Somebody turned ONE!

On Wednesday, at 12:30am while we were all fast asleep, Matteo officially became a one year old!

Cliched as it may be, this year has flown by!  Life with three (very young!) kids is busy, fun, frustrating, difficult and joyful all at the same time.  And it provides lots of fodder but not enough time for blogging as evidenced by my lack of posts and updates during my littlest one's first year.

As if he knew he would be turning one and wanted to celebrate with a big achievement, he started walking just a few days before his birthday.  He has been taking steps for a while but still favored crawling for the most part.  Not so much anymore.  He is a man on a mission!  Usually that mission involves a ball, the dog's water bowl or Mommy.  Or the stairs.  Yes, he is a pro at climbing (crawl climbing) the stairs and I need to be extra vigilant about keeping the doggie gate up because he will be upstairs faster than Sebastian and Collette can yell "Noooo, Teooooo!!!!!!!!!!!"

And he is talking so much, it amazes me.  He tries to repeat so much of what we say and seems to be adding words to his vocabulary at a pretty good pace.  He definitely says "ball" and I think he has been trying to say Lola, which is a hard one to say.  He signs "all done" and tries to say it but isn't quite there.  He even tries to sing and you'll hear a little tune come out of his mouth that sounds a heck of a lot like the melody to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

I know that this coming year will be full of fun now that we have the "baby" phase behind us as a family but I am so grateful for this past year.  Matteo showed me that maybe I am a baby person - I almost didn't mind those midnight feedings, all snuggled up with him watching him drift back into his warm milk drunkenness.  He has brought out the sweet side of his brother and sister (usually) who try to take care of him and cheer him up when he's sad and play with him when he's happy.

Here's to another terrific year with a most terrific boy.  Happy (belated) Birthday, Matteo!

Oh ya, Matteo is 11 months old now.

I think its clear that Matteo is definitely neglected.  At least when it comes to my dedication to chronicling his infancy.  Let's hope he doesn't hold it against me.

I missed his 10 month old post altogether - mostly because I was in Montreal celebrating my 30th birthday but is that really an excuse?  :)  What I would have said in that post is that is got two teeth and has only bitten me a few times.  That he is saying "mama" and "dada/papa" and waving.  But all that's old news now.

His 11th month has been even more fun than his 10th.  He is taking baby steps, literally.  He knows how to "do" the hat song - those of you in EI know what I'm talking about.  I'm pretty sure he is signing "all done."  He has added "hi" and "uh-oh" to his vocab.  "Uh oh" is his favorite because he gets to drop something on the floor and then say "uh oh" over and over and over and over again.  He's learning to climb the stairs which is not so fun because he hasn't mastered the not-falling-down-once-you're-a-few-steps-up part.

He still loves to eat shoes, paper and chalk.  He has taken to attacking Sebastian when Sebastian is getting a diaper change.  Or he tries to grab the dirty diaper.  In other news, I really need to potty train Sebastian.  Let's just say I was right when I said it would be hell on earth training him.

Eating and sleeping are still great.  Of the three, Matteo is my best eater.  I'm enjoying it while it lasts because that toddler-picky phase will be here before I can say "just one bite, for god-frickin'-sake!!"  While two naps a day are going very well, I am planning to switch him one nap by the start of school.  I know that way early but it will make school drop off much easier.  Not to mention I don't want to be stuck at home now that I'll finally have some time to get stuff done without the twins in tow.  We'll see.

One other thing I notice with Matteo is just how much he learns from Sebastian and Collette.  The Hat song is one example.  He also plays with cars (like, actually pushes them along the floor just like Sebastian and Collette do), tries to do puzzles, uses drum sticks on the drum, etc.  It makes me grateful that they get all this time together.  Not to mention the fact that Sebastian and Matteo have become like peas and carrots.  Watching them play together is just too cute.  The stuff us parents live for.

And here my littlest man in his chair.  Filling it up too quickly.

