The Bean is Six and Half!

Today The Bean is six and a half... actually, that's not entirely true. It's been a little over a month since he reached that "milestone" age, but summer equals busy and I'm only just now finding the time to sit down and write his update. Don't worry folks, we'll pay for his therapy.

What an interesting age this is. The Bean certainly isn't a "little kid" anymore, but he's not quite a "big kid" either. While he very much wants to be a part of grown up conversations and have all kinds of independence, he still loves to pretend play with his sister, is afraid of being alone, and loves getting snuggles.

This may sound a bit funny, but he seems to be speaking in a more mature way lately. I think a lot has to do with all the reading he does, because he has been trying out new words and phrases fairly regularly. Sometimes he gets them in the right context, other times not so much. It catches me off guard. I guess it's just not something I really expect. It is pretty neat to see him try to figure out. It also surprises me in that I would definitely hesitate to try out a new word with other people, but he is so willing to take the risk. I'm not sure if that's personality, something that has been fostered, or what.

While he can be shy at times, particularly around new people, overall he is outgoing and confident. He's still on the small side, but rarely hesitates to approach older kids and ask them if he can join in. He wears his heart on his sleeve and you can see his shoulders slump when he is rejected. Occasionally he needs reminders of how it makes him feel to be told he's "too small," but overall he does well with younger kids too. He adores babies.

He LOVES be outside. I think he would live outside if we let him. He and I did a "Nature Nuts" program at the Brickworks over the winter. I didn't think it was very well organized, but he loved getting out on adventures. He hikes, runs, bikes, scoots, skateboards, skates, climbs, swims... The summer has been pretty fabulous for all of that. Second to being active, he probably enjoys reading the most. Okay. Not entirely true. iPad or other tablets might rank as #2, or maybe even #1, but they're almost exclusively reserved for short periods over the weekends. He also really likes TV. But again: his access is limited. He's become a lot more interested in playing games. Uno and Old Maid have been in high rotation this summer. He's very competitive.

We have been so busy over the past few months. The end of the school year was a whirlwind with lessons, and playing at the park after school and visiting friends, but the summer has also been busy. We've taken a break from all scheduled programs, but will likely go back to piano, swimming and gymnastics in the fall. The Bean wants to do everything. Jen and I have talked about putting him in dance or acting, because he seems to enjoy both, but he's been talking more about learning to play drums and basketball. I think our neighbours might find a way of getting us evicted if we bought him a drum set, and we'll see what happens with the basketball...

On top of being active, he's also pretty fearless. He has no reservations about climbing to the top of the tallest trees and jumping from their branches back down to the ground. He loves to go fast. He got to ride go carts for the first time this summer and thought they were pretty much the best thing ever along with the roller coasters he was able to ride on at various amusement parks. I can totally see him getting into some sort of extreme sport.

Health wise he's been good. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned what we found out about his belly issues. The gastroenterologist we've been going to hasn't been super helpful. After reading some research, we decided to take him off Restorolax, and if anything I'd say we've seen a positive improvement both with his digestive issues and with his temperament. We tried to have him tested for Celiac, but it turns out he actually lacks the protein that is used to check for it. Then, again after doing some research, I found out that the vast majority of people who lack this protein are allergic to dairy, which we strongly suspect is The Bean's #1 issue. Anyway, we may have him tested for other allergies, but it's not a huge priority right now as things mostly seem to be under control.

His teeth have been an ongoing issue. He lost his first tooth in the spring, which was pretty exciting with the tooth fairy coming to visit and all. His second tooth fell out shortly after. We were happy that they came out as the new ones were already growing in behind the baby teeth. The top two were wobbly for a while and both fell out, again within days of each other, at the end of the school year. Meanwhile his six year molars erupted and when we went for a dentist appointment last month they were already showing signs of decay. The dentist assured us that we're doing a good job looking after his teeth, but that probably because of deficiencies or an illness during their developmen, he has what appears to be very weak enamel and is prone to cavities. Poor kid. He got his eighth filling shortly after that appointment.

He eats well. He seems to like what he likes, and NOT like what he doesn't like. He isn't super into trying new foods, and often will say "Yuck!" before it's even touched his tongue, only to say after another few seconds that actually he does like it. Lately he's been eating a ton which makes me suspect he's about to have another growth spurt. He would be happy to survive on carbs and ketchup.

He's currently about 44/45 inches tall and about 44/45lbs. We just got him new running shoes for school and they are a size 13. They're just a smidge big, but I'm hoping they will last into the new year. In clothing he's anywhere between a 4 and a 6, but leaning towards the larger sizes. Bottoms are generally smaller so they don't fall off his tiny waist. If he had his way he would be either in underwear or pajamas 24/7.

We've been a bit off of our schedule, but generally speaking he goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:30pm and sleeps to about 6:30-7:30am. There were a few days earlier in the summer that he slept until after 9am. It was amazing!

I'm not really looking forward to getting us all back on a schedule for the start of the school year. The Bean is excited that he is going to be in Grade One. I feel like he's ready. Like I've said before, his reading is amazing. His comprehension is just a little behind his reading abilities, but still far beyond what would be expected at his age. His math abilities are average. Science and Social Sciences are probably average too. Gross motor skills are awesome and fine motor are probably right on track. He's able to reflect on his actions and does a pretty decent job with self-regulation, for the most part. I am slightly concerned about how influenced he can be by others, and hope that he'll behave appropriately (meaning with respect for others and with kindness). He's got a strong personality and is very sweet, but he also wants to fit in with the crowd, make people laugh, and get lots of attention.

A story: Back in April he and Sprout had been out drawing on the sidewalk with chalk. He had spent a long time working on the characters from P.J. Masks and Sprout, not really paying attention, drew over some of his work. He was so upset. He grabbed a white chalk and drew a big square around "his" area and went over to Sprout and said, "Sprout, do not draw in my area!" Later on I told him that I was impressed at how he handled the situation, knowing that he had been pretty upset. To which he says to me, "Self-Regulation, Mama." (He's also been known to coach me into taking a breath when I'm losing my temper with them.) Overall I'd say he's a pretty fantastic brother.

And on that note I am going to wrap this very overdue update up. I'm pretty sure this sweet child will be empathetic when he reads these later on and sees how behind I was. He keeps us on our toes and is such a great kid.

Sprout is Three Years Old!

