January 2010

Today Naomi and I made a calendar for January. She had an advent calendar all through December that helped us get to Christmas - maybe this will help get to a baby brother? Of course, daily chocolate was involved with the other...

I put in the days and numbers and significant events (first day at new school, when her brother is due) Naomi added her own pictures and story. The order is a bit tricky to follow, but it involves Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk), a tree monster, a bad guy who fights the tree monster to save the good guy (cause sometimes bad guys do nice things for good people), and Jack's mom, who somehow does something to make the tree monster bleed and keep Jack from feeling scared.

New One

So, I really can't keep up these days -- that is quite obvious on this blog. But you know, with a three-year-old, and full-time work, and being pregnant...oh. Have I not mentioned that on here? Yup, Naomi is going to be a Big Sister sometime around the end of January! And hopefully next week we'll find out if she is going to have a little brother or little sister.

Naomi is adapting to the idea- so much in fact that she calls the baby "my baby", and corrects me if I say its mine. She has decided they will share a room, and we talk alot about how special Naomi is to us, that she used to be little in my tummy, and now she is big and there will be a new baby. As excited as she is, I can also see that she wants to be close more than her usual. She knows there is change, that mama is tired alot, and that there is this new baby coming. I am really aware how this time it is not just Mark and I welcoming another person, but that it is three of us doing this together.

The "Green-with-Carrots-Marshmallows-and-a-Duck" Cake. and Umbrellas.

This year when I asked Naomi what kind of cake she wanted, this was her answer: green, with carrots, marshmallows and a duck. She was pretty consistent with her message - the only change was the addition of umbrellas right at the end. So this is what she got!

Happy Birthday Naomi!

No picture for this yet, but the girl turns 3 today! Amazing to think about where we were when, etc etc. Naomi enjoys hearing those stories, actually. She is quite excited about the Birthday, and so we will be celebrating for what feels like the whole month of July. We let her open her birthday present from her Granddaddy and Dot Dot last night --- a singing strawberry shortcake card with matching stickers (so cool) and a bright pink canopy/netting thing to hang over her bed (AWESOME). Naomi thinks its all the coolest, and spends hours sitting on her bed with the tent closed, opening and closing the singing birthday card.

Tonight she gets daddy time and phone calls. Tomorrow she gets swimming at (hopefully) Hamilton Pool and her present from us. Saturday she gets her Cake (yes the capital C is deliberate - this has been Anticipated for months). Then we get a family reunion and fireworks. Not bad for 3. I like that America will send her fireworks every year. Its a nice perk. :)

Summer Haircut

Movin' Up

This week Naomi has made the long-awaited move from Dragonfly to Starburst. In pre-school land that means she has moved from the 2-year-old class to the 3-year-old class. And she is super-duper excited! As soon as we got a call last week letting us know there was space, she has been talking about it. It has been time for her for a while - she has been one of the oldest kids for a while, several of her friends had already moved.

So far she is fitting right in. Yesterday when I picked her up, her teacher told me I had just missed seeing her run around in the spiderman costume! And when an older boy told her that she couldn't be spiderman, because spiderman is a boy, she told him "yes I can."

Something about the move has helped her in dropping off at school too. The last month or so has been more difficult for her - she has had a hard time letting me go, and we have had a few days of saddness. We worked out a solution together, and she has been hanging out with one of her teachers in the mornings, which has helped. But since moving up, she has been really comfortable on her own, and playing on the playground on her own. It really amazes me how aware she is of that getting bigger/still little journey that she is on.

Firefighter Naomi

Firefighters

Drive, Drive, Drive

Smoke when we go

Pour out the water

People feel better

written by Naomi, May27, 2009

Naomi's grandmother "Dot Dot" helped her write this poem. We took her to the children's museum in Denver last week, where they have a room with a fire truck, and firefighter coats and hats to wear. Naomi was in heaven -- The day before she told me she wants to be a firefighter when she grows up!

Happy Mother's Day

Yesterday I was greeted at the door with,"Mama, I have a card for you! It has butterflies on it."

My Big / Little Girl / Mama

It is the theme of Naomi lately. She has been wearing underwear for almost three weeks now, and despite many accidents, she is getting better and better at it - yesterday she had none, and last night she actually wore underwear to bed (we were totally out of pullups) and slept all night! This morning when I called her "little girl", she said "I'm not little." What are you then? "I'm a big girl!" So true, dear.

