Dear Levi {16 months}

Buster Pants,

You are growing into quite the little "big" boy!  There are tantrums, opinions, demands, and more....I almost forgot how fun this stage really is!

We have loved seeing you grow and become a little person.  Thankfully, we were able to pack away the baby bottles about 3 weeks ago.  I was getting fearful that would be quite an ordeal because you just really loved those warm bottles of milk.  But it didn't turn out to be so bad.  We had gradually worked our way down to one 5 ounce bottle every 24 hours since the holidays, and usually you wanted that bottle between 5-6pm right as soon as you got home from the babysitter's house.  Then, you started to leave an ounce or so in the bottle before handing it over and shaking your head that you were done.  So, we quit offering you the bottle and we went a few days stretching the time closer to bedtime when a meltdown, whining and clinging to mommy indicated you wanted a bottle.  Eventually, you quit taking that late evening bottle and easily went to sleep.  Progress!  But, then we had a few nights where you woke up in the 3 o'clock hour demanding milk.  Not cool!  About that time, Grandma and Papa came for a weekend visit and that was the trick.  You were just so excited to see them and hang out with your idol (Papa Keith!) that you didn't even think of bottles.    After three days, I knew we could pack them away.  At the same time, I dug out a few more sippy cups of your sisters and we are so happy that you drink COLD milk from sippy cups.  Your sisters still wanted warm milk in their sippy cups at this age, but we sure aren't going down that path with you.  What a good boy!

You love to eat too, and climb on chairs and the table.  Sigh.  Other than meat, there are not many things you turn down.  You love hummus, steamed broccoli, carrots, peas, peppers, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, bananas (still a fav!), apples, oranges, and much more.   And dip!  Thanks to your sisters, you now insist on ranch or ketchup or syrup or whatever they are using as a sauce.  Ugh.  Don't love this, but generally we can get away with a small amount.  Other funny things about your eating routine is that you absolutely MUST have utensils.  Without a fork and spoon, you will not eat.  Thankfully Leah is always the best helper and automatically gets them for you when Mommy or Daddy forget.  Though, you are pretty good at telling us you are hungry by opening the silverware drawer and reaching in to grab a fork or spoon.  Smacking your lips is also an indicator that you need a bite.  It's pretty cute!  Another quirky thing about your eating routine is that you refuse to keep your cup on your tray.  Once you get a drink, it immediately has to go on the table.  We have tried over and over to show you that cup fits into the cup holder on your tray, but you insist that it be put on the table....and if we don't listen (grunting and pointing, not actual words), you will chuck it on the floor.  And, then laugh and continue to eat.

Like our last update, you still don't have many words.  Lots of "mmmm" sounds that might mean mommy, more, milk, mine, or just to get attention.  We have managed to teach you that a dog says "woof" and a cat says "meow", and you hear things very well, just not using words.  Both your sisters were like this so we are not alarmed at this point.  Words will come, right?  We sure hope so because we get frustrated and tired with all the screaming and squealing.  You have brought a new level of LOUD to our house.

In the morning, you are so happy.  Happy, happy, happy!  I love this and it almost always helps my day start off on a good note.  (Though sometimes one of your sisters gets me frustrated...)  You mostly take showers in the morning because it's just easier for us, and your sisters shower in the morning too so it's like an assembly line getting all the kids in the shower, out and dressed.  You do love baths though when we squeeze one in during the evenings or on weekends.  Most mornings you eat oatmeal for breakfast and also some Kix.  The Kix are handy because they keep your hands occupied and then you allow us to feed you the oatmeal.  Generally you want to be in charge of the utensils, but Mommy doesn't like to send a messy boy to daycare so we insist that oatmeal is fed by mommy or daddy only.  Once you eat breakfast, you know it's time for shoes, coat, mittens, and a hat.  Routine is so key here!  No fussiness or hesitation on your part and I love that.  You happily wave bye bye, and give mommy kisses on your way out the door.  As a working mama, mornings can be rough...and they often were when your sisters were younger and even last year when Daddy was gone all the time.  But you have adjusted to our new home and we love the routine in place!

During the day, you play hard with your new friends at daycare.  Ms. Amy is great and you really love being at her house.  I love the environment and it's such a good place for you at this age.  You generally take a good afternoon nap, but sometimes you even take a quick morning nap.  Eating is also not a problem!  You love Amy's cooking!  When mommy picks you up each afternoon, you are happy to see me and love to show off the toys you are playing with.  Often you run around squealing and we have to "catch" you to take you home.  You are doing so well in your new environment!

