Evelyn is walking all the time now, it’s great to see them both toddling around and I see so many of their differences now too.
Even though they are both able to go in other directions they are still parallel playing at the moment. With bits and bobs of them playing together, and then even few instances where they play totally alone.
Another W word that has entered our house is weaning. Not sure how long the process will last, but there is no denying that it has begun-instigated by the kids themselves. I think 13 months+ is an amazing achievement… and I’m happy that I was commited to it. It is slightly sad to see your child no longer want you, but gleefully get excited at the sight of the sippy cup, but they are ready and so I have to be also.
James has begun to ‘mock’ Evelyn, OK, so I bet he’s just mimicking her…. but it’s funny. We have to be careful that he doesn’t see us and think that behavior is OK but it’s funny. Evelyn tends to scream bloody murder if she’s touched or even gone near by James somedays, so James in turn has decided that it’s a game or something and he screams out after she starts. Funny thing is, she stops then. Will have to try to capture it on video.
That’s one thing we are having issue with, I guess. James LOVES his sister-and loves to take things from her, sit on her, push her, play with her hair, ect. Which sometiems Evelyn likes, sometimes she doesn’t. Though, she is starting to do the same back to him, but 2 seconds later gets upset when he does it to her… it’s a cycle.
Anyone who missed it, I uploaded some photos last week and started another album since the kids are in their 14th month now. I have more, but it takes time. I also have three camcorder tapes to sift thru…
Well, I should go and mow the lawn while the kids are still napping.
Hope everyone is well.
Evelyn is walking now around 90% of the time, though she still walks a bit more stiff legged than James, she’s doing it and is very proud of herself as she does. While watching Evelyn I’ve also noted that James is walking differently also these days…. he’s quicker. He hops along too, almost like he might be thinking about learning how to run-walk.
I hope you all saw the video in the previous post of James dancing, Evelyn has started to get her groove on too.
This past weekend we painted our deck. It’d been something that needed to be done since we bought the house, a good power wash and then repainting. The prior owners used interior paint on it, and not paint made for decking. So James power washed it Thursday night, and we painted Friday for 4 hours, Saturday for almost 5 hours… but it looks fantastic. We are super pleased, and really are hoping not to have to do it next year again.
It’s been super humid and sticky here so the kids and I have been staying inside a lot more than I’d like, it does the kids good to be outdoors and me too. Grandma Susie bought the kids a pool for their birthday, but they’ve only been able to use it three times because of either rain/flooding or being too hot. Plus I won’t go out there just myself-the pool is too large that if something happened to them both at the same time it wouldn’t end well I fear.
There isn’t too much new here otherwise. Just staying cool.
Just wanted to say good luck to my sister today with the birth of our nephew. Hope all goes smoothly.
James & Kamie
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See later in this post for a video of James dancing ! ! !
A-d-o-r-a-b-l-e ( had posted this seperate not knowing James had posted this morning the above-so here it is in one big post)
OK, so I totally love our kids. They are too adorable. Of course, they are a job but at the end of the day I wouldn’t trade it for pretty much anything.
They seem to be extra cute lately. We are seeing more and more of ‘them’, as individuals as well as siblings. Can’t wait to see what new thing they do next.
At the moment, James is testing limits. He’s a sweet boy-he really is, he is our little snuggly boy who just comes over for a hug or to sit on your lap just to hang out. Mind you it’s not always for very long, and he can tend to squirm when he gets there but he does sit for several minutes just hanging out.
But lately, he really tests the limits-all natural of course but for some reason his ears are broken at that particular time versus any other time. Like smacking Evelyn on the head with a toy turns off his ears. But when he is climbing into the toybox, he can magically hear again and stops when told to, or when told come here at any other time, he does with little hesitation.
And Evelyn rebels by screaming bloody murder at the slightest thing, regardless of if there is truely anything happening. Like she’s been screaming out randomly when no one is around her, she hasn’t tripped, run into tanything, ect. But when James does do something, be it as simple as coming too close to her, she lets you know.
