The Kindergarten Highlight

On the very first day that Banner walked in to his new elementary school to meet his Kindergarten teacher, he asked Mrs. Brown if the class would be going on a field trip to the zoo this year. She said they would be, and Banner was so excited. That made his day! He couldn't wait. Fast-forward 7 and a half months later, and the big week of the zoo field trip was here!! It was a busy week, although the beginning of it was slow. Quinn had come down with a fever a week after Knox was diagnosed with an ear infection 11 days after he developed cold symptoms. It had been a few weeks of heightened pollen counts and all of our allergies were out of whack. But, Banner, true to his healthy self, remained well and untouched by the cold that was going through the house.

The end of the week was filled with several exciting activities for Banner: a swim meet, a Kindergarten performance, and of course, the zoo field trip. Wednesday night, Banner felt warm to me. He had a mild fever - not really even a fever. But, the next morning, he did have a true fever, although he was acting perfectly fine. Quinn was finally well enough to go to school, but I decided to keep Banner home (with Grandma since I had to work) in the hopes that a little rest would do him some good and maybe he could recharge for the excitement that he'd been looking forward to.

By the end of the day, with the help of some meds and some TLC, Banner didn't have fever anymore. He continued to cough a lot, but we decided he would be fine to attend the Kindergarten show he had worked so hard on at school for the past month ... and had paid "practice academy" consequences for while talking through many of the rehearsals. His grade level and teachers were depending on him to be there to deliver his line and to sing with them! So, the show went on, and he did amazing! Grandma, Papa, Big Boss, Aunt Kira, and Levi came to cheer Banner on, and they were all super impressed with the great job that these little kids did at their performance. 

In addition to the company that came to make his event so special, the songs that were sung seemed to have been hand-picked for our family! The first song was "Your'e a Grand Old Flag," which Grandma has always sung with her grandkids in the summer as all the 4th of July flags fly high. She used to play a game with Caden & Mara when they were little bitty: every time they saw an American flag, they began to sing the song. Every time they saw a different flag, they would start over from the top, even if they hadn't completed the first round. With so many flags, they would start the song over and over and over again without making much progress into the song before having to restart, and before long, everyone was laughing. Well, that game has continued to be played with my boys, too, and they've pretty much memorized the entire song early on because of this game.

The second song was "Bushel and a Peck," a song my mother always sang to me when I was little and a song I sing to my kids still. Again, Banner already knew the words to this song from an early age, so it was so fitting to see my big boy up there reviewing this song that we've sung since he was an infant. The third song was a Spanish song, and it's the same song he used to sing in pre-school Spanish class! Then, Banner delivered his line beautifully. He spoke clearly and loudly and looked at the audience! It was an awkward line he was given: "We know that with all of our friends from other countries, it doesn't really matter what language you speak," but he did it well and successfully!

Then came the fourth song: "What a Wonderful World." This song has sentimental value to so many people in our family. Every summer I went away to camp, my dad would make me a mixed tape, and this song was always on each tape. Every time this song played when we were at a family function (Bar Mitzvah, wedding, etc), my dad would ask me to dance with him when this song came on. It became "our song," so it was an easy choice when I had my father/daughter dance at my wedding. In addition, Sam bought the book What a Wonderful World to read to Quinn after he was born because it reminds him of his mother. Whenever I read that book, I would sing it instead of reading... and Quinn would tear up, even as a baby. Sometimes I'd have to stop singing the book because he would get so emotional. He seemed to really connect to it. When Banner and his friends started singing this song, I nearly lost it, because in addition to singing it, they signed it! Anyone who knows me well knows sign language is my thing. I've loved learning to sign since I was little and even taught it to summer camp students years ago. So - to see my baby signing this beautiful song - feeling Bubbie's presence, realizing how fast time is flying and how Kindergarten is almost over, and just being in the moment with Quinn on my lap, Banner singing and signing and standing so beautifully with his peers... I fought tears hard! 

Finally, the Kindergarteners sang their version of "New York, New York," retitled "First Grade, First Grade!" And cue the tears again! :) While this was upbeat, it was kind of overwhelming watching these 5 and 6 year old kiddos sing about their excitement of coming to first grade. It reminded me of how big Banner is getting yet how small he still is. First grade! He's still by little nugget but it's going so fast!