In this picture (you may not be able to see it) Naomi is holding her baby doll in a scarf. After hanging out with some friends-with-babies using slings, Naomi was playing with her baby and asked me to tie the scarf around them! A few days later, when a friend got out her sling for her baby at our house, Naomi went and got her things as well. And then copied her rocking motion too.

Adventures with Naomi

Tonight at dinner when I told Naomi she is funny, she said: "I'm not funny, I'm Kristen!"

Last night I walked outside to find Mark tying up the tomatoes, while Naomi had found the sprinkler, put the hose to the nozzle, turned the water up, and was jumping through it. All on her own.

Tuesday was Mark's birthday - Happy Birthday! Naomi and I made a carrot cake- she wanted cake, not cupcakes. She's been singing to Mark all week. Last night she started singing again, and then half-way through she looked at me and said, "Wait!" and proceeded to tell me where she wanted to sing to Mark and how. She got off her chair, held up a book, and serenaded him with happy birthday once again, but standing.

Naomi is excited about our trip to Colorado in May, and keeps talking about DotDot and Granddaddy, Alli, Alvin and Olivia. She has been talking about them alot, at one point she even started telling me about where we all slept the last time we were at my sisters - and that was last fall. Alvin has been part of her pretend games as well. And then the other night Naomi talked about seeing her DotDot. She said, "When I see Dot Dot, I'm going to say (lowers voice, grins) I'm here Dot Dot."

Insert Cliche Here

The thing that has been most evident to me since having a kid is that most of the cliches people throw at you about parenthood are actually true. I find myself more and more lately trying to figure out where my baby has gone, and really loving this little girl that has moved in with us. So, it is inevitable then that we would have the potty training post. The last two days Naomi has gone to school sans pull-ups, wearing underwear like a big girl. I am so proud of her and nervous for her all together. It really is a step in independence - which Naomi is aware of because at the same time she tells us that she is still little, and has gone back to using her little potty instead of the big one. I'm okay with this push-pull of growing up. She will be doing this our whole relationship, and I am so happy to be the one to hug and the one to give space.

Dress Up

Easter

Easter weekend was an insanely busy one for us, but really fun! Here are some pictures from one of the easter egg hunts. Mark's parents and sisters and families came up for lunch, and much fun was had by all. Naomi and Anna hunted eggs in their dress-up clothes!

What's Old is New Again

Naomi's room situation had gotton a bit out of control. So last night, after a trip to Target, Naomi and I stayed up late putting together shelves and organizing toys. Naomi was a natural - she started while I was still figuring out the shelves. I think she is a natural! And this morning she woke up playing with toys she hadn't played with in a while. It helps to be able to see things!

It felt like Christmas...maybe it was the Easter Bunny

Yesterday I got a voicemail on my phone while I was stillat work. "Mama, can I open it?Please can I open it?" She had a package in the mail from her Granddaddy and GrandDotDot for Easter. In the box was a full princess dress - dress, crown, and wand! There was also a new apron and cooking hat. Naomi was so excited, she put it on and started spinning immediately. Then she asked us, in all seriousness, "Mama, Daddy, can I fly?"

Pictures

Fritatta

Tonight we ate a lovely meal that several ingredients came out of our backyard. It was the kind of meal I'd like to eat more of, and the kind I like to advertise that I've made. This is opposed to a day like yesterday, when I stayed home with a cold from work and laid in bed and ate Lucky Charms all day.

I learned to make a Fritatta a few months ago when seeking out ways to use our eggs - and it turns out to be a really fast and easy dinner during the week.

8 eggs
fresh herbs (I used thyme and oregeno)
2 T parmesan cheese (or other cheese)
salt and pepper to taste
1 link italian sausage (or you can add diced ham, or no meat at all)
1 bunch swiss chard (or other vegetables, onion or garlic)
1 T butter or olive oil

Mix eggs, herbs, cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl (if using cooked meat, add it here).

In a pan with a lid (I use my dutch oven) melt/heat butter or oil. Add sausage, cook through, then add other vegetables. Cook til tender then pour the eggs in the pan. Cover and cook on medium-low heat about 9 minutes til its all set.

We used eggs from the chickens, swiss chard and herbs from the garden. And cooked some asparagus on the side, cause it was about to go bad in the fridge.

