December 2007

With all of the holiday activities, December is our busiest month, and this year felt even busier.

Kyla and Blake managed to visit Santa twice in the run-up to Christmas, once at the Cougar Mountain Zoo where the kids met his reindeer, and then at the traditional Santa meeting venue, the mall. All of this Santa exposure did have an unforeseen side effect: Kyla began to have trouble sleeping because she was afraid that the weight of Santa and the reindeer would cause our roof to collapse. In order to protect us against the potential catastrophe, Kyla wrote a letter to Santa asking that he visit our house without his entourage. She also requested that he enter through the front door as she was pretty sure he wouldn't make it in via our gas fireplace.

Kyla is as stubborn as she is clever. While Becky and the kids were out shopping, Kyla started misbehaving and making a scene so Becky told her that as a consequence she would not be able to watch her afternoon television show. This was of course very upsetting to Kyla so Becky offered a compromise where she would be able to watch her show if she said she was sorry for her behavior. Kyla continued to through a fit for over an hour even in light of this offer, and when she finally calmed down instead of finally apologizing she just kissed Becky and told her that she loved her believing that would be enough. Finally she gave in and said she was sorry.

Blake is now a crawler, though he isn't a big fan of it. Typically he'll crawl himself up to something he can pull himself up with and cruise around instead. He seems to want to just skip the whole crawling phase and move straight on to walking.

He's also eating a lot more these days. Blake isn't really interested in baby food anymore, preferring more solid food that he pick up himself. I'd forgotten just how messy babies got when they start feeding themselves and how easily that messiness finds its way to the parents' clothing no matter how much we try to avoid it.

I took the week off between Christmas and New Years but we didn't get much time to relax. If we weren't at some holiday event, we were usually preparing for the next one or cleaning up from the last one.

One of these events was Becky's 30th birthday party. We invited a number of friends over and hired a couple of neighbor girls to babysit the kids upstairs (Linda was nice enough to come watch Blake). We had games for everyone to play, though everyone spent most of their time talking and drinking. Everyone seemed to have a great time especially the birthday girl... what she remembers of it.

By the end of the week all four of us were pretty cranky and under-slept. We do have fun during the holiday season but this year we are looking forward to a return to normalcy.

Holiday Message 2007

Once again the Hovenkotters have a very busy year to look back upon.

By far the biggest event of the year was the addition of our newest family member, Blake. He is a very happy and healthy little boy, aside from a skin allergy that we haven't yet determined the cause of; as a precaution Becky's diet has been reduced to corn flakes with rice milk and dark chocolate. He enjoys standing and cruising around couches and anything else he can grab onto. His favorite foods are apples and prunes. So far he seems to enjoy smiling at and socializing with just about anyone.

Kyla really enjoys her new brother (most of the time) and is good at helping out and entertaining him when he gets fussy. She is now a preschooler, attending class twice a week at a nearby Montessori. The night before her first day Becky was up late worrying because she was concerned that Kyla would be scared being without a familiar adult for the first time. The next morning the teacher came out to collect Kyla, who promptly took her hand and walked inside without looking back. She has also moved into new swimming and gymnastics classes where her adult supervisor (Brett for the former, Linda for the latter) has moved to the sidelines and Kyla works directly with the instructor.

We are happy to report that Brett has managed to stay employed by the same company for an entire calendar year, the last time he achieved this was in 2003. He continues to work on software development projects with Slalom Consulting (formerly Two Degrees). In his free time Brett continues to serve as the family documentarian by blogging, organizing pictures, and producing short movies; all of which is available on our website (which now averages 3.65 hits per day!). Brett's new claim to fame is that he was the first person in all of Issaquah to own an iPhone.

Ever the ambitious mother, Becky decided to give herself some new challenges this year, including giving birth without any medication and running the Seattle Half Marathon, which she often trained for by jogging and pushing the kids in a stroller. In her free time she likes to... well she doesn't have any free time scheduled until 2009, but she's really looking forward to it.

We hope that you are having a great holiday season and wish you an excellent new year.

Brett, Becky, Kyla, & Blake

November 2007

Whether I like it or not, television is one of Kyla's favorite activities and she doesn't like one of her two shows a day to be interrupted, however after taking a couple minutes in the bathroom Becky found she had stopping watching a program to try to entertain Blake, who had started getting fussy. We are lucky in that Kyla truly seems to enjoy her little brother and wants to help him out (well, most of the time).

Not that jealousy doesn't creep up from time to time. Once when she and Becky were alone she asked, "who do you love more, me or Blake?" Becky responded "I love you both differently, but you will always be my firstborn." Then Becky inquired, "who do you love more, me or Daddy?" Kyla replied, "oh, I love you differently." That works for me!

Unfortunately we lost my Grandma Doris on the 28th, which is always a difficult time, but we weren't sure how to approach the event with Kyla. Becky explained that dying is where your body doesn't work anymore and they put into a nice box that is placed under the grass at a cemetery. Kyla thought about it for a while and then asked, "where do they get the box?" Next she suggested that Grandma Ruby could go there too. Then the conversation ended and she seemed OK with it, but after 15 minutes she came to Becky in a panic asking where Grandma Linda was. They called Linda to assure Kyla she was fine.

