I had the opportunity on Sunday to substitute teach Z's Sunbeam class at church. Our discussion for the day centered on the Holy Ghost, and how the Holy Ghost can help us when we are sad, afraid, or in need of guidance; and how when we have happy, warm feelings that is the influence of the Holy Ghost letting us know that everything is okay. After church, during lunch, Z said something about the Holy Ghost (can't remember his exact comment), and it sparked a second discussion to reinforce the lesson at church.
This morning before lunch, Z had a meltdown and was having a hard time calming down and being rational again, even after many hugs and snuggles and calming words on my part. I managed to get him to the table for lunch, but he was still screaming on-and-off. I offered up a prayer before we ate, and in the prayer I said, "Please help Z to be able to calm down and be happy." Almost immediately after the prayer, Z finally stopped crying and said, "I'm happy now!" Oh, good. And then he added, "The invisble good guy ghost came and made me happy!"
"You mean the Holy Ghost?"
"Yeah!"
:)
Monday, February 18, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Eleven Months!
Wow, only one more month and we will have a one-year-old!
C is growing bigger; I haven't weighed or measured him lately, sorry. I will be sure to do that around his first birthday...
He sidles along the furniture now. He can also stand for short periods unsupported. A couple times he's tried to take a step, but then fell.
He has at least two recognizable words that he speaks: "da" for "daddy," and "ba" for "bye." He likes to babble-talk a lot, but we can't tell if he has any other "real" words in his vocabulary yet.
He still likes to bite things. And people. He laughs about it too, little imp. He reminds me of Sunny in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
For a while we were working on transitioning him from our bed to the pack-n-play (we bought a foam mattress to make it more comfortable), but noticed that he was waking more frequently and harder to put down on the nights when we started him out in the pack-n-play. So we're back to just having him start the night in our bed and he sleeps longer stretches that way and is easier to put back down after night-waking. Right now, it's just more important for us to all get a good night's sleep since we're in the middle of tax season. We'll try the transition again in April. We might even have a double bed for him in the boys' room by that time and he might like that better than the pack-n-play.
He loves to splash in the bath. He loves to eat solid foods, though he is also still very much into nursing. He loves music and dancing. He wants to follow his big brothers around everywhere and do everything they do.
He plays this "game" with us where he tries to get into the bathroom. Usually we keep the door closed or have the baby gate up. But once in a while we forget, and C delights in taking these opportunities to try to speed-crawl to the door and sneak in there before we can get to him. He laughs about it whenever we catch him. But a couple times now he's managed to sneak in there and get into stuff before we realize it. Once he got his hands into the toilet; and just a couple nights ago he got a hold of the toilet bowl scrubber and had dragged it across the floor and was sitting banging it on the stool in front of the sink when we finally caught him. Yuck!
In short, life is never dull with this kid. But he is such a happy-go-lucky baby that it's easy to forgive him for the messes he makes. He cheers us all up, and we're so happy to have him in our family.
C is growing bigger; I haven't weighed or measured him lately, sorry. I will be sure to do that around his first birthday...
He sidles along the furniture now. He can also stand for short periods unsupported. A couple times he's tried to take a step, but then fell.
He has at least two recognizable words that he speaks: "da" for "daddy," and "ba" for "bye." He likes to babble-talk a lot, but we can't tell if he has any other "real" words in his vocabulary yet.
He still likes to bite things. And people. He laughs about it too, little imp. He reminds me of Sunny in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
For a while we were working on transitioning him from our bed to the pack-n-play (we bought a foam mattress to make it more comfortable), but noticed that he was waking more frequently and harder to put down on the nights when we started him out in the pack-n-play. So we're back to just having him start the night in our bed and he sleeps longer stretches that way and is easier to put back down after night-waking. Right now, it's just more important for us to all get a good night's sleep since we're in the middle of tax season. We'll try the transition again in April. We might even have a double bed for him in the boys' room by that time and he might like that better than the pack-n-play.
He loves to splash in the bath. He loves to eat solid foods, though he is also still very much into nursing. He loves music and dancing. He wants to follow his big brothers around everywhere and do everything they do.
He plays this "game" with us where he tries to get into the bathroom. Usually we keep the door closed or have the baby gate up. But once in a while we forget, and C delights in taking these opportunities to try to speed-crawl to the door and sneak in there before we can get to him. He laughs about it whenever we catch him. But a couple times now he's managed to sneak in there and get into stuff before we realize it. Once he got his hands into the toilet; and just a couple nights ago he got a hold of the toilet bowl scrubber and had dragged it across the floor and was sitting banging it on the stool in front of the sink when we finally caught him. Yuck!
In short, life is never dull with this kid. But he is such a happy-go-lucky baby that it's easy to forgive him for the messes he makes. He cheers us all up, and we're so happy to have him in our family.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
I am crazy! Or maybe I'm a genius. You decide.
It all started a while back when Nick and I began discussing what we're going to do when C is ready to be moved into the bedroom with his two older brothers (he currently resides in ours).
