Last week I had the first parent/teacher conference of Thomas' life. I hope all of the future conferences go just as well.
His teacher remarked that he is just the happiest kid. He seems to love school and he plays well with all of his friends. He listens most of the time and smiles constantly. He is on track developmentally and knows "all of his shapes, even the trapezoid." She said he also is one of the few that knows his entire name, though he cheats a little by knowing that because he is one of two boys named Thomas in his class (so he hears his last name all the time!).
The only area we discussed where Thomas needs some help is potty training. About half of the kids in his class, maybe slightly more, are potty training now or are potty trained. She said they ask Thomas all the time (when the other kids are using the potty) if he wants to sit on the potty and he says "No, I will just use my diaper." It's no surprise to me. I know it's something he is just not ready to do, but I know the time will come soon. We continue asking him at home and I get him to sit on the potty sometimes, but it's all to no avail at this point.
All in all, it was a great meeting with his teacher. I love to hear that other people, especially when Thomas is away from us, think he is a happy kid. It's the one thing we've remarked about him since he was a wee little baby. I hope he always keeps his quick smile and love of laughter. It sure makes me smile.
Let's hope that all of his future parent/teacher conferences go as well as his first!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Charles Towne Landing
The final Saturday of January, we took advantage of the last day to use the Be a Tourist...passes and visited Charles Towne Landing.
We were able to use my Christmas present, the double stroller, and it was great to have! It was quite a chilly day, so I think the boys were happy to be bundled up and riding along.
Thomas jumped at the chance to check out the otter:
And the otter happily performed:
Parker just stayed in his seat:
We didn't see some of the animals. Either they weren't in their pens, or they were hiding, but we missed out on the bobcat, puma, and bear(s). But the bison were hanging around and Thomas thought they were pretty neat:
Despite the chilly temps, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day:
We checked out the turkeys before we stopped for our picnic lunch (which were not turkey sandwiches).
Then, unfortunately, my camera batteries died and I had no spares with me. We did journey down to the boat on the river and Thomas loved that. Of course by then he was very tired and very in need of a nap and he caused a bit of a scene.
It was a great daytrip nonetheless and I look forward to going back again soon!
We were able to use my Christmas present, the double stroller, and it was great to have! It was quite a chilly day, so I think the boys were happy to be bundled up and riding along.
Thomas jumped at the chance to check out the otter:
And the otter happily performed:
Parker just stayed in his seat:
We didn't see some of the animals. Either they weren't in their pens, or they were hiding, but we missed out on the bobcat, puma, and bear(s). But the bison were hanging around and Thomas thought they were pretty neat:
Despite the chilly temps, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day:
We checked out the turkeys before we stopped for our picnic lunch (which were not turkey sandwiches).
Then, unfortunately, my camera batteries died and I had no spares with me. We did journey down to the boat on the river and Thomas loved that. Of course by then he was very tired and very in need of a nap and he caused a bit of a scene.
It was a great daytrip nonetheless and I look forward to going back again soon!
The petting zoo at Magnolia Plantation
The last Wednesday in January, we took advantage of our Be a Tourist in Your Own Town pass and visited Magnolia Plantation. The cold weather for much of the month prevented us from using the pass as much as I would have liked, but I was glad we did get our money's worth with several sites. A friend of Thomas' from school joined us and we had a great time visiting the animals at the petting zoo.
All of the animals were so glad to see us:
Thomas talked awhile with the baby deer (they didn't look much like babies to me, but according to the sign they were five months old or so, if I recall correctly):
They visited the snakes:
We saw what a peacock does when it gets a bit upset with other animals invading her space:
And we just generally enjoyed watching the animals watch us and play with each other:
Then we had a lovely picnic lunch and Thomas was thrilled to sit with his friend:
And afterward they showed us how much fun can be had with just a little bit of dirt and a few sticks...
That entertained them for about 15 minutes!
All the while Parker supervised and dreamed of the day when he can get down and play with the big kids. :)
Hopefully next year when Parker is a bit bigger and not needing a morning nap, we'll be able to get out and enjoy more sites on the Be a Tourist list!
All of the animals were so glad to see us:
Thomas talked awhile with the baby deer (they didn't look much like babies to me, but according to the sign they were five months old or so, if I recall correctly):
They visited the snakes:
We saw what a peacock does when it gets a bit upset with other animals invading her space:
And we just generally enjoyed watching the animals watch us and play with each other:
Then we had a lovely picnic lunch and Thomas was thrilled to sit with his friend:
And afterward they showed us how much fun can be had with just a little bit of dirt and a few sticks...
