On Having Boys

 These are my boys.  I love being around them.  I love being a mom to one and a wife to the other.  I love trying to think like a boy sometimes.  I love being forced to see something just a little differently than perhaps I'd see it on my own accord.  I love how they watch 'ball' together on TV.  I love how Hunter currently has more similarities to me (in looks and in personality) than to Jake.  I love how this will begin to change, I'm sure.  I love visualizing what our relationship with Hunter might be in high school, how Hunter will grow and change throughout the years, what kinds of friends he will have, if he still likes throwing balls.  Will he like to kayak? Play tennis? Read? Go Backpacking?  I love (and dread) thinking about what kind of girl he'll end up with, what age he'll get married (if he gets married at all?) and how many kids he'll want to have.  I love thinking about all these things.

And now?  We're having ANOTHER BOY.

Like, a second one, who will be SO different from the first one?  Like, a little brother, who might get picked on by Hunter, who might NOT even like watching 'ball' on TV, or throwing balls, or saying ball at all?  Almost too much for my brain to handle.  To me, boy=Hunter.  He has been the only baby/child/boy I can visualize, and now not only do I get to imagine what #2 might be like, I get to/have to imagine all things I mentioned earlier about Hunter, but with a BROTHER around to add to his plans, ruin his plans, change his plans, change his personality, etc.   This baby #2 is going to change Hunter in one way or another!  How strange!  We think it's all harmless when we decide to have another baby, as it fits into our plans.  Plans! Ha!  So funny that Hunter has no choice in how we plan his life, what kind of sibling he will have...and vice versa - our #2 doesn't have a choice that his house will be stocked with 32 types of balls, 21 bottles of bubbles, 100 pounds of un-popped popcorn, and bips up the kazoo.  What if he doesn't even like BIPS!!!  Oh my.  I think from day one we're going to be in for a big surprise with how this fourth member of our family changes everything for us.  We'll look back and appreciate some of the things we 'had' while we still had 3, but mostly I'm sure we'll be unable to even remember life without the brother duo, of life without the second one to change us as a family and as individuals in ways we'll never imagine until we're there.  And I'll have a much deeper, more dynamic viewpoint of boys. Of brothers.  Of life of being the minority.  3 of 4 members of our family will be boys!  A slightly different ratio of genders than what I grew up with.

I canNOT wait to see how Hunter's life changes (in June and in 12+ years) how my relationship with Jake changes, and how our family of almost 4 begins to define itself as a new entity, as another member  is added to the family.  I'll be thrilled if #2 doesn't like to eat bips, if he has no coordination with balls, if he comes out as a 9-pounder, and if he's completely opposite of Hunter.  That way I'll get more chances to learn about his specific personality, about his  likes/dislikes, and I won't have a preconceived idea of what choices he'll make, simply because his brother made a certain decision.  I now have plenty of time to now start visualizing our life when they are in high school, what kinds and different kinds of friends they have, the different activities they enjoy... and how we'll survive and thrive with 2 unique individuals boys in the house!

Just a Few Observations

Hunter has found a new tactic for avoiding sleep.  He's perfected a few in the past, but he's on to new and smarter ventures.  Not only will he say/yell 'poo-poo' when he's not (and say it convincingly!) he will now almost never fall asleep without a parent laying down in his room with him.  I say 'a parent' because during the height of my recent cold I gave in and laid down on his floor and like magic, 4 minutes later he was in sweet slumber.  But generally, I have opposed this strategy, and Jake is the one to go lay down in his room, make Hunter feel as if the world was going to sleep... and Jake will sneak out after the eyes are closed for good.  Am I a true fan of this manipulative tactic Hunter has attempted and carried out?  Absolutely not.  I don't want Hunter needing one of us in his room every afternoon and evening... especially when baby #2 is here... who has time for that!?  But Jake is ready and willing to grab a pillow and disappear for a few minutes...  and since  I haven't come up with a better alternative to the 'everyone take a nap' method, that's where we sit right now.  Actually, on second thought, taking naps will probably sound really good in June...  Anyways, I write this as Hunter is currently yelling "mamadadababynana" and similar forms of this word... and I can just picture his baby, his binky, his fish, and his blanket strewn about the room (sometimes he throws off his pants too???) while he yells uh-oh, and points at all of these items, yelling again "nanababymamadaddy".  It's pretty funny.  But poor kid.  He needs some zzz's!

