A Few Things

I started this blog to document the milestones and general goings-on in our family. I'm not doing a very good job of it, because by the time I get a chance to sit down and type, I can't really remember what all happened throughout the day. Here are some things I can remember:

I'm a big fan of the swaddling technique for babies. All my babies loved it. I don't swaddle Samantha all the time, but the other night she was particularly fussy and having a hard time settling down, so I wrapped her up snug and bounced her and shooshed her. Then I went and stuck her in her car seat to sleep (I've been trying to graduate her to the crib, so she can do some stretching out, but she doesn't seem to like it. I think her tummy prefers to be a little bit elevated). When I came back downstairs to the boys' room, Drew was carrying a stuffed animal that he had sorta wrapped in a blanket. He was walking around the room going, "Shh. Shh. Shh." Owen also had a blanket, but I didn't think he had anything in it. I grabbed a little baby doll and asked if he'd like me to wrap it up for him. He said yes so I grabbed his blanket. As I shook it out to lay it on the floor, a little rubber ducky fell out of the folds. The thing was about as big as his ear. He'd been whole-heartedly swaddling and shooshing that little duck in a toddler-size blanket.

Here are a few lessons in Cause and Effect the boys have learned recently (honestly, I doubt they actually learned anything; I wouldn't be surprised at all if these things happened again. More than once.):

Owen learned that if you stand on a kitchen chair and jump around, you will likely fall, resulting in a big bump and bruise on your forehead. Even though they'll give you a hug and a kiss and an ice pack, you won't get any extra sympathy from Mom and Dad, because they told you repeatedly to sit down on your bobbum. But while Dad isn't looking, Mom the Softy will sneak you little hugs and read a few extra stories to you before nap time.

Drew learned that if Mom is kind enough to help you carry your bowl of uneaten cereal to the sink and you throw the bowl into the sink from three feet away, cereal will fly everywhere and Mom will fly off the handle. She will leave you to sulk in your stickiness while she goes into the bathroom to wash her face and reapply her makeup. Then she will lecture you while she helps you clean up the mess. Next she will pull up your bangs into an awesome 'do and hairspray them into place to show you that you've been forgiven.

Samantha is learning, too. She is getting better at moving her hands on purpose, and reaching out and grabbing things like Drew's hair or Mom's fat rolls. She loves to smile and loves to "talk." She tells long stories involving "oooh" and "aaah." Then she giggles and makes the cutest little face. She won't do it for the camera, though. I'll have to figure out a way to sneak a video of it.