We did it. We agreed upon a name for baby girl and neither I, nor Nate, had to file for divorce in the process. Can I get an 'AMEN'? I'm being slightly dramatic of course, but this was no easy task and I have to document the process while it's fresh. I warn you now that I'm going to be the world's biggest tease and only give you our top four names in this post, so if that annoys the heck out of you I do apologize. But think---even getting the top four is better than nothing at all, since last time with Truman we kept our lips sealed to the entire world including our friends and family. And THAT was something we vowed to skip this time around because it made us want to gouge out our eyes to ward off constant questions and detective-like tendencies from our loved ones. And so this time we have shared her name with our parents, my grandparents, and some close friends. If people straight up ask me for her name I'll probably spill the beans but I'm holding onto the surprise element for you, dear blog friends, and will refrain from announcing on Facebook as well. I'm a changed woman this time around, I tell you.
Three weeks prior to this major accomplishment by husband and wife, Nate and I drove away from our gender reveal photoshoot riding on a wave of happiness, excitement, and pure joy over seeing those darn pink balloons. I was still sort of shaking and had just gotten off the phone with my mom when Nate said, 'Well---Sidney Lorene, then, right?' Cue my face dropping to the floor for a second. You see, Sidney Lorene was our top girl pick for Truman and we both loved it....two years ago when naming our first child. But I was NOT ready to commit to such a big decision just yet. I still liked the name Sidney but I wasn't excited about it anymore, and I really wanted to find a new/fresh name that we both adored. We knew her middle name would be Lorene, though, which is pronounced--lor-EEN---like Maureen, but with an 'L.' That is my middle name, my mom's middle name, and the name of my great-grandmother so our baby girl will have a fifth generation family name attached to her. Perfect, since Truman's middle name is Anthony, which is Nate's middle name and the fourth generation on the male side of the family. Love those family names to death, so her middle name was never an issue. But her first name? Hoo boy.
And so I embarked on my quest to find the PERFECT name for baby girl. And I began to realize that my requirements were pretty specific. Not in the top 200 for names, since Truman's name is not even in the top 1000 for his birth year. Must go well with her big brother's name. Must go well with 'Lorene'. Not too cutesy, or trendy, or hard to spell. I'd like her to have a nickname, too, since I tend to shorten names automatically. I simply adore 'old' names; vintage but simple has always been my favorite type of name. But I don't want people to balk at how unique our kids' names are, not making them so out there that people think we are trying too hard to be different. I have never been a fan of 'made up' names, or ones that include crazy spellings for otherwise normal names. Of course, listing all of this out makes me realize how personal name choices can be and while I'd never name my child something in the top ten, or something with three 'Y's' in there, I know a lot of people really dig those types of names. Which is fine. But it's just not my style.
I wrote that entire paragraph just now without really mentioning the word 'we' or 'our', but with a whole lot of 'me', 'my', and 'I'. Yes, naming baby girl was something that I felt pretty selfish about at first. After all, Nate got to pick Truman's name once we narrowed it down between our two shared favorites (Grant and Truman, by the way). So I figured he'd happily oblige my wishes in getting to name our daughter, since....well, I'm the mom. Isn't that really immature and awful? But in the beginning of this name hunt I wasn't too worried about the end result because Nate and I have almost always been on the same page with big decisions in our lives. We both like the same things for the most part. So how hard could it be?
I started by fumbling through websites like The Bump, and Nymbler---which is an awesome site because you can pick one 'inspiring' name (like the name of your current child, for instance) and the site will pick a bunch of names that might fit your style. I would hit the 'find names' button hundreds of times in a row, nearly breaking my phone screen with such repetitive use. And then if I found one that I liked I'd add it to my growing list of girl names on my phone. Yes, the iPhone is a great invention, my friends.
I'd throw out a name to Nate every now and then, to gauge his reaction and see if I was falling prey to the 'looking at baby names for way too long' phenomenon. You know, when your brain doesn't even think correctly anymore and so weird names seem totally normal and fun? I somehow managed to come up with a butt load of names that I thought I liked enough to present to Nate.
Here's the 'maybe list' I created on Nameberry (another amazing site! Love it so much) which contains a TON of names that we truly considered and at least one of us really liked. I'm sure there are even more listed on my phone that never made it to that particular list. I told you, there were a lot of names tossed around in the past month.
