We're Moving (Digitally)!

We've moved to http://nataliegcorner.tumblr.com/

Tyler and I have relegated the computer to the guest bedroom, and don't spend much time on it anymore. We need a way to blog which involves our iPhones, and hence the new tumblr address. Join us there! It'll be fun!

Not Standing Still

By the lack of posts you would think that time is standing still around the Gibbs household... you know, the usual... nothing happening. But that is definitely not the case. Reasons for lack of posts include:
1) Tyler's intense work schedule
2) Far too much work to do on the house and garden
3) My training for the 3 Day (now 1.5 weeks away - I am READY - just wish our team could raise that last $2k so we can say we reached $100k in 2010!)
4) Noah's all-over-the-map nap schedule
5) Noah's freak outs whenever we are on the computer
6) Natalie's lack of desire for pictures to be taken
7) Facebook, which gets more immediate pictures and updates

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Natalie is veering rapidly toward three - her birthday is in precisely two weeks. We are both extremely excited for her party, and discuss it all the time! She feels that the hostas out front have thrown up their purple frondy flowers specifically for her party, to welcome our guests to our house... Also, her most recent declaration is that she wants a Taylor Swift birthday party. I love her total confidence that her mom can make it happen! On another note, I also love that she LOVES Noah so much. Tyler and I decided when Natalie was one that she was not an only child - that she needed a sibling to take up her time and attention. And boy were we right. Just today, she strong-armed Noah into attending a tea party and a sleepover party, and read him about 50 books (i.e. she read them and he tried to take them from her). She is unfailingly sweet and considerate of him, though she of course has her moments when doesn't want to share like any almost-three-year-old. At the end of the day, though, the two of them honestly seem to enjoy each others' company. It's truly a delight to spend time with such happy kids.

She still has an amazing vocabulary for her age, and is very very adept at expressing her feelings. Her declaration "Mom, I'm bored" never fails to garner chuckles when we are out and about (particularly waiting in line to pay at stores). She is eco-conscious, at least as far as plastic bags are concerned... she gathers her (miniscule) three-year-old courage to say "can I please not have a bag????" if I forget to tell a checker at a store that I have brought my own. It's so cute to see her 3 ft tall, shy little self gather up all of her courage like that, just to save a bag. Natalie declares that she loves Ariel the most of all the princesses, though she also loves Belle because "she reads a lot" and Jasmine because "she likes tigers". Speaking of the aforementioned, our girl also loves to copy whatever I say or do - hence the appreciation for Belle's reading and Jasmine's tiger Rajah. :-)

She starts school in just over a month - attending a little preschool near our house two days a week, 3 hours a session. Needless to say, I am not entirely looking forward to having my sidekick away from me, though I am VERY much looking forward to her making new friends. As much as she adores our family and all of our neighbors and our little group of friends with whom we've reconnected here in MI, she really needs to hang out more with kids her age. I think it will help her with sharing and possibly her confidence as well. Her weekly swimming lessons with Tyler have certainly helped, and they are the highlight of her week, but more time away from the nest will be good for her (if not for me). She is out of diapers and very good about it, except nighttime/naptime is still a work in progress, and will be for some time I imagine. Her very favorite things to do right now are acting out scenes from her favorite books (Franklin the turtle is tops right now), playing with Polly Pockets and princess dolls, setting up endless tea parties with all of her pretend food, reading-reading-reading, and helping me do whatever I might need to do (watering flowers, cleaning out the car, vacuuming, baking - you name it, she'll do it gladly, as long as I am doing it too). We remain a tv-less household during the days. Tyler and I agreed long ago that we would try to keep tv from the kids until they turned two because of that whole brain development thing... when Natalie turned two we were ok with her watching it if she wanted to - but she refuses to be separated from Noah and I, so she doesn't want to watch it. Unless it's World Cup soccer with Tyler. :-)

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And Noah. Now where do we start with Noah. Well, at least I know that wherever I start, it will change tomorrow!

He's 15 months old and very sure that walking is entirely inappropriate for someone of his dignity. I think his body is lately trying to trick him into doing it though, as he nonchalantly has started using his walking toys correctly (vs. before, when he would sit on the floor to play with them), and has taken to standing by himself unsupported for several seconds at a time just this week. Strangely, he seems to think that he is totally capable of walking by himself in the swimming pool... now, granted, if he falls while in the pool it won't *hurt*, but there is that whole faceful of water thing (not that he really minds). Seeing him try to walk by himself in the pool really makes me realize that he just feels unwieldy walking by himself and is very nervous, but when he decides to take the plunge and do it, I think he will be fine.

