Baby Talk

Micah is saying a lot more these days. He's learning sign language better each day, too. He would probably be able to say a lot more if I knew more signs to teach him! He loves to have music on when he's in his high chair so he asks for it saying "eh duh" looking and pointing to the ipod on top of the fridge, so I learned what the sign for music was and now he points, says "eh duh" and does the sign. He tries to sign diaper change and he's trying to sign "I love you". It's pretty cute watching him learn. I have a long list of words he says, I'll try to capture them here:

His most recent words:
Bee = Bee (he's got a little windup toy)
Ooo-ee = Willie (his teddy bear)
Cuckee = Cookie (along with the sign)
behbee = Baby
GOLL! = GOAL!

He loves to sing, too. He loves the songs Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Old McDonald Had a Farm. He sings "Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba" (Up above the world so high) and "Ee I Ee I Oh". He also likes The Itsy Bitsy Spider and tries to make the hand motions. He listens to his toys over and over and over again if they have any of those songs.

His words that he has said for a while now:
Na na na na = no no no no
Papa = Papa (or any slightly older man anywhere followed occasionally by kissing sounds)
Kee Kah = Kitty Cat followed usually by a Maow (meow or Mario) and/or kissing sounds
bah = ball, help, please
mah = milk, phone
moh = more
mama, dada, dadee
eah = yeah
guh bah = good night, good bye, the end
dah dah deeee! = one two three!
geay = get it
cuppa cuppa cuppa cu-ckee = cookie monster (not sure why...)
na = banana (with sign) or tissue (to wipe his nose)

arms out = where did it go? where is it?
der dizz = there it is!

Eat Your Veggies

Micah has always been a great eater - in fact, he used to eat more than I could provide for him. I am waiting for the day when he will turn his head in disgust at everything I offer him. I know that a toddler happily eating broccoli and carrots and eggplant will one day come to an end. But for now, I'm a very happy Mama! I have recently made a Roasted Vegetable Lasagna that Micah absolutely LOVED. He asked for MOH in a low-to-high pitch frantic cry every time he finished what was on his plate. It tasted pretty good... for a vegetarian meal! Here's the recipe, if anyone is interested. I added more than the called for amount of cheese because, seriously, everything is better with more cheese! And it seemed to be a tiny amount.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

3 medium raw eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 medium sweet red peppers, chopped
4 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp table salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper (or more to taste)
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (or more)
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (or more)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. In a roasting pan, combine vegetables and garlic with olive oil. Bake until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20-25 minutes.
3. Place half of vegetables, salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup water in food processor and process until smooth.
4. Spoon 1/2 cup vegetable puree into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
5. Place three noodles over puree. Top with 1/2 cup puree, 1/2 remaining vegetables, 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers and then top with remaining 3 noodles, puree and cheese.
6. Bake until bubbly, about 40-45 minutes. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.

Friday Date Night

David and I went out for a rare date on Friday night. Dinner and a movie. It was SO nice! Dave's parents were around and willing to watch Micah, so we went to a nice dinner and then to the brand new cinema in Gig Harbor, which was really nice. The movie we saw was 21 - I absolutely LOVED it! It was very entertaining. The movies and shows we've been watching lately have been pretty violent or graphic, but this one had very little violence in it, for which I'm glad. It was just so nice to be able to get out and enjoy an evening together, just the two of us.

Reflections

I have been thinking about a few things lately. One, how lucky I am to have a husband around as often as he is and family close by who love and watch Micah occasionally, and Two, how blessed we are to have a healthy and happy baby. I'll tell you why:

At church on Sunday I went up to a girl who had been sitting in front of us all by herself. I'm so glad I did because I don't know if anyone else would have spoken to her. This was her first Sunday at our church. Her husband is in Iraq and she has two very small children - a 2 year old and a 6 month old. The father has never even met the younger child. The woman found our church through Focus on the Family. There were a few choices they gave her, so it sounds like she's going to be shopping around a little bit trying to find the right fit. She will fit in well at our church if she comes back because there are a lot of young moms in our church. I pointed out another girl whose husband had been in the military and who had lived on base where she lives now. She is not from around here so she has absolutely no family in the area and her husband is not around and it seems like there aren't any Christians in her circle of friends on base because she had to go to Focus on the Family to find a church to attend. She had her 2nd baby without her husband, so I'm thinking there had to be some support from others on base, but who watched her oldest while she went into labor? Who took her to the hospital? How is she surviving with 2 small children!? She is also going to school. I just can't imagine. I think it's tough when 2 days out of the whole MONTH Dave goes straight from work to his men's group for Bible study. This gives me some perspective.

