One-derful Boy

Ummm, Emmett's a year? That went fast! His first eight and a half months was a blur, and I'm thankful to have been home with him more the last couple months. It's been incredibly important to build that connection with him.

Standing Tall

Muggsy stands on his own now. He can't walk yet, but our guess is that will happen fairly soon. The standing started by pushing off on one of us, but now he can prop himself up without help. He's still an active crawler, and is becoming more of a climber. After a few tumbles, thankfully, he's learned to slide down off things.

Show That Smile

Emmett has one tooth so far, and it's a cute one on the bottom. Amanda said this perfectly the other day, "I don't know anyone else who smiles with their whole face!" It's almost as if he's trying to show off his tooth. Even with just one, he's able to eat pretty well. He's pretty much past baby food and now eating all solids and drinking milk. As for other physical features, his hair is pretty long, with beautiful curls on the sides. It can look pretty messy, but I love it!

We just went for his one year exam, and he's in the 55th percentile for height, 25th for weight.

Birthday Boy

With everything going on, we celebrated his birthday with a family zoom party! That boy knew exactly what to do once the candle was out and the cake was on his plate. Granted, it was a cupcake, but he ate it in less than five minutes!

After cake, the baby artist finished a painting he'd started at school. Each month, the teachers had him finger paint on a canvas. When school abruptly ended, there was one little section left. The masterpiece is now complete, and it's definitely one of the best pieces of art I've ever laid eyes on.

In a way, the setup made the party even more special, because family that likely wouldn't have been able to participate in person, got to take part online.

Silliness With Sophie

Those two love to play with each other sometimes, and others, Sophie ain't too happy with baby bro. When we're finishing dinner and the two of them are laughing and giggling, it's amazing!

When Sophie is finishing her magnetile castle and little destructo comes along, it's less fun. They'll figure it out, and as they get older, I'm excited to see how this relationship continues.

This is mostly an Emmett focused blog, but here are a few Sophie highlights:

• Soph is quite the little baker, helping make challah, cupcakes and brownies. It can be tough as she isn't a fan of directions, but it's also fun
• Three and Three Quarters: Sophie enjoys telling people her age in fractions. While she's just repeating us, it's cool to see her ownership of it. She keeps talking about what her birthday party will look like. That is a bit tougher, as we don't want to make too many promises, not knowing what the situation will look like
• Magnificent Magnetiles: It's cool seeing how her brain works piecing them together. She built a tower in a way I may never have thought of. Loved that!
• Disney+ is a great babysitter. Sophie has watched many of the classics, and she's watched them many times. Funny little tidbit - she says Thunderbolt in a cute English accent because of 101 Dalmations II 
  
• She's become an active storyteller, making up all sorts of tall tales about the dolls in the house
• I got her to start singing “One Margarita” by Luke Bryan when she washes her hands. What good parenting on my part 
• This isn't new, but I don't remember writing it before. Sophie twirls her hair when she's tired and drinking milk at night. It's one of the sweetest sights. Speaking of her hair, she loves how long hers is. She wants it to go down to her toes like Rapunzel's. 

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

The last couple of months have been tough on so many around the world. As a parent, so much of the focus is on making a better world for the kids. That can be a lot harder when we don't know what we're preparing for. 

As far as Covid, my feeling is we'll be in the current setup for quite a while longer. What is especially tough is it feels like my attitude on everything changes day to day. That being said, we are all faced with making decisions knowing there's significant risk. 

The kids' daycare opened up, and we decided to send them after talking through the options. The school is being diligent, and has a set of requirements that make us feel more comfortable. Of course, there's no perfect scenario. We're hoping the socialization and education can stimulate them more than what we'd been able to offer. 

The last month and a half has also been an important one in terms of social equality across the globe. George Floyd being from Houston made the impact hit home even more. Here are three things I absolutely believe: We can listen to each other. We can learn from our past. We can make tomorrow better than today. 

Thanks for reading!

Before Zoom, there was Baby Blog!

Well, I started writing this blog back and January and as you can tell, was super successful finishing it. It’s time to change that! 

Sophie just celebrated her half birthday, and Emmett is now 9 months and crawling! 

