Gawain's World

Jack's newest favorite tv show is "Between the Lions"...personally I am a BIG fan of this show...not because I had ever seen a full episode, but because back when I was teaching 2nd grade I had an adorable little boy in my class who I LOVED, but he totally drove me crazy. During our reading assessments he couldn't tell me which letters are vowels (which is unusual for 2nd graders). I wasnt too concerned during the beginning of the year testing, and I was more concerned during the mid year testing. I kept trying to teach it, but he showed no evidence of learning it, so when it came time to test him at the end of the year I dreaded that test item...and I was ELATED That he knew them. I asked him how he learned it and he responded "I learned it from Between the Lions"....and I've been a HUGE fan ever since, because if it could teach this child his vowels...it was a miracle! I waited to show it to Jack when I felt that he would "get" it...and that he wouldnt be scared of the puppets (sometimes they freak him out) and he's been watching it for several weeks now and LOVES it. It's all he ever wants to watch. The other day at dinner he randomly turned to Daddy and said "Gimme a hug you big lug!"....and we had NO idea where that came from! I figured it was from Wall-E or Cars, but when I googled the phrase (my curiosity was killing me) turns out neither movie came up...but "Between the Lions" did!

One of the silly skits in the show is called "Gawain's World" (a spoof of the movie Wayne's World...which of course a 3 year old would have NO clue of the connection...so it makes me laugh that they even put it in there...must be for the parents) "Gawain's world" consists of 2 knights in shining armor who each say a part of a word (as in "b" and "ook") and they are running towards each other in a jousting-like manner showing kids how to put words and sounds together. It's workong on phonemic/phonological awareness (in teacher terms) It's a skill that we have been working on a tiny bit with Jack since he knows his letters and sounds...but he really wasn't getting the whole blending of sounds together to make words idea. Well, he is now getting it, thanks to this show, and some fun roughhousing with Daddy. Jack came up with this game all by himself...no prompting from us at all...and obviously he LOVES it!

and as you can tell from this last clip, by the end of the rough housing, Daddy is kinda tired. What is he gonna do with BOTH boys want to rough house?

catching some air

As I mentioned in Wesley's 9 month post, Wesley has started pulling himself up. I realize that the actual distance he pulls himself up here isn't much, but hey, it's something! I also love how proud he is of himself.

I also realized the other day that I havent taken any videos of Wesley "talking" so I tried to get him to do some talking and some of his most recent adorable sound...."kissy faces"...I think I got a few grunts and growls out of him and quite a bit of spraying, but no kisses. I'll try again later.

Cereal Puffs and Finger Food: a blessing from the Lord!

I honestly dont remember at what point I graduated Jack from baby food to finger food...but with 2 kids, it sure is wonderful to be able to dump some peas/carrots/sweet potato chunks or some cut up fruit on his tray and have him fed and entertained at the same time. Now I actually get to eat at the same time as everyone else in the family! I still have plenty of baby food and cereal that I am feeding him, both frozen and jarred, but MAN is it easier...but the trade off is....its MESSIER TOO! :)

and I guess I should also admit a bit shamefully that I AM that mom who will plunk my fussy baby into his high chair or exersaucer with a few handfuls of cereal puffs or cheerios to keep him entertained while I fix dinner or do dishes...but only if playing with big brother and toys just isnt cutting it anymore! I figure those puffs are mostly AIR anyway, right?

