A Baby No More...

Leah is now 16 months old and growing more and more into a little girl and out of the 'baby' stage. She now has more teeth than most elderly people, and is learning almost a new word a day. While she doesn't necessarily have a flowing head of blonde locks, she does have enough so mommy can play around with it either with barettes or pig tails.

I've also noticed it now takes a lot more to keep her entertained. We used to be able to just put her in the middle of the floor and look at her and she'd be happy. Nowadays she wants to go outside and run across the street to the park. Toys get played with half as much as the stuff in cupboards or drawers, and the dogs have no escape from her undying affection for them.

The baby stages will be missed, but there is so much to enjoy right now that we hardly have time to reflect on the way things were a year ago. Someday when we're old and talking about how we survived without a tele-portal, we'll look back at the messes, the stress, the bumps and bruises, and the occassional tantrums and want those times back. Funny how we always want things the way they were but are always looking forward to the next milestone. Sometimes we just need to enjoy the now, and the moments spent with Leah at the top of a slide, building a chair, or having her help me pick up sticks in the yard make me realize how special the time I spend with her really is.


For all the skeptics who thought teaching your kids sign language will slow down their speech development, here's a list of all the words that Leah can say. This puts her in the top 25% for speech at her age. Can someone say Dr. Leah Gwen Robran M.D.?

1. Dada
2. Mama
3. Kace (Kacie)
4. Book
5. Milk
6. Baby
7. Puppy
8. Peek-a-boo
9. Eyes
10. Shoes
11. Pants
12. Socks
13. Cheese
14. Car
15. Cat
16. Hippo
17. More
18. Bear
19. Bumpa (grandpa)
20. Girl
21. Duck
22. Please
23. Bee-bo (belly button)
24. Dance
25. Rock
26. Raffe (Giraffe)
27. Hot
28. Cold
29. Coat

Happy Easter!

Another Easter has come and gone. In looking back at our pictures, it's amazing the difference one year can make. Here's a picture of Leah on Easter 2007 one from Easter 2008:

Today we had a revolution that never would have happened a year ago - we made it through one whole church service without an 'incident'! She was a perfect angel through the entire service, perhaps thanks to the little girl sitting behind us - but we'll take it whenever we can. She loved showing off the dress that Grandma Thoms made for her (the pink dress show above). Thanks Grandma!

After church we went to the big city of Albert Lea to have lunch with Grandpa Loverink, uncles Josh and Brandon, and auntie Chelsea at the Green Mill. Grandma Loverink had to work, sure sucks to be her. We then went back to Grandpa Loverink's house where Grandpa Tom inundated Leah with M&Ms. Great Grandpa and Grandma Peterson also made an appearance, which always spurs a spirited debate between Gaylord "the Crazy Liberal" Peterson, Josh "Everyone's Out to Get Me" Loverink, and Jarrod "Mr. Right" Robran. As always, Mr. Right was the voice of reason. By the time Leah finally warmed up to everyone, it was time to make the trek home.

Hope everyone else had a great Easter. Here are all the pics of Leah's Easter get-togethers.

In Memory of Great-Grandpa Cecil

On March 6th, Great Grandpa Cecil passed away at the age of 83.

You will be missed Great-Grandpa!

She's Growing Fast

Parenting Lessons Learned

Well, despite our best efforts, Mitt Romney dropped out of the race for the presidential nomination. As political pundits look back and try to determine where Mitt Romney went wrong and what he could have done better, I can't help but think the same about this rollercoaster ride we call parenting. So I've put together a short list of things that we've learned along our 14 month journey with Leah.

Parenting Lessons Learned

1. Never turn down hand-me-downs. Unless they were YOUR hand-me-downs.
2. Breastfeeding. It's free. Enough said. Actually, statistics show that breastfed kids are 7-8 IQ points smarter than formula kids. So yes, my kid really IS smarter than your kid!
3. Stay clear of any orifice. Some fluid or matter will shoot out eventually. You'll be glad your spouse gets hit instead of you.
4. Don't buy crap you'll never need: Diaper Genie, bottle warmer (warm water works better), wipe warmer, and a changing table with a seat belt (you're dealing with a baby, not a wild cheetah).
5. Crap you'll never have enough of: diapers, wipes, kleenex, onesies (they crap all over them when they're little), hand soap, nasal aspirators (they have a tendency to get lost) and laundry detergent.
6. Diaper changing - it's not as bad as they say. So guys, buck up. We gut deer for Pete's sake!
7. Doctors are expensive, so unless she's bleeding or unconscious, she'll get over it.
8. Pacifiers are like crack, if you don't start them on one, they'll never be hooked on one.
9. Don't buy anything that requires batteries. They're annoying, require recharging, and have minimal versatility. Blocks and puzzles are quieter and will get more use. Besides, grandparents will buy them plenty of annoying toys.
10. Your parents don't know crap. Remember, these are the same people that had you ride on your dad's lap while driving 70 mph down I-35, while you held your old man's Busch Lite. You already gave them 18+ years to screw you up, don't let them do it to your kid.
11. Even though your parents don't know crap, don't overlook them as potential babysitters. You can undo a couple hours worth of grandparent corruption in about a week.
12. Always keep at least one hand on your kid while she's sitting on an elevated surface.
13. If she can stand, it's time to lower the bed in the crib from bassinet-level to regular crib level.
14. Don't under-estimate the entertainment value of bubbles, a cardboard box, or a newspaper.
15. Teach your baby sign-language. You'll hear a lot less screaming when she can tell you she wants a banana or a stuffed bear instead of just crying for one.

This Week in Leah:

• Leah just got two more teeth, for a grand total of 16 chompers!
• Leah has been talking a lot more in recent weeks. Some recent vocalizations: Girl, Ba (sheep), shoes, and Case (our nickname for Kacie the dog). She also makes sounds for dog, horse, monkey, and a cow.
• New signs: Girl, daddy, water, milk, bird, shoes, and mouse.
• Walking has improved to the point where she falls down only occassionally.
• She has become more proficient at stacking blocks. Six blocks high is quite common with her new-found sense of coordination.
• She was able to put together a puzzle from start to finish without the assistance of mom or dad today. See the picture below of her finished masterpiece.