Merry Christmas 2010

A few shots of our Christmas . . .had a good day celebrating at home then going over to Grandma & Grandpa's. Ralph wasn't overly excited about Santa. He can recognize Santa but I don't think he understands the 'magic' of Santa. Both he and Henry enjoyed their new gifts and should have plenty to play with for quite a while.

A rare family photo.

Ralph: Celebrating 33 months!

Photo was taken the morning of 'jammie day' at 'school' as his class was having their Christmas party in their jammies.

Mike and I got to take Ralph to his first Husker basketball game at the end of November. He had a great time clapping (maybe not always for the correct team) and enjoyed everything that came along with the game - the band, the food, the crowd.

Ralph has had some success with going to bed by himself in the last month. The bedtime routine involves brushing choppers, prayers, reading in bed for 20-30 minutes with mommy or daddy, and then lights out - he'll turn his little light off and turn his music on. I will then proceed to pat his back for 30 seconds and then sit by his door for 3-5 minutes, baby steps. I have also resorted to bribery. I have tried it before but never really had much luck. I'm still not sure if I have had any luck but he remembered the next morning that he was promised M&Ms if he stayed in bed all by himself. He continues to ask for M&Ms most mornings.

Ralph discovered some mesh bags in our closest (the kind of bags one would wash dedicates in). One of the books we read has a page that illustrates bees and beekeepers so he determined the mesh bags were our netting hats and we wear them nightly when we read that page - most times we don't even read the whole book, just that page. The bags have transformed from netting hats to hard hards and now, snowy hats - depending on what book we are reading. What an imagination.

For a few weeks now, Ralph has decided to wear his briefs backwards. He thinks its funny and we don't care to correct him since he is dressing himself and its one less thing we have to worry about. He seems to think he has the final decision on what he gets to wear. We used to be able to pick out his outfit and he'd wear it, now he puts up a fight until he gets to choose what he prefers - unfortunately many of the shirts he has picked lately are short sleeve.

A week ago Sunday, Ralph decided to put a pea in each nose hole. He had a cold and someone suggested maybe he was trying to stop his nose from running. I can't say for sure what he was thinking. He's had peas plenty of times before and even had them twice the week before as he enjoys them frozen and its something quick to put on his dinner plate. Luckily they were easily removed with tweezers.

Ralph enjoys going to church. We sit pretty near the front and whenever he has the chance Ralph will stand in the aisle near our row and watch Father. He also likes the part where he gets to give Father money (and a high five). It seems like after most masses we get at least one compliment on how well behaved he was. I think we just happen to be lucky.

Holiday Traditions Continued

When Ralph was 9 months old he 'helped' me with his first candyhouse. Its been fun watching his development grow. He was a lot more cooperative this year. He followed direction and did not even try to eat the candy that was old. Henry did not get to work on his much. We decorated the candyhouses a week after his birthday and the memory of diving into the frosting on his birthday cake was a little too fresh in his mind. Everytime we put him near the candyhouse his hands went for the frosting.

The boys made their handprints ornaments last weekend. As expected, it is not much fun to have one's hand pressed into the clay. We have also done the ornaments since Ralph's first Christmas.

Henry: Celebrating 1 year!

In keeping with Henry tradition, he ends his birthday by waking up a few hours after going to bed. We let him cry for 15 minutes before we set foot in his room . . needless to say its been an hour and half since he started and he is still going strong. Mike and I have each had a shot at calming him. He is fine as long as someone is in the room but does not want to be alone, I guess. It does not get this bad very often but unfortunately its more than I like to remember.

We had a little birthday party for Henry yesterday. He was a perfect ham for the camera - maybe not always smiling but did seem to hit his mark with posing and facial expressions. He enjoyed trying his cake which seemed a little thick of frosting; I don't think he got much cake but did keep dipping his hand in the frosting. He has been enjoying his new gifts.

I noticed yesterday he has been standing on his own for longer periods of time unassisted. He could probably win a crawling race with the best of them -and his knees are probably permanently callused. It's only a matter of time.

He likes crawling up the stairs but is no where close to going downstairs backwards. He likes beating on various things to make noise.

He has added more constants to his babbling repertoire but no purposeful words yet. He says da-da but not always in regards to Mike. He can say ma-ma but not in regards to me.

He is eating regular food more and more. I gave daycare the green light today to mix milk with his formula to help ease him into cow's milk. He had been receiving formula at daycare and mostly breastmilk at home.

My little baby is not so much a baby anymore. Where did the last year go? It has been fun watching his personality develop. He does well playing by himself and stands his ground when someone tries to take something from him. He also adjusts to new environments well. He moved in to the next room at daycare just after turning 11 months and welcomed the new room. There were a few tears the first day but no problems since.

Stats from the 12-month well-child check up:
Height: 29 1/8" (25%)
Weight: 17 lbs 15.5 oz (5%)

Ralph: Celebrating 32 months!

I tried most of the day to take a good picture of Ralph. Unfortunately he was most cooperative at bath time, please excuse his lack of clothing.

Ralph has not quite adjusted to daylight savings time yet, at least I'm hoping that's the issue. He is up everyday at 6 am, you can almost set a clock. We are trying to get him to bed earlier so he can get a little more sleep. He could sleep at least another 45 minutes before we'd have to wake him to get ready for 'school'.

He isn't saying "owie" as much as he had been but he still has his moments. My suggestion of feet stomping never caught on, thankfully?!

It has been fun to watch Ralph's imagination and pretend play grow. His latest is handing out communion wafers, cutting hair, and cooking chicken nuggets. He also likes to line up his various cars for car shows. He seems to be better at peddling his tricycle but considering he is trying to peddle on carpet there is still a little bit of a challenge.

