Boys (with an s!)

I always imagined having a houseful of girls.  My sister Kira and I even made a deal - in order to keep the grand-kid balance even, I'd have all girls and she'd have all boys. 

I suppose I feel more confident about raising girls.  Maybe that's because I grew up with 4 sisters (3 brothers too, but the 2 youngest boys were only 3 and 5 yrs. old when I left home), or because I am a girl, or because in my family, the girls were "easier." 

When Bryce came along, I thought, "I think perhaps (maybe) I can fake my way through this.  I can learn a little bit of 'boy'... right?"

Aubree's a bit confused with the "brother" thing too..

Then came Thane and all of a sudden I realized I was a mom to boys (plural!).  No more "faking," I need to get serious about how best to raise these little men!

I'm so grateful Heavenly Father's plans for me are better than my own.  I adore my little guys and feel overwhelmed at the privilege and responsibility it is to be their mother.  

And, in an effort to better capture their lives and personalities, here is a summary of what they've been up to:

Bryce -

* I love to watch Bryce play; it's so different from the way Aubree played at his age.  He frequently lies flat on the floor so that he's eye-level with his trains or fire trucks or other assorted vehicles.  Aubree kept up a running commentary when she played, Bryce seems more focused on the action and the manipulation of the toys. He takes his play very seriously.

* As a result of Bryce's fascination with all things mechanical, I've learned a lot! What I previously considered to be a generic "tractor" I've found is really an excavator or a digger or a harvesting combine.  I'd never wondered why semi-trucks were called semi-trucks. Did you know refrigerated big rigs are sometimes called "reefers?"  We've spent lots of time reading (and re-reading) books on trucks and tractors. 

* Bryce's most recent obsession is fire trucks.  Every time we get in the car he asks to drive by the fire station.  We frequently have "arguments" like this:

Mom: "We're going to Aldi [a local grocery story] now."

Bryce: "No! First see fire station then go to Aldi."

His sensitive ears are quick to hear any passing "nee-nahs," and it totally makes his day if a fire truck happens to drive by when we're out running errands.  

I needed this shirt a year ago!

* We have officially entered the "why?" stage.  

 - "Oh, the fire truck's not in the station." - "Why?"

- "Bryce, don't hit your sister."  - "Why?"

He's never satisfied with the first answer.  "Why" questions, I've quickly learned, are often circular and never-ending.

* Bryce likes his naps.  It's not at all uncommon for him to tell me, "I need a nap" or "I want to go to bed."

 * For a couple weeks, Bryce ended every statement with "maybe" or "kind-of."  Along with his qualifier, he always threw in a shoulder shrug.  Sometimes it made sense, such as, "I'm hungry, kind-of (*shrug*)."  Sometimes not so much, "Let's go get Aubree from preschool, maybe (*shrug*)!" 

* When Bryce is excited about something, and he wants us to know he's excited, he'll make his statement, then open his mouth and widen his eyes in surprise and amazement.  Like he's trying to express, "can you even begin to imagine how wonderful this is?!?!?" 
* I've mentioned before that Bryce is a firm believer in the magical healing power of mommy kisses.  One day he fell and hurt his backside and cried, "Mommy, kiss my bum!"  I hesitated before finally conceding, "Okay... but if you ask me the same question when you're a teenager you're in deep trouble!"

Thane - 
* When Thane cries, huge crocodile tears run down his cheeks.  That's been the case since he was just a couple days old.  Little babies aren't supposed to cry tears, right?  It's horribly heart-wrenching to see such a little person with wet streaks running down his face.

Raise the roof!

 * Thane continues to be a champion spitter.  At his two-month doctor's appointment, he emphasized that point by spitting up all over my shirt, by soaking the exam table, and creating a wet-floor hazard (all different episodes).  The doctor made some comment about it being "reflux" but wasn't concerned because he's gaining weight well.  It could explain some of his fussiness, though.  Granted, he's WAY better than he used to be, but he's still not at all hesitant to express his displeasure.

* When people ask me how old he is, they always express shock to learn he's four months old.  "Really?!" they exclaim, "I thought he was at least six months old!"  That surprises me, because I think he looks the most baby-ish of all my babies.  I don't think he looks "old."  He is awfully long (already growing out of his 3-6 month clothes), but maybe it's because he has less hair than my other two that I feel he looks younger (or just his age).

* About six weeks ago, Thane moved out of the bassinet in my room into the crib in Aubree's room.  I hate that transition.  I like having my babies close.  Unfortunately, he just got too big for the bassinet.  Aubree likes the idea of having Thane in her room, but is generally unaware of him since he gets put in the crib after she's asleep and after he wakes up in the middle of the night he spends the rest of the night with me.  Thankfully, Thane's cries never wake Aubree up.

* After moving Thane to the crib, I noticed that when I'd go to get him up from his nap he wasn't in the same place I'd laid him down.  He keeps crawling (and by "crawling" I really mean "inch-worming") himself into the corner.  He also quickly learned how to roll over, which is a sure-fire sign that he's done sleeping.

* Thane loves to suck on his fingers and fists.  They are always (ALWAYS!) in his mouth.  In fact, he's rolled from his back to his stomach a number of times simply as an unintended consequence of fervently trying to get a better taste of his hands.  And the drool?  Oh my, the drool!

* When Thane was a baby, Aubree announced that she was going to "fill him with kisses."  I thought that was cute and laughed, but her comment has stuck with me and I'm beginning to think she's on to something.  How many kisses would it take to "fill him up" to last him his whole life?  I plan to give him kisses as long as he'll allow it and I'm around, but what about those other times?  What about when he's a teenager and thinks he's too big for a kiss from mom, but desperately needs to know he's loved?  What about when he's on his mission and is feeling lonely and discouraged?  What about when he's married with his own kids and feels the heavy burden of being the Dad?  What about when I've passed on?  What if, in those times, he knew he had an inner store of mommy kisses to carry him through?  Every day, I kiss and kiss him - filling him up, just like Aubree suggested.

Here's a short video from a month ago that I've been meaning to post: