Trip Hop

Stella picked up a few decorations while we were out Christmas shopping. We decided to put on some holiday music whilst adorning the tree with the new purchases to get in the spirit. Who knew that she would be so 'moved' by the music.

So many thoughts ran through my head while I watched my girl get down. For example:

a) why do I see Scotty-du in weddings past?

b) Pre-ballet, here she comes!

c) how does a 3 1/2 year old get that hip hop arm thing going on?

d) is she drunk?

Very America's home video.

Watch out dance floor, here she comes!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

we purchased tickets to the traveling gabba show on December 7, but then daddy was in LA shooting. he was there for an entire month. it was tough on all 3 of them, but thankfully cecil played surrogate daddy for the gabba show making it possible for them to go.

i was really bummed to have to miss stella's first live performance. but i'm thankful suzie q shot and edited this video.

i get frustrated that i travel so much but we kinda knew this was the drill with this career path. I think that susan does an amazing job keeping it all together while i'm gone (and while i'm not for that matter). if not for her, our life would literally fall apart. seriously. i'm not joking.

Santa

Heard about Roscoe Village's annual winterfest. We were looking for anything to break the monotony of home and I was desperate to tire the kids out in some way, shape or form to get them sleeping at a reasonable hour! Wasn't quite the winterfest we were expecting but Stella got a chance to meet Santa and tell him about all that she wanted this Christmas. She was not shy and I think she started her verbal list before he was even in earshot. Afterwards, she convinced me to take them to a local favorite restaurant and they could not have been better. Overall a good afternoon/evening spent with the kids sans daddy (although very missed).

Stellapalooza!!

at 3 years old, Stella has made it to her first music festival. the annual music festival here in chicago, lollapalooza. it is a 3-day festival, dad went with friends on saturday and saw santigold, tv on the radio, part of animal collective and tool.

on sunday, like father, like daugther. it was about 98 degrees and about 90% humidity (the only truly HOT day this summer) and we rode our bike down lakeshore, stopped off for a dip in lake michigan, then to lynch's boat to de-sand, shower up and change clothes and then saw vampire weekend (one of stella's favorite bands) and passion pit.

we capped it all off with 3 giant slices of pizza, 2 juice boxes and 5 waters.

the journey went something like this:

More Perspective

Hard to believe it's been 3 + years with Stella in our life... just as we seemed to get the hang of this 'parent' thing... we hit the "reset" button.

wow, the rate of which time passes seemingly increases exponentially with the passage of time itself. or said differently, as we get older, time moves quicker. and sometimes, it's difficult to find time to breathe it all in.

but this 'historical' puts things in perspective... again.

welcome to the chaos, dylan : )

this is called 'more perspective' as it is a sequel to 'Putting Things in Perspective'.

Two Peas in a Pod

No need for commentary here...

Dylan's First True Laugh

Who knows why a kid laughs for the first time ever? Or what exactly s/he finds funny. Or maybe he's just mimicking to be part of it. We were having dinner and I think I choked on some water and that apparently began a family spaz attack. Although Dylan has giggled before, we count this as his official first true laugh.

Some notes: Scott has nicknamed Dylan "Dig Dug", a game from the 80s. Stella's background "Nutter Butter" came from my recent addiction to the throwback cookie of choice. Anyways, I almost didn't post due to how horrible I look but this is too cute not to.

Dylan Plays

Those people over at Tiny Love sure knew what they were doing when they invented the activity mats.

In the recent weeks, Dylan has developed some stamina to withstand the crazy colors and sounds of his toys. He has begun to give me 5 minute breaks where he is not in my arms by playing on his mat. If Stella cooperates, I may get 10 minutes...

True to parenthood, here's our son doing the simplest things that are just so fun to watch and awesome.

Guitar Duo

Scott found out a couple of weeks ago that the sound of the guitar soothes a fussy Dylan. There have been truly endearing moments where Scott will start playing for a seemingly inconsolable Dylan, and once he'd start strumming the guitar, find a riveted fan.

