Eat, Play, Love

I'm currently reading Eat, Pray, Love and thought I'd put a little kiddie twist on the title for this post. Like the book so far and it's making me want to head back to Italy, for a very extended period of time! That won't happen, so I'll live vicariously through the author, as we do when we read. This was a fun way for me to give a little picture of where my boys are right now.

AND share this photo that I'm so incredibly proud of. I snapped it one evening while Kace was sitting in his Bumbo eating...as the meal progressed, the setting sun lit up his face and it was beautiful. Then Riley came in from the backyard and I was so lucky to capture this well-lit moment. I just LOVE this!

Riley:

Eat: He's always been a good eater, except for scallops, which do have an unfriendly texture. This week, he particulary liked the Honey Mustard Chicken I made and served with asparagus and some cheesy/veggie noodles. Funny thing about this meal is that he ate all of the veggies first, then the chicken.

He loves snacks--right now it's apples with yogurt/peanut buter dip, Nutri-Grain bars, or applesauce (with a scoop of cottage cheese), or yogurt--blueberry is his favorite flavor. He's always drank lots of milk and while I was in the hospital, he expected chocolate milk with every glass. Well, when Mommy arrived, that was no longer the case. He still does get chocolate milk--a little chocolate and a lot of milk, but I also try to make sure he alternates a cup of water between non-water drinks. He knows the pattern too, "Mommy, this was milk, so water is next."

Play: He is still loving riding his bicycle and doing beautifully without those training wheels. We love to go outside in the evenings after it's cooled off and hang out with our neighbors and their children while they ride bikes and play.

He has learned how to play a video game that Mimi bought him and has just taken an interest in it lately. I'm very thankful for the volume control and the headphones. He just doesn't understand why we don't want to hear the game he's playing. Ugh!

He's also playing a little more alone. He will get out his cars--usually the ones with lights and sirens--and zoom them around to emergency after emergency. I'll hear him pretend playing and it's fun to listen to the little adventure he's creating. He also likes his monster trucks and crashing them into each other.

Riley is also joining a baseball team and will have his first practice on Sunday. We're excited about this new adventure!

Love: Riley has been such a challenge lately. I keep wondering what I've done wrong. It seems like everything we say or do gets a "No", "Never", or "I don't want to" and it is exhausting. It drains me physically and emotionally. There have been countless conversations about good choices and bad choices, hurting feelings, listening, following directions, etc. I've even spanked his sweet little hiney. Something I thought I would never do.

When he's not angry and defiant, he's the sweetest, most loving little guy. He loves to snuggle and is generous with hugs and kisses. He loves to "help" take care of his litte buddy.

Kace:

Eat: Kace is so happy at mealtimes! I tell him what he's eating while I'm feeding him. He is eating apples, pears, acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, bananas, peaches, rice cereal, and oatmeal cereal. Plums and peas are up next! He's significantly reduced his bottle feedings--or at least it seems that way. There for a while I felt like all I did was feed Kace, make bottles, wash bottles, and start over again. Now he's having 4 6-8 ounce bottles a day with 2 feedings of solid food.

Play: He's really grabbing things with hands right now, trying to grab anything and everything--our faces and anything that's not his toys in particular! He's continues to roll over, but has only rolled from his belly back over to his back once. He's tolerating tummy time so much better now and can lift his head and shoulders completely off the ground. He loves the rings on his car seat carrier (and will be outgrowing that carseat soon), his exer-saucer, playmat, and sitting in his Bumbo watching the action in the kitchen.

Kace has discovered that he can not only play with toes, but he can get them into his mouth! They're a new little "always with me" toy for him. He also had a splash fest in the bath tub recently. He went all out and had a great time!

Love: Kace has a smile for everyone, but I think he favors me right now. I'm anxious about going to back to work because we think separation anxiety is kicking in. It's going to be tough all over again. He loves it when his Daddy tickles his belly, under his chin, and in his armpits! He always has a great laugh with Daddy. He also loves it when Riley talks to him in nonsense words or sings silly songs.

Kace loves his brown Lovie that Ashley and Cami gave him. It's the object he's really shown to favor. It helps calm him down and comfort himself to sleep.

And ending with a funny...because this is my blog!

Funny: This week, while we were eating breakfast, Riley said, "Mom, I don't want to get old. Do you get old when you get married?" I hesitantly asked, "Is Mommy old?" (please don't say yes, please don't say yes) "No." he (correctly) replied. We were both extremely relieved after that conversation!! :-)