Hooray for May

We finally have emerged from winter into spring (albeit a pretty damp one). It's been nice to finally get outside a bit. Felix has been very enthusiastic about it, especially with his new bike and helmet. He and the two other kids in the circle his age have formed their own little gang, and it's been quite entertaining watching them interact. Last year, they kinda-sorta played together, but this year, they're gung-ho. Recently, we took the kids to the park and learned Iris gets a kick out of the baby swings. :o)

Felix loves being outside

Iris's first time in the grass

My little mad scientist

Felix has been an enigma lately. He'll do something super sweet, like giving Nick one of his soft blankets to comfort him, but then he's back to hitting and having tantrums. He and his classmates have a sticker chart at daycare to reward good behavior, and it was working for a bit, so we tried doing the same to have him stay in bed and fall asleep (instead of getting up several times for no good reason). This worked for a week or so, and all of a sudden, he's back to having rough days and bad behavior. I wish I understood how to consistently motivate him. He is still completely into cars. He now shouts out any car logo he sees while we're driving. He doesn't know them all, and hasn't quite grasped the concept of makes and models (insisting there is a "Prius Camry" and a "BMW Camry"), but he's getting better. We still play "orange car", which keeps him occupied on the short ride home. I'm hoping his interest in reading the makes and models on cars will jump start his interest in reading, too. Wishful thinking?

Oh, Iris! She figured out how to crawl on April 29th (a day shy of 8 months old) and has been steadily getting more adept at it. She still loves bouncing, but now she prefers to try to stand up and test her legs out herself. I don't know how much longer it will be before she starts cruising - she's still a little wobbly. She's also developed a bit of a temper when she doesn't get what she wants, and has been known to snatch things away from other babies at daycare. Uh-oh, she might be turning into trouble! Her teacher at daycare has figured out that Iris has an association between her cell phone and me (Miss Nancy has her phone out -> Mama's coming soon! Aww. :o). She's eating well (though she's still on purees and hasn't shown much interest in chunkier foods yet), and it looks like a tooth might be making its appearance in the next month or so. Knock on wood, her sleeping well at night will continue.

Things have been improving at home. My health has gotten better (I can drink wine again! Woo!), and things are looking up overall. I just celebrated another birthday and splurged on a sonic screwdriver for myself (11's if you are interested ;o). Can't wait to get it in the mail tomorrow and hide it immediately so Felix doesn't break it!

Felix: 3.5 yrs & Iris: 8 mos