Thursday, July 30, 2015
Firefighter Camp
Yesterday the big boys went to Firefighter Camp run by the Cortland Parks and Recreation Department. Grandma Kathy came to take them, and luckily got a lot of great pictures. The highlights were crawling through a smoke (fake smoke) building and rescuing a dummy, and pointing and turning off the hoses, and carrying each other on backboards to the ambulance. Theo said the best part was riding in the fire truck with the siren on. Beckett's favorite was carrying out the "doll" from the burning building. The day also included important fire safety messages like making a plan with your family for where to meet during a fire, and how to stop, drop and roll. The camp was all day but the boys made it til 2:30 or so and then wanted to come home. They had apparently outlasted most of the other kids, on one of the hottest days of the year. What an awesome program! Of course this morning they woke up and asked if they got to go back to firefighter camp again today!
Friday, July 24, 2015
Developmental Update
Reed at 12 weeks and Theo and Beckett at 4.1 years
The big boys are fully in the swing of summer and are enjoying swimming with their puddlejumpers, spraying each other and the house and garage and anything that moves or does not move in the yard or outside the house with their water guns and water cannons. The nakedness that has ensued in past summers continues in the summer of 2015. The neighbors joke about it. I see no reason to enforce clothing when said clothing is only going to get soaked through various fun play. Especially because our yard is mostly shaded most times of the day, so sunburn is not even a major concern.
This morning we went to Green Lakes with my friend Ana and her two little boys. Both of my guys had their puddlejumpers on and went wading out a ways, but Theo's the one who took off to the very far end of the buoys at the deep end and spent 20 minutes floating, swimming, kicking, and laying on his back, happy as a little clam. When he came in we had to establish a way I could signal to him with my arms in case I needed him to come in, since he was way beyond earshot, especially when the lake got crowded. Beck was happy to play with buckets and shovels and build sand castles with Ana's boys.
The boys are back to napping almost every day, somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 hours. Our days go so, so much more smoothly when everyone is well-rested, so even though the naps mean that they go to sleep later because they are not tired earlier, I truly believe this is a happier existence for everyone. It also means that I generally spend the morning doing something focused on the big boys, like a park or playground, while Reed naps in the Mobywrap baby carrier on my chest (taking breaks for diaper changes and nursing) and then when the big boys go down for their nap, Reed and I have some meaningful alert time together and also usually a nap together. It's a nice little system and napping makes ALL of us much happier. It also means that on these long light evenings we don't worry much about getting them to bed, and they are more likely to be having fun and happy rather than nitpicking each other or us.
Since receiving Batman and Superman t-shirts with attached capes soon after Reed was born, both boys have glommed on and wear the shirts pretty regularly. And by pretty regularly, I mean Beckett wears his Superman shirt EVERY DAY. For those of us who remember that I wore a nurse's outfit every day for at least six months when I was the same age, this does not seem remarkable. However, I was an only child, and my dad washed my outfit most days. Especially because of the late bedtimes, but mostly because I have other stuff to do, I wash it every few days or whenever it is especially disgusting. He says he likes feeling powerful and feeling like a superhero, which I understand and think makes sense particularly since Reed's birth. He also talks about his superpowers a lot, both the ones he says he has (such as "eye-vision") and the ones he wishes he has (primarily flying).
Theo is interested in the superhero concept but more into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. To me, this obsession with TMNT has come out of nowhere. I think back to Halloween last year, when their friend Preston dressed up like a Turtle, and the boys had no clue what that was. They have never seen a movie or tv show about the Turtles. I have no idea where it came from, but they have several Turtles now (some new, from Grandpa Stu, and some from the flea market from Mama) and love playing Turtle throughout the house. Theo is very interested in the catalog of Turtle paraphernalia that came with the new Turtles, and he loves telling us which items he wants (hint: everything that has ever been manufactured related to TMNT). Theo is also getting more and more interested in drawing, coloring, and especially painting and watercolors. He is happiest when given a template of some sort, a traced outline or shape to guide his work. Both boys are getting so much more adept at cutting and gluing and other fine motor skills. Theo especially has a lot of patience for coloring and is very particular about coloring in the lines.
