Motherhood changes a person. Earlier I caught myself thinking, "This has been a good day so far!" And then all my reasoning behind it kind of made me laugh:
-I mopped the floors (and wiped the counters!)
-I did a load of laundry.
-I put on jewelry
-I bought some groceries (with all 3 kids in tow)
-The kids weren't screaming
So that's a successful day for this mother. If I saw that list when I was single I probably would've thought, "It's been a pretty boring day!"
But Tiago has this new habit of just running up and hugging your legs every once in awhile. And he tries so hard to copy the words that we say. And Mila just started scrunching up her nose and making the same funny face that Siena has been making for weeks. It's all so cute that it makes motherhood quite fun.
Moving on. I have two thoughts on clothes. First, I've been making more of an effort lately to wear jewelry (as mentioned above) because I read someone saying that it completes an outfit. So I wear earrings, a watch, and a necklace. I'm not sure if it actually makes me look put together, but I feel less sloppy. I also make more of an effort to make my "messy bun" look intentional, instead of just messy. (It just involves a few extra minutes with dry shampoo and a few bobby pins.) I think that little effort makes me feel more productive throughout the day (even if it's all in my head.)
My second thought is actually a story. I needed to go to the grocery store really quick, and was wearing a casual sleeveless dress around the house. I threw a chambray (jean) shirt over it because I didn't feel like going upstairs and putting another shirt underneath. Hyrum was home eating lunch.
Me: On a scale from 1-10, would you say this outfit is lower than a 5?
Hyrum: Lower than a 5? Yeah, definitely.
Me: Really? So bad that I shouldn't go to the grocery store?
Hyrum: Uh....
Me: Eh, I'm going anyway.
Then at the grocery store, a cashier let me come into his line ahead of everyone else. In situations like that I don't ask questions, I just go. I'm not sure if the outfit worked for or against me, but in the end what I was wearing didn't matter all that much.
One more random thing to record today: Hyrum scored a 300 on his PT test last week! For non-Army people, let me explain. Periodically soldiers are given a physical test: a 2-mile run, 2 minutes of sit-ups and 2 minutes of push-ups. They receive a score for each event, up to 100 points. Hyrum usually has no problem with the running and sit-ups. But the closest he's come to getting 100 points for sit-ups was just a few hours after we got engaged--and I guess the adrenaline was still pumping. So finally scoring a 300 was a big deal. I think it makes him feel a bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I, on the other hand, am struggling to even do push-ups and sit-ups. I'm making an effort to get to the gym regularly, but I lost any small amount of muscle I had pre-pregnancy, so it's all a ridiculous struggle. Hopefully one day down the road I'll post some before/after shots of me once I'm in great shape! I've got the "before" pictures taken care of.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
One more birthday
Hyrum had a birthday! We had our stuff mostly unpacked by that point and I was eager to make something delicious... so I picked my favorite (which fortunately, he also likes): coconut key lime cupcakes with white chocolate frosting. I'm practically drooling just typing that.
We kept things pretty low key, since we were both tired from all the unpacking and picture hanging and cleaning. We ate cupcakes for breakfast, cupcakes at lunch, and after a fun target run that evening we came home and ate cake. (Just for memory's sake: I had a great idea to make a mini cake using the batter, so there'd be some place to put the candles. I grabbed an old baby formula can out of the recycling container, and cooked it until the inside was perfectly cooked. Then I realized there was a rim around the inside of the container and no way to dump the cake out. I got pretty creative, and managed a semi-presentable cake by frosting-gluing pieces back together. Lesson learned.)
It didn't matter what went wrong though, because for Hyrum, any birthday is a success as long as he gets a soccer jersey. (And he also got a little soccer goal to use with Tiago.)
It didn't matter what went wrong though, because for Hyrum, any birthday is a success as long as he gets a soccer jersey. (And he also got a little soccer goal to use with Tiago.)