After we get home, it's usually a potty break for all the kids and time to check your diaper.  We recently introduced the potty chair to you and now you are a bit obsessed.  You run into the bathroom trying to get your clothes off and grab the kid's seat that goes on the big potty.  Then, you want to sit.  It has worked out to our advantage a few times when you were on the verge of going...saves us cleaning a diaper....but you aren't really ready to be potty trained.  And, we know that and aren't pushing you.  But, since you sort of get it, or at least are intrigued by the potty chair, we just go with it and let you sit.  No matter what happens, you insist on getting your tushie wiped with toilet paper.  :)  And, I have now warned Daddy that he is in charge of potty training you.  Boys and the bathroom intimidate me!  I fear the day when you pee all over me.  I think I need to call in the experts and have a  friend with boys at least talk me through it.

Currently your favorite toys are your trains, your tool box and your legos.  I'm excited you are finally figuring out the trains, though we can't get you to say choo choo.  In your world trains say vroom, vroom.  The tool box cracks me up because you totally know what to do with the tools.  A hammer hits (sigh.) and a screwdriver needs to be twisted.  I do wish you could snap and unsnap the box by yourself.  Soon enough I'm sure you'll get it!  I've also been quite impressed about your lego skills.  You can make some pretty tall towers and you LOVE the wagon they came in.  (Thanks Aunt Katie and Uncle Andy!)  The older sisters like to pull you around when you sit in the wagon.  Pretty cute and results in a lot of giggles.

Just like everything else, a bedtime routine is key for you.  Right now, it works best when Daddy is in charge.  You seem to respect him a little more than mommy and need less attention.  Much quicker process with Daddy!  About 7:30pm, we get your diaper changed and your jammies on.  Leah loves to be in charge of these items and she also brings you a blankie and your beloved pacifier.  She's got your back Buster!  Once changed, you give everyone kisses and hugs, then Daddy heads up stairs with you.  We love when you wave and smile at us on your way up the stairs.  Daddy holds you for a short time, then lays you down and says night night.  We hear you settling in for a little bit, but often are asleep in minutes.  Now when Mommy is in charge, it's a longer process because you like to be held and rocked, and you like to read books and just waste time.  Some nights if Daddy is gone, you refuse to go to sleep (and not scream) until your sisters are tucked in tight.

Something else we have noticed in the past few months are what seem to be nightmares.  Every other week or so, you will go to bed easily but then wake very upset between 10-11pm.  We go in and try to comfort you but it's so sad because you just cry and scream.  You push away your pacifier and your blanket, and you even push us away not wanting to be held.  We now think it's nightmares because you keep your eyes closed and you aren't really awake.  The difficult part is that you are getting bigger and heavier so we often end up laying you in our bed.  Then, we just get close and try to hug you and talk to you.  Some nights we take you to the bathroom and start running water.  Occasionally this helps and you wake up, but not always.  Basically though, once we get you awake you look around a little confused and then lay your head on our shoulder and go back to sleep holding your blankie with your pacifier in your mouth.  It's so sad though we have learned that it only takes about 10 minutes until you clam down and are back asleep again.  Some nights, those 10 minutes are LONG and the screaming/crying is deafening.

Levi, your smiles and grins, the laughs and giggles, kisses and hugs are the best!  We could not be happier with you as part of our family.  We are blessed and we cherish every moment with you.

Love you little guy,
Mommy

Library Days

We finally made it to the library to investigate and get library cards.  We had attempted one other time, but didn't think to take proof of residency with us.

 

The girls were so excited and Lesley was beyond thrilled when the librarian told her she could have her own library card.  "Would it be possible to get my own library card like D.W., you know, Arthur's sister?"  She had told me over and over how D.W. was five years old and had her own library card so she thought she could get one too.  I didn't promise anything, but I said we could certainly ask the librarian.

 

The girls even got to pick out what they wanted on their library cards.  Lesley picked the one with Earth and space on it.  Shocker, right?  Leah picked the one with flowers on it just like Mommy.  She thought they looked like Mommy's favorite flower and she was right, they were black eyed Susan's which are pretty close to sunflowers.

