4~!

We celebrate Julia's actual birthday eve with the Reeds and some cake.

On her Birthday Mom Mom and Pop Pop took her out for lunch and to get a manicure! Pink with white polka dots, very very fancy.

Celebrating her birthday at school on Wednesday. Each child in the class asks Julia a question about herself. It is really cute.

She insisted that her little brother sit next to her. The Mother hen instinct is strong in this one.

Ice cream cups for snack! Can I admit to being thrilled when that was what she insisted on ~ no baking! :)

So, my baby girl is 4. I can't believe it, I feel like I was holding her in the delivery room but a second ago. At 4 Julia is an easy kid 99% of the time. She entertains herself easily, she can sit still whenever necessary, and she is incredibly well spoken and easy to talk to. She loves her brothers fiercely. She is definitely my one child with my intensity, and can be very stubborn on occasion. She makes friends easily and is good at sharing and working together. Her and Luke can sit and work for hours on a coloring project or a puzzle without a problem or complaint. She loves to sing, and I hear her laying in bed singing for up to an hour some nights. She is all things girly ~ picking her hair style every day and insisting on a dress 90% of the time. She got a bike for her birthday and is ALLLLL about the bike, which marks her first true interest in athletics ~ she is generally more interested in watching Luke than in participating directly. This has me very excited as I hope for her to find a sport that she loves at some point. She starts T-Ball with Luke in April and I can't wait to see how that goes.

Julia, I love your quick mind and your kind heart. I love your fire. I love how independent you are and hope that you never, ever let that independence be squashed. You know your mind and you know your heart and you follow it with passion and intensity. Thank you for being you, you funny and lovely little girl. I think that great things lie in store for you, and I can't wait to see what joys your 4th year bring to our entire family. Happy birthday, kiddo.

Celebrating Julia's 4th birthday

This may be my new favorite picture of my little lady ~ about to get a manicure and pedicure before her family arrived to celebrate her.

A casual Wonder Woman in pearls opens her first present.

Cake!

Daddy helps.

The cake she chose. She was so proud of it.

These birthdays really don't get any easier, do they?

For some reason 4 sounds like a little girl to me, not my baby anymore. She really enjoyed her party and I was so proud to see her running around with her cousins all day having a good time. She even slept in her wonder woman costume. Some things just aren't worth saying "no" to.

While I love the little lady she is becoming I can't lie ~ I feel like this is all going much, much too quickly and some days I want that little baby Jules back ~ the 21 month old sitting at the table talking about her "peanut buttah doast". I get scared for the years ahead ~ she is still so sweet and snuggly and affectionate......I get scared to watch that slowly but surely slip away.

Gah, now I'm making myself cry. See why I've been putting off this post?

First Haircut!

The mullet. This does not adequately capture the one lovely curl that he had, but he had one. I have proof, as I am the dorky overly sentimental Mom who saves their first haircut hair. My Mom did the same, and I know that there is no purpose to it, but I admit that I have looked at my first haircut hair several times over the past 30 or so years. So, its in an envelope. He will probably never have another curl, but I have definitive proof that he did, indeed, have one at one point.

Post haircut, so grown up!

He just looks like such a big boy to me now! I love it!

With holiday extravanganzapoluzza upon us, I decided that it was time to bid adieu to Jake's mullet. I admit that I don't like baby mullets, and we were getting to that point. So, on a whim, I gave him his first cut on Friday morning. Ever the perfect gentleman he sat perfectly still and enjoyed his first trim on the kitchen floor. He looks like a little man!

I thought I might be sad about my "baby" looking less like a baby....but have to admit that I find myself way less sentimental about all of this growing up stuff than I thought I might be. I'm glad. (Although, don't get me started about my reaction walking into Luke's soon to be Kindergarten, or how emotional I was watching his pre-K Christmas program). For some reason seeing Luke hit his big kid milestones is more emotionally difficult for me than watching Jake do the same, and I completely thought that it would be the opposite. Anyway, introducing the new big man Jake!

18 Months!

My silly boy, post bath. We have a new winter routine of hour long baths after his nap and while the older kids sleep. I read and Jake plays and occasionally walks over and gives me long hugs, it is lovely. My boyfriend.

My sweet baby boy turned 18 months old last week. I am infatuated with the little man. This is just such a fun, easy stage. He eats, sleeps, and has suddenly shifted from "the baby" to "one of the kids". I don't know exactly what did it ~ if it is his suddenly expanding vocabulary, or his command of receptive language, or just a mental shift on his part, but he seems to now self identify as a pre schooler rather than as a baby.

