Bad Santa

Dani is such a social little girl. She loves EVERYONE! We often joke (even though it is not terribly funny) that a kidnapper wouldn't even need candy. Unless he was wearing a Santa suit. We have determined that Dani doesn't find the jolly fellow the least bit amusing.

Babbling

Dani is quite the talker. She loves to babble and is starting to say words. She says "more" (MO!), "ball" (a-baw), "bye-bye" (bah-bah), "hi" (excited waving accompanied by something like "haaaaaaaa!", "Elmo" (Em-o), and "baby" (bee-beee). It seems like she is understanding more and trying to communicate more each day. She is also starting to interact with toys more, rather than just put them in her mouth. She has been showing an interest in basketball. We've lowered the hoop and just today, I saw she figured out how to make a basket on her own, without having me lift her up.

She is also absolutely CRAZY! She and Jack have really been enjoying engaging with one another, chasing each other around and laughing. He thinks she is pretty funny and she thinks he is awesome. At night, while we are "winding down" before bed, Dani refuses to sit to drink her milk. Instead, she prefers to run back and forth across the family room floor, screaming and laughing and running. She's also a little pinball, bouncing off the floor, against tables, etc. It makes us laugh hysterically but also worry that she is going to really hurt herself. However, all of our attempts to calm her down are useless. She wrestles to get out of our arms just so she can start up again. She's our little Danisaur for sure.

Wake up call

I don't get to see the kids on Thursday nights, since I have class. I leave straight from work to go to class and don't get home until well after bedtime. Apparently, Jack had been asking Paul about me and telling him, "When I wake up, Mommy is going to be here."

When I got home, he had been asleep but started rustling around. Paul told me what Jack said and suggested I go up and tuck him back in. I opened the door and he looked up at me sleepy-eyed, smiled sweetly at me and said, "I woke up."

Mini B-day for Dani

Dani's official birthday is today. We moved the family party back so that my parents could attend, however, we wanted to recognize her big day in some fashion today.

When I got home, she was happy as could be, running around playing with me, Grandma, and Jack. I made her favorite, macaroni and cheese which she happiliy shoveled in by the fistful. We then got a cupcake with pink icing and sang to her. Jack had eaten half of his cupcake by the time we finished singing. Cupcakes are Jack's thing right now. In fact, he has had them for so many birthday celebrations already that he thinks that birthdays and cupcakes are a package deal. We didn't light the candle because we know our girl too well. She grabbed at the cupcake, curious about the strange sensation at her fingertips. A few seconds later, she put one of her pink fingers into her mouth for a taste. She had a bite but wasn't completely into it. Mostly, I think she was full from her huge dinner. Even though she didn't eat much, she had no problem getting frosting all over her face and in her hair.

We headed up for a quick bath before opening presents, an Elmo doll she had picked out a couple of days earlier and an electronic book from Grandma. All and all a good first mini party to get her prepped for the big one in December.

To Dani at 1

Dear Dani,

It's hard to believe you are already 1! It's just simply hard to fathom what life was like without you. Granted, things were a little less hectic but that just comes with having two kids and I wouldn't change a second of this craziness for anything in the world. I remember being so scared leading up to your arrival. I knew I wanted to have another baby but I was just scared. Scared of two, which was so foreign to me as an only child. Fear that Jack wouldn't take well to you. Fear that I wouldn't know what to do to juggle everything. Fear that I couldn't possibly love two children so much without exploding. Then you arrived on the scene, all 9 lbs 7 oz. of you and erased all fears I ever had.

You got off to a rough start, with your milk allergy. I felt horrible not being able to help you and so relieved when we found a way to relieve your pain. As you grew, I watched this helpless little baby turn into a strong, determined, happy little girl. Every day you amaze me and I find new things to love about you. Here are some of my favorites:

Your smile: Your smile lights up your whole face. It is impossible not to smile when you see your grinning face. You started smiling early and once you figured it out, it didn't stop. It is so easy to make you smile. It took you a little longer to laugh. You now do it quite readily, especially around your brother, who you adore. My favorite is when you are walking fast/running away excitedly while being chased. You break into this laughter that affects your stride and it usually ends in you catching your balance on the nearest piece of furniture or falling to the floor.

Your eyes: When your eyes stayed blue well past the point that Jack's turned, we had a little hope that you might get a color other than brown. Seeing as Daddy is Hispanic, we didn't REALLY think it would last, but I was thinking maybe you'd get green. Yet they stayed a definite blue. You got your Nonny's eyes. And they are beautiful. But even more beautiful than the color is how big and lively they are.

Your babbling: You are a talker. So far, you have "bah-bah" (bye-bye), "mo! mo!" (more, while signing the word), and "baw" (ball) down. "Elmo" is just around the corner, especially after your new birthday gift. You also have an amazing ear for sounds. From an early age (as though you are "old" now) you repeated different things. Mostly just "ma", "ba", "da", and "na" but you have now added "la" and eeeee sounds. You repeat well and LOVE to repeat Jack, who loves teaching you! You also make less desirable sounds like screeching, earning you the nickname "Squawky".

Your face: Or rather, more specifically, your nose, the way it scrunches up when you are extra excited or happy. It's actually not a terribly attractive face that you make but I just love it.

Your spunkiness: You are a lively girl. Since you started moving, you haven't stopped. You love to move, explore and see new things. You are completely outgoing and constantly crave social contact. "Stranger Danger" is not a term that is on your radar. You want to be with people at all times and reach out to strangers. Now, I don't exactly LIKE this trait (at least I know it is something we will need to work on in the future if it remains this way.) You really don't like to be left alone for any amount of time, unless you are watching Bubble Guppies. In that case you are pretty much hypnotized.

Your determination/opinions: When you decide to do something, you do it. Or you get EXTREMELY mad if you aren't allowed to. You crawled and walked early because you decided that that was what you want and needed to do. The mad part isn't completely fun but I think I can safely say that you probably won't be the girl who, when asked what you want to do says, "Gee, I don't know, what do you want to do?" You aren't shy about letting anyone know just how you feel. When you get really mad, you start to cry angrily and flap your arms up and down. Sometimes you lay on the floor, giving us a glimpse of the tantrums to come! It's hard to get mad or frustrated sometimes because it's so funny to see this little girl expressing (with her limited expression resources) her displeasure. The funniest example was at the doctor's when you got your flu shot. For the first shot, you didn't even cry. However, when you got the second a month later, you definitely changed your mind about it--and the nurse who administered it! I watched your little face go from peaceful and happy to bright pink. You not only were sad, it was as though you were personally offended that someone would do that to you. You started to cry and then looked at the nurse and screamed louder, almost accusingly. When I picked you up, your head was on a swivel, scanning the room for the offending nurse, screaming more loudly at her when you found her.


Put simply, there really isn't a list long enough for all that I love and adore about you. I am so glad that I have a little girl and so happy that that girl is sweet, spunky, strong-willed, perfect you. You are so full of life. I love coming home from work to be greeted by your huge, beautiful smile and you walking, excitedly into my arms for a hug. I love when you reach out for me yet I love your independence. I love how joy just bursts from you and how that joy is instantly contagious. You've certainly brought so much joy into my life in just this first year. I don't know what I did to be so lucky but I am sure grateful that I am your mom. I love you, Dani. Happy birthday.

