Walker's Sing-A-Ma-Jig

For Christmas, Walker and Lainey both got these Sing-A-Ma-Jigs. These little creatures sing songs and their mouths open and close and they have little teeth and they make funny noises.

Walker is just not so sure how he feels about his Sing-A-Ma-Jig. He likes it for a minute or two...but when the Sing-A-Ma-Jig starts to sing his song ("This Little Light of Mine") Walker starts to get sad. He sticks out his bottom lip and starts to fuss.

wishing the Sing-A-Ma-Jig would stop singing (and his mom would stop taking pictures)

the Sing-A-Ma-Jig

still not happy with it

And this is a classic "Walker face." He balls up his fists and pushes them against his cheeks and lets out a little yell. He does this when he's frustrated or sad or tired. It's his way of telling us to pay attention to his needs!

And here's the cute boy in his sister's tent. He loves to sit up and move his legs back and forth and back and forth. He likes to do this on a variety of surfaces. I think he enjoys the noise that it makes and the sensation that it creates!

Letter Cups

The Scene:

My friend Kelley and I are downstairs preparing a Valentine's Day craft for the Lainey, Gage, and Ainsley. We are getting the supplies ready and making sure that the floors are covered. Kelley is making the cornstarch/water mixture on the stove and taking breaks to cut pieces of yarn while I'm mainly just trying to keep Walker content (Kelley did all the work here!!). We hear the kids talking and giggling upstairs, and we make a comment or two about how great it is to hear our kids playing so nicely together.

We decide to head up the stairs to help the kids make the move downstairs to the kitchen for craft time. About halfway up the stairs we hear water running. I immediately think of the bathtub - I am just certain that they're giving the toys and dolls (and perhaps themselves) a bath. Well. That was not the case.

We see the three kids standing in front of the toilet, attempting to flush it repeatedly. As we approach, we also notice that there is a foam letter "H" in the toilet trying to avoid getting flushed. This naturally leads us to ask what else has gone in the potty, and Lainey tells us that they had put the "letter cups" in there. And Gage says that the letter cups "went under that hole in the potty." At that point, I ask Lainey how many "letter cups" (still not totally sure what she's talking about, but assuming they are bath toys) went down the potty. She says three. Well, I clue in at this point as to what she's talking about. She is referring to the small plastic cups with numbers on them that we play with in the bathtub. I count that there are 3 left in the tub, so we are missing two. So two went down the potty.

The rest of the story is that we had a plumber come out to help the toilet flush more efficiently (it was slightly clogged but not completely) and he successfully pushed the "letter cups" into the sewage pipes...and the hope is that they will go on their merry way and not cause us any more problems. And we had several discussions with Lainey about what goes in the potty and what does not go in the potty.

So, lesson learned. Always check on your kids. Even (or especially) if it sounds like they're having a good time together!

An Interview with an 11-Month-Old

• Full name: Walker Gordon Harris
• Age: Today I am 11 months old!
• You can usually find me...on my mom's hip. Or trying to take my sister's things from her. Or harassing my dog, Reagan.
• Three things I'd save from a burning building would be...my binky and my toy hammer and my sister's milk cup.
• Unfortunately...I have really stinky breath. All the time. (Sorry, Buddy.)
• I'd rather be...outside. I cry when we go inside or if we approach a door and don't open it to go outside.
• When I'm tired/hungry/frustrated, I...ball up my fists and squish my cheeks and let out a fussy yell.
• I'm the most strong-willed...in the middle of the night. I don't give up hope that someone will come and rescue me.
• I am employed by...Lainey. She is a demanding boss and can be a bit rough with me sometimes.
• Something no one knows about me...is that I've taken one single step by myself! I have done this two times. I can stand by myself for about 10-15 seconds and from that position I've taken a single step - twice! I probably still have awhile before I am walking.
• I feel that...I am talkative. I'm saying more and more sounds each day.
• New tricks I've learned recently: waving "bye-bye" and "hi," saying "dadada" when asked to, responding to our command to "raise your hand if you're cute," crawling like a bear on hard surfaces (on his hands and feet, like Lainey did), and crawling up the stairs
• Yippee!! I can...put my own binky in my mouth (but not at night). I am also really good at putting Lainey's binky in my mouth.
• I still need help...standing by myself, using a sippy cup, sleeping through the night, and eating solid foods.
• Sometimes I suffer from...separation anxiety. I don't love it when you walk down the stairs or leave me in a room by myself.
• My new favorite food is...spaghetti!
• Something I've lost recently...is an ear tube. The right one. It fell out at the doctor's office on the day I turned 10 months old. And three days ago - on January 14th - I got an ear infection in that ear. (My mom and dad took me to the ER to get that one diagnosed...because of course I started having issues at 10:00 on a Friday night.) Back to the ENT doctor I go...
• An unpleasant experience that I've had in the past month...was falling off the bed. And being hospitalized after suffering from a second intussusception.
• I really wish that I...had a normal front tooth. Mine has a giant ridge in it. So basically, it'll look chipped until I lose that baby tooth and get an adult tooth.
• I get really mad when...my sister (or my mom or my dad) takes something away from me.
• I think it's really funny when...my mom and dad chase Lainey. I love it when everyone laughs and screams and acts crazy. I wave my arms and laugh and scream right along with them!
• I am always eager to...take a bath. I LOVE bath time.
• My thoughts on taking medicine: I'm fine if I'm the one holding the syringe. My mom just shoots little bits into my mouth and I'm totally okay with that. Just as long as I'm holding the syringe.
• My favorite TV show is...anything, really. I'll watch whatever Lainey watches. I like the theme songs to all the shows and when the characters are singing and dancing on TV.
• The best book I've read lately is...Bright Baby First Words. And Manny's Book of Tools. I really enjoy reading books. In fact, I get mad if someone forgets to read me a book before taking a nap or going to bed at night.
• My favorite toys are...anything my sister is playing with. Other than that, I like her princess wand, the porch railing to a small dollhouse, the wooden stacking rings, my ball towers (especially the one with the hammer...I like to pound the balls to make them go down the ramp), my talking toolbox, and my musical instruments.
• I love...playing with Lainey's binkies. And playing on the bed. I also think it's really funny to put toys and objects in my mom's mouth and then pull them out again. I laugh and repeat this process over and over and over.
• I don't love...waking up (unless it's my idea), getting in my car seat, and cold and windy weather.
• I will "dance" when...I hear the song "Hot Dog!" that is played at the end of each episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. When I "dance," I bounce up and down whether I'm sitting down or standing up holding onto a piece of furniture.
• Lainey thinks I'm really good at...crawling.
• My mom and dad think I'm best at...getting into things that I'm not really supposed to get into.
• I immediately start crying when...someone leaves me to take a shower. I will sit on the floor and cry, cry, cry until he or she gets out of the shower. (Lainey still does this sometimes, too.)

