Patrick's progress in his speech has been so gradual over the last few months that I sometimes forget how drastic it really is. Here are a few things he never used to do that would have been typical for his age:
--answer questions with "yes" or "no"
--answer questions at all without repeating the last thing you just said
--sing songs
--say full sentences
--connect several thoughts together
--use pronouns often
--say his numbers fluently
--say his alphabet
--name colors
I am now proud to say that he does every single one of these things. He surprises me with new things just about every day.
For example, last night Matt and I decided to order pizza for dinner. We're both fighting a nasty cold and didn't feel like cooking, so pizza was the natural solution. In the past, pizza has been hit or miss with Patrick, so we were stunned to watch him devour nearly three whole pieces of pizza. Yes, really. I was so shocked that I couldn't help but ask him, "Where are you putting it all?"
Matt and I couldn't keep from laughing as he replied, with a mouth full of pizza, "In my mouf!" That's my literal kid!
Showing posts with label Updates--Patrick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Updates--Patrick. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sharing
This is a first. Both boys are wearing the same size pajamas. It's laundry day, and somehow we went through all of Nathan's pajamas more quickly than usual. He was left with just really warm flannel footy pajamas, all just a bit too small for him the last time he wore them several months ago. I couldn't do that to him, so I fished through Patrick's drawer for some that might fit. The ones I found fit remarkably well, just a little long (but elastic around the ankles keep them from dragging). It seems that we are only a few months from sharing nearly all their clothes. I wonder if it will be easier or more difficult to have them sharing a wardrobe.
Hopefully it won't be too much of a problem. Patrick is usually really good about sharing. He always willingly offers his brother part of his meals and snacks, sometimes even when he's not supposed to, like when Nathan's mouth is already full. There are the expected problems with taking toys away from each other, but Patrick is trying really hard to learn when that is inappropriate.
It's great that the two are playing together now, too. Sometimes they get a little wound up and play games that are a bit out of my comfort zone for them, like the open/close the door game, but it makes life a little easier when their games are less dangerous. I particularly like the game where Patrick mimics Nathan. It's hilarious to watch both of them scooting around the floor, like a crazy little choo-choo train. Nathan flourishes under the attention of his big brother as well. I can tell already that the two are going to be very close as they get older. It's a good thing, if they're going to grow up sharing a wardrobe.
You'll be interested to know that I finally got around to downloading pictures. I have pictures from Christmas, both places, and a few of Patrick riding his tricycle that Santa left at our house while we were gone, then a few I took of the boys yesterday. You can find them here (can you tell it's a lot easier on me to just link them?). Enjoy.
Hopefully it won't be too much of a problem. Patrick is usually really good about sharing. He always willingly offers his brother part of his meals and snacks, sometimes even when he's not supposed to, like when Nathan's mouth is already full. There are the expected problems with taking toys away from each other, but Patrick is trying really hard to learn when that is inappropriate.
It's great that the two are playing together now, too. Sometimes they get a little wound up and play games that are a bit out of my comfort zone for them, like the open/close the door game, but it makes life a little easier when their games are less dangerous. I particularly like the game where Patrick mimics Nathan. It's hilarious to watch both of them scooting around the floor, like a crazy little choo-choo train. Nathan flourishes under the attention of his big brother as well. I can tell already that the two are going to be very close as they get older. It's a good thing, if they're going to grow up sharing a wardrobe.
You'll be interested to know that I finally got around to downloading pictures. I have pictures from Christmas, both places, and a few of Patrick riding his tricycle that Santa left at our house while we were gone, then a few I took of the boys yesterday. You can find them here (can you tell it's a lot easier on me to just link them?). Enjoy.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Slacker
Yup, I've been a huge slacker where this blog is concerned. Anybody remember when I used to post every single day, with pictures? I have proof I used to, but I can barely remember those days myself. Somehow the time just gets away from me with taking care of two VERY active children.
Since I last posted, we have celebrated Christmas and New Year's, and life has been back to normal for a full week again already.
We spent Christmas with my family--the whole family. During the days, there were ten adults, four children (well, four and a half, if you count my niece Anna's future baby brother or sister), three dogs, and the elusive cat. I think everyone was glad when we took two adults and two kids out of the picture in the evenings when we went back to our hotel each night. It was a chaotic few days, but lots of fun and I'm glad we didn't miss out on the festivities.
The kids banked for Christmas. When we got home, we cleaned out all but a few of their pre-Christmas toys to make room for all the new ones, and they haven't missed any of the old ones. They simply got that many new toys. Matt and I were definitely blessed as well, with more than we know what to do with.
The day after Christmas, we went to Big Spring to spend a few days with Matt's family as well. (This is where about half of the kids' toys came from; I told you they banked!) It was a little less chaotic there, until the dogs started running, but also a cherished family time.
I didn't take many pictures of our holiday, unfortunately. (I told you I was slacking.) In Dallas, both my brothers were there with their professional-quality cameras, that I kept mine in its case almost the whole time. I'll have to get some pictures from them. I also didn't take too many in Big Spring, but thankfully a few more than in Dallas. The problem is that they are all still on my camera. Yes, this long after our vacation, I have yet to download any of the pictures from Christmas and before. In fact, I don't know that I've even taken any new pictures since we got back. Remember what I said about slacking? I'll either post the pictures or a link to them when I finally get around to downloading them.
The boys are both growing so much right now. Patrick's language seems to be going through another explosion. He speaks in full sentences most of the time, and some of the things he comes up with crack me up. For example, yesterday when I was changing his diaper, Amber came poking her nose up to see what the fuss was about and sniff out whether it was a dirty diaper. I shooed her away as usual, and Patrick had to comment on it. "Amber eat poop?" he asked. I reassured him that I thought that was unlikely, but I thought it was hilarious that he thought that was the reason I was keeping her nose away from his exposed bottom.
He still loves school and asks every day if he gets to ride the school bus. He loves even more when I tell him he's going to MDO first. He names all of his teachers by name. It's funny, though, that all of a sudden he has started clinging to me when it's time for me to leave him at MDO. Unless one of his teachers is holding him and playing with him, he won't let go of me. I don't think he dislikes being there; he'd just rather I got to stay and play with him.
Nathan's personality is what is most interesting about his developments. He is a total hoot. He makes up silly games to play with each of us, and that mischievious smile will get him out of trouble almost every time he does something he knows he's not supposed to. It's like his goal in life is to make people laugh, and he knows he's good at it. I still get comments all the time when we're out whether he's always that happy. Yes, he usually is (until he gets sleepy, as many of you got to discover over Christmas break).
No, he is still not walking yet. I honestly think he could if he wanted to, but he's a little timid about trying it. Besides, his scoot will get him places almost as fast as walking, so what's the point? I know eventually one day he will decide it's time to walk, and he'll be off. When that happens, we'll never catch him.
Over the last few weeks, Nathan has sprouted just about all the teeth he had left to cut. It made for some frustrating, sleepless nights when he was in the most pain, but we seem to be past that now. He sports a full set of teeth instead. No wonder he's suddenly so eager to try any "real" food we can put in front of him. Like his brother, his favorites currently include waffles and anything with lots of cheese.
Guess what I just realized? I have a group of pictures I downloaded right before Christmas that I never shared with you. Since I am quickly running out of time to write, I will just have to post the link, like I did last time. You can find some cute pictures, including Christmas-y ones of Nathan here.
Since I last posted, we have celebrated Christmas and New Year's, and life has been back to normal for a full week again already.
We spent Christmas with my family--the whole family. During the days, there were ten adults, four children (well, four and a half, if you count my niece Anna's future baby brother or sister), three dogs, and the elusive cat. I think everyone was glad when we took two adults and two kids out of the picture in the evenings when we went back to our hotel each night. It was a chaotic few days, but lots of fun and I'm glad we didn't miss out on the festivities.
