Thursday, May 27, 2010
My Girl
I posted these on my photography website last night, but I seriously can't stop looking at them! When I went to pick the kids up from daycare yesterday, Nikos was still asleep. Bonnie said she would walk him over when he woke up, so I took Maya and went home. On a total side note, can I just say how amazingly convenient it is to live next door to our daycare provider? We totally hit the jackpot!! Anyway... Since it was just the two of us, and since it had been a while since I took pictures of either kid, I thought we'd head out back for an impromptu photo shoot. Well, it turned out that Miss Maya was very cranky, for some reason. Hence the sad face. She was distracted by the flower I handed her... until she started eating it. Doh! Anyway, funny faces or not, I adore these pictures of my little girl. She has the most incredible eyes!!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Little Girl on the Move
Just wanted to share a quick compilation of a few videos from today of Miss Maya. I just bought her this push toy this past weekend (since Nikos' old one is at my parents' house), and she LOVES it! She really tears around the house willy-nilly with this thing-- even on the tile, which offers very little friction to slow her down. And she is getting pretty confident, too (one-handed pushing, letting go and just standing there, etc.). I'm sure she will be walking on her own before long!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Just an Update
So... in a nutshell, this week has been CRAZY! Mostly due to work, since Open House was last night. But it went well, I survived, and now I can relax for a bit. A long bit, actually, since Gus is taking the kids up to his parents' house for the weekend. I am looking forward to a weekend of sleeping, reading, shopping, and not much else! I love my babies, but this will be the first time I have been by myself in over a year. I'm kind of excited!
Anyway, Nikos has said so many hilarious things lately that it's hard to keep track or possibly recount them all. And the most hilarious one isn't really appropriate to post on here (let's just say it involved him comparing certain boy parts to "little baby oranges," haha!). But I will do my best to remember a few gems!
Last night: Nikos wanted to read a certain book, and mentioned it while he was in the bathtub. As Gus was pulling him out and drying him off, he said, "How about we put your diaper on first, THEN go read the book?" Nikos was overjoyed. He shrieked, "That's a GOOD PLAN, Daddy!" :)
The other day: Nikos got in trouble at daycare, which is pretty unusual these days. He was trying to climb on some piece of furniture, and Bonnie told him not to, which resulted in him getting really frustrated and trying to hit her. At dinner, I asked him what had happened at daycare, because I wanted him to tell Gus. He said, "I go time out." (me: "Why did you go to time out?") "I just climbing!" (me: "And...?") "And I hit Bonnie. But I just climbing!" Oh dear... already making excuses. Sheesh!
The other morning: There was an empty tupperware container sitting on the couch, which had previously housed delicious cake balls (I had polished off the last one the night before and had been lazy about putting the container in the sink). Nikos ran over to it, looked inside, and said: "Look, Mommy, the cake balls are all gone... because I ATE THEM!" haha! Little liar! But it was really cute, especially because I had never heard him use "because" before.
Other fun words/phrases that he's been tossing about lately: "that's for sure," "but I HAVE to" (when you tell him not to do something), "but I CAN'T" (when you tell him to do something), "mmm, delicious" and much more that I am most certainly forgetting.
It really is amazing to see how quickly he picks up and applies new words. And it also blows my mind when he starts talking about things that happened months ago... "Remember, Mommy? Remember when we go (insert place here)?" He remembers names and details, too. Like, "Remember when we go restaurant? I say hi to your friends! And I play trains with Brady! I no eat food at restaurant." (all of which was 100% true.) Or he'll ask me things, like: "You go to work today, Mommy?" You go to school?" (yes) "You see your friends at work? And big kids?"
Man, that kid is smart. In my own completely unbiased opinion, of course. And I haven't even mentioned his "pretend play," which is so hilarious and creative it will soon deserve a post all its own. :)
And then there is the quieter half of the duo, Miss Maya herself. She's getting over her ear infection, and seems to be back to her old, happy self. She still doesn't talk too much (likely because her brother does plenty of that!), but she is progressing at her own rate. She definitely says "Daddy" now, and something that sounds like "bop" or "bonk" when she bonks heads with us. It is so CUTE! My very favorite trait of hers, though, is her snuggliness. Take last night... I got home late, since we had Open House night at school, and both kids were asleep. I hadn't seen them since the morning, so I thought I'd sneak in and just give them kisses goodnight. It worked fine with Nikos, who barely woke up, gave me a little smile, and went to sleep. Maya, however, sprang to life and gave me the look that said, "Pick me up right now!" So, I had to. She heaved the biggest sigh, then rested her head against my neck and dozed off again. I just love feeling so loved by my little girl. ♥
In other news, my photography business is really starting to take off! I have been doing sessions for free, but am hoping to start charging a reduced fee for sessions starting in July. I am really enjoying myself, and now I know that I can do this AND be a teacher AND be a good mommy... so it's a win-win situation. I can't wait to go official!! :)
Anyway, Nikos has said so many hilarious things lately that it's hard to keep track or possibly recount them all. And the most hilarious one isn't really appropriate to post on here (let's just say it involved him comparing certain boy parts to "little baby oranges," haha!). But I will do my best to remember a few gems!
