Daddy's Day

It's a little late, but just a quick post for the best daddy on his first father's day with two adorable little boys.  We had a nice weekend at the lake with my parents and I tried to let Chris sleep in and relax as much as possible.  I think life with two has been more of an adjustment for Chris than it has for me, but he is doing great and has really stepped up to help out even more than he already did.

Bedtime Routine

Since this is kind of an online baby book for my boys, I want to document those quirky little things that make us laugh now and we are likely to forget about later.  I mentioned before that Mason has a few obsessive-compulsive tendencies.  His bedtime routine is a great example of this.  We set a bedtime routine early on (bath, book, bed) and Mason has always been a very good sleeper.  Over time, he has expanded on this and now expects certain things to be the exact same way every night before he will consider laying down to sleep.  See the picture below and allow me to explain.

1. He plays his crib aquarium/soother several times before he falls asleep and anytime he wakes overnight (thank you Julie for this amazing baby gift!).
2. Shadow stuffed animal and panda bear (cut from the picture) must be sitting in the left corner of the crib (if either of these fall over, he will yell 'uh-oh' until someone comes and fixes them).
3. Sippy cup of water must be in the right corner of the crib.
4. He must have AT LEAST 2 books in the crib.  He'd take every single one if we let him.
5. He must have his 'blah-blah' knitted lovey that he chews on (it's in his left hand in the picture).
6. And finally, his blanket.  His feet and arms must be covered completely and if any escape, it will also cause an 'uh-oh' cry for help.

It's that simple!  Follow these steps and he will be asleep in no time!

Letter to my two year old

Mason is two years old!  Where has the time gone?  We waited so long for you and you were our little miracle when you arrived.  We see more of your personality every day and I am so proud of the little boy you are becoming.  You are so much fun to be around and you never ever sit still unless you are asleep or strapped into your carseat.  You are very social and love going to school every day to play with your friends and teachers.  You are very smart and I am amazed at how quickly you are learning new things.  You are also very affectionate and love to give hugs and kisses, although I can hardly get you to cuddle with me anymore.  You love Elmo, Little Einstein's, puzzles, books, animals, BALLS and keeping your toys neat and put away (kind of an obsession right now).  You are very stubborn (just like mom and dad) and you do not like it when you don't get your way.  We're working on that :-).  You'd stay outside all day long if we let you - especially swimming or playing on your water table.  I am so proud of the big brother you are to Matthew and I can't wait to see you both grow up together.  I am so blessed to be your mommy! 

Happy Birthday sweet baby boy - we love you so much!!

One Month Old

I cannot believe that a whole month has gone by since Matthew was born.  Time is flying by and I wish it would slow down!  He weighed in at 10 lbs, 1 oz at his doctor's appointment yesterday.  He's eating very well.  Unfortunately, he's not sleeping very well at all.  We finally got some medicine for the reflux, so hopefully it will start working soon.

Here's my sweet boy on his one month birthday.  So in love with this little guy (even at 3 am).

Life with two!

We are adjusting to life with 2 boys under the age of 2 (at least for a few more days - I can't believe my 'baby' is almost 2!). It is hectic at times, but we're doing OK.  We're lucky that Mason recently entered a very independent phase and has only had a few instances of jealously over the baby.  He has reverted a little bit into the 'baby' stage.  He always wants to play with anything for the baby (playmat, swing, carseat, etc), wants to be held all the time now and keeps stealing all of Matthew's pacifiers (nevermind that fact that Mason wanted nothing to do with them as a baby).  Matthew is a pretty good baby, but we are dealing with a little reflux (at least that's what I think it is).  He is obviously uncomfortable after feedings, so some nights it is very difficult to get him back to sleep.  Despite the reflux, he is eating like a champ and has earned the nickname of 'Chunk' because of his significant weight gain his first few weeks.  Here are some cute pictures from the past few weeks.

No, he's not anywhere near potty trained, but we're trying to get him used to the potty.

 

We went to get ice cream at the Frosty Caboose on Memorial Day weekend.  It was a hit!

 

This cracked me up.  One afternoon he packed his 'bags' and told me 'bye'.  I have no idea where he was going.  Perhaps he had enough of baby brother?

He loves his new wagon from Aunt Donna.  He puts his favorite toys in it and pulls them around the house.

 

 Baby Matthew at 2 weeks old after a bath.  He's still not quite sure about this bath thing.

And our 'Chunk' on his due date (3.5 weeks old) weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs (I'm glad he was early).

Love that pout!  This is about one week old.