27-30 months old times three

Ian - 27 months old (March 2012)

1. Not that Nadia wasn't affectionate, but Ian really was the cuddler. Oliver really likes his hands to be held. He is more affectionate with strangers (doctors, nurses, etc.) than Ian was.

2. Nadia and Oliver were day and night potty trained. Ian was day time potty trained and was waking up dry sometimes. Oliver was the only one asking for privacy and the only one who managed to get poop ALL over the place, and he did it multiple times! Ugh! Nadia  and Oliver didn't care who took them to the bathroom. Ian preferred either Daddy or PopPop to take him if they were around.

3. Nadia's typical afternoon nap was 3 hours long. Ian's typical nap went from 30 minutes to 45-60 minutes over these three months. A few times his nap exceeded one hour, but it was never a full two hours long (much less 3 hours!). Oliver's typical nap is between 1.5-2 hours, but sometimes he does sleep for 2-3 hours like his big sister did.

4. Nadia was wearing 2T and some 3T clothing at this point. Ian was wearing size 24m/2T for everything except pants. He still was wearing size 18m pants. Oliver is wearing size 24m/2T for everything.

Nadia at 27 months (September 2010)

5. Nadia and Ian both were prone to asking people again and again and again "what's your name?". Ian became a lot friendlier during this time span, but Nadia was still far more of an extrovert than Ian or Oliver. I've never heard Oliver ask anyone what their name is. In December he started going up to strangers (always men) and asking (through body language) if he could sit on their laps. Ian would never have done something like that. Evidently there is one girl in his class at church who is crazy about him. Her dad told me that she talks about Oliver all the time!

6. Nadia was far more fixated on the day's schedule than Ian or Oliver. Their understanding of time and routines is not nearly as advanced as hers was at this age.

7. Ian made a LOT of progress with eating during this time span (he spent 4 weeks in the intensive feeding program when he was this age), but he was still light years behind where Nadia and Oliver were. Oliver wins the prize for the best eater in our family! Oliver also drinks far more water than his siblings ever have. Unfortunately he can now reach the water dispenser on the refrigerator. This was never a problem with the other two because they didn't like to drink water. Thankfully water doesn't make as much of a mess as milk does on the floor!

Oliver at 27 months old (November 2014)

8. The boys were more prone to running, hitting, pushing, throwing things, and playing rough house than Nadia was. Thankfully none of them ever went through a biting or hair pulling phase like many do. Oliver BY FAR has the worst temper of our three kids. He even threw a plate and broke it in a million pieces once! Oi vey!

9.Ian was more interested in animals and knew the names of more animals than Nadia or Oliver.

10. Ian cried a lot more than Nadia or Oliver.

11. Ian and Nadia both could count to 13 without any mistakes. Oliver can't count yet.

12. Nadia had more books memorized than Ian, and Ian had more books memorized than Oliver, but they all could sing the lyrics to many songs. Lately I've been trying to be more purposeful about reading books to Oliver that are on his level. It's so easy for me just to read books that are geared to his siblings.

Nadia - 30 months old (December 2010)

13. Nadia didn't mind getting messy. Ian went nuts if his clothes got wet. Oliver is not quite as dramatic as Ian, but he is more like Ian than Nadia in this regard. Both boys were more conscious of trying to stay clean and dry than Nadia was. Oliver loves washing his hands though, and Ian hated doing that.

14. Ian has far stronger opinions about what clothing, shoes, and socks he wore than Nadia or Oliver did. It also was a difficult transition for Ian to switch from pants to shorts, whereas this wasn't an issue for his siblings.

15. Nadia and Oliver were much braver than Ian, especially on the playground.

16. Nadia was much better at following instructions. She was doing gymanstics at this age whereas her brothers weren't ready for that at this age.

17. Ian showed more imagination in terms of coloring, Play-doh, and dressing dolls than his siblings were at this age.

18. Ian spent many more hours playing with Little People, cars, and the Fisher Price dollhouse than Nadia or Oliver ever have.

