the future is here

ok, so please fast forward THREE YEARS and here we are. seriously, that is just ridiculous. how can it be that in my last post ivan was still in diapers?!  time is going a bit too fast for my liking. it really needs to take a chill pill. literally i feel like i blink an eye and a week goes by. anyway, i am trying to ease back into this blogging thing again. i feel sort of overwhelmed though... too much time has passed for me to mention everything that has happened, but i'd think the biggest change in the past three years, besides the boys' amazing transformations, is buying our home in the germantown section of philly.  it was one of the best moves we ever made mainly for the reason that there are trees around, LOTS and LOTS of TREES!! living in port richmond for six years, i resigned myself to living in the concrete jungle, but moving here made me realize how very much i need green in my life. it makes such a difference to me mentally, emotionally and physically. it makes me feel so much more peaceful in spirit and clear-minded. it seems i can breathe easier here.  not to mention, my neighbors are so wonderful, as are our close friends in the neighborhood. so yeah, germantown is clearly the place for us. 

do you see how the boys are growing like weeds?! sometimes i look at victor and i see a lanky, stretched out miniature man, and my baby ivan, his body is no longer, for lack of better words, babyish and squishy (although, thank god, he still has some delicious, kissable cheeks.) that is the strangest thing to me, that my boys will some day be men, too old to climb into my bed, curling up close in the early morn. how can it be that i miss these days already?

TWO YEARS OLD!

Five Years Old!

Warm Weather Fun in the "Backyard"

As you can plainly see, Victor and Ivan have been enjoying many popsicle parties these last couple months.  I can't believe I haven't posted anything since the winter. How did that happen? I feel so busy all day long, by the time it is quiet enough for me to put a coherent sentence together, I am already fried and end up watching the Office on Netlix or going to bed early to read for an hour or two. I thank Nicole for allowing this time in the middle of the day. She invited Vic over to play while Ivan napped.  What a friend you are!  Alone time is sacred and I don't get enough of it.  Sleep, Ivan, sleep. 

Besides being a sticky mess, Ivan is a pure delight. He is always making funny faces and talking in wierd voices and doing wacky dance moves which never fail to make us laugh and laugh. Our little clown.  He is also usually laid back and easygoing but lately is going through a major clingy phase, wanting to be held a lot more than usual. I love that he is extra cuddly but the carrying thing is not so sweet. My baby boy is heavy. I'm talkin' dead weight, diaper full of bricks. Needless to say, my back is bothering me a  bit these days.

Here are the boys cooling off with their buddy, Matthew, last seen on this blog all bundled up on one of the chilliest days of the year. Now here he is in his birthday suit... My, how the seasons change things. Yes, that is our sled filled with water and a floating horse shoe crab. Don't worry, it is dead. Bryan found it on the beach a couple weeks ago and is now part of Vic's natural collection/toys.  And yes, that is our old stove into which I want to put flowers... one of these days.

I bought Vic this coloring book for Easter. He has never gotten excited about coloring, but since there are mythical beasts involved he, of course, went crazy over this book and has been coloring ever since. He has gotten quite good, using lots of colors and staying in the lines practically better than I could.  Ahhhhh... coloring, what a peaceful, quiet, calm activity! 

Ivan trying to be a thief.  He is hardly ever quiet, calm and relaxed. Always on the move, getting into something...

 

The boys seem to be growing closer everyday. They truly enjoy doing everything together. The other day, Vic asked me when I was going to have another baby, and I said we weren't really planning on having any more, that having the two boys was all we wanted. He was disappointed so I asked him "Why? Do you want to have another brother or sister?" to which he replied "no, I want another friend." I love watching them so deeply enjoy one another and know that life with our two boys is just going to get more and more fun.

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.)