Five Months!

The Help

When Shawna was expecting her twins, and later, when they were newborns, we both couldn't believe how often she was asked, "You have help, right?"

I never expected this question to be directed at me, but apparently with three children, it's customary to call in the cavalry.  People stop me all the time as I'm herding Joey and Clara around, and carrying the carseat in the crook of my arm: "Wow! You have your hands full! Do you have help?" Or, "You make it look so easy! You must have help!"

Well, I'm here to tell you that yes, I do have help. It's live-in, legal, (mostly) English-speaking, and best of all, free! We just have to supply the step stool.

Flying High

Joey's world hit a high note on Saturday, when he, Tim, and Grandma Cecchin got front-row seats to see the Blue Angels fly over the San Francisco Bay. He was amped about this excursion for weeks beforehand, especially because he knew he would get to meet a former Blue Angel in person -- a colleague of Tim's, who set up their Marina Green VIP tent.

Even when he's not meeting pilots the following day, Joey is too excited to sleep half the time. So it shouldn't have been that surprising to discover him wide awake at 2 a.m. Saturday morning, feverishly coloring in the family room so that he could present some artwork to "Pilot Matt."

Here he is shyly giving his masterpiece to "Pilot Matt," not to be confused with "Matt, Megan's Daddy." He may not be able to remember his teacher's name, but he has retained every shred of information he knows about Pilot Matt, including the number that was on his plane. Here, Matt's #4 jet is going vertical into the sun, with Joey and the rest of our family observing from below.

Thanks to Grandma Cecchin for taking these pictures! I stayed home with Clara and Molly, and when we reunited, Joey sputtered, "You shoulda been there!!! This was my most super favorite day ever!!"

Looming Intervention

The Law of Imminent Facial Surgeries states that an infant's thumb-sucking addiction will increase in the weeks preceding surgery. The baby will also develop another closely related, and equally alarming habit: tummy sleeping.

Girls are from Earth, Boys are From Jupiter

Joey's recent interest in planets exploded when we informed him that Uncle Kyle was actually born on Jupiter. He's become obsessed with a library book about this mysterious place, but already seems more skeptical than Kyle was of this story at the same age.




"But Mommy, how did God get Uncle Kyle back down to Earth??"

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Molly May's Special Day

We decided to really break in our back yard, and threw two huge parties on back-to-back weekends. The guest of honor this weekend? Molly May. She was baptized at our new parish church here in Moraga, and we had a wonderful day celebrating our very special little girl, surrounded by our families.

Molly was smiley and unflappable throughout the baptism, and beamed several sweet smiles directly at the priest -- he later told us that she was one of the happiest and smiliest babies he's ever baptized!

Everyone headed back to the house after the baptism, and we snagged some godparent pictures, as well as some extremely rare family photos!

Thanks to all who helped us celebrate, especially Molly's godparents, John and Stacey!

Rock n' Roll

At four and a half months, we have a roller! Unfortunately, no one witnessed Molly's back-to-stomach feat this morning... we were smack in the middle of our breakfast chaos. Hopefully this won't be the case for all of her milestones!

Off to start babyproofing ;)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Today at Target, surrounded by my brood, and attempting to print a baby registry at a computer kiosk, I somehow was mistaken for a Target employee. A Target employee who was out of uniform and had decided to bring all of her children to work. These details seemed irrelevant to the 75 year-old woman who accosted me.

"Ma'am, I locked my keys in the car, and I need you to call Triple A."

Despite the fact that I abhor being called ma'am, I obliged. After receiving help from complete strangers many times over the past few months, I was happy to pay it forward, despite two monkeys cavorting at my feet, and a baby who was unhappy and being vocal about it. I pulled out my cell phone, located the emergency roadside service number for AAA, and, most impressively, showed this elderly lady how to speak into an iPhone.

I then waited for what seemed like forever for her to get off my iPhone, so I could go about my business -- namely, bribing children to be good in Target by heading straight to the toy aisle.

But then, an actual Target employee appeared on the scene, and was entranced by my kids.

"Wow, you have your hands full!" she said. "And one more on the way, too!!" She cast a knowing look directly at my stomach.

She looked like she could have been mentally challenged. I'm really clinging to that.

One of These Kids is Doing Their Own Thing

One of our favorite things about Lamorinda is that everything seems to cater to young families, even the gyms! Our new gym not only provides awesome childcare while we work out -- the most powerful incentive I've ever had to do some cardio! -- but classes for kids are also included in the membership.

For the fall session, white belt Tae Kwon Do and Beginning Dance happened to be scheduled at the same time, in studios right next door to each other. In other words, the stars aligned perfectly in my mommy world, and I'm able to usher Joey and Clara into their respective activities, take a seat in an armchair where I can see both classes, and nurse Molly for a peaceful half hour.

Here's Clara, going against the grain in a class that is exploding in pink (thanks Aunt Meredith, for helping out this novice mom and supplying our little dance student with everything she needed for class!). Thanks to her birthday party, Clara now has an assortment of tutus in every color imaginable!

Meanwhile, Joey was the lone student in his class who wasn't properly outfitted for Tae Kwon Do... next week we'll be more on the ball!

Tales Out of School

Anthropologists interested in the differences between the sexes need only ride shotgun in my SUV after a school pick-up. I never realized just how different boys and girls could be before shuttling two of these little creatures to and from academia.

