I took my son for his one year check-up today only to find out he has a raging ear infection.
My daughter's pre-school teacher pulled me aside at pick-up time yesterday to let me know that my daughter got in a fight at recess. A fist fight.
I had to interrupt my talk with the pharmacist to stop my younger daughter from trying to wrestle with her sister on the floor at CVS.
Mother of the Year? Definitely not looking good. Maybe next year...
Adelie and Staley's World
Friday, March 11, 2016
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Sister Quotes
Tonight, Staley told me this:
"I like being a big sister, but I think it would be more fun to be a little sister. Being a little sister isn't so busy."
Of course, when it takes you forever to accomplish anything, maybe life does just always seem busy.
The other day, Zach and Staley had this conversation:
Zach: "Do you remember when Adelie was born?"
Staley: "Yes."
Zach: "Do you remember when you came to the hospital to meet her?"
Staley: "Yes! That was the best moment of my life."
Zach: "It was?"
Staley: (looking at Zach as if that was a ridiculous question) "Yes. I got my very own sister!"
"I like being a big sister, but I think it would be more fun to be a little sister. Being a little sister isn't so busy."
Of course, when it takes you forever to accomplish anything, maybe life does just always seem busy.
The other day, Zach and Staley had this conversation:
Zach: "Do you remember when Adelie was born?"
Staley: "Yes."
Zach: "Do you remember when you came to the hospital to meet her?"
Staley: "Yes! That was the best moment of my life."
Zach: "It was?"
Staley: (looking at Zach as if that was a ridiculous question) "Yes. I got my very own sister!"
Staley and her very own sister
Sunday, March 6, 2016
One Year Old
I just blinked and my baby turned one year old. I'm not sure where this past year went. Briggs is growing up so fast. He probably weighs around 19 lbs. He still wears his 6-12 month and 12 month clothes, although his 6-12 month things are starting to get a little small. He wears size 3 diapers and size 3 shoes. He still nurses in the morning and at night. He no longer takes a bottle and only takes one nap/day. He sleeps for 11-12 hours at night and usually naps for 2-3 hours in the afternoon. He smiles big with his 8 teeth. He's still happy, easy, and fun!
Likes: Briggs still loves baths, his Mama, his sisters, his right thumb, and outings. He loves to crawl around, pull things off shelves, take things out, and put things in. Favorite toys include his tow truck and garage, cars and trucks, the girls' princess figurines, the Little People (especially the bus), and the Paw Patrol figures and vehicles. Briggs loves books, and really enjoys pulling books off the bookshelf and reading them by himself. Current favorites remain those with flaps, sounds, and textures. We also have several sets of little books, and he really likes those too. Briggs still loves things that aren't toys, and emptying my purse, playing with the DVDs, and pulling clothes out of the drawers or laundry baskets are still favorite activities. Briggs is getting pickier about foods, but he loves crackers, Cheerios, rolls/breads/toast, meatloaf and meatballs, chicken nuggets, applesauce/pear sauce, soup, and most fruits.
Dislikes: Briggs gets fussy when he's tired and hungry. He is still sometimes a Mama's boy, getting mad if he's being held by someone else and he sees me. He doesn't like being in his high chair when there is no food on the tray. He dislikes sun in his face when he's in his carseat and wind in his face outside. He does not like pasta, eggs, berries, chicken (other than nuggets), and most veggies.
Skills: Briggs is very mobile. He crawls quickly, pulls to stand, cruises, and walks with someone holding his hands. He will stand for a second or two before dropping to the ground. He can crawl up the stairs and onto low furniture. Briggs is very good at putting things in, taking this out, pulling things apart, and activating cause and effect toys. He really likes to take off the clippy dresses on the girls' princess figurines. Briggs finger feeds and drinks from a spout cup. He is starting to take a loaded spoon and bring it to his mouth. He wipes off his tray after meals and, when asked to blow his nose, will put a tissue to his face and breath in and out of his nose quickly (kind of like snorting.) Briggs will put his toothbrush in his mouth and his brush to his hair. He takes off his socks and hats. Briggs is starting to say so much. He has about 20 words that he says spontaneously, and another 10 or so that he will imitate. I won't write the whole list, but favorites include 'ball, car, thank you, diaper, Mama, Dada, Staley, Grandpa, uh-oh, amen, night-night, and Barbie'. Yes, Barbie is one of his first 20 words. He also uses 5 signs ('more, drink, book, please, done') and knows the sounds that a lion, fish, cow, sheep, duck, and dog make. Briggs is understanding so much. He will follow simple one step directions like 'give it to me', 'go find your books', and 'blow your nose.' He can identify his eyes, nose, head, tummy, and toes. He will snort, wave, clap, point, fake cough, dance, give kisses, and still has the best laugh. Life with Briggs is just filled with joy!!
