Sloan is 3!!

 Dear Sloan,

Yesterday we celebrated your third birthday! We had a party with the three friends from school who you talk about the most (Isla, Adell, and Piper), and you were really excited for cupcakes and gifts.  When they got to our house you went outside yelling and thrilled for their presence. We got you a doorway swing/hammock contraption, and you've already done several flips.  You were also given a big girl bicycle, and I anticipate you learning to ride it quickly.  

You love going places, and last week when given the choice on different days you wanted to "run errands" and wanted to go to Costco instead of going home. You enjoy going to childcare at the gym and "playing with friends" while I "exercise."  One day you ran into the childcare room and exclaimed "I'm here" as if they had all been waiting for you. You're the most social and friendly (and brave) child on the playground and befriend children so easily.  You love babies and are so quick to notice them and their pacis or crying. People continue to be amazed by your climbing skills and general athleticism.  Last summer you climbed a tree in a neighbor's yard and got up pretty high. Then you were swinging on a branch and saying "wahoo" and "I'm strong!"  Unfortunately you then fell face first.  You cried for maybe a minute (and way less hard than when you have a tantrum), and then you wriggled out of my arms and said "do it again. Go away" because you don't like it when I try to spot you. 

You have changed so much in the last few weeks. You've added a LOT of words to your repertoire and are communicating so well; several people have noticed it, and the other night when you and Ella Kate were bathing together EK exclaimed "Sloan is telling me exactly what she means. She's doing SO good." We all love hearing your thoughts.

Your typical day begins when we get you out of your crib at 7:30, and you have about 20 minutes to eat and visit with Jackson and Ella Kate and then we take her to school.  Both Jackson and Ella Kate love to be the one to wake you up.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you go to MDO from 9-2 and enjoy your friends and your longtime teacher Bertha May. On the other days we often visit the gym and the park and run errands. You love going to the Discovery Museum, and Gan and Poppy just gave us another zoo membership so you'll love visiting it again too.  You love going to any playground, riding your bike, swinging outside. playing with Myla or the Clark girls, feeding the birds, and basically being active. Your nap is around 1:45, and I wake you about 2 hours later. I love cuddling with you after your nap while you eat a snack and I sing songs or read books.  You like it when Daddy does a "launch" of you onto the bed or makes a slide with a blanket for you to play on.  Bedtime is at 8:00, but sometimes I hear you talking or singing almost an hour later.  For a while we heard you belting out "Let It Go" from your crib.  

Yep, you're still in your crib. You sleep in a sleep sack and have never tried to climb out during your sleeping times, although you can definitely remove your sleep sack and could climb out if you wanted. We need to try potty training again soon and have a well visit Friday; I"ll bet you're still 90% for height.

Recently you have begun enjoying more sedentary activities for more than 5 minutes too--play doh, kinetic sand, crafting, painting, and some imaginative play with baby dolls and Little People. This last summer you enjoyed avidly watching the diving team at the pool. You could sit and watch for 30 minutes at a time.  

The pandemic continues on, and you've been exposed to Covid twice in the last few months and had to quarantine for 8 days.  We can't visit your beloved library anymore because it requires 2 year olds and above to wear a mask, and you just can't keep one on.  Otherwise life is going on pretty much as "normal," and you're here for it! We are excited for your third year and love seeing you grow and your personality develop. We love you so much, Sloany.

Love,

Mama

Sloan is Two!!

Dear Sloan,

Sweet girl, you are actually 25 months now, and I am so glad to finally be writing this snapshot of what you’re like at this age. You are remarkably physical and so adept at climbing, scooting, running, and kicking a soccer ball. This summer I had a child at the park run over and exclaim in fear “Your baby is climbing the ladder,” and I replied “I know! That’s her 100^th time.”  You love to be challenged physically and are brave and fearless.  This summer you would jump straight into the pool and run straight into the waves. We let the waves knock you down once, hoping it would deter you, but you just laughed and carried on.

Daddy took you and Ella Kate to Coolidge Park recently, and he was amazed by how far up a tree you could climb.  You love big slides, and the park really is one of your happy places.  You particularly like it when Ella Kate pushes you in the big kid swings because she does an “underdog” and pushes you entirely too high. The first time she did it, I was so afraid, and you smiled and laughed so big, enjoying every minute. Speaking of laughing, your laugh is amazing. It is one of the best things about you, and it seems to come from you so deeply inside of you. Ella Kate is a pro at getting you to laugh.

Being outdoors is your preference, and you absolutely loved your first trip to Woodland. Your favorite part may have been the 4-wheeler rides.  You also get to ride in the bicycle trailer Daddy bought, and as long as the rides aren’t too long, you really enjoy that too. You got a Strider balance bike for your birthday, and you are enjoying it. You’ve been riding a scooter since you were about 14 months old, and you’re so good at it.

You like knocking down towers that we create and you laugh every time.  You have a few favorite books, and you used to cry when Brown Bear Brown Bear would end. Now you’ll bring me a favorite book and pat where you want to me to sit down. You also will say “doh” and get a cutting board/mat and head to the table when you want to do Play Doh.

You love Bertha “May” your Mother’s Day Out teacher for the last year, and now you even run for the door to head to MDO saying “May, May.”  Bertha May is so sweet, and I am so very thankful you enjoy MDO so much.  Your friend and our neighbor Isla is in your class, and in fact, her name was one of your first words ever.

