Christmas Card Photo Challenge

Getting the perfect Christmas card put together this year was way more of a challenge than I expected. I started researching some poses and ideas from the Internet and got set on the idea of having small white Christmas lights in our photo that would light up our faces and use something involving the phrase "Merry and Bright". Yes, this is what we would do. What I didn't count on was the fact that I have two 18 month old boys who have no interest in holding still, posing and smiling, and found the lit lights to be slightly scary and uninteresting. I was certain they would be fascinated by them. Wrong. We even ordered a wireless remote so we could set the camera on the tripod and snap photos ourselves of the 4 of us. Ha! A couple of weeks ago I planned what we would wear to church so we could come home and try some shots throughout the day while we looked nice. I about lost my mind. First of all, post-church is almost always a cranky time for them for whatever reason. So that was pretty much a bust. No matter. I decided we would get our perfect shots after naps when they were fresh. We tested lighting and I set up our scenes. They may have been more rested, but they still had no interest in posing for photos with scary lights in front of our tree. We tried group shots, individual shots, inside, outside. I was getting so frustrated. It was just another moment of great expectations and vision that was quickly deflating to hopelessness and frustration. I looked through the hundred shots that night and actually found a couple of family shots that would probably work. Good of BJ and me with the boys looking stoic, but not angry. I figured I could get individual shots throughout the week. I had a couple potential ones of Pierce, but Blaine the mover and shaker would not do it. Finally one evening with BJ home, we threw on their new sweaters, did our goofiest voices and moves and got some pretty good ones. The final product may not have been perfect, but it was close enough! I know I'll be happy for the 348 attempt pictures we have. They are pretty funny!

And the final product...

Hilarity at dinner

Last week we had one of our most hilarious twin moments yet. BJ and I laughed so hard we cried. We were all sitting down having a happy dinner (a very rare occasion) of pizza. All of a sudden Pierce rips of the biggest fart ever. It lasted so long that he had time to look up and grin. We couldn't help, but start laughing and Blaine began laughing too. Then the next thing we know, Blaine is clapping and Pierce quickly begins to clap as well. This made BJ and I laugh even harder! I know this is only a small glimpse of what's to come with 2 growing boys. So funny!

18 Month Update

Whew, it has been one sick Fall. I really don't think that all 4 of us have been healthy more than 2 consecutive weeks since September. Even after we got better from Pertussis, I got a slight cold, gave it to the boys who had it even worse, who gave a light version to BJ. Good grief. We're finally over the hump though and I am praying we stay that way. Please!

- Blaine currently weighs about 25 1/2 lbs. and Pierce is right around 24 lbs. They are almost an inch apart in height.

- Blaine continues to be a really good eater overall. It's funny though because there are a few things that he just definitely doesn't like. It always catches me off guard because he's usually so good to try things and like them. He will not eat applesauce from a big jar. I know it cannot taste that different from the baby food cups I used to give them, but he apparently knows the difference. I've tried just putting a little on a spoon, putting it in their squeezie pouches, etc. No go. He also won't eat veggie straws. He did at first, but after one of his illnesses would not anymore. He only throws them.

- Pierce continues to be our picky eater and keeps me humble as a mom. This is probably my biggest frustration of motherhood yet, and I have to consciously try not to worry about it. I'm still not positive of what his criteria is for liking something, but if he does he'll eat it well. His consistent favorites are peanut butter and honey sandwiches, usually chicken nuggets (esp. from Chick-fil-A), pizza (esp. herb chicken mediterranean), muffins, veggie straws, bananas, and most of the time grapes. The frustrating thing for me is that he won't even try something. Often just putting something new on his tray can send him over the edge. Dr. Harman has assured me he will probably grow out of this. I so hope so.

- They are both learning new words a lot now it seems. Here's the current list...

Blaine
-Go
-Gigo (Diego)
-Mama (only on command)
-Dada
- Hot
-Sssssss (which is "shhhhh" while holding his index finger to his cheek. Way cute!)
-Ball
-Mane (Amen)
-Neeeew (No said which a perfect oh on his lips)
-Di/Bee (all animals)

Pierce
-Nana
-Papa (usually said in succession)
-nana (banana)
-ball
-Dada
-Mama (rarely)
-gaga (cracker)
-This?
-Wazzat?
-Dat?

- Both boys have become fast! Blaine can pretty much jog and Pierce can toddle along pretty quickly, although he still does it with both arms at shoulder level for balance. I love this!

- Pierce's main loves right now are trains, cars, trucks, and pointing to anything in a book and asking "Wazzat?". Blaine continues to love animals. He loves pointing out animals in books and exclaiming "Dee!". 

- They continue good sleep patterns. They usually go to bed between 7 and 7:30 and wake between 6:30 and 7:30 if we're lucky. For awhile Blaine was waking in the middle of the night (3-5 AM) and was pretty awake. We'd go in and then it was over for the night usually. He was up. So we started getting tough with sleep training and letting him go without going in there and he started going back to sleep. Thank goodness! And he's even been sleeping in more as well. (Knock on wood.) He is definitely our earlier riser though. Pierce will often sleep another hour in the mornings if Blaine doesn't wake him up.
 

Although this is a busy, exploring, mischief making phase, it really is fun. They are becoming little people with individual thoughts, desires, and wills. I know we are entering into more need for boundaries and discipline and I pray I/we are up to the task. We try hard to praise for positive behavior and re-route negative actions. We say it a lot, but we genuinely believe we just have good kids with sweet hearts. We constantly talk about how much we just love them and the immeasurable joy they bring to our lives.

Aw man, we've got pertussis

I only title it this because that's been Blaine's phrase lately. Every now and then he'll just come out with an "Aw man" in a little sing-songey voice. It's so cute and we've begun to apply it to our current family situation.

So, where to begin. Basically one or all of us have been sick since the beginning of October. I got sick first and quickly came down with a sinus infection and got on antibiotics. Then the boys got sick with, what I assume, was pretty much the same thing. They had thick, runny noses and a little bit of coughs. Pierce's finally cleared, but Blaine's just wasn't. And he was so cranky all day, which just wasn't like him. I took him in to Dr. Hartman and she looked in both ears and quickly diagnosed him with a double ear infection. Poor baby! I hadn't expected that, but was glad to have him on antibiotics to put it all behind us. Around this same time, BJ got a chest cold and we just assumed he had what the 3 of us did. And maybe he did, but November 2 he got the menacing email from Joe at work that he had gotten a positive pertussis test back. And the boys and I had just been to NovaTech 2 days before for Halloween. Not good. I wasn't too worried at first, but then Pierce started coughing. He had been the healthy one and this was such an isolated symptom. At first I just thought it was the dry air so I bought a humidifier. Didn't help. I called the dr. and explained the situation and my nagging feeling about pertussis, but they said we should be fine and to monitor and call back if it worsened. So I put my worries aside and chalked it up to another random virus he had. Besides, BJ was still coughing too.

 So on Friday of that week, BJ reluctantly decided to go back to the doctor just to be sure he didn't have an infection. He'd already been previously for a weird rash (we had been afraid of shingles), but they had just said it was related to the virus he had. They ran all sorts of tests and sent him home saying it was probably still the virus lingering. But then, Tuesday night he walked in the door and told me he had just gotten the call that his pertussis culture came back positive. I was shocked and not sure what to even do next. So the next day the boys and I went in to the doctor and we all got put on a Z pack as prevention/treatment. They didn't test any of us, but I just know Pierce's would have been positive. I think Blaine and I escaped the worst because we'd both previously been on an antibiotic. So BJ took a couple of "disease days" and we laid low at home. All 4 of us feel pretty much normal. BJ coughs very occasionally, but Pierce is a little worse. Every now and then he'll have a short coughing fit, but it is pretty manageable. The worst is at night though and that's what gets taxing. The poor baby won't even wake all the up sometimes, but he just can't stop so we'll have to intervene with a drink and paci. I think it's messed up Blaine's cycle too though because he has been waking up ridiculously early (like 4 AM) and sometimes won't go back. But considering that we have pertussis, it could be a lot worse.

