FTPDF

Happy Freaking Friday, everyone!

This may have been the craziest week of my life, but I'll save that story for another day because my brain might explode at any moment.  Therefore, tonight's post will be brief.

Callie is starting to figure out that humans eat animals.  She has asked me some good questions, but I (being a former vegetarian and not wanting to gross her out enough to stop eating ham and salami, some of her few sources of protein) have remained vague and noncommittal.  I know she'll figure it out soon enough and I'm sure it will be fine. But honestly, if I have to think about the details too much I could swing back to vegetarianism in a heartbeat.  And I like corn dogs too much for that.  So instead, I like to change the subject and ask things like, "If you could make a wish, what would you wish for?"  And then she answers adorable things like, "To lose a tooth and a princess clock," and the subject is then avoided.  For the moment.

Maya says "Maya" a lot now when she sees herself in the mirror or in pictures.  But then we went to dinner last night and she saw another girl at the next table that was her size and Maya pointed to her and shouted "MAYA!!!"  So she may still be a little confused.  But seriously the vocabulary development is still going strong and SO MUCH FUN.  We have conversations where I know she understands everything I say, but I understand only 2% of what she says but she doesn't care and neither do I because it is so adorable to hear her babble so passionately.  She also still hates getting her teeth brushed and screams and cries through it every. single. night.

I only have two groups of pictures to share from the week.

Favorite Thing #1: Hanging out with these people (plus Kona)

Favorite Thing #2: Getting these pictures while at work

Have a great weekend!

TBT

Happy Thursday!

Our household is out of the land of the sick, but unfortunately both G-ma and Boom joined the sick party.   THOSE GERMS!  Ridiculous.  Sorry for the germs, G-ma and Boom.

Here are the throwbacks for this week.  I tried to mix it up a little bit.

Goofy faces with Mommy

Callie in a laundry basket

The difference a year makes.
Last year we were in the throes of SCREAMYBABYNESS.
I'm so glad we're not there anymore.

The Norovirus Vortex

Happy Tuesday!

OMG. HOW IS IT ONLY TUESDAY?

Our little family has spent the past 5 days in a puking pooping vortex of nasty.

I looked it up on WebMD...it most definitely seems to have been something like a NOROVIRUS.

It started on Friday with Maya. 

Puking.  4 hour nap.  More puking.  Gross pooping.  Multiple baths. CRABBY.

Saturday was okay...just a little 7:30am puking by the little one (and more gross pooping) but generally better.

Except that was probably the day that the dang little norovirus crept its way into all the rest of us in order to cause more pain and misery.

Sunday morning it hit Chris.  He was in bed ALL day and pretty much totally out of commission.

Then, 11:30pm on Sunday night, it hit me.  Multiple times.  Throughout the night.  I was out of commission all day on Monday.

Then, 10:30pm on Monday night, it hit Callie.  I had gone to bed early, but was woken up by Chris coming into our room and saying, "Well, we are 4 for 4," and starting the bath tub for yet another clean-off-the-puke bath.

Thankfully, the stupid norovirus lost a little steam with the last one.  She only puked once, had no gross poops, and was generally fine today.  She did nap, so it got her on that, but was happy and playful other than that.

So we have wiped down surfaces and door knobs, done lots of laundry, and spent a little too much crabby time together the past 5 days.  I'm hoping *knock on wood* that we're out of the woods. 

Until Maya catches Callie's cold, and then we'll get to have fun with those germs back and forth until probably June.

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Sickies Edition

OMG.  As I said on Friday, Maya was sick...puking, etc.  The puking lasted about 24 hours, but the other gross stuff went on through today.  This morning Chris got hit- not the puking, but major stomach pain and couldn't get out of bed...basically all day.  And Callie got a super bad cold.

So I got to deal with all the sickies and their fun sickie stuff and their fun sickie attitudes.

But let's focus on something more positive, shall we?

Saturday

The best part about Saturday was Laura's first bridal shower!!!!!  It was thrown by Faye, the good friend of her future mother-in-law, Mariellen.  It started out at a bar for a dart tournament, which was awesome, and then ended at Faye's house for lunch, cake and presents.  It was so fun, and it was great to get to know some of the ladies from Craig's side.

Bottom left: Laura with Lucy, Craig's grandma (who kicked everybody's butts at darts)
Bottom right: Laura with Mariellen, her future mother-in-law

Craig made an appearance for cake and presents.