You’re saying a few phrases now, and it’s so fun to hear. Ella Kate was upset one day and you came 
over to her, patted her back, and asked over and over “What happened?”  Another morning Daddy came into your room alone to get you out of your crib, and you said “Where’s Bubba?” Bubba is your nickname for Jackson, but you can now say Jackson very clearly. In fact, a few weeks ago you were on the tire swing and you yelled very loudly across the entire park “Jackson! Ella Kate!” as if you were summoning them.  You love it when Jackson takes you upstairs to his room or when he takes you outside.

You are a wonderful sleeper, and we usually get you out of your crib around 7-7:15. If you wake earlier, you’re content to be in your crib and “talk” until we get you. You sleep in a sleep sack and with your puppy or bunny, and you love to suck your thumb. Remarkably, you still only suck it when you have a lovey or are in the carseat for a while. You nap around 1:30 until I wake you up at 3:30. You love your nap sleep, but when you were younger we learned that you would nap as much as we let you and then want to sing and talk in the middle of the night.  Bedtime is at 8:00. We sing a song to you every night (Dear Jesus) and give you your lovey, and you’re always happy to go to bed.

This last year was pretty eventful for you with chronic ear infections, including an ear infection that was staph and required two oral antibiotic and two days of shots. I am so glad we were able to get tubes for you and that since then you've barely been sick at all. 

You are a pretty good eater and seem to like grazing, and when you’re finished at the dinner table, you start throwing your food. Right now, you love to eat pouches with fruit and veggies, chicken noodle soup, homemade energy balls, your morning “bar” (Nutrigrain bar), smoothies, and yogurt.

Your personality is really starting to shine, and it is delightful to see. You like having my lap all to yourself and often push your siblings as hard as you can to move them out.  With the pandemic that began last March, you have had so many changes. You were used to having me all to yourself during the school day, and then suddenly Jackson and Ella Kate were home all the time (and never leaving) and then needing constant help with virtual school (and on their Ipads which you wish you badly you could have but you aren’t allowed to touch).  I’m sure you also missed our playdates and trips to the parks.  With you only being one year old at the time, it was beyond your understanding.  When we finally broke strict quarantine and began playing outside with the Clarks, you entire face lit up with excitement. It was so precious to see.  You also began to love to be held by Laurahelen and wanted her attention as much as possible.

Although the pandemic is still ongoing, we were able to celebrate your second birthday with a few friends and with some separate family gatherings and you enjoyed all the sweets. You were so precious trying to blow out your candles. We are excited for this third year of your life, and we all love you so much.

Love,

Mommy

My Old Blog Self :)

Over the last few weeks, I've had to look up several things on my blog. Yeah for an easily searchable journal! And tonight I ran across this gem in an old post about dating mishaps:

"And from what I have observed, once you have children, stories centering around bodily fluids and functions and sleeping habits become fascinating and appropriate to share with others, even large groups of acquaintances!"  

Oops, guilty. Maybe not with large groups of acquaintances, but it's amazing what seems appropriate to talk about when you're living with sleep deprivation at the hands of an infant.  Or maybe it doesn't even seem appropriate, but you're so weary, you're not even thinking about what is coming out of your mouth.  As I read some of my old posts, it makes me want to write now.  I hope I'll have them mental space and desire to do so soon.

p.s. I'm thankful for the glorious sunshine this week.

It's Official

I've lost my mind.  On Saturday we met our friends and their three boys at Touch A Truck, which is an annual event here at the Riverpark that includes an array of vehicles (dump trucks, ambulance, bus, street sweeper, etc.) that children are allowed to "drive" and touch.  I was holding Ella Kate and realized I didn't see Jackson anywhere.  I glanced around and got that anxious feeling I occasionally get at the park when I realize I can't quickly find him.  I asked my husband if he saw Jackson, and he and my friend Kate look at me in amazement...and inform me that I'm holding his hand.

p.s. I'm thankful for fun and relaxing weekends.

Introversion

My sophomore year of college I shared an apartment with three girls.  It was a hard year for lots of reasons, but after I took the Myers Briggs test during my spring semester I discovered one of the reasons I was pretty unhappy.  The test said I was an INTP with pretty strong introversion.  My immediate reaction was that I couldn't be an introvert because I was so outgoing and social. Then I learned that introversion was more about how you get energy and that I was likely drained (rather than energized) by social interaction.  And it totally clicked why living with three girls was exhausting me.  After that year I mainly lived alone (until I got married) and absolutely loved it.

My husband Blake and I are both energized by alone time, which is definitely challenging now that we have children.  As I've reflected on parenting choices over the last two and a half years, I've thought a lot about what I want to teach my children.  One thing I emphasized a lot with Jackson was learning to enjoy his own company.  While I could care less if he's an introvert (and actually think life is easier in some ways an extrovert), I want him to be able to entertain himself and not need constant companionship--plus I knew we'd have another child, and he would need to be able to function without my constant attention.  And wow, whether it's what I've emphasized, genetic, or just by chance, Jackson loves being alone.  After two hours at the Discovery Museum yesterday, Jackson played outside by himself for almost 30 minutes--mainly sitting in a chair and surveying our yard.  He loves to "read" alone and work on his projects (moving dirt, cutting the grass, organizing various things, etc.).  This picture is what I saw when I looked out the window yesterday; Jackson just sitting in a chair.

With a second child, it's been much more challenging to give her opportunities to be alone.  I've started putting her in her crib with toys for 5-15 minutes stretches, but her brother usually ends up wanting to be with her or giving her toys and interacting with her.  When her brother isn't home she'll play alone for a few minutes but is definitely accustomed to having him around to help entertain her.  Now that she's walking 99% of  the time she's seeming more independent and exploring more on her own.  Of course, different personalities are what makes the world go round, and we love seeing their individual personalities emerge.

p.s. I'm thankful for our new family routine of taking walks in the morning.