J: Nineteen Months

 

 

I like nineteen months. Well, I mean, I like every month with my kids, letsbehonest. But, right around eighteen months, my kids start getting really fun. Maybe because I feel like their distinct personalities really start coming through and manifesting themselves or maybe it's because I can finally stick some lunch in front of them and I know they'll be quiet content.

Anyway. This boy is really something lately. He is entering what I would lovingly call "the whiny phase." (So much love.) He is 110% certain of what he wants, and he can't comprehend anyone disagreeing with him. Have I ever talked about my kids' obsession with the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular around here?* Well, he asks for "Santa" every single morning. I so wish from the deepest part of my heart that I wasn't exaggerating, but I promise I'm telling the truth. He is very persuasive, and often gets his way.

He eats like a man child. Gone are the days where he lets others feed him, and truth be told, I cringe every time I put yogurt in front of him. I've found that stuff in his nose the next day. Sigh.

He is picking up so many words, which gets me so excited! He STILL loves "Wheels on the Bus" and he'll often start singing it on his own. He knows "round and round" so basically, that's pretty much the whole song, right?

Pato can be so silly! Right around this age was when S would pretend to be asleep and start snoring. Now he's doing it, too. I'll find him and S sprawled on the ground snoring, and it cracks me up. He also likes to sit on my lap a lot and say, "Wake up! Wake up!"

Little man definitely has things that he prefers, and he won't hesitate to ask you to read the same books to him sixteen times in a row. Okay, that's an exaggeration. I  mean five times in a row.

One last thing I'll mention is that J is becoming such a mama's boy. He says "mama" in such a sweet way sometimes, and so many times a day he will randomly run up to me and just bury his head in my neck. He loves having me close by, and I can't say I mind it one bit.

*One fateful day back in early November, I came across a recording of RCMHCS on Netflix. I didn't think my kids would make it passed the first ten minutes. (Insert head-banging motions here.) During that time, S was going through a major Tchaikovsky kick, and I thought this might be up her alley. Holy freaking cow this went way past the alley and all the way to the top floor of the Empire State. I think we've seen it at the very least a hundred times since then. There have been days where we've watched it more than once, and my kids are just as excited about every single time! I mean, yes, the Rockettes are reallllly neat and super talented, but come on! On a positive note, my two have their favorite parts and it gets them dancing around the room in the most adorable way. And, it's about one gazillion times better than SpongeBob. So, ya know, that's good.

J: Eighteen Months

Pato is one and a half! And he most definitely acts like it! He's our busy little guy. A bit about J from this past month: 

He went to nursery for his very first time, and he stayed the whole way through! We are so proud of him! Both kids in nursery? Wow. Never thought we'd get here!

He loves to say, "Roar!" If you roar at him, he will roar back! It's the best thing ever.

He likes to hold hands with his sister, and sister likes to lead him along.

Is a dancing machine! Whenever he hears music (or sometimes even when there isn't even any music playing) he will bust a move. He either stands in place bobbing up and down with his hands in the air, or he moves his little feet really fast.

Has re-discovered his appetite. 

Finally sleeping through the night. Again. (Please, oh please, let this habit stick.)

Likes to kiss the phone when using FaceTime.

Knows how to pull up his games on the iPad.

Continues to have a smile that absolutely lights up the room!

S: Thirty Months

aka ... we now have a two-and-a-half year old on our hands! My mind spins at the thought that we are six months away from having a three year old.

Well, this month was the month of sayings.

"That's a great idea!"

"Oh, I know!"

"Well, of course I do."

"What's that noise?!"

"It's really really dark in here!"

"It's SHOWtime!" or...

"It's (insert exciting thing here)!"

Today she woke up saying, "Mommy! Daddy! It's my birthday!"

She loves to have impromptu dance parties whenever we go out. If we're in a store that's playing music, chances are she'll start dancing and make you dance as well.

Her imagination kills me! She calls her brother's room the "dark and spooky forest."

When she wakes up she says, "Okay. Cute outfit now!"

And...drumroll please...potty training has officially begun!

J: Seventeen Months

Seventeen months. You all know what that means. One month away from nur-sah-ree. (You have to sing the word "nursery" because it is that glorious.) A little about our Pato from this past month.