Blake continues to change quickly, as infants do. This month he officially started eating solid foods. We've had our best luck with applesauce thus far. He seems picky, anything he doesn't like he spits out. He wants to be upright constantly, showing little interest in crawling but really enjoying cruising around holding onto tall toys or the couch. He also cut his first tooth.

Blake has entered a phase of "separation anxiety," meaning that he wants to be held often and gets upset when either of his parents (especially his mother) walk away. Becky and I have learned to distract him whenever she attempts to go to another room.

Thanksgiving weekend was very busy as always. We went to Doug's for Thanksgiving lunch and the Chambers' for Thanksgiving dinner. Then on Saturday Kyla and I went to the Apple Cup at Husky Stadium with my mother's family where we all cheered on the Cougs. On Sunday morning Becky ran the Seattle Half Marathon, which she has been training for ever since Blake was born. When she first mentioned to me that she wanted to do it, I thought she was crazy to even try (though I kept my skepticism to myself), but Becky is good at proving people wrong. Finally on Sunday night we had Thanksgiving dinner at Linda's with the Saulsberry's.

Once again the holiday season is upon us. This will be our first as a foursome, which means it will be even that much busier than before, but I'm hoping we finish the year strong. Thankfully Becky did most of our shopping early this year.

October 2007

Blake has now been with us for six months. He's been growing fast and is now in the 97th percentile for height.

He's also been gaining new abilities. Blake can now roll over in both directions and sit up unassisted. He is really getting good at using his hands to play with toys and just about anything else that comes within his reach. If he spots a pacifier nearby he can grab it and stick it in his mouth.

However October has been a difficult month for the little guy. His rashes continue to persist and we haven't yet pinpointed their cause. As a result Becky was ordered by his doctor to cut dairy, eggs, nuts, soy, and wheat from her diet to see if that helps. Try going out and eliminating all of those items from the menu and there isn't much left. He also has had issues with constipation, though his doctor prescribed him some medicine that seems to do the trick every time.

As a result he hasn't been sleeping well, which means Becky and I haven't been sleeping well either (especially Becky). This has been a bit of a strain. Between six and seven in the morning he usually decides it's time to get up and starts smiling and cooing. After a night of broken sleep it's hard for anyone to wake up happy, but he does a great job of lifting my spirits.

One of the big differences between Blake and Kyla at this age is that Blake is more likely to let me sooth him and put him to sleep, whereas Kyla just wanted Becky. This might be just his personality, but more likely it is because he has to share Mommy more than Kyla did and has just learned to be comfortable with me.

This month we saw Kyla reach what I consider to be a major milestone in a person's life: she has learned how to use a computer. Every kids television show has a website with Flash-based games and activities, and I used to do them for her, but I finally decided it was time for her to use the mouse herself. She picked up mousing and clicking in minutes and I was able to leave her to play without any assistance. She has used both my Mac and our Windows desktop and she definitely prefers the Mac, but mainly because the Mighty Mouse is more intuitive than a normal two-button mouse for her.

She's also been going to gymnastics class with Grandma Linda again after taking the summer off. What's different about her new class is that she no longer has a parent help her and one of her instructors is now Uncle Casey.

For Halloween the kids dressed up as Shrek and Princess Fiona (which was Kyla's request). We went trick or treating up and down our block with Asher (who was Pepe Le Pew), his parents, and Kerry. Kyla amassed an impressive haul from which she selected her favorite pieces of candy to keep and then left the rest out for the Candy Monster, who ate her remaining sugary plunder and replaced it with a remote control Corvette.

Our first holiday season as a four-member family is fast approaching. This is typically our busiest time of the year, but I hope we make it to New Years with a some holiday cheer left over.

September 2007

She's only three, but all of a sudden I feel that my little girl is starting to grow up.

This month she started attending Preschool at Lakeside Montessori. This was the first time that we've ever left her without an adult she already knew, and the night before Becky got very nervous that the experience would be scary for Kyla. When the moment to drop her off came, they were met on the curb by one of the teaching assistants. Kyla promptly took her hand and headed inside and appeared to have a great time. We know this because there are cameras in the classroom that can be viewed from the Web.

Kyla has also advanced to the "Baby Grads" level at swim class, which means no parents in the pool. This is kind of bittersweet for me because while I love to see her move forward, I really enjoyed being in the pool with her. I was worried that she would struggle with this change, but she showed no reservations getting into the pool with the instructor and relishes the additional one on one attention from her. One of her new classmates is named Zoe, and after Kyla was introduced she explained to her teacher that we used to have a Zoe until a coyote came and took her away. This was really funny to me (in a morbid way) but no one else seemed to get what she was talking about.

As if this weren't enough for a parent to absorb, Kyla further asserted her independence one day at the park when I tried to join her on the teeter totter. She promptly ordered me to leave and then called for one of the other kids to teeter with her. I guess I'm not as cool as I thought I was.

