Birthday Boys

It's common knowledge that men marry their mothers and women marry their fathers. I sure tried to buck that trend, dating lots of guys who were complete opposites of my dad. But in the end, I found someone pretty darn similar in so many ways.

My two favorite Pisceans celebrate birthdays this week, and an astrological sign is not all they have in common. My husband and my dad are both incredibly patient, a trait I truly admire because I somehow missed the lesson on patience and have almost zero, despite my best efforts. These men are also both so very grounded and grounding. I still remember the day, back when I was 16 and newly-licensed, that I backed my dad's Mercedes straight out of a parking space and into another car. Without so much as a grimace, my dad calmly said "ok, let's pull forward and I'll check out the damage". I know Ben would react in exactly the same way; I know this because he's been there with me when we've received bad news, or been scared, and he has this calm assurance that just convinces me everything's going to be okay. Just like my dad. And although I married Ben for his good looks (and his Colby Eight membership, let's be honest), I was equally attracted to his mind. Both he and my dad have great heads on their shoulders, are supremely analytical, and look at the world with a deliberate and rational eye (again, not a particular area of strength for yours truly). When making a big decision, like a house purchase or a job change, there's no one better to analyze the pros and cons, crunch the numbers, and research every single possible outcome, than these two.

But by far the most important similarity between these two great men is their natural skill at fatherhood. I already spoke of their patience, an especially important trait for dads, but Pisceans are also known for being gentle and kind, and I can count the number of times I've heard Ben and my dad raise their voices, combined, on one hand. Watching these two men with my two boys melts my heart and makes me so thankful to have the family I do (both born into and chosen). I'm probably biased, but I'm pretty sure that these are the two best dads in the whole world.

Happiest Birthday to my February Fish! Here they are taking Ethan for a spin on his tricycle this past weekend.

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Little Heartbreakers

Take a look at these three:

Little Romeos, aren't they? Watch out ladies!

Hope your Valentine's Day was filled with love, flowers, chocolates....whatever makes your heart go pitter patter. For some, a good old fashioned pirate ship does the trick.

Brushy Brushy

Did you know that February is National Children's Dental Health Month (or NCDHM, for short)? I only know this because they are doing a unit on oral hygiene in Ethan's class, and there are a bunch of teeth (made out of paper, not the real things) hanging all around his classroom. I don't know if it's because of this national month of celebration, or because of his recent (first!) trip to the dentist, but lately Ethan has been really really into taking care of his pearly whites. He routinely asks to floss, brush, and fluoride, and now demands that Adam does the same. Since Adam only has 2 1/2 teeth, there isn't a whole lot of brushing going on yet. And because his top two teeth look like a chipmunk's (miles apart), there is absolutely no need to floss. Ethan, on the other hand, has perfectly straight rows of little brilliant white teeth. To our dismay, we learned from his trip to the dentist that straight and perfect as a toddler = big orthodontia bills for mom and dad as a tween - if all those teeth fit tight and straight in a toddler's mouth, that toddler's mouth is too small for adult teeth. Good thing Ethan's so enamored with all things dental - hopefully he'll be excited about headgear?

I was trying to catch a shot of Adam's adorable top teeth, but he hardly ever shows them - maybe he's a bit embarrassed by his Letterman grin.

Doctor in the House

'Tis the season for germs, I guess, and they've been well represented at the Stockwell house of late. We've battled the stomach bug, a nasty cold, bronchiolitis, croup, and a good old ear infection. Luckily, my boys like to roll with the punches, and don't let any of these bugs keep them down. They are their usual ENERGETIC selves (in fact, a day of them lying on the couch might be a welcome change...).

I'm hoping that we've had our share of ills around these parts, and that these buggies leave us alone from here on out. I'm pretty sure we have nothing to fear now that Dr. Adam is here.

In addition to some doctor and urgent care visits this week, we also got to visit the boys' doctor for their well check-up. Despite the fact that neither of them is particularly "well" at the moment, they both got A pluses and were pronounced healthy and growing. Ethan continues to top the charts in both height and weight - at 36 1/2 lbs and almost 40 inches, he is in the 80th+ percentile in both measures. Adam, historically our little peanut, is catching up to his big brother. His budda belly (see above photo) has grown considerably, and he is now above average in height and weighs in at 25 1/2 lbs (close to 50th percentile). The boys seemed to enjoy being poked and prodded, for the most part. You would have thought they'd died and gone to heaven when the doctor asked them to run down the hall - it was quite a challenge reigning them back into the exam room after that fun. I was very happy that Daddy returned from his week in DC just in time to accompany us to the visit - these boys sure do know how to wreak havoc on a doctors' office.

