Water table fun

I bought the boys a water and sand table yesterday. They love it. We've only used it with water because I can't figure out where to buy sand.

Let's start with the video, because it's great:

I knew August would like it, but still I was surprised when the first thing he did was take off his pants and climb in.

These magnetized Tegu blocks were a gift for August for his first birthday. He was largely uninterested in them until recently, and now he's been playing with them almost nonstop for a few days. It's so wonderful to see him absorbed with something.

This is an airplane he made, with no pattern, direction, or help. I say it looks a bit more like a helicopter, but still - not bad!

Doggy tricks

Sorry for the silence. We had a weird experience that we thought might have been related to the blog but it turns out it wasn't, so I took a hiatus for a while. In the meantime, the weather turned beautiful, we've almost finished setting up the study/guest room, and we're preparing for the Swedish summer - four weeks of family holiday. We'll mostly be hanging out here, going on day trips and easy overnights and enjoying all the beaches within walking distance, though we're also going to Devon for ten days to be with James's parents.

We're becoming close with our neighbors, with whom we share a balcony. They're a bit older than us, eagerly awaiting grandchildren of their own, so they're borrowing our littles every now and then.

They have a dog whom Leif loves (August is warming to him). He's a young, large, fierce dog, so we're all always paying close attention when he and the kids are out. He's very gentle with Leif (and very frisky with August!), and it's sweet to see.

And here's Leif playing fetch with himself (email subscribers, click here):

Leif the inchworm

I realize I haven't told you anything at all about the littles in a long time. The biggest news is that Leif is crawling! He can't even sit up unsupported yet, but he can inch his way across the room in just a few seconds. He's actually been doing this for a couple weeks, but I've only now been able to get a great video of him in action. Watch!



In other news, August has started at his new school. He's only two days in, and one of us still accompanies him to school each day. Friday will be his first day alone.

While he seems to be enjoying our new place, I do think these changes are tough on him - new house, new school, new friends. He's very clingy to James right now, and bed time is rough. This is to be expected, though, so we're trying to be patient and compassionate with him.

Which reminds me to be patient and compassionate with myself, as the transition is rough for me, too. I've never had to buy so much stuff in such a short time - car, couch, bookshelves, chairs, dining table, rugs, vacuum, crib, curtains, etc. - and, and apartment! There are still about a hundred things we need to get for everything to be sorted out and organized.

Videos at outdoor cafes

The title today pretty much says it alls.

From last weekend, August's first ice cream cone (he's had ice cream before, but never in a cone).



While Leif can't sit up unsupported for very long, he does well in chairs now. But maybe August doesn't think so:

My little Leif at 5 months

Yesterday afternoon Leif mastered the back-to-front rollover. He'd been very close for a week or so, and then finally yesterday, while August and I were doing some scissors work (cutting strips of blue and green paper for an art project today that failed miserably), I glanced down to see him finally make the roll all by himself. He repeated two or three times, and then again with James. Today he's rolled a bunch of times, too, so I'd say that trick's in the bag. But, he hasn't done the front-to-back roll in a long time, which I say is good because it means he's still mostly stationary and we don't have to wrap his head in bubble-wrap. Yet.

It also seems like he's been wanting to be a side sleeper for a few weeks now but hasn't quite figured out the hip part of it: he gets his shoulders all twisted around but his hips aren't stacked, so as soon as he falls asleep his shoulders slingshot onto his back and he wakes up all pissed. Hoping he can put all those pieces together soon, too, and start sleeping better on his side.

August has been sick, burning with fever in the nights, but mostly fine -- if the tiniest bit slower -- during the day. He seems a bit better this evening.

Without further adieu, the pictures.

And the video (try to ignore me cooing in the background):

Winter ups and downs

This morning, I was thinking that it was time to tell you that it seems like things have lightened up a bit, that it's getting a bit easier for us, that we've started to figure out Leif's routine and things are going well.

And then today happened.

Today, Leif woke up at 5:15, Augie at 5:45; Leif wouldn't nap; Augie stepped on Leif's face; Augie barely napped; we had a wonderful outdoor sledding adventure while snow fell all around us, and then Augie cried most of the way home and we had to carry him; Leif didn't nap most of the time we were out and melted down when we got home; and as usual, Augie just never stopped moving. Leif had been mostly putting himself to sleep for naps and bedtime, but today we spent hours with him, helping him calm down. We are both so utterly exhausted right now.

But watching this lightens my heart at least a little bit:



Oh, and Augie peed in his potty 5-6 times today! He's started taking his little boy undies off when he needs to go (at first he would just pee in them). He doesn't like to wear diapers anymore (he's not night potty trained, and sometimes when we go out we're gone for hours, so we feel much safer having him in a diaper while we're out.

