Little Chatterbox

I can't believe I haven't posted about Maya's language lately! Holy cow!!!

Anyway, she appears to be going through some sort of a language explosion, and it's just amazing! All of a sudden, she is really starting to communicate with us. And her receptive language, which has been strong for a long time, seems to also be going through a growth spurt. For example, I can tell her to go in the living room and sit in her chair, and she will do it. Or go give her brother a hug, and she'll do it. And she picks up on things really quickly. If Nikos so much as mentions that he needs to go potty, she is the first one to the bathroom (in hopes of brushing her teeth/washing her hands/playing in the sink). When Gus says, "Who knows what time it is?", she goes running for the bathroom to take her bath. She's a trusty little messenger ("take this to Daddy"), and just so adorable!

In any event, I thought I would try to record all of her words here for posterity. I am sure I'm forgetting some, but this seems to be the general list. I love listening to her little voice!

I want that
All done
Yeah
Uh-oh!
Meeee!! (in response to "Who wants dinner?")
teeth
Peek-a-boo ("Pee-boo")
ball
baby
book
bye-bye
duck
quack-quack ("wack-wack)
dog
shoes!
please ("ees")
milk ("mik")
mommy
daddy
kitchen ("itchy")
trash (tash)
choo-choo
and various animal sounds: chicken, cow, monkey, wolf, etc.

And finally, how about a quick snapshot of my two favorite kids, snuggling on the couch this weekend. Are they not the cutest??? ♥


edited on 9/30 to add: fish, hi, I want down, clean up (the Barney song), cookie, and probably more-- ha!

Pickin' Apples!

So we did something this weekend that we had never done before-- we picked apples!! Honestly, apple-picking has always sounded like fun, but it never even crossed my mind as an activity that could be enjoyed in San Diego County. I knew there was a place up in San Bernardino County, since we used to go on a field trip there with the 5th graders, but that was quite a drive. And really, I thought that most apple-picking must be reserved for the northern climates-- the Pacific Northwest, New England, etc.

And then it hit me. There is a place nearby called Julian that is known for its fresh apple pies. So... the apples must come from somewhere, right? It turns out that Julian has lots of apple orchards, and several of them are open to the public for picking.

Anyway, this whole picking-apples thing was quite an exciting prospect! We loaded up the kids this morning, and made the hour-long drive through the winding countryside. It's actually only about 35 miles away, but it's all on narrow country highways that wind through farmland and beautiful hills covered with oak trees, etc. Such a pretty drive! Nikos was in heaven, looking for all the cows/horses/barns/tractors/etc. along the way (he is sort of on a farm kick right now).

We finally made it to the orchard, which was run by quite a colorful character. He was covered in tattoos, had a fairly strong Irish accent, and seemed like he might have done a few too many drugs in his lifetime. Still, the place was packed! He has over 8,000 trees, mostly dwarf species, and lots of flavor variety. The kids went NUTS! Nikos instantly wanted to eat one, which was fine, and Maya quickly joined in. They were picking with one hand and eating with the other, and it was too cute for words! What really surprised me was Maya's apple-eating ability. She barely has four teeth (more like 3.5), and I had never given her an apple for this reason. I didn't think she could chew it! Wrong! Man, does she love apples! Good to know, right?

After we filled our bag to overflowing, and had snacked on enough varieties, we packed it in and headed home. We stopped at a small country cafe for some lunch, which was nice, and made it home just in time for both kids to take a nap. All in all, it was a fantastic day!







Now I just have to figure out what to do with all these apples... I'm the only one who eats pie, and Nikos wanted to bring treats to share with the other daycare kids (who are actually going to be learning about apples this week as part of their preschool program). What to do, what to do...

Just a cool picture!

I liked this one... It's a full moon tonight! And not just any full moon, either, but a Super Harvest Moon! To get the full effect, I really needed to get outside and take photos right at sunset. And I tried... but found that the moon was hidden behind our neighbor's large tree. Doh! So instead, I got a regular-old full moon picture. Oh well... Maybe in another twenty years? :)

Anyhow... the days are still pretty warm and sunny, but the nights and early mornings are starting to feel like fall! Gus and I are going to take the kids apple-picking one of these weekends. I can't wait!!

Big Girl Food

Today marked an interesting milestone, which I didn't even think twice about until it was nearly over: Maya had her first actual meal off of a menu! Up until now, Nikos has ordered something off of the children's menu, and we have brought food for Maya and supplemented with whatever we had on our own plates. She'd never gotten a plate all her own. But we didn't bring food with us today when we went out to lunch, and I knew she would be hungry, so I started looking at the side dishes on the regular menu. There were a few things she'd like, but if you added them all up, it would have been more expensive than just ordering off the kid's menu. So I figured I would check it out.

