Sentenced

Seven months ago, Isaac shocked us by teaching himself to write words on his magnadoodle. Today, 6 weeks shy of his 4th birthday, he surprised us again by writing his very first sentence:

"It's my waffle"

Yeah, he got a little creative with the spelling of "waffle," but look closely: He knew to put an apostrophe in "it's"! That's my boy!

His brother also surprised me today, with a sentence of a different sort. See, on Monday I decided to start reading My ABC Bible Verses to the kids. But since they didn't seem too interested in the first entry, I kind of forgot about it for a few days. This morning at breakfast I had them repeat Monday's key verse with me a few times and figured that was that.

But that was not that: As I was serving lunch, Jude looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and confidently recited, "A soft answer turns away wrath." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Just like that, he'd memorized Proverbs 15:1! That's my boy!!

Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of serving a life sentence as mom to these two incredibly precious boys!

The best medicine

El nombre de Isaac significa risa y no llanto. 

The name Isaac means laughter, not weeping.

That's what my abuelito told me when I called him almost two years ago, crying because we'd learned that Isaac's failure to start talking pointed to more than just a speech delay. In fact, our state's early intervention program had determined him to also be delayed in the areas of social skills, fine motor skills, and sensory integration. He'd qualified for speech, developmental, and occupational therapy, and we had no idea whether these interventions would even help.

The entire next year was hard. It was hard not knowing what exactly was going on with Isaac, and it was hard to see his siblings' development progress by leaps and bounds while he (and we) struggled on a daily basis. Even as I was thankful for an otherwise healthy child, I mourned what I considered the loss of everything I didn't even know I had envisioned for him.

But even in the midst of my doubts, God has been faithful. He's led us to some wonderful therapists and teachers, we've gotten a few answers, and today—after a lot of hard work, a lot of tears, and a lot of prayer—we have so much hope. Especially since Isaac began to read, we have seen significant progress in both his communication and his social skills, and his sensory issues have greatly improved, as well. So much so, in fact, that this semester he was able to join his siblings in the integrated classroom at the developmental preschool that they all attend!

Naturally, we will continue to watch Isaac's development in the years to come, and we are anxious to do whatever we can to help him catch up to his siblings. There are hard days in which I despair of this ever happening, but—more and more—these are balanced out by so many great moments in which Isaac thrills me with all the new things that he says and does. It's taken me a while, but I now realize that my abuelito was right: This boy was meant to bring me joy!



Thank you, Lord, for the healing balm of Isaac's giggles!

Thankful for today

Today, when our morning rest time was over, Isaac sat up in his bed, smiled at me, and exclaimed, "Hewo, Mommy!"

Today, as I was getting lunch ready, Isaac picked up a plate from the counter, pointed at the picture on it, and asked me, "Weez dat?" I told him it was Winnie the Pooh, and he proceeded ask what was on each of the other plates.

Today, as we were finishing lunch, Isaac looked at me and said, "Miss Stephie!" (his speech therapist). I replied, "Yes, you're going to see her at school today. And you'll see Miss Jen and ... who else are you going to see at school?" Isaac beamed and (correctly) answered, "Miss Kawen!"

Today, as I buckled in the kids for the ride to school, Isaac looked at the temporarily vacant space next to our van and asked, "Where za car?"

All things that the parents of most 3-year-olds take for granted. All things that made today a very good day ... because Isaac said them.

Today we are thankful for answered prayers!

Character count

If you'd asked me yesterday, I would have told you that Dahlia knows about 10 letters of the alphabet. Last night, however, Tia Harriet quizzed her and informed me that she can identify many more characters than that. So this morning—in the interest of giving credit where credit is due—I got out our trusty Magnadoodle and sat down for a little informational interview with Miss D:



In case you weren't keeping score, that's 24 out of 26. Looks like Isaac won't remain king of the ABCs around here for long!

Oh, man!

