Some day to day comparisons of my two little angles...
- Matthew will set and let me cut his finger nails without twitching once. I used to have to trick John or do it while he was asleep for fear of snipping off a finger during the wrestle match that had to happen.
- John was (and still is) my little cuddle bug at pretty much any point during the day. I get cuddles from Matthew after he is asleep or if he is in a room with people he does not know.
- Pretty much the same eaters at 1 year old, but Matthew eats more. They both go/went though phases of being picky or not and the volume of food. Overall I am pretty blessed with decent eaters.
- Matthew plays more independently than John did, although I think he is has to more often than John did too.
- John almost had a full head of teeth by 1 year old, but Matthew has 4 that are fully in and 2 peeking their heads out. They both had the same gap in their front two teeth before more came in and pushed it together.
- Matthew has a little darker hair, but less of it than John did.
- They are/were both signing several words including "eat", "milk","more", "dog", "all done", "book" and we have added "Daddy" and "brother" for Matthew.
- They only walked a month apart from each other, John at 10 months and Matthew at 11 months.
- Matthew is still facing backwards in the car, as John was flipped around the day he turned 1 year old. The new regulations have changed saying that they should stay rear facing until they are 2. I am not sure we will last that long, but as long as John is in the third row and Matthew is in the 2nd row Matthew is perfectly happy and entertained.
- John could be distracted by TV for a little while at this age, but I am not sure Matthew has ever even looked up at the TV yet.... hmmm???
- Oh my, just read back to John's 13 month... he was "talking" a lot in comparison! Matthew will bark like a dog and say "da-da" for just about anything. That is it.... I need to talk with him more! He has not idea what an ear, eye, belly or elbow is, apparently John knew all of this....
- physically, Matthew is a bit shorter and heavier. I think John has Carl's body type and I think Matthew will have mine.
- Matthew sleeps less at night but takes longer naps during the day.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Happy FIRST birthday week (MJ edition): Dear Mattew:
Dear Matthew,
Where has the year gone? It feels like just yesterday you were sleeping in the blue basinet next to the chair in the living room while life went on all around you. You were, for the most part, a relaxed infant and really only got fussy if you were hungry (haven’t changed much since). You would lay and soak it all in, especially big brother.
Now, when you have kids and look back at the pictures and stories of your first year of life, don’t be mad. Wait until you have multiple children and you will understand. I am that second child next to your Uncle Brent. Your Grammie had a hard time remembering details about me too. But I understand now. I write this blog (albeit, less often that I would like but am going to put out best efforts in the coming year) to serve as a baby book or at least the resource to make a hard cover baby book one day. And hopefully to give you boys a glimpse into life when you were small.
For some reason, I have a hard time letting go of the idea that you are not an infant anymore. When you do something that has logic or purpose behind it or is physically challenging, it blows me away. I forget that you are starting to make sense of the world and to understand and manipulate what is going on all around you.
For 6 months (give or take) I worked during your first year, however, our lives are both about to change, as I am staying home full time as of now. I could not be more blessed and excited to get this opportunity. I look forward most to having more alone time with you. Although I cherish the time when all of us are together, John is having some struggles right now between sharing with you and helping you to grow up. He just wants to be able to play with you uninhibited by your lack of understanding and coordination. One day, my dears, one day too soon.
If I had to pick one word for your personality as of today, it would be relaxed. However, if you are hungry, WATCH OUT, as it literally comes to blows as you smack your mouth and my mouth with an open hand, which I think is your version of “eat” in sign language that we have been working on. You could hardly notice when John snatches things from you, as it has been happening all your life (although the last week or so, I think I see a change in this pattern). You will let anyone hold you, especially if I am not in the room. You never went through a separating anxiety phase. When you fall and get hurt, you fuss for a second, but then it is over. Your overall attitude is a little shorter, but even when you were/are teething I can hardly tell (outside the immense drool).
Your face and the expressions you have, make life worth living! Your favorite thing right now is to scrunch up your nose and squint your eyes. You do this to either make me laugh or it is the sign that you are trying to get worked up and mad about something, but it is not all that important to you. It makes me laugh EVERY time. The sad face you have when you really are upset about something could quite possibly be the most heart wrenching look I have ever seen. It feels like I can see your heart breaking and then the tears come, I kid you not, so sad! When you get mad or just want a little drama, you throw yourself on the floor face first and waller around a bit, every now and again you will tilt your head to the side with cheek on the floor to make sure I am looking. We ignore this one quite a bit and it stops as quick as it started. Another favorite is the “am I getting away with this” look. It is pretty blank for the most part, a very innocent look. I get this when you are headed for the unlocked gate at the stairs or reaching something on top of the table or climbing on something new, or thinking you have escaped out the front door (I let him do this when I get the mail). As you begin the “forbidden” task you pause and look back at me, almost to say “I am going to do it anyway, but I really want your permission first”. (side note: Grandparents that are freaking out right now about my parenting skills, I see all of these things and this in no way should freak you out. Your grandsons are safe)
It was hard to imagine having a second child and how we were going to share the love. However, it is so true and there is no better way to say than our hearts grew just for you. You have made this family and this world better just by being in it. I miss you when you sleep and look forward to that smiling face peeking over the crib every morning. You are my sunshine (my very early sunshine, but my sunshine none-the-less). The words “I love you” can not explain a parent’s love for a child, but know that you boys are forever on my heart and mind. KISS!