Perhaps the worst timing of all of this is with GG's trip here for Thanksgiving. She flew in the Tuesday night we found out. Not good timing! Wonderful Dr. Talbert wrote everyone in my family prescriptions for Z-packs which I guess can also help prevent it. We also had to send out an email and make phone calls to everyone we'd been around in the past couple of weeks to let them know. Talk about a humbling position. I felt so bad, but knew we had to. Everyone has been very gracious and appreciative of us letting them know. And so far, no one else appears to be infected. Now we're just praying it stays that way.

Will we ever be healthy again? I'm not so sure at this point...

17 Month Update

Time is flying and I am starting to come to grips with the fact that I don't really have babies anymore. They are true toddlers and now that Pierce is officially walking there's just not much maybe left around here. It's very bittersweet. It's still crazy to see two little vertical bodies and heads at the same level now!

- We had a very sick month of October. I got sick first, then the boys got it, then BJ. And it was a nasty virus. I got a sinus infection, both boys had very yucky noses and coughs, and Blaine's ended up turning into a double ear infection. Poor baby. He just could not kick it, but I was surprised that's what it was after I took him in. He had never pulled on them or anything, but she said it looked new. Shortly after he was diagnosed though, the crankiness really set in and he is just now back to his normal self for the most part over 3 weeks later! So I don't feel like I've really had my normal Blaine this month.

- Pierce has been talking up a storm lately. He jabbers about, but is our curious one constantly asking "Dat?" in his cute, high-pitched voice. He points at every single picture when we read books and asks what it is and also loves to hear us name the body parts he points to on our faces. He can identify hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and bellybutton so far. It's so cute!

- Blaine's love for animals seems to have grown even more. He loves books that have pictures of real animals and this month all animals are called "ah-bee"s. That's also his name for Beary, whom he has become even more attached to. Every night before we go up to bed he searches the living room for "Ah Bee" to take up with him. We feel really bad when it's already upstairs! He also learned how to make a fish face and I was shocked when he did it after we looked at fish in one of his books. So smart!

- Just yesterday I taught them both how to give kisses on the cheek. Pierce isn't super interested. He will kind of lean in with his pixie smile and allow a kiss on the lips, but Blaine leans in a gives a big wet one on the cheek whenever I ask. It melts my mommy heart.

- Blaine has also learned to "march" where he brings one foot up higher when he walks and gets a big grin on his face. He also recently learned how to spin on a circle which usually ends with his losing his balance and ending up on the floor. He's also gotten even better at feeding himself with a bowl and spoon. He did great with chili the other night and likes to do yogurt himself too. This usually ends up in a pretty big mess, but he feels so proud and I know it's part of the process.

- Pierce is still our pickier eater and less open to new foods, but he really seems to have matured over the past couple of weeks. At the beginning of the month he was still having a lot of tantrums and would fall apart when he didn't get what he wanted (including me staying in the same room at all times), but post-sickness he seemed to come out of it and has been so easy-going and fun lately. Dinners have also gone better and, even though he isn't always trying what I want him to, he will sit in his chair more calmly and likes to hand us any food that he doesn't care for. We always say at least he's not throwing it on the floor in a rage.

- Pierce is also in a big mommy phase. He is probably the one with more anxiety now and we had a rough Y attempt a couple of weeks back which has left me pretty gun shy about the whole thing. I know he'll get past it, but it's so sad for now. I'm debating about leaving them at the Y altogether right now because of cold and flu season. I don't know why, but it just seems germier than church. I don't have a great alternative right now though. Plus it's so hard to tear myself away when they're both sobbing as I leave. We'll see...

Favorite:
Foods: PB and honey sandwhich, waffles/pancakes, chick-fil-a nuggets, pizza, yogurt
Books: Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Baby Einstein Category Book, I Love You Through and Through
Songs: Five Little Ducks (Pierce quacks along)
Games: Deathball with Daddy (Daddy throws soft balls and hits them), "I'm Gonna Get You", tickle time, slide, riding mommy horse,
Shows: Elmo, Fresh Beat Band, Super Why, The Wiggles, Barney

A little glance into current life...

A Rough Morning...

Last Friday was a rough one. It had started out as any normal day, but began to unravel like a chain of dominoes. Looking back it's getting funnier, but I was definitely not laughing at the time. It started out with a 7:30 phone call from my mom that she was stuck in bed because her helper for that morning (my dad was out of town) had her back go out. So I packed up breakfast and the boys and we headed over there. It went pretty well, but I find I just don't love breaking our daily routine. It's just a lot to haul them over and keep them entertained and safe while I help my mom. This had already come after a late CAbi party the night before and other previous days of helping that week. I was just completely worn down by Friday and really just at my wit's end. So we come home around 10 and we all headed upstairs to get dressed. The only doors  open up there were their room and the laundry room. Lately they love playing in the laundry room. I'm not sure why. Maybe it seems like a room just their size or something. They also love playing with the washer door and the big Costco-size laundry detergent I had on the floor. They love taking the lid off and putting it back on. By this point they had lost the lid, but I had reasoned with myself that it was too heavy for them to knock over. Wrong.

I had just gone downstairs to make a cup of tea when I hear Blaine at the upstairs gate crying. I figure he just wanted to see me, but it sounded like a more upset-something-is-wrong cry. I came back up and noticed something thick all over his hands and the gate. My first thought was the vaseline in their room, but I knew it was out of reach. And that's when I heard Pierce's delighted squeals coming from the laundry room. I raced down the hall and found him gleefully playing in a half inch of laundry detergent. He was like a greased pig rolling all over and having a ball. This was the first toddler incident that I stood frozen for a moment because I honestly wasn't sure where to begin and felt very outnumbered. I knew I had to get them in the tub so I began running the water and peeling Pierce's sopping jammies off of him. Meanwhile Blaine is still crying and I began to realize that I think he had put some in his mouth. At least it was the fragrance and dye free kind. I also noticed at this moment that Pierce had pooped so I couldn't just strip him down and throw him in the tub. I got Blaine naked and as I'm doing that I hear a kerplunk and turn to see that Pierce had fallen in the tub, poopy diaper and all. This is where I start to get tickled now, but I was too overwhelmed at the time. I finally get them both in the tub and rinsed off. I pulled Blaine out first and got him dried off and as I'm getting Pierce out, I hear the sound of pee hitting the bathroom rug. Yes, Blaine was peeing and not only that, but also putting his hand in it. Lord have mercy. So I re-rinse him, quickly get them dressed, and stuck them in the pack 'n play with a movie. Sometime over the course of our chaos I had called BJ and flat out asked him to come home. I hate doing that, but I knew I was breaking down. By the time he got home I was pathetically sitting in the doorway of the laundry room trying to sop up the soap with some towels. I melted down right then and there in the hallway.

I think it was the culmination of a long series of weeks. This had all happened after weeks of my dad being incapacitated with a serious back problem, trying to be there for my mom, and taking care of 2 sick babies after having been sick myself. Not good. BJ swooped in and took over the clean up while I showered and pulled myself together. The boys were no worse for the wear and my laundry room floor has never been cleaner.

