My children will eat almost any raw vegetable if they can dip it in Ranch dressing. But they don't call it Ranch dressing; they call it "white dip dip." (Many of their friends now do too -- we're starting a trend!) And I just love how Joshua said "dip dip" back on September 12 when I took this video.
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Quick update on the kids
Hi! We're MOVING on Saturday (hopefully more about that later), so I'm super-swamped, but I couldn't resist taking a quick break from packing in order to fill you in on the kids.
JOSHUA
Joshua's vocabulary has doubled in the last few weeks. Up till now, he would say Dada (a lot), Mama (only when he wanted something, and usually in a frustrated tone), and NaNa (for "no no" when he was getting into something he knew he wasn't supposed to).
Recently he started saying "CaCa" for "cracker," and he uses this term for any snack he wants. He will hunt me down carrying whatever he finds in the pantry -- from boxes of cookies or crackers to individual Peppermint Patties, and repeat "CaCa! CaCa!" in the hopes that I'll open it for him.
He has always loved bananas; they're often what he eats for breakfast. Recently he has alternated saying "Bana" and "Nana."
His "NaNa" (no no) has become a decisive "no," which is actually a word I'm so glad he knows. Now if he wants something at mealtime, I can hold up different objects until I find something that he does say "No" and shake his head at. We've also heard "yeah" on occasion though it's not consistent yet.
He comes very close to saying Grandma and Daniel, two of his favorite family members. His tone saying "Mama" has softened too, as he's learned how to communicate in other ways.
I'm really enjoying him so much more now than I did just a few months ago. As he learns to communicate, our times together are much more enjoyable and fruitful, instead of me trying to figure out why he is angry.
I finally weaned him last week (Aug 14) (hooray! Do you know that I've been either pregnant or nursing since Fall 2006??!!!) and though he was a bit needy at first, he and I have found other ways to bond. He is much more snuggly now, and he will snuggle into my shoulder and allow me to rock him, sing to him, and pray over him. He never sat quietly in my lap before now. He also sits in my lap and we'll watch TV together -- at least until Katie asserts her right to my lap as well or he eventually gets restless and wants to run.
And run he does! He went from crawling to running very quickly, and it's so funny to see him go. I'm so thankful that we'll have a bigger home now because he'll have plenty of space to stretch his legs. He also is constantly trying to get to the highest point in the house. If I accidentally leave a chair next to the kitchen counter (which I've done a fair amount recently while packing dishes), he will get up and try to pull everything off the counter. Once I found him on the floor with my coffeepot, with coffee all over himself. I can't figure out how he pulled it down to the floor without breaking it, but thankfully he was ok! And I've learned my lesson about leaving chairs near counters!
I tried hard-soled shoes on Joshua for the first time last Thursday (8/19) before my parents took my kids to the County Fair, and it was fun to watch him navigate with the new sensation on his feet. (Please excuse the pre-move mess!)
Within the last week Joshua has learned to "blow" kisses -- which consists of simply going "mmm" in my direction, or accompanying that sound with a hand from his mouth into the air. Simply charming.
Ah yes, and one final new "first" to tell you about with Joshua. I returned from Home Depot the other day to John and the kids, and John greeted me with a laugh and a "Look what he's doing!!" I was honestly afraid to look. Here's what I found. Apparently he stole the controller out of his daddy's hands.
KATIE
Katie is as delightful as ever. Though she's had spells of being rude or too rough, she takes quickly (so far) to correction, and a timeout or even threatened timeout is usually enough to change her behavior.
After trying various bribery techniques (lollypops, Disney movies), Katie has started using the potty almost exclusively. In fact, though she's been wearing diapers all week, her diapers have been staying clean and dry; she always tells me when she needs to go! Hopefully she'll keep this up!
Initially she was registered this fall in a preschool that required her to be potty-trained, and the nearing deadline was stressing me out. Then we learned we were moving, and I couldn't imagine trying to enforce potty-training during the already stressful (for all of us) transition of packing and moving. So I'm so thankful that she's doing this herself. Plus we transferred her to a new preschool that will be minutes from our new home, and that does not require 3-year-olds to be potty-trained. So I thank God for relieving that stress from me for now!
Well, I have much more to say but it will have to wait till post-move. Thanks for caring about us!
JOSHUA
Joshua's vocabulary has doubled in the last few weeks. Up till now, he would say Dada (a lot), Mama (only when he wanted something, and usually in a frustrated tone), and NaNa (for "no no" when he was getting into something he knew he wasn't supposed to).
