Now I will try to write every couple of days.
Tomorrow I'll finish updating the details on the events and all about Dexter.
Okay, so I'm going to stop writing this all in second person, as though I were writing to AJ and Dexter personally. It's just more fun to write 'about them' instead.
The last day I wrote was on the 14th of May! I'm so bad about keeping up on this. I should write every day or two instead. Or maybe once a week.
Anyhow, AJ is now almost 2 years and 3.5 months old, and Dexter is now almost 5.5 months old. Time is flying by.
What have we been up to?
Special days/Special Events
May 15th - Dexter really starts grabbing at stuff with his hands. Toys, food, you name it. He's greedy!
May 24th - Shauna's wedding shower.
May 27th - Dexter truly rolled over back to front. He still chooses not to roll front to back, although, I have to admit, we're out so much that he doesn't get much time to practice anything on the floor. Poor guy.
May 28th - We went to the zoo AGAIN! Just us this time.
May 31st - Dexter starts blowing raspberries.
June 5th - I noticed that Dexter has been grabbing and holding his feet. I LOVE this stage. He loves it when I play 'toes to the nose' with him. He's so flexy and chunky!
June 7th - Shauna's wedding. We stayed overnight in a hotel. I'll have to write more later.
June 8th - Poor little Dext starts soy.
June 9th - Dexter's just all over his playmat and his crib.
June 9th - Dexter starts carrots.
June 9th - AJ's last music class.
June 10th - I elevate Dexter's crib mattress because of his congestion, but he defeats the purpose of this by turning around so all of the blood is rushing to his head.
June 12th - We go to the bird sanctuary. Or as AJ knows it, The Bird Zoo.
June 15th - Sometimes around now Dexter tries sweet potatoes. I actually think he tried them before the carrots when we went to the Island, but I didn't record this very well.
June 13th - Preschool at the Park.
June 16th - A big day of gardening! Poor Dirty Dexter.
June 17th - I start Baby Bootcamp and both boys are just great for me!
June 18th - I'm really noticing how many comments I get about Dexter and how smiley he is. He can make anyone smile and anyone can make him smile.
June 20th - Dexter moves onto his tummy for sleeping.
June 20th - AJ's last day of preschool.
June 21st - More gardening. Dexter's a super star and AJ wants to help help help.
June 21st - Dexter starts learning to use a sippy cup. He's a pro already. Go Dexter Go!
June 21st - I decide to give up the infant carrier. I'm sick of carrying my 18lb Chunky-D. I've got one Popeye arm and the other is flabby! Okay, no, both are flabby, but one is flabbier than the other. That's even worse.
June 22nd - We use the umbrella stroller in IHOP for breakfast time instead of the infant carrier. Works like a charm.
June 23rd - I notice that AJ is using 'F' sounds at the beginning of words now. Phew!
June 23rd - We head over to 'Auntie Jen's' for the day. She's been dealing with sick kids 'poop and puke', and hoping that it's the same illness that AJ and I already had and hopefully became immune to, we decide to head over and 'help the day go by'.
June 25th - Dexter went to the doctor and will be going for an allergy appointment on the 24th of July. I'm sick. Got what Jen's family has. I'm wiped out of commission. Richard takes over as mom and dad.
June 26th - AJ and Dexter get what I have. AJ just for one day and Dexter off and on for about 5 days. VERY dehydrated. Scary even.
June 29th - Yup, you guessed it, Richard gets the illness too. I wasnt' back to 100% for 6 days. He took about 7. Our whole household inside, sick for a week and a half, self-quarantined from the public.
June 30th - To the zoo again! for the first time ever, we don't actaully walk aroudn to see animals. We ride the train, and AJ spends the day at the playground instead, while Dexter and I relax in the shade. But somehow, I still get burnt.
July 1st - Canada Day: Parade and Festivities! This day was fabulous, except for Richard still feeling ill. Parade, playing in the sand, sliding down the hill on pieces of cardboard, tattoos, bubbles, skipping, music. AJ had a blast. Dexter and Daddy, not-so-much.
July 3rd - Dexter starts taking long naps.
July 4th -Dexter's almost sitting up and Dexter has his first Baby Mum Mum.
July 5th - Charlie's 1st birthday party.
