This week has been a big huge week of emotional and mental changes for our guys. Things were the same-same-same and then all of a sudden both kids made huge leaps.
Noah learned this week how to link two mental concepts together... He all of a sudden has put together that when he wants something, he can reach out and grab it (and then taste it). Ergo, if he wants something that's further away, he has to roll over to get to it. It's been great but challenging, as he has been enormously frustrated when the toy won't fit in his mouth, or when he's been on his tummy too long, or when he gets tired. His squeals of rage are quite something. He's been learning this for a while but this week it was very obvious that he is moving along in his mental development. Very cool. Very challenging for Mom and Natalie, though, as now we need to make sure her teeny tiny toys are a safe distance away from our guy... and for Mom and Dad, as he is absolutely EXHAUSTED by bedtime every night and thus is quite a fuss budget. He has also been waking more overnight as he's working through these new concepts.
Natalie's changes are absolutely beyond huge this week (to me, the person who's always loved psychology). She has all of a sudden become afraid of things - the peach-faced lovebirds at the zoo, the vacuum cleaner again (even though 2 weeks ago the vacuum was a super-fun game), and... ?Reese? She still loves Reese but has begun to kind of whine and whimper when Reese gets too close to her. I have no idea what brought that little fear on, but she'd better work through it, 'cause Reese isn't goin' anywhere!! :-) She also has learned the concept of shame which is hard for me to watch. Whenever we think something she's said or done is especially genius, we have always laughed with delight and pride. But now she's started to be ashamed when we laugh, thinking we are laughing *at* her, even though nothing could be further from the truth. So we'll have to learn a new way of showing our pride, I guess. Lastly, she's good at pleasing Mom and Dad by picking up toys, being nice, playing well with others - when we can supervise her - but now she's also starting to learn how to meaningfully do the opposite - upset us. This is different from testing or tantrums which are so common starting around 18 months (or earlier)... now she absolutely knows what will hurt my feelings and can say it if she's feeling cranky. Like, she loves Daddy more... or doesn't love me at all... etc. etc. It's been interesting and poorly timed given my ongoing mourning for my own father, but a reminder that life goes on.
We absolutely love our kids so much. But I have to say that I am really eager for the weekend to arrive so I can take some much-needed moments to decompress from all the crying around here! :-)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Whoops
Somehow a lot of time went by and we haven't posted. It's been hard to motivate since we lost one of our most faithful readers on August 5th, but we will try to get back into the swing of things. We've had a busy month and a half!
Here is Natalie at Jack's birthday party. She absolutely LOVED Jack's slide and talks about it often. She was also excited that she got to choose her very own cupcake (and, naturally, selected pink).
Our little ones conversing.
Natalie and Tyler at the zoo in late September. The kids and I have been going to the zoo once or twice a week lately - it's really close to our house and we all love it.
In late September we did the Pancan '09 walk in Detroit with our extended family. We missed my dad so much but it was nice to be around each other again. We are really lucky to have such great family members. We celebrated Nathan's birthday while we were in Michigan too - super-fun.
Natalie and I at the cider mill in Franklin MI. We fed the ducks, got WAY too many donuts, and - oh yah - bought apples too.
Noah is officially five months now. He has only rolled over once so far (on Friday 10/2, in fact) though he's moving around the floor on his back a little bit in his attempts to get over onto his tummy. Lately he's been quite a fuss budget - which I think means he's getting frustrated over his immobile status. We shall see what the coming months hold.
He tried rice cereal on Saturday 10/3 - yesterday - and thought it was just fine. He ate a little bowl of it but wasn't hungry for much more than that. Same thing today. I think he prefers plain milk still, but we will continue giving him a little bit every day. It's fun to see him strapped into his sister's high chair! A month from now he will move on to more sophisticated cuisine, such as sweet potato. Pictures to follow. We will try to be better about posting since I am officially now a stay-at-home-mom for the time being!
Here is Natalie at Jack's birthday party. She absolutely LOVED Jack's slide and talks about it often. She was also excited that she got to choose her very own cupcake (and, naturally, selected pink).
Our little ones conversing.
Natalie and Tyler at the zoo in late September. The kids and I have been going to the zoo once or twice a week lately - it's really close to our house and we all love it.
In late September we did the Pancan '09 walk in Detroit with our extended family. We missed my dad so much but it was nice to be around each other again. We are really lucky to have such great family members. We celebrated Nathan's birthday while we were in Michigan too - super-fun.
Natalie and I at the cider mill in Franklin MI. We fed the ducks, got WAY too many donuts, and - oh yah - bought apples too.
Noah is officially five months now. He has only rolled over once so far (on Friday 10/2, in fact) though he's moving around the floor on his back a little bit in his attempts to get over onto his tummy. Lately he's been quite a fuss budget - which I think means he's getting frustrated over his immobile status. We shall see what the coming months hold.
