18 Month Photo Shoot

We attempted the “monthly” photo shoot once again last Sunday before going to church for the boys’ 18 month shot. 

Wyatt was happy & all smiles for me…Colton wanted nothing to do with sitting and smiling for the camera! He kept turning around & squiggling away – squirmy little worm.

Wow – how they’ve grown!

Books!

I totally love that books are one of the boys’ favorite things right now. They will bring you book after book to read and seem to never get bored with reading the same book 100+ times in-a-row.

I also love that we get to add new books to our collection every month for free from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Our local library/school district participates in this awesome program!
(I can’t wait until the boys are old enough to look forward to their “own” piece of “mail” each month.)

Colton & mommy

Wyatt & daddy

Reading to my boys!

Go Pack Go!

We all dressed up in our Packer gear the weekend before last, to cheer on our beloved Packers (who were having an amazing season after winning the Super Bowl last February). Unfortunately, they lost to the New York Giants in their first playoff game and will have to wait until next year to try for another Super Bowl run.

The boys really aren’t partial yet to what team they cheer for – whenever Daddy watches football on TV, you can find our boys clapping for both teams and throwing their arms up in the air to signal a “touchdown”.

Wyatt

Colton

Colton working hard building with blocks.

Wyatt building a high tower!

Sharing!
(actually, I believe what looks like nice, brotherly sharing
is actually the last shot right before Colton
got hit in the head with a block by Wyatt...boys!)

First Haircuts

Colton has been needing it for a while……a haircut.

Both boys have fairly light, thin hair. Colton’s hair was getting pretty long, especially in the back, so I decided that it was time to trim it up. My youngest sister went to school for barber/cosmetology and cuts hair on the side. I thought it’d be much easier on the boys to have her (someone familiar to them) cut their hair for the first time in a familiar place (my parents’ house).

Saturday was the day. The boys & I spent the day at grandpa & grandma’s house visiting & playing (while Cory had to work some overtime). My sister came over after afternoon naps to cut the boys & grandpa/grandma’s hair. She wanted to introduce the boys to the hair cutting “tools”, so they wouldn’t be afraid. First she let the boys look at the hair trimmer and then she turned it on. They thought that was pretty cool. Then she touched it gently to their arms & their heads to show them that it wasn’t anything to be scared of. They both thought that was pretty cool too – so I was having the feeling that maybe this would go much smoother than I had originally thought it would.

Checking out the "tools"

Wyatt went first and did awesome! He let us put the big black “cape” on him and he sat so nicely. He wanted his hands out so I held his hands while he let aunt “K” trim up his hair. He didn’t have much to cut but I thought the experience would be good for both of them to have. He was so patient and got a full round-of-applause when he was done. He was so pleased with himself.

Wyatt

Then it was Colton’s turn…

Although Colton had been excited about all the hair cutting tools originally, he really didn’t think as highly of any of them the second time around when he was sitting in the chair. We tried putting the “cape” on him but he wanted none of that. After a couple failed attempts, I put the “cape” on myself and had Colton sit on my lap. This is how we sat through his entire haircut. He really didn’t scream or cry, he just whined and kept saying “All Done!”. He wasn’t impressed at all. Aunt “K” worked quick & efficiently (thank you Aunt “K”!) and got the job done even without the most cooperative client. Colton also got a big round-of-applause when he was finished. I think he was just happy it was over.

Not so sure about this...

Colton
(sitting on mommy's lap)

Both boys got a little “treat” of fruit gummies after their haircuts, for a good job done, while they watched “papa” (my dad) get his hair cut. They enjoyed watching him and clapped for him when he was done too.

Even with just a little bit trimmed off, they look like such “big” boys with their new haircuts!

Wyatt

Colton

Way to go Wyatt & Colton!

I forgot how good you feel after…

…a good run. With the January deep-freeze upon us, long past are the days of walks & runs with the boys in the stroller after work. I have working-mommy-guilt and can’t bring myself to take away any of my time at night with my boys to get in a workout. When they go to bed, I only get a few hours before I go to bed to work on the never-ending to-do list and to squeeze in a little relaxation. Up until now, rest has been a priority over a work out.

Starting this week, Cory and I have committed to each taking a few nights a week, alternating, to get in a few work outs. We both actively worked out before our family grew by two and we would like to continue to do so. A healthy, active lifestyle is something we find important to share with our boys.

