18 months

Thomas is 18 months now! I can't believe it! He talks really well and says so much! He is so happy and is just so much fun! I do still put him in a stroller when we go places; otherwise it is so hard chasing Matthew and Thomas...A lady at the library asked me the other day how old Thomas was, I said 18 months, she said "Wow, and you still put him in a stroller!" I call it survival. I do let him out once we get where we need to be, but I am not sure how much longer I will be able to get away with this ;) I will say that Matthew minds much better now and usually will stay close to me. (not always though) Thomas' check up went great! He weighed 23 lbs and 4 oz. and was 32 in tall. Both were the 40%. Most people who see him say "He has really filled out and is stocky". I will say he loves to eat, but he is also a picky eater. I feel like I have two little boys now, and Thomas for the most part is no longer a baby. Even though Matthew still calls him "his baby". Thomas really does think he can do everything Matthew does. I tell people all the time, it is like they are twins, but at different stages..just close enough to have similar interest, but far enough apart that they don't do everything the same yet, even though they try. I think once Thomas gets a little older it will be so much easier. (like old enough that we can play with play dough and not worry about Thomas eating it.) They will both start school in a few weeks. Matthew will go 2 days a week. Thomas will go 1. I am looking forward to having some one on one time with each one so that I can do the things I have been wanting to do with each one. I do love these boys! They make me laugh every day and many days want to pull my hair out ;)

July??

I haven't posted in a while because nothing much has really been going on. I don't really know what we did in July, and I can't believe it is already August!! Thomas has gotten 8 teeth in the past 2 months. He actually hasn't been too cranky considering. He is talking so much now saying just about anything we say. He loves Roscoe. He adores Matthew and really watches/mimics his every move. He always wants to know where his daddy is. He loves playing with the dinosaurs and making them roar. Overall he is such a happy little toddler. He is starting to throw fits though. Sometimes I don't even think he knows why he is crying. He can make statements now such as "Lets go, there it is, whats that, i want my daddy/mommy" Matthew is becoming so much more mature. He still has his tantrums, but seems to understand things better now. We talk all day long about anything and everything. He is very curious and likes to know what is going on. He still LOVES dinosaurs. When he plays with them, he makes them talk to each other now. I love listening to what he is making them say...usually stuff like "Hey dinosaur, do you want to play with me? Are you feeling ok? You gotta take a nap. You have to go to time out"...Not sure where he is picking all this up ;) His new thing is staying in his pjs when we are at home. If we go somewhere, we have to put his pjs back on when we get home. He is a very sweet big brother. He always makes sure Thomas has something to play with. He does still take things away from him, but overall looks out for his brother. I have noticed that the boys get jealous of each other and compete with each other for our attention now. When I am holding one, the other "needs" to be held. If I try to hold them both, they start pushing each other and try to see who can wrap their arms around me the tightest. While it is very flattering, it also can get out of hand. They usually act that way more to me than anyone else. I guess since I am the one they are with all the time. We are having to discipline them now more than ever especially Matthew. It has been very challenging. I have been reading parenting books. I do recommend "Bringing Up Boys " by Dr. James Dobson with Focus on the Family to anyone who has boys. It started out scaring me, but ended up being a good eye opening book about boys and the challenges of raising them into good, christian men. Now I am reading another one of his books "The Strong Willed Child" I will let you know how that one is when I am done. Hopefully I will get some guidance on how to raise these precious boys in a christian manner ;)