Terrible Twos?

CAMERON

Mom and dad think I'm starting my terrible twos.  Perhaps it's because I am extra whiny lately and like to throw my toys when I get frustrated.  However, I attribute my recent cranky behavior to all the teeth that are coming in.  I now have 3 molars and at least 3 more teeth that have cut through the gums, but are not yet erupted through all the way.  I also wake up one or more times many nights a week.  Again, I blame the teeth.  Mom and dad aren't sure if it's the teeth or possibly some nightmares.

There's not much that scares me so far, except for thunderstorms.  My poor babysitter Emily was with me the last time we had a thunderstorm and since it was only the second one of the year, mom and dad didn't know for sure that I was so terrified of them.  I especially don't like the lightning and prefer to stay up in my room with the blinds drawn, fan and radio on, and an adult hanging out with me.  If I'm downstairs, I keep pointing out the windows, want to be held and will get upset until it stops.  I also associate heavy rain with storms so sometimes now I get a little upset when it's raining hard.  Or perhaps that's because I can't go outside and play, my favorite thing to do.

When the weather is nice, we spend a lot of time outside.  As you can tell from the picture to the left, I enjoy helping daddy plant trees and bushes.  I also enjoy the nature walks mommy takes me on.  It's simply us (and Nathan in the baby carrier) walking up and down our street looking at the trees, birds, ants, and other things that catch my eye.  I usually come home with a souvenir from our nature walks.  Leaves are my favorite, but sticks and stones are also interesting.

I'm still a little peanut, but am finally in 18 month clothes, except for long pants.  Despite my size, I'm still a big boy according to mom and dad.  That means I now take a bath in the regular bathtub and don't use the plastic bath anymore.  That's for Nathan.  I also sit on my potty seat on the toilet though I don't actually use it to go yet.  However I still let mom and dad know when my diaper needs to be changed by grabbing or patting my wet diaper.

My vocabulary keeps expanding.  Aunt Kali visited us from Seattle this past weekend and taught me how to say her name, her dog's name (Harley) and Uncle Tom's name. I also will say people's names when I see pictures of them.  For example, when I saw the picture of Aunt Kali and Nathan included in this posting, I said "Kali".  Not bad considering I just learned her name this weekend while! Here I am saying some (not all so don't feel slighted if you are not mentioned) of my favorite foods and people (and sorry - haven't figured out how to edit videos yet so the talking doesn't start until about 30 seconds in.)

My diet is also expanding.  Mom was making a homemade tomato sauce the other night and not knowing what it was, I begged for some of the raw onion she had cut up.  I liked it enough to come back several times asking for more.  I also had asparagus for the first time last week.  Mom pureed it and made a pesto sauce out of it for our pasta.  She is trying to get me to eat more vegetables and that trick actually worked.  She put small pieces of spinach in my peanut butter sandwich the other day and I ate most of it too, but found some pieces and picked them out.

One of mom's favorite moments from last week happened when we got to the gym for her water aerobics class.  We got out of the car and as soon as I realized where I was, I started to get excited and kept saying "play" because I get to play with all the cool toys at the day care.  I'm still not much for playing with the other kids, but I do keep an eye on Nathan to make sure he is having fun too.  This is quite the change from pre-Nathan when I would scream when mom dropped me off, but then would be fine as soon as she was out of sight.  Because I'm doing better and mom would like me to continue building my social skills, she may enroll me into a daycare or preschool group for one morning a week this fall or winter.

One of daddy's favorite things I do right now is how I say "please" and rub my belly (my version of the sign for please) whenever I want something.  Usually it's food I want, but sometimes it's to go down in the basement and play (daddy and I's favorite place to hang out together) or to read a book or something else fun.  But it's hard for dad or mom to resist my cuteness when I say please.  I've got them wrapped around my finger!

Finally, my highlight of the past few weeks included visits from friends and family, trips to the park where I enjoy going down the enclosed tube slide the best, and lots of outside time.  One of my favorite activities was watching my friends Ben and Eli play their first coach-pitch baseball game last weekend.  They both played really well, had lots of fun playing and their team won on top of it all!   Here is a video of me practicing my cheers for Ben & Eli.  I can't wait until I'm old enough to play too.

Love,
Cameron

NATHAN

I am definitely a growing boy!  At my two month doctor's appointment last Tuesday, I was 11 lb 8 oz (50%) and 23 in (75%) long.  I am quickly growing out of my clothes and wear 3-month clothes now.


As you can see from my pictures, I'm quite a happy little boy.  Although I tend to get a little crankier in the evening, especially if I didn't nap well during the day, I am full of smiles.  I love watching the toys hanging from my bouncy seat and will sometimes accidentally swat at them.  I also do good with tummy time, but prefer to be upright rather than on my back or stomach.  Maybe that's because I'm still a gassy guy.

For a while, I was napping at the same time as my big brother which I think my mommy appreciated.  However, this past week I have not been so cooperative with naps.  In fact, I have been very stubborn about taking any sort of nap.  I will fall asleep in the car, but then I wake up once we stop and won't go back to sleep.  Or, if mommy puts me down for a proper nap in my crib, I stay awake and complain until I get moved into her arms or into my bouncy chair or car seat or baby carrier.  I've also been stubborn about going to bed the past few nights too.  But once I'm asleep, I have been going until 4:30 or 5:30am most nights.


I have managed to stay healthy except for a visit to the ER almost two weeks ago.  My car seat and I took a spill off the kitchen table after the seat tipped over while mommy was putting me in it.  I am fine, but it was scary for mommy.


Mommy calls me the mellow one (except for when I'm refusing to sleep, or during my super cranky period tonight).  Yesterday when mommy, Aunt Kali, Cameron and I were out to eat, I spent the whole meal just peacefully sitting in my car seat.  I did the same at dinner too.  The waitress didn't even know I was there until we were getting ready to leave and mommy was buckling me back in.


Love,
Nathan