Happy Little Train People

Ama sent Jac and Nic trains from Japan! Excitement!

Jac is growing up! Previously, if we turned a train on he got very upset and we had to turn it off immediately! Tonight, Joseph asked him if he could turn the train on, and he accepted it, and man did he accept it!

As I write this he has spent the last hour playing with the trains, running them all over the play area, all by himself! Joseph is napping on the couch, and Nic is amusing himself with balls and money!

Directed play

The boys have been playing "together" for a while now, more often than not it is more about having the same toy at the same time!

They like to chase one another, and that develops naturally at certain times of the day. Today, Jac decided that he wanted Nic to chase him. He went over, got Nic, asked him to hold hands, and then started puling him and saying, "chase."

Wow! I could see the future opening in front of my eyes as the boys start developing their own games, and making rules for those games, and getting the other one to play with them!

I remember doing all of that so clearly with my sister! The thing I remember most clearly are our Snoopies! We loved them! They were our friends and we created entire worlds for them to live in and stories that they lived out. They got to do all of the things that we wanted to do but didn't get to for one reason or another.

I can fully understand now why my parents' memories of us playing that way are so special. I can't wait! Yes I can! I love this time, but that is going to be just amazing!

Fun in the bath, again

About a month and a half ago, Jac turned the shower on while he and Nic were in the bath tub. He REALLY did not like this. It scared him a lot. Ever since then he has not wanted to go in the bath. I have found this a bit sad because I loved watching Jac and Nic play in the bath. They both loved it, and Joseph or I would sit by the tub while they played (and manage the inevitable toy squabble). It has been hard to see Jac refuse to get in the bath, and get very upset when we would make him get in, even for thirty seconds, to get clean.

Today, after playing in the puddles, I told the boys they needed to take a bath to warm up and get clean. Jac refused but Nic went in. After a little bit, Nic asked to get out, came out and got dry, and then asked to go back in. When he asked to go back in Jac decided that it looked like fun, and went in! Yeah! I was so excited I went and got the video camera!

Hopefully this will continue!

(Update 1/27/10: Jac went in the bath with Daddy and Nicie tonight. He did not want to get in at first but once he was in he had a pretty good time. He complained a few times that he wanted to get out but overall he had a pretty good time. Yeah!)

Puddles

It has been raining in LA! A lot! All week! We have pretty much been trapped inside and we are all going a little stir crazy. I have not taken the boys to one of the indoor playgrounds because I figure that is what everyone else is doing - snotty nosed or not - and we don't really need another round of sickness right now - so we are toughing it out at home.

We have a new helper, Katie. Our last helper quit, which I was very sad about, but we are adjusting. It is so nice to have help, so that when Joseph gets home late I am not cranky and ready to throw up my hands - and so that the house is not a mess, and the kids a mess and Mommy a mess! Everyone is happier for it!

Today the boys went out into the hallway to do some running - they like to run up and down the hallway and go to the trash chute! This was during a break in the rain (which has been pretty much constant) and they found puddles to play in, lots of them! After they played with all of the puddles they could find on our floor, we headed downstairs to play with even more puddles! They sat in them, tried to drink them, stamped on them, ran through them, whacked them with his hands and generally had a lot of fun!

Kids playing at Amy's Place in South Pasadena

We have found a new place to play! It is an indoor play gym in South Pasadena called Amy's Place. It is quite large and has a ton of different things to play with. It feels like a really! well stocked pre-school with parents and nannies taking care of the kids rather than teachers.

The kids had a great time!

Jac was working on his path planning with all of the cars and carts to push around!


Nic was working on his walking and getting on and off of things!

High Five

Jac likes to do "High Five" now - and the other day after doing it with me he decided to do it with his brother! Of course Nic does not understand "High Five" yet so Jac helped him!

Self portrait

Jac likes to look at the screen on my camera when I am taking pictures. He will come around to look at the screen when I am taking videos of him or Nic. Last night he took my camera and took some of his own pictures.

Jac also gets a little "crazy" at night when he is getting tired! He talks a lot and runs around and spins (the spinning is a new development in the last week).

Jac pushing Nic around Sam's Club

Today, Jac pushed Nic around Sam's club in the shopping cart. He got up a full head of steam in the straightaways - he was almost running! Unfortunately the cart needed some tire balancing and it pulled strongly to the left so I kept on having to course correct for Jac!



Also, at the end of this Sam's Club session Jac had his first public throw himself down tantrum. Fun! Fortunately since he is little I can just pick him up. Just wait 'til Nic gets there :) Oh man!

