Not a Baby, Not a Big Kid

Post-Vaccination Sundae

Nick had his two-year check-up last week. We have a happy, healthy boy on our hands! Height and weight are both at 75% (30 pounds and 2' 11.5"), so big, but not too big! He received his final vaccine until age five and didn't so much as frown. Tough kid! The biggest trauma of the day was taking off his coat. Nick loves his outerwear and was not down with shedding it. We had a little wrestling match, and he threw a tantrum, but at least we were able to get it out of the way before the doctor came in.

While I could do without the tantrums, I love this age! Nick's language skills are taking off quickly and pretty much everything he says is adorable. I love having little conversations with him. A favorite from the weekend was:

Me: Are you a baby?
N: No!
Me: Are you a big kid?
N: No!
Me: Well, what are you then?
N: I'm Nick! (said with a look and tone of -- why are you asking me these stupid questions?)

But, really, could there be a better answer for that line of questioning? He’s not a baby or a big kid. He’s in that perfectly wonderful middle zone that is toddlerhood and I want to soak it all up!

He's really getting his independent streak; these days we're getting a lot of  "me do it" or "No, Mommy/Daddy! Myself!" He can climb both up and down the stairs by himself and can almost jump, but not quite. That's okay--I love his little gallop as he tries.

Nick's still very much his Daddy's boy, especially when he's tired. Just this morning, I tried to take him from Mark's arms, so he could start getting ready for work and Nick wailed and screamed as if I were a stranger. This happens a lot. I do not care for it.  Usually, Lainey will comfort me and say, "I want you Mommy," and give me a hug, but she was still snoozing this morning.

Nick is an ornery little boy and gets into his share of mischief. He likes to test the limits, just like his big sister. But, where Lainey has always been stubborn and outright defiant, Nick is a little more playful in his trouble-making, so sometimes I am a little too lenient with discipline. He definitely gets away with some behavior that would have sent Lainey straight to the thinking chair. What can I say? He's my baby!

One piece of behavior that we aren't tolerating (and is making me a little nervous) is biting. There have been several instances where he's tried biting Lainey, but usually it was in retaliation to her being overly rough with him or restraining him. While this still earned him a time out, I didn't worry about it too much given the circumstances. But, last Friday he bit another kid at school who simply took his toy away. YIKES!!!  The teachers said they were very surprised and had never seen behavior like that from him before, so I really, really, really hope it's a one-time thing. Maybe I jinxed us, because the night before Nick had tried to bite Lainey and I said to Mark, "at least he hasn't bitten any of the kids at school."  Or perhaps, Lianey didn't appreciate my cavalier attitude to Nick's attack and planted the seed in his head to start using this tactic on others (I wouldn't put it past her).

The biting aside, I have few complaints about my boy. He's generally a very easy kid. He's happy, eats well, goes to bed easily, and sleeps through the night (even if he does rise a tad on the early side). Fingers crossed he stays this agreeable (and keeps his teeth to himself)!!!

Math Whiz

Smarty Pants 

I try not to brag about my kids too much, not only not to be that obnoxious parent, but also not to put too much pressure on them. But, sometimes I’ve just got to let it out. And this is one of those moments. My girl has some big, beautiful brains in that big, beautiful head!

A few weeks ago, we started casually introducing addition and subtraction to Lainey. We didn’t really expect her to latch on—it was just something to do one afternoon. But…

Last week, Mark asked Lainey how many crackers she wanted for a snack. Lainey said, “Four! No, FIVE! Two for me, two for Nick, and then we each get a half.” What?!! Mark was beside himself, and I thought it was pretty cool, but brushed it off as a fluke.

This past weekend, I was telling the story to Dad, Sharon, and Chris. Lainey chimed in with “Now I want THREE-and-a-half for me, and three-and-a-half for Nick.” Chris asked her how many that would be and without so much as a pause, she said, “Seven.” Even my jaw dropped this time—I had to admit that was pretty impressive.

She does better with word problems than a straight “what does 2 plus 2 equal?,” and she likes to make up her own—“if I have three cupcakes, and I eat one, and another one, and another one, I won’t have any cupcakes left.” Sometimes she has to use her fingers to figure out the answer, but she still gets there most of the time.

I know these are really basic math concepts, but I still think it’s pretty awesome that she’s picking them up so easily—and even cooler that she seems to be having fun with it! Oh little Laineybug! You surprise and challenge me every day. I hope this enthusiasm for learning sticks with you through the tougher years.

So, that’s all—my little girl can do math. No big whoop. Thanks for indulging me in my “my child’s a genius” moment!

