24 Years Ago The Littlest Bathje Was Born (59/365)

But he's not so little anymore. Happy almost quarter century, Fred.

Speaking of Changes (58/365)

Look what we Matt did today. Next step - bunk beds.

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes (57/365)

Lately I've been constantly reminded of the fact that my first baby is not such a baby anymore. When I was in J'ville last weekend, I looked back at pictures of Alice from when Izzy was born and I can't believe how much Alice has grown - no wonder she's growing out of her clothes as fast as I can buy them! She's engrossed with activity books and constantly wants to write her letters and do her alphabet dot-to-dot pages. The thing that has really been a daily reminder that she's growing up is, sadly, her attitude. There are some days when it's all I can do to keep my cool and not pull my hair out. You've heard of terrible twos, but let me tell you, they've got nothing on three. Today I actually sent Alice to her room for a punishment and for her to think about her actions and how she can be better. She's certainly retaining what I tell her in terms of how she should act, but I'm waiting for the day when she gets it and changes her first response to a situation. I know, I know, it could be a long time before that happens, but I'm hoping she'll surprise me.

Get Well Uncle Chuck (56/365)

Alice wanted to make a video to cheer Uncle Chuck up - hope you like Disney tunes.

And He Thinks He Doesn't Look Like He's Lost Weight (55/365)

Going from a size 50 waist to a 42 in a year is not too shabby if you ask me! Somebody get this man a cheeseburger!

You're doing great, hon!

The Eating Habits of a 10 Month Old (54/365)

Izzy has been having some problems eating lately. No I'm not referring to her lack of motor skills, she is, after all, crossing midline now. Nor am I referring to the fact that she got so messy at lunch this afternoon that I had to strip her and give her a good scrub in the tub. No I refer to the fact that I've been having to really work at her to eat her solids, where before she gobbled them up. I'm pretty convinced that it has more to do with the teeth that are barely under the surface than her Zantac needing an adjustment. We'll see what the doc has to say though as I'm going to give him a call tomorrow.

A Room With a View (53/365)

Photo courtesy of Matt and his iPhone. It didn't stay this pretty for long as the temperature crept to the just above freezing mark today, but it sure was lovely while it lasted.

Now if we can just get some nice big snowflakes during the day so I can take some shots like Jessica did (see her Facebook if you're a friend). I've been DYING to do that all winter! I mean if I've got to have snow, I might as well have fun with it, eh?

There's always tomorrow.

Yep, It's Still Winter (52/365)

Despite the terrible storm that followed us from Pontiac to Kankakee,

we made it home safe and sound. Now if it would just stop snowing.

I Love Being Home (51/365)

I don't want to go back tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Momma. (50/365)

Tonight I write this blog from the comfort of the living room of my childhood. It looks considerably different than when I lived here, but it, and the rest of this house, will always be home to me. In the red bedroom I remember my oldest brother jumping out of the shadows at James and I right before we fell asleep in his Freddy Krueger gear, scaring the living hell out of us. The brown bathroom I'm reminded of the time Littlefoot was sent to his watery grave. The kitchen has memories of fabulous food, lots of laughter, and stories of a night when mashed potatoes some how ended up on the celling. Oh and I can't forget the time that a bowl of hot chicken soup somehow ended up on my head. There are fond memories all over this house for me, but for some reason when I'm in the living room I'm often reminded of the spot where mom lost her battle with cancer. The night she died she was right here in this very room, in a bed not five feet from where I sit. So many things happened on that spot the 21 years prior, yet the memory that always comes back to me is that one.

I don't know why I go back to that day nearly seven years ago when I'm here. My mom lived in this house, and yet the first and most vivid memory I come to of this room is of when she died here. Sure I remember sitting around the living room watching soaps with her while she painted scads and scads of Santa pins on her waxed paper lined ironing board, or trimming the tree in the living room while listening to Bing on Dad's big speakers, hell I even remember many a fight I had with my siblings (usually Charles) in this room, but I always go back to that night when I'm here. Why is it so hard to get past that? Why is it so hard to be in this room and not think of that?

On this the last few minutes of the day that would have been my Mom's 62nd birthday I want to make a promise to myself that I will make a conscious effort to associate that spot with the many happy moments that happened there, and not the sad day that mom died there.

Miss you, Mommy.

