North Carolina and the Kleinys

I'm finally updating our vacation from a month ago. And I can't figure out how to turn iPhone pictures on here. Why do iPhotos always do that? Really annoying. Plus they're out of order. Whatever. This is why I don't usually mess with pics on here. 

Anyway, our trip didn't get off on the best foot. The boys came down with yet another cold virus a couple of days before we left. I thought we were home free b/c they had both had nasty viruses just a couple weeks before with Pierce even having croup. I thought we'd done our time for the month. Wrong. The day/night before we left BJ had a migraine at work, we drove by a horrific accident in a neighbors' yard around the corner (long, different story), and the boys had a really rough night due to illness. We didn't get to bed until late and Blaine was up every couple of hours. Our flight left at 7 and our alarms were set for 4:30. I think I got about 2 hours of sleep that night. I somewhat questioned if God was trying to tell us something here and we were constantly praying for divine wisdom and clarity on what we were supposed to be doing. But expensive plane tickets that are non-refundable have a way of making you forge ahead. My sweet dad picked us up at 5 and we were off... come hell or high water it seemed. Thankfully most of the drama ended in Kansas City. It was the boys' first flight and I was pretty nervous about what could happen. We got held up with a long line trying to check our bags, so we basically walked right on to the plane. Shortly after sitting down we were told that one of us would have to move with a boy due to the number of oxygen masks. Did not see that coming. So BJ and Blaine moved back 2 rows and I was stuck in the middle between a larger gentleman with a dark moustache and a younger guy with a shaved head and Star Trek tattoo. But the flight went great. Pix was more than happy to play with train apps on the iPad almost the entire time and Blaine slept part of the flight. He had a small meltdown on the descent (ears?), but BJ got him to recover. 

The biggest hold up of the day was at our rental car agency. We were supposed to be dropped off at our car and on our way, but their entire computer system was down and BJ waited in line almost an hour while I tried to entertain two tired and impatient toddlers in the sticky North Carolina air. Who knew it was so humid there? I was starting to lose it by this point. We finally got on our way and after another meltdown in a Charlotte Chick-Fil-A, we were on our way to Durham. 

The boys slept the whole way there and the drive time was nice to unwind. We made it to the Kleinbergs' darling neighborhood (pretty colonials with beautiful landscaping and were greeted by Stacy and Ellie. It was nice to have a home base again, but I was still a little nervous about being in someone else's home with two toddlers. The boys did really well overall though. It seemed Blaine developed an allergy of some kind and the best conclusion we could draw was Cooper maybe. His eyes would get puffy and itchy and it made him cranky. He really wasn't himself most of the time we were there. We felt so bad bringing sick kids into their home with a baby, but they were very nice about it. By the end, we had indeed given Ellie her first cold though. :( 

The first couple of days were super humid and rainy, so some of our plans were on hold. We tried to go to a childrens' museum in Raleigh that we discovered was closed on Mondays upon pulling up. Instead we went to a fairly lame, but free, naturey science museum. Definitely not geared for kids though. We tried Carolina BBQ and realized we are KC snobs. Once the weather cleared up we went to Pullen Park which is a big park area with multiple playgrounds by age group, a carousel, bumper boats and, wait for it....a train that went around the park! We bought 2 rounds of tickets right away knowing it would be a hit. The playground was right near the train station and all they could do was stand there and watch it. Riding it was the highlight of their trip. Pierce was enthralled, but Blaine was very serious, which we've come to realize means he is really enjoying something. (See photos of me at the Dallas State Fair cir. 1987.)

After naps that same day we headed out to Duke Gardens which is a beautiful park off the main campus with gardens, open park area, and lots of beauty. We also decided to try to trek to the Duke Chapel, which ended up being much more challenging than we had originally thought with 2 strollers and 3 kids. We made it though and it was beautiful! Not a common site in America. 

We had some fun catch up time during naps and after bed time and were so glad Andrew had been able to get a couple days off while we were there. We definitely all went to bed a lot earlier than we normally do and talked more about babies, viruses, and poop than I ever thought we would. We left the next morning after I had an eventful, memorable moment with Stacy. (Positive pregnancy test!) And we were headed to the beach!

