Choppy updates

Adam likes to shut doors, but hates it when he ends up on one side and you on the other. He can walk holding just one of our hands. He can stand for a second, but will not get up to standing and balance on his own. I always set him up.

Ethan likes school.
Adam and Ethan get black eyes two days apart. Ethan gets his first black eye from his friend Kaitlyn. Wish it was a funny story about how she slugged him, but it was just two wild and crazy three year olds coming from two different directions and crashing. Adam's black eye was care of the coffee table.

Oregon Travels

Adam eats coleslaw, french fries, fish, seafood cakes and Ethan eats sunflower butter and fruit spread sandwiches.

Ethan sleeps in the SUV after a rough night. He kept Adam up past 8pm talking and thrashing in the back of the motorhome. Adam sleeps in the bathroom hallway for naps and at night. Ethan slept the first night with me on the couch and the second night he wanted to sleep on the floor like Daddy, in Uncle Matt's spot. Uncle Matt decided waking up at 6am wasn't cool and opted to tent camp nearby. Dave and I would have gone with him if we had sleeping bags, though I'm sure Grandma and Grandpa would find us.

We had wonderful meals out, bbq on the beach, shrimp cocktails in the motorhome, margaritas, and lots of sightseeing. It was a great trip and wonderful to have at least four people around to entertain/distract the kids at all times. I got to go jog on the beach in the morning (until I almost got stuck on the way back because of the high tide), workout in the gym, swim in the pool, and nap occasionally.

We toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory, saw Depoe Bay, Newport, Lincoln City, went to the Newport Aquarium (quite impressive!), checked out the Air Museum, and chilled with the Grandparents and Uncle Matt quite a bit.

Adam's first flight

We left the house at 9am for our flight. The line for checking in bags was long and security was longer. Luckily we got bags checked and an escort pass for Dave without a problem. Security confiscated my baby sunscreen (8oz) that was half full. They also questioned my children's Benadryl, but they allowed it when I said that was for my son's food allergies and I have to take it. They made Adam take off his Robeez...seriously? After I repacked all my liquids minus the sunscreen and put on everyone's shoes, we were off to the gate to find out it was fuller than full flight. Oh boy I get to travel with a lap baby.

We got in line to board, and they made an announcement that there was a hydrolic leak. We got to sit around for two hours waiting for a replacement plane after they tried to repair it. So we were in the airport for 4 hours before we finally got to board the plane and Dave finally got to go home and have lunch.

G was really excited to fly on the plane this time. Unfortunately he didn't get a window seat because they made me install Adam's carseat in the window so none of us could see out. I had a heck of a time trying to install the thing because I couldn't get to the other side. Every time I tried to tighten the seatbelt it would unlatch. I lost a lot of skin on my forearm shoving my hand through the back of the carseat.

G was surprisingly good on the flight all things considering. A took a sweaty nap on Dave's chest so it was short and he was grumpy. I fed him snacks the whole time while trying to keep G entertained with hot wheels, a sticker book, Aquadoodle, fruit snacks, and Skittles. I think I annoyed everyone around me with my vocal children. Luckily the flight was short and Grandpa met us at the gate when we landed.

G ran up to Grandpa when he saw him and gave him a big hug. A was not so thrilled with seeing the Grandparents. He clung to me and cried when passed off. He had an especially hard time with Grandma.

We have movement!!

He crawls backwards! It's usually when he's crying, but hey it's a start! He has been sooo clingy lately. If I put him down to play with toys and then go maybe 10 feet away to wash his dishes, he freaks out! He wants me close enough to touch. He often spends time trying to jump in my lap. He's a total Mama's boy, unlike his big brother at this age. G didn't care who held him or where he was.

Unlike his brother, Adam is still a good sleeper . However we did have a spell of difficulty. Just like his buddy Kyle, he started to scream whenever I put him down in his crib. He would immediately stop if I picked him up. Previously he would just insert his thumb and roll to his side and drift off to sleep. But he started to scream bloody murder, roll all the way over to his stomach which would make him even more angry and eventually he would fall asleep. Luckily that phase only lasted a week or so and now he seems to be back to his chill self.

Run Oskar Run!

Oskar and I started to run/walk in the morning everyday. Adam gets up so early (6am) so I feed him and hand him off to Dave and Oskar and I go for a run. I hope I can keep it up. It's nice to have some time away from the kiddos even if it's doing something I really hate (but need to do!). I'm really just hoping to fit into my old clothes. I have so many perfectly good clothes sitting in my closet. By the time I fit back into them (if ever!) they'll be out of style I'm sure.

In other news, G didn't cry when I dropped him off at preschool this week! We also had an incredible errand day. I took both boys to Target and Costco in one day! G was just so cooperative it was incredible. It was also short lived. The next day he woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was whining and whining. It was so bad we had to leave playgroup early because he just wouldn't stop whining. I think he was tired and overheated because I asked if we could go by Trader Joes on the way home for yogurt and he agreed. I was afraid of what he was going to lose it in the store, but he was pretty good.

Maybe he's growing up finally and maturing. We can finally do timeouts on the stairs and he stays put. Of course we are threatening to send him to his room if he doesn't stay put.

July 4th

We had a busy weekend. We got together with his buddies Isaac, Kaitlyn, and Connor for some water fun and lunch.

Then we headed to a friend's 4th of July bbq. They had an amazing house on the coast of PB. Their pool (and whole yard) had an ocean view! G had a great time with a four year old named Daniel. They jumped in the pool, crab walked, and played table tennis. It was really funny because their heads were barely above the table and of course coordination was an issue. There wasn't much of a rally.

He napped on the way home so we decided to take him to the fireworks show in our neighborhood. It was conveniently across the street. They didn't have the big traditional fireworks, but G still seemed impressed. I took the baby monitor with me and joined Dave and G for the 15 minute show.

Two cavities and he's only three!

Good grief where did we go wrong? G is only three years old and he has two cavities. The dentist called it "decay" between two teeth. I had to ask, "Is decay a cavity?" And yes it is. I was so shocked! We brush his teeth for him, but I guess we need to stay on top of flossing and maybe add some fluoride rinses too since our county doesn't really fluoridate the water.

I was disappointed the dentist didn't ask me any questions to determine why he has cavities this young. Especially since Dave and I have two cavities between us (both mine!). He went over brushing techniques and flossing, but with my three year old not me! (They don't let parents in the back during the cleaning or exam.) I brush his teeth because well he's only three, so Mr. Dentist you need to make sure I'm doing it right. He didn't ask how many times I'm brushing, or how long, or if he's eating too many sweets or about our genetics, or whatever causes cavities. They just gave me an estimate for repair and sent me on my way. I was really disappointed. Granted this is not a pediatric dentist, but I think cavities in a three year old is a big deal.

I called today to express my concerns and he took it as an attack saying that I was angry with them because G had a cavity. Seriously? I just wanted to know why there wasn't more discussion about prevention...and what do I do now? Ugh I don't need this kind of drama. Now do I go to a pediatric dentist for another exam out of pocket and more expensive repairs? Or do I finish the job at this dentist? He's perfectly capable, has a nice staff and nice office, and we loved our experience with him, but we haven't had any issues either. In fact G seemed to be fine going there and having his teeth cleaned and x-rayed, but they seriously lack some people skills.

Diapers be gone!

Well for one kiddo at least. G said he wanted to wear underwear to bed and I explained that he would have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night to pee if he wore underwear. He agreed. I was worried, but since he wanted to wear underwear so badly I decided to let him give it a try.

He wakes up every morning with a full wet diaper, but we never knew if he was peeing first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night. It didn't seem to matter how early I woke up him he always had a full diaper. He would refuse to try and use the bathroom or get dressed, telling me he wasn't ready. Perhaps it was because he had not had his daily morning pee in his diaper yet?? We could not figure out a way to get him to pee on the toilet in the morning, so pulling the diaper seems as good of a way as any.

