Snapshot January 2015

After the last post with over 90 (yep! 90) pictures, this one won't have any.  As I like to do from time to time, here's a "snapshot" of who we are and what we do lately.  Just because it's January 2015.  Just because I haven't written anything like this (or anything at all, actually) in a long while.  Just because I can't seem to keep my babies' baby books up to date, and somewhere, someday, someone might want to remember what our lives were like...or maybe not.  Just because we are blessed with two healthy boys and a sweet mountain life, in an unbelievable community, and I finally have 15 minutes to spend pondering that.  Just because I did a follow-up developmental evaluation on NB last night, and he rocked it in ways I didn't expect.  Just. Because.

LO - At 5 years, 2 months, and 3 weeks old, LO keeps my brain working and makes my brain tired.  We recently had one of his friends along for a play date and I was absolutely floored at how little his buddy talked.  Of course he had more than ample competition, what with my two chatterboxes in the seat in front of him.  LO can still talk a mean streak, and even if he doesn't have something meaningful to say, he's making noises and playing with sounds.  I have to remind myself often that there will be a day, not many years from now, when I will yearn for him to say 2 words to me.  Right now, quiet is at a premium.

His teachers love him, and tell us he's smart.  Strangers tell me "he's the neatest kid" especially when he just walks up and says "Hi, my name is..., what's your name?"  He has made friends with the local garbage men who often "gobble" garbage in front of our house just for his entertainment.  At the recycling place, the men ask for him and offer to let him crush the boxes in the compactor.  He also knows several police and firemen by name.  Officer "Bob" is a favorite.

This fall he's reached several milestones that make him seem so grown-up.  Shortly before his birthday be began taking showers.  He is fairly self-sufficient at bed-time now, only needing help to make sure the shampoo is rinsed from his hair.  We still have our usual bedtime routine.  DH reads to him most nights while I listen.  Lately we've been reading the Magic Tree House series.  We're on book #16, and it has been really neat to see how LO incorporates facts he's learning from the books into his play life.  (Pretty sure his naming of the beanbag "Mt Vesuvius" is from book #13, Vacation under the Volcano.) In the few months we've been reading the series, LO has also begun to read some of the words.  It is just so neat to see the look of joy on his face when he figures out a word.  He is pretty good at using context clues to guess words, so often pictures are a hindrance as he'll guess words that describe the picture.  He resists any efforts by me to teach him to read (though I call it "practicing sound puzzles"), but he is gradually getting it without any formal practice.

In addition to taking big boy showers, being more self-sufficient, and beginning to read, he also made two really big moves in the last few weeks.  For Christmas, DH and I gave him a full-sized bed so he no longer sleeps on his crib mattress just inches above the floor.  He now has to use a step and climb into his bed.  He's pretty proud of it, and it's bittersweet for me to imagine that it will probably be the bed that he uses as long as he's in our house.  He'll likely outgrow this bed, his room, and our house all at the same time. He has also, sadly (for me) outgrown naps officially.  It's hard to know when exactly it happened, but he wasn't staying in his room well at night, and he seemed grumpy and tired most mornings, but energized after naps.  He'd still sleep one to two hours at nap, even when I told him he didn't have to sleep at all.  I was reluctant to end nap time, because it's my quiet time too, but in the end it was selfish for me to continue it when it no longer seemed good for him.  For the last two weeks he's had "quiet time" during NB's nap time, and it's gone pretty well.  I hadn't planned to pull the plug on naps, so I didn't have any quiet time materials organized, but we've winged it ok.  We're still working out the kinks, but overall he seems to sleep much better at night and has been a happier boy.

A happier boy has also meant a kinder and more helpful big brother.  When NB lets him (more on that in a few), LO is quite the helper.  He can fix toys, put NB's shoes on, set the table, get drinks for everyone, bring in groceries from the car, turn the water on for hand washing.   I love the helpful heart he's developing.

On a tougher note, he's trying out words, tones of voice, facial and body expressions he sees other children and adults using.  Many of them are not appropriate for the kind of boys we are raising.  It's been hard on him to have to rephrase his questions, change his tone, walk to time out in a different way, etc.  We're all looking forward to this stage passing.

LO is teetering on the edge of boyhood, but he keeps his little toe in the little kid waters.  He still reaches for my hand sometimes in public or hugs my leg and whispers "I love you mama."  (Both of which melt my heart) He still loves for me to sing "bye-oh-baby" at night, though he loves it more when I change the lyrics to "big boy."  At night we share "two good things and one hard thing" to talk about our day.  He still craves praise, recognition, and reassurance perhaps more than most his age.  He takes himself very seriously, but is most likely to giggle at anything potty related.  He's the kind of kid who beats himself up over making a mistake or bad choice, so much so that he punishes himself.  Unfortunately, I can be heavy-handed with the lessons/discipline.  My challenge with him is always to be one step ahead of him, and to show him the beauty of grace, forgiveness, and vulnerability.  Those are not my strengths and I pray that he'll forgive me while I work to remember them myself.  I'm pretty sure I'll be the blame for everything that goes wrong in his adult life at some point.  Every parent has that burden for some period. I'm just grateful for every day that I get the chance to help him become the man he's here to be.  (Whoa! So weird to think of him as a "man" at all.)

Superlatives for LO:
favorite color(s): blue and/or green
favorite food: "strawberries, blueberries"
favorite place: home
favorite song:"Go Tell It on the Mountain"?
favorite toy: "Lovie"
favorite activity: "hang out with you and snuggle"
when he grows up he wants to be: "A garbage man and superhero." (sometimes "policeman" takes the place of "garbage man"...look out!)
favorite sayings I want to remember: "would you be available to play/watch/help etc with me?"  He means "able" but it's so cute to hear "available" and it still makes sense. "Apparently...."  As in "apparently my brother likes to eat bananas."  Many sentences every day begin with "apparently."
fun accomplishments recently: riding a pedal bike, writing his name better, starting to read.


NB- This kid is just nuts!  At 2 years, 8 months, and 3 weeks old he brings a lot to the family.  A lot of noise, a lot of screaming, a lot of risk-taking, a lot of doctors visits, and a lot of grey hairs for me!  He is fiercely independent, aggressive, silly, and still "all boy."  While LO keeps my brain busy, NB keeps my hands, feet, back, and reflexes busy.

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I started this post in late January, and this is the first time I've come back to the blog.  Clearly mountain life, Aunt Cat weddings, and board recertification have made me a poor blogger.  Rather than waste these words, I'm publishing them with the plans to update NB's current status rather than trying to remember who he was 2 months ago. Surely, I'll accomplish that int he coming weeks as we approach his third birthday.  In the meantime, I have some catching up to do.  Seems every post is a "catch-up" post these days!