"No" is so 2011

Scarlett has been the Queen of "No" for quite some time. Good news! She's moved on and doesn't say "no" all the time anymore! But wait, there's bad news. She's evolved to far more sophisticated ways of being contrary.

Her current favorite way to disagree: "No, I do not!"* This is usually said in a dramatic/sad voice with brows furrowed and eyes cast downward while shaking her head. The first several times she said it we thought it was hysterical. And adorable. Now it's mostly just hysterical, but not so much "funny-hysterical" as "if-you-don't-stop-saying-that-over-and-over-Mommy's-going-to-get-not-funny-hysterical-but-crazy-hysterical."

Luckily for Scarlett, she's overall so darn cute that we can deal with the "no I do nots." One fun game is to ask her things like, "Do you want a pony?" or "Do you want a car when you turn 16?", to which she emphatically responds as expected: "No I do not!" I need to get that on video as evidence for later.

Here are some cute shots of Scarlett at the park last weekend. She loves going there, even though when we initially asked her if she wanted to go, she said -- you guessed it -- "No I don't!"

(* Variations include "No, I don't", "No, I will not," "No, I won't", "No I cannot," and "No I can't." The girl likes variety when it comes to saying no. And when it comes to contractions, apparently.)

Fa la la la la la la la la

Chris, Scarlett, Max and I headed down to New Braunfels for Christmas with the Schwegmanns. I was worried about the drive with an almost-two-year old and newborn and expected the worst, but the kids were great, the traffic was surprisingly light, and it was pretty much a breeze.

Grandma and Paw's Christmas tree and the display underneath it drew Scarlett in like a magnet. For the most part, Scarlett was very gentle (most everything under the tree is ceramic or otherwise breakable), and despite picking up a few snowmen, woodland creatures, and members of the nativity here and there when she was only supposed to look or touch, everything remained in one piece.







We left cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer (or at least for Rudolph, the only reindeer Scarlett cares about because he has a red nose). Note the half-eaten cookies in each hand. Unlike Santa's cookies, the carrots were left untouched for Rudolph to enjoy.



Scarlett had a blast singing carols on Christmas Eve at Cousin Erin and Cousin Paul's house with lots and lots of Schwegmann cousins. Scarlett stood in the middle of the room and danced. (Note the sippy cup in her hand. Although Scarlett is normally a water or milk girl, she talked at least four different people into giving her juice over the course of the evening and she was WIRED. She stayed wide awake on the hour-plus drive back to New Braunfels from Erin and Paul's and didn't go to sleep until well after midnight.)



Grandma and Max having a chat with Cousin Meg at the Christmas Eve party (Meg says she owns the same sweater as Max, although I'm assuming hers is not a one-piece jumper).



Max's famous "Look of Terror." This is a common expression for poor Max, whose big eyes often make him look completely freaked out. This look is usually prompted by an overly eager/affectionate Scarlett (see Exhibit A below).



Exhibit A: Christmas morning kisses from Big Sister to Baby Brother, while Baby Brother waves frantically for help.



Checking out what Santa left in her stocking.



Paw, Scarlett, and Chris striking the same exact pose while they examine their loot.



Chris taking Scarlett's new doll out of the box. The doll came with cute pink eyeglasses, which Scarlett immediately demanded that Chris remove. It seems Scarlett's doll got contacts for Christmas. Or Lasik eye surgery.



Scarlett taking a breather in Baby Brother's bouncy seat. The holidays can be exhausting!

Honk

Here's a cute video of Scarlett honking Max's nose a few weeks ago. She gives him lots of unprompted kisses and hugs, but this nose honk came out of nowhere and totally cracked me up.

Rough translation for those of you who don't speak toddler, Scarlett says the following in the video:

"Brush brother's hair"

"All done"

"Puppy dogs"

"Two, two, two shoes"

And, of course, "HONK."

Santa #3

Scarlett was an old pro by the time she met up with Santa #3 at my firm's kids Christmas party, thanks in no small part to the fact that her Daddy was holding her.



Max, however, did not get Scarlett's "screaming at the sight of Santa is for babies (at least if one of your parents is holding you)" memo.



But hey -- he is a baby, after all. I would hope for better luck next year, but chances are good that Max will freak again. My money is on Christmas 2013 being the earliest we can hope for a nice calm shot with both kids and Santa. Truth be told, I'd be a little disappointed if I didn't have the obligatory "scary Santa" shots of the kids. It's a right of passage in my book (quite literally in my baby book, where Santa's reign of terror was documented at Cielo Vista Mall as far back as 1977).

Santa #2

We had two additional Santa encounters this month, and the good news is that Scarlett found Santa #2 and Santa #3 far less horrifying than Santa #1. The apparent key to no screaming: interacting with Santa from the safety of Momma's lap or Daddy's arms.

Scarlett clings to her balloon wand/sword/light saber. Might come in handy as protection against Santa #2.



Scarlett continues to size up Santa #2. What's up with the pom pom grab? I was a bit leery, too.


Santa #2 strikes another strange pose. But is that a smile I see on Scarlett's face??



Story time with Santa #2. Maybe this guy isn't so bad after all. He even let Scarlett turn the pages of the book. (She was so enthusiastic about it that he had to remind her to let the other kids have a turn.)



Max decided to pass on Santa #2 and to hang with Papa Tig instead.




And no visit to Santa is complete without a balloon sword fight.

Rub a dub dub, Baby Max in the tub

Here are some shots from Max's first bath. Although Max made his displeasure clear, no worries -- he has come around and seems to really enjoy bath time now. Please note the strategically placed towel for both warmth and modesty. Max is a gentleman, after all.

Max's Two Week Checkup

Max had his two week check up today with Dr. Curry, and everything looks great. Max is growing like a weed. He's up to 9 pounds 4 oz (95th percentile for baby boys), is 21 inches long (95th percentile), and his head measurement is off the charts at 15 inches (greater than 97th percentile). Ideally a baby will be back to his or her birth weight at two weeks (since they typically lose a bit of weight after birth). Max not only got up to his birth weight (7 lbs 15 oz), he surpassed it by a pound and 5 ounces (which shouldn't be all that surprising given that he wants to eat ALL the time)! Looks like he might give Scarlett a run for her money after all. He still seems so tiny (and he still has his signature skinny chicken legs), but I think you just forget how little newborns are until you hold one.