Social Butterflies

I think I need to come up with a different way to say "we're so busy" because I'm starting to sound like a broken record. We are very fortunate to live close to family and so many friends and when that is the case it is inevitable that there is a lot to keep us busy, thus we have been "social butterflies" lately.

This past weekend is a pretty good example of our calendar lately. On Friday we joined Pepe and Nonna over at C and Tio's house for dinner. Pepe and Jon have been traveling a lot lately so we have missed quite a few family dinners. Nonna picked up Chipotle and we had a nice evening eating alfresco, having a mini dance party, blowing bubbles, and the kiddos each got a couple books as an Easter gift from Nonna and Pepe.

On Saturday Jon attended a fundraiser for the local Community Colleges, which meant he got to dress up like a pirate, talk to his friends for about 5 minutes, and then listen to a loud auction the rest of the night. The boys and I went to Uncle Mark and Aunt Penny's to celebrate Great Papa Dean's Birthday. Before dinner Reed played corn hole and chatted it up with everyone then played a tickle game with Auntie M. Kieran fell in love with the outdoor stairs and went up and down them a couple dozen times! The boys were on pretty good behavior until around their normal bedtime when they decided WWE style wrestling in the kitchen was a good idea. No one got hurt and Kieran was laughing the entire time but it definitely was aggressive. I tried holding K for a bit but he kept diving out of my arms to go back at it. Dinner was so yummy and Reed, Kieran, (yep both boys helped me make the cake) and I made a double chocolate layer cake for dessert.  Before we went over Reed made a special peacock drawing that he explained to GP Dean and we had a special guest at the party - GG Didi's brother visiting all the way from Iceland!

On Sunday we went back over to C and Tio's for some pizza making fun with a few of our friends. I made all the dough from scratch (which meant my hands were covered in flour most of the night and unable to take pictures), C brought out a ton of toppings, and Tio cooked them on the BBQ. I lost count but I think we made about 9 medium size pizzas in all and there were only 8 adults - naturally I also lost count of how many slices I ate!!!

3.5 Years

When I thought about writing a post for Reed at three and a half I was worried I wouldn't have much to say; when I started jotting down notes I was worried it was going to be too long!!! I love Reed so much and he brings me so much joy on a daily basis. Reed just seems like a bit of an old soul. The lines of reasoning he follows, the way he says things, and his general demeanor is fairly cautious, full of emotion, and while he can be a lot to handle he is rarely ever mean.

I love one on one time with Reed because he listens so well and is so sweet and fun. Being a Big Brother is a large responsibility for him and one he is still learning to navigate. Overall he is very sweet towards Kieran and loves teaching his Brother new things, however he is a bit impatient when it comes to sharing Mom's attention or being limited in his own play by Kieran's younger age. Reed does really love to do things as a "family" and often on weekdays if I do something with the boys alone he will make a comment about wishing Dad was with us.

Reed has an imagination beyond description. He has countless "babies" that he is the "Mom" to, he takes care of them and regularly imagines problems they need taken care of, things that are upsetting them, and food that needs to be prepared for them. Reed also has half a dozen imaginary friends. These aren't characters he's completely made up, they are from TV shows and video games, but he is constantly racing them, playing games with them, and telling others what they are doing.

For all of Reed's emotions he is actually pretty brave. He will regularly pop up from a big fall without crying, come up to me with a bent back fingernail, or a huge splinter and patiently wait for me to trim or remove it. He also didn't make a peep when he got his flu shot this year and takes all of his daily medicines (inhaler, nasal spray, fluoride, vitamin, and allergy medicine) happily without complaint.

Interesting Facts

Weight: 34.5 pounds

Height: 40 inches

Clothing Size:  He can fit into 3T and 4T for most pajamas and shirts, meaning he still fits into his 3T items for the most part, but anything new is being purchased in size 4T. As for bottoms he can still fit into 2T and 3T shorts because he's so skinny. 3T pants are starting to get a little short on him but are still pretty big around the waist if they aren't elastic or adjustable.