Surprisingly he stayed dry all night long! I woke up a number of times wondering if I should take him to the bathroom. I was prepared to change sheets. However my restlessness was all for nothing. He did great! We are so proud! I'm sure he'll have a few accidents here and there, but I'm glad to know he has the ability to stay dry all night.

In other news, Adam finally rolled from stomach to back. Yes folks that's right a week shy of 11 months he decides to do something big brother did at 19 weeks! Laaaaazy! He is still pulling up, standing, and walking a very little bit while holding someone's hands.

My tomato plants are producing tons of tomatoes which I have shared with friends and neighbors. I was also surprised to find three good sized zucchinis to pick. They magically grew in a week or so because while my Mom was here she examined all the plants and there wasn't anything there. So I plan to cook up some of my organic zucchini for the kiddos. I know Adam will eat it, but we'll see about G. He did eat the green beans from the garden. If I get another batch (I gave away 2 of the 3) I'd like to do some bread.

Next year I'm going to do zucchini, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes and regular, green onions, and green beans for sure. I'll skip strawberries, snap peas, onions, and garlic though. I have a hard time knowing when to pick the stuff that grows underground and the strawberry plant only has tiny strawberries the size of a pea on them. I'd love to plant a fruit tree somewhere, but I'm not sure we have room for that.

Bow Legged and Flat Footed....oh my

G had his feet checked out today. He had pronating ankles from his bowed legs and flat feet. His achilles tendon is also really tight so we have to do some stretching exercisers. What caused all that I have no idea. I talked to my Dad and my brother had flat feet, and he says he heard that bowed legs can be caused by diet. Well G's diet is horrible so that would be no surprise, unless of course it's lack of calcium. All he eats is dairy!

Anyway he has to wear shoe inserts and say goodbye to his favorite Lightning Mcqueen light up shoes. He needs some shoes with better support - not quite orthopedic shoes (although they are recommended). So we are going shoe shopping this weekend.

However it was quite an ordeal to get all this information. After going to the park to meet up with playgroup buddies, we headed home to wash G's feet, put on clean shoes and shorts, and head out to the doc. Poor Adam missed his afternoon nap and was red eyed, fussy, crying, and probably hungry. I kept thinking we would get called back any minute. An hour and a half after our appointment time we finally saw the doctor. That's after G ran laps in the waiting room and Adam cried and screamed. However during this mess, Adam pulled himself up to standing. He was sitting in a waiting room chair while I helped G put his socks and shoes back on. The next thing I know he's holding the arms on the chair and standing! He repeated it a bunch more when we got home. Not quite mobile yet, but he's getting there.

I spy...

...another tooth! Adam, aka the one tooth wonder, has another tooth popping through. It's the bottom center neighbor to the one he has. I just noticed it today. Does this mean that he will start sleeping better again? I'm so tired of all this night waking lately. He's been a great sleeper in general, but has weeks of frequent night waking and I can never predict when it's going to strike.

So Adam is somewhat mobile...I think. When I take a shower I put him in the pack n play. When I get out he has moved himself to the edge. I'm not sure if he's scooting, or what? He definitely doesn't crawl, so it's some wacky thing he's doing. He still hates being on his tummy so mobility may never come!

Saturday morning Dave went over with G to help the Watts with some yard work. But not long after they got there, Shannon decided to go to Costco and took all three kids by herself! I avoid taking G to Costco at all costs unless it's a quickie trip. She's a brave woman! She laid out the ground rules before they left and she said G was almost in tears. Then she said they would have gold fish and raisins and he was good to go. When I lay out the ground rules I get ignored. I must learn her secret super power.

In the early evening we had a bbq of course, and the weather was great. Adam scarfed down some chicken, but more surprisingly G actually ate some of the chicken too! Perhaps it was peer pressure having Ian and Tyler over. I've noticed that having Adam eat most of the same things as G has really helped him to at least try some new things. Adam pounded down some tortellini and asparagus the other day and G actually gave it a try and liked it. Go figure.

Sunday we had lunch with Great Aunt Carolyn, Great Uncle Larry, Great Grandma, and the B Grandparents. I didn't realize that they C & L had not met Adam yet! With all the traveling they do and the B Grandparents do it's hard to keep track of who is in town and when. Carolyn can't figure out who Adam looks like. She thinks G looks just like Grandpa B.

G played waiter and served everyone chips and guacomole. I tried to encourage him to pass around the bowl of chips, but he much prefered to select a chip for the recipient and then deliver it. Everyone was a good sport, but had to tell him they were full because he was definitely dedicated to making sure you were not chipless.

Adam managed to take a short nap on the floor of "G's room" because we forgot the pack n play. Though it was short, there wasn't any crying. I laid him down and he rolled to his side to commence the thumb sucking which is how he gets to sleep. He chilled there for 30 minutes or so before waking up and realizing he was somewhere strange and wanted someone to come get him. He definitely wasn't in one of his best moods that day as a result of the short nap.

He's also become really sensitive about "strangers". He cries when Shannon holds him, or our neighbor Connie (he has an on again off again relationship with her). And wasn't keen on even sitting on a chair near Great Grandma. He's okay interacting with people or being near them as long as Mom, Dad, or Grandma B is holding him. He even cries when Grandpa B holds him, but he can hold him off from tears longer than most. G didn't have stranger anxiety until really late...I want to say after a year old? Maybe even 18 months when I tried to join the gym.

Preschool is still rough, but I changed his days to Tuesday and Wednesday instead of Monday and Wednesday so he could see his buddy Jayden. He and Jayden are the only boys in the summer session and they were going on completely different days. G asked about why Jayden wasn't in the new class yet. I told him he was, but he was going on different days. G seemed sad so I talked to his teacher and switched his days so he could hang out with Jayden on Tuesdays and KT on Wednesdays. Hopefully that makes school more enjoyable for him.

Lots of change

G ate three bites of broccoli the other day and a bunch of green beans today! I'm not sure what's going on, but I hope it continues. Maybe it was because he has been helping me take care of the green beans in the garden and he helped to pick them.

Adam has been waking all night long recently and it's driving me nuts! It's like having a newborn again waking every 3-4 hours! I think he actually slept better than that as a newborn. He's drooling a lot lately so I'm sure it's the teething. He's still immobile, but he bounces up and down and reaches far in front of him so he's almost in a pancake position. He's face planted a couple of times trying to reach for things. He still cries when I put him down for tummy time. He gets stuck on his belly at night a few times a week.

He will stand if put in a standing position, but doesn't pull up. He likes to stand at the train table and wipe out small train villages in a single hand swipe. He also likes to derail trains and eat them. This is all very upsetting to G.

G has taken to ripping toys out of Adam's hands when he's playing with them. It doesn't matter if G is engaged in his trains or busy with a puzzle. If he sees Adam is interested and happily playing with something, G must take it. Adam used to just move on to something else, but now he cries. He doesn't appreciate big brother taking his toys and is asserting himself. Good boy.

G has started to count and say the alphabet. His counting and the alphabet he's taken some liberties with. He tries to count to the mid twenties, but skips a few and doubles a few. I'm just glad he's trying. Before, he would refuse to even try to count anything. The other day he was yelling out the alphabet w-x-q-r-x over and over. I tried to encourage him to say the alpahbet with me starting at the beginning but he ignored me until we got to one of those letters and just started belting out "his" alphabet.

He hates change.

(I have the missing month's worth of entries, but I have to edit them and add pictures. They will be added soon).

Now that G is potty trained, and the school year is over, he moves up to the three year old class for the summer. I knew this was going to be a difficult change for him. When we were talking about going to college someday and I asked where he wanted to go, he said he wanted to go with Miss Amanda, his preschool teacher.

He seemed okay in the morning even though I mentioned he was going to be changing classrooms. All his classmates were going to be moving with him so I was hoping that would help. I'm sure if I had dropped him off at the playground the transition would have been easier, but it rained just enough to keep the kids inside.

