Summer is almost over. The little guys start school in just a few short weeks. Connor just after Labor Day. Private school, you know, the one you pay for, is much shorter, apparently. But it, too, will be here before you know it.
And summer has been fun. There have been trips to the lake and the pool. Visits with friends and family. Play dates and birthday parties and book clubs and other adventures. All kinds of good things. Connor even has a few more coming up, what with his longer summer break and all. He's got a camping trip and a trip the beach (shh, we haven't told him about that one yet - we don't want to hear about it for another month)!
There's also been simple, lazy days at home. We play in the house with our alternating toys. We splash in the kiddie pool. We play in the yard on swings and slides and inside the forts. We take stroller walks and Big Wheel rides around the neighborhood.
We also keep moving forward. The twins are doing pretty well with potty training, aside from their digestive issues with number two. We've taken down baby gates and child restraints and are learning to simply listen to directions (like get off the stairs or quit bouncing on the couch). We're venturing out of the house more and more without our usual crutches (think strollers, pull-ups, and extra sets of hands).
And Xander is making leaps and bounds. I mentioned earlier about how he's started picking up a word or twenty here and there. That continues. The newest one is "pineapple," which is quite distorted but still there. It sounds something like "hi-happle" at this point, but I'll take it. It's consistent and appropriate. He also likes to help me when I congratulate him for going potty successfully. He says both "Good job!" and "Good boy!" and proceeds to lead me to the cabinet holding the M&M reward. He also says "Bye-bye, see you later!" appropriately and with a little wave. He even says "Bye-bye soon?" when he's ready to get out of the house. (And how cute is that?) The kid can also recite his full ABCs without mistake and quite clearly (aside from M & N sounding pretty much the same). He can count to twelve, sometime higher, on a consistent basis.
But beyond those things, there is his interaction with his brother. He and Connor have become play buddies. They run around, alternately chasing each other and laughing. They play made-up games that usually involve running, jumping and hoarding toys away from one another. They sit and play with cars (appropriately) on a little toy track. They even put Little People inside those cars. Connor provides most of the conversation, of course, but Xander is there. He's watching and listening and playing along. His engagement is improving. His social skills, albeit with someone he knows very, very well, are improving. He is moving forward.
And there is progress with Sawyer, too. But not the same kind. His comes in much smaller steps. It's in the fact that he almost always looks at you when you say his name. It's the way he will look directly at you and hold that eye contact, however briefly, before turning away and then back. Or when he walks up actually wanting a hug or a squeeze, initiating contact and interaction that he used to run away from. It comes in the forms of fewer meltdowns and less anxiety in new or unfamiliar situations. He, too, is moving forward.
And Connor is, well, Connor. He's the same chatty, inquisitive and boundary-pushing child he's always been. His speech is clear, his reason and understanding are improving and age-appropriate. He's showing a lot of interest in "his friends" and even asking about how soon school will start again. He's quick to volunteer for outings and overnight trips with just about anyone who is brave enough to offer. He tries to engage his brothers in play, and seems to enjoy having Xander follow him around lately. He's always ready to go somewhere or do something, and he's especially ready to have someone do it with him (he's a bit needy that way). Other than being a little bossy to his brothers (mimicking his mother, heaven help us) and a little sassy lately, he's a typical four and a half year old boy.
And that's where we are. Three boys, three different places. All coming along, each in their own time and their own way.
