Action packed and adventured filled, that has been our style here at the ranch. First off, Uncle Racer and Alex were at the cabin for a brief visit so we headed there to hang out with them. This was their first Mette sighting. I think they thought she was ok. She seemed to like them quite a bit. She even hung around and watched some TV with them.
Mette has been quite fond of her toes for a while now, but she is really getting good at getting them in her little grasp. If in the right position she can even get them into her mouth. More than once she has really chomped down on them which makes her pull back mighty quickly. Funny, she doesn't pull back when she chomps into your finger!
It is a good thing we put this shirt on her when we did, it is getting tight! Burrito Bros. is a Gainesville staple.
The motorcycle at the park is still a huge hit with Otto. It is often the first place he runs to when we get there. In fact he differentiates between the two big parks by calling one the "motorcycle park" and one the "firetruck park".
Chillin' on the swings
Otto loves to read books, always has. It is looking like Mette will follow in his footsteps. She is really starting to follow along and enjoy the whole experience. She has even started to touch the pages in the books with different textures. Otto will tolerate sharing reading on mom or dad's lap with her for a few stories but when she gets too interested in touching him he looses interest. Mette on the other hand wants nothing more than to try and get a piece of her big brother to chew on, or at least pull on his clothes. Rarely does she seem him sit still long enough to even think about trying to touch him!
Yesterday morning there was a big crane truck across the street doing some work on the church. Otto and I were watching it from the window but you couldn't really see what they were doing. I suggested we go out and watch the action from the front steps for a while. I went off to find my shoes and to get Mette, while I was doing that, Otto found his construction worker vest, hat and drill. He was all set to go. This photo is priceless.
In addition to normal crazy life here, this is the week that we finally poured the concrete floor in the kitchen with the help of grandmom and grandpa. They came down on monday and were finished by this afternoon. Both Otto and Mette loved having the special visitors and we all love the new floor.
I did a lot of the prep over the past few weeks to get the floor ready while kids were sleeping but wasn't able to help too much today. Mainly because there were two small children in need of wrangling. Mette watched the excitement for a while from the ergo but eventually threw in the towel and took a nap.
Here is the floor as it is right now. The seems between the sections are almost done being sanded, then once it sets up a bit more I can start to oil it. That will seal and help darken the color. After that dries we can wax and buff it, then it is good to go! I can't wait to have a nice easy to clean floor that looks beautiful.
Additional update on kids:
Otto is still in the throws of being two, but what can you expect? He is after all TWO. That being said, he is still so much fun to be around and especially listen to. He is a constant source of entertainment for all members of the family. I am assuming it is a developmental cycle but he seems to be experiencing some separation anxiety and stranger anxiety. It isn't too surprising because every day he is able to do more which allows him to be further away from us, which I am sure some where is unsettling to him. Speaking of doing more and going further away, he is mastering climbing. He has always been good at walking, running, getting up on things etc.. but lately he is unstoppable. At the park he scurries up ladders and over bridges. If it is meant to climb, or looks like it could be climbed he is on it. He is also starting to show some interest in Mette. Up until now he hasn't really seemed to care one way or the other about her. Honestly that has been a good thing. While it is always cute to see a big sibling doting on the younger one, it is nice not to have to worry about him sticking his fingers in her eyes, laying on her or any other thing he would think was nice to do but really wasn't. Now that she is rolling around and really starting to engage with the world he seems to notice her more. The other morning at breakfast he had a long talk with eric about how he and Mette were going to be friends and all of the things they were going to do together. He also has started bringing her toys and wanting her to stop crying. It is very sweet to see him warming up to her. I think it shows a genuine fondness since he clearly isn't doing it because we are making a big deal about it, he is actually staring to think she might be worth looking into. Of course this is all before she starts crawling and going after his toys. I am fully prepared for his interest to wane when that starts.
As for Mette, she is a girl with a mission. She is getting really good at rolling over and is starting to understand that if you keep rolling in the same direction you can get somewhere (lookout Otto). She is getting much better at holding toys and chewing on them which keeps her very entertained. Also, this past weekend after a almost 5 month span of spitting out every brand of pacifier we tried, she decided that they might not be so bad. In fact she seems to like them and enjoys not only playing with them, but letting them help her take naps. Speaking of naps, we are still working on those. She still only sleeps for 30 minutes during the day. You can set you clock by it. She takes between 3 and 5 thirty minute power naps during the day. They are starting to be a regular times and I am really hoping that soon they extend to more than half and hour. Her nighttime sleep was doing really well with only two wake ups during the night but a cold and shots put and end to that. Last night was the first night we were back to a more normal sleep schedule and it was much needed. I hope we continue getting better in that department as well. She is over all such a happy baby there is really no place to complain. Besides after Otto, I know we can handle anything and more importantly, I know she will sleep eventually. Besides, I like cuddling with her little self in the night, provided it isn't for hours on end, or every two hours :).
