Abigail's First Month

Abby has had quite the month. Not only has she just gotten used to being out in the big, big world, she has also learned to be a little sister - completely stealing the heart of her big brothers. Noah must ask about 10 times a day to hold her and I am constantly pulling Benjamin off of her as I think 100 kisses at a time is probably enough. (She has also learned to be the sweetest little daughter and her parents are quite smitten with her as well.) She is learning to use her little voice and making different squeaks. Noah is working very hard at translating these squeaks - I think he is getting pretty close. She is also getting good at spitting up on mommy, but doesn't share that with daddy. (Although, only daddy has had to change clothes along with diapers...) She still loves her sleeping and is only waking once in the night - sometime between 3:00 and 5:00. Unfortunately, she has learned the boys get up at 7:00 and she doesn't want to miss anything, so she does too. That is a lot of children to get up at one time. She has already made her first airline flight and been to her first Royals game. I'd say it has been a pretty busy month. Let's see how long she can keep up all this activity.

Weeeeee!

The boys and I broke out the swing for Abby. They are very excited about this. I thought getting it out would give her some awake time where she could look around a bit and I could have my hands free. I am now thinking this might not be the break I was looking for. I think it is going to take me a very, very long time to convince them that it WILL swing on its own and they do NOT need to give her pushes. I am investigating how to make a 5 point harness, just in case they try to launch her. She does seem to like her new ride. Hopefully, with time, her brothers will lose interest in it. I guess one good thing that may come of it is that she should be more than ready for roller coasters when that time comes.

Branching Out

No, you are not seeing things. That is Noah. He is eating a nectarine. He even asked for it! We have been working pretty hard on him to try new things. It does not always go very well. We have gotten him to try cheese pizza on a number of different occasions. The last time, he pulled an old favorite of gagging until he emptied his stomach of everything else he had eaten at the meal - this particular time, that included a full glass of chocolate milk. We will not be eating cheese pizza again for a little while. He has stopped eating chicken nuggets for dinner and has started asking for hamburgers. He has tried brats but didn't seem to like them very much. He nibbled away on green onions while riding in the shopping cart and didn't seem offended by them and also tried a few bites of daddy's chicken sandwich. We are very pleased with this progress. Unfortunately, at this rate, we should have him eating somewhat normally by the time he graduates from college.

Newest Pirate Wear

The Hamburger House (Red Robin) has become a favorite hang out for all. We especially like to hit Monday nights because it is Kid's Night. They usually have a lady walking around making balloon 'animals' for the kids. Noah usually asks for a sword. Go figure, right? Well, this particular night, we talked him in to asking for a little more. His new gear didn't last long, unfortunately. He did not heed the warnings about sticking his sword in the grass. And once that had popped, the rest of it seemed unnecessary to him, I guess, as I ended up carrying it all the rest of the way around the block. They have a rule about not giving anything to kids under three, so Benjamin doesn't get anything but he doesn't seem to upset by this. Yet.Uncle Scott found some pirate gear for us also. He sent it down with his 'Pirates of Penzance' video. I figured - pirates... singing all the time... it was bound to be a hit with Noah. We have only watched about a half an hour so far. He seems to like it just fine. I can't wait to hear him singing, "Poor wandering one... Though thou hast surely strayed..." Benjamin got the same get up but he would have nothing to do with it. We will keep trying, though.

Chief Pooh Bear

While Abby and I were in Michigan, daddy and the boys did some sprinkler playing in the backyard. When it was time to come inside, daddy wrapped Benjamin in his towel and stuck him in the front room while he went to collect Noah. When he returned, Benjamin had not budged an inch and was still wrapped in his towel. When daddy tried to take him upstairs to get him ready for nap time, a major meltdown occurred. Turns out, Benjamin wanted to live in his towel cape/shawl. Over the next several days he asked for it over and over. As you can see in these pictures, daddy even had to put it back on after he was fully clothed.

