kids doing weird stuff

Our boys have many similarities, including a love of transformers, matchbox cars, wrestling, and dessert. But they have many developing differences that seem to grow more pronounced as they get older. Here are just a few examples of weird stuff they're doing these days, or from time to time. I'll leave it to you to match the child with the behavior.

Last week I bought some new snowboots. I tried them on and walked upstairs with them on as the boys were getting ready to go to bed. As soon as I got to Theo's room, he dropped to the floor to examine the boots. "Oooooh! The laces! The hooks!" he said, as he ran his fingers over every square centimeter of the boots. He pressed down on the toe, felt the width of my toe box in the boot, and ran his hand up the back of my boot. "Fur on the top! That's so soft! Mama, I LOVE them!" I told him I was glad he liked them, but that I wasn't sure I was going to keep them. "Oh mama, you have to keep them! They're so great!"

A couple nights ago, after many nights of sleeping a little less than usual for a variety of reasons, Beckett was ratcheting up the crazy behavior at bedtime. He falls on the floor dramatically, sliding across the floor on his knees, and laughs maniacally. He simultaneously acts wide-awake and coherent, and at the same time is hitting himself in the head with the palms of both hands, seemingly to keep himself awake. He just has SO MUCH energy to burn off!

Beckett has also recently developed a stutter. He sometimes has a hard time getting his words out to us. His teacher says she has noticed it in a group setting when he is very attentive to what is going on and very enthusiastic about sharing his thoughts. I think that it is possible that it is a fleeting problem related to how much his vocabulary is growing, and rapidly. We're going to keep an eye on it for now.

Baby Reed has developed strong preferences for who is caring for him. When he was sick a few weeks ago he was waking up a lot at night and one time when Jeff went in, he screamed "No! I don't want you! I want mama! Get out of here!" Grandma Joanie has experienced the same thing, where Grandpa Stu is reading to Reed and Grandma Joanie comes in to hang out and Reed screams that he doesn't want her in there. It's pretty harsh and hard to hear but it's usually short-lived. It's just jarring to see our usually cheerful and easygoing little guy get so bent out of shape about his preferred caregiver.