They Grow Up So Fast

The kids change so much in such a small period of time, I am constantly amazed. Belle is now seven months old and is pushing up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. She has become a terrific eater, just like her big brother. We can't wait until she's eight months old so we can start introducing her to different spices. She is also sleeping through the night most nights so we are beginning to catch up on sleep. We are hoping that one of these mornings we'll wake up feeling great instead of exhausted.

Jack is now fond of jumping up and down and off of bottom steps. His balance is pretty good for a two year old and can balance on each foot. We are now able to put him to bed without the baby gate and he is sleeping until seven a.m. He has also begun to mimic us and the last two nights he's been repeating Bruce using the lowest voice he can. It's pretty humorous to hear him try to imitate his Daddy. Jack still doesn't have any interest in potty training so we're trying not to push him. He is however very interested in flushing the toilet so we have to be vigilant about locking the bathroom door or to run if we hear him open it. So far he's only flushed bits of tissue but I'm trying to prepare myself for something that will be prime story telling material. Jack has also started throwing astounding tantrums which are not fun to handle but they are part of having a two year old. Life is never boring.

I Need Clothes!

After a dirty diaper change today I left Jack in his clean diaper for a moment while I dealt with the dipe. Suddenly I heard Jack yell "I need clothes!" I instructed him to pick out a pair of pants and a shirt and I hear him again demand "I need clothes!" Then he kept shouting "I need clothes, I need clothes!" I washed up and got the boy some clothes. I'm just glad that he's feeling better.

We spent two hours in the pediatric after hours clinic on Sunday after Jack's temperature soared to 102.9. Unfortunately, he had another double ear infection and he was given stronger antibiotics than he was last time. He is definitely feeling better today. We just wish that he would give us some signs that he was getting ill before getting really sick, but at least he's on the mend.

Exciting Week

We went to see a preschool for Jack this week. It was a local Montessori school and I was really pleased with what we saw. Jack loved it and keeps asking about going to school. They may be able to take Belle early which makes me really happy as I'd like to have both kids together in the same place. We're going to see a few more places before making any decisions.

Belle has started to really move around, she's pushing herself backwards and rolling all around. While it's fun to see her getting so active, I know that I only have a short period of time before I am literally chasing two small children around the house.

Toddler Fun at Dinner

Bruce prepared some lovely Mahi Mahi for dinner tonight. I put Jack's plate in front of him and told him that we were having fish. He looks at the fish, points at it and says "Nemo?" Jack looks up at me inquisitively and I say "no baby, that's not Nemo." Then he points to the fish again and says with a smile "Daddy?" I reply "no sweetie, that's not Nemo's Daddy." He looked at the fish again as if he was trying to come up with another fish name and just when I thought we might have problems with dinner he started to eat his Mahi Mahi. The little dickens was thoroughly amused with himself.

We're Seeing Real Progress

In December we introduced Belle to solids and baths in a real bathtub. The initial introductions were traumatic on both fronts... She sobbed through her first bath with her brother and kept her mouth tightly closed when we attempted to feed her cereal, avocado, banana, peaches, pears, sweet potatoes and squash... She just wasn't into solids. However, we have seen drastic changes in bath time and meal time. Belle now seems to enjoy her baths with Jack, she's now smiling and starting to make little splashes with her hands. Meal time has improved; she has begun to eat more and is almost enthusiastic as she grabs the spoon and helps to guide it into her mouth. We are relieved that she is on her way to becoming a good eater and a water baby like her big brother Jack. Belle also got her first tooth poking through on Christmas Day (the day she turned six months) it seems that she may be a very prompt little girl. Today we discovered that she is getting another tooth right next to the other one. They do grow up so fast.

Jack is an energetic and curious two year old. He's a fantastic big brother and really takes care of his little sister. We hope that this continues as they get older. We're beginning to shop for preschools for him as we really think that he'll thrive attending school in the fall. He is great with colors and we're starting to work more with him on letters and numbers. While he certainly throws his share of two year old tantrums he still has a sweet disposition. We remind ourselves that two is a short phase and we'll all get through it. His language skills blows us away and we're constantly surprised by his increased vocabulary and by his ability to communicate his needs.

Our days are never dull and we're constantly exhausted but we love every minute with our two kids.

Happy New Year!

I never thought that I would create a blog but here it is, 2009, and I'm writing my first blog post. In our fast paced world there many family members and friends that we don't get to communicate with on a regular basis, I feel that this will be good way to share what is going on with our family in bucolic Arkansas. Please stop by to see new pictures and videos and updates on ourselves and the kids.

2008 was great to us, we now have two amazing kids and life is never dull. If 2009 is half as wonderful as last year, it will be a good year. We hope that everyone has a fantastic 2009.