Sleeping Aleksi

Aleksi slept swaddled for the first four months of his life. Then we switched to Zippy, which was his nap and night companion until two days ago. So he is finally sleeping unrestricted at almost fourteen months old. 

Last few nights Aleksi has struggled with a cough. Last night I went to his room four or five times to give him snuggles and hold him upright so it would be a bit easier for him to breath and not cough. This is a new thing as he hasn't fallen asleep or wanted to cuddle when he is tired. Today for nap he actually fell asleep in my arms as I sang a Christmas song to him. While I am grateful, and feel that it is necessary, to have a independent sleeper most of the time. These are some sweet moments when we snuggle together and I know that I am bringing the much needed comfort to him.

Picture snapped before I had to wake him up for school pick up.

Failed Pajama Photo Shoot

Tonttu brought new pajamas for the kids. Rather than giving the right before Christmas, they got them to wear all month along. They aren't Christmas themed, but the kids love them. Saku is finally wearing pajamas when he sleeps.

These pictures show how hard it is to get a good picture of all three kids. I make funny faces in an attempt to get Aleksi to laugh or smile and Eerika mimics my faces...

Saku on the Piano

Saku loves playing the piano. It is an unusual morning if he doesnt walk down the stairs and go straight to the piano and play "Star Spangled Banner" . 

He can also figure out how to play songs by just playing by ear. 

We are working on convincing him that he really wants to learn to read music rather than just memorizing songs.

Saku also has an excellent music teacher this year and he has learned the songs for each military branch. 

Little Brothers are the Best

Saku and Eerika adore Aleksi. Yes there are times when they might be slightly annoyed by his little hands grabbing on things or the attention that he demands, but majority of the time, they love him. 

Eerika is always willing to try to distract him when he is sad or when her help is needed during diaper changes.  She also bugs him the most as she tries to boss him around, but overall, they are a good pair at home during the day when Saku is at school. 

Saku is not a morning person. There is a lot of groaning and moaning even at 7 am when I have to get him up. However, when Aleksi walked into his room, Saku jumped out of bed and shared his advent calendar's chocolate of the day with Aleksi and they played cars for few minute before breakfast.

Aleksi likes to go and wrestle with the older kids. 

Third Time Charm With Tooth Fairy

Saku lost his second tooth during our week in Phoenix. For two nights in a row, the tooth fairy failed to show! Saku was pretty bummed out on the second morning, and he even said "äiti, can't you just go and do it?" After his first tooth fairy visit, Saku and Eerika asked me if there really was a fairy or if it was me, I told them that the tooth fairy was someone who loved him very much.

So while we were at the movies watching The Good Dinosaur, the tooth fairy finally showed up with an orange balloon, a dollar bill and explanation how she had gone to Colorado Springs, and then to Tucson where we had been visiting the previous night and finally risked being seen and came in the middle of the day. Saku was very happy. I am not sure if he truly believes in the tooth fairy. I think he wants to believe because he wants the magic and fun associated with it. 

I am grateful for Grandma who is creative and helpful when äiti and isi fail. 

I told Saku that I had decided to give Aleksi some toys that I had initially planned to give to Saku. Saku said "I can share the toys with Aleksi since I am barely ever here". He referred to the fact that he goes to school each day.

Eerika was crafting with her friend Clara and she was asking me to cut something out. I said "this will be tricky". Eerika replied "we are challenging you".

First Cold Days of Winter

We had to take out our winter clothes in the end of October to keep us warm.

Happy Day with My Man

Troy went to Vegas for 12 days for testing. He was supposed to come home way after midnight last night. A little after seven o'clock, someone knocked on the door. I went to open it and Troy jumped out of the shadow. It freaked me out, but I was so happy to see him. So were the kids. There was a lot of hugging and chatting from the kids. There was a lot of smiling, talking and kissing from me. We spent the evening, after kids went to bed, talking in the dark with only the fireplace on. It was pretty awesome. 

Today I had a chance to surprise Troy. I had arranged a baby sitter to come so we could go on a lunch date. It isn't the easiest thing for me to find a good sitter and feel like I can just leave, but I felt like it was much needed to have some kid free time. Troy was very happy. Breanna showed up. Aleksi was sleeping and the big kids were quickly engaged with Breanna and we went on our way. We were able to go to the Monarch model home and make some decisions about structural changes and get even more excitement and assurance that we really want this for our family. Troy introduced me to Mod Pizza, where you select all the toppings you want for $7.47. Then we did some quick shopping for a winter jacket for Aleksi and winter boots for me. 