Love, Mommy

Little GPS

It seems that Jack has inherited his father's fantastic sense of direction. Today we were headed to Buy Buy Baby to pick up a birthday present for Dani. The route we took was the same route we take to go to Monkey Joes, which we haven't been to in months. As we were driving, Jack told me, "We gonna go to Monkey Joes." I replied, "No, not today, buddy." He then said, "We gonna go to different store."

Bad Doggie

We went to our friends' house for the Bears game on Sunday. They have a big dog who gets really excited about new people. Jack was a bit overwhelmed by the dog once he started barking pretty close to Jack and jumping up and down. Tears started filling his little eyes as he tried to hold it back. This happened twice. We had a great time with our friends and Jack made a new friend in their son. We pretty much forgot all about the dog.

After the game, we loaded the kids up in the car and headed home. About five minutes into the car ride, Jack declared, "I don't want a dog." Apparently he had been thinking of this for some time. Jack loves my parents' dog and I reminded him, "Well, what about Wiley?" He thought for a minute and said, "Wiley is better."

Kid stuff

Today I took Jack and Dani to Target. As I turn into the parking lot, I realize I am behind this complete idiot who has know idea what she is doing or where she is going. So I yell out, "Come ON! What are you DOING!" Then I hear this little voice from the backseat say, "Ummm....I'm sitting in da seat."

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When Jack wants the attention that Dani is getting, he starts to throw things because he knows he will get yelled at and figures that any attention is better than none. Today he picked up a rather heavy toy. I tried to stop him by saying, "Jack, you throw that and you get a Time Out." He looked at me, purposely dropped it on the floor and said, "I dropped it. See?"

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Our Dani girl is almost one--so hard to believe. She is such a happy little delight. She is babbling like crazy and Jack is enjoying telling her what to say. And she is happy to always oblige her brother, who she adores. It seems that, for the most part, the feeling is mutual. She is walking like a crazy woman and just today started dancing, which is basically her bouncing up and down on her legs and yelling.

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The other day Jack was getting up from his nap. I heard him start to stir and went upstairs to get him. When I opened the door, he popped up, jumped out of bed and declared, "I'm outta here!"

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I have managed to work the word "ueber" into Jack's working vocabulary. Tonight, after Dani ate something random off of the floor for the umpteenth time (I swear she's part goat. And I'm Mother of the Year.), Jack declared, "Dat's ueber, ueber yucky." Next up: Schadenfreude.

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Today Jack was working on perfecting his Lego tower. He would build it, then happily knock it down and start over again. In the middle of a re-build, Dani swooped in and snatched a piece of the tower. Jack bent down, ripped it out of her hand and said, "Are you kidding me, Dani?!?!?"

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Dani is a girl who knows what she wants. When she objects, which she does often (and does every time after hearing the word, "No.") she cries or yells. Yesterday she went for a toy. Jack saw what she was doing and beat her to it, even though he had no interest in playing with the toy until it was Dani's idea. Dani yelled, then screamed. Then started flapping her arms and smacked him. I really think Jack better get all his teasing and abuse in now. I don't think he's going to have the upper hand for long. My prediction is that, when it's all said and done, she makes him cry more than he makes her cry.

Everything is AWESOME!

Jack finds a lot of joy in a lot of things. Take these two examples, for instance:

Jack: Dani, say "Ma-ma-ma."
Dani: Ma-ma-ma!
Jack (with both hands raised in the air): YAY FOR DANI!!!!!

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Me: Hey, Jack.. Do you know what's for dinner?
Jack: No.
Me: Mac and cheese
Jack: YAY FOR MAC AND CHEESE. . . . AND MEAT!! YESSSSSSS!!!

Wanna Treat?

Apparently the desire for Oreos trumps a dislike for vegetables. When we told Jack that he had to eat one of his spinach potatoes or he wouldn't get a treat, he ate it and then told us, "I don't like dat." A moment later, he tried to pawn one off on me to decrease his own serving. Acting as if it was really delicious, he excitedly grabbed one and asked, "You wanna eat dat, Mommy?" I'm on to you, kid.

Recent photos

Jack (2 1/2 years old)

Stayin' alive! (Dani--10 1/2 months)

I haven't posted photos in awhile since I haven't taken the time to pull them off my camera yet. But here we go...

That Jack

This morning, when I was changing Jack's diaper, he looked at me and said, "Hey, Mommy! You are sooooooo cute.

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We later left to visit friends. Jack was extremely chatty, as per usual, pointing out every building and water tower along the way. He learned "under the bridge" from us today and then on his own, pointed to a bunch of construction vehicles on the side of the road and said, "It's a construction site!" He also got realized that he didn't have anything to play with so he informed us, "Nothing to do."

Later, at our friends' house, we had lunch. During lunch, he looked at our hostess and, as if he were telling the punch line of a joke said, "And then she goes, 'trapezoid'!"

Outtakes

Today Jack grabbed a bin of toys, dumped it upside down and exclaimed, "Ohhhhh! Dat was interesting!" As I looked at the hundreds of pieces of toys scattered over the floor, I could not share in his joy in practicing the concept of cause and effect.

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In preparation for our Oktoberfest, we were making Jack say different German words at breakfast. He would throw his hands in the air and yell, "Oktoberfest!" and "Prost!" But apparently he got bored of our little game and when I asked for one final word he said, "I don't know. Let me eat."

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Jack's new favorite treats are Oreos. He loves to "dunk 'em in da milk." He now really enjoys the new "orange for Halloweeen" ones. Today, Paul got out the package and put it down in front of Jack. Jack opened up the package and said, "Here's some free Oreos!"

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We have found something that Dani is actually afraid of. She absolutely hates Jack's "real-life" dinosaur that walks and roars. She sat in the room with it, staring at it, looking back and forth between it and Paul and bawling. Maybe she's not going to be quite the toughie we thought!

Miss Personality

Dani is getting cuter by the minute. She is doing so many fun things now. She is taking steps, though I wouldn't quite call her sturdy. She walks like a baby zombie before falling on her butt. She pushes up to standing pretty well too.

This baby girl is always happy. She LOVES to eat more than anything else on Earth and she loves being with us. She gives open mouth sloppy kisses and she has just started giving these adorable hugs where she lays her head on your shoulder and wiggles around, as if actually crawling into your body would not be close enough for her.

She still adores her brother but he has his moments with her. Mostly, he is very good to her and plays with her. The other day, they were chasing each other back and forth and laughing. But sometimes, when Jack decides Dani is getting some of his attention, he'll do anything to claim it back. This includes hitting or pushing Dani. The other day, he smacked her with a pillow and she toppled over. As Paul brought Jack to his time out, Dani just started bawling. However, I have the sneaking suspicion that she wasn't physically hurt or scared but rather that he hurt her feelings. It was like she couldn't understand why someone she loves so much would do that to her. It's kind of heartbreaking but I get the feeling thath Dani's going to get her revenge. I predict that Jack will come to us crying about something Dani did to him a lot more than the other way around. She's a tough girl.

She also likes to talk. She is amazing at repeating (when she decides she wants to) and perfectly repeats us when we say ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba, and na-na. She gets pretty close to la-la and ga-ga too. Just like her brother, she LOVES stuffed animals. Her favorite is still Sammy but she likes her dolly too. Basically anything with a face gets a big grin. Then she'll squeeze it tight. The other day, we introduced her to a Sing-a-ma-thing. She liked it because 1) it had a face and 2) it sings! She sat captivated as I squeezed it for her to hear. After she tired of it, I put it on the floor and she went off to explore. A few minutes later, Dani was standing by the toy box. She looked back over her shoulder at the Singa-ma-thing and started yelling at it, nearly mirroring the sounds of the toy. She kept it up for awhile before realizing that it didn't want to talk back to her.

