Poor Baby

This baby has been feeling really BAD!

Stella had to go see the doctor Saturday. She was diagnosed with Roseola. I didn't believe the doctor because Saturday night she woke up with a horrendous, seal-like bark = croup. I cursed the doctor and the $100 I spent getting her diagnosed (I am always fearful of ear infections). Today, she broke out in the rash... from Roseola. Sorry Doc!

She has been so miserable since Thursday. Her fever finally went away on Monday. She wouldn't sleep. She couldn't get comfortable. She didn't want to be left... for any reason. She didn't want to play. It was just plain sad. I hope my baby doesn't get sick again. Ever.

8 month weight - 18 lbs, 5 oz

1 until 3

In one month Lennox will THREE years old!!! WHAT? Where does the time go? He has gotten so big lately. He is not so easy to pick up and throw on the old hip anymore. I still do it. But it's a chore. I'm not sure how long you are supposed carry your child around but I feel sure I'll be doing it until he won't let me. He is my baby boy, afterall.

He has outgrown most of his 2T's, especially the shirts. I would guess he weighs close to 40 lbs. I did try to weigh him at my parent's recently. They have an old school scale, not digital. He got on and then he said to me, "now you try." I stepped on and he exclaimed, "Ooohhh, you can make it go really high!!" ha. Somehow that is just not very exciting for mommy!

He wants to have a Robot birthday party this year. Last year I debated on the Elmo party but I knew he would be totally over Elmo this year, so I went with it. It turned out that he was totally over Elmo by the time his birthday arrived. This year, I've started working on robot decorations but I'm sure he'll be over robots by the time the party rolls around. Oh well... I guess. Last year he was so into heavy equipment. All he wanted to do was play with trucks and loaders and diggers. This year he rarely plays with those things. His new favorites are his K'nex & Mr. Potato head. At any point in the day, he either has a Mr. Potato Head or K'nex in hand or he has played with them in the last 10 minutes. I really am amazed at how many times and how many way you can put a Mr. Potato Head together! Lennox likes anything that can be put together and taken apart. This week he discovered floor puzzles in his closet that had never been opened. Well, he opened them and, to my surprise, he is really good at putting them together. I guess I thought he was still too young for them... plus, maybe I just didn't want MORE toys with a million pieces. I think I just have to get over myself on that!

Lennox still loves his Buzz, the Big Buzz. He also wants a Transformer. I tried to buy him a $8 "Transformer," thinking he wouldn't care. Well, he was over it in about 2 days. He has requested a real Transformer for his birthday! His new random play toy... besides the laundry basket... a "pillow bag." Yeah, it's what most people call a pillow case. He likes to get inside the "pillow bag" and be carried around the house like a sack of potatoes! When he "can't get the head in the pillow bag," it is nothing nice. Yes, he still has that pesky temper. I didn't expect it to go away. I was hoping he would be able to control it better over time. I'm still hoping. Lately he has resorted to bodily harm. He isn't harming anyone else, just himself. Yesterday we were playing baseball in the yard. He didn't want me to show him how to hold the bat because he already knows. I threw the ball but he couldn't hit it (kind of hard to hit the ball when the bat is pointed at the ball before it's thrown... but he already knows). He banged his bat on the ground, threw it across the yard, slapped himself in the head 3 times, then almost bit a chunk out of his own arm! wow. He sat in timeout for hitting and biting himself!? That's a new one. Anyway, that's been the standard lately. Throw the toy, slap yourself in the head or face, then bite. Usually it's his own pointer finger. Crazy guy.

We took Lennox to the movie theater for the first time yesterday. We went to see Cars II. Wow, what a disappointment of a movie!! I couldn't believe that Disney would let an awesome movie like Cars be followed by THAT... boo. Cars II was boring, entirely too long, and half of the humor is geared for people who can read! Not ideal for an almost 3 year old. After it was FINALLY over, I asked Lennox if he liked the movie... I was still trying to pretend like it was a great fun. His answer: No, I don't like that movie! Ha. So much for those 2 hours and $40. At least we made a memory.