So there we were in the hall, G clinging to the metal fence refusing to walk past Miss Amanda's door to the three year old room. I told him his friends were in the new classroom too. He just wailed and stood clenching the fence. Finally I suggested we walk through Miss Amanda's class to see her and see that his friends weren't there. He was willing to go in Miss Amanda's room, but unwilling to leave once he saw his friend's weren't there. He was just fine staying with Miss Amanda. Since I was holding Adam, she carried G who was kicking and screaming, into the three year old class. Then he was passed to Miss Melissa, his new teacher, still kicking and screaming. I signed him in and left. I was outside for a few extra minutes changing Adam's diaper and could hear him screaming the whole time. I'm just hoping that Wednesday goes a little better. Next week his buddy Kaitlyn will be joining him, so I hope that helps him with the transition.

Mondays are typically harder than Wednesdays for school since it's right after the weekend. However I think today was a doozy because he changed classrooms and is still coming off the sugar high and frenzy from his birthday party yesterday.

Grandparents return

Grandma and Grandpa B returned from their cross country trip.  As they made their way home they sent G postcards.  G and I tracked their progress on a US map.  They made it home well before the postcards.  We received a postcard from Georgia when they had arrived home on the West Coast.  

We were glad to see them and G was eager to tell them that he is wearing underwear now.  Adam got to show off his sitting up skills.  Oskar even got to show them his scar from surgery.  We waited a whole week before handing G off for an overnight.  He was eager to try out his new toddler aero bed.  I was afraid he would just walk right out of the room and Grandma would have a horrible night trying to get him to sleep.  To our surprise he went right to sleep and stayed there until 7am when he declared he was ready to get up.  Wish he did that at our house!  He been waking as early as 5:30am and jumping in our bed to play.

We went to Outback Steakhouse with the Grandparents, which was Adam's first time out to dinner.  He sure did make it memorable.  He broke a plate, chucked coasters around, and tossed a cup of dressing across the table.  I'm not sure he's going to be welcome back anytime soon.  He was really good, just very grabby.  G was also really well behaved and ate from his bento box refusing any ribs, steak, or mashed potatoes I set aside for him.  Someday I have a dream he will eat real food!

Easter Fun

We went to an Egg hunt on Saturday with KT.  They limit it to 10 kids at a time and cap the number of hunted eggs to 6 per kid.  This was perfect for G! The neighborhood egg hunt that was over in 30 seconds was way too high pressure for hiim.  He didn't collect one egg.  At this one (his future preschool in the fall) he actually participated!  I think having KT there helped a lot.  They got balloon animals, did a few crafts, and didn't let the rain stop them from bouncing in the open top jumper!

Then we all met up at Costco for lunch.  A little peer pressure got G to eat a few bites of his hot dog, but mostly the dynamic duo spent time screaming in each other's faces.  

On Easter Sunday we colored eggs and promptly sacrificed them for our egg salad sandwich lunch.  Yes a little late, but better than never.  He also had an Easter basket scavenger hunt.  Dad put together about a dozen clues that G had to figure out before finding his Easter basket.  He got lots of goodies and was really excited about it. Then Mom has her own scavenger hunt for her little camera.  Of course it's at the bottom of the diaper bag.  We had an egg hunt in the backyard and G was really good. Dad was impressed with his skills.  G was even eager to do quiet time because we let him pick out one piece of candy from his Easter basket to take for a snack.

Adam has been sleeping badly again.  Is he sick, is he teething?  No one knows.  But this must stop because I cannot function continually waking at 5am! He finally likes puffs.  He also likes the multigrain cereal with brown rice, barley, and oats.

Chompers appear

April 7th I was giving Adam a bath and found two pointy little bottom teeth emerging. He has been sleeping horribly for the past month or so and I'm hoping it was the teething so we can get back to sleeping through the night.  I'm tired of waking up twice a night.  So far so good, today he took two really good naps.

He giggles all the time and recently started talking too.  It's mostly a bah bah bah bah sound, but he stops talking when he's investigating something.  He can't talk and grab for the camera, which he always does.

Today G wanted to end quiet time early so I said he could if we cleaned the bathrooms.  He eagerly agreed and we cleaned his bathroom tub, sink, and toilet.  Then we went on to clean my bathroom tub, sink, and toliet.  He even windexed the mirrors.  It's weird how helpful and willing to listen he'll be one moment and then the next he's throwing toys around the room in a fit.  That's what happened after the bathrooms were clean.  

Yesterday I decided to hide some eggs in the backyard for a fun activity.  He really had fun finding all the eggs.  I hid some pretty well and he actually found them.  So today he asked to do an egg hunt again.

He has also been into playing "I Spy" with me and is really happy when he discovers what I was spying.  

World's slowest bike ride

G says he can't pull up his undies.  He cries and demands help and refuses to try to do it himself.  Then he wants a toy that is downstairs so he pulls up his undies and goes.  Can anyone say, stubborn?!  Also his teachers at school say he performs the task at school without issue, so clearly he "can".

3/31 starts the three days of torture. Tantrums, zipping across the room and up the walls.  Non stop and so contrary.  In fact when we took a family bike ride, he rode slower than I thought was possible.  I thought I was going to tip over!  We kept asking him to speed up a little, but I think that only encouraged him to ride slower.  

Adam seems to like the baby seat, but he spent most of the time chewing the straps.  Ethan likes to stand up and pedal like Dad and take both feet off the pedals to do tricks.  Nice.  He even rides on Ian's ramp with his training wheels which have a total of 1" of clearance.  I can see wheelies are in his future....but first the training wheels must come off.

Adam is now talking with us.  He makes some noises, we mimic back and he continues on with this conversation .  He loves it and giggles.  He's just so chill I can't believe it sometimes.  His naps are so bad lately because he's been sick with a stuffy nose.  He can't sleep well because he sucks his thumb to sleep and can't do that when his nose is plugged.  It's been a hard couple of days.  Thursday he seemed better, but I can't believe a little runny nose was so agonizing for him.  He took one nap and only one nap on Wednesday.  

I forgot what pears do to a baby.  Boy oh boy luckily we were at home when the explosion happened.  He loves the pears though. G even asked to have some pears and ate them.  I was hoping he would want to try some green beans or peas too.  Yeah right.

Thursday night Adam rolled over at 2am and cried to be put back on his back.  I hope this is not going to be a habit.  But I guess I should encourage the movement since he's kind of a lump right now.

He sits, he drools

Today G cracked me up...he counted the dog for barking.  We have been counting him for a few weeks and I really think it has helped stop his bad behavior more effectively than just putting him in timeout after timeout.  I also feel empowered when I am at home or near the car to stop his behaviors and follow through with a timeout in his room or in the car.  I think we were being inconsistent by "picking our battles".  I think having consistency is really helping G.

Adam is sitting up really solid now.  I'll leave him sitting up now when I have to leave the room for a few a minute (like when I go help G to the bathroom).  He is always surrounded by pillows because after a little fussing to tell me he's done, he just tips over.  Then I come back to find him tipped over and still playing on his side.

He's also started to mouth toys a lot.  He is drooling too, so teeth must be on the way.  I was looking at G's baby book and his first teeth popped out at 5 months.  At 7.5 months Adam is still toothless.  I think this is indicative of things to come.  I think Adam will be slower to do things than his big brother. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that he is just so laid back.  He's pretty happy with just sitting there and watching his big brother zoom across the room.

Adam loves Oskar.  I remember G loving Oskar too, but poor Oskar is not amused with the grabby hands.  Adam laughs and smiles when Oskar comes near him.  He reaches out to pet him on the back, but occasionally he grabs a hold of his beard and poor Oskar cries.  The scary thing is Adam is drawn to Oskar's stubby little tail and is constantly trying to get it.  Unfortunately it's located close to a danger zone, his butt, so I'm constantly scooting the dog away.

Bike hunt

Saturday we spent some time at the Watt's again.  They have a bunch of projects for their yard that Dave is helping them out with. Today it was rebuilding a brick walkway.  Ian, Tyler, and G spent the day riding bikes, wreaking havoc inside, playing in the sandbox, and eating popsicles.  He was go go go all day long and was toast by 5pm.  Adam managed to get a nap in while being carried in the Ergo.  He got a lot of attention from Tyler and because of that some attention from G.  Whenever Tyler asks to hold Adam (which is evey 10 seconds), G asks to hold him too.  Luckily Adam is really tolerant of being passed around.

