Hi everyone. Niki has asked me to document an amazing event that I witnessed just a few days ago. I had recently returned home from work on a pleasant New York evening, Niki was making dinner, and I didn’t want to waste the good weather. I gathered the kids, some bubbles, and sidewalk chalk and took the kids outside to the stoop. As I was entertaining Caleb and Natalie with bubbles and sidewalk drawings, Caleb was eating a fist-sized red apple. After he had eaten his fill, he kindly gave the remainder to his little sister who had been eyeing the apple the whole time. At this point, Caleb took over the bubbles and chalk, allowing me to sit next to Natalie on the steps of our stoop. My attention was initially directed to Caleb, but it quickly swung to Natalie who cupped the apple in her two little hands and nibbled away with her six baby teeth like a chipmunk. I watched in awe as she rotated the apple in her hands chomping around the perimeter. Soon she made her way to the apple core, then she began to eat the core. My first impulse was to stop her, but my curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to see how far she would go. I just watched her as she ate the CORE, SEEDS, and even the STEM! I couldn’t believe my eyes! My 17-month-old daughter had eaten the whole apple! She just sat there with her contagious smile. I scooped her up and took her straight into the house and told Niki, “I think this little girl is ready for some dinner.”
Showing posts with label Natalie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natalie. Show all posts
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Labor Day - The Unofficial End to Summer
Today was one of those rare occasions when every member of our family was home. To celebrate this day, we took advantage of the public pool. It was the last day the pool would be open until next summer. We had to seize the day and brave the pool, even though we were a little worried about how warm it would be.
At the beginning of the summer, I hoped that Caleb would be able to swim by the end of the summer. He is super great at jumping into the pool. Maybe he is too great at it, because when we go to the pool, he likes to jump over and over again. In fact, as I am writing this, I am realizing why I have had a constant bruise on my arm all summer. When Caleb normally jumps into the pool, I am holding Natalie, and I try to catch Caleb with one arm. That one arm has had a bruise on it for most of the summer. I just realized why. Back to swimming. Today we had Rick in the pool with us, which made things much easier. Rick was helping Caleb swim, and then I asked Caleb to swim to me. I tricked him a little, because as I saw him swim closer to me, I kept backing up to encourage him to swim farther. He finally gave up swimming to me, and swam to the edge of the pool instead. We estimated that he swam about 12 feet on his own! It was so awesome. He was proud of himself, and Rick and I praised him with huge grins on our faces. We were unable to convince him to do this again, but we were still super proud of him.
Natalie is also quite the character at the pool. She loves the pool, and even if Caleb and me get cold, she still stays warm. The cool water doesn't seem to bother her. There is about a 1 foot edge on the pool that is covered by the water. Natalie loves to sit on the edge and crawl along it. She amazes the people nearby, because she can lift herself out of the pool by holding onto this edge and she can ease herself back into the pool. She just holds on to this edge, even though there is 3 feet of water below her. Don't worry, I am normally within arms distance of her. She also likes to "jump" into the pool, just like her brother, and then lay on the cement with him when he is drying off. At the beginning of the summer, a lady at the pool taught Natalie how to wag her finger in a "No, No, No" fashion. It is pretty cute. I should probably try to record it and post it on here.
Our pool day was cold, but it was fun to be together as a family. Caleb and I did get cold, and then we laid on the cement to dry off. The cement was so warm after the cool pool. As I laid there smelling the ground, I had memories of my own childhood and swimming. I was amazed at how relaxing this was. Seriously, everyone should try it, even if you are an adult.
This past weekend David & Talia visited us. We had so much fun with them exploring NYC, and eating at some of the most delicious restaurants. I especially enjoyed holding their baby Landon. He was so sweet and innocent. He reminded me how fast babies grow up. Caleb especially loved playing with David, who he referred to as a "big kid" and Caleb was the "little kid". This might have confused Caleb a little bit, because he was surprised to find out Landon was David's son. He didn't know "kids" could have sons. Talia and I also had a much needed girls outing to Serendipity 3 for the best chocolate drink I have ever had. It makes me smile to think about it.