Sweet Spots

• It's adorable watching Emmett and Sophie together. Big sister loves to cuddle with him, tickle him, give raspberries, twist him in the bouncer and so much more. I truly believe when Muggsy's mad, she can calm him down in a way Amanda and I can't. When they are making each other laugh, it’s perfection. 
  
• Emmett first learned to roll over, and now he’s crawling! His teachers showed me he could prop himself up when on his tummy, and then a couple weeks later, he was rolling over. Just the last couple of weeks it was clear he was getting ready to crawl, and he started doing it a few days ago. He also enjoys standing while holding onto us. It doesn’t last long, but in the moment, he’s happy.
• Muggsy has been eating solid foods for about a month and a half or so. He really enjoys bamba, but hasn’t quite fallen in love with the purées. We’re staring to just give him regular food in super small bites. 
• Sophie has some cute phrases like, "Oh my," "gisgusting," “fiiiine,” “you’re not listening to me,” “Eh-mehhht,” “Si vous plait,” “Agua and Leche,” “when you were an iddy biddy baby in my tummy,” “more kisses,” “maybe when I’m older I can do that."
  
• Emmett isn’t saying words, but he’s starting to babble a bit. I like to believe he’s saying “Dada” and “Mama,” but that’s probably a stretch 
• Sophie went to her first basketball game, Mavs vs Rockets. She learned the Mavs are blue and Rockets are red, and we had a great time! 
• We also went to our first daddy daughter dance. Sophie rocked the sock hop theme and danced the night away 
  

The Travels We Used to Take 

Thanksgiving break in Dallas was really nice! Emmett had some sweet potatoes, Amanda and I were able to go see “Dear Evan Hansen,” and overall we just had a good time with family. 

In December, we went to Miami for Aaron’s Bar Mitzvah (he crushed it, did such a good job). It was our first trip there since David and the family moved. It was good seeing how happy they are there. I especially enjoyed getting to spend part of Channukah all together. It’s so rare to have all the brothers and their kids together, and I tried to soak it up as much as possible. 

In January, both sets of grandparents came for visits which made for one really happy Loafie. We also got some great visits with Aunt Boopie, Jenna and David S. from D.C. 

The kids and I went to Dallas for a weekend in late February, so I could visit Max, my childhood best friend. It was nice having family step in to help out with the kids and make it a smooth trip.

Zooming in the time of Coronavirus 

We’re all in the same boat on this one. This is a time unlike any of us has been a part of. 

Thankfully, we are in a good situation. I’ve been able to work remotely, and Amanda is off work temporarily. Of course, the kids don’t have school and this is the biggest challenge. Sophie is a social kid who loves to be around friends. She has started to come around, but it took a long time for her to be okay with not being able to do things because of all the yuckies.

Emmett still naps, and that is really helpful as it gives us a little break where we only have to take care of Sophie. It’s especially tough on Amanda, as she now is watching both of them for larger portions of the day. As she always does, she proves to be an incredible mother. Incredible. 

On the positives, I’ve gotten to have dinner with my family every night and put the kids to bed. That is truly special. 

The zoom ability has allowed us to have programs with our synagogue and preschool. It’s also been a setup for catchups between my Mizzou friends and my buddies from my time in Singapore. Of course, we’ve also video chatted with family 

So, we are taking the bright in with the scary. I mean, how else would Amanda have taught Soph to sing "Wannabe" by Spice Girls as a hand washing song? Sophie is great at tell us what she wants, what she really, really wants!

This is our new reality for a little while and it will push us all in different ways, but so far, we’re doing well. Most of all, we are healthy and that is what is most important. 

3 and 3

My how time flies! Sophie just turned three years old, while Emmett just passed the three month mark. 

