Spring has sprung! And so have we! (Also: The Elise's Easter Kitten, and a Baby Bulletin)

We did not try to coordinate
colors, but I think we go
well together nonetheless!

Spring! It's not only a season, it's an action, and especially around our house. While the weather has continued to fluctuate through April, we've finally been able to peek outside, leave our cozy little den and frolic in the sunshine. And three of us are pretty cute frolickers.

There's something about great weather that makes kids want to PLAY, so it's always fun to send them out for the first particularly nice day we've had in several months of not-nice days. First, they run. And run, and run--around in circles, up and down hills, back and forth. All that pent-up energy finally has an outlet. Then, they rediscover all of the things they loved three months ago, except now the kids are three months older, so they love them in a different way. Then they go searching for bugs, worms and other treasures, creating new habitats for the poor critters. Because what worm doesn't want a handful of grass dumped on it?

At Grandpa's with a pet worm.

In fact, worms have been the star players this spring--every container becomes a home for these "pets." Elise, in particular, can play with her pet worms for hours--long past their animation has ceased. They get rides down the slide, they get transferred to the sandbox, they get carried around in shovels. And their only crime was to have been in the wrong mud at the wrong time. Kalina enjoys digging, and we have given her a spot in the yard to do so (which meshes nicely with Elise's worm-caretaking hobby).

Now that she doesn't have to face a cold wind, Naomi loves being outside--either with a birds-eye view (to her) from the Baby Bjorn, which utterly delights her, or being carried around to various trees, bushes, stones and other textures as she learns about nature in her own baby way. She also loves to dig in the grass, and would enjoy the opportunity to sample a leaf if only Mommy would allow her or turn her back for just a minute.

If babies could sneer... "Fine, Grandpa
can hold me. But I don't have to like it."
We're pretty sure you'll change your
mind when you experience his awesome
story-reading skills, Naomi!

One of the best moments of spring, when you're young, is the first time you go outside in shorts, or even a short-sleeved shirt. Now that you're more aerodynamic, you can run faster and longer! It's a very freeing feeling.

To this end, we went on our first "big-girl" mall shopping trip and found a few new clothes for each girl (with the emphasis on Kalina since so many of Kalina's clothes are finding their way to Elise's closet). We also found matching outfits for all the girls for spring, and more for fall (for $2.99 a piece since they were on sale!), and about a million dollars in American Girl products that we want. It was lots of fun, especially once I decided not to get annoyed by the fact that no one wanted the chicken strips they'd ordered for a special lunch out, because they're not just like McDonald's.

Of course, it wouldn't be spring without Easter. And we saw the Easter Bunny! Kalina preferred to stand back with Mommy and just smile and wave at the giant furry creature, but Elise soon became best friends with it. The rabbit doesn't talk, but it can wave, dance, hug, give high-fives, etc. Elise happily did all those, and then the bunny gave her an Easter egg from his basket. She cracked it open to find a dollar inside!! Enough to buy two of the tiny rubber sea animals she loves so dearly. I found it interesting that even the chance of receiving a week's worth of allowance wasn't enough to tempt Kalina to approach the giant bunny.

Each girl came up with her own Easter
craft project, and they are both amazing.
Kalina's was a soft, cottony lamb!

Elise made an egg with bunny
ears and chick feet and a tail
and lots of other random things.

Back at home, Elise spent the next two weeks preparing a goody
bag for the Easter Bunny to take with him after he visited our house on Easter Eve. She also decided that she wants to be the Easter Bunny, coloring several pictures and acting out several scenes to that effect. Which makes sense: anything involving sharing candy and jumping would be right up Elise's alley.

We also read the Easter story a dozen different ways, completed Easter crafts in preschool and out, asked every day in really excited voices if it was Easter yet and played with Easter decorations. In this way, we passed the time until Uncle Tom arrived with his girlfriend, Marla and her 4 1/2-year-old daughter, Lenorea!

Egg dying! And can you believe we
have a group picture where everyone
is smiling? Seems impossible!

As you can imagine, the kids were instant friends, but to ensure a bond, we dove into egg dying right away. Kalina immediately set up an egg-dying operation, with eggs plunked into each color of dye within reach, while Lenorea and Elise nicely shared the purple dye and worked with one egg at a time. The difference a year (or two) makes! Kalina also for the first time followed in Uncle Tom's footsteps and managed a couple beautiful multi-colored eggs. Elise was fascinated by the robin's-egg blue ones in addition to her usual purple.

The weather was beautiful all weekend, so we spent as much of it outside as we possibly could. I think the girls found hundreds of Easter eggs, all told. They'd each chosen their own dress this year (with the exception of Naomi, who wore the cutest one that fit, of which there were about two since she's so miniature). Elise in her purple and Kalina in her "golden" orange dress both felt like pretty princesses. And they were!

Easter loot!

And of course, the Easter Bunny made his visit, as evidenced by the appearance of three treat-filled baskets hidden throughout the house. Everybody received stuffed animals this year: a lamb for Naomi, a kitten for Elise and a green and pink unicorn for Kalina. Plus candy for the bigger girls. Naomi was also excited about the Easter grass in her basket, but Mommy managed to whisk it away before it ended up too far into Naomi's mouth while she wasn't looking.