Ralph likes to try to be funny . . .ask him where he goes to school (Fingerprints). His replies vary from Handprints and Thumbprints to Footprints. He still continues to call his friends names in an attempt to be funny - not in a mean way, at least he doesn't think so. Mostly nonsense words - pee wee, moofy, ooogie, etc. that have no meaning.

Ralph seems to have a great memory and attention to details. He can tell you his Uncle Nick lives in Minneapolis, what street he lives on, and he likes quizzing you on people's name (the name of the nurse that gave him a shot (flu mist) today, the lady that cut his hair a few weeks ago, which person gave him a certain gift, etc). He continues to ask the never-ending question "why"?

Ralph has been good with Henry lately - educating him on how to use a sippy cup, sharing puffs and crunchies with him, and covering up the faucet in the tub when Henry gets to close . . though he still likes to grab whatever Henry is playing with.

You can't see me!

In the spirit of hunting season, we fitted the boys with their camo outfits. Ralph routinely asks to wear his "Grandpa Deer shirt" - and Henry is just starting to fit his camo gear.

When Ralph was younger we used to tell him "we can't see you" whenever he wore camo. He thinks its funny and will now remind us that we can't see him.

Henry: Celebrating 11 months!

As follow-up to last month, Henry has experienced his first pinched fingers . . . thumb in the lazy susan. Unfortunately he didn't learn a lot from that experience as he continues to gravitate to the lazy susan and drawers. I think he has gotten a finger or two in the drawer but nothing that causes him to complain about it.

Henry is getting more mobile. He can crawl up the stairs by himself. Once he was up on the 3rd stair before we realized where he was . . might be time for the baby gate. We've caught him standing by himself for seconds while playing, he is so absorbed in the play that he does not realize what he is doing. He continues to love to walk behind anything that he can push - and if he runs into a roadblock he'll just try to keep pushing to plow through.

He has had two teeth break through in the last month - the other front bottom tooth, and just today, the top right tooth. He is not started making any new sounds purposefully. In the last few weeks he has started waving - hand opened wide; arm goes up and down. I've been trying to teach him the sign for "more". I think he is starting to get it; if he is in the highchair and claps I'm taking that as his version of "more".

Henry has started trying some 'big kid' food at daycare and is starting to sample table food more. Today he tried macaroni and cheese. He has also tried mandarin oranges, bologna, and chicken. He also switched to formula at daycare about a week and half ago but is still mostly getting breastmilk at home.

Henry has had to stay home from daycare a few times in the last month. Once for an unexplained fever that lasted 3 days and just this past week with pink eye. We returned to the doctor's office to get his booster flu shot. The tech was so quick he didn't have a chance to cry.

On Monday he'll officially start in the Infant 2 room at daycare. He visited off and on most of this past week. I think he'll do fine with the transition.

Halloween 2010

Since visiting the pumpkin patch at the end of last month, we visited a pumpkin festival at Earl May and two "trunk or treats" - one at Capitol City Christian Church where the boys go to daycare and one at St. Marks. The idea behind the "trunk or treats" is that members of the church decorate their trunks and hand out treats - we did see at least one person who handed out treats from their trunk (hatchback) but most stood beside their vehicles. Each church also had activities inside the church. The four of us went to Capitol City and Grandpa and Grandma took Ralph to St. Marks.

We only carved one pumpkin but Ralph painted one for him and one for Henry. Henry wore many Halloween themed shirts to daycare last week.

Ralph was a Lion (Simba from the Lion King) and Henry was a tiger. Lions and tigers, oh my. We stopped at Grandpa & Grandpa's this afternoon then onto to HyVee and around the neighborhood. Ralph's favorite treats were suckers and a couple of plastic spider rings.

Rocket Ship

Last Friday evening Ralph wanted to play "rocket ship". Not quite sure what he was saying we followed his direction . . to the garage to get a few strips on insulation and back outside. Not sure how he came up with the idea since the strips were hidden a little. It was fun to watch. Also a few shots of Henry, a little jealous he couldn't play "rocket ship".

Ralph: . . and the results are in

Ralph had his 2 1/2 year check up this afternoon, albeit a month late as I was not thinking when I scheduled the appointment. It was one of our quickest appointments. Ralph weighed in at 29.6 lbs (46%) and 36 1/2" (61%) . . .he is starting to even out a little. The doctor joked must be the donuts he is eating . . little does his know Ralph ate 4 little mini donuts last weekend at a tailgate party. I'm a little surprised his weight is catching up since he still does not seem to be eating like he should. According to the growth chart he is on his way to 6' or so.

Everything else checked out normal. Ralph enjoyed holding the little hammer - and trying it out on me and the doctor. Mmmn, maybe Santa can bring him a medical kit.

Ralph also got the flu mist rather than the shot. I was not sure which one would go more smoothly since he does not like water near his face, similar but different. I asked him which he'd want and he said up his nose . . . luckily the doctor decided the same. He did a lot better than I thought he would. Unfortunately we have to go back next month for a booster since he did not get the N1H1 shot last year.

One of the Sesame Street books we read has a character "Doctor Donna". After we got home Ralph tells Mike there were two doctors (female nurses) and a boy (doctor).

Ralph: Celebrating 31 months

I told Ralph this morning he was 31 months old today. He replies "No, I'm 2 1/2. He sure is! The photo was taken tonight. Ralph started telling me he was too tired to finish eating so I told him he'd better lay down and rest.

Ralph likes to say "owie" when things do not go his way. He has said it for months. Trying to break that habit, I started encouraging him to stomp his feet if he was mad. It has not really caught on yet - and I hope it doesn't; I was mostly trying to give him something else to think about and distract him from saying "owie".

