Valentine's Day in a mirror

Last night, J and I quickly put together small "Valentine's" for the boys and set them out on the breakfast bar for them to see when they got up this morning.

Several Years Jump

It is quiet right now in my home, all the boys are still sleeping. It's rare that I get a chance like this in the early morning to be alone and have silence.

I have (to be honest) been avoiding journaling for some time, although I know that it's not necessarily the best for me, mentally. Journaling has always been the way for me to document the ups and downs, the milestones I've made and now that the kids are making, my thoughts and reactions to this world that we live in... and for so long I've been frozen-- thinking but unable to write, or wanting to write but afraid that my words would be insufficient or misunderstood.

Bring on the Summer Fun!

It's been unseasonably HOT here for as long as we've been in New York. It was an exceptionally sunny and warm fall, a very mild winter, and now an extremely hot spring! While we definitely did not complain during the chilly months that the snowfall was less than anticipated, we're gearing up and bracing ourselves for a scorching summer. Yesterday the heat index was 95 F, and it's still May!  Incredible.

I'm already planning a number of 'tricks' to pull out this summer when the heat has us all uncomfortable and lethargic. We tried out one a couple weeks ago, and I can see it being a blast for the boys every time.

A climber!

Little L has been reaching milestones by leaps and bounds. He has successfully figured out going up AND down stairs, which makes our lives much easier. We no longer have to hover over him if he heads for the stairs and be worried that he will take a tumble.
He's been trying to 'jump' for a couple weeks now, with no success. We're not entirely certain if he's trying to leap from the floor or rather showing off his awesome dance skills.

Transitions

The boys seem to grow larger and larger every day. We generally don't notice until suddenly B is standing on the counter, having pushed over his step stool and climbed up, or L is standing on tiptoe and reaching objects on a table that were previously unattainable.

Since the boys are growing so quickly, we are thinking seriously of transitioning them into more age-appropriate things.

A new love

Like most of the Eastern seaboard, New York had a wonderful spate of 70-80 degree weather in mid-March. I apologize for any posting absences, as we were busy outside enjoying the wonderful weather!  During this time, I introduced the boys to the concept of eating 'al fresco' and spreading blankets in our backyard for lunch. Big B particularly loved this idea and continues to ask for picnics at nearly every meal, and especially on days that Mama and the boys are home together.
Unfortunately for B, the weather has cooled off quite dramatically and now fits the average temperatures for April in New York. Not exactly my idea of a fun picnic! Add into this a wet lawn and gusty winds... we just aren't going to have picnics any time soon.

So we moved the picnic indoors! 

Here are my tips for a perfect indoor picnic:

Birthy stuff

I follow many birth-y blogs, blogs about birth safety, blogs about natural childbirth, blogs which highlight birth stories for different women. Today, my perusal of these blogs in my feed brought up the following articles:

Time for Labor has increased for women and a cord prolapse birth story.

Already One Year Old!

I can't believe that a year has already passed by.
Happy birthday, Little L (although not quite so little anymore)!  We love you so.

We had a birthday party with much of our family. 

Little L (and Big B) were definitely spoiled rotten!

Our family, March 2012.

Why Libraries are Awesome

We attend a weekly Toddler Story hour at our local library every Wednesday. Both boys love it! There's reading, songs, interactive guessing games... something for everyone! After the story hour we usually peruse the children's books for a bit and pick out new stories to bring home each week. Most of the time, our books have a distinctly truck-oriented theme. For example, this week's books are titled 'School Bus' and 'Dinotrux', respectively. We are always on the lookout for new books related to fire trucks, dump trucks, garbage trucks, school buses, or anything else that moves on wheels and plays in the dirt!

Leap Day

Today is Feb. 29th, a day that only comes every four years. In honor of Leap Day, we're planning some special activities!

Just Like That...

Babyhood is so fleeting, so swift. We were reminded of this fact yesterday, when Little L took his first unassisted steps. We had gone to get his 1-year portraits taken and decided to go earlier than 12 months for the simple fact that he WASN'T walking yet! No sooner had we told the photographer that he should be all set for L staying in the frame, off he went! We were astounded.

(Taken in December--well before L decided to walk!)

Yet another reminder that babyhood and childhood pass so quickly. In just over a month, L will reach his 1st birthday. I can't even believe that we're coming to that point already! I am making a point to really treasure moments from these days because I know that too soon they'll have disappeared and be only memories... I want to make sure I have some awesome memories to look back on.

Valentine's Day

It is so easy in the winter months to find 'special' holidays to celebrate with young kids! Most of the time, the celebrations turn out to be nothing more than a new drawing, simple and cheap decorations, and maybe some kind of treat.

This year, the boys and I made suncatchers for our windows from shredded crayons and wax paper.

Very simple and very free: the best kind of craft!

The boys also did some crafts at daycare for Valentine's day, making special keepsakes for their Mama!

And what holiday would be complete without cupcakes with pink frosting? 

Cupcakes are our new favorite baked item. 

Next up: St. Patrick's Day in March! What are your ideas for easy, fast games or activities for young children on that day?

Wordless Wednesday

The Trials of Co-Sleeping

A grouping of images from the blog 'How to be a Dad' has been passed around several friends in the past week.

*image credit: www.howtobeadad.com*

The author is writing about the trials associated with co-sleeping with a young baby. I have to admit, when I first saw these cartoons, I laughed REALLY loudly! Some of it is just so true, especially when sleeping with Little L. 'Jazz Hands' and 'The Stalker' are his current favorite positions, followed closely by 'The Neck Scarf'.  It's nice to see that other families who utilize a family bed are having the same issues with getting a good night's rest as we are, but it highlights a problem that we are facing more and more.

Winter Doldrums

It's the end of January, we've come down from our holiday excitement, the weather is cold, and there seems to be a long stretch of cold, wintry weather ahead of us before spring comes. We're in the mid-winter slump, and keeping the boys occupied, interested, and their parents sane is the latest challenge in our household!

The Importance of Free Play

We don't do very much structured play around here. The boys don't go to any music or art classes, no sports activities (at least yet), and we really don't play by any book or rules. There's something so magical about the art of free play, with seeing their imagination come to life and the wheels turning in their little heads. We've found that if we simply provide time and materials, the boys will continually amaze us with their versatility in play.

Thomas and the Froggy Potty

Yesterday, we took the plunge and Big B wore Thomas underpants all day long. He did really well at keeping 'Thomas' dry, but not so well at keeping him free of... well, you know. After the 4th time changing a #2-filled pair of underpants, I asked Big B, "Do you want to wear a diaper? You know we don't poo in our underwear." He looked at me and said "No, Mama. I want to wear Thomas, 'cause I'm a big boy."

2012 Parenting Resolutions

So it's a new year. As always, we start to think on December 31st about what we have accomplished in the past year and how we'd like to make the new year a better one. Most of the time, our resolutions are personal ones. I want to lose that baby weight. I resolve to take some time just for me. I will have a more positive outlook.


This year, in addition to my own 'personal' resolutions, I decided to make some parenting resolutions. Our family is entering a year of huge growth, both physically and emotionally. On the one hand, we have a 2 1/2 year-old toddler who is learning to have his own ideas and desires. More often than not, these can lead to tantrums and wailing when things don't turn out exactly as he desired. On the other hand, we have a 9-month old little boy who is meeting physical milestones every day. It's not enough to crawl now; he also wants to cruise furniture and climb stairs and stand all on his own! It's exhausting and exhilarating, all at the same time.

To better meet the needs of these two fantastic boys, I resolve the following:

First Post

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