Good thing it was raining,
or this picture wouldn't
be quite as cute!

Naomi had no trouble helping
this Easter egg find its way
to her mouth.

Post-Easter, we visited the Botanical Garden, which smelled as beautiful as it looked. We were in fairyland, and even the garden caretaker whose job it was to fish all the flower petals out of the fountains (that our girls were tossing in--oops!!) couldn't help but smile at the girls.

And although we're still shivering at times, we're hoping Spring is here to stay. Not too soon to be replaced by summer...




_____
The Story of the Easter Kitten

Mouth full of chocolate,
basket full of kitten, heart
full of happiness.

When Naomi reached a certain age and ability to be out of the house longer than 30 minutes, it became inevitable that I would need to take them all grocery shopping. At the same time. By myself. And actually buy more than milk, bread, eggs and the first decent-looking fruit I came to.

Sure enough, that day arrived. Knowing we could no longer fit in one of the racecar carts, I had a gentle, yet firm discussion with the big girls en route about how I'd need their help, how important it was to stay close to Mommy, and how they were not to grab things off the shelves. Things they already know. I don't remember whether I handed down only serious-sounding words in my best "I'm bigger than you but I'll be nice until you feel the need to change my mind," voice or set up consequences, but either way, the trip was mostly a smooth one. Possibly the fact that we hadn't done this (much) in a couple months helped.

Towards the end of the freezer section (which is always last, of course), Naomi started making the little "mmm...mmm..." noises that soon turn into "uuuhhhh...uuuhhhh..." that then become "Wahhhh...Wahhhh..." and finally settle on "AAAEEEEHHHH!!! AAAAAEEEEHHHHH!!!" until her situation changes drastically. I knew we were on borrowed time, but that was okay: we had picked up our bag of frozen peas (or whatever) and were headed for the finish line! I started propelling the heavy cart in that direction when it happened.

"Mommy, can we get this kitten?" My middle-born was holding up an adorable, soft, white stuffed kitten that I knew probably cost somewhere between $6 and $10. It came from one of the several stuffed animal racks that curse key locations throughout the store. It's always the same: "Mommy, can we get it?"

Unfortunately, unless allowance money has been hoarded long enough, the answer is no. No matter how cute the animal or the child. But the saying of "no" always takes several minutes of my precious time, and produces a grumpy child (and Mommy) to boot. I hate those fluffy racks.

Frantic to get to the checkout, weary beyond belief and sooo ready to be done, I uttered an unintelligible combination of, "blah-blah...your allowance...blah-blah...birthday...blah-blah...Christmas list." The three-year-old wasn't buying it, and rightly so. "But I don't get an allowance, and Kalina does, so I can't buy it myself!" she protested through frustrated tears.

Meanwhile Kalina, sensing my weakness, hurriedly searched the rack for an identical kitten or, failing that, any other stuffed animal she would tolerate bringing home, just in case Elise won the battle and she could piggyback on the success. She'd have a strong case, after all.

But she couldn't win. "Sorry, Honey, you have to put it back. Give it a nice pat and please put it away." I similarly quelled Kalina's bid for a new stuffed toy. Elise must have been as tired and grumpy as I was, though, because she cried as though her heart would break--very nearly breaking mine in the process. In fact, I'd been feeling guilty lately about the fact that Kalina owns most of the household's kittens even though Elise loves kittens dearly and often pretends to be one.

"Put the kitten back, we need to go," I informed the small girl. She sadly walked toward the display, then glanced at me, tucked the kitten under her arm and started walking toward the exit. I will forever in my mind be able to see the half-hopeful, half-rebellious look Elise gave me over her shoulder as she peeked back to check my reaction. Should I have given in??? I still wonder.

Instead I simply said, "Elise, you may not steal the kitten. They might call the police." Crushed, poor Elise slowly turned and wandered back to the display. With a final heartfelt sob, she put the kitten back and we finished our shopping. It was awful.

But then the kitten appeared in her Easter basket! A couple long months later, Elise is now the happy owner of her very own soft, white kitten. She hadn't mentioned the Dierberg's incident after the fact, but I recalled it to her as I "noticed" that the kitten kind of looked like the one at the grocery store. Her ecstatic reaction Easter morning was probably worth the misery of holding my ground earlier. Well, not really...I still would've liked to have given in.
_____

Happy and in her crib at the same time?
Is that possible?

The Baby Bulletin:

Naomi has her first tooth! It arrived on or around April 10, and partially explained why the previous week had been such a rough one (double ear infection plus new tooth? Mommy couldn't put her down for a second!). She has always enjoyed chewing, and now enjoys it even more. Kalina thinks it's great when Naomi bites on her finger. "I can feel her tooth!" I imagine she won't find it so magical for much longer.

Despite some (albeit inconsistent) sleep training, Naomi continues to refuse to make progress toward human sleep patterns. She might actually be nocturnal. Mommy is not nocturnal. We've officially given up much hope of improvement for at least another month or two, seeing as Kalina and Elise didn't sleep through until at least 9 or 10 months, and they were actually better sleepers than this one. Why? WHY? WHY??? I have been rereading the old blogs rather wistfully lately. We will keep trying, but will stock her crib with encyclopedias, puzzles and a tiny violin so that she can at least use her nighttime awake time wisely down the road.

