Adam-isms

For some time now I've been mentally trying to collect a bunch of cute things that Adam says, does, or likes these days. Most of the time, this "mental collecting" is happening in the car, while we are out, or even while we are at home and my hands are full with one or both boys. Well, let's face it, its impossible for me to get this stuff written down, so I'll do the best I can from my mental collecting!

On our way to Uncle Scotty's Birthday Dinner

Helping to entertain Caleb for a bit

More of the same, and I have no idea what food that used to be on Adam's tray


We love to play Mr. Potato Head!

Snow buddies

• Adam has taken an interest in the "E-B" for the first time. His favorite shows are Dora, Chuggington, Handy Manny, and Thomas the Train. It is so cute to see him climb on the couch next to me and sit still to watch a show. My boy is growing up! He says "Chug'ton", "Swiper, no swiping!" and "Aww, man!"
• Adam loves to play pretend these days, and his imagination is growing. We frequently make food and eat it in his little kitchen, and we play "ride on the bus" by sitting on the steps in our house and driving, hitting bumps, honking our horn, etc.
• A new game to play is "Marching Band", which Gigi taught him. We all have to follow Adam as he marches us around the house saying, "March-ing Band...March-ing Band!" Nana recently gave him a set of instruments to make it even more fun!
• Most of the time, Adam now remembers who gave him what, etc. An exception: Lan kept him one day last week when he was home with an ear infection. After getting a Happy Meal with a toy truck in it, he accidentally left it at daycare when we went to pick up Caleb. However, he forgot that part. Instead, he started saying, "Lan took my truck!" Soon after that, he got a replacement truck, and now he says, "Lan got this for me at McDonald's". So far, we haven't lost it!
• He loves to play, and plays hard, and is so observant when someone plays with him. If you do something special or funny with the toys, it becomes the new gold standard for how to play with that particular toy for the future. This also applies to putting away his toys. Once he learns of each item's "place", he is excellent about putting things away where they go. I laugh because his little kitchen has knobs where utensils and frying pans hang, but to him these knobs are not interchangeable - each one is for a certain item. Hopefully I have not messed him up for life - ha! I like to think he has just learned good habits, both here and at daycare. He sings they same song at home that he sings at daycare when its time to clean up!
• At home, Adam is often our little narrator. He is learning so many new words and stringing together longer sentences, and he tells us everything we are doing as we do it!
• Adam loves to be helpful. He likes to help me cook, clean, or even get ready to go somewhere. He gets his shoes and coat, or diapers for Caleb, puts Caleb's hat on, shows me where my coat and purse are, and even sets my shoes together so I can easily slip them on! David likes to have Adam help him pick out clothes to wear in the mornings, though I warn David that this can make me look like a bad wife!
• Adam has a new interest in his Cookie Monster, and he likes his little Elmo too. Every night he puts them on the pillow and covers them up, then comes to tell me that they're sleeping. Sometimes he carries them around in one of my purses, carries some keys and tells me he's "Going to make Dada some monies!" How funny!
• Yesterday he and I went to the pediatric opthamologist as his final follow-up there to check his eyes for problems related to his prematurity. Thankfully, everything has been perfect so far and we can go to regular checkups now. On the way, we passed a huge parking lot FULL of cars, so I pointed it out to him. Adam said, "Wow! Two of 'em!" So...he's not the best counter just yet :) This came from David carrying both boys around - Adam says, "Dada has TWO boys!"
• I have never seen a little kid have a sense of direction like he does. I am positive he could get us to several places in town completely on his own. Sometimes this becomes a challenge, though, such as when we turn a certain way and he thinks we're going to "Chick-Fil-A!" when we're not. Oops.
• Occasionally it becomes obvious the "terrible twos" have set in. The other day, just after filling up with pride at how sweet my little Adam is, he had a big tantrum on me. He was hungry but wouldn't agree to anything I suggested. He saw some crackers that he decided sounded good, but when I asked him to say please first, he refused. And when I say refused, I mean he fell down on the floor, kicked and cried, etc. This seriously went on for 30 minutes! The longer it went on, the more I realized I couldn't give in either. At one point I had Caleb playing on a blanket in the living room and Adam went near him and started saying, "Bubby's touch-in' me, Mama...Bubby's kick-in' me!" Great. He even signed "please" once in an obstinate manner just so he didn't have to say it. Finally, he gave in. Isn't it amazing how young we become so stubborn? I'm afraid he gets this from me, but David has his stubborn streaks too!
• Most importantly, Adam is a wonderful big brother, and I feel very blessed. Those two boys are going to have the best time together! Love you Adam!

I am sure there is more that I'll think of, but then I'll just have to do this again!

3 Month Photos, 3 Months Later

Catching up on some pictures. In these, Caleb is 3 months and Adam is 2!

Sleeping baby

Bath time is fun

I love my thumb!

As Adam likes to say, "Momma's TWO boys!"

Leavin' already?

Little David Strunk

Bathtime burrito

Adam is always there to help!

Perils from a bathroom step stool...

I like baths, and I haven't even learned to splash yet!

