30 mont Newsletter (Beatrix)

August 29th, 2010

Dear Trixie,

This month you turned 30 months old which is two and a half, and just recently you’ve started to tell people that you’re two, and now we’ve taught you to tell people that you’re two and a half, although you tell them that you’re two and a half and five.  I just roll with it. 

I could go on and on how it’s unreal that you’re 30 months, how you were just a baby yesterday and how it all goes so fast.  All of this is true, but it’s getting cliche.  sigh…

As usual we’ve had a busy month.  You’re still doing ballet and are loving it!  We started with a new teacher and she was impressed with how you incorporated some ballet stuff into the free dance time.  I beamed with a lot of Mama pride when she complimented me on your behalf.  She’s also impressed with your turn out.  Again the Mama pride.  Although I’m not too shocked, your Daddy and I are both freaky flexible, and I suspected that it would show up in you too.  You do love to dance and love the outfits.  I love how you stare at yourself in the mirror in the studio, studying your reflection from all angles.  I love how it’s so innocent, you’re not being vain in a snotty sense, just seeing what you look like.  It’s so sweet. 

We’ve also started gymnastics this month, and I am a little worried that it might be a little advanced for you, although you seem to be adapting well.  I think your ballet is helping with some of the technique and having a whole month of listening to a teacher under your belt is helping you to listen in gymnastics where the concepts are much harder at this time. 

In the first class you had to jump into a pit filled with large blue foam blocks and I thought you would love it, so I helped you into the pit.  By help, I mean shove.  To my dismay you did not like it and developed a fear for the blocks.  It’s taken 3 more weeks and you’re just starting to get over your fear of the blocks.  I think too that you’re primed to be afraid of something.  You’ve been talking a lot about how something is scary and how you’re scared.  So in return Daddy and I talk about how it’s okay to be scared of something and how you can be brave and how you can always tell us about what you’re scared of and how we’ll protect you.  I’m assuming that this is age appropriate, and I assume that you’ll cultivate some more fears, so I promise I’ll stop pushing you into pits of foam blocks.

You still love Hudson as much as ever.  You dote on him all of the time.  Running to tell me if he’s unhappy or upset.  I’ve started to let you and him nap together without me there, and you’ve started to call for me when you wake up so you won’t leave him alone since you’re cautious for him.  You don’t want him to fall off of the bed.  It’s awfully cute, although I do suspect that one of you is waking the other from nap time, but it’s okay because you both generally have 3-4 hour naps in the afternoon.

As always your eating is a source of stress for me.  You continue to taste everything, but just not a lot.  Your weight gain has slowed, but I’m not worried, you are healthy.  I can generally sway you to a new food by proclaiming how much I love it.  I’ve started giving you milk kiefer for your nap time bottle and you seem a little uneasy by it’s tanginess, but after I tell you how much I love it, you declare that it’s your favourite.  (As an added bonus you have less tummy issues with kiefer milk than with regular milk.)  Recently you’ve added chicken from a restaurant to your list of  foods you ask for, along with noodles and rice.  You still eat about one good meal of every five (with you just picking at the other 4) and you eat best in a social situation.  You are also amused with Hudson and how much he loves to eat.  You’ve also started asking for candy, which baffles me since I don’t give you a lot of candy!  Your favourite snack is a bag full of freeze dried peas and corn, with several strips of nori or kim and some dried fruit.  I generally have a baggie of this mix in the diaper bag to entice you with at baby boot camp or as a snack when you’re hungry in the car.  I am so happy that you love seaweed as much as I do, and it’s most amusing to watch people’s reaction to how you can eat so much of it. 

This past month you’ve started recognizing more sight words, which just happened randomly.  We’ve been playing with letters for a while, and we talk about people’s names corresponding with the letter, like H is for Hudson.  But now you can sight read these names.  You also like to point out letters and numbers on buildings and such when we’re out and about.  I think you’ll be reading very soon.  You’ve started to tell stories and often read to Hudson.  I know that you’ve just memorized the book, but that’s where it all starts.  Although sometimes you deviate and create your own story, which is pretty amazing too. 