Recently he started saying "CaCa" for "cracker," and he uses this term for any snack he wants. He will hunt me down carrying whatever he finds in the pantry -- from boxes of cookies or crackers to individual Peppermint Patties, and repeat "CaCa! CaCa!" in the hopes that I'll open it for him.
He has always loved bananas; they're often what he eats for breakfast. Recently he has alternated saying "Bana" and "Nana."
His "NaNa" (no no) has become a decisive "no," which is actually a word I'm so glad he knows. Now if he wants something at mealtime, I can hold up different objects until I find something that he does say "No" and shake his head at. We've also heard "yeah" on occasion though it's not consistent yet.
He comes very close to saying Grandma and Daniel, two of his favorite family members. His tone saying "Mama" has softened too, as he's learned how to communicate in other ways.
I'm really enjoying him so much more now than I did just a few months ago. As he learns to communicate, our times together are much more enjoyable and fruitful, instead of me trying to figure out why he is angry.
I finally weaned him last week (Aug 14) (hooray! Do you know that I've been either pregnant or nursing since Fall 2006??!!!) and though he was a bit needy at first, he and I have found other ways to bond. He is much more snuggly now, and he will snuggle into my shoulder and allow me to rock him, sing to him, and pray over him. He never sat quietly in my lap before now. He also sits in my lap and we'll watch TV together -- at least until Katie asserts her right to my lap as well or he eventually gets restless and wants to run.
And run he does! He went from crawling to running very quickly, and it's so funny to see him go. I'm so thankful that we'll have a bigger home now because he'll have plenty of space to stretch his legs. He also is constantly trying to get to the highest point in the house. If I accidentally leave a chair next to the kitchen counter (which I've done a fair amount recently while packing dishes), he will get up and try to pull everything off the counter. Once I found him on the floor with my coffeepot, with coffee all over himself. I can't figure out how he pulled it down to the floor without breaking it, but thankfully he was ok! And I've learned my lesson about leaving chairs near counters!
I tried hard-soled shoes on Joshua for the first time last Thursday (8/19) before my parents took my kids to the County Fair, and it was fun to watch him navigate with the new sensation on his feet. (Please excuse the pre-move mess!)
Within the last week Joshua has learned to "blow" kisses -- which consists of simply going "mmm" in my direction, or accompanying that sound with a hand from his mouth into the air. Simply charming.
Ah yes, and one final new "first" to tell you about with Joshua. I returned from Home Depot the other day to John and the kids, and John greeted me with a laugh and a "Look what he's doing!!" I was honestly afraid to look. Here's what I found. Apparently he stole the controller out of his daddy's hands.
KATIE
Katie is as delightful as ever. Though she's had spells of being rude or too rough, she takes quickly (so far) to correction, and a timeout or even threatened timeout is usually enough to change her behavior.
After trying various bribery techniques (lollypops, Disney movies), Katie has started using the potty almost exclusively. In fact, though she's been wearing diapers all week, her diapers have been staying clean and dry; she always tells me when she needs to go! Hopefully she'll keep this up!
Initially she was registered this fall in a preschool that required her to be potty-trained, and the nearing deadline was stressing me out. Then we learned we were moving, and I couldn't imagine trying to enforce potty-training during the already stressful (for all of us) transition of packing and moving. So I'm so thankful that she's doing this herself. Plus we transferred her to a new preschool that will be minutes from our new home, and that does not require 3-year-olds to be potty-trained. So I thank God for relieving that stress from me for now!
Well, I have much more to say but it will have to wait till post-move. Thanks for caring about us!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Happy Nine-Month Birthday, Joshua!
Joshua's nine-month birthday coincides with today, Christmas Eve, so we won't have our 9-month appointment (with measurements) until January. It's safe to say, however, that Joshua is a BIG BOY. He was 20 lbs. a month ago and seems to be bigger every day. Many of us have complained about our backs after holding him -- that includes Joshua's mommy, daddy, and strapping Uncle Daniel. Katie still weighs a little bit more, but since she's taller, she seems lighter, while Joshua is DENSE -- more pounds per square inch. :-)
Joshua is cutting his sixth tooth, which will give him all four front teeth as well as an extra one on both the top and bottom of the right side of his mouth. Sometimes he audibly grinds his teeth, and I joke to myself: "What kind of mom must I be that my nine-month-old baby is already grinding his teeth?" He also loves to chew on things. He enjoys gnawing on chins, particularly mine and my mom's. Favorite foods right now are diced veggies and fruit, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, meatballs (thanks for the tip, Sarah!), bread... well, basically any grown-up food he can get his hands on.
