Pierce and the Wind

Today we were playing at Nana's house in the backyard. Since the weather has finally gotten warm that's usually all they want to do. It was almost a record hot day (near 90!), but there was a pretty decent breeze. There are a lot of tall trees in the backyard and the wind was whipping through them pretty strongly, causing them to sway and rustle the leaves. We'd been out there for a little while when we noticed Pierce freezing in his tracks, with a concerned look on his face, looking all around. It didn't even occur to me what it was until he kept saing "co, co" over and over for cold. It's so sweet to me to watch them search for a way to express themselves and then land on the closest thing they know. The sweet, little babe knew he could feel something on him that was cooler than the air so he said cold! We realized that it the sound and feeling was scaring him and he kept saying "co" throughout the rest of the time. We kept trying to reassure him and explain, but it's just one of those nebulous topics- especially to a 2 year old. I even tried to explain that God made the wind, but then thought maybe I better not hammer that one home since he was already scared of it! Plus I'm not sure how much good it would have done since he can't see or understand much about God either. :) It was just another little moment frozen in time that I got to see the big world from their little eyes.

Pierce 24 Month Update

Piercey is becoming more of a moving flash these days. He loves running and often flits across the room with reckless abandonment. We've also discovered how tough he is. He's earned the sometimes nickname "Scrappy" as a result. :) We've seen him fall, get his head bonked, land on the ground, etc. and he pauses for a minute and then gets right up happy most of the time. On his crankier days he can also throw a mean tantrum, which can also be turned off at a second's notice. We've had the feeling confirmed that he is a strong willed child who knows exactly what he does and doesn't want. We just pray he uses it for good and not harm!

He continues to communicate more and learn new words. He has added the words "co" for cold, calls trains "deh dehs", "aht" for outside, "aysh" for ice, and I'm sure others that I'm forgetting. He also also say the letters, A, B, C, D E, L, O, P and can recognize many others. He can point out almost any correct colors and is so observant in books. It seems like if you tell him something once, he remembers it. He still loves trains, trucks, firetrucks, and cars. He usually takes a different mode of transportation to bed with him each nap and night. He plays really well independently and can keep himself entertained for a long time just pushing along a train or car. But, he and Blaine have also started playing together more, but Pierce has always been pretty possessive of his toys and has started screaming "baaaaahh" whenever Blaine gets too close or takes one. A couple of months ago I was going to the bathroom and heard a scuffle going on between them outside the door. Pierce was crying really hard when I came out and between the two of them I found out exactly what had happened. Blaine had a red, plastic hammer in his hand and Pierce kept saying "bah" and pointing to his head. Blaine had hit him in the head with the hammer! And apparently a Pixie never forgets because to this day Pierce will completely randomly say "bah" and point to his head. (Coincidentally, Blaine did lose his temper today and threw a toy which happened to go right into Pierce's head. I guess the kid has a right to remember!)

He's really had a happy month overall and is still a good sleeper, although going down for a nap is occasionally a struggle. He is still the pickiest eater and keeps me trying. His main foods are cereal (current favorite is Mueslix with extra raisins), veggie sticks, and yogurt. He also has a renewed love for grilled cheese which is nice. We're working on tasting things and may be making some progress. My mantra lately is that he so over the top picky that this has to be a toddler thing he will grow out of. The kid won't even eat pizza, hamburgers, or most meats. I will say he never met a dessert he didn't like though.

Overall Pierce is a happy boy who loves playing outside, rough housing with daddy, and snuggling with mommy.  Oh..and I think we are finally breaking the obsession with my armpits! We got tough 2 weekends ago and cheerfully remind him that "big boys use their own armpits!". The things I never knew I'd say! But it has worked and he hardly ever tries anymore. Yay!

Blaine 24 Month Update

I can't believe this is the last post before the boys turn 2! (On a side note, I'm pretty sure I've been switching between 2nd and 3rd person throughout these posts).

Both boys are talking so much these days and able to communicate most of what they're thinking or want. It's been so fun to see them putting signs and the words they do know along with pointing  to create "sentences" or full thoughts. One of the things I remember was Blaine asking for a goldfish by making a fish face. I think it was last month he put together say "bye bye dada" clear as a bell. He has also started using words along with a sign like more ("mah") and all done (non non). Some of his other new words this month are "siiiide" for outside, toy, "go-ggy" for doggy or "buppy" for puppy, "gookie" for cookie, "iiice" for ice, and he will repeat almost anything we tell him to. He can also recognize letters A-D with flashcards. We're impressed!

Another cute thing this month was listening. Whenever we would hear a siren, train, or loud car I would freeze, look out of the corner of my eyes, and put my finger up to my ear. I know this because Blaine started doing the same thing! It is one of the cutest things he does. He freezes, gets a serious look on his face, and looks out of the corners of his eyes while holding his finger up to his ear. He really loves firetrucks and trains and calls the latter "chooooos". He's really good at spotting them from the car. We've also talked a lot about going on an airplane this coming month to visit Baby Ellie. Now if I say we're going on an airplane soon, he says Eh-ee. We'll see how it goes! Blaine also continues to amuse us with his gestures and facial expressions well beyond his years. His latest one this month is a shoulder shrug when he doesn't know something. I can't for the life of me figure out how he learned that, other than just picking it up from us. It's darling! He also sometimes throws in an arm raised up while shrugging as well.

He is looking a lot like a boy these days. He's slimmed down a lot and his face is thinner. He walks and runs like a boy, too. He's had a few rough days this past month and I think the culprit could be molars. A couple of weeks ago he woke up Sun.-Tues. and wailed for 1-2 hours straight. So unlike him! I'm still not sure what it was other than molars maybe. Rough days though. He's still a good sleeper, but sometimes stays awake chatting a bit. Despite the later nights, he's still up before 7 every day though. We usually do a nap between 12:30 and 1 and he often sleeps close to 3 hours. He's still been a bit pickier about food lately and is less willing to try what we eat for dinner, etc. Still no vegetables and the only fruit he really likes is bananas. He also doesn't eat anything frozen or cold. I can't get him to eat smoothies and he's not even interested in popsicles yet. I had hoped for a quick and easy summer snack, but we'll see.

Blaine continues to show his tender heart and is always concerned when someone is sad. BJ even told me about a sad character on a TV show that Blaine was saying "ohhhh" with concern about. Both brothers pat each other on the back when they're sad. There are still several time outs in a week over throwing out of anger, but overall Blaine is such a happy and joyful boy. I really look forward to spending each day with him.