The day after Hyrum's birthday General Conference started... and the rain started falling. And then we got to experience the once in a thousand years flood. That's a story for another day. Considering I have stuff to write about from back in August, who knows when I'll get to it.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
House Hunters
This story has a happy ending. Because we're settled in our awesome house:
But... the first few weeks we were in South Carolina were busy!
We had 10 days in a hotel (paid for by the Army) in which we needed to get transportation and a place to live. We prioritized the car, and within about 48 hours of arriving had spend a chunk of our life savings on a shiny blue van. [It's awesome! Everything I hoped it would be.]
Then we started the house hunting. And by house, I mean apartment, because nobody will rent you a house for 6 months. Several months before our move I emailed Fort Jackson on-post housing, to get on their waiting list, and right up until our arrival they told us that nothing was available. So our only option was to look at apartments off post. Most decent apartments with at least 3 bedrooms and non-sketchy neighbors were 20-30 minutes away. Day after day we loaded the kids in the van and drove from one apartment complex to the next.
Do you have a 3-4 bedroom apartment on the first floor available immediately?
If yes, how much is rent and utilities?
Etc.
We'd take turns going into the leasing offices so we didn't have to unbuckle the kids every single stop. But they'd have to all get out if we went to tour an apartment. In total, I'm guessing we went to about 20 different places. We were definitely glad our new van had a DVD player so Tiago didn't go crazy after 2+ hours strapped in.
In the end, we had several options, but they were all starting to blend together. None were huge, only a couple had covered parking. Most were 3 bedroom. There was one town house with two levels and only 1 shared wall. We were at the point when we just needed to pull the trigger.
Then I overheard a conversation in the hotel lobby. A couple was saying they needed to stay a few more days before they could move into their on-post housing. I interrupted and told them they were lucky they got housing. They said they were here for a similar school as Hyrum, and were offered housing in the senior NCO area (where there were openings) instead of the Officer area (no openings) because they were here such a short amount of time.
[They have housing areas on post separated by your rank. Lower enlisted in one area, senior enlisted in another area, and officers in another. Then the really important people get their own private neighborhood, too.]
I got over to the housing office ASAP. I asked if we could get a house in the senior enlisted area. She said she wasn't sure, and I asked if she'd change her mind if I begged. They offered us a 'handicap house' first (meaning it is wheelchair accessible), but it wouldn't be available to see for a few weeks. When I went in the second time they said there was a house available immediately if we'd take 3 bedrooms instead of 4. (No brainer!) (It's kind of like a townhouse/duplex. There's an attached house on the other side.)
So we saw the house, and signed a lease the next day. And on Saturday when our 10 days in the hotel were up, we moved in.
The highlights for us are: 2 car garage! Upstairs/downstairs! Front yard and back yard! Closets! Storage closet outside! Front porch! Honestly... you don't get any of that in normal apartments. So we were thrilled. Oh-- it's also a 3 minute commute for Hyrum. :)
So we'll be able to see a lot more of him. (After PT in the morning, during lunch, etc.) When we were in Germany he'd leave around 4 in the morning and we didn't see him again until 6.
[The down side to living on-post is that you're always surrounded by the Army. They're in so many aspects of our lives as it is, living off-post can be a nice break. But given the circumstances, we're thrilled to be living on-post.]
Happily ever after didn't happen quite yet, because we moved into a big house with only a van full of suitcases. No furniture! We got a couple of loaner pack & plays, and had two air mattresses that we brought from Germany. The air mattress about killed me after 2 days, so we quickly went out to buy Tiago a big kid mattress and then kept it in our room. (Yes--Hyrum and I shared a twin mattress for two weeks, and it was leaps and bounds better than the air mattress, believe it or not.)
We ate breakfast on the floor, fed the girls on the floor, and spend a lot of time rolling around our master bedroom because that's where we had the most floor space. (Thank goodness for new carpeting!)
Our home teachers asked if they could come over. We said, "It would be better if you came next week. We literally have no furniture." They said they didn't mind, but I don't think people realize what it actually is to walk in and have no where to sit but the empty (probably un-swept) floor.
