Ot-two!

Two years and seven hours ago (roughly), this guy entered our lives:

Otto, less than 24 hours old

And now Otto's two!

Somehow over the past 24 months, I think I've lost 12 of them.  Time has flown by.  I never felt bad about not having a baby book for Stella--her life and milestones were more than adequately caught in all their glory here.  Otto?  Well, Otto's a second child who also had the (mis)fortune of joining us when our lives as a whole just got busier, professionally and because having two kids has really been exponentially more work than just one. 

But we love him none the less, despite less documentation.  He's a fascinating little person.  And, for his second birthday, I wanted to capture some of the Otto-ness we love and appreciate these days. Because while I think now that I'll always remember these details, too soon, they will be replaced by new developments and observations, at risk of extinction without taking the time to capture them as they are these days.  So here goes!

Otto and balls--soccer balls, footballs, bouncy balls, basketballs, volleyballs, light-up balls--you name it, he loves it.  I remember playing a game of rolling a ball back and forth with Stella.  I had read somewhere that it was a developmental milestone of some sort.  She'd sort of humor me, roll it a few times and then want to move on.  The first time we gave Otto a ball, it was a revelation, as if he realized that his hand was *made* to catch and throw balls.



In fact, he is a better catcher than Stella is at four and a half.  And he drop kicks and does things that regularly shock and amaze me.  His gross motor skills are definitely strong.  We joke that it would be funny if Tyler ended up with a jock for a son.

But he's really not just a jock--he's got a surprising ability to focus and systematically solve things like puzzles and building.  I'm convinced he got some of the Soenksen/Stachowiak engineering genes that didn't express themselves in the same way with me.  His teachers at school are regularly mentioning how surprised they are at the way he does complex puzzles and builds 3-D shapes with these metallic shapes.

The first thing Otto showed us with his birthday metal shapes was this house he built

Completing his birthday puzzle (and, yes, with his helmet for his to-be-delivered bike present)

Another thing about Otto--he's got a natural charisma and is (generally) more outgoing.  When I drop him off at school, kids are always shouting "Otto's here!".  And when I ask him what he liked best about his day, he says "friends!"  (Stella, as a counterpoint, always talked about going on a walk outside.)



He can be a ham.  One day, I wanted to take a picture of Otto and Stella as we went in the house after school, because I thought they looked cute.  Now about every third day, Otto stops in front of the door and says, "Picture, Mommy!  Cheese!"

 

Although, if you ask him to smile, he squints his eyes.  Like Tyler, I've learned to ask for a smile then wait for him to laugh at himself to get a good shot:

"Smile, Otto!  No, with your eyes open!"

He also can prefer to be behind the camera:




He's not afraid of his feminine side:




And has quite the sartorial sense:

Unbelievably, I don't have a recent photo of him in his favorite plaid fleece pants with matching jacket. What will we do when he outgrows them?

And is a bit obsessed with swimming and swimsuits:

It started in Iceland when we went swimming everyday--anytime we even mention "swimsuits" he gets excited and obsessed.

And he's a talker.  Some of it is probably trying to keep up with Stella and get our attention (which is, frankly, less laser-focused than it may have been at other times....) 

And he's ironically both laid-back/easy-going and sometimes super-sensitive:

We see this point pretty much anytime something is disappointing...

 

There's so much, it's really impossible to capture his essence with these few photos and words.  He loves trains and cars and diggers (but not loud noises).  He looks up to Stella and wants to emulate her.  He's actually very kind and better at sharing and taking Stella into consideration than she is with him.  And my life is infinitely richer for having him in it.

 

Happy second birthday, Otto.  We love you.

Two Month Catch Up (sort of)

The other day it hit me that it's November. And I'm not sure where the last two months went--I think I lost September and October. It might have had something to do with having had four work trips and 60-hour work weeks.... But we're still here, plugging away, checking in too rarely, and having too little time for things, especially chronicling life when we feel like we're just barely keeping up as it is. And there's a lot that's been going on:  a trip to Walla Walla, Halloween, a trip to the pumpkin patch, winemaking..... but this won't be a faithful recounting of all of that.  Rather, I just want to capture a few thoughts about life these days.