A little bit of factual information: We live in a two-bedroom one-bath condo. The images below will give you some rough visuals (which might or might not be useful):
The back half of our living room. To the right is where we keep coats, boots, a desk, and C's diaper-changing "station"--
The front half of our living room. Between the piano and the wall with the window is a medium-sized chest freezer. As you can sort of see, the chest freezer and piano are more often than not covered in junk-- there's just nowhere else to put it!
The boys' room. Along the wall you can't see is a set of bookshelves and some toy storage. There is also a walk-in closet to the left, along the same wall as the bunkbeds. The dresser holds the clothes of the two older boys, and the "armoire" holds C's clothes, and has some room in the top half for hanging clothes for all three boys.
The "master bedroom." There's about a foot and a half of space between the foot of the bed and the loveseat (bottom right corner). Along the right wall is my dresser and C's pack-n-play. We pretty much use the p-n-p for naps only, though he also starts the nights out in there (but doesn't last very long before joining us in our bed). Along the left wall is a closet spanning most of the length of the wall. To the right of the picture is a second walk-in closet used for storage of various things.
There, you have a basic visual now.
So, challenges we currently face:
A. With the baby (almost a toddler!) in our room, Nick pretty much has to dress in the dark every morning (sometimes I do, too). Once in a while, Z is even in there sleeping, having joined us partway through the night (he's a light sleeper like his mom).
B. With a younger brother sleeping in his room (eventually two younger brothers), when G gets up in the morning to get ready for school, we have to quietly get his clothes and bring them out to the living room for him to get dressed.
C. With the pack-n-play in the back corner of our bedroom, it's just not a very handy daytime playpen anymore. And there are definitely times on a daily basis when I really miss it during the day to keep C out of trouble; but he's not keen (and I can't blame him) on being left alone in our room to play while we're all out in the living room or kitchen.
D. Once C moves in with his brothers, he's going to need his own bed. How are we going to fit another bed in that room and still be able to fit the clothing storage?
E. Ummm, we have really noisy neighbors next door. Just last night, they kept us awake past midnight.
F. Our neighbors also have to hear our baby crying in the middle of the night when he's having trouble sleeping due to teething or illness or general discomfort.
So, what would moving our king-sized bed accomplish?
1. With no-one sleeping in the master bedroom anymore, it will be much easier for all of us to get dressed in the morning without waking each other (we'd move the boys' clothing into the master bedroom, too).
2. The pack-n-play would be easier to move around. We could have it in the living room near our bed at night; and during the day, we could either have it in the living room, or move it to the master bedroom for naptime, or for when I'm working in there (because I intend to have a sewing/craft station where our bed used to be).
3. With ALL clothing storage moved into the master bedroom, making space in the boys' room for a double bed for C to eventually sleep in (and either Nick or I could join him briefly in the middle of the night if he got fussy), and also for a guest bed.
4. We wouldn't have to listen to our noisy neighbors in the middle of the night, making noises we have no business hearing (but currently can't help it). And they would no longer have to listen to our baby scream in the middle of the night.
Challenges of having the king bed in the living room:
a. It would take up a lot of space (obviously). We'd have to figure out what to do with our big couch. Also, there would be just barely enough space for someone to sit at the computer desk.
b. Entertaining company would be a bit of a challenge (though we'd still have a little space in the front half of the living room for some folding furniture, and we could maybe turn part of the bed into daytime seating).
c. Privacy and presentability (you mean I'd actually have to make my bed every single day? haha). This could be addressed, though, by hanging curtains from the ceiling to conceal the bed (and also shut out light).
So, weighing the pros and cons, I think it's at least worth a try! What do you think?
Anyway, I might be able to talk Nick into trying it, at least for a little while, since we'll have to move the bed out anyway in order to paint the walls in the master bedroom. So, stay tuned! You may be hearing more about this little adventure in the future...
It's fortunate for Nick I can't move the bed all by myself...
A little bit of factual information: We live in a two-bedroom one-bath condo. The images below will give you some rough visuals (which might or might not be useful):
The back half of our living room. To the right is where we keep coats, boots, a desk, and C's diaper-changing "station"--
The front half of our living room. Between the piano and the wall with the window is a medium-sized chest freezer. As you can sort of see, the chest freezer and piano are more often than not covered in junk-- there's just nowhere else to put it!
The boys' room. Along the wall you can't see is a set of bookshelves and some toy storage. There is also a walk-in closet to the left, along the same wall as the bunkbeds. The dresser holds the clothes of the two older boys, and the "armoire" holds C's clothes, and has some room in the top half for hanging clothes for all three boys.
The "master bedroom." There's about a foot and a half of space between the foot of the bed and the loveseat (bottom right corner). Along the right wall is my dresser and C's pack-n-play. We pretty much use the p-n-p for naps only, though he also starts the nights out in there (but doesn't last very long before joining us in our bed). Along the left wall is a closet spanning most of the length of the wall. To the right of the picture is a second walk-in closet used for storage of various things.
There, you have a basic visual now.