We left the show and continued to hang out taking pictures in front of the school. Banner was delightfully hanging with his family, looking for his friends to take pictures with, and eager to show us how he goes across the monkey bars before everyone had to get home. Other than some coughs here and there throughout the show, you would have had no idea this kiddo had fever earlier in the day. And, he felt cool to the touch throughout the night when I would check on him. 

So, you can imagine how bummed we ALL were when he woke up the next morning with 101.8 fever. The thought of walking all over the zoo for his field trip was enough to make him come to terms with the fact that the zoo field trip he's been asking about since before Day 1 of Kindergarten would be something he'd have to miss. I promised him I would take him another day - as he moaned about missing out on seeing the snakes and cheetahs and leopards. He rolled over in bed, telling me he'd like for me to take him out on a date to the zoo just us one weekend. I happily obliged, but I was still really bummed for him. When we emailed his teacher that he would be absent again today, she responded with: "Oh my goodness, I am so sad to hear this. :( I hope he feels better soon. I will miss him today at the zoo! I still remember day one of meeting him: “Will we go to the zoo this year?” and he is missing it…poor thing!"

And later today, he will miss the swim meet he's supposed to participate in. My baby who NEVER gets sick is missing some big stuff today, but I'm SO glad he was able to participate in the fun last night - singing so nicely with his friends, celebrating this year he has worked so hard - making new friends, learning so much, gaining more confidence and recognizing how very smart he is, and having a night showing off his school and his class to his family. So, even though the zoo was supposed to be the highlight and we are disappointed to be missing out on it, the big performance last night has become the Kindergarten highlight that I know I will always remember. And, I hope Banner feels better soon, so we can get him to that zoo!

Banner and his friend/our neighbor, Andrew

Banner took this one - and I thought it was cute. :)

13-Month Newsletter: Knox

Dear Knox,
Your birthday month has come and gone now, and we are officially past the year-old finish line! 13-months old today, and even in this last month, we've seen so many new developments! Mostly, your language is starting to take off! You are mimicking and copying our words as best you can, and we are loving your little expressions. My favorite is "I did it!" (which sounds more like "Didit!") after you finish a pouch or do something fabulous. :) You put your hands over your heart to show "love," and you do your impression of a "roar" whenever you see dinosaurs or tigers or crocodiles... anything vicious and you say (or gurgle) "Awwwhhhh" - okay, I have no idea how to spell what sound it is you make, but it's almost as if you are saying the latter part of "roar" without being able to say the /r/ sound. Hard to explain this sound, but it's from the very back of your throat and it's intentionally made each time - to copy your brothers' sounds they make when "roaring." You continue to clearly say "bye-bye," "hi," "muh" (more), "heh" (here), "uh" (up), and "bah" (ball). You have started saying "mama" more, but mostly in mimicking me. You attempt pretty much any word we say, with a long pause before we hear anything from you - you're processing the sound and figuring out how to make it. Sometimes it comes out just right, other times (more often than not), it mimics the syllable length but not the same word. Impressively, you are already tying two words together: "Hi, Dada!"

You are crystal clear in your communication skills - eyeing what you want, whining wildly until we give you your milk or your toothbrush or your water cup. If you could have ONE thing that will always keep you happy, it would be the remote controls. I'm so damn sick of hiding, grabbing, negotiating, stealing the remote from you. If there is ONE place you are most happy, it's sneaking into a drawer of cups or bowls that is supposed to be closed. If there is ONE thing you hate, it's laying still for diaper changes - or maybe having your snotty nose wiped... hmm, that one's a tie. And the ONE thing your brothers hate that you do, it's turning off the Xbox in the middle of a game!

You currently have pink eye and are in the middle of a cold. You're drippy - with snot and watery eyes and drool. Your eyes were goopy the other day with green slime, and Dr. B expected you to have an ear infection, but nope; ears were clear and we decided pink eye was the reason for the swollen eyelids, green gunk, and red eyes. Because of the cold, you're not eating as much as usual. And, you want to be held a lot, but otherwise, you're your typical happy-go-lucky self.