That entertained them for about 15 minutes!
All the while Parker supervised and dreamed of the day when he can get down and play with the big kids. :)
Hopefully next year when Parker is a bit bigger and not needing a morning nap, we'll be able to get out and enjoy more sites on the Be a Tourist list!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Nine months old!
Nine months seems like forever when you are pregnant, but once that baby is on the outside, the time flashes by way too quickly. Parker is now nine months old and I cannot believe it!
How can it have already been eight months since he was this little guy?
At nine months Parker is:
* A joy! He loves to be cuddled and held, but is not quite motivated enough to crawl to things he wants. He would rather fuss at us and whine until he gets his way. One of these days I know he'll start moving, but until then, I'm content to enjoy his babyhood as long as possible!
* A wonderful night sleeper. He still goes to bed around 7 every night and generally sleeps for at least 12 hours. Sometimes he wakes up a little before, but usually he will entertain himself until I go to get him around 7. Some mornings he is pulling the bumper down and peeking out toward the door, waiting for me to come in.
* Getting better about napping. He's waiting a bit longer for his morning nap most days (until 9:30 or 10:00). I try not to let him sleep too long (not more than 1.5 hours) and then he will do better with his afternoon nap (generally he will nap from 2-4). I dreaded the day Thomas gave up his morning nap, but now I find myself eagerly anticipating this milestone with Parker. I don't think it will be anytime soon though!
* Quite the baby talker. He makes lots of noises and when he gets really excited about something, he just keeps saying things like "Dah! Dah! Dah! Duh! Duh! Eowwww!" over and over again. When I read a book that has any kind of loud exclamation in it, he tries to mimic me. He says various consonant sounds like "da," "fa," "ba" and "ay," but not quite "ma" or anything close to mommy...yet!
* Totally in love with his big brother. If I just say Thomas' name, Parker gives a big smile and looks to see if he is coming.
* A smiler. He smiles and laughs frequently, and has some of the cutest facial expressions. He has a "stink face" as I call it, where he squints his eyes and gives a wide-mouth grin and it cracks me up. He usually does that to mimic me.
* A grabber. He reaches for everything. When I'm holding him and he sees something on the floor he wants, he tries to turn his body as if he thinks if I just put him down, he could run over to it. He is very strong when he wants to get somewhere.
* A roller. Though he doesn't crawl, he rolls to try to get where he wants to go and he is quite capable of turning himself 360 degrees to get where he wants to be to roll somewhere else. He also pushes himself up quite far.
* Teething. His bottom front teeth are coming in (they are about 1/4 of the way in), and his top front teeth are starting to come through now. His left front tooth has almost fully broken through the gum. So his hands are always in his mouth these days...and anything else he can find!
* Still very much a thumbsucker.
* Eating okay, but definitely prefers things that are sweet. I have to mix certain veggies with a fruit to get him to eat it. Nurses 5-6 times a day. He has absolutely no interest in table food or anything that is not pureed. I have tried numerous times to get him to eat something like a Gerber puff and he just gags until he throws it up. The doctor says to keep trying and eventually he will get it.
* Wearing 12 months clothing (moving into 12-18 M things in some brands).
He had his WBV on Tuesday and his measurements were:
Height: 28 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 19 lbs, 7 oz (50th percentile)
Head circ: don't remember exactly, but it was the 65th percentile
I don't like to compare too much, but Thomas at this age was nearly 30 inches and 22 pounds. I laugh when people tell me they think Parker is "big." After having Thomas who was consistently in the 90th percentiles, having a child in the 50th just seems odd...though it's completely "average" and normal, I know!
The doctor said he is completely on track for everything, and not to worry about him not crawling because he still has time for that too. So I'll just enjoy him being the cute little baby that he is...and I'll share some more pictures with all of you!
Hands constantly in the mouth!
Showing off his two teeth:
His funny fake smile:
I know I say it every month, but I truly cannot believe another month has passed us by. It's frightening to me how quickly they all pass and I don't want to forget anything! I want to enjoy every cuddle, every kiss he slobbers on my face, every time he blows a raspberry while he's eating his food! Before long I think he'll be going on his first date or something and sometimes I just don't want to blink for fear of missing a moment.
How can it have already been eight months since he was this little guy?
