He's finally putting sentences together and playing pretend. He's bossing us around and giving us his opinions, even when they aren't asked for. He's a full-fledged two-year old, complete with defiance and tantrums. And, he's absolutely able to get anything he wants. Jake can easily convince me of just about anything with his adorable big eyes and funny facial expressions. Even when he couldn't talk much, you could understand everything he was thinking by just reading his face. Now, he just manipulates me with those adorable little expressions and sweet little voice. Even when he's mean... I am totally SNOWED.
I guess I'm not really snowed since I know what's happening, but it is terrible. I, obviously, don't make a difference between Jake and Bailey (at least not one that any parent wouldn't make between a 2-year old and a 4-year old based on one knowing more than the other). However, I do feel like a complete sucker most of the time. I do feel better when other people seem to get snowed too. Then, at least, I think maybe he just has that kind of personality. The funny thing is that he really is a hateful little bird. He wakes up every morning and I wonder if he's going to be happy or pissed off. It's about 50/50. Some mornings, he'll wake up and be ready to go... happy to do whatever is on the agenda, whether that's laying around the house in his pjs or getting dressed to go run around. He is just happy to go and even happier if we have a pop tart and orange juice. Other mornings, he wakes up mad. I can offer him pop tarts and orange juice, with a side of Spiderman on TV, and he just gets more angry. He usually wants to be held on these mornings and then proceeds to be mean to Morgan, by saying "No Morgan" or "No Kaden (Morgan's little brother who he plays with regularly)" or just completely ignoring her. He's even mean to Brad - often refusing to tell him goodbye or even taking a swing at him if he tries to give him a kiss on the head. He really is a little bear. He is a moody little thing. We just can't figure out if there's something causing it. I keep wondering if he's getting enough sleep or if he's getting too much on these days. I thought it was just the mornings that Morgan was coming over, which made me think he was just having a hard time with us leaving. But, that's not the case. He does it on the weekends sometimes and sometimes on the days I'm at home. On some mornings, he'll just sit and scream (like temper tantrum scream) because he asked for juice and I fixed him a juice but handed it to him instead of sitting it on the table that he wanted it on. Apparently mind-reading is something I should have. :) So, really... the personality is not there for him to be a manipulator. He should be sweet and persuasive, not hateful, moody, and expecting us to bow to him all the time. LOL... But, his uncle Colt has always been able to get what he wants. They have very similar personalities. Jake seems to recognize that... he idolizes Colt. Every time we say we're going to Ashland to see Mimi and Poppa, he'll say, "And Colt?" Maybe I should keep them away from each other... maybe he's getting lessons and I just didn't know. :) Either way, he is certainly the funniest little kid in the world. You never know what you're going to get with him... but I can almost always guarantee that you wait five minutes and it will change!
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Daddy's Girl... for a few minutes
I couldn't help but think that it was the most adorable thing ever when Bailey announced to me that she wanted her daddy to take her on her field trip to the orchard. Her class would be visiting a local orchard for their fall trip and she was so excited. I was a little disappointed that she wasn't more eager for me to be there, but I was so excited for Brad that she had taken the initiative to want him there. It really worked out nicely for me, too. The field trip was on a Thursday, which would normally be good for me because I work from home on Thursday and could be more flexible. However, siblings weren't allowed to go, which would mean paying or finding a sitter to take care of him while I took Bailey. So, Bailey's endeavor to involve her daddy was perfect.