Then there's MY list that shows all of the names that meanie Nate banished from the scene, despite my begging and pleading for him to reconsider. We've been together for nearly 1o years and I've birthed one child of his already, carrying the second like a champ. Couldn't he at least let me have my way this ONE time in our marriage? It all came to a head one night when we had narrowed down our choices to a 'top four': Alice, Sidney, Clara, and Quinn. I knew in my heart of hearts I wanted to name her Alice so badly I could taste it. I started imagining a little Alice in her new nursery, rocking my Alice to sleep, watching her grow up with her brother---and that was a dangerous choice to make, my friends. Dreaming of your daughter with a certain name that has not yet been agreed upon by your husband is like asking fate to smack you around.
Nate still wanted to name her Sidney, and he admitted that he would never be fully on board with Alice. After hearing that, and also hearing him say that one of my pins on Pinterest included a wall color that was 'a little bright', I morphed into the ugly, hormonal pregnant lady that was completely irrational. I assumed that since we weren't on the same page with girl names and now he hated my decorating tastes, we were obviously never going to see eye-to-eye on these matters and the whole world was ending. Yes. It was that ugly. And thank goodness my husband didn't run and hide from his psychotic pregnant hormone'd up wife.
So we took a nice long break from the baby name game. I told Nate to come up with some of his own ideas and when he did, I really disliked every one of them, so we had to take another break in the discussions. But then one night I was cruising around Nameberry again and found a list of classic girl names that aren't boring and then cool vintage names and their list of vintage names for girls. YES. These was getting me somewhere and I was inspired to start totally fresh. I complied a list of nine 'new' names and started feeling excited about naming baby girl again, instead of just feeling jaded and worn down.
I was honestly scared to even tell Nate I had a new list, but when I did he was all over it and wanted to hear them right away. It was pretty cute when he said, 'I bet there is one on there that I'll really like.' Meaning: I am going to settle for one of these damn names because you are driving me batty with all of these ridiculous lists. Here the list that I love and Nate did not hate, thus streamlining our final choices down to these precious names. I couldn't believe it when he said 'these aren't so bad at all'. And then we narrowed it down to four.
Penelope Lorene. Cecelia Lorene. Beatrice Lorene. Or Reese Lorene.
I love them all so much that I sort of want three more daughters so that they can each claim these names. But not really because I'm sure my mind would change by the next baby and we'd be back to the same ol' drama of naming another baby.
After we talked about our top four, it came down to two from there. And then just one. THE one that we both agreed was the best. And we are not looking back because that is her name. It feels so good to call her by name, to say her name out loud, and to try and force the name out of Truman's sweet little mouth. I immediately felt more bonded to baby girl after our gender reveal and now that she has a name, that bond has grown even deeper. I think Nate feels the same way and we are both so excited to meet this little lady (with a name!!) in May.
And that is my story about the name game drama. Pregnancy hormones make everything a lot harder, don't they?
24 weeks: egg planted
Twenty-Four weeks: 2.8.12
Photo thoughts: I was really happy with these shots Nate took this week. So many cute ones of Truman and I look half-way decent/awake. And thus, I had to edit a lot more than usual.
Size of baby: An ear of corn according to BC, which there was a 0% chance of me finding in the stores in February. Or a papaya according to TB, which is totally non-existent up here this time of year, too. And so? We got creative again, but this time I picked my own food of choice. An eggplant! Which is what TB says I'll be next week (and then for the following 3 weeks after that). Isn't she pretty?
Cravings: Soda. Nutella (first time ever having it = obsessed). Oranges. BLT sandwiches. All sweets under the sun. And even my PB&J sandwich tasted SO good the other day. Everything tastes amazing and I just can't stop eating right now. Love it. This was the first week that I was honestly craving a cold beer at dinner---it's really not fair when Nate indulges in the bubbly goodness right in front of me. Maybe someday I'll be zen enough to have a bit myself...
What I love: Indulging in all of my mouth's desires. Hitting the viability day milestone. And being 6 months pregnant.
What I'm looking forward to the most: Starting to paint her crib. Our hardcore paint sprayer arrived in the mail today and I am dying to get my hands on that puppy.
Worries: I've been hearing a lot of stories about pre-term labor lately, and even though hitting 24 weeks means baby girl would stand a chance outside my womb right now, I really REALLY don't want to experience that if possible (obvi). I'm also convinced that she will be breech when it's time to birth her. No idea why I believe that, but I just do.