Last night: Nikos wanted to read a certain book, and mentioned it while he was in the bathtub. As Gus was pulling him out and drying him off, he said, "How about we put your diaper on first, THEN go read the book?" Nikos was overjoyed. He shrieked, "That's a GOOD PLAN, Daddy!" :)
The other day: Nikos got in trouble at daycare, which is pretty unusual these days. He was trying to climb on some piece of furniture, and Bonnie told him not to, which resulted in him getting really frustrated and trying to hit her. At dinner, I asked him what had happened at daycare, because I wanted him to tell Gus. He said, "I go time out." (me: "Why did you go to time out?") "I just climbing!" (me: "And...?") "And I hit Bonnie. But I just climbing!" Oh dear... already making excuses. Sheesh!
The other morning: There was an empty tupperware container sitting on the couch, which had previously housed delicious cake balls (I had polished off the last one the night before and had been lazy about putting the container in the sink). Nikos ran over to it, looked inside, and said: "Look, Mommy, the cake balls are all gone... because I ATE THEM!" haha! Little liar! But it was really cute, especially because I had never heard him use "because" before.
Other fun words/phrases that he's been tossing about lately: "that's for sure," "but I HAVE to" (when you tell him not to do something), "but I CAN'T" (when you tell him to do something), "mmm, delicious" and much more that I am most certainly forgetting.
It really is amazing to see how quickly he picks up and applies new words. And it also blows my mind when he starts talking about things that happened months ago... "Remember, Mommy? Remember when we go (insert place here)?" He remembers names and details, too. Like, "Remember when we go restaurant? I say hi to your friends! And I play trains with Brady! I no eat food at restaurant." (all of which was 100% true.) Or he'll ask me things, like: "You go to work today, Mommy?" You go to school?" (yes) "You see your friends at work? And big kids?"
Man, that kid is smart. In my own completely unbiased opinion, of course. And I haven't even mentioned his "pretend play," which is so hilarious and creative it will soon deserve a post all its own. :)
And then there is the quieter half of the duo, Miss Maya herself. She's getting over her ear infection, and seems to be back to her old, happy self. She still doesn't talk too much (likely because her brother does plenty of that!), but she is progressing at her own rate. She definitely says "Daddy" now, and something that sounds like "bop" or "bonk" when she bonks heads with us. It is so CUTE! My very favorite trait of hers, though, is her snuggliness. Take last night... I got home late, since we had Open House night at school, and both kids were asleep. I hadn't seen them since the morning, so I thought I'd sneak in and just give them kisses goodnight. It worked fine with Nikos, who barely woke up, gave me a little smile, and went to sleep. Maya, however, sprang to life and gave me the look that said, "Pick me up right now!" So, I had to. She heaved the biggest sigh, then rested her head against my neck and dozed off again. I just love feeling so loved by my little girl. ♥
In other news, my photography business is really starting to take off! I have been doing sessions for free, but am hoping to start charging a reduced fee for sessions starting in July. I am really enjoying myself, and now I know that I can do this AND be a teacher AND be a good mommy... so it's a win-win situation. I can't wait to go official!! :)
Saturday, May 15, 2010
My Boy!
I've realized lately that the majority of the pictures on here have been of Maya. That's mainly due to the fact that it was her birthday recently, but it's also because Child #1 is "photo-resistant." In fact, he will see me get out the camera, and he says, "NO, Mommy! DON'T TAKE MY PICTURE!!" So... I take a lot of his sister. But this was bothering me! And this morning, he was so mellow. So I thought I'd get out the camera and prove that he still exists!
