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Faster Mom!

I’m gonna get you!

Or me!

Snow angels were less popular : “this is not fun!!! NOT FUN!!!”

Yummy dinner at Grandma’s!  Why don’t we have this messy spaghetti every night?

Merry Christmas!

We are feeling especially blessed this Christmas!  A few cute stories….

On the way to church this morning, Trevor borrowed Elliott’s new bigger car seat (while Elliott slept at home), so he and Natalie kept each other company.  After a couple minutes, Natalie’s voice raised… “Mom, I keep asking Trevor if he has two teeth and he isn’t answering me!”  I encouraged her to ask him again (silence – he was kinda tired).  I helped and asked Trevor…. “Do you have more than 2 teeth?”  We hear a really quick “Mmm hmmm.” 

Then, at church, Natalie borrowed Grandma’s checkbook so that… “I need to write a Jesus a letter so that he knows how much we love him.” 

Later, she kept digging in Grandma’s purse and found her driver’s license. Natalie pointed to Grandma’s driver’s license and said…. “Aw, how cute”.  (That may have been the only time in the history of driver’s licenses that one was called ‘cute’).

After mass, Natalie and Trevor wanted to see the nativity.  After a quick reminder from me, she proceeded to tell Trevor (and anyone else around)…. “Here is Jesus’s mother, here is Jesus’s daddy, there is the shepherd boy who takes care of the lambs…. There is the lamb, and the horse and the cow.  Jesus’s mother is crossing her arms because she would like some bread.”  After at least 8 min of holding Trevor’s hand, Natalie explained that her hand was tired and needed to let go.

Both kids were a dream at church.  I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned that Natalie’s new favorite place at church is the front row.  She listens and pipes up during readings… (e.g. when a disciple addresses a group of brothers and sisters, she says “I’m a sister!” and when she hears about a descendent of David, she recalls, “like David and Goliath”.)

A lot of activity just at church.  Well, opening presents was pretty chaotic – we might need to put a limit on this!  Elliott rolled with the punches… he loved the big box from Trevor’s vacumm cleaner, bows, wrapping paper, a little bear, etc.  You name it, he grinned – and usually tried to bite it.  Including my earrings.  I had to take those off. 

Let’s do this one next! 

What?  Haven’t you ever seen a lady in a party dress with a drill?

As Natalie was just 6 days old and 8 lbs her Christmas, its hard to believe that this is 9-mo-old, 24-lb Elliott’s first Christmas.  I agree with his shirt – he really is the best gift ever.

We missed Aunt Leah – we were able to FaceTime with her (after it was already past nap time though so it was kinda short).  They had spent a few days at a remote cabin…. She was concerned that Santa might not be able to find them.  I told her that was a silly concern – they were practically neighbors.  (Never mind the fact that compared to Lincoln Park in Chicago, she already lives in a remote cabin.)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Natalie!

Blow quick - I gotta get these cupcakes!

In Natalie’s 2-year post, I opened with: “I know I said 12 months, 16 months, 18 months, etc. was fun, but I have to admit – having a 2-year-old is more fun than I could have imagined!  Natalie is definitely a toddler.”

At 3 years old, she is much more of a little girl than a toddler.  And living with a 3-year-old means you experience very high highs and very low lows – all within 10 seconds or less.  Last weekend, she gleefully exclaimed, “you cannot catch me Mama,” then tripped because the top part of her body got ahead of her feet, and then was sobbing uncontrollably, resulting in a long hug from mom and being carried by dad on the way to see Santa.  There is a lot of fun that goes along with 3 – ha, but also a lot of negotiation, modeling good behavior and working through feelings.

Height/Weight: 34 lbs (75th percentile) and 37.25 inches (50th percentile).  That’s 2 lbs more and nearly 2 inches more than she was at her 2.5-yr-appt.  And the exact same percentiles. (3-4 inches taller than last year)!

I am a lot taller. Now, let me see how tall you are Mommy.....

Personality: Silly.  Goofy.  Enthusiastic.  Curious.  Caring, especially towards her brother.  Orderly (as in liking sequence and routine).  Negotiator.  (Or, as she calls it – compromising.  Example below.)

