Funny Girl
I’m giving this ONE VIDEO its very own blog post and keeping it the latest post for 24 hours. That’s right. It is that awesome.
Video
Click here to watch this conversation, recorded on February 13th.
Winter in February Continues
February 6th, Nina is startled by a revelation… *WE SHOULD MAKE A BAND.* See this image larger.
*Brother, you’ve got the strumming down, but– oh look your fingers are on the wrong strings. Here. And Here.* See this image larger.
*Hi, we’re the Chapmanz… and a ONE TWO THREE FOAW!* See this image larger.
That’s Ian on soulful lead guitar. See this image larger.
And Nina on keyboard and orange ice cream co– uh, singing. Thank you for coming to our jam session! See this image larger.
Melissa has been feeding Nina these fruit pouches for forever, and both of us have either squeezed the contents into a bowl, or squeezed a spoonful at a time into Nina’s mouth. See this image larger.
I thought about doing this but never did follow up on it. Mommy handed her the whole pouch. Nina emptied it like a champ. This is good because it means that somebody else can eat while she’s feeding herself. See this image larger.
Video
Click here to watch Nina on February 7th babbling for a bit.
Video
Click here to watch Nina realize that Mommy is home!
February 8th, I went through the steps of how to draw a snowman, and Ian followed right along. Check it out!!! See this image larger.
February 10th, still a little angel while he’s sleeping. See this image larger.
Sweet dreams, little man. See this image larger.
February Comes In Like a Lion. An Angry Snow Lion, Made Entirely of Snow.
Video
Click here to watch Nina and Ian in action. I want to point out that this video illustrates another theory that I started figuring out with Ian. If you keep things humming along fairly happily, he stays happy and tries to do good things. If you yell at him and make him feel like crap, he’s only going to do worse things. Either way it is a snowball effect, good or bad. I’ve been referring to this theory as “keep it light.” I started reading a book that I thought might help with Ian, and I think it did, a little, but ultimately Ian isn’t the kind of kid they’re talking about. Some kids have a way of behaving that is the way they are at all times. Ian changes depending on who is or isn’t around, which tells me the behavior should be correctable. In the case of this video, for example, one could blow a fit about not being able to film Nina, or one could realize that what is being recorded is much closer to the way life is right now, and have some fun with it.
February 2nd, so Nina’s pretty awesome about standing and walking with her pink pony or Ian’s old wheeled truck. But one of the more surprising moves she can pull off is getting on or off the pony very quickly. See this image larger.
This is something else that she seems to do a lot, which is pretend that the TV is a drive-in movie theater. Just the other day, Ian and I were sitting happily next to each other watching a show on the couch… where was Nina? The wheeled truck, just chilling and watching the same show, down at ground level. See this image larger.
Neigh! See this image larger.
February 4th, and you may have heard we got a little snow! See this image larger.
Our street. See this image larger.
Sidewalk! See this image larger.
Video
Click here to watch another clip of Nina saying “Hi Da Da!”
Video
Click here to watch Nina cruising around with her pony.
Video
Click here to watch Nina building with some blocks!
February 5th, we finally got around to adding those smashed cookies to a new batch of ice cream, just vanilla this time. Was pretty awesome. See this image larger.
Ian helped me pour the ingredients in! See this image larger.
This is Ian attempting to clean the spatula, and me whipping it out of his hand. See this image larger.
Here, try a sample spoon. See this image larger.
Ian built this elaborate track thing. Pretty cool! See this image larger.
You want to see me get a little sad? Put a stack of Ian’s outgrown shirts in a stack and put a name on the top that isn’t Ian’s. Yup, these are moving on to a boy who fits in them. See this image larger.
Some of these outfits are the definitive Ian at a different age. This striped shirt for example. I’m not sure what video or picture it is in, but when I picture Ian at a certain age, he’s in this shirt. So. I stole it. I took it out of the stack and put it in a drawer. See this image larger.