The things that I just adore: your dancing... especially when you want so badly to copy Quinn's breakdancing moves he calls the "Super Spin" when he twirls around on his bottom. The way you pat us on the back when you hug us! Trying to give hugs to people who are upset (when Quinn cries, you try to make him feel better even if he doesn't let you near him). Your anger- I know, I'm mean... but it's the cutest thing - that rage that overcomes you when your brothers take something or try to soothe you when you're already upset - it's like you yell at them "Back off!" with your intense yell "UHH!" and sometimes even a hand up in their face. Your down dog pose you make anytime, anywhere - forehead on the ground, tush in the air, legs fully extended, and eyes peeking underneath you.

We have not dropped the bottle yet, but we did drop one a day from your previous routine. Now, you have a bottle in the morning, a bottle at night, and one in the middle of the day some time. You much prefer milk from a bottle, but you'll take it in a cup (although not very much, and it doesn't seem to satisfy you at all). We tried fish and raspberries this month, but you haven't seemed to really eat any of the fish, and the raspberries were only a one-day deal because you threw up that evening and we nixed the raspberries to be sure the throw up was mucus-induced from your cold and not an allergic thing. We'll try again soon and be sure!

Knoxy, lately things have been hectic around the house. We've had two weeks of various spring breaks, lots of homework and practices and learning to ride bikes and losing teeth and cleaning up after play dates and guests over and birthday celebrations ... there's always something going on! It's all great stuff, but it keeps us busy and quite often I feel that you are just shuffled in with all the chaos. Some times you take advantage of that chaos and quietly make your way to the accidentally-left-open gate and climb up the stairs to get ahold of your brothers' Xbox remotes. You don't get a lot of down time to just play with toys by yourself or for Mommy and Daddy to just chill and play with only you. You don't seem to mind, but it's not what I want for you. There are days when I feel you and I didn't interact other than diaper changes, bottles, and getting in and out of a carseat or high chair. Maybe that's because you've been sick and just want to be held or maybe it's because you are just so "go with the flow," or maybe it's because you are easily entertained by your brothers and the drama that's always going on around you. I'm hoping things will settle a bit after spring break and we can reconnect on a normal schedule. It's not that I don't feel connected to you... it's that you deserve more time and more one-on-one than you get!

But, don't think I don't notice you. I see you. I hear you. I watch you in amazement and awe as you meander around the house figuring out what you can get into, seeing what everyone else is up to, planning your next move to capture the remote, and making sense of this family and your world. Time has already been flying by; I'm pretty sure it's about to get a lot faster in the coming months as you grow and learn at a rapid rate!

Here's to another great month, Baby Love!
Happy 13-months!
Love,
Mommy

Typical bath time with the big brothers

Typical post dinner bombardment - they just love you!

Cheek to cheek with Grandma

Over spring break, the boys spent the night out, so you got some alone time with me! We both LOVED it!

Quinn: Three and a Half!

Dear Quinn,
Sometimes it's hard to believe you are already 3 and a half. Other times, I'm surprised you are not older than this number that seems so young. You are a wise little boy, and you continue to amaze us - but not surprise us - with your immense vocabulary and creative ideas. Your memory, your silliness, your affection - all so very impressive. I feel that in the past 6 months or so you have truly become our middle child and not just the little one with the baby brother. As a middle child myself, I never really understood the stigma and the "syndrome" that seems to accompany this position in the family, but as a parent, I see it clearly. I see how easy it is for the middle child to be overshadowed by the freshness of the older child and the cuteness of the baby. All your firsts are OUR seconds, and they won't be our LASTs, so you get stuck in the middle with not a lot of excitement. That sucks so badly for you. I try so hard to make sure it isn't that way! You are a different child, a different personality, a different perspective. You're unique in that you are one of the oldest in your class (as opposed to Banner being a summer, young birthday). You are unique in that you have this older boy to compete with and keep up with and to admire and to long for his attention. You have a little one right behind you, wanting so desperately to do everything you do! He admires you the way you admire Banner, and you and Knox will spend more and more time together now that he's getting bigger! I am loving the way you have decided to embrace him after months of uncertainty!

