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!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
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
_________________________________________
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.
________________________________________
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.
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
___________________________________________________
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. :-)
_________________________________________
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.
________________________________________
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.
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