Look, I have a furry toy, too!

Naomi can now pivot, roll and inch, so that about a four-foot radius around her is up for grabs, literally. Kalina takes this in stride, but Elise freaks out. In all fairness, it seems that Elise is often as much concerned for the baby's safety as she is about getting drool all over her possessions.

I've long suspected that Naomi is sensitive to overstimulation. Although we're (begrudgingly) done with all forms of swaddling, this is showing up in other ways. Does the baby make it through 1 1/2 hours at the mall, benignly taking in the sights, without a peep? Does she have a fabulous time during an hour or so of Baby Bjorn-ing on the golf course (our evening roaming grounds on nice nights)? Does she consent to being put down on the floor while Mommy walks into a different room while spending a couple hours at a friend's house? Yes to all three--but the return home has brought floods of tears, near-panic attacks and veritable hissy fits. Is it a "thing?" Can the baby only handle so much of a new environment at a time, only to fall apart from the new experience as she attempts to process it all? Will she ever be able to travel and if so, will she require four suitcases so she can completely surround herself with familiar objects? Only time will tell.

___
Kalina!

I realize I haven't blogged much about Kalina lately. Making up for lost time with the other two, maybe? Nevertheless, there's lots to say about her growing independence and her newfound ability to actually read. But I might save that for another blog...

Look out family room, here comes Naomi!

Baby seal or baby baby? Would she
be even cuter if covered in a fine layer
of silky fur?

I've known this day would come. I've known, in fact, for more than a year. It's been impossible to deny, as hard as I've tried, that one day we'd have a grabby baby on the loose in our home, wreaking adorable, drooly havoc on anything she manages to approach. That's right, the baby can roll.

Naomi has been able to kind of, or occasionally, roll for at least a month or two, and especially from back to front. At first, the motion surprised her, and not always in a good way as she lands her stomach or back on a hard, plastic toy (think of stepping on Legos--ouch!), or her head flops onto the floor. Once rolling started to happen more often, she learned to kind of duck her head in and smooth the transition so that it wouldn't be quite so uncomfortable to roll from front to back--at least if there are no toys in the way. And then she decided that rolling was okay, and could be a new mode of transportation. Now, Naomi is working on purposeful, goal-oriented rolling. The baby still has not learned to plan her rolls to avoid planting on toys, but I assume that comes next. I don't think she's ever gotten more than about five rolls away from her starting point (although that has gotten her under both her and Elise's beds), but it's enough to cause some big changes around our house.

Goofy girls. Naomi has the best big
sisters ever.

It is a much different situation from last time. For one, Kalina no longer freaks out (in a big way) when another child so much as glances at her stuffed lamb (Lisa, who is now a mother herself---sniff!). The girls love when I tell stories about how Baby Elise briefly look at Lamby, as she was called then, from across the room and Kalina would melt into tears, convinced of her little sister's involvement in a massive conspiracy to kidnap the stuffed animal and keep her for herself. I think only time changed her mind--I sure couldn't. But it's a relief that we don't do that anymore.

In fact, good-natured, generous Elise is so used to having a sister around that she really only seems concerned about her toys entering the baby's mouth, or drool leaking onto them. I know I will never be able to convince her, "it's just cute baby spit," so Naomi will have to learn the rule, "No putting your sister's stuffed animals into your mouth" before she even gains much of a concept about what constitutes a stuffed animal ("Is that the plastic block that fits into the hole? No? Shoot, I've got this all wrong."). But the baby doesn't suffer much at all at the hands of her doting big sisters, so this is a worthy compromise. Besides, she'll have to learn it sometime.

I love baby profiles. I may
have mentioned that before.

The bigger problem is that both of the big girls have firmly moved into the "millions of tiny toys" stage of girlhood, which they happily scatter over the house like raindrops. Aside from driving me slightly crazy, it means that every time Naomi rolls over, there's a new choking hazard.

On my side is the fact that while Naomi can certainly gnaw on a plastic ring for a while, she at least starts with her fingertips. Primed and ready at almost every calm and alert moment she has, her fingers love to touch and study. Our little scientist first tentatively touches an object, then scrapes it with her little fingernails, then pats it if it's big and drum-like, or grabs and manipulates it if it's small and hand-held. Her mouth is always at the ready, but not always in use.

And fortunately, the big girls are hyper-aware of what constitutes a choking hazard (especially if the choking hazard happens to be a prized possession). They're also hyper-aware of whenever the baby is playing with something that's not specifically a baby toy (again, especially if it's a prized possession), but we've had the "We share our toys unless they're put away in your room" discussion and I think they're okay with the arrangement as long as I occasionally let them borrow some of Naomi's shape sorters and rubbery animals and whatnot. Because apparently shape sorters are still fun if you're 3 1/2 or 5 1/2? Maybe it's fun to be an absolute pro at them.

The elusive finger-in-mouth
picture! Naomi loves chewing
on her finger. It's cute. It
comes out every time I pull
out the camera because it
wants to touch the camera.