Since late November/early December, we have seen a noticeable difference in you, Quinn. For months, you were an anxiety-ridden, meltdown-at-any-minute basket case. I was really worried about you for a while. You didn't want to go to school, you were anxious at the idea of having to go there no matter what time of day you'd ask us if you had school the next day. We met with your teachers and the school director, and they were seeing the same apprehension and reluctance. You didn't want to participate in certain activities or sing certain songs. You weren't having fun like you did last year. During the High Holy Days, you were afraid God was going to be at services, and you didn't want to go. You did NOT want to say you were sorry to God, and even after reassurance that God would not, in fact, be sitting up on the bimah for you to walk up to and speak directly to, you couldn't shake that image out of your head and were pretty anxious about going to school when they talked about God and saying you are sorry to anyone! Every night at dinner, when we share our "sweet" and our "sour," your sweet would be when you left school, and your sour would be that you had to go to school. Yet, we couldn't figure out what was making you so anxious about school. You are a bright boy who excels in nearly every area; you made friends easily and seemed to like everyone at the building; you were following rules and making good choices... but you had seemingly regressed into not wanting to be away from us at all.

Change is always hard for you. Welcome to being MY son! But, this was unusual for you. Luckily, that is not the case any longer - and when you ask if you have school today (or tomorrow), I no longer cringe when I have to give an affirmative answer. Sometimes, you even say, "Yes!!" in excitement at getting to go. Now, going to school is your "sweet." I love that! And, when I pick you up, sometimes you want to stay longer. You are happy, cheerful, and full of SO MUCH energy at pick-up time. You are talkative and tell us about the funny things that happened that day or who you played with. I'm not sure what changed; but I'm glad it did! My personal opinion is that you had regressed after Knox was born. Starting in June last year, you didn't want to go to camp, and that never really got better once the school year started. You've had a lot of changes, and I think that was the setback. From potty training and dropping nap to moving houses and life with a mobile baby and not going to school with Banner anymore... it was a lot of change for one little boy! It's no wonder you were probably feeling all twisted and confused and unsure of your big world.

Yet, you've come out of this turmoil you must have been feeling to show us how strong and smart you are:

-You continue to thrive linguistically! Your word choice continues to impress us. You use words like "realize," "activity," "actually," and you retell stories with long, lengthy sentences. Your work was showcased with your class's this last month at school. Your retell is elaborate and full of complex sentences. You were fully conversational a LONG time ago, but your vocabulary and sentence structure just keep impressing!

-You absolutely love to dance. My favorite is the sharp pointing upward at the finale of a song - or even the tune of the dryer sounding or the ride-on airplane music wrapping up - one index finger pointing to the sky with an elbow fully extended and head nodding or slightly shaking in rhythm. You've taken to spinning on the floor like a break-dancer, and you pretend to play a mean air guitar. Usually, one eye is closed/squinted while you jam.

-You love to be silly and tell jokes. "Why did the robber take a bath? He wanted to make a clean get away. What has four legs but cannot walk? A chair. What has four 'eyes' but cannot see? Mississippi. Why couldn't the pirate go to the movie? Because it's rated 'ARRRR." Want to hear a pizza joke? Never mind, it's too cheesy." You crack everyone up - telling your jokes at school and at home, and you've memorized them and continue to learn more. I'm not sure you completely understand your jokes, which makes it even better because you don't really laugh at them, but you deliver the punchline perfectly.

-Even when you aren't meaning to, you crack me up. One day at Grandma's house, Knox kept pushing the hallway carbon monoxide detector button, and it kept making a beeping sound that startled you a couple times. You covered your ears and ran to the den to me, fretting about him continuing to push the button. "Ehhhhhhh, he's gonna do it again. It's going to be loud!! It's going to be loud! EEEEHHHHH!" I said, "Look at me. You're okay." And, you replied, "Well, it's FREAKING ME OUT!" I couldn't help but laugh at your expression. It's not uncommon to hear you say some of these phrases that seem too old for you. You've been known, even at school, to say "O.M.G!" Ms. Robyn even told me that you winked at her one day. And, tonight at dinner, you told Daddy, "It's going to taste so good, you're going to say, 'What in the world!!!" (although your "world" was "woild") A few months ago (October), we were playing a game and when you lost a turn, you would stomp your feet, clench your fists, and with a scowl shout, "Obama!" After a few more times, I finally realized you were saying "Oh, bummer!" but with your sweet "New York accent," it sounded like you were damning the President! :) You so make me giggle!