Pierce did it!

This past weekend he officially transferred to walking as his main method! I wasn't sure I'd see the day. :) He's been using the walker quite a bit and I think it helped give him the confidence and practice he needed. Blaine had done the same thing. We knew that one day he'd just decide. He started out by walking more on his own in short distances between furniture or from something to us. Pretty soon he was going longer distances and now he's pretty comfortable. I am so proud of him! My favorite part of all is the huge grin he has on his face as he toddles over with his arms up for balance. So cute! Way to go, Piercey!

A Prayerful Blaine

The sweetest thing happened today that gave me one of the proudest mommy moments yet. We try to pray with the boys as much as we can. We pray every morning as a family before BJ leaves for work and then before meals and again at bedtime. Most of the time the boys are pretty squirmy and don't seem to be paying much attention, but about a month or so ago Blaine (and sometimes Pierce) started mimicking "Amen" afterwards. So cute! And even more recently Blaine has cupped his hands together in the prayer pose.  But today we were at my mom's for their lunch and I had given them their cheese and bean tacos a couple minutes prior while my mom and I were sitting there visiting. All of a sudden Blaine clasped his hands together, held them up to his face, and said "Amen". We almost died. I had forgotten to pray, but he remembered. It still warms my heart thinking about. It is sinking in! I feel so proud that such an important habit we want to instill is maybe sinking in.

Father, I pray that they would be boys and men who know the power of prayer and see the importance and value of it in their daily lives. Help us to set a consistent and positive example always. Amen!

Sweet Brothers

I feel like in the last week or so the boys have really started interacting more. The other day we were at my mom's and Blaine was feeling kind of cranky. I was sitting on the floor with him and Pierce was right next to me. Blaine had been fussing and the next thing I knew he leaned over and hugged Pierce (not in a particularly nice way) and took him down to the floor. They kind of rolled over still hugging and Mom and I just sat there and cracked up. It was the first time they had done anything like that! Even though it wasn't a loving moment it was still so cute. I know there are many  more wrestling matches like that ahead of us.

The cutest thing has happened in the past few days though. The other day we were playing in their room and Blaine had found Pierce's lovey bear (still nameless). He picked it up and then I watched him carry it over to Pierce and hand it to him. Sweetest.thing.ever. Since then it's happened several more times and now we purposely hand it to Blaine to give to him. He knows exactly what to do. It's so sweet!

And then tonight we watched another new interaction. We were finishing up dinner and the boys were sitting within reaching distance of each other. I'm not sure how it started, but Pierce would grab Blaine's sleeve, tug a little, and then let go. Then Blaine would reach his arm back out and they'd do it all over again.

Mischief

We've had some toddler mischief incidents in the past couple of weeks. These things happen so quickly, but usually occur when I've left the room for a couple of minutes or turned my back. It only takes less than a minute apparently.

1. A couple of weeks ago I was getting breakfast ready and I handed Blaine a box of Chex to hold and distract him for a bit. Dumb move. A minute later I hear the sound of a pile hitting the floor. He had dumped almost the entire box on the floor by the kitchen windows. He was sitting on the sill eating a few and Pierce had also crawled over for a snack. I know I'm a true mom now because my first reaction was the grab the camera. It made for a cute picture!

2. We had been playing in the basement one morning and I had run upstairs for a few minutes to pull their lunch together. When I left Blaine had been playing with Diego's food container, but he had been the other day and it stayed completely sealed. After a bit though, I heard elated giggles coming from downstairs and I knew it probably wasn't good. Sure enough, they had gotten the lid off and had poured what was left (thankfully not much) all over the tile and were proceeding to put piece by piece back in. (After they had already each put a piece in their mouths. Gross.) The funny part is that they were having more fun putting the little pieces back in than the actual dumping part I think. Diego had a free buffet for the morning.

3. Just today we had all gone upstairs this morning to get dressed. I often let them run free in the hallway and their room and sometimes the laundry room while I pull their clothes together and dress them. Today I decided to attempt to fold a clean load of their laundry while they played. They had both been in the laundry room (they love playing with the washer door and taking the detergent lid on and off the container) when I heard the door close. This always makes me nervous. So I got right up and opened it only to find Blaine standing next to the dryer. I did a quick scan of the small room and confirmed that I couldn't find Pierce. And  right then I looked through the dryer door and saw him sitting happily inside of it! I was horrified and tickled at the same time. He fit perfectly and was just sitting Indian style looking as happy as can be. I guess no claustrophobia for that baby.

More to come, I'm sure...

16 Month Update

Blaine's Words
Di- cat/any other animal
Bee- animals/lights (oddly)
Gaga- cracker
Dada
Nana- Banana/Nana K

Pierce's Words
Uh-oh
Dada
Gaga- cracker
Nana- banana
Wassat?- What's that? (while pointing)
Mmmmmm- Car sound

Both boys are becoming more and more vocal these days. They are getting better at repeating words we tell them to say and understanding the connections. It makes them seem even more like little people.

Pierce finally cut both top teeth and looks older just as I suspected. Blaine has been working on molars and has cut 3 so far. I think Pierce has cut one, which was surprising since he only has four in the front. Pierce has had a few crankier days lately and I think this is a big reason. Blaine seems to take it in stride though most days.

We are officially down to one nap a day which usually happens between 12 and 12:30. Blaine was less ready for only one and still falls asleep on the way home from errands sometimes, bless his heart. Most days they sleep about 2 hours, but sometimes more if I'm lucky. I've enjoyed our new schedule because it's allowed for more open time to do things and they usually go right down once it's time.

They have started getting attached to BJ a little more these days, especially Blaine. They are very aware when he leaves for work in the morning and Blaine will often walk him to the gate and say something very seriously with a furrowed brow. It's like he's trying to understand why he's leaving again. It's so cute and breaks BJ's heart all at the same time. Pierce consistently says "dada" if we're talking about him or once he sees him. I'm afraid we are nearing the shift where I'm not the only who's hung the moon and the stars in their little worlds.

Meal times continue to be fairly chaotic, mostly because Pierce is still so picky. He is so unopen to trying anything and if he does he makes a disgusted face before the neural connection between his taste buds and brain have even had time to connect. He is keeping me humble as a mom in this area. We think he may have eaten a green bean or two the other night when we weren't looking though. We've continued not to pander to his wants, but offer him his meal as is. He'll usually eat the fruit portion, but oftentimes that's it. I just hold on to Dr. Hartman's wisdom that he won't let himself starve. It's really not the starving I worry about, but the nutrition. I hope it turns around one of these days. On the other hand, Blaine is a meal champ. He will still try and likes just about everything. He's also gotten really good at using his silverware. He can eat entire meals stabbing things with his fork (He learned with his egg strips.) and we're working on liquids with a spoon. I think it will change my life when one or both can completely feed themselves!

Blaine is practically running now and seems more toddler and less baby-like by the day. Pierce can walk, but just chooses not to still. He can take multiple steps between us when we bait or make him, but then goes right back to crawling. At least we know he can, but I'm just concerned about when he'll decide he's ready. That baby has a stubborn streak in him that scares me sometimes! They've also gotten pretty good at mastering stairs. We worked on going down feet first on their bellies and they really latched on to it. It's so cute to seem them diligently get down on their stomachs (sometimes a good 2 feet from the stairs) and scoot themselves back and down. We still have all gates up and probably will for sometime because I like them contained so I know where they are. Plus we're not quite that good at going down yet.