Lo and behold, the very first thing was all of Maya's favorite foods on one plate! We got her a Junior Grand Slam, which had scrambled eggs, a piece of sausage, and two little pancakes. It was perfect! Here is our big girl enjoying her first actual plate of food at a restaurant:

Anyway, she loved it. And we had a blast, since the kids (BOTH of them) had to greet/say goodbye to every single person who walked by. And we were seated near the door, so there were a lot of people! They made lots of friends today. :)

Exhibits A & B

I just thought that these videos were funny, when viewed together! We went to our town's annual parade this morning, which Nikos had been babbling about for DAYS. He was SO excited! Even as we got out of the car and into the stroller, he was asking where the parade was, and the firetrucks, and the horses, etc. Very, very excited.

So we got to the parade route and found a spot to sit just as the Grand Marshall was driving by. Perfect timing! But, within seconds, Nikos was DONE. He wanted to go home right away. He was especially upset when the local high school's marching band went by. He spent most of the parade sitting in Gus' lap looking very, very serious. Meanwhile, Maya enjoyed herself immensely, smiling and waving at everyone who went by, babbling happily in the stroller, and eating Goldfish crackers. Refer to Exhibit A for video evidence:

We managed to stay for the entire parade, which was over an hour long, despite a grumpy almost-three-year old and a sixteen-month-old who was getting antsy and had missed her morning nap. But what cracked me up was that the SECOND we started walking back to the car, Nikos began chattering on and on about all the things he saw in the parade, and how much he LOVED it, and how he wanted to go again next year. I recorded this when we were driving home:

What a funny kid!! I really think it's just his personality. Maya seems to be much more of a spontaneous, live-in-the-moment type of kid, while Nikos is more cerebral and has to have some time to process things before he can really enjoy himself. But in the end, both kids loved the parade. So hooray for that!

I decided to push my luck further, though, by cutting both kids' fingernails (which they DESPISE) and then taking Nikos to get his hair cut this afternoon. As is par for the course for us, he screamed and threw a fit. But we went to a great place that specializes in kids and even has a few private rooms for kiddos like him who do NOT like having their hair cut. And while it was a miserable experience for all involved, I think his hair looks great! Just in time for our family photos tomorrow-- hooray! :)

Introducing: Colton Jeffery!

AKA-- my NEPHEW!!!!

I can't even tell you how excited I am to be an aunt. I feel like it couldn't come at a better time. Our kids are still young, so they will have a cousin that is close in age. And while I am perfectly content with our decision to stop at two kids, it is SO NICE to have a little baby to hold... and then hand back! Anyway, it seriously brings tears to my eyes to know that I have this new little flesh-and-blood family member to love. Grant and Melissa are going to be great parents, and I look forward to getting to know Colton's personality as he gets older!

Without further ado, how about some photos??




Now to the nitty gritty!

So yesterday, right after lunch ended, I got an email from my parents that sent me into a tailspin. Melissa's water had broken that morning, and she had been admitted to the hospital! Instantly, I changed gears in my classroom. I told the kids that the baby was coming, and that I'd be gone the next day. I assigned different tasks to various responsible kids, ensuring that the next day would flow smoothly. And during our P.E. time, my coworkers watched my students while I called for a sub and quickly wrote down some plans. It was go time!

I got home, made some phone calls, packed, and made dinner. As soon as I tucked my own babies into bed, I hopped in the car and made the three-hour drive up to Ventura County. By the time I got to my parents' hotel to retrieve the key to my brother's house (where I was crashing for the night), Melissa was ready to push! Holy moly! I figured that there would be a baby within the next hour or so!

Wrong!

It took over two and a half hours at that point, but when the doctor threatened to get the vacuum out, Melissa dug deep and did some super pushes that got him out (and did some damage to her). He was 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 19 inches long-- and just perfect!! Seriously, Melissa is my hero now. As someone who has had two c-sections, I just sort of stared at her in disbelief that she actually got a baby out the other way. I am pretty freaking impressed.

Anyway, there you go! He is a complete doll, and the new family of three will be heading home tomorrow. I can't wait until they are ready for all four of us to come visit-- both kids are SO excited to "hold the baby," and I'm so excited to take pictures of that moment!! :)

Alone Time

Gus went to the UCLA v. Stanford football game yesterday, and brought the kiddos along with him to spend the weekend at his parents' house (where he spent the night, after the game). Anyway, I have had an entire kid-free weekend! And while I do miss them terribly, I have been incredibly productive. Allow me to brag about what I have accomplished!

