Changing Lives

Living with two under five years old means there are always big changes underway.

Reading on the couch, a typical Saturday morning activity.

Kai: Here's what babycenter says  about thirteen-month old development:

• Picky eater (check)
• Waking up at night (check)
• Screaming (check)

There's good things, too. He's saying some words pretty clearly, but half are in Spanish so I don't always catch them. (Leche, purple, milk, gato are some recent ones.) He understands a lot, and has very expressive and dramatic body language. He will flop to the floor on his tummy to let you know just how much he doesn't want to give up that toy. He also is one of the best huggers I know, resting his head on your shoulder and squeezing with his little arms. He occupies himself by "reading" board books (we've had to hide the libary books, otherwise they get destroyed). He also has climbed onto chairs, low tables, and has tried to do pullups on our desks. And, drumroll....he's starting to WALK!
Here's the 13 to 18 month milestone chart.

Xander: Here's what babycenter says about four-year old development.

I've got to say, that this age so far is my favorite. I just spent an hour playing card games with him: Go Fish! then War (but we call it--hippy alert-- "The Contest Game"), and then UNO. Midway through, I thought, wow, I'm really enjoying his company. I truly like spending time with Xander, and not just because he's my son. (Parents, you must know what I'm talking about.)

I've also said this before, but Xander has a sharp sense of humor:

X throws a foam block at my head.
Me, angry: "Xander, don't throw blocks at my face. Are you going to do that again?"
Xander: "No, there's no more blocks nearby."


In non-kid news, Micah was asked to join a start-up company in Sunnyvale to work on atom interferometry. He starts end of January, and will be making the long commute for a few months while we figure out how to recreate our ideal Rockridge lifestyle in the heart of Silicon Valley.