Today Sprout is three years old! (Yes, I was slow to get this typed out and have backdated it. ;) )

If I've learned anything about myself as a parent, it is that birthdays always come as a bit of a shock. Our round, pink, screaming newborn is now a little girl who will proudly say "When I was borned I was as cute as a ham!"

This girl, she is a character. Honestly, I'm not sure quite what to make of her. Jen says she is 1/2 completely me, and half my total opposite. We're also learning how she is such a different person from The Bean and figuring out what her needs and personality are versus her older brother.

She is such a silly kid. Her sense of humour continues to blossom. She loves making people laugh. Still faces, nonsensical rhymes, crazy dancing... Often times it's quite clear she is trying to get a reaction, but it's the times that she's not trying that I realize how funny she really is. Quirky in the most endearing of ways.

She is sweet. She will gently place a hand on your cheek and cock her head to the side, asking "Are you okay?" if she thinks something is wrong. She gives the best squeeze hugs ever and sweet little kisses. She likes holding hands and is super-snuggly. She definitely is a person uses touch and looks for physical closeness from those she loves.

Leading up to her birthday we talked a lot about how how three is big, and how three year olds don't need to nurse. She said when she was three that she would stop nursing. I was hopeful, but didn't really expect it to be that easy. Of course, she hasn't stopped. I have made the decision to eliminate her morning nursing session though. Things have been crazy with Christmas and traveling and our schedule being totally off, so maybe it's been a little easier... she isn't pleased about the situation, but I also think she realizes that fussing about it isn't going to make a difference. (Though it does make my heart ache and make me want to give in, just a little, when she seems sad.) We have replaced the nursing session with cuddling before getting out of bed.

She can be incredibly stubborn. I know all toddlers are stubborn, but she just digs in her heels and doesn't budge. The Bean was much more compliant, so figuring out how to navigate this stubborn streak has been a parenting challenge.

She can be a bit defiant and as typical of siblings, will tease her brother from time to time... most often when she gets the coveted pink spoon at mealtimes. For a long time this consisted of her taunting, "I have the pink spoon! Too bad, Bean." One day when Jen and I were out my cousin who had been watching the kids reported back that she had been asking to nurse, and when he told her she couldn't because I was out, she said to herself, "Too bad, Sprout." That made me chuckle.

She has started to occasionally push or hit when she's not getting her way. This is always dealt with by a short time out, followed up by a brief discussion about why she pushed/hit and how that hurts and is not acceptable behaviour. She knows it's not allowed and isn't ever very forceful, but we'd still like to nip it in the bud.

Sleep continues to be a bit of a struggle. If she doesn't nap in the afternoon she is an emotional mess by 4pm and crashes early. If she does nap, she really fights going to bed and will often be awake until close to 9pm. She usually falls asleep easily at nap time, but when she doesn't it's not worth trying to get her to. Fortunately she's pretty good about doing quiet time and will look at books for about a half hour or an hour before saying she's ready to come out of her room. She had started to get into an elaborate bedtime routine of asking for water... and pillows beside her bed... and to use the washroom... and to have  a gargoyle to protect her, etc. before we left for the holidays. Hopefully it does not resume when we get back home.

She loves books and LOVES being read to. She doesn't have any strong and true favourites. She likes fairy tales and other princess stories, but also enjoys funny books, adventure stories... anything really. She will sit and listen to stories being read for over an hour... I almost always am done before she is. She also really takes in what is being read and what the pictures show and asks a lot of questions about what words mean or what a character is doing.

Her favourite game is to pretend she is a baby. She and her brother can be quite creative in their play and often will play for a long time together... babies, but camping, Christmas, knights and princesses and Jack and Annie (from the Magic Tree House series of books) have been other recent themes. Her alter ego is still a ballerina princess. She loves to wear her "princess dress."

She loves playing with her babies and toy animals. Her only request for Christmas was a cradle for her babies. Santa did not disappoint. (On a side note: she was SO excited about Christmas. We let the kids pick out gifts for each other and she promptly told The Bean what she got him. She just couldn't wait!)

She was in three programs/classes during the fall.  An art program, a dance program and an outdoor education program. The outdoor education one was fantastic and a nice way to get outdoors and explore, as well as meet some new people. The art and dance classes were at the local library and we attended with my cousin's son who is becoming one of Sprout's best friends. They weren't stellar from an instructional standpoint, but she enjoyed them none the less. We have a music class and a program at a city farm lined up for the winter.

Her language skills continue to develop. She is a chatterbox, but can still be a bit hard to understand at times. When she's excited her voice goes up about three octaves and I joke that she's turned into a cartoon character. Some of our favourite of her misspoken words are "Absowootwe" "Vampirate" and "Snissors." We rarely correct her one these ones just because we love them so much. Other words/phrases that she uses regularly are "Perhaps", "I'm exhausted!", "I'm all puffeled up" (meaning she is full), and "Big thumbs up!" with her forefingers held in the air. She still mixes up pronouns and will say "What is her doing?" rather than "What is she doing?"

If she's not chattering away she will be singing. It could be a nursery rhyme, or Christmas carol or sometimes a little song that she has made up.

She has good manners, and will usually say "thank you" when you do something for her or give her something. Her appreciation was so sincere over Christmas. It was so sweet and made me feel quite proud.

She can count reasonably well and can hold up the correct number of fingers on one hand. She even will alter the ways she holds up three fingers.

She loves to run and jump and climb and skip. She is a little bit clumsy and will often call out "Just me!" when she falls. She's become much more bold recently, letting us toss and flip her around more and will often request that we "Please do that again?"

She's a bit fussy over clothes and also very observant over what others are wearing. If I grab Jen's socks or sweatshirt she always notices and calls me out on it. Funnily, when she wears clothing with pockets, she will put her hands into them and proclaim, "Me mama!" (She also loves pockets to carry money in. She goes nuts over coins. If you drop change she will literally run out from whatever room she is in, in the hopes that you will give her some.)

She's grown! She continues to be a big kid. We have her three year check up early in the new year, so I'll get her official stats then. She's now mostly in 3t clothing, though some smaller things still fit. Shoe size is holding steady at 7. She weighs somewhere in the low 30lbs range. She's definitely stretching out and though she has a nice round belly, she's lost most of her chubby baby rolls. People often comment on her hair, which despite a recent trim, is getting quite long. It's such a gorgeous colour. She doesn't like having it combed, but will tolerate it if I put a video on my phone for her. If she starts to fuss too much about it, I'll insist that it get cut shorter, but so far she does okay. She wants to have "Rapunzel hair".

