Peek-a-boo!

Look what Theo learned to do.
Watch him playing Peek-a-boo!

Happy Birthday, Mattie!

Mattie turned three on Monday. We celebrated his birthday with a family pizza party, and Lightning McQueen and Mater cupcakes. Mattie is our most physical child. He started wrestling his brothers when he was only 10 months old, and not even walking yet. We had never had ANY wrestling in our house before that. He has also brought a lot of hitting and biting to our house as well. For the first 2 1/2 years of his life, he was known simply as Mumu, which was derived from his newborn nickname, "Mattie Moo". We started calling him Mattie this summer, so that he could start school with a bigger kid nickname. Mattie has no food allergies. He has curly hair, and definitely looks the most like my mom's family of the four boys. He has my Grandpa Cliff's ears and my Grandma Marion's mouth. The ears have been obvious since birth, but I just figured out where his uniquely wide smile came from this summer. It warms my heart every time I see it spread across his face. It's like having my grandmother with me again, just for an instant. I wish that I could have shown it to her before she died! Mattie loves cars, trucks and trains, another first in our house. His favorite possession is his blanket, "Tita". He's been waiting patiently all summer for his birthday to arrive. He asked frequently whether it was October yet, as we celebrated Jack's, then Elliot's, then my birthdays. And when October finally did arrive, with the remarkable expressiveness of an almost three year old, he told me that kids don't like other kids' birthdays; they only like their own. He told me that no one was going to like his birthday, because they weren't going to get any presents!

As a mother of four, life seems to move so fast. We celebrate each birthday and milestone, and the years fly by. I still have those beautiful moments of wonder and awe with the kids, but most of the time, if I don't write them down immediately, they're lost forever. That was one of the reasons I wanted to start this blog. I used to keep handwritten journals for Jack, Elliot and Mattie. But, it got to the point that I was only writing in them once or twice a year. I knew that if I did something online, I would write more often. And so I have. Now, when I find myself thinking - oh I better write that down - I usually do. And share it with you, of course. I've tried to jot down some of the things I want to always remember about Mattie this year. Here they are:

This past Spring and summer was an incredible time of awakening for Mattie. He became aware of so many things, and was actually able to express them in words. One of his new discoveries was time. He started asking us "what time is it?" constantly. At first, Ted and I answered truthfully, "it's X o'clock, Mattie." But, that answer never really seemed to satisfy him. He would often turn around and ask "what time is it?" immediately again. Then, finally, after many months of being asked the same question, one day I answered, "it's lunch time." A huge smile spread across his face, and he replied, "Yeah, it's lunch time. That's what time it is." Clearly, that was a major breakthrough. At that point, he had probably been asking us what time it was at least 5 times a day for 4 months. Our answer was always the same. And we were completely befuddled as to why our two year old, who had no understanding of time, would ask about it so much. When I answered "it's lunch time" that day, I realized that Mattie had been repeatedly asking the same question because he never got an answer he understood. Once I told him what time it was in terms of what we were doing, he stopped repeating the question. It must be hard for kids at times like that, when they have such dumb parents.

Mattie also started to understand the days of the week, and the concept of past, present and future. He began referring to all the things that had happened in the past as having happened on "Thirty", which was his word for Thursday. It was always, "I saw that big blue digger at the park of Thirty," and "when I went to the Children's museum on Thirty." He never mentioned any of the other days of the week. He also went through a phase over the summer when he would refer to any smaller or younger child as someone who would "grow into Mattie." And he himself was going to "grow into Jack or Elliot". He told us several times that he was going to turn 6 or 8 (like J&E) on his birthday this year. Well, this week he's finally 3, and well on his way to growing into all the other big people out there.

Happy Birthday, Little Moo!

New to the Gallery...

No one wants to be left out of the early Christmas preparations in our house. Jack has added his list to the side of the refrigerator, alongside Elliot's.

He also informed me at breakfast this morning that he had just thought of a new palindrome - REDIVIDER - a person who divides repeatedly. Another jewel for our collection, delivered through a mouthful of mini-wheats.

Jack also brought home this wonderful painting from art class. It depicts an 8th inning game between the Minnehaha Mosquitoes, and the San Jose Fire. Minnesota is leading 7-2. There are 2 outs, and the count is 3-1 for this batter. You can click on the image below to see a larger version.

