So much has happened

Yet again, it has been quite a while since the last post. We have been busy so I'll hit the highlights and share a few photos.

Morgan and Kataneh visited for one night at the end of March. It was great to see them and I'm SO bummed they don't live closer. I think Kahlil and Langston would like to see them more often too. Maybe Google will open an office in Portland :-)

We went to California for a week. We were at Disneyland for a day and it was quite the adventure for Kahlil. He was tall enough to go on just about everything. The two rides that really seem to have stuck with him are the "crazy train" (Thunder Mountain) and the "rocket ship" (a little spinning rocket ride). We stayed for the fireworks and that was also a hit. It is really a spectacular display and I enjoyed it. Kahlil likes to say it was "my first fireworks ever!".

For most of the trip we stayed in San Diego with the Ducharmes and had a GREAT time. Luke and Kahlil acted like they have know each other forever and they took off and started playing right away. It was mostly good, but a little space was needed every once in a while. Charlie spent most of his time right behind Kahlil and Luke. He is a total cutie. Langston crawled, or drove, after the other kids. Here are a few photos from the trip:

This has become one of my FAVORITE photos of Langston. The look on his face just cracks me up. I'm not quite sure what it is saying, maybe... he's a middle aged salesman living in Florida trapped in an average life, but he's happy with what he has... Not sure but I find it very endearing.

One day we went to Balboa Park. This is Luke and Kahlil racing around the fountain there. (note the monkey suit Kahlil is sporting... keep reading for more on this)

This is cutie pie Charlie giving a wink and showing off his stickers.

Here is Luke, Charlie, and Kahlil checking out the model of a birds nest at the Wild Animal Park. We had a fun time there seeing all the animals and riding on the tram.

We've been home a week and I've had to explain several times that it will be a long time before we go back to San Diego and Disneyland. Kahlil keeps telling me we can go to Disneyland because it's close to Luke's house... he seems to forget that WE are not close to Luke's house.

A couple things here at home... Langston has started freestanding from time to time. And he is getting good at standing and pushing stuff around. In just the last couple days his balance has really improved. Kahlil started waking right before his first birthday. I don't know if Langston will beat his birthday, but he will be close.

THE MONKEY SUIT!!! About a month ago Kahlil started wearing his Halloween costume around the house... then to bed... then out of the house... then ALL THE TIME. I have to negotiate with him to get if off to be washed. Today at Melissa's he chose change out of his monkey suit and into normal clothes when they went to play in the mud because the suit wouldn't be washed in time for him to wear the rest of the day. It's turning out to be one of the best purchase I've ever made for him.

They grow up so fast

I've finally come to realize that potty training (for some) is a process, not an event. It happens in small steps over a period of time, not all at once. Kahlil is well on the road to being potty trained, but he isn't quite there yet. He is much better about knowing when he has to go and doing something about it. The most recent exception was last week when he chose to wet himself while watching cartoons rather than taking care of business. The worst part was that we were at the Peak Elite (a local gymnastics club) viewing room and I didn't have anything for him to change into so he had to walk to the car bare naked from the waist down. (I hope HHS doesn't come after me!) But these lapses are becoming fewer - thank god! So now we are facing the latest potty training challenge for a boy... peeing while standing AND getting it all in the toilet. As a girl this is a problem I have never had to face. Kahlil wants to get it right - Mom, I'm sorry I got some pee on the floor - and I'm very supportive and encouraging - good job getting most of the pee in the toilet! - but it is hard to keep a happy face when mopping up the latest miss fire. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is a process and we will eventually be out of this phase.

Langston is also moving on to new things. He LOVES to crawl up stairs. So now I have to make double sure the gate at the top of the Soft Star stairs is closed... they are like magnets to him... and he remembers if the gate is open. It's enough to put me on edge. His other big achievement: today he pushed a cart around the shop. He was pretty proud of the fact that he was standing/walking while doing it. I think he has big plans for walking in the near future.

Rafferty Rocks

It's been a while since the last post... we had sickness go through the house making blogging an impossibility. We also had a BAD January with loss of several friends. Luckily things are looking up... the last week or so we are all healthy and happy (which is a 180 from where we were a couple weeks ago) and Uncle Lloyd is recovering well from heart surgery. Thanks goodness!

A few Langston developments... 1) he now has TWO teeth! The two front bottom. 2) He has become pretty picky about eating. The list of preferred food is fairly small - Goldfish crackers, banana pieces, graham crackers, cookies, string cheese, and ice cream. Pretty much everything else he use to eat - avocado, yogurt, baby food, etc - is now off the menu. He really likes to feed himself so I think that explains much of the shift. 3) The other BIG development is the addition of the 'more' sign... yeah!!! It looks a little like he is clapping his hands, and he mostly does it when you do if first, but he has the idea. It shouldn't be too long before he is demanding more of everything. 4) The annoying development is an irrational hate of diaper changes. I basically have to pull some WWF moves to get him changed and if a social worker heard the screams while I was doing it, I'm sure they would take him away.

Kahlil is doing good. I think we through the worst of the "I WANT IT NOW" phase which is good because nobody was enjoying that. But we still have a ways to go before he and Langston are best friends... for Valentine's Day I bought Kahlil some sparkle pens to decorate his cards. It really made Kahlil's day when Jay told Langston he could not play with the pens. Kahlil was so happy he beamed when he told the story to Melissa. Any time we intervene and tell Langston 'no' is a good day in Kahlil's book. I guess brotherly love will have to wait.

