Brothers and Sisters

Awww... brothers and sisters playing together in peace and harmony. Is there anything sweeter?

Someone's always got to rock the boat...

"No, Bay-bee! Mi-een!"

"Waaaaaaaaa!"

The repetition of this scene hundreds of times a day really wears me out...but every once in a while they give each other a hug, and it makes me forget all the rest.

Lynda

Potty Training

We recently started what we like to call 'Potty Training Boot Camp', a three-day, throw-away-all-the-diapers, slap-on-the-underwear, watch- 'em-like-a-hawk, never-leave-their-side-day-or-night approach that went very well. I'm not saying we weren't all crying at some point, or that my usually clingy son didn't wonder why Mama wouldn't just leave him alone, but it was a success. Levi hasn't worn a diaper in two weeks and apart from a few accidents, tells us when he needs to use the potty: "I pee pee poo pah-ee" (his words, not mine). Our proudest moment: Levi made it through a 14-hour car trip without any accidents on the fifth day after we started training, and he even told us when he needed us to pull over.

I have three favorite moments from the last two weeks. The first happened on Day 1 when we were introducing Levi to the concept of 'big boy underwear'. We took off his diaper, handed him his brand new white grippies, and explained that "big boys don't wear diapers...they wear underwear". Levi took the underwear from my hand and tried to put them on his head. I have it on video, and his fiancee will see it one day.

My second favorite moment also occurred on Day 1; Levi used the potty successfully and we were doing everything we could to celebrate the fact. Flushing the potty was almost all the reward he ever needed...kids love to flush the potty! As the toilet flushed, he waved and said, "Bye bye, poo poo!" Nice.

But my absolute favorite moment came at bedtime. As he no longer sleeps in a crib, Levi used his newfound potty skills as a reason to get out of bed at least ten times a night. We'd put him to bed, wash the dishes, and settle in to reading a book or watching a TV show when we heard the telltale rattle of the door handle. Levi would appear, blinking in the bright light and wearing a sheepish smile. The smile was always a giveaway. "Ummm...pee pee poo pah-ee." Afraid to call his bluff, we'd go to the bathroom to be rewarded by little to no product. [Grrrr.] After two nights like this, I emailed the (wonderful) woman who authored the training method. She explained that when Levi's bathroom trips became unproductive, we could just 'put potty to bed'.

Putting potty to bed goes like this:

rattle, rattle, creak [door handle]

Us: What's up, buddy?

Levi: Ummmm...pee pee poo pah-ee.

Us: You need to potty?

Levi: Ummmm...yathhs. [I love how he says 'yes']

Us: Levi, your pants are on fire.

Levi: Huh?

Us: Nevermind...let's go!

[Attempt to potty, nothing happens, wash hands]

Us: Okay, Levi, it's time to go back to bed. And you know what? Potty is going to bed, too! He's had a long day and he's tired.

[Lay a hand towel over the toilet lid, pat the towel softly]

Us: Tell Potty good night, Levi.

Levi: [whispers] Nigh nigh, Potty.

We've put Potty to bed at least three nights now, and it always works. The potty training lady is a genius.

Night night, everyone. [And nigh nigh, Potty.]

Lynda

Like Father, Like Son

Do you think these two are related?

I'd say so...

Lynda

One Month, Two Months, Do I Hear Three?

It's been quite a while since I last posted. I could give you plenty of reasons for this, but who wants excuses when there are pictures to see? Good, I'm glad we agree.

Wren's three month birthday was Sunday, and she's getting big! She weighed eight pounds, seven ounces and measured 21 1/4 inches at her one month checkup. She grew to ten pounds and 22 inches by her two month checkup. At her three month checkup, she weighed eleven pounds, five ounces and measured 23 inches. That's a total gain of five pounds and growth of four inches since her birth. Here are her one, two, and three month pictures with Dale. Because of her big eyes, this first picture reminds me of 'E.T.' hiding in Gertie's closet:


For reference, in case you have no idea what I'm talking about:



Two months, and less afraid of this world:

And her three-month picture:

Wren's Grandma bought her this precious outfit for her first Fourth of July.


Wren must be doing a cheer in her head, because this looks like a cheerleading move to me. "Goooooo U.S.A.!"

And later, tired from all the cheering, she takes a nap like Uncle Rico.

And several days later, we tried on some hats. I really wish we had colder weather around here so we could wear this one more. I think she likes it.

It's obvious from all her growth that Wren is a great eater. She's also a great sleeper. She's slept through the night three or four of the last seven nights. And...she's found her thumb! About a week ago, Wren was having a rough day; she insisted on being held while she napped, and it took a long time for her to fall asleep. A friend came by and I got lost in conversation. After several minutes, I looked down and saw this:

A few minutes after that, she hooked her finger over her nose just like her brother:

I was once thoroughly opposed to thumb sucking, but that was before I realized that it allows my children to soothe themselves to sleep. People warn us that we're going to have a hard time breaking them of the habit and that it will cause them to have to wear braces, to which I reply, peer pressure can be a positive force, and any child of mine is destined for orthodontia anway.