his latest verbal antics

I was impressed with Jack's math skills the other day. I tend to focus more on learning letters/sounds/words instead of mathematical reasoning skills....not sure why...but I'm trying to take advantage of "teachable moments" like this one that came up out of the blue:
"Mommie, there are one, two, three people in the car with us!"
"That's right Jack....but how many would be in here if Daddy was with us too?"
"One, two, three, four!"
I also asked him other variations such as how many if we left wesley at home...or how many boys/girls/dogs etc....but the puzzler came later around the dinner table when I was getting him to demonstrate for Daddy.
"Jack how many grown-ups are at the table?"
"ummmm, ONE"
"ummm...no....two...Mommie and Daddy are both grown-ups"
"No, Mommie, you aren't a grown up, only Daddy is a grown-up"
"Why am I not a grown up? I'm not a kid like you am I?"
"Mommie, you aren't a grown-up because you don't use saws. Daddy uses a saw, so he is a grown-up amd when I am a grown up I will use a saw too!"
Which actually makes perfect sense to him because we have told him not to mess with Daddy's tools, including the saw, because only grown-ups are allowed to use saws (and he is right, I dont usually use a saw!)
We went to spend a few nights at Bertie's house while Papa and Nana and Aunt Gina were in town (hopefully I will get to post some pictures and stories about those adventures if Aunt Gina gets a chance to send me some pictures...the ones I took weren't very good at all....all THREE of them...grrr). Anyway, we dont have any video games for Jack to play at our house, but he LOVES to play with Bertie's Wii. He loves bowling and fencing and other games (shhh...dont tell him that most of the time he has a remote that is turned off and WE are actually doing all the moves for him...he's just not coordinated enough to hold down and release all the right buttons). While I was changing Wesley's diaper in an adjoining room I hear Jack exclaim gleefully "I WANNA JUMP OUT OF A PLANE!!!" Which absolutely cracked me up! He wanted to play the skydiving game....but taken out of context, those just arent words a mom is prepared to hear her THREE YEAR OLD say!! It was SO cute...and it turns out that was a game he COULD play by himself!
There have been a few commercials on tv lately for a circus...but for some reason Jack has decided that he is scared of clowns. Not that I am judging, because although from far away clowns dont bother me a bit, but from close up they can sometimes creep me out too.....but he doesnt like reading books or even watching shows with a clowns in them. Thankfully he doesnt freak out, he just says over and over and over and over "I dont like clowns mommie, I dont like them!" I guess they were on his mind the other day when we were eating lunch because our  (one-sided) conversation went something like this:
"Mommie, do you like clowns...because I dont like clowns...maybe when I grow up bigger bigger I will like clowns and give them hugs and kisses and tell them my jokes...but mommie...does Jesus love clowns?"
I absolutely LOVED that he asked if Jesus likes clowns...because in his mind, if Jesus loves something, then it must be ok...which is exactly the way it should be! And by the way, I DID tell him that Jesus loves clowns too!

Hearts with Hands

I love doing crafty things with Jack...low-key of course. I try not to pick things that don't HAVE TO be put together only a certain way, or he and I would be nervous wrecks by the end. He LOVES stickers, so I often choose those foamy sticker crafts, and this is the kit we used to make valentines for his friends at school. I liked it because there was a lot of room for creativity in how to create the little heart-people.

What really struck me about this activity was not the finished product, but the term Jack used for it before we even got started. He asked me if we could make some "Hearts with Hands" and that phrase really got me thinking...

I am a usually a very sensitive, tenderhearted person. I can cry at the drop of a hat (and I come by it honestly....just ask my mom or my grandmother!). Unlike my husband who cries maybe once a year, it is rare for a day or 2 to go by without me getting teared up at something (and for the record, it's probably a blessing that Josh can keep his emotions in check better than I can...or else our house would be one big puddle...I love having him to be my steady one!) It often gets on my nerves that I cry so easily, and I often wish I could control my emotions better...especially at weddings and other emotional events...and commericals....and greeting cards....and movies.....oh you get the idea.... 

Anyway, I feel like I have the "Heart" part down just fine....but do I have the "Hands"...meaning I feel compassion/empathy/emotional about many things....but do I DO anything about them. My heart literally hurts when I read blog posts about sick babies or families battling illnesses or all the horrors happening around the world...I've had to cut back on how much news and blog posts I read becuase I feel it so deeply I will go around feeling sad even once I am away from it. But do I DO anything to help the situations that affect me so deeply? Does it really mean anything to be emotionally affected by these stories, and then get busy and distracted by MY life and not do anything about it?

