Go, Gracie, Go!

We kind of kid about Gracie being our lazy baby.

Not sure if the "kind of" refers to our kidding or her being lazy, but either way she lags behind her brother quite a bit the motor skills department.

I'm super-dee-duper cute, Mom! Don't make me support my own head!

On the other hand, she has hit social milestones faster so maybe they just have different areas of strength.

It's hard not to compare.

She seems content to do nothing other than perch on my arm and snuggle.
She also enjoys shooting killer smiles and squeals at people she deems worthy.

While part of me is more than okay with this, we recently decided to start pushing her a little more.

She will be 10 weeks tomorrow and has just this week really gained reasonably reliable head control when sitting.  Joey had this at six weeks.  He was sitting in the Bumbo at 7 in the same fashion she could almost do it at 9.

Welllll .....  look at our little lady.

All cool and super big-girl like, "I got this, Mom!"

Her back is completely vertical.  She is keeping herself from flopping side to side or forward.

This is very good.

On the other hand, is it just me or could this baby slay you with her cuteness?

She may never need to do anything for herself anyway since she has the whole household under her spell.

Breakfast Adventure

We had nothing we needed to do today so we went for a "breakfast adventure" :o).  If you make something sound fun now Joey gets so excited.  He decided he need to bring his "camera" on our "advempture".

We went to Dunkin Doughnuts for bagels and orange juice and a boston cream doughnut.

Joey yelled to the person working the drive through that he wanted  "Pease, a bagel too. And, pease, some orange juice too."  He always does this now.  When you look back at him he smiles a shy smile.

We took our breakfast to the little park by our house to eat .. maybe on a blanket? I'll admit thinking, once we got there, whether this was really a sanitary idea. But we forged on.  I contemplated going to a larger park by us with picnic tables but they have a large play structure and with the two babies I was afraid to take them alone.  We settled for eating on bleachers.  Very "adventure" in the eyes of a two year old.  

We even discovered grasshoppers.  Thrilling! :o)

  We sang songs and used the bleachers as drums.

Joey can almost spell Grace's name now too. 

I taught Joey how to lick his lips to get the cream cheese off from his bagel.

We finished up and headed for the slides but as we got close I realized they just weren't clean enough.  Joey kept asking if he could "Play dat? Big Boy play does swides?".  He gracefully accepted he couldn't and then I felt even worse for telling him no and I decided to brave taking the two of them to the big park.  I'm getting better at the two two-and-under thing, slowly gaining confidence about doing things alone with the two of them.  Grace is 9 weeks old now and I'm settling into the feeling of two babies.  It will be even easier when she will take a bottle I think.

Joey got to ride his slides after all.  We practiced skills that are suddenly so very important. Skills that include walking while holding onto a stroller (instead of a hand) and not letting or wandering away, and other fun things like "freeze" and "run to Mommy".  He finds "Freeze. Run to Mommy" super exciting right now .. wonder how long I can milk that one :o).

We gathered up rocks to throw in the water.  I think it might the more of the throwing rocks and less of the water that appeals to him right now.  He spent quite a bit of time throwing rocks into the bocci ball courts.  His teachers will love me for helping him perfect this skill, I'm sure.

Apparently someone also needs to teach Joey that the bigger rocks are better for throwing into the water.

Not sure why he was insistent on gathering a million pieces of gravel today. :o)

This is Joey smiling on cue. It's ridiculous. I love it.

This is him smiling for real.

 He loves to run now and is all about "On your mawk. Get set. GO!"

Little lady either perched on my arm or slept :o).

She likes adventure too :o)

It was a good morning.

At 25 Months He

                                     When asked to smile, looks like this

When truly smiling, looks like this

Omigod, isn't he gorgeous?!?
Calls Spikey "Fight-y"(which is oddly appropriate)
Says "I love you" on his own (mostly to Grace)

Hands down, favors his sister over everyone

Calls ravioli "yah bee yah bee" and muffins "nuffims"

Says he is the Nuffim Man

Bakes with me

Loves books and learning about anything

As of today, can spell his name

Recognizes colors and shapes (circle, triangle, hexagon, diamond, heart, oval -- square and rectangle are not perfect yet)

Mostly learned shapes through playing with Playdoh

Can sing the full version of many songs including Twinkle Twinkle, London Bridge, The Farmer and the Dell, and others