Two Trips Around the Sun

Reach for it, Nick!
 

Today our little Nicholas celebrated his second birthday! In the words of Laineybug, "Hubbawha??!!" In my mind, he's still just a baby--even as he becomes harder to carry and begins to speak in sentences, I still want to reach for a bottle and cradle him in my arms.

We celebrated Nick's birthday yesterday with Grandpa Anderson, Sharon, Uncle Chris, and Grandma Brandi via Skype (seriously, how wonderful is it that we can share moments like these in real time even when we can't be together physically ?) I'm really glad we decided to do the party a day early, because Nick got several outside toys and while the weather was relatively nice on Saturday, the temperatures dropped a bit today. Nick loved his cake (of course) and made the bold choice to eat it using his dinosaur instead of a fork. The dinosaurs were intended as a cake topper, but Lainey found them on the counter right before the cake reveal and gave them to Nick--he wasn't so keen on handing them back over. This was a "let it go" moment. I couldn't see the reasoning in making him cry, just so I could present a less lame cake. Especially when it was his party and he could care less what the cake looked like.

As far as gifts, Nick made out like a bandit. Lainey opened more of his presents than he did, but he didn't seem to mind. Uncle Chris made quite the splash with a Millenium Falcon, which Nick has played with pretty much non-stop. Grandpa and Sharon spoiled as always with a basketball hoop, t-ball set, foam blocks, and a toddler flashlight. We brought up the rear with a new tricycle. We were smarter this time around and got one with the steering handle that allows you push your tot, if they give up on the pedaling. He loved it!

Oh Nick, I love you so much. Even when you shun me and favor your Daddy, I don't hold a grudge. You can ignore me for days, and I'll still scoop you up and give you hugs and kisses whenever, wherever. I know I need to soak up all your sweet cuddles now, because some day I'm going to get a roll of the eyes and an armless lean in when I go to hug you. And I promise not to hold a grudge then either (or at least I'll try not to)--it's all a part of growing up. For now, I'll treasure every slobbery kiss and full body, knock-me-over, bear hug you give. You are the sweetest little boy and more wonderful than I could ever have hoped. You make every single day a little brighter just by being part of this world. Happy Birthday, Little Buddy! I can't wait to watch you grow (just not so fast, okay?)!

In addition to not giving up the dinosaur, he wasn't too keen on sharing the cake either.
Good thing I had cupcakes for everyone else!

A Walk to Remember

Aaaah! Spring gave us a lovely preview this weekend. It was wonderful to be outside without 20 layers weighing us down. We spent as much time outside as possible, enjoying being free from the confines of the house.

Yesterday morning, while Mark was off getting a haircut, the kids wanted to go for a walk. It all started off so well. The kids happily walking together. Lainey's arm hugging Nick's shoulder. Me, following behind, casually sipping my coffee. Lainey was pointing out the airplanes in the sky, and Nick seemed to be on a pinecone scavenger hunt. Every time he found one, he'd grab it, shout "PINECONE," and then hurl it into someone's yard.

Well, because Nick was stopping every three feet to throw a pinecone, he and I ended up lagging a bit on Lainey. When we were about half way around the block, I told her to come back and walk with us. She whirled around and started running toward us, only to trip over some uneven sidewalk and bite it hard. Nick and I ran up to her, and I picked her up and tried to calm her down. She was legitimately hurt, but, drawing on her usual flair for the dramatic, she was reacting as if she had shattered her knee caps and was screaming at the top of her lungs. It was only 8:30 AM, so I was trying to turn her volume down as quickly as possible.

During the 15 seconds that I was focused solely on Lainey, Nick busied himself finding another pinecone. Only this time it wasn't a pinecone. It was a large piece of dried dog poop. Perhaps it was the look of digust and horror on my face that told him this "pinecone" was special and he shouldn't just casually toss is away like all the others. No, he should fight to the death to keep this pinecone in his clutches. Since he wouldn't drop it on command, I sat Lainey down on the sidewalk, still bawling, and pried the poop from his fist, only to have him slap me in the face with his poop-contaminated hand and then start screaming at the top of HIS lungs--"PINECONE!!! Piiiiinecooooooone!"

So, now I had two wailing children, both refusing to continue the walk home. I abandonned my coffee thermos and hitched one kid on each hip and started the march home as quickly as possible. I'd just rounded the second corner and had the house in my sites. My arms were burning and my ears were ringing from the screaming. A lovely older couple passed us, and said, chuckling, "Oh my! Looks like you have your hands full!" I painted on my best fake smile, and shouted, "you know it!," when I really wanted to say "Kiss my @!#." I know they were just being friendly, but I wasn't feeling like a playful ribbing from a stranger. Call me crazy. Word of advice friends, if you see someone in a similar situation, the kind thing to do is avert your eyes and keep walking. Because that person is in no mood for delightful banter.

