Dean at Seven Months
Monday, December 20th, 2010
The mister is such a mellow boy. Besides his inability to nap or sleep through the night, he is sooo easy. He doesn't mind the bouncer, swing, car seat, stoller, or exersaucer! He can amuse himself for 15 minutes at a time! Mild and goodnatured with a quick smile and an infectious laugh. He can charm anyone/ anything. He only cries when hungry or sleepy. This despite having congestion for most of his life. We have introduced more foods to Dean. He isn't picky and will eat pretty much everything. Just shovel it in quickly because he will remind you he is starving! He will also make a grab for the spoon and our boy is strong.
Dean had his first experience unwrapping gifts at Hannukah. He didn't quite get the hang of it although he was given much "help" by Sasha (in the end she did most of the work for him). He had no idea what was going on but seemed to love the Indian clappers my in-laws gave him. He licked those things for a good hour and refused to look at any other gift. I wonder if it was the shape of the bells or the cool metal. Whatever the reason, it was the most popular present. Personally, I was also excited by the cute new clothes I can soon stuff him into....
Dean is a few days away from crawling. He can do about 2-3 crawls and then a lunge. We are done with the days of immobility. Sasha's toys are no longer safe and we are hastily re- baby proofing the house. He'll keep to a confined area, right? Nothing needs to fear for it's life, right?
Dean is absolutely fascinated by the cats and Ski is the only one dumb enough to let our son maul him (it makes me feel so guilty that this feline is that starved for affection). I don't think there is a part of that cat that hasn't been licked or pummeled by our baby. Don't think about it. I try not to.
Our son's hair has started to curl at the top making him look even more identical to the Gerber baby. Now, there are just too many features to fawn over!!!!
Sasha at Three Years, 5 Months
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010
Trying to take Sasha's photo has become a horrible experience. She hates having her picture taken which means I have to cajole/ bribe (the little imp knows that if she moves fast enough, the picture will most likely be blurry or she covers her face/ looks away). You wouldn't believe the depths to which I've sunk. And, then to add insult to injury, she will only produce these wierd posed pics (she likes the scrunched-in face look) with fake, sickly smiles. I hope this is a phase she grows out of soon because my photographic skills are no match for her resistence.
This month has been a blur. Especially because Sasha had two days off for Veteran's day and the full week off for Thanksgiving. I scheduled a lot of playdates, hikes, trips (like to The Harvest Festival at Encanto Park- rollercoasters and rides galore for my little speed demon!) to keep my bee busy! Her preschool put on a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration. They dressed up both 3's classes as Native Americans and the 4's as Pilgrims. Sasha's class put together a huge teepee and a canoe/ cayak looking vessel. They also made their own costumes which included a necklace, tunic, and headwear. Plus, each tot created a glorious rainmaker which could deafen anyone within a few feet. They couldn't get any more adorable. Sasha had to bring in a baggie of cut vegetables along with the est of her class so that they could make a stone soup (chicken noodle vegetable concoction). Although I couldn't have any, it smelled delish and Sasha downed a lage portion (one of the few days where she probably had MORE than the reccomended daily allowance of vegetables!). Before the feast, the 4 classes put on a little production. The Native Americans welcomed the pilgrims, they shook hands, sang a few off key songs, and sat down for some storytelling by the other 3's teacher. It was an adorable production. Sasha only touched the soup and apple juice for the feast. She wouldn't even try the cornbread.
My mom and sister came to town to celebrate Thanksgiving. Sasha loved having everyone around although she did get a little bossy and cranky by the end (as did her grandmother). My mom decided to have duck fo the meal instead of turkey which made sense (we did not want meat leftoves in our fridge for some reason). But, since my daughter is a traditionalist, we were obligated to call the duck a turkey (she learned from he preschool what she was SUPPOSED to eat). Sasha was a little canivore and ate gobs of duck. Would barely touch anything else. Well, she did have a generous serving of the pie....And, she sat through most of the dinner. I had the foresight to have a bribe onhand. Sasha enjoyed playing with Barbie for the hour and we enjoyed a rather quite dinner.
The weekend after Thanksgiving was Hannukah. My in-laws threw a marvelous party with tons of family. Sasha remembered last year's celebration- well the candles and cookie part (ok, mainly the latter; she managed to down 2 of the frosting yummies this year). The food and company were wonderful and our daughter loved being the center of attention. Grandpa tried to teach Sasha how to play the dreidle; hopefully he doesn't teach her to bet until next year.
Then we had the gift giving. Sasha is a pro: she can unwrap twenty gifts in less than two minutes. It's a whirlwind of torn wrapping and thrown tissue paper. Non and Grandpa had just come back from India and so our gifts were exotic and original (best kind). Sasha did adore the Tinkerbell costume, though....
Sasha's quirks continue to grow exponentially. This month she has started refusing to wear her hair in a pony tail or any style that has any hair band/ bow on the back/ top of her head. Everything has to be to the side. It really limits what I am able to do so we've been sticking to piggy tails. I think it might be because she hates the feel of anything against the carseat. Still, her hair is so beautiful and finally a fabulous length- can't she realize how patient I have been waiting for it to grow?
Sasha has been confusing pretend with reality. She watched my pregnancy last year and saw the outcome (a cute little baby). I must have made a comment about her getting big because she became convinced that she had an infant in her tummy. Sasha began to talk excitedly about going to the hospital and how she was going to take care of her baby. It wasn't until much, much too late that I realized she wasn't playacting; she really believed she was about to deliver. Oh, the earnestness with which she asked me whether it wasn't time to go to the hospital. Sasha was truly heartboken when I made it clear that she was too young to have a baby. "But what about when I am four?"
Sleeping has been a nightmare. Sasha has been waking up at ungodly early times (between 5 and 6 AM) because she hears the baby. She used to be the best sleepe, too. Now, she cries for me and I have to accompany her to the playroom. Between my two kids, I am averaging about 3 hours of sleep a night. Oh, they are lucky they are so beautiful. But, couldn't my sweet angels snooze a little longer? Or occupy themselves until 7 AM? Playing preschool before dawn is unsettling especially because mommy's HAS to be all seven students (who quickly become discipline problems)....
