#togethergrams

The past week has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster as Jason wound up back in the hospital this week with another severe infection.
 

He looked so pitiful and tired and weak and clearly in pain and it was very scary.  He was in ICU for 3 days but is now back in a regular room and hopefully will continue to make progress toward recovery.  He's at least starting to act more like himself - giving the nurses a hard time and making jokes so that's a really positive sign.  Although yesterday, he asked to see a chaplain which made us a little nervous.  But he just wanted to make sure someone was praying for him. 

Jackson absolutely kills me.  There was a super complicated candy bar puzzle in the waiting room that was already completed.  Jackson took the corner apart (probably 30 pieces) and then put it back together by HIMSELF.  He's three and a half!

 He's a cute little booger, isn't he?

This trip to Evansville was my first overnight stay away from Tyler - almost 10 months old before my first time away from him.  I think Lily was about 9 months old the first time I went 24 hours without seeing her. 

It was really strange to be away from them - I didn't stop thinking about them and what they might be doing.  Or how Joel's handling them solo.  Are they giving him a hard time?  Is Lily throwing tantrums?  Is Tyler missing me?  Missing nursing?  I'm sure that it doesn't help that I have to pump every 3 hours so I don't really get an opportunity to let go.  The time away, though, renews my patience for the trying times and my appreciation for all the sweet things they do.

Lily completely cracks me up sometimes.  The other day, she put her babies in time out.

I asked her why they were in time out.  "Because they hit me," she said.

When it was time to come out of time out, she got down in their faces to tell them why they were in time out and that hitting is not ok.  She's a MINI ME!!!  Gah!  Poor baby!

I recently started following a new blog of a random stranger and she posted something that I really liked and want to try to do more often.  She introduced the idea of #togethergrams to me.  It's simply taking pictures of yourself with your kids, individually, no matter how frumpy you feel.  I hate it how I don't have that many pictures of me and the kids (all together or separately) and I think it's because I'm always waiting for the right time.  Right time being, my hair isn't a mess and my makeup is done and Joel is around (and in the mood) to take the picture with the good camera.  Oh and this also has to coincide with when the kids are in the mood.  This never happens.  Hence, I don't have that many pictures of us. 

So, here's to #togethergramming!

Meet Lily's Sister

This evening while feeding Tyler, Lily comes in to his room and announces:

"This is my sister."

 



 

She had Ellie and the doll formerly known as "Truck Baby," now identified as "sister."  I have no idea where this came from but it was pretty cute. 

However, if she thinks she's getting a sister, she better go start sweet talking her Daddy cause according to him, two kids is plenty!

Flying solo!

 This weekend is Joel's annual motorcycle tour so I'm watching after the babies all by my lonesome. 

They have been behaving really pretty good (so far, knock on wood).

This morning, we played outside for while.  Then came in for Tyler's morning nap.  Lily and I got "ready" while he was sleeping.  Shower for me, makeup and painted nails for Lily!

Then we went shopping at Joann's and Target.  And then had lunch at McDonald's.  I bribed Lily to try a chicken nugget (said she could have a prize if she ate it).  She never gets her own food at McDonald's so she wasn't aware that there was a toy in her happy meal.  She tried one bite cause I asked her to and then she tried another bite on her own.  Then concluded she did NOT like it.

After that, we came home and had nap time!  (Yay, Mommy break time!)

After nap, we had popsicles outside and played in the water until the rain approached.  Then Tyler went down for his 3rd nap of the day and Lily and I fixed pizza for supper.  Then Tyler got up and we all ate dinner and played together and then it was bedtime!

 

Today was a good day.  I enjoyed spending the time with the kids and I feel relieved that they were well behaved most of the day. 

But let me tell you what.  1)  Thank goodness I'm not a single parent.  2) No way could be I a stay at home mom.

It's really hard work to keep the kids entertained, keep them from fighting with each other, fix and clean up meals, keep up with other chores along the way all while maintaining patience and not blowing a gasket over the little stuff.

But I remind myself, my babies will only be this little for a short time.  I have to take the time to relish in these moments.  It'll be gone before I know it!

Hot it up!

When wrestling with Lily over the weekend, her pants were coming down and she hollered:
"My butt crack is open!"

For some reason, here in the last week or two, Lily is violently opposed to her food being hot or warm.  She tells us:  "Don't hot it up!"  This girl wants to eat a hot dog COLD.  I try to sneak it in to the microwave for a few seconds so it's at least room temperature cause it kind of makes me gag to think about eating a cold hot dog.  If she catches me, she has a meltdown.

"They're not shoes, they're Crocs!"  "They're not pants, they're shorts!" Everything is so literal with her!

I think I mentioned that when we put Tyler in his new car seat, Lily couldn't reach his hand anymore when they ride in the car.  I knew Lily held his hand when we rode in the car, but I guess I didn't realize how big of a deal it was to her.  I told her when Tyler got bigger or when Tyler got older, she could reach his hand.  So every day, EVERY day, she says, "Is Tyler older yet? I can't reach his hand." 

I haven't blogged in a while and I know there are lots of other funny "Lily" things I was going to write about but now that I have the time to write, nothing is coming to my mind....of course.

Here's some pictures I took last week of kiddos playing in the water in the back yard one night after work.  Both of these babies love the water!

Also, here's some pictures of Joel doing Lily's nails.  So cute.  Joel tries to be so careful and precise when painting her nails.  Like he's working on a model car or something.  I just slap some paint on there cause I know that 30 minutes later she's going to be picking it all off!

And lastly....I'm going to have another niece!!  Congratulations to Jenny, Josh and Jackson!!  Can't wait to meet her in only 20 short (haha) weeks!

How many Daddies would do that?

"Just one!"

