Conversations with Zavion

Conversations with Zavion

One of the best things about having a three year old are the conversations that go along with that. The three year old mind is so fascinating to me, and some of my most favorite moments are of those listening to or conversing with Z.
Now, I truly believe Zavion is smarter than the average bear (nothing like being modest, huh? LOL!), so along with the normal three year old stuff, comes some amazingly perceptive, intelligent and even witty banter.
I've always tried to record these conversations and/or stories, so we can look back on them later. I've decided to share some of these here on the blog, and I am going to share these as a regular installment here.

Here are a couple to start with...

Z is eating lunch and I'm sitting at the table with him, holding Avalee. After staring at her for several seconds...
Z: Mom, does Avalee come from a planet?
M: She lives on the plant Earth. We all do.
Z: I don't live on Earth!
M: Where do you live then?
Z: I live on Jupiter! And, Mom? Can I go to Mars on a rocket ship?
M: Maybe someday you can...
Z: Mom, do you want to come with me? And, does Avalee want to come too? Do you want to share a red rocket ship seat with me?
M: I'd love to! :D







We're at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and Z is helping Grandma make dinner. A can of corn was starting to fall off the counter and Z caught it.
Grandma thanked him and told him he was her hero! Zavion says; “I'm not a Superhero. Superman saves people, I save corn!”

Crazy weather

So, last week the weather here was beautiful. It was in the 50s and all sunshine. We even got to go the park (see my previous blog) without coats! Then on Saturday we woke up to overcast skies. It's been cold and rainy since then. In fact, the last few days it's just been a near constant downpour! :0(
Today we woke up at 5AM (with the baby) and discovered it was SNOWING and sticking! When Z woke up at about 9AM, there was about a half inch to an inch of snow on the ground.
He got very excited and said “I see something outside!” I told him to go ahead and check it out. Once he saw the snow, he started screeching and yelling, “It's snow, SNOW!!” Colin was in the shower, so he ran to the bathroom exclaiming to him, “Snow Dad...SNOW! It's snow, snow, SNOW!”
I promised him we would go outside to play in it after I fed Avalee. He immediately ran off to get dressed (which is a miracle in itself, since it's usually a battle getting him dressed in the mornings) then started asking me at three minute intervals if it was time to go outside yet. ;0) In the meantime, he stood on the stool staring longingly outside.
Then the process of actually getting the three of us geared up to go outside was painstakingly long (for all of us). I had to stuff Avalee in her snowsuit, gather appropriate coats (Oregonians have several jackets for various weather types; rain, wind, cold, rain & cold, rain & wind, etc..., and you must have the proper type!), hats and gloves. Z was being patient, but kept asking, “Are you ready now Mom??”
We were finally ready, and when I opened the door, he took off like a shot (it reminded me of a dog who really needs to get outside to pee...LOL!). He started right in pelting me with snowballs, and I realized his dad must have taught him a thing or two, because he was very accurate!
After this guy and his grandson went to sled across the street, Z decided he just had to go to. I realized the stroller was in the car, which Colin took to work, so I had to carry A in the car seat across the street. I couldn't help Z launch off, because I had Avalee, and he was having some trouble. The guy told Z to come get on his sled and ride with his grandson (who was about Z's age). It was so nice, and both boys seem to really enjoy sledding together. They went down a few times, when Z decided he was too cold and wanted to go back home.
Z immediately turned on the fireplace, then asked for hot chocolate So, we ended up sitting in front of the fireplace wrapped up in blankets, drinking hot chocolate. :0)


Avalee 'enjoying' the snow. ;0)