Some background: He was down on the floor, playing with his cars, when he decided that he wanted to take a nap with them. So he got his blanket, bear, and pillow, and settled in. I turned on the TV, and he was watching "Barney" (I know, I know... but he LOVES it!). Such a nice, lazy Saturday morning!
Speaking of Nikos... He continues to amaze us by just how much he knows and does. It really is amazing! Just yesterday, he ran backwards down the hallway and out to the living room. I didn't realize it at the time, but that sort of thing takes a lot of coordination and spatial awareness (he didn't bump into anything). He recognizes so many letters, and understands that they make words, even if he can't read most of them yet aside from what he's memorized. And his speaking is incredible! His sentences are getting longer and more detailed, and are peppered with little phrases like "probably," "of course," and "sure." He amazed me the other day when he was reading this little board-book children's Bible (one of a stack of books that were handed down from my former student's family... most of the books were about cars and trucks. Needless to say, Nikos LOVES them!). Anyway, there was a picture of Baby Moses in his basket. Nikos saw it, and immediately said, "Look, Mommy, the little baby is crying! He's in a basket, in the river. He wants his mommy. Why you sad, little guy? It's okay!" SO cute! He also says some hilarious things, too... Like this morning, I was putting in his eyedrops, and he was screaming as usual. Afterward, I asked him why he cried. And he said, "My eyes are scared of eyedrops!" Yes. Cutest. Thing. Ever.
Anyway, he is such a little person nowadays. Oh, another fun example! I was home with him earlier this week when the doorbell rang. It was the UPS guy leaving a package on the porch. But Nikos ran to the front door, unlocked it, and got the package. He actually got in trouble for this, but part of me was sort of proud and amazed at the same time. He's getting so big! And last night, he heard the ice cream truck and came running to the living room to look out the front window. But instead of seeing the truck, he saw his friend's mom's car leaving daycare. He got right in front of the open window and shrieked, "That's Mattias' mommy's car! BYE MATTIAS!!!! See you Monday!"
I just love that kid. He definitely keeps things interesting, that's for sure! ♥
Some background: He was down on the floor, playing with his cars, when he decided that he wanted to take a nap with them. So he got his blanket, bear, and pillow, and settled in. I turned on the TV, and he was watching "Barney" (I know, I know... but he LOVES it!). Such a nice, lazy Saturday morning!
Speaking of Nikos... He continues to amaze us by just how much he knows and does. It really is amazing! Just yesterday, he ran backwards down the hallway and out to the living room. I didn't realize it at the time, but that sort of thing takes a lot of coordination and spatial awareness (he didn't bump into anything). He recognizes so many letters, and understands that they make words, even if he can't read most of them yet aside from what he's memorized. And his speaking is incredible! His sentences are getting longer and more detailed, and are peppered with little phrases like "probably," "of course," and "sure." He amazed me the other day when he was reading this little board-book children's Bible (one of a stack of books that were handed down from my former student's family... most of the books were about cars and trucks. Needless to say, Nikos LOVES them!). Anyway, there was a picture of Baby Moses in his basket. Nikos saw it, and immediately said, "Look, Mommy, the little baby is crying! He's in a basket, in the river. He wants his mommy. Why you sad, little guy? It's okay!" SO cute! He also says some hilarious things, too... Like this morning, I was putting in his eyedrops, and he was screaming as usual. Afterward, I asked him why he cried. And he said, "My eyes are scared of eyedrops!" Yes. Cutest. Thing. Ever.
Anyway, he is such a little person nowadays. Oh, another fun example! I was home with him earlier this week when the doorbell rang. It was the UPS guy leaving a package on the porch. But Nikos ran to the front door, unlocked it, and got the package. He actually got in trouble for this, but part of me was sort of proud and amazed at the same time. He's getting so big! And last night, he heard the ice cream truck and came running to the living room to look out the front window. But instead of seeing the truck, he saw his friend's mom's car leaving daycare. He got right in front of the open window and shrieked, "That's Mattias' mommy's car! BYE MATTIAS!!!! See you Monday!"
I just love that kid. He definitely keeps things interesting, that's for sure! ♥
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Little Sickie
So she may not look it in the picture, but this child started off with a small cold, then had pinkeye, and decided to top it all off with a double ear infection. She is truly miserable! I took her outside earlier for a change of scenery, since she's been cooped up in the house most of the week and seemed to be getting a little stir-crazy. And she was happy for like 2 minutes. Miracle of miracles!
