Three: On trials and triumphs

Trials- So far "three" has proven to be pretty tough.  I now understand the phrase "threenager" in a whole new way.  Anderson is still usually nice, sweet, and delightful.  But absolutely not always.  The one thing in particular that is so hard for me is the.... hitting.  The summer he turned two, some hitting started.  Mainly hitting me or someone else who was trying to change his diaper, for example.  But one time he did hit his cousin Will over a bubble gun. :(  Right about that time he had a bad habit of pulling his BFF's hair (during the day at the babysitter.)  So we tried to be super consistent with timeouts and lots of positive attention other times (there was a new baby in his life by now).  And it worked!  He outgrew those behaviors and 2-year-old Anderson was really easy.

But now, he's three- almost three and a half- and he's pushing a lot of boundaries.  There's the arguing with Ryan or me, the running away (like out of a park into a parking lot) that lasted for less than a week but scared me to death, and now the hitting has re-emerged.  It's really just been bad this past month.  Of course, poor Brady was the first recipient, but he's started hitting other kids sometimes, too.  Not usually, but enough that I totally have my guard up.  He does it with the attitude of "What happens if I...".  It's frustrating because we are still trying really hard to be consistent and give him tons of positive attention for good behavior, but we haven't gotten through this phase yet.

He's really aware of his behavior now, and he will tell us that hitting is "not nice" and if he hits he'll get a "HUGE timeout."  He'll also talk about times that he has hit.  Like at lunch today, he started talking about hitting the waitress (cringe), which he did do about 3 weeks ago right in the middle of the worst weekend to date behavior-wise.  He wasn't acting proud or sad or anything, really.  Just telling me that he hit her and then he threw his grilled cheese, and Mommy said, "NO movie tonight!" (The movie was attempted bribery... like I said it had been a rough weekend!).  It's just interesting to me that he remembers the event with a lot of detail.  I reiterated with him that it did happen, but it will not happen again.  We do not hit.  He agreed that it is not nice.  I hope that as he processes all of this, he starts to internalize the rules and self-regulate his behavior more consistently.

Then during our otherwise wonderful vacation to AZ this past week, after a day of riding in the car, upon entering a house full of family, Anderson pushes the (almost) littlest, sweetest, kindest little cousin Reed.  And he made Reed cry. :(  After a timeout, Anderson could talk about it, and then throughout the trip, he would tell me, "On the first day, I pushed Reed.  It was NOT nice."  I try to talk all of that through with him, and he seems to get it.  But so far it is still something he is (we are) working through.

Also, potty training will never, ever, really end.

Triumphs-
90% of the time he is sweet and wonderful and delightful.  He is so interested in music and instruments these days, and it's so cool to see more and more of his own unique little self emerge.  He is doing great in preschool, and all of his little friends seem to like him.  I get nervous that he will act out in preschool like he's doing with me, but so far he hasn't (I've asked.)

He is so sweet talking about our new little baby, and he asks to see my belly and rubs it and kisses it and gives the baby hugs.  Lots of heart-melting still going on.

Transitioning Anderson to his toddler bed was smoother than expected.  He wandered around his room/ the hallway days 4,5,6 of the transition, but now if he gets out of his bed he just grabs something and hops back in.  And he almost always naps still.  Hooray!  An added bonus is laying down with him for prayers and songs, which he insists on.  He always tells me to "lay in the bed", but a few times lately, he has said, "Lay on my Anderson," and tapped on his chest, for my head.  I think I'm a little heavier than he plans on, but it is such a sweet gesture. :)

And to summarize, a little anecdote yesterday that made me smile:
(He was still dressed in his Thanksgiving attire from preschool's feast that day, pictured below...)

Me to Anderson: "You are sooo cute (kiss on the cheek)."

Anderson:  "No.  I'm not cute.  I'm wonderful.  I'm wonderful now......  And so cute."

Arizona trip

Our trip to Arizona was short and sweet.  Of the 5 days, 3 of them were primarily travelling.  We had one fun evening and morning in Phoenix and two fun, busy days in Kingman.

