Short Hair in a Winter Wonderland

Yesterday was my birthday... I'm now older than dirt. And for those of you who are older than me, you are VERY OLD!!!

One part of my birthday activities included getting a hair cut. I had requests for a photo so you can see what I look like now. It's different, but if you pass me by on the street because you 'didn't recognize me', I'll know you are really just avoiding me.

Another weather update... it's snowing again at this very moment! I snapped the photo with the white lights outside our house last night after it had been coming down for a while. When we got up this morning there was a good three inches on the ground. Jay took Kahlil to Bald Hill for some snowy fun. He didn't really get the gist of making snow angles, he kept getting upset with having snow touch his face, but he did try.

Developments

Just a quick update on what's going on here. First off, it is COLD! The highs for the next few days are about freezing and the lows are in the teens. I know that isn't cold if you live in Alaska, but we don't so it's cold. I'm SO happy we got our new windows put in this summer. It was cold and really blowing the other night and you couldn't even tell when inside. YEAH!

Now for laddy stuff - Langston is pretty much crawling. He will still scoot around on his belly, but he is up on all fours now too. He hasn't realized how much faster he can go on all fours, but that will come. He has also started to pull himself up on things (check out the video). That is very exciting and he is very proud and the head bonks have already started. He is also still not much into solid food. If I remember right, Kahlil was excited about eating solid food by this point... but then Kahlil also had teeth by now too. Maybe the interest in food and teeth come at the same time.

As for kiddo - Kahlil has given us a timeline for how you age: baby, big boy, teenager, and then adult. It's simplistic, but I can't really fault it. I've started a list of the songs he likes to sing. If you don't know him you may not realize what he is singing since he doesn't know many words, but in general I think he does a pretty good job. I know I've missed some, but this is what I have so far: Hide Your Love Away (Beatles), My Sharona (The Knacks), Route 66 (we have the Depeche Mode version), Low Rider (War), Rock the Boat (The Hues Corporation), I Wanta Be Like You & Bear Necessities (songs from The Jungle Book movie), One Way or Another (Blondie), Spider-Man (from the cartoon), The Wallace and Grommet theme music, Mahna Mahna (a Sesame Street song), Rocket Man (Elton John). He had Keita at Soft Star laughing today when Low Rider came on the radio and Kahlil started singing... Low-ri-da goes a little slowa da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

SNOW DAY!!!

We had a bit of snow last night... and it's COLD so it is sticking around. We tired to make a snowman, but the snow is so dry and light that we couldn't get it to pack and ended up with a snow mound. But Kahlil has found that the snow texture is just right for tractor digging! Too bad we got our snow this week rather than for Christmas.

Does this count?

For the last several weeks, Langston has been mobile but not really crawling... it's sort of a G.I.-keep-your-butt-down crawl... or maybe an I'm-half-paralyzed-from-the-waist-down crawl. In any event, he is getting around quite well and we started the "he's touching my toy" phase of the brotherly relationship.

Things to Give Thanks For

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We stayed here in town so it was a low stress holiday. On Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we had a potluck turkey dinner at Melissa's house. The kids had a great time, especially since Jeremiah made a special visit.

On Thursday we had dinner at the Gottfried's house. There were three families... ours, Gottfrieds and Salcidos. The six kids had a good time playing together. Shikha's sister was visiting and she is a FANTASTIC cook. We really had a feast!

For the rest of the weekend we worked around the house. Jay spent a total of about five hours in the crawl space re-routing cables that were just laying across the living room floor. I got the Christmas lights up on the outside of the house... and I must say they look great.

And then to top off the nice Thanksgiving day, Langston slept through the night, only waking ONCE between 9pm and 8am. Yeah! (Of course that was just a taste of what we are missing as the next night he was back to his every two hour routine.)

Over all, we are a very lucky family; we live in a great community, we have good friends, we have wonderful family (that we miss everyday), and we have each other. Not a bad life.

Oh Happy Day!

Langston must have felt the ones of you that were wishing for a good nights sleep because he was only up a couple times... down at 8, snack at 10:30, eat at 2:30 and then another big meal at 6:30. That's right 4 hours in a row of sleep!

So today I'm just normal tired... not beyond belief tired. A few more nights like last night and I may feel human again.

Cold Weather and Stuff

I have a few minutes because Jay took BOTH boys to the athletic club down the street - Kahlil and Jay will swim while Langston hangs at day care. The amazing thing is that they have been gone just over an hour and in that time I've cooked dinner, cleaned the kitchen, signed up on Facebook, and started this blog entry. I guess I could still be a productive person if I didn't have two wee-ones. The picture is of them heading off tonight.

So here is what's going on... Kahlil is been cracking me up lately with some of his doings. One of them is that we get a minute by minute update of his goodness or badness. Yesterday I was buckling him into the car seat and he gave me a little kick - I gave him a cross look and he immediately asked if that was being bad. I told him yes, it was bad and he needs to apologize and not do it again to be good. So after saying he said sorry and was sitting there for another 5 seconds he asked if he was good yet.