By the time we made it back to the house, both of the kids had calmed themselves and I thought we were through the drama. But, noooo. Nick had no intention of going inside the house and fell apart again as soon as we stepped through the door. First order of business was to wash his hands. Lainey may be bleeding, but cleaning Nick's hands of feces was the clear priority. Well, this didn't sit well with our little princess, so she started bawling again. Of course, once I washed Nick's hands and turned to address her wounds, she started screaming because she didn't want me to wash them. I was actually okay with this. Scrapes hurt. I don't like having to clean them up myself, so I can't expect a three-year-old to sit calmly through the ordeal (even if it is just a teeny-tiny, barely visible drop of blood). While I'm trying to hold Lainey's leg still and be as gentle as possible, Nick decides I'm now his favorite person in the world and is hanging from my neck wailing, "Mommy! Mommy!" Not to be outdone, Lainey starts screaming louder. Then she wanted a Tiana bandaid, but the only princesses left in the box were Cinderella or Aurora.

"How about Rapunzel?," she asked through sobs.

"No, baby, we only have Cinderella or Aurora."

"But, what about Ariel?" she pleaded.

"No, Lainey. Cinderella or Aurora." To which she erupted into the loudest sob of all, "Why is this happening?!!!! Why don't we have the other princesses?!!!"

And all I could do was collapse in laughter, because this situation was just too ridiculous. I'd love to say my laughter was so infectious that both the kids also started laughing, and we went merrily about our morning. In reality, it took another 15 minutes, a waffle, banana, and a pound of strawberries (no joke--they ate a POUND of strawberries) to get the munchkins cheery again. I just poured myself a strong drink (okay, so it was just strong coffee).

Maybe I'll take a few more days of winter and being cooped up in the house afterall...

It's Fun to Stay at the YMCA!

I don't know how much fun it would be to actually stay there, but, after months of debate, Mark and I finally took the plunge over the weekend and signed up for a family membership at the YMCA. The membership is really reasonable and gives us 50% off classes, so the savings on Lainey’s swim lessons gives us a free month right there. Plus, we want to sign her up for gymnastics in the fall—BOOM another free month!

As most know, I’ve never been in love with the gym (or physical activity in general). Pre-kids, Mark would have to drag me there on Saturday mornings with the promise of some sort of yummy food afterward. But, Mark definitely needs his workouts and with the added stress of his job lately, I want him to have a place to go and blow off some steam. Also, I want to set an example for the kids that exercise and taking care of ourselves is important and should be a priority. So, we’re working out a schedule to allow us both to get there at least twice a week (and I’m hoping Mark can get a third). 

I’m doing Wednesdays, Mark Thursdays, and then we’ll both go once on the weekends. They do offer childcare, but given we work all week, we really don’t like giving up time with the kids on the weekends, so we’ll probably get our gym time in during naps.

I had my first visit last night. The cardio machines are super nice! Way better than any gym I’ve belonged to before. They all have TVs and iPhone adapters for your viewing needs. I jumped on an elliptical (my machine of choice) and starting going hard. It felt pretty good! I thought, “oh yeah, I can still do this. What’s a little two-year slump?” (Yes, friends, the last time I did any cardio heavier than dance parties with the kids was before Nick was born—YIKES!). I’m moving along to my tunes, feeling like a badass, big stupid smile on my face, and then it started to feel a little tough. My thighs were feeling the burn and my breathing was definitely getting heavy. Thinking I was probably 15 minutes or so into my session, I look down and see I had only been at it for eight minutes. EIGHT MINUTES?!!! Surely, the display was incorrect? Guess those dance parties weren’t keeping me as fit as I thought. I took my pace down a bit, but kept going. My itunes seemed to know just the song to play next to keep me motivated. I started to pick up the pace again—oh yeah, back on track!—then I looked at the time again. Bad move. I’d only gone another four minutes. GROAN!!! In the end, I did do a full 30 minutes on the elliptical (so what if 10 of them were more of a cool down than actual cardio). But, really what did I expect? I’m almost 36 and haven’t been working out regularly for far too long a time. So it wasn’t a great workout, but it’s a start! 

Bowling and Books

My mind is tired these days, so I'm taking the easy route and blogging by video.  Check out Nick at his first bowling experience and Lainey "reading" Knuffle Bunny (one of about a dozen books she now has memorized). These gems are better than anything I could write anyway!