Where has the year gone? It feels like just yesterday you were sleeping in the blue basinet next to the chair in the living room while life went on all around you. You were, for the most part, a relaxed infant and really only got fussy if you were hungry (haven’t changed much since). You would lay and soak it all in, especially big brother.
Now, when you have kids and look back at the pictures and stories of your first year of life, don’t be mad. Wait until you have multiple children and you will understand. I am that second child next to your Uncle Brent. Your Grammie had a hard time remembering details about me too. But I understand now. I write this blog (albeit, less often that I would like but am going to put out best efforts in the coming year) to serve as a baby book or at least the resource to make a hard cover baby book one day. And hopefully to give you boys a glimpse into life when you were small.
For some reason, I have a hard time letting go of the idea that you are not an infant anymore. When you do something that has logic or purpose behind it or is physically challenging, it blows me away. I forget that you are starting to make sense of the world and to understand and manipulate what is going on all around you.
For 6 months (give or take) I worked during your first year, however, our lives are both about to change, as I am staying home full time as of now. I could not be more blessed and excited to get this opportunity. I look forward most to having more alone time with you. Although I cherish the time when all of us are together, John is having some struggles right now between sharing with you and helping you to grow up. He just wants to be able to play with you uninhibited by your lack of understanding and coordination. One day, my dears, one day too soon.
If I had to pick one word for your personality as of today, it would be relaxed. However, if you are hungry, WATCH OUT, as it literally comes to blows as you smack your mouth and my mouth with an open hand, which I think is your version of “eat” in sign language that we have been working on. You could hardly notice when John snatches things from you, as it has been happening all your life (although the last week or so, I think I see a change in this pattern). You will let anyone hold you, especially if I am not in the room. You never went through a separating anxiety phase. When you fall and get hurt, you fuss for a second, but then it is over. Your overall attitude is a little shorter, but even when you were/are teething I can hardly tell (outside the immense drool).
Your face and the expressions you have, make life worth living! Your favorite thing right now is to scrunch up your nose and squint your eyes. You do this to either make me laugh or it is the sign that you are trying to get worked up and mad about something, but it is not all that important to you. It makes me laugh EVERY time. The sad face you have when you really are upset about something could quite possibly be the most heart wrenching look I have ever seen. It feels like I can see your heart breaking and then the tears come, I kid you not, so sad! When you get mad or just want a little drama, you throw yourself on the floor face first and waller around a bit, every now and again you will tilt your head to the side with cheek on the floor to make sure I am looking. We ignore this one quite a bit and it stops as quick as it started. Another favorite is the “am I getting away with this” look. It is pretty blank for the most part, a very innocent look. I get this when you are headed for the unlocked gate at the stairs or reaching something on top of the table or climbing on something new, or thinking you have escaped out the front door (I let him do this when I get the mail). As you begin the “forbidden” task you pause and look back at me, almost to say “I am going to do it anyway, but I really want your permission first”. (side note: Grandparents that are freaking out right now about my parenting skills, I see all of these things and this in no way should freak you out. Your grandsons are safe)
It was hard to imagine having a second child and how we were going to share the love. However, it is so true and there is no better way to say than our hearts grew just for you. You have made this family and this world better just by being in it. I miss you when you sleep and look forward to that smiling face peeking over the crib every morning. You are my sunshine (my very early sunshine, but my sunshine none-the-less). The words “I love you” can not explain a parent’s love for a child, but know that you boys are forever on my heart and mind. KISS!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Happy FIRST Birthday Week (Matthew Edition): Milestones
A few milestones and memories throughout the year (in no particular order)
Walking: took your first real steps right at 11 months, but just last Saturday (1 week shy of your birthday) you figured it out and now you walk everywhere.
Foods: You nursed like a champ for 9 months. I got super sick and had to take some medication that was not good for you. As I was debating switching you to formula anyway, I took the opportunity to stop. You switched to formula without any issues.
