"I Wanna Do It!!!"

Caleb has decided in the last couple of weeks that he does NOT want Momma to feed him - or even help for that matter! I had been letting the boys feed themselves about twice a day, and then I would feed them the other meal (so that I knew they were getting something with good nutritional value - like oatmeal, etc - at least once a day!). I initially thought that Caleb's refusal of food had something to do with him being sick (that he was afraid the food would make him throw up again), but then I noticed that if HE gets to feed himself, he's fine. I picked up on it after I began taking his plate away when he'd refuse to eat. He would scream, cry, and point to the food, but then refuse to actually EAT IT when I would give it back! I would give him something like dry Cheerios and juice to munch on, and he would eat every last bite and point to the container for more. I thought it was just that the bland Cheerios sat better with his sick tummy, but then I saw that he also began eating veggies, cheese, beans, etc. just fine if HE got to do it.

So I realized that it was not a "sick tummy" thing, but a controlling toddler thing!

Then and there, we made the decision to let THEM feed themselves every meal. I've accepted that they are "big boys" and need to teach themselves eventually, so I've completely let go and am letting them do all of their normal favorites foods without limits, no matter HOW messy my kitchen gets - oatmeal, spaghetti, etc. They are really doing quite well with the spoon and fork too! Well, uhhh, MOST days!

Jacob is proud that he had an especially good day with his spoon skills.

Caleb did pretty well too, meaning he didn't get much on his body or Momma's floor, but look at that little face.

Caleb is quite the proud little guy, so here is his applauding himself for a job well done on his oatmeal, milk, and pears. (Yes, he is my little ham!)

This was one particular day where they got a little crazy with their lunch...

That is watermelon and broccoli all over my kitchen floor. YIKES! For some reason I feel like Cinderella here lately, as I am on my hands and knees scrubbing three times a day. Can some one come pick me up in a big pumpkin carriage and make all of the work STOP?!

Along the note of food, we have found another favorite - soybutter! Our twin friends, Hagen and Mason, had posted a blog about eating sunbutter, and we thought that we'd also try it. (As many of you know, Caleb underwent allergy testing last October, and it came back that he potentially has a peanut allergy. I say potential, because the results are not always 100% when the child is that young. Also, the allergy showed to be slight, so it might be fine for Caleb to have peanuts down the road, but we are just holding off a while longer per the Allergy/Asthma Specialist's request.) I has not able to find Sunbutter at Wal-Mart or even Sprouts (I thought that had everything!), but we did find Soybutter, which I thought would serve the same purpose. (BTW, I have only seen Sunbutter at Target.)

What a hit! The boys love their dino shaped PB&Js - uhhh, I guess that would actually be SB&Js!

On the walking front, Jacob is finally walking... AGAIN!

As you recall, from our post on May 21st, Jacob walked!! We even had video proof of the kid! But the next morning is when we all got so sick, and he refused to walk again. Well, Tuesday night (yes, almost a month later!), he FINALLY started walking again.

The problem was that by the end of the night he was already getting pretty brave (not to mention tired - but didn't want to give it up), and fell pretty hard. I mean, it was one of those hits that immediately started turning purple and swollen. The poor boy was toddling along, slipped on a book, and hit his little face on the table. I think he was more upset with me trying to hold him still and put ice on his face than he was from the crash - the tough little guy. Jon and I got pretty panicy. What finally brought me back to Earth was Jon asking me my opinion "as a nurse" and not as "Jacob's Momma." Thinking about it that way, I could at least admit that from a nurse standpoint, the kid was FINE. It might be good to check on him once more before we went to bed and first thing in the morning - he'll have a little shiner on his eye, but he'll be FINE! As a Momma, however, I wanted to go to the ER for overnight observation. hehehe

I thought that we would have a recurrence of the last walking "SIKE," since every time he has tested the waters on this walking thing, something really bad happened to him. But the next morning, he was up and at it again!

Here he is taking not only the popcorn pusher, but also the chimes for a spin. You can't see the black eye, as it is on his right side.


But, anyway, it's always something around here! Now we just need to light a fire under little Caleb. He's done better by watching brother, but he is starting to get VERY jealous and acting more reserved, so we're not pushing him too hard... yet!

Caleb says, "Just TRY to make me walk without my push toy!!"

As far as the pregnancy, I am past the week 31 mark and still feeling great! I am much smaller and have much more energy that I did with the twins - go figure. My doctor's only concern is that I stay well hydrated while going out and about with the boys, since we are still doing our daily walks and frequent zoo trips.

Hmmmm... I'll try to work on some tummy pics soon! Perhaps tomorrow, if I am feeling ambitious after church. It'd be a good time, as I'll be dressed nicer than my recent day-to-day norm. ;-)