Sofia's sounds & smiles

Sounds & smiles of Sofia from karasalmela on Vimeo.

3 months

Wow! The time is cruising by and I can't believe Fia is 3 months old. She is smiling these big goofy smiles and I have yet to catch one of them on film. For the most part she is calm but when something is wrong she has shown us she has a nice set of lungs. She seems really easy to read. I'm not sure if it is because she is my second baby or if she is just easier than Lussi was. Regardless, time is flying by and it is hard to imagine life without her.

Playtime

Lussi can't wait for Fia to grow up a little so she can really play with her. She does a lot of hugging and kissing and squeezing. It's a little touch and go and refereeing is necessary with both parties often being sent to their corners.

Another playdate with Brinnon

Well as you can see we really don't know what to do with eachother yet. I smacked Brinnon with my hand a couple of times but she didn't seem to care. One thing we can do is stare.

No naps for Lussi?

We have eliminated the nap for Lussi and most days she is just fine but as you can see today she was tired. I was pushing her on the swing and she was chatting away loud and robust... then she went silent and her head started bobbing. I didn't really think she could fall asleep on the swing but she managed to find a comfortable enough position and sleep for 30 minutes!

Sweet baby girl

Working out with Da-Da

Sofia likes to stand and makes all kinds of funny faces at Da-Da. She is really getting to be a personality and it's fun to watch her grow. She especially likes looking at Da-Da with his dark hair and glasses.

Fun with Silo

We went to the Curious George exhibit at the Children's museum. Curious George gave Lussi some pretty interesting ideas. Yesterday she decided that she could write with chalk all over our deck, deck chairs & table. I scolded her and she told me "I was just curious Mommy like curious George." She even looks like curious George in the picture. We are in trouble!

Silo's birthday... what a sweetie!

A day with Great-Grandpa Helmer

We really enjoyed spending the day with Great-Grandpa who's 96 and going strong. He shared some fun stories about growing up in Embarrass with no toys. He used a chair and pretended it was a wheel barrow to the point that he wore down the top of the chair! He also had fun taking the train to Duluth and buying coffee for 10 cents. What a guy!

Snuggling Sisters

Two months old

We continue to debate everyday who you might look like. Today it is your Aunt Tia. We looked at her baby pictures and could see a lot of you in her. Tomorrow you may look like someone else, we are sure but today we'll say you are taking after Tia. Huh.. Fia & Tia how fitting. You are also smiling and trying to talk back.

This is a common position for Lussi and Sofia. it works fairly well and I can manage them. Lussi likes to pull her up and put her down... squeezing her in between. It is a little nerve racking but I am beginning to realize that Sofia is pretty resilient and seems to enjoy the interaction with Lussi.

A day in Ely with our cousins Hanna & Maggie

First playdate with my friend Brinnon

Growing Baby Fia

Everyday is an adventure juggling two little people. When one doesn't need me the other one needs me or they both need me at the same time. Baby Fia is starting to feel solid and strong, less and less like a floppy newborn. She even holds her head up pretty well. Lussi is becoming less and less dependent on me for everything. (phew!) Lussi is also beginning to settle in with our routine and having Sofia with us all the time. She is really sweet with her most of the time but when she feels like Fia is getting too much attention, she feels a need to over hug or pull of her feet or stick her feet in Sofia's belly... anything to sort of dis her sister. I believe this is the beginning of a relationship that won't change much, except instead of putting her feet in Sofia's face, she will be manipulating her with words, say at ages 13 & 10. Gladys recently said to her older sister, " You were so mean to me when we were growing up!" They are best friends now... so I am realizing that what might seem mean now will probaby turn in to some sort of love for eachother or maybe it is love hidden in a strong desire for some sort of control. Who knows, really. All I know is it isn't easy, this two girl thing... but it is fun and challenging in a natural sort of way.

Playing Cowgirl

Since we are now home all the time and I am not working and Lussi is not going to Preschool, we are passing the days with a lot of playing. I dressed Lussi in the red shirt and shorts and then she decided she wanted to wear her hat and boots. The cowgirl thing kept her busy for a while. Long enough for me to feed baby Fia anyway.

What's this?

So we are having quite a time adjusting to this new baby, especially Lussi. She seems to not always be herself, which is understandable. One of her latest out of character antics happened a couple of days ago. First of all she fell down hard on her knee and got a pretty big, bloodly scrape on her knee. This sent her in to a crying fit. We were about two blocks from our car and I had baby Fia in the front pack. Of course Lussi could not walk with this ENORMOUS BOO-BOO on her knee so I carried one crying preschooler with NOW one crying baby to the car. Then on the way home, I then had one screaming baby and a "Faking" crying preschooler who suddenly says "Mommy Mommy I just put paper up my nose, it hurts it hurts it hurts!" So I pull over the car and had a look. There was a paper tag hanging off her dress from the Children's museum and it definitely was missing a big chunk. So now I'm thinking... Do I take her to the emergency room for this? Does paper disolve in your nose? I can not see anything in her nose. She calms down and so I ask her OK what hurts now? She says, " my knee my knee" I say, " Not you nose?" She says, "No just my knee" Meanwhile baby Fia is still screaming and I am not sure what's going on! So I decide she is OK, she's calmed down, maybe the paper fell out or maybe she really didn't put it up there and she was faking. I really don't have a clue. So later that night I am reading her bedtime stories and she sneezes twice. On the second sneeze, she says "Mommy Mommy, the paper is in my nose!" I look and sure enough, I can see it way up there. So I get the tweezers and pull it out. What on earth possesses a child to stick a wad of paper up their nose while they are crying hysterically?

sun bathing

There is much debate as to who I look like, I keep hearing that I am a mix between my Uncle Chad and my Grandma Jan. I still have my Daddy's hair though and it gets curly when it gets wet.

Pool Pals

Amelia is my neighbor and we have lots of fun in my backyard.