Sarahnaded: Boy, n.; a noise with dirt on it (April/May 2009)

The B-K Brother's. Another year older and sillier.

HAYDEN turned TWO on 4/20! We celebrated at The Art Farm on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Hayden is such an animal lover and this amazing location literally has an expansive indoor petting zoo/mini farm in the basement! A group of 10 kids came to celebrate, including his best friend Kiera and Pearce, and his neighbors Emmet, Miles, and Eli. The kids had a mini song & dance class, painted pencil holders, then headed downstairs to play with all the animals (bunnies, turtles, baby chicks, reptiles, spiders, etc.). Presents, cake, and a good time wrapped up the fun had by all. I can't believe how much he has changed and grown in the past year or how quickly the time passed! Last year he was this calm, quiet, passive little boy who just went along with whatever. This year his little personality is developing more and more each day. He is a funny, loving, cuddly, stubborn, witty little boy who loves a good laugh (or tickle) and is impossible to resist once he smiles at you. He's the BEST!

His favorite animal right now is a horse, and one lucky day a huge NYPD Draft horse showed up on our doorstep! He was in the middle of an investigation but stopped for a pat. It was pretty amazing and Hayden was beside himself. Every day for a week after he would run to the window and look outside exclaiming, "Horse?! Horse?!"

Naturally the mischief really begins as the 2yr old corner is turned. Hayden likes to put his fingers on the wheels of his stroller and then taste the dirt, or put his feet down on the wheels to spin, slow, or attempt to stop them. This drives me crazy, especially the feet when we're moving along at a steady pace and then we suddenly jolt right or left. This also hurts his foot though, so usually he won't do it again and when he does (the next week usually) he re-learns and stops. He has become pickier and pickier by the day, refusing to eat pasta unless it's curly, vegetables unless they are separated and plain (or with lemon), and no seasoning whatsoever on anything because of both taste and the fact that he doesn't like how it looks. One day we had chicken with small green chopped up herbs on top that you couldn't even taste, but you could very well see. No amount of persuasion could get him to take a bite, and I had to pick off every single green speck before he would eat the chicken. After the 3rd piece I just rinsed the whole plate under water and he then he gobbled it all up!

He loves to tell stories (like how Mommy dropped her phone inside a shark tank while they were on vacation: "SHARK! Phone! In Water! SHARK!"). He also loves to wave to every person he sees on the street, eat seaweed like it's going out of style (I'm pretty sure he is the sole reason the Norri industry is thriving), and be covered completely, even on hot days. Short sleeves cause outbursts. He becomes more and more independent every day and really likes to be self-sufficient. He climbs up all the ladders and nets at the park without help (but careful supervision), goes down the swirly slide alone, rides a scooter and bike (no pedals), buckles himself into the stroller, attempts to put on his own pants, socks, and shoes, and is speaking in very well put together sentences (if you're able to understand his word pronunciation).

"Hold this, Hold that, Sit here, I need..., YAY!, MmmmHmmmm, I [don't] want this/that, I [don't] like it, Excuse Me, it's upstairs/downstairs, I dunno (hands upturned and shrugging included)" are the latest. "Uh-Oh! Chap Chap eat it!" when the dog Chaplain is chewing on something he shouldn't be, "Go Home" when he's done playing, "Not sad, she's happy!" during a part in his favorite book, and saying "Thank You" without being prompted are also regulars. Obvious signs he has a big brother: "I got a sword! Hi-YA! Hi-YA!" and, upon seeing a Transformer and a Power Ranger sitting on the table, "Bad Guys! My Bad Guy, Ja-Ja's Bad Guy".

A few days before he turned 2 he peed on the potty a couple times, and after birthday it was full blown potty training mode. Every time I potty train I can't help looking back at all the years of potty time that has come before. Feels like I was just doing this with a newly two year old Sophie, who in turn would praise me for peeing and offer to read me books. Or Cassie, who was the easiest and practically trained herself. Then there was Cassie's twin Shay who is stubborn to the core and does things how she wants when she wants. (Hayden reminds me so much of her). This included pooping, which she refused to do (& no amount of bribery to persuade her) until she was almost 3. Peeing she loved. I won't get into every child I've ever trained, but the point is now they're all in school and have grown into little people when I wasn't looking. Somehow, I've managed to stay in the bathroom. ;)

Hayden took to the potty instantly and caught on to peeping right away. He transitioned to Pull-Ups for the first 2 weeks, and April 27th was his first accident free day! Because he didn't pee & poop at the same time, I suspected he would have a harder time learning to poop, but when it came to "listening to his body" to pee he was great! Sure enough the pooping part has been a challenge, but he's getting it. He even has a special "Poop Turtle" stamp as a reward! One on each hand and one on his belly. Week 3 he went into underwear. A lot of people don't realize that Pull-Ups actually slow down the potty training process once the child learns if he/she pees in it nothing happens (they're just diapers without velcro & the child can't feel the wetness once it's absorbed). In my experience, Underwear sooner rather than later helps the child continue to be in tune with their body. Sure it's more laundry, but only for a couple days. We're all really proud of him, he's doing excellent!

