Mom Remembers

1. I love that he has a word for everything. 2. I love it when he snuggles with me--if only for a moment! 3. I love his striking blonde hair. 4. I love the way he bounces and smiles and jabbers when I wake him up in the morning. 5. I love how obedient he is. That never ceases to surprise me. 6. I love to carry him on my back and talk with him about the things we see. 7. I love that he takes everything at his own pace. 8. I love how excited he is about animals. He really likes dogs and cats. 9. I love to watch him play with puzzles, his favorite toys. He is getting quite good at them. 10. I love the way he says "thank you" for everything. 11. I love that he enjoys music. 12. I love that he gives kisses. 13. I love it when he crawls to me very quickly and "tackles" me. 14. I love the way he rolls around the floor, just because it is fun. 15. I love that he is growing attached to his blanket. 16. I love that he is watching and listening to Soren. It is f

I had intended to keep track of Carl's vocabulary up until he turned 2 years old, like I did for Soren.  But he has already learned so many words, I can't keep up with him.  So I have decided to post my list now and stop worrying about keeping up with his blossoming abilities.  Especially at the end of this list, I am certain some words are missing. Not as many as would be if I kept trying to keep in the next few months, though. By one year: boom! By thirteen months: bye done hi I see a Mama ouch ta da! By fourteen months: baby, ball, banana Daddy, down, dropped I want J milk no some that, this uh oh, up By fifteen months: apple bite, blanket, block, butt, button cookie, cracker dill, dog end fish, food go H, hat, hello, help, hot light, look meow, Mommy, monkey nut oatmeal, outside phone, please, play dough, potty shoe, sock, stick water By sixteen months: amen back door, bath, bathroom, book, boots, bye bye candy, car, Carl, cat, C

Today my first born son is three whole years old! Can you believe it? I can't. This is what we did to celebrate. 1. I woke Soren up by saying "Happy Birthday!" and told him that today was the day he was born. I told him that today he was three years old and we played a game to reinforce that. I would ask him, "How old are you?" and he would say "I'm three!" After a while, he started playing with different numbers or asking me how old I  was. We both got a kick out of those permutations. 2. We had french toast for breakfast and allowed Soren to have unlimited syrup ! It doesn't get much better than that. 2. We went to church. Today was Soren's last day in nursery and he had a great time, as usual. I think that's something he won't really like about being 3; he does love going to nursery. 3. When we got home, Soren put on his bran-new pretzels sweatshirt (from Nan) and Scott gave him the present he made for him: a hand-made wooden

1. I love that he says "thank you" for very specific and random things. (ex: "Thank you for going downstairs.") 2. I love that he can read lots of words. 3. I love how good he is at governing his emotions. 4. I love it when he says, "Mommy, dance with me!" 5. I love his neologisms. (ex: chapstick is "truck-a-day") 6. I love that he knows what Christmas is really about. 7. I love it when he wants to help me with my chores. 8. I love how handsome he is in his big boy clothes. 9. I love it when he fights dragons 10. and when he uses common household items to make his armaments. (ex: a kitchen knife and a frisbee) 11. I love to hold his hand when he walk together. 12. I love it that he runs to give Scott a hug when he comes home from work. 13. I love to see him share with Carl. 14. I love (love love love love) that he is willing and eager to fetch things for me. 15. I love it when he asks me to tell him I love him. 16. I love that he c

SOREN: C is for ka-ka-ka-crap!

Carl: I love you. Me: I love you, too. Carl: I love you. Me: I love you, too. Carl: I love you. Me: I love you, too.

So, Carl can totally walk.  I saw him do it last week.  He took five whole steps and then voluntarily sat down! He did it like it was no big deal but he hasn't improved since then. I have tried bribing him. I used marshmallows to tempt him across the room but it only worked a few times before he decided the work was not worth the puny reward. This was surprising because I remember the marshmallows being a very convincing incentive for Soren. Now he won't walk for anything. He won't even walk holding my fingers, which is something we used to do all the time. I'm sure he'll make the switch over eventually but it'll be interesting to see how, since he doesn't want to practice. For now, he gets better and faster at crawling every day. And I have always found that to be an invaluable skill.