Two Little Monkeys

We have entered into a climbing phase around here. Everything is fair game, but furniture is the favorite. And thankfully they haven't tried beds yet. For a while now their favorite game was for us to put them on the couch or love seat and let them jump and play around. It was an instant mood lifter! But the safety was that they couldn't get up on their own which gave me peace of mind to turn my back for a bit. Well, the safety has come off in the last week or so. Pierce "Monkey Toes" Weil first learned to climb the new chair in our living room. His technique is entertaining to watch and he uses his toes to scale the front of the chair to lift himself up to the seat. It's served him well so far and he's been able to apply it to the sofas as well. Blaine has a little more trouble because he adopted the leg hike method where he lifts his right leg up to the very top and tried to leverage himself up that way. (On a side note, he's apparently quite flexible.) In any case, I figure that this is something I can't really fight because eventually they have to learn how to get on and off furniture and handle themselves while up there. It's scary though because I've described them as big enough to get up on things, but not big enough to understand the possible outcomes. Every now and then one of them will stand up and then start rocking back and forth. It makes my heart stop as I anticipate them falling back on their head before I can get there.

The same scares me with stairs. They've learned the proper way to go down (on their belly, feet first), but sometimes they'll perch themselves halfway up in a way that looks as if they could tumble down. In fact, Pierce took his first spill on Rachael's stairs a couple of days ago. I was right there with him, but he made one weird move and started tumbling down. Thankfully I was able to grab him after only five or six stairs, but it definitely scared both of us.

In this phase I've really seen their boy-ness coming out. Their need for adventure and their inability to sit still for long. They have no fear and I have witnessed first-hand the act now, think later mentality. Just today Blaine lunged at me to catch him from the white chair. Luckily for both of us, I still have my cat-like reflexes. :) I love having rough and tumble boys and seeing them explore and learn new things, but I also have a feeling I'm losing months off of my life in the process.

A typical conversation with Blaine

I could listen to this all day...

A Tale of Two Eaters

I could not have more different eaters. I've decided that each boy represents a different end of the toddler eating spectrum and there seems to be nothing I can do to change that. Blaine has always been my good eater. He caught on to breast feeding easily and sometimes practically choked himself trying to consume his milk. Pierce was a little slower to latch and took his time. Shocker.

Thinking back though, Pierce did latch on to solids better initially. There were a few weeks in there where Blaine wouldn't even entertain the idea of pureed foods from a spoon going into this mouth. And apparently if it were up to Pierce he would still be eating mostly pureed foods. Blaine has done great with the transition to big boy foods, but Pierce will only eat certain things. He won't even try most foods and it can quickly lead to a meltdown if you try to make him or over-encourage. Blaine, on the other hand, will try practically everything and usually likes it. He likes most meats and pretty much eats whatever we're having for dinner. Both boys do great with breakfast, but it can typically go downhill from there for Pierce especially. And neither boy will eat real vegetables no matter what it is or how it's prepared. But they will still eat veggie baby food. I can't understand how they (P especially) would prefer plain pureed veggies over seasoned, prepared real vegetables. I'm pretty sure it's a concept thing at this point.

In any case, Pierce can just about put us both over the edge during dinner. We've agreed to only even attempt a handful of family meals throughout the week b/c it can be so stressful. My biggest fear is that he is going to end up a completely picky eater who is unopen to new foods and will only eat what he knows he likes. I wonder if I didn't introduce enough variety initially or what.  We're trying to get tough and we've never done the short order chef routine where we constantly fix him different things in hopes he'll eat. We usually offer him what we're having and if he won't eat that we give him a baby veggie and/or fruit. I want to get him off pureed altogether, but at least this way he's not getting rewarded for not eating what we eat.

Part of why I'm journaling about this is in hopes that I can look back in a few months and laugh about how worked up I was about this. I will look back and laugh, right?

15 Month Update

(Should have been published 9/12/12)

It feels like we've reached a whole new phase this month. It's funny how it really does seem to go in 3 month phases. Months 9-12 seemed pretty easy. They were crawling, experimenting with standing/walking, but not too confident. Now they are into everything and so very curious. It's still fun to see them learning new things and trying to discover, but it has been fairly exhausting as well. They want to climb on everything and get more frustrated with boundaries.

Pierce has been very frustrated lately. we're not sure if he's going through a developmental time, but he has perfected a whine. He sticks his little chin out and does short whines non-stop. (BJ does a good impression, but just can't understand why I don't find it funny.) He's also learned the art of the tantrum. He'll arch his back and throw his head back. I sometimes will just put him on the ground, walk away, and he often calms shortly thereafter. He has worn me out lately and tested my patience the most it's been tested in a while. But we do remember Blaine going through something similar right around first steps times. I remember feeling so exasperated with both boys, but then would realize that Pierce had really been fine all day. Now it's the opposite. He has his happy times still, but with a lot more fuss and frustration sprinkled in.

Blaine has recently been Mr. Easy-going and is on his way to running now. It's still surreal to see him toddling around now.

They haven't added a lot of words. Pierce's main word is still "uh-oh" and he truly says it in the cutest voice possible. Blaine still says "dee" to all animals and seems to be using "mama" more. (Albeit usually in a whine while tugging at my shirt.) Blaine also babbles a lot in his own language and I could listen to it all day. He will look right in your eyes and tell you something like it's so important.

Both boys understand waving and can blow kisses. (Pierce's version usually turns into an Indian call.)

Pierce has two top teeth! He's going to look so much older once they come all the way in.

Fights over toys are a more common occurrence these days. They also pick on each other more often while in the stroller or a cart. I guess it's really more of Blaine picking on Pierce, often in the form of hair pulling. We don't run as many errands as we used to.

Pierce's First Steps!

In typical Piercey fashion, he stood by himself and took his firsts steps all in the same day. Chris and Matt had been here for a visit (Saturday 9/8/12) and Pierce started experimenting with standing. We all clapped and cheered for him and the determination continued into that evening. After we got back from the Old Settler's Celebration we were all four playing in the living room. We were standing Pierce up and seeing how long he'd go and then he started trying to move forward. And the child has no fear of falling! He would take a step and then just lay out to the floor. We'd send him back and forth between BJ and me and his record was 12 steps! When Pierce decides he's ready, he just goes for it. We were so proud of him. I've said this before, but it's always a little surprising how exciting it is to watch Pierce learn a new milestone. Even though Blaine has done something for weeks, it doesn't take away from the fact that Pierce is doing it for the first time. Plus he waits so long, that you kind of forget it's ever going to happen. :) He hasn't shown as much interest in the last couple of days, but now we all know he can. Now he thinks it's fun to take a step and then collapse into your arms. Yay Pierce!

Headed Back East

The boys slept in their latest yet until 8:15! We all probably needed it though. So our 9:00 departure time was out the window. We had wanted to get out as early as reasonably possible to get home before too late. We ran around like crazy people, but were quite efficient really. We finally headed out at 10:00- not bad considering all we had to pull together. I felt fairly depressed to be leaving our fun vacation, the cool mountain air, and our fun family time away. Kansas always seems so lame after an amazing vacation in the mountains. But I keep telling myself that home is where the heart is and my heart is sitting next to and in each seat behind me. As I write this we are in western Kansas and our thermometer reads 98 degrees up from 65 in Estes. Ugh. I think part of the difficulty is just going back to the real world. Coming down from the mountain if you will. It’s back to routine and work and everyday stresses. But this trip has been a good reminder to keep our priorities in check and have a balanced perspective. Pleasing God and staying close as a family is what matters the most. And I pray we always do that.

