Pillow Talk

Oh come on, people. This is a family friendly blog. But it sure got your attention, didn't it?

Josh loves his pillow. Ever since we had to prop him up on multiple pillows when he was in his cast, he has insisted on using it. Towards the end, he would drag his pillow down the hall with his teeth while scooting along in his cast. It was quite the sight, and I'm bummed I never got any pictures of that. But here is one of him post-dragging:

Now he just drags it down the hall like this:

And once he gets it where he wants it to be, he usually ends up like this:

Of course all we have now are regular, adult-sized pillows, but I would like for him to have a kid-sized pillow (I have read that having your head too high can hurt your neck/alignment). A friend and fellow mom of twins recommended these - she uses them with her boys and loves them. I was on the verge of ordering them, when I had a brilliant (or possibly delusional) idea. I'm going to make them! I thought it would be a good way for me to brush up on my sewing skills while also exercising my desire to be frugal. We bought a couple of extra pillows during the cast phase, so my idea is to cut one in half, take out some of the stuffing to make them flatter, then sew them back up. Voila! Two pillows! And my mom and I are going to find some cute (inexpensive) fabric to make pillow cases (should be simple). I'm excited for all the things I'll be able to do once I'm back into the swing of sewing! Oh, the projects (drool). And moving to a new house, I'm sure I'll have lots of opportunities to use my sewing machine (curtains, anyone?). I will be sure to document/blog the pillow-making process.

From Diapers Galore to Diapers No More

Okay, so it's not exactly like that, but it was such a good title I couldn't resist. We have officially begun potty training. In earnest. For real. It's true.

Today is our 3rd day. And although I don't trust them anywhere outside of our home, or in any other conditions (they have to be naked bottomed with a little potty chair in the livingroom for ease/speed/convenience, plus I have to make sure we take "potty breaks"), they are making progress. I have hope!

Joshua has really amazed me. He went from refusing (and this is euphemistic for kicking and screaming) all requests to staying dry all day Saturday, even overnight to Sunday. AND he went poop on the potty just this morning totally on his own. Yahoo!

We've cut our diaper usage (for the big boys only, of course) in half. Or less. We went from using 10-12 diapers a day to 2-6. We did go to church yesterday, and they are not quite at the place where they will tell someone they need to go potty. Plus they don't want to miss out on the playing to go to the bathroom - this is where I think our biggest challenge will be when we go anywhere.

We're not quite ready for public restrooms, underwear, or diaper-less outings, but hopefully we will be soon.

I have to interrupt now to report that George just stopped what he was doing to tell me "I have to go poo-poo!" And he went to the little potty and started pulling down his Pull-Up. I said "Do you need some help?" He replied "No Mom, I'm doing just great." And proceeded to do his business. When he was finished, he said "Are you so proud of me?" Yes, my darling, I am SO proud of you.

I feel I need to end it there, while we are on a potty high.

Contention in the Ranks

It seems that suddenly George wants to fight a battle over every little thing. I try to be accommodating, but I also draw the line and let him knows who's boss when I need to. It's getting more difficult to pick my battles though, as I want to allow him to express his need for independence and control without him thinking that he is in charge.

For example. Last night I made them green beans to go with their dinner. This is normally not a problem. George said "I want corn on the cob!" I calmly said "We don't have any corn on the cob." And he replied "Then I want other corn!" I said "No, we're having green beans tonight. You can have corn tomorrow." He was not happy with that response, and told me so. I told him he didn't have to eat the green beans, but that he wasn't getting corn. He ended up eating the green beans with no problems. Today, I gave them corn for lunch. And when I asked them if they wanted peas with it, they both said yes. Then when I went to serve it, George threw a fit about wanting green beans instead. I told him he could have green beans with dinner, and he didn't have to eat the peas and corn. But he ended up eating them all. I just had to endure a little fit about it first. And it's getting that way with a lot of things now: what he wears, what toys he wants to play with, how helpful he is (or is not), etc. I'm hoping it is a quick phase of figuring out the boundaries. Because I am certainly showing him where they lie.

I understand that obedience is more likely to occur with perseverance and consistency, so I strive for that. But man, it is difficult. These little ankle-biters really know how to wear you down.

For the Love of....Worms?