-I've learned you are just going to be a little bit on the anxious side. You have a hard time with transitions. Leaving the house can be a trigger for tears. The mere act of getting shoes on and in the car can make you upset. But, once we are at our destination, you are just fine. You don't like to feel rushed at all - and that will bring out your anxiety, too. Daddy and I have to be careful not to say things like "Hurry up," or "Come on!" to rush you in anyway, or you start to panic. If others don't listen, you also get upset. "Eh! Banner, Mommy's going inside the house! Hurry! Mommy, Banner's not coming! Don't close the garage!!" or "Knox is gonna get my snack! Ehhh! Help!" and you say these in such a worried way (even if all is okay - like Knox is across the room and not at all showing interest in your snack).

-You're doing great in swim lessons lately! The beginning of the year was rocky, but now you swim in the deep end, jump off the side of the pool, and have jumped off the diving board a couple times (but this is what causes the most anxiety for you still).

-You are LOUD! We've read a book called Decibella to help you understand a wide variety of voice levels, and this has helped. I remind you to use your "6-inch voice," and sometimes you will tell me you'll use your "2-inch" voice instead... but then forget and start yelling again. We're working on inside voice vs. outside voice, but you mostly use the outside voice everywhere!

-You are passionate!  You love what you love and hate what you hate. You love milk first thing in the morning, and multiple times throughout the day. You love Danimal smoothies, yogurt with M&Ms or Oreo crumbles, graham crackers while you watch the iPad, and gummies. You love Umizoomi, Peppa Pig, Daniel Tiger, and Trolls. You pretty much hate brushing your teeth and fixing your hair in the morning. You don't like to look at pictures or videos of yourself as a younger child. You love to have your back scratched. (I can just hear you now, "Scwatch my back.") Oh, and lately, you love to say something was "Fantastic!" How was your day? "Fantastic!" How's your pasta? Fantastic!

-You've become quite the actor. You like to act out parts of the movie Trolls. You particularly like to be Branch, and I'm Poppy. We've memorized parts of it and perform the campfire scene pretty often. You like to pretend a LOT. You are very imaginative. (You love to play grocery and use the cash register; you love pretending to cook in your kitchen; you invent stories using figures and blocks.) And, if someone deviates from their part or the character they are supposed to be (because you assigned them that character), you get upset. You often like to pretend you are Daniel and I am Mommy Tiger, and when we sing Daniel Tiger songs, I have to sing my part and you have to sing your part - and I get in trouble if I don't do it right. Most mornings, you tell us if you are Branch, Batman, or Pacman - and you refuse to be Quinn. If we say the wrong name, you let us know you are NOT Quinn.

-You like to help me bake and cook. By the time you turn 4, you may very well know several recipes and how to navigate the kitchen!

-You love a good concert when you poop. I know you're done and ready for me to wipe you when the rounds of singing stop. "Dreidel," "ABC," "Jingle Bells," "Bingo," "Farmer and the Dell," are all on your performance list. It's quite entertaining. (And, to be clear, you mess up the words like no other... "E-I-N-G-O" is how you spell "Bingo," and "I hope the dario," instead of "Hi ho" and "H-I-K-K-M-M-M-O-P" is the middle of your alphabet.)

-Lately, you've been exceptionally impatient! "Nevah" has entered your daily vocabulary - as in, "It's nevah gonna work, Mommy," or "Now I'll nevah find my toy!" or "He's nevah gonna let me have a turn!" And, sometimes, this word is used to state refusal to a request, especially when we ask you to clean up... a task that was once your strength. "Quinn, please pick up 5 toys to put away." "NEVAH!" It makes me laugh now, but in the moment, not so much, My Love.

-You are one stubborn little man when you want to be. I can just see you now, arms crossed tightly across your little torso, eyebrows furrowed, mouth tightened and lips pursed out, cheeks red, eyes blazing. You can be MAD when you want to be. You have to think hard to stop yourself from hitting Banner or lashing out at me when you are pissed off. Your little body tightens up and anger takes over you from time to time. Your voice gets loud and words get short. "GIVE.IT.TO.MEEEE!" or "IT'S.MY.TURRRN!!!" your demands are quick and voice thick with anger. And as much as I hate to see you so upset and unable to calm down, I love that you stand up for yourself and speak up loud and clear.

