Guest Blogger

Megan is away for almost a week on a work trip to Seattle, so it's just me, the kiddos, and Jorge struggling on our own. Things are going fairly well so far, but damn these three little creatures sure know how to wear me out!

On Saturday we went to a birthday party (Ellie turned 2!). The kids had a ton of fun playing with the crayons and eating cupcakes (big, BIG mess -- I ended up cleaning each kid in the kitchen sink, and Ian basically had a chocolate cake beard by the time he was finished).

On Sunday, or big outing was an all to short of a trip to Target for more milk and diapers. The rest of the day, we went a little bonkers in the house.

Today was different. We went to an open gym at a local community center and played with a lot of balls with some other kids, and daddy got to show the kids how to shoot some basketballs (I think I impressed them with my skills). After that, we went upstairs to a "Parents Resource Center" and played in a crowded room with a ton of toys and other kids and stuck around for circle time. I was the only man in the room. This outing must have totally worn them out 'cause they are currently pushing into hour #3 of their afternoon nap!

Since Mamma has been away, the main thing that has changed has been our bedtime ritual. Before, we'd give them baths (most every other night) and then Meg would take one up to bed for stories and some breast milk while I'd take the other one downstairs for cleaning up and reading stories until Momma would come down stairs and give him/her some breast milk before bed. Then I would take that one up and tuck him/her into bed.

This routine has been going rather smoothly for us for some months now.

This big trip, for Meg, however, may be the weening of the little ones (although I think Meg still thinks there's a chance it will last longer when she returns).

For the past few nights our routine has been to play for a little after dinner and have some milk while we clean up the toys. Then we go upstairs for a bath. This has been the hardest part. I think every night there has been one (if not both) of them who has been naked and peed somewhere along the short distance from their bedroom to the bath tub. After the bath, I get them into their pajamas, read a few books with them, and then we brush teeth with new toothbrushes and some training toothpaste.

All goes pretty well until the moment I turn off the lights in the room and then they both scream like mad. But this screaming rarely lasts more than a minute or two.

In addition to the bedtime routine change, to let them know they're living the "bachelor" lifestyle, we have cold pizza for breakfast, but other than that, most everything else is normal.

Occasionally, one of them (most often Ian), will blurt out "Mamma!" I explain to him that she's in Seattle, and that she'll be home on Thursday, but I don't think he understands (although they're always surprising me by how much they comprehend).







We'll Mamma, we are surviving, but we do miss you and look forward to seeing you on Thursday night!

Halloween

In the run-up to Halloween, Eleanor and Ian became acquainted with their Halloween costumes. We left them in the living room with their toys. Everyday, they would hold up their costumes, requesting that we put them on them. Nannie Perese got a preview when she was here the weekend before Halloween.

Ladybug and Zebra

Dog in Zebra's clothing

We spent Halloween on our front porch with our neighbors. There were lots of exotic little animals. It was a bit more chaotic than usual.

Zebra tries a KitKat

Ladybug, Zebra, and Cow gang up on Farmer

Dog wants Halloween treat

Spring Park Rocks!

Last week, I took the kids to nearby Spring Park. For the first time, they actually enjoyed the play equipment slightly more than the wood chips on the ground! We were there for two hours and the time flew by. I took lots of pictures of them enjoying themselves.

Visitin'

My dear friend from high school came down to meet Ian and Eleanor a few weeks ago. Kara is now the mother to two adorable boys. Her youngest, Ashland, made the trip with her. We had a very low-key weekend because the three babies were on totally opposite nap schedules.

Kara and Ash

The following weekend, Kevin and Eleanor went camping with the Penn State crowd. Ian and I weren't feeling very well, so we just hung out with friends in the neighborhood. We took a walk with Aaron and Milo and attended Isaiah's first birthday party.

Eleanor watches the older kids play

Over Columbus Day weekend, we packed up the kids and the dog and went to Pittsburgh. The weather was lovely so we went to the zoo. Ian was so excited about the animals. He screamed and pointed for much of the visit. Eleanor was quite and wide-eyed.

Ian, PopPop, and GiGi at the Pittsburgh Zoo

Eleanor and Kevin at the zoo (with GiGi in the background)

A very happy birthday

Eleanor and Ian turned one last month. The occasion gave us an excuse to throw a little party. And by little, I mean big. It was the biggest party we've ever had! Folks were spread throughout the house, porches, and the backyard, so it didn't feel like a crowd. It was wonderful but we needed lots and lots of help to pull it off. Thanks to everyone who made it happen (especially the Pereses who brought food, and cooked, and cleaned with us on Saturday morning).

During the party, Ian and Eleanor played with friends and family, napped a little, and dined on some delicious treats. They loved the tomato and spinach pie and their iced birthday cupcakes.

