I Love This Baby!

Encore!

Elizabeth: "Bob-O! Bob-O! Mommy, what does Bob-O mean?"

Me: "I don't know. Did you make it up?"

Elizabeth: "No, Mommy. You do know! Bob-O!"

Me: "No, honey, I really don't know that word. Where did you hear it?"

Elizabeth: "At Orchestra Hall, they yelled Bob-O at all the magicians."

Me: "Bravo!"

Exercising with Elizabeth

The good news is that Elizabeth thinks my Pilates video is a treat.

The bad news is that she doesn't call it by the right name. "Mommy, can we do your Blobbies video together?"

The really bad news is that "Blobby" is kind of an accurate description!

Big Sister the Baby Feeder

The funniest part of Amelie's first solids wasn't Amelie - it was Elizabeth! She was so excited that she didn't know what to do. I loved the way that she naturally opened her mouth to get Amelie to open hers, just the way my Grandma Ryan was famous for doing.

Check out Elizabeth's look of intensity!This is what Elizabeth thought when she tasted the rice cereal.This is what Amelie thought of the cereal.

First Solid Food

We started Amelie on rice cereal this afternoon. She'll be six months old in three more days. She was so ready to start solids that it was just like she'd been eating from a spoon all her life. She didn't make a face, spit it out, make a mess, or any of the things babies usually do. And she finished the entire meal (two tablespoons!). Elizabeth got to feed her the first bites, and she was surprisingly good at it. I think we'll use this to our advantage in the future! Here are some pictures.

"It's about time you guys started feeding me.""Here, let me help.""Hey! This is good stuff!""Why didn't you start doing this earlier? I like this!""All gone!"

A Better Mommy

Just now, as I was blogging, Amelie was sleeping, and Elizabeth was coloring at the table, Elizabeth announced, "Mommy, when I grow up, I'm going to be a better mommy than you are!"

"Oh?" I calmly asked. "How?"

"By giving my kid less not healthy foods." Okay. No more complaining next time I say no to a treat, young lady!

This Baby's Got Wheels!

Amelie is no longer content to lie still on a blanket. She scoots backward, in a circle, and sometimes sideways. She also purposefully rolls to get somewhere. Here are some pictures from this morning's playtime.

"Look how high I can push myself up now! This is fun, but don't expect me to stay here!" "I rolled all the way to the other side of the blanket to reach this toy."
"And I don't have to stop here! I am so proud!"

"Mommy, why don't you ever let me eat this floor? It tastes so good!"

Needless to say, the licking of the wood floor quickly brought playtime to an end.

A Dream Come True

Today Elizabeth fulfilled her lifelong dream of riding on a school bus. Her preschool took a field trip to Orchestra Hall, and she was excited beyond measure. Her verdict upon return? "Orchestra Hall was pretty much all about instruments." She told me all about the "magicians" (musicians), their instruments, and where she sat on the bus ("the front is less bumpier than than the back").

I hadn't volunteered to chaperone because of Amelie, and Elizabeth had never considered that some parents were able to go. The mother of the friend we carpool with drove the girls to school today and stayed to chaperone, and when Elizabeth got home she was a little bit upset with me. "If you had drived today, you would have gotten to come with me!"

I was quickly forgiven, though, in her delight to see Amelie. She truly misses her sister whenever they're separated for even a few hours. Today I could clearly see that Amelie feels the same way! Although she had been fussy while Elizabeth was gone and I had carried her for over an hour, as soon as Elizabeth came home she was all smiles and finally let me set her down. Woo-hoo for sisters!

Happy Spring!

Is anyone else in denial about the cold weather this week? I just packed away our heaviest winter jackets (I know, that was not my brightest move ever). The other day I thought I could wear my running windbreaker to do the preschool run and just about froze! The sun looks so beautiful outside today that it is hard to believe it's cold out.

Interminable Afternoon

This was one of those afternoons that dragged on FOREVER. Amelie needed me to pace for hours while carrying her, my patience was low and I didn't even care enough to fix it, and it was windy and snowy outside. I should have packed up the girls and left the house for an hour after dinner, and I knew it, but instead I just succumbed to the boredom, watched the clock, and put the girls to bed a half hour early. Not impressive.