-In fact, a couple months ago, Daddy pulled his shirt over his head in a funny way, but when he snuck out from behind the refrigerator and startled you and Banner at the dinner table, Banner immediately pulled his fists up to his mouth and covered his face as he started to cry, while you shouted with your palm facing Daddy, "NO! STOP!" and even though both of you were angry at Daddy for scaring you, (after we stopped laughing...) Daddy and I told you how proud of you we were that you stood up to the scary thing and demanded it to stop!

-Every night at bedtime, you tell us that you don't want to go to sleep, that you want to stay up and play. Every.single.night, I tell you that you don't have to go to sleep but that it is time for bed, and you have to follow the bedtime rules: stay still, stay quiet, and close your eyes. You complain once or twice, and then you're fast asleep. (Your snoring has significantly decreased, but you definitely still breathe audibly and snore every now and then. I haven't taken it off the table to go back to the ENT, but for now, it's so much better.)

-You are so very smart! A couple days ago, you saw a car that had the same logo as Daddy's car on it, and you said, "Mommy, that car is made by the same company as Daddy's!" I was impressed that you knew cars were made by companies. That struck me as pretty intuitive. There's a line in the song "Down By the Bay," where the singer says, "Have you ever had a time, when you couldn't make it rhyme? ..." and you say, "But that DOES rhyme!" You just seem to "get" so much! Truly, nothing gets past you!

Quinn Redding, you continue to be affectionate and loving. You have embraced the reputation of giving "famous Quinn hugs" to our family members. And you really do give the best hugs! (One day when leaving school, you gave your teacher from last year, Ms. Tali, a big hug. You laid your head on her shoulder and gave a tight squeeze that lasted for a few minutes! She cuddled you as she said, "This is why I do what I do." Beautiful.) You adore cuddle time and being held, and sometimes you just need a hug. Nearly every time you seem to need that cuddle, I'm reminded of our first days together in the hospital, when cuddling you was the best thing in the whole world. Those are my earliest memories of you - and they are so very special, and I am so very grateful that you have stayed so snuggly! I've always called you my cuddle bug, and I love that this nickname holds true still.

At three and a half, you test us daily! I sometimes tell people that you are our hardest child right now. It's not really YOU, though. It's the age. Three and a half is a tumultuous time. You are experiencing so much right now - taking in the world, making sense of it, figuring out your place in our family and in the world, exploring and making connections, noticing everything, being silly and playful and demanding and emotional. You feel intensely and you live deeply in the moment. Your feelings are BIG at 3 and half. But my love for you is bigger, and oh my sweet boy... I couldn't be prouder of you!

Happy Half-Birthday, My Love!
I love you, love you, love you!
Love,
Mommy

You and me at the Opera a few days ago

Knox's first birthday party

Arboretum in October

At Banner's consecration in September

Halloween 2016

Thanksgiving 2016

Thanksgiving Program at school 2016

Hanukkah 2016

Seeing your new Hanukkah present - your baseball fan

At Daniel Tiger Live with Aunt Kira and Levi

You couldn't reach the DVD case. Um, you could. But you cried because you "couldn't."

About to ride your new bike

Knox's 12-Month Well Check

Today we saw Dr. B for Knox's well-check. As with other well checks of the past, I'm first and foremost just glad that we have another healthy boy who is growing and developing just as he should be - if not a bit on the advanced side. I'm also grateful that Sam continues to make these well visits a priority for both of us to attend. While there are times when he cannot make it, I love that we make our kids' health so important that we both attend. And, today, we got to take Knox all by himself without the distraction of his big brothers, which was extra special. 

Knox did great with the nurse checking his height, weight, head, and heart. He was quiet and observing. He even did great for most of the beginning of Dr. B's exam. He didn't like having his mouth and ears checked out, and that's when he started fussing. A few minutes later, and he was fine, and did great again until his shots when he cried the most gut-wrenching cry - poor baby!