Also, I am getting really tough - I took the boys to Walmart, Sam's Club, and Kohls on an all afternoon shopping trip - all by myself. I am preparing for my pseudo-single parenthood as Joseph enters a new phase of his career development and is not going to be around much! Thankfully we are back close to family and I am very happy to be here - and have so! many grandparents around - and Aunts and Uncles - biological and otherwise!

Welcome back to CA!

Nic chasing Jac around Grandma's bedroom

Last night, when the kids were supposed be sleeping, they were instead playing in Grandma's room. Their favorite game was for Jac to run away and Nic to chase him by crawling after him. I think within a month or a month and a half this is going to turn into a literal game of chase. Man have I got my hands full!

BTW - sorry for the lousy video - dark room and iPhone 3G S video - but I had to capture the moment!

Trampoline

Ama and Akon purchased Jac a trampoline for his birthday. Yesterday they came and put it together! Wow! That was a big job and one which the boys wanted to help with! Jac's PT in Boulder suggested that a trampoline would be very good for his physical development.

Video of Jac and Nic playing with Nic crawling

It is so much fun to watch the boys play now that Nic can crawl a bit (the furthest I have seen him go so far is about 12 feet in 20 seconds). Nic has realized that, at least for some things, he can go get them himself!

It is going to be very interesting to see how the play dynamics change - Jac currently, voluntarily, plays very close to Nic, so that Nic takes things away from him. I wonder sometimes why Jac does it when it seems like he knows that "Hands" - is going to take whetever he is playing with away from him.

Griffith Park with Madeline and Caitlin

We had a great time with Madeline and Caitlin, Jac and Nic's cousins, in LA, at my parents' house. The girls are three and five, so a little bit too much older than Jac and Nic for them to interact with too much although there was some annoyance from the big girls over Jac's desire to see everything they were playing with!

We spent an afternoon at Griffith Park where they have pony rides and train rides. Madeline and Caitlin had a good time riding the horses but Jac was not too sure about them. He did enjoy the train ride as did Mr. Nicie.

Jac also had a very good time wandering around while we waited for the train ride while the girls played hide and seek.

For more pictures click here.

Nic at Kangaroo Kingdom

We have been spending a lot of time at Kangaroo Kingdom since we got back from LA. It is such a great place to for us to go. The kids are safe, they can play, and I can take one to the bathroom to change their diaper without worrying too much about the other one!

Nic is enjoying Kangaroo Kingdom more and more as he closes in on seven months! Here he is checking himself out in the mirror.

Jac playing around the edge of the pool

My parents have a very nice pool in their backyard and Jac has discovered the joy of it. He likes to stick his hand in the pool and splash around - and then taste the water. Shortly after this he leaned over a little too far and fell into the pool - right where he was playing - where it is only around 10 inches deep. He was scared but fine - and I was kind of glad he did it so he maybe learned he didn't want to do it again!

Playing together

Jac and Nic were on our bed today playing together. I would have to say that Jac is doing more playing and Nic more observing! It is very sweet to watch them together though. It is going to be interesting to see how things start to play out as Nic learns to hold onto and play with things more. An opportunity to teach them how to take turns! Right now Jac just take whatever he wants and Nic doesn't complain at all!

Nic playing with Mommy's iPhone

And so it begins. Nic has been staring at electronics like the phone for a while but now he has gotten his little mitts on my iPhone! Just wait 'til he can turn it on! I am never going to get to use it after that!

BTW, the boys are sick again and Nic is back on antibiotics. The boys have been sick for a month and a half now! A little off but mostly on!

Nic is so cute

Nic is getting more and more interactive by the day and a little more able to entertain himself. We put him down in the crib with the Nap bear next to him and he started grabbing the Nap bears legs and curling himself around him and putting his leg in his mouth while watching his mobile. Very cute!

Jac and Nic playing with Mommy's iPhone

Nic is starting to grab things - and Jac and Nic are starting to have to share things! Whoa! And it begins.

Today, we were watching kids videos from YouTube on the iPhone and then Jac was playing with my iPhone while I was holding Nic. Then I put Nic down to sit on the couch and he started grabbing at the iPhone.

Nic has now learned how to sit - and it seems like he has gone from not being able to sit to sitting on his own for at least 30 seconds at a time in a week! Amazing!

Jac and Nic are just so cute together!

Nic has discovered his feet

Nic is very happy - he has discovered his feet! He has been on antibiotics for a week - and has a nasty diaper rash - so we have been spending a lot of time with him on the changing table! And he discoevered this his feet are attached to him! Yeah! Now we are going to start working on "Thump, Thump!"

