A half a year

So I've been thinking about doing a more comprehensive update because I seem to be able to force myself to post once a month, but I never get to Eliot because they're all about Malcolm now. Which, maybe Malcolm doesn't want to share?

Aw, never mind.

Eliot at 6 months for comparison
 

 

 So yes! Malcolm is 6 months. What a cutie he is too. He is trying to crawl and pretty close to sitting up on his own. Loving that he's healthy and developing and all that but I am not looking forward to baby proofing my house. Yikes. Little Malcolm has also decided that he is not 6 months old, but he is 3 years old and will play with the same toys that 3 year olds play with. If Eliot is playing with trains, no other toy will do but a train. If Eliot is playing with cars, a car must be slobbered on (I am praying they have high standards for Hot Wheels paint ingredients). If we are reading books at night he must be playing with a book. Preferably chewing on the book I'm trying to read to Eliot. Malcolm is one of the most happy, smiling, giggling babies ever. He is so easy to get giggling. It's so interesting to see the differences between him and Eliot. I miss cuddling with Malcolm all the time. I try and soak it all up when I am cuddling with him, I definitely got more cuddling time from Eliot. Malcolm has had his first food! True to Malcolm fashion he insists on feeding himself, at the tender age of 5.75 months. Seriously. He has loved everything we've given him, and has already figured out how to drink out of a sippy cup with a straw. Whippersnapper!

Eliot is so social now! He continues to be a little hesitant physically but he's making friends and is willing to stick himself out there socially, and is definitely a bit braver when bigger kids are around. Watching Eliot make friends with kids at the park...is hard for me. There's always this moment where I seem to hold my breath, waiting for them to ignore him or hurt him somehow. Who says parenthood is always about them? Definitely brings up some of my own issues. They don't, they haven't, and I have to let him do most of the social navigation. It's good for him. I always encourage him to say hi to everyone, to wave and yell hello to other kids and people. He's not me, for better or worse. He's starting to enjoy baseball and can hit the ball pretty well. I'm debating signing him up to play on a team next year. We'll see what this school year (ACK!) brings.

Funny self discovery story -

Eliot: I have a nose in my mouth!
Me: Huh?
Eliot (with mouth wide open): There's a nose in my mouth (pointing at his uvula - little hangy thing in the back of his throat).
Me: Ah, I see.

Eliot has started asking "Why" for everything. Mostly not even to get a response but to stall and keep us talking. Eliot is...3 in all it's glory, he's difficult and wonderful and needy. He's smart and active and frustrated at the things he can't do. He is funny - truly funny - and sweet and cuddly sometimes too. He can throw spectacular tantrums. He still needs his mom and sometimes I forget that when he's fighting with me like a teenager and really he just needs a hug. But we always make up.

Me: Eliot, I love you so much!
Eliot: Mmmmhmmm Mama, I love you too much too.

These boys. These boys are carrying my heart around daily. Be careful with them world.

The case of the 4 missing keys

This is the reason I shouldn't be allowed to be in charge of anything. 

A a little background. We bought a new car, a Toyota highlander to be exact, to replace our small SUV. It's an awesome car and very high tech. One of the bonuses is that the door unlocks and the car starts as long as the key is nearby. This made me a little nervous because I'm great at losing keys. 

Last Tuesday I went on a work trip. I was responsible for checking out the car. When we went to leave the girl who actually retrieved the car said the one I checked out didn't have a key and she had to take a different one. Odd, I thought. 

Thursday I went to pump at a downtown building. You need keys for the room. I spent about 15 minutes digging in my purse and they were nowhere to be found. I decided to go pump and work at home. 

Sunday comes around and I dig into my purse and ask Chris why he put his car keys in my purse. Upon closer inspection, they are the missing keys from work. No!!!!

Monday morning I am attempting to leave for work with the small car and cannot find my key anywhere I have to take Chris' key. 

I run into work and return the company key. I send a long email apologizing. 

A couple hours later I reach into my purse and see the pumping room keys just sitting in the compartment they are always in. Then I effortlessly pull out both small car keys. I excitedly text Chris that all is right with the world. 