Also, I'm thankful that my husband isn't gone all that much because I have other friends who have husbands that started a business almost a year ago and work really long hours. It's the time in our lives when our husbands are work hard trying to build their businesses or make their climb up the corporate ladder and the time in our lives when us women are having kids and wishing our husbands were around more to help with the kids or with things around the house. It seems like it's a tough stage of life (but I know I haven't been through many stages)! Those friends of mine are lonely and struggling and I've been trying to think of how I can encourage them, but I'm not very creative or thoughtful. People have said that even just hanging out with them for a couple of hours means a lot. Any ideas?

The second thing I've been thinking about is how thankful I am to have a healthy baby. I know Micah is a gift from God and I am so thankful and blessed to have been trusted to care for him and I can only pray that God lets me watch over him all my life. Some parents aren't so lucky. My aunt and uncle had to say goodbye to their precious son due to a brain tumor when he was only 21. At least they were given 21 years with him and they have the blessed hope of reuniting with him again in heaven. But how incredibly difficult to outlive your child.

There is a family who have a little girl very close to Micah's age and are dealing with a brain tumor as well. A friend of theirs, a girl whose blog I read religiously, wrote a very moving piece about their situation. I encourage you to follow that link and read their story. If there is anything we can do to help this family in need that they might be able to get the best care for little Emily and spare her parents the pain of losing her at such a young age, well then, let us band together and help, pray, do whatever we can to petition her case before Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals.

Discipline

Such a sweet, innocent smile. This kid could never need discipline, right? Wrong.

Awhile ago, Micah was testing his limits by showing his anger and frustration through physical hitting. Lately he has gotten better and hasn't been hitting as much. He has also been learning more words so he is starting to communicate better, which decreases his frustrations, I'm sure. But one day last week he was playing in the cupboard in the kitchen with the glass bowls and after I told him that he was not to play with them, he got up with a bowl in his hand so when I went to take it away from him he could run away. I caught him and pried the bowl from his death-grip, but he squared up and hit me in the face. I grabbed both of his hands and very sternly told him that is unacceptable and that he does NOT hit. I took him by the hand and led him to the wall so he could sit for a minute of time out. I sat there with him and told him that he needs to make good choices and listen to me when I ask something of him. He sat there the whole time with his head down. He knew it was wrong. He's finally getting it. We have occasionally had to spank him, too. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole "You DO NOT HIT!" so I'll spank you. I've had to swat his behind when he's been squirming too badly on the changing table.

One time when we were at Dave's parents house after soccer, Micah was not listening to us and was whining pretty bad. Dave's dad was trying to talk to us about something, but finally David said "hang on dad, I need to deal with this" and he took Micah down to the bedroom, flung him across his lap, pulled down his pants and smacked his behind. Micah came back into the room with little tears almost spilling over, but he behaved much better after that.

I don't like to spank because usually when I do it I'm frustrated with his behavior. I have a hard time being calm in certain situations. His incessant screaming and whining gets on my nerves. Often when we're driving in the car Micah will scream. One way to get around that is to give him something to eat. He's always content when he's eating! But since I don't want an one hundred pound toddler I'm not going to give him food every chance he acts up. I'm not sure how to keep him from screaming in the car. If I try to give him a toy or book, he chucks it. Sometimes he'll even take his shoes and/or socks off and throw them. We have a little game we play, which calms him down. He locks his car door using his foot, and I can unlock it from the front. We go back and forth with that for awhile, which is a great, safe game because I don't have to turn around to look at him or use my hands to reach back there. I also sing to him, but I'll admit that it's very hard to keep singing when I can't even hear myself because he's still screaming. This morning, though, I went through the ABC's a couple times and Old McDonald Had a Farm about 6 times (with every animal I could think of that makes a noise I can imitate!) and he quieted down. Some days being a mom is exhausting!

