Life has hit a good little groove around here.
Barrett is going to preschool Tuesday and Thursday 9-12. He is also doing swimming lessons Monday, Wednesday, Friday for 30 minutes each time. This is is second 10 lesson session and he is loving it! Last week he back floated and kicked all the way accross the 25 meter pool - by himself! He is also jumping off the diving board and flipping onto his back after. He still has a lot to learn and isn't too into the whole face in the water, swim to the instructor thing yet - but he is progressing so well. We have him signed up for MWF all the way until the end of march with 2 sessions added on Tuesday/Thursday nights with a good friend of ours for good measure! So there will be a 6 week session in January and February where he will be going 5 days a week! He was in gymnastics for a little bit in September and October, but he loved swimming so much that we have kind of committed to doing that intensively for a while. I am sure we will add gymnastics or something else down the road, but for now, swimming is working out really well.
Gentry and I go to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday when Barrett is in Preschool and I also try to hit the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday (or at least 2 of 3) after swimming. Gentry has been a really good sport about just getting dragged around to Barrett's activities. He isn't the best at sitting still though. At the pool, I basically chase him around the whole time and try to keep him from falling into the pool. I can't wait for him to be able to do lessons too although you have to be 3 and that wont happent until May 2016 which seems really far away.
Barrett is loving school and has been coming home singing songs. He can sing all of twinkle twinkle and he was singing Jingle Bells (the first 2 lines) today. He has absolutely no ability to carry a melody which is pretty funny. At parent teacher conferences I learned that he loves to gather things, is "kind of" playing with 2 of the other boys, enjoys participating in everything and can get kind of wild in circle time. He also loves building toys and the cash register.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
My boys at 3 and 16 months
I find it so interesting having 2 boys 18 months apart. It's so fun to see all the ways in which they are similar and the many more ways in which they are different. It blows my mind on a daily basis how, two boys, from the same parents and so close together can be so very different.
Barrett loves fruit. When he eats a burger or a sandwich, he eats the insides and discards the bun or bread. He hardly eats (it seems). He will eat anything for the most part, just not very much. He favors any fruit or berry, yogurt, carrots and sweets...the kid has a sweet tooth which clearly didn't come from me. He loves to help, with everything. He can build with legos for a long period of time. He really is a self directed kind of kid. He plays in the sandbox, in the yard, in the house without needing a lot of intervention. He is also stubborn and hates to go down for naps (and always kind of has). He loves to cuddle and needs some time to wake up in the morning. Generally, he likes to sleep in. Sometimes I have to wake him up for preschool and he will say "lighs off mama! Sleeping." He sleeps mostly calmly and right next to Nick (like glue). He is pretty controled emotionally but when he is tired he gets naughty and does everything he knows he shouldn't do. He is busy and active and very good with his body (jumping, running, kicking, swinging a golf club, etc). He is like a cartoon character. He will do things like a full belly flop off from the swings and onto the grass, grin really big and get up and do it again. He smiles often.
Gentry loves food. Any food. Doesn't matter. He eats. A lot. Fruit, veggies, bread, spaghetti, meat - I mean seriously whatever. The kid just likes food. He feeds himself and he is very enthusiastic about it. If he had a theme song it would be the "food glorious food" song from Ice Age the Meltdown. He is fast and mischievious but the biggest cuddle ever. He is so easy to put down for naps but then wakes right up when he is done and is so cheerful and happy and ready for the day. He also wakes early and is spritely and ready to go! (insert the poor mama face here). He wants to do what Barrett is doing. He also wants to do things himself. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. If he is mad, he cries - loud - and hard. He is busy with a capital B. He is tough - like really really tough - like kind of a badass he is so tough. The things that Barrett has done (intentionally or not but mostly just wrestling too hard) and Gentry has just taken like a man are countless. He is the most terrible person to share a bed with. He twirls and kicks and moves and pushes. I call him "the bad citizen" for his sleeptime antics (he goes to bed in his crib but always ends up with us...) He loves to be chased. He runs fast for how little he is and giggles and laughs and thinks it is like, the funniest thing ever. Lately he has been doing this "evil" laugh all the time and it seriously is the funniest thing. Muahahahahahah!
