Happy Birthday to Me!

One kid in preschool, another one asleep, husband takes the day off of work and a cafe au lait at Dean & Deluca in Georgetown....

Yes please.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes.

So much love...

This is actually Molly falling on James. Based on my childhood, I think it is just the beginning of her (me) begging for his (my brother's) attention by acting like a nuisance.

Shortly after this pic was taken, he was saying, "ok you can take her now..."

V is for Visit

Finally! Finally James and Virginia are old enough to play together without us anywhere near them! Emily and Virginia came for a visit last weekend and this new friend feature is THE BEST. Emily and I actually held a conversation where we looked each other in the eye. THE BEST. James spent most of the weekend inviting Virginia to go upstairs to his room or downstairs to the playroom and Virginia spent her weekend....

...worrying about Molly. 

Here, she had pulled the ottoman across the room for the express purpose of watching Molly. Sleep. Watching Molly sleep. Too sweet. James, of course, thought that this kind of care and concern for Molly was absurd.

...and flirting with James. I think I will be posting this photo until they are in college.

...she didn't even mind when her momma doted on Molly and told her how beautiful and amazing she was. I doubt she could help herself.... she's pretty great (Emily AND Molly). ; )

The only reason I don't have more photos is because Emily and I spent most of our time chasing after James and Virginia frantically screaming, "do you have to pee?" I am happy to report that is was an accident-free weekend.

Thanks for a great visit V&E! Come back soon! 

And Now a Word From Our Sponsor....

...and a public apology. I am sure Brian can attest to the fact that those (apologies) are few and far between so bookmark this page and read it over and over people!

Here is our sponsor, Susannah: 

generous loaner of swings, clothes, jumpers and endless advice on dealing with life with two under three. I love her so much that I am choosing to showcase her here with her new sassy haircut.

So, before I had James, several people told me to get a swing. "My kids loved the swing!" they said. "That swing really helps them sleep," they said. But I wasn't having anything to do with it. "I don't want him to get used to the swing or he'll never sleep anywhere else," I said. I mean, I was adamant. 

So self-righteous. 

So empowered. 

So DUMB. 

James was a terrible sleeper and we spent SO much time rocking him to sleep that by the time he fell asleep, he would wake right up ready to eat and so it went for months and months.

Flash forward 2 1/2 years and Molly enters the scene. I immediately realize that I need a place to put her where James won't step on her and if she falls asleep, then BONUS. I am at a playdate at Susannah's house and she casually says, "oh, I have one of those side to side swings. Do you want to borrow it?" I had that thing in the trunk of my car before she even finished the sentence. Took it home, assembled it in five minutes flat and threw in my baby. MAGIC. She fell asleep instantly.

Now Molly LIVES in the Fisher Price Nature Sounds swing or "The Magic Swing" as we refer to it. She and I love this swing so much that I carted it to South Carolina with me and I wasn't even embarrassed to do it. This weekend, you can find me carrying this swing through the streets of New York City as I never leave home without it.

This is, in fact, the EXACT same swing that my friend, Heather Bridges tried to force upon me before I had James - "it will save your life!" she said. So, apology #1 to you Heather. I am also  positive that Brian's parents would have bought us this exact swing if I just would have listened to his mom's advice and put one on our registry, so apology #2 to you Eileen. And finally, apology #3 to you James. Think how different your first year would have been if I just had the MAGIC swing.....

KC & Missy - Spring Visit

Brian's cousin, KC and his girlfriend Missy came for a visit last weekend. No, I don't mean this weekend, LAST weekend. I am about seven days behind, people, seven days! Anyhoo, they arrived LATE in the night on Friday or maybe it was EARLY in the morning on Saturday after driving 5+ hours from NYC. As I may have mentioned previously, James is still greeting us in the morning around 5:30-6am (no, we cannot break him of this and yes, we've tried). KC woke up at 7 and at approximately 7:04am, he was doing this:

I am pretty sure that KC refers to this weekend as a "working weekend" since that's what James had him doing for 48 hours straight. We took them on the patented "Coyne Old Town Tour" (and by "patented", I mean we try to recall factual information about buildings and locations, but mostly we just tell our own versions) and James did not let KC out of his sight the entire time.

KC carried him... A LOT...

taught him how to use the rope hill at the playground...

and gave him 50 cents so he could buy his first ever lemonade stand lemonade. Here he is apparently mulling over the menu options of lemonade, lemonade or lemonade:

He decides on lemonade (huh!) and pays the sweet girl:

and guess what she gives him?!

James & Missy fed the ducks with THIS bread:

and then we went home for what I'm sure KC thought would be a break....

Nope, we have another kid!

KC doing double-duty:

Dinner on the back patio. Look at big boy James eating with the big kids at the big table!

DAY TWO: 

What Old Town visit would be complete without at least SOME public transportation? 

The trolley with Missy:

and Uncle Kevin:

Molly took her usual tour... of her eyelids

and James led us all back home.

and then KC & Missy went home.

Boo.

Hiss.

Aaaaaaah!

Molly can sleep through anything. She naps in the living room while James runs past her 100 miles an hour screaming, squealing, making sound effects for airplanes and trucks, all at the top of his lungs. And still, she sleeps.

James has never been a sound sleeper like Molly. Always easy to wake. Their rooms share a common staircase so we've been nervous to put them to bed at the same time. Well, thanks to our traumatic (for me) trip to the zoo. We worry no longer!

Here's video of James in his car seat with Molly about 1 foot away from him. We are in the car, in yet another line of traffic, just waiting to get OUT of the zoo and Molly is HUNGRY.

Heeeeeey...

I mean, really. Couldn't you just eat her up?! I am soaking up all these "I love Mommy" moments because I know it's all going to go downhill around age 12.....