Harry Potter update

I was close. Holly finished the book at 10:02 PM last night. a full 28 minutes ahead of my estimation (that I thought I was being funny about). She says she enjoyed the book.

I plan on starting it soon. If I'm done by Thanksgiving... I'll be doing good. Here are my predictions:

Harry will battle Lord Voldemort in the emperor's chamber... Voldemort using Harry's thoughts against him.

Ron and Hermione will get help from the Ewoks in destroying the shield generator... allowing the order of the Phoenix to fly into the superstructure of the Death Star and destroy it.

KJ Rowling will release a pre-series of books... going into detail about how Voldemort turned evil. The first two books will SUCK. The thrid one will be cool.

Today, my Little Sister will be in town. I'm glad that she'll get to see Henry! Maggie is very excited to see her and Grandpa Rick and Grandma Shari. She can use that expanded use of the english language to impress them.

Later!
Reid

Random Quotations from Maggie

As Maggie continues to explore the english language, she frequently says things that cause Holly and I to look at each other... then burst out laughing. Here are a few examples:

We were watching 'Americas Funniest Home Videos'... when there was a video from a college dormitory. Some girl had dressed up like a creepy old man and was going around scaring her friends. I said to Holly "Let's not send Maggie to that school." Then I asked Maggie, "What college would you like to go to?", to which she replied "A good one!" Holly and I were pleased with that answer. Maggie then followed up with a query of her own. "Can I bring my old Nukkie (pacifier)." Yes, Maggie. You can bring your old Nukkie with you to college.

When I was taking her up for bed, I told her "Time to get your Jammie-Jams (parent speak for pajamas) on!" to which she replied, "I'm wearing my clothee-clothes!"

She has also been obsessed with Clifford, the Big Red Dog recently, due in part to trips to the Library... and Checking some out. She got two last week, and Holly and I had to read them several times through out the day. This past friday, they went again and got two more books, one of which explains how Clifford got so big. The title of the book is 'Clifford, the Small Red Puppy'. It took a little convincing before Maggie would accept that fact.

When she tells Henry she loves him, she for some reason says: "I love you so much, Henry Patrick Sollberger Daddy!"

Henry continues to grow. and poop. and pee. So much so that every time he lets loose with a #2, Maggie says, "Henry! We just changed you!"

On a different note, Holly had me buy one of my birthday presents today. The new Harry Potter book. I think she only wanted me to get it today so she could read it before she gave it to me. Oh well. I fully expect her to be done with it by the time Satuday Night Live is on.

Later,
Reid

Who does Maggie love so much?

Maggie watched her Clifford movie the other weekend. You know, the big red dog? Well, at some point in the move, one of the characters must have said "I love you so much!", because Maggie says it all the time now. Mostly just to Henry. I'll ask her if she loves me so much, but she says, no she loves Henry so much.

Fast forward to this evening when we are enjoying dinner. She had been sick most of the day with a fever, but was feeling better thanks to some Tylenol. She was acting goofy and KISSED THE TABLE. Then she said to the table "I love you so much, Table", while giving it a hug. Holly and I laughed at this... I again asked her if she loved me so much. Nope. She loves the table so much. I asked her if she loved the lamp (a reference to the movie "Anchorman"). She said no.

So I don't know if I should be concerned. My kid loves the kitchen table more than me.

Henry, meanwhile is in the mode of wanting to eat ALL NIGHT. this has put our household under a bit of sleep-deprivation. He is still better than Maggie, but...

We did give him his first bath the other day. He was great! As was Maggie. She helped wash his feet and tried to calm him when he got fussy. When Henry was done in the little Baby bathtub, Maggie put her doll in to give IT a bath. Cute.

It's been a while...

... I know. I'm BUSY! 3 weeks ago, parents outnumbered kids in this house. Now, they've doubled in number, the new one requires lots of attention and the second one likes to talk. It's a busy time in our home.

