Back in the Game!

Two months - check. The time seems to really be flying by. I look at Blair's newborn pictures and see how much she has changed already. I am certainly doting on her a bit more, likely because we aren't planning to have anymore kids of our own. A small part of me is sad not to be having anymore kids of our own, but it is the right decision for our family. And from what I can see we will have our hands full with just these two.

Blair turned 2 months on the 2nd, and I was able to get more funny shots of her and Colin. Their personalities together are so funny!

We had Colin's 30 month and Blair's 2 month appointment! They are both doing really well - Colin is finally getting some meat on his bones and little Blair seems like she'll be long and lean. Their BMIs kill me.

Blair's Stats 

Colin's Stats

And of course, St Patrick's Day! I love celebrating holidays each month, and I use them as an excuse to find fun ways to build imagination into our kids. I did the same Blarney Stone activity from last year, which was baking soda + water with a coin in the middle, then you throw it into vinegar and the coin pops out. I also added a fun potty training piece, making it look like a little leprechaun climbed onto the toilet and peed! I showed Colin and he said "That's a leprechaun. The leprechaun peed in this potty, why'd he peed on this potty?" I asked "Are you going to pee on your potty now?" and he said "No it's green!" Backfired on me!

We took them to the parade downtown - and Colin thought he was the coolest. There were a few people around us who went out of their way to give him all the candy, and one lady even let him sit on her lap for a front row seat. At one point the lady told me he said "Stranger danger!" but was too busy with the sucker to run away.

We headed to Ohio to celebrate Easter (pics to follow on the next blog) and had some fun to round out the end of the month. We went on another Easter egg hunt on Saturday and Colin got put to work around the house. The fresh air does him well and there are always things to discover and explore. It goes without saying he certainly loves an audience!

Now that Blair has had her first round of shots, my paranoia has lifted and we have re-entered the world of kid fun again! I have to start getting them ready to leave about 30min before we have to go, and even then I run behind - and no surprise, Colin is harder to get ready to go than Blair! Through some trial & error, I decided to try to go do activities on M/W/F and then stay home on T/Th - mainly because when we go on adventures in the mornings with Colin, little Blair doesn't get much (if any) sleep and it throws her whole day off. Getting them out and about has been great for all of us though; Colin gets some energy out playing with other kids, Blair gets some new sights & sounds and I get to commiserate with other moms!

Home Depot workshop - periscope building!

 There was a Ninja Warrior night at the Y by our house. It turned out to be super lame, but Colin had a good time!

Early Easter Egg hunt - also lame, but we made the best of it...

And other outdoor adventures!

These two are still the best of friends - I am very fortunate for that because I've heard stories where that isn't the case! If I need Blair to smile for a picture, I'll have Colin come over and play with her. He gets mad when she needs to eat or sleep because he can't play with her, and when he's not around she looks for him. I hope it continues, but Blair is already starting to show signs of being "over it" and putting her foot down.

Earlier this year when we were hibernating, I relied heavily on Colin watching TV just to survive and it certainly isn't a positive. Colin has a laser focus when the TV is on, and won't look at your or respond often times if one of his shows is on. Now that Blair is a little older, he gets the TV turned off from 9am until right after lunch so he can focus on playing, coloring, or some project I have for him. It takes more effort, but I think he's happier having something to do.

Arts & Crafts

Science Projects::

Eggs in Vinegar - leave a raw egg in vinegar overnight and the shell dissolves and turns the egg into a gelatin-like substance. He was not impressed with this, as you can see.

Magnets! I put a whole bunch of stuff from my craft box into some old plastic containers so he could see which items were attracted to a magnet. I really though he'd love this one...he wanted nothing to do with it.

Balloon rocket! This was his favorite - tape a straw to a balloon and string it through some yarn and voila! It was a major pain though because when the balloon deflated it messed up the tape. Plus you had to continue to blow up the balloon in order for it to work.

Cooking fun!

Other random indoor adventures and moods.

Colin is such a great kid! I about died when another mom told me at playgroup how great he was playing with her younger daughter, and how he explained to her that he was taking turns and sharing. I also watched him get pushed several times by a kid, and not push back, but instead tell him "You do not push me!" People comment on how well he speaks, and how coordinated he is for his age. I try to remember those compliments when he is being a whiny, crazy lunatic to make the storm pass! Here's a few shots of him pouting.

Colin seems to be back on track with potty-training; I think since we've been going on adventures and having arts & crafts and science time, he's getting the attention from those activities and doesn't need the bad attention from peeing in his diaper. He still poops in his diaper, which is very frustrating, but I'm hoping that will come in time (or else he can't go to preschool in the fall)!

Of course Colin has his bad days, and recently has had a long string of them. We have taken down the gate to his room, and we really struggle with him at naps and bedtime with staying quiet and in his room. He loves to get out and wake up Blair which is so aggravating because then you're dealing with trying to get two kids to sleep. In just one day, he didn't nap and continually woke up Blair, reset the thermostat, put food into the garbage disposal, tried giving Blair water (and dumped it on her) and shoved a frozen dinner roll into her mouth. It is really hard, and I often feel like I am failing him in some way. I try so hard to be nice and calm and ask him to do things, but sometimes I just can't help but whip his little butt. Hopefully he won't write a book about me when he's older...

Oh and little Miss Blair. She is really such an awesome baby. She hardly ever fusses (unless she really needs something) and it perfectly content to just hang out on your lap and look around, or lay on her playmat. It makes it easier for me both at home and out in public, especially since I have to look out for her brother as well.  There is a downside to it though - she's so easy I often find myself leaving her alone on the floor to attend to her brother, or just letting her hang out on the couch for longer than I'd like. She doesn't fuss, but I feel so guilty because she looks around for me. I try to talk to her or sing her little songs so she knows I'm there, but it never seems like enough.

Blair has discovered her hands, and can touch/grab/hit objects intentionally. I have some toys on her playmat with bells on them, and when the ding Colin and I yell "Yay, good job baby sister!" like they do in a bar when someone leaves a big tip. She hasn't rolled over back to front yet, but there is still a bit of time, and she's showing signs that she's trying! Blair has started to enjoy tummy time a little bit more and will skydive on the floor for quite a bit just looking around. Tummy time is always so hard for me because they look like they are struggling, but like getting vaccinations, I have to tell myself it is for the best!

Some funny moments from this month:
- Blair has gotten pretty chatty; she seems to really talk when she's starting to get sleepy. But she gets very serious, and her facial expressions show you she means business!

- Colin was playing in the rocks out front. I told him to stop and he said "Sorry mom, no idea what you're talking about."

- I was taking Colin's picture and he said "Get outta my face!" I told him to instead say "Please give me my space" and he's been using that phrase pretty liberally.

- Blair is especially funny to watch in the bath now. She just grins from ear to ear and kicks around so happily! She'll be in swim lessons as early as her brother was, no doubt.

- I've recently been telling Colin what to do if someone tries to take him from me. He is to yell "Stranger Danger! You're not my mom, not my dad. Help me, help me" and kick and punch and run away.

- I've gotten pretty close to getting Blair to laugh. And she sounds like a goose.

- He can sing the theme song to "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" and "Spiderman"

- Now that Blair has some control over her little hands, when she gets real mad she clenches her fist and holds it out in front of her face. It makes her look like a baby dictator.

- Colin doesn't understand adjectives (what toddler does) so when we say "You are so crazy!" he will say, "I'm not crazy, I'm COLIN!"