What is different this time around: Oh, you know. Just being a HUGE slacker compared to the Julia of 24 weeks past. Since last time I was busy painting canvas prints by hand, buying even MORE furniture for Truman's nursery, and being a total over-achiever in every way possible. But at least my belly bump is over-achieving this time because holy crap, my bump was still so tiny back then! It's funny that I forced myself to wear maternity shirts at 24 weeks last time b/c I felt I deserved it, not because regular shirts didn't fit anymore. Ha. Baby girl is definitely forcing my body to be 'more pregnant looking' this time around. Even if I can't tell her that the nursery was finished by the third trimester, I will tell her that she beat her brother in the bump department.
Symptoms: Still with odd tight ute feelings. Sometimes my back hurts when I lay or sit down. And I'm definitely getting more winded coming up our stairs.
Sleep: Fine. Passing out pretty easily, still super congested while sleeping, and then a little more tired during the day this week. But overall I have no complaints on my BFF sleep.
Movement: She's a soccer player, that one! I'm starting to notice a pattern for her most active times (about 10 am, 3 pm, and 10 pm) and I'm trying to get Truman to feel her from the outside. So far no such luck, since both kids have pretty short attention spans right now:)
The belly: It's big/small again. I get a lot of comments on how 'small' I look in person and yet there are some days when I look down and think, 'Holy hell----that is one big baby belly already!'
Milestones: Viability day!! She's gained 4 ounces since last week and is over a pound total. Her brain, taste buds, and lungs are developing like crazy right now, too. Go, baby girl, go!
Amusing comments from the general public: Nothing too awful this week really. I stopped by the office at work one day and 50% of the people who saw me said I am sooooooo tiny and the other 50% were able to tell I'm actually pregnant without me mentioning it first. So weird.
Best moment of the week: Finally choosing a name for our baby girl!! This was HUGE, you guys, because I really thought she'd be the first person in history without a name. A separate post to follow (but don't get too excited, I'm not going to flat out tell you her name, sillies, but maybe I'll give you the top four) to document the lengthy process of naming our second child. Hint: we are still married after the drama and this is very good news. :)
Photo thoughts: I was really happy with these shots Nate took this week. So many cute ones of Truman and I look half-way decent/awake. And thus, I had to edit a lot more than usual.
Size of baby: An ear of corn according to BC, which there was a 0% chance of me finding in the stores in February. Or a papaya according to TB, which is totally non-existent up here this time of year, too. And so? We got creative again, but this time I picked my own food of choice. An eggplant! Which is what TB says I'll be next week (and then for the following 3 weeks after that). Isn't she pretty?
Cravings: Soda. Nutella (first time ever having it = obsessed). Oranges. BLT sandwiches. All sweets under the sun. And even my PB&J sandwich tasted SO good the other day. Everything tastes amazing and I just can't stop eating right now. Love it. This was the first week that I was honestly craving a cold beer at dinner---it's really not fair when Nate indulges in the bubbly goodness right in front of me. Maybe someday I'll be zen enough to have a bit myself...
What I love: Indulging in all of my mouth's desires. Hitting the viability day milestone. And being 6 months pregnant.
What I'm looking forward to the most: Starting to paint her crib. Our hardcore paint sprayer arrived in the mail today and I am dying to get my hands on that puppy.
Worries: I've been hearing a lot of stories about pre-term labor lately, and even though hitting 24 weeks means baby girl would stand a chance outside my womb right now, I really REALLY don't want to experience that if possible (obvi). I'm also convinced that she will be breech when it's time to birth her. No idea why I believe that, but I just do.
What is different this time around: Oh, you know. Just being a HUGE slacker compared to the Julia of 24 weeks past. Since last time I was busy painting canvas prints by hand, buying even MORE furniture for Truman's nursery, and being a total over-achiever in every way possible. But at least my belly bump is over-achieving this time because holy crap, my bump was still so tiny back then! It's funny that I forced myself to wear maternity shirts at 24 weeks last time b/c I felt I deserved it, not because regular shirts didn't fit anymore. Ha. Baby girl is definitely forcing my body to be 'more pregnant looking' this time around. Even if I can't tell her that the nursery was finished by the third trimester, I will tell her that she beat her brother in the bump department.
Symptoms: Still with odd tight ute feelings. Sometimes my back hurts when I lay or sit down. And I'm definitely getting more winded coming up our stairs.
