Our Star

Patrick shone in the Abracadabra Christmas play yesterday, which took place during a sweet church service celebrating the joy of children. Each child was assigned different parts of the Christmas story (soldiers, innkeepers, donkeys, trees, etc); Patrick and his fellow munchkins were stars in the sky. At several key parts in the narrated tale, Patrick and the other stars were cued to stand up and say "twinkle twinkle twinkle." The munchkins seemed somewhat bewildered by the whole thing, but were so adorable it didn't matter. Patrick was on much more solid footing at the wrap party afterward, where he thoroughly enjoyed the treat buffet and no miniature cupcake was safe from his sticky grasp. He conked out on the short ride home, but his glittery red star shines on at the top of our tree.

Prepping for Santa

We've been decking the halls at the Thomas house. Last Sunday we put up our Christmas tree and Patrick was delighted to discover our cache of UVA and sports-themed ornaments. The bottom of our tree is now heavily weighted with a set of football helmet ornaments all placed in very close proximity. Patrick and Madeline also modeled their Christmas pajamas for me. We're ready for a visit from St. Nick!

This past weekend we accompanied Patrick to a very special Christmas party at his friend Jack's house. We ate delicious cookies, Miss Dinah read Christmas stories to the kids, and just as she finished The Night Before Christmas Santa Claus himself came down the stairs with a sackful of toys and giant lollipops for the children. Patrick got a fire truck but was far more enamored of the lollipop, which he ate for the better part of the afternoon. The whole event was such a special treat and really put us in the Christmas spirit.

So Donald and I, in a state of advanced sleep deprivation, decided it might be a good idea to go to the mall. We reasoned that Patrick could snooze on the drive over, avoiding a nap standoff that we didn't have the strength to endure, and we could possibly soak up a little extra Christmas cheer while picking up a few final gifts. That was a really, really bad idea. Parking was nonexistent, we didn't have the strength to look for gifts let alone stand in line to purchase them, and Patrick's sugar buzz lasted all afternoon (so no nap). We did however manage to get Donald and Patrick a ride on the Christmas train and Patrick made me smile by proudly waving his ticket to me as the train chugged past. Perhaps sensing my exhaustion—or attempting an even bigger Christmas haul—Patrick delivered an early present as we passed Victoria's Secret on the way out. He spotted a big blowup picture of a brown-haired model and said "dat you Mommy, dat you on that big screen." Then he repeated it loud enough for several passers-by to hear. The North Pole has been alerted.

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Christmastime in Alexandria is my favorite time of year. On Friday night we went into Del Ray for Christmas carols, the tree lighting, and a visit from Santa Claus. Most of the town's toddlers were gathered for the big event. Santa arrived with a police escort and then held office hours in a nearby yoga studio. He'd clearly had a long night by the time the Thomas children arrived (see photo). Patrick told us he was going to ask Santa for a soccer ball and was fascinated by the "candy can" that Santa gave him. When we said he had to eat a good dinner before he could have his treat he scooted his high chair over to the kitchen counter so he could look at it while he ate.
Rain and snow on Saturday foiled our plans to watch the annual Christmas Walk in Old Town, but we had fun at the local toy shop picking out "Spot," a beautiful stuffed dog who now lives exclusively in Patrick's big boy bed. We also grabbed an early lunch at Union Street—our first restaurant foray as a family. Madeline slept, and Patrick enjoyed consuming a small mountain of ketchup with his lunch.
Yesterday, we picked up our Christmas tree. Poor Patrick was so tired from refusing to nap in his big boy bed (and escaping over the baby gate we put in his doorway) that he nearly missed it. But last night he did a bit better. Donald and I can both confirm that the big boy bed is quite comfortable. Between the two of us I think we've slept in it more than Patrick. And Spot, who did stay in the big boy bed all night, earned a fun size bag of m&ms, which I intend to help him eat at lunchtime today.

The Great Crib Escape

It's a cruel irony of parenting that the week Madeline settled into one completely manageable wake-up per night Patrick figured out how to climb out of his crib. I was awake, feeding Madeline, when I heard the click of his doorknob and a flurry of little feet as he raced down the hallway into our bedroom and announced "Mommy, Daddy, I woked up!" Needless to say, no one has had a peaceful night since.

Our child-rearing books are full of completely ineffective advice: don't make the big boy bed transition with a newborn in the house (too late); transition gradually, starting with naptime (ditto); spend time making a big deal out of the bed (we did; but it didn't work). There's no advice for what to do when it's 3 a.m., you have a newborn, and your budding Harry Houdini will not stay in crib, bed, or big boy room and you are considering crawling into the crib yourself just to get 15 minutes of peace. We consulted some friends who have four children and they told us what the books just won't: sometimes you have to stand in the hallway and hold the door shut. And never, ever let them in the bed (also too late for that!). But they promised three days of the door routine and we'll be back to peaceful nights. We'll see.

