BOO

Little Mermaid (or two!)

'Lil Stinker

Here's a preview of coming attractions. And there have been/will be many Halloween appearances this year!

New school. New friends. Still a ring leader!

Between last week's Boo at the Zoo....yesterday's parade at Children's House Montessori, and today's parade at Huckleberry Cheesecake....neighborhood trick or treating tonight...a Halloween "spooktacular" party tomorrow night....and a "costumes encouraged" invitation to Lily's birthday party on Sunday...Halloween '08 is getting quite a bit of air time.

My 'lil stinker, along with some of her blueberry pals

Perhaps I was dreaming

Ask any parent of a small child what they miss most about their pre-baby lives, and I'll bet you $100 the answer is unanimous -- sleep.

Some babies sleep through the night early. Others take longer. Some people hire sleep experts to help them with the process (I want a potty training expert this time around...I'd pay real money for that!). And those sleep experts aren't cheap and aren't easy to book; as you can imagine, they're in high demand.

We were really lucky with Lily; she started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks. Honestly. For 8+ hours at first. Soon she was dead to the world from 7/7:30 p.m. until 7 a.m. It was heavenly.

Anna took a bit longer to come around to the concept; she got hung up on the 5 o'clock hour (maybe she's bound for a Wall Street job in another 23 years, if those jobs still exist then). By 10 1/2 weeks she was sleeping for about 10 hours a night. Life was good again!

But any little thing trips her up. Ear infection. New tooth. Congestion. General grumpiness. If there's anything out of the normal, my sweet baby is up during the night. Usually only once. But, uugh, you try going to work and actually being productive when you had to get up in the middle of the night. Not easy!

The last three nights, though, Anna has been slumbering away. A minor miracle considering the fact that she's so congested she's got gross goop draining from her nose day and night. And a brewing ear infection (Dr. conformed fluid in her right ear last night, although no infection as of yet).

So last night, when at about 4 a.m. I heard crying, I stumbled blindly (literally, I couldn't find my glasses) in to the baby's room....only to discover a peacefully sleeping child.

But the crying continued.

I made my way to Lily's room. Yup. She was the pre-dawn culprit. She was, in fact, crying. Complaining that she was SO. HUNGRY. SO. SAD!

I asked if a little snack would tide her over 'til breakfast. That seemed to do the trick. We negotiated for a second over what, exactly, that snack would be and finally settled on goldfish crackers and water.

Off I went, shuffling to the kitchen, to gather the snack. Imagine my surprise when I returned, less than a minute later, bearing the fruits of my kitchen raid only to discover a sleeping child. Soundly sleeping child.

So I don't know if she was talking in her sleep. If I was asleep and imagined the entire thing. Or if her allegedly empty stomach decided that not even it could eat at such an ungodly hour. Who knows. I chock it up to one more bizarre parenting experience. One more "notch" on my belt.

Change

No, I'm not talking about Obama's campaign slogan (although I am dreaming about it!), I'm talking about the changes -- from obvious to subtle -- in Huckleberry Cheesecake Lily and Children's House Montessori Lily.

People often ask me "what is Montessori." Well, two months in to it, I'm still trying to get the Cliff Note's version. The Montessori method -- which is based on the late 19th century theories of Italian educator Maria Montessori -- can, sort of, be boiled down to four basic tenants. Or at least my totally rudimentary knowledge of it can be boiled down to four.

Montessori is self-directed; teachers introduce concepts and then become "observers;" children learn through discovery (ie, doing/feeling/etc.); and children learn best during periods of intense concentration (distractions, including 95% of Lily's wardrobe, are discouraged).

Ok, so there's a ton more to it than just that. But I'm only on pg. 4 of Montessori Today. Full disclosure: I've been on pg. 4 for, well, 2 months now.

Anyway, perhaps one of the most noticeable differences in Lily pre- vs. post-Montessori is in her creative expression....something I was terribly worried, BTW, that she wouldn't be exposed to in a Montessori setting.

Lily's art projects, which she is forever in the middle of, are pretty amazing now. She digs through kitchen drawers, finds bits and pieces of odds and ends, and next thing you know you've got art. Tape and tin foil are now permanently on my grocery store list....all in the name of creativity!

She comes home talking about operas and ballets.

And her song repertoire has changed pretty dramatically. I almost died when, from her carseat in the back, she started belting this one out... I fear, though, that she's inherited my tone deafness.

Rock the Vote!

