The last month

Things seem to be changing quickly around here. Todd is in the fast process of going from baby to toddler. Now that we have a pre-schooler, a 13 month old doesn't seem nearly as "old" as it did when Miss H was going through it. But Todd is definitely asserting his will, exploring the world around him and not going to let anyone call him "easy going" anymore.

1 - The best Todd news is that he has finally "clicked" with the sippy cup and hasn't taken a bottle at daycare since Monday. Not only does this mean that I can stop cleaning and making the bottles every night and it will be easy to keep him hydrated in the hot summer months and he can be "slightly" more trusted to not get milk all over everything at dinner,...but most importantly I can STOP PUMPING at work! Woot!

2 - I think it has been long enough, that I'm prepared to state out loud that Todd has started sleeping all night in his crib about 4 nights a week! Even on the nights he does wake up is isn't until after 3:30, and he's been going right back to sleep after nursing. (Now I have to knock on wood and pray that this public declaration doesn't undo all of this progress...)

And he's sleeping well at daycare for naps even though he's sleeping on a mat in his new room. That change is always a little worrisome as a parent. It is hard to imagine how it works, but these teachers have been doing it for so long that they make it work...and peer pressure is a wonderful thing in the toddler set. I think he's making the transition from 2 naps to 1 slowly as well.

3 - About a month after the first battle of wills, Heather finally seems to have made the break through to being fully potty trained. For a few weeks she was just peeing at home (or with her parents) and depending on diapers at school and for #2. We started trying overnights in underwear again, which went well and lead to a diaper-free weekend. Which in turn led to another (but thankfully quicker) battle of wills of using the potty for #2. And a few days after that, R was present at daycare when Heather needed to pee, which lead to diaper-freedom there, too. She still doesn't seem 100% sold on public pottys, but she has enough control that this hasn't cause any accidents.

I'll end the possibly blackmail worthy discussion before I get in trouble. I'm glad this is over and I'm excited about adding Cars to the movie selection.

4 - Todd has also started acting like a picky toddler. He still loves meat and fruit and bread, but any vegetables, plain noodles or new foods get unceremoniously hurled off of his tray. Joy.

5 - Todd is also getting 2 more bottom teeth, which will bring him up to 8 total. I keep meaning to look at the back of his gums and see if there is any sign of molars yet.

6 - Heather is totally compliant and happy one minute, and completely defiant the next.

Oh, 3...you cranky b*tch.

7 - And an observation. It was 4 years ago about this time that we found out we were expecting. So for four years I have either been pregnant or breastfeeding (or both). It's not clear when Todd will be done nursing and I'm not in a hurry to stop him. It is just fascinating to know what our bodies can accomplish, and I suppose I will be a little sad when this era is over. It is just one of many ways to mark how our lives and our kids have change in addition to all of the milestones above.

Truthfully, I'm perfectly happy to be finished with the whole pregnancy thing and I won't be sad to pass along my pump and bottles. But I hope that the nursing isn't close to being done. Somewhat selfishly, because then I have to come up with a new method for putting him to bed. :-P

It's Friday? Whooosh.....

Whoosh is the sound that the weeks keep making as they fly past quicker than I can imagine. Busy at work, trying to get caught up/stay caught up at home, watching my kids grow up every minute and occasionally having a few moments to just be "Amy" - not mother or architect or wife.

After my last LONG post about Heather and her pacifier, the plan was to quickly follow up with a post about Todd and how he has been changing. whoosh...

He's 9 months old.

You read that right. NINE months. I told a few friends at lunch today and they were shocked. And they haven't even lived it. :-)

So let's see.
- Last night I saw him clap for the first time. This was immediately after he was laughing out loud at his sister jumping up and down around him. Adorable.

- There is no question about his ability to sit up on his own, although he would prefer to stand at every and any opportunity. You can stand him up next to a toy and he's happy to hang on. Or he's happy to stand while holding onto your hands. The last couple of times I suggested the exersaucer or the jumperoo, he was NOT amused.

- He now seems to enjoy eating, is purposefully putting food in his mouth and working hard to chew and swallow. A couple of weeks ago, lots of things were being put in his mouth and then he'd let them fall out. Or he would be just as happy to play with his food with his hands as he was to put it in his mouth. He's also had an unfinished 3rd bottle at daycare for the first time this week - so his solid food intake is definitely on the rise.

