Glimpses of the Asper Family: December 2009

A couple nights ago I took out a "personality test" that I had done for Bethany when she was 4 months old. I was curious then - and still am now - how accurately you can tell a baby's personality, and whether it changes much as they get older. Well, guess what... 14 months later, I would answer almost the EXACT same answers for Bethany's personality! Kinda freaks me out a bit how much "personality" a baby has at only 4 months old. Maybe with the next kid I'll take it at 2 months and see how consistent THAT is a year and half later. :-) So here are a few of the most telling answers on the test, with quotations from the test that almost exactly describe her:

1) Activity Level: High! "She turns diaper changes into wrestling matches."
2) Sociability: YES. "She smiles and "coos" (now talks) at just about anyone!"
3) Adaptability: Nope, not so much. "She refuses to sleep anywhere but in her own crib." (Grandma & Nana's houses are the exceptions)
4) Intensity: Drama! "She makes her feelings known - loudly - with earthshaking cries."
5) Distractibility: Not easy. "It's hard to calm her down if she's not getting exactly what she wants, when she wants it."

We had two doctor's visits today, one for each kid. We finally got to hear Baby #2's heartbeat, which was "loud as can be" according to the midwife! As far as we can tell, everything is progressing normally. Bethany, on the other hand, is still in the 20th percentile of weight - and 40th in height. She actually has not gained any weight at all since her 14 month appointment, which bothers me, but the pediatrician didn't seem too concerned.

Well, Todd has (seemingly) flown through his first quarter, and now he is off for an entire month! This is such a strange feeling - to have no school, and very little work, for a MONTH. Certainly different from the past several years, when he got 14 days of vacation for the entire year. We are so excited to be able to spend a week in Pittsburgh and then a week in Des Moines celebrating Christmases with family! I think we will be celebrating about four Christmases, between both of our families and extended family reunions.

In school news, I have decided that subbing in special ed classrooms is my favorite, hands down. There just is no comparison between a class of 30 rowdy 5th graders and a class of 7 sweet special ed kids. Plus, between the slower pace of the classes and the TAs, the teaching end of things is so much simpler - much more hands on and individualized. I think if I would have been exposed to a special ed classroom before I got my education degree, I would very seriously have considered switching from English to special ed!

And in other work news... Todd found a job doing taxes at a small CPA firm only 10 minutes from our house. And the amazing part is that the guy who is hiring him is willing to let him work only 10 hours a week, even though he originally was looking for someone to work full-time during tax season! (He probably will still hire someone else full-time... so now he's hiring two people instead of one).

The beautiful bunch of alstroemeria that Todd brought home for me last week... The green is a very welcome contrast to all of the white outside!

My favorite "Christmas spot" in our house. Since we're going to be gone for over two weeks, we decided not to get a tree this year... so every evening we sing carols around the nativity instead. Not bad. :-)

Bethany in her first Christmas-y dress of the season... which I think was given to us when she was a newborn.

Okay, it's time for some Bethany updates.

Does anyone else have (or used to have) a moody-picky eater? One day Bethany loves hot dogs, and the next day she won't touch them. The stand-by foods for her are mandarin oranges, plain tortillas, cheese pizza, and peanut butter (licked from a piece of bread or an apple - or just her plate). But other than that, I never know what will make it in her mouth and what will end up smashed on her tray or on the floor. I do know that meat will NOT make it in her mouth - even chicken only lasts for a bite or two before it gets spit back out. She does love any kind of "sauce", though - ketchup, spaghetti sauce, applesauce, or anything else dippable - and will happily lick it off of the food that it's on.
Bethany is imitating us like crazy these days! Even our voice inflections and non-verbals come back in her interpretations. The other day she was talking to herself in her crib before I got her up, and I heard her asking herself one-word questions and replying to herself with "mm-hmm" exactly the way I answer her when she keeps saying something over and over.
She still mixes up sounds in words occasionally. The most recent one is "nos" for "snow."
I usually know when Bethany is doing something wrong, because I hear her quietly say to herself, "No, no, no!" I have to stop laughing before I go see what she's up to.

Bethany & Co.