Pure Sadness

I love baby expressions. They are so pure. Their little faces show raw emotions--they don't hide their feelings or pull faces. Just like her brother did, Lana makes the perfect pouty-lipped sad face. It's very hard to capture on camera since it's so fleeting but I've gotten it a few times. How could anyone not want to pick that baby up and love her?!

From top left: taken while I was vacuuming, taken after vaccinations at her 4mo checkup, and taken while watching me make dinner (so she wasn't actually sad on this occasion, but it's still that pout I adore)

Old McDonald's Farm

On Saturday we paid a visit to Old McDonald's Farm in Humble (pronounced "umble"), TX, with our Texas cousins and grandparents. It's like a giant petting zoo with farm animals where kids can get up close to all the animals and feed them. Most animals were kept in pens or behind gates but peacocks and deer roamed the property freely. The first thing Clark did when we arrived was stick his finger into the chicken coup which promptly got bitten. 

When we were looking at the sheep Clark told me, "I smell something." I guess the farm aroma didn't escape him. 

He was hesitant to get on a horse, telling me he was "too brave" to ride the first one he sat on. This was his second try--the horse was much smaller--and he rode all the way around. 

I would rather ride a horse than have a goat eat out of my hand!

Llama may spit and/or Lana may spit.

The highlight of the farm for Clark was the train. He rode it again,and again,

and again. He would've ridden it all day.

After the multiple train rides Clark made his way over to the sand. Another of his favorite things. We took home one very happy and very sandy boy.  We were so glad to see everyone and play at the farm!

Ultimate Sharing

This was the scene I was watching a couple of days ago while eating breakfast. I left my cereal to document this precious moment of play. Not only was Clark sharing some of his most prized possessions--garbage trucks--but he didn't mind at all that Lana was biting and slobbering on one. 

Clark loves his little sister...now. He went through a long period of indifference initially but now he absolutely adores her. He quite often will give her toys to play with, help me change her diaper, ask to hold her, or make her laugh. The adoration is mutual. I love those precious sibling moments!

Lana is 4 Months

Lana is four months old. As with every other age, I love this age! She's very smiley and giggly and LOVES her older brother. She laughs when he laughs and loves when he plays with her. She's not as content to lie on the floor as she once was. She seems much more aware of her surroundings and wants to discover the world around her. Whenever we go to put her down she lets us know she's not happy with our intentions. She learned to roll onto her stomach a couple of weeks ago and now every time I turn around she's on her tummy so she can see what's going on around her. She now prefers sleeping on her stomach as well. She's just beginning to be able to hold toys and get them to her mouth. Her little voice sounds so similar to Clark's sometimes that if I'm not in the room it's hard to tell which of my babies made the noise.

Here are her stats from today's 4-month well check:

Height - 25.5" (90.37%)

Weight - 14lb 2.8oz (63.69%)

Head - 16.38" (68.88%)

Only Beanbags

Clark's got a real throwing arm. With pretty good aim. That's great and all...until my house starts to feel like a space station with zero gravity characterized by objects constantly whizzing through the air. We used to allow soft balls inside, but even that got too unruly. As much fun as it is to remind Clark constantly that we don't throw things inside, I thought it would be more fun to provide him something he can throw inside. Let's be honest: he's 2 and he's going to throw stuff. I've wanted to make him some beanbags for a while so a couple of weeks ago I got out some fabric and got to work. 

A quick peek online and suddenly my simple beanbag project became more complex by adding appliqued numbers. When I finished I realized I might have just made him 10 destructive indoor projectiles but he's been good about throwing them only into provided baskets or buckets. If you ask him what he's allowed to throw inside he'll tell you, "only beanbags." 

To be safe, these beanbags are actually ricebags since it seems that Clark is still allergic to legumes.