January Goes Out Like a Lamb, Part 2
Video
Click here to watch Nina yawn cutely on January 30th. You’ll want to turn your volume up so as to maximize cuteness. Then turn it back down so as to minimize irritation with whatever happens next on your computer.
Ian built this shuttle completely on his own. As in, one moment he was playing on his own, the next this shuttle came flying through the room at his hand. Pretty impressive. He’s four, mind you. Look at the tapered cockpit, the wing configuration and the tail section. I’m betting he’s got a good reason for the red part too. I seriously think he’s going to end up being an engineer or something. The guys on the Chapman side back as far as I can remember, and as I recall one of Melissa’s grandparents seem to have that as a sort of hidden talent, so who knows — might be in his genes. See this image larger.
Kid in destructive mood has excess energy to burn. Solution: Bang up these cookies for some ice cream… use your hammer. See this image larger.
He seems to be enjoying himself. While this was supposed to be for a batch of mint ice cream, that ultimately failed, so the cookies were preserved for a later batch. See this image larger.
On Mondays I’ve been trying to do something fun with the kids, particularly Ian. I’m not sure I need to explain myself on that — part of it is that this is what he was used to before Nina came along, and another part of it is that the entire day goes better when Ian is kept a little busy. So on January 31st, I put Nina in the sunroom, stepped outside onto the deck with Ian, and we tried to build a snowman. Only it turned out that there was only a light coating of ice with non-packing snow underneath. So… we built a snowman out of our grill. Hey, it worked. (Ian said it looked like a character from Thomas the Tank Engine.) See this image larger.
*No cavities, and your top teeth are coming in fine, hard to see in here, though.* See this image larger.
Video
Click here to watch Nina say “Hi Da Da!”
January Goes Out Like a Lamb, Part I
Don’t forget to scroll down if you haven’t been here lately, lots of updates!
In the last entry I mentioned Nina’s jump in walking and talking, over the course of the next several entries you’ll see some of the results of that.
Video
Click here to watch Nina in the tub on January 29th. I’ll say more about Nina and the tub in a moment, but for now I want you to listen to her speak. You tell me if you hear shades of the following phrases, right at the beginning.
“Look at dis.”
“I did that.”
“Did you see?”
Video
Click here to watch another Nina tub moment. In this one listen for:
“I got it.”
Now, about baths in general, here’s a note from the present as we look back on the past: It should be noted that before February 14th, we had no idea why Nina fought so very hard to get to the bathroom tile floor. The night of the 14th, we let Nina go a little further, and little girl went straight to the bathtub, scaled the side of it and ended up almost going headfirst into the empty tub, Mommy dragging Nina away while she scrambled for purchase, squeegee-groan-like squeals of protest emitting from the skin of her fingers. Turns out our little princess looooves a good bath.
Back to the past, here we are the same night as that video above, January 29th. See this image larger.
I did this with Ian back in the day as well… gotta get shots of the back of these kids sometimes too. I should do more profiles as well, but whatever, I digress. See this image larger.
Cutest raspberry on Earth! See this image larger.
At this point she had four teeth, but number five and six were coming quick, on the bottom. See this image larger.
*We’re sinking! Start bailin’!* See this image larger.
Melissa’s B-Day and More
For Mommy’s birthday, we didn’t really take pictures like we did with the kids. Well, that and some of her birthday gift simply hasn’t happened yet because it has been earmarked for “a free day.” We don’t typically know what that is. So I apologize that there’s not much to say about this at the moment, but let it be known that we’re still working on that, and your family loves you very much, Mommy.
Melissa tries on a pretty scarf she received as a gift. From me she also got a necklace, some earrings, and as I said, some promised gifts that must be pursued when we have a moment to breathe. Sadly even as I write this, almost a month later, we haven’t taken the time to do so. See this image larger.
Mmmm… warm dryer. See this image larger.
Ian built a “road” out of books, cushions, blankets and more. See this image larger.
Nina waits on the road while construction takes place in the north-bound lane. See this image larger.
January 24th now, and Ian still is in the birthday mood. As you can see, there are 4 “candle” cheetos in his sandwich. See this image larger.