- As a follow on to his eating, it is really nice to have someone eating my cooking again and not just the fruit. He really seemed to enjoy the chicken & noodles with mashed potatoes that his sister wouldn't touch.

- He's not crawling (fine!), but he's no longer hesitant about going from sitting to a crawling position. Especially if something that he wants is further away than his arm's reach. But he can't get back to a sitting position by himself either, although I'm guessing that it is just a matter of time.

- Just the fact that he's rolling more than he ever has before makes it clear that he is more interested in mobility than he ever has been before. If he's like his sister, he'll practice these new moves and skills for a long time before he tries to walk. But I don't think we know the full extent of his personality yet, so we shall see. :-)

- A new favorite game is letting Daddy and Heather build towers of blocks, and then Todd knocks them over. This used to be one of Heather's favorite games, and 3-4 blocks is a sufficient number for knocking over. So it is a short and repetitive game! Since I refuse to cook dinner on my birthday, I hope to get in on this action this weekend, too.

Kid stuff

Before we get to the "new year" post or try to wrap up our holidays, I want to document some facts about the kids right now. Some random and some more milestone oriented.

1 - No matter how many times we tell Heather they are called 'Smurfs', she says 'snurfs'. :-)

2 - I know that some kids have things they pretend a lot. Some kids turn every thing into a train. Some kids turn everything into a truck. Some kids are all about their kitchens. Heather likes all these things, but I've noticed lately that the focus of her pretending is on family. If she's got two dragons, one is the mother and one is the baby. The mother takes the baby to the doctor for a check-up. Her baby dolls get fed and get their diapers changed. Her penguin gets fed in his high chair. Even her food is prone to becoming the mommy, daddy and baby apple slices, noodles, french fries, etc. I suppose if imitation is the highest form of flattery, then R and I should be extremely flattered.

3 - Todd still sleeps better on us or between us than anywhere else. And we're too tired to force him into his crib. He doesn't hate his crib and near the end of our vacation he took a 55 minute nap in there...so we will continue trying to help him sleep in there. But I don't find it worth it to spend 2 hours trying to get him to sleep in there when one of us is usually happy to have a good excuse to spend that time on the couch watching TV. :-) And I got a pikkolo carrier for Christmas partially with the intention of being able to wear him when we both have too much to do to hold him. He has yet to fall asleep on my back, but he has put his head down a few times.

(Update since I started this on Tuesday: He slept in his crib for 2 1/2 hours at the beginning of the night. There is hope...)

4 - Heather has rejected the booster seat in most circumstances. At home she's now kneeling on a regular chair and drinking from a small, regular cup. She will still (usually) wear a bib, but as she is finally...usually...getting good about using utensils, we may be nearing the end of the bib era as well.

Have I mentioned that she'll be 3 one month from tomorrow? 8-|

5 - Todd continues to be a very easy going little man. I don't even feel like we need to use signs with him because he really only gets upset when he's hungry or tired or wants attention. There is very little random crying and crankiness. His "even keel" personality is very much in contrast to his sister's. It will be interesting to see how this translates in toddlerhood. I'm not going to fool myself into thinking he'll never have a tantrum, but I'm curious if the roller coaster ride won't be quite as extreme. Only time will tell. I'm certainly thankful for a baby that can be put down for a few minutes when dealing with a dramatic Heather outburst.

6 - Todd is also just beginning to show signs of wanting to GO. He's had the ability to roll for months, but he doesn't do it much. He's been able to sit up for a couple of months and likes to be held to stand, but as long as he has a toy or a person nearby for entertainment, he hasn't been acting like he longs to explore they way that Heather did. But the past few days he has starting rolling and stretching for things. He can now lean all the way over and stretch to reach something from a sitting position, *and* get himself up in a sitting position again. At the end of december, that maneuver left him on his belly with one or both feet awkwardly folded under his belly. I'm not sure that crawling is upon is, but I think that once he decides to do it he'll just go.

7 - The switch to the big girl bed has gone pretty well for Heather. Bedtime and staying asleep isn't any more difficult than it was before the switch. We're still dealing with some stalling and sporadic wakings...but then some nights things go pretty smoothly and she doesn't wake at all, so I think it is more of a developmental and residual holiday issue than anything.

8 - It's not really clear how much he's eating, but Todd seems to enjoy putting food in his mouth and playing with the food on his tray. It sounds like he might be eating off a spoon for his daycare teachers, so I suppose we should try that again if we ever want applesauce and yogurt to be viable options that don't require a wardrobe change. He's growing fine and I'm getting to eat my meals while they are hot, so I'm not worried. ;-) You know, with you second kid, you don't worry so much!

