End of Year Activities

So much has happened in the past few months. So, I better start documenting.

1. Ben spoke his first words.

His first official word was "ball". Hopefully, that's a sign that he'll grow up and become a professional baseball player and buy his parents a shiny new house. Since then, he's added "dog", "tree", and "bye-bye". Lezlie swears she heard him say dinosaur. But, I'll believe it when I see it. It's pretty cute. Every time he sees anything that looks remotely like a dinosaur, alligator, tiger, etc., he sticks his hand out and says "Roar!" But then again, he does the same thing with his giraffe.

2. Ben has taken a liking into pooping in the tub.

This is just a natural occurrence now. Part of it has to do with my wanting to get all of the work done as soon as possible after getting home from work. Cook food, feed kids, and then bathe kids. Those last two don't go well close together. Maya is a good investigator and usually spots the dirty deed quickly and tells us. Part of the problem is that he's so constipated all of the time and the hot water helps him out. We've tried straight juice, applesauce, and other things but he still struggles to get it out.

3. Maya started speech therapy.

We've noticed that Maya has had trouble with her speech for probably a year and a half. And, we've passed these concerns onto her Parents as Teachers worker, Marge. From what I understand, it is very hard to get help early on due to the strict requirements. But, when kids turn 3 the funding and requirements change. So, once Maya turned 3, Marge quickly recommended Maya for an evaluation. First, they checked her hearing. That was fine. Then, they did a speech evaluation. They noticed the same things we had. She tends to leave off the ends of words. And, she substitutes a lot of consonants with the "b" sound. So, she was officially accepted to receive speech therapy twice a week for a total of one hour. And, they even come to the day care.

We were definitely relieved that she was finally gonna get some help. Part of me thinks we should have done something ourselves earlier. But, the therapists seemed confident that they could get her on track before she started kindergarten. We were also glad to find out that her therapist was Linda, Maya's choir teacher from church. It's not that she has trouble getting to know other people. It's just that we can easily get status from Linda every week at church.

4. Maya changed classrooms at daycare.

This is something that has kind of bugged us, but I think in the end, it has all turned out good. About a month ago, the daycare started splitting Maya's time between 2 classes. I would bring her in the morning to the 3 year old room. Then, Lezlie would pick her up from the 4-5 year old room. We initially thought that they were doing this to shift kids around due to classroom size limits. But, after a little prodding, we found out that she was being moved because Maya and her best friend often get into it with each other. This is a perfect explanation to us, but what bugged me the most was that they seemed to be hiding this information from us. Maybe this wasn't the case. Who knows? Anyway, she seems to be happy in the new room. And, her new teacher asked if it was ok to copy her speech homework and work with her on it. That's something her previous teacher never would have done. And I have to say that it's good that she'll be hanging around older kids that are a little more mature. I'm not saying that Maya is an angel. But, the 3 year old kids definitely fed off of each other with respect to orneriness.

5. Maya started Sunday school and "sort of" participated in her first Christmas program.

Our church gave us the option to enroll Maya into Sunday school. The age limit is 3 and Maya barely made the cut but we decided to give it a try. And lucky for us, she loves it. If we say we're going to Sunday School, she becomes very excited. They start Sunday school with kids from all age groups singing and dancing. And, then they go to their classrooms, do a lesson and then go off to do a project at a separate station. For a busy kid like Maya, this is great. In the meantime, Ben plays in the nursery and we sit and converse with the other parents.

The kids practiced for the Christmas program for the past month. And, Maya was set to sing "Go Tell it on the Mountain" with actions also. Then, I took her to the official rehearsal and saw that the 3-4 year old "lambs" were going to be front and center of the church. My first thought was "That's not gonna work out". And I was correct. She didn't fuss. She just really didn't understand why Momma and Daddy weren't up there with her.

I'll leave you with a couple short videos from the Christmas program.

Our Boy is One Year Old!!

This year, we had the privilege of having a full house two months in a row. First, for Maya's 3rd birthday party, and then for Ben's 1st birthday. Let's just say that the more and more Maya and Ben get to know the rest of the family, the more Lezlie and I feel guilty that we live three and a half hours away.

