The Magic of Change
With the passing of the pacifier came a new development that I hadn’t expected. Forest doesn’t always nap now. Like Logan, it’s hit or miss and the days of the one hour afternoon quiet can’t be assumed. *sigh* Forest doesn’t do as well as Logan without a nap but he definitely has made vast improvement over how it was last summer when he skipped naps.
The good thing though is that the boys are playing so well by themselves now. They spend hours using their imaginations to create new worlds and imitate the life around them. The little Batman figures take a shower and go to the bathroom in their batcave. Their baby is taken on picnics in the living room. Cars are driven across every surface reachable and often fly through the air. And anything and everything talks. It’s wonderful and magical. So much so that “magical” has become a bit of a mantra for me recently.
It seems like so many things that are part of life, part of the ordinary, are such a given that they carry a bit of the extraordinary in them. Just like the magic of sitting there feeling the babies in my womb would jolt me to the core with the intelligence and majesty of biology, so too does this phase of imagination and imitation. The independence is challenging but it too carries so much magic to me. I find myself in a place of innocence as I look around and revel in the magic that is all around. The irony is that I’m currently reading Neal Stephenson’s book “Quicksilver”, a historical fiction about the heyday of Natural Philosophy and Isaac Newton in England and the new colonies in America. As I laugh at how they believed flies spontaneously were born out of dead flesh, I find myself using the word “magic” simply because I find the processes of natural growth beautiful.
But now reality slivers in and I’m off to see if I can magically convince these two very busy three year old boys to take a break in their day and give this Momma a break as well.
Pacifier? What pacifier?
Forest has been a pacifier junkie since birth. Before having kids I had a very strong dislike of pacifiers but was willing to let it slide for bedtimes. Logan gave his up at five months but we hit 3 years old with Forest and I was so ready to say goodbye to that thing. Being the information junkie that I am, I had read up about pacifiers and knew that there was no harm in Forest’s using one now or even for another couple years. I’d read that kids usually give them up on their own between 3 – 5 and that was ok. So I went into this as a bit of an experiment. Let’s just see if he’s more ready then he knows he is.
I’d read some mentions to people using the “pacifier fairy” as a means to the end and thought we’d give it a try. Like the tooth fairy, the pacifier fairy takes the pacifier(s) (passing them on to new babies) and leaves a toy in it’s/their place. So I mentioned this to Forest a couple times and he cutely changed the name from pacifier fairy to pacifier angel. Who am I to know the difference? On New Years Day we mentioned it several times to Forest and he agreed that he was ready to do it that night. During a grocery store trip I picked up a neat toy for him and at some point I realized we should do a bit of a ceremony to help him understand what it was all about.
That night Green Daddy, Orange Daddy, Forest and Logan and I gathered in the living room. Green Daddy placed two of their old bibs that I had as keepsakes into a basket to represent them growing out of that stage. Then Logan placed in a diaper representing his willingness to give up diapers and start potty training soon. Then Forest placed his pacifier in the basket. We rattled their silver baby rattles and they each were given feathers in place of the diaper and pacifier.
At bedtime we realized that Forest thought he’d be able to give up one of his two pacis and get a present. Didn’t want to admit that it meant giving them both up. After he fell asleep, Brad and I discussed it and decided to go for it anyway. Both were put away for emergency (Daddy’s a softy) and the new toy was left out in it’s place. Forest woke in the morning missing his paci and wondering where the toy was. After I showed it to him he was distracted for a few hours. I told him to come and give me big hugs when he got sad and missing it. We had a few hugs that day but he was able to get a nap and to bed that night without any misadventures. We are now on day three and he hasn’t asked for it all day. Not even for his nap.
I think we got lucky on the timing but I’m happy to say that we are now a pacifier free household. Whew!