Ian at 30 months (June 2012)

19. Ian made the adjustment to a twin size bed at 29 months whereas we didn't have Nadia move from her crib until after she turned 30 months old. None of them had issues without falling out bed, but the transition definitely went more smoothly for Nadia, although who knows if Ian's would have been easier if the transition hadn't happened shortly before my hospital stays. Oliver made the transition at 28 months. He usually gets up once each night to go potty, which wasn't the case for his siblings when they were night time potty trained.

20. All three kids enjoyed puzzles, but Oliver asks to do them FAR more often than his siblings did. They were just doing peg puzzles at this age, and he can do 25 piece jigsaw puzzles on his own!

21. Ian's first time of going through a long separation from Mommy happened when he was 29 months old. I was in the hospital for 6 days, and there were longer periods of separation that summer during my 10 weeks of bed rest and Oliver's 4 week NICU stay. Nadia's first long separation from Mommy took place when she was 17 months old. I was in the hospital for 12 days that time. It was really hard for both of them although with Ian it showed up more when I came home. Oliver's first separation from me was only 47 hours long, and it took place when he was 29 months old. He handled it very easily since he was with his siblings and grandparents.

22. Nadia and Oliver loved swings from a very early age. Ian just started to enjoy swings around 30 months. He also became independent with going down slides at the same time (whereas Nadia and Oliver were going down on their own at a much younger age).

23. Ian slept in later in the morning than Nadia or Oliver did at this age. He usually slept until at least 7:00am, and he slept until 8:15am on a few occasions. Oliver is usually up sometime between 6-6:30 (and sometimes earlier than that).

24. Ian and Nadia were very healthy (if you don't count Ian's eosinophilic esophagitis). They only went to the Pediatrician for well visits. Oliver was in the PICU for four days due to RSV, asthma, and a collapsed lung at 28 months.

25. Nadia and Oliver liked Knoebels, but they never asked to go as often as Ian did. He was obsessed with the fire engine and whip.

2.5 Years Old!

Today is Oliver's half birthday! He will be three years old in just six months. Wow. Here are some ways he has changed over the past three months:

1. He now pronounces Nadia's name as "Naia" instead of "Nana." Ian and Nadia both pronounced the name Naia for awhile as well when they were toddlers.

2. Oliver has gone from 12 piece to 24 or 25 piece puzzles! He can usually do the 25 piece puzzles independently if they are in a frame. The ones that are just pieces in a box are a little harder for him, but he's still doing a great job. Nadia and Ian were about a year older than he is before they could do those puzzles. He asks to do puzzles several times a day.

3. He has gotten much better with his daytime potty training although he still has accidents now and then. The biggest changes would be that he now tells me more often when he needs to go and he's wearing underwear 24 hours a day now! Night time training him has been very easy (much easier than day time training him). The one negative change over the past three months is that sometimes when he has a #2 accident he now takes off his underwear and pants and creates a BIG disaster. YUCK!

4. Every time we pray, he says "me too" meaning he also wants to pray.

5. This boy LOVES to cook. He is far more interested in cooking than Nadia was at this age or Ian ever has been. No matter what I am cooking or baking, this boy wants to HELP!

6. He moved from a crib to a twin sized bed! It was a  little difficult at first, but now he stays in his bed when I put him down for his nap or at night (almost all the time anyhow). He loves it when all four of us give him a hug and kiss after he's tucked in bed.

7. Oliver loves to sing. The past few months his favorite songs have been "Jingle Bells" and the "Happy Birthday" song. We hear both of these songs MANY times a day.

8. He's finally making the transition from eating with his fingers to using utensils although he hasn't fully given up using his fingers yet.

9. He's not nearly as polite. He needs more reminders to say please and thank you than he did a few months ago, and he has unfortunately learned how to talk with a very rude tone of voice. The three phrases I would love for him to stop saying are "Go away!," "No Fair!." and "Stop It!." Ugh. He also somehow manages to say "No thank you" in a rude manner. The words sound polite, but the tone of voice cancels that out! The other bad habit he needs to break when it comes to talking is his prolific lying. The other two didn't have this issue at this age. Many times a day he tells me that something happened, and it actually didn't happen. I keep telling him that he needs to tell me the truth, but I don't think he comprehends what I mean yet.