9 - We've had some nice snow so far this winter. One December day involved all four of us in the backyard. Although the hand-me-down snowsuit we got for Todd is really too small, so I'm not sure if we'll try to get him something else or just leave the snow diving to Heather. Yet again, I realize that I should have a pair of snow pants. Must get them before next winter.

10 - We're beginning to make plans for both birthday parties. Heather is entering that age where we start to talk about inviting friends from daycare. And Todd's birthday is in that late part of spring where we have to decide if we're willing to take the risk of having an outdoor party.

If I wasn't so tired, I could probably think of some more...but this will have to do for today. Have a nice weekend!

Almost Halloween

Sometimes, I want to be one of those bloggers that has one topic per post. The kind who writes about things in a timely manner and posts with pictures regularly. Maybe someday, but not right now...for now, I hope you are just all happy that I'm posting more than once a month. I know I am!

First of all, Todd is 6 months old today!

Yeah, it went fast for us, too. In fact, I would say that his first 6 months seemed to go by a lot faster than Heather's. The combination of two kids + knowing what we're doing (as much as a parent ever does) + a somewhat easy going baby = whoosh!

How can you resist that face? And it isn't just the face, he has a lot to say, too. He's just starting to use some consonants and he really seems to like playing with the sounds that he can make. Not sure if he wants to be heard along with his chatty sister or if he just likes hearing his own voice.

He's sitting up great with support and starting to sit on his own for longer stretches. He's not usually upset when he topples, but he was not a fan of a face plant he took in the leaves this weekend during picture time. Oops.

Speaking of pictures, we had a session with Seedlings Photography this weekend. I haven't seen the preview yet (trying to be patient, since it has only been two days...), but the weather was gorgeous and the kids looked adorable, so I'm confident we'll have lots of great shots to choose from. And as long as there is at least one family picture where we all have decent expressions I will be happy. Heather was much less interested in sitting for those, especially after some time on the playground.

I realized Sunday morning while sprinting around to straighten up the house that I really hadn't given our wardrobe any thought. Partially because I assumed that we'd have to wear coats and partially because I've been so focused on Heather's costume that it just hadn't crossed my mind. But I think I managed to throw together some good choices, which included handknits for Todd and me.

And before you have a chance to ask me where the pictures of my 2009 sweaters and vest are (sigh), I will distract you with the finished sea horse costume. Worn for approximately 8 minutes. (My fingers are crossed that it stays on longer for future costume opportunities. If it doesn't, I won't be counting the ratio of time that I spent working on it versus the amount of time it spends on her body. I'll always have the pictures, right? Maybe we can get some video and a few more photo angles during trick or treat, too.)

I'm interested to see how trick or treat will go. I have a few neighbors in mind that aren't on our street and a few on our block. It's hard to predict if Heather will think that it is cool or a bit overwhelming. I'm not sure how much to talk it up or just be more matter of fact about it. I suppose we shall see!


Now that the big Halloween project is done, I'm trying to get caught up on life - sleep, laundry, dishes, yadda yadda yadda. I'm also hoping for a big stash dive this weekend and a case of startitis!

For those keeping score, I finished the sea horse costume on Saturday...in the car...on the way to the party. Some things never change.

Two past two

I got distracted by processing pictures and never made it back to write about Heather at two. And now there are more pictures to process from today's toddlermania, so I'll just stick to text today and come back with pictures later.

So here we are, two days after Heather's second birthday.

Heather is a delightful, chatty and charming toddler. But she has her cautious side with new people as well. Lately, she's been talking and singing almost non-stop in the car, and then once we arrive at our destination she keeps quiet and takes in the people and activities in her surroundings. The change is less pronounced at places where she is most comfortable (daycare and the neighborhood coffee shop are the most obvious examples). That doesn't mean that she's painfully shy whenever she's out of the house, she just seems to have the need for a buffer of time to get comfortable in her surroundings. Even when she's in a quiet phase, she still seems to be able to charm the heck out of anyone who crosses her path.

She also seems to like to have some independent playtime. I haven't talked with her daycare teachers about this, but I've observed that she seems to have regular periods when she just wants to play quietly and be alone. I can totally see where she gets this. :-)

The theme for Heather's birthday dinner was Thomas the Tank Engine. For the past few weeks, the first comment upon entering the living room is usually "Where is Thomas?". She has taken him to restaurants, for trips in the car and at some naptimes we've barely managed to keep him out of the crib.