Last night was my first night. I want to get back into running but I also plan on throwing in a workout video here and there to break up the monotonous of running indoors. I’m going to loosely follow an 8 week walk-to-run-30-minutes routine. Last night went well & it felt good but I can totally tell it’s been too long since I’ve run.

I don’t have the unrealistic expectation of being able to work out 5+ days a week (although I’d love to!). I need to find a balance that works for me between working out, day-to-day household chores and relaxing (& be able to throw a girls’ night in every now & then!).

Christmas 2010 vs. 2011

I know the holidays are long over but here is a fun comparison in photos of the boys last Christmas compared to the boys this Christmas!

Wyatt & Colton 2010 - 5 months old

Colton & Waytt 2011 - 17 months old

Ear Infections x 2

As to not let his brother out-do him, Wyatt decided that he & mommy (& grandma, who is staying home with him today) needed to make a trip to the doctor’s office today to find out he has ear infection in both ears!

We found out Colton had ear infection in his left ear last Friday at their 18 month checkup, after he had been running a fever for a few days. Wyatt started running a fever on Sunday afternoon but didn’t show any other symptoms. When his temperature didn’t show any signs of going away last night & this morning, I decided it would be worth it to get it checked out, even though the pediatrician said his ears looked just fine last Friday.

So now we’ve got two little boys on Amoxicillin on the road to recovery! (…which Wyatt will be happy about since he’s thrown a fit every time he sees Colton getting his medicine because he thinks it’s something yummy that we’re giving to his brother but keeping him from.)

18 Month Checkup Update

We took the boys into the pediatrician last Friday for their 18 month checkup.

After having to make a couple of recent trips to the doctor with sick boys, the boys weren’t so sure about the nurse & doctor during this visit but ended up warming up to them very quickly (our pediatrician is so amazing & kind). The boys checked out great. They start screening for autism at this age, so the nurse asked us a couple of questions and gave them a couple of developmental test. The boys had to feed a baby doll, stack blocks and push a button to hear a horn honk on a toy car. They did awesome with all those “tests”. Cory & I were a little curious if they’d know how to feed the baby with the bottle or not (we really don’t have babies at home; they have babies at daycare that they play with but I’m unsure if they have bottles for them or not) but they had no problem! So sweet!

The next thing to introduce the boys to is the potty. Our pediatrician is not about pushing it at this age, but just introducing them to it if they show interest. So I’m guessing the next purchase on our list will be two little potties!

Here are their updated measurements:
Wyatt – weighs 25 lbs. 4 oz. & is 31.5 inches long (grew almost 2 inches in the last 6 months!)
Colton – weighs 25 lbs. & is 31.9 inches long (grew 2 inches in the last 6 months!)

Wyatt
Birth: 4 lbs 11 oz | 17.5"
1 week: 4 lbs 8 oz | 17.72"
2 weeks: 5 lbs 1 oz | 17.72"
1 month: 6 lbs 8 oz | 19.29"
2 months: 8 lbs 6 oz | 20.47"
4 months: 13 lbs 4 oz | 23.62"
5 months: 16 lbs (35%) | 25.59" (32%)
6 months: 17 lbs 1 oz (34%) | 26.18" (29%)
9 months: 20 lbs 3 oz (43%) | 28.25" (49%)
12 months: 22 lbs 13 oz (48%) | 29.75" (46%)
18 months: 25 lbs 4 oz (41%) | 31.5" (26%)

Colton
Birth: 4 lbs 15 oz | 18"
1 week: 4 lbs 14 oz | 17.91"
2 weeks: 5 lbs 5 oz | 18.11"
1 month: 6 lbs 5 oz | 19.49"
2 months: 8 lbs 4 oz | 20.28"
4 months: 12 lbs 11 oz | 23.43"
5 months: 15 lbs 9 oz (27%) | 24.80" (9%)
6 months: 16 lbs 10 oz (26%) | 26.18" (29%)
9 months: 19 lbs 10 oz (33%) | 28.13" (45%)
12 months: 22 lbs 10 oz (44%) | 29.75" (46%)
18 months: 25 lbs (38%) | 31.9" (37%)

The boys did OK with their shots – only 2 this time. Usually Cory is the one to hold them for their shots & I comfort and re-dress them afterwards (I haven’t been able to bring myself to hold them down, until this visit) but this time, I held Colton for his shots and Cory held Wyatt for his. They both cried and took a little longer than normal to recover. Mommy was strong and didn’t shed any tears.