10. Over the past month the length of his sentences has greatly increased. For example a few weeks ago he would have just said "shoes on" if he wanted me to help him get his shoes on. Now he would say "Mommy put my shoes on" or something close to that. He his also using a much wider variety of pronouns. Some of his favorite sentences right now are "I can't reach it" (often said when he's trying to get something I actually do not WANT him to be able to reach), "That hard me" (ex an iPad app or a 100 piece puzzle), and "that easy me" (ex. a puzzle he can do). Although he has said the words "cold" and "hot," he almost always uses the word "hot" to describe a temperature, even if he's describing something that's ice cold.

11. He had his second RSV/ asthma hospitalization, and this one included a stay in the PICU due to a collapsed lung. He now is taking Singulair once a day. He calls it "candy medicine." It must taste really good! He also receives the nebulizer when needed, which is more often than not.

12. I had planned on waiting until Oliver was three to let him start using the iPad, but I ended up letting him start use it a little in late December. I am amazed at how at the age of two he can use that thing so well! It was a big blessing during his hospitalization as there wasn't much he could do in that hospital crib. The downside is that we have many tantrums a day over the iPad because he wants to use it more than I will let him, and he also wants his turn to be much longer than I let him. I am sure in time he will handle it better, but it's unpleasant at the moment. I try to keep it hidden during as much of the day as possible. Nadia will have her turn during his nap, for example. His favorite app is a Toca Boca hair styling app that was geared for Christmas. You style a Santa Claus or a Christmas tree (grow the hair, cut it, color it, etc.).

13. The two stories he talks about ALL the time are The three little pigs and Santa Claus. I have NO idea how he became so interested in Santa. We watched the classic show once this December, and he had his picture taken with a few Santas. That's about it. He talks about Santa every day. Ian keeps telling Oliver that Santa isn't real, and I keep telling Ian that Oliver isn't able to distinguish between real and pretend yet. He also talks about the three little pigs and the wolf every day. It reminds me of Nadia and her fixation with Jonah when she was little. It was her favorite story, and yet she was terrified of whales. Oliver is the same way. He keeps saying how the wolf scares him and is always asking if a wolf is in our house, etc. We shall see how long this lasts!

Thankful Thursday

 Many times I think of things I want to include in my weekly post, and then I forget about them when I actually sit down to write the list. So some of these didn't happen just this past week, but are ones I forgot to mention in the past.

1. Ladies Bible study resumed on Tuesday morning! I thought it might be cancelled again, but the school district the church is in didn't have a two hour delay like many others did.

2. Oliver hasn't needed a breathing treatment during the night the past few days. I am SO glad he only had a cold this time (not RSV again) and that he doesn't need to go on a medication for reflux.

3. The doorknob to the basement door was getting harder and harder to use, and Paul replaced it a couple of weeks ago. These little repairs mean a lot to the kids and I! It's so nice to have a working doorknob again.

4. Oliver hasn't had any accidents in bed! Two times his underwear was a little bit wet, but he hasn't gotten his sheets wet.

5. Nadia's basketball team is such a great one for her to be on. They are so kind and encouraging! Paul has been working with her in the basement (practicing dribbling and such). Hopefully she'll continue to improve over the next six weeks!

6. I have been forgetting to mention how much I love my new vacuum. It's my first bagless one, and I must I say I find it very rewarding to dump out the canister each time I vacuum, It makes me certain I accomplished something! :)

7. A week or two ago I had taken the bags from the kids' hampers and set them at the top of the stairs, and I was planning to take them down with me in a few minutes to throw the dirty clothes in the washing machine. Before I got around to doing that, Nadia noticed the bags sitting there and assumed they were full of clean clothes and had taken hers to her bed. Thankfully I figured out what happened before she started putting her dirty clothes in her drawers, but this experience put a smile on my face that the kids are so well trained to put away their laundry! They have a long way to go in learning how to put the laundry away NEATLY in their drawers. All Oliver is responsible for putting away thus far is his underwear and socks. We start small!