Mom: Natalie, let’s put on your pants so we can see Santa.
Natalie: Usually we don’t need to wear pants with a dress.
Mom: Yes, I understand that.  However, its super cold outside, so we need to wear pants.
Natalie: But, but… Usually we don’t need to wear pants with a dress.
Mom: Tell you what, you can take off your pants once we are at church.  But you need to wear pants on the walk to church to see Santa.
Natalie: No, here’s a compromise.  No pants.
Mom: No, Natalie, the compromise is that you can take off your pants once we are AT church.

(The best is when she presents a real compromise and then tells me… “That’s a compromise, Mom.”  As if I wasn’t the one who taught her the word!  And, in this particular scenario, I couldn’t convince her, so I had Jordan and her go outside without pants to see how cold it was.  And welcome to 10 degrees in Chicago in Dec, Natalie.  Its her 4th winter, but she doesn’t remember that!)

What - haven't you seen a rapping elf before???

Favorite Activities:  Having her favorite people over (like Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Pop), Singing (we frequently get impromptu concerts), Playing make-believe (with a dollhouse, any little figures “going to the grocery store”), Taking care of Baby Ellie*, Swimming, Dancing, Running, Going to the Park (haven’t done a lot of that lately),  Reading, Playing kitchen, Baking, Playing Hide and Seek, Going to the Children’s Museum, Going to the Zoo.

*Two weekends ago, we were setting up our Christmas decorations.  She LOVED seeing her Christmas stocking – hand-stitched by Nana (many, many hours of loving stitching – god bless her). Natalie noted right away that Elliott didn’t have one yet.  When we called Nana to say ‘thank you’ for the stocking and tell her that Elliott still needed one, she did say, “Baby Ellie needs one too.”  Baby Ellie is the 5th member of our family – and she turns 1 today!

Daddy’s Top Activity:  TBD – Daddy’s busy working right now.  I gave him nearly 2 weeks notice on this post and don’t want to wait any more.  In his defense, he is catching up on work because he came home at 3 today, so that we could take birthday pictures, go out for birthday ice cream (in exchange for no more pacifier) and see the lights at the Zoo!  He is such an awesome Dad.

Hmph. I cannot believe they actually want to document me turning 3. Parents. Geez.

Okay, despite my best intentions, my mom is managing to make this a little bit fun......

Yum. Cold, but yummy. I'm glad my bro is too young to know what he's missing out on!

(Note on the Pacifier.  This poor little girl was going through serious withdrawal tonight at bedtime.  I gave her a new pink bear lovey as a very week substitute…. Now, note to self: Make sure that Elliott gives up his paci by 18 mo at the absolute latest.)

Mommy’s Top Activity: So hard to say.  My fav is just joking around with her.  Even small things, like at dinner the other night, she mistakenly took a drink of my water…. and I gave her a questioning look (with a smile) and said, “Who’s water is that?”  She tapped her mouth with her fingers (which is a move both my mom and I do), with a little smile, and pretended to think about it.  Or, when we discovered a pickle ornament, she was like, “who would have a pickle ornament (insert cute inflection)”?  and pretended to eat it like corn on the cob, while singing and on the potty.

Least Favorite Activities: Well, my least favorite activity with her is potty training.  Ugh.  Natalie’s least favorite activities are washing her hands with soap after going to the potty, sharing select stuffed animals with Elliott, and having Elliott touch her feet.  Having her hair in face (she corrects this by greasing up her “bangs” with water and slicking it back like an Italian mobster).

Milestones: Working on potty training.  She talks in complete sentences (or paragraphs, chapters, books…. she can really talk a lot).

Favorite Foods: Grilled Cheese.  Milk. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Cupcakes (Two weekends ago… “I wish I could go to Trevor’s birthday so we could have cupcakes”). Cantaloupe.  Applesauce.  Protein shake (which we also make into frozen fruit pops for a healthy treat.). Dried Fruit.  Granola Bars.  Strawberries.  (You can see a lot of “sometimes” foods have made their way onto this list.)

I suppose we could pose for a pic.... as long as we can keep eating these cupcakes.

Favorite Books: The Great Big Bible.  Yes, seriously.  Our friends Jasper and Maeve kindly gave it to Elliott for being born, and Natalie intercepted the gift early on.  This kids bible is 200+ pages, with fun pictures, but complex stories.  Maybe she’s a nun in training…. She still loves Dr. Seuss, Fancy Nancy, and Dora.  I am trying to encourage some non-fiction as well – any favorites you recommend???

