Occupational Hazards

I put a baby gate on Patrick's door a few weeks ago in an attempt to balance the mulitple needs of the family; namely: the cat likes to sleep on Patrick's bed during the day but if we leave the door open so he can pee somewhere other than the rug, Caroline and Edward slip in and play Godzilla in Lego Tokyo. So we fished a gate out of the basement and crammed it into Patrick's doorway and it has been annoying me ever since. In theory it is a swing gate that enables a person to glide through while carrying three stacked laundry baskets but in practice I tend to just climb over it and this is exactly what I was doing last Thursday night when I caught my foot and lost my balance. Edward - who hates to be apart from me, especially when I am enjoying the freedom of the Lego city - was standing on the other side of the gate as I fell, so my superhuman maternal instincts had to kick in and rather than crush Eddybear I flung myself to the left.

I was on the phone with my mother at the time so she heard me say "Aiiiieeee!" followed by "Edward are you alright?" before "Gotta go!"

Edward was fine. The toes on my left foot, however, had not fared so well.

You know when you stub your toe really hard and it hurts like a merengue fetcher but you breathe in and out a few times and the pain begins to fade? It was like that but without the fading. Five minutes after the fall I was still gasping in agony.

Edward crouched next to me and said, "Yook at all de cuhyeurs, Mommy." I agreed that my foot was rapidly turning an interesting series of colors.

I still had the phone in my hand so called Steve who was down at the Ffarm.

"I think I broke a bone," I announced when he answered.

It wasn't a great connection.

"You think... what?"

"I think I broke a bone," I repeated.

"You think you broke your hip?" He sounded concerned.

"No, no, my toe. I think I have just broken my toe."

"Oh," he said, "well that's not nearly as a bad as a hip. Huh. I wonder if I've ever broken a toe? Yeah probably. There was that one time... ."

I told him to save it for his memoirs. He told me to stick a bag of frozen peas on whatever area was most swollen and take some ibuprofen. I said I would call him back. I hollered for Patrick and announced that I had hurt myself. He said, oh, really, what'd you hurt? I indicated my foot.

Patrick said, "Oh my gosh that is too disgusting for me to even look at. I can't believe you showed that to me." Then he looked around and said, "Hey! The gate's down! Edward didn't go into my room did he?"

I somehow doubt that he will be going into medicine when he gets older.

I asked him to please just try to be useful and he said he'd attempt to go find Daddy's old crutches. He added that he hoped I would be able to move soon because having me lying outside his door made him uncomfortable.

The phone rang. It was my mother.

"What happened? Is Edward ok? You MUST stop screaming and then hanging up on me."

I explained and she tsk'd and then I decided to call my friend Noelle with whom I consult on all medical matters. She said she thought big toes should be checked but that she'd ask her husband when he was free. Then she offered to do whatever, whenever to help. I love my friend Noelle. 

By this time my normally fat foot was swollen to ridiculous proportions and the first two toes were mottled dark blue and red. I scooted down the stairs on my bottom and then hobbled to find some ibuprofen. I took two. Then I took one more. I corralled the children by sheer force of will (where had Caroline been this whole time? I have no idea. we'll probably figure it out next Spring when we go to start the riding mower and all the wheels fall off;) deposited them into their respective beds and collapsed into mine.

The next day my toes looked terrible and the big one hurt like first love. I decided I should get it examined by a doctor, a decision which was only made possible by Noelle meeting me in the parking lot of the clinic and taking Caroline and Edward (I know what you're thinking and yes Lancelot probably would have driven all night - again - just to buy me some shoes but Steve did eventually come home early; just not that morning.) Anyway Noelle took Caroline and Edward to the library. I got an xray. And I had broken my big toe.

There is something strangely satisfying about having your dire health suspisions confirmed. Like, SEE? I TOLD you it hurt. 

