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.

The Bean is Five and a Half!

The Bean is five and a half!

Craziness I tell you. I can remember holding our teeny tiny little baby like it was yesterday. Perhaps that's because we've been retelling his birth story almost daily, but more likely it is because time really does fly with these not-so-little-anymore ones.

And while he has changed, he really is very much the same kid he's always been.

The second half of the school year went quite well. He became quite good buddies with two of the boys in his class, and developed some other more peripheral friendships. While "the three musketeers" may not have always been the greatest influence on each other, they did seem to really like each other and The Bean was much happier overall. They seemed to play a lot of superheros and StarWars. The Bean knows very little about either one, but talks about both a lot. Ha ha!

Academically he did very well this year. He still needs to work on self-regulation a bit, but overall his report card was glowing. He's a great helper and very caring towards others. His literacy, math, science, music, art, media and phys. ed. skills are all wonderful. My biggest concern for the second part of the year was that he wasn't challenged enough based on what I know he is capable of. Inquiry in the kindergarten classroom is student-driven, which I like, but I felt like he didn't walk away from the units with a lot of new knowledge or understanding. Fortunately I have a pretty good relationship with his teacher (who he will have again next year) so I think I'll just have to stay more on top of knowing what it is they're studying and reinforcing it at home.

That said, a few of his newer interests seem to have stemmed from things they were exploring at school --space and dinosaurs being the two standouts. There have been lots of solar systems and t-rexes drawn lately.

He's still super-social. I'm convinced that he knows 90% of the staff and students (and their parents!) at his school based on the greetings he both calls out and receives when walking through the school hallways. I've had more than a handful of teachers stop me to talk about how much they adore him. He also keeps up with the comings and goings of the neighbourhood, shouting out hellos to people on their way to work from our balcony most mornings.

We've seen him pushing the limits a little bit with his behaviour. I think a lot of what we're seeing is stemming from his desire to be more independent, but he's not necessarily ready for all the independence he (thinks he) wants. I've been pretty strict now that he's home for the summer and I think he's starting to understand that he needs to stay within our boundaries.

That said, he's mostly really cooperative and has become such a great helper and very independent in his day-to-day routines. He rarely complains about being asked to help tidy up. He has started doing little chores, like clearing his plate after a meal, without reminders. He wakes up, brushes his teeth and gets dressed, and heads into the kitchen for breakfast without being asked. We give him lots of acknowledgement and praise for being so helpful.

He continues to be a very loving, affectionate kid. It's not uncommon for him to say "I love you" or give you a big hug or kiss for no reason.

To describe The Bean as active would be an understatement. I think if he had his choice, he would be moving all the time. He is very interested in sports. He continued Gymnastics throughout the winter and spring, and as I know I've said before his body control is amazing. We've noticed that he's gotten stronger too. In the spring he also did swimming lessons and progressed from Preschool Swim 1 to Preschool Swim 2, which means he was able do things like jump into the water and bob back up, do assisted floats, glides, and kicks. He's still not a swimmer, but he's definitely more comfortable in the water than he was. I'm hoping he'll be able to continue in the fall. He also started skateboarding lessons with a teenager from down the street. It's only half and hour once a week and pretty casual at that, but he loves it. The guy teaching him is very calm and cool --a good influence, I think. Of course, he also still bike rides, scooters, climbs (EVERYTHING!), runs, jumps, etc.

He had his first ER visit this past Mothers' Day. He was, apparently, trying to use his pillow as a bobsled and overshot a little, landing on the wooden floor with his chin. It split right open and required four stitches. He was pretty stoic during the whole ordeal. (Which is how I would expect him to handle something like this. It's just his way.) He was pretty proud to show the stitches off at school and it really didn't slow him down any.

He's definitely become much more interested in fine motor skills like building, art and writing. He's into constructing things whether it be from Duplo or recyclables. He often wants to make signs or write notes. He's quite good at sounding out words, but usually asks for help. He likes to make things to send people in the mail.

Singing is another newer interest. He's always loved music, and learned a ton of new songs at school this year. He took the end of year performance very seriously. They sang three songs -Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Tomorrow, and Talk to the Animals. I was impressed that he was able to remember all of the words and carry a tune. He's got quite a sweet little singing voice.