They were like deer in headlights during the Happy Birthday song

A boy and his cupcake

A girl and her cupcake

The day before the party, Ian started to walk. But he didn't do it regularly or confidently until a few weeks later. He's still a bit shaky, but it is now his preferred method of transport. And now we've got two toddlers toddling all around!

Adios, Summer

The babies are having an eventful August and September. Some of the highlights include:

The Mini-Reunion. A subset of Gallaghers, including the New Yorkers, Takoma Parkers, and Annapolitans, got together in early August. We cooled off at the community pool ('cool' is the word for the dudes in the image below), feasted on grillables, and enjoyed each other's kids.

Uncle Mannie, Uncle Chris, and Kevin catching some rays

Aunt MG and Aunt Elisa relaxing by the baby pool

Cousin Gabriel (in the stroller), Ian, and Eleanor rest after frolicking in the pool

Cousins Hugh, Finn, Gabriel, Eleanor, Ian, and Owen

The Professor. My dear old friend and college roommate Amy Johnson came to visit us last month. She is a professor and researcher now and came up from Columbia, South Carolina with her dog Ella. At the Montgomery County fair, we bought cheap sunglasses, ate greasy food, and watched the pig races.

Amy and I

The pig race (or trot)

Ella and Eleanor

The Surprise Party. We celebrated PopPop Perese's 60th birthday with a party at the Pitners in mid-August. The babies ate picnic food for the first time - hot dogs, baked beans, and corn salad were big hits. (But I forgot my camera I don't have pictures of the event.)

The Teeth. Both babies have teeth emerging from their upper gums. It's definitely giving me a sense of what they'll look like as kids.

The Walk. Eleanor has become a walker. She likes to hold something in each of her hands as she walks around the house. She looks like a little tiny drunken sailor.

Watch out - here she comes!

The Talk. Ian has become a talker. He has specific words for ball (BAH), dog (DGIDGIDGI), and banana (NANA). I also think he's saying guitar (TAH) but I've been accused of hearing things before so I will wait until I'm sure before reporting with certainty.

The Virus. We had out first stomach virus a couple weeks ago. Ian had diarrhea for days, which we thought was due to teething his top front two teeth. But then he started throwing up, and became more lethargic. His dad took him to the emergency room where he was deemed mildly dehydrated but treated only with a anti-nausea drug. A couple days later, his appetite and personality reappeared. Just in time for Eleanor to get it. She didn't have it nearly as bad, but it was ugly around here for about a week.

The Lancaster Reunion. The Gallagher clan got together in Lancaster, PA to celebrate cousin Maeva's first birthday. It was SO good to see Bernie and Kate - and to get a "grab and sniff" of Maeva. My mom's back had recovered enough for her to make the trip. Kevin stayed home with Ian so that Eleanor and I could make it. It was a great trip but way too short.

Cousin Maeva and Eleanor focus on grass

Cousin Gabriel and Uncle Mannie work the camera

GiGi, PopPop, and Uncle Bernie

Cousin Maeva and Aunt Kate

Aunt MG and Eleanor

The Beach. Eleanor and Ian had a blast on the beach with PopPop (Perese) and MomMom last weekend. The weather was windy and overcast but that didn't bother us one bit.

Happy beach babies

PopPop and Eleanor dodge waves

Walking on the promenade with MomMom

MomMom and PopPop take a (brief) rest

Family portrait

And finally, The Car. Our 1994 Honda Civic was stolen from a side street while we were at the beach. Kevin loved that car. We're sad and pissed about it. And we think that the babies are disappointed, too.

(Oh, yeah, this is also the eve of their FIRST BIRTHDAY. What a wild and wonderful year it's been.)

Yikes!

I'm sure I'll eventually acclimate to the world of toddler-hood, but I am completely freaked out by it at the moment. It seems like Eleanor and Ian were infants such a short time ago and now they're doing things that I didn't imagine they'd do for months.

For example, Ian discovered that he can climb up and stand on the little table in the dining room where he used to enjoy playing with pots, wooden spoons, empty food containers, and whatnot. Kevin and I don't know exactly how to approach this - we don't want to discourage his physical development but we don't want him to get the idea that he can climb anything and everything he sees. Any suggestions?

Ian is a bad influence on Eleanor

Their new abilities are thrilling as well as scary. When I brought a couple of push toys up from the basement this morning, I never thought that the babies would embrace them so quickly. I guess they were ready for them.

Riding the firetruck

I am hoping to post soon about the fun we've had over the past two weekends with friends and family. Last weekend, Amy Johnson and her pooch Ella came up from Columbia, SC. The weekend before that, Mannie, Elisa, and Gabriel came down from Brooklyn for a visit in Annapolis. Unfortunately, my camera was not present for much of the fun so I am counting on my sibs to share their images. Stay tuned.