The kids banked for Christmas. When we got home, we cleaned out all but a few of their pre-Christmas toys to make room for all the new ones, and they haven't missed any of the old ones. They simply got that many new toys. Matt and I were definitely blessed as well, with more than we know what to do with.
The day after Christmas, we went to Big Spring to spend a few days with Matt's family as well. (This is where about half of the kids' toys came from; I told you they banked!) It was a little less chaotic there, until the dogs started running, but also a cherished family time.
I didn't take many pictures of our holiday, unfortunately. (I told you I was slacking.) In Dallas, both my brothers were there with their professional-quality cameras, that I kept mine in its case almost the whole time. I'll have to get some pictures from them. I also didn't take too many in Big Spring, but thankfully a few more than in Dallas. The problem is that they are all still on my camera. Yes, this long after our vacation, I have yet to download any of the pictures from Christmas and before. In fact, I don't know that I've even taken any new pictures since we got back. Remember what I said about slacking? I'll either post the pictures or a link to them when I finally get around to downloading them.
The boys are both growing so much right now. Patrick's language seems to be going through another explosion. He speaks in full sentences most of the time, and some of the things he comes up with crack me up. For example, yesterday when I was changing his diaper, Amber came poking her nose up to see what the fuss was about and sniff out whether it was a dirty diaper. I shooed her away as usual, and Patrick had to comment on it. "Amber eat poop?" he asked. I reassured him that I thought that was unlikely, but I thought it was hilarious that he thought that was the reason I was keeping her nose away from his exposed bottom.
He still loves school and asks every day if he gets to ride the school bus. He loves even more when I tell him he's going to MDO first. He names all of his teachers by name. It's funny, though, that all of a sudden he has started clinging to me when it's time for me to leave him at MDO. Unless one of his teachers is holding him and playing with him, he won't let go of me. I don't think he dislikes being there; he'd just rather I got to stay and play with him.
Nathan's personality is what is most interesting about his developments. He is a total hoot. He makes up silly games to play with each of us, and that mischievious smile will get him out of trouble almost every time he does something he knows he's not supposed to. It's like his goal in life is to make people laugh, and he knows he's good at it. I still get comments all the time when we're out whether he's always that happy. Yes, he usually is (until he gets sleepy, as many of you got to discover over Christmas break).
No, he is still not walking yet. I honestly think he could if he wanted to, but he's a little timid about trying it. Besides, his scoot will get him places almost as fast as walking, so what's the point? I know eventually one day he will decide it's time to walk, and he'll be off. When that happens, we'll never catch him.
Over the last few weeks, Nathan has sprouted just about all the teeth he had left to cut. It made for some frustrating, sleepless nights when he was in the most pain, but we seem to be past that now. He sports a full set of teeth instead. No wonder he's suddenly so eager to try any "real" food we can put in front of him. Like his brother, his favorites currently include waffles and anything with lots of cheese.
Guess what I just realized? I have a group of pictures I downloaded right before Christmas that I never shared with you. Since I am quickly running out of time to write, I will just have to post the link, like I did last time. You can find some cute pictures, including Christmas-y ones of Nathan here.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Growing and Changing
I've been so bad about updating lately. I have lots of pictures to post, but those will have to wait for when I have more time (whenever that will be).
Patrick is thriving at school. He literally runs to the school bus when it gets here and comes home content and tired. He asks--begs--every single day to go to school. In the week or so since he started, his language has started to take off. Almost every single day I notice a new word or some new grammatical change (like calling things "mine"--"my bed"). He will sometimes sing songs now and shows off with how much of the alphabet he knows. We didn't even know he could recite the alphabet, and he basically knows the whole thing!
We are still going to MDO on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and he seems to be benefitting from the extra socialization. I love that he's staying in that familiar environment as he's adding the new preschool.
Nathan is still growing like crazy too. He has started bravely standing unassisted for a few seconds at a time. I think he could do longer, but he gets scared and grabs something just to be sure he doesn't fall.
He, too, is becoming more social. He says many words and phrases that he hears often and sometimes uses them to communicate his wants to us (like "Dada, see you in a little while" to tell me he wants to see his daddy). He has found all sorts of fun games he likes to play at dinner or in his bed and loves it when we play along.
The two boys are growing more fond of each other each week. They will play together, even if it takes a lot of moderation to keep fussing over toys to a minimum. My favorite sight, though, is watching Patrick give Nathan a hug before bed, something he now insists on. That gentle kiss on the top of Nathan's head proves to me that Patrick is sweet and compassionate underneath all that energy we see all day long.
Patrick is thriving at school. He literally runs to the school bus when it gets here and comes home content and tired. He asks--begs--every single day to go to school. In the week or so since he started, his language has started to take off. Almost every single day I notice a new word or some new grammatical change (like calling things "mine"--"my bed"). He will sometimes sing songs now and shows off with how much of the alphabet he knows. We didn't even know he could recite the alphabet, and he basically knows the whole thing!
We are still going to MDO on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and he seems to be benefitting from the extra socialization. I love that he's staying in that familiar environment as he's adding the new preschool.
Nathan is still growing like crazy too. He has started bravely standing unassisted for a few seconds at a time. I think he could do longer, but he gets scared and grabs something just to be sure he doesn't fall.
He, too, is becoming more social. He says many words and phrases that he hears often and sometimes uses them to communicate his wants to us (like "Dada, see you in a little while" to tell me he wants to see his daddy). He has found all sorts of fun games he likes to play at dinner or in his bed and loves it when we play along.
The two boys are growing more fond of each other each week. They will play together, even if it takes a lot of moderation to keep fussing over toys to a minimum. My favorite sight, though, is watching Patrick give Nathan a hug before bed, something he now insists on. That gentle kiss on the top of Nathan's head proves to me that Patrick is sweet and compassionate underneath all that energy we see all day long.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Second First Day of School
Patrick just left to go to school. On the bus.
Confused? How about I back up to Monday to clarify what happened...
On Monday Patrick had his first ARD with the school district. You might remember that he had graduated out of the ECI program when he turned three. At that point, he is tested by the school district to see if he qualifies for special ed. The ARD is the official meeting that inducts him into the special ed program. (It will also be a yearly meeting we have to make sure his needs are still being met and will hopefully one day dismiss him from the program.)
At Patrick's ARD on Monday, we learned that he does indeed qualify for special ed services under what they call a speech impairment. Really, they didn't find anything other than what we already knew. His only problems have to do with understanding speech, expressing himself, and talking socially.
The special ed teachers recommended that Patrick start their pre-school program there. It runs every afternoon from 12:45-3:45. He also rides the bus to get there. (Don't worry, it's a special bus for special ed students--yes, it's a short bus--and it has a carseat in it for him.)
This will be a good thing for him. Patrick will get more specific help for his problems from professionals who know how to help him. He will also get a chance to socialize with many different kids from different backgrounds with different problems. It's my hope that after a year or so of this pre-school, he will have caught up to the point that he no longer qualifies for special ed. Unlike many other students in their program, Patrick's problem is not (should not) be a lifelong problem and will likely resolve itself after some time of specifically addressing it.
After much thought and consideration, Patrick will try to stay in his MDO program at the moment. He won't be able to stay the whole time so that he can be home in time to catch the bus for pre-school, but we would like for him to continue in the school environment he already knows and loves. The teachers there are wonderful and so nurturing, and I would hate for Patrick to miss out on the church education he gets there as well. I also like that he gets a chance to socialize with "normal" kids, kids that don't require the extra help that his pre-school friends will. MDO will help create a more well-rounded kid, I hope.
Of course, having that busy a schedule twice a week may turn out to be too much for him. The next few weeks will be a trial period to see how he does before we make any final decisions about staying in MDO. Please be praying for us as we are forced to make some final decision.