Boy, does he look like his Daddy. :)

Two point Five

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On Saturday, my "babies" had their half birthday.  This isn't something we celebrate (do others??  I'm not sure...) but there just happened to be a fair in town.  Now, if I were a good mommy blogger, I would have remembered to bring my camera to the fair to get pictures of them being big kids and riding rides by themselves.  Remembering three kids seems to be all my brain can handle, though, and the camera was left behind.  We had to settle for Billy's iPhone which is normally fine but on Sunday is self-destructed before we had a chance to transfer the photos.  So, ya...no pics.  But what we had was a very cute shot of them in the car-merry-go-round ride.  They chose the same car - Collette was in the front and Sebastian was in the back.  They loved it.  I got a little choked up at how big they seemed, riding all by themselves.  Another one of those unexpected milestones, I guess.

2.5 has also been an age of "advanced" play.  They are interacting with their toys (and each other) in more meaningful, developed ways.  They collaborate in games, simple as they may be.  Like jumping off the porch, throwing matchbox cars over the fence or taking turns dumping sand on the rhododendrons.  Recently, they acquired some dinosaur toys.  They know a lot of the dinosaurs names already so I tried to teach them which ones were meat eaters and which were plant eaters.  They took it to heart:

On the flip side, we seem to be confirming the theory that the half years suck.  The whining has reached epic proportions.  Things were going so well, I had been slacking on the discipline.  Now its back to counting them all the time.  For those of you who also do 1-2-3 Magic, do you count for whining?  If so, always or just in certain instances?  And what about crying?  For us, whining and crying is a fine line but I feel awful sending them to time out when they're crying.  I feel like I am denying them some mommy comfort that they need.  Then again, they (yes, they - its not just Sebastian anymore!) cry over ridiculous things like my suggesting that they wear a rain coat or serving lunch that doesn't involve yogurt and fruit.

Sibling rivalry has also been peaking.  Sebastian is in a "dat's mine!" phase, and even takes it out on poor Matteo.  But mostly it's just Sebastian and Collette fighting over toys and/or space.  I have a feeling that Billy and I will have to give them some quality one-on-one time to get through this stage of toddlerhood.  I just hope the second half of their third year in life isn't as rough as the second half of their first year.  Because I really did not enjoy 18-24 months old...

But back to the bright side:

They are still happy kiddos over all!

Matteo's 9 month stats, etc.

Matteo's 9 month check up was quick and easy. I'm lucky that he is such an easy, predictable baby so I rarely have questions for the doc. Also, this visit only required one shot and my little boy didn't even cry. What a trooper.

In record keeping news, Matteo has made his way to average, after being such a big newborn. Here are the stats:

Weight: 20.6 lbs (47th percentile)
Height: 28.5 in. (55th percentile)

And lastly, a lot of this has been going on:

Yup, pulling up, standing and cruising have begun. My little guy is on his way to toddlerhood. Lord help me!

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9 Months Old and Making Mischief

Oh yes, its that time. The time when the baby becomes a force to be reckoned with. And Matteo is hitting it right on track.

Truthfully, 9 months is one of my favorite ages. The crawling means he can get into everything but he is so happy to explore on his own. And I am starting to get glimpses of the kind of person he's going to become now that he has this independence. He's curious, determined, affectionate, engaging and fun-loving. It's so nice getting to know him. Even while he is eating sidewalk chalk, shoes and paper.

He is learning to pull up, which means I have to kick the baby-proofing into high gear. Or any gear. My house is currently not baby-proofed at all We had to move his crib down from the highest setting to one of the lowest - another milestone!

Also, much to my satisfaction, he has learned how to take a sippy cup. We let him try the straw cups that Sebastian and Collette use and he was able to figure it out pretty quickly. Now, whenever he sees them with their milk, he tries to steal it away. I'm sure this will be a recurring theme throughout his childhood, for better or worse. For now, I'm just glad that I can have someone else feed him. Plans are in the works for an adult-only weekend away to celebrate my big 3-0. More on that later. :)

As far as his schedule, things are still pretty much the same. Two naps, goes to bed around 6:30 and gets up around 6/6:30 in the morning. It can be hard to get him up from his first nap in time for the twins' classes but so far we have managed to fit it all in and not disturb Matteo much.

