Like Mommy Like Leo

So lately Leo’s thing is that he doesn’t like napkins. I realized this when he requested that we move the napkin holder to our bedroom. I thought that was ridiculous so I put it on top of the fridge (as if that’s not ridiculous).  He said he couldn’t look at the napkins while he ate. When I asked him why, he said, “Because Leo is on the napkins.” While that didn’t make any sense, his comment about not looking at something while he ate sounded familiar.

As a child I, too, could not look at certain things while eating. (I still can’t watch talk shows while eating.) We had a framed poster of a bull fighter  hanging in our kitchen and I never liked to have that in my line of sight during a meal. I told Frank, “Now if he didn’t want to look at that (pointing to our framed poster of a lady sipping a martini that hangs in our kitchen), I could understand!”

And then, a few days later, he announced that he also couldn’t “look at that lady and eat.”

Oh my gosh, what have I done to him?

 

 

Here are some pics of how Leo sits for every meal:

 

 

 

And here are some pics of Gus who is most likely thinking, “What kind of family have I gotten myself into?”

 

Hodge Podge

Here’s what’s happening at our house this week:

 

Leo is always getting up in Gus’ face. Here’s a cute video of what that looks like:

 

 

I’m trying to encourage Leo to dress himself so that when he goes to preschool he can put his clothes on in the morning. We have a sticker chart and everything. He’s pretty good with the bottoms but obviously, we need a little work on the top (unless he’s going to a toga party)!

 

Today I took both boys on a walk by myself for the first time!

 

And finally—if that wasn’t enough excitement—Gus posed for a picture that will go in Frank’s high school alumni magazine.

Keep checking back for more exciting tales and photos from our expanding family! (I should say “expanded,” not trying to imply that we are expanding anymore).

Gus has been here ONE month

 

Here is the first of Gus’ monthly blogs--you know, like I did with Leo. I’ll post a picture of him in the green chair and talk about what he’s into. This one should be easy:

-Eating

-Sleeping

-Pooping

 

 

Well, maybe there are a few more things we’ve learned about Gus:

--He’s so cuddly.  He loves to be held and he’ll put his arms around our necks. His favorite way to be held is in the “burping” position, up on a shoulder.

--He doesn’t really care for sitting in things like the swing or the bouncy chair. I mean, he’ll sit there but he rarely falls asleep and he only lasts a few minutes.

--Jury’s still out on the pacifier. Sometimes he likes it but I don’t think he’s a true paci kid.

--He’s very consistent. He eats every three hours during the day and can now go longer at night (yea!) The last few nights he’s gone five hours in between feedings.

--He’s quite content. Sure, he gets upset when he’s hungry or tired but he’s yet to just cry at length for no reason. It’s usually easy to figure out what he wants. (Or maybe we’re just brilliant parents).

--He’s so stinkin’ cute!! And he’s getting rolls which makes him even cuter.

Everybody wants to know how Leo is doing with him. Leo doesn’t seem jealous but he is a little bit aggressive. He likes to get up in Gus’ face and say, “Baby Baby” while pulling on his arms or poking his cheeks. He also wants to check on him all the time. Oh, and he’s not as helpful as I thought he would be. If I drop a burp cloth and ask him to pick it up, he refuses. And everybody told me a three-year-old should be able to “grab a diaper.” Not happening.

 

Leo does let Gus hang out on his big boy bed:

 

 

And here’s Gus hanging out with his best pal, Pascal

 

Soon after these photos were taken, Pascal tried to eat Gus. Luckily, Gus is a forgiving guy.

Fun for the 4th

In our family, we always kick off the 4th of July with Frank’s birthday, which is on June 30th.  This year was no different, except we kicked it off with a “summer cut” for Leo and then celebrated Frank’s birthday. We also had family in town—Granny Jo, Popsy and Tia. And of course it was Gus’ first Independence Day. The days leading up to the holiday were sunny here but we had rain the evening of the 4th. We still had fireworks; we just watched them under umbrellas. And we still had store-bought explosives; we just enjoyed them from the garage. Classy.