Some Observations of Kate

Our Kate has a great sense of humor. I first noticed it this summer when she would kneel on a bed and lean forward until she flopped on her face. She gets such a kick out of "joking" Ella (as Ella refers to it). Occasionally they sit beside each other at lunch, and Kate will hand her a cup, and Kate will pull it back without letting go. This can go on and on (usually while I clean up their dishes) with giggles from both sides. Also fun - sticking her finger in Ella's mouth. 

She loves to climb. She's graduated from climbing a little rocker, to the step stool to the sink, to Ella's tall chair with a foot rest, to our kitchen chairs, to our rocker. . . I used to be able to keep her from climbing certain things by pushing them under the table or turning them around. Now she has figured out to pull and push them around so she can get in them. I know the next thing is pulling and pushing them so she can get up on the counter. I'm not looking forward to the additional baby-proofing that needs to be done to these mid-level areas.

Kate can sense an open kitchen cupboard or bathroom door being open from a room away Boy, can she move fast (this is what I like to call "toy store fast" since I witnessed her similar speed in a toy store the other day.) She's got a sixth sense for these "forbidden" areas. If I don't hear her, chances are she's sucking on the soap dispenser. At least drumming on the toilet seat or playing with the glass storage containers make noise. What a sneaky little gal.

Her communication is pretty effective. She signs "please", "all done" and "more" regularly. She used to use the sign for "milk" (which she doesn't so much have a need for, but on the same note, she used to use the same sign for "mama".)  She clears her tray (you know, ALL over the floor) if we don't clear quick enough. She has a few words - "mama", "dada", "dog", "duck", "meow", "tickle". I'm surprised she doesn't say "Ella" yet. I thought that might be her first word.

If this mop isn't pulled back, she looks like a sheep dog. Ella's hair frames her face nicely if left to untouched. Kate's just falls straight down. It isn't an option to let it go. 

Kate is full of joy, and tenderness (except when she is attempting to bite one of us - fortunately it is rare and she does this in slow motion, so it is really easy to avert.) She gives sweet snuggles complete with back pat; it especially warms my heart when she does it to Ella while Ella is being comforted after a fall. I love this girl so, so much, and I am so, so lucky to be her mom.

I am so bad at blogging . . .

. . . within a reasonable time frame. These days, I'm feeling like it is a 'win' if I get to posting on here even if it is almost 3 months late.)

We celebrated Kate with both sets of grandparents, and Wiebe-side aunts, uncles, and cousins. Ella thought Kate would like star cake, so star cake it was!

Mesmerized by the smoke. 

The fate of much food encountered by Kate - smashed, smeared, pinched, thrown on the floor. 

Hair surprisingly clean at the end of a meal.

"Enjoying" bath time. 

Oklahomala. . .

. . . as Ella refers to it.

My grandma and Kate, aren't they beautiful?

Want to win Ella over? Read her a book. She can rarely resist.

Ella was putting "gaso-lation" in the tank.

 (She knew 'gas' had a long name, but forgot what it was.)

Isn't she too young to give me looks like this?
Someday she'll be looking out a real car window with this face.

I feel like I have to say 'no' to so many things Kate wants to do; I didn't want to tell her she couldn't play in the dirt. She made such a mess of herself, but had the time of her life. (I did eventually have to find something else for her to do when she started to eat it. . .)

Evolution of a (Pretend) Phone Converstaion

As long as Ella has been able to talk, she would pretend to talk on one of Jon or my old cell phones. The first conversation is from roughly fifteen months ago. The last one is parts from two different phone calls this last week. She likes to talk while I jog with the girls in the stroller, but I haven't remembered at the right time to throw in a camera or paper and pencil to record what she says. (Since these conversations, I've tried twice - unsuccessfully - to get Ella to have a conversation. Me: Ella, your phone is ringing! Ella: No, it's not.)

Me: Who are you talking to?

Ella: Oma.

Me: How is she?

Ella: Good.

Me: What is she doing?

Ella: Dough.

(The above conversation happened daily and over time, it turned into "make dough" and then "making dough".)

***

While punching on keys,
Ella: I'm texting Grandma.

