We're Losing Jodi

So, in two weeks Jodi goes back to a full time job in ophthalmology. We've told the boys, but I don't think they understand it yet. I've learned a lot about parenting (not to mention how to save money, fix computers, and fix locks) from her, and wish her the best. Oh no! What are we going to do without Rasputin (as she is affectionately referred to by one of our friends)?

Will and Counting

While Will is really good at counting objects, we have come across one problem... Will insists he has three noses, and we can't convince him otherwise. He counts each nostril and then the tip for a total of three noses. Not only is he pretty bright (not using this example as evidence, though), but he's also pretty darn stubborn!!!

What Robert Likes

If you want a guarenteed giggle out of the baby, then play pat-a-cake with his feet. His favorite part is when you "pound" his chest with his feet while you say, "Baby and me." Baby Robbie also likes his feet played with, much more so than his cheeks or tummy and such. He also loves when children pay attention to him. Other kids get big smiles from Baby Robbie.

What's Going On Today

Chris- is finishing up a stressful, but big and important project at work. Christie- fit into her pre-pregnancy jeans today, but it's not enough- Back to the gym for more INSANE workouts! The older two boys- Let's just say I have to do lots of laundry today. Baby Robert- is just content.

Wrong, Just Wrong!

It's so cold in my house that I'm contemplating turning on the heat. Who would ever turn on the heat in September??? Very disturbing!

Baby Robbie's Hearing is Fine

After sedation, they did an AVR, which, I understand, is a test which measures brain activity in response to sound. That is the definitive hearing test. He passed both ears. They then did a test of the ear drum, which, it turns out, moves normally in both ears. Finally, the screening test was done again. That test tests the cochlea. As I understand it, a pressure wave (sound wave) goes into the cochlea bending the hairs at the corresponding frequency, and then is sent back out and recorded. The little guy's cochleas work fine at the higher frequencies, but the sound wave at the lower frequencies was not returned normally. The audiologist said that there are documented cases (meaning he's never experienced it himself) where the cochlear screening test is off, but the definitive test shows hearing, and those people have normal hearing. In conclusion, Robbie has no hearing deficit, and will continue to be screened as any other child, with no additional follow-ups. Woo-hoo! I thank all of you for your prayers and support!

Baby Robert's First Little Cold

The little guy was up all night. I'm exhausted and I won't be able to go to the gym today.

Just A Couple More Words

Of course I can no longer keep an exhaustive list of the words Will can spell, but here are a few of the latest additions:

Milk
Sun
Wagon
Truck
Water
Rocket
Train
Nana
Night
Nest
Sheep
Duck
Stage
Shoe (spelled s-o-c-k)

Church Carnival

Last night, a local Catholic church (yes they had beer) had a carnival. Let me just say, a year ago it would have really stressed me out. But a year later (or a beer later?), I just laughed at the chaos of taking three little boys to a carnival. First of all, they only have port-a-potties, and Christopher is no longer in diapers, but not yet able to do the whole potty thing alone. He is such a big boy and goes on rides by himself. Will doesn't have much interest in the rides, yet. There was a huge slide that Christopher walked up all by himself. I tried to get pictures of the joy on his face as he came down, but it was too dark- nothing came out. And then, out of nowhere, Will starts saying, "Oh no shoe!" He lost a shoe, but who knows when he lost it- it was no where in sight. Then the starving baby, who up 'til then had been distracted by the chaos around him, decided that, indeed, he needed to be fed. And Chris just keeps saying, "This is why we're going to heaven!"

Thoughtful Little Will

When Will wants you to write something so he can trace the letters, he'll tell you the word, but then he'll spell it for you in case you don't know how.

Will's Newest Interest

I can't even count how many words Will can spell and read at this point. For example, out of nowhere he spelled "Soccer" yesterday. So, now his new interest is tell you what to write so that he can trace the letters. And the cutest part is that when you're done writing what he wants to you write, he always says, "Wow, Cool!"

Manners

The boys are so polite even to each other. It's really cute when Christopher says, "Thank you, Will" when Will does something for him. Too cute!!

The Best Little Sleeper

Robert is such a calm, good-natured little guy. This morning he slept until our alarm went off. Amazing!!

More On Christopher in Preschool

The teacher said that Christopher has a lot of energy, is very smart, takes discipline well, and is very polite. The only problem is that he's a bit impulsive and doesn't like to wait his turn.

How is Christopher Doing in Preschool?

The teacher told me, regarding Christopher, that I must be very tired at the end of the day. Now, what does that say when a teacher, used to 10-15 preschoolers at a time, tells you that?

Baltimore

I had a 24 hour break from being a mother- I took off to Baltimore while Chris watched all three kids. (We had a free round trip to burn by Oct 4.) We went to one of those fun Japanese steak houses where they cook in front of you. Then we enjoyed the Baltimore harbor. We even got to see fireworks.

Tracing Letters

To practice his letters, Will likes for me to write all of them so that he can trace them.

The Perfect Baby

Not only does Robert sleep 7-8 hour stretches, he can speed nurse in less than 5-10 minutes and be right back off to sleep! Good job, baby Rob!

All Smiles

The boys are so good with Little Robert. Will kisses his head, and Christopher tickles his cheeks and plays with his piggy toes. Yesterday morning, Robert looked up at Christopher and gave him this HUGE smile. Oh, how I wish I had my camera with me.