Jumpin' baby

Photos by Jessica :)

Caleb: 6 months old

Our Caleb is 6 months old!

Sweet babies

At his checkup on Thursday, Caleb was 18 lbs, 7 oz (69th percentile), 28 1/2 inches (96th percentile) and head circumference 43 cm (29th percentile). He is a growing, happy boy! He wears size 3 diapers, 6 month clothes, and still drools like crazy!

Caleb can now roll over (and over and over). More than once we have left him on a blanket in the floor and felt some panic when we walked back in and didn't see him. He had decided to see how far he could get by rolling. Mobility, mobility, mobility...here we come. Look out Adam!

Sleep...well, last night Caleb slept about four hours, ate, then slept about 5 hours. Not too bad. We are ready to introduce some solid foods for Caleb, which I am sure he will find yummy!

He has learned to balance himself to sit alone, at least for a little while. He also LOVES to jump in the jumparoo now, and can go at it for quite awhile. It reminds me of Adam, as both boys just wanted to jump, jump, jump when being held in your lap. Strong legs for them, and (eventually) strong arms for us!

Caleb watches Adam, and loves what he does. Several times recently Caleb has just cracked up at whatever Adam happened to be doing, especially jumping or falling (physical humor must be his thing). When he really starts laughing, it's hard to believe that noise is coming out of his little body. I'm attempting to upload a file of him laughing at Adam, who was jumping and landing on his knees. Adam loves getting a reaction from Caleb, too, so he will keep it up - red knees and all! We are blessed with wonderful, healthy baby boys, and are not taking that for granted!

Look at me sitting up!

Caleb can grab things, and sometimes doesn't let go!

Smiling with Dada

Adam's 2nd Birthday

I am a bit behind posting pictures but wanted to share a few of my favorites from Adam's birthday party. My friend Jessica (of Jessica Campbell Photography) did a fabulous job taking photos for the day. Thanks Jess!



We had some family and friends over for a fun afternoon. Thanks to everyone for making Adam's birthday so special!

Check Out Our Bibs!

Check us out in our bibs...aren't we cute?

Speaking of cute, last night when I was putting Adam to bed, he leaned over and put his hands on my face and said, "Mommy pretty". I said, "How sweet, Adam. Thank you!". Then he said, "Dada handsome." Then he said, "Bubby handsome too." So I said, "Yes, Dada and Bubby are handsome." Then he said, "My tute (cute)!"

Of course, I had to agree!

Caleb: 5 months old

Soon after Christmas our little Caleb turned 5 months old!

What is Caleb like these days?

His personality is starting to shine, and most of the time Caleb is all smiles. Let me warn you that when his smile is shined on you, your day will be instantly brighter! He has a way of warming your heart with that big grin!

We had a couple of rough, rough weeks this past month when Caleb developed a bad cough. Though he didn't seem to feel too bad, his cough kept getting worse. Thankfully, I took him to the pediatrician, who tested him for RSV and sure enough, the test was positive. Unfortunately, there was little to be done, but we were glad to know so we could take precautions to keep from spreading it, plus do what we could at home to manage some of his symptoms. Caleb got much worse before he got better, and we had a total of 3 trips to the pediatrician for him, plus 2 trips for Adam, who inevitably got the same thing. Both boys also developed secondary ear infections, and Adam had 5 days of antibiotic before changing to another one because he still had fevers of 104 that made him very sick. We felt like it was never going to end! But remember when I said earlier that I had worked so hard to get presents purchased and wrapped, Christmas cards ordered and mailed, etc? Well, I think that's the reason why! Thank you, Lord! It was TOUGH those couple of weeks, and I cannot imagine having extra stress on top of that! But enough about the sickness...We are better!

Caleb 17 lbs, 8 oz and is 27 1/2 inches long. Everyone comments on how long he is. He has dark brown hair and dark gray-blue eyes with specks of brown. He wears size 3-6 clothes, plus some 6 months clothes, and size 2-3 diapers. He drools constantly...a ton! We have to keep his cute outfits covered with big bibs. He sucks his thumb often and even has a chapped thumb because of it!

We haven't yet tried cereal or baby food - maybe next month! He still nurses and has occasional formula bottles. The past few days I am sure he has been on a growth spurt. He is sleeping a bit better right now, stretching it out for about 6 hours before eating then sleeping the rest of the night on his good days.

He has a great laugh now, and uses it when you pretend tickle him, or make funny faces at him. He has become very aware of his surroundings and wants to watch what is going on, so many times he likes to sit in your lap and look around. He loves to kick on the floor, and he rolled over for the first couple of times during one of those office visits with the pediatrician this month. He likes tummy time, jumping in the jumparoo, sitting in the Bumbo (sometimes), eating his hand (and yours), kicking under the farm play gym, and he especially likes being carried around by Mama and Dada.

This was the first time he figured out how to get himself out of the Bumbo seat.

As you can tell, he was pretty proud of himself!

Caleb, five months have flown by and suddenly you are getting big! Thank you for how you brighten our lives and give us so much joy. We love watching you learn new things, and we are thankful to be your parents. Plus, if you want to continue liking Mommy the best, that will be fine with me too. Haha! We love you baby boy.



