weeks ago. The weekend we got home from Florida, I was sick as a dog, comatose on the sofa. Plus, Ed and Isabelle were still getting over their colds. And considering I sneer at those people who come to Church hacking and sneezing all over the place, we decided it was best for the general community if we stayed home. We also missed Isabelle’s last class of Tumble Tots. Oh well, it happens.

Anyway, after Mass in Tampa, Ed & I were in desperate need of another cup of coffee. I asked if there was a Dunkin Donuts nearby. There just happened to be one just around the corner. So Ed, me, Isabelle, Mom-Mom Su-Su and Pop-Pop Bill all went to Dunkin Donuts and had juice, a donut, and coffee (well…not Isabelle on the coffee). She was a very good girl during Mass so we told her she got a treat for being so well-behaved. (Ed wasn’t so well-behaved but we still let him get a donut).

Two weeks later (today) we go to Mass. And it was quite the feat. It was raining, there was a traffic accident outside of our neighborhood, which had the road down to one lane, and Isabelle was acting up in the car after only 5 minutes. It wasn’t looking too promising. It would have been really easy to make a u-turn and head home. We even discussed that option.

But, we trudged on, made it to Church, and alas, she surprised us once again. She was quiet, non-squirmy, and paid attention (as much as a 3yo can). She said her “Our Father” loud and proud.

We got into the car after Mass and I thanked her for being such a GOOD girl today. She then said in her most precocious voice…”So, Mommy. Since I was sooooo good today, what do I get for my treat?” Really?

But, she got one. Lemon frosted cake at Starbucks (her choice, not mine….gross). (Well, we did need our post-Church coffee fix).

So, since we don’t bribe her with sugar before Mass, is rewarding her with sugar after good behavior such a bad thing?

Arachnophobia

When we were on vacation in Florida last week, Ed, Izzi, and I were hanging out in Mom-Mom and Pop-Pops backyard waiting for the Alligator to show up in the pond. (He did show up, by the way, but we only saw his snout and eye peeking out of the water for a few minutes).

Izzi had found a cool stick, just about her size, to use as a sword. She was marching around the backyard, swashing her sword, acting out her favorite fairytale – Beauty and the Beast. While she was sparring with the imaginary bad guys, she walked over to our bench and pointed to her sword and said, “Look, Mommy, it’s a Spider”.

Well, in case you readers have forgotten, I have a severe case of Arachnophobia. I can’t handle spiders in any size, shape, or form. My natural fight-or-flight instinct kicked in. I leapt from the bench, falling and screeching as I scrambled to get far, far away. (Don’t mind the fact that I left my poor daughter to fend for herself against the gigantic evil spider that was crawling on her sword).

It took Isabelle a few seconds to register what was going on, but she then became afraid…VERY afraid. She stood there shaking with the now-evil sword in her hand. Not sure what to do, she dropped the stick, started to scream and cry, and ran in the same direction I did.

Ed, in a moment of “what the hell is going on?” and trying to grab Iz to calm her down, started to laugh out loud at the scene. His two favorite girls, torn in a fit of fear, over a piece of….moss?

As it turns out, there was no spider. What Izzi thought was a spider was a big spiky (and kind of cool actually) piece of mossy grass stuff that grows around the pond in their backyard.

But it was too late. Isabelle is now afraid of spiders, and could possibly now be a lifelong arachnaphobe like her Mom. Sorry, Isabelle. Not all fairytales end happily ever after.

Yer So Nasty!

A few years ago, I was in Manhattan with Don and Susan. We were walking down the street when a Mother was walking toward us with a little girl, about the same age that Isabelle is now. She was screaming at her daughter, telling her how naaaaaasty she was. And I mean screaming! In a vile voice as nasty as she thought her own Toddler was. We wanted to grab the poor girl and take her to the nearest CPS office.

Fast forward to this week, Isabelle and I were at the First Mariner Arena in Baltimore. I took Isabelle to the “Disney on Ice – Princess Wishes” show. We had great seats, and had a lovely Mommy-Daughter Day together. And unfortunately, Isabelle learned a LOT of new words.