We started solids at 4 months and you have been a champion eater ever since. You will really eat almost anything I put on your plate. You devour the fruit first, but get around to the rest eventually. Some of your regulars: scrambled eggs with cheese, yogurt with pureed fruit, grilled cheese sandwhich with deli meat, meat loaf, ham and cheese baked in crescent rolls (thanks Aunt Abbey), oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon. fruit, shredded cheese, avacado (sometimes), mac and cheese, cut up hot dog, chicken fingers. (hmmm...not seeing a lot of veggies on here, maybe I need to overhaul our meals)
Sleeping: I can not remember when you slept through the night, but I think it depends on individual definition of "the night". You woke up at 5:00am for the longest time and would have a bottle and go back to sleep until 8 or so. Nowadays, you are my little alarm clock between 6:00 and 6:30. Once I put you down at night I do not hear from you AT ALL until morning, thank you my dear, thank you.
You nap 2 times a day right now, but are starting the transition into one. Your first nap is around 9:30 (give or take 30 minutes) and will be anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. Your second nap is around 3:30 and is usually only 45 minutes or so. You go down with smiles on nap #1, but fight that second nap pretty consistently.
Talking: hmmmm? I could argue that you have a sound that comes out everytime you see Bailee and it starts with a D, but pretty sure you are not talking yet.
Teeth: You have 4 right now and have since probably 9 months or so. I think you are finally cutting a 5th and possibly more.
Favorite things and activities: Shaking things (toys with rattles, containers with stuff, etc.) always puts a smile on your face, and we always say good morning and goodnight to a few select bears (sleep bear, pooh bear, Mr. Bear and Giggle), but other than that, you really have no vices. You enjoy Peek-a-boo and putting things into and out of a bucket/container/basket/etc. and of course a little game of stick your tounge out (Thanks Da). Climbing on and off something is pretty addicting to you (little red chair, Johns blue floor pillow/chair, pillows, the couch when I let you, the stairs, etc.). You have not really discovered the absolute wonder of outside, due to safety and weather, but Spring is around the corner and I think you will love it.
Walking: took your first real steps right at 11 months, but just last Saturday (1 week shy of your birthday) you figured it out and now you walk everywhere.
Foods: You nursed like a champ for 9 months. I got super sick and had to take some medication that was not good for you. As I was debating switching you to formula anyway, I took the opportunity to stop. You switched to formula without any issues.
We started solids at 4 months and you have been a champion eater ever since. You will really eat almost anything I put on your plate. You devour the fruit first, but get around to the rest eventually. Some of your regulars: scrambled eggs with cheese, yogurt with pureed fruit, grilled cheese sandwhich with deli meat, meat loaf, ham and cheese baked in crescent rolls (thanks Aunt Abbey), oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon. fruit, shredded cheese, avacado (sometimes), mac and cheese, cut up hot dog, chicken fingers. (hmmm...not seeing a lot of veggies on here, maybe I need to overhaul our meals)
Sleeping: I can not remember when you slept through the night, but I think it depends on individual definition of "the night". You woke up at 5:00am for the longest time and would have a bottle and go back to sleep until 8 or so. Nowadays, you are my little alarm clock between 6:00 and 6:30. Once I put you down at night I do not hear from you AT ALL until morning, thank you my dear, thank you.
You nap 2 times a day right now, but are starting the transition into one. Your first nap is around 9:30 (give or take 30 minutes) and will be anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. Your second nap is around 3:30 and is usually only 45 minutes or so. You go down with smiles on nap #1, but fight that second nap pretty consistently.
Talking: hmmmm? I could argue that you have a sound that comes out everytime you see Bailee and it starts with a D, but pretty sure you are not talking yet.
Teeth: You have 4 right now and have since probably 9 months or so. I think you are finally cutting a 5th and possibly more.
Favorite things and activities: Shaking things (toys with rattles, containers with stuff, etc.) always puts a smile on your face, and we always say good morning and goodnight to a few select bears (sleep bear, pooh bear, Mr. Bear and Giggle), but other than that, you really have no vices. You enjoy Peek-a-boo and putting things into and out of a bucket/container/basket/etc. and of course a little game of stick your tounge out (Thanks Da). Climbing on and off something is pretty addicting to you (little red chair, Johns blue floor pillow/chair, pillows, the couch when I let you, the stairs, etc.). You have not really discovered the absolute wonder of outside, due to safety and weather, but Spring is around the corner and I think you will love it.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Happy FIRST Birthday Week (Matthew Edition): A Year in Pictures
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
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June 2011
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July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
April 2011
May 2011
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June 2011
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July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Happy FIRST Birthday week (Matthew): When I picture you....
When I picture you at one year old....
I picture you holding anything that remotely looks like a phone to your ear and smiling.
I picture you stumbling towards me with hands in the air and giggling all the while.
I picture all the thousands of dimples in your sweet naked bum.
I picture you in a diaper and your pudgy belly leading the way.
I picture the scrunch in your nose when you try to make me laugh.
I picture the separation in your two front teeth, just like John had.
I picture you waving your arms like a duck when you want picked up or the food is not coming fast enough.