Barrett loves fruit. When he eats a burger or a sandwich, he eats the insides and discards the bun or bread. He hardly eats (it seems). He will eat anything for the most part, just not very much. He favors any fruit or berry, yogurt, carrots and sweets...the kid has a sweet tooth which clearly didn't come from me. He loves to help, with everything. He can build with legos for a long period of time. He really is a self directed kind of kid. He plays in the sandbox, in the yard, in the house without needing a lot of intervention. He is also stubborn and hates to go down for naps (and always kind of has). He loves to cuddle and needs some time to wake up in the morning. Generally, he likes to sleep in. Sometimes I have to wake him up for preschool and he will say "lighs off mama! Sleeping." He sleeps mostly calmly and right next to Nick (like glue). He is pretty controled emotionally but when he is tired he gets naughty and does everything he knows he shouldn't do. He is busy and active and very good with his body (jumping, running, kicking, swinging a golf club, etc). He is like a cartoon character. He will do things like a full belly flop off from the swings and onto the grass, grin really big and get up and do it again. He smiles often.
Gentry loves food. Any food. Doesn't matter. He eats. A lot. Fruit, veggies, bread, spaghetti, meat - I mean seriously whatever. The kid just likes food. He feeds himself and he is very enthusiastic about it. If he had a theme song it would be the "food glorious food" song from Ice Age the Meltdown. He is fast and mischievious but the biggest cuddle ever. He is so easy to put down for naps but then wakes right up when he is done and is so cheerful and happy and ready for the day. He also wakes early and is spritely and ready to go! (insert the poor mama face here). He wants to do what Barrett is doing. He also wants to do things himself. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. If he is mad, he cries - loud - and hard. He is busy with a capital B. He is tough - like really really tough - like kind of a badass he is so tough. The things that Barrett has done (intentionally or not but mostly just wrestling too hard) and Gentry has just taken like a man are countless. He is the most terrible person to share a bed with. He twirls and kicks and moves and pushes. I call him "the bad citizen" for his sleeptime antics (he goes to bed in his crib but always ends up with us...) He loves to be chased. He runs fast for how little he is and giggles and laughs and thinks it is like, the funniest thing ever. Lately he has been doing this "evil" laugh all the time and it seriously is the funniest thing. Muahahahahahah!
Thursday, September 25, 2014
September Update
Oh my - where does the time go! Life with young boys is crazy. Fun but crazy. Time for blogging seems to be at a minimum. Then when I do consider it I'm think to myself - do I update from now forward? Or try to go back... But honestly, I don't think I have the brain capacity to go back. It's lost in diapers, meals, trying to get out the door in a timely manner, worrying about whether I am being a good parent, codling too much - er maybe not enough. Should Barrett be getting himself dressed by now? Should I worry that we aren't potty trained? Or that both kids sleep in bed with us? Nah - or whatever I guess. I have 2 happy and healthy boys so perhaps those questions are unnecessary. When I drop Barrett off at preschool, he waves goodbye and happily goes off to play and learn...seems pretty well adjusted to me! When I send Gentry to the gym Kids Club, he generally takes a nap.
So what are we up to lately?
Barrett started preschool at Resurrection Catholic Preschool in their 2's program. Because his birthday is in September he will always be oldest in his class, but he was ready for some type of preschool so we found one that had a 2's program. He LOVES it. He gets to paint, draw, play, ride trikes, do music, learn pouring and mixing and all kinds of useful things like waiting his turn, washing his hands, following directions! He goes in happily and it is always hard to get him to leave. He seems more mature and seems to have picked up some fun new skills/phrases. He can sing part of twinkle twinkle little star. "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what ...doo...rar!"
He started gymnastics one day a week and loves to follow the teacher and jump in the foam pit, hang from anything, run around on the floor and do the warm up song. It is a great way for him to learn direction following and waiting his turn.
Gentry continues to be a spirited little sprite! His favorite and most frequently used word is "Go!" He follows directions really well (when he wants to), can say "down" and some other words but like his brother is really a man of few words. He likes to do what Barrett is doing (and Barrett doesn't always appreciate it).