Thankful

Our first Thanksgiving as a family of four kicked off with the annual Thanksgiving feast at Abracadabra. Patrick and all of the munchkins came running in wearing Indian headbands, made a beeline for the dessert table, and had cleared it of most of the cupcakes within minutes. The whole event was complete in about 45 minutes but it was lots of fun to watch.

On Thursday it was just us, and we spent a fun day playing animal bowling and running around on the tennis courts. Both Thomas children took a nap on daddy in the afternoon and then we shared a feast together for dinner. Donald and I have more blessings than we can count this year.

Crafty

Patrick love "crafts," and prefers to work in the messiest mediums: paint, markers, and glitter glue, but I still encourage his art. One of his favorite new crafts is an animal collage kit that includes confetti-like tissue paper, buttons, googly eyes, feathers, and sequins. He loves to take it out, glue one or two items onto a cardboard cow or a sheep, and then just play with the rest of the items in the box, as he's doing in the picture.

While he takes after me where his art is concerned, I've noticed Patrick can be as mentally crafty as Donald, and is starting to negotiate with us in clever ways. Last weekend when it was too cold and rainy to go outside and play T-ball he told us "I'll just put on my jacket and play outside for a little while." A few days ago, when confronted with the sad reality that his Halloween pumpkin full of candy was pretty much empty he told me "I need to go trick-or-treating some more."

Visit From Grammy and Grandaddy

Grammy and Grandaddy came last weekend to meet Madeline and spend time with Patrick and Sophie, who provided all of the weekend's entertainment. Patrick adores "Soph" and they had fun being super silly together. Patrick also had a great time playing football with Grandaddy in the back yard and tackling him repeatedly. Grammy stayed for a few extra days to help me out and we had a nice time hanging out with Madeline; we even took her out to lunch in Old Town, which she was kind enough to snooze through.

That's What Big Brothers Are For

"Can I squeeze her?" Patrick asks us as he reaches for Madeline's head—we're trying to learn to be gentle. Last night he spent ages fiddling with all of the music and lights on Madeline's bouncy chair as she peacefully snoozed away, and then asked if she could sleep in his crib with him when we put him to bed. He typically reserves such a request for a favorite new toy, so it seems like a good sign. I always wished for a big brother and am so glad that Madeline has such a nice one. He definitely has big brother instincts though. He thinks it's hilarious to put things on her head, like crumbs from his toast or a spoonful of yogurt, and loves hearing the sounds she makes as she fills up yet another diaper. And we love the picture of him "adjusting" her hat: classic big brother tricks.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Donald and I got a cute glimpse inside Patrick's preschool world last week with our first conference with Ms. Ayne. He's adjusted to school beautifully, and really enjoys all of the activites: art, kitchen, dress-up, storytime, "cozy corner," and especially playing outside. We even discovered that our shy guy loves circle time when they sing songs and each kid takes a turn doing something silly in the middle of the circle. Patrick got a lot of praise for his verbal skills, helping to clean up, his sorting abilities, and independence. As at home, Patrick is wanting to do more and more "all my-byself," and is especially good at putting on his own shoes and socks. Ms. Ayne gave us some cute photos of Patrick doing some favorite activities, which include, much to Donald's dismay, trying on girls' shoes (the sparkly-er the better), which was mitigated by photos of two of Patrick's boy classmates wearing princess dresses.

The Madeline Show

Madeline has been subjected to numerous photo shoots these past few days as I try to get the perfect shot for her birth announcement. The two pictures at the bottom of the post compare Madeline at 1 week and Patrick at about 2 weeks. I think they look more alike in person than in the pictures. Madeline is doing great; eating and sleeping with gusto, and we think she is going to be a thumb-sucker. Patrick preferred his paci or all of his fingers stuffed into his mouth, but I've seen Madeline go for her thumb twice now. Patrick is a huge help with his little sister and helps us find her diapers and other baby accessories as needed. When she cries he gets upset and worriedly asks us "what's she saying to you"? If only we could figure that out!

Welcome Madeline Grace

Madeline Grace Thomas arrived at 10:54 a.m. on November 5, weighing 9 lbs, 8 oz, and measuring 21 inches long. Apparently she kicked off a big baby day at Sibley--Dr. Johnson delivered 3 more 9 and 10-pounders before November 5th was over. It was the talk of the maternity ward!

Things were a little crazy this weekend. We were scheduled for an induction but contractions began shortly after we arrived at the hospital. Then came the news that there might be complications in delivering such a potentially large baby. A c-section was unplanned and a bit scary, but we got our little girl quickly and safely and are thrilled to have Madeline Grace with us at last. And even though she's big by baby standards she is still so small compared to Patrick we can hardly believe it.