On the happiest part of today, we finally found our ideal neighborhood! We'd given up hope that it might exist anywhere near Stockholm, but Gamla Enskede is only 15 minutes from city center via the tube and is as lovely and neighborhoody and quaint as we'd hoped for. Of course, we can't afford anything there, but it's nice to know the place exists.

A giant sledding hill in the area:

Major Dumpling

I'm so sorry - I've been wanting to post but our evenings have been chaos, and I'm trying to stay away from the computer after 9pm, which means that I really don't have any time to get on here and share. Here's a photo and video of Major Dumpling.

Captain Chaos

We've come up with new nicknames for the kiddos: Major Dumpling and Captain Chaos. Can you guess which is which?

Here are some action shots of Captain Chaos.

When I picked him up at dagis on Tuesday:

This was posted at child's eyesight level on a door at dagis. It says, "Count the poop! How many poops has Roffe pooped?" I talked with one of the teachers a few weeks ago, and she said that the kids love talking about poop!

Sledding!

We each went down with him once, then sent him on his own. He loves sledding; too bad the snow has all melted now.

And a video of him fooling around when I picked him up at dagis:

Leif rocking tummy time

Leif and I had a great morning. Which is fantastic, because yesterday was a lot of this from everyone:

We did some tummy time when he woke up from his short morning nap and he rocked it! He rolled over, front-to-back, four times. I can't quite believe it happened, and tend to think it was just a fluke, but then I remember that he almost rolled over a couple nights ago, too. It just seems so early for that. Of course I didn't get video of it, but I did get this:



(Email subscribers click here to view)

And some photos for you:

I sometimes think he looks like David Caruso; don't you?

He had his 2-month visit with the nurse on Monday to be weighed and measured. He's 13 pounds, 11 ounces and 24.25 inches long. Big boy! He's speeding through his clothes; it feels like just as soon as I get a new size unpacked and washed and in the dresser, he's outgrown it.

We're still having some rough evenings - yesterday he wasn't asleep until after 9pm - and his overnight sleep was back down to 3-4 hours between feedings (usually 3, ugh), but then last night he did five hours, which felt great. I hear that the rough evenings thing can last until 3 or 4 months, so we still have some rough evenings ahead of us.

We're being very social this weekend, with plans to visit friends both Saturday and Sunday. Here's hoping we all survive another weekend together (which sometimes feels doubtful)...

Augie beeping

Yesterday afternoon I picked up Augie from dagis and took him to the park. It was an on-and-off-again rainy day, and on my way to collect him fallen leaves kept grabbing my attention.

Augie always like to play on the biggest possible bikes at the park - but at least now he's found a way to drive this thing, even if it isn't as intended. And listen to his dialog with the car! (Email subscribers click here to view the video):

Mmmmm!

Augie enjoying his mid-morning snack (email subscribers click here to view the video):

Augie and Linden running around

We held a garage sale today with Linden and his parents. It was actually nice to hang out outside all day with friends, though it was also exhausting. At the end of the day, when Kristin and I were ready to pass out from exhaustion, this is what the boys were up to:

Augie after waking

I haven't shared any videos lately, have I? Here's one. Augie stumbling around after waking up from his nap. His hair is so fluffy.

Dandelions

Augie got his first lesson in dandelions while we were camping. You can't quite tell in this gif, but the first few times he tried, he just opened his mouth and stuck the dandelion - and all its fuzzies - right in!

Is this what we sound like to him?

(Email subscribers click here to view the video.)

Mud puddle!

Today Augie discovered the joys of the mud puddle. We loved watching him splash around; I wish I'd had rain boots so I could jump around with him. (Email subscribers click here to view the video).

Bath time shenanigans

I haven't posted a video in quite some time, have I? Well, here's one of Augie's bath last night:


 Yesterday was Augie's first day at preschool alone. He did well - they said he was fine most of the day, and he took a nap (though only twenty minutes long). When I walked through the door to pick him up, though, he burst into tears. But within three minutes of being on the bus back home, he was giggling and smiling.

This was taken just after I picked him up, when I put him in the stroller to head home:

Here's hoping he continues to adjust, nap, and enjoy his new friends.

1 year - Bouncing, bouncing bouncing

There's no end to the fun around here. (Email subscribers click here to view the video).

1 year - Watching Augie play

(Email subscribers, click here to view the video).

Note - not much happens. Don't expect any excitement - just watching Mr. Happy play by himself. (And forgive how messy the room is! It's not normally this bad, I swear!) 

11 months - Aha!

(Sorry, the 11-month update is still on pause. I'll try tomorrow!)

Remember that little "aha!" gesture Augie made when playing with his shape sorter? He pulled it out again tonight at dinner, when Baba let him put his hand in his bowl of beans. No idea why he was so thrilled about the beans...