So, challenges we currently face:
A. With the baby (almost a toddler!) in our room, Nick pretty much has to dress in the dark every morning (sometimes I do, too). Once in a while, Z is even in there sleeping, having joined us partway through the night (he's a light sleeper like his mom).
B. With a younger brother sleeping in his room (eventually two younger brothers), when G gets up in the morning to get ready for school, we have to quietly get his clothes and bring them out to the living room for him to get dressed.
C. With the pack-n-play in the back corner of our bedroom, it's just not a very handy daytime playpen anymore. And there are definitely times on a daily basis when I really miss it during the day to keep C out of trouble; but he's not keen (and I can't blame him) on being left alone in our room to play while we're all out in the living room or kitchen.
D. Once C moves in with his brothers, he's going to need his own bed. How are we going to fit another bed in that room and still be able to fit the clothing storage?
E. Ummm, we have really noisy neighbors next door. Just last night, they kept us awake past midnight.
F. Our neighbors also have to hear our baby crying in the middle of the night when he's having trouble sleeping due to teething or illness or general discomfort.
So, what would moving our king-sized bed accomplish?
1. With no-one sleeping in the master bedroom anymore, it will be much easier for all of us to get dressed in the morning without waking each other (we'd move the boys' clothing into the master bedroom, too).
2. The pack-n-play would be easier to move around. We could have it in the living room near our bed at night; and during the day, we could either have it in the living room, or move it to the master bedroom for naptime, or for when I'm working in there (because I intend to have a sewing/craft station where our bed used to be).
3. With ALL clothing storage moved into the master bedroom, making space in the boys' room for a double bed for C to eventually sleep in (and either Nick or I could join him briefly in the middle of the night if he got fussy), and also for a guest bed.
4. We wouldn't have to listen to our noisy neighbors in the middle of the night, making noises we have no business hearing (but currently can't help it). And they would no longer have to listen to our baby scream in the middle of the night.
Challenges of having the king bed in the living room:
a. It would take up a lot of space (obviously). We'd have to figure out what to do with our big couch. Also, there would be just barely enough space for someone to sit at the computer desk.
b. Entertaining company would be a bit of a challenge (though we'd still have a little space in the front half of the living room for some folding furniture, and we could maybe turn part of the bed into daytime seating).
c. Privacy and presentability (you mean I'd actually have to make my bed every single day? haha). This could be addressed, though, by hanging curtains from the ceiling to conceal the bed (and also shut out light).
So, weighing the pros and cons, I think it's at least worth a try! What do you think?
Anyway, I might be able to talk Nick into trying it, at least for a little while, since we'll have to move the bed out anyway in order to paint the walls in the master bedroom. So, stay tuned! You may be hearing more about this little adventure in the future...
It's fortunate for Nick I can't move the bed all by myself...
Monday, January 7, 2013
Movie Review: Les Miserables
I looked forward to this movie with much anticipation. I was introduced to the "Les Miserables the Musical 10th Anniversary Concert" as a young teen and have loved it ever since. I've watched the concert video numerous times, as well as listened to the CD recording and also the Original Broadway Cast recording. But for years, I desired to see the actual play/musical and never had the opportunity.
When I heard it was going to be made into a movie at last, I was thrilled. And on Christmas Day, I finally got to see it with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
It wasn't all I'd expected. Some parts were disappointing, though overall I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it, though there were a few minor issues that I had a hard time getting over. Yesterday, I took Nick to see it. I wanted to see it a second time, to see if it improved upon second impression (I was so used to the Broadway and Concert recordings, maybe I was just being biased). I have to say though that my enjoyment was about the same the second time around. Nick enjoyed it thoroughly, and it managed to bring tears to his eyes (as it had to me the first time I saw it).
Criticisms:
Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean. This was the biggest obstacle I had to get over and it was not easy. He did fine with his acting, and the emotionality he put into his part was incredible. To fully appreciate all that, though, I first had to get over his singing voice. He was too nasal throughout, and I got the impression in many instances that the pitch was too high for his natural register-- like he was being forced to sing in "head voice." It's not really his fault; I'm sure he did the best he could. But the folks casting the role should have made certain before they casted him that he would be able to sing the part well. He never would have been given the role on Broadway. Also, I couldn't help noticing his tendency to cut off the ending consonants at the ends of phrases; makes me wonder if those not already familiar with the lyrics might have been left in the dark a few times as to what he had just said/sung.
If Valjean had been a more minor character, all of the above wouldn't have been such a big deal. But I think the whole opening sequence of the movie rather suffered due to Jackman's weak vocal performance, and that is unfortunate as it has such a powerful musical score.
Russell Crowe as Javert. I have similar complaints here as I did with Hugh Jackman, only to a lesser degree. Overall, I liked Russell Crowe's performance ("Stars" was one of the highlight scenes for me); only it was pretty apparent to me that he hadn't done much (if any) professional singing before this movie, and his vocal immaturity shone through in several spots. But he has a good voice in general, and all-in-all I'd say he did quite a good job portraying the straight man who just doesn't realize until the end that he happens to be on the wrong side.