I have been very inspired and challenged lately by a high school friend of mine, Carrie, who is a busy mother of 4. The Lord has lit a fire under her to DO something about orphans and refugees and other people suffering in 3rd world countries. She has helped with events at church to bring awareness and raise money, she has asked for art supplies for these kids instead of birthday presents for her own children's birthday parties, and many other things to get her own young family aware and involved in making a difference in this world....and if this busy mother of 4 can find the energy to invest in causes near and dear to her heart...I feel challenged to do the same. To not just let my heart be affected by what I see or hear or read about, but to actually DO something about it!

May we all find a way to have "Hearts with Hands"

date(s) with my boy(s)!

A few weeks ago Granny Ruthie drove to town with Rachel. Rachel was going into the office to get some work done up in Livingston, and Granny Ruthie will often accompany her and hang out with us. Inspired by my friend Tima, we have decided to attempt to give Jack some one on one quality time (pretty sure that is high up on this boy's love languages) by taking him out on a "date" once or twice a month. Granny Ruthie braved the weeping and gnashing of teeth that often occurs when I leave Wesley, and Jack and I set out on our date.  

there is a new "frozen yogurt lounge" here in town, so we decided to try that. It was SOOO good. Doesn't he look SO big in this picture. When did this happen?


We also went to the pet store to gaze at all the animals (and he picked out a treat and a toy for Maggie) and then we went next door to TJ Maxx so he could pick out a little toy for him and for Wesley. It was very special to spend time JUST with him without having a million things to do on my list or worrying about Wesley (although I did text Granny Ruthie multiple times to make sure everyone was ok....and they did GREAT together. She called it a "Victory" when Wesley eventually settled down and realized he could have fun at home with someone other than Mommie, Daddy or Jack! YAY!)

While on our date I did have to run 1 little errand, but I did my best to make it fun for him. We went to the local IGA and he had fun sitting on the rides (I didnt have any quarters to put in, but that may not have been a big deal since he sometimes freaks out with rides like this anyway)



this is the main reason I chose IGA....it's one of the stores in town that has child-sized carts. He had the BEST time zooming around the store with this thing. It cracked me up that when we entered the produce department (our first stop) I walked a few steps ahead to look at the carrots....and when I turned back he had already put a head of lettuce in the cart (which was NOT on the list) and was looking at other  things to put in while saying "Now let's see...we need some of this and some of this..." I guess he just thought that grabbing whatever food was accessible was just what you do in a grocery store!



the next day while Jack was in school, Wesley and I had a little date of our own. When we lived closer to town, one of my favorite things to do was to put Jack in the stroller and walk to town, visiting lots of the awesome local shops. I had several stops to make in town, so this time we parked at the library and walked all around. We also stopped at a charming little cafe called "Meadow's Pharm" for some lunch. As you can see from the tray he enjoyed a lunch of puffs, some berries I shared from my fruit plate while I had a chicken salad sandwich. YUM! It was nice and relaxing to have some alone time with my little guy too.

He melts my heart

Over the past year I have been abandoned. Well...that might be a bit of an overstatement...but sometimes it feels that way...let me briefly explain. I don't make friends easily...GOOD friends I mean. I have lots of acquaintances and people I consider casual friends, but GOOD friends to talk on the phone with or hang out for long periods of time and share my heart are just a bit harder to come by for me. I've just always been one of those people who has only a few really close friends, and since moving to Cookeville and starting from scratch with not knowing ANYONE, I have really only been able to get close with a few people....and within the past year several of them have moved away. :( I guess it is just one of the (few) downfalls of being a stay at home mom where a family's living situation is based almost entirely on a husband's job, and all of the friends who have moved away have been because of new jobs. I try to shake it off and keep in touch as best I can and start focusing my energy on getting to know more people and arranging more playdates. It's just hard being NEW to a town/church/social circles (after living in the same town my WHOLE life) and trying to break into cliques or social situations where people have known each other for years, if not their whole lives, and make new friends. While I feel sad sometimes about my friends leaving, I'm not giving up! Sometimes it's just disheartening to start over.
Anyway, back to the reason my child melts my heart:

For naptime today we read a sweet story by Aliki called "We are Best Friends". Honestly, I chose it to read to try to give Jack a few tips about how to be a good friend, but I ended up being reminded of a few things myself too.
The main character of the story is sad because his best friend is moving away. The little boy mopes around and feels abandoned (even though from the pictures you can see that there are LOTS of other kids to play with and things to do) and he even blows off a new kid who is trying to be his friend until about half way through when he opens up and starts getting to know the new kid.