Quick update after the fact: We ate at Golden Corral in Hayes for dinner. I'm not sure why it sounded good, but it did to both of us. Plus we knew the food would be ready and the boys would have a variety. It was pretty lame and I wouldn't touch the Mexican section of the buffet (if you can call it that) with a 10 foot pole. But the cotton candy was good and Blaine loved the mac and cheese. Desperate times after lame meals in Estes, I guess. 

Our Last Day in Estes

Our last day in Estes had come. I was trying not to be sad and just soak it up. I feel like our family had bonded so much on this trip and it’s always at this point that you have to start thinking about packing up and travel plans home and what awaits you there. Of course it’s nice to get back to some things, but I knew I’d miss the carefree schedule, no cooking or chores, BJ around all the time, and just the four of us climbing mountains together. We decided to head back to Bear Lake that morning to hike to Alberta Falls. Of course the boys slept in again that morning, but we managed to make it just in time again even after longer construction delays. We loaded up again (After sunscreening the boys. I had forgotten on Monday and Blaine got a little pink in the face. Bad mommy.) and headed off. We had tried to switch packs so we could be with the other boy, but soon realized we preferred the other packs. So Blaine and BJ and Pierce and me it was. Alberta Falls was beautiful. It’s a huge waterfall and we got some good family and scenery pictures. I always wonder if the boys could tell it was something different and understand the beauty of it at their little age. I know the whole trip was so stimulating to them. It’s so fun watching them explore a new environment. They loved our cabin and it always reminds me of the importance of continually exposing them to new things even at the age of one. I realize now how bored they are with the first floor of our house. They had been so whiny and clingy before we left, although they were also getting over a cold. Blaine fell asleep on the way back again, but woke up to eat his quesadilla (kept warm rolled up in our thermos!) and they napped when we got back to the cabin. BJ and I sat at the river their whole nap reading and soaking in the  beautiful view. I even got a great nap in with the river flowing and a cool breeze. Best nap of my life I think!

After the boys woke we decided to squeeze in one more hike around Lily Lake on the other side of Estes. It was a pretty lake and we found a cool trail up the side of one of the mountains surrounding the lake. We hadn’t gotten very far when it started to sprinkle and look pretty threatening. We decided it wasn’t a smart parenting move to keep going at the top of a mountain carrying our children in metal on our backs with a storm moving in. So we regretfully headed back down, but got in some good tripod pics before we left.

Dinner that night turned into a charade. It was our last night so we wanted something a little nicer and Estes-y. Turns out that doesn’t really exist. We went by a tavern that had gotten great food reviews, but one peek inside confirmed it was really more of a tavern than a family friendly restaurant. We wandered around a bit more, but ended up back at the Trailhead Restaurant where we had eaten lunch our first day. We sat down feeling silly we hadn’t just started there. Beautiful views, decent food, Why not? Well, about 10 minutes without even being greeted or gotten drinks confirmed why not. It went downhill from there. They boys were tired of sitting and full of crackers. We finally got our food (gross burgers) and ate what we could and got out of there. Not a good last dinner experience. We realized that Estes just doesn’t have great dining options. We figured out that all the cooks and wait staff are mostly people who are either biding time until ski season or lost in life. We decided to head back to end things on the right note with one more ice cream cone. The boys loved it, but it got really windy and past their bedtime. They weren’t in bed until after 8, but had been so pleasant. They really amazed us yet again with their flexibility and overall good moods. There were plenty of fussy moments and lots of distractions with crackers and every toy we could find, but they did so well overall. We are so proud!

Day 3 in Estes

This day we decided to pack into the car and head up to 12,000 feet via Old Fall River road. It’s an old one lane road that is just dirt and leads up to the top of a mountain with gorgeous views all along the way. It was incredible (minus hearing The Wiggles and Elmo most of the way up). At one point we stopped by a pretty river, left the boys in the car, and set up the tripod for a quick shot of the two of us. BJ set it up and decided to take a different way across the river, slipped a bit and dunked his whole foot into the cold water. I cracked up and we got some funny pics!

About 90 minutes later we made it to the Alpine Visitors Center and set up (thankfully with high chairs) our packed lunch. The boys were kind of antsy and approaching nap time so we got a couple of pictures and packed back up. We took Trail Ridge road on to Grand Lake on the other side of the mountains. It was a cute western-themed town, but there really wasn’t much to see. We headed back up the mountain and then down again via Trail Ridge Road for some more spectacular views. We even saw a big herd of Elk Dees, but sadly both boys were asleep and probably couldn’t have seen them from the car anyway.

We made it back to the cabin and let them play for a bit and then headed back to downtown for shopping and dinner at Casa Grande. Dinner was pretty good, but we might try a new Mexican place next time. The boys did pretty well though. I’m amazed that we ended up going out to dinner every night. We never do that at home and it’s at the end of the day close to bedtime. They really did remarkably well looking back. Such adaptable, good travelers! After they were in bed BJ and I just sat by the river reading and chatting. It was so nice! 

Day 2 in Estes

We had planned to attempt Bear Lake that morning and knew we had to be there by 9. Of course the boys slept in until 7:40 that morning, an unheard of time for them. I think we both refuse to set alarms because if they do happen to sleep in on a rare occasion we want to reap the benefit. So we flew around to make it out by 8:20 and stressed the whole way there if we would make it. We weren’t sure at what crossing we were in, but we made it! We pulled ourselves together in the parking lot and set off. (Before that BJ had gone back to the car with Blaine to grab something and on the way back saw a tied up llama. I could hear Blaine giggle from a ways away and realized why within a few steps! Pierce loved it too. We hadn’t had luck seeing many wild “dees”- Blaine’s name for all animals thanks to Kitty Diego.)

We first saw Bear Lake (beautiful!) and then headed up the trail to the other lakes (Nymph, Dream, and Emerald). We weren’t sure where we’d quite make it to, but we thought we’d try to get as far as we could. We had so much fun and saw some beautiful sights from the mountain. The boys did great! Anytime they got a little antsy or cranky, we would get up next to a tree and let them “touch some nature”. Pierce especially loved it. Every time he would reach out to touch it he would make a little question noise where his voice would go up. So cute! We got some great pics along the way and were glad we’d bought the Target tripod suggested by Abbey. We made it to Dream Lake and let the boys out to stretch. They loved “mountain climing” on the boulders and charmed everyone around us. Blaine even played peek a boo behind a boulder with a woman. They were pretty upset to go and we knew we’d better head back. Thankfully the trip down was much faster and both boys ended up falling asleep in our packs not far in! We were so surprised they’d fall asleep like that, but I guess the bobbing motion, fresh air and the fact it was close enough to nap time did them in.  They woke up at the car and ate peanut butter sandwiches until we got to the cabin where we put them down for naps.

BJ and I relaxed in the cabin and by the river and realized it was nice making ourselves have the relaxing downtime too. After naps we headed to downtown Estes to shop around for souvenirs and eat dinner. We ended up eating (or attempting to eat) at Poppy’s pizza. They were so tired and we weren’t able to entertain them long enough to quite make it through dinner. We got our food and pretty much packed it up and headed out. It was a little nicer of a place than I had expected and they were the only kids there. I didn’t want to make any more of a scene than we were. Our waiter was very sweet. We ate on the go and the boys ended up eating better in the stroller than inside. They each ate a piece of pepperoni pizza! We went to Hayley’s (my favorite) for ice cream and cookies for later. It always smelled so good outside the shop. I think it was the fresh waffle cones. Yum! We headed home for bedtime and relax time for us. Such a fun day!