At nine months Parker is:
* A joy! He loves to be cuddled and held, but is not quite motivated enough to crawl to things he wants. He would rather fuss at us and whine until he gets his way. One of these days I know he'll start moving, but until then, I'm content to enjoy his babyhood as long as possible!
* A wonderful night sleeper. He still goes to bed around 7 every night and generally sleeps for at least 12 hours. Sometimes he wakes up a little before, but usually he will entertain himself until I go to get him around 7. Some mornings he is pulling the bumper down and peeking out toward the door, waiting for me to come in.
* Getting better about napping. He's waiting a bit longer for his morning nap most days (until 9:30 or 10:00). I try not to let him sleep too long (not more than 1.5 hours) and then he will do better with his afternoon nap (generally he will nap from 2-4). I dreaded the day Thomas gave up his morning nap, but now I find myself eagerly anticipating this milestone with Parker. I don't think it will be anytime soon though!
* Quite the baby talker. He makes lots of noises and when he gets really excited about something, he just keeps saying things like "Dah! Dah! Dah! Duh! Duh! Eowwww!" over and over again. When I read a book that has any kind of loud exclamation in it, he tries to mimic me. He says various consonant sounds like "da," "fa," "ba" and "ay," but not quite "ma" or anything close to mommy...yet!
* Totally in love with his big brother. If I just say Thomas' name, Parker gives a big smile and looks to see if he is coming.
* A smiler. He smiles and laughs frequently, and has some of the cutest facial expressions. He has a "stink face" as I call it, where he squints his eyes and gives a wide-mouth grin and it cracks me up. He usually does that to mimic me.
* A grabber. He reaches for everything. When I'm holding him and he sees something on the floor he wants, he tries to turn his body as if he thinks if I just put him down, he could run over to it. He is very strong when he wants to get somewhere.
* A roller. Though he doesn't crawl, he rolls to try to get where he wants to go and he is quite capable of turning himself 360 degrees to get where he wants to be to roll somewhere else. He also pushes himself up quite far.
* Teething. His bottom front teeth are coming in (they are about 1/4 of the way in), and his top front teeth are starting to come through now. His left front tooth has almost fully broken through the gum. So his hands are always in his mouth these days...and anything else he can find!
* Still very much a thumbsucker.
* Eating okay, but definitely prefers things that are sweet. I have to mix certain veggies with a fruit to get him to eat it. Nurses 5-6 times a day. He has absolutely no interest in table food or anything that is not pureed. I have tried numerous times to get him to eat something like a Gerber puff and he just gags until he throws it up. The doctor says to keep trying and eventually he will get it.
* Wearing 12 months clothing (moving into 12-18 M things in some brands).
He had his WBV on Tuesday and his measurements were:
Height: 28 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 19 lbs, 7 oz (50th percentile)
Head circ: don't remember exactly, but it was the 65th percentile
I don't like to compare too much, but Thomas at this age was nearly 30 inches and 22 pounds. I laugh when people tell me they think Parker is "big." After having Thomas who was consistently in the 90th percentiles, having a child in the 50th just seems odd...though it's completely "average" and normal, I know!
The doctor said he is completely on track for everything, and not to worry about him not crawling because he still has time for that too. So I'll just enjoy him being the cute little baby that he is...and I'll share some more pictures with all of you!
Hands constantly in the mouth!
Showing off his two teeth:
His funny fake smile:
I know I say it every month, but I truly cannot believe another month has passed us by. It's frightening to me how quickly they all pass and I don't want to forget anything! I want to enjoy every cuddle, every kiss he slobbers on my face, every time he blows a raspberry while he's eating his food! Before long I think he'll be going on his first date or something and sometimes I just don't want to blink for fear of missing a moment.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Boys and their hair
For the most part, I think I do just fine being the mom of boys. And one day, my love of sports will serve me well. But for now, the one thing I'm still learning is that boys need haircuts. For me, my frugality limits me to just a few haircuts a year. This does not work for boys. They really do NEED haircuts every six weeks (at least!). Probably sooner than six weeks, actually. This is six weeks into a haircut in our house:
Even Parker says, "Mom, please get my brother a haircut before his vision is impaired." :)
Just as a sidenote, this is the scene just about every afternoon at our house. When Parker wakes up from his nap he is usually cranky and fussy. The only thing that really makes him happy is getting in the crib with his brother. Thomas, on the other hand, needs a marching band to wake him up from his nap (and I'm not even sure that would work). But putting Parker in his crib, does seem to rouse him much faster than any other technique.