I now have a little shoe boot thingy for that foot and a new defensive reaction that prompted me to snap at Patrick as my superspecialsnowflake teased around me in line at the grocery, "If you pretend to step on my big toe one more time so help me I will actually slap your face."

He was shocked. I was, a little, too. 

So that was the big event from my week and if I thought getting three kids up and out in the morning on a cold day was a solo challenge all I can say is that I never imagined trying to do it while limping with one foot in a flip-flop.

You will no doubt appreciate my restraint in not posting a picture of my toe. It turned black.

+

My hair. Yes. My hair is straight. The curls weren't so bad. In fact I like my curls. But after Caroline and Edward were born my hair fell out and three years later the hair around my face has grown back like... a ball of lint? A tumbleweed? Here. Click on this (happy holidays, by the way, because this is the closest we might get to cards this year) and note that the last century to be attracted by permanent curl clumps hovering over the ears was the 18th. It had to go and there didn't seem to be enough product on the planet to enable me to flatten it.

So the woman who cuts my hair suggested Coppola Keratin straightening (now with x% less formaldehyde! maybe!) Actually what she said as she looked in bemusement at my hair - noting that the frizzy stuff just didn't seem to grow - is that there was this fairly new thing on the market that might have been created specifically for me and my hairline from the more humid parts of Hell.

I said, ooooh, asked how much and then said, ah. And that was the end of that until my mother sent me a birthday check with the instruction to spend the money on something just for me. It doesn't last forever but for now I wash my hair and do absolutely nothing to it and it still looks... normal.

+

So it is Black Friday and I have absolutely no idea what I am getting anyone for Christmas. I had planned on the Fisher-Price iXL things for Caroline and Edward because they like to listen to music and books on their Playskool Just for Me players in bed every night and those things are on their last legs. But I looked at the iXL at Target and I'm concerned that the stylus will be too hard for them to use. Have you seen one? Do you have one? Any other suggestions? I find this age particularly trying to shop for because I want to get them things they can grow into and the leap from 2 3/4 to 3 to 4 is pretty enormous. Right now they both like music. Caroline likes to listen to it (LOUDLY) and dance while Edward likes to listen and try to identify the instruments. Edward still loves all cars and trucks and trains. He has been carrying around a toy catalog (he calls it his magazine) and he sleeps with it turned to page 42. This page has a parking garage with cars but it looks more littler toddler appropriate. I was thinking about the Fisher-Price stand and play ramp with the wheelies but, again, I am worried that it might be too young. Do you have any preschool car enthusiast for whom you have succesfully shopped in the past? I could use ideas. He is also DESPERATE to learn how to read if that offers any other hints.

[He keeps saying, "What does that spell?"

Caroline will glance at the word - like C-A-T - and say, "Oh, Edward that's easy! That spells 'dangerous.'"

What Caroline lacks in actual knowledge she makes up for in unmitigated gall. The other day I got a note home from the preschool saying they had been talking about the Spanish words for parts of the body.

I said, "So Caroline, what is a cabeza?"

Caroline instantly said, "Cabraza is an empty oval, Mommy."

Yeah. OK.]

Anyway, ideas for Edward would be appreciated. Also Caroline. Good grief. She is so hard to shop for because she has the attention span of a hyperactive gnat. She likes everything but nothing for more than a few minutes at a time. One second she'll be lovingly cradling a doll and pretending to feed it cereal; the next she has literally chucked Baby over her shoulder into the window and is demanding paints. And then there are the nephews and Steve... . Patrick is easy this year because he filled two catalogs with dozens of sticky notes and then went back through and coded them with a star system to indicate the urgency of his desire - although you sometimes have interesting esoteric ideas for him so if you've seen anything to appeal to... his type lemme know.

In fact, if you have ideas about presents for just about anyone you know please tell me. I'm stumped.

PS Patrick and I went to see Tangled today. It was awesome. Patrick thought it was "ok" but I loved it.