Eating continues to be fine. She doesn't eat a huge variety of foods, but eats a reasonable number of things from each food group, so it's manageable. She loves dairy products and sweets. A recent favourite is croissants, which she calls "poissants".

Her favouite people still mostly consist of family members (me, Grandma, and my cousin, though Jen and Grandpa are in there too, whether she will admit it or not). Her best friends are The Bean, my cousin's son, and Teagan and Quinn. She will regularly say she is going to any one or several of these people. She also named her new doll Quinny. <3 p="">
She uses the potty/toilet consistently, but still needs reminders as she will wait until the very last second to go. She wears a diaper at naps and bedtime. Naps are hit or miss on whether she'll wake up dry, but she is always wet overnight. I feel like it's going to be a while before she's able to go through the night.

It's a wonder to see the many ways she has grown and changed over the past year(s), but also to see how she has stayed the same. She brings us such joy and we love her more than we could have ever imagined! 

Four and a Half

Sorry to those of you who got the "draft" update.  Stupid Blogger.  Not only ate my post, but posted a draft.  *Grumble*  Please pretend you didn't see that and enjoy this rewritten version.

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...and now we are the parents of a four and a half year old!

The Bean at four and a half is a kid with big ideas and strong opinions who does not like to be told what to do.  He is active and playful and articulate and loving.  Being his parent is a joy and a challenge.  

There is no doubt that language continues to be an area of strength for The Bean.  He is incredibly articulate and has quite a sophisticated vocabulary.  He loves playing with new words.  He also loves making up words, telling us what they mean, and using them in conversation.  

Recently he has started reading, which is just amazing. He's got a good number of sight words (Dolch) and can figure out most CVC words which means that beginning readers are the perfect level for him right now.  Surprisingly, he also seems to be reading some longer/more obscure words. I'm not sure if he's actually reading or just figuring out what things say given the context.  The word "office" comes to mind (a Microsoft Office ad on the computer).  I can't think of others, but it happens fairly frequently.  

Of course, he continues to love books.  He'll happily sit and listen to someone read for as long as they're willing to read to him.  He's also quite content to sit and browse through books on his own.  Journey and Quest have are wordless picture books that have become fast favourites.  He also loves the eeBoo storytelling cards that we picked up for him and Sprout.  Jen is really good at "playing" these with him.

He is very social. He will strike up a conversation with just about anyone. He always has something he wants to share or discuss. He can be a little shy around people he doesn't know, but it doesn't usually take him long to warm up. He's started to take a real interest in his friends and often asks about them and wants us to make plans to get together, whereas before we initiated most of the meet-ups. He seems to gravitate towards older children and girls. It's particularly infatuated with a former student of mine who we've become family friends with. If you ask him who he loves, he always names her first. I should mention that she's nearly three times his age, lives in Chicago and he last saw her in April. *Sigh* I have a feeling this will be the first in a long line of crushes.  

In addition to liking girls, he has been saying fairly consistently for the past six months or so that he wants to be a girl. We're not really sure what to make of it. When we ask him why, he says that "girls are cool" and that he doesn't like being the only one who is different in our family.  We assure him that plenty of boys are cool too, and that we are all different from each other and what makes him different makes him special to us, but that we love him no matter what. He's worn "girl clothes" out a few times and has been pretty instant about growing his hair long like Rapunzel's.  (He wants to be able to stand on the balcony and let it down so our guests can climb up it.) We're trying to be respectful of his wishes and provide guidance. 

He loves pretend play and dressing up. His knight costume is a favourite, especially the sword. Captain America also gets a lot of wear. The biggest pretend play games are "babies" and "school" ...and sometimes "babies go to school." This type of imaginative play definitely wins out over any toys. There really aren't many toys he's very interested in.  Magnatiles got a good bit of attention for a while, but he even seems to be taking a break from those recently. If couch cushions count as toys, those might be his favourite.   

He's incredibly active. His climbing is just crazy. The way he manipulates his body is amazing to watch and he really seems fearless with regards to heights. He also loves to spin, jump, slide, run, splash and ride his bike and scooter. He's becoming much more confident in the water and will submerge his head (briefly) again. He can handle his two-wheeler (with training wheels) quite well. We've been spending lots of time at parks, splash pads and pools. He's been asking to go back to gymnastics, so I'm hoping to get him into a program again this fall.  

He loves music. Recently I've been blown away by his ability to remember both tunes and lyrics to new songs. He's been singing a lot and requests particular CDs to sing along and dance to. His current favourite is his "Welcome to Kindergarten" CD.  

He is SO pumped to be going to school in the fall.  I think he's going to love it. He's completely ready socially and I think the academics will be great for him too.  He's very curious about a number of things -language and geography standing out among them. His fine motor skills are low, pencil grip and penmanship in particular. He can write his name and draw stick people and other basic things, but doesn't seem to have much of an interest in art (though we've noticed he likes to paint objects rather than paper) and has to be encouraged to do any type of writing.  He does enjoy mazes and some kindergarten activity books.  

We're going to have to work on establishing a morning routine. While he loves being out, getting him out the door can be a challenge. He doesn't like having to get dressed or brush his teeth. He also just likes to lounge around and play. He'll get ready quickly when motivated by a fun activity or people he wants to see, but I imagine once the novelty of going to school wears off that we're going to have a bit of a challenge.  

I also anticipate that he's going to miss Sprout. They've become quite close. They get along well about 90% of the time.  The other 10% Sprout doesn't do what The Bean is telling her to and he gets upset. It is the sweetest thing to watch him "look out" for her, though we've noticed that he seems to feel responsible for her and seems to have some anxiety about that in certain situations, so we've been trying to reassure him that Mama and Mommy (or another adult we trust when we're not around) will take care of Sprout and that he doesn't have to worry.  

We've been trying to work on difficult behaviour.  Being bossy. Getting upset when things don't go his way. Being defiant. Blaming others. He's halfway to giving up naps, and he's definitely more difficult the afternoons when he hasn't slept. We also notice a difference when his stomach is bothering him. Difficult behaviours are best managed with lots of one-on-one attention and very calm and patient responses. It's hard sometimes though. Except for the rare occasion we've cut out all TV, movies, tablet and phone. It was becoming a battle every time it was time to turn the device off and just not worthwhile.   