Well, we decided to have a mini-birthday party on Ben's birthday party with cupcakes for Mommy, Daddy, Maya, and Ben. We quickly learned that Ben does not like icing. He went ballistic because he could not get the icing off of his fingers. I don't know where he gets his cleanliness from. It's surely not me. I have a hard time eating lunch without dribbling something on my shirt. But, maybe it is just the new feeling/sensation of stickiness.

Not thinking, we also scheduled his 1 year doctor's appointment on his birthday (like he really knows). But anyway, he had to get his finger pricked and get a couple shots. I was dreading the finger prick since I've had bad experiences with those. But, he didn't even flinch. However, when they wrapped his finger with a band-aid, he went ballistic again. So, maybe he's just a little finicky about having things stuck to his fingers.

Ben's birthday party was on the Saturday after Ben's birthday. Lezlie and I decided that it would be a great idea to have sandwiches and chili. Sounded like a good idea, but we didn't bother looking at the weather. And of course, it ended up being in the 80s. But, everyone said they enjoyed the food even with the odd fall weather.

Because Ben has spent most of his first year playing with babies, batons, and doll houses, I made sure to tell everyone to get him some "manly" toys. And so he did. He got several trucks, a helicopter, and many other toys. To be honest, we haven't even opened them all yet. We like to stuff several of them in the closet for those times where we need some cheering up. Then, it is perceived like we are the best parents because we bring presents out of thin air.

Since he had the problem with the cupcake a few days earlier, Ben was smart enough that he didn't even really try to dig his hands into his birthday cake. We tried to shove some in his mouth but he would have nothing of it. But, he would take a spoon and attempted to eat the cake with it. Again, I don't know where he gets this from.

Thank you all for coming up to celebrate!!!

Cole Camp Fair 2010

Another year, another Cole Camp Fair in the books. This year was a little extra special for our family. Grandpa John was the Grand Marshall of the parade. It was pretty cool seeing him lead the parade--definitely a once in a lifetime moment. And to top things off, Mt. Hulda's float won "Best Float". So, it was a weekend full of pride for the Henning/Witt family.

Maya is finally getting a hang of the whole fair thing. I honestly don't think I'd ever seen her as much fun as she did with all of the fair's activities. They tried something new this year in that they sold wristbands each night. And of course, we ended up buying one on both nights. We ended up going from the bouncy house to the dragons to the slide to the cars to the carousel and back again, several times. At the end of each night, she was absolutely exhausted. So much that she didn't even have the energy to fight us when we said we had to go home. She just followed us.

Ben did get to ride any rides other than the carousel. We just weren't quite comfortable letting a 3 year old contain a 1 year old from trying to leap out of the cars. Maybe we're too protective. Oh well, there's always next year.

"Three"

Well, Maya has officially made it to 3. We had her party on Labor Day weekend, a week before the fair. A lot of the family made it up and we did the simple task of grilling burgers and hot dogs with our new grill. The weather could not have turned out better--mid 70s. And, the Tigers also came back and beat Illinois.

Maya got a lot of clothes and added to her baby collection. I honestly don't know how many she has now (probably 15 or so), but she loves every one of them. She has such a mothering instinct. I always forget to grab the camera, but she often lines up all her babies on the floor face down and then proceeds to find blankets for all of them.

Thanks to all of you who came up. We know it's a long trip, but it's great because Maya is really getting to know the rest of her family.

That same weekend, we also decided to visit the Botanical Gardens for the Japanese festival. We had the day off and it was something to do that did not involve us sitting at home (which tends to bore the heck out of our 3 year old). It was a pretty cool place. They have a playground area that even I didn't want to leave--tree houses, bridges, slides, water fountains. Maya was having one of her moments and we basically had to drag her into the playground. But, she quickly changed attitude and started to explore. After that, we caught a Japanese drumming show and caught a snack at the cafeteria. But then Maya started to get tired so we opted to leave. We hadn't even made it half way through the park. But luckily we have a membership and can go back and see the rest of it.

