Teresia at 3 Months

When I mentioned to the kids that Teresia turned three months old yesterday, they were incredulous that we didn't throw a big celebration, or make a cake, or at least hang up a banner! When I tried to explain that we really couldn't do that every single month, the girls went over my head and made her birthday cards. I'm sure they would have baked her a cake as well if there had been any sugar in the house (long story that involves children, bags of sugar, spoons, and hiding in beds).

So I told them we could take some 3-month pictures and they were happy. Catherine had charge of the photo shoot styling. She likes pink, and she likes headbands. Apparently Teresia agrees with her choices.

I'm glad I caught some smiling pictures, because she really does smile a ton right now.

Then we had to have a wardrobe change so a bonnet could be tried.

And then Catherine wanted to see if the white pants she made still fit. They didn't, but we took a picture with them not-quite-on.

Then Teresia fell asleep, and actually stayed asleep when I put her down, and actually stayed asleep on her own for almost an hour after that. I think it was a record unassisted nap for her. And I love how her hands just kind of float when she's sleeping on her back.

And these are her eyelashes. Because why have magnifying lenses if you can't use them to make baby eyelashes super big?

 The girls have stiff competition in the ongoing "who loves Teresia more" sibling contest. Michael will hold and hang out with her almost as long as Mary now, and she gives him huge crinkly eye smiles.

Teresia wants to start school with Catherine. I told her to spend a little time being a baby first.

During her little photo shoot, every time we put Teresia on her tummy she immediately rolled over to her back, faster than I could click the shutter. But sometimes when I put her down she's happy to swim and kick around for a bit.

I love that she's working so hard to raise her head and eyes so high that her forehead muscles look like a second pair of eyebrows from some Star Trek character.

And yes, that is a typical amount of drool. Maybe she's teething already? No idea.

Teresia never has to play on the floor by herself very long; Gussie appears to keep her company within a couple minutes every time. He's so much bigger than her! I guess it's still surprising to me because I haven't managed to mentally remove him from the "baby" position in the family. [Side note: the red spot on her head is not a cut or bump. It is face paint that rubbed off from Mary's face and it's not coming off easily.]

Even though we didn't throw her a party or give her presents, Teresia had a present for me for her 3-month birthday: she slept almost six hours in one stretch last night, which is about three hours longer than her longest stretch so far. Maybe if I go to bed right now we'll get a repeat?

On The Mend

Well, I think we're mostly recovered from this last round of eye infections, ear infections, sinus infections, and runny noses. We're back to our status quo: chesty coughs that are worst at night and first thing in the morning, and after a bout of running. You know it's been a bad winter when I'm thankful for that level of health.

Even though the kids troop through these types of illnesses pretty well, I still am obviously relieved when they look and feel a bit better.

Gussie got tired of waiting for us to reinstall the repaired baluster and decided to pull out his "fixer man" tools and take care of it himself. He's not going to let a runny nose get in the way of house maintenance.

Teresia was the last to get the goopy eyes and has been the last to recover, but she's back to lots of not-so-goopy crinkle nose smiles now. She's not looking at the camera here because she's actually smiling at Mary, not me.

This is how the girls spend their Saturday (and every day) afternoons. I know, I should have put a book in Teresia's lap as well, but she would still rather look at people than any thing.

No, she's not an independent sitter yet (she's not quite 3 months still!), but she's pretty happy propped up in the corner of the couch so she can watch the goings on and blow raspberries at anyone who walks by.

Unfortunately I know better than to get my heart set on everyone feeling better. We've developed a bit of a Saturday night curse around here. Every time I think we're all well enough to go to Mass, Saturday night rolls around and one of the kids wakes up throwing up or coughing up a lung or complaining of ear pain or that their eyes are glued shut with goop. This has happened the last four weeks in a row. So I'm just going to go to bed now and be ready for whatever this Saturday night has in store for us.

Lemon Bridges

Gussie has about a hundred favorite games right now. Actually, I think all games are his favorite games, and everyone in the house is powerless against his relentless pursuit of people to play with. I'll be working in the kitchen, and he'll come down with a huge grin on his face and say, "Mom! I carried this book down the stairs all by mySELF! I did! I'm bigger to do it! I bringed it down for YOU! You read it to me on the couch." Then he trots off to the couch without waiting for an answer. What choice do I have?

The same happens with boxes of cars, and puzzles, and play worker man tools, and wrestling time... he's so happy and excited about the prospect of playing with you that there's no real way to say no. And if you try to put him off for a moment, just to take your last sip of tea or finish that last sentence and click the "send" button on your email, he plays the classic toddler card, asking literally every 2 seconds, "Now can you play with me? Now can you play with me? Now can you play with me? NOW can you play with me?" Resistance is futile.

But right now one of his favorite favorites is London Bridge is Falling Down. He never - Never - tires of capturing people at the end. I'm pretty sure the word "London" means nothing in his brain, so he connected it as "Lemon" and now Lemon Bridges is one of the most oft played games in the house. Here's a little discourse about Lemon Bridges. [Apologies about how he is obnoxiously eating a calzone in this video; most of his best conversations occur at the dinner table.]

 

A coordinating favorite is Ring Around the Rosy, because who doesn't like falling down? Actually, Gussie informed me that bad mans don't like falling down, but it's ok because Daddy doesn't hate falling down, because he's not bad, he's just right to play falling down. Good to know.

 

Sick and Happy

Sorry, I kind of forgot I had a blog there for a bit. But really nothing too exciting is going on around here. All the kids are sick again so we've been home pretty much all week. I'm terrified to pass this bottomless pit of respiratory despair to any of our friends, so we missed Mass and ballet and Lego League and singing group and Valentine's parties this week. And of course it's back to being bitter cold so we're also stuck inside. I don't think I could hate this winter much more than I do right now.

But the kids are all pretty amicable in spite of being sick. Even Teresia has the runny nose and cough now, but it's not slowing her down much.

Catherine has been trying to teach her to blow raspberries, and she almost has it!

She also loves to held standing up so she can squat and bounce.

But that amount of exercise totally exhausts her and she needs a lot of sleep to recover. Plus she has to keep growing that double chin.

Gussie is pretty happy in spite of his constantly running nose.

Catherine is pretty happy in spite of her cough and ear pain.

Michael is pretty happy in spite of his really terrible cough and red, goopy eyes.

And Mary is pretty happy in spite of having all of the above, although she somehow escaped my camera again.

Unfortunately, once bed time rolls around they have nothing better to do than realize how uncomfortable they really are and then they are no longer happy. I think I've slept in the kids' room for a portion of every night this week because it is the only way to get any sleep at all. I think the next time Gussie asks me when he is going to see Dema again, I'm just going to tell him "tomorrow", load them all in the van, drive to Florida, swim to the islands, and stay there until Spring.