He tried rice cereal on Saturday 10/3 - yesterday - and thought it was just fine. He ate a little bowl of it but wasn't hungry for much more than that. Same thing today. I think he prefers plain milk still, but we will continue giving him a little bit every day. It's fun to see him strapped into his sister's high chair! A month from now he will move on to more sophisticated cuisine, such as sweet potato. Pictures to follow. We will try to be better about posting since I am officially now a stay-at-home-mom for the time being!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Boo Hoo
They could be twins if they weren't 20.5 months apart in age.-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just had my first (and possibly my only) "kids grow up too fast and I can't believe we only want to have two of them" moment.
I will NEVER buy another box of Pampers Swaddlers for a Gibbs baby. Unless something crazy happens, but two is the plan (and my doctor vehemently agrees that I should stick with two).
Oh, Pampers Swaddlers, how I am addicted to your odd cloying scent! I was so excited to need Swaddlers again, but alas, Noah has packed on the pounds in a way his sister did not, and he's outgrown them. *sigh*
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Another Walk
The Gibbs family is also preparing to walk in the PurpleStride walk in Detroit on September 27th! We are all walking in my Dad's memory.
In this recession I know EVERYONE has extra pennies to spare (lame attempt at a joke) but if you are looking for a good cause, please donate to our little team. Tyler's page is here if you want to help him make his fundraising goal. Thank you SO SO SO SO SO much to everyone who helped me meet my fundraising goal too.
In this recession I know EVERYONE has extra pennies to spare (lame attempt at a joke) but if you are looking for a good cause, please donate to our little team. Tyler's page is here if you want to help him make his fundraising goal. Thank you SO SO SO SO SO much to everyone who helped me meet my fundraising goal too.
Trip to Michigan
Finally getting up pictures from our trip to Michigan. The trip was wonderful and horrific (yes, wonderful and horrific). There is never, ever, ever a good time to lose a wonderful father and grandfather. It goes without saying that I am trying my best to move forward in the grieving process for the sake of my kids and husband, but I hate that I can't see or do anything without being reminded of my Dad. I can't even walk down the street here in San Francisco without seeing restaurants we ate in together, places we visited during my ten years here, hotels at which he stayed (though he only ever liked the Laurel Inn, and in fact judged my various domiciles in San Francisco by their relative proximity to that hotel). So the trip was really awful because losing him is a total nightmare.
But. But. But we had such a wonderful time in Michigan, aside from that fact. How could that be? I know! I am posting some pictures which should hopefully explain why we had a wonderful time and what we loved so much.
Natalie had a birthday party on August 2nd. How lucky that we decided to have the party that day. My dad was able to join us, along with all of our aunts and uncles and many of our cousins (and, naturally, my sisters and their families).
Aunt Pam got Natalie this ridiculously awesome cake from Costco. What is it about Costco cakes that make them so utterly delicious? All I can say is that this cake is about all I ate between August 2nd and August 10th. Yum. Natalie had a great time at her party - her cousins showed her how to open presents (a skill she put to good use during the other parties we had for her this year).
Playing with Matthew and "Mister Head". Natalie loves Mister Head and she also loves her cousin Matthew, one of the smiliest and most wonderful children I know.
Our two peanuts. Could they be any sweeter?
At a Nature Preserve in West Bloomfield. The beloved double Bob stroller - oh, how I miss you, double Bob. Oh, and Luckens too (haha!).
Feeding deer at the Nature Preserve with Aunt Pam. Everybody got really into feeding these deer! It's fascinating how one deer loved to eat green peapods and the other, not so much. One loved clover and the other hated it. They are like toddlers! Lots of preferences! Natalie and I sing "Old McDonald had a farm" a lot in the car, and now often Old McDonald has a "doe", and the doe eats "green beans".
Noah supporting Aunt Pam at her 3 day walk!!! It was so hot on Friday, the first day of the walk. Actually, who am I kidding - it was steamy every day. But the kids loved driving around to see their Aunt. Natalie especially got into clapping and cheering for the walkers.
After we went to Livonia to see the walk on Friday, Natalie and Noah and I went to the Splash Pad at Grandma Nancy's park in Grosse Pointe Farms. Natalie absolutely LOVED the splash pad. I have to say that Gramma Nance loved it too. She wasn't wearing her swimsuit but ended up allowing herself to get soaked anyway. Gramma Nance and I agreed that toddlers and infants are good distractions when you hurt too much to think about anything else.
Saturday, the kids and I went to Plymouth to see the walk. Noah in his bunny ears.
The BELOVED Luckens
And Sunday, August 16th, we went to Ann Arbor to see the walkers! Mom LOVES Ann Arbor - naturally - so this was great fun. We even went to Zingerman's with Aunt Pam's 3 day team so they could cool down a little bit in all that heat. Natalie and Aunt Pam shared (not kidding) a few TABLESPOONS of vanilla gelato - and I don't want to say how much those few tablespoons of gelato cost :-) They were worth it though. Delish. I also picked up a giant coffee cake to enjoy back in California and boy was it worthwhile to lug 3 lbs of butter, sugar, flour, and nuts back home! It was beyond tasty.