For the most part the boys love to do things together and when Gentry isn't with us, Barrett will ask where Gentry is. Barrett loves to help me cook and will bring his chair into the kitchen every time I start to cook. They both love to play in the yard and love going to the pool to go swimming. Both boys are pretty funny. Barrett has a more dry humor that can be a bit harder to get. Gentry is just a ham.
So obviously a lot more has happened since my last post ages ago...but a mama has to start somewhere. And has to finish quickly before the boys tear the house apart during my brief "break."
So what are we up to lately?
Barrett started preschool at Resurrection Catholic Preschool in their 2's program. Because his birthday is in September he will always be oldest in his class, but he was ready for some type of preschool so we found one that had a 2's program. He LOVES it. He gets to paint, draw, play, ride trikes, do music, learn pouring and mixing and all kinds of useful things like waiting his turn, washing his hands, following directions! He goes in happily and it is always hard to get him to leave. He seems more mature and seems to have picked up some fun new skills/phrases. He can sing part of twinkle twinkle little star. "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what ...doo...rar!"
He started gymnastics one day a week and loves to follow the teacher and jump in the foam pit, hang from anything, run around on the floor and do the warm up song. It is a great way for him to learn direction following and waiting his turn.
Gentry continues to be a spirited little sprite! His favorite and most frequently used word is "Go!" He follows directions really well (when he wants to), can say "down" and some other words but like his brother is really a man of few words. He likes to do what Barrett is doing (and Barrett doesn't always appreciate it).
For the most part the boys love to do things together and when Gentry isn't with us, Barrett will ask where Gentry is. Barrett loves to help me cook and will bring his chair into the kitchen every time I start to cook. They both love to play in the yard and love going to the pool to go swimming. Both boys are pretty funny. Barrett has a more dry humor that can be a bit harder to get. Gentry is just a ham.
So obviously a lot more has happened since my last post ages ago...but a mama has to start somewhere. And has to finish quickly before the boys tear the house apart during my brief "break."
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Things Kiddos
Things Barrett:
- When he goes to bed at night, he gives you a kiss and says "kiss", says "honk" and honks your nose, and says "hug" and gives you a hug
- When he is in the bath will scoot over and say "Gaanty too" (Gentry too) and pat the spot next to him.
- Thinks bubbles are ice and says "ice"
- Confuses hot and cold. When it is really cold he will say "hot" sometimes
- Likes Wall-E, Toy Story I,II,III, Cars I,II, Baby Einstein, Ice Age I,II,III,IV
- Talks quite a bit. Not full sentences but he will say multiple words together like "Gentry eat more" "Mama outside" "Eat cookie"
- Takes a while to warm up to situations and tends to be quiet and shy at first
- Likes playdough, coloring with chalk or markers (and an isolated incident on the wall), cars and trucks, blocks, toy tools, toy kitchens and play food, balls
- At kids club at the gym goes back and forth between playing with other kids and playing alone, likes to run around a lot.
Things Gentry:
- Bear crawls and crawls
- Says Mama
- Likes to be held but lunges at things when you are holding him which makes holding him hard
- Does not like to go to sleep, I think he doesn't want to miss anything.
- Love all things Barrett. What B is doing, playing with, where he is going.
- Thinks Barrett is hilarious. If B does something, he laughs. B can rile him up very easily.
- Eats everything. And he must be growing because he eats A LOT.
- Wearing 9 and 12 month clothes and weighs around 21lbs. Unlike tiny B, he is pretty big.
- Still smiles all the time but is also going through a fussy phase. I think he may be teething plus he always cries when it is time to go to sleep so I think that not wanting to miss anything causes him to get over tired.
- Still takes a paci and is still nursing. Less during the day but other than a fluke night where he slept through the night, he still wakes to eat several times.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
October Catch Up
Sometimes it is so hard to take the time to write a blog post. Often I find that our lives are full and busy but to put it into a blog post - well, suddenly it becomes repetitive, mundane perhaps.