Nic loves to stand

Oh man! Nic loves to stand! Not sit, stand! His legs are quite strong and he can stand on his own from a weight bearing perspective. No balance whatsoever though! He gets mad when he is laid down to play in his Baby Einstein or to do anything else on his back for that matter. He has not sorted out how to roll over yet and he is not a huge fan of his tummy!

So... being practical parents, when we saw a Baby Einstein bouncer at Sam's Club, we thought about it for a day, and then bought it. He likes it! He doesn't bounce all that much at this point but he is upright, he plays with the toys a bit, and he can talk to us! And Jac!

Jac stacking blocks (and Nic playing with blocks)

Jac has figured out how to stack blocks! I have seen him do one block on top of another before but never 3! Wow! Milestone! Nice work Jacie!

It is also so cute to see how Jac will give Nic blocks!

Jac and Nic "playing" together

It is great fun to watch the boys start to interact a little more. Nic is able to spend quite a few minutes (5 or so) in the Bumbo at a time. Jac likes to come over and see what he is doing and interact with him. In this picture and video they are playing with one of Jac's favorite toys (and the one that I credit with teaching Jac cause and effect).

Jac practicing "more"

We have been practicing "more" with Jac, the sign and the word. He hasn't said more too many times but he has been doing the sign. Last night Daddy was practicing it with him. Jac was in the crib with a bunch of blocks and Daddy would request the blocks using the "more" sign and Jac would give him the blocks. It was very heartwarming to watch Jac play this game so nicely. He understood what Daddy was asking for and handed all of the blocks over.

Jac playing with Nic

Nic has been spending a few minutes at a time sitting in the Bumbo seat. He has good enough head control to sit there and "play" a little bit with toys but on the tray.

Today, when I put Nic in the Bumbo, Jac came to play with him. He took toys on and off of Nic's tray and in and out of the box of Nic's toys (ones that have been passed down from when Jac was a baby). It was really nice to watch. Jac is so good with his brother.

Nic in the Bumbo seat

Nic has pretty good head control now. He doesn't seem to like to lay down now and is much happier when someone holds him and helps him sit up or stand.

So ... here comes the Bumbo seat. He was pretty happy in it for a few minutes and Grandma even hooked him up to a little improvised toy contraption so he could play! In the picture he is playing with an Enfamil can and a mixing spoon (one of his brother's favorites for a while). It is a very snug fit for our big boy - he doesn't fall over at all!

Jac drinking from a Kleenex box

Yesterday I gave Jac an empty Kleenex box to play with after he woke up. He also had a bottle of formula. He decided to put the bottle in the Kleenex box, and then drink from the bottle. Hilarious and creative.

Nic playing and cooing in his Baby Einstein

Nic is smiling and cooing more and more. He is also whacking the toys in his Baby Einstein but good! Man he can give them a ride. He is also moving his legs more and more while he is doing it. Sometimes he can scoot himself quite a distance from all of the moving. He really likes it if someone leans over him while he is playing so he can see their face while he is playing - he gives great smiles as a reward.

Inspection boy

Jac likes to inspect things. Really anything. He likes to check them out and look at them from all angles and look for all of the little details. He has been having a great time emptying all kinds of cabinets at my parents' house. In one he found a curling iron, which he spent a good 7 minutes inspecting. I love watching him inspect things. He is so the child of two engineers.

Christmas in LA

Joseph, Jac, Nic and I arrived in LA on the 24th. Our flight was a little late and it took quite a while to pick up my parents' car. The kids were tired and so were we. We had quite a bit of shopping to do though, to pick up supplies for the kids and food for Christmas. We were supposed to pick up a Honey Baked ham by 5:30 pm and we made it there at 5:33 pm! They wouldn't let us in even though we had a reservation! Bah Humbug! That's okay - we got some nice cold cuts at Ralphs!

After a long day of travel the kids were worn out. Nic had spent a good portion of the afternoon crying in his car seat and wearing all of us, including him, out! We made it to my parents' house and we all pretty much crashed!

We got up on Christmas morning and got ready to have Joseph's parents, his sister and her husband, their friends and my Aunt over for a little Christmas party. We served the most basic of food but fun was had by all and it was wonderful to be with family for the holiday.

The kids were wound up last night and it took us a long time to get them to sleep. Jac gets so excited when he spends time with a bunch of people it takes him a long time to calm down. So cute! Nic was rocked, and bounced and burped by a bunch of different people, especially Uncle Wayne, who is a natural (he has had a lot of experience!)

