Playtime with Kate

Last night, Kate threw an absolute fit when we said she could not watch any more "Abby-Elmo" (i.e. Sesame Street of any kind, even things without those two favorite characters) for the evening. She literally screamed "I wanna watch Abby-Elmo!" over and over for about twenty minutes. Matt and I contemplated taking a video of her to send to PBS, saying "see what you've done?!" 

She really, really loves Sesame Street, and we have several DVDs in addition to watching short clips on sesamestreet.org. But when Kate's not watching or begging to watch Sesame Street, she has other, more enriching hobbies we can indulge. 

Like painting...

I suspect she enjoys the mess-making more than the actual creative expression, but we definitely had fun with some new watercolors and markers we got when shopping for this year's school supplies (which consisted of crayons, markers, and a pencil box). She had to try all the colors, and did not want to be slowed down by rinsing the brush between colors.

Kate likes to practice cutting and pasting. She likes for me to cut out shapes from colored paper and she'll glue them to another paper. Often, when we color, she's more project manager than artist, asking me to write or draw various things for her. "Write my name!" she'll beg, and we'll spell different words. This morning, she had me draw her, me, and Daddy (all wearing purple)... and the cows from her Little People Farm.

She likes playing with the farm in general, but as the cows are the only animal she has multiple of, she likes to carry them around with her. Not sure why. They came outside with us this evening and rode in the baby swing while she played on the swingset. 

She's also been having me draw Dolly over and over (her little plush baby that she got when she was born) and then as Dolly sat and watched us draw other things, Kate occasionally turns the paper toward Dolly and says, "See, Dolly? Mommy, Daddy, Kate!" (or whatever we were drawing). She did that when we were reading a book with another baby doll (whom she has named "Sister") recently, making sure I angle the book so the baby can "see." I imagine she'll do that with her baby sister too :0) 

We still enjoy old favorites like play food and blocks too. This morning we "shopped" around the living room for fruit and other things arranged on the furniture. Then we played with blocks for a good long while. Kate is very into matching colors now, such as when I'm wearing a green shirt and she'll hold up a piece of play broccoli to show me how they match. So, a lot of the block playing now is grouping all the blue blocks, all the orange blocks, etc. I like to stack blocks into towers, but apparently I do it wrong, since she is often telling me, "No, Mommy!" 

And finally, the newest (coolest, in my mind) development is Kate's ability to use her imagination. She's started wanting to play pretend without any props, and it's so fun to see what she comes up with. The two main games are eating--we pluck food from a tree or a shelf, prepare it, and eat it--and balloons--we grab the strings of helium balloons, I tie them to her wrist or ankle, she shouts "oh no! it floated away!" and we try to catch it before it flies too far away. (I don't know why I can never tie those imaginary strings tight enough! :0) Here's Kate trying to catch a balloon that floated away...

What kind of games do your kids like to play?

Six Months

This month's picture is pretty messy (and about ten days late), but here I am at six months along. Kate was having a little meltdown because she wanted me to hold her right then. "I wanna hold you!" she screams, meaning "I want you to hold me," but it's sweeter this way. I usually respond, "I wanna hold you too," except when I have to say, "Sorry, I can't hold you right now.")

My hair also looks funky in this pic because a) the humidity is making my "horns" (i.e. the pieces of hair around my temples that never grow out) frizzy--I call them horns because when I was younger they would frizz out and up--and b) our upstairs air conditioning has been out for a week and a half, making me get dressed and ready as hastily as possible, and definitely not holding any heating devices near my head.

Nonetheless, I love this maternity dress my mom got me for my birthday, and am longing for the day when I can wear sleeves and pants without completely overheating. It is SO, SO HOT!! I know it's hot for everyone, so I'm not claiming it's just the pregnancy, but man oh man, I can't wait for it to be fall. 

I'm feeling pretty good. Still throwing up occasionally, as is to be expected for me. I went about a month without it, and now we're back to a couple times a week. Oh well. I'm in the hungry-and-heartburny stage of pregnancy now, where I'm eating every two hours and frequently suffering heartburn afterwards. 

Claire is moving a lot, and many movements are visible from the outside, which I just love. I lean back and watch "the belly show" as she punches and kicks. Whereas Kate used to stretch a lot, bulging firmly out one side, Claire often seems to "crawl" across my belly, with almost a scampering-type feeling. It's a funny feeling, but I love it. 

Less than three months to go now! I need to start preparing the nursery soon. I washed Kate's old newborn things, and most everything came clean. (It seems that spitup stains that look clean at the time tend to yellow while sitting in a box for two and a half years.) 

Kate helped with the washing, of course, and had to try on this little bear hat. I had to snap the picture quickly because the hat kept slipping up her head and popping off! It fit much better when she was just seven months old...

So, Claire now has drawers full of hand-me-down sleepers and onesies... and a few new things I couldn't resist getting for her!

