Happy 2nd birthday, Katie!!!

Kathryn Lucia Biddison turned two today! Happy birthday, Katie!!

Of course, we've been celebrating for weeks now. :-) Since we were having a family-only celebration this weekend, we celebrated with her friends when I hosted our playgroup a few weeks ago:

Yesterday we had John's family and my family over for a cookout and casual celebration. I had specified no gifts, but there were still a few fun things that showed up, such as a swimming pool with a slide, a teepee and tent connected by tunnels, and a magnifying glass:

Here Katie tries on her new hat from Oma and JPa. Note the "Kiss Me; It's My Birthday" pin. That of course is Mommy's doing. :-)

Along with Katie, we were celebrating my brother Mike's birthday. Happy birthday, Mike!

Video of Katie blowing out her candles:

And just in case you were worried about Joshua being ignored during the festivities, you needn't have feared. John's sister Laura flew up from Florida to meet her nephew for the first time:

and my mother also took a turn trading coos and smiles with her grandson:

I had a wacky idea for a fun party activity, and many in our families were crazy enough to try it. We decorated balloons for Katie! I won't name who did each one, especially since there's a glaring misspelling by the English major in our family. *grin*

We continued to make a big deal out of Katie today as well. First we dressed her in her favorite dress, hat, and purse for church:

Then we took her to Mamma Lucia tonight for a spaghetti dinner with my parents and brother Daniel.

Happy birthday, Katie! You bring delight, joy, and endless laughter to our hearts.

Could You, Would You, on a Train?

Being the mother of two under two for a few more days, I hereby give myself permission to post events terribly out of order. Otherwise I'll never catch up. So you'll have to wait longer to hear about our trip to Seattle, my brother's wedding, our trip to the beach, etc. Tonight I want to tell you about our trip to the National Aquarium on Tuesday.

My friend Betsy organized a trip to the National Aquarium in D.C., and the "easiest" way to get there was by Metro. I doubted that sincerely, but decided we'd give it a go. Neither of my kids had ever been on the Metro before, so I recruited the best mothers helper ever, 11-year-old Anna, and the four of us went on an adventure.

Here are photos of my kids on their first train ride:

The aquarium was pretty fun, and an added bonus is that the place was completely dark except for the exhibits, so Katie actually paid attention to some of the fish and animals. Then she completely melted down (did I mention she gets jealous sometimes when I'm holding Joshua?). Still, we were there a solid hour before we had to leave.

This was my favorite fish because it reminded me of an American flag:

Located between the Metro and the Aquarium is the National Museum of American History, which our architect friend Mike recently helped to redesign, so we made a brief stop there on our way home. From what I could see, the redesign is modern and gorgeous, and Katie was especially excited at the one exhibit we visited: Oscar the Grouch (aka "Ah-juice") and Kermit the Frog (aka "Frog")!

By the time we got back to the car, we had been on FIFTEEN elevator rides (it would have been 16 except I got impatient one time and just took Katie's stroller on the escalator instead) and all of us were totally wiped out. I lined up my exhausted kids in the back of the SUV for a joint diaper change:

and we headed home. That afternoon Katie slept for more than 3 1/2 hours, and even then I had to wake her up for dinner. That's double her normal nap. :-)

Happy Two Month Birthday, Joshua!

Our beautiful son is two months old today. Happy birthday to our not-so-little Terp!

Climb Every (Plastic) Mountain

We joined my friend Betsy and her three kids at a local playground today. Katie wasted no time in tackling whatever activities the three older kids were doing. She really is fearless! Mommy tried to take photos while still keeping a steady hand behind Katie as she climbed up equipment made for grade-schoolers.

Katie Meets the Muppet of Her Dreams

Joshua, Katie and I stopped by a local "Mommy and Me" event today to grab a bite to eat with friends. We were surprised to find Katie's favorite furry friend there -- Elmo!! If Katie looks less than thrilled in this photo, yes, it's true -- she was pretty nervous around Elmo. She would only go near him if I was holding her hand, and she only touched him when he wasn't looking (see below photo -- it reminded me of the woman touching Jesus to be healed when his back was turned).

The videos below show Katie's interactions with her fuzzy red monster.

If you ask Katie about meeting Elmo, all she'll say is "five". I had no idea what she meant for awhile, but then I realized it's because Elmo gave her five (see 2nd video). :-)

Katie Adjusts to Sisterhood

As I mentioned in a previous post, Katie has been a wonderful big sister to Joshua from the beginning. At first she had a few jealous episodes when she wanted Mommy's attention, but she's only taken it out on me, not on Joshua. In fact, she ADORES her baby brother:

When Joshua was a few hours old

When Joshua was 6 days old

When Joshua was 2 1/2 weeks old


Easter Sunday, when Joshua was almost 3 weeks old

Of course, Katie is still less than 2 years old, so as much as she loves Joshua, she doesn't quite understand why Joshua's toys and gear aren't appropriate for her anymore. And I've found that although Katie is very eager to love on her brother, I have to keep a very close eye on her.

For instance, Katie always wants to talk and play with her brother, even when he's sleeping. It is extremely irritating to finally have Joshua asleep, only to have Katie run up to his face and scream, "HI JOSH!!!!" She will also try to push a pacifier into his sleeping mouth or throw a "bankie" (blanket) or my Boppy ("pillow") on his sleeping head.

A few other adventures, as caught on film:


Katie has tried on numerous occasions to "help" Joshua drink out of her sippy cup. One time I simply found it with him in his carseat.


Or what about the time he was sleeping in the bassinet of the Pack 'N' Play, only to have her climb up and try to pull him out?

It took her no time at all to figure out how to push items up to the Pack 'N' Play so she could climb in herself. And with this achievement, I had to find another place for Baby Joshua to sleep.

Here's a video of her climbing up to give him some Katie Love:

Katie hasn't used a pacifier since she was a few months old. But now there's a sudden resurgence in interest.

One time when I was at the doctor's office alone with both kids (Note to self: NEVER AGAIN!!), I had both kids screaming at once. The solution that got everyone calm till we got out the door? I picked Joshua up out of his carseat/stroller and put Katie in. Joshua was happy to be held and Katie was happy to be someplace she wasn't typically allowed.

Another note to self: Never put Joshua's bouncy seat on the toybox when vacuuming. Because the higher up the bouncy seat, the more enticing it is for Katie. This is how I found her earlier this week:

Yes, being a mother of two has its challenges and adventures. But boy do I love both of my little ones!

Photos from Joshua's Birth Day

First photo of Joshua Roger, weighing 8 lbs. 4 1/2 oz. 21 inches long.


A happy papa holds his son for the first time.

My mom holds Joshua for the first time. I'm so glad she was in the labor room with me.

Joshua and I with Nurse Barb and Dr. Apgar, who brought Joshua into the world.

Katie meets Joshua for the first time. She immediately seemed to fall in love with "baby" and has been such a gentle, loving helper ever since.

John's brother Jamie and his wife Amanda meet Joshua.

My brother Jason meets Joshua.

John's parents "Oma" and "JPa" meet Joshua (note Katie in the background).

Jason with Joshua and my other brother Stephen's then-fiancee (now wife!) Lindsey. Stephen was at Army boot camp during the birth, and I think this photo was intended by Jason to drive Stephen crazy, since Jason - and not Stephen - was cuddling Stephen's bride and newborn nephew.


Joshua with his Grandma and Grandpa (my parents).


Back in my recovery room, a tired baby sleeps after a very exciting day.