We weren't sure when to expect our stuff--realistically it could be October or even November, but luckily just 2 weeks after we moved in, our first "fast" shipment arrived with some clothes and kitchen stuff. Our furniture and everything else arrived two days later. [Just over 2 months from when they packed it up in Germany.] Never was a person so happy to see their own bed!
So that's where happily ever after is kicking in. Although we're moving again just months down the road, so we'll see what Colorado has in store for us!
But... the first few weeks we were in South Carolina were busy!
We had 10 days in a hotel (paid for by the Army) in which we needed to get transportation and a place to live. We prioritized the car, and within about 48 hours of arriving had spend a chunk of our life savings on a shiny blue van. [It's awesome! Everything I hoped it would be.]
Then we started the house hunting. And by house, I mean apartment, because nobody will rent you a house for 6 months. Several months before our move I emailed Fort Jackson on-post housing, to get on their waiting list, and right up until our arrival they told us that nothing was available. So our only option was to look at apartments off post. Most decent apartments with at least 3 bedrooms and non-sketchy neighbors were 20-30 minutes away. Day after day we loaded the kids in the van and drove from one apartment complex to the next.
Do you have a 3-4 bedroom apartment on the first floor available immediately?
If yes, how much is rent and utilities?
Etc.
We'd take turns going into the leasing offices so we didn't have to unbuckle the kids every single stop. But they'd have to all get out if we went to tour an apartment. In total, I'm guessing we went to about 20 different places. We were definitely glad our new van had a DVD player so Tiago didn't go crazy after 2+ hours strapped in.
In the end, we had several options, but they were all starting to blend together. None were huge, only a couple had covered parking. Most were 3 bedroom. There was one town house with two levels and only 1 shared wall. We were at the point when we just needed to pull the trigger.
Then I overheard a conversation in the hotel lobby. A couple was saying they needed to stay a few more days before they could move into their on-post housing. I interrupted and told them they were lucky they got housing. They said they were here for a similar school as Hyrum, and were offered housing in the senior NCO area (where there were openings) instead of the Officer area (no openings) because they were here such a short amount of time.
[They have housing areas on post separated by your rank. Lower enlisted in one area, senior enlisted in another area, and officers in another. Then the really important people get their own private neighborhood, too.]
I got over to the housing office ASAP. I asked if we could get a house in the senior enlisted area. She said she wasn't sure, and I asked if she'd change her mind if I begged. They offered us a 'handicap house' first (meaning it is wheelchair accessible), but it wouldn't be available to see for a few weeks. When I went in the second time they said there was a house available immediately if we'd take 3 bedrooms instead of 4. (No brainer!) (It's kind of like a townhouse/duplex. There's an attached house on the other side.)
So we saw the house, and signed a lease the next day. And on Saturday when our 10 days in the hotel were up, we moved in.
The highlights for us are: 2 car garage! Upstairs/downstairs! Front yard and back yard! Closets! Storage closet outside! Front porch! Honestly... you don't get any of that in normal apartments. So we were thrilled. Oh-- it's also a 3 minute commute for Hyrum. :)
So we'll be able to see a lot more of him. (After PT in the morning, during lunch, etc.) When we were in Germany he'd leave around 4 in the morning and we didn't see him again until 6.
[The down side to living on-post is that you're always surrounded by the Army. They're in so many aspects of our lives as it is, living off-post can be a nice break. But given the circumstances, we're thrilled to be living on-post.]
Happily ever after didn't happen quite yet, because we moved into a big house with only a van full of suitcases. No furniture! We got a couple of loaner pack & plays, and had two air mattresses that we brought from Germany. The air mattress about killed me after 2 days, so we quickly went out to buy Tiago a big kid mattress and then kept it in our room. (Yes--Hyrum and I shared a twin mattress for two weeks, and it was leaps and bounds better than the air mattress, believe it or not.)