We took a lot of pictures, but we missed a lot of fun stuff.  When there's a lot of family, food, playing, etc. going on, we don't seem to manage to get the camera out.  We need to be better about that... not sure being outnumbered 3 to 2 is going to help our chances in the future, though...

Wednesday: Early plane ride to Phoenix, went to Grandma Bonda's house in Sun City.  The boys got to run around in the backyard/ common area, and Anderson really loved seeing the fruit trees and really tall palm trees.  We went out to Abuelo's for dinner, which went really well considering those boys had been on planes for over 6 hours that day.

Thursday:  Grandma Bonda suggested we go to a great park she'd seen.  So after breakfast at the hotel, we headed out.  The park was beautiful and so was the weather.  A perfect plan for our two boys to get to play before the 4+ hour ride to Kingman!

Anderson found a little buddy at the park, and suddenly he was very brave and loved this big slide.

Upon request, Grandma was brave and tried out the slide, too.

We were excited to get a Four Generations photo... 

And found that the boys were unable to sit still and look happy long enough for a picture of the Ives with Grandma Bonda...

We went a little bit out of our way to get to Kingman, because for years I'd talked about Ryan seeing Sedona.  We stayed for an hour or so taking pictures and eating ice cream. :)  It was nice to let all of us out of the car for a little while, and the scenery did not disappoint!

The sun was right in our eyes, so smiling pictures just didn't happen.

That evening when we arrived to Kingman, Mollie and Tim had a bunch of family over for dinner, and we got some delicious homemade spaghetti.  We were all thrilled! :)  The boys definitely weren't themselves (more on this in my next blog), but I had high hopes that after a good night's sleep and a chance to warm up to everyone, their real personalities would come out.  It was great to see everyone, and we all appreciate so much what an effort everyone makes to get together when we are in town (especially for such a short visit!)

Friday:

The big boys went golfing, and the mommas, grandmas and kids were planning to get together at Sarah's house to play.  Or so I thought... Surprise! It's the cutest and most amazingly quickly put together baby shower ever!  The "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie..." theme was so cute and delicious! (Dog- donuts, moose-muffins, cat-cupcakes, etc.  YUM!)  Considering we'd only known our littlest Ives is a boy for one week, I couldn't believe they had put the shower together- including a handmade quilt.  Amazing!  Again, not nearly enough photos, but I have a couple of the boys playing and the adorable decor.

Look how cute!  And I didn't take a picture of the beautiful quilt, but the fabric in the banners is the same as the quilt.  You better believe I grabbed those banners before I left, too.  Thanks for decorating our nursery, Brandi and Sarah!!! ;)

Trudi being so fun as always! (Here she and Anderson are sword fighting)

YUM!!

Anderson LOVED sword fighting... and then we had to take the swords away...

Brady played happily in here (and later in Sarah's awesome backyard) so happily- he would have gladly played with Liam and Colin's toys all day.

Friday night we went to the Hualapi Lodge for a delicious dinner.  Twenty-three of us sat at two tables.  The kids played a lot and ate a little on their end of the table.  Then, they were ready to stretch their leggies right about the time a live band started to play.  A great night is made just perfect with live music!

*Favorite Anderson memory of the trip* As the music began and some of the kids started to play and dance in some open area (we had the back room to ourselves at this point), Anderson was still in his highchair.  He said, "Help Mama, help!" And I said, "What's wrong Anderson?"  He said, "I need to dance!!"  Haha, and dance he did!

Saturday: Last day before heading home already!  The four of us hung out at Grandma's house until 10:00 or so.  We played some soccer in the backyard...

And then my mom came and scooped us all up (she was staying at Mollie and Tim's house) for some Kingman fun and lunch with Shirley.

We went to the big train...

And Anderson and I apparently had our own personal photo shoot... 

We tried for a family photo

Grandma with her boys

Then a cute little train museum, in which the boys were both given train whistles.  Anderson especially was thrilled!

