August was our first month as a family of five. It has been tiring, but fun. I love seeing our children interact and enjoy spending time with each other. As summer is coming to a close, I look forward to a more structured schedule, but I will miss this extended time we've had together.
Ethan is 6.5 weeks old and such a wonderful little guy. He stays pretty happy most of the time. He eats every 2-3 hours (still including nights). He will easily take a bottle. He is quickly soothed by a pacifier, but we've found that he doesn't sleep as soundly when he falls asleep with it in his mouth, so we are trying to limit its use. He is sleeping in the rock-n-sleep at night, not swaddled. He will nap in his bouncy seat or carseat during the day, but his favorite place to nap is in someone's arms. He tolerates some playtime on the floor and tolerates it much longer when Claire and James are nearby. Claire loves to help take care of him. She likes to pick out diapers, clothes, socks, burp cloths, and toys. She hugs him often and always wants to know where he is. She talks to him in a very sweet little voice and mimics things that she hears us say, such as "Oh, it's ok Ethan" and "He's wide awake!" Claire loves to get to hold Ethan. We use the boppy pillow to prop him up in her lap. James isn't as interested in Ethan, but occasionally gives him some attention, especially if he's on the floor. James approaches Ethan in the bouncy seat and says in a kind voice, "Hi Ethan!" He has transitioned from "E-tin" to "E-fin" in his pronunciation. James always comes over to Ethan when he is on the floor and sits or lays down next to him. James doesn't quite grasp the necessity to be gentle around Ethan, so we're watching him closely. He also likes to snatch Ethan's pacifier and blankets. He knows that Ethan is his little "brudder."
James is now 22 months old. He communicates his needs very well verbally. He has transitioned from saying "dih" to "yes" to "yeah." We're working to switching him back to "yes." Some funny phrases he uses are "Wha happene?" and "Better?" (for example, in the context of me telling him to pat Ethan more gently). He plays peek-a-boo a lot but prefers to pronounce "Peekee-boo" (it's really cute). He'll ask what you're doing by saying "mnhya Doin?" or will here a noise and ask "Dat sound?" He has started saying "Thank you" appropriately, and it's very sweet. He is quick to say "Bless you ____" when he hears a sneeze. He is doing well at beginning to put several words together into phrases and sentences.
James loves anything with wheels. He is usually pretty happy in the car, excitedly pointing out other vehicles. He loves his toy cars and trains. He loves to talk about "DADDY BLACK TRUCK!" He is really into coloring and will sit for long periods of time, switching crayon colors every few seconds. James recognizes all his capital letters and loves to sing the ABC song. He is working on counting and can count up to 10 pretty well.
James and I are taking a Kindermusik class this fall. He has been pretty clingy during class but will leave me to put away instruments and play with scarves. James is also in his own little Community Bible Study class where he will learn Bible stories, songs, and memory verses.
James is still a picky eater. His favorite foods are cereal, oatmeal, PB&J sandwiches, crackers, yogurt, and cheese. We still make smoothies several times a week to make sure he's getting fruits and vegetables. Sometimes he will eat grapes, but it's either all or nothing. James sleeps from about 8:00 pm until 7:15 am. He usually naps 1.5-2 hours in the afternoon but he's skipped several naps lately. James wakes up from his naps horribly grumpy and inconsolable most afternoons. The best we can do is to just put him down on the floor (kicking and screaming) and start playing with his toys with the hope that he will eventually join in. James is wearing 24 month clothes and size 4 diapers. He's had 2 new teeth take their time coming in, making a total of 14.
Claire is full of imagination these days and just loves pretend play. This week, she asked for boxes so that she could play shoe store. I gave her some plastic bins and a tub of hand-me-down shoes that we have. Two hours later, I came into her room to find different stuffed animals everywhere, each with a pair of shoes that had been purchased at her store. She could tell me all about what the animals were doing and their new shoes. She also loves to have pretend birthday parties and take care of her dolls.
Claire loves to dance to "ballet music" and continues to come up with some wonderful new ways to dance. She puts her hands on a wall and throws a leg back with her head, or she'll tiptoe and twirl with her hands up in the air. She recently started shaking her hips... which is hilarious even though Matt looks a little concerned since he can't figure out where she learned it. Claire also has some new habits such as having "two/three things to say/ask;" these are usually half nonsense and always about completely unexpected topics.
Claire continues to ask "why" about everything but is much better now about answering when the question is redirected back to her. Once in a while, Matt will give a very extensive answer to a question and finish with a new vocabulary word and she doesn't shy away from participating. Lately, she's learned about displacement, context, and scabs (how a boo-boo heals). We had a funny moment when she learned about something that was "heavy" to which she said "like traffic!"... which, I'll admit, is probably the most common use of the term around a child growing up near Atlanta.
Claire is still a good eater. She sleeps from 8:30 pm until 8:00 am. She doesn't nap very often anymore, but has her quiet play time for a few hours every afternoon. She is wearing 3T clothes but may need 4T soon.
The most common phrase that I hear from people, friends and strangers alike, is "You have your hands full." It's true, I do. But it's wonderful and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
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