The Hannig Home

1. Ben has found his feet.  2. He can also sit up for long periods of time without toppling over.  Paul says he isn't sitting up on his own - he has to be topple-free.  I say he is! 3. He is sleeping through the night - like 8pm to 8am!  If he does have a night where he doesn't sleep through the night (like last night) it is simply because his shirt is covering his hand so he can't get at his fingers to pacify him back to sleep.  I am learning to roll his sleeves if they are a questionably long length.  Why take any chances...this mom, like all moms, loves to sleep!

Most of my blogging is about Luke or Ben, but let's not forget the glue that holds this family together.  His name is Paul, and he is my husband and our boys' father.  Paul is:  Steady.  Level headed.  Able to navigate through his wife's emotional ups and downs with calm and clarity.  Hilarious.  Deep.  Kind.  Fun.  Honest.  Hard working.  Smart.  A believer in me being home with the boys.  Paul is the glue.  (check back on this posting, since I am sure I will update it as I think of other qualities I need to share about my babe).

Ben is 5 1/2 months old and weighs 21 pounds.  Paul measured his thighs this morning (12 inches) and then tried to negotiate with a just-woken-up Luke to let us measure his (no luck).  We are pretty sure they will be about the same size.  :)  We love Ben's smoochy legs and cheeks!  He looks like he is ready for the next car seat...but we need to wait until he is 1 year old.  Oh and at night we put him in Luke's size 6 diapers.  SIZE 6!  That is the largest diaper size.  Most 5 1/2 month olds are just moving into size 2.  Ben is a size 4 during the day.  I love it.

I hear stories from moms all the time about their little kids (mostly boys) attempting all sorts of climbing feats.  I am sure Luke's climbing adventures are no crazier than most kids', but since he is my child, I think they are quite creative and worthy of some blogging press.  Last Friday night I was vacuuming in the basement.  Ben was sleeping and Luke was playing upstairs.  I didn't hear him for a while, so I yelled up to him, "Luke, where are you?  You okay?"  (I start to think maybe I shouldn't be downstairs vacuuming while my 2 year old is upstairs.  What are the parenting 'rules' on this kind of thing?  Are there stories where kids are left alone upstairs and they die or get seriously injured?  How old is old enough to be left upstairs while mom vacuums downstairs?)  I heard his response from the kitchen, "I'm big, mom."  Phew, he's alive and well.  I yell back up, "You  are big, Luke.  What are you doing?"  Luke sa

Ben holds my hand when he nurses.  And that is just what I need right now.

I can't believe it has been a week since I posted on my blog.  In the past week a lot has gone on (nothing really noteworthy, but I will notate it regardless).  **I broke our wooden spanking spoon (banking boon, as Luke calls it) so Luke was hoping to be off the hook for spankings.  We told him we'd get a new spanking spoon and he said he thought we should get an orange one.  Interesting. **He also snuck into our room at 11pm one night when Paul and I were reading.  He crawled in bed with us and then told me to go get his pillow.  He was staying.  The next morning I asked him where he was sleeping that night (we'd informed him he could sleep with us ONE night but then had to be back in his bed).  He thought for a minute and as I waited for him to say "I'm staying in your bed, momma" he actually said, "I stay with Dono."  Donovan Laib is Paul's best friend from Mpls.  I'm not sure where that came from, but Luke was going to sleep at Dono'

Luke and I were praying tonight.  I said, "Who do you want to pray for, Luke?"  He said, "Umm (pause), umm, baseball, and, umm, maybe golf, and maybe football, and hockey."

Luke has never gotten out of his bed on his own yet...he is still conditioned to stay put like he had to in his crib.  Even if he's crying, he will stay in the bed and cry...sometimes for a while until we go in there.  A few nights ago we turned the monitor off in our bedroom because Luke was talking loudly at 11pm, and we were tired.  Luke's door was also closed.  Well I awoke at 5am to Luke crying so hard.  I finally heard him crying b/c he bravely got out of his bed, grabbed his two puppies off the floor for support, and opened his bedroom door (he must have been crying for a long time before getting out of bed).  He sat at the threshold, looking down the dark hallway (I need to get a nightlight), holding a puppy tightly in each arm, and was wailing really hard.  I ran down the hall, picked him up and held him tight.  It took him 20 minutes to stop hiccuping because he was so upset.  Poor guy. Then the next morning, I had Ben on our bed and was cleaning in the master bathr

Dad:  So Luke, do you think we're good parents? Luke:  No Dad:  Okay.  (pause for 30 seconds while cooking, then pick up the conversation).  So, then, do you think you are a good son, Luke? Luke:  No Dad:  Okay, okay.  This is a good session we're having.  Do you think Mom is a good momma? Luke:  No Dad:  Okay.  Do you think Ben is a good brother? Luke:  No Dad:  Luke, do you think you're a nice boy? Luke:  No Dad:  Luke, your words don't hold much weight with me.  Do you ever say yes, Luke? Luke:  No

We hear this banging noise (oh, I mean music) often in our household.  Just as Luke tunes Ben out when he cries, Ben can now tune Luke out when he drums.  (Paul and I can't seem to tune either out. Not that we want to...) 

