Look out World

This girl is so full of personality.

The truth comes out or some version of the truth

During our dinner conversation

äiti:"You are ok if I go out with the girls on the 12th?"

Isi:"Yeah that should be fine"

Eerika: "I am not fine with it. You will be mad with three kids"

isi: "Am I usually mad with three kids?"

Eerika: "No but aiti is."

Isi: "She wasn't mad today, was she?"

Eerika: "No she is mad at bed time"

Isi: "Every night?"

Saku: "No just when you are gone."

I guess that illustares that bedtime without Troy can be a bit stressful. Depending on Aleksi's bedtime timing and if he actually stays asleep after he falls asleep, he sometimes wakes up after 45 minutes and has a hard time settling down. I don't know if his body thinks it is just a nap rather than nighttime sleep. So if I am by myself and in the middle of story/song/prayers and he starts crying, my stress level does spike up. 

I guess I thrive on schedules more than I like it admit and again, I had forgotten how unpredictable babies can be. One night he goes to bed at 7 am and sleeps until 11 pm, another night he goes to bed at 6:30 and is up by 7:15 followed by "the song and dance" for the next hour. No rhyme or reason.  

I did ask Eerika when I get mad at her and she said "when I get out of bed". And yes that can be frustrating when it happens multiple times. She is in the stage of "can't get through the day happy without a nap, but with a nap, she could stay up until 9 am which isn't ok for us". Tricky business. 

Today really was a happy and good day and really most days are good. Just sleep deprivation and a small hiccups  sometimes push my buttons a bit. I need to let go off the things that I can't control and learn to control myself and my emotions.

Happy happenings in the house:

Playing at the school playground after school. I enjoy chatting with Laci.

Aleksi learning to blow bubbles.

Eerika reciting the first article of faith in Primary in a loud and clear voice.

Saku has become a fluent reader. He gets 10/10 on his spelling tests.

Troy and I discovered that we like Indian Food. Thanks Camille and Birch. 

Family story time after Eerika's party on Saturday. 

Mr. A at 3 months

Aleksi at 3 months

Aleksi is a happy and social baby.  He talks to anyone who gives him some attention. Grandma called him a "smiley baby" and someone else described him as  "bright eyed".

He wears size two diapers.

He takes three naps a day. Usually two long ones (1.5 hours) and one short 45 minute one after school pick up. The morning nap sometimes ends up going the following way: he sleeps 45 minutes and wakes up and then I hold him for another 45 minutes. The afternoon nap is pretty much a solid long nap no matter what. 

He goes to bed between 6:30 and 7 pm and sleeps until between 6 and 7 am. Of course there are feedings in between but that is his night time sleep time. 

He is back to disliking his car seat, but I think he is out of boredom so I will try and see how toys will help him. Saku's job is to keep him entertained and 

He has been up a lot at night since our trip to Finland. It has been a bit rough, BUT last night we had a good night. He was only up at midnight and 4 am, and he soothed himself back to sleep on his own at 4 am. I don't expect it to repeat itself, but it was amazing for a night.

I went out to the movies last night. Aleksi did have a hard time falling asleep, so I came home
refreshed to find Troy exhausted and sick. But at least one of us was feeling a bit refreshed. I did actually miss the kids and I was happy to come home. It is good to go away so you are ready to come back.

His sleep has been exhausting and stressful for me, BUT Troy has been amazing support.

Saku's words

There are three different ways we can come home from school, Saku prefers one and Eerika prefers one. This is how Saku tried to manipulate me into taking his favorite route. 

"Aleksi wants to take Brekke

Aiti do you want Aleksi to cry?"

"I feel like you don't love me" is a phrase Saku has started to use every now and then when I deny something that he feels like he should have.

"It was great." Response to my inquire about Saku's school day. He says this without missing a beat. 

Miss E is Four!

"I hope she will always be this confident" were Troy's words as he looked at pictures of Eerika from her birthday. 

