New Toys

With all the new toys, we have very nearly been missing meals because we're playing so hard.

Helping Daddy saw

Josh's spatial reasoning skills were put to the test with Luca's new fort building kit. And he was very happy to do it. The picture is of sort of connecting igloo's. Now it's a super huge igloo that all of us could fit in. If I was willing to go in more than just laying in the opening.

The perfect place to read. No need to wait for the blankets go over the top.

Luca got a whole bunch of new stuff for his kitchen, pots and pans and a kettle, and an apron and chef hat. Here he models how very chef-like they make him.

He has been a very happy little boy playing with all his new things, and we have been very happy parents because he keeps stretching his imagination while giving us quiet time!

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone had the very merriest of Christmases! We had a lot of fun visiting family and opening so many presents. Once again, we were all exceptionally blessed/spoiled rotten. =)

So many new toys and books and clothes!

Dr. Luca trying out his new stethoscope

Luca had a lot of fun unwrapping. Once he finished with his, he helped us open Tessa's. Then he helped us open our own, then he helped Oma and Pa...

Using his new tools to help fix Oma's chairs

Tessa spent part of the time in another room eating, and part of the time being passed from person to person. I'm pretty sure she had fun too =)

Luca was sure to leave out cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer, and he told me what to write in the note to Santa. Did you know Santa prefers water with his cookies? Good thing Luca knew!

He asked me to draw two reindeer, Santa, Santa's boots and a Christmas tree

Here's to spending time with the family at the holidays and every day =) Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

You guys. Gone through your 4th roll of wrapping paper? Resorted to using masking tape because you're all out of scotch tape? Forgot to add the chocolate chips before you baked the chocolate chip cookies? Slip on the solid sheet of ice outside? Just in need of a little holiday cheer? Our little man delivers.

Click here for some Holiday Cheer!

Ah. Maze. Ing.

3 months

I thought this last month would never end, it really dragged on. Yeah, right. Christmas is in the 10 day weather forecast! Whoa!


She tries so hard to sit up. I joke that she is going to have a six pack to go with her Michelin baby legs. =)

There must have been a growth spurt a week or so ago because I was feeding her at least every two hours morning and night. *yaaawn* But the last couple days she's back to just getting up a couple times at night.

Luca shared his puppy with her

If I didn't know better I would think she was teething, she's so drooly and loves chewing fingers (hers and anyone else's that get close to her mouth). Yesterday she drooled through 2 bibs and was on her third one by dinner time. I mean, really, drool monster. But Luca was a late teether so we're guessing she will be too.

Genetics are a funny thing. As mom plays with Tessa it seems she is often saying "Reminds me of you when you were little." I liked to be held but not cuddled. Tessa is the same. I had (and still have) long skinny piano playing fingers. Tessa does too. I had skinny feet that would not keep on shoes. Tessa is the same. I sucked my thumb. Despite my best efforts, Tessa does too. I wouldn't take a bottle. Tessa isn't a fan of them either.

There for a while she was getting the hiccups 2-3 times a day. They've slowly tapered off until now she gets them once every other day or so.

Her next doctor's appointment isn't until 4 months, but I'm confident she's growing. She has entirely outgrown 3 month size sleepers and the 3mo onesies and pants *fit.* Expect she'll be out of them before too much longer too. I was a little bummed that she and Luca are 6 months apart because it meant all his old clothes would be for the opposite season and not work as a hand me down. But with as fast as she's growing and as slow as he did, I think a lot of stuff will probably fit at the right time!

Next month also starts her eating cereal! Gotta bring up the high chair and find the baby spoons. Jude will be so excited =) And the vet will be so disappointed, he was finally losing his high chair gut...

She has a new screechy noise and we've got a couple giggles out of her. Can't wait until she starts doing the real belly laugh!

Snow, snow, snow!

With the first measurable snow of the season, there was no way I was going to be able to keep Luca inside. Luckily, he was okay with being outside by himself until Tessa fell asleep and didn't seem to mind the cold.

Shoveling 6's on the patio

Finally Tessa fell asleep and I could bundle up and go help him shovel. Not that he needed it. He even found a convenient place to dump the shovel. In the middle of the fire pit frame on the patio. He's a good helper, he told me so.

He took a shovelful of snow over to the swingset and tried to climb the ladder with it. It did not work out well. So he just climbed the ladder and brushed all the snow off with his hands. I tried to build a snow man but it was not good packing snow. I did manage a little one though. He wanted to bring out the sandcastle molds, so the snowman also got a castle.

When Josh got home they played in the snow some more. He taught Luca how to make a snow angel and Luca taught him how to make a snowman. Neither one needed any help learning how to throw the snow at each other ;) When I was little I remember jumping off the Eagle's Nest into big piles of snow. Think maybe I should hold off on teaching that one to Luca... Maybe put a mound of snow at the bottom of the slide!

Two and Three Quarters

There's no way it's possible my sweet baby boy is this close to turning three! Jeez. I will only accept that if it means that the terrible two's are this close to being over.

He made it past the clingy phase that he was in a month or so ago. (Thank goodness!) I thought for a while he was going to replace it with a refusing-to-put-a-shirt-on phase, but thankfully that only lasted a couple days. It's sort of understandable. He's always had a giant head (80 something percentile to his 10 percentile weight) so things that are "his size" don't always go easily over the head. So during his fragile state I tried to put a sort of turtle neck sweater on him. It did not fit. After that as soon as fabric touched the top of his head he freaked out that it was going to get stuck. He's mostly good now though.

Picking Oma's green tomatoes, wearing his red cowboy boots

We turned the guest bedroom into a playroom a little while ago and it is going so well. It's wonderful having the toys corralled in one room, and he seems to enjoy being in there. Plus now he can use the desk that was already in there for coloring, and we can sit on the bed all comfy-like while he plays. He loves using his tools to fix everything. If it moves it probably shouldn't and if it doesn't move it probably should.

Reading to Tessa

He is still cooking up a storm in his little kitchen. Most recent food additions were some peanut butter and jelly blobs. Not because he eats it, but because we do and he likes to cook for us. =) He brought me a sandwich the other day saying it was pb&j, and it was a ravioli and a chip between two slices of bread. Clearly he needed something a little more pb&j-y.

Painting the model airplane he and Daddy built

Some of his current go-to phrases include:
"Luca's excited to... (fill in the blank)" (anything from 'eat snack,' to 'do laundry'),
"Cause Luca likes to." (when asked why he does anything from jumping to crying),
"Are you gonna (do something)? Right Now?" (This one drives me crazy, but it's slowly changing to add "Puh-wease!" on the end so it's not so awful.)
"You're being a pickle!" (Usually it's Pa that is being a pickle)
"Why you say... (fill in the blank)"

I guess I should start planning his birthday. When I asked him what kind of party he wanted he said "happy birthday" so he will be having a happy birthday birthday party. Shouldn't be too hard ;)

Start 'em Young

We are Doctor Who fans in this house. Which means Tessa and Luca are also DW fans. Luca fell in love with the theme song (the acapella version anyway) ages ago. And he got a Tardis last year for Christmas.

The angels have the phone box!

He calls it a "targus." Whenever he sees a picture of it he yells that out. So we've got him hooked.

It makes noise and lights up!

And Uncle Dan was kind enough to get Tessa in on the fandom.

Happy little Whovian!

Of course they haven't actually watched any of the episodes, they're scary! In several years though, when he's on his 18th regeneration, they will learn to love it even more. =)