Blake is still his happy little self. He is getting a lot more coordinated with his arms and will peddle his feet if you stand him up (with babies the strength to walk comes long before the balance). We've been putting him on his stomach a lot and he is able to scoot himself forward a bit.

Unfortunately he caught a bad cough, which has had an adverse affect on his sleep. Contrary to the promising four to five hour stretches he would do before, for several weeks he has consistent slept in one to two hour stretches, which has not been good for Becky's mental health (or mine to a lesser extent) since it takes at least 120 minutes to achieve the REM sleep that the brain needs.

He also has eczema that shows up on his skin from time to time. We've been experimenting with changes to Becky's diet and not using soap on him in the bath to try to isolate the cause, but our current theory is that it is the laundry detergent we're using since his diaper-covered areas appear to be unaffected. We've also switched to non-latex pacifiers and that seems to have cleared-up his face.

For activities this month we went to Remlinger Farms with the Neels, we went back to Chelan (again with the Neels), and we went to Ellensburg High School's homecoming game where Lexie was presented as royalty during half-time.

This was also the month of our sixth wedding anniversary, which was also the first time we've successfully left both kids without us for an entire date (the first attempt was aborted because Blake began crying and wouldn't stop until Becky came home). We went to dinner at a Benihana-style Japanese restaurant, went for a walk, and finished with some ice cream.

In the midst of this eventful month, it occurred to me that after a child is born, parenting is basically the process of slowly teaching your children to get by without you. Little by little we become obsolete.

Kyla's 3rd Birthday Party

As with last year Kyla's birthday was a major event for our family. We again had more than 50 guests, including family, friends, neighbors, and Kyla's buddies.

This year's theme was "princess" and we decorated our house to fit the part. The family room was covered with palace wallpaper and pictures of Cinderella, Snow White, and Jasmine. We also showed a DVD of princess dances for the kids follow along with. The Neels were again kind enough to bring their bouncy house, which makes them very popular along our block.

I made another 10 minute movie composed of clips and stills of Kyla over the past year, though this one almost didn't happen. The night before the party after I had spent many hours putting the movie together, I tried to burn a DVD when I heard a loud, unpleasant sound coming from my laptop. I picked the computer up and heard a rattling sound. It turns out that Kyla had taken my Mac's disc drive for a piggy bank and deposited a nickel. Fortunately I was able to get it loose after some shaking after which the burner worked fine.

All in all it was a nice party and Kyla seemed to have a blast. Every year it feels like a great way to end the summer (which doesn't technically end until the 22nd, but most people aren't that technical). Perhaps someday Kyla will prefer a smaller gathering of just her peers, but for now we all enjoy the big blow out.

August 2007

As Kyla's third year comes to a close, so does the era of diaper wearing (at least during the day). Yes, she has officially mastered potty power. We're very proud, but there are times when I miss how leisurely we could be with diapers. When a three-year-old tells you they need to go to the bathroom, they mean right now.

Another change we've seen in her this month is that she's become more devious. Often when she asks to do something and I tell her no, she explains that Mommy has already said that she could, which is of course completely false. We call her on it and tell her that it isn't OK to lie, but I'm concerned that these fibs are a harbinger for what is to come in her teenage years. Also when she is told to do something she doesn't want to do, she'll often reply with "OK, whatever," which is a line she gets from her mother.

Becky and I have noticed that Kyla has been more pleasant recently, perhaps because her teeth have come in and she's sleeping a little better. To get her to sleep through the night we've been having her sleep in our bed with me (she stirs occasionally but when she finds me she relaxes and falls back to sleep), so that Becky only has to wake up for Blake.

Regardless of her improving demeanor, she still has an impressive tantrum from time to time. During a particularly bad one, Becky gave up trying to reason with her and went to our bedroom, closing the door behind her. Kyla then engaged the child lock from the outside, thinking that doing so would unlock the door, effectively locking Becky and Blake in. They were trapped for about 45 minutes before Becky managed to push the handle through the child lock and escape.

Kyla is becoming a big help with her baby brother. When he gets upset she tries to get him to cheer up by making faces and funny noises at him, or by giving him his pacifier. When they're in the car she'll toss him toys to play with. She's a wonderful little helper and I hope they continue to get along.

Blake continues to be a happy and relatively easy baby (except when he's constipated). When he's especially happy or tickled he giggles loudly which is a terribly cute thing to hear. He's also started to use his hands; if there is anything within reach he grabs for it and brings it directly to his mouth. I've learned to keep paper away from him because it can be difficult to pry away from his fingers.

We spent one weekend this month in Chelan with Jan, Bill, Lexie, and Lexie's boyfriend. We had a great time relaxing on the beach (at least the amount of relaxation the kids will allow) and eating my mother's cooking. We also rented a jet ski and Kyla rode on it with Becky and I. She really enjoyed it, especially when I sped up.

It's hard to believe that three years have passed since Becky and I entered the world of parenting. Every once in a while I'm reminded of what life was like prior to becoming responsible for the well being of little ones and I remind myself why we chose this road. It's the the little things like watching Kyla do something for the first time or hearing Blake laugh that I love most... though occasionally I do miss being able to sleep in.

