Lauren does not understand that the baby monitor is a one-way affair. Tonight the baby had started to fuss and I found her with her mouth pressed up to the receiver, shouting, "Don't' cry, Andrew! It's okay!"
It's sweet that she wants to comfort him, but her earnestness cracks me up a bit.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Lauren and Andrew
From the moment we sat Lauren down at a special lunch at Red Robin and let her know she was going to be a big sister, she's been in love. At first, she was in love with the idea of being a big sister. We got her a "Big Sister Lauren" t-shirt that she wore with pride and she told everyone she was going to have a baby sibling soon. She was so happy and excited.
Of course, she thought she was going to have a baby sister and that's what she told everyone. We kept trying to soften the potential impact of the baby being a boy by adding, "or brother" every time she gleefully told someone, "I'm going to have a baby sister!" In April, an ultrasound confirmed without a doubt that we were, indeed, expecting a boy. Jeremy and I knew it wasn't going to go over well, so we held our breath as we sat Lauren down that night. We let her know that we saw the baby in a special picture and that it was a healthy baby brother. "No," she said, "it's a baby sister." She insisted for a couple of days that we were wrong, but she came around. She even came up with a name for the baby: Nut.
We have no idea where that "name" came from; we had simply asked her what she thought we should name the baby and that's what she said, instantly. No question. And she stuck with it, too, much to our chagrin. She told anyone that would ask that her brother's name was going to be "Nut!" Most people just sort of shrugged and smiled conspiratorially at us, but a few asked her if she meant "Nat." They evidently don't know four-year-olds that well.
I knew Lauren was excited to have a brother, but I have to admit I was even bowled over by the wave of love she seemed to feel for him instantly. When Grandpa (John) brought her to the hospital to see him, she was beside herself with excitement. She kept exclaiming how "cute" he was and just seemed entranced. We were off to a good start.
Ever since then, Lauren has been a model big sister and clearly just loves her brother to bits. She's constantly asking if he's awake and if he's happy and is constantly maneuvering to give him hugs and a "sweet kiss." She's almost a little too lovey with him; I'm worried that she's going to smother him with kisses one of these days or crush him with a hug. The poor babe got his first cold at two weeks from all the kisses Typhoid Mary was giving him. He's a trooper, though, and we just keep up a constant stream of, "Okay, Lauren, that's close enough. You don't have to make him grab your hand. Okay! Ten kisses is enough!"
She loves helping to take care of him and has been fantastic about helping. If you think about it, it's pretty amazing: she was the only child and the light of our lives and now she's sharing the spotlight without complaint. We probably did a little too much for her before he was born, but now she gets in and out of the car on her own, dresses herself, and feeds the dogs without help from us. She's becoming quite the big girl before our eyes and she's done it with grace and without jealousy.
The best part, of course, is seeing that bond between them as siblings. It seemed to be there pretty much from that moment at Red Robin and just gets stronger every day. He smiles and coos at her as she lovingly picks the sock lint from between his toes. He stops crying as she leans over him, screeching soothing things in an attempt to sound like Mom. She constantly tells us things to say to him ("Hi little man! Hi handsome man!") and asks us to make him talk to her. And today for the first time, she said, "Andrew, I love you!" totally on her own. It absolutely melted my heart.
They're 4.5 years apart, so I can't imagine it will always be this easy, but I do hope that they always love each other this much.
Of course, she thought she was going to have a baby sister and that's what she told everyone. We kept trying to soften the potential impact of the baby being a boy by adding, "or brother" every time she gleefully told someone, "I'm going to have a baby sister!" In April, an ultrasound confirmed without a doubt that we were, indeed, expecting a boy. Jeremy and I knew it wasn't going to go over well, so we held our breath as we sat Lauren down that night. We let her know that we saw the baby in a special picture and that it was a healthy baby brother. "No," she said, "it's a baby sister." She insisted for a couple of days that we were wrong, but she came around. She even came up with a name for the baby: Nut.
We have no idea where that "name" came from; we had simply asked her what she thought we should name the baby and that's what she said, instantly. No question. And she stuck with it, too, much to our chagrin. She told anyone that would ask that her brother's name was going to be "Nut!" Most people just sort of shrugged and smiled conspiratorially at us, but a few asked her if she meant "Nat." They evidently don't know four-year-olds that well.
I knew Lauren was excited to have a brother, but I have to admit I was even bowled over by the wave of love she seemed to feel for him instantly. When Grandpa (John) brought her to the hospital to see him, she was beside herself with excitement. She kept exclaiming how "cute" he was and just seemed entranced. We were off to a good start.
