Isaac's 3-month pictures

Evan pooped! Isaac is huge! (15 weeks)

Evan pooped in the potty! He announced he needed to go by saying, "Evan want tractor." Usually I tell him he gets it once he goes #2 in the potty, without pouring it in there, and then he loses interest in the tractor. But today when I said, "You want your tractor? You have to use the potty," he started running. And he did it! Like it was no big deal!

Evanisms
I ask Evan if he wants to go through the car wash. He says yes. Then...
Evan: Evan scared car wash.
Me: Don't be scared.
Evan: Evan does want go car wash.
Me: Are you still scared?
Evan: Yes, Evan scared. No go car wash.
We go to the car wash, and there is no crying.
Me: You did great! Are you still scared?
Evan: Car wash fun! Evan is all better.

We are sitting at the table on our deck in the backyard, eating Jerry's BBQ. Evan sticks his finger in his nose and starts to work at something.
Jerry: Do not do that at the table.
Evan continues to work at it, staring at Jerry.
Jerry: We don't do that here. Go into the bathroom.
Evan is still busy.
Jerry: Evan, I mean it!
Evan pulls something out.
Jerry: Evan, that is disgusting.
So Evan sticks his finger back into his nose, and says:
Ok, Evan put it back.

Tonight Jerry told Evan that he will take a bath and then go to bed. Evan takes a bath, and then comes downstairs to see me.
Me: Did you take your bath and now you're going to bed?
Evan, excitedly: Evan woke up!
Me: Um, it's still dark outside. You still have to go to bed. Nice try.

Isaac - 3.5 months
Isaac is doing great. He is standing on his legs (while we hold him, of course), laughs outloud, and can hold onto toys, though he has to focus on that. When Jerry grabs his arms to pull him to a standing position, Isaac laughs. And often, when he is nursing, he pulls away to smile and coo at me. Ahhh, motherhood.

He makes this cute sound where he gurgles in the back of his throat, and he often raises his eyebrow when he talks. He has started sticking out his lower lip in a pucker when something bothers him. It's terribly cute.

He rolled over a few times over the last few weeks, but it almost seemed to be by accident. He didn't even try to do it (no straining or working at it)... I just put him on his tummy, and when I looked at him later, he was on his back. He probably did it by accident because his tummy is so round.

But this week he started straining to try to roll from back to tummy, but his arm is in the way. It takes awhile for them to figure that part out.

During the day when the daycare kids are here, I can hardly get his eye contact. He is constantly turning his head so he can watch them. He watches them all day (when not taking a very long and deep nap). He has smiled at each of the kids lovingly from across the room. These little toddlers who pick their noses and poop in their diapers are big mature kids in Isaac's eyes, and he loves them.

Quiet Time

Sometime just before Isaac was born, Evan started fighting nap time. He deviated from his usual routine of playing alone in his room for 45 minutes or so followed by crashing out on his bed. I knew things had changed when he would alternate between playing happily and then calling out my name for 2 hours straight. I kept him in there thinking he would eventually fall asleep. Only sometimes was I right.

So between end-of-pregnancy crankiness and the desire to not hear anymore crying or complaining, I chose my battles and decided to let him skip his naps. Regularly.

Once Isaac was born and my mom became my daycare helper for 6 weeks, I made some changes. With her available to cover for me, I put the daycare kids down for their naps and then took Evan and Isaac upstairs with me. We started a nice tradition: quiet time. The first rule of quiet time is that he does not have to sleep. Every day I tell Evan he can either take a nap, or have quiet time in “mommy daddy's room.” Guess which one he always picks?

Evan and I sit on the bed and read books like Tales of SpongeBob from Bikini Bottom. When Evan gets too tired to listen, he lies back, plays with my hair, sucks his thumb, and starts to breathe all regular. Usually he breaks the first rule and falls asleep.

But this is not just about winning the nap battle or even regaining my break; I have time alone with Evan. For 9 hours a day, he shares me. Sometimes he wants me to observe a horrible train crash that he has orchestrated or for me to hold him, but I tell him to wait while I nurse Isaac or wipe another kid's nose or prepare a bottle. In the evenings, he hears me ask for “mommy time” while I read emails or watch Seinfeld reruns. Even though I stay at home with him, I am not really a stay-at-home mom. I still have to schedule time with him or he feels forgotten.

So I love our time together, even if it is only for 20 minutes. Yesterday when we were hanging out on the bed together, I said, “quiet time is only for mommy, Evan, and Isaac, huh?” and with a delighted smile on his face, he nodded his head.