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Sarah's 9ish (read 10) Month Pictures:

(Ok, so they were supposed to be 9 month pictures, but Mommy didn't get it together in time. Maybe in the future we can pretend they were taken at the appropriate age, but the blog is nothing if not a chronicle of my inability to get things done by my self-imposed deadlines. This is who your mother is - live with it, kid.)

Tea Party Friends

Reading Girl - just like her Mama!

Sarah's Nursery

Sarah Catherine

Baby and the Beast

Tail as old as time

Song as old as rhyme

Baby and the Beast!

Editors Note: The Beast is easily located in his favorite habitat - the bed!

Father Knows Best

And the winner is.....

Dada!

We have debated on several occasions if Sarah was directing her "Dada" or "Mama" at an actual recipient, but Daddy recently claimed victory in the first word contest. While in her high chair (naturally), Sarah looked up meaningfully at her Daddy and said "Dada". She probably meant to say, "Dada, bring me some more food!"

Her momentous achievement was followed by a flood of words. She leaves everyone with a smile as she says "Bye-bye!" and waves goodbye. Of course, she often says it after the person has left the room or as the car pulls out of the driveway. She waves her arms in the air and utters a pitiful "Mama" when she wants to be picked up. She also seems to be saying "A bay-bay" very frequently. Wonder where she has heard that before...

Mother of the Year

The grand prize for Mother of the Year does not typically go to a recipient who allows her child to be injured, but perhaps the contest will make an exception this time due to extenuating circumstances.

Case One:

Sarah has discovered that Max's train table is the perfect height for pulling up. Using her powerful muscles and brute strength, she can haul herself into the perfect position for eating trains. And although Mommy was sitting right next to her, baby feet can be slippery.

Bang! Sarah's head met the edge of the table.

At first, Mommy tried to reassure and soothe the wailing baby and to assure her that she was okay. But the mother-in-question then noticed a large dent in the child's forehead.

Uh-oh.

After one frantic call to the doctor, the waiting and self-loathing began. Did the baby have a concussion? Should she let the baby take a nap? Would Sarah be scarred for life? Why do doctors have such long lunch hours and not return calls??

When the doctor finally finished his over-priced hamburger and called the anxious mother, he reassured her the baby would survive and not be permanently dented. "It will probably only last for a few days - don't worry!" Crisis averted.


Case Two:

Mommy and Daddy were bringing a large item into the house through the front door. Max and Sarah were eager to be of assistance. The door could not be left ajar due to frigid temperatures and a cat who is eager to escape. Max offered to open and close the door, so Mommy placed the baby in the carseat next to the door for a few brief minutes. It did not occur to the parental unit to buckle her in since Sarah does not crawl.

Crash! Sigh.

She successfully tipped the car seat over and ended up with a goose egg on her forehead. Mommy guilt, round two.

See the bruise on the right side of her forehead

Perhaps the Mother of the Year award will need to come with a baby helmet as a prize this year.

4 1/4 Years

Dear Max,

I am really liking this four year old thing. I know writing this will come back to haunt me, but I'm going to go ahead and say that this is my favorite age so far. We still have our moments, which usually involve testing limits, but watching you discover the world is an amazing experience. I am constantly surprised by the depth of your knowledge and your thoughts. How did it happen? For so long you only knew what I had taught you - and now you are like a squirrel gathering bits and pieces from everywhere and storing it away until you can determine how it fits together. Trying to answer your questions and explain concepts makes me think more deeply about subjects. It is humbling.

You can focus like a laser...when you choose to. I can trust you to play alone now although you clearly prefer having our attention. I often find you playing with trains for extended periods - rearranging the tracks, changing the order, making up stories for the engines. Many of our friends had advised against getting a train table because their children were only briefly interested. I cannot think of a gift you have enjoyed more! 

Board games are a new obsession, especially Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, and Trouble. Although you have been known to change the rules, you usually play honestly and remind the other players of the rules. (And get upset if they are not followed accordingly). I am impressed by the forethought you show in looking ahead to see what will happen if you get a certain number. Perhaps we should introduce you to chess! Your mathematical fascination has extended into art as well. Papa Mike showed you how to use a compass and protractor and brought you a set during his last visit. We have had oodles of cut-out circles decorating our home ever since.

Dinosaurs rule! You informed us that you will be wearing your dinosaur pajamas every day until next Christmas. We read dinosaur books and watch dinosaur movies and do dinosaur stickers. One night you insisted, "I'm going to be an artist and work with dinosaurs every day." It seemed to make perfect sense to you. 

Nap time is being phased out since the loss of your thumb, but you continue to have quiet time in your room. You take a nap every few days. Your yellow duck and sleeping bag have been chosen as the replacements for Pelt at bedtime. We cuddle a little more before bedtime than we used to. You are still my cuddle bug! I bet you tell us "I love you" over 20 times per day. You make everyone around you feel special and loved. 