All Good Things Come to an End

Two weeks ago, Laura (Ben's teacher) notified us that she was quitting. She and her husband were moving and she had found a job closer to home. The funny thing is that 2 1/2 years ago, we were so nervous leaving Maya with a complete stranger. But, we were so blessed to have Laura help raise both of our kids. She spoiled them both, but also always kept us up to speed with their development. She wrote a letter to Ben saying that he was her favorite, but I'm sure all the kids' letters said that. But, it sure makes us feel good.We had a little problem at day care with the interim teacher, but that has been resolved. And fortunately, Ben's next teacher starting when he turns 1 will be Jennifer, who helped Laura in the nursery with both Maya and Ben. When we heard that, Lezlie and I were very happy.

Today, Maya officially transitioned to the 3-4 year old room. For the past month, Maya has really been resisting going to school. And, I think it was because all the big kids that she knew well had already been moved up. When she starting doing partial days in the big kid room, they said it went so well, they would make the official transition sooner. So, we'll see how things go. One of the teachers had been Maya's teacher before in the 2-3 year old room, and she once whispered to me that Maya was her favorite. Again, I'm sure they tell all the parents that, but hey, I'm gonna believe every word they say.

Rockaway Beach 2010

This year, Lezlie and I didn't have the vacation time we had in years past, so we were only able to stay in Rockaway for 3 nights. But, we still made the most of it. We kept telling Maya we were going to "Raway Bee" but she had no idea. I have a feeling she will remember next year, though. I think she has associated that place as the place where she can swing for 3 hours a day, swim in the pool another 3 hours, and play with her cousins the rest of the day.Last year, Maya was a bit of a bear in the pool. She wanted to swim in the big pool, but didn't want any of us to touch her, not realizing if we didn't she'd quickly sink to the bottom. This year, we had a life-preserver. With that, she got real brave and started jumping into the pool. Then, she insisted we go to the deep end and jump off near the ladder. Then, I persuaded her to jump off of the diving platform. She loved it and did not want to stop. Of course, Daddy got wore out quickly but I was able to last.

Ben loved the pool too. He let everyone just pull him around in his floating device. He spent the rest of the time giggling at Maya. Mommy and Daddy especially appreciated all of the help everyone provided. When Ben would start squirming, he would just get passed off to the next person. Everyone kept commenting how big he was. Ya, like we didn't know that. But, after holding Macy, I had a greater appreciation.

We don't get too many opportunities for generational pictures so we had to take advantage in Rockaway. After thinking for a bit, I realized that Ben is the only 4th generation Heimsoth boy descending from Grandpa Lambert. It's hard to imagine but all the other grandkids either haven't had kids yet or have had all girls. That will soon change with Tim and Rebecca's boy, but for now, he's the only one.Since, Rockaway, Ben's legs have been getting a lot stronger. He started by pulling himself up and he has recently just starting to stand up on his own, without any leverage or help. No steps yet alone but he did take a couple with his walker. So, I'm betting he will be walking in a few weeks.

Changing So Fast

Time is flying by so fast and things are changing all of the time. Maya is talking more, Ben is becoming more mobile, and unfortunately, Vinnie is getting older. I'll start with the bad news. I'm sure many of you are aware but I will reiterate. Lezlie took Vinnie to the vet a couple months ago for a routine checkup. Just when the checkup was about done, Lezlie thought to ask the vet about how Vinnie walks. We've noticed for quite awhile that he sometimes drags his feet. But, we simply thought that he was being lazy. But, for the past year, he has been slipping a lot on our kitchen and hallway floors. The vet watched him walked and noticed it right away. Long story short, after blood tests and x-rays, he has been diagnosed with Degenerative Mylopathy (DM). What does that mean? Basically, his nervous system is breaking down, and he is losing muscle mass and feeling in his hind quarters. Chances are, it will continue to get worse, but we're taking it in stride. Let's just say he's getting babied like you would never believe.Now, on to Maya. She is definitely talking a lot more. But, she still has her own pronunciations. For the life of me, I can't get her to say yes. Her pronunciation is "da". And, like every other toddler, she starting to ask the normal questions. "What's that?" and "Who's that?" is pronounced "dat?"Maya has also taken to a new Sesame Street book that goes over the ABCs. Our normal routine is to sing the ABC song and then go through the letters and speak the letters. She soon started to speak several of the letters without coaching. She gets lost around F and then again at M but once she gets on track again, she quickly continues. Finally, the other day, she sung the song with Lezlie. I know this isn't that big of a deal but as parents, we love to see progress in the little things.