He disagrees. I left the keys for the new car in the diaper bag he was then carrying. Sigh. 

Malcolm is 5 months old!

Or was, I guess. It finally happened. I became too busy to update these on time. Two kids is kicking my butt logistically.

I did take his 5 month pictures on time. Just haven't had a chance to write here.

Enough about me though!

 

 

 

Eliot at 5 months

 

Malcolm, you have become our happy little guy. You love to bounce, smile, and giggle. You are barely ever fussy and you love to watch your brother and cousin play. We bore you a bit because you're much more content when your brother is flying around with his antics. Eliot is so good with you too, and you love any attention from him. You look for him all the time, it is so cool to see your relationship grow. You still love baths, outside, getting your diaper changed (seriously!), and now you've started sucking on the pointer and index finger on your right hand fairly consistently.

 

 I know we started Eliot on solid foods about this time, and you are totally acting ready, but I'm just not. See above about logistics. Solid food just adds this whole other component to getting ready that I'm not about to handle yet. You get to wait a couple more weeks, until I've wrapped my head around the fact that you're going to be a half a year old. I love you so much, Malcolm. I'm not sure what we did without you. You fit so perfectly into our family and we're having so much fun seeing your personality come out!

  At the beach and a famous smile

Party time

 

 

Big Buddha cheeks



Happy 3rd Birthday Eliot

Oh three.

 

Two, One, Newborn

 



Your 2's brought us some new parenting challenges. Standoffs and discipline and limit testing galore. But also a personality and sense of humor as well as the ability to communicate and ask questions. This has been an awesome year. It's hard for me to even remember what you were like at the beginning of this year, and I know it has been an amazing jump! You are so very able now.

This year you've become interested in other kids, you have friends in the neighborhood now (basically, everyone is your friend because that's what any other kid is to you). You love trains, the Disney Cars movie, and anything related to the character Mater from it. You became a big brother this year...and you're a great one. At first you were a little unsure of how to act around Malcolm, but now you love to cuddle him and talk to him and even give him hugs. You're so gentle and pretty careful. He's already nuts about you and loves to watch you.

You're looking more like a little boy now than a baby. With longer limbs that only have a hint of that beautiful toddler chubbiness at the bends. You're often to busy to sit with me for long, but sometimes you still ask me to cuddle with you. You say "yeth" for yes, "jumpoline" for trampoline, "juice" for water, and you have a friend Tatiana at daycare you you call "Tati-nana". At some point you said "belly buppon" for belly button, but that ended pretty quickly to my dismay.

You are still not potty trained. You are socially and verbally gifted, but still pretty hesitant when it comes to anything physical. You are adorably handsome and complete strangers still come up to me to tell me so. Toot toot.

You'll begin preschool this upcoming fall and that fast march towards adulthood. I can't even believe it. You're going to stop being mine soon, stop wanting me to play with you or hold your hand while you fall asleep. Sometimes you already push me away when I try to hug you or give you kisses. You get so busy, so intense in your playing sometime. You'll sit playing trains for an hour without noticing anyone around you sometimes. Then you'll stop and ask me to "Play with Percy Mama!"

I know you'll stop asking me for cuddles and reminding me that I forgot to kiss and hug you goodbye someday. I try not to take these things for granted, and try not to say no, but sometimes the laundry needs doing or Malcolm needs feeding or I just need 5 minutes to myself. I kick myself every time I skip one of your cuddles because I already know they're so fleeting. So I'm sorry, sorry for every time I said I didn't have time to cuddle right now or didn't come play trains with you. I'm sorry every time I lost my temper. You are constantly asking if people are happy. "Mama, are you happy? Be happy Mama" Oh buddy, I'm never fully angry, just frustrated and tired sometimes but joyful with life underneath it all. Joyful with you little boy. So happy with our little family.

I keep trying my best and you keep blowing me away by what you can acheive. 3 years. So fast....

Malcolm at 4 Months

Um, wow. So are these titles descriptively boring or what. The engineer in me loves their accuracy.