Sophie is wonderfully cute, but can also be a handful. Here’s some cuteness notes: 

• She calls a lady bug a “lady boog” with a southern twang 
• She runs back from putting her milk in the sink so she can watch shows 
• She gossips while on the potty about all the bad things baby doll has done
• She sings songs, and it warms my heart. Loved hearing her two Rosh Hashanah songs. Did you know the shofar blows sometimes slow, sometimes fast?!?!
• She is active in class and a “third teacher” for the other kids 
• When I drop her off, she runs after me at the door to make sure and give one more kiss
• Her imagination is kicking in. She wants us to play all sorts of games with her. I’m going to give her teachers and the new school credit for this. They do such a good job of letting the kids explore what’s possible
• She watches sitcoms with me and instead of calling the shows by their titles, she only knows the characters. “I want to watch Rainbow and Dre” (Black-ish)
• In the last two weeks, she’s started calling me Papa. I don’t know if this is from Beauty and the Beast or one of her classmates who calls her dad that
• It’s the best feeling when she gives me a hug and says, “You’re the best, Papa”
• She loves her brother. She lays down next to Emmett and gives him soft kisses. It’s quite sweet. When he cries, she brings him a pacifier 
• It’s cute, but I don’t love how she really likes tv. Frozen, Lion King, Magic School Bus, Finding Nemo, Daniel Tiger. It’s one big loop
• When Gram was doing a house project, Sophie wanted to help. She got her gloves on and painted 
• She has memorized certain books and can “read” them to us

When Sophie Gets Angry, Really Really Angry

Of course, it’s all a balance. Sometimes Sophie really tests our patience. She has developed quite the little attitude when she doesn’t get her way. And most of the time, I’ll give her what she wants, I just want her to ask in the right way, or listen to what we ask of her beforehand. 

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s just hard to reason with a toddler. She wants what she wants. When Amanda’s parents were in town for Emmett’s first couple weeks, they gave her a new nickname, “Priceline,” because she’s a master negotiator. 

Look, a lot of this is a phase, but we just don’t want her to be super entitled. She has to learn sometimes Mom and Dad’s way has to be the way it will be. 

Turning Three

Sophie had a great birthday! We celebrated with a party in a park. Granted it was hot and humid as heck, because well, Houston. Still, we were very happy so many friends and family came to celebrate with her. On her actual birthday, Mommy made a special challah French toast bake to celebrate for breakfast. Her class had cupcakes at school, and that night Sophie, Emmett and Amanda came close to my office so I could meet them for dinner. 

Little Emmett Rosenhouse

Here's a quick note about his name. Emmett was a name we enjoyed, and I loved that it connected to the word for true in Hebrew, “emet.” His middle name, Hayes, honors my Bubba, Hazel. His Hebrew name is Emet Peretz. His middle name is to honor Amanda’s MeeMaw, Pauline. “Peretz” means to burst forth. We take this as wanting him to live confidently in his own truth. 

It’s been very different with Emmett than Sophie as a baby, and I’m going to chalk that up to experience. Amanda and I are both more calm with him, less worried about things we can’t control. 

Amanda had a much easier time nursing him. She was able to mix nursing with pumping for his first six weeks. We’ve since transitioned to almost all bottle feeding, except for one last nursing before putting him to bed. Amanda has been incredible through this, and I think she’s enjoyed this opportunity. 

All that good eating has made for quite the growing boy. He was out of newborn clothes pretty quickly and even now, some of the three month outfits are tight. Luckily, we are fortunate to have lots of hand me downs from my nephews and a couple friends. 

As far as sleep, I don’t want to jinx things, so will just say Amanda and I have been pleasantly surprised. Of course, things could change at any moment, so will just go one night at a time. 

Notes of Goodness 

• I still call him Muggsy sometimes. Amanda’s family came up with Shmemmett. As I’ve been taking Spanish lessons at work, I also call him Emmettito
• His Bris was quite the experience. There were mixed emotions, but I’m ultimately glad we did it
• He started to smile about six/seven weeks in and now he even laughs a little bit :)
• Emmett’s done super well at daycare. His teachers say he’s got a great nature about it. I love that one of them is speaking to him in Spanish. Hope he picks some up! 
• He’s totally calm during bath time. He likes it way more than Sophie did 
• He’s limiting the amount of times he pees while I’m changing his diaper! The first couple weeks, it took a little getting used to a boy versus a girl

So, overall quite happy! The kids are sweet, and even when both are crying, Bali is barking and there seems to be no quiet coming soon, I wouldn’t trade it. 

