18 months and counting!

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Length/Height: 32.7 inches (80th percentile)

Weight: 21.31 lbs. (1oth percentile)

Likes: stuffed animals, hugs and kisses, watching movies, iced tea and ice water, her Piglet blanket, her brother, shoving her fingers up your nose, her Five Ladybugs book, dogs and cats, bubble baths, singing songs, dolls and anything doll-related, food

Dislikes: when the yogurt is gone, meat, not getting her way, her carseat

Commonly Spoken Words/Phrases: "Go, go, go!", "What is it?", "Outside", "Snack", "Uh-oh!", "Oh, no!", "Mmmm" (when she wants a kiss or wants you to kiss an animal), "Where's the ninja?", "Thank you", "Holy cow!"

This string bean is still a sweet little firecracker. She sleeps and eats on a tight schedule. Within her waking hours, she shows absolutely no fear. She plays hard, she laughs hard, and she picks up new things every day. She sings songs (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Rock-a-Bye Baby are the recognizable ones -- but she almost always sings and dances to the radio in the car or otherwise). She tries to jump but hasn't quite gone airborne yet. She will happily chatter your ear off with a new and recognizable word thrown in when you least expect it. She's currently learning colors. I've been told she says "Purple" quite clearly and with near-perfect accuracy, but I haven't witnessed it yet.

12 Month Well Baby Check

Ironic they call today's doctor's visit that, then poke the baby with so many vaccinations that I think it'll take her week to sleep them off. Poor kiddo! Since I did the letter to Claire instead of the usual monthly post, I decided to throw all kinds of fun facts about her in here. Also just realized that we got new furniture and painted our living room and I haven't posted pictures. I'm a slacker.

(super excited to find these adjustable waist jeans for our tiny little ladybug-- her pants actually stay on when we pick her up now as long as I've pulled the waistband as tight as I can!)

Height: 29.5 inches (70th percentile)

Weight: 17.13 lbs. (5-10th percentile)

Head Size: 17.5 inches.

Likes: food, music, being chased, being tickled, being swung, being tossed, trying to walk, baby dolls, stuffed animals, blocks, reading books to herself, her Piglet blanket, swimming, crawling in the grass, grabbing, kissing, playing peek-a-boo, sleeping

Dislikes: face-planting, being put down, her carseat, hot sauce, birthday cake (especially if it's ON her), holding still, getting dressed

It seems her personality is emerging a little more every day. She is small, but her fury is mighty. Don't mess with her! Her latest and most delightful trick is that she likes us to grab her by the ankles and swing her, but she hasn't figured out that she has to release the death grip on our shirts/necks/hair before she can truly swing. So she'll grab on, toss her head back like she's already swinging and laugh. She's also started randomly pointing at things and "telling" us what they are. She'll nod like she's answering questions and grin. She will pick up anything that can serve as a phone, hold it to her ear, and chatter away. And if she gets a hold of a comb or brush she loves to "do her hair". Someday I'm pretty confident she'll get the bristles facing toward her hair. Or the comb actually on her head. But for now it's entertaining to watch her try.

Dear Claire, Today you are one year old...

... and it's been an amazing thing to behold, your growing up so far. You are the sunshine in this crazy world for me and I hope you truly understand that's how much I love you. We have been here before with your brother, and all the things the coming year will include for you are going to be so much fun. You think you've enjoyed exploring the world and getting to know it? Just wait until you can explore it on your feet. You're getting so close to walking and, even though it makes me a little sad that you're already gaining that much independence, I'm so excited to share it with you. For now, the middle part of the world is out of your reach. Soon, you will be able to touch and taste even more of it than you already have, and you're going to love it.

You have been such a good baby for your mama. You haven't always warmed up immediately to others, but they can buy your affections with just the right toy and a smile. I love that you don't have any expectations about people and it's only their interaction with you that matters. I hope you can stay this way, my love, and open up to those around you so they can share themselves with you. For now you hold their keys, but if you can keep this open mind and accepting nature, you can hold their hearts, too.

