Tales from the boys...

It's been a while - here are a few stories for interested parties...

Ethan has been a trip lately. He, the picky eater, is also eating nonstop so there must be some kind of spurt going on. Last week, he was very intent on assisting the doctor to look at Isaac – he suggested that cutting off his head might be the solution to his cough. And when the doctor finished looking at Isaac's ears, asked very seriously, “What next?” He loves to be the doctor at home too so we'll see where this leads...

He has been very bossy lately. The other day he decided they were going to Chuck E. Cheese, despite the fact we said very clearly they were not. I told Isaac no when he asked me, but then he heard Ethan say they were going and asked “We go Chuck E. Cheese, Ethan?” “Yes,” Ethan replied. “Yay!” Isaac exclaimed and got on his shoes and they both ran out the door, with me shouting after them that nobody was going to Chuck E. Cheese. A few minutes later I realized they had gone to get in the car already.... When going to bed a few nights ago (or rather back to bed), he told me “You come check me one minute. Take out your contacts. Then you go to bed. All right?” And was gone before I could even answer. He’s also started repeating things I say like telling Isaac, “No whiny boy. I don’t like it”, when Isaac is crying because he wants his toy. I guess asserting control is becoming increasingly important. When we are indecisive or he doesn't like the answer he also often says "We can think about it".

He made us laugh too after we got home from the Native American Festival at Garfield Park, having sat eating "frybread" and watching a powwow. As soon as we got home, he tied a blanked around his waist, one around his shoulders and put a couch end cover on his head, while stomping around with some bells..

Isaac meanwhile has been sickly and consequently more whiny than I'd like.His mantra of the moment is "I don't like it" to pretty much anything we ask him to do. He has also seemed to regress in some ways like going from riding his bike without training wheels to not being able to ride his bike at all. When I ask him why not, he says "I don't know which way to turn my head". I said I would go with him one time and he could show me why it's hard but we haven't gotten around to that. He is still funny too of course - he is into sneaking food into the shopping cart these days. Somehow candies or cookies or hot chocolate will end up in the cart. His guilt is obvious of course when he looks at me trying unsuccessfully to look innocent. I think he wants me to notice though, that's part of the game!

There aren't so many stories to tell about Joshua yet, who is still as sweet a boy as ever. He has had a cold and cough and that is the saddest thing to hear, but he is pretty resilient and doesn't complain as much as I would. It makes it harder for him to settle into sleep, but when he does he still sleeps a good 4, sometimes 5, hour stretch (if only his brothers didn't wake me in the interim!). He is making a few new sounds here and there which would be impossible for me to duplicate in writing - if you want to hear you'll just have to come visit :) I can't wait until he's a little easier to entertain, though when in a good mood, he really enjoys doing songs and can track my finger or face. He wants to be held all the time though and knows when you are even thinking of putting him down and will cry in advance. The other day, I handed him off to Jack and he gave me this look like "I thought you loved me", though really he and daddy get along and communicate very well.

Okay, all for now. As always, will try to be better at remembering and recording the cutes and funnies.

Honesty & Flattery

While I love and will one day dearly miss the boys' spontaneous hugs and declarations of "I love you. I miss you", I'm sometimes suspicious when it comes before, during or after being naughty. Though for Ethan it's often just another way of saying "calm down, mama". Still, they are sometimes painfully honest too. One night, I said they could have a cookie, thinking of my homemade chocolate chip cookies. However, Isaac insisted he wanted "store made cookie". Thanks, kid. At least later he melted my heart when we were talking about them growing up and he said "I wash dishes. I go work. You sleep. Okay?" I need to get that recorded to replay in a few years!

Isaac got his first time out this week. This time, it really was him, throwing things in cahoots with the other Isaac, who gets time outs regularly. While I wasn't happy about that of course, with their shyness and slightly slower development, I am at some level pleased when they act like normal kids when they're at school.

I thought it was supposed to be the "why" questions that drive you nuts at this age, but it's the "hows" that are getting to me. It started with reading books and Isaac asking "How draw that?", which went along with constantly asking "what that say?" to everything we see. I don't mind that. I love that they are aware of words and pictures, but now they are constantly asking "How make that?" or "How do that?" about every small thing. This morning in the parking lot it was "How make car?". "Uhhh, with lots of parts..."

Ethan amused me today. After I questionably climbed up the built-in bookcases to get a game while they both told me "be careful", he got so excited and said "I proud of you, mama". He can be such a sensitive sweetheart. Whenever I hurt myself or grimace when the baby kicks and stomps, he asks sweetly, "What happened? You okay, mama?"

