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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

The Daredevil

He rides his horse like a jockey, he rides his ride toys like a snowboarder or skateboarder. He only runs at full speed. He's all boy and fearless. He's tall for his age and really strong. He stands on anything he can find to reach whatever it is he's interested in. He's interested in everything. He'll physically pick items up and carry them over to use them as makeshift step stools. He loves to jump. He is a bundle of joy and a bundle of energy! Chasing after him definitely keeps us busy.

18 Month Checkup

Last Friday, I went out of town for a girls weekend. Jesse braved the task of taking Trent to the doctor for his 18 month checkup. It went well. There were no tears shed over the one shot that Trent received. He's developmentally on track for his age. Here are his height and weight stats:
Height: 35 inches tall (97th percentile)
Weight: 28.25 lbs (75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19.25 inches (75th percentile)

15 month checkup

TJ had his 15 month checkup today. He is growing like a weed! He is 33 inches tall, weighs 27 pounds, and his head circumference is 19 inches. This puts him in the 90th percentile for height, the 70th percentile for weight and the 70th percentile for head circumference. Anyone that has been reading this blog a while knows that we have been consistently in these percentiles since day one. He is right on track developmentally and is very healthy. So thankful!

Dozer's New Name

Doh Doh!

Trent is trying to talk more and more each day. Dozer now goes by 'Doh Doh' at our house.

Hodgepodge of Updates

Adorable

Always Full Speed

Beginnings of a Baby Bump

View from the Top

One of my favorite, favorite things about staying at home is getting to see all the little things. This week Trent finally figured out how to go down the stairs. (No worries, he never tackles them alone.) He has been doing great going up them for a while now, but going down was different story. We tried the sit on your tush and scoot forward approach. He wasn't interested. He wanted to walk down them just like we do. We tried the going down backwards approach and he constantly wanted to turn around and go down them like an adult. One day it finally clicked! He's been going down the stairs (using the backwards/facing the stairs approach) without a problem for a couple of days now.

Another fun thing that he's been doing is pointing at things and saying, "Dat?" Which means, "what's that?" He then tries to copy what you say. Sometimes he sounds really close, other times, not so much. My favorite yesterday was "sheep." We were reading a book about Noah's ark and when he tried to say sheep it sounded like he was hushing a library. It came out as, "Shhhhhh"

Our garden is doing really well! We've been using a lot of it, especially the herbs. Yesterday, I made homemade pesto sauce from our basil and today I picked our first cauliflower. This is our first year growing cauliflower so it's kind of fun to see one actually come up!

And lastly, we have the beginnings of a baby bump. I'm showing a lot faster this time than last time. However, at this point, I just look like I've been eating a few extra donuts. This picture was taken last week so it's a "ten week" shot.

Round 2

Big Brother, Trent

We are so excited to announce that we will be adding baby number two in December! I am 9 weeks pregnant with our second child.

And for all the questions that usually follow:

The official due date is December 8th. This is exactly one week after my niece's birthday so there's a possibility that two people very dear to me could share a birthday.

No, I am not feeling that great. My "morning sickness" has been a lot worse this time around than last time. I'm hoping it clears up within the next couple of weeks. I have consumed more ginger ale and saltines in the last few weeks, then in the 29 years leading up to it.

There will be 20 months between Trent and baby number 2 and yes, we're happy about baby bunching.

We are planning on finding out the sex again.

12 Month Stats

Trent had his one year checkup on Friday. The doctor said that he is doing great and is "the picture of health." He is 31 inches tall, weighs 25 pounds, and has a head circumference of 19 inches. For those interested in percentiles, this puts him in the 90th percentile for height, the 75th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for head circumference (he definitely has a Norsk noggin'). He's been consistently in those percentiles since he was born, so they're pretty much the norm for him.

Let Him Eat Cake!

Our baby boy turns one today! This past weekend we had his birthday party. It was a really fun time to get together with family and friends. We had a beautiful day for it so we were able to extend the party out onto the porch and patio. Trent received many great gifts and he's been enjoying playing with them ever since. The party was over lunch so we served different types of sandwiches, animal crackers, fruit, a veggie tray, a cheese and cracker tray and most importantly CAKE! We had a smash cake for TJ and a sheet cake for the rest of us.

The "Smash Cake" just for Trent

Cake for the rest of us

What is this?

Okay, maybe a taste...

