Sunday, January 27, 2013
A boy and his train
Pierce has found his lovey. And it's come in the form of the little black engine from the wooden IKEA train set they got for Christmas. In the last two weeks it's gone from a favorite toy to never leaving his hand to the point of bathing and sleeping with it. And since it's not cloth, I usually allow it to go places with us. Sometimes we'll be getting back in the car from somewhere and I have a quick panic moment wondering if it's still in his hand, but it always is! It's really cute actually. Such a wheel love, that one is. I even looked back at some of our Christmas pics from this year and sure enough, there's a pic of him sitting on the couch with it in his hand. I guess it was love at first sight. :)
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Buds
It seems like in the last couple of weeks, the boys have really started to interact more. I should clarify...positively interact. They've fought over toys for some time now, but it's like lately they've realized that each other can also be really fun! Occasionally they'll play peek a boo underneath the kitchen table or around the love seat and giggle and squeal. And then more recently there have been several times when they'll be in the pack 'n play together and I'll be in the other room doing laundry or something. (This is how I pull myself together every morning. They watch the iPad in the pack 'n play together.) And then I'll start to hear both of them cracking up and I'll peek in and they're sitting across from each other either touching each other's necks or making funny noises at the other one. All I can do is watch and grin. It's darling. They also have a little "secret" noise between the two of them that also cracks them up. Pierce first started it and he blows through his lips and make a vibrating sound and cracks up. Then Blaine laughs and does it back. Way cute! Here's to hoping this bond of brotherhood only grows stronger!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Christmas Traditions
Before the holiday season even began, BJ and I made a small list of some Christmas traditions we wanted to start when the boys were little and continue in the future. Here is our list and a summary of what we did this year. (Obviously a few things were tailored to fit 2 one year olds.)
Black Friday Kick Off
Before kids Black Friday was our official first day of the Christmas season. For 2 or 3 years in a row we did some early Black Friday shopping, came home and decorated inside and out for Christmas, followed by Christmas Vacation that night. It was a marathon day, but we had a lot of fun and it was really nice to get everything done in one shot. We've actually been able to stick to it with the exception of Black Friday. No way. Thankfully they took really good naps that day so we got all our decorating done and even watched Christmas Vacation. (Although BJ fell asleep halfway through, so I use the term "watch" loosely.)
Advent
Well, this one didn't really happen in any formal sort of way. But shortly before Christmas we started reading our new Christmas books from the Clarks that map out the Christmas story. The boys listened intently and Blaine even knew to blow Baby Jesus a kiss at the end.
Bake cookies
Eh...BJ and I did this. I had visions of giving the boys a sugar cookie with a little icing in a bowl and let them play with it. But as it were, it turned out to be a very cranky afternoon and I didn't see it going well. So we just did it after they were in bed. Maybe next year.
Visit Santa
I wasn't sure this one was going to happen this year. We were planning on waiting to go with the Rices when they were in town this year, but Blaine ended up getting really sick while they were here. We had already had plans to go to Bass Pro on a Wed. night and then eat at Jason's Deli after. I had hoped if we got there early enough we could beat the crowd (yes, I was willing to drag poor Blaine), but BJ went it and found out we would have a 90 minute. No way. So we just did dinner (not fun) and I was ready to just write it off for the year. I knew they wouldn't care, but I also knew there would be a little gap in our yearly photos of Santa. So we decided to try one more time and it worked out best to be the last Saturday before Christmas. I thought we were probably nuts, but we got there 30 minutes before Santa opened and BJ was going to run in and get us a pass for the first slot. But he found out they had opened early and we could get right in! So we did! They boys freaked at first (mostly Pierce), but then he spotted the electric train next to them and they calmed down and ended up fairly neutral. Since it wasn't crowded yet we even got to ride the carousel and look at the other toys. So fun!
Dinner on the Plaza
Umm, fail on this one. Oh boy... We definitely tried though. We had it all planned to meet my parents at 5:00 at the Cheesecake Factory. I was certain it wouldn't be too crowded since it was so early. We got a later start than we intended due to long naps and got there right at 5 only to find out that the wait was already 2 hours. I was shocked. We couldn't even find a parking spot anywhere. So we headed back to Olathe and ended up at Houlihans for a rushed, cranky dinner. I felt really bad for my parents, but they were very gracious about the whole botched thing. Maybe this will be a post-Christmas event next year.
Christmas Eve Gift
This was easy since we do the Rice Family celebration at my mom's on Christmas Eve. They got to open a whole slew of gifts that night and they had a ball.
Christmas Eve Movie
Too young and I realized that this may not happen due to the new Christmas Eve Rice dinner. We'll see...
Craft for grandparents
Last year we made salt dough hand print ornaments and this year I found the idea of homemade photo coasters on Pinterest. I just bought 13 cent tiles at Home Depot and mod podged photos right on them with some felt pads on the bottom. They turned out really cute!