Enjolras' voice was also on the weak side; they should have found someone with a more powerful voice to lead the band of "school boys" to the barricade.
Praises:
Gavroche was incredibly endearing; I think his was probably my favorite character through the whole movie. Daniel Huttlestone's acting was superb, and I just couldn't help but fall in love :) He was just so cute!
I was really happy with Eponine. She's my favorite character from the novel and I was glad they found someone good to fill the part. I understand Samantha Barks has played Eponine on stage, and it was obvious her vocal training had been extensive. In addition, her acting/facial expressions were right on; I teared up several times over what her character was going through.
The ensemble cast was amazing! I absolutely loved every single chorus number. The chorus really carried the whole show, in my opinion. In fact, it makes me recall what one of my high school theatre teachers said once (to paraphrase), that the chorus in a musical can make or break the performance; that it doesn't matter how good the leads are if the chorus is bad. In the case of Les Miserables, the chous most definitely made the show.
My Favorite Moments (and there were several):
Fantine's reaction as Valjean is carrying her to the hospital and promises to send for her daughter.
Valjean and Javert sparring in the hospital; I always love a good "sword fight." :D
Seeing Young Cosette with her rag doll, her only and her most prized possession. Poingnant.
Valjean requesting to help Cosette with her bucket of water :)
One song that I think Hugh Jackman performed beautifully was "Suddenly," during his flight with Cosette from the Thenardiers' inn.
"Stars."
Seeing the "White Elephant" statue for the first time brought a thrill, as that is something that is taken straight from the novel: Gavroche and his urchins live in that statue.
One of my favorite, most tear-jerking scenes from the novel is when Marius has enlisted Eponine's help to find Cosette and promises her anything she wants in return (assuming she'll want money since her family is dirt poor, not realizing what Eponine really wants is his love), then once Eponine has followed through Marius places a coin into her hand and Eponine lets it fall to the ground and simply says "I don't want your money." So it was also thrilling to witness her saying this in the movie, realizing all the unspoken feelings behind that simple statement.
"On My Own." This song will always hold a special place in my heart; I well-appreciated Samantha Barks' performance of it (and relieved they didn't cut it short like they did "A Little Fall of Rain" later on).
I loved the moment when Valjean reads Marius' letter to Cosette and realizes-- as all fathers of daughters must someday-- that she no longer belongs to him. Both times watching this movie in the theatre, when this happened I could hear chuckling from many of the audience members. A very relatable moment in general.
I felt deeply impressed by the scene where Enjolras is finally left alone facing all the rifles aimed to kill him, and Grantaire climbs up the stairs and walks through the soldiers to join his comrade in a final stand. I think it takes having read the novel to realize what an incredible gesture that really is on Grantaire's part.
Another scene which brought tears to my eyes was Javert's gesture of placing his badge of valor on the dead Gavroche's lapel. This is probably the first time Javert acknowledges to himself that there is something more to life than upholding the law of the land; I also imagine maybe Gavroche reminds Javert a little of himself as a boy.
I loved seeing the Bishop standing there at the end to welcome Valjean into Heaven.
So, yes. Overall, loved the movie. Definitely glad I went to see it-- twice! Probably will not be investing in the DVD, though, at least not for a long time (maybe someday I'll feel like watching it again). For now, I'll go back to my old favorite Tenth Anniversary Concert edition with the more superior vocal performances. But it was nice to finally see the whole musical, since I've never had the privilege of watching it on stage.
When I heard it was going to be made into a movie at last, I was thrilled. And on Christmas Day, I finally got to see it with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
It wasn't all I'd expected. Some parts were disappointing, though overall I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it, though there were a few minor issues that I had a hard time getting over. Yesterday, I took Nick to see it. I wanted to see it a second time, to see if it improved upon second impression (I was so used to the Broadway and Concert recordings, maybe I was just being biased). I have to say though that my enjoyment was about the same the second time around. Nick enjoyed it thoroughly, and it managed to bring tears to his eyes (as it had to me the first time I saw it).
Criticisms:
Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean. This was the biggest obstacle I had to get over and it was not easy. He did fine with his acting, and the emotionality he put into his part was incredible. To fully appreciate all that, though, I first had to get over his singing voice. He was too nasal throughout, and I got the impression in many instances that the pitch was too high for his natural register-- like he was being forced to sing in "head voice." It's not really his fault; I'm sure he did the best he could. But the folks casting the role should have made certain before they casted him that he would be able to sing the part well. He never would have been given the role on Broadway. Also, I couldn't help noticing his tendency to cut off the ending consonants at the ends of phrases; makes me wonder if those not already familiar with the lyrics might have been left in the dark a few times as to what he had just said/sung.
If Valjean had been a more minor character, all of the above wouldn't have been such a big deal. But I think the whole opening sequence of the movie rather suffered due to Jackman's weak vocal performance, and that is unfortunate as it has such a powerful musical score.
