March/April

Well we've been busy since I last wrote.
Preschool
Music Classes
Walks
Starbucks
The Zoo
An Easter Party
To Granny and Papa's house on the Island

March 17th
*Dexter, you started laughing and you haven't stopped since! It is just the most adorable thing.

March 21st
*We went to the Kidswap Easter Party. It was soooooooo cold and windy. I had you (Dex) bundled up in a fleecy sleeper with a hood and you (AJ) had a toque and mittens. It was a bitter crisp windy kind of cold. Hail even!
*AJ, you were a star with your Easter egg hunting skills. You made bunny ears to wear and coloured an Easter picture.
*Dexter, you were good as gold, sleeping most of the time. The great thing about a baby that won't conform to the routine I'd like is that you can 'take em anywhere, anytime'.
*AJ, you started preschool today. It is the mom and tot kind. Erica takes Jack too. We mostly carry around Dexter and Rya in the Baby Bjorns or slings.


March 22nd
*Tonight we went to Gram and Papa's house for Easter dinner. You were both really great, and of course everyone loved seeing you.

March 23rd
*Dexter's first Easter!
*AJ you had a good day searching for eggs and eating chocolate. You were still finding eggs a few days later!

March 25th
*Dexter, you are 10 weeks old!

March 28th
*We all head to the Island to stay with Granny and Papa!
*We stayed in their master bedroom with you (Dexter) in the Moses basket in the hot tub room with a great sound proof door (thank goodness) and with you (AJ) on your thomas the Train travel bed (that is WAY to loud) at the end of our room. Not the best sleeps, but a really nice visit.
*Granny did lots of colouring with you, AJ. Everyone enjoyed holding you, Dexter. Papa Bud took Daddy to the gun club, YIKES!
*We also got to see your Great Grannie and Grandpa Clark and your Great Aunt Elaine!

April 1st
*Dexter, you had your first set of shots. I took you myself. It was horrible. We both pretty much sobbed. You had 4 shots! You were 11 weeks old and 15 lbs, 1 oz!!! You are a whopper of a boy so far!!! Love you my little chunky button.

April 2nd
*We went to the zoo with Auntie Erica, Jack and Rya. It was a great trip. A little chilly in the morning, but it warmed up nicely.
*AJ, you bailed big time on the way to the train and had a HUGE bruise on your forehead. It was scary looking.

April 5th
*We drove to Puyallup for Grace's 2nd birthday party. You both were really great for the drive. We had a good party!

April 7th
*Music class started today for the two of you. You are both really enjoying the class.

April 9th
*We went to playgroup. It was a fun time. AJ, you get to have a blast riding the plasma cars and jumping on the equipment, and I get to spend some quality time with you, Dexter.

April 11th
*You boys stayed home with Daddy and I went to Auntie Jen's baby shower for her twins, Emerson and Jaxon. It was a really nice night out for me. Dexter, you gave Daddy a run for his money!

April 12th
*Dexter's been really batting things like crazy on his play arc and such lately.
*WE WENT OUT FOR DINNER TO THE OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY AND IT WAS AWESOME! Both of you were soooo well behaved!
*Sometime around now, I started putting you, Dexter, in the exersaucer. You really like getting to look around more.

April 14th
*Music class with Jack and Rya and then we all went to Starbucks. It went pretty well!
*We also went to Starbucks last week with Nancy and Ava!

April 15th
-Dexter, you are 3 months old or 13 weeks old!

April 16th
*We started trying a couple nights with no DF. They went alright, but I think I'll keep the DF.

April 17th
*We went to playgroup with Auntie Erica, Jack, and Rya.

April 18th
*Dexter, I didn't need to feed you in the middle of the night. I still had to get up to put you back to sleep, but not to feed you! Same thing the next night too!

April 19th
*We went to Gram and Papa's for dinner and to do taxes.
*Dexter, you went to sleep beautifully and stayed asleep. We transferred you to the car seat at around 11:30pm and it was wonderful.
*AJ, we let you stay up until 11:30pm. You were trying to be good, but you were so tired you just kept falling, tripping, crying, etc.

April 20th
*Dexter, today you got to use the Kick and Play piano for the first time. I couldn't help but notice how much you were kicking your feet, so I put you in your crib to kick at the piano. You had a great time!

April 21st
*Dexter, in this last week, I've been getting some hysterical laughter from you, and you are sooooo chatty. You coo and babble and chit chat. You are very vocal.

April 30th
*Dexter, finally, you are having some good tummy time, practically balancing on your tummy alone.
*You absolutely love to be standing up. Too cute.

May 3rd
*Dexter, we started you on rice cereal around now. You hungry boy.
*AJ, you are loving preschool. You ask to go all the time.

May 4th
*We went to the zoo again! Just me, and my boys! What a great day. We arrived just as the bird show was starting. We went on the train. We walked all around. We watched the tigers get fed. AJ, you enjoyed walking for most of the day rather than being put in the stroller.

May 5th
*Dexter, you've been holding your own bottle with some success. Basically, I put the bottle in your mouth and put your little hands on the grips on the sides and you just hold it and go. Good boy!

May 7th
*We went to Go Bananas with Erica and Jack. AJ you are still scared about climbing around in the big kid part. You sure don't like those tubes.