Tasting the icing

Mommy helping me get to the cake part

Telling everyone all about cake

the grownup cake was pretty good too :)

The Breakup

Tonight was actually a tough night. Trent had his last nursing session. It has been a mutual weaning. Both of us were ready and because of that it has been a smooth transition. The last feeding to go was the one right before bedtime. It felt like a breakup tonight. It has been a crazy year with him being born, me opting to stay home, Jesse working two jobs and then quitting the second job, me starting and stopping nursing school, but through it all, Trent and I continued to breastfeed. It wasn't always easy. I had two bouts with mastitis and hated having to pump in the car while I was at school. However, it was such a bonding time for the two of us. As I left his room tonight after putting him to bed, I couldn't help but tear up. I felt like it was the first of many things where he has outgrown the need for me to help him. People tell you that kids grow up so fast, but you don't fully understand the statement until you're a parent. Trent's first birthday is a week from tomorrow. He's almost 20 pounds heavier than when we brought him home. He's walking and starting to talk. He understands when you talk to him. He can point to objects when you ask him where they are. He can give high-fives and sign that he's done with his meal. He purposely gets the dogs riled up to play. He can kick and throw a ball. His development in one short year amazes me.

And since there have been a few posts without any pics, below are some pictures taken while we were playing on the porch on a rainy day.

Hanging Out

Discovering coasters

Always playing IN the box

Is it Adios to the Morning Nap?

Trent has always been a really good napper. He has been on a schedule since about 12 weeks. He would sleep consistently at 9 and 1 everyday. The last week or so, this has not been the case. He sleeps fine at 1, but he refuses sleep the whole time at 9. He plays and talks and no longer acts sleepy. We've had a lot of rain so at first I thought it might be the weather keeping him up, but I think he has gotten to the point where he's choosing to give up his morning nap. Being a newbie at the whole mom thing, I don't know any for sure way of knowing that it is time. But having read a little bit online about it, it seems to fit the bill. Some say the magic number is around one year of age (our handsome little man turns 1 in 11 days!). Some say it coincides with walking. He's thisclose to walking full time. He's already opting for it as the preferred method, then if he falls, he crawls the rest of the way to the desired destination. If he is dropping his morning nap, I'm ready for the transition, but kind of sad that the two nap stage is over. He's growing up so fast! Plus, it's kind of nice to have a few minutes of quiet time when I can actually get through a whole cup of coffee in one sitting. We'll give it a few days and see how the pattern continues... If anyone has any thoughts on this, I'm curious to know when other babies gave up their morning naps and how you knew it was time.

Enjoying the Weather

This weekend finally warmed up. We've had an unusually cold winter. It even snowed twice in one week! That doesn't happen around here! Anyway, on Saturday, it warmed up to mid 60s so we knew we had to make the most of it (there are rumors for MORE snow this weekend, ug!) So after TJ's morning nap, we started our adventure. Our first stop was to a kiddie consignment store. TJ's feet are as wide as they are long, so it makes buying shoes for him really interesting. We found a nice pair of brown shoes for him. Essential, since he's beginning to walk. He has mastered cruising along the furniture. He can walk fine holding one or both of our hands and will even take 4-5 steps at a time on his own. He's SO over the crawling thing, but he hasn't quite mastered walking full time independently. After getting him proper footwear and some lunch, we headed off to the zoo. It was a gorgeous day for it. All the animals were out since it wasn't too warm or too cold. It was the first time we've been to the zoo where he has really taken an interest in looking at the animals AND he wanted to walk through it on his own. He was not thrilled to be in the stroller so we literally took baby steps through the zoo. It was really cute. Afterwards, we went downtown and checked out the Bassmaster exhibit. By the time we were headed home, little man was out for the count. Great family day!

Enjoying the View

Fast Asleep

Happy Anniversary!

Where it all began... Fall 1998

"I do" Jan 2004

2010 - Happy Anniversary!

Dining Out

Trent has accompanied us on many dining occasions but today he actually ordered his own meal! We were running to Costco after church and opted to put off his nap, rather than go home, have him take a nap and then have to go back out again. The only problem was food. Trent eats lunch at noon every day and we did not have any food with for him to eat. He's been eating everything we eat at home (but in a slightly mushier consistency). We opted for Jason's Deli and ordered his first real kiddie meal! He enjoyed their mac 'n cheese and milk and ate a good portion of it. He loved using a straw!

Mmm... Mac 'n Cheese

So this is what restaurant food is like...

9 Month Update

Our little man had his nine month checkup today. He is on track developmentally with crawling, picking things up with his fingers, babbling, etc. :) He is 29 inches long and 22.5 pounds in weight. He is in the 75th percentile all around. All the running around he's doing is slimming him up! This is the first visit he's had where he hasn't been above the 90th percentile.