Borrowed this from Busy Mom
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Jonathan is Six Months Old!
Dear Jonathan,
Happy half-birthday! It's a day late because I was not on mommy duty yesterday, but who's counting? ;)
So at six months old, you are more giggly and fun and cheerful than ever. You are sturdy and easily entertained by your toys, mommy and daddy and your two crazy older brothers.
We've gotten into a good routine with solids and you chow down on a tablespoon of oatmeal and half a package of fruit every morning. Then at dinnertime, you sit with us and eat your veggie and entertain yourself trying to get Puffs into your mouth the rest of the time. At first, this was sort of sad to watch because you'd keep missing your mouth and dropping them on the floor, but now you are getting the hang of it and a little pile of Puffs can buy me a good twenty minutes of dinner prep time.
You have finally grown out of most of your 0-3 month clothes and are pretty solidly in 3-6-month stuff. It's been sad to put away/give away the 0-3 stuff for the final time, but also fun to revisit the clothes in the next size up. Turns out, you'll need a few new things of your own too since your size/season doesn't match up very well with most of the short-sleeved stuff that your brothers wore. That's okay though. Always fun to shop for tiny things. :o)
This month was a big month for motor skills! You have mastered sitting up completely and we have finally (finally!) reached the "pots and pans stage" as I call it. I cal plop you on the kitchen floor at my feet with a pile of kitchen utensils and pots and you are happy and entertained and I don't have to worry about you falling over and conking your head on the floor. Ahhh... seriously, best stage ever.
The last two weeks, you have focused on your army crawling and have gotten really quite speedy. I am now on guard to make sure the basement door is closed when you are in the living room because you are just that fast. Not complaining about this milestone at all though because even though it means I have to be a bit more on my toes as far as your safety, you are MUCH happier now that you are mobile and can get to things you have your eye on.
A couple days ago, you also managed to get to your knees using one of Ben and Simon's little chairs in their room. Time to lower the crib mattress because any day now you are going to figure out you can do this in your crib too and I fear a gravity-assisted escape. You LOVE to stand up and your balance is as good as Ben's was at this age... I can even let go for a second or two here and there and you stand. I suspect you'll be walking before your first birthday. Again, not complaining though because the sooner you can keep up with your older brothers, the happier you will be. :o)
You continue to be as pleasant as can be. You are happy just to be where we all are, no matter where that is. You nap on the go, which is SO nice and you always wake up happy and ready to play.
Schedule-wise, things are falling into place. You are taking longer, more predictable naps most days. (some days you still cat nap though) and at night, you are sleeping slightly longer stretches and eating less and less.There are still occasional 2a.m crib parties, but they are becoming few and far between. Most nights, we all get fairly decent sleep... not a full night or anything, but enough to not be zombie-like most days. So thanks for that!
No official stats yet, since your six-month well visit isn't until the second week of March. But about a week ago you were 16 pounds, 2 ounces. No idea on length because I haven't attempted that lately... but I'd guess you've grown an inch or so since last time because your 0-3 pants are all too short all of a sudden. You seem to be sort of peanut'ish like your oldest brother... sort of compact all over. (this is what is screwing up the hand-me-down clothing system so badly!)
Anyway, so that's you in a nutshell at six months. Such a fun little guy!!
Happy six months!
Love,
Mommy :o)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Super Simon's Super Party....
Simon is going to his friend's superhero birthday party today. He's SO excited. All the kids are wearing superhero costumes too, which ALREADY makes this party a winner in Simon's eyes. He's been agonizing all week over which costume he'll wear. Right now, he's going back and forth between Mr. Incredible and Buzz Lightyear. Also, this meant I had to bring all of our costumes down from the attic, so I just sucked it up and made room in their closet to hang them all up again.
Simon is in dress-up HEAVEN.
Anyway, so the party is just for the younger siblings. (his friend has a brother Ben's age and almost all of our neighborhood friends have a similar sibling age setup) I think this is awesome... and a great thing for Simon to have his own friends and things that are JUST for him that Ben can't do. I hope there is more of this in the near future for him.
