For the love of Einstein

December is sitting in her classic position, being silly for the camera

This is what December does when she wants to watch her favorite (and only) movie. She's also saying, "Nn! Nn! Nn!"

She begs to watch it countless times every day -- Brad and I only let her watch pieces of it when we give in

What is this highly favored movie? It's Baby Einstein's "Baby MacDonald: A Day On the Farm." (She must be a farm girl at heart)

December had her 15-month checkup yesterday. She thinks these checkups are pure torture. She was okay with the doctor looking at her eyes with the bright light (surprisingly), but it all broke down when he tried to listen to her heart with the stethoscope. After that, she lost it. Looking in the ears was not cool, looking up the nose was really not cool, etc. Even after he left, she couldn't handle me trying to put her clothes back on. It was rough. But we learned something: Caden has outgrown December. She's a tiny little pint! She weighs 20 lbs, 4 oz. She's in the 25th percentile...she's been hanging out there since she was about 9 months old.

We have a house showing today. Brad and I are really praying that these people like the house. It sounds like they are a young couple, and the girl has a brother who would live upstairs. Our previous offer most likely won't work out, although I think we're still in negotiations. Speaking of the house showing, I should get back to getting the house ready for it. I just took a break to cool off a bit -- I was working outside, and it's a humid scorcher today!

Memorial Day

December and Danielle (my cousin) playing together

Brad, Maria, and Karl grilling hot dogs for lunch

December playing in her Paris clothes from Auntie Rebekah

Aunt Dawn is helping December use the lawn mower

December is very helpful!

It takes two people to slather a baby with sunscreen!

On Saturday, we went to my Grandparents' cottage to help do spring clean-up with my extended family. It was fun! Our plan was to spend the night there on Saturday night, but that didn't happen. December has a super rough time sleeping anywhere but her own bed. I usually expect her to have around 2 1/2 - 3 hours of daytime sleep. On Saturday, she got about 30-45 minutes -- she just couldn't sleep in her pack-and-play at the cottage! She just stands and wails. Our choice is to let her cry herself to sleep or get her out of bed so she becomes overtired. What a choice, eh?! At night, we tried again to get her to go to bed. When she started to lose it again, we decided to go back home to sleep. Then all of us would sleep well...and we did!

Yesterday, we played by the water and the sand. Brad took December in the water, we sat in the sun, and Brad and I went for a sea-doo ride together. I went again later with my mom, and then I drove my mom around on it. It was fun! We love spending time at the cottage -- if only December would sleep there...

Watering Cans

Brad is filling up December's watering can

She is helping water flowers

Daddy helps her a little

This is December just before she tears up this pink flower, roots and all. She hasn't yet learned the art of being gentle. I replanted the flower, and I really hope it will live through this!

I don't really know what December is doing in this picture. It looks like she is going to fix the bed, but she doesn't have a tool in her right hand. It's a pencil, one that's never been sharpened. I learned that unsharpened pencils are the best ones to give her, because right before Dad and Debbie visited, she colored all over our window seat cushion with a blue pen. If this ever happens to you, use rubbing alcohol -- it worked wonders!

Tomorrow we are going to my grandparents' cottage. My aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, and everybody go there on Memorial Day weekend to do a big spring cleaning and then hang out by the water. It's alot of fun!

Bellybutton

December is learning parts of the body. She only knows a couple of them so far, but we're working on it every day. The one she learned the fastest was her bellybutton. It's pretty cute to watch her respond to "Where's December's bellybutton?" by reaching for the bottom of her shirt, pulling it up, and pointing right at her bellybutton. Last night I learned that she gets very frustrated if she's wearing a shirt that snaps on the bottom, because then she can't get at her bellybutton. That is a traumatic event in the life of a one-year old!

To my great dismay, I am currently the cause of the birth of many baby mosquitoes. You have my sincerest apologies if any of them find their way to you and eat you. As you know, it's only the girl misquitoes that feast on your blood (the boy mosquitoes are the nice ones -- they only eat plant nectar). The protein in your blood gives them the fuel they need to lay eggs. Every time a girl mosquito lays eggs, she drinks your blood. I'm surpised that I have any blood left! A couple of nights ago, I went out to water the flowers. That was a big mistake -- our yard is prime breeding ground for these vampires, and they all come out at night. I now have about twenty mosquito bites, sixteen of which are on my left leg. That must be where my tastiest blood hangs out. I was wearing heavy jeans, too. I guess our yard breeds massive brutes of mosquitoes that can puncture any kind of clothing.