This and That

There has been a phantom fly in our house that has only appeared during dinner the last two nights. It has been driving me crazy and I forget about him entirely until he is buzzing around our heads at dinner. When I make a mental note to find him and kill him, he disappears. Tonight at dinner, Jack looked all around and then called out, "Heyyyyy, bug! Where are youuuu?"

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It seems that Jack has his Mommy's rock solid memory. Months ago, when he found out who George Stephanopoulous was, he then asked where he was. I told him, "Washington D.C.". Tonight, we were watching Jeopardy and one of the answers to one of the questions was "Washington D.C." Jack said, "Where's George Stephanopoulous?"

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Dani is days from walking. She took 5 steps today before falling down and does really well. She can stand for long periods before she realizes she is standing and falls down again! She gets really proud of herself when she realizes she has walked a bit. Another thing that she has been really excited about is seeing herself in the mirror. The little narcissist has always liked that but now, she excitedly waves at herself and screams with joy.

Sweet Boy

Yesterday I was sitting on the couch, feeding Dani her last bottle of the night. Jack came up from out of nowhere, kneeled next to me, gently patted my arm and in a soft, sweet voice, said, "Beautiful Mommy." Love that kid to pieces!

Standing Tall

Happy girl!

What am I doing?

What do I do with these?


Yeah. So what's the big deal? I'm standing.

Our little Dani is on the verge of walking. She was standing for a second or two on her own here and there a week or so ago. Now she is standing for much longer periods of time and has started taking steps. She manages a couple before she falls down. I suspect she'll be full out walking in a week or so. And she is VERY proud of herself.

Watching her stand is actually the best part because she is just not sure what to do with her arms. Sometimes she uses them to get her balance. Sometimes she starts clapping for herself. But most of the time, she puts them out in a rather unnatural way and does this little shrug like she's telling you she isn't sure what is going on right now! It's hysterical. Check out the photos for an example!

Broken

We have been going through an off and on throwing stage with Jack. This usually happens when he is trying to get our attentino. He'll pick something up that he knows he isn't supposed to throw and drop it (so you can't really count it as throwing but, either way, he's testing.) I have been trying to explain that he could drop sometime he really likes (today it was his beloved fire truck) and break it and then he would be sad.

A few minutes later, I went upstairs to get his bath ready. Apparently he fell down on his butt and hurt himself. When he came upstairs, he told me, "You broke your butt!"

Getting her Hip Hop on!

I think I caught Dani "Getting Jiggy with It" today in the car. (Note: I am about to admit some embarassing things in a public domain.) We were driving, the song came on and Jack and I started dancing. I was singing along to the chorus and when I stopped, I heard Dani repeat me, finishing up with, "Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na!"

Family Fun Night

For every sports season, our school has a staff appreciation night where we can bring our families, eat and hang out and watch our school's teams play. It's really a wonderful time and has gotten more fun each year, as the kids grow older and get to enjoy it more.
We
It was pretty cold when we arrived around 6 but the kids didn't seem to mind. We pulled up in the wagon and Jack and Dani liked saying hi to everyone. Dani was happy people watching and kept wanting people to hold her. Then when they would hold her, she'd want to get back in my arms. When she was finally in my arms, she'd ask to go back to the other set of arms that had been holding her. This kid is so NOT shy. We're really going to have to work on "stranger danger" because a kidnapper wouldn't even need candy.

From the get-go, Jack wanted to play soccer. And play he did. He ran up and down the track kicking the ball back and forth. He's actually getting pretty good and getting a lot better with his control. He wasn't interested in playing with the other kids; either picking the ball up before they could take it or just letting them have it. He just wanted to hang out with his Daddy.

We had some dinner and then Jack decided he wanted to play more and Dani decided she was tired of sitting. She was bundled up so much she was like the little brother on The Christmas Story who couldn't move his arms in his big winter jacket. I unfolded a blanket for her to play on and she just wount up laying down as though she was going to go to sleep. Eventually, I got her out of the vest she was wearing so that she had a little more mobility.

It started getting late and it was time to head home. Though Jack would have played all night, he nicely and without objection came with us. We told him, "Come on. We have to say 'goodbye' to people. He looked all around, stuck out his arm in a sweeping, waving motion and yelled, "Goodbye, PEOPLE!" He then told me (and my principal), "I have a lotta lotta fun!"

When we got into the car, Dani decided she was tired and didn't really want to sit through a 30 minute car ride hom. She started crying and didn't want to stop. "Dani's crying a lot!" Jack said. After a few minutes, he said, "Dani cry ALLLLL da time!"

We got home and got Dani ready for bed and Jack ready for his bath. He helped take off his clothes and put them in the laundry basket. "Good job!" I told him. As he headed for the bath, he said, "I'm nice." And apparently modest too!

All in all, Family Fun Night really lived up to its name for the Sotos.

Dani's 9 month stats

Weight: 21.6 lbs (75-90%) That's what the doctor told me but I think she just didn't want to tell me to my face that our daughter is a chub!

Height: 28.5 inches (90%)

Head: 94%

Drama Queen

Today I took the Kleenex that Dani was trying to eat away from her. She acted like I had slapped her in the face, with the howls she let out. I turned to Jack and said, "Is Dani a drama queen?" "Yes" he replied. Then he went up to Dani and said, "Hellooooo, Dairy Queen!'

Stinky

Me: Jack, who gets a bath tonight?
Jack: Ummmmmm...Grandma!
Me: Grandma? Why? Is Grandma stinky?
Jack: Yes.

Paul then brought to my attention that this might be getting into dangerous territory. But it was too late. "Mommy say Grandma's stinky!" Jack exclaimed. Note to self: Talk to Carmen before Jack does!

Self centered?

We got Jack a tee ball set and he has enjoyed learning to hit off of it. He has actually gotten pretty good at it. The first day, he blasted the ball into the side of our car that was in the driveway. He put his hands in the air and triumphantly yelled, "You hit da car!"

The next day, we were out playing and he belted one again. It was some pretty good contact and I exclaimed, "Wow!" Jack smiled and said, "Dat was phenomenal!" I was worried that he was a little self-absorbed until I threw the ball back and he said, "Wow! Dat was a good throw, Mommy!" Now I know that he is just an honest kid!

First Day of School

We were beyond excited to send Jack to preschool. He has always loved learning and is prepared from an academic standpoint. We knew that he would struggle with the social aspect. He has, even over the summer, gotten way less shy than he used to be, so we were encouraged. But we still thought he'd be a crying mess on the day he was dropped off.

So, when we knew he was going, we started to talk up school. Months prior, we talked about how he was going to school. We got a book called, "I Love School". We talked about his teacher, Miss Nancy, and what he was going to say to her when he met her. And we still thought he'd be a crying mess on the day he was dropped off.

Instead, he was a champ! When he walked in the first day, it was probably the equivalent of an adult meeting a celebrity. Miss Nancy! Though he didn't say exactly what we had rehearsed, he did say "Good morning" back to her right away. Then he asked if he could play with the trucks. Apparently he was so wrapped up in the trucks and Miss Nancy that Carmen had to tell him twice that she was leaving. He didn't shed a tear. Apparently he did tears in his eyes when he finally came to the realization that he had been left there but he sucked it up well. And he even made me a picture.

