As a matter of update, Harper has fully recovered from his strep and scarlet fever and he has hit 3 years old head on. Here is a quick and dirty of the latest:
1. He is now potty trained and has moved to his new class at school. It just so happens that the next class is the Tigers which is his favorite animal mainly because they are ORANGE. So, this alone was his motivation for potty training. The deadline for being potty trained to move to the Tigers was the Tuesday after Labor Day. He made it by the skin of his teeth - and mainly because my mom was here for a whole week and really got to reinforce the message that he could either go to the Tigers if he decided to pee and poo on the potty or he could go to the slow Turtles if he wanted to continue to wear diapers. Harper is truly a child that can make miraculous things happen when he puts his mind to it. Honestly, I had my doubts but he has proven us all wrong....all in the name of Orange.
2. He still loves orange and the color practically rules every decision he makes everyday - from the clothes that he wears to the food that he eats. Mom, Lorie and Ashley have all visited this summer and I 'm sure they thought we were exaggerrating the fascination that he has with this color until they each spent a few days in the Brace household. Each of them have commented that they will never be able to look at anything orange without thinking that Harper would love owning it.
3. Harper is still wearing his Halloween costume from last year. It has now been 10 months and the costume is starting to feel the strain of a growing boy who still longs to be Tyrone from the Backyardigans. The butt of the costume has a gaping hole and there are at least 10 other tears in various places. As we begin thinking about this year's costume, I have no problem investing a little extra since we defintely got our money's worth out of this costume.
As for Collier, he has grown up over the summer. He took his first steps in May and has run ever since. His budding personality as a performer and daredevil - yet a kid who can melt your heart is more evident than ever. As a mater of update, here is what's new:
1. Collier loves dirt. He loves playing in it, he loves throwing it and most of all, he loves eating it. You can't turn your head for one second when we are outside because he heads straight for the garden. I'm surprised our vegetables have been able to thrive in Collier's presence. Not even a little fence has been able to keep him out. With his small frame, he found a way to crawl right through every time - at this point he can wiggle through the gate faster than Willow and Riley who are at least 1/2 his size.
2. Collier is a little tease at school. The teachers have been telling us that he likes to sneak and take people's blankies and binkies and taunt them when they want it back. We are also entering the much loathed time of biting that we experienced with Harper. We have already had to fill out several incident reports for both biting and hair pulling. From experience though, this too shall pass.
3. He is starting to say a good number of words - although he continually refers to anyone who in his presence as mama if he needs something. His favorite thing to say is "mine" and according to Codge, everything is his.
4. He knows no stranger and has to make sure anyone new knows every trick that he can do. He is by far, the performer of the family and really enjoys the spotlight. As you can see from the photos below, he can easily draw a laugh when he wants.
5. Earlier in the summer, he learned to hug and kiss and he loves sharing his affection - especially if he thinks it will avoid him getting into trouble. He has the concept of trading affection to avoid time out down to a science.
6. In addition to the performer, he has also proven to be the daredevil as well. What 16 month old do you know who has no fear of launching off the couch or bed with no one there to catch him. He can scale most anything in a matter of seconds. Both Matt and I have had to be more diligent than ever to not let him out of your sight. Harper has picked up on his bravery and has started convincing Collier to do things that he is too scared to do himself.
Harper and Collier are now playing together fairly well but recently they have started to fight over toys and have occasionally become a bit aggressive. Our pediatrician has advised that we should allow them to figure things out as much as possible - yet try to teach them that hurting one another is not acceptable. I have to say this one is hard because boys seem to go from disagreeing to slugging it out in a matter of 2 seconds. Collier doesn't seem to let age or size alter the way he tries to seek resolution. Getting a toy out of his hand is like trying to pry an object out of a vice grip. He is proving to be tough competition for his older brother. I keep saying to them "it is okay to disagree but it is not okay to hurt each other". For some reason it hasn't resonated yet but maybe repetition will bring understanding - at least that is what I am hoping.
I have several great stories from the summer that I am dying to share in the coming weeks as a matter of rekindling the blog. My short hiatus is over and I promise to get serious again about sharing the nuances of raising 2 VERY active boys. I assume that you guys enjoy reading it for one of two reasons - 1. You love to see that another mom is going through the very same things you are going through (or have been through) OR 2. You need a constant reminder of the importance of taking your birth control pills faithfully every day.
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