Popcorn, Bubblegum, Oh-Me-Oh-My

As you know, the school year has looked drastically different than a year ago. I was expecting hiccups here and there, especially difficulty going through Zoom and staying ahead of Luke's studies at home. However, I was NOT expecting having issues with the way they were teaching Mila! Here's how it all went down...

On Wednesdays, Mila is at home. She has two, 45-minute Zoom meetings with her classmates and teacher. I've learned that if I do it on the computer, she can't see her classmates, but it's hands-free and I can keep her in one place at the dining room table. If I do it on the iPad, we can sit anywhere and she can see her classmates at different segments throughout the meeting. I've learned that I can let her sleep in a little bit on Wednesdays, and she's not in a rush to eat breakfast, therefore, she can go to the first meeting, eat, and then go to the second. I've learned that it's difficult for her to complete more than one assignment in between the two Zoom meetings. Sometimes we will do one assignment, sometimes we will hold off until after lunch to begin working on anything. In fact, she is assigned 8 things to do a day, a lot of which are repetitive and have videos or games that go along with them. We can't do all 8 in one day. The teacher doesn't assign them until Wednesday morning (it would much easier if I knew ahead of time what they were so I could get a leg up on the videos at least), and they are due on Sunday by 5pm.

The first Zoom meeting starts with a song (completely dumb, much like the "I Love You" song of Barney... I don't know what kid would like it), and then a self-soothing, breathing technique (either S.T.A.R., which I don't know what it stands for, a drain or a balloon). Don't ask me why they do the technique when they haven't even started the class. What do they have to take a breath for when they haven't even done the work to get to the place where they need to take a moment? So, the first half of the first Zoom meeting is wasted on that. They barely cover the days of the week and the weather. Then, they move on to the English portion. Sometimes they end the meeting with a story.

The second Zoom meeting deals with math. I find that it's more productive than the first meeting. A lot of the kids though, in my opinion, should already know the concepts... but we're only at the beginning of the year.

Now, I've had my complaints here and there - 1. Don't waste my time and my kids' time on sing-a-long songs and techniques that aren't doing diddly. I'd rather the time be shortened or teach them what they need to learn. 2. Two Zoom meetings is almost too much. 3. Eight assignments is too much. These are Kindergarteners! (They do best by learning through living it.) But, if you're going to give assignments, let the parents have a choice out of the eight... it's just a thought. We're fairly committed; I think you can trust us to pick a variety of assignments and not just the "easiest" two every week. BUT, none of these complaints have made me feel like I need to pull all of my kids out of school IMMEDIATELY.

Last Wednesday started like a typical Wednesday. We had our first Zoom meeting. Mila wanted to be a drain because it's fun to rain down water. The teacher showed the kids a sight word that they didn't get to: SEE. And then, she had them go through an activity where the kids were supposed to watch for their name on the screen, and when they saw it read the sentence, which goes like this: "I am Mila. I see a turtle," and so on. (A great activity, although it took up a lot of time because the kids weren't really watching for their names, so the teacher could've just called on each one. And somebody had their sound on the whole time or were goofing off, so we couldn't hear as well. ~Another issue that gets in the way of being online.) Last, she ended with a book about a STAR that had a hard day and went to the other room and took a breath, like a star does, and felt better. So really, the whole session could've been narrowed down to 15 minutes.

I let Mila have her breakfast and then it was time for the second Zoom meeting. They had an activity on greater than or less than where she went through each student in pairs and they had to say if they had more or less, or equal to, their partner. Except that, the directions weren't very clear to parents so almost all of the students had exactly 10 items. Whoops. But, overall, not a bad session.

Then, came the hard part. I said, "Mila, let's do one activity and then you can go play. This one looks easy!" I picked out the one on the word, SEE, because it involved a simple tracing of the word, coloring in bubble letters of the word in rainbow (which Mila would LOVE), finding the word among other words (and Mila is very good at I-Spy), and last cutting and glueing the word together with the correct letters in the correct order. I didn't know it involved a long video. We did the assignment and then watched the video.

The video covered every sight word known to man I think. But we don't call them sight words. We call them "popcorn words" because they should "pop out at you on the page". And when we say each letter we should have proper mouth placement, and say it with the right loudness or softness. For example, V is loud and F is soft. And when we see a word our first strategy is to find the vowel (A, E, I, O, U) no matter where it is in the word. If it's alone, then it says it's name. But if not, you see what's next to it and if it has partner vowels like in the word BAKE or SEE. Oh, that's not all covered in this ONE video - there are pairs that go together like TH and SH. And she went on through every single strategy until I think we covered everything in the English language (which statistics show is the hardest to learn). I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. They were talking to 5-year-olds!!! I get worked up just recounting the moment... Then, she went on to say that as they're sounding the words out, there shouldn't be any pauses between letter sounds, but keep making the sound and pull it out of your mouth like bubblegum. And there were abbreviations and rhymes for everything.

What are my issues? 

1. They went through EVERY STRATEGY in one session. This should be a progression. Start off with the easiest strategy and work your way to the hardest. I felt like I was bombarded, and when I looked over at Mila, her eyes were wondering around everywhere except for at the computer screen. She became detached. It was too much! 

2. Don't require your kids to call it "popcorn words" vs. "sight words". Who cares? But more importantly, parents will know what a "sight word" is and have no idea what a "popcorn word" is. A little kid isn't going to know what the word "strategy" means either. Just saying.

3. This continues on with "bubble-gumming" a word. I get that you're trying to paint a mental picture to stretch out the word, and you can do that... but, we need time to think. A gap in the word is OK. It's not going to end the world if a child has a gap in their word as they're sounding it out. 

4. I can yell at you and the F will be loud. Mouth placement is just about moot. It works for showing the difference between M and N, where the tongue is, and if the mouth is open or closed, but not every letter needs that pointed out. 

5. Your rhymes are annoying. Limit it.

6. FINALLY, AND MOST IMPORTANT, Mila was prepared and completely ready to read before this. I set her up for success. At age 4, she knew the sounds of all of the letters. She knew that the A had multiple sounds, and the E could have different sounds, etc. She was ready to put the sounds together just by sounding it out. EVERYTHING that the teachers have taught her has set her back by ten steps. She is now QUESTIONING her reading and telling me that it's difficult to find items throughout the house that start with certain sounds, when she was doing this at home last year. She was working on ending sounds last year. And middle sounds. She's questioning herself! 

I am so livid, and hurt. I feel like we made the wrong choice. My baby was ready to read, and they did her a disservice and they're doing all of the kids a disservice. I was ready to pull her completely out of school and strictly homeschool. I was going to spend the $800 (hopefully I could find a deal somewhere) on an out-dated Biblical curriculum and teach Mila at home. Then, I thought it through a little bit. That would be difficult with Luke's requirements. I'll pull them ALL out. And just do my own thing. At our own pace. It is what it is. They'll know what they need to know. And learn about real world problems. The other option was pull her out and put her in virtual school, and anything that doesn't make sense skip entirely, except that it might interfere with Luke's virtual school (he would have to take on more responsibility; and Nayelli would interrupt. From the very beginning I've felt lied to about how the entire school scenario would go, and now it's to these horrid teaching practices.

