Birthday

Friday morning Nyla decided she wanted to use her money to buy Bohdin a birthday present. Bohdin said he would like a book so we stopped at the book store first. Nyla was too occupied with looking at books she liked to find any for Bohdin so she walked out empty handed. She wasn't particularly interested in buying him a book anyway. She was holding out for the toy store. She found a Playmobil train station at the toy store but I had to contribute some money. We are almost done depleting their stock of train stuff. I like that Nyla is so generous.

We had practice for Lego League on Friday afternoon. They practiced it at the University about five times. Bohdin did not want to say a lot and they allowed him to only say two sentences and have somebody else take over the rest. I think Bohdin should have been required to do more but he was happy with the way it turned out. We were there for two hours and then came straight home to prepare for Bohdin's birthday. Buddy had been home for several hours because he was sick and left work early. It was a low key party. Bohdin is much more excited for the one with his friends in a few days.







I wanted to take a picture of Bohdin's excited face but this is the best he could come up with. Below is the picture of Nyla excited. I think it's funny how opposite they are in their emotional expressions.





Bohdin requested a pyramid cake for his first birthday party. I am just not a cake decorator. Maybe by the time he is 18 I can make him a decent cake. He wanted me to make the one for his second birthday party but I talked him out of it. Cakes are time consuming to put together and I have to make something for Buddy to take to work this week as well.






Saturday was the meet for Lego League. I left Cora at home with a still sick Buddy because the event was during her nap and I thought she would be happier at home. Nyla wanted to go because she wanted to play with R- but in hindsight regrets that decision. Nyla and I found the event to be rather dull. Bohdin was a great time. He watched the older kids do the robot competion and was able to go in the back and see the robots close up. Nyla and I were not allowed back there. When it was time for the presentation, parents weren't allowed in the room which is a change from past years. There were only three junior teams total and Bohdin's team had the best poster and best project by far. It doesn't matter since at this level there is no competition. It is only for participation. We didn't stay long enough to get Bohdin's certificate. I was worried about Cora, the event was loud and I was ready for some quiet, and Bohdin was crying because he hadn't won the raffle to drive the big robot.



This is the project. When it is on the green platform with the cows spins so the cows enter and exit the barn.



Bohdin is getting so big. These are pictures mostly taken on his birthday for the past seven years. I can't believe how fast he is growing.

Nodding yes

Cora has learned that when we ask a question we like it when she nods yes so she nods yes to every question we ask. At first it seemed like she understood what we were saying but with experimentation we discovered that she just nodded in the affirmative to everything. Not only did she nod yes for wanting to eat but she also nodded yes when we asked if she was a monkey, if she wanted to eat her diaper, and every other silly thing we could think of. To be fair to her she does understand us at times. If we ask her if she wants to eat she may sign eat instead of nodding. The other day when I asked her what she wanted to eat it sounded like she said ketchup. I asked "Ketchup?" and of course she nodded yes.

Nyla decided she didn't want to do soccer on Tuesday. The coach was able to get her out there for a few minutes but then Nyla just decided she didn't want to. I was hoping she was finally old enough but she's not. I will not be putting her in soccer again after Christmas. She still has some growing up to do before she is ready for anything organized.

We went to the grocery store the other evening and on the way back I was asking the kids math questions. Nyla had really basic subtraction and addition while Bohdin had multiplication word problems. After Nyla finished one of her questions she excitedly yelled "More! More! More!" I was surprised that she was so interested in these math questions but then I realized she was pointing out houses with Christmas decorations.

Cora is becoming more interested in spending time with Bohdin and Nyla instead of me. Last night we were in the basement when Buddy called to say he was on his way home. I grabbed Cora so we could go upstairs together and finish dinner. As soon as I put her down she went to the basement door which I had left open and slid down the stairs. She had zero interest in staying with me.






Bohdin has been wanting a Playmobil train for a long time now. The one I bought for him with Paul's help arrived on Monday. Bohdin decided he wanted to open his present early and was delighted to find a train inside. That same day a different Playmobil train was listed on Craigslist in Lexington. I told Bohdin about it and he wanted that one as well. Yesterday we went to pick it up. I was cursing my stupidity at having mentioned it because it is a 90 minute drive which is pretty far to go for something I have zero interest in. We did it anyway and Bohdin was super excited. The first one was the older style with the electric track which isn't working for us right now and the second one is the RC with the plastic track. He thought $75 was a great price. Cora was greatly displeased with the trip even though I gave her time to run around a store before we headed back. She was fussy after about 30 minutes and that eventually escalated to crying. It was awful. We tried absolutely everything to make her feel better but once she is done with a car she is done. She finally fell asleep as we entered Louisville.

Thanksgiving

Buddy's grandmother, aunt, and uncle were supposed to stop by for a few hours Monday while they are traveling around in their motor home. We were lucky enough to have them stay through Thanksgiving. Bohdin and Nyla had a ton of fun with our guests and are asking when they will come back. Nana and Papa also showed up Monday night so there was a lot of excitement.

