a bit about my babies 4.23.18

i began this "bit about my babies" in DECEMBER. and never posted. i'll add to it. i realized the other day when my sweet sister in law started an email update chain for all us sissy's in the family to catch up with each other, that i couldn't even spare half a second to write about what i ate for breakfast, let alone write an update about my life as of late. i feel like it's just spiraled out of control somehow, and i'm not sure what brought it on, but my life has felt like a tornado for the past several months. i know it's been extra bad the past couple months because brad has been traveling almost non stop, but i have no explanation for the december-february lull (except for like the holidays...? does that make up for it all? i dont know.) BUT i have some thoughts i'll share in another post and finish my kid updates in this post.


bea

-she reads!!!! holy cow it is incredible. i got her some bob books and she reads them all and i am just so thrilled i can't even say. i can't wait for the more complex words to start flowing in. i want her to be able to read dr seuss and mo willems by the end of the year. how cool would that be?!

-she is so smart and so under-stimulated and for a while it seemed like no matter what i did i couldn't calm her down or keep her behavior in check. we are trying really hard to reign her in but this past month (read: December and november) or so has been a real struggle to be honest. if you have any tips on raising a brilliant, spirited, sass pot, send them my way because i'm floundering over here. *EDIT* i read a book or two about spirited children, joined an online support group, spoke with her pediatrician and a child therapist, and we are making some strides. it's not perfect but it is slightly better, and the ped says i can expect it to get much better by the time kingergarten (?! HOW IS SHE SO OLD!?) rolls around. i buy it, in the past 2 months the meltdowns have slowed and she can cool down faster than before. the ADD stuff hasn't changed and likely won't, but we can't officially diagnose until after kindergarten. with our family history and strong indicators it's basically inevitable but i'd love to find coping skills to use before we resort to meds. i just worry about starting them so young. i guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

-she has started the most adorable book club ever. she asked me in november what i do when i go to book club and she got super jealous! "Mom! i should start a book club! i want to read books and eat snacks too!" so that's what we did! and it was really fun. we have had one every month since december and it is always a hit and we really enjoy it. i'm so excited and glad it has kept its momentum.

-she was wonder woman for halloween which was really sweet. i think she'd probably choose wonder woman over a princess lately and 100% WW over a barbie. so i think we're winning there. (EDIT: how has this been my first update since HALLOWEEN?! like where have i BEEN?!)

-her vocabulary, as always, is incredible. and her vernacular in general is great. the other day something dumb happened and she said "ugh that's lame." and another day, something didn't work out and she goes "well, today was a total bust." hahaha she is really starting to sound like a big kid!

-she loves dance still and is working really hard on focusing in class

-she LOVES to color and paint. anything art related is in her wheelhouse. i hate crafts and a lot of artsy stuff so she often takes initiative and does stuff herself which really impresses me. like the other day, she wanted to make this complicated pop up picture and i was busy, so i told her i would help in a minute, and a bit later she walked up to me with a completed one and had done a really spectacular job on it, just by following the visual instructions from the book! this is a trait she did not inherit from me.

ollie

-holy cow that boy can talk! he is talking circles around 2 year old boys (not the ladies lol he's not THAT articulate) and sometimes he spits out a phrase and i'm like "HOW OLD ARE YOU?!" like today, for example. i was singing loud in the parking lot at costco, being silly, and he goes "MOM DON'T SING SO LOUD, YOU'LL MAKE THE MOON CRY!" like what the heck?! what goes on inside his head must be incredible.

-he LOVES. TRAINS! thomas the tank engine (THOMAS! AHN! FENDS!!!!) or dinosaur train (wattcccch.....dy-sor chains?!?) or playing with his  "train track trains" (train tracks) tie for his favorite things in the entire universe

-the kids both like phineas and ferb right now. oliver will walk around going "mom, bea fee-us, i ferv, you candice." he likes to play pretend.

-he is a dancing FOOL. right now he loves the music from coco and the greatest showman. he dances with crazy intensity and sings like no one is listening. i hope he never changes, but i know it's a lot to hope for.

-he is very very very affectionate, as opposed to his kiss-stingy sister. he throws his arms around me out of the blue and smiles and says "i just love you mom!" or "mommy give me kisses right here!!!" i have the hardest time not just kissing him every second of every day. i hope he marries an orphan so i never have to give him away.

-he also likes to color and paint which is a fun activity for all of us to do together. i'll color so it is a family endeavor and i like it.

-he gets into EVERYTHING. well, mostly just food. and water. he spills literally everything he touches. and he makes huge messes with the sink in the bathroom if i dont remember to lock him out of it. it's a good thing he is so cute.....

-he has NO interest in using the potty any time soon and i am SO OVER IT! i almost cried the other day changing one of his nasty diapers in the back of my car out in the cold. i was having a super rough day, and i was trying to get stuff done, and he pooped, and i had to change it and it was super hard to clean up and the wipes i had were really crappy (no pun intended) and i just wanted to scream. i know if i want potty training to be easy i need to wait til he is ready but at this point i won't even be able to send him to preschool in the fall. i couldnt register him anywhere because he's not potty trained and by the time he is (if he even does it this year!) all of the spots will be filled. they're pretty much all filled right now anyway. i'm am just so so so so over it. we got him a thomas the tank engine potty, put a pile of brand new unopened toys on the back of the toilet, have a big old jar of candy in the closet with his name on it, and NONE of it will persuade him. i even got him lightning mcqueen underwear. and he is not having any of it. this kid is gonna kill me.


i think that's all i have right now. you know when you put something off long enough that you get to a point where it is too scary to even pick up where you left off because it's such an overwhelming task? that's how i felt about updating my blog after a 5 month hiatus. but this should be a shove in the right direction. i'm excited to start sharing again.