Sam
Sam is finally potty trained. I tried all sorts of methods (we read books, picked out cool big boy underwear,went all day for days with no clothes, did sticker charts, reward charts, gummy bears bribes, and much more), but I had finally resigned myself to the fact that he just wasn't ready. Then my good friend, Heidi, gave us a bin of toys for boys (some cars, jets, etc.) She had received the toys but has all girls. So as a last hope, I put all of the toys in a big, clear bag and told Sam it was the potty bag. Every time he went potty in the big boy potty, he could reach into the bag and get a surprise. He started wearing big boy underwear that day, and has only had a few accidents in about five months. He doesn't even need pull-ups or anything at night. Potty training is a piece of cake...ha ha!
Sam can not only sing the alphabet song, but he also recognizes letters. I didn't realize how good he was at this until Nic and I were working on some word puzzles. Sam wanted to play, so I told him to find certain letters to spell out the words I needed. He was able to identify every letter. He can also spell his name. In fact, he likes to get on daddy's Iphone and the Ipad and type his name. At first, he had his letters mixed up a little, and we would get reminders of appointments with 'asm', but he has since remedied that problem and now we receive NUMEROUS reminders about SAM all day long. I feel like I'm in one of the those Mormon advertisements--"Family: Isn't it about time?" Sam makes sure that we remember to spend time with him every day! =)
I hate to admit it, but Sam is also a screen junkie. He can work the Ipad and Iphone without any problem. My dad just got an Ipad, and we like to joke that Sam can go show grandpa how to use his computer. He really could. The kid is very technologically smart. He has his favorite games that he likes to play, and one of his favorite things is browsing apps and picking out new ones that he wants to try. He always wants to know the password so that he can purchase new apps. Sorry, kid, that ain't going to happen! He also has his favorite shows, including: Diego, Dora, Pocoyo, Pingu, Eebee, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. His two favorite movies right now are: Despicable Me and Rio. Some Disney movies are a little too intense for him still (he's a little sensitive to the scary parts like Ursula on The Little Mermaid). And whenever I start feeling a little guilty about how much screen time he has, he does something like acting out an entire scene while inserting himself as a character in the scene or counting to 8 in Spanish. He's learning new things constantly. And we do try to do non-screen things each day too.
He is full of curiosity and imagination. I love it! Sam is also quite the comedian. His two favorite jokes are:
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because he was walking that way. (This is a Sam original).
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Boo.
Boo who?
You don't have to cry. It's just me!
As for church, Sam graduated from the nursery in January and is now a Sunbeam. The transition has not been very smooth, however. Sam loved nursery (snacks, toys, and lots of attention, who wouldn't?) from day one and it has been very difficult to let go. He has fallen asleep in class a couple of times and one time he ran away yelling. (After hearing stories of how Nic ran away from school when he was little because he got a new teacher, I'm thinking it might be hereditary). But he seems to be doing a little better and seems to be enjoying class time.
Sam loves being a big brother, if not just for the torture factor. He and Mark are starting to get to the point where they play together for a little bit, and Sam loves helping to take care of Cole (or Baby Mo Mo, as he likes to call him). One of my greatest desires as a mother is that my boys will be best friends. We're working on it every day!
Mark
I didn't think it would ever happen, but in January, Mark finally decided to walk. Mark just never showed any interest in walking. He didn't even like to stand very much. After I had Cole, I couldn't really lift Mark very much at first, but I ended up doing it because the kid just wouldn't walk. And he would start getting really frustrated because he wanted to get somewhere but couldn't. Perhaps he was a little spoiled and got carried around too much, who knows. I kept asking his pediatrician and our Early Intervention specialist if it was a physical problem or had to do with his earlier issues, but it was just the fact that he needed to decide that he wanted to do it. Mark is definitely bull headed, and you don't tell him what to do. It has to be his decision. But once he started walking, he was running. He is constantly on the go now. And he is my little athlete. I think he has daddy's athleticism. He can throw really well, kick a ball, jump, and climb. Sometimes I worry a little because with his shunt he's not supposed to do contact sports, but he's my boy with the build and interest in football. We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.
Mark is definitely all boy. It's funny to see the similarities and differences between Mark and Sam. While Sam's cars like to talk to each other, Mark's cars drive. Mark loves to drive his cars all over the place (complete with the car sound effects). Mark loves dirt. We just got a sandbox a month ago, and Mark practically lives in the sandbox. He loves to be outside. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I don't hardly see the kid anymore. He goes outside in the morning and then I drag him back in for meals and bedtime. Mark's nickname is Bonk because he is such a physical boy. He is constantly bonking his head, hammering on something (or someone), or moving my furniture. That kid is crazy strong!
Just last month, Mark graduated from Early Intervention. Melinda, his specialist, did his bi-yearly evaluation and told us that there isn't anything more she can do for him. He is right on schedule for fine and gross motor skills. He is very smart and socially outgoing. You would never know all that he has been through. He's just a regular toddler. While I'm excited for this next step, I'm also really going to miss Melinda. I will post the letter I wrote to my legislators about the Early Intervention program later.
The only thing that he is kind of lagging with is talking. He can say 'dada', 'momma', 'nan-nan', 'banana', 'gu-gu' (gus), and a few other little words, but that's about it. Lately, he's been making more effort to communicate, but still gets really frustrated when he can't communicate what he wants. He's also funny because, unlike most kids, he says, 'yeah' but not 'no'. If you ask him something and the answer is yes, he'll say, "yeah, yeah!" If the answer is no, he just won't answer you. I can remember a time when I thought 'no' was the only word in Sam's vocabulary! This next month we're going to start working with a speech therapist to help him communicate better. Melinda says that it might just be a defiance issue, and knowing Mark, she might be right.
Mark especially loves being the older brother to Cole. He loves to hug and tickle his little brother. He sometimes needs a little reminding to be gentle, but, for the most part, is super cute with his baby. And he loves all other babies too. He loves to play with babies and bring them toys. Mark has a big heart and likes to share toys and snacks with Cole and with other babies. I think Mark and Cole are going to be especially good friends.
Cole
I like the rhyme, "Old King Cole was a merry, old soul..." because it describes Cole perfectly. He is such a merry soul. He's so good natured and always smiling and laughing. You can say 'tickle' to him and he'll laugh. The only time he's not very happy is when he's hungry. That's a very serious time!
Cole is my rock n' roller. He rolls everywhere. He started rolling onto his tummy pretty early on and now you have to keep an eye on him. Within a minute, he can make it clear across the room. I call him my 'Rolley Cole-y." I wonder if he'll crawl a lot sooner than his brothers did. He is really good at lifting his upper body with his arms. And he wants to be running around with his brothers so badly.
Cole also got his first tooth when he was just six months old. He now has his two front bottom teeth. And that kid loves to eat. He would nurse all day if I let him and loves baby food. The other day we were at the park. I had Cole on my lap and was talking to one of the other boys, when I looked down and discovered that Cole had eaten half of his brother's peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I guess I'm going too slow in introducing solid foods. He's ready for the good stuff! At his six month appointment, he was in the 7th percentile for weight and our pediatrician recommended nursing him more to get more calories for him. Nic thinks Cole paid the doctor to say that, because he doesn't look scrawny by any means. But we've been working on eating more, much to Cole's happiness.