Almost every time Jude tells us that he needs to go potty, he follows up his request with a perfect imitation of the "Dora the Explorer" villain's catchphrase: "Oh, man!" We don't know exactly why he adopted this exclamation as a potty mantra, although I suspect that, at some point—perhaps after the millionth "potty gin!" in a row—I might have given him the idea by saying, "Oh, man!" in exasperation. One thing is for certain: We hear, "Oh, man!" a lot around here—and it makes me laugh every time. What makes it even funnier is that the phrase is always accompanied by a signature arm move and followed by the proper citation: "Fox. On Dora." Check out our little comedian in action:

The essentials

We may not know our alphabet yet, but at least Lucy and Jude have a handle on some of the more important stuff:

Budding Beatlemania

It's no secret that Ted and I love the Beatles. Like any good fan, we listen to Beatles music on a daily basis, we often wear Beatles T-shirts, we own a wide assortment of Beatles DVDs, and we even have a collection of Beatles magnets on our fridge.

Naturally, we also hope that our kids will one day become diehard Beatles fans. Already, Lucy—who often requests "Buddles lusic" (Beatles music)—can identify every Beatle by name, Jude can name two out of four "Booh-doohs" (Paul and Ringo), and Isaac and Dahlia can each pick out Paul. It's a good start!

Lately I've been feeding the kids' fledgling obsession by showing them Paul McCartney music videos when they wake up from their nap. Ted thinks it's a bit much (he's not a big fan of solo Paul), but I've discovered that there's something about Paul that magically cures post-nap crankiness. As soon as I push "play," the kids forget any grievances and pile onto the couch to eat their snacks—and to point out every time Paul is on the screen, of course!

We've been watching Paul videos so regularly, in fact, that if I forget to put in the DVD right away, someone is sure to remind me of my oversight. I suppose it was only a matter of time until Paul made it into one of the Fab Four's imaginative play:



Someone sure knows how to make her Beatle-loving mother proud!

2010 in statuses, part 6

This is the last post in a walk down memory lane, Facebook style. You can read the entire series here.

The last month of the year was by far the most entertaining yet. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: There's never a dull moment around here!

DECEMBER
1  The Fab Four's law: When a repairman is scheduled to come out to the house at the time nap is usually over, the kids WILL sleep longer than they have napped in months. Sadly for me (and my own interrupted and ever-so-infrequent nap), we'll never know just how long they could have slept today!

2  The kids just pointed at the TV and asked for "news." I don't know whether to be thrilled that they want to watch something besides the Wiggles/Laurie Berkner Band, or worried that perhaps they are a tad bit addicted to television. 

Getting their first look at their Little People manger scene
(clockwise from bottom left: Dahlia, Isaac, Lucia, and Jude)

3  The girls just took turns giving Daddy big, long hugs. First Lucy, then Dahlia, then Lucy, then Dahlia. I think Ted was in heaven. 

4  No, we do not have a torture chamber in our living room. I am just clipping Jude's fingernails. 

9  Lucy's favorite word lately is "no-no" ... as in, "Mommy, someone is doing something that's not allowed" (taking off their clothes, trying to climb over the gate, etc.). She even tells on herself. I love having an informant in the playroom!

Reading together on the couch
(left to right: Lucia, Dahlia, Jude, and Isaac)

11  Dahlia just ran up to the fridge, pointed at our Beatles magnets and said, "BEES! Buzzzz!!" Close?

12  Jude is calling, "Cissy! Cissy!" (his word for Lucy) and then running to hide when he sees her coming. Squeals of delight ensue. 

16 For lunch today: Yummy pinto beans (with ham, carrots, celery, and tomatoes), mini corn muffins, smoothies (with cherry yogurt, blueberries, bananas, sneaky spinach, and cinnamon), and grapes. Don't you wish I was your mom? 

Squeezing in together under the sofa table
(left to right: Jude, Isaac, Dahlia, and Lucia)

16 Nothing does my heart more good than seeing all four of my kids running around the living room, playing chase and giggling their heads off at each other. TRUE LOVE. 

17 Tonight Lucy pointed at one of my smile lines and asked, "Ouchie?" I said yes. How else do you explain wrinkles to a toddler? 

24 Someone's turning 2 today! Okay, make that FOUR someones. :) 

Lining up to watch the very exciting garbage truck outside
(left to right: Lucia, Jude, Isaac, and Dahlia)

30 I was awake but didn't even feel the 4.2 earthquake this morning. Probably because Isaac was busy running around the nursery and banging on the walls for a couple of hours before then! 

30 Check out the kids' 2-year stats ... our tiniest baby Dahlia is now almost as tall as our big boy Isaac, and our biggest baby Jude is currently the shortest of the bunch (yes, even little Lulu is taller than he)! 