We do have one new rule: for now, anything on the family room rug has to be fair game for Naomi. In return, I promise to keep her out of the actual playroom when the big sisters are playing in there. For now. Even if I have to fence it off. I think this will keep us all from going crazy except, potentially, Naomi when she realizes there's a treasure trove of really good toys within crawling distance.

Did somebody say "crawling?" That'll never happen...

Pbthbthpbhthbth. Something else
Naomi has learned lately.

This thing spins. And it spins
again. And again. And again.
I wonder if it'll do it again.
Naomi the scientist, and the
one who has most loved the
exersaucer. And most
studied it.

Whee! Spinning!

Triple firsts

Nummy bananas. Naomi
can't get enough, so she
figured she'd help.

Naomi is happy to announce that she likes bananas! And avocados! And oatmeal! But applesauce is a bit tart, and barley is just weird (not to mention an unhelpful texture that might work better at a later time). That's right: this week, Naomi officially sampled her first, although I had let her suck on not-too-ripe banana and washed lettuce stems, at her particular request, a bit earlier. She likes food, and in fact, has started to get annoyed if she's not offered any--especially lettuce, which is just so green and neat-looking.

We began on Wednesday, with mashed banana, a cute bib, a pink spoon and a camera. The big sisters, who had been eager for the baby to eat "mushed-up food" for a good year now, made for an enthusiastic and even helpful audience. Having sucked on a banana before, Naomi took to the taste immediately, even though it was mixed with a bit of formula. She sucked on the spoon and even managed to swallow quite a bit, adeptly spitting out any chunks I hadn't mashed quite as well.

The baby ate most of what I had to offer, letting me know she was done by screaming to get out of her chair (fortunately, at our second encounter with food she simply turned away). Loud and clear.

With each new food she's tried, the first few bites, at least, garnered a face that suspiciously said, "What in the world is going into my mouth?!?" Meh. Meh. And I'd wonder if bananas would be it for a while, But as long as the texture was super-watery, she'd keep going after the initial adjustment.

Naomi seems to want to eat more, so we'll be adding a second daily meal sooner rather than later. Any guesses on whether it'll help her sleep better at night, as the old wives say? I think no.
____

Build-A-Bear and Build-A-Pup! Elise
wore her puppy outfit to match.

I fully realize that "First Build-A-Bear" should most definitely not be a milestone. And it won't go in the baby book. But it was still a pretty big experience for Elise.

You may remember that we last experienced Build-A-Bear three years ago, as a Big Sister thing for Kalina. I'm not quite sure how we avoided making another animal in the meantime (unless you count the one for Aunt Nancy...), seeing how it's directly up our alley, but we did. Now that I mention it, that might be one of my proudest parenting accomplishments!

Kalina was more than happy to introduce Elise to the wonders of Build-A-Bear. I announced our plan the day before, and Kalina dug out her old B.A.B. cat and got her freshened up to meet a new friend.

Upon entering the store, Elise immediately became overwhelmed. So many people, so much glitter, and so many choices! Such expensive taste. I somehow managed to steer her past the My Little Ponies and Disney cats to the section of affordable animals. I'd prepped them for this a dozen different ways: "Now, what happens if the one you love costs $25?" "We can't get it." "Are you okay with any animal they have, or do you have to have a kitten?" "Okay with anything," they both assured me. That's the challenge of B.A.B.--getting out of there with all four limbs, and with no major arguments in the meantime. ("No, you may not get the stuffed car. [Don't be ridiculous, are you out of your mind?!?]")

Kalina, to her credit, contentedly bypassed the adorable multicolor bears she was initially attracted to. "We can't get these, Elise, they're too expensive," she said, not me. I could've bought her one then and there for her super attitude, but she happily settled on a more reasonable soft, pink bear with a heart for a nose. Elise wanted a puppy, but the Reasonably Priced Puppy was "too dark." I couldn't blame her--I wished they'd lightened it a shade. Finally we agreed on a lighter one that was super fuzzy, and probably a bit pricier than I'd planned. B.A.B: 1, Me: 1.

The three girls in the same rocking
chair their mommy was rocked in.

The girls grabbed at outfits with both paws as we waited in line to stuff the bears. And then it was our turn! Elise was assertive enough to answer all the questions herself, spell her own name, and even mention to the associate that she wanted her puppy to be "softer." (So was Kalina.) Soon, both animals were stuffed to perfection, and we turned our attention to outfits in earnest.

Elise liked anything with sparkles, and we found a sweet, glittery dress with a lollipop accessory and lollipop-shaped wings. We dressed her puppy, and then Elise stood clutching Pink Bear and the pup and taking in the scene. While Elise makes up her mind quickly and sticks her landing, Kalina likes to hem and haw. Fortunately, her mommy does, too--to a point. Kalina wanted a winter outfit that matched Gray's, but there were none to be had in the store. We found a cute substitute.

I considered letting them pick out cute bows as accessories. I then mentally nixed the idea: we have hair do-dads at home. And then they received free little bows at the register, along with the famous, bulky box homes! Fabulous! I forgave B.A.B. for at least one arm that they'd charged me. Then we created birth certificates. Elise's creation was named Licky Lick Lick, possibly changed to the Poky Little Puppy after she noticed some resemblance today during storytime later in the day. Kalina named her bear Rebecca.