All in all, 9 months is looking great! He is still my happy little boy.

I think he is going to have Collette's hair. I was looking at pics of Colie from this age and her was only just starting to curl. As you can see in the chair picture, he is rocking the faux hawk - that's au natural, folks. He's going to need a haircut soon. Oy. My baby is growing up!!

Makes My Monday: Busy Matteo

Last week, Matteo had some very big breakthroughs. He is officially crawling forward, and with purpose. He mostly crawls around to put things in his mouth that he shouldn't, like pieces of paper, shoes and chalk. Clearly, I need to do a better job of tidying up.

He has been babbling for awhile now but it wasn't until last week that he started saying "mama." I have no illusions that of what his meaning is - I know its just babble. But still. Pretty awesome :)

And just over the weekend, he learned to clap! I started playing Pat-a-Cake with him and he loved it, started clapping after I showed him and that was that. He's a clever one!!

And for your viewing pleasure, a crawling video taken on my sh*tty phone.

8 Months old for Matteo

Matteo's eighth month was somewhat uneventful, as he seems to be working on a lot of the same things he was last month. Here is a quick snap shot of my Tater Tot over the past month:

• Crawling backwards very well, not so much forward. In the past week or so, he has perfected his downward dog.
• Eating more table food. In the past month, he has tried crab cakes, quiche (also with crab...), puffs, apple bread, croissant, french toast, mango (pieces and in the mesh feeder), different kids of beans, shredded cheese, squash (pieces and in the mesh feeder), potatoes, and rice.
• Gets mad when I walk by him and don't pick him up. Actually, distraught might be a better way to describe the emotion. And the face he gives me is just heartbreaking...
• New love affair with the tupperware cabinet. I am fine having the tupperware all over the floor if it means peace, quiet and both of my arms free while I'm cooking.
• Still won't take a sippy cup or bottle. Grrr.
• Has been waking up on his belly lately, or at least he's on his belly by the time I get in there.
• Loves to chew on paper and shoes. Must have picked that up from the dogs.
• Sleeping better overall. His naps are much more consistent, I would say. Down from 8/830 - 930/10 for the AM nap and from 1230/1 - 230/3 for the afternoon nap. Bedtime is still between 6 and 630.
• Still very ticklish :)
• Eyes haven't turned brown yet...maybe they won't?

Here is my handsome guy, all smiley for his 8-month chair picture:

My Mini Menaces

When the kids are being mischievous, Billy will call them "amenaza" which is how you say menace in Spanish. Lately, they have been total amenazas, but in the cute way, not the way that makes you want to send them off to military camp.

Example 1: After getting up from their nap, Collette and Sebastian decided to play in my room. They seemed to be playing nicely enough, bring me all of their fathers shoes, one by one. A minute or so went by without a shoe delivery and I wondered what they were up to. Just then, they both ran back to me (I was in their bedroom with Matteo) both soaking wet! I asked them where they got the water and they escorted me to my bathroom, hopped into the shower and turned it on. Lovely. Did I mention that they can open doors now?

Example 2: Matteo is getting frisky as well! He is now able to move forward in his walker. This allows him to actually go after things he wants. The other day, he zoomed up the art easel, pulled off the giant paper and started eating it. But he won't baby food - go figure!

Like I said - menacing, but in the cutest of ways. I'm really loving both of these ages. Not looking forward to the terrible twos...

7 Months

My little Tater Tot is 7 months old today. This has been a very enjoyable age, especially since he is now 100% sleeping through the night and on a very predictable nap schedule. He's now dropped that third nap and takes his second nap right after the twins go down. His first nap is on the early side, between 8 and 8:30, so that he can wake up early enough for us to get out and about.

While he perfected sitting up last month, this past month has been all about moving. He isn't crawling yet but damn, does he want to! This boy never loved being on his belly but now I find him that way all the time, trying to get up on those knees. I wonder how long it will take him to figure it out.

The only "issue" we're having is with eating. he still doesn't like to be spoon fed but also won't eat soft pieces of food. Mommy Esq. gave us some of her old mesh feeders and those have worked but he still eats very little this way. On the bright side, he is at least feeding himself.