So, I called up my dad. I said, "Dad, I need to vent. And then I need you to be that person that won't tell me what I want to hear, but what I need to hear. Can you be that person?" The conversation was a long one, but a good one. The culprit: Common Core. I was reminded that we had this conversation when Luke was learning a different kind of math a few grades ago. They had him add in a really weird way, splitting up ones with ones and tens with tens. If you think back to the good years of the 1990's, they taught a little thing called "carry the 1," which they don't do any more. It's more about mental math. While this might work for some people, it's not going to work for everyone. It's adding more steps and making a problem MORE complicated. That's what they're doing with English. For Kindergarten. They've broken everything up. And it's because of Common Core. Every child needs to know certain things, but what they need to understand is that every child is unique and learns in their own way. Rather than teaching multiple to techniques to everybody, they could narrow it down, and if there are kids that need more attention, whether slower at processing or ahead, give it to them. Let's get more specialized services! 

Who in their right mind would stand behind Common Core?

And while I'm on this rant, Luke's Reading assignments are POO. There is no order, rhyme or reason to them at all - not even Common Core. I'm doing that myself! 

And after talking with Luke, Dad and Aldo, I've settled on the fact that come second semester, I'll send Luke back to school so he can learn "how all the other kids are learning" and do the stupid Common Core assignments the right way, because he knows my way and picks up on those things easily. We've had discussions of History and I know what books he likes. He'll probably be repeating a lot because we're actually ahead. And while he's in school, I'll be able to spend the quality time with Elli that I've been wanting, take ahold on the house again, and be prepared to teach Mila (or re-teach) if I have to, and especially work with her on Wednesdays.

If this doesn't work, though, Aldo will have to consider pulling them all out and never going to public school again. :-P

SIDE NOTE: With elections fast approaching, this just makes me more involved in the voting process and knowing who the candidates are. I'm not talking presidential. Those guys are covered. It's blatant what their beliefs are and it's covered in the news and on social media all the time. I'm talking LOCAL. I'm talking school boards, county representatives, governors. I knew that local government was important, but even more since Covid. How our STATE has reacted to orders and suggestions, and even more so when the states and counties are GIVEN the final decision in areas. Man, it really makes a difference. I don't want our state or our school district to be a follower, but a leader. 

How Long Will I Do This?

I don't know how long I'm supposed to journal about my family life and kids for. I had this grand idea that I would have a book printed for each of my children up til their first birthday. So now I haven't printed off Mila's yet, and I just finished Nayelli's. Now that I'm done, do I continue on? Do I catch up once in a while? Dunno. Who's to say?

So..... just in case.....

For Halloween we dressed up as Wizard of Oz characters. I found this perfect rainbow dress for Mila so that she could be the Good Witch. Luke agreed that he would be the Tin Man. I made a little apron for Nayelli to make her look like Dorothy and sparkled up some socks with this red glitter glue, but it all ended up coming off as she walked. Last minute, Aldo dressed up as a Munchkin, I was the Scarecrow and Bandit was the Lion.

Happy Halloween - Oh, My!

In November we went to visit Aldo's dad in El Paso. Time was due to see Abuelito. Nayelli and Mila attached to him like a magnet. And the car ride was fun and one to remember because every major stop the kids got a fun present to unwrap.

  

Visiting Abuelito in El Paso, TX

The Alvidrez Bloodline

The Christmas Play was a hit! We did a Disney-themed musical that went through the life of Jesus. I obviously was obsessed with the two group performances that had movements. They were so powerful! One was to "He is Not One of Us" and showed how the crowds rejected Jesus before he was crucified, and the other was to "He Lives In You" and was the salvational message/lesson that the main character learned. I'll tell you this - I will NOT volunteer to make theatrical flats again.

This year for Christmas, we stayed within budget, which was pretty cool. And I think for the first time I actually have the budget saved. Luke's big present was my old iPhone. Mila really wanted the doctor Barbies and I was planning on building her a cardboard Barbie house. The house ended up getting saturated when I tried to modge-podge the wallpaper on, and so I tossed it. She was still happy with her Barbies though. Nayelli got a train to ride on. She wasn't overtaken at first, but now she's all about it. Mila and her will hide random toys in the back, and Mila will push Nayelli on it, or they'll fight over it. So good buy. Mila and Luke are also very into LEGOs. It's neat to see them work on things together. Nayelli on the other hand is at a hair-pulling stage.

Aldo got us into football sometime in the middle of last season, and he was absolutely stuck on watching every Chiefs game this season. Well, he awakened the monster. We ended up hosting a Super Bowl Party that the Chiefs WON!!!! FYI, I had no doubts. Though I may not go to downtown to see the parade, or try to have every sign or show my support on FB, I do cheer for my KC teams.

    

Reppin' Chiefs & KC Every Sunday

 

World Champions 2020!

• Aldo is still loving his job. His boss was in Thailand for the winter and it seemed like he had off for a long time, and had snow days, and could go in late, but now we're back on a schedule, getting ready for the season of roofing to take off again I suppose. And, he's mentioned a few times how he can see himself running this business with a friend/partner in the future. Hmm...
• You can read my update in the last post.
• Luke has been taking Bandit to dog training on Sundays. Bandit is going through anxiety, which I didn't know that they go through that around this age...??? So he's chewed up three leashes within the last month, and he really, really, really feels comfortable in his kennel. But last week we worked outside and Bandit did a lot better. So cross your fingers that Bandit continues to work out of this anxiety phase and do well for Master Luke. Luke also has been enjoying the Percy Jackson series this year. We started off reading the first two books together, but then he got so far ahead that I had to stop.
• Mila has enjoyed the old princess movies like Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. She's also gotten really protective over her room within the last week. I'm noticing that maybe it's best that she have alone time in her room to play without Nayelli. So much she has to share, that it's good to have her own thing at times. Mila, like I said, does well enough in homeschool and she's excited to go to Kindergarten with a playground and other kids. She loves art and play-dough. Her hair is down to her bottom, and the other day I convinced her that it's ok to cut because we won't cut it so short that it looks like a boy's.
• Nayelli is learning more and more each day. She calls Luke - "Ook". She calls Mila - "Beela". She calls Bandit - "Dit". She calls poop - "po-po", Papa - "po-po" and popcorn - "po-po". She understands so much, and right now I'm trying to get her to understand the difference between YES and NO and the head nods or shakes to match. Nayelli likes to get in the dog food because she wants to help feed Bandit, but then she also will eat his food, or fling it to him piece by piece. She likes holding onto phones or tablets or remotes, and other devices. I think she feels the power. But she also has a tendency to call unknown numbers or have important items selected and ready to delete with a click of the red button. She takes one nap a day from 2:30 to about 4:30. And recently, she likes story time at the library. It's almost too long for her, but I know that it does give her and Mila something different. She likes the theme song to Gilmore Girls and dances to it, just like Luke used to run to Big Bang Theory, and Mila used to to whatever we watched during her early years. Mila has taught her the Baby Shark song and I am not annoyed with it yet.

Til next time. Doo-doo do do.

Little/Big Personality

Mila is now 19 months (... in other words slightly over a year and a half... because who keeps track of monthly milestones anymore?) and her little personality, although she always had one, is reeaaaalllly coming out. I thought I'd catch up on just her. Not to mention, this blog also needs some more pictures. We'll start with some noticeable favorites...

