Some Notes About My Kids and our Life

Both of my kids perfer to stand above all other things.  G was like this since birth.  Chalupa started wanting to stand about two weeks ago.  Now it's all he wants to do.  And in the space of two weeks, he has grown to where he can touch in the bouncer.  He has really done a lot of developing over the last few weeks.  He doesn't mind tummy time anymore and he's a quarter turn away from rolling over.  He's grabbing for toys more purposefully and putting his mouth on more things.

Both of my boys are early teethers.  I can not see Chalupa's teeth yet, but his fingers are constantly in his mouth, he sucks on his lips like G used to, and he's drooling a lot.  If you push down on his gums he quiets and you can feel the top corner of his left tooth.

I remember months 4-7 being super hard with G.  With Chalupa it appears that the hard months have started about that same time.  He is fussier and harder to soothe and not sleeping as well.  Part of this is the ear infection we discovered that was causing him to not want to lay down, and part of it is just developmental and all of the changes he's experiencing.

Chalupa hates baths.  Hates.  With the passion of firey suns.  So much so that I am afraid he's got like super sensitive skin or something and I'm burning him with the luke warm water.  So we're doing baths every night now, to maybe desensitize him?  Or maybe to scar him for life and he'll take dirt baths.  Who knows.

I'm also going to try and give Chalupa solid food once a day going forward.  He needs the practice and he is almost five months old and I'm hoping he'll do better than G.  I'm scared for him.  But I think it's going to be different.

G is super awesome.  He still has eating issues.  He still throws up from time to time.  But as he's matured and gotten a tad older he can control it a bit and can wait till we're over tile or the sink or toilet.  He still does not eat great on the road.  He is a creature of habit and changes tend to rock his world.  I'm sure travel makes his stomach ache and that's part of it.  But we're home from a long trip now and he's eating better again.  I have not had him on the steroids since May.  He probably could be on them, and it probably would make some of the vomiting go away.  But the side effects of the steroids are just not worth it to me at this point.  Even though one of them is increased appetite, but the stunting his growth one just worries me.  So as long as he can manage to control it somewhat, and does not appear to be in pain or choking, I'm leaving him off.

G is a little talker.  He is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  He loves answering their questions and talking about the shapes and colors that they do.  Not that I'm saying it's an educational tool by ANY MEANS.  But it has to be better than hours of Toy Story.

Speaking of.  Chalupa likes the television too.  It's scary.  I actively keep him away from it and we're working on sequestering (Ha!!) it out of our life.  With the surgery and being sick and trying to keep active 2yo's from jumping all over daddy it has had a real role lately.  I'm not knocking it.  I think it's a great tool when used appropriately.  But there's less crafty / color / outside time in our house and more TV time and that has to change.  We were doing zoos and museums and aquariums prior to Chalupa's arrival and then we got the news about the heart surgery and ... it's just been chaos.

Anyway back to G talking.  The other day I ran a red light and G says, "Mama, red means stop!"  He loves shapes and colors and shorting things that go together.  He is thriving at school.  Loves going now.  He loves music and dancing, though he is so funny because he gets embarrassed and won't sing or dance when he's asked.  Or maybe he's shy?  He also runs away to cry.  Or he collapses on the floor and hides his face to cry.  At school they get stamps when they participate in music and he is routinely getting two stamps now.  He really covets those stamps (noted for potty training!).

Speaking of.  Potty training got shelved this winter break.  I was all set to do it and then the reality of the surgery was hitting and it was just too much.  So probably end of February or maybe even spring break.  Yes, I'm a bad lazy parent.  But seriously I've had enough on my plate so all you judgers get off my back.  And I say that mostly to myself.

Yesterday was a good day.  Chalupa was still fussy and tired (napping on preschool days is rough) but I put him in the carrier for the last half the day and we danced around the house and I just accepted it.  My back hurts like the dickens but at least he was calm.  Today will probably be similar to yesterday.  He's just not napping great.  And I can't let him CIO because usually it's tummy / gas / burp related and if I do he just spits up all over himself and then it really is over.  Just like with G.

G loves looking at my brag book.  He loves looking at pictures of himself.  I put it together to take with me to the Bahamas last year and he carries it around and says and that's G and that's G and there's G and mommy!  It's pretty funny.

Can not believe he's almost three.  I'm going to have a party for him this year.  Can't decide if we'll do trains or dragons.  Both would be super fun.  Both he would love.