Winter Vacation, part 2

Here's an update on our last few days:

 Day #5- Nothing too exciting. We pretty much stayed in all day. It was a nice restful day.

 Day #6 - More shopping in the morning. After naps, we all went to visit the dentist. Paul and I had cleanings and E had his first visit. They counted his teeth and let him play with the polishing tool, suction thing, and the water sprayer.

 Day #7 - Friday morning was somewhat restful. Paul's mom came to watch the boys for a bit so that we could go out and do some Christmas shopping together. We even had a yummy lunch at Olive Garden and used one of the gift cards I received from a student. Paul also went out shopping in the afternoon and gave me some nice quiet time alone in the house while G slept.

 Day #8 - I had to run out Saturday morning and finish some Christmas shopping, including some returns. I took E with me and we had some nice alone time together. We headed up to my mother-in-law's to celebrate for Christmas Eve. We had Mexican food for dinner and enjoyed opening our gifts with the family. E had fun with his cousins, but bit his cousin Ben two times and pinched his cousin Mara.

 Day #9 - Christmas! E slept in until 6 and G slept until almost 7! I was hoping that E would have a great reaction to the gifts under the tree, but it wasn't so. He was excited at all really. He was happy to look in his stocking and see that there was a candy cane in it. He was done opening anything once Paul let him have some of it. We had a relaxing morning opening gifts, then my sister and brother-in-law came over so we could go to church. E did pretty well. He only took a pancake and smooshed it on his head during mass. Nice, huh? G did well too. He only fussed when we first took him out the car seat. In fact, when Paul was outside with E at the end, when a man came and told him that our kids were the most well behaved kids he'd ever seen. It's always rewarding to hear that your kids are doing something good! (Guess he didn't witness the pancake incident.) Paul and I were both surprised at how few kids there were in church this morning. We came back and made French toast with my sister's homemade challah bread. Yum! After naps, we went to my sister-in-law's to celebrate with Paul's family again. E had a blast with his cousin Ben. You can definitely tell we need to work on sharing and kind behavior. Every time Ben wanted to play with something E had, we'd try to get him to share it. Once E gave it to him, he'd get upset that he didn't have it anymore and would scream "BEN!" he also hit him a few times and had to be taken away, as well as have toys taken away. Paul said E did much better when they were upstairs playing in the play room. We came home and relaxed while eating some leftover Christmas cookies.

Day #10 - We went to visit Paul's grandmother in the morning and then went home for nap time.  That afternoon we were supposed to have E's speech therapy session, but we had to reschedule.  P went to pick up some pizza in order for us to eat before heading off to ZooLights that night.  We packed up the kids and just about 1/4 of a mile from the zoo, E starts vomiting in the car.  It was all over himself and the car seat.  It took me a while to figure out how I was going to get him out without getting vomit all over my hands.  We ended up dumping his pajamas on the side of the road because they were so badly ruined. (I know we littered - but you would have done the same thing!)  Driving home with a child in a diaper holding a spare cup and the other child screaming his head off isn't what I would say was how we expected the night to go. At home, he vomited again and fell asleep for the night.

2.5

E turned 2.5 on Sunday.  I know that it's not necessarily a milestone, but he has had such a huge growth spurt of speech that I just have to blog about it.

Each day he surprises us with what he can say and sometimes we wonder if he has even heard us say these words before!

Some of my favorites include:
- Mamma milk NOW!
- Bess you, baby (when G sneezes)
- Tank you, Mama.
- Ok, Mama or Ok, Daddy
- Wood-wode (railroad...he likes to sing "I've Been Working on the Railroad")
- Tee-bee now! (T.V. now)
- Gayson (just started saying his name in the past few days)
- Hot dog (just about anything is a hot dog - airplanes, anything wrapped in foil)
- Tay (stay), sit doggie
- Tay, Daddy/Mama.
- Emma dog?
- Fi-men (firemen)
- Canny! or Canny Cane!  (candy, candy cane)
- Baby (in a whiny, yet loving voice - bay-beeee)
- Up, up, up!
- Speaking about his chicken nuggets at dinner tonight: Inside, cold. Outside, yum.
- Regarding temperature: everything is either too hot and needs to be cold.