We are very happy to be in LA but the cold weather seems to have followed us. It rained most of the day yesterday and it was cold (for LA) and today it is windy and cold! What's up! We came here to escape the cold!

Today we got up to a still messy house, had some breakfast and let Jac play around. He is having a great time in the new space. We haven't pulled out a single "toy" yet, he has been playing with pots and pans instead! I am told that these were a favorite of mine as a kid! Bang away! Just wait until Jac and Nic are both banging away! Oh man!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We spent the evening with good friends here in Boulder. We had a great meal - at least I think we did - I couldn't eat any of the items with dairy in them!

Jac had a great time with all of the older children. One of our friends' daughters who is twelve loves to carry Jac around and she takes great care of him. He got to "help" her put together her turkey with glue!



Nic was held by several different ladies and he seemed to enjoy all of it although he did spend part of the time sleeping in his car seat.

Jac: The joy of opening and closing doors

Jac has discovered the joy of opening and closing doors. He is always curios to go into the bathroom in the hall. For some reason every time he leaves his room he heads into the bathroom before proceeding down the hall. The night before last he discovered opening and closing the bathroom door while Daddy was outside the bathroom and he was inside. He did it again with me today. So fun!

Playing with other children

Jac has started to interact with other children a lot more in the last 2 weeks. It has been very interesting to watch as he starts to pay more attention to the other children and starts to pay attention to what they are doing.

A few days ago he spent a lot of time watching two older girls (3 1/2 and 5 1/2) play and he was very interested in what they were doing.

Today he had a great time playing with a little boy who is 10 months old. They are able to do about the same things from a gross motor standpoint. Jac was following this little boy around and they were doing things in parallel play. So fun to watch!

Kangaroo Kingdom

About 7 miles from our house there is an indoor play gym called The Kangaroo Kingdom which we have been to quite a few times. We went 3 times just last week! The gym has plenty of fun things to climb on and play with and it is a lot of fun to watch Jac explore and learn new skills.

I find it amazing how quickly Jac learns new skills - especially when he is challenged by a new environment.

This first video is from August 12 and in it he is practicing crawling across the gym.



This second video is from August 14 and in it is he learning how to "escape" from the gym ring.

Happy Bathing Baby

Jac is now really enjoying his baths. We have started to add some toys to bath time and he is really getting into splashing around and reaching for his toys. It is so amazing to watch this after so many months of thinking that he did not like water - and such a relief!

I think I am going to take him to a swim class this summer - hopefully I can find something that fits into our busy travel schedule!

"I can move my tongue!"

Jac has discovered his tongue! It is so funny to watch because just yesterday he realized that he can move it all kinds of different directions. He twists it around now and sticks it out! So cute!

I have been sticking my tongue out at him and trying to get him to imitate me, but I have not gotten anything yet. I am not sure why I am encouraging this except that it is so cute!

I took a video of him this morning after he woke up and was laying/playing in the bed. I had my iPhone with me to make a few calls and he was eating it and playing with it. He is going to be surfing the web in no time if this keep up!



BTW, Aunt Judy K - Jac sleeps on the quilt you made him every night and I think we are probably bringing it to Italy with us!

Jac has truly discovered his feet

Jac discovered his feet for the first time at the end of January - you can see the post here.

But now he really gets it. I think the thing that helped him really "get it" are these cool little sock things that have a cow on one foot and a sheep on the other and make sounds when he moves his feet. When I first saw them at Target I thought they were a little silly - but man does Jac like them! He really began to play with his feet when I put them on (it took a few times before he really got into it) and now he is playing with his feet all of the time.



Today he was playing with his feet while he was in his car seat! Wouldn't it be great if that would make riding in the car seat easier for him!

He also likes to play with his feet while he is on his changing table (really one of his favorite places!). I have helped him get his toe in his mouth while he is on the table but that is a pretty advanced move!

Playing with a Nuk

The OT gave us a Nuk brush to work on oral stimulation and desensitization with Jac. We have started by just giving him the brush to play with and stick in his mouth - or in his eye as the case may be. He is getting a little more coordinated with it already and it is really fun to watch.

The Bottle Dance

Jac has taken to playing with his bottle when he is eating. He is trying to hold the bottle with both of his hands while he is eating. He also pushes the bottle with his tongue and moves it all around. This has increased a lot in the last 2 days. At 5 am this dance makes it challenging for a bleary eyed Mommy to feed him!

Jac playing with the breast pump cords

When I am pumping sometimes I hold Jac on my lap and play with him. Today I was holding Jac on my lap and he started to play with the cords that lead from my flanges to the pump. He was having such a good time I called my Dad in to take a movie.