No More Curls

John finally decided that Edward was going to get a haircut. He was smart enough to tell me before he did it, or I would have refused to speak to him for a week!

I miss the curls. A lot. They cut off the last of his babyness!

John posted video of before, during, and after on his blog so that you can see my baby turn into a toddler. Check it out!

I'm not ready!

Edward has decided to have a developmental spurt of sorts. It's so amazing to watch, but it makes me sad. I'm loosing my baby!

Over the weekend, Edward finally decided that walking was better than crawling. He's been walking some for months, but he acted like it was too much work for most trips across the floor. All of a sudden, he went from rarely walking to rarely crawling. We're still amazed when he walks from room to room jabbering away at us.

And the talking! We realized that his large vocabulary has changed. In the past, he understood us, would mimic the word, and point to what we were talking about. He did independently use a few words, but most were repeats after we said them.

Now, Edward says quite a few things on his own. Mostly types of food. And he's constantly trying to learn new words when we label things for him. (I love listening to him sound out new words.) The hard part is that he doesn't have many consonants. We're learning to hear the subtle differences between banana, bottle, bread, cup, ball, done, down, etc.

He has also developed more non-verbal communication. Some are obvious to anyone. When he brings you his shoes and sweatshirt, he wants to go outside. When he makes huge head gestures, he's saying yes. (I have to get video of him nodding yes. I find myself asking him questions all day just so that I can giggle at his giant nod.) Then there are the less obvious. When Edward reaches out his arm, then smacks himself in the head, he wants you to give him whatever he was "pointing" at. How can you refuse a request like that!

This boy is cracking me up. (Boy! Not baby!) I want him to stop right here. No more growing up. It's not allowed. I'm not ready.

Edward at almost 13 months

Edward is such a talker. He babbles nearly all the time. Even with his pacifier hanging out of his mouth. Combined with signs and gestures, he makes himself understood reasonable well. Our current favorite is when he does different voices for different toys. High pitched screechy noises for some, and deeper daddy type voices for other.

The words he says right now (that I can remember) are:
Uh-oh
Whoa
Side (outside)
Uh-sat (what's that)
Mama
Dada
Ama (grandma)
Eeta (Ethan)
Paa (pacifier)
Baa (bottle)
Bah (ball)
Up (cup)
*grunt* (I'm poopy.) This really is a vocalized response when you ask if he needs a diaper change, not just the grunt you thought of.
Moo (cow)
Boo (scaring you)
Rar (lion)

Of course, he still signs eat and all done. And shakes his head no.

He has also learned to beep noses. That's less fun at bedtime when he can reach my nose and beep it from every angle. Mom flinches when you jab the inside of her nose. But it's cute the rest of the day.

Edward's walking has gone from a few steps to a definate goal, to walking just because it's a way to get around. He still doesn't take more than five or six steps before switching to a crawl, but if he's standing, he'll walk a while first. Even switching surfaces easily.

Our little guy is getting bigger by the second. He seems less and less like a baby every day, and more and more like a kid. I love watching this stage!

He did it!

Edward took his first wobbly steps this morning. About five of them. And John was still home to see it. We all cheered, but the boy was too interested in his toy to pay attention to us.

I'm so glad that he finally decided he could walk. He's been on the verge for more than a month but was waiting until he was more sure footed. I wish he'd have the same caution when it comes to climbing! Now I need to gear up for having a little runner again. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.

Too Fast!!

Slow down Edward! We love that you're so smart and that you're growing up, but we're not ready. This is what you've done, just in the last two weeks. (Sorry that you missed it all, daddy.)

-Standing
-Threatening to walk (We've been stopping him so that daddy doesn't miss it.)
-Indian War Whoop (I'll post video of this. It's hilarious.)
-Two teeth coming through at once
-Combing his hair (It's the cutest thing you've ever seen. I'll try to get video, or at least a picture.)
-Sharing, and not just the give and take back kind

I'm sure I'm forgetting some. It's all happening so fast, and I'm not ready to lose my baby. So Edward, cut it out!

The Determined One

Edward is definitely determined. When he decides to do something, it's hard to stop him.