As another sidenote, I'm woefully behind on blogging. I have a backlog of things to post and one day I'm going to find the time and energy to catch up (especially with the fact that Parker is now 9 months!). As Annie would say: "TOMORROW! TOMORROW!" :)
Even Parker says, "Mom, please get my brother a haircut before his vision is impaired." :)
Just as a sidenote, this is the scene just about every afternoon at our house. When Parker wakes up from his nap he is usually cranky and fussy. The only thing that really makes him happy is getting in the crib with his brother. Thomas, on the other hand, needs a marching band to wake him up from his nap (and I'm not even sure that would work). But putting Parker in his crib, does seem to rouse him much faster than any other technique.
As another sidenote, I'm woefully behind on blogging. I have a backlog of things to post and one day I'm going to find the time and energy to catch up (especially with the fact that Parker is now 9 months!). As Annie would say: "TOMORROW! TOMORROW!" :)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
33 months old!
Thomas is now 33 months old!
Sidenote: I began writing this entry on Saturday night, but just got a chance to come back and finish it now.
As I start to type this, it's just after 9:30 p.m. and I'm hoping that Thomas has finally stopped his crying episodes for the night and is going to sleep. Now that he is 33 months old, I can say many wonderful things about his milestones and development, but one thing remains the same: bedtime is frequently a challenge. As has always been the case with him (for as long as I can remember), he is a wonderful napper (even though sometimes these days it takes him a while to get to sleep), but he continues to fight going to bed at night. It's the one reason I am not rushing to put him in a big boy bed. Right now, the one saving grace is that he is confined. He can whine and cry and play with his toys within his crib, but he's not coming out of his room every time we close the door!
With all of the craziness of Christmas, I never managed to post a monthly update last month. Of course, at this point, not much seems to change from month to month; or maybe it's just because milestones at this point are more gradual and not always completely obvious ("He's speaking in 10-word sentences." is not the same as "He is WALKING!", you know?).
At 33 months, Thomas has many loves. He loves all things with wheels and he loves to watch the wheels go round and round. He is fascinated by it. If we are riding in the car and he cannot see a car's wheels he sounds nearly upset when he tells me worriedly, "I can't see the wheels!" He loves reading books and watching Calliou on tv. He prefers oatmeal raisin cookies to any other kind (mainly because he likes to pick out (and eat) all of the raisins). He absolutely adores his little brother. When we are out in public, he will tell anyone who will listen, and even those who don't, "This is my little brother Parker!" He constantly tells me how much he loves Parker and that Parker does love him, too. He also seems to love school, the two half days he goes a week.
I really need to do a better job of writing down the funny things he says. He makes me laugh all the time. Today's funnies were when he told me, "OH BOY! Did you see that train?....(thinking for a minute) Are you a boy, or a girl?" It was as if he thought he couldn't use that expression because I'm not a boy. He was trying something on yesterday and said to me, "Can I try this on?...Don't laugh at me." Not sure what that was about. :) And last night, on the way to dinner he told us what he wanted to eat and it ended up being this: "I want a sandwich. I want french fries. I want a..a..a..(thinking for a moment) french fry sandwich!" He loves to laugh and he loves to make us laugh, too. He will say something that makes me giggle and then say, "Am I funny, Mommy?" Yes, you are.
!
That is where I stopped this entry the other night. I stopped because Thomas' cries changed and escalated and I knew something was wrong. We'll just say that I had a stomach bug earlier in the week and by the end of the weekend EVERYONE in this house had a touch of it. And Saturday night I had to strip down Thomas' entire crib (even the crib bumper) and he didn't really go to sleep until nearly 1 a.m. Thank goodness we are all on the mend now. It was a rough little time for a while there.
Back to Thomas' update, he really is a good child. I do wish he would eat better. And I hope he will give up his paci at some point in the near future (he pretty much only has it at naptime and bedtime). He could be a better listener (or rather, I wish I could get him to listen without having to bribe or threaten him!). But all in all, he is a joy and I cannot believe 33 months have already gone by. It's so sad to think that not long from now we'll have to start thinking about kindergarten. I think I want Thomas to become Peter Pan so he can stay a little boy forever.
I'm so glad my little boy loves me almost as much as I love him. I love you Thomas, to the moon and back again, and again, and again, and again!