Can count to 13 consistently (likes to skip one and confuses 11 with 7)

Still loves his "Ah-fall" but now calls it a "Waterfall" :o(

Says his name is "Jo-fis Paul Nay-ner" and sissy's is "Dace Genevieve Nay-ner" .. he's got the middle names down

Will tell you the president is "A-bots Omama"

Likes Legos and Little People

Has a FANTASTIC imagination

Can play by himself for about 45 minutes

Weighs 30 pounds and is about 35 inches

Is never far from his sister

Is so soooooo loved

Perfect Day

Not every day goes like this but today has just been so perfect.  The kind of perfect where you find yourself wondering what on earth you ever did to deserve your children and then you realize there is nothing and you just feel so blessed.

Basically, Joe is just done for.  I know she's our but just look at this face! I can't take this little one :o)

We started out with me coming to the realization that one hour is just not enough time to get out of the house these days if I don't want to feel stressed.  Getting the kids up and out of bed, nursing Grace, feeding Joey, showering and getting myself ready, diaper changes all around, getting both kids dressed, packing bags, snacks, water, etc. and loading two babies in the car ... is my new normal.  Joey fed himself breakfast and Grace played on her play mat while I showered (fast and with the door open of course :o).  I was lucky today.

Joey had his gym class and Grace was having trouble eating.  Grace comes with us, of course, and sits on the counter and watches or snoozes.  A hungry baby does not work well in this situation and I contemplated skipping and going to a makeup on the weekend but we pressed forward.

Gracie girl nodded off in the car and J and I sang songs and talked.  Our conversations are becoming so fantastic.  He is just so funny and smart and is making his own new connections all the time.  We were singing "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and got to the point "Jesus Christ is born"

...Joey stops and ..*crickets* ...
Joey: Is Grace born?
Me: Yes, Grace is born! Good job honey! (excited that he is actually thinking about what he is singing)
Joey: Mommy, are you born?
Me: Yes I'm born.  Everybody who is alive is born.
Joey: Is Grace born, Mommy? .... At the doctor?
Me: Yes honey. Remember Mommy was at the hospital?
Joey:  Is Joey born? .... Is Jesus born... at the doctor?
.... I let him have that one :o)

Joey was FANTASTIC at class.  He stayed where he should during circle time and followed along with all motions, he geared up and then yelled his name out when asked and had the whole gym laughing and clapping for him, he volunteered to be today's helper, encouraged the other kids, waited wonderfully for his turns, and was just overall perfect.  While he is doing well in class, it doesn't normally go this well.  A couple of the parents who were new today for the fall session asked me if Joey has been going there for a long time.  My heart swelled because I know what this means.  Joe and I talked about the kids who had it all together, the kids who "must have been going there a long time" after Joey's first class.  I have to admit that, as his mother, it's just hard not to love the fact that everyone fawns all over him and loves him, even the other parents.  He's not perfect, but he can turn on the charm and everyone seems to be so taken with him. It makes me so happy to see.

Master stacker .. and he likes things in order.

Gracie lady was perfect today too.  She sat on the counter and garnerd complements about how perfectly behaved and alert she is. She hung out for the first 55 minutes while people stopped to talk to her and let their daughters steal a peak and grandmothers told me about how their daughters have new babies at home, but not ones like Grace.  They say I'm lucky and I know it's true.

We left class and went to Target for a special treat. Gracie slept and Joey and I shared pita chips and roasted red pepper hummus.  Gatorade for him and soda for me.  We spent an hour and a half in Target and both kiddos were wonderful.  Joey helped me pick out clothes and Grace ended up perched on my arm holding my necklace as she does for the latter part of our trip.  It struck me how much J is becoming more of a companion than a baby.

Notice the (loose) patterning he has going on with no prompting.

We came home and Joey played with his new little blocks we picked up from the dollar bin. I fed Grace and took some pictures of her in the tutu Joe helped me make last night. He cut the strips of tulle for me :o).  Not every little girl has a Daddy who helps her Mommy make her tutus.  After food was in everyone's tummy Joey went up for a nap and I set Grace down for minute while I put my lunch together.  I came back in to snuggle her and found this.

Seriously?! She put herself to sleep.  These kids are the best.

Meet Pinky

Someone has got herself a lovey :o) 

This Moment

Watching The Jungle Book (together, of course) on what should be Mommy's first day of work with her new students.