July 6th - AJ finally starts to say, "I love you too Mommy." Instead of just "I love you."
July 7th - Dexter says "Hi", and sleeps beautifully because we let him keep his paci overnight. (I should also mention that I swear he calls out for me, "Muma", and that he copied me saying, "I love you." But you know, I'm a mom, so I hear what I want to hear.
July 8th - Definite crawling motions and a lovely 2.2.5 hour nap, FINALLY!
About Dexter............
Jolly Giant
He is just a super jolly guy. He laughs until he's out of breath and wheezing, usually thanks to AJ's antics. With the exception of Witching Hour and Growth Spurts, he's really happy all the time.
The Play Arc
He's been loving this for quite a while. He loves to pull on all the assorted toys until the thing practically collapses down onto him.
The Jolly Jumper
So, I put Dexter in this spot on at 3 months old. Oh wait, no, a little after because I let AJ go in the original one and he broke it. I guess 24 pounds IS too heavy.
Dexter, in 2 months, has changed so much, and the jolly jumper is where to see this change. He used to just dangle and enjoy if you bounced him softly. Now, he's viciously bouncing up and down and side to side, just narrowly missing the door frame. I've got to keep an eye on a hall-wandering-AJ though who will just start to reef on the thing. Dexter loves it, but it spells D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R !
Greedy Grabber
So it's almost 2 months ago now that Dexter really started grabbing for things. This morning, he grabbed his cereal right off the kitchen table and turfed it on the floor.
When I put him into his new car seat, he immediately reaches for his banana toy.
Rolling and Crawling
So, I still haven't witnessed him roll from tummy to back, but he's really getting close to crawling. He can get where he needs to go by shimmying, but today, I witnessed for the first time, him really pushing up off his hands, he put his knees under him in the middle of our living room floor, and pushed forward toward the toy he wanted.
Songs He Loves
He loves when I push his toes up his nose and sing "toes to the nose" and he loves when I sing him "rocking horse" and "Ride that Bike"
Shauna's Wedding and the Resulting Soy Formula
Dexter was really great for our trip the the Island, but that night his congestion that he's had since birth, worsened.
That was the last straw. We took him to the doctor when we got back and the doctor really thinks it's a milk allergy. We switched him to soy formula, reluctantly as we are pretty anti-soy. It makes sense, as his congestion did worsen during weaning from breast to bottle. The more formula, the more congestion. When we switched to the soy, it got better. It's not gone, but it's better.
He has an appointment with the paediatrician on the 24th of July. We're hoping it's not an additional cat allergy. I'm thinking it's dust, cats, orange foods, simethicone, or some secret ingredient that's in powder formula, but not concentrate formula.
Dirty Dirty Dexter
Well, we've spent many a day outside weeding as of late. I could hear Dexter laughing his head off watching AJ throwing dirt in the air with a shovel. I was on lower level of the garden so I didn't notice from my angle, just how close AJ was to Dexter.
When I got over to Dexter to pack up to go inside, he just just covered in dirt. His mouth, oh yeah, he ate dirt for sure.
Tummy Sleeps
Thank goodness! Finally! I've been waiting for this day, and of course, like I assumed, it's made nap times better for Dexter.
Sippy Cup
He just guzzles water from his sippy at dinner time and lunch time. I'm impressed. I may soon, move his lunch time bottle to a sippy when I introduce meat to his lunches.
Napping
Finally, long naps, and today (July 8th), for 2.25 hours. It only took him 6 months.
Sitting Up
He can sit unaided for about a minute. But I stay right behind him because he will fall, but he's getting better.
Solids and then Some
Yup, a Baby Mum Mum cracker and he knew just what to do with it. Grabbed it and brought it right to his mouth and started biting and sucking away. He is entranced by this yummy item.
First Words
I know, I know, he's only 6 months old. They're probably not really words, but let me be proud mommy will you?
Muma - seriously it sounds like this when he's calling out in the morning.
Hi - Okay, now this one's real. AJ and I will say "Hiiiiiiiiii" in the morning, and he immediately replies with a "Haaaaiiiiiiiiii". It's super cute.
I love you - This one's a long shot, but I said it to him and I swear it sounded like he tried to copy me.