January 25th my home computer started a several day saga that had me driving back and forth to the Apple store like a mad man. One of the positive things to come out of this crisis was looking over and seeing Ian on one of the computers at the Apple store. See this image larger.
Still images cannot convey how his eyes darted around on the screen. The way his eyes traveled with his hand as he moused around to the buttons. Nina takes a peek too! See this image larger.
More than anything, he looked completely comfortable with what he was doing. I felt a bit of pride. FYI – several partial back-ups essentially saved me from complete disaster. I was able to recover about 2980 of the 3000 emails that became lost during what should have been a routine hard drive transfer. “Genius bar” my butt. See this image larger.
On the 28th, I asked Mommy’s attention, and she was rightfully a little frustrated as she stepped away from making dinner to see what I was talking about. There stood Nina next to me in the center of the room, only leaning on me a little bit, and standing up on her own a great deal. She wasn’t completely standing on her own, but it was progress. Like Ian on the computer, she seemed comfortable doing so. It was the start of a trend that lasted a couple weeks. Her speech got better, her walking got better. It was like a little leap forward. I can’t honestly say it feels like she is taking another leap at this moment, but perhaps she’s pausing for another major jump.
Ian Turns Four
Audio
Click here to hear part 1 of a recent audio recording discussing various topics with Ian about his birthday and other events.
Audio
Click here to hear part 2 of a recent audio recording discussing various topics with Ian about his birthday and other events.
January 21st, my little boy gets a little less little. Just thinking about how a year or so from now he’ll be in REAL school makes me a feel a little queasy. Thank you all for your generosity, Ian was thrilled with everything!
I love it when I ask him for a certain pose and he pulls it off perfectly. See this image larger.
Nina – Always excited about new clothes. See this image larger.
A set of toy tools from Ikea. Ian – *YEAAAAH!* Nina – *ZZZZZZZZ! Get back to the clothes!* See this image larger.
Thanks for the cards as well, family! See this image larger.
Curious George, for the win! See this image larger.
This moonbase went along with the rocket Ian got for Christmas! See this image larger.
Ian was very happy to have the robot to add to his collection! See this image larger.
A cool click-brick toy similar to legos, but different! (Nina inspects presents by taste in the background.) See this image larger.
A puzzle for Nina! See this image larger.
The kids play nicely together for a few moments. See this image larger.
Ian loved the cake!
Here’s that rocket cake again, this time with engines lit! (See the bottom?) Ian loved the cake! See this image larger.
Mid-January
We got back from Grandma Marcia and Grampa Dave’s house on a Sunday, so the next day was Monday the 17th. So I made a family project out of hanging the mobile. You can sort of see Nina in that my iPad is propped in the background for her to watch. Ian helped me put the planets on! See this image larger.
Was he happy with the result? See this image larger.
That’s a yup. See this image larger.
The day before Ian’s birthday, here he is contemplating his old age, perhaps. See this image larger.
Melissa and I were pretty somber on this night, realizing his third year was over already. 2010 was such a tough year for this kid, I’m surprised when he gives us trouble, but I’m more surprised and proud of what an amazing trooper he has been through everything. See this image larger.
Still flying rockets! See this image larger.
So this is Nina with the remote control for the motorized solar system mobile. The first time she knocked the remote against the wall over her shoulder, I told her no and shook my head. Now she still does it and smiles at me, makes sure I’m watching. See this image larger.
You’re just lucky you’re cute! See this image larger.
She absolutely loves rolling around on Ian’s bed. It is a big mattress and low to the floor. See this image larger.
Mommy reads the kids a bedtime story! See this image larger.
Love this shot. They look like they’re really paying attention! See this image larger.
Here you can see Nina’s about to lose interest… See this image larger.
Ian looking at the reflection of himself in the camera lens. See this image larger.
Nina suggests another book. See this image larger.
That night Melissa somehow still found time to bake a cake for Ian’s birthday… this is it! I helped a little. It’s a rocket. And those are supposed to be little stars on the foil, and a cookie planet. See this image larger.
