all baseball

 It is no secret that around here, we're all about baseball.  Kyalo's taken a shine to it all on his own, which is really handy since it is about the only sport I understand.  As a birthday outing of sorts we took him to Portland to see the SeaDogs, a farm team of the Red Sox, last weekend.  My parents joined us, and we all had a great time!  Kyalo stayed in his seat pretty much all 9 innings, happily sang along with 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' and the Seadogs won!  It is a smaller, friendlier stadium than Fenway, so I can imagine we'll be back many times.

 he went prepared to catch a foul ball

We're training Malaikah up in the ways she should go (Red Sox, obviously)

It was a little cool at the game -- clouds kept coming and going, and the wind was strong.  Dexter needed to keep warm...

7th Inning Stretch

After a quick bite in the big city, we headed home.

I don't think he took that glove off the whole day.  And he fell stayed asleep even after we got home which was great - until he was in our room at 6 AM asking us to play baseball with him!

Still, it was a day well, well spent.

And we've been non-stop baseball since then.

Dexter gets the brunt of it - and spent a long time playing while I was throwing dinner together on Sunday.  

The players:

The action:

And then, of course, no matter who hits the ball, you all run the bases:

The baseball book has come down from the shelf, we're picking them up from the library again, he's wearing oversized cleats (a hand me down from a friend), his Red Sox hat and baseball shirt non stop.  

And T-Ball starts on Saturday!  Prepare for many more baseball posts to come.

Here's Kyalo at 8 am this morning, outside getting that pitching arm ready to go.  Too bad there's no pitching in T-Ball.

(taken through a screen. Mama hadn't had coffee yet)

not captured - the cute little leg kick he is trying out.

How soon is too soon to let the Red Sox know he's ready to lend a hand should the need arise?

Kyalo at the doctor

On Monday, Kyalo had his first pediatrician visit since moving to Maine.  In some ways, it seems the first real pediatrician visit he has had, ever.  As you may remember, the visits to the doctor in NJ were always frustrating/disappointing for me.

No more!  I love the pediatrician office we go to.  The doctor takes such good time with both kids.  For Kyalo's appointment she - and the nurse, and the receptionist - took time to talk to, and listen to Kyalo and alllll his stories.  Gold star right there, in my book.  But it is the care they took about everything....listening to him, asking him interesting questions, making him as comfortable as possible, and assuring me that all is well.

He passed his hearing test with flying colors - doing better than some five year olds, the nurse said.  And here he is, wearing his eye test glasses.  He looks cute, and passed that, as well.  It was also the first time in over a year that he's been weighed and measured.  I have no memory of what he was at three, but now he is:

 35 pounds 5 ounces

3 feet 2 3/4 inches  -- 16th percentile

He's doing well - the doctor was pleased with his development, his health, etc etc.  He was nervous about getting shots (and, he had to get extras since some of the ones he got in Kenya were too early. Lucky kid) but he handled that very well, too.  

Oh, and the other cool thing about going to the doctor in Maine?  At every well-child visit from birth until age five every child in the entire state gets a book.  What a wonderful way to encourage and promote reading - especially in poorer communities where books are not easy to purchase.  I wasn't sure Kyalo would qualify since he wasn't born in Maine, but he does!  What a blessing!

Also while we were there, I snuck Malaikah in for a quick weigh-in, since we don't go back to the doctor for her until June.  This isn't 100% accurate because she still had clothes and a diaper on, but still, our hummus loving girl is now:

18 pounds 7 ounces*

And that is a gain of more than a pound in less than a month! 

Feeling richly blessed by two such healthy and happy kids.

* with clothes

a weekend in Essex

Going to Essex is as exciting for Kyalo as going to Disneyland for most kids.  Please, no one tell him anything different.  My parents have a great yard to run around in, and there are a lot of activities to do within a pretty easy driving distance.  Last weekend Dexter had a conference outside of Boston so we went down to hang out with Grandma while he studied all day.  It was perfect.

What was not perfect?  Waking up to 6 inches of snow on Thursday morning.  Dexter was entirely too excited to get the snow blower out ONE LAST TIME (right?), but he was the only one of us happy about it.

April 9

It was cool and rainy on Friday in MA, so Kyalo and I headed to the local YMCA to their 'open gym' time.  We'd gone once before, so he was eager to get back.  This is how he spent his hour:

When we were there the first time, he'd happily run down the track, and then cautiously step into the foam pit.  By the end of that time he was jumping in.  This time, he had no fear.  And he was unstoppable.  To say he loved it is an understatement.  I just wish there was a Y closer to us here in Maine.  But, at least we always have it to look forward to when in MA.

At the very end, he took a break from jumping to do a little uneven bar work:

On Saturday, the farm down the street from my parents' house was hosting a Kite Flying Day.  I liked that it was so close, and the day dawned bright, warm, and clear, and knew Kyalo would like it.  It was actually too windy for good kite flying, and our $5 Made in China wonder was no match, but Kyalo hadn't ever flown a kite before and LOVED it.  He was beaming the entire time, and told me, as we were doing it, ' I love this!'  We ended with a couple of bowls of clam chowder provided by one of the restaurants in town.

