Status Update

Life has significantly changed since my last milestone marker post. For example:

• JJ started his job at a school and has been gone every day. A regular paycheck will commence!
• Our babysitter decided it was best if she not keep the kids once school starts (so….)
• I am changing my availability to work one day a week and 2 evenings, thus preparing to stay home with the kids a majority of the time. Yowsers! 

I have more mental preparation to fully comprehend the implications of these changes, but the kids just keep on growing and developing day by day like always.

H Boy (21 months)

• The two word phrases have started! Yesterday, when the dog pooped by the door, it was “doggy yucky” (so proud of him for staying in the garage while I cleaned up! I was scared he might decide to draw in it like he does his milk when he spills it on the high chair). Today was “baby night night” and “coffee hot”. Other words making a regular appearance in the vernacular: down, sissy, more (the word, not just the sign), car, truck, tractor, moo. And belly button (complete with a visual aide).
• The other day he picked up an airplane and said, “aaagghhh” which is the Ling 6 sound we attached to it in his speech therapy. All unprovoked. My boy’s wicked smart. 
• The other day he helped make breadcrumbs by breaking up the heels and tossing them in the cuisenart (he was far enough that he couldn’t reach the blade, no worries). Cooking remains one of his favorite extra-curriculars.
• JUMPING. This kid can jump. His favorite way is from a carpet square onto the floor (a whole .5 inches) and into mommy or daddy’s lap. That cousin Jack has been quite the influence.
• Oh, the joys of unprovoked kisses. Sometimes he’ll just crawl into your lap and give a smootch. THIS is why I’m a mom. 
• And how can I not mention his prodigy-like accuracy and speed when throwing a ball? Cousin Charlie found that out the hard way (but, fortunately, was a good sport about it). 
• He’s also been quite the super helper. He will throw anything away when asked. Sometimes when not asked. 

Miss M (4 months)

• Oh, this girl’s a talker (I have NO idea where she gets it). Lots of cooing and cackling and oooohhhhh-ing. Sometimes when she’s supposed to be falling asleep…
• She’s not a lazy girl, either. LOVES to sit up and stand up on your lap. Her and daddy like to play the sit-down-stand-up game. Oh, the smiles abound. 
• She’s eating like crazy, growing like a weed. We’re well into the 3-6 month clothes. I think she might be amid a growth spurt currently as she’s now added a wake up time in the middle of the night, when she cannot be consoled without a snack. She made up for it today when she let me sleep until 7. I felt like a new woman! 
• She’s getting to be a pro at getting her fingers or thumb in her mouth, except, to our dismay, when in the crib. We’re encouraging this. You don’t have to chase a finger down in the middle of the night when it drops from the mouth. 
• Still only a weekly power poop. This week grandma M was the lucky target. Well, that and the exersaucer. I guess I should’ve warned grandma that if she’s like her mommy, that excer-anything will provoke a poo. Whoops, was that an overshare? 

JJ is starting to find his groove in the new job; there has been so much uncertainty surrounding what the job would entail and now he’s getting a feel for it. I still feel like this is quite a year for opportunity on his part, we just have to let it bloom. He’s not going to be coaching, but I’m sure we’ll be in attendance for a few games. His softball season has finally wrapped up, the house is painted and he feels quite accomplished. At least, I hope he does. That was quite a summer.

Give me another week or 2 and we’ll check back in about how I feel about this home-during-the-day thing. I think I’ll enlist the help of my early childhood friends and come up with some plans of things to do. Otherwise the 3 of us will just sit around in our jammies and wallow in filth because I’ll just think, “well, I could do that tomorrow.” I am really hoping that other opportunities could arise from the situation centered around the things I love to do the most. I think that will be dependent, again, on my motivation factor. And how well the kids nap at the same time.