We also have a peddler now. Last year, the first word out of her mouth after walking in the door was "outside". Now, it's "ride bike outside Dada" while nodding her head in a very influencing way. It is pretty cute to see her peddle around the cul-de-sac with a big smile on her face. Our Parents-as-Teachers lady said that when she can peddle, she will soon be able to poddy. So, two weeks ago, we took the plunge and started putting Maya in panties. She did okay at first. A couple times she started to go in her pants and finished in the toilet. But, most of the time she would just go. Fortunately, she told us right away so we know she got it. From there, she told us she had to go. We would race her to the bathroom and then she would say she didn't have to go anymore. And of course, 2 minutes later, she would go. But now, after only 2 weeks, I'm proud to say she hasn't had an accident in 3 days. She's going poop and pee in the poddy. We continue to ask her if she needs to go a lot. Not that we don't trust that she'll tell us. It's just that we're not sure there will be a bathroom close enough that she can hold it from the time of telling us to the time she goes. But, we are definitely very proud of her. It seems like so many of these big transitions have been so easy. Its almost like its training us more than its training her.

Last but not least, Ben. Lots of changes with him. He started crawling on June 24th and has been going strong ever since. Not surprising, he follows Maya and Vinnie around everywhere. No matter what, he always wants to play with what Maya is playing with. If she's playing with a puzzle, I can give him a puzzle and he'll still want to play with hers. So, the sibling rivalry has begun. She gets a little frustrated sometimes, but she is doing pretty good. Currently, for the most part, you can take whatever away from Ben without him fussing as long as you replace it with something else. So, when Ben gets something of hers, we simply ask her to get something else for Ben to play with. But I have a feeling that won't last too long.
Two weeks ago, Ben started pulling himself up. That reminds me, I need to lower his crib before he jumps out. He's even let go of what he's holding and stood for a few seconds. I'm betting he will be walking around furniture soon. But until then, I'm sure he'll continue his monkey stage of crawling all over us.
With all these changes, we have gone through a lot of sickness. He had double eye infections, some unexplained rashes, and black eyes that the doctor thought was either allergies or eczema. He's also had runny noses and had to go through breathing treatments a few times. We were going to try and get his 9 month pictures this weekend, but his eyes were black again so we had to cancel. But, they seem to be looking better today. Not knowing what the real cause of the sickness was, we did a lot of house cleaning, had Vinnie shaved, and have also made a much better effort keeping his skin moisturized. And, so far so good. I'm just praying that this all wasn't caused by a dog allergy.

When he is healthy, the nights aren't too bad. He still wakes up once a night, but most of the time, he has one span of 7 hours of sleep. And the doctor said that 7 hours is technically sleeping the night. But, we'd still like to see that change to 10 hours of sleep and no feedings.

Las Vegas 2010

I say "Las Vegas 2010" because I'm hoping to make it a routine trip every couple years. Lezlie and I were in a definite need to get away. So, since Lezlie got off for Truman Day (no, I'm not kidding), we opted to make a weekend trip to Las Vegas. She had been there a few years with friends, but this would be my first trip.

Things didn't start out too great. I don't know what it is, but airports just stress me out. It's not that I'm afraid of flying. It's the whole "am I forgetting something" thing. I told Lezlie while we waited for our delayed flight in St. Louis that I wouldn't relax until we're on the ground in Las Vegas with our luggage in hand. So, what happens? We get to Vegas and wait and wait for our luggage while the rest of the St. Louisans go off to their hotels. We go to the luggage counter where they were very apologetic but were not able to locate our luggage. So, they gave us a toiletry kit and said they would search around and call us each day. Long story short, the bag was tagged for a Ralph Heim going to Louisville, Kentucky. They quickly found a flight from Louisville to Las Vegas, but we still didn't get our luggage until the night before we left.