He can count to 10 and knows what missing numbers come next when you ask him.  He get's a really excited expression on his face and says, "YEAH!" when you correctly guess what he is trying to say. Singing has become a big thing in our house lately (especially Christmas music), so has telling stories.  Paul has been playing/teaching E how to put out fires with his firetruck (a plastic carrot represents the fire).  He also seems to know his left from his right.  We ask him what his name is and most often he will respond with Daddy, but occasionally he will say E.

We took him to the dentist for the first time today just so that he can start having some positive experiences before we actually need to him to get a cleaning/check up.  He seemed to have fun until the hygienist tried to put the polishing thing in his mouth.  That's when he started crying.  But, the dentist was able to get him to look in a mirror and check out all his teeth!  Plus, E ended up with two new toys out of the experience.

Yep. I let him in there with his brother.

Sleeping with baby photos of Mama and Daddy.

Candy cane!

Someone has been having fun at bathtime!

Who new the Nativity scene would be such a huge hit?!  There have been a few nights where E has taken baby Jesus to bed with him.

push play

Seems like I haven't posted videos in months.  I think it's time to share!

G is 4 months!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post...time has been getting away from me.  Sweet little G is now four months old and isn't so little anymore.  We had his well child visit yesterday and what a big boy he's turning into.  He now weighs 15.9 lbs (66%) and is 25.5 inches long (75%).  In fact, he had to be remeasured for his height because our doctor was surprised that he would have grown 3 inches in two months.  Paul and I were talking about the fact that he would have been in the 96th percentile for height and we were both surprised by that number! 

Stats on the munchkin -
- Sleeps through the night on most nights.  He will sometimes wake once or twice around 2 or 5, but will go back to bed.  He tends to wake around 6 or 6:30.  On the rare occasion he will sleep until past 7. He has been falling asleep between 6 and 7.
- There are days when he naps really well and others when we can't get him to sleep more than 5-10 minutes at a time.
- Still a breast milk only baby.  He hasn't touched a drop of formula...and I'm PROUD of that!
- G loves to smile and laugh daily, whether it's at his Mom and Dad, or at his brother.
- Drools all the time since he can't seem to take his hands out of his mouth.
- Puts everything that he can grab into his mouth.
- Reaches for objects.
- Tracks your movement.
- Rolled onto his side on a flat surface for the first time at his doctor's appointment.
- Rolls from tummy to back sometimes.
- Can hold his head up really well during tummy time and for longer stretches.
- Can Houdini himself out of his swaddle blanket
- Takes a pacifier
- Poops about once a week.  But when he does...WATCH OUT!
- Allows himself to be attacked (affectionately) by his brother.  I guess he really can't move away even if he wants to.
- Wears size 2 diapers and 6 month clothes, but is starting to outgrow some of the footie pajamas.
- Is enamored by the ceiling fans.
- Has the best laugh (just like his brother).

Happy 4 months, kiddo!

Winter "Vacation"

 I'm quite thankful that my dear husband has decided to take off two weeks from work the same time that my winter vacation is occurring.  We are now on day #4 and I'm extremely behind at blogging.  I always said that I wouldn't let it slip past me, but it has been.  I need to get back on the wagon!

Day #1 - We spend Saturday morning going to get some photos with the boys' cousins and their Grandpa Jack.  Then after grabbing a bite to eat, we headed home for naps.  Paul left to go play sloshball with his friends and once both boys woke up, I took them down to spend the day with my folks.  E stayed the night with them and when G and I returned around six in the evening, Paul was already fast asleep for the night.

Day #2 - My parents brought E back around 11 am, but he had fallen asleep in the car.  They also brought E's new mattress and box spring for his bed. My mom also brought the comforter she made for his bed from his old crib bedding.  It's incredible! I went to my friend's baby shower in the afternoon.  The rest of the day was pretty relaxing.