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Z & his new friend

Girls day out

So, yesterday Liz and I decided to go to Portland to Babies R Us and the mall. There wasn't really a reason to go, just the call of cute baby things. :0)
We decided to take both girlies (Z got to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa) which was a lot of fun! It's the first time it's just been us girls, and although our little princesses are too young to experience much, it was still neat to have them with us.
I'm still getting used to seeing Liz as a Mommy and it did seem a bit surreal to be sharing that with her now. :D Feeding, changing and cooing with the girls' side-by-side was really fun and something I had been looking forward to for awhile.
The girls were pretty well behaved; as well as a two month old and almost two month old can be. It was funny though that there was only one calm one at a time. ;0) If Avalee was happy and/or sleeping, Madisen was crying and vice versa. We also received quite a few questions about whether they were twins, which was amusing (they look nothing alike!). Everyone else just wanted to stare at them and marvel about how close in age they seemed to be (by the end of the trip, I think we were just automatically saying "Yup, they're only a month apart" to anyone who approached).
I didn't get any pictures of our expedition, because we had our hands full with two babies, two diaper bags, two purses, etc...! ;0)
But, here are some past pics of the two of them; pictures I'm sure they'll fondly look back on when they're older. ;0)

Their first picture together--the day after Madisen was born



















I love this pic! It just might be possible that we might see a similar pic in 21 or so years. ;0)

















Play-date time! Wait...don't they have to both be awake for that??

















Oh, they're so going to kill us for these!

Phone pictures

I take a lot of pictures-a lot. I always have my phone with me and won't hesitate to whip it out and snap pics of anything and everything. Of course, a lot of the pics are of the kids being cute... But there are also just as many of things I find silly, weird or just plain crazy (and some of those are of the kids too). It seems a crime not to share them with everyone, so I'm going to update the blog weekly with some of said pics.
Enjoy! :0)

When you come around the corner and see this, it cracks you up. I don't care if you're having a bad day; you will laugh.
















They were having a sale.
















Really??
















I'm a cool mommy and made mini corndogs and curly fries (both homemade) for dinner. When you make mini corndogs and curly fries, you have to make them into a kooky face.

























Superman helping to make banana bread. The best part of this picture is the look on his face.

A day at the park...

It's been so beautiful this week, it seemed almost like a crime not to go out and enjoy it! When Z asked to go to the playground at the school across the street, it seemed like a good time to head over to the park. Once I realized this would be our first outing with just me, Z and A and at the park no less, I started to get a little nervous (what if he needed help on the monkey bars while I was feeding her??-what if Avalee pooped or threw up on her clothes??). I knew if I kept thinking about it, I'd talk myself out of going. So, I did the only thing possible to ensure we would actually go; tell Z we were going.
Our destination was Wes Bennett park, which is a new park just a few blocks away. It has two different play structures for all ages of kids, lots of room to run and in the Summer, a splash fountain. Z loves it there, and is always begging to go!
Once he knew we were going, he was on his best behavior. Instead of the normal half hour of trying to get him ready to go out, it only took five minutes! He got himself dressed, combed his hair and put his shoes on by himself. ;0)
Once we got there, he was so well behaved! He patiently waited while I struggled with the stroller. Then he found a couple new little friends just his age to play with. I was so happy and proud to see him playing so well with the little girls. They were piling up bark chips and 'making' chocolate chip cookies. It was adorable to watch and I made a promise to myself to come back to the park more often, so he could have playtime with other kids. :0)

Ikea

So, we went to Ikea yesterday and attempted to shop. I say 'attempted' because when you are trying to traverse Ikea on a holiday that everyone else in the world has off with a 3 year old and a 2 month old, things can be a bit tricky. Add into that, both kids are sick and it was pretty exhaustive! Z just wanted to run around everywhere, and it was so packed I was getting a little scared he would just disappear (one of my paranoias...crazy kid snatchers around every corner!). Trying to keep him strapped into the cart proved pretty unsuccessful, and he only calmed down after Dad took him out to the car for awhile. And, poor Avalee was all snotty and I had to keep torturing her by sucking our her little nose.
Then, it turns out the dresser (for Z) we went all the way there for was out of stock! Ugh! We did pick up a few other essential items, but now have to make another trip up there for the dresser.
Oh well, at least I got a lunch at Schlotzkys out of it. YUM! :0)

Avalee and Grandma after our yummy Schlotzky's lunch (well, A didn't have Schlotzky's, but her lunch was still yummy ;0))