A huge thank you to all our friends and family who have helped us! It was so nice having people bring food, have play dates, and well, just being there for support. Thank you cards are finally on their way (should’ve done it faster, but is what it is). 

Welcome, “Muggsy”

I’m writing this before the bris, so we’ll refer to Baby Boy Rosenhouse with the nickname I’ve been calling him, Muggsy.

The Feeling

It started Thursday morning, when we visited Dr. Pinell’s office. He said Amanda was a centimeter dilated, but that didn’t mean she was going to labor. Many women are a centimeter dilated for a week before things start happening. So, Amanda and I both went to work. At 3:30 that afternoon, she messaged to say “Not to scare you, but I think I’m having some contractions. They are not painful or regular.” Well, she didn’t scare me, but that did get the butterflies going. Around 8 p.m., Amanda noticed a change “down there,” and the contractions were starting more. By this point, my gut said this would really be happening. I got home at 10:30, and felt much better being with her again.

At 2 a.m., I woke up to Amanda calling her Aunt Bonkie to say it was “go time” and we’d need her to take care of Sophie. 30 minutes later, we were in the hospital at a maternal assessment, where they check to see if it’s really happening. The nurse said Amanda was between 5-6 centimeters dilated and we’d be going to a labor and delivery room.

Amanda immediately asked for an epidural and that happened around 4:00 in the morning. The goal was to try and rest after, and at 5 we tried to sleep. 25 minutes later though, Amanda didn’t feel right. The doctor came in and explained it was likely because she was now 10 centimeters dilated and it was about time to push!

They say the second baby normally comes out faster and that was definitely the case. I think Amanda only did three or four rounds of pushing, and there he was! A little baby boy, all pink, blue, and purple. They cleaned him up, I cut the chord, and then he was immediately on Amanda. Of course, I cried, because that’s not tough for me! Muggsy arrived at 6:01 am, 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and 21 inches long.

As for the postpartum stay, overall, it was much better than the first go around. I think this is a combination of factors, but the main two are Amanda’s pain being less and our different approach. With Sophie, Amanda was in a lot of pain, and we had committed to only breastfeeding. This led to a lot of stress. This time, we mixed in nursing with pumping and formula. It’s allowed Amanda to catch some sleep at night and overall, has made everything smoother. Muggsy seems to be a pretty hungry boy, and if we’d only done nursing, it could have been another tough time.

Big Sister Sophie

Sophie has been great! In the middle of the night Friday, I told her we had to get up and go to the hospital because baby brother was coming. She didn’t cry or anything, even telling me we “can’t wait” to leave. When she left with Bonkie, she put up a little fight, because she wanted to go with us to the “hop-sid-al.”

I picked her up on Friday afternoon from school and brought her to meet him. She was so excited! Her walking in and getting to hold him was absolutely precious! My parents took her to Tot Shabbat the next day, and she proudly told everyone his name was Muggsy. What a good secret keeper! She then spent the day with my parents, before coming to visit the hospital around dinner time. Again, she really wanted to have him sit with her. She is definitely showing signs she’ll care for him (wanting to give him a nippy, seeing if he’s crying, etc).

***

Wrapping this up by saying, our world has definitely changed, and I believe it will continue to be in a great way! Amanda seems to be in a good mood and managing the pain well. Sophie has had her moments of agitation, and while I know there will be more tough parts in the transition, hopefully it’ll be smooth overall. We’ve been so thankful for everyone who has offered to help out. It takes a village as they say, and thankfully, we have one.

And for some fun .... Guess Who is Who???? (answer below) 

(Top Left-Sophie, Top Right-Michael, Bottom Left-Amanda, Bottom Right-Muggsy)

Last Solo Sophie Blog

With Baby Boy Rosenhouse due in just a little bit, I wanted to write one last blog focused on Soph.

Vocal Vocabulary

Sophie is very chatty! She loves to talk and puts together sentences quite well. Of course, when she’s upset, that all goes out the door as she "cry talks." One of the funniest things is when she “parrots” us, and her phrasing sounds just like something Amanda or I would say. 

"No Dad, you're ... you're not listening. Just please do this."

