Milestone: Walking

Carl is (finally) walking. Yes, he took his first steps about two months ago. But since then, he has been very reluctant to improve on that skill. I couldn't coax him into taking any solo steps at the Duede's house for Christmas and for most of this new year, he averaged about 2 or 3 steps a week.

But two weeks ago, I figured out what motivated him: love. He wouldn't walk for any number of yummy small treats and he wouldn't walk for excitement and praise but he would walk for hugs and kisses. And in the last two weeks of practice, he has gone from a rare couple of steps to walking 80% of the time. He has transformed from my little baby to my big toddler.

He waited so long that this doesn't change much. He could already get into anything he wanted to and it isn't like he was chomping at the bit so there's no eliminated frustration. It's been a pretty seemless transition. The only change is that I look up and see him walking to me, arms free for hugs and face up for kisses.

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February 10 - 16

* I thoroughly enjoyed reading Skyward. * Soren beat Megaman 1 without dying. * Carl was swamped with art homework. His teacher assigned him 5 mini-paintings, 30 gradients, and 1 shading. * Sven finished reading the Frog and Toad treasury. * Leif talked a lot about wanting to make a friend. * Richard got to listen to lots and lots of read-a-louds.

Birth Announcement

Sven Immanuel Duede March 7, 2013 at 3:56 am 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 22 inches

Brother Love

Most of the time, Soren and Carl don't really interact with their new baby brother. They do their own things, neither commenting nor complaining about our new addition, and he does his own things (eating and sleeping). But when they do interact, Soren and Carl are really loving to Sven. Those moments are very sweet to me. Like last night, when Soren asked me if Sven could sit in his lap. He actually makes that request pretty frequently. And then he sits there, with Sven cuddled in his lap, looking very proud and happy. Often, one of the boys will tell me very earnestly, "I want Sven to be a part of our family forever." What mother wouldn't melt at that? In the evenings, after scripture study, Soren likes to make Sven "talk", sharing his thoughts on the day. Soren uses the same gravelly voice that Scott does to put words in the baby's mouth. "My favorite part of the day was eating," he'll say, while holding up Sven's ...

Mom Remembers

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