Russell Crowe as Javert. I have similar complaints here as I did with Hugh Jackman, only to a lesser degree. Overall, I liked Russell Crowe's performance ("Stars" was one of the highlight scenes for me); only it was pretty apparent to me that he hadn't done much (if any) professional singing before this movie, and his vocal immaturity shone through in several spots. But he has a good voice in general, and all-in-all I'd say he did quite a good job portraying the straight man who just doesn't realize until the end that he happens to be on the wrong side.
Enjolras' voice was also on the weak side; they should have found someone with a more powerful voice to lead the band of "school boys" to the barricade.
Praises:
Gavroche was incredibly endearing; I think his was probably my favorite character through the whole movie. Daniel Huttlestone's acting was superb, and I just couldn't help but fall in love :) He was just so cute!
I was really happy with Eponine. She's my favorite character from the novel and I was glad they found someone good to fill the part. I understand Samantha Barks has played Eponine on stage, and it was obvious her vocal training had been extensive. In addition, her acting/facial expressions were right on; I teared up several times over what her character was going through.
The ensemble cast was amazing! I absolutely loved every single chorus number. The chorus really carried the whole show, in my opinion. In fact, it makes me recall what one of my high school theatre teachers said once (to paraphrase), that the chorus in a musical can make or break the performance; that it doesn't matter how good the leads are if the chorus is bad. In the case of Les Miserables, the chous most definitely made the show.
My Favorite Moments (and there were several):
Fantine's reaction as Valjean is carrying her to the hospital and promises to send for her daughter.
Valjean and Javert sparring in the hospital; I always love a good "sword fight." :D
Seeing Young Cosette with her rag doll, her only and her most prized possession. Poingnant.
Valjean requesting to help Cosette with her bucket of water :)
One song that I think Hugh Jackman performed beautifully was "Suddenly," during his flight with Cosette from the Thenardiers' inn.
"Stars."
Seeing the "White Elephant" statue for the first time brought a thrill, as that is something that is taken straight from the novel: Gavroche and his urchins live in that statue.
One of my favorite, most tear-jerking scenes from the novel is when Marius has enlisted Eponine's help to find Cosette and promises her anything she wants in return (assuming she'll want money since her family is dirt poor, not realizing what Eponine really wants is his love), then once Eponine has followed through Marius places a coin into her hand and Eponine lets it fall to the ground and simply says "I don't want your money." So it was also thrilling to witness her saying this in the movie, realizing all the unspoken feelings behind that simple statement.
"On My Own." This song will always hold a special place in my heart; I well-appreciated Samantha Barks' performance of it (and relieved they didn't cut it short like they did "A Little Fall of Rain" later on).
I loved the moment when Valjean reads Marius' letter to Cosette and realizes-- as all fathers of daughters must someday-- that she no longer belongs to him. Both times watching this movie in the theatre, when this happened I could hear chuckling from many of the audience members. A very relatable moment in general.
I felt deeply impressed by the scene where Enjolras is finally left alone facing all the rifles aimed to kill him, and Grantaire climbs up the stairs and walks through the soldiers to join his comrade in a final stand. I think it takes having read the novel to realize what an incredible gesture that really is on Grantaire's part.
Another scene which brought tears to my eyes was Javert's gesture of placing his badge of valor on the dead Gavroche's lapel. This is probably the first time Javert acknowledges to himself that there is something more to life than upholding the law of the land; I also imagine maybe Gavroche reminds Javert a little of himself as a boy.
I loved seeing the Bishop standing there at the end to welcome Valjean into Heaven.
So, yes. Overall, loved the movie. Definitely glad I went to see it-- twice! Probably will not be investing in the DVD, though, at least not for a long time (maybe someday I'll feel like watching it again). For now, I'll go back to my old favorite Tenth Anniversary Concert edition with the more superior vocal performances. But it was nice to finally see the whole musical, since I've never had the privilege of watching it on stage.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Ten Months
To quote my husband, "It's like having a puppy!"
C is standing up to all kinds of things now on a regular basis. He especially likes to stand up to a desk or table and reach as far as he can to grab whatever he can get his hands on-- boy! that kid can reach!
And still, everything goes straight to the mouth. I know I've said it pretty much every update, but it's so so different from our experience with our first two babies who rarely put anything besides food or a pacifier into their mouths. Our first two babies really spoiled us that way, and now we're still getting used to having to keep stuff like paper and books out of reach. All our top shelves are cluttered with stuff as we've had to move it up higher from where it originally sat.
We have two baby gates-- one to keep C out of the kitchen (because the floor is-- more often than not-- dirty), and another that can be moved among doorways to keep him out of the bathroom, our room, or the boys' room (when they are playing with their Legos). It's funny, though, because whenever C perceives that the gate is not there and the door is open, he makes an immediate beeline to get into the room (especially the bathroom) before we can block it. I think he thinks it's a game now :)
He especially loves the bathroom because he loves to take baths. He'll have Nick pick him up, point to the bathroom, then once he's in the bathroom point to the bathtub. Sometimes we will just put him in the bathtub fully clothed without any water and he has fun with that for a while.