This week he's managed to eat toilet paper, regular paper, dryer lint, and every bit of grossness he can find on the floor. He's climbed up boxes, the back of his highchair, and a folding chair that was closed and leaning against the wall. Each pot, pan, and bowl has been pulled out my kitchen cabinets at least once. And I've given up on loading the dishwasher when he's around because he immediately climbs in to play with the racks. There's no stopping him.

This trait does have its advantages, though. Previously, Edward hasn't been interested in learning what we try to teach him. Apparently he'd been paying attention, but was holding out on us. This week, he started clapping, waving, giving high-fives, and signing "eat" (mostly on my mouth, but at least he gets it.) He's also decided that it's about time he stand up. He's becoming very stable while holding on with one hand, and has let go on a few occasions. We've even seen him try to stand up without anything to hold on to two or three times.

So Edward's determination can be frustrating when I'm trying to keep him safe, but it's also great when it comes to his development. He takes the time to observe and then, when he decides he's ready, just does it.

Two at once

I'll jump back in with our visit to the dr yesterday for checkups. Wow, it takes a long time to do both kids! Between the weighing and measuring, the physical exams, and the discussions about development, I think we were in that room for over an hour!

Ethan first. (Because he insisted on going first yesterday.) His last weigh in was Halloween and he was up to a whopping 32.5lbs. Now, he is the exact same height and only 30lbs. This boy has gained (and kept on) only 10lbs since he was 5 months old!! Because his BMI is good and we've already proven that he can gain weight, we're going to leave it alone for now and just weigh him at Edward's checkups to make sure he doesn't lose more.

Otherwise, our boy is just fabulous. Gross motor skills are great as evidenced by his riding a big-kid scooter. Fine-motor are way above average as evidenced by his learning to write letters. (That one has also shown us that he learns by doing. Ethan had no real interest in learning his ABCs until he realized that he could make them. Now we introduce a new letter every few days.) Language skills are great. Social skills are great.

We were most proud of the dr's comments about Ethan's social skills. He said that you could tell our boy comes from a good home with good parents who don't fight b/c of the way he interacts with others. This seemed to stem particularly from the way Ethan would express his dislike of something, but then sit and listen while the dr explained what he was going to do, followed by agreement that it needed to be done. If only he'd do that at home!

The one suggestion that the dr had for us was to push him more. He's at an age where there are almost no limits to the amount he can learn. Our dr is chinese and is all about doing what you can to increase IQ and give your kid their best chance at success. He wants us to make sure he is exposed to lot of music, particularly making it. And he wants us to introduce new sports, like skiing, ice-skating, biking (on a two-wheeler!), gymnastics, etc. I think we're going to start with a tumbling class and maybe get some roller-skates in the spring. A bike can wait until we move.

On to Edward. He's up to 10lbs 15ozs and it shows. Not quite the porker his brother was, but the rolls of fat are coming along nicely. So nicely in fact that he's gained more than twice what they expect in the last two weeks. And we've had to move to size 2 diapers!

Last time we talked about the types of stimulation we should use to increase his IQ, so our only real discussion at this appt was about sleep. Now I know that most of you will want to hurt me when I say that he sleeps probably 17-18hrs a day. BUT, it's they way he does it thats the problem. Lately, he sleeps in short bursts, typically not longer than 2 hrs. Then when he's awake, he eats really often. And cries b/c he's tired and can't fall back to sleep.

The dr said his first instinct when he hears about sleeping like this is that the baby is hungry. But obviously Edward is getting plenty to eat. So we think that the real problem is gas bubbles formed by air swallowed when he cries. (I may have started the problem by eating a bunch of raw broccoli a while ago. Those painful bubbles caused the first bought of wails, resulting in more bubbles.) So it's possible that if we can get him through a day or so without much crying, the sleeping will get better. Plus we're only two weeks away from that magic 6 week mark where night sleeping improves. Can't wait for that.

So that's the general recap of Ethan at 3yrs old and Edward at 1 month old. Pictures to come tonight or tomorrow.

"These, Our Little Ones"

That's the title of the First Presidency Message in this month's Ensign. It's all about how the future is affected by how we raise our children. Really an inspiring article by President Hinckley. I was particularly struck by a quote he included, attributed to E.T. Sullivan.

"When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn't stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother's heart, and she puts it into the baby's mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies."