May 8th
*seriously, Dexter. You are soooo chatty. You are just a little person with major personality.
*AJ, you are being an awesome and helpful big brother.
*Makenna came for dinner tonight. You two had fun. You had some interesting conversation over which word certain letters stood for. For instance, Makenna would say, "S, S for Sonja" and you would say, "S for snake"


May 11th
-Mother's Day. Dexter and AJ, you and Daddy got me slippers for Mother's Day. Gram helped you, AJ, to make a card for me with printing from you inside, and plant sunflowers for me.
-Today was Makenna's second birthday party. We had a good time.
*AJ, later when you're in therapy, you can blame your paranoia on me for 'forcing' you (my shy boy) into the tubes at Captain Kids.

May 14th
*Dexter, in an effort to get you pooping, I've given you pears today. You liked them, but definitely found them a little tart.






Special Specifics
AJ -
1. We have a year pass for the zoo. It means that whenever the weather is nice, we get to go to the zoo. You just love it there. You love to watch the lions and the cougar especially.
2. We went to see Suessical the Musical at my old school, and you were enthralled. You sat on a little step stool on top of a chair, and you paid attention to the whole play. You were even, shockingly, yelling about what was going on. Luckily the people around us thought it was cute.
3. Preschool, oh my goodness. You love making the crafts there. You love the roller coaster there. You love going there. You point out the preschool whenever we're in the parking lot. You get so excited about going.
4. You are so into singing. We go to music class once a week and we listen to the CD in the car. You love to sing the alligator song, the 'out the window' song, the elephant song, and of course, still, your old favourite, ABC.
5. Counting. You have been working on counting to twenty. You pretty much have it, but you repeat a few numbers in there. You love to count items, pictures, steps, etc.
6. I have a calendar in your room where you get dressed. It is very cute that when I ask you to tell me the month, instead of saying May, you say, "It's not April anymore." You can almost sing the whole Days of The Week song that I use with my grade ones.
7. I started this little reading program thingy with you, just for fun and to see how you'd take to it. I think you're a bit young yet, but it's really cute to see you sounding out words.
I think I'll try again full force in a few months.
8. Your drawing skills are really developing. You aren't just telling me what things are after you've drawn them or just been drawing random shapes and such anymore. You are actually drawing things like a fire truck. It's a big roundish rectangle with wheels.
8. You are getting better are printing your name, and I've video taped you writing 'mom' too.
9. Well, sometimes you want to be like Dexter. I have pictures of you in the baby bjorn, the bumbo, and the jollyjumper which you broke, I might add.
10. We took a big trip to Puyallup to go to Grace's birthday party. You had fun playing outside and playing with bubbles.
11. You are in a phase of wanting to do EVERYTHING yourself. For instance, if you sit you on the potty, you will say, "AJ do it. I do it!" Then you proceed to get off the potty and get back on again. Speaking of the potty. You are having about 6/7 naps dry per week, and you've had some dry nights too. In fact, you usually are dry overnight, but if I don't get you right away, then you pee while you're laying in bed.
11. On Thursdays, if it's not zoo-weather, we go to playgroup. You just have a blast and you are obsessed with those plasma cars!! Not to mention, you had a giant run-in with one last week. YIKES! You were pretty badly injured. I was thinking you're leg was broken!
12. You've really been into saying everyone's names, and asking where everyone is. Especially cute is when you ask about Uncy-Al.
13. Letters and Numbers. You picked up a foam sticker that was the letter L. You had it upside and down and came to me saying, "seven mommy. Seven." Then you caught a glimse of it the other way and said, "L Mommy, L!" Then you looked puzzled. "L? Seven?" Cute. You love playing the alphabet zoo game
14. Puzzles. Whoa puzzles. You and I both are obsessed with wooden puzzles. 12 piece, 24 piece, 48 piece. You are doing them all and you love to do all of them and have them all on your floor of your bedroom. You are really good at trying a piece, turning it, trying again, trying it somewhere else. Interesting though, you don't like to the edges and corners first. You like to do sections. Like, you'll start with Thomas, then work your way out.
15. You all of a sudden have decided to become a true 2 year old and are saying a very sassy "No" to me. About a lot of things. You've even been having a couple of tantrums. Hmmmm, now to decide the best route to take with this.

Dexter -
1. You really get excited when I read Panda Bear Panda Bear by Eric Carle. you start flailing your limbs. It's pretty cute.
2. You love to stand. You love to sit. You love to be a part of the action. In fact, you're a little high maintenance.
3. Naps. Well. I don't even have words. You are really running me through the wringer. You do not want to do a routine that I like. You don't even want to do your own routine. You have trouble staying awake longer than 1.5 hours. It's kind of killing me. I want you to be on only 2 naps, but you're doing 4 and sometimes 5. Occasionally, only 3.
4. I swear you've been saying 'hi' to me when I say it to you. It's heartmelting.
5. You laugh so hard sometimes, like when you're being jiggled or tickled that you start to wheeze to catch your breath in between.
6. Inadvertently, your tag blanket seems to be becoming your lovie instead of the dinosaur like I planned.
7. the bumbo seat. We like to sit you at the table with us in this. Only for a little while and not just after you eat or else you spit up.
8. The exersaucer. It's only a month ago that you were in the exersaucer wedged in for support with receiving blankets and such. Now you're a pro. You're not stuffed in, and you can even spin the froggy thing. You just whack it with yor hand.
9. Alittle while ago I was dealing with what I thought was teething, a growth spurt, and a cold. You've still got a really wet cough, the growth spurt is over, and I don't know if you are teething. It could just be that you love your hands so much.
10. Sleeping through the night. You're doing it some of the time. I'm not feeding you in the middle of the night anymore, but it appears as though when you have a poop coming, you're up lots the night before.