Stella being Scott's sidekick joins in from time to time. Here's a snapshot of a 6am concert. My little rockstar family :)

Ode to Dylan

Although with us for the whole outing, Dylan spent the better part of the day strapped to my chest and sleeping - thereby explaining the lack of shots of him in the previous entry. So, I decided to pay homage to my dear son by posting a couple of 'beach' shots of Dylan. Sure it's from the pack-n-play but look how cute he is!

Kite Flying 101

Scott used to fly his kite for Stella down at Pier A in Hoboken, whenever he can find the time. Stella seemed to enjoy it - as much as she could for a 1-2 year old. This year, she not only understood it and looked forward to it, but also got to fly it too. Very exciting.





Pause in the activities for some Stella shots.



One of the major perks to living in Chicago is that you have a big ass lake that is strikingly similar to the ocean. The beauty, no waves and 15 minutes from home.

Stella Meets Elmo

Lazy weekend jaunt to downtown lakeside beach/field museum/planetarium area led to an unexpected, awesome surprise for Stella as she got to meet THE man in red fur (although I believe it was a woman underneath). Had a great day just walking outside, flying a kite, playing in the sand.

Bandee & her Halabugee

My dad came out to visit to see what this Chicago city was all about and to see how it was treating us so far. How fitting, he was here 6/17-6/21 and able to spend Father's Day with us. We were also lucky to spend it with Tina & Jeff. Out of the places we took him to, his favorite by far was Grant Park for its historical venue (of Obama's victory speech for those of you who've lived under a rock), and by the natural environment (including the big-assed lake) juxtaposed against the Chicago downtown backdrop.

Stella 'Bandee' had a great time hanging with her 'halabugee' (grandpa in Korean). Dylan continues to cry to be picked up completely spoiled by my dad's inability to hear him cry (thereby picking him up at a mere burp). Funny...following my dad's visit, Dylan seemingly gets calmer when I speak to him in Korean. Stella sits next to me (when not busy trying to abuse her brother) and tries to imitate my Korean.

It was great having him. Here are some representative pix and videos of his stay here.

Thank You (Perfect Timing)

Holy cow, since Stella has gone pee pee in the potty, it has been a pretty challenging task to get her to do the illustrious #2. The last two days have been kinda rough with her holding in and telling me she has to go poo poo every 10 minutes or so. We would rush to the potty and sit there anywhere from 5-20 minutes. During which, she'd want a blanket, to be held, etc. I was at my wits end exhausted from having to console both the kids. Stella for her fears of letting go and Dylan who probably has started to develop separation anxiety as he'd be put down at a moments notice whether he was being fed, changed, burped.

FINALLY, after a bribe of jelly beans, Stella asked for privacy and went (after 2 hours of going on and off the potty, having lunch on the potty, and a couple of peeing accidents). We were so relieved and ecstatic. We celebrated with two helpings of jelly beans and a proud gushing call to her dad. A few minutes later, a package arrives. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Stella's aunt and grandparents, proud of her recent accomplishments, sent her two dresses (Stella LOVES wearing dresses now). Stella believes that her aunt and grandparents somehow knew of her most recent accomplishment and called JCrew for a 5 minute delivery to her :). It's all good. She loves her dresses.

THANK YOU!!!

Kicking Ass and Taking Names

This week, both Stella and Dylan has moved mountains with reaching milestones.

First, Dylan:
-he slept through the night (8pm to 5am) for the first time on Saturday, June 6. this is not to say he does it every night (far from it), but it's happening. average i would say he's down by 8pm, up at 230am and again at 6am, but it's much better than 3 or 4 times a night (not that i would know, he's not fond of hairy, milkless nipples) but this is great news for susan : ) she's a great mother. again.
-cooing, smiling, engaging. definitely does not like to be alone. if you look at him and talk to him, he smiles at you and starts 'talking'. he likes being amongst people. potential socialite :)
-rolls over more consistently (belly to back). he actually rolled over a few weeks back but that depended on how hard he cried (the harder he cried, the more successful he was). now, he rolls over without a whimper :)

