Ambling Rileys: What We've Been Up To...

Well, school has started, and we're (mostly) back in the swing of things. As predicted, working full time, getting both boys to day care, and keeping the house ~~clean~~ in a semi-livable condition leaves little time for blogging (or sleeping or resting or anything else remotely leisurely). But we are chugging along, and things are going pretty well. I seem to have a pretty sweet class this year, so I'm optimistic that it will be a good year!

Just like last year, Andrew LOVES school. I think he thrives in that environment. The first day back he happily ran off to go play with the friends and toys, and I had to chase him down to get a kiss and a hug. Every day since has been similar. I'm so lucky that he loves school! He comes home singing songs that he learned and talking about the things they did that day. One of my favorite times with Andrew is our car ride home after school. He's very talkative during this time, and I can usually find out a lot more about his day by just listening rather than asking him direct questions. He did get his first bite at daycare, which bothered me a lot more than him! I guess he was so upset that his teachers couldn't really understand what had happened, and when pressed about it, he decided he'd rather go play. So I discovered the bite during bath time. And I've always thought of myself as a laid-back parent, but I was so upset when I saw this bite on him! Luckily it seems to be an isolated incident and Andrew seemed hardly phased by it (he kept turning around and smiling while I was trying to get pictures of it!). Otherwise, all is good with Andrew. He's fun and silly and very imaginative! He still cracks us up daily with the things he says, and I love to see how much he's learning. He loves to sing and play pretend (lately he likes to pretend that he's a firefighter or that he's throwing a party). He likes to watch Octonauts, Winnie the Pooh, and Curious George. We got him a Curious George stuffed animal and a Curious George book for a back-to-school present, and he loves to read a Curious George book with George every night. Andrew's definitely growing up and becoming independent, so I cherish any times with him when he can still be my baby. The other morning before school he asked me to cuddle in his bed. Even though I knew it would push our already-rushed morning schedule back a little, I happily climbed in and held him. I'm sure grown up Andrew reading this in the future will be so embarrassed, but I teared up a little as we cuddled. I realized that my days of cuddling him like that are numbered, and there will come a day when he won't want me to hug him and hold him. I will cherish every single cuddle until that day comes!

Silly boy!

I love his sweet face.

The Bumbo Hat

Playing

His bite - ouch!

All is well with Benjamin too, although we're still trying to adjust to daycare with a baby. His teachers are so sweet and I know they love him, which gives me peace of mind. He seems happy to go to daycare, but we're still figuring out bedtime. Poor guy is exhausted when he comes home, but we can't really get him to bed at 5:00! (Well, I guess we could, but that could mean getting up at 3 a.m. No, thank you!) I'm also working hard to make sure he has enough milk for each day (I'm pretty sure that could be my full-time-job in and of itself!). We went to the doctor last week for his 4 month appointment and he was 13 lb. 10 oz. (19%) and 26 1/4 inches (86%). If you remember his stats from 2 months (you all have them memorized, right?!), that means he gained 22 percentile points in height and dropped 24 percentile points in weight. The doctor was slightly concerned about the drop in weight and so we are scheduled to go in next week for a weight check. I try to tell myself that he just grew lengthwise and hasn't caught up yet with his weight, but it's hard not to be worried. Especially as a nursing mom, I take everything about his weight personally. The same day as our appointment, daycare let me know that he needs more milk at school. I felt like I was starving my baby! I've calmed down a little bit, but any prayers for weight gain on Benjamin's part would be greatly appreciated. Other than a slight weight concern, all is great with sweet Benny. He's smiley and talkative. And by talkative I mean squeal-y and shriek-y. He's very vocal right before bed. He gets more and more mobile each day, and he loves to be around people. He's a sweet, happy little guy and we love him so much!