Ever since then, Lauren has been a model big sister and clearly just loves her brother to bits. She's constantly asking if he's awake and if he's happy and is constantly maneuvering to give him hugs and a "sweet kiss." She's almost a little too lovey with him; I'm worried that she's going to smother him with kisses one of these days or crush him with a hug. The poor babe got his first cold at two weeks from all the kisses Typhoid Mary was giving him. He's a trooper, though, and we just keep up a constant stream of, "Okay, Lauren, that's close enough. You don't have to make him grab your hand. Okay! Ten kisses is enough!"
She loves helping to take care of him and has been fantastic about helping. If you think about it, it's pretty amazing: she was the only child and the light of our lives and now she's sharing the spotlight without complaint. We probably did a little too much for her before he was born, but now she gets in and out of the car on her own, dresses herself, and feeds the dogs without help from us. She's becoming quite the big girl before our eyes and she's done it with grace and without jealousy.
The best part, of course, is seeing that bond between them as siblings. It seemed to be there pretty much from that moment at Red Robin and just gets stronger every day. He smiles and coos at her as she lovingly picks the sock lint from between his toes. He stops crying as she leans over him, screeching soothing things in an attempt to sound like Mom. She constantly tells us things to say to him ("Hi little man! Hi handsome man!") and asks us to make him talk to her. And today for the first time, she said, "Andrew, I love you!" totally on her own. It absolutely melted my heart.
They're 4.5 years apart, so I can't imagine it will always be this easy, but I do hope that they always love each other this much.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Back in the saddle...
I am horrified and yet unsurprised to find that it's been over a year since I updated this blog. I have this tendency to start things and not finish them and I'm afraid I've let this be one of them.
It's too bad, really, since this last year has been one of great change for us. On January 6th, to our great shock and amazement, we found out that we were expecting another baby. On September 8th, Andrew John Schumacher graced us with his presence and we've never quite been the same since. He's a sweet, lovey baby and we all are nuts about him. Watching Lauren become a big sister has been the most incredible experience: they've had this bond from day one that just can't be replicated in any other relationship. She's been a huge help and has never once acted jealous. We lucked out.
More about that in another post. First, a catch up of all the wonderful things Lauren's been up to in the last year. We traveled to NC for Christmas and in April went to Tennessee and Kentucky to visit family. Otherwise, we've just been busy at home. She continued to take ballet until the summer and then opted to start taking soccer. There's no sign yet of any incredible Pele-like talent, but she's having a great time and is learning some good skills. She is now on her third session of swim lessons and is doing really well. In the last few classes it's really clicked and she now puts her ears, forehead, AND eyes in with abandon. I'm hoping she'll be promoted to the next level soon.
Right now, she's all a-twitter about Christmas. Last year, she got it to the extent that she knew who Santa was and that there would be presents and seemed pretty excited about it. This year, she's taken it to a whole new level. She asks me multiple times a day when it's going to be Christmas and when we'll be getting out the decorations. No answer seems to satisfy her and unfortunately, she doesn't seem to understand how months and days work just yet, so I can't get her to understand that we still have a way to go. Tomorrow I'm taking her and Andrew to meet Santa, so we'll see how that goes. Strangely, she hasn't really gotten swept up in the whole gift-getting, commercial aspect of Christmas. She doesn't have a list of things she wants, unlike many kids I know. She's learned about the "reason for the season" in Sunday School but doesn't seem too convinced about that either. Frankly, I'm not sure just what she thinks the holiday is about, but she likes it. As long as it has lights and special cartoons, she likes it.
One cute thing she said the other day was a couple of days after we spent a whole car trip making up songs about "Lauren the pink-nosed reindeer." Evidently, her nose is sparkly and has hearts and butterflies. Andrew's is yellow, but I don't think it has any extra. Anyway, as I was getting her out of the car, she wedged herself in front of me and said, "Follow my nose!" Sometimes her memory for things astounds me.
One thing about the last year: Lauren has definitely decided what she likes and what she doesn't. Lauren has developed an obsession with construction and, more specifically, the television shows on HGTV starring Mike Holmes. She just seems fascinating with "building" and all the processes that go into it. She was even a "builder" for Halloween, with a pink Mike Holmes crew t-shirt, a pink hard hat, and a pink tool belt. Between that and the incredibly complex, symmetrical things she builds out of blocks, I'm thinking she might be headed for a career in engineering.
She also likes, in no particular order:
Bob the Builder
Dinosaur Train
That commercial for State Farm with the "discount double check" where the cheesehead bangs on the window
Chicken nuggets
Corn dogs
Telling us, "I win and you lose." We're trying to let her know that a) that's not sportsman-like and b) you have to be competing at something to win and lose. The concept is lost on her.