Meanwhile, boy number three is starting to throw some good punches where I can see limbs protruding. Right now the reminder that there's a real human in there is fun, though I guess it will get old before long. It's just fun not having to try to figure out which baby it is this time.

Things you DO want to hear from your 3-year-old

"I like that mama so much"

Fortunately, Ethan was pointing at me when he said it. He is such a lover, gives me random hugs and tells me he loves and misses me spontaneously. Some days I really dread them getting older. Of course, much like his daddy, Ethan tends to be rather fickle yet confident. He will answer a firm "yep" or "nope" before he has even finished listening to the question. And, much like me, that's often all you'll get out of him.

He's also the clown and an actor you never know when he's actually kidding. He often pretends very convincingly to have fallen asleep in his car seat. No amount of temptation will make him stir and he'll act like a blob when taken out, only to suddenly pop his head up and shout "roar!". He will also likely be the kid in school who gives everyone nicknames. He'll often refuse to say mama or daddy, instead saying "yes, ice cream" or his newest one, "barbecue". They like to call everything the name "Joshua" from their potty book (this was a contender for the baby's name but we're not so sure now) and the most hysterical thing for both of them to say is something I have no clue what it means but it sounds almost Hindi, like "baba ganosh". Maybe it's their version of something Jack tried to teach them in Chinese.

Jack is doing a little better about using Chinese and hopefully he will keep it up since they are such sponges at this point. They can already count to 9 very easily in Chinese though they can't point to numbers and name them in Chinese yet. Their latest non-verbal trick is they have mastered somersaulting. Since we have hardwood they will do it on pillows. They really wanted to show it off for their gym teachers but the teachers weren't very interested in that today even though I told them :( But it was funny anyway, because they started a new session of their class today and the only other girl who was in the former session with them was also sneaking in somersaults - it's fun to see the progress anyway. New session of swim class tomorrow! Isaac loves swimming, especially since he can do pretty well on his own now but Ethan (Mr. Don't Like Water in My Ears!) is not so excited about it.

Things you don't want to hear from your 3-year-old

"I like naughty girls!"

Yes, that was Isaac. Of course some context might help. He wanted to read a PowerPuff Girls book that I don't much care for. I told him, "I don't like it. They are naughty girls." That's when he got a big mischievous grin and made his declaration. He is a bit of a tease and is continually adding new grammar and phrases to his vocabulary. He recently started say things like "I am..." instead of just "I" and seems to understand a lot of the nuances. He can spell his name very well too, though often adds or subtracts and A.

He is also quite the boss of Ethan. One time when my sweater ended up on the floor being played with, Isaac "turned in" Ethan as the culprit. Literally - he dragged him to me, saying "Say sorry to Mama". Another time when Ethan had dropped the remote and broke a piece off it, he couldn't wait until daddy got home to tell him because "Daddy be angry". He was quite disappointed when daddy did not get angry. Of course when he is the one being naughty, he's not quite so receptive to discipline...

Ethan meanwhile continues to be the silly one who can't sit still and concentrate, unless it's a project he's really into like a puzzle, which Isaac doesn't have the patience for. When asked to spell his name, he just starts goofing off and making things up. He is my cuddly bear and very affectionate and more interested in the baby (though Isaac is more careful of not hurting the baby and letting me rest!). Ethan is more into it, but they are both also really good at spotting matches - like which picture in the book matches the cover picture and so on. Must be something that comes with having a matching brother. One time they brought out two matching teddy bears and declared "Twins!"

The other day I was paying our State Farm bill online and Isaac went running out of the room and came back a minute later with his "Good Neigh Bear" they gave him when we moved here a few years ago. He pointed to the logo on the screen and to the one on his bear, very excited to point out that they were the same! He loves the bear and sleeps with it, so we decided it was time to pick up a new (clean!) one. I told the ladies at the office he would be a good salesman for them!

They are both entering the "Why?" phase too, clearly something they picked up at school since it's usually "Why, Mommy?" instead of Mama. They don't usually wait for an answer though and just seem to think it's funny.

All about Grandma (and the jiujius too)

The boys are obsessed about going to grandma's. It's hard when they get to that age when they can understand and communicate but still not fully understand the explanation. So every day we have conversations like:

Them: "Go grandma's house?"
Me: "Not today. In spring. When it's warm"
Them: "Okay"
10 seconds later:
"Go grandma's house?" Usually followed, especially by Ethan, with "I miss grandma". After watching a Berenstain Bears where the kids stay with grandma and grandpa for a week, they are now eager for "mama daddy go away". So are mama and daddy and grandma so that works out :)

Ethan is mr. sensitive. Most of the time it's sweet. He tells me he misses me when I am out of sight for a few minutes or even sitting next to him. Today he was very concerned about Bear: "Bear miss Bear mama". He said this several times. Isaac will usually note that "Bear miss Geffi", jiujiu's dog. "Bear Geffi fight together". Apparently this is a sign of friendship. Isaac, mr. chatterbox, makes comments I'm not even clear on about "Geffi get eat up, say 'where jiujiu?"

