The one about Reed singing

Reed started singing with me a couple of weeks ago. I’d start each line of a song and he would finish it.  The first song was “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and then ABCs.  I’d say “Twinkle Twinkle Little… “ he would finish, “Star!” and so on.  It was so cute and Mike and I were very impressed.  One night we were driving home in the truck and Mike said, “He’ll be singing that song all on his own before Thanksgiving!”  He was looking forward to Reed singing for his parents in Indiana.  I thought to myself, “He’ll be singing it by the time your mom gets here next week!!”  The very next morning as Mike was changing Reed’s diaper, I froze suddenly as  I listened to Reed start the song on his own and continue to go through each line.  Not wanting to distract him, I just stood there waiting for the end of the song. I caught Mike’s eye, who hadn’t even realized what was happening yet, and gave him my excited look.  Then Mike was aware of it and we both waited till the final line before bursting into praise for Reed.  “YAY!! That was sooo good Reed! You sang it all by yourself! You’re amazing!”  He stood there looking at us with this tentative smile, not really sure what we were so excited about.  It was like he was thinking, ‘wow- you guys are so easy to impress. That’s all I had to do?’ As if he didn’t already know this about us.

He now also sings the full ABCs, Ring around the Rosie, Jesus Loves Me, and most of Itsy Bitsy Spider.  My favorite though is “Hey Hey we’re the Monkeys”.  I have yet to catch it on video- but stay tuned. It’s worth the wait!  He has a rapt audience in Decker, who looks at him and watches in awe. Mike and I can only shake our heads - it begins already.  Idolizing his brother!

Reed loves when I make up songs just for him.  There’s a rap that I invented when he asked for a “Fridge Song” it goes like this:

I open the fridge, and what do I see?

A big Jug of milk is staring at me

So I pour it in a cup

And drink it all up

This is the fridge song, I say what’s up.

I sing it for Reed, I sing it for Reed, this is the Fridge Song, I sing it for Reed!

I know. You don’t have to tell me. I’m a pretty big dork.  Just wait till you hear the song I made up in response to Reed’s request for a “wall song, door song, and window song”.

The one about Decker being my pet

Can you believe Decker is going to be 9 months old on Tuesday? Maybe you can, but it's hard for me accept.  My family is made up of a handsome husband a charming toddler and a sweet baby, isn't it? Well, some days I actually feel like I have one child and one pet. Reed sings songs, asks for snacks, brushes his teeth, kicks balls and "reads" books.  Decker mostly crawls around the house at varying speeds and hangs around my feet when I'm in the kitchen making dinner or washing dishes.  I'm constantly tripping over him or shuffling around him while he pulls at my pants and tries to use me as a support to stand.  I'll reach down and pat him on the head and give him a cheerio if he's a good boy (joke!).  On top of that, Reed is relentlessly trying to "ride" Decker, no matter how much we discourage him.  

So, Decker is now in what I like to refer to as the "pet" stage. I remember this stage with Reed and it very quickly turns in to toddler stage, but not before it looks a lot like a "circus dog" stage (minus the pointy hat and tutu). Watching them learn to walk is so comical and yet so wonderfully exciting and fulfilling!

Decker's coordination is really improving and he's pulling up easily and quickly, but also turning and lowering himself gracefully... most of the time. There are a lot of tumbles when it involves a moving support object like the rocking chair or Reed. 

He has his brand new teeth to show off, both my boys waited till the nearly 8 month mark to get any but now Decker has two perfect little pearls to use on his puff snacks or your finger if you're not careful where you put it. 

He's so busy all the time, I mentioned he pulls at my pants and tries to climb my legs, but many times, once I pick him up, he just wants down again anyway.  He leans his entire body weight out and over when you least expect it and commits himself to grasping anything he set his sights on.  He wants a yellow spoon on the counter, good luck keeping him in a vertical position. He chases Reed around the house like Pepe Le Pew (minus the stinky rapist stuff), Reed is frantically trying to find somewhere to hide, but Decker keeps gaining on him.  Reed finds himself trapped in a dark corner in the pantry and completely loses it- screaming and laughing hysterically. 

Watching them interact is always entertaining, except when it's annoying because Reed is helplessly too rough with him. Decker is tough- that's for sure!