Day 1 in Estes Park

Our next social engagement was to meet up with The Wallaces that day. We had them meet at our cabin around 10:30 and then go to lunch. The boys had gone down early that day still making up for the 24 hours before. We chatted until they woke up and then went to a restaurant at the edge of the park called Trailhead Restaurant. We ate outside and had a beautiful view of the mountains. The food was ok, but the boys were wonderful. We said goodbye to the Wallaces and then headed back to change and try a hike. Bear Lake road was under construction and we could only go before 9 or after 4. We decided to try the Cub Lake trail. We were on our way down the trial. It started our pretty open without a ton of scenery, but it felt so good to be in and amongst the mountains. We were just starting to get to some prettier scenery when BJ said uh-oh and that he felt something warm and wet down his back and then leg. Blaine had peed through his diaper and we had no diaper supplies! Hadn’t seen that one coming. So we turned around and headed back to the car. At least we got a little hike in! We quickly learned to hike with extra diaper supplies. We went to Sweet Basilica Italian for dinner and ate outside. The boys were getting pretty antsy and tired, but Blaine did enjoy my veggie lasagna. We put them to bed right after and relaxed with a movie listening to Fall River.

Our Family Vacation to Colorado!

After much debate about when to leave for our 10-12 hour journey we finally decided to leave around noon so the boys would nap right off the bat and stay in Denver for the night. We’d initially planned on leaving later and staying in Colby or Goodland, but thought it made more sense to take advantage of their naptime. We fed them right before we left and headed west. It really worked perfectly. They fell right to sleep and slept for a good two hours. We made one stop for a diaper change and frappe after their nap and then made it to Colby for dinner. We felt excited to be on our way just the four of us!

We decided on Pizza Hut where we could sit down to eat and stretch a bit. The boys did great at dinner and the servers all complimented us as we left on how easy we made it look. I always take that as a huge compliment since I don’t usually feel that way! We had found a little park across the street that we thought the boys could play on for a bit, but it was raining when we left so we had to scrap it. We realized we had forgotten travel wipes and antibacterial wipes so we went by Wal-Mart on our way out of town. We decided this was the best place to change them into their jammies, although I was cringing at the thought of my children being naked and exposed in a disgusting Wal-Mart bathroom, but I suppose there are worse places. We were pretty worn out by then as evidenced by the fact that I took Blaine into the bathroom with both pairs of jammies and no night diaper. Of course I didn’t realize this until I already had him naked and thrown away his old diaper. This wouldn’t have been too big of a deal, but BJ was away retracing his steps to find a thrown paci from Pierce. So Blaine was stranded naked in the women’s bathroom in Colby, KS. I just had to hold him and keep peeking out of the bathroom until BJ got back. Luckily I had a burp cloth with me that I wrapped around him so I wouldn’t get peed on. I got him dressed and then BJ walked into the men’s room with Pierce with jammies and no night diaper. He quickly realized it though and I was right there to hand him one. Good times in Colby!

We finally were on our way again and the boys fell asleep by 8:45 and slept the way into Denver. I had been communicating with Evan about trying to get together while we tried to figure out where to book a room. He invited us to stay with them and after some debate about imposing we decided to take them up on it. Our plan/hope was the leave the boys in the car, set up the pack ‘n plays, and quickly transfer them. No chance. They both woke as we arrived and quickly became wide awake. By this time it was after 11:00 our time and we didn’t know what we were going to do. Luckily we were in their basement so we didn’t feel like we were totally disrupting their night. We tried putting them in their cribs, but they freaked out. I don’t blame them really. A new room in a foreign place. So we tried letting them play a bit and then putting them down again. No go. Then we tried letting them in lay in bed with us with the iPad hoping they’d get sleep and we could just all fall asleep together. No go. So we finally just had to let them cry a bit. I felt terrible because I knew they were probably so overtired, scared, and confused. Plus I was so worried we were keeping the Besperats up. But within 30 minutes they were both asleep. We quietly slipped into bed and did our best to sleep. It was pretty hot with a double bed. Needless to say we were pretty tired in the morning. They boys still awoke at their 6:30 time. We realized later that it was the first time we had stayed in someone else’s house with the boys. We survived!

We played with Owen a bit in the morning, but the boys were starting to fall apart by 10ish, so we quickly packed up and headed out. We decided that we had to fit an IKEA trip in so we headed east towards Centennial to fulfill my retail dreams while the boys napped. Yes, we decided to tackle IKEA on little sleep with two one year olds. But it went really well! We ate in the cafeteria first (Swedish meatballs for us and chicken fingers for the boys) and then hit the 2 floors. We ended up starting the wrong way and went upstream the whole second floor. We were smarter on the first floor. We got some Christmas presents for the boys and few other nick nacks. Successful all in all.

We loaded up again and headed to Estes. The boys ended up not napping on the way as we had thought/hoped. Plus we got slowed down by a bike race in Boulder. It was weird…we had made it to Denver in great time, yet the journey to Estes felt forever. Two cranky boys, four Wiggles, and two exhausted parents later we made it. We headed right to Safeway to get some essentials and the boys rode in their first double car cart. So cute! We made it to The Woodlands, bathed them, and put them to bed. They pretty much went right down. It felt so good to shower that night. It had been 48 hours for me. I was definitely road weary and we slept great that night. Silky sheets and cool weather!

Blaine is a Bi-Ped!

(Papa Bum's term, not mine.) I think it's safe to say that Blaine is officially walking! It's crazy how today he just woke up and decided it was time to walk. He's been walking between us across the living room for some time now, but it's kind of been off and on depending on the day . He's also gotten a little more brave transferring between furniture, but today he would be in the middle of a room, stand up, and walk to where he wanted to go. And he went farther and farther as the day went. He even did a couple of laps around the love seat! We are so proud of him, and yet a part of me is sad to see yet another phase of babyhood leave us. Does this make him an official toddler? It's so bittersweet, but he's been waiting for this day for a long time now. So crazy!

Random Update- July 2012

Here are a few random thoughts that describe our lives currently...

- Pierce continues to be OBSESSED with all wheels and things that spin. I don't know that I've ever seen a one year old with such a fixation. It's really cute though and fun to see him enjoy something so much. He loved the dinosaur eggs at the Crown Center exhibit we went to with Standrew and would have sat in that nest happily playing with the eggs as long as we would have let him.

- Blaine has been so happy and easy going lately. He is pretty much in a good mood from the time he gets up to the time he goes to bed. It's been so fun! He has also learned out to give "kissies". He leans his head in and puts his little lips right on your cheek. Melts us everytime!

- Diego continues to amaze us with his patience for the boys. Blaine is pretty gentle, but Pierce is quite rough. He just lays there as they pet, pat, pull, and crawl over him. He has astounded us and secured his spot as family cat. :)

- They seem to be improving with meal times. I think they are slowly warming up to new foods and have pretty much stopped the defiant throwing of food they don't want. Our one minute time outs actually worked we think!

- They have been really good with independent playing and just lately have started giggling at each other some. They'll be under the kitchen table together and I'll start to hear these darling giggles coming out. I think they're playing a game of chase/peek-a-boo. It's happened two days in a row now and is maybe the cutest thing ever.

- They are still doing really well with sleeping- two naps a day: 9 and 2 and bedtime around 7. Although lately they both haven't been going to sleep at night until almost close to 8. We're not sure what this is about, but I know change for our nice little schedule is on the horizon when they go to one nap. I'm enjoying this consistent schedule with easy put downs for now though.