He has started saying 'yucky' in regards to some foods. I've tried to convince him he needs to try three bites before declaring something 'yucky'. Only once has the outcome changed from 'yucky' to 'yummy' but most times he does not consume the three bites either.

Ralph likes to collect rocks from the play area at 'school'. They end up in his shoes, pockets, and hair . . and the washer and dryer since I forget to clean his pockets. The rocks take the place of many items including keys, food, and gum (yes, he puts them in his mouth). Can we say "yucky"?

He is into pretend play and being goofy. He loves playing outside. He does not like it when his brother takes a toy from him - but it seems to be okay if Ralph takes a toy from him. I am pretty sure he would rotate between two outfits (grandpa truck shirt and camo outfit) if we let him. Once in a while he'll change his intonation or facial expression in an attempt to be funny. He can't seem to ask enough questions.

Ralph's room at school is starting to learn a bible verse a month. I asked Ralph about it last week and recited just the verse for him; he ends it by saying 'psalm 127:3'. Last night during prayers I asked him about the verse he is learning at school and he recited the whole thing. "Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord." Psalm 127:3. That they are!

Henry: Celebrating 10 months!

Henry loves pushing Ralph's tricycle and anything else that will move or slide. He loves being able to stand up and play with the learning table, little kitchenette, and along the couch. He also loves opening/closing doors and drawers - I'm sure it won't be long before he experiences his first pinched finger(s).

Henry is starting to experience separation anxiety, most notably at daycare. He notices when I leave and starts to crawl after me. They do a great job at distracting him and he is happily playing by the time I drop off Ralph and leave. I hear he is also attached to his morning provider.

Rumor has it Henry will move up to the Infant 2 room in a month to make room for a sibling of current student. I know he'll like being with the 'older' kids (the room is for mobile - 18 months) but the biggest adjustment will be the one nap a day on a mat. Some days now he is ready for a nap right after breakfast since he tends to wake up a little earlier than he should.

Henry has graduated to medium flow nipples which has helped increase his intake at bedtime but we are still experiencing sleep issues though he has a somewhat predictable routine. He is still on stage 3 foods but it is time to start exploring other ideas. The small bits of bread I fed him the other week backfired as he stuffed more in his mouth than he had swallowed forcing him to throw up. He has started eating puffs and likes being to put something in his mouth himself.

All four of us ventured to the play area behind the house tonight. Henry loved crawling around the structure and going down the slide - with a little help.

First Tooth!

Three weeks ago on September 21, Henry's first tooth broke through. If you look really close you can see it on the bottom. Days prior he kept stuffing whatever he could in his mouth so we knew it was getting close.

He also mourned his first ear infection the same day. The diagnosis was a little surprising since he seemed to be eating, playing, and sleeping normally.

Visiting a Pumpkin Patch

We visited a Pumpkin Patch a few weeks ago - we got there just after they opened and were the only ones there for awhile which was great since it took Ralph about 20 minutes to be brave enough to stand by their sign (there were some cattle in the field behind the sign and he didn't want to get to close). It wasn't so much a pumpkin patch (we didn't even buy a pumpkin) but a great chance to explore a few new activities.

Ralph enjoyed the rubber ducky races and the wheelbarrow maze the most. He also got into dressing the scarecrow.

A great night for a parade!

UNL's homecoming parade was this evening. Last year it downpoured about half-way through the parade, tonight it could not have been a more perfect night for a parade. Ralph was a great participant - clapping and waving. Its not obvious but Ralph is wearing his Husker shirt - a camo Husker shirt. Henry had a good time, too, watching from Mike's arms - I think he held on a little more tightly during the band and a few loud noises but he did not lose his composure.

(note: Ralph is starting to put his hat on backward.)

Henry & Abe

Henry stopped by work this afternoon to get his picture taken with President Lincoln. He was quite animated checking out Abe and playing in the lobby. We even caught him clapping for the first time!

(Big brother Ralph had his photo taken with Abe in February 2009.)

Ralph: Celebrating 2 1/2 years!!

Ralph's 30-month well-child check up isn't scheduled for another month so the officials stats will have to wait. No one has to tell us he is a very skinny boy. The 2T pants are way to big in the waist and the 24 months are a little big in the waist but are close to being short . . . we have discovered adjustable waist pants.

Ralph had been asking the question "where?" for quite awhile, not realizing he should be asking the proverbial "why?" - just after turning 29 months he started asking "why?" and has not stopped asking. He is very observant and notices when things are not as they should be.

The move to the transition room at daycare has gone well. He has become a little more independent and is a little more willing to accept my departure in the mornings. I'm sure it helps he has Ms. Karla as a teacher as she was his caregiver when he was in the infant room.

It has been fun watching his imagination grow in the last month. While watching the football game last Saturday we had a good game of catch going on with an imaginary football - the best way to play catch in the house.

Ralph can get extremely goofy - or at least he thinks so - when he is tired. He was cracking himself up the other day saying "My name is Dr. Seuss" . . over and over.

Ralph processes information well. Last night he said "Father bless me, Father not sneeze me." While it does not sound right, he knows enough to relate blessing to sneezing.

He seems to generalize about every street sign as being a stop sign. He likes to remind me to stop at the stop signs and we have conversations about why we stop.

He is doing great being daytime potty trained though he says "no, thank you" when I try to put him on a big potty when we are out and about and will do his best to hold it. If we are traveling we will take his little potty so he can take care of business without stressing out. Soon we will try graduating to the smaller seat that fits on the big potty. Naps can be hit and miss at home - sometimes he wakes up dry . . sometimes not.