Person(s): There is a list depending on the day and where we are. After a Wednesday and Thursday of working at the library, I'm her favorite person. But really, am I? Or is it just because I have the "night nights"? The other person she seems to RUN to is Grammy ("Mami"). I'm so glad mom chose to stay in Kansas. She would've missed out on this little girl's cuddles every Sunday at church. And the pleasure of seeing all of her quirks descended down into this crazy, lively toddler. Seriously. We'll explore that later...

When Papa visits, sometimes it's a hit and miss. BUT, when I'm on the phone, it MUST be Papa and he MUST be calling for her. Papa is her number one to talk to on the phone. He just knows how to carry on a meaningful conversation with her.

The friends she always looks for are Asher ("Aster") and Noah ("Wawa"). They are her boy.. friends.. that Aldo and I have to keep off of her. Apparently their parents are planning the nuptials already. Not me though. See, I wouldn't mind, but I know these things are delicate and can't be forced. Let her think we don't want her with the Pastor's kid... She doesn't care for people that cling on her. Which is sad because there are a lot of people that would love her hugs, like Ember, who Mila is just now warming up to. I have to throw in a short story because it is the cutest thing and reminded me of the most famous and quoted line in Dirty Dancing. Asher confessed to his mom one day that he wasn't sure he could be friends with Levi any more. When asked why, he said that Levi wanted it to be boys only but Asher said "Nobody closes Mila behind a door." If that isn't her motto.

Luke is a given favorite. Anything Luke has or does is awesome. He is the only one that can get her to laugh hard (not forced). Their bond is the sweetest thing I've ever seen. With that said, they already bicker and get on each other's nerves too. It's those that are closest I guess...

Place: Hmm, this is a hard one. She's an explorer. She likes to get into things, especially if she knows she shouldn't. She's most "at home" at the apartment. But she also doesn't mind getting on the swings or slide at the park. Or on the swings at church in the kids' area, or in the blinky car in nursery, or ON STAGE going up and down the stairs in the SANCTUARY! She does better in the car, thank you Lord, but not her favorite place. And does better in a shopping cart for a limited time. Because eventually curiosity gets the best of her or she sees something that she needs and can't reach, and will fuss until she gets her way. She must be heard. I want to say this... at home, her favorite spots to hang out are by the pateo because outside is fun (another inherited trait that skipped a generation), the bath which is our most repetitive activity (we always take a bath the same: empty floating animals into tub, run water, play, Mommy showers at same time, water is emptied below, Mila gets lathered in soap, showers with Mommy, we drink and spit out water, get out and dry off, put on lotion, and nurse), and on one of her pillows because she knows it's "night night" time.

Food: This is where her similarities with Grammy come into play even more. She likes vegetables! She'll eat green beans one by one. She'll eat a whole cucumber by herself! She'll try to pick the healthy things off of my sandwiches. She likes black beans and rice from Chipotle. She loves spicy! She'll dip fries or chicken nuggets in katsup and suck the katsup off. Same with chips and salsa. And double dip of course. She loves fruit like: grapes, blueberries and apples BUT not bananas. Hot dogs are alright but not with the corn covering. Pizza bites are good. She's not interested in poptarts or breakfast bars, doesn't care for fruit snacks anymore. She can sense an open package of chocolate from across the room. One thing she does take after me, from when I was younger... she is choosey about her food... she WILL examine it first. And she doesn't like her hands dirty. So in between eating cheeto puffs or pizza bites, I have to wash her off so she can eat more.

Movie: We are not to where she'll sit down, but she does ask for Elmo now and she recognizes the sounds of Big Bang Theory (which Luke also loved when he was little).

Music: "Barbara Ann" by The Beach Boys, "Hey Ya" by Outkast, and "Gangnam Style". She has started singing the alphabet song (we're as far as A - B - ...) and some church songs ("I may never...").

Book: Wow, I never thought we'd get here. Since she doesn't sit still for long, it was hard to read anything. Or even get her to look at a black and white board book with no words, just shapes! But now she's a little, book-lover. Her favorites are, "Clifford Counts Bubbles," the "I Love Music," book that actually plays different instruments when you place your finger on circles (I knew she would love this one! Except that now he batteries need replaced...), and the sign language one she got from a doctor check-up. It's those three on repeat whenever she's in the mood for reading.

Toy: Ha! It is mostly whatever Mommy or Luke is currently holding in their hands that she wants to play with. Example: I'm folding clothes. It means it's time for dress up... lets all put underwear on our heads and multiple shirts on our legs. Whenever I am vacuuming, she is in the direct path of the vacuum cleaner. And thanks to my mom, she has her own cleaning supplies to play with. She scrubs the carpet sometimes. (What kid wants cleaning supplies for Christmas?) I would say that the toys she plays with most are her little kitchenette and cooking items (she hides her real bottle in the play oven, makes me some food and drink every once in a while, and stirs things), Luke's Pokémon cards, and the alphabet game on her phone or Pokémon Go on my phone. She gets in trouble with phones. She also gets in trouble with the remote, the keyboard for the Rasberry Pie, my laptop, and pens that she steals from the top drawer of the antique desk.

So in short, we've got a little/big personality on our hands...

That day she locked herself in the bathroom...

(Literally the first week we were in the apartment.)

Enjoying the Sunshine

Mami & Mila

An Eating Crayons Kind of Day

Well, it seems the past weeks have been mainly going to birthday parties and cleaning house. I can't think of anything in between.

Luke is the easiest to keep track of. He has school during the day, soccer practice on Wednesdays, and games on Saturday mornings. This past Saturday, Papa came and watched. Although they lost (10-4), and although Luke tripped and ate grass hard so he had to sit on the bench for a few minutes, Luke played his best game yet! He scored 3 points and I couldn't stop bragging about how he bopped the soccer ball off of his head. Like a real pro!! I'm glad my kid enjoys playing outside, playing sports. Lately, he's been trying to pull out his second tooth. The thing is hanging on by a string and his big tooth has come in behind it. Luke said, "Grammy says I have cricket teeth and have to get braces." Haha!

Watching the Cheetahs Play!

Mila is.... I can't even explain. Today I caught her eating crayons at Stacia's house. Lately I've been so tired (not sleepy, but physically drained) to where it's hard to keep up with Mila or do anything. Stacia called and asked if I could help her get her house ready for her grandma to visit. (She's pregnant with her 4th if I haven't mentioned yet.) Maybe it's the lull of my own dungeon of a house, and doing it over and over again.... Anyway, doing things with Mila (such as reading, cleaning, cooking, watching a movie, anything....) is difficult because she likes being on your lap. She likes reinforcement. She likes your attention. There are few times where she'll play on her own, like right now! In the meantime I've been trying to teach her animal sounds and different words. If she wants/needs the attention so much, she might as well learn something. So here is what she is doing, loving, and learning:

- Bullet. She probably says his name more than Mama and Dada. She really loves him so much. It sounds like "Bulley!" She also knows puppy, but we only use that for strange dogs or stuffed animals, and she doesn't say it much. And she can bark too. As far as animals go, I'm also teaching her Big Bird/chicken, horse, elephant, pig, duck, and kitty. Sometimes she shows interest. Most of the time she gets distracted. She may have a name for Luke ("Luuuuuuu"), but I've only caught her saying it once or twice. And today, for the very first time, she said, "BABY!" (I'm putting exclamation points because every time she says a word, she says it with this cute excitement.) She was looking at Jax when she said it and tried to give him his bottle. 

