It just didn't work out

I had it all worked out! After yesterday, I had decided we would be out most of the day today. This plan definitely started out well. We went to the Little Man's 'kayboop' (aka 'playgroup') and had a great time... until he started removing ornaments from their tree, giving the nutcrackers hi-5s, jumping on the couch, and all in all, being a full-blown 2-year old. So, we left. He barely made it into the house due to several meltdowns (tired and hungry aren't a good combo). I managed to feed him lunch and get him off to bed at warp speed. He was asleep by 12:15. At 1:20, after I was just able to eat my lunch and feed the Squeaker, I hear 'mommy, mommy, mommy' (and i really wish i was able to include an audio clip here of just how whiny it sounded) -- apparently his nap was curtailed due to filling up his diaper for the 3rd time today. I tried to get him back to sleep, which resulted in a nice, bed rail shaped mark stretching across his forehead. :( Poor guy. Needless to say, he is off to bed and I am SOOOOO glad. We'll try again tomorrow - Third times a charm, right?

Logistics

Some days work out better than others --
Yesterday was such a good day. We went to church, the park (the best park we have been to so far - dinosaur park), out to lunch, and to the pool. The Little Man got his nap and to bed on time and the Squeaker had his 6+ square meals a day. It was great! And to top it all off, the weather was beautiful!

Today, on the otherhand, has been the exact opposite. We haven't left the house (and it is 1:30 in the afternoon) and there are about 10 things I want or need to do: get the little man a haircut, got to target, go to the grocery store, go to the gym, try a brand new park near our house, clean and decorate for the holidays, laundry.... okay, that is 7, but I am sure there are 3 more things I could come up with if given a moment or two. Anyway, by the time we were up and at 'um this am, we only had an hour before the Squeaker had to eat again, and that would have been difficult to do with the Little Man in tow during errands/playing... so we stayed home. and, it is now naptime and at least I can work on laundry and decorating so the day isn't a complete wash.

The Squeaker has the final word

So, apparently I don't take enough pictures of the littlest one in our family. In my defense, he really doesn't do much more than sleep and eat. In the 2 hours a day he is awake and alert, we soak up some q.t. with him that there is no thought of picture taking. Since I have been chided by more than one person on this matter, I decided to step it up a notch:

He likes his swing most of the time. So far, the Squeaker has spent more time in it than his brother did. Good thing we kept it around for 2 years!


Watching comedy central with Uncle Brad.

He looks so peaceful! I wish he was this peaceful last night. Now Uncle Brad is confident he doesn't want to have kids any time soon.

Please, please, no more pictures...!!!!

Baby Wearing

I am not a die hard babywearer, and not into attachment parenting, but I do enjoy snuggling with the Squeaker and having my hands free to cook, clean, type, play with the Little Man, etc. The major problem around here is that after feeding the squeaker, he needs to remain vertical for about 30 min or so, or else he is in a bad state due to reflux. So, I whipped out the Baby Bjorn. The Little Man loved it when he was a baby, however I didn't have to chase around a toddler at that time. So, I am finding that the Baby Bjorn is not ideal. This brought about a quest for an alternative. I went online and purchased a few candidates: Moby Wrap, Hotsling, Adjustable Fleece Pouch, Maya Wrap sling, and the Ergo Carrier with infant insert. Let me just say, these things are pricey, but I am hoping that it means they work. After experimenting with them all, I still can't decide -- help! I am not keeping the Maya Wrap for sure. The Hotsling and Adjustable Fleece Pouch are pretty much the same, so I am not keeping the hotsling since it is not adjustable and daddy won't be able to use it since he is much taller than I am. That leaves the Moby Wrap, AFP, and Ergo. The Moby wrap is great and we have both used it. The squeaker loves it and it is really comfy. The Ergo is also great and handy, and although the infan insert is not so good for us, the toddler in our family LOVES riding around on Mommy's back. It is quite comfy as well and I can forsee it being quite useful. The AFP is super comfy as well, and not quite as versitile as the others, but it is more compact for sure. Hmmm.... what to do, what to do???

Here's a couple pics of Daddy test driving the Moby wrap:

Me and My Boys

The Little Man is starting to want to share my lap when I am holding the baby. It isn't a problem most of the time and I enjoy having them both so close. Sunday afternoon lounging on the couch is fun sometimes. :)

Growing by Leaps and Bounds

Apparently I am feeding my newborn Hagen Daz because he is growing upward and outward. In the past 3 days, I have noticed a marked difference in his appearance. He is filling out, growing a double chin (adorable) and outgrowing his clothes. So, a quick trip to the pediatrician confirms these observations. Here is our sequence of events:
Born at 6 lbs 14 oz
left the hospital at 6 lbs 4 oz
7 lbs 4 oz at 2 week visit
at 4 weeks (and 3 days before his due date) -- drum roll, please... 9 lbs 15 oz!!!! Wow, I am so impressed! Way to go, little Squeaker!

*Daddy and Squeaker are watching Thursday night college football and someone just scored a touchdown.

