It was a long time coming. Thing 3 finally lost his first tooth. Followed by his second one two days later.
Category: Milestones
Milestones
Birthday Party
Thing 4 had a birthday party for her fourth birthday. It marked our return to Jumping Jack Sports, where we held a joint party for Thing 2 and Thing 3 a few years ago.
Thing 4 was a birthday princess.
There were games like freeze tag and limbo.
Frozen is what all the girls like these days.
Thing 1 and 2 worked on their slam dunk.
Quite An Accomplishment
Of all the parenting moments I’ve experienced over the last 10 years, one of the most fulfilling, surprisingly, is teaching my kids how to ride a bike.
Maybe because it wasn’t so simple to do. Maybe because they weren’t as eager to learn as I hoped. It’s an amazing thing to watch, really. One minute they are saying they can’t do it. And then it clicks, and they are off and riding.
Here is Thing 3 in just his second try.
Baseball Game
Today was a milestone of sorts. Our first sporting event with all six of us. Thing 4 and I spent more time walking around the stadium than watching the game. And Thing 3 was more interested in the snow cones. We were glad to have an extra pair of hands from Suburban Uncle.
Yellow Belt
Thing 3 has been taking a Tae Kwon Do class for the last month, a few times a week. To our surprise he really enjoys it and is a fantastic listener. Hopefully some of that will translate back home.
Here he is performing his moves for the belt test to become a yellow belt. Watch as he breaks 2 boards for the first time.
And here is the ceremony
Happy #3 to #4
Thing 4 celebrated her 3rd birthday today! She’s been talking about her party for weeks, and loves the idea of being the center of attention.
30,000 Diapers
I had very low expectations for potty training Thing 4 given our history. But girls are supposed to be easier so there was hope.
Last weekend, we decided to do a potty bootcamp. Thing 4 helped gather all her diapers into a garbage bag and we threw them all away. At least that’s what she believed. I put them in a safe place just in case.
She picked out some favorite underwear and the training began. We got off to a shaky start. She was holding it as long as she could out of fear of the potty, and we ended up with a puddle on the floor.
But we persevered. And after that one incident, Thing 4 had a flawless record for the rest of the weekend! No accidents. Telling us when she needed to go. Pee and poop. Simply amazing. Completely potty trained in one day!
We celebrated with some frozen yogurt.
I started thinking about how long and how many diapers we have used. We have had at least one kid in diapers for over 9 years. By my estimates, we have gone through at least 30,000 diapers. And now we are through it.
This Is A Big Change
It only just started the last week or so. At first, I thought it was a fluke. A one or two time aberration. But now it’s happened at least three times. Three is a trend, right? It’s been so long, nine years, that I had to remember how to do it.
This week, I’ve had to set an alarm to wake up on time. Shocking, I know.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like we’re all sleeping in until 10am or even 7am. The alarm is set for 6 o’clock. But for the first time in a very long time, everyone in the house can sleep past 6am. At the same time.
By 6:30 or 7:00, we’re still a cyclone of activity. But I’m getting used to this new sleep until 6 am reality. And hoping it lasts.