Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Sleep.

Oh sleep, how I miss you.  We've really been struggling around here.  We got E down to one waking a night; it was quick, I'd feed him and he'd be back to sleep within ten or so minutes. 

Three nights ago, E woke up twice, but went back to sleep quickly, and A also woke twice--the first time was around 9 and he was cold, and the second time he woke up screaming that something was in his room.
Two nights ago, E woke up 5 or 6 times.
Last night, he woke once, but was awake from 3-5:30.  It impacted his naps, which were 11-1 and then 4-4:45.  It's been a rough day.  Last night, I got frustrated at not being able to figure out how to get him to sleep/stop crying that I took him downstairs to play.  As soon as he adjusted to the light, he was happy.  **sigh**

I'm pretty sure teeth are to blame, though I don't see anything popping through in there.  I gave him a teether, but he's been playing with it more than chewing on it.  It just looks like his lower gums have the ridges of teeth roots.  He doesn't have any of the other symptoms, but it's just what my gut's telling me.

It's days like this that I'm so thankful for this time to not have to work, to not have to have my brain on, or worse, have my brain on and PERFORM for 14 year olds.

See Kai Run

I've had my eye on the See Kai Run line of shoes since A was a toddler.  Natural Mommie is giving away a pair here!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

A's new game and a wiggle worm

As I said last night, E can only crawl with his belly on the floor.  Despite this, he was able to get himself up the two steps from the family room to the kitchen today, successfully as is evidenced in the video below.




In addition, as he was hanging out at the bottom of the stairs, with his little head poking up to the kitchen, A created a new game of "baseball."  With a kitchen spatula and a bouncey ball, he would hit the ball toward E, who ended up throwing the ball back to him.

The Magic Word

Playing rough with A today, he wanted out.  I asked, "What's the magic word?" meaning please, of course.  His response?  "Abracadabra."

Friday, March 25, 2011

Baby Photo Shoot

After a morning snow storm, we had some beautiful sun streaming into the family room yesterday afternoon.  I took the opportunity to take some pictures of E in his diaper for a contest for that diaper company.



Family Game Night

We have a little tv junkie on our hands (in addition to the Mommy and Daddy sized tv junkies).  One Thursday night, A was pestering about tv for one reason or another, and M told him he would not be watching tv on Friday nights, effective the next day.  I jumped on the opportunity for Family game Night!

It has been a huge success.  We've played games one night, and a few other things, but tonight we took advantage of A and my gym membership and went to open swim.  We went for about half an hour and had a great time.  E loves just kicking his feet; he really looks like a little wiggle worm!  A is becoming more and more confident in the pool, though he still relies on the bubble and noodle.  He was very excited to show some of the things he does in class, like "Choo Choo."  In Choo choo, they hang on the wall of the pool and move along it in a train.  He was so thrilled to show this to me.

It was really fun to have a good time and get out of the house without costing us any additional money.  It was also great to get A in the pool during the lull between sessions.  Definitely not an every week activity, but something we can do while we still have the membership!

Movin and shakin

For what feels like months now, I've been fielding the questions of "is he crawling?" "is he standing?" "is he cruising?" and have had to respond with "no," or the qualified, "he's doing the army crawl, but he's not crawling with his belly off the floor."

Lately, he's been much more interested in standing.  He's been much more excited to drag over to me, climb over me, and have me pull him up to kneeling then standing.  Today he did this and kneeled on his own for the first time.

After the boys came home from school, I was talking with M, looked over, and saw that E was standing at his block table.  He'd pulled himself up!  He did it later at one of A's chairs.  So, he's standing!

We have a sunken family room off our kitchen with two steps.  When A was small, I went NUTS looking for safety gates that would work in this area, with absolutely no success (it's a very wide area, and gates for very wide areas need to be screwed in while we have brick on one side of the opening).

Today, E decided to try to climb these stairs.  He was able to get his knees on the first step, but didn't have enough room to push himself up to the second step. 

I am starting to seriously wonder if he's going to just skip over formal crawling and go right to walking.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Peek a Boo

Last night, M was playing peek a boo with E, hiding his face inside his sweatshirt.  I went upstairs to change E's diaper, and he started doing it with the shirt he was wearing.  So cute, my poor little eyes got weepy.

This morning, he was again doing the pterodactyl, and I started doing peek a boo with a napkin.  He stopped.  Sweet music.  I then covered A's face, and E started to laugh.  I gave him the napkin, and he dropped it on the floor.  Stinker.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Updated Slideshow

11 months!!??

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E turned 11 months old yesterday.  Unreal!  This year has flown unbelievably fast.

At 11 months, he:

Crawls wherever he wants to go.  That said, this is the belly drag, but it gets him successfully where he wants to go.  I think he looks like someone rowing a canoe, because he "paddles" to the right to the left, rather that just going straight.




Waves when you wave at him, or if you say hi.



Claps when you clap, or if you say YAAAAY!!!
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Favorite toys include:  the dustpan and broom, the flyswatter, and his bedroom door.


LOVES climbing up on Mommy and Daddy.  He's so proud of himself and just laughs and laughs.









Once he starts climbing on us, he is able to pull himself up to standing if we hold his hands.  
Loves to take steps with help, but will only take one or two before plopping down.

Typically sleeps from 7am-anywhere between 6:30 and 7:30, with one waking (usually around 5am).  
Typically naps from 9am-11am and 1pm-3pm.  This is almost always in the crib, where he's covered by his Grammi blanket, and cuddled with his giraffe.  He listens to the sound of waves.

Today, however, he would NOT take a nap, and I finally quieted him down only to discover:



 Loves his big brother to no end.




