Category Archives: Birthdays

Baby / Birthdays / Motherhood / Sky

Motherhood Update: Sky at 1 year

October 27, 2020

No one has ever loved a smash cake as much as Sky did at his little, socially-distanced party this weekend. 

Saying: Sky says Mama, Dada, all done, and “meow” (when the girls are pretending to be cats). He also loves to roar like a lion, and is probably saying hi and more, but mostly we’re still in the phase of insistent shrieking in order to communicate needs over here (ha).

Eating: Sky loves to eat (much like his mama, daddy, and sisters). He generally dives face-first into whatever is put in front of him (I’ll be posting the video of him with his smash cake on Instagram — it’s hilarious), but he has a special affinity for avocado, fruit, and Mexican rice and beans (smart kiddo).

Sleeping: Sky is still sleeping well for the most part, though his molars are still sporadically causing some sleep strife here and there. I’m hoping to wean him sometime in the next two months, so hopefully that doesn’t disrupt things too much!

Doing: Right in line with his sisters before him, Sky is chattering away right now and is clearly frustrated that he can’t communicate verbally yet. I remember this phase being particularly difficult with Prim and Lark as well (the 12-15 month span, in particular) because they can understand so much but communicate so little. I am trying to remember that this too shall pass (this is definitely one of the hardest ages for me, parenting-wise) and enjoy the sweet parts of this age, but some days are tougher than others (having Sky melt down anytime he spots me when I have to run downstairs for something during work hours is not ideal).

Latest milestone: Sky has mastered getting up and down the stairs in our front yard now (thanks to a lot of practice during his outdoor birthday party this weekend). He is very physically determined — much more so than the girls at this age. He hasn’t started walking just yet, but can fully stand unassisted for long periods, so I’m sure he’ll get there just as soon as he sets his mind to it.

Favorite toys: Sky is mostly interested in anything the girls are playing with and any items contained in the kitchen cupboard. Honestly, he would be happiest if we just let him capture our cell phones, TV remotes, and topple over any water glasses in the vicinity. His other favorite pastimes are pulling clothes out of dresser drawers and climbing into any box or laundry basket that happens to be on the floor.

Sweetest things: Sky is kind of attached to me at the hip these days. Prim and Lark went through this phase around 12 months as well — separation anxiety, stranger danger, and mama-attachment seems to all come together into a very clingy few months around age one, which while challenging, isn’t without it’s upside. I’m certainly getting lots of sweet baby snuggles these days.

Favorite thing about this age: Sky loves music and seems especially drawn to The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. The girls are obsessed with the film and score right now, so it’s played pretty much daily in our house. When one of the songs comes on, Sky will often throw his hands in the air and dance with enthusiasm — it’s so pure and sweet! 

Baby / Birthdays / Sky

Happy Birthday, Bub!

October 26, 2020

Dear Sky,

I can’t believe you’re one! What a year, whew… Somehow this year has felt like the longest and shortest year ever. Just when we were really getting into the swing of things with you, the world went into lockdown due to a global pandemic. I mean, if you asked me the most outlandish thing I could think of — this wouldn’t even make the list of things I could have conceived of prior to 2020.

You’ve had quite the first year, too — you emerged into this world so quickly (good lord, even I was blindsided by the swiftness), and speed seems like it might just be part of your personality at this point. Everyone who meets you remarks how quick you are — how fast you can zip out the door and climb the steps on all-fours, how quickly you spot an open gate and beeline straight for the opening, and how you seem to have a sixth sense for when anything off-limits (like cell phones, remotes, or drinking glasses) are out and within your reach. 

Even though being home with everyone for the past 7+ months has had its challenges, one of the upsides has been being able to mostly escape the plethora of viruses that likely would have made up much of your first year. You caught RSV at just 7 weeks old and you and I ended up spending 4 very stressful nights at Oakland Children’s Hospital together as a result. I spent every minute with you there while Daddy drove back and forth multiple times a day, juggling caring for us and the girls simultaneously. I hated having you hooked up to so many tubes and monitors, and the only time I was ever able to get you to take a pacifier were those first 10 hours when they wouldn’t let you breastfeed because your oxygen support levels were too high to allow for it. You weathered the hospital like a champ (better than your poor Mama, even) and were finally discharged when you no longer needed oxygen support.

At first we thought you might be our quiet, introverted child, but man were we wrong — you are just as eager to be a part of the conversation as your two chatty sisters. You yell and squeal through dinner, making it very clear when you want “more” or “water.” 

Your sisters make your face light up, and you’re so eager to join in on whatever they’re doing. You love Mama, Daddy and Morgan, showing your affection with the sweetest, tightest hugs, and planting big, open-mouthed kisses on our faces. 

Larky gave you your nickname, because she would gush all over you, cooing “Bubba Skyyyy.” You’re now known as Bubba, Bubs, Bubsy, and Bubbers. Daddy loves to call you Sky Guy, while I often refer to you as babycakes (which I’m sure you won’t find embarrassing at all when you’re older).