Overall, Matteo is just a happy baby. Everyone comments on how he is always smiling and laughing. He is terribly ticklish. He loves his brother and sister and watching them play or makes faces at him. And he loves to talk! Mostly just "dadadadada" for now.

Happy 7 months, my baby Matteo!!

Escapee

I think the kids know when Billy is on an overseas business trip because that seems to be the time when they do new, and often naughty, things. This time, Sebastian is the culprit. New (and naughty) behavior: crib escaping.

It started (and ended, actually) on Sunday morning. I went into their room and saw that Sebastian's crib was empty which could only mean one thing. He finally realized he can climb out of his crib. I have known for a little while that he is physically capable of doing it, even while still in his sleep sack. Both he and Collette use toddler sleep sacks that have special foot holes. Also, the sleep sacks are on the long side for Sebastian, who is short for his age. So, the sleep sack still gives him plenty of mobility, being so big. However, I was hoping he would just take for granted that he had to stay in his crib and not realize that "hey, I can just climb out of this stupid thing and do whatever I want!" So much for that.

I called Billy (who was in Beijing at the time - he has since made his way to Kuala Lumpur) and told him what happened. I told him what our options were: get crib tents, use the travel beds we already have, switch him to a toddler bed (shudder). Then I remembered one other suggestion I heard from someone in my mother of twins club, not sure who or when but it was filed away in my brain for this very moment. This person had taken out the bottom of the crib that hold up the mattress and simply put the mattress on the floor but within the crib. This only works if your crib sides come close enough the ground that the mattress can't be pushed out. Luckily, our crib fit the bill. Billy agreed that we should try that way as it seemed the easiest thing to do. I quickly got to work removing the support platform and put the mattress back in on the floor. This gave us about 8 extra inches of depth and now Sebastian's head barely reaches past the crib side.



Now I'm just waiting for Collette to make her escape. It's fine though. I'm ready!

I didn't want to jinx it

That's at least one reason why my Valentine's Day post is 2 days late. The other being that I am a bad blogger.

Valentine's Day was pretty uneventful this year. No exchanging of gifts. Just a nice dinner out with me and Billy. Cards to one another. Flowers. The kids did some crafts:

Collette's Valentine to Daddy

But it was Sebastian who made this a special Valentine's Day. He gave me the gift of going a whole day without crying. To be honest, I'm not sure if that was the first time or not. But it was the first day that I ever noticed that he didn't cry. So, either way, it was a big deal for me. Maybe he is turning some sort of corner, developmentally. His language is doing much better but he is still progressing at his own, slow pace. Or maybe it's just his age. In which case, I hope this is more of a permanent shift and not just one of those phases. I can deal with crying every so often but everyday, multiple times a day crying fits over (seemingly) meaningless things is hard on me. Oh ya, and him.

By the way, yesterday was also a no-cry day. He almost lost it over a new car puzzle during our EI session but held it together. We'll see how today goes. So far, so good.

***

On a separate note, thanks for your input on the preschool thing. More on that later.

Matteo, 6 months old: Milestones galore!

Holy cow - it's been half a year since we got our little Tater Tot. I almost can't believe it (how cliche of me). But it's true. This is another difference I am finding with this one - time is flying. Not sure if its because I'm so busy or because he is just one baby. I definitely never felt this way with the twins. If anything, 6 months felt like way more, not less. Anyway, I have come to the realization that I need to take way more pictures of Matteo because I will certainly forget all this baby bliss.

This past month has been a very busy one for my littlest guy. Here is what he has been up to:

• Learning to sit up. He is almost 100% there but will tip every once in a while so I like to stay close by.
• Sleeping unswaddled. He kept breaking free of his swaddle during our trip so when we got home I just ditched it. It required some extra rocking to sleep at first but was a pretty easy transition overall.
• No longer the smallest. Sometime in January, Matteo surpassed Lola in the weight department, tipping the scales around 19lbs. to Lola's 18.
  