We ate breakfast on the floor, fed the girls on the floor, and spend a lot of time rolling around our master bedroom because that's where we had the most floor space. (Thank goodness for new carpeting!)
Our home teachers asked if they could come over. We said, "It would be better if you came next week. We literally have no furniture." They said they didn't mind, but I don't think people realize what it actually is to walk in and have no where to sit but the empty (probably un-swept) floor.
We weren't sure when to expect our stuff--realistically it could be October or even November, but luckily just 2 weeks after we moved in, our first "fast" shipment arrived with some clothes and kitchen stuff. Our furniture and everything else arrived two days later. [Just over 2 months from when they packed it up in Germany.] Never was a person so happy to see their own bed!
So that's where happily ever after is kicking in. Although we're moving again just months down the road, so we'll see what Colorado has in store for us!
Friday, October 16, 2015
Mila & Siena: 6 and 7 months!
Since I wrote about Tiago in my last post, I suppose it's time for an update on the girls. I only missed their 6th and 7th months. Second and third children just don't get the same love as first children...
I did think about it, several times. When they turned 6 months we were in a hotel, and I took a bunch of pictures, which I never uploaded from my camera. A few days before they turned 7 months, I mentally reminded myself to take their pictures, then completely forgot about it until a few days ago. whoops. But better late than never.
Here are their stats from their 6.5 months check-up:
Mila
Height: 25.25" (25-50 percentile)
Head: 41 cm (below 5 percentile)
Weight: 14 lb 10 oz (5-10 percentile)
Siena:
Height: 26" (25-50 percentile)
Head: 41.5 cm (5-10 percentile)
Weight: 15 lb 11 oz (10-25 percentile)
Basically, Siena is a consistent pound heavier than her sister, even though it feels like much more than that! Holding her feels like you're holding a big concrete block. But then I see that she's only in the 25 percentile and I remind myself she's really not that big. (Spoiler alert: she's going to be a pig for Halloween. I'm not sure if it's mean to put her in a pig costume... but it's so cute!!)
By now they've perfected their rolling. Siena can kind of sit up, meaning she'll do it if she wants to. She also in the last few days has learned to scoot around with her arms. I'd give it a few days before she realizes she now can access the whole house. Mila is very content without any of those skills. She doesn't show interest in sitting or crawling. She just likes to be held and smiled at.
They've been eating baby food for about a month. (Basically, once the movers brought their high chairs.) It started well: they both ate squash and peas. And then the "fruits only" revolt began and the vegetables are just taking up shelf space. I don't blame them... pears taste better than peas.
As far as personalities go, Mila is calm and content. Siena is much more curious and independent. It's fun to watch Tiago interact with them both, and he favors whichever one will laugh at him the most. (He's quite the clown around them.) He gets the best laughs out of Siena.
Probably the most exciting thing over the last few months is that they started sleeping through the night without waking up!!!! I knew it needed to happen once we got their cribs set up. I thought I'd have to do some sleep training like I did with Tiago. But it turns out these two girls just sleep better than him! Over the course of a few days, when they woke up in the middle of the night we went from giving them 6 oz to 3 oz, then tried not feeding them at all. And... they occasionally cried for 5 minutes, and then would fall back asleep. It literally required no work on our part, and I am thoroughly enjoying my uninterrupted sleep. (Although honestly, since we moved from Germany, Hyrum and I had been taking turns every other night, and that made the waking up more bearable.)
So can I reiterate how good these babies are? They also nap twice a day... fairly consistently. They're keepers.
I was just looking back on pictures of Tiago at this age to see if they looked alike (which I don't think they do), and realized that this is the age Tiago was when he met Hyrum! Hyrum got back from Afghanistan just a few days before Tiago turned 7 months old. That makes me excited, because that's when Tiago really started to be more fun.