Isaac's going out of town tomorrow and Saturday so I'll have to get my act together fast!

Weight Loss Wednesday

My friend Jennifer at A Tale of Two Kiddies has posted Weight Loss Wednesdays on her blog for several months, and I've found it very inspiring to read about the changes she has made in her life and how hard she is willing to work to lose weight. She has committed to exercising every single day and not snacking at night!

I'm not willing to go as far as Jennifer, but I will jump on her weight loss bandwagon with some goals of my own. I have an extra 6 pounds of pregnancy weight, and an extra 5-8 pounds leftover from my first pregnancy. For the next four weeks, I commit to drinking two bottles of water each day, running three times a week, doing a Pilates workout video three times a week, and only having one sweet snack per day. (That last one is the one that I struggle with the most!)

In four weeks, we are traveling to Chicago for Isaac's brother's wedding. I would love to not have a poochy tummy sticking out of my dress! Since I haven't had a flat stomach in about 5 years, we'll see if this can happen in 4 weeks. I'll keep you posted!

Longing for Adventure

I was talking with Isaac about some friends of ours (married with no children) who packed one backpack each and are traveling together in Thailand. I said, "Just the two of them against the world - how cool is that for their marriage?"

Isaac was nonplussed. He gestured to Elizabeth and Amelie. "It's just the two of us against the two of them - also an adventure."

That wasn't quite what I meant!

A Real Friend

A real friend is someone who lets you do a Pilates exercise video in front of them while your baby cries herself loudly to sleep in the background (and doesn't make fun of your sweat or call you a bad mother!).

Relaxation

When Elizabeth and I need some special time together, we color. We light a candle, bring out a special stained-glass coloring book, and play relaxing music (okay, I confess that we play Enya, but after endless hours of listening to her during naptime when I taught full-time, she destresses me in minutes!).

We learned this technique from Nana at her assisted living home. Papa tried it with us a few times, but when he complained, "I'd rather be painting the barn!" Nana let him stop coming.

Good Day for a Run (or Two!)

After my run this afternoon, I took Elizabeth out for a run. She's been begging to go with us when we run, but of course she can't keep up. So for this run, she got to be the boss and decide where to go, how fast to run or walk, and when to stop. I expected to jog easily for about two blocks and then return home.

Instead, she sprinted - for FIVE blocks! We only stopped to cross each street. She chose to walk back, but ended up running for about a third of the way back, too!

The best part was collapsing on the warm grass and stretching out together at the end.

VanLoon Updates

We have been very busy so I haven't posted in a while (for me, at least!). I've gotten to spend lots of extra time with my friend's two-year-old this week - hence, the "very busy" part. I had forgotten how busy two-year-olds are; they're really a different breed altogether.

Elizabeth did recover from her fever without a trip to the doctor, so that was nice.

Amelie has slept through the night two nights in a row! When she wakes up at 5:00 or 6:00, we've started just bringing her into our bed and she sleeps for another hour or two. Rather than looking at it as starting a bad habit, I decided to look at it as starting a sweet tradition. We're all happy with the new decision.

My two girls are currently in bed. Amelie fell asleep without a peep while listening to Elizabeth belt out "I Can't See Me Loving Nobody But You" at the top of her lungs. The things that girl is going to remember about her sister!

Sweet Memorial

When we were outside today, I noticed that Elizabeth had taped up signs in our front windows. If you look closely, the one on the left is decorated with hearts and says "Love Papa." She made her own memorial for Isaac's grandpa!

Not Quite All Better

Elizabeth got sick on Saturday night. She'd been fine in the morning, eating breakfast and lunch well, so I took her to playgroup and she played outside at the park with her cousin (I'm sorry, Maija - I really hope Sydney doesn't get sick!). But by that evening, she had no appetite. When I took her temperature at bedtime, it was 102.

On Sunday her temp reached 104, and it's still at 102 today. We've already missed church, preschool, and her last gymnastics class that Isaac took off work to see. We'll go into the doctor tomorrow if she is still sick in the morning.