She is confident. She even believes she is right when it is obvious that she isn't, such as 2+2=5, when she really knows that it equals 4 but she wants to contradict you.

She will say things like "Aleksi, here is your beautiful sister" as she refers to herself. 

In the world where it can be very difficult to feel good about yourself, I am so glad that she thinks that she is awesome. 

Today she was also talking how she is a daughter of God. I loved it. 

This was at Eerika's friend Layla's birthday party. Layla is Zane's sister. Most of the parents made comments how much Eerika has changed since the beginning of the school year. She is a big girl now. 

No idea why she was posing like this. She has such intense eyes. 

Eerika's birthday happened to me on a Monday. It is our first birthday that is on a  school day, so the whole breakfast in bed had to happen before 7 am. I think we walked into her room at 6:40 and initially, I am not sure she was so thrilled about being the birthday girl. Fortunately, she quickly got into the present opening and breakfast eating.

Eerika's face shows how I felt that morning as my alarm went off at 6:15. She had been up a bit late because she was so excited for her birthday and couldn't fall asleep. I was up a lot because Mr. Aleksi likes to be up a lot.

I love these siblings being engaged with each other. Saku was more than happy to open Eerika's presents and Eerika was excited to show her presents to Aleksi.

Fruit loops and orange juice was Eerika's choice for breakfast. She ended up eating on the floor because cereal from a tray on your lap in her bed for a four year old sounds a bit messy. 

Her dinner choice was Mac-N-Cheese so I made a Pioneer Woman recipe. She will have her Pink and Sparkly Birthday party on Saturday. 

Even today, the day after her birthday, she said that she should get to choose who said prayers because "I am the birthday girl". I told her that I would let her do it today, but she wasn't going to be a birthday girl every day.

Her favorite present was pink ballet slippers from Saku. She also got Hello Kitty nail polish set, a sparkly box to put treasures in, dry erase markers, stamps and two of my old Barbie men: John Smith and Prince Charming. 

Troy and I have decided that Eerika has a lot of Troy in her, which is great because Troy is assertive and confident and we want a girl like that.

Eerika's words

äiti: "Eerika please stop growing"

Miss E: "I can't control my body, remember?"

"I love you even when you are mad at me."

"Thanks for this delicious dinner.

Thanks for everything."

"I don't feel like going out and about."

Dear Eerika,

"I knew you would come" is what you told me when I finally climbed into your bed last night to snuggle you. We snuggled and you fell asleep. I hope you will always know that I will always be there for you.

You are so full of passion. You are so full of love. You are so full of life. You run into things because you forget how fast you are and sometimes you just don't pay attention. You can be rough with Saku and a bit overbearing with Aleksi because you are just so full of you.

You are mature for almost four year old. Your vocabulary is great. We started doing reading lessons with you because you want to do them. You started Sunbeams and you are doing such a good job sitting still and being reverent. You asked me if you could go and speak at the microphone soon. 

You still take naps. And you are so sweet about them. Today especially you impressed me as Aleksi was still awake and I couldn't do my usual routine of laying next to you. I asked you to say in the bed and go to sleep. And you did. As I peek inside of the bedroom while Aleksi slept in my arms, I wish you could have seen yourself. You looked like the sweetest thing. And I wish you could have seen my smile. I was so proud of you. 

When I feel overwhelmed as a äiti, you give me extra hugs and kisses. You are my own personal cheerleader. You also humble me as you might as  "why are you mad" when I feel frustrated. And you are quick to remind both isi and I when we are not remembering our promises. 

You and I have had the biggest adjustment since Aleksi was born. And you are so adaptable. You play nicely when I have to spend a 10 minute period putting him to sleep and you tip toe into the closet to talk to me when needed. You baby sit him while I take showers and you inform me when you think he is hungry. 

You have learned to do the skuut bike and you go down the hills without fear. I hope you will continue to live your life with such passion and love. 

Eerika, I love you. I love you more than words can ever express. Having a daughter like you is an amazing privilege. 

Now I promised to snuggle you for your nap so I will go and do that. 

äiti