Monday, February 11, 2013

Urban Liona at 6 Months Old

baby_six_month_girl

  • Loves cruisin around the house in her walker. Went the furthest ever yesterday. I was completely shocked to turn around while making dinner, after having left her in the living room, she was right there smiling up at me in the kitchen doorway! Sneaky. The look on Urban's face when she realizes that she has taken herself somewhere, its pure wonder and joy. The independence, the excitement, the fun, she absolutely loves it. Her arms up and flailing as she runs crookedly. Sometimes she gets so excited as she is heading strait for me, but then with a slightly off push of her little feet the walker starts heading the wrong way, yet her head turns to continue facing me and smiling as her body confusedly goes the other way. Yesterday I was trying to get her to cone to me with air kisses and baby talk, then atlas jumped into the game in a different direction and started calling Urban to him. She got soooooo excited, looked back and forth between me and atlas. Then went strait to atlas! When she got there he gave her a kiss. Mike and I both melted inside.
  • Really great at sitting up. Can sit unassisted for about ten seconds after being balanced. Likes the bumbo.
  • Loves Sophie the vullie giraffe. Specifically, Sophie's feet....I guess those are hoofs...
  • Enjoys looking out the window.
  • Loves sitting in the bottom seat of the stroller.
  • Adores looking in the mirror.
  • Still loves ceiling fans.
  • Loves sitting in her bath seat and is filled with awe when water falls from a cup.
  • Grabs EVERYTHING. Its so precious how excited she gets when her little fingers are reaching, streeeetching for whatever is juuuust out of her reach.
  • Is very patient and sometimes even giggly when her brother gets rough with her.
  • Fits best in size 9 clothes
  • Lights up when she receives attention, even if its just making  eye contact.
  • Puts herself to sleep after a nice little session of being rocked and lovingly sang to.
  • Waves her arms in excitement, nor knowing what to do with them.
  • Still absolutely must be burped after eating. Unburped Urban is unhappy Urban.
  • Loves suckin those little toesies
  • No longer wants her arms swaddled
six_monther_girlsix_months_baby_girl
Pin It Now!

Urban Liona. 5 Months Old.

five_month_oldbaby_cutiefive_monthsbaby_5_month_old

  • Is so vocal when she wants attention or is having fun with a toy. Does these really adorable, really high pitched and loud screams.
  • Loves flying like an airplane above mommy and daddy.
  • Sometimes she will just lay in her crib happy screaming screaming and laughing at herself, often playing with her feet.
  • Loves playing with her feet and sucking on her toes.
  • Has 7 arm notches
  • Chooses to only roll over when no one is watching. Has apparently rolled both front to back and back to front.
  • Loves to pull her brother’s hair out (literally) and he LOVES when she does even more than she loves pulling it out (I’m serious)
  • Cranes her very strong neck around when she wants to see something that she is turned away from. Will stop at nothing.
  • Recognizes when she is about to be tickled and gets excited.
  • More ticklish every month! She is most ticklish on her neck and the sides of her tummy.
  • Officially does not fit in her soft foldable bathtub in the sink anymore. Sadly for all of us. Mommy breaks her back leaning over the bathtub now, and baby hates laying down in the bathtub. We need to figure out a new system…
  • Hair has gotten somewhat “wispy”. There is ONE strand that is much, much longer than the rest. Right smack in the middle of the top of her head.
  • 95th percentile for weight. 90th for height. And 97th for head! Big girl!
  • Still has a very soft cry. We often will think she is just fussing and making noises trying to fall asleep, so we let her be, then we go up to find that she has tears streaming down. Sad but sweet because she will get to that point without ever letting out a “normal” baby cry.

baby_siblingbaby_sibling_brotherbig_brothersibling_lovesiblings_texas

Pin It Now!

Friday, February 8, 2013

The Grass is Soft

After many beautifully pleasant winters in California, and now yet another amazing winter but now in Texas, I'm pretty sure I officially could never survive living somewhere cold again. We are perfectly happy with year round basking in the sun and strolls through the park.
Atlas has had a fever most of this week, and of course this has been the most beautifully week yet! So when it said 80degrees yesterday we loaded up the fever reducer and headed for the park anyways! Sad when we realized that all of our shoes had been locked in our closet with no key...so we decided to pack up the toys and books and hang out in the middle of the grassy soccer field. It was nice being at the park but not the playground. And there was no one else around so we didn't have to worry about spreading our germs.
As wonderful as this park is with all of the different play structures, ponds, exercise equipment, walking and running trails, ducks, I think my favorite may be how well kept and soft this field of grass is! When is the last time you walked barefoot in the grass and felt like you were stepping on feathers? Yeah.
Urban had this adorable little happy face the entire walk there! She was having a ball sitting in the bottom!
Now cross your fingers that this post actually works and looks ok, its from my phone yeah!
Pin It Now!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Urban Liona Lately. Four Months Old.

