Dining with the Kozuskos

The girls were feeding Sam mac n cheese from the table. His first introduction. Oh glorious day!

Nam & Stella

Stella has recently begun calling Sam by his name, but it comes out "Nam". Which is completely adorable!! But she also has another name for him: "Nammy". Now I think you will agree, this sounds a lot like "Sammy". Right? Ugh! Really?? Since we have never called our son Sammy, I have no idea where she has picked up this little nickname. Regardless of how cute it sounds when she says it, we have to nip it in the bud!! In the infamous words of the Wonder Pets, "This is serious"!

Now the first thing she does when she gets up from nap or when I pick her up from Mother's Day Out is sign "Sam" and ask for "Nam, Nammy, Nam". Like she can't wait to see him. It's so sweet! Yesterday when I picked her up, it continued in to the car. She saw him, and kept saying his name, and then saying "happy".

Yes, Stella. I am happy too!!!

And a Happy New Year...

For New Years Eve day, we took the kids to First Night downtown. Super cold, interesting music, and fun people watching. We let Stella run amuck, and she loved every minute of it!! (Please note how extra adorable Stella is with the pig-tails. Ugh... I melt!!)

Some new things for the new year...

Stella is saying short phrases, like "love you" and "hold you" and "up please". She has started calling her daddy "Nate" occasionally. It's pretty funny! Before bath time she likes to sit on the toilet and pretend to wipe. Potty training is still a while a way though. Thank goodness!! Her favorite books are Tomie de Paola's Baa Baa Black Sheep and Other Rhymes, and Can You Find Me, and Counting Colors. She is very good at signing and is picking up new ones all the time. She likes to try and sign along when we sing our ABC's. So far she has the 'z' down. Her favorite songs are Baa Baa Black Sheep (go figure), The Wheels on the Bus (especially the 'beep beep beep' part), and If You're Happy and You Know It. We have started coloring almost daily. It is super fun!! The only downside is Stella likes to take the markers and draw on her face a little. It's all fine and dandy till we go in public with a hint of hot pink on her face. I get a lot of, "What happened???". She blows my mind everyday...she's funny, smart, and sweet. I just love watching her grow.

Sam unfortunately has swine flu right now. He is doing fine, but Stella is in Houston until he is all better. But he is doing lot's of new, exciting things too...

He has been pulling up to standing, and even pushing things around a bit (like his mini piano). I think he will be walking soon. He also says, "Da da da"-when he's happy and "Ma ma ma"-mostly when he's sad. Sam also makes a clicking sound. Much in the same way the dolphins do, I believe he must be using sonar communication to tell me something very very important. He really is a happy little guy; easy, adorable, and totally cuddly.

Every night Nate plays this game where he chases Stella around the house with Sam extended in his arms. It looks like Sam is flying around the room after his sister. They both laugh hysterically. It's friggin hilarious!! They are gonna be best friends. I can already tell.

So, cross your fingers we kick this flu quickly. It's the pits. And did I mention I am ready for Stella to come home too?!?

Happy 2010!!!

Merry Christmases. Yes. Plural.

The Farm:

Houston:

Farewell Uncle Primo

So today was a very emotional day at the Little house...Uncle Primo went back to Kansas :( Jordan has been staying with us for the past seven months. Basically Sam's whole life!! He got a really great job offer at a Golf Course, and now he is off to start his career. Although we are sad to see him go, we are very very proud of him!!

It has been such a great experience having Jord in Austin...first and foremost he has been ah-mazing with Stella and Sam!! The kids are really attached to him and he is such a natural with them... He can bathe, change diapers (although #2s are not preferred), put on clothes, feed, swaddle, put to bed, and entertain two babies. A pretty big feat for a single guy!!

Stella LOVES playing with her Primo, or "Mimo". When he first arrived, she was obsessed with the neighbor's dogs. He would always take her out multiple times a day, even when it was over 100 degrees, just to make her smile. (Fyi- We have now we have moved on to airplanes. Obsessed!!!) And Sam will laugh and laugh when Primo gets him going. It's too funny!!

The transition of going from one baby to two is always a challenge, but having Jordan here has made it a much smoother and enjoyable adventure. He always seemed to know just how to brighten our day or make things easier on us.

We found out a few days ago that Primo was leaving for sure, so secretly I was making weak attempts to make him stay...telling the kids to make puppy dog eyes, heckling him about his decision to leave us, making his favorite cookies, putting the kids in their irresistibly cute knit hats to wave goodbye. Sadly, none of it worked. While Jord was packing his car to leave, Stella was standing next to his Explorer saying, "bye bye" and blowing kisses. I kind of think she was planning on going with him.

I guess all I can say now is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! We have loved every minute of it. It really has been a fun ride. So, here's to you Uncle Primo...you will be missed at the Little household!!! -meg

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Luz

The Munchkins

Sam is growing so fast. He is eating baby food now, sitting up, scooting around on his tummy, and sleeping through the night better. He is a smiley little guy and he loves his big sister...

For quite a while, Stella has been obsessed with buckles...on the car seat, high chair, stroller, grocery cart. All buckles all the time. She is really good at it now. Her newest fascination is light switches. On, off, on, off. But you have to draw the line somewhere, or the game will go on for hours.

The other day we were at a friend's birthday party. Sam was on a blanket with many other babies. Stella came over and stood behind him, looked around, and then patted him on the head. She did this three times. Like she was nurturing him, but also comforted by having her brother there amongst all of the strangers. I love their relationship already....