Rhys, Rhys quite Contrary

I am dedicating this entire post to Rhys Alexander Harding - I am sure that when this ends up in the Internet cache, he will appreciate it 15 years from now as a Senior in High School when a tech savvy buddy finds it and publishes it to the school population. This is how my mind thinks, by the way.

Rhys is nearing 27 months old and is "brilliant" according to his speech therapist. He is really smart and coming along with this speech. He recognizes some numbers and letters and can fill in the blanks during the alphabet song. I work with him every day on the alphabet and hope that he can get caught up as his speech continues to improve.

I have to say he is brilliant too because he is potty training himself. That is a true statement since Chris and I only reward him and gently remind him that he may need to go. He usually doesn't take our suggestion but he has only had 5 accidents in the month that we have been letting him call the shots. Basically, I ask him if he wants a diaper, big boy underpants, or nothing at all when we are at home. He usually goes "commando" but today, he chose underpants. He has been in underpants for almost 4 hours straight and they are still dry. He occasionally tells me that he has to go but usually just tootles off on his own and takes care of his own business. BRILLIANT!

I am expecting the bad potty training challenges to come along but I hope that we all keep cool heads about it and don't create a potty monster in the process. Here's hoping!

"NO!" is his very favorite word to exercise. "Why?" comes in a close second. Here are some examples:
Me: "Do you want something to eat?"
Rhys: "No!"
Me: "Okay, do you want a drink?"
Rhys: "No, un't eat...Mama, cup'juice?" (translation: "No, I want to eat...Mama, can I have a cup of juice?")
Me: "ugh."

Rhys: "Un't go Mommy car." (translation: "I want to go in Mommy's car")
Me: "We will go in Mommy's car in just a minute."
Rhys: "Why?"
Me: "ugh."

We love to hear him say "wook at dat" because it is just too cute. I also think it is really cute that he tells us the he loves us but he just says, "Mama", reaching his arms out as wide as they go, "this much". He also asks to snuggle and gives affection when he is really happy about something. His unenthusiastic but well timed "yea" always makes us laugh too.

He loves to play outside and in the big pool at the gym. Unfortunately, no swim diapers are allowed so I struggle with letting him play along the water's edge (they have a gentle slope leading into the pool like a beach with fountains spouting up along the side) without letting him get in all the way. So far, no one has said anything and he knows that if he says goodbye to diapers, he can get in all the way!

Like chalk and cheese is a way to describe Rhys and Cole. They are so very different. I often think of Jack Sprat and his wife (you know the one where he can eat no fat and his wife can eat no lean and so between them both, you see, they lick the platter clean.) Just the other day they both had fruit cups. Rhys left all of his cherries behind and Cole left all of the other fruit behind. Now, they share one fruit cup.

He is very much my baby and I will truly be sad when he is all grown up but I am proud of how far he has come and when I look into his eyes, I still see that tiny innocent baby that I held moments after he took his first breath. Clinging to that thought is hard when he is such a bugger sometimes.

So hard to say good bye

For about a year now, my friend Kate has been moving to Australia. In the beginning she was excited and the preparations began. They continued through the summer last year with an end-of-year ballpark of moving. She packed everything, started renovations on their house to prepare for selling. They scheduled the movers in January only to cancel within days of the movers arrival. The move date was pushed even further into "sometime in the next few months" by her husband's company. She was even forced to unpack some boxes so they would have their stuff! Finally, the contract was signed and the green light was lit. Travel plans were made, tickets booked, house packed, garage stored, family visited.

They are flying to Sydney today. We were lucky enough to have Kate and her husband take time out of their busy schedule to come and have dinner with us. Sadly, we were unable to say good bye to her boys but I was able to give her one last hug. Hopefully we will be able to catch up again at Christmas. For now, though, I will follow her adventures through her blog. So long, Kate, Jay, Joe, Tom, and Sam. Have fun and try to enjoy every single moment! I can't wait to read all about it!

Vacation and Back to Reality

I haven't been blogging because it is daunting to imagine documenting all of the things that we have been doing and it has gotten so out of control that I decided that it is probably best to write something and take baby steps.

Right now, Cole is experiencing a new round of separation anxiety. I am not sure why but he cries when I leave him with sitters and dreads my going when he knows it will happen. From the Kids Club at the Gym to Preschool; he just doesn't want to think about me not being there. This is really bad timing since I am starting to work away from home and he is going to be staying with a sitter at least one day each week. Otherwise, he is a normal 4 year old.

Rhys is developing his speech and delighting us every day with his new phrases and personality. "Look at that" and "look at me" are popular phrases as well as "no" and "why". He also always asks to "go mommy car".

Cole finished up Preschool a couple of weeks ago and still talks about going back to school. I am sure he will enjoy the summer and will be really ready to meet some new friends and reconnect with old ones come September.

We all (including the dog) went on vacation to Rehoboth Beach, DE for the week of Memorial Day. It was a lovely time and you can click on the picture at the top of this post to view all of the pictures.

We spent time on the boardwalk in Rehoboth, Bethany, and Ocean City. The kids played video games, rode rides, ate candy and treats, played on countless playground equipment, played in the sand and surf, collected and decorated seashells, shopped, played putt-putt, blew bubbles on the beach, flew kites, and swam in the community pool. We were there for the whole week and enjoyed every day.

The house was perfect aside from the fact that the boys had to sleep in the same bed. Fitful sleepers and sleep talkers don't make for friendly bedfellows so we eventually set up a stack of blankets for Cole to sleep on the floor in our room. That made for better attitudes and well rested Hardings.

We made it home to a grown garden and a stack of mail. This was an especially special vacation because I knew before we left that I would be heading back to an office commute on the Monday after our return.

I accepted a position at WeddingWire Inc. As their HR Manager and will be commuting on Mondays for now and will probably add another day by the end of the summer. I will also be available from home for some time as needed. This is a big change from the occasional work that I have been doing for the last 4 years. This is regular work where I am expected to be in the office. It is really different.

I must say that there is a competition for what part of the day was the best. Was it knowing that the kids were with my mom, sister, and niece and at home for my first day of work? Was it the greeting that I received from old friends and new bosses (a hug)? It could have been the "jumping back on the horse" way that I stepped back into working and in-processed 3 new employees within an hour of walking into the office and conducting an exit interview after lunch. There was also that funny moment in the sales meeting when I was introduced as the HR Manager to unsuspecting employees. Was it getting out early and beating rush hour to get home to the open arms of a 4 year old? I am not sure. It was all pretty wonderful. I know that they won't all be like this but it is nice when they are.