Apparently we can only smile with a finger in our mouth.

Eliot at 4 months for comparison

I forgot how freaking adorable a 4 month old is. You're old enough to be interested in the world around you but still so little. You've really come into your own look - and you are absolutely beautiful. You giggle now...oh how I love making you giggle. You still have your serious face but sometimes you are in a mood to giggle and I am more than happy to oblige. You are interested in us eating, watching everything we put in our mouth. You'll be eating food yourself soon I suppose....it all goes so fast.

 

You are a stubborn little guy. You have spent the last 2 weeks while I'm at work fasting. With dry diapers when I come home. It makes me so sad you won't take a bottle. Please take a bottle little guy, you'll be so much happier.

 

 

You adore your big brother. You like to watch him play and kick your arms and legs like crazy when he's running around. You want to get down and play so bad, and soon you will. Soon enough my little peanut.



Malcolm at 3 Months

 

Eliot at 3 months for comparison.

 

Is this ever flying by!

Haha. Ahem. 

At three months you are such an easy baby. You have proven to be even more laid back than your brother. Although you already look like you just want to take off! You're always kicking and trying to scoot yourself. You can roll from your back to your side, and you love standing up if I'll hold you that way. You're always trying to sit up. If you're in your car seat you strain to sit, it's pretty cute to watch. No longer will you let me hold you facing me, you face out now, or I will never hear the end of it! You love watching your brother and absolutely love your activity mat. I have to admit to having forgotten you there because you're just so quiet and happy and I get busy taking care of Eliot. We had our first nice days this month and spent a lot of them outside.

The first few times you weren't so sure of the whole outside thing with the wind that makes you gulp and the sun that makes you squint, but you do like to watch everything that's going on, especially if it's Eliot running around with his friends. You are super into your mama right now. Nobody but mama can hold you after 4 pm without you letting them know about your unhappiness. We also can't set you down after 4, you still have a bit of a fussy evening time.
I go back to work this next month, a little later than with Eliot because of daycare issues (so at 3.5 months instead of 3). I hate this transition because I know you won't understand where I went and if I'm coming back. You aren't crazy about bottles either. But you have your brother, and he loves you so much. He always wants to say hi to you, and hold you, and he already said he'd take care of you and watch out for you. I love it when he hears you crying and starts singing or says "It's ok, Malcolm." Because it is my little peanut, it will be ok.

He often gives us this lip to make us feel guilty

 



Serious face

 



Trying to get two boys to nap is a challenge

The second child has a different life - chilling while your brother plays

Working on tummy time

 



Cheeks!

Got it!

Malcolm at 2 months

Malcolm! 2 months! I can't believe it.

Eliot at 2 months for comparison.

You have gotten so cute little man. You started smiling and cooing this month (ah! Cooing! I love cooing!). Eliot is much more comfortable around you and will come show you his toys and kind of quickly talk to you. He can't hold still very long and you keep trying to smile at him and talk to him but he's too fast still. You already have big brother interest. You can't stop watching him.

I am so excited for you to start moving around...but at the same time, SLOW DOWN KID. Your mama is enjoying this baby stage. Months go way too fast. You are a pretty laid back little dude, thank goodness. You'll sit in your bouncy seat or lay on your activity mat for 15 minutes sometimes and you're happy and smiling the whole time. It's great because sometimes I need time to make Eliot dinner or change his diaper or just go to the bathroom myself! You love baths and adore having your diaper changed. I'm pretty sure it's because it's the only time I am 100% paying attention to you! You are all smiles every time we go to the changing table, no matter how crabby you were. I admit sometimes I change you just to see you smile.

 We are busy around here, busy with good stuff, but so busy. It will be interesting when I go back to work, I feel like we're barely staying on top of life now! But it will work...there's not really an alternative.

I love you so much my little peanut. I love your smiles, love your coos and you are so freaking cute it kills me. Your cheeks just don't quit and are totally nommable.

 Cousins!

 

Family Easter picture.

Ridiculousness.

Love this guy.