Father Christmas & Noelle

It's been a while since I've felt compelled to share a Noelle story, even though they seem to be endless, but this one I just wanted to stop in time and remember. She is so funny the way she thinks and reasons and talks to us these days. There really does seem to be something funny and interesting that comes out of her mouth all the time.

Within the last month this particular phenomenon has made me laugh so many times and really has just been a joy to experience.  Probably 3-4 weeks ago Noelle and I were chatting about something. She mentioned something she wanted but didn't have and she looked me in the eye and said, "We could ask Father Christmas for it!"

I was happily stunned. Father Christmas? How did my child turn British??!!

"Noelle, who is Father Christmas?"

"He comes down the chimney, and he leaves PRESENTS!"

"How did you hear about Father Christmas?"

"I don't know."

Me thinking...where could she have learned about him?....YOU TUBE.

"Noelle, did you learn about Father Christmas from Peppa Pig?"

"Yeah. And I want him to bring a red car and a blue train. He'll come down the chimney."

If you don't know, Peppa Pig is a super cute british cartoon of a little pig and her family. It might play on cable channels, but we don't have that, but leave it to You Tube to somehow connect my child to Peppa Pig. I am not complaining - I think it is a cute show and I love the british accents, and have secretly always wanted a child with a British accent.

Anyway - once I realized that she knew who Santa, aka Father Christmas was, I knew I had a new level of parental power. We weren't 100% sure how much we were going to push Santa in our household. We weren't against it, but it just felt like alot of effort, so we thought we might just wait it out until the kids realized who he was and what he did. So, it took 3+ years...but even better - we get Father Christmas!!! I have not corrected her because (1) how cute and (2) I LOVE IT!

Now, back to the power...it's the Christmas bargaining tool that all of our parents used on us. Either you say "you can't have that now...but you can ask Father Christmas for it!" - or of course as it gets even closer to Christmas time you use the nice list/naughty list to get good behavior. Noelle totally responds to the asking Father Christmas for stuff, and I'm pretty sure the good list/bad list gig is gonna work on her too. I completely avoided a complete meltdown in Target with her this week when I lovingly convinced her that we can just ask Father Christmas for something - we don't have to buy it now! #winning

So then today was another magical Father Christmas moment...Louie was asleep and it has been raining here, so I was trying to come up with anything fun to occupy her. She dressed up in her Halloween costume for school (Minnie Mouse) and one of her classmates dressed up as Elsa. Naturally when she came home from school she had to put on HER Elsa costume...but the problem was she didn't have a crown. Her friend had a crown.

So being the resourceful mother that I am, we made Noelle a paper Elsa crown. But that wasn't enough. Then Mama had to have an Elsa crown. And then we both had to have Elsa hair. Well, duh.

As I was finishing my Elsa hair in Noelle's bathroom, she was completely thrilled at my transformation. But then it took a turn...

"Mama, I love your Elsa crown and your Elsa hair...but you don't have an Elsa DRESS!"

"That's ok Noelle, I don't have to have an Elsa dress."

She looked at me with her big blue eyes, put both her hands on my hips very tenderly and said,

"It's ok you don't have one now. We can ask Father Christmas for one, it will be ok."

I. Love. This. Kid.

So, Happy Christmas from the Watkins clan...we hope Father Christmas brings you all sorts of good gifts this year!!!

Elsa very pleased with her paper crown

crown buddies!

Rainy day Elsa's!

Louie - 4 Months

Little man is 4 months old! A whole 1/3 of a year, and we are loving every minute of it.

At the doctors office for this visit we discovered that Louie is...
17 lbs, 4oz - 89%
27.5 inches long - 98%
44.5cm head circumference - 94%

He is just the chillest and happiest little guy. He still is enthralled with his big sister. This month he started playing in his exer-saucer and for the most part enjoys it (as long or if not longer than the average baby does). He loves being sung to and he loves to "stand" with someone holding his hands. He is getting great head control and that is quite a feat given the large size of the kid.

He had that amazing roll over occurrence at the doctor's office for his 2 month appointment in August, but for the most part he either stays on his tummy or his back. And that means that he is still swaddled - which I am a fan of. I hate the learning to sleep unswaddled phase. I know it's coming. -sigh-

He still doesn't really take a pacifier...he will enjoy it for a hot minute and then he is done. I keep trying just to see - and even though he never keeps it for long, he will get distracted by it in his mouth and that sometimes is enough to calm him down and for him to forget whatever he might have been upset about in the first place.

One of our favorite things he started doing this month is what we call Chewbacca Louie - or sometimes "Loubacca" ... when he is tired and ready for a little snooze he sometimes will let us know by making these gurgling sounds. It's quite cute and funny. He also just recently decided he loves to stick his tongue out. I have a picture of Noelle doing the same thing at four months and they both look so cute and similar! I see how they really are quite different, but then I see a comparison and then they appear to look alike again!

He loves to breastfeed and is very fast at it (thankfully) - and sometimes he will take a bottle and sometimes he won't. I'm usually around all the time so it isn't an issue. Sometimes he won't take it and just decides to wait it out for me. But luckily he doesn't cry about being hungry. He just chills and waits. I guess he has plenty stored up for his body to eat on until I become available :)

He usually only wakes once a night to eat, if at all. He really is just a rockstar baby.

Louie boy, we love you!