He's still having tummy troubles.  Going completely off dairy has certainly helped and he is doing much better when we're giving him his daily fibre supplement (which we've been bad about since summer began)  I still feel like there's something more going on.  I think we may have him go through full allergy testing. At this point I just want to know what's going on and solve the problems once and for all.  

Despite the  digestive issues, he has been growing.  That said, he is still a peanut.  He's about 40.5in and 33 or 34lbs. He's moving into some 4T clothes, but mostly for length. He can still wear 18m shorts! Made-to-fit pants are a lifesaver. If given a choice, he would wear PJs all day, everyday.  "Zips" (fleece one piece jammies) are his favourite. Even in the 100 degree humidity we've been having. Aside from PJs he goes for cozy sweat pants and superhero t-shirts.   

He's picky about food but will try new things. He eats a lot of cereal and bread.  Nuts are also a favourite. He's so-so with fruits and veggies, meaning that he sticks to the ones he likes. We always swore we wouldn't make a separate meal for the kids, but: Famous Last Words. Otherwise we'd be eating a lot of chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese.

The past (four years and) six months have definitely been busy. There's been a lot of change in our lives and a lot to navigate with those changes. The Bean is a more sensitive kid than I sometimes realize and he definitely wears his heart on his sleeve. As always he's teaching me how to be a better Mama. How to listen and watch and have patience and be gentle but also how to live in the moment and not take things too seriously and smile more and love openly. This kid. My heart. 

Night Weaning

So, it's been about a week since we decided in earnest to night wean Sprout.

This has been a long time coming. I know I've written many times about our difficulties with Sprout and (lack of) sleep.  Whenever it's gotten really bad we've been able to turn things around so that they're good enough to be acceptable.

Well, the other week, when she started waking at 4:30am to nurse and then wanted to be up for the day at 5am we decided it was time to try to do something about it (again).

Jen, wonderful wife and brave soul that she is took on the bulk of the responsibility.  We decided that when Sprout woke up at 4:30am to come into our room that she would take her back into the kids' room and put her back to bed, staying beside her in a sleeping bag on the floor to ensure that she stay in her bed.

We prepped Sprout that day, telling her several times before bed that she wouldn't be nursing again until the sun was up.  She seemed to understand.  She nursed as usual before going to bed.  She went down as usual.  At 4:30am she woke up and wandered crying "nurse, nurse" into our room.  Jen picked her up and took her back into her room.  Even with the sound machine on I could hear her crying.  It lasted about half an hour, but then she slept until 6:30am.  Not so bad.

The next two nights were even better.  She still woke up around the same time, but settled back to sleep more quickly and with fewer tears.  She slept a little later.

The following night we had a bit of a setback and she woke up around midnight.  I was discouraged, but Jen was a trouper and slept on the floor beside her bed for the remainder of the night.

Last night was better again.

And that's pretty of where we are now.  We'll see what the next week or two brings.  We bought a ridiculously overpriced clock that shows a sun image when the child can get out of bed.  We'll see if she buys into it.  And we still have to deal with The Bean who was taken to sleeping in a "nest" of blankets beside our bed when Sprout wakes up and disturbs his sleep, or you know, when he wakes up and decides to come over.

Sleeping five or six hours all in a row is pretty awesome.  I kinda' miss the cuddles though.

Bedtime Nightmare

It was five after nine when I left the kids' room tonight.  Their bedtime is seven thirty.  Eight o'clock is more realistic, if we're being honest.  But maybe not that realistic given past several nights.

I don't really know quite what to say.  Bedtime has definitely become my  least favourite time of the day, which is sad, because anymore it's the main time that I have to spend "quality time" with the kids.  Instead of enjoy baths and stories, I spend those many of those moments dreading (I know that's a strong word, but anxiously anticipating doesn't quite cut it) lights out.

Sometime in the past week or two Sprout figured out how to escape her crib.  In a sleep sack.  First we lost the sleep sack, a few days later we lost the side of the crib.  Unlike her brother, who was a dream when it came to bedtime and would lie in his toddler bed and wait to fall asleep and then call out to ask us if we could come get him out when he woke up, Sprout is awful.  She nurses demanding to switch sides ever other minute until I can't bear the thought of any more on and off and tell her no more.  Then she jumps in the bed.  She climbs down and runs over to the door, or the bookshelf, or toys, or her brother.  She  goads him into laughing.  Basically she does everything but lie down in the bed.  The only thing that has worked has been physically holding her in a tight hug while she screams and cries and eventually drops off enough to lie her down.  But I can't leave then.  As soon as I move more than an inch away from her she wakes up and calls out "Mama!"  In fact, her favourite sleeping position once she is in that early stage of slumber is hugging my head.  After an hour or more of trying to get her to this point, you can imagine how carefully I try to escape her headlock.

And of course The Bean has now made it his mission to get her/keep her going.  He has started saying he has to go to the washroom every thirty seconds.  (Sprout freaks out whenever he leaves the room.)  When he is in bed he kicks his legs, throws toys around until we take them away, talks "to himself", etc.  Most nights I threaten him (this week with taking away Trick-or-Treating) until he quiets down.  On good nights, offering a reward for being quiet, like rocking him in the rocking chair after his sister falls asleep, works.  I can't remember the last time he had a good night.

Bedtime has become a complete nightmare.  I wish I could think of another way to do things, but I just can't. Every night I hope it will get better.  Every night it seems to get worse.

Tonight I am listening to Ani DiFranco's new album Allergic to Water.  I am taking time to write a blog post rather than preparing tomorrow's lessons (which I really should be doing).  I need a break.  Anyone want to come over and babysit for an evening?

Sprout is Nineteen Months Old!

Today Sprout is nineteen months old!

Maybe I say this every month, but this past month has really flown by.  After the last update I thought it would be a good idea to write some of the changes in Sprout's development down as I noticed them.  I was a bit neglectful... six bullet points is as far as I got.  Of course, there have been many other changes.  I will do my best to remember and make note of them here...

