Adam's New Room

Welcome to my new room!

Have you ever seen so many choo-choos in one place?

Yep, that's a crib. Mommy thought I might still need it but I
refuse to sleep there. I like my big boy bed better.


I love my table, and if you come play with me, I'll pat the chair and ask you to "Sit!".

Mommy thinks these things look nice on the shelf, but I'd rather play with them.

I let her put them there for a picture.

More trains!

Stuff goes in there.

This train used to be my daddy's when he was little. How cool!

Thanks for checking it out!

Cousins

Warning: This blue crew has been spending some time together! This is Brennan, Adam, and Caleb. Here they are reeling you in with their innocent faces.

I think they may be planning some future mischief...



They are sure to have lots of fun.

Horsey Fun

We recently spent an afternoon in downtown Lexington looking at all of the painted horses that are out for HorseMania 2010.

This became a great game for Adam, looking for the next horse.

There were some really cool horses!

The fountains were pretty cool, too, but we didn't have backup clothes!

We heard lots of "Oh my!".

We saw 20 or 30 horses on our walk.

How fun to be downtown, too! It reminded us we need to get there more often.

Caleb: 2 Month Update

Guess who's two months old?

We are so happy having Caleb in our family, and it is awesome to know that he was always meant to be with us. Getting to know him and learning his personality is so much fun! Though we daydreamed for so long about what he would look like, for instance, it is easy to forget those feelings now because I know his sweet face and of course, this is our baby! It is as if he is new to us on one hand, but on the other, he has always been a part of us.

Awww....stretching out!

I love these little, big legs!

Aren't baby hands just so sweet?

-Caleb weighs 13 lbs, 9 oz (84th percentile), and is 23.5 inches long (66th percentile).

-His eyelashes are growing and look like they will soon rival his brother's.

-Caleb wears Size 1 diapers (not much longer), and is well into size 0-3 month clothing

-He sleeps a stretch of about 5-6 hours sometimes, but mainly wakes to eat about every 3 hours.

-He is really starting to coo and smile

-His hair is now a medium-brown and his eyes are dark gray/blue

-Caleb loves to be snuggled

-He likes his swing and bouncy seat, but especially likes when Mommy uses the baby carrier


Daddy says he's the "cutest brown-haired baby we've had"!

Adam: 22 months

As I have said before, life is hard right now with two little boys, but so good! I find that the days seem to fly by even when I have such good intentions. We still are up a bit a night so we sleep as late as Adam will let us (ha!), and it seems that by the time we all get cleaned up for the day, we have a bit of playtime before lunch, then its nap time, and then its time to get stuff together for evening activities, dinner, bedtime etc!

So a few things like thank you notes, laundry, and weeding are taking a backseat to baby loving, baby holding, baby feeding, diaper changing, puzzle working, book reading and ball throwing. Honestly, I probably don't let chores "go" as much as I should. I do not want this time with my boys as little babies to pass me by, so I am working on it, but it is something with which I often struggle. I am thankful for gentle reminders to live in the moment, even as I walk through figuring out how to get two babies to sleep on nights I'm home by myself, but I wouldn't have my life any other way. So I try to take in my sweet Adam's sing song-y voice as he talks himself to sleep at night, breathe in the smell of my new Caleb's hair while he rests on my shoulder, and know that I only get to live this day once.

Today is the day that my sweet toddler turns 22 months old! Two months from now we'll be celebrating his SECOND birthday (reflectant sigh....).

Adam, there are SO many precious things you are doing right now that I just want to take it all in! If I could videotape all day, I would (well, MOST of the day). I just want to take in every moment, enjoy it, LIVE it, and remember it, for life with you is just so much fun! You made your dad and me a real family, and we love you so much. Now we also have your baby brother, and it is so fun to watch you love on him. You are such a good big brother!

So what are you doing these days?

• Talking! Everyone has told me that you will get to a point where your spoken vocabulary takes off, and since the last week or two, I really think we are there. You are like a little sponge, listening and saying so much. You've started putting strings of words together, and I love your little voice. You say, "Tank tu mama" (thank you) and it makes me want to give you anything you ask for!


• You love to wave bye bye to everything and everyone, even the house when we back out of the driveway. Airplanes in the sky, cars we pass, animals we see, and people we visit. You say, "Bye-bye, c-ya!", wave and blow kisses.


• You love to brush your teeth, but you really love the toothpaste. We are working on brushing better but you really want the toothpaste reapplied about 7 times per brushing! At times I've seen you try to eat it straight from the tube.


• You are starting to climb on everything. The toilet to get to the sink (turning the water on and off is fun!), the kitchen chair to get to the stool to get on the bar (yikes!). Your bed, the couch, Caleb's crib, etc. You will lift heavy objects to bring them in to help you climb better! Even at the playground you are less afraid of heights.
  
• Sound puzzles are your favorite toy now. You have learned animals and modes of transportation and the sounds they make, and now we talk about animals and cars all the time. You give us a good growl when asked what sound a Wildcat makes, and our favorite is the sound a horse makes ("Whoooaaa!" as in "Whoooaaa, horsey!")


• Since Caleb was born you have been sleeping fairly well in your new room and in your twin bed. You made the decision to start sleeping there and are getting the hang of it. When you wake up, you come get in our bed, sometimes scaring the life out of me!
  
• You are an active little guy, and it takes some stamina to keep up with you! You play hard, and you rarely go at a pace slower than a run. You are so fun. You tell us, " 'Mon mama" while motioning for us to "C'mon!"
  
• Little Rosie dog is your favorite. You talk about her, miss her, know which way we should turn in the car to get to her house, and even look at pictures of her. Anything she does makes you laugh!
  
• You love to go bye-bye. This month was the first time I noticed you were really able to sing along with a few of your favorite songs.


• You love to sing and dance.


• You try to open all doors with our keys, and your own fake set of keys will not suffice. Many times we must look for our own car keys under the seat of your little fire truck ("Woo Woo!"). Its also a good place to hide our phones, too!


• You love to help put things away, and your dad often jokes that we should not try to mess with your sense of organization! You always seem to remember which toy pieces go together and where everything is put away.


• You laugh so hard when your daddy throw you in the air or kisses your belly.


• While you are talking yourself to sleep, you always play with your daddy's wedding band or flick my finger nails (ouch a little bit!)
  
• You are a good helper with your brother, and you give him lots of love and kisses.


• You love to read your board books. Your current favorites are the Night Night book, Farm Animal book, the Truck book (still), your books that make noises, the Foot Book, and any books with animals or cars.
  
• You are wearing Size 18 month shirts and Size 12 month shorts (soon to move up I think), Size 5/6 shoes and Size 4 diapers.

You are now the big brother, but you are still my little boy.

I love you!

- Mama

Gameday Ready

So this is how we roll on game days...

The whole team gets up and puts on our game day uniforms

This time we went to Nana and Grandad's to eat lots of food and watch the game.

Gran Jan came over too.






So maybe EVERYONE doesn't watch the game...


But we sure look cute anyway...

And we even "DROOL BLUE" on game days... (thanks Bridger!)

It can be pretty exhausting, really.

I remember when Adam first wore this. Remember? But Adam was about five months old! Caleb is five weeks!

One Month Old

While it seems that it was only last week that we woke up and went to the hospital knowing that would be the day we would meet our sweet Caleb, it has now been one month! Time flies when you are having fun…and have a 1 year old…and are sleep deprived!

What is life like with "little bit" right now?
-Caleb is growing! Today we had a doctor's appointment and he weighed 10 lbs, 15 oz. He's gained nearly 2 lbs in ~2 weeks!
-He sleeps quite a bit during the day and night. When he is awake, he is bright-eyed, usually hungry, and still easily startles.
-He is a grunter! He grunts and makes a cute snorting noise when he is mad or hungry.
-He is wearing some a couple of bigger newborn-sized outfits, and some 0-3 month clothing. He now wears size 1 diapers.
-He loves the bouncy chair when the vibration is on, and today has had a really nice nap in his swing.
-He has really long fingers and toes, plenty of dark brown hair, dark blue / gray eyes.
-Caleb loves to make pouty or serious faces. We'll have to work on that or he'll get permanent frown lines on his head! He doesn't cry much, though. Usually only if hungry, wanting held, or cold.
-Speaking of cold, he is not! Caleb is like having a little hot pack on you.
-Bath time starts with lots of cries (hello, this is when I am cold!) but once he is in the water he is fine to stay there.
-Caleb is not too fond the of paci, but is soothed by drives in the car (with minimal stoplights, ha!)
-Yesterday I noticed Caleb watching the mobile on the swing.
-Two weeks ago, Caleb managed to roll over while getting a diaper changed, but he hasn't offered to do this since.
-He still looks a lot like Mommy's baby picture. I'll try to scan that picture in for comparison sometime.
-Today he had his first "sick" doctor's appointment (boo!). He doesn't seem to feel bad, but he has had a cough for two weeks that he just can't kick! The pediatrician prescribed some medicine for him, so hopefully this will help.

