Growing Boys

Big Bro "helping" Lil Bro

Last Tuesday, the boys had their 2 year and 4 month doctor appointments. It was my first time taking both boys to the doctor by myself, but they did great. They're both on track developmentally and physically. Trent continues to be consistent in his height/weight ranges. He is 37 inches tall (97th percentile) and 32.5 lbs (95 percentile). Sean is 26.5 inches tall (95th percentile) and 15 lbs 14.5 oz (75th percentile). The doctor gave Sean the green light to start on solid foods so we'll be starting that sometime in the near future. Overall, good checkups for both!

Diversified Skill Set

Ahh, the life...

Today's morning went a little like this:

Architect - constructed castles, made of sand, with a surrounding moat
Ecologist - collected and identified trees, sticks, pine straw, pine cones, rocks, etc.
Teacher - explained the letter A, identified colors and played games to learn names of different kinds of fruit
Athlete - Ran 2 miles pushing 75lbs in front of me
Baker/short order cook - baked rolls for tonight, made lunch
Housekeeper - 'nuff said
Physical Therapist - Encouraged tummy time and dancing
Mediator - kept numero 1 from inadvertently harming numero 2

Celebrating Two with Thomas

Our Thomas filled Day

On Saturday, we spent the morning with Thomas the Train. Trent is a big fan and really enjoyed all the Thomas related activities. There was plenty to do! Some highlights... (clockwise on the picture) We played with Thomas the Train trainsets, played in the sand and bubbles, got a Percy tattoo, took our picture with the famous engine, fed some goats, and rode on Thomas!

After naptime, we celebrated his birthday meal with all the grandparents and great-grandma Janet. We had a cheese and cracker platter, followed by Shepards Pie for dinner, and chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes for dessert.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes - Yumm!!

The cupcakes were delicious. It was a new recipe, but they really turned out well. I only let Trent have one, but he definitely let me know he wanted more!

Blowing Out the Candles!

Super Fast!

Full speed ahead. That's the only speed TJ knows. We have a sloped driveway. He has a bike and a scooter. He gets a running start, aims straight, and off he goes!

And speaking of fast, can you believe this little guy is already four months old?! He has turned into such a laid back, happy baby. He is ALWAYS smiling - such a joy to be around!

2 Years Old!

Trent turned 2 on Tuesday. To celebrate his actual birthday, we went out for Mexican and ice cream. We're having a 'Thomas the Train' party for him in about a week. Thomas is taking over a local railroad museum, so we'll be making a trip to see Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt. Afterward we'll have a little party at our house. Trent loves Thomas the Train. He doesn't watch much TV, but when he does, his first request is usually for 'Mas! I made these cupcake toppers yesterday:

Cupcake Toppers

Places to Go

Baby Sean is rolling over!

The boys and I went for a run this morning. We ran for three miles around the neighborhood. I love our neighborhood. It's really pretty. The area is wooded and hilly and there's a creek that runs behind some of the homes. The people you meet are always friendly. Both boys really seem to enjoy the stroller most of the time. Plus, as I get faster, we are able to cover more distance in the same amount of time. Today we kept a 12 minute pace. The first two miles were at an 11 mile/min pace, but the climb up to our house is a rough one. On a treadmill, I've been doing about an 8.5 min/mile pace (if that gives you any indication as to the effects of what hills and pushing 50lbs of kiddos will do to your pace). We had fun though. Sean faces me so we smile at each other the whole time and Trent points out all our surroundings. When we got back to the house, I laid a blanket on the grass for Sean and I. Trent went in and got his toys. While Trent was drawing masterpieces on our driveway with sidewalk chalk, Sean rolled over from his back to his front. So fun to see! We were outside all morning. Sean was happy as could be to soak up the sun and Trent was all over the place. It really feels like spring is here!

Fun Friday

Today:

1. The boys and I watched five deer meander through the backyard.

2. We tackled "Big Nasty" in the jog stroller. It's a very hilly 5K loop (with one enormous hill, hence the name) that I normally run on the weekends without the kids. Definite accomplishment!

3. We cleaned out the garage this morning so on rainy days Trent can still play with his outdoor toys (and Jesse's workshop area is more organized)

4. Trent may be ready for potty training judging by the conversation we had this morning:

TJ: (Squatting/Grunting)

Me: Are you making Stinkies?

TJ: (Smiles and runs to the corner to finish his business)

Me: (After he's done) Did you make stinkies?

