Ben turns 6!

Wow, my firstborn is already six years old! Time does fly...

We celebrated the little guy's birth on Saturday. While I had initially suggested his birthday party be held at a bowling alley (since I thought that would be fun AND not a whole lot of work), Ben was not wild about the idea. Granted, we have never taken him bowling before and my Internet research suggested that 6 year olds were an appropriate age for bowling parties but the ideal age was more like 8 year olds. The Lego theme was greeted with much enthusiasm, however, as this boy is crazy into Legos right now. And thus the party was held at our house...

The Lego themed invites went out to Eli Pantzlaff, Ethan Sackrison, Mikey Mundschau, Jack & Jessie Lemm, Kate & Sam Johnson, Tristan Harris and, of course, Abby! Ben came up with this list and it was perfect. Mikey was in Florida, but everyone else was able to attend. We planned for a 2 hour party, from 1 PM to 3 PM in the afternoon.

Ben was soooo excited for his party. Uncle Scott and Aunt Lisa came to help. Aunt Lisa said to Ben, "I've never been to a Lego birthday party before." Ben replied happily, "well, then, you're in luck!" Many thanks to Uncle Scott for helping Kurt blow up over two dozen red, blue and yellow balloons! Ben loved their gift- a Spy kit with great gadgets as Ben and Abby like to play detective- cool idea!

We served air popped popcorn, cake and homemade ice cream. Ben wanted a Lego cake of course. It needed to be gluten free for Abby to partake. And I requested no artificial food colors. Poor Kurt. But he was up to the task. He used the juice of frozen thawed blueberries and rasberries for red and blue coloring (which ended up looking more purple and pink, but oh well!) Kurt did it again, what a guy!

Our first game was for each child to guess how many Lego pieces were in the jar. We had guesses from 25 to 1000. Ethan was closest with his guess of 205 (there were 350). He won a mini Lego set. Thanks to Kurt for counting all of them!

Our next activity was a Creativity challenge. Each child had about 15 minutes to build whatever there little hearts desired (we offered suggestions, ie. make something surrounding their favorite activity) with the three buckets of Legos at the table and then share what they made. Kurt had designed and printed awards that we handed out to each child. Abby wanted to make a Princess book. Ben built an airplane. I was very thankful to Katie for helping and filling in the Awards to present to each kid!

On to the Pin the Lego Peg on the Brick game. Each child was blindfolded and assigned a peg of an 8 peg Lego. They were to place their missing peg as close to the designated space for their name as possible (while blindfolded). Ben was the spinner and the judge of this game since there were 8 children besides himself. Sam Johnson was closest and won the prize.

Then we played 2 rounds of Hot Lego (the Lego version of Hot Potato). Kate handled the music portion. The Lego was passed and one by one children were eliminated from the circle. Ben won the first round and all the kids celebrated and hugged him. I loved that. Sam won round 2.

Their next assignment was to build the tallest Lego tower. They had ten minutes and then we brought them to the table to see whose was tallest. Tristan won and Kate came in second. This was a fun game.

Next we sang Happy Birthday to Ben and had the Lego cake and ice cream. This was the first time we tried Namaste's gluten free Vanilla cake. Kurt and I concluded that the chocolate version of the GF cake line was hands down better and in the future, we will stick with that!

I had printed out some free Lego coloring sheets from the official Lego website, which some of the kids colored after they were done with cake. They had fun with the balloons and got pretty wild so Kurt decided to reign them in with one of our backup games (spoon races) in the remaining time. He assigned two teams and they needed to carry Legos on a spoon across the living room and drop in the bucket and then the next teammate went and so on. If any Legos were dropped off the spoon, they needed to start over.

All in all, everyone seemed to have a great time. Most importantly, Ben said he did! His friends generously gave him gifts- three Lego sets, Science book, Star Wars Lego watch, and cars. Ben thanked his friends for coming to his party when they left and gave them each a Lego 3 in 1 mini set we purchased for each child as a parting gift/party favor. The prizes we gave out for games were a handful of Lego bricks I put together in individual celephane bags. Aunt Sandy's boyfriend Tom had generously gave us his boy's (now in their teens) very large bin of Legos which I used for the party games and prizes.