Wren 'talks' a lot with a sweet little voice and an occasional bark. She is able to turn herself on her side, so I imagine a full back-to-front flip is coming soon. She loves to hear her daddy's voice, and always smiles when he plays with her.

Levi is growing and learning a lot. He's learning to climb:

He's learning to build:

He's relearning the play gym that now belongs to Wren:


He's also learning lots of words. He regularly uses the words and phrases hi, bye, ball, bowl, shoes, night-night, I did it!, whoa!, ouch, sweet, uh-oh, trash, more, mama, daddy, Pop (both granddads), and Yia Yia (my mom). He tries his best to repeat most of everything we say, and he's attempting to say many of the staff members' names. Note to Betty: we're working on 'Grandma'!

He still loves the hiking backpack. We can bring it in from the mud room, set it on the floor, and watch him climb in himself. This is Levi and Rob on the way to Wrangler Breakfast last Friday:

Levi takes a lot of pride in being able to put his boots on all by himself, usually on the right feet. And no one ever loved a pair of boots more than this little boy. He wears them to breakfast, he wears them to the pool, he wears them to play outside, and he wears them around the house just because he can.

Levi is transitioning from two naps to one, and I often miss the 'ideal time' when I should put him down to sleep. I realized one day late last week that I'd missed it again. I was nursing Wren and looked over to find Levi falling asleep on his feet. His head was resting on the seat of the arm chair and his knees were buckling as he lost consciousness. He almost hit the deck once before he climbed up in the chair and feel into a deep sleep.

Levi wants to do everything like a big boy now. Yesterday he refused the banana slices I put on his plate and insisted on biting pieces from a whole banana.

This is when he realized that the peel is NOT good for eating:

And here are the kids together. This is the only picture I've gotten of the two because Levi is a big wiggle worm. My kids. Something about it just makes my heart happy.

I hope to be a more regular blogger now that we're getting into a routine. Famous last words, right?

Lynda

PS - For a demonstration of Levi's climbing ability, go to YouTube and search for 'rhymeswithdamage' . Find the video titled 'He's In Time Out' and enjoy. You should know that Wren was NOT in her crib when this video was shot.

Dale

This is Wren's sock monkey, Dale. Actually, it's Tex in drag. Dale is still two Rockford red heel socks in my craft cabinet. Until I find the time to make Dale, Tex will suffer the indignity of wearing a skirt. Get over it, Tex.

This is Wren's first sock monkey picture. It was taken when she was two weeks old. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to take this picture sooner since she's already much bigger than the tee-ninetsy baby I brought home. She weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces on Monday, about a pound and a half more than her birth weight. Her head circumference has increased by an inch, too. My delicate little flower might surpass her brother on the growth chart.

She has an internal dinner bell that rings every couple of hours during the daytime and every three hours at night. We're getting a fair amount of sleep each evening - two nights ago, she missed the dinner bell and slept for six hours straight. She spends more of the daytime hours awake, and she's making better eye contact. I am counting down to the six-week mark, when we should begin seeing intentional, social smiles. Her sleepy smiles tell me that she's going to have a gorgeous grin.

Levi is getting used to Wren. He goes between mild jealousy and infatuation with her. He either pouts because I'm tending to Wren and can't play with him/read to him/give him a snack, or he's hovering inches over her face, fascinated by her, poking at her eyes, mouth, nose and ears. He also likes to give her 'head hugs' - he puts his head on hers and smiles. It's very sweet.

It's clear to me now that Levi understands most of what we say. I was surprised to find out that he can follow easy verbal directions and yesterday he correctly pointed out all the animals in his farm toy set. He repeated the word 'shoes' yesterday with gusto - he knew it meant he was going 'out-sigh' (outside). He's very perceptive, too. He's figured out that my ability to discipline him is diminished when I'm nursing Wren, so he pushes more boundaries then. Oh, and he's invented a cuss word. He uses the same made-up word whenever he's angry. It starts with a 'b', and it doesn't sound like any English words that we know. As soon as he says it, his frustration and anger are over. We're addressing the attitude, but it's hard not to laugh about it later.

Have I mentioned that Levi's an Elmo addict? He would watch it over and over all day if we let him (we don't). He gets super excited when he sees us put the DVD into the player. He goes into a trance for the entirety of the show. If it gets any worse, we'll have his friends from the church nursery over to stage an intervention. This is how we found him during a recent episode:

If you will, go back and check out the size of that kid's feet. He came by them honest, but still...