-Mama and Dada

Merry Christmas!

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2:10-11



What a wonderful Christmas we had this year! How nice it was to spend time with family! I love getting to see Adam learn about Christmas and start sharing family traditions, and how special for it to be Caleb's very first Christmas. We are so blessed.



This year we were able to go to the Christmas service on Thursday, the 23rd (and it was packed!). On Christmas Eve, we did some last minute things but mostly hung out at home before going to my mom's for Christmas dinner. We had a bit of a whirlwind day on Christmas day, doing our Christmas at home first thing in the morning, then breakfast and opening gifts with my parents before unloading and reloading and heading to David's parents' house that night. Today we opened gifts with them. Sheeeww! That sounds like quite a schedule! We really enjoyed our time and were reminded so many times of how blessed we are (It needed to be said again).



My grandfather (Bell) has been very ill and is in the hospital, and he was dearly missed. We were able to take Adam by the hospital to visit with him for a few minutes and hopefully that brightened his day a little bit.


Here are a few pictures from our Christmas.

Tossing out the Reindeer food on Christmas Eve

Reading a new book

Making some "sausage"

Hope your family had a Merry Christmas as well!

Caleb: 4 months old

Maybe we should say 4 1/2 months old now! Its taken me awhile to get to this...

Well, we're definitely in the Christmas season now, and the weather this year has been surprising, I'd say! Quite a bit of snow a week of below freezing temperatures. Maybe it will snow for Christmas!

I have been on a mission to get all those "things" related to Christmas finished "early" this year as I now have two boys with whom I want to enjoy all the fun things of Christmas (plus David). It will be Caleb's first Christmas, so we are getting use out of all our "Baby's First Christmas" gear, and Adam is at such a fun age. While there's still a lot that he doesn't understand, it is fun watching him as he learns and recognizes all there is to take in around the holidays. I love how excited he gets when he sees outside Christmas lights on houses while we drive in the car. At home, he also likes to instruct us to turn the lights on, as well. He has been very interested in the Christmas tree, has some favorite ornaments that he likes to locate every day, but for the most part has not bothered it much. Watching him really brings us joy.

At Caleb's 4 month checkup, he was doing great! He smiles often now, and is starting to laugh. I think he will surely be a ticklish baby. He doesn't mind tummy time, and holds his head up well. But he is surely a drooler! I had forgotten how much babies drool at this age! He likes baths and reaches to grab things now. His eyes are still an interesting dark blue/gray, which remind me of his Uncle Scotty's right now. His hair is still thick, minus the rubbed off spot in the back where he sleeps - ha! And as for sleep...well...he sleeps, just not quite as well as he used to. Most nights he'll get up once, maybe twice. I think he mostly just likes being held, but he goes back to sleep pretty easily, and wakes up happy. He sleeps in his crib, with his arms almost always above his head.

He wears 3-6 month clothes, size 2-3 diapers, weighs 16 lbs, 2 oz, and is 27 inches long. A long baby, for sure! He recently found his feet, as you can see. Plus, he is a serious thumb-sucker, which I think is especially cute.

Caleb, you are so well loved! It seems you are growing up so quickly. I realized I now carry you on my hip rather than in my arms because you now hold your head up so well. We are so thankful for you, love you, and pray for you, sweet baby.

Adam: 2 years old!

Happy 2nd birthday sweet boy!

Adam had a great birthday today! He and Bubby stayed home with Dada today, and they did their secret guy stuff, I guess. When I came home from work we went to every 2 year old's dream place - Gattitown!
On Friday Adam and I went to the doctor for his two year checkup, and Adam is doing great. He was complimented on his maturity and I thought he was so brave! He had one shot plus the nasal flu vaccine and then he was given stickers, which made him very proud. I enjoyed getting to spend some time with him and I think he liked having time alone with Momma too.

24 month stats:

Weight: 26 1/2 lbs (25th percentile)

Height: 34 inches (41st percentile)

Head circumference: 49 cm (59th percentile)

Once he was "nakey" as Adam says, he sat down to wait on the doctor to come in.

Here's a look back at our baby a year ago. Adam, you have grown so much. We look forward to celebrating your birthday all week!

Caleb: 3 months old

Guess what smiley boy turned three months old a few days ago? Yep, that's right, THREE months old! Wow, Caleb! You are growing up on us!

Our happy boy is growing so well and is so well loved by this family!

-Caleb now weighs 14 lbs, 11 oz, and 25 1/2 inches long.

-He wears size 3 month clothes, plus some 3-6 month clothes, and Size 2 diapers.

-He loves to be snuggled and loved on.

-Caleb is very fond of sitting up where he can look around, even if he hasn't mastered it yet.

-He coos and gurgles when you talk to him, and he tries hard to talk back. So cute!

-Caleb started sleeping through the night two weeks ago. He sleeps in his crib from about 8:30 to about 5:30 AM - yea! He prefers to sleep with his arms over his head, almost always!

-Guess who sucks his thumb? At least for now, its better than any paci!

-His hair is a lighter brown now and his eyes are still a dark gray-blue.

Happy 3 months, Caleb James! We love you!