The kids just keep growing.
C will be starting preschool after the holidays.
E will turn one after the holidays.
She’s been crawling, pulling herself up onto furniture, “talking” like crazy, eating like crazy, and will probably try to start walking at some point in the nearish future.
He’s been sneaking around getting into things he shouldn’t, defying authority, questioning everything (which sometimes makes me question things) and generally, being a card-carrying three-year old.
Apparently C was in a Buckeye kind of mood the other day.
I went to get him after quiet time, and he’d changed his outfit. Not only did he have everything on the right way, he’d managed to squeeze himself into a size 12 (12 month, that is). And to top it all off, since mom was at work and couldn’t stop it, dad (gasp) let him wear it out into public… at least the top (which is actually a onesie, but looked kinda nice with shirttails).
I did manage to change his pants before we left the house, but he put up a fight with the shirt, and I didn’t care enough to stop him. At least he coordinated his outfit – that’s more than can be said for me, sometimes.
So, we’ve all survived three weeks, relatively unscathed. E is still sleeping well, most, or at least some of the time. She even pulled out a six-hour stretch several nights ago (something her brother didn’t do until he was probably eight months old), and promptly followed that up with a night of waking every two hours. Baby steps… She’s also eating like a champ (I can tell she’s mine), and packed on almost a pound and a half in just over a week and a half. May not seem like much, but that’s a nearly 20% weight gain in eleven days.
In other news, C is still mostly a pretty good big brother, though he’s been a little crabbier lately. Whether that stems from a bit of jealousy, or just his outright refusal to take naps anymore (he’ll even tell us he’s tired and wants to sleep, but when it comes time, he wants nothing to do with it), I can’t say. I’ve been trying to pay extra attention to him so he doesn’t feel like he’s being ignored. Again, being the oldest, I know how it feels to be last year’s model when the new one comes out… just kidding, mom and dad 🙂
The fun is just beginning!
Well, she’s here. Weighing in at a shade over eight pounds (exactly the same as her brother), E arrived Tuesday morning. She made it much easier on S, and delivery was relatively quick. C has taken to the role of big brother like a champ, and is already offering to help with diapers, feeding, and carrying her (and also checking to see if she wants to play hockey). We’ll see how long that lasts, but we’re off to a good start at least. She’s also off to a good start, and I’m pretty sure she’s slept in her first three days about as much as he slept in his entire first year… Again, we’ll see how long that lasts, but I’m hopeful.
Now that all the excitement is over with, I’m looking forward to getting lots of sleep and having the time and energy to post every day again!
Number one is such a handful (love him like crazy, but still a handful), we’re not sure what to expect with the second. I’m hoping she shares her brother’s intelligence, inquisitiveness, and general all-around pleasant demeanor, and I’m hoping she doesn’t share his disdain for all things sleep-related and general all-around inability to stop. Ever. Of course, being a toddler that hasn’t been beaten down by the world yet, I expect him to have more energy than I do, but good grief, can’t we just sit for a little while?
I think we feel more prepared with this one, due in no small part to the fact that we already had our guinea pig to kinda figure out how this whole parenting thing works (no, a four-month old shouldn’t stay up to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve – you’re welcome for that tip). Being a firstborn myself, I can relate to those kinks being worked out 🙂 We already have most of the stuff that babies need. Minus lots of pink clothes.
Of course, C is the wild card (emphasis on “wild”). For the past six months, every day, quite literally, we’ve fought at least one, usually two, battles a day to get him to sleep. Sure, on a few rare occasions, he’s skipped naps and been so wiped out that he actually stays in bed when we put him there, but by and large, that doesn’t happen. Throw a newborn into the mix, and I’ll bet neither one of us will be willing or able to fight him for 30-60 minutes every afternoon, so he may be done with naps. Maybe he’ll surprise me. We’re also in the middle of potty-training – he performs admirably when we put him there, but thus far, he doesn’t seem to care enough about his overall cleanliness to let us know when he’s ready. I’m fully expecting, based on anecdotal evidence, that he’ll exhibit some sort of jealousy issues – how and how intensely that will be projected remains to be seen.
So basically, in the age-old debate of “just get it all over with at once” or “space them out so they’re more grown up”, we went with the former. I’d rather just do all the bottles, diapers, and terrrible-toddlerness in one fell swoop. That just seems less painful than letting your kid get to be five or six, then starting all over. Not that this way is any easier, just different. Maybe it is asking for more trouble, I don’t know. But I suppose it’ll all be worth it. Guess we’ll find out in a few days… No take backs. (And just in case it sounds like I have any regrets, I don’t – I love my children dearly. Being a parent is just a lot of work!)