There are a couple more showers in February, and the wedding is about a month away.  Can't wait!

As for the rest of Saturday, it was pretty low-key.

Shambles is going to pass up Kona really fast,
The girls wanted to be in laundry baskets,
Maya walked around Southdale and was my dinner date.

Sunday

Today was just a wash.  By 9:30 I got the girls in the car to just drive around because Maya would not let me put her down and Callie was bored.  We drove and watched some skiers (cross country and downhill) at different places near our house, and did a Target and Babies R Us run. 

Thankfully, the girls pepped up before bedtime, so we were able to have a little bit of fun trying to get Maya to say words.  She was not having much of it, though...


IMG 3753 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

She has figured out her own name finally, as you'll see eventually...


IMG 3754 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Hope your start to the week will be better than ours will be!

FTPDF: THe 18-Months-Old Edition!!!

Here is our little 18-month-er in her happy place.

Favorite Thing #1: Bath time

Unfortunately for this little one, she spent a lot of her 18-month-day either sleeping, puking or pooping out gross stuff.  (Hence the bath time picture).  She hasn't had any other issues so far (*knock on wood*) so I hope whatever bug she got goes away quickly.

But besides all that, the biggest thing about her this week is her language development.  It is so fun because everyday she'll come out with some new words that I didn't know she knew.  Today, for example, was "fish" and "phone."  We are also working on her name, but she is being resistant to that little bit.

She thinks it is hilarious to say "no" when Callie asks her to say different things, so now it has become a kind of game between them.

Callie: Maya, can you say "Gossie?"
Maya: NO!
Callie: (giggling) Maya, can you say "Gertie?"
Maya: (smiling) NO!!!

And so on.  It is adorable.

Callie got to go on a field trip to Orchestra Hall today for a Kinder Koncert.  She said that she saw flutes and violins, and that they all got to go in a big box with carpet on the walls.  I have no idea what that means, but I trust her.  She is so observant and takes in so much information every day that I'm always impressed by what she notices and how much she can tell us about stuff.  And, in general, her 5-year-old attitude is MUCH better than her 4-year-old attitude.  Thank goodness.

On to the pictures...

Favorite Thing #2: Goofy girls


IMG 3613 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Favorite Thing #3: MLK day off on Moday

Favorite Thing #4: A birthday celebration for G-ma

Favorite Thing #5: Pillow fights with Daddy

Favorite Thing #6: Kona love

Favorite Thing #7: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday with G-pa, G-ma and Boom

Have a great weekend!

TBT

Happy Thursday!  It is currently 5:30am and I have been wide awake since about 3:45am, so I thought, why NOT write my TBT blogpost right now?  It'll maybe give me some more time tonight to run on the treadmill.  Or at least more time to THINK about running on the treadmill.

I'm acutely aware that it is the 22nd today, and that the past 60 months, most of the 22nds have been recognized as Callie's "_______-months-old" day.  Well guys, I'm going to call it now that she's five, and just let her be 5 and whatever months until she is 6.  So no more 22nd month posts for her.

Sorry, kid, you're growing up.

On to the throwbacks...this is a time of year that their opposite season birthdays become pretty obvious.  A lot of Callie's almost-18-month pictures were taken outside in June.  A lot of Maya's are taken inside in January.  Or, in the case of the 3rd one, outside in the cold in January.

Serious girls on the bike at Boom and Bops' place

Cute happy faces

Standing outside

Weekend Wrap-Up: The BIRTHDAY PARTY Edition

Happy Sunday!

As you may recall, Callie's birthday was back on December 22nd.  But because the holiday time gets so crazy and people are busy or out of town, we decided to do Callie's friend birthday party in mid-January.

Guess, what?  It IS mid January.  That came up fast.  Our big event from the weekend was Callie's birthday party on Saturday morning.  We had 13 kids (including our 2) come and hang out with us at a super cool indoor play place we have been to a couple of times.  The parents stayed to hang out and chat too...that is, when they weren't busy chasing after their children who were running around and climbing and swinging and jumping and having fun!

iPhone pictures of quickly moving children don't turn out very well.
Oh well...my oft used little subject stayed still enough for pictures, as usual.

We had all gluten-free snacks AND cupcakes.  I made them last night from a mix I got at the co-op and was a little nervous about how they would taste.  But the kids chowed down on them, proving that anything can taste good if you slather on enough pink and purple frosting.

