The End of Summer

Hello! Sorry for the lack of blogging. Things have been a little hectic in these parts this summer. I can't believe it's over! We're all doing well, but for some reason, it seems like time has sped up and there's never enough. Matt switched jobs a couple of months ago, which probably has something to do with it. It's a great new job but it's less flexible hours, which means that I'm shouldering more of the childcare/housekeeping responsibilities, leaving a lot less time for picture taking and blogging. Also, we traveled a lot this summer. We were out of town every weekend in August, which I still haven't quite recovered from. I don't think I've seen the bottom of the dirty clothes hamper since spring.

Silas is still hilarious. He's talking up an absolute storm. Every time he enters a room, he looks around and says, "Hey, guys!" He's speaking in sentences like "Mama, anai hab mo kassup, pease?" [Mama, can I have more ketchup, please] and "Sowwy, Caca. No hit." [Sorry, Jessica--his nanny. No hit]. Matt will probably kill me for writing this but last night, as Silas was eating his black beans, he looked up at me and said, "F*ck." Shocked, I waited a beat and said, "What?" He repeated it and I paused for a minute trying to figure out how to respond. Then he said, "F*ck, pease!" Which is when I realized that he was asking for a fork. Whew.

He loves to count and sing songs. "Winkle" [Twinkle twinkle] is a favorite, as is "Wheels on the Bus" and "Old McDonald." He's been going to a kids music class for about six months now that is is favorite thing on earth. Whenever he's having a hard time with life, we stick this music class's cds in the stereo and it just calms him right down.

He's still loving his nanny. We feel very fortunate. He spends a lot of time with her family too--she has two little sisters and she lives with them and her parents, and she and Silas usually spend time at her house every afternoon. It's like Silas has two families, lucky boy.

We're definitely in the throes of the terrible twos and have been for a few months now. Having started with the terrible twos around 16 months, I think it's clear that Silas is a prodigy... or something. He can throw some pretty amazing fits. He's also figured out that a really loud high pitched scream in public is a good way to get whatever it is he wants at that minute. It's remarkably effective. I find that we are very good disciplinarians at home. Silas gets a warning, we count to three, and then he goes straight to timeout. If he has a tantrum, we ignore him and he quits or we distract him and he forgets whatever it was that turned his world upside down a few minutes earlier. Outside of the house, however, we tend to do whatever it takes to stop the screaming. Seriously, people, his screams will melt glass. I know how we're responding is bad, but short of staying home or going out in public and having everyone within earshot think that we're removing his toenails one-by-one, I'm not really sure how to handle it.

I try to tell myself that his willfulness and independence is a good thing. Probably most political and business leaders were all willful toddlers, right? Then it occurs to me that most violent criminals and evil dictators were also likely difficult children and then I start to worry.

Our main challenges right now, in addition to tantruming, are hitting and pushing. He's got a pretty solid aggressive streak. When he hits or pushes, he gets an immediate time out. No warning or counting--just straight to time out--which seems to be working a little. This phase is worrying me a lot, but I can't really blame him. I think he came by his aggressive streak naturally. In fact, the amount of energy I expend daily trying not to hit people I interact with would probably shock you. Unless you know me pretty well, in which case it wouldn't.

Oh well. We all have our crosses to bear. Silas and I must calm the beast within us. Matt just has to work hard on not smiling so much. Sometimes life seems unfair.

Now: photos that have nothing to do with anything written above. Congruity.... who needs it?

Bubbles and sidewalk chalk

Loving on my Mimi, celebrating her birthday

In Baltimore at the O's/Nats game with Uncle Haig and Aunt Adrienne

Loving on my Uncle Haig

Hanging out with my cousin, A.J.

Filling up the kiddie pool is Man's Work

What? Your dining room floor doesn't look like this after EVERY MEAL?

Chillin' with Big Papa

Walking Grand and Big Papa's dog, Deuce

Just plum tuckered out.