The pool is closing. David, Talia, & Landon left. The leaves are starting to change...a little bit. Summer is ending. Caleb swam about 12 feet. Natalie learned how to walk this summer. It is a good thing Fall is so amazing around here, otherwise I would be more sad for summer to end. We are also looking forward to a visit next week from Grandma and more aunts. Yay! Maybe we will hold onto summer a little bit longer.
At the beginning of the summer, I hoped that Caleb would be able to swim by the end of the summer. He is super great at jumping into the pool. Maybe he is too great at it, because when we go to the pool, he likes to jump over and over again. In fact, as I am writing this, I am realizing why I have had a constant bruise on my arm all summer. When Caleb normally jumps into the pool, I am holding Natalie, and I try to catch Caleb with one arm. That one arm has had a bruise on it for most of the summer. I just realized why. Back to swimming. Today we had Rick in the pool with us, which made things much easier. Rick was helping Caleb swim, and then I asked Caleb to swim to me. I tricked him a little, because as I saw him swim closer to me, I kept backing up to encourage him to swim farther. He finally gave up swimming to me, and swam to the edge of the pool instead. We estimated that he swam about 12 feet on his own! It was so awesome. He was proud of himself, and Rick and I praised him with huge grins on our faces. We were unable to convince him to do this again, but we were still super proud of him.
Natalie is also quite the character at the pool. She loves the pool, and even if Caleb and me get cold, she still stays warm. The cool water doesn't seem to bother her. There is about a 1 foot edge on the pool that is covered by the water. Natalie loves to sit on the edge and crawl along it. She amazes the people nearby, because she can lift herself out of the pool by holding onto this edge and she can ease herself back into the pool. She just holds on to this edge, even though there is 3 feet of water below her. Don't worry, I am normally within arms distance of her. She also likes to "jump" into the pool, just like her brother, and then lay on the cement with him when he is drying off. At the beginning of the summer, a lady at the pool taught Natalie how to wag her finger in a "No, No, No" fashion. It is pretty cute. I should probably try to record it and post it on here.
Our pool day was cold, but it was fun to be together as a family. Caleb and I did get cold, and then we laid on the cement to dry off. The cement was so warm after the cool pool. As I laid there smelling the ground, I had memories of my own childhood and swimming. I was amazed at how relaxing this was. Seriously, everyone should try it, even if you are an adult.
This past weekend David & Talia visited us. We had so much fun with them exploring NYC, and eating at some of the most delicious restaurants. I especially enjoyed holding their baby Landon. He was so sweet and innocent. He reminded me how fast babies grow up. Caleb especially loved playing with David, who he referred to as a "big kid" and Caleb was the "little kid". This might have confused Caleb a little bit, because he was surprised to find out Landon was David's son. He didn't know "kids" could have sons. Talia and I also had a much needed girls outing to Serendipity 3 for the best chocolate drink I have ever had. It makes me smile to think about it.
The pool is closing. David, Talia, & Landon left. The leaves are starting to change...a little bit. Summer is ending. Caleb swam about 12 feet. Natalie learned how to walk this summer. It is a good thing Fall is so amazing around here, otherwise I would be more sad for summer to end. We are also looking forward to a visit next week from Grandma and more aunts. Yay! Maybe we will hold onto summer a little bit longer.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Natalie's Pivot Trick and other Talents
Natalie is walking all over the place now. Sometimes she looks like a sailor drunk on milk as she toddles around our apartment. Now that she is walking, her pivot trick has died out, but I want to remember that she used to do this all the time. This video showcases her talent...
What else is going on with Natalie at 15 months? Well, we think she will be an obedient child. Many times, I ask Caleb to do something, and then I notice that Natalie is trying to follow through with my directions. For example, if I ask Caleb to put his shoes on, many times he acts like he doesn't hear me. I will start to get impatient, but then I will turn around and see Natalie is picking out her shoes and trying to put them on her feet. What a sweetie.
