They are Growing Up So Fast!

My kids are making me feel old. I know, I know, some of you are rolling your eyes and thinking something like "Shut up you're not even thirty yet, how are you old?!?" (I know this because some of you have already said this to me!) but I can't help how I feel! Everyday I look at my babies and they are just so big! Some days I swear they've grown 8 inches overnight - they just seem huge to me! They are figuring out how to do things for themselves and are not needing me as much now. I know that this is ultimately the goal - to not need mom to zipper their jackets or help them take a bath - but it's weird that they are doing things for themselves! They are doing MY job!! I swear I'm not just whining, I do have examples - and they are good examples and great accomplishments for them, I just needed a little vent. Okay I'm done!!

As most of you know, I potty trained Alexander pretty early. He was such a good boy about it and hardly any trouble catching on but I was having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to get him to aim be himself once he started peeing standing up. I agonized over it forever and even asked you all for suggestions. Well, after all of my worrying about it HE went and figured it out by himself. I walked into the bathroom about two months ago and there he was going by himself!! At the time he was still too short to reach to toilet so he just stood on the stool and leaned over the bowl while holding on to the lid. I was SO proud of him!! Since then he's grown about an inch and a half so he can now stand on the floor and go. I still go in there with him just to watch and make sure that he's not getting pee everywhere and I still have to occasionally intervene (to save my walls), but he's going by himself. I feel a little silly about all the worrying that I did. I mean, he'd watched Bill go PLENTY of times. I should have known that he'd figure it out on his own when he was ready. He has also mastered his ABC's, colors, shapes, 24 piece puzzles, counting to 13 (when he feels like it), all of our names, how to work the DVD player and is a whiz at electronic and computer games. It's amazing how well he does with his leapster and vsmile games - he's really good!! We're working on our phone number now and I have no doubt that he'll pick it up quickly!

Hannah is also growing like a weed. She is full of questions and is not afraid to ask them. There are days when I feel like hiding from her just so that I can stop answering her questions! Since she is only in preschool she is woking on writing her letters and numbers in class. At home Bill and I are trying to help her learn to read. She knows all of her letter sounds and can spell some simple words and she is DYING to learn how to read (and to lose a tooth but that's a different story). The only problem is that Hannah is stubborn and tends to give up on things easily (she gets that from her father :-P!! ). It took us forever to get her to try to ride her "big kid" bike last summer but once we finally got her to try it she loved it. I have a feeling that reading is going to be the same way. Okay, that is not her great acomplishment, it's my preface to her accomplishment!! Hannah got a shoe tying book for Christmas and has been avoiding it ever since while whining that she wants to learn to tie her shoes so that she could be in the shoe tying club at school (somethig her teacher came up with). Well, after weeks of fighting and cajoling she finally tied her shoes last night!! She was so proud of herself and I couldn't have been happier for her. Now she can go back to school on Monday and finally join the shoe trying club!

I can't believe how much they've grown and learned in so short a time. While it does make me a little sad that they are growing up, it also warms my heart to know that I am here to help them along the way. I am so greatful that I am able to stay at home with them!