Sleep Struggles
01 Jun 2012 Leave a Comment
in activities, Peanut's Circus Tags: sleeping
I never realized how hard it was to learn to sleep until I had babies. Just watching them thrash around and wake themselves up by poking themselves in the face and struggling to get relief has been a real eye-opener. So for little Peanut, now that he’s 4 1/2 months old and Mami has decided that it’s time for him to figure this sleep thing out, it’s going to be an uphill climb, but one that in the end will hopefully pay off!
It took him about 45 minutes to get to this point but as of now he’s been sleeping for half an hour so we’ll see how this goes!
Aaaaand, he just woke up. Sigh, poor little guy!
Up On Top
01 Jun 2012 Leave a Comment
in activities, Sprout's Blossoms Tags: stacking blocks
Today Sprout wanted to “make castle stack!” She promptly put 10 little cylinders on top of each other, just like that.
Newsflash – Mami 2.0 is Here
30 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Mami's Kitchen Tags: techmology
Will wonders never cease. I’m smart now! As in, my sweetie brought home smart phones tonight. Woo hoo! Consequently I may be both up too late and possibly blogging more.
We shall see!
I especially love the little glow from the cameraphone reflected in my glasses, like a twinkle in my eye. I’m so excited for this new tool!
The Great Cascaron Battle of 2012
15 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in activities, Menagerie, Sprout's Blossoms Tags: cascarones, exciting, family, fun
The Great Cascaron Battle of 2012 took place at Doug and Katja’s, with all the cousins present and accounted for. The wait was long and arduous:
But, once all the major cousins were assembled (the minor one got a head start, as seen in the first video), the race was ON!
Sprout was busy, very busy, hunting cascarones. She quickly excelled at the challenge:
One cousin was stymied for a moment by a cascaron cleverly positioned NOT on the ground! There were a few other funny ones, too. We caught this one on camera:
Once all the cascarones were present and accounted for in the egg-hunting buckets, the battle had begun! One challenger in particular was superior at the fly-by attack. Observe:
It was a splendid scene enjoyed by one and all. The only thing missing, everyone agreed, was Po Po’s air compressor, to blast all the cascaron bits out of body crevices. There’s always next year!
Emotions in Motion
13 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in activities, language development, Sprout's Blossoms Tags: cute, emotions, hysterical, lovely
Without further ado, I present to you: Sprout, in full dramatic glory. She laughs! She cries! She yawns! She is so darn cute I can’t hardly stand it.
Oh, and that thing she’s saying over and over that sounds like “eee-ah-da” is “Olivia all done.” She’s been regaling me at high speeds with that one a lot lately.
Quiet, It’s Sleep Time!
03 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in activities, Sprout's Blossoms Tags: love
Or, maybe not.
Rockin’ Springtime
02 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in activities, Sprout's Blossoms Tags: acting, emotions, joy
The joy of a springtime day, warm sun and a cool breeze, and treasure hunting bring out all the best in Sprout’s arsenal of emotions and performance abilities.
She's...HAPPY!
She's...ANGRY!
She's...SURPRISED!
She's...investigating rocks. Somehow I'M not surprised (Grandma Vi)!
Sprout shows off her treasures.
Speed Update on the Offspring!
02 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in activities, language development, Mami's Kitchen, Peanut's Circus, Sprout's Blossoms Tags: eating, excitement, growing
There are too many important offspring details floating around in my head and I don’t have time to organize them nicely but I need to get them out of my crazy mom brain, so here’s the gist of our life right now:
- Sprout says 4-word sentences. She started two weeks ago when I asked her what she was looking at out the window and she said, “Girl car open door.” (/gull caw opee dowe/ – really starting to add consonants to the ends of words.) Whoa! She’s since also observed, “Mah sit Mami lap.” Amongst other insightful pronouncements!
- Peanut is steadily advancing in size and has achieved the need for 6-month clothes. Lil man is 10 weeks old.