TJ: Yeah, I did!

Me: Where are stinkies supposed to go?

TJ: Bah! (His word for potty)

Family Work Day

This weekend we tackled the enormous job of clearing the leaves out of our yard. We have woods on three sides of our house so we have a ridiculous number of leaves fall in our yard. So, several times a year, we have to clear the yard of leaves. (Fortunately, we don't have to bag them, we just give them back to the woods...)

Jesse Blowing Leaves

Some of us worked harder than others:

Snoozing outdoors

Running this way...

And that way...

Days Developing Patterns

One of the hardest things for me right after a baby is born is the chaos. I'm very structured by nature and to have the baby eat and sleep at random intervals all day long drives me a little crazy. So I love when patterns start developing. Sean is finally stretching out his feedings. We generally start his first night feeding around 7pm. He normally falls asleep by 8. He's made it to 4am a few times (which I consider sleeping through the night), but even if he wakes up in the middle of the night, it's normally for one feeding around 11 or 12. During the day, he's consistently taking a nap in the morning from about 8-10. This works out well for us. Trent takes his afternoon nap at one so this gives us a little more time to do things in the morning. Sean's afternoon nap is still pretty inconsistent, but having a little predictability is making me a happy girl!

What a doll!

Smile!

Crazy Weather

I saw this on facebook recently. There's so much truth in it! We've been in the south for 12 years now and this is by the far the most snowfall we've seen in one season. On Thursday, we woke up to two inches of snow and the schools didn't even close. We barely broke 30 degrees. Today, it is 61! Southern winters are crazy. No wonder ever one struggles with colds - you never know what the temperature is going to be when you walk outside. But spring is coming! Next month, we'll start planting veggies again!

Sean Milestones

Last week Sean had his two month doctor visit. He did really well through the whole thing. The doctor is pleased with his development thus far. Here are his two month stats:

Weight: 12lbs, 13oz

Height: 23 inches

Head size: 15 inches

And last night, he slept for seven hours straight! Hopeful that the sleeping trend continues!

TJ's Word of the Week

"Boo"

Mercy Day

Mercy: a blessing that is an act of divine favor

Amen.

So after our rough week, Thursday was our first day of normal. Jesse went back to work and everyone was healthy. Thank goodness God only gives you as much as you can handle. The stress, lack of sleep, being sick, and playing nurse for several days was really starting to wear on me. But on Thursday, Sean took a 2.5 hour nap in the morning and a 3 hour nap (that perfectly coincided with Trent's nap) in the afternoon. He also ate every 3-4 hours. This was nothing short of a miracle. Every other day before Thursday (and every day since then), Sean may take 2-3 20 minute naps throughout the day. He has major gas issues and spends a large portion of the day fussing. He eats every 2 hours. Add a healthy toddler to the mix who still wants his mom's full attention (and is full of energy from being cooped up for a week!) and my days would not usually be described as calm.peaceful.quiet.easy. With Sean's long naps, I was able to give Trent long periods of undivided attention and actually even get "me" time (which was spent sanitizing the house of the nasty stomach bug) while they were simultaneously sleeping for three hours in the afternoon. It was such a blessing to have a little break before we got back into the real normal on Friday. Mercy day, really.

But, it gets better! - My mother in law had another scan to see how the tumors in her body are responding to the chemotherapy. All the tumors have shrunk and there are no signs of new metastasis! This is such great news! She'll have chemo for a few more months and then another scan. Hopefully, the tumors will continue to shrink and the doctors will eventually be able to go in and remove the last of it!

And, of course, some cute pics of the kids on our relaxing day.

Eight weeks old!

"My Bumbo?!"

What a Week!

Last Wednesday, Trent came down with croup. We tried all the home remedies for it, but they didn't seem to be working. On Thursday night, Jesse took Trent into the after hours clinic because he was having trouble breathing. He received a steroid shot and breathing treatments and was in the hospital for two days. It was chaotic as Sean nurses every two hours and I didn't have a stockpile of milk on hand. Jesse spent two days in the hospital with Trent and I drove back and forth between home and the hospital. We didn't want to bring Sean to the hospital out of fear that he'd get sick. On Saturday, Trent came home. His cough was a lot more productive and we thought things were getting better. Then the stomach bug kicked in. He started throwing up. By Tuesday, Jesse had caught the bug. By Wednesday, I had it too. Thankfully, we're all feeling better today. And so far, knock on wood/fingers crossed, the baby has managed to avoid both the croup and the stomach bug. I have been cleaning like crazy trying to make sure the house is germ free. I would love to go a long while before having another week like this past one!

