Adjusting

Our Jonah buddy is growing by leaps and bounds lately and has been keeping all of us on our toes as we adjust to the changes he brings each day.  He is confident, fearless and determined which has made for some very triumphant (yet precarious) moments for him as well as some significant tumbles.  Jonah will throw anything that even remotely resembles a ball which has created endless amounts of fun for him, both outside and inside.  The ball throwing hasn't resulted in too much stress for me yet, but his climbing is a different story.  I have caught that brave little boy mid-fall more times than I care to count and I have scooped up his crumpled, crying body off the floor just as many times.  No fall has deterred him yet and I keep shaking my head in amazement that he is still in one piece.  However, my nerves gladly take a rest during during story hour and bedtime. 

We had an early dinner at home on Sunday and then surprised the kids with a trip to the ice cream shop and a stop at the park on the way home.  We all had fun! 

It has been a relief and a delight to see Jonah truly fall in love with books.  Reading is usually the first thing he wants to do when he wakes up and he actively pursues me with a book in hand frequently throughout the day.  I have enjoyed getting to know him through the books he likes, especially because most of them are completely different than the books Nicole favored as a baby.  As an added bonus, I have been able to teach Jonah a lot of sign language as we read together.  He has picked it up incredibly fast and proudly uses anytime it's appropriate.  

Climbing on the big frog at the park.  One of Jonah's few words is "croak!' 

Our busy little man is also a sleepy little man and it is essentially effortless to put our tired boy to bed.  It might be the Carlson in him or it might be the months and months of sleep training Shawn and I did early on, but either way we are so happy he sleeps.  We recently transitioned him to one nap a day which has probably been the biggest adjustment of all.  For months Jonah napped every single day at 10am and 2pm so I crammed every possible outing into the early hours of the morning.  While Jonah napped, I spent one-on-one time with Nicole.  She helped me around the house and was able to tell stories and ask endless questions.  We also used that time to read books, put puzzles together and play with anything not yet appropriate for little brothers.  While Nicole had her mid-day nap, I had time alone with Jonah where we read books, played on the floor and giggled.  I loved having time with both kids individually but I always knew that it was going to be a short season.  Now, my time alone with each kid is condensed and our time all together abounds.  It's been a good change but we're still finding our way to be sure.   

I hope all is well with whatever adjustments you've been making lately.  

With love, 

Erica