This That & Fun

The past two weeks have been full of fun.  Or maybe we were relaxing.  Wait, no, we have two boys, we were most definitely not relaxing.  haha!!  I do know that we were much too busy doing whatever we were doing to take a lot of pictures.  I realized this at some point and tried to remedy the situation, but, let's just say, that what you are about to see is not my finest work.  Or even good work.  But it's our life and the boys are always cute, so take what you can get.  ha!

Patrick is developing the cutest personality.  I think he's finally discovered that he can compete with the bigger tornado, especially if he gets a head start (like getting out of the bath first...)  One of William's favorite games is "scaring mommy" with his dragon towel on his head.  Lo and behold - Patrick has one too - and I suppose after a year of watching William play dragon - he wanted in on the fun.  He toddled around with the hoodie towel on, growling and laughing.  He didn't even mind when the hood would fall over his eyes and he was walking around blind.  And when the towel would fall off - he'd pick it up and throw it on his head over his eyes and keep going.  We had two very silly dragons - so much for calming down after bath.

he decided Daddy should have his cow's milk cup - what a good sharer we have

William is one of the friendliest kids I know.  He will literally talk to anyone!!  He told every one at the donut store that he smashed his finger in the door and that he was going ot get a bandaid at home.  it's so funny to think about how as a parent we might be influencing our kids, etc.  And he definitely gets the outgoing/never stop talking gene honestly.... I think it will serve him well.  With sweet red curly hair and a big smile - no one will be able to tell him no.  haha!!  I just hope that he only gets our good qualities....though he does seem to have a mean stubborn streak.. I'll blame that one on Sam... (my Daddy is laughing at me right now... I know I know)

giving Daddy a kiss... so sweet

Since we are one of the first parents to drop kids off in the morning, we hardly ever get to talk to the other parents.  At pick up, we met the mom of the boy who is apparently Patrick's best friend.  She was telling us that the other day, she brought C* to school and sat him down.  Patrick brought him a car and then went to get himself one and then they drove the cars around together.  She said she couldn't believe that Patrick would give C* a car before getting his own - how sweet it was - that she was nearly in tears just watching it.  Which of course, put me nearly in tears hearing about it.  It's kind of strange & interesting to think that such little kids, babies, could be learning compassion, kindness, etc - but obviously they are capable or much more than we give them credit for.  Simply amazing.  I hope growing up doesn't strip him of his sweet giving spirit.

Patrick is beginning to have spurts of happy independent play time.  He's always been a little bit happier than William was by himself, but he also has a VERY strong attachment to me.  He will cling ot my legs crying while I cook or get ready in the morning, desperate for me to pick him up.  Which is so sweet, but a little frustrating at the same time.  It's a nice relief to see him playing in the room with toys or in the living room with his brother.  He loves going out on the porch, so I've been opening the porch doors and letting him go back and forth.  I'm sure he will only get better at this the bigger he gets and is more able to play with William.  And then maybe separation anxiety will begin to take a back seat...

On Saturday, Sam had a wonderful idea to rent a kids' movie (Alvin & the Chipmunks) and watch on the floor in a pillow fort.  Little did I know that a pillow fort = a pillow pile.  We grabbed literally ever single pillow in the house, including the boppy, and threw them on the floor on top of two quilts.  We bought butter popcorn, Nilla wafers, and Reese's icrecream - because you have to have treats for movie afternoon!!  It was SOO much fun!  And both boys paid attention and laid relatively still watching the movie.  They both apparently love popcorn and Patrick likes to share his food, especially half eaten cookies... It was one of the best afternoons this year and we didn't leave the house.  I love snuggling with the boys.