We did not hold a family party this year for Ben. Grandpa and Grandma Burie made a point to bring Ben a gift on his birthday, as well as Grandma Krist. Grandma Krist wanted to help out with Lorelai at Ben's party, but unfortunately, Lorelai ran a fever the night before and we did not want to risk getting Grandma Krist sick with her already compromised immune system undergoing chemo treatments. Aunt Sandy, Grandma Zipfel and others remembered Ben on his birthday. The weekend before, Barb came to visit and surprised Ben with a birthday present (Lego set) that thrilled Ben so much, he wrote about it in his Special K log/journal for school.

Ben got an extra treat on his birthday: a night out at the Bucks game with Daddy and his friends Kate and Sam Johnson from next door. The Johnsons had invited them to this event with their church. Ben had a great time with Kate and Sam (he did not care much about the actual basketball game) and got home around 10:30 PM (a very late night for him!). He woke up the next day with a fever and slept most of the day (minus Sunday School).

Let's see, from 5 years old to 6 years old, how has Ben changed? He grew about 2 inches and 4 pounds. He changed schools, from Christ the Life preschool three days a week (3 hours at a time) to Summit View Elementary five days a week in all-day Kindergarten. In general, he no longer naps. His is pretty self sufficient. He can make his own snacks (ie. ants on a log). He takes the bus. His reading and writing skills have advanced. He now wears glasses. He rides a bike without training wheels. He ties his own shoes. He can follow directions to build Lego sets. His shoe size is 1 in boys. His friends are largely the group of children he invited to his birthday party. From school, he mostly talks about classmates Tristan Harris, Anniken, Mahit Krishnan, and Gavin Byrne as his friends. Tristan and Mahit both live in our neighborhood.

And what has remained the same? His clothes size has not changed much- still wears mostly 5/6T clothes. He continues to be imaginative, a rule follower, good listener, and curious. He eats well- almost all fruits and vegetables- not a picky eater. He is a pretty mellow fellow as other parents have observed. At home, he can get frustrated when things do not happen as expected sometimes or a project he is making does not turn out as planned (a bit of a perfectionist). Ben is an articulate six year old, a good communicator.

On his sixth birthday, Ben had all 20 baby teeth. Two days later, he lost his first tooth (from bottom middle)! He expressed concern about his tooth falling out at school- fear he would lose it. I offered to pull it out which was met with anxiety...however, after further pondering, Ben requested I do it. I barely touched his tooth and it fell right out into my hand! Ben was happy!

Ben's current interests include building Legos (hence the party theme), art projects, creating things, costumes, pictures, etc. He enjoys biking in the summer, imagination play where he builds things, uses a hammer, scissors, glue, etc. He enjoys books but it is not the first thing on his list as it is for Abby. He enjoys listening to music CDs. In school, his favorite activities include...

On the other hand, he is not overly enthused to watch sports of any kind. He is not drawn to the TV when Daddy is watching football and hasn't been overly enamored with hockey or basketball though Daddy has recently taken him to a hockey game (with Mikey and Ethan) and a basketball game (with Kate and Sam).

Ben is a sweet, caring son who is a great role model for his younger siblings who certainly enjoy immitating him! We love you Ben!

Abby Turns Four!

