Happy 2nd Birthday J Bear

My baby is growing up! Jonah has reached the wonderful age of two- terrible, terrible two.  With Cairo, I remember the baby stage lasting so much longer, but in a blink of an eye Jonah has turned from a baby into a little boy.  Happy Birthday to my amazing, stubborn, loud, silly, grumpy, pushy, cuddly Jonah Skye.  Your smiles light up my day, your laughs warm my heart, your "hug around the neck" completely melts me.  I love you bigger than the sky forever and ever!

Jonah at two-
J has to start each morning with muk (milk).  In fact, if we would let him, he would guzzle it down all day long.  You can find him right before going to bed, taking a nap, or getting up with his sippy stuck to his face and his blankey in hand.  Last summer, Jonah became attached to his two blankies, which has evolved into being attached to his green blankey.  We are lucky if we can get it through the wash.

The best way to describe J is a grumpy old man.  He doesn't like strangers.  He frowns at people he doesn't know (or turns his head in the opposite direction), frowns at people he does know but is unsure of, frowns at people who do something he doesn't want them to, and frowns at anyone and everyone when he is tired.  Of course there are times in there where he smiles and laughs, but I think he keeps these wonderful gifts for a special few.

Jonah loves to sing and talk.  He sings songs from Cinderella, he can sing most of the alphabet song, Jingle Bells, Happy Birthday Daddy Jesus, Rock-a-bye Baby, he can even sing a verse of "Bushel and a Peck" from the musical Guys and Dolls (and he does a pretty good job at that).  We get serenaded by this song when he hugs us before bed at night.  He speaks in complete sentences most of the time and has a pretty substantial vocabulary for his age.  Not all of his words are clear, but Cairo seems to be a pretty good translator when needed.  At night Jonah can spend hours, much to Cairo dislike, singing and talking to himself.

Jonah is a screamer.  Boy can he scream.  I was hoping that one of my kids would be soft spoken and quiet like their daddy, but it seems that I have two who are competing to be louder and more annoying than I was.  When he gets really excited, the screams just peel out of his mouth... his facial expression, body language, and excitement of his scream are contagious and makes you feel warm and happy inside.

Cairo and Xander may be the big kids but Jonah has no problem elbowing his way into the mix of things.  He doesn't let them push him around.  If he doesn't get his way or if a toy gets taken away he screams- loudly.  When they wrestle, he is always in the thick of things.  This is not always a good thing since Xander and Cairo have about 8 pounds on him.

Things Jonah loves (besides his sippy and green blankey)-
J loves to help Daddy cook.  He always wants to drag out the tool (stool) to the counter so that he can help out with whatever is being made.  When he's not whipping up some real food, Jonah loves to make something in his fake kitchen.  Jonah likes taking care of baby dolls. I think he is in training to be just like his daddy some day.

Jonah likes to fill bags up with stuff and drag it with him all over the house.  Anything he can pick up he will stuff into the bag.  At times you will see him grunting and groaning, attempting to drag the bag across the room.

My favorite trait of Jonah's is the gleam of trouble in his eye.  I get it.  I understand what that gleam is about.  I know that feeling inside that drives that gleam and the need to make mischief when you know, 100%, that you shouldn't be doing what you are about to do... the want to see that reaction of other people and what they are going to do about it.  So while the gleam makes me want to smile, it just puts him in time out!  :o)

And to end this synopsis of Jonah-

What Jonah is...

• articulate (relatively speaking)
• assertive
• a Daddy's Boy (currently mom is chopped-liver)
• picky eater
• a fantastic hugger
• completely clueless about what a doggy-kiss really is... thank goodness!
• good at building
• a stinker
• still in his crib (but not for much longer)

What Jonah is not...

• mild tempered
• sociable
• fast
• a neat eater
• quiet
• interested in potty training

My Little Swimmer

Cairo went through four weeks of swimming lessons at the Duarte pool.  She went from being uncomfortable, if not scared, in the water to a little swimmer... almost.  During the first session of the lessons Cairo worked with a very gentle guy who made the water fun but did not push Cairo to do anything she was uncomfortable with.  At the end of the two weeks, Cairo was splashing and playing much more exuberantly than before, though the top of her hair always seemed to keep dry.  In the second session Cairo's instructor was much more hands on and really helped Cairo push her comfort zone-  Ready or not- dunk!  The progress Cairo made during these two weeks was great- floating, swimming several strokes independently, holding her breath underwater for several seconds.

Already to start the lesson

Holding her breath under water

Swimming all on her own...

... still swimming

Time to jump....

...okay, may we'll just scoot into the water...

Floating all on her own

We're taking the month of June off, but starting July Cairo will start another four weeks of lessons.

This and That

Some more of this and that... little clips of life around here.

The other night Jonah had a particularly interesting bath... at least the things that he said and did were entertaining to Erik.  He began the bath by peeing on his sister.  Thank goodness she had no clue.  He peed on her back and she was looking the other way.  Though gross, Erik thought it was SOOOOOO funny.  Then, when it was time to wash Jonah insisted that we wash HIS girl parts.  We tried explaining to him that he didn't have girl parts he has a peanut (his term for penis) instead.  He just laughed and said, "My peanut hangs out."  Good observation, J.  To finish his bath he ripped one and said, "Ha, ha.  My farted. My peed in the bathtub."  He seemed very proud of himself.  Great, now I have two men in the family with a very male sense of humor.