Sleep: Fine. Passing out pretty easily, still super congested while sleeping, and then a little more tired during the day this week. But overall I have no complaints on my BFF sleep.
Movement: She's a soccer player, that one! I'm starting to notice a pattern for her most active times (about 10 am, 3 pm, and 10 pm) and I'm trying to get Truman to feel her from the outside. So far no such luck, since both kids have pretty short attention spans right now:)
The belly: It's big/small again. I get a lot of comments on how 'small' I look in person and yet there are some days when I look down and think, 'Holy hell----that is one big baby belly already!'
Milestones: Viability day!! She's gained 4 ounces since last week and is over a pound total. Her brain, taste buds, and lungs are developing like crazy right now, too. Go, baby girl, go!
Amusing comments from the general public: Nothing too awful this week really. I stopped by the office at work one day and 50% of the people who saw me said I am sooooooo tiny and the other 50% were able to tell I'm actually pregnant without me mentioning it first. So weird.
Best moment of the week: Finally choosing a name for our baby girl!! This was HUGE, you guys, because I really thought she'd be the first person in history without a name. A separate post to follow (but don't get too excited, I'm not going to flat out tell you her name, sillies, but maybe I'll give you the top four) to document the lengthy process of naming our second child. Hint: we are still married after the drama and this is very good news. :)
Twenty-Three months
My biggie boy is 'going to be two next month', you guys. That is how I answer the question, 'How old is he?' now. It doesn't make my heart ache quite as much to think about my child being two years old, because (wait for it.....) this is just such a FUN age! Should I rename my blog 'My Life in SUCH A FUN AGE!' ??
(this is how he poses for most pictures now---not a true smile in many photos anymore, but more like an intense gaze for the camera. And then he demands to see the shot with his own eyes, to see if he approves.)
Okay, tons of firsts in January for our big guy.
1. Switched from rear-facing to forward-facing at 22.5 months. I really wanted to make it to two years but darn it, I just could not handle my child being in the pike position with his long legs halfway up the back seat. He's never really minded it, and usually he just crosses his legs or let them dangle off the sides of the seat, but with his warm weather gear he just couldn't reposition his little legs well enough. I'm not sure how tall he is, but I guess him to be around 35 inches and he's in all 3T clothes now so yes--he is a taller than average 23 month old. Plus, my back is killing me from lifting him up and into the seat, then trying to get his giant body situated with a teeny amount of available space. Exhibit A:
And after the big switch! Ahhh, legs aren't numb anymore!
Don't worry, I was still incredibly freaked out about this much-needed change because I know how much safer rear-facing is. It's one of those things that would have been hard if we did make it to two, or even beyond, so I'm just pretending to be really cool about it.
(speaking of being really cool...poser)
2. Switched to a big boy bed on 1.22.12!! This was a HUGE mental battle for me (again! I'm a headcase!) but it turns out that it was really not a big deal at all. I decided it was time because T was seriously banging his head into every single part of the tiny crib at night and it was giving me a headache to hear that. Plus he's so heavy the crib was squeaking as he moved and I just couldn't imagine that those two things weren't affecting his sleep at least a little bit. It will be nice not to buy another crib for baby girl, and now Truman will have some time to adjust to this big change before our move and before baby comes.
We brought down Nate's old twin bunk bed from the attic, and used the side rail that went along the top bunk to make this 'safer' and less scary (for me). And I got really into buying Truman new truck sheets from Olive Kids, along with the amazing excavator pillow, and I found a regular old 'quilt' comforter at Target to complete the bedding. Oh, and a set of 'back up' sheets that are dinosaurs---and *almost* as cute as the pricey trucks. I'm mostly excited that we can re-use his striped nursery rug in his new big boy room and keep the same color scheme while changing it up slightly with the trucks.
As for how the transition went....overall it was pretty painless! The first night Truman didn't fall asleep for 2 hours and I was totally second-guessing our decision. But he lasted all night without waking after he did finally fall asleep and bedtime was totally normal again by about the third night. He loves his big boy bed and will to show it off to anyone who will oblige him. Plus, there is nothing better than laying in bed next to my boy, reading him books and singing to him before he falls asleep. He has yet to crawl out on his own because we were really firm with him about mommy and daddy being the only ones who could get him out of the bed. So far he's listening to that statement (knock on wood!) and hasn't gotten out of bed without us!