That's what Lily said when I got home from work and she showed me her painted fingernails.  I asked her who painted her fingernails and she said "Daddy did!  And my toes!" 

Lily is very big in to painted fingernails right now and it's a real test of patience for Joel and I.  She won't sit still while the painting happens and she doesn't sit still while it dries so it gets messed up and then she wants you to paint them again.  If you tell her to sit still, she's all "I AM sitting still!"

After dinner tonight, she wanted to paint my finger nails. 

"Put your hand flat on the table Mommy.  On the napkin."

"Want me to paint a flower?  Which finger?"

"Sit still Mommy.  It's not dry yet."

"All done Mommy!  Let it dry, okay?"

Oh.  My.  Gawd.  All I can say is, she DOES hear me when I talk.  She might not choose to LISTEN to what I'm saying, but she's definitely hearing me.  She practically repeated, word for word, what I say to her when I'm painting her nails.  Scary.

Tyler just sat back, watching.  I love this boy.  He's so cute.

We took about 2 dozen pictures this weekend at my Mom's house before we headed to my cousin's wedding.  None turned out great.  It's pretty much impossible to get both kids facing the same way, at the same time, and have no one crying.



 

Happy 9 Month Birthday Little Man!!

Oh Tyler buddy!  On the one hand, I can't believe you're 9 months old already and on the other I can't imagine life before you got here!

Statistics
Height:  on track to be 6'5" like his Daddy
Weight:  solid

(to be updated with real numbers next week after his 9 month appointment)

Sleeping habits:  Not much change in this department.  Sleeps all night most all the time (except last night).  All night means go to bed between 7-8 and sleep until 6-6:30.  Occasionally, he will sleep until 7.  Or sometimes he'll wake up at 5.  During the week if he wakes up at 5, I try to let him just cry it out and go back to sleep until it's time to get up (6 or 6:30).  If it's the weekend, often I'll go head and feed him because there's a really good chance that he'll then go back to sleep until 8 or 8:30 which means I can stay in bed until 8 or 8:30!  He is an excellent napper at home and a shoddy napper at daycare.  He takes several (2-3) pretty decent naps on the weekends (1-2 hours each).  At daycare, he takes 2-3 pretty crappy naps (20-30 minutes each).  On a good day, he'll take a 45-60 minute nap.  But it's rare.

Eating habits:  He's nursing in the mornings before daycare, getting 3 bottles at daycare (was sending 6 oz bottles but recently starting sending 5 oz because he wasn't finishing all 6) and I'm nursing him around dinner time and then a late evening sleep feed.  I had cut that out, but I had to add it back in because he wasn't sleeping all night when I cut it out.  He eats a stage 2 fruit for breakfast, vegetable for lunch and whatever I pull out of the cabinet for dinner (fruit, veggie or meat).  He's really starting to try some new things!  About a week ago, I gave him a bite of Lily's cooked carrots which he mostly enjoyed.  A couple days ago, I tried a tiny banana bite and he looked at me like I was feeding him glue or something.  And today, he gobbled up some green beans.  Well he gobble half the green beans and the rest went down in the high chair!  He loves puffs and yogurt melts.  I've tried Ritz crackers and he likes those pretty well too.  I gave him a gold fish cracker (broken up) but that was too hard and he gagged on it.  Yesterday we tried the watermelon and that was a bust but I think it was because he was full and more interested in playing.

 



Awake time:  He's really off and crawling now!  It's incredible how much he's figured out in just a few days.  He can get anywhere he wants which is every where that I don't want him to be!  He's so animated and has some of the best expressions.  He's such a happy and fun loving baby.  He loves to give kisses.  He's learning how to clap.  He's learning to pull himself up, although not quite to his feet.  At least not at home, but he's done it at daycare.  He doesn't really like to sit still now that he knows he can move around.  Trying to take these 9 months pictures was difficult!

It's all fun and games until....

.....somebody poops their pants!

Lily has REALLY taken a liking to playing in the water hose.  Every time Joel waters the garden she wants to "help" and wants to "water the grass."  In the interest of keeping my sanity, I try to prevent her "helping" too much unless it's bath night.  Then I don't have to cringe at the thought of cleaning up a sopping wet, grass covered little girl.  I can just throw her in the bath tub.

Guess what?  Tuesday is bath night!  So after dinner, Joel put Lily in her swimsuit and she was having the BEST time playing with the water hose.  She was watering all the grass!  She was shooting the water straight "UP to the SKY!" Which then caused it to "RAIN on [her] HEAD!"

She chased her Daddy around the yard trying to get him wet.  "Stop running Daddy so I can get you!!" 

Meanwhile, I'm playing with Tyler..  I tried to get him to taste some watermelon but he wasn't all that interested.

Instead he had his sights on the TOYS!

He crawled over to the red car so I put him in.  Holy cow, he loves that thing.  He was turning that steering wheel like it was nobodies business!  Slamming his hands on the wheel.....if it weren't for the smile on his face one might of thought he had a bit of road rage!

Rolling down the street, in my diaper, sippin' on Mama's milk....laid back!  With my mind on my toys and my toys on my mind!

Hey baby, how you doin'?

 

And then.....from the opposite end of the yard.....Lily yells:

"Hey Mommy!  I DUMPIED!"

Me:  "You pooped?"

Lily:  "Yes."  (still playing in the water, barely paying attention to me asking questions)

Me:  "You pooped in your pants??" (I just can't believe it so I ask again, thinking surely she's mistaken.)

Lily:  "Yes.  I pooped, I said."

Joel:  "Lily, did you really poop?"  (he goes to investigate)

Oh yeah.  She pooped - or "dumpied."

She was having so much fun she couldn't be bothered to perform her evening dump on the toilet.  I'm guessing she was afraid if she went in the house, she wouldn't get to come back out!