Hurt Feelings

I was making drumming noises after we went to a percussionist performance at the library today.

Jacob said, “Please stop. You’re hurting my feelings!”

I said, “Your feelings? Where are your feelings?”

He pointed to his throat and said, “They’re on the inside, and they’re kind of a bluish white. What color are your feelings?”

Crunchy Christ

Today Jacob was performing mass, his favorite thing to play. He was passing out the Eucharist to me when he suddenly stopped. He put the chalice down and said, “Maybe not this Blood of Christ because it’s a spicy Blood of Christ. And this is a crunchy Body of Christ, so we need a new one.”

Katie’s Mother’s Day gift

Today at RE Katie made a Mother’s Day gift for me. She was so excited and insisted that I didn’t peek in the bag. When we got home, I came in first, leaving her in the garage. She came in a few minutes later, crying uncontrollably. I asked her what was wrong, and she said that somehow she had ended up with the wrong gift. She now had a picture frame that said, “I love Mama” in someone else’s messy handwriting. To say she was devastated is not an exaggeration.

With a quick text to her teacher and a trip back up to church, we were able to remedy the situation. Her whole body relaxed when she had her proper gift bag in hand. Can’t wait to see my special frame next week!

Jacob’s Favorite Color

Earlier this week Jacob was sitting by himself in the playroom, and I overheard him cracking up.

I asked him why he was laughing. He said, “Because red used to be my favorite color. Now green is my favorite color, but I still like red!” Then he proceeded to crack up over it again.

Jacob's Strong Will

Several weeks ago Jacob had a big mess in the play room.  The rule at our house is that they have to clean up all their toys before they can eat dinner.  I asked Daniel and Catherine to help him clean it up, knowing he'd never be able to do it by himself.  So when the three came to the table, I told him to say "thank you" to his brother and sister for their help.  Jacob looked at me as if I were speaking in French, so I repeated it.  Again, he stared at me.  David then said something along the lines of, "You need to say thank you, and then you can have dinner."  Again - nothing.  So.......long story short......he didn't eat dinner that night.

The next day we went to HEB.  There they have these things for kids called Buddy Bucks.  You can get Buddy Bucks when you check out, and you can use them to win prizes.  I have bribed many a child with Buddy Bucks in exchange for good behavior at the grocery store.  On this day, we checked out, the woman handed us the Buddy Bucks, and I told Jacob to say thank you (just like we've done every other time we've been to the store).  He gave me a look, and I remembered that this child was making "a thing" out of saying thank you.  So I told him that if he didn't say thank you, he would not get the Buddy Bucks.  So.........long story short.............he didn't get the Buddy Bucks that day or the next time we went to the store or the time after that.

Last week we went to the doctor's office because Katie had strep.  The nurse let them each pick out a piece of candy from the bucket as we were leaving.  Katie picked hers, and then Jacob reached into the bowl.  As he put his grubby little fingers around a Snickers, he looked up at me with that look, and I reminded him to say thank you.  He slowly lowered the Snickers back into the bucket and walked away.  The will power continues to get stronger as the prizes get bigger......

Finally there was Halloween.......we now saw how big he could make this issue.  We reminded him before trick-or-treating that he would have to say thank you in exchange for candy.  We even gave him some other ideas instead of saying the words "thank you," including saying it in a tough football voice, saying it in Spanish, or even using the ASL sign for thank you.  He opted instead to only pick up candy at the houses that had put it on the front porch in a bowl for you to take on the honor system.  So every time we approached a new house, he'd ask, "Is there a person?"  If there was a person handing out candy, he wouldn't even go up to the door, but if it was just a bowl of candy, he'd go and pick one.  (He didn't have anyone to thank at those houses!)  Daniel and Catherine got 75-100 pieces of candy, and Jacob got 6.

How much will it take for him to learn this lesson???  He has a strong will.  Let's pray he uses it for good.

Jacob's Halloween Costume

We were driving in the van last night when I asked the kids what they wanted to dress up as for Halloween.  I was trying to talk Jacob into a football player because we already have stuff he could wear for that costume, but he had other ideas. 