Comments

[HereWeGoAJen]

Is it possible that they are drawing stick figures to illustrate the body parts for the Spanish lessons? Because if Caroline is being that literal, that is awesome. Eh, either way, it is awesome, I love her.

I buy pretend food and cooking implements for all kids of pretty much all ages, so that is not much help. But for music, I saw a handbell set by Melissa and Doug at Toys R Us and I think a twin handbell choir would be fantastic. Okay, fine, I just want someone who does not live in my house to test out the handbells and tell me how annoying they are.

[kelly]

Broken toes are the WORST. They hurt like a bitch and you don't get the sympathy you deserve.

My two year old girls love the Snap 'N Style Dolls from Fisher Price. It's easy to change their clothes, brush their hair, etc. Another huge hit was the felt play food I bought on Etsy.

[Naomi]

I bet Caroline would think one of these was totally awesome.

My now-7-year-old would've LOVED one of those when she was Caroline's age (they didn't exist seven years ago). A few years back, I got her a Sanza Shaker, which is geared to the late preschool/early grade school set, and she liked that a lot, too. This year, she wants an iPod Nano.

[shadymama]

the pumpkin pic cracked me up, patrick's face is tops.
as fer toys, we don't do the traditional christmas thing in our fam (i know, i know - fascist mama!) but our toy...theory? practice? whatever, is the lovely revolving door that is the thrift store. new toys obtained (for hardly any cash at all!), old toys donated (HA! to that damn plastic light up play piano from hell that, if you so much as *breathed* at it, would throw itself into a rousing, metallic sounding rendition of Mary Had a Little effing Lamb. oh, yes. i am still bitter.)
so, yeah. totally not helpful at all! good luck with that, though!
p.s. i still think you should have dreaded yer locks...but that's just me and my hippie bias.
keep that foot up!

[Clarabella]

Ooh ooh, me me! Presents, in general: Etsy.com, Uncommon Goods, Blue Q.
Specifically, I am getting this: http://webapps.easy2.com/cm2/flash/generic_index.asp?page_id=36083173&vid_refer=74286&buyhide=1?cm_mmc=sm_fb-_-l-_-product-_-kobaltmultiwrench
for at least 3 men I know & maybe a couple single ladies, since it's actually exactly the kind of thing I would have loved to have when I was single & had no "Man's man" to help me & thus no useful tools.
Anyhow, for the bebes...I looked at this Leap Frog thing for my son (3 1/2) because he is starting to show interest in reading for real: http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Tag-Junior-Book-Pal/dp/B001U5R1Y2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290828143&sr=8-1
However, the reviews make it sound somewhat complicated & after reading quite a few, I decided the not-Jr. one would be better. This one: http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-TAG-Reading-System-Green/dp/B003JQV9LG/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1290828197&sr=1-1
Maybe something to think about for Edward? Or both the twins?
Last year for his birthday (3), we thought getting our car/truck/vehicle-obsessed son some toddler-appropriate hot wheel ramp-things (you know what I'm talking about, yes?) would be perfect...Well, he showed almost no interest in them, but lately he's loving his Duplos. So this Xmas, he's getting the Duplo vehicle/truck stuff, like the Fire Station & Thomas the Train. I think he'll enjoy those much more.
Caroline stumps me, perhaps because I haven't yet had to shop for an outspoken, exuberant little girl. Hmmm...maybe a karaoke machine?
Good luck!
(P.S. Sorry about your toes. For the record, I am always for better safe than sorry, going to the doctor, etc. BUT, a commiserating (maybe) story...when I was younger & played soccer, my father was my coach. I usually played sweeper & was very proud of my position, but during the play-offs, he informed me he was going to keep me on the bench-2nd string--his own daughter! Anyhow, I was stomping out of the room, pissed off & stubbed my two last toes so hard on the door jamb that I broke them both. My dad? He taped them together & put me in the game.
Contrary to this story, he's a lovely man & one of my favorite people.)