I picture cuddling in my lap while you drink your bottles.
I picture you playing with John in the living room.
I picture you bolting to the stairs if the gate is open, and looking back at me periodically to see if I am going to come close it.
I picture the kissing noise you make with your lips.
I picture the inevitable struggle on the changing table (grrrrrrr...).
I picture the speed crawl that your turn on when you hear the bath tub, and then trying to climb in fully clothed.
I picture all of the safety hazards everywhere we go and the wheels turning in your head on how you plan on climbing in, on or out of something.
I picture the serious look on your face instantly turn into a smile as you watch the coffee maker in action and then the coffee finally comes out (I feel the same way about coffee).
I picture you in the sock basket in the laundry room floor.
I picture you squeezing your little fist together almost violently when you are signing milk.
I picture your chubby face and that precious dimple in your cheek.
I picture the smiling face and jibber jabber coming from the crib when I come get you in the morning.
I picture you snuggled up in my neck as you are drifting off to sleep.
I picture you holding anything that remotely looks like a phone to your ear and smiling.
I picture you stumbling towards me with hands in the air and giggling all the while.
I picture all the thousands of dimples in your sweet naked bum.
I picture you in a diaper and your pudgy belly leading the way.
I picture the scrunch in your nose when you try to make me laugh.
I picture the separation in your two front teeth, just like John had.
I picture you waving your arms like a duck when you want picked up or the food is not coming fast enough.
I picture cuddling in my lap while you drink your bottles.
I picture you playing with John in the living room.
I picture you bolting to the stairs if the gate is open, and looking back at me periodically to see if I am going to come close it.
I picture the kissing noise you make with your lips.
I picture the inevitable struggle on the changing table (grrrrrrr...).
I picture the speed crawl that your turn on when you hear the bath tub, and then trying to climb in fully clothed.
I picture all of the safety hazards everywhere we go and the wheels turning in your head on how you plan on climbing in, on or out of something.
I picture the serious look on your face instantly turn into a smile as you watch the coffee maker in action and then the coffee finally comes out (I feel the same way about coffee).
I picture you in the sock basket in the laundry room floor.
I picture you squeezing your little fist together almost violently when you are signing milk.
I picture your chubby face and that precious dimple in your cheek.
I picture the smiling face and jibber jabber coming from the crib when I come get you in the morning.
I picture you snuggled up in my neck as you are drifting off to sleep.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Happy FOURTH birthday week: Dear John
Dear John,
Four years you joined this world and it has infinitely made my world a better place.
The most significant event in your life this year was your little brother Matthew. There were mixed feelings throughout the year including regression, a little jealousy, and some anger thrown in there, but overall you absolutely love Matthew and you are impatiently waiting for him to be able to all-out PLAY with you. You are currently learning how to take it down a notch with him and what the true meaning of gentle is. When the two of you get to laughing at each other, it makes my heart happy; there is no better sound in the world.
Your love for drawing and art and your creativity still blow me away. Your drawings have become more complex and for the most part I can tell what they are before you tell me. The only ones that I have trouble with are the things you invent (i.e. flying dragon snake monster).
You are 99.99% out of your shell. I remember worrying when you are 18 months and well into your year third year that you had just made a comfy little home in that shell and were not planning on coming out. (Silly mama, first child worries make me laugh now) You take a few minutes with people you do not know, but other than that, you are off and running.
Mood swings are pretty intense with you and there is no in-between. You turn it ALL the way on or nothing at all. Hot or Cold and no in-between. It reminds me of someone I know. I think once you learn how to control those emotions you will have passion and drive like your Daddy does.
I do think the sleep, or lack there of plays a part in these mood swings and your struggle to deal with your emotions. You could easily take a 2 hour nap, but you would be up until the wee hours of the morning, thus perpetuating the situation. If you are in the car for more than 5 minutes anytime after noon, you will fall sound asleep. We are somewhere in the middle now with random naps for random durations. We make it through, but at varying degrees of insanity.
I am so excited to say most of all that you are still my cuddle bug. You love to cuddle and specifically ask for cuddle time. You still have to have your thumb in your mouth and your hand rubbing my ear. I am NOT going to miss the day you top sucking your thumb.
Life is more exciting and wonderful with you in it. I look forward to each and every day just to see your emerging personality and hear your laugh. When I stop to soak it all in and just watch you be, I know that any day I am going to turn around and you will be as tall as me and I will want to beg for YOUR attention. The thought of how fast you are growing up does ease the challenging phases. I love you with my heart and soul.
Four years you joined this world and it has infinitely made my world a better place.
The most significant event in your life this year was your little brother Matthew. There were mixed feelings throughout the year including regression, a little jealousy, and some anger thrown in there, but overall you absolutely love Matthew and you are impatiently waiting for him to be able to all-out PLAY with you. You are currently learning how to take it down a notch with him and what the true meaning of gentle is. When the two of you get to laughing at each other, it makes my heart happy; there is no better sound in the world.
