To Peter On His Second Birthday

{SO belated in posting!}

Dear Peter,

One is such a weird age. You start as nearly a baby and end as a legit toddler. This year saw you walking, talking, moving into a big boy bed, and getting ready to be a big brother. And you’re going to be a great big brother, once you get over the fact that someone else will be competing for my attention! (You’re quite the Mama’s Boy, if we’re being totally honest!)

You are sweet. You have the best little smile. You give the best hugs, and are SO naturally affectionate.

You are smart. People — sometimes including Mommy and Daddy — underestimate you, because your speech has been a little slow in coming. You are putting more and more words together, though, and now others are starting to see can see what we’ve known for awhile. That little brain of yours works in overdrive. Probably the result of all the books you get us to read.

You love to color. You probably have a better natural writing grip than your sister, and can sit with crayons for a long, long time. You also like to show off your skills on any other surface available, if you get your hands on a rogue crayon/pencil/pen. We do our best to keep those things out of reach, and have also made ample use of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. 

You love food — especially your first-thing-in-the-morning yogurt. And you devour it with passion — which is a nice way of saying that you are THE messiest eater. You’ve also inherited your mama’s love of ketchup. 

You are a daredevil, but you are shy. It takes you awhile to adapt to a new situation. That means that me leaving you in the Church nursery or with friends while I run to the restroom freaks you out. But climbing to the tippy top of the play structure or going down the highest, fastest slide? That doesn’t phase you in the least. We’re just waiting on the ER visit that we know is coming.

You are charming. With that little grin and impish sense of humor, you try to get out of whatever mischief you get into. You try to deflect attention by making any object into a hat or pointing out the baby in Mama’s belly. Yeah, we’re on to you, Buddy!

It is such a joy being your Mama, Big Man. I’ve grown so much as a mother, and learned so much about love in our two years together, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Love always,

Mama

To Clare on Her 3rd Birthday

{I wrote this last Friday, but didn't hit publish quickly enough, so today it is!}

Dear Clare,

Today, you are 3. And oh, are you 3! In the last few weeks, you have definitely become a threenager -- not always listening, opinionated about everything, and fighting with your brother.

But oh, you are such a treat to be around as well. You are so sweet and funny. You make friends everywhere you go, and usually, you lead some kind of running (and possibly squealing) activity. You are getting better at snuggling all the time. My favorite thing to do with you is snuggle up under a blanket and read a book together. Your favorite is to help me bake (and then lick the beater, of course).

Many mornings, we have "coffee" together before Peter wakes up. I have my coffee and you have a cup of milk. I have a feeling that is a tradition that will last us a long time. Quality time is definitely your love language. 

This has been a big year for you -- potty training, sleeping in a big girl bed (no rail!), making friends, growing a thousand inches, and blowing us away with the things you do and say.  

The dancing! Oh, the dancing! You are always dancing and twirling. Tutus, dresses, skirts, and ballet slippers galore! You are a princess. Or a ballerina. Or something. You are always imagining, acting out what you read and what you see on TV. (You love books and cartoons.) You are always in character -- and we are, too. My favorite lines are, "I'm not a Sheriff Callie, I'm a Clare Bear," and "I'm another animal. I'm Princess Sofia." Or Minnie Mouse. Or Angelina. Or Katerina Kitty Cat, meow meow.

Most importantly, you have a huge heart and a real love for people. And a real love for Jesus. You bring us joy everyday. I am so blessed to be your Mama. 

I love you, Sweetie Girl.

Love,

Mommy

Happy Birthday, Baby Peter

Dear Peter,

It's hard to believe that, today, you are one year old. This year has slipped by so fast that is scares me. Is this what they mean when they say that it goes by too fast? I want to savor each day of your waning babyness -- your baby snuggles and smiles and coos -- as they give way to the toddler that you are becoming. 

What everyone knows and loves about you is your personality -- you are so happy and full of joy that people are often surprised to hear you cry or fuss. 

You bring so much joy to our lives -- your smile can't but make a bad day good in an instant. It is sunshine, pure, golden sunshine. 

I love hearing you laugh, especially when you're laughing with your sister, sharing jokes that we grown-ups just don't quite get. I hope you guys always share that bond -- that you always have each other to lean on and laugh with. 

You are physical, tactile, and always ready to go-go-go. You want to be playing, and you especially want to play outside. You have an adventurous spirit, and are, generally speaking, a risk-taker. I love that about you, even when it worries me. I'm a Mama and just want you to stay safe.