Anyway, this has been the Week of Germs. Last Friday, Nikos woke up from his afternoon nap at daycare with crusty, goopy eyes... Which proceeded to get worse over the weekend. And then Maya joined in the fun. Nikos went to the doctor on Tuesday, and came away with two eyedrop prescriptions (one for him, and one for Maya, too). By that evening, though, Maya was running a temperature of 102.7. Her doctor visit the next day confirmed what we already suspected: double ear infection. Furthermore, if she gets another infection, the pediatrician recommends that we get tubes put in her ears instead of constantly putting her on antibiotics. I am not looking forward to this. But, she DOES get a lot of ear infections, and she seems to get them really easily! So maybe tubes will be the way to go. Only time will tell!
At any rate, at least one kid has stayed home each day this week. I'm optimistic that Maya can return to daycare tomorrow, but keep your fingers crossed!!
On a side note, Maya is sitting on the floor in front of me right now, very intently reading a Lois Lowry book. My little 5th grader, ha! (better yet, it's upside down)
Saturday, May 8, 2010
One Year Stats, etc.
Maya is still a little peanut! :)
She's doing great in all areas, and continues to follow her growth curve. As usual, she tends to be on the longer/leaner side, but is healthy and happy and perfect! Her official stats (drumroll please!):
19 pounds, 10 ounces (27th percentile)
29 inches long (48th percentile)
Way to grow, baby girl! She had her big appointment yesterday, and took her shots well. And, best of all, she doesn't seem to be having any reaction to them, which is fantastic! No surprise, though. She is a rock star!
In other news... Mr. Nikos has developed an interesting new habit. After all this time of being in a "big boy bed," he has FINALLY decided that he can just get up and come find us whenever he wakes up. And, sadly, that tends to be 5:30am. While I don't mind snuggling with my boy for the last 30 minutes of shuteye before my alarm goes off, the incessant chatter gets to be a bit much. This is pretty much how the conversation goes...
N: I all done sleeping! I get up! You awake, Mommy?
Me: Go to sleep, baby...
N: I not tired. Hey, guys, it's not raining today! The ground is dry, see? And the sky is dry! :pause: I cry a lot in the bathtub. I make Daddy sad. You happy, Mommy and Daddy?
Me: Yeah, we're happy... go to sleep, baby boy...
N: Hey, I go get breakfast! I have waffle and banana, and watch Chuggington!
Me: Not yet, baby, go to sleep...
N: I not go in tent-tunnel yet (this is what he calls playing under our covers). My-my is still sleeping. I go get her awake! (wiggles and bonks his head on the headboard) Ow, I got an owie. You kiss it, mommy? (I kiss it) All better?
Me: All better?
N: Yeah, all better. You got an owie, Mommy? I kiss it!
...and so on, ad nauseum...
I have to say, it's ridiculously cute. And he's SO cheerful. But really, it would be cuter at, say, 7am. So if we can work that out, I will let you know!!
She's doing great in all areas, and continues to follow her growth curve. As usual, she tends to be on the longer/leaner side, but is healthy and happy and perfect! Her official stats (drumroll please!):
19 pounds, 10 ounces (27th percentile)
29 inches long (48th percentile)
Way to grow, baby girl! She had her big appointment yesterday, and took her shots well. And, best of all, she doesn't seem to be having any reaction to them, which is fantastic! No surprise, though. She is a rock star!
In other news... Mr. Nikos has developed an interesting new habit. After all this time of being in a "big boy bed," he has FINALLY decided that he can just get up and come find us whenever he wakes up. And, sadly, that tends to be 5:30am. While I don't mind snuggling with my boy for the last 30 minutes of shuteye before my alarm goes off, the incessant chatter gets to be a bit much. This is pretty much how the conversation goes...
N: I all done sleeping! I get up! You awake, Mommy?
Me: Go to sleep, baby...
N: I not tired. Hey, guys, it's not raining today! The ground is dry, see? And the sky is dry! :pause: I cry a lot in the bathtub. I make Daddy sad. You happy, Mommy and Daddy?
Me: Yeah, we're happy... go to sleep, baby boy...
N: Hey, I go get breakfast! I have waffle and banana, and watch Chuggington!
Me: Not yet, baby, go to sleep...
N: I not go in tent-tunnel yet (this is what he calls playing under our covers). My-my is still sleeping. I go get her awake! (wiggles and bonks his head on the headboard) Ow, I got an owie. You kiss it, mommy? (I kiss it) All better?