Ben, on the other hand, thinks it's completely unfair and has declared that he wants to quit basketball (which falls during the party which he can't go to anyway) because of it. LOL! It's kind of amusing to see the tables turned where Simon is allowed to do something Ben CAN'T do.
So he and Tom are going out for lunch together and then to basketball, which means it's just going to be Jonathan and me for two whole hours this afternoon, which is always kind of fun. I think we're going to run to the grocery store and then just lay on the floor together and play. (exciting, I know!) ;)
Also, YAY for the beginnings of drop-off birthday parties! THanks, neighbor Jill!!! :o)
Simon is in dress-up HEAVEN.
Anyway, so the party is just for the younger siblings. (his friend has a brother Ben's age and almost all of our neighborhood friends have a similar sibling age setup) I think this is awesome... and a great thing for Simon to have his own friends and things that are JUST for him that Ben can't do. I hope there is more of this in the near future for him.
Ben, on the other hand, thinks it's completely unfair and has declared that he wants to quit basketball (which falls during the party which he can't go to anyway) because of it. LOL! It's kind of amusing to see the tables turned where Simon is allowed to do something Ben CAN'T do.
So he and Tom are going out for lunch together and then to basketball, which means it's just going to be Jonathan and me for two whole hours this afternoon, which is always kind of fun. I think we're going to run to the grocery store and then just lay on the floor together and play. (exciting, I know!) ;)
Also, YAY for the beginnings of drop-off birthday parties! THanks, neighbor Jill!!! :o)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Another Installment of -- He's His Father's Child
Three days ago, Ben came home from school and we had the following conversation.
Ben: UGH! I had to miss ten minutes of free play today!!
Me: Oh! Why?
Ben: No REASON! I don't even KNOW why!
Me: THere had to be a reason.
Ben: Seriously! There was NO REASON.
I let it go for a moment while I set up his homework stuff at the kitchen table. This is BEN we're talking about, so I knew it couldn't have been a serious infraction... (check in in two years when I have this conversation with Simon and I'm sure I'll be more concerned) ...but now my curiosity was piqued.
Me: Okay, really. What'd you do wrong to have to miss free play?
Ben: NOTHING.... [pause]... besides, what's the point of having write your name on your papers anyway? *I* know it's mine. Ms. Lake knows it's mine. Who cares if my name is on it?
Me: AhHA! You had to miss play because you forgot to put your name on your paper? (this is an ongoing problem)
Ben: Yes. But WHY do I have to DO that in the first place? She KNEW it was my paper.
Me: Because that's the rule, buddy. And you keep forgetting. She's trying to help you remember. Why don't you do what daddy suggested [because daddy apparently went through a period of his academic career where this was a recurring problem as well] and do it FIRST thing when you get a paper.
Ben: I just don't understand why I have to put my name on my paper anyway.
Me: [bangs head on wall]
Fast forward to yesterday --
Ben hopped off the bus and we started walking toward the house. We got about halfway home in silence and then he said:
"I need to tell you that I missed ALL of morning free play today."
Me: Ohhh... how come?
Ben: I don't even know.
Me: Forget your name again?
Ben: I just don't get why I have to put my name on my paper. AND, that other paper? I DID do my best work and colored neatly.
Me: Hrm. So you missed free play because you had to redo some work?
Ben: I don't know. Maybe. Yes.
Me: Obviously Ms. Lake did not think it was your best work.
Ben: BUt it WAS and I DID color neatly.
(I can pretty much promise you that it wasn't and he didn't -- pretty much the only marks on his report card that were not top marks had to do with his handwriting and how carefully/neatly he does his work...)
Me: Sorry, kiddo.
Ben: I think she was looking at someone else's paper. MINE was colored neatly!
...and I STILL don't get why it matters if I put my name on my paper.
Me: [bangs head on wall]
Ben: UGH! I had to miss ten minutes of free play today!!
Me: Oh! Why?