Recently, I heard Natalie wake up from a nap. She wasn't crying, just chattering in her room. I sneaked into her room to see what she was up to. It turns out she was talking to a stuffed animal in her bed. I couldn't understand what the conversation was about, but she seemed to be happy about it.
Now that Natalie is walking, she has a new favorite place in our apartment. It is the fridge. Poor Natalie, how much longer until I don't tease her about food. She loves to pound on the fridge until Rick or I go and open the door for her. Sometimes she just likes to look in, but most of the time she wants a glass of milk.
Natalie is also following in her brother's footsteps with a love for books. She loves to look at books. Many times she will grab a book and climb onto Caleb's toddler size bed to read to herself. She even likes to babble to herself while she looks at a picture book...many times the book is upside down.
At this moment, my family is trying to make some new house rules that have to do with bedtime. Caleb suggested, "No stepping on people's heads." Good rule Caleb. I better go join them.
What else is going on with Natalie at 15 months? Well, we think she will be an obedient child. Many times, I ask Caleb to do something, and then I notice that Natalie is trying to follow through with my directions. For example, if I ask Caleb to put his shoes on, many times he acts like he doesn't hear me. I will start to get impatient, but then I will turn around and see Natalie is picking out her shoes and trying to put them on her feet. What a sweetie.
Recently, I heard Natalie wake up from a nap. She wasn't crying, just chattering in her room. I sneaked into her room to see what she was up to. It turns out she was talking to a stuffed animal in her bed. I couldn't understand what the conversation was about, but she seemed to be happy about it.
Now that Natalie is walking, she has a new favorite place in our apartment. It is the fridge. Poor Natalie, how much longer until I don't tease her about food. She loves to pound on the fridge until Rick or I go and open the door for her. Sometimes she just likes to look in, but most of the time she wants a glass of milk.
Natalie is also following in her brother's footsteps with a love for books. She loves to look at books. Many times she will grab a book and climb onto Caleb's toddler size bed to read to herself. She even likes to babble to herself while she looks at a picture book...many times the book is upside down.
At this moment, my family is trying to make some new house rules that have to do with bedtime. Caleb suggested, "No stepping on people's heads." Good rule Caleb. I better go join them.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Watch out for flying shoes and Toddler Blues
Just in case some of you are worried about my kids being too amazing, here is the post to bring them back to reality.
Caleb recently was promoted to a big boy car seat. He is now buckled into a booster with a regular seat belt. It didn't take him long to discover that he has a little bit more freedom in this new arrangement. Which is why we now use the child lock on the car doors. I am quickly learning that it is also important for me to make sure his seat belt is in a locked tight position - you know when you have to pull the belt all the way out and let it release so it is super tight. Well, he hates it when I do that. After I did that today, he got so angry. He chanted "Your a bad mom" over and over again. Then he proceeded to take off his shoes and throw them at me in the car. Lucky for me he has poor aim. In fact, the shoes kept hitting the seat in front of him and bouncing back to him (which was kind of funny, but I didn't laugh).
During his chanting and ranting, I wondered what can I do to keep my cool and teach him a lesson. Isn't that the greatest challenge in parenting? I tried rationalizing with him, which did not work. He was too angry to be rational. What seemed to work the best was to test him on our "House Rules". I asked him which rules he was breaking. Despite his irrational behavior, he was able to tell me some of the rules he was breaking. Sigh of relief, we had a little bit of a break through. I really can't say it was a complete turn around in his behavior, but it was a start.
Maybe Caleb's tendency to express his opinions has inspired the youngest Wolfgramm. My sweet little Natalie is quickly becoming a toddler with her new found independence. She is becoming more opinionated and demanding. One of my favorite demanding traits that she has occurs when she is eating. I hate to focus so much on food with Natalie, but food does seem to be linked to her personality in many ways. When she is hungry and I am not feeding her fast enough, she will pound the table, kind of like she is a judge with a gavel trying to get my attention. "Come on mom! Don't forget about me! I'm hungry!"