• Almost sleeping through the night. During our trip, he got in the bad habit of waking up twice at night (around 1 or 2 am and again at 5am). Luckily, I was able to get him to hold off until 5am (no 2am feeding) with minimal crying, just some hourly fussing. Now, he makes it until 5am without a problem and I feed him just so I can get a little bit more sleep. But even that 10pm - 5am stretch has been so lovely.
• Playing with toys. This past month has been great for him in terms of grabbing, shaking and chewing his toys. A lot of it goes hand in hand with sitting up. he likes to sit and just pick up what ever is in front of him and investigate it.
• Rolling. He has only done it a few times but at least he has done it. Just back to belly so far.
  

Here's his chair picture, which is actually a couch picture that my sister took. But at least we got a shot of him on the actual day (yesterday, February 3).

Matteo at 4 months

Matteo hit the 4 month mark on Saturday. This is the age I swore I would do CIO with him if wasn't already sleeping through the night. But, now that it's here, I'm not quite ready. he just seems so young. I did CIO with the twins closer to 6 months so perhaps that's why. Either way, I will probably wait until after our vacation to El Salvador for New Year's to bother with it. Feeding him at 2am is not ideal but it's not so bad either. With the twins, I had to feed them both which took longer, even if I did it at the same time, and I had to pump afterward. With Matteo, I just feed him for 5 minutes and then stumble back to bed.

Other than nighttime sleep, here is what's going on for Matteo these days:

He is napping better, although his morning nap is still shorter than his afternoon nap which surprises me. Usually 1 -1.5 hours in the morning vs. 1.5 - 2 (sometimes more!) in the early afternoon. Most days he usually needs a third nap but if he naps for a very long time in the afternoon, he can make until bedtime without it.

He still nurses almost every two hours during the day. A lot of this has to do with the fact that I nurse him before naps. On the bright side, he only needs to nurse for about 5 minutes so I don't really mind how often it is.

He smiles and laughs so much. He loves to watch his brother and sister play. And the dog, too. He loves when I talk right to him and tickle his belly.

He does not really love his exersaucer yet but tolerates it. He much prefers to playmat with the light-up star. ANd his bumbo so he can get in on the action at meal times. He tolerates tummy time but doesn't enjoy it for more than a few minutes.

My boy is still growing fast. He is in size 3 diapers but I still have so many size 2 diapers left that I am using those during the day and 3s at night. He is in 9 month clothes for the most part but can still squeeze into some of his 6 month stuff.

He is a hand-sucker. I may have my first thumb-sucker with this one once we ditch the swaddle. And he won't take a paci - an endeavor a gave up on a while ago, actually. I don't want him turning out like his big brother, addicted to that thing like baby crack.

And here is, all 4 months of him!

Matteo, 4 months old
(Sebastian and Collette at 4 months)

A sentence and other news

Back to talking about my big boy, except this time, it's good news. Today, after getting up from a nap that should have been much longer, Sebastian was looking out the window at the cars in the parking lot behind our house. (This is a favorite post-nap activity of his as he has perfectly stereotypical car obsession.) I was in the middle of changing Collette's diaper when I heard him say, clear as a bell, "I see a car!" I can't wait for our speech therapist to come tomorrow so I can tell her!

This language spurt is coming on the heels of same major fussiness, as you may recall from my previous posts. Hopefully, this explains some of it. We are also having Sebastian checked out by an ENT specialist, after our speech therapist suggested it because she has concerns about his mouth breathing and excessive drooling, which is even worse now because of the constant runny nose he gets during the cooler months. She suspects that all these things may indicate enlarged adenoids or some other issue in his sinuses. Our appointment is on October 28th so we will see what they say. My hope is that they find something we can fix and make him more comfortable. If our speech therapist is right and Sebastian has trouble breathing through his nose, I can only imagine how uncomfortable the past 23 months have been for him.

And in case you want to know how bad his drooling can get in the winter, here is a prime example:

Baby Cliche

Matteo is growing up so fast. That's my age-old baby cliche as of late. And he is literally growing fast - he has been in 3-6 month clothes for a couple weeks now, well before his 2 month "birthday", which is this Sunday. He'll have his 2 month check up the week after next but I estimate him to be near 14 lbs. Lord knows how long he is but he certainly does not feel like a newborn anymore. This make nursing a lot easier as he is stronger and can hold his head up more but its bittersweet. I was never a newborn person but with my last baby, I find that I am missing it even as it goes by.