Sunday we went to three bike shops shopping for a bike for me.  I am looking for something cheap, but solid to put a baby seat on so that I can take rides with the boys.  Apparently that's a tall order because I couldn't find anything under $300.  And fyi bike stores aren't that interested in helping you if you walk in asking for the cheapest thing in the store. 

We also went hunting for a new helmet for G, but came home empty handed.  Adam is going to inherit G's infant helmet and G is going to graduate to a big kid helment.  So all in all, our shopping trip was not very successful.  We'll be repeating this next weekend I'm sure.

Veggies and the Gang

Dad was home again sick so I was able to leave Adam at home asleep while I took G to preschool and picked him up.  Adam has some kind of weird nap schedule where he wants to sleep at exactly the time I need to leave the house so most of the time he gets crappy car naps.  Well Wednesday he took an hour and half nap in the morning and a couple hours in the early afternoon.

When I picked up G from preschool the plan was to go out for frozen yogurt to celebrate his potty progress.  We haven't been out that much since we started potty training.  Since Adam was alseep (again) we had to go home and pick up Dad and Adam then head out for yogurt.  However, his teacher told me he hadn't used the potty at school today so we tried to use the potty at home before leaving.  In the time it took to get home and pee, G decided he didn't want to go to frozen yogurt!  He said he wanted to skip it.  I couldn't convince my nearly three year old to go out for, well let's face it, ICE CREAM!  Unbelieveable.  I was sad, but he wanted to go plant all our veggies in the garden so that took my mind off frozen yogurt for a while.  It was really really hot though and G quit helping after a few minutes to go inside and fly the simulator with Dad on the couch.  So I was stuck outside working in the middle of the hot day finishing a project G made me start without any hope for frozen yogurt.  On the bright side, our strawberries, green beans, bell peppers, red onions, walla walla onions, garlic, tomatoes, and zucchini are now planted.  Maybe it's a bit much, but I'll reassess at the end of the season and make a new plan for next year on what worked and what did not.

Thursday Adam slept for over two hours in the morning so we were really late for playgroup, but luckily his buds Connor, Kaitlyn, and Isaac were still around when we got there.  They were all on trikes and looked like a little half asian gang patrolling the park.  I wish I had taken a picture, but I'm sure I'll have a chance in the coming weeks.  

Poop for Cars

Monday I sent G off to preschool in his undies.  A big day for sure!  I was worried about how he would react if he had an accident at school.  I thought it might set back our progress and he would refuse to wear undies.  However he came home dry and even peed at school!  Hooray!

Tuesday Dad stayed home because he was sick with some stomach flu/bug.  It was a good thing because he got to help out with getting G to poop.  It was a traumatic/difficult day since G had been avoiding pooping since Sunday night.  He's pretty darn regular, so I knew he had to be uncomfortable.  He cried a few times declaring he had to poop, but demanded Dad go with him.  We tried everything to get him to poop, but it took a bribe to get him to stop crying and try to poop on the potty.  He earned himself some Skittles AND a Lightening McQueen die cast car.  Ugh

Later that day he pooped again.  I think he wasn't really done earlier, but didn't want to try to poop anymore.  At any rate bribery continued and he got a Doc Hudson die cast car.  It was supposed to be a Mater car, but I couldn't find it at the store so he had to settle for what I could find. Now I'm on the hunt for die cast Cars characters.  Potty training is going to get expensive!

Potty break through

Sunday we made a big change.  We moved the video monitor from G's room to Adam's room.  G doesn't take naps anymore, which was when he did the most destruction. And Adam often sits up in his crib awake and quiet...for how long I have no idea. It's funny how different they are.  When G was awake he let everyone know it by screaming his head off.  Adam sits there and sucks his thumb for a while before making a peep.  

In the afternoon, G and Dave (and the potty) went over to the Watt's to help them with some yard projects.  Adam and I stayed behind for naps and grocery shopping.  Then they came home in late afternoon (dry!) with the Watts for a bbq.  Kaitlyn and family also came over to make it a foursome of kids under 5 running wild in our yard.  They ran around screaming, doing puzzles, and finally all sat down to eat for a few minutes before adjorning under the table to bark like dogs.

G had one accident before dinner while they were playing outside.  He probably just got distracted or didn't want to stop playing to pee.  He was quite upset about it and wanted to be put back in diapers.  We managed to get him back in undies and off to play some more beore dinner.  Then during dinner he asked to use the potty and was successful in his mission.  However it soon became obvious he needed to poop but was holding it.  He cried and asked for a diaper, but when we finally tried to put a diaper on the potty for him to sit on, he was so upset he didn't want to have anything to do with it.  He just ran around naked in his room throwing a fit.  Finally he got ready for a bath and cried out in desparation for Dave to take him back to the toliet.  He successfully had a bowel movement on the toliet.  It was even the regular toilet!  He felt much better afterward and I'm sure he will sleep better tonight. I know I will.  

Tomorrow is a big day.  Underwear to preschool!  Yay he's growing up so fast. 

And just to show Adam is still alive and kicking...here is his reaction to avocado. A strong negative one...

Potty training in full gear

G has been bugging me the last few days to wear underwear.  He's been doing pretty well on the potty with diapers, but I wanted to wait until Dave had a long weekend to start potty training.  However I didn't want to wait too long that stopped asking to wear undies, so we went for it.  Friday afternoon after his quiet time he went into Lightning McQueen undies!

He was really excited to be wearing them and wanted to keep them clean so he was sitting on his little potty frequently.  He had an accident free afternoon and peed on the potty before bed and when he woke up. He was happy to get into a pair of Mater undies the next morning.

We started off big Saturday morning with a bike ride to the store.  That's about 2 miles round trip!  G and Dave rode there, tried to use the potty at the store and came home.  Then we made funnel cakes which in hind sight wasn't a smart move at 11:30.  Because who would want to eat lunch after loading up on funnel cakes?

To celebrate G's success so far, we went out for yogurt in the afternoon.  Also it gave us a chance to have a day full of snacks instead of actual meals!  Actual food is highly overrated.  After yogurt we ran a quick errand and went home for an accident free day.  

However G's bowel movements are pretty regular so I was worried all day about having a poop accident.  I think he was holding it and waiting for the diaper at night instead of using the toilet. And I was right because the next morning I found him with a dirty diaper.  I was a little worried this was going to be a habit.

Potty meet G, G meet potty.

G has been using the potty everday this week.  A couple of days this week he used it at least three times in one day!  He hasn't pooped again since that first day, but is eager to wear underwear.  I've been steering him away from underwear because when we start that I'm not going back to diapers again.  We'll be homebound for a week (except preschool).  He still doesn't tell me he needs to pee when he's wearing diapers.  However if they are off, he will sit on the potty every now and then declaring he feels like he needs to go potty.

We are still having trouble getting him to agree to try to use the potty.  I've been trying to get a routine going to use it in the morning and before bed as well as during the day.  He's always been resistant to change from his PJs to his clothes, so it's no surprise he doesn't want to use it in the morning.  

First outing with the boys

I wasn't feeling all that great so Dave took the boys to the hobby store all alone. It was his first outing with both boys. By the time he got there both had fallen asleep and he sat in the car for 30 minutes waiting for them to wake up. Then he took the cranky baby and wild child to the hobby store filled with breakables.  They came back empty handed - a miracle!

Crazy preschool registration

So two schools I really want to get Ethan in have wacky registration processes.  One is a lottery and the other goes off of a waitlist calling people and waiting to hear back from them.  Since I wasn't sure I'd get into either, I went to register at another school this morning.  Allison went at 5:30 and I arrived just after 6am, she was #5 and I was #11 for registration that didn't start until 8:30!  

