Excuses, Excuses

Kate is attempting to exert her toddler control with various acts of bedtime resistance. Her excuses are endless including, but not limited to-

• I need a drink of water
• You have to rub my back
• I want my other bubba
• One MORE book
• I need to brush my teeth
• I need a new diaper
• My finger hurts
• I'm very very hungry
• I need a hug
• I want Mickey and Minnie
• I'm not tired
• I need another blanket
• One MORE book (again)

And tonight, we hit a new low in made up excuses. About 15 minutes after Kurt navigated his way through all of the above excuses and put her to bed she woke up in a fit of tears and exclaimed, "I need my finger nails cut!"

New Trick

Luke rolled over from his belly to his back this morning for the first time. We were in Kate's room changing her diaper right after we all woke up. I placed him on his belly on the rug to wait for a minute and he flipped himself and smiled.

Happy Baby

Check out these smiles from my happy baby. My goal for the weekend is to get some video of his belly laughs. They make me so happy!

Pizza, Pizza

Kate helped me make Pizza for dinner on Tuesday night. She helped spread the tomato sauce on the crust and then we topped it with shredded chicken and cheese. I look forward to cooking with Kate for many years to come. Here are some pictures of my little chef in action and then enjoying her creation.

Quote of the Day

I have two quick Kate stories for you today.

This morning Kate is lying naked on her changing table while we are in the process of getting her dressed. She has her fingers on her chest and asks, "What's this Mama?" I think her fascination with anatomy right now is understandable given both the potty training and the fact that I am still nursing Luke. Not entirely sure what to say but not wanting to confuse her I answer, "That's called a nipple." To which she responds, "No, Mama. It's called a booby. I grow big and strong and have boobies." I just chuckled to myself and finished getting her dressed.

On Sunday, Kurt and Kate were playing in her room. I think she was pretending to have a ballet class for some of her stuffed animals. Anyways, out of nowhere she puts her hand on Kurt's shoulder, bends down to look in his eyes and says, "How you doing pal?"

She loves her Dad!

The Bagel Store

Ever since Luke was born, Kurt has been taking Kate out for bagels on Saturday morning. She has quickly embraced this ritual and talks about it all week long. I have been lucky enough to be invited along a couple of times and Luke and I met them there after her swimming lessons on Saturday. The Bagel Store is now prominently featured in Kate's imaginative play at home as well. If Donald and Daisy take a good nap, she is going to take them to the bagel store!

Sleep

Sleep. A mysterious challenge for some. An effortless indulgence for others. Sleep is a basic human need equally as important as food and water. A lack of sleep has been linked to attention deficit disorder, obesity, and a host of other physical problems. Sleep training is a phrase I never heard until I had kids. These days I am waist deep in trying to train Luke to "fall asleep". (He's too young according to most pediatricians to work on staying asleep, but that will be next.) I have a half dozen parenting books on sleep each with similar but slightly varied strategies to teach your child to sleep. All with the same message that this skill is crucial to your child's development. The cruel irony being that you are working to sleep train your kids at a time when you yourself are significantly sleep deprived. All moms want their children to be "good sleepers". Selfishly this give you the breaks you need to be a good mom. It is with great guilt that I admit that nap time is often one of my favorite times of the day. The reality in my house is that when Kate naps well, she plays well and eats well and we are able to enjoy the rest of our day together rather than be in battle against one another. When both kids nap well and at the same time, I feel in control and encouraged that I can do this whole mother of two thing. I am a "good sleeper". Comfortable couch and a movie almost always equals nap time for me. I am married to a "light sleeper". Kurt needs to control his environment significantly to produce a good night's sleep. My current bedtime is shortly after 9pm- just enough time after Luke and Kate go to sleep to eat dinner and clean up. But my dad reminded me earlier today that when I was Kate's age, I was often up later than him and demonstrated a lot of bedtime resistance. (Sorry Mom and Dad!) I will withhold details with the fear I may jinx things, but we seem to be making some modest progress with Luke in the sleep department. I guess what I am trying to say with all of this, is to remind myself that as with all things babies, children, developmental there is a wide range of normal. And patience is key. To date, 75% of the pictures we have of Luke are of him sleeping. There's that cruel irony again.