Day 2 was Show and Tell day. After going through all of his treasures, he decided that he wanted to bring his garbage truck. In the morning, Carmen woke Jack up at 7 am. He kept telling her, "Come on! We gotta go to school!" He went into the class all ready to share his garbage truck with Miss Nancy. this time, Miss Nancy actually had to tell Jack to go give Grandma and Dani a kiss goodbye.

I never thought he would react this way and I couldn't be more thrilled. I know he will learn so much and just love it. I expected that to happen from the point I enrolled him. I just didn't expect him to be this way from the start. I am so proud of my big boy and I hope he always keeps his love of learning!

Dani stuff

I often feel guilty about the disproportionate amount of Jack to Dani posts on here. I try to keep it even but with Jack blabbering constantly and saying a million things a day that crack us up, it sometimes gets lopsided. Whatsmore, I usually don't have much time these days to write long blogs and quick stories about funny things Jack has said don't take much time at all. Therefore, the disproportionate posts do NOT indicate a disproportionate amount of love, but rather the lack of time I have!

But now this post belongs to Dani. I think the second baby grows up so much faster than the first. With the first, you are constantly worried about milestones. Is he/she meeting them at the right times? When does he/she meet them so I can meticulously document its occurrence to the second in the baby book? Is he/she normal? The hypersensitivity is kind of cute and fun but also the source of anxiety. I find myself much more at ease this time around. Maybe it's because I have just learned to relax more. Maybe it's because I am so busy all the time. Maybe it's because I have seen the normal development now and know that Dani is doing just fine. Or maybe because Dani has not given me any doubt at all that she is developing just fine.

For example, I was scared about autism with Jack. I am not at all with Dani. One might think it is because Jack is a boy (and autism rates are so much higher with boys) but really it's because Dani is the most social baby ever! Making her smile is the easiest thing on the planet. She always has a goofy, huge grin on her face. And these grins aren't just for us. Now, Dani definitely loves us, but she also loves the cleaning lady, the doctor, the checkout girl at the grocery store and pretty much anyone else that looks at her and acknowledges her presence. She really has never met a stranger. We joke that we are really going to have to work on "Stranger Danger" because a stranger wouldn't even need candy to lure Dani. More than anything, she loves other babies. Not only does she smile at other babies but she SCREAMS and flails her arms and legs violently in excitement.

The other thing that she loves about as much as she loves people is moving. This is the most mobile child I have ever seen. She wants to see and touch everything and mostly she just wants to put whatever is in her hand in her mouth. She makes a move for electric cords. Just today, she was crawling around the kitchen and then she looked at me, her eyes lit up and she smiled and then made a bee line for the computer cord. She's extremely impulsive and doesn't really think about anything before she does it. In fact, she will often find herself stuck under a chair, crying for us to come get her after she has bonked her head on the bottom of it. The head bonking is another uniquely funny thing about Dani. If she merely grazes her head, she gets an immediate pout face and starts to bawl her eyes out. She acts as though she is dying for about 5 seconds and then just stops and is fine. It's gotten to the point where I actually laugh as she is crying.

We have also nicknamed her "Godzilla" or "Danisaur" as she pretty much tries to destroy all in her path. Or destroy anything that tries to get in the way of her getting what she wants. In a room full of toys, the one she wants most is whatever Jack is playing with. And she does not like to be told "no". Actually, she doesn't really mind, as she just doesn't listen to it. She wants to walk really bad and pulls up on everything. I know she will walk before Jack did. She's fearless.

She loves her brother more than anything and thinks he is just so cool. My heart melts every time I bring him down from his nap and she's already awake and downstairs. They look for each other and as soon as they see each other they smile as if they are about to burst, especially Dani. She wants to just be around him all the time. She's a big people person and basically just wants to be around anyone (crying when left completely alone) but she thinks her brother is pretty special. I hope they always like each other. We have said many times that we are sure that, more than once, Dani will call Jack in the middle of the night to come pick her up from a party she isn't supposed to be at.

She loves to talk and is pretty good at imitation already. She can copy "ba-ba", "na-na", "ma-ma" and "da-da" though hasn't found any meanings for any words yet. Yesterday, however, when Paul said goodbye to me as I left for class, Dani repeated him and said, "Ba!" It's a start. She makes the weirdest noises in general. Adorable gurgles and first attempts at words, not-so-adorable screeches (in both delight and anger).

She's also getting better at reading (her favorite is "Peek a Who") and can now sit through 2 small books without crying or trying to eat one of them. She's a fabulous eater and has yet to meet a food she doesn't like. She's also a cute little snuggler on the rare occasions that it happens. She actually likes affection a lot but then while she's in your arms she suddenly sees something on the floor she has to have and you have to be on guard, ready for when she tries to literally jump out of your arms. Once she's done playing with whatever she wanted, she crawls back to you and wants a hug. She LOVES clapping (with help, though she is starting to figure it out) and laughs hysterically when you clap her hands together.

I certainly hope that this post has not sounded negative, because it isn't. If I could best describe our daugher in a few words, it would be "Adorable stinker". She's beautiful, she makes us laugh, she's such a happy girl (but will certainly let you know it when she is not), she's sweet, and she will give us gray hair. But overall, we are beyond lucky.

More Jack-isms

Me: I love you.

Jack: I don't care.

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While getting his Cheerios ready in the morning:

Jack: Mommmmmmm-eeeeeee!

I turned and looked

Jack: What-eeeee? (I usually say this.)

Jack: Dat's what Mommy say!

I finish preparing his bowl.

Jack: And a spoon.

As I am bringing the bowl:

Jack: What a nice Mommy.

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Usually I notice that Jack winds up using phrases that I have used at some point. However, I have no idea where he got this phrase.

I was preparing Jack's bath. He walks in, peeks into the bathtub and says:

"Dat's a sweet bath!"

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Jack has a weird interest in TV anchorpeople. By sight, he can identify Ron Magers, Linda Yu, Diane Sawyer, Jim Rose, Mark Giangreco and Debra Norville. Today he pointed at George Stephanopoulos and said, "Who's dat?" I told him. Then he asked where he was. I replied, "Washington D.C.". Later he asked, "Where's Apoulos?" I told him I didn't know to test what he remembered. He answered, "He's in da washing machine."

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Today (8/12) I was given a glimpse at my son's potential to be a ladies' man. While sitting on the couch with Dani in my lap, Jack came up to us, put his head on my leg and said, "Helloooo girls."

Florida 2011

Our yearly trip to Florida was the best ever, even though it certainly didn't start out that way. We left for Nonny and Poppy's on July 2, having packed pretty much everything we own into the mini-van. We thought we were mentally prepared for the 16 hour drive (20 for us with all the stops for eating, changing diapers, etc.). Dani, however, decided to show us that she could easily break us. She screamed and/or cried for nearly the entire trip. In her defense, she had caught Jack's cold and, unbeknownst to us, she would cut her first tooth just days later. But she still was extremely successful in driving us totally insane. Paul and I handled it remarkably well, I must say and we didn't blow up at each other at all, which was just amazing, considering how much our sanity was pushed after arriving at the hotel and having Jack bouncing off walls with all the pent up energy. We hoped the next day would be better. It was not. Jack also handled the crying extremely well, not losing his patience at all!

