Lewis's Favorite Things at 5!

What is your favorite...

...color?
red and blue (It was just red for a while--blue has been a recent addition.)

...toy?
my Polar Express train

...stuffed animal?
my big brown puppy dog in my bedroom (The one we take monthly/yearly pictures with)

...thing to sleep with?
same as above

...fruit?
grapes

...vegetable?
broccoli and  carrots

...cereal?
Lucky Charms (he hasn't had them for a long time--he has a bowl of Cheerios most mornings these days) 

...thing to eat for breakfast?
Cheerios with milk and plain Cheerios ('plain' meaning just dry, without milk)

...thing to eat for lunch?
peanut butter and jelly

...dessert?
candy

...candy?
Skittles

...drink?
chocolate milk, especially from Red Robin (We just went there the other day.)

...restaurant?
New McDonald's PlayPlace (His first answer, which is skewed because they have a cool new play area.)
McAlister's Deli (He likes to eat there because they make a mean PB&J.)

...animal?
tigers (This is a new one. We went to the zoo a few weekends ago, and he laid down on some rocks by the tiger exhibit and starting roaring at people. It was pretty funny!)

...book?
Superhero ABCs (He and Kevin read this every night at bedtime. He identifies the letter, and Kevin reads the alliterative superhero's name.)

...song?
The ABC Song

...game/sport?
Riding my bike

...TV show?
Paw Patrol

...movie?
I think I love Monsters University.

...thing to do outside?
Play in the snow (It's snowing as I'm asking him these...)

...place to shop?
Toys R Us

...shirt/outfit?
I think I love the Star Wars shirt that I got for my birthday.

What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner?
Brownies
Chicken Banana Butt
Banana Bread
(That answer pretty much sums up my life with him these days...)

Who is your best friend?
Mathilda and Lily

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A firefighter


Here are his answers from Age 4.

Here are Age 3.

Lenore at 15 Months

15 Months Old

I have officially lost track of how old Lenore is. I was telling people in the airport that she was 14 1/2 months (which was true at the time), then I convinced myself she was already 15 months. Now I realize she is just turning 15 months. Whatever. Who's counting, anyway? ;)

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Update added 2/4/16 after her 15-month check-up:

Her stats (from the pediatrician's office):
Height: 30.88 inches [60th percentile]
Weight: 24 pounds, 15 ounces [90th percentile]
Head Size: 48 centimeters, which is smaller than a few visits ago [95th percentile] 

The doctor said her head didn't shrink--rather, there must have been some wiggling at that other appointment...she lay perfectly still today. They did a recheck of her iron, and it's still hanging around the same low number. Not off the charts, low, just at the lowest end of normal. She'd refused the iron drops I was supposed to try around Thanksgiving, so I hadn't been giving her anything since then. We are now going to see if she will take a chewable multivitamin with iron because they supposedly taste better. She hated the drops from the start and spit them out--I tried to hide them in applesauce, which she refused (how do they know?!), and in OJ, which she wouldn't drink because she doesn't drink juice.

She did have to get two shots today, MMR and Chickenpox. She was such a tough girl! Didn't flinch for the first, but let out one wail and a few tears for the second, then was fine. I'm not sure when we go back--it's either at 18 months or 2 years. We will see the cardiologist again in July-ish, one year from our previous appointment. The dr. said she didn't hear any sort of a murmur today, so that's fantastic!

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What she's doing this month:

• She had another ear infection a few weeks ago, so we went in to have it rechecked after the antibiotics (to make sure it went away), and it was on its way out (one ear still had some fluid). She has a 15 month check-up coming up in the next few weeks, so hopefully everything checks out fine then, as well.
• Sleep is good. She sleeps overnight from 7:30-7ish, and she's working on consolidating her naps from 2 to 1. Some days she takes two shorter naps, and some days she takes a 3+ hour nap right in the middle of the day. If it's a 2-nap day, sometimes her second nap is creeping too close to bedtime, so I'll probably start to try to get her to just nap midday or right after lunch, going forward. We'll see--depends on the day.
• Eating is still going well. She still isn't big on avocado (too slimy) or hot dogs, but most everything else, she's very enthusiastic about. She is starting to show interest in feeding herself with a spoon, so we've started practicing with oatmeal this past week.
• She is not drinking milk, and the pediatrician said that's ok (when we were in for her ear infection a few weeks ago). She said some kids just don't have a taste for it, but to keep offering it sporadically, and she will eventually drink it. I just have to make sure she's getting other forms of calcium, which she is.
• She has started shaking her head when we ask her a question, which is adorable and hilarious. The only way she shakes is side-to-side, though, so she says 'No' to everything we ask, even though we're pretty sure she means to say 'Yes.' She'll get there--it's totally cute.
• We flew to Boise a few weeks ago to see my sister and her family, and the plane rides went as well as one can expect from a crazy lively toddler. There was crying and screaming, there was a poopy diaper onboard, there was kicking and bucking out of my arms, but we survived. I was so thankful to have my mom there to help me with Lenore while my dad helped with Lewis (Lew was an old pro).
• She runs and climbs with excitement. She can even hike up her leg and get on the couch if I'm there for her to grab onto to pull herself up that last little bit. She gets down from the couch safely, for the most part (on her belly, feet first), but stairs have become an issue. I was trying to teach her to stay on her belly and go down feet first, but she hasn't caught on. Rather, she climbs up to the top, turns around, and tries to just walk down like a grown-up. It's terrifying, and it needs to stop while I'm home by myself. She has figured out that she can move aside our temporary gate (a couple of storage totes), so I have ordered and plan to install proper baby gates on the top and bottom of the stairs. Even though they might not be there for long, I need the peace of mind to know she is safe and secure on each floor of the house.
• She loves books! Still the touch and feel ones, lift the flap, and anything sparkly.
• She really loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse! She will find a DVD and point to one of them and say something, and then giggles when I say, 'Mickey! Minnie!' Some of her diapers have them, as well, so she loves pointing at those.
• As far as speaking, she seems to say 'Bah!' a lot. Lewis was 'Dah,' she is 'Bah.' Other words are:
• Wa-wa for water.
• Bah-bah for bottle (of water or milk).
• Buh-buh for Bubba Lew.
• Bah for banana, bed, book, blanket, but also coat, shoes, socks (and most everything else).
• Muh-muh-muh for more (I think).
• Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma for Mama.
• I guess we use context clues to figure out her various forms of Bah. :) Beyond that, she does a lot of grunting and pointing and is getting her point across to us somehow. She's not really saying much, usually.
• She is officially weaned, as of January 4th. I didn't really plan on it--I had a meeting the 5th that lasted until bedtime, so I planned to rush home to do our bedtime routine. When I called Kevin to check in, he said that he'd already put her to bed and that she was going to sleep! The next night, I was doing bedtime solo, but I went ahead and subbed in a couple of books instead of nursing, and she went to sleep. It has just continued after that, so it felt kind of unexpected, not knowing that the last time was really the LAST time. Ever. It feels strange, but I am so happy that I was able to stay with it for Lenore and for Lewis. My old, beat-up nursing pillow already went away with the trash, which was bittersweet (we'd been through so much!). It feels nice to be done, though.
• She's had some dry skin the past few weeks, so I've been putting lotion on her at times. She cackles and loves it, and it cracks me up.
• Also cold weather-related, she loves her coat! She loves to wear it around the house, she loves to carry it around at school (and at home). One particularly crazy night, I'd changed a leaky diaper and left her pants off (since it was almost bath/bedtime), but kept the coat on, so she had dinner in her coat and a diaper.
• She also loves her new shoes--I was having trouble keeping some hand-me-downs on her because she could undo the velcro too easily, so I decided to get some new ones when it was really, really cold a few weeks ago. She LOVES them. At first, she'd march around the house in them, so proudly.
• I finally cut the back of her hair right before we left for Boise. It was looking pretty mullet-ish, so I just wanted to get rid of a few of the longer sections and leave the top and sides to grow out. I cut across, horizontally, but next time I'll go in with little snips vertically, instead. There were a few obvious hack marks when I was finished. ;)
• School continues to go well. She has moved to a different morning of the week from last fall, so she's in with two other babies instead of just one. I think it's going well, though I bet the teacher has her hands full!
• She is wearing 18 months clothing, but I went through her 24 months/2T winter stuff the other day to see if anything will fit her. We seem to wear the same 3 or 4 outfits over and over, so I think it's time to spruce it up a little.
• Current Tooth Count: 12

Lewis the Truest, Vol. XXIV

I have a notebook in my car where I jot these down, and I have fallen behind on typing them up. This one might be longer than usual, and most of them involve a Christmas theme.


I think I posted this on facebook, but I don't think I posted it here. We were driving in the car one day, and he asked:

Lewis: Mooom. Are all of the roads in the world connected to Louisville?


I thought it was a very high level of thinking for a young guy. Despite oceans and islands unreachable by bridges, I told him that we could probably drive from one end of the continent to the other. It really got me thinking--I love questions like that, especially coming from Lewis.