Our summer staff are arriving and getting the ranch into shape. Our season starts a week from this Sunday. This off-season has gone so slowly, and I'm looking forward to the faster summer pace and seeing old friends. This summer should be great for Levi - making friends, playing outside in the grass and dirt, and riding the ranch's miniature horse, Brownie (the one, ironically, who hates kids). So many who visit say that this is a wonderful place for kids to grow up, and I agree. As much as I miss Texas, I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here right now.

Lynda

Cheese Grin

I suppose we have created a cheese-grinning monster. Sometime in the last two weeks, we noticed that any time a camera was produced, Levi smiled the most unnatural and ridiculous smile. When he smiles this way, he hardly looks like the little boy we know. We don't know where this smile came from, unless it's the result of us coaching him to smile for the camera in over-emphasized, plastic smiles. I guess it's our fault, and we're hoping it's reversible. In the mean time, it's just funny.





Here's hoping the days of authentic smiles are not far off!


Lynda

Levi's Walking!

Well, he's walking! True to form, he only teased his parents with some failed attempts, and waited until his Grandma and Pop were here to witness this milestone.

He's not given up on crawling, but each day we see him do a little more walking. There is no video evidence to support our claims at present, but the first chance I get to catch some steps, it'll be posted!

Lynda

Turkey...Shoot!

I have an adorable one-year-old. And with Thanksgiving in mind, I thought he'd look even more adorable in the turkey suit I made.

He must not have agreed. This is how our little photo shoot went...

"Okay, Levi. Sit here."

"No, I'll hand you the pumpkin. You keep sitting."

"All right, now, let me arrange your feathers...ready, Rob?"

"Shoot! He got away!"

"Okay, let's try again, but this time, we'll stand".

"Okay, here's your pumpkin, Levi...ready, Rob?"

"No, baby! Remember how much you love to stand now?"

"Shoot! He's gone."

Rob never had a chance. Levi wouldn't sit or stand still for two seconds straight. Thank goodness for the 'cropping' tool. It allows me this picture, and the illusion that our turkey shoot didn't turn into, "Turkey...shoot!"

Happy Thanksgiving

from

the Luttrull Family

11 months!

Levi is 11 months now. I'm actually getting this post in under the wire, because he'll be 12 months in - gulp! - one week! He weighed in at 16 pounds, 15 ounces at his 11-month check up. That's a gain of just 1/4 of a pound over the last month. He measured 28 inches again and I've finally lost complete faith in the length measuring tool at the doctor office. I am responsible for holding him down straight as a board, and making sure my end of the measuring tool is flush against his feet, so it's operator error, and I'm looking forward to the time that he can stand on his own two feet and be measured against the wall. Here's his 11-month picture with Tex, all dressed in his sock monkey pajamas:



We just returned from a trip in Oklahoma, and somehow, his hair doubled in length and lightened while we were there. I can now see his golden, downy hair from a distance. While we were there, he called out for his Pop Luttrull, which often sounded like "Tot!". He also stood up unaided in Deedo's living room early in our visit. We haven't had any repeat performances, but it gives me hope that his balance is improving such that it won't be too long before he starts walking. Here are some pictures from our visit:


Reading with Pop




Bathing in Deedo's sink

Exploring with Pop

Having a quiet moment with Daddy

We returned home to our first big snow. Winter is unaware that she's early!

The night we got home, Levi was sitting in his high chair when Aggie walked through the kitchen. He pointed at her and said, "Cat!". We celebrated so much that he has continued to say "cat" (which sounds a lot like "tat") over and over the last few days. It's a lot of fun to see him make these verbal connections. His vocabulary is now up to five words: oh, Pop, cat, hi and bye.

I am happy to report that I evidently left morning sickness and nausea behind when I started my second trimester. I feel pretty good most days; there are still a couple of foods I can't quite bring myself to eat (including my favorite, Taco Bell), but otherwise, this is much better than the first time. I'm still not showing, but I will post pictures when there's something to see. The baby is about 3.5 inches now, or the size of a lemon. Levi will provide the visual:

I started my 15th week today, and I'm looking forward to feeling the first baby 'flutters' soon. We heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time two weeks ago. It is really an amazing thing to hear that rapid heartbeat and know that all is apparently well. We've mostly referred to the baby as a girl; this is probably more desire than intuition, but from the get-go, this one just 'felt' like a girl. Our obstetrician, Dr. K, told us that mother's intuition is right about 60% of the time. We'll be thrilled either way. If the baby is a boy, we'll know what to expect, and if it's a girl, she'll be the first born on Rob's side of the family in a generation. A girl would probably make my niece Sophia happy too, as she'd have someone to do little girl things with. I have no idea what those things are since I was a tomboy, but Sophia will be a good teacher. We'll have an ultrasound sometime in January, and will share the news right away.

Well, that's all from our neck of the woods. Tomorrow is Halloween, and I'm very excited about Levi's costume. Stay tuned for pictures...

Lynda