Mother's Day Ramblings

When we were walking into the gym the other day, Carmine was strutting along, carrying his little snack bag as he always does, and stopping to wave hi to everyone we passed. The way he walks in there every day is hysterical - he acts like he owns the place! 

And on this particular day, as we walked down the hall, another mom was just on her way into the daycare room with her son, who's about the same age as Carmine. They're at the gym pretty frequently, too, so Carmine recognized the little boy right away and went running over to give him a hug. I just about melted. It was too cute.

As he gets older, we're seeing more and more behavior from him that reminds us SO much of Gabe as a baby. He likes to walk around hitting things; he's very rough with everything - throws things around and bangs things, making as much noise as possible; and is a very picky eater. He seems to have some of Dante's personality, too (he's really loud!), but I think he's going to be much more like Gabe.

He's going to be a late talker like Gabe, that's for sure. He still has yet to say a single word. Actually, he has said the word "slide," but that's it. He tries to communicate, and is very expressive, but what comes out of his mouth is just complete jibberish.

The pediatrician referred us to Early Intervention, so they'll be coming out to the house soon to evaluate him. I'm not concerned - he understands everything we say, and is very interested in communicating with us; it'll just be a matter of getting him to form the correct words. And like Gabe, I know he'll do it when he's ready. But I also know it won't hurt to give him some help getting there.

He stayed home with Granddad last weekend while we brought Gabe and Dante to the circus. We knew there was no way Carmine would sit still for 2 hours, and didn't want to spend the whole time chasing him around, and I'm glad we made that decision, because it was nice to share something special with the big boys.

And let me tell you - it was special!  I had never been to the circus before, and I was blown away! It was an amazing show, and I was just as captivated as the boys were. The only part that bothered me was the animals - it just seems so wrong to have them out there doing tricks like that, and I couldn't help thinking about the stories I've heard about how poorly the animals are sometimes treated. But aside from my discomfort with that, it was an amazing experience, and the boys were sooooo excited!

We also decided to take the train to Providence, rather than driving, and that was a fun experience in and of itself. They thought it was so cool, even though it was only a 20-minute trip. And on the way back, the train was so crowded that the only seats we could find together were in the cafe car, so we all sat at a table and shared a snack. That, of course, was super cool : )  And Gabe also enjoyed riding the "excavator" to get up out of the train station. 

Carmine has been done nursing for a couple weeks now, and I'm feeling totally fine with it now. Our nighttime routine now is to get him in his pjs, then he hangs out in Gabe and Dante's room while they get changed, and then I bring him to his room and read him a few books. He gets so excited when we sit down on the bed with the books - he grins and laughs. And tonight, when I asked him if he was ready to read a book, he went right over to his bookshelf and picked one out.

Dante made me a Mother's Day card at school. It's always so fun to see what they decide to write. I got a big kick out of Gabe's a few years ago, and Dante's was the same. Here's what he wrote:  My mom looks pretty when "she dresses up to go to a wedding." My mom's favorite thing to do is "bake cookies for me and Gabe."  I love my mom because she "takes me to the Target mall and I get pizza and donuts." 

I also take him to Starbucks sometimes, where we get their special yummy "combs," which some people also refer to as scones : )

Everyone is pretty well settled in their rooms now, and the dust is slowly but gradually settling, which is a huge relief. There are still lots of little things to do - hang curtains, paint some trim, hang artwork on the walls - but the major stuff is done, and it's so nice to have everyone where they belong. It's especially nice for Scott and I to be back in our bedroom, and to not have that space occupied by a crib and a dresser. The room looks so huge now that Carmine's stuff is not in there!

Gabe and Dante's new room is fabulous. Even better than I imagined it would be. It's enormous, and it's nicely laid out, and they love it. Now that they're in this new huge room, I look at their old room and can't believe the two of them were squished in there together for as long as they were.

The move into the new room was pretty hugely exciting, though, and as a result, Gabe hardly slept for the first week they were in there. He was staying up well past the time Scott and I went to bed. He'd read, or play Legos, or get paper and pens and write stories. There was at least one night where we woke up at 1am and he was still up! 

Thankfully, he seems to have finally settled down and has slept better the past few nights.

One of the nights he stayed awake, he came into our room after I had gone to bed, and he gave me a hug and said "Mommy, I love you so much, I...I....I.....  I just don't know what to say!"

He's a quirky little kid, and not without his challenges, but you'll never meet a sweeter, more lovey little boy. And he's all mine. I'm a very lucky mommy : ) 

Comments

[Mom and Dad]

You are indeed !

[Wes]

Happy Mother's Day, luckiest mom! :-)