School Update

Elliot finally got into Jack's new school! Hooray! My stressed out, harried life as I know it is over. Well, probably not. I do still have four kids to take care of, cloth, feed, bathe, supervise, discipline, educate and love. But, I digress; that's fodder for another blog post. Today I'm celebrating! Life will certainly be much better and much simpler with both boys in the same school. The news came unexpectedly, after so much frustration dealing with the Family Resource Center back in September. I had really prepared myself for this to go on for months, possibly even the whole school year. Surprisingly, it was Jack who actually brought some urgency to the situation. We met with the principal last week regarding his provisional placement in the bilingual third grade program. She told us definitively that Jack could not stay in the program. His level of Spanish was insufficient. The school's official policy is that no one can enter the bilingual program after second grade, unless they are proficient (or fluent) in both languages. Because of my ability to speak Spanish at home, they agreed to let Jack try the class, but after 5 weeks, he just could not keep up in the Spanish section. The school wanted to move Jack over into the English onlythird grade class, which Ted and I would not agree to. They did, however, give us one other option - second grade bilingual. That option appealed to us in many ways, but I told the principal that we could not make a permanent move like that without knowing that Elliot also had a place in the school. She said she would talk to the Family Resource Center to see what she could find out. 48 hours later, we got an email welcoming Elliot to the first grade. So, yesterday Jack moved to the second grade classroom. Elliot said goodbye to his friends at St. John. Today, he will join Jack at his new school.

Tonight I will dream of my new daily routine, with only two pick up and two drop offs (one on Mondays and Fridays,) time to play on the playground after school, and a wonderful new school community where our family can truly feel at home. How do I feel? Thankful!

Theo Strips

I turned around this morning to find that Theo had started to strip down. Apparently it's much more fun to play with your own zipper than any toys your mom gives you. Either that, or he was just trying to get into character for his future Dancing With the Stars performance.

Quote of the Day

Overheard in the car yesterday...

Jack: "You know what's so great about Christmas? Kids get lots of presents, and their parents don't even have to buy them!"

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Santa Claus, on behalf of all the parents out there.

Baseball Days

It's all baseball, all the time in our house, even when we're just outside drawing with chalk.

Please pass the rolls

Theo had his 6 month check up today. Here are his vital stats. He weighed 19 lbs 1 oz, and was 29" long. That puts him in the 72th percentile for weight, and the 98th percentile for height. I'm always proud of the boys' healthy growth and development, but the six month checkup is always a particularly proud moment for me, because that's normally what we wait for to introduce solid foods. Theo's six month check up wasn't scheduled until he was 6 1/2 months old, so we went ahead and started cereal last week. But, up until then, he had been 100% breastfed since birth. All 9 lbs that he gained in utero, plus the ten he gained since birth, all came directly from me. I know it's what my body was physically designed to do, but the idea that I grew a 19 lb baby is overwhelmingly and breathtakingly amazing to me, and I give myself a big pat on the back for it. He's been enjoying his rice cereal, but now that the novelty has worn off, he's much more interested in the rest of things going on around him. Last night, the dinner table was particularly crowded with food plates. I guess I put one a little too close to Theo. When I turned around, he had a dinner roll in his hands. He was alternating between sucking on it and mushing it between his fingers. I don't think I've ever seen him more excited! Who needs fruits and veggies? We may just skip healthy food and go right to the good stuff - nice, buttery rolls!

Quote of the Day

Overheard yesterday by the umpire on our indoor baseball diamond:

Elliot threw the ball at me and he hit me in the head, and he hit me somewhere else too, but I don't know where, and he did it on purpose! -Jack

I think that is Jack's way of saying he thinks I made a bad call.

The Best and The Worst of It

We often play a game at dinner called the "Best and Worst Game". We take turns going around the table, and we each share what the best and worst parts of our day were. It's a great dinner table game. It gives everyone a chance to share something good and bad about their day, and it is also a fantastic way to practice listening and taking turns. Everyone gets a chance to speak, but they are also expected to listen respectfully to everyone else. I think I first read about it in a book a year or so ago. I decided to try it as a way to practice listening, and to help us get through our chaotic weeknight dinners without Ted. Jack and Elliot really love being able to share their best and worst things. Unfortunately, what I've cooked for dinner is very often both of their worst things. But, I don't let it get me down! Mattie, on the other hand, enjoys the game, but has never really grasped the concept enough to be able to contribute accurately. We always give him the chance to pick his best and worst things, but his answers are often things like "seven", or "um, blue." Today, however, something must have clicked. For the first time tonight, he told us what his best part of today was, and he said, "I'm at home." He meant, specifically, that he was not at school. He asks every morning whether he has to go to school that day. He usually phrases it like this: "Are you going to leave me alone at school today?" Although we did go to his school for a family breakfast this morning, I assured him that he would not be staying at school, and would in fact be spending the whole day at home with me. So, very sweetly, his very first ever best part of the day was being at home with me.

Book of the Week

My book of the week suggestions are slowly becoming my book of the every other week suggestions. But I promise to keep recommending books, even if it's not as often, as I love sharing my favorite children's books with all of you. Reading is one of my favorite ways to spend time with my kids, and it never fails to calm even the most hyperactive boy in this house. I hope you'll pick this one up!

Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff, et als.