At 18 months you are a joy, Jakers. You are a wonderful sleeper and a wonderful eater, and you are ALLLLLL your Daddies personality. You are just a jolly little fellow, you don't take yourself too seriously, and you are already exhibiting a goofy and love to laugh personality that I adore. You are totally going to be the class clown ~ yet you also have this gritty little determination that I love. You don't miss a trick, Jake. You continue to be the most affectionate child I have ever met ~ your kisses and hugs are the highlight of my day.

We had his 18 month well visit today, and Jake continues to be at the tip top of the growth chart at 30 lbs and 34 inches. Watching you grow into a little boy is a joy little man, I love you.

After a crazy weekend where Nate was at school till about 6 on Saturday night, we ran in Brian's Run (a 5 mile race raising money to equip housing for newly disabled vets) on Sunday and then hosted a party afterwards! It was a great time.....but after cleaning and cooking all weekend, having 30 some people at the house and being up till almost 1 last night has led to a very, very lazy day today! I'm laying in front of the fire ~ my tired kids slept from 1-4:30 today (when I finally woke them up!) after having a great afternoon and evening with Brooke and Jackson and Carter yesterday. Due to the ridiculously long nap, I'm snuggling down in a "nest" in front of the fire with the bigs, no lights on but Christmas lights, my house clean and put back in order post party, and about to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special on TV with my kids for the very first time! Fa la la la laaaaaaaaaaa.

Luke, at school.

Luke's teachers just sent out some photos from the first couple of weeks of school.

It was so strange to open an email containing pictures of my child that I didn't take. He looks incredibly serious. So serious that it made me laugh. Do I know this serious Luke?

It is so bizarre to think about Luke having parts of his life that are his own. It's strange after spending every single moment of his life with him to realize that for several hours two days a week Luke is entirely his own little person. I don't know that I am explaining what I mean very well......but it is crazy to me that people suddenly know him just as "Luke" and not just as "Melissa's baby". I am a million things other than just Luke's Mom, but for the past 2.5 years he has been just my baby. Suddenly he is becoming more than that. He is Julia's brother. He is a student at school. He is a kid at the gym. He is a boy at church. He is a lot more than just my baby, suddenly.

Still not explaining this well. It's 9 pm and (sadly) long past my current bedtime.

Luke is growing up.

"My Julia" ~ 18 Months

Baby girl.

Today you are officially 18 months old. I would say that I can't believe it, but that phrase has gotten trite at this point. I get it now. This time goes too fast. Its sickening and bittersweet and amazing to recognize that the tiny newborn that you were just a moment ago in my mind is now this huge, strong, determined and funny little toddler who lives in my heart.

You had your 18 month well baby visit yesterday. You are rocking it at the tip top of the chart (97%) for height and the 85% for weight. You have turned into a little charmer. After a brief stint with temper tantrums in early summer, you seem to have learned how to control your emotions better. I have fallen in love with you in a whole new way this summer, as I came to learn that the things that can make you difficult at times are actually your best assets and the things that I most treasure about you. You know your mind, little one. You know what you want, and you have developed an astonishingly broad vocabulary to help you communicate those wants. The things you say at 18 months old blow me away. You can be obstinate, but suddenly I see how you use that obstinacy and determination to do a task to completion. You LOVE to "help". Nothing makes you happier than having a job ~ and no matter how menial that task is, you do it until you master and complete it. You have become my big helper putting clothes in the dryer, or emptying your sippy cups out of the dishwasher. You love it when I put the chef hat on you and you join me in the kitchen while Luke is at Pre School. You suddenly cannot get enough of books, and will even sit by yourself for an hour at a time "reading". You drag them around the house to me asking "Mama read dis book Mama?". Your little nurturing instincts are incredibly evidenced lately. You SCREAM with joy when you see dogs, or birds, or bugs, or really any living creature at all. Anything more than one is "two" to you. You see two dogs being walked and you scream with delight "Mama TWO doggies Mama, Ruf Ruf Ruf"......then you see a flock of geese and scream "Mama TWO birdies Mama, TWO!". So while nurturing may be a strong suit, counting is not ;). You love music. Anytime you are feeling grumpy about anything, like a diaper change or getting in the car, a simple song soothes you. And you insist on telling me EXACTLY what song you want to hear. Your favorites are "Rain Rain go Away", "Ba Ba Black Sheep", "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and the ABC song. You can sing at least part of all of them on your own, and you frequently walk around the house singing to yourself.

