Boys! UPDATE

Malcolm is 5 and half months. He is a monster - that is, compared with Eamon at this age. I don't have his official stats, but he will be moving up to size 3 diapers after we use up all the size two that we have. Using the weigh-me-holding-him-then-weigh-me-without-him-and-subtract method, he is 17 pounds. He fits in 3-6 month clothes, but 6 month and 6-9 months usually don't look too big. Since it was summer when Eamon was this size, I don't have many outfits, but have been having fun with the clearance racks.

He sits on his own pretty well and rolls both ways. He now sleeps better without a swaddle, though he still prefers to sleep in his carry-car-seat thing, which keeps him inclined. He can't wait to eat grown-up food, but I don't think he is ready to handle it yet, and I am not ready to start feeding him cereal yet. I will probably give him a taste once he turns 6 months, but I am planning on holding off as long as I can.

His hair is curling more and more and his eyes are still bright blue. He laughs and talks and tries to imitate the sounds and faces we are making. He loves Eamon and wants to do everything that he does. (Eamon, like older brothers are wont to do, sometimes loves this, and sometimes doesn't.) He loves to dance in our arms or be held while we dance. He also enjoys Peek-a-boo.

Eamon is still 2. I have to tell myself this very often. The things he does are pretty standard 2 year old stuff. He gets into everything, throws it all over the floor, then wonders what else he can do. He talks in almost complete sentences, although we have to remind him to use words when he is sick, sad, or tired. He loves to draw, although currently the Markers are taking a vacation after things other than paper were getting marker on them. He was so good with only drawing on paper for so long, but now he is beginning to explore other templates. We have pencil marks on the dressers and my calendar has his scribbling on it.

I was realizing that being 2 must be difficult. For so long if you could do something, you were supposed to. Sit up, stand up, crawl, talk, etc. Now he has to learn that there are times to do all those things and times to not. Obedience is part of it, but so is appropriateness. We catch looks of confusion sometimes which reminds us to slow down and explain things that are common sense to us.

However, he is also learning to play make-believe. He got my old rain hat and now whenever he wears it, he is being Christopher Robin. Today found a little leopard thing who he immediately dubbed Tigger. He has a teddy bear who is Little Bear and a dragon who is Dragon. This morning I read him a Little Bear book, but he had to have Little Bear on his lap, Tibby the Cat on one of my legs and Gold Dragon on my other leg.

One of his favorite games is showing things. He will show things to a certain animal or person and that person responds. Then he gets something else to show them. Then something else, and something else. He also loves to climb. He climbs into Malcolms crib, up the diaper changer, and into Malcolms play thing. The problem comes when he wants to get down. Mommy doesn't always come right away and get him but leaves him stuck for a while.

Sometimes both boys drive me crazy or want to run away and hide. But more often we have such fun together. We laugh and run around and hide from each other. We draw and read and make crafts together. We pray and sing and talk together. I love to watch them work things out on their own and have to remind myself to let them learn to do it. And every night when I watch their little eyes close and their little bodies relax and I fall in love with them all over again.