The pediatrician also discovered that Colton has an ear infection – our first one. He had been running a high temp the few days previous to that, which explains what was going on. He also had Colton tested for whooping cough. Colton has had a cough/cold that has been going on for 3-4 weeks which we’ve checked up on it multiple times with no real answers so the pediatrician wanted to play it safe & test him for it. Fortunately we got the call on Saturday morning that the test came back negative so he is just currently on antibiotics for his ears.

Their next checkup is this summer when they will be………….2 years old!

Taking on the “world” on their own

Both boys have been sick off-and-on beginning the week before Christmas running through as recent as last week. From the stomach flu to high fevers – we’ve had several calls within the past few weeks from daycare that one or the other needed to be picked up. (If they run a fever over 101 or are sick, they need to be sent home & cannot come back to daycare for 24 hours or until they are feeling better.) My mom has been a huge help in being able to be a backup and stay home with the boys when they are sick. We’ve also been lucky that a few times they’ve gotten sick on Fridays, which has allowed us the weekend to rest & recoup.

When Wyatt had a fever the week before Christmas, I kept both boys home with my mom that following day (I figured it’d just be easier with less running around for me) but when his fever continued into that night, we made the decision to try to take Colton to daycare the following day & see how he would do on his own. We’ve taken the boys separately to different places, running errands and having them spend one-on-one time with daddy & mommy, but have never had them spend an entire day apart or go to daycare by themselves. I thought this would be a good exercise for them and help build their independence – so Wyatt spent another day at home with Grandma and Colton went to daycare by himself. He did great! His teachers said he did really well on his own. Then, last week Colton spiked a fever mid-week and stayed home with Grandma while Wyatt tried out a day of daycare by himself. He also did great! His teachers also reported that he had no problems during the day by himself.

As a mom of multiples and seeing my boys being side-by-side everyday of their lives, I didn’t know what their little minds would think of being separated or if they’d get sad/scared/afraid without their brother with them for the whole day at daycare. It was a relief to have such a great outcome. Obviously, the boys are very connected but it’s great to know that they thrive independently as well.

Way to go Colton & Wyatt!

A Week Off

After being so behind on posting because of sickness & time-off, this is finally my last belated post of the 2011 holiday season.

I was very fortunate this year to be able to take the week between Christmas & New Year’s off. My plans for the week were to get some overdue deep-cleaning of the house done, along with some organizing, along with some personal shopping time, along with family time; but of course, there is never enough time to get everything you want & need to do done!

It was wonderful. We spent the Monday after Christmas together as a family, as Cory had the day off as well. We relaxed, put some new Christmas gifts together and put most of the Christmas gifts away. I decided to keep the boys in daycare a few days during the week (for shorter hours) to keep them in the routine and also to give myself time. So Tuesday I got a deep clean of the main level of our house done while the boys were at daycare and Wednesday I got some Christmas exchanges/returns done and shopped for a new washer/dryer set (which we hope to replace in early 2012!). Thursday & Friday, Cory had off as well, so we did a little bit more running around and bought supplies to put up a few more shelves for storage in the basement. Friday was another fun, family day. We met our good friends and their two little ones at the local children’s museum to play in the morning (the kids all had a blast!) and then went out to a pizza buffet for lunch. We headed home for the boys afternoon nap and relaxed at home that evening.

Saturday, for New Year’s Eve, we got together with a group of friends and all the kiddos for some playtime and a grill out. We brought jammies along and stayed until the boys’ bedtime – they did really good & were having such a fun time playing with all the other kids. On our way home we stopped and picked up a movie and enjoyed it after putting the boys down for the night. I’m disappointed to tell you that we didn’t make it up until midnight, but we did stay up much later than what we normally do…does that count at all??!! We went to church the next morning and then had my parents, sister & nephews (who were staying up at my parents for New Year’s) over for a chicken lunch.

In total I had 10 days off in a row (plus a short week the week prior with all our sicknesses). I had such a blast the entire time, spending time with friends & family, but most importantly getting to spend more time with my hubby & boys. That made it really rough coming back to work last Monday (although I did survive the whole week). I’d love to be able to take off time like that more frequently…I can dream, can’t I??!!

18 Months Old

Happy New Year!

