One more year...

It's about that time of year when both of my "babies" turn one year older. Boston first, on August 13th and then Hooper on September 1st. They have changed and learned so much in one year it is amazing. Mostly, they've learned how to drive their parents nuts while charming them at the same time.

Going on five, Hooper's big thing is telling one parent the other parent has approved of something like playing computer, when that said parent has not. He's good at it too. Frankly I'm expecting him to somehow negotiate a car if Shiloah and I don't pay attention. He likes movies now and has seen four in the theater. He's very upset when movies like Captain American (rated PG-13) are for grown ups and not little kids. He loves nothing more than to stay in nothing but his underwear all day long. Hopefully this is a summer phase. He likes you to watch how fast he runs. He also really likes sleepovers, except with Boston. Hooper likes to wrestle with Boston and do cartwheels around him, nearly clobbering Bo in the head every time. Hooper is getting so big that it would hurt to look at him if he wasn't such a beautiful child.

Boston Ren....oh Boston Ren. He has hit the terrible twos. In fact, he hit it two months ago, ran over it and it now doing donuts all around the terrible twos. He's naughty. Boston gets into EVERYTHING he shouldn't. Boston will hit any toddler, child or adult that gets in his way. He will even hit his parents when they are disciplining him. Boston has a hair trigger temper and gets mad all over his little body. He's stubborn and pig-headed. Boston is also the most squeezable, adorable, lovable melt-your-heart little boy you will ever meet. In Boston's personality, are wrapped two polar opposites of emotion, and you never know which one will get out of the crib in the morning. Boston likes to say, "Help! Help!" while on the changing table in the morning. He HATES shoes and tells us "OUCH!" when we know there is plenty of room. He loves wrestling with his brother and tries to do everything Hooper does, only better. He's not quite the good eater he was even two months ago. He's on the go too much to slow down to eat much. He still crawls in my lap and lets me rock him every now and then. When you pick him up sometimes he will pat your back as if to say, "It's okay Mama." Boston will say sorry with a smile that you know means he's not really sorry but you can't help but love him anyway. He's my baby.

My babies are growing up so fast and my heart hurts to even think about it. I remember their faces, their cries and even their smell as babies. I wish I could bottle it up so I'll never forget it, which is why I write this blog from time to time. I have told many people that having children is the most wonderfully horrible thing you'll ever do. It brings out your best and your worst somehow. But the real miracle is I love them so much that I only see the best parts of Shiloah and myself squeezed into those two boys. They are amazing and as sad as their getting older may be, I cannot wait to see what they'll do next.

Toots and Sass a Frass

New phrases are spreading around our house like wildfire. Some are even from my 18 month old, Boston Ren, who up to this point, has been silent (minus the screaming). He began saying, "Yeah, yeah," when asked if he wanted something. He said Nanny for the first time. He says dog when he hears Sam, our chocolate lab, bark and can even make over a dozen animal sounds. I'm so proud of how he grows and learns. However, I am a bit worried about his cow noise because frankly, that cow sounds demonic. Boston's ornery nature has earned him the nickname, "Toots", one I'm sure he'll learn to treasure.

Hooper has become much more bold in the things he says to Shiloah and I which has earned him the nickname Sass a Frass. Tonight when Shiloah told Hooper he was going to run the boys' bath, Hooper jumped up and said, "Oh no! You're not going anywhere!" Hooper has learned the word girlfriend and applies it to any girl he knows. Which leads me to ask, is it wrong to tell your son girls are the devil? Anyway, his most used new phrase is, "Oh that's just great!" It's relayed dripping with sarcasm which could be my fault. If we're out of cookies, "Oh that's just great!" If he spills his drink, "Oh that's just great!" I don't normally like sarcasm in children but maybe since he's mine these phrases when used appropriately, make me laugh. And that IS, just great.

Wrongly Accused

The middle of October was rough for Hooper. He had two problems that converged during one week. Number one: he wasn't taking naps at daycare. Number two: he wasn't getting a clean up treat at Rainbow Lane, his preschool. Of course Hooper's biggest problem is he is one gigantic tattle tale to the point that he rats himself out. He informed us that he had taken no nap on Monday nor had he received a clean up treat on Tuesday. So by Wednesday his Daddy and I were very upset with Hooper. We both had stern conversations about how it isn't nice to not help clean up. And yes, we (and when I say we I mean me) threatened to spank his rear if he didn't shape up.

Here's where I completely fail as a parent. I called our babysitter to make sure he was napping and found out he wasn't NOT taking a nap. There was another naughty boy there that was keeping him from napping by screaming and yelling. Hooper then commented that "he didn't get a treat" again. OH! Utter frustrations until I hear, "It' not my turn yet." Turn? Turn?! "Hooper, do you take turns cleaning up at school?" "Yeah, but it my turn soon again and I get treat."

Utter failure as a parent. With a little questioning we could have found out what was truly going on in both situations but we were so quick to assume our son was the naughty one. Hooper was wrongly accused on both counts. I'm just glad he doesn't listen to us most the time or all those lectures might have got that little fella down.

Ignoring the Obvious

For any parent, one of the most ironic stages of a child's development is talking. You wait and wait to hear those first words. Every word is logged in a baby book somewhere with pride. Soon those words turn into short phrases and then to full sentences. Conversations between parent and child begin. Oh how wonderful it all is.

But then one day you are trying to perform some ordinary task such as paying bills or reading an important article or letter and it hits you. Your kid will not shut up! They never stop talking, not even for one minute.

Such a moment occurred in our house when Hooper was 3 1/2. Hooper wanted to talk ALL day long. He would ask questions about every topic and then once he had run out of genuine questions he would ask the ones he already knew the answer to. Shiloah would come home from work and while eating dinner he would see this behavior and look at me as if to say, "Does he do this all day long?" My answer would always be, "Welcome to my world."

The really annoying thing is that Hooper is smart enough to know when I was trying to ignore him. If he was talking to me and I wasn't participating in the conversation he would get right up in my face and say, "Mom! I'm talking to you!" If I replied in a slightly annoyed, "What?!", he would say, "Mom are you not happy? Are you cross?" Oh course I was always happy and that made him happy. It's what I deserve for ignoring the obvious, he was talking to me! I did my best to always talk back because I know some day he will stop talking to me and stop wanting my answers to the questions he has. Make no mistake, when he decides to stop talking to me I will be right up in HIS face saying, "Son! I'm talking to you!"