So the moral of this biology lesson/tragic tale is just this: if you ever come over to our house, take along your bug repellent.

Yay for Ballet!

Kelli, Makenzi, and I in front of the ballet theater

All of us eating lunch together

Makenzi and my mom with the main character of the ballet (Punchinello)

On Saturday, I had fun. My mom, Kelli (my sister), Maria (my sister-in-law), Makenzi (Kelli's daughter), and I had a girls' day out. We first went out to eat at 84 East, a restaurant I hadn't been to since December 29, 2004. I know this date because 84 East is the place where Brad and I's rehearsal dinner was held, the evening before our wedding day! After that, we shopped around (of course), and then we went to a ballet. It was done by a Christian dance company, and they adapted Max Lucado's children's book You Are Special into a ballet. The dancers were mostly high-schoolers, and they did such a great job! I enjoyed it so much -- we all did. When we got back to my parents' house, where all the boys were watching all of the babies, they asked us how we could like a ballet so much...but it really was wonderful! If you ever get the chance to go to a ballet, you should go. If they are anything like this one, you'll love it!

I sometimes think about putting December into ballet or some kind of dance lessons when she gets older. This Christian dance company really impressed me. December loves to dance, whether it's while I'm holding her or just by herself. If she hears music start up, she immediately starts to dance.

Sunday at Grandpa and Grandma's House

December is jumping on Grandpa and Grandma M's trampoline

She loves it!

It looks like December is going to do a somersault...but she's not. She doesn't know how to yet, but I think she will soon!

She's now playing with the windchimes in Mom's garden.

Here we are, trying to get a family picture. December is clearly not cooperating.

Trying again to get a picture...still no cooperation.

So we took a picture by ourselves!

Yesterday, we went over to Mom and Dad's house for the afternoon, like we do every Sunday. It's indescribable how much we'll miss that when we leave! December loves hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma and getting their undivided attention. She also loves seeing Belle, the black lab. Belle is the one who taught December to pant, so when we say, "December, what does a doggie say?" She'll respond, "Oof! Oof! *Pant, pant, pant.*" It's handy that Mom and Dad's trampoline is in the ground, because December loves it so much! She falls down an awful lot on it, but it doesn't seem to phase her. It's all part of the Sunday routine at Grandpa and Grandma's house!

Building Muscle

Brad working in the basement

Looking at Brad over the cement-mixing wheelbarrow

Brad smoothing the wet concrete

Brad examining his work

Brad has been busy in the basement, digging trenches in the concrete, putting in black pipe, filling with stone, and today, his project has been to fill in the trenches with concrete. He's gotten 7 eighty-pound bags of dry concrete so far, and he just left for the hardware store to get three more. He's been doing a great job! Boy, mixing concrete builds muscles! I was just down in the basement with Brad, helping him while December napped. Brad's going to look like Spiderman by the time this is all finished! Then, none of his brothers will be able to beat him at arm wrestles or tease him about his weak wrists anymore. Well, maybe Brad will look like Superman. Spiderman is kinda wimpy-looking.


Today is such an exciting day! December has a new word -- and it's my favorite word of all. She said "Mama" this morning. The joy is indescribable! I have been waiting fifteen months for December to say my name. I was in the kitchen, and Brad was talking to December in the bedroom, and he said, "Where's Mommy?" December replied, "Ma-na...Ma-na...Ma-na," and walked over to find me. Woohoo! This is definitely an event for the baby book records.

Waking up on the wrong side of the crib

December showing the camera something (I'm not sure what)

December trying to dig through the floor

She loves spoons!

Some days, the things December does just awe me, like a couple of days ago...but other days, like today, she wakes up on the wrong side of the crib. She woke up grumpy this morning. It's just like you or I would be if we didn't get enough sleep -- but that's the strange thing because she got plenty of sleep!

This is how it goes. If she has to wait for a diaper change before she goes outside, she throws a fit. She eats next to nothing at breakfast and lunch, wailing to be let out of her high chair. Once she is out, she heads right for the chocolate-chip cookies. Then she goes and does all the things she knows are wrong -- playing with the laptop, swinging her arms and hitting me (this is her latest trick...but it's not going to last very long), etc. Then it's back to more cookie-seeking.

