28 months old!

So, the kids are now 28 months old. I have absolutely no idea on their height/weight, I'm guessing around 32-33 inches tall and 24-26 lbs? They haven't been to the doctor's since their 2 year check-up, which went smashingly. Healthy as can be! And I am so in love with their pediatrician, Dr. Amy Self. She is so knowledgeable and comforting, and so supportive of parents' right to parent as they see fit (within reason of course.) She just loved that I was still breastfeeding them. She walked in and immediately goes "ok, first things first, are you still breastfeeding?" When I replied that yes I was, she slapped her hand on her knee and goes "I KNEW it! I knew you could do it! That is just awesome!" It's nice getting that sort of support and encouragement, when you have had your fill of random strangers and distant family members sharing their negative opinions. It gets old, really quick and I don't mind saying it!

With a heavy heart however, I must confess, the kids are now weaned. I stopped them cold-turkey. It was getting were it felt strange and I felt like it was keeping them from eating more solids, and since they, or Oscar to be specific, was not eating much at all and not gaining weight, sometimes even losing it, I felt it was the best decision for our family. As much as I miss it, and believe me, I do, I still do feel it was the best decision. His appetite for solid foods have picked up, so I guess it was a success? They still ask for it, but they don't get upset like they did the first week. It was just so hard to arbitrarily decide to stop, when they were getting so much enjoyment out of it, and I enjoyed those special snuggles too. It was like for those moments, they were my teeny tiny babies still, comforted by their mommy like no one else could. Oh well...on to happier things...

They are both evolving from toddlers to little children, with the advent of their own little games. It is so intriguing to watch. One game in particular I think is something of their own invention. It seems basically like tag, except you sit there and just tag each other in the chest, while giggling and going "Gassy!" At first, you'd think they were saying "Got you" or "Gotcha" but they can say that clearly, so I have no idea what they are saying. But they love the game, so I guess that's all that matters. They also love kitchen play and working in the garden. Oscar especially loves helping me with chores, and his dearest favorite is to help me wash the laundry. He must assist in every step of the way, from transferring the wet laundry to the dryer, putting the dirty in the washer, adding the soap, twisting the knobs, turning it on, and then overseeing the water filling up. We cannot leave til he sees bubbles. It's funny...and a bit OCD I believe? LOL. And Matilda really couldn't care less about helping with chores, she is all about her jewelry and stickers. We've been trying to potty train them, or at least get Matilda not so terrified of pooping in general, so we've taken to giving them stickers as "potty prizes." I got them a roll of stickers from the Dollar Tree, a buck for a whole roll. Tilly only wants the pink one. She also only wants the orange vitamin. She is getting picky picky with colors!

So, that's our update. Here is a recent picture. This is from our family church's "homecoming" where everyone comes over one Sunday, brings a dish, and we sit around, socialize, and visit the graves of those who've passed before us.