as for Stella's laundry list of accomplishments:
-Thursday, June 4 she got on a 'big girl bike' and started pedaling. after spending a little over a year with her trike and finally succeeding in teaching her how to pedal, without hesitation, she got on a bike and has been riding like she's been doing this for a while.
-Monday, June 8 she was accepted to her first school, cardinal bernadine, into the montessori program. minimally, she will be going 2 days a week starting in late August. We are very excited.
-Tuesday, June 9, she urinated in the toilet for the first time. I have been bribing her with gumdrops if she went for about 2 months now... and it finally took. She pretty much decided to go pee pee in the potty and has been doing it every since. It wasn't really potty training as it was a potty decision. She has been wearing underwear since. She's had a couple of accidents, but for the most part has not looked back to the days of diapers. Next step: the elusive "number 2". that one is more of a challenge. we shall see.
-Wednesday, June 10, on her own accord, she took her paci's and threw them in the garbage truck. Susan and Melinda waited for trash day, took the kids out when the truck was there and let them make up their own mind. Stella was the first to toss both paci's in the back of the truck. and the garbage men were cheering her on. they even crushed the trash upon delivery for visual confrimation for the kids that the paci's are "no longer of this earth". it's funny too... because at nap and night night time, Stella gets a bit fussy and i know she wants to ask for her paci (she says, "i want, i want i want..... i want, i want.... water. i want i want... mommy"), but she knows that she was the one that decided to throw them away... so she knows it's fruitless to ask. and she doesn't. but i know she's struggling... I'm kind of sad for her... but VERY proud.

s3dk just hangin at home

i think stella describes this video best when she says, "you're a silly goose".

Blondie

The kid continues to stay blonde. Really think moms at park think I'm his nanny.

Parting Ways

I never imagined this day to come but it has. Stella has willingly given up her pacifiers.

Stella was one of those kids who took to the pacifier immediately. She left the hospital that she was born in expertly sucking on one. All those who have seen her regularly know that she turns to them for solace in moments of distress or fatigue. Over the past year or so, I have tried to wean her being semi-successful in getting her paci-usage down to nap/sleep time.

When our move came around, we had unsuccessfully attempted to tell her that there were no pacis in Chicago. Yeah, I know, way to go...make her deal with a major life-altering event by adding another. She rewarded this with a figurative heisman by demanding two pacis; one in her mouth and the other in her hand strumming the rubber part with her forefinger.

Last week our neighbor's kids, Avery and Braydon (about 2 1/2 yrs), had talked about throwing their pacis in the garbage truck. Stella did not participate in this discussion for the first couple of days seemingly unwilling to part with her lifelines. I figure she dismissed them as being so young and naive. By day three, she jumped on the bandwagon.

Today, on our way into our garage, we saw a garbage truck. I calmly asked Stella if she wanted to throw her pacis in the garbage truck (expecting an adamant "No, are you crazy?!?!" as it was encroaching on nap time).

She said yes.

I ran like a bat out of hell up to get them from the kitchen. As we approached the truck, she asked to be picked up. I braced myself for her to change her mind. It never came...


And just like that, gone was the first as she flung it beautifully into the back of the garbage truck. At this point, I held my breath wondering if she would stop there upon seeing the finality of the situation. Nope, not my brave girl. She threw in the second.

She missed.

It took 2 more tries and eventually, with much baited breath on my part, paci #2 successfully met its demise. We watched as the garbage truck crushed them. I gushed as to how proud I was, high fives were exchanged with the group (Avery & Braydon were there too to do the deed).

We had difficulty during nap time. She was fussy but did not mention the pacis. She replaced this with wanting her daddy. She understands the finality of this and is courageously dealing. She makes me feel weak. I am so proud of her.

I spent all day to make sure she got everything she needed desperate to prevent her from having any uncomfortable moments trying not to tip the scale. I am exhausted. Dylan forgives me for neglecting him. I am brimming with pride for her.

I am expecting the next few days to be pretty challenging. Nothing compared to the great feat that my little girl has accomplished.

I wish I can slow down time. Too fast, too soon, too much but so freaking awesome!

Dylan's Second Awakening

Ok. It's been ridiculously long since we've posted. And there are infinite pictures & videos that we still need to post but I couldn't resist posting this one tonight as tired as I am. More will come and we have been documenting. We're just really really REALLY behind.