-Perhaps one of the biggest changes is that Sprout is now spending (most of) her nights in a crib in the kids' room.  This feels life-changing.  And while I miss having my baby right beside me during the nights, the truth is that I think we are both/all sleeping better now.  I felt like I was never falling into a proper sleep, always listening to her toss and turn and wondering if she was going to wake up and want to nurse, or be held, or whatever.  After spending a few days away in a hotel, we were able to test out how the kids did sharing a room.  Sprout's nighttime cries didn't seem to wake up her brother, so rather spontaneously (if you can call something you've waited over a year to do spontaneous) we decided to put her in the crib in the kids room at home.  She was really tired the first night, so it went really well... she didn't wake up until 5:30am, at which point I brought her into our room and I nursed and cuddled her until a more reasonable wake-up time.  Since then she's been waking once or twice before we go to bed, but settling back down fairly easily, and then waking up any time after 4am to join me in our room.  She still naps in our room because she's a frequent nap waker and I really, really don't want her disturbing her brother's naps.  That time is too precious to me.

-As I mentioned, we went away for a few nights.  Jen's parents treated us to a stay at an indoor water park out their way.  It was very fun and solidified Sprout's love of the water.  She may have said "splash" more than she said "mama" while we were there, and that is a lot.  ;) 

-She's continued to add new words and sounds into her vocabulary.  Ball, man man (for Spiderman), hop, and cluck come to mind.  She's also started putting two words together, sometimes three even.  No examples are jumping to mind immediately, but things like "more milk" and "hot blow" (the food is hot, blow on it) and "baby in" (put the doll in the stroller) come to mind. 

-She definitely knows her own mind.  She often requests "help" or "hand" when she wants you to do something.  As I think I mentioned last month, "no" is another big word.  "Mm Hm" is her usual affirmative response.  And when you ask her a question, she will adorably tap her chin and say "Hmmm."  I have no idea where she picked it up, but I love it. 

-I said about her knowing her own mind --two notes in that regard
1) She really wants to figure out this potty thing.  Often when I take off her diaper she will go sit on the potty.  She likes to stay naked on the bottom and run back and forth to it, sitting for a few minutes, then getting up to play.  She gets quite upset when I try to put a diaper on her in this situation.  However, she has yet to have a "successful" potty trip and really is not aware that she has to pee until it is happening /has happened.
2) She is determined to dress herself.  This can be such a battle when I am trying to get us out somewhere, but mostly I am trying to just let her figure it out or help her to the degree which she deems acceptable.  The result is often waist in the leg hole of her shorts, things on backwards, etc.  but she's one and a half and we're at home, so what does it matter?  Right?

-Like her brother, she's been getting really into dancing to music.  It's pretty adorable as she tries to copy many of his "moves."  We took her to a couple of live shows this past week and she had such a good time running around and dancing. 

-She can jump!  She actually gets airborne for a half a second.  She loves it.  She's also taken to leaping onto the couch from our ottoman.  I'm just waiting for a crash.  Hopefully we can avoid any ER visits.  

-She is still totally obsessed with her babies.  

-She also LOVES airplanes.  She'll point and bounce and call out "pane! pane! up! fi!" when she sees one.  Which is often.  We live relatively close to an airport.

-Her favourite books are Welcome Summer and other touch and feels, Zoe's Snowy/Windy/Sunny/Rainy Day, The Carrot Seed, and Hop on Pop which she calls Hop Pop.  She listens to a lot of The Bean's longer books since I read to both of them together before naps, but she seems to prefer the books meant for younger ones.  Which makes sense, but I still find notable.

-She is both a shy, snugglebug and an outgoing silly billy.  I had to use the above photo for this month's update because it shows what a goofball she can be.  She has the best, best smiles, but mostly saves them for those she's the most comfortable with.  She's also a big joker.  We get a kick out of her.

-I know many of you don't know her name, or her many nicknames, but she will point to herself and say her name, and she will also call herself "B", which is a part of one her nick names... the one The Bean most often calls her.  I think it's adorable.  (Of course, I think about 95% of what she does is adorable, so maybe I'm not the best person to comment on this!)

-She is still a frequent nurser.  It's been a while now that she just nurses before going to sleep or when she wakes up, but she sometimes asks in between those times.  Often I distract her, occasionally I nurse her.  I'm so, so happy to have this relationship with her.  It's exhausting, but it is also so nice to be able to hold her and stare at her and feel her little body relax as her breath changes and she calms down and falls to sleep.  It's a privilege.  Though I sometimes think that it would be nice for my body to be my own again, and to get a full night's sleep would be oh so amazing, I am not wishing away these moments. 

-Food is about the same.  Sometimes she's a bit finicky.  I think she gets pretty significant pain with teething, and although I haven't noticed any new teeth trying to push their way through, I wouldn't be surprised if sometimes when she doesn't want to eat if it's because she's in pain.  Again, knowing that she'll nurse and get the nutrients and calories she needs makes me much less concerned about missed meals.

I think that's pretty good for now.  Hopefully I keep up on all the progress over this current month a little better than I have been.  Mostly she continues to be a loving, silly, joyful little bug.  It's so wonderful to be her family.

Sprout is Eleven Months Old!

Today Sprout is eleven months old!

Oh my.  A year ago I was hugely pregnant and anxiously anticipating my mid-December due date.
  Now we're anticipating our baby's first birthday.  It's amazing the changes that happen in just one year.

-To be completely honest, this month has been tough.  Shortly after my last  update I reached a breaking point with sleep.  It had been a long time coming, but a few nights of hourly wake-ups did me in.  I took to the couch and Jen patiently laid Sprout down each time she peeked her little head up over the side of the Pack'n'Play.  After about a week I returned to the bedroom.  Sprout is still waking fairly often, but usually goes back down after a few minutes of stand up/put down. She nurses around 2am most nights, and again between 4am and 5am off and on until we get up.  So, still not a fantastic, but manageable. 

-Her schedule is more or less the same as it has been, though I've bumped her morning nap back slightly and her afternoon forward.  When she wasn't sick and her teething wasn't so bad she seemed to be going down more quickly with these small changes. 

-Teething and sickness have certainly not helped on the sleep front.  Sprout's top right lateral incisor came through on November 3rd, followed by her top left lateral incisor on the 5th.  Vampire baby, just like her brother.  I was sure a few more would be popping through, but we're still waiting.  There are a couple more that are thisclose.  This girl does not teethe easily.  She also has some awful congestion right now, which does not make things any easier. 

-On a more positive note, eating continues to go well.  She loves her protein!  Dhal is her absolute favourite, followed by chicken.  I feel guilty for not making her baby food from scratch, like we did for The Bean, but there just doesn't seem to be the time.  She often gets little bites of whatever I'm eating, but she gags quite a lot, so we have to be careful.  I'm excited to take her for Thanksgiving dinner at Jen's Nan and Pap's. 