Patrick stuffing his face with a mini-cupcake

I celebrated my 30th birthday by going to Six Flags with my Daddy.  Seriously - might've been the best idea of all time.  We had an awesome time riding all the roller coasters.  I even got legitimately scared on one of them.  And then immediately wanted to ride it again...haha.  And the best part - while we were looking at the best deal for tickets - turns out that if we got four season passes for 2013 it was basically the same price (with free parking!!) - so we can all go next year too!  With William!!  I am trying to figure out when just him and I can go ride his first roller coaster together.  He went with M&G and loved every minute of it - but they saved the roller coaster for me.  So thoughtful.  Sam has no use for roller coasters, but that has always been something that Daddy and I loved, and I hope to have the same with my boys.  I have a picture of the two of us on my 8th birthday on the Georgia Cyclone.  Of course, that was the first one we went on Sunday, and they no longer take a picture on that coaster.  Talk about disappointed.  I was all pumped to get the picture again, but the memory will have to suffice.  8 hours of fun and lot of time to talk while we waited in line.  A great birthday.  And I even came home with a cheesecake.  Perfection.

William taking the mini-cupcake in one bite

Patrick celebrated my birthday by finally cutting a tooth.  Success in parenting!! ha!  I did not birth the toothless wonder.  We celebrated by sleeping just a little bit better and without him screaming bloody murder every couple hours.  Thank goodness.  That was getting OLD!  Now, of course, we are going to have to figure out how to nurse with a very sharp little tooth that is rubbing mommy the wrong way, but we will work that out.  I'm just glad that he has teeth and I'm sure he is too.... Real food is easier to eat with teeth.  On that note - he has been expanding his tastes in food.  He has now added chicken to the list of things he will eat at home.  And roasted potatoes.  He threw the green beans on the floor though.  Bread is still his number one favorite though - cinnamon raisin bread is the only way we are able to get any peace in the morning getting ready.  (the same as it was two years ago with William)  ha!

William has started adding to his nighttime routine a pleading request to snuggle.  I think it's just to stall actually going to sleep, but it's so hard to say no.  He's so sweet and really - how much longer is he going to request snuggles?!  I'll usually give in a couple times a week.  Last night when I snuggled, he petted my chest saying "I love your baby food".  Sam is worried that he's going to start petting strangers asking about their "baby food".  hahahahaha!!!

Loves!

Patrick's Party

One of the funniest sentences that William uses frequently is "that's not good for me".  Not quite sure where/how he picked it up, but when something other than the show he wants to be watching comes on - like, say a commercial - he pulls that one out.  Occasionally, he will use the sentence appropriately and there really will be something on that we don't want him to see, but usually Caillou has ended and he doesn't want to wait for the DVR to cycle through the next three minutes for another one to come on - so he tries to get us to fast forward through it because it's "not good for him."  Silly boy.

for some reason William refused to wear a swimsuit while swimming in the pool the entire weekend.  fine with us - we forgot to bring the swim diapers that he insists he still has to wear with his shorts.

Patrick has discovered that he can throw a tantrum.  Complete with shaking fists and stomping feet.  Unfortunately for him, it's still quite amusing to watch him to do this.  But when he commits, he commits hard poor baby.  I suppose we should celebrate some kind of developmental milestone that comes with the ability to throw a tantrum, but I just know that it won't be quite so novel in a couple weeks...  yay for being an experienced parent.

      

Oh!  Patrick's birthday party!!  It was absolutely wonderful.  We made a four day weekend out of it and that was one of our best decisions.  This year I decided that M&G (Mimi & Grandaddy) had done their fair share of traveling and it was time that they get to stay put, so we had the party at their house.  I meant for it to be an easy, laidback kind of party, but of course they wouldn't have any of that and were busy making food and doing yardwork.  Just can't get those two to sit still!!  The weather was beautiful, right up until party time.  Then it kept pouring rain every 45 minutes or so.  Lucky for us, we were all hanging out on the basement patio drinking beer, so the rain didn't matter a bit.  Except that I really wanted to go swimming and that wasn't going to happen in the rain.

It was really a super fun time - lots of family came - and the boys played with their (second?) cousins. I don't know that they stopped playing inside with the trains, foosball, and air hockey table for over an hour.  But then the sun finally came out after most of everyone had left, and Dash & William had the BEST time making HUMONGO splashes and behaving like boys in the blow-up pool.  Patrick nursed through all of it - poor baby was so tired.  I was impressed that he could focus through all the noise!