The report was fabulous. We answered the developmental questionnaire, and Dr. B told us that Knox is developmentally scoring as an 18-month-old would. That's not surprising to us at all, as this boy is super smart and fast! He has about 6 words in addition to "mama" and "dada" (which he uses every now and then): here, more, ball, hi, bye, and "ah duh" (all done!). He is walking and basically running with perfection. He uses his pincer grasp, rolls a ball, scribbles, helps in the house when we ask him to do something like bring me something or clean up, claps, waves, and even drinks from a cup... although Dr. B had a hard time believing that. (He joked that there's no way that is happening, and Sam said, "I'd have a hard time believing it, too, had I not seen him do it just yesterday!" He turned to the medical student who was observing and said, "Don't believe a word they tell you!" We all laughed, but I insisted Knox can totally drink from a cup on his own without spilling. He had done it immediately before today's appointment at Grandma's house.) This boy of ours is constantly on the move and wanting to keep up with his active big brothers. He has no choice but to be months ahead of his time! 

He was given 3 vaccines: Chicken Pox, HepA, and Prevar. We opted to wait until his next well check for the MMR vaccine. We waited with Banner and Quinn, so I felt we should also wait with Knox.

Oh, and his stats:

Weight: 23 pounds, 1.5 ounces = 80th percentile

Height: 30 1/8 inches = 70th percentile

Head: 46.5 cm = 55th percentile

It's amazing how much every ounce makes a difference. Quinn weighed 23 pounds exactly at his 12-month check up, and he was in the 55th percentile. 1.5 ounces more and Knox is significantly heavier from a percentile perspective. As long as they are healthy and growing okay, I'm all good!

Our goals are to drop the bottle and get Knox to drink 16-24 ounces of whole milk instead of formula now. Should be pretty easy... we shall see!! :) 

Fontina's Return!

January 25th 2017: Banner came in the bathroom first thing in the morning showing me his loose bottom tooth. We figured by the weekend, he'd have a hole in his mouth where that tooth used to be. Later in the evening, we realized he had TWO loose teeth! As new parents, we have no idea how long teeth are supposed to stay wiggly for before falling out...

February 9th: During our bedtime routine, I asked Banner to let me feel how wiggly his teeth were. As I wiggled one, I suddenly realized that his big grown up teeth were already making an appearance immediately behind the loose baby ones.

February 17th: Banner wanted me to keep trying to pull his very loose left center bottom tooth. I thought for sure it would pop right out. Nope! With Knox's birthday party the very next day, I suggested he ask Uncle Brock to help him tomorrow. When I reminded him that Uncle Brock is a doctor, that helped reassure him that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea!

February 18th: Right after we sang "Happy Birthday" to Knox and started watching Knox eat his cake, Banner asked Uncle Brock to pull his tooth. At first, he was nervous, but then he let him do it! It came out right after we started watching Knox's birthday video, so I was looking two different directions - trying to watch the video I had never seen while trying to pay attention to Banner and the tooth and the blood....

He was one brave boy! He was so happy it finally came out! And, that's where our story begins.

When I was little, my mom had a little pillow that we used to deliver our teeth to the tooth fairy. It was about the size of my palm, a pastel checkered pillow lined with a white lacy boarder that had a pocket right in the middle. I hadn't really thought about what my kids would use - I figured we would just put the tooth under the pillow, but no. Throughout the day, I thought about it more with my mom, and I decided I wanted something to make it a bigger deal.

Given that we had been so busy with Knox's party and cleaning up afterward, having time to figure out what to do for the pillow was a challenge, but I finally came up with a plan. I found the baby hat that Banner had worn home from the hospital, and I decided THAT would be his pillow. I took some of the filling out of his Passover seder pillow he made when he was three years old. Then, I sewed on a portion of a bib he used so long ago (that seems like yesterday), and that became the pocket. Voila! A tooth pillow was born! :)

So, wrapped in a napkin from Knox's party, we tucked the tooth into the tooth pillow. The next morning, Banner was excited to see if the tooth fairy came. (He ended up in our bed at some point in the night, so he had to leave our room to go back to his own.) He came sprinting down the hallway while Sam and I were both still half-asleep to show us that not only did the tooth fairy let him KEEP his tooth, but he had a $5 bill in his new tooth pillow! Later, when I went with him to put the pillow back in his room, we noticed a letter on his dresser next to his bed. He was super excited to read his letter from none-other-than our dear FONTINA! She's back!! Banner read the whole letter by himself, and he was especially enthralled that his name had glitter in it!