It was really kind of weird to send my oldest son off to school on the bus for the first time today. He took it like a man--okay, really like Patrick--and didn't shed a tear. He was smiling from the excitement of it all. Me? Not so much. I'm a little scared about how he is doing all by himself in a new place and a new situation. I'm sure my resilient little boy is loving the adventure of it all, though. I just hope he doesn't mind the huge bear hug he's going to get from me when he gets home.
Confused? How about I back up to Monday to clarify what happened...
On Monday Patrick had his first ARD with the school district. You might remember that he had graduated out of the ECI program when he turned three. At that point, he is tested by the school district to see if he qualifies for special ed. The ARD is the official meeting that inducts him into the special ed program. (It will also be a yearly meeting we have to make sure his needs are still being met and will hopefully one day dismiss him from the program.)
At Patrick's ARD on Monday, we learned that he does indeed qualify for special ed services under what they call a speech impairment. Really, they didn't find anything other than what we already knew. His only problems have to do with understanding speech, expressing himself, and talking socially.
The special ed teachers recommended that Patrick start their pre-school program there. It runs every afternoon from 12:45-3:45. He also rides the bus to get there. (Don't worry, it's a special bus for special ed students--yes, it's a short bus--and it has a carseat in it for him.)
This will be a good thing for him. Patrick will get more specific help for his problems from professionals who know how to help him. He will also get a chance to socialize with many different kids from different backgrounds with different problems. It's my hope that after a year or so of this pre-school, he will have caught up to the point that he no longer qualifies for special ed. Unlike many other students in their program, Patrick's problem is not (should not) be a lifelong problem and will likely resolve itself after some time of specifically addressing it.
After much thought and consideration, Patrick will try to stay in his MDO program at the moment. He won't be able to stay the whole time so that he can be home in time to catch the bus for pre-school, but we would like for him to continue in the school environment he already knows and loves. The teachers there are wonderful and so nurturing, and I would hate for Patrick to miss out on the church education he gets there as well. I also like that he gets a chance to socialize with "normal" kids, kids that don't require the extra help that his pre-school friends will. MDO will help create a more well-rounded kid, I hope.
Of course, having that busy a schedule twice a week may turn out to be too much for him. The next few weeks will be a trial period to see how he does before we make any final decisions about staying in MDO. Please be praying for us as we are forced to make some final decision.
It was really kind of weird to send my oldest son off to school on the bus for the first time today. He took it like a man--okay, really like Patrick--and didn't shed a tear. He was smiling from the excitement of it all. Me? Not so much. I'm a little scared about how he is doing all by himself in a new place and a new situation. I'm sure my resilient little boy is loving the adventure of it all, though. I just hope he doesn't mind the huge bear hug he's going to get from me when he gets home.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Some Catching Up
I apologize for my prolonged absence. I just felt unmotivated to blog. I guess those monster vacation posts kind of took it out of me. So here's the short, bulleted version of the last week or so, minus the pictures I've been intending to post for even longer than that:
--I realized a little over a week ago that Nathan's weight hasn't changed in well over a month. He's barely gained anything since his last appointment at six months. Since he has his next check-up in a week, I decided the lack of weight gain was probably worrisome. So I started feeding him until he was at the point of spitting it back at me. It turns out at least part of the weight issues stem from my gross underfeeding of him. He's now eating over three times as much food as he was before. Hopefully he'll be able to make up some of that lost weight before Tuesday's appointment. Do you think his constant movement any time he's awake has anything to do with his need for so much food?
--Patrick finally figured out how to say "I love you" and what it means. He says it mostly before bed or when putting Nathan down for a nap, but he'll also say it to Daddy when he goes back to work after lunch or when he snuggles up to me during the day. My favorite part is that he will also do the "I love you" hand sign with both hands. He has to check each one to make sure it is done right, and then he'll say in the cutest singsongy voice, "I wuv oo!"
--Patrick apparently picked up a little stomach bug over the weekend because he woke up Sunday morning with a particularly icky diaper. He's had several each day since then, although he seems to be getting a bit better today. Fortunately, he didn't seem too bothered by it all. He was fine and happy until he had one of those diapers and was back to normal almost as soon as I could get the diaper changed. He also really enjoyed his "special juice," i.e. Pedialyte. I worried that Nathan was getting it too, but he seems to have escaped it, even though he did have one diaper that made me wonder.
--We didn't do anything special for Father's Day, since I'm sure you're curious. It was mostly just a lazy day at home, thanks in part to Patrick's poopy issues.
I guess that's about it. I'm sure there were more, less interesting stories that happened since I blogged last, but these were definitely the highlights. Stay tuned in the next few days (or weeks, you never know) for those pictures I have yet to get around to posting.
--I realized a little over a week ago that Nathan's weight hasn't changed in well over a month. He's barely gained anything since his last appointment at six months. Since he has his next check-up in a week, I decided the lack of weight gain was probably worrisome. So I started feeding him until he was at the point of spitting it back at me. It turns out at least part of the weight issues stem from my gross underfeeding of him. He's now eating over three times as much food as he was before. Hopefully he'll be able to make up some of that lost weight before Tuesday's appointment. Do you think his constant movement any time he's awake has anything to do with his need for so much food?
--Patrick finally figured out how to say "I love you" and what it means. He says it mostly before bed or when putting Nathan down for a nap, but he'll also say it to Daddy when he goes back to work after lunch or when he snuggles up to me during the day. My favorite part is that he will also do the "I love you" hand sign with both hands. He has to check each one to make sure it is done right, and then he'll say in the cutest singsongy voice, "I wuv oo!"
--Patrick apparently picked up a little stomach bug over the weekend because he woke up Sunday morning with a particularly icky diaper. He's had several each day since then, although he seems to be getting a bit better today. Fortunately, he didn't seem too bothered by it all. He was fine and happy until he had one of those diapers and was back to normal almost as soon as I could get the diaper changed. He also really enjoyed his "special juice," i.e. Pedialyte. I worried that Nathan was getting it too, but he seems to have escaped it, even though he did have one diaper that made me wonder.
--We didn't do anything special for Father's Day, since I'm sure you're curious. It was mostly just a lazy day at home, thanks in part to Patrick's poopy issues.
I guess that's about it. I'm sure there were more, less interesting stories that happened since I blogged last, but these were definitely the highlights. Stay tuned in the next few days (or weeks, you never know) for those pictures I have yet to get around to posting.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Two Things
Patrick: His language has been improving so much. He throws out new sentences at me fairly regularly and works to tell me what he needs with words (sometimes, anyway). His "teacher" from ECI agrees that he's making amazing progress and already thinks he doesn't need to see her every week. We've cut back to every other week, and he may be caught up enough by the time he's three that he won't qualify for their help anymore. Considering how far behind he was a month or so ago, it truly is amazing.
Nathan: He's figured out that he, too, can make sounds with his mouth other than regular crying or fussing. His favorite noise is the m sound, so he babbles "mama" to me all day long. I'd love to call it his first word, but I don't think he understands what he's saying. Either way, I love hearing it. I like to believe that he's calling out for me.
I know I have TONS of pictures I need to post, but I've just been feeling too lazy to go through all the trouble to post them. I'm hoping to get motivated soon, but I'll probably just do all of them when I do, in case it takes me this long next time to find the motivation. So when you see pictures in the top post soon, make sure you scroll through the next few ones down as well, as they are probably going to also be new and chock full of pictures.
Nathan: He's figured out that he, too, can make sounds with his mouth other than regular crying or fussing. His favorite noise is the m sound, so he babbles "mama" to me all day long. I'd love to call it his first word, but I don't think he understands what he's saying. Either way, I love hearing it. I like to believe that he's calling out for me.