But I know you'll be okay. You're a smart kid, and the combination of smart, adventurous, and good-natured is going to take you far in life. 

I know that I feel saddened by the passing of time, but I'm also so excited to see what happens next. I'm excited to watch you grow into a wonderful little boy, to get to know you more and more, and to watch you blossom in the year to come.

Happy Birthday, Little Buddy! I love you a million.

Love, 

Mama

January . . . an Update

I'm here. I'm alive.

Things have been one part crazy; one part a cold that will.not.go.away; one part my computer is beginning the sloooooooow death march, and sometimes I just don't want to deal with it.

But my little break left my typing fingers itching and reinvigorated me and allowed me to set some clearer personal blogging goals, which will hopefully mean more posts for the grandparents. *wink* Anyway, for today, a little update.

Peter

I never posted either an 8 month or 9 month update on Mr. Peter, because they have felt so repetitive the last couple of months. Sorry, Second Born. He is Mr. Guy Smiley. He's on the move -- now pulling up and cruising like a pro. He's starting to think about letting go and I'd not be surprised to see him try a few steps in the coming weeks.

He's popped four teeth -- the two lower, middle teeth, and two snaggle teeth (top laterals) -- still no front teeth (top middle), which is just too cute!

Coffee Spiller, Cup Stealer, Sign says it all

In the last couple of weeks, he's really gotten his night-sleep together and is consistently only waking once and sleeping 12+ hours. Probably not coincidentally, he's also turned into Mr. Big Eater, more or less glomming down everything on his tray. He's also still nursing 5-6 times per day. It takes a`lot of calories to make mischief the other 12 hours a day. ;-)

Clare

Half-birthday baby feeding

Clare's big news is that she's pretty much potty trained! Yay! She's totally got it, but we're still having issues away from home. She'll get there. In the mean time, we're very proud of her. I'm now quite firmly in the "potty train when your kids are very ready" camp. In case you care.

Gone fishin', Passed out at 4:15, 60* never looked so good, Makes me laugh every day

Otherwise, she's her usual, crazy, book-loving, ballerina princess self. Her new thing is "costumes." Yesterday, that meant black tights, her sparkly ballet flats, and her bathing suit from last summer (orange with a tutu). She used it to "ice skate" while we were watching figure skating yesterday afternoon.

Charles and Me

Charles survived his first OB rotation and his first Call Back weekend (big recruiting event for his residency program) as a resident. I survived as well. ;-)

His current rotation is an "off-service" number, so it's significantly lighter. He was even able to take a couple of days off, which we used to get rid of the much (MUCH!) hated green wall in our kitchen. I've seriously hated it since the very first time we saw the house, but also knew it was just paint. And now, it is nothing but a memory!! It's amazing how much difference that paint makes. We also painted the rest of the kitchen, going from a dingy grey-blue to an airy ice blue. *insert heart-eyed emoji* Like I told Charles, it will never be a dream space, but at least it's a space that feels like, "mine."

The colors read terribly in these, but you can (kinda) see the transformation.

We're also teaching Confirmation for our parish, and that has been a great experience, but that's another post for another day . . . probably Wednesday.

So that's that. Nothing major. Just life. Crazy beautiful life.

Peter - 7 months

Mr. Man is 7 months old!!

He is on the move! He's still working really, really hard at regular crawling -- up on his knees and rocking and rocking and rocking and . . . pancake! In the mean time, he's army-crawling/scooting/inching his way to wherever he's trying to go. And getting pretty darn fast!

He's talking more and more. Mamamamama and dadadadadadad and babababa and such.

He's eating a good variety of pureed fruits and veggies, as well as yogurt, Cheerios, and puffs.

Still long and lean, pretty solidly in 9 month clothes, with a few 6 month and a couple of 12 month pieces for good measure. Clothing sizes, inconsistent from Day 1.

He continues to be light and joy in our lives. We are so blessed by this smile:

Peter -- 6 months

That's half a year, people. Mr. Torpedo Man had his half-birthday yesterday, and to celebrate he got . . . baby oatmeal and sweet potatoes. Nothing says "Party like it's your (half) birthday!" like being spoon-fed unseasoned purees. Yum!

Mr. tall-and-skinny had gotten too long for 6 month sleepers, so we've moved up. The rest of his wardrobe rotation is a mix of 6 and 9 month items.