6 MONTHS
7 MONTHS (plus a few days)
Here are their stats from their 6.5 months check-up:
Mila
Height: 25.25" (25-50 percentile)
Head: 41 cm (below 5 percentile)
Weight: 14 lb 10 oz (5-10 percentile)
Siena:
Height: 26" (25-50 percentile)
Head: 41.5 cm (5-10 percentile)
Weight: 15 lb 11 oz (10-25 percentile)
Basically, Siena is a consistent pound heavier than her sister, even though it feels like much more than that! Holding her feels like you're holding a big concrete block. But then I see that she's only in the 25 percentile and I remind myself she's really not that big. (Spoiler alert: she's going to be a pig for Halloween. I'm not sure if it's mean to put her in a pig costume... but it's so cute!!)
By now they've perfected their rolling. Siena can kind of sit up, meaning she'll do it if she wants to. She also in the last few days has learned to scoot around with her arms. I'd give it a few days before she realizes she now can access the whole house. Mila is very content without any of those skills. She doesn't show interest in sitting or crawling. She just likes to be held and smiled at.
They've been eating baby food for about a month. (Basically, once the movers brought their high chairs.) It started well: they both ate squash and peas. And then the "fruits only" revolt began and the vegetables are just taking up shelf space. I don't blame them... pears taste better than peas.
As far as personalities go, Mila is calm and content. Siena is much more curious and independent. It's fun to watch Tiago interact with them both, and he favors whichever one will laugh at him the most. (He's quite the clown around them.) He gets the best laughs out of Siena.
Probably the most exciting thing over the last few months is that they started sleeping through the night without waking up!!!! I knew it needed to happen once we got their cribs set up. I thought I'd have to do some sleep training like I did with Tiago. But it turns out these two girls just sleep better than him! Over the course of a few days, when they woke up in the middle of the night we went from giving them 6 oz to 3 oz, then tried not feeding them at all. And... they occasionally cried for 5 minutes, and then would fall back asleep. It literally required no work on our part, and I am thoroughly enjoying my uninterrupted sleep. (Although honestly, since we moved from Germany, Hyrum and I had been taking turns every other night, and that made the waking up more bearable.)
So can I reiterate how good these babies are? They also nap twice a day... fairly consistently. They're keepers.
 |
| Mila around 7 months |
 |
| Mila closer to 6 months (sleeping on our hotel bed)... and this might actually be Siena-- I don't remember now. |
 |
| They finally met Grandpa! |
I was just looking back on pictures of Tiago at this age to see if they looked alike (which I don't think they do), and realized that this is the age Tiago was when he met Hyrum! Hyrum got back from Afghanistan just a few days before Tiago turned 7 months old. That makes me excited, because that's when Tiago really started to be more fun.
6 MONTHS
 |
| Siena: left, Mila: right |
 |
| Tiago hates missing out. Every single month. |
 |
| Mila. (Again.) |
7 MONTHS (plus a few days)
 |
| Siena: left, Mila: right |
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Tiago turns 2
Whoops. Over a month since last posting...
The girls hit 6 months... Tiago turned 2... and things have been super crazy around here. Fortunately, it's because we got our furniture and belongings in the middle of the September, so we're getting close to being done organizing/cleaning/unpacking.
But since Tiago has only had 2 birthdays in his whole life, I figured I ought to write down a thing or two about his second birthday. (Speaking of 'two', the only number he knows in spanish is 'dos'.)
His birthday was on a Sunday. He woke up to a fun new car ramp thing from Grandma, which elicited a lot of 'wow's. He danced around to the music it played, and entertained himself with cars for hours. Then we went to church. (Where he loves playing in nursery.) And it was pretty much down hill from there. It doesn't help that he missed a nap (because he refused to sleep, throwing his body against his door for over 20 minutes.) We were asking ourselves "What happened? He turned 2, and sweet Tiago was replaced with a crazy child?" It lasted a week or two, and I'm happy to report that sweet Tiago has returned.
(I think it was teething. The last two on the bottom finally broke through.)