Her Skechers shoes that light up
The stories of Richard Scarry
Her baby brother - I'll dedicate a whole other post to that
Being a drama queen - ditto
"Designers" aka Project Runway
Telling me we need to go to Subway or Little Caesars
Same with Starbucks for her "chocolate coffee" (I swear, we don't eat out that much; she just remembers everything)
Headbands
Running, especially if she can "win" (see above)
Winnie the Pooh
Complaining that the dog is bothering her (they usually are)
Snuggling
Cranberry-Raspberry juice
Using her hands to eat veggies (I swear, I try to get her to eat with a utensil like a normal human not raised in a barn)
The iPad, especially for Angry Birds and "The Monster at the End of the Book"
Really any pop music
Blowing bubbles
The color pink
I think that's the basics, but it's by no means a comprehensive list. She definitely knows what she likes and what she doesn't!
That's enough of a year-in-review for now. Next up: Lauren and her baby brother!
It's too bad, really, since this last year has been one of great change for us. On January 6th, to our great shock and amazement, we found out that we were expecting another baby. On September 8th, Andrew John Schumacher graced us with his presence and we've never quite been the same since. He's a sweet, lovey baby and we all are nuts about him. Watching Lauren become a big sister has been the most incredible experience: they've had this bond from day one that just can't be replicated in any other relationship. She's been a huge help and has never once acted jealous. We lucked out.
More about that in another post. First, a catch up of all the wonderful things Lauren's been up to in the last year. We traveled to NC for Christmas and in April went to Tennessee and Kentucky to visit family. Otherwise, we've just been busy at home. She continued to take ballet until the summer and then opted to start taking soccer. There's no sign yet of any incredible Pele-like talent, but she's having a great time and is learning some good skills. She is now on her third session of swim lessons and is doing really well. In the last few classes it's really clicked and she now puts her ears, forehead, AND eyes in with abandon. I'm hoping she'll be promoted to the next level soon.
Right now, she's all a-twitter about Christmas. Last year, she got it to the extent that she knew who Santa was and that there would be presents and seemed pretty excited about it. This year, she's taken it to a whole new level. She asks me multiple times a day when it's going to be Christmas and when we'll be getting out the decorations. No answer seems to satisfy her and unfortunately, she doesn't seem to understand how months and days work just yet, so I can't get her to understand that we still have a way to go. Tomorrow I'm taking her and Andrew to meet Santa, so we'll see how that goes. Strangely, she hasn't really gotten swept up in the whole gift-getting, commercial aspect of Christmas. She doesn't have a list of things she wants, unlike many kids I know. She's learned about the "reason for the season" in Sunday School but doesn't seem too convinced about that either. Frankly, I'm not sure just what she thinks the holiday is about, but she likes it. As long as it has lights and special cartoons, she likes it.
One cute thing she said the other day was a couple of days after we spent a whole car trip making up songs about "Lauren the pink-nosed reindeer." Evidently, her nose is sparkly and has hearts and butterflies. Andrew's is yellow, but I don't think it has any extra. Anyway, as I was getting her out of the car, she wedged herself in front of me and said, "Follow my nose!" Sometimes her memory for things astounds me.
One thing about the last year: Lauren has definitely decided what she likes and what she doesn't. Lauren has developed an obsession with construction and, more specifically, the television shows on HGTV starring Mike Holmes. She just seems fascinating with "building" and all the processes that go into it. She was even a "builder" for Halloween, with a pink Mike Holmes crew t-shirt, a pink hard hat, and a pink tool belt. Between that and the incredibly complex, symmetrical things she builds out of blocks, I'm thinking she might be headed for a career in engineering.
She also likes, in no particular order:
Bob the Builder
Dinosaur Train
That commercial for State Farm with the "discount double check" where the cheesehead bangs on the window
Chicken nuggets
Corn dogs
Telling us, "I win and you lose." We're trying to let her know that a) that's not sportsman-like and b) you have to be competing at something to win and lose. The concept is lost on her.
Her Skechers shoes that light up
The stories of Richard Scarry
Her baby brother - I'll dedicate a whole other post to that
Being a drama queen - ditto
"Designers" aka Project Runway
Telling me we need to go to Subway or Little Caesars
Same with Starbucks for her "chocolate coffee" (I swear, we don't eat out that much; she just remembers everything)
Headbands
Running, especially if she can "win" (see above)
Winnie the Pooh
Complaining that the dog is bothering her (they usually are)
Snuggling
Cranberry-Raspberry juice
Using her hands to eat veggies (I swear, I try to get her to eat with a utensil like a normal human not raised in a barn)
The iPad, especially for Angry Birds and "The Monster at the End of the Book"
Really any pop music
Blowing bubbles
The color pink
I think that's the basics, but it's by no means a comprehensive list. She definitely knows what she likes and what she doesn't!
That's enough of a year-in-review for now. Next up: Lauren and her baby brother!
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