Black Friday Kick Off
Before kids Black Friday was our official first day of the Christmas season. For 2 or 3 years in a row we did some early Black Friday shopping, came home and decorated inside and out for Christmas, followed by Christmas Vacation that night. It was a marathon day, but we had a lot of fun and it was really nice to get everything done in one shot. We've actually been able to stick to it with the exception of Black Friday. No way. Thankfully they took really good naps that day so we got all our decorating done and even watched Christmas Vacation. (Although BJ fell asleep halfway through, so I use the term "watch" loosely.)
Advent
Well, this one didn't really happen in any formal sort of way. But shortly before Christmas we started reading our new Christmas books from the Clarks that map out the Christmas story. The boys listened intently and Blaine even knew to blow Baby Jesus a kiss at the end.
Bake cookies
Eh...BJ and I did this. I had visions of giving the boys a sugar cookie with a little icing in a bowl and let them play with it. But as it were, it turned out to be a very cranky afternoon and I didn't see it going well. So we just did it after they were in bed. Maybe next year.
Visit Santa
I wasn't sure this one was going to happen this year. We were planning on waiting to go with the Rices when they were in town this year, but Blaine ended up getting really sick while they were here. We had already had plans to go to Bass Pro on a Wed. night and then eat at Jason's Deli after. I had hoped if we got there early enough we could beat the crowd (yes, I was willing to drag poor Blaine), but BJ went it and found out we would have a 90 minute. No way. So we just did dinner (not fun) and I was ready to just write it off for the year. I knew they wouldn't care, but I also knew there would be a little gap in our yearly photos of Santa. So we decided to try one more time and it worked out best to be the last Saturday before Christmas. I thought we were probably nuts, but we got there 30 minutes before Santa opened and BJ was going to run in and get us a pass for the first slot. But he found out they had opened early and we could get right in! So we did! They boys freaked at first (mostly Pierce), but then he spotted the electric train next to them and they calmed down and ended up fairly neutral. Since it wasn't crowded yet we even got to ride the carousel and look at the other toys. So fun!
Dinner on the Plaza
Umm, fail on this one. Oh boy... We definitely tried though. We had it all planned to meet my parents at 5:00 at the Cheesecake Factory. I was certain it wouldn't be too crowded since it was so early. We got a later start than we intended due to long naps and got there right at 5 only to find out that the wait was already 2 hours. I was shocked. We couldn't even find a parking spot anywhere. So we headed back to Olathe and ended up at Houlihans for a rushed, cranky dinner. I felt really bad for my parents, but they were very gracious about the whole botched thing. Maybe this will be a post-Christmas event next year.
Christmas Eve Gift
This was easy since we do the Rice Family celebration at my mom's on Christmas Eve. They got to open a whole slew of gifts that night and they had a ball.
Christmas Eve Movie
Too young and I realized that this may not happen due to the new Christmas Eve Rice dinner. We'll see...
Craft for grandparents
Last year we made salt dough hand print ornaments and this year I found the idea of homemade photo coasters on Pinterest. I just bought 13 cent tiles at Home Depot and mod podged photos right on them with some felt pads on the bottom. They turned out really cute!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
19 Month Update
I've started so many entries in my head and just haven't sat down to write. I'll try to include most of it here.
We had a really fun Christmas this year. The boys got into it even more than I thought they might. Blaine especially loved opening the presents and when he saw what was under the paper he would make his mouth in the shape of an "o" and say "oooo"! Both boys wanted to play and focus on whatever they had just opened instead of continuing on. We had everyone over to our house around noon for Christmas dinner and then opened gifts with them after the boys woke up. Nana and Papa completely spoiled the boys and our living room looked like a disaster zone, but it was a really fun day. The top toys were their riding cars from Nana and Papa, little table and chairs from Santa, wooden train set, and Thomas the Train track.
It's also been a really, really sick Fall/Winter for our family. By that I mean that someone in our family has been sick almost non-stop since about September. Most of it has been colds, but we've thrown pertussis in there and Blaine has had 2 ear infections as well. The boys have literally had a non-stop runny nose, constant coughs from Pierce, and more cranky, inconsolable days than I care to remember. It's been rough and I often question if there's a larger issue with their little immune systems. Multiple pediatricians have reassured me that this is normal, especially in their first winter of mobility, but I feel it has been exceptional. I mean non-stop? Seriously? The only conclusion I have come to is that it's a twin issue and they can either pass the same thing back and or they are constantly staggered in catching bugs. The last couple of days have been much happier though and I sure appreciate those days more than ever now. I forget how fun it can be when they are both happy and playful at the same time.
Dr. Hartman had told us this at our 18 month appt. and it's been true that they will really start to become little sponges. They can easily repeat new words and they understand everything we say to them. Just today we walked into my mom's and she had dropped a frozen banana on the floor with the freezer door open. Blaine had walked in first and she asked him if he could pick it up for her. He did it and then put it in the compartment she told him to and shut the door! We were both amazed. He is such a good helper! Every time I have the broom out he wants to help.
Here is a list of added words in the last month (I know I forgot some last month anyway.)
Pierce
-car
-bath
-yes, yeah (He's started answering that to everything you ask him and it's really cute. Even if we ask him if he wants to eat his veggies or give away his toys. :) )
Blaine
-wee-o wee-o for a firetruck sound
-Ho Ho Ho
-baby (He knew who baby Jesus was in our nativity set and gave him kisses!)