I know I have TONS of pictures I need to post, but I've just been feeling too lazy to go through all the trouble to post them. I'm hoping to get motivated soon, but I'll probably just do all of them when I do, in case it takes me this long next time to find the motivation. So when you see pictures in the top post soon, make sure you scroll through the next few ones down as well, as they are probably going to also be new and chock full of pictures.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Patrick, the Two-Year-Old
There is not a doubt in my mind that Patrick is two. He can swing from being sweet and affectionate to...well, difficult in a fraction of a second.
One one hand, he loves to imitate us, especially when it makes us laugh. Yesterday we were in the car when "Funkytown" came on the radio. Matt and I laughed at it and decided it was more interesting than the songs on the other stations we frequent, so we left it. When I noticed Patrick was bouncing his foot to the beat of the song, I told him to say "funkytown." All three of us died laughing when we heard, "Fu-kee-ta," (with the emphasis on the middle syllable, like fajita) from the backseat. He continued to repeat it all evening because it got a big laugh every time.
Then there's his love for his brother. He loves to make Nathan laugh and always wants to kiss him good night before naps and bedtime. He has even adopted his Elmo to be his own baby and carries him around when I have Nathan. He brings him along for his own diaper change when Nathan is getting changed, and Elmo gets put down for "sleep tight" when Nathan does. This nurturing imitation is so adorable. I love this part of the stage.
On the other hand, though, Patrick has learned the fine art of throwing the most aggravating tantrums ever. No longer can they resolve themselves in five or ten minutes; they can easily last an hour or more now. None of us even remember what started the tantrum in the first place by the time it's over. It's all because Patrick doesn't get what he wants the second he wants it. He has become demanding and whiny all of a sudden, and it's driving Matt and me crazy. No amount of punishment seems to make the slightest difference, and time-outs have been enforced more for our own sanity than to correct Patrick's behavior. This is a very trying phase.
Oh, and there's the hitting game. Patrick has decided it's a fun game to hit or kick Mommy. He repeats, "No kicking," and then laughs. He remembers it as a game, not an admonishment. Again, punishments aren't helping because he can't connect them to the action. He can't imagine that I'd punish him for playing a game, so he thinks the punishments are simply meaningless. I'm at my wit's end with the whole situation.
I'm trying very hard to remember that this age will not last forever and that I need to cherish all these sweet moments because I'll miss this age when it's gone. But in the midst of one of these marathon tantrums (of which there are several each day), all I can think about is how quickly he will be a three-year-old and past the worst of this stage.
Because shortly after that, Nathan will be a two-year-old. Sigh. What have I gotten myself into?
One one hand, he loves to imitate us, especially when it makes us laugh. Yesterday we were in the car when "Funkytown" came on the radio. Matt and I laughed at it and decided it was more interesting than the songs on the other stations we frequent, so we left it. When I noticed Patrick was bouncing his foot to the beat of the song, I told him to say "funkytown." All three of us died laughing when we heard, "Fu-kee-ta," (with the emphasis on the middle syllable, like fajita) from the backseat. He continued to repeat it all evening because it got a big laugh every time.
Then there's his love for his brother. He loves to make Nathan laugh and always wants to kiss him good night before naps and bedtime. He has even adopted his Elmo to be his own baby and carries him around when I have Nathan. He brings him along for his own diaper change when Nathan is getting changed, and Elmo gets put down for "sleep tight" when Nathan does. This nurturing imitation is so adorable. I love this part of the stage.
On the other hand, though, Patrick has learned the fine art of throwing the most aggravating tantrums ever. No longer can they resolve themselves in five or ten minutes; they can easily last an hour or more now. None of us even remember what started the tantrum in the first place by the time it's over. It's all because Patrick doesn't get what he wants the second he wants it. He has become demanding and whiny all of a sudden, and it's driving Matt and me crazy. No amount of punishment seems to make the slightest difference, and time-outs have been enforced more for our own sanity than to correct Patrick's behavior. This is a very trying phase.
Oh, and there's the hitting game. Patrick has decided it's a fun game to hit or kick Mommy. He repeats, "No kicking," and then laughs. He remembers it as a game, not an admonishment. Again, punishments aren't helping because he can't connect them to the action. He can't imagine that I'd punish him for playing a game, so he thinks the punishments are simply meaningless. I'm at my wit's end with the whole situation.
I'm trying very hard to remember that this age will not last forever and that I need to cherish all these sweet moments because I'll miss this age when it's gone. But in the midst of one of these marathon tantrums (of which there are several each day), all I can think about is how quickly he will be a three-year-old and past the worst of this stage.
Because shortly after that, Nathan will be a two-year-old. Sigh. What have I gotten myself into?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
So Far Behind
Ugh, I'm getting so bad about posting. The problem is that I don't have time to post one day, and by the time I can get a few minutes, I've racked up so many things I need to say (and pictures to show off) that the task seems overwhelming and I don't know where to start. So right now is a short catch-up bulleted post. Later today or tomorrow I hope to make an effort to catch up on pictures.
- Nathan is basically sitting up on his own. I'm terrified to leave him alone because he still topples over at any moment, but he can sit without any support for an indefinite period of time. Matt and I joke that this is so much easier for him than it was for his brother because he has a bigger base to balanced on.
- Patrick's language is really taking off. Less than a month ago, he was only saying his set phrases and very little to tell us what he wants. Now he is speaking in full sentences sometimes. A few from the last four or five days include: "We're all done," "I'm gonna go crash," and "I wanna go outside." Yes, they are full sentences, with appropriate pronouns, and actually convey a useful message. I'd say that's progress in leaps and bounds!
- Nathan is about to cut two teeth, literally any moment now. I'm checking his gums pretty much every hour, just waiting on them to break through. If you're curious, they're the bottom two middle ones. He's not too upset by it, but he does sleep better when he's had teething tablets or Tylenol.
- Nathan is still doing well with solids. He's on his third baby food flavor, his favorite so far--pears. There's not much else to say about this because he's eating like a pro. He was definitely ready for solids when we started them.
- Nathan's aim with his hands and arms is getting better. He reaches for things (and people) he finds interesting and can usually hit them on the first try. Patrick's not so sure he likes this development as he has had his hair pulled, his shirt held, and his arm and face grabbed at various times.
- I wish I had something to write here about Patrick and potty training, but the only thing he's figured out so far is that when he sits on his potty and tries to go in it, he gets an M&M (or a "lalala" as he calls it). At least he can now tell me when he's "yucky" or "poopy"--his words for a poopy diaper. Now we're working on catching him before filling that diaper so that he can go on the potty instead.
- Both boys got to visit with their Gigi and Papa this weekend and had a blast. Patrick called them both by name within minutes of their arrival and is still talking about them. Pictures to follow (eventually...).
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Uh-Oh, Time for an Update!
Oops, time got away from me again. I didn't realize how much time had passed since I blogged last!
Not too much has been happening here. We had a quiet, relaxing weekend and then got caught off guard by the time change. All of our schedules are a bit out of whack at the moment. For example, Patrick has decided to boycott naptime lately. Today is the first day he's taken a decent nap in over a week, and the first nap at all in three or four days. I'm hoping this means he's finally getting adjusted to the time change and will go back to his old sleeping schedule again.
Nathan hasn't been affected quite as much, but he got up to eat during the night a few times recently. Then last night we fed him solids until he was about to pop, and oddly enough he slept beautifully. I guess we just weren't feeding him enough before. And that's really saying something. As much as Patrick has always eaten, Nathan is already eating more than he did at this age. His thighs are certainly the proof.
Patrick had his first therapy appointment on Monday. It was interesting to watch. She didn't do anything special with him, but just followed his lead and played with whatever he wanted to. She just interacted differently with him than I might. She was also impressed with all the progress he's already made since she saw him last.