The kids are growing by the day. Having 2 a mere 19 months apart - it's hard, it's fun, it's chaotic, it's exhausting, it never lets up. During nap time (if I am fortunate enough that both will sleep at the same time) I have grand ideas of blogging, reading blogs, cooking and cleaning. Sometimes I end up just sitting on my couch with pandora playing on my phone. Sometimes I mindlessly scroll through facebook looking at nothing in particular. Sometimes I debate getting off facebook and finding a way to make my phone be less mindlessly alluring. Stupid phone. Scrolling and searching and looking at - nothing really. The ultimate time waster.
Our days have been filled with diaper changes, meal times, the week where I pulled out the mediterranean cookbook and cooked time consuming meals during naps and beyond (it only lasted a week), gym time, thinking about yard work and then not doing it (somehow I just end up holding G all the time). The days are long and some are easy and others are unending. I think the kids gang up on us sometimes - like "hey, I will throw a tantrum and get all worked up, get mom nice and frazzled...then, you need to finish her off with a bout of gas."
G is so close to rolling back to front. He gets his little legs moving to the side, looks for things, reaches for them but doesn't quite make it. He is jolly with a smile that just can't be contained and dimples that sink so deep into his overly chubby cheeks. We call him chunk and other names that most people would be aghast at...terms of endearment in our eyes but I am sure other people would not view it that way.
B is talking a little more. His language has yet to blossom the way I envisioned it but he is a very effective communicator and understands complex instruction so I am not getting to worked up or worried about it. I try to remind myself that adults have varying degrees of talkativeness and perhaps he won't be the most talkative person in the future. Heck, Einstein didn't talk until he was 4.
I have found that I am evolving as a person so much. I falsely believed that once you were an adult, you really kind of were set in your ways. Everyone says people change but I guess it didn't really sink in that I would change so much. It is so interesting to have new thoughts and ideas about things that I never thought I would have. In my early and mid 20's I can't say I ever thought about the second amendment, private school, home school, political beliefs, government, religion or debt. Somehow all of these things have become important to me. I would say part of it results from having kids. You really start to think about the world in a different way. You think further than yourself and you think about the types of people you hope to help shape.
The school thing has been a very interesting change. I suppose before I had kids, I just either didn't think about schooling or just made the assumption that yea, kids go to public school - they learn - they do well - they graduate. It seems that schools have changed so much tho. Social media. I am so thankful that social media didn't exist when I was in school. For the distraction. For the ability to bully facelessly(ish). For the inherent narcissism it creates in people. Class sizes. When did 30 become the minimum with a continuous push upwards? Standardized testing. And how do we determine what is important for standardized tests? What is relevant? The disappearance of physical education (never mind the fact that our nation is getting more and more obese), art, music - basically the disappearance of things that keep us healthy and creative (or perhaps the things that allow us to be original). Mainstreaming (I won't go into that one). Bullying, shootings, violence. Huge schools. When did it become normal for elementary schools to have 500 kids? All of this has me thinking and debating. We have a ways to go before we are in school - we have 4 years for B and 5 for G before they are in kindergarten so we have some time to make some decisions - but it is something I think about often. Homeschool in the early years? Would this make them weird? Outcasts? Halt socialization? Would be be more relaxed and have more quality time with eacholther? Would the kids learn more/less than their peers? Or perhaps private school where class sizes are more controlled and the curriculum has more leeway. A religious private school? Something else? When I became a parent I knew that there would be decisions but I didn't realize there would be so many and that it would feel as though those decisions were really so life altering for the kids. So much of a persons identity begins to be formed in school, through the friends they make, the things they learn, the environment they are in and their general experience. But seriously, no pressure for picking the right path for them...no pressure at all!
But mostly, we just spend our days busy - playgroups, the gym, playing, learning, being outside, being a family.
The kids are growing by the day. Having 2 a mere 19 months apart - it's hard, it's fun, it's chaotic, it's exhausting, it never lets up. During nap time (if I am fortunate enough that both will sleep at the same time) I have grand ideas of blogging, reading blogs, cooking and cleaning. Sometimes I end up just sitting on my couch with pandora playing on my phone. Sometimes I mindlessly scroll through facebook looking at nothing in particular. Sometimes I debate getting off facebook and finding a way to make my phone be less mindlessly alluring. Stupid phone. Scrolling and searching and looking at - nothing really. The ultimate time waster.
