Stories and Singing

Isabel has come up with some super elaborate stories lately. Yesterday Brian dropped me off at the grocery store (NEVER go to the grocery store on a Sunday) while he took Izzy and Logan to the park. When they picked me up Izzy had some serious stories to tell me about a Tiger and Lion that tried to get her at the park. It was so funny and detailed. She had us cracking up. At the end of her made up stories she usually goes 'I just joking!' to let us know that it didn't really happen.

Izzy is still being a rock star in her big girl bed. She took our instructions of 'don't get our of the bed' pretty seriously and won't leave the bed until we get in her room. It's great, but also sort of annoying. She calls us in when her Thomas falls off the bed or when her blanket isn't covering her properly. She could really just reach down and pick them up, but she won't. I should be thankful that she's not running around upstairs all the time when she should be sleeping. We still have her movement monitor set up on the new bed and it's working great.

Izzy unfortunately inherited our singing genes. Basically that means that the girl can't carry a tune. She tries like the best of them, but it's SO painful to listen to her carry a tune. I mean, it's great to hear her sing, but poor thing has no musical ability when it comes to singing. She loves to sing and makes up funny songs about her day. She reminds me so much (so much!) of Jenn at this age. I distinctly remember my sister singing and talking and singing and talking and talking some more at this age. We used to tell her to be quiet and she would say 'I'll keep talking, but you don't have to listen to me.' We were so mean to her, but she never got deterred. Izzy has that same confidence. I wish I could bottle it up and give it back to her when she turns 12, 13, etc.

Logan is giving the 'cute' looks now. He's still such a hip baby and just wants to be held and cuddled. It's challenging at times, but I love that he wants to snuggle and cuddle all the time, especially when Isabel is sleeping or at school. He's down to one nap a day, but it's pretty short. He goes down around 2pm and is up at 3:30 or 4pm. Compared to the girls this is a super short nap. He goes to bed around 8:15pm and is up around 8am. Not too bad. He usually needs at least one cuddle/paci reset/pat on the back at night, but goes back to sleep relatively easily. He's understanding pretty much everything we say, but is still using just a few key words. His favorites are:
baby
bye bye
mama
dada
hello
hi
here go
thank you
That's about it. He's not an early talker, for sure, but I'm not worried. Vivian and Isabel were not early talkers and Isabel is talking up a storm these days. Logan loves his Mama and Dada and is still a little hesitant around other people. He did give a ball to a random mom at the park today. It was so cute and such a big step for my little guy!

Other than that life continues to go on. We've all been missing Vivian a lot these days. Brian and I often talk about what she would be like/look like/like/dislike, etc. Sometimes I get really pissed off that she's not here to straighten Izzy and Logan out when they need it. I know she would be an awesome little 6 year old dictator right now. We pass the elementary school and Izzy always asks if that's 'her school' just like Vivian did. It makes me smile and my heart hurt at the same time. I used to tell Vivian that would be her school in '3 years' and now that I'm telling Isabel that same thing I can't help but think 'if you're still alive.' Morbid? Absolutely. But that's what happens when you lose a child.

In happier news, we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest cousin! We packed up some baby toys for Lucas' brother and will take them to Houston this weekend. Joanne is staying with my parents until the little one is born and goes back to China (mid-March). Major props to Joanne and my parents. I can't imagine it's easy living with your in-laws with your toddler son, pregnant and away from your husband and family for so long. She's a tropper for sure. I also can't imagine that it's particularly easy to host a toddler and her pregnant Mama either, so props to Grandma and Grandpa too! I know they're loving it though! It's hard being in Austin knowing Lucas and Joanne are just a few hours away in Houston, so we're heading to Houston this weekend to spend some time with them. We'll be back in a couple of weeks to celebrate the new baby's baptism and Lucas' 2nd birthday too!