We finally arrived and after that, everything was just awesome. Actually, Dani was pretty crabby for naps and when anyone left the room. However, we soon realized that she didn't like the smaller crib, as she couldn't turn around and we swapped it out in favor of the Pack-N-Play, which she enjoyed much more. It was also a trip of firsts for Dani. She also sprouted her first two teeth within days of each other and started crawling on July 8. She also learned to push up to sitting on July 6. So, her crabbiness is pretty easily explained by all that was going on physically and all the big things she was thinking about doing! She also swam for the first time. We had brought her to the health club pool but this was the first longer swim time for her. And she loved it! She was not as big of a fan of the boat ride we took but she was overtired.

I would say that Dani, as a whole, had a great time. But that was nothing compared to the time that Jack had. Jack thought Nonny and Poppy's house was the coolest thing ever. He and Wiley became fast friends and we dread the day that he begs us for the dog that he's not going to get. Wiley loved having a kid who never tired of throwing the ball for him. His already pretty good swimming skills got even better. Early on, we ditched the Swimmies and let him just swim in his wetsuit with the floaties. He jumped off the side, went under water, held his breath and fine tuned his swimming skills. It was very impressive. He's a little fish and loved to go in the pool each day. He also fell in love with the fireworks that were every Thursday. At first he was scared of the loud noises but it didn't take long for him to fall in love with them. The highlight was the final Thursday when there was an air show before the fireworks. My mom said that he was staring into the sky, mouth open, screaming, "Holy cow airplanes!" He still talks about the airplanes, smoke, fireworks and boats constantly. He also found that he loved golf cart rides, which he and Dani would take each night with us. And he enjoyed playing a little golf, getting better and better at putting each day with his little Jack-sized putter.

We really couldn't have asked for a better trip. We spent quality time with the kids, with my parents and we got to have a couple of date nights too. Staying three weeks was great because it took the pressure off of cramming everything in. Even though, at the end of the three weeks, it still felt like it all went by too fast. We just can't wait for next year when Dani will be older and enjoy everything more. Can't say she'll love the car ride but she was MUCH better on the way home so there's still hope!

Oh that Jack!

We have been in Florida visiting my parents for the last three weeks, which I will write more about soon. Lots happened, including Dani beginning to crawl. But I will save that for when I have more time to write! A few cute Jack things:

• Yesterday, I went to wake him up. He was laying in bed and I laid next to him and we were talking. He looked up, pointed at the ceiling fan and asked, "What's dat?" Jack likes to ask questions he already knows the answer to so I said, "I don't know." "A fan!" he replied, adding, "How many fans?" "Only one," I said. He then proceeded to count his familiy. One Mommy, one Jack, one JoJo, etc. He then came back to me, put his hand on my arm and said, "She's a nice Mommy!"

• Paul is at a conference in St. Louis this week. Jack has been repeatedly asking where he is all week. He is now responding, "In Lou-lou-less!"

• We continually have to watch what we say around Jack. He's a sponge and picks up everything. This goes for naughty words or even making fun of people. For example, I can no longer call his aunt "crazy". This is very difficult. The other day, he pooped and before I had a chance to change his diaper, he put his hand down his pants. Realizing this was a big mistake, he tried to wipe his hand off and got it on several locations. I was trying to strip him down without getting poop everywhere. It had been a hectic morning and I am not sure if my mom said it or I did or we both did, but someone yelled out, "Oh God bless it!" Jack now has adopted it and laughs hysterically when he says it, which makes us laugh even though we don't want to and further ingrains the behavior. We are really going to need to get better at this!

Sloppy Kisser

Jack enjoys hugging, kissing and petting his sister. It used to only be to get attention for himself, as we would shower him with all kinds of praise about what a good brother he was. Now, though he still mostly shows her affection for those reasons, I feel like he is really starting to actually like her.

Today, after their naps, we put them together and Dani was so excited to see her big brother, who she adores. Jack leaned in to say, "Hi" and then decided to give her a kiss on the mouth, which he usually doesn't do. Dani is not the best kisser and usually leaves you covered in slobber. Jack learned this the hard way. He leaned in, kissed her and then quickly pulled away, wiping his face off with the back of his hand. Then he shockingly exclaimed, "She opened her face!"

Disgusting but funny

Today Paul was sitting on the couch watching TV with Jack. He looked over and Jack was chewing on something.

Paul: Jack, what are you eating?

Jack: Booger.

Paul made a face.

Jack: Yucky!

Paul: Jack, don't eat boogers.

Jack: Okay.

Skyping

Today we Skyped with Brooke and family. It was great to get to see her newest, adorable addition and say hello to the rest of the fam. Brooke's daughter is named Evie and, though she and Jack have seen each other several times before, neither of them remembered it. Jack asked who she was. I pointed and said, "Can you say 'Hi, Evie'?" He replied, "Dat's not da TV. DAT'S da TV!" (pointing to the television). After further explanation and practice, he figured it out.

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Dani showed off her blabbermouth tendencies on Skype. She's a feisty little thing--she repeatedly goes after things that Jack has that she wants--and she is NOT shy. I put her face up to the computer screen and she just started squawking away. "BAH-BAH-BAH-BAH!" she excitedly screamed. She actually does this thing with her mouth when she says "bah" where the corners turn down and her eyes get all big. She looks like an angry, rabid baby when she is actually really happy and excited. She actually kinda looks like Chucky. I hope that changes but for now, it's fairly amusing.

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Later in the conversation, I was talking about kids learning the alphabet. Jack has always been very observant and focused and loves to learn. He really loves books and letters and learned his A-B-Cs very early. I was telling Brooke a story related to it and mentioned, "Jack's a bit of a nerd with that stuff. . . " From the corner, I heard Jack yell, "I'm a nerd!" Lovely.

Warnings

Today I took Jack to the bookstore (which he loves). This is a trait he inherited from me, since I can spend HOURS in a bookstore. However, my own bookstore time has been drastically cut since the arrival of my children. Now when I am at the bookstore, I am usually with Jack who doesn't really let me check out the latest new releases or the staff picks. Instead, we head to the back where the children's section is. There he plays with the books (he has the unbelievable ability to find all of the books that we own among the hundreds of spines on the shelf) and the bead maze on one of the tables. Or sometimes, much to my chagrin, he finds a cheap, stupid toy that they strategically place next to the children's section and plays away.

Today, however, I decided to briefly stop in the front section where all of the new releases are and the "Buy One Get One 50% Off" books are. As soon as I made the detour Jack whined.

Jack: Ahhhhh. Go dat way! (pointing to the back of the store)

Me: We will. I just want to check out a couple of things first and then we'll go, okay?
Jack: I gonna get mad.

At least he gave me a warning and I should applaud the fact that he is in touch with his emotions!

First Babysitter!

Paul and I have been trying to make sure that we have at least one date night every month. One day of just adult conversations, meals at normal paces (though we aren't sure what that means anymore) and, occasionally, and no tantrums.

We are fortunate to have Paul's mom nearby and she watches them whenever we need it. The kids love her, we are all comfortable with her and she loves it. It's a win-win-win! But it takes some planning and we have to drive them and all of their stuff over (and we usually forget at least one major thing). And we would like something closer for just little quick dinners and such. And we haven't done that. It's really nothing to do with the fact that we don't want to leave our kids with non-family. We just don't have anyone around here we would trust. We don't even know of anyone around here that we wouldn't trust.

Anyway, one of my former students got in touch a few weeks ago. We exchanged e-mails and in one of them she mentioned that she babysat. This was very exciting since we now had not only someone but someone I could trust completely. She came over today so we could go out to dinner with friends.