Little Kid

Second post of the day:

Well, the Squeaker has officially joined the world of the awake. He is up a couple times a day for an hour or two -- just long enough to soak in the constant ramblings of his brother, sports commentary of his father, and the oos and ahhs from his mother. :) I also should tell you that even when the squeaker is asleep, he still gets these precious gifts, along with a boat load of kisses, especially from his brother.

We have enjoyed every day of his early arrival. My due date has still not arrived, so we consider these past 3 weeks as sort of a breaking in period for us all. We are waiting for the real craziness to present itself - it is bound to happen any day. For the moment, Squeaker is content being shuttled into and out of the car as we keep ourselves from getting stir crazy inside the house, and when we aren't on the go, he enjoys his cozy perch on mommy's chest. I forgot just how wonderful it is to hold a sleeping baby. They are so perfect!

Anyway, the last day and a half have been a little more unpleasant for our dear squeaker. he has had a mild case of reflux since birth, but yesterday he just had a hard time getting comfortable. we probably had more crying yesterday and last night than the previous 3 weeks put together (which really isn't much as he only cries when he gets his diaper changed -- and I am QUICK!) To continue, last night was by far the worst, and instead of typing this message, i should be finding something to do today to prevent me from falling asleep so my boys don't have to fend for themselves all day. The Squeaker at just before i went to bed (like usual) then woke up after 2 hours (unusual) to eat. So, I fed him, burped him, and 2 hours of awake time later, handed him off to daddy to see if his magic touch could soothe his stomach. Then, instead of sleeping, i listened to him fuss and whine for another 30 minutes before he was back in my arms to eat again... he barely ate and fell asleep (obviously needed mommy to insert her pacifier instead of that plastic one daddy had). This was great, however, Squeaker decided he didn't want to be transfered to his bassinette, so he slept in my arms for about and hour and a half until daddy woke up and said, 'want to try to put him down in his bed now'. being the dumb mommy that i am, i agreed and wha-la.. he was up and ravenous! so, after eating, burping and successfully transferring to his bed, his older brother's light came on and this is where we are right now! fun night! i hope we have more of these so i can remember that having babies is not fun all the time. :)

Big Kid

The first of two posts:

The Little Man is making some great 'two year old' developments. He somehow manages to remember to say "NO" after each question or request directed at him, even if he really wants to say yes. For example:
Daddy: "Here is some lasagne"
Little Man: "NO"
Daddy: "okay"
Little Man: "more lasagne" (oh, and he eats it, actually, the whole plateful goes this way)


He is learning how to use his imagination and getting quite creative all around. For example, this ensemble is a combination of Mr. Potato Head glasses, a hat that is too small, a football, and a packing envelope (being used as a glove). - he is getting his sports mixed up, but it is a valiant effort! :) I think the makers of Mr. Potato Head (also known in our house as Mr. Tomato) need to make the glasses a tad bigger, as apparently my son is not the only one who thinks they should fit him.

Also, he is learning when we are the most tired and cranky and turning on the trouble-making switch at that time, without fail. So far, we (mommy and daddy) have managed to keep our cool and continue with our activities without leaving the little man tied up outside for more than a few hours a day (kidding, of course). I can see that today is going to be a challenge, however (see second post of the day).

After the Little Man's exciting trip to the air and space museum at Dulles, we decided to venture into DC to see the original air and space museum as well as the National Building Musuem. What a fun morning! It was our last change to head into town before the blast of cold air hit us for good. It was like mid-70s that morning and it was FANTASTIC!!! We wish we could have stayed longer, but visiting museums with a 2yo who needs a nap isn't all it is cracked up to be. :)

On our own

We are now on our own... after Ga-Mommy's long visit after the Squeakers arrival. We were so happy to have her with us! The Little Man loved having her undivided attention most days and the Squeaker loved to snuggle with her on the couch. And, I loved having extra hands and moral support 24/7. I am sure the adjustment to being outnumbered will be difficult, but we are excited to try. :)

The Little Man was sick over the weekened, but is now 'well', and we hope that his germs didn't get passed along to other members of the family. At the time, I was thinking that this was not so fun, especially given the mood that accompanied the illness - but now I am glad it happened when it did - when Ga-mommy was here. Now, no more illnesses allowed, no more crankiness, no more doctor visits until Mommy is able to manage by herself with her ducklings in tow. :)

OH BOY, Airplanes!

Yesterday, we took the Little Man and the Squeaker to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Air and Space Musuem. We had been before several times, when visitors were in town. And, although Ga-Mommy (grandma) is in town, we didn't go for her benefit this time (she has already been). This time, it was purely to see the reaction from the Little Man:

"Oh, Wow!"
"Look, airplanes"
"Oh, look at that airplane"
"Lots and lots of airplanes"
"Oh, wow, a hecapoter" (helicopter, for those not fluent in 2 year old)

At times, he couldn't even finish a thought before he would interrupt himself with more oh wows and oh boys... He walked around in a daze, unable to take his eyes from the amazing scene before him. It was AWESOME!!!!! I think his pointer finger must be tired from all that pointing. :) If the darn place didn't cost $12 to park, we'd be there every day this winter! The Squeaker even stayed awake for the trip - which is amazing, in and of itself! Yah for airplanes!