So, does anyone have any great advice on how to keep a child from screaming during a 25 minute car ride? Or any creative ideas on ways to calm an aggressive child? If your children are older, does it get any better? I've heard from another mom that her 10 year old has always let out his frustration by kicking and hitting and throwing things around, so she makes him go to his room, do what he needs to do to let it all out, and then she deals with him when he's calmer.

Easter

Every time I go away for any length of time David always takes on some kind of house project. It makes me feel like I should go away more often! But I try not to expect it so that if it doesn't happen, I won't be disappointed. When I went away for the Women's Retreat, David organized the guest room to be more kid-friendly as Micah's play room. We picked up the cute little kid's table at the benefit auction for Lighthouse Christian School, a school that David does some work for.




Saturday there was a community-wide Easter Egg Hunt in our neighborhood. A friend of mine is now on the community board so she planned it all and pulled it off - it was a lot of fun. Micah was actually too young to participate, but I was there to help, so he was with me. I just happened to bring an Easter basket with us... and he got into it!

Sunday morning Micah and I went to church to meet Daddy there. David played guitar for both the Good Friday service and the Easter morning service. I was scheduled to work in the nursery, so Micah and I enjoyed Easter morning with lots of little kids, play doh, and flying cars! Here is the handsome little guy all dressed up in his Sunday best.

Micah had another Easter Egg hunt at his cousin's house.

Here comes Jack, swooping in to steal the egg Micah had his eye on!

Weekend Retreat

The women from my church went on a retreat last weekend - something that hasn't happened for three years. We went to Cannon Beach, OR - to the coast, where the weather is always unpredictable. It was mostly nice, sometimes a little rainy and cold, but the scenery is always beautiful. I was supposed to go because I was helping lead worship in playing guitar. I always love going to the retreats because I know God will work in some powerful ways, but I don't think I had my heart in the right place. I was going because they needed someone to help lead worship. No one at church knew I could play guitar because I haven't really felt the need to tell anyone. Stephanie, the other girl in the picture, sings at church and so when she found out I played, she wondered if we could try to do it together. We both have played about the same amount of time and we felt comfortable enough to lead since we'd have each other as a support.
Worship actually went very well - many of the women have said how much they enjoyed it, cried, and were led into worship. I guess at the women's retreats in the past it has been something that has been lacking because it has always just been thrown together.

The lady that spoke is the same woman who has been leading the Bible study I attend every Thursday night. She is such a wise woman and a lot of what she shared coincides with what we are learning in our Bible study, so it was an especially powerful weekend for those of us in the study. I have seen in her a depth and passion for our Lord and for being in His word that I haven't seen in too many people and I love seeing how that passion manifests itself in different ways in different people. My own passion has been renewed again for the Lord and I am grateful. It really is what matters in this life. His love for me is so great and from His abundant love is where I get my love for my family and friends, and for those that are not so easy to love. I want to tap into that abundant life that He has for me, which I have yet to discover.

A bit of Random

It was like we weren't even on vacation. David got really sick the week we got back. He was down and out with the flu all week and was absolutely miserable. He tried to go to work the first couple days but he couldn't do it the whole week, so he stayed home a couple days. He had a really high fever and finally went to see the doctor on Friday. Micah and I were lucky enough to only get a stuffy nose and sore throat.

We have been keeping really busy. I have been playing lots of soccer because there are couple of women's drop in times at the indoor soccer center nearby. I have also continued running with my friend a couple mornings a week. I got up to 9 miles yesterday, the longest run I have ever done! I was doing my 3 mile runs a couple times a week with my friend with the idea in the back of my mind of doing a half marathon, which is coming up in May. Now that I ran 9 miles, I think I am pretty serious about doing the half. I think I'll actually be able to do it!