That being said, we both had a very good time. On night #1, we got a little crazy trying to forget about our lost luggage. We went a club called "Jet" at the Mirage. There was no line so we said, what the hell. There were lots of people, lots of good music, and lots of strong drinks. So you could easily guess that the next morning was slow-going for us. Because Lezlie had virtually no casual clothes, we slowing walked to the mall--bought some shorts, shoes that she didn't need, and we both bought a couple shirts. That night, we made our way to Margaritaville. I would definitely recommend this place. Good atmosphere, good food, and very reasonable prices. Nothing real fancy but just the way I like it. Below is the Volcano Nachos of which we could only eat half.
Friday night, we toured a few casinos. Going cheap that night, we got our entertainment from the Bellagio fountains--definitely worth seeing. It was a little packed but we found a pretty good spot to watch the show.To finish off the night, we headed back to the Venetian (where we stayed) and took a Gondola ride. Yes, they have a river flowing through the casino. An Italian man did the steering while he sang some Opera songs, most of which we understood nothing. But, it was quite romantic. He tried to do a little small talk, but he was what Seinfeld would call a "low talker" and in combination with the thick Italian accent, I just nodded my head and smiled. After that, we continued to tour the Venetian and discovered another half of the hotel we had not seen.
On Saturday, we did more touring of the casinos--Caesar's Palace, Treasure Island, Mirage, Bellagio. But, I believe that was the extent of it. Next time, we'll have to go to all the rest we missed. I've heard everyone say how big they are but I still didn't realize. We got lost in the Bellagio and finally stopped at a gift shop and asked them how to get out of the place. I'm sure that's how they're designed, though. They don't want you to leave.

Each casino had it's strengths. I felt the Venetian was the most ornate and romantic. Caesar's Palace was also very ornate and had the best shopping mall of them all. The Venetian shopping was way too upscale for us--most of the stores I wouldn't even step into. I felt the Bellagio was the classiest casino. I don't know how to describe it, but it was definitely packed. And, every casino had it's own smell. I don't know what it was, but it seemed like they all pumped pure perfume through the air system--so much that it became a little bothersome to me. But, maybe I just have a sensitive nose.

Saturday, night we went to a show. After a little debate between the two of us, Lezlie got what she wanted and we went to see "O", a Cirque du Soleil show. And, I believe it was probably the most expensive show we could have seen. Oh well. It's Vegas so you might as well blow your money, right? I didn't know what to expect, having never been to an acrobat show, but it was very impressive and I would recommend it. After the show was over, we headed to downtown Vegas on Freemont Street. I don't know what it was but we weren't real impressed. It was a neat atmosphere and the drinks were cheap, but it was a lot different from the strip. Maybe it's because we are too snobbish, maybe we were depressed that we had to leave in the morning, or maybe it was the fact that it looked like you would get held at gun-point if you walked around the corner. But, we didn't stay long since we had an 8am flight back to STL.

So, for all you interested, we'll probably go back in 2012 or 2013. There's so much more we have yet to see. And maybe next time, I'll sit at a table and play a little blackjack. And who knows, maybe our luggage will be on the same flight as us.

Six Month Checkup

Ben had his 6 month checkup this Wednesday. He now weighs 18.6 lbs. I didn't pay attention to height/length but Dr. Rosenbloom said he was 50th percentile in both. I'm not sure I understand since Maya was much smaller at this age and she was also always 50th percentile. Maybe it's just because he's a boy and the scale is different. But then again, she said that it is basically meaningless anyway.

Head shape is fine. She acknowledged that one side is a little more flat than the other, but she said they would never put a helmet on him. He got 2 shots and a rotavirus drink. He cried a bit but didn't pull the whole "stop breathing" act like Maya does. I asked about the excessive drooling, and she just laughed and said there isn't nothing you can do about that. I guess we'll just have extra drooly kids.

