Mark it on the calendar: at 7 months and 4 days Jonathan crawled. I had just finished taking a shower up in our bedroom and was standing in the closet. Between Jonathan and me laid a large book on the floor (Julia had been playing with it). He took 4 or 5 tiny little crawls (about 12 inches) before he completely sold out on his stomach and lunged for the book. I called Stacey upstairs and she was able to see him do it again. I'm glad I was able to see it.
10 January 2011
09 January 2011
Winter Weather
This winter has been an odd one. For the majority of days leading up to Christmas, we had temperatures in the mid 50s (or so it seemed) and very little snow. Since Thursday, December 30th, we've had snow on the ground. With this latest storm and temperatures remaining cold until mid-week, we could hit 2 weeks straight with snow on the ground here. I don't know about you, but can you remember a 2 week stretch in the past few years? Maybe I wasn't paying attention. Don't get me wrong though, I actually like it.
08 January 2011
Downtown Aquarium
One of the great things about living here is that Denver is only a short drive up the road. You don't have to live in the big city yet have access to one only about an hour away. Most big cities have aquariums, and Denver is no exception.
Julia was very excited about this trip. We all ate lunch at Chili's on 16th Street, although Stacey and I had to eat separately since Jonathan was extremely fussy. While one ate with Julia the other entertained Jonathan in the parking garage, the bar (TVs), etc. After lunch we found our way to the aquarium via the same road as the REI flagship store (Denver and Seattle are the two flagship locations).
The aquarium is pretty expensive - it would run a family of four about $50 in admission. I'm sure it costs a lot of money to run the aquarium. For a once a year or every other year adventure it's worth it. Earlier that morning I had shown Julia a picture of a shark, so that's all she was interested in seeing from the moment we got there. Eventually we just decided to walk through the exhibits until we could show her a shark so that she'd stop asking about it. We also spent a lot of time watching the tiger. Jules was pressed up against the glass to see the tiger at one point and it walked straight at her. He walked straight at her and got so close that their noses were almost touching. That was a little too close for comfort and caused Julia to jump back from the glass. The tiger really did look like it was coming straight for her.
I won't list everything we saw there (or post tons of pictures of the sea life)...lots of fish, a huge snapping turtle, sea otters, sharks, jellyfish, sea turtles, a small "Finding Nemo" tank, rays, etc. There were 2 or 3 very large tanks with huge viewing areas that contained the large sea life and countless little tanks for everything else. At the end of the exhibit all of the kids were crowded around a shallow pool filled with rays that you could touch. Julia wanted to touch one but was too timid to actually do it herself. I "helped" her touch the top of one as it swam by and she let out a laugh-cry mix when she felt it. The ray was a little slimy and probably not like anything she had ever felt before (not too mention it was a weird creature she'd never seen before). She was happy that she got to touch it.
A trip to aquarium isn't complete without an overpriced souvenir. When we walked through the gift shop on the way out Julia headed straight for the sippy cup section. She is now the proud new owner of a "sharkie" sippy cup...as evidenced by a few of her "fake cheeseball" smiles in the pictures below.
Julia was very excited about this trip. We all ate lunch at Chili's on 16th Street, although Stacey and I had to eat separately since Jonathan was extremely fussy. While one ate with Julia the other entertained Jonathan in the parking garage, the bar (TVs), etc. After lunch we found our way to the aquarium via the same road as the REI flagship store (Denver and Seattle are the two flagship locations).
The aquarium is pretty expensive - it would run a family of four about $50 in admission. I'm sure it costs a lot of money to run the aquarium. For a once a year or every other year adventure it's worth it. Earlier that morning I had shown Julia a picture of a shark, so that's all she was interested in seeing from the moment we got there. Eventually we just decided to walk through the exhibits until we could show her a shark so that she'd stop asking about it. We also spent a lot of time watching the tiger. Jules was pressed up against the glass to see the tiger at one point and it walked straight at her. He walked straight at her and got so close that their noses were almost touching. That was a little too close for comfort and caused Julia to jump back from the glass. The tiger really did look like it was coming straight for her.
I won't list everything we saw there (or post tons of pictures of the sea life)...lots of fish, a huge snapping turtle, sea otters, sharks, jellyfish, sea turtles, a small "Finding Nemo" tank, rays, etc. There were 2 or 3 very large tanks with huge viewing areas that contained the large sea life and countless little tanks for everything else. At the end of the exhibit all of the kids were crowded around a shallow pool filled with rays that you could touch. Julia wanted to touch one but was too timid to actually do it herself. I "helped" her touch the top of one as it swam by and she let out a laugh-cry mix when she felt it. The ray was a little slimy and probably not like anything she had ever felt before (not too mention it was a weird creature she'd never seen before). She was happy that she got to touch it.