[Mmm]

My 2 and 3 year old boys got the XLi thingie for Thanksgiving because the grandparents couldn't wait until Christmas. (It would be one thing if this was instead of Christmas, but it's .. not. Sigh...)

Anyway, they both do fine with the stylus, even if the 2 year old has no idea what he's doing otherwise. The three year old is better at making it actually do what it's intended to do.

[MJ]

Our boys were given a Fisher Price parking garage with a ramp when they were around 2 and 5 (1 and 4?), and they both played with it for years.

[Chelsea]

Edward=Geotrax! You can make the tracks for him now, they are super sturdy so he can try building them too, AND you can add on at each gift giving occasion. Soon he will set up his own tracks with or without yours or Steve's help.

We did this for our son (now 5) three Christmas's ago and they are still the first thing on his Santa list. He mixes his hot wheels and other vehicles into the set up and has a blast.

Regarding toes: my mom-in-law ended up in the hospital because of some sort of infection from a broken baby toe. Obviously it should be attended to!

That is all I have for today.

[AR]

If Edward likes cars, you might look at Automoblox. We're considering buying a set or two for the three-year old in our life (not ours; boy, that is awkward phrasing). I've heard good things.

http://www.automoblox.com/

[Cris]

That's funny. My 7 year old felt mediocre like for Tangled too, but I really liked it.

No ideas - sorry. But I'm interested to see what people say about Edward and how to assist the desire to learn to read. Cam (now 4!) is fascinated by letters, numbers and the sounds associated. He's started to identify letters and I'm not sure where to go from here. I guess - was it my own prejudice or the ridiculously low expectations of the medical doctors? - that my kid with special needs wouldn't be at this point already.

I am SO SORRY about the toe! It sucks. Noelle sounds like a keeper, though.

[Erika]

Do you think Edward is ready for playmobil stuff? I know 8 yr olds who still play w/ theirs... http://amzn.to/f531g9, http://bit.ly/7JGL4t

[Kirsten]

Bummer about the toe!

But toys are fun. So for Edward -- we loved this parking garage from Plan Toys (really like that company). http://www.amazon.com/Plan-Toys-City-Parking-Garage/dp/B0001VV1GK/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1290831831&sr=1-1.

I have no idea if this is appropriate for Edward and his reading desires, but I had thought of getting Scrabble Flash to bridge the age gap of some scrabble players in our house. But, I don't own it yet, so can't verify.

This is THE BEST stocking stuffer -- 20Q. It is really creepy what it can guess. It guessed cubism in something like 16 questions. And it is $7. My 6 year old loved it. http://www.amazon.com/Radica-I6026-20Q-Colors-Vary/dp/B000SKLREA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1290832222&sr=1-2-fkmr0

[jaybee]

For Edward an oldie but goodie -- Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. Have him try to find goldbug in every picture. My kids, who are teenagers, still go crazy when they see that book.

Hope you get better soon!

[Terrill]

My daughter, also a car (and jeep and motorcycle and bus) enthusiast, received a Playmobile Shuttle bus, along with a a bus stop, passengers, and luggage, for her third birthday last month. It has been a huge hit.

[Priscilla]

All the small music lovers in my family have adored this kid music player (you can change the songs - basically small MP3 player) and as yet, has been totally indestructible. Ridiculously expensive at this link - I bought my last two at CVS for $25/each. http://www.amazon.com/Discovery-Kids-256MB-MP3-Player/dp/B002AKE8YC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1290833185&sr=8-3

Good luck with the toe. They are the worst kind of hurt!

[beth]

This is the age the Brio trains are made for. Or Thomas trains. Oodles of joy for four or so years.

[Vanessa]

Patrick has about the same level of empathy for parental injuries as my daughter. I'm pretty sure that if I had just fallen headlong down the stairs, she would bend over my prostrate body and ask "Can I have lunch now?"

Hope the toe heals quickly!