Your love for drawing and art and your creativity still blow me away. Your drawings have become more complex and for the most part I can tell what they are before you tell me. The only ones that I have trouble with are the things you invent (i.e. flying dragon snake monster).
You are 99.99% out of your shell. I remember worrying when you are 18 months and well into your year third year that you had just made a comfy little home in that shell and were not planning on coming out. (Silly mama, first child worries make me laugh now) You take a few minutes with people you do not know, but other than that, you are off and running.
Mood swings are pretty intense with you and there is no in-between. You turn it ALL the way on or nothing at all. Hot or Cold and no in-between. It reminds me of someone I know. I think once you learn how to control those emotions you will have passion and drive like your Daddy does.
I do think the sleep, or lack there of plays a part in these mood swings and your struggle to deal with your emotions. You could easily take a 2 hour nap, but you would be up until the wee hours of the morning, thus perpetuating the situation. If you are in the car for more than 5 minutes anytime after noon, you will fall sound asleep. We are somewhere in the middle now with random naps for random durations. We make it through, but at varying degrees of insanity.
I am so excited to say most of all that you are still my cuddle bug. You love to cuddle and specifically ask for cuddle time. You still have to have your thumb in your mouth and your hand rubbing my ear. I am NOT going to miss the day you top sucking your thumb.
Life is more exciting and wonderful with you in it. I look forward to each and every day just to see your emerging personality and hear your laugh. When I stop to soak it all in and just watch you be, I know that any day I am going to turn around and you will be as tall as me and I will want to beg for YOUR attention. The thought of how fast you are growing up does ease the challenging phases. I love you with my heart and soul.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Happy FOURTH Birthday Week: Interview
I love this idea and want to get it on video too, but in the mean time. I am going to put together a list of questions and ask them every year.
I learned from this excerice, that some of his "favorite" things are things we did that day and fresh on his mind. :) Some answers warranted follow up questions. :)
I learned from this excerice, that some of his "favorite" things are things we did that day and fresh on his mind. :) Some answers warranted follow up questions. :)
How old are you? “Four”
What is your favorite thing to do? “Play legos”
What is your favorite food? “Melon”
What makes you happy? “When Matthew is smiling”
What makes you sad? “Fevers”
Who is your best friend? “Garrett”
What is your favorite book? “How dinosaurs learn their colors”
What do you like to learn at school? “The months of the year in Spanish”
What do you like to do with your family? “Watch movies”
What do you want to be when you grow up? “A Fireman”
What kind of birthday party are you having? “Art party”
Why do you throw fits? “Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t” Why? “sometimes I want to be alone”
What do you like to do with Mommy? “Go upstairs and play”
What do you like to do with Daddy? “Roughhouse”
What is your favorite show? “Olivia”
What is your favorite song? “Laurie has a pig on her head” and “I know a chicken”
What do you like about Matthew? “I love him. Well there are two things. I like when he plays chasing games with me”
What is your favorite movie? “How to Train Your Dragon”
Where do you like to go? “McDonalds and Chik-a-filet” Where do you like to go for fun? “the toy store” (not a proud mom moment on either answer)
What is your favorite animal? “Giraffe”
What do you think about before you go to bed? “You” (mommy)
What do you pray about at night? "God and Jesus" What do you say to God and Jesus? "I love you God, Thank you God"
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Happy FOURTH birthday week: School, Friends and Activities
This year John is in Mothers Day Out at Stonebridge United Methodist Church (where we got married) 3 days a week. There are no tears this year at all, he loves school so much. His teachers are Ms. Kindra and Ms. Lia; he has taken to them both pretty equally. His best buddy is in his class and lives around the corner from us. This is SUPER convenient for everyone.
I think the main new skill from this year is writing his numbers and letters. He loves to practice writing and is really good at it. He has some "learn to read" type games and books. Think he is still pretty far (and rightly so) from reading, but he is building the foundation. He can spell John, Matthew, Mom and Daddy with no help. He will go upstairs and come down with a drawing of some kind that always has at least one name, if not all four of us on it. He surprises me sometimes with new words I didn't know he knew. For example, he came down a few days ago with a drawing of like 10 birds and the word "Rio" under it. Have to wonder if he saw the DVD up there? But either way, I like the effort. :) He likes to write EVERYTHING on his own and just asks for help in spelling it.
He is super social and talks about all the other kids all the time. They have a system that the kids have to move their name down to a different color if they do something outside the rules, or they can move up to a different color if they do something extraordinary. John says he has not done either, and I can believe it. I think he is a rule follower when I am not around. His teachers seem to think he is about the sweetest boy that there is (or at least they make me think that :)). Not sure what their trick is. :)
He made a pretty special relationship with this little girl named Isla. I am so sad that she moved to Hong Kong during the year. I went to a birthday party with all of the classmates and saw those two in action. I can't quite put it into words, but they were beyond sweet and super good friends, holding hands, being so gentle and friendly. There is a picture of her in the slide show below.