3. First haircut on 1.21.12. Separate post for details. But one more picture for good measure:)
Other happenings for our 'almost two year old':
-Right in the beginning of the month, I was looking this picture I had taken of T in the bathtub and noticed something rather shocking:
Um, he has his two bottom molars all of a sudden! I'd say they are about halfway through his gums now and must have been part of the reason he liked to wake at 4 am for a few weeks! Hallelujah for being nearly done with all teething. Now if only the top 'two year molars' would start their way down...no sign in sight, not even through my view finder on the camera:)
-No more blankets/lovies at daycare! This was another big step because for a few weeks, the child would not let 'Douglas the lamb', 'Monkey' and 'Green blankie' out of his sight. All of a sudden he just didn't need them anymore and he's doing great at daycare again. Whew.
-Truman is completely obsessed with colors. He can seriously correctly identify the following: orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black and brown. Not so into 'red' or 'gray' or 'white' but everything else is spot-on. The other day I was opening up our peanut butter jar and he said, 'ooooh, brown!'. Say, what? And we talk about the colored stoplights in the car, the colors of his Tot Clock, and the colors we are wearing to the point that it's almost ridiculous. I personally think it's pretty insane that he can name colors before the age of two, but maybe that is actually normal? It just seems advanced to me:)
-And then there is the counting. He is getting to know his numbers and I believe his favorite one must be the number 'two'. Because there are about four number 'twos' when counting to ten, didn't you know? Observe the cuteness.
Things Truman loves to do:
-imitate/make fun of me, by sighing really loudly in an exasperated fashion if I ask him to do anything. For instance, when T asks me to watch You Tube truck videos I guess I usually sigh as a response, knowing it will be difficult to find something that actually entertains him these days. So now, when he asks to watch the videos he will also sigh REALLY dramatically before I do it myself, beating me to the punch. Is that hilarious or what?
-watch Thomas the Train, Chuggington, Sesame Street (specifically Elmo), or Fireman Sam On Demand. I prefer Thomas because his episodes are only 10 minutes long, and Truman's attention span is about 5 minutes at this point:)
-slamming basketballs/soccerballs/any balls through his hoop. Kicking balls, throwing things, and a rough and tough boy is also a favorite hobby of his. Oh, and his garbage truck is still the cat's meow and we play with it for hours each day (at least it seems that long to me).
-coloring with markers, forcing me to draw garbage trucks and Elmo--both no small tasks, if you ask me. Watching for the garbage truck on trash day is probably the highlight of his week. He is seriously borderline obsessive about garbage trucks.
-imaginative play with his toys. This is sort of new for him, but he has a toy dinosaur that 'drinks' from our ottoman and Truman will feed his monkey blanket some snacks if the mood is right. He has a stuffed dog toy that looks just like Henry, and this 'ga ga' loves to give and get kisses from other toys. I love watching T's little brain work!
-helping us bake, make coffee, playing in the sink, climbing on chairs, jumping (with both feet clearing the ground now!), and running everywhere---no longer walking at all.
-not so into the potty anymore. It goes in spurts, a few weeks he is all about peeing in the potty and then he is NOT into it anymore. Whatever.
We love you so much, Truman---you muscle man, you!
(this is how he poses for most pictures now---not a true smile in many photos anymore, but more like an intense gaze for the camera. And then he demands to see the shot with his own eyes, to see if he approves.)
Okay, tons of firsts in January for our big guy.
1. Switched from rear-facing to forward-facing at 22.5 months. I really wanted to make it to two years but darn it, I just could not handle my child being in the pike position with his long legs halfway up the back seat. He's never really minded it, and usually he just crosses his legs or let them dangle off the sides of the seat, but with his warm weather gear he just couldn't reposition his little legs well enough. I'm not sure how tall he is, but I guess him to be around 35 inches and he's in all 3T clothes now so yes--he is a taller than average 23 month old. Plus, my back is killing me from lifting him up and into the seat, then trying to get his giant body situated with a teeny amount of available space. Exhibit A:
And after the big switch! Ahhh, legs aren't numb anymore!
Don't worry, I was still incredibly freaked out about this much-needed change because I know how much safer rear-facing is. It's one of those things that would have been hard if we did make it to two, or even beyond, so I'm just pretending to be really cool about it.