We were a little nervous as to how Jack would handle this--a new person coming over and then us leaving him with her. We weren't so worried about our little social butterfly, Dani. We prepped him all day, telling him that someone special was coming over just to play with him. AND they were going to have pizza! This was a doubly exciting prospect for him. By the time she got there, he was talking about her as though he had known her all his life. At first, he was excitedly shy, peeking around the corner at her as I showed her where things were. He kept popping in and saying, "hi". Dani, as usual, jumped right in, flashing her a big gaping smile and reading out for her while babbling, "Bah=bah=bah!" We stayed for about a half an hour and by the time we left, Jack was kicking the ball around the house and laughing. We said our goodbyes and he barely acknowledged it. He kissed us and said, "Bye-bye, Mommy! Bye-bye, Daddy!" He then waved to us in the window as we pulled away. Part of me was so happy that he handled it so well and that he wouldn't just be a crying mess for the poor sitter. The other part of me was like, "what the heck, kid, don't you love your Mommy anymore?"

When we got back, the sitter said that both of them did great and there were no problems. It was so exciting to know that we now have a sitter option and that our kids will be just fine!

Billy, err, I mean DANI goat!

If Dani winds up stinking at counting, she will have no one to blame but herself. Yesterday, we put her on the floor (which we thought was a safe place for our very wiggly girl), while we went to prepare her bottle. When I got back, I saw that she had found the number flashcards and eaten the zero.

Miss Personality

Our Dani keeps getting more fun by the minute. She is really showing her personality more and more every day. In the beginning, I found myself comparing her to Jack. It's impossible not to compare your children in some way. But I find that I don't compare them in terms of who is better at what but rather, I compare and enjoy their differences.

Dani is such a happy girl. She is ALWAYS ready with a smile. I realize that it is still very early but she is not as shy as Jack. Jack always observed a situation or person for sometime, taking it all in, assessing and then coming out of his shell. Dani jumps in with both feet first! Today at the Barnyard Zoo, she enjoyed the animals but preferred looking at the other people and smiling at them. She has a sense of adventure. At the park, she loved the swings and laughed as I "pushed" her. I went down the slide with her and she had a big gaping grin on the way down. I remember Jack being indifferent, observing. Dani just enjoyed the ride.

I get the feeling that Dani is just going to enjoy the ride a lot. She's likes any situation as long as she is with you. She just wants to hang out and be there--it's enough to make her happy.

When Dani isn't happy, she let's you know. She definitely has an opinion about most things. If she doesn't want to sleep, she'll tell you. If she is done with her bottle but hasn't finished the milk, she's still done and you can't convince her to drink more. She's more extreme than Jack. Both of my kids have been happy, but Dani will let you know as soon as she is not pleased. Yesterday, I thought she was tired. I put her down and she screamed. I let her cry it out a bit since it is not uncommon for her to cry when you put her down. But she howled. I thought her foot might be stuck in the crib slats so I hustled up the stairs. She was in the middle of her crib, sobbing. I picked her up and tried to soothe her. I sat in the rocking chair in her room and she just kept screaming. Finally, I got up and left the room. As soon as I crossed the threshhold, she stopped crying and was all smiles.

Speaking of crying, Dani has been exhibiting some signs of separation anxiety. At get togethers, people always want to hold her. Sometimes she's fine, but sometimes she starts to pout and then cry. Most of the time, it's enough if she can just see me, but sometimes she just needs to be back in my arms. She also often doesn't like it when we put her down for naps. And she figures out where she's going as we are going up the stairs. The little pout comes back and evolves into full crying as soon as I lay her down. It subsides quickly but she lets me know she wants to hang out and not be left alone. Like her brother, her Rainforest soother helps out. She really likes it and I am thinking she is trying to figure out how to turn it on. She has kicked the button twice by accident and the other day, she was on her side and, with her back to it, was tapping blindly at the machine with her backhand. Trying to turn it on???

Dani also gets frustrated easily, as I have explained in previous posts. She puts EVERYTHING into her mouth and happily squeals as she hugs or plays with a toy. A few minutes later, the squeals turn to desperate shrieks, as she gets overwhelmed. Then we have to take the toy away and she calms down, breathing hard. For as frustrated as she gets, she is also one determined little girl. She loves to play with things and tries REALLY hard to play with objects or make her body do what she wants it to. She also has proved herself to be very physical. She is very strong (which was confirmed by her pediatrician) and though she can't yet crawl, she can find a way to move her body to where she wants to be. I'm sure she will crawl soon. Partially because she seems physically there and partially because she wants to do it so badly.

Dani's a grabber. And she's getting quicker and more accurate with her swipes. This now means we have to watch our drinks, forks, hair (she is a major hair puller) etc. Jack also must learn to protect his cup. Dani wants Jack's sippy cup bad. A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law took the kids to the bookstore. Jack had a sippy cup and Dani tried to grab it. Jack moved away but once they got to the bookstore, he put it in her stroller so he could look around. Dani was happily chewing on it until they went to leave and Jack decided he wanted his water back. Dani SCREAMED! At first she just loved to chew on it. She figured out how to use the sippy cup yesterday and thinks that it is even more interesting now, as you can use it as a teether AND get a drink from it!!

Speaking of teething, Dani is NOT a fan. With Jack, we barely noticed at all. I don't even think he really noticed. He was kind of like, "Hmmm. There is a mild discomfort coming from my facial region." Dani is like, "OH MY GOD! My face is on FIRE!" They say the first tooth popping through is the worst and then kids get more used to it. I think we are all ready for that first tooth to show up!

Our girl is a big mouth. She is a big time babbler. Jack has always been very verbal but Dani beats him in the babble department. This could pose a real problem when she's 2 and Jack is 4. There may never be a quiet moment in our house again! She wakes up babbling. And she makes really weird noises. This morning, Paul woke up and commented, "She's definitely going to be a lawyer."

She's happy and loves to smile and lately, laughs more readily. Sometimes she is so excited, she just slams her little face into the ground and laughs or just grins big until she can stand to look up at you again. She loves peek-a-boo which sometimes turns into, hide-and-jump-out-at-her, which she actually prefers.

Lastly, our Dani is a sweetheart. She's snuggly (though she will let you know when she is done), she loves to grab your face and slobber on you, she loves to be held and is getting more assertive about telling us (the other day, I put her in her Exersaucer and as soon as I did, she cried until I picked her up. Then she was all smiles), and she loves it when you stroke her cheek which I do whenever I put her in her crib. I always get a big, loving grin with twinkly eyes.

It's been an awesome six months and I can't wait to see her grow more and become more her everyday.

Dani's 6 Month Stats

We took Dani for her 6 month check-up today. And we learned two things:

1) She's perfect.
2) She's a whopper!

Here are the measurements:

Weight: 19.8 lbs (96th percentile)
Height: 27.5 inches (95th percentile)
Head: 17.5 inches (92nd percentile)

When I got home I, of course went and looked up Jack's measurements. He had her beat in weight (20.4 lbs), she had him in height (he was 27 1/4 inches), and she crushed him in the cranium department (he was in the 10-20th percentile, but I think they were being generous with their rather wide span of measurement!)

Jack better enjoy being the boss for now. She's not going to be easily pushed around! And I mean that from a physical point of view as well as from a personality point of view!

Summer's Almost Here!

Dani likes wearing summer clothes!

Showing off her shiner!


Getting ready to go in the pool!

Hanging out!

Finally, we've had some summer-like days. But they've been followed by winter-like ones. Today was gorgeous and we took advantage. Tomorrow there will probably be snow.