He continues to add words to his vocabulary, and it's so fun! I love the talking stage! This last month he has learned to say: apple, waffle, gracias, tickle, pelo, "na" for nariz, socks, clap, bus,  Einstein, color, Dora, papa, pan, and "ready, set, go!"

He is a climber! Loves to climb all over couches and chairs. He has taken a few hard falls, but that doesn't deter him.

He loves to tickle! He says, "tickle, tickle, tickle" and tickles your arm. He sometimes chases S around saying, "tickle, tickle, tickle!" And she runs away yelling, "No, Pato! No tickle me!"

Sleep. He is down to one long nap a day. Nighttime ... bleh. I sometimes think we slept better when he was a newborn. We're working on it. He is an early bird and likes to party around 2 AM. We get some really good nights of sleeping all the way through...and then he changes his mind.

He loves to carry around his "papa." That's his word for the Jones family Christmas card. He carries around this card everywhere (even sleeps with it) and points to his Grammy and Poppy and says, "Papa! Papa!" Over and over again. I've had to use clear tape to tape it all up so it doesn't fall apart.

His hair is getting shaggier and shaggier. "Cut his hair already!" I know!

Everyday C and I look at each other and think how boring our life would be without him!

J: Sixteen Months

Have we really had sixteen months of this boy? I feel blessed for every second this boy has been in our lives. He is truly a joy. Not a day goes by that I don't look at him and think, "What in the world would I ever do without you?"

At sixteen months this not-so-little one...

....has finally finally learned how to climb down the stairs. You have no idea the load that has taken off my shoulders. He slides down with his bum, and often makes an audible "humph" with each step. He did fall down the stairs at church last Sunday, but was only a little rattled. S, on the other hand, thought it was absolutely hilarious.

He gets into everything. From the moment he wakes up he is either tearing something apart, throwing something, opening cabinets/drawers, pulling things out of their place...you get the idea. He keeps me on my toes.

He gives the sweetest kisses, and accompanies them with a, "mmmmwah."

He has little interest in toys. "Then what does he play with?" you may ask. Beats me. Anything he can get his hand on, I suppose. Pens, nail clippers, Christmas cards, remotes, a shoe, keys, small picture frames, phone chargers, you know. Safe stuff. Actually, no. He does like toys that involve hammering things. 

He is a little giggler, and is most ticklish by his neck.

He can say: mama, dad, banana, book, agua, stop, shoes, bye-bye, night-night, mas, Dora, okay, cracker, backpack, bubble bath, cereal, all done, and "I did it!" He is really trying to put sounds together to form words.

He is a cracker connoisseur. 

He gets a little cranky a couple times a day. Whenever this happens, you just need to cuddle him with his duck-lovey, his pacifier, and his blanket and he will quickly cheer up.

When you tell him "no" he makes the saddest face in the world. He acts as if his heart has been broken and you immediately have to fight the urge to say, "Oh, no! It's okay! You can totally throw the iPad into the tub if that's what will make you happy!"

For the past two weeks, he's decided that 2AM is prime party time and lets everyone know it. He is wide awake and just wants to play and yell, "Dora! Dora!" 

For you, kid, I'd give up sleep entirely. I'd have to give up my sanity as well, though, and then yeah, things would get ugly.

S: Twenty-Nine Months

C had mentioned missing my monthly updates on our two, so I will try to do better at documenting their monthly changes...and the list keeps getting longer as they figure more things out.

It feels sort of silly to do a "twenty-nine month" update. You stop counting by months after two, but whatever. I never made any promises on this blog to not include anything silly. Or dumb. I digress.

This little ham...

...talks all the live-long day. My word, she does not stop! Where did she get THAT from? Kidding! It seems like everyday she learns a new saying. Like, "Oh, I think so!" Or, "That's a good idea!" We love having conversations with her even more now that she's so observant.

She is super polite and almost always says "thank you." We're working on "please." And sometimes she'll say, "Thank you! You're welcome!"

She is such a hard worker and loves to learn. She can name/identify all the letters in the alphabet, counts in English and Spanish, can identify all her numbers, knows her colors, can name all the common shapes, can usually spell her name, and knows that M is for mama, D is for dada, and P is for Pato.