Working the Camera

Our friend Maria (who has taken family pics for us several times before--like here, here, here, and here) came over a couple weekends ago to take photos of Kate. We've usually done spring and fall, but we missed this spring and I wanted to have another shoot focusing just on Kate before she has to share the spotlight with her sister. Plus, she just hit the 2 1/2-year mark, so I should share a little of what she's up to!

Besides seriously working the camera, that is.

At 2 1/2, Kate is a sweet, smart, strong-willed little girl (who can be very bossy at times--good luck, little sister!)

She knows her letters, colors, shapes, and numbers up to 14. She stands by the car and spells out M-E-R-C-U-R-Y, and recognizes the word "Butler," when she or Daddy are wearing their Bulldog gear. The other night, she said her first prayer, "Dear God, thank you for food... church... my room."

She can "read" (i.e. has memorized) the Eric Carle book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and will sing various songs spontaneously, including "The Alphabet Song," "Clean Up, Clean Up," "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed," and "Happy Birthday."

We finally found a vegetable she'll eat--carrot sticks. Finally! V-8 Fusion and Prego Veggie Smart are still good solutions, though. Favorite foods right now include hot dogs, bagels with cream cheese, yogurt, pasta, and marshmallows.

Potty training is going pretty well. We didn't do the boot-camp-style of intensive training, so it's been a long process, but at this point, she can go a whole day without an accident (doesn't always do it, but can!) Sometimes that even includes naps, when we forget to switch to a pull-up, which she still wears at night. I draw hearts on her hands with markers when she stays dry for a period of time, and (yes, we resort to bribery) I'll sometimes give her ice cream for going #2 on the potty, since that was an issue briefly.

She struggled some in the classroom she was in for the last two months at her new day care. While she will ask us--or even other teachers--to go potty when she needs to, somehow that teacher intimidated her and she wouldn't ask to go. Given how harsh the teacher was about it even when talking to Matt and I, I suspect she scolded Kate for accidents and made her afraid to ask. (Talk about a mad mama bear!) She's now in a new classroom, and while she had one accident the first day, she's stayed dry for the entire day yesterday and today.

 So, my little baby is becoming a little girl, and soon will be a big sister!

I sure do love my girl.

The Computer's Back!

Hooray! After dealing with my slow, buggy, disk-way-full computer for months, I now have a new hard drive, more than five times the storage, and other good stuff thanks to Tech Pros in Franklin. It might not have been a bad idea to ditch the thing and get a new (lighter-weight!) notebook, but we've had a lot of big purchases lately, and I'm hoping that this cleaned and fancified machine will last me a couple years more.

So, yay! I can blog again and share those lovely, gigantic photos that fill up my memory. First order of business, a super-quick recap of life since our big move...

We've been doing a lot of swimming in the neighborhood pool. It's great just to walk out the back door at the end of a long, hot day, and take a quick dip before dinner! Kate was timid at first, but is now jumping in from the side (into our arms) with no fear! (oh, and Matt went clean-shaven for his renewal leave in the month of June)

We also have a playground in our yard that came with the house, and behind that (see it on the ridge there?) is the neighborhood playground, so we have a lot of fun stuff to do outside this summer!

Dear friend Becca's third birthday party was in June. The theme was Super-Readers (a PBS show) and the kids sang along with the show's songs using fun microphones. Becca had the American Idol diva moves down!

Matt and I went to the Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina. Matt had wanted to go to this progressive Christian music/justice/art festival anyway, and I got to go as part of the Find Your Way Home prison tour. (Remember last summer, when we went to Houston?) Becca Stevens, the Magdalene ladies, and a few awesome Nashville musicians presented at a Raleigh women's prison and at the festival. The prison was very impressive in its commitment to rehabilitation and job skills preparation. The warden's stated goal was to help the women know that--whether they would be getting out in twenty years or never--they can have a meaningful life. The Magdalene women with us who had experienced incarceration were wowed by this facility's emphasis on hope and restoration.

And here's Matt and I at the hippie-Christian festival. The highlight for me was hearing Jennifer Knapp play. Her songs feel so much more "real" than many in Christian music.

True to my dorky, survey-loving self, I was genuinely thrilled to have been called on to be a Nielsen family for a week! We got thirty bucks and had to keep a diary of all our television viewing for a week. It's an interesting exercise to actually make note of what you watch and for how long (and how often the TV is on when no one is watching--it asks that too). Turns out, we mostly watch the news and comedy-news shows like Colbert. A few episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" and a late night showing of "Titanic" pretty much rounded out the week. 

My thirtieth birthday was July 4. Kate made this cute firecracker hat in school. I called her "my little firecracker," which made me think of my grandmother, whose words upon hearing of my birth were, "we've got another little firecracker!" since my cousin had also been born on the Fourth of July the year before.

We had a nice birthday/housewarming cookout with friends and family.