Wendell

A year after Mark and I got married I went to visit a friend, and a stray white-with-dark-ears kitten followed me into their house. He also had what looked like red magic marker all over his back. He came home with me, got a bath and we've had him since then. We called him Wendell, because Mark had just given me a book of Wendell Berry poems for my birthday. Today, as we were leaving the house for work, we discovered a quite bloody Wendell on the back porch - where 10 minutes before he had been fine. Its a mystery what happened (a fall, a car), but the result is a broken jaw, a crooked nose, and a full morning at two different vet offices. He went through his surgery okay, and is all wired back together. Hopefully we'll bring him back home tomorrow.

Dress Up

Dress up is really all the rage these days among Naomi and her friends. Here she is with her dear friends Layla, Soren and Ellaiden. Aren't they so pretty? These girls are so sweet together.

Cupcakes and Trees

I took Naomi to get her haircut this past weekend, and its become a girl-outing for us. We get her haircut and then get hot chocolate afterwards. This time I asked Naomi if she wanted to split a snack with me -and she immediately chose "the brown cupcake"! Of course. The barista just laughed when I ordered Naomi's hot chocolate, my latte, and then the hugely dark rich chocolate cupcake while holding my toddler. When I told Naomi I was going to take her picture, she purposely stuck out her tongue.
Naomi, however, has become more and more charming to people serving us. Last week at a juice place the cashier asked her name and she responded, "I'm Nomi Grace Pearson".


Naomi has also recently discovered the tree in our backyard - here she is before school one morning. I think trees agree with her.

This post could have been much longer and more dramatic.

This morning Mark was outside, and I stepped out on the deck to check on something. When I turned around, Naomi had locked the door. Thankfully, Mark had his keys on him and I could go around to the front, but for a full second I wondered if I could talk a 2 year old into opening the door - which I doubted cause she was looking at me like I was crazy and she had no idea what the problem was. Then I had an important talk with Naomi about only locking a door when one of us is inside too. I didn't know she could turn the deadbolt!

Getting Out the Door

This morning Naomi and I were trying to leave the house, to run an errand before dropping her off at school. As I balanced lunch bags and calendars and coffee, she came out of her room wearing her fairy wings and holding three books, which she read all the way. She'd read out loud, (describing the pictures) and then say, I'm a good reader!

the Biggest Daddy

Evidently, the Dragonfly class - Naomi's class at her pre-school - debated fiercely as to who had the biggest daddy. Naomi fought hard - and won. Her daddy is biggest.

Colorado

Here's the newest picture I have of Olivia -she is holding the nurse's finger. She is about back up to her birthweight. I went to Colorado for a long weekend. Alli had her surgery, my mom is working towards recovering with her broken leg. Its been an intense couple of weeks -and even though this isn't all happening to me, its felt incredibly emotional. I was glad to have been up there this weekend, chasing my nephew around and watching Alli sleep in the hospital. I think the hardest part was leaving - I wanted to stay with her very much. I am so thankful though that as of right now, things are progressing smoothly.

The highlights of my weekend? (1.) I got to be Aunt Kristen - and that was so fun! Alvin and I ran errands together. I started talking to him about getting a present for Olivia, and asked what he'd like to get her. He said, a Duck. See, Alvin's favorite stuffed animal - the thing he takes EVERYWHERE with him - is a duck! So we went duck shopping together. Granted, it took some effort (and one meltdown) to stay focused on finding a duck for Olivia, rather than trains for Alvin, but we had success! Alvin did come away with a new book about being a big brother, a Dr. Seuss ABC book (hisother obsession - the abc's), and a set of family dolls (the therapist in me couldn't resist!). (2.) I also got to drive my mom around and drive up the canyon a little bit - it was nice to be able to get her out too. (3.) I got to sit with my sister at the hospital, and be with her. Granted, she slept a good chuck of the time (so I read and watched General Hospital), but I also got to see her on pain meds, which if the situation weren't so crazy was almost funny.

I am looking forward to being up there again soon.

Hair

This morning Naomi and Mark were discussing showers. Naomi said, rubbing her belly, "I'm not clean." Then she looked at Mark, still rubbing her belly, "I don't have my hair on."