You are one hundred per cent original, and unabashedly yourself. You are sweet, bright, smiley, loud, exuberant, and you are not afraid to let us know exactly what you want. I imagine, even a year from now, you will be doing that with words rather than shrieks, points, leg kicks, and smiles. You babble nonsense now, but it's tone never leaves room for interpretation -- we always know exactly how you're feeling and it's usually pretty happy about something or other. I will do my best to make sure that's always the case. While I do want you to be happy, I also want you to experience just enough heartache that you learn how to survive it and let it roll off your back. This does not mean that I won't try to stop you from experiencing negative things and I will go to bat for you if someone tries to hurt you. Contradictory, I know. I'm still learning about you, too. I might protect you too much but it's only because I love you.

You have a huge network of fans, darling little Miss. Those friends and family that you have let into your heart will never be the same. We will be better for having been a part of you. I hope you know that. You have enriched our lives in ways we don't even know yet, simply by your sweet and steady nature. Your brother is one of your biggest fans, and even though he sometimes teases you and sometimes makes you cry, I know he is someone you can rely on to help protect you and help you explore the world. He will be there for you, as we all will, while you grow. He might even teach you things I don't want you to know, but that's okay, too. I guess.

Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl. You are getting so big and it's only going to continue. It seems impossible that it will go faster, but look at this year: in the blink of an eye, you've gone from a brand new little girl to a sweet little firecracker on the verge of walking and sassing everyone in your life. So here's to us for surviving a crazy year with an infant in the house. Here's to you for growing up so beautifully so far. Here's to every day that you've made better just by being in it. Here's to you, ladybug.

Love,

Your Mama

Eleven Months plus some

Hey, I'm turning into the kind of blogger I didn't want to be. I show up maybe three times a month anymore, so thanks to anyone who is still reading. Plus, hopefully I'll have something to blog about soon now that we're out doing stuff together. Amazing how we all hibernate through the winter.

Claire turned eleven months last Saturday. My camera had taken up residence somewhere in the car and was recovered just in time for a quick trip to the hot springs. More on that later. Today is about this bright little girl. She has five teeth now and is still getting more all the time, making her fairly miserable when she stops to think about it too much. That phrase is key, because I'm not sure she ever pauses when she's awake. She is a sound sleeper, still taking two long naps during the day and sleeping for 12 hours at night. She loves to laugh and really only cries if she's tired.

Likes: outside, being "gotten", hugs and kisses, being tickled, sleeping, eating (anything - including cooked mushrooms but especially fruit of any kind), sticking out her tongue, screeching, putting her head on mom's shoulder and "singing", music in general, listening to mom or dad's iPod with them, swimming, her ladybugs, shaking her head no, any sort of physical play, her mom, her brother

Dislikes: her carseat, things on her head or face (although she'll grin like an idiot as she pulls them off), swiss cheese, sitting still, watching someone walk away, her carseat, strangers (with a few sporadic exceptions)

Coming soon -- her first birthday! Is anyone as shocked as I am? It would be tough to say.

And then it had been ten (months)...

I'm not really sure what has happened to the last ten months. It's just like anytime a child is small: you feel so mired down in day to day details that while you're busy living life, your life passes. Claire turned ten months old on St. Patricks Day, and it hit me how close her birthday is; she's already getting so big!

She has turned into this happy, sunshiney little chatterbox who is constantly on the go. It doesn't seem possible that we were still waiting to meet her at this time last year. My day would not be complete without seeing her smile and little jump from the crib first thing in the morning, all the way through to saying goodnight to her "ladybugs". Even with the grumpiness that has ensued with volume teething (she's getting FOUR at once, the sad little stinker), she's still such a sweet addition to our little family.

Engaging in one of her favorite pasttimes -- pulling every single DVD Mason owns out of the cabinet while he looks on shrieking "No, Claire!"

Likes: her brother, toes, being read to, taking a bath, clapping her hands together, being tossed, snuggling with her Piglet blankie, peek-a-boo and pattycake, her toy bongos, any stuffed animal, crawling around, being outside --especially on the grass, the ladybug wall hangings in her room, eating almost anything, singing along to almost any kind of music, tongues sticking out (hers or anyone else's), giving big sloppy kisses

Dislikes: being ignored, eating dirt,the dogs, being tired, teething, being rocked to sleep, the shower

Not the best picture of her, but you can see those top teeth poking through. You can feel one on the bottom that is through and the other middle bottom tooth is a forthcoming lump. We love, love, LOVE homeopathic teething tablets. I highly recommend them, especially if your baby is like Claire and won't tolerate any of the frozen/cold teething rings.

