Soren One Month

You:

• are a champion nurser. You love it. You live for it.
• weigh 10#8oz. (see above note) and are 21 1/4" long. Short fat proud of that.
• smile! So very fun.
• can focus your eyes on things/people.
• still eat every 2-4 hours. Your longest typical stretch at night is 4 hours.
  
• are very happy in the Moby Wrap. When you won't settle down to sleep during the day no matter how tired you are, the Moby Wrap puts you right to sleep.
• thankfully, can sleep through the noise and chaos of our house during the day.
• love to sleep on my or your dad's chest. I love it, too, and love that your little body fits right below my chin to my waist when you tuck your legs under and stick your bum up in the air.
• will only sleep on your tummy. No back. No side. No swaddling. No tummy? No sleep.
  
• have these luscious rolls filling in all over your cute little bod.
• are adored.
  

the girl and her accessories...

i didn't say i wanted my picture taken!


aaaaaah. binky.


woah! Where'd you come from??!

Party of Five

Here's what's been going on in pictures...As always, you should be able to click on the photo to enlarge it.

Pre-Soren

"she's fresh, she's so fresh...

Keegen meeting Soren

You can almost hear him saying in his high-pitched, soothing voice, "Don't cry, Baby So-Wen."

getting ready to go home.

it's like pink camo. where's the baby?

our welcome home banner. check out Bode's drawing of a hospital!

Yay! We're home!

she has lungs and knows how to use them.

she occasionally opens her eyes...

And, just because. Watching Saturday morning cartoons.

Our Future X-Gamers

Bode got his training wheels off on Sunday and has been riding incredibly well. Later this week Kristen invited me and the boys to meet her and her son at the local BMX bike track. I had nothing planned and I'm always happy to have someone come up with something fun like this to fill our time! So, I put Keegen in the car, picked Bode up from school and took them to the "dirt track."


Oh my holy cow. Bode could hardly contain himself. We couldn't get the elbow and knee pads on fast enough. He took off down this curved dirt hill to get to the bottom of the track (i didn't see it, but saw Kristen simultaneously flap her arms and look at me like "ooooooh noooooooooo!" but he made it to the bottom unscathed!). The dirt track loop starts with a big downhill to a series of "tallest" hills, a curve to the next series of "taller" hills, a curve to the next series of "tall" hills, and finally, yes, a curve to the next series of the smaller hills. Our first day there, the boys stuck to the smaller hills. I brought Keegen's scooter and was surprised at how hard he was willing to work to get up the hills to get the thrill of the downhill. Bode took to those hills, like, shall i say, a duck to water? He loved them. No fear. Just conquered them.


We went on Friday, too, and Bode quickly went from the smaller hills to the taller hills! From level one to three in a day! Kristen and i joke that the boys have found their passion. They just love it. I was really floored at how well Bode handled those hills--with speed and he was able to take the curves for the most part. We had a lot of crashes, but almost every time he just said he was OK, popped up and got back to it. Kristen brought Keegen a balance bike to use this time and he loved it. He even got to take it home for a few days and it's fun to watch him cruise around on it.


I only took pics our first day (which don't give the hills justice), but Kristen got some video on Day Two. The first is Keegen working the balance bike:

Keegen's New X-Game Sport

The second is Bode. He decided to try the start point that goes down a super-steep hill. Turn up the volume so you can hear Bode and Jack's pre-run conversation...

Bode Has No Fear

Bode ends up catching air on the bump after the downhill and bit it. Hard. He was SO UPSET he fell and SO MAD at ME for not letting him try it again that day. When I showed him the video, i was laughing so hard tears were coming out of my eyes. He was quite offended since he got hurt in the process (that's what he told me--said something like, "why are you laughing at me when i got hurt?" NOW he cares that he got hurt?!). I had to explain myself a few times and tell him how incredible it was that he went down it and how he caught some crazy air. Maybe i should have let him go try it again right away, but i like my child in one piece!

Stuff that Happened Today

Words i never realized would come out of my mouth: "Keegen! Get your FACE out of the TOILET." (He's ever so proud of his potty successes and likes to watch the contents swish away but today was a little too up-close-and-personal).

Speaking of too up-close-and-personal, I've joked that Keegen is so small that i fear he'll fall in the toilet. Darn thing looks like it's about to swallow him up when he sits on it. But i never imagined he'd fall into the toilet while standing up peeing. He was standing on a step to reach the toilet, peeing, when he shifted on it a bit and somehow the step slipped and he fell INTO THE TOILET face and hands outstretched first. So. What do i do? I pick him up (stifling my disbelieving laughter), wipe him off, stand him back up on the step to try again. And what happens? STEP SOMEHOW SLIPS AGAIN AND HE FLIES IN FACE FIRST AGAIN! Thankfully, after he got mad at me for laughing he was quick to forgive and laugh, too. No. You're right. We will not be using that step EVER again for that purpose. Should this be one of those blackbox warnings for parents? Do not let your child pee alone into the toilet due to risk of drowning???

And finally, i thought this was funny. You guys know the song "Say" by John Mayer? Yes? No? Anywho. We're sitting at Taco Bell tonight for a lovely dinner of hydrogenates, Grade F meat, fluorescent fake cheese and who knows what else and "Say" is playing overhead. Bode asks, "Why is he saying Sandwiches Make Sense?" (as opposed to Say What you Need to Say). (sing with me now, "sandwiches makes se-e-e-nse, sandwiches make se-ense"). Love it. Just like his father hearing things that aren't there.

Jeri Rocks!

I can't remember if i've posted any of these before.

my absolute fave

We had a photo session way back in July with my friend Jeri while we were visiting family in DC. It was my intention to do it to get a decent shot or two of the boys and hopefully a good one of the three of us as a gift for Doug.

To preserve in my memory, we did it at my favorite place in Columbia, MD--Lake Elkhorn. It was about 8:45 when we arrived and already hot and sticky. The boys really responded to Jeri's mild promptings and, in the end, Bode really got into it. When the photographer asks, "What does a pirate say?" this is when the adult(s) in the shot are supposed to keep their smiles fixed and the children are to respond. NOT the other way around. Lesson learned.

Jeri is MAGIC. There were so many photos to choose from (Oh, the agony!). See the proof below.


Keegen was fantastic for the first half of the shoot. And when he was DONE, Bode had warmed up and was ready to go. It actually worked out really well. The final shots were the ones of the three of us. Keegs looks a bit, well, done in the final selection, but it works.


And after only a year (well, i got the prints in November, but a year since the shoot), these puppies are matted, framed and ready to go up on my wall. Wonder how long it will take me to do that...

Strawberry Fields Forever

june 16th

I've had a hankering for a pick-your-own experience for a long time now. I was foiled last fall when there were no apples to pick in the entire state of Colorado due to a severe frost. No homemade applesauce for me! This year? I found a fantastic little farm just an hour and a half away where we could pick strawberries.

We invited Kristen and Kate and Jack (because if anyone likes PYO more than me, it's Kristen. No doubt). We met up and carpooled to the farm and it was the fastest, most enjoyable drive i've had to Denver yet (it's actually in Brighton, just past the Denver airport). Most enjoyable because the kids were totally entertained with each other. Very novel having friends in the car for a "road trip." And therefore, Kristen and i got to gab the entire way there and back.

The farm was darling. Wonderful red barn. Roosters cockadoodling to greet us. A ginormous pig that delighted the kids. To get the the strawberry fields, we had to take the "berry train," a hay wagon, essentially, which the kids loved, too.

