Kid Updates - May 2010

I have to admit that I haven't taken a great many pictures in the last few months. It seems I go in cycles on being the family photographer! But, the kids seem to be growing and maturing so quickly that I wanted to capture of few things before I forget them. The biggest lesson I've learned as a parent is that you think you will remember every nuance about your babies as they grow and yet you find yourself increasingly vague in those memories as time goes by. So, I continue to try to document those moments or idiosyncrasies that I don't want to forget!

Bailey
Ms. Bailey is quickly learning about the power of peer pressure, albeit in relatively benign ways at this point. When her school pictures came back, she was barely smiling in them. I asked her why, knowing what a cute smile she has. She said that Dawson told her that "when she smiles her mouth doesn't go up like it's supposed to, so my smile isn't pretty." Sigh. It seems so silly, and yet obviously this comment meant a great deal to her. Poor baby! Then, on the other side of the coin, she tells me periodically about drama with the kids in her class and she somehow always seems to be in the middle of it unnecessarily! She'll say, "Kylie told me that she doesn't want to be friends with Kelly anymore. So, I told Kelly but she wasn't mad. Then I told Mrs. G that Annalise said that Ella was a weirdo and she got in trouble." The poor girl thinks she's being the good one by being the informer. And, I guess there's a fine line because Mrs. G. empowers them to tell the teacher instead of getting into arguments with other students. But, I explained to Bailey that she wouldn't want to be in a position to hurt someones feelings. After discussing this, she decided on her own that the best way to handle things if someone says something bad about another student is just to say, "Well I think she's nice." and go find something else to do. :-)

Nolan
Nolan is so funny! He continues to have absolutely NO desire to learn his colors, shapes, etc. While I'm not saying we'll have to put him in special ed (smile), I'm wondering when all of these skills will click for him. He is much more physical and tactile. He has amazing fine motor skills and, as I've said before, can play soccer far better than Bailey can right now. He somehow just knows how to dribble the ball (using both feet, which apparently is a high level skill), stop the ball and change directions, and kick the ball into the goal from quite a far distance. And he's always been fast. I hope he keeps these skills into the future! But, I'd also like him to be able to tell red from blue. LOL!

His speech is improving. One thing I LOVE about little Nolan is that he's great at saying "thank you." He rarely needs to be prompted, and he sometimes says it when it's not even necessary. He also likes to add "mommy" onto everything he says, which obviously I think is very sweet. He may do this with grandma, too. When I ask him to do something, he'll say, "Okay, mommy." Or, "Yes, mommy." Or, sometimes, "No, mommy." I can't explain the inflection here, but that's the cutest part. And, of course, he's the king of speaking in third person. "Mommy, Nolan wants a drink please." "Nolan got a boo boo." "Nolan and Bailey go outside?"

Finally, he has a new mission of fighting monsters. He has decided that he needs to "fight those monsters" all the time. He'll go get his sword, open the back door, say "I get you, monster!" and pretend to fight. Then, he'll come back with almost a sad look on his face and say, "That monster went home." Ahhh, little boys are so cute.