Joshua continues to practice his "da da da"-ing, and started headbanging this week. John and I each had a headbanging phase, so watching Joshua shake his head up and down sent me into hysterics. Other favorite activities include playing with balls, clapping, rolling around, and watching Elmo when he comes on (poor second child -- he didn't stand a chance of avoiding TV with a big sister who loves it so much).
Joshua is also THISCLOSE to crawling. He will lunge from a sitting position and get one knee under him and try to lunge further, but can't quite get that second knee facing the correct direction. I expect he'll figure it out by the end of the week.
Happy nine-month birthday, Joshua! And merry Christmas to all of you!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Joshua at 8 1/2 months
Teeth: I just discovered Joshua's fourth tooth. His teeth are coming in a very unusual pattern. Here are the ones he has so far:
Look out, young female "Twilight" groupies -- at this rate, my son is going to be a Vampire Baby!
Talking: Recently Joshua started saying "Da da" very distinctly. Yes, he uses it for general babbling. But this week it's obvious he's using it to mean his father. Whenever he sees Daddy, hears him on the phone, or even sees me answering a call, he starts cheering, "DA DA! DA DA!" It's quite adorable.
Eating: Joshua may only have four teeth, but he's not content to eat mush anymore. He may let me spoon food into his mouth for a little while, but then he tries to grab the spoon and cries if I don't give it to him. I tried a food grinder this week (thanks for lending it to me, Katie M!), and he enjoyed trying to scoop the tiny pieces up off his tray -- but boy did that make a huge mess (see above photo). The grinder makes tiny pieces suitable only for spooning into a baby's mouth -- the pieces are way too small to eat by hand. So now I'm just tearing up my own food into small pieces. I'm nervous about it, but he seems to be doing well so far. He's downing Goldfish, turkey, ham, bread, grape pieces, mashed potatoes, Cheerios, green beans, and anything else he can get his tiny little hands on.
Tiny? Well that may not be the best word -- he's over 20 lbs now, closing in fast on his big sister.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Happy Six-Month Birthday, Joshua!
Joshua continues to be a very happy, playful, social baby. A few of his recent milestones:
1. I have unconfirmed suspicions that Joshua has rolled from front to back, although there is always a caveat. For instance, Katie sometimes flips him over so it's hard to know if he has rolled without help or not. :-)
2. Joshua can now sit unassisted for several seconds at a time without toppling.
3. Joshua now has two of his bottom teeth (first one on Aug. 17, second one on Sept. 8).
4. Joshua started solid foods on Aug. 16. As you can see from the photo below, he wasn't too thrilled to begin with. But boy did that change quickly.
He has now had (in chronological order): rice cereal, peas, avocado, Ritz cracker crumbs, carrots, pears, sweet potatoes, green beans, and peaches. So far he's not a huge fan of the fruits and beans. He can't get enough of cracker crumbs or anything else resembling Mommy's food. For that matter, he can't get enough of food, period, even the ones he doesn't seem to like.
Which brings me to... The things Joshua loves at Six Months!
1. FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!
Friends, this boy can EAT! I'm talking 10 ounces of jarred food a day, even when I've added rice cereal to all of it. He just goes and goes. I'm going to need to start making baby food in bulk. I was so happy to find bulk packages of baby food at Sam's the other day and I already need to buy more.
2. Joshua loves MOMMY!!!
I can carry him in this baby carrier for hours and he is content as can be. It's often how we do naps while we're out and about.
3. Joshua loves TOYS!
Joshua is learning how to grab items and move them around. It's funny to watch him try to stick a pacifier in his mouth (it hasn't been a successful quest yet). While he always prefers to be in Mommy's arms, he is also content to play in his Exersaucer for a little while as long as I'm not far away.
People warned me that one challenge of having two kids would be when they both wanted to play with the same toys. And yes, sometimes Katie cries because I won't let her steal whatever Joshua is playing with. But other times, if he's crying, she'll often bring him toys -- even her own toys -- to try to cheer him up. She really is a fantastic big sister.
Anyway, back to Joshua...
4. Joshua loves ALL PEOPLE!
Yes, if you're willing to hold him or give him attention, he will reward you with the biggest smiles. He is a social little guy and loves to play games and tease. He enjoys chewing on his grandma's chin and having me blow kisses into his tummy. He loves pulling on Katie's hair, and thankfully she thinks it's funny too.