Welcome Olivia Jane

Naomi has a new cousin as of yesterday - Olivia Jane Wible. She decided to make her appearance much earlier than expected - but all are doing fine so far. She weighs in at 1 lb 15 oz, which is impossible to imagine, even while standing there looking at her. A lovely little girl. She is 13 and a half weeks early. You can see more of the story at Alli and Chad's blog (link is on the side -- the Wibles). Its been an emotional ride; thankyou for all your prayers and thoughts this direction.

Update

This is to inform you that Naomi's baby is no longer named Fabulous. Her new name is Halleluiah.

Weekend

While Mark and I took a mini-vacation to Port Aransas, Naomi had a vacation all her own with her grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles in San Antonio. She obviously had a great time!

Mark and I had a perfect weekend - we ate good food, sat on the beach, sat on the porch, read, slept, ate some more, took a long walk by the beach. It was a nice break, and a good start to Mark's new job today!

Fabulous

Naomi is all about pretending these days - her princess dress is her favorite outfit, and she plays with pretend animals and babies all the time. Normally when you ask her what her baby's name is (or monkey's or bear's) the answer is Baby, or Monkey, or Bear. Yesterday was the first time she called a baby by an actual name (and it was "Kristen").

In this picture she is holding her baby, named "Fabulous". Yes, really.

Pacifiers are not Forever

Naomi has been growing up so much lately, in all these subtle ways - more talking, her imagination, how much she plays and does with us around the house. But, she hit a big milestone this past weekend, by giving up her pacifier.

I was super nervous about it, because she was very attached to it during sleeping times, and I am not ready to give up naptime! She wanted it other times, but we had limited it to naps and bedtime. Occasionally we'd tried naptime with out it, and it was a disaster.

But the weekend before I found a book called Pacifiers are not Forever, and she really liked it. It talked about being a big girl, that she could give it up, and gave some ideas of all the things you can do without a pacifier. We read the book for a week together, and talked about it. We picked a day to give it up, when we'd all be home together, and said goodbye. She was upset when she actually had to, but at bedtime and naptime the next days she only asked for it once. And she has occasionally since (and once tonight when she was really sad), but we just tell her that she gave it up, and she is big, and she says, "oh. yeah." With a smile. I am so proud of her!

A Joke

This morning, Naomi was sitting eating at her table with Mark, who was reading a magazine. She told Mark that the coffee table was the reading table, and that her table was the eating table. So he moved, and I sat and ate with her.

When Mark got his food, he sat on the couch again to eat. Naomi asked him to come sit at the eating table, that that was the reading table. Mark said, "But, I'm reading my cereal" and looked intently back and forth at his bowl, "see? I like the word raisin" and pointed at a raisin. Naomi was laughing at him.

When he came and sat down with us, Naomi copied him, looking intently at her toast as if she was reading it. "See," she said pointing, "I like the word sandwhich!"

Christmas #2 - New Mexico

From Colorado we drove to Ruiodoso, New Mexico to do Christmas with Mark's family. They were going to be there a whole week, but we spent the first couple of days before heading back to Texas and work.

We arrived on a Friday night, where it started snowing an hour and a half outside Ruiodoso. Then we made it halfway up the mountain (cause the condo was of course on top of a mountain) before our car decided it was too icy under the snow and refused to go up any more. So the only option (that Mark could see!) was to put all our warm clothes on, bundle up Naomi in the backpack carrier and hike what he said was just a 1/4-1/2 mile up the road (it was 1.3 miles). So we did - Mark's dad and brother-in-law Andrew walked halfway and met us, which made the whole thing much better! I wish I had a picture of our hike - it turned out really beautiful, but it was cold (19 degrees) and snowy. And it satisfied a dream of Mark's, I think. WOW.

We spent the next couple of days Christmas-ing, baking with the kids, and sledding. Then it was back to Texas.

Christmas in Colorado

We spent Chrstmas Day (and the few days before) in Colorado with my family. Naomi had some great time with her cousin Alvin (also 2) and with her Grandotdot and Granddaddy. We had a great time catching up, and doing lots of cooking! Mark spent a good deal of time working on Naomi's Christmas present -- the white wooden kitchen below. It is so beautiful, and Naomi loved it! We were up very late Christmas Eve finishing it (of course), but I am so proud. Naomi liked doing stockings and opening presents. And we found time to play in the snow in the backyard!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Naomi and her friend Ellaiden..