I'm starting to get hints at life with two kids, rather than babies. Yesterday, we were outside, Stella was helping rake, Otto was keeping himself busy, and we were getting things done, getting fresh air, and the kids were even playing together.  (Of course, these moments are also regularly followed by fights and tears...)

Otto's a happy, easy-going guy.  And definitely more physical than Stella.  Here he is having graduated to sliding facing forward instead of on his tummy--just one of the many ways he's growing up so quickly!

 

Halloween 2012, with a Rapunzel Fairy and raccoon.  We went to six houses where Stella shyly said trick-or-treat.  Otto was ready to be right in the thick of it--definitely less shy than big sister!

Building a tower--another way that Otto definitely seems more boy-like.

Crush 2012:  Stella got to get her hands dirty this year.  I'm guessing she's one of the few four-year-olds with working knowledge of the wine making process.  ("Mom!  The caps fell!")

Stella's been a mama's girl for a long time, but she's increasingly getting more daddy-centric. I love this picture of them both in Walla Walla.

 

The family these days--Otto talking, copying Stella, laughter, a bit of chaos.

 

And, here we are, all together, the Hill-Stach's at the Pumpkin Farm. 

We have a walker!

Otto's been pulling up and walking along things for awhile now, but he may have crossed the threshold from a few steps to full on walking:

And he looks so proud of himself!  And, yes, that's Stella randomly talking about a banana since she's trying to get my attention away from her little brother.

It's Official--Otto's a Mover!

Time to start babyproofing...




And notice my little mini-me?

I checked, and this is almost exactly the same timing as when Stella started to commando crawl, right around 7 months. Go Otto! Now just to get onto hands and knees....

(Nearly) Six Months

Dearest Otto--

If something were to happen to us and you were left with the evidence of this blog and our photos to determine our love and interest in you, you might feel--in comparison to Stella's first half year--that something was lacking. And, to be fair, there are fewer videos, fewer photos, and fewer blog posts. But that wouldn't really be the truth. While we are busier and more distracted and (perhaps) more tired, we really couldn't love you more. I am equally fascinated with all your stages and new developments. I bask in your smiles. I treasure the moments I get to spend with you and get to really focus on you. I think you're a really fascinating human being.


And you look pretty cute in hats, like your dad!


Case in point, number 2


You've nearly already/only been with us six months. In some ways, it's hard to remember life without you. In others, it's been a blink of an eye since we brought you home and began life as a family of four. In that time, which is practically inconsequential to me as an adult, you've nearly doubled your weight, grown about 4 inches, started smiling, rolling, grasping things, babbling, laughing, and very nearly sitting up reliably. You love to bounce and, I swear, already wish you could stand up and follow your sister around the house.


Not to be left to your own devices for long, but you're starting to be a sitter!



Otto and Stella! We haven't been as good about taking videos and even less good about posting, so here's a livelier view for our friends and family who don't get to see the kids as much in person.

And you're about to start getting to eat food! This feels slightly bittersweet. On the one hand, I can't wait to introduce you to new things--avocado! Sweet potato! Fruits and vegetables, new tastes and textures! You'll finally be able to partake in one of my favorite things and something that really binds us together as a family. At the same time, I feel so blessed to have nourished you up to this point. Until you take that first bite of food, everything that's gotten you to where you are today has come from me. (Well, your father might take slight exception to that, but he knows what I mean!) Sure, sometimes breastfeeding has been taxing and meant I've had to pretty exclusively shoulder a major part of your life, but it also means we've had so much time together. And it's a pretty amazing thing women get to do, and I'm happy this worked out for you and I.


Sitting at the table!