 Matt and the dads tapped the mini-kegs on the back patio...

 ... though it was mostly an indoor party, due to the crazy heat.

Kate and Becca had a big time playing together in their red, white, and blue outfits.

 After a brief siesta, some of us continued the festivities at a big concert and fireworks event at a local park.

 Kate danced with Granna and Opa...

And watched fireworks with Nala and Popi (the sweaty, tired, glazed-over look just about sums up the long day!)

Tracy, my best friend from college, came to town for my birthday and came to the fireworks as well.

And just this past weekend, we went to Atlanta for the blessing of her and her husband's marriage (they eloped two years ago and had a lovely church ceremony to bless their civil marriage). My camera wasn't cooperating, so I only have three pics from the weekend, but this one shows the sunflower theme that ran from the invitations to the bouquets to the cake! 

Whew! I'm glad to have gotten all that out there. Coming soon: my six month prego update, Kate's 2 1/2 year pics, and maybe some reflections on Romans as Matt begins an eight-week sermon series on Paul's letter and I try to practice some discipline by reading along as he prepares. 

Five Months

As of last week, I'm now five months along with Baby Claire!

I'm 23 weeks, and there's really not much to report! I'm not feeling or getting sick near so often (I think it's been two weeks since I last threw up) and I'm not so picky about what I eat now--the serious cravings are less common. I'm getting more to the "hungry" stage, where Baby is packing on weight and I'm finally gaining a little too (after losing weight during the queasy/pukey stage). I'm making sure to pack plenty for lunch and a few snacks when I head off to work, and my colleagues do a pretty good job of keeping me fed too :0)

Thanks to the cool iPad app I've been using, the Pampers "Hello Baby" app (I just looked for it in the App Store and now can't find it, so it might not be available anymore), I see that Claire is about 8 inches long and weighs around one pound. I should have done this each month, but for fun, here's what Claire looks like--real size--according to the app. (You tap the screen to toggle between a full-body view with information and the "life size" view.)

I'm not sure how that's possible, because I don't feel like I'm big enough yet to accommodate a baby that size and all my organs! I remember with Kate, though, the doctor told me I have a "deep pelvis," which can apparently hold Baby down in there without sticking out as much as she might otherwise. Claire's hanging out really low, too. Most of her early kicks were in an unmentionable region, and even now, she's clearly right under my waistband, not up in the belly that sticks out.

Anyway, fun times! I had an OB appointment yesterday, and it felt so anticlimactic (especially after waiting in the waiting room for an hour). I really had no questions, and there wasn't much to do this time besides check the heartbeat and the size of my uterus. Quad screen was last time (all good) and next time is the glucose test. It's funny how with the first, I had questions every time and wrote down everything--it's all "been there, done that" now. I haven't even opened What to Expect When You're Expecting once this time around!

Which reminds me of--and so I'll leave you with--this random movie quote. Can anyone (besides Matt) name that movie?

"I didn't read the baby books! What's gonna happen? How did anyone ever give birth without the baby books! That's right--the ancient Egyptians carved What to Expect When You're Expecting on the pyramid walls!"

Parenting Two

A couple weeks ago, I asked for advice on helping Kate adjust to having a sibling. Here, on Facebook, and via email, you all shared some great tips that I'll have to remember! The most insightful, I think, was making sure that I'm not holding the baby when Kate comes to see us at the hospital. To make sure she doesn't feel usurped, my lap should be free and ready to hold her right away.

Today I want to ask more about the practical side of parenting two kids.
What tips do you have for everyday life with two small kids?

I'm thinking of things like:
how to get everybody ready and out the door before work/school or church,
how to keep Kate in check (in parking lots, etc.) when my hands are full with an infant
what ways Kate can help out without being a danger to the baby
... and plenty of things I can't even think of right now.

I'm sure that, as with the first, you figure things out as you go until you can't even remember what life was like before, but I'd love to have a few tricks from the old pros in my pocket!

4th of July

You recall how my New Year's resolution was "only blog if I feel like it"? That was an effort to keep blogging from taking over my life and the pressure of getting five posts a week out from stressing me out. Lately, though, I've really been wanting to blog more, even contemplating starting up Project Life again, and yet either don't find the time (Kate's later bedtime and resistance to bedtime even then being a prime factor) or run into technical difficulties like my slow computer getting even more tempermental and almost-full memory refusing to upload more pictures. (I've been putting it off forever, but I really need to get a computer fix-it person to clean it up.) 

So, I hope to share new pics and old stories and all that once my computer is working better, but in the meantime, let me share one fun pic (sent to me by my MIL) from our Fun Fourth Festivities--also known as Jesstravaganza Triple-X, since it was my thirtieth birthday!

We had a birthday/housewarming cookout to celebrate, joined by a dozen or so family and friends. I think my favorite part was watching these two little sillies play together, and hearing their giggles all over the house. 

And, holy crap, I'm thirty!