This sweet princess is four years old already! She looks like a little lady in her Fancy Nancy costume. Her birthday was on Saturday. We planned a family party for that night. Ben's birthday party planning was also in the works, with a Lego theme. With all the talk about a theme, Abby requested a theme for her party. "Fancy Nancy" it was. Fancy Nancy is a character in a book series for girls. Fancy Nancy loves to dress very fancy and use big fancy words for seemingly ordinary things. We requested Abby's guests (mostly adults) to come dressed fancy to Abby's party and most did so enthusiastically! Where else could you wear that glittery party dress or the tiara from your wedding day? It was fabulous fun! Kurt had a great idea to purchse carnations for everyone to wear. The carnations ended up being great play fun for the children instead - it was a nice touch. Ben and Abby were invited to a birthday party the same day for our neighbor friend, Michael Mundschau, at Pump It Up in Brookfield, which was in the morning...so there was no shortage of fun. After Mikey's party, the kids and I stopped at the dollar store so Abby could pick the balloons for her party. Abby had requested a horse for her cake, so Kurt was busy working on that at home with Lorelai. It was one of Kurt's finest! Besides looking fabulous, it was super yummy and, of course, gluten free! The Mundschaus were kind to loan us their disco ball so we could break out the tunes and the kids could have a dance party. I had produced a 13 question quiz/trivia game All About Abby for the adults to take. Great Grandma Zipfel won the very fancy prize of a scented candle (found earlier in the day in our basement). We served fresh fruit, raw cut veggies, fresh popped popcorn and organic tortilla chips for hord'ourves (thanks to Aunt Sandy and Grandma Krist) and very "fancy" crockpot beef chili and rice noodles for the meal. Although gifts were not necessary, Abby was thrilled with loads of new books, some cute new clothes, some movies, a stuffed Panda, nail stickers, and money. Grandma Krist also painted a lamp for Abby's room that was so adorable and Kurt and I gave Abby a butterfly shaped mirror for her wall and a bean bag chair to match her room. It was a really fun night!

(I cannot seem to get the Horse picture flipped to horizontal)

From 3 yrs old to 4 yrs old, how much Abby has grown and changed once again! She gained 2.5 inches and about 4 pounds. She went from size 3T to 4T clothes. She started preschool and Sunday School. She was diagnosed with celiac disease and she became gluten-free. She has developed friendships beyond her best bud (her brother)...most notably, Kate and Sam Johnson from next door. She also likes to hang out with Ben's friends, particularly Mikey, Ethan and Eli. Abby periodically plays with Aubrey Harris and Prathu B. as well as a few other neighborhood friends as well.

Some things remain the same...much like last year, Abby continues to twirl her hair and suck her thumb. Ben is still her best friend. She still loves to read her books. I would still describe Abby as sweet, opinionated, strong willed, and animated. And, again, a complete joy!!!

Here is the quiz we issued at her birthday party:

1. Her middle name is _________.

2. She most recently told us her aspirations include becoming
a. An Astronaut
b. A Farmer
c. A Princess
d. A person who sells gluten free pie

3. Her favorite princess is
a. Belle
b. Cinderella
c. Snow White
d. Sleeping Beauty

4. Which fruit does Abby not like?
a. banana
b. blueberries
c. oranges
d. grapes

5. How many inches has Abby grown since her last birthday?
a. 0.5 inch
b. 1.5 inches
c. 2.5 inches
d. 3.5 inches

6. What is Abby’s favorite color? _____________

7. What was one of Abby’s first words, after “hi”, “mama” and “dada” (hint: her brother taught her this word)?

8. If she could choose to have a pet, which would she want:
a. a dog
b. a cat
c. a fish
d. a bunny

9. Least favorite place to go:
a. The doctor
b. The dentist
c. The hair salon
d. The grocery store

10. Who is Abby’s teacher? ______________

11. Abby shares her birthday, January 8th, with which famous person?
a. Elvis Presley
b. George Washington
c. Madonna
d. Oprah Winfrey

12. The name Abigail is Hebrew and means
a. Child of the God’s
b. Polite, courteous
c. Father’s joy
d. Graceful lily

13. What did Abby ask for from Santa this year?
a. Princess dress
b. Dolls
c. Barbie
d. “Whatever Ben wants”

Answers: 1. Joy, 2. d, 3. a, 4. c, 5. c, 6. yellow, 7. "Mine", 8. a, 9. either a or c acceptable, 10. Mr. Boris, 11. a, 12. c, 13. d