On Teachers

Clara: "Mommy, I love Miss Luci. She helped me use the bathroom, and let me paint, AND let me play with Play-Doh!"


Joey: "Mommy, what are my teachers' names again?"
Mommy: "Miss Kristi and Miss Jill."
Joey: "Oh yeah. Miss Kristi and Miss Jill. Miss Kristi and Miss Jill. Miss Kristi and Miss Jill. Miss Kristi and Miss Jill. Miss Kristi and Miss Jill. I need to remember that."
(One minute passes.)
Joey: "Mommy, what are my teachers' names again?"

On Playing

Clara: "I helped Henry a lot today. Can I play with Brooke at her house?"

Joey: "Well, I play kind of rough at school. Some kids play more gently, so I don't play with them. I don't play soooo rough that I hit or kick anyone, or kill anyone, though."

Mommy: "Oh, good. That's a relief."

On Discipline

Clara: "Mommy, I'm so sorry. I was bad during clean-up time. Miss Luci said 'Clean up, clean up! Everybody clean up!' And I didn't. I sorry."

Joey: "Playing on the playground is not so fun when the teacher says you can't play with swords. Why can't you play with swords, Mommy?"

A Losing Proposition

After a trying day with a little sister, Joey resorted to making this sign for his door... we think he may be in serious denial.

"Copper Top" at Four Months

Molly May got a new nickname last week, when a mom at Joey's soccer class peeked in her stroller, and said, "Well, hello, little Copper Top!"

At four months, Molly's red hair and big blue eyes are her most complimented features, and she's earning her keep around here with another outstanding trait -- sleeping through the night for the last month and a half! She's starting to really enjoy kicking at and grabbing toys, and is probably a week or so away from rolling. She got propped up in the exersaucer for the first time today, and couldn't believe the view!

She had her 4-month checkup at the pediatrician last week, and despite her slow start, is chunking up in true Cecchin style. She weighed in at 13 pounds, 5 ounces (50th percentile), and is 24.25 inches long (25th percentile). She vehemently objected to having her head measured (maybe she knew this was a sensitive topic for big brother Joey?), but was relieved to learn that her noggin is safely in the 50th percentile.

Extra-Wide Smile

Could that smile and that dimple be any more adorable? It's getting more infectious by the minute, which makes her looming lip repair -- now scheduled for October 29 -- a bittersweet date on our calendar. We're looking forward to having this milestone behind us, but we're dreading seeing a different smile, and dealing with what may be a really uncomfortable recovery for our little "copper top."

Molly May turned four months last week, and had checkups at both UCSF - where her surgery will take place - and her regular pediatrician. She turned on the charm at both locales, and met the entire cleft team at UCSF, including the director, geneticist, nurse, social worker, speech specialist, and, of course, her surgeon. Her cleft is still one of the most minor they have ever seen, and her crooked cupid's bow was was referred to more than once as "cute." A few of the cleft team members couldn't hide their shock at how minor her cleft was, and the speech specialist (who happened to be looking at her while she was asleep, and her lips were completely relaxed), asked us, "Why is she here??" We feel very fortunate to have one of the least challenging and complicated cases on their docket right now, especially after meeting other families in the waiting room. One dad peeked into her carseat, and said, "Wow, did she already have her surgery?"

The cleft may be small, but it still is definitely a candidate for correction, and the earlier the better, according to our surgeon. Her skin will heal faster, her scar will be more minimal, and it's best to do the procedure before the baby is crawling and walking. It's also easier to manage a 5 month-old during the recovery process than a willful toddler. We'll have our work cut out for us, though, with Molly in arm restraints for two weeks, and strict instructions that she can't have fingers, thumb or pacifier in her mouth while her lips heal. We have a confirmed addict on our hands, so this may be as painful for us as it will be for her!

Luckily, she'll still be able to breastfeed -- which may be our secret weapon for pacifying an out-of-sorts baby on pain medication!

Wish us luck!

Princess Palooza

Clara channeled her inner princess on Saturday and partied it up with 35 kids under the age of four. They bounced, zoomed, and toddled their way around our new backyard -- most in costume as princes and princesses -- while their moms and dads enjoyed slushy margaritas and yummy BBQ! Thanks to everyone who joined us and helped us celebrate both our birthday girl and our new digs!

Here's the birthday girl in action, as Cinderella.

We invited kids to come dressed in full regalia...

King Mark decided to come in costume as well -- any excuse to break out the kilt and sword!

The bouncehouse was happening, as was the castle:

But the most popular attraction proved to be the cake!

Tim and I each caught the birthday girl before she flitted off to play again.

It wasn't all about Clara... I managed to catch up with a lot of friends while Molly snoozed on me, and we also snagged some pictures with Molly and her Lamorinda BFFs.

We had many outtakes and blooper photos -- thanks to Crystal and Heather for capturing some of these moments!

Joey was at the center of a love triangle, but in typical male fashion, he was oblivious to the drama (Megan was highly put out that Joey was playing with a new little Moraga buddy!).

All three of the 17 month-olds -- Tessa, Annie, and Olive -- set about demolishing the remains of the ice cream cake when no one was watching.

And finally, Clara proved that pearls dress up any attire, even red polka dot underwear.

Now, time to get this kingdom cleaned up!