Big Changes... To Everything There Is a Season

My boys are getting big.

I realize this is probably an obvious point (in a literal sense, they have grown two inches in the last two months!), but I see their growth and development in tiny bits and pieces each and every day.

Some changes are pretty little, and it often takes others to point them out to me for me to notice. Last night, an awesome friend of ours watched B and E so hubby and I could head into Chicago for dinner with another friend. When we came home, she mentioned that she was impressed with how many books that B and E were "reading" to her. Memorized, of course.

E and B LOVE books, and they definitely have their favorites. In these books that they hear over and over, they like to know what it says on every page. So that they can read them. By themselves. It really is funny. Almost every day, they will find a new book and ask me to tell them what it says on a certain page, and then they will go practice it over and over.

Yes, my boys are getting big.

Some changes, however, are momentous. As you may have guessed from my "ta-da list" post last week, we have been working on potty training with B and E. This has been a very gradual process, starting with just sitting on the potty to try it out, to just going around nap and bedtime, to full-out training. This major potty training has been going on for a few weeks, and I am finally feeling like we have turned a corner - we are not out of the woods yet, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Both of the boys are coming to tell us when they need to potty for both #1 and #2, and we have actually had quite a few #2s actually make it into the potty this week - hooray!!! More successes than failures now - thank goodness! We are only using diapers when the boys are sleeping.

Wow, my boys are getting big.

Another big change on the horizon - the switch to big boy beds. We are going to try to make the move this weekend for multiple reasons, including the fact that I am having a hard time getting them in and out anymore and that I won't be able to pick them up at all for at least a few weeks after our new arrival. Plus, B and E have both started talking about wanting a big kid bed, and we really would rather get that transition done before we are up half of the night with a newborn. Hubby has both Friday and Monday off, so a four day string with both parents home is also very appealing. I am definitely keeping my fingers (and toes, and arms, and legs...) crossed that this transition goes smoothly.

There are all kinds of big changes for my big boys!

Happy Half Birthday, B and E!

We reached a momentous milestone on Monday when B and E reached the ripe old age of two-and-a-half. Although it wasn't a day of gifts and giant parties, we did find some time to celebrate how far both of the fellas have come in the last six months. In honor of the occasion, E, B, and I baked a giant chocolate chip cookie during the afternoon, which they got to decorate with their dad after dinner.

Everything started innocently enough, with hubby helping the boys squeeze out frosting onto the cookie and spread it with their knives.

Quickly, things went downhill as hubby and I realized that the boys were no longer decorating the cookie. Instead, as he squeezed out frosting for them to spread, they were reaching down to the cookie, PICKING UP THE FROSTING, and putting it in their mouths. Here, B is demonstrating his technique.

Once we realized how bad the frosting situation was, we cut off access. :) We cut up the cookie, and everyone did enjoy a big piece. E loved his piece with the blue frosting (which, of course, he ate before the rest of the cookie).

In all seriousness, when I look back, I can't believe how many big strides both E and B have made in the last six months. Here are a few of the things I really see that are different from December 30th...

1. Language - As I have written before, I can't believe how much B and E talk. A month or so after their birthday, their language expression really exploded, and they haven't looked back since. Each day, I hear new words, phrases, and expressions that surprise me.

2. Imagination - I have been really pleasantly surprised with how much the boys' imaginations has grown in the last six months. When I think back to their birthday, I remember how much modeling of pretend situations I was doing, like cooking food. Now, the fellas come up with their own games and stories to play out every day, everything from having a picnic in the basement to flying airplanes in their room (of course, for that one, you have to keep your toes under the blanket or you fall out!).

3. Memory - Every day, I am constantly surprised at how much B and E remember. It is still hard for me to keep in mind that they DO remember things - it seems like not that long ago that they forgot what happened in the morning by the time they got up from naps. I have seen this memory surface in everyday conversations, like when they remembered the teacher's name from our 1 hour class at the Arboretum a month after it happened (I probably forgot before the end of the class!), and when they ask me "Mom, do you remember when...?" E especially loves to "read" books, too, and he can recite back the words in books that are repetitious or that he has heard a lot. A current favorite is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Eric Carle.

4. Size - Although they have grown in size, we are definitely bracing for a growth spurt here. E and B have only grown about an inch since their birthday, and their weight has remained basically the same. The one place we have seen growth is that the boys outgrew their size seven shoes after nine months in March, and then at the end of June they had already outgrown their size eights.

5. Singing - I guess this could qualify under some of the other categories, too. B and E both have really picked up on the words to songs, and they LOVE to sing for us! Some of our favorites are "ABC...," "Twinkle, Twinkle," and my all-time favorite, "Happy Birthday." We currently hear "Happy Birthday" at least five times a day, and the current favorite to sing to is Grandma C. - nevermind that her birthday isn't until December!

These are just a few of the ways that we have seen growth in our boys. I can't wait to see what comes between now and December!

Pure Joy for Children

The sound of children's laughter is infectious for me. The pure joy that they find in life's small details astounds me, and even on days when I want to resign from my job, their giggles of delight bring me back to understanding why it is that I have made sacrifices in my life to spend time with my boys.

I am often astounded by the things that bring the biggest smiles to my children's faces, things for which adults usually wouldn't even spare a second thought. Here are some of the laughter-worthy experiences for my boys...

1. Silly "hats" - Now, the word "hats" is in quotes because I don't really mean hats. E and B can turn anything into a hat, and when they do, hysterics often ensue. A postcard advertisement that came in the mail? It is a new pirate hat. Boxes that hold their toys? Train engineer hats or spaceman helmets. T-shirts that get stuck on their heads? Well, those are just silly t-shirt hats, of course! :)

2. Water - Water, water, water... is anything more spectacular for children? Hot day? You can play with the hose or fill up the pool. Water slides into the kiddie pool are the best. Raining? Fantastic - you can jump in puddles! Whether in the bathtub or a watering can, water is one of the best things on the planet. Just don't squirt them with it - not cool.

3. Secrets - Nothing puts my kids in stitches like secrets. For them, secrets are words that sound silly that we whisper (or yell, whatever you prefer) back and forth to each other. Some of their favorites? Picnic table, mango, and goggles. These secrets are great when the kids are getting antsy in the car or at a restaurant and somehow manage to keep them entertained much longer than coloring on those dinky placemats.

4. Bubbles - I realize my children are not alone in their love of bubbles. It often seems to me that bubbles have magical properties that adults are not aware of, kind of like the sound of the sleigh bell in "The Polar Express" that only those who truly believe can hear. There is a great quote from the movie "Knocked Up" that sums it up nicely...

Ben: "They seem to love bubbles."
Pete: "Oh, god, they go ape sh** over bubbles."
Ben: "They're really going ape sh**."
Pete: "I mean, that's an incredible thing about a child. I mean, what's so great about bubbles?"
Ben: "They float. You can pop them. I mean, I get it. I get it."
Pete: "I wish I liked anything as much as my kids like bubbles."

I think that last line says it all. Somehow in our adulthood, we lose that sense of wonder and excitement for things like these. For me, I only seem to find it when I am with children - the excitement, wonder, and giggling are contagious.