- Blaine has connected with a lovey, Beary. A few months ago I put a lovey in each of their beds- the bear in Pierce's and the monkey in Blaine's. They were pretty much oblivious to them, but one time B was playing in P's bed and picked up the bear and apparently there was chemistry because he's been sleeping with it ever since. Pierce could care less about the monkey now in his bed, but he seems to have become more attached to his paci. We have to do some distracting to get it away without a short tantrum after he wakes up. It's been so cute, though, to watch Blaine love Beary. He holds it by its little ears and takes it around the house with him. Luckily we haven't had to drag it out with us yet.

- They are doing really well with Child Watch at the Y and the church nursery. Sometimes they'll still cry as I drop them off, but they always tell me that it was just for a minute and they've been playing and fairly happy when I come to pick them up. What a relief! I'm so proud of them for expanding their horizons!

- Pierce seems to have learned the art of the tantrum. He sometimes just sits in one place with a severe whine/cry until he gets what he wants or gets distracted. This can happen when Blaine takes a toy he was playing with, he has to leave a wheel he wasn't ready to, etc. It's been fun to see him have such a will though. He is obviously a baby that knows what he wants.

- Pierce has expanded his "more" sign to mean what we think is a general "I want". He's started doing it at random times: in the car, in the store, playing. It's really cute, but sometimes we're not sure what it is he's wanting! Blaine seems to be starting some signs. Occasionally he'll clap for more, do a small drink sign, and he lifts his arms up for us to pick him up when he's done.

13 Month Update

Better late than never... (Do I start every post that way?) Anyway, here are a few random things that I knew I wanted to get down.

- Dinner time is our hardest meal of the day. Blaine is doing really well overall with big boy food, but Pierce doesn't want much to do with it. It's almost like the site of meat offends him or something. Are we going to have a vegetarian on our hands? He'll just fuss and whine and, for awhile, throw the food off his tray. This began the institution of time outs. They get a strike each time they throw food and on the 3rd strike we take their tray off, move their chair towards the wall, and leave them in time out for one minute. Then they get to come back and try again. It actually seems to have worked with Pierce! Now he just fusses, but leaves the food there. We've settled for feeding him a pureed veggie and a fruit when he refuses to eat what we've given him. We figure it's the middle ground without starving him before bedtime. I'm not sure when we'll ever be able to eat family dinners. There's just no way BJ and I can sit down and eat while refereeing food and making sure they've gotten a decent amount.

- This has been a sick summer for us and I suspect Child Watch at the Y has something to do with it. I teach on Mondays and Fridays at 4:30 and take the boys with me. That is, when they're not sick which has been more than half the time. They had a cold right after their birthday, then the three of us got a nasty virus at the very end of June complete with coughing and croup for Pierce. It was ugly! Now Blaine has had a runny nose again, but thankfully it hasn't turned into much more than that. Everyone tries to reassure me that they're just building their immune systems, but really? Three illnesses in 6 weeks. That's too much. We'll survive though.

- Blaine is starting to take his first steps. He is quite proficient at standing on his own and started doing it without really realizing it. Sometimes if we reach out for him he'll take a few hurried steps and then fall into our arms. I think he could do more, but is gaining confidence. He took about 8 one time at my mom's though! This is actually the first new accomplishment that I'm kind of sad for. It feels like another chapter of official babyhood is ending. I love carrying them around. That's one of the things about twins that's hard. I've always loved the feeling of carrying a baby on your hip, but I am so much more reliant on our stroller having two. In either case, I'm in no hurry for either of them to walk.

- Pierce still only has two teeth. I'm starting to get slightly concerned, but yesterday I thought I could see a slight outline of his top two....I hope.

- Blaine has become quite the talker lately and I love it. He is constantly chattering away in his own little language complete with voice inflection. One of his favorite sounds lately is "sh" and he often ends his "words" with it. I hear the word "baish" a lot is seems. :) I try to be good about naming things throughout the day and find myself doing it more specifically with him than Pierce since he has shown an aptitude for talking more, but I need to be more equal about it. Pierce still chatters some in his high, whispery voice and has taken to the phrase "gaga".

- They are still taking two naps a day (usually) and they go down so easily now. They take a morning nap around 9 and an afternoon nap around 1:30. Bedtime is usually around 7 these days. (That's a late bedtime for us!) I think I can safely say that we are seeing all of our hard sleep training pay off. This will be an important paragraph for me to go back and read with our next baby at about month 7. There were some incredibly difficult nights and days when it felt like we'd never get there. Letting them go in the middle of the night and setting an alarm for every 30 minutes to listen in, listening to an hour of crying during naptime when I just wanted a quiet break, allowing the other baby to be woken up from a nap due to his brother's crying. Whew...it still makes my stomach twist thinking about it. Certainly one of the hardest things I've ever done. But now they just go right down for naps and bedtime with maybe one fuss as we leave and a few minutes of chatter before drifting off to sleep. Did I really just type that?? I don't know if every baby ends up here eventually without having to go through the sleep training hell that we did, but I'm gonna say no. I think we'd be surprised about other kids' sleep habits who still wake up at night some and have trouble going to sleep. We did it!!

- Nicknames still abound. Here are the current ones (mostly initiated by me I'm sad to say). Blaine: Puppa or Pup (short for Puppa Lup which I think came from Snuggle Puppy and the fact that he held toys in his mouth), Blainer, Blainer Boy. Pierce: Pooh Bear, Piercey, Pixie/Pix (I think my mom called him a little Pixie sometimes and I just feel like it fits.), Pick a lix. I know, I'm weird.

Sleep Positions

A few weeks ago we both noticed Blaine's favorite sleep position. He always ends up on his tummy towards the front of his crib with his hand tucked under the bumper. When you walk in all you can see his his little hand resting on the side of the mattress under the bumper. BJ realized that if we lay him in his crib tummy down, he will usually put his head right down, tuck his hand in, and settle right away. We think he may almost look forward to sleep now. It's so cute!

Pierce doesn't really have one go-to position, but we often find him curled up on his side. He may be our little side sleeper like me. I think he tends to move around a little more (also like me) as he sleeps.

We try to go into their room most nights before we go to bed to watch them sleep for a little while and make sure everyone is warm enough. One night we discovered Blaine completely bunched up in a little ball and it hit me that he was cold! So we covered him with a blanket and I think that was one of my favorite mommy moments.

Pierce at One

He's still Pooh Bear! I'm not sure when that nickname will dissolve, but I love it and it just fits! Pierce is still our happy, laid back baby, but is quite mobile now. He finally started doing a real crawl, but sometimes still reverts back to his salamander army crawl. Either way, he's quick! He also started pulling up all the time, but is still a little wobbly. Whenever I see him from behind I always say he looks too little to be able to stand. I love seeing him at the fireplace standing next to the book basket, pulling a book out, sitting down to look at it for awhile and then pulling out another one. He is our little book worm and can sit quietly looking at books for quite awhile. A couple of times I've been in the kitchen and have noticed how quiet it is. When I looked into the living room, expecting to see trouble, there little Pierce is reading books.Sometimes he'll even "read" us one including voices and "rawrs". He is really good at independent playing. He is also quite talented at mimicking noises- especially lip smacking!

He is still pretty soft spoken, but gets shrill when he wants to. I think his little mouth is one of my favorite features of him. He has a sassy way about him at times and I know we're in trouble because he grins with a very charming smile every time he hears the word "no". He's never shown the same sensitive streak that Blaine did.

His favorite foods are goldfish, bananas, puffs, cheese, and bread. He can be a little fickle about big boy food and I think would eat pureed baby food the rest of his life if we let him. We're still on Pierce time. :) He is still pretty good at his 2 signs (more and drink), but we haven't been very good at working on new ones. My fault!