Now his language is taking off. He is repeating us all the time (the most important time to watch every word that leaves our mouths) and can use some of those repeated words in context on his own. His language is suddenly more functional, as he has found words to ask for what he wants in most situations. This morning he was able to ask me to refill his sippy cup, and specifically that he wanted juice in it. That's a vast improvement over shoving it in my face and screaming if it didn't immediately refill itself. Before long, he may actually be able to communicate like a normal two-year-old.
The weather around here has started to warm up; spring is definitely on its way. Today I went through all of Patrick's old clothes and pulled out a spring and summer wardrobe for Nathan. It was kind of sad looking at all those clothes and wondering how I could possibly put Nathan in all of them before he outgrows them. He's already just barely fitting into his 3-6 months clothes, and they are most of our cutest summer clothes (remember Patrick wore them exclusively in his first summer). It's crazy to think that by next summer, Nathan will likely be wearing the clothes we're buying for Patrick this year. I hope Patrick has outgrown them by that point, or the boys will end up sharing a wardrobe. Although, come to think of it, that might be nice on our budget...
Not too much has been happening here. We had a quiet, relaxing weekend and then got caught off guard by the time change. All of our schedules are a bit out of whack at the moment. For example, Patrick has decided to boycott naptime lately. Today is the first day he's taken a decent nap in over a week, and the first nap at all in three or four days. I'm hoping this means he's finally getting adjusted to the time change and will go back to his old sleeping schedule again.
Nathan hasn't been affected quite as much, but he got up to eat during the night a few times recently. Then last night we fed him solids until he was about to pop, and oddly enough he slept beautifully. I guess we just weren't feeding him enough before. And that's really saying something. As much as Patrick has always eaten, Nathan is already eating more than he did at this age. His thighs are certainly the proof.
Patrick had his first therapy appointment on Monday. It was interesting to watch. She didn't do anything special with him, but just followed his lead and played with whatever he wanted to. She just interacted differently with him than I might. She was also impressed with all the progress he's already made since she saw him last.
Now his language is taking off. He is repeating us all the time (the most important time to watch every word that leaves our mouths) and can use some of those repeated words in context on his own. His language is suddenly more functional, as he has found words to ask for what he wants in most situations. This morning he was able to ask me to refill his sippy cup, and specifically that he wanted juice in it. That's a vast improvement over shoving it in my face and screaming if it didn't immediately refill itself. Before long, he may actually be able to communicate like a normal two-year-old.
The weather around here has started to warm up; spring is definitely on its way. Today I went through all of Patrick's old clothes and pulled out a spring and summer wardrobe for Nathan. It was kind of sad looking at all those clothes and wondering how I could possibly put Nathan in all of them before he outgrows them. He's already just barely fitting into his 3-6 months clothes, and they are most of our cutest summer clothes (remember Patrick wore them exclusively in his first summer). It's crazy to think that by next summer, Nathan will likely be wearing the clothes we're buying for Patrick this year. I hope Patrick has outgrown them by that point, or the boys will end up sharing a wardrobe. Although, come to think of it, that might be nice on our budget...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
How Can You Be So Social When You Can't Talk?
Many of you who read this got to see us in the last few months, either at Thanksgiving or Christmas. If so, you were most likely charmed by that sweet toddler who tends to be on his best behavior around new people. You got to hear him chatter away endlessly about topics that none of us quite understood.
That chattering--and lack of comprehension on our part--has actually been a concern to Matt and me. We may not spend much time with other 2-year-olds, but we recognized that Patrick's speech patterns are anything but normal. His few favorite phrases are spoken as if they are single words and convey very little about his needs, much less his wants (other than going somewhere and bedtime). I've heard much younger children, even 18-month-olds, can string together several words to communicate whole ideas to their parents. Patrick hasn't been anywhere close to that.
If I mentioned this to the doctor, he repeated what I'd heard so often, that all children develop at their own pace and we shouldn't worry. That never helped. Finally at Nathan's four-month appointment last month, I brought up the concern yet again, adding a little more detail about why I was concerned. Finally he listened and referred us to someone who could help, Early Childhood Intervention.
They came over yesterday to do their official evaluation of Patrick to determine whether he qualifies for services. There was no hesitation on their part: he does. They graded him in several different areas to determine what age level he falls into in those different areas. He was right on target in the physical ones and ahead in social (I know--I don't get it either). The ones of concern are what they call cognitive, where he's at about a 19-month level, and of course, language, where he's anywhere from 12 months to 18 months and closer to the lower levels probably. That's much farther behind than I expected to hear. But on the bright side, he will be getting help to get caught up. In a way, it's good to hear that my motherly instincts were dead-on.
Regardless of any delays on his part, though, that doesn't change who Patrick is. Whether or not I can understand what he's trying to say, he will still be the same sweet, funny, and apparently uber-social little boy I've loved for the last two-plus years.
That chattering--and lack of comprehension on our part--has actually been a concern to Matt and me. We may not spend much time with other 2-year-olds, but we recognized that Patrick's speech patterns are anything but normal. His few favorite phrases are spoken as if they are single words and convey very little about his needs, much less his wants (other than going somewhere and bedtime). I've heard much younger children, even 18-month-olds, can string together several words to communicate whole ideas to their parents. Patrick hasn't been anywhere close to that.
If I mentioned this to the doctor, he repeated what I'd heard so often, that all children develop at their own pace and we shouldn't worry. That never helped. Finally at Nathan's four-month appointment last month, I brought up the concern yet again, adding a little more detail about why I was concerned. Finally he listened and referred us to someone who could help, Early Childhood Intervention.
They came over yesterday to do their official evaluation of Patrick to determine whether he qualifies for services. There was no hesitation on their part: he does. They graded him in several different areas to determine what age level he falls into in those different areas. He was right on target in the physical ones and ahead in social (I know--I don't get it either). The ones of concern are what they call cognitive, where he's at about a 19-month level, and of course, language, where he's anywhere from 12 months to 18 months and closer to the lower levels probably. That's much farther behind than I expected to hear. But on the bright side, he will be getting help to get caught up. In a way, it's good to hear that my motherly instincts were dead-on.
Regardless of any delays on his part, though, that doesn't change who Patrick is. Whether or not I can understand what he's trying to say, he will still be the same sweet, funny, and apparently uber-social little boy I've loved for the last two-plus years.Wednesday, February 13, 2008
I Think He's Ready
I've been procrastinating about starting potty training with Patrick for months now. I really don't want to bother with it. It's so much more of a nuisance asking him if he needs to pee every hour and traipsing to the potty to force him to sit there for a few minutes only to leave an empty potty when he's done. I'm not looking forward to the bribery, the wet and poopy clothes, or cleaning out that nasty potty several times a day. Oh, yeah...and I haven't felt like Patrick was anywhere near ready yet.
I think he's ready now. In the last few days he has suddenly started repeating me when I ask if he's poopy (a silly question since you can smell it a mile away). "Poo-pee," he'll say even while I'm changing his diaper and cleaning his butt. I suspect he knows what he's talking about, too, instead of just repeating a fun-sounding word.
Then just a few minutes ago, he grabbed me and started pulling me all over the house, a sure indicator that he wants something. We ended up at "his" bathroom. I guessed he wanted a bath since he had so much fun dumping water on me during bathtime yesterday. I shrugged; we had time for a bath right then, so why not? He seemed more eager than usual to get his still-dry diaper off, but I assumed it was because he was that eager for a bath.
As has been my habit for the last few baths, I set him on the potty naked to chill while I was filling the tub. He wasn't having anything to do with it today, so instead of forcing him and making him hate the potty this early, I let him stand next to the tub where I was kneeling, waiting for the water to hit the right temp.