***
Ella: Are you on your way home? (I must frequently ask Jon this when I talk to him after school/practice.)
***

Ella: Ring, ring. Hello, Oma! ....How is your week?... Do you feel good or bad? ...Bad (spoken to me). ...Are you going to the doctor?... She's going to the doctor (again, spoken to me).... Where is Opa?... Good...Is Myla there?... We are coming to see you... no, we are not coming to see you... we are going home right now... have a good trip... sweet dreams. (Her inflection is really appropriate and sweet through all of this. I love it.)

(Mostly because a post about Ella should include a picture of her) I can't believe how grown up she looks in this picture. . . if only it weren't for the bit of lunch still hanging on to her face. 

A New Toy

 A few days ago I finally made the plunge and bought myself (or us, I'm sure Jon would like to think it is his too) a digital SLR camera. It is not something I really thought I would feel comfortable spending money on since we already have a camera and I bring in $0 a year. But. . . my dad encouraged me to think about it. And think about it I did! I would classify my dad as someone who is sensible about spending, and if he thought it was worth it, who am I to argue? It only took me about thirty days to decide between yes and no, and then what camera, and then what lens to buy. While I don't enjoy spending money, I am very excited to have one my my hobbies back. I didn't realize how much I missed it, and I can just cry thinking about being able to take quality photos of my girls.  I took some photography classes in high school and college back when we used film in cameras. What I remember most about playing around with different settings, is that I had to write down each f-stop and shutter speed and wait till I developed the film to compare. (Provided I kept track correctly, and didn't mess up the shot in some other way.) I feel like most of my photography education (or at least what I remember) was how to frame a good shot, and not how to technically use your settings to take a good shot. In the few days I've had it, I've played around only a little and can already see how awesome this is going to be compared to my film camera. There is so much to learn! (And boy, are Ella and Kate going to get sick of being photographed. . . )

   

Seven

Ella at seven months

Kate at seven months.

It is hard to get past the difference in the color and amount of hair, but I think they have at least a slight resemblance.

Running

Ella clearly has spent a good deal of time at cross country and track meets. At random points in the day she'll start a race: one arm up = get ready, other arm up = get set, and completed with a "bang" for go. At meets she likes to run around our blanket and stroller and say, "Mama, clap for me!" She also knows that she is to stay off the track during a meet (although I watch this super closely). At the end of a meet, she is giddy with excitement to be able to run in a lane. Last week, she got 150 meters down the track before she even looked back. I love that she has this experience. Even if she doesn't turn out to be a fast runner, I hope she sees it as a way of life as I did when I was little. When I was growing up, my dad ran nearly every day, and I thought that is just what you do. I never felt pressure to run, but a day feels kind of weird to me if I don't.

Yesterday, Ella left me in our bedroom to go for a "run". (The following went on for a minimum of 7 minutes straight.) Our living room, hallway and kitchen make a nice circular "track" to run on. After each lap, she'd pop into the room and tell me something. After a couple minutes of this, I made my way to the kitchen and started writing down the things she said/did each lap.

"Almost. . . there. . . two. . . miles."

"Kate, I'm running!"

"Mama, stay on the sidewalk. I might run into you."

"Want to touch my dirty feet?" (puts feet up on Kate's exersaucer to show her)

"Going to doctor to get some ouchies." (Referring to the shots - or the band-aids? - that she receives at the doctor"s office. I think this is good; she doesn't seem to think "getting ouchies is a bad thing, and it means she hasn't had to go to the doctor for much more than a check-up. Healthy kid, this one.)

"Mama, stay on the rug. I might bump into you. . . bump." (as she goes out of her way to bump me.)

"Mama, I"m almost to the park!"

(runs by with sunglasses)

(runs by smacking lips)

"Go pee. Go pee . . . Mama, don't help me." (as she backtracks to get to the bathroom)

I may regret this in the future

... But I couldn't resist Ella's request to join Kate in the crib. Can't you just hear the giggles and squeals? They are interacting more everyday and the precious moments between the two are multiplying. (Of course there are still those times that Kate has the toy Ella MUST have, or Ella absent-mindedly drops something on Kate's head. . .) Sometimes when I leave the room, I overhear Ella say to Kate, "It's okay, Kate. Mama will be right back."