Also wrote this one and took the pix in the beginning of December, all I needed to do was add the pictures! Funny how small things can make me feel all tied up and keep me from progressing (pretty sure there is a life lesson here that I should be catching onto….). So here is Urban’s four-month-old post, while I am just about to start working on her five month old post…ha!

This stripe-ey cutie patootie is four months old!

four_month_texas_baby

I think the phrase “They grow up so/too fast!” is the most overused phrase in the world that I just cannot stop saying….

four_month_babychristmas_baby_four_month

Here are a few things my little four month-er has been up to….

  • Has discovered, and loves her tiny tongue! She usually sticks it out in the middle of a big tickle. And always has it happily hanging out when I find her awake in her crib in the morning/after naps. Its also a little game we play- I stick mine out, she sticks hers out, then we laugh. I actually find it very touching as silly as it sounds….I just feel that its our first intelligent communication…..oh geeze….
  • She is all about putting those little hands in her mouth. Slobbery-like.
  • Mohawk is almost completely gone. This is actually quite depressing for me. Because I think her mohawk was perfectly adorable in its symmetrical perfection. There were several times people commented that they thought it was cute that I would always style her hair into a ‘hawk, little did they know how naturally PERFECT she was. That thing would fluff right into place after baths.
  • Loves when her big bro entertains her. Atlas can easily get a giggle and tongue-smile from his baby sis.
  • Rolled over once! Of course, there were no witnesses, however, we are certain she was on her tummy and then several minutes later was not on her tummy.
  • toys in mouth lovin
  • feet holding
  • lights up when she is acknowledged
  • Favorite toy is a flower shaped thing with a mirror in the middle and all different pedals – crinkles, beads, chewy soft, its got it all :).

four_month_baby_toyfour_month_baby_austinfour_month_baby_texastexas_four_month_babychristmas_four_month_baby

Pin It Now!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

His World Lately

I wrote this ENTIRE post a few weeks ago, right before we packed up the computer. I’m sure I wanted to add pictures to it, but I would rather have it posted without pictures than not post it at all… So here is Atlas in his world lately, at the beginning of December 2012.

I know it’s a lot, but I look forward to the day I print out my blog and make a book out of it, and have all of these amazingly cute memories, moments in this incredible toddler’s life that are so abundant these days, but will some day be different moments, little boy moments, then boy moments, then teenager moments, then adult moments….I want these toddler moments easily accessible to remember and smile about….

These are just a few cute things Atlas has done recently that are just popping into my head as I am writing. I wish I could record everything he does, but he is an endless universe of adorable and leaves me in wonder all day long. I know I’ll be happy I wrote these things down.

His world as a Brother:

Calls Urban either Honey, Sweetie, or Burban (baby Urban). Often rushes to her side when she is fussing, strokes the top of her head, with his brows furrowed ‘Aww, whats wrong honey? Why you cwying?” Genuine concern in his voice and face.

The other night he was being difficult so we let him go to our bed to go to sleep while me and Mike were trying to finish a movie. If you don’t know, Urban is in a co-sleeper right next to our bed. A few minutes later we hear Urban cooing and giggling and Atlas is chatting up a storm with her! We go in and he is leaned over her sleeper with an arm on her belly. Just hanging out, old, best buddies.

He also uses his little sis as an excuse to get out of things. She will make barely a peep and he will suddenly pipe up from his bed “Burban (baby Urban) needs me! She cryin!”

My favorite might be when he does sweet little things when he thinks no one is watching. Like when I spied him explaining Christmas to Urban (I couldn’t really make out what he was saying, but he was pointing at the Christmas tree and leaning over her, speaking softly and happily). And the time I spied him giving her a kiss attack.

His world as a little boy:

Getting really good at riding the balance bike.

Went swimming in the hot tub the other day, fully clothed, and had a blast. Then went and rolled around in the dirt, all wet and now muddy. Loved it. Also loved the nice warm, clean bath afterwards.

Another excuse to get out of bed- “I gotta go potty!”. This is usually true 5% of the time…but what do we say…no, you can’t try to go potty? So back and forth it is.