Of course Garrett is top on his list. They like to be "copy brothers". Most all stories about recess involve Garrett. :)
Outside of school time with friends, we still have large play dates with the neighborhood kids at least once a month or so, and then small ones with my friends and their kids every now and again. The moms are still there for these, but typically the kids do their own thing for a couple of hours while we talk. The big change in play dates for John this year is the drop off play date. This is super fun for everyone. I like having them here and watching/listening to the boys interact and play. When I drop John off he is perfectly fine with it and tells me all about it when he gets home. He is such a big boy. And then there is always the random meet ups in driveways or at the park that are frequent in good weather.
We tried T-ball and swim school this year. Although it took some major warm up time with T-ball, he ended up liking it. Not sure he learned anything or picked up any skills for that matter, but I suppose it was an introduction to team sports. We were all ready for it to be over by the end. He loved swimming school. We went everyday for 4 weeks when Matthew was an infant. It drastically improved his skills and confidence in the water and I would recommend to anyone. Oddly enough, he says he wants to do T-ball again, but not swim school. So T-ball it is, and we are going to try a martial art in the summer and soccer in the fall.
a few pictures:
I think the main new skill from this year is writing his numbers and letters. He loves to practice writing and is really good at it. He has some "learn to read" type games and books. Think he is still pretty far (and rightly so) from reading, but he is building the foundation. He can spell John, Matthew, Mom and Daddy with no help. He will go upstairs and come down with a drawing of some kind that always has at least one name, if not all four of us on it. He surprises me sometimes with new words I didn't know he knew. For example, he came down a few days ago with a drawing of like 10 birds and the word "Rio" under it. Have to wonder if he saw the DVD up there? But either way, I like the effort. :) He likes to write EVERYTHING on his own and just asks for help in spelling it.
He is super social and talks about all the other kids all the time. They have a system that the kids have to move their name down to a different color if they do something outside the rules, or they can move up to a different color if they do something extraordinary. John says he has not done either, and I can believe it. I think he is a rule follower when I am not around. His teachers seem to think he is about the sweetest boy that there is (or at least they make me think that :)). Not sure what their trick is. :)
He made a pretty special relationship with this little girl named Isla. I am so sad that she moved to Hong Kong during the year. I went to a birthday party with all of the classmates and saw those two in action. I can't quite put it into words, but they were beyond sweet and super good friends, holding hands, being so gentle and friendly. There is a picture of her in the slide show below.
Of course Garrett is top on his list. They like to be "copy brothers". Most all stories about recess involve Garrett. :)
Outside of school time with friends, we still have large play dates with the neighborhood kids at least once a month or so, and then small ones with my friends and their kids every now and again. The moms are still there for these, but typically the kids do their own thing for a couple of hours while we talk. The big change in play dates for John this year is the drop off play date. This is super fun for everyone. I like having them here and watching/listening to the boys interact and play. When I drop John off he is perfectly fine with it and tells me all about it when he gets home. He is such a big boy. And then there is always the random meet ups in driveways or at the park that are frequent in good weather.
We tried T-ball and swim school this year. Although it took some major warm up time with T-ball, he ended up liking it. Not sure he learned anything or picked up any skills for that matter, but I suppose it was an introduction to team sports. We were all ready for it to be over by the end. He loved swimming school. We went everyday for 4 weeks when Matthew was an infant. It drastically improved his skills and confidence in the water and I would recommend to anyone. Oddly enough, he says he wants to do T-ball again, but not swim school. So T-ball it is, and we are going to try a martial art in the summer and soccer in the fall.
a few pictures:
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Happy Fourth Birthday week: A Week in the Life
As things are changing around here, this will be one of the last times that John's week looks like this....Going to be quick and dirty to get a full week in...
Monday and Friday Morning/Afternoon:
6:00 - 6:30 - I get out of bed either quickly or slowly depending on if MJ is awake yet, shower, dry hair (if there time) and make a bottle. (lets be honest, 50% of the time, this shower does not happen on my days home alone with the boys)
6:30 - 9:30 - bottle and then downstairs for coffee and living room play. John's up about 7:30, we all play for a bit and then breakfast around 8:00 (usuals include oatmeal, yogurt, toast, fruit, waffles, pancakes, cereal). Then we typically go upstairs and play until Matthew gets tired enough for nap #1. Play with all three of us typically includes stuffed animals, baby toys, trampoline, hide and seek with a toy, tickling Matthew, peek-a-boo, puppets, books, musical toys, CD dancing.