Miss Richter

My mom and I share a lot of things in common. One of them is the fact that we have very high highs and very low lows. It's not like being bi-polar. It's more like we get really excited about things like happy little puppies and then one little thing happens and we briefly flip out. And we have this remarkable ability to go from one end of the extreme to the other in about 12 seconds. It has earned my mom the nickname Mrs. Richter.

t's probably real annoying for the men in our lives. Well, I KNOW it's really annoying for the men in our lives who try to problem solve when we just want to vent. And annoying as our freak-outs are, they are pretty fleeting, as neither of us like to stay down for too long. And we're worth hanging around for the high parts!

Apparently, in addition to dark hair and butt-white skin, this is a very strong genetic trait. Dani, who looks like a mini version of me and my mom, has now been showing us that she might want to live up to the nickname, Miss Richter.

Dani's generally the happiest little girl in the world. She is so easy to make laugh and smile and, as I have said numerous times before, loves to be with people. But sometimes, out of nowhere, she freaks out. Just today, she wanted to grab the tablecloth and pull it down. When I took it out of her hands, she started to protest and scream. I put her on the ground, she looked up at me and, completely forgetting how I ruined her life, gave me a gaping grin. This has happened so many other times. Miss Richter.

Also, she tends to get easily frustrated when something doesn't work the way she wants it too. Not that Jack didn't, but he would tend to assess and observe the situation and figure it out. Not Dani. She thinks that by screaming at it, she can get what she wants. She is very determined to get things and I predict that she will either crawl earlier than Jack or just get really pissed off about it and scream when she can't. When you remove her from the situation, she quickly gets happy again.

She also gets overwhelmed when she is overstimulated. She will grab a toy and, as usual start to try to eat it. She makes all sorts of happy noises as she plays until, in an instant, the gurgles and shrieks of delight morph into anger and screams of frustration. We pull the toy from her death grip and she complains that we are taking it away. When we remove it from her line of sight, she slowly she takes a little while before she calms down and is happy as a clam.

Our little Miss Richter is (mostly) a whole lot of fun. The highs are beyond great and the lows are brief. She lights up our lives. And she's going to drive some poor guy totally crazy!

Potty Mouth

Jack likes saying "Dammit". Mostly, he likes getting a rise out of us by saying it. He likes to strategically use it in waiting rooms and at grocery stores, which is super fun. I'm pretty sure I know where he picked it up. The silver lining is that he uses it correctly. If we raise our voices and say his name, he fills in the rest. The not so silver lining is that he's 2. He also likes telling us not to say it, thus saying the word: "No say 'Dammit'!" Great.

Yesterday, I committed the unforgivable sin of paying attention to Dani when he wanted the attention. So he came up to me and pretended like he was going to bite me (maybe he really was going to bite me but I yelled out before he could.) He then followed up with the "Dammit". I had had enough. We have been ignoring it to try to get him to tire of it, we've yelled at him, we went old school and tried a little soap in the mouth which he found funny rather than annoying. So I declared a Time Out. He used to run to Time Out when you told him to but not anymore. I picked him up and plopped him down there. He stayed and was good. After the Time Out ended, I went to release him and told him that he couldn't say the bad word.

We returned to playing and he looked at me and said, "No say. . . " I could see the wheels turning in his head processing the fact that he was about to say the word he was told not to say. "No say. . . D....AT! No say DAT!" Atta boy, Jack!

Same Parents, Different Kids

It's amazing how different two children from the same parents can be. First off, Jack and Dani look virtually nothing alike, other than the fact that they have dark hair. But even that is different. Jack's hair is dark brown but it is much more brown than Dani's. Dani has little hints of red like I do and the color is a softer brown. Jack got at least a little of Paul's coloring, making him look perpetually tan. Poor Dani got my butt-white skin. Jack has brown eyes. Dani's are still blue. We're hoping they stay that way, against all odds but at the very least, I don't think they'll wind up as dark as Jacks.

From a personality standpoint, there are also some significant differences. Jack has always been very observant. He observes everything before diving in. And his actions are usually pretty deliberate. He thinks about almost everything before he does it. As a baby, he was always very happy but often, in new situations, he would get quiet and shy as he assessed the situation. He loved to read almost from the start and could, even at a very early age, have the patience and desire to sit through numerous books in one sitting. He rarely cried--only when he was hungry. He has always been very schedule oriented; eating, sleeping and napping like clockwork. He ALWAYS fell asleep without any fuss.

Dani jumps into situations with both feet. She loves being in the middle of all the action. Her eyes light up and she loves to babble. Though a baby of her age can't really think about and reflect on new situations, she is happiest when she is around people. She does love to watch everything around her and observe but she just seems a bit more ready to jump right in from the get-go. She doesn't have the patience for reading yet. If we're lucky, we can get through a book or two. But most of the time, she is trying to eat the book or she wants to watch you talk as you are reading, rather than focus on the pages. After a book or two she would rather be put on her back on the floor and just watch. She flies by the seat of her pants. Though she is a great sleeper at night, we never know if she is going to wake up at 6:00 or 8:00. She might go all day napping for a couple of 30 minute naps or she might take two naps of 2-3 hours in length. You just never know. And she doesn't seem any crankier when she doesn't get the sleep. She mostly eats well, wolfing down 7 oz every 4-5 hours. But sometimes she decides to take a little diet and drink 3 or 4 ounces. She loves her rice cereal (which Jack got over really fast) and has happily eaten entire containers of green beans and peas (Jack hated peas!). She is mostly very happy but can go from super happy to super cranky in seconds, which happens primarily when she is tired. But it also happens if she is frustrated (she keeps trying to put one toy on her Exersaucer in her mouth but it's attached and she can't move it) or overstimulated (which usually happens when she has a toy in her hands--she starts screaming with joy and then it gets to much and the screams change to those of anger).

But they do have a lot in common too. They are both extremely happy. They are/were very easy going babies. They are good. And they are both ridiculously adorable and fun!

Sharing

Jack is not that great at sharing. He hasn't had to do it before. Even in the last five months that Dani has been around, he hasn't had to do it much. But now, Dani is becoming increasingly interested in the things around her. And she really wants to grab anything. So when we are in the play area, I give her a toy. Jack usually does not find this amusing at all. I have tried to explain things and he just says, "Okay," and then tries to snatch whatever it was I gave Dani out of her hands. After a few scoldings, he figured out just how to manipulate the situation. I gave Dani a little plastic ball from one of his toys. He got up, took it out of her hand and with a tone of gratefulness and surprise said, "Ohhh! Thank you, Dani!" What a stinker!

Puppy Love

Jack has always been a stuffed animal kid and fell in love with JoJo pretty quickly. JoJo was the perfect stuffed animal: sewn on eyes (not plastic pieces that could fall of and be a choking hazard), perfect size, cuddly and cute. Bunky came along when Jack started to suck on JoJo's face too much while teething, thus causing him to get a face rash. Now he carts them everywhere with him.

I have been looking for the perfect stuffed animal for Dani since before she was born. It seems like everywhere I go, they have nothing that fits the bill. The eyes are plastic, there are beads in the bottom, it's too big for little hands to hold, its not machine washable which will cause problems when she drools and snots all over it, it's not soft, it's got a music box inside, or it's an annoying pink color for girls, or it's a monkey. I have never realized just how many stuffed monkeys are out there. And the only off limits stuffed animal for Dani is the monkey, since both of Jack's are monkeys.