 Another quirky thing is “speaking Spanish.” Ultimately, it’s a bunch of made up words, but hopefully one day she will want to learn the language. She also makes up random names. Who knows what’s going on inside that beautiful mind?!?!

Leslie and Llama Llama

We introduced some tv shows to Sophie, because I was tired of her just watching kids open up presents and playing with play dough on YouTube. On Netflix, she watches the animated version of one of her favorite book series, “Llama Llama.” In the morning, she would watch “Parks and Recreation” with me, but she’d only call it “Leslie” because of Amy Poehler’s character. After we finished that, we moved on to “The Good Place.” I enjoy watching comedies with her, as long as they’re not too inappropriate! 

We watched our first movie together a week and a half ago, and boy, did we set the bar high with the original “Lion King!” I hadn’t seen it in 23 years and had loved the idea of waiting to see it again with my kid. Sophie loved Simba, but was confused about how he magically grew up just by crossing a log hahaha. It was cool seeing how she understood Mufasa was the father and Scar was “not nice.”

Fun Moments

As far as holidays, Sophie enjoyed having matzah pizza and tam tam crackers during Passover. For Purim, she dressed up as a fairy one night and a tiger the next.

We took a weekend trip to Dallas in early May for Traci’s wedding. Sophie loved having Malaysian food with Zaide, yogurt with Becca and Alex, and Shabbat lunch with Aaron and Rachel Malka! Then, she got to sleep at the Lowenberg’s. So basically, it was a pretty perfect Sophie trip. One memory will be having to pull over on the side of the road so she could use the mini potty!

We all enjoyed Aunt Boop Boop coming in for a weekend. It’s clear Sophie and she have a special connection, and we’re so happy about that.

At the beginning of June, Amanda and I spent a night at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Houston. We had a really nice time going in the Texas shaped lazy river, eating an excellent Tex-Mex dinner, and watching “Always Be My Maybe.”  While we were having fun, Sophie had a blast with her first sleepover at her friend Chloe’s house!

Big Girl Bed

Speaking of sleeping, Memorial Day weekend we went to IKEA and got Sophie a big girl bed! While we expect baby boy will sleep In the bassinet at first, we wanted to have the crib ready when it was time for him to go there.

I was super impressed with Sophie’s transition! When the light on her tot clock turns yellow (at 7 am), she gets out of bed on her own and comes to wake me up.

New School

Sophie started going to the JCC's Bertha Alyce School at the beginning of June. This was a very tough decision for Amanda and me, because she really had been happy and doing well at the other school. Ultimately, things came together and we decided to make the switch. She's the oldest kid in her class, which was a bit concerning to me at first, but I do believe the teachers try to challenge her differently. Also, there are so many activity centers at the J, and I know she's having fun.

More Fun Times

Sophie likes to watch as we cook and prep dinner, as well as wash dishes. This is of course nerve wrecking because we have to make sure her hands are out of the way! 

She enjoys drawing and figuring out letters. "That's S for Sophie," she'll point out. She also seems to know M for Mommy. 

This summer, Sophie has already been much more excited about the pool than last year. She's gone swimming a couple times and has been loving splash days at school!

Mother's Day and Father's Day went well for both of us. Sophie made us cute cards at school and we each enjoyed fairly relaxing days. Amanda got a pair of socks with Sophie and Bali's face on them. I got a homemade Cowboys themed serving dish.

I can truly say I love my family and am happy to see what baby boy brings!

Sophie 2.5

Sophie just turned two and a half years old! Since the last blog, Sophie seems to have grown leaps in bounds into fully leaving babyhood behind. She is a toddler with her own desires, personality and ways of communication. Also, she now likes baths and "Baby Shark" a whole bunch.

Night Life

I started a new job at KHOU (Houston’s CBS station) in mid-November. It’s been really nice so far, transitioning into a role in the marketing department. While it’s still television, it’s definitely a different side, and it's been fun learning a lot. The one down side is working a 2-10 p.m. schedule, which means I don’t get to see Amanda and Sophie as much. Thankfully, we’ve all adjusted pretty well. I take Sophie to school most mornings, and while it isn’t as much time together as we used to have, we do have fun and I get to see them on the weekends.