You love other babies, and have the personal space parameters of a European. You love to get your face as close as humanely possible to any baby or animal or bug that you choose to interact with, and squeal with delight as you say "Hi baby hi baby hi baby!" until satisfied that the baby does in fact recognize your presence inches from its face. You are frighteningly tough. I have seen you brush off falls that initially take my breath away. You are cautious yet unafraid, you have yet to have a serious bump/bruise/cut because you assess your surroundings and seem to have a solid understanding of your physical capabilities. When you get especially excited you scrunch your little nose up in this expression of delight that just melts me. You are still a Mama's girl, though you have zero separation issues at the gym or with our babysitters. You love your brother fiercely. You ask for him as soon as you wake up, and you pretty much want to be exactly where he is all day long. The feeling is very mutual. He insists on calling you "My Julia". You eat like a feral animal ~ you take eating very seriously and are a ferocious and meticulous eater. You love to "cheers" every.single.person at the table, every mealtime. You love your "Muman" (Mulligan) and ask for him and "Louie" (Luke) every morning when I pluck you out of your crib. You love water and have no fear of it, you will float on your back in the ocean with my arms under you and just let your body go limp as you laugh with abandon. You are a great sleeper and go to bed with one song, one prayer, and a kiss. You sleep from 7-7 or later and nap for at least 2.5 hours every day. You are stubborn, and you like to test your boundaries and you like to say that word "NO".....I am learning that laughter is the key to turning your No's to Yes's, not allowing it to become a power struggle between you and I. Stubborn as I am, you may out stubborn me, baby girl. So to humor we go, and it seems to be working well. You are teaching me new things every day, and growing me as a Mother. You are so like, yet so different from Luke, and I am benefiting from learning how to be a good Mom to you, as you have different needs and different wants that you ask of me. You are still nursing, so we hit the goal that I had originally hoped to achieve. Your wispy blond hair is really starting to come in now, and you just look so feminine to me all of a sudden. You have this cute sing song totally girly voice, which I love. You kiss your "babies" all day long and love to push them in the stroller. Anything with a handle goes over your wrist as a "purse" (where you get this I have no idea as you never see me carry one). You are obsessed with shoes and like to bring me any shoes that you find laying around the house. Anything even remotely able to go around your neck (a shoelace, a scarf, a ribbon etc) instantly becomes a "necklace, Mama, necklace!" as you model it proudly for me. You are a little girl all of a sudden, not a relatively gender neutral little baby anymore.

I love you, kiddo. You are my daughter, my joy. Happy half birthday to my girl.

School, Buckets, and Football.

My big guy had his first day of school today. In true Luke fashion, he ran into his classroom with hardly more than a "see ya Mom!". I was upstairs for "orientation" ~ Finding out all about what committee I am on, when we serve as classroom Aids, provide snacks, and all the rest. Nate came along ~ I have to tell you how proud I am that the kids have such an involved and loving Dad.....and I have to tell you how funny my 6'2" husband looked sitting on a preschoolers chair. Luke did great, and I already love the other Mom's in the class and am looking forward to our upcoming Mothers coffee. He was so proud of his star sticker "Cause I cleaned UP Mama!", and that he learned how to "only pretend" to eat play dough.

My Mom came over this morning with the backpack that we had picked out for Luke and his big guy school. We picked it out about two weeks ago. About a week ago I got an email from the school saying that they had found that the kids were doing so many art projects that backpacks were a difficult way to transport them, and to please INSTEAD of a backpack, send your child to school with a bucket that they would use to transport home their artistic wonders each day. DOH!

Every year of my childhood my Mom and Dad took a picture of us standing by the mailbox, where she had always planted Morning Glories. Knowing that Luke was going to school this fall, I continued the tradition by planting Morning Glories this past spring. I hope to take a pic of Luke in that same spot for many many years to come. He was not thrilled to be posing, but tough luck kid. I was bound and determined to get that stupid picture :).

Now. Here is the thing with me. I was raised by Super Mom. You know the one? The one who handmade every Halloween costume, baked homemade bread, decorated her home (and others) was classroom Mom every year, hand wrapped every Christmas present (even the teeny tiny ones in the stockings) and had a bagillion friends because she was the most giving thoughtful generous person on Earth. I am not Super Mom. In fact, some days I find myself feeling more like "Super Suck Mom". BUT, somewhere deep within me is planted the notion that I could or should be Super Mom. So. The BUCKET THING. I immediately panicked. I had to make the perfect bucket. Like, with his name. NO, with his monogram. And hand paint it, of course, and get one just the right color and blah blah blah. That was a week ago. That did not happen. So. Plan B. Go to fancy schmancy store on the way home from play group that sells personalized and monogrammed buckets. Ask if they had a "Luke" bucket laying around. No. Asked how long it would take them to monogram one for me. "When do you need it?" asks saleswoman. "Thursday" says procrastinator Super Suck Mom. "Thursday like TOMORROW? Sorry, they take about a week". "Oh, shoot. Well, how much do they cost?" Asked SSM. "$30" replied fancy schmantzy store worker lady. So, I left, bucket less as I would rather Luke use my mop bucket than spend $30 on a stupid plastic pail.