After a yummy lunch with Shirley, we took the boys back to my grandma's house for naps.  The boys did awesome sharing a room!  Anderson slept in his big boy bed "on the floor" (a pallet of quilts and pillows) and Brady was in a borrowed pack-n-play.  They were great little roommates and had great nights' sleep and naps the whole time we were there.  One morning I knew they were awake because I heard Brady's sweet little voice say, "Hi, Anderson!"  Anderson had climbed up on the double-bed to see Brady, who was happy to be visited. :)

That evening was Liam's super fun birthday party, complete with an awesome Spider Man bouncey house.  I think Anderson had the time of his life!  Brady was very happy to play in a little outdoor playhouse and to sit in the bouncey house for small periods of time.  Again, we were having lots of fun, but we didn't even bring the camera. :(

Home that night early so we could be up and out early for a long day of traveling.

Sunday:  The plane rides both directions were great, but coming home was unbelievably smooth.  The longest leg was Vegas to Charlotte, 4 1/2 hours.  Brady did this for 3 1/2 of those hours...

 

*Favorite Brady memory of the trip* Brady was happy to play on my phone for the first 15 or so minutes before we even took off, but then he asked to sit "On momma wap (lap)."  After reading him two books and noticing he kept leaning on my shoulder, he started to sing "Amazing Grace" which I often sing to him before nap or bedtime.  He sang the whole first verse.  I rocked him for maybe 30 seconds and he was out.  Sweet boy.

Anderson didn't nap until we got him in a stroller to book it across the Charlotte airport to get on our connection in time (figures) and then later in the Richmond airport while Mom and Ryan went to get our cars.  But he was very happy with unlimited access to Frozen and his tablet for the 5+ hours he spent on a plane that day.

Such a fun trip!  And as a huge perk of our whirlwind visit, we brought my grandma back to stay for Thanksgiving and Christmas! :)  Thanks for everything, Arizona!!

Healthy Baby Boy!

We had a great visit at the doctor yesterday, and per the ultrasound tech, there is "no doubt" that we are expecting a baby boy!

Before she told us, just looking at his profile, I thought- "Yep, he looks like a boy."  That could have something to do with the fact that every time I've watched an ultrasound, it has in fact been a boy.  But nonetheless, he's very handsome already. It is fun to think about what our third boy will look like, especially since Anderson and Brady don't look a whole lot like each other.  So strange to imagine that one more boy will take up the huge amount of space in my heart that each of my 3 other Ives boys already do.

I think the only person disappointed was my doctor.  She was 100% Team Girl this time around, and said she'll be at home tonight thinking, "I can't believe it!" Haha.  But she and her nurse got on board quickly and called my cell phone a few minutes after the appointment with a list of names.

On that note, we don't have a name yet.  We have a short-list, and I'm always eager to decide, but Ryan isn't ready to commit.  So I'm trying to be patient.

We invited our parents and brother and sisters over last night to join in the gender reveal (reveal to them and the boys since we obviously knew.)  Lauren was en route to DC from Philadelphia, so she couldn't be there, but the rest of the crew made it.  It was fun and crazy!  Brandon, Heather and their 4 little ones came.  My boys, especially Anderson, tend to keep to themselves more when there is a lot going on, so Anderson was quiet and borderline lethargic throughout the night.  I think he probably had a little tummy ache, too.  But I stole a few quiet moments with him, and he seemed good with the news about a new baby boy.

Once the house emptied out a bit (Anderson reported, "Now it's just 4!") we took some pictures of the boys in the box they had opened with the balloons that popped out (or, rather, were stuck and I had to pull out...).  They were excited to play with the balloons, and Ryan had them saying, "Boy!" which led to some good smiles.

Here are a few pictures from the festivities and the boys in the box...

All of the kids enjoyed the noisemakers!  Brady and Xavier here.

Charlotte, the only girl grandbaby of what will be 7, was the queen of the balloons all night.  Usually she was seen walking around with all 6.

Don't they look thrilled?? ;-)

Now we're having fun!

Blurry but such a sweet hug.  Brady's a little love man.