Big Shoes to Fill

Yes, we took our Christmas tree down - I'm just a little behind posting some of our pictures...

Sunflowers!

Beautiful birthday surprise from my sister

Last Friday was my birthday. We went to Atlanta for the day (more on that later), but when we returned home, I had these beautiful flowers waiting for me! Sunflowers have been my favorite for a long time. They're bold, unique, bright, cheerful - love them! Such a thoughtful gift from my sister and her hubby.

Cuddle Phase

This morning as I was rocking Sean in the early hours, I thought about the cuddle phase. I knew he was dry and fed. He simply wanted to be held. Once I held him, he snuggled up and was completely content. I sometimes complain about being tired, but I really loving holding newborn babies. The time when they have such a strong longing to be held is fleeting. Pretty soon, they want to start exploring their new world. My older baby seems so much older now that he's a big brother. He's constantly climbing on things, trying to learn new words and on the move. Yet, it wasn't even two years ago that he was this age. Big brother is still very affectionate, but it's not that total dependence of a newborn. God knew what he was doing when he set up this bonding period. The baby learns that he's safe, secure, and loved. The parents realize just how strong their love is for the child. I cherish these little moments because I know it won't be long until he'd rather be attempting to climb my kitchen island than snuggle with his mama. :)

Two in Cloth Diapers

You may remember this post, when I wrote about how we purchased a bunch of BumGenius One Size Diapers before we had Trent. After replacing the velcro with snaps, they held up great. When we found out we were pregnant with another baby, we had to figure out what to do with the diaper situation again. We initially purchased enough diapers for one baby, but not enough for two. The BumGenius diapers are expensive so I opted to make the diapers this time around. I found an easy pattern and got busy sewing. I made Trent large size pocket diapers. He has been in the same size diaper for a while and I don't see him growing out of it very soon. On the other hand, Sean will be growing rapidly for a while so he's better off in the adjustable diapers. So now we have two stacks. Trent's (on the left) are the homemade diapers and Sean's (on the right) are the BumGenius diapers. Aside from changing more diapers (which I'd be doing regardless of whether Sean wears disposables or cloth), it really hasn't been a big adjustment. I still like using cloth diapers on my kiddos. :)

A Cozy White Christmas

Christmas this year came really quickly. We had Sean a few days after Thanksgiving so the whole Christmas season was a whirlwind. We opted to celebrate Christmas morning as a family of four in our own house. Traditionally, we've traveled somewhere for Christmas so this was a change up for us, but we all enjoyed our Christmas at home. The morning started out different than a normal day. Trent usually wakes up between 6:30 and 7am. Christmas morning, he slept until 8:30! We were up at 5:30 with Sean, so we were waiting on him to wake up for hours. I made the men of the house matching pajamas so it was fun seeing everyone wearing their new pajama pants.


First, we opened presents. I love Christmas so much more now that I have kids. Watching children experience Christmas is one of my very favorite things about the season. This year was no different. Trent got so excited over each and every present. He would open each gift all the way up (even if assembly was required) and play with it for at least 20 minutes before opening the next gift.


Next, we had a big breakfast of eggs, Poppy's famous hashbrowns, and bacon. After breakfast, we opened stocking stuffers. Then it was time to make Jesus's birthday cake. We had a lot of fun with the cake. It was a white cake with cream cheese icing and Trent went to town decorating it with red and green sprinkles.

And the best surprise... a white Christmas! It snowed on Christmas Day!

Zombie Zone

We're in full fledged zombie mode at our house (as my husband lovingly calls it). Sean is cuddly and sweet and precious. He's growing fast and already gives out plenty of smiles. He turns 1 month old today. He struggles in the sleep department. No real sign of improvement or a developing pattern. He either plans his nap perfectly so he wakes up when Trent goes down for his nap or he'll take 5-10 minute cat naps after each nursing session. Sean eats. and eats. and eats some more. He averages about every hour and a half around the clock, which can be pretty exhausting. This morning all I could think about until I got my first cup of coffee was my longing for a little sleep. I turn the big 3-0 in 11 days. I'm hoping Sean will lovingly give me a 4 hour block of sleep. Here's to hoping he gives me my birthday wish! :)