I just saw the most amazing group of kids on CNN. I mean, they're so ridiculously cute. And smart. And well spoken. Not to mention outspoken! I want to move to Atlanta so that Lily and Anna can attend the Ron Clark Academy. SERIOUSLY.

As Noah would say -- "fo-shizzle!"

Apparently I missed the Oprah episode that introduced Ron Clark to the world. What a shame!

Public Broadcasting Atlanta says:

Three women have had a great influence on Ron Clark’s life. His mother helped make him a teacher. Oprah made him famous. And Kim Bearden made him an Atlantan.

As Disney’s American Teacher of the Year in 2001, Ron’s successes as an educator have been well documented, not only on the Oprah Winfrey Show, but also in his book The Essential 55. Friends star Matthew Perry even portrayed him in a biopic. But when Ron Struck up a friendship with another award-winning teacher, metro Atlanta native Kim Bearden, it quickly became apparent that their concept of a “dream school” could only take shape in one city.

Atlanta became home to the Ron Clark Academy in 2007. Combining state-of-the-art facilities, innovative instruction, and creative, dynamic teachers, the Academy offers a world-class education to not only inner-city kids, but also to visiting teachers from around the world. Educators learn new methods as kids from all ability levels and economic backgrounds get a one-of-a-kind school experience. And, the learning experience extends beyond the brightly-colored walls of the Academy; before the students leave the school in eighth grade, they will pursue a global education that takes them to six of the seven continents.



Here's the longer, although slightly harder to hear, version...



Click here for the lyrics.

Milking the Media

Or, perhaps more accurately, milk IN the media.

Remember my outrage at the nerve of PETA to demand that Ben & Jerry's start using breastmilk (as if!) in their ice cream? I caught wind of that one early, saw it play out over the CNN airwaves and thought that it was over. New news cycle. That one, thankfully, seemed to register only a tiny blip on the screen.

Until now.

ProfNet is a service whereby reporters can post their queries and we in the PR business, whose companies presumably pay a subscription fee of sorts, see them and can plug our clients in as "experts." Where applicable. Or our friends. When we can.

Thanks to ProfNet, Noah's friend Steve, and his wife Mariah, were featured in a Parade article (with a great photo!), back in January, about eating healthy and staying fit. You know Parade. It's that weird little insert magazine in the weekend paper. It's a bit cheesy and likely not worth it's weight in paper...but for the fact that it has a circulation of over 30,000,000 (yes million) and every one of my clients would give their right arm to be in it.

I recently saw another ProfNet query on low-cost holiday traditions. My friend Jamie and her siblings have a great one that's developed over the years. They write (roast-worthy) songs about each other. Act out little plays. Film movies. A total riot. She was recently interviewed for, yup!, another Parade article. Thank you ProfNet!

So last night when I saw that Univision.com was looking for nutrition and health experts to comment on the breastmilk issue, I couldn't hold myself back.

NUTRITION/TODAY: Mother's Milk for Adult
Consumption -- Univision.com

I am writing an article about the possible use of breast milk in the making of regular ice cream. I would like to hear arguments (from doctors and nutritionists) for and against the adult consumption of mother's milk. Grown-ups should not drink human milk because -- It is not hygienic? Because it is unhealthy? Because it is immoral? Or because it is an impractical idea? Contact: Maria XXX.

I quickly fired back a response and suggested that the reporter also speak with a lactation consultant. Of course, I plugged Pat Shelly at the Breastfeeding Center of DC (she is among a small group of professionals who should put me on retainer!).

The reporter immediately responded, thanking me for the referral that she was going to pursue, and asked if she could quote ME in the article as well.

"Although I'm a huge proponent of breastfeeding my babies, not only does this idea creep me out but it's completely impractical! Ask anyone who nurses their baby -- especially if they also work outside the home (but even those who stay home with their kids) -- and they'll tell you that they can barely keep up with the demand!"

So look out for a Univision article, in Spanish of course, some time before the New Year. It'll quote yours truly. Because, in her words, "being the mother of two lovely breast-fed daughters makes you an expert and a spokeswoman for many working mothers." So, I've become the voice of working/lactating mothers everywhere. If they only knew...they'd probably ask for their money back!

PS -- also be on the lookout for the April '09 Consumer Reports baby product edition. Yes, I'm quoted in that too. About BPA-free baby bottles. Although you'll have to wait to read my thoughts about the Adiri Natural Nurser. Click on this link, though, to see the product. Then let your imagination wander regarding what I might have said about this "booby bottle"...

Anna Unplugged

Anna and Austin -- my how they've grown!

