Another Alexanderism

Okay, so we're sitting on the couch reading a book, and I'm reading in this booming, dramatic voice (the knight is killing the dragon after all), and Alexander stops me, puts on his pouty face, and says, "You're talking so loud I can't hear the book."

the Pet Parade

A couple of weeks ago, my little hometown of Silverton hosted its annual pet parade. This parade has been going on since the 30's. Recently, there was an article in Sunset magazine about it. It's a parade for kids (and those young at heart) to leash their dogs, primp their ponies, dress up their bunnies, decorate their wagons, and even display their opossums while parading down main street with costumes and fanfare. And of coures the requisite throwing of candy, which is what Alexander was in it for.



Here we are walking to the parade: me, Alexander, and my cousins little girl, Lauren.

Here we are watching the parade. You can see Michiel in the back next to my dad and Cortnie in front of them. Next to Alexander is his little friend, Karis, who's just a month older than him. They play together sometimes, and it's stinkin' cute when they hold hands or give each other hugs.


Fun fact: my family won the costume division of the pet parade in something like '84 for our rendition of the Wizard of Oz. Between all of us, cousins and foster kids, we had all the roles filled. I was Glinda the good witch, Kevin was the tin man, and Jo was a munchkin. I remember her hat kept falling over her eyes and she kept getting tired and wanted to stop walking. So, like any good sister, I yanked her along with me.

Annabel Update: 3 months, 5 days

Annabel had her hearing screening today. It was just the infant screening that they normally do in the hospital, but because we had her at home she didn't have it done. Not that we're worried about her hearing, but aparently the test can detect things that aren't so obvious. Anyway, she was off the charts in the higher registers. Her hearing is excellent.

Oh, and she weighs about 15 lbs.

And she's been sleeping through the night...seven or eight hours. I hope this continues!

And she has one hair on the top of her head that is twice as long as the rest. Most of the time, it sticks straight up.

Iron Will

Did I mention that my sister ran a marathon a couple of weeks ago? A marathon! When we got up that morning, she was already running. While we were eating breakfast, she was running. While we brushed our teeth, packed the diaper bag, dressed the kids, and drove 2 hours to get there...she was running.

I stand in awe of her. I think I can safely say that that is something I will never be able to do. I don't have the will.

Speaking of will, Alexander has begun to demonstrate his in a whole new way. Last week he had a stand-off with Michiel in the bathroom over picking up a toy fish he had thrown down. Michiel made him stand there until he was ready to pick it up. He stood for about 45 minutes.

And the other day he sat at the table for an hour and 15 minutes before relenting and taking 3 bites of the pasta he asked for at lunch.

What a will! Maybe he'll run a marathon when he grows up.

Little Girl, Big Personality

Well, Annabel is three months old today and she is no longer a lumpy little thing with flailing limbs. Okay, her limbs still flail a bit, but you can tell she's trying hard to control them. These pictures probably don't convey the strong personality she's developing, so let me tell you a little bit more about who this girl is.

She loves being naked. As soon as we take her diaper off, she squeals with joy. This is also because she hates having a wet diaper. She will fuss and fuss and make horrid faces until we change it. Alexander never seemed to mind having a wet diaper, unless he had a rash.

She is very impatient. Once she decides she's hungry, she does not want to be kept waiting and will scream her little heart out to let you know it.


Within the last week or two she has discovered the wonder of standing and now wants to do it all the time. She'll only suffer to lie down when she's sleeping or nursing.



She's also quite the little chatterbox, coming up with all sorts of coos and noises when she's standing and facing you. She's so much more vocal than Alexander ever was. You can actually see her trying to mimic our sounds and mouth positioning. The other day I was saying, "hi," to her and she returned with something that sounded like a southern belle, "hi."

She loves to examine her fingers and toes. She'll hold her fingers in front of her face and twist them around and around. And she'll strain her neck to sit up and look at her toes. It's pretty cute.

So, there's a little picture of our girl as she's asserting herself.

The Things That Come Out of That Boy's Mouth

Sometimes the things Alexander says amaze me. And then I realize that he got them directly from me.

The other day he said to Michiel, "Papa, I'm dissappointed in you." No big secret where he got that from.

But other things are not so obvious. For a while now we've been trying to get him to ask nicely for the things he wants because he has this habit of saying, "You have to come play with me," or "Now you have to come with me." Or everybody's favorite: "You have to give me dessert."

I finally realized that he got this turn of phrase directly from me, but it sounds so different when he says it. I say things like, "If you want to come with me on a walk, you have to get your shoes on," or "You have to pet the dog nicely," or "You have to pour slowly or you'll spill."

He's taken my words and turned them against me. I guess that's what kids are supposed to do. Now I have to break myself of the habit.

Eleven Weeks

Annabel is now 11 weeks old and weighs 13.5 lbs. She is 24.5 inches long. That puts her in the 90-somethingth percentile for both height and weight. Just like her brother! Last week she had her first shot, and she did not like it one bit! She screamed like I have never heard her scream before. Alexander was always pretty tough about his shots. He would whine for a minute, never getting up to a full scream, and then go back to nursing. Priorities, right? But Annabel would not be lulled by a nipple and some milk. No sir. She had to announce her pain to the world, including everyone in the doctor's office.

Happy Mom's Day!

It's mother's day, so here are a few pictures of the people who made me a mother. (I haven't figured out how to change the direction on this pic, so you'll just have to tilt your head :)

Happy Mother's day to all you moms out there. I hope the sun shines on you and you feel loved!

Alexander's latest: He calls his sister Annabelletje