He told me that he wanted to dress up like Father Adam.  Just as my heart was about to melt because my two-year-old wanted to dress up like a priest, he informed me that he wanted to dress up like "Father Adam dancing in that video."  That would be the video I showed him the other day in which Father Adam is dancing with swords dressed in a mariachi outfit.  So, no, he doesn't want to be a priest, but he does want to be in a mariachi. 

J Pop's Sayings

Here are a few funny things Jacob (J Pop) has said over the last few months that I don't want to forget!

(Before going to mass)
David: Why do you look so handsome?
Jacob: Because God made me that way.
David: Why?
Jacob: Because I used to be a cat and then I was a boy.

(when David told him to be quiet in the van)
Jacob: But my mouth is going all crazy!

(when David smacked the top of his head)
Jacob: Did he vacuum my head?!

(when walking out of Daniel's school)
Jacob: Daniel, when we were going in to your school, we saw a monkey!
Me: That wasn't a monkey.  It was a ground squirrel.....

He's a funny kid.  :)

Two Word Utterances

By 18 months, a child should begin putting two words together - like "Daddy bye-bye" when Daddy leaves for work. I know this because I'm an SLP. 😊  Jacob is on track and has been putting two words together lately. Tonight's was my favorite. He came in the house after falling in a puddle in the driveway and told me, "Nose......water." 😂 Yes, Jacob, your nose did indeed hit the water.

Katie's Names

Katie has been changing her name around for quite some time.  She's often Ms. Lucinda.  Other days she's Ms. Sparkle.  She frequently changes her baby's names as well.  Robin becomes Shaniqua who becomes Bella who becomes Sarah. 

Recently she started changing Jacob's name too.  Probably the most common name she gives him is Benjamin.  She also calls him Jeremiah, John, Thomas, or James.  She gets mad when I call him Jacob, so I usually give in and call him whatever the name of the day is.  I think it may be confusing to Jacob, but surely he'll catch up. 

Jacob's 18 Month Update

Jacob is 18 months old.  He weighs 25.4 pounds (43%ile).  He is 32" tall (41%ile).  His head is 50.5 cm (97%ile).  The kid still has a melon head.

He knows a lot of words - I can't name them all, but he probably uses 50-100 words well.  He has started to put two words together.  For example, the other day he said, "Mama bite" and then he attempted to bite me.  He's bit me a couple times.  He also likes to smack me.  I spend a lot of time saying, "Be nice to Mama.  Give Mama hugs and kisses."  He then gives me big hugs and kisses.  He likes to hug a lot, especially in the middle of grocery shopping.  He also plays a game where he knocks on the window or wall and waits for me to say, "Come in!"  He then turns and says in an exaggerated voice, "Hi! Hug?  Hug?" 

He loves books.  He follows me around the house all day saying, "book book."  His most recent favorite is "Otis and the Tornado." He'll pick one book and read it over and over and over until I make him stop.  Sometimes it's only a short book, and I'll read the same 18 words about twenty times before I tell him that he needs to switch to a new book. 

He loves to be outside.  He likes bugs, but he hasn't figured out how to pick them up without squishing them. He comments on all sorts of things outside - birds, bugs, trucks, wind, trash.  He likes to play in the sand box and only occasionally eats sand now.  He also loves to play in the water.  When it rains and there is a big puddle in the driveway, he runs around in it until he's soaking wet. 

He likes to eat and has a good appetite, but he's a finicky eater at times.  Sometimes he'll eat four servings of something, and then the next night when I serve it as leftovers, he won't eat it at all.  For breakfast he likes Rice Krispies or toast.  At lunch he likes pb&j, ham and cheese, and peas.  He can put down peas like nobody else.  Dinner is unpredictable.  He also loves popcorn and cheese - not together.  He drinks milk and water well.  I tried to give him juice once when he was sick, and he wouldn't drink it. 