Joshua is obsessed with all things creepy crawly. Both of the big boys are, really, but especially Josh. He relishes the attempt to swat a fly. He gushes over every little ant. He swoons at the sight of ladybugs. And he thinks worms are "cute." Cute? Ok, Josh.

As our backyard has yet to dry out, there are ample opportunities to find big, juicy worms in the yard. And there is no hesitation to pick them up, fondle them endlessly, let them dry out, and even pull them apart (despite Mommy's pleas to put them in the garden). My sentiments: YUCK. I am no worm lover. And yet I must refrain from cringing at the sight of squirmy worms, being thrust into my face by my over-enthusiastic toddlers who really want me to love them as much as they do. I must feign excitement, lest they pursue me with them even more because they know I am NOT a fan (they get a kick out of that stuff - very boy behavior). So I pretend to like worms (but I try not to touch them).

Here is one such occasion:



I have so many years to endure this stuff...

Out of the Mouths of Babes

George's verbal ability astounds me. His conversational skills might even best some of adults I know. Likewise, his ability to reason sometimes gets me in trouble (I try to get away with things, but he doesn't let anything slide). I wish I could remember more of what he says. Or take the time to write it down. If I could see my way to manage it, I could probably post something every day that George says that cracks me up or makes me think. I could call it "George's Gems." Hmmm....maybe I should start carrying a digital recorder around to capture it all (although the boys would find it and want to play with it/destroy it). Well, here are a few things I did manage to capture anyway:

• We were sitting in the parking lot of the video store waiting for Chris, and we were watching the traffic signals. We were discussing the various lights and what they mean. "Green means go. Red means stop. What does yellow mean, Mommy?" I said, " Yellow means 'Proceed with Caution.'" And George said, "Hmmm....yeah, yellow means go."
• We were driving somewhere and listening to a bouncy song on the radio. George was kicking his feet in time to the music. I said "Sing, George!" He replied, "I'm singing with my feet!"
• One of the presents we bought with the boys' birthday Target gift card is a little foam gun that you can squeeze that shoots foam rockets. Chris was playing with the boys while I was making dinner, and I heard George say "Daddy, I just LOVE playing rockets."

When I get annoyed with his constant babble and the sheer volume of his voice, I need to remember how much I appreciate his penchant for words and speaking. For those are things I enjoy as well. And I need to also be patient with him, as I remember that I annoy others with my blather. Which reminds me of my favorite quote (that aptly describes me):

"I am nothing if not redundant. And I also repeat myself." -Richard Fish, from Ally McBeal

*Update* Just this morning. My mom was here, and I had her give the baby some formula (usually he gets breastmilk in the bottle). He only ate a little, as he had already had his breastmilk and was pretty much full. I was in the kitchen, and my mom says to me "George had a bite of formula and didn't like it one bit." And then George says, "Mommy, you need to pump something better!" I about wet myself.

That's Not Food

My Joshy loves to put things in his mouth. Still, at 3 years old, everything must go in his mouth. And he also MUST touch things. He takes that after his dad. At least now he is pretty good about asking permission to do such things. His main questions in life are:

1) Can I touch it?
2) Can I eat it?
3) Can I have it?

Often times I must answer in the negative. For he is the gross child who, in an innocent curious child-like fashion, would eat dog poop (he really wants to know what dog poop tastes like. And no, he has never tasted or touched dog poop. Yet.). He told me yesterday that he ate a rock. I asked him where he got it, and he said "outside." We had not been outside yet, so I'm not sure what it was or where he got it. But he had a look of disdain on his face, and asked for a drink. I'm hoping it was just a dirt clod. I did see something black-ish in a couple of his back teeth. I suppose it could have been a pebble, that had dislodged from someone's shoe and was somewhere in the carpet (wouldn't surprise me, what with my wanton lack of housekeeping).

And a couple of days before that, he ate an ant. That one was my fault. See, he is obsessed with bugs (and worms), and so he likes to pretend he has an ant or ladybug or fly in his fingers (or that some food is one of the aforementioned bugs - like peanuts are ladybugs - yummy!). And he pretends to eat it. My mom happened to be over this particular day, otherwise I'd never have known it really happened. But he came over to me, as he has many times before, and told me he had a bug in his fingers and asked if he could eat it. I said "Sure, eat it." And he pretended (or so I thought) to eat it, and said "Yum! That's good!" Then my mom said - "Oh! He just ate a bug!" How was I to know there was a real bug (we think it was an ant) betwixt his inquisitive little fingers? Oops. So now we have a running joke that ants are a "tasty snack" (a la Bear Grylls). And I have to remind Josh many times daily that ants (among other things) are "NOT food."