Shoe Size: 9.5

Reed likes: His "babies" (stuffed animals), pajama days, puzzles, books, craft projects, watching Jon play (age appropriate) video games, the TV show Super Why, playing soccer, doing anything outside especially digging or anything with water, playing in his tent, washing cars with Dad, picnics, bath time, cooking/baking/making juice with Mom. He also enjoys playing with Kieran if he is in charge and can dictate the game or who is playing with what toy.

 

Reed dislikes: Doing anything on anyone else's time schedule, waking up (especially from naps), sharing or playing with Kieran not on his terms.

 

Nicknames: Reedster, Reedcito, Buddy, Monkey, Reed-man,  Dingle Berry Jones/DBJ/Dingle, Darlin', Reeder, and Baby Bear.

Food: He loves most grains (oatmeal, pasta, rice, bread, cereal), fruits, and meat. He is still very picky about vegetables but will usually try a bite of one at dinner when requested. He still does not like beans and is allergic to soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts. He drinks hemp milk with most almost every meal and we've started to let him have fresh made juice once or twice a week. He has a sweet tooth and I can't think of a dessert he hasn't loved. His favorite meals are hamburgers with French fries, pasta and steak, and pizza.

Communication: Thankfully we are past the "why" stage but Reed is still very much a chatty and inquisitive kiddo. He knows all of his uppercase and lower case letters and what one word vs. two words look like when written. He can tell us how to spell his name, identify what letter a words starts with, and the sound(s) that each letter makes. He has also started to really sing along with certain songs we hear often, like the theme song to Super Why or the different Signing Time songs. Somewhat in this category are his manners he now tries not to speak with his mouth full and will sometimes point out if someone has interrupted him (he still has no problem interrupting others).

Favorite Color(s): Blue and Green

How Reed is sleeping:  He goes to bed around 8:00pm and usually falls asleep by 8:30/8:45 after flipping through a few books. For the most part he sleeps through the night unless he's battling an allergy issue or occasionally he has to go potty. He wakes for the day usually between 6:00 and 6:30am. He sleeps in a twin bed, with a night light and sound machine as well as his "boy" soft sheep laid flat on his pillow and cuddling his "girl" soft sheep, his large stuffed Pooh bear sleeps on the other side of the bed and there are regularly 1-4 other cuddly guys in there with him. He still takes a nap most afternoons, going down around 12:30/1:00 and sleeping for anywhere from 1 - 2.5 hours.

 

Milestones over the last six months:

Reed has figured out how to unlock doors as well as the childproof locks we have on a few of our cabinets.

 

Although he loathes doing it, he is capable of putting on and taking off most clothing with little assistance.

 

Reedster usually goes bib free when eating now. If he is having ice cream, soup, or cereal with milk we usually put him in the Bjorn bib still, but the amount of liquid in the little reservoir has drastically decreased.

 

Normally he drinks out of a cup with a spout lid on the top but he has no problem drinking out of a lidless glass as well.

 

Reed has also gotten really good at counting things. Groups of items of 1-5 he gets right almost every time and does pretty well up to 10 things usually.

 

Reed and I had our first "slumber party" while Jon was away for work. This included staying up way past bedtime to watch a movie and sleeping in bed with Mom.

 

Let's Celebrate

This past weekend we had some real celebrations! First was Clara's second Birthday. When Clara was an infant Reed and I watched her a few times while her parents played soccer with Jon. Since I was pregnant and couldn't imagine how I was going to juggle two kids it was nice to have an easy baby to practice with for an hour or two and also so Reed could get used to what exactly a "baby" meant. It's amazing what a difference two years can make. Now Reed and Clara are best buds and their 18 month age difference seems pretty small. Reed wouldn't talk to any of the other kids at the party until he saw Clara and when he did, he ran up to the picnic table she had sat down at and they had a full on conversation. Shannon did a circus theme for her party which was so cute and they had a bounce house for the kids. It was a huge hit with Reed who loved bouncing with the other toddlers and then he had a good 10-15 minutes of jumping with just Sophia who he still adores as much as he did last 4th of July. She is four or five years older but so good with the smaller kids. Reed stuck his head out of the bounce house and even told me not to let any other kids in while they were jumping together! For his part Kieran was interested in the bounce house but as soon as we would get him partially in he would start shaking his head saying "nah, nah, nah." He also thought watching Connor (2 years) play with the different balls was awesome and enjoyed his first taste of cow's milk. Shannon was a sweetheart and told me what all of the food was going to be ahead of time and which things Reed would and wouldn't be able to eat and even borrowed my cupcake recipe so Reed could have the same cupcakes as everyone else. I brought similar items to those he couldn't have so he wouldn't feel left out, but he decided eating 3 hot dogs was way better than the chicken nuggets and corn chips I had packed.