I love this. I love that my little boys can (and will!) be powerful forces in the future. Even if it's in small ways or in small circles. And although I know that they will ultimately structure their own lives however they wish, President Hinckley's advice on bringing them up in a loving home where they are taught, respected, and led by example will help me provide my boys with a strong foundation to build upon.

Car Talk

One of our favorite times to talk to Ethan is in the car. He opens up and chats away about the things he's been thinking about and learning, and also about what he sees out the window. Usually a combination of both. In the last few days, we've talked about letters, stinky skunks, happy monsters, airplanes, fish, snow, and presents we can give baby Jesus for his birthday (my favorite). It's so fun to just drive and wait to hear what he will bring up.

Out of his shell

We all know that Ethan can take a while to warm up to people. Even people that he sees on a regular basis. But the last while has been different. Ethan has started responding when random people ask his name. Like the guy sweeping the floor at the supermarket. And the health insurance guy at John's office. Today at preschool he even jumped up on the mom teaching and started having a tickle fight! (During free-play, of course.) It's strange to see him coming out of his shell. I love that he's more comfortable out in the world. It's great to see him play more and not cling so much. But I also don't like that he's more comfortable out in the world. It was easiest when he was afraid to leave my side when we ran errands. Now, taking him out can be a major ordeal. And it'll be worse with two. I'm not completely sure whether or not I like this yet. I guess it depends on the situation.

Moods

Ethan has been so inconsistent lately. Napping, not napping. Using the potty, wanting only diapers. Little angel, constant tantrums. Some of it is clearly just wanting independence and a say in what goes on in his life. Some of it is learning new things (and the accompanying backsliding of others). Some of it is being tired from the not napping.

I think, strangely enough, part of it is that we have been talking a lot about our moods and how we are feeling. He's learning how to express things more clearly and put words to how he's feeling. It's so fun to have Ethan wake up and tell us "I'm feeling silly today", and then to spend the whole day making us laugh. It's less fun when he tells us he's frustrated or mad, but like we tell him, it's a part of who we are to have all kinds of moods. It's a learning experience for all of us watch how his moods change, how they are affected by our moods, and how his moods affect ours. As much as we've been really struggling with how to raise this inconsistent boy (and not be frustrated a lot ourselves), we love watching him learn about himself and how to express his feelings so that others understand. He really is a great kid. Even on the days I grit my teeth when I say it.

... and Ethan

Ethan has given me the best two birthday presents a mom could ask for this last week (besides some time off.) Both seem to stem from his visit to the doctor's office.

First, the cute one. We've had more visits for me and Edward lately than for him, so when we arrived at his doctor's office, Ethan started asking about Edward. He spent the whole waiting time asking if he could open my belly (pull up my shirt) to look at Edward. When we arrived home and were trying to eat lunch, Ethan had trouble eating because he was so absorbed in my belly. Touching it, rubbing it, kissing it, talking to it, and trying to take Edward out so that he could hold him. This is a routine we go through several times a day now. Sometimes we pretend that Ethan takes Edward out and practices holding him. Ethan is so excited about his little brother that he even tried to rearrange his room during a nap, so that we could put the crib in it. Hopefully this enthusiasm will continue after Edward is born. (While I was typing this, Ethan snuggled up to me and covered my belly with a blanket to keep baby Edward warm.)

The second, and more amazing thing is that potty training is actually happening! The doctor asked how it was going and I admitted that we'd gotten frustrated and taken a break. He suggested, specifically because Ethan is way too smart and knows that diapers are just easier, the "Once Upon a Potty" video for boys. (We already had it, but hadn't used it since the very beginning. It really is a great video for smarter kids b/c it goes through everything from body parts to having accidents and even includes a super annoying song that you can't get out of your head.) I didn't think Ethan was paying attention, but the next morning he asked if I would take off his diaper so that he could make a pee-pee, even remembering that the doctor said to let him sit on the potty while watching the video. We moved the potty into the living room and Ethan peed! Without any prompting from anyone else! Ever since, he's been wearing mostly underwear and using the potty several times a day, with little prompting. (Albeit in the living room, but hey, he's doing it.) He even pooped in the potty on Sunday and was so excited he wanted to tell his nursery teachers.

My little boy is growing into such a cutie! I love how excited he is to have a brother and how amazing he is when he decides to do something. (I also love that he has such respect for the doctor. I might need to take advantage of that.)