October 3rd, 2008

It has been another long span of time since I've written last. I hate to let the funny or sweet things that happen here every day slip away without recording them. I just cannot find the time to sit down to write every day.

Baby #3 is due here in 28 days- although I'm pretty sure it will not be that long. We are getting very excited and VERY organized. I have a strong feeling that this baby is going to make our family feel very complete, at least for the time-being. My pregnancy has been relatively easy and painless. I've enjoyed it- up until recently when I started feeling as though I cannot move! I cannot wait to meet him/her.

Jack: Jack started school a month ago at St. Angela's Preschool. He loves it and had no problem going his first day- although I cried the whole way home after dropping him off. A quote I heard once as a teacher stuck with me- that once a child starts school, his parents are not his only influence in life anymore. And, that was hard for me to let go! His teachers are "another is Mr. Achetti and my other one is Mr. Kreuger" (as he puts it). Which, loosely translated means: One is Mrs. Pacetti and the other one is Mrs. Kreuger.
A firefighter came into his class the other day and he was nervous about the gas mask the guy tried on for the kids. This mask must have been connected to an oxygen pack on his back because Jack told me that night that the firefighter had 'hair in his backpack' (while pointing to his hair). It took me a while to figure out that he meant 'air'. Jack must have been very confused as to why the guy was walking around putting out fires with hair in his backpack.
He has a friend there named Danny, who he calls his 'new Danny', not to be confused with the 'old' cousin Danny (who is 3!!). The new Danny seems to miss his mom on some days, and Jack gives me that report as soon as he gets in the car. 'The new Danny was crying today". And then proceeds to tell me, in his sweetest voice, that he told him 'Don't worry, your mom will be right back.'
This sweet voice is the same one he uses on Mallie when she is crying. He calls her 'honey' sometimes or tells her to 'go find mom' in this high-pitched, honey-coated voice. He is usually pretty nice to Mallie. There are moments, of course that he gets frustrated when she takes his toys, usually. He yells at her or pushes her. But, for the most part, he enjoys her and thinks she's funny. He is trying to teach her how to talk. She really does try to repeat him more than anyone else. He had her saying 'diaper' clear as a bell the other day. He was trying to teach her how to catch a while ago. He kept saying 'Hold out your hands, like this' and then threw the ball at her, hitting her square in the chest. At which point, he'd say, 'Ahhh! No, Mallie. You can't do this. If you catch it I will give you some gum!'. Apparently, Tommy's been bribing him with gum when teaching him how to catch!!!
He wanted a basketball birthday party this year, so we went to the party store to buy the supplies. A half hour before the party, he changed his mind and wanted a football party. So, the following day (on his real b-day), I cut out footballs to tape over the basketballs in the garland and Tommy got a football ice cream cake for him. This was all well and good. However, Jack thought that he was 4 at his football party, since he had turned 3 the day before at his basketball party. It was very confusing and took a while to straighten out.
The following day, we were driving to his 3 year old check up at the doctor and I was trying to explain that Dr. Skoch was going to look in his ears and eyes and listen to his heart. For some reason he thought this was both the most ridiculous and hilarious thing he'd ever heard and, exasperated, he laughed, "You got to be kidding me! Yes, yes, you kidding me!"
At night when I put him to bed, we say prayers and then I sing him Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and say 'Good night little Bubba. I love you'. And he responds, "Good night little Mommy'. (It's my favorite!)

Mallie: Mallie is a character. She is very, very sweet and very, very sassy. She knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. She thinks her brother and father are hilarious and loves to hang out with them. She is trying to dance when they listen to music. She needs to work on her moves a little bit. There is a lot of arm-swinging and attempts to jump up and down (which usually result in her falling on her butt). She was walking about a week before her birthday and is everywhere now. She has a very determined gait. She bee-lines to whatever grabs her attention, usually with a toy cel phone held to her hear, barking 'Huh!?' (which sounds a lot like 'hello?') Mallie also loves to accessorize, which was something that surprised me early on. It amazes me how 'girly' she can be already! She loves walking around with sunglasses or hats on.
Mallie's favorite person on Earth is her Yaya. When she sees her Yaya, she immediately puts her arms up in the air, her eyes to the ground and makes a mad dash for her to pick her up, whining the whole way. Yaya loves this, and ALWAYS picks her up and then proceeds to kiss her a million times on her cheek or neck, while Mallie stands still as a statue. Claire and I find this display disgustingly sweet and have a hard time watching Mallie being spoiled from the inside out.
Mallie is in a reading mode right now. She loves books. If there is a book lying around, she will pick it up and bring it to whomever can read it to her. She thinks 'Red Hat, Green Hat" is hilarious and 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' is another favorite.
She is trying to talk desperately. She says, Mama, Dada, Jack (Jaaa- she almost whispers it), Baba, Book (Buh), Mooo (for a cow), barks when she sees dogs (or really any animal!!), makes a fish mouth for fish, 'baaah!' for Bye! (like a little southern belle!), 'paaa' for pacifier and 'muh' for more. She knows where her tummy and nose are. She will go and get anything you ask her to (diapers, wipes, bottles, toys, books, etc.) Her level of understanding is much higher than her expression right now, which must be frustrating. But, once she really gets talking, she'll have a LOT to say!!!
She loves to give bear hugs and kisses and is the best hugger ever. She'll put her head down on your shoulder and pat your back with her little hand. She is also a rough little thing and loves it when her daddy roughs her up. She jumps on the beds and couches and does face plants and thinks it's hilarious. She also waves to EVERYONE- especially in church or at the store. People love her everywhere we go. And she is interested in them, too. She is an excellent fake crier, also. She can go from whining/ frowning to interested and alert in no time, if she's faking. It's pretty funny to see.
Mallie LOVES to eat. She polishes off almost any dinner we put in front of her. I do not have to make her a seperate meal. And sometimes, she even finishes Jack's! In the morning, she sits in her seat at the table and when the waffle pops out of the toaster, she starts kicking and laughing and pointing! It's a very exciting time of day! She actually laughs a lot when she's eating. It's pure enjoyment!
I must admit that I'm having more fun dressing Mallie than I thought I would. Girl clothes are pretty fun to shop for and her outfits are great. Now that fall is here- we have entered tights season...which is my favorite and Tommy's worst nightmare, as he has STILL not learned how to put them on properly. If he changes her diaper, she inevitably comes down with bare legs.

With these two little characters running around the house, I can only think of what this next one is going to be like. I can't wait to see his/her personality and how it fits in to our household. It's very exciting. Jack thinks this is a girl baby and wants to name it 'Friend'. That's a little hippy for me.... but at least he's excited about it too!