Well, well, well...

We had well-child checks for the kids yesterday. We combined Mason's four year appointment with Claire's nine month appointment. No one had to have shots, so everyone was pretty happy. Dr. Johnson said both kids are in tip-top shape, and we have no reason to disagree with him!

Mason
Height: 41.9 " (80th percentile)
Weight: 45 lbs. (90th percentile)

According to Dr. Johnson, his BMI lists him as overweight, but he doesn't think that is entirely fair since Mason has always been a stocky, active kid. He didn't even tell us exactly what it was, just pointed it out on the graph. His blood pressure was perfect, but I was over with Claire getting her weighed so I didn't catch those stats, either. Good mommy strikes again.

Claire
Length: 29 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 15 lbs, 13 oz (5th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17 inches (25th percentile)

Where Claire has always been thin, and she's following the same growth curve, we aren't too worried at this point. Apparently she just puts all of her energy (and the vast, vast amounts of adult food) into growing long rather than chunky. I sure wish I was blessed with the metabolism I apparently passed on to her, but what can you do?

Maiden Voyage(s)

We took a much-needed family walk today. It was so nice to get out of the house. For all the delightful things about winter (hot chocolate, snuggling up with a movie or book on a snowy day, shoveling until the shovel breaks, your four year old completely mocking the snowman you built), we all get a little cagey by the time it's winding down. So out came the sun and out came the family! Claire loves, loves, loves being outside and was cooing up a storm the whole time. I think it's safe to say we all commiserated.

Claire (and dad) made her first trip ever down a slide. I wasn't fast enough to catch the first one. This is the second one. I think she enjoyed herself, though. She was looking around in amazement. She kind of does this wide-eyed glance sometimes and you know if she could verbalize it, she would be saying "Holy crap! What was that?!"

Mason took his scooter out for its first real spin. This is one of the major drawbacks of having your birthday and Christmas back-to-back and in the winter. His "big" presents from mom and dad or Santa are often outdoorsy things that he has to bottle up the excitement to use until warm weather hits. He's been dying to take this bad boy around the block for some time. He only had one fall, and he brushed it off after a bit of coddling. He also insisted that his scooter could not go through puddles and carried it over them.

We also had the bonus of seeing some neighbors along the way. It's kind of entertaining how everyone's kids grow up in the winter when we are all hibernating. Everyone on our block is bigger, with more hair, etc. The little kids are desperately wanting to keep up with the big kids. I think Mason has reached the ranks of the "big kids" and that is hard for me to accept on so many levels.

Eight Great Months

Claire celebrated the beginning of her eighth month last Sunday. This little one is getting so big so fast it is almost hard to believe, even though it's happening right before our eyes. She is a proficient crawler (as of just before Christmas), can easily maneuver from laying to sitting to standing and back again, and appears to be on to the next milestone: walking. She can pull herself up to stand, but is at a bit of a loss to go from crawling to standing yet. She often crawls around with her feet flat on the ground, her legs straight, and her butt in the air. I refer to it as a "teepee crawl". On the whole, she is a loveable, happy little chatterbox who only really cries if she's tired. She is known to shriek her displeasure, though; she is no sort of a silent sufferer. She loves any kind of food she's tried so far, too.



Likes: being swung, being tickled, clapping her hands or toys together, cruising, giving random kisses, eating, her brother (and getting into his toys), snuggling under blankets, the bathtub, her monkey book, the plush ladybug pictures in her room, singing and being rocked

Dislikes: being alone, her carseat, holding still for a diaper change, being tired (she will fight bedtime with all her might until she's actually in her bed)

Dear Mason, today you are four years old...

...and after all the frustration and battles in the last year, it feels a little bit like a victory. It's been a year of firsts for you, and you have come out on top.