He can say the following words, when the fancy strikes him: mama, dada, ah-tee (natalie), paci, shoe, car, tree, kitty, Reese, dog, "eh eh" which means woof, cheese, yes, all done. He should have been pointing over 3 months ago, but has only pointed *twice* in his life - he really just doesn't get the big deal (Now that I think about it, Natalie was never a big pointer either)... He understands "wave bye-bye to daddy", "give me your paci please", "do you want some (insert food item here)", "do you want to take your nap now". **It should be noted that both children take after their mother in that they request naps on a regular basis.** He giggles often, hugs and kisses his mother quite a lot, enjoys playtime most when Natalie is playing beside him, and adores terrorizing our poor beleaguered cat. Noah screams nonstop (shrieks and shrieks and shrieks) when he is learning a new skill or getting new teeth but is pretty quiet otherwise. He very very very much favors PINK sidewalk chalk - no other color - and will carry a stick of chalk around as long as he is allowed to do so, marking everything in his path. He seems to prefer red crayons - all this to say that he has started to very much enjoy scribbling with Natalie. He adores music still and dances and shakes and claps his hand delightedly! We have many options for him outdoors (baby pool thanks go grandma, grandpa, and great-grandma, and sandbox due to aunts/uncles/step-grandma, two slides, and not one but FOUR ride-ons thanks to neighbors and aunt/uncle) - his favorite seems to be the baby pool when it's set up, followed by climbing UP the slide, followed by being driven around in his little kiddy car. It's really super-cool that he can now ask for what he wants to play with - he gets it into his head that he wants to ride in his car, so he will crab-walk all the way around the house and into the garage and gesture/babble until i get out his car and drive him around in it! Awesome.

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As we head toward tomorrow, and the sad 1st anniversary of my father's passing, it gives me comfort and happiness to think of what will be passed on to my babies from my side of the family and from myself. My mom used to jokingly call me jabber jaws, and even once apparently said "Julie, you are talking so much you are driving me to DRINK!" (Young Julie responded "beep beep! I am driving you to drink! beep beep!" complete with crazy wheel-turning driving motions). Natalie's nonstop conversations ALL DAY LONG with me, with herself (particularly at the lovely hour of 6 a.m.), and with Noah/Tyler/anyone else who may be around really earmark her as the jabber jaws of this generation of the Gibbs clan.

Also, my mom always was always surprised at how much I sweat on my nose (earning me another flattering moniker, Sweat Nose - I know, nice). And today I realized that Noah sweats there just as much as I do - a trait that neither Natalie nor Tyler nor really anyone else in my family shares. My little guy has my father's eyes and broad forehead, too. And though he has a bit longer for his brain to settle on "handedness", if things were to continue as they are, he would definitely be left-handed - just as I am, and just as my father was. He holds most chalk and crayon in his left hand (though lately has gone for a stick of pink chalk in both hands) and grabs for almost everything from me with his left.

All in all, things are proceeding here. Not standing still by any means. If I were to sum up, I would say that all of a sudden we have TWO active children who must be watched at all moments, instead of one active child and one calm, watchful baby. As we are adjusting to our new normal we are also just enjoying the time with these two happy kids.

Questions

Our lovely daughter is quite observant, curious and conversational these days. Today's example from dinnertime, completely out of the blue:

"Daddy, why do you have gray hair?"

Umm...

Thanks for noticing sweetie...didn't have a good answer for that one. :)

Noah's Favorite Song

Our little guy is most definitely expressing his preferences these days.

When we play with Little People, he very much prefers the leopard. He seeks the two leopards out and carries them all around the house with him. And every morning, when we get downstairs, he heads straight for the "Busy Little People" book. He summarily refuses all sippy cups but a very specific type of Playtex cup which earned his approval early on. Duplo is fabulous yet Mega Bloks not so much in his world. But Tyler and I feel that his most interesting and obvious preference is in the realm of music.

Very shortly after Noah was born, I decided that the song "Lucky One" by Vertical Horizon was to be "his" song. We listened to the song frequently while I was adjusting to being a stay at home mom and gearing up for our move, driving all over the Bay Area and beyond to see our wonderful friends. It doesn't even need to be mentioned what a difficult, trying time that was in our lives, so the song was especially meaningful for me as I was trying to cope with a newborn, a toddler, and the need to be near my father in his last days. On a lesser note, I had also been dealing with guilty pangs for months since I hadn't chosen a song for him when he was in the belly, as we had with Natalie, but it turns out that I was glad I waited.