-Go
-Dow-a (Dora)
-Gow-a (Here you go)
-Pizza pizza
-Baa baa (sheep)
Eating is going ok these days. I think a lot of the struggle has been illness lately. Even Blaine has had a lot of picky days. I try not to stress about it, but their eating and nutrition habits are definitely my main mommy obsession and worry. I never feel they are getting enough color/variety. BJ has been great to reassure me that they are normal toddlers and they probably do even better than the average. Pierce continues to be way picky and refuses to try bites of most things and Blaine does really well for the most part when he's healthy. I've tried to get creative with veggie muffins and smoothies. Some things are more hits than others. But they're on the charts and still moving, so I guess we're ok. Sometimes they eat meals or snacks at their little table and I still can't
They are definitely very active and bounce around with a lot of toys and activities. Pierce's favorite is "I'm gonna get you" and he loves it when Daddy growls at or scares him. Blaine loves building tall towers out of his blocks and pushing the wooden train on the track, although he gets very frustrated when it comes off. They both have a new found passion for hot wheels cars and love pushing them through the little people house doors at Nana's. Basically any form of transportation with wheels is a hit around here these days. They still have most of the same favorite TV shows: Fresh Beat Band, Sesame Street has climbed to the top, Chuggington and Thomas the Train, even Caillou. They enjoy TV more than I’d care to admit, so they’re not usually too picky.
We had a really fun Christmas this year. The boys got into it even more than I thought they might. Blaine especially loved opening the presents and when he saw what was under the paper he would make his mouth in the shape of an "o" and say "oooo"! Both boys wanted to play and focus on whatever they had just opened instead of continuing on. We had everyone over to our house around noon for Christmas dinner and then opened gifts with them after the boys woke up. Nana and Papa completely spoiled the boys and our living room looked like a disaster zone, but it was a really fun day. The top toys were their riding cars from Nana and Papa, little table and chairs from Santa, wooden train set, and Thomas the Train track.
It's also been a really, really sick Fall/Winter for our family. By that I mean that someone in our family has been sick almost non-stop since about September. Most of it has been colds, but we've thrown pertussis in there and Blaine has had 2 ear infections as well. The boys have literally had a non-stop runny nose, constant coughs from Pierce, and more cranky, inconsolable days than I care to remember. It's been rough and I often question if there's a larger issue with their little immune systems. Multiple pediatricians have reassured me that this is normal, especially in their first winter of mobility, but I feel it has been exceptional. I mean non-stop? Seriously? The only conclusion I have come to is that it's a twin issue and they can either pass the same thing back and or they are constantly staggered in catching bugs. The last couple of days have been much happier though and I sure appreciate those days more than ever now. I forget how fun it can be when they are both happy and playful at the same time.
Dr. Hartman had told us this at our 18 month appt. and it's been true that they will really start to become little sponges. They can easily repeat new words and they understand everything we say to them. Just today we walked into my mom's and she had dropped a frozen banana on the floor with the freezer door open. Blaine had walked in first and she asked him if he could pick it up for her. He did it and then put it in the compartment she told him to and shut the door! We were both amazed. He is such a good helper! Every time I have the broom out he wants to help.
Here is a list of added words in the last month (I know I forgot some last month anyway.)
Pierce
-car
-bath
-yes, yeah (He's started answering that to everything you ask him and it's really cute. Even if we ask him if he wants to eat his veggies or give away his toys. :) )
Blaine
-wee-o wee-o for a firetruck sound
-Ho Ho Ho
-baby (He knew who baby Jesus was in our nativity set and gave him kisses!)
-Go
-Dow-a (Dora)
-Gow-a (Here you go)
-Pizza pizza
-Baa baa (sheep)
Eating is going ok these days. I think a lot of the struggle has been illness lately. Even Blaine has had a lot of picky days. I try not to stress about it, but their eating and nutrition habits are definitely my main mommy obsession and worry. I never feel they are getting enough color/variety. BJ has been great to reassure me that they are normal toddlers and they probably do even better than the average. Pierce continues to be way picky and refuses to try bites of most things and Blaine does really well for the most part when he's healthy. I've tried to get creative with veggie muffins and smoothies. Some things are more hits than others. But they're on the charts and still moving, so I guess we're ok. Sometimes they eat meals or snacks at their little table and I still can't
They are definitely very active and bounce around with a lot of toys and activities. Pierce's favorite is "I'm gonna get you" and he loves it when Daddy growls at or scares him. Blaine loves building tall towers out of his blocks and pushing the wooden train on the track, although he gets very frustrated when it comes off. They both have a new found passion for hot wheels cars and love pushing them through the little people house doors at Nana's. Basically any form of transportation with wheels is a hit around here these days. They still have most of the same favorite TV shows: Fresh Beat Band, Sesame Street has climbed to the top, Chuggington and Thomas the Train, even Caillou. They enjoy TV more than I’d care to admit, so they’re not usually too picky.
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