Other favorite pasttimes include playing with play-doh (we got her some accessories for her birthday - big hit), playing with her kitchen, her trains, little people, doing puzzles, building duplos and reading books. I also think we're going to have a LOT of fun when the weather gets mild and we can spend more time outside. We were out briefly today, and I forgot how nice it is to be able to walk casually instead of walking from the car to the house as quickly as possible. I also think she'll be more coordinated for outdoor activities, which should be very entertaining.

On the food front I'd say that I trust Heather to eat just about anything and we've had a few new additions recently, oranges and orange juice being the most notable that she used to totally reject. On the other hand, previous favorites are sometimes rejected and other regular staples (mashed potatoes, peas) haven't been touched in a few weeks. She eats enough good things that I'm not worried for her nutritional intake, but I do look forward to a day when she's willing to accept a slightly more varied palette of foods.

On the teeth/sleep front there continue to be signs that I see that makes me think she's getting her 2 year molars, but we still can't see anything. So either I'm crazy or it's just the pre-eruption pain/movement that has caused all of this excitement. Her sleep hasn't really been that bad lately. We've had some nights of long rocking sessions and maybe once or twice a week she's been waking up overnight and sleeping with us until morning. Some nights we all sleep well together and others we don't. But I think the most frustrating thing that we have to try to let go of is that it is hard to equate the chatty toddler that comments on everything going on around her with the 4am toddler that just cries and can't tell us why she can't sleep or what she needs/wants. Sometimes when she's sad (even during the day) she just doesn't seem able to stop crying and tell us what is wrong. It is a reminder that she really is just two and still very little, despite her grasp of the alphabet, big vocabulary and ability to count to 14 (when she wants to).

Heather still loves her babies. Robbie, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Elmo, Glow Worm and various doggies, bunnies & bears are all still favorite cuddly friends. Someone cuddly usually travels with us in the car. Oh, and she still sleeps with her favorite pink blanket.

Did I mention that she's charming, adorable, chatty and loves to sing? :-)

Party pictures soon...

Happy First Birthday, Heather!

We all had a lovely time celebrating Heather's birthday today. Personally, I had a fabulous time at her party. All of the adorable children having fun, all of the lovely friends and family chatting away and everyone celebrating our beautiful daughter.

I have to admit, we've been keeping a secret for a little while. We thought it would be fun for everyone to see Heather walking for the first time at the party. :-) She started taking steps on her own more regularly last Saturday and she's been getting more and more adventurous every day. She can even stand up on her own without pulling up!

It was a delightful and exhausting day! And we're going to the knitting festival in the morning! What a weekend...

Knitting, Walking and Food

1 - First about me. I'm struggling with the knitting a little bit. I still really want to work on a sweater for me. But I get to the point in the evening (like now) where my choice is either to go to sleep or do something for me. I've been tired enough that the thought of planning out a sweater is a little too much for 10pm. I have hope though. Heather has slept through the night the last two nights (*Knock on wood*), so maybe there is a more rested Amy in my future.
I'm still working on the Patchwork Tortoise for Heather. I'm working on the patches now and should easily finish them before knitting or Sunday, or at least in the first hour that I'm there. I don't want to spend the get together seaming, so I need to get something else on the needles.
I started swatching for the Tulip cardigan. Santa brought me the kit for Christmas. If I don't make the time to start a sweater for me before Sunday, then this will be my next project.

2 - Heather isn't walking yet, but she's still painfully close. She's moved up to the older infant room at daycare, and she's the only one in the room not walking, so it is certainly just a matter of time. She can climb the steps by herself (with someone behind her, of course, as a safety net), push the wagon by herself and cruise all over the place.
Her eating has reached a new level, too. Since the new year, she's eaten pasta with sauce, grilled cheese and shared some of my chicken, rice and broccoli casserole. Sometimes she won't pick up and eat things when they are first offered, but will come back to them later. And other times she'll eat her fruits and veggies from the spoon even when she won't pick them up herself. Last Sunday at brunch, she ignored her apple chunks on the table, but was happy to eat them from my hand later. She also ate quite a bit of potato, egg and cheese from my breakfast.

It seems like there was more I wanted to post, but my mind is blank. Must be time to go to bed.

Fingers crossed for another long and quiet sleep!