A Glimpse of Normal

Jon spent much of spring break building a shed. I spent most of my time with the girls, but we tried to be "helping" as much as we could. Ella is good at climbing ladders, picking up screws, digging in the dirt, whacking me in the head with a broom. . . Kate is good at making me smile (as her shirt says). They are happy days when I get so spend them with these amazing people.

All About Poop

Yes, that's right. In the Wiebe household, we hear a lot about poop these days. (This got much longer than I anticipated, and it is all about potty training, so. . . read at your own risk.)

Ella's been really interested in the potty since last summer when she was around 18 months. This was also around the time she adopted specific "poop spots" - between the ottoman and her rocker was her favorite. I got such a kick out of her process: drop whatever she was doing, run to her room, close her door, and then stand in her special spot. If I ever went to check on her, she would tell me to "Go away, Mama" if she wasn't ready yet. Sometimes she would even run back to close the door on me. Other special places - behind a chair, behind a curtain, and under the table. She'd ask to sit on the potty, and we would let her, but nothing ever happened which led to some pretty tired arms. So we got a little potty which she would sit on (often in all of her clothes) when one of us would go. It wasn't until November  that she actually went pee on the potty. She even went poop (like it was no big deal) soon after that following a conversation with Oma. Soon, I'd put Ella on before a bath, nap or leaving the house and often she would go. We decided we'd do some potty training boot camp (in a nutshell: drink a lot, be naked from the bottom down for three days) when we were both home over Christmas break. (Jon was gung ho for potty training since October, but, being a nursing mother of a newborn, home alone with the kiddos most of the day, I was dragging my feet.) Ella made it clear to me that she was ready when she would run to her poop spot to pee too. (One of the many things Ella has proved she is ready for before I think she should be. I should just always tell myself she will be absolutely fine because she handles everything in stride. It is usually me that is not ready.)

Her reward for going pee was a sticker and an m&m and a sticker for going poop. The first few days, she had only an accident or two each day, but was able to stop herself sometimes and make it to the potty to finish. Although not perfect, she went many, many times those few days. I'd set my timer for 30 min, then 20 min, then 15 min and she would still beat me to the punch; she'd announce she had to go more frequently than I could predict. On the third day, she even went poop on the potty again. I thought she was doing great. For the next couple months, she would only go poop on the potty every five days. . . maybe.(Not that she'd hold it that long, but she would save it until she was in a diaper at nap or at night.) We even tried having her talk to Oma if we thought she had to go, but was holding it since it worked the first time. These successes felt huge. We'd clap and cheer, she'd get TWO m&ms, she'd tell Kate, I'd text Jon, I even sent him a photo of it once (gross, I know, but don't under estimate the excitement of a mother not having to deal with poopy diapers), we'd call Oma and Opa or Grandma and Grandpa. There was major celebration. Then about two weeks ago, it seems like something clicked and she realized she could have an m&m if only she'd poop. So she'd go eek out a little turd all the while talking about m&ms. When she got up to pooping 4-5 times a day, I cut it back to only one m&m per event. Since then, she's only pooped in her pants/diaper twice. I feel like we are getting somewhere. 

She still has pee accidents regularly - maybe once a day or every other day, and it is always at home. I really want to get away from using a Pull-Up when I am out with the girls by myself (I hate Pull-Ups. I need a cloth version of them or something.) Depending on where we are going and how far away it is, I split maybe 50/50 on whether she is in a Pull-Up or panties. She occasionally uses the Pull-Up, but most often it is dry when we get home. If it were just me and Ella, I'd just suck it up, but I get nervous when I have Kate to deal with too. I may just need to get brave. Jon and I decided we would give her some incentive to not have accidents. We bought a couple sets of Lego Duplo blocks, and split them into 15-ish sets. She can earn a set for a day (or two or three days later on) without an accident. Yesterday was flawless. . . except we had company that stayed till slightly after her bedtime. Just as they were leaving, she had an accident. I was so excited for her to have an early success, so she could see that she could do it. I feel bad that, had it been a regular day, she would have already been in bed and have earned her first set. Maybe tomorrow. . . 

  Poop in the little green potty. Ella (purple) Mama (yellow) and Kate (orange) with BIG smiles!