Her latest demanding attitude is coming out at nap time. I swear, less than a month ago, she was the easiest baby to lay down for a nap. The babysitting instructions were, "Just lay her down." No special instructions. She was so easy to put to bed. She would hardly make a sound. Now, she is not so easy. Today at nap time, she stood in her crib and cried for a good ten minutes before wearing herself out. Is it her age? Is there something I need to figure out to help her be happy again at nap time?
Sometimes I think my kids behaviors are like little problems that I need to solve. How can I help my son not be angry? How can I help my baby sleep? And probably the biggest problem - How do I keep my composure and not get frustrated in the process? I used to think that the kids were the ones learning the most through this parent-child relationship, but now I realize that I am learning some of the toughest lessons that life has to teach.
Both kids are up from their naps now. Caleb is happy. He hasn't tried to throw one toy at me. Natalie is happy. She gave me a huge grin when I rescued her from her crib. One of the great things about kids is that they quickly forgive you for whatever it was you did to make them angry or sad.
Caleb recently was promoted to a big boy car seat. He is now buckled into a booster with a regular seat belt. It didn't take him long to discover that he has a little bit more freedom in this new arrangement. Which is why we now use the child lock on the car doors. I am quickly learning that it is also important for me to make sure his seat belt is in a locked tight position - you know when you have to pull the belt all the way out and let it release so it is super tight. Well, he hates it when I do that. After I did that today, he got so angry. He chanted "Your a bad mom" over and over again. Then he proceeded to take off his shoes and throw them at me in the car. Lucky for me he has poor aim. In fact, the shoes kept hitting the seat in front of him and bouncing back to him (which was kind of funny, but I didn't laugh).
During his chanting and ranting, I wondered what can I do to keep my cool and teach him a lesson. Isn't that the greatest challenge in parenting? I tried rationalizing with him, which did not work. He was too angry to be rational. What seemed to work the best was to test him on our "House Rules". I asked him which rules he was breaking. Despite his irrational behavior, he was able to tell me some of the rules he was breaking. Sigh of relief, we had a little bit of a break through. I really can't say it was a complete turn around in his behavior, but it was a start.
Maybe Caleb's tendency to express his opinions has inspired the youngest Wolfgramm. My sweet little Natalie is quickly becoming a toddler with her new found independence. She is becoming more opinionated and demanding. One of my favorite demanding traits that she has occurs when she is eating. I hate to focus so much on food with Natalie, but food does seem to be linked to her personality in many ways. When she is hungry and I am not feeding her fast enough, she will pound the table, kind of like she is a judge with a gavel trying to get my attention. "Come on mom! Don't forget about me! I'm hungry!"
Her latest demanding attitude is coming out at nap time. I swear, less than a month ago, she was the easiest baby to lay down for a nap. The babysitting instructions were, "Just lay her down." No special instructions. She was so easy to put to bed. She would hardly make a sound. Now, she is not so easy. Today at nap time, she stood in her crib and cried for a good ten minutes before wearing herself out. Is it her age? Is there something I need to figure out to help her be happy again at nap time?
Sometimes I think my kids behaviors are like little problems that I need to solve. How can I help my son not be angry? How can I help my baby sleep? And probably the biggest problem - How do I keep my composure and not get frustrated in the process? I used to think that the kids were the ones learning the most through this parent-child relationship, but now I realize that I am learning some of the toughest lessons that life has to teach.