So last night found me at Michael's. I decided to use the bucket that we use as Luke's Easter Basket as his masterpiece carrier. I wandered the aisles of Michael's totally depressed at how everything there made me feel like a failure. I got nauseous walking by "fun molding clay!" and "rainbow glitter glue Popsicle sticks!" and all of the other bagillion "fun" things that I am supposed to long to while away an afternoon doing with my kids. I found some cute letters that I decided to use to put his name on his bucket.......then realized that they cost like $2 and all I had with me was my credit card. A glutton for punishment I made myself walk the entire circuit of the store looking for something else I could possibly buy ~ you know, something crafty. I walked out with some construction paper, my stupid letters, and some sticker coloring book thing. Letters went on bucket last night, and off to school Luke went today.

I'm not as sad as I thought I would be. It feels less like an ending and more like a beginning.

Speaking of beginning......it is FOOTBALL TIME, the season kicks off tonight! A high holiday around here. Wishing all of you sports fans a season of joy and victory (unless you root for a team playing against my Eagles!) and may you all find warmth and fun and friendship in yet another season of NFL awesomeness. We are celebrating with a giant pasta dinner and turning on the fireplace for the first time. Go Eagles.

(And because I love my husband, go Jets too. Rah rah rah............)

Happy 1/2, big guy.

Happy 1/2 birthday to my big guy. How did this get here so quickly? Here is where we were a year ago today.

We are halfway through the "terrible two's" and thus far we have had very, very few terrible moments. I could not imagine an easier toddler than you, Luke.

Kid, if you read this someday, I have to tell you that you are just a ray of pure sunshine. You have a sweet spirit, you literally love to laugh, and you epitomize not sweating the small stuff. Today I yelled at you *hangs head in shame*. I then apologized to you, and you came right over to me and said "That's okay Mama, I love you Mama, Mama you sad?" as you kissed me, wrapped your arms around my neck and started patting my back. You made me cry with your kindness following me losing my patience with you. You are so your Dad, kiddo, and you make it impossible not to love you to the point where I feel as though it might make me lose my breath.

From the day that you were born 2.5 years ago you have made me smile every single day, and I love the little person who you are becoming. Mothering you is a joy and a privilege.

Cupcakes for all, tonight.

Goodbye July!

Adios, July. I cannot believe that tomorrow August begins ~ which means that September is coming right up. Which means that Luke is starting pre-school really soon.

I just went through all of his pre-school stuff and wrote it all down on my calendar ~ meetings, holidays, "Muffins with Mom" mornings and "Doughnuts with Dad" mornings ~ and I started crying ~ NOT just because I prefer doughnuts to muffins, but because I am not really ready or willing to accept the idea that my kids are growing up this fast.

July, I am sad to see you go. We loved one another well, though, so onto August we go.

Ju-Jous

Baby girl, you are 15 month old. You were supposed to have your 15 month well baby visit today, but due to a scheduling mix up at the Dr's office (their fault) and their subsequent admission that the next well baby visit I could schedule was either Friday (when we will be out of town) or in SEPTEMBER, your Mama Bear threw a holy FIT at the Dr's, requested your medical records, and quickly found a new pedi based upon the recommendation of a friend. Your 15 month visit will be next week with our new Dr. Sometimes my temper gets the best of me, and sometimes my temper helps me make the best decisions for my kids. Let it be shouted from the rooftops that while I love love loved the Dr's at Kids First WC, and I loved the way that they would get my sick kids in for visits within hours of calling, I have zero tolerance for a practice that makes mistakes (they wrote my appointment time on my appointment card wrong 3 months ago....and I showed up at the time they had written down) and can't find a way to rectify them. I was tempted to include my entire diatribe/fit, but it isn't worth it. (It was pretty good though, if I may pat myself on the back.)

So. Julia Elise.

You funny little bugger. You are a delight. Your language skills are beyond my wildest dreams considering your age. We are still nursing, and you are officially that baby who asks to nurse. I know some people love to say the whole "when they are old enough to ask for it, they are too old to nurse" thing, and I find that silly. You loooooove your big brother. Every morning when I come in to get you you look at me, start bouncing up and down in your crib, and say "Luuuuke?" as you point downstairs. On the mornings when he wakes up first, and he hears you cry, he says "Mama, Julja crying! Mama, go get Julja!". He insists on opening your door, runs over to your crib, climbs in, and the two of you say "I love yoooooooouuuuuuuu" while pointing to one anothers noses and giggling like mad. Its mindmeltingly cute. I have to get it on video, then learn to upload video. Baby steps towards becoming tech savvy.