Remember them here? 6 and 5 months now, respectively.

I may be driving her to a therapist's couch in another decade or two, but I can't resist her in ears...

A preview of Halloween '08, the Skunk edition. This year's costume was a no-brainer...since birth, Anna has had a, well, "smell" issue (the kid is gassy, what can I say!).

Meet Margaret and Helen

Forget Mommy bloggers, the new thing these days is GRANDMA bloggers! I'd like to think that in another 50 years, I'll be as witty and technology savvy as Margaret and Helen. I'd like to think that I'll still have my "girls" (friends that is) in my life. I'd prefer to be on my own two legs and not a Scooter Store customer, but scooting or walking around, my hat is off to these hip grandmas!

Bottom line, I couldn't say it better myself. So I won't. Bravo Margaret and Helen!

Click here, or simply read Helen's brilliant words below.

Sarah Palin is a Bitch… there I said it.

Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?

Well it’s NOT you girl…

Look. I am going to say what everyone at CNN, CBS, ABC and NBC is thinking but is afraid to say. Governor Palin is a stupid, conniving bitch. And it’s not because she is a strong woman - I like strong women… worship them… It’s actually the opposite. She is a weak, pathetic woman who thinks big hair, winking, baby talk and self deprecation is somehow becoming of a woman who wants to lead the free world. My god, where is Margaret Thatcher when you need her!

But what really makes me mad is the hypocrisy. She claims to be a Washington outsider and yet is the worst kind of politician. She will say anything and avoid answering any question instead choosing to spout whatever line or soundbite some adviser put into her mouth a few hours earlier. And exactly when did sounding like a hick make someone “more like us”. Last time I checked we were a country striving to educate our children to be intelligent and honest. I think I would die if my daughter came home from school and said something like “I gotta tell ya. Change is a comin’.” At the very least I would remove the Beverly Hillbillies from her approved TV viewing list.

And then there is Alaska. Have any of you been to Alaska recently? Although the largest State geographically, it has less than a million people - about 700,000. (The city I live in now is bigger). Fewer population issues exist for lawmakers to address. And because they make so much money from the oil companies, the Alaskan government actually gives it citizens an annual dividend check (this year $3,200). Exactly what Governor wouldn’t be popular under those circumstances? No wonder they can afford to elect a governor who only has an undergraduate degree in journalism and a few beauty pageant awards. By the way, when you got that journalism degree did they teach you that some journalists actually ask hard questions like what newspapers do you read?

Fact: Sarah Palin is stupid. Maybe not stupid by Alabama standards but stupid enough that she managed to get herself elected Governor while never bothering to educate herself on little things like the Constitution, foreign affairs or appropriate debating practices. She is stupid enough to have accepted a VP nomination for which she is completely unqualified and stupid enough not to admit it - even though the future of our great nation could be irreversibly damaged by the decision.

When exactly do we all get to call “bullshit”?

She loves to talk about being a mother but the last time I checked, having your newborn on national TV at 11PM instead of in bed wasn’t considered “good muthering“. Neither was making your child’s unexpected teen pregnancy the talk of the nation because you desperately wanted to be a politician in Washington DC - or isn’t that exactly what you said you didn’t want. From where I sit, it appears you would sell your soul for the position. Kind of the way that Elisabeth girl on The View sold her soul for fame. Please god get her off the airwaves - she became famous because she ate a rat… but I digress…

Oh and my favorite - my husband Todd (the first dude) and I sit around the kitchen table wondering about the cost of college like many of you… oh really. Your oldest son went from high school into the military. Your next oldest is pregnant with plans to be married to some hockey jock at age 17. Seems to me you’ve got lots of time before you have to worry about college tuition especially being college doesn’t seem to be a priority in your family.

You refuse to give live interviews and then whine when your taped interviews get edited. Then you have a chance to be live in front of the nation during a debate and you respond by not answering the questions (proudly not answering the questions I might add) but rather by reading the cue cards given to you by a group of white old men who sold their souls to the political system when you were in…. I don’t know - 2nd grade maybe. Your insulting to a United States Senator who is so respected that his home state has elected him to office 6 times. And while I am on the subject of the debate - shame on Gwen Ifell for not making her answer the questions. Damn I miss Tim Russert.

Sarah Palin is an ignorant, ranting, whining bitch. There I said it. But lots more are thinking it.

