Friday, January 27, 2012
Quinn isn't all bad...
For the first time ever, we got a really good report on Quinn's day at school. Usually they politely say he had a good day, but it hasn't ever felt like daycare folks meant it. I actually imagine the teachers trying to convince the director to expell Quinn for being too emotional. During last couple weeks we've had some slightly warmer evaluation, but yesterday was off the charts. Whenever I pick the kids up I walk in to school with my apologies ready, so I was shocked when they said "Quinn was the best kid in class all day.".
He does seem much happier going to school these days. It has taken quite a while, but he doesn't cry when we drop him off and seems to be having fun most days when we pick him up. It is nice to think he isn't making everyone around him miserable.
In addition to emotional growth, he also is doing a little better with his communication. He certainly is following some instructions like "throw away xyz" or " go get". And tonight he was stacking blocks 6-8 tall.
As for Liam, he started sleeping in a toddler bed on Monday. We have this in our bedroom, but at least he is out of our bed. He is doing ok, but it will take a while for him to get comfortable. No real guess as to when we'll be able to move his bed into another room. Oh well...at least Quinn is still loving nights in his crib.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Quinn Growing Up Too
We were at lunch last week and a person said that Quinn was quite independent. I'm not sure how he could tell that in such short observation, but it is hard to argue. And while Quinn's "independence" is a bit different than Liam's these days, I guess it is all relative.
Quinn likes things his way. He doesn't have much tolerance for being told no and can throw one heck of a tantrum. The biggest battle these days is about his darn bottle and the quest to transition him to a sippy cup. Somehow at school they seem to have moved him to a cup, but at home it is still not happening. Perhaps we are too soft, but those fits are just too much to take after a while.
At lunch last week he was all smiles and happy because I let him stand on the chair while eating his hot dog and fries. He felt like he was a 'normal' kid as he didn't have a high-chair or anything that would constrain his mobility. He doesn't care that it wasn't the safest thing and most parents were probably cursing me -- especially when I left him there to go pick up food and drinks.
Quinn contorts his body in all directions when he isn't happy and makes it very hard to hold him. And when you give up and let him onto the floor he will just drop to his back.. slam his head on ground.. and roll around like a mad man. It is a bit out of Poltergeist or maybe Exorcist. It all seems a bit over the top to get milk in a bottle instead of a cup, but he seems to think it is worth it.
Communication is starting to appear for him and not always via tantrum. Hopefully as this develops a bit more, we can avoid some of the battles. Like Liam, we are trying to do some sign language with him and he is certainly getting it --- I think we worked on "more" too much as he does that sign a lot and usually when he is trying to get a bottle. Hopefully we can get him to recognize difference and start to do sign for "milk" when he wants a drink, "eat" when he is hungry, "more", and maybe even "thank you". Seems a ways off now, but he is doing more and more of that.
He isn't talking per se, but he certainly makes sounds that are similar to those we'd make for things like "bye-bye". He does a good job waving and even started to blow a kiss. Speaking of kisses, this is something he is also starting to do and was making out with some toy last night (but that is a different story) -- he does a very open mouthed kiss, but it is very cute.
As we get through Xmas, it has been very neat to see him light up when he sees Christmas lights like those on trees across the street. He really seems to love them! He also seems to know that Santa is a good guy and fixates on him whenever he appeared at mall, sidewalk, or on TV. Funny how he can already sense that being friends with the jolly fat guy can pay huge dividends.
So while he is a challenge, he is certainly getting a bit easier to be around. He still climbs a bit more than we'd like, but he is also more stable with it most of the time. Unfortunately he still manages to take a couple tumbles when he (and I) get overconfident in his abilities.
Quinn likes things his way. He doesn't have much tolerance for being told no and can throw one heck of a tantrum. The biggest battle these days is about his darn bottle and the quest to transition him to a sippy cup. Somehow at school they seem to have moved him to a cup, but at home it is still not happening. Perhaps we are too soft, but those fits are just too much to take after a while.
At lunch last week he was all smiles and happy because I let him stand on the chair while eating his hot dog and fries. He felt like he was a 'normal' kid as he didn't have a high-chair or anything that would constrain his mobility. He doesn't care that it wasn't the safest thing and most parents were probably cursing me -- especially when I left him there to go pick up food and drinks.
Quinn contorts his body in all directions when he isn't happy and makes it very hard to hold him. And when you give up and let him onto the floor he will just drop to his back.. slam his head on ground.. and roll around like a mad man. It is a bit out of Poltergeist or maybe Exorcist. It all seems a bit over the top to get milk in a bottle instead of a cup, but he seems to think it is worth it.
Communication is starting to appear for him and not always via tantrum. Hopefully as this develops a bit more, we can avoid some of the battles. Like Liam, we are trying to do some sign language with him and he is certainly getting it --- I think we worked on "more" too much as he does that sign a lot and usually when he is trying to get a bottle. Hopefully we can get him to recognize difference and start to do sign for "milk" when he wants a drink, "eat" when he is hungry, "more", and maybe even "thank you". Seems a ways off now, but he is doing more and more of that.