Our days have been filled with diaper changes, meal times, the week where I pulled out the mediterranean cookbook and cooked time consuming meals during naps and beyond (it only lasted a week), gym time, thinking about yard work and then not doing it (somehow I just end up holding G all the time). The days are long and some are easy and others are unending. I think the kids gang up on us sometimes - like "hey, I will throw a tantrum and get all worked up, get mom nice and frazzled...then, you need to finish her off with a bout of gas."
G is so close to rolling back to front. He gets his little legs moving to the side, looks for things, reaches for them but doesn't quite make it. He is jolly with a smile that just can't be contained and dimples that sink so deep into his overly chubby cheeks. We call him chunk and other names that most people would be aghast at...terms of endearment in our eyes but I am sure other people would not view it that way.
B is talking a little more. His language has yet to blossom the way I envisioned it but he is a very effective communicator and understands complex instruction so I am not getting to worked up or worried about it. I try to remind myself that adults have varying degrees of talkativeness and perhaps he won't be the most talkative person in the future. Heck, Einstein didn't talk until he was 4.
I have found that I am evolving as a person so much. I falsely believed that once you were an adult, you really kind of were set in your ways. Everyone says people change but I guess it didn't really sink in that I would change so much. It is so interesting to have new thoughts and ideas about things that I never thought I would have. In my early and mid 20's I can't say I ever thought about the second amendment, private school, home school, political beliefs, government, religion or debt. Somehow all of these things have become important to me. I would say part of it results from having kids. You really start to think about the world in a different way. You think further than yourself and you think about the types of people you hope to help shape.
The school thing has been a very interesting change. I suppose before I had kids, I just either didn't think about schooling or just made the assumption that yea, kids go to public school - they learn - they do well - they graduate. It seems that schools have changed so much tho. Social media. I am so thankful that social media didn't exist when I was in school. For the distraction. For the ability to bully facelessly(ish). For the inherent narcissism it creates in people. Class sizes. When did 30 become the minimum with a continuous push upwards? Standardized testing. And how do we determine what is important for standardized tests? What is relevant? The disappearance of physical education (never mind the fact that our nation is getting more and more obese), art, music - basically the disappearance of things that keep us healthy and creative (or perhaps the things that allow us to be original). Mainstreaming (I won't go into that one). Bullying, shootings, violence. Huge schools. When did it become normal for elementary schools to have 500 kids? All of this has me thinking and debating. We have a ways to go before we are in school - we have 4 years for B and 5 for G before they are in kindergarten so we have some time to make some decisions - but it is something I think about often. Homeschool in the early years? Would this make them weird? Outcasts? Halt socialization? Would be be more relaxed and have more quality time with eacholther? Would the kids learn more/less than their peers? Or perhaps private school where class sizes are more controlled and the curriculum has more leeway. A religious private school? Something else? When I became a parent I knew that there would be decisions but I didn't realize there would be so many and that it would feel as though those decisions were really so life altering for the kids. So much of a persons identity begins to be formed in school, through the friends they make, the things they learn, the environment they are in and their general experience. But seriously, no pressure for picking the right path for them...no pressure at all!
But mostly, we just spend our days busy - playgroups, the gym, playing, learning, being outside, being a family.
Friday, July 19, 2013
A Sleep Story
Once upon a time there was a 22 month old boy named Barrett. He was a terrible sleeper. For naps, we had to hold his hand through the slats in the crib. Before we graduated to the crib we had to take him for walks in the stroller, drives in the car, or rock him and rock him in the infant car seat. When we transitioned to the crib, he would cry unless you were holding his hand. Sometimes getting to sleep lasted for an hour or more. It was rough.
Then one day, I decided to just let him go to sleep on his own. He was 21 months old, seemed capable and ready so we tried it. I gave him 2 pacifiers, told him to cuddle up and that I wouldn't be back in to give the pacifiers back if he threw then out of the crib and then left.
He cried for 15 minutes, then fell asleep. This same process repeated for several days. Now, with minimal crying, he goes down for a nap. He sleeps for 1-3 hours and (usually) wakes up rested.
Then one day, about a half a month ago, he slept through the night. THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! This folks was the second time EVER in his 21.5 months. Since then, I would say we have had 5-8 nights where he has slept through the night. Let me sit back and say that again. 5-8 nights where he slept through the night....ah. Magical words with a wonderful ring. Through...the...night.
