One.... Free!!

H has taken to counting. He counts for two occasions: the game GO and leaping down the stairs. Hmm, you think, what does that mean?
I may have explained previously that GO is a game in our house where H screams GO! GGGGOOOOO! And then you are supposed to chase him around the little circle created by the wall that separates our kitchen and living room. Ah, but GO has a new twist. In an effort to delay the inevitable 20 minutes of dizziness that is GO, Dad started counting to three before giving chase. H has followed suit, except two is proving to be challenging. Actually, why bother with two. H probably thinks start with one and jump to three: faster gratification. As with many of H's words however, three comes out a little garbled: thus: "onnnne, free! GO! GO!"

H's other favorite game is to leap down stairs. Generally 4 at a time. Hopefully, you've got a hold on his arm as he launches. But there are time when you'll be balancing babies in both arms and suddenly you'll hear, "One...." "No, no H I don't have an arm free to hold onto you while you leap to your death."

This happened to Mimi the other day when she and Poppa took the boys to the museum. As H made his way to the stairs exiting the Caboose. He looked back at Mimi, announced, "One, Free!" And jumped landing on his tailbone one step from the ground. Poor Mimi, she only had a moment's notice before realizing, probably at the instant he was jumping, that this was a game she was supposed to be in on. Actually that she should be actively participating in. Oh well. Maybe if he adds a two to the mix it will give us more chance to react....

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have... a tooth!

B has big news! His first tooth broke through on Saturday (yes today is Thursday... my breaking news is a little late) but regardless, he is no longer toothless. E's got a very swollen gum and I think his tooth will be making an appearance in the next few days!

So far, I have not personally had any run-ins with the Tooth. It is only a matter of time I suspect before I get chomped. Interestingly enough, H didn't get his first tooth until about 9.5 months which is the babies' current age.

Not much else to report on the boy front. The babies will be getting PE tubes (ear tubes) on September 10th. Not soon enough but we'll manage until then.

B had his 9 month appointment yesterday. He's still very slender in about the 20th percentile for weight and he's in the 40th percentile for height at 28 inches. E has his appointment tomorrow so we'll see where he weighs in.

H is getting ready to start Montessori preschool. His teacher will be making a home visit so as to meet H in his natural habitat. ;) He'll be part of the inaugural pre-three class at this Montessori school. His class will have kids from 18-36 months. There will be 10 kids total with equal numbers of boys and girls. H will go from 8:30-11:30, Monday through Friday. I think the idea behind this is to maintain the same routine each day. And Montessori strives to instill self reliance, order and learning through play. Self reliance= getting dressed by oneself, learning to pick up before moving onto something else, and doing things by oneself. This is great, with three little boys, I'm pleased to be instilling these ideas early. But beyond that and more importantly, I think H will enjoy meeting new kids and learning new things.

a mover and a shaker

E is en motion- he has cleverly developed a distinct way to make it from here to wherever. Before the forward motion starts, his right foot begins to bang and knock against the ground. Perhaps a little warning signal to get out of his way because E is on the go. Once the engine is up to speed, he lets loose: his left foot scootching him along the ground while he pulls forward with bent elbows to the ground, and of course, the right foot maintaining its steady beat the whole while. It's hilarious but once again.. it works. Moreover, he is SO proud of himself once he's accomplished the trip.

Yeah E!

Our Hero

School has started back for me. While it was an intense week, it was made a thousand times times easier by Dad. He's amazing. He's been carrying the lion's share of the household work and caretaking. He made dinner every night, fed and bathed the babies and the boy and has been taking excellent care of all of us.

I think it's also worth sharing that H has a wonderful relationship with his dad. They are extremely close and H by far prefers his Dad over anyone else. At times, this is frustrating for me; yet, I recognize that it is great for H to have such a strong bond. And it's fun to see them interact together.

Ear Woes

Although you wouldn't be able to tell from his picture, B and E have had ear problems. Poor B has had an ear infection for going on 3.5 weeks. He's been a trooper. At first he woke up a lot at night. Crying and crawling up my front-- all good indications that he was in extreme pain. He's gone on a hunger strike, only drinking bottles when absolutely starving- I guess because swallowing also proves very painful. E has taken his ear infections more like H- a little crabby always wanting to be held, but otherwise fairly stoic though his infection hasn't been ongoing for the last month.

Poor babies, all we can do is wait for the inevitable referral to the pediatric ENT. But in the meantime, the boys are somewhat unhappy. Hopefully, we can persuade our pediatrician to send us earlier than H-- though on a positive note, H has been otitis media free since he got his tubes!

Home again

We're back from our adventures just in time for school to start for me on Tuesday. Yikes. But I'm pleased to be starting again and moving forward with school.

I have a few pictures to share and then I need to head to bed before screaming babies (ear infections seem to be back to haunt us) awake.