My Babies

My arms are definitely big enough, but I think I need a bigger chair. What do you think? The boys are still most excited to see Abby in the morning - or whenever she wakes up, actually. Soon as we sit down to eat, they come over and crawl all over us - showering her with hugs and kisses. They also love to rub her head. While they are extremely gentle (MOST of the time) she does not appear to be a big fan of this. But once they get in a little loving, they are pretty good about leaving us alone until Abby is done eating. After that, however, there is no keeping them away. Benjamin usually brings a book to read. Noah likes to help burp. I pat him on the back and he pats Abby. I am fairly certain that if she were ever to spit up on him as she does me, he would not stay so close.
Slowly but surely, the boys are getting better at playing together while I am busy with the baby. Occasionally, it still gets a little too physical and tears are involved. I have made a strict rule of sitting in the chair (as opposed to jumping) and only one boy in the chair at a time. They seem to not be able to remember these rules - ever. In this particular picture, I was telling Benjamin that Noah was already in the chair and he would have to wait his turn. Noah said, "No, mom. It's ok. He just wants to sit on my lap. Right, Benjamin?" And Benjamin said, "Yeah." And he put his little head back on Noah's shoulder and they just sat there for about 10 minutes. Long enough for daddy to get home and snap a picture. So cute. I need to print these pictures as reminders of how cute they are when things are not so calm.
The four of us are doing quite well during our days alone together. I've tried instituting a morning walk. It is usually 10:00 or more before we are all fed, dressed, and ready to head out but the fresh air is always appreciated. Poor Benjamin is still confined to the stroller so he doesn't get much exercise on our walks. (He hasn't proved himself to be a 'follower' just yet and I don't have enough energy or arms to chase after him.) Luckily, he does not complain at all about this. As long as he has a stick to drag along the sidewalk, he is good. And he more than makes up for the exercise loss during the rest of the day as his little legs still don't ever stop moving. I have even managed to get us all out of the house together - like in the car, out of the house. Our first outing was Babies R Us. I only needed a pacifier-holder for the diaper bag but it was more about proving I could get us all there in one piece. Since then, we have also attempted Costco. (Thank goodness for huge carts.) And next week I am attempting the zoo. I am starting to get a little concerned about when preschool starts and having to get someone to a certain place at a certain time. I might have to start about 10 to get everyone fed, changed, strapped in, and on the road to arrive by noon. But I am sure when my only job is to drop off and pick up (16 years from now...) I will miss these days. I'm just thankful I get a chance to perfect my ways before winter sets in and we have to add all the coats, etc.

Ride 'em, Cowboy!

Daddy's first week back at work, Grandpa Bud and Grandma Page offered to take the boys to the Farmer. They jumped all over the chance to go there yet again. Noah got to try another new activity - pony rides. He was so excited! Again, no camera was available, so we got some shots at daddy's picnic.

Fish, BEWARE!

While mommy and daddy were in the hospital with Abby, Grandpa Douglas, Grandma Bonnie, and Uncle Scott took the boys to the Farmer. It was a great time, as always, but for something different, Granpa took Noah fishing for the first time. From all reports, it was a big hit. He had talked about worming the hooks himself but when he saw that your hands got dirty, he willingly let Grandpa do that job. (And he really didn't want Grandpa touching HIS pole with his dirty hands. He told Grandpa to get his own.) We heard he caught a couple of fish, unfortunately, no one had a camera. (If you are reading this and you know my family, let me clarify - yes, you read that correctly. NO CAMERA at hand. Uncle Scott will never live this down.) Noah wanted to save the fish to show us, but they eventually convinced him it had to stay at the farmer. Fast forward three weeks, we were back at the farmer for daddy's work picnic and Noah could not wait to show us his new fishing skills. Unfortunately, his pole was not as lucky this time around. He did end up catching one on his very last cast. Mom had a camera but didn't get the best picture. Maybe he will be willing to do it yet again - for picture's sake.

Gentlepeople, Start Your Engines!

We have a lot of toys. I mean a lot. Too many to have a location for, actually. And yet, we still seem to be lacking in some of the things that our children would really like to have. I am not sure how that is possible, but it is. Luckily, imagination and ingenuity are kicking in and they are making due.


The boys have become race fans. Noah takes the ol' shopping cart ,Benjamin (usually with a little help from daddy) rides on the Pooh plane and they race around the room. It used to be the cowboy hats were satisfactory racing hats but I think the increase of motorcycles out on the streets has made them think twice. Noah knows he needs a face shield. So, he made an obvious choice - his drum. Benjamin tries out this special helmet also, when he can get his hands on it. Unfortunately, he doesn't always remember to put the clear side out. I guess its a good thing that he isn't usually driving alone.