Back at home, Elise has happily dressed and undressed her puppy several times already; fed her carrots with cinnamon on top in the play high chair for one meal and crocheted pizza, milk and banana for another;  provided birthday cake (it is, after all, the dog's birthday); and put her into and out of her house a dozen times. Kalina's armful of stuffed animals has happily expanded as she works her hardest to make sure Rebecca feels welcome, quietly talking to her about what to expect as a stuffed animal of the household. Thank you, Build-A-Bear! And Daddy...
______

Little girl at a big piano.

Kalina performed in her first piano recital! Held at her teacher's house, it was the perfect mix of casual and "real," and enjoyable for all, except, possibly, Elise, who caught wind of the treat table right behind her seat and couldn't wait for the music to be over. Naomi, for her part, didn't make a peep in the mei tai.

Kalina has been working hard since June and has been described by her teacher as quite talented. Her attention span, coordination, good attitude (even when she wanted to quit) and mental capacity have helped her breeze through various challenges, surprising us all. And with that, I'll be done bragging. She no longer wants to quit, by the way.

She chose her own program based on a theme: horse, and horse-like animals, and those who ride them. She practiced her pieces, Cowboy Joe, Rodeo and Donkeys Like Carrots, daily, and couldn't claim to be more than a little bit nervous as the day approached. The performers all sat cross-legged on the floor for lack of chairs, and volunteered to play when they were ready. Kalina, the youngest by two years, managed to be the very last.

She confidently answered her teacher's questions for the audience, and sat down to play. Her pieces couldn't have gone better, and since she's only five and hasn't quite moved on to Beethoven, her performance was quickly over. Soon, she was happily savoring a lemon bar while Elise devoured as many treats as she could grab.

_______

Naomi enjoying the soft puppy her
sisters picked for her before she was
born.

Naomi also had her 6-month checkup! She's growing at a consistent rate: she's 13 lbs. 8 oz. (in the 7.41%), and 25.5 inches long (34%). Apparently, she allotted most of her milk to height these past two months. She received her shots, but was smiling again by the time we checked out, having been more concerned about the fact that total strangers were poking and prodding her.

I bemoaned her horrible, awful sleep (I keep saying it can't get worse, and it always does--so I will not say that anymore), and the doctor reassured me that a bit of cry-it-out will not only help, but not hurt.

Big sisters, under strict instructions to wait patiently and not mess around, actually waited patiently and didn't mess around. Plus, they made a new friend in the waiting room who was a little too fond of Naomi for someone who'd been wheezing (according to her grandma). Aaargh! Fortunately, I was able to whisk Naomi to safety, my height being an advantage over the 4-year-old's.

On the way home, I remembered that Naomi could now have ibuprofen! With a cheerful, mellow baby, two well-behaving big girls and a husband who wanted pizza ingredients if I happened to be out, I decided that it'd be worth it to risk a trip to Target. My efforts paid off--not only did no one cry, but Naomi was fussy the rest of the day and night and the next day, so I was grateful for our infant Advil.

For the record, no, I can't believe she's halfway to 1. The part of me that's not utterly spent wants her to slow down!

The alert child

Matching, more of less!

I've heard it more times than I sat down today: "Wow, your baby is so alert!" or "Look at those wide eyes!" And I've heard it for each of my babies, often, and enthusiastically. Sometimes with a sense of wonder. And the other day, even, "That's horrible!" From a dad who knows. Alertness seems to be a hallmark of the Odegaard-Hanks lineup.

It's not horrible, really, but I can totally see why he said that. I'm thrilled that my kids are so tuned in. I do wish they would choose daylight hours to be engaged with the world as opposed to the bleary-eyed hours, but I suppose we can't be picky.

3:00 a.m. (Okay, maybe I exaggerate: I
think this was closer to 9:30 a.m.)

Yes, I do think this inherent alertness must be the reason my babies sleep horribly at night: I've tweaked and tried absolutely everything else. It's also why at five and three they would often rather converse with the grownups than play. It's a wonderful thing, but it can be a trying thing, too. When the kids are 100% alert, Mommy has to be, too. And we'd never change it for the world! Except sometimes.

And so, in our most desperate moments of exhaustion, Matt and I try to convince ourselves that all their alertness must be due to sheer genius, or at least brilliance.

I have no idea if that's true. But we must believe it if we are to keep going. Sometimes I think they really should just watch more TV.

Elise's best "baby penguin"
face, playing with the "igloo."

The first 10 months aside, alert children really will fit in well with Matt and I. We're all learning, all the time. And since it's January and nothing else interesting is happening, here's a rundown of what we're all working on.

Daddy spends his day learning about agriculture, business, and how the two relate. On his way to and from work, he keeps up with current events. In the evenings, he reads about anything from politics to the economy to farming methods to carpentry to bunny keeping. He has also recently learned how to apply conditioner to girls' hair, since he's had to step into the role, temporarily, of hair washer while Naomi refuses to learn how to fall asleep and stay asleep at night, even though she's perfectly happy to for naps (IT'S NOT THAT HARD, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!!).

