Adventures in La La Land

Levi is 10 months old today. I'm having a very hard time with this. The final vestiges of babyhood are slipping away, and I'm mourning the end of an era. Alas, here's what he's been up to this month: The big news is that I'm pretty sure he's saying his first word: uh-oh! (That was Lena's first word too. I must say it a lot. Haha.) For a while, he's been mimicking it when someone else says it, but this week he's started to say it after throwing food on the floor or dropping his binky, so I think he means it! He's also finally started to drink out of a cup a little bit. I got him some straw cups for Christmas and he has figured out that if he sucks on the straw, he gets some delicious juice (much diluted)! He still can't figure out any other kind of cup that he has to tip. I've been working on getting him to eat more table food. He's tried lots of new things lately. He loved cheese roll-ups, blueberries, and chili. He tolera...

I'm pretty sure I get later and later with these entries every month. Haha. Here's what the cutie patootie is up to this month: Those constantly kicking legs . . . And one with the bear . . . and horrible lighting . . . He's been doing all kinds of fun new things lately. He loves to point: He also loves to stick his finger in the holes in his binky - while it's in his mouth. Haha.  He blows raspberries (and drools all over himself), claps his hands, claps his feet, plays peek-a-boo, and is still really trying to figure out the wave. He also plays the "night night" game: he lays his head down and we say, "Nigh night." Then he lifts his head up really quickly and grins as we say, "Wake up!" He still kicks everything. It's a quirk he's had pretty much as long as he's been alive. Every time I hand him something, he puts it down to his feet and kicks it away. Even if it's a sweet little chick . . . I...

This entry is woefully late. #thirdkidprobs Levi turned 8 months over the weekend while I was at Ladies' Retreat. I don't feel like that much has changed since last month. He's a sitting pro now. I usually don't worry about putting pillows around him anymore. But he's still not moving at all. He refuses to stay on his belly, so he never scooches or gets up on his hands and knees. I've tried coaxing him forward a couple times while he was on his belly. He wiggles his butt and fidgets his legs, but doesn't move his arms and can't figure out how to go forward. Haha. Both of the girls were scooching by this age. He also doesn't stand. You'd think he'd love standing after being in the Jumperoo so much, but I'm starting to wonder if it's impeding his progress instead of aiding it. He doesn't pull up on anything. If I stand him up next to something, he just folds in half and falls over. Even if I hold him upright on my ...

Thanks for all the love on my 31 Life Lessons posts. They've been fun to write, and I have some more good ones coming up! So stay tuned! 1. Lucy had a short week of school this week. I think I was more excited than she was about her two days off. No waking up at 6:45 am? Yes! No making lunches? Yes! No waking Levi up from his nap to pick Lucy up? Yes! We were busy all day on Thursday, but the girls had a blast playing together most of the day yesterday. 2. On Thursday, Lucy had her 6 year well-child appointment (just a few months late - haha). The doctor was shocked by how tall she is. (48" - 79%) Her weight was in the 76th percentile (At what age is it inappropriate to share your daughter's weight? Haha.) She grew 3 inches in a year. I could've told you that based on the way she pretty much skipped size 6 jeans! She had to get one shot and was really nervous. But the nurse was awesome and talked to her the whole time so Lucy didn't even realize what was going ...

1. I started reading The Boxcar Children to the girls at night before bed. We're only 3 or 4 chapters in, but it's kind of blowing my mind. Who are these mysterious children with remarkable survival skills? How do they stay so optimistic in the face of adversity? Why aren't they more worried about their future? Are they ever going to go to school? Aren't people going to start asking questions about why Henry keeps appearing in town looking for odd jobs? Don't they get hungry on a diet of blueberries and milk? Do they live in a cold climate? What's going to happen when winter comes? What happened to their parents? Why did they think to pack a "cake of soap?" What kind of kid packs a bar of soap when running away? Is this how kids thought/acted in the 20s? My girls are not nearly as concerned as I am about these children . . . 2. I think I mentioned that we had a YouTube-free summer. I was feeling convicted about how much the girls were watching and ...

1. The camping recap: we survived! No bears were spotted, and we actually had a really nice time. The weather was gorgeous, the pool was heated, and the campground was the cleanest I've ever seen. Plus, Levi and I didn't have to sleep in the tent!! Justin's cousin lives two minutes down the road and they graciously let us sleep in their basement. It was the best of both worlds. Don't get me wrong. Moments of peace like the one above were few and far between. I still think camping with little kids is crazy. I had to carry Levi everywhere, he would only sleep in my arms, I couldn't just set him down in the dirt if I needed my hands for something. The girls are incredibly needy. Lena had a rough time being out of our normal routine and spent a lot of time hanging on me begging me to hold her (when I was already holding Levi). Lucy wanted to swim the whole time, but Lena would only go in the pool if I went with her. Justin wanted to fish the whole time. I wanted to ...