And now you're at school--your first week under your belt. You're a social little guy, so I think being with new kids and adults is a good thing for you. A change for sure, but also a chance to experience new things and have an even broader circle of people who care for and love you. Like your sister, I have a feeling that you're going to thrive in the Montessori setting, where you'll get to be independent and self-driven in ways that are sometimes hard to replicate at home.



Hopefully you're this smiley at school, too!


And, finally, sleep. This is the one area where you've had to get with the program a little more quickly than your sister. I just couldn't keep waking up two, four, six times a night and be a good mom or functioning consultant. So you've cried it out. With the crib in the living room. (One day the remodel will be done and you'll have a proper bedroom!) The first night you cried three times and for some decent stretches. By the fourth night, you did it--sleeping through the night from about 8PM until 5AM--wow! Of course, then you got sick and backslid, but the last two nights you've done it again, so we're hoping for more sleepy nights than not going forward.


Otto, the elephant wrangler! Can't wait to take you places where you could conceivably ride an elephant--Vietnam, India, Thailand....

So know, Otto, you are beloved by your parents. And your sister (who you think is pretty much the coolest thing on the planet). And the rest of your extended family. And probably even many of the readers of this blog.





Love, Mom

Laughter

As Tyler mentioned in the previous entry, Stella has better success at making Otto laugh than any of the rest of us:



Ignore the fog--I had called Tyler in to record this while he was in the middle of washing dishes. Apparently the heat from his hands on the cold camera created its own little weather system.

Probably good to have this on tape for those moments that are less smile-worthy....

Mini-Catch Up

A lot's been happening: I'm back at work, Otto turning three months, Halloween and going away for my first work trip. And besides that, there's just the daily work of having two kids, a job, a remodel and still not enough sleep. So this little quick update will have to do for now!

While I was in Anaheim for the annual American Evaluation Association's conference, I was shocked to realize that we had taken photos of Otto on the day he turned three months but had failed to document it here:


Otto at 3 months (with his sister who can't stand to not be part of the action)

Otto continues to be a pretty easy-going baby, hanging out, watching Stella, and starting to roll over and be obsessed with his toes:


Rolling over! It's still an occasional occurrence, and he gets frustrated that his arm gets stuck under his chest, but it is offically part of his baby repetoire. (And, funny story, this outfit was from a family at Stella's child care that had a slightly older Otto and handed this down! Even stranger is that they're a friend of a friend of a friend. With a son named Otto. Small world.)


Wearing a cute hat from Nana!


Starting to sit in his little baby seat and hanging with his fantastic older sister

Stella keeps things interesting, too, coming home from preschool with all kinds of new skills (necklace beading) and songs:


Apparently they sing this during birhday circle times: 12 (months), 52 weeks, 365 days, the earth goes round the sun....

And here's my fantastic family--big sister, big baby brother, and wonderful husband. I missed them so much while I was gone:

Ye-ya (aka "Stella")

Stella, tonight. We haven't been good about taking many videos for awhile. Partly because Stella usually doesn't really cooperate (as soon as we turn it on, she wants to be *behind* the camera) and because we've just been too darn busy. But tonight I realized that she won't talk like this forever. And I couldn't resist sharing.

Yeah!

Stella's second most frequent word these days is "yeah." Much better than uh-uh. And she practically turns it into a three syllable word, making it sound full of enthusiasm and pleasure. We're not complaining!



The rest of the speech in the video is somewhat incomprehensible, even to us. But we have counted and she's got 30+ words she does use. One of these days we're pretty certain she's just going to start spouting full paragraphs.

More of an update soon. Between my job, Tyler working and the remodel, the blog has been a bit neglected!

Jumping and Chatting

Stella's new favorite thing is "jumping":



She's gotten moderately more skilled since we took this--occasionally her heels will leave the ground!

This also illustrates why it's increasingly hard to get pictures or videos of her. She just wants to look through the lens herself!

Tyler caught this conversation with some stealth video skills. I think we've caught a glimpse of the future....

