Updates about Sylvia – Page 7 – Dotzour Family.com

June 11, 2010June 10, 2010

Playing with Dad

Father’s Day is coming up in a couple weeks, but my kids don’t need a special day to shower their daddy with love. In fact, if their affections were a real rain shower, he’d be soaked.

The light was so pretty a few nights ago, we did a little photo session. More pics are in the gallery.

Then the kids decided to act like manic wrestlers.

After the grunting and roaring, there was some cuteness.

You may have noticed that it looks like Andrew has drawn all over his body with markers. This is, in fact, what he has done. He was apparently being Boewolf, the ancient warrior. He informed me several times that he was mean. This could be told by the hearts with arrows through them well as by the unhappy faces =( that he had drawn all over his legs. Creativity and imaginative play thrives here at the Dotzour home!

June 1, 2010

Hi! I’m back!

Dear Internet (friends and family),

I appologize for leaving you these last weeks. You’ve been on my mind. Occasionally, I write posts in my head about the cute things Sylvie is saying, the adorable way Andrew is being her big brother, the milestones that the kids are passing, the job changing that Bryan is going…and then I sit down and edit photos. Because that, my friends, is what I have been doing these last weeks. Fastly. Furiously. Editing. Photos. I finished the last of my Incredible Photography Month early last week, and then we packed up and headed for Maine for my brother Joe’s graduation from Bowdoin College.

I was up until midnight or one or two every night for weeks (except when I collapsed a few times at 8pm). I had friends stopping in to help watch my kids so I could get a few extra hours of photo work in. It was intense…and wonderful. I think I feel most happy and alive and energized when I am focused and productive and a little over-worked. It is a wonderful feeling. Thanks to all my lovely clients who help me get that excellent high:) And to my husband and friends for helping me meet my deadlines!

Our trip to Maine was wonderful…but that’s another post. For now, I’ll share a few tid-bits about our life these last weeks.

We went to Wichita a couple weeks ago for Bryan’s mom’s mom’s funeral (that’s Grandma Harvey). Sweet Grandma. Such a lovely person she was. Grandpa has since moved into an assisted living home with a lot of support from his kids. Although the purpose and reason for our trip was a sad one, it sure was pleasant to see all of Bryan’s family again. Plus we got to see cousins who we don’t see regularly. Andrew and Sylvia really enjoyed playing with Bryan’s cousin’s children, and we had some really companionable meals and get-togethers. Photos from Wichita are in the gallery.

Andrew had his last day of preschool at Monona Grove Nursery School. He is so excited about going to Kindergarten in the fall, he can barely wait. And he talks regularly about how Joe is graduating from college (“That means you’ve completed all the requirements,” he says) and he has graduated from preschool. We (OK, maybe mostly I…Andrew’s a kid who lives in the moment) am going to miss the teachers and kids and parents. Andrew’s years at Monona Grove Nursery School have been really special. Luckily, Syliva will attend preschool there in a year-and-a-half!

In April, Sylvia transitioned rapidly from diapers to undies. She’s a big girl now. I haven’t changed a poopy diaper in months. That, my friends, is a wonderful thing to be able to say. 4.75 years of diapers. She was dry at night for a couple weeks, and then we had lots of accidents, so I decided it was better for me to sleep well at night than for her to be totally diaper-free. Next step: a big girl bed. Not sure when, but it’s coming:)

Andrew had a visitation for his new Kindergarten: Nuestro Mundo last week. While Bryan and I learned about Kindergartner’s daily schedule, Andrew and the other soon-to-be kindergartners all went off to play with a teacher. He came back with a picture he’d colored of a frog. And he is SO EXCITED about his frog. And his new school. And coloring more frogs at his new school starting September 1. Which, as far as he’s concerned, can’t come soon enough!

As a side note, do you know that kindergartners only get two recesses for part of the year? Then it’s just one. And lunch plus recess is 45 minutes. That seems crazy. How are kids going to learn if they’re in classrooms all day with such limited time to move and engage in free-play? And the lunch/recess time seems like it’s setting kids up to shovel down their food as fast as possible. Seems like a bad idea. I liked this article on the importance placed on school lunch in France. But other than those things, the school seems like it’s set up really nicely. It made me a little bit stunned and frankly, ill to watch Andrew bound up the Elementary School staircase. How did my baby become a boy?

Last week was also Eli’s 5th birthday. We attended his birthday party and spent some time with him on his birthday morn. Photos of our playtimes are in the gallery. Andrew’s pretty giddy about the fact that it is now June and his own birthday is coming up!