Bubba Up In The Sky

My grandmother, who we called "Bubba," passed away in December.  She is often described as a strong, stubborn, sweet woman.  I'm so glad she got to be a part of Sophie's life, playing peek-a-boo and holding her hand when we'd visit.  Sophie was a beam of light during the grieving process, and while she can't fully understand what's going on, she knows Bubba is in a better place now.

On the Boat

In January, we went on a cruise with Amanda’s family out of LA. Sophie loved it because of:

• Dr. Seuss party
• Lots of dancing
• Splashing by the pool
• Bird watching with Mamp
• Auntie time
• Most importantly, all the ice cream! 

We had a great time eating a ton, seeing Catalina Island, playing trivia games, being with family and watching shows.

So Cold, Chicago

Our other travel experience came in February when we went to Chicago for our friend Brad’s wedding. Here’s a shocker, Chicago is really cold in February. While we didn’t deal with any snow, temperatures in the 20s felt like a tundra to us (and the rain didn’t help with that). Weather aside, it was an amazing weekend. 

We always love going to Chicago, because we have so many friends and family living there. Highlight moments include the wedding, the children’s museum, all the in and outs of cars (made easy because of friends and family), plus the excellent food.

Gummy Snacks, Pointing

As we touched on last time, Sophie can be pretty determined. When she wants something, she doesn’t easily forget. So, we often end up in negotiations, trying not to just always give in. Currently, the trump card is gummy snacks. Sophie loves them! We're strategic in giving them to her, because we don’t want her constantly eating them.

The other thing that definitely has its ups and downs is YouTube and “pointing” as Sophie calls it (she points to play the different videos). Truthfully, it’s not like she’s getting hours and hours of screen time, but being on the phone changes her. I’m sure other parents know what I’m talking about. When it’s time to be done, sometimes she’s good about handing back the phone, other times it’s some of the worst tantrums. She’ll say, “Why Daddy take the phone away? He being not nice! He make me sad.” Of course, that is just crushing to hear.

Amanda and I are still figuring it all out. Sophie doesn’t watch television, so this is the tradeoff. Who knows if we’re doing the right thing, but when possible, we try to turn her focus onto toys and books instead of pointing.

Welcome, Visitors

We’ve been able to have a couple of nice weekends with visitors in town. My parents came for a visit in February, and then again just recently. Both times, we enjoyed great meals, meeting up with relatives and going to events for Sophie, like a Purim carnival.

Amanda’s mom and youngest sister visited in March. We enjoyed going to Levy Park, putting in a family headboard, as well as spending the morning at the Houston Rodeo. Sophie loved seeing the cows, pigs, chickens, and most of all the llama and the black sheep at the petting zoo!

Potty Training

I would say all in all, we're pleasantly surprised with how well potty training has gone the last week and a half.  We used the naked for a weekend training method, taking away diapers in one swoop.  That weekend definitely had its challenges, with most of it coming from trying to understand Sophie's schedule and her appropriate fear.  The first three day, she held it all in from seven in the morning until one in the afternoon! Finally, when we'd get her to go on the potty (which involved a lot of crying), she realized it wasn't scary. I think the M&M's and prizes helped.  Plus, she was really excited to get to pick out "hunderwear" as she calls them. 

She hasn't mastered all of it, but I'm really proud of how far she's come.  Isn't this a true sign of parenting, just being so happy your kid can use a toilet?1?!

Big Sister

The biggest news is Sophie will be a big sister this summer.  We're not sure she totally understands, but she loves playing with her seemingly endless amount of baby dolls, so now she'll get a real one.  Even though she probably was hoping for a sister, she seems to be coming around to having a brother.  
Boys are a whole different ballgame, but it's going to be fun seeing how everything plays out.

***
To end this blog, let's talk about the pause button. We've all heard about how parents want to slow down time or press pause on the kids growing up so fast.  When you don't have kids, you hear that and think it's just like any other fun time in your life.  For me, it sinks in so hard.  The time does go by super fast, especially because I'm working at night.  There's a sense of guilt in not being here for her as much, but I try to take advantage of the moments we do get.  Life is short and there is no pause button, so for now, I'll keep taking mental photos and try to hold on as much as possible. 

