Bonding over books...

I want to focus this post on Victor since the last one was about Ivan who is basically back to his happy-go-lucky self and sleeping much better now, thank God! 

The biggest and most exciting news is that Victor has started to read! He is only starting with the most basic stuff ("Bob book" series.)  All of a sudden, it seems that something has clicked in his brain, and he totally understands how to sound things out... as long as he is focused which is not always the case.  I'll tell you,  it takes a whole heck of a lot of patience, more than what I've got, to get him through a book if he is anywhere close to la-la land, one of his favorite places to be.  Anyway, I made a reading chart and put a star sticker on it for every book he reads.  After he completes the whole series, he receives a surprise. 

Bribery works so well on this kid.  We also have a "Victor Sleeps Through the Night like a Big Boy Chart" in which he gets a sticker each night that he goes to sleep without Bry or me having to rock in his room until he falls asleep. You see, mama got a little fed up with that and had to put her foot down. Wish I'd done it sooner since it is going so well. We are on the ninth consecutive night. Hooray!

Bryan and I were just discussing that in the past several months, Victor has started to really mature. For instance, today at the barber shop, he just sat up on his chair and let the barber do his job, while chatting quite casually. At one point I overheard him say "my mom only lets me have sweets, like, once in a blue moon..." which isn't exactly true as he has dessert every night, but still, the point is he was conversing so naturally and confidently and well, more like a grown-up.  There was no squirming or fussing like every other time he has gotten his hair cut. I was blown away and so proud.  

I have to mention his latest obsession with mythical beasts, specifically the collection of little plastic figures he received for Christmas.  He carries them all over the house and is constantly setting up scenes, flying or swimming them here and there.  Ever since he got them, he would show them one by one to Ivan who would just stare and smile while listening to Victor pronounce their names in his Mr. Professor tone.  Well, it just so happened that Ivan is now equally fascinated by the "beasts."  Victor's enthusiasm rubbed off on him in a major way.  For a while, there was a constant battle in our household over these darn things.  They are Vic's favorite toys so I understand that it was hard for him to share, which he did many times (of course, after much coaxing and pleeding and Ivan crying of a broken heart). After several weeks of this, I could stand it no longer. We drove downtown to the bookstore and purchased a new set, just for Ivan who was beyond delighted. He just glowed when I  handed the tube of beasts to him and told him they were his beasts, not Victor's,  and he had to get his hands on "Backa" (Chupacabra) right away. The house is much more peaceful since and I do not regret my decision.

Victor's imagination is baffling to me. I don't understand how or where he comes up with some of the scenarios in his pretend world.  They are oftentimes too complex and involved for me and at some points, my mind will basically just shut off and I can't even attempt to compute what is going on in his crazy head.  He is on another planet sometimes.

Every day that goes by,  he seems to enjoy his brother more and more. Their brotherly bond is becoming stronger and it is clear that they truly love and enjoy each other. Victor especially likes taking his brother by the hand and leading him places although Ivan won't always have it. By favorite thing is hearing them laugh together. It fills my heart with sheer joy and I can't help but join in on their laughter. 

My darling boy, why do you torture me so?

How can such an angel face be such a rascal? I ask myself this a lot these days. For well over a month now, Ivan has been teething. He is getting his eye teeth and I vividly recall Victor dealing with the arrival of these bad boys; it was also a very nasty scene. For some reason, these particular teeth seem to be the most painful to emerge. Every night, this poor baby (and his poor mama) have been awoken almost on an hourly basis.  As a result, I believe sleep deprivation is causing me to have frequent headaches. 

During the day, he is often cranky and quick to whine, especially when I am trying to cook. The teething is also causing some ugly diaper rashes which are even painful to the eye. 

I often find myself wondering when this particular teething phase will pass. It seems to be going on and on and so far, only one tooth is visibly cutting through his gums. Lord, have mercy.

On a more positive note, when he is in a good mood (thanks, Motrin), he is absolutely delightful, constantly coming up with new silly ways to move his body and talk more and more. He calls Victor "doo doo" and is still obsessed with "orseys" (horses) and "gucks" (ducks) and is getting better and better at repeating much of what we say. It really is amazing to see how quickly he is learning to talk, although he still does his share of baby babble; like for some odd reason, he calls bananas "lallys." As much as this age can be a challenge, it is also such a fun time full of unbelievably adorable moments, and I can not get over how ridiculously fast he is growing and changing from a baby into a little boy.  Despite being exhausted, I am trying to savor and enjoy him as much as possible (at least during the daylight hours.) 

Out in the Cold

The Thrill of Spotting an Airplane.

This is one of my oldest and dearest friends, Christina's two year old boy, Matthew. Christina and I go way back to the summer after I graduated high school. We both worked at the local mall as market research interviewers and share some hilarious memories of all sorts of crazy people we met through that job. I'll save that for another time. 

Anyway, she is one of my only close friends who has also recently entered motherhood and because of this I feel we have an even stronger bond than before.  I love seeing her as a mom, and a great one at that, and watching her dear sweet boy's transformation from day one. It is so amazing to watch a newborn baby so quickly change into a child with such a colorful and budding personality. I just adore that little guy and love being his Aunt Wendy. He and my boys are already having so much fun together and we are just getting a glimpse of the havoc they will reap together in just a matter of a year or two.  

These photos were taken the other week when Christina and Matthew came over for a visit. We had been in the house all day due to the arctic temperatures outside. I think one (or maybe all?) of the boys were getting a bit restless so we decided that a walk would do us good. We bundled up for a loooong five block trek up the street to the local cafe and then back home again, where we stopped at the playground that is a block from our home. The reason it turned into such a long excursion is because both Matthew and Ivan did not want any part of sitting in their strollers. Instead, they took turns pushing the baby stroller and walking freestyle. And of course for an 18 month old, there are many, many distractions along the way. I was itching to take some pictures and the two younger kids were having so much fun going down the slide and generally just breathing "fresh" air that it turned out to be the perfect opportunity to click away. The eldest complained about his hands being "soooo cold" but I am glad we ventured out because it turned out to be an invigorating outing for us all.