I was really conflicted...I didn't want to pay a registration fee for a program I wasn't going to attend (especially after shelling out all that dough for Oskar's surgery....goodbye patio furniture!), so I called the waitlist school.  She told me I would get a spot for Ethan, but that it would probably be an afternoon slot.  I was good with that since I was probably going to get an afternoon spot at the place I was currently in line for.  So before the registration began I left knowing I had secured a spot for him at the waitlist school.  Now I just have to decide if I want to try for the lottery or not.  I'm not sure what that school is like, but we tour on Tuesday. All I can say is this boy better potty train soon or he won't be able to go to ANY preschool in the fall!

In other news Dave and I read 1-2-3 Magic and are now implementing that for Ethan.  We have been having lots of difficultly with tantrums, whining, disobeying, refusing to listen, etc.  He is willing (and almost seems eager) to making everything a battle....changing diapers, getting dressed, eating, sleeping, getting the car, getting out of the car, you name it! I feel empowered having a plan of attack and so far so good.  Today is day 2 and I there were a couple of times I didn't have to get to 3.  However like most things with G, it works for a while then he figures out what's going on and it stops working.  I hope that this won't be the case. 

In other news Oskar is seriously depressed when he wears his cone.  He's like a little statue.  He doesn't move once it's on. I have to carry him everywhere I want him to go....very annoying!  However he won't stop attacking his leg where the I.V. was.  He's still enjoying his bland diet and seems to be recovering well.  He gets his staples removed next Thursday.

Adam has started to blow raspberries all the time now.  Sadly he started this when G was eating dinner and of course G had to show that he could do it too, even though he had a mouth full of food. Yuck!  Adam is very into his toys and loves grabbing for the keyboard, my cell phone, and any other object that could get him in trouble. He also loves Sophie his squeaky toy.  He loves to torment Oskar with it because the squeaking drives him crazy. He wants to take it from Adam but he knows he can't.  Best of all, he loves watching his brother. G likes to show Adam how all his toys work like the ring stacker, shape sorter, etc.  He also likes to take Adam's hand and help him stack the rings, etc.

Potty progress...for one day

Lately we have been spending A LOT of time weeding and pruning in the yard. G seems entertained by it so that's good since it needs to get done. The other day I found a huge weed and I said, "Wow this is the biggest weed I've ever seen." Ever since then, when he spots a weed he says, "Wow that's the biggest weed I've ever seen".

The best thing that happened was he agreed to go outside naked to pee in the grass like the dog. However while I was weeding he would make trips to sit on his little potty. Eventually he peed and pooped on his little potty in just over an hour! I felt so victorious and hopeful his diaper days were numbered! Sadly the next day he was not so willing to sit on the little potty so we didn't make any more progress.

Here is the world's most boring video, unless of course you are G's Grandparents. They are the only ones that would love to see him mastering the use of a track pad and using the computer all by himself!



Here is a video of Adam playing with Sophie. Oskar is right there watching and waiting to get his paws on Sophie. I'm not sure if Adam is laughing because Oskar is giving him such a reaction, or if it's just the squeaking. Nevertheless, it's pretty entertaining.

Migraine and food

I had a horrible migraine this afternoon and was ready to just curl up in a ball and let G take over the house and go bonkers.  Instead he closed the shutters for me and brought me a pillow and blanket.  Then he went and got his pillow and blankie to lay down next to Adam and I.  

He was very concerned and patient with me, but when I tried to get up and get him milk from the fridge I thought my head was going to explode.  I assumed the fetal position and blindly reached for my phone.  I called Dave and told him he had to come home. I couldn't even get downstairs to turn on the t.v. for G.

Adam is still a huge fan of food.  He has had rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and banana.  I think sweet potatoes are his favorite so far.  I have butternut squash and avocado waiting in the queue. He's not really into water though.  Sadly I don't have any new pictures of him eating because I haven't figured out how to feed him and snap a picture at the same time.  Perhaps this weekend I'll get Dave to help with that.  

Adam is Mr. Grabbypants.  He grabs everything in site.  He slaps his hands into my food, so it's probably time I don't eat with him in my lap anymore. I can just see him catapolting my plate through the air or slapping his hand in some hot food.  He's already slapped a plate full of spaghetti.  Then after loading his hand up with sauce he whips it around in the air like he's conducting an orchesta to really make a mess.

Rough Times for Poor Oskar

We still haven't figured out why Oskar didn't want to eat his food. After a new bag of food, trips to the vet for bloodwork and an exam, we are out over $200 with no answers. Unfortunately things only got worse for poor Oskar as the week goes on. Thursday G had a particularly bad morning and threw MY bowl of oatmeal off the table. The bowl fell and broke. Before I could get all the kids and dog away to clean it up, Oskar gobbled down some of the oatmeal and bowl pieces. I didn't know this, until later that evening when he threw up blood and a quarter sized piece of bowl came out. 

I rushed him to the Emergency Vet and they checked his vitals and got an xray. There were questionable items on the xray, but nothing definite. The doc recommended exploratory surgery because if something is lodged in his intestine then he could have a tear and leak fluid which can be deadly. He said we could wait but there is no way to know if something does tear so we really had no choice but to do the surgery. Oskar showed no signs of discomfort after eating the bowl. He barked, chased, and played like he normally does everyday. I probably would have never known if it weren't for him vomiting blood.I was so sad because I felt like it was my fault for not taking care of things fast enough or in the right order. Most likely the kids would have stayed away and I should have removed Oskar first. Anyway $2410 later they removed 4 fragments of the bowl in his colon and stapled him up. He came back home with an uncontrollable bowel movements (that was a fun 24 hours!) and more vomiting! He's on five medications: antibiotics, pain, anti-vomiting, more pain, and acid control.
The first day he had to be constantly let out and then confined or he would just stand there looking pitiful. Of course there was butt wiping throughout the day as well. He's a stinky little dog right now, but can't have a bath until his staples are out in two weeks. I might have to douse him with perfume or something.

Saturday and Sunday I stayed home with him pretty much all day and by Monday he seems to be back to his old self minus the ability to leap retaining walls in a single bound and hike a leg to the sky to pee. He's barking at the construction workers, the door bell, and small furry intruders in the backyard. I'm just waiting for him to play with his squeaky toys before I call him recovered.

Gimme More More More!

Friday we started Adam on solids before Dave and G left for the desert. I needed to wait for Dave to be home because I can't feed him and take pictures of his first experience with solid foods. 
He wasn't too sure about it at first and made quite a few faces of disgust as he sampled the rice cereal. After a few bites, he was really eager for the next bite. He opened wide like a baby bird waiting for a worm. He would even lunge forward to get close to the spoon. I bet if he wasn't strapped in he would have jumped out of the high chair. He never once turned his head away to signify he was done. All the food was gone and he was still opening up for more. The next day I added 50% more and he still wanted more. Then today I doubled from the original amount and he still powered through the rice cereal.
In other news, Oskar has still been rejecting his food and throwing up. Friday night after the big boys left, I found a dog tooth on the floor while I was cleaning. I freaked out thinking Oskar was sick and all his teeth were falling out. I jumped to all kinds of conclusions thinking he didn't want to eat his dry dog food because of the gaping hole in his mouth and all his sore teeth that were soon to fall out.

First thing in the morning I took him to the vet with the tooth in hand. After Oskar puked in the car, we got to the vet and they informed me it was an "extra" tooth that sits between two molars. However he was still throwing up and not eating so he suggested putting Oskar on a bland diet of rice and chicken and getting some blood work done on Monday if things were not improving. Well after devouring his rice and chicken, an hour later he threw up. I've been feeding small meals throughout the day and he hasn't upchucked anything today.

I'm worried it might be pancreatitis, but I'll just have to wait until we do some bloodwork.

Sit up, good baby.

Today Adam sat up for a good 10 seconds or so. He flopped over backwards and wasn't too happy about that. We did a lot of sitting up and falling down while big brother was upstairs doing his not so "quiet time".


Here is G "helping" his brother sit up.