Your personality just shines through lately. You love to be held. You wrap your legs around my body, your arms around my neck, and cuddle your head right into my shoulder the moment I pick you up. You do everything Luke does. Today at the playground you climbed UP the slide for the first time, hot on your brothers heels. Your eating is epic. You could easily sit for 30 minutes in your highchair, happily and methodically eating every random thing that I put on your plate. Your new favorite word is "Duuuuuuuuude!", immediately after which you yell "Touchdown!" as you throw your arms up in the air. You have already gotten on board with your brothers golf ball obsession. You love to kick, and throw, and hit balls, and you also can't seem to stop yourself from kissing every.single.stuffed.animal.or.babydoll you pick up. You love to "talk" on the phone. You don't call it a phone though, you call it a "hello", which makes me laugh every time. You walk around with the phone, or anything shaped remotely like a phone, saying "hi Da da! Love you Da Da!" and the like.

You know your mind, baby girl. You know what you want, and when you want it. You have a bit more of a temper than your brother does, and I have to admit that sometimes it makes me laugh. You are a bit more dramatic than him. You never hurt yourself. You seem to have a very keen sense of what you are capable of, and you execute it well. When you do get knocked down (as frequently happens at play dates or playgroup as you are usually playing with kids a year older than you) you rarely cry. You are a tough little cookie. Your skin is positively dreamy. You LOVE water. You LOVE eating markers (not just sucking on them, actually eating, chewing and swallowing them ~ BLECH). Your hair is SO blond I cannot believe it. Its like corn silk in the sunlight. You have the sweetest little curls in the back of your mullet. You are a kisser, baby girl, and I feel honored every time you bestow one one me. You could not possibly be an easier sleeper ~ You actually sleep slightly less than Luke ~ You go to bed right at 7 with nothing but a kiss and a prayer. You wake at 7 am happy and ready for action. You go down for your naps with nary a protest.

Happy 15 months Ju-Jous (that is what you call yourself right now). I love you so much.

Jul-Ja, 13 months

To let Julia celebrate turning 13 months old, we gave her the camera to take a self portrait. Not too shabby, for a 13 month old, eh?


Jules, at 13 months you are a little wonder. You seem to have forgotten what crawling is entirely, and you walk everywhere at this point. You have developed two curls, one behind each ear, that stick out perfectly and oh so irresistibly. You adore your brother. You are a total Mama's girl, and love nothing more than to be in my arms/on my leg/somehow, anyhow, touching me. You squeal with delight when you see your Dad in the mornings, scream "Da Da!" and love to place your face right flush up against his face. You still love to nurse, though we are moving quickly towards weaning. You love to give kisses, and blow kisses, and you love to kiss any stuffed animal that you come across. You actually sit in your car seat, and have kiss-blowing-giggle-"Hi~"-fests with your brother while I am driving. You love the bath, and I swear you are going to be a backstroker, as you love laying flat out on your back in the tub having your hair washed. You just go limp and relaxed and languid and sweet. You love to eat, and seem to take the task quite seriously. I have yet to meet a food you will not eat. You LOVE to be naked, and every diaper change turns into a entertainment adventure as I attempt to keep you from rolling and running away from me, squealing with naughty delicious delight. Speaking of naughty, you love being naughty. Not true naughtiness or disobeying (generally) ~ but the game of "bye bye!" as you race to the steps, shrieking with delight as you know I am hot on your heels is a favourite. You love to be chased. You love it when I am changing your diaper and Luke sits above you saying "I.......love........Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" as he dive bombs his finger onto your nose. When I put you to bed (by 7) every night we nurse, then say your prayers, then I lay you in your crib wide eyed and pink cheeked and warm and full. You throw both arms straight out to your side as you lay on your back, and say "night night" as I pull up your blanket. You glide effortlessly into sleep. You wake between 6.30 (ugh) and 7.30 (yay). You nap for about 2.5 hours every afternoon, right after lunch, while your brother does. At 13 months you actually sleep slightly less than your 26 month old brother. You seem to be a little nature girl. You will sit still and watch me weed or garden for well over an hour, while inside your attention span is all of three minutes. You will play outside with your bike for hours on end, while any indoor toy or bike is boring after hardly any time at all. You love the swings at the playground, and could swing in the sunshine, laughing, for hours on end. You will wear hats anytime, but never sunglasses. I still marvel at your blue eyes and blond hair......You don't look anything like your brother, to me....at this point I think that while your coloring is totally different, you look like your Dad. You say "hi! Night Night, bye bye, Ma Ma, Da Da, Touchdown!, Uh oh! and your absolute obsession is the word "Dat", just like your big brother. You use it as a verb, as an adjective, and as a noun.

You are a joy baby girl. I love you. Thank you for all of the sunshine that you bring into our lives.

Celebrating

It's been a long weekend. My head is still spinning and quite frankly, I am exhausted. Saturday was Becca's bachelorette party, and Sunday we had 40 or so people here for Julia's first birthday party. I felt so lucky to be surrounded by friends and family yesterday, and to all of you who came I love you all and I thank you for loving my daughter! Julia really seemed to enjoy the attention (and the cake!) and played the part of birthday girl very gracefully.