Another funny Kahlil thing... at daycare they are going to a gymnastics place, Peak Elite, once a week. Kahlil pronounces it Peek-a-Leek (or maybe Peek-a-Leak?). We had a big discussion about how to pronounce the name and he told me I'm definitely wrong. I guess I need to brush up on my reading skills.

Langston is still dying to crawl. He is now pulling himself around on the floor. He can get up on all fours, but he can't quite get the balance working for lifting a hand or knee off the floor. It wears me out to watch him pull himself across the room. If would be so much easier if he just crawled!

The little booger has been waking me up a lot lately too. It started several weeks ago when he was sick and I think he just got in the habit of getting a nighttime snack every two hours. I've started to close the breast-aurant for at least four hours between feedings. This has really pissed him off, but I'm hoping he'll get the idea that sleep is as important as food. Please figure it out! I'm exhausted!

There we go... now I can add finished a blog post to my accomplishments.

Splash Zone

This is what bath time with Langston has become. I think I'll wear my rain gear next time.

Super Ego

Grandma Dolores left last Friday... we are sad she is gone. Langston in particular misses her as he now has to hang around the shop all day. With her gone the last week was pretty hectic and we are happy the weekend is here.

Driving home from picking up Kahlil at daycare the other day, I asked him who was bigger - Langston or Cruz. Since Cruz is a whole year older than Langston, the correct answer was Cruz. But, as three year olds will do, I didn't get the answer I was expecting. Apparently between Langston and Cruz the biggest is... Kahlil! I tried several times to remove Kahlil's name from the competition, but failed. I guess Jay was right, Kahlil has a healthy ego.

Langston chew

For the last few weeks Langston has been eating solids at dinner time. So far he has tried the food, but not been totally into it. There is usually a sour face that goes with each bite... until last night. He really liked the banana/raspberry combo and started to 'chew' the food.

Halloween and Check-ups

Here we are, the Holavarri family all dressed up for Halloween. I talked Jay in to going as a dog to match my cat costume. They are simple but cute renditions of the family pets. Kahlil is a monkey... unfortunately you can't see the banana in his pocket. And Langston is a monster... well really he's a dragon but every time we asked Kahlil what he should be, Kahlil said a monster and we thought this was close enough.

We trick-or-treated around downtown Corvallis again this year. It was lots of fun. There were scores of great costumes running around having a good time. At Soft Star we gave away all the whistles, kazoos, and stickers we had bought so we made an emergency trip to the store for candy. After four big bags of candy we had to close up shop!

Grandma Dolores had a great time too. She said it was the best Halloween she had had in many years. She loved seeing the scads of cute kids. And I think she also enjoyed pushing Langston around in his mobile throne.

The week before Halloween, both boys had their check-ups; Kahlil's 3 year and Langston's 6 month. The short update is that they are both healthy and doing great. They are both 75% percentile for height, weights, and head size. Seems they are consistent! Langston is up to 18 1/2 pounds and Kahlil is just shy of 34 pounds. Kahlil got one shot and he took it like a big boy... no tears, but the look on his face was worth a million dollars. I was trying to distract him by taking turns making funny faces - when the needle went in, the look of shock was something I could not repeat. Poor Langston had to have four shots and he cried like... well, like a baby. Luckily the after affects from the shots were pretty minimal for Langston and he was pretty much over them in less than two days.

At the Pumpkin Patch

Ok, last update for a few days. We went to the pumpkin patch today. It was great fun...

a hay ride to and from the pumpkins, hot cider and fresh donuts, a big hay stack to play on, and a corn maze. It was a gorgeous day and we all really enjoyed being out.






We also had a little crack viewing :-)

Look who's THREE and up-to-date on October

Our first big event in October was the celebration of Kahlil's third complete trip around the sun. That's right, Kahlil is THREE. The party was held at Pappa's Pizza, a favorite with the younger set because of the pizza and play area. (Pappa's Pizza is dreaded by parents because of the less than yummy pizza and the germ incubator know as the play area. But this time we had just gotten over pink eye and were still coughing from our most recent colds so we were the germ distributors rather than collectors.) Kahlil and his friends - Tivi, Cruz, Sean, Leo, Annika, Wren, TJ, Valerie, and Maggie - had a great time.
The other big event for the first half of October was the arrival of Grandma Dolores. She came to meet Langston and the spend some time with Kahlil. She will be here for a month. She is the reason I have a little extra time to do these updates! She generally keeps Langston happy and entertained. It's been especially helpful at work where she and Langston have been going for walks and letting me work for more than five minutes at a time.

Last week the Soft Star crew went bowling for a little break. We've been working hard the last few months and wanted to knock a few things down. It was the first time bowling for the youngest elves - Tivi, Kahlil, and Cruz. They really got into it! Of course their bowling etiquette is a little lacking as they liked to lay down at the end of the ally and wait for their balls to knock down the pins.

Look who's MARRIED and a general September update

Over the last few weeks I've had several people tell me they wanted new updates on this blog... and since I have a little extra time (I'll explain later) I thought I should get to it.