We are working on making choices . . .you can either do "this" or get a time out. Somewhere he has learned the counting method to get things done "you have until the count of three to . . ." Sometimes I'll barely start counting and he is reacting to what he is suppose to be doing. It's amazing since we usually use this method at home but knows what it is . . . maybe he learned it at his home away from home.

Took the photo in the morning. He had to have some product after seeing me put some in my hair. His hair is not normally spike-y.

Henry: Official 9 month stats

Along with turning 9 months old, comes the 9 month well-child check up. We visited the doctor last Wednesday; Henry officially weighed in at 16 lbs 2 oz (2%) and 28" (45%). The only 'thing' above average is his head circumference - 18" (50-75%) which I can attest to after trying a number of times to put one of his Husker outfits on today. We had just bought a 2 pc 6-9 month outfit thinking he'd need that size for the bottoms and I thought we'd be fine on the top too since most of the 9 month shirts are still too big for him . . . . as much as I tried to stretch the neck out it was still tough to put on. Luckily we got the outfit on sale - and we'll still have months of use on the pants even if we can't squeeze the shirt on next week.

Anyhow, the doctor wasn't too worried about his weight since he seems to be growing fine. We aren't too worried since he is doing his fair of eating but he is constantly on the go. Everything else checked out fine. He received two shots and gets to return in 30 days for his booster flu shot.

For those wondering at this stage Ralph was 1" taller and 2 pounds heavier.

Henry: Celebrating 9 months!

We found out this morning that it is possible for Henry to sleep all night! He had gone to bed earlier in the evening; woke up around 10, had a little snack then back to bed until just after 6 am! Sleep is one theme that we can not seem to master - I stopped counting the sleepless nights. I'll admit we are not consistent in some of our methods but some nights I just want to go back to sleep. Henry is also crying loud enough now that Ralph is waking up more often.

Henry is slowly being introduced to formula. He is also increasing the amount of baby food he is eating. He'll eat whatever stage 2 foods he is offered and has tried some stage 3 foods but gags a little more often when eating these foods. He has sampled shredded cheese and tiny bits of bread but both usually fall out of his mouth instead of going down his throat. The last couple days Henry's consumption of milk/formula has decreased to 21-23 ounces while his food intake has increased.

We'll find out in a couple of days how Henry compares to his peers but I can guess he is on the small side. He is wearing 6 mo bottoms and 9 mo tops (that are still way too big).

He continues to army crawl. Once in awhile he gets up on all fours but falls back down when he starts moving. He can easily sit-up from the crawling position. This morning we introduced the learning table and he pulled himself up when he was sitting beside it, while no one was looking. He is getting pretty good at pushing the doors closed on the pop-up farm. He likes to crawl onto the base of the exosaucer. He also likes to close cupboard doors and open/close drawers.

The other week he stuck his tongue out and said "da-da" . . it lasted a few days but we have not heard it much lately.

Overall, Henry is a very happy little boy. He likes interacting with his brother and will laugh in response to what his brother is doing sometimes. He is also content to play independently.

No teeth have broken through.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Grandma & Grandpa came over this evening to celebrate Grandma's birthday. Ralph helped Grandma open her birthday cards but when it came time to read the cards he had to get his (sun)glasses so he could read. Such a funny little boy. (I'm crossing my fingers Ralph has Mike's genes in the eyesight department and won't have to worry about glasses for a long, long time.)

We also got a cake from Donna Roehrs. Grandma mentioned she loved it . .so when we asked Ralph how his cake was he says "I love it".

Ralph: Celebrating 29 months!

One way to describe Ralph is "In Charge" - its so true in more ways than one. Ralph knows what he is doing and likes to see how far he can push things OR maybe its because he is two-years-old and his life his centered around himself.

He is daytime potty trained now. There's been a few times I've crossed my fingers hoping we'll get home in time and, so far, we've made it. He knows how to use it as a stalling tactic - we've gotten out to the car at daycare at least twice in the past week before he declares "I go potty now". Not willing to call his bluff (or clean up the car seat) we go back inside.

He is either a picky eater or only wants to eat what he feels like eating, not what we suggest (oxymoron?). The past 3 nights he has had a corndog for supper; tonight he switched to waffles after he saw the box in the freezer. Our first theory with the corndogs is that he would grow tired of it after so many meals. My other thought is that the kid is on the low end of the weight spectrum and he needs all the calories he can get. Sometimes the only way he'll eat is if he doing some other activity (ie coloring at the table) and we put food in his mouth - AND sometimes he likes to be a lion (or some other animal) and receive his food through the slats in the chair back. He does not always eat unhealthy - last weekend he had almost two containers of yogurt for lunch and clementines but barely touched his pb&j.

We have been trying to break the habit of having someone lay with Ralph until he falls asleep. Some nights are better than others. The first three days this week it took 45 minutes for him to finally fall asleep by himself - he gets out of bed, goes to his door (where he is stopped by a baby gate), and calls for someone or cries/whine . .we put him back in bed and walk out, sometimes saying a few words. Sometimes he stalls claiming the need to go potty. At least once the door had to be held shut and after much protest he finally fell asleep.

This coming Monday he will move to the Transition room at 'school' with two of his friends. One of his teachers commented today that they were angels when they visited their new room and were naughty in their current room . . .almost like it is time to move on to a new challenge. Ralph will reunite with his teacher from the infant room who has moved to the Transition room. I have picked him up from the Transition room a few times this week and he seems right at home. He will remain in the Transition room until he is 3 years old.

Ralph's vocabulary continues to expand. Sometimes we are amazed at the sentences he puts together. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves he probably learned a few things at school and that he is not a total genius. He loves asking questions - mainly "where" over and over. He is not afraid to repeat new words. He also is a good little parrot and likes to repeat what he hears.