And the Gifts Keep Coming

Our family definitely "frontloads" (to borrow an expression from John Doyle, who enjoys frontloading his week) the year with respect to birthdays and other gift-giving occasions. With the exception of Adam, who's all by his lonesome in October, we're all winter babies. Throw in Christmas and Valentine's Day and you've got a string of opportunities for celebration. This makes for a very happy Ethan, who jumps at any chance he gets to open a present or join a chorus of "Happy Birthday".

Grandma and Grandpa came over for a little visit last night, bearing birthday gifts and treasures from their recent trip to Costa Rica. Ethan got some fanta-bulous books on trucks, plains, trains, and all things that go. These were, of course, a big hit.

Adam got a bird flute...

but was even more excited about Daddy's maracas.

And I got some beautiful Costa Rican jewelry. Unfortunately, Grandma and Grandpa didn't bring us back what we really wanted - some of that 90 degree sunny weather! Maybe next time...

What a Difference a Year Makes

Last winter was long. Really, really long. With a brand newbie and a just-two year old, my first winter in this apparent snow vortex we chose to move to was...well, difficult. Let's just say, we were climbing the walls, and by "we", I mean me. But just one year later, it is infinitely easier. I'd even go so far as to say I am enjoying this winter. Ethan loves playing outside in the snow, and three major developments have greatly improved this experience for everyone involved. First, he can actually help put on his own snow gear this year, instead of resisting every bit of help while whining throughout. Oh yeah, that would be Adam. Second, and this is huge given that Adam is at that really-difficult-to-suit-up stage, he can play outside BY HIMSELF! Of course I keep a close eye on him, but I can do that from the warmth of my kitchen, in my PJs, with a cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle while Adam is napping upstairs. Ahhhhh. Third, Ethan can actually stay outside longer than four minutes, which was his average duration of outdoor activity last winter. We'd get all suited up, lug ourselves outside, and then decide that it was way too cold, his clothes weren't fitting quite right, there was a rock in his boot, and on and on and on... All this is to say that we are having a lot of fun playing in the snow this winter, and aren't cursing every flake that falls...yet. Check back with me in March.

Ethan and Ben did some shoveling this afternoon. Ben might disagree, but Ethan is almost helpful with the shoveling this year. Check it out - he actually lifts some snow with that little shovel of his.

Of course, he often dumps it right back in the same spot.

He is very serious about the job at hand, however, telling me about "areas he is working on" and insisting that he has "lots of work to do".

I realized when I got back inside and uploaded these photos that I had taken an almost identical shot last year:

And here are the shovelers at work a year ago...

And today:

Grams

Just before I started writing that last post, I learned that my grandma had passed away. I debated whether to continue with my post about Ethan's birthday, or to shift gears and write about my grandma instead. I ultimately decided to write Ethan's birthday post because his 3rd birthday only happens once and my grandma, well, her situation is a bit more permanent. I also wanted a few more days to reflect internally before posting my thoughts. I was able to prepare for Ethan's birthday, and to think about exactly what I wanted to say. Unfortunately, death is a little less predictable and no matter the circumstances, catches you a bit off guard.

My grandma was a very special lady. Many wonderful memories have been playing through my head over the past few days as I think about what she meant to me and how she touched my life. My Grams was a cool grandma, one I was always happy to spend time with and share with my friends. When I was a little girl, I worshipped my grandma as all little girls do, but I think we were lucky in that our relationship only grew stronger as I aged. During those sometimes-tumultuous teenage years, she was a role model who I didn't feel the need to defy or rebel against, like I did my own mom. We did a lot together during my teens and twenties - many lunch dates, shopping trips, chats on her patio. I learned a lot about her past and her perspectives, and I always felt like she was really listening to me. One of the best days I ever spent with my grandma was when she took me shopping for my prom dress. We had so much fun, just the two of us. My grandma was a very snappy dresser with a super sense of fashion. She took me to fancier stores than I was used to, and we ended up with not one, but two gorgeous dresses that were just perfect. Many years later, in a sweet turn of events, I took her shopping for her grandmother-of-the-bride dress, in which she looked just stunning.

One thing I will really miss is my grandma's hands. She had the most beautiful hands, and she took very good care of them. I remember her hands from when I was very small - her nails were always long and polished in this pretty coral shade. I wanted hands like that when I grew up. When I last saw my Grandma at Thanksgiving, she was confused and quiet, not connecting much with me or our conversation. But we did just sit and hold hands for a few minutes, and her hands were still so soft. I'm so glad we did.

My grandma lived a long and full life. I am so thankful that she got to meet both of our boys, and they, her. She was already beginning to decline when Ethan was born, but that didn't stop her from coming up to meet her very first great-grandchild. Oh, how she doted on him.

She only got to meet Adam twice, and I can't find a picture of the two of them anywhere. I know they won't remember her, and I'm not even sure that she remembered meeting them, but I will. Such lucky boys to have met two of their great-grandparents, and two such special human beings.