- Music. The girl looooves music. She was rocking on Luke's guitar until it ran out of batteries. As you know, Luke got her a little piano for her birthday. She'll play on that for a while and now sing in the microphone. She would much rather play on his huge keyboard. There are times where she'll yodel/gargle in a way, which I understand as her singing to herself. When I play music, she'll nod her head up and down. That's adorable.

- Food and snacks. I just told mom the other day that I have no idea where this child came from. She'll eat spicy enchiladas, green bean soup, Chinese food, broccoli cheddar stuff, vinegar-y QUINOA, but not bananas and not peanut butter. She recognizes the sound of an open package of chocolate, but won't touch a cupcake. She likes sipping on my cereal. She'll down a bottle of blue Gatorade, but doesn't go for apple juice or milk unless she's feelin' it. She likes fruit snacks and apple sauce, but doesn't care for graham crackers (because the ones we have are oddly shaped like Star Wars characters). I don't understand this girl at all when it comes to food.

It's a Classic.

When she falls asleep on you.... </3

- Games and toys. Our favorite game is Peek-A-Boo, and it's mainly me hiding in the same spot... in front of the Frankencouch, and saying "Boo" when she walks around. Except last night, she hid! I would love for her couch to be her favorite spot, and to sit still and watch a tv show like Luke watched Elmo or Blue's Clues, but she's not a sit still kind of girl. She walks around looking for things to get into and touch. Remotes. Books. Opening and closing cupboards, doors and drawers. Flushing the toilet. Mommy's purse... taking out credit cards and cash (this has been a repeat thing). Oy vey. But if I absolutely need to contain her - she does like the swing and the slide. And when it gets too cold out for that... we can always go back to Bullet.

 Hiding in Grammy's TV Cabinet

Dog Training

1 Year, 19 Days

Amongst all the other things that have gone "wrong" in dealing with selling the house / showing house / moving sales / finding a new home to move to / etc. by far the craziest thing is when Bullet, Mom's dog, bit the neighbor kid in the butt. After the ordeal had been blown out of proportion in so many different ways, Mom decided to hire a dog trainer. I think she lucked out for once, because it's actually been informative, interesting, fun and even successful! Last week we had our first lesson. Bullet was given a collar that sends pulses to get his attention, like tapping on someone's shoulder. I can feel level 1 in my palm if I'm really concentrating and ready for it. A level 7 makes my hands feel extra sensitive after the fact, like I should be wary of more pulses coming. (I honestly don't know what the difference is between "pulses" and "shocks". The instructor said today that an electric fence takes on average of 8 times before a dog understands its boundaries. By our scale on the collar device, let's say an electric fence goes up to a level 20. Ours only goes to 7, so it'll take a few more "pulse" zaps before Bullet fully understands. ...An electric fence will make a dog jump!)

Well, Bullet doesn't like the vibration. So we just use the lowest of pulses. This past week we focused on basic commands: Come, Sit, Free, and This Way. Come and Sit are obvious, except that he isn't supposed to move until you release him. Which is what Free is. This Way is kind of like "I don't have a specific place for you to go to, walk with me this way." And with each command we must hit the button on a level 1. That way he knows to pay attention when Owner is around. It might take a few times to get his attention, in which case, if it takes more than 3-4 times of commanding him, we have to turn up the level one notch. The highest I've gotten with him was a 3. But by the end of the week, after using all of this while walking Luke to the end of the drive for the bus, it was hard to even command him because he was already doing things before I had a chance to say it. He also started going poop on his walks without any training! Instead of going in the garage. Mom says that he's "respecting us more".

Anyway, so today we had our second lesson. We put up flags around the front perimeter of the house, only to the circle drive and across to the side of the house before the fence and on the other side in the small field to the fence, so he would know his boundaries. The flags tell him, "you can't pass this point". If he comes within 5 feet, we warn him with the sound. If he comes within 2 feet, we "pulse" him at a 4-ish. (Every dog is different. Some only need a little buzz and some need the mack daddy pulse. Bullet whimpered and freaked out a 7 when we were testing him. He learned quick not to cross over by the flags. So we only have to use a 3-4. Maybe a 5 or 6 if he doesn't return to the safe spots.

This week is all about the front yard and going off leash.

By the end of his lesson, he was DONE. It wears him out. He didn't even want to be near the yard, only wanted to stay on the front porch. Or in the garage. By the end of the week, he'll know his limits.

I thought this would be an interesting thing to write about because, well, we've never had a "trained" dog before. And also, because Bullet is Mila's favorite. We'll go outside and she'll look around for him and call - Bull! Bull! He'll come over and lick her hand and the inside of her mouth. She enjoys it.... And my last reason is because maybe, just maybe, one day we'll decide to own our own pet (and of course it'll be a dog because we're dog people - must be warm-blooded unlike the stupid fish and stupid crabs Luke had/has) and we'll need to know how to train them. So for your records, sport dog? is the brand of dog collar that's been working. I'll let you know more about our doggie school as it comes up!

Milestones Plus

I had better catch up. I realized that I don't know the exact day that Mila started walking. Believe it or not, I thought she walked first with me. And I was so excited about it because she took 3 steps to make it to ME!!! And then later I found out that she had already walked for mom. Way to burst my bubble. Anyway, here are the milestones for a 1-Year Old.

• Cruising/Walking - ALL THE TIME. Cruising is when babies/toddlers walk along stuff, like the couch. This is easy peasy for Mila. And I realized a few days ago, that she is daily walking more and more by herself. First it was 3 steps. The next day 4 steps. The next day 5 there and 5 back again. But, she's only walking when she wants, because cruising and crawling are a whole lot faster. And she's got places to be.
• Pincer Grasp - She was able to do this long ago. She's been able to break into her snacks with her teeth since the day she first had them! And... she can't hold just one snack at a time either. Must have hands full of food!!!
• Separation Anxiety - She has this every once in a while. She used to cry when I got home from work (after Aldo had been watching her all evening). She would be fine, but then when I would walk through the door realize that I had been gone. I think this last time I came through the door she just looked at me and then went back to what she was doing though. I was kind of heart broke.... There are other times though where she's okay with others talking to her and sometimes even touching her, but she'll just give them the stare down in Mama's arms. But if it's someone she doesn't know... you can't even touch her hand. Don't even try it. Last Sunday I was able to leave her in Nursery at church from the get go. By the end she was ready for me. They said she screamed every so often. They just had to keep her busy. So we're making progress. (Today I am at work from bell to bell, so we'll see how she did at Mama Lily's.)
• Throwing Things on the Floor - If she's not interested in it anymore, then it's ready for the floor. I don't play this game for long.....
• Forming Language - She's a talker. She can be loud. She's a singer too. I know she's saying real things though, I just don't understand them yet. Because there are times when I say something like "all done" or "night night" or "Bullet" and she'll repeat it. She comprehends. And she's forming it all in her mind. Sometimes it just doesn't come out clear enough for me to understand it.
• Sleep - Still not sleeping through the night, but that's because she's breastfed and I am a comfort object. I bet once we have the crib up again, or better yet, her own room (!!!), she'll be sleeping through the whole night.
• Solid Food - She can now eat ALL things! Her favorites are: avocado, fruit loops, grapes, spicy chicken enchiladas, and macaroni.
• Play - She likes to play with the cabinet doors, and now get into them. It's the tupperware... She'll pretend to cook like Mommy. She also plays "Peek a Boo" with socks, except that when she hides, the socks end up behind her head instead of in front. I clearly see her, but I pretend for her sake. :) She likes to read books herself. And of course, anything Luke has is fair play too. Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier - she'll try to climb to get stuff. And she has no fear of trying to get down either. It won't be long before she is getting up and down from the couch.
• Nap Time - Every once in a while Mila will take a morning nap, but most of the time it's for 1.5-2 hours at around 4:30 pm. Wahoo for something consistent!
• Dancing - I mentioned somewhere that she likes music. She bops up and down, sqatting her legs. She will be a little dancer like Mommy! <I squeal in delight!>
• Humor - She thinks she's funny. I can pretend laugh and she'll mimic me with her most fake, white girl laugh. Gosh, I love her!