Here's a recap of Father's day. It was a good day. Henry woke up at 4 AM, Holly fed him but then he was done, but not tired. So I was on duty around 5. He fell back asleep around 5:45, but I couldn't sleep. I had the house to myself for a while and it was quiet. Good start. I got up so early, I was able to take this adorable picture of Maggie:

When she was younger and having her sleeping problems, I never thought I'd see the day when she slept. But now she consistently sleeps through the night IN HER CRIB! I am very proud of her and very glad that this development happened before Henry came along.

Anyway... as for the rest of my day. The kids gave me a card and a picture of themselves in a 'Dad' frame. That went along with the DVD player that Holly got for me that is better for my new HDTV. We went to church with my Mom, who was in town to help out Saturday, as I spent that day in Fargo, North Dakota, handing out yardsticks at a grand opening of my employer. Mom went home after that and we were to meet my Dad at a GREAT Italian place in town, but much to my chagrin, it was closed on Sundays. So we opted for Grizzly's. Visited with Dad and Shari for a while, we gave Dad the Deer and Rabbit repellent we thought he could use for his tomato plants. A good day all around. In Case you were wondering about that picture that the kids gave me, here it is:

A-FREAKIN-DORABLE.

The kids are strangely similar...

Here's two pictures. Of each of the kids from around the same age. See if you can tell the difference.

I guess all babies look the same, but these are quite similar. Possibly because they're brother and sister. I dunno.

The kids' Aunt Becky is here for a few days. She brought stickers for Maggie, who enjoyed them very much. She was playing with them so much, she barely noticed that I got home from work!

Not much else going on here. The hot weather seems to have settled in, so all of our A/C units have been placed.

Has anyone seen Holly and Maggie in any commercials lately?

Answer: Henry is on the left, Maggie on the right. The big difference between the two is that Henry's hair is darker. They also have different... um... well... you know. But that's cheating.

Washcloths are NOT miracles!

Today, Grandpa Ted and Grandma Geri had to go home, after spending a week with us to help out when Holly got home from the Hospital. They were a HUGE help over the past week.

CUTE KID STORY AHEAD!

Sunday night, Maggie was finishing up dinner, with Grandma Geri and myself watching her. I had gotten a washcloth out to wipe her down, but set it on the table where Maggie couldn't see it. When she was done, she said "You get a washcloth! (but she pronounces it like 'washclosh')" I grabbed the washcloth from where it was. Grandma Geri made a joke to Maggie that was "Wow! He got it FAST! It's a miracle!", to which Maggie Replied: "No, It's a washclosh!"

Henry, meanwhile is sleeping. a LOT. we're not used to a baby sleeping this much. I'm typing this at 8 PM monday, and aside from nursing time, he's been sleeping the whole time. I'll put up more pictures soon.

We've been getting gifts galore. Karen and Jack brought by some clothes, Holly's Aunt Janine sent a lovely knit blanket, and I've gotten two bags of stuff from folks at work. Holly was saying for months that Boy's clothes were'nt as cute as Girls (tanks, cammo and superheroes vs. flowers, pinks and princesses). But I think she's comming around.

Ahh... fatigue. Goes with parenting like Peas go with Carrots

Holly and I have acknoweleged the fact to each other that we're tired. Henry is doing his darndest to sleep through the night. I think he may be faring slightly better than Maggie was at her age. Of course, I'm sleeping for most of his feedings during the night, so Holly may have a different opinion.

Thankfully, Maggie has been consistently sleeping through the night for several months. But she still gets up early. Today (Sunday), she was up at 5:50 AM... while Henry was still sleeping. Not too convient for a pair of parents who spent the evening nursing, changing diapers, changing onesies, soothing, etc. So with my birthday comming up, I think I'll ask for Caffiene. in any form.

Henry is opening his eyes and looking around a lot more. I often wonder what's going on in that little head of his. I keep trying to get a picture of this, but, much like his sister, he can't really keep a good pose for more than a half a second. Oh well.

If any of you see Holly and Maggie on TV in the next week, don't be suprised. We put her in the TV commercials for my employer, buying a gift card with Maggie. You only see the back of Maggie's head and Holly was still pregnant when we taped it. She's saving big money.