 

There was an event at the library that morning where the kids could read to dogs.  We headed over, put our names on the list and picked out some books.  Lesley tried to read to the first dogs, Annie and Jeep, but asked me to finish the book when it was slow going.

 

 

Pretty soon Daddy and Levi showed up after checking the main part of the library out.  We headed over to the next dog to read another "Biscuit" book.

 

 

 

To our surprise, his name was Levi!  Our Levi LOVED this Levi.  We had to stop him from hugging (which is more like a tackle) a few times.  Thankfully all the dogs were very used to kids and didn't care one bit about Levi poking or touching them.  What a fun event for our Levi!

 

 

Then we went to check out the kid section of the library.  Leah actually really loved the magnet board and putting letters up to spell names.  She is getting good!

 

It is funny though if you point to a letter in her name, she only knows it if she spells her entire name.  So if you point to the letter "h", she will say "L - E - A - H" and smile really big when she gets to the "H".  She's learning!

 

 

Lesley also found a computer to check out, Levi liked the peek hole in the boat, and he also wanted to "help" Leah with the letters.

 

 

 

Lesley also entertained us with a very random puppet show.  Very random and pretty much made so sense at all.  But, still entertaining.

 

 

She held their attention for quite a while.

 

 

Then, Levi wanted to help with the show.  In 16 month old Levi style, he actually wasn't much help at all.

 

 

Then, it was Leah's turn.  Mama assisted and we had a great performance of the three little pigs. 

 

And again, Levi busted into the show and snatched a piggy.

 

 We found out kids could check out 49 book at one time and adults 99.  If you are into math, that's just short of 300 books our family could check out at one time.  I assured the librarian we probably wouldn't come anywhere close to reaching that number.

 

I also put my name on the waiting list for a few cookbooks.  They are ones I have been wanting to purchase but decided why not check out from the library first to see if there are enough recipes we'd use to warrant a purchase.  Plus, my recipe book collection is already pretty big and I don't have a nice shelf to store/display like I did in Tulsa.

 

Minnesota visitors

Grandma Nancy, Papa Keith, Uncle Andy, Aunt Katie and Josie came for a visit in mid January.  It was a fun weekend for the kids.  Laid back but full of good memories!

 

 

Levi, of course, clung to Papa Keith and not want him to go far.  Actually, the kids were outside playing in the snow with Daddy when everyone pulled into the drive way and Daddy said that Levi was shaking with excitement when he realized who was here to visit.

 

Leah insisted on several books from Uncle Andy and Aunt Katie while Josie took a snooze.

 

Lesley and Grandma were busy on the iPad a lot this weekend, getting up to speed on some of Grandma's new apps, taking photos, and making books.

 

High fives for his favorite person!

 

Sorry Papa, it really isn't nap time.

 

Leah's turn with Grandma's iPad.  Papa still doesn't understand how he can be sitting peacefully one second and the next he has multiple children crawling onto his lap.  What a terrible situation, right Papa?

 

Daddy of course spoiled us with more good cooking including homemade whipped topping and berries.  That's our current favorite dessert!

 

And, when you run out of berries...just go with the whipped topping!

 

On MLK day, I was planning to take the girls to see the newly released "Annie" since it's one of their favorite movies.  Papa Keith was going to hang out with Levi and Grandma Nancy was going to hit the big screen with the girls.  But, to our surprise, the closet movie theater that was playing Annie in a morning time slot was over 30 minutes away.  We opted out of it since it would mean 30 min there, ~2 hours for the movie, and then 30 min back.  That was just to long to give up.  So we hit the fabric/craft store instead and then made our own movie theater complete with a concession stand.

 

The girls LOVED this!  And it still resides in the entry way.  If you are wondering about the prices, the healthy items such as apples, oranges, edamane, and bananas were only $0.01 whereas the candy and popcorn were $1.00 each.  Levi didn't think the popcorn price was reasonable, so he just helped himself.

 

We found seats in the "theater" and proceeded to watch about 10 minutes of Strawberry Shortcake.

 

I guess a home theater just isn't convincing and they lost interest really fast.  Oh well!  It was still worth the time savings of going to the real theater and the concession stand still provides countless hours of entertainment.

Eating Whole Foods

We are trying to do better at eating whole foods in our house.  We felt like we made a lot of strides in 2014, adding lots and lots of fruits and vegetables to every meal, but the next step has been to bake and cook things versus reading labels for the "least processed" choices.  We don't guy granola bars or sugary cereal, but we felt we needed some alternatives.