Sunday was C's Birthday so we had an Italian dinner at Nonna and Pepe's and were joined by not only Gran and Papa but also Alli which is always a special treat!  Gran was able to get play time in with both boys and Jon even put on an impromptu concert for the three kids. Aside from the great gifts she received, we tortured poor Kieran by putting him in a dress, so that C could realize her ultimate Birthday wish - having Kieran and Lyla recreate her 1st Birthday look so we could finally put an end to the debate of who looks more like her. I think Lyla won, but I'll let you be the judge. Before I post pictures I must mention  a few other things. Dessert - C's request was eclairs so Nonna and Pepe got some from her favorite bakery but then made one special for Reed that he devoured and is still talking about. Behavior - Kieran and Reed outdid themselves by screaming at the dinner table, Reed having a meltdown over a broken glass, Kieran climbing up onto the coffee table and throwing game pegs all over the pool house, and Reed encroaching on C's present opening and candle blowing. At one point Jon and I just looked at each other and smiled, we have two crazy boys and I'm sure it is only going to get crazier!!!

The Little Things

The last few weeks have been pretty quiet so we've been finding ways to have some fun at home. I let Kieran attempt his first art project, finger painting, with pretty good success. He even tolerated the rainbow colored artists' beret that I put on his head (it was a gift from a true artist - the boys' G-Momma).

With Kieran now taking only one nap a day the amount of time their naps overlap has greatly increased, this coupled with a four day work trip for Jon meant I had some free time to complete a special quilt for Reed to have at Grandma's house for the days he naps there.

The boys are just that, boys. We have had some knock down drag out fights between the two of them but there have also been some really nice moments of playing together in the last month. We play outside almost daily and it is usually a really fun time for all of us. Soccer, driving cars, digging dirt, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and picnics are now in the regular rotation. I also broke down and purchased a double jogging stroller and have already put it to good use. Reed and Kieran genuinely seem to like to ride in it together especially if it involves a smoothie stop.

Reed for his part seems to go back and forth between being a sweetheart and a terror. He earns fuzzy balls for good behavior and when the mason jar we put them in is full he earns a fun activity of his choice. This last time he wanted to take a bath in our bath tub, which he absolutely loved, but then didn't listen when we told him to stop pushing the jet button as we were draining the tub which resulted in water being shot all over the bathroom. In honor of St. Patrick's Day I made a fruit rainbow for the boys this morning. As Reed watched me he kept telling me how he didn't want it and that I should stop. I told him it was for Kieran too and he didn't have to eat it. When I got done he was of course in love with the plate and didn't want to share with Kieran, then he proceeded to refuse to eat any of the fruit chunks because he didn't want to mess up the rainbow. The natural solution - we put it in a blender and guessed what color smoothie all of the fruit mixed together would make. You just never know what you are going to get with this kid!

Sixteen Months

Another month down already, how is it possible? Kieran continues to grow by leaps and bounds in the communication department adding words and signs to his repertoire almost daily. He loves mimicking Reed and tries to say a lot of the things he hears his big brother saying which is very cute. He has become even more of a Mama's boy; wanting me over anyone else almost all of the time. When I leave him, he usually gets pretty upset for ten to fifteen minutes and then enjoys his day until I get home and then won't leave my side.