His imagination is growing. Tonight, after supper he had to line up his Honeycomb cereal to get ready to go to the gym. Curious George has been in time out a few times in the last couple of weeks. Sometimes on the way to school we see Percy (of Thomas and Friends) in his car going to HyVee or home. His coloring skills are also getting better. He knows his colors and letters of the alphabet pretty well.

Ralph is definitely not on a time schedule and does not understand the meaning of 'hurry up'. It can take up to 5 minutes in the morning picking out which pair of briefs to wear, commenting "which one" followed by a pause as he considers his options for the day. He likes to climb up in his car seat and then check out what is in the back of the car, not fully sitting down until heavily encouraged. He likes to climb out of the car seat. He also has to decide "which one" toothbrush at the end of the day (for some reason he has 3 right now). Sometimes I try to bribe him - if you get 'this' and 'this' done now I'll give you 'that' - usually 'this' and 'this' does not get done in time so then he throws a fit later when he does not get 'that'. One of the few times we've seen it work is one weekend morning when he was lounging around in his jammies. I was going to Walgreens and said if you had your outfit on you could come with me. Before I knew it his jammy top was off and his jammy shorts were half-way down his knees.

Henry: Celebrating 8 months!

Sleep update: There was a period of 8 days a few weeks ago Henry slept all night then he was attacked by thrush, a cold, and intermittent throwing up over the course of a week that upset the apple cart. Two nights ago he did sleep all night (if you consider 4:25 am all night) but last night he woke up once. His appetite is returning and we have been able to get more food in him. I'm hopeful things will start improving.

I believe the first thrush medicine upset Henry's tummy a little and we might have stopped it too soon since the thrush came back (twice). Henry is currently taking Genetian Violet once a day for 4 days. It turns anything it touches purple so I'm waiting a few more days to post a photo of Henry since his mouth remains purple for most of the day.

Henry's appetite did suffer during the last couple of weeks. He'd hardly take a spoonful of baby food at a sitting but the last couple of nights he has ate or nearly at a little tub of stage 2 baby food. He has tried all the basic foods and now starting to eat combinations (ie. Butternut Squash and Apples with Mixed Grains). I did offer him little pieces of crackers the other day when he would not eat baby food thinking maybe he did not like the mushy food. He did like to gum the crackers but they usually came out of his mouth rather than going down his throat. I'm looking forward to starting some of the next set of foods on the list from the pediatrician's office now that we can move to the next group.

Henry continues to army crawl every where he wants to go. He is been getting up on his knees and arms a little but still not sure how to put it all together. He also likes rolling under the kitchen chairs - guess the nuts and bolts are interesting. Last night he did crawl onto the base of the exosaucer to retrieve a toy and back out to the carpet. He likes to push/pound things that play sounds/music and will seek them out. As active as he is during the day, one would think he would sleep all night!

Henry does show his preference to certain people and will reach out/lean towards them. He continues to have a wide smile for the most part but sometimes will get a devilish grin. No teeth have popped through yet.

I'm ready to wake up now!

Ralph used to open his door to let us know he was done sleeping and ready to wake up. He has taken it one step further and gathers up his clothes for the day before he opens his door. There are a few days worth of outfits sitting on his dresser to save a few minutes in the morning. He just selects one of the outfits and meets us at his gate. He was quite pleased with himself the first day he picked out his clothes all by himself.

He knows he needs to stop at the potty when he gets out of his room; I'm afraid the days of the gate at the door are numbered.

Ralph: Celebrating 28 months!

Ralph's biggest milestone in the last month has just come in the last few days. We hadn't totally been trying to potty train yet, mostly laziness on our part but a little over a week ago, when getting ready for bed and putting jammies on, Ralph proclaims "I go potty", goes into the bathroom, takes his own diaper off, sits on his little potty, and goes. The next night he starts the same way but brings out the diaper and says "I roll it up" as we do when we throw it away. Obvious ly he knows what needs to be done. Early last week daycare asked us to bring in underwear, so the next day Ralph goes to 'school' in Percy (from Thomas the Train) underwear. The first few days did not net much success. He had an accident or two but mostly held it. On Friday, we were going to back off a little and put him diapers but when we got to school he wanted to wear his briefs so we changed. He had one accident and one success. Saturday, he was mostly in a diaper since we were running around and not ready for the challenge of being out and about. He did proclaim half way through church that he peed in his diaper. Sunday morning we were really doubting Ralph as he was 0 for 3 in less than an hour but after nap he earned more than a gold star and yesterday he didn't have any accidents (other than the misdirection while in the bathroom). Today, he had another stellar day. Hopefully we are on the way to saying 'bye bye to diapers' as one of his books encourages.

Ralph continues to provide a narrative for about everything he does and sees. He wants to do things his way or by himself . . .even if it takes twice as long we (try to) patiently wait. He is very inquisitive and continually asks questions . . . even when he knows the answer. He loves visiting Grandma & Grandpa and everything their place has to offer. He also loves visitors but does not have as many as he'd like.

Ralph's biggest 'issue' right now is needing to be re-trained on going to bed by himself. Since moving to the big bed he has gotten into the habit of someone laying with him until he falls asleep which is taking up to an hour some nights. I don't think any of us are ready to 'fight' the battle yet but know we will have to soon.

Henry: Celebrating 7 months!

It's hard for Henry to maintain his focus and look at the camera when he is always watching his big brother. Ralph was sitting next to me with his 'camera' and Henry couldn't help but look at him.

Watch out world! Henry is now a tummy crawler. He is in the early stages - arms doing most of the work but he has managed to crawl under chairs and near other objects that he ends up running into and then isn't too happy that he hits his head.