-Her mobility continues to improve.  She's a super-speedy crawler and cruises around like a pro.  She'll free stand for a few seconds before plunking down on her bum, but has yet to even attempt any steps on her own.  She does like pushing things around and will happily walk holding on to someone's fingers.  For a while I thought she'd take her first steps before turning one, but anymore I think it won't happen until after her birthday. 

-This month her favourite games have been peek-a-boo, rolling a ball back and forth, and putting things into containers.  She also loves crawling through the tunnel. 

-Her favourite book by far this month has been "Who's Hiding on the Farm" which is a lift the flap book.  There's a mirror on the last page that she just LOVES looking into.  Funny girl.

-She's really into "sharing" food, toys, etc. and will give a huge smile if you say "Thank you!" and make a big deal out of it.  She also leans in for smooches and has starting giving air kisses. 

-She just figured out how to clap and does it to get a reaction, when she is happy, or when she is listening to music.  She's really been enjoying our city-run music program.  We sing a song called "Sleeping Bunnies" and she'll put her head down on the mat and "sleep" when we sing it.  It's pretty frickin' adorable.  (She's the only baby in the program who does this, and I think the instructor gets a kick out of it.)

-We stopped swim classes.  She wasn't enjoying them and I wasn't keen on taking her during the cold weather.  We plan on starting her back up in the spring and seeing where it goes from there. 

-Her growth has definitely slowed down and Jen and I have commented to each other that we think she's stretching out, though she still has a nice round belly and roly poly thighs.  Her twelve month check up won't be until the new year so we'll get all her stats then. 

Even though things have been a bit difficult, our little girl still has the nicest disposition, the sweetest smile, and brightens up every one of our days.   We love her to pieces. 

Sprout is Ten Months Old!

Today Sprout is ten months old!

I could say it every month, but I just cannot believe how quickly the time is going by.  In two short months will have a one year old.  Unreal.

-Other than her hair getting longer and more unruly (hence the barrette) I feel like there hasn't been a big change in Sprout's growth.  I mean, I'm sure she's growing, but I think it's slowed down.  She's been in the same size disposables (4) for a long time now and I haven't had to do a big wardrobe switch-out for a while.
-There has been all kinds of other growth though.  This girl makes me laugh with all the new things she learns and how proud she is of herself to show them off.  She now waves "hi" and "bye bye" and will mimic a "moo" sound.  She's also figured out how to push the "lawnmower" (Fisher Price Bright Beginnings Activity Walker) around all on her own.  Yup.  Walking.  I mean, she doesn't have the balance to do it all on her own, but it's coming.  Similarly she can ride the ride on bus toy that we have all on her own.  Impressive if I do say so myself.

-She got her first tooth on October 1st (bottom left incisor) and her second (bottom right incisor) on October 10th.  It looks like there are quite a few more on their way.

-She eats!  She still nurses (a lot) but she's just recently started having three meals a day and actually seems to be enjoying food.  She also really seems to enjoy feeding herself.  So messy.  But it's okay, we're happy to see her trying new things.  Greek yogurt mixed with fruit for breakfast, and usually a blended meat/protein and veggie for lunch and dinner.  Plus finger foods like puffs, yogurt drops, and bananas.

-Aside from the nursing she has grown VERY attached to her Mama.  While she will play very contently on her own, there are certainly times when she does not want me to be out of her sight line (and other times when she does not want to be out of my arms).  I've been doing laundry in the mornings and often will come back upstairs to find her whining by the door even though Jen and sometimes even The Bean are around.

-As an add on to the previous bullet, when she wants to be somewhere, or more accurately with someone she makes the cutest little crawling bee line right to them.  This is most often witnessed when she "chases" us into The Bean's room when we go to get him out of bed in the morning.

-She loves, loves, loves playing with her brother.  Balls have also been a big toy this month.

-Bathtime is a lot of fun.  She loves to splash.  Unfortunately she doesn't seem to have the same love for splashing in swim class.  I enrolled us in the next session, but am sort of regretting that decision.  She almost always fusses a little bit, sometimes even cries and almost never smiles.  I'm disappointed that she doesn't like it more, but I think we'll just drop it after this next session and wait until she's older.

-She also likes to splash in the cat's water dish. She usually waits until I have my back turned and than does her previously mentioned speed-crawl over to grab the bowl.

-She seems to be outgrowing chairs, bouncer and jumpers.  I think she rather have the mobility.  I'll still stick her in the doorway Jolly Jumper when I have to do something, like prep dinner but usually isn't happy going in and wants out after ten minutes or so.  Though it was certainly easier to be able to have her happily confined, I won't be sad to get rid of some more of the space hoarding baby gear.

-We've gotten into a fairly consistent routine.  Up between 6-7am nap around 9am, awake by 11am, nap again around 2pm awake by 4pm and then into the bedroom by 6:30pm.  (The times vary slightly day to day and she almost ever naps the full two hours.  More often than not I go in to settle her back down after 45 minutes and then get another half our or so out of her.)  Good nights she's down before 7:30pm, other times it's not until after 8:00pm.  She still gets nursed and then rocked/bounced to sleep.

-Weekdays she has been napping in the nursery.  It's going well.  Nighttime and weekends she's in our room on account of the brother.

I'll leave you with one more photo, because even though it's blurry (they all seemed to be this month.  I guess being sick has effected my ability to take a focused photograph), the chubby little hands on the even chubbier little knees just kills me.

Sprout is Nine Months Old!

 Today Sprout is nine months old!

This is coming in a few days late.  Our little girl has been sick (fever, upset stomach) and not sleeping well the past few days.  We're all tired and hoping Sprout is back to her usual sunshine self soon.

This has been a big month for Sprout!  Lots of new things to report on, so I'll get right to it...

-At her 9 month well baby appointment yesterday she weighed in at a whopping 21.9 lbs and 28.9 in.  The pediatrician said that's about the 90th percentile on both counts.  Big girl!  (But nicely balanced in terms of length and weight.)

-No big change in clothing sizes.  Mostly 12m stuff, depending on the brand.  I recently pulled out some fall clothes and even crocheted her a cute new toque.  Yay for woolly baby goodness!