The last ten days have been pretty rough because Kieran is cutting four molars all at once. I hate to see my baby in pain and am eagerly awaiting the return of our happy go lucky kiddo!!! Kier has also developed quite the opinion lately - demanding certain foods at meal/snack times and shaking his head and saying "nah" when he doesn't want to do something. K dropped his second nap and is officially taking one nap a day now which has made our mornings a lot more flexible which is nice. All in all he is a great kid and is becoming more of a buddy than a baby every day.

Monthly Statistics

Weight: 22.5 lbs

Height: Didn't measure this month

Clothing Size:  Pants are 12-18 months but are starting to get a little short, tops and pajamas are 18-24 months.

Shoe size: We just moved him to a size 6.

Teeth: 11 - Technically he has 4 top front and 4 bottom front teeth. Of the 4 molars he's been working on 3 are poking through so I'm counting those too.

Kieran likes: Taking Dodger for walks, eating, using utensils, swings, slides, bath time, balls, trying to play with Reed, taking naps, dance parties, story time and books, tickles, his play kitchen, opening cupboards, sorting and stacking toys, playing guitar with Dad, being held by Mom, the salad spinner, playing outside, Signing Time DVDs, his quilt from Auntie Amanda that he sleeps with, and Perrito his stuffed animal pacifier.

Kieran dislikes: Diaper changes, being put in his car seat, having his clothes changed, long car rides, having his face wiped, being held when he wants to be doing something else, watching Mom leave, and getting things taken away from him.

Food: Favorites right now are avocado, most fruits, string cheese, yogurt,  pita bread and hummus, bagels, granola bars, snap pea crisps, dried fruit, mashed potatoes, pretzels, fruit/veggie purees, graham crackers, hemp milk, muffins, sausage, rice, and peas. He still is all over the board with meat and vegetables gobbling something up one day and refusing it the next.

Nicknames: Kier, K, K-Dawg, K-Man, K-Bug, Bug, Bugger, Kierito, and Goldilocks.

How Kieran is sleeping: Kieran typically goes to bed at 7:30pm. He gets up for good between 6:00 and 6:30am. He had been doing great sleeping through the night or soothing himself back to sleep but the teeth have put a wrench in that a few times now. He also officially only takes one nap now, going down between 11:30 and noon and usually sleeping 2 - 3 hours.

Words: Ahn djan (all done), appp-pull (apple), baawl (ball), nana (banana), baa (bath), bird, bla-ber (blackberry), blu (blueberry), boop (book/boot), bop, bo (boy), braw-er (brother), bye bye, catsh/gat (cat), cher (chair), chetg (change), chee (used for both cheers and cheese), chakin (chicken), cracker, dada, diaper, Dodger, duck, ahh (eye), durl (girl), go, gam-ma/ma-ma (Grandma), bampa (Grandpa), hap (help), hat, hot, kit (kiss), Mom/Momma, mo (more), Nonna, ong (orange), out-si (outside), Papa, pra-el (pretzel), saucth (sauce), choos (shoes), sit/sich (sit), sawk (socks), shoon (spoon), shtop (stop), dat (that), tra-tor (tractor), tu-tul (turtle), uh oh, up, nah-der (water), yah (yes). He also says "baa" when he wants his pacifier.

Signs:  All done, ball, banana, bath, bird, boy, bread, change, cheese, dog, eat, fish, girl, go, hat, help, hot, milk, more, orange, please, potty, shoes, sleep, socks, stop, thank you, train, wash hands, water, yes.

Favorite Moment: As hard as it is to leave when I know Kieran is upset it is always nice to get the warm greeting from him upon my return. One day when I got home from work he heard me open the back door and came down the hallway from Reed's room (probably about 80 feet) as fast as he could saying "Mama, mama, mama, mama, mama" and giving me a huge bear hug when he finally reached me. Talk about melting my heart!!!

Milestones:
02/13/15   Kieran is officially weaned
02/17/15   For the first time Kier does most of the walking on a small "hike"
02/22/15   I cut off the "man bun" that was the ridiculous swirl of hair on the back of his head, technically giving him his first haircut.
03/01/15   Kieran does his first craft project - finger painting.

 Favorite Photo Shoot Outtake: