My Three Sons

Never a dull moment here -- though I have to say we have settled into somewhat of a routine.

Peter the Eater or Peter the Pooper -- both rhyme and alliteration serve the purpose here. His one month check up (done at 5 weeks!) was a success with weight at 11 pounds, 10 ounces and height at 22 inches. That's over three pounds of weight gain and two inches in height in just five weeks. This likely is due to the fact that during waking hours Peter eats every three hours or four hours at the latest, and he's downing 5 or 6 ounces at a clip. Even though he spends a lot of time in the bouncer, we also have to hold him a lot, just to protect him from his brothers. Just the other morning, Owen and Nicholas screamed in glee as they bounced their brother a bit too vigorously while I was in the kitchen doing the dishes. Unfortunately, all of that holding has its effects. Little Peter is getting spoiled in short order! Last week, I went to Babies R Us and got one of those "Swaddle Me" thingies, which works great at night. After we rock him and stand with him and walk around with him and sway with him. Whenever we want a break and switch on the vibrations button on his bouncer or bassinet, he kicks up immediately. I think he's the first baby in the history of babies NOT to like vibrations. A few days ago, we were driving home, and as we approached a red light, Jason took it as slowly as he could just to stay in motion! But if that is our only complaint, then we should consider ourselves VERY lucky!!!!!

Nicholas has been on the radar with our pediatrician since late March for some issues with his ears. He's been more prone to ear infections overall, but he also has fluid in his ears, which I fear might be affecting some cognition. A few months ago, I could see he was frustrated with some nonverbal communication and I started doing some basic signs with him, but I noticed that his speech was a bit muted. What he might be lacking in speech he definitely makes up for in energy these days. Last week we were at a family barbecue, and my brother-in-law brought his dog Oliver with him. He also brought Oliver's cage, which Nicholas was able to unlock and climb into in short order. We were well prepared for this, because earlier in the day Nicholas managed to unlock the chain link gate and almost escape to the driveway. He's such a little problem solver! I do have to say that the arrival of his younger brother has made Nicholas much more affectionate than I had ever noticed before. He has a lot more of an interest in snuggling up with us now, and he is pretty impressive when it comes to Peter. He likes to tickle his toes and pat his head, and even though he gets to be too rough sometimes, it's excusable! Last night, he bit a hole through his last pacifier (he calls it his "nunu"). Being without it for the past day has shown me how much of a habit it is for me as much as it is for Nicholas. I need to take some Advil from all the screaming, but I'm glad we've taken the step away from the paci.

Out of nowhere, Owen will say something deep and meaningful that catches us off guard. A few weeks ago at the dinner table, it was, "It's spring," as he looked out the window. The other day, he stood on the landing of our steps outside and looked up at the sky and said "I have two Grandmas and two Grandpas." Neither Jason nor I recall filling him in on this. Of course the language lover in me thinks this is fantastic. We are out of the basic subject and verb zone and branching out to adverbs, adjectives, plurals!!!!! "Mommy, my eggs are not hot any more." Today, Owen, Peter and I ventured off on Owen's first visit to the pediatric dentist. I knew better than to take Nicholas, too, so he stayed home with our babysitter. Pediatric dentistry is an enigma to me -- right up there with podiatry. How does someone wake up one day and say "Hey, I want to become a dentist who deals exclusively with toddlers"? I thought teaching was an art until I met the pediatric dentist today. WOW! I'd like HIM to move in with us, forget about Super Nanny. Owen, who is afraid of all things that buzz, was a trooper. He left the office with six stickers on his shirt, bubbles, lip balm, more stickers for the road and, oh yeah, a tooth brush and flossers. My how times have changed. I'm thinking of having his next birthday party at the dentists' office. It's more fun there than it is at Chuck E. Cheese...