My sweetheart’s birthday was a couple weeks ago. We were in Wichita for his birthday, and then when we returned home that week, we celebrated his birthday is lots of little ways. The highlight was when we showed Bryan the hammock we’d gotten for him. Andrew kept the secret for weeks, and Bryan was really excited.

Bryan’s last day of work at OpGen was last Wednesday. Thanks to all his co-workers for giving him a great send-off:) He’s home with us all the rest of the week, and then he starts his new job on Monday, June 7.

I took lots of photos during our trip to Maine. Stay tuned!

~Althea

April 19, 2010April 18, 2010

My girl picking flowers

We spent last Friday afternoon hanging out at Grandma Jo’s home. Sylvia got a pretty new pink dress (which she immediately put on), and then she went out in the backyard to run around. So cute!

March 27, 2010

Zombies, Easter eggs, and Sylvia cuteness

Today, Bryan had a chess tournament in Pewaukee. Uncle Bubba and Aunt Lisa came over to watch the kids while I went to a meeting, and then we all hung out together for a few hours.

We don’t often just spent most of the day with Michael and Lisa, and it was a lot of fun.

Andrew’s favorite part of the day may have been helping Michael play Plants vs. Zombies on the computer.

Or maybe his favorite part was probably dying Easter eggs. We had a dance party in the living room while we waited for the eggs to be ready to take out of the cups.

I love the pretty, rich colors of Easter eggs!

Sylvia has had a really good couple of days. She’s still in her crib as we contemplate whether/when to move her to a bed. She’s been doing really well at potty training. She’s been using the toilet off an on since last fall, but in the last few weeks, she’s been doing a great job of telling me when she needs to go. That’s a big step!

This week, she’s been wearing pull-ups all day, and for the most part, she’s stayed dry. Yay for Sylvia!

Oh, and today, she also started saying some really heart breakingly sweet things. Like as I cough, “Bess you, Mommy.” And while we were driving today, she said…out of the blue, “I love you, Mommy.” We were on a neighborhood street, so I stopped the car in the middle of the road so I could turn around to thank her for that. I believe that’s the first time she’s offered that sentiment with no encouragement. Such dearness:)

Hope your Saturday was a good one!

March 23, 2010March 18, 2010

Chasing UFOs

A few weeks ago, we spent a Saturday morning at Terry’s place while Bryan was participating in a chess tournament. Terry was recently home from a long vacation, and one of the toys he brought home was a flying UFO. He flew it around his condo, and the kids loved it!

Here’s some pics of my kids being goofs and having fun.

I just love these next two!!

My new favorite picture of my girl.

This soft bunny is a puppet that Terry got at a store in St. Paul a couple years ago. It’s such a cute toy, and Sylvia carried it around under her arm. Such sweetness:)

March 23, 2010March 21, 2010

Goose Egg

I was reading stories to Eli, Andrew, and Celia on Friday, when a crash from Sylvia’s room sent me flying out of my chair. [She’s fine.] While quietly browsing books in her crib, my young girl decided to attempt to climb out.

It didn’t go well.

Since I didn’t see her plummet to the (hardwood) floor, I wasn’t sure where she was hurt. And it wasn’t until several hours later, when Bryan was home, that we noticed that she had a huge purple goose egg on her forehead.

So that means she fell out of her crib onto her head.

It also means that I didn’t notice a golf ball sized goose egg for several hours. My girl’s bangs are getting thick.

Ahh, parenting. It’s going to give me gray hairs.

Now, do I hope that this fall taught her not to attempt another climb and therefore keep her in her crib, or do I assume that by falling and not getting seriously hurt that she has used up her chance and I should pull out a big girl bed? I am NOT looking forward to the second option by the way as I assume that it is going to make naps and bedtime much more difficult to enforce because she’ll be able to get out of bed.

Any insights will be appreciated.

March 22, 2010March 21, 2010

Successful Chicago visit

I feel like our little family of four has achieved a new level on this video game we call life. As we were driving home from Chicago today with two content children in the back seat, I felt like there could be a sign flashing on our windshield saying,

Congratulations! At least for today, you have entered phase B15. Vacations for fun are an option.

We took a day trip to Chicago to celebrate my brothers’ birthdays. As Bryan and I discussed the trip, I was pretty sure we’d be in a mode where we would be attempting to have fun amidst two kids who were not doing well. I didn’t figure Sylvia would handle the car trip well (two hours each way). I didn’t figure she’d do that well at brunch at the Four Seasons. And then I wasn’t sure how she’d handle the Field Museum when it was nap time.