There once was a baby boy who was bored as he sat in the playroom looking at his toys. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Waaaaaaa!" His mother came running from the kitchen to see what was wrong. But when she arrived at the top of the stairs, she found nothing wrong. The baby laughed at the sight of her concerned face. "Don't cry ' Waa!', baby boy," said the mother, "when there's no problem." She went grumbling back down the stairs. Later, the boy sang out again, "Waa! Waa!" To his naughty delight, he watched his mother run up the stairs to help him. When the mother saw no problem she sternly said, "Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'Waa!' when there is nothing to cry about!" But the boy just grinned and watched her go grumbling down the stairs once more. Later, he was at the doctors office, watching a REAL problem (sharp and shiny)

Carl doesn't do it much at home but he loves to practice "cruising" at church.  It keeps him happily occupied for the whole first block. This is how it works:  Carl lifts himself up to standing using a pew for support (usually so he can reach a cheerio on the aforementioned pew).  Then he slowly shuffles down the aisle, essentially walking sideways with the stable support of the pew (usually to reach another cheerio purposefully placed too far away for his arms to reach).  He has been perfecting this skill for the last couple of Sundays and is very confident in it now.

September 5th: A glorious new dawn!  Soren was dry all day--and that even included two trips to a public restroom!  He woke up dry, too.  I couldn't have been prouder (or more relieved to finally be done ). September 6th: I was planning to throw a Dry All Day Party with pizza and cake and undiluted juice. Soren had other plans; he peed in his pants pretty much everywhere we went. September 7th: The morning went really well and then Aunt Monique came to visit.  Soren and I were both pleasantly distracted and he had two accidents.  I started to despair. September 8th: It only gets worse.  After a very frustrating day, Soren pooped in the bathtub.  Gross. September 9th: I decided to give up. September 10th:  I un-decided to give up.  And Soren was doing really well, until a special package arrived in the mail.  It was super-hero underwear from Grandma Berg.  Soren was really excited about the underwear and wanted to try on every pair.  He figured out that when he peed, he could

February 2010 GOAL:  My initial goal was to introduce Soren to the toilet and make it a fun place to sit.  I have to admit that I also hoped that we would have some fortunate "accidents" that would lead to potty training success. STRATEGY:  My plan was to sit Soren on the toilet once a day and read him a couple of stories.  If he peed, I was planning to give him a candy. THE BAD NEWS:  The candy totally backfired.  The one time that he peed on the toilet, I gave him a candy and he had a full-on tantrum begging for more.  If I ever told him "When you pee on the potty, you can have a candy", he would begin screaming for the treat and be unable to focus on the toilet training. THE GOOD NEWS:  Soren was not afraid of sitting on the big toilet.  He actually really enjoyed it (when I was reading stories and not pimping rewards) and started asking to sit there any time his butt was bare. J June 2010 GOAL:  My goal was to potty train Soren within the month of June

We went to the park yesterday.  It was a beautiful day, surprisingly breezy for August but with plenty of sun in the sky.  I pushed the boys on the swing set for about half an hour.  Soren begged me to push harder and higher; Carl giggled with surprise at even the slightest bump. Another boy sat on the swing next to Soren for a few minutes, then ran off to play on the playground.  Intrigued, Soren didn't throw his usual tantrum when I helped him down and encouraged him to follow.  He ran to the equipment and didn't look back. I gathered up Carl and we sat on a bench in the shade, watching Soren play.  I was surprised by how energetically and competently Soren approached the unfamiliar environment.  I realised, watching him master it, that he is still growing stronger and more able every day.  Even though I have long stopped tracking his gross motor developments, he is still developing.  He is learning to use his body and his energy and he is getting good at it. I found ou

