I was going to do a post and then I got sidetracked taking care of all the emails in my inbox and now I really need to get to bed. So I'll just upload these pictures of Aidan and Keira snuggling in Aidan's bed. I've started reading them a book when I put Aidan to bed and Aidan thinks it's lots of fun to cuddle with Keira. He's so sweet to her all the time - like in the last picture where he's giving her a kiss. Today he said to me 'I think Keira likes you, Mommy'
Just chillin' on the table. 
Look at that face! It's like a sneer - she's mastered sarcasm already.
Sneezing
I brought it along to Tony Roma's when we went out for dinner and Keira sat in her bumbo chair in a regular chair and could look around at everything - or stare intently at the ceiling fan for 10 minutes like she did
And I can even put her on the desk so she doesn't feel left out while I'm on the computer! It's awesome :)
The other day I tried taking some pictures of Keira. I thought I had quite a few good ones but I probably should have taken a whole bunch so that I had more to choose from. In the ones that she's actually looking at the camera and smiling her little middle finger is sticking out which is kind of unfortunate. Today I had a meeting with the Roots of Empathy Instructor who will be coming with me (and also going alone) to the class that we have been assigned. The more I learn about this program the happier I am that we're participating in it. Everything seems really thought out and intentional and I'm really excited for the first Family Visit! A Family Visit is when Keira and I go to visit the class. Michael is also welcome to come along and since we'll always be going during his week off, I'm hoping to convince him to come a couple times. The Instructor meets with the class for a Pre-Family Visit and also a Post-Family Visit, mainly it sounds like to discuss questions the kids have for me about Keira and then to discuss what happened when Keira was there. During the Family Visit, the pamphlet I was reading said that Keira will be the Teacher - turns our perceptions of who is qualified to teach upside down! Dawn (the Instructor assigned to Keira and me) showed me the different toys that the kids would watch Keira play with and also a big green blanket that she will sit on. I hadn't really thought about some of the things Dawn brought up but as she said them I was glad that the program had thought of them! Keira and I will sit on the green blanket and the kids are not allowed on unless I invite them on so this gives both Keira and I some space which is great. Also, I will be able to ask the kids just to touch her feet or her hands (so they don't maul her) and if Keira is upset or crying or whatever I'm allowed to leave. Dawn said that the program follows Keira's cue so she's sort of in charge of what happens when. It kind of has to be that way if you're dealing with very young babies but it's nice that the program is designed to be so flexible! Dawn also said that when we come in the kids will sing Keira a welcome song and when we leave they will sing a goodbye song as well. I'm sure that will be super cute because we're going to be visiting a Grade 1 classroom. Keira reacted very well to the toys that Dawn brought so right after she left I got out her little mat and hung some toys from it so she could see them. She spends most of her time either in her lounger or her swing but now that she's interested a little more in her toys I'll have to keep the mat in the living room too.
This afternoon we were sitting in the living room and Michael was trying to show me something on the TV and I was trying to feed Keira but she just kept getting more and more upset. I sat her up but accidentally bonked her nose and then she got really mad.
I know it's not funny when she cries but sometimes she just looks so cute!
Now her mood has definitely improved - she's almost smiling here!
Her eyes are a really deep dark blue - so pretty!
Keira has definitely calmed down since those couple weeks when she was a little colicky. I think it was 2 weeks, maybe 3 but it felt like much much longer. My little brother Luke was very colicky and Michael's mom told me his younger sister Amber was colicky as well - I am so very thankful that Keira is done with that!! However, Aidan has hit the horrible fours. Maybe the Ferocious Fours is a better alliterative name. I hadn't heard before that 4 is a difficult age but now that Aidan's going through it a couple other moms have mentioned they had a hard time when their kids were 4 as well. He's just growly and irritable and doesn't seem to care about listening and is not very fun to be around. He also talks incessantly! I'm very glad he can express himself and he does a good job talking but sometimes I just have to ask him to stop! I'm really happy that Michael's week off is starting this Wednesday because it's hard to deal with him by myself.
Once again I was watching Oprah and she had Jessica Seinfeld on with her new cookbook called Deceptively Delicious and I am going to go out and buy it. Her big idea is to puree vegetables and then stick them into everything - chicken nuggets, tacos, mashed potatoes, cookies, cake. My mom did something similar but less sneaky when we were little. She would make chocolate cake with grated beet or zucchini and it really didn't take away from the flavor at all. While she was talking about her cookbook, Jessica said that she was having a lot of trouble getting her 3 kids to eat vegetables and now that she's sticking pureed veggies in everything she's not fighting with her kids anymore, she feels better that they're getting some more balanced nutrition and she feels like a better mom. I think that's the key right there. It is SO difficult to manage to do everything that is expected of you as a mom, it's so overwhelming and if you can't do it all - and do it well - you feel like a bad mom or wife or whatever. And yet it's so hard to relax some of these standards we set for ourselves. I thought that when I had this year off it would be great because I could be a 'good' mom. You know the ones I'm talking about - they stay home with their kids, have them enrolled in all sorts of programs, have an immaculate house and prepare yummy healthy meals for their families. I'm not sure what's taking up all my time - maybe it's Keira - but I'm still stuck on trying not to let laundry day stretch out into laundry week! I've also been looking for a good from-scratch chicken nugget recipe not involving shake and bake and they showed nuggets she had made and they look really good!
Speaking of recipes, I was going to post this great idea I found when I was putting up pictures of Aidan's party but I completely forgot. While I was looking around for ideas for Aidan's party I came across this great drink 'recipe' that the kids loved. You make a couple different flavors of Kool-Aid and freeze them into ice cubes before the party. Then at the party give the kids cups of Sprite or 7-Up - any clear pop - and let them pick different colors of ice cubes to put in their drink! It was a big hit at Aidan's party, even with the adults :)
I was watching Oprah today and in and among everything else that she was talking about, I learned an interesting tidbit.
In Bali, babies aren't allowed to touch their feet to the ground for the first 6 months because up until 6 months they are considered half-god and ... I guess ... too good/holy to touch the ground??
I thought that was kind of weird but also maybe a little sweet, like saying your baby is your angel. Then I thought about it a little bit more and thought it was definitely more than a little weird. This may have had something to do with a big screaming fit Keira had because I lost track of time and forgot to feed her. (On a side note - isn't it amazing just how much noise a little baby can make?) Who in their right mind would think a baby is half-god? And who would want a god that was like a baby - even if it was only half like a baby??
Nevermind being like a baby, I'm glad that God is COMPLETELY removed from all human imperfections!!
I woke up and Aidan said something about snow and then I must have fallen back asleep because by the time I looked out the window I had forgotten and was very surprised to see it snowing! Crazy!! I guess it is October and the snow usually starts sticking around in November so it's not that early...but I still wish we had a little more time before winter came to stay! I'm not looking forward to bundling myself plus two kids up every time we go out - which will probably be less often now! It had snowed enough that when we went out to the car I had to brush off the windows and put the wipers on the front and back windshields. Thankfully the snow brush was in the trunk so I didn't have to go hunting for it or use my arm. My car came with a starter and that will definitely come in handy! I'm also glad we all have enough winter stuff and don't have to be frantically searching the stores right now along with the rest of GP!
She's turned into quite a happy baby and smiles all the time. Just have to work on that sleeping at night thing... :)
Last night we came back from Fish Place and had some cake. We all put on party hats and sang Happy Birthday including Keira. We'll have to teach her the song though, I think she was a little confused because her version sounded more like 'Waaaaaaaaaaaaa'.
