Ralph: Celebrating 23 months!

The trantums have begun at our house. They are just little ones for now and can usually be diverted with an offer of a fruit snack or other appealing treat. Ralph wanted to vacuum the other night after we opened the cloest door and he saw the vacuum so we finally pulled it out after supper. He held on to the cord while Mike vacuumed but after a thorough cleaning enough is enough so we had to tell Ralph the vacuum broke which wasn't good enough. He voiced his displeasure for a bit until Mike said "fruit snack" and then he switched his mood and happily took a fruit snack.

One of the most common phrases heard around Ralph is "whaz zat?" He is inquisitive and notices new things he has not seen before. His vocabulary has expanded to short sentences "Daddy take you" (meaning him) or "Alph can do it"

Just yesterday a new tooth was spied - bottom row just beside the front one on the right side. Its the first new tooth since November. A closer inspection today revealed the same tooth on the left side getting set to break through.

Ralph must be growing while we aren't looking. He can reach door knobs and countertops easier. We have to remember to set things further back on counters so little hands can not reach them.

Ralph's most creative game he has come up so far is to play "hooks." "Hooks" involves taking a hanger and hooking it onto a door knob. It is best played in the master closet where there is a clothes rod at his level and there is an area of extra hangers. I tried to change it to gift bags whose handles would fit on the knobs (less dangerous) but it is not as much fun I guess.

Ralph is still in his crib but there is a mattress laying on the floor in his room. Would be nice if he just decided he wanted to sleep on the mattress but I'm guessing it'll take a little more coaxing. Hoping it won't take long to transition when we do decide to make the move, he does after all take his naps on a floormat at daycare. Really do like that he is contained in the crib but the mini-crib won't hold Henry forever.

Ralph enjoys his shopping trips to HyVee, Walmart, and Walgreens with Grandpa and Grandma. They sometimes pick him up on Sundays prior to his lunch and have started to save their errands until he is with them.

We (I) are not above bribery. Ralph is not the most cooperative guy when trying to cut nails. I bribed him once - I could cut his nails and he could have fruit snacks. I was willing to give him one fruit snack for one nail since there are just enough to go around. Now if I tell him I need to cut his nails he exclaims back "fruit nacks!"

In the last month Ralph has gotten another ear infection, had the stomach flu, and battled pink eye. I hope everyone that says he'll be less sick when he gets to school is correct. We are thankful he hasn't gotten anything worse this winter but we wish he'd stay well for longer stretches of time.

Official Results are In . . .

Henry had his 2-month well child check up this morning. He weighed in at 10 pounds 8 ounces (21%) and 22.5 inches (37%). It was a pretty non-eventful visit. He received positive comments concerning the other areas the doctor checked. Henry cried during the shots but once they were done he calmed down quickly. Hopefully we don't see the doctor again for another 2 months!!

Got it!

Finally captured a little grin on Henry yesterday! They are a little more frequent and getting easier to catch.

Henry: Celebrating 2 months!

Henry had his first intentional smile a few weeks ago. Unfortunately we have not been quick enough to catch it on camera yet. He is also making baby sounds - goo and coo, among others. He is tolerating the activity mat more and is definitely one of the places that will bring a smile to his face, as well as sounds of approval. He likes to grasp fingers when being fed a bottle, he also seems to grasp shirt collars and most anything else that is in his way. He also likes to stand (or put weight on his legs) for a second.

One of his bigger accomplishments this past month is transitioning back to his crib (or the mini-crib we borrowed). Weeks ago he had been spitting-up at odd times and I wasn't comfortable laying him flat in the crib so he had been sleeping in a bouncy seat. His spitting-up seems to be better so last Thursday we decided to try the crib again. The first night was a little rough, Friday night was better - hopeful it continues to get better and, hopefully soon, he decides to sleep more than 3.5-4 hours before waking up for a snack! He continues to take his naps in the swing and bouncy seat - or, if he has his way, on someone's (probably anyone's) chest. He is starting to stretch out when sleeping on someone (or being held) and is not curled up into a ball.

His bedtime routine is not predictable yet. We seem to fluctuate what time he goes to bed. but have not found the "magic time" yet either. He seems to need to be swaddled around 7 pm to relax a little, maybe take a little catnap. He'll wake up a little later for a snack and some awake time and usually fall asleep in the bouncy seat around 10:30-11 at which time we move him to his room. The few nights he has gone to bed earlier he usually wakes up earlier than usual so we have not been pushing an earlier bedtime yet.

Henry is averaging about 25 ounces of milk a day. Looking forward to getting the official weight/height measurements at his 2-month well child check-up on Monday, not looking forward to the shots.

Henry begins "school" week after next. I'm sure he is indifferent toward the idea but they are looking forward to having him and knowing how much Ralph is loved there I am sure Henry will steal their hearts as well.

Ah, to be a child . . .

For anyone that has observed a child and asked themselves "I wonder what they are thinking." Here's another one to add to the list . . . So many times I wish I could bottle up Ralph's imagination and creativity. I was able to capture him for a bit before he spied me. Spoons and spatula's are usually 'shovels' but I am not sure how the stove is incorporated into his plan.