We finally have a few presents under the tree. Sometimes I will find Atlas just sitting there, staring at them :). I wish I could have that kind of wonder in my heart. I am so excited to create the magic of Santa Clause for him for the first time!

He is getting so good at singing! Among his already favorites Wheels on the bus & ABCs, he now also loves to sing Skidamarinkidinkidink and Monkey’s jumping on the bed. We have such fun dance sessions.

He is in LOVE with “White Christmas” the movie! Its precious. When the actors start dancing he comes up to me and grabs my hand and says “mommy dance with me? please!?!”

On a walk around our apartment parking lot, I asked him if he thought the trees were pretty. He responded “No mommy, not trees, it’s a jungle!”. We then pretended to see Lions and Monkey’s running through the jungle. I love his imagination.

Literally paid for our Christmas lights at Home Depot. I didn’t know he had any such plan. We got to the checkout, he handed the cashier the lights, then reached into his pocket and slapped a penny on the counter, he must have found it on the ground or something. As I tried to contain my giggles and “awww that’s so sweet!!!” I secretly handed the cashier my card and asked him to play along, accept the penny, and act like Atlas had indeed paid for our family Christmas lights. Financial education can come later, his desire was heart melting.’

Another money story – we received a sweet Christmas package from my Grandparent’s with some money taped onto the outside with a note to buy something fun for the kids. Instead I explained to Atlas that the money was a present for him and he gets to buy whatever he wants with it! He responded “….I know….Atlas buy a new house!!” – we are days away from closing on our house, he knows and wants to help!

His World as a Child, full of purity and the Light of Christ:

I wondered if I should share this, because it is so very dear to my heart.

The innocence and purity of a child is beyond beautiful. And the reason I blog is because I want to share the beauty of life.

On a walk/bike ride yesterday Atlas suddenly stopped his bike, pointed to the sunset & beautiful clouds, and gave me chills when he said “Look mommy, its Jesus”.

I thought I must have been mistaken, so I asked him what he said. He pointed at the sky and repeated, “it’s Jesus!”.

Then started riding his bike again, as if it were no big deal.

On a lighter, but just as beautiful note- a few weeks ago, Mike was walking the halls with a very restless Atlas during sacrament meeting. Here are Atlas’s responses to the pictures in the hall, all spoken with complete enthusiasm and joy:

“Jesus Wash the Feet! “

“Jesus Open the door!”

“Jesus tawk (talk) a friends!”

untitled

“Jesus Christ Butterfly!”

Pin It Now!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Play With Me

play_with_toddler_texas

Please Atlas, never stop saying these words: “Mommy play with Atlas? PLEASE?”

Lately he will say this, and with the “PLEASE?” put his hands together, as if in prayer, literally begging me to play with him.

And it brings a small burn to my throat every time. It’s a powerful reminder to me that his world literally revolves around my choices…

He doesn’t have the power to take himself to the park to feel the sweet sun on his cheeks.

He doesn’t have the power to teach himself the alphabet and learn to read his favorite story about tractors.

He doesn’t realize that I have the power to simply go to the store and buy bags and bags of candy.

He is powerless to the world.

I have all of this power to decide his life and happiness….

And….it scares me.

What is this time-consuming, urgent, important task he is resting all happiness on my shoulders over?

Always something so simple for me, but so colossal for him, for his world.

The power of being a mother scares me….

Today I wanted pictures of us together, doing what we do. Playing. This is his life for the past three years, yet he will likely not remember a little thing like this, playing with blocks and tractors in his room with mommy, and that is kinda sad for me. Our LIFE for the last three years, he will not really remember when he is my age. I don’t remember being three years old…do you?

So here is something for you to remember Atlas, that you LOVED playing with mommy. And mommy LOVED playing with you too.

play_with_toddler_austinplay_with_toddler

Of course, Atlas would have died if I did not let him take a picture of mommy….

austin_texas_play_with_toddler

My makeup is not done, my shirt has spitup on it and a big hole, and my hair is a little gross, but I took these pix anyways…they are even a little fuzzy because I was too lazy to do good settings on the camera… and that’s the idea behind Embrace The Camera.

Pin It Now!

Friday, December 7, 2012

OH...

Can you believe that I’ve never put their newborn pictures side by side and realized how totally they look like each other? Am I a bad mother for not realizing this until just now? Well check it out.

atlas_urban

Do you know which one is which?

And just because I love going through these pictures….

atlas&urbanz

Pin It Now!