We’re two for two!

We have managed to produce two children that reach the age of one year and simply will not allow other family members to hold them at family functions. It’s got to be either Laura or myself holding Georgia at family gatherings although she doesn’t mind playing around on the floor either. But if you are a member of Laura’s family and you pick up Georgia, be prepared…she will explode with emotions and none of them are palatable to either the ear (very, very loud screams that escalate with each breath she takes) or the eyes (an image of a pretty little blue-eyed girl who's turned red with fear and is screaming incessantly).

Last night’s Memorial Day gathering of Laura’s family was a prime example of Georgia’s fear of large doses of her extended family. I’ve never had her cling to me the way she did last night. Whenever someone would walk up to me while I was holding her she would instinctively avoid eye contact with the oncoming agitator and hold on to me for dear life. I kinda enjoyed it…its nice being her “home base”. Usually it’s Laura who’s the person she trusts and relies on for comfort and security but I got a little taste of it last night.

The funny thing is that I can vividly recall Parker acting like that as well when she was around a year old. I don’t recall any other children in Laura’s family having the same aversion to people holding them but hey, we’re two for two!!

Part of it is the magnitude of it all. Laura’s family gatherings consist of around 20 people which makes it pretty chaotic so it’s understandable how a little girl is scared. I don’t think any of her cousins were as defiant about being held by anyone other than their parents as she is.

The good news is Parker used to be like that and now she’ll jump into anyone’s arms for a hug or a kiss or even a cuddle.

Now here's a picture of Georgia gladly being held by her cousin Isaac at Easter. It was a different atmosphere than last night, it was at our house and less chaotic.

Nothing's Changed When it Comes to Washing Seasquirt

This is Parker at 20 months. She is extremely upset that her blanket (it was called "booey" at the time) is getting washed.

Here is Parker at age 3 having the same reaction to "Seasquirt" getting washed.

T.W.I.P. Notes (This Week In Parenting)

Little Girl Growin' Up.

I spent quite a bit of time babysitting little Georgia this past weekend. I really enjoyed the time we spent together. It seems the older she gets (she's 10 months now), the more I enjoy spending time with her. It was the same way with Parker I recall-maybe even earlier with Parker. We spent some alone time together on the front lawn Saturday as well as Sunday. We both enjoyed it I think. She's trying so hard to stand up, I admire her will.

She loves playing a game I refer to as Roley-Poley. That's where she rolls around the couch amidst several pillows while engaging in the most enigmatic laughter and "yowls of joy" that a girl of her minimal age could produce. She loves it.

I hope she's always this happy, it makes life so much enjoyable when you're kids aren't whining or crying but rather are happy with where they are and who they're with. Crying children will wear you out. Hopefully the following weekends will produce more laughter and fun for all of us.

Parker's been referring to her as "Georgie" as of late. I think it'd be more ironic to call this pretty little girl "George" but it just doesn't seem right.

"Hello Julie"

I just came across this clip of PJ when she was 22 months old. It is so cute I just had to post it. She used to pretend to talk to Julie on the phone.

Translation:

Hi Julie. Hi Julie. Hi. You have kids there? Do you want to come get Parker? ...and go to Cyndi's house? You have kids there? Hi Julie. Hi. You coming over to get Parker and go to Cyndi's house?

Mother's Day Card 2009

My attempt at creating the "Powers Family Flow Chart" didn't really go as planned but I made the best of it. That wedding picture of ours looks like a photo taken from an episode of Ryan's Hope from 1978 for some reason.

To actually see a legible version you can double-click on the picture.

Manipulation 101

Parker’s learned this oh so well. Usually it’s futile and it’s not difficult to determine her ultimate goal in her attempt at parental manipulation. And I understand she’s only a few months past three so she’s going to get better at it. It’s usually a meager attempt at getting candy (“Daddy, I am soooooo hungry”) or at bedtime when she doesn’t want to go to sleep she’ll demand an extra hug or (“Daddy, I’m soooo thirsty, I need a drink of water").

Sometimes though she performs this little act in such an endearing way it’s hard to say no. She’ll make a request, I’ll say no and then she step up to her 2nd gear of manipulation. This is where she’ll work herself up into a temper tantrum expecting something positive to come of it. That trick never works and she knows it and we’re pretty good at handling her in those situations…staying calm, sending her to her room, closing her door, etc....

Her 3rd gear of manipulation is much more entertaining. Once she realizes options 1 and 2 are not working she plops to the floor and can’t move. She can’t get up and walk, some invisible force is negating her ability to stand up. She’s kind of a blob without any muscle tone waiting to be cured. I guess what makes it so funny is that it’s so terribly performed.

I assume this is the typical developmental cycle for a three year old. She was going through a period of blatantly lying but that seems to have tapered off. Can’t wait to see what the next developmental stage will bring…Larceny? Ponzi scheme? Arson? Cheerleading? Social conservatism? ……..who knows.

One thing is for sure...I know exactly where she gets it from...

Easter of Eden

Easter 2009 was held at our humble family establishment. There wasn’t much to it really, some good food, a tent, a little basketball, and of course an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Laura made a delicious ice cream cake and I sat around and drank beer.

What more can I say about it? The kids were great, the people were great, and all was well.

Birth of a Notion

It’s 7 am and I’m getting ready to leave for work this morning. I’m sitting at the breakfast table while Laura’s feeding Georgia some yogurt in her high chair and PJ is sitting next to me eating her fourth piece of cantaloupe. It’s already a hot morning and it’s only going to get hotter. Part of me wants to stay home and help her and part of me wants to go to work in my air conditioned office all day and not have to deal with the perils of parenthood on a sultry hot day with no air conditioning.

It was then I caught myself while watching this little moment in time…what a happy trio those three make. Laura’s a fun-loving, fearless, and caring mother and Parker is following her mother’s lead quite uniquely. I guess it’s a perfect storm of nature and nurture.

I started thinking about these two little girls and wondering how much alike are they going to be. Georgia’s already taking on the same characteristics the PJ had when she was 9 months old:

-She has the same “grumble” when she eats; it’s sort of a combination of delightful moaning and grunting
-She loves to follow her mom around the house by crawling behind her while partly crying/partly pleading for attention
-The moment Laura picks her up she immediately imposes all of her brute force to be released from her mother’s clutches while Laura is frustratingly trying to keep a secure grasp of her for her own safety
-When Georgia catches sight of Laura walking into the room she starts this little anticipatory rhythmic grunt that crescendos with every step Laura takes towards her. It’s fun to watch.
-They both love Parker’s blanket. I don’t know what sort of spiritual magnetic force that thing beholds but it definitely has some power over both of those girls.

All Packed Up

This is a common occurrence at our house. PJ and Jack decide it’s time for their trip to Mexico so they pack up 40% of the toys and other items in PJ’s room and take it next door to Jack’s house where the proceed to load up Jack’s dad’s Volkswagen van with all of Parker’s possessions in preparation of their trip. Then later that day or a few days later Laura or myself will be spending our time getting her to help with gathering her stuff to return back to their rightful place. It’s becoming Standard Operating Procedure around our house.

Georgia in the Backyard

While Laura and Parker were at church, Georgia and I spent a hot Sunday morning in the backyard enhancing our spirituality in a different sense. At the 3:30 mark of the video Georgia realizes she's hungry and tries to eat the camera. Bon appetit.