Here is G sporting his new Cars shoes. He loves to jump so the shoes light up, but I keep telling him they light up when he walks normally. Guess he doesn't believe me.


Today G and I spent lots of time in the garage organizing the boxes and boxes of Christmas loot we took from my parents house. We now have ornaments and lights galore. Hopefully we'll have a house the Griswolds would be proud of next year. G kept himself amused with the real trains that he inherited from his Uncle David. Unfortunately one of the trains has already had a casualty and is short a set of wheels.

We also spent some time edging the lawn BY HAND! Someone please tell Dave to fix the edger and/or weed whacker because my hand is killing me!

Oskar didn't eat his food last night and took quite a while to eat it this morning. Then after dinner he threw up. I hope it's just anxiety/car sickness from all the travels and he'll be back to his food gobbling self soon.

The Children's Museum and trip home

Saturday we headed to the Children's Museum. There was a looooong wait to get into the museum and then the museum was pretty darn crowded because of the long weekend. Nevertheless, G had fun exploring and checking out all the exhibits. His favorite was the hand crank powered airplane. But he also loved the water play area and the bubbles. We discovered the upstairs after we had been there for a couple hours and G was pretty tired and ready to go. It looked like a pretty cool interactive playground and there was an art area we didn't even have time to check out. Next time!




Monday we packed up and headed out fairly early knowing that the freeway we usually take was closed because of snow. We took an alternate route along the coast which took forever -- 10.5 hours to be exact! Between the baby needing to eat and G needing to get out of the car it was a pretty difficult trip with a lot of stops. The traffic was not as bad as I was envisioning. I think by the time we got to where the road closure was it would have been open. If I had my choice we would have stayed another day, but Dave had to get back for work. Here is a picture of G kicking back and watching Cars. This bought us an hour or so before he started complaining again.

Despite all the unfortunate circumstances, G and Adam loved getting out of the house and spending time with their Grandparents. I know the Grandparents loved seeing them and were amazed at how much they have grown in the last 5 months. G is just a chatter box now which really surprised them. The Grandparents also loved unloading boxes and boxes of Christmas stuff and other miscellaneous stuff. They now have more room in their attic for new junk!

The eventful trip

We drove up to visit the Grandparents and found out Dave would have to fly out for work the next day.  He was supposed to return after one day, but of course things got delayed and he stayed two days! 

Day one Oskar threw up and left food in his bowl.  This is unheard of so I was worried he was sick. Adam slept HORRIBLY the first night. He screamed his head off everytime I set him down in the pack n play. It was a long and sleepless night.  He seemed to nap okay the first day, so I'm guessing he was just upset by the new surrouondings and the long car ride sine we got in after 2am.

Oh and did I mention it was raining pretty much the whole time we were visiting?  Luckily it was usually clear in the morning so Oskar could go on a walk and G could go for a bike ride.  I told my Dad that G loved to ride his bike, but warned that he shouldn't go too fast because G would get tired.  As it turns out G was whizzing down the sidewalks my Dad had to literally run after him.

Uncle David came to visit with bunny Max.  G was really excited to see Max and kept asking to feed him and pet him.  Unfortunately for Max this also meant letting him out and chasing him under the sofa bed.  Max was a good sport though and let G hold him and pose for pictures.  G was also excited to go through boxes of Uncle David's toys.  He loved it all -- the trains, the trucks, the cars.  Apparently he has the same taste in toys as his Uncle.  However his Uncle was very careful with his toys and 30+ years late they still look brand new.  I give G a few months before 50% of them are broken.  He is so hard on his toys.  But I'm hoping that knowing they are Uncle David's toys he'll be more respectful and gentle. 

Friday

We had an appointment for a different speech therapy program.  G wouldn’t  do anything the lady was asking.  In fact when she asked if he wanted to play with a ball, he took my hand and had me grab it and bring it toward him.  He wouldn’t color, he wouldn’t play with the blocks, he wouldn’t answer questions.  It was a pretty difficult evaluation.  She just asked us questions about his behavior and his speech and by the end, he was willing to throw a ball to her.  Slow to warm indeed.

We picked up the new tire for G’s bike and he and Dad took their new bikes for a spin in the culdesac.  G’s absolute favorite activity now is riding his bike.

Saturday G and Dad worked on the motorcycle.  They cleaned it and changing the tire to get ready for the next desert trip in a couple weeks. Apparently G got bored helping with the motorcycle and abandoned his post to go take his bicycle for a spin.

Quiet time is getting more and more difficult these days.  He is unwilling to be left in his room and follows me out. Since he rips off the childproof door knob covers, Dave took a locking door knob from the master bathroom and swapped it with his.  So now his door locks from the outside.  I really didn’t want to do this, but he needs some time to wind down. 

We are even having problems with getting him to sleep at night.  He stalls bedtime with requests for more books, more milk, more massaging, having one of us lay with him, asking for the other parent to say goodnight and repeat the stall process.  It’s so frustrating lately because it feels like everything is a battle including diaper changes!  I’m ready to graduate from toddlerhood in hopes for leaving tantrums behind.

One bag of crackers goes a long way.

Wednesday when G gets home from preschool he is so wiped out he desparately needs a nap, but is too stubborn to take one.  So the tempers ensue and my day goes downhill fast.

Thursday we went to playgroup during a break in the rain.  I brought Ethan’s bike since last time he spent most of his time taking joy rides on Kaitlyn’s trike or chasing after her while she did laps.  He had fun riding his bike with Charlie, Kailtlyn, Isaac, and Tyler.  He let Isaac ride his bike for a bag of cheese crackers.  Then he rode Jayden’s trike while Isaac tried his bike.

Adam was rescued from his stroller and spent almost the whole playgroup napping in Aunt Allison’s arms.  When she had to leave Jayden’s Mom took over nap duty for Adam.  Poor Allison was sore later on in the day from holding Adam for so long.  I guess it’s never a good idea to hold two babies at once for that long!  While Adam was knocked out Aaron had fun playing with all of his toys. 

When we got home the fun began. G was so tired he just lost it when I asked him to take off his shoes.  He threw himself on the floor and just started crying and kicking.  I couldn’t get him to calm down. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.  Thankfully Dave came home early and had Friday off.  

Super Bowl weekend

Saturday evening we went to visit Great Grandma. G powered through a sandwich and was treated to some ice cream after dinner. When we went upstairs to visit with her, within a few seconds he found a toy train on her dresser. Great Grandma didn't know where she got it, but let him take it home. He was thrilled! After torturing the cat by making him chase a laser pointer we headed home because Adam was D.O.N.E.

Sunday Dave and G washed the van and then headed out for a bike ride around the neighborhood. Dave taught him how to use the breaks and pedal standing up...the essentials to riding. After their nice long ride we had lunch and played until Adam woke up from his nap. Then we got to go to G's first super bowl party at his buddy Kaitlyn's house. Isaac was there also, but G didn't know any of the other kids.

At first he was timid, but as the other kids started to arrive he got more and more "difficult". I've noticed he does better in smaller groups and gets overwhelmed when there are lots of kids. We left after about 2 hours and lots of jumping on the trampoline because he started asking for his green blankie. That's a sign that he's tired and about to lose it...especially if we don't hand over said green blankie.

Dave baked sausage pinwheels for the event and it really disappointed all the kiddos and quite a few adults. They look a lot like cinnamon rolls! Sausage pinwheels are tastey, but I suppose if you were expecting a cinnamon roll they can be disappointing. I guess we should include a warning that they are not cinnamon rolls for their next appearance. G ate a few carrots and grapes just to copy Kaitlyn and her buddy Quinn. Maybe he should hang out with girls more often to improve his diet.

Baldy's update

He's still not rolling since that first weekend he developed his new skill. He isn't sitting up yet either. He has discovered his thumb and loves it. It has become his favorite activity. He also enjoys staring at his hands. He looks at them like they are talking to him...pure amazement. He just loves attention and to be held. If he has undivided attention he gives out smiles and giggles. He even likes to be thrown in the air and gives a big laugh when he comes back down. The cutest thing is he adores his big brother. Alooks over at G when he is talking and gives him big smiles.