To be honest, he had NO idea who Fontina was. He did not remember her from years ago, nor did he remember him from when she visited Quinn. Not only is she the Paci Fairy, she's the Tooth Fairy!!! How cool! And she even knew where our new house was! We were super impressed with that! I am so happy to see this beautiful friendship continue with Fontina. Maybe Banner will leave HER a message next tooth! Which should be very soon!

Party Time: Knox

Dear Knox,
What an amazing first birthday party we had today! We could not have asked for better weather on this winter day. I'm pretty sure it was warmer and sunnier than it was on Banner's first birthday party day in June! It was so beautiful outside, and the perfect playground type of day! I'm glad I "chanced it" and planned for our traditional first birthday party in the park. This was our first party at the park near our new house, and it didn't disappoint! It was so nice being in our big "backyard" of a park and able to run home for anything we needed. I considered having your party at the same park we had Banner and Quinn's first birthday parties, but we agreed it was a good chance to make new memories in our new home and new neighborhood, and I'm glad we chose that.

Daddy and I decided to stick with the tradition of having a first birthday theme that was based on a children's book. When Banner was little, Daddy began reading Dr. Seuss's Fox in Socks to him. Banner loved listening to it, and soon enough, Daddy had practically memorized the tongue-twister book. We considered it as a theme for Banner's birthday but ultimately went with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Of course, when Quinn was a baby, Daddy continued to read this book to his newest son, and we again considered it for Quinn's first party but went with another Dr. Seuss favorite, Oh, the Places You'll Go. So, when we were considering a book theme again for YOUR birthday, how could we NOT go with Fox in Socks, when one of the main characters is named Mr. Knox!?! It was too perfect. So, I began trying to plan your party with that theme in mind, and soon enough, it was like a game for the creative side of my brain to come up with as many cool things for it as I could.

The invitation was easy. Daddy handled that! :) The food and decorations were easy too - all the fun rhymes and foods to go with them: poodle's noodles, Knox Blox for the "new blue goo" was also an obvious yes!, brick stacks, block stacks, three cheese trees, and gooey goo for chewy chewing... lots of fun stuff to be creative with. The cake was the challenge. I could NOT think of a fun cake idea, and it was Daddy who came up with the clock suggestion. I loved it - since clocks are seen throughout the book! Once we had that, we were golden. Easy party to plan! Just not the easiest getting it all done with three kids to juggle. So, thank God for Grandma, BeeBee, and Aunt Kira to help distract, cook, clean, and schlep! Yesterday, Grandma and Aunt Kira came over to help me get it all done, and I'm so grateful. Then, BeeBee helped with you this morning to help get you ready for the party after nap, while everyone else was running last minute errands and setting up the party.

We had such a great time! My favorite parts were watching you eat your cake, watching you enjoy the slide and walk around the playground, and Banner losing his first tooth!! But, my all time favorite activity was getting to watch the video that Daddy made for you - and watching it for the first time there with you! (Click here to see it on YouTube!) Reflecting on your first fast year was beautiful. I couldn't help but think how very lucky I am to be your mom, to have you in my life, to have these three gorgeous, healthy, smart, fun, affectionate boys in my life, and to be married to your Daddy who helps me enjoy it all even more!

Here are a gazillion pictures from your awesome day! I know you won't remember it... but I will. And, here's what it looked like:

12:19, the time you were born

Knox Blox - Jello plus Knox gelatin made this an obvious choice 

Here you come, escorted by BeeBee and Colby! 

Mara (12) and Hayla (8 months)

Brycen (5)

Love this picture with Ella in the background... she loves you!

Banner not sure he's ready for Uncle Brock to pull his tooth

Brave Banner

One tooth down, another one to go so soon!

Watching the video Daddy made

The big boys wanted to help you open a couple gifts

You got this gift from Gretchen, Avi, Ryan, and Sari, and you carried it around for a while! :)

Such a blast celebrating you, Knox Morgan! Happy Birthday and MANY, MANY more!

I love you,

Mommy