Sickies

These last couple weeks our entire household has had this icky cold. It started with Colin; he had a nasty chest cold that lasted awhile. I thought we were in the clear, because none of us had come down with it. Then, Z woke up one morning with a full blown cold. I always dread when he gets sick, because he’s one of those really annoying sick people. ;0) He goes from being whiny and clingy to hyper and ornery. Then there’s the fact that I have to practically chase him down and attack him just to wipe his nose. *sigh* While dealing with him, I realized I had become sick too! I think the lack of sleep I’ve been getting along with having to work extra hard to take care of the kids finally took its toll on me. And then, just when I thought Z was starting to feel better, he woke up one night with a really horrible cough. It immediately got my attention, because it was a different cough than what he had. Colin and I went to check on him, and he was just wheezing, coughing and gasping for air. I knew by the sound of the cough that he had something more than a cold, but we had to wait until the morning to call the pediatrician. In the meantime, my poor baby boy was just so miserable, and scared. He kept leaning up against me and crying. Then he’d look at me and I just knew he wanted me to fix him. It broke my heart!
Colin stayed home from work the next day and took Z into the doctor. It turned out he had croup, and they gave him some medicine there. We ran the humidifier that night, and the next day he was much better.
A few days later, Avalee started getting sick. It’s always so sad when an infant is sick, because they are just so helpless. :0( We had to keep using the bulb syringe on her nose, which she hates! She kept sneezing and had a little cough too. I was keeping a close eye on her because the pediatrician told us it was more dangerous for her to get croup. Well, wouldn’t you know it, but one evening I heard the distinct barking cough sound. I was really hoping she wouldn’t get it, since she’s breastfed (and getting all those important nutrients!), but there it was. So, another trip to the pediatrician (only one day before her two month check-up too) and some meds for Avalee. So, now her croup has subsided, but the cold is still holding on. Her pediatrician says it may last another week. *Ugh* She’s usually so happy, but has been so miserable, especially at night. :0( I’m so proud of her though, because she’s such a little trooper and still smiles and coos at us even as she’s stuffed up and snotty.

Zavion making silly faces (what else is there to do when you're sick? ;0))


She's still a pretty Princess, even when she's sick


I'm sick Mom :0(


Sick baby :0(

Avalee's two month checkup

So, the little lady had her check up today, and is doing fabulous (of course!).
Miss Chubby now weighs 10lbs 11 oz and is 23 ½ in long. For those of you keeping score; she's in the 75% for weight and 50% for height. I just love having a little chunky baby (although I don't love carrying Her Chunkness around, especially in the car seat!), especially since Z has always been so skinny.
Her pediatrician also checked out the normal developmental things, and I had to laugh when he asked if she was starting to smile. This girl loves to smile (see previous post)!! So much so, that she'll actually stop crying temporarily to give me her little rainbow smile (as if to say; “Don't worry Mommy. This won't last long.”) or even stop eating (gasp!) to smile up at me.
So, basically she is perfectly perfect...oh, and still cute as ever!!


Nope, this pic has nothing to do with this post...but isn't she adorable?!

Seven weeks

Avalee will be two months old next week! The little Princess is just amazing! Like her big brother, she is just so smart (I know, impartiality here right ;0)). She recently started focusing more on people and objects. She will just look around the room or study our faces. But, the most adorable new thing is that she tries to kiss! She has always loved affection and really responds to getting kisses (kicks her feet, waves her arms around). When Z leaned in to give her a kiss one morning, she actually craned her neck toward him and tried puckering up. I don't think I've seen anything quite as cute! Now, it's become regular practice for her to start pursing her lips when she sees someone coming in for a kiss or even when you make a kissy sound. Adorable!
She is also an incredible happy, tranquil baby. She is rarely upset and usually only fussy if I can't feed her fast enough. ;) I call her "Smiley" because that's what she does all the time. It's just so much fun to interact with her and get big smiles and giggles. And, even better is that she's starting to 'talk' now too. I love this stage because I think those baby coos are one of life's greatest sounds! I just love conversing with her and getting those adorable little "aah" or "ooh" responses. I just know she's storing all those conversations away, so she can amaze us with her vocabulary when she starts talking (just like Z). :)