Me: All better?
N: Yeah, all better. You got an owie, Mommy? I kiss it!
...and so on, ad nauseum...
I have to say, it's ridiculously cute. And he's SO cheerful. But really, it would be cuter at, say, 7am. So if we can work that out, I will let you know!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Sleepyhead
So, I guess she was tired?? Bonnie, our wonderful daycare provider/next door neighbor told me today that Miss Maya hadn't napped all afternoon... But you never would have known, since she was as happy and active as ever! I figured she just wasn't tired! And then, at 5pm, I plunked her in her highchair (as usual) so that I could wash bottles and begin working on dinner. She was happily eating her snacks and sucking down the remainder of the milk in her bottle. I swear, I turned away for a minute, tops, and then turned back to find this:
Which soon became this:
Our little lady took a 20-minute catnap in her highchair!! Nikos was hilarious about it, too. First he wanted to wake her up, but he soon started telling me to "shh" because Maya was sleeping. Such a good big brother!
Fortunately for us all, she woke up in a great mood, as if the nap had never happened. Such a funny girl!
Which soon became this:
Our little lady took a 20-minute catnap in her highchair!! Nikos was hilarious about it, too. First he wanted to wake her up, but he soon started telling me to "shh" because Maya was sleeping. Such a good big brother!
Fortunately for us all, she woke up in a great mood, as if the nap had never happened. Such a funny girl!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
More Photos of the Birthday Girl
She is one-- ONE!!! I still can't believe that my tiny little baby has already been with us for an entire year! Anyway, the weather was beautiful, and we did NOTHING today. After a whirlwind week of party preparation, it felt pretty darn good! We just hung out as a family, played outside, snuggled, ate our meals together, and all that fun stuff. It was a perfect day!
As soon as Nikos woke up from his afternoon nap he asked, "When can we go play outside again?" Well, that settled that! We played outside for a long time, and Gus even took the kids for a ride around the neighborhood in the wagon. I eventually brought out my camera, but Nikos was off with Gus, desperately hoping to see the ice cream truck. So I got some pictures of my sweet little one-year-old, playing in the Cozy Coupe (which she loves!):
As soon as Nikos woke up from his afternoon nap he asked, "When can we go play outside again?" Well, that settled that! We played outside for a long time, and Gus even took the kids for a ride around the neighborhood in the wagon. I eventually brought out my camera, but Nikos was off with Gus, desperately hoping to see the ice cream truck. So I got some pictures of my sweet little one-year-old, playing in the Cozy Coupe (which she loves!):
A Great Day!
As our sweet baby girl's birthday draws to a close, and our house slowly returns to its pre-birthday-party condition, I have to admit: today was a pretty great day. At least in terms of our youngest family member, who was happy and can be and drunk on all the attention. She really was in fine form for much of the day, happy to play with other kids, thrilled to eat her cupcake, and giddy when it was time to open presents. She stayed up nearly two hours past her nap time, but you would have never known it! She eventually did take a great nap, though, and still went to bed on time. Success!
We celebrated our little girl's big day with a party at our house... 19 adults and 9 kiddos. Not a bad turnout! It was great to see everyone, and even Nikos (our shy guy) had a blast, after he warmed up to the crowd. Here are a few favorite pictures from the day!
Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the decorations or of myself with my baby girl! However, my also-photo-obsessed friend did, so I'm hoping I'll have a few more pics to post in a few days! :)
We celebrated our little girl's big day with a party at our house... 19 adults and 9 kiddos. Not a bad turnout! It was great to see everyone, and even Nikos (our shy guy) had a blast, after he warmed up to the crowd. Here are a few favorite pictures from the day!
Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the decorations or of myself with my baby girl! However, my also-photo-obsessed friend did, so I'm hoping I'll have a few more pics to post in a few days! :)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
One Year Letter
Dear Maya,
This time, words just won't cut it. Today, you are one year old. The past year has been filled with joy and love and amazement. You are an integral part of our family, and we love you beyond description. One year ago today, your daddy and I dropped Nikos off at Bonnie's house early in the morning, checked into the hospital, and then, after nine months of waiting, got to see your sweet face for the first time. Thinking about it too much makes me cry (tears of happiness, of course!), so I will share a slideshow instead. Baby girl, you are simply the best daughter we could have ever hoped for. Here's to many, many more wonderful years together!
All our love, ALWAYS,
Mommy, Daddy, & Nikos
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