A trip to aquarium isn't complete without an overpriced souvenir. When we walked through the gift shop on the way out Julia headed straight for the sippy cup section. She is now the proud new owner of a "sharkie" sippy cup...as evidenced by a few of her "fake cheeseball" smiles in the pictures below.
07 January 2011
Dad Pillow
I used to walk Julia to sleep in my arms when she was little. For some reason, she fell asleep quicker and easier when I held her (versus someone else). Jonathan is doing the same thing. He'll fuss and complain when Stacey holds him, even though he's tired. When I take him, I can usually get him out (like Julia) in 5-10 minutes. I don't know why this is...it's certainly not because they like me more then Momma...Momma is still #1 around here.
Lately, the kids have been waking up way too early in the morning. I think it was 4 a.m. that they got up yesterday (way too early anyway). With Jonathan we've adjusted the times he's napping during the day. With Julia we've decided to skip her nap during the day. She'd sometimes sleep for 2 or 3 hours after lunch and we think that's why she's been getting up so early. We're a few days into no naps for Julia and it's going pretty well. She's been getting tired at the end of the day but her behavior hasn't changed much.
Tonight, after dinner, she started to nod off while I was holding her the couch. It was only about 6 p.m. so I had to wake her up and take her upstairs to get ready for bed. Like every night, she wanted Momma to put her PJs on and brush her teeth. I handed her to Stacey and she said she wanted Momma to get her ready, but that afterward instead of crawling into bed, to go downstairs with Dadda. She wanted to fall asleep on my shoulder while I was holding her and dancing to Christmas music. She fell asleep on me sometime during the middle of our second song...pretty darn cute and definitely worth the extra 5 minutes.
Lately, the kids have been waking up way too early in the morning. I think it was 4 a.m. that they got up yesterday (way too early anyway). With Jonathan we've adjusted the times he's napping during the day. With Julia we've decided to skip her nap during the day. She'd sometimes sleep for 2 or 3 hours after lunch and we think that's why she's been getting up so early. We're a few days into no naps for Julia and it's going pretty well. She's been getting tired at the end of the day but her behavior hasn't changed much.
Tonight, after dinner, she started to nod off while I was holding her the couch. It was only about 6 p.m. so I had to wake her up and take her upstairs to get ready for bed. Like every night, she wanted Momma to put her PJs on and brush her teeth. I handed her to Stacey and she said she wanted Momma to get her ready, but that afterward instead of crawling into bed, to go downstairs with Dadda. She wanted to fall asleep on my shoulder while I was holding her and dancing to Christmas music. She fell asleep on me sometime during the middle of our second song...pretty darn cute and definitely worth the extra 5 minutes.
06 January 2011
05 January 2011
A Couple of Firsts
First time making a snowman (family), first time eating snow... Hey, it was on a whim and Julia found it much more entertaining (and involved) then the full-sized version. She told me I had to make the Momma snowman smaller then the Daddy snowman because her Momma was (is) short.
04 January 2011
The Loft-Erskelden
Even though we've been a little under the weather this week, I started the upstairs (and final level). Believe it or not, this level is the largest. Like Norway, it's full of fjords, and thus has the longest "coastline" of all the levels.
03 January 2011
Christmas Dancing
Tonight, like almost every night for the past few weeks, Julia and I danced together to Christmas music. Dancing is a loose term. Usually she sits on my shoulders, sometimes she lays in my arms like a baby, and others, seated in my arms. I don't really remember how it started...one night I streamed my iPad to the stereo (on which I'm typing this blog in bed with my bluetooth keyboard) and I guess we started dancing.
Now, after dinner every night she asks to dance to Christmas music. After we finish eating Stacey has to take Jonathan upstairs to nurse him and to put him down for the night. That's when the after-dinner entertainment begins. It usually lasts anywhere from 20-30 minutes and leaves my back, arms, and/or neck sore...but we have fun. I've created two custom playlists on Pandora, Freddy Martin (Holiday) and Bing Crosby (Holiday). Bottom line: songs that they play on the radio these days like "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" are lame, annoying, and down right insulting to anyone trying to get into the Christmas spirit. You can't beat Christmas music from around WWII, so that's what was played in our home this year.
Julia obviously liked it. Sometimes she wanted us to "be silly". That meant she wanted me to swing her around the room until she almost fell off my shoulders or backwards out of my arms. Other times, she'd dance. We have mirrors on our living room wall, so I could see what she was doing. The funniest dance in her repertoire involved sitting on my shoulders, closing her eyes, and pumping her arms back and forth and slightly side to side like she was running. The look on her face was hilarious.