Ben: No REASON! I don't even KNOW why!
Me: THere had to be a reason.
Ben: Seriously! There was NO REASON.
I let it go for a moment while I set up his homework stuff at the kitchen table. This is BEN we're talking about, so I knew it couldn't have been a serious infraction... (check in in two years when I have this conversation with Simon and I'm sure I'll be more concerned) ...but now my curiosity was piqued.
Me: Okay, really. What'd you do wrong to have to miss free play?
Ben: NOTHING.... [pause]... besides, what's the point of having write your name on your papers anyway? *I* know it's mine. Ms. Lake knows it's mine. Who cares if my name is on it?
Me: AhHA! You had to miss play because you forgot to put your name on your paper? (this is an ongoing problem)
Ben: Yes. But WHY do I have to DO that in the first place? She KNEW it was my paper.
Me: Because that's the rule, buddy. And you keep forgetting. She's trying to help you remember. Why don't you do what daddy suggested [because daddy apparently went through a period of his academic career where this was a recurring problem as well] and do it FIRST thing when you get a paper.
Ben: I just don't understand why I have to put my name on my paper anyway.
Me: [bangs head on wall]
Fast forward to yesterday --
Ben hopped off the bus and we started walking toward the house. We got about halfway home in silence and then he said:
"I need to tell you that I missed ALL of morning free play today."
Me: Ohhh... how come?
Ben: I don't even know.
Me: Forget your name again?
Ben: I just don't get why I have to put my name on my paper. AND, that other paper? I DID do my best work and colored neatly.
Me: Hrm. So you missed free play because you had to redo some work?
Ben: I don't know. Maybe. Yes.
Me: Obviously Ms. Lake did not think it was your best work.
Ben: BUt it WAS and I DID color neatly.
(I can pretty much promise you that it wasn't and he didn't -- pretty much the only marks on his report card that were not top marks had to do with his handwriting and how carefully/neatly he does his work...)
Me: Sorry, kiddo.
Ben: I think she was looking at someone else's paper. MINE was colored neatly!
...and I STILL don't get why it matters if I put my name on my paper.
Me: [bangs head on wall]
Thursday, February 17, 2011
And, He's Off...
He got even better at it as the day progressed. Also, just yesterday, he started babbling "da da da da" here and there. UGH! The growing up needs to stop! Just kidding, this kind of growing up is actually encouraged.... mobility and the ability to verbalize are valued traits around this house. Now, if he could just learn to dress himself. ;)
OH! And I took him to the doctor today to get his ears checked because he's had a whopper of a cold the last two days. His ears are perfect, which was a huge surprise. So yay for that. Also, he is currently 16 pounds, 2 ounces. :) Quite the little weight to be hauling around lately!!!
Friday, February 11, 2011
20 Questions with Simon....
Me: What's your favorite part of school?
Simon: (thinking) Well, I like to dance a lot and I like it when we dance FAST.
Me: Oh fun! Maybe we should have a dance party here tomorrow, you and me!
Simon: Oh oh oh! Okay! And we can use that thing with the blue light that makes the music come out sometimes.
Me: The what now?
Simon: (repeats above)
Me: Where is this thing?
Simon: Downstairs.
Me: And what does it do?
Simon: The music comes out when you push the buttons and the blue light comes on.
Me: Where do I keep it?
Simon: On the shelf!
Me: What color is it?
Simon: It's grey and it's black and there's a blue light.
Me: Uhhh...
Me: In the basement or in the living room?
Simon: In the basement: Yeah yeah and it makes music sometimes but only songs that daddy plays.
Me: (lightbulb moment) OH! The cd player!
Simon: Yeah! That!
Sheesh.
Simon: (thinking) Well, I like to dance a lot and I like it when we dance FAST.
Me: Oh fun! Maybe we should have a dance party here tomorrow, you and me!
Simon: Oh oh oh! Okay! And we can use that thing with the blue light that makes the music come out sometimes.
Me: The what now?
Simon: (repeats above)
Me: Where is this thing?
