I have to start somewhere

The first note is that while I have pictures of our third baby, they are fewer.  Its not as I understood it -that you have less pictures of later children because you aren't as excited about all of their firsts.  Its just because when the firsts are happening, I am not sitting there grinning with my camera ready.  In fact, usually the camera is in the car and the other two babies are attached to me physically somehow, by their own doing, and there is a pile of laundry and shoes blocking the door.  Then Noah stops smiling/cooing/growing and chaos resumes.  I do have some pictures to post, just not on hand.

Brandon bought a new laptop.  My main goal with it is jotting down some of our stories while standing in the kitchen during naps or cleaning.  If I sit at the desktop, somehow time gets wasted and I've recorded nothing.  The computer came home Wednesday so I'm hopping to it.  Unfortunately Zoe is choosing not to sleep so I'm distracted.  She's crying and I'm hoping that the gentle sounds of the buzz saw in the garage will lull her to sleep.  The buzz saw is Brandon building a crane for a video camera to use tonight to film the closing of the Student Center on campus for the website.  He decided to build it last night and has been moving since then.

Kid updates - Zoe is singing and talking a lot finally.  She's 18 months old and has maybe 10-15 words.  And her own language.  Her language is a gibberty thing with recognizable words and sentences.  It sounds like nothing I've ever heard before.  What I do hear her saying, and recognize is "Shoe!" and "Hello!"  Those two are always yelled, and "shoe" is often a command.  She sings to the tune of ABC/Twinkle Twinkle and has been singing with Piper, when Piper sings the Veggie Tales theme song.  I know a million kids have done this, and sung that song, but it is still really, really, really cute when they do it.

Noah is cooing and grinning, eating and sleeping during the day.  And most of the night.  He wakes up once between 2 and 4 am.  I'm not falling asleep sitting up anymore so I can't complain.  He's been a pretty great baby.  One person (thank you Kara) thinks he looks anything like me.

And Piper.  Our firstborn turned three last Friday.  She is so fun to watch.  She loves climbing up and jumping off of things.  But she does heed our warnings about hurting herself.  She's not a real big fan of that.  

I want to record this, but just for thought: Piper had her first bad dream today I think. I was about to step into the shower this morning when she flew in looking sleepy and upset.  She told me there was a bear growling at her outside her window.  Last weekend as part of her birthday celebration she got to go see Disney Earth with Brandon, and then again the next day with her cousins, and Grandma.  It concerned me then that it might be too much for her, but at three, Piper is already into this sort of thing.  She came home re-enacting the caribou and wolf scene.  I shouldn't ruin it for you if you aren't aware of a caribou/wolf relationship but its very "food chain"y.  The movie shows no blood, but does show animals choosing and preparing their meals.  Anyway.

The bear outside was growling at her.  Our conversation:

Me: Why was it growling?

P: It wanted to growl at me.

Me: Was it looking for popcorn? I still haven't been to the store.  We don't have any.

P: Yes, it wanted popcorn, but we don't have any, Mommy.

Me: I know.  Just tell it to go somewhere else for popcorn.  It can come back here for some after I've been to the store.

P: Yeah.  We don't have any yet.  We have to go to the grocery store.

Me: And also, just tell the bear to ask you in a calm voice.  There is no need to growl.

The last part was really creative I think, because this is the same note Piper gets during a fit or screaming episode.  Little girls are prone to both.

Piper has talked about the bear a few more times today.   I did ask if the bear was a polar bear, trying to figure out if the movie started all of this.  She said no, he was brown.   

That's our day so far.  I'm off to sweep up the dried playdoh off of the floor and pick up toys.  Pictures to come.