Check me out relaxing outside with Mommy!

Life is different with two little boys, but so good! We have two sweeties, for sure!

Backseat Driver

We thought we'd give you a peek into all the new vehicles we have at our house now. Since we've gotten all these new rides, we've noticed that Adam has opinions about which way we should go when David or I am driving. There is one street in particular that Adam is opinionated about, and if you aren't paying attention, he will remind you which way you should go. The answer is LEFT!

This is one of the newest "rides". You may recognize it from your childhood, in fact!



Aww, yes...the Cozy Coupe! Also available in blue top at Nana & Grandad's house.



Complete with a cupholder / bubble wand holder. What more would a boy want?



This may be the newest ride we have, and let's just say we have some work before we can say we are competent with the accelerator. But there's a handy place to keep your tools in the front!



This little ride has its days. We've had it awhile, it was a gift from Mamaw and Papaw Bell, Adam's great grandparents, and we've been waiting on his feet to reach the pedals. I'm pretty sure they can now, but we're still learning to pedal. But the streamers are fun, and it has a storage bin in the back that's great for carrying leaves and sticks. Also available in green at Lan and Papa's house.



We have this model available in several different options: brown double stroller, gray umbrella stroller, or gray and green single version. Either way, we get our use out of them.



The first and last come equipped with baskets that should not be used for this:



And even though this picture is from Christmas, Adam still loves this fire truck. He loves to beep the horn and ring the bell button, and he has now learned to jump up with his legs while sitting on it. (Boys + loud noises = fun times)



So we've left off a wagon or two...you get the idea! But let's hope its awhile before he drives anything like this! As Aunt Debbie learned, when you are around Adam, you must keep your keys ("tees") out of sight at all times!

Caleb's Crib

Caleb wanted to invite you to take a peek at his room!











Thanks for looking. Come visit us sometime!

Visiting the Doctor

Wednesday was Caleb's two week appointment at the doctor. We are enjoying these appointments before immunizations begin. The purpose of this appointment was to make sure Caleb had made it back to his birth weight. When we left the hospital, Caleb was already gaining some back after losing down to 7 lbs, 11 oz. Sure enough, he had far surpassed his brith weight and was up to 9 lbs, 1 oz (55th percentile), and measured 22.5 inches in length (95th percentile). All was well with our baby boy!

I am down to my last few days of having David home with me. I have been really fortunate to have him for these three weeks! I can't imagine what I would have done otherwise. He is always a wonderful husband and father, but he has been especially appreciated. Recovering this time for me has been a bit slower, and its been compounded by having an active 21 month old at home.

Adam has done well with Caleb at home; he loves to kiss and pat baby brother and is usually eager to offer the paci to Caleb or throw away dirty diapers. But as expected, Adam makes sure that he isn't lacking attention, so if he wasn't already, he is Daddy's boy now!

Welcome Home Caleb!

After three nights at the hospital, we came home on Friday, July 30. It was a hot, hot, sunny day. David picked up Adam so that the three of us could bring Caleb home together. Uncle Scotty had stopped by to visit so he was also at the hospital to help carry stuff out and served as the answer to how we would logistically get ourselves out to the car since I couldn't walk that far or carry much and it was doubtful Adam would walk that far either. I'm sure this is only the beginning for us in learning how to function as a family with two small boys.



Thanks to Nana for decorating our yard!

Adam made sure his new brother stayed in his seat.



It looks like Mommy or Daddy should have made sure his head didn't slump to the side!



Later in the day Lan (David's mom) had fixed a tasty lasagna, salad, and Italian bread for all of us with homemade angel food cake and fresh strawberry toppings for dessert. Nana and Grandad, as well as GranJan came over to eat with us.



Caleb has made himself pretty comfortable at home!