-Barring the past few days while she's been sick, we're into a pretty routine routine.  Up between 6 and 7am, napping from about 8 or 9am until about 10 or 11am, awake for another three hours, and then another shorter nap, and awake until bedtime around 7 or 8pm.  Still awake to nurse frequently overnight, though we have had a few longer stretches earlier in the night, which is wonderful when I actually make it to be early.

-She is consistently eating solids (pureed) every day at dinner.  Meats seem to be her favourite, followed by vegetables and then fruits.  Rice cereal is a no-go, which I'm fine with.  I am trying to add lunch in there as a second meal, but it's been hit or miss so far.

-It seems she's decided that crawling is no longer good enough for her and that she must be standing all.the.time.  She figured out how to pull herself up and within a matter of days started (unsteadily) cruising around.  She also figured out how to crawl "properly," but still does the army crawl about 50% of the time.

-Jen thought I was crazy, but a few weeks ago I swear she said her first word: "Up."  I will usually say "up" before picking her up, and she started repeating it back to me.  I got her to do it for Jen, who at first thought it was a coincidence, but now agrees that she's repeating it back to us.  I think she is also trying to say Mama (for real this time) and it's quite clear that she understand the sign for "milk" as when I'm getting her ready for a nap or bed and she's fussing, when I say and sign "milk" (as in, you'll be getting milk soon") she stops fussing and it often appears she tries to sign it back.  She has also started waving hi and bye and will air kiss, if you air kiss her.  (So cute!)

-She mimics a lot of behaviour --head shaking (especially when we say "no" or "silly", clapping (she waves her arms), bouncing (she will emphatically bounce in her Jolly Jumper if we jump up and down), smiling, etc.

-I've gotten a lot better about reading to her before naps and bedtime, and these days touch-and-feel books are her favourite.  We have one called Farm and she really likes the faux-fur sheepdog page and when we "woof" at her.

-She doesn't seem to have a preference for any given toy right now, aside from things she can pull up on and things she can chew on.

-She loves music and dancing in Mama or Mommy's arms.  Family dance parties have become a fairly regular occurrence.

-Ever the second child, she is usually content to be in the same room as the action, but lets her big brother demand most of the attention.  And goodness does she love that boy.  As he does her. (Though she also gets startled by him quite easily.)

-Still no teeth, though her hand is in her mouth all the time, as evidenced by her monthly photo.

So, a lot of changes this month, and surely a lot to come in the months ahead.  Our love for her grows more quickly than she does.

Sleep Training

I know this can be a sensitive topic and I've hesitated to post about it, but thoughts about sleep having been consuming many of my waking hours (of which there have been many) lately, so this is really just a ramble of what's been running through my head.

So... sleep.

I really hoped that Sprout would sleep train on her own.  I know that's naive, but it didn't stop me from hoping.  She really is quite an "easy" baby so it would have been nice if that carried over to sleep.  ...Not that she's a "bad" sleeper.  We've gotten into a fairly reasonable routine of bedtime at about 7:30pm, followed by a few minutes of rocking whenever she wakes up between then and 10:30pm-ish when we go into bed, and then nursing every three hours or so throughout the night until maybe 5:00am where she more or less stays on the boob until she gets up at 6:00 or 6:30am.  She usually doesn't cry, just fusses until she is nursed and then goes back down to sleep with minimal rocking, if any.  Fairly reasonable, right?  Except that she's still waking up to nurse every three hours.  Which means I'm only sleeping about two and half hours at a time.  And that can catch up with a girl, you know?  Anyway, all this to say that we're getting to the point where we are starting to think about sleep training.

But here's the thing, even the thought of several more months of interrupted sleep isn't enough for me to feel guiltless in letting Ms. Sprout cry, and from what I know, even the most gentle sleep training methods usually involve tears.

Back when The Bean was wee, we did a modified sort of Cry It Out.  He never cried very long, but still, it was hard.  (Jen wrote about it in this blog post.)  Read that with the knowledge that Jen was the "strong" one.  I fought back tears of my own while she reassured me that it really was going to be best for all of us.  After a few days he was going down without any fuss.  I even remember a period following his sleep training where he would happily give us goodnight kisses and then roll over and close his eyes before we shut the bedroom door.  (He's currently in a stage where he procrastinates like no one's business at bedtime, and occasionally will tell us, "I'm going to cry." when we are getting ready to leave the room.  Yet I don't struggle with this in the same way as I did/do with having a baby cry.)

So you think we'd be able to do the same thing with Sprout knowing that the results are likely to be positive.  Or we could do the other CIO method which I would describe as more of a "back away slowly" method than a "go in and check on them often" method.  But still, when I hear her fuss and know that I could go in and comfort her and I'm not, I get itchy.

She is still just a little baby.  She hasn't even been in this world as long as she was inside me (though that won't be true for much longer).  She finds joy in things like holding her hands under a running stream of water, bouncing, grabbing the cat's fur, and blowing raspberries.  She finds comfort in closeness.  Who are we to deny her that?  When I pick her up to rock her and she lets out a big sigh and puts her little dimply-knuckled hand on my chest before letting her heavy eyelids close I melt.  I am not ready to let that go yet.

Plus, any time we've started thinking about sleep training something seems to come up that makes it feel like a Really Bad Idea.  She has a cold.  She's learning to crawl.  We're going on a trip.  She's figured out how to get out of her swaddle (surely one change to the sleep routine at a time is enough!).   She's teething.  She's learning to cruise.

Still, at 2:30am it's dark and hard to see those dimply little knuckles and feel quite as nostalgic about rocking her to sleep, so maybe one day soon we'll decide it's time to give sleep training a go.

Any tips on how to do it without either baby or Mama crying are welcome!

The Bean at Two and Half Years Old

This post is awesomely overdue.  I had every intention to post on the day The Bean turned two and a half, and though we had started the update, that day came and went.  And then we were away.  And, well, it just hasn't happened until now.  Hope it doesn't cause him any great trauma. ;)

So...

Jen and I have both been noticing so many new things that The Bean is doing these days, but of course, now that we're sitting down to record them it's hard to remember them all, so rather than being completely comprehensive, this is just a snapshot of what The Bean is up to at two and half years old.  (With actually snapshots from the past month, mostly taken on our trip to PA, you know, in case I don't get to that update.)

-The Bean is still a little peanut.  He weighs somewhere around 25lbs and we're not really sure how tall he is.  He usually wears 24 month shirts and 18 month shorts, but today, for example, he was wearing a 9 month swim suit.  It's not a concern, he's just a short and slender guy.

