If you ever need some filler to make the $25 Amazon minimum for free shipping (or have Amazon Prime), consider these OXO Good Grips Bag Clips for around $6. I've ordered them for the second time now, since four was never enough. We always have bags to clip (cereal, crackers, etc.) and these handy clips stick to the fridge so they're easy to find. They also serve a double purpose to hold shopping lists and artwork on the fridge as well, although the magnet can only hold so much, and sometimes it starts sliding down the door of the fridge. I'm sure it won't be long before I order another set (I think the red one has made it into M's toy box).

Tags: Amazon, food

At J's 4-month well check earlier this month, he got the standard immunizations (DTaP, HIB, IPV, Prevnar). In addition, he also got the second dose of the (relatively) new rotavirus vaccine. I was not able to make this visit, so J captured this hilarious moment on film for me (rotated for viewing ease). What a funny baby. Unfortunately, he wasn't as thrilled about the other ones, but luckily, J didn't photograph those.

Tags: A, health

We bought this DVD last summer, when M started expressing an interest in learning the alphabet. Brief Review

Tags: Amazon

It seems like I've posted a lot about M lately, perhaps because we take so many photos of him. Of course, I take photos of A too, but for now, they mostly consist of him rolling around, or being held by one of us. He's starting to become more active now, and even rolled over completely (back to front) for the first time over the weekend. It was pretty hilarious when he did it too. He's been trying to roll over for a little while now, but until now, has always gotten stuck at the last part where he needs to roll his shoulder around:



Over the weekend, A spent some more time trying to roll over, and during this particular instance, M and I were horsing around on the living room floor. All of a sudden, the room was really quiet and I looked over and said "Hey, A flipped over!" He had stopped struggling and was calmly enjoying his new view. Fortunately, J had the camera out and snapped a photo (you can see us wrestling in the background):



A is now over four months old and getting bigger by the day. He is pretty dense, weighing over 16 pounds now (going to catch up to M soon, who is a lightweight two-year-old at about 25 pounds). Unfortunately, A has some kind of respiratory virus as well as an ear infection right now (the perils of having two young children in daycare), so he's been uncomfortable to say the least. Poor guy - the antibiotics are making his tummy sad now too - we're on the lookout to ward off the pending diaper rash.

Tags: A

M and I made banana bread over the weekend (or "nana" bread, as he says it). It was a fun indoor activity (it's been too cold here in the mornings to go outside) and was easy enough to make. This was the first time he's helped me bake anything and it worked out pretty well.

First, he peeled some bananas:


Then we measured out and melted the butter:


Next came yogurt, eggs, and mashing:


Then we mixed the dry ingredients, starting with flour and sugar:


A pinch of salt, some baking soda, and a good squish:


We mixed and poured the batter into loaf pans and put them in the oven:


Less than an hour later, we had a yummy homemade snack:


A kept himself busy looking at his fist much of the morning:

Tags: food, M

This has been a busy week, despite the fact that Monday was a holiday. I've been pretty wiped out at the end of each day (J and I have been getting up around 5:30am at the latest, to make sure I can get to clinic by 8). And many days I've gotten up earlier than that so I can do some reading. And we had class until 8:30pm the other night. Good thing I'm on Family Medicine - I think having two children is noticeably more difficult on the wards, because every spare minute counts for a lot more. In any case, here's a photo of M playing with my laptop. He knows he is not supposed to play with it unless I am with him, and over the weekend, he learned how to type letters. He can identify most letters now, and found it fascinating that he could push a key and have it show up on the screen. Now he asks to "push letter buttons" when he sees my computer.

On an unrelated note, I noticed that a recent post about our Christmas road trip had not been showing up online lately. I uploaded it again and you can find it here.

Tags: M

Pancakes are a given most weekends in our household, and these transportation-themed molds make breakfast even more fun to eat. Brief Review

Tags: food

I don't know if it's because I started clerkships again, but M has been clinging to J a little bit more these days. Even though I am on Family Medicine, which is considered light in terms of hours (8am-6pm on clinic days, 8-5pm on class days, and a few night classes), I am not around as much. Sometimes I leave before the kids go to daycare and occasionally don't come home until after they go to bed. Of course, A doesn't seem too affected, but M definitely notices. The other day, when I told him that I love him, he said, "No, I like Daddy." He's still learning about the concept of liking and loving, so I am sure that he doesn't really understand what he is saying, but it stings nonetheless. He doesn't quite get that you can like more than one thing or person at a time. But even considering that, it's clear that he has a tendency to prefer J right now (this is not new to me, as there have been other times during his life so far that I have been away a lot). When I was on my medicine and surgery rotations, I usually didn't see M (awake) until my day off, which was really hard, and now I'm reminded of those feelings again. I guess I am glad that J is able to be there when I'm not, but I still feel sad about it sometimes. I don't know what it is about being a mom that makes it so hard (J didn't feel bad when he had tough months at work and couldn't spend more time with the kids). Either it's just because he doesn't have to do it as much and so doesn't feel like it happens a lot, or there's something different about the way we feel towards being around the kids. It's probably a bit of both. In any case, it's under these circumstances that It's most tough to be a mom in medical school.