[twitter.com/marbenais]

I broke my big toe (only the one, thankfully) last April and it still hurts. Do you know why? Because no one believed me FOR A MONTH that I'd broken it. "Oh, you'd know if you'd've broken it, you wouldn't be able to walk!" they all said. Yes, well, apparently my tolerance for pain is higher than theirs. So -- and I fully recognize how ridiculous this sounds -- don't push yourself any more than you have to to keep up with Caroline (and Edward and Patrick, but really her). I wish you the best of luck!

And I second the Richard Scarry recommendation. Also, hunt up Steven Kellogg's books -- we used to live in the same town as him -- they're great.

[Laurie]

Oh yes, Richard Scarry is a must for Edward. Any type of parking garage/road track system would be fine - I would actually avoid the FP one because I have found that they keep adding more stuff to them that limits the imagination. That Plan City one is nice. This is one of my favorite places to shop for toddlers http://www.backtobasicstoys.com/

Seconding the 20Q thingie for Patrick.

And OUCH! on the toe! I cracked a shin bone doing something very similar (fell down the stairs carrying the baby, who I was able to toss into a handy laundry basket as my shin slammed into the gate). Except I never got it checked at the time, so there is still a lump and a sore spot on my leg 10+ years later, and unless I want the bone re-broken, I have to live with it. Good on you for getting it checked - make sure you take care of it, as you will be needing your feet to keep up with Caroline!

[Jill]

Sweetpea 3 digital music players. They play WMA, MP3, WAV, audible files, and others. They are indestructible. They are handsize. they have a speaker AND a headphone jack. The controls for volume are hidden from the kids (although Patrick will figure out the special key presses in 2 seconds).

70 bucks. Google sweatpea 3. They are a canadian company. My 4 yr old loves hers and my 2 3/4 year old and 7.5 year old are so jealous that they both insisted on one for xmas. Yes, even the 7 yr old.

[katherine]

Thanks for another wonderful post, Julia.
Sorry about the toe -- I've had several of those (used to be in competitive martial arts) and, ugh, they're pretty Terrible...
I have no idea regarding the gifts, for several reasons, (my little one is younger than yours; I am way too overwhelmed with work and thus in denial about the proximity of christmas) but I did want to comment on the hair thing: I've had it too. For several years. Everyone thought it was odd, until (and I don't mean to alarm you) I discovered it's called "Lupus hair'. I don't have Lupus (no yet, at least) but I have a plethora of other autoimmune diseases which took a (LONG) while to get to the bottom of. All I mean to say is, many of the things you have shared with us over the past couple of years are very consistent with an underlying autoimmune issue. I am not sure what you're supposed to do with this sort of information, but it might be something to keep it in mind next time you're considering care options.

[Becky]

You might consider getting Edward the plan toys parking deck. It has some nice ramp action and there are lots of various items you can expand on the set with. You can also hook it up to thomas tracks. I got it for my son (used and much cheaper and those things are made to last so it's held up beautifully) when he was around 2 and my now 2 and 4 play with it still. You might also try letting Edward play on starfall.com It's a free phonics program that my son adores and is able to navigate easily with mouse at age 4. My 2.5 has some trouble with mouse skills for it but I think she'll be up to it soon and it doesn't cost anything, anyway. :-)

Play kitchens tend to be a big hit with the 2-4 set. As they get older, they can do more sophisticated play. The Melissa and Doug cooking sets (make a cake, sandwich, pizza, etc) are nice for extending play.

Also, do they have duplos so they can make their own Tokyo to destroy?

[Clarity]

No help on anything whatsoever, just had to say that Patrick's expression in that picture is priceless!!!

[Denise]

It's funny you mentioned that parking garage, because my brother had it when I was younger and I remember playing with it for years. By the time he got it, I would have already been well beyond the intended age for it. I saw it the other day and was thinking my 4- and 7-year-olds would still like it.

My sympathies on your foot. You are definitely up for sainthood if you cheerfully endure Steve's weekend absences at the farm, and then a broken bone on top of that?