Suddenly I felt my leg getting wet. I couldn't figure out how the water was splashing out of the tub onto my leg without Patrick in there. Then I traced the stream of water right back to Patrick--he was peeing on me. Yuck.
But even while I was cleaning up the icky mess, I could see the bright side of it. He wasn't dragging me to the bathroom to beg for a bath. He had to pee and wanted to do it in the bathroom like Mommy and Daddy do. He was (sort of) successfully able to tell me he needed to pee.
I guess that means potty training starts hard-core this week. What a fun stage this will be. Or not. With any luck, we waited long enough that he's really, really ready now and will make things easy for us.
I think he's ready now. In the last few days he has suddenly started repeating me when I ask if he's poopy (a silly question since you can smell it a mile away). "Poo-pee," he'll say even while I'm changing his diaper and cleaning his butt. I suspect he knows what he's talking about, too, instead of just repeating a fun-sounding word.
Then just a few minutes ago, he grabbed me and started pulling me all over the house, a sure indicator that he wants something. We ended up at "his" bathroom. I guessed he wanted a bath since he had so much fun dumping water on me during bathtime yesterday. I shrugged; we had time for a bath right then, so why not? He seemed more eager than usual to get his still-dry diaper off, but I assumed it was because he was that eager for a bath.
As has been my habit for the last few baths, I set him on the potty naked to chill while I was filling the tub. He wasn't having anything to do with it today, so instead of forcing him and making him hate the potty this early, I let him stand next to the tub where I was kneeling, waiting for the water to hit the right temp.
Suddenly I felt my leg getting wet. I couldn't figure out how the water was splashing out of the tub onto my leg without Patrick in there. Then I traced the stream of water right back to Patrick--he was peeing on me. Yuck.
But even while I was cleaning up the icky mess, I could see the bright side of it. He wasn't dragging me to the bathroom to beg for a bath. He had to pee and wanted to do it in the bathroom like Mommy and Daddy do. He was (sort of) successfully able to tell me he needed to pee.
I guess that means potty training starts hard-core this week. What a fun stage this will be. Or not. With any luck, we waited long enough that he's really, really ready now and will make things easy for us.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
For My Own Records
Patrick added to his vocabulary yet again today. He said:
--"beeyee ba" for belly button
--"keekee" for cookie
--"Hi, Dada!" when Matt said, "Hi, Patrick" to him. This is the first reciprocal conversation we've had with him that wasn't just him repeating what we said.
--"beeyee ba" for belly button
--"keekee" for cookie
--"Hi, Dada!" when Matt said, "Hi, Patrick" to him. This is the first reciprocal conversation we've had with him that wasn't just him repeating what we said.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Bop!
When Patrick was an itty-bitty newborn still in the NICU, Matt started the "boop" game with him. Patrick had (still has) this perfect little button nose that just begs to be poked, so Matt would poke the cute nose and say "Boop!" in this adorable voice. It was one of the first ways we knew to relate to him when he seemed so fragile otherwise.
We have kept up the Boop game, although it has become much less frequent lately. Nathan's nose may not be quite as adorable as Patrick's was, but it's close, so we also do the Boop game with him from time to time.
Today Patrick had climbed in my lap while I was trying to calm Nathan, who has been a little extra fussy lately because of the cold. Patrick took the initiative and started poking at Nathan, the first time he's shown much interest in him that's not related to snaps or latches and definitely the first time he has voluntarily touched him. Thinking it was cute, I booped Nathan's nose.
Patrick immediately caught on and poked Nathan's nose. "Bop!" When he saw my reaction, he did it again--and again and again. Then he did it to my nose and Matt's when he got home.
It's the cutest thing I've ever seen, watching my little boy play the first game he ever got to play with his own little brother. It warms my heart just to remember how they related to each other this afternoon.
By the way, this is just one more new word Patrick has spouted out lately. Yesterday it was "ball" and "apple" (which he can identify by a picture now and also says it when he sees the letter A). I could also swear he said, "I don't wanna sleep tight," after getting up from his nap today. Did he just wake up yesterday and decide that twenty-seven months was time to grow up all of a sudden?
We have kept up the Boop game, although it has become much less frequent lately. Nathan's nose may not be quite as adorable as Patrick's was, but it's close, so we also do the Boop game with him from time to time.
Today Patrick had climbed in my lap while I was trying to calm Nathan, who has been a little extra fussy lately because of the cold. Patrick took the initiative and started poking at Nathan, the first time he's shown much interest in him that's not related to snaps or latches and definitely the first time he has voluntarily touched him. Thinking it was cute, I booped Nathan's nose.
Patrick immediately caught on and poked Nathan's nose. "Bop!" When he saw my reaction, he did it again--and again and again. Then he did it to my nose and Matt's when he got home.
It's the cutest thing I've ever seen, watching my little boy play the first game he ever got to play with his own little brother. It warms my heart just to remember how they related to each other this afternoon.
By the way, this is just one more new word Patrick has spouted out lately. Yesterday it was "ball" and "apple" (which he can identify by a picture now and also says it when he sees the letter A). I could also swear he said, "I don't wanna sleep tight," after getting up from his nap today. Did he just wake up yesterday and decide that twenty-seven months was time to grow up all of a sudden?
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Coughing, Sneezing, and Teething
Sorry about my absence lately. We had our Christmas trip, which lasted about a week and was chock full of busy-ness, followed by a sick boy. Patrick came down with a cold (or nasty allergy attack) the day after we got home. If you've been paying attention, this is the first time he's been actually sick. He's been taking a lot of our time and attention. And what little is left has been devoted to Nathan, who decided to start the early stages of teething while we were gone. It hasn't been constant fussing, but there have been a few periods where he was pretty inconsolable for quite a while.
So until things return to normal--or we get used to this new normal--I may not be updating as often. I hope I can at least get around to posting some of my favorite Christmas pics before long, before next Christmas anyway. :)
So until things return to normal--or we get used to this new normal--I may not be updating as often. I hope I can at least get around to posting some of my favorite Christmas pics before long, before next Christmas anyway. :)
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Not What I Would Have Asked Santa For
One of Patrick's Christmas presents this year is going to be a potty. Yup, it's about that time. When we went shopping for the boys' gifts this last weekend--isn't it great when they're still young enough to tag along?--we picked up a potty as part of Patrick's Christmas. Instead of wrapping it and putting it under the tree, though, we just stuck it in "his" bathroom for him to get used to. It looks like we'll be starting potty training after our Christmas trip when things will be pretty settled for a while.
I know many toddlers start potty training earlier than this. After all, Patrick is well over two years old now. But back when it first got mentioned, I realized that he needed to hit a few milestones first. Of course, he needed to be able to walk proficiently, which he's been doing for many months now. He needed to be able to sit on something like a potty, and he has mastered the art of sitting on smaller chairs pretty well--although he has yet to try on the potty.
He needs to be able to pull his own pants down and back up, at least by the time he's pretty good at going without much help, and he is showing interest in learning how to dress himself. He loves to find clothes of any sort, whether or not they fit or are even his, and sit down to try to pull them over his legs. It won't be long before he won't let me help dress him at all. So he should be pretty close to manipulating his own clothes while pottying.
And the biggie is that he needs to be able to tell me when he needs to go. His communication skills have certainly been improving, but he has yet to get good enough that I can understand him when he tells me that. I keep hoping maybe he will develop the words for pottying as we focus more and more on it, but I'm not necessarily counting on it.
But today I think he is ready because he was able to successfully communicate with me that he needed a clean diaper. I thought it looked like he was pooping as he took breaks between playing. I looked away for a minute, and when I looked up he was gone, playing in the other room where his changing pad is. I snuck up on him to see what he was doing, and the second he saw me, he crawled onto his changing pad (on the floor) and waited until I figured out he was asking for a clean diaper. Sure enough, he was dirty.