 Hunter is such a funny eater.  Some days he's Picky McPickerson, and other days he's an eating machine!!  Very few times in his life has he amazed me with how much food he can eat, but some days I get the wow-factor going, as I watch in wonder at more and more bites going down the hole!  Not to mention his diapers, haha.  Now granted, I'm sure it's probably not even a lot of food, but I wouldn't really know, as it is 'a lot' in comparison to probably the day before when he politely shakes his head no (he still doesn't say 'no', crazy!) to most of the food we try to feed him.  Sigh.  I'm glad it all evens out though.  He's healthy and thriving!   When he does eat, it's kiwis and oatmeal and dips and smoothies and noodles and chicken and yogurt and asparagus and PEAS and cheese and dips and crackers and almond butter and cereal and apples and peppers and dips and juice and milk and water and dips and sausages and oranges and dips and pomegranate and yes... more DIPS (bips)!!  Good thing I like making hummus, and I'm thankful he doesn't even know what ranch is, otherwise we'd have a big problem over here!  Usually his dips are greek yogurt with sometimes some flavor mixed in (a vinegerette, pesto, jam, peanut butter, hot sauce, salsa, etc) mustard (he LOVES mustard) ketchup (not my fave but hey, it gets him to eat a veggie!) or hummus.  And to be honest?  I love it.  At this point, if I could eat every food I eat with some dips, thems are some good eats!  So, I wonder where he got his bips addiction?

He is STELLAR when it comes to going to the church nursery or playschool group.  I love his newfound independence when it comes to being mom-less for 1-2 hours at a time.  It gives me so much freedom!

Hunter is starting to try to understand that mommy has a baby in her belly.  Sometimes he forgets and calls it a ball.  And, I apologize in advance if he ever points to your stomach and yells, 'ball!' or, 'baby!'  He's still learning how it all works.  It doesn't mean a thing about your stomach, it's mostly his level of understanding....and sometimes his way of joking, haha.  He pointed to a buddha statue at a restaurant the other day and claimed he had a baby in his tummy... (although I could imagine why he thought so) We obviously have a long ways to go before June if we want to help him understand how much his life is going to change!

Hunter has been waking up from his naps very very cranky lately.  I've tried a few tactics, but when Jake is not home to provide another distraction, the best thing I have found to do?  Pop some 'pop-pop' with him, give him some water, and put him on the couch for 10 minutes with a Veggie Tales.  All by himself.  And when he's finished his bowl?  Happy Hunter once again, and I even got 10 minutes to clean the kitchen or ha, who am I fooling.... watch 10-15 minutes of indulgent kid-movie, even if I have to watch from the other room to avoid making him cry by standing in the wrong side of the room, wearing the wrong color socks, or touching his arm with cold hands! (yes, he is this particular when he wakes up from naps... it's funny and unsettling at the same time, thinking this could be a part of his personality for good!)

Hunter is finding his own little routines, much to the enjoyment (and dismay) of his parents, depending on the situation.  A few examples.  In the morning, if Jake gets up with him (which he has been doing much more lately as Jake has been working less) Hunts just hangs out and sometimes even just lays with Jake on the couch as they both attempt to wake up.  It's leisure and quiet and dark and relaxing.  The second Hunter catches a glimpse of me?  It's whining and 'MOMMY!' and 'I'm so hungry I can't wait another second before I eat' and mad and sad and owies and tears.  Aaah!  It's fairly hilarious because I can see what he was like prior to my appearance... and it is a very different Hunter than once he realizes mom is around!  He also knows WHERE he likes to eat his breakfast.  At the table?  Nope.  In his high chair in the kitchen?  You'd think.  Hunter will tell you where he likes to eat breakfast (and we give in because lunch and dinner are in the usual, more accepted areas of one's house) by telling us, 'THAT! that! that!' and running over to the couch and pointing like a madman to try to claim his spot.  He also loves his little blue chair (thanks Gruncle Malcolm & Grantie Lori!).  He usually tries to pile as many things in his arms while on this chair.  Why this?  Who knows.  It's adorable.  And it's so frustrating to him.  And a hoot to watch.  Lastly, he knows where Hunter's spot and where mommy's spot is in mommy's room, where we often play with a ball.  He knows that if he takes my hand, walks me to my room (where he must've brought in 5 balls to) and shows me where I need to sit, I have a really hard time saying No.  How cute is that!  Anyways, he's becoming his own person, and I love being a part of watching these idiosyncrasies appear.

21 Months

Soo... I just might be a few months behind, and Hunter might have changed just a LITTLE bit since 18 months...  but I figured if I don't write something down, he's seriously going to be riding his bike off to a friend's house before you even know that he says poo-poo, gives a mean thumbs up, or can climb up onto the couch!  There's gotta be some order, people... and I've not been maintaining it!

