A new year, and the Shannon's enter 2013 as a family that is finally complete. Two children, one boy and one girl, and two furry children, also one boy and one girl. It's a good thing that the family is done growing, because we've officially run out of room in both the house and the cars. We've even had to trade in Mommy's car and get another SUV just to transport the whole clan around. The house is packed to the gills with the things that go along with having two kids, but we wouldn't want it any other way
The last few months have been very interesting in the life of Ethan. He is learning multiple word phrases, he learned how to catch a ball, he can count to ten, he can draw a circle, and can remember all the names of Daddy's students. He loves his little sister, and continues to show warm and loving interest in her, which we really love. Children Ethan's age don't always handle additions to the family all that well, and for the most part, he handles it better that we expected him to. That being said, there are plenty of times when he exhibits signs of defiance and tendency for tantrums that could be a reaction to all the recent change, or just him being a high spirited two and a half year old. His natural exploratory nature has led him into quite mischievous territory, and "no" has become quite the common word around the house. He scaled both baby gates at the bottom and top of the stairs. He's drawn on the windows and walls with crayon, he tries to feed cheerios to the cat, and he climbs on the dresser and plays with the lamp during nap time. He loves water. No, I mean he LOVES water. You name it, puddles, fountains, lakes, toilets, it all fascinates him. On a recent mall trip, he sat at the fountain and threw over 100 pennies in, and the last one was just as entertaining as the first. Now this is all fine and dandy, but i will now list the things that have been flushed down my 1st floor toilet in the last 14 days:
playdoh
plastic toy scissors
plastic toy playdoh roller
$1.87 in varoius quarters dimes, nickels and pennies
pretzels
paper towels
We were able to dig the coins out, but the remainder of the items were not recovered. We bought a plunger yesterday, and we've had to now lock the bathroom door.
Although he can give us a run for our money, Ethan has other times where he couldn't be more adorable and loving, he is always very generous, playful and friendly with other kids. He is very smart, he is a great problem solver, and his physical skills are unbelievable. He's come a long way from that hip harness. He usually never denies a hug and kiss for Mommy, Daddy or Violet, and those moments when he snuggles up next to you and gives you a spontaneous kiss and hug makes the hard times worth it.
Having Violet has been a really amazing experience so far. She has only been around for a little over 3 months, but she's impacted all of our lives so much already. She is a pretty happy baby most of the time. The first day she came home, we noticed how calm she was, and although she has gone through some sleeping issues and some fussy points, for the most part, she has been pretty content. She is very predictable, and with our added experience of raising Ethan, we are better equipped to keep her comfortable. Her eating must be working well, because she is getting her 3 month baby chubbiness, and it's just as cute as can be. Her sleeping has been pretty darn goon for a 3 month old. She falls asleep before 11pm most nights, and sleeps (either in the swing or in bed with Mommy) till around 5 or 6am, where she feeds again and then sleeps till 8ish. She usually takes naps for 2 hours in the morning, and then again for 2 hours in the afternoon. The evening is sketchy with napping, and she might take one around 7 or 8. She still sleeps with a swaddle, but she takes naps on her belly.
She is very attentive when you look at her, she smiles all the time, and she cracks up laughing when tickled under her chin. Her arm is healed up nicely, and doesn't seem to have any other ill effects from the break at birth. Even better news is that her hips seem to be fine, and she won't have to wear a harness like Mommy and Ethan did.
We all can't wait for Spring to hit so we can all get out of the house a little more and enjoy the outdoors!