The Saturday before we went to Hawaii we made the final decision to take one of our family members to the Humane Society. I was really surprised how sad I was... I cried for 3 days!! It wasn't like Luigi was harming anyone, he wasn't scratching or biting Micah. But we don't need to deal with the urine anymore and we didn't want to have to worry about it while we were gone. We checked the Humane Society website once when we were in Hawaii and saw that his picture was no longer up on the site, so we are hopeful that he is now with a new, loving home and that he is sharing all his loud-purring, warmth-loving Luigi goodness. That doesn't mean I don't sometimes think about him when I open up linen closet, where he used to make a bed for himself on one of the shelves. Or get a little sad when I see the basket filled with Micah's baby blankets that he used to sleep in. Or remember his obscene positions on the carpet in the sunlight or in front of the fireplace loving the warmth as only he could.

Hawaii Vacation - Part 2

There isn't a whole lot left to say about our vacation, but there are pictures to show. [Well, I just finished the post and realized I found a lot more to talk about than I thought I'd find!] The plane rides to and from Maui were fine, but we had to wake Micah up prematurely from his naps in the shuttle or on the plane and he was not fond of that. He cried and cried and did not want to be held so he would push away from us or try to hit us. I'm hoping the hitting thing is a phase that he will quickly pass through because I'm not sure how to stop him from doing it. He is obviously frustrated sometimes and he works himself up into a frenzy and then flails his arms and most often we're holding him so he hits our faces. Once he calmed down, though, he was perfectly fine.

We rode in style from the airport to the resort. The only shuttle available to take us was a 2008 Ford excursion stretch limousine. It seemed a little eccentric for just the five of us, but hey! It was very nice!

We saw hundreds of whales putting on a show for us all throughout the week. Sometimes they were so close and jumping out of the water that we could hear the thud of whale hitting the water. It sounded like fireworks. Midway through the week you could tell we were getting used to seeing them because we would nonchalantly look out the windows and remark "oh, there's another whale" and sometimes people would come over but not always, whereas at the beginning of the week everyone would drop what they were doing and go to the balcony. It was spectacular, though, and I loved seeing them!

Micah loved the water. Once he got his feet wet in the ocean but the waves scared him so he was content playing in the sand or kicking a ball around the grass or chasing the birds. He loved splashing around in the pool.

Our condo unit was in a different building that Dave's parent's unit, so we had to walk over there to eat. Micah was always the first one ready to go whether we were in our unit and getting ready to go over to theirs, or if he wanted some peace and quiet away from the other kids he would hop into his stroller and sit there patiently until someone started pushing him. There was a beautiful walkway along the coast that we would push him along and he loved it. It must have something to do with the weather because when I'm here at home and try to take him out for a walk he doesn't do nearly as well. Maybe it will be better in the summertime.

Dave's sister planned for everyone to cook one meal during the week so we wouldn't have to eat out every night. It was great because at the restaurants in Hawaii, one could drop $100 per couple on one meal - and doing that every night definitely adds up. So the first four nights were planned - steaks, kabobs, fish tacos and spicy pork fettuccine. One night we got babysitters and went to a Hawaiian slack-key guitar concert, which was a lot of fun. Friday night the grandparents watched all the kids so the rest of us could go out to dinner. Dave's sister and their friends went somewhere themselves and Dave and I met up with a couple we know from our church who happened to be in the same area of Hawaii at the same time we were. It was nice hanging out with them and getting to know them a little better, all while enjoying the warm Hawaiian weather and a soothing waterfall beside our dinner table. :)

A couple of the days most of us went snorkeling. It was very cool seeing all the tropical fish, especially in their habitat. I've been to zoos before and have seen some cool looking fish, but to swim with them in their own habitat was the best! Dan, David's dad, apparently saw a huge turtle one time, but we didn't see anything like that ... other than seeing a beached whale (aka: the man himself) getting tossed around by the waves while trying to fix his flipper.

