I can't believe summer is almost over and that school started today (for the big kids that is--J doesn't start until after Labor Day). Anyway, I've been meaning to blog for a few weeks about all the new things my boys are doing so I decided to work it all into a big Top Ten Tuesday post. This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is...
Top Ten Ways My Boys Have Grown Up This Summer (aka, Look What We Can Do!)
10 J --Well, he still watches way too much TV, but J's favorites have changed. His most recent obsession is
Caillou. He just LOVES that show and will watch the same thirty minute episode over and over.
10N --N still does not pay much attention to the TV, but he is having lots of fun doing other big boy things like coloring with crayons and playing with matchbox cars. He's also starting to enjoy simple puzzles.
9J -- This week J rode his "motorcycle" (a Big Wheel) all the way from our house to the pool and back. It's about 5 blocks each way and he was really proud of himself. B and I were excited to not have to carry his Big Wheel home--even after swimming for an hour.
9N -- N's not riding a Big Wheel yet (although he loves to climb on J's and can get on and off quite easily), but he is mobile in other ways. N is climbing up the stairs and scooting back down very easily these days. I ALMOST trust him to go up and down on his own. Almost.
8J -- J has gotten very good at taking his clothes and pajamas off and putting new ones back on. He sometimes does this for fun during naptime. He's also gotten good at putting on his own shoes and knows his left and right feet/shoes (usually).
8N -- N also likes to be self-sufficient and loves to put his shoes away in the shoebox we keep by the door. He also loves to throw his dirty diapers in the trash and gets very upset if you try to throw them away for him.
7J -- J continues to do great with potty training and hasn't had an accident all summer. He's very good about telling us when he needs to go and goes on his own. My favorite part right now is when he declares, "I'm going to poop A LOT." (He tells us this every time he poops.) After he poops, he likes to tell us how many pieces of poop he made and what color they are. Aren't boys the best?
7N -- N is not potty-trained, but he has gotten very good at climbing on top of things like the toilet--or chairs, stools, tables, etc. He gets so proud of himself when he makes it safely into a chair and sits there like he's on a throne.
6J -- J recently got a map of the United States so we could talk about where we live and where B is when he is traveling. J can now identify Texas, Virginia (where Mooma, Papa, Aunt Cat, Uncle Ron, Michael, Lizzie, Uncle John, Aunt Shelley, Joe, Reed, Mary and Madeline are), Ohio (where Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Mike are) and Oregon (where Aunt Kristin, Uncle Chris, Oscar and Isla are) on his map.
6N -- N could care less about maps, but he's a huge fan of light switches. He can point to all of the light switches in the house and, after flipping them, can point to what he turned on or off.
5J -- J has gotten really independent at the pool. He will get in and out of the 2 ft deep pool all by himself and hang out in there by himself with confidence even if he doesn't have a life jacket or waterwings on. If he has waterwings or a life jacket or an innertube, he will get in the big pool by himself and will swim across the pool by himself. When playing with friends, he's even okay with getting splashed in the face now. Very exciting!
5N -- N has also become a fan of waterwings at the pool. He loves to wear them and walk around the 2 ft deep pool. The water comes all the way up to his chin, but he doesn't seem to mind. N's favorite thing at the pool these days: the water fountain. He LOVES it.
4J -- J continues to grow in the foods he will eat. He is eating corn and peas on a regular basis without much fight. Okay, that's wishful thinking. He will eat one or two pieces of corn and one pea and sometimes only fights for 5 or 10 minutes. Just this week, J started eating whole apples. Considering he would freak out about the tiniest bit of peel on his apple slices up until this week, this is a huge accomplishment. On the downside, if J does not feel like eating something he will proclaim over and over that he doesn't like it. This is very frustrating when said item is mac n' cheese, his (former?) favorite food.
4N -- N is getting better and better at feeding himself with a spoon. He's good at putting the spoon in the food and putting the spoon in his mouth, but is not so great at scooping. He's most successful with applesauce although it's very messy. Other new likes for him include oatmeal, cereal with milk and dried fruit like bananas, pineapple and mango.
3J -- J is really into pretend play right now. His favorite is pretending he is a fireman. He also likes to build tents and nests. He sometimes pretends he's a bear (loves to roar) or runs around and pretends to be a "bad man." Not sure where that one came from.
3N -- I have no idea what he's "pretending," but N also loves to run around, roar and be wild, and play in the nests and tents.
2J -- Sometimes I think J is 3 going on 13. One of his favorite things to say right now is "No way." His next favorite (usually after getting in trouble for saying "No Way" when I asked him to do something) is "I'm Just Kidding." Another favorite phrase is "I said..." (said with attitude after I ask him a question).
2N -- As far as I can tell, N is not giving me attitude when he talks although he does think all attempts to keep him out of trouble are funny. He laughs hysterically when you tell him to stop doing something or try to get him to be still for a diaper change. He's still generally a sweetie. For example, for three mornings this week when N got up, he took his Cookie Monster out of his crib and handed him to Pepper. She was very sad when I did not let her keep him.
1J -- J continues to be into letters. He seems to be able to identify all letters correctly now--even the lowercase ones--with only an occasional confusion (like with V and Y). He can tell you what letters spell his name and N's name. He likes to "spell" words in books by naming the letters and likes to name the numbers he sees on houses and in books. He's starting to get into writing letters and tried to write his name for the first time last week. The J was backwards and some letters were hard to recognize, but it was pretty obvious that he wrote his name. I was pretty psyched.
1N -- N is finally talking more although I still feel he is behind in his language. His latest words include "John," "Pepper" and "Uh Oh" (which is absolutely adorable). This morning he said "Please" for the first time. Love it!