My favorite one of all. :)

20 weeks

Today I am 20 weeks pregnant.  Already!  I say already, but anybody who sees me is shocked that I'm not in my third trimester.  What can I say- I've carried all of my babies "big", and with this being the third, let's say "really big."  I am really, really trying to savor the rotundness of it all since we plan on this being my last pregnancy.  Still a little tough to swallow, "Looks like you're ready to pop!" at 20 weeks or less.

Next week, right at 21 weeks, I have my ultrasound.  Seeing my baby on that screen and hearing that he/she is healthy will be all I need.  Bonus, we'll find out if it's "he" or "she."  I can't wait!!

Anderson has said it's a boy all along, and I agree with him more and more.  Basically no major differences with this pregnancy.  My guess is officially boy.

I had more energy at the beginning of the second trimester, but I'm kind of already falling back into feeling tired at right about the boys' naptime.  This is the first pregnancy in which I haven't been working full-time, so I do tend to get a nap once or twice a week.  My back bothers me a lot, which I think has something to do with my two 30-ish pound children...  But for the most part I've been really lucky once again with a smooth pregnancy.

Not much else to report, except that we took a photo tonight to match/ compare with my 20-weeks photos with Brady and Anderson.  There is a trend!

Anderson

Brady

 And............

Baby 3

Sheesh!  Like I said, I'm really trying to focus on the wonderful-ness of this pregnancy, and as long as my doctor doesn't worry about my tummy, I will try not to either.

Here's hoping for a great update next week! :)

Halloween this year

Halloween was fun this year- we have a 2-year tradition going of the grandparents coming in time for the neighborhood Halloween parade and staying for dinner.  The Ives still have a lot of trick-or-treaters at their house, so they head out after dinner, but my parents (or mom, this year... poor Dad was recovering from his turn with HFM) stay and pass out candy to our neighbors while we take the boys out.

This was the first year that Anderson chose his costume, and he wanted to be Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  He helped me look on-line and confirm that was what he wanted to be, so we ordered it a month or two ahead.  This was a good move because we totally got our money's worth out of that costume.  He wore it all the time; my only concern was it would be worn out by Halloween.

Here he is riding on Brady's Jake and the Neverland Pirate's cruiser

I really wanted to find a "Cubby" costume for Brady. As you can see, Brady would make the perfect Cubby, Jake's best friend and sidekick...

But nobody sells Cubby costumes, except Etsy.  I considered making one, but I didn't think it would be a good match for Anderson's store-bought costume.  So we compromised.  I made a play-at-home version...

And we got Brady a Tick-Tock-Croc costume for Halloween.  I figure this is probably the last year that I can get away with dressing him up as a cute animal. Here are the boys in their costumes the weekend before Halloween.

Definitely the best picture that I got of the two of them dressed up.  

This was also the first year that Anderson really cared about trick-or-treating.  He loved it! Today he told me we were going to go to Mrs. Galbraith's house (next door) and say trick-or-treat and she'll give us candy.  I told him it only works that way on Halloween.  We made it up our long street and most of the way down the next.  Brady was happy enough to go along, although he only went to a handful of front doors.  Mainly he wanted to push the wagon or snack inside of it.  My best Brady memory from this Halloween was when one neighbor brought her Halloween candy bucket to the wagon for the boys to choose and Brady reached out and took the whole bucket.  Ha! :)

Here are some pics from the parade and trick-or-treating:

Grandma didn't think Tick Tock Coc wanted to walk all that way... he agreed.

Jake, Izzy (Jake's other best friend) and Tick Tock Croc

Nannie taking Brady to see the fire engine.

Ryan didn't make it home in time for the parade, but he was just in time to style Jake's hair (similar to Jersey Shore.)

And our best attempt at a family photo

Brady refused to wear the hood for most of the night.  Within the first 10 minutes back at home he had put three different hats on... toddlers...

"I got one hundred and one hundred candies!"

These are the two boys who were told "No more candy until we get home!" Apparently you get away with more on Halloween.