Guest Post from Erika: I have a little GIRL.

Guest Post from Erika: Peter at Four

Peter is pictured here with Daddy and TWO mini cupcakes because he tripped over his new ambulance and somehow managed to scrape his entire face AND his elbow.

Peter George Kosina turned four years old on Saturday. We celebrated with a small, music-themed party with some kids from his preschool and the sweet neighbor girls, who saved us in the 93-degree heat by hauling enormous umbrellas across the street to our sweltering yard. There was a didgeridoo and a man who could ROCK it and hold the attention of four sweaty preschoolers for nearly 45 minutes.

That night, tucking my big, bony four-year-old into bed, I got all teary. Yes, he is "spirited", "active", "challenging", and frequently crazy-making. But he is also SO sweet and funny and smart.

He fixed an owie for me the other day -- noticed that I had cut my thumb and took it upon himself to go and get a band-aid and put it on me himself: "Mom, you need a band-aid. I'm going to help you." In the heat of the most recent bedtime argument, when I was explaining for what seemed like the umpteenth time that mommy and daddy needed some Time and Peter needed to rest, he interrupted me to say: "Mom, I'm going upstairs now. You don't need to talk and talk and talk."

He is so excited about the world and what he can DO. It seems that every 90 seconds I hear "Mom, I need to show you something." Especially when I am trying to make dinner. But he is so proud of these contraptions that he makes to hold giant loads of blocks on his toy trucks, or a monster truck that he has drawn, or a slide that he has made out of a piece of wood. I have to look. Definitely a structural engineer, if he decides against artist/house painter/runner as his future career.

I wouldn't trade him for anything. I love him more than I knew was possible.

After reading a hilarious birthday interview with her child on Kristen's blog, I decided that this was a brilliant tradition that I had not yet missed the window for, unlike several *adorable* pieces from Karolina's first wardrobe. Sigh.

So here, in his own words, is Peter's Perspective at Four. Just to set the scene visually, for the duration of the interview Peter is sitting naked in a folding chair outside our back door, completely covered in dirt, munching on a bagel with smoked salmon and capers in between questions.

Me: All right Peter, how old did you turn yesterday?
P: Four.

Me: If a genie could grant you one wish, what would it be?
P: A hobby horse.

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
P: A artist, and a house painter, and a runner.

Me: What does an artist do?
P: Paints pictures.

Me: What does a house painter do?
P: Paints houses.

Me: What does a runner do?
P: Runs.

Me: Where do you want to live when you grow up?
P: Maybe right here all day (points at our Nevada City house).

Me: Do you think you’ll have any animals?
P: Yeah.

Me: What kind?
P: Tigers, and gorillas, and hippopotamuses and a rhinoceros.

Me: Do you think you want to get married when you grow up?
P: No thanks.

Me: Why not?
P: I don’t feel like it.

Me: Do you want to have children?
P: [Long pause, finally makes unintelligible noise].

Me: Yes? How many?
P: [Another long pause…] One.

Me: One child, ok.
P: I want to just have Karolina.

Me: Do you feel different now that you are four?
P: [Nods.]

Me: How so?
P: I don’t know.

Me: What is your favorite color and why?
P: Purple and green.

Me: Why is purple your favorite color?
P: Because it’s just my favorite color.

Me: And what about green? Why is green your favorite color?
P: Cause it’s just my favorite color.

Me: Who is your best friend?
P: Blakey and Logan and Natalia and McKinlee and Cassidy and Connor. [kids at his pre-school]

Me: Why do you like them?
P: Cause they’re just my best friend.

Me: Now that you are four, do you think you’ll have a girlfriend?
P: I just want Karolina girlfriend.

Me: What do you think about world peace?
P: What?

Me: Do you know what it is?
P: No.

Me: Ok, we’ll come back to that next year. What is your favorite TV show?
P: Captain Featherhook. [??? Is this even a real TV show? Never heard of it. We don’t own a TV, but we do watch Blue’s Clues and Wonder Pets on Netflix. Funny kid.]

Me: What is your favorite thing to do that is not TV?
P: Play.

Me: Play what?
P: Play with my ambulance. [He just received this ambulance on his birthday after asking for it for MONTHS.]

Me: What do you like most about school?
P: I like all of the things about school.

Me: What have you learned at school?
P: I learned about fish.

Me: What do you like to do in your free time?
P: I like to play in the grass.

Me: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
P: Eating Pirate Booty.

Me: What is your favorite song?
P: Rob Zombie. [This is Martin's doing.]

Me: If you could have any super power, what would it be?
P: Batman.

Me: That’s a super hero. What can Bat Man do that you would want to do?
P: Fly in the air.

Me: What is your very favorite thing to do?
P: Play all day.

Me: What are you most afraid of?
P: I’m afraid of monsters.

Me: What about monsters are you afraid of?
P: I’m afraid of witches and goblins and dragons.

Me: And what are you afraid of about them?
P: I’m afraid they will eat me.

Me: What is your favorite thing about me?
P: Hug.

Me: What is your favorite thing about daddy?
P: Hugging.

Me: What is your favorite thing about Karolina?
P: Hugging.

Me: What’s cool about Karolina?
P: Her tricks.

Me: What tricks are those?
P: Roll over.

Karolina is five months old.

Oh my. FIVE months! That's nearly half a year!

Karolina's favorite activities these days? Lifting her feet as high as she can and STOMPING them back down. She especially loves to do this at 1am, 2am, 3am...Oh, and she has rolled over TWICE now (both times back to front, just like her brother) -- the latest and greatest was in front of the full Easter crowd (cousins Sharon and Dennis came up with Vic and Nancy for Easter brunch). Huzzah!