I HAVE to put these pictures on here. All day, all I could do was look at the pictures on my phone. There are so many I haven't been able to share. People would be overwhelmed with how photogenic and gorgeous she is. Consider that a warning; here they are.

 

 A Special Photoshoot by Mommy

Mila in Her Tutu

(She was clapping and yelling at Bullet) 

 

 

<3 One of My Favorites <3

All of the above were taken for her First Birthday Invites. She was 11 months old and I took them in our front yard by the apple tree gate. She only smiled because Bullet was outside. She kept screaming at him. He is her puppy. Haha! 

 

Mila's First Pony (Almost 1 Year)

Watching "Life of Pets" with Papa

These next pictures were taken at the Overland Park Arboretum yesterday. It was my first "day off" from cleaning/prepping the house, from library work, and just a day to rest in general, and then my mom invited us to go to something like a botanical garden. It was boring and hot as all get out, but I got some good photos out of it. Mila behaved well and liked the flowers anyways.

 

Striking a Pose

(My Delicate Flower...) 

 

Mom taking more pictures of cheesy stuff she'll never use....

 

The Cuteness!!!

Summer Days Driftin' Away...

Almost 10 Months

I absolutely love summer. The weather, the sleeping in, the possibility of big breakfasts, the grilling out, the open schedule, the outdoor activities (picnics, spots, shopping, etc.), the longer days, and the swimming when I finally decide to do it. I would consider yesterday our first day of running with our summer schedule. Luke and I woke up around 9am while Daddy went to work and Mila slept. He watched two movies, then I told him he needed to do some schoolwork before anything else. I bought him these workbooks so he wouldn't get lazy over the summer. We did the page that talked about President George Washington. I've also introduced Mad Libs to him, so without knowing it, he's learning the different parts of speech. Smart mama. Grammy was visiting friends in Tennessee, so we picked her up from the car rental place in the afternoon (after playing outside for an hour practicing soccer... Luke of course won) and went to our On Pointe classes before coming home. Also, we've been taking care of Grammy's animals while she's been away, and the last day, she had a baby chic hatch. We set up the box and heat lamp, water and food, and have been keeping a close eye on the little guy.

Today was more productive. Before we go on our trip to Branson, I told Aldo I wanted the house clean and laundry done so we had clothes to pack. Luke already had his "What to Pack" list made up... This morning Aldo cleaned out the fridge, took out the trash, and did all the dishes. I cleaned the living room, did laundry, cleared the dining table, and made lunch. Now all I have to worry about is upkeep. Eventually I'd like to shampoo the carpet (which wasn't done before we brought Mila home from the hospital) and go through our closets and drawers (especially Mila and Luke's). Maybe I'll find the Driver's License, credit card, insurance cards, and social security cards that I lost??? With Mila being a little more independent, it'll be easier to keep a sort of "House Rules" or summer schedule. I'm thinking of things like: Fold laundry out of dryer, keep sink clean of dishes, before playing on Mommy's phone must do a page or two of schoolwork, in bed by 9:30 or 10 (adults laying down at 11:30). I didn't say it earlier (because I don't want to be bummed if it doesn't work out) but I'd like to also work out a little bit in the mornings. It's my one time to get anything done for me. Both kids are asleep, and Aldo too... So I could wake up, work out, read/study, computer work, clean house, shower. And have fun the rest of the day, and focus on Luke and Mila while Aldo is at work.

As for Mila, I think she'll do wonderfully on our trip. She says "Mama" and "Dada", although Dada is more of any boy and her go-to gibberish word. She'll let other people hold her and even watch her in short spurts of time. She'll let you know when she's hungry with sign language (the correct one, by doing the hand gesture for "please" by her mouth). She'll shake her head "no". It's a matter of time before she starts saying it. She'll play Patty Cake. She eats grown up food!!! Her favorites are mashed potatoes or French fries, straight up avocado, seasoned meat (carne asada), bananas, apple sauce, jello, baby pudding, and baby snack puffs. One of the biggest successes is that she's been taking semi-regular naps. I say semi-regular because it depends on what time she lays down. But around 4 o'clock I can count on a two hour nap. And when she wakes up, she doesn't go toward the edge of the bed. She's such a happy waker-upper. Generally speaking. She's a girl, so she has her  days. We're in the fun stages though!! I'm reading to her and trying new things like Hide and Seek, letter magnets that go on the fridge, more bath time, and other stuff. Hopefully there's a pool at our hotel in Branson.  I wonder if she's a water baby too...

Mila Unchained

34 Weeks.

I'm not doing very well on my blogging. Let's just say March was utter madness, mainly because we were all sick and it went around in this vicious circle. But we are all better now. No more breathing treatments, no more kleenex boxes, no more pink medicine.

Mila got her third tooth on March 21. It isn't the typical middle one on top, it is one next to the middle one (to her, left side). Days later she got the middle one (right top). Grammy and I were joking that she'll look like a hill billy (Aldo's "I eat dirt" face comes to mind), but yesterday I saw that her other middle tooth is showing, not popped through yet, but showing. She gets on her knees and can inch forward on them, but she's faster army crawling with her left arm strength and left toes pushing. Over the weekend I caught her sitting on her knees looking into her car seat, playing with the seat belts. On Tuesday, I was on the phone with mom for maybe 20 seconds searching for a recipe, I came into the living room and found her STANDING, holding onto her walker. Now she pulls up on it every day. Last night she pulled up on the side of her crib.