Potty training is the same, although we’ve started to go diaperless out of the house too.  You’re still stubborn with it, and refuse to go if I remind you.  It has to be on your terms.  But you’re pretty good about it, unless you’re overly excited.  But that’s okay too.  That’s why we carry extra clothes around with us.  After all you’re only two and a half and five!

Sweet girl, I love being your Mama.  Everyday is more amazing than the last and I am so grateful. 

I love you.

love,

Mama.

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6 month newsletter (Hudson)

August 2nd, 2010

Dearest Hudson.

This month you’re six months old!  You’re half a year old!  Daddy reminded me and asked if I was planning a party.  Sadly I didn’t have the time.  I’m sorry Little Bud!  I feel bad because I think back to when your sister was this little and we had a party for her when she turned 6 months, and one when she was 100 days, and with you all I’ve managed was an acknowledgement and some kisses.  I know that you don’t care now, but perhaps when you’re older you will.  I can make lots of excuses like that I’m more busy now that I have 2 babies, but I still feel bad.  I do make sure I spend lots of time with you though.  I don’t think you’ll ever feel unloved or second best, because you’re not!

 I’ve reflected some on you since you’ve turned 6 months.  I can’t help but think what would have been.  If your twin would have lived and what our life would be like now if there were 2 six month old babies right now.   I feel sad to think about it.  I can’t bring myself to feel grateful that my life isn’t that busy.  I’ll never feel grateful that I lost your twin, I am grateful for you though, you are so sweet, so mellow, so loving.  I am a lucky mama.  When we were starting to realize that something wasn’t quite right with your twin you were about 8 weeks along as an embryo, and I was so sad.  I spent a lot of time thinking about “Leftie”, and I didn’t think as much about you, my healthy embryo, I knew you would be okay.  Then one day, right before an appointment to see how you and Leftie were doing I felt a little thump, and it was you!  At 8 weeks!  The ultrasound confirmed that it was you, it was like you were reminding me to pay attention to you, that you’re still here and doing fine.  I was happy to see you and your wiggly self, and sad to see that Leftie was not doing well.  If we fast forward to now, you’re a plump, busy 6 month old baby boy.  I still think of your angel, and what could have been.  But I am happy with how things are now. 

This month you’ve been busy!  You’re so close to crawling, you can get up on your hands and knees and you rock a little.  I can see that you’re figuring out what to do with this new vantage point.  I suspect that soon you’ll sort it all out and move forward, but for now you generally fall over and roll, piviot, roll to get to where you need to go. 

With your eating we’ve implemented the baby lead solids method of eating.  I let you explore food, play with it, rub it all over you and in general learn about it with all of your senses.  So far you really seem to like it.  I still have to give you rice cereal to help keep your reflux at bay, but I need less and less, which is nice because I hate the stuff and you appear to as well.  In the last little while you’ve had plums, nectarines, borscht, fro yo, bread, naan, lemons, melons and tortillas.  You make a lot of faces and often the food ends up on the floor, but first you handle it and poke it and explore it.  Sometimes you give it a lick, or you stuff it all in your mouth, I think you’re enjoying your food, and loving that it’s not on a spoon!  You still love your bottles, but you are slowing down on them.  For a while we moved you up to 6 ounces each time, and you downed them with gusto, but now you rarely finish a whole 6 ouncer, so we’re back to 4 or 5.  Also lately you’ve shown some interest in nursing again.  We stopped because you had no patience for my non supply, but now you want to comfort nurse, which is sweet.  And it’s shocking to learn that you still have a perfect latch.  You’re a pretty amazing little guy!

This past month you’ve really started to notice the pets, and they amuse you to no end.  You’ll just giggle at Chachi as he itches an itch or when he brings you a toy for you to have.  It’s pretty cute to see that you love them!  Bonsai will tolerate you and let you pull his tail that he twitches in your face.  Chachi doesn’t mind when you pull a little hard on his leg, tail, ear, or whatever you’ve managed to grab.  I hope you keep loving them.  I’m sure they’ll agree, they love getting lots of attention!

