Cutie Pie!

Just a couple of photos of Kai all dressed up to attend his (our) friend Zachary's baptism:
Baby GQ!

Xan Can Cook

Alexander has always loved to "help" around the house, and lately he's reached the point where he can *actually* be helpful. He's also about to turn SIX, so I am trying to let him take on more age-appropriate tasks. The other day, I let him make macaroni and cheese almost all by himself. I still turned on the stove and drained the noodles. Still, he was quite proud of his accomplishment and all three boys and I enjoyed the lunch that he had made for us. (Yes, he was making lunch and all three boys were still in their pajamas. It was a snow day!)

I told Alexander that by the time he is ten, I want to be able to tell him, "Alexander, it's your turn to make dinner," and have him be able to just go in the kitchen and do it! He is eager to learn "all about being a grown-up," he says.

The Carnivore

A few days ago, Alexander poured himself a drink of water, looked down at it, and said, "Hey, Jack! Let's pretend that humans drink animal blood and that this is animal blood."

Today he asked, "Mommy, what kind of animal does syrup come from?"

My son, the carnivore. Too bad the girl he wants to marry is a vegetarian. They might have to discuss this.

And don't you forget it!

Alexander: I am drawing a picture of that big-headed guy from Star Wars.
Jack: No, him ears not go like that.
Alexander: Jack, I am just being creative about his ears. You are not the boss of everything.
Jack: Yeah, Mommy are boss of everything.

Because he can read now...

Me: Alexander, please go upstairs and I'll be up in a minute. I need to write this Email in private.
Alexander: Oh, is it about pee pee and poop?

Kai's First Haircut

All my boys were getting super shaggy, so it was haircut day in our household! This was Kai's first real haircut! Of course I did Kai's hair with just scissors, which led the other boys to resist the buzzer, so they were all done with just scissors for a change.

Kai before:

Kai during:

Kai after:

Jack before:

Jack after:

Alexander before:

Alexander after:

My Son; My Stalker

This evening while I was putting Kai to bed, Alexander wrote me this touching letter:
(with spelling corrected)
"I love you. I feel like you. I am obsessed with you. I am you. I am part of you."

I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to be touched or scared...

Alexander's always been full of interesting thoughts. Yesterday he told me, "I believe that God is a friend to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Leprechaun." He also announced "I have the biggest brain ever!"

I don't know if Alexander has the biggest brain ever, but I certainly LOVE his brain. What an interesting kid I am raising!

Wow!

Alexander: Mom! Daddy can read without talking!

He was genuinely amazed at this. ;)

A Big Day for Kai!

Today was Kai's nine month birthday and he celebrated by finally cutting his first tooth, clapping for the first time (and several subsequent), and by visiting his favorite pediatrician who declared him perfectly healthy.

The stats:
Kai @ 9 mos: 30.5 inches (97th percentile), 21 pounds, 10 ounces (69th percentile)

It should be noted that Kai only gained a mere 2 ounces since his last check-up three months ago, dropping from the 96th percentile down to the 69th percentile. However, his doctor is not concerned and neither are we. The boy is cruising, pulling up on anything that stays still long enough for him to grab it, and crawling around like mad. He's burning those calories as fast as he gets them!

The doctor also mentioned that "they" plan to implement the use of a different growth chart for breastfed babies because, when compared to formula-fed babies, breastfed babies seem to "fall off" their growth curve and down into a lower percentile, which can cause concern for parents who fear they are not getting enough nutritionally. All of my children "fell off" their growth curve around this age, so it would be interesting to see if they would have stayed on their curve if using the chart based on breastfed babies.

On the subject of how things change, it really is interesting just how quickly recommendations about parenting change! My oldest is not even six years old yet, but many things have changed. When Alexander was born, drop-side cribs were considered safe. Now they've been banned. When Alexander was born, it was recommended to introduce solid foods at 4 to 6 months old. Now they recommend waiting until 6 months old. When Alexander was a baby, they recommended waiting until 1 year of age before turning the rear-facing carseats forward. Now they recommend waiting until the child is two-years old! The child-rearing "business" changes almost as fast as the technology industry!

To compare to Alexander and Jack's stats, they were both 30 inches at 9 months, so Kai's got them beat there. Alexander was a whopping 24 pounds at 9 months, but Jack was more similar to Kai at 21 pounds, 3 ounces.

We're very lucky to have three such healthy children. Kai is doing amazingly.

At your service, m'dear!

Alexander: Mom, can I please have your service to help me build something to roll my ball on?
Me: *giggle* Can you please "have my service?"
Alexander: Yes, but without payment.

This kid has no idea how funny he is.