Learning to Cut

After noticing Stinky's interest in some scissors I was using to wrap a present, I decided it was time to introduce her to her little scissors. I picked out an old Family Fun magazine for her to cut. Initially I just handed her the scissors to see how she would use them. With both hands she would open the scissors, attempt to put the paper in and then shut them. After a little frustration I showed her how to use them correctly. Learning to use scissors is a process of building hand muscles. Right now she can do small cuts on the paper. After a few cuts her hand gets tired and she begins to compensate by helping her cutting hand squeeze the scissors shut with her other hand. She is very interested in turning each page, talking with me about the pictures on the page and then cutting a few slits in the bottom and moving on to the next page. I put the scissors and magazine on a shelf down low in her art studio so she can go back to this activity when she wants. Soon her muscles will get stronger and she will be able to use the scissors over and over to make more then just small slits.

"I love him sooooooooooooooooooo much"

Stinky fell in love with her little brother the moment she met him. She has been such a great big sister. I have worked hard even before he was born involving her in his life. She helped make his bed before he was alive and she was so excited that he would be sleeping (eventually) with her. When we left for the hospital I left her a gift that Pluggy had for her. It was a special princess big sister shirt. She wore it so proudly when she came to visit in the hospital. When we came home from the hospital I made her a special book of pictures of new baby brother which she proudly took to all her playdates to share with her friends. When people ask what his name is she loves to introduce him. When she was asked if her baby brother was born she would say, "Yeah Dr's cut (making a slicing sign with her hand) him our of mommy's tummy." Yes I had a c-section and maybe that live c-section surgery on the Today Show wasn't such a good idea.
She continues to be very involved in taking care of him and at times joining in the fun. We set up a little changing station next to Pluggy's for her to change her baby. I sewed a few cloth diapers out of on of the big ones for her babies so they looked just like Pluggy's.

When Pluggy sees Stinky his face lights up and he laughs so hard. It is fun to watch them grow together and love on each other. I look forward to watching their relationship grow.

5 months in fastforward

Wow, 5 months can go by so quickly. As you can see Pluggy loves to smile when he isn't screaming. My poor little man has had some issues with Acid Reflex. He liked being in mommy's tummy so much that this big new world has been a little hard adjusting to. Mommy and Daddy have had some sleepless nights and he has mastered the art of the scream. A scream 'Only a mother can love'? Well I have loved watching his little face mature as he gets older and older.

And So The Craziness Begin's

On March 8, days before I was scheduled for a C-section my little man decided it was time to meet the world. Pluggy (and I will explain the name in a moment) was born 7lbs 3 oz, 20.5 inches. After the first child I felt a little seasoned in the first 2 years of life but my little man wanted his own special experiences. He decided in order to achieve this he needed to play opposites with a personality completely opposite of his sister. With that said it has been a total of six months since I last posted. A quick pause to breath and I think I can begin posting again.

Pluggy came into the world completely regular till the day he turned 4 weeks old. Now he is not so regular thus the name Pluggy. He is full of fire with a scream that gets you to your feet and move'n. He wants to be sure his big sis does not out perform him. He is full of the most beautiful smiles and giggles enough to make all strangers comment on what a good and happy baby he is. Apparently he really must like being home because only practices his vocals at home.

We are so in love with our new addition and Stinky is the best big sister. She gets him to laugh like nobody else can.

And so my journey with 2 children begins.

Soccer

This is an old post that I apparently never finished. We decided to give soccer a try a few months ago. She was so excited to put her cut little outfit on and practice. Once at soccer we learned our little Stinky was more of the dancing/gymnastic type. At least at this stage in her development. She loved dressing her soccer ball up turning the orange cones into hats and putting the little colored vests onto the flag. Daddy was a little sad as his dreams of a star soccer girl were squashed. At least for now. We will try again in a few years. Childrens interests are every evolving. For now dance here we come.

Christmas Day: Did Somone Say Presents?

Stinky stood in amazement at all the gifts that over loaded the tree and came out into the living room. Wow does my family do Christmas!
For Christmas Mommy and Daddy gave Stinky a baby doll and a sling to carry her in. As our due date approaches I wanted to equip her with her own gear that she will see me using with the new baby. She loved it and hasn't stopped carrying "baby" as we call her around.
We planned on transitioning her to a big girl bed after we got home from our vacation. Momo and Grandpa gave her a special sleeping bag to sleep in when we travel as an alternative to the pak n play.
And off to Christmas dinner we go. We have recently developed a Christmas tradition of going out to a fancy dinner. We realized as we got older that my mom spent most of her time in the kitchen on Christmas so we wanted to alleviate that, so she could enjoy the day as well. Stinky looked adorable in her Christmas dress and of course new baby came too. My DH and I however learned very quickly that things will have to change next year. It is difficult to keep a tired child who has experienced great excitement all day quite in a nice restaurant. As Christmas relocates to our house next year I think we will begin cooking dinner. Our enjoyment was tainted a bit due to the anxiety of making sure we did not disrupt everybody else in the restaurants dinner.

Fifth Stop: Reno, Snow Snow Snow!

Our next and final stop was Reno. It is a tradition my DH's family is very excited about. Stinky loved the snow for the second year in a row. She loved sledding with daddy, throwing clumps of snow and this year she could move a little more than last year. I was too pregnant to join in the sledding fun and it was hard to watch on the side lines.

One of her favorite experiences was Circus Circus. She caught on really fast that she played a game and in return she was handed an animal. For the most part we let her play the games and sometimes she didn't win. Some of the games were a sure win. She really enjoyed fishing were she won a turtle every time she fished. She had so many turtles that I thought it would be good to trade them in for a bigger cuter whale. She was really frustrated at me for doing that. So we had to play two more times because she wanted a turtle and she wanted to take one home for her BFF Chu. She also really enjoyed pounding on a button, with Daddies help, and winning dogs. Some games she surprised us and won animals all on her own. Once she won my DH wanted to try and he walked away with nothing. Talent or luck not sure, but Stinky really enjoyed this part of the vacation.

The best part was spending time with her cousins. She is the youngest and she gets babied by some of them. There are six of them all under the age of 5 which is fun for them all. She really looks up to MM, she is 3 and loves Stinky.

It was sad to see our trip end, but exciting to sleep in my own bed. It took about the same amount of time to get back to normalcy as we had been gone, but looking back now it was great fun. Until Next Year ...........