First Lake Trip

We finally got out on the lake with the boys in our new boat. BJ and I went out briefly at the end of April while Nancy watched the boys. It was good to figure out logistics and learn out to launch and get it back on the trailer. And sadly, we haven't found another good weekend since then. We've either been gone or it was too cool. Well, summer is in full swing and so 2 Saturdays ago we headed out to Hillsdale in the morning. I wasn't sure what the boys would think. Lately they've been easily intimidated by new situations, so I expected more fear. Either that or complete insanity trying to keep them sitting down and in the boat. But neither turned out to be the case!

BJ launched the boat and I parked and walked the boys down to the dock in their lifejackets. They both put them on and left them that way without much of a fight. Phew! We got in and the 3 of us sat on the bench seat. Blaine sat beside me with a very stoic look on his face most of the ride. That's how we know he's having fun. :) He takes after his mommy as a toddler during fun rides! At one point I had my hand on his leg and he moved it off! Pierce tucked himself against me like the Capuchin he can be. I think the wind made him a little nervous. Plus any excuse to cling to me and dig in my armpits... But he was never scared and both seemed pretty relaxed. After a bit of cruising we anchored near a bit of a cove and BJ jumped in. We asked the boys if they wanted to get in and Pierce said yes! I lowered him in and he splashed and played for awhile. I was shocked! After they got out, I jumped in and Blaine got in with me and did the same. I was so proud of them. Normally big swimming pools freak them out, so this was a big step! It was very validating for our big and slightly spontaneous purchase.

The only mishap of the day was that the driver's seat was pretty loose. As we headed out of the cove, BJ sat back and it completely came off and tumbled back towards us! I screamed and then laughed a little. But it really could have hurt someone. Especially if one of the boys had been behind him. It was still pretty humorous though. We headed back in and loaded up and headed home. A fun Father's Day Saturday!

Some new words

It seems like almost every day one or both boys learn a new word. It's so fun to hear what they absorb and use next. Lately Blaine will say his version of a word and then Pierce adopts it as well shortly after. Here's some of the latest...

Blaine
noni- donut
nonny- Noddy (Make Way for Noddy show)
Stah bo bos- Stop Bo Bos (from Go Diego Go)
sizy- outside
Beeee- Please
gookie- cookie
Sowwy- sorry
thuh- sir (learned "Good morning, Sir from Thomas shows)
wuh-wy- worry (Don't worry- from Thomas.)

Pierce
nonny- Noddy
I'm now Mommy instead of Mama- and he says it so cutely!
Go- Diego
hiiiii- hide (His favorite game is hiding under pillows on our bed- especially before nap and bed time)
Ahts- outside
ohs- Cheerios (honey nut is his current favorite)

B's Buh

In the lats year Blaine has only continued to get more attached to Beary, whom he affectionately calls B. I realized that it would probably be wise to have another Beary on hand in the event of tragedy or a possible need to wash him every now and then (which is becoming harder and harder to get done). They stopped selling them in Target so I ordered one online. It came in the mail and a few weeks later Blaine got sick in the middle of the night and BJ went to look for BJ. I could have sworn I put him in their closet, but he was nowhere to be found. After a few weeks of no B the only thing I could figure was that he had gotten thrown away in his package. So I went to order another one and they discontinued them on Target's site. So I found another on eBay and it arrived. Of course just a few days later I accidentally came across the Target Beary in the office closet. No memory of putting him there. All this to say, I took the Target Beary back and had the eBay Beary stashed away for when needed. 

I must admit, I did notice that the new Beary's head looked puffier than our current B and, as a result, his ears laid back a little more. I have no idea what made me think/hope that Blaine would buy it. A couple of weeks later I was desperate to get Beary a wash, so I pulled the new Beary out and brought it down for Blaine after he asked for him. He took it from me and then started studying his head. I knew right then that this was not going to fly. After looking for just a few seconds, he looked up at me and started pointing to Beary's head saying "uh oh, uh oh". Not a chance! It cracked me up, but I was also disappointed that my plan didn't work. Now the stakes are even higher that we never lose that bear! 