July 2007

Summer is in full swing again and we have been enjoying the sunny weather.

We did the Fourth of July at the Chambers' Lake House where we set off kid-friendly fireworks and Uncle Tom provided everyone with party poppers. Breaking with the Seattle tradition the weather brought no rain this year.

Thomas the Train came back into town so we went to Snoqualmie with the Neels and Santiagos to see him and ride the rails. Blake slept through his first train ride. As we were leaving I managed to back the car into a rock and scrape up the bumper pretty bad. For the record this was my first real car accident ever.

Becky was reading our blog entry for October 2004 and saw that Kyla rolled over at 8 weeks and was worried that Blake, who was 9 weeks at the time, was falling behind. So I grabbed Blake, put him on his stomach, and he promptly rolled over. Perhaps he felt challenged.

Blake continues to smile and seems to find more of his voice everyday. He really enjoys interacting with people and loves attention. Overall he is turning out to be a very happy baby.

Kyla's two-year molars finally came, the appearance of which seemed to have affected her sleep and her mood. During one of her tantrums she managed to climb over the banister on the stairs and Becky found her dangling by her foot from the railing. I never imagined a toddler's tantrums could be so dangerous.

Lately Kyla's taste in television programming has diversified beyond Dora and Caillou, and unfortunately she has selected Barney and Friends as one of her new favorites. I suppose I shouldn't complain since it is an age appropriate, educational program, but it is every bit as irritating to watch as it was 15 years ago when my younger brother Kirk was a fan. I've sat through a number of other preschool-level shows, but for some reason Barney is harder for an adult to stomach.

I'm still looking forward to the day that I introduce Transformers to Blake... and maybe Kyla too.

Zoe

It is with a heavy heart that I have to report that we are now a pet-less family. Our cat, Zoe, has disappeared.

I'd like to think that she found someone who took her in that she preferred over us, but that seems unlikely considering how territorial she was and how she has never disappeared before. A number of coyotes have been spotted in our area recently, so the most likely scenario is that she fell prey to one of them.

Kyla has noticed Zoe's absence and has expressed some remorse. Becky and I will miss her too of course, she's been a part of our lives for more than five years. Since Kyla was born I have felt bad for her because she didn't get nearly as much attention as she used to.

We don't intend to replace Zoe any time soon. Someday the kids may beg for a pet and Becky and I may give in, but only after they are old enough to take care of it.

June 2007

The things that constitute Earth-shattering news change when you have young children. Kyla called me while I was at work to tell me that she had used the potty at home, and I was thrilled. I was tempted to share my good news with the people I worked with, but figured that would make me look pretty weird.

She is also developing a very active imagination. She likes to think up new words for things and often makes up stories to tell us. Kyla likes to play doctor and even has an alter ego named Dr Thona who calls you into her office and checks your blood pressure and heart rate, gives you a shot, applies a band aid, and finally sends you home.

Kyla's toy cell phone was having problems, so she told Becky, "I need a new phone Mommy." Becky asked her what type of phone she wanted and Kyla responded, "an iPhone." Apparently no one is safe from Apple marketing hype. She was with me when I bought mine (yes I waited in line on the 29th), but they only allowed one per customer, so she'll have to wait for hers.

Blake continues to be a fairly easy baby and even slept an eight hour stretch once. He smiles more often now, most often in the morning after his first big poop. He's starting to discover his voice and coos a bit. Sleeping continues to be pretty good for a baby his age; he'll wake up a couple of times to eat, but generally stays asleep through the night. He also has been growing like a weed and his height and weight are 90th percentile.

Blake has also become a big fan of pacifiers. We tried to give one to Kyla but she was never interested. Blake sucks on his hands occasionally, so we assume if we don't give him a pacifier he'll turn into a thumb sucker, which we want to avoid since Becky sucked her thumb until she was seven.

The family seems to agree that Blake's nickname is "buddy" or "little buddy," though I'm sure he'll develop more over time. Kyla's are "sweet pee," "Miss Ashley" (Brett), "rooney" (Becky), and "little one" (Becky).

Funny story of the month:
Becky is packing up the kids and Kyla asks, "where are we going Mommy?" Becky tells her that she has a doctor appointment. Kyla response, "oh no, is there another baby in your tummy?"

May 2007

May was a very exciting and difficult month for our family, but I'm actually impressed with how well we did.

Blake is a very healthy baby and is gaining weight like crazy. He took to nursing from day one, which was a major source of anxiety with Kyla. Blake also seems to be an easier baby in general, usually sleeping one good stretch (four hours, give or take) every night, willing to be put down in his papasan or car seat once in a while, and occasionally accepts a pacifier to calm him down. Becky and I aren't sure how much our experience is making this go round seem easier versus Blake's more easygoing demeanor, but I'm sure both are big factors.

