Matthew's Journal

I never dreamed I'd say this, but you're still waking two to three times at night and I barely even care. I'm so used to it now, that I just get up, walk across the hall to the office (where you sleep in the port-a-crib) and nurse you without ever fully waking up. I know you ought to be sleeping through the night, but I'm dreading and avoiding the cry-it-out treatment. But you're going to have to figure it out before you get to move downstairs with Isaac and share his newly-green room!

I really thought you'd be crawling by now but you're not quite there. You get up on all fours and rock and sometimes push yourself backwards. And you do manage to move a few feet or so, but you've never just crawled across the room. I guess I'm okay with that for a while – it makes my life easier! You're still such a snuggler too – you love to be held and to be up so you can see what's going on.

We've finally got you eating in the high chair at all three meals – sometimes you eat more, sometimes less. But you seem to like all manner of foods now, you just don't eat as much as I've come to expect from one of my kids. You really like hard things like Cheerios, but unfortunately I'd rather stick to mostly soft foods for now! I still supplement by nursing after each meal and before bed. (And during the night!)

Sometimes you'll just start laughing for no apparent reason, and then I'll realize how closely you've been watching everything going on around you. Because inevitably it will be Isaac doing a somersault across the room or Abby jumping off the couch or something else that I barely even noticed. You have a wonderful, bust-up laugh. I love it. You're pretty ticklish too.

Your hair is really coming in darker than I expected and you have a shock of it that sticks up in the middle of your head. You're in almost all twelve month clothes already – such a big boy! You love your daddy and you LOVE music. Sometimes you'll be fussy and all it takes is sitting you down at the piano or turning on the radio. Anytime you hear a rhythm you start bouncing to the beat. When I start singing “Kookaburra”, you keep your eyes glued to my face the entire song! (You have a definite preference for upbeat music.)

You've settled into a nice schedule – up at 7am and breakfast at 7:30. You take a morning nap from about 9-10am, then we usually go to the grocery store or library or something. We come home for lunch followed by another nap from about 1-3:30 or 1:30-4. Then we play and Daddy comes home for supper and bedtime is 8pm.

You are generally a happy guy except that you do HATE to be bored. Sometimes you'll be so fussy that I'll think you're getting sick, then suddenly we leave the house or go down to the playroom and you're a new man. It's like you really want new sights, new objects to look at, etc. You are VERY grabby and strong too, so it's hard to keep things out of your reach. Hmm, now that I think about it, maybe it's super nice that you're not crawling yet!

Abby's Journal

I suppose it serves me right to have a daughter who wants to be all grown up just like I did as a child. You protest being called “cute” because “I'm grown-up. I'm twenty-one.” Sometimes you'll stroke my head nurturingly and say, “I'm your mother. You are my child.” The other day you were almost in tears as you told me, “I wanted to be born first so I could be bigger than Isaac!” You've always got a baby doll tucked in somewhere around the house – in the linen armoire among the towels and napkins, in a bed made from a toy box, or resting on your own bed.

You're starting to recognize more letters – maybe half of them now? - and we haven't even really worked on it. You're quite indignant that Isaac gets to stay up at naptime to work on phonics. “When do I get to do reading? I've also noticed you playing the piano more and doing a lot of unprompted counting of objects.

We've settled into a nice routine now that colder weather is upon us. You are up by 7am. You help me make breakfast, often manning the toaster or stirring the eggs. The whole family eats together at 7:30 and Daddy is out the door before 8am. Then you and Isaac go downstairs to get dressed and play in the playroom while I shower and feed Matthew. Next we brush our teeth and do “jobs”. Every day you are responsible for emptying all of the wastebaskets and unloading the tupperware, measuring cups and mixing bowls from the dishwasher. Each day there is one additional chore: Monday- sort laundry from your hamper, Tuesday- dust your bedroom, Wednesday- water the houseplant, Thursday- put up clean kitchen and bathroom towels, Friday- dust the piano.

Then we do preschool while Matthew naps. We cozy up on the couch with our books or gather around the table with a cup of hot chocolate. Every day we read a poem from an anthology, a Bible story or a Proverb, and a read aloud. Just in the last two months we've gone through James Herriot's animal stories, “Old Mother West Wind”, and now we're on “Winnie the Pooh”. Then we do a small activity of some sort: playing with math manipulatives, making candles, listening to different styles of music, practicing writing your name, or matching fallen leaves to their trees. It's delightful! Usually we take a little trip somewhere when Matthew wakes up: the grocery store, the library, a playdate or a walk. After lunch, you and Isaac each pick a story to read before naps.