-His favourite shirt right now is his octopus shirt.  He maintains that it is a scary octopus.  We can mostly get away with sticking him in an outfit of our choosing, but he does now have some opinions on what he does and doesn't want to wear.

-Another thing he's been wearing is underwear!  He's doing a great job with potty training.  He is able to "hold it" for a couple of hours and sometimes remembers to go without a reminder.  He's even been waking dry from time to time, which makes us think about when a good time to ditch the nap and nighttime diaper will be.  We're not quite there with BMs yet.

-The big boy has also started sleeping in a toddler bed.  The transition has been going really well.  We've kept our usual routines around bedtime, which helps and the crib is there as an option (and also a consequence for getting out of the toddler bed).  He'll sometimes ask us to lie down with him for a little while before leaving the room, but that's okay.

-The past few months especially we've received many complements on how well The Bean expresses himself.  It's hard for me to remember what's typical for a two and half year old, but he does seem to have a pretty good vocabulary and is usually quite confident speaking to people.  He will greet people and introduce himself.  He can clearly express his likes and dislikes.  He loves to sing and has just recently started making up songs and stories, which is both adorable and hilarious.  He tells knock knock jokes.  (His favourite right now is knock knock." "Who's there?" "Hank." "Hank who?"  "You're welcome!")  And with a reminder to say it as a question, he will rephrase his demands.  

-He loves to run and jump and climb.  He is pretty fearless.  Fortunately we haven't had many big falls (just one tumble down the stairs about gave me a heart attack).  He loves playing outside and going to the park, especially the "big park" which is about a ten or fifteen minute walk from our house, as opposed to the "little park" which is right outside our front door.

-He is also very into vehicles.  Emergency and construction vehicles to be more precise.  (Oh, and motorcycles.  Let's not forget those!  And trains.  To be safe, let's just say all vehicles.)  They were building a house a few blocks from his daycare and every morning we would have to circle the block at least three times for him to see the digger.

-I already mentioned the singing, but he also loves playing instruments as well as listening to music.  He can identify guitar, violins, pianos and drums when listening to music.  He also recognizes all kinds of instruments.  It's pretty impressive.

-I wouldn't say he's particularly into visual art, but he does seem to enjoy play-doh, painting, colouring and stickers, so maybe he's more into it than I would be inclined to acknowledge.  He loves it when people draw things for him.  Trains and rocketships are both high on the request list.

-Bathtime is pretty popular.  He likes to "play toys" in the bathtub.  He hates having his hair washed.

-He's kept up with his swimming lessons and is doing really well with them, but like in the bathtub, does not like getting his head/hair wet.  He can now kick his legs and "pull" his arms.  He blows bubbles.  All the games and songs they play as a part of the class are played in the bathtub at home and sung pretty much all the time.  We're taking a break from swimming lessons over the summer, but will start back up in September.

-He also just finished a session of gymnastics classes.  It was a city-run program and not really super-high on the instructive level, but he enjoyed playing around on the equipment.  Jen and I saw a big improvement in his balance on the beam in particular.  He seemed to enjoy the "monkey bars" and playing "What Time is it Mr. Wolf?" the most.   

-Though we limit it to a great degree, The Bean does watch some TV (both at home and at daycare).  His favourite shows are Blue's Clues, Dora, SuperWhy and Octonauts.

-He also really likes Spiderman.  I don't think he's ever seen it as a show, but they have Spidey action figures at daycare and apparently they are a hit with all the kids there.  (The daycare provider said she had to go out and get multiple Spidermen since all the kids wanted the same toy.)  When he was teeny tiny Grandma and Grandpa gave him some Spiderman PJs and a costume, which he is really enjoying getting use out of now.

-Daycare is going great.  In addition to loving the provider, her family, and all the kids there, we can also see that he is learning a lot.  He pretty much can recite the entire alphabet, recognizes most letters, can count to ten accurately and to 20 with some assistance, knows his colours, the days of the week, etc. etc.  It's a ways off, but I am sure he's going to be super well-prepared for kindergarten.

-He still loves books.  Oliver Jeffer's is a favourite author (his books Lost and Found and How to Catch a Star, in particular).  We've moved towards reading some longer story books versus quick little ones.  I love it when he gets really into it and will just sit on our lap and listen and look at the pictures and talk about it.   I also love it when he goes over and picks books out himself to look at.  He's even started memorizing a few and listening to him "read" is pretty awesome.

-Perhaps even better is listening to him read to his little sister.  I love our Bean in this big brother role.  He reads to her and sings to her and tickles her tummy.  He just lights up when he sees her in the morning, and the admiration is definitely mutual.  Recently there's been a little pulling of toys away from her while she's playing and the like, but it's understandable and (so far) fairly easily dealt with.  

-In true two and a half year old fashion, he can get quite fussed up when something his not going his way.  He's prone the the odd tantrum and some whining, especially when he's hungry or tired.  We've got a fairly low tolerance for it.  Hitting results in a time out.  Mostly we try to talk to him about what's bothering him and/or distract him.  I won't miss it when he outgrows this.  (That happens by three, right? ;) )

-Again acting like a typical two and a half year old, he has become The Pickiest Eater.  Mostly this means he ends up eating the same few things day after day.  Toast and apple sauce for breakfast.  Peanut butter, hummus, sometimes pasta, a hard boiled egg, hot dogs and chicken fingers for lunch and dinner.  Granola bars, soy yogurt, grapes, watermelon, banana, raisins, crackers, rice cakes for snacks.  The occasional cookie or popsicle for a treat.  (He loves treats.)  He also loves cheese, but we've taken him off all animal dairy as he was having some tummy issues.  I suppose he could be pickier, but we're working with a pretty limited menu these days.

-Sleeping is pretty good.  He goes down between 7:30 and 8:00pm most evenings and sleeps until somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00am.  He naps in the afternoon.  Usually just a short time at daycare (an hour or two) but on the weekends will sometimes sleep for four hours or so depending on how tired out his is from our morning activities.  We sometimes even need to wake him up from his nap to ensure that he'll be tired enough before bedtime.

Having a two and a half year old is wonderful and challenging.  He will sometimes say "I frus-trated!" and sometimes I tell him I am too.  The spontaneous "I love yous" and sweet giggles are sure to last longer in our memories than the imagine of him crying at the bottom of the stairs because it's time to come in for dinner.   Parenting this little guy is such a privilege.  We're lucky to be his moms.