New Helmets!

We finally have helmets for both kids; Espen rides his little car when we go for walks, and has successfully learned to stop at the corners and wait for everyone before crossing and/or maniacally laughing as we repeatedly say STOP ESPEN. We had to abort our walks early a few times to teach him how to cooperate, but it worked! He was a model citizen on our walk last night. 

Lucia, on the other hand, really needs a new bike (but has a brand-new helmet!) We took her training wheels off last night to let her try to scooch her bike along for the walk and get used to balancing, and it was a disaster. Pete carried her home with the bike in the other hand, with her sobbing. :( So, a new bike is in order.

17!

Espen turned 17 months old yesterday and we celebrated by getting hand-foot-mouth disease again, which means no daycare and we're basically quarantined at home. PARTY. Which wouldn't be a bad thing, except for the fact he's climbing and SO destructive. I remember friends of toddler boys telling me that everyday they're basically preventing the kid from injuring himself, ALL DAY. Yep. It's like that.

But he's so cute. This month we've seen a lot more words -- Pete says he said the word UP yesterday, for instance. He sings Let It Go with Lucia (of course), he shakes his head no, but seems to not really understand what that means. He also climbs up on our dining room chairs now, all the livelong day, and up on the kitchen table. Hugely entertaining is also standing on the ottoman and basically falling onto the sofa. And then back to the ottoman. So fun!

We are looking to move as soon as possible. I'm hoping we can make it to next summer, but I'm just not sure, watching how Destructo is. He needs a yard and places to run around.

Where'd ya like to go, ma'am?

Fourteen

I don't think I posted about Espen's month 13, so I'll just pile it in here. Espen turned 14 months old yesterday. Our little man. I looked at him today and he suddenly looked like a two year old. I was beaming and sad at the same time, as I imagine everyone feels when they realize their babies are growing up.

He has an extremely different (like, opposite) palate of Lucia's. The girl will eat fruit all the livelong day, and Espen prefers the savory things and even things with a bit of spiciness, he's down. He shovels food in by the handful, and now that he has molars, he's able to chew a lot more effectively. Tonight I think he ate an entire turkey burger himself. He's a big fan of meat; so interesting because that's what I ate tons of when I was pregnant -- but that's what I craved, so I wonder if I craved it because I was carrying him, or if he likes it because he had it when in utero? Either way, it's pretty funny how different he is from Lucia.

Today he blew me our daycare provider a kiss, which was ridiculously cute. He has learned how to say Dada? Every morning after we have nursies, he rolls over and says as loud as can be, DADA? It is adorable. He and Pete have a bit of a love affair going on; the way they look at each other is pretty priceless.

He's not walking yet and we're not worried. He's also not saying tons of words, but we know that's normal for a bilingual household. He hums various tunes and babbles quite a bit. He's pretty great.

Nugget

Cutie.

Birthday boy

Some shots of his actual day. I took him in for his 12 month checkup (stats to come) 

One

Dear Espen, 

You were about 48 hours old when I discovered it: when you cried, if I held you to my face, nose to nose, you calmed instantly. The touch. The touch is what makes you so darn endearing. The other day I was running errands with you and your dad, and when I came back to the car, you were both in your seats, but he had reached behind his seat and you behind yours to hold hands. You needed the connection and to be touched. We hold hands everytime you nurse. If you're restless at night, we put you on your stomach and hold your hand and you go right to sleep. You experience things through touch. This makes you the snuggliest.

I had no idea when you emerged from my womb one year ago today at 12:29 p.m., cold and furious to be out of the warmth of my body, how in love with you we'd fall. (That experience, watching you emerge from me and take your first breaths, was the most incredible experience of my life.)

Each night as we snuggle and I read you your night-night book, I smooth your hair, kiss your head and tell you how special you are. I couldn't have predicted the magic that you bring to us, the sense of balance and harmony you bring to our family. Your disposition seems to be No Biggie, to just about everything. You started drinking regular milk this week, no biggie. You're sitting at a toddler table at daycare, no biggie. You stole a piece of pizza from your father's hand this week, what?

I didn't imagine before we met how much you'd look like my late father and your namesake, James. Each time you bust out into a wide grin and your eyes light up, it's like getting a special visit from him. Also, someone today called you Bright Eyes, which is what your Big Papa's dad, also a James, used to call me. I thought that was pretty special and fitting for today.