This is the story of the unlikely friendship between a baby hippo named Owen and an old tortoise named Mzee. We were given this book by one of my mother's oldest friends, who has been a pre-school teacher for the last 30 years. It is a beautifully photographed and true story of a baby who is separated from his mother during the 2004 tsunami, and is rescued and taken to live in an animal sanctuary in Kenya. After losing his mother, baby Owen forges a new bond with old Mzee, and the two have lived together every since. It's unusual, and heartwarming, and while the story would appeal to children of any age, the text is probably most appropriate for the 4-6 crowd.

The Trouble With the Tooth Fairy

I woke up this morning to the sound of loud, stomping footsteps above me, and lots of noisy commotion. As soon as my mind switched on, I sat straight up in bed, grabbing Ted's arm, and whispered, "the tooth fairy!"

Jack lost his 6th tooth yesterday. It's one of his top front teeth. It's been loose for months, and hanging on by a thread for the last few days. It finally fell out after dinner last night, right as Ted and I were headed out the door for our date. We had a great evening out. We came home to a wonderfully quiet house, relaxed for a while, then went to bed. Not once, during the entire evening did I think about Jack's tooth or our tooth fairy duties.

How is it that something can be so far from my mind all evening, yet jump at me before I'm even awake and aware? It's not the first time we've forgotton either. This is the second tooth Jack's lost that we've failed to collect. The first time we completely forgot about it. Jack brought his tooth up to us at breakfast, sullen, wondering what had gone wrong. He and Elliot had stayed up extremely late the night before talking and making mischief in their room. So, we offered the explanation that perhaps the tooth fairy had tried to collect his tooth, but was unable because he hadn't fallen asleep yet. Our suggestion placated him, and even managed to convince both boys to go immediately to sleep the next night, whereupon we diligently fulfilled our duty. But, this time, I remembered immediately upon waking. Ted jumped out of bed, and was able to grab 2 one dollar coins off his dresser and slide them under Jack's pillow before he checked. But, the tooth was still there. Here again we lucked out. Jack felt it at first, but somehow lost it as he tried to pull it out from under his pillow. When he bent down to look for it under his bed, all he could find were tiny white legos. Ted was able to convince him that he had felt a stray lego under his pillow, rather than his tooth. I crept back in later, and managed to get the tooth during breakfast. Another disaster averted. Another huge sigh of relief. Phew... But, we're off to an embarrassingly bad start. Having this much trouble with Jack, our oldest child, with 2 of the six teeth he's lost, I'm very worried about having to keep this up for three more kids. I'm not sure we have it in us. How many more times can we hope to get lucky?

The trouble with the tooth fairy is that she has to have a really good memory, and we don't.

Time for a Hot Bath

The last few weeks have been hard. I think probably the hardest ones I can remember since Jack was a newborn. I'm exhausted and overwhelmed, overworked and frustrated. Everyone kindly asks us about the boys' school situation. Telling the story so often, I'm starting to depress myself! I came home from drop offs this morning, excited by the prospect of a few quiet hours at home. I quickly nursed Theo and tucked him in bed, threw some clothes in the wash, checked my email, and decided the perfect respite from all this stress was a hot bath. I filled up our tub, grabbed a book, and hopped in. The sun was streaming in through the window. I was watching the leaves blowing on the trees, and the clouds moving across the sky. I had three beautiful minutes. Then, I heard a noise. I stupidly forgot to bring the baby monitor into the bathroom. I couldn't tell if I was hearing something outside, or Theo crying in the distance, through two closed doors. I waited, not hearing anything for a few seconds. Then, it started again. I hadn't even had time to wash myself off or get my hair wet. What to do? Anger welled up inside me, as it always does when life seems to be asking more of me than I can give. I decided to jump out of the bath quickly, without draining the tub, and see if it was Theo. It was. After only a few minutes of sleep, his bad cold had woken him up. He was crying with what little voice he has left at this point, desperately trying to catch his breath through his stuffed up nose. I brought his infant seat into the bathroom and plopped him in it. He cried for a moment, but seemed content to have me talking to him from a few feet away. I jumped back in the bath, and quickly washed myself off. Then I picked Theo up and brought him into the bath with me. He was afraid for just a moment, then relaxed in my arms. We stayed in the tub for at least a half an hour, playing, talking and just cuddling together. It wasn't the long, quiet bath alone I had dreamed about that morning, but it was just as relaxing, and a thousand times more memorable. Without even a diaper on, Theo seemed so small. Holding him naked against my bare chest brought back the same feelings of amazement and love from the delivery room. It was a surprisingly special moment, a serendipitous reward, a memory I'll always treasure.

Quote of the Day

Overhead while in the kitchen...

"That refrigerator crack's a ground rule double. Anything that goes in that crack is an automatic double." -Jack