Wacky Wednesday

Kate's preschool is celebrating the Week of the Young Child with different child centered activities all week. Monday was Doughnuts with Dad and today was a Pizza Party instead of the usual lunch. Kate ate four pieces of pizza and would have had more if I wasn't dragging her out of there. (This after two waffles and two bowls of cereal for breakfast! She loves her carbs.) While downing her pizza she kept exclaiming, "Wacky Wednesday. Mama. Mama. It's Wacky Wednesday, Mama." And then she would crack up laughing. Her teachers have apparently given an alliteration adjective to each day of the week and today was Wacky Wednesday. Kate is such a little sponge. On the ride home she repeated emphatically, "I am growing big and strong. I am a big girl. I ate all my pizza. Time to go home and have some fruit. I am growing big and strong. I am a big girl. Mama, what's for lunch and snack tomorrow. We'll have to check the menu. I am big and strong." Over and over again until she was interrupted by, "Uh oh. Excuse me. It's okay. It's okay. Just gas." My little sponge. No surprise that this was the results of her daily report card -

It took a long time for her to finally settle down in her crib, but after 90 minutes she is still sleeping. Thank heavens for small favors.

Gymboree

Kate and I have been taking classes together at Gymboree since right after her first birthday. We've done their traditional Play & Learn classes as well as their Art class and since last September we've been enrolled in a Music class. Every few weeks is a different theme and the kids not only learn songs but also get to experiment with different patterns, rhythms, and instruments. When Luke was born, I missed quite a few weeks of Gymboree and considered discontinuing our enrollment, but we've gotten back in the groove of going on Tuesday mornings and it is nice Mom and Kate time - assuming Luke cooperates and sleeps in his car seat in the corner. The current theme is early Rock 'n Roll. Today we did exercises with Rockin' Robbin, Shout, Great Balls of Fire, and Woolie Bully. Kate isn't quite as enthusiastic and out-going in class as she was just a few months ago. I'm assuming this is just a phase since she is certainly bursting with song and dialogue in the car on the way to and from class. Here are a few pictures from today.

Kate and her class playing "Woolie Bully" on the big drum with teacher, Mr. Joe.

After class, the kids get stamps on their hands and on their bellies. Not sure who thought it was a good idea to teach toddlers to lift their shirts for a stamp, but Kate loves this part.

Showing off her music stamps!

Kate is definitely a creature of habit and it can be hard to change things up on her. With music class being on Tuesday mornings another Tuesday routine has quickly evolved. The first week we went with Luke we came home and shared a box of Macaroni & Cheese with Vegetables mixed in. Now the mere mention of Music class with Mr. Joe leads her to declare, "and then we come home and have Mac n Cheese for lunch. Okay?" So I guess that's our new Tuesday tradition. We ate the last box today so I better make sure that it's on the grocery list before next Tuesday . . .

Hopefully in the future I can post some video of her musical talents. She is a ringer at name that tune!

Homework

Kate was given a homework assignment over Spring break to decorate this Kite with things representing Spring. The teachers are using all of the kids' kites and umbrellas to fill their bulletin board as they begin talking about all things Spring in the classroom this month. We had a lot of fun coloring it with crayons and adding stickers. It is amazing to see how quickly Kate's mind grabs hold of new things. This weekend she was insistent that we go on a nature walk in our basement (led by Big Elmo) and we have no idea where she learned this concept but loved seeing her imagination at work.

What's in a name?