Teething issues aside, this age is great. Every day I'm amazed at how much he understands. (My expectations are really low.) I can tell him (in English or Spanish) to put his shoes by the door, close the van door, bring me a bottle, etc, and he actually does it. It makes him seem like a real person.
His vocabulary is expanding. Yesterday alone he learned 2 or 3 new words. Some of them include: monkey, cupcake (yeah, ironic since he doesn't say 'cup' or 'cake'), stuck, sit, zapato ('shoe', and pronounced more like 'zaPAco'), shoes, bus, van, barco (his new favorite, means 'boat'), pan, agua (sounds like 'wawa'), goldfish, thank you (although not used to express thanks), bye, train (pronounced 'dain' and followed by 'choochoo'), bebe, and 'mana' for hermana (sister). So all in all, they're not very helpful words unless one was trying to identify different modes of transportation, but it's a start.
Also, he says a particular 4-letter word over and over. It makes Hyrum nervous in public, but I told him no one probably notices. We have no idea what he thinks he's saying, and sometimes it sounds more like 'shut' or 'shat', but I think it's funny. Particularly when he inserts it in pretty correct circumstances, like when something falls, or he sullenly realizes he forgot something. Kids!
He loves trains (thanks to discovering "Thomas the Train" 2 weeks ago on Netflix. Speaking of Netflix, he somehow manages to find the ipad, turn it on, and start a show on Netflix by himself. When he wants us to turn on something on the TV, he says "much" which is kind of strange, but it gets the job done.
He loves when we acknowledge things he says and does. On the road, he yells "bus!" at every single bus sighting, even if it's a tiny bus 3 stoplights away. And he keeps yelling it until we say, "Yes, Tiago, it's a bus." (Exhausting.) He loves to bring us things and feed us his food. He tries to be helpful and loves taking the clothes in and out of the dryer with me. He also loves to bake, which is why 'cupcake' worked its way into his vocabulary. I started creaming the butter (without him) because it takes 5 minutes. He threw a small fit on the kitchen floor, then began dragging the dining room chair into the kitchen to help. (And by help, I mean lick the batter and dump sugar and flour in the bowl and all over the floor and counter.) This kid has a sweet tooth! One more way that he takes after me.
Aside from sweet things, he doesn't eat much. At his 2 year check-up at the doctor, he weighed 27 lbs which is around the 50th percentile. I think he only gained a pound in the last 6 months. He drinks milk, eats goldfish, and supplements that with bread and rice and some fruit. Textures bother him (apple skin, grape skin, etc.)
He likes his independence and doing things on his own. One time he pointed at me, then pointed out of the room, basically telling me to get lost. Sometimes he'll wave "bye bye" to drive the point home.
And he continues to be an observer, keeping quiet in public and watching people carefully. At his doctor appointment, I don't think he smiled or spoke once during the entire visit. But once he warms up to people he's a bit of a clown.
I think Hyrum and I would both agree the best part of the day with him is bedtime. After taking a bath, he brushes his teeth (mostly just sucking on the toothpaste) and then loves to read books. Hyrum has taught him all the animal sounds proficiently, and he loves pointing at things. The last book is always "El Libro de Jesus"-- which is the Gospel Art book and he loves pointing at Jesus in all the pictures. He folds his arms while we pray, and then lays on our shoulder while we turn out the lights, then put him in bed. (We just bought him a real bed, so he's a big kid now!)
We really like him, which means I could go on and on, but I'll stop at that, and end with a few pictures.
The girls hit 6 months... Tiago turned 2... and things have been super crazy around here. Fortunately, it's because we got our furniture and belongings in the middle of the September, so we're getting close to being done organizing/cleaning/unpacking.
His birthday was on a Sunday. He woke up to a fun new car ramp thing from Grandma, which elicited a lot of 'wow's. He danced around to the music it played, and entertained himself with cars for hours. Then we went to church. (Where he loves playing in nursery.) And it was pretty much down hill from there. It doesn't help that he missed a nap (because he refused to sleep, throwing his body against his door for over 20 minutes.) We were asking ourselves "What happened? He turned 2, and sweet Tiago was replaced with a crazy child?" It lasted a week or two, and I'm happy to report that sweet Tiago has returned.