DD Chicken Nuggets

Chicken Nuggets made with broccoli and carrot puree? Yup! They ate it! Two for Four!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Another one they won't eat. The muffins are actually very good, so it's not like I'm feeding them gross things.

More INTJ Stuff

Famous INTJs
Caesar Augustus
Thomas Jefferson
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Ayn Rand
George Lucas
Friedrich Nietzsche
Peter the Great
Hannibal Barca
Valdimir Putin
Jane Austen

As an INTJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via your intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things rationally and logically.
INTJs live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. They value intelligence, knowledge, and competence, and typically have high standards in these regards, which they continuously strive to fulfill. To a somewhat lesser extent, they have similar expectations of others.
With Introverted Intuition dominating their personality, INTJs focus their energy on observing the world, and generating ideas and possibilities... It is not easy for the INTJ to express their internal images, insights, and abstractions. The internal form of the INTJ's thoughts and concepts is highly individualized, and is not readily translatable into a form that others will understand. ..INTJs are natural leaders, although they usually choose to remain in the background until they see a real need to take over the lead...
INTJs spend a lot of time inside their own minds, and may have little interest in the other people's thoughts or feelings. Unless their Feeling side is developed, they may have problems giving other people the level of intimacy that is needed. The INTJ's interest in dealing with the world is to make decisions, express judgments, and put everything that they encounter into an understandable and rational system. Consequently, they are quick to express judgments. Often they have very evolved intuitions, and are convinced that they are right about things. Unless they complement their intuitive understanding with a well-developed ability to express their insights, they may find themselves frequently misunderstood. In these cases, INTJs tend to blame misunderstandings on the limitations of the other party, rather than on their own difficulty in expressing themselves. This tendency may cause the INTJ to dismiss others input too quickly, and to become generally arrogant and elitist.
INTJs are ambitious, self-confident, deliberate, long-range thinkers. Many INTJs end up in engineering or scientific pursuits, although some find enough challenge within the business world in areas which involve organizing and strategic planning. They dislike messiness and inefficiency, and anything that is muddled or unclear. They value clarity and efficiency, and will put enormous amounts of energy and time into consolidating their insights into structured patterns.
Other people may have a difficult time understanding an INTJ. They may see them as aloof and reserved. Indeed, the INTJ is not overly demonstrative of their affections, and is likely to not give as much praise or positive support as others may need or desire. That doesn't mean that he or she doesn't truly have affection or regard for others, they simply do not typically feel the need to express it. Others may falsely perceive the INTJ as being rigid and set in their ways. Nothing could be further from the truth, because the INTJ is committed to always finding the objective best strategy to implement their ideas. The INTJ is usually quite open to hearing an alternative way of doing something.
When under a great deal of stress, the INTJ may become obsessed with mindless repetitive, Sensate activities, such as over-drinking. They may also tend to become absorbed with minutia and details that they would not normally consider important to their overall goal.
INTJs need to remember to express themselves sufficiently, so as to avoid difficulties with people misunderstandings. In the absence of properly developing their communication abilities, they may become abrupt and short with people, and isolationists.
INTJs have a tremendous amount of ability to accomplish great things. They have insight into the Big Picture, and are driven to synthesize their concepts into solid plans of action. Their reasoning skills gives them the means to accomplish that. INTJs are most always highly competent people, and will not have a problem meeting their career or education goals. They have the capability to make great strides in these arenas. On a personal level, the INTJ who practices tolerances and puts effort into effectively communicating their insights to others has everything in his or her power to lead a rich and rewarding life.

I 68%
N 14%
T 61%
J 42%

More Deliciously Deceptive

I made these tacquito- type things. They were so good, but of course, my children wouldn't touch them. So, now I'm 1 for 2 on the eating thing.

Robert's Checkup

He's doing perfectly well. He's the 50th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight. He's a long skinny guy!

Christopher's First Day of Preschool

I can't believe he's so grown up!

Will is Writing...

He likes to write on the Doodle Pro so I can't save all his words, but I can take pictures...

Sleeping Baby

I Love Palin

She is the reason that McCain will win!!! McCain did a great job picking a VP!!! Her speech was incredible. She's the future of the Republican party and of America!!!

Will, Counting to 10 in French

Both the kids watch Muzzy (a cartoon in French made by the BBC- yikes!). They're both starting to speak French, so much that I can't keep up with my Rosetta Stone French. So, now... Will can count to 10 in French. Good job, Will!

Christopher's First Day of School

Bad Mom did not get a picture of Christopher at his first day of school. In all fairness, it was more like an orientation. Thursday, I'll get one with his little lunchbox- Off to school without me. He'll be fine. He's been at the gym babysitting without me since he was 9 months. It's Will I'm concerned about- he has never been without Christopher. Here's a picture of the boys coming home from the gym this evening. (Don't know why he insists on wearing sunglasses in the dark.)

Cute Little Smile from Robert

Will Practicing Writing

Will drew (wrote) all these letters all by himself.

Picture of Baby Robert

I just missed his smile.

Then Chris and Uncle Joe's Birthday Celebration

The next day (we were a bit tired!) we went to Nana and Pa's house for a little celebration. Chris and Uncle Joe were so nice to let the boys blow out the candles for them.

Yankees Game

We got to see the Yankees game this weekend. Only 11 games left in Yankee stadium. Jeter and A-Rod both played. It was way cool to see history, but Camden Yards is better. Cross another off the bucket list!