Day #3 - Made pancakes for breakfast! My parents came by yet again to visit before they headed to Mexico that evening.  We went shopping at Target and when we came home, it was time for naps.  Paul and I quickly assembled E's new twin bed.  E loves it!  All he wants to do is read, jump, lay, climb, and play in it.
(No worries, I moved the comforter away from him after this photo.  It makes me nervous to have such a big blanket with him in the bed.)

Day #4 - We made some oatmeal and then headed to the mall to see Santa.  But first, E received a haircut while I did some shopping.  (Why is it that I ALWAYS get a coupon in an email AFTER he gets his hair cut?!) E did quite well with his visit to see Santa.  We've been mentioning for the past few days that we were going to see Santa.  We'd ask E what he was going to tell Santa that he wanted for Christmas.  His answer?  Candy.  What did he tell Santa today?  Candy.  He didn't cry one bit, but he was a bit cautious.  First, he just looked at Santa.  Then he wouldn't look at all.  G didn't make it into the picture because he had just fallen asleep in the Moby.  There was no way that I was going to risk waking him just to get him in the picture. No, thank you.

After the photo, Paul treated E to riding the train while I did some more shopping.  We had some yummy lunch at Jason's Deli.  E ate my ice cream cone. That just meant I had to go get another one.  :-)

G also had his 4 month well child visit.  I will post more about that tomorrow for his post!

family photos

Since the holidays have arrived, it was time for our annual family photos. I always like to remind Paul that he was the one who said we could send out photo cards once we had kids - especially since he dislikes getting pictures taken.

My sister, once again, took our photos. We tried a new location that my hair stylist suggested because it was where her engagement shoot was taken. I'm so glad we ended up going there. It was a small pecan grove - the leaves on the trees were still yellow, but the leaves on the ground had already turned brown. E had plenty of space to run and play. He even had a chance to get on and play in some John Deer tractors. (I was able to play on a rope swing!)

Here are some of my favorites..

lighting the tree

E has been enjoying turning to Christmas tree lights on on the morning and in the evening. He flips the switch on and then begins point to and naming each color. "Boo, geen, yellow, wed, peek!"

Love. It.

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was great. We spent Thanksgiving day with Paul's family and the day after with mine. I made some yummy baked French toast!

That night we were woken up by E multiple times with an awful barking cough and a fever. He was coughing, crying, and coughing more. I was just crying. The next morning, Paul took his to urgent care and was diagnosed with having croup. They gave him a dose of steroids and we purchased a cool must humidifier. (He is still coughing, but getting better, although now G has it.)

We decorated our home and artificial tree. It's the first time I've ever had a fake tree for Christmas. Never thought that I'd have one!

Only 25 days till Christmas!

how quickly it changes

I wish that I could write down everything that E is into each day, but oh, how quickly it changes.

- Wanting to go to bed with the baby Jesus at bedtime because Paul has been reading a book about the birth of Jesus before bed

- He has discovered that the candy canes on our tree are edible. He woke up this morning saying "candy", pointing to the tree and crying throughout the day because he couldn't have any.

- Saying "soon", "now", "pepper", "tut" (cut).

- E walks around the house wanting to use his scissors to "tut" things.

- Gets excited when I come home and says "Mama look" (Mama milk).

- Likes to climb up on our legs while we are seated at the couch.

- Likes to watch a show on Netflix called Pingu, which he says too. Also, he's become really into Toy Story 3 and Buzz Lightyear. He says Buzz all the time.

- Still compares thing relative to mama, dada, and baby rather than big or little.

- Likes to use our infrared thermometer to take everyone's temps (all over our faces), including his own.

G is 3 months

This sweet little thing is 3 months old!

