Happy New Year! Before jumping ahead to 2015, I don't want to forget all the significant events and milestones from last month - birthday celebrations (Shaggy's 39th and Dad's 70th), Christmas (Samantha's first), and Samantha's baptism. Luckily, things slowed down at work after my trip to LA, so it was the perfect time to unwind and focus on the family...which meant a lot of fun and hair-pulling moments (and near broken nose) of insanity too. All in all, it was a great month that I'll certainly miss as things pick up again this week.
Josiah - 2 1/2 years old
Our little man ("the mayor", according to our neighbors) is midway through his twos. And as parents warned me, the "terrible" period is only truly beginning! While he continues to have a lot of personality and charm, he is definitely displaying more defiance and attitude these days. He has mastered the scrunched-face pout, the glares, the fake cries, the real cries/screams, the body-plants on the floor, the slaps/kicks, the teases (replacing words with "yaya" or "no"), ultimatums ("I'm mad...I don't want anything... anymore!")...and just recently, the occasional lies ("Mommy hitting me two times")! And don't even start with trying to get him to do something he doesn't want to do, like get a haircut! We had the most epic meltdown at the salon, regardless of every bribe we could think of...thus the botched-up, shaggy 'do that he'll be rocking for the next few months until we go for it again...
As frustrating as phase is, I know he is right "on schedule" and we are doing our best to be firm, consistent, and patient through these episodes. It's so much easier to give into him and just throw him a video ("press red!" = YouTube) or a snack...which I admit, we sometimes do. Most of the time, he's a good kid that's probably acting out from being cooped up at home. We've finally bit the bullet and signed him up for part-time daycare starting next week. I'm ultimately excited for him to make friends, have more stimulation and organized activities, have more structure/discipline...and have them attempt potty training for us! But I'm so anxious about the adjustment period (for him and us!), and a little sad for Samantha and our nanny since they're so used to having him around 24/7. But as they say, change is good. So I'm trying not to worry, and trust in the natural resilience of kids. Last Sunday, Josiah stayed in Sunday School by himself for the first time! I'm taking that as a signal that the timing is right.
Aside from his moments of bad behavior, he's still my silly & sweet boy and original baby (although he corrects me with "I big brother" when I call him this). He's been more attached to me this month and will spontaneously give us hugs, kisses and "I love you guys". What's equally cute and frustrating is that he always wants to be carried, and only by me ("I want you to hold it. Carry me please Mommy") and will cling onto my arms and legs until I pick him up. As hard as it is on my back, I secretly love his preferential treatment :)
He's also moved officially out of his crib and into the bed in their shared room. Since it's a full-size, it's pretty much just a larger, make-shift crib since we use body pillows to flank the sides and he sleeps on top of the covers. Regardless, he seems to love it...but now requires us to stay with him until he falls asleep. As much as we want to be firm, we don't want to risk him screaming and waking up Samantha (to which she will yell back in anger). And now that he can just walk out of the room himself, we don't have much leverage in the situation. Sooo..another rough patch in the sleep department, that is slowly getting better again.
His communication skills continue to be rapidly growing...while listening skills are still not great (gets that from his dad, haha). He remains obsessed with numbers, letters, shapes, and colors and often recites them spontaneously on his own. I even caught him in the baby monitor making shapes with his hands. Here is a list of recent Josiah sayings this month:
- It's a Christmas miracle! Santa is on Mistletoe Mountain.
- That's amazing! I love it!
- Thank you Friend!
- Ay yay captain! Coming through!
- Hello down there!
- I sad. I want to go home!
- Are you get me out of here?
- We go to beach, get coconuts, make sand castles
- Mommy, are you ok? I give you boo-boo (with a smooch).
- I help Mommy be pretty (watching me in the bathroom)
- I really hungry. I want chicken and rice.
- She is soooo cute (to Samantha)
- Is it Disney, Disney Junior, or Disney XD? (when watching TV)
Samantha - 8 1/2 months old
How do I start with our little Sammy? Her diva streak continues! While her disposition is generally calmer than her brother's, you can already tell she's the tougher one out of the two. Honestly, I think she is like a cat - calmly waiting, observing, and choosing her moments to strike! She even has cat-like movements, constantly swatting at our faces, scratching rugs/couches, and grabbing things. She has become an pro at tossing away her toys and stealing Josiah's right under his nose...which instigates a screaming match between both. As young and innocent as she may seem, I truly believe she knows what she's doing...always with a little sly smile on her face. Her newest thing is slapping my face or pulling my lips (particularly when I'm looking at my iPhone!) and laughing in response. Now that she is sitting up and almost crawling, look out world!Samantha has mastered her deadpan resting face and "mean mugging" stares. But she doesn't stay still for long - she has fully found her voice and will randomly yell out "AHHH" or blow raspberries for attention. She loves it when we spin her around in circles - she will close her eyes in bliss and scrunch up her face into a big smile. Even her nanny has mentioned that "she likes rough play", whatever that means! She continues to love bath time and being naked in general. Daddy is worried!
She still isn't the greatest napper. She will only nap for about 30-45 minutes at a time, before waking up in hysterics. She's become much more high maintenance about wanting to be held constantly, to her nanny's exhaustion. Luckily, despite not napping well, she still sleeps through the night well...with the exception of this week, since she is getting over her first cold :(
The biggest change this month is that Samantha has finally found her appetite! She now guzzles 6-8 ounces of milk and will start screaming when she's hungry. She gets hyper and sort of babbles "baba" when she seem her bottle. Given how hard it was to feed her in the early months, I welcome this change! She's also better with solids too, and we are moving into meats and thicker textures. Even still, you can tell she wants to skip ahead to the grown-up stuff. Despite this increase in appetite, she seems to be trimming down. Her checks are not as plump as before, but still very kissable :)
Me - age undisclosed (haha)
Speaking of weight, I am now determined to lose some of my baby LBs and focus on my health. 2nd time baby weight is much harder to lose than the first time around! I guess having a fitness-guru as a sister has its perks!
Now that I haven't been nursing for over a month now, I need to accept the fact that I cannot justify all the carbs and snacks I consume each day. And weirdly enough, my stomach is back to being sensitive, as it was in my pre-pregnancy days. So even more reason to cut back on bad foods.
Other 2015 resolutions:
- Less screen time for all of us, but especially me! How I love my iPhone and TV binging! But it's definitely had an effect on my 'engagement' with the family and ability to sleep at night.
- Less worrying and anxiety. Gotta let things go, not obsess over to-do lists and enjoy the present.
- More decisive actions...that ranges from the big things, to the smaller things like shopping/returning!
- More praying and reading the Bible as a family. This will directly affect all of the above!
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