Speaking of crib - this is the newest thing we have going on - we're trying to get Mila sleeping in her crib. She has slept with us every night since she was born, and I will admit, I don't mind her sleeping with us, except that eventually she'll need to sleep on her own. And, I believe that the marriage bed is a sacred place. Kids are welcome every now and then, but that time has come to an end for Mila. So, with this change, I have to get her on the bottle. Easier said than done. We've done it for two days and I've found she doesn't have a problem with the bottle or even drinking formula, although you can totally tell by her face that it's not her favorite. (Score for Mommy!) The difficult part is getting her to take a nap or go to bed with the bottle. It's one step at a time. Literally one step. First, we got her used to the bottle rather than me. Then formula. Then sitting in her crib for maybe 5 minutes with me there holding her bottle. She may be scared of the crib, I'm not really sure. Because last night while I was doing my 5 minutes, pushing it type-of-thing, I showed her the big pink paper balls that I hung as decoration from the baby shower. She wouldn't touch them. She would look at them, turn away and shake her head like she had the jitters. I took them down, but when we went back in, she looked for them still, and still shook her head. It was kind of cute, kind of sad that she's already maybe scared of something. I have breastfed every day for 8 months strictly from myself. They say sometimes moms get sad when then stop breast-feeding because it's like the baby no longer depends on you. I can see that. Mila bites, and she bites hard. I'm proud of myself for sticking with it, for continuing to breastfeed when it hurt, for continuing when it seemed tough like my milk was going low during growth spurts, for continuing when my milk was low through sickness. It's not an easy thing. Once you do it, it's like this huge accomplishment. And so it's kind of surreal that it's ending. I'll let you know how it goes. And maybe my body will go back to normal. (You know how when I was pregnant, everything was because I was pregnant? Now that I'm not pregnant, everything is because I'm breastfeeding. Examples: not touchy-feely physically or emotionally, dehydrated, and not on a cycle.)

I looked up the development for 34-week-olds the other day and it said that they'll start reaching up for things, and pulling themselves up. (Mila's ahead of the game.) But it also said that now is the time to start "labeling". They're learning the words, even if they may not speak them right away, they're learning them and remembering them. So you just repeat, repeat, repeat. We were playing with her toys, so I showed her BALL, PUPPY, BOOK, TOYS. She tried to feed me her BALL. It was so cute. I said, "Yum yum" and she kept feeding it to me, like it was play food. Do I remember when Luke used to do that? No. Sad face. I'm also teaching her KISS KISS. I always kiss her on the hand. I don't know why… it's just a thing. She always reaches out her hands wide open to me and so I kiss them I guess. I say, "Mommy kisses Mila's hand. Mommy kisses Mila's feet. Mommy kisses MILA!" and I finish by kissing her on the belly or in the crevices of her neck. She loves when I kiss her. She's been kissing us!! She'll kiss me near the inside of my elbow by falling forward with her mouth open and wait a few seconds and then laugh. Repeat. Slobber seeping out until my arm is covered because she's teething. Oh, my 8-month-old girl - you are adorable.

Her hair lays down. :(

Now for Luke, he is playing with her more and more - more rough too. He really gets her laughing, because he's willing to be loud and do crazy things. Mommy and Daddy aren't that loud. And we don't have the energy to jump up and down from squatting position. Especially for more than 5 minutes.

Luke started soccer at the end of March. He had his first game this past Saturday. He's good about staying in the game, not getting bored. He gets excited though and hops around on the field, galloping on his right side, so it gives away what leg he's going to kick with. And also he'll hesitate before his kick because he wasn't ready because he was galloping! Haha. I remember when Maecy played soccer she would get the ball and laugh, and wouldn't be able to keep it or control it. Luke is actually really good about kicking the ball down the field. During his game he assisted in many attempts at goal. The other thing he does really well, in Aldo's words, is "read the play" - so while every Kindergartener and First grader is in a huddle chasing the ball, he goes where no one else and is at the ready. "It's the mind of a defender." He still needs to work on the position of goalie and also shooting the ball in the goal, but in the that one game, I saw him improve so much. Yes, he let one ball pass him, giving the other team one point, but after that he dove for the ball! He saved two out of three shots. I couldn't be more proud. It was kind of tough because I didn't want him to feel disappointment for that shot - it tied up the game. I could imagine in that moment the other team winning later and him blaming himself. I reminded myself that I would cheer for him and the team the whole game, win or lose. Not let them lose heart. And also, that the point (agreed by other parents and the coach) was for the kids to have fun and learn some soccer basics. We're succeeding in that. Luke will walk around the house with his soccer ball. Whenever the weather is warm…. -ish…. Luke will ask if we can play soccer outside. He loves it! It was just an idea that we wanted him to get involved in a sport, whatever it may be, and he's embraced it. And Mila enjoys watching too! Oh, and I forgot to say, first game score 3-2… we won! And it was freezing! Never. Again.

How Does She Do It?

Really? How does she?
The stay-at-home mom. The work-from-home, part-time employee. The church leader. The cook. The cleaner. The baby calmer-downer and baby milk-machine. The teacher. The entertainer. The disciplinarian. The comforter. The encourager. The animal sitter. The chauffeur. The school-activities attendee. The walking schedule/calendar AKA the planner. The mom. The sister. The daughter. The wife. The woman.

This morning I was thinking while I was taking care of the animals about women in the past, growing up on the prairie without a stove (or microwave), without a hot shower, without vehicles. They woke up at the crack of dawn and took care of animals and farm and gardens, then slaved away all day at meals for the family, and taught there gazillion children. I'm like - I've been watching Jerad and mom's animals and I couldn't do this every day forever. And people want to go back to self-sustainable living? That's crazy. I was thinking of an instance if ever I could, and honestly you would have to do it with the entire family. Every member would have to be part and have a job.
Anyway, here's what I've been doing: wake up as early as 6:00 am to go over to Jerad's, break water for four outdoor water troughs (I've thought I've had frostbite several times), feed cats, feed dogs (letting them in and out of barn), giving 1 scoop grain to Jerad's horses and 2 scoops to mom's picky and impatient horse, giving 3-4 flakes (or sections) of hay to each horse, making sure the little horse is eating, making sure each horse has water, and if I water them wrap the hose and faucet in a t-shirt so that the pipes don't freeze as well as preserving any water left in the hose so not to waste it (and by the way, the t-shirt was frozen the first day), then going back home to mom's to take care of Bullet, the two roosters in the garage, the chickens and turkies in the coop, breaking the pond for the horses in the field, taking care of Jenna's brand new guinea pig, and finally watering Luke's one hermit crab that I'm just waiting for to die. I know that sounds cruel, but he honestly needs a warm-blooded animal. These past animals as pets haven't taught him an ounce of responsibility. Anyway, that whole shpeal I've gotten down to about 30-45 minutes. You can give me a pat on the back any time.

So yesterday, just to give you a little more background, I did all the chores, signed Luke up for soccer and made sure bills were paid, visited Stacia, went to Kari's to tutor the girls, worked on church course material, locked up animals, and went to a game night at the church (staying out until midnight). So what did I do today? I got up again to do the chores, cleaned the living room, did laundry, cooked several meals, watched tv with Luke, planned our Branson trip with Luke, worked on  church flyers, browsed Pinterest for new meals, locked up the animals, played with Mila (a lot), made all the family take showers before bed, and blogged. My days are pretty full. And honestly I think if anyone else were in my shoes, they would get so bogged down with "to-do's" and overwhelmed with sticky notes and lists that they couldn't function. So... How does she do it?