Today my baby is one whole year old!  This is what we did to celebrate: 1. We had Danishes for breakfast.  OK, I didn't have one; I don't like them.  But Mother Johnson brought some from her hotel and the boys devoured them. 2. I measured Carl.  He weighs almost 18 pounds and is 29 inches long.  That means he has gained 10 pounds this year and grown 8 inches. 3. I dressed Carl in bran-new clothes.  He had a onesie from Grandma (Berg) that said "MY FIRST BIRTHDAY".  I figured he had better wear it today or it wouldn't see much use. 4. We went to the park and I pushed Carl on the swings for as long as he wanted. 5. He ate sweet potatoes (a favorite) and had a cup of milk--cow's milk!--for lunch. 6. He watched the end of a movie with Mother Johnson and I after his nap. 7. He played in the sandbox. 8. We walked half a mile to the pizza parlor and then had pizza for dinner when we got home. 9. Soren and I opened his presents for him while he playe

SOREN:  Turtles! More turtles!  Dinoco's all mine!  Boo hoo! I think so tough.  Dinoco's all mine!  How does the cat say meow, meow ? Meow! Meow!  What does the dog say? Ruff! Ruff!  What does the rabbit say? Eh! What's up doc?  Dinoco's all mine!  You drawing pictures.  Hey, Breeze! Are you sleeping? This is a blanket.  Hey, Mommy! Are you drawing? ME: Yes. SOREN: Are you drawing an eighteen wheeler? ME: No. SOREN:  Hey! Hey! Mommy! I can draw an eighteen wheeler! Mommy, are you drawing words? ME: Yes. SOREN: Boo hoo! I think so tough.  Carl is sad.  I can open door. I want to play outside.  I sing the ABC song.

Every day, before I tuck Carl into bed, we play a little game.  It's a kind of peek-a-boo inspired by a dog intelligence test.  Scott told me you can tell how smart a dog is by how quickly they can get out from under a blanket.  He also told me that Buffy (his parents' old dog) couldn't pass this test. In our version of the game, Carl lies down in his crib and I wave a blanket over his head.  Then I drop it, covering his whole body.  He kicks and squirms and pulls until he uncovers his eyes, at which point he always laughs hysterically.  Sometimes I make it very easy, so the blanket is barely covering his face and he can easily kick it off with his legs.  Other times it's harder, like when it isn't covering his legs at all and he starts by pulling it the wrong way. We both get a big kick out of this game and we play it three times before every nap.  Then the dinosaurs kiss him goodnight and I leave.

Carl's Favorite Books : Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! Quick as a Cricket Goodnight Moon There's a Wocket in My Pocket The Napping House Where's My Cow? Soren's Favorite Books : Bread and Jam for Frances Bedtime for Frances The First Thousand Words in Chinese Dinosaur Roar! How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? The Dangerous Alphabet Fox in Socks Yertle the Turtle Green Eggs and Ham (known to him as Brother Lurch and the Mormon Church ) I Love you Stinky-Face Patrick's Dinosaurs Where the Wild Things Are Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb

Carl can throw a ball!  I mean, he can really chuck it! Here's what happened: We were all sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine in our backyard.  Soren was drawing "eighteen wheelers" with his sidewalk chalk and Carl was whining about having to sit on the grass.  (Ew, nature.)  I was reading The Economist playing idly with a pair of small plastic balls that chime when you move them. Hoping to cheer up Carl, I tossed one of the balls into his lap.  He picked it up and over-handed it back to me. Maybe this doesn't seem like a shocking event but I was really really surprised.  I didn't think he had the coordination for anything like that and I definitely hadn't expected it to go as far as it did.  It probably travelled about 2 feet, which doesn't sound like much but it's almost as far as Soren can throw stuff (and he is much further off the ground).  I passed the ball back to Carl and he threw it again, this time laughing at my exaggerated ex

Soren loves the side-walk chalk his Nan bought him last month.  Every night, I spray away dozens and dozens of chalk "eighteen wheelers", preparing the ground for new drawings.  Every morning, he rushes out to the backyard and, in a few minutes, restores those old drawings with fresh scribbles.  Usually, that means more "eighteen wheelers". About a week ago, I found that, instead of his usual trucks, he had written his name.  I took this photo of it: Apparently, Soren can recognise and reproduce his name. He has been attempting to write letters for the past couple of months but they have, until now, been mostly unreadable.  Now, not only are the letters readable, they are also part of whole words.  He can write SOREN and CARL, although he doesn't cross the A. And DAD, again without the A crossed. He does this without any prompting from me and without a model to look at.  I never taught him this.  He just learned it by watching and wanting.