I am so so so ready to get him out of our bed, and am working on finding a good mattress to put in the pack-n-play that will be comfortable enough for a baby used to sleeping on a pillow top. Hopefully we'll have it all figured out in the next couple months. The biggest question is where to put up the pack-n-play at night: putting him in the boys' room is out while school is in session because G would have too much trouble falling asleep with a still-awake and potentially fussy baby in there; he'd be all alone out in the living room; but in our room there's just so little space, though that's probably what we'll end up doing anyway.
He's eating solids now 2-3 times a day. He loves it. But he's at the point now where he's not content to just let us feed him purees, but will fight us to hold the spoon and feed himself even though he's not really coordinated enough yet. So I need to find some more good, healthy finger-foods for him to try. We've tried bananas, but he's more interested in squishing them between his fingers :) He likes bread. Last night I gave him a few bites of my bean burrito; at first he reacted by sticking out his tongue, but then he kept taking more bites so Iguess he liked it.
He has his two bottom front teeth now. And he likes to bite. Yesterday, he kept trying to bite me-- not while nursing so much, but on my leg as I was resting on the couch, on my back as I was helping the boys clean up their toys, on my belly while we were playing on the floor. I've never had a biter like this before, either...
He still gets so excited when Nick comes home from work, and wants to be held by him all the time whenever he's home, except when he wants to nurse. When he's ready to be handed to me, he will make the "milk" sign to Nick and Nick will hand him to me. We're not sure, though, if he uses the sign to say "milk" specifically, though, or if it's just his way of asking for me, because sometimes I will start to nurse him after he does this and he doesn't seem that interested. I really need to start doing more signs with him, I just keep forgetting.
C is standing up to all kinds of things now on a regular basis. He especially likes to stand up to a desk or table and reach as far as he can to grab whatever he can get his hands on-- boy! that kid can reach!
And still, everything goes straight to the mouth. I know I've said it pretty much every update, but it's so so different from our experience with our first two babies who rarely put anything besides food or a pacifier into their mouths. Our first two babies really spoiled us that way, and now we're still getting used to having to keep stuff like paper and books out of reach. All our top shelves are cluttered with stuff as we've had to move it up higher from where it originally sat.
We have two baby gates-- one to keep C out of the kitchen (because the floor is-- more often than not-- dirty), and another that can be moved among doorways to keep him out of the bathroom, our room, or the boys' room (when they are playing with their Legos). It's funny, though, because whenever C perceives that the gate is not there and the door is open, he makes an immediate beeline to get into the room (especially the bathroom) before we can block it. I think he thinks it's a game now :)
He especially loves the bathroom because he loves to take baths. He'll have Nick pick him up, point to the bathroom, then once he's in the bathroom point to the bathtub. Sometimes we will just put him in the bathtub fully clothed without any water and he has fun with that for a while.
I am so so so ready to get him out of our bed, and am working on finding a good mattress to put in the pack-n-play that will be comfortable enough for a baby used to sleeping on a pillow top. Hopefully we'll have it all figured out in the next couple months. The biggest question is where to put up the pack-n-play at night: putting him in the boys' room is out while school is in session because G would have too much trouble falling asleep with a still-awake and potentially fussy baby in there; he'd be all alone out in the living room; but in our room there's just so little space, though that's probably what we'll end up doing anyway.
He's eating solids now 2-3 times a day. He loves it. But he's at the point now where he's not content to just let us feed him purees, but will fight us to hold the spoon and feed himself even though he's not really coordinated enough yet. So I need to find some more good, healthy finger-foods for him to try. We've tried bananas, but he's more interested in squishing them between his fingers :) He likes bread. Last night I gave him a few bites of my bean burrito; at first he reacted by sticking out his tongue, but then he kept taking more bites so Iguess he liked it.
He has his two bottom front teeth now. And he likes to bite. Yesterday, he kept trying to bite me-- not while nursing so much, but on my leg as I was resting on the couch, on my back as I was helping the boys clean up their toys, on my belly while we were playing on the floor. I've never had a biter like this before, either...
He still gets so excited when Nick comes home from work, and wants to be held by him all the time whenever he's home, except when he wants to nurse. When he's ready to be handed to me, he will make the "milk" sign to Nick and Nick will hand him to me. We're not sure, though, if he uses the sign to say "milk" specifically, though, or if it's just his way of asking for me, because sometimes I will start to nurse him after he does this and he doesn't seem that interested. I really need to start doing more signs with him, I just keep forgetting.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
A Month of Thanks-giving
These are all my "thankful" status updates from Facebook over the month of November. Some have been edited slightly. And they are in descending chronological order, because it was easier that way...
Day 30: Thankful for a healthy, fully-functioning body and mind (though sometimes I wonder about the latter, haha)
Day 29: Thankful for TOYS. I love toys. I had to have children just so I could justify filling my house with toys :D
Day 28: Thankful for SLEEP...when I manage to get it.
Day 27: Thankful for my free agency, to choose my own actions and believe the way I choose to believe.