Tags: M, J

We wanted to include M in the New Year festivities this year, but it would be impossible for him to be awake at midnight for a little celebration. So we recorded the Times Square ball drop and countdown and replayed it 5 minutes before M's bedtime (7pm) the next day. After his bath and dinner, we brushed his teeth and poured water to "toast" and then waited for the countdown (we had practiced counting backwards from 10 all week long). When the ball finally dropped (how tacky and irritating was it to have "Discover Card" plastered along the bottom of the countdown in lights?), we clinked our cups of water and took a sip. Then I gave him a kiss and he kissed me back. M loved it and immediately afterwards, pointed at the TV and said "more, more!" I explained to him that we only do it once a year and that we could do it again "next time," which he was satisfied with. In any case, here' s a shot of one of my best New Year's kisses so far. (A slept right through it, and it didn't seem right to wake him). We'll probably be doing this for a few years, or at least until they are old enough to try and stay up until midnight.

Tags: holiday, M

What a crazy Christmas wedding weekend we had. Now that it's several weeks out, I can finally look back at it with some perspective. It was the first road trip we've taken since A was born. There were a few things that made life easier:

1. Driving at night. Even though we were both pretty tired afterwards, it really helped to be able to concentrate on driving to get there as soon as possible without worrying about the kids screaming in their car seats. We left around 9pm each time and arrived around 3am. Yikes! (but it was worth it). Coffee helped a bit.
2. Packing things that helped the kids feel comfortable: the Euro tub, a big container of toys and books (including a few new ones), favorite blankets, lots of snacks, an ice chest (with ice, milk, water, and yogurt), the baby swing, a play/sleep mat (a steal at Costco for about $35), the play pen, DVDs, and a booster seat.
3. Having a minivan (essential for #2 and #4), which we got when A was born. J is currently working on a review.
4. Packing many items into large clear plastic storage bins, so that they would stack easily in the car and be easy to move around if needed (diapers, toys, pump and bottles).
5. Packing clothes and toiletries into a separate duffel bag for each child, so everything would be easy to find.
6. Trying to stay close to our usual routine in terms of naps and bedtime. This meant me having to miss much of the wedding banquet so that I could get the kids to bed.

Despite everything we did, it was still hard on the kids, particularly M, who is happiest when our days are predictable and relaxed. Instead, it was very chaotic (it was a wedding after all) and there were tons of relatives who wanted to meet him. He did quite well in terms of not having any meltdowns, but I could tell that he was uncomfortable with all the attention and only felt safe in my lap or in J's arms. He usually does well playing with other young children as long as he has a few minutes to acclimate, but the wedding was a zoo! Even I felt overwhelmed with all the people and noise.

We were all glad to return home, especially since we had presents waiting for us under the tree. This was the first Christmas that M has really been aware of, and he quickly became a pro at opening gifts. He was a bit on edge for the next day or two, but once we settled into our regular routine again, he was fine.

Here are two photos from the gift unwrapping event. M is opening a play food set (from Costco, to go with his kitchen) and a ukulele. And yes, these were shot on the same day (Andrew had a wardrobe incident).

Tags: travel, holiday

Sorry I've been a bit slow with the posts lately - it's been such a hectic break! In any case, here's a random photo of myself and A on a very cold afternoon a week or two ago.

Tags: A

This is a terrific board book that I got for M early last year, and he's loved it from day one. Book Review

Tags: books, Amazon

A few weeks ago, I posted about M's Christmas present - a KidKraft Island Kitchen. We finally built it a few days ago, and I have to say that I am quite impressed with the set. First of all, it's very cute and relatively compact. It has activites on both sides, so it's not meant to be pushed up against a wall, but it has a smaller footprint than most kitchens I've seen. I like the primary colors too, since it's much more gender neutral. It didn't take too long to put together either (about 30 minutes), and has a solid feel to it. The clear plastic on the oven and microwave doors are a nice touch too. As expected, M loves it, and really enjoys cooking his pretend food. The cooking set we have really goes quite well with it too. I am sure it'll entertain him for quite some time.

You'll notice in the photo that he loves the paper towel dispenser, which we've had to re-roll a few times already (I don't really mind). We're really happy with this purchase (~$120 shipped from Costco.com). The only thing I'd change is to add an inner shelf to the refrigerator. This particular kitchen is no longer available, but a pastel version is online for $130 shipped. A larger pastel kitchen set is also available for about $160 shipped.

Tags: toys, Costco, M

2006 was a good year. Let's hope 2007 is even better.

Tags: holiday