Big Boys

Confession:

Jack and Woody are creeping up on three years old, and I'm not ready to treat them like big boys.

To be honest, it's easier to forget they're getting older and just let them stay babies, especially since we still carry them around, push them in a stroller, and change their diapers. They roll around on the floor and sometimes crawl. And they still like to be snuggled, which is a big plus! People at Walmart think they are enormous, brilliant 1-year-olds, since all they see are two fat little babies sitting in the buggy and talking to everyone they meet.

However, Jack and Woody make it very clear that they are no longer babies. They get tired of being on the floor. They get fed up with seeing the world from everyone's feet, and they don't like sitting in a baby high chair to eat meals at home. They also get frustrated when they need help with simple things and are not able to run away from us and just go wild like little boys do. All of this causes them to rely on their speech -- they have to tell us what they want. Consequently, their vocabularies are sky-rocketing and they have started doing just that! Woody will ask to go play in his room with his trucks and trains. Jack will ask to play with the kitchen in Ellie's room. Woody asks to sit on the potty (we let him, although we're not sure what exactly will come of that one). They clearly know a baby when they see one, and from what we can tell, they know they are not babies.


The Wheelchair Conundrum
The boys are getting pretty skilled with their wheelchairs at school; they roll up to circle time to be with their friends and push up to the table for lunch. They make us so proud! The bummer is, at home, we just don't have the space for them to use their wheelchairs much, if at all. They can't turn around in the hallway or bathrooms, our bedrooms are all carpeted, and if they try to steer around the furniture in the living/dining room, they end up ramming each other, the walls, or the furniture (also, our dining table hits right at their eye level when they are in their chairs, which worries me). This is yet another instance where having double the trouble blessings means double the dilemma. We love our home, and we are very thankful for it. I can't imagine how we would have handled this in the trailer we rented before we moved here! However, we went from no children to three, two of whom are physically challenged, within two years. We certainly didn't expect that! And we picked out ceramic tile floors before we knew we'd have children who would crawl for a lot longer than most do. I have a hate/hate relationship with these floors. You should see the bruises on my babies' big boys' arms.


The Plan for a Big Boy Upgrade
I am constantly trying to figure out better ways to use the space we have for what we all need, but that can be very frustrating. What I know is I have to make it work, and what we need will always be in flux. However, for right now, there are a few key areas that need a big boy upgrade, so I am thinking about purchasing, borrowing, or stumbling upon a few things within the next six months or so, and each one will help us treat the boys like three-year-olds, not babies.

Wish me luck!