Flu concerns meant that Patrick couldn't come to the hospital to meet his new sister. Instead he spent three days basking in the attention of Gran T and Papa, who took him all around town to see his friends and down to the waterfront to feed the ducks on Saturday. When brother and sister did finally meet yesterday Madeline brought along a new football helmet--just in case cuteness alone wouldn't cut it. Patrick however is delighted with both Madeline and the helmet, which he wore shopping at the grocery store and brought to school this morning to show his friends. He has a cute way of saying "Madeline" and likes to tickle her toes and kiss her on the head.

It's so nice to have a baby in the house again with all of their teeny tiny things and delicious smells and warm cuddles. It's still amazing--and exhausting--the second time around. And even sweeter because we know how quickly these baby days will pass—and how much we will love the person she becomes.

Four-Alarm Halloween Fun

We kicked off Halloween weekend with Patrick's school party, which featured a costume parade and buffet of treats that included his beloved m&ms. Donald and I found a fireman costume earlier in the week (CVS, sigh) and it suited Patrick much better than the pumpkin. In fact, he's spent the better part of the week wearing his fireman hat and coat and wanted to wear it all day on Friday—including to playgroup where the rubbery coat seriously impeded his speed on the slides.

On Saturday morning we carved our pumpkins, and Patrick particularly loved scooping the seeds. We went to Luke's Halloween party and had a great time playing with friends and once again, finding a stash of m&ms. We weren't sure if Patrick would "get" Halloween but clearly the concept clicked-—we practiced knocking on our own door and instead of saying "trick or treat" Patrick just looked at me flatly and said "candy."

When it finally got dark we set off down the street with our "Halloween bag" and collected treats at several houses. Patrick absolutely loved it and kept asking to go to another house. Down Maple Street we got a special treat—a woman dressed up as a softball player saw Patrick eyeing her ball and glove and offered him her softball. So we added a "baseball" to the Halloween bag—best treat ever! And on his first Halloween trick-or-treating. Needless to say, he went to sleep clutching his new baseball, and is now the world's biggest fan of the holiday.

We've been thinking for weeks that we might have had some company on Halloween—baby sister. But she seems quite comfortable in her current location and doesn't seem to be going anywhere. We can't wait to me you, little sis!

Halloween Pants

Given his love of the sport, I assumed that Patrick would love to be a basketball for Halloween. But the truth is that the poor kid looked as pregnant as me when we put the costume on him, and even the attempted bribe of an ice cream cone was not enough to convince him to give it a shot. We did get one picture (thanks Dinah and Josh) before abandoning six weeks of my handiwork to the stroller at the Del Ray Halloween parade.

There is one part of the costume that Patrick adores, much to Donald’s dismay: the tight black leggings I bought him to wear under the basketball. Patrick thinks these are his “Halloween pants” and wore them happily for the rest of the day, noting that cousin Sophie was also wearing Halloween pants (black tights) under her bumble bee costume.

Once I got over the heartache of an unloved costume and the further indignation of someone remarking on our nice “pumpkin” costume we had a great time. After the prize winners were announced Patrick caused quite a stir in our immediate vicinity with his unique dancing moves: his shoulder shrug, trademark elbow pump, and pivoting around on one foot.

Later, at home, Patrick and Sophie cracked each other up playing peek-a-boo with dish towels and bouncing on a chair. We got a kick out of hearing Patrick explain his “prizes” to Sophie as he told her all about the wonders of Chuck E. Cheese. Look out Aunt Jen and Uncle Derek, the mouse tolls for thee.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Donald and I "chaperoned" our one charge, Patrick, at Burke Farms for Patrick's first field trip on Friday. We did a hayride through a haunted forest, slid down some awesome slides, saw animals, and dug up some prizes—plastic spiders—from a big sand mountain. The kids all looked adorable in their purple "Abracadabra" shirts, and we loved watching them interact with each other. Then we watched in amazement as Patrick ate two hot dogs for lunch before heading home for nap.

Big Boy Bed

Patrick's "big boy" mattresses arrived the other day and when he got home from school we put everything together: sports-themed sheets and quilt, basketball and football pillows. Patrick was delighted with the sheets, and excitedly pointed out all of the elements to us: "football and basketball and soccer ball and baseball and star and football and basketball and...." If the new bed wasn't enough to convince us we have a bona fide big boy on our hands his recent love of "race cars" is. "I'm gonna vroom them," he tells us as they go zipping off the coffee table, but he carefully keeps track of them too (he has four); they rest on his night table at night, come down in the morning to usually accompany breakfast, and often times sneak into the pocket of his backpack to come with him to school. I've even seen him stuff them into his pants pockets, where I also recently uncovered a sizable handful of pebbles from the playground.