Ka'anapali is a really great location for a vacation. Since David's parents have a couple units there, we will be able to go back again and again, and as the cousins get older there will be a ton of things to do. There are kayak rentals, whale watching boats, surf lessons, snorkeling right there or on boat trips to see dolphins too. There will never be a shortage of things to do with growing young boys who will have lots of energy. Whaler's Village is a also a great place with fancy little shops and ice cream stores. The resort that we stayed at has tons of activities to do, too, from the little kiddie-pool pirate ship that Micah played at to the volleyball or basketball pools or the waterslide for the older kids. It was a beautiful vacation and I'm so thankful for the Christmas present we all received 2 years ago!!

We even saw a submarine surface and sit within our view one day and after a while it drifted past.

Vacation - Part 1

Oh how I love Hawaii! I was talking with a friend today and we were thinking that vacation is not quite the right word now that we have kids. I guess it's more like a get-away, a change in routine. I bring my "work" with me now when I go away, but it sure is nice going away with family (grandparents in particular) who are happy with watching the kids while we catch some rays or get some ice cream. The grandparents were particularly happy watching the kids since they knew they would be relaxing for real the following week. They brought us along the first week but they stayed an additional week without any children or grandchildren around making their lives a whole lot noisier.

Hawaii was FABULOUS. The weather was perfect. Warm, sunny, 80 degrees. Every Single Day. I suggested for me to stay the additional week with Nana and Papa, but they didn't exactly take me up on my offer. So I'm back home now, getting back into a routine of laundry and cleaning and cooking. Spring is just around the corner, though. The weather here hasn't been so bad. It is a bit cooler, but the sun is shining!

I was a little worried about taking Micah on the plane because he had been sick with a runny, stuffy nose in the days leading up to the trip, but he did fine. On the way there he slept for two hours and stayed in his car seat the entire time. I was very thankful that we had a seat for him because he is very squirmy and strong and it would have been impossible to keep him still on our laps for six hours.

We stayed in Waikiki at the Marriott on the top (33rd) floor for the first night. There was a beautiful view from our room, but I was too scared to step too far out onto the balcony because it was a reeeally long way down! The balcony was tiny and there was a wrought-iron railing that didn't seem as strong as concrete.



Waikiki is such a fun place - lots of shops, lots of people, beautiful beaches. We got in during the afternoon, so we had dinner at an outdoor restaurant at the Marriott and then went back to the room so we could get Micah out of the sun and wait for Dave's bag to get in. His bag didn't make it from Seattle on our flight, but it came on another flight and they brought it to the Marriott that evening so he got it before we took off for Maui.

There is a lot more to tell, so I will save it for another post. So far, the first part of our trip has been excellent! I know you'll be waiting on pins and needles for the rest of our fabulous trip!

Fun with Grandma and Grandpa

We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa - Cheri's parents. They came for 5 days last weekend and it was fantastic! Micah had so much fun playing with them, helping Grandpa do some projects around the house and reading books with Grandma. We didn't have a whole lot planned while they were here, which was good because they just wanted to spend time with Micah anyway. By the end of their visit it sounded like Micah said "Grandpa" when my dad was coming down the stairs. We were trying to teach him how to say Grandma and Grandpa all weekend - actually, even before they came I was trying to get Micah to say it. I had shown him the photos in the calendar that we had of Grandma and Grandpa and during the weekend he just wanted to carry the calendar around with him.

My dad put together Micah's tricycle that he had received for Christmas. Micah is still too short for it so his feet don't reach the pedals and he wasn't quite sure about it yet. Hopefully by the spring or summer he'll be more excited about it. We also blew up his ball pit. He had received that for Christmas as well and was pretty excited about that. Anything that has to do with balls is always a big hit for Micah. We have to be careful going up and down the stairs these days...

He decided to lounge on his teddy bears while reading his books before he fell asleep. He has been sleeping much better now so we are thankful! He tells us when he wants to take a nap using sign language and he stays quiet when we leave his room at bedtime. We keep the door open now and even if he's standing at the edge of his crib and watches us walk by, he's still usually quiet and eventually falls asleep on his own. It's wonderful!