We can now say he is sitting up by himself. He's a little wobbly but he's getting better with his balance every day. If he sees something he wants, he will often try to lean over only to have his face fall flat on the floor.

This morning Lezlie took him for his six month pictures. He got all dressed up in Cardinals gear and they turned out great. Above is a picture I took with my phone. I'm sure many of you will get a picture soon.

Easter 2010

Finally!! We got good weather for Easter. It seems that for the past few years, it had been so cold. But, this year we had 75 degree weather. It was a little slushy in the grass looking for eggs, but luckily the Easter bunny stayed away from the real wet spots:)

I started the weekend with the Luetjen family tradition of splitting wood for my Grandma. I know, this may sound crazy, but I honestly love doing it. I grew up hating it, but now that I sit at a desk 40 hours a week, I love to get my hands dirty when I have the chance. I get to flex my muscles and this year I actually got a little sun--something I don't get behind a desk. And, of course, I get to see the smile on my Grandma's face when it's all done. We had a pretty good crew--Philip, Karl and the boys, and of course, Grandma. Jason missed it this year because he "accidentally" planned a vacation to Italy without realizing it was Easter weekend. I'll just have to make him do all of the heavy lifting next year.

My Mom did the big Easter dinner again this year. This year she went through the trouble of putting 3 lasagnas together for everyone. I don't know if she had been hearing me complain about all of the ham and turkey at family gatherings. But, it was fantastic. Thanks, Mom.

This year we didn't even have to coach Maya into finding the eggs. She just ran and grabbed all she could. After the egg hunt, all of the kids got to enjoy the weather outside and Maya pushed trucks with cousin Dasch. Eventually, we were able to coax her back into the house.Easter Sunday started out pretty stressful. Maya decided to throw a few fits at church. It just seemed like every other kid was an angel and she insisted on saying "No, Dada". It's not like we don't go to church and she doesn't know how to act. Maybe it was the pancakes and syrup she ate just prior to church??

Through all this, Ben turned 6 months old. It's hard to believe our little Chunkster Bunkster is that old. He wasn't quite old enough to get the whole Easter thing. He actually slept through the egg hunt at Aunt Maxine's. But, I'm sure he loved all the attention he got. But, I'm afraid all of those cuddling days will soon be over. We honestly don't get much time with him at all during the week. By the time we both get home, it's 5:30-6pm and then it's supper time and then bath time. And, he's been struggling to make it to 7:30 before going to bed. But, the last few days, Lezlie has gotten him to take a nap when first getting home. So, he's able to make it a little further but still barely past 8pm. If only we could get Maya to go to bed that early...

The Shaft

I'm starting to get the feeling that Ben is getting the shaft in regards to the blog. And, I know if I don't document everything, I'll forget all the little memories. Like...say...when he had his first solid foods. Or, the time he cringed when eating vegetables for the first time. These sound like little things, but when he's 18 I'll be 48 (God that's depressing) and it will be so deep in my mind, I don't know if I'll be able to dig it out.

I'll have to say, though, Ben's best buddy is his big sister Maya. Let's just say he get his share of screaming in his face. Hey Ben!!! Hi Ben!!! My Ben!!! Here Ben!!! Mouth!!! But he just takes it all in. And, it often results in a giggle when Maya does something off the wall, like...say...leap off of the couch and bounce off of Ben's exer-saucer. Bath time is lots of fun. Or as I like to call it, anatomy class. Maya points. Pee Pee?!? Yes, Maya. Pee Pee!! Pee Pee!! At least she's learning something.
Just the other day, I was watching Sesame Street with Maya and Ben and all of a sudden Ben hiked his leg over and finally rolled over from his back to his front. Below is a pic I caught with my camera after he did it. He was so proud of himself.Now I say that this was the first time he rolled over. But, that isn't entirely true. A few days earlier, Lezlie and I were making a big deal of getting Ben to roll over. And then comes big sister who proceeds to roll Ben like you would roll a barrel. So, I guess that was really the first time he rolled over. Looking back at Maya's progression, she didn't roll over until 6 months. So, I guess he's progressing a little faster. Maybe it's because he's a boy. Maybe it's because he has an older sibling. Who knows?