He isn't talking per se, but he certainly makes sounds that are similar to those we'd make for things like "bye-bye". He does a good job waving and even started to blow a kiss. Speaking of kisses, this is something he is also starting to do and was making out with some toy last night (but that is a different story) -- he does a very open mouthed kiss, but it is very cute.
As we get through Xmas, it has been very neat to see him light up when he sees Christmas lights like those on trees across the street. He really seems to love them! He also seems to know that Santa is a good guy and fixates on him whenever he appeared at mall, sidewalk, or on TV. Funny how he can already sense that being friends with the jolly fat guy can pay huge dividends.
So while he is a challenge, he is certainly getting a bit easier to be around. He still climbs a bit more than we'd like, but he is also more stable with it most of the time. Unfortunately he still manages to take a couple tumbles when he (and I) get overconfident in his abilities.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Independent Liam
Recently Liam has started to become a bit more independent with everything. And it is mostly good, but there is a sadness about him growing up. As I think I posted recently, he is at the perfect age and is just super lovable.
Normally he doesn't go to the next room without someone going with him. This week he has started to wander a bit more without dragging an adult with him. Yesterday I caught him upstairs when he thought everyone was downstairs. And today he went into kitchen by himself, pulled out some leftover chicken nuggets from the frige, grabbed a plate and cup, filled cup with water, made up the plate and even added appropriate amount of ketchup to his afternoon snack. I was amazed when I went looking for him and discovered this boy all independent.
His other funny thing is him asking for "privacy" when he uses the bathroom. Although we still get the joy of wiping....guess some more independence is desired by all.
On a sad note, today we had to euthanize our cat Lulu. We are sad and just need to find way to tell Liam.
Normally he doesn't go to the next room without someone going with him. This week he has started to wander a bit more without dragging an adult with him. Yesterday I caught him upstairs when he thought everyone was downstairs. And today he went into kitchen by himself, pulled out some leftover chicken nuggets from the frige, grabbed a plate and cup, filled cup with water, made up the plate and even added appropriate amount of ketchup to his afternoon snack. I was amazed when I went looking for him and discovered this boy all independent.
His other funny thing is him asking for "privacy" when he uses the bathroom. Although we still get the joy of wiping....guess some more independence is desired by all.
On a sad note, today we had to euthanize our cat Lulu. We are sad and just need to find way to tell Liam.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Christmas
The boys had a fantastic Christmas and we all enjoyed seeing Santa through the eyes of a child. Between Santa, Aunts and Uncles, Friends, and Grandparents these two boys opened enough gifts to start a day care facility. Everyone is so thoughtful and generous -- these boys are truly blessed (and yes a bit spoiled too!).
We stayed home for Christmas Eve and Day which was so relaxing. It was great to be in PJ's for 2 days without the challenge of travel. Plus with the Sunday holiday, we also all had Monday together to hang out and play. It really was a great family holiday weekend.
Fortunately we were able to coax a few visitors and had a nice dinner with Scanlon's on Friday night. Then on Christmas Eve we had Nana and Grampy Conley come up and spend the night.
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| Quinn on Christmas Eve |
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| Boys with Nana |
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| Our family - We are so blessed! |
On Christmas morning we discovered that Santa had arrived and had brought lots of toys for the boys. Uncle Matt and Aunt Erin joined us for breakfast and some more unwrapping.
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| Christmas Loot --- kids must have been on the 'Good Boy' list. Big OSU bean bag chair from Papa Tom; Santa brought Thomas Train table, Woody doll, a helicopter, and some clothes and toiletries; Grandparents McDonald sent boxes of trucks and a big ride around car in background. Nana and Grampy sent Toy Story Imaginix set. |
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| On his own, Liam gathered his toys and surrounded himself. The green frog is from Uncle Matt and Aunt Erin along with lots of other neat stuff. |
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| Quinn loving his singing frog and monkey. Is the frog staring at Quinn? |
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| Kids were all wired so we couldn't get a "nice" photo -- but we got at least one shot with grandparents |
It was a fabulous Christmas. We are so lucky and blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.
Merry Christmas to all!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Kids active = Fewer Blog Updates
Wow. I just realized how long it has been since I've updated the blog. It is amazing how fast time flies.
So what have I missed for news? Well the most glaring miss is that of the Thanksgiving Holiday. We had a great holiday dinner at Uncle Matt and Aunt Erin's. They hosted a family holiday for the first time and did a fantastic job with all the cooking and hosting duties. Glad to have them in the 'rotatation' for future holiday and family gatherings.
Quinn took swimming lessons this fall and those have now ended. He certainly got real comfortable with the water and had fun bonding with mommy (daddy only took him once).
Liam is back skating again. He's gone for the last 6 or so weeks and really is getting much better with his skating and is using both feet as you can see in this snippet from last Saturday.
The kids had their school photos done for the fall. I have no idea how the photographer did it because we can never get them to both sit together, smile, and look at the camera. That always seems to elude our picture taking.
We hosted our first big adults only holiday party in early December. It was a combination of close friends, family, and co-workers. We had a lot of fun getting the house cleaned up and hiding toys so we didn't look like a day-care center. The weather cooperated and we ended up with about 50 people attending. Maybe we'll go even bigger next year.
There are just a couple weeks left before Christmas. Liam is super excited! And his excitement is helping all of us also take greater stock in the Christmas spirit. There is very little in this world better than seeing the excitement of Christmas through the eyes of a 3 year old.
Liam really is such a joy these days. If we could 'freeze' him in time it just might be now as he is a wonderful mix of crazy, smart, entertaining, and yet still being cute and snugly. He still has his binky, but we've got him down to car rides and bed time. He also is still sleeping with one of us (mommy is his strong preference, but if she is at work daddy will suffice). We sometimes leave him asleep alone in his bed, but he always wakes before morning and crawls in with us. We really don't mind and actually embrace it as we know it won't last forever (right?). He is also starting to become a bit more independent and wants to do a lot of things without help -- ex. put on seat belt, potty, brush teeth, open garage door, as well as some things that depend upon his mood like getting dressed or washing self in tub. He has a wonderul memory and says lots of entertaining things. He has a lot of the alphabet down, but stumbles when he gets to Q.
As for Quinn, he sleeps great most nights and he is an adorable looking kid. He can be a challenge on the personality side as he is "very emotional" as his teacher Kim likes to say. His moods vary quite a bit and it is hard to understand the triggers of good vs. bad. And it seems lately that more have been on the negative side where he cries, throws food, bangs head on floor (actually just goes completely limp and lets head fall back against floor), climbs on everything, hits every button that beeps or lights (stove, tv, remotes), pulls down decorations, and does all sorts of things he isn't supposed to do. And despite all our attempts to say NO to him, he just ignores you or worse laughs and just does it anyway. He is a pistol for sure and we look forward to him growing up a bit and learning to communicate with us. And he is still wedded to his bottle with little signs of giving it up anytime soon. He doesn't eat consistently well, but no one would say he is underweight either.
As always, we try to cherish all the time we have together with the boys. We are very blessed and try not to take any of it for granted!
So what have I missed for news? Well the most glaring miss is that of the Thanksgiving Holiday. We had a great holiday dinner at Uncle Matt and Aunt Erin's. They hosted a family holiday for the first time and did a fantastic job with all the cooking and hosting duties. Glad to have them in the 'rotatation' for future holiday and family gatherings.
Quinn took swimming lessons this fall and those have now ended. He certainly got real comfortable with the water and had fun bonding with mommy (daddy only took him once).
Liam is back skating again. He's gone for the last 6 or so weeks and really is getting much better with his skating and is using both feet as you can see in this snippet from last Saturday.
The kids had their school photos done for the fall. I have no idea how the photographer did it because we can never get them to both sit together, smile, and look at the camera. That always seems to elude our picture taking.
We hosted our first big adults only holiday party in early December. It was a combination of close friends, family, and co-workers. We had a lot of fun getting the house cleaned up and hiding toys so we didn't look like a day-care center. The weather cooperated and we ended up with about 50 people attending. Maybe we'll go even bigger next year.
There are just a couple weeks left before Christmas. Liam is super excited! And his excitement is helping all of us also take greater stock in the Christmas spirit. There is very little in this world better than seeing the excitement of Christmas through the eyes of a 3 year old.
Liam really is such a joy these days. If we could 'freeze' him in time it just might be now as he is a wonderful mix of crazy, smart, entertaining, and yet still being cute and snugly. He still has his binky, but we've got him down to car rides and bed time. He also is still sleeping with one of us (mommy is his strong preference, but if she is at work daddy will suffice). We sometimes leave him asleep alone in his bed, but he always wakes before morning and crawls in with us. We really don't mind and actually embrace it as we know it won't last forever (right?). He is also starting to become a bit more independent and wants to do a lot of things without help -- ex. put on seat belt, potty, brush teeth, open garage door, as well as some things that depend upon his mood like getting dressed or washing self in tub. He has a wonderul memory and says lots of entertaining things. He has a lot of the alphabet down, but stumbles when he gets to Q.
As for Quinn, he sleeps great most nights and he is an adorable looking kid. He can be a challenge on the personality side as he is "very emotional" as his teacher Kim likes to say. His moods vary quite a bit and it is hard to understand the triggers of good vs. bad. And it seems lately that more have been on the negative side where he cries, throws food, bangs head on floor (actually just goes completely limp and lets head fall back against floor), climbs on everything, hits every button that beeps or lights (stove, tv, remotes), pulls down decorations, and does all sorts of things he isn't supposed to do. And despite all our attempts to say NO to him, he just ignores you or worse laughs and just does it anyway. He is a pistol for sure and we look forward to him growing up a bit and learning to communicate with us. And he is still wedded to his bottle with little signs of giving it up anytime soon. He doesn't eat consistently well, but no one would say he is underweight either.
As always, we try to cherish all the time we have together with the boys. We are very blessed and try not to take any of it for granted!
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