8-8-08

That is pretty fun, hunh? So, what did you do to celebrate? If you know anything about me, you know something as simple as this date would require some type of major activity to commorate. Lucky for me, the IOC planned the evening for me and I have to say, I coulod not have done better. See, 8 years ago, Christopher and I started this tradition. (Okay, so I started it, but Christopher has willingly participated since the beginning.) To celebrate the Olympic games, we plan a meal in honor of the host country to eat while we watch the Opening Ceremonies. Eight years ago I made Alice Springs chicken (thank you, Outback Steakhouse) for the Sydney games. It has turned in to a pretty fun tradition. Quite a few months ago, I started telling Christopher that I would probably be too busy to do dinner so it was all about him this year. Turns out that was not so much the case as Abby is all too easy but he stepped up to the plate anyway. He made some yummy roasted pork in plum sauce and fried rice. It was delicious!!! He also offered to attempt my favorite, Hot & Sour soup but I thought the other two items were probably enough. His cooking really means a lot to me for two reasons. First, he was also put in charge 4 years ago (Athens) because I was waaaayyy too sick (pregnant with Noah). We picked a lamb dish and it might not have turned out quite right but he was willing to try again. Second, it shows his willingness to go along with my silly games. He always humors me and it is one of the things I appreciate most about him. So, if you are free in 2010, please consider yourself invited to our Vancouver party. We have some time to work on the menu but we are thinking it will probably include Canadian bacon and maple syrup. If you have any good Canadian recipes, please send them along.
Back to Beijing, I hope you were able to catch the Opening Ceremonies yourself. They were amazing! We almost missed them. That would have been funny, right? Christopher thought he'd heard the show was to start at 8:08 and neither of us bothered to look it up. Luckily, my mom called at 6:30 and said they were starting. Obviously, dinner wasn't ready yet so we turned on the VCR and kept to our original plan of getting the boys to bed and sitting down as close to 8:00 as possible. We made it just in time for the athletes to enter the stadium. While maybe not the most entertaining part of the evening, it is always fun for me. I love to see the countries with 1, 4, 7 athlete[s] and think about how they must feel carrying their entire country's hope and pride. I think it must be so exciting for them. As I sit here, I can't really remember anything about the past ceremonies we have watched. I am wondering if I will forget China's also. We watched the video the next night and I think the only thing we said was, "Wow! How is that possible? That's amazing!" If you didn't get to see it, you really missed out. If you'd like to borrow our tape, let us know.

Week 2

Here is the perfect summary of how we spent week 2 as a family of 5. I'm tellin' you, this girl is an angel. SO FAR, this is really all she does. She wakes up to eat about every 3-4 hours and she just kind of wiggles around until you get up and tend to her. She has even been sleeping up to 6 hours at night! She really only screams if you wake her by changing her pants and then put her in the car seat before feeding her. She doesn't like that and she'll tell you about it the whole way to wherever you are going. Luckily, her big brother Benjamin is much more gentle than Noah was to his new brother. Benjamin just rides next to her in the car softly saying her name over and over until she quiets down. Today he added a nice little "Shhh..." on occasion. (Noah used to try to scream over Benjamin's cries - that was a delight, let me tell you.) Noah is still enthralled with his baby sister and loves to tell people about her. He also continues to ask to hold her [and thinks I should take a picture every time]. As soon as we lift her off his lap he lifts his shirt to see if he has grown any "bobs". I guess he would also really like to be able to feed her. has gotten in the habit of napping again, for which we are all thankful. About a month ago, I started taking him to my room as I discovered that if he was kept quiet and still, he would go to sleep. So we lay on my bed, read our stories, then hold hands and drift off to sleep. (Abby has now been added in to this equation. I tried to get daddy to take a picture of it while he was home but I guess he thought I was joking, because he didn't do it.) Daddy went back to work this afternoon. I really liked having him home but we decided it wasn't worth spending vacation days when everyone just sleeps all afternoon anyway. And thanks to the world's greatest neighbor who has seen to it that we have had dinner every night this week, we were able to eat before 6:00PM. So, really, if we could just figure out how to keep the boys from trying to kill each other all day long, our lives would be golden. I guess they just don't want us to feel like we are not needed around here. Here's to hoping it all continues to go well from here on out. Daddy might try a full day of work tomorrow. Yikes.

Pretty in Green

Funny that I waited this long for PINK and some of my favorite outfits are green. But they do come with pink flowers all over them, so I guess that makes it okay. Daddy is especially fond of this outfit. He thinks it was probably designed by a fellow daddy as it has the bows AND shoes built right in. Takes all the guess work out of dressing Princess Abby. (As if he needs to worry about picking out her clothes for a good year or so...)