I'm not sure that Brad even realizes how special it is that she wanted him to go and that he went and had fun with her. One day, he will look back and remember it and wish she was still so eager to spend time with him, especially in front of her friends. :) My dad was always ready for anything we wanted to do and my favorite thing about him was that he was always happy to spend time with us. Most of the time, he was needed somewhere else, but when he was with us, he was with us. He knew when it was supposed to be Dad and Andrea time. Oh, don't get me wrong... I can remember SO many times when we were begging him to get off the phone, quit working, leave the office, or to not stop "just one more place." I often think of him when I'm working from home with the kids and I tell them, "Mommy has to make just one more call, so please be good and don't fight." How I remember being on the other end of that conversation and hating every second of it. :) But, when it was really important, Dad got it. He knew that it wouldn't always be that way... and he was right. Like all girls, I went through that "my dad embarasses the crap out of me and acts like a complete idiot" phase. And, he made sure I paid for it when I went through that phase. I guess he thought that if I was going to accuse him of being ridiculous, he might as well enjoy it. Obviously, I got over it and really think it's quite funny looking back at it.
I love to see how Bailey adores her daddy. He is so oblivious to it... which I might have just ruined. :) She tells me every time something messes up, even if it is unfixable, that her daddy will fix it. He can fix everything. Literally, I quote her... she says, "Daddy can fix everything." She thinks he hung the moon. And, he does for her, I guess. Tonight we carved our annual jack-o-lanterns. Daddy is the master at carving the coolest pumpkins. We have a Scooby Doo pumpkin and a crazy face pumpkin (which I did, thank you very much). No doubt, all I will hear about for weeks is how her daddy made her the Scooby Doo pumpkin. And what really cracks me up about her idolization of him, is that she doesn't say these things in front of him, just to me and/or others. It's like she knows it will go straight to his head. :)
I just hope it stays this way for a little while longer. I'm happy to miss out on the fun field trips and let Daddy have his time with her. I know that she'll turn into a teenager early... she does everythinge early. So, we'll take this as long as we can. (And since I'm being so understanding about her playing her daddy all the time, maybe he'll be so understanding about me letting Jake play me all the time.)
I'm not sure that Brad even realizes how special it is that she wanted him to go and that he went and had fun with her. One day, he will look back and remember it and wish she was still so eager to spend time with him, especially in front of her friends. :) My dad was always ready for anything we wanted to do and my favorite thing about him was that he was always happy to spend time with us. Most of the time, he was needed somewhere else, but when he was with us, he was with us. He knew when it was supposed to be Dad and Andrea time. Oh, don't get me wrong... I can remember SO many times when we were begging him to get off the phone, quit working, leave the office, or to not stop "just one more place." I often think of him when I'm working from home with the kids and I tell them, "Mommy has to make just one more call, so please be good and don't fight." How I remember being on the other end of that conversation and hating every second of it. :) But, when it was really important, Dad got it. He knew that it wouldn't always be that way... and he was right. Like all girls, I went through that "my dad embarasses the crap out of me and acts like a complete idiot" phase. And, he made sure I paid for it when I went through that phase. I guess he thought that if I was going to accuse him of being ridiculous, he might as well enjoy it. Obviously, I got over it and really think it's quite funny looking back at it.
I love to see how Bailey adores her daddy. He is so oblivious to it... which I might have just ruined. :) She tells me every time something messes up, even if it is unfixable, that her daddy will fix it. He can fix everything. Literally, I quote her... she says, "Daddy can fix everything." She thinks he hung the moon. And, he does for her, I guess. Tonight we carved our annual jack-o-lanterns. Daddy is the master at carving the coolest pumpkins. We have a Scooby Doo pumpkin and a crazy face pumpkin (which I did, thank you very much). No doubt, all I will hear about for weeks is how her daddy made her the Scooby Doo pumpkin. And what really cracks me up about her idolization of him, is that she doesn't say these things in front of him, just to me and/or others. It's like she knows it will go straight to his head. :)
I just hope it stays this way for a little while longer. I'm happy to miss out on the fun field trips and let Daddy have his time with her. I know that she'll turn into a teenager early... she does everythinge early. So, we'll take this as long as we can. (And since I'm being so understanding about her playing her daddy all the time, maybe he'll be so understanding about me letting Jake play me all the time.)