It only dawned on me a few days ago what kind of lasting impression this unofficial Christmas tradition will make on Jules. After a few times listening to the same songs over and over she started to pick up most of the words and sing along. We were having fun at the time and I guess after the first night or two I kind of forgot that she was singing along with me and the music. A few days ago I realized that during this time together I had been teaching her Christmas carols. The rest of her life she'll sing these songs and I helped her learn them. I didn't plan on teaching her Christmas carols, it just kind of happened.
Now, after dinner every night she asks to dance to Christmas music. After we finish eating Stacey has to take Jonathan upstairs to nurse him and to put him down for the night. That's when the after-dinner entertainment begins. It usually lasts anywhere from 20-30 minutes and leaves my back, arms, and/or neck sore...but we have fun. I've created two custom playlists on Pandora, Freddy Martin (Holiday) and Bing Crosby (Holiday). Bottom line: songs that they play on the radio these days like "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" are lame, annoying, and down right insulting to anyone trying to get into the Christmas spirit. You can't beat Christmas music from around WWII, so that's what was played in our home this year.
Julia obviously liked it. Sometimes she wanted us to "be silly". That meant she wanted me to swing her around the room until she almost fell off my shoulders or backwards out of my arms. Other times, she'd dance. We have mirrors on our living room wall, so I could see what she was doing. The funniest dance in her repertoire involved sitting on my shoulders, closing her eyes, and pumping her arms back and forth and slightly side to side like she was running. The look on her face was hilarious.
It only dawned on me a few days ago what kind of lasting impression this unofficial Christmas tradition will make on Jules. After a few times listening to the same songs over and over she started to pick up most of the words and sing along. We were having fun at the time and I guess after the first night or two I kind of forgot that she was singing along with me and the music. A few days ago I realized that during this time together I had been teaching her Christmas carols. The rest of her life she'll sing these songs and I helped her learn them. I didn't plan on teaching her Christmas carols, it just kind of happened.
02 January 2011
Almost Crawling
A few weeks ago Jonathan figured out how to get up on "all fours". Since then, he's gradually figured out how to move from that position. Up to this point he could only roll back and forth (hoping to end up near something interesting enough to play with).
Usually when he gets on all fours he rocks back and forth over and over again - like he's revving his engine. Actually, now that I think about it, it looks a lot like the start of an Olympic luge run only in the Skeleton style (face down). Sometimes he gets too much momentum and belly-flops on the floor. He hasn't learned to move his hands quite yet.
When he does move for something, he's usually low crawling...military style. It takes him a little bit of time to get somewhere with this approach, but it's his preferred style at close range. If he locks on to a target across the room, he'll still probably roll over there until he's within range. Then, he "switches to guns". He mostly pulls with his arms but sometimes pushes with his legs. He doesn't do any of the movements together though.
Once he figures out how to put all of the motions together, I think he'll be all over the house. He's a mover, that's for sure (compared to Julia). I think he's doing pretty well for only being 6 months old. I bet he'll start to crawl "for reals" in the next month. We're close to needing the kiddie gate again...wherever it is.
Usually when he gets on all fours he rocks back and forth over and over again - like he's revving his engine. Actually, now that I think about it, it looks a lot like the start of an Olympic luge run only in the Skeleton style (face down). Sometimes he gets too much momentum and belly-flops on the floor. He hasn't learned to move his hands quite yet.
When he does move for something, he's usually low crawling...military style. It takes him a little bit of time to get somewhere with this approach, but it's his preferred style at close range. If he locks on to a target across the room, he'll still probably roll over there until he's within range. Then, he "switches to guns". He mostly pulls with his arms but sometimes pushes with his legs. He doesn't do any of the movements together though.
Once he figures out how to put all of the motions together, I think he'll be all over the house. He's a mover, that's for sure (compared to Julia). I think he's doing pretty well for only being 6 months old. I bet he'll start to crawl "for reals" in the next month. We're close to needing the kiddie gate again...wherever it is.
01 January 2011
Tottenham 1-0 Fulham
I just realized the coincidence of Spurs beating Fulham 1-0 on 1/1/11...extending our unbeaten streak to 11 straight games! Is that a sign? We've won our last three in a row too. We are officially in 4th place again. I really don't think we will be able to catch any of the three teams above us, so it looks like the battle for fourth might be between us and Chelsea. You never know this season though...City and/or Arsenal might slip up. Considering how poorly Chelsea are doing at the moment, they look like our best bet.
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