You have made our family feel so full and wonderful, I couldn’t imagine life without you. I love you so much, Bubs, and I just can’t wait to see what year two will bring.

Love, Mama

Birthdays / Motherhood / Primrose / Toddler

Motherhood Update: Prim at 4 years

May 23, 2019

I don’t know that anyone has ever enjoyed a birthday quite as much as Primrose. This girl lives for a celebration.

Saying: Prim is still chatty as ever and cracks us up with her dry wit and inadvertent imitations of us. Recently Larky was whining about something and Prim looked at me, rolled her eyes, sighed and said “Llama drama” (a phrase KC and I like to use to describe the high emotional atmosphere of our house). 

There was also a morning recently where I wasn’t springing out of bed when Prim came upstairs to tell us the “green light’s on” and KC was jokingly giving me a hard time about it (growing a human is exhausting, leave me alone). KC turned to Prim and asked, “What are we gonna do with Mama?” and without missing a beat she responded, “Throw her in the trash!”

Eating: Prim is still proving herself to be a picky peanut, though our approach to mealtime hasn’t changed. She regularly forgoes dinner, taking a few bites and declaring that she’s “done,” only to (of course) ask for a treat later. We don’t have treats every night (not by a longshot), but on the occasions when we do have them, Prim is required to eat more than just a few bites of dinner in order to have one (and trust me, it’s TORTURE for all of us). She does still surprise us with the things she will try (and inevitably she generally ends up loving whatever it is that we’ve cooked). Her current favorite thing, aside from pizza and spaghetti and meatballs, is “casserole” made from spaghetti squash. Go figure.

Prim’s Favorite Things: Prim is very active and loves going to the park, riding her bike, and sailing around the house on her scooter. She also loves to sing (loudly) in the car and negotiate everything (cough, I can’t imagine where she got either of those traits from).

Reading: Prim received a few new books for her birthday and is currently obsessed with The Circus Ship. She also loves Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse, All the World and Make Way for Ducklings.

Latest trick: We got Prim a “bike with pedals and a kickstand” for her birthday, just like she had been requesting for months. She’s a pro on her balance bike, so we figured now was a good time for a bigger frame. We had her try a few different bikes at a local shop before her birthday, but found that the pedal brakes were proving to be really difficult for her. After some research, I found this bike that’s specifically designed for kids who are used to a balance bike. Because it has hand brakes instead of pedal brakes, it’s apparently easier for them to master. Even though Prim has been sailing around our cul-de-sac on her balance bike for months now, I was shocked when four days after her birthday she hopped on the new bike and took off on two wheels like a pro.

Favorite toys: Prim received a Woody doll from our beloved nanny for her birthday, and it’s currently her most prized possession. She carries him in the car, on errands, and he’s generally not far from whatever she’s doing at home. She loves showing people her “cowboy doll” and demonstrating how you can pull the string to make him talk. She even secretly wrote her name underneath his boot during rest time one day, which might just be the cutest little sneak ever.

Sweetest things: Prim and Lark are still the sweetest little friends. They still share a room and know that they need to wait for their “green light” to go on in the morning before getting up. They often wake before the light, but spend the first part of the morning together playing, often with Prim climbing into Lark’s crib. Watching them in the monitor as they giggle and chat and seeing their sweet relationship is maybe the best thing about being a parent, period.

Favorite thing about this age: While there’s challenges with every age (hellooo asserted independence!) four is proving to be such a fun, sweet age. Prim is really feeling being four (the confidence!) and the complex conversations we’re having these days are so fun. I love hearing about her day at school (usually the biggest piece of intel I get is about what was for snack) and hearing the funny little anecdotes she holds onto for when KC gets home from work. Prim is outgoing, determined, and just the most inclusive, interested little person. She’s such a joy to be around and the best big sister I could ever ask for, for Larky and Baby #3.

Birthdays / Life Abroad / Primrose

Prim’s Birthday Party / A Farewell BBQ

May 23, 2018

We had a little party the Saturday after Prim’s birthday — half to celebrate Prim and half to say goodbye to our friends here in Amsterdam. Our move date is fast-approaching, so it was nice to take some time to hang out with the friends we’ve made during our two years in the city.

