A little about my Littles

Caleb is adorable. Pull on my heartstrings, adorable. Caleb makes a sound that is a cross between a trill and a "raspberry". After diaper changes, we work on helping Caleb learn to roll and have a little tummy time. He's my first kid that is willing to do it! He seems to get excited when we practice rolling and tries to use his little tummy muscles to roll over. When we read books to Caleb, his eyes get real big and he seems so intent on the pictures.

He sleeps like a champ. We swaddle him---which he doesn't like for a few minutes---then he is out hard for seven to nine hours. When he does wake up in the middle of the night, he's still so tired that he just eats and drifts off again. Amazing. When he's awake, he's interested in faces and people and prefers his brothers. Joe likes touching him and Rae likes doing things for him (like making his bottle... too much formula for the water he added, but he was so proud of himself).

Joe is walking and has been for a bit over a month and a half. He's unsteady, mostly because his ankles are still so weak, but he keeps working on it and getting better. We are going to have surgery again soon. His cyst alongside his tongue keeps growing back, so this time he's going to have the salivary gland completely removed, too. I just hope that we don't have to stay inpatient. I'd rather just take him home. We'll see.

Joe has started "head banging" when he gets frustrated. He's not really been one for tantrums. If he does get mad, it only lasts a little while. The head banging is harder to deal with.

Joe loves the book, Trains Go by Steve Light, especially the "speed train goes WHOOOOSHHHHHH". Joe runs his finger along the word "WHOOOOOSHHHHH" and I make the sound effect. He also is digging That's Not My Dinosaur, particularly the front cover, which says, "That's not my dinosaur, his body is too squashy."

The physical therapist made Joe do wheelbarrows, and Joe laughed and giggled and kept trying to do it. She always comments that most kids don't like being pushed to do things, but other than rolling, Joe has loved working hard and learning new things.

The best thing about Joe recently has been putting him to bed! We've been working with him on helping him stay in bed and sleep. I think we finally have hit a point where Joe understands that when we put him in bed and tuck him in, it is time to sleep. This makes naptime and bedtime so much nicer because if Joe sleeps, Rae follows suit more easily.

This is his "birthday cake". It's cheese,
with scissors and stickers.

Rae. His pretend play has increased exponentially. He'll have long conversations on a pretend phone. He pretends it is raining inside. He pretends one object is another, etc. etc. I love this new language explosion because it's getting easier to ask Rae to do what I want him to do. I usually have to repeat the explanation three or four times, but he is starting to understand. And if an explanation is not enough to deter him, changing the subject can usually distract Rae out of whatever he was trying to do. I still have to resort to more Draconian measures like time outs or taking the object (like the tablet or umbrella) up out of reach, but it seems to be less frequent and less intense.

Mr. Graff was talking to me about going to the "place of books", so that Rae would not hear "library" and get all excited about going. But, sure enough, "place of books" was enough. "LIBRARY! I go put my shoes on," he says.

Rae's going through an interesting building phase. He takes the couch cushions, various stools, buckets and milk crates and makes tunnels, bridges, and towers. He loves digging in the backyard. He likes getting attention for helping Caleb---bringing Caleb his binky, a blanket, or reading a story to him. "He's a good little boy, Mom" Rae will tell me. "He's beautiful. Mom, you're beautiful." Then he will snuggle close for some extra loves. I'll tell him I love him "forever and ever" and he'll respond, "eber and eber" which melts my heart.

Reading to Caleb. 

I like that Rae loves his family. He always asking where everyone is. "Where's Squid go? Where's Uncle Tony? Where's Grandma? Where's Amra?" And on and on… down to Sparta. I've even heard Bruiser on the list.

And there's a little about my Littles!