8. Nadia was reading a picture book we own (Cranberry Thanksgiving), and she came down and asked me if we could make some cranberry bread using the recipe in the book. She told me that she had read the list of ingredients and thought we only needed to buy one ingredient (cranberries). So we bought a bag of fresh cranberries, and Oliver and Nadia helped me make the bread. The three of us have been enjoying the bread. It is very tasty, and not something I would have made if Nadia hadn't asked me to do so.

9. My parents brought up my old rocking chair in November. Oh how I love having this in my house. It was mine when I was a child. I love taking pictures of the kids while they are sitting in it (if you haven't already figured that out, ha ha).

10. My parents are planning to come up this afternoon and stay until about 11:30am on Saturday! They had planned to come two weeks ago but had to reschedule due to snow. We are so excited to spend some time with them! They are looking forward to seeing the kids' ice skating lesson this afternoon, self defense class tomorrow morning, and Nadia's basketball game on Saturday morning.

11. So far we haven't had any sewer problems despite the fact that I think two pairs of Oliver's underwear were flushed down the toilet. Thank you, Lord!!! Also, it has been six days since I've had to clean up a big poop disaster zone. Whew.

12. Paul received an invitation yesterday for a phone interview for a physical chemistry tenure track position at another college in PA. This is encouraging! It's also tempting. Pray for wisdom as to whether to sign a contract for a sure thing (Bucknell) or pursue other possibilities (which are not guaranteed to result in a job offer).

Wordless Wednesday

These two love to help me cook!

Making cranberry bread

Playing "Don't Spill the Beans" with Mommy during Oliver's nap

Missing underwear

Last night after Oliver went to the bathroom, I picked up his pants to put them back on only to discover that his underwear wasn't with his pants any more. We looked high and low and could not find his underwear. The only thing we can think of is that he flushed them down the toilet. I hope that isn't the case. Hopefully they will turn up one of these days. The thought that two pairs of his underwear might have been flushed through our pipes within three days is a scary thought. We are wishing we had been paying for that sewer insurance we get junk mail about all the time. So far everything is working fine. We are praying that will continue to be true! Just in case he did flush his underwear down the toilet, I have started putting his pants and underwear outside the bathroom door so that he doesn't have access to them while he's in the bathroom. Eventually he'll learn how to use the potty without completely removing his pants and underwear, but we aren't there yet. He got up early this morning (at 5:30 when Paul was headed downstairs to go to work), but he didn't wake up during the night to go to the bathroom, and he woke up dry.

Most schools (and even Bloomsburg University) had a snow day today, but Bucknell didn't. The last two snow storms (7 and 10 days ago) the snow was a very dry (light) snow. I really noticed the difference today when I shoveled the driveway. It took a LOT more work to shovel today than it did last Monday, especially the end of the driveway due to the snow piled up from the snow plow who did our street this morning (after Paul had left for work). The snow was great for packing, and I started to make a snow man, but the kids weren't interested. Then later in the day they decided they wanted to build one, but the temperature had dropped and the snow was back to being very very and there had been some freezing rain while we were inside so there was a layer of ice on top of the snow. This translated to no snow man today. The kids had fun playing while I shoveled. Nadia and Ian gave Westyn and Oliver rides in a wagon (on the street). Westyn and Oliver were both born in August 2012. Nadia had fun playing with Addi (who is two years younger than Nadia). The snow from last Monday hadn't melted so the depth was a challenge for Oliver. He couldn't walk through the snow without assistance.

Elsa's Birthday!

Many people will be participating in Super Bowl parties today. We don't have tv right now (except for Netflix) so we won't be watching the game, but we are having a birthday cake today! (As a side note, Paul and I are both hoping the Seahawks win because we both strongly dislike the Patriots.) For three weeks Nadia has been telling us that Elsa (the one shown in the picture at left) would be turning one year old on February 1, which happens to be my brother's birthday, but Uncle Maurice lives in Brazil so he can't join us for cake. The poor guy was stung more than 20 times on Friday by killer bees when taking his students outside (in Brazil). One of Yvonne's best friends in Maryland has often posted pictures of birthday cakes made to celebrate her youngest daughter's stuffed animals' birthdays. Bailey is also six years old. Seeing all those pictures gave me the idea that I could make a cake for "Elsa's" birthday. Nadia was SO excited when I bought the ingredients a few days ago, and she was elated when I said we could light a birthday candle. Why not? As Julie says (Bailey's mom), let her enjoy her childhood! The time will come all too quickly when she will see such a thing as being childish.