Both kids are up from their naps now. Caleb is happy. He hasn't tried to throw one toy at me. Natalie is happy. She gave me a huge grin when I rescued her from her crib. One of the great things about kids is that they quickly forgive you for whatever it was you did to make them angry or sad.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Dinosaurs, Dum Dum, and Black Olives
Today, we met up with Jon, Julie, and their family in Manhattan. First we went to the Natural History Museum. I learned that I need to watch "Night at the Museum" to find out who "Dum Dum" is. Some of the kids were sad to find out he (Dum Dum) didn't really talk to them. After the museum, we went to Grimaldi's....the best pizza place in NYC. I was also reminded that olives in New York are not the same olives you get on Domino's Pizza. Our little food trooper Natalie still liked the New York olives though. I guess she is a real New Yorker or a child that will eat anything. Tonight in his prayers, Caleb said, "Thank you that the Dinosaurs are dead, and the animals are not." He really does love dinosaurs, but he is glad they are not alive to eat us.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
It starts now
The idea of starting a blog has been swimming around in my head for too long. I will probably explain the details in a future entry, but for now I want to write about what made me finally do it today. This will be short, because Rick has already come out to tell me it is time to go to bed.
Yesterday, was a really hot day in NYC. I heard that it was breaking heat. We spent most of the day indoors, except for a little trip to the library, which was an excursion, but it was also hot. We lost Natalie's shoe on the way home. I went back to look for it, but decided it was gone for good. It was a rather uneventful day. After dinner, Rick volunteered to take Natalie for a walk. And then, Natalie decided it was time to do some walking of her own. It was such a joy to watch her take her first steps. She was so proud of herself, and when she fell, she kept wanting to get back up and try again. We all cheered for her, which I think helped. Caleb gets so much attention in our family, that I think Natalie just eats up the praise when we give it to her. It was one of those moments when you think, "Life is great".
Last night, I read in the New Testament Reader with Caleb. We read about the Resurrection. Afterward, Caleb knelt to pray. I suggested that he thank Heavenly Father that Jesus was resurrected. When he finished his prayer he said, "I felt the Holy Ghost". Rick and I asked him what it felt like. He declared that, "It felt magical". I just smiled. How sweet for this four year old to have a "magical" feeling like that when he prays.
Today, Caleb got into trouble for licking the salad dressing lid. It is delicious salad dressing, but we do have some limits when it comes to our table manners. We mentioned it too many times, and then he was punished by not having ice cream for dessert. He started wailing. We sent him to his room. When he finally came out, he said, "I'm sorry Mom. Is there anything I can help you with?" I swear he came up with that all on his own. I knew I needed to stick to my guns on the ice cream, but my heart just melted.
Caleb didn't get ice cream, unless Rick sneaked some to him while I was gone.
Miraculously, I found Natalie's missing shoe in the street near our car.
Yesterday, was a really hot day in NYC. I heard that it was breaking heat. We spent most of the day indoors, except for a little trip to the library, which was an excursion, but it was also hot. We lost Natalie's shoe on the way home. I went back to look for it, but decided it was gone for good. It was a rather uneventful day. After dinner, Rick volunteered to take Natalie for a walk. And then, Natalie decided it was time to do some walking of her own. It was such a joy to watch her take her first steps. She was so proud of herself, and when she fell, she kept wanting to get back up and try again. We all cheered for her, which I think helped. Caleb gets so much attention in our family, that I think Natalie just eats up the praise when we give it to her. It was one of those moments when you think, "Life is great".
Last night, I read in the New Testament Reader with Caleb. We read about the Resurrection. Afterward, Caleb knelt to pray. I suggested that he thank Heavenly Father that Jesus was resurrected. When he finished his prayer he said, "I felt the Holy Ghost". Rick and I asked him what it felt like. He declared that, "It felt magical". I just smiled. How sweet for this four year old to have a "magical" feeling like that when he prays.
Today, Caleb got into trouble for licking the salad dressing lid. It is delicious salad dressing, but we do have some limits when it comes to our table manners. We mentioned it too many times, and then he was punished by not having ice cream for dessert. He started wailing. We sent him to his room. When he finally came out, he said, "I'm sorry Mom. Is there anything I can help you with?" I swear he came up with that all on his own. I knew I needed to stick to my guns on the ice cream, but my heart just melted.
Caleb didn't get ice cream, unless Rick sneaked some to him while I was gone.
Miraculously, I found Natalie's missing shoe in the street near our car.
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