I guess it's good that even without using words, Patrick was able to communicate that he had gone to the bathroom and that he was uncomfortable enough to want a clean diaper. Both are good milestones telling me he might be somewhat receptive to the idea of pottying in a toilet. I'm glad now that we went ahead and got the potty in preparation for potty training, even though we weren't sure he was ready when we bought it. So now I wonder if that was at the top of his Christmas list this year.
I know many toddlers start potty training earlier than this. After all, Patrick is well over two years old now. But back when it first got mentioned, I realized that he needed to hit a few milestones first. Of course, he needed to be able to walk proficiently, which he's been doing for many months now. He needed to be able to sit on something like a potty, and he has mastered the art of sitting on smaller chairs pretty well--although he has yet to try on the potty.
He needs to be able to pull his own pants down and back up, at least by the time he's pretty good at going without much help, and he is showing interest in learning how to dress himself. He loves to find clothes of any sort, whether or not they fit or are even his, and sit down to try to pull them over his legs. It won't be long before he won't let me help dress him at all. So he should be pretty close to manipulating his own clothes while pottying.
And the biggie is that he needs to be able to tell me when he needs to go. His communication skills have certainly been improving, but he has yet to get good enough that I can understand him when he tells me that. I keep hoping maybe he will develop the words for pottying as we focus more and more on it, but I'm not necessarily counting on it.
But today I think he is ready because he was able to successfully communicate with me that he needed a clean diaper. I thought it looked like he was pooping as he took breaks between playing. I looked away for a minute, and when I looked up he was gone, playing in the other room where his changing pad is. I snuck up on him to see what he was doing, and the second he saw me, he crawled onto his changing pad (on the floor) and waited until I figured out he was asking for a clean diaper. Sure enough, he was dirty.
I guess it's good that even without using words, Patrick was able to communicate that he had gone to the bathroom and that he was uncomfortable enough to want a clean diaper. Both are good milestones telling me he might be somewhat receptive to the idea of pottying in a toilet. I'm glad now that we went ahead and got the potty in preparation for potty training, even though we weren't sure he was ready when we bought it. So now I wonder if that was at the top of his Christmas list this year.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Letters and Sleep
As I'm writing this, Patrick is playing with his letter puzzle, the one intended for ages three and up, and he's astounding me with his knowledge--or perhaps his memory. We've made it through all but about six of the letters, and I've helped him with only one so far. And really, I can understand how he can mix up a V and an A. I won't pretend he knows the names of all the letters yet, but I wouldn't put it past him. He hears each letter every time he does the puzzle. At the moment, I suspect it's more that he remembers where he saw the letters in the puzzle last and can match up the shapes pretty well. Still, I think he's pretty smart for being able to do that much.
Nathan, on the other hand, is sleeping peacefully in his bouncer chair. He's continuing to stretch his time between feedings overnight, now going eight hours on a fairly regular basis. I'm proud of him, but not as proud of him as I would be if those eight hours started closer to the time I'm ready to go to bed. As it is, I'm still getting up between three and four in the morning for his "morning" feeding. Fortunately, he usually goes right back to sleep after that feeding for about four more hours. I'm probably getting enough sleep after all, but it's getting kind of old to have the sleep interrupted every night.
Yet somehow I don't mind it much, despite my complaints about the interrupted sleep. I know I won't have opportunities to cuddle with my little baby alone in the middle of the night for much longer. There's something so sweet about those special quiet moments with no other distractions, and I suspect I'm going to miss them when they're gone. I do miss them with Patrick. So as long as Nathan still needs to eat in the middle of the night, I'm going to cherish those snuggly moments. I'll get chances to catch up on sleep later, but I won't have another chance to get these bonding times back when they're gone.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
And Still More Milestones
It sure is fun when they both start hitting milestones all at the same time! Nathan first this time:
Last night he slept his first six-hour stretch. It's wonderful but would be much more so if he would do so later at night, instead of starting the sleep at six in the evening. I was still up every three hours all night. At least I know it's possible. Now to work on getting him to sleep those six hours at the same time I do.
He also was so happy for that long because he found a way to comfort himself. I found him sucking his thumb when I snuck into our room to go to bed. He often gets his hand close enough to his mouth to suck on, but this was the first time I found him with his thumb in his mouth, as though it was deliberate. I hope this lasts longer for him than it did for Patrick.
Now for Patrick...he's going through a language explosion apparently. He is finally attempting to repeat certain words we say. Yesterday afternoon, it was "ta-ta" as his version of "naptime," now yet another way to indicate he's ready to sleep. This morning it was "awful" for "waffle," which he repeated again after waking up from his nap. I think we know what he wanted for a snack. Tonight it was "ickin" for "chicken," what we were having for dinner. I knew he would finally start saying more individual words in his own time.
I wonder if part of the language explosion is coming from his interest in letters. To capitalize on the interest, we bought him a letter puzzle yesterday, and he loves playing with it. He can now identify and place the letters O, Q, and X (that's my kid, starting with the useful ones), and he acts like he is saying the letters of the alphabet while he plays with it, even though the sounds aren't identifiable as specific letters yet. All in time. He'll get there before we know it.
Last night he slept his first six-hour stretch. It's wonderful but would be much more so if he would do so later at night, instead of starting the sleep at six in the evening. I was still up every three hours all night. At least I know it's possible. Now to work on getting him to sleep those six hours at the same time I do.
He also was so happy for that long because he found a way to comfort himself. I found him sucking his thumb when I snuck into our room to go to bed. He often gets his hand close enough to his mouth to suck on, but this was the first time I found him with his thumb in his mouth, as though it was deliberate. I hope this lasts longer for him than it did for Patrick.
Now for Patrick...he's going through a language explosion apparently. He is finally attempting to repeat certain words we say. Yesterday afternoon, it was "ta-ta" as his version of "naptime," now yet another way to indicate he's ready to sleep. This morning it was "awful" for "waffle," which he repeated again after waking up from his nap. I think we know what he wanted for a snack. Tonight it was "ickin" for "chicken," what we were having for dinner. I knew he would finally start saying more individual words in his own time.
I wonder if part of the language explosion is coming from his interest in letters. To capitalize on the interest, we bought him a letter puzzle yesterday, and he loves playing with it. He can now identify and place the letters O, Q, and X (that's my kid, starting with the useful ones), and he acts like he is saying the letters of the alphabet while he plays with it, even though the sounds aren't identifiable as specific letters yet. All in time. He'll get there before we know it.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
My Boys
I've been delaying writing the post all about what life is like with both boys because it seems that I can barely find a few minutes of empty arms (when I'm not trying to sleep) to organize my thoughts. Finally both boys are napping at the same time, though, so I'm taking full advantage of my five minutes before I expect Nathan to wake up hungry.
Nathan is fortunately taking after his big brother in one respect so far: his love of sleep. I can only hope this sticks around. He has plenty of awake periods during the day, but he tends to sleep well at night. He wakes up every three to four hours to nurse and sleeps--well, like a baby the rest of the time. I'm not suffering from lack of sleep nearly as badly as I expected to at this point. Of course, it helps that Patrick also consistently sleeps well all night, giving me plenty of time to catch as many z's as possible around Nathan's sleep schedule.
The only sleep problem we've encountered appears to have been a reaction to my diet. It seems that after making me crave so much chocolate for the last nine months, now Nathan has a strong reaction to it, keeping him awake like I'd had a cup of coffee shortly before. Any chocolate intake between lunch and bedtime will spell out a bad night's sleep for us all. That's not too cool of my youngest son.
