The Soak Zone

We tried to give our kids an up-close and personal experience at Sea World yesterday, but Eliza didn't appreciate our thoughtfulness at Shamu's show.

Totally Backfired

Liam always comes in my room when he wakes up in the morning. This morning I was already up when I heard him coming, so I hid behind the door and yelled, "BOO!" as he walked in.

I can’t help it—teasing is a horrible trait I inherited from my dad.

So, while he whimpered and jumped a mile, involuntarily smashing pieces off the Lego ship he was carrying, I started laughing hysterically. Unfortunately, my laugh turned into a cough, which triggered my pregnant, early-morning gag reflex, which sent me running into the bathroom to vomit.

It was a very confusing 10-seconds, and 7 hours later, I’m still coughing.

Poor Liam deserves a better mom.

Reallocating Eliza's Movie Theatre Budget

There are several major differences between Liam and Eliza, other than the obvious boy vs. girl stuff. Eliza slams her fingers in doors or drawers at least once a week—she NEVER learns. And every single time she eats, I have to remind her to stay in the kitchen. Plus, she spills her drink almost daily. She’s perfectly capable of drinking out of a cup, but totally incapable of holding a cup upright while thinking about something else.

We took Liam to the movie theatre for the first time when he was 1½ years old. He sat perfectly still through the entire movie, Shrek the Third. I knew Eliza wasn’t ready for the movie theatre that young, but now she’s almost 3 years old and we really needed to get out of the house today.

We decided to try her out on her first movie theatre with Arthur Christmas.


She made it through two previews before she was out of her seat, climbing on the seat in front of us. Even a 50-foot screen and a lap full of snacks couldn’t keep her attention.

I guess we’ll try the movie theatre again in another 3 years. Hopefully Baby #3 is more like Liam than Eliza.