Henry sleep continues to be a mystery. After a rough Sunday night a few weeks we decided something had to change. Going back to the basics, we finally had some success with 'shh-ing'. We tried it months ago and never had much luck with it. Success only came this time with a lot of it and kind of forceful but he ultimately he did fall him sleep in the crib by himself. It was a short lived success and we seem to be back to a combination of drinking to sleep, rocking, maybe shh-ing, maybe a little crying in bed but ultimately being 'rescued' by me for comforting. Sure, the goal is to have him fall asleep on his own but also trying to make sure his tummy is as full as it can be, and unfortunately he sometimes falls asleep before we accomplish that part.

On the other hand, he seems to have a definite nap pattern. Maybe not specific times but a definite need for a morning, noon-time, and afternoon nap. More times than not he will take it in the crib. Once in a while it'll have to be the bouncy seat.

He is doing pretty well with sitting up on his own. Even in the reclining high chair, his swing, the car seat, and one of the bouncy chairs he tries to sit up straight.

He is also doing pretty well with holding is own bottle, when he wants to of course.

Baths are now fun for Henry. Mike showed him how much fun it is to splash in the tub - and Henry agrees.

Henry has tried all the stage 1 vegetables. He seems to like squash and sweet potatoes best as he ate the whole little container of each in the same setting (different nights). He is starting on the fruits. He has also tried a real mashed banana and mashed potatoes. Like everything else, its all about the timing.

Priceless

Ralph likes to help us with Henry as much as he can. This video is pretty priceless.

Just like Grandpa . . .

Ralph found some old headphones in the house earlier today. He latches onto them and starts mumbling something about earmuffs. He put on his hat, boarded his trike, and put on his 'earmuffs' . . . and started 'mowing' just like grandpa on his tractor.

Ralph is in the stage of pretend play. Earlier today, after his nap, he tells me he is going to take a nap downstairs. He climbs up on the couch, lays his head on a pillow, and asks me to cover him up. By the time I get back in the kitchen he decides he is awake and seconds later its time for another nap. I think we 'played' this game 5-6 times.

Ralph: Celebrating 27 months!

Ralph's daycare room explored 'beach day' one day last week. Ralph came home sporting a new visor he had decorated with sea shells. As predicted, he had to wear it to 'school' the next couple of days. Ralph and his friends like seeing each other in the morning - every once in awhile one of other kids runs up to him and stops inches away . .and they just look at each other. "Huggies" I proclaim and they usually hug each other. Tomorrow, the dynamics of the room will change a bit as most of the girls will be moving up to the Transition room . . . and will be replaced by mostly boys.

Since transitioning to the big (twin) bed Ralph was content waiting for someone to greet him in the morning, until a few weeks ago. A baby gate stops Ralph from escaping his room during sleep times but Ralph will now climb out of his bed, open his door, and (most of the time) say "Daddy" or "Mommy" a few times until he is rescued. This morning I think he got of bed, turned his little lamp on, and crawled back into bed for awhile before he decided he was done playing by himself.

Ralph is taking swimming lessons at the Y. We have conquered two sessions; four to go. The first session he kept asking to go home, proclaiming he was all done. Yesterday he did not ask to go home until the last five minutes - I think we are making a little progress. He is getting a little more brave but still isn't quite sure about much of it.

Ralph is doing pretty well with his numbers 1-10. Surprisingly #3 is the most often missed number - only surprising since most times we count off it's 1-2-3-up/go/etc.

“Just a little bit” and “Right there” are the most common phrases right now other than "no". "Just a little bit" covers quite a few responses. He is usually very particular when he wants something to be positioned or set somewhere - "right there".

We have added flags to our game of "I spy" when driving around. Basketball hoops are hard to spy on the main streets.

This morning we ventured out to Antelope Park for the first time. Ralph is very laid back in his play. He liked to climb up and down the stairs and ramps but was not big on the slides. He did go down a few slides near the end. As laid back as he is its is hard tell when he is having a good time. We left just before the rain started as Ralph is whining for "more park." Ralph spent most of the day reciting "Rain, Rain go Away . . . " It took me a little by surprise - he must have learned it at school since we didn't teach him.

Ralph has discovered the race car carts and "Customer in Training" carts at HyVee. I'm not sure which he likes more, it just depends on his mood. He can move quite fast when pushing the "CIT" carts.

Henry: Celebrating 6 months!

Henry and I got to welcome in his 6-month birthday together this morning as he woke up just before 4 am and was still eating at 4:21 am. The last week has seen improvements in his sleeping; five of the last seven nights he has slept until at least 4 am! We continue to be optimistic that he will sleep more consistently soon.

Henry is bound to catch some flies sooner or later. He has such a wide open smile. Every once in a while he'll tone it down into a more 'normal' smile.

We are continuing with our 'bad habit' of rocking/feeding him to sleep. I have noticed he will start playing with his ear when he is getting close to falling asleep as he is being rocked.

Henry is definitely not gathering any moss. He rolls around or he moves around in circles. He does get his little butt up in the air often but hasn't quite coordinated the rest of his body yet. We did see him get up on his hands today briefly.

No teeth have appeared yet. He likes to gnaw on most anything his hands can grasp - his clothes, other people's clothes, his fingers, other people's fingers, toys, etc.

He has tried rice cereal a little more this past week but I think he usually wears more of it then he eats. Henry did try a little mashed potatoes today.

Henry has a sensitive side. If one of the kids in his room at daycare starts crying a lot Henry will also cry; he does not like to see his 'friends' upset.

In celebration of turning 6-months (and the cloud covered sky) today, Henry tried out the baby swing on Grandpa & Grandma's swing set. He seemed to enjoy it.