Not that this has been easy for us, far from it. Becky's not getting any more sleep than last time, and I'm getting less. This is because Becky was able to nap occasionally when Kyla was a newborn, but with two children she never gets the opportunity, so I need to pitch in more at night to make sure she gets just enough rest to function (it's impressive just how little that actually is). Also Blake usually likes to be held and paid attention to when he's awake, so he doesn't always cooperate when we need to put him down to get something done or tend to his sister. Becky often straps him to her chest using a cloth wrap that makes him feel secure and frees up her hands. I'm guessing this reminds them both of being pregnant.

The first day of May is my birthday, which we spent at the hospital. I was surprised by how many people remembered and made mention of it (perhaps because I noted it in my post about Blake's birth). Everyone apologized that it had been preempted by recent events, but as a result I received more recognition than I do on a typical birthday.

Kyla has taken really well to being a big sister. After we first brought Blake home, she was very possessive, often not letting guests hold him. She constantly wants to play with him and we have to warn her to leave him alone when he's asleep. She has had some struggles since we brought Blake home, but that may have had more to do with the changes in environment and routine than jealousy.

Blake also seems to be enamored with his big sister. From the beginning he has appeared to turn in her direction whenever she is speaking around him, which makes sense since he probably heard her voice even more than mine in utero. Towards the end of the month he also issued his first smile, which was while looking at Kyla.

We haven't just sat at home this month. Kyla and I went to see Kirk's musical, Zombie Prom, at Eastlake High School, which was a great show and Kirk had a big part. I also took Kyla to see Shrek The Third with Dan and Asher, which was Kyla's first trip to a movie theater. Our whole family went to the zoo with the Neels on Memorial Day and to some of the parks on the lakes to cool off (there were a number of hot days this month). Blake tends to sleep through these excursions.

Gene and Ellie gifted Blake some money to start his college account with. I mentioned to Kyla that she also had a college account (which was also seeded by Bubbie and Zadie), who was intrigued by the whole college thing. We explained to her that college is a school that you go to when you've grown up, and that you often leave home to do so. She thought about this and then asked if we could come with her. We told her we'd talk about it when she's 18.

Another of May's funnier moments was when Kyla's growing interest in anatomy turned to "nurses," which is our word for breasts. She pointed out that mine were "little nurses" while Mommy's were big. I told her that boys don't really have nurses, so she decided to flash hers to Blake. She also pointed out that they look like chickenpox.

Becky and I have been concerned since we learned that Blake was on his way about how we would be able to juggle two children at once. Sure we know plenty of people who have handled two or more kids, but it still scared us, especially when considering the situations where only one of us would have to deal with both of them at once. So far, it hasn't been too bad. I often take both kids in the morning and usually this works out OK, but it really depends on the kids' moods. One morning they were both clingy and wanting to be held, and I had to explain to Kyla that I needed to put her down in order to make her breakfast since I had run out of hands. On another morning I was able to make breakfast and even exercise without incident since Kyla was content to play by herself and Blake fell asleep.

The lesson to be learned here is the more children a family has, the less control is wielded by the parents.

Comments From Blake's Birth

The only comments that we ever received from the iWeb-version of the blog were on the entry for Blake's birth. I'm reposting those here.

Sal
Congrats! I am glad to hear all is well and that he's a healthy little guy. Be prepared, whenever you leave that little waterspout uncovered is when you can expect a shower.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 10:08 AM

Jodi Hammond
CONGRATS!!! He is gorgeous, and WAY TO GO BECKY on the natural labor and delivery!! It really is an amazing experience, eh?
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the PAPA!! :) Love to ALL FOUR of you! (I can't believe you have a family of four now!)
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 10:58 AM

Michelle & Chris Upham
Congrats Becky, Brett, Kyla, and family. Very well done!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 11:09 AM

Congrats Mommy, Daddy and Big Sister Kyla! Becky, it looks like you got your wish for things to start normally this time. That's a big little boy that came out of your little tiny tummy! And no Daddy and Blake have completely different birthday months!
Happy Birthday Brett!!
Congrats and love to you all.
Jana & Ashif
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 11:18 AM

Brett,
Sitting here with Ellie, looking at some GREAT pictures of BLAKE.
Thanks, HOPE Becky is feeling well.
Elllie said "look at all that hair" and Brett she isn't talking about yours which you will now start to lose with 2 children.
All the best,
Jeff
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 11:29 AM

All natural!!!!?????? Wow Becky, you really are a stud!!!!! I shudder just to think of that. But your little guy is beautiful. I think he looks a lot like Kyla too. Congrats to all of you and way to go Becky!
Lindsay
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 01:08 PM

Micah
What a beatiful boy! Can't wait to meet him.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 02:23 PM

Anonymous
Yay!!! Congrats on the new baby!!!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 03:49 PM

Kirsten Chambers
Congratulations on the new baby boy! He is just beautiful. I would write more but your daughter is tugging on my pants leg!.
Love,
Kirsten
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 03:53 PM

Becky,
Well I am SO excited that Blake finally decided to join you guys!!!! I was feeling for you when I heard you were still going to Stroller Strides last week! Congratulations, he is a very handsome boy...looking forward to seeing you around the neighborhood. Hope all is well!!!! Love, Jaime, Jaxon and Joshua!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 04:09 PM