Callie let everyone sing "Happy Birthday," and even smiled a little.
She is growing up!

She opened lots of cool presents, too.

It was a great time with our friends, and we're thankful for everyone who came out to celebrate, it was quite the crew:

                    Ciri- 6                    Callie- 5                     Charlie- 4                       Henrick- 4

                    Sydney- 4              Donald- 3                    Stella-2                          Elise- 2

                    Mabel- 2                Kylie-2                       Avery- 2                         Frederick-1

                    Maya-1

 

There was also a number of babies-to-be in attendance via their moms, which will make next year's birthday party that much bigger and more fun.

 

While we were having fun playing, Kona and her cousin Shambles were busy playing at G-ma and G-pa's house.

 

IMG 3509 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Kona is thrilled to having someone in the family who will actually play with her until she is exhausted.

As you can see below, her and Shambles were exhausted after their big playtime.  For us, the rest of the day was playing at home, and then G-ma and G-pa came over for dinner.

Oh yeah, and the girls found the cabinet I kept my pumping supplies. 
The supplies turned into megaphones and toys.

Sunday

We had our usual weekend morning playtime...complete with Maya's excitement with her stroller and (less visible excitement for) Callie's room.

What she IS excited about ALL THE TIME, is books.  You'll also get a listen to the whine that she uses to try and communicate her needs.


IMG 3539 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

After Sunday school and nap time, I took the girls out to the field by our house to play in the snow.  It was so fun to be outside without it being ridiculously frigid.

Callie on top of the snow, on the sled, and face planted IN the snow.

The girls in the snow

Maya standing in, walking in, sledding in, and EATING snow.

And then there was a little smack talking before snowball throwing.


IMG 3575 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

To finish up the weekend, Auntie Yoda came over to babysit for us a little tonight so we could go out to dinner for a little date.  Thanks Auntie Yoda!

Hope everyone has a great week!

FTPDF

Happy Weekend Everybody!

It is a 4 day weekend for me, as I had today off due to working 2 nights of conferences this week, as well as Monday off for MLK day.

First off, I want to congratulate my cousin Karl, and his wife Erica.  They welcomed little baby Gustaf a couple of days ago, and he is adorable (according to the pictures I have seen).  They live out east, so we probably won't get to meet Gustaf for awhile, but I look forward to getting updates about him from his proud Grandpa, my Uncle Joe.  Gustaf was the name of Karl's and my grandfather, who passed away over 30 years ago.  It is a very special name to us all.

As for the week, it was busy.  Maya was cranky the first half of it, with a fever on and off for a couple days.  She was also not wanting to eat much of anything and kept pulling at her mouth.  My theory is that she has teeth coming in.  She is much better now, thank goodness, because we all missed her cheerful self.  She has started figuring out when she is going potty in her diaper, and a few times has wanted to go in the bathroom.  She has also started reaching into the toilet, so that is fun.  Maybe potty training her will be a breeze...(OMG PLEASE LET IT BE A BREEZE. Though anything will be compared to her sister).

Callie had her 5-year-old checkup today and did great.  She is right in the middle percentages for weight and height, and passed all the doctor's little tests.  The shots were rather traumatizing, but eventually she got over them enough to enjoy the post-doctor's visit sucker.

On to the pictures...

Favorite Thing #1:
I stayed home with Maya on Monday, and eventually was able to catch her in
a playful mood.  Also, I unwittingly started her chapstick addiction after she
found my chapstick tube and was able to open it herself.  Now she wants it all the time.

Favorite Thing #2:
The face on the left was pretty typical the first half of the week, but after a mini-meltdown
I was able to get her happy again by reading books.

Favorite Thing #3:
Even though she didn't feel well, she could still manhandle poor Kona

Favorite Thing #4: Some activities while Mommy was at work

Are you thinking, what happened to your oldest child?  Well, I have to say that it is much easier taking pictures of the little one because she stays still a little bit more than the other one.  But I did catch a few pictures of her this week.

Favorite Thing #5: Callie snuggles

Favorite Thing #6: Playing Gi-Gi's piano

Favorite Thing #7: Lunch at Boom's house, and a hilarious "gown" to
wear at the doctor's appointment.  Also, some toys to play with in the
waiting room, followed by lots of hand sanitzer.