Update from Henry's 6-month well child check up: Henry spent most of the visit circling around the examination table . .and trying to eat the paper on the exam table.
Weight: 14 pounds 7 ounces (5%)
Height: 25.75" (22%)
Head: 14.25" (50%)
All in all, a fine visit. It did take him a little longer to recover from the shots this time around but not as bad as another youngster I know.

Big Brother, Little Brother

Nearly six months ago, Ralph's world was turned upside down when he became a big brother. He has handled it in stride - never once (so far) telling us to 'send him back'. He mostly shows Henry affection with hugs and kisses; he even offers to rock him while in the car seat and sings 'rock-a-bye baby' while doing so. He tries to engage Henry in play. While he will play independently, he also likes playing along side Henry - if Henry is in the exosaucer Ralph will have to come over and 'help' Henry turn/move things; if Henry is on the floor rolling over Ralph may have to lay beside him.

In some respects the boys are as different as night and day. The most notable differences are their sleeping habits. Six months later Henry still rarely sleeps through the night - they go to bed at roughly the same time but Henry could get up anytime from 1-4 am for a snack. Ralph liked to sleep through the night most nights by the time he was 6-8 weeks. Ralph liked to takes naps in the swing or bouncy seat. Henry prefers the crib.

Henry likes playing in the exosaucer and can entertain himself for 20-30+ minutes. Ralph would tolerate it but not that long. Henry is more independent; he'll play on the floor when we get home in the evenings allowing me to try to get supper started. Ralph had to be held when he was younger.

Henry is much more smiley than Ralph was at this age. He is also much more active.

Henry likes to (has to) be rocked to sleep. Ralph also enjoyed it at this age. It's a tough habit to break but there's nothing sweeter than watching a baby sleeping in your arms.

Ralph: Celebrating 26 months

"No, I do it" and "I no like (fill in the blank)" are the two most common phrases heard in our house lately. Most of time Ralph will still comply with whatever it is we are asking of him even though he says he does not like it or does not want to do it.

We have entered the 're-enactment' stage of development. A few weeks ago after we had got home from church Ralph was playing in the living room; he picks up a book, holds it over his head and starts walking while repeating 'father, son', 'father, son' over and over. He has continued to re-enact this memory of church with other toys. He has also started to 're-enact' getting sick drawing on his memory from a few weeks ago. He'll tell us 'tummy hurts' then he heads over to the kitchen where he bends over and makes a noise as if he is throwing up (unfortunately the kitchen floor is the best we could do a few times, at least it was not the carpet), once in a while he'll ask for help to be lifted to the sink.

Ralph is totally not spoiled just really loved . . the other day I go to pick him up from daycare just as they were getting ready to go on a buggy ride (the red 'stroller' for multiple kids). Ralph has loved buggy rides since he was in the infant room - he did show preferential treatment toward a few caregivers but when he came to a buggy ride anyone could take him for one. Ralph started to throw a fit because he wanted to go on a buggy ride and, since I was there, he could not. He continued to throw the fit down the hallway. As we approached the director's office she offered Ralph a buggy ride out to the car with the other buggy. That made him happier, at least until we got out to the car and he still wanted "more buggy ride."

Both canines have broke through on the top. there are still have a few holes to fill on on the bottom.

Most times eating a meal is still a challenge. Once in a while we'll have a hit . .the last couple of days a peanut butter and raisin sandwich has been successful. I'm afraid it will have run its course soon and we'll have to go back to the drawing board.

Curious George, Thomas the Train, and Critter books are the books of choice these days. We practice our ABCs while reading one of the Thomas books - Ralph can tell you which friends names start with certain letters. I'm sure a lot is memorization but every once in awhile he'll surprise us with a new name

Ralph seems to be scared of various noises and has started to tell us "Henry scared of trucks". He is always inquisitive when he hears a noise outside. Can't wait for July 4.

Most of the time Ralph remembers his manners. Many times he'll say "thank you" when we hand something to him. He also says "excuse me" when walking around someone or an object. He is also a two-year old and can be a little ornery sometimes, like this morning when we were trying to take a photo.

Henry: Celebrating 5 months!

Henry has been introduced to the exosaucer and likes exploring all the toys attached . . some he plays with, some he tries to put in his mouth. He also likes 'running' while in it.

He likes grasping objects (links, Oball) . . . and putting them in his mouth. He can also talk in the language of 'motorboat' and 'raspberries'.

Henry sleeping habits are still nothing to brag about. If he sleeps all night 2 nights a week it seems to be a good week. He actually slept all night 4x one week but the pattern did not hold. As much as we try to follow the 'back to sleep' campaign, Henry has other ideas and mostly sleeps on his side or tummy..

He has tried rice cereal, I think some of it is actually getting swallowed but most is getting pushed back out. We can only hope once he just ingesting more and gets more full that maybe he'll sleep better. Something has to start working, doesn't it?

He likes napping his naps in the crib as opposed to the swing or bouncy seat.

His bottom teeth have not poked through yet though you can definitely tell they are close.

Fun Filled Saturday morning

Our bank was hosting "youth week" this week, ending the week with a visit from Happy D. Klown. I thought this would be a good chance to introduce Ralph to clowns, thinking it wouldn't be too crowded. Ralph was the only child at the bank when we arrived. He was a little timid in the beginning but "Happy" toned down his act a little and once Happy started making balloon animals Ralph was a little more at ease. Ralph received a puppy, turtle, and bear balloon animals. Then Happy did a magic trick with audience (Ralph) participation. By the time we left Ralph was at ease enough to tell Happy "Bye Bye".


Following the visit to the bank we traveled over the Tractor Testing Museum at East Campus. We had a tour guide that enjoyed visitors (us) and provided us a narrative of the various tractors on display. Ralph was as patient as a two-year-old could be and probably took more much pleasure in seeing a kitty cat as he did seeing the tractors. (Henry was as patient as a four-month-old could be and slept during most of the visit.)