[Claire]

So sorry about your foot! That sounds horrible. I hope you get at least a little bit of foot-up, ice-cream-eating invalid time. A broken bone deserves it.

I work with kids of all ages and my boss always provides tons of Melissa & Doug puzzles and toys, so I've become a fan. You can find them at melissaanddoug.com. They have really cute play food, sound puzzles, puppets, trucks and trains, and great wooden blocks.

[Jen]

Sorry to hear about the toe! Ouch! Hope it feels better soon.

Ideas for Edward--I'm guessing that with Patrick's alphabet obsession, you likely have all the alphabet stuff you need, but if not, my son loved the "Parents" brand Magnet School (magnetized letters + fill-in-the-blank cards). Now that my son is actually starting to read, we've found the Bob books and the change-a-sound flip books to be very helpful.

[erin]

You may already have Boggle Jr., but if you don't, Edward would probably enjoy it:

http://www.buy.com/prod/boggle-jr/q/sellerid/26159902/loc/20269/200925779.html

I believe it's for ages 3 and up. Excellent game that you can adapt to his current level and adjust to make it more difficult as his skills improve. My niece and nephews loved it when they were his age and played it for a few years. It's not really a game he can play alone - at least at first - you, Steve, or Patrick would really need to help him. And basically it's just flash cards with a picture and then the letters below the picture spelling out the item pictured (so an image of a cat with C-A-T below it), and he spells out the word by matching the letters on the boggle cubes to the letters on the card. When he gets older/better at it, you can use the timer and cover the letters on the card so he spells from memory. It definitely helps with site reading. I may not be giving it the description it deserves, it's really a cool little game for kids who are into letters and words/want to read. The next step after this game is usually Scrabble Jr., which is probably too advanced for Edward right now.

Also, re: his obsession with cars - do you have one of those small rugs with the roads/construction signs, etc. on it? My nephew is almost 5 and has had one for the past few years and LOVES it. My parents even have one for him at their house and he busts out the matchbox cars and flops on the floor to play cars on the rug with grandpa every time he's there.

I think Caroline's short attention span for activities is typical of little girls (and I bet it doesn't apply to things she's NOT supposed to be doing!). No real suggestions for her. But good luck.

I hope the toes feel better!

[Cris]

Definitely go with the Tag Reader for the twins...got it for my daughter on her 3rd birthday and she loves it, she can "read" by herself and it most of the books have little games in them too. She used it over the summer, when she was 2.75 and liked it then too. The only draw back is you have to buy special books for it (sometimes books you already own) but her reading quietly by herself is worth it. (PS. I got the Tag Reader and not the Tag Jr. and she handles the styles thingy no problem).

[Cris]

Ohhhh - I second Jen on the flip books. Cam loves the kind that have a picture of, say, an owl, broken into three pieces with an o, a w, and an l, under each part. You flip through the book until the picture is together and you can do the individual sounds together. Lots of fun and effective in driving home the sound relations.

I've heard good things about the Bob books too. I'd love to hear what you end up doing with Edward. Does Patrick tutor him? With Kate's hearing loss she's not the best with phonic systems.

[Steph]

We loved Tangled.

I second the vote for the TAG readers.

My little guy is 5 and still loves all things Thomas. Some of the take along train gear is really cool and he still plays with it.

Farm equipment for the hubby?? :)

[TeacherMommy]

You could check out YoungExplorers.com for ideas. They have quite a few fabulous items, including those for the brainier and--erm, snowflakish sort. And since they have items for a wide range of ages, it could potentially be a one-stop-shop, at least for the three littles.

As for anyone else--I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of suggestions. I struggle enough for the many, many, many people on my list...