Reed continues to be a pretty mellow guy. Since about 6 weeks he has been sleeping at least 5 hours straight each night, but starting around 7 or 8 weeks he's been sleeping 7, 8 or 9 hours straight. We had two very hot nights about two weeks ago when he was very uncomfortable and woke up every hour and a half or so but besides that it's usually about 9 hours from 9pm until 6am. It's probably the only reason I am halfway sane right now, that I get a good chunk of sleep at night (except when the big boys wake me up) and usually also a nap in the mid-afternoon. He usually has an alert period in the morning between 7-9am, another in the early afternoon or around lunchtime, and then is usually pretty awake from 5pm to when he goes to bed, though he often catnaps a little in the evening. When he is awake he is very happy to listen to and watch his brothers, and often smiles and giggles at them, and also us. He still loves being in the Mobywrap and spends a good three to eight hours in it every day! Reed is still pooping once every two or three days, so sometimes when he gets grunty and squishy-faced and grumpy I suspect he is working on moving his bowels. Though sometimes the gruntiness doesn't match up with an immediate blowout.
I've been really enjoying watching the relationship between Theo and Beckett and Reed. Neither Jeff nor I had siblings in our early childhood (I'm an only child and Jeff's brother Jon was born when Jeff was 10), so it's all new to us. Theo and Beckett truly love Reed, and they say so pretty frequently. They seem to really enjoy him and take pride in him. Beckett often refers to Reed as "our baby" or "everyone's baby." They often pause their play to watch him, to make him smile, to comment on his face or outfit, or to suggest something that he would like to do (there's a small list: nursing and burps). One of my favorite things to observe is that the boys occasionally "nurse" their toys. I think I've seen stuffed animals and puppets but also trucks and Turtles. My favorite was last week when Theo was doing some kind of make-believe game with a hand puppet lamb and then asked if she was hungry. Then he carried her into another room where there was a stool in a quiet corner. He sat down on the stool, pulled up his shirt, and held the puppet up to his belly. For a few moments, he sat very calmly, looking all around the room, and then pulled the puppet away and pulled his shirt down. I love it!
The big boys are fully in the swing of summer and are enjoying swimming with their puddlejumpers, spraying each other and the house and garage and anything that moves or does not move in the yard or outside the house with their water guns and water cannons. The nakedness that has ensued in past summers continues in the summer of 2015. The neighbors joke about it. I see no reason to enforce clothing when said clothing is only going to get soaked through various fun play. Especially because our yard is mostly shaded most times of the day, so sunburn is not even a major concern.
This morning we went to Green Lakes with my friend Ana and her two little boys. Both of my guys had their puddlejumpers on and went wading out a ways, but Theo's the one who took off to the very far end of the buoys at the deep end and spent 20 minutes floating, swimming, kicking, and laying on his back, happy as a little clam. When he came in we had to establish a way I could signal to him with my arms in case I needed him to come in, since he was way beyond earshot, especially when the lake got crowded. Beck was happy to play with buckets and shovels and build sand castles with Ana's boys.
The boys are back to napping almost every day, somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 hours. Our days go so, so much more smoothly when everyone is well-rested, so even though the naps mean that they go to sleep later because they are not tired earlier, I truly believe this is a happier existence for everyone. It also means that I generally spend the morning doing something focused on the big boys, like a park or playground, while Reed naps in the Mobywrap baby carrier on my chest (taking breaks for diaper changes and nursing) and then when the big boys go down for their nap, Reed and I have some meaningful alert time together and also usually a nap together. It's a nice little system and napping makes ALL of us much happier. It also means that on these long light evenings we don't worry much about getting them to bed, and they are more likely to be having fun and happy rather than nitpicking each other or us.
