Another country heard from

Oh my, it's been ages since I last posted. And there have been good reasons for this (lack of) development, honest, but none really all that blogworthy. And I am planning some changes around here, here meaning in both my virtual and my real worlds, so that has been taking up some time, but really I have just been slacking and once the regular posting slips away from you, it's hard to get back on the wagon, because then you (or me) are caught in the perpetual cycles of "So Much Guilt Over Not Posting" and/or "Need Something Momentous to Happen to Justify Posting Now" and/or "Too Much Has Happened Now to Catch Up" and/or...you get the idea.

But wait, what's that I see up ahead? Is that...I think it just might be...it IS! A fresh start! Huzzah!! Let's just put all this behind us and move on, shall we?

What about some updates on the kiddies? J is an emotional roller coaster, so volatile I can hardly handle him some days, literally. (And yes, I mean "literally" for those of you who care--often he is in such a tizzy he won't let me pick him up. Unheard of!) At least he's learned that sometimes yelling "I need a nap" in the midst of one of his meltdowns results in almost immediate relief. He often gets up from naps now and greets me with "I feel better, Mommy." J continues to thrill and chill me with his love of all things aquatic. He practices "swimming" with the husband and taught himself to dive on his own, though really all he's doing is a slow drown most days. He loves the new car (oh, yes, did I forget to mention that? see what I mean??), calling it "the tall, tall, TALL car" and holding onto his car seat and yelling "Hold on, E" or "hold on, dinosaur" or, today, "hold on, other drink" when we go around on and off ramps. J's sense of humor develops daily, amusing everyone who hears his whimsical pronouncements. He's a crack up to be around; talking children are SO much more fun!

Meanwhile, E is growing. Nope, that's it, nothing else, just growing. The child is HUGE! At his 4 month check up, he weighed in at an impressive 19 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 26 3/4 inches. As the doctor said, we are not worried about him because he is both big AND tall, 98th percentiles in both, but his head measures in the 50th percentile so he will undoubtedly slim down. I sure hope so! As it is, he's in 9-12 month clothing and fast on his way to being able to wear some of J's current duds. He's a happy boy, smiling lots and sleeping lots, though the latter in maddeningly erratic ways: three nights ago, he slept from 8pm to 4am, then we had a night of eating twice, which hardly happens now, then a night of not wanting to sleep in his own bed for more than two hours at a time, and then last night he slept from 9-ish until 4am again. But even this confusing cycle is SO much better than how J was sleeping at his age that I can only complain a teeny, tiny little bit!

So, as I mentioned, changes both real and virtual afoot. More on them to come in a timely manner. I promise!