Oh Boy Oh Boy, Part II

Graham had his first haircut care of Malia. We put his hair in a little pony tail and she cut that off for me to put in his baby book, and then she trimmed all his baby wisps off. He looks like such a little boy now! Today he had his 18 month well baby visit (finally!). He is not quite as little as I thought. He weighed in at 26lbs (45th percentile) and is 2' 10" (92nd percentile!). I have a feeling he might have some strong tall/skinny genes and is likely to end up like his Uncle Arin (complete with eye lashes to die for).

Oh Boy, oh Boy!

 Two years ago today we found out we were having a boy, and recently it has become clear, besides the fact he has a penis, Graham is all boy! However, he spends most of his time with big sister Gwen. I have come to realize, I am not his first teacher, she is. Graham is learning how to play, communicate, fight, love, get in trouble, etc, from his big sister. Graham may look to me or Spencer for reassurance, but he looks to her for direction. Yes, it is frightening. This is so much so that while he seems to favor his right hand, he often uses his left hand, mimicking his left handed sister. So, it is not unheard of for Graham to request to wear a tutu like Gwen and her friends. He has asked for ponytails more than once, his hair is just too short (though he is working on a wicked mullet). I started realizing my baby was a boy when doing the downward dog pose toddlers like to do he put his hands out, balancing on his head and giggling as if to say, "Look Ma. No hands!" I don't know how he knows how to do this, no one else in the house does it, but he will take cars and pretend like they are driving around making car noises and everything. He likes to kick balls, throw balls, and hug them. Big sister was and continues to be a very active girl, but Graham has a streak of recklessness about him. He is continuously confounded that he can't climb the ladder to her top bunk (his legs are just too short). So recently he figured out how to scale the play kitchen like a rock climber to get to it. I moved the kitchen a foot away from the bed, and he continues to try and bridge the gap, with no fear of the consequences (he slipped the other day and swung underneath the bed in a trapeze move Spencer witnessed). When Graham falls, unless he has hurt himself, he doesn't cry. He saves face by pretending he meant to be down on the ground inspecting the floor. Spencer thinks he often walks around holding a little car so that when he inevitably falls (usually running around a corner), he has something to pretend to play with while he mentally prepares to get back up. Recently he has taken to bringing a beloved object to bed. This has included his little brick red matchbox mustang and his little tonka firetruck. He is losing his sweet musty puppy smell his little baby head had when he got out of the bath, and more often than not smells like plain old musty puppy. I can only hope my sweet baby boy keeps the sweetness inside him.

Gwen is 3 1/2 and No Fool

For a few months I have been thinking about all the things I would include in this post commemorating Gwen being closer to 4 than 3 years old. She continues to be amazing of course, and challenging, of course, and we wouldn't have her any other way. At bedtime her and Spencer have been making up stories, instead of reading, and this has blown her mind. Sometimes she gets angry when he makes up something that is 'wrong' but she is starting to get the concept. Just this morning she was 'reading' a book out loud to Graham. She had never read this particular book (it is an early reader), so she was truly making it up. Her and Spencer also have a game inspired by the Down by The Bay song where they say ridiculous things, and then laugh hysterically about it. So sometimes Gwen will randomly say something like, "A giraffe wearing roller skates!" And then laugh hysterically. Speaking of hysterics, she has been super emotional lately. Graham is pretty obsessed with bellies and skin, so if he sees her naked belly he takes the opportunity to smack it enthusiastically. Of all the reactions, her immediate one is to start bawling very dramatically. Times of frustration, she speeds so fast to tears I often honestly don't know why she has become so distraught. I am trying to be gentle about this, but this is a trying stage, if only because I don't know how to help her (and crying is like nails on a chalkboard to me). I have also noticed her be a bit moody with her friends, shunning some, feeling shunned, and I think this is all normal, but it reminds me more of a 13 year old than 3 year old. I will ask her after a playdate where she seemed to be having a great time, "Did you have fun today?" And she will say more often than not, "Not really." We are honestly horrified of a hormonal Gwen.
I take Baby Boot Camp classes at a nearby park that also has a dog park, so there are always people walking their dogs. Gwen decided she should take her dog to the park too. She often talks about how we should get a dog. Most recently, after reading Madeline's Rescue, she says she wants a dog with babies in her. So then the babies can be born and we can give them to people who have never had a dog before.
Gwen has vacuumed a few times, and is actually fairly thorough :-)
This is her favorite statue at the SF Zoo. She is cleaning it with a baby wipe.
After the shenanigans of the little kitchen, I brought it back and her and Graham finished 'cleaning it' and she promised to never cook with real food in it again. Often while I am cooking she will come into the kitchen and ask, "Mom, is there anything I can do to help?" I try and find something she can do to encourage this awesomeness.
With Grandpa Eric at the SF Zoo.
Quiet time in her room. Most days she naps, but once or twice a week she just doesn't seem to need or want one. As she transitions to not napping as much, her bedtime gets a little earlier. We are so close to being able to put both kids to sleep at the same time!