We just went outside to watch Jay light some branches on fire. Our neighbors have junked up, I mean, decorated their back yard with Christmas lights. Lennox said, "Hey look, Santa is bout to come!" ha. Not so much. Maybe it will be Christmas in July?

Every sentence of Lennox's still starts with "because." Every time I asked him "are you sure?" He says, "no I'm not sure." Which means, yes I am sure. He still won't eat most food that is good for him. I am not giving up. He does like fruit and meat. He just doesn't like many vegetables. I am going to start bargaining again... every time he tries a new food, he gets 3 chocolate chips. So far, he tasted a tomato and some roasted squash. He didn't eat them but at least they went in his mouth (for 3 seconds).

We're still working on letters. He still doesn't know them. He does like to write. He can write his first and last name... ha. SIKE. He can draw a pretty nifty circle though. He also loves doing the sticker books where you find a sticker to match the shape shown. Hopefully that is going to help with letter recognition as well.

Stella - 8 months

Stella has been busy, busy, busy this month. She had a very LONG car ride to NC for Samantha's graduation. When we got there, she decided she could sit up all by her big self AND she got 2 teeth (on the bottom)! She did so great with her teeth that I didn't even know they were there until she smiled at me. This past weekend she decided that she could go from belly crawling to sitting all by her lonesome. She also thinks she needs to have whatever anyone else is eating. If you don't give it to her as she demands (by short, high pitched screams and big round puppy dog eyes), then she will try to get out of the seat so she can grab it right out of your hand. I like a girl with determination! So far, she has eaten avocado, banana, spaghetti, squash, carrots, and bread. I tried to give her shredded cheese but she could not get down with the texture. She clamped her mouth shut and turned her head. Then, as I tried to feed her the rest of her baby food, she opened her mouth and ate it but she cried after every bite! She thinks she is a big girl now... she doesn't want that puree! I definitely think bananas are her favorite. She double fists them as soon as they hit the tray.
My sister was here this past week and I was amazed at the interaction between Stella & Amelia. They noticed each other immediately and crawled right to each other. Stella would sit and Amelia would stand and pat on her head. They shared their toys. really. They gave them back and forth to one another but, by the end of the visit, they seemed to be "taking" toys from each other instead of "sharing!" Stella would yell at Amelia and Amelia would just grin and stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down. It was so cute! I don't think I have ever seen such little babies interacting with each other. I know what you are thinking and I have to agree, they must be gifted! (just kidding ;))
Stella is still wearing some 6 month clothes and some 12 month. She's in a size 3 diaper. Her hair is still pretty sparce but the new hair is really blond. She still fights her sleep. She likes to play games with Jay and put the pacifier in his mouth and then put it in her mouth. She cries sometimes when I leave the room and I know she misses me when I'm gone. Sometimes when she sees someone she likes she grins and shivers because she just so excited! I love her sweet face. She reminds me of one of those cheap dollar store dolls with the hair etched in the plastic and big round, blue eyes and chubby cheeks. Kind of like Big Baby on Toy Story... but with both eyes working!

The Possibilities are Endless

Last night I was laying in bed with Lennox and he was flopping and squirming all around. Finally, he flipped over on his belly and spread his arms out next to him. One of them was under me so I exasperatedly said, "what are you doing?!" "I'm trying to ply," he said. "I'm trying to ply like dis... maybe my wings can pop out (like Buzz Lightyear's, I imagine)." I started giggling to myself... then, in a really sad voice, he said, "Ohhh, I can't do it!" :( I kept asking him if he knew any people who could fly but he never answered. The only answer he gave was that chickens can fly. I never told him people can't fly.

I wish I could see life through his eyes. He was literally trying to figure out how he could fly. In his world, the possibilities really are endless. I hope that as he gets older, he continues to try to figure out how to make his dreams come true and that he is not limited by what others tell him... well, maybe that is extreme. I want him to be safe. And obey the law. And his parents. But... I want his little mind and imagination to continue to flourish.