I am learning, too. Even more about infant sleep (it can be really bad even if you pretty much do everything right), and how to use a Kindle (yay!). Also, how to make those little paper woven heart basket thingies, how many animals you can make out of a kid's handprint and some imagination, Spanish, all about the Entitlement Epidemic that's plaguing our children, and several ways to use kale.

But really, it's the kids who are doing the really good learning.

Elise's favorite part of snow:
snow cream! Yum!

Elise is working on all things "big girl." When it's convenient, that is. Not so much, however, when I remind her that big girls don't suck their thumbs, big girls hold a writing utensil properly, big girls can clear their dishes from the table (even if they're temporarily baby kittens) and big girls can hang up their coat, or at least drape it over the pile on the shoe rack in the entryway. 

But she really is, in fact, making "big girl" progress all the time. Thumb sucking, for instance, is almost a thing of the past. In fact, I thought it was when I bought her a reward Care Bear (and one for Kalina!) a week ago, but she has since relapsed a bit. While I've been putting a bug in her ear about quitting ever since her dentist appointment last August, it was actually her resolve (and a bloody, swollen, dried-out winter-weather thumb) that made her want to quit virtually cold turkey, using Band-Aids to help remind her (she can, by the way, do a big-girl job of putting the Band-Aids on by herself). It's painfully hard for the poor girl, as it would be for anyone quitting an addiction like that. Heck, I can't stay out of the chocolate, personally. She occasionally consoles herself with a water bottle. As long as it isn't anything stronger. Like juice.

And Elise can get herself dressed! Except her purple sparkle tights, which probably rules out about 1/4 of her outfits (we have two pairs, because they are so fantastically Elise).

She's also learned, recently, to skid-steer her training wheels while riding her new bike in her living room, and how to crack an egg. She knows most of her ABCs, and some of the letter sounds, and can spell her name and Kalina's name. The girl has also recently learned to count to the thirties or so, skipping only a few of the teens and most of the twenties, and Kalina's teaching her numbers and colors in Spanish.

Elise will also tell you that she can read! At least one book! She uses the "memorization" method.

And of course, Elise is learning plenty of things that we would prefer she didn't. For instance, to be afraid of any tiny noise she hears in the basement (which sends both of the happily playing girls charging up the stairs), and that even snow Mommy has said is "dirty" tastes good. Blech. On a sadder note, Elise has recently learned that even if she shares a bite of her cookie, that does not mean she will be shared with and in the meantime, her cookie is now smaller (Mommy and Daddy always share!). It's a cold, hard world out there sometimes.

Three seems to be the perfect age for learning, in fact. While Matt and I (and Kalina) have worked on various topics with her, Elise also seems to learn best by  listening in on conversations. 

Kalina's favorite part of
snow: the "playground" she
made!

While Elise is learning major skills every day, by dint of being three, Kalina is honing and gaining confidence in the skills she already has. She learns best through one-to-one contact. So if I (or Matt) sit beside her, she will learn. If I don't, being beside me (or Matt) is her top priority, and learning will happen only when that equilibrium is reached.

Academically, I've been printing off 1st-grade phonics worksheets and activities for her. They are a bit of a challenge, but only a bit. Nevertheless, learning to read is actually a very low priority for her. I've tried to convince her that I will still read to her every bit as much as I do now, but either she doesn't believe me or she just doesn't want to learn to read. She can read, she just chooses not to unless forced. I try not to push it too much and back off for months at a time if she needs a break.

Kalina is learning piano and Spanish, too. And how to use my new Kindle, and ride Elise's new bike. But one of her favorite things to learn about is babies! Mostly, to hear stories of when she was a baby.

Some of what Kalina learns nowadays is rather abstract, such as, how to "sell" an idea without being bossy (I told her about my advertising days, and she could totally relate), that it's okay not to be perfect, and strategies for surviving a party in which you only know the birthday girl and are shy (Strategy #1: Find someone who's not shy, and will do most of the talking for you--for instance, your sister. Strategy #2: Realize that anyone else who's shy is probably more scared of you than you are of them.).

Kalina is also learning that mommies often smell like chocolate, especially during stressful times. "Mommy, what's that wonderful smell?" "Mommy, you smell great!" I always play dumb. She needn't know the secrets of the maternal chocolate stash until she's at least a teenager.

Naomi's favorite part of snow: making
a baby snow angel!

And Naomi? She is learning her big sisters' faces (and that they're friendly faces, and occasionally funny faces), how to breathe even when it's windy (our little seedling has been grown mostly indoors) and that Mommy is kind of a pushover. Naomi learns best, it seems, when lying on her playmat and just watching, and often batting, and sometimes mouthing things, but mostly just watching. She can watch her big sisters bounce around for quite some time without getting bored.

Poor Naomi has also learned that once we start shoving her into her carseat, there's no return: a carseat is inevitable. She has taught us, however, to do this as rarely as possible. We have been good learners. We have also all learned that the swing is more optional than the carseat if the protests are strong enough.

A different perspective on Naomi.

She also learned how to roll over from back to front on Friday (she was motivated by trying to touch Kalina's bright orange hoppy ball), and from front to back on Saturday. Naomi knows and loves her stuffed puppy, and that if she cries pointedly and looks at me, I will come over. 100% of the time. She also recognizes that when I carry her in her birthday suit into the bathroom, it's bath time, and braces expectantly for the water accordingly. She likes baths, she just has to mentally prepare for them, and you can see it happen.

