Funny Guys

Votes for River

I can't believe I am doing this, but I submitted River's photo into a contest. He could be the next cover baby for Parents magazine. He is definitely cute enough to win! I just don't have much of a social network (I am usually so private and guarded). That being said, please consider taking a moment to Vote for River (by simply clicking on those words). And feel free to share the link so that others may vote as well. Thank you. :)

UPDATE: YOU CAN VOTE ONCE PER DAY! :) I HOPE THAT YOU DON'T TIRE OF CLICKING. PLEASE REVISIT AND VOTE AS FREQUENTLY AS YOU CAN. THANK YOU.

Cohorts

I believe that River is trying to MUTE me in this photo.

River

River is quite a baby. This guy is Mr. Charisma. Mr. Movement. Mr. Smiley Face. Mr. Lets-Get-This-Done.

He cannot sit still. Not to save his life. He is constantly moving and going. He is very strong and very heavy and very tall. He scoots all around the house. I caught him trying to pull himself up to standing position in his crib a couple of days ago. He is ready to embrace life.

He has a bit of a short fuse, but he gets over it quickly and is back to his happy self very soon.

I have never seen a baby who likes toys as much as this guy. He will scoot right into the middle of a pile and thoroughly touch and examine everything. He is very quick to figure out how things work. 

He laughs and smiles and shrieks when he sees Wren or Happy. Wren is his MOST FAVORITE person in the world. He loves him so much. He smiles and leans forward when he sees Jess... it's very sweet. He is very loving and cuddly and sweet. He's a face toucher.

He already has four teeth across the bottom. One is barely poking through on the top with three additional white bumps hot on it's tail. Makes for a charming smile.

He is a good little eater. Every night he gets a piece of banana in his mesh feeder to work on while I make dinner. Then, at dinner time, he joins us at the table for (his favorites): pears, mangoes, apples, sweet potatoes, or spinach. He is not sold on green beans or peas just yet. He'll eat them, but not as happily.

When we go out, everyone notices River. He is very charismatic. Men and women are drawn to him. He smiles and says, "Haaaa" (which is his version of "hi"). Everyone comments on how cute he is... and how big he is.

He is gigantic. Healthy, thick and tall. He is wearing size 18 month clothes now and he just moved up to size 6 diapers. Size 6 is the largest size I can get at the store. Size 7 can be bought online. I don't know if size 8 baby diapers even exist. I am hoping for a waist leaning as he continues to move more and more ~ with hopes of not having to look beyond size 7. Ha haaa!

Other than his size, River is pretty much the polar opposite of the baby version of Wren. It's very funny. Techniques that were attempted and failed with Wren are working like a dream with River. And vice versa. Wren was quiet and serious and contemplative. River is loud and silly and smiley. Wren was a biter. River is a hair-puller. Wren would sit and sit in his little vibrating chair while listening to music and looking out the window. River flipped over in his vibrating chair and tried to crawl out of it when he was four months old. Wren never liked getting his head wet in the tub. River tries to go under and swim every night. Bathing him is quite the chore.

Things that the boys have in common: a love of swings, the outdoors, dogs... and drums. :)

Wren

Wren is a good guy. He has been a little challenging lately, but he is still a nice guy who doesn't have a mean bone anywhere in his little body. :)

He has become quite social and loves playing with his friends. That being said, he is still an introvert at heart, still an observer, and still a questioner.

He loves looking at books, listening to audio books, and playing quietly with his cars and trains.

He has recently shown some interest in going to school, but says that he would prefer to go to a school that "just has teachers - no kids." Sometimes he modifies that to "just a few quiet kids."

His favorite foods are pizza and pancakes. So we save those as treats.

He has a "Veggie Chart" and a "Good Behavior Chart" on the fridge. 

If he eats every veggie that we put on his plate at mealtime, he earns a star. After 12 stars, he gets to go to Ben and Jerry's for an ice cream cone. A partial veggie consumption doesn't count. It's all or none.

His "Good Behavior Chart" earns him treats that he really, really wants. He just earned a stethoscope and a reflex hammer. He is currently earning stars toward an otoscope. He doesn't get treats when we go to the store. If he sees something that he wants, he has to earn it... via the star chart. It is working out really nicely. He gets stars for being helpful, for doing his chores, and for doing what he is supposed to do without putting up a fight. Stars can be taken away, too... so that is further incentive to consider each action.

He currently likes "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," "Jake and the Neverland Pirates," and "Doc McStuffins" as far as programming. Disney Junior is sweet and the children on the shows demonstrate good manners and kindness. Tune in to regular Disney and that sweetness goes out the window. He also still enjoys "Wild Kratts" and "The Cat in the Hat" on PBS.

He plays his drums every single day. He's really good, too! It's funny. He plays and sings and ends every song with, "Yeah!" followed by, "Thank you, everybody." Funny guy.

He was introduced to knock knock jokes and water balloons this weekend. His knock knocks are pretty obscure. It's pretty funny. He liked the water balloons. We have a huge batch saved up for sunny days. :)

He also had his first bbq chicken this weekend. Great Grandpa Pesenti would be proud of how well he cleans the bones. He doesn't leave a morsel. :)