Some funny potty related Ella quotes:

- "Yay! Mama went pee on the potty!" *clap, clap, clap

- On a Friday, after a few days without going on the potty, I included pooping on the potty to the list of fun things we were going to do the next day. After a long silence, Ella added, ". . . or maybe on Sunday." (I'm sure she has no concept of days of the week. Just a lucky guess.)

- under the door while Jon was in the bathroom. "DO YOU NEED AN M&M?!"

- Ella leading me by the hand to the bathroom, "Mama, I made a Christmas tree!" and "Mama, I made a sheep!" 

- Complete with hand gestures: "There are some big ones. . . and some little ones. . . Yay, Ella!" *clap, clap, clap

Sweet Kate

I have never been very consistent with blogging, and recently I've done much more with facebook and sending photos the the grandparents directly from my iTouch. I have become terrible at blogging. It doesn't seem fair that our Kate is now almost 5 months old, and there is almost nothing written about her.

















I don't know if Kate is super easy, or if the 2nd child just always feels easier, but she has been a dream. I know logistically, there is undeniably more to deal with with two children. I think with the first, there is so much emotionally to deal with - not being on your own schedule, being responsible and "on-call" 24/7, loving (and worrying) about a little person more than you can ever imagine. I felt like a zombie for at least the first 7 weeks with Ella. With Kate, I felt like myself already when we got the the recovery room even though I'd been approximately 40 hours without sleep. Personally, I thought being pregnant with the second child was much more exhausting than having two kids do deal with day to day.

Kate is fairly laid back about eating. She is quick (which I SO appreciate with toddler running around) but recently has become very distractable. She will look at me with the biggest smile when she should be eating - cute, but I'd rather socialize while I'm covered up. Until today, she's been perfectly happy to share my lap with Ella while I feed her and read a book. I'm afraid Kate is just getting a little too big and interested in the book and Ella to make it work anymore. Kate still wakes up a couple times during the night to eat, but she goes right back to sleep. She's had stretches where she'd consistently go 6-8 hours at night without eating, but has reverted back to every 3-4 recently. (Although, last night we had a sixer, so... fingers crossed.) After Jon had a hard time getting Kate to stay asleep while I was out the other night, I broke out "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" again. I'm not ready to require her to put herself to sleep at night, but I have been putting her down awake for naps for the last couple days. With a maximum of maybe 3 minutes of crying a two naps, she's out like a light. I'm not completely surprised; about half the time she is not already napping when it is time for Ella to go down, I've laid her down with the mobile on, and when I come back she is asleep. I'm not sure if I ever gave Ella this opportunity at this age; Ella's nursing and napping were so intertwined. I'm sure the first time Ella actually put herself to sleep, I cried because I was so proud of her. This time I cried because Kate doesn't need me. I won't complain though, this is much easier. So far, Kate is a champion napper. The two things I worried most about handling with two - nursing, and napping - have been easy. Now what I worry about it how to get them to share a room at night and not wake each other up.

Kate is quick to smile. She doesn't mind other people holding her. She seems pretty easy going. There are many times Ella scares me with what she does to her, but very rarely does Kate mind. Ella's probably only made her cry twice - once by accidentally hitting her in the head with a book, and once by throwing (intentionally) a toy at her. Not too bad for 5 months. I was so protective of Ella when she was this age, but it nice to see I probably didn't have to be. I think Kate is going to have to be pretty tough to survive her older sister.

Kate has a whole head of hair. It is really cute, and makes me want a pixie cut. (Except that I would have to keep getting it cut frequently for it to look good - and I haven't paid for a haircut in. . . maybe ten years. I might have to wait till I go back to work.) The downside to having this much hair on a child that takes two or three naps a day is there is constant bed-head. These are the times I put it in one or two pigtails (that look like antennae) which is also cute. Upside to having this much hair on a child this age, she can't put the rubber bands out.

(Jon just got home, and I asked him how he would describe Kate. "She is a little girl and she is cute. She is cuter than most; our doctor confirmed that." I'm sure our doctor tells everyone their child is cuter than most - "breathtaking" if you will. I'm also sure Jon appreciates more about Kate than that she is cute. He just returned from "Chocolate Day" at his middle school, so I don't think he has the mental capacity to dig much deeper than that.)