And hey, I think Mila is getting her other middle bottom tooth. And she'll also probably crawl sometime this month. She says "mama" distinctly but on her own terms. Eating first foods is going well (more often, but she still sucks it down like she's drinking milk). We're trying to get her to sit by herself, but she still slowly falls over and if she's in the bumbo, she arches her back. I'm trying to teach her the meaning of "ow" or "no", but she just thinks it's funny, which is frustrating when I'm the one getting pinched, hair pulled, bitten in a tender area or hurt in some other way. Other things that are funny: When I blow on her hair, growling, throwing up noises, and Luke in general. She knows Patty Cake. She knows what it means when I say "hungry" and make sucking noises. I know she knows what "no" means, but I think she refuses to respond to it the correct way, as well as when I say her name. It's a hit or miss. I'm trying to teach her "dada" and "Luke" also. They would love that. Actually now that I think of it, Aldo thought she said "no" the other day. I'm trying to teach her sign language for "please" or "more" because it was so helpful and showed good manners when Luke learned it in Nursery. But I think she's gotten it confused with high-fives. Also teaching her "ta-da!" Because wouldn't that be cute after eating her cake at her first birthday? I can now get her to laugh. Bury my face in her ribs and she'll laugh. And now, her feet and underarms are ticklish too. Yay! I have to go, she is growling and forceful grunting/squealing/mumbling and I'm pretty sure when I lay down next to her, she'll pull down my shirt and do her thing. Have you ever read Boss Baby? it might be time for a review... Everything is hers. Everything is on her time. Period and The End.

Luke, the Kindergartener

My prayers came true.

1. Went as natural as possible. (Wasn't given Petosin. Had the epidural, but just in the knick of time.)
2. My water broke on its own. (Not in the way I expected, where it would be in the middle of the night at home, or cause a scene at Walmart or at Luke's enrollment…)
3. AND THE BIG ONE… WE WERE ABLE TO SEE LUKE GET ON THE BUS!!

I was kind of upset about giving birth on August 10th because generally after giving birth you stay in the hospital for two days. So we would leave on August 12th, which was Luke's first day of school. We wouldn't get out until the afternoon… we'd be lucky if we saw him get off the bus. BUT, that's not what happened. I asked the nurse when we went in on August 9th how many days she expected us to be at the hospital. She said that some people could go home a day early if both the mom and baby were healthy and the doctors signed off on it. And that's what happened! So we got to see Luke go to school. Kind of an unspoken rule or right of passage or something for parents of first-time bus riders/kindergarteners. 

That morning Daddy surprised us with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Luke already had his bag packed and everything. I kind of failed in one area in that he didn't have a First Day of School Outfit, but we made it work with his cool shark shirt. Luke didn't have to get on the bus until 8:00am. We went down a little early - glad we did though because the bus came early (and has ever since…). Luke gets on at 7:45-7:50am. Luke was so excited AND he got to choose where he sat, which was right at the front of the bus, next to the bus driver. My child… who would be excited to sit next to the bus driver? My child. He's so precious. I love him! Mila was there too with us and she was a perfect sister, sleeping quietly, letting Luke have his big moment.

First Day Pictures 

August 12, 2015 • Kindergarten 

 First Time on the Bus

The house was quiet. At 4:00, we were eager to pick Luke up at the end of the drive. Mila and I sat on the front porch looking for the bus while Aldo played with Bullet. When we saw the bus in the distance, we began to walk down and we reached the end of the drive way at the same time Luke did. I wish I would have caught a picture (I recorded a video, but accidentally hit the record button twice. So when I thought I was recording I wasn't. And when I thought I shut it off, I was recording feet and grass.) - When Luke got home, he looked like he spent a full day in school… his hair was WINDED! He looked like a cute peacock. He told me that he made four friends - Westin, I can't remember the names of the middle two, and Porter (originally he told me the name was "Quarter… like the money", but we figured out the real name later). He also told me what he had for lunch. That's about all he remembered.

The next day, he made another friend - Aden, who rides the bus with him. (Since then he has made plenty of friends and even wrote their names down on a list.) Some of the things he says he's done at school are: read "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and search for the letters of the alphabet, do exercises in P.E., check out one book at a time from the library, play the drums in music class, push the letter Q over and over and the apple button over and over in computer class, play games in computer class, play with the blocks in down time, and run from girls during recess. We went to Parent Night the other day to meet his teacher (who we already know because I used to work with her at the library) and to find out more about how their day goes. They're still trying to get in the swing of things. Mrs. Eder said that at first Luke was quiet, but this past week he's been getting more out of his shell. She also said that she has no worries about Luke, he's way ahead of the game - you can tell someone worked with him on reading. (That would be ME at homeschool last year. And this summer before I allowed him to play any games on iPads or phones, he had to read some pages from Dr. Seuss. Who's the bomb dot com?)

Luke's List of Friends

(Talin, Aden, Berit, Macy, Violet, Westin, Porter, Julia and Mila)

But he loves school. He's excited to go in the mornings and never wants to miss the bus (which we've almost done already…). And when he gets home, he's excited to be home with us because the days are long. I can't wait until he really gets into the swing of things. And when he starts learning, and sharing, and going on trips, and making things. He's going to have so much fun. I'm proud of you my big Kindergartener!

Best quote so far… 

Me: Luke, what did you learn at school today?

Luke: Ohhh yeah… "Dismissal" means you get to go home!

(Nice Luke. Real nice. That's a word everyone should know… and what even adults look forward to.)

Oh, Boy!

Clifford didn't last long. It was probably just that one day. We're still stuck on Elmo.
Except he will watch other shows. "I Know" (which is the tv series "Psych") and movies with recognizable objects or animals like "Stuart Little" and "Kung Fu Panda".

Before I forget to mention it, I just wanted to say that Luke can now count to 10 in English and 3 in Spanish. I try to speak in Spanish, but he seems to want to learn English more with me. Anyway, as we jump down the stairs we count... one, two, thee, four, fii, ix, circle, a, ni, ten! I don't know where the "circle" came from. It just happened that way. My mom says that it reminds her of when I was little and I would say that "the dish ran over the spoon". He also knows what a star is (we put glow-in-the-dark stars up on his ceiling). And he can repeat colors and sometimes pick out the correct one. Body parts his knows - hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth/boca, tongue/lengua, chin, neck, teeth/cheese, cheek, button, pitties (major attachment to deodorant, so we had to buy him his own travel size), big cheeks (thank you tia), and toes/piggies.

More importantly... he is such a BOY!!! I knew it would be different than when my sister was little. But wow! He is such a boy! He wants to rough house, make huge messes, etc. His goal every day is to - in one word - DESTROY! Daddy has taught him especially well on how to wrestle and fight. When those two play it is so funny how Luke swings those arms and belly flops on Daddy. And he's smart! So I've had several complaints on Luke hitting other kids. Sigh... how do you teach a child that it's ok to "play" fight with Daddy, but you can't "play" or "serious" fight with other kids? Tough lesson. But we're trying. And it doesn't help that he has two boy cousins that were just as rough with him when he was younger, and act crazy. The other day I heard a story that while Luke was hanging out at the cousins' house, they were fighting over some toy probably. Luke, I guess, didn't want to argue, and instead grabbed his cousin by the hair and pushed him to the floor. The cousin, a heavy-set almost-three-year-old, started crying. Sigh again. I really don't want to raise the bully.

The good news is - he loves his mommy!

The Funny Things He Does

We have moved on from Elmo. Well, maybe not "moved on". But we have started watching something else. Clifford. I'm so excited! For a while, Luke would wake up in the morning and b-line it to the TV so he could watch Elmo. Then he let me put in Garfield, the movie, and somewhat watched it. And then he started letting me put in cartoons and some tv shows with good beginning credit music like "Puss in Boots", "Hop", and "Psych". But now he's officially started watching another show and that's Clifford. At least it's educational. I'm so proud of him. When I was little, there was only Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers, and I didn't like either. I ended up watching The Land Before Time and Beauty and the Beast and Winnie the Pooh over and over again.
Ah, sweet success.