Triple story time!

Maybe all this is why she hasn't been sleeping? Or maybe she just doesn't want to miss a thing. I suppose I can't blame her.

Our Merry Little Christmas

Christmas cuties!

Christmas with a baby! What fun!

And when you upsize your family, sometimes you downsize other areas of your life. Like Christmas! It may have been small (ish), but no less the merry. Here's how it went:

Choosing a Christmas tree
at the farmer's market!

Naturally, we had to have a Christmas tree. Snow was falling--as were
temperatures--as we picked it out. How ideal! And how freezing. It took all of five minutes to decide on a white pine, as all the girls were cold and wanted to get into the nice, warm treat shop (somehow Elise had remembered that we got chocolates last year when we bought our tree). Naomi, in a stroke of early Christmas blessing, was warmly napping at home with a trusted friend to babysit her--and never knew the difference. And we decorated! With two happy helpers, we ended up with ornaments clumped merrily around the tree.

Decorating the tree and the baby.

If the tree was one must-do of Christmas this year, another was making treats for our amazing neighbors (and in so doing, showing the kids that Christmas is as much about giving as it is about receiving). We spent a snowy Saturday making cranberry bread, fudge and spritz cookies. I'm not sure the girls particularly enjoyed delivering them in the cold, fading light of December, but the neighbors assured us the treats were delicious. (The girls were certain of this fact, too, having begged plenty of tastes.)

Me and my girls and our
tree!

Speaking of snow, we had some! Twice! New this year: Matt took the girls to the neighborhood golf course for some sledding. The five-year-old was content to start halfway down a hill for a non-scary ride, while the three-year-old was ready for some thrills. "But that wasn't very fast!" Elise whined after going down a small hill. "Again!" she shouted after a big one. They devised a safe-sledding system where Kalina would hold the sled for Elise at the top of the hill, letting go only when Matt was at the bottom ready to fight off any pesky trees that got in the way of a smooth ride.

Elise singing along.

We also got to see the girls in the Christmas singalong at preschool. Elise was first. Since she doesn't attend on Thursdays, she joined her class from the audience, and as such, ended up front and center. And I'm not just speaking as a proud mommy when I say that she carried the show. Her emphatic voice carried over to her singing, the result being that even towards the back of the chapel, Grandpa Tom, Matt and I could single it out. Elise also did most of the motions, even though she'd probably had only half the practice her classmates had. She must've known how stellar her performance, because she applauded happily after each song. Kalina, despite being nervous that she'd mess up, also did a lovely job. She stood straight and tall, sang nicely--and gave sweet smiles throughout her performance. Naomi, for her part, napped like a pro in the mei tai--so I thoroughly enjoyed my morning.

Kalina singing along.

Of course, part of the buildup to Christmas is choosing or making presents for family. With only a couple weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and a newborn, we couldn't exactly comb the stores, but Kalina and I made it to Target one Saturday.  Kalina carefully and sweetly examined each and every toy in the store (or so it seemed) to find the perfect Christmas present for Elise. Once I convinced her that we could buy more than just a tiny little plastic Care Bear, she picked out a purple bunny Elise could draw on with marker on and a small dog. For Matt, she later decided on a book about bunnies.

Naomi and her first Christmas
ornament.

Elise happens to be awesome at presents. Gifting is one of her gifts. We learned this a lot over the season, as she insisted everyone in the room take a nibble of every Christmas treat she received--no matter how tiny. So I asked the girl straight-up--what would you like to get Kalina for Christmas? A pink Hoppy Bunny (like the purple one she got for her birthday). Great idea! Unfortunately, Kalina is too big for it--but I had a substitution in place: a bouncy ball with a pony head on it. The idea sold, and is currently a favorite. How about for Daddy? A remote control airplane. Great idea! But too expensive? Nope: the one Elise pointed to on Amazon.com turned out to be both perfectly affordable, and well-reviewed. It's not remote-controlled, but still lots of fun: they've been having a spectacular time shooting it off on the golf course.

See the smile in her eyes? Thank you,
Santa!

For the rest of our family, I had the girls draw on kitchen towels with fabric marker, a project Kalina loved as she created some pretty elaborate scenes (a cave with stalactites, stalagmites and lava, for instance). Elise used cookie cutters to make T Rex's (who doesn't like T Rex's?) and a giraffe.

And what did the girls want for Christmas? Elise most definitely wanted a T Rex toy, and Matt convinced me to bite the bullet and get a startlingly realistic one for her. "She'll love it," he promised. "It's scary," I argued. Kalina wanted pet fairies. And other impossible things of her imagination.

Making cookies with Uncle Tom!

During the season, Baby Jesus reached celebrity status in our household, as did Santa. Sometimes, the worlds collided:
Elise: When will Santa Claus die?
Me: Um, I'm not sure he ever will die!
Kalina: He'll die, everybody does.
Elise, thrilled: But then he'll go to Heaven and then we'll get to see him!!
Sometimes I wish my kids weren't so excited about death.