Without further ado, (because apparently I've been floating around in "further ado" land and not actually writing a post) here are a few words Hunter has been saying/singing/yelling/whispering lately.  This is not exhaustive.  Hundreds more words have passed through his lips but a) I have no idea what he's saying or b) I simply cannot remember that he said it or c) it just seemed normal that he would say it, and it didn't even cross my mind that he was talking!

Some family:
Mama
Dada
GG & Pappy
Mimi & Bapa
Kiki & ______ (Jeremy)
"Beee" & Datee (Uncle Brandon & Auntie Cory)
"Eeee" (Uncle Eric)
Granny (great grandma)
Sorry to those other family members he has no name for.....  he'll come around someday!  I promise that by the time he's 15 he'll have everyone (sorry, we have a big family!)

Some Words:
uh-oh
poo-poo
pee-pee
potty
diaper
burp
baboon (balloon)
baby
beebee (frisbee)
beebee (binky)
ball
baps (bat)
yeah
yes!
bye-bye
na-nan (all done)
na na  (blanket)
pop pop (popcorn)
nanny (snacks)
woof-woof (dog)
nanny (bunny)
beeps/bips (dips like hummus)
bubble
dot
nine (line, like drawing a line)
cheese
peas
whee (slide)
jeece (juice)
hoorah (like, 'the ants go marching one by one, hoorah, hoorah, etc..)
brrr (like, he's cold)

Some Sign Language he still uses:
swing
milk
bath time
kitty
eat/hungry
apple
thank you

Some New Things:

If ever hunter hits us (which is fairly rare but it happens) he immediately follows it up with a kiss.  And not just within the next 20 seconds....  Sometimes, he puts his hand out to hit us when he is very angry, but leans in at the same time to give us a kiss.  He gets a little confused and the whole thing is a sloppy mess of arm-movement and face-smash.  It's almost too humorous to get him in trouble!  But either way, he can't be passing out hits OR kisses at random in life.  Just not something we think would get him very far.... at any stage of his life!

He loves breakfast.  It's probably the time I can get him to eat the most.  Oatmeal, cereal, fruit, bacon, ham, smoothie, toast, cheese, peas,...whatever strikes our fancy!  Its the best time to get him to actually focus on food, and not be SO tired before nap time, or so interested in his toys that he won't even try a bite.  Realizing this more and more, I'm going to need to sneak a few more protein-filled things into his morning, as sometimes at the end of the day.... I look back on lunch and dinner, and I'm a little embarrassed at his food intake.

This boy loves to dance!  Especially if he can get one other person to boogie with him, he'll giggle and giggle while running in circles and jumping and rolling on the ground.  He generally needs music... but I think this kid has the music inside that keeps him energized!

His Uncle "B" taught him how to "Raise the Roof".  I seriously canNOT get enough of this move, and I really really really hope he keeps it around a few more months before he realizes how wrong he does it!  You really have to see it for yourself, so it's not even worth me trying to describe!  Just picture all the ways he could raise the roof....and pick the cutest one.  That's the one.

He's been in and out of 'book-stages' but when he's IN, it is SO awesome to see him absorbing so many books, learning something on each new page he turns.

Sometimes, when I bend over to pick something up, he runs up behind me to tickle my back.  I seriously don't think we taught him that??  But he gets me every time - I don't even have to pretend how much it tickles!  I wonder if they know the difference between fake and real laughs....  I'm sure there's something to that!

He loves his cousins; As young as 6 1/2 months, and as old as 8!  It's so fun to see him interact with all of the different stages of the 5 kiddos, and how all of them respond to him.  Such a learning experience for both sides!

Sometimes he likes to make jokes about how everyone else is poo-poo besides him.  "mama poo-poo" (giggle)  dada poo-poo (giggle) pappy poo-poo (giggle louder).  I try to keep my giggles to a minimum.

He has been known to be dressed up by cousins or aunties with a bow in his hair.  Apparently this kiddo will stand still long enough to have a bow or clip placed in his hair, and a picture snapped before he rips it out.  Is this a bad sign - or just a sign of patience?  Hmm...

A week before Christmas he opened one of his presents while standing in a corner under the tree...  I didn't even notice until he kept yelling, "bubble!" "bubble!" and then I looked.  He didn't even look sheepish that he opened a present a WHOLE WEEK before Christmas!?  But really, it was fun to play with bubbles before Christmas anyway... perhaps we'll start a tradition!

Hunter is very excited to be a BIG BROTHER to a LITTLE BROTHER come June of this year!