My Precious Kids

SOPHIE

She is your typical oldest child. She does things just to please me, and the guilt trip works on her almost every time. She is the best helper in so many respects. Even from when she was Max's age I could ask her to get me a diaper for the baby - and she would. Now she helps me with the boys more than she should. Last week she and Peter were watching a movie in the basement and she came running upstairs frantically calling for me. She was telling me that Peter had just thrown up all over the carpet! She came up to get a water, cloth and a bowl for him. She told him if he needed anything to just ask her. No one asked her to be so thoughtful or motherly for him. That's just who she is. The other day when I was so tired I said something about having to do the dishes and she said "I'll do it". She did too, as much as she could reach. (And the part worth remembering was that she asked if she could do the dishes all the time.) Not that she's perfect. She seems to know where Peter's buttons are, and pushes them often. And bossy is an under statement sometimes. But I have to remind myself that she is only 5. And it's OK. She is her own wost critic, ALL the time. She expects perfection in herself, the first time. This has been a stumbling block many times. With things like drawing, writing, tying her shoes, playing, and recently riding a bike. I try to explain that sometimes it takes lots of practice to get it just right. But she has no patience for practice or imperfection with herself. But I love that she can be so patient with me. Always willing to wait while I help the boys or finish the dishes. And she never forgets anything. We often joke that she has a memory of an elephant, but I think it's worse than that. She doesn't care for sweets. It has always been that way. As a baby we could put a cookie on her tray along with some fruit or veggie. She would always pass up the cookie. And now she has no problem passing up sweets. To the point that if I don't scrape the frosting off a cookie or cupcake she won't eat it at all. She loves fruit smoothies. She has realized that she likes chocolate though. At a healthy level. Loving chocolate ice cream best. But she almost always turns her nose up to a Popsicle. Sophie thrives on rules and order. And she will catch you if you are doing or not doing something according to the rules. She LOVES going to preschool and must always find something to bring for show & tell, even though there isn't show & tell every time she goes. Sophie is growing up fast. She has recently started telling me I don't need to walk her to the door for preschool anymore. She plays with the neighbor girls and always asks me if she can go over and play before she leaves. She will be going to kindergarten in the fall. She just took a little test at the school and passed with flying colors! School is a huge step that I sometimes wonder if I'm really ready for her to take. Sure the break from then 4 kids to 3 kids will be nice. But what will she be learning, doing and playing without me knowing? I'm not worried about anything bad, just about my baby being more and more independent. Sophie loves me and I love that. She always tells me and shows me. She looks to me for guidance and compliments. I hope I am doing enough for her. Sophie is so wonderful. I feel like I really understand her a lot of times. Especially when she is going though an emotional moment. She really is way too grown up for her own good. But I learn so much from her, and I love her so much. And she is gorgeous. I'm afraid we'll have to swat the boys away as she grows up! Perfect strangers have always and still always mention how beautiful she is.

PETER

Can anyone say Class Clown??? As long as I can remember, Peter has been able to make you laugh. Without even trying! Where does he get his sense of humor? That is one thing I really envy about him. And you have to love his blond hair, big blue eyes and mile long eyelashes! He is so beautiful. He is such a boy. Not having a care in the world sometimes. He would be content sitting in the dirt all day digging for worms or potato bugs! But the insect love stops there. He has a phobia of anything else that crawls. Spiders and anything else that he can't identify is scary for him. He actually thinks lots of things are scary. Like any and all rides at amusement parks (even the train gets him nervous). Playgrounds are just recently becoming OK for him. Not that he doesn't love them. He just loves them as he runs around with his feet safely touching solid ground. That includes indoor play lands like McDonald's too. And the trike we got him last year has been virtually untouched. But if you can look past that then you realize just how tender Peter is. When he plays outside he has to ring the doorbell to come in. He can't open the front door on his own. So when I come and open it for him he usually has a flower in his hand and tells me it is for me, or to put in my hair. He usually relents to Sophie's requests for anything. He LOVES his friends. And Peter doesn't understand why he can't play at all hours of the day. Including when he pops up out of be at 7:30 in the morning! He has always been our morning boy. Waking up easily with a smile on his face. In the last few months his middle of the nights and mornings are usually found in our room as he sneaks there to sleep on our chair. Peter doesn't seem to care much for book learning, but somehow he is picking it up. He knows 90% of his alphabet. And loves creative learning. Peter has a sweet tooth like I've never seen. He is like a hound dog to candy. He'll find an old M&M in the cracks of the car seat, or piece of candy from the back of the cupboard. Fruit snacks are a favorite - if there is one with him and sweets, and a box lasts not longer than a day usually. But when he looks at you with those big eyes it's hard to refuse and be angry at him. That said, he can sure push my buttons. I find myself hard on him sometimes. Expecting more than I should out of him. He's still 3, I have to remind myself often. I have to admit that I kind of love his funny obsession with his little guys. I love that he carries them all around together in a little collection. He worries when one is missing. He wanted to buy a board game the other day because it came with all these tiny superhero guys. And he plays guys for hours. I love his imagination. He could paint the sky green and the sea pink all mixed up and out of the lines, and be perfectly happy. He is so much like his father, that even perfect strangers notice. Maybe that is one of the reasons I love him so much.

MAXWELL

I really had a hard time when I found out he was a boy and not a girl. It took me a while to get over. But now... how could I even think that. He is so perfect to me. Maybe one of the reasons for that is because he still doesn't say anything. 15 months old and nothing. He has said mama and meant me, I know for sure. But not anymore. I get a lot of WOW's out of him. But that's it. He is heavily addicted to the binki. He occasionally wakes up at night and won't fall back asleep until I go in there and give him his lost binki. He is more boy than I thought possible. Balls are his favorite thing in the world. He loves to pick them up and throw them. Chase it down and do it again. Cars are a close second. And he makes that car sound. Vroom vroom. A natural boy sound I've concluded. And can I say messy? That is an understatement. Food and him are lovers and enemies. He can barely get through a meal without needing a bath or a change of clothes after. Speaking of food I cannot go on without mentioning how picky of an eater he is! Up until 2 weeks ago his whole diet consisted of this: Bananas, kiwi, strawberries, yogurt, goldfish crackers, mac & cheese, cheese sticks, homemade rolls and sweets. He seriously and literally would not eat anything else. We have recently added grapes, apples, PB&J, and chicken nuggets. This is not for a lack of availability. I offer him what we eat, he just won't touch it except to throw it on the floor. I've never dealt with anything like this before. And it's really frustrating. As a smaller baby he would eat all the jarred baby food. But it didn't transition well into solid foods. Diapers may as well be non-existent when it comes to him and poop. I've tried them all from store brands to expensive brands. The difference is little - so we go midstream with Luvs. I am thankful that I learned a good soaking method. It has helped with all his collar and bum stains. Max has a stubborn personality. You cannot persuade him to do something other than exactly what is on his mind. Even on a friendly walk he has to go his way and will not turn the corner with you if he doesn't want to. Animal lover by nature, he'll go after a dog that is half way down the street and think he can catch it as he teeters along at his own pace. I love his smiles and games he plays when I put him down for a nap or bed. He loves to put the binki in my mouth and wants me to pop it out at him. He likes me to touch his face smooth and have me take his hand and touch my face smooth. Loves to touch the parts of my face. And accidental peek-a-boo is great to play when I try to cover his face to get him to sleep faster. He is a horrible teether, and cries when he doesn't get exactly what he wants. But I love him so much. He is the calmest child we've had and I count my blessings.