It was about this time last year that we tackled potty training. We learned how disciplined your focus can really be. The bad news is that your focus was on everything else, not on avoiding accidents. It has been a year of laundry and trying again for you. As you always seem to do, though, you have it figured out now. We only get occasional reminders now that "poop happens". Thanks for those, by the way. Your cheekiness is refreshing and hilarious.

You got to experience life as a brother, and you have done so well with that from the very beginning. Your sister loves you; I think you're one of her favorite people in the world. One of your most common daily activities is helping us with her, and that's all by your choice.


Speaking of it, lending a helping hand is one of your very best intentions. You are always willing to help, and only sometimes frustrated when you are unable. You love helping so much that you asked for it to be a reward on the job chart we recently did together. You and mom, making treats: a day well spent.


(Mason as a puppy dog, building a fence to keep himself in the yard)

When you aren't helping us with a project or making treats, you are exercising that busy imagination of yours. I hope this imagination will serve you well throughout your life. You are always finding ways to help your toys fit into the world you create, and I hope this innovation will serve you well when it comes to more grown-up realities. You keep telling us you can't wait to be a grown up, but I hope you take your time and exercise your imagination now so it will be there when you need it later.

You have proven to us that you love the outdoors -- in whatever manner they come. Swimming lessons were a good chunk of your summer and you took to the water like a fish. In fact, you've learned about days of the week, seasons, and months of the year through this. Ever since Christmas, you've been telling us that your swimming lessons will start tomorrow. We've patiently explained time to you until you now recite the whole thing to us. "My swimming lessons don't start tomorrow because tomorrow will still be winter." I'm excited to take you back this year and watch you learn some more. Your excitement and exuberance for activity makes your dad and me very, very happy. We enjoy activities with you because you so enjoy them. Here's to another year of swimming, camping, fishing, four-wheeling, snowmobiling, and exploring everything at warp speed.

You started school this fall, and though it took some time to accept the authortative structure, you are now doing very well. You are such a smart child that we have to figure out how to handle all that intelligence, wit, and energy. Sometimes it's exhausting, but if we remain consistent, you meet our demands with a smile and you exceed our wildest expectations. You're teacher is now one of your biggest fans, and you love her as well. Because of her, you are trying to put together letters into words. You're starting to do very basic math. You love to do mazes and puzzles, and anything else with a logical ending. I have a feeling there are lots of games in our future.

Mason, you are a sweet child who demands the best from those around you. You are constantly learning, changing, growing, and exploring. You love to have company, so you always keep us along for the ride. We celebrated your birthday last night, and surrounded you with those who love you most. We have worked hard to help you build a good foundation. Use any of those people as resources to help you. This year will not be as full of surprises and change as the last one was. It will be a year of exploring the boundaries that are already in place, and a year of continuation. I look forward to sharing this year with you and hope we can have more fun playing trains and race track and games than ever before. This is the good stuff. You're growing up so fast, buddy. I hope this year we can continue to enjoy your childhood before we are looking back on it and wondering where it all went.

Love,

Mama

Happy (late) Birthday, Alan!

(with Mason on our recent snowmobiling trip -- blog about that forthcoming)

I tease Alan about his age because it's fun. He's only 5 months older than me, but it's fun to tease him nonetheless.

We had been trying to ensure that Alan's birthday wasn't overshadowed by Mason's birthday this year, for the first time in four years. Well, so far so good on that front. The bad news? We have the unfortunate honor to attend two police officer funerals. Alan attended one on his actual birthday, and we'll most likely be attending one on Saturday -- the day of Mason's birthday party. The world is going crazy, and unfortunately it's a part of our world where they nuts-ery is occuring.



Alan also received a promotion at work (yay for our hard-workin' daddy, we're so proud of him and all the hard work he put in to earn this!), and his schedule has been a little bit up in the air. It all got "officially" ironed out yesterday, so it meant he logged lots of phone time and basically ignored his birthday.



Well, in the end, we get date night to a yummy dinner and I made one of his favorite meals to celebrate last night. We got him a modest gift and will be putting some money towards an equipment upgrade for him. Hopefully those things will remind him how much the kids and I love and appreciate him for his hard work and his strong goal-reaching example. We very obviously couldn't lead the lives we do without him and his work, harrassment, and his presence. Happy Birthday, Old Man, we love you!

