3 Years and 6 Months

On Tuesday I took Sam and Arlo to the DR for their 3 yr. and 6 mos. well-child exams at the same time. It was much easier having them together, though I was sure it wasn't going to be! Both healthy boys, here are their stats:

Sam, weighing in at 37 .5 lbs. and reaching heights of 40"!! He had a hearing test and eye exam and they tested his reflexes, which he loved!

Arlo weighed 19 lbs. 12 oz. and is 26 3/4" tall! A BIG boy. He had the usual physical exam and then had two shots. He did have a reaction to the shots that night with some real fussiness and no sleeping. He hasn't been much of a sleeper at all lately. He is on the verge of crawling and on the verge of cutting BOTH his upper front teeth...the right tooth came through this afternoon!

Still very busy getting this house ready to sell and it is moving along quite nicely. We have hired our neighbor's daughter, Taylor, to be my "mommy's helper" and take care of Arlo at the house while Sam is at school. I have been amazed at how much I am getting done with uninterrupted time. I am also really trying to be present in the moments I am alone, even if I am organizing clutter and scrubbing walls. A little good music and a pot of coffee can go a long way!

Father's Weekend

Gears around here have been switched from "getting the yard work done", to "getting the house ready to show". So, needless to say, our weekends are still not spent out having fun bike riding or going to the farmer's market (ug, now, there's a story). No we have stopped shoveling bark and started organizing cupboards, scrubbing walls and decluttering the entire house! Those of you that have bought and sold homes can feel my pain. However, with the pan, comes some pleasure, and this is all that keeps me going. Once the house is ready to show, we will get to enjoy our hard work and the remainder of our time here. Here are a few shots of our finished yard projects.

We did have a little fun this weekend in celebrating Matt as a father. Matt's mother made matching shirts for the boys and, as you can see, we took some time to photograph them together. It was so beautiful seeing my three boys all together, having fun in the grass. I left one in color so the beautiful colors on the shirts and of the day, can be seen. I made a special dinner with portabella mushroom stuffed flank steak, sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil and honey and sauteed summer squashes. Mmmm, it was so good.
I think Matt had a nice weekend. We did do some house projects, but they were short and it feels really good to have them done.

The Impact of a Birthday

Yesterday afternoon the boys and I spent all afternoon at home. We hadn't spent much time at home up to this point, so it was very nice. I could tell Sam needed the time at home because he played very well all by himself. He drew a fantastic family portrait; very creative and sort of 3-D! At one point he was pretending to get ready for a birthday party. He stood at his new work bench and wrapped his wooden food, wooden screws and bolts and building parts in kitchen towels. He then put on his construction hat and wandered around the house saying, "Mommy, Mommy!" When he found me he held my "present" out to me and said, "Happy Birthday, Mommy! Open your present!" So I would open the present and ooooh and ahhhh and we played this game for an hour or so. He also gave presents to Arlo and Cyrus. It was such a sweet way to see the impact of his birthday celebrations. I saw how important it is to celebrate a person.

I am looking forward to celebrating Matt this weekend. He really deserves it.

Self-Portrait

Together

I realized last night, while looking at past posts, that I have not really written about Sam and Arlo as brothers. Up until a couple months ago, Arlo wasn't incredibly interactive so it is only lately that I am really beginning to see a relationship develop. The photos above represent interactions the two of them have a few times throughout the day.

Sam is a very good big brother and has yet to demonstrate any feelings of resentment toward Arlo. He'll get a little jealous sometimes and need to cuddle with mommy after I nurse or while I am nursing, but mostly he is a very patient and considerate brother.

Arlo really loves being around Sam. He watches him at his every move and loves it when Sam interacts with him. This afternoon Sam and Arlo played with our matchbox cars for a long time. Sam drove them around and parked them in neat little rows and Arlo reached and grabbed for the cars, chewed on them and laughed at Sam when the cars would have silly antics.

Arlo is just now strong enough in his sitting that I let the boys the baths together. Sam really loves having Arlo in the bath and wants to wash him and dump water on his head...etc. Arlo just sits there and takes it all in, splashes and laughs at Sam.

Sam is really good about helping me with Arlo when he is sad or frustrated. He'll give him toys or make silly faces at him and Arlo almost always cheers up. I am very excited to watch them grow and change and evolve into close friends and strong brothers.

Life Has Returned

Though a week has passed, I feel I need to write about the end of my weekend without Matt and Sam and last weeks events.

Last Saturday evening was another one of those magical evenings you never forget in your lifetime. I had dinner with Sherri, Norbert and Sherri's sister, Janet. We sat in Sherri's back yard...a small oasis in the city. Brick paths lined with fantastically textured flower gardens, herbs and trees...there is such a medley of color and scents. It is a perfectly relaxing space and I LOVE being there with her.

This evening was especially nice as Sherri and Norbert's kids were both out at friends' homes and it was just us adults and Arlo in the sling. We ate great foods, sheep milk cheeses, and hummus. We drank wine and summer cocktails...laughing, so much laughing. Stories being told left and right.
The age old tradition of story telling is revived in Sherri's home. I always know I can hear a wonderful story when I visit. Not only is Sherri a master at creating flavors in foods, she is a master with flavoring words with description.
Sherri and Janet had just returned from two weeks in Belize and the music of the country came with them, the passion of the culture came with them. It really was a magical evening.
At one point Sherri and Janet wanted to share a story of their past with me, but decided to make me guess the basic outline and they gave me three clues: A Beaver, Mexicans, and Brown Briefcases. After 2 or 3 strong drinks, I could barely see straight, let alone think straight and I played the 20 questions, trying to decipher the story, but to no avail. When the true story came out, bouncing from one sister to the other, laughs and snorts in between from all, it was fantastic.
By midnight Arlo was sleeping in the wicker rocker by the house and I was so relaxed I knew I'd be ready for anything the upcoming week had to bring...

Little did I know what it would bring: illness. Both boys ended up catching the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. It is such an awful virus, pain and sores and nothing can be done except pain relief with Tylenol.

And that brings us to today. Both boys are now feeling normal and both boys are as spunky as ever. We started Arlo on solid foods this week and he seems to be finally taking to it. He is also now ON THE MOVE! Yes, at 6 mos. to the day he started army crawling and can wiggle his way across the floor with great determination. The actual crawling is not far behind. He is waking at night and trying to crawl in bed...it is really on his mind. Even his upper teeth making their push down have stopped to allow all bodily energies available for the crawling. I know my world is about to change drastically and I love it!

Illness

To top off my fabulous weekend, Arlo came down with Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease...and now Sam has it, again! He had it last spring and it was awful. I am hoping that he won't have it as severe.

Our computer blew a fan and busted the power supply, so I am using Matt's laptop, which is running out of battery.

I have some great stories to share, just no technology to relay it!

More later...