Catching Up
Well, I can't believe it's been over a month since the last post. I don't know why... I should know that's about how long it takes for me to feel guilty and get back on the computer. It's difficult for me to sit down and write for some reason. Most of it is because I'm so tired of being on the computer for 100 different things, mostly all work-related. Nonetheless, I regret waiting so long because it takes a few to get back into the swing of things when I take such a break!
The kids have been doing wonderfully. We have all been passing a cold around, which seems to be the norm for everyone right now, but thankfully it hasn't been anything more than a cold. (Knock on wood, right?!) Our routine has continued on... Bailey going to school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Jake staying with Morgan. They really are both enjoying every bit of it.
Bailey loves her friends and telling me all about everything she's learning. I'm so impressed by the knowledge she keeps picking up. She comes home talking about her letters, telling me what items she knows that start with the letter of the week, and telling me all about her "job" for the week. There always seems to be some fun activity that they do to learn about things. They have had fire safety week and I love to read week. They had a visit from the fire truck (Bailey was thrilled to see that they have a front and back door... so impressive) and they shared their favorite books in class today (their teachers read all of their books in class and Bailey claims that hers was the best). I am really impressed by Bailey's recent interest in numbers. I don't think this has been caused by school. She has always been more interested in numbers than letters and she has always asked lots of questions about numbers. Well, she is now learning to add and subtract (more from us at home than at school, I believe). I'm so proud of her (and hoping that she is going to be so good at math that she goes into something that will positively impact her budget more than my choices! LOL). I have also seen other changes in Bailey's learning. She is driving me nuts with the little schoolgirl, know-it-all attitude. It can be cute, at times, but it can also drive me insane. She has been threatening Jake when he doesn't do what she wants. She tells him, "I won't be your friend or big sister anymore." It makes me mad that she acts that way, but worries me more that she's being treated that way by one of her friends (or that she's treating them this way). So, we had a little talk about it tonight. I hope that changes soon. I'm sure there's plenty more of it to come, but I'm hopeful that she'll understand it can be hurtful to act that way. I guess it all comes with the territory. She is also killing me with rhyming. Everything she says, she follows up with rhyming words, even if they don't make sense. So, she'll say, "Hey Jakey bakey cakey. I'm hungry, shungry, dungry." Every sentence ends in rhymes. I had to tell her tonight that if she rhymed again, she was losing toys. I know I'll look back and laugh one day, but really... I am only going to be sane for a few more days at this rate. :)
Jake is also enjoying his little life. Today, alone, he was able to convince Morgan to take him to McDonald's for pancakes and sausage, and then to McDonald's for lunch. Normally, I would be worried about the amount of fast food, but considering that he really seems to eat less than a bird on most days, I'm thrilled that he has anything going down. I guess it's a phase he's going through - the no-eating phase - but it worries me. He is so little that he can fit in Mackenzie's little 5 month old son's diapers (he wears them sometimes at nap time if he's at Morgan's house and they don't have any of his). Now, I know that Braxton is a big 5-month old, but still... Jake is a skinny mini. And, it is no wonder. He literally could survive on drinks. He just doesn't seem to care about eating anymore. I remember Bailey going through a phase like this, so I'm hoping we're nearing the end of it. BUT... in the meantime, anything that he'll eat is better than nothing. :) He is also speaking more and more clearly. He loves to talk about Spiderman or Batman. He loves role playing... in any form. Yes, he's going to be that adult that interviews potential employees and makes them pretend to sell him something. Apparently, it's just that fun. :) He loves to tell me when Bailey is being bad, when he doesn't like things, and when he wants me to do something. I hear mommy all the time. Even if Jake is just sitting around playing, he'll yell, "Mommy" repeatedly. When I respond, he usually says, "Where are you?" Most of the time, I'm sitting right beside him... but he just wants to say it.
They are both just growing up so fast. I can't keep up with everything they do that I love. They play well together on most days... they even found that they really enjoy a good car race with Jake's electronic cars. They'll get them started and let them go across the floor and their identical laughs just crack me up. I listened to them playing for about an hour yesterday and couldn't help but laugh at them. They were having so much fun and weren't fighting over the toys they were playing with. It was one of those precious moments that I would love to remember forever.