Seven Months... in Heaven?

This sweet baby is getting so big so fast. I hate how kids do that! But I love it at the same time. She is so exuberant and sweet that it's hard not to enjoy it. Seven months old already -- time is flying. She is almost crawling, and I'm sure Mason's world is going to change drastically very, very soon. She has taken to eating solids very well. She will usually give you a dirty look on first taste of something new, but then quickly shriek until you give her more.

Likes: talking (and blowing raspberries), starting intently at any object she can get her hands on (mouths, noses, hair, toys, clothes hangers), eating (grilled pineapple is a new favorite), singing songs, rattles, Christmas lights, being in motion, her brother

Dislikes: being put down, being hungry

Letters to Santa

Dear Santa,

Merry Christmas! I love your reindeer. They are my favorite.

Will you please bring a train table for my room? I want two tables to play lots and lots of trains. Also, some trains to chug on the train table.

I would love a red scooter to play outside with my friends.

Please take lots of toys to the sick kids sleeping at the hospital, too.

Happy Holidays! I promise to be a good boy.

Love, Mason

******

I might have done the penmanship, but Mason told me what to put in the letter and then he "traced letters". He's currently in his room writing a letter to his dad. I think we may have hit on something here.

He is currently very fixated on a charity his preschool is sponsoring this year. It provides a new toy to kids with cancer. We let him pick a toy himself to put in the box for kids who are very sick; ever since then, he keeps asking for reassurance that when he is sick and in the hospital, mom and dad will come with him and bring him a new toy. I love the empathy he's showing there, but need to find a way to instill the idea that not every kid gets sick and he may not (God willing) be one that ends up in the hospital in the same way. This is all a pretty heavy conversation for a (nearly) four year old.

Well, baby...

...it's been six months. That means you got a whole bunch of shots today. We're also not telling you that we're taking you back next week to finish up with a double flu shot... but it's all because we love you.

Claire's six month well-baby check up was today, and although she is small she is healthy enough that she kicked me (sometimes in the face) during the physical exam. She also tried to grab anything that was attached to Dr. Johnson, including the odoscope and his face. He said she is right on as far as her motor skills, social development, etc. So far, so good.

(harrassing her older brother-- she really, really wanted that fire hat!)

Height: 27 inches (90th percentile)

Weight: 15 lbs. 9 oz. (10th percentile)

Seriously -- Six months?!

Likes: chewing on stuff, grabbing her toes, grabbing in general, wiggling around, throwing herself backward (especially in a Bumbo or walker to make it move), talking, being tickled, being tossed, reading and chewing on books, chewing on her index and middle fingers, eating, snuggling into her Piglet blanket to sleep (more on that later, I think it's a mom's worst nightmare in the SIDS era), snuggling at all, kicking her long legs, the ladybug that used to hang from the carseat handle, rattles, "lovies", sneezing, listening to music, Samson and his whole-face kisses

Dislikes: being more than arm's length away from someone, being hung upside down by her feet, being in her carseat, having her nose wiped or "sucked"

Claire is growing fast, but is still so tiny. (Case in point: in the picture above she's wearing 0-3 month pants with room to grow, but not length!) I might have to buy her a new carseat not because of weight but because of length. She is doing well sitting up on her own, but tips over frequently just because she squirms so much. She laughs almost constantly when the boys are around to tickle her and is starting to enjoy more physical playing, like being tossed in the air. She babbles and coos, and likes to "sing" while she eats which makes for a long mealtime. She has also started on solids, and is loving oatmeal, bananas, and pears so far.

Budding Artiste

Mason and I played outside for a good long time today. Claire enjoyed it for a bit, too, but she had eaten herself sleepy (starting on solids has been very good for her) and went down for a long nap.


We built a "fire" by shuttling leaves from the trees in the park strip up to the yard... (ignore the dog hair, we also gave the dogs a good once-over with a brush)






But more importantly we played with sidewalk chalk. And Mason drew fire engines (and asked me to take pictures of them)...