In the meantime, the gorgeous weather cheers her up so we've been spending lots of time outside. I can tell she's still sick, though, because while Amelie and I went without jackets, she went inside to put on a hat, light jacket, and snowpants!

Everyone looks cheerful in the pictures, but life has been rough around here. Elizabeth has been up during the nights several times, and has a very hard time falling asleep because she feels so poorly. Amelie is still doing her cry at night thing. I don't know if she's getting sick too, or if she's teething, or if it's just a developmental stage. So far the things we've been trying with Amelie have backfired and she wakes up even more at night (but with less crying, so I guess there has been some pay-off). Isaac and I have not been getting very much sleep. If it's not one kid, it's the other. I guess this is when it's tough to have more than one child!

Who Needs to Exercise?

Who needs to lift weights when you have kids?

Glorious Weather

I joined everyone else in St. Paul this afternoon and ran around Como Lake. I set a new personal best at 3.5 miles in 35:30.

The trails were pretty muddy and slushy still. Good thing my parents gave me new trail running shoes for my birthday this weekend! I broke them in well!

Building Up Your Spouse

I think that one of the most important things you can do as a parent is to build up your spouse to your child. I grew up believing that my father was perfect (although now that I'm grown up, I still think he's as close to perfect as a man can get!) and I want my girls to grow up believing the same thing about Isaac. I love pointing out ways he serves us, how hard he works, and all the things he can do so well.

Clearly I'm very good at this. Elizabeth told me yesterday that she had dropped a small toy down a vent and that Daddy couldn't get it out. "Oh," I said. "Well, if Daddy couldn't get it out, I bet I can't get it either."

"I know," she said with confidence. "That's why I didn't ask you."

My Little Mover

Check out the distance this girl rolled and the pride on her face!

I let her revel in her achieved position for a while, but when she started licking the wood floor, I had to move her back to the blanket!

Backpack Upgrade

Since I've been putting Amelie in the baby backpack around the cranky dinner hour most days and we plan to use it frequently in hikes this summer, I decided to upgrade from our $10 used backpack with a broken clasp. I found this beauty at Once Upon a Child. It has mesh panels so we don't get as hot and even a sunshade to protect Amelie in the summertime! Look at all those straps and buckles! I'm pretty excited about this new toy.

I always loved the idea of baby carriers with Elizabeth, but she never stood for them. It's fun to have a baby who likes them, because it sure makes life easier with two!

What's That Again?

Elizabeth read a book about a vet this morning.

Me: "Do you know what a vet is?"

Elizabeth: "A vegetarian."

Me, laughing: "Do you know what a vegetarian is?"

Elizabeth: "Isn't it a library person?" [A librarian]

Cool Toes!

Amers found her toes today. She has noticed them several times previously, but has not had the control to consistently get them to her mouth until now. How great of God to invent a toy that's attached to her own body!

Don't you just love that flexibility?

Botched Plans

My mom came over last night to watch the girls while I played volleyball. I drove partway and then turned around, not because the roads were so bad then, but because I didn't want my mom to have to drive home in two or three hours on dark roads that were worse.

While the evening didn't turn out as I had planned it, it was (as always) nice to be with my mom for a while. She "fed" Amelie with an empty spoon, and Amelie loved it. That baby will be more than ready to start solids in a few weeks.

New Stages

Things change so quickly. The stages that trouble for a while soon pass as new ones appear. Currently we are dealing with some doozies!

1. Threats and Ultimatums: Elizabeth has somehow picked up giving me threats and ultimatums. I have no idea where she learned this, since this is not a way we communicate in our home. For some reason, they most often come up when she wants me to help her wipe in the bathroom (which we haven't done for over a year now!).

"Mommy, if you don't wipe me, people will make fun of me. Do you want people to make fun of me?" After no response from me: "Mommy, if you don't wipe me, people will make fun of you!" Still no response from me. "Mommy, if you don't wipe me RIGHT NOW, I'll stay in the bathroom all day and never come out! Mommy, if you don't wipe me, I'll yell and wake up Amelie!" (This one took all my willpower not to respond - luckily, she didn't have the nerve to follow through on her threat.)

