10 months

I remember thinking last Christmas: next year I'll have a 5 year old, 3 year old, and a ten month old. I assumed she'd be walking, more of a toddler than baby at this point (I was very right). It seemed such a crazy thought. Three kids. Wow.
Now a year has passed. Flown actually. We're not yet in a new house at a new duty station, we're visiting Texas, and three kids wasn't quite a 180 degree experience like I'd anticipated. It's definitely crazy. But manageable.
Poppy is running. She has aced the walking stage. She is chatty, scrunched up her nose when she's happy or likes something. She is sleeping a ton. She had her very first airplane ride this past week and while she flew like a champ just like her brothers and daddy always have, it messed up her sleeping schedule between the excitement and 3:30 am wake up. I hope she flies as well on the trip home this week.
Poppy is freaked out by toy monkeys (wonder where she gets that from...), scared of long nosed animals, barking dogs, and loud noises. She loves waving like miss america, quiet dogs, tree ornaments, her brothers, uncles, grandparents, anything she's not supposed to touch, napping, ice cream and ambrosia, playing peekaboo, clapping, windows, and storytime. She's wearing 12 month clothes, size 3 diapers, chunking up a little since her doctor fussed at me about her weight. She's petite but getting long. Her hair is getting longer, too. She's in the separation anxiety stage now where most of the time she just wants mama. I love being the center of her world. She's so independent like James was that I'll take whatever rare moments that come where she actually wants me. She's usually off exploring and busy keeping up with her brothers. She got her first baby doll for Christmas. It was our first real girl toy experience for her. Next Christmas I know our house will be littered with pink stuff. It's still kind of weird to make the transition into the girl world.
There have been lots of firsts this month. And this year! It blows my mind that 2012 is over already. It has been arguably our best year yet. Happy 10 months Poppy love, and here's to a new year!

North Pole Party

We're some partying fools here.

Inspired by a few Santa sightings, blog readings, and a quest for some holiday cheer after some awful, awful events this past week, we had a few of our neighbor friends over for a little Christmas party for the kids.

Jason and I stayed up all hours last night assembling graham cracker houses, swearing at them as they fell apart and later as the dog snatched one off the table. 

We tidied up the kitchen, baked cookies, poured "ingredients" into tins for our reindeer food bar, put on pajamas, and set out a million different kinds of candy.

Everybody donned elf hats and pjs.

It was fabulous!

We had some very creative houses. Especially after the pink sanding sugar dumped all over James's meticulously decorated house. He made peace once we decided it was just pink snow.

The big kids especially loved the reindeer food bar. We had oats, breadcrumbs, glitter, cocoa powder, salt, corn chips. Danica was so excited she loaded her bag up with probably 2 lbs of "food". The reindeer won't be skipping their house this Christmas eve!

I made some hot cocoa on the stove to end the night with. The kids all felt especially grown up with their mugs and whipped cream mustaches. Riley insisted he was drinking his coffee.

The littlest ladies enjoyed the party, too, snatching toys and trying to sneak a bite of whatever reindeer food the big kids dropped on the floor. They squealed and chased each other. Poppy tried to steal Emily's binky and ended up eating half of Em's gerber puffs.They jumped right in the middle of the big kids, Poppy growling, Emily squealing. Tough little cookies.

Speaking of cookies, guess whose Daddy sneaked her some chocolate chip cookies today?

I'm surprised anyone is sleeping after all the sugar.

Christmas picture outtakes

It took many, many pictures to get any good enough for our Christmas card. Even so, our cards will still have some hilarious shots.

These are the equally funny goofs taken at the time.

Fred

By request, here's Fred's latest goings on.

He hung around in Poppy's stocking. He knew if he picked one of the boys' stockings, one of them might feel left out. They were both very happy for Poppy that he picked hers.

Good call, Fred.

He snuggled up with "The Night Before Cat-mas" on the bookshelf on a chilly day.

Hid in the shower curtain.

The shower curtain must have reminded him he needed a bath. He relaxed in a marshmallow "bubble bath" today in the teacup. 

9 months

9 months old.

And all personality.

Poppy is walking (running).

Waves like Miss America. Constantly.

She loves playing outside, eating ice cream sandwiches, stealing toys from her brothers, napping, playing peek-a-boo, and singing.

She is 28 inches long and 16.5 lbs.

Her pediatrician fussed at me about her weight, so she's on a cereal-heavy diet for the next month till she goes back in for a weight check.

She's wearing 12 month size clothes, size 3 diapers.

She's a tiny, petite little thing, but I feel like she's longer than her brothers were.

Those two bottom teeth are the only ones that have popped through so far.

I worry that she'll be a terror when the others head out.

She naps twice a day, around 10:30 in the morning for an hour and two hours in the afternoon when the boys nap. Then she's in bed right after them at 8-8:30.

She guzzles those babyfood pouches. 

She also eats mashed potatoes, cheese cubes, yogurt, green beans, macaroni and cheese, gerber puffs and melts, and sweet potatoes.

She drinks water and some pear juice (not a fan) out of her sippy cup.

Bottles are a lost cause. That's okay by me.

We're about to move her into the "big" convertible carseat. The infant Pooh bear one expires this month, so it's time. I'm going to be so sad to have to get rid of it. It's brought home all three babies and been through so many car trips and big parts of our life. 

She hates bows, hats, and anything I put on her head. But she looks soooo cute in them.

She's mommy's girl. She loves snuggling with her daddy, but she's hitting that separation anxiety stage where she gets shy with friends and strangers and just wants her mama.

She loves pulling all the alphabet magnets off the fridge.

She growls at and tries to rough-house with her brothers.

Fits right in with the boys.

Any time we sing Christmas carols she starts "singing" right along with us.

She can wave good bye.

She gets mad at the boys and hollers at them when they don't share their ice cream cones. 

If we leave the room, they sneak her bites.

She likes Nena, as long as she doesn't bark or make any kind of noise.

If Nena makes any sound, Poppy starts shaking and making faces and whining. She does the same thing when the vacuum's on.

Poppy, you're so much fun.

Elf adventures

Fred's been getting sneakier with his hiding places...

And this morning he just wanted to have some fun making snow angels in a pile of flour.