We got out to the fields with our boxes to fill and set the kids loose. They did a great job only picking the ripe ones and eating lots as they went along! Keegen had to have eaten an entire quart, easily. Bode was less voracious, but enjoyed some, too. It's an organic farm and i LOVED being able to paw through the plants and not worry about pesticide/fertilizer residue. And loved even more that we could just pop the berries in our mouths without worry. Oh, and they were so tasty. I got home and told Doug that i am spoiled now, having tasted these sweet, fresh berries. Yum!Bode searching for the perfect berries

these kids are awesome

I got about 2/3 of a flat, which was plenty since i'd just made freezer jam the week before. We've enjoyed these berries with whipped cream and ice cream and i just dipped a bunch in melted semi-sweet chocolate (lazy woman's fondue!). Soooooo good!

i love this picture! makes up for not getting one on mother's day! check out keegen's face, hands and empty container...

Happenings

Mother's Day: I was given a menu of options for the day in book form that the boys worked on with Doug. A menu of many choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as activity choices for the day. The choices were impressive. For breakfast alone we had cinnamon rolls (my faves from a can), orange julius and eggs benedict. As for activities, I went with the simply hang out with the family as well as rest a lot since i wasn't feeling well then.

Bode's Preschool Graduation: He is on to kindergarten! Hard to believe sometimes. He wouldn't participate in the presentation the kids put on or walk in the graduation "procession", which made me sad only because he'd been willing to do things like this a few months ago. But i had to remind myself that I hate performing and being in front of a crowd, too, so i understood it. It's not always just his sensory processing issues. He knew all of the songs and what they were going to do. He'd fully participated during school to learn them. But when it came to performing in front of a bunch of parents he couldn't. We did get some fun pictures later...


I will be saving his preschool eval in Bode's school file (as if i'm so organized) but wanted to save it here, too. His pre-reading, writing, math, science; etc. skills were all appropriate, but i wanted to highlight what the teachers wrote that i think says a lot about how much progress he's made. In "Social/Life Skills," (the ones i worry about. I don't fret about academics, it's how he can process, behave, integrate and socialize in a school setting that worries me),

* in response to "demonstrates respect for authority" she wrote "always."
* "Engages in social play with others," Cooperates with peers," "Demonstrates respect for property," and "Follows instructions" she wrote, "Can be hesitant at times, but has come a very long way socially."
* Bode's comment to identifying numbers was, "I am good at numbers." Love the healthy self-esteem there.
* Their comments in general--"Bode was exceptionally responsive and cooperative. Would say, "Yes, I can do that." He was outgoing, very fast and accurate. He nailed all his letters, sounds and numbers. I cannot express how much i will miss Bode. I have seen him come a long way socially. Bode is inquistive and eager to learn. Pays a great deal to detail and is extremely observant. Hope to see Bode this summer" (at the preschool camps).

I was so happy reading these comments. It confirmed for me that he was in the right school this year. That they loved him and understood him and really guided him in a lot of his progress. He has been so excited every morning to go to school. I've seen him go from the kid who stands alone to the side of the room for a very.long.time trying to warm up to the kid who jumps right in as soon as we hit the door.

My Birthday: I am now exactly twice the age of my mental age/age i feel i should be. Yowzas. We had cake for breakfast and then spent some time on a garage sale the boys wanted to do (of all things. It all started with a Max and Ruby episode "Ruby's Rummage Sale..."). Anyway. We did that for a few hours and then headed to Boulder to go to the farmer's market there. It's a great market and we came home with some flowers for the backyard, some Boulder Popcorn kernels that i so love and some gluten-free baked goods. It was a laid back day and i enjoyed just spending it with the fam.


My Birthday Extended: The weekend after my birthday, Doug's gift to me was a solo trip to Salt Lake to meet my sister so we could spend the weekend together. It was great. No kids, no household worries, no plans. We ate a lot and shopped a lot. Yummy Morelia's, Sweet Tomatoes, Jamba Juice, Cafe Rio, Market Street Grill, Iceberg...We saw our aunt, uncle and grandma, too. Good times.