My parents came over that night for dinner and I was relaying the story to them. My dad said, "Well I guess that must be Beary's brother, Gary." So Beary #2 (or #3) really as affectionately become known as B's Buh around here. That's what Blaine calls him, but he never really touches him and certainly doesn't include him in snuggle time. It's almost like he's disgusted at the imposter. Pierce was carrying him around for a little while today, but it looks like he may not be adopted around here. 

Blaine 2 Year Update

There's not much baby left in this boy. Blaine continues to be our sensitive helper boy. He loves doing big boy things and feeling like he's helping. In fact, he's even started to "help" wipe Pierce's bottom during poopy diaper changes. I guess he's ready for his new brother or sister. :) He's talking more and more and has really becoming a little parrot with repeating anything he hears. He's also putting more 2 word phrases together which is exciting. His gestures still crack us up and I don't even always know where he gets them! A more recent one is putting his finger to his chin while saying "hmmmm" like he's thinking. Well actually, he probably really is!

His train obsession has increased a little and whenever he sees one anywhere he shouts "doooo doooo" in his deep shouting voice. I love it! He's also been getting into his tools set a little more and is very good at hammering nails. His favorite song is "Jesus Loves Me" and he'll even mimic the motions with me. His favorite one is strong! He loves his daddy and gave him one of the sweetest greetings we've seen last week when BJ came home after a 2 night trip. He heard him come in the door and ran to the gate yelling "daddyyyyy" at the top of his lungs. He ran into BJ's arms and made his month. He's still very attached to Beary and would take him everywhere if I let him. I even have trouble finding a good time to wash him. He's still very coordinated and jumps with ease.

He still is our early riser and it's beginning to look like that's not going to change. BJ is so great to get up with him most mornings. Lately some of his happiest moments have been after dinner and before bed time. If he ate well he gets a second win and is just so happy and playful. It's harder to get him ready for bed since he's so fun.

Pierce 2 Year Update

My babies are 2! I still can't believe it. Pierce is really starting to seem more boy and less baby-like these days. Especially when I get can get the paci out of his mouth and see his cute mouth full of teeth. He runs practically everywhere. Actually it's more of a scurry I would say and it's really cute. His favorite game is hiding under pillows and sometimes he adds a bucking bronco with his lower half while he's hiding. He plays it with our downstairs chair cushions, the pillows on Nana's couch, and his favorite spot- our bed. We have a nap time routine that while I put Blaine in his crib, Pierce stays on my bed and hides, then starts his bucking bronco while I look for him until I finally find him. He laughs and then settles into my arms for "Jesus loves me". It's pretty sweet. He and Blaine can also tell what Jesus did for us. They both put their hands down and say "diiiiie" and then lift their arms up and say "rooooow"! Not much has made me prouder as a mom. They've also started holding hands with each other while we pray. Melts my heart every time.

Pierce still has a major mommy attachment and is just as obsessed with sticking his sharp little fingers into my armpits as ever. And now that it's sleeveless weather most of the time I don't even fight it. He has to grow out of it one of these days, doesn't he? I didn't think he'd still be in such a strong mommy phase, but he is. Even to the point, where BJ represents a threat. We've started joking that he acts like his own daddy is a kidnapper because he gets so worked up that BJ's going to take him away from me. I'm sure he'll enter more  of a daddy phase soon. Actually, I would say he's just kind of in a threatened phase in general. If Blaine even gets near him while he's playing with a toy, he starts shrieking "Buuuuh" and then goes into self-destruct mode and tears apart whatever he's playing with. This has gotten him sent to time out on more than one occasion.

He continues to be our little tech-y and amazes us with his dexterity and iPhone abilities. He knows exactly which apps do what and can maneuver his way around it with ease. It really is impressive! He still loves trains and sleeps with his new Thomas every nap and night. I think all we ever watch anymore is Thomas.

I would say eating has improved for Pierce. We've finally entered into some negotiating at meals. For instance, I can usually get him to take a bite of something he likes in order to get something he wants more. For instance, he's eaten a half a grilled cheese to get one chip at a time. I'll take it! He's also willingly tasted more unknown things. I think we're making progress! A favorite new game that my mom and I made up out of desperation recently was the feed some bees they were watching on TV some grapes if Pierce ate one first. He did it!

He's also become more sensitive lately and willingly gives Blaine a pat on the back with concern if he's upset. He's really had a happy month overall though.