SOREN:  I want another cookie! ME:  OK. SCOTT:  You know what happens when you give a mouse a cookie ... ME:  They want a glass of milk? SCOTT:  No.  They want another freaking cookie. SOREN:  I want a freaking cookie!

Carl can, apparently, climb the stairs now.   He's been eyeing the stairs in our house for the past few days.  Ever since figuring out how to pull himself up to standing, he's been excited about using the bottom step to pull up on.  But he hadn't shown any interest in actually going up the stairs until this morning. We were playing with chalk in the backyard.  At first Carl was content to sit on the ground and pound dots into the pavement.  After a few minutes, he got bored and started crawling around looking for something more entertaining.  That's when he noticed it: the sippy cup.  It was at the top of the stairs leading to the house.  Sippy cups are interesting and usually contain deliciously sweet apple juice.  He headed for it--right up the stairs! I was nervous about him experimenting on the stone steps but he sure wasn't.  He was confident and determined.  It took a while but each step got easier until he was grasping that cup.  Oh, sweet satisfaction!

Goals for Soren: * focus on one set of toys in 15-minute increments during free play * read the scriptures in Chinese with Scott each night * learn to stay out of Mom and Dad's room unless invited Goals for Carl: * focus on one set of toys in 10-minute increments during port-a-crib time * play in the backyard for 20 minutes every day * read longer books (not board books) at naptime Goals for Carolyn: * practice composition at 8 pm every night * read the scriptures daily * do hair every day Goals for Mom: * make one-on-one playtime inviolable * respond to Carl's babble * complete three 1/2-hour chore blocks each day

Carl loves to play I-Drop-It-You-Pick-It-Up.  I'm sure you know the game.  It's a baby standard.  The baby is up high somewhere (in your arms, on the couch, in a high chair ) and dangles some object (a pen, a ball, a piece of food ) over the empty air.  He drops it and you pick it up, giving it back to him and restarting the game. I have no patience for this game.  But Scott does and Carl loves him for it.

BRIANNA: Once upon a time there was a ... SOREN: Car! BRIANNA:  The car was very ... SOREN: Disappointed!

My baby has finally grown out of all his 6-9 month clothing and last night I was packing it all up to store in the attic.  Carl was talking to himself in the crib, getting ready to sleep and I was trying to sneak the old clothing out of his room. I don't know why I even try to be sneaky.  Even with bumpers in the crib blocking his vision, Carl knew I was in there, creeping around.  Maybe he could smell me.  He started wiggling happily in the crib, hoping for some attention.  I tried to sneak out on my hands and knees but didn't dare shut the door for fear he would notice and become upset. When I made it out of the room, breathing a sigh of relief, I was surprised to turn around and see Carl looking right at me.  He had pulled himself up on the bars of the crib and was grinning ear to ear. Even though it was 8 o'clock at night (well past bedtime), I had to pick him up, twirl him around, and gush about how clever he was.

ME:  Would you like some meat? SOREN:  A very little tiny piece of maggots, please.

I enjoy watching my boys grow and develop.  They are gaining more physical, social, and verbal competence every day.  But the steps my children take towards literacy are more exciting (to me) than any of the traditional developmental milestones.  I love to read and I am so elated when I see my boys engaging with books. Last week, Carl started turning the pages during story-time.  I know that he has been capable of turning pages for a while now but last week he started doing it routinely, correctly anticipating when it was time to do so.  When I would finish reading the words on a page, he would reach out and grab the next, turning it slowly to see the next picture and hear the next words. I think he likes to set the pace of the reading. Sometimes he looks at a picture long after I have finished reading the corresponding words, seeming to study every detail before flipping on.  Other times he can hardly wait for me to finish reading the text, he is so eager to see what comes next. 