Realizations

You realize your child is deprived
... when you try to explain to him what will happen at the doctor's office and you assure him he will probably get the good medicine that tastes like bubble gum. Then your child starts crying and saying, "I don't like a bubble gun" and you realize he is almost 3 and has no idea what bubble gum is because you a) think it will be messy and b) are afraid his teeth will rot out.

You realize you have irrational fears
... when you are afraid gum will rot your child's teeth but he barely has any teeth left because he falls and chips them off every other day. Really? Who cares!?

You realize your child is growing up
... when you are reading and turn to a page with a kangaroo. You used to make a "boing, boing" sound for the kangaroo but now you find yourself explaining what a marsupial is...

You realize your child will only get sassier
... when you tell him to do something and he responds with, "Oh... what's the point?!" Then you have to explain the "point" is that I said to so get busy getting it done!! ha.

Stella - 7 months old

Almost 7 months!!

Tomorrow Stella will be 7 months old. That girl has A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E! I don't take back anything I have said about her being sweet but she has really started to develop her own opinion about how life is going to go! (where did she get that gene?!) She gets really, really ticked off when things don't go her way. I think mostly she is just frustrated. She wants to do more than her body has figured out how to do. She wants to play! She can't crawl and she can't sit up but she doesn't want to be held and she doesn't want to lay down... see the problem? She can roll and squirm to whatever she wants but that squooshes her belly and causes her to throw up. Then she likes to roll around in the throw up or continue to eat the toy that is covered in throw up... um, gross. By toy, I mean anything she can get her hands on... her toys, Lennox's toys (until they are snatched out of her hand), magazines (she ate a whole page today), and, her favorite, hangers!

Yesterday, I laid her on the floor to change her but I had to run in the other room to get some wipes. She was so mad that I laid her down that she rolled over and started banging her face on the carpet! repeatedly. Temper? check. How did I get another kid with this quick temper!?!

Last night she slept through the night for the very first time! That was 7 very LONG months... Maybe she slept so well because she ate 2 jars of baby food for dinner. She has never eaten 2 jars. Trust me, I will be shoving two jars in from now on... kidding. sort of. It seems really late to start her but she just started eating puffs. She double fists them and screams for more. Most of them get stuck in her fists or under her chin but she loves the one that actually make it to her mouth. This leads me to my new invention... the garbage disposal for bath tubs. Yes, I realize that could be highly dangerous, especially for toddlers, but I am disgusted by all of the food that ends up in my tub after Stella's bath. It would be great if I could just spray it all down the drain.

While Stella has attitude, she is still my sweetheart. She loves to get kisses and give them, unless of course she isnt in the mood for kisses, then she screams at me. She enjoys a good game of patty cake and motor boat. She loves her brother more than anything in the world. She likes to be outside. She likes to bite on her squeaky blocks. She likes to pull her headbands down and eat her bows. She likes to snuggle up close. She likes to spit and blow spit bubbles.

Stella HATES to go to sleep. When she gets really sleepy she starts taking her pacifier out and throwing it. She doesn't want to suck on it because she's sure to nod off. She pushes against whoever is holding her so she can hold her head up... when it starts to wobble from her sleepiness, she starts laughing. She squirms and cries and fusses and flops, all trying to avoid the inevitable... sleep. It's exhausting for us and I do lay her in her bed for a while to see if she will go to sleep on her own. Sometimes she does. More times, she doesn't. I am not a fan of letting her cry. I don't mind the fussing but I can't take the sad crying. So we hold her and fight her until she falls out!

Bathing Beauties...

getting her tan on...

This kid LOVES to swim... he is doing great with the floaties and sort of great without them. He jumps right in by himself, goes under water, kicks his feet, and we're working on the arm motions. I'm glad he isn't scared but I wouldn't mind if he was a little more cautious!!

Papa loves to do whatever Lennox wants to do... how many 72 year old men do you know who will still attempt a cannonball in the pool?!