Julia had her 12 month well baby visit today (at 7.30 am, what was I thinking????). She is a healthy 30 inches and 22.7 lbs, 80th% for height and 70th% for weight. Dr was thrilled that we are still nursing and was impressed with the few words that you are using already (uh-oh, bye-bye, no.no.no, Ma Ma, Da Da, and night night). She was able to see Jules tubes and said that everything appeared to be healing beautifully. Jules got two shots, and took them like a champ (I had forgotten that shots move from the leg to the arm at one........she was looking me in the eyes when she got it (ugh) and the first one only made her wince.....the second one made her ANGRY for about 5 seconds and then the storm passed. Ugh)

I am so grateful to have a happy and healthy one year old. Here is to a great year ahead, sweet Jules. I still need to jot down my memories of you at one, but I simply lack the energy at the moment. Will try to gather up some wit and some energy here soon.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

My baby turns one tomorrow. I can't believe it. Much more on Julia soon, but as tomorrow is going to be a busy day I wanted to get this up today. A year ago I went to bed pregnant, and woke up in active labor. We had waited almost 40 weeks to meet this child ....wondering if I was carrying another son or our first daughter, and after a fantastic labor and delivery we were shocked and thrilled to welcome sweet Julia Elise into the world, and into our hearts. It has been a wonderful year, we could not imagine our lives, or our family, without you, sweet girl. Thank you for all of the joy and all of the smiles. We love you so much and can't wait to celebrate your birthday with the whole family on Sunday.


My Montage 3/16/09


Here is a recap of your first year on Earth. This song is special to me and my Dad, and I hope that one day it is just as special to you and your Dad. Happy birthday, baby Jules.

Uuuuuuke!

Uuuuuuuke has a new game. He is all about hiding. At first I thought it was a phase of "all about screaming".....but then I realized what was going on.

Luke digs hiding, but digs being found even more. (Maybe we all do?)

He hides behind this bookcase thing most often, usually while I am cooking or doing the dishes.

He creeps into his spot, and starts shouting "Uuuuuuuuke!" at the top of his lungs.

That is my cue to start saying "Where is Luke??? Is Luke in the dishwasher? Is Luke under the coffee pot?". Each question generates a shrill squeal of delight. The more inane the question (Is Luke inside Julia's belly?, Is Luke in my hair?") the more delighted the response.

I love it. I know that he is only 21 months ~ but all of a sudden he feels like a kid. Not a toddler, but a kid. I like kids.

The world upright

So Nate is home from his trip to Europe. I survived a week alone with sick kids while sick myself, and Nate seems to have survived a grueling week of work.

All sarcasm aside:

Luke is officially 21 months old and Jules will be 8 months old tomorrow! Now that Nate is home life seems relatively easy (relatively). 21 months of age is like a cyclone ~ always moving, always touching, always climbing, always testing. When we have man to man on the two of them, life is good. When its me and the two of them I can say with confidence that this is the hardest stage for me yet in the whole "mother of two" gig.

Jules has gone through an identity shift. She is no longer "she who crawls on all fours", but "She who stands on two legs". It's a huge change. People make such a big deal out of crawling.....worrying about when their baby is going to crawl and comparing them to others, but I can say that for me, the biggest shift is the whole standing and cruising thing. It's not so much that MY life changes, her mobility/crawling changed MY life. But this whole standing and cruising thing changes HER life a lot. It's amazing to watch a child who three weeks ago had no concept of "the life upright" suddenly scorn the life of all fours. Anywhere she goes, she looks up. Anything she encounters, she tries to climb. Seeing her standing at the kitchen chairs/table/coffee table/couch/toys/steps/my leg etc with this look of utter joy and pride upon her face makes me happy. I can say that she entered this stage much differently than Luke did. For Luke, he crashed into this phase crazy early, and crazy hard. It was like his body was mandating that he do things that his brain was not yet capable of comprehending. It was bruise-a-poluzza 2007 last fall for Luke. Not so with Jules. She is careful, she has foresight, she has yet to go face first into anything. I am grateful for that. I try not to gender stereotype my kids. However.....if I was to dip my toes into the world of gender stereotyping, I would tell you without doubt that Luke did things bravely at this age, and Jules does them wisely. Interpret that as you will.

Luke is hilarious right now (except for the few moments every day where he is flat out gouge-my-eyeballs-with-a-fork-annoying, that is). Language has suddenly come alive to him in a new way. He is stringing words together in ever growing combinations and variety. I'm loving that, and shamelessly say that I enjoy the parroting thing for two reasons,

1. It reminds me to mind my language, which does not always come naturally to me.

2. It enables me to shamelessly enjoy teaching him new phrases. Right now the ones at the

top of the list are "Ma Ma's COOOOOOL", (yes, I taught him that!) "Heeeeeeeeeeey

Jules!" "Mom Mom and Pop Pop" "Ma Ma Da Da Jules" and Cock-a-doodle-doo just

makes me laugh every single time he says it.