I told Jack I could understand how the boy was feeling because I've had friends move away lately and it made me feel a little sad too...
Jack replied "Aww Mommie, but I am your friend and I love you!"
"Oh thank you Jack, you are such a sweet boy"
"I know, I am a good friend because I am not mean anymore...did your friends pack up in their car and drive away and that made you sad...like it makes me sad when you leave and I might cry?"
"Yes they packed up their cars and drove away, and I know it makes you sad when I go away, but you know I will always come back to get you, right?"
"Yeah, but Mommie are you sad when I go away...do you miss me?"
"Oh yes, I do miss you, but I know I will get to see you again soon and that when I do see you I will be SO HAPPY!"
"Well, I will not pack up my car and move away so you wont be sad, Mommie"
MELT. MY. HEART!
later, after I laid him down he calls for me again so I go back and he says
"Mommie, be sure when you leave you say I love you so I wont be sad"
"Ok Jack, I love you so much, thank you for being such a sweet little boy!"
"I love you too Mommie"
and a few minutes later he leaves his room (which normally would have meant BIG trouble...but my heart was still too busy melting to enforce the issue)
to tell me "Mommie, when I get bigger I will be your friend and I will dance with you...when I get bigger"
augh!! How I love this child! MELT. MY. HEART!!!
He may know 1001 ways to drive me crazy, but he also has the sweetest spirit!

Wesley at 9 months!