We were in the Bay Area last month for Morgan's wedding - my Baby Brother is getting all grown up! Here he is with his beautiful new wife, Kataneh:

The rehearsal dinner was held at a restaurant that has a belly dancer. Kahlil was quite taken by the dancer (although his cousin, Colin was VERY taken and kept asking for her to come back after the show). Kahlil asked two questions about her... 1) is she a girl?, and 2) why don't her clothes fit right? I guess puberty is a ways off. Since we were there for a wedding we were talking a lot about love and marriage. Kahlil told us he knew who he is going to marry... Tivi. We told him there are lots of girls in the sea and he might want to wait a while before making that decision. But he told us "she's the one for me" - so there you go, the next wedding is on the schedule!

While in the Bay Area, we also spent a day with Mike / Heather and Jess / Jessica. It was great to meet Baby Baxter. He was super cute. Here's four of the six Cal Poly boys: Eli, Baxter, Kahlil, and Langston.

Other developments last month were Langston starting on solids. He seems pretty into it which isn't surprising given his girth. I think Jay and I will need to consider a second mortgage for groceries when the boys are teens.

Kahlil and Langston have started doing bath time together. It's VERY entertaining for both of them.

And finally is the pink eye outbreak that hit home. Kahlil and Jay were affected here... thank goodness Langston didn't get it. Several friends came down with it as well. Luck for us Kahlil actually likes getting eye drops - weird kid!! He was easier to medicate than Jay.

Big Boys

All three boys in the house are having a big time lately. The biggest boy, Jay, had a good Father's Day. The best gift was a personalized hat given to him by Kahlil. It's hard to see in the picture, but there are Kahlil hand prints and 'Best Dad' written on it.

Kahlil's big news is that he is potty trained (mostly). YEAH!!!! We just decided it was time and put him in big boy underwear. The first few days were pretty rocky... no successes. But then he seemed to just get it. Of course the Cars cars were a big help. It's been a little over a week now and he is still having accidents, but the process is definitely under way.

And finally the newest boy... and his big news it that he is just plain big. He was weighed at the midwife yesterday and he topped the scales at 14 pounds, 7 ounces. That's a lot of heft for one not even two months old!

Busy Weekend

We had a busy weekend...

Friday started with a hike in the forest. It was Langston's first time in nature and the first time both boys rode in the bike trailer turned stroller.






















Saturday we went to the second birthday of a friend, Sylvia. It was a fantastic BBQ with lots of room to run and play. Including a fire pit that kept us up late.

Sunday we went to a BBQ at Kris and Paul's house. They have a LARGE chess board. Kahlil helped his dad play by moving pieces that were nearly life size for him. It was entertaining.















We were all tired out. Kahlil and Jay and Langston spent a little extra time in bed.

Langston has been working on smiling. Here is a good one I got on film.

Heft, hips, and hickeys

We had a busy day yesterday... Langston had two appointments; a four week checkup with the midwife and a hip ultrasound.

At the midwife, all was fine. He just has a little bit of congestion, compliments of his older brother and Kahlil's daycare. But the 'big' news is his weight... He is now 12 pounds, 4 ounces!!! I knew he was approaching the 12 pound barrier but apparently he zipped right by it.

In the afternoon we went to the hospital for a hip ultrasound. The pediatrician wants to make sure there are no hip displasia problems from his breach birth. The ultrasound found no issues - everything is where it should be. yeah!

And finally, a mystery was solved. Shortly after coming home from the hospital, Mom and I noticed a little red mark on Langston's wrist. It went a way after a day or two so I didn't worry about it. Then the mark came back, but I was pretty sure it was on the other wrist... but maybe I was mistaken. Then a mark showed up on both wrists. Now I'm starting to get a little interested in what's going on. Then I see a mark further up on his arm... now I'm getting concerned so I go to Jay. He looks at it and asks if Langston bit himself... AH-HA!!!! He solved the mystery... Langston likes to hang out with his arms and head up on our shoulders and while up there he often sucks on his hands and wrists. Apparently he's giving himself hickeys. Crisis avoided.

Happy Birthday Langston... one month old today.

Four Week Update

Today is Langston's four week birthday. I can't believe it's been four weeks already! He is still doing great... eating, sleeping, growing. Jay and I are getting better at NOT getting peed on... yeah.

We went on our first road trip as a family. We headed to the coast for the night on Friday (5/16). It was beautiful there - sunny, clear and not too windy. While Langston and I hung out in the shady grass, Kahlil and Jay played in the sand and water. It was very nice.

Here are some close-ups of Langston...






















here is one to make you smile...
















and one to make laugh...

Langston's First Post

Ok... here we go. I'm going to try and keep some photos and updates posted of the new addition. I suppose I should start a "Langston the Lad" blog, but I guess that is one of the perks of being the oldest... the family blog is named after you.

The quick update is that Langston and I are both doing great. He is an 'A+' nurser and my healing it going very well. Of course this could all fall apart when Mom and Dad go home. It's easy to relax and recover when you have somebody else doing all the cooking, cleaning and shopping.

Any way, here are a few photos of the new big guy...

Still at the hospital


















Kahlil is holding his little brother and says "He likes me".

At home napping with Mom and Big Brother Kahlil:















Hanging out with Papa and Mom

Aren't I cute!