We got really lucky with the weather, as it was warm and sunny. The weather here in spring and summer is about as unpredictable as it gets. This week it’s vacillating between sunny 80 degree days and gray, rainy ones — literally changing between the two over the span of just a few hours.Prim was quite excited to be the guest of honor at her birthday party. Prim is incredibly extroverted, so being the center of attention for the day is pretty much an ideal scenario for her. And a day where you get cake, presents, and people singing to you? I mean, forget it. Nothing compares. Prim had trouble nailing down exactly what kind of cake she wanted. She initially wanted a “brown cake,” then a “black cake,” and finally a “yellow cake.” I decided to incorporate all the colors and made her a rainbow confetti cake (or as it’s known in its box form — funfetti). I doubled this recipe to make a two-tier cake, which turned out to be quite delicious (and I don’t even like cake). If I ever make it again, I think I will make a three-tier cake, as the layers aren’t particularly tall, and dang if we didn’t go through almost the entire cake at the party. But I only have one cake pan here in Amsterdam, so I was already making and baking this in two shifts, so two tiers was what I managed during my afternoon baking frenzy. I did manage to incorporate Prim’s wishes for a black or brown cake by making black and brown cookies — these chocolate peanut butter stuffed ones. Like all combinations of chocolate and peanut butter, they were delicious. I mean, Deb would never steer us wrong, would she?I spent about three hours cooking and baking the day before the party, prepping the food. I made both tiers of the cake, a double-batch of frosting, cookies, a batch of homemade salsa (the jarred stuff here is about as bad as the local Mexican cuisine), green goddess dip, a whole mess of grilled peppers and onions (for the sausages we would be barbecuing on the day-of) and two pizzas for dinner that night.This meant that the day of the party all I had to do was assemble the food and put it on the table. I put together a big cheese and meat board, a bunch of veggies for a crudite platter, and frosted and decorated the cake. Word to the wise on this one — frost your cake the day you make the frosting. I made the frosting the day before and stored it in the fridge overnight, not realizing that it would harden (hello, Chelsea, buttercream..? Come on.) I had to do some last-minute damage control to get it to a spreadable state again, but it all worked out fine in the end.I’m so glad that girl had such a good time at her party. We had the best time celebrating her, and I can’t wait to see what year four is going to bring.

Birthdays / Primrose / Toddler

Motherhood Update: Prim at 3 years

May 9, 2018

 This sweet and goofy love turns 3 today and I can hardly believe it. She is silly, sweet, and ohhh so chatty. Here’s what life with Prim is like right now:

Saying: Prim is the chattiest child I have ever met. As soon as she wakes up in the morning she starts talking and she literally does not stop until she falls asleep. Some funny conversations we’ve had recently:

Me: “Prim, what’s your favorite animal?”
Prim: “Zebra.”
Me: “What’s your favorite color?”
Prim: “I like yellow.”
Me: “What’s your favorite food?”
Prim: “Breakfast.”

In Bordeaux, there was a small light-up rabbit in one of the kids rooms that Prim took a liking to. Before going to bed I usually tell her a short story about a subject of her choosing, and on this specific night she wanted a story about a bunny:

Me: “Once upon a time there was a little bunny named… What was the bunny’s name?”
Prim: “Um… Meatball.”  Prim’s Favorite Things: Prim is obsessed with cooking and received this cookbook for her birthday from her Auntie Alexis. The recipes are simple and perfect for preschool-aged kids (or a little younger, in Prim’s case) and we have had so much fun cooking together and making recipes from Prim’s “recipe book,” as she calls it. We have also had a spell of warm days here in Amsterdam, prompting us to break out our “kiddie pool” (which is really the world’s smallest sandbox, apparently, but whatever. Also, I have no clue why that thing is so expensive on US Amazon. I bought it for 5 euro here our first summer.) Prim is in love with the water and will stay in that thing all afternoon, literally until her lips are blue and her teeth are chattering. Clearly we’re going to have to get this girl into some swim lessons in California.

Reading: everything! Prim is on a big reading kick these days, so we’re regularly burning through 20+ books a day. The current favorites are: Mouse Soup, I’ll Love You Forever, Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and (as mentioned above) Pretend Soup.

Latest trick: Prim is becoming more emotionally savvy and has started asking KC and I “Are you happy?” when we’re clearly annoyed or upset about something. I think she’s trying to figure out feelings in general and so wants to know how we’re feeling and why, but in the moment it sometimes can come across as emotional terrorism when you’re fed up with something and this little voice is asking you, “You happy, Mama?” (Kids, man.)

Favorite toys: Prim is very into her “loopfiets” (balance bike, in English) which was her present from Santa this past Christmas. She’s gotten quite good at riding it around and will regularly take it on short errands and trips to our local ice cream shop.

Sweetest things: Prim is seriously the best big sister. She and Lark of course have their moments (the grabbing toys right now — oof.) but overall these two are the best of friends and just make my heart melt with how sweet they are together. Lark has started assisted walking and Prim is often right beside her, walking with her baby carriage and cheering Larky along. Prim will also read to Lark while they are in their room together before going to sleep and when they wake up in the morning. Hearing her recite Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? entirely from memory is especially impressive (and oh so sweet, as it’s Larky’s favorite book right now).

Favorite thing about this age: Prim is seems like such a kid now and it’s so fun having conversations with her. Hearing the things her little brain picks up on is fascinating and such an interesting glimpse into the toddler world. I recently started asking her what she wanted for her birthday, and these were some of her responses:

  1. “A black cake.”
  2. “A brown cake.”
  3. “A yellow cake.”
  4. “TWO cakes.”
  5. “We can have a party and I can sing Happy Birthday.”
  6. “Blue and yellow tulips.”