9:30 - 10:00 - Matthew gets another small bottle and then off to dreamland. He may talk a little bit before he falls asleep, but not much.
10:00 - 12:00 - This time varies from day to day, but we are on lock down, so we do stay at the house. We almost always do some sort of art and craft and a board/card game, snack and then he helps me (when he is in the mood) with my responsibilities which range from cleaning the house, prepping dinner and/or laundry. Sometimes he chooses to watch TV or play by himself during some of this time (we call this John time and mommy time). Luckily he limits his own TV and I really don't have to. When he plays by himself, it usually consists of remote control cars, going on hunts (monster, ghosts, dinosaur), crashing something into something else, coloring/drawing, play dough, Lego's, dragons, dinosaurs, pirates, etc.
12:00 - 3:00 - MJ gets up and we all eat lunch (usuals include PB&J, grilled cheese, turkey and cheese, eggs, fruits, cheese, carrots, leftovers from dinner, bean and cheese quesidilla, crackers, pepperoni, chicken nuggets, chic-a-filet, McDonald's) and bottle and then usually head out to run an errand or do something semi fun just to get out of the house. Come back for more play. I try to mix in some chores here too like laundry (while playing peek-a-boo while folding) or something in the kitchen (while John pushes Matthew around the house is chosen vehicle) or bathroom cleaning(while John sprays Matthew with a water spray bottle), etc.
3:00 - 4:30ish - Bottle and nap for MJ again. I try to set aside this time to totally engross myself if John and do whatever he wants. I would say 65% of the time, this happens; the other 35% is a mix of fun and responsibilities, again, depending on work and the to-do list.
See evening discussion below the Tuesday/Thursday
Tuesday - Thursday morning/afternoon:
6:00 - 6:30 - I get out of bed either quickly or slowly depending on if MJ is awake yet, shower, dry hair (if there time) and make a bottle.
6:30 - 7:00 - bottle and then downstairs for coffee and living room play.
7:00 - 7:30 - you declare yourself awake as your feet hit the wood floor downstairs. The three of us hang out (MJ has been awake for an over an hour at this point) in the living room and play
7:30 - this is GO time on school days. The rest of the morning must start at this point to fit it all in. I have it down to an art at this point. During the next hour we must get the following done (although the order varies on the level of cooperativeness of one or both boys): fix and eat breakfast, finish getting myself ready, get both boys changed and ready, fix and pack lunch and snack for school, pick up the kitchen, do any homework, go potty, do any dinner prep if I have time, pack my lunch, change diaper, and without fail something random (today it happened to be that I needed to take John's picture for the blog yesterday).
8:30 - I hear the door open and Johanna comes! I breathe a little easier every time I hear that. She takes Matthew and John and I pack the car and finish up last minute.
9:00 - I drop John off at school and head to work. See a separate post on school later in the week for more detail.
2:00 - 5:00 Johanna picks John up from school. They go home and play most days, but sometimes, in the 2 minute (no joke) drive home, he falls asleep. On those days, he curls up in our bed and takes a nap. Although it took him some time to accept that I was going back to work after Matthew, he now loves Johanna and they have a lot of fun. He loves it most when her daughter, Margie, is on school break and gets come play too.
Every Evening:
5:00 - 7:30: I get home and start dinner while John usually colors at the table or watches a show. We eat dinner (usuals include eggs, fruits, some sort of attempt at a veggie, avocado, hot dog, spaghetti'os, mac and cheese, meatballs, sandwich, crackers, noodles, cheese, sweet potatoes, fish sticks, pizza), clean up the kitchen and then head up stairs for bed. Lately Daddy comes home close to 7:30 on most days. After bath we play in Johns room because Matthew loves the blue chair in there.
7:30 - 8:00: John gets to watch a show and we go over the 2 rules "don't open any doors and come get mommy if you need her" (those assume that Daddy is not home yet). I give Matthew a bottle in his dark room and then lay him down and we do not hear from him until morning.
8:00 - John's bed time. Potty, diaper (hoping to stop that with this 4th birthday), teeth, book, prayer, song, cuddle, bed. He loves his shark night light. If there are days he is not tired, he is allowed to turn on his lamp and read 1 or 2 books and then lights out. He typically follows this without a problem. However, in the last week or so he is getting out of bed and coming downstairs A LOT. He sneaks down and sometimes we do not know he is there until he is hiding behind the couch. We are working on this delimma. :)
Monday and Friday Morning/Afternoon:
6:00 - 6:30 - I get out of bed either quickly or slowly depending on if MJ is awake yet, shower, dry hair (if there time) and make a bottle. (lets be honest, 50% of the time, this shower does not happen on my days home alone with the boys)
6:30 - 9:30 - bottle and then downstairs for coffee and living room play. John's up about 7:30, we all play for a bit and then breakfast around 8:00 (usuals include oatmeal, yogurt, toast, fruit, waffles, pancakes, cereal). Then we typically go upstairs and play until Matthew gets tired enough for nap #1. Play with all three of us typically includes stuffed animals, baby toys, trampoline, hide and seek with a toy, tickling Matthew, peek-a-boo, puppets, books, musical toys, CD dancing.