We were so proud of Aunt Pam and her team. Several of her teammates walked on feet covered in blisters. Other teammates almost passed out from the heat and dehydration. But they kept going - after getting proper medical attention, of course. I was so inspired that I decided to sign up for the 2010 walk. Hence the new link on the sidebar to my 3 day training blog. I can't promise earth-shattering prose there, but Tyler and I try to keep this blog focused on the kids and the fun things we do - whereas that blog will probably get more introspective as I tend to sort out thoughts and feelings (and come up with new ideas) during walks. One thing I really would love to hear (in comments or personal emails) is suggestions on fundraising. I have to raise $2300 for the walk within the year, and would like to get creative. My sister is the captain of the team and has raised quadrillions of dollars herself for the walk over the last three years... so I know Pam is creative and will help with ideas too, but I'd also love to hear if anyone else has out of the box ideas for me.
But. But. But we had such a wonderful time in Michigan, aside from that fact. How could that be? I know! I am posting some pictures which should hopefully explain why we had a wonderful time and what we loved so much.
Natalie had a birthday party on August 2nd. How lucky that we decided to have the party that day. My dad was able to join us, along with all of our aunts and uncles and many of our cousins (and, naturally, my sisters and their families).
Aunt Pam got Natalie this ridiculously awesome cake from Costco. What is it about Costco cakes that make them so utterly delicious? All I can say is that this cake is about all I ate between August 2nd and August 10th. Yum. Natalie had a great time at her party - her cousins showed her how to open presents (a skill she put to good use during the other parties we had for her this year).
Playing with Matthew and "Mister Head". Natalie loves Mister Head and she also loves her cousin Matthew, one of the smiliest and most wonderful children I know.
Our two peanuts. Could they be any sweeter?
At a Nature Preserve in West Bloomfield. The beloved double Bob stroller - oh, how I miss you, double Bob. Oh, and Luckens too (haha!).
Feeding deer at the Nature Preserve with Aunt Pam. Everybody got really into feeding these deer! It's fascinating how one deer loved to eat green peapods and the other, not so much. One loved clover and the other hated it. They are like toddlers! Lots of preferences! Natalie and I sing "Old McDonald had a farm" a lot in the car, and now often Old McDonald has a "doe", and the doe eats "green beans".
Noah supporting Aunt Pam at her 3 day walk!!! It was so hot on Friday, the first day of the walk. Actually, who am I kidding - it was steamy every day. But the kids loved driving around to see their Aunt. Natalie especially got into clapping and cheering for the walkers.
After we went to Livonia to see the walk on Friday, Natalie and Noah and I went to the Splash Pad at Grandma Nancy's park in Grosse Pointe Farms. Natalie absolutely LOVED the splash pad. I have to say that Gramma Nance loved it too. She wasn't wearing her swimsuit but ended up allowing herself to get soaked anyway. Gramma Nance and I agreed that toddlers and infants are good distractions when you hurt too much to think about anything else.
Saturday, the kids and I went to Plymouth to see the walk. Noah in his bunny ears.
The BELOVED Luckens
And Sunday, August 16th, we went to Ann Arbor to see the walkers! Mom LOVES Ann Arbor - naturally - so this was great fun. We even went to Zingerman's with Aunt Pam's 3 day team so they could cool down a little bit in all that heat. Natalie and Aunt Pam shared (not kidding) a few TABLESPOONS of vanilla gelato - and I don't want to say how much those few tablespoons of gelato cost :-) They were worth it though. Delish. I also picked up a giant coffee cake to enjoy back in California and boy was it worthwhile to lug 3 lbs of butter, sugar, flour, and nuts back home! It was beyond tasty.
We were so proud of Aunt Pam and her team. Several of her teammates walked on feet covered in blisters. Other teammates almost passed out from the heat and dehydration. But they kept going - after getting proper medical attention, of course. I was so inspired that I decided to sign up for the 2010 walk. Hence the new link on the sidebar to my 3 day training blog. I can't promise earth-shattering prose there, but Tyler and I try to keep this blog focused on the kids and the fun things we do - whereas that blog will probably get more introspective as I tend to sort out thoughts and feelings (and come up with new ideas) during walks. One thing I really would love to hear (in comments or personal emails) is suggestions on fundraising. I have to raise $2300 for the walk within the year, and would like to get creative. My sister is the captain of the team and has raised quadrillions of dollars herself for the walk over the last three years... so I know Pam is creative and will help with ideas too, but I'd also love to hear if anyone else has out of the box ideas for me.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
24 months = 2 years!
On Tuesday, our little girl turned the magical age of two! It is amazing to think how much she has changed in two years - from little peanut to confident toddler. It is wonderful to watch her grow up and we look forward to all of the fun times ahead in year 3!
This idea was borrowed from several different friends and despite not having Photoshop or a Mac, it turned out okay...and we look forward to adding more pictures to the collection!
Many thanks to our family and friends for celebrating with us over the last couple weeks. We have made up for her two canceled 1st birthday parties! More pics from these fun events to come soon!
This idea was borrowed from several different friends and despite not having Photoshop or a Mac, it turned out okay...and we look forward to adding more pictures to the collection!
Many thanks to our family and friends for celebrating with us over the last couple weeks. We have made up for her two canceled 1st birthday parties! More pics from these fun events to come soon!
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