Simon: Downstairs.
Me: And what does it do?
Simon: The music comes out when you push the buttons and the blue light comes on.
Me: Where do I keep it?
Simon: On the shelf!
Me: What color is it?
Simon: It's grey and it's black and there's a blue light.
Me: Uhhh...
Me: In the basement or in the living room?
Simon: In the basement: Yeah yeah and it makes music sometimes but only songs that daddy plays.
Me: (lightbulb moment) OH! The cd player!
Simon: Yeah! That!
Sheesh.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Simon's Conference...
I FINALLY had Simon's preschool conference this afternoon. The snow canceled the first attempt and then it took awhile to fit it into our schedule and the teacher's schedule.
It went really well! I had LOTS of concerns at the beginning of the year, but as the year has gone on, he's made strides in the things I was worried about (social issues, mainly). So I wasn't TOO surprised it went as well as it did...but admittedly, I was somewhat pleasantly surprised. Always good to hear what the teacher sees mirrors what I observe.
Academically, there are no concerns. He's right on course with the basics and frankly, other than not being able to write his name yet, he could pass the kindergarten registration screening with flying colors. (which really is saying less about my kid and more about the simplicity of the kindergarten screening. LOL) He knows all his capital letters, the majority of the lower case ones, all the numbers 1-10 both visually and 1-to-1 and can count to 10 by rote. He knows all his shapes and body parts and can cut a straight line (which actually surprised me)
He's a great communicator, makes himself understood easily and has a fantastic vocabulary! :)
Socially, things are okay too... basic three-year-old stuff. Learning to play together and share. She says all the kids are finally learning to play together and not just next to each other and that Simon has one friend in particular, a little boy named Adam, who he plays with most of the time.
She has seen great strides with him learning to control his temper and says she has to intervene much less often than she used to. She also observed (completely and 100% without question or comment from me) that his physical aggression is NEVER unprovoked... that it's always because he's been wronged (or he thinks he has)... as in when someone takes something or won't give something back or won't let him play or whatever. She has also noticed that he does start with using words and only escalates it to the physical stuff when the other child won't respond. (thank you!!!) We both agreed though that we need to get him to not resort to the physical aggression at all because once he hits Kindergarten, it simply won't be tolerated.... but she was pretty optimistic he's in the process of outgrowing it and it will come in time.
She also made a point to say that he is amazingly sweet and kind and has the best little conversations with his friends.
I was so relieved that we were on the same page with our observations about him. :) It was a really good conversation. I told her I requested her for him for next year and that I hoped that was okay. She said it was. So I guess he doesn't make her life TOO diffiicult. ;)
It went really well! I had LOTS of concerns at the beginning of the year, but as the year has gone on, he's made strides in the things I was worried about (social issues, mainly). So I wasn't TOO surprised it went as well as it did...but admittedly, I was somewhat pleasantly surprised. Always good to hear what the teacher sees mirrors what I observe.
Academically, there are no concerns. He's right on course with the basics and frankly, other than not being able to write his name yet, he could pass the kindergarten registration screening with flying colors. (which really is saying less about my kid and more about the simplicity of the kindergarten screening. LOL) He knows all his capital letters, the majority of the lower case ones, all the numbers 1-10 both visually and 1-to-1 and can count to 10 by rote. He knows all his shapes and body parts and can cut a straight line (which actually surprised me)
He's a great communicator, makes himself understood easily and has a fantastic vocabulary! :)
Socially, things are okay too... basic three-year-old stuff. Learning to play together and share. She says all the kids are finally learning to play together and not just next to each other and that Simon has one friend in particular, a little boy named Adam, who he plays with most of the time.
She has seen great strides with him learning to control his temper and says she has to intervene much less often than she used to. She also observed (completely and 100% without question or comment from me) that his physical aggression is NEVER unprovoked... that it's always because he's been wronged (or he thinks he has)... as in when someone takes something or won't give something back or won't let him play or whatever. She has also noticed that he does start with using words and only escalates it to the physical stuff when the other child won't respond. (thank you!!!) We both agreed though that we need to get him to not resort to the physical aggression at all because once he hits Kindergarten, it simply won't be tolerated.... but she was pretty optimistic he's in the process of outgrowing it and it will come in time.