- Peanut is also working very, very determinedly on head control. He loves to sit on our lap, hold onto our thumbs, and do mini-sit-ups.
- Also also, Peanut has most definitely found his fist! He has been working on bringing the paws together for a couple-three weeks now, and this past week he’s truly gotten the hang of clutching a rag or his tag blankie within his grasp and mashing it up toward his face. The last weekend he’s been going more and more for the solo fist (his left one, mostly)!
- I have given up dairy as of Friday, March 30th in an attempt to help Peanut get over his face and head rash. I’m told there’s nothing to do but wait “cradle cap” out (by the pediatrician), or rub olive oil on it and scrub it off (by friends and the internet), or that dairy is somehow nefariously involved (by a dietician friend). I tried olive oil on a day in which I dairy-loaded and the next day the rash was out of control, so it could have been either or. Since, I’ve quit dairy and started moisturizing (dang it, I don’t have the scientific method down very well here) so it could be either of those. Well, I was eating way too much dairy anyway, so it’s nice to take a break (yeah, right – I can’t even eat chocolate with abandon any more! What’s a girl to do?!).
Tag, You’re It!
19 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in crafts, Mami's Kitchen
And how! I am so proud of this little tag blankie I just made for Peanut!
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This is an example of when the universe comes together exactly right. I had all these supplies on hand. My sewing machine was out. I had bobbins, and thread, and a number 14 (for corduroy and medium-weight sewing) needle and my machine’s instruction booklet. The motor hadn’t burned out in the decade it hadn’t been used. And I had the time and inclination to act on my notion. Joy!
Peanut has been nudging his way toward non-blob for several days, maybe even week(s) now. He tries to hold his giant head (16″ circumference, as measured to day at his 2-month appointment) up and likes to be awake for distinct morning and afternoon periods. And he fights mightily to get his hands out of his swaddle, no matter how mad it makes him.
Yesterday when we were outside I also noticed how he used his flailing arms to sort of work his rag or a blanket up toward his mouth. His little fingers wiggle and his fists open and shut. He seems to be feeling textures and exploring them whenever he can. I have noticed the “taggies” blankets at Target and thought, Hm. Peanut might get into that. But I was too cheap to spend $15 on my whim.
That’s when serendipity struck and everything suddenly made sense. I can make that! In my freshly cleaned and organized upper floor – home to the craft nook and a big carpeted hallway for Sprout to charge up and down for an hour – I got my craft on and broke through the inertia barrier that has been holding me back from actually sewing anything for most of my life. Next up, a dress for Sprout! Or a bag! Or something else! We’ll see!
Family Yard Day
19 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Menagerie, Peanut's Circus, Sprout's Blossoms Tags: adorable, family, fun, love, outdoors
Yesterday was “family chore day” but the weather usurped most of our (my) plans for such items as floor scrubbing or clutter organizing and turned it into a lovely “family yard day.” We plopped Peanut on the boppy and several blankets while Sprout explored the yard and pointed at Daddy mulching all the leaves we raked up with our little electric mower.
Daddy also tore up all the rest of the corn (we will never grow corn again, it is such a pain and the roots are crazy big and strong) and Mami got the side garden all prepped for whatever the future holds for it. The plot gets a lot of shade but I’m still hoping for strawberries.
Meanwhile, the offspring showed us why we do any of it, at all, as much as we can.
Max tastes his rag and looks as pretty as a bluebell.
Sadie keeps watch.
I can't get over this shot. It feels like classic toddler and classic Ollie. She's about to bend over and pick up a leaf or something, and you can see all her curiosity and interest in every bit of her being.
Sprout was continuously tickled by the wind in her hair, and hat, and dress.
She is sporting her first pair of jelly shoes (which did in fact give her a little sore spot, as all jellies are wont to do, so today we learned about band-aids).
She also got a huge kick out of watching our neighbor's dog race up and down the fence.
Well, enough of that. Off to investigate something else now!
Blossoms of Sprout