[Lisa]

Do you guys have Philadelphia Chickens yet? Very cute sing-alongs from Sandra Boynton in a show tunes style. It comes with its own book, so Edward could try to read along while Caroline sings. http://www.amazon.com/Philadelphia-Chickens-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0761126368/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290877606&sr=8-1

Nothing to do with vehicles or songs, this puzzle was a favorite of my daughter's for years:http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Farm-Cube-Puzzle/dp/B000096QJQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1290877712&sr=1-1

Good luck! And sorry about the toe!

[Courtney]

My Julia is just a bit older than your 2 and I am getting her a Mobigo, it's a hand-held video game for music, letters, numbers, etc. The reason I think it's super cool is it's a touch screen, so there is no stylus.

Sorry about your hair but I know how you feel. My hair started falling out when my oldest was born 14 years ago and hasn't stopped....seriously. In the summer it's frizzy and I wear it in a ponytail. In the winter I like it, but I have to flat iron it.

[Pam]

What about a starter Hot Wheels set for Edward that you can add onto each birthday or other gift giving occasion? Or a V-Tech V.Reader (http://www.vtechkids.com/product.cfm/V.Reader_Interactive_E-Reading_System/1838/). There's lots of stuff on the V-Tech site that you may find good for Caroline too.

[Sarah]

Someone above made me think of this ... Small Farm magazine subscription for Steve. I'm not sure if it's purely Canadian, but it's a great magazine for small-scale farmers. (We're subscribers).

[Kirsten]

As one frizzy-haired woman to another, I think you should hold a frizzy-hair contest, in which we can all post pictures of our frizzy hair ascending to new heights.... :) But that's just me. I got so sick of my frizz that I chopped it all off and I put *product* in it (which is rather unlike me) to make it mostly curly instead of all frizzy.

[beth S]

yikes about the toe. Take care of it now or you'll wish you did years from now. I broke the last bone and joint of my big toe into 7 lovely pieces almost 10 years ago. Had to have it surgically pinned together and kept off it for nearly 3 months. It still bothers me to this day if I hit it just right during karate. I also can tell when it is going to rain thru my toe. Crazy.
As for toys, the twinks would probably love any of the leapfrog readers. I would skip the Jr versions though. I don't think you can get a regular leappad anymore but Bugman got one when he was about 3 and still uses it at almost 9. You just buy more advanced books as they get older. Another favorite is the train sets (ours is ikea but fits all the expensive thomas stuff too) and it is still played with weekly too.
If you come up with any awesome ideas for patrick please share. I have no clue what we are gonna get Bugman this year and they are so alike.

[Terri C]

I am so sorry to hear about your toe. I busted my foot earlier this year and it did turn lots of remarkable colors. I got really sick of the boot. Yes, I think Patrick might want to avoid medicine as a career...

[vanessa]

MagnaTiles for everyone, especially Edward. They are great and you can add on. They probably make new sets now with fancy car building equipment too. I also know older kids who still play with their garage sets, for what it's worth.
Caroline...some kind of climbing equipment? Her own personal rock wall? Or trampoline?
Sorry about your toe!

[april]

check out the plan city parking garage. it's wood, and looks more "grown-up." my auto enthusiast got it when he was 3 and still plays with it, although it's been taken over by his 2 1/2-year-old brother.

[Kate (Bee In The Bonnet)]

When I accidentally kicked my foot into Old Ironsides (our fantastically deep and long 70-year-old bathtub-- best and only great thing about this 70-year-old house, but I digress...), I gamely finished my shower, hoping that the throbbing would cease. When it did not, I put my shoes on anyway and went to the department's christmas party, where I drank enough to make the pain stop. The next day, I took picture after picture of the pretty purple-blue-green of my second and third toe and, having not one ounce of the great restraint you have, posted them on my blog. And still got no sympathy. Sigh.

Anyhow, I wish I had the resource of your awesome readers at my disposal, because I would love to know what I should be buying for my 6-month-old boys, as they are at that cusp age where things that are appropriate for them now will be ridiculously boring for them in just a few months, but things that are appropriate for a few months from now are *way* too advanced for a 6-month-old.