I got a text from Erik that said, "Jonah was complaining that he didn't want butter on his bread so I turned it over. While he was watching.  And he ate it."   Wow, Daddy, you sure know how to pull one over on J.  I hope that Jonah is this easy to fool/appease in the future.

On our way home from ballet Cairo poked a hole in her ballet tights and completely ruined them.  When I voiced my displeasure, she told me that I could just buy her some new ones.  It's time for Cairo to have a reality check.  I told Cairo that instead of going and getting ice cream this weekend, I would take that money and buy her new tights and she could watch the rest of us enjoy our ice cream and remember why she didn't get any.  When we got home, she said, "Can't I use my Easter money?"  I told her no. that we put her money away in the bank to save for college.  I left the room while she changed from her leotard into her pajamas.  When I came back a few minutes later Cairo was just sitting there crying.  She looked at me, her face crumbled, and she said, " I don't want to go to college." More tears, more tears, and I think a sob, too.  I told her that she could still live at home when she went to college and that it was a long time away.  I just hope she remembers how much she wanted to stay at home and NOT got to college.

Trains

Most afternoons are full of chaos. With three little kids working off each other's energy and bouncing off the walls, the whole house just vibrates.  On occasion, the kids absorb themselves into an activity and just play together- no fighting, no yelling, no running and tackling, just peace. 

Jonah and Xander took time out from the typical ruckus and nicely played trains together.  The maturity gap between the boys seems to be shrinking.  Though up to this point Cairo and Xander have been playmates, Jonah an Xander are closer in age and have similar interests.  They have been playing and conversing with each other a lot more frequently.

Takin' Care of Business

Cairo has been putting her all in on the soccer court (is that what you call it for indoor soccer?).  

At times she just looks like a Rockett (look at that high kick).

But, in the end, it is all about to be a goods sportsman.  (Kids giving each other five at the end of the game.)

While Cairo has been taking care of business on the soccer court, Jonah has been taking care of business.... well, in other ways...

... unfortunately, when he insisted to sit on the potty, he didn't use it.

Street Fair Ponies

In the petting zoo at the street fair, Jonah quietly said to me, "I want to be a cowboy."  I repeated back what he said to me, a little confused, "You want to by a cowboy?"  He said, "yes."  Then, he pointed over to the six little ponies walking in their never-ending circle hauling little kids on their backs.  I guess he wanted to go on the pony ride.

A Field Trip to the Fire Station

Today Cairo's preschool class went on a trip the the local fire station a few blocks from her school.  When I got home from work today I asked her what she did today.  She said that she went to school.  I asked her if she did anything fun at school.  She said she played.  Digging for the information I actually wanted (which was how she liked the fire station), I asked her if she went any where.  Finally, she said, "Oh yeah, we went to the fire station."  Then, nothing.  No explanation about what she saw or what she liked.

I was a little disappointed that she wasn't spilling out to me every detail of her trip.  Sadly, getting Cairo to give details of things she's been doing is almost impossible lately.  Every answer is short and concise, completely lacking all detail.  She reminds he of her father, Mr. Information.  The exception to this rule, of course, is when she tattling on Jonah.  She is full of details and happy to share them then.

So, I had no choice but to ask more questions.  I asked her what she saw there.  This was what I got- "We saw their kitchen.  They have TWO (emphasis on two) refrigerators, a table with more chairs than ours, and six or seven coffees."  (Each?- They must be really amped up fire fighters).  When I asked her if she saw anything else, she shrugged, and that was the end of the conversation. You'd think a three, going on four, year old would be excited about the firemen, the firetruck, the sirens, and equipment.  My daughter?  She was more interested in the kitchen.

The Swimming Red Dragon Ballerina

Spring sports have started and Cairo is doing ballet/tap on Tuesday afternoons, soccer on Saturday mornings, and swim lessons Monday through Thursday.

Soccer- Cairo's soccer abilities and interest in the game have developed A LOT since last year. Flashback to Cairo one year ago- twirling, sitting, daydreaming in the middle of soccer games... when we could get her to play.  This year, she is actively engaged and handles the ball much better.  While Cairo has neither speed, nor aggression, she does have the ability to control the ball.

My little Red Dragon-

For a while Cairo has been asking us to do ballet.  So, we signed her up.  Her first session she spent the entire time giggling, smiling, and following along... and three sessions into it she is just as happy and excited about it as the first time.  Her strengths are listening to directions and flexibility.  Her weaknesses are coordination and "knowing" everything already.  Coordination has never been a strength for Cairo, but it is getting better.  When I watch her in class I can't help but wonder where we will be in 10 years.  Will I still be sitting watching her at ballet class?  I can already visualize her long slender physique maturing into an elegant ballerina... but I guess like it's every little girl's dream to become a ballerina, every little girl's mother is right there with her.  Cairo's favorite part of ballet? The twirling.

Cairo is also in the first week of her first swim lessons without Mom or Dad.  In fact, we sit on a grassy knoll overlooking the pool, not right next to it.  She is one of two kids in her class and she loves her teacher.  She says he's a lot of fun.  She hasn't wanted to put her face into the water, but when she was in the bath this evening she decided she was ready and did it.  In the meantime, she has been happy splashing, kicking, throwing toys, and camping out on the pool steps.