So instead of celebrating a football game today, we are celebrating the birthday of a doll. This doll goes with her just about everywhere. She even took her out in the snow once (which I quickly put a stop to once I discovered what was happening). Nadia told me recently that her four most prized possessions were #1 her Poland pillow that Paul got her in 2010, this Elsa doll (aside from the face the rest is soft so she likes sleeping with this one), her singing Elsa doll (bigger than this one but not soft), and her Elsa Barbie doll. Yes, three of her four most prized possessions are all Elsa dolls. I gave her the Barbie one for her birthday last summer (she ice skates), and Paul's parents gave her the other two (one at Christmas and one the weekend Paul and I went away). The Poland pillow has been her most prized possession for 4 1/2 years. We shall see how long the Elsa dolls remain her favorites!

The picture above is of three notes Nadia wrote recently. She gave me the love note on pink paper yesterday. Priceless. The one with the dates is the countdown she made on January 13 and every day (except yesterday) she would check off one number. It says at the top "Dolles drthba." She wrote her "b" and "d" backwards in the second word. Translation: Dollie's birthday. Nadia, Ian, and Oliver each had a turn blowing out the candle on Elsa's cake. Ian and Nadia both gave Elsa several gifts (some of their stuffed animals and toys). She "wrapped" the gifts in a Minnie Mouse blanket. After I put Oliver down for his nap, I turned on the monitor, and he was singing the Happy birthday song to Elsa in his bed! This doll is getting quite the royal treatment around here! :)

Nadia had her second basketball game yesterday. She took a few shots. One hit the net, and one actually hit the rim. She's getting closer! The other girl on her team (Claire) scored MANY baskets yesterday, but she is not a ball hog. Sometimes when Claire had an easy shot, she threw the basket to Nadia instead (even though she knew Nadia would not score). What a nice team! The boy on the other team that Nadia was paired up with when it came to playing defense was actually at her level (just as weak). Paul has been working with her in the basement on dribbling. Two games down and six to go before we switch gears back to soccer.

Nadia's shot!

Accidents

I haven't been in a car accident since the fall of 2003. I was driving to my very first RE appointment (in Allentown, PA). I never like being in a car accident, but the thought of being in one now is definitely scarier since I usually have three little ones in the van with me. I am very grateful that neither of us have been in a car accident over the past 6+ years that we've been parents. Paul was the last one to have a car accident, but his wasn't reported to the car insurance because he only hit a mailbox (as he drove into someone's lawn) when he passed out due to low blood pressure from laughing about something funny on the radio as he drove home from work. On Thursday evening I was praying fervently for protection on the roads because it started snowing during the kids' ice skating lesson. The ice rink is 30 minutes from our house (in good weather). The drive took much longer on Thursday because everyone was driving very slowly since the roads were snow covered. I felt the tires slip a little a few times when I had to make a turn. I usually drop Nadia off at her basketball practice on the way home from ice skating, and Paul picks her up at the end of her practice (7:00). We were very close to the church when the van got stuck near the top of a hill. I guess I wasn't driving fast enough, but Paul said it was a good thing I wasn't because the way down that hill is very steep, and there's a stop sign at the bottom of the hill. In hind sight, I should have taken a different route to the church that didn't involve any big hills. I haven't driven in snow for more than two years, and the next time I have to, I will be more careful about avoiding big hills! With my four way flashers on I was able to slowly slide about half way down the hill to a side street where I was able to turn the vehicle around and go down the rest of the hill properly. It was very challenging to stop at the bottom as the light turned red. We skipped the basketball practice and came straight home. We're looking forward to cheering for her team today!