Erin Turnley
Becky and family...way to go..Congrats! He's beautiful! Way to go on the natural birth.... isn't it nice to hop up and move around after??? Life with two is awesome...I'm sure we'll see you back at Stroller Strides right after your post-natal check up, you work out nut!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 04:14 PM

Susan, Hayden & Frazier
He's beautiful!!! We already love him.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 04:23 PM

Nana Judy
Hey Kyla! Thank you for introducing me to your new little brother! You are so right on...he is really sweet! I am so impressed with how good a big sister you are...already!
Way to go Becky and Brett!!!
And Happy Birthday, Brett! It is so cool you and Blake have different birth months!
I love you all lots and lots and lots!!!
Love,
Nana Judy
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 08:07 PM

Saskia
Congrats on your very cute baby boy!!! Hope to meet him soon at the playgroup. - Saskia
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 08:53 PM

Vanessa
Congrats and way to go! I was hoping to hear this news soon for your sake. Please let us know if you need anything...maybe a meal? Hope to see you soon!
-Vanessa, Carin, & Nico
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 09:19 PM

Layla, Astrid and David
He's Beautiful! Congratulations to the whole family on this great addition! Au Naturel, Becky? You're my hero! What a wonderful new member of the family! He looks amazing and I'm just so thrilled for you!
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - 12:26 AM

Becky and family,
CONGRATULATIONS! I am so impressed with your delivery story. He is just precious and I think he looks like Kyla, too! Hope I can see him on iChat soon! Two is twice as fun!
Love, Heather and family
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - 05:55 AM

Hi,
Congrats to the Hovenkotter family!!
-Ojasvi & Vanshika
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - 09:34 AM

Congrats!!! Way to go Beck.... He is very cute and big wow! Word of advise keep his hose covered!
Congrats,
The Vincent Family
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - 10:33 AM

The Lofink's
WOW!! Congratulations all the way around! He is absolutely adorable! We can't wait to meet Blake!
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - 07:03 PM

Kristin
Congratulations! A big "way to go!" to Becky for the natural birth of such a big boy, you're a brave woman (and strong too, wow)! I'm so happy for you guys, I hope everyone is doing well, healthy and happy. I'm sure Kyla will be an excellent big sister. Happy belated birthday to Blake and Brett!
:)
Kristin & Ryan
ps- our new puppies say hi!
Saturday, May 5, 2007 - 12:32 PM

Greg Martin
Nice work buddy, that's great news.
Sunday, May 6, 2007 - 10:38 PM

Joe Coulter
Congrats to the both of you!!!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 - 08:19 AM

Blake's Birth

This has been a whirlwind experience.

We had been planning on inducing on May 1st, which is my birthday. Becky was feeling disappointed because she was hoping for everything to start normally this time.

We went to our last prenatal appointment on the morning of the 30th. The doctor checked Becky out and said, "this baby is going to come quickly, how far away do you live?" We told her about 30 minutes and she suggested that we induce that afternoon. Becky and I were in shock, but agreed.

Once we checked in, Becky actually appeared to be in labor already. Over the next six hours she endured the labor with no medication whatsoever. Before we knew it, it was time to push and Blake came fast. The whole experience was much more intense than Kyla's delivery and I was really impressed at how well she managed it.

After he emerged, he was a little stunned and the nurses took him to the heating bed. We were really nervous that something was really wrong, but they assured us that he was fine.

He was a big baby weighing in at 8 pounds 15 ounces, and 20 and a half inches in length, which makes the natural birth all the more impressive. So far we think he looks a lot like his sister did when she was born.

The first night was pretty surreal. We’ve already been hit by the between boys and girls... literally, when he peed on us.

Please check back here for updates. Your comments to this post are greatly appreciated.

April 2007

April was our last month without Blake (with the exception of the final five hours). Obviously the last day of the month was the most exciting (and the subject of its own post), but we didn't spend the rest of April just waiting around for him.

We started the month with an April Fool's Day trip to Tillicum Village, a Native American tourist attraction on (I'm not making this up) Blake Island in Puget Sound. We took the ferry there and had a delicious salmon lunch, watched a performance of Native Northwest dancing, and explored the State Park. This purpose of this trip was actually to celebrate my parents' (Dad's side) 25th Wedding Anniversary. Their real anniversary is May 23rd, but between Blake's arrival and Kirk's graduation we figured it would be too difficult to plan anything fun in May.

Leading up to Easter Weekend, Kyla died a number of eggs, and even ate a few. After eating halfway through one hard-boiled egg she pointed to the yellow part and asked, "is that a nipple?" On the day before Easter we went to the Highlands Easter Egg Hunt, which wasn't all that exciting due to a low egg to child ratio. For the zero to three age group the parents rushed out in front of the toddlers to get eggs for their children, so it wasn't very sporting for the little ones. On Easter Sunday we went to brunch with the Saulberrys at Linda's house where Kyla and Ruby had a more successful egg hunt. We also went to at Dot's place for dinner with the Pritchard Family.

