Hurling and fistcuffs

Seems both of the kids have been working on self-control this week.    Zia is obsessed with her hands and figuring out how to control them.  So obsessed, in fact, that she practices (and practices and practices) getting them into her mouth at night, while she sleeps in the crook of my arm.  I'm learning to ignore the practice flails and wake for the hunger ones.  Learning curves for all ;)

P, after a happy Halloween (for which I nevertheless felt some guilt -at the lameness of it all.  Just as he is old enough to do some great projects and really get out to pumpkin patches or something, just when his dream of a front porch to decorate finally materializes... I'm MIA.  Next year, I kept reassuring myself, next year he'll still be young enough and I'll be better at juggling...)  But we managed to finally carve the pumpkin just before dinner.  And this year he actually did it himself!  Except for removing the guts, of course, yuck ;)  He drew his design and sawed away with his carving kit.  The neighbor boy joined and watched in awe (P had crashed their family carving party the day before:)

Snapped in the dark during treating, but at least finally snapped ;)

Then it was a mad dash to do dinner and don the Harry Potter costume before Zia started her "bewitching hour" ritual.  We didn't quite make it,  thus the absence of cool costume pictures :(  But we did make it to the neighbors in time so that the boys could trick-or-treat together, along with a couple of other kids (of whom, the older princess and P had quite the courtship;)  He was so happy being with his buds and collecting candy that he barely even noticed a few blocks later when I had to exit with a screaming baby who would no longer play second fiddle :)

Unfortunately, being allergic to all things unnatural and Halloween don't go together as well as peanut butter and chocolate.  P ate some of his candy a few years back and was so miserable he hasn't tried any again... until this year.  The lure was too much.  He carefully put it in piles (per usual) and spent forever looking at wrappers and asking names and asking me to describe the flavors.  And then he decided it.  This year, he would eat some.  "Its only one time a year, Mama," he reassured me :)  I agreed!

He was very careful the first night.  Avoiding the nutty ones or any with obvious food coloring, he selected the two I said had been my favorites.  We were both impressed when he woke up feeling fine the next morning.  Oh, happy day!  Could he be outgrowing this?  (Not that I want him to eat shit, but it would be nice for it to not make him sick if he does:)  The next day he ate, erm, quite a bit.  Not a lot by a normal kid standard, but a lot for the Little Man.  He woke up puking the next morning with a bright red tush to boot.  After a few trips to the toilet to hurl his already empty tummy, he looked askew at his candy filled pumpkin and asked, "Where can I put that?"  He now has No desire to eat traditional candy ever. again.  (At least not for a  few more Halloweens ;)  Super self-control ;)

Mine is growing stronger too, as I forgo favorite foods.  I really buckled down this week and was super careful to stick to turkey, potatoes, apples and brown rice (with a little pumpkin seeds, millet bread and avocados for variety;)  Poor Z started going downhill.  Waking every 5 minutes at bedtime, shrieking.  P was scared :(  E was alarmed.  Then it hit him.  His brother is allergic to potatoes.  Oh Em Gee.  So I stopped the sweet potato habit and whalah.  Happier baby!  I hope this video loads.  I haven't edited it, so excuse the babble, but there's (post-potato) baby smiles!!!