31 Took the kids out in the choo choo for one last spin on this downright balmy New Year's Eve. ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

2010 in statuses, part 5

I'm taking a walk down memory lane, Facebook style. You can read the entire series here.

Life with the Fab Four ramped up during the month of November. Every time I turned around, it seemed the kids were saying or doing something funny or new. What a fun age!

NOVEMBER
1  Nothing sweeter than seeing Jude say "thank you" to Dahlia today after she handed him his night-night (blankie).

3  Made half-dollar-sized oatmeal pancakes this morning. The kids saw them and got super-excited about their "cookies." Hey, whatever gets them to eat what I make!

14  Happiness is four 22-month-olds letting you clip all of their fingernails, assembly-line style. I usually have to settle for clipping a few nails at a time, until all 40 are done ... it can take days!

Still able to pile into the toy box together, but it's a tight fit! (22 months)
clockwise from bottom left: Lucia, Isaac, Dahlia, and Jude

15  SO discouraging when FOUR kids take one look at the lunch you've prepared for them and refuse to take ONE bite. :(

18  George's performance of "Something" during the Concert for Bangladesh just played on the TV. As soon as it started, Isaac started jumping up and down and grabbed my hands to slow dance with me. MELT MY HEART!!!

19  Not to be outdone by Isaac's budding Beatlemania (see yesterday's status), tonight Lucy identified George on my shirt, and then proceeded to kiss all of the Beatles as I named them. Her idea, not mine!!

21  Dear Mom:
I'm sorry for ever turning up my nose at anything you made. This is the pits.
Love, Suzy

22  Took the kids for a windy choo choo ride this afternoon. The gusts were blowing the leaves all around us on our way home ... Lucy and Jude loved it, but Dahlia was terrified! I'm pretty sure Isaac didn't even notice.

Watching some bedtime Baby Einstein (22 months)
left to right: Isaac, Dahlia, Jude, and Lucia

24 When the kids got up this morning, Dahlia ran to the window and immediately started saying, "Ooooh, ahhh! Kai!" (her word for sky). I looked outside and, sure enough, the sky was a beautiful shade of orange. When Jude saw it, he shouted, "Ya-yo!" (yellow). Close! :)

30  So last night I'm awoken from a deep slumber by Dahlia SCREAMING her head off. I lay there hoping that she'll die down, but no dice. She is MAD. So I get up and go to the nursery. When I open the door, I notice that Isaac has left the closet light on (he likes to play with the switch, which is next to his crib). I turn it off, and Dahlia instantly stops screaming. Talk about the princess and the pea!

30  We set up the toy nativity scene last week, and tonight Ted reports that Jude's got Joseph riding in a fire truck. Ah, the wonderful world of Fisher-Price Little People!

2010 in statuses, part 4

I'm taking a walk down memory lane, Facebook style. You can read the entire series here.

As summer turned to fall, the kids started eating less and talking more. The level of energy required to keep up with them? Remained the same.

AUGUST
3  Losing a contact while changing a diaper, bad. Losing a contact while changing a poopy diaper, very bad. Fortunately the verrrrry tips of my hair caught the errant contact, preventing it from dying a very stinky death.

Four kids in a tub (19 months)
clockwise from bottom left: Dahlia, Isaac, Jude, and Lucia

13  Wish the kids would listen to me when I sing, "Ay, ay, ay, ay, canta y no llores! Porque cantando se alegran, cielito lindo, los corazones."

25  Just made Jessica Seinfeld's sneaky PB and banana muffins (with carrot in them) ... delicioso!! Hope the kids like them.

25  The PB and banana muffins were not a hit. BUT the kids took a solid 3-hour nap. It all evens out!

SEPTEMBER
10  Babycenter.com just sent me a newsletter. One of the topics: "Are you ready for another baby?" Um, NO.

13  For the first time, a stranger asked to take our picture while I was out with the kids (and the choo-choo). I said yes ... he seemed nice, and it's not like I could stop him! Hopefully he wasn't a sicko or anything.

Posing in Mommy's alma mater gear (20 months)
left to right: Jude, Dahlia, Lucia, and Isaac

OCTOBER
12  Three out of four kids think it's HILARIOUS when I jump. Dahlia is just giving me pity smiles. This is a workout!

