One Trick Wonder

Sweet Berry Farms

We went to Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls to take pumpkin pictures.  We went in the corn maze, jumped on the giant pillows, painted pumpkins, rode in a barrel train, took a hay ride with scare crows, and fed the goats.  And wouldn't you know, we got NO good pictures of both kids in the pumpkins? 

NAP: 32 Months

Dear Nash,

Busy boy.  Have I been writing that on your posts for two years now?  It sure feels like it.  If you had it your way, I would only refer to you as Triceratops, T-Rex, Stegosaurus  or one of the other twenty or so dinosaurs that you can name and I cannot. You are dinosaur crazy.  So dinosaur crazy that you sleep with hard plastic dinosaurs.  You will watch only Dino Dan on TV. You can tell us which dinosaurs eat what.  You mimic their sounds and even play with your little dinos.  Obsessed.

To fuel this obsession, we also got you a dinosaur quilt for your big boy bed (twin mattress on the ground).  That's right, the crib is gone.  You climbed out of it about a month ago.  I put you back in, but you were back over faster than I could turn around.  Uncle.  You go to sleep at night with no problem. You do usually wake up at least once in the night and need a little reassurance.  Nap time has been a different story.  You have just resisted, with all of your might. I'd just wash my hands of the nap (though I do love taking one too), but you then fall asleep before dinner and are a tyrant for the rest of the day.  You trash your room, throw toys and clothes and diapers and wipes everywhere.  You rip things off of the wall.  You take books off of the shelves.  You climb on furniture and find dangerous things (nail clippers and scissors). You covered yourself in Vaseline   Really. So, we took everything fun out of your room, bought blackout curtains, out a door knob lock on your door and kept on trying.  For a week, you have taken a nap every day.  Sometimes it takes an hour for you to fall asleep, but it is happening. 

Oh, and more big changes- you have quit the paci!  Your beloved paci!  You started chewing on them and tearing holes in them.  So, I started throwing them away.  One day you took a nap without one and didn't ask for one that night either.  By the time you asked for one in the middle of the night, I just told you that you chewed them all and that they were all gone. That worked.  I think it has been a week now. It is funny how much we stressed over this change and you just took it in stride.

You love reading (especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar), swinging, playing with dinosaurs, and making Sissy laugh.  You have started playing with your friends and you pride yourself in sharing.  Your vocabulary is amazing, but we cannot always understand you still.  Oh, and you LOVE to climb - on everything.

Nashy, we love you so.  You crack us up constantly.  You are testing at every turn, learning constantly, and being a great boy.

I love you,

Mom

WDP: 10 Months

Dear Wren,
My sweet girl.  It's been a big month for you.  You turned double digits, in months, that is.  I think you are the perfect size.  I love holding you, though you love when I hold you even more!  You still let me carry you in the Ergo, though you much prefer to take part in the action.

You still do not crawl.  You still only go backwards in the walker.  You still cannot get from laying down to sitting up.  So what action am I writing about?  Girl, you cruise.  You know all you have to do is wine a little and we will sit you up.  From there, you pull up on the nearest thing and take off.  You move between pieces of furniture and are even trying to stand on your own.  I have seen you get on all fours and rock a little, but I am starting to get the feeling that you might skip crawling.

You clearly need fuel for all of this movement.  You will eat almost anything.  You will not eat baby food off of a spoon, only out of a pouch.  You will always go for whole food first though.  You eat cut up chicken, peaches, plumbs, grapes, steamed carrots, boiled potatoes, steamed celery.  Ground beef, Cheerios, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and strawberries are also on your list.  Really, you'll try anything.  The other day I was feeding you bits of chicken out of my chicken salad (the mayo kind) and you grabbed the bowl and shoveled the rest in.  You smelled like onions all day!

You have started mimicking things that we do: you hold a phone to your ear and to ours, you took a tissue and pretended to blow your nose, you play peek-a-boo without prompting, and you are learning "SO BIG!" with arms in the air.  You clap and wave, at your discretion.  We also really think that you say Mama.

You seem to really enjoy toys with music, dance parties, swinging, and anytime Daddy and Nash are around.  We love watching you and Nash share, play, and laugh.  You seek him out in a room and he has made it one of his life goals to make you laugh.

Wrenny Wren, I simply cannot believe my baby is 10 months old.  We are so enjoying you.  We love having a little girl to love.

Love,
Mom

Lump in my Throat

Dear Nash,
I just went in to check on you and felt a lump rise in my throat.  You are sleeping on a twin mattress on the floor of your room. You are under a sheet and a blanket, with your head resting on a pillow. You are surrounded by hard plastic dinosaurs, a water cup, and a pacifier.  What, you might ask, could cause this emotion in me?  Son, you are growing too quickly.

After a trying few days, you have made it known that you have a voice in this house.  We are still your parents and are trying to find ways to accommodate you.  But, by climbing out of your crib, lightening fast, by the way, you mandated that a big boy bed was in order.  I haven't even had a chance to order bedding or pick a bed frame.  These are your terms.

Sweet boy, you are no longer a baby.  You are a little boy. And I love you.

Sweet dreams,
Mom