We have fallen down on the photography front of late - my mom and dad left, taking with them their nice camera, and Liesl developed a terrible case of rashy pimples. The poor thing looked like a 13-year old with bad skin, and felt scaly to boot. So I wasn't feeling driven to commemorate that stage. Happily, she has moved beyond that now, and is back to soft skin. She's filled out and is smiling more and more, and she's adorable.
My list of things to blog about has been growing and growing, a sure sign that I'll never get to half of the topics. Liesl has been a very good sleeper so far, and unlike Sebastian not at all interested in the pacifier. She is very interested in sucking on her own thumb/hand, if she could just figure out the mechanics of getting it in her mouth. She's just a sweet, happy baby, and we are feeling extremely lucky.
Our boy is such a cuddler. He is always asking if he can touch Liesl, and hold her, and carry her, and sit with her. I think he sometimes squeezes her a bit too tight in his enthusiasm for hugging her, but I am reluctant to criticize him. I want him to keep on cuddling with her. So I let her get a bit squished - she cries and wriggles if it's too much - to keep him happy.
I went to Whole Foods by myself this past week, for the first time in a really long time. I thought it would be better and easier without Sebastian, but instead I was just lonely. I missed the conversations that Seb and I have in the store, and the "help" he gives me in choosing things, counting eggs, unpacking the cart, etc. It was faster, but it felt more like a chore and less like an adventure.
Sebastian's language skills have been really going through a rapid shift lately. He is able to put together much more complex thoughts and sentences and his grammatical errors (in verb tense, for ex.) are decreasing. He is also remembering and repeating a lot of things we say, even when we aren't sure he's paying attention the first time around. His creative and imaginary play is also really developing - he doesn't play with dolls, but he attributes human characteristics and personality to his cars and buses. He has them talk to each other and do things together, and they interact in various ways (getting angry with each other, for ex.). It's fascinating to be in the next room and eavesdrop on his internal conversations. He has named two of his trains - he knows that the blue one is Thomas, but the green engine he has named Clock, and the black engine has been dubbed France. He has a green clock, so that makes some sense, but I have no idea where France came from.
He and Steve have really bonded over the last two months, since Liesl was born. Steve does the whole bedtime routine - bath, pjs, stories - and is often the one who is available to play with him. It's been very sweet to watch, although I admit to feeling a little left out and sad that my boy doesn't automatically turn to his mama any more. There are also a lot of little ways in which Seb is copying Steve - his favorite color is green, he likes to play football in the living room and cheer for the Pittsburgh Steelers... it's cute.
Christmas day began with the Advent calendar, which has been filled with various treats all month long. Sebastian has gotten small treats - chocolate, cookies - as well as larger ones - a book, a new game. This morning the 25th contained two small cars, Luigi and Guido (two characters from Pixar's Cars movie).
We then peeked into our stockings to see what Santa had brought. In addition to oranges and a pear, Sebastian got a magnifying glass and a Mater (tow truck; see Cars movie).
Great Grandma Raab and her three great grandchildren.