13  At breakfast, Jude noticed that the trees are losing their leaves. Every time a leaf would fall, he would say, "Uh-OH!" I have a feeling I am going to be hearing a lot of "uh-ohs" over the next few days. :)

15  Now I know how my Abuelita Rojas felt when we liked something she made. The kids loved the pumpkin mini-muffins I made today, and I just wanted to keep pushing more and more on them. The only thing that stopped me was fear of the diapers that all of that pumpkin fiber might produce.

16  This morning the kids saw Ted kill a HUGE spider. As soon as he whacked it, the spider curled its legs into a ball, and Jude said, "Uh-OH!" So many reasons to uh-oh this fall.

Post-nap lineup (21 months)
left to right: Isaac, Jude, Dahlia, and Lucia

19  Choo-choo'ed the kids to the high school to watch the marching band practice this afternoon. Turns out the band (and its director) were way more interested in the kids than the kids were in the band. Oh, well ... it was a good excuse for a long walk on a gorgeous day. :)

29  Kelly Ripa is dressed like Snookie this morning. Jude keeps pointing at the TV and yelling, "Ma-MA!" Just what is he trying to tell me??

Speed reading

I make a habit of reading four books simultaneously, several times a day. And I'm not gonna lie: Keeping everything straight can get a little crazy, especially when more than one child is pointing at random pictures and asking a seemingly never-ending train of rapid-fire "whazzats?" The key is to familiarize yourself with every book in the playroom so that you can fluidly rattle off the names of various objects (and sometimes their colors, too!), almost without even looking. One-track minds need not apply:

22 months old ... oh, my word!

Yesterday I looked through my kitchen notebooks and made official lists of what the Fab Four are saying (and signing) these days. I was already aware that the girls are talking more than the boys, but I was blown away when I looked at the finished lists and realized just how much everyone around here is actually saying!

Because I know that counting all of their words will soon be impossible, I decided to compose a snapshot in time of each kid's vocabulary at this age. Here they are, in order of verbosity:

LUCIA

Can say:

abuelita • all gone • apple • baa • baby • back • ball • banana • bath • Bec • bock-bock • boo • book • bow-wow • box • buzz • bye • caca • car • cat • chair • cheek • choo-choo • comb • cookie • cracker • daddy • Dahlia • done • door • duck • DVD • eat • eye • eyebrow • feet • fry • Gabi • hat • hi • Isaac • jeans • Johnny • Jude • key • knee • Lucy • meow • milk • mole • mommy • moo • mouth • neck • neigh • night-night • no • nose • oink • ouchie • outside • pea • Pepper • pichí • please • pretty • purple • ring • seat • shirt • shoes • sky • sleep • snack • snap • socks • spoon • teeth • thank you • tongue • uh-oh • upa • walk • what's that • yummy

Can sign:

airplane • all done • apple • baby • bath • bear • book • car • cat • cracker • daddy • dog • drink • duck • eat • elephant • flower • giraffe • glasses • hat • help • monkey • more • phone • please • refrigerator • shoes • sleep • socks • thank you

DAHLIA

Can say:

agua • apple • baa • baby • back • ball • banana • bath • belly • berry • bib • bock-bock • boo • book • bow-wow • bubble • bug • bye • caca • car • cheek • choo-choo • circle • comb • cookie • cracker • daddy • Dahlia • drink • duckie • DVD • earring • eat • Elmo • eye • fry • Grandma • hat • help • heart • hi • jeans • Johnny • Jude • meow • milk • mole • mommy • moon • more • mouth • night-night • no • nose • ouchie • Pepper • please • ring • seat • shoes • sky • snap • socks • thank you • tree • tummy • uh-oh • upa • yogurt • yummy

Can sign:

airplane • all done • apple • baby • bath • bird • boat • book • butterfly • car • cat • diaper • dog • drink • eat • flower • hat • help • milk • more • please • refrigerator • shoes • sleep • tree

JUDE

Can say:

abuelita • agua • all gone • apple • baa • baby • ball • banana • bath • bib • bird • book • bottle • bubble • bug • bus • buzz • bye • caca • car • cat • cheese • choo-choo • cookie • dada • Dahlia • DVD • ear • egg • eye • hat • hi • Jude • mama • meow • milk • mouse • mouth • night-night • nose • oink • Pepper • shoes • tag • teeth • uh-oh • upa • walk • what's that