He is making lot of progress with his naps. He is taking a morning nap that is at least an hour long and an afternoon nap that is usually an hour and half to two hours. He takes more than one afternoon nap, but only one tends to be the big one.



Unfortunately with preschool and other big brother activities I have been waking Adam early from his naps or delaying his nap for a "junk" nap in the car. I feel so guilty about this because I know how well he sleeps in his crib and how lousy he sleeps in the car. He always wakes up when we get home, so that's only about 30 minutes.

A and G are so different, but sleep is another big difference. A wakes up and often stays quiet, looks around, sucks on his thumb, and just chills. Sometimes I'm not sure when he has woken up until I hear his playful kicking in the crib. If I wasn't so worried about G destroying his room I would move the video monitor to A's room.

Gigantor update

I found out how to drop G off at preschool without a huge scene. Apparently if I drop him off when everyone is seated, he just walks up to the table to take his seat. He even says goodbye to me and I am able to just walk out. Amazing. If I drop him off during free play, just a few minutes earlier it's a cry-fest.

I wish I could figure out how to make him eat. His diet is horrible. Breakfast is usually cereal or oatmeal, but lunch and dinner is when it gets really bad. One of the meals is usually yogurt, the other is hit or miss. Sometimes it's hot dogs, nuggets, meatballs, cheese, or purely snacks. Grandma got him Juice Plus for Christmas...probably more for me than him since I worry about his horrid diet all the time. He loves taking his gummies and I feel better that he is getting some nutrition. However I wish he would try eating new things or some of the things he used to eat: avocado, carrots, turkey, toast. Seriously, I'm not even talking about hard core veggies like broccoli! He won't touch pizza or pasta (if it has sauce). If he doesn't like the look of it, it's not getting anywhere near his mouth. However he has some amazing spidey sense for sweets. He'll try anything that looks like it could contain sugar. However he rejected Grandma's delicious lemon meringue pie after tasting it. Clearly his taste buds still need some fine tuning.

Sadly the other part of his life, sleeping, is not going well either. He has recently started to really resist night time sleep. It's almost identical to what he did for naps. He cried and protested that "I don't have to go to sleep." "It's up time." "I want to go outside!" UGH. He ripped off all the childproof doorknobs throughout the house, so there is no keeping him in his room unless we hold the door.

One thing we have discovered recently is that massages really calm him down. We've been trying to incorporate a massage into his bedtime routine to help with calming him down and getting him relaxed for sleep. So far he still cries when we eventually do leave. However in the morning he has been better about just getting up out of his bed and coming to visit us instead of crying for us. He brings toys for each of us (even Oskar) and soon we have our bed piled with cars and trains and Oskar's crate is covered too. Once I'm unable to move without rolling onto a train it's time to get up. It usually buys us 15 or 20 minutes to lay in bed. He makes sure we aren't sleeping by jumping all over the bed and making us hold cars. The joys of toddlerhood.

Swimming is over and apparently he told the people in the office he didn't want to come back. He didn't do quite as well at his last lesson as he did the lesson before, but he still had a good day. However since he says he doesn't want to go back we are going to take an extended break and revisit the possibility of swim lessons later. I'm just afraid it will be money wasted if we don't keep up with the lessons. He claims to not have enjoyed soccer either, but he talks about it ocassionally now that he has not gone to class in months!


G has started to tell us he loves us....unprovoked. He'll just come up to me and tell me he loves me. He'll also give hugs freely when in the right mood. However I have to admit these aren't daily occurrences, they are great treats when they happen. He'll also apologize or ask for things with "please" and say "thank you" all on his own if he's in the right mood. If in the wrong mood and you ask him to "ask nicely" or "say please" he'll flip out and it turns into a full on temper tantrum complete with throwing his body on the floor and kicking his arms and legs. I caught him apologizing to the dog the other day and giving him a kiss because he accidentally bumped into him. Then there are other times when he's trying to kick poor Oskar.

The search for training wheels

We searched all weekend for training wheels thinking it would be a simple thing to find at Target, Toys R Us, REI, etc. However it seemed hopeless until we went to a bike store and probably over paid for a pair of training wheels. However they were nice enough to install the training wheels and a new tube for the front wheel. We discovered the flat tire was probably due to the bald tire, so we probably need a new tire as well. After all is said and done we probably should have just bought G a new bike! He was lucky enough to inherit this bike from Ian and was really excited about using Ian's old bike so there you have it...repairs.

After we got it all squared away G was tired and not the most patient little boy. So when he got on the bike and started to pedal he had trouble and nearly lost it. The pedaling is more difficult since going backward applies the brake. Also, it's hard to get started pedaling the bike which really aggravates him. Dave got him off the bike for a while and calmed him down. When he tried again he didn't have much of a problem at all and was willing to work through it. However a few minutes later the exhaustion from the day set in and he was falling off the bike and just done.

This is Ethan on Tyler's bike since I have this picture handy.

Lessons learned, the hard way

So we set up the sandbox on the side of the house which is at the end of a path of bark with stepping stones.  G decided that stepping stones are to be avoided and spent lots of time walking all over the bark with his bare feet.  Lo and behold he came inside with TONS of splinters.  Dave and I spent a half an hour trying to pluck out splinters from the bottom of his feet while he was squirming and protesting. The experience wasn't very pleasant, but he didn't seem to learn from it and the next day went trampling all over the bark bare foot!  

He has also been giving himself some nice shiners lately.  Does clumsiness increase with age?  Or is it merely a symptom of the terrible twos?  G slammed the baby gate into this head and gave himself a nice dent above his eye.  Then a few days later he fell off the couch and slammed into the coffee table to give himself a nice bump on his forehead.  Then there is the daily tripping over his own two feet!  

Jealously/selfishness has reared it's ugly head. I cleaned up the highchair and set the straps up for Adam.  When I put Adam in it, G got up from happily picking at his lunch and demanded that he "needed" to sit in his high chair.  We got him a booster chair so he could sit at the table a few weeks ago, but he seems to prefer to chuck that aside and sit at the table with the table at eye level (unless of course Adam is in the highchair then that is the preference).  Adam seems to love sitting in the high chair to watch everyone eat and get a new vantage point on everything.  We just need to work on getting big brother to not throw a fit when he is in there.

Swimming superstar

I froze G's last three swim lessons from his session about a month ago.  He became really diffcult not only in the lesson, but just getting dressed and in the car to get to the lesson.  I decided it might be good to take a little break.  Grandma B returned from her trip so I scheduled his last three lessons so she could take him.

Lesson number one was on Tuesday and he took about half of the lesson to warm up and start cooperating. Thursday he was a different kid from the moment he woke up. He was in such a good mood, but we had no idea why.  This carried over to swimming and he jumped in the pool, gave Miss Tracy a big hug, and started swimming.  He did everything she asked and so cooperative. I just wish I knew what made him so cheery!  So we have our last lesson on Tuesday and I'm hoping he's in a good mood so we can end our session on a good note.  

Preschool has been going pretty well too.  His teachers have told me he has been having good days lately with no hitting or pushing to report.  However Grandma has taken him to the park a couple of times recently has she has seen some pushing. He seems to do some shoulder checking if someone is blocking his way.  

Crazy Cleaning Weekend

Adam and I had a fun filled weekend of cleaning and unpacking!  We finally got everything cleaned and organized in the house.  It has been exactly a year since we moved in. Sheesh.  Adam chilled on the floor playing with toys and talking while I sorted through boxes.  He snuggled up the Ergo while I vacuumed.  And he did a lot of napping.

He seems to sleep better when big brother is not around.  I'm guessing he doesn't like all the screaming and crying (aka tantrums) that G does all day long.  Plus I wasn't waking him up to get G to preschool or playgroup or some other activity.

This weekend Adam slept for longer than usual and was easier getting to sleep.  He always fusses a little when I put him in the crib, but doesn't really cry.  It's almost as if he wants to protest me putting him down instead of holding him for the nap.  He quickly settles down which is a relief.  Sometimes he'll spend some time kicking his legs in the crib.  Downstairs I just hear a boom boom boom boom, but no crying or anything, it's just like he's playing while he's winding down.

