Sea Legs

Teddy is walking. A few days ago he turned 15 months. I admit that I was starting to get anxious that he hadn’t really figured out how yet. I could see that he had the ability. He has been cruising for ages now. Gone are the days of “floor swimming”, but walking on the knees was becoming his preferred method of transportation. Fine for inside. Not so much for outside. Not to mention the callouses he has developed. Ouch.

He really started going for it a couple of nights ago and we caught it on video.

The next day, he backed off a bit due to issues getting up and staying up on his own. Back on the knees again for a bit. No biggie.

Now, tonight, he’s on a mission. For the last 20 minutes or so he’s been doing laps. At first with my hand as a guide. Then slowly letting go and doing full laps back and forth between the kitchen and living room. Once he went to the kitchen, did a tiny dance move, turned full around and walked back to the living room. That was awesome!

KC is right next to him most of this time. Encouraging and (I have to say) encroaching a bit on the personal space. It’s cool though. This is exciting for her too. Hard at times. We cheer and get all sappy and the first night he really started going she got a bit hurt. She said to me, “You never get that excited about me.” Aw, shit.

I told her how not true that is. That we got very excited when she walked and when she did all kinds of “first” things. But I also apologized to her and acknowledged that we do tend to treat her differently now that she’s bigger. I can see how that can seem unfair. Especially since we expect more of the bigger kid and lend a lot more help to the littler kid.

These babies, man. They really do grow up.

Monkey Business

Teddy ate an entire banana this morning.

That seems like a lot for such a small person.

Fashionista

KC is beginning to show some real style. It’s a little inspired by Barbie (ok, a lot) so I have to keep some control. Example: she wants to wear the outer part of a tank top as a midriff bearing shirt. I make her wear the longer under-layer if she goes out of the house. Didn’t expect to be having THAT fight so soon.

Aside from that, she really is developing a pretty fun sense of style which I am happy to support. Especially at Target and Wal-Mart prices.

The above is the tank top I mentioned.

That hat is from Target and we bought it to share, but she wears it so much better than me.

Everybody Loves Cake, Pt. 2

For KC’s actual Birthday on Friday, Ted brought home Popeye’s chicken. A definite crowd favorite here. He also got a small ice cream cake.

THIS DUDE picked up an entire wedge of cake and ate it all very fast.

That is what brain freeze looks like.

Looks like it was worth it.

Five Times As Amazing

Dear KC,
Yesterday you turned five. Today we spent a wonderful day at home despite the fact that you are sick with a fever and cough. Your party, scheduled for tomorrow, had to be canceled. You handled this news beautifully. At one point today you explained to me how you are bigger now than you were a couple of days ago. Indeed you are.

Even without a party, there have been gifts all day long. Thanks to family and neighbors stopping by to cheer up a sick girl.

We planned to bake cupcakes and let your party guests decorate them. Instead we made a cake and decorated some cupcakes together today.

It really has been a great day. You have grown so much, KC. There are moments when you seem like such a big girl and it makes me so proud. Seeing how much you have taken to kindergarten these past two weeks is a great example.

Then there are times when you clearly still need to be my little baby. Although some of those moments can be trying for a mother (times when you insist you need me for things I know you should do yourself), it is actually kind of nice.

You are still such a cuddle bug. I only wish I could spend the time doting on you that I did before your brother was born. It’s tough to give out enough cuddles and attention to TWO babies. There is definitely enough love for you both though.

You are a perfect big sister and the best daughter your dad and I could hope for. Happy Birthday, my baby. You are amazing.

Baby Girl Grown

Tomorrow morning I put KC on the bus to go to her first REAL day of school. I debated driving her in and escorting her to class. No doubt many parents will. Honestly though, I think that is more for us than for them. It has been advised by both other parents and school staff that if they will be bus riders, you should get them used to it from day one. It makes sense. It makes me nervous and a little sad. I can hug her and take a photo as she waits and then boards. Then I let go of her hand and entrust her to a big new world.

It’s just so hard to believe we are here already. This baby has grown so much. She is ready, but I am not. Probably never will be.

Everybody Loves Cake

Great party. Delicious, store-bought cake all over his face and neck. Shortly after this I stripped him down to his diaper.

Despite my suggestion of no gifts, he did get quite a few. Pretty awesome ones too so we totally appreciate the generosity of our family and friends.

Insanely creative flower arrangement made by my MIL.