She also loves to laugh at her brother's antics and examine whatever object you put within reach of her (very strong!) grasp. She is a Great Observer, as her babicka would say.

Girlfriend is pushing 20 lbs these days -- sorry Pawlene, you've been outweighed once again, despite all the fishy treats you have been getting from Peter lately. She still has a lovely, calm, happy disposition...a pleasure to be around.

And, just for the record, here is Peter at five months, in the same outfit. They are starting to differentiate just a bit...

Guest Post from Erika: Those Zany Kids

This morning didn't go well.

We are down to one working heat source in the house, besides the wood stoves, which are sketchy, inefficient, and not up to code (in other words, not ideal when you are singlehandedly juggling a baby and a very curious almost-four-year-old). The heater is currently set up in the bedroom, which remains at a tolerable temperature with this heater, despite the rest of the house being 50 degrees. Peter crept into my bed some time between the 1:00am and 4:00am baby feeding, which was just fine with me.

But then he woke up BEFORE the alarm clock went off and trotted downstairs into the arctic zone. I had set the alarm extra early so that I would have time to turn on the oven to heat up the kitchen and suss out the best way to keep my family warm until it was time for Peter to go to pre-school. Forget that plan.

Peter: Mom, it's cold!
Peter: Mom, will you play with me?
Peter: Mom, this library book is not a book.
Me (before coffee): Uhhhhhhhh.

Peter: Mom, it's really cold!
Peter: Mom, I'm a fire engine!
Peter: WEEE OOOO WEEE OOO WEEE OOO WEEE OOO
Me: Here, have some hot chocolate.
Peter: Where's the whipped cream?
Me: We don't HAVE any whipped cream.

Peter: Mom, can you come here?
Peter: Mom, I want to show you something.
Peter: Mom? Mom? Mom? Mom? Mom?
Me: PETER, I AM TRYING TO MAKE BREAKFAST!!! I CAN'T PLAY RIGHT NOW.
Peter: Mom, just settle down. You need to settle down.
Me: [hysterical laughter] You know what? You are right.

Snow!

So, we've had a really mild winter. Right up until last week. It started raining on Monday, and didn't stop until it turned into snow over the weekend. I curled up under a blanket, but the Kosinas ventured OUTSIDE!

First, we had to dress Karolina up in her new snow suit! Oops, didn't notice that pinky. Frostbite, yikes!

Posing with mama.

Peter didn't get out much this week.

We hiked all the way up Nevada Street to have brunch with friends. The 10-minute walk took closer to 30 because, well, there was SNOW! Snow to throw, snow to jump in, snow to roll in, snowflakes to try and catch on your tongue...

Snow is a lot of fun. Until your heater breaks. And then your space heater breaks. And the heater repair man can't come until Wednesday.

sigh.

Karolina is four months old.

New hobbies include bouncing the heck out of the bouncy chair (Peter never did that!) and exercising her vocal cords at top volume. She LOVES the sound of her own voice. Opera Singer? Bungee Jumper? The possibilities continue to expand...

Girlfriend now weighs over 17 lbs -- just a pound or two short of my weight!!!


Hard to say who is cutest these days...

Guest Post from Erika: Shannon is my hero (again)

So, today I ran for the first time since my half marathon in November 2010. Ok, I *jogged*. It was PAINFUL. My body went through all the stage of grief. First, there was denial. My body said: "Are you KIDDING me? What the heck are you trying to do???" I felt like I had new, flabby appendages hanging off of my body in my (formerly wee) bust area, my stomach, and yes, I daresay, my buttocks. Where did this stuff come from??? Oh yes, pregnancy.

Once I got used to the new appendages flopping along beside me, my body moved on to anger. "HEY, what about that sore throat you've been complaining about for weeks now? Feel that? And remember that ear ache? POP. How does THAT feel?" And that was just the first four minutes.

When I hit the Nevada Street hill, my body started hard into the Bargaining phase. I quickly agreed to shorten my optimistic three and a half mile run to Twenty Minutes No Matter How Far I Go. This shot me straight through depression into the "acceptance" phase, and I started to get into the swing of things and even feel pretty good. But I sure was happy to see Grove Street in the distance, just as my knees were starting to complain and a cramp started forming in my abdomen. 20:15. Not bad for a first try.

Well, we all have to start somewhere. And I would immediately quit except that I have promised my dear friend Shannon that I will run the San Diego half marathon with her on June 3. Before I met Shannon, I had run exactly one mile. I remember it well. In high school, I agreed to join my (incredibly fit) father on a jog around our block, which was approximately one mile. I made it, but when I got home I collapsed on the kitchen floor and swore off running for ever more.

Fast forward a few years to when the luck of the draw landed me in a dorm room with a Rower (Shannon). Our shared alarm clock went off most mornings at 4:30am and after a while I capitulated and joined the crew team since I was waking up anyway. But the thing about the crew team was that you had to run. A lot.

After the first excruciating group run, I decided crew just wasn't for me. But Shannon encouraged me to stick with it for a few weeks longer. She would take me out on training runs, patiently running with me at my incredibly slow pace for a mile or two, and then take off on her own (much faster, much longer) run. If it hadn't been for Shannon, I never would have become a runner, I am certain. And I certainly never would have won the national rowing championships with her a few years later. Or moved to Buffalo, New York. But that's another story.

Thank you, Shannon, for helping me be a better person, for reminding me that my kids will benefit from a healthy, happy mommy, and for being the best friend and college roommate a girl could EVER hope for.