SIBLING SNAPSHOT | Winter 2018 Edition
THE STATS:
C: 3 years 10 months
THE STATS:
C: 3 years 10 months
G: 20 months
DEVELOPMENTAL ACTIVITY:
C: With the weather warming up a bit, we've been able to get out for some quick walks around the block lately, and C has been loving riding his balance bike. He has gotten the balance part down pretty well, and has been asking...on repeat...for a bike with pedals for his birthday. T & I are planning to surprise him with this one (spotted in our neighborhood as the bike of choice with other kiddos his age) when the big day comes, and I think he's going to LOVE it! That water bottle holder is just awesome! Hopefully, he can get the pedaling figured out quickly so that we can do some trail walks this summer with him on his bike and G and his new sibling in the stroller. The new baby will be too little for bike rides this year, and C will likely be too tall for our MUCH LOVED Burley Encore bike trailer, so if we're to go on any rides with any real distance this summer, we'll be in the market for a new solution. I've been researching this WeeHoo iGo Turbo bike trailer lately after spotting it on a recent vacation, and think it may be just the ticket. It is built for age ranges 2-9, has a 3-point harness for added safety, pedals for kiddos to help mom or dad, and is rated for up to 80lbs (I'd like to think our little people will be firmly established bike riders by the time they hit that mark!). We aren't comfortable yet with the idea of C on a more traditional bike trailer like this, for the longer rides that take us across busy highways and bumpy roads on the standard bike routes from our home, so the WeeHoo trailer would be the perfect solution. You can read more about it here.
G: G's vocabulary has exploded over the last month or so. He doesn't always pronounce an entire word, but he at least gets a big enough portion of it for us to understand what he is saying. For instance, just the other night he pointed to T's phone and said 'pho', or in the morning when I ask what he wants for breakfast, he might say 'muff' for muffin, or when his brother isn't playing nice, he might come to me and say 'sha' (aka...share) while pointing at a certain toy that just got swiped from his grip. He is quite a bit ahead of where big brother C was at this age in terms of his speech, and I'm hopeful that it will help ease our transition once new baby arrives since G can articulate some of what he is wanting rather than just cry about it.
SCHEDULE:
We just had daylight savings time, and this week has been a bit rough in terms of getting the boys back on track. Nap time and bedtime were shifted within about three days, but for C, the struggle was real when it came to waking up in the morning to get ready for school. Most days, he slept until almost 8am, and I had to wake him up to get him going. He has also been fighting naps, although I'm not sure if it has anything to do with daylight savings, or if he is just at an age where he might not want to take a nap every day, or possibly that he's been battling a cold for the past week and half and being sick has affected his sleeping habits. Who knows! What I do know is that I could really use at least another six months of solid naps for BOTH boys as we prepare to add a newborn to our household and my own sleep is dramatically diminished! Overall, on a typical day, we aim for 7:30pm bedtime, the boys are up between 7:15-7:30am, and nap time is around 1/1:30pm-3:30/4pm.
FAVORITE TOY:
Santa was good to our boys this winter, and brought them the most fun, and definitely one of the most loved toys in our home...a play kitchen. Each of the boys have spent hours pretending to cook, bake, and mix together ingredients. They have had particular fun with this coffee pot, these cupcakes, and the endless opportunities for creating meals from these breakfast and dinner food sets.
Other favorite toys include any of the 10,000 die cast toy cars, trucks, tractors and semis that we have accumulated over the last few years. Pretty much every surface in our home is covered with these little minefields by the end of the day, and I am constantly picking them up to avoid slipping and falling. They have also been loving their ride-on vehicles. G loves this fly bike, and C prefers this truck. They go around and around and around the main floor of our home, and it is quite a sight to see little G zipping around corners at top speed while his brother chases him around in the truck.
When we are outside, both boys LOVE to play hockey. Over the winter, we took them to several local hockey games, and they enjoyed bonding with papa T while watching some NHL games on TV. When Uncle B showed up one weekend with mini kid-sized hockey sticks, the rest of our winter outdoor toys took a backseat, and hockey became the fast favorite.
Other favorite toys include any of the 10,000 die cast toy cars, trucks, tractors and semis that we have accumulated over the last few years. Pretty much every surface in our home is covered with these little minefields by the end of the day, and I am constantly picking them up to avoid slipping and falling. They have also been loving their ride-on vehicles. G loves this fly bike, and C prefers this truck. They go around and around and around the main floor of our home, and it is quite a sight to see little G zipping around corners at top speed while his brother chases him around in the truck.