Sophie's 2 ... and about 2 months

I meant to write this around Sophie’s second birthday, but it’s been a bit of a crazy time. Thankfully, things are settling in and great things are to come.

Cheerio, London!

Before Sophie turned two, we took advantage of the fact she could still fly free as a lap child and went to London for Rosh Hashanah.

The reason we chose England was to see many of our great friends from our Singapore time who live there now. We stayed with Jeremy and Nivi and their two boys. What a fantastic feeling to fly across the pond, and yet feel like you’re staying with family. We split our holiday meals with them and with Alex and his new bride, Daniela. We weren’t able to attend their wedding in March, so this was a great way for us to celebrate with them. Of course, at all the meals, there was so much good food and conversation. 

As for services, it was fun attending synagogue there, especially taking Sophie to the kids service, where I swear Mary Poppins was leading the songs.

Before and after the holiday, we had a great time catching up with Andy, Sarah and Chloe. In our touristy time, we went to see the Changing of the Guard (Sophie enjoyed shouting, "Hi, Queen!"), walked through Hyde Park and Regent’s Park and took a walking tour around the city, seeing the Tower Bridge and Tower of London.

Sophie did extremely well on the trip. Amanda and I were both nervous about how she'd do with the time change, but she exceeded our expectations. From late meals to train rides, Sophie was a real treat.

It's Mines

Sweet Sophie can be super demanding sometimes. In addition to being possessive of certain items (shouting "It's mines), she goes into what we call “Pippa Junior” mode. This is where just like her Aunt Pippa, Sophie’s one track mind takes over.

It’s challenging when she is really determined. For example, she wanted a second helping of milk one night. I said no and then after she cried a bunch, I tried to give in by mixing some milk with water. She took a sip and declared, “No water, only milk!”

Hard to trick little Sophie “I want, I need” Rosenhouse (my dad used that middle name for me,so I guess what goes around comes around?).

Sophie’s Two Sweet
We had a full house for Sophie’s watermelon themed birthday party. I’m thankful for both sides of the family in helping turn Amanda’s vision into reality.

As this was Sophie’s first birthday where we lived in a house, it was cool having everyone stay in the house together. It was fun having everyone under the same roof.

Speaking of roofs, we also built a Sukkah for the first time. Was it it the most perfect structure ever? No, but we were happy with it and enjoyed eating in it.

Later that week, Evan, Susanne, Becca and Alex came in for the end of the holidays. The kids had a great time together. Sophie enjoyed our visits to Meyerland Minyan so much, she begged to go to “see-new-gawg” for the next week. We now use it as a motivating factor, saying if she’s a good girl all week, we can go to synagogue.

Scary Cute Cheerleader

Right before Halloween, we spent the weekend in Dallas for our friend Daniel’s wedding. It was a cool high school reunion of sorts. Plus, Sophie got to spend the night with the Lowenbergs and then have brunch with the family.

For Halloween, Sophie enjoyed trick or treating in the Dallas Cowboys cheer leading costume Cousin Sheri gave her. Some people gave us a little flack for cheering for Dallas, but I was (and am) unapologetic for it. 

Red Lollipop and Red Meat 

We just got back from an excellent weekend in New Braunfels/San Antonio.  We spent Friday and Saturday with two other couples in an Air BnB in the Hill Country.  We all had a fun, relaxing weekend in a cool place. Then on Sunday, the group drove to San Antonio for the Texas Kosher BBQ Championship.

  
It's a great event, similar to a chili cook off, but instead of chili, each booth lets you sample beans, brisket, chicken and salmon.  Sophie loved the brisket, but the red lollipop she got from a youth group was definitely her favorite part (Side note: this was my second barbeque trip of the fall, having had an awesome time with my cousin Zack in Lockhart, TX).

Part of the reason it took so long to write this was because of my job search. It’s been a tough couple of months, but seeing Sophie, Amanda and Bali has proven to be the best motivation. I’m thankful to so many people who have helped me by making calls, setting up introductions, all of it. I’m fortunate to say, it's working out. More to come on that later :)