Favorite Friends: The entourage in her bed continues to grow – its a good thing she has a double.  It now includes Baby Ellie, 3 Mouseys, Dora, Boots, 3 Hello Kitties, Penguin (Aunt Lisa G – this is the one you gave her at Mike’s wedding), Nemo, Yot, and Rudolph.  When Jordan and I both join in for bedtime stories (Elliott goes to bed about 75 minutes before her 7:30pm bedtime), he often is squished up against the wall, on his side.  Poor Dado.  In terms of actual people friends her age, most of them are from Little Gems or kids of my girlfriends from college.  And her cousins.  We’re lucky to have so many fun people to hang out with for play dates!

Have you met my friend Edmund?

Happy 9 Months, Elliott!

(Mom’s note: Zoom in on those cute teeth popping through at the top!)

Elliott is a lucky boy – for many reasons, but he must think it’s his birthday too!  Natalie sang him “Happy Birthday” the other night at the dinner table…. He was grinning ear to ear.  This boy loves his concerts from his big sister.  Now, if he could only get his hands on her Minnie Mouse guitar….

Weight / Height: On Dec 31st, he was 22 lbs 12 oz (90-95th percentile), 29 inches (85th -percentile – though I think he was a bit short changed on this one), with a head circumference of 18 7/8 inches (98th+ percentile).  Don’t you love his chunky canckles? (Photo credit: Natalie)

Personality: Sweet, Easy Going, Smiley, Curious and Content .  We recently set up a new toy shelf and he loves scooting over there to check out cars, balls, Natalie’s guitar and whatever else he can find.

Hey, what's happening?

Interests: His sister.  If it’s Natalie or something of Natalie’s, he’s usually interested in it.  (Don’t tell Nat this but on the rare occasion when only he and I are in the house, we sneak into Natalie’s room and I let him play with her Minnie figurine, a Hello Kitty doll, Baby Ellie… stuff he usually doesn’t get to get his hands – or slimy, drooly mouth – on.)  He seems to like cards and dollhouse.  He likes making the door stopper bounce back and forth.  Unf, he likes putting shows in his mouth – he is still obsessed with putting everything in his mouth.

Thanks for being my data to my big sister's Dora Dance birthday party, Grandma!

Foods: This boy can eat.  Everything and anything.  He eats healthier than any of us – lots of veggies, fruits, whole grains, and soft meats/proteins.  No eggs or peanut butter yet.  We haven’t done a lot of tough meats – we’ve erred on the side of turkey meatballs, roasted pork, fish.  He mostly drinks breast milk (~5x a day), but I’m typing this as I fly back from Boston… and I know he definitely needed to have some formula while I was away.  I’m a lot more relaxed about nursing this time around – I figure, we all do the best we can and a little formula every couple of days is not going to hurt him.  And will help me stay sane (pumping is the worst!).

Allergies: He had a bad reaction (hives) to amoxicillin (which is in the same family as penicillin), so I doubt he’ll be getting that ever again.  I am allergic too but didn’t have a reaction until 4^th or 5^th grade.  And, I thought that we might escape the inhaler with him, but unfortunately, after our 4th doc visit in about a month, he was sent home with an inhaler for a respiratory infection.  He thinks its a fun, chewable toy though!

Yum - delicioso!

Milestones: He has 4 teeth!  I think #3 finally poked through around Dec 8^th and the 4^th around Dec 11^th.  His top two teeth were just bulging for so long – I felt so bad for him.  He is really great at getting around…. He effortlessly transitions between stomach/crawling and sitting, so he can pivot all around and it’s hard to figure out where he’s going next.  As most of you know, we live in a long, narrow house, so when Natalie and I will go from the living room to kitchen to get something, he might quickly whine, but then we stick our heads out to encourage him and he tries his darndest to catch up.  Usually.  Then, Natalie will freak saying that he’s after her feet, and I remind her she is way bigger and can just run away.  I wonder how long that will work for.

Schedule: Thank goodness I’m on a reduced work schedule – otherwise, I wouldn’t get to see this boy much!  He wakes up between 6:30 and 7 a.m. (Dad usually handles the morning stuff, since I try to work out a couple times a week or have back exercises to do – see below) and is in bed by 6:30 p.m.  He usually doesn’t wake up at night, but when he does, I send in Dad – under the excuse that I smell like milk.  He is down to two naps a day and the range between 1-2 hours.  One nap at 9ish and another at 1pmish.  (I’m including Elliott’s schedule in posts more than I used to because Alex and Jira seem to ask for my opinion on baby schedules every couple months, so this will be an easy historical record!)