Meanwhile, he continues to be the happiest baby. Everyone who meets him comments on it. He just can't stop smiling.

He still likes to babble and coo. And try to eat his hand. He tries to be dainty and go a finger or two at a time. Then he gets frustrated, throws in the towel, and goes for the whole fist at once.

He is sitting up independently, but generally doesn't try very hard to keep at it. He'd much, much, much rather flop onto his belly and try desperately (and I do mean desperately) to move forward. He is successful at about 6 inches an hour. He wants to go faster. He's getting some good cross-body motion, but hasn't figured out how to get his knees under him yet. He tries to army crawl, but ends up spinning. After a few minutes of all of this, he gets tired and frustrated and cries. Poor guy.

Most of all, though, he loves to stand. He loves to stand on laps, stand being held on the floor, stand holding onto the coffee table or couch. Stand, stand, stand. Do not make me sit Mama. Do not. I think someone wants to keep up with big sister!

He is far too easy to get pictures of! With Clare, I had to get her dressed and ready, sit her in the chair, and go through 20+ shots and 20+ minutes to get a decent picture. Yesterday, I got his smiley mug in about 5 minutes. :-)
 

Peter - 5 months

Mr. Peedow Man made it to 5 months over the weekend.

He is the smiliest, happiest baby. He has the cutest little grin, and when he sticks out his tongue . . . it is just too adorable for words. When he wakes up in the morning, he is all coos and smiles.

He remains a really inconsistent sleeper, though. On average, he's a one-wake-up-baby, but when he has a bad night, it is bad, and might be 3 or 4. And he loves, loves, loves his Sleep Sheep. We frequently find him wiggled over to it in the corner of the crib, and once he also managed to turn it back on!

He is strong. He still won't roll all the way onto his belly, but easily could. He can just about sit independently (lasts about 2 seconds before the faceplant and wiggle to his belly), and loves to stand. He can stand with assistance for pretty long periods of time for such a little guy.

He hasn't broken a tooth yet, but has one close to the surface. In the meantime, he is content to drool and shove anything he can get his hands on into his mouth. Clare is (slowly) learning that if she doesn't want him to touch something, she needs to keep it out of his reach.

He brings such joy to our home, but man [insert all the cliches about time going too fast here].

Peter - 4 months

Peter turned 4 months on Thursday -- I am trying to savor each moment with him in a different way than I did with Clare, because I realize that the time goes so quickly. For example, I'm trying to enjoy each snuggle, because soon he's going to be sitting and then crawling and then into everything, and not wanting to chill with his Mama.

He is the happiest baby. He is always smiling, is quick to laugh, and is a total flirt.

His eyes are almost entirely brown now, with just a slight ring of blue left.

His head control is great. He can readily roll from belly to back and can roll back to belly, though I haven't actually seen it. I have found him on his belly a couple of times when I know I had left him on his back. He can also do it if he's not strapped into the swing and such. I little more back strength, and I'll be able to carry him on my hip, and we'll all be a little bit happier.

He loves hanging out in the bouncy seat.

I suspect another book lover on my hands. Clare and I have started reading him board books, which makes him smile and smile.

He is the most inconsistent sleeper. I never know if I'm putting him down for 15 minutes or for the night.

He is pretty much totally in 3-6 month/6 month clothes. I actually really love his current wardrobe, so I'm okay with that. :-)

To Clare on her 2nd Birthday

{Getting published a bit late: Clare turned 2 on July 10. *sniff*}

Clare Bear,

This has been such a full year for you. You won't remember any of it, but in the last 12 months, you have lived in 4 different cities. You dealt with lots of medical stuff -- including major surgery. You got a baby brother.

In spite of it all -- or maybe because of it -- you have thrived. You are adaptable, but you are a creature of habit. You are a social butterfly, but do well playing independently. You know what you want and you want it now -- you most definitely have a mind of your own.

You are, as grandad says, a chatterbox. You love to talk, and you are, as we have often put it, extraordinarily verbal. You will happily read books all day long. Your attention span is pretty remarkable for a 2 year old. Maybe you will be a word-lover like your mama. Or maybe you'll be an architect with your love of beauty and building blocks.

You love princesses and pretty dresses and playing in the dirt. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you in one of your dresses looking like a total disaster from a hard day of playing. 