When you wake up we have a little snack. We might play a game together or build block towers in the playroom. Often you watch a half-hour movie while I feed Matthew and make supper. Once Daddy's home for supper, you love to snuggle with him or play “up on his feet”. Before bed we always read more stories, sing a song, and pray together. And that's how our days go.

Grammie took you on a “date” to watch a ballet class (since you talk about wanting to be a ballet-girl) and out to supper. Since that day you have spent a lot of time twirling around the living room, imitating what you saw. You even sit down with your legs spread out and stretch your fingers to reach your toes or do plies while using the arm of the couch as a barre. Your current favorite book is, appropriately, “Angelina Ballerina”. Like Angelina, you tell me that you dance in your dreams.

You're full of cute sayings. One evening Daddy kept you kiddos home while I got out of the house for a couple of hours. Towards the end of that time, you told Daddy, “When will Mama be home? I just want to be with a GIRL!” Another time Daddy told you how much he loves you and you responded, “Yep. I'm pretty much an angel.” Which you meant literally since you had spent the whole day “flying” around the house and coming to me every few minutes to ask me to “fix my wings”.

Isaac's Journal

Oh, Isaac, you're reading! Every weekday I let you “stay up late” at nap time and you and I snuggle on the couch to work on Alpha-Phonics together. So many times I'm tired and ready for a break and the last thing I want to do is teach reading. Then I step back and look at myself – I'm right where I've always dreamed of being. Teaching you to read is such a privilege and it's just downright thrilling to watch your excitement at “getting it”. And honestly you're getting it very readily. I only have to explain something once and you're off and running with it. Now you can read any short vowel word quite readily and often on sight - without even “sounding it out”.

I am in awe of the little man you're becoming. I hate to phrase things this way, but in a very silly “accounting” sense, you're becoming more of an asset than a liability. You are such a help around the house, you've really been playing nicely and taking leadership with your siblings, and you're even starting to figure out ways to serve and be kind on your own. For a long time I wondered if you would ever get past your whininess and rebellion, but I have been seeing such fruit and joy in you. It delights me more than you'll ever know (until you have your own children I suppose).

We've settled into a nice routine now that colder weather is upon us. You are up by 7am. You help me make breakfast or hang out with Daddy while he gets ready for work. The whole family eats together at 7:30 and Daddy is out the door before 8am. Then you and Abby go downstairs to get dressed and play in the playroom while I shower and feed Matthew. (Four months ago I couldn't trust you to play alone with Abby!) Next we brush our teeth and do “jobs”. Every day you are responsible for feeding and watering the cat as well as unloading the clean plates and bowls from the dishwasher. Each day there is one additional chore: Monday- sort laundry from your hamper, Tuesday- dust your bedroom, Wednesday- vacuum the basement, Thursday- clean the litter box, Friday- wipe down the bathroom.

Then we do preschool while Matthew naps. We cozy up on the couch with our books or gather around the table with a cup of hot chocolate. Every day we read a poem from an anthology, a Bible story or a Proverb, and a read aloud. Just in the last two months we've gone through James Herriot's animal stories, “Old Mother West Wind”, and now we're on “Winnie the Pooh”. Then we do a small activity of some sort: playing with math manipulatives, making candles, listening to different styles of music, practicing writing your name, or matching fallen leaves to their trees. It's delightful! Usually we take a little trip somewhere when Matthew wakes up: the grocery store, the library, a playdate or a walk. After lunch you're in charge of rinsing the lunch dishes. You and Abby each pick a story to read before naps. After Abby and Matthew are in bed, we work on phonics, then you take your nap. You still sleep four days out of five for two hours or so!

After naps we have a little snack. We might play a game together or build block towers in the playroom. Often you watch a half-hour movie while I feed Matthew and make supper. Once Daddy's home for supper, you love to wrestle with him or play music. Before bed we always read more stories, sing a song, and pray together. And that's how our days go.

I love being with you each day, Isaac. You are the “all-boy” I always wanted to have. The other day I heard an explosion. I jumped and ran to find you standing on the verge of tears next to a broken lightbulb. At first you professed to not know how it happened . . . but the Holy Spirit worked in your heart and you confessed that you poured water on the hot light bulb! Such a little experimenter, just like your daddy.