Potty Training with Suzy Sue
("Have You Seen My Potty?" is the cutest potty book ever! If you have to read something over, and over, and over again it should at least be entertaining and enjoyable for everyone involved!)

TWO!

He was so proud of his puppet (at Jasper's party)

Cheeser

JASPER turned FIVE on 4/30! Goodbye four, you won't be missed. Four is my least favorite age, for boys or girls. I'm thinking I'll allow all ages into my Daycare EXCEPT fours. ;) Girls become bossy, bratty little snots, and boys become whiny, angry, aggressive frustrations. Not to say there isn't A LOT of fun to be had in between those moments, but a year of those moments is enough to drive anyone crazy. I've had quite a few of those years, but since each child is different it's always new. We rang in 5 with a one of the most fun kids birthday parties I've ever been to at City Treehouse. The kids played at the indoor water area, then made Pirate Puppets, then played some more, had pizza lunch, watched a Puppet Show by Jasper's favorite puppeteer, and of course there was cake! So much fun.

Now, five is in and, to me, Jasper has embraced it full on and left four in the dust. He has been soooo excellent! More mature, really fun to hang out with and have long conversations with and learn new games with. That's one of my favorite things about five year olds, their interest in games. This was surfacing last month when I taught Jasper to play War, and has grown from there. For his birthday he got 4 card sets: Old Maid, Crazy Eights, Rummy, and Hearts. The last 2 are pretty challenging (even for adults) but really fun for him to try and learn. I got him a Build Your Own Robot Game that we like to play and he's been very generous in letting Hayden join in as long as he sticks to his own pieces.

He's been sharing and communicating really well, which is great for play dates, his growing desire for freedom and my ability to trust him with said freedom. I think school helps him a lot with building skills to share and work out problems with friends and vice versa. I've noticed him using his words more than his hands with friends and Hayden and the see satisfaction on his face when he achieves his goal by doing so. He's been such a big help when it comes to Hayden. Willing to jump in and get him a book or a toy or read to him on the potty. It's a desire that came later to Jasper, and I think Hayden getting older and becoming more of a play mate instead of a baby-blob has a lot to do with it. It's nice to see them becoming buddies. As part of that, when Hayden got a "Poop Turtle" Jasper wanted a reward stamp too so he got a "Duty Dragon". A system he came up with on his own that involves him completely all bathroom tasks without assistance (using bathroom, wiping, washing hands, and cleaning up any mischivous messes he may have felt the urge to make while in there). It's working out really well and resulting in less TP Treasure Hunts for me! :)

Jasper illustrated and published his first book, complete with Author's page, courtesy of Illustory. It's called "The Super Brothers". It's a very creative story that has all of us (even the dogs) as characters and involves Jasper and Hayden going on an adventure in a magic forest and having to overcome challenges such as no food and a Tickle Monster King! He autographed a copy for me and I have it on my bookshelf, next to his Mom's book. Someday maybe I'll have a book on the other side! He's still working on pumping his legs on the swings (which he started on our last trip to L.A.) and has finally gotten the hang of which way his legs are supposed to go as he glides back and forth. If he can just get his upper body in sync he'll have it down pat! Maybe this summer....

The other day we made a tool box (which will be used as a craft box) together! It is SO cool! It's through this program called "Project of the Month" I came across and we signed up to have a project shipped to us quarterly. We successfully hammered those nails, sanded those corners together, and he painted the surfaces. One night Jasper wanted to eat a worm for dessert (inspired by his friend Emmett). Calling his bluff I said sure and told him to go find one. He did. We rinsed off the dirt, but after a couple licks he admitted it wasn't his thing and Wormy was released back into the garden to live a good life. Ah boys.

My favorite Jasper quotes:
APRIL--(going to the airport to meet his parents in FL) "Are we gonna fly on Grandad's airplane or an airplane for everybody else?"
MAY--
JASPER (at dinner): I don't like this Spinach Pie.
ME: Here, let me cut it in half so you can really bite it.
JASPER (as I'm cutting): It's not the size, it's the TASTE!!!

Love that kid.