After a year of total indifference to our now-sporadic playing of his song, all of a sudden during the last few weeks, he has absolutely shown that he loves it. LOVES it! When he is screaming and crying and having a tantrum, all we have to do is turn on the song and he perks up, stops crying, then smiles and starts clapping his hands. It works like a charm and is so cute to see. I am so glad I chose a song that really thrills him, and can't help but wonder why he likes it so much. Does some part of his brain remember that I played the song a million times in a row when he was a tiny baby? Or is it the fact that, when we turn it on, everyone (*particularly* Daddy, Noah's preferred person) stops whatever they are doing to smile and talk to him? Or is it just a good song? I'd like to think it is the first reason, but my common sense assures me that it is the second... :)

We carried all the colors
from the portrait of our summer
We never felt the answers
weighing down our shoulders

Time goes fast when you wander
and nothing lasts forever
but I still feel the power
of you and me together
and light surrounds you.

I know I'm the lucky one
though I'm always the last to believe
I know I'm the lucky one
'cause I'm here, and you're with me

So tell me are you willing
to try this thing called living
'cause there's so many edges hidden
and it's so hard to be forgiving

But I'll try once if you'll ask me
and once again everlasting
for all my days I love you
and all the stars you run through

See the light surround you

I know I'm the lucky one
though I'm always the last to believe
I know I'm the lucky one
'cause I'm here, and you're with me

When the wrongs and the rights all have been pushed aside
you're my favorite color
You're the black to the white and the warmth inside
You're the sun I'm under

I volunteer to watch you
through the dreams that haunt you
I promise to wake you
before the fear takes you

May the light surround you

Vacation!

We just returned home from a wonderful week in Cape Cod - our first vacation as a family of four! The drives to and from were long but manageable since the kids are such pros at car rides. There were lots of different places to explore, fun times catching up with old friends and their little ones, and a whole lot of time on the beach!

Let's go Mommy and Daddy! We've got places to go!

This is SO FUN! (Many thanks to J. for the beautiful picture)

I like the beach!

Let's see if they notice if I sneak off...

Zzzzzz....

The Thrills of a Backyard

So, so happy these days.


Loves chewing on the "helicopters" (possibly just for the never-ending, hugely amusing thrill of hearing Mom say "No!") and crawling through the jungle of our backyard.



So Big!

Giggling in the pool (thanks, Great-Grandma Freda, Grandma Kathy, and Grandpa Geoff!)

Bathing beauty wearing Ariel (predictably)

Post-one

This image demonstrates how Noah felt about his birthday gifts this year. -- Edited to note, he is HAPPY in the below! HAPPY, I tell you.
:-)



This child has an incredible knack for discovering exactly which cabinet has been left unsecured. His sister had no curiosity for learning the mechanics of the cabinets. It was enough for her that one cabinet was left open for her private usage (with plastic containers, bibs, and the like)... she attempted the other cabinets, they did not open, and that was all she wrote. Not so for Noah. He hoots with excitement when our childproofing devices are left awry, army-crawls with a vengeance toward said cupboard, and then opens/closes/opens/closes until he bonks his head or his hand or until mom removes him from the premises with copious tears. Whichever happens first. Either way, no good can come of our laxity.

Natalie has taken to screaming "Noah's getting me!" whenever he comes near. It doesn't help that five times out of six, he is in fact headed toward "getting her"... grabbing at her pants, trying to take her toys, trying to stand by holding onto whatever chair she is currently sitting on. Poor guys. It's just a phase but what a phase.

And now, Noah has awoken from his nap in a mood. He is crying. Natalie is highly disturbed that Noah needs us and I am writing, so off we go.

One year!

Today is Noah's special day and despite being a little under the weather, he had a great day!



Thanks so much to all our family who came over to celebrate today with our special boy and everyone who wished him well from afar!

The Noah update: he is just itching to get the standing/walking thing down and we can tell how much he wants to be up following his sister around. He has his two bottom front teeth and his top four front teeth...just like his sister at this age! Words include: mama, dada, yes, kitty, and Reese, and it seems like many more are just around the corner. He is enjoying cow's milk and had his first taste of birthday cake today and thought it wasn't too bad, though if we had let him crawl through his new sandbox, he would have been even more pleased!


P.S. Natalie was a very good big sister and was very excited to celebrate with Noah today and even helped him open his presents!

Shirt

Gap came out with its Product (RED) line back while I was pregnant with Natalie. I purchased a shirt for myself and Tyler as soon as I could in order to support the awesome new business venture. Naturally I also purchased one in size 6-12 mo for our then unnamed and unborn baby.