I May Need To Fire the Help (49/365)

As any mother of 2 or more kids knows, the older kids in the house love to help mom take care of the younger ones. Alice has always been very good at getting me a diaper, fetching a spoon, or throwing out dirty diapers so I never worried she'd do something like this. Today Alice offered to put Izzy's bottle that she didn't finish in the fridge for me while I laid Izzy down for a nap. When I went to fetch it when Izzy woke up it was nowhere to be found. After I had moved everything around in the fridge, twice, I got the idea that maybe she put it somewhere else other than the fridge. Turns out I was right. Wanna take a guess as to where I found it? The trashcan. It could have been worse. She could have hidden it so well that it would take the putrid smell of rotten milk permeating through the house for me to find the damn thing.

Unfortunately I know all too well that that's a smell like that lingers for weeks. And fortunately for all of us I found it before that could happen. Blech.

10 Things You Didn't Know About My 10 Month Old (48/365)

• When I feed her solids she says "mmmm" after every bite. Ok so she just started doing that today, but you didn't already know that, didja?
• Izzy officially has a bedroom! I cannot believe how well the the girls have done with the transition to sharing a room. It was shockingly painless!
• She hasn't said "ma-ma" since right before my birthday. I swear she's doing it to torture me! This is how a typical conversation with her goes these days:

           MOMMY: Izzy, say ma-ma.

           IZZY: (blank stare)

           MOMMY: Say ma-ma.

           (crickets chirping)

           MOMMY: (points to herself) Ma-ma.

                      (points to baby) Izzy.

           IZZY: Ppppppffff.

           MOMMY: (wipes spit off her face) MA-MA...come on kid!

           IZZY: DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA!

           (insert hysterical laughter)

• Her favorite toy: diapers. She could have a whole living room floor full of all things Playskool and Fisher-Price and the kid will ultimately make a bee line for the diaper caddy and all the fun diapers inside.
• She's starting to prefer the solid food over the bottle. And I'm not ready for it.
• She constantly tries to eat cat food. If she's in the kitchen there is a good chance that she's headed straight for the food dish.
• I think she may have a career as an escape artist. No matter how good I block the exits from our living room, it's guaranteed she'll find her way out eventually. Eat your heart out Houdini.
• Unfortunately, I think she's a fan of Barney. The few times it's been on (we try to watch as little Barney as possible around here) she becomes immediately fixated on the big purple nightmare.
• Damn those Bathje genes - I definitely have another curly haired baby. Don't get me wrong I love curly hair, but I was hoping she'd have straight hair since I already have one kid with curls. And it's such a PITA to maintain.
• She's incredibly different than Alice at this age. From standing in her crib (Alice never did this, not even ONCE) to being so easy to please she's an all around one-of-a-kind kid. And boy do we love her.

There Are No Words (47/365)

How Fast They Grow (46/365)

Izzy is now using walls/windows to pull herself up to stand. She's also getting more daring with standing and letting go. I have a feeling she'll be walking soon!

Happy Valentine's Day (45/365)

Click to enlarge.

Looks like Izzy found her Valentine. I hope you had a good day with yours too!

Happy 21st, Tori! (44/365)

Cross Your Fingers (43/365)

Both girls are currently sleeping in the same room. If all goes well tonight we may just move Izzy's crib out of the catch all room and into a real bedroom this weekend (she's currently sleeping in the pack-n-play)!

Cross your fingers!

It Was a LONG Day (42/365)

For all of us. Matt and I got up at 4:15am, Alice was up at 5am, and Izzy was up right before we walked out the door at 5:15am. Oddly enough, Alice was freakishly chipper and happy the whole time - don't worry, I'm not complaining. I was quite worried how she'd be for Matt since she loves her sleep just like her momma (and uncles), but she couldn't have been better. Turns out the woman who scheduled my appointment for the CT scan could have worded what she said to me better as the actual test only took 5 minutes or less. The best the tech could figure out is that she meant that from check in to check out that I'd be there for 45 minutes, not that the test was going to take 45 minutes. Had she been a little more careful with her wording we all would have had a bit more sleep this morning because I never would have scheduled the test for 5:30am had I known that.

It actually all worked out pretty well in the long run. The sun was just coming up when we left the hospital and our favorite mom and pop restaurant had just opened its doors for the day, so we went out for a rare family breakfast - and boy was it FABULOUS! Then we came home, Izzy went to bed, Matt stayed home until around 10am (he had to work late tonight on something, so it just worked out the best that he go in late) and he and Alice watched a movie together while I took a nap on the couch.

It definitely made for a LONG day, but it sure was a GOOD day too.