Day 21: thankful for my children. For G and his enthusiasm and love of learning; Z and his observant nature and internal strength; C and his infectious smile and laid-back attitude. I love my boys :)
Day 20: thankful for my husband. Going on eight years! He is still my best friend and soulmate, a loving and supportive spouse and excellent father to my children.
Day 19: thankful for my amazing in-laws! Not only did they manage to raise an exceptional man to be my husband, but they are so helpful to me as well and are truly like second parents to me. I'm grateful to be living in the same city with them as I am so far away from my first family.
Day 18: thankful for my amazing parents. Too much to expound on here...but the older I get the more I realize just how amazing those two people are :)
Day 17: thankful for a creative mind, and the ability to make my mental creations reality...
Day 16: thankful for a reliable vehicle.
Day 15: thankful for photography; even if it does steal my soul... ;)
Day 14: Thankful for my ability to see in color ;) Actually, to be able to see at all. But especially in color; it makes life a whole lot more interesting :)
Day 13: Thankful for math. Even though I'm not stellar with math, nor do I particularly enjoy it, I am thankful for it and all its practical applications. Just don't laugh at me when I break out the calculator to multiply 12x7 :\
Day 12: Thankful for the quiet moments...
Day 11: thankful for our inspired Founding Forefathers and all those who, throughout the years, have risked their lives in defense of my "inalienable rights."
Day 10: I am thankful for food. Not just because my body needs it, but because I thoroughly enjoy eating it :) And thankful to live in a day and place where I have access to a wide variety of tasty, nutritious foods to eat every single day of the year.
Day 9: Very very thankful for indoor plumbing and clean water. Very.
Day 8: Thankful for my musical abilities and a good singing voice :) Thankful that my parents put me through six years of piano lessons (and other music lessons besides). I will sacrifice what I have to to do the same for my kids.
Day 7: Thankful for vinegar! The versatile and all-natural household cleaner! And I love that my son can use it to clean the bathroom and I don't have to worry about him being exposed to harmful chemicals.
Day 6: thankful for Women's Suffrage
Day 5: Thankful for the wealth of information and resources on the Internet. I have learned so much on so many different topics that I otherwise would not have had the option to learn without going to school or buying a lot of books (so it's saved me a lot of money, too!). Of course, anything on the Internet has to be studied with wisdom and a little bit of healthy skepticism to figure out what's true and what's bogus, but I still know more than I would have otherwise. And it's also made my job as a mother easier, with all the educational resources and fun ideas to cheaply entertain my kids.
Day 4: Thankful for the gift of literacy.
Day 3: Thankful for my amazingly comfortable bed; I miss it terribly whenever I travel.
Day 2: I am thankful for my automatic clothes washer and dryer.
Day 1: thankful for a phone with Netflix on days when the baby is being extra clingy and wanting to be held or nursed alot. Or when I have lots of dishes to do...
Day 30: Thankful for a healthy, fully-functioning body and mind (though sometimes I wonder about the latter, haha)
Day 29: Thankful for TOYS. I love toys. I had to have children just so I could justify filling my house with toys :D
Day 28: Thankful for SLEEP...when I manage to get it.
Day 27: Thankful for my free agency, to choose my own actions and believe the way I choose to believe.
Day 26: Thankful to Eve for choosing to partake of the Fruit so that I could experience life on Earth.
Day 25: Thankful for Charity, for those who have been charitable to me and for opportunities to be charitable to others.
Day 24: Thankful for the Priesthood power in my life, especially to be married to a man who holds that power worthily and who treasures it and keeps it sacred.
Day 23: Thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for a loving Father in Heaven who gave His Son for me.
Day 22: Thankful for my brothers and sisters, and for the wonderful time I had with them all this past week! It's especially nice now that they're all married and I'm not the only one ;p
Day 21: thankful for my children. For G and his enthusiasm and love of learning; Z and his observant nature and internal strength; C and his infectious smile and laid-back attitude. I love my boys :)
Day 20: thankful for my husband. Going on eight years! He is still my best friend and soulmate, a loving and supportive spouse and excellent father to my children.
Day 19: thankful for my amazing in-laws! Not only did they manage to raise an exceptional man to be my husband, but they are so helpful to me as well and are truly like second parents to me. I'm grateful to be living in the same city with them as I am so far away from my first family.
Day 18: thankful for my amazing parents. Too much to expound on here...but the older I get the more I realize just how amazing those two people are :)
Day 17: thankful for a creative mind, and the ability to make my mental creations reality...
Day 16: thankful for a reliable vehicle.
Day 15: thankful for photography; even if it does steal my soul... ;)
Day 14: Thankful for my ability to see in color ;) Actually, to be able to see at all. But especially in color; it makes life a whole lot more interesting :)
Day 13: Thankful for math. Even though I'm not stellar with math, nor do I particularly enjoy it, I am thankful for it and all its practical applications. Just don't laugh at me when I break out the calculator to multiply 12x7 :\
Day 12: Thankful for the quiet moments...
Day 11: thankful for our inspired Founding Forefathers and all those who, throughout the years, have risked their lives in defense of my "inalienable rights."