They don't even know what Christmas is, really, anyway, right? But still. I have *no* idea what to get them. Judging by their current interests, I should buy them jars and jars of prunes and a few magazines to tear into pieces and chew up. And some random, dangerous things that we can play the "Can Mama Swat This Out Of My Hand Before I Shove It Down My Throat?" Game (a current favorite of both).

Oh, and I'm now at that delightful post-pregnancy phase where all my hair is falling out and just baaaaarely starting to grow back. I don't have quite your full halo-of-curls effect, but my hair is growing back in wavy again, as it went straight during my pregnancy. Yeah, my hair is totally awesome right now... I may have to look into the whats-it straightening thing since I never, ever, ever have time to actually style my hair in any way that gets the pieces into any sort of straight-curly agreement.

[Throwingutah]

Another vote for the Plan Toys parking garage - we got it for our younger son a couple of years ago, and it's held up great. We also have scads and oodles of wooden trains and tracks, too. My house is the neighborhood toddler-boy crackhouse.

[Laur]

"I told him to save it for his memoirs." ha ha ha ha ha

I second the Sandra Boynton books and music, but we liked Dog Train better than P. Chickens. Have a listen here: http://www.sandraboynton.com/sboynton/boyntonmusic.html (oooh, I see she has a new one too!)

[Leslie]

I am probably in the minority here, but I desperately want to see a picture of your toe.

[Meegan]

So sorry about your toe. Toe injuries garner no sympathy. Neither do injured moms. Ouch. Brutal.

Random idea for the twinkles, but have you considered a digital camera for kids? Fisher Price makes a really sturdy version. Pictures of poor quality download onto the computer, children are amazed. Not terribly expensive.

These books are awesome:

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Machines-Truckload-Tony-Mitton/dp/0753461544/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1290914485&sr=8-2

If you don't have them, buy them. Exclamation point. Edward will LOVE them.

One last thing. Not a gift, but a website for those eager to learn to read. www.starfall.com

[FlippyO]

Leslie, I want to see a picture of the toe, too.

Also, what these comments are missing is the obligatory, "Steve is hot" comment. So, I'm gonna take care of it. So, yeah, that. And, I don't even like boys, well, in that way. It's so cute seeing Steve w/ his mini-me on his lap. The rest of you are cute, too, but I was just surprised about the missing obviousness. I guess everyone is concentrating on toys and toes. Oh, and I think that photo is the perfect one for the Xmas card. It captures everyone nicely.

Speaking of toes, I always think I've broken a toe when I kick something. I guess now I know that unless it turns colors, I'm safe.

[Gina]

We love Automoblox (http://www.automoblox.com/). Really cool cars. I think the larger size cars would work for Edward (read: parts big enough to pass your chokables threshold :) ) Hope your foot feels better!

[kris (lower case)]

i was kinda hoping to see the toe pics but i'm like that... i take pics of all my surgeries which run towards mohs for skin cancer so your toe would probably be way better... good luck on the presents...i am doing a mostly lego one for my 10 yr old and i just discovered the building ones they have...wow..some of them are pretty cool.

[Kristin]

I love the family picture.

And, you have my whole-hearted sympathy with the toe. I've done that break a few toes and have half your foot turn black thing. It sucks.

[jen]

For music enthusiasts of the small kind, I would second the recommendation for the Sanza shaker. We have one and the 2.5 can make it work but *warning* it does play loud and I couldn't figure out how to work it with the Mac so I had my PC brother load it with a variety of music.

Other items we are getting him Thomas trains and How to Train Your Dragon (so this is sort of a purchase for myself because number one LOVE IT and number two I can't get over how cute C is when he sees the dragon and tells me "Look at him, look at him" and squeals with delight). That's all he's receiving from us but I'm sure the grandparents and aunts and uncles will be on full spoiling assignments. With what I don't know though. Sorry not much help there.