Guy Time!

Any Downsides?: Elliott is a tank, so between lifting he and his big sister (and doing other stuff around the house), I threw out my back about 3 weeks ago.  Luckily, I have a great Physical Therapist on speed dial – and an awesome husband who constantly encourages me to let him do the heavy lifting and carting – so after a week, I was feeling significantly better.  And, Elliott poops a ton.  His sister did too… hers were more explosive, but Elliott’s are much more frequent and often show the entire contents of his last meal.  I’m sorry since that’s probably TMI, but I just don’t get how ½ inch green bean can pass threw undigested.

Overall: Elliott is an absolute joy and we are so lucky to have him in our family.

Can Natalie have another bday soon? This is fun! I get to invite my friends too!

“You’re my best little brother. I love you buddy” (insert forehead kids here)

Everyone knows Natalie is a Dora fan. Her awesome aunt Becky and godmother customized a birthday adventure for her. She is so excited to go tomorrow!

We had a Hoosier thanksgiving! Gotta love mIchelles Mac and cheese!!!!

“You are the best Mommy I know. And Daddy is the best Daddy I know.”

“I am so happy to have my mommy and daddy”.

(Both quotes unprompted – I promise!!)

“I already have a harmonica so I needed a guitar” (x5) I response to the Minnie guitar that Nana gave her as Christmas present. (We celebrated an early Christmas because they are leaving for FL soon)

I think we found a new fav exhibit at the Children’s Museum!

Happy 8 Months, Elliott!

Hey there… I’m looking pretty cool in these hand-me-down jeans!

Nicknames: E-Buddy, E-Man, Chunk Heavy, Little Brudha

My big sister also rocked the Snoot Face. By the way, these rasberries are delicious!!

Fav Foods: Everything! This boy will eat everything. Oddly enough, baby cereal isn’t one of his favs. As for food that he can grab, he seems to like O’s, puffs and peas the most. And Grandma’s lasagna noodles. He’s also eaten black beans, carrots, avocado, bananas, etc.

Doctor Elliott here…

Favorite Activities: Definitely getting into his sister’s things! Don’t tell Natalie, but when she was with Grandma this past weekend, Elliott and I played with her doctor kit. He also loves her dollhouse. More age appropriate activities include: chomping on everything, playing with wood puzzle pieces, chasing cars, crawling.

Have you met my buddy, Mr. Penguin? He’s delicious too!

Personality: As sweet and easy going as ever! I’m not sure how I ever thought caring for just one 8-mo-old was tiring – its a lot more work to be the mom of an almost 3-yr-old, constantly negotiating, compromising, attending to potty needs, playing referee etc (I still love that though too!) He doesn’t really like to cuddle much (unless, of course, you’ll hold him while standing), but does crawl over to say “hi”. Which I love. And he still lets me kiss him all the time (unlike his big sister, who “wipes away” or “eats” my kisses).

Don’t mind my sis – she is anti-pictures these days. She always hugs and kisses all over me when the camera is not around, so that’s all right.

Developmental Milestones: Scooting all over the place – mostly army-style. He can get up on all fours. He doesn’t like “walking” (with assistance) as much as his sister did, but has shown a little interest in figuring out how to pull to standing. And this guy is talking a lot – usually when his sister is gone or busy eating, it seems to me.

Oh boy… ignore the pink bib. This really is a guy’s dinner!

Schedule: Elliott has 2 naps a day – one around 9am and another around 1pm. The morning nap is usually longer 1.5-2.5 hours and the afternoon nap is closer to 1 hour. He shouldn’t be getting up in the middle of the night, but he does. Last night, 3 times, but I’ll blame that on him getting over sickness (recovering from an ear ache and rash) and being a bit spoiled as a result.

Photo credit: Natalie.
Yes, Mom, I totally agree and you are 100% right about everything.

We feel so fortunate to have this little guy in our lives! (And for some reason – maybe its b/c Becky and a lot of close friends are prego, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I’m glad I’m not waddling around with 40 extra pounds – god bless not being pregnant, though the fruits of the labor are worth it!!)