Needless to say, this is not a very fun stage. And also needless to say (I hope), threats and ultimatums do not work on us parents. We do not negotiate with 4-year-old terrorists!

2. Bickering: No, not bickering between the two children - imaginary bickering. Today at lunch, Elizabeth was making two toothpicks bicker with each other. "You are so!" "I am not!" "You stop that right now!" And so on ad nauseum. Again, I really do not know where she learned this, but apparently, lots of imaginary things argue with each other.

3. Crying at Night: This one is Amelie. Although she has the capability to sleep through the night and has done so on many nights, she also has many nights that she wakes up crying. For hours. For example, on Sunday morning she woke up at 3:45am and stayed awake until a brief 35 minute nap in the church nursery. Then that night she slept through, and last night she cried from 2:30-4:30am. This stage results in very little sleep for Isaac and me. Luckily, it does not affect Elizabeth very much.

4. Some Bright Spots: I don't want it to sound like all our current stages are bad. Some are wonderful. I am very proud that Elizabeth has started eating raw spinach salads and liking them. Everyone in our family has eaten spinach every day for over a week! Amelie is fascinated with anything she can get in her mouth and loves being carried around in a baby backpack while I work around the house. Elizabeth and Isaac have finished the Chronicles of Narnia series and are almost done with The Hobbit. Elizabeth has liked every progressive book more than the previous one, which she attributes to the books and we attribute to growing older and having more understanding.

Camouflage Baby

Pink camouflage is useful trait, honed after years of evolution in the suburbs. If you look closely, you can observe a small baby, hidden in the bright pinks of her blanket. This trait originally evolved to hide her from her big sister, but it doesn't seem to be very effective.

Rolling Machine

Amelie rolled over from her stomach to her back for the first time today! I hope this signals the end of getting stuck on her stomach and needing us to turn her over.

Although we faithfully put her to sleep on her back, she's woken up on her stomach for days now. I'll feel better knowing that she can roll over if she needs to.

Now that she rolls all the time, we're also trying to wean her from being swaddled when she sleeps. Naptime didn't go well, but I put her down to bed tonight unswaddled and she fell right to sleep. We're hoping for an easy transition!

Happy Spring!

Today, Minnesota reached 50 degrees in early March! What's a girl to do on a day like today if she doesn't splash in puddles? We walked quickly back from preschool to change into rain boots, and then took off toward the park. Elizabeth ran ahead of me. Amelie stayed nice and close under my tent-like jacket, chewing happily on the Baby Bjorn.

The entire park was under water. Elizabeth had a great time splashing around and pretending to be on islands.

We got pretty cold after a while, so we walked back. All was well and good until Elizabeth fell into a puddle walking up the stairs to our house. Then the cold and wetness was too much for her to handle.

However, some hot water and a treat erased the chill and surprise of the fall and turned the afternoon back into a fun adventure. All is well in the VanLoon household again.

(Yes, I'm the type of mom who takes a sick kid out into the cold. Amelie is feeling much better today! Only her nose is still bothering her.)

Random Thoughts on a Sick Baby

Amers has a cold. (We frequently call Amelie "Amers," pronounced Ah-mers, if you haven't figured that out.) Poor little bubbly, slurpy, red-watery-eyed baby!

I think that the word "snorkel" should refer to snuffly noses. Isn't that a great word to use to describe a cold?

I hate throwing my carefully developed baby schedule out the window to accommodate a sick baby. It's no fun for either of us.

There is no possible way of keeping germs from spreading between my two girls who can't stand to be apart from each other. Well, technically, it's Elizabeth who bursts into tears at the mere mention of being separated even a few feet from Amelie, but Amelie seems to like her too!

Amelie has extremely fair, sensitive skin. With the red blotches currently around her eyes, she looks like she stepped off the set of a bad plague movie.

There's really no point to these random thoughts. Just thought I'd share!

Amelie's First Day in the Baby Backpack

It's much easier to do dishes with a backpack than a frontpack! As long as she had something soft to chew on (instead of my hair), Amelie was perfectly happy.

What a Nut!