It’s been a busy month!  I’ve been working hard to make sure that your playgroup gets up and running so that you have lots of little friends like Trixie does.  I can’t wait until you start to remember your friends and ask to play with them like Trixie does.  It’s so sweet. 

I love you my little man.  Forever and ever!

Love,

Mama.

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29 month newsletter (Beatrix)

July 29th, 2010

Dear Trixie,

This month you turned 29 months old!  It’s been a great month.  So far the “terrible twos” aren’t so terrible, they can be a little intense, but you’re a lovely two year old. 

Your favourite thing to do this month has been to play with the ipad.  So far you’ve figured out how to navigate in it and go to the netflix app and start your own movie.  You also request Dr. Seuss often, which are apps that read you a Dr. Seuss book.  When you’re not playing with the ipad you love to draw, paint, or play with your playdoh.  And then there is the reading.  You read a lot!  So I’m happy to see that you’re emerging into a creative reader!  Makes me so happy!

Your eating this month is less than desirable.  I try to make stuff that I know you’ll love, but then you change your mind, I can’t seem to win with you!  I suspect though that you will get over this disdain for food, and in the mean time I keep you nourished the best I can, but I’m using all of my mama cooking skills to make sure you eat healthy food!

I think you’re pretty much potty trained right now, which is nice considering you were mostly potty trained before you were a year!  We’re working on your being diaper free outside of the house, and so far you’re doing pretty well.  YAY!  I love to see your happy dance when you use the potty, it cracks me up!  To get you using the potty we did bribe you with chocolate and you still ask for some about 25% of the time, which is nice too!  I don’t remind you of the chocolate, but if you ask I’ll oblige, you seem to be happy with this arrangement.

You’re still an amazing big sister.  It makes me happy that you love your brother so much.  If he’s fussing you come running often shouting: “don’t cry Husson, I’m coming!”  I often have to remind you to not give him such exuberant kisses, since you’re not always aware of his face and you smother him a little.  He’s a trooper though and can handle it.  He loves you to pieces too, lighting up when he sees you coming. 

We were talking about best friends the other day and you told me that Leilani and Leland are your best friends.  It’s so sweet that you realize that best friends are a little more important than your other friends.  Then I found out later that day that Leilani is going to move away.  I haven’t told you yet, but when the time comes it’s going to break my heart to tell you that you won’t be able to see her as much.  I’m sorry sweet girl.

We’re still doing your ballet class and you still love it, and I love seeing you in your wee ballet outfit.  Oh the cute!  I think of the future and if you become a ballerina that you can say you started when you were two!  Also, although it’s a Mommy and me class I find you do better if I step back and let you follow the teacher, I want to keep doing Mommy and me though, because I love to watch!

Sweet girl, I love you so much!

love,

Mama

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5 month newsletter (Hudson)

July 5th, 2010

Dear Hudson.

This month you are 5 months old!  And again I can’t help but compare you to Trixie at the same age.  You’re much much bigger than she was, more mobile and starting to understand baby signs.  You’re just as mellow as she was, perhaps more.  You’re a charmer and quite the little flirt.  My friends clamor to hold you and you soak up all of the love. 

We saw the doctor this month for your well baby check up at at 16 pounds 7 ounces and 25 inches you’re 60% for height and weight.  So although I call you my Little Moose, you’re quite average.   We also found out that you have reflux, which explains your massive amounts of spit up recently, and I’ve learned that it increases around 5-6 months.  The doctor gave us a perscription for you, but I’m going to hold off and see if some other treatments might work, before we start on the medication.  So far you don’t seem to be in pain and you spit up with a smile, not a grimace.  So at this point it’s a laundry issue, although we want to make sure you don’t have any damage from this, so we want to get it under control.