Evelyn has been shaking her head no-no and yes-yes for at least 2 weeks now, last night James caught on and started shaking his head while eating dinner. It was very cute, cuz then Daddy said no-no and yes-yes and both kids sitting in their highchairs would shake their heads together. He ends up doing more of a Night at the Roxbury type of head bounce
Evelyn continues to walk, though she prefers to crawl 55-60% of the time still. In the last few days she’s been caught walking more and more. She’s too friggin cute though, she’s very Frankenstein about her walk. Straight legs, arms held out like wings, which is also getting better though.
We’ve been putting her to bed on her tummy since we got back from the specialist and within a few days I feel a bump on her head-which hasn’t gotten any larger at all yet but it may never. In some ways, I can’t imagine it though…. and kind of don’t want it to. I mean, that’s Evelyn. I can’t see her head being a different shape. We are so very relieved as James said, that she didn’t have the nasty kind, and that hers is mild and purely cosmetic.
James has been talking up a storm lately. I swear that he’s started to say words though. Like the other day I swear he said ‘kitty’ and today I really think he said ‘baby’. Of course upon prompting and cueing him he won’t repeat them Just reviewing a video a moment ago I swear he’s saying ’sit’ when he wants on my lap. ‘Dat’ is becoming part of his language too-when he wants to touch something out of his reach.
Our little man has started to dance, and it’s so very cute. I’m planning upload a video today of him, just too cute. Encourage anyone who can view videos to watch it. You’ll laugh.
I’ve been unable to upload it to the gallery-I think it’s too large, but I’m being lazy and don’t want to redo it, so here it is in this post instead.
Last weekend we did some yardwork in the morning before the kids nap, bringing them outside with us in hopes they’d play at least a little while and allow us both to work together at getting it done. Much to my surprise and I think James’ also they did amazing. We were out there an hour and a half. James stayed on the blanket I’d laid down with the toys for an hour of that time, when I brought him over by Evelyn who had crawled very early on to see what we were doing half way across our backyard. They love to play with the rocks in our landscaping and James is into sticks & twigs, ect.
So we’ve been going out everyday this week but yesterday to meet James when he comes home from work. Don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to play in the front yard but for now they are really good listeners when it comes to hearing “come here, stay” and James loves seeing us in the front yard when he comes home (at least I think he does, he sure looks really happy to see us).
Our goal this long holiday weekend is to refinish our deck. James’ll be power washing it and then we’ll be painting it. Plus our town has a festival during the 4th of July every year I want to try to get down there with the kids one day depending on how the deck process goes.
The kids seem to be changing up their schedule again. We are rising around 8am most days, and napping around 10:30 until around 12:30, then they sometimes take an afternoon nap and sometimes they don’t but most usually they don’t, but still stay up till 7:30/8pm.
We are attempting the weaning process, but are taking it very slowly. The kids aren’t taking to the sippy cups for their milk very easily. They do fine with a bottle, but are having troubles with seperation from Mommy issue some days, so for now, we’ve gotten rid of one feed (or attempt to get rid of one feed a day).
I’m quite certain I had more to say, but I just want to get the video of James dancing posted so another time.
It’s pretty offical today, James is allergic on some level to peanut butter. I’d suspected it when I gave him pb toast after their 1 year appointment, then was pretty certain when I gave him a ritz pb mini cracker the next day (connecting the two that being the cause). Well at lunch today I gave him one mini pb ritz cracker, finding them in the cupboard and snacking on them myself, they reached out for them, so I gave them each one.
DOH!
Sure enough, he’s got little red dots on his face & towards the end of his meal (not having anymore ritz) he kept sticking his tounge out. Wondering if it’s swelling some.
Lovely.
Ah- another thing, our kids are adorable with is Evelyn and her kisses, she gives kisses more freely than James does. But hers are fully on-make-out kisses. Like she kisses forever, and they are all wet and adorable, but sometiems she misses and kisses your eye for like 2 mintues (not a joke here or exageration-literally 2 minutes). James’s are quick if you are lucky enough to get one at all. He is more free with his hugs though-I get several a day.
Just reviewing a video a moment ago I swear he’s saying ’sit’ when he wants on my lap. ‘Dat’ is becoming part of his language too-when he wants to touch something out of his reach.