Winter updates--Thanksgiving in Orlando, skiing

First, updates on James:
He just started picking food with his hands (Jan 2014).  He just didn't care before.  His favorite food is still breastmilk, although he's been eating 3 meals per day for a few months now.  He refused baby 'cheerios', the kind that melts in baby's mouth--wouldn't touch them and wouldn't put them in his mouth, and when I did, he'd gag.
Tonight he used the mesh for food correctly (silicone mesh that you stuff with juicy food and the baby chews on it and gets the juices and a little bit of the puree out), with pineapple in it.

Over the last couple of weeks, James is more interested in standing and even (slowly and wobbly) walking along sofa, the outside edge of the exersaucer, etc.  We are keeping the exersaucer and the walker around just for the toys, not for the seat. 

It's also been a few weeks (month or two) that he's been more social where he points his little finger at people he likes as if saying 'hi 'or 'bye', along with his little signature smirk with a closed mouth and a flirty look in his eyes.

December 25-January 3:  ski vacation!
We stayed with Adnan and Azra at their house in Denver.  We got to meet their boys, see Denver and its amazing surroundings (The Red Rock, etc.), and skied at Keystone and Eldora.
Nikolas was in ski school for 3 days and every day moved to the next level up (ended up on green at the end and went on the chair lift too).  Sonja and Michael skied for 2 days and loved it too.  Sonja was described by the instructor as 'wild' as she preferred to go straight down and only turn at the end to get back in the line for a little escalator lift.  All three loved it, especially Nikolas (mommy's boy!)  His instructors couldn't believe that it was his first time skiing.
When they weren't skiing, the kids were with daddy while mommy was on the slopes.  And they were beautiful...! (the kids too.)  Thanks, dad!

James decided that he was interested in going up and down the stairs in the house, and this was a bit of a challenge--keeping our eyes on his all the time.  The rest of the kids had fun playing with new toys with Adnan's kids (nerf...), walking to the playground by the frozen lake, making snow forts in the backyard, etc.  I enjoyed seeing my friends, seeing my cousin Sabina, and skiing!  Robb got to see his (our) old friend from Stanford, Mark, with Patty and their baby boy.  Overall, it was a wonderful trip!  We've never flown with 3 gigantic suitcases and a couple of carry-on before either....

New piano and rekindled excitement about playing

We treated ourselves (kids) with a new piano to replace that old antique piece.  We realized when the kids woke up from the nap and saw the new piano delivered that it would be worth every cent:  they immediately wanted to play it.  Nikolas was most excited about it, although he has been the one most against continuing piano lessons lately.  Just today he played his songs 4 times (I only asked him to play once).  He was amazed that all keys worked :) and he loved the sound coming from it.  He was persistent in getting his songs right when he made mistakes, and I didn't even have to say a word, he just kept playing on his own even when he got frustrated at times.  I loved it.

James loves crawling everywhere.  He surprisingly doesn't stuff things in his mouth the way Nikolas and the twins did.  He'll grab things to look and them and to feel them with his fingers but won't necessarily want to chew them.

He has a very 'adult' look in his eyes.  Today we went back and forth saying 'dada' and 'gaga' to each other while he held that look as if we were having a dialog

James lifts on all four!

James got two bottom teeth!

On September 11th I saw two little teeth tops protruding from James's bottom gums.  Just the little ridges :)  He keeps making faces like he is sucking on something.
So, now we are ready for chewing some meat, and we haven't even had enough practice with cereal or vegetables!  Rice cereal went down well, very well, he licked half a cup clean, but avocado made him cringe and shiver with disgust, while peas made him no less than cry!

James moves around on the floor and tastes real food

Even though he doesn't lift up on all fours, James is now able to move about pretty fast.  He has been turning from belly to back and from back to belly for a while (couple of months?), but now he quickly finds his way off the play gym as he tries to reach toys.  He looks like a cat when he goes for toys within reach:  his eyes are focused, lips tight, and he snatches objects with a speed and determination, like a cat clawing at a toy.

Last month I let James get a taste of watermelon, and he liked it (it was refreshing on a hot summer night).  Then, while we were visiting baka in Delaware beginning of August, I let him have a bit of avocado--he gagged on that a little, but also ate a bit.  I took a break since then, which was almost a month ago, in order to establish a regular food introduction pattern when I was ready to begin--it's just difficult to begin when the baby grows so wonderfully on pure breast milk!  Not to mention the ease and cleanliness of breastfeeding....

James is reaching for his toes, drools and bites

2 days ago James started grabbing his feet for the first time.  He looks very focused and serious when he examines his feet and hands.  And his teeth are coming through so he wants to gnaw often, mostly on his fists, but also on my chin or finger.  And just today when I picked him up from the carseat, he drooled a mouthful of spit that literally poured down both of my legs that I needed a paper towel to dry it all off.

James's 18 lbs of chunkiness; end of school year

James weighs double his birth weight as of today, 18 lbs.  Yet, when a person holds him, he grabs around his or her shoulders/arms with his arms so tightly and stays close, so his weight doesn't put that much strain on the person.  Plus, if feels so cuddly to hold him like that, like a little koala.
Over the last few days he's been a bit crankier than usual.  His nose has been very stuffy and I've had to rinse it with salt water a few times, and I'm also suspecting that his teeth are moving up through the gums and it's now starting to hurt him.  He'd start fidgeting and crying out of the blue.  Even nursing wouldn't calm him down, in fact, it might even irritate him more.
His naps are shorter too.  When I take him to work in the mornings, he only gives me half an hour to an hour of work before he wakes up in the stroller, and that's it, I might as well immediately pack up and go home.

Sonja and Michael's last day of school was last Wednesday, and Nikolas's was today.
We stocked up on activity books to keep them busy, especially a lot of new ones for Nikolas.   He has been writing a lot and reading longer books.  He can easily write a page or two, without help.  His latest favorite books is Where the Sidewalk Ends (poems), and I've introduced him to Asterix comics, which he liked too.
He is now way past the books like 'I Spy', Dr Seuss, etc.
Addition and subtraction up to a hundred and even beyond for simple numbers is a breeze for him.  He understands the idea of multiplication, and now we are ready to work on analogies, logical sequences and such.  It should be a fun summer.  He's been into drawing too.  Lately I've noticed his drawings of houses with two stories, with stairs that he drew in the middle, and he's been expressing his wish to move into a 2-story house where his room would be upstairs.  I wish.  We are seriously running out of space here.

Sonja and Michael are doing simple addition and subtraction through 5, and some logical sequencing, comparisons, counting, etc.  They also like to draw and paint.  Sonja is still obsessed with dressing into her gazillion dresses.  Michael is as easy-going and relaxed about everything, as usual.  Very few things can  throw him out of his giggly and happy mood.