A group filed into the row in front of us about 30 minutes before the show started. Mom #1 with three kids – a boy about 7 years old, a girl about 4, and a baby in arms. Then came the other family – Mom #2 with a baby and a Toddler girl. Mom #2 went for food (taking her own baby) and left Mom #1 with her own 3 kids and the extra Toddler. Mom #1 went on for the next 20 minutes cussing up a storm at the 4 kids in her charge, including her own and the one that didn’t even belong to her.

Just to set the scene, the kids were being well-behaved by normal standards. But apparently, Mom #1 didn’t think so. Some overheard things were:

• STOP asking me for that! I told you NO and that means NO! (that part was fine). What f’n part of NO do you NOT understand? Maybe I should give you a good back-hand across your head to get you to understand!

• How about I pull your pants down in front of all these people and whoop you’re a$$, would that get your attention?

• (spoken to the “other” Toddler while Mom #2 was off getting food): I can’t believe your Mother bought you that $hit (talking about Cotton Candy). If you f’n get sick in my car again, I’m gonna be pi$$ed, you sick little monkey! (yes, she called this child a monkey and to make matters worse, she was definitively a mixed-race child).

• If you don’t sit down in that seat, I’m gonna split you’re a$$ open with a hacksaw when we get home so you won’t be able to sit for a week at school

I don’t know why I’m blogging about this other than it really affected me, not to mention Isabelle. She was staring at the woman with wide eyes and a mouth open. I didn’t know what to say. She didn’t understand why Mom #1 was so angry. I didn’t understand why Mom #1 even bothered to bring her children to a fun Disney on Ice show when she clearly didn’t have any interest in bringing joy to her childrens’ lives.

I’ll post a happier message about the day later this week because we really did have an awesome fun day. Love your kids, nieces, nephews, cousins, and grandkids. They really aren't nasty little beasts.

Where there is smoke, there is no fire...

This post is to serve as a public service announcement to my family and friends. Did you know that residential smoke detectors have a life expectancy of only 7 years? And if your smoke detector also offers CO detection, then the lifespan reduces to only 5 years? Because I didn't until last night.

Last night while making dinner, I had a kitchen full of smoke after putting a cold sauce into a too-hot skillet on the stovetop. The smoke was thick, I had to crack a window. And once I got some fresh air, my mind cleared enough to realize that neither of the TWO smoke detectors on the first floor of our house sounded.

Now, I am really good about taking care of my smoke detectors. I change the batteries when the clocks go forward and back. I dust them to make sure their vents are clear. I press the test button once a month to make sure they are working. (OK, I confess, I'm pyrophobic).

All systems were good to go. Until they weren't. When they did not trigger last night with all the smoke, I then got a match out and held fire right up to the detectors. The one in the living room finally triggered but the one in Isabelle's room never did.

I called the 800 number on the device and they informed me about the 5 and 7 year lifespans. Our detectors double as CO detectors so ours were in the 5-year category. Who knew???

Now the really scary thing is -- I just purchased that detector in 2007 when I was pregnant with Isabelle. We wanted Isabelle's room to have it's own detector since it's right off of the kitchen. But, when I called the 800 number they asked me for the manufacture date. (When you unscrew your detectors from the ceiling/wall, there is a teeny tiny little sticker on the back of the device that has a date - that is your manufacture date). Our detector had a date of 1999!!! I just bought it in 2007, which means I purchased a smoke detector that was already past its life expectancy when I brought it home. What???

So please, after you read this, go check all of your smoke detectors and/or carbon monoxide detectors. Unscrew them from the wall, check the date on the back and if they are older than 5 -- go buy new ones. I'm replacing all three of ours today, and I'll be checking the dates before I leave the store.

You learn something new every day. I'm glad I learned this lesson the easy way.

Overheard in the Wonderful World of Iz

I think some of the funniest moments as a parent are when you hear your own words coming back at you from your Toddler. The best part is when they regurgitate it several days later, and they use it in context. I believe I've posted about this scenario several times over the past year but I got another zinger today that I had to share.