(speaking of being really cool...poser)
2. Switched to a big boy bed on 1.22.12!! This was a HUGE mental battle for me (again! I'm a headcase!) but it turns out that it was really not a big deal at all. I decided it was time because T was seriously banging his head into every single part of the tiny crib at night and it was giving me a headache to hear that. Plus he's so heavy the crib was squeaking as he moved and I just couldn't imagine that those two things weren't affecting his sleep at least a little bit. It will be nice not to buy another crib for baby girl, and now Truman will have some time to adjust to this big change before our move and before baby comes.
We brought down Nate's old twin bunk bed from the attic, and used the side rail that went along the top bunk to make this 'safer' and less scary (for me). And I got really into buying Truman new truck sheets from Olive Kids, along with the amazing excavator pillow, and I found a regular old 'quilt' comforter at Target to complete the bedding. Oh, and a set of 'back up' sheets that are dinosaurs---and *almost* as cute as the pricey trucks. I'm mostly excited that we can re-use his striped nursery rug in his new big boy room and keep the same color scheme while changing it up slightly with the trucks.
As for how the transition went....overall it was pretty painless! The first night Truman didn't fall asleep for 2 hours and I was totally second-guessing our decision. But he lasted all night without waking after he did finally fall asleep and bedtime was totally normal again by about the third night. He loves his big boy bed and will to show it off to anyone who will oblige him. Plus, there is nothing better than laying in bed next to my boy, reading him books and singing to him before he falls asleep. He has yet to crawl out on his own because we were really firm with him about mommy and daddy being the only ones who could get him out of the bed. So far he's listening to that statement (knock on wood!) and hasn't gotten out of bed without us!
3. First haircut on 1.21.12. Separate post for details. But one more picture for good measure:)
Other happenings for our 'almost two year old':
-Right in the beginning of the month, I was looking this picture I had taken of T in the bathtub and noticed something rather shocking:
Um, he has his two bottom molars all of a sudden! I'd say they are about halfway through his gums now and must have been part of the reason he liked to wake at 4 am for a few weeks! Hallelujah for being nearly done with all teething. Now if only the top 'two year molars' would start their way down...no sign in sight, not even through my view finder on the camera:)
-No more blankets/lovies at daycare! This was another big step because for a few weeks, the child would not let 'Douglas the lamb', 'Monkey' and 'Green blankie' out of his sight. All of a sudden he just didn't need them anymore and he's doing great at daycare again. Whew.
-Truman is completely obsessed with colors. He can seriously correctly identify the following: orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black and brown. Not so into 'red' or 'gray' or 'white' but everything else is spot-on. The other day I was opening up our peanut butter jar and he said, 'ooooh, brown!'. Say, what? And we talk about the colored stoplights in the car, the colors of his Tot Clock, and the colors we are wearing to the point that it's almost ridiculous. I personally think it's pretty insane that he can name colors before the age of two, but maybe that is actually normal? It just seems advanced to me:)
-And then there is the counting. He is getting to know his numbers and I believe his favorite one must be the number 'two'. Because there are about four number 'twos' when counting to ten, didn't you know? Observe the cuteness.
-Also, he is really into the color pink lately which makes this pink-loving-mommy pretty happy:) He will request to watch our 'pink boon' (pink balloon) video quite often and when we heard Christina Perri's song on the radio the other day, he just smiled and said, 'Oh. Pink.'
-Which brings up the video I took of him the week before our balloon reveal. Is he the cutest soon-to-be-big-bro or what? A little confused yes, but cute.
-And one more thing about the baby: in the midst of our 'naming baby girl' dilemma, I decided to get Truman's opinion on the matter. I'll ask him if he likes this certain name and he'll always say, 'mmmm, yeah!' So then I decided to go for the open-ended question, and asked him, 'Truman, what do you want to name baby sister?' At first he took no time at all to say, 'Garbage Truck' which was not exactly on our list of options. But then the next time I asked him about it he thought long and hard and said, 'Two.....Green....Balls'. Huh. It's unique, yes?
-I also asked him who his best friend is one night at dinner, and he patted his own chest saying, 'Tru Tru'. A little self-absorbed? Then I asked who his second-best friend is, and almost cried when he said, 'Ya Ya.' Which is Lois, Nate's mom. So sweet! I don't think he has a clue what 'best friend' even means, but that is one for his baby book!
(Look out below--first time really sledding this year! Hands in the air, whoo hoo!)