This is an endlessly amusing game: Scott puts something on Carl's head and then Carl makes it fall off.  Then Scott puts it back on Carl's head and Carl makes it fall off again.  And again.  And again. It's fun.  No, really.

Soren has a stuffed rabbit that has become his constant companion.  It really is a lovely toy: soft, very hug-able, and shaped into a sitting position.  The rabbit has its own little blue sweater, fits easily into our leftover baby shoes, and boasts a butt big enough to fill in some of Carl's clothes. The rabbit is Soren's baby, his son, and his brother; his plaything and his playmate; his pupil, his audience, and his therapist.  Rabbit can play a seemingly infinite number of roles and Soren uses him to figure out and gain control over the world. Sometimes Soren is the mommy and the rabbit is his baby, as when he is carried around in a sling or rocked and showered with kisses.  Sometimes Soren is the mommy and the rabbit is the toddler, as when Soren helps him clean up his plate or tucks him into the big bed.  Sometimes Soren is the baby and the rabbit is his mommy, as when Soren is upset and only a hug from Rabbit will make him feel better.  Sometimes the rabbit is the b

Soren's skill with mega-blocks has increased a lot recently.  I think his conception of their use has changed and that change shows in his creations.  Before, the blocks were very satisfying to put together and he would stack them haphazardly.  He would be amused and not frustrated when they didn't fit, fell over, or were appropriated by Carl.  Now, the blocks are a tool for recreating the world and he is very particular about their placement and preservation.  He build things and then plays with them as though they really were the objects he calls them. These are some of the things he has built lately:  a staircase a bed  a piano a tower a computer  (Can't you see it? He types on the green part.)

I love listening to Carl yammer away.  His babble has become much more interesting lately, almost like he was really trying to say something.  There are occasional groans, spits, and squeals but he also makes a wide variety of speech sounds.  And I love it. A woman I admire advised at a baby shower that we should have "conversations" with our pre-verbal children.  She said that she would pretend she could understand her babies, comment on their babble, ask them questions, and wait patiently for responses.  I think about that whenever Carl gets really going. But Carl never lets me get a word in edgewise.  He just keeps jabbering away, experimenting with a constant stream of sounds.  Since any of my "conversation" would be fake and meaningless, it seems rude to interrupt.  And so I just listen, totally under his spell, pleased just to listen and love.

Carl's is really starting to grow up. I love watching him figure out the world and experiment with everything he encounters. Sometimes he gets really frustrated with it all; he's anxious for his little body to catch up with his flowering mind.  Most of the time, though, he is contentedly curious and just plain fun to be around. He is starting to figure out the connection between cause and effect, which has spawned a new game between us. He loves this game and always laughs when we play it, which is like hitting the jackpot for me as a mother. I'm glad he enjoys interacting with me because his enjoyment reinforces my own. This is the game: Carl makes a sudden movement (like slapping the table) and I match it with an onomatopoeia (like "bang"). We have lots of fun pairings and he enjoys switching back and forth between them. Bumping his head on the back of his chair is "bonk'" and shaking his head quickly from side to side is "Whoosh, whoosh,

Soren calls our tumblers "caterpillar cups". ex: "Milk in a caterpillar cup, Mommy!" He calls the kitchen floor "the squares". ex: "Soren is standing on the squares!" He calls the carpet "brown grass". ex: "Jumping on the brown grass!" He calls all juices "apple grape juice". ex: "Apple grape juice in a bottle for Soren!" He calls all babies "Carl". ex: "Look, Mommy and Carl in a stroller!" He calls a bus "the train stop". ex: "I see the train stop!"