With your mobility, you are all over the place, with your rolling (back to front and front to back) and your little Hudson wiggle, you can get around.  You’re starting to push up on your toes to push along on your tummy, so I think that crawling is close.  I’m not helping you to figure this out.   I wouldn’t mind a little more immobile baby time. 

You are a happy baby, you are generous with your smiles and giggles.  You tolerate your ministrations from your sister who has lots of love for you as well.  Lately you’ve loved to watch Chachi and you’ll giggle at him just for scratching or something else just as innane.  It’s pretty adorable, and Chachi is happy to entertain you.

You’re still my little Mama’s boy.  Which I am okay with.  It’s pretty sweet how you work yourself over to me when we’re sleeping, so you can snuggle nice and close.  You’ve even started with your sister’s habit of playing with my hair.  I don’t know what I am going to do when I have 2 children who want to play with my hair to go to sleep!  I suppose I’ll figure it out.

With your signing I can see that you understand the milk sign and I am sure that you made the sign the other morning when you were asking for a bottle.   I suspect that you will get a good grasp on the whole signing thing, especially since your sister is anxious to help you out.

So my dear sweet son, you continue to enrich our lives and we are so blessed to have you.

love Mama.

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28 month newsletter

July 1st, 2010

Dear Beatrix.

This month you’re 28 months old.  Soon you will be able to get a job and start paying rent!  ha!

If there was a phrase to explain the month we’ve had it would be “me do it mineself!”  You want to do everything yourself, you want to put on your own shoes, you want to choose your own clothes, you want to get into your car seat on your own, you want to buckle yourself in, you want to dress yourself, diaper yourself (when you’re wearing one).  All in all, you’ve become one independant little lady!  With most things I let you do your thing.  We’ve left the house a few times with your shoes on the wrong feet and we’ve been late to somewhere because you’ve insisted on getting yourself in the car and buckled.  It’s really all quite cute, and luckily when we’re late our friends understand becasue they have 2 year olds too.

I think I can safely say that you’re nearly potty trained.  You don’t wear a diaper at home and have not had any mistakes.  I still diaper you when we leave because you won’t go to the potty if I ask you, so when we are out I don’t get warning from you.  I hope that soon you’ll start to have a little more warning, or at least get in the habit of telling be before you go so I can get you to a bathroom.  We are no where near night time potty trained. 

You’re still learning your letters and now we’re working on the sounds that letters make.  I think you might be close to reading, maybe even by the end of summer?  In any case you love letters and numbers and have cultivated a deeper passion for books.  You can sit for hours and have either Daddy or I read to you forever.  It makes me so happy!  You’ve even started to read to Hudson, I love to watch you, it’s so cute, you “reading” the story and tracing the words with your finger.  Cute cute cute.

We have gone skating this month and you had a great time.  I think you might be a natural!  We used small plastic chairs and you had a great time pushing it around the rink, but even more you loved it when I pushed you in the chair!  You figured out how to walk in skates, which is a giant improvement from last month when you couldn’t even stand on them.  I think you like to have the taller point of view.  I watched you walk all over the waiting area around the rink, looking into garbage bins and into the vending machines.  We also started a Mommy and me ballet class this month.  While you’ve only had one class, you liked it.  You learned how to make ballet arms and do some other more techincal stuff at a toddler level.  I think you loved the “Thumbalina” dance the best when you got to pretend you were flying around the room.  Also you were so adorable in your little leotard, tights and ballet slippers.  So cute.  Now I wonder if we fast forward to 15 years from now will you be a prima ballerina or a figure skater.  Or perhaps a gymnast, since we’re looking into some gymnastic classes for you.

You and Daddy went to Great America amusement park this month and you had a great time.  You went on lots of rides and got very tired.  I think we need to get a seasons pass to go there because you had such a good time.  Daddy said that you loved the merry go round the best. 