His best tricks are still raising his eyebrows at people and making funny faces.  He keeps a pretty serious face around strangers, but he's silly around us.  He likes to be held - all the time - all 25 pounds of him.  He cries and throws his head on the ground when he doesn't get his way - like when I can't hold him and make dinner at the same time.  He's highly attached to his blanket which he calls "B."  He won't sleep without it, and it's the cure to most bumps on the head. 

I'm still not quite sure what he's going to be like as he grows older, but he's a sweet boy that I'm thankful to call mine.  He brings me much joy - except at 5:00 AM. 

Katie's Wedding Dance

Katie got a new dress-up princess dress from Aunt Cristi and Uncle Brian.  She was wearing it the other day and decided that it was her wedding dress.  She started acting out her wedding.  She's never been to an actual wedding, so she only knows a few pieces of what happens.  She quickly got to the first dance.  When I asked her what her song was, she replied, "The Chicken Dance." 

When I laughed, she said, "Well, I won't really dance like a chicken though." 

I couldn't find the chicken dance song on the keyboard she was using for her music, so she quickly settled for "Home on the Range" and softly swayed to the music with her imaginary groom.

The To-Do List of a Seven-Year-Old

Daniel wrote out a to-do list on Saturday. It read:
List one...
Make card for Luis
Finish erasing puzzle
Take care of Jacob
Pray
Practice piano
Practice soccer
Dig hole
Catch bugs
Exercise
Do puzzles
Move dots
Make something with toys
Find items to donate
Add beans to jar
Color puzzle

Breakfast Champ

Jacob is a good eater.  He eats a bowl of oatmeal almost every morning for breakfast.  His current favorite is oatmeal with peanut butter, cinnamon, and applesauce.  I noticed recently that he would start crying and throwing a fit near the end of breakfast.  After watching a few mornings, I realized he begins his fit when I first start having to tip the bowl to get more oatmeal out. He's crying because he realizes there are only a few bites left!

Daniel

At mass on Sunday, I caught Daniel doing something sweet. I almost missed it which makes it even nicer because I don't think he intended for anyone to know. As the collection basket went by, he slipped in three dollars that he'd put in his pocket. He is a kind and good boy, and I'm so very proud of him.

Katie's 4th Birthday

 

 

Katie turned four last week! She had her checkup yesterday, and I believe they said she weighed 35 pounds and was 40 inches tall.  She has grown up a lot this year. She still enjoys playing with babies.  She also likes to play cars/trucks, board games, color, paint, read books, and ride her new bike.  She doesn't like to play outside as much as her brothers, but when we go for walks, she can run long distances!  Some of the things she likes to eat are ham and cheese sandwiches, yogurt, cereal, crackers, raw red peppers, cheese, peas, apples, pears, grapes, cantaloupe, and steak.  She doesn't like to eat onions, tomatoes (unless they're raw grape tomatoes), or most soups.  She knows all her letters and can count to 100.  She can tell you the first and last letter of most words you give her.  She's really good at jigsaw puzzles.  She sleeps with special blankets, but no stuffed animals.  She likes to read the Bible for bedtime stories.  Sometimes I can convince her to take a nap, but often I can't.

For her birthday, we celebrated at our house with the Calvo and Kuszmaul families and Buelo and Buela.  She had a Candy Land cake that came out pretty cute, but tasted sort of terrible. The kids all liked it! David made her a dollhouse, and she received many presents related to that.  Grandpa and Grandma got her the furniture for the little girl's bedroom.  Buela and Buelo got her the furniture for the baby's room.  Aunt Cristi and Uncle Brian got her the living room furniture, Aunt Pam and Uncle Josh the kitchen, Aunt Heather and Uncle Brian the dollhouse family, as well as some arts and crafts kits.  Uncle Luis got her coloring books.  The Calvos got her a pillow craft, headbands, rings, a stuffed owl, and a bracelet craft kit.  The Kuszmauls got her more dollhouse furniture - another kitchen (which has worked well to fill out other areas of the house) and a bunkbed and other kids' furniture.  She was so excited about everything! She had been counting the days til her birthday since about 120 days beforehand!  The kids at the party all did a sticker mosaic craft and then ran around the rest of the time.