SOREN: C is for ca-ca-ca-Carl. BABYSITTER: Wow, that's right! SOREN: D is for da-da-da-Daddy. BABYSITTER: And what is this F for? SOREN: F is for fear!

1. I love that he is a gentle and attentive parent to his "Rabbit". 2. I love how excited he (still) is about the alphabet. 3. I love the way he sings while he plays or walks. 4. I love it when he wants to copy what Carl is doing. 5. I love how quickly he is learning new words 6. and how he puts them together in new and silly combinations. 7. I love it when he says "thanks", which is spontaneous and genuine (as opposed to "thank you", which is always prompted). 8. I love his enthusiasm for the scriptures and how reverent he can be when we talk about Jesus. 9. I love the way he memorises everything. 10. I love how enthusiastic he can be about helping me do housework. 11. I love it when he talks about Chinese characters with Scott. 12. I love that he enjoys being read to 13. and reading to himself. 14. I love how excited he is about going to the dinosaur museum with Daddy. 15. I love that fish, tofu, and nuts are his preferred proteins. 16. I

1. I love the way he squeals when I get him up in the morning. 2. I love how he can crawl across the floor using only his arm strength (no legs). 3. I love how he adores his sling 4. and fits on my hip 5. and snuggles against me in it when he's tired. 6. I love the way he says "mama" when he's hungry and "dada" to tease me. 7. I love that he has a favorite book ( That's Not My Dinosaur ) and that he doesn't actually want to read it, just look at the cover. 8. I love that he already wants to and is capable of mimicking our simple motions. 9. I love how ticklish he is. 10. I love the way he plays with my face, especially my lips. 11. I love the way he nurses so intently first thing in the morning 12. and the way he smacks his lips when he's done. 13. I love his laugh when I bounce him around. 14. I love that he enjoys being rocked. 15. I love how interested he is in everything his big brother is doing. 16. I love the way I can someti

Before Soren was born, Scott and I attended a breastfeeding class at our local hospital.  It was very informative.  When I left, I felt confident and determined.  Those were feelings I would definitely need in the coming weeks and months as I struggled to establish good feeding patterns with my newborn son.  I would remember very little of what the lactation consultant taught but her optimism and earnestness would remain with me.  I trusted her and I do not regret it for she gave the gift of nursing, something I had never before felt drawn to. The consultant stressed in her presentation the importance of feeding your baby whenever he is hungry, a very sensible suggestion.  She taught us to look for hunger cues and warned the class that crying was a late sign of hunger.  I felt so confident that I would watch for those cues and my baby would never cry.  Why would he?  Crying was a late sign of hunger (read: starvation) and of course I would never miss my precious one's early signs

Soren's strong will has been re-asserting itself this past week. He has become my little rebel: he says "no!" to everything, breaks our rules behind my back, refuses to make eye contact, lies about the contents of his diaper, and ignores friendly people. He reminds me of a surly teenager and I never know how to respond.  On my good days, I say, "You don't get to say 'no' to Mommy." Other times, I am left with my mouth hanging open, the situation spiraling out of control, leaving me with no constructive ideas. And sometimes I just can't help but laugh. Two incidents come to mind. The first happened about a week ago when Soren heard someone take the Lord's name in vain on the radio. He thought it sounded very funny. Much to my chagrin, he repeated it in a loud, enthusiastic voice. I tried to give him a tamer, alternative exclamation to use but he was quite insistent on the original. When he shouted it again (with gusto), I told him very firml

Yesterday, I was doing the lunch dishes and Soren was playing in the living room.  Carl was napping and the house was calm and peaceful. I peaked into the living room to see what Soren was doing.  The floor was littered with blocks but he wasn't building anything.  He had out our family Book of Mormon and sat on the floor with it open in his lap.  He was mumbling something I couldn't hear, although I don't doubt that it was some jumbled up rendition of an oft-repeated scriptural phrase. When he saw me, he put the book down said, "We're having a prayer."  Then he folded his arms.  I quickly dried my hands and came to kneel with him on the floor. I love listening to Soren pray.  It's something he has only recently started doing and it is definitely my favorite of his new skills.  I especially love listening to him thank God for his blessings.  He is grateful for the best things.  His enjoyment of life is obvious when he prays because he remembers with