Max, every time I have been anxious or concerned about a part of your development, you have surpassed my expectations immeasurably. I was nervous about potty training, the big boy bed, bringing a baby into our family, changing schools, and, of course, taking away Pelt. You have handled every change and transition with little fuss or stress. I need to learn to give you more credit and to trust God's hand in guiding you (and all of us). You truly are an amazing kid. And Daddy and I are so proud that you are ours!

It's always a party with The Max!

Much love,
Mommy

Heart of Hearts

My babies at the Julie Valentine Memorial

For the second year I spent my Valentine's Day celebrating the work of my agency, the Julie Valentine Center. The guest speaker at our luncheon was Elizabeth Smart, who inspired everyone with her sincere and thoughtful words. It is especially meaningful to hear a survivor validate the hope and confidence we attempt to help our clients regain. I emphasize over and over with my clients that the abuse does not have to define who they are as a person. Hearing Elizabeth Smart utter those exact words made me very grateful to have the opportunity to do what I do. And we got to see her Valentine - her cute fiancé was with her!

At home, our Valentine's Day was full of treats! We started the day with a heart scavenger hunt around the house. Max had to find the heart clues that led him to his and Sarah's Valentine gifts. We delivered Max's valentines to some friends. Max made sure to keep one for himself! (The shovels were a big hit thanks to Pinterest!)

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After the Julie Valentine Luncheon, I escorted my valentines to a place close to my heart: Krispy Kreme.

KK- Today, Tomorrow, Always

So maybe Mommy ate one before she was able to get a picture!

And we wrapped up our day with a "red" feast for dinner! 

A sweet day for my sweet family!

10 Months

Dear Sarah,

Our sweet baby girl had another month full of excitement! You have really begun to perfect your cheerleading moves - clapping with enthusiasm and throwing your arms in to the air! And the games are on! Patty-cake is your favorite and you start doing the motions until someone sings along with you. Peek-a-boo is a close second, however. You pull the blanket (tissue, toy, etc) in front of your face and wait for someone to say, "Where's Sarah?" Then you grin with glee because you were able to entice others to do what you wanted!

Peekaboo, version 1

Peekaboo, version 2

We have finally, finally gotten a child who loves to eat! I would wager you are officially out-eating your four-year old brother. You will eat absolutely anything we put on your tray: spaghetti, all fruit, yogurt, turkey, cheese, sweet potato, pasta, beef stroganoff, and even a bite of Italian sausage! After the food is removed, you take a few bites from the pocket of your bib as dessert. We are phasing out the baby food and mostly only use it as a supplement for your bottomless pit! Appropriately, you have learned the sign for "more". And there are no concerns about your fine motor skills - you can find a cheerio or goldfish on the floor and have it in your mouth before I can blink!

Sarah, I would classify you as somewhat mobile. You are moving around, but still not truly crawling. It is more a combination of slithering, rolling, bending, and army crawling to get where you want to go. At least there is some interest now! When I say you didn't move before, I meant it in all contexts. You would wake up in the morning in the exact same position that we put you to bed in - on your back with one thumb in your mouth and the other hand fingering the satin trim of your blanket. No rolling or moving or pulling up in the bed. Now you are scooting around the bed enough to be perpendicular when you awake and rolling over to peek out the bars. Mommy and Daddy had been lazy about lowering the crib because it seemed unnecessary, but you seem to be giving us a warning!

We love your constant chirping and babbling! Lots of ma-ma-mas and da-da-das, but we are still waiting for a definitive first word with meaning.  The sound you make most is bbbbb and bbbrrrr....are you trying to say Baby? Or Brother? Or Brown Cat? Or Bean? Only time will tell!

You light up our world. We love you!

Love, Mommy

Circus Maximus

The Circus Max-urkus is Coming to Town! 

Ok, so the circus wasn't actually named in honor of Max. Just plain old Ringling Brothers. But it was the first circus to include The Max in the audience! 

In fact, the theme this year was not "Max" (although that would have been a good one), but "Dragons". When Max was questioned about the Dragons at the show, he responded, "Nope, didn't see any dragons. But they had a big dinosaur in the middle!" Must work on mythical versus extinct creature identification. Help, Auntie 'Velociraptor' Lala? 

Lights! Smoke! Thunder! Crack! There was too much to see!

But what could make the circus even more exciting? Seeing it with your buddies and the Daddies!

Catherine's Daddy will rue the day he chose to leave her momentarily....a child's allegiance can change in the time it takes to go to the restroom. 

Max loved the elephants holding each other's tails. 

Daddy loved the acrobats and trained cats.

Look out Frank and Bean!

Pure Magic.

And another child falls under the spell of the big top and 

The Greatest Show on Earth!

Psst...you can get a free ticket for the Greatest Show on Earth here for your baby to be redeemed at any time!