It was a beautiful day to be outside trying something new.  If the wind wasn't quite so strong, it would have been perfect.  This was the first blue sky we'd seen in a long while, so we certainly enjoyed it!

But Kyalo had a great time, and that's all that mattered.  Maybe we will even get a real kite and try again this summer.

Malaikah came, too! Here she is, all dressed up for church, in a dress from a friend of mine from college.

After church, Kyalo spent several hours outside, riding the big wheel bike up and down the hill in the backyard.  The hardest part was dragging the bike back up the hill, till Grandpa attached a rope to the back to make it easier to pull up.

It was a jam packed weekend, and Kyalo and I were both asleep within minutes of the drive home.  Heading to Essex is always a nice home-away-from home experience.  It seems we never run out of things to do.

seven months

Last Friday, Malaikah hit seven months.  We were in Essex, and I forgot, among other things, the big camera.  And then I was going to take pictures as soon as we got home, which of course didn't happen. So, before too much time passes, let me share the one decent seven month picture.

She continues to be happy, easy going, and drooling buckets.  No teeth yet, just a lot of drool in anticipation of that exciting time.  Still, I don't mind.  She's already starting to bite me a little when nursing, so I imagine it won't get better with teeth.

This month hasn't been very remarkable.  No big milestones crossed.  Still sits like a champ, and sometimes, when she reaches for things, kind of topples over.  I think she's getting ready to crawl.  In the next few weeks we might have some movement.

She loves Kyalo to pieces.  Just seeing him makes her light up, and he continues to make her laugh like no one else.  She is super ticklish - especially around her collar bone - and I love to make her laugh because she has this full body laugh and sort of folds into herself.

One thing that I've worked on, and I think I managed successfully, is to not nurse her to sleep for naps.  I never did that with Kyalo and I had to nurse and nurse and nurse him to sleep.  With Malaikah I nurse her and then plop her in her crib.  (Lovingly, of course).  And on really good days she will sleep two or more hours.

I was noticing today that her hair seems to be coming in a bit more, and I think it'll be lighter than Kyalo's.  It will be interesting to see what it looks like when it finally shows up!

Kyalo insisted on being in a picture.  It isn't a great picture, but I do like that he always wants to be a part of the action.  I'm taking him to his first-in-Maine doctor's appointment on Monday, so hope I can sneak in a weigh-in for Malaikah.

So, for it not being a banner month, I sure had a lot to say.  Who's surprised?

Easter 2015

The posts are piling up, so I really need to get on top of things here.

For Easter we were in MA again, with my parents.  It was a quick weekend because we're now in the real world and didn't have a long school break any more.  The one thing I miss about school is all the great breaks built into life!  So, it was a quick, but wonderful weekend.  It was cool and rainy in MA so it didn't feel very Easter-y or Spring like.  Still, the weather didn't stop us from rejoicing.

After church, I made sure to get some obligatory Easter photos.  Maliakah had a dress from a friend's daughter (the same one who gave us the awesome Christmas dress) and was definitely the best dressed of us by far.  Kyalo did all right, too, in his new Khaki's and white shirt...

with a baseball, naturally

our happy girl

she isn't smiling, and Kyalo's not looking at the camera (would that have been too much to ask?) but still, this is one of my favorite pictures.

 with Grandma and Grandpa

I can't decide which of these pictures I like better.  I wish the kids were smiling, but I think by then they were over the picture taking marathon.

Here are a couple from the phone:

And my favorite picture of them to date, I think:

so much love

And that wraps up Easter.  Maybe next year it will be warm enough to take pictures outside with some flowers!

Kyalo: four

I don't know what is more amazing...the fact that I woke up to a new dusting of snow on the ground today, or that Kyalo turned four on Friday.  I CAN tell you which one of those things I like better.  I'm done with winter.

Anyway...

April 3, 2015

(Kenya shirts for life!)

Kyalo's now a big man of four.  He's fun and energetic and full of life, loves his sister, is smart and engaged, caring and helpful, and all the other proud-mama adjectives there are.  This year has been hard. I would say we were in a 'terrible threes' year for sure.  He is strong willed, sometimes defiant, and so on.  So, I guess he's a typical 3 or 4 year old. (Right? this is typical???) It was not without a LOT of transition of course - a big move, a new job (and schedule) for Dexter, a new baby - in a very short time frame, so really, the 'terribleness' was to be expected somewhat.  As we settled into our new life as a family of four, and into routines, things did get better.

One big change that came at some point this year, maybe after Malaikah was born? is that he gave up napping.  It was not without my every effort to keep it going.  Now, though, he is in his room most days from 2-4 for 'quiet time' (which, sometimes, is not very quiet at all).  Some days are better than others, but for the most part, he stays in his room and plays.  Books on CD help.  New toys do too.  Those of you who are parents - any other ideas?

he wasn't exactly cooperating for these pictures.  this is four, I guess.

