boys will be boys...: 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Conversation With a 4 Month Old

The Boys

Logan Robert - around 4 months (I think)

Brayden James - 4 months

I LOVE these boys!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

What?! Where has the time gone? I can't believe it has been three months already, but at the same time I can't believe it has only been three months. I feel as though this little piece of perfection has been a part of my life forever. I honestly can't remember what it was like to only have one child. And forget about memories before kids altogether!

Brayden has become such a joyful addition to our little family. He is such a happy baby, though he is sure to let you know when he is not. He loves to be held, which is completely my fault, but I don't care. I've adjusted. You'd be amazed at the number of things I can accomplish with a baby in one arm. Yes, I know a baby carrier would be easier, and I actually have one and a Moby wrap. But for the most part, it's easier to just pick him up and carry him around with me.

Brayden's current loves include watching his big brother, laying on his belly in the Boppy pillow, the swing, looking in the mirror, sticking out his tongue, staring at his hands, grabbing at things (especially my hair), drooling (everywhere), baths, cooing, smiling, and laughing. My favorite is when he's sitting on my lap and I take his hands and "clap" them. Gets him giggling every time!

We are still nursing, which I am absolutely thrilled with. At this point with Logan I was nursing only in the morning and pumping the other four feedings (his reflux made it hard for him to nurse - not sure why). Brayden has reflux as well, but not nearly as bad as his brother. He is on medicine, which seems to be working. I hate the thought of giving my little guy so much medication at such an early age, but he definitely needs it. I even tried weaning him off it last week to see if he was ready, but now we're back on.

As of last week, Brayden was sleeping through the night nearly every night - going to bed around 8 and waking up around 7. The last few nights he has been waking up again, but I'm not surprised because if there's one thing I've learned about this little booger, it's that he is inconsistent! Naps are a struggle. More often than not, Brayden sleeps in the swing, which I hate. I've made it my goal for my Christmas break from school that I'm going to get him napping in his crib! He'll do it now, but he only sleeps for about 30 minutes at a time. I've been there, done that, and I know it will even itself out in the long run. I'm NOT stressing about it (well, trying not to).

Logan seems to be adjusting to being a big brother, though he definitely has his moments. It really was rough hitting those terrible twos right at the same time he became a big brother. A day without a complete meltdown is rare these days, but we're dealing. I attribute a lot of that to needing more sleep than he's currently getting. Since I've gone back to work, Logan has been waking up 1-2 hours earlier than he was before, so he's pretty tired by the time I get home (lucky me). He already goes to bed pretty early (7:30), so I'm not quite sure how to remedy this problem. He needs to learn the meaning of the words "sleep in!" We are trying to introduce the concept of sharing, and it's not going well. He wants everything we try to give to Brayden and refuses to share anything at this point, especially the Bumbo chair! When he wants to be, Logan is a wonderful big brother. He's great at getting Brayden to stop crying. All he has to do is lay down next to him or make a funny face, and Brayden starts smiling again! Logan gets diapers and Brayden's pacifier when I ask him, and he even wiped drool off Brayden's mouth the other day. He's my little helper!

Brayden had a wonderful first Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to experiencing my first Christmas season with two little ones to buy for and the coming months when I will get to see my boys start to play together!

A few pictures (I've been HORRIBLE about taking pictures since I went back to work):

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

All Smiles

My happy little boy - almost three months old!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Disappointments

I think fall is a great time for learning experiences for little ones. I have a number of things on my mental list of what I want to do with Logan this fall, but it seems like the opportunity for each one keeps coming and going without us being able to participate in any of my much-anticipated activities. A new baby and an uncooperative husband don't help - I'm just not up for doing many of these things on my own with two little ones.

Disappointment #1 - I wanted to take Logan to the apple orchard. Todd scoffed at the idea, so we had plans to go with friends. One group of friends was planning to go the day of Logan's birthday party, so we had to pass on that invitation. Then we planned to go last weekend, but the weather and a changed work schedule kept us from going again. Now their fall festival is over and I've heard there aren't usually many apples left to pick at this point, so scratch that one off the list.

Disappointment #2 - Last night was the Rossford Fire Department open house. A friend of ours is a firefighter and told me about it this weekend. I know how much Logan likes the "woo woo" trucks and enjoyed getting to sit in them at the pancake breakfast this summer, so I really wanted to take him. It went from 6-9, which wasn't the most convenient of times, but I wanted to try anyway. Well, my in-laws stopped over, dinner was later than planned, and a slow-poke nursing baby all contributed to us not being able to go. By the time we finished with dinner it was time for baths and another nursing session before bedtime snuck up on us.

Future Must-Do #1 - Fleitz pumpkin farm. We did this with Logan last year, and I loved it (so did he)! I've already got a few mental dates planned out for this one, so I'll make sure we don't miss out.

Future Must-Do #2 - Little BOO at the Zoo. This is a fall/Halloween celebration at the zoo geared especially toward preschoolers. It's the Thursday and Friday before I go back to work, and I'm planning to take both of the kids (by myself because God forbid Todd go to the zoo) on Friday because we have doctor's appointments on Thursday. I hope the weather cooperates. If not maybe we'll shoot for Pumpkin Path over the weekend.

Future Must-Do #3 - At least one Toddler Time at the library. I got a call last week that they are starting up again. They have two programs - one at 6:30 on Tuesday nights and one at 10:00 on Wednesday mornings. Logan loved going this summer, so I really want to try to take him again. Not sure if evenings or mornings will be better, but soon I won't even have an option :(

Fill In The Blank

________ drives me crazy!

Unmade beds drive me crazy! I've been thinking about this a lot lately since I'm actually home to see our unmade beds on a daily basis. Logan's gets made after his nap, which I'm okay with...at least it gets made. But with Todd working nights and sleeping during the day, our bed never gets made except on Sunday when I change the sheets. I hate it - it makes me feel sloppy.

Now it's your turn. Fill in the blank. Leave a comment - I'm curious.