SOREN: I want another nut! SCOTT: No, it's time for bed. SOREN: I want a bath! SCOTT: We're done with the bath, it's time for bed. SOREN: I want blue pajamas! SCOTT: We're wearing the green ones tonight. SOREN: No! I want another nutt! SCOTT: I know, I know. You want everything. SOREN: I want dangerous alphabet! SCOTT: How about a whipping? Would you like that? SOREN: I want a purple whippin'!

Some of you may know that I have been trying to potty train Soren. I spent all last week working on it and it was the very worst week of our lives. My efforts have ended in big, fat failure. It's not because Soren isn't "ready". I've heard a lot about "readiness" and most people who have heard about our failure are suggesting that Soren is developmentally incapable of using the toilet. Poppycock. He's ready. I just screwed it up. When we have a successful potty training story to tell, I think that I will understand this experience better. But for now, the following list covers pretty well what didn't work for us: 1. Bribes . I only got one piece of advice (from many sources) before I made the attempt to ditch diapers: bribe 'em. Everyone told me to use a rewards system to incentivise potty use. That did not work for us. Soren went crazy trying to get the rewards but his natural desire to sit on the toilet like Mommy and Daddy completely

Slow but steady the baby comes, pulling himself across the floor one beefy arm over another. He's got his eye on something shiny and he just keeps creeping closer. Look out tower/cell phone/remote/marker/ball! Carl is finally moving! *** Carl has discovered his first mode of transport: the army crawl. I am delighted that he has finally figured it out and dismayed at how much trouble he can get into. I love to watch him single-mindedly haul himself towards a goal across the room. That's a good thing, because I'm always surprised by what he accomplishes when I don't watch him. I'll find him five minutes later eating markers, headed for the stairs, sucking on electronics, or wrestling toys from his dismayed older brother. It's amazing how fast things can change. Yesterday my baby was predictable, stationary, and utterly content. Today he's on the move and will never be predictable, stationary, or content again. It really happens that fast. It's a grea

SOREN:  Hooray for church!

I've been meaning to sit down for a moment and write about Carl for months.  But every time I think about it, I've been completely overwhelmed.  How can I put in words his charming personality, his burgeoning skills, and his diminishing babyhood?  And now we pay the price for my lack of vision: months unrecorded and a baby that has grown up behind my back. In spite of this, I do want to remember these precious days.  I want to record some of my observations and hold them close (like I can no longer hold my squirming son). Updates: * Carl has been able to sit up on his own for about a month now. * He has been using the pincer grasp for a little less than two months. * He can also pass things between hands (and has been doing this for about 2 months as well). * Because of this, he is a very adept self-feeder. (Or perhaps his desire to self-feed led to the acquisition of that skill?) * Especially at the table, he looks for things he has dropped (demonstrating object perma

SOREN: Look!  Dinosaur bones!  Hooray!  They're so pretty!

I've been trying to teach Soren to clean up after himself for a long time.  He's pretty good at picking up his blocks, putting his plate in the sink, returning books to the shelf, and organizing toys.  So I felt it was time to up the ante: I've started asking him to clean up his spills. A small cup of milk (filled less than half-way) seems like such a good idea when I'm handing it to him but it's usually a big spill waiting to happen.  After making a mess, he always wants to help clean up but he just doesn't understand how.  He used to get down on his knees and then spread the milk around with his fingertips.  Cute, but not helpful. I used to fret about this (should we go back to spill-proof sippy cups?) but no longer!  I bought some super-absorbent towels ( shamwows ) that make cleaning up a snap, even for him.  After he spills, I just hand him the towel and he gets down to clean it up.  The cloth is so absorbent, he can clean up a whole spill by moving it o

SOREN: (looking at a picture of key lime pie) Yummy! ME: Yeah, that looks good, doesn't it? SOREN: It's cheese and cucumbers!  And yogurt!