I had no idea how special boys are compared to girls. I've said this a hundred times this year, but with your sister I feel compelled to raise her as a strong woman. With you, I just want to run away with you. We're having a love affair, I tell people. And we are. You and I are tight and I now understand why moms of sons are a little nuts about their sons. The thought of you leaving me and marrying someone had me in a tears a few months ago. Your father reminded me that was a few years off.

The last year has gone so incredibly fast. I would say I'm sad that you're not a wee baby anymore, but you're so much fun now and getting more fun each month. This week you learned how to play peek-a-boo with your sister and now hide from her and delight in jumping up and surprising her. You bring so much joy to our family.

Happy Birthday Espen James Wentzel. We couldn't love you more.

Big boy shoes

Here he is, in his first pair of shoes. 

9 month checkup, a few weeks late

Here he is. Pulling up and crawling like a maniac and completely taking apart the doctors paper cover thingy. He's getting harder to contain, ie crazypants. He's started to try to launch himself off the changing table and really anything, including my arms. 

But he's doing great. Sleeping 7-6:30 with a dream feed at 10. Nursing and eating anything that isn't nailed down, which ahem has been particularly wonderful for my postpartum weight loss.  :) 

Here's his stats:

• Weight: 8.513 kg (18 lb 12.3 oz) (28.32%*)
• Height: 0.724 m (2' 4.5") (40.40%*)
• Head size: (hahahah) 48.3 cm (19.02") (100.00%*) (however, they remeasured and it was 18.5 inches instead, still in the 90%)

Holding it himself

He was very hungry, cried and had no patience. He grabbed the bottle from me and started drinking. 

Thanksgiving 2013

Here is a great selection of pictures from last night, Thanksgiving. It was great to spend time with our norwegian friends having great food. 

 Pre dinner greeting

Espen checking out the wheels on his toy car

The Turkey was incredibly moist!

 Per serving the girls at their own table

Espen eats  

The side dishes 

 Caitlin prepping the food

Notes were taken 

Movie time after dinner. Toy Story in norwegian at 11PM!!!

Flappy

I'm positive there's some developmental reason for the arm flapping, but I don't really care what it is. It is simply adorable. Please never stop flapping, Espen.
 

No school Day - Play Date

Today was no-school day, but Lucia's classmate Veronica invited her for a playdate. Lucia had so much for that when we left she begged me to let her have a sleepover and cried most of the way home ( think mostly because she was exhausted and very hungry) Heres what she looked like after a 10 minute ride home:

Brudder and Sissy

Seven!!

Seven months!! He's a big boy now. He filled out and got suddenly pretty chubby this month, awwwww. Other changes we saw this month:

• Eating more and more solids. This month we tried more oatmeal, peas, blueberries, cooked apples, pumpkin and carrots. He really likes pumpkin and sweet potatoes. 
• Sitting up! He doesn't topple over as often. 
• Grabbing stuff of the highchair. Pete put a bowl of his food with a spoon in it the other day and went to get a bib and Espen grabbed that bowl so fast. He also really likes grabbing the spoon when we're feeding him. Manual dexterity! It's a thing!
• Sleeping in his CRIB! YES. We moved him into the other room and now have both kids in one room. True to Espen's laid back nature, he was like, oh, I see that I am now sleeping here. Fine by me. He is so diametrically opposite of Lucia that way. 
• Rolling and rolling and rolling. And more rolling. 
• I think the chatting has decreased this month, but he's definitely doing more of the arm-flapping. In the next few days I'll post a cute video of him doing that. 

Behold some cutie pie pictures I took yesterday as we hung out and just gazed into each other's eyes (seriously). 

Watching the cat

Theres a cat in the garden. Its an outside cat that only comes around when it needs food, but it caught Espens attention right away, he kept staring at it and the cat kept staring at me

Channeling Elton John

First day in new daycare

Espen had his first day at the new day care home today. He spent an hour there - with me - to get used to his new surroundings. The new place is well set up with a dedicated play room and sleep rooms, in addition theres a big yard with fruit trees and lots of grass and I think they will spend a lot of time out there.

Espens first ever visit on a beach

... in slow motion!

His new seat is a hit!

It is a great relief that Espen no longer has a raging fit every time he is placed in the car seat, these days he is quite content and is more likely to fall asleep than scream his lungs out. After getting his new seat things seem even better, and I think it has something to do with being up higher and able to see more?