Carla, lately.

One of the best parts of parenthood is watching your little helpless babies grow into capable and independent people. I absolutely love when they start talking. The little voices, the mispronounced words, the charades to finally figure out that they mean "Popsicle" not "paw taprol (paw patrol)" and the like. 

Carla is at a point where she is stringing together short sentences and I just can't get enough. One of her first sentences was, wait for it....

"I want that."

This smart little girl has already learned how to be assertive. When I told her it isn't polite to say it that way and suggested she say, "may I please have that", she countered with "I want that peeeeeeeeease" with a scrunched up little nose that nobody could say no to. 

She infatuated with the tv cartoon "Paw Patrol" and we can't go into Target without her screaming and pointing, "Paw Taprol!!!!" as we pass by the toy aisle devoted to Paw Patrol. She has most of the figurines that are part of the show, and knows them all by name. She rattles off "Marshall, Zuma, Skye, Wubble (rubble), and Wockee (rocky)" when I show her a figurine.

Carla still loves to accessorize. Her favorite accessory as of late has been an old clutch of mine, filled with her Paw Patrol figurines. She insists on wearing her black sequined sheepskin boots even though it's 85 and humid as hell, and loves to top off the ensemble with a baseball cap three sizes too big. 

As she hones in on age two, I'm catching glimpses of teenage Carla and knowing that this girl, full of spunk and sass, is going to keep me on my toes. But along with that stubborn streak she's got, there's a whole lot of love. She's a very doting big sister to her human brother, her feline brother and all of her stuffed animals and dolls. She showers us all with snuggles and kisses and the sweetest, " I yuh youuuuu" that just melts my heart. 

Pumpkin picking 2015

We skipped the huge fall festival at the local farm this year and opted to drive up to Ventura to a smaller patch. While we love the local farm the rest of the year (petting zoo, tractor rides) the $45 entry fee for our three paying family members plus food, rides and pumpkins was more than I was willing to spend. 

We found a great small patch and the kids went nuts trying to find a pumpkin that maxed out their lifting limits. Our rule is that they can have any pumpkin so long as they can carry it themselves. 

We got them home and they're chomping at the bit to carve them already. 

Gino is 6 months old

G celebrated his 6 month birthday by cutting his first two teeth. Cutting was a bit of a rough go for a day or two, but once they came through he was back to his usual self. He's currently cutting the top two and I'm a little sad to see his gummy smile go as it gets replaced with little chicklet teeth.  

I love watching him scoot over to his siblings as they play with their duplo blocks and get hold of one himself. It's like, " hey guys! Here I am! I want to play too!"

He still loves his thumb. When he gets tired he pops it in his mouth and sucks himself to sleep. He's my only thumb sucker so I'm not sure when/how we will tackle breaking the habit. I'm guessing sooner is better than later, but I'd be lying if I said it's not nice to have a self soother. 

The biggest achievement of month six has been his willingness to take a bottle. I sought out advice from a few other moms and they suggested a particular brand of bottle. I sprung for one at Target last week and that very same day he downed two ounces! He even held it himself--score. The only problem now is a feisty kitten who wants in on his bottle. 

     

We did a bunch of morning walks this month, and once he hit the magical 6 month mark, he started attending the daycare at my gym so I can finally get a decent sweat going again. He's a happy little guy and the girls fight over who gets to hold him each time I drop him off. 

Sleep could be better- he's been waking 1-2 times per night despite eating some purees and having a few ounces of formula per day. It could be the teeth....It could be his guts....or it could be that he's about to crawl on all fours. Who knows? I just hope we're back to our regular schedule again soon!

    

He had a pediatrician appointment for his 6 month check up and he weighs a whopping 15 lbs and measures 27.75" tall. That puts him in the long and lean category--weight is 15% and height is 90%. He's growing well and I'm quite happy to hear that! A healthy baby is a happy baby. 

Stay tuned for month seven....