Randomness Wednesday (41/365)

• Izzy is getting lots of teeth. So far only four are through (her four front teeth), but she'll soon have a mouthful as there are more on their way.
• Alice FINALLY seems to have the pooping on the potty thing down. She knows when she has to go and she figured out how to push on the potty so things are looking really good in that department.
• Today she actually got up from eating lunch and walked over to her potty (she's been using a small potty for poop because it takes her so darn long to go), sat down, and after a little bit of protest went potty!
• It looks like we may be moving Izzy's crib into Alice's room soon. Alice actually took a good long nap with Izzy in her room this afternoon. The last time I tried this she hated it and both of them ended up with out naps. Now we'll need to get a name sign for the door for Izzy that is like the one Aunt El bought for Alice when we went out there in 2007.
• Dad made it home to J'ville safe and sound this evening. I bet he's looking forward to sleeping in his old bed and getting back into his old routine. And I bet GG can't wait for her daily phone calls to start up again!
• Speaking of GG, the girls got the best handmade Valentine's cards in the mail this week from GG. I'll have to get pics of them with the cards and post them. Thanks, GG!
• We had one heck of a mess to clean up last night. I dropped the glass, nearly full, bottle of olive oil on the floor last night as I was cleaning in anticipation of Dad's arrival. I'm SO glad it happened when Matt was home as it fell at the entrance to the kitchen and I didn't have any shoes on. Of course this happened very close to the kids' bedtime AND minutes before Dad arrived at our door. Luckily we got it all cleaned up in a pretty timely fashion.
• Except for that piece that I found with my foot right before I went to bed.
• I go in for a 45 minute CAT scan tomorrow. I was miserable on my bday and the week following and my doc suspects it could be a kidney stone. Great. Good thing is that I have been feeling better so who knows. I hope Matt can wrangle the kiddos in the hospital waiting room for a hour without incident!
• Izzy is still eating well, thank God! I still can't believe a little bit of medicine is all it took to see change in that department. She enjoys most things, but her favorite food by far is avacodo.

In the spirit of Randomness, here's a very random video from a few nights ago.

He Made It Home (40/365)

Well, he made it to Aurora at least.

He'll head home sometime tomorrow assuming the roads aren't terrible.

Matt snapped this pic in between Dad's catnaps.

Glad you're home safe and sound, Daddy!

On This Day In History (39/365)

• 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
• 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Queen Elizabeth I – the revolt is quickly crushed
• 1692 – A doctor in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony suggests that two girls in the family of the village minister may be suffering from bewitchment, leading to the Salem witch trials.
• 1837 – Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate.
• 1865 – In the United States, Delaware voters reject the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and vote to continue the practice of slavery. (Delaware finally ratifies the amendment on February 12, 1901.)
• 1910 – The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce.
• 1922 – President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House.
• 1963 – Travel, financial and commercial transactions by United States citizens to Cuba are made illegal by the John F. Kennedy administration.
• 1971 – The NASDAQ stock market index opens for the first time.
• 1974 – After 84 days in space, the crew of the first American space station Skylab returns to Earth.
• 1978 – Proceedings of the United States Senate are broadcast on radio for the first time.
• 1980 – One of the best big brothers a girl could ever have, Charles E. Rice Jr., was born in Jacksonville, IL.

Ok, so I guess I could have just linked you to the Wikipedia page that I got all of this information from, but what fun would that be? Happy 30th Birthday, big bro. This past year has been a great one, I hope this year is even better.

And what would a birthday be without a video of Alice singing Happy Birthday. Love you!

It Beats Watching Football (38/365)

What it takes to get one good picture of the two of them together.
Please click to enlarge to see the hilarity.

Charles and Erin were in the area this weekend at a geek gathering LAN party so they decided to drop by on their way back to Charleston. Turns out Matt's parents are much closer to where the party was, so we opted to meet up there instead of here at our house. It worked out great for us since that is where we typically spend our Sundays anyway, and I didn't have to clean my house in anticipation of the visit. SCORE! I think they had a good time seeing the girls and chatting with my fam. They both got to experience a typical Bathje dinner, which wouldn't be complete without 140 decibels of noise (right, Erin?). Charles even got to blow out a candle one day early for his birthday (is he really going to be 30?!). All in all it was a pretty damn good Sunday.

Hope you two are safe and sound in Chucktown by now. It was so good to see you.

Like Sands Through the Hour Glass (37/365)

RIP, Alice Horton (Frances Reid).