When we got back, the kids were disappointed to see us and Aleksi hadn't cried at all. This was huge for me. Breanna had made lunch, brought crafts to do with them and confidently taken care of Aleksi. Aleksi didn't even rush to me when I walked in. 

The rest of the day was spent playing on the floor with the kids, enjoying time outside, cleaning the car together, quick shopping trip to Target to spend the kids' money from their morning clean up, and then a movie night with Inside Out. 

It was such a good day. I am grateful for this family. Some days are so much work. Today was a good reminder of the beautiful people that are in my family. I love looking at that picture and how handsome Troy looks. I loved how Aleksi brought books to me tonight before bedtime. I loved watching our kids work this morning to get our house clean. I loved the unhurried and uninterrupted time with Troy today. I love the confidence that our kids have to be with new people. 

Aleksi going down the slide

Aleksi is finally in a more manageable age for the park and playground. Of course I have to watch him all the time so he doesn't climb up something and fall down, but he is steady enough on his feet that he can wander around and explore without my constant help.

Plus he loves going down the slide. 

Zoo in the Chilly Weather

When Troy is gone, the weekend doesnt have the luxury it usually has. We decided to go to the zoo to lighten up our moods. It was in the high 30s, which meant that there weren't the usual crowd of people. 

We have been two the zoo three times before, and this time we saw the moose, porcupine and mountain lions for the first time. We also splurged and ate at the Grizzly Grill for lunch. It wasnt really worth our money, but no one was hungry after that. 

Both big kids sported their winter vests and we had an overall good time. I found Saku to be especially cute in his jeans, sweater and vest combination. He dresses himself on most days, which is just fine, but it is nice to have him a much coordinated outfit every once in a while. 

Happy Baby in Tub

Aleksi's First Cake

Aleksi got is 1st birthday brownie five days after his actual birthday. Troy was out of town on Aleksi's birthday evening so we waited to have the cake with isi. Aleksi wasn't very impressed. Maybe I should have baked a fancy cake for him. Aleksi can be very stoic and solemn at times, so these pictures are a good representation of that.

Of course, as always, I ended up eating most of the brownies in the following days.  

Eerika by the Numbers

I obviously scheduled Saku and Eerika's doctor's appointments together.

Eerika was not very happy about the visit. Her biggest problem was the fact that Saku kept telling "no you cannot have any marshmallows" and it made her so mad. Actually, her biggest problem was the three shots that the nurse gave her. I am not huge fan of the nurses at the office and the fact that they do shots on her little arms. 

She was not a huge fan of the doctor checking her out, but the doctor was able to examine her and declare that she was very healthy.

She  was 32.4 inches (74%) and 22 lb 14oz (29 %). She jumped down on all the growth curves since 12 months. 

The only "issue" is her lack of talking. I am not concerned about it since she understands everything and follows commands and communicates in her way. 

Since our signing time enforcement has started, she has picked up multiple new signs. You can tell that she is excited about her progress and the fact that we can understand her. 

She can sign drink, inside, bird, excited, grumpy, sleep, mom, dad, outside, tree, please and more. 

I was asked to do a questionnaire on her at 21 months to see if there is any need for speech consult.

Note: I believe this was after Eerika's 15 month appointment

Halloween 2015

Eerika and Saku requested costumes from Grandma and she did an amazing job. Eerika wanted to be Elsa, which was an interesting choice since I thought we had passed the Frozen phase.  Saku wanted to a Jedi. He was a Jedi few years ago with a thrift store costume, but this year's Jedi was amazing. Grandma made so many little details that just amazed Troy and I. 

I emailed our ward's relief society and asked for a costume for Aleksi and someone had a Yoda. He was so adorable. So we had sort a matching costumes with the Jedi and Yoda. 

Troy and I were again lame and didn't dress up. I have big aspirations each year but in the end, I don't quite care enough to spend the time and money on our costumes. I did wear kitty ears for our ward Trunk or Treat. 

We actually had adult stake conference session on Halloween night, so the youth from our ward took Saku and Eerika trick or treating while we wrestled Aleksi at the church.  The kids had such a good time and came home with a load of candy. 

The following day, Troy and I received a strong impression, during stake conference, that we should be in this ward and have our kids grow up in this area and be surrounded by such strong, good families.  I believe that this strong impression was a result of our obedience to attend the adult session the night before. 

Aleksi's first taste of chocolate milk. He is a fan!