Much of the time Isaac rambles on about anything and everything, usually when he is supposed to be eating. His sentences and conversations are becoming much more complex. Ethan is more prone to silliness and short attention span, though he is also very polite. If I ask if he needs to pee pee, he is apt to say, 'No, thank you'. He also says thank you more spontaneously. Tonight he thanked me for making the not really exciting dinner.

They have both picked up lots of things from school, for better or worse. Things like "Oooh, man!", "Awesome!" and "Let's go, guys". They are also getting peer envy. They are very attached to their clothes, Ethan especially to his few favorite pairs of underwear. He told me he wanted to get Thomas underwear. I said "where did you see Thomas underwear?" "Elijah". So guess they go around showing underwear. Can't wail til they're teenagers.

Meanwhile, they have loved sledding. I went the first time and being pregnant and totally lacking in coordination at the best of times, I just went down once with Ethan. We careened all over and I tried to "wheee" instead of scream. I thought Ethan would have been scared but he said "do it again" and "I like it" and "mama sled mama go fast". Daddy had to start going faster to keep up with my standard. We debated whether we should let them try by themselves but we think we'll wait until next year!

Year-end tales

The holiday festivities are dying down and family has gone after a great visit of spoiling the boys rotten. The boys are trying to process the fact that all those weeks and even months of build-up for Christmas is over. Ethan, Mr. Sensitive, is busy "missing" everyone, including Santa. He even "misses" me when I am right there with him. They are both concerned about Bear missing Jonathan's dog Geffi. Ethan yesterday gave him a hug and said, "Bear miss Geffi?" Bear didn't care for the hug but I'm sure he appreciated the sentiment. The vet and all the staff yesterday at Bear's check-up were very impressed with how much he tolerates from the boys. I didn't tell them he doesn't always, nor do they!

Isaac for his part is going through withdrawal from sleeping right next to us. He would say "I want sleep mama. I miss you". He was crying for me at bed time and waking up in the middle of the night, screaming "I don't like my bed". When I told him if he stayed in his own bed all night for seven days he would get a new present, that seemed to help a bit. He has been settling in and sometimes it's just Ethan who wakes up and comes to our bed and then makes me carry him back if I tell him he needs to sleep in his own bed or just cries because he needs to pee pee and wants help.

It is still so entertaining and I know the family enjoyed seeing too, how they interact with each other. Even though Isaac is usually the bossy one, Ethan, when he is grumpy orders Isaac around and throws a tantrum if Isaac isn't interested. We were at a Christmas party one night on a day when Ethan hadn't napped. Ethan wanted to put train tracks together but couldn't quite get it himself. He kept yelling "Isaac, do it", "Isaac help" until he was practically shrieking and Isaac went to help him. Every time it broke he yelled at Isaac to help.

Tonight they discovered that Bear had started chewing on Ethan's new bear from Grandma while they were in the bath. Ethan was emotional about it though he never wants the bear usually. Isaac proceeded to berate Bear and then went over and told Ethan he had told Bear off. Ethan wasn't that interested but when I told him that was very nice, he beamed with pride.

This has been a great year and we're looking forward to more funnies and sweetness in the new year, complete with new baby. Ethan is noncommital and will probably be more jealous but Isaac is keen to hold the baby on his lap while he watches tv and is always telling Ethan to be careful of squishing the baby in mama's tummy.

Identity theft

I can smell trouble already in the school years ahead. The boys already try to play tricks on their teachers and classmates. I went to help at their Christmas party and another mom asked Ethan his name. "Isaac", he said, quite seriously. Their teachers were laughing and said how they'd often tried to do that to them but now they knew the ear trick (Ethan has a dimple). I am so grateful for that so they won't be able to pull one over on me later. Though their personalities seem vastly different to me at this point, even family like Uncle Milo still can't tell them apart.

Besides that, in discussing placental matters with other multiples mamas, I was thinking lately about the chances that they are probably identical. This was further reinforced by my ultrasound that revealed just ONE baby. Probably a loose connection but nevertheless I am thrilled to have only hit the jackpot one time on that one.