Merry Christmas
The day we went in for the boys 3 year check up, Logan was running a low grade fever and both Forest and I were a bit under the weather as well with coughs and sniffles. A few days later and Forest is doing ok with only a small cough but Logan and I are both getting body aches and chills although still not running any serious fever. Well here we are weeks later and Logan is in perfect shape, no more cough, no more runny nose, all is well. But I’m still in the midst of it and wishing I could just feel healthy again. I think I may be having my first bout of the infamous “cedar fever” after living in Austin for over three years now.
We had a beautiful Christmas with family visits and adventures. But I think that my favorite memories of this year are based on how the boys are starting to learn our cultural and family traditions around Christmas and their excitement and enjoyment of it all. We drove around a couple nights looking at homes decorated with lights, the boys were enchanted. They were excited to put up the tree and loved hearing stories about Baby Jesus, They couldn’t stop waving at and shouting “Hi!” when we saw Santa in Petsmart taking pictures with pets. Their brilliant joy shines through my soul and fills me with such warmth and comfort. Christmas is not only for the young, it is also for those who are blessed to be in their sphere of influence and feel their hugs.
3 Year Doctor Visit
The boys went to the doctor this morning for the first time in a year for their 3 year check up. Because we have moved, I chose a new doctor much closer to the new house and loved the nurse and doctor. Very friendly and handled to rowdy toddlers really well.
Forest maintained his “little self” weighing in at 26.5 lbs and measuring 35 3/4 inches. So yeah, he’s skinny. We new that.
Logan stayed in the 75 percentile at 33.8 lbs and measuring 38 1/4 inches.
The boys did awesome for the nurse and doctor and Logan didn’t even cry for his shot. Forest says his shot hurt though and it took him a bit to calm down.
Logan woke up this morning with a little fever and both boys have been coughing a little but the doctor wasn’t concerned (I’m not either) so other then the typical seasonal colds, we continue to have two super healthy boys.
Birthday
Today is the boys’ 3rd birthday and I am celebrating with a day all to myself. Brad is out of town until tonight and the boys left yesterday with Dusty to spend their birthday weekend with their grandparents.
As I sit down to write this, I think back to their birth and how amazed I was to be the mother to such beautiful babies. Holding them in my arms during that cocoon experience at the hospital it seemed so blissful. But then I remember those first four months and how broken down I became. How I didn’t ask for help as soon as I should have and how lost I was by all that being a mom meant. I remember the lack of sleep and the fun of singing with Brad during the night feedings. I remember how I would take them outside to stop the crying. Logan’s colic and Brad’s patience. All the walks Brad and I took carrying the boys on our chests and then using the stroller when they got bigger. Logan used to scream when put into the car seat, so we stayed put for the first 4 – 5 months. But then we started running out to stores in the car seats, then the stroller, and now we can even venture into a store and the boys will walk around with me if their carts don’t hold two.
I remember the joy of watching them learn to crawl and then pull up, “cruising” around the living room, and then finally learning to walk before their first birthday. I remember the pride as they learned to communicate, first with sign language and then words. Sitting on the floor by the fridge using grapes to teach them how to sign “more” and how they learned in just a few minutes. I remember missing nursing for a good six months after it was over and how it hurt when I gave the breastfeeding pillow away, even though I was the one who was so ready for it to be over when I stopped. Now Logan will sample almost any new food put before him, including sushi and broccoli or “baby trees” as they call them. The communicate quickly and struggle to find words as they experience more and more of life and want to tell others about it.
I remember that year after their first birthday as quiet baby Forest turned into an instigator, a very crafty little man. How he started to push the boundaries and rules and often my sanity and hasn’t stopped. But Forest has expressed empathy since a very early age, offering hugs and kisses when he sees me feeling down, breaking my heart with his kindness toward people. I remember how Forest loves to sit and read by himself or always crawls into my lap when I’m reading them a book. How he started expressing independence at 18 months and always wants to do things by himself and screams at me if I forget and open a wrapper or peal a fruit for him. How hard this past summer was as he cut 4 teeth at once (he’s always been behind on cutting teeth) which only increased his painful “2 year old” independence screams. How sensitive he is to how things feel against his skin so that it’s difficult to get him into clothes, socks, coats, etc. and how I finally learned (this month) to just let it go and let him wear pjs all day because it’s not worth fighting about. In the recent months Forest has learned he can push Logan’s buttons and send him screaming for mommy.
