Salad days

Carey and the kids are asleep in Syracuse, so this is the last post until Sunday. We leave you with a bowl of salad culled from the Merrill family garden. Full disclosure: The lettuce is bitter. The radishes, carrots and cukes, however, are excellent.

Silly in B&W

Shorn

To celebrate the breaking of Lincoln's fever, Carey took him to the salon today. Poor boy -- home with Mom every day, so he hasn't experienced a barber yet. I'm told he sat patiently for almost 20 minutes and was rewarded with not one, but two, "lollies." He's a "handsome devil," as my grandfather likes to say.

Fever pitch

A quick medical update for the three grandparents who keep calling and asking... Lincoln's blood work came back normal. He's not anemic and his white blood cell count wasn't even elevated. He had Motrin today at 6:30 a.m. but wasn't running a fever this afternoon at the doctor's office. (Background, for non-immediate family -- the boy has had an intermittent fever between 102-105 since Thursday night.) It doesn't rule out all blood disorders, but makes it less likely. Doc wants to get a urine sample to check for a UTI, so I will try to post tasteful photos of our 2-year-old, who only occasionally pees in a training potty, trying to pee in a cup.

All wet

We got caught in a late-afternoon thundershower Saturday on a stroll. Greta was disappointed we didn't have any shampoo so she could wash her hair.

Beautiful in B&W

I love my friend Dan's black & white gallery of his daughter, so here's the start of my attempt at imitation.

Jump around, jump around...

Jump up, jump up, and get down! (Props to the reader who names the band without Google or Bing.)

Lincoln has taken to jumping much sooner than his sister did. Probably because his sister is two years older and loves to jump now. I love to try and freeze them in motion, so we practice a lot. Here they are this weekend on the plastic rock wall at Verona's playground. Greta asks me to add that she was jumping from two steps higher than Lincoln.

Weekend update

A lovely weekend in South Orange and environs. Saturday pool play, backyard deck dinner with the Baileys and McVetys, a Sunday bike ride for me, meeting the fam at a New Jersey Arts Incubator performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Verona Park. I finally strapped the camera around my neck again and got a few good shots. Think I'm giving up on Slide.com. Can't seem to get high-res images to display very big. So click here for the Kodak Gallery.

Home sweet home

I was gone from the kids for about a week and it felt like an eternity. Didn't help that Carey was stuck not only caring for them but continuing her project management role during our remodel.

Got home late Wednesday and was met at the train station by Carey and both kids -- still awake at 9:30 p.m.! -- in the double stroller. Lincoln spoke first and they were the sweetest words I've ever heard: "I love you, Daddy." Carey says she didn't spend seven days coaching him. The kids then spent the rest of the stroll home trying to outdo each other. "I love you, Daddy!" "I love you, too!" "No. I. Love. Daddy." "Me, too!"

I'll try to take some photos this weekend that demonstrate that affection.

Snakes on a porch...

We had a surprise visitor yesterday while the Bailey bunch was over for a play date: a baby snake on the sun porch! We're not sure whether Jinx caught him and brought him in from outside (Jinx had him cornered when we spotted the rascal near the back door), or if the snake somehow found his own way inside. This was the third little snake I've seen since May (or maybe the same snake I've seen three times?), and I was not nearly as excited as the kids were to have him in our house.

He proved to be an easy catch with an empty toy bin, and then transferred easily into Greta's Hello Kitty bug box. Greta and Emma were very proud of Jinx:
























Lincoln declared, "He likes me!" when the snake hissed his tongue at him, and Jack loved toting him around:























Their interest soon waned and they returned to backyard fun, picking lettuce in the garden, climbing castle house, and digging in the sand.


























Greta, Linc, and I carted the snake with us to the Wednesday night concert in the park. We released him in the bushes near the stream we pass on our walk past the tennis courts/pool. I figured placing him nearly a mile away, and down hill from us, should sufficiently deter him from visiting again. At least I hope so!

Hats off to you!

We've blogged before about Lincoln's uncanny resemblance to his Great Grandfather, Robert F. Merrill. Specifically here, and here. And without such specifics, here. In addition to a similar appearance, Lincoln also seems to have inherited Great Grandpa's knack for wearing a hat!

Greta's new game

For the last few weeks, our ever-imaginative daughter has been playing a game she calls "Mama Kitty." The game involves Greta in the role of Mama Kitty, I play the Nice Queen, Nice Witch, and Nice Any-other-character Greta deems necessary. The game is normally played while Lincoln naps, although he sometimes gets to play the role of Garden Bug.

Here is how the game is played: Greta stuffs her black and white kitten into her dress and cowers in her cozy corner, pretending it is the castle garden. She tells me that my subjects have informed me that there is a cat in the garden and it is going to have a baby! I express my surprise and then coax the Mama Kitty out of the garden (where the ground is too hard and the grass is too wet for a newborn kitten to be born) into the castle. I make her up a cozy bed, with 5 layers (2 blankets, a sheet, a duvet, and a sleeping bag), and wait until she tells me the baby is being born. She narrates that I am visited by a Nice Witch, who is also pregnant. And then, big surprise, both the nice witch and the mama kitty have their babies together and they grow up to be best friends. Then we play it again...and again...and again.

Today she consented to having a couple of pictures taken of her maternal feline self. Mama Kitty indeed!

More Portsmouth pix

I'm heading down to D.C. to work for six of the next eight days, so probably won't post much. Carey might, but I'll forgive her if she doesn't. We've still got just one toilet and no shower here at Chez Merrill. But the kids continue to show amazing resilience. They seem to actually like taking baths in the stone basin sink in the basement and eating every meal at a park or out of a bag.

To tide you over, here's a slideshow from our annual Independence Day trip to Portsmouth. Great food, great friends, great time.

Life's a beach

We had a great visit to Portsmouth, highlighted by our day on New Castle Island. Greta spent hours scouring the beach for shells and sea glass, while Lincoln napped for a couple hours in the sun. I'll put together a slide show when I have more time, but here are two of my favorites from the visit.

'shire visit

We drove up to Portsmouth, N.H., yesterday to spend the holiday weekend with our friends Aaron & Amy. I didn't take any photos, but will be sure to get some of the kids in their red, white and blue best today. Here's a shot from last week of a bird Greta made out of Play-doh. She wanted me to take a picture to show Grandpa Jerry.

A new house

Greta and Lincoln are both tired of our remodeling effort, but they pepped up a bit last week when I told them they could make their own house out of the bathtub box. They invited over their best buddies and had a grand time with markers, stickers, flowers, balloons, and crepe paper. Since their remodeling effort started during Lincoln's nap, Greta declared it a gift to him, and said she decorated it in honor of his birthday. I can only imagine what the kids will create when the new appliances arrive next week!

Car Wash Playground

Carey spent two hours with the kids today at the closest playground to our house -- affectionately termed "Car Wash Playground" because, well, it's across the street from Clean Way Hand Car Wash. And as a double bonus, all the migrant workers who wash the cars there also buy lunch from a truck vendor who stops by around noon. Lincoln is already quite versed at screaming, "ICE CREAM TRUCK!" when we're at some of the area's larger parks patrolled by the Good Humor man, so it was an easy leap for him to today exclaim, "HOT TRUCK!" He recommends the tuna on wheat, with Fritos and Oreos.

Just a little trim

Among Grandma Vickie's many gifts this weekend was a haircut for Greta. She sat her in the backyard swing and snipped off between 4-6". Grandma managed to convince her that the birds would be thrilled to take the corn silk-like trimmings back to their nests.

I spent the rest of the weekend trying to capture Greta swishing her hair from side-to-side, without too much success. Maybe if I asked her to do it a dozen more times I'd get the shutter speed correct.

Belated birthday photos

We had a small celebration on the actual day, June 25, and are gearing up for a cliche celebration with fellow 2-year-olds at McDonald's tomorrow with family and friends.
11 more photos here.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Linc!

Happy Birthday Lincoln David! What a great day, for a most joyful little boy. Yes, your baby days are definitely behind you. You are a running, jumping, climbing, talking, singing, dancing, laughing bundle of energy. Your smile melts my heart each day (and often gets you out of trouble!). And you give the sweetest hugs and kisses.

You are small, but you are mighty. Your pediatrician can't believe you are in the 3rd percentile for weight, because you have the cutest cheeks and chubby knees. You look like you should weigh more than 23 pounds! She's not too concerned yet...but has prescribed eating whatever you want whenever you want. You love peanut butter, bread of any kind, bananas, and yogurt. You don't care for meat, except for meatballs and teriyaki chicken. (Seriously, what other 2-year-old dislikes hot dogs?) You adore ice cream, particularly sandwiches, and can hear the Good Humor truck from three blocks away.

You seem to have no fear. Anything Greta can do, you think you can too. Honestly, if you make it though the coming year without a cast, I will be amazed. You scale ladders at the playground, love to climb rock walls, and are working very hard at jumping off rocks. And you are FAST! People can't believe how quickly you run, and I have grown many a gray hair from your spontaneous sprints.

You are curious, which makes you dangerous. Our home in New Jersey sports locks on the toilets, anti-tipping straps on dressers, door-closing guards, an oven latch, a dishwasher strap, and a gate at the top of the stairs. We had none of these things when Greta was your age!

At least you seem to understand the need for caution when taking a risk. When I catch you in the act, you'll state "Carefully!" as if that will make my concern lessen. You also echo, "Safety first!" when getting buckled into the car seat, stroller, or bike.

You are a crazy talker. "Mom, I dropped my wishbone stick!" "Thank you ice cream man!" "Lincoln go bike ride, Daddy!" It is so much fun to eavesdrop on your conversations with Greta (although I think she isn't as impressed that you can "talk back" at her and offer an idea or opinion when you're playing!).
You transitioned to your "big boy bed" without a hitch, and continue to be an excellent sleeper/napper. I only wish you slept past 6am! You are terribly attached to your silky blankets, though you haven't picked "the one" yet.

You rejoice when spotting a bug, bird, bunny, or dog. You can spend endless minutes following an ant through the grass.

So today marks the day that the terrible twos are supposed to start. I must admit I've seen a glimmer of them over the last couple of months: falling to the floor in a dramatic heap, moaning "NOOOOOO!", stomping your feet in protest when I've refused your request for a snack or a toy. But I really think the "2's" with you are going to be terrific. You are a lot of fun, and I love being your mom!