The day goes on in a similar fashion. Today, what I am amazed at is how mothers with more than one child stay sane! Can you imagine if two or three children woke up grumpy? But I guess you get through it...it's like Anne Shirley said in Anne of Green Gables, "Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes [...or grumpiness] in it."

December the Math Genius

December is helping Brad calculate our house costs

December crawled into her baby bouncy seat all by herself, as if she wanted to pretend to be a baby again

Brad has been doing extensive work in the basement, cleaning up that water problem I was telling you about earlier. He's dug trenches with the help of my Dad and a friend from church, and today, he filled the trenches with big black pipe and stones. Soon he will concrete over the trenches. Ahh -- the joys of home owning (or rather, the joys of owning an old home). I have been working outside, sprucing the yard up. I planted flowers, and yesterday I ripped down those huge red wooden address numbers that I have really really disliked ever since I laid eyes on the house. I was thrilled about tearing those down! I nailed up normal address numbers this morning. We got an offer on our house, but the amount they offered is alot lower than what we can accept. We'll see what happens with negotiations. As you can see above, with the help of December the Math Genius, we'll soon figure out a good price for everybody!

Hearing and Understanding

Lately I have been so amazed by how much December understands. Sometimes it's hard to know exactly what she understands because if she is given a command, I can't tell if she doesn't understand what I'm telling her to do...or if she is simply choosing not to do what I'm telling her to do. But most of the time, she is very responsive, and I can't believe how much she knows!

They say you're always supposed to talk to babies, telling them what is happening around them, even if the baby doesn't understand you, because one day, they will understand what's going on! Well, that day has come for December. I say to her, "December, do you want to read a book with Mommy?" and she will walk over to the bookshelf, pick out a book, and then come sit in my lap and hand me the book she chose. OR I will say, "December, are you hungry? It's lunch time." She will stop what she's doing and walk over to her high chair, waiting for me to lift her in. OR I will say, "December, let's go outside. Where are your shoes?" She will search around until she's found them and then bring them to me. She'll hand one to me, then turn around and plop in my lap so I can put them on her feet. If she decides she wants to go outside, she'll bring me one of her shoes so that I will put it on her. When we're outside, I'll tell her, "December, hold my hand." She will lift up her little hand so she can grasp one of my fingers.

All of this amazes me. Her transition from baby to toddler is incredible. She has gone from a newborn, not knowing how to instruct her arms to move, to a toddler who is extremely mobile and spirited. I love watching this transition unfold daily.

Tulip Time Pictures

Here's December rolling along down the street as we do Street Scrubbing. She is in heaven because she is surrounded by dolls!

December and Emilia in the wagon together (this is when they were getting lots of stares and "awww"s from people. They both loved that tennis ball December is holding and kept on stealing it from each other)

The two girls are watching the parade pass by, along with my cousin Justine (in front) and me

They are enthralled by the sounds and movement of the marching band



We are taking a break from our Street Scrubbing in the Dutch marketplace. My cousins, Justine and Makayla, are on the left and in the front. In the back is my Mom, my sister Kelli, and I. Everybody's holding someone!

Markus is giving a kiss to Emilia, before we start on the Street Scrubbing parade (there's that tennis ball again)

Markus is pretty cute!

We are very focused on watching the parade

December is carrying around a doll dressed in a Dutch costume

December and I hanging out before we walk to the parade

We stopped at the greenhouse that Mom works at to look at flowers and take some pictures (December's not in this one -- she's asleep in the car)

December is all ready to scrub the streets!

This is my Great-Grandma...she is December's Great-Great-Grandma! She loves Tulip Time and the parade and was there to watch us all walk down the street.

We had so much fun at Tulip Time! The pre-parade that we were in was called Street Scrubbing. Anyone can come line up to be in the Street Scrubbing, as long as you had on a Dutch costume and were preferrably wearing wooden shoes. You also need to bring along a bucket and a broom, to scrub the streets. The firemen open up the fire hydrants ((not full blast)) so that there are filling stations for your buckets as you walk down the street. You dump your water on the street and scrub with your broom (but no one does this with any kind of gusto)! There were TONS of people there to do Street Scrubbing -- mostly parents with small children.

On Saturday, my Mom, December, and I went back to the greenhouse pictured above and got flowers. I've been planting them today and have really been enjoying myself. I still have lots more to plant, too -- and my Mom says it's time for the bean seeds to go in the ground. December loves to be outside and has already brought me her shoes to put on so that we can go out...so I'd better get planting!