Mischief and shenanigans on the red carpet that hid our awful driveway.

It was a good (and tiring) day.

One Little Golfball

I’m a day late! Golfball turned one yesterday. ONE. I cannot believe it’s been a year already. My last little baby is growing up too fast. Man, will I miss babies. I know now why older women love babies so much. They miss their own.

Dear Teddy,
You are so sweet and amazing. Watching you grow this past year has been a pleasure. You have a cheesy little grin that just lights up a room. It’s mischeivious and full of sweetness at the same time. You adore you sister and she adores you. Although I already see the future of “Mo-oom! She’s/he’s bothering me…messing with my stuff…in my room…breathing in my general vicinity!! Make her/him stop.”

You scream. For pure pleasure. At a decible that really should break glass. And usually right in my ear. You love to eat our food now. None of that baby food nonsense. The only word you say with any consistency lately is, “Mamamamamamama!” I love it. You point. A lot. We go around the room and you point, and I tell you things like, “Refridgerator! Light! Fan!” It seems to facinate you lately. I can just see it in your eyes that you really are listening and hopefully one day soon you will repeat back, “Picture! Toys! Toilet!” For now you just say, “Ahh-A?” I like to think it’s your way of asking, “And, THAT?”

The words will come in due time, I know. You are not walking yet, but that too will happen when you are ready. KC was a bit of an overachiever there. You go at your own pace, dude. Those callouses on your knees will hold up a while longer.

Today is Friday and Daddy is out cleaning the garage at almost 9 pm for a big Birthday bash tomorrow. I’ll tell you a little secret. Parties for kids your age are really parties for parents. The beer to juice ratio is a bit high. Forgive us. We take our opportunities where we can get them these days. Oh, and I also “suggested” to the vast majority of guest that they didn’t need to bring you presents. That too I hope you’ll forgive me for. You and KC have so much stuff already. You, being a second child, have become the beneficiary of many good toys from KC’s early years. You are pretty set, dude. Trust me. I promise for the rest of your Birthdays I will not stand in the way of good old fashioned consumerism and giving at its over-the-top best.

So! One. One year. Two kids. Many years of joy so far. Here’s to many more to come. I love you to pieces my sweet, soft, silly, amazing little boy.

xoxoxo
Mama

Floor Swimming

Teddy is currently crawling on hands and knees. You can hear his hands slapping the floor from across the house. But, before he really started crawling, he was doing the “army crawl” that a lot of babies start with. Or, as I like to refer to it, “floor swimming”.

If there were a Baby Olympics, dude would have been a contender for the gold. This video doesn’t do justice to the speed and technique that he had going for a while. It still gives the basic idea though.

These days his knees are actually calloused from crawling so much and he “cruises” around on his feet by holding onto furniture. The other day, Ted witnessed him standing freely in the kitchen after grabbing a magnet off the fridge. He even threw the magnet while standing up and seemed unaware that he was doing it while completely unsupported. When I try to encourage steps, he goes right to his knees.

KC walked just days prior to her first Birthday. I can’t tell whether he’ll do that. Right now, I’d have to guess no. His Birthday is less than two weeks away and he just seems like he isn’t ready to go for it yet. Then again…I was always surprised how fast KC moved from one phase to the other. Maybe he’ll follow in his sister’s footsteps on this one and totally blow me away. No pressure though, dude. No pressure at all.

Catch Up Challenge 2012

I have a homework assignment for myself. I need to play catch up with this blog very badly. SO MUCH to write about. However, since I never sit down to write anything, it simply melts together in my head and I can’t pick out the important posts to write when the time comes. That is, when I take the time. Which is almost never these days.

Teddy will be 1 in a couple of weeks. ONE YEAR. KC will turn 5 and start kindergarten soon after that. The summer has flown by in a blur of new child care challenges, holidays / mini-vacations, super hot days with nasty mosquito bites, and baby Teddy crawling, cruising, and eating his way toward toddler-hood.

I need to record much of it, but I need to make a list first. My goal is to write a series of short but meaningful posts before (oh, who am I kidding it will be after) Teddy’s Birthday on the 16th of August.

For now here are some photos. Because THAT I can manage.

Goofballs.

Both of them.

Summertime fun. Because you totally need a fire when it’s over 90 degrees out already.

Cruising like crazy these days. I’ll tell you about the “floor swimming” stage that came before. I even have a video.

First time on a real bike. It’s been a good summer.