We managed to do a lot of tummy time and back time while the boys were away.  We also went for jogs in the morning and I took a lot of pictures.  It was a very productive weekend, but I still have a long to do list.  Does it ever end?

What's that noise?

...Mommy typing trying to catch up on the blog.

G loves loves loves his tricycle. He rides it everyday (along with the plasma car) in the backyard doing laps from the side gate rounding the bbq and back again. While this happens Oskar is chasing him or vice versa. Sometimes I'll do laps with him in the plasma car. Most of the time I'll use the time he's happily entertaining himself to cleanup, pay bills, prepare dinner, feed Adam, etc.

G's new thing is asking "What's that noise?" He asks whenever he hears the slightest sound whether it's familiar or not. He'll even make noises himself and ask, "what's that noise?" He thinks it's so funny to make noises and have you guess what they are.

Adam has only rolled a handful of times since the initial roll. I guess he has figured out it's not a good thing to do if you HATE tummy time. So I'm trying to do more tummy time to get him to roll the other direction. However my plan has backfired and after a few seconds of good head lifting, he just submits and lays his head down and rests. 
Adam loves the bath these days. He kicks his legs like crazy when he gets in the water as if he is trying to swim. I haven't given him any toys in the bath, but he seems to be able to amuse himself with just splashing the water and staring at his toes. Ahh to be 5 months old and love the simple things in life.

Adam is finally starting to play with toys. He picks them up and grabs them and shakes them. Sometimes he throws them across the room too, perhaps a future baseball star? He really enjoys watching his big brother and Oskar play/run/etc. If he starts to fuss or get upset it's usually because he's feeling ignored. Just giving him some eye contact or picking him up settles him down.

Rolly Pollie!

Adam rolled on Tuesday! Hooray! Sadly I was not ready with a camera in hand. I was ironing and Ethan "helping" me. Lucky for us we both got to see him roll. Right after Adam rolled, Ethan started rolling around the whole room to show me he could do it too.
Today G had another successful preschool drop off. He was clingy and whining, but then he saw his friend in class was wearing the same shirt! He thought it was cool and walked over to play with him.

5 months

Adam went to the doctor for his cold today and he is 14lbs 11oz. Still not rolling, but seems so close.

Today was the first day G went to preschool and didn't cry! We came a little late and all his friends were already sitting at the table and he ran to his seat and said goodbye. It was amazing, but I honestly don't know what changed. Hopefully Wednesday goes just as well.

I wish Dave and I were doing as well as the kids. He is sick and keeps himself up most of the night coughing. I'm exhausted from all his coughing and waking up to feed Adam at 3am. I'm not sure if it's our exhaustion, or just our luck but we keep losing things lately! I need to embed chips in all my belongings so I can track them down. I would gain many hours in my day if I didn't have to search for my stuff!

Oskar is doing well, but in desperate need of a bath and haircut. The van is also in need of a bath, but it's heading to the desert this weekend so it'll have to wait another week. I'm excited to have some more alone time with Adam and Oskar while Ethan and Dave live it up in the desert. I'm hoping I have some time to organize our closet. Yes I'm going to go wild this weekend!

The potty training fiasco

Thursday at playgroup one of the Moms brought cupcakes to celebrate her daughter's birthday.  G was so excited and powered down his cupcake.  After he got hopped up on sugar I sent him to play on the playground.  He actually played on the playground for quite a while by himself.  Usually he wants me to follow him around.  He also spent some time with Isaac's Mom while I watched the little babies.  She said he wanted to hold her hand and he listened to her!  Amazing!  I wish I knew her secret.

Dad came home early from work sick with a fever and chills.  This meant our last trip to Legoland, which we planned for tomorrow, would be canceled.  It's a good thing we didn't mention it to G because I think he would be really disappointed.  Instead I spent Friday like every other day watching two kids and the dog all by myself.  Saturday was quite depressing too, but Dave was able to pry himself off the couch a hour here and there.  But to really make my weekend rock, Ethan told me on Friday morning that he wanted to wear underpants.  

I was so excited that he finally wanted to potty train.  He has asked to sit on the potty before, but was never "successful".  I was kind of surprised that he agreed to use the potty instead of diapers just because he wanted to wear underpants. He seemed commited to it and eager to use the potty.  The first accident occured when he was playing with some trucks on the kitchen floor.  He noticed a yellow puddle on the floor and came over to me and asked "what's that?"  I didn't take this as a good sign that he had no idea what his pee was, but we pressed on.  Then we hit the jackpot and he peed on the potty.  He was so proud of himself declaring "I did it Mommy. I did it all by myself!"  But then we were upstairs changing Adam's diaper and G peed on his carpet.  Ugh!  I was not feeling succesful, but hoping tomorrow would be more successful.

The next day was the day we called it quits.  G was sitting on the couch in his undies on a thick blanket.  I was taking him to the potty often, and keeping a close eye on him, but he still had an accident.  However this time he didn't tell me and didn't seem to notice.  The blanket and his undies were soaked and asked him if he had peed, he said No.  At that point I came to the conclusion this was going to take  a while.  But then G refused to sit on the potty so that was that and he was back in diapers.  

G and I were very productive and cleaned out the garage!  It's finally clean and orderly.  I've been hoping Dave would clean it out for the past year, but got tired of waiting!  Plus I had to do a careful inventory of what was stolen.  Now everything is unpacked into the cabinets and drawers and the sandbox is set up in the yard again.  Best of all, two cars are now resting happily in the garage.  Now I just have to get used to parking on the other side of the garage.

Back to school

Today was G's first day back to school in over two weeks.  He was really reluctant to go and put up quite a fight getting dressed and getting in the car.  I'm bigger and stronger so I won!  He always has to be pryed off my leg (while he's screaming and crying) so I can leave the room.  Today was no different. 

7

While he was in school I ran errands non stop until it was time to pick him up.  And I only finished half of my errands!  When I picked him up I found out he had a rough day.  His teacher informed me he was pushing and hitting his classmates for their attention.  I always wondered if he interacted with his classmates, but I was hoping for a more positive interaction.

Next week he is going to start going to school two days a week.  I hope this helps him transition and ease the separation from me.

Oopsie

Today we had Connor and Kyle and family over for lunch.  Even though Connor and Ethan have matching plasma cars and Ethan had two identical looking tricycles to share they still fought over their wheels.  Connor demanded the Kettler trike and Ethan wanted to ride it for the first time in months just because Connor wanted it.  Then Ethan wanted to try Connor's plasma car, but that idea didn't fly with Connor.  The Dads got along a little better and also had fun driving around the plasma cars.  Indoors the kids also did the usual grabbing trains from one another. Ahh two years...what fun!

Adam has been sleeping pretty well, but not completely through the night like he was before Thanksgiving. He gets up pretty consistently between 3 and 4 am.  It's not so bad because that middle of the night feeding gets him sleeping in until 6:30 or 7am.  When he was sleeping through he would wake at 5:30 or 6 for the day.  

He has had a few developments in the past few days.  First he's now officially swaddle free for night and naps!! Second, he's making up for lost poop time.  For a while he was having a bowel movement every 4-5 days, but now he's having one nearly every diaper change including in the middle of the night!  Too bad I'm not more fully aware of what I'm doing at night, because it would have come in handy last night.

At about 3am Ethan woke up crying and was pretty inconsolable.  Dave finally got him settled down and then Adam woke up to eat.  After feeding and changing Adam I thought I heard a noise outside.  I went to the balcony window and saw a four door sedan pull into the driveway next door.  It sat there for about 30 seconds and pulled out.  Then a man on a bike followed after the car.  I thought this was strange, but it was 3am, I didn't have my glasses on so I didn't get a good look at things...wish I had because turns out they were looting our garage!  We accidentally left the garage door open and needless to say I didn't get to sleep anymore that night.