Any parent out there knows the challenge in choosing a name for your child. Something so personal is subject to so many unsolicited opinions. So when I thought about starting a blog, the big question for me was, "What would I name it?" We kicked around various options hoping to stumble upon something creative when we landed on "Hooray, Make Way". Kate has been an avid fan of Sesame Street for the past 15 months. I find Sesame Street to be not only tolerable, but incredibly witty and current. With guest stars ranging from Sarah Jessica Parker to Michelle Obama to Brian Williams to LL Cool J, the producers and writers have captured not only Kate's attention, but mine too. One of her two favorite episodes is called the Little Furry Red Monster Parade (the other being the Letter of the Month Club with Seth Green). In this episode Elmo (a character with unparalleled appeal in the 12-24 month category that leaves adults shaking their heads wondering, why didn't I think of that!) is hoping to start a parade and he uses the catchy jingle "Hooray, Make Way, for the little furry red monster parade". What he quickly discovers is that he wants to be able to include all his friends even if they aren't little, or furry, or red, or a monster. After several edits to his jingle he lands upon, "Hooray, Make Way for the anyone who wants to march in a parade, parade!" While I'm not sure Kate grasps the depth of the message, I like that it is a message of inclusion of friends of all sizes, colors, etc. I also like that this TV time inspired Kate to lead countless parades throughout the first floor of our house. For months on end, every evening last summer/fall when Kurt came home from work we had to have a family parade. Each family member pulling a different toy along with us. We would sometimes "parade" for 15+ minutes to keep Kate happy so Kurt and I could chat about our days while walking in circles. Many visitors from this time frame can attest that Kate lead an all inclusive parade, often ordering our guests around by saying, "You have to pull the shoe." Or, "You do the caterpillar." I think this phase has passed as it has been a while since we have had a spontaneous parade, but the mention of a parade will always bring me back to a vision of my young family parading through the dining room. Hooray, Make Way seemed like a fitting title for our blog not only because it is memories exactly like this which I am hoping to capture, but also because it seemed appropriately boisterous for the larger than life personality developing in Miss Kate.

Luke's 2 Month Stats

We went to the doctor today for Luke's 2 month well visit. Drum roll please . . .

Weight: 12 lbs 11 oz 75th percentile

Length: 22 3/4 inches 50th percentile

Head: 40 1/4 cm 40th percentile

Luke is growing at a consistent rate and overall looks great. Unfortunately the doctor did not seem surprised that he still eats every 2.5-3 hours and said we could expect this to continue for months. For my sake, I hope she is wrong, but as long as he is healthy and happy I really should not complain.

I promise to post some new pictures soon.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! Unfortunately a stomach virus is working its way through our house so our Easter festivities were limited and we don't have any pictures of Luke. Here are a few pictures of Kate enjoying her 3rd Easter. We are certainly excited about the Spring weather that has arrived in Chicago and looking forward to lots of family fun in the months to come.

Kate with the Easter Bunny at St. Clement's Kids party March 27, 2010.

Kate finding her Easter basket.

Kate hunting for eggs in the front yard in her PJs.

Meet Kurt

The picture of our family is not complete without an introduction to Kurt. Kurt is a loving and supportive husband who makes me feel appreciated. He is a dedicated and creative father who gives so much energy and love to Kate and Luke. I love Kurt because he is kind and funny and generous. I love Kurt because we share the same life goals and values. I love Kurt because he is a wonderful father. Kurt works incredibly hard to help our family realize our dreams. May this blog give him many reasons to smile on a stressful day!

Our Wedding - October 2004

Axel & Slash - Halloween 2005

(Not my best look, but Kurt loves this picture.)

Kate (2 months old) with Daddy - January 2008

Family photo - Thanksgiving 2008

Kurt with Kate (20 months old) - August 2009

Kurt with Luke (Day 2) - February 2010

Meet Luke

Luke Matthew Wiese was born on Tuesday, February 2, 2010. Thankfully, I got started with this blog thing just in time to document most of his firsts. Good thing because my mommy brain feels as though it is at capacity and won't be able to remember much. So far Luke is a hungry and happy baby who is growing quickly. He needs to work on the sleep thing . . . a lot . . . but I am trying to be patient. The cliche is completely true - we are definitely taking a lot fewer pictures of the second born. Despite the lack of sleep, I do think that I am enjoying this new baby phase more than I did with Kate. I am worrying less (at least a little less) and subconsciously I know that he will eventually sleep through the night and before we know it he will sit up, walk, talk, sing, you name it. Each stage really does pass quickly, so I am trying to live in the moment and not wish it away. Here are a few photos from Luke's first two months.

First Smiles

First trip to the park