When we are outside, both boys LOVE to play hockey. Over the winter, we took them to several local hockey games, and they enjoyed bonding with papa T while watching some NHL games on TV. When Uncle B showed up one weekend with mini kid-sized hockey sticks, the rest of our winter outdoor toys took a backseat, and hockey became the fast favorite.
STORYTIME:
G has really taken to reading in the last few months, and went from pretty much an 'I have no time for that' mentality to 'lets read all day long'. When he is craving a quiet moment to himself, I can often count on finding him quietly flipping through the pages of some of his favorite books on the floor in his bedroom. Such a little sweetheart! His favorite bedtime stories as of late have been Dream Animals or Day Dreamers, No Two Alike, and Love Monster. He also continues to be fascinated by any Iowa Hawkeye book on our shelves, and loves songbooks - What a Wonderful World, My Favorite Things, and Every Little Thing are some favorites.
C also loves to read, and has had so much fun choosing different locations from Atlas of Adventures to learn about with papa T at bedtime. While this book is meant for kids who are a bit older, as long as we keep it to just 1-2 locations per bedtime, he has had fun learning all about different cultures and traditions around the world. T really wants to get him a globe so that he can point out the different locations they have been reading about. We also recently checked out 'A Year Full of Stories: 52 classic stories from all around the world' from the library (which they ordered after I mentioned wanting to read it!), and think it will be a great book to add to our collection in the coming years as our little people start to read longer books with less pictures. It is also tied to different cultures around the world, and highlights folk tales tied to specific holidays and dates throughout the year. So fun!
CUISINE:
Both boys typically eat a good breakfast, particularly if it includes some sort of baked good such as muffins, banana bread, pancakes, etc. They also enjoy fresh fruit, yogurt (which G demands to feed himself), and sausage links or bacon.
After naps, I usually throw together some sort of trail mix for the boys to enjoy at their kid-sized table. Typically, it has cereal, dried fruit, and yogurt raisins, Goldfish, and maybe some kind of peanut. I try to steer clear of the store bought trail mix as I've found that they will generally just go straight for the M&Ms and leave the rest of the snack alone. They do enjoy the Annie's organic cheddar snack mix, so as long as I'm keeping a close eye on when they are done (cheddar covered fingers and furniture do not mix!), we'll do this one sometimes as well.
At dinner, we have noticed that unless we are eating by close to 6pm, neither of the boys will eat well at dinner. They are getting tired and cranky, and just overall tend to play with their food and cause problems instead of eating anything. Usually, I give them only one choice, and they have to eat whatever T & I are eating if they want to eat at all. I don't have time or patience to make multiple meals for picky little eaters. I do often modify certain meals when I know they will or will not eat something I'm making. Generally speaking, they don't like casseroles or meals mixed together with sauce, so if that's what's for dinner, I make sure to leave out or pick out the individual ingredients such as meat, veggie, etc. before giving them their plates. For instance, if T & I are having tacos, I make sure to leave out plain hamburger before adding taco seasoning and the individual ingredients for the boys rather than try to feed them a full on taco. Sometimes...I can get away with putting taco meat, tomatoes, beans and cheese in a quesadilla. Same would be true of soups. C has started to eat soup every now and then, but generally speaking, we best be having a sandwich to go with, or the boys won't eat. The mixed together ingredients are not their jam. Some meals they do particularly like are meatloaf with steamed veggies; parmesan chicken with steamed veggies and bread for dipping (G LOVES to dip bread in balsamic vinegar); burgers with baked fries or tots and fruit; etc. I'll be honest, it's a bit of a crapshoot when it comes to dinner, and often it boils down to what time of evening everything comes together. I think we are ALL looking forward to grilling season and simple summertime meals!
When we are out to eat or get a quick takeout meal, toasted ham & cheese subs from Subway, or a ham & cheese slim from Jimmy Johns are favorites, but DO NOT bust out the chips until after the sandwiches are mostly gone, or they won't eat sandwiches! G also loves chicken strips, particularly when he gets to DIP them in ketchup, and C enjoys mac & cheese, grilled cheese, or a burger. Speaking of burgers, he has been begging me to go to Duke's (a local hamburger joint) for his upcoming birthday, so I'm hopeful they will be opening soon!
