Jump

Well after trying for days on end to upload this video and cursing at my slow dinosaur of a computer, I finally resorted to a slower but more reliable method. If you are tuning in and don't see the video yet-that is because it is still loading-going on 1 hour!!! In the meantime....

Timothy certainly enjoys his jumping seat (which you will see if I can get the video loaded). He sits in it and bounces for 30 minutes to 1 hour at a time. He loves it so much that he cracks himself up (of course he wouldn't do it on camera). I may have said this before, but Timothy laughs so easily. You just have to make a funny noise or face and he laughs. In general he seems to be more emotive than Charlotte was at his age. For all that good humor he also has a temper.

He gets angry if a toy is taken from him, or if he doesn't get his food quick enough,or if he is just plain tired of being in the car seat. He has also had some stranger anxiety lately. This is a new experience for me to witness. We were in the grocery store and he rode in the cart on the other side of the checker while I was paying-oh the look of terror on his face. Also, he is no longer okay with unfamiliar people holding him. Which is a bummer for me-and has all just surfaced in that last week or two. Needless to say, I don't think he will be the social butterfly that his sister is-at least not for a while.

All of this separation anxiety has also caused sleeping problems for him-and so for me. Hopefully we will remedy those soon. A friend suggested that I put a shirt or something in his crib that smells like me. By golly it works-he clutches it while he sleeps. I think tonight I am going to cuddle with one of his crib sheets and put that on his bed tomorrow.

On top of all this, I finally realized (or admitted) around Christmas that Timothy seems to be suffering some major mucus problems due to my dairy and soy consumption. So I have given them up. For those of you who are familiar with my love of cheese, this has been no easy task.

It has made a huge difference. It no longer looks like someone turned on a yellow slime faucet in his nose. People are not as afraid to come near him ;o) and I am sure he feels much better too. I am hoping to reintroduce goat milk products. In the meantime I am taking calcium supplements and drooling over the gobs of cheese that Reid gets to eat.

As for Charlotte, she seems to be doing well. Lots of toddler behaviors and attitudes. We have implemented time-outs with mixed results. And I have found that ignoring annoying behaviors like screaming and whining seems to work. And showering her with praise for her good behavior goes a long long way in improving her jealousy or acting out. She is also completely in big girl panties now, except for sleeping-yeah for us!!! One less in diapers.

Whew-well that was a long one. I have been wanting to write more script on our blog, but do not always have the time. Maybe this will become a new habit-journaling on our blog. I have got to find out if there is a way to save all this journaling-anyone know????