Reading and Writing

I haven't felt motivated to write a blog lately (obviously). I wish I could say I've overcome that funk, but I haven't - I just feel guilty, so I'm posting.

The last couple weeks have been happily less-scheduled than usual; well, during the day at least. It's kind of nice to wake up in the morning and not have any particular place to be at a specific time. We can go at our own pace and get out at our leisure. I've been trying to focus on spending more time playing with the kids and doing more fun things at home with them. Some days are better than others. What I love, more than almost anything, is when Aubree and Bryce show that they genuinely enjoy being together. The other day, for example, Aubree slept in a bit later than usual so I took advantage of the opportunity and jumped in the shower. I put Bryce in his bouncer and set it in the bathroom. He was happily playing with toys when all of a sudden he began squealing with delight and laughing hysterically. "Aubree?" I questioned. She giggled, "yes, Mom." LOVE it! Another day Aubree asked, "Mom, who will Bryce marry when he gets big?" "I don't know," I answered, "Bryce gets to choose who he wants to marry." "Oh," Aubree responded, then pausing she added, "I sure hope he chooses me cuz' I would choose him."
As is usually the case, ever since Bryce's doctor's appointment he's been doing much better in his gross motor skills. His crawling is getting more consistent and he's started cruising along the couch. I expected that when he learned to crawl proficiently he would enjoy his new-found independence. I was wrong. Now that he can crawl, whenever I put him down he immediately crawls over to me, pulls himself up, and makes noises essentially begging for me to walk him around. This scenario is repeated countless times throughout the day. He is a complete Momma's Boy. He sure is cute and I can't resist his generous hugs and kisses.
I was talking to a great friend the other day who has kids slightly older than mine - same genders. She asked, "so how are you at reading to Bryce?" Uh oh - condemned by my own conscience! I read to Aubree ALL the time when she was Bryce's age. I will take a share of responsibility for not being more diligent, but part of the problem is that Bryce isn't at all interested in reading. He won't sit still and look at pictures (Mark's started calling him "Squirmy and Grabby") and either bats the book away or tries to turn it around. Board books he finds especially uninteresting. If it's a "real" book, he is very interested...in eating it! Sigh.
Yesterday something clicked in Aubree's little head and she decided she wants to write. She had finished drawing a picture and I offered to write the details of what she'd drawn. "No," she replied, "I'll do it...How do you write 'I Love You?" Then she did a surprisingly good job of writing the letters (she got tired by the last word and elected to just write "u"). Excellent! Watching and getting to help Aubree learn to read and write is such a fun and amazing experience. She still has a long way to go before she can do those things but each step along the way is so exciting.