Enjoy the Gerry Rafferty video. This song was added to Kahlil's playlist today :-)

The Nine Month Old

Langston turned 9 months old a few days ago. He visited the doctor for his check up... 20 lbs, 9 oz. He is 50th percentile for height and weight. So if you want to see a average sized 9 month old, I can hook you up. He got is first tooth in just in time for the doctor to see... yeah! It's the bottom left front. He has been a little unhappy the last couple days and we suspect it was the tooth coming in. We have been keeping him on Tylenol to help with the pain. He also got a flu shot, but didn't shed a single tear. The nurse said the flu shot is a very small needle so that was good. All in all, a healthy baby boy.

Kahlil has really been testing the limits lately. I don't know if it's because Langston is touching his stuff or it's just a 3 1/2 year old thing... but there are lots of demands and stating who is the boss and who is the biggest/strongest/fastest. I don't mind getting updates on who is the fastest, but could do with out the "I want that NOW!" Luckily for him, he gets back on my good side every night by telling me he loves me "To the moon and back, to the sun and back, and to the earth and back". That's a lot of love.

Frog Pajamas

The other evening Kahlil was pretty upset that he and Langston didn't have matching pajamas. I bought them a couple matching sets of pjs, but they were all dirty. I was surprised by Kahlil being sad so when I saw a couple pairs of frog pjs in the right sizes, I had to get them. Kahlil and Langston both seem pretty happy about the new sleepwear.

Langston has started to wave. It's very cute.

Kahlil and Jay went sledding today. They had a great time. Apparently a teenager at the slope said Kahlil on his little blue disk was the cutest thing she has ever seen.

Doors... The Best Toy Ever

Make sure you have the volume on when you watch this video.

Langston Update

Just want to give a quick update as to what Langston is doing these days. At this age everything changes so fast the info is almost old before I get it typed.


Moving:
He is crawling like a crazy boy. He was just getting his belly off the ground the week before Christmas so he's been doing the real thing for nearly a month now. He is getting fast... and has found that he has a high gear when he decides he really want to get somewhere.

He is also VERY good at pulling himself up on objects. He was doing this when he was still in the tummy scoot phase, but now he can pull up on less stable objects and is starting to cruise and let go a little. I think he will be starting to walk but the time he is ten months. When he goes in a room he likes to make the rounds of opening all the doors and drawers he has access too. And, of course, an open dishwasher is like a magnet. He also likes to dance. He will crawl to me, and use my hands to stand. Then if there is music playing or somebody else dancing, he will dance too. It is very cute.

Swimming:
He LOVES water. I thought Kahlil was a water baby, but his fondness of water was nothing compared to Langston's. Langston will crawl from other rooms if he hears the sink running. He squirms and squeals when you walk by the bathtub. And he is a superstar in his swim class. You might want to book flights for the 2028 Summer Olympics as Langston should be a swim star.


Eating:
He finally decided it was a good eat solid foods... and he wants to try EVERYTHING. It's now fun, and a little messy, to feed him. And he is a pro with the sippy cup already.


Favorite People:
Langston LOVES Kahlil; loves to watch him play, wants to touch him, laughs at him. It is very sweet. And Kahlil is only luke warm on Langston. I had no idea how much power a big brother/sister has over their sibling. I'm number two on the list... of course I come with the breastaurant. Jay is number three but Langston really likes him. There have been a couple times when he pushes out of my arms and reached for Dad. He also really likes Bubba... and, amazingly, Bubba seems to like him. To this day, Bubba will have nothing to do with Kahlil. Even as Kahlil got older and started to make an effort by tiptoeing and being quiet. As soon as Kahlil comes in the room, Bubba is gone. But Langston is a different matter all together. When ever Kahlil is out of the picture (out of the house or in bed) Bubba will come out for pets. He lets Langston crawl right up to him and pound on his side. Jay and I are both baffled by this show of preference by Bubba. We are wondering if thee is something inherently good about Langston and bad about Kahlil that only feline sensitivities can discern.

Favorite Things:
As you can imagine, a busy boy like Langston likes to crawl a lot. He is done with being in bouncy chairs or swings. He is on the go. He likes to play at the train table - he stands at the edge and bangs the wooden tracks on the table. When he is getting tired he likes to go in the carrier where he usually falls asleep in a few minutes. He doesn't really care for the car. He loves his fuzzy blanket - I bought him three of the exact same green lion blanket so he can have one at home, Melissa's and Soft Star. As soon as you hand it to him, he burrows his face in it.

Sleeping:
It is pretty easy to get Langston to sleep, but he doesn't stay that way for long. He is usually awake every 2 hours or so. On a good night I get blocks of three hours between wakings... on bad nights it's only 30 to 90 minutes. If he just eats and goes back to sleep I'm happy, but some nights he is very unhappy and fusses. I have to think he is having some gas bubbles or teething pain going on those nights. Of course it is easy to be understanding about this during the day, but at 4 am after only two 90 minute blocks of sleep it's a little hard to think clearly. I keep telling myself that he will out grow this in the next year or so.

General Health:
No teeth yet. I'm sure he's over the 20 pound mark, we'll know for sure at his nine month check up later this month. He caught a cold a couple days ago, but other than that he is a health, happy little dude!