I spent many an afternoon after school doing my homework on the couch watching you on Days of our Lives with my mother. Though I haven't watched in years, there is a special place in my heart for the show and the cast. Simply watching a Days clip from the 80's or 90's and I'm immediately flooded with fond memories of my mom.

Salem won't be the same with out you (though you haven't actually been on the show in years, but hell, you get my point).

And no it wasn't Stefano's doing, she was the ripe old age of 95.

Bathroom Beauty (36/365)

Click to enlarge.

Gotta love this kid! We gave Alice her own makeup bag for her birthday last year and so far she's colored in the lines (and followed my rules: it must stay in the bathroom, she has to ask first, and if we are going out somewhere she may only use light colors). Tonight was obviously a different story. In her defense she did ask me if she could use the reds and browns and I told her she could, not to mention the fact that she had Daddy in there taking pictures of her egging her on.

Had we gone out in public like that someone would have called DCFS on me.

In other news, I think Alice has finally made a breakthrough in the pooping on the potty department! She definitely knows when she needs to go, it's the convincing her to sit and to try for longer than a minute that's been hard. I'm hoping she'll get it soon as I'm so tired of cleaning poop out of her panties or wiping her after she's gone in a pull-up. She's also starting to wake up dry in the morning, which is HUGE for Alice since she is typically in an overnight diaper plus pull-up at night (and even then she still leaks sometimes), so I'm hoping that means that in another few months we won't have to even buy pull-ups anymore. Ahhhh, I have to say, I CAN'T WAIT!!

Who Knew? (35/365)

Click to enlarge.

Lately Matt and I have been into playing our Wii a lot. We've had it for ages, but we kind of lost interest in it there for a while. I did end up getting a Wii Fit Plus for my birthday so that may have something to do with it. Anyway, Alice has been really big into it too; and as it turns out, she's really good! She schooled me in bowling, and I have since adopted her patented spinning throw which caused me to have a NEAR perfect game (10 strikes in a row, got 9 down on the 2nd part of the 10th frame, then picked up the spare). She's pretty good at just about everything else too. What surprised me the most was what she did tonight, though. I let her play boxing for the first time ever, but before that I had to try it once to remember how the controls worked so I could teach her. I won my fight, but I sure was pooped, especially since the guy kept getting back up again! Anyway, Alice comes in and on the first round gets a KO!! I'm telling you, the kid is a Wii genius!

Haha, Wii genius. See what I did there? No, ok.

Yes, I'm Going Through Vacation Pics - FINALLY! (34/365)

6-24-09: Kaylee at the North Carolina Zoo. Missing you.

On a Day Like Today (33/365)

I'm very thankful I have a husband like Matt.

I don't know if I have a bit of a bug, or if the Cocoa Puffs that I had for breakfast just did a number on my stomach as I am no longer used to eating them, but around noon today I started to really feel quite horrible. Moms aren't allowed sick days, but Matt felt bad for me and came home. Not only did he work from home, but he took care of the girls and made dinner! I gotta say, I sure married a winner!

Be jealous.

Mmmm, I LOVE Fajita Night! (32/365)

Looks pretty appetizing, eh?

Fajitas à la Becky

2 Large Chicken Breasts - cut into bite sized pieces
1 Large Onion, any type - sliced into strips
2 Medium Green, Red, or Yellow Peppers - sliced into strips
Juice of one large lemon (I use bottled, so I typically do one turn of the pan)
Spices of your choice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - two turns of the pan
Tortilla shells
Sour cream - optional
Lemon or Lime quarters - optional

Fry veggies (salt them slightly to help them release their juices) in oil for about 4 or 5 minutes until the veggies are soft and start to take on a bit of color. I actually prefer to let them scorch the pan slightly creating a nice fond in the bottom of the pan. Now add the chicken and season (I typically use garlic powder and pepper). At this point the pan will be crowded and the veggies and the chicken will start to steam rather than fry. Add a lid if you want to speed up this process. The steam will start to loosen the fond, creating a nice sauce. Once the chicken is cooked through, crank up your heat and add your juice. Keep the contents of the pan moving so they don't burn under the high heat. Scrape the pan while you do this, removing any bits of fond that may remain. The dish is done in 2-3 minutes when the juice has reduced enough that it only coats the food and not the pan. Serve immediately. Build your fajita and squeeze some fresh lemon or lime on it before closing the tortilla.

Serves 4.