Because of his improving head control, I dug out our bumbo seat and he has been hanging out in there for a few minutes at a time. This has made dinnertime so much easier! I usually feed him shortly before giving the twins their dinner so that he is settled. But even then, that 5pm - 6pm is rough for a wee one like Matteo and he is hard to keep happy. With the bumbo, I can put him on the dining room table (shhh!!) and he can face me while I do dinner with Sebastian and Collette. Being part of the action at least somewhat distracts him from his bedtime fussies.


His growth has had some not so great consequences as well. He has been busting out of every swaddle I can do because his legs are so long and strong that he untucks the wrap with his kicking. I will have to try what I did with the twins around 3 or 4 months old, and wrap his arms down underneath a Velcro swaddle sleep sack. The problem is, they only come in newborn size (that I can find) and he is WAY too long for that. So, I think I will cut out some feet holes for him so he can fit. The things we do for sleep...

I really never thought I would miss those newborn days. Billy is scared that I will demand another baby, seeing how much I have enjoyed these past two months with Tater. But all that is a post for another day. (No worries, though. I am NOT planning a baby #4!)

Capisce??

Sometimes, I feel like I don't give Collette and Sebastian enough credit. They are growing up so fast and I honestly am having a hard time keeping up. I often think to myself that certain things are far beyond their mental grasp and more and more, I am wrong.

It should be obvious. They talk SO much more. They understand more of what we say. They *seem* to listen more. So, it would follow that they are capable of doing things at a higher level. For example, I didn't think they really understood dress-up play. And, to some extent, they don't. It's not like they can act out mini-plays with each other in costume. But I didn't even think that they would like to dress up in funny clothes. Surprise, surprise - I was incorrect. They have been having fun trying on all sorts of things, most recently, our sweaters and sweatshirts that have been pulled out for the (wonderful!!) cooler weather.

Here they are, in Daddy's sweatshirt, which they both insisted be zipped up while they reminded me that it was "papa's!":




So, I am having to reevaluate how I interact with them and really start treating them like big kids and not babies. Thank goodness I have Matteo for that :)

Thanks Guys!

Earlier, I was looking at one of my FB albums labeled "6 months and counting" and it got me all teary-eyed. Sebastian and Collette just looked so small and cuddly. They were learning how to eat "solid" food. Smiling at each other. Wiggling and jumping (in the baby contraptions). For a second, I almost missed them at that age. (Good thing I'm having another one, right?!)

Later this morning, however, they did something cool and all grown up. They climbed into their own high chairs for the first time. And then I was brought back to reality. My kids are growing up and learning new things, often without me even trying to teach it to them. And I love it. I'm glad that I don't have to pick them up to get in the chairs anymore - it's been murder on my back lately. And it's really cute to watch them climb.

And in other "growing up" news, both Sebastian and Collette did a superb job holding hands and walking through the parking lots yesterday. I have only been practicing with Collette but decided to take advantage of a 1:1 ratio and have both walk. I was with Sebas and I was amazed at how well he did. He's a lot slower than his sister so I have to remember to walk slowly but he held my hand without objection and that's really all that matters.

So, S & C, thank you for making life a little easier for your (very pregnant) momma. I really appreciate it!!

Lost in Translation

As I mentioned a few posts ago, Sebastian and Collette have been making good progress on the communication front. Things are still going well, both with words and signs, and I think Sebastian may soon eclipse Collette in the spoken word category - go figure!

One of their newest signs is "thank you" which is a good thing but also a tricky thing, for a few reasons. First off, it looks a lot like blowing a kiss so I'm not sure they know the difference. They also don't really understand the concept of thank you, as in only the receiver needs to say it, not the giver as well. I suppose I should teach them "you're welcome" but all that seems pretty high brow for 18 month olds. Then again, what do I know. The other issue is with what deserves a "thank you" - both Sebastian and Collette seem to be under the impression that whenever you get something, even if it's by force, you say thank you. Kind of like a bank robber thanking the teller very much for all that cash. We're working on no toy stealing but at least when they do it, they're polite about it...?

***

I got yelled at by one of my sisters for not posting enough pictures of the twins. My reasons are two-fold: I'm lazy/unmotivated to take pictures and they are horrible subjects. Video would be much more appropriate but you have to be sneaky which I am not. I do have some photos from the past few weeks and, although they are completely unrelated to this post, I will share a couple with you anyway. You're welcome.

First dip of the season

Totally cheating at Cornhole

PS - Matteo has decided that my bladder makes an awesome toy. I almost peed in my pants today, literally. Not sure I can make it 6 more weeks with no accidents. *sigh*

18 Months

Sebastian and Collette are officially closer to two than one. I think this is a mixed bag but, overall, I wouldn't want to go back. I keep hearing how tough 18 months is. And I agree. I love the freedom and independence they have now, as well as their growing ability to communicate their needs but they, of course, have no sense of danger or consequence. This makes willful, mobile kids hard to deal with - there's just no reasoning with them! Only chasing, capturing and strapping them into some child device. This also has me thinking about buying a stroller to fit all three kids. If I do go that route, I will buy this one. I figure the extra seat can be used to store stuff. Maybe I will put the dog in there and get some really crazy looks. :)

Lately, we have been practicing using utensils and walking downstairs. Utensils we have been doing for awhile but now I think I am ready to force them to do it themselves 100%. Or use their hands. I'm sure it will take some time for them to grow out of that. Usually I fill up their spoon and put it in front of them as scooping is their main problem. But I figure they will learn fast if they have no mommy doing it for them.

Collette will only walk downstairs now, as opposed to crawling down. We have to hold her hand but she is getting very good at it and soon I think she will be able to do it herself while holding the wall. Sebastian is practicing but not with nearly as much gusto as Collette. He prefers to practice on smaller sets of stairs and crawl down the big ones.

Here is our attempt at a chair picture, which we have decided to do every half year instead of every month. They don't change too much each month and they don't sit still anyway.


Also, what is with this age and throwing stuff where they can't reach it and then crying about it? And then doing it twelve more times in a row? It's super annoying, times 2. Good thing they're cute.

Finally, Some Words

In the past few weeks, Sebastian and Collette have made some big strides in the language department. Of course, this happens right before Sebastian starts speech therapy (in partnership with his EI therapy) but no matter. I'm just happy that they both have found ways to express themselves.

Both Sebastian and Collette have added a few spoken words to their vocabulary, as well as some signs. Here is where they both are to date.

Sebastian's spoken words:

• Car
  
• Ball
  
• Dada
  
• Mama
• Doggie
  

Sebastian's signs:

• Help
• Please
• More
• All Done
• Eat
  

Collette's spoken words:

• No
• Nose
• More
• Up
• Dada
• Mama
• Doggie

Collette's signs:

• Help
• Please
• More
• All Done
• Eat
• Blankie
• Yes (nodding)

The signs for "help" and "please" have been especially useful - I think Sebastian has been less fussy since discovering a way to ask for things. His frustration level comes down the instant I ask him if he needs help (and then he signs it if he does) - you can see the look on his face change when he realizes that I finally understand him. Collette uses the sign for "blankie" when she gets upset or frustrated as that is her comfort object. For instance, we were playing with some stacking cups during EI today and she got mad about something and immediately signed blanket (and then found it) and all was right in her world again.

Of course I want to focus on their spoken vocabulary but they seem to learn what they want. I tried to teach Sebastian to say "up" for weeks, to no avail. And now, with no pressure from me, he is saying "car." I'm sure I taught him this word - we see enough cars in a day - but I wasn't making a special effort. Yet, that's one of his 5 words. I'll keep trying, because it's my job, but I get the feeling that he will progress as his own pace and say the words he is interested in saying. Which is what all those wise, wise people have told me from the get go. Ah well. Lesson learned :)