Becky has been helping Kyla work on her sharing skills. She explained that if Kyla asks her buddies nicely if she can play with a toy, they are more likely to give it to her. So she went up to another child and said, "Can I play with that? If I ask then I get it." A little too direct, but it worked. Her new sharing skills haven't gone unnoticed, Becky has been told by other mother's that Kyla is very good at sharing recently.

She is also becoming more and more observant of her surroundings. If she seems tired, Becky and I will try to take the long way home (having her fall asleep in the car is a lot easier than the bedtime routine). This technique no longer works because she now protests if we turn off of the route home if we get within a few miles. Those are some impressive backseat driving skills.

Some of her new observations can be uncomfortable for us. She walked in on me while I was in the bathroom. Then she asked, "where is the pee coming from Daddy?" I told her and fortunately that was the end of the conversation. Then she was taking a bath with Becky and feeling around her pregnant belly. She became curious and asked, "where will Blake come out of your tummy, Mommy?" Becky told her and her response was "oh gross Mom." I'm not sure where a two and a half year old gets the idea that that is gross.

Becky was talking to Kyla about her future and Becky asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up, "a doctor, a teacher, a police officer?" Kyla responded by declaring that she didn't want to do anything when she grows up (all that money in her 529 account going to waste). When Becky asked how she would get money, Kyla responded, "Daddy."

It seems that Kyla wants to hang out with me more than usual lately. She's wanted me more involved with bedtime (our old tag team approach didn't last and for a while it was mainly just Becky), and I'm usually the choice to change her dirty diapers (much to Mommy's delight). I don't know if this is just a phase, or if she senses that Mommy is going to be far more occupied in the near future. Actually being pregnant keeps Mommy pretty occupied right now.

March 2007

March has been a month filled with preparation for our new family member. Becky has gone into full nesting mode and we've cleaned out the entire house, done some yard work, and fixed up our cars.

Actually our cars were the source of a major change in our family. Becky's Jetta is too small to fit an infant car seat behind the driver comfortably, so we decided to go car shopping. After we picked one out and had begun negotiating with dealerships, we decided it made more sense for us to just switch cars instead. The Accord will become the family car and the Jetta will be used by whomever doesn't have Blake (which will usually be me). So far this arrangement is working out fine as using a stick in traffic isn't as awful as I thought it would be and the Accord has given Becky the room she needs (we've already got Blake's car seat installed).

Kyla is also doing her part to get ready. We all went to a class for toddlers who are expecting younger siblings. The instructor simulated a live birth with a mommy doll and an emerging baby doll, she even simulated the birthing mother's breathing and grunting noises for effect. This was probably for the benefit of those children who are going to be present at their sibling's birth, which we never seriously considered (and I thought by not lying about the stork we would avoid being old fashioned, but this class was in Seattle). Then Kyla held a real baby for the first time and watched his diaper get changed. Fortunately she didn't ask any questions about his anatomy. Finally we watched a slideshow about a girl who goes through the process of becoming a big sister that included an uncensored picture of the mother giving birth. After the class Kyla declared, "That baby coming out of the mommy's tummy wasn't the right color" (if you've never seen a live birth before, babies usually emerge with a bluish-purple color).

I find the details she that picks up on to be very amusing. With Easter coming she had a very interesting question for Becky, "Is the Easter Bunny a boy or a girl?" Becky told her she didn't know and that she never really thought about it (I generally think of him as a boy, but he is often depicted in feminine clothing), to which Kyla replied, "you should ask the other mommies," a very practical idea.

Kyla is constantly learning to do new things on her own. We all went to the park on a nice day and she was able to climb ladders, go down steep slides, and just play like a kid without a parent hovering over her. Becky got her a new 24 piece puzzle and she was able to put it together mainly on her own; I only had to answer questions and give little hints. Not having our help to do things has its disadvantages too, she hates socks and insists on putting her shoes on the wrong feet, which has led to a number of blisters.

We've started to teach her to tell time. In the mornings Kyla usually gets up and has breakfast with me, and is eager to wake Becky up who sleeps in (and deservedly so since she is constantly being woken up by kicks and Braxton-Hicks contractions). She knows that she has to wait until the big hand on the clock is on the "3" (8:15) before running upstairs and jumping on the bed.

Since this is the month of St. Patrick's Day it seems appropriate to mention that Kyla's favorite color is green. She wanted her new bedroom painted green and favors that color when it comes to all sorts of things from her straws to the noodle she uses in swim class. Neither Becky or I are really sure where this preference came from, but doesn't everyone have a favorite color?

Lexie was in another production, this time a musical of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. We were assuming that Kyla wouldn't make it through the entire three hours, but to our surprise she watched the whole show and really loved it (it was really impressive for a high school production). For days afterwards she asked us to tell her the story of Belle when we were putting her to sleep.