Now for the cute things that he does... well, he says names in the most adorable way. Mommy and DaDa are a given. He calls my sister "Maaace" and he'll shout down the hall or up the stairs for her all the time. Grammy still sounds like Mommy. He used to call John "uh-duh". No idea where that came from. Abuelita is "a-Ma e e" (supposed to be Mama Lily). Tish, the dog, is like my sister in that every time he says her name, it's like he's shouting it. He pronounces Jul really well. Interesting because Jul doesn't like kids (or doesn't show it) and we don't hang out, so I don't know how Luke even retained that information. And of course, if he can't say your name - he just says yeah. Aside from the names of people, Luke is learning food, colors, and animals. He knows apples (everything red and round is an apple), cereal, leche, jugo/juice, agua (sometimes mixes up leche and agua), crackers, cookies, frutas, eggs, pizza (tee-pa), purple, puppy, kitty, bear, and bug. He also likes to call out "door" every time he sees one. And sometimes "car". I think, just so he can inform me that that's what it is.

Yesterday, I brought out my old gymnastics mat so Luke could jump from the Pilates stools to the mat and do forward rolls etc. Grammy taught him all that. And it really wears him out for bed time. He would jump from the stool to the mat and roll off the mat and run to me and say "Mommy mommy" right in my face so that he knew I was watching him. His expressions are priceless!

I don't know if this is "cute", but he also picks his nose and makes messes and afterward says ew. Even though he is a boy, I have taught him well. He picks up his mess if he dumps food on the floor. He'll wipe up a spill. He'll throw his trash away, and he'll put his dishes in the sink when he's done (which is more than what Aldo or myself have done).

A cute, little gentleman has been molded and here's to age 2. I love my son so much. When he's running in circles so fast, having fun, and the whole time I'm thinking he's going to hit something because he's not paying attention and he can't run in a straight line whatsoever... it's moments like that where I know I am completely gone. I am no longer my former self. I am a mother, a wife, and completely in love with this family. Sheesh, I went the whole time without getting sentimental.

All Things Elmo

Yes, Luke is now hooked on Elmo. First thing in the morning, that's what he wants to do. Watch Elmo. This originally started in Texas when we were visiting family. We hadn't thought to bring toys. Oops and Duh! So we had to run by a store and Elmo seemed good. He didn't like it. He didn't even want to play with it at the time.
After a few months, I went through this shock of - oh my gosh, how do kids learn anything?! I'm supposed to teach my child how numbers, colors, letters, naming things, sounds, etc. and I just didn't know where to start. I asked my sister-in-law, who has two boys of her own that are only a little bit older than Luke, and she said that it just happened. They watched educational shows and asked when they wanted to know. So in a panic that Luke wasn't getting anything, I brought home "Elmo", "Barney", "Dora", and some other stuff. And Elmo stuck. First time I put it in, he sat right down and watched the full show.
Now he knows all or most of the characters' names and what they like. On the good side, he's learned about animals, food, exercise, etc. It's also opened us up for potty training. Luke received an Elmo potty. It flushes and laughs. And an Elmo potty book and we've watched the movie together on how to potty. It'll happen when he's ready. Right now he's scared to sit on it naked. He's also watched the Elmo sharing movie. Not working yet. (I think he's entering into the Terrible Twos early... he got in trouble the other day for hitting a little girl and later pushing her into the wall in SUNDAY SCHOOL!)
So if you're wondering what has been going on with us lately - it's Elmo.

Word Association

The life of a full-time, working mother. We blog at midnight because there's no better time to do it.
Anyway, I had to post this before Luke learns something new. Earlier this month we have been babysitting a friend's dog named ChaCha. Luke calls her "caca", as well as any other dog, or animal for that matter. And sometimes he just randomly says "caca". It's kind of funny since Aldo's family speaks Spanish, but I don't want him going to school and get in trouble for calling homework "caca". Well, we bought my mother-in-law a puppy for her birthday. Luke was calling him said name, which wouldn't work because he's a boy... so I've since then been trying to teach him the word "puppy".
Last week, Aldo and I were just talking like usual on the couch, about our day at work, etc. and one of us said the word "puppy". Without a second to pause Luke said, "caca". I know that's not what I was trying to teach him... but I was so excited because it's like word association! Or idea association! I don't know... But it lets me know that what I'm teaching, he's understanding. And keeping in his mind until later it comes up again, and he recognizes it! Ah, sweet success.
That's my story for the night. I will probably have more as this weekend is my birthday and also a holiday, so three day weekend. And also next week we are preparing for Aldo and Luke's first ever airplane ride to Texas!
Until then, good night.

P.S. He has eight teeth and counting. There are four coming in on bottom right now... and the last two were full of endless drool baths. Two of them are molars!

Dancing Like A Jumping Bean

I know you are patiently waiting for me to post pictures of Luke's first birthday party. I've been trying to get the pictures processed, and just finished putting together his First Birthday Photo Album. SO CUTE. So I'll put the pictures on here as soon as I can.

My blogging has really gotten away from me. So here's the latest.

I recently took on full time at work. I am a working mama! At first I wasn't too sure about it; the schedule clashed with my play time with Luke. But we have it all worked out. On Monday through Wednesday he'll be with me until noon and then go across the street to my Aunt's house. A few hours later Aldo will pick him up and have the afternoon with him. On Thursday and Friday I'll go into work early and Luke will be with his Abuelita. I'll get home at 5:30ish and see BOTH Aldo and Luke! I'm so excited! Today is my first day going home early!
Of course, getting up wasn't easy at all. My husband has turned me into a night owl, and the one day I wanted to go to sleep early my mom asked me to help her with a project that kept us up past midnight.


Aldo started back at work this week also. He had one week off between his internship at the medical center and work to spend solely hanging out with Luke. They are so crazy when you get them together. It's cute how each of us have our own "things" with Luke. I have the "tickly fingers" and hide-and-seek, Aldo has the "wrestling" and signature "stomp", my sister plays follow the leader with him... and I guess my Mom lets him eat things he shouldn't... but it's so sweet how we bond. More than bond. These are off of my new phone.

 Cutest Cheese Ever!

Reading On His Own

Giving Daddy Kisses

Luke has learned so much and gotten so big. He's different day to day. When he was a baby it felt like months before he did something new, whereas now I just can't keep up with him. He points to things that he wants. The other day I didn't know what his grunting was, until he went over, picked up his bottle, placed it in my hand and grunted again. He reads on his own, climbs into things, drives, talks on the phone, watches some of the movies, SAYS PLEASE in sign language (a really big feat for us, we've been working on it since he joined the nursery at church), and so much more. Someone has taught him how to jump. I'm sure it was from watching all of our youth dramas. But now every time music comes on he really gets to bouncing.

The other day I took my sister to enroll at school and after meeting with the principal, the principal said, "bye". Without any hesitation, Luke said, "bye". Is this his first real word? (besides the regular sounds of mmm, mama, baba, dada, etc.)

Oh my little jumping bean.

More to come!