This is just a quick post to announce that Carl can--finally!--sit independently. He has been able to sit up in my lap or on the couch for a couple of months.  Lately, he had even been sitting without leaning against anything.  I think that he just felt more secure, having some kind of back support available just in case.  But now he can sit in the middle of the room with nothing to lean on and be just fine. Hooray for progress!

I've decided to do a new series of posts on how I make parenting work for us. Every parent does it differently--which is great!--but I have a hard time keeping my discoveries to myself. The things I do may not work for anyone else but I want to record them and remember them. Hopefully, it will also help me vent my soap-box-y-ness so that I'm not always imposing my ideas on other people. That will be what "What-Works-for-Us Posts" are about. One of the things that we have always done, but has made a HUGE difference in the move from one to two children, is Room Time . When Soren was 6 months old, I started having him play alone (in a safe place) every day for a few minutes. At first it was only five minutes in the port-a-crib but we quickly worked up to fifteen, then thirty. At that time, I used those precious minutes to do housework or relax on the couch. When I was pregnant with Carl, Soren would play alone for about an hour in his room and I would usually tak

SOREN: (putting to Carl's head) It's my head. ME: No, that's Carl's head. SOREN: Yep.  Carl's head. (pointing to my head)  This is Mommy's head. ME: And where's your head? SOREN: (pointing to his head) This is "the boy's" head.

Soren has spent the last several months perfecting his artwork.  Like he used to practice standing up or walking---over and over and over--he now practices drawing for hours every day.  His hands are always covered in marker and my floors are always covered in paper but his effort is paying off.  There has been a marked improvement in the past couple of weeks; now his drawings are recognisable!  He has gone from making rudimentary scribbles (self-identified as shapes and letters) to much more complicated drawings.  The above picture is of a prehistoric landscape featuring two different dinosaurs and various scenery elements.  He also enjoys drawing the latter-day prophets (especially Joseph Smith and John Taylor), compliments of his Uncle Brinton.  I have a harder time recognising the prophets but they are definitely people-shaped. Soren's other favorite thing to do is sing.  Luckily, he can sing and draw at the same time.  I started teaching him some of the primary songs for t

LEAH: Waaaaaa! SOREN: Leah is so sad! LEAH: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! SOREN: She's so tough.

ME: Soren, what are you drawing? SOREN:  It's a blue Barrack Obama!

SOREN: Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy! ME: Yes? What do you want? SOREN: Daddy!  Daddy!

SOREN:  Ok.  How about this?      (starts scribbling) C O O T R A      What's that spell? ME: Um ... Carl? SOREN: Yes!  You're right!

SOREN: Mommy, sit down in the chair. MOM: I don't want to. SOREN: Please! MOM: I think I'll go downstairs instead. SOREN: It's a great chair!  It's a big chair!

Yep, little Carl has a tooth.  Just one tiny sharp guy.  It popped up about a week ago, after no unusual amount of fussing (but a ton of drooling).  The other shows no sign of breaking through any time soon but we'll just watch for the extra spit.

I haven't updated in a long while because I've been working a lot on preparing for my recital (next weekend).  But in spite of the lack of updates, my children have been changing and developing behind my back. Soren sleeps in his toddler bed.  We made this change almost 2 months ago.  I thought it would be really tricky; I worried so much that he would just get out of bed and wander around in the middle of the night, or that he wouldn't even know what the bed was for.  But I put him down that first day, told him to stay in the bed, gave him his blanket and stuffed monkey and ... when I came back two hours later he was dead asleep in the bed.  He always waits for me to come and get him, even when he has obviously been awake for awhile. Carl just started on solid foods a couple of weeks ago.  He loves it, even though he always makes a disgusted face.  At the end of his meager portions, he's always begging for more.  We've tried cream of wheat, carrots, squash, pur