We went to the Grossology exhibit at the Pacific Science Center with the Neels, and afterwards we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. The OSF has a highly decorative toilet in the women's restroom (so I'm told), which apparently intrigued Kyla enough to use it. Thus far she hasn't been too interested in using the potty despite our efforts to encourage it. We're hoping she'll eventually motivate herself when she sees that her buddies have ditched their diapers since she seems to have inherited her parents' competitiveness.

Now we are looking towards April, which we sincerely hope concludes with Blake's birth and makes this the last monthly update post for our three member family. But considering Kyla was induced a week late, I won't get my hopes up too high.

February 2007

Kyla is now two and a half, and grows evermore independent with each passing month. She has now decided that she wants to dress herself and put on her own shoes. This coupled with the fact that she wants to get herself into her car seat means that we have to plan for extra time to get out of the house, but the more she does it, the faster she'll get. She is playing independently a lot more too, which has made her parents' lives a little easier.

She is doing a fine job with her manners, saying "please" and "thank you" usually without being asked. In fact she has even begun to remind me when I owe someone a "thank you," especially when I owe her one.

Kyla seems to be a natural leader (in other words, she's bossy). She gets a kick out of giving direction to her friends, who are often happy to oblige her. In her favorite roll playing game she is a teacher while Becky and I are her students. Her class is an eclectic one that includes saying our ABC's, singing songs, and doing jumping jacks.

Sharing is still not one of Kyla's strong suits however. After Stroller Strides she gets to play at Toddler Time and Becky has told her she needs to let other children play with any toy she is done with. Her answer to this rule is to gather all of her toys around her so that she is able to touch each one concurrently. I have to admire her ingenuity.

Kyla made her first visit to a dentist that went surprisingly well. She was very cooperative opening her mouth for her teeth cleaning and fluoride treatment and never seem to get too scared. When I got home that night she was very excited to tell me about it.

She finally decided that she wanted to move into her new room after we made a big deal about her new "big kid bed." Once she seemed comfortable there we started working on getting Blake's room ready by putting on a fresh coat of paint, replacing the gliders pink cushions with red ones, and putting the B-L-A-K-E letters up above the window.

On the 18th Cassie and Lexie threw Becky a baby shower. It was a girls-only affair for the first half, but then Kyla and I were allowed to join for the remainder. In baby shower tradition there were games, including one that required the participants to guess what each of three different bags of white powder were (none of which would have been found at an '80s New Wave party). Blake received a lot of very boyish clothing and Kyla even got some big sister gifts.

Two more months to go!

January 2007

After finishing our busy holiday schedule, we were looking forward to a relatively relaxing January. It didn't quite work out that way.

Seattle fell victim to another winter blast. This time, after a three hour commute home, I found myself unable to get up the steep hill of Highlands Drive, so I finally had to give up and seek shelter at Tom and Judy's. My father ended up there as well after a nearly successful attempt to come pick me up in his all-wheel drive car. The cold days that followed kept the snow around for a while, but on the plus side Kyla, Asher, and Ajay had a lot of fun playing in the snow and building a snowman.

After we got passed that episode it was time to work on the Blake Preparation List, and one of its biggest items was to get Kyla's new room ready. We let Kyla choose the new color and she decided on green. Becky started comparing various color cards (apparently there are many, many different shades of green) before she concluded that she wasn't going to come up with a better color than the green we painted Kyla's nursery back at the condo. We put up two coats and bought Kyla a new bed, mattress, dresser, and desk, all of which she found interesting but she still wanted to sleep in her old room. She got wise to us and asked if Blake was going to get her old blue room, so we fessed up and she wasn't thrilled with the idea of her room being invaded by her little brother. With three months to go we're already dealing with sibling rivalry. That can't be a good sign.

Becky explained to Kyla that she was also in Mommy's tummy once, and that Mommy was once in Grandma Linda's tummy and Daddy was once in Grandma Jan's tummy. Kyla found this fascinating and began asking others whose tummy they used to be in. I hope it's a long time before we have to address how Daddys come into the picture.

Next on our list was to change Kyla's bedtime habits because we'd realized that we won't be able to keep putting the same amount of effort into it once her competition arrives. Becky introduced a new routine where I help her brush her teeth, get her into pajamas, and read her two stories, then Becky reads her two more and then turns out the light and stays with her until she falls asleep. Kyla added a step to the routine by making me put a princess bandaid on a cut on my forehead every night, even after it had healed, until we finally ran out. Our ultimate goal is to alter the routine so that the last stage consists of her falling asleep in her room by herself.

When she wakes up, one of Kyla'a favorite places to visit, like a true Seattleite, is Starbucks. She really loves her "coffee" (steamed kids milk) and those breakfast sandwiches. In fact, if Becky tries to take her somewhere else to get "coffee" she quickly protests, "this isn't Starbucks Mommy." I thought you had to serve Happy Meals to get that kind of loyalty from two-year-olds.

Towards the end of the month Kyla caught a nasty cold that proved to be highly communicable. It infected Becky and I, most of Kyla's play group and their families (we're not sure who contracted it first), and our neighbors. We've had it for about a week and we are still fighting it off.

Looking forward I'm sure that February is going to be a very relaxing and healthy month. Now where is some wood I can knock on?