This month Hudson has started to make motions towards your toys and you are starting to get more and more possessive of your toys.  You’ll proclaim that Hudson is too tiny and that he can’t play with your big girl toys.  It’s amusing to watch you take your big girl toy away from him and then give him an appropriate baby toy.  We’re reminding you that you need to share your toys with him, and in time, he’ll have to share his toys with you.  So far you don’t care that he’ll have to share his, mostly you do not want him to play with your duplo!

Your eating is the same.  Although you’ve finally started to tell me when you’re hungry, but mostly it means you want something specific.  “Mommy, I’m hungry for chocolate/ strawberries/ mum mums.”  You pretty much request these three things several times a day.  Sometimes also a banana. 

Also what’s with the Mommy?  You have gone from calling me Mama to Mommy.  I’ve tried correcting you, but it seems I am firmly Mommy.  I’m not sure how I feel about this yet. 

Anyhow you’re still my sweet girl. 

love,

Mama

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4 month newsletter (Hudson)

June 10th, 2010

Dear Hudson,

You’re 4 months old now!  I know it’s cliche, but it seems just like last week you were born, but then I pick you up and feel that you’ve doubled your weight, and it brings me back to now.  You’ve become the most perfect rolly polly baby.  Even your knees have rolls on them.  It’s divine!

This past month you found your toes and given the chance (ie on the floor on your back with no socks on, although they normally don’t stop you) you’ll grab your toes and start munchin’.  It’s pretty cute.  I can’t help but compare you to Trixie and I remember how she wasn’t as fond of her toes as you are now.  It seems that last month you were all about your fingers and hands and this month is the toe month.  It’s funny when you’re chowin’ on your toes around other people, the conversation always comes up where the adults muse if the can do that, or they talk about how they can’t do it anymore.  Every.  Time.  Kinda funny. 

This month we all drove up to Canada, taking 3 days to get there.  It was a pleasant ride.  You and Trixie tolerated it well, enjoyed it even.  Clearly you both are Berkans!  We were able to introduce you to lots of friends and family and you won hearts across the western part of the country.  Everyone commented on how mellow you are and just how sweet your disposition is.  You are doing a great job of lulling me into a false sense of security, so much so that I want another baby sooner than later.  I hope your sweet disposition lasts through toddlerhood. 

Your Daddy and I are still working on trying to find the perfect formula for you to help control your spitting up.  We don’t worry too much since you are growing well, but you do manage to go through a few shirts a day with your “baby cheese” as we’ve dubbed it.  Even Trixie will come running and tell me that “Husson cheese, Mommy!”  You don’t seem to get upset by the spit up, which is nice.  I don’t appreciate how you anoint me on a daily basis though, and a few times a week you manage to puke straight down my cleavage.  A soggy bra is not my favourite!

This month you turned 100 days old, which is a important milestone in many Asian cultures, and you’ll learn that I tend to observe some of these milestones too.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to mark it like we did for your sister.  I’m truly sorry for this.  I am trying to make sure that I am doing everything for you that we did for her, but it’s not always easy.  When you’re older and you realize this, please remind yourself that you’re loved just as much as she is, and adding you to our family helped to make it much more full, which is so perfect. 

You’ve really started giggling a lot more.  When you’re tickled you make the cutest grunt/ giggle that cracks everyone up.  You love to fly around like superbaby, and I think your most favourite is when I hold you up over my head and jostle you a little side to side.  You’ll always laugh down at me as I dodge your drool strands, but it’s so worth it to see your gorgeous smile.  When you smile your whole face illuminates.  Your eyes become matched crescents and glow.  It take my breath away.  It’s awfully beautiful. 

With your eating I find that I am always in new territory.  You are not your sister, and you show it the most with your eating habits!  Where Trixie ate slowly, consuming a couple ounces a feeding, your are voracious!  You eat more frequently than she did, and a larger amount.  Luckily we feed you on demand so I don’t really try to find a feeding schedule for you, but I do marvel at what a great eater you are!  I don’t want to rush you into solids, but I am intrigued at how you’ll do with them.  I suspect you’ll be an excellent eater of solids!  When we feed you Daddy and I find that you want to help, Daddy calls it “aggressive helping”.  You’re always grabbing at your bottle and trying to hold it and getting your hands and feet involved, which is funny, but a little frustrating. 