Ben got baptized on February 28th at our church, Holy Cross. That weekend, Jackie, Will, and Willa came up to visit. On Saturday, we brought Willa to Build-A-Bear and let her deck out a bear for her birthday. On that Sunday, we had a great showing. Susan was his sponsor and we got a great hope chest from the church. I just wish they did that when Maya was baptized. It was great to have everyone come to us and visit for an afternoon. If only the U.S. hockey team would have won the gold, it would have been a perfect day. I was on a diet for a month up until the baptism. And, I was soooo craving my cousin Debbie's cake that she was making. Since then, I have yet to start the diet again. Oh well, at least I lost 10 pounds.
Ben has been doing pretty good at nights. He usually goes to sleep about 8pm and then wakes up again at 1am and 5am. We just wish he could make it a couple more hours so we would only have to wake up once a night. At night, he's drinking about 6 ounces at a time, which is a lot more than Maya did. I'm betting she didn't drink that much until 8-9 months of age.

We have had a couple incidents at day-care lately. Ben's room recently added a "biter" to the room. And, Ben has been a victim a couple times when the teachers have turned their back. But, Momma Lezlie has showed her disappointment and they have promised to keep a close eye on the other one. Unfortunately, during this same time, Maya also fell victim to a biter. This one we don't quite understand. For a baby to bite another is one thing, but a 2-3 year old? I don't understand. Again, Momma Lezlie let her thoughts be heard and we're hoping that doesn't happen again soon.

Last weekend, Ben got his first experience at a birthday party. Susan's family threw a big party for 6 birthdays. And, we all got to see Ronnie and Carolyn's new house. Boy are we jealous. There is just so much space. I don't know how many times we lost track of Maya. At one point in time, Maya had somehow "found" 4 dollar bills. I guess I should start keeping an eye on my wallet.

Anyway, I hope this get me all caught up on everything. I'll leave you with one of my favorite pics I've taken.

Do You Speak Mayan?

So, we continue to make progress on the speaking front. Maya continues to string more and more syllables together everyday. And, every so often, we catch some patterns and are able to figure out what she means. Here are some examples:

See-See = Sesame Street
Ba Boo = Thank you
Go = Leave me alone
I a you = I love you
Saw-Saw = applesauce
Up-peese = Up please
Bubba = Grandma Barb

It still cracks me up that she calls my Mom Bubba. But, we're trying to correct her on that one, and have her call her Minnie like the other cousins. I think she just gets a little confused having a Minnie and a Vinnie.

Another thing we have been struggling with lately is the fact that she has to have Daddy (me) do everything with her. As much as I enjoy the fact that she likes my company, I would also like to do something constructive. Like...say...go to the bathroom, vacuum the house, put laundry away, wash the dishes, etc. It seems like Lezlie gets the shaft since I'm forced to play with her in order to prevent a meltdown. As I type this, she's trying to shut the laptop monitor. Hopefully, this is just a phase. But I imagine I should count my blessings since she probably won't acknowledge my existence when she's 14.

On the good front, Maya is finally strong enough to open the basement door. So, she has begun to be a great helper when it comes to letting Vinnie in and out of the house. I just wonder how long it will take her to figure out that is actually a chore.

As some of you know, Ben has RSV. He had a cough for almost two weeks before he developed a fever and we took him to the doctor. So over the past week, we have been giving him breathing treatments. He's not a big fan if he's awake during them but they said that when he cries he actually get a better dose of the medicine. We have seen major improvements but he still coughs a little bit. But, by no means, is he having the coughing attacks like he was. We're praying that this does not turn into asthma. 30% of infants who get RSV develop asthma later in life. The doctor also said that colds/coughs will be more pronounced/hard on him for the next year or so.

That's all I got for now.