Wesley is 9 months old! WOW I can't believe how time has absolutely flown by. Sometimes when I think back to when we first brought him home, it seems like a long time ago...but I guess when it comes to your own children, time always seems to fly!
It has been a long fought battle, but Wesley finally has FOUR teeth. Those two top ones sure have taken their sweet time coming in...people were predicting their imminent arrival for months and months based on all his chewing and drooling...but they are finally here! I can't remember if I mentioned this in an earlier post or not...and I'm too rushed right now to look back, so I'll mention my observation here: I remember with Jack most people would comment on how cute he was/is and "Oh, look at those EYES/EYELASHES, they are so beautiful, etc" and for one thing, of course I was flattered...but I never knew how to respond...do I say "thank you" or "oh I know!"....anyway, Wesley has also gotten his fair share of EYES and EYELASHES comments, and of course lots of "oooh, I just wanna pinch/kiss/tweak those little cheeks!"...which is also understandable because they are so round and cute and kissable...and prominent...but the comment that I find most interesting is that he gets SO many comments about his TEETH...."Oh look, I see some little teeth/toofers/teefies in there" (yes, I crack up at the baby-talk names people have for teeth)...and I don't EVER remember anyone EVER commenting on Jack's teeth....and I found that puzzling until I remembered that my firstborn was pretty much addicted to his pacifier (and Mommie and Daddy constantly popping it in didnt help matters at all...I admit it! We just didnt realize!) but Wesley just isnt as interested in his passy unless he is upset or sleepy...AND we are trying to do better about NOT constantly putting it in if he doesnt need it. Just an interesting observation...and a blessing...because now if we accidentally leave the house without it clipped to him...its not a disaster of epic proportions...just an "oops"
As I mentioned earlier, he is also really into finger foods. It's a little frustrating that he USED to sit in his high chair and play with toys while I would cook or clean, but now highchair=FOOD! A few weeks ago I went grocery shopping with him near feeding time, so to buy myself a little time I juggled my list, the cart and a container of puffs which I fed him one at a time during the shopping trip....well his memory is apparently as sharp as Jack's and the NEXT time we went shopping he started doing his "I want a snack" whine routine until I caved in and gave him some puffs. hmmmm.....I've also started "diluting" his puffs with much cheaper cheerios, but he is getting wise to that too...and if he's paying attention, he will sometimes pick puffs out first before digging into the cheerios.
I've heard stories about Babies who will skip crawling and go straight to walking...but I never believed it, but at this point I wouldnt been terribly surprised if something along those lines happens with Wesley. While he is still not crawling, he will sometimes do a bit more "scooting" (usually backwards or rotating in a circle) when I remember to put him on his tummy on a smooth floor, I just dont always remember to do it, and he still doesnt seem to have much idea about actually getting his belly off the ground to make crawling easier. but he LOVES standing up and he is ALMOST pulling up. He will totally pull himself up if he is sitting in our laps and grabs something to pull himself into a standing position....but I dont think his hands are strong enough yet to hold on tight enough or long enough to heave his big ol 23 pound body from the ground to standing. He is amazingly strong though....his legs and back amaze me with his strength...and when we hold him up by his hands and let him "walk" he will occasionally try to take a few steps...so we'll see!
One major praise is that he is often taking longer naps....YAY! While Papa and Nana and Aunt Gina were in town, Jack spent 4 nights at Bertie's house, thus leaving a very quiet house for Wesley to nap. He took nice long 2 or 3 hours naps those days instead of his usual 30 minutes to an hour! YAY! I used to say that Wesley just isnt a good sleeper LIKE Jack....but now I am wondering if Wesley just isnt a good sleeper BECAUSE of Jack...it's REALLY hard to keep a 3 year old quiet during his brother's naptime short of plugging him up to a tv show the whole time, and I'm not really willing to do that. As far as sleeping at night, Wesley will still wake up crying several times a week, but will calm himself down withing a minute or 2....so no worries there...unless we are sleeping at someone else's house and dont want him waking them up. Sigh....long story.
He's also getting extremely expressive. He loves talking and grunting and growling and does lots of smiling. I was surprised at church a few weeks ago when his teachers exclaimed "A SMILE...I actually got a SMILE out of Wesley...this must be a good day!" because he is SO SMILEY at home...I guess he is just very aware of not being in his comfort zone, but at least he doesn't scream the whole time we are gone. He just does the usual cry when I drop him off and hyperventilate when I come back..until I pick him back up into my arms and all is right with his world. He is usually pretty friendly with strangers as long as Mommie or Daddy are around and he's not afraid of being left.
I've been trying to work on sign language with him since we had such wonderful success with teaching it to Jack. I know its a bit early for him to be using signs, but I try to remember to show him "more" and "all done" when I am feeding him....but I'll admit, sometimes I will just let his "I'm-so-hungry-I'm-gonna-waste-away" fussy baby routine work while I am feeding him. Trying to do better on that.

"helping"

Totally on his own Jack moved my chair out of it's normal spot and moved his chair in it's place. He told me that he wanted to  "help" Wesley eat, so he started handing him little bites of food and puffs. It was really sweet! Another one of those awesome mommie moments to treasure!

Peek a boo feet!

Wesley at 8 months

Well...he's technically almost 8 1/2 months....but I'm just glad to be writing this at all...did you see that I wrote less than 10 entries last month! I guess having 2 kids and no laptop makes it REALLY hard to sit down at a desktop computer every once in a while!

Wesley still has only 2 teeth, but I can see the top 2 teeth peeking through and I expect them any day now. Hopefully then this wretched runny nose and grouchiness will subside! I have noticed that one of his features that is commented on the most (other than those kissable cheeks) is his teeth. I dont know if that is because he is getting more smiley with strangers when we are out in public, but I also suspect it is because he doesn't have his passy in his mouth NEARLY as much as Jack did. Wesley just doesnt really seem to care much for it. He wants it when he is sleepy or needs comforting, but just during the day, he doesn't want it....which is fine with me! Just like Jack, we do get several comments on his big blue eyes....have I mentioned how happy I am that I can claim that aspect of these 2 boys.

More and More people are also commenting on how Wesley is looking more like me...I am hoping that doesnt mean that I have mega chubby cheeks too! Another thing that is exciting to me is that he may be favoring his left hand....now I KNOW it is too early for him to technically be choosing, but lately as he has been eating finger foods his left hand is used WAAAAY more than his right. It would be so nice to have another lefty like me in the family! Speaking of food, he is currently eating avocado, banana, sweet potatoes, roce cereal, peaches, pears, prunes, squash, zucchini, carrots, grean beans, peas, peaches, applesauce, (all pureed) and he has tried kiwi, banana, apple, peas, carrots as finger food...and really done quite well! I have also introduced him to saltines and baby puffs-which are both good and bad things-good because they keep him occupied while I am working in the kitchen or eating...but bad because now everytime he is in his high chair he is NOT content for long to play with toys...he wants to be stuffing his face!

He is still sitting up great, loves to reach for toys while he is sitting up, and he loves to take my hands and pull himself up. This kid is REALLY strong. He is still not showing much interest at all in crawling...Josh says I dont need to be worried about that...and to be honest, as long as it is within normal limits, I'm fine with it! I have been warned that sibling rivalry doesnt really start up until the little one gets mobile and the big one is hit with the realization that little brother doesnt just stay in one place, but can move and get into big brother's STUFF!! Jack is already having issues with sharing with other kids and playing too rough if things arent going his way (although we have seen SOOOOO much improvement just over the past month or so) but I am preparing myself that this may be the calm before the storm hits when Wesley figures out how to move around! We are working hard with Jack about how to share with Wesley (and other kids)...so hopefully it wont be TOO bad when the time comes! We'll see! He's also kinda funny about rolling over. He will roll all over the place in his bed while he is just waking up or trying to go to sleep, but he doesnt seem to realize that he is able to do it outside of his bed. Silly Boy!

I know I may be grasping at straws here...but I'm only half way kidding when I tell people that we may very well have heard Welsey's first word...."AAAAHHH!"....now you may think...."Whatever...that is just a noise that babies make" and that is probably true, but I have noticed that Wesley says it most often when JAAAAACK is in the room...he just LOVES his brother. I am wondering if this is Wesley's word for him.Can you see the beautiful look of love that he is giving his big brother!

Separation Anxiety has hit our home! He's doing the classic cry-when-mommie-leaves-and-cry-when-she-comes-back-to-get-me routine. It seems to be worse here at home than at Church/MOPS/CBS/grandparents house...my guess is that it's because Mommie and Daddy are SUPPOSED to be at HOME, but at more unfamiliar places, he doesn't expect me to be around quite as much. One thing several of his caregivers have told me though is that he INSISTS on being held just about the whole time he is away from us and he HATES getting his diaper changed. Here at home I dont really have too much trouble with him freaking out about diaper changes, I've learned his patterns, and THANKFULLY he is getting better about letting me sit him down. I can get a few minutes of housework in if I sit him down in the same room as Jack and let Jack entertain him (and he doesnt have to be interacting with Wesley, just being in the same room and watching is fun to him!). I have also learned that he will sometimes watch a few minutes of "Baby Signs" or "Baby Einstein" if I am sitting next to him...so sometimes I will steal a few minutes in order to do some reading or quiet time.

His car riding has gotten SOOOOOO much better! During the day he is fine, he pretty much plays with toys, watches Jack or just falls asleep in the car. We can almost always count on him crying for at least a portion of a car ride at night. I dont know if the darkness scares him and he feels all alone, or if it is just the time of day and he is tired, but turning on the dome light and singing and talking to him dont seem to work at all. THANK GOODNESS we are not in the car at night very much at all, really only about once a week!

While Jack is in school on Tuesdays, Wesley and I will usually run a lot of errands. He does REALLY well sitting in the grocery cart or his stroller. If he falls asleep in the car in between errands, I have started keeping a book in the car with me, so I can just sit and read and wait for him to wake up, because he almost NEVER sleeps through getting out of the car.

There isn't a day that goes by that I dont thank God over and over for the blessing of these 2 little boys. There may be days when I am exhausted or at my wits end, but I'd still rather be doing this than anything else in the world! Everyday I think about those scary first few weeks of Wesley's life, thankfully for the most part the scariness isnt as strong as the thankfulness. God is SO good!