Evan started school on Tuesday. He’s going Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, which is kind of a wonky schedule but we do gymnastics on Wednesdays and I didn’t want to have to pull both kids out just so Evan could go to pre-pre-K. Some kids attend all five days so he’ll see some of the same friends regularly. Plus at the first day of drop off I ran into TWO of the moms from gymnastics, so he already has a couple friends in his class. I’m sensing a whole new circle of mom-friends in the making and I’m kind of excited. Unless, of course, then find my blog. Then I’m sensing I’ll be shamed out of the school entirely.

Ideally, I will do this every year for the rest of his school days. More likely I will do it next fall and then totally forget about it. And somehow I can’t picture a 13 year old 8th grade Evan wanting to pose while I ask him what his favorite toy is. MOM. TOYS ARE FOR BABIES. I like XBox.

p.s. I pretty much died when he said Caroline was his best friend.

Someone was annoyed I didn’t want to take HER picture

After a successful first day of school (no one cried except me!) we met E for a quick treat  and tried to get Evan to tell us about school. He wasn’t really interested. Or, more likely, he was just really really interested in his cheeseburger and milkshake.

Caroline gets a special treat for surviving 2.5 hours without her brother.

Yesterday was also Evan’s 41st monthday. Even though I stopped officially doing updates after he fell off the Baby Center charts at 36 months, I still think about how he’s growing and getting smarter and learning new stuff every single month on the 5th. I think school is going to accelerate things to a level I’m not sure I can handle – the less he acts like a little kid the sorrier I am that those years are so very short.

I just have to keep reminding myself school is good for BOTH of us. Today, while Evan is at preschool being a big kid I get to go grocery shopping with ONE CHILD at the base commissary, something I’ve literally never done despite their dramatically lower prices because it is too far to drag two children who might melt down plus the carts and aisles are too small. I’ve been making a list for three days, I’m so excited about this shopping trip. My life may not be glamorous, but it I think it’s pretty sweet.

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So it turns out Caroline is not only a genius when it comes to mobility, but a genius at EVERYTHING. I know you’re not going to believe me, because everyone thinks their baby is a genius, but it’s true. She is a tiny, adorable genius.

Caroline is super good at communicating. She can say kitty, mommy, daddy, hi, bye, cheese and yes. Then on a whim I showed her the sign for “fish” and she learned it immediately. Now she can sign fish, hat, milk, more, please and thank you. And she does! She signs please and thank you!! Plus she puts it together to say “cheese” while signing more and then sign please. I’m going to have to get out my baby sign stuff from the class I took with Evan and teach her some more. Heck, I should probably just break out War & Peace and we’ll start reading it at bedtime now, seeing as how she’s a genius and all. She also has a baby language that sounds like “ttkka ttkka ttkka!” that means “tickle tickle”, but it also means “let’s play” and “let’s go” and “I’m happy” and “PAY ATTENTION TO ME.”

It’s kind of weird, having this tiny little baby – because she is still tiny, people are always shocked when I say she’s 14 months – who acts so much like a little person. She will grab your hand, anyone’s hand really, and lead them around the mall or the store or the house or anywhere they will follow. And it’s adorable because people always LET her get away with it. She also does the back-up-into-any-available-lap thing Evan used to do so don’t sit on the floor unless you’re ready for a lap full of ginger. And today at a friend’s birthday she made every single adult hang her upside down. Which is not something people normally DO to babies, especially babies they don’t necessarily know very well, but she is both convincing and insistent. Someone suggested I tie a little sign around her neck that says “If you pick me up I will throw myself backwards” to avoid accidental head-dropping.

She still eats anything, but is on a fruit and cheese kick which is…not so good for the diapers. We’re down to only nursing before nap and before bed and she doesn’t nurse to sleep for either, so E can do it if he’s home. I’ve got 21 days left to wean her entirely, but even if I were to leave right now I suspect she’d have a rough 24 hours and then be totally over it. She drinks milk/water/juice out of any kind of cup and just generally shows up her brother’s super picky habits on a daily basis.

Likes include blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, watermelon, yellow American cheese slices, climbing, dancing, music, slides, peek a boo, shoving her entire hand in my mouth, her brother, the kitty, books, pretending to be a dinosaur, hanging upside down, running, Daddy, smiling, tickles and pretending to use the iPad while really just smearing stuff on it.

Dislikes include raspberries (who knows why), having ANYTHING taken away, shopping carts, sitting still, having her nose wiped and falling on her head. Although she falls on her head so regularly maybe that IS something she likes.

Bazillion pics now, milestones below:

Giant head bump is GIANT. Although she doesn't seem to mind at all.

Vintage sweater & hand-me-down party dress and shoes

Being hauled off to eat cupcakes. Torture!!

Maybe she's a musical genius too!

14 Month Milestones (from BabyCenter, as usual)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Eats with fingers – Score one for baby-led weaning! She can feed herself almost anything, especially if you put it in a snack trap. She can also feed herself with a fork/spoon if you put the food on it for her.
Empties containers of contents – My floors, let me show you them. Oh wait I CAN’T because they are covered in all the things Caroline took out of containers.
Imitates others – Yes! That’s why I started signing.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Toddles well – Oh Baby Center.
Initiates games – She will grab my hand and make me play things like “pat baby’s mouth while she goes ahhhhhh to make a funny sound” or “everybody try on this hat AHAHAHA THAT’S HILARIOUS”.
Points to one body part when asked – She knows “head” and she can find MY nose, but I don’t know if she knows any others.
Responds to instructions (e.g., “give me a kiss”) – When she feels like it. TODDLERS.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Uses a spoon or fork – See above.
Matches lids with appropriate containers – I seem to remember having trouble answering this one with Evan too, since we don’t have any container/lid toys. I think she would understand the concept, since she’s a baby genius and all.
Pushes and pulls toys while walking – No biggie.

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