As an aside, one new hobby of his is using our camera. Sometimes I don't know he has used it and when I go to use it I find telltale pictures like these:
Somewhat artistic, no?
And his favorite subject:
Happy 33 months, Thomas!
Sidenote: I began writing this entry on Saturday night, but just got a chance to come back and finish it now.
As I start to type this, it's just after 9:30 p.m. and I'm hoping that Thomas has finally stopped his crying episodes for the night and is going to sleep. Now that he is 33 months old, I can say many wonderful things about his milestones and development, but one thing remains the same: bedtime is frequently a challenge. As has always been the case with him (for as long as I can remember), he is a wonderful napper (even though sometimes these days it takes him a while to get to sleep), but he continues to fight going to bed at night. It's the one reason I am not rushing to put him in a big boy bed. Right now, the one saving grace is that he is confined. He can whine and cry and play with his toys within his crib, but he's not coming out of his room every time we close the door!
With all of the craziness of Christmas, I never managed to post a monthly update last month. Of course, at this point, not much seems to change from month to month; or maybe it's just because milestones at this point are more gradual and not always completely obvious ("He's speaking in 10-word sentences." is not the same as "He is WALKING!", you know?).
At 33 months, Thomas has many loves. He loves all things with wheels and he loves to watch the wheels go round and round. He is fascinated by it. If we are riding in the car and he cannot see a car's wheels he sounds nearly upset when he tells me worriedly, "I can't see the wheels!" He loves reading books and watching Calliou on tv. He prefers oatmeal raisin cookies to any other kind (mainly because he likes to pick out (and eat) all of the raisins). He absolutely adores his little brother. When we are out in public, he will tell anyone who will listen, and even those who don't, "This is my little brother Parker!" He constantly tells me how much he loves Parker and that Parker does love him, too. He also seems to love school, the two half days he goes a week.
I really need to do a better job of writing down the funny things he says. He makes me laugh all the time. Today's funnies were when he told me, "OH BOY! Did you see that train?....(thinking for a minute) Are you a boy, or a girl?" It was as if he thought he couldn't use that expression because I'm not a boy. He was trying something on yesterday and said to me, "Can I try this on?...Don't laugh at me." Not sure what that was about. :) And last night, on the way to dinner he told us what he wanted to eat and it ended up being this: "I want a sandwich. I want french fries. I want a..a..a..(thinking for a moment) french fry sandwich!" He loves to laugh and he loves to make us laugh, too. He will say something that makes me giggle and then say, "Am I funny, Mommy?" Yes, you are.
!That is where I stopped this entry the other night. I stopped because Thomas' cries changed and escalated and I knew something was wrong. We'll just say that I had a stomach bug earlier in the week and by the end of the weekend EVERYONE in this house had a touch of it. And Saturday night I had to strip down Thomas' entire crib (even the crib bumper) and he didn't really go to sleep until nearly 1 a.m. Thank goodness we are all on the mend now. It was a rough little time for a while there.
Back to Thomas' update, he really is a good child. I do wish he would eat better. And I hope he will give up his paci at some point in the near future (he pretty much only has it at naptime and bedtime). He could be a better listener (or rather, I wish I could get him to listen without having to bribe or threaten him!). But all in all, he is a joy and I cannot believe 33 months have already gone by. It's so sad to think that not long from now we'll have to start thinking about kindergarten. I think I want Thomas to become Peter Pan so he can stay a little boy forever.
I'm so glad my little boy loves me almost as much as I love him. I love you Thomas, to the moon and back again, and again, and again, and again!
As an aside, one new hobby of his is using our camera. Sometimes I don't know he has used it and when I go to use it I find telltale pictures like these:
Somewhat artistic, no?
And his favorite subject:
Happy 33 months, Thomas!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Out for a spin
This picture makes me smile, so I think it deserves to be at the top of the blog for a little while. And if you look really close, you can see Parker's first teeth pushing their way up.
Last week, the day before the crazy cold weather moved in, I made sure to take advantage of the cool-but-not-chilly weather and figured out a way to get the boys outside and happy. The answer was to let Thomas drive his jeep around the house while I followed him with Parker in the stroller. They were both pleased with the solution.
Not sure who wins in this situation, and not sure I want to know!
And then it was time to take a break...
While I'm not ready for the hot days of summer, I sure wouldn't mind some sunshine and maybe at least 55 degree days! Let's hope this week is a bit warmer!
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