Kyalo's been in school two mornings a week at a nearby Montessori school.  Some days, I'm never really sure what they do, and others, he comes home full of facts and information about the planets or continents, or about the books they've read. So, he's learning something! Even though some mornings it is hard to get him out of bed and out the door, I think he likes it.  I definitely have a foretaste of what high school will be like though!

Ask him his favorite color and he'll say, "Red and orange and pink."  I guess it is too hard to decide!  He still loves all things artsy -- cutting seems to be his favorite activity.  Give the boy a pair of scissors and no paper is safe.  Neither is our house as it is quickly covered in confetti.  Here he is painting at his friend Lucas' a few weeks ago...

Picasso in the making!  If only we'd get him one of these easels. . .

He still loves loves loves baseball. And as the days have gotten *slightly* warmer (and longer) it is coming back into our daily conversation.  I signed him up for T-Ball (which will start "when the snow is off the field") and when I came home and told him, he said, 'I don't want to play T-Ball! I want to play baseball!'  He also talks about us going to Fenway Park to watch him pitch.  Should I call up some scouts and tell them to keep an eye out for and up-and-coming player?

here he is with his new Red Sox hat and Shirt.  Why wouldn't the Red Sox want him?

For Kyalo's birthday on Friday morning we had bacon and waffles, and he opened the presents that other people were kind enough to send him.

Then that night we drove to MA to be there for the Easter weekend.  He and my dad sort of-kind of share a birthday.  Kyalo was born just after midnight April 3 in Kenya - it was still April 2 here in the US, so my dad likes to claim they share.

Here are the birthday buddies:

We celebrated with a baseball cupcake!

Oh - while we were MA (civilization! there are TWO Marshall's within 15 minutes, not to mention Old Navy, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond , etc - a real mecca!) Dexter picked up a hair shaver for himself, and gave Kyalo his first ever real hair cut. No more snip snip snip as he runs past me.  It is pretty short right now, but it makes him look old and wise, and it will grow back to its wild and crazy stage pretty quick!

 do you think he's happy?

make a wish!

I wish I'd thought to get a picture of him and I together.  Next year, maybe!

It is exciting to think about all that is ahead of Kyalo - the new adventures, the learning and exploring and fun.  It is going so fast...most of the time...

Here are a few other pictures from the last few months:

A beautiful new outfit from Grandma. He wore it one day and then managed to dump an ENTIRE bottle of moroccan hair oil (I was very pleased by this, naturally) down the shirt and pants.  Thankfully, several washes later and the oil is gone!

Last week for an Easter activity I had some friends over to dye Easter eggs and decorate cookies.  He'd never dyed eggs before, so it was a fun activity!  Made better with friends.

Lastly, a couple of photos of Kyalo when I picked him up from school today.  Spring is called 'mud season' here.  I'm beginning to see the point. . .

 mud freckles

muddy!

You can believe he went right home and into a bath!  I envision a lot of loads of laundry in my future.  Maybe I need to get one of those outside shower hook ups?  Or just a lot of old worn out clothes...

So that's a wrap up of our newly minted four year old.  We love him so much.  

check up

And checking in.  The days sure do get away from me.

Yesterday, Malaikah visited the doctor.  Usually we are in and out easy peasy.  Yesterday was crazy busy and we waited over an hour.  I'm thankful that I have such an easy-going baby who didn't fuss one bit.  Also, it helps that she sits on her own now so I didn't have to hold her the entire time!

A few pictures from the last couple of weeks...

Wearing a onesie made by my friend Takisha in NJ.  You can't really tell, but that's a hippo (or, a rhino. I can't remember.)

17 pounds 5 ounce // 25 1/4 inches

15th percentile

It is really no surprise that Malaikah is going to be short.  Still, I wish she had hope of being taller.  I always thought my 5'4" frame was too short.  I'm already setting her up to hate her body. Must work on that!!

hanging with big brother one morning

The doctor was very pleased with how she is doing - she is growing, she's sitting well, has good eye contact, and a contagious smile.  She asked me if Maliakah is speaking any sounds yet and I said we get a lot of 'dadadadadadadada dada dada' (and yes, I try to work on "Mama").  The doc said this is a 9 month trick, so already, M is a prodigy and great things will come to her.  :)

playing with a little giraffe from a friend. This stays in her crib and she's often holding it when I get her in the morning.

There are still no signs of teeth coming, although she is drooling non-stop.  

all smiles for church on Sunday, March 29. The cute dress is from a woman who works for my dad.  

We are moving slowly in the food realm.  So far it seems she might like strawberries, broccoli, and oatmeal.  I was so glad that the doctor wasn't that concerned about just how slowly I'm going down that road.  We are still happily -- and easily -- breastfeeding. So why stop a good thing?  I can't say enough how much I like this doctor. Even though she was running an hour behind she took plenty of time with me to chat and answer my questions, and really took time with Malaikah, too.  So, so different from my experience in NJ with Kyalo.

Kyalo turns four on Friday (!!!!!!!) and we go for his first visit to a doctor in Maine at the end of April.  Is it weird how excited I am to take my children to the doctor?