Likes: Briggs still loves baths, his Mama, his sisters, his right thumb, and outings. He loves to crawl around, pull things off shelves, take things out, and put things in. Favorite toys include his tow truck and garage, cars and trucks, the girls' princess figurines, the Little People (especially the bus), and the Paw Patrol figures and vehicles. Briggs loves books, and really enjoys pulling books off the bookshelf and reading them by himself. Current favorites remain those with flaps, sounds, and textures. We also have several sets of little books, and he really likes those too. Briggs still loves things that aren't toys, and emptying my purse, playing with the DVDs, and pulling clothes out of the drawers or laundry baskets are still favorite activities. Briggs is getting pickier about foods, but he loves crackers, Cheerios, rolls/breads/toast, meatloaf and meatballs, chicken nuggets, applesauce/pear sauce, soup, and most fruits.
Dislikes: Briggs gets fussy when he's tired and hungry. He is still sometimes a Mama's boy, getting mad if he's being held by someone else and he sees me. He doesn't like being in his high chair when there is no food on the tray. He dislikes sun in his face when he's in his carseat and wind in his face outside. He does not like pasta, eggs, berries, chicken (other than nuggets), and most veggies.
Skills: Briggs is very mobile. He crawls quickly, pulls to stand, cruises, and walks with someone holding his hands. He will stand for a second or two before dropping to the ground. He can crawl up the stairs and onto low furniture. Briggs is very good at putting things in, taking this out, pulling things apart, and activating cause and effect toys. He really likes to take off the clippy dresses on the girls' princess figurines. Briggs finger feeds and drinks from a spout cup. He is starting to take a loaded spoon and bring it to his mouth. He wipes off his tray after meals and, when asked to blow his nose, will put a tissue to his face and breath in and out of his nose quickly (kind of like snorting.) Briggs will put his toothbrush in his mouth and his brush to his hair. He takes off his socks and hats. Briggs is starting to say so much. He has about 20 words that he says spontaneously, and another 10 or so that he will imitate. I won't write the whole list, but favorites include 'ball, car, thank you, diaper, Mama, Dada, Staley, Grandpa, uh-oh, amen, night-night, and Barbie'. Yes, Barbie is one of his first 20 words. He also uses 5 signs ('more, drink, book, please, done') and knows the sounds that a lion, fish, cow, sheep, duck, and dog make. Briggs is understanding so much. He will follow simple one step directions like 'give it to me', 'go find your books', and 'blow your nose.' He can identify his eyes, nose, head, tummy, and toes. He will snort, wave, clap, point, fake cough, dance, give kisses, and still has the best laugh. Life with Briggs is just filled with joy!!
My big one year old!
A Comparative Analysis
Watching Briggs eat his smash cake yesterday made me reflect on how each of my 3 kids approached the task of eating their first birthday cake much like they approach life. Their personalities were reflected in this early first birthday tradition.
Staley approached her cake cautiously. She gingerly touched the icing, decided she didn't want to get messy, and then asked for a cracker instead. No mess. No fuss. No need to rush into something new. Just calmly enjoying the comfort of the familiar.
Adelie jumped in without hesitation. Double fisted. Cake and icing everywhere. She ate and ate until I removed the cake. Adventurous and wild, nothing was going to stop Adelie from enjoying her cake to the fullest...even if it meant being covered head to toe in chocolate frosting.
And Briggs enjoyed his cake in his laid-back way. No rush. No hurry. Just calmly licking frosting off his fingers and enjoying the experience.
Cautious. Wild. Mellow. That's just how my kids each approach life. And cake.
Birthday Boy
Briggs had his first birthday yesterday. And although he was pretty oblivious to why there were so many people at our house and what this present thing was all about, he seemed to enjoy himself just the same.