Finally, you’re a low maintenance happy baby.  I am so lucky.  You demand so little of me that I marvel and just how easy it is for me to parent two babies.  I am such a lucky Mama, for your mellow nature, but mostly for being so blessed to have you in my life.

I love you Little Dude!

Love, Mama.

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27 month newsletter

June 2nd, 2010

Dear Beatrix, or Bee-twix as you’ve been calling yourself lately.

This month you turn 27 months old, or as I tell everyone, you’re two.  I’ve stopped telling your age in months because I get funny looks when I mention that you’re twenty something months old.

Last month you started really talking about yourself  in the 3rd person, and just as quickly as that started, it’s pretty much stopped.  You’ve learned about “mine”, “yours”, “I”, “me”, “my” etc., which has eliminated the 3rd person.  I love how you proclaim how something is “mine own” as in “Daddy I want mine own ice cream.”  You’re quick to label things as “mine” and “yours”, and when you label something yours, you generally bring it to the person.

We’ve moved on from playing with numbers to working on letters more.  You’re learning them at quite the pace, and you’ll list what each letter is.  A is for Daddy, B is for Trixie, C is for Candice, D is for Mama, G is for George, H is for Hudson, and L is for Leland.  You know the other letters to L as well, but those don’t correspond to a person so you are less excited by them.  I predict that you might be reading by the end of summer!

This month you’ve figured out how to put on your own shoes, and you’re hit and miss if you get them on the proper feet.  You’re really good at switching them up if I tell you that they’re on the wrong feet.  It cracks me up to see you walking around with your shoes on the wrong feet.  When we are getting ready to go somewhere I can ask you to go and put your shoes on and it buys me a couple minutes of time to finish bustling around to get stuff ready for us to go out.  And when we go out we’re mostly going to “see friends” as you put it.  You get so excited to see friends and talk about them the whole way to wherever we’re going.  Recently when we were in Canada you informed me several times a day that you missed your friends.  It was cute, and heart breaking.  You were happy to meet other friends, but you wanted to see your friends Leland and Lelani the most.

Your eating is the same.  You’ll eat a decent amount every 5th or so meal, and you eat the best socially.  When ever we go to playdate you will eat and eat and eat, and I always feel bad, like I”m not feeding you enough, although I always give you a snack before we leave.  Silly girl!  While you don’t eat a lot most days, you will try anything, and I am so grateful that you’re adventurous with your eating, now if you will just eat more.  Although I don’t really stress, you are growing well and are the eptiome of health.

All in all this was a great month, like all of the others.  Every day I realized how blessed I am to have you and your brother as my children.  I love you so much!

love always,

Mama.