My INSPI(RED) t-shirt languished in the drawer for quite a while. Two pregnancies, two nursing stints, quite a bit of chilly San Francisco weather, and then a Michigan winter meant that it went unworn. Natalie wore her onesie quite frequently, and Noah wore it afterwards - in fact, I still squeeze him into it every now and then. And Tyler wears his at least once a week if not more. Today I finally dug mine out of the drawer and wore it for the first time in forever.


Tyler got Natalie up this morning... and as I walked into her room to say good morning, my sleepy runny-nosed tousle-haired tired toddler's first words to me were "Mommy, why are you wearing Daddy's shirt?"

March - out like a lamb

Enjoying a late afternoon trip to the Luckens' house to play on the swingset


Noah loves crawling on the grass, wood chips at the playground, or sand. He's not picky. As long as he can eat whatever he's crawling on, he's happy as a clam. Tell him "No", and he will scream louder than you can imagine.

Gratuitous Dagny Lucken shot in the background! We just love our D (and, let's be honest, she loves us too)!

Back at the Gibbs abode, someone was enjoying the sunny day... she keeps her eye on me whenever I am outside! It's funny how Reese finds a way to peek at me no matter where I am outside.

Quick one

For those unaware, Piggy and Mrs. Boots (monkey) got married! And they had cake!



Just trying to keep everyone in the loop...

Catharsis

Managing two kids' sleep is SO hard... if you are obsessive about it like I am...

Today we had to get to Target, Old Navy, Home Depot, and the post office. There is one shopping center about 10 minutes from home with every one of these stores, with the P.O. about 2 minutes away. Everybody was up late this morning so I figured we could do it all before nap. Not so much. We RACED around each place and still poor Noah had to skip his morning nap to make it all work out. I absolutely feel like an awful mother when he is worn out like he is right now. Daylight savings time really wrecked his schedule and I am not helping matters by trying to cram all of our errands into a few hours out of the house.

Natalie is at an age where every trip out of the house, disrupting her imaginative play, is a giant battle. And Noah hates getting in and out of the car seat. I keep wondering why I get so tired every night by about 8:30 p.m. - but then I remember that both Tyler and I are basically working six day weeks. I am the lucky one because I get to spend time with the two most adorable and wonderful kids ever, and I get outside, and eat balanced meals, and if I don't get a shower first thing in the morning I can sneak one in later that day... but still, being the only one six days a week means I kiss away a lot of tears, pick up and put down babies constantly, prepare and feed 54 different meals a week (plus snacks) (for one infant who eats a few finger foods but mostly purees, one toddler who has never been made to learn to use utensils but who basically wants cheese in all its forms at every meal, and one mom who is doing her level best to finally lose the baby weight), make endless trips up and down the stairs with two kids in tow, and clean LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of food off the floor. Sundays (and a 2nd tear-dryer, baby-holder, and cleaner - who also happens to be my best friend) feel like heaven... also, woefully, so short.

But having been on the other side - cramming all of my mom time into Saturday and Sunday - I know that Tyler and I would not have it any other way. Nothing is more precious to me than the chance to spend this time with my two babies.

Sometimes I might complain and sometimes I might kick myself over a sleep schedule which is all messed up... but they are healthy and happy and we are all so very very lucky.






Someone's first birthday is approaching (5/1). Someone else starts preschool in September. It's a reminder that they are both growing so fast. Things really aren't so bad after all.

**I know that two kids really isn't so much - but this week has been a long one so I needed a little catharsis**

??

So for a few weeks now, we have been getting a movie every Thursday and watching it on Friday afternoons after Natalie wakes up from her nap. We've seen Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Little Mermaid, and a Winnie the Pooh movie. But last week, and again this week? Natalie completely refused to watch the movie. What's that about???

First haircut

Since the weather has turned a bit warmer (50 degrees today! woo!) and our guy's hair was into his eyebrows, we decided it was for Noah to get his first haircut. He was an absolute trooper and while it was not quite a 100% tear-free experience, he was a very big boy and sat in the chair by himself! (With Daddy very close by, of course.)

Noah with his cheering section - cousin Nathan came for a haircut too!



Before...



during...




...and alas, our camera ran out of batteries, so for the after shot, we have to show a video. We will get another after picture of our handsome boy soon!

Sitting up

After many weeks of army crawling, Noah decided it was time to sit up. He thinks it makes play time even more fun!

Pics - finally

New Year's Eve 2009... Pizza for Natalie, veggies for Noah, crab cakes for mom & dad!



Natalie's second haircut... at Carnival Cuts in January. So fun!


Playing in the tunnel in our playroom (family room).


He makes this funny face when he's eating a food that's too liquidy. He sort of eats it out of the side of his mouth. Cute :-)


In our living room. We don't have anywhere close to enough furniture so our deck chairs are currently pressed into service. This pic is Noah showing his love of balls - all shapes and sizes.