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Before Christmas, amidst our all-Christmas-radio-music, all-the-time phase:

Lewis: sniff sniff sniff, sniff sniff sniff
Me: sniff sniff sniff
Lewis: NO! I'M DOING THAT!
Me: Oh, I thought I'd sniff to see what you were sniffing.
Lewis: NO, I'm singing Jingle Bells with my nose!
Me: Ohhhh!

Hysterical.

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On our way home from picking out our Christmas tree this year, we were driving along the same road where Kevin had gotten pulled over a few years ago (on the way TO picking up our Christmas tree). I think the speed limit drops from 40 to 25 or 30 mph, and he didn't drop his speed. The officer did not give us a ticket, just a verbal warning, and we were telling Lewis about it on our way to pick out the tree this year. So on the way home:

Lewis: Dad got a speeding ticket here a few years ago. How did you escape jail, Dad?


:) He's on a police and jail kick right now. It was just cute and a teachable moment.

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After his Christmas party at school, he brought home a goody bag that had a small notepad in it. He asked for a pen and was jotting things down on his 'Christmas List.' When he was done, there were a bunch of squiggles on the page:

Me: Did you write out what you want for Christmas?
Lew: Yes.
Me: What does it say?
Lew: A digger. A fire truck with a ladder and remote control. A remote-controlled airplane. The Polar Express. A biplane. A hovercraft. A new bath toy. Another remote-controlled airplane. And a slide.
Me: Oh, my!


He had decided months ago that he wanted a digger that he saw at Costco, and he stood firm all along (even as I tried to talk him out of it because I thought he might be too big for it). Alas, it was all he wanted, so it was what he got. I don't know where he came up with some of that other stuff. A hovercraft? Where would he have even seen one of those? Grandma and Grandpa T. did find him a cool remote-controlled plane (for which we need to order new propellers because we have crashed too many times and broken the two or three replacement propellers already). :)

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Walking out of a store somewhere, Lewis screamed, loudly (which he has been doing occasionally, but I've been ignoring him):

Lewis: SCREAM!
Me: Lewis, stop the screaming.
Lewis: Actually, I'm an eagle.
Me: Well, in that case...


Again, how does he know what an eagle sounds like? I bet his birds-of-prey-loving cousin, Juniper, is going to love making eagle sounds with him next week (we're going for a visit). We'll have to make sure they're either outside or in a separate room where we don't have to hear them at 100% volume. :)

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And just this evening, as we were snuggling in the front seat of the car in the garage while Lenore was napping in the back seat (he was sitting on my lap...there was a lot of closeness going on, let me tell you):

Lewis: Open your mouth! (done, hesitantly) I can see your jewelries! (His word for fillings, which is darling.)

Then he hugged me and said:

Lew: I love you, Mom. Can we stay like this forever?


He can be so sweet. He can also be so not sweet, but for tonight, he was sweet.

Lenore at 14 Months

14 Months Old

I finally emailed it to myself, downloaded it to the computer, and uploaded it to the website. It feels so-2010 with all of the technology around me right now, but I can't figure out why the usual method isn't working. Anyway, it's here, and it was from the 29th, and it's a hilariously not-even-looking-at-the-camera picture, which is exactly the kind of days we are having as of late. I'm just going to leave it be. It makes me smile. :)

It seems like I was just writing her 13 month post--time continues to fly, and I'm still trying to keep up. I did take her picture this morning, but I'm unable to add it to this post for whatever reason. (My phone pictures aren't showing up through the web version, and I don't remember my password to Blogger to try to use the app--why are there so many passwords to remember in this world?) We are heading to Indianapolis to spend time with my parents, so I'll have to add pictures when we get back tomorrow evening. 

Update: I've been trying to add a $%&*&%^#% picture, but my phone isn't aligning with my computer, and I'm at a loss. Maybe it's Blogger? Maybe it's me? Maybe I'm losing my mind? For now, I am walking away until they (my phone and computer) can work it out.

For now, here's what she's been up to:

• She is supposed to be taking Iron supplementation drops, but she hates the taste of them. And when she hates something, she is impossible to convince, otherwise. ;) I'll see what her doctor says at the 15 month check-up--I looked back at the results, and she's on the low end of the 'normal' range, so it's not like she's totally bottoming out.
• She also continues to not care for cow's milk. I have, as of a few weeks ago, officially stopped daytime breastfeeding (we dropped the two pre-nap feedings). I offer sippy cups of milk throughout the day, and she might take a sip here and there, but she prefers water. She does still nurse first thing in the morning and last thing of the day, but that's it. Another thing to ask about (how much milk she's supposed to be having each day).
• She does continue to eat pretty well. She's started being a bit more dramatic at mealtimes, at times, towards the end when she is finished. She has this broad, quick, sweeping motion she does with one of her hands, and that can send her food a-flying across the room. The dogs love it, but it drives me nuts. (Especially when paired with Lewis's complaining about what I've made for dinner, always.)
• She continues to walk, run, and climb like a wild woman. She's starting to learn to get down safely from things (i.e. the couch, a few stairs, etc.). She'll start down the stairs on her belly, and then she might turn around and attempt to walk down them like a grown-person (which is a very bad idea). But, it's a start.
• She and Lewis have started playing better and better together. Lew is always surprising me with his attempts at sharing and being sweet to her and trying to include her in his playing. Of course he still gets frustrated with her, but he has really been working on it.
• She is such a joy, most of the time. She has started this little giggle a la Beavis or Butthead, and it just warms my heart.
• In contrast, when she is sad, she is soooo sad. She flips out her lower lip and her eyes well up with tears, and it's just heartbreaking. She's especially needing-of-a-snuggle immediately after nap time (especially in the afternoon). The only thing that helps is for me to pick her up, so there are a lot of one-handed dinners made. She is on my hip quite a lot through the day, as I think about it (not that I mind, most of the time).
• Current Tooth Count: 12

Lewis the Truest, Vol. XXIII

We have been listening to Christmas music since November 1st--that's when one of the radio stations made the switch to playing it 24 hours/day, and Lew is a big fan. Every time we get in the car, 'Is this the Christmas station?' They've also been practicing at school for their Christmas program, so he's been walking around the house, singing:

Lewis: Sa-hyan-ta Claus is comin' to town, Sa-hyan-ta Claus is comin' to town...

He belts it out with the sweetest Southern twang. He has made up the words to a few songs, as well. I'm very much looking forward to the Christmas program.

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We went out to a Christmas train exhibit last weekend, and on the way home, Kevin was reading a few parts from the brochure for the place we visited:

Kevin: They have over a mile of hiking trails, passing through woodlands and a beaver dam.
Lewis: A BEAVER DAY-UM?

It was hilarious at the time for Kevin and I.

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On the way home from the train exhibit, we were driving through a wooded area.

Me: See how all of the trees have lost their leaves except for the bright yellow-green shrubs? Isn't that interesting? Those shrubs are invasive and aren't supposed to be there--they are bush honeysuckle. That's what I worked to remove when I volunteered with the Olmsted people.
(a second of silence)
Lewis: Are you talking to me, Mom?
Kevin: Yea, I was wondering the same thing!
Me: Nevermind...I'll just keep these things to myself.

It was funny and pretty typical of most days--I feel like I'm talking to a wall. ;)

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Last night at dinner, I served the kids some chicken and steamed carrot sticks. Lewis was already eating his carrots, so I put some more on his plate.

Mama: Did you know that carrots help you see better?
Lewis: Why?
Mama: They have beta-carotene in them, which makes your vision sharper.
Lewis: Oh.
Mama: That's why rabbits have such good eyesight--they like to eat carrots. They rely on their eyesight to look out for predators, their large ears to listen for predators, and then they use their strong legs to run away quickly, if needed. (I'm sure he stopped listening after the first sentence...)

A few minutes later, he was attempting to eat an entire handful at the same time.

Lewis (with his mouth full): I'm eating a hundred of them!
Mama: Ohh, your eye sight should be really sharp, then.
Lewis (after chewing and swallowing): How long does it take to tell the difference?
Mama: I don't know--does anything look sharper or clearer to you?
Lewis (looking around): No.
Mama: Well, I guess we'll just have to keep eating more carrots!

It was so cute. :)

Visiting the Man in Red

Yesterday, we kicked off the holiday season with a trip out to a Christmas train exhibit at Yew Dell Botanical Gardens. I'd always wanted to go out there to explore, but never had. Kevin found this event, and he apparently knew that Santa would be there (which I did not know until we got there). It was a rainy morning, but Lewis was happy to watch the trains (inside) for over an hour while we waited for Santa to arrive.

 There he is!

We both wondered how close Lewis would get--I took the kids to an event a few weeks ago, and Lew wanted nothing to do with Santa. I honestly think it was because that Santa was wearing brown boots. Lewis commented that Santa was supposed to be wearing black boots, so I think he thought the guy was an impostor. ;)

 

 Alas, he walked right up to him all by himself this time!

 Lenore was not a fan! 

S: What would you like for Christmas? L: A digger. S: A yellow one? L: Yes.

I was so proud of how clearly he spoke to Santa. 

Lenore at 13 Months

13 Months

Post bath (because it was spaghetti night and she was a mess!)

