Updates on the Wee Ones

Starbeans:

• Learned how to roll his tongue
• Has started saying, "Watch this!" when he is about to do something amazing
• Shows an interest in dressing himself - he can put his shoes, underwear, and pants on correctly, but has trouble with his shirt
• Totally and completely potty-trained (and has been for awhile) - no accidents, tells us he has to go every time without fail, looks adorable in his undies
• Has started taking toys away from Baby Truen [Pumpkin] - after he snatches them, he just tosses them to the side.
• Very cooperative with Time Outs - he will run to the chair immediately and sit quietly the entire duration. Sometimes he will wail, be very upset by it, and say, "I love you!" while he's sitting there, like he is checking in with me and making sure I feel the same.
• Loves to help me cook - I let him hold eggs, dump ingredients in, stir, salt and pepper, and stand at the step-stool and move things around in the cast iron skillet while they are frying. He is very good; very careful, and really enjoys it.
• Loves monsters, robots, "cars and trucks", wrestling, hitting things with sticks, and lining things up.
• After finding out our neighbors got a puppy, I could tell that he didn't know what that was. I told him, "A puppy is a baby dog" to which he replied, "Ohhhhh....! I want a puppy!"
• Still napping almost every day
• Attempting to brush his own teeth
• Has started saying, "I do it!" and gets mad if I try to help
• Can count to ten
• Says his ABCs, only it is more like "A B C D L M N O P!!"
• Eats beans for a snack - loves apples, pears, and string cheese
• Has been saying, "Let's eat pancakes and oatmeal!" whenever I ask him what he wants to eat.
• Often responds with, "Two hours!" when asked questions that he doesn't know how to answer (often "why" questions)
• Finds comfort in necks: will say, "Mama, I want my paso-pier, snuggle and touch your neck!" when it is time for bed or naps. He has found comfort in the necks of Squeeze, my MIL, Dad, brother, and now...Baby Truen. Yesterday morning he was touching Pumpkin's neck and we laid in bed. I wasn't sure whether he was being agressive (trying to push him away) or not, so I asked him what he was doing: "Touching his neck!" he answered. Adorable.
• Loves the game, "I mama, you Diego!"
• Very affectionate and loving

Pumpkin:

• A total mama's boy - wants me over anyone else, pretty much all of the time
• Sticks his tongue out of his mouth and smiles whenever anyone talks to him
• Starts wiggling and thrashing around when he sees the riding lawn mower - it excites him that much
• Has learned how to SCREAM LOUDLY when he wants to be picked up ASAP
• Lightning-fast reaction at grabbing what he wants
• Loves the sling
• Sits like a champ
• Pre-crawling: reaches out and catapults himself forward when he sees something he wants
• Still growls while nursing himself to sleep; not always, but often (and so strange)
• Loves Diego [Starbeans] - he will grab after him and suck on his face and scream with joy whenever he can get his little hands on him
• Napping regularly, but not scheduled - perhaps 2-4 times a day
• Napping in all different spots: sling, swing, crib, bed
• L-O-V-E-S the cats - will look around until he spots them if/when we say their names and shrieks wildly when he sees them. He also tries to grab their fur/face/ears/tail if either of them dare to come close enough.
• Looks in our direction if/when we call his name
• When seeing people outside our immediate family, he gives them big smiles and them immediately dives into my shoulder and buries his face in my neck.
• Hates having his diaper changed
• Loves to be naked
• Very expressive eyebrows
• Has said, "da, da" a couple of times, but mostly "gooooooo" and things of the like
• Likes picking grass while sitting on the lawn
• More fussy while nursing than Diego - probably because there are much more distractions
• Splashes in the tub and tries to grab the running water
• Loves bath time, but H-A-T-E-S getting out of the tub - we have yet to have post-bath time free of frenzied crying, ever. I can't wait! It is horrible, especially because he loves taking a bath so much. I think he gets a tad cold in the tub-to-towel transfer and then can't get out of the jag.
• Prefers sleeping on his tummy - if he is fussing or irritable in the night, all I have to do is turn him over to his belly and he pretty much goes back to sleep instantly.
• Loves sleeping with mama (and vice-versa)