Most importantly, though, you love God. You are learning your prayers; you can make the Sign of the Cross (sometimes with a little extra devotion to the Holy Spirit). You love angels, and tell us that they say, "Glory to God in the highest. Peace." You pray before your tea parties. You ask to wear your "beautiful crucifix." 

You light up the room with your smile and your laugh, your sweet soul and your heart of gold. You bring us so much joy -- may the world bring as much joy to you.

I love you,
Mama

Peter - 3 months

My little man turned 3 months old last week!

He has the best little smile and giggle--with dimples!

He is still spitting up. Boo! At least this time, I know he really will outgrow it!

He is "talking" up a storm. Lots of baby babble! It is just so cute. Even Clare babbles back to him sometimes.

His favorite activity is laying on the floor and kick, kick, kicking!

He rolled from his belly to his back for the first time on the 4th of July, and now is getting into the stage where he flips himself over as soon as I lay him on his tummy! All the better for laying on his back and kicking! He has been rolling back to side for a couple of weeks now, so I won't be surprised when he can roll all the way to his belly.

He has a loooong torso. He's definitely an awkward in-between size on sleepers and onesies. (Mama is going to have to admit defeat and put him in 3-6/6 month sleepers and onesies pretty soon.) Pants are already hard. He has a skinny little waist -- one pair of newborn shorts are still loose, and one pair of 3 month pants are WAY too big. I think that, down the road, he's going to be wearing belts for function, not just fashion!

Sleep is still inconsistent. He will sometimes go to sleep on his own and sometimes needs help (walking, patting, bouncing, occasionally nursing). Sometimes he'll wake up every two hours on the dot. Most nights he does a long stretch and then a couple of wake-ups. One night last week, he put himself to sleep at 9 and slept until 7. Bam! I'm not at all counting on this continuing, so I don't feel like I'm destining myself to misery by committing that to writing. He is still sleeping in our room, but his room is next on our freshen-up list. He'll be moving soon, and I think we'll both sleep better for it!

Mas pictures:

Peter -- 2 months

Peter's 2 month birthday was celebrated in the middle of packing and moving and graduation festivities, so I didn't have a chance to write up his 2 month update!

We took him to his doctor's appointment before we left, and he's continuing right along his tall and thin (but not too skinny) curve. He's wearing 0-3 month clothes, but some of his sleepers are starting to get too short.

He's still a rock star nurser (as witnessed by his growth curve!), and a pretty good sleeper. He will sleep really well a few nights in a row and then regress.

He's starting to enjoy his baths more -- being in the water, he is clam and happy. Getting out of the water and being cold is another story!

He's been a little bit fussier this month, and has also started spitting up more. I still can't say that he spits up as much as Clare, but she was quite the Spit Up Princess.

He is all smiles and giggles and coos, which makes everything worth it! He's got a couple of little dimples and a twinkle in his eye. I have a feeling he's going to be quite the heartbreaker!

I managed to get some pictures on the 7th, but the camp chair is not nearly as condusive to baby pictures as the glider. C'est la vie (and memories!).

Peter -- 1 month

Somehow, my little Peter is a month old. I think I'm going to be saying that a lot this year. Somehow...

I don't like to post stats for my babies online -- Clare was a peanut, and it was hard to watch high-percentile babies zoom up the charts while she seems to have inherited her mama's metabolism, poor thing. It took a lot of prayer and patience to accept that every baby is different, and every mama needs to know that she is doing the best she can growing her baby to be the baby (with the body) that God gave him or her.

That said, Peter is growing to be the big, strong man he dreams of being. I had to finally stop being an ostrich and move him from newborn to 0-3/3 month clothes this week. Because my kids are (relatively) long and lean, they always outgrow clothes length-wise with plenty of room left in the middle!

When he needs something -- especially a fresh diaper or some food -- he lets us know in no uncertain terms that he's unhappy, but calms right down when he gets what he wants. He is a sweet, mellow guy, who loves to nurse and snuggle and hang out until he drifts off to sleep. And when he does, he sleeps like a baby champ, giving me 3-4 hour stretches at night (and generally going right back down after he's filled up on the ol' milk).

His neck is getting stronger -- Peter desperately wants to be able to hold his head up and look around. If he's 1/3 as observant as his sister, we're done for.

He's starting to crack a smile or two here and there. I can't wait until we get more!

And of course, there are more pictures:

P.S. As an early one-month birthday present, yesterday Peter got the best gift a kid could ask for: a cousin. Congratulations, sweet Whitney, and welcome Baby Makenzie (or Baby Keensee as Clare calls her)!!! We love you!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 64

Must be Friday. Joining Jen, fancy pants author and all.

