Our Thor

Amazingly enough, there are many days I regret not giving in to Brian when he wanted to name Anders "Thor".  I wanted to avoid teasing and I wanted a name that started with an "A". My brother always called him Thor and addressed all his birthday cards to Thor.  So in some ways, he is Thor.  Today Brian explained to Anders that he wanted to name him Thor and Anders said that would be cool.  Brian texted me to tell me what he said and I texted back that we could always change his name.  Brian told Anders that mommy said we could change his name, so he said he would be Thor for a little while, but then he wanted to be called Hulk Smash!  He is on a big Hulk kick right now. In fact, pretty sure he will be Hulk for Halloween.  He wanted to be Thor, but I told him we did Thor 2 years ago.  He was the cutest Thor ever though, so I would gladly repeat that costume.

Other Anders news, it has taken him until almost the age of 4, but he is finally potty training and succeeding.  He was sabotaged last summer in potty training by the birth of Laila. He wanted to stay my baby and that translated into refusing to use the potty.  It has been a long road, very frustrating at times.  We decided to take a break while in Texas, though he did great pooping in the potty at my friend, Tricia's house.  I think her fully potty trained 3 year old made Anders feel the need to step up his game. However, within 3 days of being home, he started using the potty on his own and has been a rockstar ever since.  Huge, huge, huge!

Anders has been obsessed with when he "turns a new number". He is so excited to be 4.  I guess he feels like he has been 3 for long enough. We are also really focusing on getting him ready for preschool.  A few months ago Shane decided Anders was getting too old to say his "L's" like "W's".  He still said "I wuv you" and "Waiwa is my baby."  Shane started working with him.  When Anders slows down and really thinks about the words he can do his "L's".  I know he needs to better develop his speech, but a little part of me will be sad when he no longer says I wuv you and baby Waiwa.  

He is still our little entertainer. He loves having his picture taken and will ham it up for the camera.  He will commonly say to us or whoever is around, "You need snuggles?", or "I have not given you snuggles today."  He is still our gentle giant.

Laila is 1!

My beautiful baby girl is 1!  How did this year go by so quickly.  Knowing she was my last baby I have tried to savor this year and enjoy every moment. We have also NOT encouraged her to develop. I know, horrible to say, but Brian's joke every time she tried to pull up was to tell me to knock her down. Neither of us are ready for her to be a toddler.  We want our baby to stay a baby as long as possible; however, she is the youngest of 4, so she is ready to do what the big kids do.  She pretty much skipped baby food. She loved baby cereal, but never took more than a bite of baby food every time I offered it. She went straight to eating what we ate for dinner, just chopped up small.  Broccoli was one of her firsts and remains her favorite. She loves all proteins and most veggies, particularly carrots, green beans, peas, and broccoli.  Not sure how it happened, but she dislikes most fruits. She likes bananas, and firmer fruits like apples and melon.  Hopefully that will change because we are a berry family.

Despite our efforts to keep her a baby, she began pulling up at 10 months.  While we were in Texas, she mastered pulling up and has even begun taking steps while holding on.  She was signing "more" and "all done" at 10 months and now she does "hat", "please", "drink", and "eat".  Sometimes when she really wants something and is trying to convey her need, she will run through all her signs. Ice cream brings on this response, she's my girl in that respect. So far her only consistent words are mama and dada.  She has been overheard saying Gampa and up, but I can not get her to say it on command.  Tonight she threw down food and said "uh oh".

Laila is a sweet baby and still loves to give love. She goes in for kisses and hugs and just snuggles into your body in general.  I am savoring these moments most, because I know it will not last long. We are still nursing, but that too seems to be coming to an end.   I do not think we will make it to Anders record of nursing until he was 20 months. Laila is too interested in what is going on to nurse in a room of people.  She has those huge eyes just taking everything in.  Not a day passes without someone commenting on her huge eyes and how they are wide open and checking out the world.  She is spoiled and wants to be held or within a few feet of me at all times, but still has a sweet disposition.  She loves her brothers and sister and is quick to give them love and attention when they are around. 

We learned on the Texas trip that she is not a car sleeper, but is content to sit in the car for most of the time. She goes easily to other people and really bonded with her grandmas this trip.

A few days ago we gave her a cupcake when my mom was in town.  She loved us singing happy birthday to her, but was less impressed with the cupcake.

So on her birthday, we took her for frozen yogurt after dinner.  I think you can tell she liked it better.

Forget the spoon, I'll just drink it.

Oops, did I get some on my face?

Laila's 10 1/2 Month Stats

Laila and I went to her well check today.  Hooray for no shots!  She did great and performed on cue.  When they asked if she waved, she did her good bye hand gesture (arm up with hand in a fist and wrist moving).  She clapped, which she learned a month ago after countless baseball games and clapping.  She began truly crawling last week. She has been doing an army crawl for about a month.  She started pulling herself up to her knees 2 weeks ago, but she has not managed to pull herself up to her feet yet. She started pointing on June 10th in the vet's office.  I was trying to entertain her while they worked on Katie. I took her around the office telling her what everything was and then she would point to something across the room.  Then when I finished talking, she would point to something else.  Her "pointing" is a whole hand out with extended arm.