Finally, I bought the "Heads Up! Pictures" app for my phone.  It is a game where you hold your phone up to your forehead , while the other person/people playing try to get you to guess the picture that pops up by giving you clues.  Callie LOVES it.  The bonus feature of this game, is that it takes video of the person giving you the clues, which can be HILARIOUS.  Here is an example:


IMG 3450 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

She rocks at the game, and loves giving the clues.  If you hang out with us anytime soon, we NEED to play it. :)

Have a great weekend!

TBT

My first TBT is VIDEO!  I love video TBTs.  This one is a little different because it is all Maya.  I want to show how much babies learn and do in a year. 

Here she is January of 2014:


IMG 9354 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

And here she is January of 2015:


IMG 3336 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Now a couple regular TBTs:



Kids in Jammies = The Cutest

High chair girls with sweet faces

Happy Birthday G-ma!!

It's G-ma's birthday today! We went to visit her this afternoon to bring her a cupcake. Maya was still feeling a little under the weather and Callie had her crabby pants on so she didn't even come in for the first couple minutes.

They eventually warmed up and were happy to wish G-ma a happy day.

We love you G-ma! 

Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Sunday.

It hasn't been too much of a happy Sunday for us today, though, since our little one has had a fever most of the day.  She has been a cling-on to me all weekend, and today it became clear why.  Poor baby.  She was pretty cranky all day, but was able to play a little bit right away this morning and after her nap at G-ma and G-pa's house.  By this evening though, she seemed pretty miserable and was just a little heater laying on me.  Hopefully the baby Tylenol and a good night sleep (*knock on wood*) will get her back to her usual happy little self.

Poor baby.

But yesterday was a fun day!  We started it off with some post-run stretching (yay, I actually ran 4 times this week!) and then, as we usually do, with a Starbucks run and errands...just us girls.

Both girls were super excited about the Yoda display at
Trader Joe's.  Callie was even more excited to find out his
name was Yoda..."JUST LIKE AUNTIE YODA!"

We spent the afternoon at the condo so Maya could nap, and Callie could play with Boom and Bops and go to dance class.

Then, to top off a fun day, the Helds came over for dinner and play time.  Those four kids are something else...and another Held baby will arrive in June!  So fun!

Mabel loved being a little Mommy to Maya.
Having them all in jammies made them extra adorable.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.  If you think of it, keep our little one in your prayers.

FTPDF

Happy Friday!

It feels good to get back to a regular post after a couple weeks of craziness.  Also, it feels like forever since I have done updates on the girls.

Callie is so smart and funny.  The stuff that she says is kind of mind boggling at times.  My mom told me that today Callie wanted to change the names she had come up with years ago for the two birds that are often outside my parents' condo (Poopy and Doopy).  She told my mom that the old names were "too inappropriate" and decided to change them to Dot and Flappy. 

Huh?

So funny.  She is also calming down and settling in to her skin a little more.  She did great on her birthday with a big group paying attention to her.  She wasn't as nervous or self conscious about people looking at her (last year she had to open her presents under the kitchen table, this year she had no problem doing it in front of the group), and she wasn't super sensitive about people laughing.  She is sweet and caring and really thinks about things.  I'm always amazed by her questions and her creativity.

Favorite Thing #1: This girl.

Maya is also so smart and funny.  She is in the phase now where she is just a sponge...soaking up so much knowledge.  I LOVE IT.  She is learning new words every day and is so proud of herself when she uses the words.  She loves looking at books and just babbles away while shaking her body excitedly.  For example:

Favorite Thing #2: This girl reading books and using words.


IMG 3158 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

She also is getting more and more into accessorizing.  Especially with hats.  We have a lot of hats laying around (since it is winter, and all) and anytime she finds a hat, she puts it on.  She has a hat on A LOT.

Favorite Thing #3: This girl.
And her love for hats.

She also is just SO in love with Kona, as you can see from this video.

Favorite Thing #4: These two.


IMG 3190 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

It is ridiculous how cute they are together.  Kona is such a good and tolerant big sister.

As for the rest of the pictures...

Favorite Thing #5: Back home with the girls on Sunday

Favorite Thing #6: A "cold" day off and new matching outfits

Favorite Thing #7: After a lesson on acrostic poems, Callie came up with
this one for her sister.  I did the writing, but the words were all her, including
my new favorite word- YATASTIC.

Favorite Thing #8: Days with Boom and Pa

Favorite Thing #9: Can't get enough of the snuggles

Have a great weekend!