She is awesome in nursery now. We never thought this day would come! Last Sunday she basically pushed me out the door. She is so much more social and I can't believe how much she's grown.

Her favorite things are: tea parties, tickling, dancing, making sure everyone has a blanket, eating snow, playing with cars, singing, playing with sand, and coloring. Oh, and telling people what to do.

She is my mini-me in so many ways, which sometimes really makes us butt heads. But, at the end of the day, she reminds me that we (and Dada and Pato) are best friends, and all is right again.

S first date to the movies

Welp. We decided that S was finally ready for a trip to the movies, and let me tell ya...girly had a blast! First trip to the theater and first time eating popcorn all in one afternoon. She was in heaven! We saw Frozen, and even C and I enjoyed it. S was absolutely mesmerized the entire time and her little hand pretty much stayed in the popcorn bag the entire time. 

While we were out, C and I talked about how nice it was to get special one-on-one time with her.  She had a great time and talked about it for a few days. I'm already looking forward to our next movie date.

first update from new jersey

Hello, from New Jersey!

I feel like our Christmas holiday season has officially begun, and we're are thrilled to be at Ita and Ito's house! We've only been here a few days, and already we've been greeted by not one, but two waves of snow.

We are absolutely thrilled about it. (That's what happens when you live in a non-snowy area like Williamsburg long enough. Snow gets super exciting.)

We've been crafting up a storm (thanks, Ita!) and had a blast playing with a whole new set of toys. And ask me how many glass ornaments my kids have broken?

Zero.

Christmas miracles ARE real.

S has decided to take her imagination up a notch these days and absolutely cracks us up. She will sit alone for periods at a time just talking to herself as she plays. She has a little school bus with little wooden people in it, and she has named every one of them. Most are named after family members, but a couple are named after her friends.

"Oh! Hewwo, Cana! Go in bus. Go to school. Bye bye, Cana!"

She also likes to be her own narrator.

"How are you, stickers? All stickers in bus. Okay. I do it. Oh, sticky. Sticky. Another sticky. Bye bye, bus."

And every night before bed, she likes to say goodnight to stuff.

"I coming! Night night, Cri-cris tree. Night night, weath. Night night Cri-cris mights (lights.) Night night stairs. Ee you layer." 

Pato has really surprised us by starting to talk as well. Aside from Mama and Dada, he says nana for banana. Awa (agua) stop, shoes, bye bye, night night, okay and "I did it!" He hears S say, "I did it" so often, that I'm really not surprised he has picked up on it as well.

And now, I think some hot chocolate with big fat marshmallows are in order.

Happy First Birthday, My Boy!

Hi, guy! You are one! A walking, chatting, quacking one-year-old dreamboat.

People often ask, "When did he get so big?" I'll tell you. It happened when I blinked. I blinked, and you went from being a tiny baby that cried like a little duck to a big boy clumsily walking around and spreading happiness everywhere you go.

You are our sweet little guy and were the missing piece to our puzzle. The piece we didn't even know was missing. You have brought more peace, laughter, and happiness to our family than we thought was possible. You are a pure joy to be around and I'm positive the world became a tiny bit brighter when you were born.

I can't wait to see what this next year brings for you. More words. More messes. More experiences. More dancing. More scrapes. More kisses. More joy.

Love you so much, my guy. 

a happy goodbye to my one year old

Baby Girl,

When I said goodnight to you earlier and kissed your forehead, one very important thing slipped my mind. I didn't stop to think that this would be the last time I'd see you as a one-year old. When you wake us up chatting away loudly in the morning, you will be two. 

Growing up, I used to pretend that it wasn't really my birthday until it was 12:10 pm (the time I was actually born.) So, the entire morning I would spend looking at the clock in anticipation. As I got older and didn't live at home, my mom would call me at that time because she knew it was special to me. You were born at 1:43 am. I don't get that entire morning of anticipation with you. Tomorrow we will wake up, and you will all of a sudden be two. 

I feel like I could write for hours about how much I love you and how much you have changed our lives for the better. I hope there are glimpses of that in every post I write. 

So, instead, I will keep it brief. 

Today at church someone mentioned how this world can be a very dark place. S, thank you for showing me that this world is absolutely not that. I look into your eyes, and I see how you see the world. I see how you marvel at every butterfly that flies by. You get excited when you see brightly colored flowers. I look in your eyes and see nothing but beauty. I look into your eyes and I see that this world is in fact, very bright.

Happy happy birthday, baby.

J: Eleven Months

He:

...has eight teeth.

...started walking.

...says "pat."

...drinks from a straw.

...is the messiest eater.

...gags himself way too much.

...loves apples.

...poops at least five times a day. Wish I were kidding.

...is the greatest shopping buddy.

...dances.

...has the softest most kissable cheeks!

Oh, and yeah. Here's another first:

...falling down the stairs.

Mommy's fault. I forgot to shut the baby gate and this guy got this good looking cut and bruise on his forehead. There were tears (and not just from him.) As I was cleaning the blood from the cut in the bathroom, he started to cry. S was watching us from the doorway, and covered her eyes and whimpered so sadly for her little brother (quivering lip, and everything). I wanted to hug her and say, "Oh, I love him, too, sweetheart."

And if you'd like..!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

a first and biting the bullet

Both kids had eaten, J was done first. He was completely covered in cooked carrots and I quickly realized that a wet washcloth was not going to cut it. So, in the sink he went for the first time. He loved it! By the time he was finished I was completely soaked myself and there was a puddle of water on the floor.

See? SO much fun.

Oh, and I finally took the plunge and got my hair chopped! I'm really loving it so far and I'm so glad I did it.

J: Ten Months

He:

...cruises on everything.

...loves to share your food.

...has a laugh/cough that he thinks is so funny.

...climbs stairs.

...waves.

...never wants to miss out on any of the action.

...thinks he can walk (but can't!)

stair-master

Late last week I decided to put J on the stairs because, what the heck, why not? Figured it was about time to start learning. I put him on the bottom step, showed him how to pull himself on the first step, and then he was off. He climbed the entire set of stairs three times. As you can tell, he was pretty proud of himself.

C and I often talk about how different he and S are. J seems fearless in so many areas, but then gets startled if you come into a room too quickly. He also cries at the slightest bump or fall. (Fortunately, the crying only lasts a few seconds.) On the other hand, S will fall on her head and when I ask if she's okay, she'll respond with an eager, "Yay!" But, she is very cautious in new situations.

I love that they are so different. Now, slow down, my boy!

J: Nine Months

He:

...pulls himself up to standing all the time.

...can spot food from a mile away.

...has six teeth.

...hasn't met a food he doesn't like.

...has started to use his walker.

...thinks everything is too interesting to sit still.

...is still our funny, happy and huggable lovebug!

Seriously, this boy is my dreamboat.

S: Twenty-One Months

She...

...is impossible to photograph.

...loves building forts.

...says the sweetest and loudest "hi's."

...dances in the car with no prompt to do so.

...is beginning to speak bilingually.

...is way too close to two.

J: Eight Months

His personality positively exploded this last month.

He:

...crawls all over the house.

...is easily distracted.

...always wants in on the fun. He'll follow either me or sister around.

...hates getting his nose bulbed. It's the one thing that makes him so mad!

...loves brushing his teeth. He has five now!

...say "mama" and "dada."

...laughs at books.

...cuddles before bedtime.

...gets uber excited when Dada's around. Almost jumped out of my arms today.

...kills me daily with his sweetness. 

S: Twenty Months

She:

...loves to look for planes in the sky.

...calls all snacks "crackahs."

...thinks my purse is her personal pantry.

...loves the Clean Up song and Pop Goes the Weasel.

...pretends to eat things and says, "Mmm!"

...does awesome seal and lion sounds.

...had her first French fry in London.

...still working on sharing with little brother.

*Anecdote from the week. C took her into the living room, and when she saw J sitting on the ground, she pointed at him and yelled, "Oh, no!"

J: Seven Months

He:

...has his two bottom teeth.

...army crawls.

...has started eating solid food.

...grabs at everything.

...is his sister's #1 fan.

...knows how to work a crowd.

...thinks his name is "Pato."

...still loves nursing.

...and has been thisclose to getting a mohawk several times. I chicken out at the last second.