She also made a point to say that he is amazingly sweet and kind and has the best little conversations with his friends.
I was so relieved that we were on the same page with our observations about him. :) It was a really good conversation. I told her I requested her for him for next year and that I hoped that was okay. She said it was. So I guess he doesn't make her life TOO diffiicult. ;)
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Oy.
Simon just came up from the playroom --
"I have to poop!"
I told him I was coming to help to go ahead upstairs and get started. Well, when I arrived at the bottom of the stairs, there he was three stairs up staring at well, a poop, that was lying on the stair just below.
"Simon, how did that get there? What happened?" (I actually thought maybe it was from the cat and the whole thing was just a disgusting coincidence)
The sincerely surprised reply from Simon --
"It just popped right out and rolled down my pants and onto the floor!"
LOL. But, ugh. But LOL!
"I have to poop!"
I told him I was coming to help to go ahead upstairs and get started. Well, when I arrived at the bottom of the stairs, there he was three stairs up staring at well, a poop, that was lying on the stair just below.
"Simon, how did that get there? What happened?" (I actually thought maybe it was from the cat and the whole thing was just a disgusting coincidence)
The sincerely surprised reply from Simon --
"It just popped right out and rolled down my pants and onto the floor!"
LOL. But, ugh. But LOL!
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Big Brothers...
My blog friend, Katie, had a wonderful post a few days ago about the special bond her eldest daughter (who is Ben's age) and her youngest daughter (who is Jonathan's age) have. It SO closely described the dynamics at my house that I truly could have written the post myself. You'll have to take my word for it though because her blog is passworded. LOL.
Some comments from other parents of three kids on there described a similar household dynamic and it has me wondering if it's a three-kid-family thing?
At any rate, it sure holds true at our house.
Ben? ADORES Jonathan. Loves him to pieces. He helps take care of him, watches out for him, talks to him the way we do, comforts him when he cries, plays with him, holds him, wants to feed him... the list goes on. I let him "pick him up" and hold him (with close supervision) yesterday and he was just so pleased with himself. He calls him "Moo moo" and "Bubby" which have become our pet names for J around here lately. He's the first person Ben talks to in the morning... plowing right past the rest of us to get right in his face and talk to him. If Jonathan is already taking his morning nap, Ben immediately wants to know where he is and when he's getting up. :)
Katie mentioned how she's been teaching Emily some simple baby care things and ways to keep the baby safe and I do the same with Ben. It's such a huge help to have an extra set of eyes and ears and someone to watch out that he doesn't put Lego heads in his mouth, that sort of thing... even just for a minute or two so I can run a load laundry to the basement or get breakfast going in the morning. Ben probably has NO idea what a huge help he is, even though I tell him constantly and I am 100% sincere about that!!
Simon is also a fantastic big brother, but in more of a traditional brother sort of way and less "little daddy" the way Ben is, which is to be expected given the three-year-gap instead of the 6-1/2-year-gap. He is VERY careful around Jonathan, which given how active and physical he tends to be, I find very impressive. He knows (and remembers) not to run or jump around the baby when he's on the floor. He's gentle with him and uses kind, soft words. I don't worry about leaving them in the room together if I have to walk into an adjacent room for a moment... I'm confident at this point that Simon isn't going to try to pick Jonathan up or hurt him or roll him over or anything like that. Truthfully, most of the time, Simon pretty much ignores him... LOL. But, just when it seems he's totally indifferent to the baby, I do catch him doing very kind, big brothery things, like putting the teethers in the refrigerator, or giving him his binkies and his ducky lovey. It will be most interesting to see this relationship evolve. Will they eventually be happy playmates? Time will tell, I suppose.