Fifteen Month Old Lorelai

I just weighed and measured our pumpkin tonight.... at fifteen months, she is a lightweight at 19 pounds (3 %). Her height is 30 inches (30 %). I am hoping I just incorrectly weighed Lorelai last month, since she weighed 19-20 pounds then. We do feed her. Really. She has been a bit of a stinker about sitting in her booster seat. She much prefers to be running around. We offer her tons of healthy foods- meats, cheese, yogurt, veggies, veggies, veggies, fruit, butter, olive oil, coconut oil, ground nuts or nut butter, a small amount of gluten free grains, beans, lentils, and eggs. She has become more particular recently...easily gravitating towards fruits, beans, and cheese. This past month, she even tried a few sweets- one made with honey (almond flour muffin) and one made with maple syrup (chocolate fondue)... she was pretty pleased. She seemed to react (red skin around her face) when we gave her cod liver oil this past month (I had previously tried giving it to her months earlier at one point but backed off because it appeared to cause a reaction, but I was not real sure, so tried again recently)...so she won't be having CLO again anytime soon. New foods this past month included lemon, goat meat, and olive oil. She still nurses...enthusiastically. I anticipate when we do wean her that it will not only be hard on me but also for her.

Health-wise, she either has a cold or is teething or both. Her shirt is usually wet with drool and snot. She is boogery but happy. She has been sleeping well.

Her loves include clapping, throwing her arms up in the air for “So Big”, the telephone, dancing, climbing anything, obliging kiss requests, tickles, nursing, being chased, making a mess, flipping though books, dolls, babies, animals, pictures of animals or babies, and cheese. As of late, she does not like the bathtub, most male adults (with the exception of Daddy, Grandpa Burie, and our next door neighbor, Steve…. She has also warmed up to Uncle Scott!), Santas, going to bed when her brother and sister are still up, and when Mom and Dad leave (though she is getting better).

Lorelai’s vocabulary continues to expand. She says hot, no, nose, kitty, Grandma, more, rrroar (for lion) and most recently Santa in addition to mama, dada, hi, teeth, moo (for cow), cheese, kitty, nana (for banana).

Abby was in my lap and Lorelai came up and took a swat at her. I looked at Lorelai and said, “where did you learn that from?” She then pointed very clearly to Abby.

Lorelai understands much more than she says. When I was in the kitchen, I told Ben I needed to call Grandma Burie to see what we should bring for their overnighter. Lorelai heard this and starts running into the office (where the phone is). When lunch was ready, I called out, “who is hungry?” Lorelai starts running for the bathroom (to wash her hands). She can identify her body parts: eyes, nose, and belly consistently.

Lorelai loves to follow and imitate her big brother and sister. Tonight, Ben and Abby were putting blankets over their heads and pretending to be ghosts and Lorelai was making every effort to do the same. Too cute.

She usually only takes one nap a day now (once in a while she’ll take two…). We are happy when it lasts two hours, but sometimes it is a bit shorter. She sleeps about 11 hours at night.

She freely gives the sweetest hugs and kisses!

Lorelai Fourteen Months Old

Fourteen months old...oh, baby girl. Lorelai is one busy lady. And uncharacteristically ornery as of late. Seems to be teething pretty badly. Drool and snot have accompanied her gnawing on everything and biting down on Mommy (and she is still nursing...ouch!).

She had her first illness- the stomach flu- at the turn of the month. It was a 24 hour puking thing. No fever. For this, she was quite mellow. We did not even see it coming. She was tired and clingy, but not crabby. Since I was giving her slobbery kisses just hours before this erupted, a few days later, I myself was laid out with the pukey stomach bug thing, the same night as Ben. Kurt and possibly Abby escaped the whole thing. It seems Lorelai brought it into the house- I suspect she picked it up at a neighborhood play date two days prior where there were at least a dozen kids. Otherwise, it was Abby who brought it in the house and had much milder symptoms herself, if it all.