Tuesday morning the kids still had soccer. Daddy, Nana, Papa, and GreatNana all came to watch. It's generally quite dull but it was a tad more exciting today since they scrimmaged. Bohdin, being the oldest by years, was way better. I felt sorry for the other kids. Nyla wanted to score a goal at one point and the coach set one up for her. The ball was waiting in front of her and Nyla was taking her time getting ready to kick the ball. Bohdin came up from behind and kicked it into the goal. Nyla was very sad and rightfully so. I had a dentist appointment in the afternoon so I was gone most of the day.

Wednesday we stayed around the house. The kids played with the visitors. Bohdin was able to play lots of board games which he had really been looking forward to. I don't get as much time as I would like to play games with him. Cora tends to be destructive around games right now so it is difficult.










Wednesday night Buddy and I were thinking that we ought to take them somewhere to see the area. Buddy's grandmother, aunt, and uncle had never been to Kentucky before. Thanksgiving day is not a big day for sight seeing and most attractions were closed. I checked the website for Falls of the Ohio and they indicated they were open. We saw that the river was a good 20 feet below flood stage so it seemed like we would do okay. Thursday was a cold, windy, and gray day but we headed out anyway. The website was incorrect and the museum section was actually closed. The river was a lot fuller than we expected so we were unable to walk down and see the fossil beds. Thirty feet is too much water to see anything. As we were there we were able to see the water level rise which was pretty cool. It's still a nice area and we spent a little time there.






Since that was a bust we went with our back up plan which was Cave Hill Cemetery. Buddy attended a funeral there several weeks ago and said it was really nice. I had a hard time imagining a cemetery that would be pretty enough to picnic in but now that I've been there I can see the appeal. The area was absolutely stunning. The landscaping was incredible. They had more tree varieties there than an arboretum and many were labeled. I didn't take the camera out of the car when we walked around but I should have. We will definitely go back and I'll take the camera with me.

A few weeks ago we planted some fruit trees and bushes in our yard. One of them was a dragon fruit citrus which is the only citrus that will grow this far north. Buddy spotted a mature one there and we picked some of the fruits. I ended up using it in the cranberry sauce the next day which was lot of fun. The flavor is unlike anything else. It has an earthy floral aroma and lots of seeds. I zested one and squeezed some juice into the sauce. The cranberry sauce was my only contribution to the meal. Buddy and his mom put together the rest. We had an enjoyable turkey dinner thanks to them.






Friday was spent tearing out the old kitchen. It's completely gone now and the work will begin to put a half bath in its place.



Here are the highlights of the week according to Bohdin and Nyla:

Bohdin - I played Bohnanza with Nana and Daddy and I won. I played Ingenious with Great Nana and Y- and we all tied. I played catch with Papa. I had a balloon fight with S-. I played Forbidden Island.

Nyla - Throwing sticks in the flood. Peas Porridge Hot (with Great Nana). Balloons.

One evening the kids had a balloon war with Buddy's uncle and they had a blast. The each held a balloon and used it to try to knock the other person's balloon away. Nyla slept with Nana for most of the nights she was here. Great Nana taught both kids Peas Porridge Hot along with the hand clapping. We can't get the hand clapping part quite right but we do know the verses. I guess she'll need to come visit again. The kids also put up the Christmas tree up this week and some other Christmas decorations around the house. It was a nice Thanksgiving. We are thankful that we had the pleasure of being with everybody. Cora is thankful she didn't have to drive anywhere.

Way Behind

I'm way behind.  I don't even know what I've been so busy with the past week.  Cora had her 15 month appointment today.  The pediatrician was a little concerned that she isn't speaking yet but I'm not.  She's super close.  She says "hhh" for hot which is 1/3 of the way there.  She also started saying mama this week but more as a sound than an actual word.  Sometimes it sounds like she says that which I could have counted but I forgot until this afternoon when she said it.  Cora does a pretty good job of communicating without words.  She signs a little bit.  The two most frequent signs are to nurse and book.  Other times she manages to get her point across.  If she is in her chair and wants more water she'll hold out her cup and babble something.  If she's not in her chair, she'll grab a cup and take it over to the fridge.  It's working pretty well for her.  Neither Nyla nor Bohdin really talked at this age either so I'm not concerned.

Bohdin's speech on the other hand is a bit concerning.  He stuttered a bit when he was four and continued on and off since then but in the past few months it has become much much worse.  At first Buddy didn't believe and he still is a little unsure but I am completely positive that Bohdin's stuttering is pretty bad right now.  He has trouble getting out his thoughts at time and it is frustrating for all of us although maybe the most for me because I have to wait patiently for him to say what he is saying when I have 300 other things to do.  I've talked to him about it and it usually doesn't bother him so we'll just wait and see for now. 

