Dean at Ten Months
Sunday, March 20th, 2011
Dean has discovered the joys of swinging! Now I have another kid who will insist on being pushed for hours at a time- my poor achey arms! Really, it's no surprise that Dean loves to swing; he adores any movement whether it's being tossed up in the air, danced with, riding in the stroller/ wagon, or general roughhousing. Dean also like to explore in the sand but we've had to watch him as he wants to eat everything be it sticks, pebbles, or leaves. Try digging sand out of a screaming baby's mouth. Not as much fun as you would think. Jimmy has tried taking him down the slide but he's not a big fan.
I think our boy might be musical. He loves it when we turn music on and we sing to him when he fusses. Dean finds it pretty calming (which is why my husband and I now keep the radio on at all times in the car). Sasha will scream the ABC's when he starts crying and, oddly enough, even that will work. Baby will rock to the beat of the music and whistle. Yup, that's right. It's pretty amazing but our son loves to purse his lips and whistle. I think he enjoys the sound because he does it all the time. It is very cute. Our pediatrician said she had never seen someone so you with that ability. Baby genius!
Dean continues to be a very good eater. He isn't terribly picky so will chow down on veggies without too much fuss. He seems to like the pureed pasta and sauce the best (more than the fruits even). He can plow through an entire big-sized bottle without any problem. We still feed him the baby cereal because it fills him up. Don't want the kiddo to complain of hunger! He has just started being able to pick up finger foods. He loves cheerios, fruit, and cheese. Sasha loves snitching off of his tray or dipping a spoon into his apple- apricot babyfood. He doesn't seem to mind too much. No shrieks of protest yet.
The sleeping has been getting better and he makes it through the night regularly. We have also gotten him on a schedule for his naps (yes, he's down to two). Ater rocking him for hours to try to get him to sleep, we now just put him down in the crib. He cries for a minute and then is fast in dreamland.
Dean remains a jolly boy. He loves playing with his toys and has discovered the delight of knocking things over. He also loves to tear paper and take his diapers out of the drawer. Maybe I can teach him to put things back as he already excels at making a mess. Actually, the only things he hates is wiping his face after a meal and changing his diaper (with all the wiggling and fussing, it takes much longer than if he would just hold still....and there would be less smears to clean up afterwards!). Not into the tidying up, that boy. He has to have at least one fault, right? All the other mothers would be too jealous of my handsome sweet boy!
Sasha at Three Years, 9 Months
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
Sasha delighted in Valentine's Day. Not for the love of her fellow classmates, but for all the sugar! My darling has such an addiction. Sasha had Tinkerbell themed cards to give everyone in the class. Everyone had made bags to collect all the cards, stickers, and stamps (and candy because some parents must think that my hyper kid needs MORE sugar). As soon as we got home, Sasha stamped her entire arms. The cheap, smudgy ink would not come out for days. I don't think I am such a fan of the holiday. However, her teachers once again outdid themselves and threw a fabulous party. Cookie decorating, games, arts and crafts galore. I helped with the set-up and clean-up (no, I did not swipe too much chocolate). It's so fun to volunteer for Sasha's classroom and to watch her interact with the other kids. I have been doing it almost weekly as I am the only mother left doing Art Masterpiece. I have found myself quite handy with the glue gun!
Sasha had her first fieldtrip at school. The teachers took them to see the play, Go Dog Go. Sasha loved it and re-enacted huge parts of it for me. I think she loved the snooty poodle the most. I can't imagine trying to corral 20 fidgety ankle biters. I don't know how Miss Rachel and Miss Angel do it.
The weather has been delightful and we have been enjoying the outdoors. This month, we had a blast at the zoo and have been going regularly to the park. We've even gotten out the bike and Sasha has been enjoying pedaling about (although much more timidly than last year). She had one slight fall last month and seems to be a little scared of riding fast or by herself. Sasha conned us out of a scooter and has been practicing on that, also. Mainly Sasha likes to swing. We are trying to teach her to pump her legs but she wants to be pushed. For hours. Which does not expend any energy. I actually have to order her to climb the jungle gym or play in the sand. It is important to have her nice and tired for bedtime.
Sasha loves playing with Dean's things. At least once a day, she wiggles into his bouncer (which we just got rid of), or goes for a ride in his swing (she is way past the maximum weight capacity; I am surprised the thing doesn't break), or wants to be fed from the highchair. She'll even wedge herself into his Exersaucer. It's so weird because she HATED all of the above when she was a baby. Would scream like she was being tortured. We barely used the highchair once she was past 15 months. I think it must be a jealousy thing. Sasha has a pretty iffy relationship with her brother. She doesn't like the attention he receives and will sometimes take his toys away just to watch him squeal. She'll also play a little too roughly with him or squeeze his hand too hard. However, Sasha does enjoy helping with the diaper change or picking out outfits. She'll feed him or try to amuse him in the car. They'll even play together sometimes. I so hope that they eventually develop a positive loving sibling bond.
Sasha isn't having so many screaming temper tantrums anymore (she knows that she has to go to her room until she calms down). She is much more apt to try to negotiate (she often says, "so, here's the deal: if you will blah, blah, blah, I will be your friend...) or manipulate. She has lawyer skills! I have never heard of a kid who tries so hard to talk us into to giving her whatever is her heart's desire at that moment (usually a request for a seventh yogurt or juice or candy). If thwarted, she resorts to name calling ( "Bad mommy!" "You're just mean" "You're not my friend!") or selfpity ("Noone is sitting with me right now!" "I am all alone" "You don't love me"). I try not to fall for it (sometimes it can so cute and funny); I must be the parent. Who knew that being a softy was such a liability? 95% of the time, Sasha is such a delight. We have so much fun. I love hearing her increasingly articulate views. The gratification of being able to experience things together is indescribable. We went with Nona to the play, Charlotte's web (Sasha loved the rat, Templeton, the best). Each month definitely brings more joy and adventure!
