Bye-Bye Bed

Well, it's official, Xavier is no longer sleeping in a crib. I had a feeling this day was coming after we visited Gaga and Papa in Palm Desert for Thanksgiving and Xavier demonstrated his ability to climb out of the Pack'n Play while we were there, however, I had no idea it would happen so quickly upon returning to LA. It started earlier this week, when Xavier was up in the middle of the night because of a cold. He was extremely upset, overtired, and just plain of his mind upset about being awake at two in the morning (let's face it, we all were) and during his middle-of-the-night tantrum, I witnessed him flip out of crib. I wrote the whole night off as fluke. Then, Saturday morning, around 5:30am, I heard Xavier talking through the baby monitor and then I heard what sounded like toys. I jumped out of bed to find Xavier in his room, playing on the floor. I said, "Xavier, how did you get out of your crib?" and he answered, matter-of-fact, "I jumped out mommy." I removed the bumper out of the crib that morning, thinking he was getting leverage from it to climb out and Xavier took his regular afternoon nap without any issues. I thought we were safe, until Sunday I woke up to the sound of a door opening, and found Xavier in the living room at 4:00am. I put him back in bed two or three more times without success and eventually brought him into bed with me, exhausted and defeated. After church this afternoon I headed straight to Babies R Us to get a "crib tent" and a gate for Xavier's bedroom door. After finding out Babies R Us doesn't carry crib tents, Doyl did a little research to discover they have basically been taken off the market because they are hazardous to children. Great. So, we were left with no other choice. We took the crib apart and packed it away in the garage with baby swing and high chair, and Xavier is sleeping on a twin bed tonight, happy as can be (with a gate on his bedroom door).

Xavier Sings the ABCs (20 months)

Crossing the Street

Hunter has a balance bike, which he loves to ride. He is getting very fast and Xavier and I can't keep up with him on our walks around the block. I am trying to teach Hunter to stop at the corners and wait for me. About two weeks ago, Hunter had gone ahead of me and Xavier decided he wasn't going to move any further (he had been pushing his red Little Tikes Car). After a few minutes trying to negotiate with a 20 month old, I was getting more concerned that I couldn't see Hunter and that he hadn't turned around to come back towards me. I picked up Xavier and walked briskly to the corner to find Hunter across the street, standing in our driveway with juice boxes in hand (that he had taken out the refrigerator in the garage). I was furious, and grabbed him and his brother, stormed into the house, and put Hunter in a time out. Afterward I said to Hunter, "Hunter, you never cross the street without a grown up, that is very dangerous." Hunter looked at me and said, "But God was with me mom." I was still pretty angry, but it took every ounce of will power not to burst out laughing. I looked at Hunter, and in a stern voice said, "that doesn't count, you need to be able to see the grown up." For the rest of the week, as we continued to revisit the subject of street safety, Hunter stubbornly held to his belief that he wasn't alone when he crossed the street, that God indeed was with him. After much negotiation, Hunter and I have come to the agreement that he must have two grown ups with him when he crosses the street, God and mommy (or daddy or the babysitter).

As a side note, Hunter goes to Sunday School nearly every week. Since September they have been learning the concept that "God is near, and God is here." I think he gets it :)

Brothers Hug

The other night, without any staging or suggestions from me, the boys climbed up in the rocking chair together. I ran as fast as I could to get my camera and captured these shots. (Yes, I did dress them in the same PJs but I often do that because Xavier likes to match his big brother.)

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Game Day

Hunter's First Day of School

Here are a few pictures from Hunter's first day of his new preschool. The first is in our driveway and the second is in the classroom listening to Ms. April tell a story. Hunter adores his teachers, Ms. April, Ms. Kristin, and Mr. Nick. He is especially close with Mr. Nick, who is also the gardener. The preschool classes are all working on a garden and have planted carrots and squash this fall. Hunter's preschool follows the Reggio Emilia philosophy, and seems to be a great fit for him. He switches between two classrooms (the Lavender Room and the Sunflower Room), but stays with the same teachers and classmates. The Lavender Room is geared towards right brain activities. Hunter loves the dramatic play area and often dresses up like a fireman or plays with the cash register. Although Hunter seems to enjoy both classrooms, I think he prefers the Sunflower Room, because it has Dinosaurs. Hunter has taken quite and interest in Dinosaurs within the last few months. It started with Dinosaur Train on PBS, and then we went to see Walking With The Dinosaurs, at the Stapes Center, where there were 15 life-sized Dinosaurs. Now we have two Dinosaur books we read daily, and Hunter is often pretending to be a T-Rex or Paleontologist.