Christmas morning!

The weekend before Christmas we had a visit from Uncle Tom, and opened our first presents along with Aunt Nancy via computer, and Grandpa. We also made Christmas cookies, which frosting-rookie duo Uncle Tom and Kalina both helped frost (Elise helped sprinkle and taste the sprinkles). And of course, there were plenty of games.

And when Christmas Eve arrived, we made it to church, then home to quickly eat supper, sprinkle reindeer food on the yard (mixed with magic glitter so the reindeer would be sure to stop at our house!) leave out a cookie for Santa (Elise: "A purple one so Santa knows it's from me!"), and head to bed (Elise: "Let's go to sleep so Santa will come!") Kalina worried a bit that Santa wouldn't come since Naomi's up all the time at night, but I assured her that he would be able to sneak in and out between feedings. Better be quick, Santa.

The sock is a little big for Naomi,
but the perfect size for Santa to fill!

Deep into our presents.

The next morning, we had to wake up Elise, who desperately needed to sleep in, at 7:30 because the rest of us were getting impatient. It took a couple shakes and a bit of, "It's Christmas! Let's go see if Santa came!" to get the girl moving, but soon we were headed downstairs. Kalina darted straight past the tree, not noticing the brand-new bike we left out for Elise--but doubling back, the big girl's excitement matched the little one's. Soon, Pink Bear was strapped in the seat and Elise was learning how to pedal it.

The bike on Christmas morning!

Next stop: the mantle. And Santa had come! The kids' stockings were full to bursting. Kalina, celebrating her sixth Christmas (seriously?!?), tore expertly through her stocking gifts and Elise, unable to distract herself from her new things, followed at a slightly slower pace.

A fairy named Alice and a
"baby" unicorn.

We took our time with presents under the tree, having nothing to hurry us for once. Most of the morning was filled with "I love it!" and "Yay!" We couldn't lose! Finally, I handed Elise the box with her beloved T Rex, camera in hand. She took off the lid, pulled out the tissue paper, and...gave a little whimper, ran behind the couch and hid. What?? Had she seen it properly? I pulled the previously beloved beast all the way out and held it out to Elise, but she only screamed, then started crying a little. Poor thing! She was scared of her Christmas present. How could her parents play such a cruel trick on her?!?

Elise finally made peace with her T
Rex, and is introducing it to Puppy.

Once Matt and I stopped laughing into our hands, we solved the mystery. We believe she'd seen the dinosaur's tail, and thought it was a little alligator. It does look quite real. We tucked it out of sight, and Elise consented to let it "live" outside. I was right!! It was too scary!!

Merry Christmas Naomi!

But the story doesn't end there. We quickly found another, more cheerful present for Elise. Ten minutes later, Matt tried to re-introduce the T Rex from a distance, and soon Elise was petting it and even hugging it--and then carrying it around quite happily and, later, making it eat a lemon and lettuce. I guess Matt was right after all?

Christmas at Grandpa Tom's
house!

We had pancakes for lunch, then went to Grandpa's for more presents and dinner. And on the way home, Naomi even consented to nap in her carseat so we could drive around a bit and see lights. How magical!

Tearing into a present
with Grandpa Tom. Okay,
maybe just patting.

Annual family pic. And this year,
there are 10!

The day after Christmas was as special as the big day itself, as Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Laura, Uncle Chris and Uncle Brian all arrived! The big girls basked in all the attention and activity, while Naomi showed off just how jolly she could be. Kalina's favorite thing was sneaking Grandma or Aunt Laura upstairs to help with her Legos, while Elise's was to ride circles in the living room on her bike with Uncle Brian keeping her from bumping into things. There were also plenty of treats, a few games, some music composition on Uncle Chris's iPad, a glow-wand treasure hunt, pasta necklaces and the arrival of a giant trout caught by Uncle Chris on the men's fishing trip.

Opening presents with the Odegaard
side.

Elise has become an expert at riding
her bike in tiny circles around the living
room, thanks to Uncle Brian.

And how was Naomi's first Christmas? I can't say the baby particularly noticed it, but she did look adorable in her Christmas outfit. And she certainly wasn't forgotten in all the celebrating--in fact, she was celebrated quite well! She received a sweet new Baby's First Christmas ornament, and back-ornaments from the collection Grandma is making all three girls. And Aunt Nancy finished her stocking just in time for Santa to fill it! Naomia's favorite gifts: a chewy toy from Santa, a chewy giraffe from Grandma, and the warm carseat cover I gave her early. Naomi's least favorite thing about Christmas was that she had to try to fall asleep all kinds of new places. Her New Year's Resolution is to never leave the house again.

Pasta jewelry with Grandma.

Naomi loved the attention!

Kalina's favorites: her fairy doll and her Lego vet set (that I had triumphantly tracked down for a reasonable price despite its fast disappearance from Amazon.com, Target and other easy places), the hoppy ball from Elise, the remote control tractor from Grandpa, and various Playmobil fairies.

Elise's favorites: Her T Rex, her puppy from Kalina, Playmobil penguins and bunnies.

And so, it was a big little Christmas, but a very merry one throughout!

Composing music with Uncle
Chris.

Our Christmas miracle trout!