Lorelai is up to 19-20 pounds. She seems to be a bit pickier of an eater now. She does not like to sit in her booster seat often times. She seems happier without her tray, at the big table. She continues to make a big mess wherever she eats. Some days she LOOOVEs bananas, for instance, and the next day she refuses them. It is kind of unpredictable. Some meals she does not want to eat at all. Especially after she was ill and then when she was teething, she preferred just to nurse mostly. She has added cashews, almond butter, oranges and raisins to her diet. We have successfully avoided giving her anything with sugar yet.

Lorelai and Abby have begun to fight. Most conflicts are around blankets or other coveted items. Usually one doesn't realize they want the desired object until the other one has it.

Lorelai loves to climb. She also loves books and is not very gentle with them. She has wrecked some perfectly good books. She LOOOOVES her blanket. She loves dogs and cats and dolls. She does not love Santa.

Her naps are in transition. Some days she will have two naps, and other days she will just take one, at the middle of the day. This has not been very conducive to scheduling our day. Hopefully, she will move to one nap, at 1 PM, stretched out to two plus hours. Usually, the naps are 1-1.5 hrs. She will still cry sometimes before falling asleep. At night, she sleeps from 7:00/8:00 PM to 6:00/7:00 AM, usually still waking once around 5 AM to nurse.

Lorelai is so cute and will dance if you put some music on. She loves to be chased, cuddled and tickled. She loves to pick up our phone and put it to her ear. She gets into EVERYTHING. Everwhere she goes, she leaves a trail (a mess). She does like to pick up/put things away, when shown. I even witnessed her grab a rag from the kitchen like I would, and attempt to wipe up her mess of food on the floor after a meal. Other times, her version of clean up is to find the food pieces that fell to the floor and try to eat them before Mom has a chance to clean them up or swat it out of her hand.

Lorelai understands a lot. I have called out, "time to put on your shoes" and Lorelai will run to the closet and attempt to put on her own shoes. She can identify some body parts, including her nose. When I say, "How big is Lorelai" she loves to throw up her arms in the air for "so big!"

She says mama, dada, hi, teeth, moo (for cow), cheese, kitty, nana (for banana).

As per tradition, we celebrated the anniversary of Lorelai’s Baptism with her Godparents, Lisa and Scott, this past month. We lit her Baptism candle and enjoyed Pumpkin Lasagna. She sure is blessed with such attentive and involved Godparents!

Thirteen Month Old Lorelai

The months continue to fly by, and how our little girl is growing! She is now up to 18.5 pounds (home scale).

She had her first dental appointment (11/6). She has six teeth. She barely cried. Lorelai loves to brush her teeth. When we tell her it is time to brush her teeth, she immediately runs to the bathroom and points to her toothbrish and says "teeth!"

Lorelai has added a couple new words to her vocabulary (which was Mama, Dada, and Hi): teeth, cheese and (I think) more. She can understand a lot more than what she communicates and follows simple commands.

Lorelai has added red peppers, brussel sprouts, pumpkin seeds, coconut milk, pork, walnuts, quinoa and coconut oil to her diet. She accepts most all foods and eats independently. She drinks from a glass pretty well (though will spill). Her beverages have been limited to breastmilk, water and a little coconut milk.

Lorelai was a cute duckling for Halloween this year, thanks to Aunt Lisa!

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart: Lorelai at One Year

It is hard to believe we are here already. There were so many times over the past year I wished I could have hit "pause" and savored the moment a little longer, knowing full well how quickly and surely you'd change and grow and how fleeting it all is. I never knew how much I could love one little person sooo much, let alone three.

And here you are: one year.

Weight: 17 pounds, 13 oz. (about 5-10%)

Height: 29.25 inches (about 50-60%)

Head size: 45 cm (50%)

Teeth: 5

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Blue

Our cute little peanut.