He still loves bath time and has expanded that love to the pool that he and Blaine got from us for their birthday. He is usually the second one in, but loves it once he's in there. Oddly enough though, a new interest has been the grass. He used to not want any part of his body touching it, but one afternoon he got out of the pool and crawled all the way across the backyard to stand at the fence. I'm not sure how long he would have stayed there, but I brought him back because I worried about him getting a sunburn! I think he realized that grass was like really tall, colorful carpet that can be pulled and put in his mouth. :)

Overall, Pierce is such a happy baby. He is so good natured and smiles so much. I think he could end up being the comic relief of our family. Happy 1st Birthday, Pooh Bear!

Blaine at One

I am constantly saying to Blaine these days, "When did you become a boy??". He has become so much more boyish-looking with his slimmer face and front teeth. And he's quite the little chatter these days too from first thing in the morning until bedtime. I absolutely love listening to his little voice and his attempts to mimic the words we say. There are many times we'll tell him to say a specific word and I swear he does! You can tell he knows exactly what he's saying.

He's getting closer to walking and every now and then will stand on his own in a somewhat squatting position for a few seconds. He just did his longest stretch today in the backyard pool!

He also has this really cute face he does when he is whining or upset. We call it his "ooooo" face. He scrunches his mouth into an "o" and knits his eyebrows while saying "oooo". It's so cute!

We've had some battles lately with eating big boy food with both boys. Blaine usually prefers to chuck it across the room instead of even tasting it. We think recent back to back viruses might be causing part of the problem, but we're trying to teach "no" and we've even started a short time out if they continue to throw food after we've told them no. We scoot their chairs to the wall and leave them for one minute. It's actually turned out to be really cute because they usually just sit there, strapped into their chair without the tray, and chat to themselves happily. We're not sure we're getting anywhere, but we're trying! He still loves waffles, sometimes bananas, goldfish,

Blaine's favorite toy right now is probably his little boom box that makes an incredibly annoying grinding sound while spinning to land on different nursery rhymes. He's also learned how to play catch which seems very advanced to us. He loves to have a ball rolled to him and then he throws it back. And he's pretty good and he grins the whole time. He also has a new affection for stuffed animals- especially his new birthday monkeys and Mr. Tiger at Nana and Papa's. He's very good at giving kisses, but also likes to throw them. :) He loves to swing outside and has really loved the new wading pool they got for their birthday. He's gotten pretty good at climbing up the slide!

His favorite song is "If you're happy and you know it", especially when we sing "Hooray!" He still enjoys reading books and likes turning the pages and a new favorite TV show has been The Wiggles.

Blaine is still our little adventurer and rarely stops moving. We still remember him as "Kick Kick" and his energy and excitement have carried through today. I look forward to each day with him and his smile melts my heart.

Our First Family Vacation

Sometimes last minute plans work the best and that was the case for our first family vacation. Abbey and Ava had been over for a playdate a few weeks ago and we were both having different stresses. I had been itching to go away for awhile now. It’s been almost a year and half since I’ve gone anywhere! I had thought a lake vacation would be fun and yada yada yada we spent the second half of Memorial Day weekend at Table Rock Lake with the Dunbars! I found a lakefront condo that looked nice online, booked it, and hoped for the best. I spent the entire week leading up to it shopping, gathering, and packing, but it was fun having something different to look forward to. The bad news was that 2 days before we were supposed to leave Aaron found out he’d been washed out of his program. We were devastated for them, but they said this trip was probably good timing to let them escape for awhile and it really did work out perfectly. 

We left Sunday morning and the boys took 2 hour naps on the way there! I worked on their birthday video in the car and it was a relaxing time. We stopped for an hour and a half lunch at Panera in Springfield and then we were in the Ozarks. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. As we pulled into Branson I realized that part of the sentiment I felt for it was that it was a landmark spot for BJ’s and my relationship. Being in Branson on 24s was were we had some deep conversations and also equaled my excitement to get to talk to him on the phone over our long summers apart. We found our condo and it was perfect. The boys had a ball exploring a new environment. I was reminded that we really don’t go to new places very often and it made me even more glad we were doing this. I had started getting pretty nervous about how they would do with pack n plays in a strange place. They were practically bouncing off the walls and exploring every nook and cranny they could find. Pierce even ended up crawling on top of one of the high chairs! We put the boys down for the first night (thankfully the Dunbar’s weren’t there yet) and they were quiet within 20 minutes! We couldn’t believe it! And it was no problem from there. They really only got one nap a day and they were so tired by each bedtime that they were quiet almost right away. We were so proud of them!

We started off our mornings with family nature walks- usually around 7 AM to try to give the Dunbars a little more sleep. On our first morning we found a turtle right outside of our condo. BJ introduced the boys to him. 

 

That day we went to Old Downtown Branson for lunch. We ate at the Farmhouse Café. Charming yes, quick and easy no. The boys did really well, but Ava had a couple of meltdowns due to a lack of nap. She even chipped a small part of a front tooth running away from Abbey in the shop upstairs. We walked around for a bit after and got some famous Branson taffy. Later that afternoon we took the boys to the condo pool for their first pool experience. We got them all suited and lathered up which was no easy task! They were actually a lot more scared than we had expected. They love their bath and so we thought the pool would be great. They clung to us with a death grip, but once we put them in their floaties they warmed up and seemed to enjoy it more. We played cards with Abbey and Aaron last night and had some pretty hilarious moments- one of which was the lifesaver in the dark failure. I realized later (after Abbey and BJ almost chipped a tooth) that it only works with wintergreen. We laughed until we hurt!

 The boys absolutely adored Ava (especially Blaine) and she was very tolerant of them! Our boys are very quick to wake up and Ava is very slow. But she was very patient with them as they climbed up to touch her face and tell her all about the morning.

 Our next full day was boat day and we finally made it to the marina by 3:30 that day. It wasn't easy getting everyone a nap, fed, and out the door. And it was an adventure! Abbey and I later said that we have no idea what we were really expecting. I think we both had a euphoric image of babies playing nicely on the deck of the boat while we chatted, ate, and drank. Ummm...not quite. They really did amazingly well, but they were still babies. Ava had a meltdown right away about putting on her life jacket, but once Abbey took it off she was happy as a clam. She later put it back on and had a ball swimming in the lake with Aaron.

 Piercey was a squirming, fussy boy most of the time. But I can't really blame him. Those lifejackets looked pretty uncomfortable and it was hot has Hades the whole time. I felt miserable watching him seem miserable. But he was a trooper and never really melted down.

 Blaine was a boating champ though. I think he was already pretty tired, but he just sat on whoever's lap was holding him and was lulled by the boat. He looked so relaxed. Quite the opposite of Pierce! It was so cute to watch his little relaxed face! Abbey and I laugh that at least we got some good pictures that make it look like we had a blast and had everything together!

 Aaron and BJ even got a quick cliff jump in. (Although the swim and climb about did BJ in. Plus he ripped a whole in his swim suit doing a cool move off the cliff. We are not the young bucks we once were.)

 We ate pizza that night and were so exhausted we could barely stay up to talk. But we did for awhile. :) Packing was an overwhelming thought because our condo literally looked like every suitcase had exploded in every room. We were a mess! But we were a whirlwind the next morning and both families were out the door before 10. Not bad! When we said goodbye it felt like we were leaving to go home totally different places. It had just been such a magical time that seems impossible to recreate back at home. It was seriously the most fun vacation we've had in a long time and to do it with 3 kids 2 and under was amazing. I am so proud of them! Consequently BJ has been looking up boats and properties on Table Rock ever since we've gotten home. We'll see... :)