A new normal

A year ago we became 1st time parents, nearly 8 months later we became parents for the 2nd time, and now 5 months after that we are..............................finally starting to feel like we are living a normal life. (Were you nervous that I was going to announce something else?) Granted, it's a normal we have never experienced before. But, it is a small feeling of sanity and we will gladly take it! On the 17th Drew turned 5 months old and we feel like we are over the hump, or close to it. Most of the colic symptoms are gone, we are all sleeping longer (those 12 hour nights didn't last, though), we can tell that he feels better, and he is just coming alive. As a 5 month old, Drew is able to entertain himself a little bit better with toys and interact more with people. My favorite new thing is that Andrew is becoming more of a cuddle and snuggle bug. This is very important to a mother! This week Andrew started eating baby food. I can't believe that it is already time! Since we have already been putting rice cereal in his bottles, I decided that it wouldn't make sense to have that be his first spoon-fed food. So, he has been eating carrots. And, he's eating like a pro. Is he not adorable?

Sarah is at a very fun age, albeit, challenging. Oh, the wonder of being two! It truly is a foreshadowing of adolescence. One minute she's laughing and the next she is on the verge of an emotional crisis. She actually enjoys her timeout chair and sending her to the chair is almost like pressing the re-start button on her. She is back to calm and happy after timeout. Sometimes, if I have the baby in my arms and I can't physically put Sarah in timeout, I'll just tell her to go to timeout. Sarah will actually go and get her little chair, face it towards the corner, and sit down. Sometimes I even find her "playing" timeout. She'll go back to the spot where she got in trouble, shake her head no, then go to timeout. Then, she does the "all done" sign with her hands and gets down from the chair. Oh, but Sarah is a stubborn thing. As all two year olds do, she has selective hearing and obeys in slow motion (or, not at all).

Both the kids are going to an early learning center this school year the 3 days a week that I work. I was really nervous after I went to the open house for Sarah's class. Most of the kids in her class were a head taller and more verbal. Also, the kids eat sitting in a regular chair at a table and take a short nap laying on a mat. I don't consider myself to be overprotective, but I was pretty worried that it would be too much for her. After all, she still eats in a highchair, sleeps in a crib, naps for 1.5 to 2 hours, and has fewer words than a lot of 2 year olds. But, my worries were completely unfounded. Sarah has done beautifully in school and her vocabulary is growing so fast that I can't keep up with it anymore.

We have very slowly started to introduce the potty to Sarah. She is very intrigued and usually asks to go sit on the potty right after she goes in her diaper. So, we're working on a timing issue. She has a little Dora potty ring that sits on the toilet. She loves it so, so much. So much, that half the time she is wearing it on her head. That might be our other problem with the potty training - lol!

Sometime, when the night is younger, I'll have to share two funny Sarah stories that friends have encouraged me to post. I'll call one Swiper, No Swiping and the other Soggy Dreams.