You have been walking for a month now, first steps a little earlier than that. You are quite good at it. You love to climb...up and down the steps you go, loving every minute. You even climb our kid slide on the deck and slide down by yourself. And the slide at the park. Wow, you are a toddler!

You talk a lot. No one really knows what you are saying, for the most part. Your words are "Hi", "Mama" and "Dada", and have been for some time. You can communicate when you want something though, and you understand a lot more.

You like to go outside on the deck, open cupboards, look through the trash (even try to eat an old banana peel in there), put everything in your mouth (though not as much as you have before), and plop in your lab with a book (for a few seconds, and then you are off to get another and do it all over again). Favorite foods include banana, cheese, peas, watermelon, beans and yogurt.

You do not like diaper changes, being corralled, or when Mommy leaves.

This past month, you added egg whites, cod liver oil, pumpkin and soaked oats to your diet.

Sleepwise, you have slept through the night (to 5 AM), although not consistently. You take two naps, 1-2 hours at a time. You do not like going to bed before your siblings. Hearing their voices will surely make you less than happy about being put to bed. You have not become attached to any particular object, stuffed animal or blanket...as of yet. You have not used a sleep sack for a few months. You do not suck your thumb and haven't taken a pacifier since your early few months.

You are very much loved, sweet girl!

Eleven Month Old Lorelai

Lorelai is eleven months old already!!!

She has five teeth (three on top and two on the bottom).

In the past month, she took her first steps. She pops up and often will take a few steps to get to something and plop back down. She mostly still crawls though to get from here to there. I witnessed her take about 5 steps in a row at her best. She is very agile, sturdy, coordinated. She gets around easily and does not have a lot of accidents. She loves to climb. Especially up onto Abby's bed. She loves the stairs. She likes to climb onto the rocking horse, the rocking chair, ride on toys, etc. She follows us all everywhere.

She continues to exhibit stranger anxiety, especially around adult males she does not see too often.

Lorelai has put blocks together.

She is very opinionated. If she wants to be held, upset about a toy being taken away, forced to sit still for diaper changes, etc., she will voice her discontent. She is communicating when she wants something (ie. the cheese you are eating).

Most exciting is her new interest in books (reading, not eating them!)....finally we can sit through a book together without her grabbing to put it in her mouth. She communicates her favorites and bounces excitedly when she is read a book she is interested in. She will hand it to you and plop in your lap. She especially likes Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle and Good Night Moon.

Lorelai is falling asleep easily on her own. She takes two naps a day- 1-2 hours each, in her crib, with a blanket and her music. She does not need the sleep sack anymore but sometimes we use it. It does not look like she will be a thumb sucker. She sleeps about 10.5-11 hours a night, with a bedtime of about 7:30-8:00 PM (it is hard to get her to bed before Ben and Abby- she KNOWS when they are still up!!!). She will usually wake up once during this period (around 5 AM).

Lorelai is still nursing. This will be hard for me to give up.

On her 11 month birthday, she developed a little cold- possibly her first? She may have had a runny nose once before in her second month? It does not seem to bother her and no one else in our family has it, so we are not sure where she picked it up.

Speaking of picking things up- she still likes to pick up a lot of little things and put them in her mouth. We are constantly fishing in her mouth to find what she got faster than we could stop her. This is one small aspect I won't miss!

She is eating mostly finger foods. Here are her top picks:
1. Cheese
2. Carrots
3. Black Beans
4. Bananas
5. Avocado
6. Raspberries
7. Grapes

In the past month, she added bell peppers, cucumber, grapes, potatoes, eggplant, and cooked tomatoes. She has an obvious dislike to hard cooked egg yolks, but will eat pretty much anything else.

This past month, she went to Madison for a day, to Green Meadows Petting Farm for the first time, and back to Foxbrook Park beach, among other adventures. She travels well.

I'll have to take her measurements tomorrow- she's a little peanut! (UPDATE: 17-17.5 lbs)