all about Lydia

Lydia woke up at 4am in a wet bed. I changed her, but lacking motivation to change her bedding, I had her climb into bed with us. She snuggled in my arms for a couple more hours of sleep. And at 6am, she whispered in my ear, "All done naps, Momma". With that, the day started.

What entertainment to watch Lydia growing and learning so much - constantly exploring, experimenting and challenging her environment. She is a little sponge soaking it all in and then squeezing it out in a way that makes sense in her expanding 2-yr-old brain. Currently, she has "I" and "I'm" confused with "my", so she says things like "my tired" or "my burp".

Lydia recently decided she was willing to explore colors outside of pink, and for a couple weeks, orange was her favorite color. Two weeks ago, when it was time to get dressed, she told me "I want pretty dress", and she has worn a dress everyday since then. She has discovered chap stick and there is a drawer in the bathroom with her chap stick and hair brush. Many times a day she goes up to the bathroom to put on her chap stick and brush her hair!

Besides fashion, another passion of Lydia's is singing. There are some days she sings nonstop - which are far preferred to the days she whines nonstop! Lydia also likes to draw, color, and count and shows an interest in reading. She likes to watch Barney and Yo Gabba, and likes My Little Pony's and horses.

Our little girl - what an adventure you are!

Reggie's first hair cut

BEFORE:

AFTER:

all about Brett

Not a creative title, but it's been awhile since I've devoted a post to Brett. (stay tuned for a post "all about Lydia")

I attended Brett's first school conference yesterday and his teacher had great things to say about him. He has adjusted well to school and participates and works hard to learn new things. Brett loves going to school - he is always excited when I tell him it's a school day! Brett also continues to work hard in his speech and occupational therapies. His sentence structure and articulation are making good progress. His sense of balance has improved, and he is able to focus on his fine motor skills for longer periods of time. We still have lots of work ahead of us, but his progress is very encouraging!

Brett continues to be our little helper around the house - whether we want it or not! In the picture above, Reggie did not actually need help eating his yogurt, but was a willing participant! It's hard to believe that when Brett was Reggie's age, we were bringing home baby #3!

Some of Brett's favorite things to do include going outside and for walks, playing games or doing activities with Papa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, or Bonnie, cooking or baking projects, wrestling with Dad, reading books, and playing with his leappad. Brett likes Buzz Lightyear and rocket ships, although he has yet to watch any of the movies. But I think Brett's favorite thing to do is eat! Wow! This kid eats a lot of food.

A few things Brett has recently learned to do are make his own toast, put on his socks and shoes, count to 12, sing a few songs with all the words, and pray to thank God for our meals.

Because this little boy has so much energy, I can't wait for the snow to melt and the yard to dry up. We are looking forward to enjoying parks and playgrounds again!

I think the best thing I heard at Brett's conference was that they could tell Brett was loved and well-adjusted and cared for by his family. Maybe they say that to all the parents...but after a very terrible day around the house...it was really good to hear.

theory of toddlertivity

The theory of toddlertivity goes something like this:

HT≤(WC×3)⋀3

When attempting to complete a household task (HT) while caring for a toddler, a caregiver can expect the amount of work created (WC) by the toddler to be equal to or greater than the household task completed. The work created (WC) grows exponentially with each additional toddler. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the caregiver to not attempt the household task.

But I'm a slow learner.

swimming class

Two and a half years ago when I told my brother (who has 5 kids) I had signed Brett up for swimming lessons at age 9 months, he laughed and said "That's something only first-time parents do." Sounded like a challenge to me! All three of our kids have taken swimming lessons at least once before 1.5 years old! Here are some pictures from Reggie's swimming lesson.