Please take your ridiculous hair, your over lipstick-smacking mouth, your Lenscrafter look smarter glasses and your poorly fitted designer jackets back to Alaska. And when you get there, shove a piece of the pipeline up your considerable ass. I’ll be damned if we’ll put our children’s future in your hands. And the same thing goes for McCain - the ass wipe who gave her this national platform effectively pushing the woman’s movement back into the dark ages - knowing McCain that might have been his plan all along.

A bit confused

Fall weather brings with it a certain level of excitement in our house. We get to partake in all the fun "fall festivals," evidence of which you've seen; we get to eat yummy apples, finally in season, and drink apple cider; and we get to prepare for Lily's favorite holiday, HALLOWEEN, by, well, decorating a gingerbread house. Merry Christmas Halloween?!?


When given the option this past weekend -- carve a pumpkin or paste candy on a cookie house -- she chose the latter. She just couldn't wait. She's been asking to do this for weeks already. Perhaps I should have put a few drops of orange food coloring in to the icing. Humm... I'll try to remember that one for next year's Halloween House (as if my mommy brain has that capacity...oh well, it's a good thought).

I'm sure that this'll be the first of many gingerbread houses constructed in ours over the course of the next few months. And hopefully we'll get those naked pumpkins that now adorn our front stoop carved before the 31st!

As If...

As if I could leave well enough alone. I'll drop it when Saturday Night Live drops it (OMG -- Caribou Barbie? Now THAT is funny!). Or when Obama is elected the next President of the United States (or POTUS to those of us inside the Beltway).

Two weeks from Tuesday...


The last time a President was elected, I had a baby. Literally. Lily was born on November 2, 2004, election day, some 4 weeks early. Perhaps that's why she's so interested in politics. Perhaps it's because she thinks that Michelle Obama is pretty. Who knows what sparked this interest, but I love it!

I so totally couldn't resist creating our own set of Obama logos (want one? go to logobama.com). These will go nicely with the hand-made sign (taped to a tin foil post) that now adorns our front gate. Perhaps she wrote in code, but Lily swears that the crayon scribbles spell out "Go Obama!" And if the transition team asks, I think that Lily would make a great Goodwill Ambassador. She can just charm all those foreign heads of state with her rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "My Name is Joe!"

Not a big fan of green

Noah, who is a huge fan of anything green (eco-friendly that is), has a daughter who apparently doesn't care much for things that are green. Green food that is. While I can't remember if I started Lily on food using peas or green beans, I do remember that she loved them. She couldn't get enough. And, some 3 1/2 years later, she's still a big fan of any and all green vegetables including edamame, brussel sprouts, artichokes, you name it.


So when it came time for us to move beyond the Happy Bellies brown rice cereal, I let Lily vote on the green veggie for Anna; sweat peas won, hands down. Only her belly wasn't so happy with the peas. I won't elaborate, but let's just say that daughter #2 has an even more sensitive gag reflex than daughter #1. And her diapers started stinking even more than usual. Since green beans, organic or otherwise, have amazingly vanished from the shelves at Harris Teeter, Safeway, Whole Foods AND Babies R Us, we've moved on to the orange veggies. For now. I'm determined to acclimate Anna to the greens! So, for her second taste of food, sweet potato was on the menu. And boy was it a hit!!

Look closely and you can see the little chompers!

Average Joe

Ok, ok...I'm sure you're starting to get sick of my political interjections. This is a family/mommy blog after all. But with the stakes as high as they are, for not only our immediate future but our long-term one as well (hello, Supreme Court!), I can't leave it alone. My girls' future is staring me in the face.

The fact that I was raised on Capitol Hill, still live in the Metro area, and work within spitting distance of the White House doesn't help.

Nor does my daughter. Lily asks incessant questions about Obama, George Bush and Sarah Palin. She, like many around the country, seems too focused on the #2 GOP draft pick and not focused enough on the guy who is actually running for office.

So let me leave you with this image.



And you wonder why our image overseas is at an all-time low... Personally, I wonder why any other civilized country would take us seriously at all. John McCain is, without a doubt, a war hero. But, presidential?!? I think not!

And just like with Lily's whiny voice, I think I'm going to scream if I have to hear, one more time, about Joe the plumber. You want Joe? I give you Lily... An encore performance.

E-I-E-I-O

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, or talking to me recently, you know how much I LOVE Cox Farm's annual Pumpkin Festival. We go every year. At least once. I'd likely go every weekend if I could. That's how much fun I think it is.

There are others -- many others -- in the DC area that rival Cox's, but none are quite as good. Huge bonus that, while out enjoying the country air, gigantic slides made with hay bales, and (new this year!) CORNundrum, you can also get a slice of the heavenly Mom's Pies. Yes, one family owns all the greatness -- Cox AND Mom's!

Fall Festivals make for happy babies!

Lily got to hang with one of her BFFs; Hank and his family joined us for the fun this year!

Darrin, Hank, Noah & Lily FLEW down the giant slide (the secret is to go down the middle on the blue part, which is greased and extra fast)

Obligatory pony ride -- I mean, don't you love paying $5 for your child to sit on a pony's back for approximately 2 seconds (and who says that discretionary spending is down??)

Not sure if she liked flying down the chute alone...

..perhaps she'd had a premonition that a wipe-out was in her future!

Noah's attempt at face-painting. Or tiny baby torture. The pink should come with a warning that it's, essentially, permanent. Anna had a bright pink smile ghosted on her face for days.

So in spite of our ridiculously over-scheduled weekends this Fall, we were able to sneak in a trip to Cox not that long ago. And while the goats were somewhat of a disappointment this year (they normally attack you trying to get the grain-filled ice cream cone out of your hand) -- we practically had to force-feed them -- the hayride, fast slides, BBQ lunch and corn maze definitely didn't disappoint. Nor did the yummy kettle corn that we bought for the car ride home. Which we ate. And ate. But only after I doused us all in Purell. Not only were this year's goats' appetites a disappointment, but their level of cleanliness totally skeeved me out. Maybe I've been watching too many episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8...

My attempt to catch a "holiday card candidate" photo. Lily was a most uncooperative participant.

Anna, on the other hand, couldn't be more thrilled to sit pretty and smile with the pumpkins!

Bluegrass and Back

Country roads, take me home,
to the place I belong,
West Virginia Kentucky, mountain mama,
Country Roads, take me home...

- John Denver

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. In 2008, we flew the friendly skies to Kentucky to honor his voyage. And what a weekend we had in the Bluegrass State! Of course, the LATE NIGHT flight to Lexington, and the EARLY MORNING (alarm went off yesterday at 4:45 a.m.!) flight home weren't the highlights of our trip. But the glorious 80 degree weather, fun friends, and fantastic family certainly were!!

Anna, with her "Hillary for President" cup, takes a tub in Lois Anne's kitchen sink

Anna in Lois Anne's INCREDIBLE garden

See for yourself -- it's a little oasis!

With all the wedding news of late, Anna wanted to see what the buzz is all about

Anna's first flight -- a happy traveler!

To top it all off, we had Anna's 6 month visit at the pediatrician's not long after we touched down at National Airport. Her stats were IDENTICAL to Lily's at the same age -- 19 pounds, on the nose, and 27 inches. She's the epitome of juicy!

Lily on Bandit -- this sure beat the pony rides at Cox Farms!

City girl meets farm girl

Collecting eggs with Rosilyn

What a haul!

Speckles, one of the hens who obliged us

Feeding the chickens to "thank" them for their eggs!

Half Birthday

Amazingly enough, Anna is six months old today. Half a year. Holy cow! I know that it's incredibly cliché, but where did the time go? She started out life as a quiet little peanut. She's now loud and happy and likely dying to eat peanuts! (Sadly for her, and as lax as I have been this time around, I'm firmly sticking to my "no nuts for 3 years" policy.)

We've officially entered my FAVORITE stage of life. Between about 5 1/2 months, when their little personalities finally come to the surface, and about 8 months (hopefully not before!), when they start crawling, babies couldn't be more delicious. They sit, play, smile and laugh. They're not so delicate anymore, and they're not yet destroying your house. I seriously want to hit the pause button on the TiVo of life!

There have been so many firsts over the past month. Here are but a few...

1. First time in a pool
2. First time rolling from back to belly
3. First time sitting up, unaided
4. First ear infection
5. First (and last) course of Amoxicillin
6. First allergic reaction to Penicillin-like products
7. First two teeth
8. First solid food
9. First religious experiences/First High Holy Days
10. First flight! (we're heading Lexington, KY tonight)

Happy half birthday, my sweet Anna-banana!!

Here Comes the Bride

We couldn't be more thrilled to share our family's latest glorious news -- the engagement of Noah's cousin, Julia, to her wonderful boyfriend (now fiancé!) Andrew Edelstein.

Julia is an assistant editor at Time Out New York (how I wish that Washington, DC had a magazine like this!! Julia, can you convince the managing editors to start one?) and Andrew is in medical school at SUNY-Downstate.

Since Anna's birth sort of got in the way of things and I had to miss Laura (Israel) and Daniel Sinrod's wedding in April (which was completely spectacular by all accounts), I couldn't be more thrilled or excited about Julia and Andrew's future nuptials.

Lots of love, you two. Mazel tov!!

Food for Thought...

...or thoughts about food.

All smiles in spite of the allergic hives that have taken up residence on those juicy cheeks!

Because of my own allergies, I was hyper-conscious about introducing foods to Lily. A spoon didn't touch her lips until the magic age of 6 months (according to the American Academy of Pediatrics); we were SLOW to move from one puree to the next; we waited until after her first birthday before giving her any citrus, egg, dairy or tomato products; and it wasn't that long ago that she got her first taste of a nut. I read every book on the subject. I grilled both our pediatrician AND my allergist before doing anything. I figured out an "introduction" schedule that would not only try to circumvent the allergy thing but that would expose her first to veggies, before fruits, so that she wouldn't ditch the good stuff for the sweet stuff. Thankfully, my tactics paid off because (knock on wood) she doesn't appear to have inherited my allergies. At least not yet. And she hasn't met a vegetable that she hasn't liked. In fact, she now claims that artichokes are her favorite food.

So why didn't I write down a single thing during that entire process? Did I actually think that I would remember ANYTHING between Lily and the next baby? Because I am so good at remembering things...like where I put my keys (5 minutes ago)...not! Even Lily has taken to reminding me to put things back exactly where I got them from so that I'll be able to find them the next time. The only thing that I do remember is that I waited until Lily was 6 month old to introduce rice cereal (can't remember how much I gave her at first, though, or how quickly we upped the amounts) and that her first real food was a vegetable. And it was green. Could have been peas or green beans. Don't remember anything other than the color, though.

Since Anna will -- GASP! -- be 6 months old on Friday, I decided to start her on cereal this weekend. Ok, so I do remember that detail too. I always started on weekend mornings so that I could watch for any possible allergic reaction before sending her back to school on Mondays. And since I'm even more pro-organic that I was with my "Earth's Best" baby 3 1/2 years ago, Anna's first spoonful was organic brown rice baby cereal. I'm just glad that I wasn't the one who had to eat it.

Anna did about as well as Lily did the first time around.

Not sure how she likes the organic brown rice cereal with DHA + probiotic immunity support....

Let's hope that additional "introducing" memories flood my head. Like when we move on to that first green vegetable...

...verdict is back. Happy Bellies makes for happy babies!

In the meantime, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that Anna escapes the trap of allergies like Lily did. At least most of them. Sadly we've already made one allergic discovery. Over the course of the last few days, we found out that she's allergic to penicillin...or anything in the penicillin family of products. On day 7 of her course of amoxicillin for her ear infection, the allergy alarm was sounded. God rested on the 7th day. Anna, she broke out in hives.

And even though she hasn't had a drop of that vile, sticky sweet orange goo since Thursday night, she's still covered in them.... I can't tell you how many times we've gotten prescriptions for Lily and been told to call the doctor at the first sign of a rash. We never had to. Until now. At least Anna is still smiling! Me, not so much. You're now looking at an even more hyper-paranoid mama. I wonder if those medic-alert bracelets come in shades of baby pink??

DNA

Lily, 3 months old (give or take)

After 4 years of long Indian Summers, Fall seems to have suddenly sprung in DC earlier than it has in years past. Not that I'm complaining; I couldn't love this weather more. Crisp, clean air gives me a little jolt of extra energy, which is just what I needed. Way better than a venti skinny hazelnut latte from Starbucks, this jolt is calorie free!

That being said, I had prepared clothing-wise for yet another Indian Summer. Since I had to scramble and find warm-weather clothes that would fit Lily well in to her first Fall (her drawers were stocked with sweaters and tights), I made sure to buy plenty of 9 month outfits for Anna that would show off all her juicy skin...and not make her sweat.

Anna, like a deer caught in the headlights

Just goes to show that we can't outsmart Mother Nature, because I now have a ton of short-sleeve dresses and onesies that she can't wear, and I had to dig through bins of Lily's old clothes in an attempt to find things to cover up my freezing baby.

Of course, this recycling of clothes is giving me a major case of deja vu. Although it's a bit unfair to compare these shots because of the age differential (Lily was about 3 months, give or take, and Anna is 5 months old), I'm still stunned by how different my two kids look. DNA sure is a funny thing...something else that you can never predict or try to outsmart!

Anna, happy as always to follow in her big sister's footsteps