Today we hit the jackpot. We were at Buy Buy Baby and I was testing various animals out with her. None of them were perfect since they usually had one or more of the characteristics I mentioned above. But I was desperate to get her her own little buddy. She smiled at some but then I found him. A little stuffed puppy. Sewn on eyes, no beads, a normal brown color, good size. machine washable, and NOT a monkey! I showed it to her and she broke out into a huge grin, squealed and laughed. I knew they had found each other. So I bought two so we could have a back up in case anything happens to him!I have to admit, he is a little odd looking--he has a realtively small head in proportion to his own body. But maybe that's why she likes him, he reminds her of her brother.

By the time we put her in the car with her puppy, he was already all wet from being slobbered on. She squealed and squawked in delight in the car as she hugged him and cried when she accidently dropped him. We named him Sammy--a unisex name like Dani. We figured she could decide later if he was a boy or a girl. Now the only trouble is that Jack, lover of all stuffed animals, really wants him. He grabs the puppy and kisses it and says, "Dats Dani's puppy," but then he won't let it go. We'll see what happens. I'm just glad we finally found a match. I can't believe it took this much shopping just to find a stuffed animal!

Buddies!

Jack and Dani are interacting more and more each day. Dani has been in love with Jack almost since the very beginning. Jack has taken a little longer to warm up. No matter where Jack is, Dani's eyes try to find him. When she does, her eyes light up and she starts to grin. And since all toddlers are fairly narcisistic people, Jack has started to realize that this is kind of cool. He used to only kiss her when we were watching so we could all marvel in what a good big brother he was. While I don't think his motives are entirely pure, he actually likes engaging with her. He gets down by her face and kisses her or presses his cheek against hers. She reaches out and tries to grab him excitedly and slobber all over him, which he finds amusing.

She is also able to melt his heart like she's melted ours. Just today Jack started to whine because he wanted the attention that we were giving Dani at that moment. Dani was standing on my lap and Jack ran to the corner of the room, upset. She whipped her head around and tried to find him. When she did, he was pouting. She locked eyes with him, lit up and grinned huge at him. Slowly, his mouth broke into a grin that he didn't want to give her. But he couldn't help it. She was Kryptonite to his whining, even though she was initially the cause of it.

I took the above pictures earlier in the week. Jack was being particularly cute with Dani. I put her on the floor and asked him to lay down with her. Dani started excitedly screaming and kicking her legs all around. She was so happy to be playing with him. It was adorable. I hope that they continue to love each other. I so wish for them to be friends and not just brother and sister. So far, they're on the right track!

Easter 2011

Coloring Easter eggs

Easter 2011 was a fun one. More so for Jack than Dani, since she couldn't find eggs! Jack and I colored eggs for the first time and he loved making eggs different colors. I thought there was nothing he could like better as he screamed, "BLUE!!!" or "ORANGE!!!" each time an egg was extracted from the coloring cup. However, he loved finding eggs. On Easter Sunday I hid eggs around the house. But I hid plastic ones that I had filled with various goodies like chocolate peanut butter eggs, gummy cars, Teddy Grahams and M&Ms. He was pretty good at finding the eggs too. Granted they weren't hidden too much but he still did a good job. I realized that we will probably have to move after a few years so that I have more places to hide eggs. I feel that I will exhaust all areas in a few years!

But the fun didn't stop there. It took him awhile longer to figure out that there were fun things in the eggs. Each egg he opened was a surprise and he would yell out, "OHHHHHHHHH!" He equally enjoyed his Easter basket which was hidden in the dryer. His favorite candy proved to be the Reese's peanut butter eggs.

Later in the day we went to Paul's sister's house and he got to hunt for more eggs. He thinks Easter is great! And we are still working on polishing off all that candy!

An Eventful Mother's Day

Okay, so not that much happened. But when you have two under three, little things add up to a lot, in terms of stories and milestones. In Dani news, she is now able to roll over from front to back. She did this for the first time the day before Mother's Day and surprised even herself, getting wide eyed before breaking into a smile as she realized she was on her back again. She has become quite the wiggler. She is moving all around her crib and starting to move in circles. Once she makes it to her tummy, she pushes up high and kicks her legs furiously. Maybe crawling is just around the corner? Considering she happily jumps into everything, we could be in real trouble. If she has half the energy as Jack (which it appears that she does) we could be in for some craziness!

In Jack news, he made my Mother's Day. We were wrestling the day before and as things were dying down, I had him in a mini hug. He calmed down and looked at me and said, "I love you so much." What a kid!

Later on, he showed glimpses of being quite creative. While at Grandma's house for the actual Mother's Day, his cousin, Sierra found it entertaining to antagonize him a bit. She doesn't really understand that he's only two. And this time, she found it fun to try and steal his ball away by sitting on it so he couldn't grab it or kick it. Since she isn't my kid, I couldn't really reprimand her. But I also wanted to see how Jack would solve his own problems. Turns out we had nothing to worry about. Perched upon the ball, Sierra removed her bracelet and threw it. Then she turned to Jack.

Sierra: Can you go get that? (Oh yeah, and Sierra is also a little bossy at present.)

Jack: Yes.

Sierra: Well, go get it.

Jack went over to the bracelet and sat down next to it.

Sierra: Bring it to me!

Jack: No!

So Sierra got up to go retrieve her bracelet and as soon as she did, Jack got up and snatched the ball back. That's my boy!

Easily Pleased

Today we gave Jack a few M&Ms for dessert. After he picked out his colors and counted them, he happily at them and then said, "Bye-bye M&Ms!!" Then he looked over at us and said, "What a great day!"

Little Things I Love About Dani

Besides EVERYTHING, here are a few of my favorite moments with her:

• When she gets so excited that she grabs a toy and just screams at it as loudly as she can


• How she smiles these big, gaping goofy grins


• That she always smells so sweet


• How those grins look like she is trying to laugh but no sound comes out


• How she loves to snuggle with your face


• When she tries to bite my face and slobbers all over my cheek excitedly


• How she intently and carefully reaches out to grab something, willing her difficult to control limbs to do what she wants them to


• How easily she smiles


• How she greets me with one of her big grins everytime I run into the room


• When she is finished eating, even though she isn't done with her bottle and looks at me and gives me this little stinker grin, as if to say, "You know I'm not eating anymore, right?"


• How she furrows her brow when presented with a strange or new situation


• How alert and in tune with sounds and people talking


• How she grabs my ring and index fingers as she drinks her nighttime bottle and falls asleep in my arms


• How lately, when drinking her nighttime bottle, she grips one finger and uses her other hand to grab my face.


• EVERYTHING

Hanging Out

Tummy Time!

Jack wants to get in on the Tummy Time too!

Dani can roll over from back to front like a pro now. In fact, it's sometimes almost like a reflex when you put her on her back. She often just can't help herself. She'll flip over and then whine because she didn't really want to be on her tummy, she just wanted to do the whole rolling over thing. I wonder if she'll just keep rolling around to get places when she figures out how to get from her front to her back?

Time for Rice Cereal

First try--Yucky!

Second attempt--Much better!

Happy Dani

Dani loves her Exersaucer!

Dani moved on to rice cereal this week. The first time, she did not enjoy it much. Then she decided that she thought it interesting. Now she screams happily until she gets some in her mouth. Why she likes it so much is beyond me--she spits so much out she can't swallow much. But I guess it's not terribly shocking that this girl likes to eat! Up next--T-bone!