He received a new toy from Great Gran and Great Grandpa. G-Gran sent along a ball with a happy face and it made Micah get a big smile on his face when we picked up Grandma and Grandpa from the airport. Great Grandpa wanted my parents to pick out a toy from the toy store from him, so we got a toy with balls and a hammer. He loves it! Thanks Gran and Grandpa!

Sleep Issues

Micah has been getting more teeth, which might be the reason it has been so hard to get him to go to sleep at night again. This teething thing goes on for a really long time! I can't imagine what it feels like for bones to push through skin from the inside out. We have been giving him Hylands teething tablets, which I've heard work really well. He actually really likes them, and even asks for them right before bed. Last night it took Micah one hour to finally fall asleep even though he was exhausted all evening. We started getting him ready for bed early because he was looking extremely tired, so by 7:30 he was all ready for bed. I put him in his crib and he laid right down, but the second I try to leave the room he stood up and screamed at the edge of the bed. If I would go in there and rub his head or his back and sing to him, he would lay right down again. But it takes him a really long time to fall asleep (he must get that from me). And I don't want to stand there for an hour rubbing his back and singing to him because I really want him to be able to fall asleep on his own. Dave is usually the one who puts Micah to bed, and for a while Micah was doing great. But over the past couple of weeks, he has been crying incessantly when we try to leave the room.

We do the same routine every night: change, read a book, brush teeth, go to bed. Last night Dave went to play soccer, so I had to put Micah to bed. I let him cry for a while, but he was not getting any quieter and not calming down at all, so I went in there after about 15 minutes and held him and rocked him, but it seems like it only makes him a little more hyper when I do that. He thinks about things, like the train going by and says "cuh cuh" (not quite able to do the CH sound yet!), or he says "kee kaaaah, ma ma ma" (meow) and jumps his body around when he does the meow sound. Or if he hears the garage door, he says "Da da" with a smile on his face in a really cute voice. Or he thinks about his balls and asks for a "Ba?" and wants me to let him down so he can get one. Oh, to have the racing mind of a toddler!

The other night when Dave was at worship practice and I put Micah to bed, I thought I had it all figured out! He went right to sleep when I put him down around 7:30. However, he had only had a 5 minute nap during the day - he fell asleep in the car only 3 minutes from home, stayed asleep when I took him from the car seat to his crib, but woke up minutes after I left his room. So I guess if I don't let him nap during the day at all, he would go to sleep no problem!

Does anyone have any tips on what to do differently, or how to help a 15 month old fall asleep?

Anyone want a cat?

Did you know slugs can be this big? They can, only in the northwest.

We have decided to start letting our small dog (aka our obese gray cat) outdoors. We got our two cats about 5 years ago, shortly after we got married. We never had them de-clawed because 1. How cruel is that?! and 2. We figured that once we moved into a house we would let them outside. For some reason, in the 3 years we lived in the apartment we never had any trouble with Luigi using his litter box. Oh, wait. Scratch that. We never had any problem with Luigi using the CARPET as his litter box. He did use our bath mats on occasion. So we nixed that issue by hanging our bath mats over the tub. However, now that he can't use the bath mats, he has found other places, places that are not so easy to clean, like the corners of our dining room carpet and he has torn them up and made them stink to high heaven. So, needless to say, we are not too happy with him. And now that we have a REAL child our cats don't hold the same status as they once did! So if anyone wants an overly large unsociable, inactive cat who pees everywhere, please let me know! We'd be happy to ship him off to you!

The only reason we hadn't let them out of the house since we moved here over two years ago is because we live on a fairly busy street and there are coyotes in the wetlands across the street. We wouldn't want anything THAT bad to happen to him. However, we ARE getting really tired of cleaning up his messes, so we have started letting him out in the backyard.

Just to be fair, he actually is a really cute cat (in a massive sort of way) and he does purr really, really loudly when he wants attention. Like a squeak-purr. Lately he's been laying on Dave when he's in bed. I think he must know we've been talking of getting rid of him.