Yesterday: got kids packed, got myself dressed, and did a maternity photo shoot for my coworker. Went straight from there to the mall, where I successfully rounded up the missing articles of clothing needed for our family photos next weekend. Ate lunch. Got a haircut. Drove to Ikea to pick up a few things. Stopped at Walmart on the way back to get some necessities (baby wipes, etc.). De-cluttered the entire house. Did a load of laundry.

Today: Slept in (yay!). Got up, washed dishes, cleaned out the fridge, took a shower, and headed out to run errands. Returned a shirt I bought last weekend and decided I didn't like, bought some photo gear using a gift card, and bought Nikos a few books using another gift card. Went to the bank to deposit checks. Went grocery shopping. Grabbed a smoothie for lunch (another gift card!). Made it home for about an hour, then headed out to get a one-hour reflexology massage (another gift card!). HEAVEN! Picked up a few things at Trader Joe's. Came home, took out the trash, and washed the floors (the trash bag leaked!). Finally sat down, ate some yummy chicken enchiladas from Trader Joe's, and decided to blog. :)

Anyway... It amazes me just how much I can get done in a day without kids! I think back to the days before they were around, and how much time I must have WASTED! I mean, I was SO efficient this weekend. Like a machine! I don't think I would have ever gotten this much done in my former life as a non-mom. But I guess I appreciate it more now, knowing how much easier it is to get things done without two toddlers in tow.

Still, I am looking forward to my little toddlers coming home in an hour and a half. I hope they had a blast this weekend! :)

My Big Girl!

I came to a few realizations today.

For one, Maya is a big girl. Not physically, because she really is a teeny little thing, but mentally, yes. What's funny is that Nikos was only two months older than she is now when she was born. Instantly, he went from being my baby to being this HUGE kid. I never realized just how big he was (or how advanced, or anything like that) until I suddenly had a newborn to compare him to. Overnight, his small hands suddenly seemed bigger and rougher, his hair coarser and thicker, and he seemed so much more mature and responsible.

With Maya being our second (and final) child, there is nobody coming after her to force us into the realization that she isn't a baby anymore! And with that in mind, I've decided lately to really start paying better attention to the things she does. Of course, I pay attention anyway, but by making a focused effort to do so, I have picked up on a bunch of amazing things. For example:

-She DOES have a lot of words. At this age, Nikos had at least 20 words that were recognizable and clear. While Maya's words may not be as clear or as loud, they are in there. And it even seems like she tries to string them together into sentences pretty often. Just recently, I've noticed that she can say "milk," "baby," "all done," "clean up," "want that," "what's that," "thank you," and "book," in addition to her old standards (Mommy, Daddy, Yeah, No, and various barnyard animal noises). she doesn't say them very loudly, but she SAYS them. And she means them. And she gets upset if you don't listen!

-She also understands just about everything we say. If I ask her if she wants her diaper changed, she will nod her head, hop down off the couch, and run to her bedroom to stand by the changing table. If Nikos whines (to me) that he wants his blanket and bear(or any other specific toy), she will run back to his room and bring them to him. If he says he got an owie and needs a kiss, she will run over and kiss his head (in her unique Maya way) or give him a hug. She knows EXACTLY what we are talking about!

-She gets how things work. If she wants to climb something, she will move other things (chairs, stools, etc.) into position so that they can give her a lift. She will even go in search of a stool if one is not readily available! She has mastered several of her pop-up books, and can make them "do" things without ripping the book. She also understands routines. Today, I went to pick the kids up from daycare, and she was the one who saw me first. She instantly turned away from me and ran for the back yard (where Nikos was playing) yelling, "Mommy! Mommy!" It was like she was getting him and telling him it was time to go. As he walked inside, Maya ran past me, grabbed our bag (from the many bags that were sitting there), walked over, handed it to me, grabbed Nikos' hand, and headed for the door. She knew the drill.

-She can walk backwards! While this seems like an odd thing, it obviously takes a certain amount of coordination. And she thinks it is absolutely HILARIOUS to exit a room in this fashion, waving goodbye to us all the while. She's pretty quick at it, too!

Anyway, it hit me that my baby is really not a baby, but a Big Girl. I decided to finally stop giving her bottles. Cold turkey. She drinks water from a sippy cup just fine, so I knew she would be okay, but the problem has been ME. I am so used to making bottles for her, and it's so easy to think of her as this little baby! But I did stop giving her bottles, and she didn't complain at all. She was ready.

sigh. What happened to my little newborn? Seriously, I would like to know. I have no clue how she became so big, so quickly! :(

How About Some More Pics?

Too tired to write. Had a fun weekend at my parents' house. Today stunk (not because of the kids, but because of other things). Need sleep! Enjoy these cuties!