 

So, daddy now bakes bread about once a week, sometimes less depending on how much we eat and he also has found good recipes for ranch dressing, other salad dressings, taco seasoning, fajita seasoning, hummus, tomato soup, Lara bars (made with dates), pancakes, waffles, and lots more meal choices.  We sometimes have to run our dishwasher multiple times a day if we have been cooking...and we go to the grocery store several times a week to stay stocked on fresh fruits and vegetables. 

 

We are also cutting out as much sugar as we can.  Who knew that straight black tea and coffee could actually be consumed and is not that terrible?  We try to only use honey for a sweetner, though there is some splenda in the house we are "using up".  Once that is gone, I don't plan to buy more.  It's just not needed!

 

We aren't perfect, but we are making progress each week.  Honestly, we have a lot to learn, both in book/recipe knowledge and cooking techniques, and also adjusting our taste buds.  The kids have done amazingly well and surprise us all the time by requesting to take a bite.  Sure, they don't always like what we are cooking, but I have found they don't hesitate to try again a different day.  Leah keeps trying hard boiled eggs and avocados every time I have them on my plate, and she just can't seem to like them.  I applaud her every time though, because even that one bite (that she has to force down) feels like a victory because we aren't forcing her, she is asking. 

 

We are spending more than ever on groceries, but we have almost never go out to eat anymore.  The week I was traveling for work was painful for me (and let's be honest for my tummy too!).  First, I hated spending the money on every meal since I was basically eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner 6 days in a row.  And, it's really hard to find "good" options on most menus.  Plus, the tempting choice of Mexican food!  I did hit the grocery store early in the week and got some fresh fruit and nuts, and I think I'll be better armed with information the next time I travel for work.

 

This was New Year's Day when daddy made pancakes with fruit and real whipped topping!  Delicious!

I didn't say we were eating healthier, just more real food.  :)

 

Daddy did a good job!  Too bad every morning wasn't a p.j., recover from the late night.

 

 

Levi was very concerned when he got to the bottom of the bowl.  What, no more fruit or whipped topping in here!?!?!

We are hoping 2015 is our most healthy year yet!  We plan to adjust recipes where we can and experiment with our normal menu.  It won't always be easy, but that's not our goal for now.

Levi's perch

If you come into our house and think it is odd how we keep the kitchen chairs pulled away from the table, this little guy is the reason.

 

 

He likes to use the chairs as stepping stones to get on the table.  But....if we pull the chairs away from the table, he just sits there and grunts until we get him down.  Yes, he could still fall but in my opinion, falling off a chair is better than stepping off the top of a table.  Trust me, we take him down a million times a day.  I actually wonder if falling would reinforce the reason why we tell him to stay off the chairs.

 

Anyway, the process works for now though I'm sure he is only days away from figuring out how to push the chairs over to the table for the desired goal of climbing on top.  He is already pushing the step stool against the counter so he can reach onto the countertops or pull something out of a drawer.  It's only a matter of time!

Cat / Cow

The girls love to do yoga in the living room.  The tricky part is that Levi likes to be part of the action too.  But, sometimes, we can squeeze in some cat / cow poses while he is napping.

 

I also found these to be helpful on a recent trip to the chiropractor for Leah.  She quickly got into the table top pose when I suggested that versus the blank stare she gave the chiropractor when asked to get on her hands and knees.

Lesley's Winter Picnic {Only in Minnesota!}

We got a message from Lesley's teacher saying all the kids would need to bring a lunch one day in early January because  they were going to have a winter picnic outside.  What?!  Are these Minnesota people really that crazy?! 

 

Needless to say Lesley thought this was best idea of the century.  Ha!

 

The kindergarten classes had read "Winter Picnic" so were now enjoying one of their own.  So we packed a lunch (which we do most of the time anyway) and off she went excited for her outdoors feast.

 

 

The class got bundled up in their winter gear, grabbed a blanket for the picnic, and dined on cold lunches.  These pictures make me smile (and make my teeth chatter).

 

And, it wasn't just Lesley's class but rather all 4 kindergarten classes.

 

I love how they stayed close to the building - probably avoid most of the snow and also the wind.  We have quickly realized that the wind will really make you freeze in the winter.