(I think it was teething. The last two on the bottom finally broke through.)
Teething issues aside, this age is great. Every day I'm amazed at how much he understands. (My expectations are really low.) I can tell him (in English or Spanish) to put his shoes by the door, close the van door, bring me a bottle, etc, and he actually does it. It makes him seem like a real person.
His vocabulary is expanding. Yesterday alone he learned 2 or 3 new words. Some of them include: monkey, cupcake (yeah, ironic since he doesn't say 'cup' or 'cake'), stuck, sit, zapato ('shoe', and pronounced more like 'zaPAco'), shoes, bus, van, barco (his new favorite, means 'boat'), pan, agua (sounds like 'wawa'), goldfish, thank you (although not used to express thanks), bye, train (pronounced 'dain' and followed by 'choochoo'), bebe, and 'mana' for hermana (sister). So all in all, they're not very helpful words unless one was trying to identify different modes of transportation, but it's a start.
Also, he says a particular 4-letter word over and over. It makes Hyrum nervous in public, but I told him no one probably notices. We have no idea what he thinks he's saying, and sometimes it sounds more like 'shut' or 'shat', but I think it's funny. Particularly when he inserts it in pretty correct circumstances, like when something falls, or he sullenly realizes he forgot something. Kids!
He loves trains (thanks to discovering "Thomas the Train" 2 weeks ago on Netflix. Speaking of Netflix, he somehow manages to find the ipad, turn it on, and start a show on Netflix by himself. When he wants us to turn on something on the TV, he says "much" which is kind of strange, but it gets the job done.
He loves when we acknowledge things he says and does. On the road, he yells "bus!" at every single bus sighting, even if it's a tiny bus 3 stoplights away. And he keeps yelling it until we say, "Yes, Tiago, it's a bus." (Exhausting.) He loves to bring us things and feed us his food. He tries to be helpful and loves taking the clothes in and out of the dryer with me. He also loves to bake, which is why 'cupcake' worked its way into his vocabulary. I started creaming the butter (without him) because it takes 5 minutes. He threw a small fit on the kitchen floor, then began dragging the dining room chair into the kitchen to help. (And by help, I mean lick the batter and dump sugar and flour in the bowl and all over the floor and counter.) This kid has a sweet tooth! One more way that he takes after me.
Aside from sweet things, he doesn't eat much. At his 2 year check-up at the doctor, he weighed 27 lbs which is around the 50th percentile. I think he only gained a pound in the last 6 months. He drinks milk, eats goldfish, and supplements that with bread and rice and some fruit. Textures bother him (apple skin, grape skin, etc.)
He likes his independence and doing things on his own. One time he pointed at me, then pointed out of the room, basically telling me to get lost. Sometimes he'll wave "bye bye" to drive the point home.
And he continues to be an observer, keeping quiet in public and watching people carefully. At his doctor appointment, I don't think he smiled or spoke once during the entire visit. But once he warms up to people he's a bit of a clown.
I think Hyrum and I would both agree the best part of the day with him is bedtime. After taking a bath, he brushes his teeth (mostly just sucking on the toothpaste) and then loves to read books. Hyrum has taught him all the animal sounds proficiently, and he loves pointing at things. The last book is always "El Libro de Jesus"-- which is the Gospel Art book and he loves pointing at Jesus in all the pictures. He folds his arms while we pray, and then lays on our shoulder while we turn out the lights, then put him in bed. (We just bought him a real bed, so he's a big kid now!)
We really like him, which means I could go on and on, but I'll stop at that, and end with a few pictures.
 |
| Clockwise: licking the batter in his little chair, making his sister laugh, dressed up like a fireman at the Columbia children's museum, checking out his sisters again, swimming (which he loves), and playing in his 'van' |
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