Let's see... there have been a couple of big transitions for Matt. First off, potty training is going excellent. We still have some issues with pooping in his pull-up at naptime, but even that is getting better, slowly but surely. We implemented a new reward system with him that seems to be doing the trick - we give him a "coin" to put in his piggy bank for every poop he does on the potty. He really seems to take pride in dropping those pennies in. Who knew? Hey, whatever works, right?
The really big thing, though is that last Wednesday (Halloween), he got his "big boy bed." A few days before it came, we explained it all to him and went to the store and let him pick out his own bedding. And what do you suppose he chose? Cars of course!! What else? He was SO excited to take his first nap in it, didn't give me any issues at all. The next morning was when he figured out that he could actually get out of bed by himself and for the next, oh, day or so, we had issues with him getting out of bed and running around the upstairs, but he's much better now. He'll just sit in bed and call us when it's time to go get him. We didn't even have to put up a rail on the bed or a gate at his door. Overall the transition has been MUCH smoother than I ever thought it would be... which seems to be a trend with my sweet little boy. Taking away the pacifier, weaning him, potty training, and now transitioning to a bed have all been relatively easy and smooth. He's such a good kid. :)
Moving him to a bed, though, really hit me. He's not a baby anymore. When I washed his crib sheet and put it away for the last time, I have to admit, I was a little sad. You know me, I'm not usually that sentimental about this stuff (I like to look to the future instead of dwelling on the past), but I think about that teeny little newborn all swaddled up in his crib that first day home and then I look at the sweet little "big" boy he's becoming... and well, I have a tender little ache in my heart... I'll admit it.
His imagination just astounds me on a daily basis. The stories and scenarios he comes up with are amazing for his age. He woke up one morning a couple of weeks ago with a story about how Daddy was going to build him a rocket ship so that he could fly to Mars.
He also has all kinds of elaborate plans for his birthday - supposedly we're going to go on a train to Boston with all his friends - including Benjamin, our pediatrician's little baby boy - for a birthday party. He can reenact the entire Cars movie or any one of the many Thomas the Tank Engine shows with his toys. He's very good at playing independently, but also plays well with other kids. The lady who baby-sits him two mornings a week says she never has any problems with him. Jillian is talking up a storm lately. She's talking MUCH more than Matt ever did at her age. I don't know if it's because she's a girl and they're known to talk sooner, or if it's because she's the second child, or maybe because she never took a pacifier... but whatever, I am thoroughly enjoying her cute little babbles and the fact that she can vocalize what she wants. She has so many words that I can't even really list them here like I once did with Matt. She even says "peeeez" (please) and "teek-yew" (thank you)! My favorites lately though, are the way she says Mee-Ma (what the kids call Mark's mom), "Mee-Mee" and the way she says Michelle (Mark's sister), "Shaa." Speaking of Aunty 'Chelle... Jillian used to be so "strange" around her, but now she's one of Jillian's favorite people! That makes me so happy!!
Jillian LOVES books these days... she'll bring book after book after book to you and plop down on your lap saying "buk-a-buk-a-buk-a-buk" until you give up and read to her. LOL. She also loves anything girly - fancy hats, sunglasses, necklaces, bracelets, shoes, you name it. Another thing that's adorable is that we have this little baby mirror hanging on the baby gate in the hallway, and she'll sit there and admire herself and practice facial expressions. I have a feeling I'm in biiiig trouble when she becomes a teenager.
Her favorite shows are JoJo's Circus, the Wiggles and, of course, "doo-doo Dora." She loves to play with her play kitchen, her tea set, and her doll house. Like I said, she's already a girly girl. On the other hand, she LOVES the Cars soundtrack, and dances and tries to sing along whenever she hears any of the songs. Her favorite foods are green beans, cheese sticks, apple slices and carrots, and she has recently started feeding herself with a spoon - so we've added oatmeal and yogurt to her every-day diet. I never have to worry about Jillian not eating enough healthy foods, that's for sure!! That girl will eat whatever you put in front of her - and then she'll eat Matt's portion, too.For Halloween, Matt was... you guessed it again... Lightning McQueen from Cars, and Jillian was a ladybug. Funny thing about Jillian's costume... when I bought it, the package said "18-23 lbs" for the size. I thought, okay, great, Jill's about 20 lbs, perfect! Well, about a half an hour before TorTing was about to start, I took the costume out for the first time and realized... the freakin' thing was an infant bunting and had no leg holes!!
So there I was, with the scissors, cutting holes in the bottom of the thing for Jillian's feet at 15 minutes to 5:00. She did look adorable, though.Matt thoroughly enjoyed Halloween this year. He really "got" it and had a lot of fun going door to door with Daddy, Jill and our next-door neighbors, Rich, Ellie and their 5 year old little boy named Alex. I stayed back at the ranch and handed out candy, which is always fun. It was so strange sitting out on the stoop in 60 degree weather on Halloween. I remember years when I was little where there was snow on the ground and we were wearing snow suits under our costumes!!
Okay, I think that's it for now... I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures of the kids from the month of October. You can see the rest of the album on the Picasa box to your left.
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