Reflections

Developmental updates:

We've had very little sickness in the house so far this winter, which has been pretty great. I think the boys have mostly been lucky but they've also been washing their hands well and getting more into the habit.

Theo has lost two teeth naturally (via mama pulling them out because it grosses him out), and has two new bottom teeth. He has four new molars. He's developing a sense of independence which is reflected in his quite sassy attitude a lot of the time. It's great to see him growing into himself and deciding who he is and what he wants. And it is sometimes annoying. He has an incredible vocabulary and can be very authoritative in reporting what he knows and what is going on in the world, even though his accuracy rate is somewhat lower than his confidence in his answer. Theo continues to have a song in his heart most of the time, and he can be found dancing or singing to himself a lot of the time while waiting for a turn at a game or playing by himself. He also makes up songs and performs them.

Beckett has lost his two bottom teeth also, one traumatically about a year and a half ago falling and hitting it on a step, and another one in the last few months. Neither has grown back in yet. He has no molars yet. He's had pinkeye several times in the last few months, usually when no one else in the family or in school has had it. I wonder if maybe he doesn't really have "pinkeye" the contagious kind but rather that's how his sensitive eyes look when he has a cold--they get red and gunky. Beckett is getting better and better reading and reads fluently aloud. He seems to enjoy reading more than Theo. Beckett tends to be more aware of the conversation around him and often puts things together with past experience and conversation. He's gone through a growth spurt the last several months and has grown out of a lot of pants, requiring two different pants drawers for the first time ever.

Reed has pretty much potty trained himself with fairly minimal work. He's just slowly over time started using the potty more and more and generally doesn't need many more reminders than his brothers, especially when he's home. He's been going through a Daddy phase lately, asking a lot for Daddy over Mama. He adores his brothers and it's a nightly ritual for him to finish reading and then go in and give them kisses and hugs in their beds. He is still very attached to his blanket ("the blanket Taf made me") and his paci. I'm waiting until he goes to his first dentist appointment in April for the dentist to tell me that we have to take it away.

These are pretty fun times in the house of Lovebo. We are incredibly busy and scheduled and overwhelmed some of the time but we have so much fun. We have great conversations at dinner and have so much fun reading books together. The boys can get each other laughing so hard wrestling or in the bath. Theo and Beckett crack up when Reed repeats things they say. Jeff is running for City Court Judge and I am the president of the Central New York Women's Bar Association and, oh yes, just quit my job and started at a new firm. There's so little wiggle room in our lives right now but it's temporary and we are making the best of it. The boys are home with us almost all the time and we get to spend so much time with them, we are so lucky!