The Paci
I let you keep it overnight, and lo and behold, yes, you went back to sleeping through. Let's see if it happens two nights in a row.
About AJ........
Clever Chatter
Although I still have to translate him for strangers sometimes, he's using such big sentences now even using things words like 'are' 'is' 'ourselves' 'myself', etc. His sentences are upwards of 10-12 words long, but I haven't counted the 'story' situation when he's explaining something to me, so it could be more.
He's really been into the whole "how are you doing" thing. He likes to ask,"Hi _____, how are YOU doing?" He likes to reply with either, "I'm fine." Or "I'm well, thank you." or "I'm doing very well." lol. It's very cute. He especially likes to ask you this if he knows you are mad.
Common questions from AJ while we're driving are "What are we on?" or "What are we in?" It's funny because we'll be driving between some trees and he's thinking that we're in the trees or something. If we're driving beside water, he thinks we're actually driving on the water. Ah, to see things through a child's eyes. I remember looking at the Patullo bridge as a child and thinking that we were going to be driving on the orange arc part. lol.
After the last sleep over at my mom's place, AJ was asking about Kim and Paul. Where's Uncle Paul? Where Kirsty? Where's Other Kirsty?" 'Other Kirsty' is what he calls Kim's friend Kaitlyn. I guess he just refuses to say her name for some reason.
Potty Training
Well, I would count AJ as potty trained since slightly before his second birthday. You know, like staying dry all day and wearing underwear instead of pull ups.
There's been more advancement in this area over this month. I would say that 6 out of 7 days in a week, he wakes dry from his nap, and about 4 out of 7 mornings, he wakes dry from his night sleep. It kind of depends on when he wakes up. The later he sleeps, the less likely that he's still dry.
This has already gotten better since I last typed this. He's dry for about 6 out of 7 naps a week.
Sassiness
He's getting very clever in the 'smart A$$' kind of way.
EXAMPLE...
He is normally not allowed to ride his ride on cars in the kitchen UNLESS Dexter is sleeping and I don't want him going down the hall. Well, thereis one nap that Dexter used to take while I get dinner ready from about 4:30-5:00pm. AJ will refrain from riding his cars all day until THIS NAP.Then, while I'm trying to make dinner, he'll come cruising in and he'll see that I'm itching to get ticked off about him riding in there and he'll stop, look up, smile, and say, "Dexter's sleeping, so I ride my car in the kitchen." That little bugger.
There's been a lot of naughty spot visits lately and tantrum time has finally settled in for us. Good grief. What a drama queen. I can't imagine where he gets it from.
Another favourite sassy time for AJ is when I've asked him to come to me. He yells, "I'm coming!" If I call him again because he's not coming, he comes trapesing down the hall yelling, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" and finally, right up in my face, "I'M COMING!" Again, I really don't know where he gets this. lol.
Best Big Brother
He's really being great with Dexter. I think he's really noticing how Dexter is changing and learning things and becoming more of a playmate rather than a decoration, for lack of a better word.
He loves to get Dexter into stitches of laughter and he loves having 'crib time' with Dexter.
Today (July 8th), when i had the two of them in the jogging stroller, AJ literally had Dexter screaming in fits of laughter for the whole 20 minute jog around the lake. Too funny.
I should also add that for about 5 minutes of that jog, AJ thought it would be a good idea to lean on Dexter in the stroller.
Naps or Bust
Well, I have a decision to make. What's more important to me, smooth bedtime or daytime nap. If I let AJ sleep too late, like past 2:00pm, then he doesn't want to fall asleep until 9:00pm or LATER! If he has no nap at all, then he's cranky in the afternoon, whiny, crying about everything, and just generally a giant PITA, IYKWIM. I don't want to shorten the nap too much because when the two boys are napping, that's 'my time'. We'll have to see what I figure out in the next few days of experimentation with his naps. At least on the days that he didn't nap, he was willing to have 'room time' where he stays in his room for the 1.5 hours and plays alone with the door closed. That was peaceful and I think he really got some serious playtime in there. You could hear the imagination working overtime through the monitor.
Colouring
So after someone mentioned to me 'colouring in the lines', I decided to try this with AJ, and sure enough. He can do it. We call it 'colouring in' as opposed to 'colouring all around'. It's fun to watch him try so hard to fill in a car shape, a wheel, a face, a hand, etc.