I was debating on whether to stop these monthly posts, but (for now), I'm going to do an abbreviated version and see how that goes. It was a relief to make it to a year with her, just with how busy everything is lately. I'm not going to do her measurements because that's gotten increasingly difficult to accomplish with any accuracy. I will still do a picture because that's fun to look back on.

At her one year check-up last month, she had another ear infection. That was the 5th of the year, so we had to go back and have her ears rechecked last week to make sure it went away. Thankfully, her ears look great! Our doctor has a rule of six in a year, four in a season, or one that just won't go away--if we hit any of those, we would talk about tubes for her ears. For now, we are ok, though. She also had low iron at her one year appointment, so they rechecked that as well--unfortunately, it is still low, so we have to start iron drops and will recheck at her 15 month appointment. Finally, she had a flu shot at her one year, but she had to get the booster the other day. Hopefully we get to stay away from the doctor for a few months!

What she's up to this month:

• She is wild and happy. Some days wildly happy, some days happily wild. Like when we're at a restaurant waiting for food or when we're at Target and she's riding in the cart. Inevitably, she ends up getting fussy and/or squirrel-ly (e.g. figuring out a way to stand up in both a high chair and shopping cart, even with the belt on its tightest fitting). I get so mad at both high chair and shopping cart designers/quality control people. They do not contain the beasts!! And/or the buckles are crap and are broken on 90% of the high chairs. Come on, people!
• Her hair is getting longer and is so adorably curly (when it isn't a matted mess in the back).
• She is walking, running, and climbing things. She has advanced to climbing on things (e.g. Lewis's step stool) to reach higher things (e.g. the island), which keeps me on my toes. She's very good at pointing out to me what is not child-proofed yet. :) We used to have a big plastic storage tote and a big metal can at the bottom of the stairs (because I couldn't figure out how to install the baby gate at the bottom of our particular stairs), but now she climbs over the tote and up the stairs. As of a few weeks ago, we have the big metal can and tote with a newly placed laundry basket on top that will hopefully deter her for a few more months.
• She says Mamama, Buh-buh-buh (Bubba), some version of Hi, and Kevin thinks she's saying 'I love you, Dada' at night as he hands her off to me from bath to bedtime. She's definitely saying something that sort of sounds like that, if you listen really closely. ;) She also cracks up and plays along to Peek-a-boo--even though she doesn't say it yet, she mimics the motions. She loves to wave and say Bye-bye-bye. She's been picking up my phone and saying something like 'Hi' followed by some other words.
• Sleep is still developing. She has been taking good naps (one in morning, one in afternoon), but overnight has had some hiccups. Around her birthday, she had two of her bottom molars coming through, so there were around three nights with wake-ups and Motrin and Orajel. Then we had a week or two of good nights, until two of her top molars started coming through. Again, there were about three nights of 1am and 4am awakenings, but things are better again now. She has been waking up somewhere between 5 and 6, so the past few nights, I've gotten up to nurse her and put her back down, and she's slept for a little bit longer (an hour or two).
• As it gets close to nap time, she will sometimes throw herself down on her belly and kick and fuss, which is something we never saw with Lewis.
• We are still plugging along at nursing. (Lewis weaned at 13 months.) She's not much into drinking milk out of a sippy cup at mealtimes, but we're working on it. Currently, I'm nursing her first thing of the day, before each nap, and at bedtime (so four times total). I'm going to try to cut out the nap time feedings since those are usually after breakfast and lunch, and she eats a LOT of food. I still don't think she's met a food she doesn't like.
• She's very anti getting her finger/toe nails cut.
• She loves books! She will bring you one, hand it to you, and then put her arms up so you can pick her up read it to her in your lap. :)
• She also loves music! Her teacher takes her down to sit in on the older kids' music class sometimes at school, and she says she bounces along to the music. She especially likes it when they sing a song and insert her name. They are working on a school-wide Christmas program, and Lenore and her two baby boy classmates will be the reindeer--can't wait to see that! 
• She has been getting into Lewis's toys more and annoying him. 'Mom, she's walking towards my train tracks!!' 'Mom, she's looking at my planes!!' She loves to pick up a toy/car/play food/etc. in each hand and walk around. Then she drops those objects down, only to pick up two more objects to carry around the house. One day, Kevin came home and commented on how he could follow Lenore's path through the house that day. They do have their moments of playing together, but for the most part, there's always some fussing by someone and the house is generally a mess.
• Current Tooth Count: 10

A few extras:

My pretty girl

 Lew wanted in on the pictures, too. :) They're smiling at someone (Kevin), but not me!