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3 month Newsletter

April 28th, 2010

Dear Hudson,
Today, sweet boy, you are 3 months old. I remember when Trixie was little I thought that 3 months was such a milestone, the point where you left being an infant and ventured into being a real baby. I find that this is holding true for you too. You’ve started to show more of your personality, which is mellow and wiggly. Seems like a contradiction, right? But in reality you are a real go with the flow kind of guy. The only time you fuss is when you’re hungry or have a wet diaper. Other than that, you take what life dishes you, which is mostly your sister right in your face. Luckily she loves you to pieces and is in your face showering you with slobbery kisses and information about various toys and books. She loves to show you things and I often hear “Yook Huh-son, yook!”, and you oblige and look.
You’ve perfected your smile, which is pretty open mouthed, but you have the smiling with your eyes down. You are a great smiler. And recently you’ve started to giggle which is lovely. I find that you giggle the most in your sleep though, which is amusing.
This month we went to New Zealand so you could meet your Nana and Papa and you had a great time. The flight there and back was a breeze for you. Mostly you slept and ate, you spent some time flirting with the people around you, which amused me. I can see the fear in their eyes when they realize that they’re seated next to a baby for a 13+ hour flight, but at the end of both flights I had a lot of compliments on what a “good”baby you were. (Trixie was a good toddler too, I”m such a lucky Mama.)
While in New Zealand you had a growth spurt and needed to eat a lot, so the stash of formula we took with us ran out sooner than we liked, luckily they have formula over there too! Now that we’re home you’ve slowed down your consumption and are back to your 4 ounce bottles. Also you’ve gone the way of your sister and seem to have a dairy sensitivity. You are a super puker. Oh boy, there’s a reason Daddy and I call you a Cheesy Boy, you produce lots of good quality cheese!
Also this month you’ve really started to study your hands and sometimes you’ll notice your feet, but they’re not nearly as interesting as your hands. When you are playing with your activity centre, you’ve started to purposely grab for the dangling toys to make them rattle or wrinkle. I suspect that soon you’ll start holding things which will be nice!
You love to look around and are quite a people watcher, although you’re not so fond of loud places, they stress you out a lot.
You are happy to be worn, but after our trip you’re a little burned out on being worn too much, after all you were worn for a week straight when we were in Australia. I’m going to be happy when I can wear you on my back so I can get more chores done. You love to be held and are a mama’s boy, so I sometimes find it challenging to get laundry folded when you are awake and want to play. Which is fine, playing with you is much more fun than folding laundry!
A week ago you had your 2 month check up, (which was late) and you are 30th percentile for weight (13 lbs) and 70th for length (24 inches), so right now you are long and skinny, we’ll see what happens at your next check up, I know that these things change up a lot.
Your sleep is good. You sleep a solid 7 hours in a row at night, but you have to be swaddled to get this much sleep, other than that you wiggle yourself awake. You fall asleep best when you get to nurse to sleep and will reject a bottle to nurse, which warms my Mama heart.
My sweet boy, I am so in love with you, and I am so grateful for you!
love Mama.