.

1. I love, love, love sweet teeny tiny newborns. What I don't love, and struggle, struggle, struggle with is the lack of schedule/routine. We are a household of routine people -- even Clare needs her routine or else -- and it (obviously) takes babies awhile to get into one. I know that we'll get there, so I'm feeling less twitchy about it with Peter than I did with Clare. I love the tiny baby snuggles and know they don't last long. But there are still plenty of evenings that leave me longing for the structure that that future must surely hold.

2. I have a problem. I am pretty much obsessed with this look. I retake the same photo at least once a week, because it is so sweet. These moments are so fleeting, and I don't want to forget.

 3 weeks

2 weeks

1 week

1 day

3. Sign that time is moving way too fast: Peter is going to be a month old next week. Wasn't I just complaining about still being pregnant? Where did the time go? On that note, fair warning that there will be monthly update posts for the next 12 months. :)

4. Always ready to assist Baby Peedow, Clare helped me get out the door to run some errands on Tuesday by buckling Peter into the car seat while I checked that there were diapers in my bag:

Nailed it.

Don't worry fellow car-seat safety obsessives. I fixed it. :)


5. The other day, I took Clare for a cookie and run at a local outdoor shopping area. She had been before, but she really noticed the fountains this time, and kept talking about "splashdown, water." I repeat myself, I know, but I love seeing everyday things through the eyes of my kids. Talk about seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.

6. 'Cause she is just too cute.

7. Charles is off to Wichita this weekend for a little house-hunting expedition. Praying for safe travels, success on the housing front, and sanity for this Mama home with her two littles.

The gruesome twosome

Have a lovely weekend!

When the Lights Went Out

Yesterday had all the makings of an idyllic Sunday. We slept late (for parents -- after 7) and decided that, if we hurried, we could make 9am Mass. And did it with time to have our choice of seats. After Mass, we headed to breakfast. Yum!

The afternoon was quiet: nap/quiet/down time for everyone before we decided to run a couple of errands and hit the playground. Done and done.

It was the first time Clare really "got" the playground equipment. She figured out how to scramble up the toddler play structure and go down the slide (with some launching help from Daddy). She called it "whee" probably because I say it every.time. she goes down. Over and over and over, scampering by another little boy every.single.time. His dad even commented that she was "a woman on a mission," which gave me a good chuckle.

Before she figured it out herself.

I've said 1,000 times and I'll say it a million more. The best part of parenting -- for me -- is watching my child(ren) "figure it out." Every time Clare learns a new trick, masters a new skill, or surprises me with what she can do, my heart beats proudly and I smile. What a joy! What a miracle!

Finally, we dragged our tired, sandy daughter away. She had to be carried, but not without seeing a "puppy" pass by and adorably, frantically trying to find the lost puppy. "Puppy. Puppy. Puppy . . . puppy?!?"

We headed home to make tacos and have a quiet evening at home. It wasn't meant to be.

When we got home, the comedy of errors began. The garage door wouldn't work. And of course, we didn't bring the keys (stupidly, admittedly). New battery? No go. So we checked all the doors we had carefully locked. Nada. And tried the key pad for the garage. No such luck. As we were calling our "backup" in hopes that he had a key (thank God, he did!!), our neighbor stopped by to say hi and ask if our power was out, too.

Oooooooooooh! That explains everything now, doesn't it?!?

So, we drove to pick up our miracle key. Drove home to make sure it worked. Yay! Found the power was still out. Grabbed keys and disengaged the garage door. Headed out to pick up dinner, exhausted, and not wanting to mess with powerless dinner in a home that is only very temporarily ours.

Of course, the power was still out when we got home, so we fumbled around to find a flashlight, and pour all three of us into bed.

Clare was asleep pretty much before we got out of her room. I don't think either of us slept well before the power came back on at about 11, and morning came too soon, especially for Charles who had to be at the hospital at 6. But, we survived the crazy!

Our take-aways for the day:

• Take the keys with you, dodo-brains.
• Put a flashlight and extra batteries in my emergency car kit.
• If we're ever staying somewhere that's not our own, especially if our hosts aren't present, we should identify the locations of things like candles, flashlights, matches, fire extinguishers, etc. before we need them.
• Clare on the playground is about the best thing in the world.

I mean, how can you resist?