I remember passionate and strongly expressive Logan staying true to that first impression as his artistic side has developed. How Logan loves animals and how they’ve started to respond to his learning gentleness with them. He stopped in the middle of trick or treating this Halloween to pet a neighbor’s cat, who sat sweetly for him and let him pet her in the midst of Halloween craziness. How much Logan loves his “orange Daddy” and often only he will do. How he makes us laugh and will burst into silly sounds and body movements to get a giggle out of us. Logan since first born has loved the outdoors and no weather seems to bother him. It’s never too hot or too cold for this boy, he’ll go outside and enjoy it anyway. Logan loves to play dress up, to wear masks and costumes, he loves to make masks and create costumes and wear others’ shoes. Logan never seemed to have the “terrible twos” and is only now starting to express a desire to do things himself.
Logan’s hair is so opposite of Forest’s, growing thick and wavy while Forest’s is fine and straight. Logan will follow the rules to playing games, while Forest prefers to make up his own rules. They both see every person they meet as a potential friend, knowing no physical boundries and always wanting to rough house with others the way they do with each other and their daddies. They can move their way through an iPhone to play games or take photos with great ease thanks to Grandma’s first introduction last year. They love to take pictures and to see the pictures they’ve taken. Especially of the art they draw into the dirt when we take walks. They love to learn rhymes and songs, to dance and play instruments. They are magical and wonderful to watch and experience every day. I love to listen to their play from the other room, hearing their imaginations soar with pirates and stuffed animals, cars, trains, and baby dolls.
“What a long, strange trip it’s been” seems a fiting thing to say about parenthood. And it’s only still just beginning for us. Whew. I’m already exhausted, and exhilarated all at once.
Trimming Trees and Birthdays
The boys turn three years old this coming Saturday, December 12th. They certainly look and act like three year olds to me. It’s a magical, brilliant age and I can’t believe the time has flown by like it has. All of us parents say that, don’t we?
This year, Dusty is taking the boys to his parents house for their birthday. So Brad and I had a little mini celebration yesterday including gifts from my parents, Brad’s parents and us. The boys are so into superheros that when I found these cute tshirts at Old Navy, I couldn’t resist. Here are some cute pics of the boys from over the weekend, including while we were putting up our Christmas tree on Saturday morning.
Logan was so excited about us putting up the tree, he went and got some blocks and marked out where in the living room he wanted us to put it. We died laughing, it was so funny.
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| From December 09 |
Forest took an extra stocking we have and turned it into his Santa hat:
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| From December 09 |
The finished tree:
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| From December 09 |
Logan playing Candyland. It was amazing to me how easily he picked up the game and how much he likes it:
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| From December 09 |
Playing pirates:
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| From December 09 |
and finally, a sweet video of Forest being Santa:
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| From December 09 |
Snow
We live in Austin, Texas so snow is a BIG deal. I grew up in more northern states and in Europe so I really miss it. Even my 10 years in Dallas got more snow then Austin does. So when they started predicting snow the other day I got excited. I can’t wait to show the boys what snow is like. So much so that I asked that my family’s vacation (my parents, brother’s family and my family get together for a week every year) be in a snowy place next year and my family was kind enough to oblige with reservations in Tahoe. Needless to say, today’s snow flurries were neat and unusual, but left the boys still very neglected in the snow department so I’m glad we have those reservations next year.
