I'm writing this post on the train to Philly, since these trips are the only moments I have to myself these days. Josiah turns 3 next week so I want to recount his last month before he transforms into a dreaded "threenager".
If this month has been any early indication, his threes are going to an emotional ride. One minute he will be cracking up with laughter, singing songs and making up dance moves...and then the next he will be crying or walking around in a huff. His big thing these days is sharing how "upset" and "angry" he is and that his feelings are hurt. Yesterday, I even heard him mutter "Jesus" under his breath, which promptly led to some questioning! I think it's good that he's learning to "use his words", but I think he's enjoying the attention he gets from stomping around a little too much. It doesn't help that the "Inside Out" movie trailers are always on TV. I think that may be encouraging him a little too much to express his emotions. He especially likes to imitate "anguh" and "isgust". On a happy note, we're going on a date to see it (his first movie in a theater) together!
Josiah has been exhibiting more independence and desire to do things himself. I'm glad to seem him braver on the playground and pool - for example, he suddenly wanted to climb up the slide and rock wall like the other kids...but then he got a little scuffed up when a kid fell on top of him. And he wanted to "swim" by himself, only to swallow lots of water. I know this is normal and actually good in some ways, but I am still a helicopter parent. He also got bit on the arm by some kid in daycare...so I know we can't control every weird and unexpected incident that will come his way. But still, I try the best I can!
The one area that has not been progressing at all is potty training. We still drag our feet especially since he has not demonstrated any desire to move out of diapers. He's only told us a few times that he's needed the potty, but then he changes his mind. People say to look out for signals of readiness, but we don't see any at all. The other day he did declare "I want to push with my best friend, Mommy!" and then "I want to stay in my poopy all day", which was weird but at least something new! I wonder when things will click for him.
This has been a tough disciplinary month. Sometimes he just whines non-stop about all kinds of things (e.g. blanket is not covering his feet completely, Samantha is coming toward him, he wants to skip the commercial, etc.) and it's so difficult to calm him down and talk through each situation. He is already a pro at selective listening (gets it from his Dad? Haha) and evades eye contact when he knows he's misbehaving. And he's started turning our words against us and often asserts, "I'm asking you a question!" or "stop it!" when he wants to argue with us. I admit he's still pretty spoiled, so we're trying to figure out the best way to get through to him, especially when he's not quite there in understanding actions and consequences.
The one area that has not been progressing at all is potty training. We still drag our feet especially since he has not demonstrated any desire to move out of diapers. He's only told us a few times that he's needed the potty, but then he changes his mind. People say to look out for signals of readiness, but we don't see any at all. The other day he did declare "I want to push with my best friend, Mommy!" and then "I want to stay in my poopy all day", which was weird but at least something new! I wonder when things will click for him.
This has been a tough disciplinary month. Sometimes he just whines non-stop about all kinds of things (e.g. blanket is not covering his feet completely, Samantha is coming toward him, he wants to skip the commercial, etc.) and it's so difficult to calm him down and talk through each situation. He is already a pro at selective listening (gets it from his Dad? Haha) and evades eye contact when he knows he's misbehaving. And he's started turning our words against us and often asserts, "I'm asking you a question!" or "stop it!" when he wants to argue with us. I admit he's still pretty spoiled, so we're trying to figure out the best way to get through to him, especially when he's not quite there in understanding actions and consequences.
The good news is that Josiah has been playing a bit nicer with his sister...but only if he retains control. He's sharing more (or at least learning to put on a good front), but still wants to always make sure he keeps a distance from her and her grabby and destructive hands. He gives her select toys (aka the worst ones) to play with and calls out to her "here little fella". He even asks her "How are you Samantha? Are you feeling well?" The other day we saw Samantha handing toys from her playpen to Josiah so he could arrange them in a straight line, like an assembly line. Samantha looked thrilled to be included. By and large, separating them is still the best tactic, but every now and then, we catch an adorable moment and hopefully a glimpse of a good relationship in the future.
SAMANTHA - 14 months
Samantha is Little Miss Trouble now. She's still on the small side, but we have learned not to underestimate her. Her gentle and innocent demeanor is completely gone, probably due to being on constant defense with her brother! She wants in on all the action and will scream and throw things if we don't give in immediately to her desires. She spits out food that she doesn't want, bangs her utensils and cups on the table, and throws her head and body back when she wants us to put her down. She's always screaming. Even our nanny said she can't take her to restaurants for lunch because she's so disruptive to the other patrons! I think Samantha likes the attention and is also frustrated at not being able to communicate. We are hoping this will change soon. Not a ton of progress there, but she's moved on from only "do do" and now always says "Eee" when she wants something or "D" in a high pitched voice, which we think means Daddy. Shaggy doesn't believe me, but I swear that she said "Hola Mom" the other day!
As much as Josiah bothers her, she certainly likes to provoke him too. Specifically, she sticks her foot in his face constantly. Maybe we've encouraged "stinky foot" jokes a bit too much. During car rides, she always puts her foot in his seat, or tucks it under his car seat cover, since their seats currently face one another. It drives Josiah CRAZY though and sends him into fits of tears, while she just smiles and does it over and over again. (Why am I suddenly nostalgic of my childhood? Haha) Refereeing during car rides has become exhausting.
Samantha is still nowhere close to walking and thinks it's funny when we even make her try. She just relaxes her legs and lets us try with no success. She prefers to cruise around quietly on her own, so we end up finding her in all parts of the house. She loves tinkering around with toys and gadgets and likes to figure things out on her own. When she gets things to work or make sounds, she scrunches her face into a big grin and giggles. She's easily pleased by herself. She also loves it when we run around with her. We make a panting sound, which sends her into hysterics. She also loves when I wiggle my eyebrows at her. Her laughter is still the cutest sound.
She seems to be more independent than Josiah was at this age. She is always observing things, particularly watching what we're doing with Josiah to make sure she doesn't get left out. I guess that's the life of a 2nd child! This at least makes mealtime easier, since we just replicate his meals for her. She loves feeding herself and is already mastering the fork/spoon pretty well. But when she's done with her meal, she tosses everything on the floor. Regardless of how sternly I say "No, Samantha!", she just smiles and stares back into my eyes. It's actually quite startling how unapologetic she is!
Beyond this little attitude of hers, she's still a sweetie. She loves blowing kisses and making raspberries on our cheeks. And she's also still a great sleeper - while she fights her morning nap, she still takes one long nap in the afternoon (if we're lucky, at the same time as Josiah), sometimes another nap before dinner, and sleeps through the night without fail. The only caveat is that we do everything we can do not wake 'the sleeping dragon' - she lets us have it if her sleep is interrupted!
This age combination of 1 and 3 has been really rough on us, but we're getting by. We have a busy summer ahead - birthday parties, Sesame Place, vacation in Florida, etc. so we're hoping to keep the kids active and tired all season long :)
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