He's also become much more interested in playing games. We have several; his favourites seem to be Go Fish, memory match, mancala, this one called Camelot Jr., and Jenga. He loves to play on the tablet and phone, but that's a treat reserved for weekends.

In all things, he still shows a tendency towards perfectionism and competitiveness. He wants to be able to do most things perfectly the first time, and we've been talking a lot about the need to practice and how it's okay not to be "the best" at everything. He was quite frustrated when he asked to take the training wheels off his bicycle, but then kept tipping over. We ended up putting them back on.

Food wise things are going well. He's started eating a much wider variety of foods. Even if something is not "his favourite" he knows he has to try it, and he usually eats it without complaining. Often he even remarks on how good something tastes and almost always says thank you for making dinner. It's so nice to be able to prepare one meal at dinner time rather than trying to make different things to accommodate everybody. He's still completely off dairy.

He weighs just over 37lbs. I'm not sure how tall he is, but he's typically wearing size 4 and 5 shirts and size 4 pants. (He can get away with smaller sizes in shorts. He's still a skinny mini.) Shoe size is a 10. Like with Sprout, I had his feet measured and found out I had been putting him in shoes that were much too small. Oops.

His sleep is pretty good. He recently went through a bit of a bed-wetting spell, but we started taking him to the washroom when we went to bed and that seems to have helped quite a bit. He occasionally has nightmares and will call out or cry for us to come and comfort him. Mostly though he falls asleep quickly at bedtime (7:30/8:00pm) and wakes up at a fairly reasonable time in the morning (6:00/7:00am).

He's a pretty terrific kid. I feel like we're on this cusp between him being a little kid and being a big kid, so I'm trying to make an effort to appreciate where he is right now. We love him so much!

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Also,
-his favourite colour is red
-his "uniform" (according to him) is sweat pants/shorts and a superhero t-shirt

Sprout is Three and Half!

Sprout is three and a half!

This kid! And surely she is a kid now, and no longer a baby or even a toddler. She is a sweet, silly, stubborn little thing. She knows precisely what she wants and is quite adept at getting her way whether it be through sweet-talking or digging in her heels.

She can be reluctant in new situations, but more often hangs back and watches for a few minutes and then jumps right into the action. She likes the reassurance of having one of her "grown ups" around, but has done really well with her drop off music class (if not ballet), and will interact with other kids at the park, so I'm not too concerned about how she'll fare in kindergarten this fall.

Thankfully her attitude towards kindergarten has changed in the past few months. She used to say that she wanted to stay with me, but now is says she's excited about kindergarten. We know some siblings of friends who will also be going into JK at our school next year and have also met another little girl (with two moms!) in the neighbourhood. We got an "unofficial" confirmation that she'll be in The Bean's class in the fall (they combine JK and SK here) and that they will both have the same teacher he has this year. We're not very familiar with the other kindergarten teacher, but we like The Bean's teacher and are very happy with this news.

She's a chatterbox. She can still be a bit hard to understand, but I feel like her speech is getting slightly clearer. She's definitely forming longer and more complex sentences with a degree of thoughtfulness behind them that sometimes surprises me. She asks fantastic questions.

She's also really funny. A few recent things that made me laugh:
-A stranger on the subway told her she was cute, to which she replied, "Did you know that I am cute AND I am funny?"
-We explained to her that we couldn't keep any of the feral kittens because Jen is very allergic. Sprout relayed this to a neighbour saying, "Mommy can't eat cats. She's allergic."
-She was making mud pies and told me they were gluten and dairy free, so she could share them with Mommy and The Bean.

She's super into princesses and much of the stereotypical "girly" stuff. More than princesses though, her free play tends to gravitate towards pretending to be a doctor or a veterinarian, which is very in-keeping with her character. She is such a nurturer. She is amazingly sweet with animals. (Though she's quite scared of bugs and crawly things.) She has taken to nursing us when we've hurt ourselves, running to get a wet wipe (a cure-all in her mind) and Band-Aids (of course).