He has also learned to cover his mouth when he coughs (and he is so proud of this new found skill that he often fake coughs just to show it off), and to blow his nose. Boy genius he is not, but only a mother can appreciate the singular joy of a child who actually stands still for and actively participates in the act of snot-clearing-out. I can also say without a moment of hesitation that Luke is exceedingly kind to his little sister. He kisses her all day long. He shares with her (Frequently to the point of annoyance ~ Jules and the dog flank the highchair these days with equal fervor ~ staring up at King Luke begging and pleading for him to bestow his sweet scraps upon them). He will go over to her and make her laugh many, many times a day. When he is tired he puts his thumb in his mouth and cuddles up next to her. Those moments melt me.

Tomorrow is playgroup at our house again, and luckily all of the sick seems to have cleared out of our home over the weekend. Winter is also upon us, it seems, as it actually snowed today in PA for all of 10 minutes. Dork that I am I made the kids go outside and I got excited enough for all three of us. Jules just drooled and Luke just was focused on pushing his Kettrike down the hill and belly laughing as it crashed topsy turvy into the blackberry bushes.

"I did it"

It was a busy, wonderful holiday weekend. Friday we went to the Zoo as a family for the first time. Although I have been there several times this summer with the kids, it was the first time that Nate went with us. We had a great time, and Luke and Jules enjoyed it as usual. When we got in the car, hot and tired, Nate turned to me and said "Holy %&*! I have no idea how on Earth you do that alone with two kids". I didn't tell him that I have no idea how I do it either. I didn't tell him that there is no real choice, you just do it. Nothing like a little real world experience to force a little Mom appreciation.

Saturday we started our festival hopping up in Sburg with Carolyn and Tony. We were treated to a great time and the kids were thrilled to get to spend so much time with their grandparents. We hit up Stroudfest and the Garlic Festival, swam in the pool, ate like Kings, and went to a BBQ at Leigh and Tom's house. We ended the holiday weekend in the burg with some playground time with Leah and Madeline, and got home around 2. Coming home to an empty fridge is the worst. With the help of the cornfield next door, tomatoes and basil from Moms garden, and some kabobs on the grill, we managed to pull together a last minute dinner and Luke got to "drive" his first sports car.

This weekend was also a first for him ~ His first sentence! Yesterday he proclaimed with joy "I DID IT!" in front of Carolyn, Nate and I.

Jules is also in just a beautiful place with her sleeping ~ She goes to bed at 7, wakes only once to nurse, and then sleeps till 8. I love this.

The house is a wreck, the fridge still empty, and I have to get to work. Happy September all!

5!

Julia is 5 months old today!

*~*


I don't know where the time went, little one. 5 months ago I was staring at your freshly born self wondering how on earth your Dad and I managed to make a girl and reveling in your long awaited arrival.

You are a great nurser baby girl and we will likely not start solids for at least another month. You are big, and healthy, and STRONG! You love to play with your feet. You sit so well unassisted. You love your bumbo. The sling is your absolute favorite place, you love to be snuggled right up against me. Your eyes follow your brother everywhere he goes, and you withstand his barrage of kisses like a champ. You have been totally amazing on the beach ~ You will sit in your stroller in the shade and stare at the ocean for an hour or more at a time....you love laying under the umbrella and staring up at it as it blows in the breeze. You are so alert, so talkative, so sweet. Your blue eyes are so bright and beautiful. You don't have much hair, but it looks like you are going to be another blondie like your brother. You roll everywhere and will oftentimes roll yourself right across the room. I would love it if you were late to get mobile (I freely confess that two mobile, young kids terrifies me), but I just don't think that it is going to be in the cards for you ~ You seem to believe that you have places to go already and are well on your way to getting there. You are suddenly trying to grab my food off of my plate. You love to grab my face as though you are trying to kiss me whenever I pick you up. You have one dimple in your right cheek. Getting kissed on either side of your mouth makes you belly laugh. You look up at me and smile the whole time you are nursing. You are a good sleeper. When I go to get you out of your crib in the morning you start cooing and waving your arms and legs like a joyous little lunatic as soon as you see me ~ It starts out my day just right every single time. You are a joy.