Nathan is definitely a cuddler, too. I wondered when he was so reluctant to leave the warmth of my belly. During the day, he wants to be held as much as possible. The moments are rare when I can set him down happily for more than a couple of minutes at a time. He gets fussy quickly. Sometimes rocking him in his infant chair helps calm him down, and sometimes it doesn't. I need to try the swing that Patrick hated on Nathan. Maybe that will save my arms a little bit (not that I mind holding my baby one bit!).
Patrick is adjusting reasonably well. As expected, he's desperate for attention nearly all the time. Any time I have to hold or feed Nathan, Patrick is suddenly hovering around me, bringing me toys to play with with him or wanting to crawl into my lap. I can usually accommodate him, scooting over to hold him with the empty arm or playing along with whatever game he's playing with his toys at the moment. But sometimes even that isn't enough attention for him and his antics to get that attention get increasingly outlandish. Without a doubt, he knows what things are the biggest no-nos, and he'll go straight for those. Negative attention is still attention, after all.
At the same time, though, he seems to be coming to an awareness of his baby brother. There are times I've caught Patrick not only showing interest in Nathan but even doing something sweet for him. Patrick has stroked Nathan's hand or foot several times to attempt to calm his crying and even tried to rescue him from the infant chair when it was clear that was not where Nathan wanted to be (although that could have been either Patrick's newest obsession with latches or his possessiveness of the chair). He's also showing a lot of interest in the whole nursing thing. It hasn't gotten to the point of making me uncomfortable yet, but I'm starting to see boys' fascination with breasts. It certainly starts early!
I'm still waiting for a good opportunity to get pictures of the boys together. Right now the only way Patrick will get very close to Nathan is when I'm holding both of them, which makes taking pictures difficult. He's also a little careless about the "gentle" concept when it comes to his brother; I don't think he understands how much more fragile Nathan is than Mommy or Daddy. He's simply not mature enough to handle being alone next to his brother, much less holding him. It's too bad because I really want pictures of both my kids together.
Speaking of pictures, I've been taking them regularly of both boys, but as usual I'm running into the problem of finding computer time to download, edit, and post them. Trust me when I say you'll know right away when I do.
Nathan is fortunately taking after his big brother in one respect so far: his love of sleep. I can only hope this sticks around. He has plenty of awake periods during the day, but he tends to sleep well at night. He wakes up every three to four hours to nurse and sleeps--well, like a baby the rest of the time. I'm not suffering from lack of sleep nearly as badly as I expected to at this point. Of course, it helps that Patrick also consistently sleeps well all night, giving me plenty of time to catch as many z's as possible around Nathan's sleep schedule.
The only sleep problem we've encountered appears to have been a reaction to my diet. It seems that after making me crave so much chocolate for the last nine months, now Nathan has a strong reaction to it, keeping him awake like I'd had a cup of coffee shortly before. Any chocolate intake between lunch and bedtime will spell out a bad night's sleep for us all. That's not too cool of my youngest son.
Nathan is definitely a cuddler, too. I wondered when he was so reluctant to leave the warmth of my belly. During the day, he wants to be held as much as possible. The moments are rare when I can set him down happily for more than a couple of minutes at a time. He gets fussy quickly. Sometimes rocking him in his infant chair helps calm him down, and sometimes it doesn't. I need to try the swing that Patrick hated on Nathan. Maybe that will save my arms a little bit (not that I mind holding my baby one bit!).
Patrick is adjusting reasonably well. As expected, he's desperate for attention nearly all the time. Any time I have to hold or feed Nathan, Patrick is suddenly hovering around me, bringing me toys to play with with him or wanting to crawl into my lap. I can usually accommodate him, scooting over to hold him with the empty arm or playing along with whatever game he's playing with his toys at the moment. But sometimes even that isn't enough attention for him and his antics to get that attention get increasingly outlandish. Without a doubt, he knows what things are the biggest no-nos, and he'll go straight for those. Negative attention is still attention, after all.
At the same time, though, he seems to be coming to an awareness of his baby brother. There are times I've caught Patrick not only showing interest in Nathan but even doing something sweet for him. Patrick has stroked Nathan's hand or foot several times to attempt to calm his crying and even tried to rescue him from the infant chair when it was clear that was not where Nathan wanted to be (although that could have been either Patrick's newest obsession with latches or his possessiveness of the chair). He's also showing a lot of interest in the whole nursing thing. It hasn't gotten to the point of making me uncomfortable yet, but I'm starting to see boys' fascination with breasts. It certainly starts early!
I'm still waiting for a good opportunity to get pictures of the boys together. Right now the only way Patrick will get very close to Nathan is when I'm holding both of them, which makes taking pictures difficult. He's also a little careless about the "gentle" concept when it comes to his brother; I don't think he understands how much more fragile Nathan is than Mommy or Daddy. He's simply not mature enough to handle being alone next to his brother, much less holding him. It's too bad because I really want pictures of both my kids together.
Speaking of pictures, I've been taking them regularly of both boys, but as usual I'm running into the problem of finding computer time to download, edit, and post them. Trust me when I say you'll know right away when I do.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Two Check-Ups
Today we had check-ups for both boys. This was my first outing alone with the two of them, and I'm proud to say I survived. It was not without its mishaps, but they have more to do with having two kids who both need to be confined to either a stroller or infant chair while en route to the final destination. Ever try carrying an infant chair while pushing a stroller? It's not as easy as it looks, and trust me when I say it doesn't even look easy. Fortunately both boys were on their best behavior (until we were leaving and Nathan got hungry).
Okay, on to what the doctor said. Patrick was there a few days early for his two-year check-up. (Two years?! It still doesn't sound right to me.) He weighed in--on the big boy scale--at 21.8 pounds and is now 31 inches tall. Both are still remarkably small for his age but are big leaps based on his growth pattern over the past two years. In other words, the doctor was quite happy with his physical progress. He is also right on par developmentally, which was a relief to hear.
The funniest part was watching Patrick with the doctor. He recognized him for the grandfatherly type that he is and adopted him as part of the family right away. He was bringing him toys to play with and didn't resist at all to the poking and prodding. I think he kind of liked the attention. The doctor was thoroughly impressed with that, saying that most two-year-olds hate even being at the doctor's office.
Nathan's part of the appointment was even easier. He needed a routine blood check, which he naturally screamed through. Fortunately he's still at that age where he forgets pain quickly, and he stopped crying just a few minutes later. The most interesting part of his appointment was when they did his weight check. If you remember, he was born at 8 lbs, 2 oz and dropped to 7 lbs, 10 oz by his appointment last Tuesday. He weighed in at 8 lbs, 11 oz today. That's up a full pound in about a week. Yeah, I doubt we'll have too much trouble keeping him on the charts.
Okay, on to what the doctor said. Patrick was there a few days early for his two-year check-up. (Two years?! It still doesn't sound right to me.) He weighed in--on the big boy scale--at 21.8 pounds and is now 31 inches tall. Both are still remarkably small for his age but are big leaps based on his growth pattern over the past two years. In other words, the doctor was quite happy with his physical progress. He is also right on par developmentally, which was a relief to hear.
The funniest part was watching Patrick with the doctor. He recognized him for the grandfatherly type that he is and adopted him as part of the family right away. He was bringing him toys to play with and didn't resist at all to the poking and prodding. I think he kind of liked the attention. The doctor was thoroughly impressed with that, saying that most two-year-olds hate even being at the doctor's office.
Nathan's part of the appointment was even easier. He needed a routine blood check, which he naturally screamed through. Fortunately he's still at that age where he forgets pain quickly, and he stopped crying just a few minutes later. The most interesting part of his appointment was when they did his weight check. If you remember, he was born at 8 lbs, 2 oz and dropped to 7 lbs, 10 oz by his appointment last Tuesday. He weighed in at 8 lbs, 11 oz today. That's up a full pound in about a week. Yeah, I doubt we'll have too much trouble keeping him on the charts.
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