-We are really into a great routine with Truman at the moment, and I know that could change in about two minutes so I don't want to jinx it. But he's going to bed fairly easily, waking at about 5:30 each day (whatever. We are used to that one by now), doing great at daycare, taking awesome 3 hour naps, is so much fun at home with us, and does a good job of entertaining himself a bit more lately, too. He'll definitely get frustrated if we don't know what he's trying to tell us and somedays are total whine-a-thons that seem to put everyone in a bad mood. But for the most part he's able to communicate exactly what he wants (and of course he wants that item RIGHT NOW or he will pitch a fit) and he has such a great sense of humor. My little guy is so loving and thoughtful and observant that a lot of people comment on how well-behaved he is in public. Of course, he saves his naughty times for Nate and I behind closed doors, but he really is a great kid. I pray that number two is not our payback for having a fairly easy number one.
-Which brings up the video I took of him the week before our balloon reveal. Is he the cutest soon-to-be-big-bro or what? A little confused yes, but cute.
-And one more thing about the baby: in the midst of our 'naming baby girl' dilemma, I decided to get Truman's opinion on the matter. I'll ask him if he likes this certain name and he'll always say, 'mmmm, yeah!' So then I decided to go for the open-ended question, and asked him, 'Truman, what do you want to name baby sister?' At first he took no time at all to say, 'Garbage Truck' which was not exactly on our list of options. But then the next time I asked him about it he thought long and hard and said, 'Two.....Green....Balls'. Huh. It's unique, yes?
-I also asked him who his best friend is one night at dinner, and he patted his own chest saying, 'Tru Tru'. A little self-absorbed? Then I asked who his second-best friend is, and almost cried when he said, 'Ya Ya.' Which is Lois, Nate's mom. So sweet! I don't think he has a clue what 'best friend' even means, but that is one for his baby book!
(Look out below--first time really sledding this year! Hands in the air, whoo hoo!)
-We are really into a great routine with Truman at the moment, and I know that could change in about two minutes so I don't want to jinx it. But he's going to bed fairly easily, waking at about 5:30 each day (whatever. We are used to that one by now), doing great at daycare, taking awesome 3 hour naps, is so much fun at home with us, and does a good job of entertaining himself a bit more lately, too. He'll definitely get frustrated if we don't know what he's trying to tell us and somedays are total whine-a-thons that seem to put everyone in a bad mood. But for the most part he's able to communicate exactly what he wants (and of course he wants that item RIGHT NOW or he will pitch a fit) and he has such a great sense of humor. My little guy is so loving and thoughtful and observant that a lot of people comment on how well-behaved he is in public. Of course, he saves his naughty times for Nate and I behind closed doors, but he really is a great kid. I pray that number two is not our payback for having a fairly easy number one.
Things Truman loves to do:
-imitate/make fun of me, by sighing really loudly in an exasperated fashion if I ask him to do anything. For instance, when T asks me to watch You Tube truck videos I guess I usually sigh as a response, knowing it will be difficult to find something that actually entertains him these days. So now, when he asks to watch the videos he will also sigh REALLY dramatically before I do it myself, beating me to the punch. Is that hilarious or what?
-watch Thomas the Train, Chuggington, Sesame Street (specifically Elmo), or Fireman Sam On Demand. I prefer Thomas because his episodes are only 10 minutes long, and Truman's attention span is about 5 minutes at this point:)
-slamming basketballs/soccerballs/any balls through his hoop. Kicking balls, throwing things, and a rough and tough boy is also a favorite hobby of his. Oh, and his garbage truck is still the cat's meow and we play with it for hours each day (at least it seems that long to me).
-coloring with markers, forcing me to draw garbage trucks and Elmo--both no small tasks, if you ask me. Watching for the garbage truck on trash day is probably the highlight of his week. He is seriously borderline obsessive about garbage trucks.
-imaginative play with his toys. This is sort of new for him, but he has a toy dinosaur that 'drinks' from our ottoman and Truman will feed his monkey blanket some snacks if the mood is right. He has a stuffed dog toy that looks just like Henry, and this 'ga ga' loves to give and get kisses from other toys. I love watching T's little brain work!
-helping us bake, make coffee, playing in the sink, climbing on chairs, jumping (with both feet clearing the ground now!), and running everywhere---no longer walking at all.
-not so into the potty anymore. It goes in spurts, a few weeks he is all about peeing in the potty and then he is NOT into it anymore. Whatever.
We love you so much, Truman---you muscle man, you!
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