The other day I asked the kids to help clean the basement for a few minutes.  Nyla refused which is not unusual so Bohdin and I did it ourselves.  Bohdin discovered that we owned The Little Mermaid movie and wanted to watch it when we were done.  I agreed.  While he was cleaning and Nyla was sitting in a chair watching him, he commented that it was unfair that Nyla wasn't helping.  I agreed and said she wouldn't be able to watch the movie since she didn't help.  After cleaning we went upstairs for lunch and then I gave Nyla another opportunity to clean before Bohdin started the movie.  We went up to the bedrooms but once again it was just Bohdin and I cleaning.  Nyla hid in a bedroom because she didn't want to help.  Bohdin started the movie without her but she joined him eventually.  It turns out that she was feeling guilty about this decision and every night before bed, every morning when waking up and some times during the day she would say "Mommy, you don't love me."  Nyla is never one to be swayed by logic so there was no talking her out of her belief.  After several days and some help from others I was able to discover that she felt bad about not helping that day.  I have no idea why she felt guilty about that day and not any of the other days she chooses not to help. 

One last thing.  Cora has two new teeth.  She skipped a few and went for the molars on top.  She is up to 10 teeth.  Since I'll have forgotten this by tomorrow she weighs 23 pounds and some today.  I missed her length because she hates being measured and pretty much everything else that happens at the doctor. 

Time Change

The time change has been especially tough on Cora. She is taking her second nap of the day at 4:30. She already had a morning nap before 10 because she was tired from waking up so early. She also had troubled sleep yesterday because she woke up when we came home from soccer and didn't fall back asleep.



We've been taking advantage of the last few sunny and warm days by doing some hiking in the Jefferson Forest. Saturday we did a short hike around the "lake" (it's really just a large pond). The kids then played at the playground. Cora enjoys the slides just as Nyla did at this age. Usually she goes down on her belly but sometimes she allows us to help and then we send her down on her butt. On Saturday there was an odd eight year old girl there that played with Bohdin. She was nice enough to Bohdin but yelled at her older sister who wanted to join in the playing. We went back on Sunday with Buddy this time and did a longer hike. We ended up at the same playground and the kids played again. This time the other kids were Nyla's age so she had a companion.








Bohdin's interesting find


We've been really busy with outings. In addition to the hiking on Saturday afternoon we went to the library toddler dance party in the morning. Nyla asked one of the girls if she would like to be her friend. I didn't hear the response. Monday afternoon we went to the zoo where Nyla waved and said hello to every single small child we passed. Not one responded. I can understand that since Bohdin would not have responded at that age either. Yesterday morning was soccer practice and in the afternoon we visited a farm for Lego League. Bohdin milked a goat and a cow and did a decent job. He had a great time there. Nyla hated it. She is not a farm girl. Paul was confused what this had to do with Lego League. Every year there is a theme which every single Lego League across the country uses. They need to create a Lego project with at least one moving piece related to the theme and present it along with a poster. This year's theme is snacks and the kids chose cheese. They built a Lego farm with a cow on a turntable that enters a barn to be milked. They made cheese twice and they've all researched how cheese is made. The visit to the dairy farm was part of that research. The poster is put together and now they are just rehearsing the presentation. It all needs to be done from memory and every member of the team needs to be able to answer questions about any part of it. They will give their presentation in December at the regional competition. At their age they don't actually compete but the older kids with the robots and stuff will be competing. Bohdin likes Lego League for the League part of it instead of the Lego part. He's still not into Legos.

Trick or Treating

I'll post the pictures of the kids in costumes when I get a chance.  We went trick or treating with M- and family again this year.  Nyla's monkey costume was wet so she changed into her fairy princess costume instead.  The only problem was that her underclothes were suited for the much warmer monkey costume.  She quickly became cold but luckily Bohdin's jacket was in the car so I bundled her up in a sweater, the jacket and some gloves.  That kept her warm enough to continue on.  Bohdin and Nyla came home with a lot of candy and I think Nyla may be responsible for that.  She seemed to get a lot more candy than the other kids.  At one house Nyla received a giant handful on candy and then came to empty her bag into my bag.  We hung around the driveway while K-spoke with the family.  The lady came over and gave Nyla several more giant handfuls of candy.  Nyla had only one bag of m&ms.  I don't think she has had any candy since.  Bohdin on the other hand is more of a candy fiend and has had more especially after Cora showed him where it was hidden. 

Buddy and I dipped into the stash one night and each had one piece of chocolate.  Nyla came into the room about five minutes later and immediately said she smelled chocolate.  She may be part bloodhound. 

At Lego League today Bohdin brought a few boardgames.  We were scheduled to make cheese for pizza again and I thought we may have some down time.  We arrived quite a bit earlier than the M- family so Bohdin had a chance to play Castle Panic with the three D- boys.  It was loud and they had a lot of fun.  I'm not sure Bohdin enjoyed it as much since he was a little lost in the crowd.  With adult supervision and some fudging they barely won the game.  They played again with the M- girls later and won easily.  I checked in at times and they were not quite following the rules correctly.  They had an awesome time though so it doesn't matter.  They also played Incan Gold and had a lot of fun with that.  They all preferred the idea of a cooperative game but there wasn't enough time for another game.  It would be neat if they can do it again some time.  Bohdin is going to be really sad when Lego League is over in a few weeks.  I think Nyla will be sad also since she has come to really enjoy the company of R- whom she disliked in the past.