We are blessed to have Katie in our family. She's a sweet and funny girl who we wouldn't trade for the world!

Married Birds

In the car this afternoon:
Catherine: Mommy, how do birds get married?
Me: What do you mean?
Catherine: I mean that I thought birds have baby birds, so how do they get married?
Me: Ohhhh, well birds and other animals don't have to get married to have babies. God made them different than He made people.

She was satisfied with this answer!

Why is this here??

Jacob hides things all over the house. I don't remember the other kids doing that as much.

This week alone I found two bracelets in the spice cabinet, two toy animals in the bathtub, one sock in the Tupperware drawer, and three candlesticks, four bottles of glue, and one bottle of paint in the hamper. I think the hamper is your best bet if you're looking for something.....

Feeding Babies

Catherine has been breastfeeding her babies for awhile.  Here's a pic of her feeding baby Audrey.  The stuffed elephant underneath is her improvised boppy pillow to help support the baby.

 Recently, I started working a few mornings a week.  Catherine has now had to start pumping milk for her babies.  Here she is pumping (and trying to dodge the camera).

 

A couple quick stories about breastfeeding:

 

Story 1: When we were talking to Aunt Cristi the other day, I asked Catherine if she would help Aunt Cristi when her baby came out of her belly.  She said she would gladly help.  I told her that Aunt Cristi probably didn't know much about how to feed babies.  Catherine told Aunt Cristi, "Well, you know we have those little nipples.  That's how you could feed your baby."

 

Story 2: Catherine told David the other day, "Daddy, I think Mommy can teach you how to feed Jacob.  'Cause see?  You have those moles too.  Up high on your belly.  See those moles?  That's how you could feed Jacob."

 

She'll be a good Mommy someday. 

 

 

 

Valentine's Day

When David went to check on Daniel the other night, he found him asleep like this:

 

In his hand, he's clutching a Valentine's card that he made for us that evening.  Here's the close-up:

 

 

It says "Happy valentine's day Mommy and Daddy."  It has the first initial of each family member inside the heart. 

 

Then the next day, I was in his room looking for a book, and I found this card:

 

 





 

 

 The front says, "To Jesus and Mary.  From Daniel." The inside says, "Happy Valentine's Day, God.  God, please help me to make the right choices.  Mary, please pray for us, we humbly pray, and forgive our sins."

 

If that doesn't make you feel like the happiest mother in the world, I don't know what will.



Jacob's 4-Month Update

Jacob turned four months old this week.  He continues to be a very smiley, happy baby.  He likes to sleep and definitely require more sleep than the older two kids did.  He gets very grumpy when he doesn't get enough sleep.  It's rare that he cries when he's not either tired or hungry.  He still wakes up once or twice each night to eat.  He takes varied naps throughout the day.  He still has no real schedule, so I never know if he's going to sleep for 30 minutes or 3 hours during the day. 

He can grasp toys and brings all of them to his mouth to explore.  He likes to chew and suck on everything you put near him.  I don't think he's teething, but I'm kind of terrible at figuring that out until I see teeth practically popping through.  He likes music a lot and prefers to fall asleep to the sound of lullabies.  He also likes for me to sing to him during the day.  He especially likes Old McDonald and Little Bunny FooFoo.  Those will keep his attention for quite some time.  He likes when his brother and sister sing to him too and laughs at silly sounds we all make.  He's really pretty easy to please when playing/singing.....unless he's tired.  He can't roll over yet, but it seems like he's getting close.  He hates being on his tummy, which doesn't help us reach that milestone.  He can almost sit up by himself, but can't sustain his balance for too long. 

He's different from my other babies in that he likes to be held sideways in a cradle position.  Neither of the older kids ever liked that.  He's also different in that he's balding!  The other kids just added more hair to their full head of hair, but he's losing all his.  Katie says that he's going to look like Abuelo.  His eyes are already brown.  Daniel's stayed blue until about the time he turned two, and Katie's are still blue. 

He's a sweet, sweet boy, and I can't imagine life without him.