There was also some present opening.
And, of course, there was a special cake made specifically for the birthday boy.
Although Staley had a plethera of different ideas for the theme of his party, she jumped on board with the monster theme I decided on. She helped me bake some breakfast goodies and cupcakes, helped with some of the decorations, sewed a gift for Briggs (and wrapped it herself), and had some big plans for a few shows that the cousins would do (which didn't actually happen).
The birthday flag that Staley made
Like any good first birthday party, there were decorations...
there was food...
there were cupcakes before lunch...
and there were games.
The kids made monsters. The plan was for Briggs to crawl over to which monster he liked the best, but he was a little overwhelmed by it all and just cried until I picked him up. But the kids seemed to enjoy the monster-making project anyway. And the grown-ups did a one-themed trivia quiz.
There was also some present opening.
Briggs wasn't a real active participant in the present opening. Luckily, Adelie was a very willing helper.
And, of course, there was a special cake made specifically for the birthday boy.
Briggs ate his cake much like he does everything else in life...in his mellow, easy-going way.
He didn't get too messy or eat too much, but seemed happy about it.
After his fun morning, Briggs took a nice afternoon nap. Then both sets of grandparents joined us for Briggs's birthday dinner of some of his favorites--meatballs, mashed potatoes, cheesy carrots, peaches, and rolls. He opened one last gift, played a little bit, had a fun birthday bath (with his new bath toys), and then slept soundly. What a fun and full first birthday!!
The birthday boy.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
She Says...
Staley and I had this conversation this morning:
Staley: "I want to watch "Empire Strikes Back." Liam watched it and he liked it."
Me: "Liam likes things that I don't think you would like. You are more sensitive about scary things than Liam is, and the Star Wars movies are kind of scary."
Staley: "I like Star Wars. I met Darth Vader and I wasn't scared."
Me: "Darth Vader was nice when we met him. In the movies, he's a really mean bad guy."
Staley: "Star Wars isn't scary to me."
Me: "Staley, you got scared at the Paw Patrol episode yesterday."
Staley: "No, I didn't! And I'm not even scared of "Barbie Swan Lake" anymore."
Not sure she made the point she thought she did.
Today, Staley and I were baking together in the kitchen. She made a batch of banana bread all by herself, including measuring all the ingredients, cracking the eggs, using the mixer, and even washing up all her dishes. (I just read her the recipe and helped her know which measuring cup/spoon she needed.) When she was done, we had this conversation:
Me: "I'm really impressed, Staley. You're a great cook."
Staley: "Do you know where I learned how to cook so good?"
(I was starting to feel a little smug, thinking about all the times we've baked/cooked together and all the meals she's watched me make.)
Me: "No. Where did you learn to be such a good cook?"
Staley: "From Grace [from an American Girl movie]. She's a really good cook and she teaches her friends to cook. That's how I learned."
Ouch!
Staley: "I want to watch "Empire Strikes Back." Liam watched it and he liked it."
Me: "Liam likes things that I don't think you would like. You are more sensitive about scary things than Liam is, and the Star Wars movies are kind of scary."
Staley: "I like Star Wars. I met Darth Vader and I wasn't scared."
Me: "Darth Vader was nice when we met him. In the movies, he's a really mean bad guy."
Staley: "Star Wars isn't scary to me."
Me: "Staley, you got scared at the Paw Patrol episode yesterday."
Staley: "No, I didn't! And I'm not even scared of "Barbie Swan Lake" anymore."
Not sure she made the point she thought she did.
Today, Staley and I were baking together in the kitchen. She made a batch of banana bread all by herself, including measuring all the ingredients, cracking the eggs, using the mixer, and even washing up all her dishes. (I just read her the recipe and helped her know which measuring cup/spoon she needed.) When she was done, we had this conversation:
Me: "I'm really impressed, Staley. You're a great cook."
Staley: "Do you know where I learned how to cook so good?"
(I was starting to feel a little smug, thinking about all the times we've baked/cooked together and all the meals she's watched me make.)
Me: "No. Where did you learn to be such a good cook?"
Staley: "From Grace [from an American Girl movie]. She's a really good cook and she teaches her friends to cook. That's how I learned."
Ouch!
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