February 2013
I was totally ready to combine February with March (it’s a short month, right?) until I realized March is going to get combined with April since we’ll be in Arizona at the end of the month. So here is February, better late than never…
We mostly camped out inside this month as Boston got hit with a TON of snow. Bridget and Ryan came for dinner and a visit and Bridget brought Sebastien about a thousand m&ms, which he was happy to spoil his dinner with. We had Sebastien’s 3 year check-up (35lbs, 4oz and 38.5in) and Archer’s 6 month check-up (18lbs, 7oz and 27.5in). We discussed with Dr. Coffey our concerns around immunizations and he recommended spacing Archer’s shots out according to the Dr. Sears schedule, which we agreed to do. We went to the aquarium with Jackie, Cole and Dylan and then out to lunch at Chart House. Ashlyn and Dayle came for a visit during the huge snowstorm and mostly got trapped in the house with us, although we did escape for a quick trip to Warren Tavern for drinks. Sebastien had his OT evaluation, which he thoroughly enjoyed – lots of running, jumping and swinging. Grammie and Pop-Pop came for a visit during school vacation week. We took a “nature walk” around the neighborhood, hit the Harvard museum and went out to lunch a few times. We also had Jessica babysit so we could head out to an adult-only dinner at Erbaluce.
Archer, you are starting to like feeding yourself chunks of food more than being spoon-fed purees (and I don’t blame you). It’s rare that we get more than a spoonful or two in before you grab the spoon out of our hands and try to get it into your mouth yourself. So far you love everything you’ve tried, with applesauce and strawberries probably in the lead. And you only want to eat what we’re eating. If you spot some food or drink that you don’t have as an option, you whine at us until we give it to you. (You LOVE trying to drink water from an open cup, but it mostly just spills down the front of your bib.) You’re much grabbier these days and you get frustrated when you can’t get to what you want. You worked hard on sitting up and almost had it mastered by the end of the month. You can also reach for things and sit back up most times without toppling over and you’re starting to work on pulling up to stand, especially on our legs when we are sitting near you.
Sebastien, you have a new favorite song and the first that you really sing along to in the car – “Dirt Road Anthem,” by Jason Aldean. Ashlyn also introduced you to “Creepsta Creepsta Tractor,” which is actually called “She Cranks My Tractor,” and which is a little risqué. (Nice job, Ash.) You had a sudden interest in your turtle dream light that projects stars onto the ceiling. It burned fast and bright and within a couple of weeks of using it every night, you suddenly stopped asking for it. You’ve replaced the generic snuggles in our bedtime routine with “humming and scratches” – you like me to hum one song to you (the lullaby from your/Archer’s mobile) and then tickle your arms. Two of my favorite current words are “captus” (cactus) and giant “squib” (squid). We started speech therapy with Amanda and a social skills group with Lauren and both are helping you make great progress. You’ve started answering “yes” all the time instead of repeating back our question and your back and forth conversation skills are coming along really well. You love going to see Amanda and playing “Caribou”; the jury is still out on Lauren. I think you’re more anxious about seeing her because she really pushes you to make better eye contact, take turns, play together with her and include some of her ideas in your games. We also started a gluten and dairy free diet which has actually not been as challenging as I expected it to be. Fingers crossed that it will help your ongoing eczema/dry skin issues and make a positive impact in other ways as well. We saw a naturopath who said he thinks we’re on the right track, and had us add fish oil and a probiotic into your diet. I’ve managed to hide the lemon-flavored fish oil in your lemonade without you noticing, because there is NO WAY you will agree to take a vitamin for us. I’m not going to lie, bud – the past three months have been both emotionally and logistically tough ones. But you’re doing really well and hopefully all this hard work you’re putting in will pay off and make things easier for you in the long run. We love you so much, kiddo, and just want you to be the best possible version of yourself in the world.
Yeah for Seb’s progress with the dr.s, so proud of where he is going. Archer the little steam food shovel! And everyone is getting taller and gaining weight so well. Getting bigger…. 🙂