Since receiving Batman and Superman t-shirts with attached capes soon after Reed was born, both boys have glommed on and wear the shirts pretty regularly. And by pretty regularly, I mean Beckett wears his Superman shirt EVERY DAY. For those of us who remember that I wore a nurse's outfit every day for at least six months when I was the same age, this does not seem remarkable. However, I was an only child, and my dad washed my outfit most days. Especially because of the late bedtimes, but mostly because I have other stuff to do, I wash it every few days or whenever it is especially disgusting. He says he likes feeling powerful and feeling like a superhero, which I understand and think makes sense particularly since Reed's birth. He also talks about his superpowers a lot, both the ones he says he has (such as "eye-vision") and the ones he wishes he has (primarily flying).
Theo is interested in the superhero concept but more into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. To me, this obsession with TMNT has come out of nowhere. I think back to Halloween last year, when their friend Preston dressed up like a Turtle, and the boys had no clue what that was. They have never seen a movie or tv show about the Turtles. I have no idea where it came from, but they have several Turtles now (some new, from Grandpa Stu, and some from the flea market from Mama) and love playing Turtle throughout the house. Theo is very interested in the catalog of Turtle paraphernalia that came with the new Turtles, and he loves telling us which items he wants (hint: everything that has ever been manufactured related to TMNT). Theo is also getting more and more interested in drawing, coloring, and especially painting and watercolors. He is happiest when given a template of some sort, a traced outline or shape to guide his work. Both boys are getting so much more adept at cutting and gluing and other fine motor skills. Theo especially has a lot of patience for coloring and is very particular about coloring in the lines.
Reed continues to be a pretty mellow guy. Since about 6 weeks he has been sleeping at least 5 hours straight each night, but starting around 7 or 8 weeks he's been sleeping 7, 8 or 9 hours straight. We had two very hot nights about two weeks ago when he was very uncomfortable and woke up every hour and a half or so but besides that it's usually about 9 hours from 9pm until 6am. It's probably the only reason I am halfway sane right now, that I get a good chunk of sleep at night (except when the big boys wake me up) and usually also a nap in the mid-afternoon. He usually has an alert period in the morning between 7-9am, another in the early afternoon or around lunchtime, and then is usually pretty awake from 5pm to when he goes to bed, though he often catnaps a little in the evening. When he is awake he is very happy to listen to and watch his brothers, and often smiles and giggles at them, and also us. He still loves being in the Mobywrap and spends a good three to eight hours in it every day! Reed is still pooping once every two or three days, so sometimes when he gets grunty and squishy-faced and grumpy I suspect he is working on moving his bowels. Though sometimes the gruntiness doesn't match up with an immediate blowout.
I've been really enjoying watching the relationship between Theo and Beckett and Reed. Neither Jeff nor I had siblings in our early childhood (I'm an only child and Jeff's brother Jon was born when Jeff was 10), so it's all new to us. Theo and Beckett truly love Reed, and they say so pretty frequently. They seem to really enjoy him and take pride in him. Beckett often refers to Reed as "our baby" or "everyone's baby." They often pause their play to watch him, to make him smile, to comment on his face or outfit, or to suggest something that he would like to do (there's a small list: nursing and burps). One of my favorite things to observe is that the boys occasionally "nurse" their toys. I think I've seen stuffed animals and puppets but also trucks and Turtles. My favorite was last week when Theo was doing some kind of make-believe game with a hand puppet lamb and then asked if she was hungry. Then he carried her into another room where there was a stool in a quiet corner. He sat down on the stool, pulled up his shirt, and held the puppet up to his belly. For a few moments, he sat very calmly, looking all around the room, and then pulled the puppet away and pulled his shirt down. I love it!
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Friday, July 17, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Hippo rides
Hippo rides, or tiger rides as they are sometimes called, happen spontaneously in the Lovebo household, usually when the grumpy-grumps have erupted and need some physical outlet. It involves riding on mama's back as the tiger or hippo gets up, lopes around looking for water or food, and the boys try to stay on my back. The best part, of course, is getting thrown off the hippo, which is why we do hippo rides only in the upstairs playroom where there are lots of pillows on the floor along the walls.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
James' birthday party
The boys were invited to their friend James' birthday party at his grandfather's house in Chittenango. James had lots of great outdoor toys, including many he got that day, but the highlight was this kid-sized tractor! Thankfully the tractor was exciting enough for the boys to pull themselves off of mama's legs to enjoy the party.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Holiday weekend festivities
Friday, AKA Daddy's Birthday, the boys and I traveled to Seneca Lake State Park to meet a college friend of mine for a play date. The spray park was pretty busy and my boys both fell and skidded on the wet cement within five minutes of getting there, so we mostly stayed at the playground, which is supremely awesome. My boys would have played there all day. It has lots of playground structures that we've never seen anywhere else, unlike the cookie cutter playgrounds that have all the same features. Susana and her daughter Cati and son Memo were not super-impressed with the water park but did enjoy cookies and goldfish crackers with us after.