Baby dunk = baby skunk (in Luke's language).  Over the 4th of July we stayed at a house at Breezy Point with the entire Dold family.  While roaming around the yard we discovered a baby skunk stuck in the window well.  The maintenance guy from Breezy put a 2x4 in the window well, as a ramp, along with some moth balls (which skunks don't like).  Eventually the baby skunk crawled out (but not before spraying)!  When we came home from the beach to find the skunk gone, Luke wanted to know where it had gone.  I'm not sure if it was Grandma Marcy, uncle Jon, or maybe auntie Shari, but someone told Luke that it had to go home to see it's Momma, that the skunk missed his Momma.  So Luke kept saying, "Dunk went to see Momma?  Dunk went home?  See Momma?  Momma?"  Yep, yep, we said.  Luke continued to ask for weeks afterward, "Where's the dunk momma?  Go home?  See his momma?" Well, now everything goes home to see his/her/its Momma, just like the baby dun

When we moved into our new home, Paul and I got a king-sized bed and Luke moved from his crib to our old queen bed.  We loved that queen bed and haven't quite fallen in love with our new king yet.  At night we read books in our comfy old queen with Luke.  When the lights go out, Luke asks us to stay with him for a bit.  Paul stays many times.  I'll be cleaning up the kitchen and soon I hear Luke's door close, but instead of Paul coming out I hear little feet patter my way.  Here comes Luke.  He says, "Dad's weeping mom."  Then a few seconds later Luke says, "I go check on Dad, Mom."  And he will run back to his room to check on dad, just like we say we will come back to check on him.  When he runs back out to the kitchen he says, "Dad's okay mom.  He's weeping."  I tell Luke, "Thanks for putting Daddy to bed again."  :)

Luke loves his grandpas and grandmas.  Grandpa Dave and Grandpa Ernie, Grandma Annie and Grandma Marcy.  We ALL love them so much.  The best blessing from leaving the Cities is being close to our families.  I thank God daily for our family and for the opportunity to be nestled close to them as we raise our little family.  Here is a recent pic of Luke with Grandpa Dave.  I love this picture!  (And doesn't Dave look like he's about 30 years old?)

We've seen turkeys and deer in our yard quite frequently.  But today, we saw HORSES!  Our neighbors have 5 horses, and they did warn us that sometime they get out of the fence and have been known to walk onto our property (I guess deer break through or trample the fence in spots, then the horses walk through).  This morning they must have gotten free and they headed toward green lake (toward the busy lake road, too!)  Their owner was herding them back when we saw them.  They were obeying nicely, walking single file toward their ranch, until they got to the Hannig home.  They decided to take a little detour through the front of our yard.  I never thought I'd like living out of town, but this has been fun! 

Aren't 2 year olds supposed to ask Why? Why? Why? constantly?  Curious little buggers.  But not Luke.  Instead, he is constantly asking What? What? What? as though he has a hearing problem already at 2 1/2.  So instead of being curious, he's just deaf I guess. We went for a run yesterday...the boys in the double jogger...along Green Lake.  A snippet of conversation with Luke:  Mom to Luke:  There's two women walking up there.  See em'? Luke to Mom:  What? Mom:  There's two women walking ahead of us up there.  See em'? Luke:  What? Mom (slower):  There are two women walking up there.  Do you see them? Luke:  What? Mom:  Luke!  You heard what I said!  Stop saying What! Luke:  What? Mom (mumbling under my breath, exasperated):  Nevermind Luke:  What? Mom:  silence Luke:  What? A few minutes later: Luke: Where's the garbage truck, momma? Mom:  It's up here around the corner.  We'll catch up. Luke:  What? Mom:  There it is. Luke:  Wh

Luke and I made apple crisp yesterday, but not before Luke went "Bowling" with all the apples across the kitchen floor. 

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Marcy and Ernie, we had a wonderful day today at the A'Maze'n Farmyard in Eden Valley.  Luke was so excited...he's been talking about going back there ever since his first trip there in August.  Cousins Gracie, Katherine, Bennett, and Elizabeth were there to join in the fun with Luke.  Luke's favorite part of the day?  Mini golf, the big slide, the train ride, the pony ride, the goats, the fawn, the kitties, hanging out with Grandpa Ernie and Grandma Marcy?  I think he loved it all.  See the pictures below. This next one is my very favorite picture!  Luke loved this goat!! Can you see Luke waving?? If not, click on the picture to make it larger. Luke and his buddy, Grandpa Ernie Grandma and Benny snuggling!  Look at those cheeks! Grace, Katherine, Bennett, Lizzy, and Luke