Isabelle is home today for a snow day. Daycare was officially open, but we woke up to a pretty icy/sleety situation and it's going to turn over to snow at some point. It was just easier to keep her home. So she is playing, drawing, watching cartoons, etc. One of her cartoons was over and she wanted another episode on (we have several recorded on the DVR for just this kind of day).

I hold onto the remote control on days like this because Isabelle likes to think she knows how it works, but she totally doesn't. It can often take me several minutes to "undo" a series of buttons that she pushes on the remote control. So this morning, it was time to put a new episode on, but I couldn't locate the remote control. I must have had it in my hand when the phone rang, and placed it down in a very illogical spot. So when I tell Iz that I have to find the remote, she says....

"But, Mommy, you JUST had it in your hands....you MUST be losing your mind!"

Hilarious. Ed says that exact phrase about 10x every night. I think the whole family needs to start taking Ginkgo Biloba supplements to improve mental function.

The Power of Prayer

Isabelle has been praying at bedtime since she was born. Well, OK, I said a prayer over her crib for a long time, and then I recited the prayers for a while as she held her hands in prayer. But Daddy took the initiative to teach her the "Our Father" last year and she now recites it every night before bed.

I took the initiative a few months later to explain the "Our Father" to her, and why we have to tell God we're sorry that we sinned, and ask him to forgive us, and that we'll try to do better tomorrow, and how we have to forgive our friends when they are mean to us at school.

We then added an element of saying one thing we're thankful for after we pray. Ed says one thing, I do, and then we ask Isabelle to name one thing. In the beginning she was thankful for her wall. Her clock. Her door. She didn't really "get it". But in recent weeks, she finally has started to understand how it works and she comes up with some pretty good ones. She's thankful she got to talk to Mom-Mom SuSu on the phone, or that she had a good day at school, or that she learned a new song, or that it was a warm day (instead of a yucky cold day).

I just tonight added another element to prayer time of sending one special prayer out to someone who really needs it. Let's face it, there are a LOT of people in our lives who need an extra prayer these days, and I try to hit most of them during my own daily prayers. But for Iz, I thought it would be important to start getting her to understand that we don't just recite a memorized prayer and that's it. We have to pray for others as well as ourselves.

Tonight's special prayer went out to Ed's cousin, Kristy and her husband, Mike. Mike was diagnosed with Acute Lymphomic Leukemia in July 2009. He's been in and out of remission over the past 18 months and has hit another road bump in his recovery this week. He's in the ICU at the wonderful Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and he's fighting harder than any Doctor or Nurse has ever witnessed. He will hopefully be moved out of the ICU tomorrow after another scary week, with hopes of continuing to gain strength, platelets, and all those other things that Leukemia patients have to fight for...things that we all take for granted every day.

So, tonight's first night of "special prayers for others" with Isabelle went out to Kristy and Mike and their two children. And they will probably get Isabelle's special prayers for a while, until Mike clears yet another hurdle in his battle to health. Isabelle hasn't even met these people yet, but I'm hoping that might become even more of a lesson.

Happy New Year and Happy Festivus!

With New Years Day falling on a Saturday this year, we spent the "holiday" un-decorating our house from Christmas. We typically spend the Saturday after Christmas doing this thankless chore, but this year just happened to fall on the holiday. No biggie, we never have plans for the actual day, we're usually nursing a pretty heavy hangover so it's typically a low-key day in the Siler household.

We brought the storage bins to the Living Room and kind of un-decorated throughout the day, a little at a time. We put Isabelle down for a nap and when she woke up, the tree was still in the house, but without the beautiful sparkling ornaments and twinkling lights. She was DEVASTATED!

What happened to our "nornaments"? Where are the lights? Well, Christmas is over, Bean. So we have to take all the decorations down. Noooooooooooooooooooooo! I want Santa to come BACK!!!!

Oh he will, baby. You just have to wait 51 weeks, K?