Here are some fun stats:

- he is wearing 6 month clothing (they fit a little loose up top, but his jammies with feet are getting a bit too short for him)
- he loves to smile, in fact this evening I was making him laugh so hard he'd gurgle his throat
- G can roll tummy to back every once in a while, no back to tummy yet, but has rolled onto his side
- sleeps like a champ most nights and typically wakes once, although last night he slept from 7:30pm to 6am without waking
- his great night sleeping is making me think my monthly visitor might be coming back sooner than I want her to
- G is pretty happy most of the time, especially when his brother plays with him
- he can now reach for and hit toys
- wakes up completely unswaddled in the mornings
- had discovered his hands (and they end up in his mouth a lot)
- his hands in his mouth cause him to drool so much that his shirts get soaked on his chest
- still does not like being in the car seat too much (or bouncer or swing)

- wears size 2 diapers
- still sleeps in our room, although he is getting too big for his bassinet (his head hits the sides because he wiggles around)
- still smiles and laughs at the ceiling fan
- has discovered the tv, although he isn't allowed to watch it
- his brother tries to feed him his food and drinks
- sleeps for hours in his Moby wrap
- is dearly loved by his brother (and Mom and Dad)

the things you (I) learn

such as...

- E can say the whole alphabet in order (with minimal cues)
- E can count to 10 (with minimal cues)
- G rolls from tummy to back
- G also rolled from back to side (just once that I saw and know of)
- E cries when he sees a baby (real or fake) say goodbye on tv/videos
- According to E, you can call a rabbit one of the following: rabbit or hop-hop. Just don't call it a "bunny".
- According to E, you can't call children "little boy/girl", but you can call them "babies".

I {heart} today

My mom had to go out of town and I stayed home to watch the kids.

Today was better than any day at work.

We started the morning off by meeting a friend (and her friend, along with their kids) at the zoo. It was a little chaotic getting there, but I managed to be only about 15 minutes late. E had a lot of fun and was able to be a little social with the other two boys. He even saw some mandrils, baboons, and orangutans close up. G started crying as soon we we entered, so I had to throw on my Moby instead of keeping him in his car seat. G slept the rest if the time we were there.

After arriving home, I got E ready for bed and was able to hear him say the entire alphabet! (he did it again later in the day all on his own.) E took a short one hour nap and G took a 30 min nap. Just long enough for me to make lunch and start working on an invitation project.

Once they were both awake, we had some fun play time and I was able to capture some sweet photos of the boys together.

E also surprised me by counting to ten! G fell asleep again around 3:30, so E and I made chocolate walnut cookies and played. We had such a fun time laughing and being silly.

Every time I get to spend time with them at home, it makes me realize how much little time I get to spend with them when I'm at work. Today I spent 13 waking hours with them. On work days - it's 3.5, maybe 4 - but I'm getting ready/cooking dinner half of that time. I usually don't even get to nurse G or see much of E before going to work.

I am so thankful we had such a great day today.

my sister rocks

I love having a family member that is a talented photographer. (I try to pretend I am, but she really is!) **All photos in this post were taken by my sister.**

Since she had Veteran's Day off from work like I did, she asked if I wanted to take the kids to the parade that day. It was fun to get out of the house with the kids and I knew E would really enjoy it. We met up with one of my sister's friends and her two kids.

We waited over and hour and a half because we thought the parade started at 9, but it really didn't start until 10. Whoops! The kids did really well and just played on the grassy area in front of Chili's.

E was checking out the airplanes overhead.

E really like watching everything go by, and we even got him excited about picking up candy that was thrown. He didn't really get it at first! He liked the motorcycles and trucks, but would cover his eyes when they revved either engines. My sister covered E's ears and he seemed to be better.

G was awesome too. He fell asleep quietly on the car ride to the parade and then slept in the Moby wrap the whole time we were there - close to 3.5 hours!

Thanks for the outing! It was a great idea!

How is it...

That my baby boy has already outgrown 3 month clothing?

I came home today and he was wearing a 3-6 month onesie. For bed, he's wearing 6 month jammies - and they are tight in length!!

blueberries

E has been addicted to frozen blueberries lately. Last night, he devoured at least a cup worth of them.

Saying "cheese".

His fingernails are still stained today.

photo fun

There's nothing I really have to blog about right now, other than the fact that I want to show off my cuties.

I think that's a good enough reason for a post.