Having two 18 month olds keeps us busy – but we love it! They totally amaze me at the new things they learn every day and what they pick up from watching/listening to everyone. They truly are little “sponges”. They are 100% toddlers; which makes me miss the little babies they used to be but so excited for the new little people they are becoming.

I’m really hoping to get out of the house more with the boys this winter. I’m thinking trips to the children’s museum (we now have a year family membership!), swim lessons, local hotel open swim days, play dates, visits to the local library – anything to get us out of the house & keep us active.

The past month has shown us more ups & downs in the sleeping department. First is was Wyatt who was waking up at all hours of the night & deciding he didn’t need to go back to sleep, while Colton was sleeping like a rock. Now it has switched again to Colton fussing a few times a night (although his cough is much to blame for this) but then going back to sleep and Wyatt’s sleeping sound straight through. They are still sleeping around 11-12 hours each night. They fall asleep somewhere around 7:00 PM. (Our bedtime routine is: bath (on bath night), lotion & jammies, blanket & book.) They both have been sleeping until between 6-7 AM on the weekends (once until 7:30 on Christmas Eve!), although wake-up time during the week is 6:10 AM to get us to daycare & work on-time.

We have their 18 month checkup this afternoon, so we will get height & weight stats updated after that visit. Colton has also had a cough that has been dragging on for a few weeks now, so I’m going to make sure their pediatrician addresses that as well.

Wyatt

- shakes his head “No”
- throws his plate, fork & sippy cup on the floor when he’s all done eating, sometime hands it to you nicely
- love cleaning with his new broom & vacuum
- has exploded with new words and will try to imitate words that you say
- has brought home a ton of new motions from daycare circle time to match with songs & stories
- knows the motions & sounds for what an elephant does & what a monkey says
- waves “Hi!” & “Bye!” to everyone (also uses this at bedtime to wave night-night) – has went back to waving with his arm/hand movement instead of just his fingers
- has 6 teeth (his second top tooth broke through 2 weeks before Christmas and his top two 1-year molars broke through the day before Christmas Eve; his bottom two 1-year molars are very bumpy & will probably be popping through soon)

Signs
- “More”
- “Please”
- “All done”

Words
- “Mama” = mom
- “Dada” = dad
- “Papa” = grandpa (my dad)
- “Gma” = grandma
- “Ma” = milk
- “That”
- “Da” = dog
- “Go”
- “No” – I swear, his favorite word right now!
- “Clo” = clock
- “Bla” = block
- “Ba” = ball
- “Bu” = buck (can you tell Daddy watches hunting shows on TV?)
- “Baa Baa Baa” = when asked what a sheep says
- “Ge Dow” = get down
- “Bay” = Bailey, our dog

Colton

- shakes his head & says “Yes”
- hands you his plate, fork & sippy cup very nicely when he’s all done eating
- love cleaning with his vacuum (show interest in the broom only if Wyatt has it)
- is a snack-a-holic; he likes to turn snack time into mini-meal time and will only stop eating Cheerios in the morning if you stop giving them to him
- has brought home a ton of new motions from daycare circle time to match with songs & stories
- knows the motions & sounds for what an elephant does & what a monkey says
- waves “Hi!” & “Bye!” to everyone (also uses this at bedtime to wave night-night)
- has 13 teeth (his bottom, right I-tooth popped through on Christmas Day)

Signs
- “More”
- “Please”
- “All done”

Words
- “Mama” = mom
- “Dada” = dad
- “Up”
- “That”
- “Hi!”
- “Yes”
- “Bu” = buck (can you tell Daddy watches hunting shows on TV?)
- “Baa Baa Baa” = when asked what a sheep says
- “Bay” = Bailey, our dog
- “A Boo” = Peek-a-boo

Colton cleaning!

Sharing blocks - so nice.

Wyatt playing with blocks.

Playing before bedtime.

Christmas Day 2011

Christmas morning started early for us, like most days do, around 6:30 AM.

The first gift the boys saw when they got up was the big, orange sled that Santa had brought them. After diaper changes, milk sippies & a quick ride around the house in their new sled – we dug into stockings & opened the rest of the presents from Santa and Mommy/Daddy. The boys got puzzles, books, clothes, shoes, art supplies and an old-school busy poppin' pals. 

First sled ride!

Wyatt lovin' his new sled!

Colton deciding which new book to read first.