Is usually comforted best by Mommy...

...though Daddy is usually more successful at getting him back to sleep when he wakes at night.


His favorite game involves Mommy "accidentally" dropping and then catching him.  Today, I was playing this game with A while E was in M's arms.  E started bouncing that he wanted Daddy to do it too!

The only sign he does is "more," but he only does it if we ask, and it looks more like clapping than more.  He understands (but doesn't sign) A, milk, cookie, play.

Loves food.  Loves.  If he wants food, he will scream until he gets more food.  If he doesn't like the food you've given him, or if he's had enough, he will throw it on the floor.  Or the table.  At dinner, he often eats more than A, and sometimes eats as much as Mommy.

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Has taken to doing this new sound in the past three or so days, which we call "The Pterodactyl."  He screeches.  It doesn't stop.  It goes on all day.  He does it when he wants more food.  He does it when he's bored.  I'm not sure what else it means, but it is tough.

Loves storytime, but it has to be in his room in his rocking chair.  If I try to read a story to the boys downstairs, he will sit for one page and start crying and rolling, but upstairs, we have read 5-6 pages of a REGULAR Dr. Seuss book.


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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Back, Back, Waaay Back

I haven't done one of these in a zillion years, but stumbled across this cute picture from March 18, 2009.  A still wears those jeans and sweatshirt, but they are nearing the end of their days with him.
How much has changed since this picture!  You can see the reflection of my old car, which has been replaced.  We're outside his OLD daycare, which has moved twice since then and is now in its permanent location.  Oh yeah, and A is now a big brother!  Who could forget!

Crawling in my skin...

I've been getting a little nervous that E isn't yet full on crawling, isn't yet pulling up to standing, etc. 

He's going at his own pace, of course, but it's a LOT later than A crawled, and I remember thinking that was late.

Lately, he's been pushing onto all fours and rocking, scooting himself forward, then dropping to the floor.  Kiddo moves pretty quickly doing the army crawl, so I guess he doesn't have a real need.  Today, I caught him using one of the couch cushions to push up to kneeling.


It is also his preference to climb.  He only climbs on and over us, but it's clear that that's what he likes to do.  He has climbed UP my chest, over M's legs, and he just cracks himself up.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Me first and the gimmie gimmies

A is at a tough age.  It's not because he misbehaves or even throws tantrums unmanageably.  It's that he gets frustrated easily.

He loves to be the "line leader."  Every morning, rushing to get out of the house and into the car, I have to stop because, "I'M the line leader!" and I have to let him pass around me in the garage.  More often that not, he has to go down the stairs first (again, frustrating when I'm trying to rush downstairs to make my coffee make the boys' breakfasts.

Yesterday morning, however, was really tough when we did our usual tear down the hallway from his classroom to the pre-care room.  Despite my being out of shape, my legs are about double the length of his so I am naturally faster.  I was being silly for A and E, and didn't think anything of it when I passed him.  He, however, gave up, threw himself on the floor, and started to cry. 

He is home sick today, and we have had a lot of fights.  Not because of anything other than he's not feeling well and his fuse is shorter than normal.  Most times today I've given in, but then wonder if I'm doing the wrong thing (this is motherhood) and if I'm teaching him misbehavior instead.  Sometimes, though, in the heat of the moment, the fight just isn't worth it.  Other than that, though, he's in pretty good spirits.

I've been getting a taste of TRUE SAHM-dom, since we spent E's first nap doing a pretty big art project.  It's not complete, and will go away for the time being to be picked up another rainy day.  I got the idea from the wonderful No Time for Flash Cards... we're making a rainbow!


On a related note, while I was at a baby shower on Sunday, M had the idea to make homemade snow globes.  He got the idea from Special Agent Oso.  It was very much as do and learn project, and he has lots of ideas on how to make it better next time, but they're great because A is pretty obsessed...  this one is M's, but A loves it because when you whack the jar, the duckie inside lights up.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

This is Motherhood.

A blog I follow is running an..event?  Activity?  I don't know what to call it, but she put out the call for photos in the theme, "This is Motherhood."  I started thinking, well, what IS motherhood?  And once I figure it out, how can I put it into photos?

So, I got on the floor and started playing with E.  We played peek a boo, and I thought it would make a great picture.  I set up the camera with self timer, and went back to peek a boo-ing.  He crawled over to and started playing with...the camera.

I could take a picture of myself doing laundry, or making dinner, or even with Hoover pockets and a sad face, but who wants to see that?  I know that's not what comes to mind for me when I think about motherhood, anyway, thought maybe all that comes with the territory.

But what does?  For starters, a whole bunch of stuff that I can't take pictures of.  The way the boys come into our big bed on Saturday mornings and we all just cuddle.  The way E's big doe eyes look at me while he's nursing.  Worry.  Pride.  The way my heart, not unlike the Grinch's, grows two sizes when I think of A giving his brother a hug or the look E gets when he's just watching his brother. 

It's working really hard to (try to) balance self and family.  It's being a good role model, and making sure we're all eating our veggies.  It's taking care of them while finding ways to teach them how to take care of themselves.  It's having a partner (or partners) in crime for making mommy sanctioned mischief.



Motherhood.  It's a roller coaster ride.  And boy do I love roller coasters.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Wormy

I love watching E move around on the floor.  He's getting better about locomotion, though he still drags his body rather than crawls.  What's funny, though, is that watching him move is like watching someone row a canoe--he pushes his arms to the right, to the left, and gets exactly where he wants to go.

I am still having troubles getting the video; hopefully before he's walking...