Melissa and Ian’s Birthday, Part II
Another update! If you’re not keeping up, then scroll down! 😉
January 16th, and everybody is up and movin’. See this image larger.
Grampa Dave shows everybody how to draw a rocket! See this image larger.
Ian shows everybody what a cheesy smile is all about. See this image larger.
Nina tries on a cute outfit! See this image larger.
Look at that pretty coat! See this image larger.
I’m a big fan of babies in overalls, so cute! See this image larger.
She’s standing better and better! See this image larger.
Nina in dramatic lighting… See this image larger.
Although this shot doesn’t show Nina’s head/neck tilt, it reminded me to say that I haven’t seen Nina’s head/neck tilt pretty much since our last doctor’s visit. Better and better, little girl! Thank you all for your prayers! See this image larger.
Nina reads up on motorcycles while Ian licks his sock. This is precisely the kind of thing I meant in the previous entry when I mentioned Ian pushing my buttons. He’s doing this thing he knows will get me upset, and looking over his shoulder to make sure I’m watching. And I’ve smelled his socks before, so I can tell you from experience that there’s no way he’s doing that because he enjoys it. See this image larger.
Ian singing opera? Not sure. See this image larger.
Gathering for a quick round of Uno! See this image larger.
Ian wins! See this image larger.
Grampa Dave cuddles with little girl! See this image larger.
Video
Click here to see this video of Nina crawling and the cutest little smile! Thanks Grampa Dave for getting this one with your camera!
Video
Click here to see Nina bang the drums!
Melissa and Ian’s Birthday, Part I
Before we begin celebrating Melissa and Ian’s birthday, I want to discuss some overall trends that happened around this time. Nina started to become more of a Daddy’s girl than before. As I said, it started around the time that Melissa had to open the Children’s hospital, but it developed into the kind of thing where I could get her to sleep at times when Melissa could not. We started jokingly calling me “the closer” because Melissa would feed her, and I would hold her afterwards for a little bit and put her down. I think it was just easier for her with me because she doesn’t think about feeding, I’m pretty boring, generally wearing something fuzzy, and let’s face it, I’m just flat out warmer from a temperature perspective. At the same time, Ian has become more of a Mama’s boy, at times not letting me near him. Also Ian started to go down the path of what they’re calling these days “The Spirited Child.” Just doing stuff to try our patience and test our boundaries. I’m mentioning all of this because bits and pieces of the above changed or evolved toward the beginning of February. As I’m sure I’ll mention, Nina also suddenly took huge strides toward talking and walking at around the third week in January.
So anyway! On January 15th and 16th we went over to Grampa Dave and Grandma Marcia’s so that we could celebrate Ian and Mommy’s birthdays!
January 15th, Nina curls up in a comfy chair! See this image larger.
And BOOM time to open presents already! Grampa Dave expressed doubt as to how well this present was going to go over. See this image larger.
It was a cool motorized planetary mobile!! Ian loved it immediately! See this image larger.
Picture him saying “thank you!” here from years of good parenting. I’m pretty sure he even said it, but PICTURE him saying it here, that’s the key. See this image larger.
Little girl loved the wrapping paper! (Such a cutie!) See this image larger.
Video
Click here to see Nina use a box as a step. Pretty smart if you ask me!
Somebody has blankies and pillows out already, must be getting late! See this image larger.
Video
Click here to see Nina playing with a gumball machine style toy.
Daddy continues the bunny-ear tradition… See this image larger.
Ian and Daddy read a book on the iPad while Nina crawls over to see what the fuss is about. See this image larger.
This was pretty cool… Nina wanted to see what was on the iPad screen so she stood up and peered over my shoulder! See this image larger.
Here she figured out that if she used a Vulcan nerve pinch on Cookielocks the bear, he’d fall over in a slump and there’d be room for her! Totally kidding. See this image larger.
Grandma Marcia rocks Nina to prepare her for sleep! See this image larger.
Happy birthday Mommy and Ian! NOTE: There will be another celebration in a few entries, don’t get confused! 🙂 See this image larger.