She's also quite affectionate, particularly with me. She loves sitting on laps and snuggling. I have a feeling that when she does stop nursing (which is still happening before bed most nights) that it will be replaced by snuggling time. The other night she asked me to lie down with her and I said I couldn't, so she said, "It's okay, Mama. Later when you are sleeping I will just come quietly into your room and snuggle into bed with you." It made me laugh, because it is exactly what she does. I'm a light sleeper and usually wake up during the night, often to find her snuggled up against me. Unfortunately she's a bit of a bed hog, which means I often go to sleep in her bed, but if she wakes up she'll come back over and crawl into bed with me again. It's ridiculous. But it's also kind of sweet.

She can be quite stubborn, but fortunately has stopped with the hitting, which was happening a little bit back towards her birthday. Getting her to eat her dinner has become a bit of a battle, and the other night she asserted, "I am only going to say this one more time: I am not eating my broccoli!" (Or whatever the vegetable was.) Jen and I were fighting back the laughter. Overall she's usually good-natured, but when she's tired she can be a bit of a beast. She's given up naps in the past few months, so late afternoons and evenings can be trying. Thankfully, getting her down at bedtime has become much easier. For a little while she was falling asleep nursing, now she doesn't, and she often fights sleep, but it's no where near as bad as it was before when she was up until 10 and 11 at night.

Overall she's a good eater. She definitely likes her sweets, but they're pretty limited. Her breakfast of choice these days is an English muffin and a yogurt drink, her favourite lunch is probably quiche or baked beans with some pears on the side, and dinner would be chicken fingers, rice and some sort of veggie. She looooves milk, but we make her drink water 95% of the time. Juice is reserved for special occasions.

Her gross motor skills are slowly, but surely improving. She's started taking more risks on playground equipment, such as going across the tires without someone there spotting her. She's getting quite good on her scooter and has recently figured out pedaling on her tricycle... a bicycle may be in her future (foruth birthday present, perhaps). She ended up quitting ballet as it wasn't quite what she wanted from the class ("It's not REAL ballet.") but did really well with swimming. She loves being in the water. I hope we're able to get to the pool often over the summer and that they get back into swimming classes in the fall.

Her fine motor skills are decent. She still hasn't figured out writing, and I'll have to work on her writing her name over the summer, but she still enjoys drawing, painting, beading, etc. She likes to help pour and stir when I bake. She doesn't seem to have a strong hand preference, which may be making things a little more difficult for her in terms of developing better control. I think she'll end up being a righty who uses her left hand for certain things.

Jumping back to activities --she did a program at a local farm this winter and really liked the animal portions, in particular. Now when we go visit the farm she doesn't understand why she can't pet the animals like she was able to during her classes. Over the spring we went back to our outdoor ed. program, this time as volunteers. I didn't think it was run quite as well as it was in the fall, but we still both enjoyed it. She just finished up her music classes which she's been doing since January and was fantastic with. She went with my cousin's son, which I think was nice for both of them. She often sings the songs she's learned in it, along with many other little songs she knows or makes up. She sings about everything.

She still has the same group of friends and favourite people. She also has become quite attached to a little girl from the nature program. We're going to try to continue to meet up over the summer. Hopefully it works out.

She's continuing to grow and is now solidly in 3T clothing, but moving into 4t, which just boggles my mind as I'm so used to having a small-for-their-age child. I recently found out I've been putting both kids in shoes that are WAY too small for them, so she's now wearing size 10. As I posted about before, she cut off all her long hair and how has a cute bob. I was surprised that she kept asking for a haircut, but she doesn't seem to have any regrets whatsoever, so I guess she was pretty sure of herself.

She's in diapers at night still and wakes up dry maybe 30-50% of the time. Still not enough for us to chance it. Bedtime is usually between 7 and 8pm (usually on the later side, rather than the earlier) and she wakes up between 6 and 7am most days, though lately it's been closer to 8am, so maybe she's going through a growth spurt or something.

It doesn't seem like she's going to slow down. This girl, she keeps us on our toes! We love her though.

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Edited to add these two post-haircut photos.