...and he wrote his name. Maybe it's the gushy mama thing, but it's the first time he's written his name and, although not perfect or really even legible to the naked not-mom eye, I think it is such a good approximation. I'm so proud of him!

Quick Five Month Update

Likes: being snuggled, singing (especially if you cover her ears so she can hear herself), grabbing her toes, going from laying to sitting to standing, being tickled no matter where on her body you try it, sticking out her very long tongue, kicking her legs, her brother, grabbing on to anything and holding on tight (especially if it's one of her little "lovey" things with the animal head and small soft blanket, or someone's face), being outside, "chatting"

Dislikes: being put down, when her brother plays rough, being in the carseat, when her dad and brother wrestle

Claire is still tiny in size, but she loves lots of action around her. She likes watching the dogs, she loves getting kisses from them, and she often watches Mason with a look of amusement on her face. She will fight falling asleep until the last possible minute, but when it comes right down to it she'll snuggle up close and doze off. She actually likes rolling over now and will do it any chance she gets. She's getting stronger and sitting longer on her own (we're still only talking seconds here), and keeps trying to push the limits of physical activity to get stronger every day.

Four! (Month Checkup)

Claire had her checkup at the pediatrician today, and she passed with flying colors. He said she is beautiful and so alert and social (all of which we knew, but it's good to have it confirmed by a less-biased person). He also thinks that she's a little ahead on her motor skills; she can do 360s while most babies her age are just getting started with rolling. She also gave him a good demonstration of what I call "baby pilates" by pulling herself from flat to a "V" position in my lap--repeatedly. It's good and bad, really. He had a hard time checking her joints because she kept kicking him. I was on the receiving end of a couple particularly strong kicks. Below are the stats for our tiny little miss.

during a recent trip to the zoo

Length: 25 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 12 lbs. 9 oz. (25th percentile)

Head Circumference: 16.-1 inches (25th percentile)

Four fabulous months and still growing strong...

Claire turned four months old yesterday. I failed; it's the first time I haven't made the post on the actual anniversary. Oh well, I think she'll forgive me. On a side note, Claire has been pretty dedicated to sitting up on her own since, well, the beginning of her time. She visibly strains to lift her head up constantly when she's laying down. So we love the Bumbo and highly recommend it!

Likes: chewing on things (especially her index and middle fingers), being tickled by Grandpa, kicking those long legs constantly (especially when you comment on it), "flyin' ", any music but most especially ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man", snuggling into mom for a long nap, having her toes "omped", being pulled with her arms from laying to sitting to standing and back again, working out her vocal cords, outside, chewing on towels

Dislikes: having the bottle removed from her mouth while she thinks she's still eating, being put down, having her toes "omped" with her brother's teeth, her carseat

As of yesterday, she holds her own bottle in her mouth. She's rolling from her back to stomach and back again, and has exercised the ability to turn this in to her mobility. She only catnaps during the day, but will snuggle right in to sleep at night. Sometimes she sleeps through the night and sometimes she doesn't. She's especially happy to see everyone in the morning and generally only giggles when she's being tickled or someone is blowing raspberries on her stomach. She's still long and skinny and we'll see where she's at next week during a trip to Dr. Johnson.

And the Little One Said...

... roll over.

And then holler because you have nowhere to go from there.
(she just started this sequence last Saturday--it's been fun.)

M.O.P.

..that's me. I'm officially a Mother of Preschooler. Congratulations, Mason! You're going to do a great job. His first day of school was Friday. I think it's safe to say he loved it. I wasn't such a big fan of having to pry the details out of him. He was gone for two hours, and all I got was that his teacher gave them candy-- which I knew because he promptly asked me to open it for him. Throughout the day, we pieced together that they read stories and colored pictures. They also have show-and-tell every day. Of course Mason took Thomas; it seemed like that was a big hit with some of the other boys in his class.

... meanwhile, Claire enjoyed her brief stint as an only child. We played with her newest ability, that of rolling on to her side. I gave her some tummy time and this was about the only photo op without her crying. She seems frustrated that she can't move; if she can learn to keep her arm down, she'll at least be able to return to her back.

Kids get too big too fast!