No sleep training.
No cry it out.
(Don't worry, I am a mom of two boys 19 months apart. I don't judge ANY parenting decision, we are all just surviving)
But here's my take on the matter anyway.
Some kids are just poor sleepers. Maybe they are hungry, scared, hot, cold, startle easy...whatever. So because Johnny over there sleeps through the night from the get go and Jimmy doesn't...well it's the luck of the draw. In my opinion, sleep training doesn't work. If your kid is like mine and is a CRAPPY sleeper, they will remain that way until they are ready to be a good sleeper. Who knows what caused the switch. That's like trying to figure out why some kids wet the bed for a long time and why some kids don't. Biology. I never sleep trained Barrett and honestly, I can almost guarantee it would not have worked. For whatever reason, Biologically he wasn't ready to sleep "through the night." And as his mom, I just had to deal with it. (It was hard).
Enter baby 2. Mr. Gentry. He sleeps great at 2.5 months. Like really super great. If he would have been my first the moms in mom groups would have HATED me because I would have been like, what's the big deal? Just put them down (not swaddled or anything) and they will sleep really well. Gentry wakes up 1 time per night and sometimes max 3. And no swaddle, no arms wrapped around my neck co-sleeping, no super crying. Wake. Eat. Sleep. Instant. The good news for all moms is that I got my reality check on sleep with Barrett. Oh boy did I ever.
Like I said. Biology. Not sleep training. Not parenting style. Not genetics. Individual kids are individually different. With individually different problems.
But anyway - the end of my story is BARRETT HAS SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT SEVERAL TIMES!!!!!! CAN I GET A WHAT WHAT!!!!!!!!!!
Then one day, I decided to just let him go to sleep on his own. He was 21 months old, seemed capable and ready so we tried it. I gave him 2 pacifiers, told him to cuddle up and that I wouldn't be back in to give the pacifiers back if he threw then out of the crib and then left.
He cried for 15 minutes, then fell asleep. This same process repeated for several days. Now, with minimal crying, he goes down for a nap. He sleeps for 1-3 hours and (usually) wakes up rested.
Then one day, about a half a month ago, he slept through the night. THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! This folks was the second time EVER in his 21.5 months. Since then, I would say we have had 5-8 nights where he has slept through the night. Let me sit back and say that again. 5-8 nights where he slept through the night....ah. Magical words with a wonderful ring. Through...the...night.
No sleep training.
No cry it out.
(Don't worry, I am a mom of two boys 19 months apart. I don't judge ANY parenting decision, we are all just surviving)
But here's my take on the matter anyway.
Some kids are just poor sleepers. Maybe they are hungry, scared, hot, cold, startle easy...whatever. So because Johnny over there sleeps through the night from the get go and Jimmy doesn't...well it's the luck of the draw. In my opinion, sleep training doesn't work. If your kid is like mine and is a CRAPPY sleeper, they will remain that way until they are ready to be a good sleeper. Who knows what caused the switch. That's like trying to figure out why some kids wet the bed for a long time and why some kids don't. Biology. I never sleep trained Barrett and honestly, I can almost guarantee it would not have worked. For whatever reason, Biologically he wasn't ready to sleep "through the night." And as his mom, I just had to deal with it. (It was hard).
Enter baby 2. Mr. Gentry. He sleeps great at 2.5 months. Like really super great. If he would have been my first the moms in mom groups would have HATED me because I would have been like, what's the big deal? Just put them down (not swaddled or anything) and they will sleep really well. Gentry wakes up 1 time per night and sometimes max 3. And no swaddle, no arms wrapped around my neck co-sleeping, no super crying. Wake. Eat. Sleep. Instant. The good news for all moms is that I got my reality check on sleep with Barrett. Oh boy did I ever.
Like I said. Biology. Not sleep training. Not parenting style. Not genetics. Individual kids are individually different. With individually different problems.
But anyway - the end of my story is BARRETT HAS SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT SEVERAL TIMES!!!!!! CAN I GET A WHAT WHAT!!!!!!!!!!
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