17 Months

I remember noticing shortly after Stella turned one that there seemed to be a major leap in kid's capabilities right around 18 months. The babies I saw who seemed stable on their feet and just a little be more kid-ish and less baby-ish always seemed to be 18 months old. At 17 months, Stella certainly thinks she's a big girl. As Tyler mentioned in his previous post, she's moving on from baby things. This has included:

Wearing Daddy's sunglasses:





and Mom's Converse:



She's also learned that she can climb up on things for a better vantage point. And move chairs so she can reach what she wants. So much for leaving her out of sight for any length of time....


So far we've been lucky, but it seems this can only lead to tears....

We also haven't been making an effort to do potty training, but Stella's been showing an interest. Occasionally she'll lead us into the bathroom and then prompt us to put her on the toilet. She's even taken to "wiping" with toilet paper while sitting there. We sure wouldn't mind being done with diapers, but I think this is more play than anything right now. But a step in the right direction!


Potty time!



I don't know why, but Stella just looks so serious and grown up to me in this picture. (Well, minus the humongous pacifier.)

And I couldn't resist this little clip. For better or worse, she's picked up my "mmm"ing habit when eating something she likes. Usually it's while she's having something she really likes, but she's even "mmm"ed while waiting in line for ice cream at Full Tilt!


Mmm!

Theoretically in the next month we need to get rid of the pacifier and lose the night time bottle. Any suggestions?

15 Months and Videopalooza

Spring is here--daffodils are blooming, and our Japanese Magnolia is in full glory:



Which means we're getting to spend lots more time outside with Stella.


This is the Chief Sealth Trail, that's soon to be extended really near our house. It's along some powerlines, which isn't always fantastic, but it's a great urban walk, and on a clear day you get some magnificent views of Rainier.

It's great to get to go to playgrounds and for walks now that she can do some walking too!


Stella's pretty good on even ground, but she still needs to learn more about steps, edges and exercising some caution for the sake of self preservation....


Tyler talked a lot about Stella's verbal development in the previous post. On top of the sounds and signs, our tall (89th percentile) thin (50th percentile) daugher's got lots going on. Probably my favorite thing right now is that she's into hugs and kisses. She'll come up, wrap her arms around my neck and squeeze tight. I have to admit, the hugs are still a little more pleasurable than the kisses, which involve her planting her enthusaistic mouth wide-open onto any body part--cheek, chin, neck, shoulder. Sometimes with a little tongue. She'll also blow kisses goodbye, which involves a lot less saliva.

On top of finding out her stats, we were reminded at her last doctor's appointment that she can now have toothpaste when we brush her teeth at night. Teethbrushing had been our biggest power struggle, but the novelty of a minty-fresh mouth has helped. Stella still wants to do it herself, but I'm trying to teach her that I go first, then she can brush and then drop her toothbrush into the sink.


First minty moments!

Other current favorites include raisins, roasted red bell peppers, swinging (and not much else at the playground) and getting chased:


This happens at least twice a day. Someday we'll be in a hurry and it will be less cute, but it's pretty fun for now.

As demonstrated in the video above, Stella's pretty thrilled to have a chance to run around in her skivvies--or nothing at all--another benefit of a balmier house in the spring:


Organizing the cabinet...


Insisting on sitting in her rocker....

On top of running around, she's kept her interest in books. It's been fascinating to realize she's learning about the directionality of pictures and print. She has some books where the image looks upside down (ducks ducking their heads under water, a boy doing a flip into a pool, the monkey who's fallen on their head) and she'll turn the book around to see it "right side up".


Apparently, this is the "right" direction for the images.

And her interest in keys hasn't waned. I've learned to try to keep mine in a coat pocket and out of sight, because once she sees them, she must have them.


Holding the keys on the way out of the house.

Here's one of the reasons she's obsessed:


Listen carefully--that "beep" is the sound of the doors being locked and the car alarm setting. Over, and over, and over again.

Can't wait to see what's in store as her 16th month begins....