Natalie puts Baby to bed on my mom's old sewing bin! She is so proud of herself when she snuggles baby all into this "cribby".


Valentine's Day, opening presents from Grandma Sybil. Again in the playroom.

Living room and view to dining room, a.k.a. bird-watching central.


In Evanston visiting Aunt Amy, Uncle Chris, and Matthew. I didn't take anywhere near enough pictures, which I very much regret! I will be stealing liberally from others' cameras.

Every morning the kids woke up *before* the crack of dawn (5-6 a.m.). Once I was able to function, we would drive to Starbucks and pick up quintuple-shot lattes - only kidding, i swear!- and then take advantage of the free breakfast. Smorgasbord worthy of a toddler/preschooler. Donuts, yogurt, toast, bagels, and salty preserved meats to Natalie's delight. Noah ate lots of buttered toast and bananas. The business people around us in the hotel surely thought I was crazy with my huge BOB revolution stroller, booster seat, diaper bag, two kids in tow... but with a face this cute, it can't be all bad, right?

Noah is

**9 months! Out in the world a week longer than he was in the belly.

**Quiet until he is loud. He loves to sit back and observe (particularly his sister) but at mealtimes his shrieking can overwhelm even the most patient observer.

**A huge fan of his dad. It's true love for both of them! So cute to see.

**Squirmy while in the stroller. He leans over and tries to take his sister's snacks... Or pulls her hair, or grabs her jacket... you get the picture.

**A passable sleeper... one wakeup at 5 a.m. (for a bottle, *sigh*) is the norm again now that he has his own room.

**Scooting all over the house!

**Left-leg dominant when he scoots. His sister was right-leg dominant when she crawled/scooted (and now seems to be right-handed) --- I kind of hope he will become a lefty like me :-)

**Saying mama! I am so excited about that.

**Inventive. He spends a wonderful amount of time amusing himself. One of his current favorite activities is throwing a jingly Roll-A-Round ball and chasing after it, grabbing it, then tossing it again. He laughs and laughs!

**An animal lover. If one ever wants to make him giggle, all one has to do is call Reese over! As soon as he sees her, he squeals and laughs and tries to make his way over to her. He also loves my sister's dogs SO much. He doesn't get *too* excited about the zoo yet, but that could be because he is normally all bundled up in the stroller (combination of cold, plus his sister yells louder, so I tend to let her out of the stroller and tend to her while he sits calmly and quietly). We shall see how he likes the zoo when it's warmer out and when someone can carry him!

**Just a little darling, and such a good snuggler. We feel so lucky to have him (and his sister).

Natalie is

**A book-lover like her mother. Our new favorite activity is to snuggle up together under blankets while Noah is napping, reading book after book until I tire of hearing the sound of my own voice. And after every book Natalie says "The End" or "What are they doing?" - the latter in an effort to keep the story going. We now get books out of the library, which is so fun for us.

**The talkingest child I have ever seen. Ever. My mother (who used to call me jabberjaws) is laughing at me from heaven now.

**Loath to get her picture taken.

**Always underfoot. We have moved into a large (by our standards) home in Michigan, and she is unable to be more than 3 feet from me at any time. I have to ask her politely to move away sometimes so I can get things done.

**Sensitive. See above where I mentioned I have to ask her politely. If I seem like I am chastising her, she absolutely loses her mind in tears. It's heartbreaking!

**Funny. She likes to say things just to make me laugh - for instance, asking me every single night (with a mischievous grin on her face) where her Cookie Monster toothbrush is. She knows fully well that I had to throw it out, but asks for it every night, simply to make me laugh. She and her brother were given bath wraps for Christmas, and absolutely crack up at themselves and each other when they are wearing them.

**Conflicted. "No. Yes. NO!" is one of her favorites... sometimes she says it seriously, but sometimes she says it just to make me laugh.

**IN LOVE. With her father, with her brother, with her cat, with her new house. And with her mother. Today she said "Thank you, mom." And I said "for what?" "For you. Thank you for you." When I tuck her in at night and tell her I love her, she always says "I love you too!" and sometimes when she sees her father, she mumbles quietly, "That's my daddy. I love him so much."

**Choosy. About clothes and food and just about everything.

**Very upset when she hears barking dogs!

**So very 2 1/2. So, so very 2 1/2.

**Beyond beautiful. She has her father's eyes.

Food

Today marks one of those funny milestones. Noah (8 mo) actually ate more than Natalie (27 months) for breakfast! He ate an entire banana amongst other things.