I love my babies!

Sometimes I just need to shout it out loud! I love them so much! As they continue to grow I am laughing more and truly enjoying my time with them.  Not that I didn't before, but the first year of Maddie's life was difficult and all my sickness this past year hasn't helped. But they are becoming much more independent and now with adding in conversation that just leaves me laughing.  Our play time is so much fun.  I am just so blessed to be spending these days at home with them.

Nate at 3 years old, so far, is better than 2 years old.  I will probably be eating these words.  He has just entered a very sweet stage.  It's not that he doesn't test us still, but he really enjoys being the big helper and has become sensitive. He doesn't like when we're mad at him and he wants to be a "good boy".  It probably also helps that Maddie is starting her terrible two's and Nate sees her getting in trouble all the time and wants no part in it.  He has developed quite the imagination.  We always have to protect the house from ogres.  When he's calling out for me and doesn't get my attention right away, he calls me "Beckie".  Not loving it but it's kind of funny to hear this little voice say my name. The other day he called out for Daddy and he didn't respond so he said "Beckie" to get his attention too. I don't think he gets that my real name is Beckie and thinks its a term used to get our attention. Afternoon naps are almost completely nonexistent, except the days he is really tired he will lie down and go to sleep.  We are maintaining quiet time though, and he does a good job playing quietly in his room until Maddie wakes up. He loves to be funny and if he does something that makes us laugh (usually a goofy face) then he will continue to do it. He just loves getting laughs out of us.

Maddie is talking up a storm. She loves to learn. The other day she was getting into the dog food. We have a book and in it it says "no no" to eating dog food and "yes yes" to eating a banana.  So when Nate saw her playing in the dog food he told her "no no".  She stopped, ran over to the book shelf and grabbed the book and opened it to that page! She has to copy what big brother does all the time. It's so cute to see them running around and playing together. She can be stubborn, but I guess she just knows what she wants. A couple of weeks ago she woke up in the middle of the night. I am trying my best not to take her back to bed with me (I had gotten into a bad habit when she was teething/sick) so I went in and sat in the chair to rock her. She said "no" and pointed towards our room.  She didn't want to be rocked, she just wanted to go sleep with Mama! She loves to wear her Hello Kitty snow boots, everywhere, everyday. She likes her toenails painted so they're "pretty".  I did it once to see if she would sit still and she did. Now she gets into my nail polish container and picks out the one she wants. She hasn't quite gotten blowing her nose yet. When I hold a tissue up to her nose and tell her to blow, she blows out of her mouth. It's hilarious.

Maddie's 18 Month Wellness

Maddie had her 18 month wellness visit this week.  She's actually 19 months but that's how it goes sometimes with scheduling the visits at the doctor's office.

She is 35 1/2" tall (100%+) and 27lbs 13oz (93%). No surprise there. Other than her ears still having some fluid in them and doing another round of antibiotics to completely clear it up, she is a healthy little girl. 

She talks so much it's crazy.  Most of it is mumbo jumbo but she does repeat so many words. Her independence has not changed, nor has her fiestiness. It is something I've decided I need to really bring in before she gets too much older and it gets out of control.  I've been a little easier with her because she is the baby, but I can tell with her personality that she's going to need me to be firm.  So she has had several time outs today and I can already tell that she is learning to listen a little bit better.

We were upstairs this morning playing and she hit Nate so I put her in her bed for a timeout (I hate lugging the kids all the way downstairs to go to timeout so they have to go to their rooms instead if we are upstairs).  Next thing I know she's walking back in the room!  I couldn't believe it! So now she can go free.  It is naptime and so far she is staying in there.  We will see what happens but once she really gets the hang of it and remembers that she can leave her crib whenever she wants we are going to have to move her.  Boo!

Double-Double Ear Infection

Both kids have a double ear infection.  I took Nate in on Tuesday for a cough.  It was a deep, hoarse cough that started Friday.  Normally I wouldn't have taken him in just for a cough (no other symptoms besides the nearly constant and normal for the season runny nose), but he had the same cough less than two weeks ago.  Thinking that it might be bronchitis, I decided I better take him in just to be safe.  Glad I did!

Maddie hasn't been sleeping well for several days, but I chalked it up to teething.  She always seems to be gnawing on something lately.  But last night she spiked a fever and could not sleep.  We were up almost all night, on and off.  I even brought her to bed with me and gave her Motrin, but nothing was working.  So first thing this morning we headed back to the doctor's office (kicking myself for not having the doctor check her when we were there for Nate as she had a runny nose too) and sure enough, she has a double ear infection too.  Hers is even worse than Nate's.  And you could tell.  She was miserable today (so snotty and gunky around the eyes).  I had to lie with her on the couch all day as she would fall in and out of sleep.  She finally started feeling good enough to get off the couch and play this evening.  Hopefully they both get a good night's sleep and feel better in the morning.

Speech Evaluation

At Nate's 3 year check-up in November, the doctor recommended speech therapy.  After the referral process and finding out the cost of speech therapy ($75/session), we decided to go with special services through the school system. I don't know why I didn't think of this first, having been taught so much about special education during college, but I guess when it's your own kids, you forget the "professional" stuff.  So that's why now, in February, we are finally getting to the evaluation and results.

The speech therapist met with him here at home a couple weeks ago.  It took him a little bit to warm up, but she is very good at what she does and brought her bag of goodies to help open him up.  She had different books and toys to use as tools for the evaluation.  At the end she felt that he was doing well and wouldn't need services at this time.

We met this afternoon to go over the formal results of the evaluation.  I was a little disheartened when I saw how low the scores were, but she assured me that he was doing fine and she also says that a lot of times the scores can be lower because it's the first visit and the child doesn't know her.  She went over everything thoroughly and I probably asked her too many times if she really thought he was okay.  She said that sometimes it's a gut thing and that the scores don't represent what she feels is the child's level.  She really thinks that he is fine and that he will come around.  She is going to check with us again in May to see how he's doing. 

She did make me feel better, and I'm trying not to focus on the scores, but looking at what he can do in each level he is behind his age, just slightly, but still behind. I expressed my concerns about his readiness for school and she doesn't see any reason why he won't be.  I feel better that she is going to keep checking in to make sure he is hitting those benchmarks.  I do think that he has made so much improvement in just the last few months since his doctor appointment and so hopefully he will continue to do so. 

Maddie is 18 Months Old

Maddie is now 18 months! She doesn't have her check-up at the doctor's until March so no stats at this time.

 

She has been babbling for awhile but she has really started saying quite a few words here recently.  She says: ouwy/ouchy, dada, mama, uh-oh, baby, paci (papi), bye bye, juice, mine, hi, please, thank you, boots, shoes, and no (we'll get to that one in a bit).  She is also saying a few other babbles that sort of sound like the word: apple, balloon, dog, and door.

 

So, yes, she's officially telling us "no".  It's great.  And of course it's the word she uses most often.  Enter the defiant stage.  We are definitely at the starting line of the terrible two's.  She is as feisty as can be.  She doesn't want to listen, refuses to do what we tell her to do, and has started hitting-especially Nate.  When she gets made she throws things or knocks things over.  Let's just say that she spends a little bit more time in time-out each day.  This has made it very difficult to take her out in public.

 

But I know that this new behavior is all part of it.  She is really becoming very independent.  She gets around so well.  She can go up and down the stairs (she really has been able to do so for quite some time), she jumps on the trampoline, can jump with both feet off the floor, and loves to tumble.  She loves to do things on her own (feeding herself, brushing her teeth, etc.).  She's still eating really well, which isn't surprising-she loves food and her mood is often dependent on it.  You should see her face when I actually have breakfast waiting for her on the table in the morning.  She literally squeals with delight. It's hilarious.

 

She still loves to read and has several in her favorites list now.  She's starting to really play with her dollies, mostly to take them on "walks" in the baby stroller around the living room.  Today she had a good time with her baby on her lap, playing, as well as hitting her, laughing the whole time. Rotten, I say, just rotten! :)  She loves Potato Head, has to play with it everyday.  She likes doing puzzles, playing with the Little People figures, and building blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

Playing Doctor

 

For Christmas we got the kids a doctor kit, so now we play almost everyday. This works out very well in the morning when I am tired and I can lay down and be the "patient".  It cracks me up to play doctor with them.  Nate will do his examination, and after each test he will say "sick!"--check my temperature-sick! heart beat-sick! knee reflexes-sick! Maddie likes the stethoscope best and will hold it up to my chest and make little "boom boom" sounds for the heartbeat. It's so cute!  

 

Nate's First Visit to the Dentist

Nate had his first visit to the dentist on Tuesday.  One of the things that attracted me to this office was the kid's room.  The room is painted in a jungle theme and there is a TV set up to watch cartoons.  Since it was his first time at the dentist they didn't want to over-do it and make it unpleasant, so they did a simple cleaning with a toothbrush and then the dentist did his exam.  Nate did really well with both.  He even liked the suction tube, which the dental hygienist said a lot of the kids don't like.  And at the end he got to choose a prize from the treasure box.  He knew immediately what he wanted--a small soccer ball and goals.  He keeps telling me he wants to go back to the dentist so I would say this first trip was a success!