The kids have been doing wonderfully. We have all been passing a cold around, which seems to be the norm for everyone right now, but thankfully it hasn't been anything more than a cold. (Knock on wood, right?!) Our routine has continued on... Bailey going to school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Jake staying with Morgan. They really are both enjoying every bit of it.
Bailey loves her friends and telling me all about everything she's learning. I'm so impressed by the knowledge she keeps picking up. She comes home talking about her letters, telling me what items she knows that start with the letter of the week, and telling me all about her "job" for the week. There always seems to be some fun activity that they do to learn about things. They have had fire safety week and I love to read week. They had a visit from the fire truck (Bailey was thrilled to see that they have a front and back door... so impressive) and they shared their favorite books in class today (their teachers read all of their books in class and Bailey claims that hers was the best). I am really impressed by Bailey's recent interest in numbers. I don't think this has been caused by school. She has always been more interested in numbers than letters and she has always asked lots of questions about numbers. Well, she is now learning to add and subtract (more from us at home than at school, I believe). I'm so proud of her (and hoping that she is going to be so good at math that she goes into something that will positively impact her budget more than my choices! LOL). I have also seen other changes in Bailey's learning. She is driving me nuts with the little schoolgirl, know-it-all attitude. It can be cute, at times, but it can also drive me insane. She has been threatening Jake when he doesn't do what she wants. She tells him, "I won't be your friend or big sister anymore." It makes me mad that she acts that way, but worries me more that she's being treated that way by one of her friends (or that she's treating them this way). So, we had a little talk about it tonight. I hope that changes soon. I'm sure there's plenty more of it to come, but I'm hopeful that she'll understand it can be hurtful to act that way. I guess it all comes with the territory. She is also killing me with rhyming. Everything she says, she follows up with rhyming words, even if they don't make sense. So, she'll say, "Hey Jakey bakey cakey. I'm hungry, shungry, dungry." Every sentence ends in rhymes. I had to tell her tonight that if she rhymed again, she was losing toys. I know I'll look back and laugh one day, but really... I am only going to be sane for a few more days at this rate. :)
Jake is also enjoying his little life. Today, alone, he was able to convince Morgan to take him to McDonald's for pancakes and sausage, and then to McDonald's for lunch. Normally, I would be worried about the amount of fast food, but considering that he really seems to eat less than a bird on most days, I'm thrilled that he has anything going down. I guess it's a phase he's going through - the no-eating phase - but it worries me. He is so little that he can fit in Mackenzie's little 5 month old son's diapers (he wears them sometimes at nap time if he's at Morgan's house and they don't have any of his). Now, I know that Braxton is a big 5-month old, but still... Jake is a skinny mini. And, it is no wonder. He literally could survive on drinks. He just doesn't seem to care about eating anymore. I remember Bailey going through a phase like this, so I'm hoping we're nearing the end of it. BUT... in the meantime, anything that he'll eat is better than nothing. :) He is also speaking more and more clearly. He loves to talk about Spiderman or Batman. He loves role playing... in any form. Yes, he's going to be that adult that interviews potential employees and makes them pretend to sell him something. Apparently, it's just that fun. :) He loves to tell me when Bailey is being bad, when he doesn't like things, and when he wants me to do something. I hear mommy all the time. Even if Jake is just sitting around playing, he'll yell, "Mommy" repeatedly. When I respond, he usually says, "Where are you?" Most of the time, I'm sitting right beside him... but he just wants to say it.
They are both just growing up so fast. I can't keep up with everything they do that I love. They play well together on most days... they even found that they really enjoy a good car race with Jake's electronic cars. They'll get them started and let them go across the floor and their identical laughs just crack me up. I listened to them playing for about an hour yesterday and couldn't help but laugh at them. They were having so much fun and weren't fighting over the toys they were playing with. It was one of those precious moments that I would love to remember forever.
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