Can sign:

airplane • all done • apple • baby • ball • bath • bird • book • bunny • car • cat • cereal • dinosaur • dog • drink • eat • flower • giraffe • hat • help • milk • more • mouse • phone • please • refrigerator • sleep

ISAAC

Can say:

all done • baby • ball • bath • bird • book • bye • car • circle • cow • cracker • dada • dog • duck • eat • eye • help • hi • mama • Pepper • shirt • tree • uh-oh

Can sign:

all done • baby • ball • book • car • cracker • diaper • dog • drink • eat • elephant • giraffe • kiss • milk • monkey • more • phone • please • shirt • tree

I can't wait until these kids know enough words to carry on a conversation with me—and each other!

Don't go!

For quite a while now, the Fab Four have been exhibiting varying degrees of separation anxiety when either Ted or I leave the house (or sometimes even the room, Isaac). Seeing their tears and hearing their cries can be distressing, but I admit that it's also terribly flattering—it's good to know that they like us!

Recently, the kids have started fussing when visitors leave, too. Jude, especially, hates for any source of entertainment to go bye-bye. In fact, the other day he was so reluctant to see Tía Glenda leave that he repeatedly hugged her legs and demanded, "Don't go!" (okay, so he can't really talk much yet, but that's what we like to think he was saying!). I managed to capture a snippet of the sweetness on video:

Let's dance!

Today Ted and I marked our 10th wedding anniversary. It was a quiet day (well, as quiet as a houseful of toddlers could make it), just like any other day.

The Fab Four, however, were not content to let the occasion go unnoticed. After dinner, I caught them celebrating by holding an impromptu dance party (listen for Lucy calling roll toward the end—"Ju, Zach, Da-ya-ya-ya!"):



This weekend Ted and I will hold our own celebration by dressing up and going to a fancy restaurant while our dear friends Rebecca and Steve hold down the fort. I think we'll leave the dancing to the kids, though!

Vowel-uable knowledge

Remember how, once upon a time, I was sure that my babies were geniuses? Well, more than a year later, I am still not convinced otherwise.

Case in point: Dahlia, at the tender age of 18 months, already knows her vowels. It's true! Just try to tell me that she does not recite "a-e-i-o-u" at least once (possibly with a Spanish accent) while reading aloud from Dr. Seuss:



And, let's face it, it takes a beautiful mind to create an ensemble such as this:

Einstein himself couldn't have pulled off this look!

Give me a sign

When the Fab Four dropped their morning nap a few months ago, I started showing them sign language videos in the late morning to keep them happy until lunchtime. I had halfheartedly tried to teach them signs prior to this, but demonstrating the sign and then helping the kids to do the sign—four times—every time I said the word I wanted them to learn was just too difficult to do consistently. So I gave up. Once we started watching the videos regularly, however, the kids rapidly picked up signs on their own—all I had to do was watch the videos with them a couple of times to learn the signs myself. Sweet!

Being able to communicate with the kids in this way has been thrilling, and I am constantly surprised at the things they are noticing in their environment. If they did not know signs, for example, I would have no idea that they sometimes hear a dog barking in the distance, or that all of them are obsessed with cars, or that they are often dying to wear shoes indoors. Among many other things, they can also ask for food, tell me when they're thirsty, and let me know when they're full. I love it!

The challenge is that not all of the kids necessarily make the same sign in the same way—or in any way similar to what we learned on the video. Sometimes, in fact, I can only differentiate signs based on the sounds the kids make along with their gesture of choice, or based on the context in which they are making the gesture. I guess it's their way of making sure I'm paying attention! Check out this clip, and you'll see what I mean:

Is that your final answer?

Newsflash: "Baby" is no longer the most popular word around here. I'll give you one guess as to what has taken its place:

Baby love

The Fab Four have been steadily increasing their vocabulary during the last couple of months: Lucy currently knows 29 words and 15 signs, Jude knows 15 words and 13 signs, and Isaac and Dahlia both know 8 words and 10 signs. Lately, it seems that every single day, at least one of the kids will learn to say a new word or make a new sign.

Out of all of those words, however, the one we hear (or see) the most is "baby." Lucy, in particular, is obsessed with babies and says the word about a million times a day. Baby, baby, baby—to her, just about anything with an anthropomorphic face, even a robot, is a baby!