It was really fun and the boys tried to get into it, trying to catch snow flakes on their tongues. Unfortunately, the flakes didn’t show up well on my camera even though they got pretty hard for about 20 minutes. Here are some pictures, see if you can see the flakes. I’m not even going to post the pictures where I couldn’t see any, only the ones that hint at the snow falling. You may need to click on the pictures and see the full size to actually see the flurries.
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| From December 09 |
That’s snow on Forest’s hair:
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| From December 09 |
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| From December 09 |
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| From December 09 |
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| From December 09 |
Pirates!
Pirates have invaded our peaceful waters recently.
The Dread Pirate Logan:
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| From December 09 |
Searching for safe shores:
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| From December 09 |
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| From December 09 |
It’s the Little Things
The boys started a tumbling class recently. We’ve never been able to afford the kid classes before because with two, costs get pretty crazy. But our new neighborhood has a community center across the street from us and a local gymnastics teacher thought to supplement her normal classes by offering classes to our neighborhood (where she also lives). The price was too good to refuse.
The classes are for all ages so I was able to enroll the boys in for 3 weeks of classes, meeting for 30 minutes each, twice a week. I could tell right away that the teacher is good with the kids, always using fun ways to teach them gymnastics skills and tailoring the class around their interests as they change with each moment. I had hoped that we would get to meet some of the other kids in the neighborhood as well but no one else signed up for this class so the boys are getting her entire attention. I’m already excited to sign them up for the next age range and have them try out hour long classes in January or February.
The real point of this post, however, was that as the second class was beginning, she turned to me and told me that I could come back in 30 minutes. I hadn’t left the boys with a stranger in about 2 years. Not since when I tried leaving them at the gym day care, which failed miserably by the way. But this time was very different. The boys didn’t even seem to notice I had gone. They stayed active and had a nice person’s full attention with lots of neat bouncing mats and toys. But that moment cut into my heart just a tiny bit. For that brief second, I had a glimpse of what it’s going to be like when they finally start school.
Oh sure the boys spend every other weekend with Dusty and we have been able to take vacations thanks to wonderful grandparents who babysit. But this was somehow different. She wasn’t family. And I hadn’t expected it. I wasn’t needed and could actually get in the way. They were going to learn from someone else. Someone who is very kind, knows lots of great tricks that I have no clue about, and who knows lots of neat gymnastics stuff. Someone who is not me. Someone who is not family. And they were completely ok with it. Wow.
I was surprised that I felt something when that moment happened. I was taken by complete surprise at the rush of feelings. But isn’t that part of this whole parenting experience? Not only seeing the world through their eyes but seeing ourselves deeper through our own.
Halloween
We started the Halloween festivities on Tuesday night when the boys participated in their first pumpkin carving with Dusty aka Green Daddy.
Cleaning out the pumpkin:
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| From Halloween 09 |
Then they had to decide what kind of face to make:
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| From Halloween 09 |
Drawing the face to cut out:
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| From Halloween 09 |
Helping Daddy carve:
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| From Halloween 09 |
Very serious business:
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| From Halloween 09 |
Finished product:
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| From Halloween 09 |
Let the trick or treating begin!
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| From Halloween 09 |
Forest Spiderman making sure I saw the giant spiderweb:
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| From Halloween 09 |
The smiling face of a kid with candy in his bucket:
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| From Halloween 09 |
We went over to Dusty’s neighborhood and the boys trick or treated for about an hour with some of their friends. They totally remembered what to do from last year, Forest was always up at the front leading the pack and had to be spoken to several times about only taking one. Logan tended to come up from behind the group, always shouting “trick or treat” and “thank you” with as much gusto as any kid can. Forest was very focused on the candy aspect but Logan really seemed to be into the whole experience. Even stopping to admire people’s scary decorations (but neither ever got spooked) and pet neighborhood cats.
And best of all, the costumes we got at the grocery store the day after Halloween for only $10 ($5 each!) that have added to the boys costume box:
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| From Halloween 09 |
