Still here!

I apologize for the lack of posting - over a week between posts is bad! But we've been laying low here. Charlie came down with a cold on Monday, and he was kind enough to share it with Lily and me (and Crackers and my friend Jamie, who had the misfortune of visiting on Monday). So the three of us have been in a snotty, stuffy haze for the most of the week, although we all seem to be more or less over it now. Plus, Joe went back to work this week, so we're busy adjusting to our new schedule. We were sad to see our summer together end - we had such a nice time. But Joe is ready to get back to teaching and we're definitely ready to start getting his paychecks again, so it's back to the grind! Luckily with the way Labor Day and Rosh Hashana fall this year he's able to ease back in gradually, which is nice.

Other than that, not much is new! We're still working on getting Charlie and Lily using their sippy cups. They only get two bottles a day now - one when they wake up and one before bed - and we offer them the sippies in between. They've both figured out how to get the milk out of the sippy, but rather than drink it they spit it out all down the front of themselves. Baby steps, I guess.

Charlie has become very inquisitive recently. He loves to open drawers and cabinets and seems very interested in how things work. One of his current favorite things is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which comes on every morning on the Disney channel. As soon as he sees Mickey on the screen he gets a huge grin on his face -he's just overjoyed to see Mickey and hear that squeaky voice. And then he looks right to Lily. He is such a sweet boy - whenever something makes him happy or causes him to laugh, he immediately looks at Lily to make sure she's enjoying it too.

Speaking of Miss Lily, the other day we realized that at some point during naps she's been standing up and gnawing on the rails of her crib like a beaver. There are teeth marks everywhere! We ran to Babies R Us as soon as we made this discovery to buy guards for the crib, and so far they seem to have kept her from chewing. What I wouldn't give for a video monitor so I can see what those two do in their room! Lily also likes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse -she "dances" to the music during the show - especially the "hot dog" dance at the end!

One of Charlie and Lily's favorite activities is pulling every toy out at once.
"You can keep giving me this sippy Mommy, but I can't promise I'll use it."