Lunchtime it typical American toddler food...think PB&J, hot ham & cheese, quesadilla, frozen pizza, peas or mixed veggies, and fruit, yogurt, or applesauce on the side. G continues to dislike pasta, so we don't do as much mac & cheese as C or I would probably like!
At dinner, we have noticed that unless we are eating by close to 6pm, neither of the boys will eat well at dinner. They are getting tired and cranky, and just overall tend to play with their food and cause problems instead of eating anything. Usually, I give them only one choice, and they have to eat whatever T & I are eating if they want to eat at all. I don't have time or patience to make multiple meals for picky little eaters. I do often modify certain meals when I know they will or will not eat something I'm making. Generally speaking, they don't like casseroles or meals mixed together with sauce, so if that's what's for dinner, I make sure to leave out or pick out the individual ingredients such as meat, veggie, etc. before giving them their plates. For instance, if T & I are having tacos, I make sure to leave out plain hamburger before adding taco seasoning and the individual ingredients for the boys rather than try to feed them a full on taco. Sometimes...I can get away with putting taco meat, tomatoes, beans and cheese in a quesadilla. Same would be true of soups. C has started to eat soup every now and then, but generally speaking, we best be having a sandwich to go with, or the boys won't eat. The mixed together ingredients are not their jam. Some meals they do particularly like are meatloaf with steamed veggies; parmesan chicken with steamed veggies and bread for dipping (G LOVES to dip bread in balsamic vinegar); burgers with baked fries or tots and fruit; etc. I'll be honest, it's a bit of a crapshoot when it comes to dinner, and often it boils down to what time of evening everything comes together. I think we are ALL looking forward to grilling season and simple summertime meals!
When we are out to eat or get a quick takeout meal, toasted ham & cheese subs from Subway, or a ham & cheese slim from Jimmy Johns are favorites, but DO NOT bust out the chips until after the sandwiches are mostly gone, or they won't eat sandwiches! G also loves chicken strips, particularly when he gets to DIP them in ketchup, and C enjoys mac & cheese, grilled cheese, or a burger. Speaking of burgers, he has been begging me to go to Duke's (a local hamburger joint) for his upcoming birthday, so I'm hopeful they will be opening soon!
GENERAL TEMPERAMENTS:
Truth. C has been a bit of a handful these past few months. I'm not entirely sure what caused this change, but there has been more whining, pushing, and overall attention-seeking behavior than I care to remember. Unfortunately, G has taken the brunt of the drama, and is often the one being picked on, pushed, or having a toy stolen away. He has grown to be scared of C's behavior, and has developed a strong attachment to his blanket when he is feeling threatened, and is often found hiding by my legs so that big brother will leave him alone. I do not think that C's behavior comes from being truly 'mean', but nevertheless, I wish he would respect that G doesn't appreciate the constant pestering and pushing.
G, meanwhile, continues to be a little sweetheart. He is such a happy little guy the majority of the time, and brings us so much joy. He loves being right in the middle of all the action, and is full of smiles, laughs, and mischievous little crinkle faces. Despite being picked on quite a bit by his bigger brother (who should know better), G loves C with his whole heart, and can often be found sitting with him in the armchair and reading or watching a show, driving trucks together all over the furniture, chasing each other around on their ride-on vehicles, or sharing a snack together at the kids table after nap time.
We love these boys so much, and are looking forward to watching them both grow into their new roles as big brothers to a new sibling sometime in the next month!
G, meanwhile, continues to be a little sweetheart. He is such a happy little guy the majority of the time, and brings us so much joy. He loves being right in the middle of all the action, and is full of smiles, laughs, and mischievous little crinkle faces. Despite being picked on quite a bit by his bigger brother (who should know better), G loves C with his whole heart, and can often be found sitting with him in the armchair and reading or watching a show, driving trucks together all over the furniture, chasing each other around on their ride-on vehicles, or sharing a snack together at the kids table after nap time.
We love these boys so much, and are looking forward to watching them both grow into their new roles as big brothers to a new sibling sometime in the next month!
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Thanks for visiting! Let me know if you have any suggestions of recipes I should try, fun ideas to do with the kiddo, or a suggested adventure to add to our bucket list!