Ralph: Celebrating 25 months

Last Tuesday marked Ralph's 25 month. I wasn't going to keep posting updates but I can't seem to stop.

Ralph continues to enjoy basketball - he points out basketball hoops we drive by, he knows baskets are worth two points, and tries to turn about anything into a basket so he can play basketball. There is a small basketball in Henry's room at daycare. He seeks it out everyday and tries to get a few shots in before we go to his room. He either exclaims "Made it" or "Miss it!"

More often than not he wants things his way. He is a cross between Mr. Independent and a Drama Queen. If one of his friends at daycare tries to help him get his coat or open the door for him at the end of the day Ralph seizes the opportunity to let everyone know he wanted to do it. In the photo he pulled his stool from the bathroom to the hall tree to hang his hat up.

"Give it back to me" is the longest phrase he says. . . maybe soon we can make it a little longer by adding 'please' to it. He is starting to sing along to certain songs, very softly. Mike & Ralph have started to say prayers when going to bed and Ralph will repeat the last word in each line.

Ralph is usually a pretty good boy at church but sometimes he gets a little inquisitive with a "where's father?" at the beginning or end of mass. One other time as Father is leaving mass Ralph waves and keeps saying "bye bye Father." I think we provide ample entertainment for those around us. I did catch Father cracking a smile at Ralph months ago.

We almost have one more tooth to count. Last Monday he woke up 4 times during the night. It took us until the 3rd time to even consider teething. Sure enough you can see the right canine getting close to breaking through.

Eating is a struggle more times than not. Ralph is not usually interested in eating and would rather be playing. . .which is what he usually tries to do with his food - I have heard him say "throw it" and "shovel" while eating before. We have tried bribery with stickers and going outside, along with timeouts. It's definitely a challenge.

Ralph loves to be outside now that it is nice. Mike and him will go outside after supper whenever they get the chance. They have met many of neighboring kids.

Following in big brothers shoes, I mean, hat.

Grandpa & Grandma could not let Henry go hat-less any longer. Henry now has his own "I Hunt for Hugs" hat. He still has some growing to do so it fits but if he is anything like his brother, dad, and grandpa he will not be hat-less for long!

Thanks Grandpa & Grandma!

They are 2 Already!

Back on April 11 we had a reunion with the families from the child birth class we took when we were expecting Ralph. Once again, it was fun to see everyone - and to see the similarities and differences in our children, most of whom were born within the same week. We were short one family since they had just had their 2nd child the week before. Another family just had their 2nd child this week. We hope to have another reunion this summer to meet the new siblings. Trying to get everyone to cooperate for the group photo was nearly impossible . . . .

Well Child Check-ups

Ralph & Henry had their respective well child check-ups today.

Ralph - 24 mo
Height: 35.5" (77%)
Weight: 26 pounds (24%)
BMI: 14.57 (3-10%)
Ralph's head size is average also. If the pattern holds, Ralph will be a long, skinny person. He turned a little bashful when the doctor came in and wasn't very talkative but was cooperative. Very surprisingly he didn't utter a peep when his finger was pricked for the lead test. Luckily he only received one shot - he wanted to carry on more than he was given the opportunity to but with one shot there was not much time to react and it was done.


Henry - 4 mo
Height: 25 3/8" (66%)
Weight: 12 pounds 14 ounces (13%)
Henry's head size is also average. Doctor still thinks his head will work itself out. Unfortunately any method of sleep training isn't encouraged until 6 months so we will continue to be patient. We were given instruction to try dark karo syrup or prune juice to help with gas/daily bowel movements as Henry sometimes only has dirty diapers every other day. Henry received various immunizations but they were contained to two shots - he squawked a little and with very little consoling he was done. . . another sign the boys have very different personalities.

Henry also had his 2nd visit to the chiropractor this afternoon. The session was very relaxing for Henry. He was asleep on arrival and continued to sleep the whole time. She did all she could while he was in the car seat and we had to take him out to work on his spine and sacrum. He was very relaxed the whole time and even let out a big sigh towards the end. She thought she noticed changes in his head. The sacrum area was still tight.

(photo taken a few days ago on Easter)

Henry: Celebrating 4 months!

So many changes in the last month. As of last Wednesday night Henry has not been swaddled and is sleeping in a sleep sack. Unfortunately, it still does not mean he is sleeping all night. We are still following the "back to sleep" campaign when we put him to bed but he is usually on his side next time we see him - and sometimes he has scooted himself half-way around the crib. He continues to get up at least once a night to eat - and its clear he is hungry when he wakes up.

This past Monday night Henry transitioned from the mini-crib to the big crib. Nothing note worthy to report except he'll now have more room to scoot around in the middle of the night.

Last Wednesday Henry made his first trip to the chiropractor. We took him based on a recommendation from a friend and my fear that the right side of the back of his head is a little flat. This chiropractor does craniosacral therapy. This type of therapy has shown to be effective in misshapened heads. I had consulted his pediatrician a month ago who, at that point, thought the flat part of his head would work itself once he gets more active. My thought is that the chiropractor can't hurt and maybe it'll help in other areas too.

Last Friday morning Henry rolled from his back to his tummy. We sat there watching him for awhile since I wouldn't consider it official until he got his arm out from under him. He has continued to roll whenever given the chance.

Henry is much more active than I could have predicted. He was not a big mover in the womb but there is no stopping him now -between the rolling over and kicking his legs he is quite active. He is a very social boy who loves to interact with others - he hands out smiles easily, is quite a jabberbox, and is starting to stick his tongue out too.