9:30 - 10:00 - Matthew gets another small bottle and then off to dreamland. He may talk a little bit before he falls asleep, but not much.
10:00 - 12:00 - This time varies from day to day, but we are on lock down, so we do stay at the house. We almost always do some sort of art and craft and a board/card game, snack and then he helps me (when he is in the mood) with my responsibilities which range from cleaning the house, prepping dinner and/or laundry. Sometimes he chooses to watch TV or play by himself during some of this time (we call this John time and mommy time). Luckily he limits his own TV and I really don't have to. When he plays by himself, it usually consists of remote control cars, going on hunts (monster, ghosts, dinosaur), crashing something into something else, coloring/drawing, play dough, Lego's, dragons, dinosaurs, pirates, etc.
12:00 - 3:00 - MJ gets up and we all eat lunch (usuals include PB&J, grilled cheese, turkey and cheese, eggs, fruits, cheese, carrots, leftovers from dinner, bean and cheese quesidilla, crackers, pepperoni, chicken nuggets, chic-a-filet, McDonald's) and bottle and then usually head out to run an errand or do something semi fun just to get out of the house. Come back for more play. I try to mix in some chores here too like laundry (while playing peek-a-boo while folding) or something in the kitchen (while John pushes Matthew around the house is chosen vehicle) or bathroom cleaning(while John sprays Matthew with a water spray bottle), etc.
3:00 - 4:30ish - Bottle and nap for MJ again. I try to set aside this time to totally engross myself if John and do whatever he wants. I would say 65% of the time, this happens; the other 35% is a mix of fun and responsibilities, again, depending on work and the to-do list.
See evening discussion below the Tuesday/Thursday
Tuesday - Thursday morning/afternoon:
6:00 - 6:30 - I get out of bed either quickly or slowly depending on if MJ is awake yet, shower, dry hair (if there time) and make a bottle.
6:30 - 7:00 - bottle and then downstairs for coffee and living room play.
7:00 - 7:30 - you declare yourself awake as your feet hit the wood floor downstairs. The three of us hang out (MJ has been awake for an over an hour at this point) in the living room and play
7:30 - this is GO time on school days. The rest of the morning must start at this point to fit it all in. I have it down to an art at this point. During the next hour we must get the following done (although the order varies on the level of cooperativeness of one or both boys): fix and eat breakfast, finish getting myself ready, get both boys changed and ready, fix and pack lunch and snack for school, pick up the kitchen, do any homework, go potty, do any dinner prep if I have time, pack my lunch, change diaper, and without fail something random (today it happened to be that I needed to take John's picture for the blog yesterday).
8:30 - I hear the door open and Johanna comes! I breathe a little easier every time I hear that. She takes Matthew and John and I pack the car and finish up last minute.
9:00 - I drop John off at school and head to work. See a separate post on school later in the week for more detail.
2:00 - 5:00 Johanna picks John up from school. They go home and play most days, but sometimes, in the 2 minute (no joke) drive home, he falls asleep. On those days, he curls up in our bed and takes a nap. Although it took him some time to accept that I was going back to work after Matthew, he now loves Johanna and they have a lot of fun. He loves it most when her daughter, Margie, is on school break and gets come play too.
Every Evening:
5:00 - 7:30: I get home and start dinner while John usually colors at the table or watches a show. We eat dinner (usuals include eggs, fruits, some sort of attempt at a veggie, avocado, hot dog, spaghetti'os, mac and cheese, meatballs, sandwich, crackers, noodles, cheese, sweet potatoes, fish sticks, pizza), clean up the kitchen and then head up stairs for bed. Lately Daddy comes home close to 7:30 on most days. After bath we play in Johns room because Matthew loves the blue chair in there.
7:30 - 8:00: John gets to watch a show and we go over the 2 rules "don't open any doors and come get mommy if you need her" (those assume that Daddy is not home yet). I give Matthew a bottle in his dark room and then lay him down and we do not hear from him until morning.
8:00 - John's bed time. Potty, diaper (hoping to stop that with this 4th birthday), teeth, book, prayer, song, cuddle, bed. He loves his shark night light. If there are days he is not tired, he is allowed to turn on his lamp and read 1 or 2 books and then lights out. He typically follows this without a problem. However, in the last week or so he is getting out of bed and coming downstairs A LOT. He sneaks down and sometimes we do not know he is there until he is hiding behind the couch. We are working on this delimma. :)
Happy FOURTH birthday week: A year in Pictures
A Year In Pictures
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
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