Here's a photo of Joshua getting love from his grandparents, sister, and cousin at the beach house in August:
Joshua's being baptized on Sunday morning at the 11 am service; hope some of you can make it. On Monday we'll have his 6-month appointment and I can send you updated measurements. A few weeks ago he was nearly 18 lbs. I guess that makes sense with that huge appetite!
Happy 6-month birthday, Joshua!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Catching Up on Cuteness
Hi folks! Here are my favorite photos of Katie and Friends that haven't already been posted here in 2009.
January 2009
Note Katie eating a whole burrito for the first time (and actually doing a decent job finishing it), enjoying a pile of stuffed animals on the couch (when my parents are babysitting, she even reads to the animals), and modeling the poodle dress that I just couldn't resist buying for her.
January - February 2009: Cindy's Baby
Our close friends Cindy and Mike had daughter Adah on Feb. 13, 2009. Here Cindy is at her shower in January; on a walk with me on Feb. 11 (they moved into our neighborhood a few months ago -- perfect timing for future walks with our newborns!); and with us, Mike and Adah on Feb. 23 when we brought over a meal.
February 2009
Katie models her winter wear (including a coat she obviously put on herself), "reads" the church bulletin, and tunnels through a big box.
February - March 2009: Playgroup
We are in a weekly playgroup with several of my best friends and their children. The children now obviously love each other as much as the mommies do!
March 13, 2009
My friend Sherry and her son Isaac came to visit from California. Even though she'd never met Isaac before, Katie loved playing with the "baby". Let's hope it's a trend that sticks!
March 2009
Sorry, Katie -- there's no room on Mommy's lap anymore. Hopefully there will be very soon!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Peanut Butter and Snoozing Sandwich
Today at lunchtime I put Katie in her highchair with a peanut butter sandwich and dashed into the other room to do a quick favor for someone online. Suddenly the kitchen became suspiciously quiet, so I tiptoed in to see what was going on. My suspicions were quickly confirmed:
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wrapping Up 2008
Lest you think that I was finally caught up on blogging, think again. Here are a few more photos from 2008 that needed to make the blog but haven't yet.
November 2: Three former high school friends and their babies gather for a baptism.
November 2: Three former high school friends and their babies gather for a baptism.
November 16: Using the remote control as a cell phone.
November 16: Enjoying a wonderful evening with Mommy and Daddy's mentor couple and dear friends, the Farahs.
November 17: Playing with "BFF" (best friend forever) Daniel.
November 21: Reuniting with Mommy's college friend Dawn and her daughter Madeleine.
November 29: Trying to get a family picture to go in our Christmas letter. Not only did we need a tired Katie to cooperate, we needed Bella to as well. And Mommy had to pretend that her foot wasn't broken and that her back hadn't gone out on her that week. The last photo is the one we finally chose.
December 1: While Mommy is in her CBS leaders meeting every Monday morning, Katie and a few other young ones are watched by a woman named Angela. We've been trying to delay her nap later and later, but this particular morning Katie simply could not wait another minute. Here's how I found them:
November 21 and Dec 1: A few cute photos of Katie.
December 4: We were visiting my good friend Amy and her daughters and were unexpectedly invited to stay for dinner. But we didn't have Katie's bib or highchair. So a shirtless Katie practiced using a spoon while standing on a big person's chair.
December 17: Katie and I brought dinner to our friend Claire, who had recently delivered twins. While Baby Colin slept peacefully in his swing, Mommy got to cuddle with Baby Carleigh for about an hour. Thankfully Katie didn't mind.... too much.
December 26: Mommy and Grandpa went to see the Nutcracker, featuring two beautiful cousins. Heather (left) is the daughter of my dad's boss, and Anna (right) is my mother's helper and one of Katie's favorite people.
December 1: While Mommy is in her CBS leaders meeting every Monday morning, Katie and a few other young ones are watched by a woman named Angela. We've been trying to delay her nap later and later, but this particular morning Katie simply could not wait another minute. Here's how I found them:
November 21 and Dec 1: A few cute photos of Katie.
December 4: We were visiting my good friend Amy and her daughters and were unexpectedly invited to stay for dinner. But we didn't have Katie's bib or highchair. So a shirtless Katie practiced using a spoon while standing on a big person's chair.December 17: Katie and I brought dinner to our friend Claire, who had recently delivered twins. While Baby Colin slept peacefully in his swing, Mommy got to cuddle with Baby Carleigh for about an hour. Thankfully Katie didn't mind.... too much.
December 26: Mommy and Grandpa went to see the Nutcracker, featuring two beautiful cousins. Heather (left) is the daughter of my dad's boss, and Anna (right) is my mother's helper and one of Katie's favorite people.
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