Dylan recently had a second awakening. And by that I mean that he's come out of the daze of early infancy and a light has come on in him. He is now able to be awake for longer spells and interacts with us (e.g. cooing, smiling, etc.). Here is an example of his first real interaction with his dad. Yes it's about 3 1/2 minutes long but being his parents, we just couldn't cut any of it.

P.S. Don't ask me how Scott comes up with these games. He is a HUGE source of entertainment in our household as you can see.

Big Girl Milestone

There are lots of milestones that occur when a child is born. First breath, first smile, first coo, first step, etc. etc. Among the many, I consider riding a 'big girl' bike a pretty significant one. I say this so often that I sound like a broken record (and ahem, like my mother) but time goes so dang fast. Especially with kids. How am I a mother of a 3 year old (and 9 week old) who has just begun to ride a bike. Sure there are training wheels but this is no trike!!! This makes me so proud yet so sad because Stella truly is leaving her little girl-dom behind.

Ok, this is way too sentimental of a post but hey, whatevs. It probably is fueled by her confirmed placement into pre-school today. These things are happening so fast that I can't seem to keep up and enjoy each moment. Coupled with Dylan milestones and it's all happening at lightening speed!

Without more sentimental mumbo jumbo...here is a clip of our little girl making leaps and bounds to big girl-dom. Stella rides her first bike. Without fear, without hesitation and with poetic ease. (I know I'll cry when we have to take training wheels off).

Background music provided by Dylan Lincoln and shushing sound effects by yours truly. For those who haven't seen our place, she is riding in our little courtyard alley that is gated off to all but our neighbors. Stella has a few friends her age that she runs around with.

Blast From the Past

As we've been documenting, editing and posting the last few weeks and this current phase of our lives, we stumbled upon something....

Hard to believe, but at one point in time there was no S3DK or even an S3K, there was simply S2K and this was the dawn of it.... nearly 6 years ago.

Girl Meets Boy

On April 9, 2009 Stella met her baby brother for the first time. Here is how that meeting transpired.

New City, New Baby

Kid B aka Dylan Lincoln Kemper

Greetings!

As many of you know, "Kid B" arrived Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 3:47pm. He weighed 9lbs 3oz and measured 21 inches long.

Big boy, we know. And I'll pay for it: I took the under on Stella's weight of 8lbs 13oz... I owe the meat eaters of my family a steak dinner.

... and after much deliberation, we are proud to re-name and officially welcome Dylan Lincoln Kemper to our family and Planet Earth.



Susan's immeasurable strength and overall fearlessness never ceases to amaze me. She has truly taken this challenge and conquered it in every way: incubating and delivering a 9lb. turkey in a brand new city that experienced its worse winter on record. Wow.

Stella has gracefully stepped into her role as big sister. She is very gentle with baby brother, suddenly speaks in full sentences and is applying for part-time work at Target. We are very proud of her.

As for myself, I think Dylan just balanced the equation. It just all feels very right.
Congruency.

Dylan is sleeping. Stella is sleeping. Susan is sleeping.

I am about to be : )

s3dk

Lincoln Park Zoo

Pretty cool zoo AND it's free. It's indoor and outdoor but because we're seemingly in the coldest/snowiest month in the entire city's history , we decided to keep it inside. We saw lions, tigers, monkeys and all sorts of other creatures. It was a good way to spend the time as a family and Stella was entertained. Can't wait for the warm weather. Seemingly there is much to do with kiddies when the snow melts...

Week 29

Getting bigger. I am running out of room! I am definitely ready to have my body back and wear clothes that do not have elastic bands on the waist unless they are sweatpants. We are tentatively scheduled for a C-section on April 6 (due date is 4/12) at 2:15pm. Awaiting to hear back on confirmation though and of course date can change depending on how I start progressing and also if we opt to try for a VBAC.

All these decisions.

In the meantime, I go through the minute to minute struggle on whether I can endure having a creature fight me on space of my own body another minute or having him out and having to manage two offsprings at once.

I'd like to think that this second round will be much easier since I will not be as stressed/neurotic/'fill in blank here' as I was with numero uno but that is likely to be offset by a toddler who may pile-drive or bodyslam him the second I look away yeah?