Not to mention, he's also really great at tracing shapes, letters, etc. He's getting better and better every day.
Jurassic Park
Yes, that's right. Give me another worst mom of the year award.....
I'm watching tv and AJ was in the room and I happened upon Jurassic Park.
It was the beginning part when everything's all nice. AJ's getting really interested in the dinosaurs and pointing them out and such.
Then the bad stuff starts happening when the T-Rex starts flipping the tour vehicles and eating people.
All of a sudden, I clue into what we're watching.
I say, "Oh what a crazy scary bad dinosaur. Let's watch something else."
He says, "No Mommy. I want to watch the dinosaur movie. Let's watch the big scary dinosaur. Crazy dinosaur."
So I ask him if he thinks it's scary. He says yes. I ask him if he would like me to turn it off and he says no.
So, enjoying the movie and fascinated by his response, we continue to watch it.
Now, he is scared by parts of it, enough that he wants to sit on my lap to watch it, but not outwardly acting scared. I kept saying to myself, "What am I doing? Am I crazy?"
So, at one point, the T-rex is eating one of the other dinosaurs and AJ's saying, "Where did his head go? Where's his tail."
I think I was justifying him watching the movie by thinking, "This is no different than watching Animal Kingdom. This is nature." lol.
Anyhow, there's only been one or two nights of dinosaur bad dreams, and that's after now watching Jurassic Park parts 2 and 3 now as well (thanks Daddy).
He is asking often still to watch what he refers to as "The Kid Movie" (I'm guessing because of the two kids that are in it).
I figure, kid's in war-torn countries have seen WAY worse and people killing people. Maybe AJ's going to be an 'EMO' all dressed in black and watching horror films.
Hmmmmm.
Cars
AJ loves to ride ANY vehicle in the house no matter how small. Hot wheels motorcycle? No problem! There he is like so many clowns, just riding his miniature motorcycle around the house. What a goof!
Not to mention, he LOVES the movie Cars. Just loves it.
Oh yes, and lest we forget. He doesn't like our car. It's not good enough. He wants to go home in the fancy cars.... Hummers, Bugs, Mustangs, Escalades, Jeeps, even.
First Movie
I took AJ to see his first movie, "Wall-E". He was so good. He sat still and watched the whole thing. He loved the characters and was talking about the movie non-stop on the way home. He also really enjoyed the unlimited popcorn and Fruitopia mixed with Sprite. Sugar! What a treat!
Starbucks
Asks to go, I swear. I don't drag him. He requests it. This is definitely my kind of kid! He can even spot a Starbucks from the highway.
We've made quite the trips to Starbucks, especially now that Auntie Jen ventures there with us.
Here's the Starbucks group...
Mommy
AJ
Baby Dexter
Auntie Erica
Jack
Baby Rya
Auntie Jen
Makenna
Baby Emerson
Baby Jaxon
(and you thought it was a place to unwind!)
Books
We took out Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See from the library a few weeks ago, as surprisingly, I don't already own it.
AJ really likes it, not surprisingly, since he loves Panda Bear Panda Bear too.
So, it was breakfast time the other day, and I was asking him what kind of fruit he wanted: a brown pear, a green pear, an apple, or an orange.
He says, "Brown Pear please."
He then, takes a second and lets that sink in, and begins to say, just like the book,
Brown Pear
Brown Pear
What do you see?
I see a green pear looking at me.
Green Pear
Green Pear
What do you see?
I see another brown pear looking at me.
It was very cute.
AJ and His Music
He had his last music class and is still asking about it. I'll be putting him in Fine Arts preschool in September, and I think he's really going to love it.
I can't help but notice how well AJ stays on beat, like when tapping a drum. He pauses when the music pauses even.
Gymanstics
I'd really like to get AJ into gymnastics too. He loves doing forward rolls and headstand-type-things. I think this could be 'his thing'.
The Bird Sanctuary
I shouldn't have referred to it as the 'bird zoo'. I was thinking it would help him visualize where we were going, but the whole time there, he just kept asking, "Where's the Zoo".
He loves feeding the birds, and we came back with extra bird seed that we shared with birds at the local park.
