They're getting so big

They're getting so big.  That seems like a pretty obvious statement, my boys are getting big.  Especially Logan, who thinks he should be walking and talking and doing all the things big brother is doing.  And especially James, who does preschool time with Rhonda now and learns so much everyday.

Logan

My baby still only has two teeth.  He has an infectious smile.  He crawls, pulls up, cruises around holding onto furniture, and looks for trouble ("adventure") everywhere he goes.  Logan wants to be by brother's side, all the time.  He wants to explore.  He loves to eat and wants to eat anything you might be eating.  He uses his pincer grasp like a pro, never having one second of trouble with it.  I never really thought "Baby Led Weaning" was realistic, until Logan showed us that he can pick up and eat just about anything.

Logan gave me 8 months as a momma's boy, but in the last couple of weeks has realized how awesome his father is.  Aside from bedtime, when he is all mom's, Logan wants to be with dad.  James gave me zero time as momma's boy, so I should relish the time I had with Logan being all mine (I do realize how silly I sound!).  Then there's the time before males took over my house and my whole existence.  I say that half kidding and half knowing that in some ways my life will revolve around cleaning up these boys' messes for quite some time.  

James

My big boy picks up on everything these days.  He knows when you're talking about him or repeating something he said.  He knows with one look when he can get away with something or not.  And he's always, always testing his boundaries.  James has an occasional accident, but is coming to the end of potty training.  He's funny, sweet and sensitive.  James started his first unit at preschool, "Me and my family" which explores themes on family, friends, pets, and feelings.  Now he tells me that I'm his friend.  Its pretty cute.  He likes to start sentences with "Guess what?".
James loves to be a big brother, with one exception.  He gets terribly upset when Logan messes with his line of toys.  Whether they are cars or trains or animals, James wants his toys lined up.  Little Brother would rather play Godzilla (like James before him) and mess the line up or chew on toys.  When Logan does this, we remind James that he can fix his line and that he should show Logan what he's doing.  James is good about explaining what each toy is and taking them gently from his brother.  But, I can only imagine the trouble these two will get in down the road.

I am trying to be more present.  Always trying.  Always reminding myself to put down the phone or the iPad and turn off the television.  Its not easy.  In trying to be more present, I am reminding myself that these boys growing is a good thing.  I shouldn't let my heart get so weary over their baby-ness wearing off.  That is a struggle for me.  While I love working and know that working is in the cards for me, sometimes I am overwhelmed with the sadness that I am missing out on the boys during the day.  Again, I am trying to shift my thinking to look at the positives and enjoy the time that I have, but some days I am just Debbie Downer.
On September 25th, Logan has his 9 month check up, so we'll see exactly how big he is then.