Mid May she also started with the mamamama.  We thought it was just another sound she was practicing, like bababababa, which she has been doing for 2 months.  But then I started noticing that when she was upset and looking for me she would say mamamama.  She still only says it when she is wanting me and upset.  Never a happy mama, but I will take it.  Brian's dad claims Grandpa was her first word, that she called him while he was here.  But I am going to go against the whole house and say she said baba when he was trying to get her to say Grandpa. So she was definitely trying to say Grandpa and wanted to do what he wanted, but I do not count it. For the record, Brian and Shane agree with Grandpa that she said Grandpa first.  But mom's vote has more power, so I win.

Laila is still a little bean, but the doctor was happy that her growth curve is consistent.  On to today's stats:
Weight:  16 lbs 1 oz. (15%)
Height: 28 1/4 inches (60%)
Head circ: 18" (80%)
She needs a big head to hold those big eyes.

Bad pictures since my iphone does not take great pictures like the rest of the world.  But here are some on my girls and I having fun with a wig on May 25th. Laila wore it best.  I just look like I am having a really bad hair day.

Anders' Preschool Book

The school year is coming to an end. Shane finishes tomorrow and Myann and Anders had their last day today. Shane and Myann have been bringing home their portfolio's with their year's accomplishments.  Both have progressed so much during the year.  Anders' portfolio is a well done scrapbooked notebook, good job teachers, but the content shows the teachers' sense of humors.  This is Anders' cover photo. 

Sadly, this looks like a mugshot.

When I asked Anders why he took such a goofy picture, he said, "That's not me, that's a bad guy.  Who is that bad guy and where is my picture."  He was not kidding, he was really insulted that someone else's picture was on his book.  Then this picture was on the inside.

Now this picture does not come as a surprise.  After his class Valentine's Day party, his teacher was beyond tickled that she had immortalized Anders in this state.  She suggested we blow it up and put it on his wall when he goes to college to show he was a born party animal.  We already had a copy.  The humor is that this is in his school book.  He was "drunk" off sugar and passed out with his crown still on.  That's my boy! He plays hard and crashes hard.

My Girls

I am still surprised some days that I am raising brothers and sisters.  I grew up my whole life with an amazing brother, who I miss everyday.  But I never knew what it was like to have a sister and Alex did not have a brother.  My kids are blessed to have brothers and sisters and I love watching their bonds grow.  Of course they fight A LOT!!!!  But they also love each other.  On any given day you could hear Anders say, "Shane, we are best buddies!"  Then once Shane leaves for school and Myann and Anders start playing Anders will say, "Myann you are my best buddy too."  It goes without saying around here that Laila loves Shane, and he is beyond in love with her, but we are also starting to see how much Laila adores Myann and Anders too.

My beautiful girls!

Anders: 3 year old version of digestion

Anders told Daddy tonight at dinner, "Food goes through your neck, to your belly, to your butt dad.  Water goes to your belly too, then your pee pee."  Perfect description of digestion to me - who needs 4 years of medical school - Anders figured it out by 3. 

Now if he could only figure out how to poop on the potty!!!

Teacher Appreciation Day - a lesson

Today was Teacher Appreciation Day and I hope all of you teachers felt well appreciated.  We tried to spoil the teachers at my kids' schools.  One, because they deserve it.  Two, because I am trying to teach my kids the joy of giving, and what better way than by example.  This was explained in the car ride to Myann today.  She asked why we were taking cupcakes to the teachers because kids love cupcakes too. I said that today was a day to tell your teachers that you appreciate them and they deserve to be spoiled too. I said I want her to feel how good it feels to do nice things for others.  Myann responded, "I would rather feel how good it is to eat cupcakes."  And this is why we will continue to teach by example.  Oh my girl, so sweet, but still so egocentric. Once we got to school, she was pretty excited to give them the pretty cupcakes and her thank you card.  Anders was excited to tell me once he got home that his teacher ate the cupcake and said it was good.  Even he is learning the joy of doing for others.

Last week at lunch, the kids received fortune cookies for dessert.  Shane's fortune said, "You are a thoughtful man."  That fortune could not have been more perfect. Shane is one of the sweetest and most thoughtful people I know.  We have tried our best to teach him, but I think he is just innately thoughtful. He leaves me love notes all over the house.  Hoping to photograph and post soon. Story below to make any mom happy.  However, today he was all about his teacher.  He was sad that I only had his teacher pick out one cupcake.  For the record, I told her to help herself, but I wanted to take cupcakes for all the teachers in his school, because they all deserve a special treat.  Shane wrote her a long, very kind note about what a wonderful teacher she was, citing specifics like how she teaches math, and he loves her reading, and how she picks great science themes. Then I had a picture of all the kids hands from the class and needed all the kids to sign.  I was just going to do it in front of her, but Shane insisted it needed to be a surprise and that I had to have the kids do it in secret in the hallway.   Again, very thoughtful. Lastly, his teacher recently moved and Shane wanted to buy her furniture for her new place.  Big spender he is, rather big spender of his daddy's money.  We comprised and got her a gift card to buy things for her new place.

The story:  On the way home from karate tonight, Shane said he wanted to live with us forever.  I told him that we were raising our children to be responsible, independent adults who lived on their own, so he could not live with us.  He decided that he would buy a house next door to us because he never wanted to live far from me.  I told him that one day his wife might not want to live next door to his parents.  Shane's response, "The girl I marry will have to understand that you are very special to me and the most important lady in the world, well you and Laila. So if she will not live by you, then I will not marry her and will find a girl who will live next door to you."  Glad to see my boy has his priorities in order!!!  That said, he wants Laila to live on the other side of him.  God help his future wife and hopefully one day I can find a way to cut the umbilical cord.