1.5

Well, Kiddo of mine, you are officially 18 months old. You had your 18 month appointment today, and boy have you been busy. You weighed in at 27 lbs 15 oz and 33.75 inches tall. 84% for height, 72% for weight, and your big ole brain (head, actually) at 90%. We celebrated half-birthday-eve yesterday with a trip to the zoo with Jenny and Kelly. We took in the kids concert, then walked around and saw the animals and played in the "tree house". Today we spent the day at playgroup at Erin's pool with your friends, then a much deserved nap, your Dr's appointment, and then a great hour of swimming at the pool at our gym with your Dad and I. I feel like I will always and forever remember just how sweet, just how funny and just how stinkin loveable you are right now.........but when I need to look back at this blog from a year ago to remember how you were "then" I know that years from now all of the details of this wonderful funny little critter you are now will be so so blurry to me. Here are some of the little nuances that make you the kid that you are at 18 months.

*You are always happy. Honestly, I don't know where you got your cheerful, easygoing persona from. You shake stuff off. You don't sulk. You don't hold a grudge, or throw tantrums, or hit/grab/bite/push. When other kids might take your toys or hit you you neither run to me crying, or push them back.....you just sort of give them a look like "Dude, whats that about?". I love it.
*You eat like a champ. You eat the strangest foods with a gusto. Tilapia, king crab, scallops, sauerkraut, endamame, okra, WHATEVER it is I put in front of you you enjoy. The only exceptions to that rule are blackberries and raspberries (which is a shame, as we have a plethora of delicious ones growing on Buddy's farm right next door.)
*You are enthralled with others being "night night". When you see that Jules is asleep in her car seat you make sure to tell me (several times, at your maximum decibel level!) "Night night! Night night!" While pointing to her. If you see someone sleeping at the pool, or at the beach, you have to make sure that everyone (EVERYONE!) around knows and appreciates the fact that someone in our vicinity is "night night".
*Speaking of sleeping you do it so well little guy. You still take two naps a day. All told, you sleep for about 3.5-4 hours a day, then sleep from 7 or 7.3o until 7 am. You go to bed with a kiss and a joyful countenance. You never fight us or need any sort of rocking/routine/endless cuddling to go to sleep. When you are tired, you want to go to bed, and its great, and easy. Lately, when I say your prayers with you, you say amen along with me.
*Talking. All of a sudden you are a little parrot. You love to talk. Your sweet little raspy baby voice just melts my heart. You probably have about 30 or so words that you say regularly. My favorites are Becca and Buckle (which sound like Bec-Eck and Uck-Uck......although my attempts to phonetically spell what you say fall woefully short. You sound like a native German speaker swallowing their tongue. I don't know how else to describe it, but its darn cute).
*You love your sister without one iota of jealousy or malice. You kiss her. You baby talk her. You smile and laugh and play with her when she is in her exersaucer. When we are walking around in the double stroller I frequently look down to see you holding her hand. Sometimes seeing that brings tears to my eyes. I was so worried about how you would react to a sibling sharing your attention when you were still so young, and you have far and away exceeded my wildest hopes for how you would adjust.
*You think that "shhhh" has something to do with your nose. Instead of putting your finger in front of your lips and saying "shhhhh" you press on your nose with your finger and say "shhhhh". It makes me laugh every time.
* You love to have dance parties in the car when I am driving and a good song comes on. I only wonder what the other drivers think when they see me dancing along with you.
*You dive into the water. You love the "beach" part of the pool at our gym. You run into the water and then belly flop in, laughing all the way. You blow bubbles. You lay on your stomach with your hands on the bottom in the shallow water and kick your feet. You are brave.
*You only say "no" right before you are about to so something you know you ought not do. You say "no" then climb on the coffee table to host a dance party. You say "no" right before you throw food. Maybe its willful disobedience, but it seems more like a disclaimer. Almost as though you are saying "I know this is wrong but my little toddler self simply MUST do it anyway".
*You kiss like a European. Somehow you don't seem complete unless you kiss both cheeks.
* You nod "yes" with your entire body, not just your head. I love your enthusiasm.
* Nothing is funnier to you than being chased.
*You get so excited every time I open the freezer as you know I will give you an ice cube. The fact that you then share that ice cube with the dog used to bother me.....now its just part of your joy of ice and I have given up fighting it.
* You love love love books. You especially love your Richard Scary book at the moment. If I have to say "that's a pickle truck" another hundred times I may gouge my eyes out with boredom, but you love it.
* You love to build with blocks. You are really good at it. When you are especially proud of yourself you stand back and laugh with glee while pointing at your newest creation.
* You have found a way to make "Dat" mean three different things. "Dat?" "Dat!!!!" and "Dat Dat Dat Dat!!!!" all have distinctly different meanings.
* You love us. You love your grandparents. You love strangers. All in all, you love.
* You are so the mayor, Luke. You love to say "hi" and Bye Bye to most every person, animal, or inanimate object that you see. You are an infinitely like able kid.

Enough raving. I know I am biased. But I'm his Mom. It goes with the territory.

I cant believe that as of tomorrow morning, Luke will be closer to two than to one. It just flies by.

Kiddo, thank you so much for blessing your Dad and I with a joyful 18 months. We love you.