When we got home, we had friends Pete and Becky and their kids Robbie and Ella over for dinner and cake. The birthday boy had to light his own candles because I had Baby Reed strapped to me and it just seemed like a bad idea to do it while bending over with him.
When we got home, we had friends Pete and Becky and their kids Robbie and Ella over for dinner and cake. The birthday boy had to light his own candles because I had Baby Reed strapped to me and it just seemed like a bad idea to do it while bending over with him.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Developmental Update
Theo and Beckett are having more and more interesting observations of and reactions to the world. Monday and Tuesday this week they attended Vacation Bible Camp at their nursery school. We had heard from friends that their kids (not Catholics) had enjoyed it a lot last year, and the activities sounded somewhat fun. Each day they cried and screamed and had to be pried from my arms in the morning (Theo on day 1, Beckett on day 2), and then at the end of the morning at pickup reported having had fun, then within ten minutes said they did not like it and did not want to go back. It turns out the camp was WAY more churchy than their nursery school at the same school, and Beckett came back saying things like "God will provide" and "God will comfort" and relaying stories like "The mean king told Elijah he had to leave, so Elijah went up to the mountain and didn't have any food but an angel came and brought him bread." Theo, meanwhile, gazes out the window the whole way home, then looks at me and says, "Is God real? Or is he just pretend?" Wow, that's a good one, Theo. Ask your father.
It's so fun to return to the playgrounds we went to last summer, because everywhere there are activities they couldn't do or steps they couldn't reach that now they can. I am not even sure they remember that they couldn't do them; they just try now, and can do them. We've been swimming twice at the city pools so far, just at the Burnet Park pool near the zoo, and they are thrilled they can use their puddlejumpers (like water wings but with a floatie across the chest and belt across the back so they're US Coast Guard approved). They love being independent and swimming all over the pool by themselves (with me close by). Theo is a more natural swimmer and can propel himself very well all over, with a great kick and effective pulls. Beckett doesn't try as hard and wants more "butt pushes" to catch him up to Theo. I even got a chance to go to our pool in our park last night but got kicked out after only about 10 minutes due to a vomit incident in the pool.
There's also lots of imaginative play, and acting out stories they especially enjoy. An example: we have inherited a hand-me-down Cinderella nightgown that gets a lot of use. The boys also have Batman pajamas that look rather regal with a gold belt and accessories painted on the shirt. Their favorite Disney-fied story is Cinderella, so one wears the gown and the other wears the Batman jammies, and they act out the last part of the story, where the Prince (Batman) and Cinderella dance at the ball, then Cinderella realizes it is midnight, the clock strikes twelve, and she runs away from the castle with Batman in hot pursuit. They act out pieces of other stories they read, and use exact quotes from many of their books.
Reed has been smiling big smiles for about three weeks now. He smiles with his whole body--his mouth gets wide, his eyes get squinty, the corners of his mouth crinkle up to his cheeks, his torso squirms and his arms and legs get going in all directions. It's such a joy! He still only giggles in his sleep but has many alert periods during the day when he's very interested in engaging me and other people in smiles. Also lots of cooing--all the "ah-goo"s of this stage are so amazing, it really seems like he is communicating with us. He LOVES watching his brothers and at this moment has been in his chair for about thirty minutes watching them build a train track and now move the trains all over the set. Beckett has so far shown more interest in making Reed smile, and more excitement over his small milestones. But yesterday at nap I had Reed tuck in the boys (I clasped their blankets with his hands and brought the blankets over their bodies) and had Reed "dance" along while I sang songs, and then Reed gave them sloppy wet kisses before we left. It's so fun to think about the relationship all three of them will have as they get older!