 

I'm so happy she is adjusting to her new class and taking snow pants, boots, a hat, and mittens is second nature for her now.  A backpack AND a separate bag for all the extras.  We've been told the rule is if the temperature is above zero, they go out to play...but I think in reality it's a day by day decision because some days when it's warmer than zero they still stay inside and use their rainy day boxes.  Maybe it has to do with who is on recess duty.  :)  Regardless, Lesley is an expert at Go Fish, Old Maid, and Tic Tac Toe due to lots of practice the last few weeks during recess time.

Visiting Granny and Grandma Cheryl

Granny is at a rehab type facility recovering from a fall that broke her pelvis.  Not only that, but her Alzheimer's is getting a lot worse.  In fact, I'm not sure she recognized any of us that day.  She was very confused and it broke my heart.

 

But regardless, it was very important for us to visit and the kids did manage to bring some smiles to her face.

 

We talk about how Granny is getting older and her body is getting weaker.  Leah is actually very aware of the situation and she often asks questions about Granny and her health....and just generic questions about death and dying.  They understand and "see" more than we like to admit.

 

Kali was there too and the kids had fun playing though Kali and Levi have the same issue with sharing.  It was humorous to watch and exhausting to referee.

 

 

Levi was so sweet and would get really close to Granny, holding on to her chair and then touching her.  Granny of course loved this, and Levi was so precious staying near her and pointing his finger at her so she could touch him back.

 

The best cousin photo we could get.

 

See, this is an example of the sharing issues.  Lots of grabbing back and forth!

 

All the Carlin's with Granny.  It was a good visit and we hope Granny continues to recover from her fall and surgery so she can go back to the long term living arrangement she is used to and can be most comfortable at.

 

We headed over to Grandma Cheryl's place to open some gifts, eat some food, and hang out with Daddy's aunt, uncle and cousins.

The kids had fun and it was nice to spend the whole day with Grandma Cheryl.

 

Daddy and the kids dropped Mommy off at the airport to get a rental car the next morning so she could stay in KC and work for the week.  Then, they headed back to Minneapolis.  Though we didn't get enough sleep (hotel room with three kids is not exactly relaxing) and it made the upcoming week more hectic and busy, it turned out to be a good weekend.

Museum of the Prairiefire

We visited KC to celebrate Christmas with Grandma Cheryl in early January.  Our schedules didn't sync the week of Christmas but this worked out well as we were more rested and didn't have to rush or cut any visits short.   After driving from Minneapolis late on Friday, we had some time Saturday morning and decided to visit the Museum of the Prairiefire.  Some co-workers had visited and said it was a great spot for kids this age.

 

It did not disappoint!

 

Grandma Cheryl joined us and we first had to dodge the dinosaurs as they walked across the lobby area.

 

Of course the girls thought this was awesome!

 

Good thing they weren't real or Levi and Mommy would have melted!  Yikes!

 

Then, it was our turn to create our own dinosaurs.

 

I think we ended up with a Leahasaurous and Lesleysaurous.

 

Then, we checked out the other displays in the lobby before going up to the kid's exhibit.  Lots of neat things to see.  The movie posters were cool.  We had to reminisce about the first time Mommy & Daddy both watched "The Land before Time".  I think it's a movie we'll need to check out from the library to watch with the kids.

 

Once in the kid's exhibit area, Lesley headed straight for the Astrology area.  Of course.  I really liked the wall where they could make their own constellations and also look for existing ones.

 

They also dug for dinosaur bones.

 

Grandma Cheryl and Levi even looked for some treasures.

 

He really didn't want to give up the brushes.  Sharing is not exactly his strong suit.

 

He did love looking at the reptiles.  Lots of pointing and grunting.

 

They even tried to construct a grasshopper.

 

Levi was NOT helpful and eventually I had to take him to the baby/toddler section to entertain away from his hard at work sisters.

 

He was being a cheeser in the young kids section.

 

He got a little wild throwing the balls around.  There was another little girl just a few weeks younger than him that I was afraid would be injured by his strength or just by him being a brute and stealing the blocks and books.  She was not mobile like Levi and had a look of fear pretty much the entire time.  Her grandma was close by and not concerned but I would have felt horrible had he thrown a block at her.

 

Leah came over to help build too.  She was more productive than he was!

 

The outside of the building is stunning!  So shiny and lots of purple colors!

 

It was a fun adventure and I'm glad we took advantage of it versus hanging out in the hotel that morning.  Off to get some BBQ for lunch and then over to see Granny!