Right now, the fights are between Ben and Simon. They are just getting on each others' last nerve lately. Simon is a typical little brother and bugs Ben to no end when he's trying to do big kid things. And lately, Ben has been kind of mean and big brotherish to Simon, discounting the things he wants to do as silly or just not wanting to play what he wants to play. He sometimes even just gets angry at Simon for TALKING. I can't wait for spring because I think winter and being cooped up the house all the time has a ton to do with it.
So yeah... to get back to the original point of my post... Jonathan is a lucky little third-born. He couldn't ask for two better big brothers! :) I'm so glad we got three-of-a-kind. It's so fun to watch their relationship unfold!
Some comments from other parents of three kids on there described a similar household dynamic and it has me wondering if it's a three-kid-family thing?
At any rate, it sure holds true at our house.
Ben? ADORES Jonathan. Loves him to pieces. He helps take care of him, watches out for him, talks to him the way we do, comforts him when he cries, plays with him, holds him, wants to feed him... the list goes on. I let him "pick him up" and hold him (with close supervision) yesterday and he was just so pleased with himself. He calls him "Moo moo" and "Bubby" which have become our pet names for J around here lately. He's the first person Ben talks to in the morning... plowing right past the rest of us to get right in his face and talk to him. If Jonathan is already taking his morning nap, Ben immediately wants to know where he is and when he's getting up. :)
Katie mentioned how she's been teaching Emily some simple baby care things and ways to keep the baby safe and I do the same with Ben. It's such a huge help to have an extra set of eyes and ears and someone to watch out that he doesn't put Lego heads in his mouth, that sort of thing... even just for a minute or two so I can run a load laundry to the basement or get breakfast going in the morning. Ben probably has NO idea what a huge help he is, even though I tell him constantly and I am 100% sincere about that!!
Simon is also a fantastic big brother, but in more of a traditional brother sort of way and less "little daddy" the way Ben is, which is to be expected given the three-year-gap instead of the 6-1/2-year-gap. He is VERY careful around Jonathan, which given how active and physical he tends to be, I find very impressive. He knows (and remembers) not to run or jump around the baby when he's on the floor. He's gentle with him and uses kind, soft words. I don't worry about leaving them in the room together if I have to walk into an adjacent room for a moment... I'm confident at this point that Simon isn't going to try to pick Jonathan up or hurt him or roll him over or anything like that. Truthfully, most of the time, Simon pretty much ignores him... LOL. But, just when it seems he's totally indifferent to the baby, I do catch him doing very kind, big brothery things, like putting the teethers in the refrigerator, or giving him his binkies and his ducky lovey. It will be most interesting to see this relationship evolve. Will they eventually be happy playmates? Time will tell, I suppose.
Right now, the fights are between Ben and Simon. They are just getting on each others' last nerve lately. Simon is a typical little brother and bugs Ben to no end when he's trying to do big kid things. And lately, Ben has been kind of mean and big brotherish to Simon, discounting the things he wants to do as silly or just not wanting to play what he wants to play. He sometimes even just gets angry at Simon for TALKING. I can't wait for spring because I think winter and being cooped up the house all the time has a ton to do with it.
So yeah... to get back to the original point of my post... Jonathan is a lucky little third-born. He couldn't ask for two better big brothers! :) I'm so glad we got three-of-a-kind. It's so fun to watch their relationship unfold!
Friday, February 04, 2011
All I Wanted Was a Moment of Peace...
...with a second cup of coffee while Jonathan napped for a bit.
What I got was a screaming, writhing, tantruming three-year-old at 9a.m. whose Darth Vader costume I had to take away. Good times.
On the bright side this is the first big tantrum in a really long time. He seems to be learning to manage himself a little better. Just having a bad day today. Hope it improves or it's going to be a long one.
What I got was a screaming, writhing, tantruming three-year-old at 9a.m. whose Darth Vader costume I had to take away. Good times.
On the bright side this is the first big tantrum in a really long time. He seems to be learning to manage himself a little better. Just having a bad day today. Hope it improves or it's going to be a long one.