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26 Month Newsletter

April 24th, 2010

Dear Trixie,
Today you are 26 months old!
The past month has been another busy one, with us adding more stamps to your passport! We went to New Zealand so Nana and Papa could meet Hudson. Then we went over to Australia so spend some time with one of Daddy’s friends who’s there to get his PhD in underwater robotics.
In New Zealand you had a great time with Nana and Papa. You enjoyed having a yard to play in and grandparents at your beck and call. We went to see lots of animals and you amazed us with your fearlessness as you were surrounded by sheep and llamas.
While we were there we celebrated Easter and you had a great time decorating eggs with crayons (becasue we couldn’t find egg dying kits, let alone white eggs). The egg hunt consisted of a few “hidden” candies and eggs and mostly eggs and candies scattered on the floor for you to pick up. You had a great time, but the best part for you was following the “hunt” when I let you eat as many as you could shove in your mouth for a couple minutes. You had a great time, and we paid for it later when the sugar crash hit. Luckily you didn’t get sick from all of the sugar that night and it didn’t seem to lower your immune system for the rest of our travels.
In Australia we did lots of walking around and we got to the point where you refused to walk and insisted that Daddy carry you everywhere. This was a little trying, but we still had a great time. We went to the aquarium, the zoo and another wildlife place. You were in heaven seeing animals nearly every day!
People often ask how I was able to travel with a toddler and an infant and I always answer that you and your brother are so well behaved and happy children. Which is mostly true. You did have some hiccups along the way, we felt the effects of not sleeping in our bed and not being home in your familiar surroundings, but I think you did really good considering. We’ll still do more travelling with you and your brother. We all had a great time.
Your vocabulary grew this month to include words like crocodile, kangaroo and “ANIMALS!” Your eating was sporadic, but I think it’s more that we were on vacation and you didn’t care to eat, or were too sleepy. So there isn’t much to comment on that, although today you discoverd queso fresco and demanded a lot of it. Yesterday you asked for your own bowl of icecream “mine own icecream pwease” and you ate much of it, but today you suffered for it. I guess your little digestive system still doesn’t like cow’s milk, in any form. (except yogurt, you tolerate yogurt fine, yay for probiotics!)
You continue to show lots of affection for your brother. I sometimes worry that you’re showing too much, because you can be a little rough, but it’s all because you love him, and I can’t get angry at you for that.
Now that you’re two months into the “terrible twos”, I am starting to see why it’s called that. I’ll never declare that you’re terrible, but you do test your boundaries and have developed this lovely habit of selective listening. So to define boundaries we have you spend some time in a corner. I know that some people will doubt that you’ll go to a corner when told, but you do. You may not stay in it as long as I’d like, but you go. We’re working on it. But you are a good girl, and I am awfully lucky to have you!
I think you’re really close to being properly potty trained during the day. In a showing of independance you don’t go on your potty when I ask you, rather you wait until you want to go and you go on it. We haven’t had an accident in a long time, but you do still spend some time in diapers. Sometimes I have to remind myself that you were potty trained at one time, but you opted to go back to diapers when you learned to walk, finding the potty to be too much time spent sitting still.
We’re still cosleeping with you at night. You love to curl up against Daddy’s or my backs at night and play with someone’s hair. You would love to cuddle Hudson all night, but I worry that you’re not aware of him enough to not suffocate him, so he sleeps on the other side of me, but in the mornings you get to spend some time with him. You’ll cover him in kisses and be so happy that he’s there.
I haven’t talked about our morning routine much, but we’ve developed a fun one. After you wake up and wake up everyone else, we generally let you watch 20 minutes or so of TV so we can wake up, then you go and brush your teeth with Daddy, then you get a sticker for your “chart” and then you shower with Daddy, who, when done will get out, leave you in the shower and I’ll join you so you get an extra long shower. You play with your ducks and letters in the shower and take pride on sitting on the drain so that the shower stall fills with water until Daddy or I scoot you off so that the water won’t overflow. After the shower Daddy dries you off, you run about naked, laughing like a crazy girl then you ask for a pretty dress when we decide what you’re going to wear. I do your hair and we go downstairs for breakfast. It’s a longer routine than most I guess, but it’s fun and you’re happy for it. I used to worry that daily showers (and some baths at night) would dry out your skin, but it seems that you have oily skin like your daddy. We don’t wash your hair every day, maybe only once every other week, but it gets wet down every day, I need it wet to help control your crazy curls!
All in all we have lots of fun with you.
You’re such a delight.
love ,
Mama.

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2 Months

March 28th, 2010

Dear Hudson,
Today you turn 2 months old! We’re celebrating your birthday by going to a Hangi in New Zealand! So technically today is the day after you turn 2 months since we lost a day on the trip over. But it’s your 2 month birthday at home.
This past month has been fast! You’ve learned how to smile and you are a little stingy with them, but when you give them they are glorious! Just yesterday you found your hands and studied them for about 20 minuites.
You like to lay in your activity centre for about 5 minutes then you are all about the mama. It’s sweet that you are so attached to me, we do a lot of babywearing so that I can get some things done.
You love to talk to me, and give me lots of coos and gurgles, and this is when I can best get a smile from you. Trixie loves to talk to you too, and you seem to enjoy her, you’ll give her your attention and you don’t seem to mind when she slathers you with kisses.
You’re an awfully patient guy and only fuss if you’re hungry, have a wet diaper or are too tired to put yourself to sleep. Luckily I can remedy all of these situtaions and you are back to your normal happy self.
Being as you’re only 2 months old there isn’t much to mention in your development and daily life. But my sweet little Mr. Mister, I love you so much! I say often how lucky I am to have your sister, but I am just as lucky to have you. Always know that you were worth all of the trouble we went to concieve you. You were worth every last needle, surgery and crazy making drug. I would have done it 100 times over, just to have you. I love you so much my sweet boy.
love,
Mama.

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