In fact, because she’s been less than a stellar traveler in the past, we haven’t done may driving trips with her. Two and a half hours of screaming on a couple trips early on kinda did me in. The girl doesn’t stop when she’s made up her mind. And she doesn’t sleep in the car!

But…I was wrong. Happily, delightedly wrong.

Both kids did a splendid job on the drive down to Chicago. They both did really well (especially thanks to the help of Tom, Terry, and Uncle Bubba) at brunch. Then they both loved the visit to the Field Museum. Sylvia almost fell asleep on Bryan part way through, but she was bound and determined to keep those eyes open.

And on our drive home, Bryan and I looked at each other with wonderment, contemplating a future that might involve more day trips to Chicago (Brookfield Zoo, the Aquarium, Navy Pier, walking on the waterfront) or Door County or just farther than across town. Maybe driving farther than across town is a prerequisite, because last week, she threw fits as we drove across town on three separate occasions. I think she liked the adventure of Chicago.

Now that my girl is well into being Two, I’m starting to get more glimpses of what like with two kids (as opposed to one kids and one baby) might be like. Amazing!

March 16, 2010March 13, 2010

Sibling love

Andrew and Sylvia are so cute together these days! They are playing well for increasing periods of time…maybe 20 minutes before needing intervention:)

Here’s some happy kids and their toes.

Now what’s going on here? Sylvia, do you think that’s a good idea?

Fortunately, you’ve got a sweetie sweet brother:)

She loves him…up to the moon.

And he loves her right back.

Sylvia is highly influenced by the fashion sense of those around her. If, for example, her dolly is naked, she might decide that she must be naked as well. If a friend has taken off their socks, if Andrew’s shirt got wet and he took it off…you got it…she’s going to follow suit. Many a day, she has been digging through her brother’s dresser to find her clothes for the day. Seems that she fits 4T clothes alright!

And Andrew is more than happy to have a devotee! Especially when they both are wearing big boy jammies, they’re so cute!

I sure do love my kids. And little compares to the happiness I feel in my heart when they are interacting sweetly together.

March 15, 2010March 13, 2010

Doll play

My little girl loves playing with dolls. She nearly always has either a doll or a purse, and in the last couple months, she’s spent vast amounts of time tending to the needs of her little charges. She puts them to sleep, gives them bottles, changes their dirty diapers, and hauls them around under her arm. When I come upon her talking quietly to her dolls, she looks up at me shyly and it’s clear that I was interrupting some personal time!

Here’s Sylvia putting a dolly (Tiny Dolly) to bed in the wooden cradle that used to be mine.

Checking to make sure her little one is comfy.

“Oh, there’s Mom with her camera again.”

Cheesy grin.

I like this out-of-focus look at my little girl as she’s feeling tender and quiet.

Another morning, and another room for the crib (it gets pulled all over the house these days). I love this photo of Sylv.

Reading to her dolly.

Picking up Tiny Dolly for some snuggle time.

Giving Tiny Dolly some nutritious juice.

Oops. How did this one get in there? Sylvia likes to dress up just like Mommy.

‘Tis the season to care for dollies. If you like playing dolls and having had the opportunity for quite some time, have I got the girl for you!

March 13, 2010March 13, 2010

Playing house

Alivia and Rayna just came over, and amidst the squeals of excitement and announcements…

Sylvia: (pointing outdoors at her swing that we hung out on the tree yesterday) “My swing! Rayna, my swing!”
Rayna: (pointing at her dad who was walking past the swing) “My daddy, Sylvia. Dat’s my daddy.”

Coats and backpacks were removed. The big kids turned to the little ones and said, “Let’s play house!”
“House!! House!!!” shouted the little girls.
“You can be the babies,” announced the big kids.
“Babies, BABIES!” delighted the little girls.

Four kids traipsed in a line out of the living room and back into the sun room where I imagine they’ll amuse themselves (with only minor problems) at playing house.

This has become a somewhat ritualized game here at our house this month. As you might expect, Alivia is the mom (the little girls are often heard calling out, “Mama! Mama!!”…but not for me!). Andrew’s the dad. And Sylvia and Rayna are the babies.

They remove all the cushions from the love seat and sofa and build a fort in the sun room. Alivia just said, “Andrew, can you please keep the babies occupied while I make the house?”

Despite the fact that the “parents” give a lot of directions (orders), the “babies” seem to enjoy the game immensely. My rules are: 1) Safety first and 2) Everyone needs to stay happy. Other than that, this “house play” has given me some fabulous time to, say write a blog post while the kids are happy and engaged and active.

Plus, I get to marvel at the fact that Sylvia is able to happily play without my intervention for long stretches of time. Thank you, Alivia!