Oliver hasn't had any accidents in bed! I am thrilled with how well he is doing with night time training, His respiratory bug has helped as before I give him a breathing treatment (somewhere between 2-4am), I take him to the bathroom. Between being up with Oliver from 2:20-4:40am, Paul getting up for work at 5:30, and Ian joining me in bed at 6:30am, I got almost no sleep between 2:20-7:00am yesterday morning. Dr. Kinsey yesterday told me that he is still thinking Oliver might have reflux. I am hesitant to add a fourth medication (Prilosec) to his daily routine, so the doctor is willing to wait a few more days to see if things start to improve. Last night he got up once (at 12:40), but he didn't need a breathing treatment until 5:55. YAY!

Unfortunately I can't say that he hasn't had any accidents during the day. He hasn't had a #1 accident in two weeks, but he has pooped in his underwear a few times over the past eight days, and then to make matters MUCH worse proceeded to take off his pants and underwear and get poop ALL over the toilet, his legs, bathroom rug, etc. At least the last three times it happened he was in the bathroom so we didn't have to deal with poop in the carpet. Yesterday morning when I was cleaning up one such disaster, I accidentally flushed his underwear down the toilet. OOPS! So far it seems it passed through the pipes without causing a blockage. Praying that is really what happened!

Foto Friday

Thankful Thursday

1. No one was injured during the ice skating lesson last Thursday, and Ian didn't cry at all!

2. Ian also didn't cry at the start of gym class last Friday, which was a first. They enjoyed their 90 minute class on volleyball. I thoroughly enjoy the chance to chat with other homeschooling moms during the class. What a treat!

3. Paul was offered a one year extension on his contract! In 2013 we didn't find out until July where he would be teaching in August. In 2014 we found out in early May, and this time around we found out in January. Hopefully these three years of experience will lead to a permanent job that will start in 2016. I am also praying that I will find a part-time job and/or that Paul will be given a research stipend to help make ends meet financially.

4. The kids had fun playing in the snow on Saturday. It snowed again on Monday and they played in the snow the past three days. I didn't let Oliver go out the last two days because of his cold, but he really wanted to go out with them!

5. We have had at least one child in diapers for 6 years (plus seven months), but that is no longer true as Oliver is now sleeping in his underwear! Way to go, Oliver! I am also thrilled that *so far* I haven't had to wash his sheets from an accident. I am sure that will happen at some point, but he's doing very well so far. I am planning on donating our unused diapers to the church on Sunday.

6. As usual we have been enjoying books and videos from the library. Hug Machine was a picture book we really enjoyed recently, and Nadia and I read Carolina's Courage together, which was a great chapter book. The kids enjoyed watching a DVD about Helen Keller.

7. I had bought a voucher for a large canvas (20x16) from Picaboo for 75% off a couple of months ago, and I finally got around to redeeming it. It arrived in the mail on Monday. I love it! I think over time I will switch from pictures in frames to canvases, if I can find good deals.

8. We had dinner at Friendly's last night because Ian finally earned his fifth sticker on Monday. He had to go a whole day without fussing, whining, or crying to earn one sticker. We all enjoyed our dinner, and we used a gift card Yvonne gave us at Christmas, which made for a very inexpensive night out for us. We hadn't been out to eat for a few weeks. I've even been making homemade pizza; so this made our night out even more special.

9. Oliver has been waking up at least once during the night (sometimes more than that). For example, he woke up at 4am yesterday morning. I take him to the bathroom (in case that's the reason he woke up), and then I take him back to bed. I was VERY grateful that yesterday he then slept until 7am, much later than he's been sleeping lately. I fell back asleep after Paul left (around 5:30) and was able to sleep until Ian came in our room at 6:50. I am hoping that Oliver will start sleeping through the night again in the near future.

10. Oliver started to come down with a cold on Tuesday. I felt panicked and called the pulmonologist and another nurse. Yesterday I felt much calmer because although his cough was worse, it seems to me he *just* has a cold not RSV. I am still praying for his health, but I am feeling less nervous about another hospitalization. I needed to give him a treatment at 4:30 this morning because he was coughing so badly.