We love you, Walk-a-dooskie!

(This poor kid never gets called by his given name!)

An Interview with Lainey

The title of this post should be renamed "Pulling Teeth to Get Lainey to Answer a Few Questions." I had intended to type the exact answers that Lainey gave me, and for the most part I did, but I definitely had to do some prompting to get her to answer some of the questions. She kept getting distracted. :) I think Walker will be a more cooperating subject when it's his turn! :)

Name: Lainey Harris

How old are you? two

How old is Mommy? 22 (Close...I'm 32.)

How old is Daddy? 28

What is your favorite color? pink

What are your favorite animals? horses, puppy dogs

What animals are not your favorite? elephants

What do you like to sleep with in your bed? Austin, Uniqua, Tasha, Pablo, Tyrone, tutus

What is your favorite book to read? Dora

What is your favorite TV show? The Backyardigans

What TV show do you not like? Imagination Movers (specifically the character named Warehouse Mouse)

What is something that is scary? elephants 'cause they blow trunks out of their water (I think she meant that they blow "water out of their trunks.")

I think Walker is...a monkey.

What does Mommy like to do? play with the dollhouse

What does Daddy like to do? ballet (Obviously, this is an answer that Lainey gave on her own. Not sure where she got that one.)

What is your favorite toy? I like my babies.

What song do you like to sing? "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "ABCD"

Which binky is your favorite? the green one

____________

Cute sayings that she says:

• "My heart is sick. My heart is hurting." (She said this once when she was sad.)
• "Daddy Jane!" (A few days ago she said this while reprimanding Daddy. Jane is Ainsley's middle name.)
• "Mommy, I like your shoulders." (?)
• "Come on hand, let's get out of here." (She said this when she was trying to take off Snow White's dress.)
• "That sunset is dirty." (There were gray clouds covering much of the sunset.)
• Lainey tries to think of ways to touch things that are out of her reach (such as clouds, Gus, balloons). She tells me that she can reach these things using bouncy shoes, a trampoline, or a ladder. :) Once she also told me that she could fly. Naturally, I asked her how she could do that. She said that she had wings (meaning the wings from her ladybug costume). I have to admit, this is a bit scary as I am her mom and don't want her trying to fly anywhere!
• "You my mommy. Yiyia my sweetheart." :)
• She frequently says "I love you" and "I worried about you" (if either of us has been away from her) and "I missed you." She has started to say these phrases on her own without any guidance or prompting...and it completely melts my heart. So sweet.
• She once asked me, "What happened to your big eyebrows, Mommy?" (My children did not get their full eyebrows from me.)
• "I be the winner!" (Lainey loves to be the first one down the stairs. And sometimes, she wants to be the first one up the stairs. This has become somewhat of an obsession, and an opportunity for us as her parents to teach her that she can't always be the "winner." We are still working on getting her to understand that one.)
• "I love you anyway" and "I love you anyway, too." (She got both of these sayings from Olivia, a cute little pig who stars in her own TV show and has a series of books.)
• "It's okay, Mommy. I just choking. I got bad chokes." (She says this whenever she coughs or has a coughing fit.)

Cute words that she says:

• "bwannas" (bananas)
• "Chip-uh-way" (Chick-fil-A)
• "sketti" (spaghetti)
• "Telicity" (Felicity, the name of her doll)
• "someping" (something)
• "Purey-ell" (Purell)
• "two ones" (meaning two of something)
• "stahwbewwies" (strawberries)
• "antennies" (antennas)
• "fridger" (refrigerator, although you don't say this as much anymore)
• "Canelius" (Cornelius, the name of a caterpillar in her book)

Sledding in Texas

For Lainey's second birthday, Emmy and Tuck gave her this great toy - a giant red plastic saucer. So far we've used it to push the kids around on the carpet (but we have to be careful of the static electricity on that one), spin them in circles on the floor, and a few times Lainey has used it as a "boat" to transport herself and her possessions.

Today, we used the giant saucer as a sled. We took it to the small hillside slope near the pasture where we frequently go to feed some horses. The kids had a great time - they laughed, squealed, ran, and played in the snow that covered the hillside. And of course, Kelley and I laughed right along with them! They were so excited about everything that they were doing!

Lainey and Ainsley giggled and giggled, and they insisted on riding the sled together.

sweet friends

The horses weren't in the pasture today. Lainey and I had talked about how a horse's coat thickens during the winter to keep him warm. Lainey took this to mean that they actually have "fuzzy coats on" with "hoods." So sadly, we didn't get to see the stylish horses with their winter wear.

Gage was in charge of pushing the sled down the hill.

And here is Lainey helping Gage go down the hill. She kept telling him to "shake his head." I think she meant for him to wiggle his body so that he could help get the sled going!

Walker didn't love sledding. But he was a good sport and stayed pretty happy the whole time...as long as he was on my hip. :)

Gage loved going down the hill on the sled by himself. He would go really fast and kept wanting to do it over and over again. The girls were off eating snow and making snow angels so he had the sled all to himself!

Lainey called these big chunks of snow her "snow sandwiches."

my little boy

The kids took turns giving each other bites of snow. And they even offered to share some with their moms...so sweet. :) All in all, sledding was a great adventure. Despite the fact that when it was time to go, my two kids were very hungry, quite cold, and a little grumpy. Oh yes, and Lainey had peed in her pants.

It was a fun ride home! :)

Snow Day

Lainey was SO excited to make snow angels.

(Lainey's snow angel...as if you couldn't tell! Ha!)

One can still jump on a snow-covered trampoline.

Hmm...some things don't change from year to year. Lainey still loves to eat snow. And apparently, this chair by our back door offers some of the best there is.

December 2, 2009

January 9, 2011

New Year, New Trick

From about the time each child in our family is born, we try to teach him or her to respond to the phrase "Raise your hand if you're cute!" Today I tried it with Walker (fully intending to help him raise his hand) and he proudly raised his hand(s) by himself! Multiple times! He is awfully cute, I must say... :)

First he held both hands up...

then just one hand...

and then he proved to me that he was ready for Kindergarten. He can hold his hand up so high and so well! :)

Happy New Year!

"May joy and peace surround you,

Contentment latch your door,

And happiness be with you now,

And bless you evermore."

-an Irish Blessing-

See you in 2011!

Photos from the end of 2010

These pictures are from my iPhone...so that explains why they are fuzzy!

November 28, 2010

Lainey is a big fan of yard decorations.

December 2, 2010

Walker found a snack.

December 3, 2010

Here is our neighborhood coyote hanging out in front of Keegan's front yard.

And here he is taking a nap in another neighbor's yard. He could care less that I'm stalking him.

December 5, 2010

After this picture was taken, we permanently removed the centerpiece from the coffee table. As you can tell, the pinecones (or "pineapples" as Lainey calls them) had already been removed when this picture was taken...

December 10, 2010

Reagan is trying to get away from it all.

December 13, 2010

sharing...and happy

December 14, 2010

an exhausted Walker in the hospital

December 15, 2010

silly girl with her "hat"

December 17, 2010

This is a picture that Kelley forwarded to me when we were at the hospital with Walker (for the second time). She arrived at Kelley's house before Gage and Ainsley awakened from their nap. Lainey still talks about how she got to "play while Ainsley and Gage were sleeping." She liked having all of the toys to herself. :)

December 31, 2010

Lainey is getting better at pedaling her bike. She needs a little push here and there, but she's doing pretty well!

And, for some reason, she was fascinated with these utility flags. She kept "reading" the words on the flags to me - and she told me that each one was a list for Santa Claus. Each list contained a few items. And some items were repeated over and over.

Several examples of the items on the lists to Santa:

ice skates

dollies

pepperonis

princess dollies