Reed's been sleeping 6+ hours every night now for about two weeks. He usually falls asleep around 9pm and sleeps through til between 4 and 6am. Then he nurses and goes back to sleep in his bed (a rock and play) til between 6 and 7. This morning he slept in bed with us from about 6:30 until almost 8am. I can tell you that my big boys did not sleep six hours at a time until they were more than a year old, so this is absolutely delightful. Reed usually naps in the afternoon around the same time as the big boys, so we can all get a nap in around 2 or 3pm, but Reed usually won't nap in his bed during the day so (oh darn) I have to lay down next to him and sleep (or read) too.
It's so fun to return to the playgrounds we went to last summer, because everywhere there are activities they couldn't do or steps they couldn't reach that now they can. I am not even sure they remember that they couldn't do them; they just try now, and can do them. We've been swimming twice at the city pools so far, just at the Burnet Park pool near the zoo, and they are thrilled they can use their puddlejumpers (like water wings but with a floatie across the chest and belt across the back so they're US Coast Guard approved). They love being independent and swimming all over the pool by themselves (with me close by). Theo is a more natural swimmer and can propel himself very well all over, with a great kick and effective pulls. Beckett doesn't try as hard and wants more "butt pushes" to catch him up to Theo. I even got a chance to go to our pool in our park last night but got kicked out after only about 10 minutes due to a vomit incident in the pool.
There's also lots of imaginative play, and acting out stories they especially enjoy. An example: we have inherited a hand-me-down Cinderella nightgown that gets a lot of use. The boys also have Batman pajamas that look rather regal with a gold belt and accessories painted on the shirt. Their favorite Disney-fied story is Cinderella, so one wears the gown and the other wears the Batman jammies, and they act out the last part of the story, where the Prince (Batman) and Cinderella dance at the ball, then Cinderella realizes it is midnight, the clock strikes twelve, and she runs away from the castle with Batman in hot pursuit. They act out pieces of other stories they read, and use exact quotes from many of their books.
Reed has been smiling big smiles for about three weeks now. He smiles with his whole body--his mouth gets wide, his eyes get squinty, the corners of his mouth crinkle up to his cheeks, his torso squirms and his arms and legs get going in all directions. It's such a joy! He still only giggles in his sleep but has many alert periods during the day when he's very interested in engaging me and other people in smiles. Also lots of cooing--all the "ah-goo"s of this stage are so amazing, it really seems like he is communicating with us. He LOVES watching his brothers and at this moment has been in his chair for about thirty minutes watching them build a train track and now move the trains all over the set. Beckett has so far shown more interest in making Reed smile, and more excitement over his small milestones. But yesterday at nap I had Reed tuck in the boys (I clasped their blankets with his hands and brought the blankets over their bodies) and had Reed "dance" along while I sang songs, and then Reed gave them sloppy wet kisses before we left. It's so fun to think about the relationship all three of them will have as they get older!
Reed's been sleeping 6+ hours every night now for about two weeks. He usually falls asleep around 9pm and sleeps through til between 4 and 6am. Then he nurses and goes back to sleep in his bed (a rock and play) til between 6 and 7. This morning he slept in bed with us from about 6:30 until almost 8am. I can tell you that my big boys did not sleep six hours at a time until they were more than a year old, so this is absolutely delightful. Reed usually naps in the afternoon around the same time as the big boys, so we can all get a nap in around 2 or 3pm, but Reed usually won't nap in his bed during the day so (oh darn) I have to lay down next to him and sleep (or read) too.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Belated birthday pictures
I found these on the camera today. They are from around the time of the boys' birthday, May 21. This is the small party we had for them when just Grandma Kathy was here on the night of their actual birthday. I made two cakes, one pink with a front loader(for Theo) and one chocolate with a tractor (for Beckett), based on their very specific requests. As you can see, Beckett is pretty excited about his cake. Theo is less impressed. He was disappointed that his cake did not have his precisely specified big rig. Reed did not participate in the festivities.
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