Day 10: I am thankful for food. Not just because my body needs it, but because I thoroughly enjoy eating it :) And thankful to live in a day and place where I have access to a wide variety of tasty, nutritious foods to eat every single day of the year.
Day 9: Very very thankful for indoor plumbing and clean water. Very.
Day 8: Thankful for my musical abilities and a good singing voice :) Thankful that my parents put me through six years of piano lessons (and other music lessons besides). I will sacrifice what I have to to do the same for my kids.
Day 7: Thankful for vinegar! The versatile and all-natural household cleaner! And I love that my son can use it to clean the bathroom and I don't have to worry about him being exposed to harmful chemicals.
Day 6: thankful for Women's Suffrage
Day 5: Thankful for the wealth of information and resources on the Internet. I have learned so much on so many different topics that I otherwise would not have had the option to learn without going to school or buying a lot of books (so it's saved me a lot of money, too!). Of course, anything on the Internet has to be studied with wisdom and a little bit of healthy skepticism to figure out what's true and what's bogus, but I still know more than I would have otherwise. And it's also made my job as a mother easier, with all the educational resources and fun ideas to cheaply entertain my kids.
Day 4: Thankful for the gift of literacy.
Day 3: Thankful for my amazingly comfortable bed; I miss it terribly whenever I travel.
Day 2: I am thankful for my automatic clothes washer and dryer.
Day 1: thankful for a phone with Netflix on days when the baby is being extra clingy and wanting to be held or nursed alot. Or when I have lots of dishes to do...
Nine months! Wow...
Amazing. C is nine months old today.
This past month, he has started crawling on his hands and knees, and pulling himself up and standing up to furniture-- sometimes even with just one hand!
Something tells me he could be taking his first steps by the end of the year...sooo not ready for that...
We had to buy an artificial Christmas tree this year instead of our usual live tree. I was just too worried about C trying to eat the pine needles on the floor and me not being able to keep up with keeping the carpet pine-needle-free. We also have the tree up on the boys' folding toddler table so C can't reach the branches.
Oh, C has also figured out how to climb up stairs and delights in trying to climb up to the podium at church.
He traveled really well a couple weeks ago when we traveled for Thanksgiving; only had a hard time two or three times when he was sleepy and wanted to be held but we had to keep driving so eventually he would stop crying and fall asleep in his carseat.
I've noticed, with this one, that he doesn't get nearly as hysterical as either of his older brothers when he has to cry it out; he's figured out the self-soothing much better and much earlier than my other boys. I still typically will hold him at night until he falls asleep; but there have been several nights where we'll just lay him between us in the bed and he'll just make soothing noises to himself and drift off to sleep.
The only time he gets really mad at bedtime is when he thinks he wants to stay up and play even though I can tell he's sleepy; but I will hug him to my chest and pin his arms down and he'll carry on for up to five minutes but eventually relax, make noises, and finally sleep. He stays asleep much better this way than if I let him nurse to sleep; if he nurses to sleep, he's awake and fussing again within the hour and then I will hold him to my chest until he falls sleep again.
He is still the happiest baby I know. I call him my "little ray of sunshine." I think even his brothers are cheered up by his smiles and laughter whenever they're having a bad day. Definitely glad we decided to go for Baby #3 sooner rather than later, since we got so lucky :)
This past month, he has started crawling on his hands and knees, and pulling himself up and standing up to furniture-- sometimes even with just one hand!
Something tells me he could be taking his first steps by the end of the year...sooo not ready for that...
We had to buy an artificial Christmas tree this year instead of our usual live tree. I was just too worried about C trying to eat the pine needles on the floor and me not being able to keep up with keeping the carpet pine-needle-free. We also have the tree up on the boys' folding toddler table so C can't reach the branches.
Oh, C has also figured out how to climb up stairs and delights in trying to climb up to the podium at church.
He traveled really well a couple weeks ago when we traveled for Thanksgiving; only had a hard time two or three times when he was sleepy and wanted to be held but we had to keep driving so eventually he would stop crying and fall asleep in his carseat.
I've noticed, with this one, that he doesn't get nearly as hysterical as either of his older brothers when he has to cry it out; he's figured out the self-soothing much better and much earlier than my other boys. I still typically will hold him at night until he falls asleep; but there have been several nights where we'll just lay him between us in the bed and he'll just make soothing noises to himself and drift off to sleep.
The only time he gets really mad at bedtime is when he thinks he wants to stay up and play even though I can tell he's sleepy; but I will hug him to my chest and pin his arms down and he'll carry on for up to five minutes but eventually relax, make noises, and finally sleep. He stays asleep much better this way than if I let him nurse to sleep; if he nurses to sleep, he's awake and fussing again within the hour and then I will hold him to my chest until he falls sleep again.
He is still the happiest baby I know. I call him my "little ray of sunshine." I think even his brothers are cheered up by his smiles and laughter whenever they're having a bad day. Definitely glad we decided to go for Baby #3 sooner rather than later, since we got so lucky :)
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