Drinkin' milk on Christmas morning.

Helping daddy pick up the wrapping paper mess!

Colton being a "BIG" helper!

After a short morning nap we headed up to Cory’s mom’s extended family lunch around noon. Because that side of the family is so large, they hold the gathering at a town hall which provided all the little kids with plenty of room to run around & play. The boys also received some much-needed new jammies from Cory’s “Granny”. We also got a fun surprise when Cory’s cousin (& our really good friends) & wife announced that they are expecting their 3rd child this coming July!

We headed to our last stop of the day – my parents’ house – when the boys we ready for their afternoon naps. We spent the afternoon with my mom, dad, sisters, nephews, sister’s husband & sister’s boyfriend. After naps, stockings were dug into & presents were opened. The boys got a big & small broom (do you sense the cleaning theme here?? – they are just in that phase right now where they love to help, although I doubt this will continue into the years when it’ll actually be useful to me!) in their stocking at grandpa & grandma’s but after seeing them – Wyatt wanted nothing to do with anything else. He was simply not interested in opening any other presents after seeing those brooms. After Wyatt’s small melt-down when the brooms were taken away, the boys slowly opened the rest of their awesome presents (again, they ripped paper for a little bit and then got bored with it). They got a brand-new kitchen set, play food, Color Wonder art stuff, play dough & play dough tools and camo fleece tie-blankets (hand-made by grandma). It was a fun & relaxing evening with family.

Wyatt opening a Color Wonder art set from aunt "K".

Colton checking out the new table & chair set.

After all the presents were opened we had another yummy dinner. The boys played with their cousins for a while after dinner before changing into their snowman jammies to head home. We packed up the truck and headed home with two sleepy little boys.

Wyatt testing cousin "I"'s new fireman horn.

The aftermath of presents & kiddos...

Colton & cousin "N" playing on the new table.

As a whole, Christmas was even more enjoyable with the boys this year at almost 18 months old compared to last year at almost 6 months old. They were a little more into unwrapping presents and so excited to see each new thing. This year, we were also all very blessed to be healthy during the Christmas weekend, unlike last year. This was also the first year that we drove the boys through our local park’s Christmas lights display. They LOVED it – you could really see the excitement in their little eyes seeing all those lights lit up. 

Snuggling in their snowman jammies the morning after Christmas.

The Christmas holiday is truly much more special through the eyes of a child.

Christmas Eve 2011

Let’s back up just a couple days before Christmas Eve. The week before Christmas, our house was plagued with sickness. Colton had the stomach flu two Fridays before, Cory & I had the stomach flu the Sunday/Monday before and Wyatt ran a high fever for 3 days starting on the Tuesday before. (We ended up taking him into the pediatrician on Wednesday evening because nothing was keeping his temp down, and they even ended up giving him a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia, but it & everything else came up clear.) Luckily, all sickness passed through in time for us to be able to enjoy this Christmas together as a healthy family…unlike last year!

We spent Christmas Eve with Cory’s immediate family. We went over to Cory’s brother’s house after the boys’ afternoon naps for presents & dinner with his mom, dad, brother, niece & brother’s girlfriend. The boys showed mixed feelings about opening presents this year – it was fun for them to rip the paper but not exciting enough to keep their attention for very long. They received a ton of awesome gifts – including a workbench, puzzles, clothes, bath toys, table & chair set, a year pass to the local children’s museum…and their favorite – vacuum cleaners! The boys love watching us (usually Cory) vacuum the house. They get super excited when we get out the vacuum or dust buster & always want to be big helpers, so getting their-size vacuum cleaners was perfect.

Let the unwrapping begin!

A new work bench!

Unwrapping presents with mommy.

Colton climbing on his pile of presents.

Don't let the face fool you; Wyatt really LOVES his vacuum!

Wyatt helping counsin "H" open her presents.

Wyatt helping clean up the wrapping paper mess.

Colton & his favorite puzzle pieces.

Colton helping counsin "H" clean up the wrapping paper.

Vacuum cleaner fun!

Wyatt

Colton

 After a yummy dinner, we changed the boys into their Christmas jammies and packed everything up to head home. The boys went to bed and I met my parents at our church for their Christmas Eve candle-light service (I plan on re-adjusting our Christmas Eve schedule next year and making sure the boys are able to attend a church service as well).

Merry Christmas!

Hugs!