Lucy's favorite babies are the ones that she and Dahlia got for their birthday and Christmas. Both girls (and sometimes even the boys) love to carry around their baby dolls and give them hugs. I often see the girls pretending to feed their dolls a bottle or give them a pacifier—it's so cute!

Lucy with her "quads" on Christmas Day (12 months old)

Here's a clip of the girls hanging out on the school bus with their baby dolls yesterday afternoon. Dahlia was not too interested in talking to me, but Lucy sure was:

15 months old ... catching up!

A lot has happened since I wrote the 13-month update nearly 2 months ago. Here are some highlights:

As I'd hoped, we abandoned formula and made the switch to sippy cups and milk (keeping only a bedtime bottle) upon the first anniversary of the babies' due date. Unfortunately, the kids seemed to hate the taste of milk; on top of that, it took me a week to figure out that the sippy cups I had were not working for them. After getting a lot of advice from my wonderful friends, I purchased a can of strawberry Quik and some Nuby straw cups. Like magic, the kids suddenly started drinking their milk! They are now drinking straight milk from their cups like pros, but we have some work to do where etiquette is concerned: The kids are still learning that stealing, banging, or throwing cups is a no-no!

The Fab Four's interests are changing, too. They have discovered books and are almost obsessed with being read to. Sometimes they will make me read a book seven or eight times in a row! I love it, though—when they were smaller, I could never find the time to sit down and read to them (gee, I wonder why!), and I worried that I had ruined their chances of being book lovers. I'm so glad I was wrong!

I suspect that some language switch must have flipped recently because, in addition to being crazy about books, the kids are also starting to talk a lot more:

Lucy was the first baby to say a word, and she continues to lead the pack. She can say, "Pepper," "dada," "mama," "night-night," "nana" (banana), "yummy," and "bye-bye." She also knows the sign for "more." Her new game is to point at objects all around the room and say, "Dat!" I assume that she wants to know what those things are called, so I tell her. Over and over.



Jude (who, incidentally, has turned into quite the clown—I need to take video of some of his antics so that you can see what I mean) is quickly catching up to Lucy. He can say, "night-night" (his word for his blankie), "nana" (banana), "dada," and "mama," and he knows the signs for "more" and "all done."


Dahlia can say, "Pepper," "dada," "mama," "night-night," and "nana" (banana). Yesterday she learned the sign for "more!"


Isaac can say, "Pepper," "dada," and "mama." He's babbling a lot more than he used to, so I know more words are on the way soon. I am still working on getting him to use signs, but I think "more" is around the corner.

The last piece of news is that we eliminated the morning nap yesterday! It had gotten to the point where, after taking a good morning nap, the boys would sleep 0 to 30 minutes in the afternoon (no fun for Mommy!). To help get us through the morning yesterday and today, we employed an hour of Baby Einstein, topped off by a 30-minute stroll just before lunch. So far, so good. Ted and I are hopeful that this change in routine will bring back some predictability for all of us. And we're excited because the schedule shift means that we might be able to start going to church again soon!

Lucy's first word!

When people ask me what I think the babies' first word will be, I invariably answer, "Pepper." The babies are absolutely fascinated by our kitty, and her presence is enough to pause even the loudest screamfest. In return for their adulation, Pepper tolerates the babies extremely well (although she's not quite sure what she thinks about this crawling thing).

Anyway, last night Lucy was in the Exersaucer babbling away as usual (baba, dada), when Pepper came around the corner and sat down a few feet away from her. As soon as Lucy spotted the kitty, she started bouncing and panting, which is what she does when she's excited. Then Lucy leaned in Pepper's direction and said, "Puh-puh."

Ted was sure that Lucy had only said "baba," so when I picked her up to change her diaper, I decided to see if she would say Pepper's name again. As Lucy twisted in my arms to look at the kitty, I said, "Hi, Pepper!" And Lucy whispered, "Puh-puh."

Pepper, aka "Puh-puh"

"Isn't Pepper pretty?" I asked. Staring at the kitty, Lucy repeated, "Puh-puh." Ted and I looked at each other in amazement. One more time, I said "Pepper," and for the fourth time in a row, Lucy called her name: "Puh-puh."

I think we can safely say that this was not a fluke! I wonder how I can get her to say "Beatles" next ...