I have no idea how many times Joshua has sneakily eaten ants without my knowledge. Lord knows there are many to choose from in the house these days (something I'm working to rectify). He loves to catch them, squish them, and yes. Eat them. I may have a true survivor on my hands.

First Morning Conversations

Here were the changing-the-diaper conversations we had this morning.

Me: Do you know what today is?
George: It's your birthday!
Me: That's right!
George: Can I eat your birthday cake?
Me: I don't have any birthday cake.
George: You need to make it!
Me: I'm not making my own birthday cake. Mamaw's making me one.
George: Is she here?
Me: No, she's at home. We'll see her tonight when we go over there.
George: Oh, Ok.

Josh: I saw a bee-spider.
Me: A bee-spider? What is a bee-spider?
Josh: Buzz-buzz.
Me: Did you eat it?
Josh: No. It's gucky. It's cute-gucky.
Me: Oh, it's cute-gucky?
Josh: Yeah!

3 Year Stats

So we just got back from the boys' 3-year check-up. Here are the stats:

Joshua - 32.6 pounds, 37 inches tall, 50th percentile for both weight and height
George - 34.4 pounds, 39 inches tall, 75th percentile for weight, 90th percentile for height

Everything else looked great. The doc was very impressed with their development (especially George's verbal abilities). The only thing that was of concern was the shape of George's head. It has always been bigger in the back, and narrows more towards the forehead. She's not really concerned, but ordered an x-ray so we can make sure the sutures in his skull are closing evenly. Just a peace-of-mind kind of thing. So we'll go back later for that, and I'll update then. But they are in excellent health!

UPDATE: The X-ray showed that everything looks perfectly fine. Which is what I thought all along.

3rd Birthday Party

The boys' birthday party was a success. They had a great time playing with Zach & Adam (their cousins), they got great presents, and the cakes were a hit. And now for the photos:

George had to swing with his balloon.

How old are you today, Joshua?Party Guests (Vincent, Adam, and Victoria).
Melanie with Blake.
Tim grilling away.
Josh & Blake having a special moment.
George and Adam saying "I'm a happy sponge!"

The Cakes: Spongebob Squarepants Patrick (George's Cake) Squidward (Joshua's Cake)
Plankton (Daddy's Cake)
Cake Party
The "extra" cake.


Josh REALLY likes his cake.
And so does Adam! Opening the presents:
Look! A Krabby Patty!

We love our jungle hats.
Can't wait to play with this...

So that's it. My babies are three. *sigh*

Birthday Poem

How can it be, that my big boys are three?
Seems like a moment ago they were in me.
And now they assert themselves; sometimes they hit.
And declare independence with a loud "I do it!"
They are definitely all boy; they love the outdoors.
They love dirt, trees, and bugs; they get mud on my floors.
They are silly, and funny, and challenging too.
They know ABC's, colors, and that cows go "moo."
They are getting so big, and unless I'm a fool,
I'll have to accept that they'll soon be in school.
I am trying to enjoy them, trying not to stress,
even though my house is a very large mess.
I will cherish the time that I have with these too,
and make sure that I've said enough "I love you."

George the Storyteller

George's first story:

Once upon a time, there was a cow. In my house.

George's second story:

Once upon a time, there was a rabbit.
The End.

Pocket Obsession

Joshua is currently obsessed with putting things in his pocket. Now, whenever I get him dressed for the day, he asks for pockets. When he doesn't have pockets on, he stuffs things in his socks. When he comes in from outside, I have to check his pockets - they usually have rocks, leaves, trash, and other miscellaneous items (a walnut shell, a piece of burnt wood, etc.). The other day when we were garage-saling, I had given the boys some fruit snacks to eat. When we got Josh out of his car seat, we noticed a big purplish stain on his pants pocket. He had taken his partially chewed fruit snacks and stuffed them in his pocket, producing a big sticky mess. Luckily my mother is the queen of stain removal (thanks Mom!) and she got it all out.

Here is a picture of my pocket-stuffing child:

And you wouldn't know it to look at the picture, but these were the exact contents of his right pocket at the time the above picture was taken:

Pretty impressive, eh? I love my quirky little guy...