But yeah - Patrick only slept for 45 minutes all day - so he was basically exhausted for his entire party. He got lots of great snuggles with everyone though, which I know they (and he) enjoyed.  He did NOT smash his cake, which was a huge disappointment to me.  I spent all year making sure he never really had a taste of cake or treats so when he got the cake he would kind of freak out.  Nope.  He was too tired or didn't get it or who knows.  Rumer boys just don't smash cakes.  I give up.  It was a really cute cake though too.  And we barely had enough of the big cake for everyone - literally only 1.5 tiny pieces were left.  Everyone went home on a sugar high I am sure - 3 batches of buttercream on the cake.  Totally worth it.  I loved the cake and really enjoy icing them now.  Not intimidated at all.  Hopefully the boys will appreciate all the work when they grown up... maybe in 20 years.  Probably more like 30 though.  When they are watching their wives frost their children's cakes... oh my.  So not ready for that.  ha!

William stayed with M&G for the week and we went home midday Monday because Sam started his NEW JOB the next day!! (Tuesday)  He's now an Account Manager and so far he loves it!!  We are so proud of him and I'm trying to not be irritated by his blackberry.  He thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread - we've even had to buy a fancy new holster for it because apparently it is very inconvenient to try and figure out which phone is ringing when they are both in your pocket.  I'm going to have to take his word on that one.  I'm clearly not that important yet.. haha!!!  One day.  So, yeah.  One week in and I think he's rocking it.  Which of course he would be.  No surprise there.

 

I swear when I picked William up at Great Grandmother's house in Atlanta he was inches taller, his vocabulary had doubled, and he was just all around a bigger boy.  It had been 5 days.  Five days and I was convinced that he had drastically changed.  I just can't believe how much they change.  I'm in awe of it every time I slow down enough to have it shoved in my face.  I was talking with the "breakfast club" at work this morning, and we all have to remind ourselves that as much as we want to rush and see them grown up, that we also need to slow down and enjoy them as mini people too.  That it is all fleeting and we need to soak it in.  Because one day they will be teenagers who eat all the deli meat and barely talk to us... haha!!

Knock on wood - Patrick has been going down to sleep a little easier the past couple nights.  I was putting him down last night, then had to leave to flip the roasting potatoes which of course made him cry, but by the time I had gotten the whole pan turned, back in the oven, and walked back to the room - he had stopped crying (maybe 60-90 seconds at most).  I tell you - that is total progress.  Even counting the thirty minutes previously invested in getting him to sleep.  We will take it where we can get it.  I really truly don't mind getting up with him to nurse him all night long, but it strains us both when he won't go down easily.  And since I won't let him cry it out (because - really what is so wrong about teaching your child that you will be there to meet his needs) this usually causes the put down process to drag out a little if he's not in a cooperative sleepy kind of mood.

Patrick is definitely growing, we had to buy him bigger shoes yesterday.  Up to size 5.  We had zero size five in our stash - now when he hits 5.5 - he is set.  More than set.  And truthfully, maybe he should have been wearing size 5 this whole time, because they sure are easier to put on then the 4.5 red keds.  Oh well.  Hopefully he won't hold it against us.

I don't know how he is managing to grow though, he won't eat anything besides bread at this point.  He loved garlic bread tonight - smart boy...  He just throws everything else on the floor - hotdog, biscuits (I don't think he realized that biscuits are like bread - just with butter and jam), fruit, chicken, everything.  And we are 0 for 2 on getting him to drink from a sippy cup at school.  Luckily, they will just pour the breast milk into a bottle for him to drink, but the pediatrician wants him off the bottle and we can't find a sippy cup that he will drink from?!  Who knows.  I guess since he still nurses all night long, I should stop being SO concerned about the lack of swallowing table food nutrition wise, but I don't know....  He also doesn't have any teeth still - so maybe he's just waiting for those to pop in.

Loves.

Patrick by Numbers: 12

I simply cannot believe how fast the past year has gone by.  I can literally remember every minute of of the day a year ago.  How I felt my heart actually enlarge and spill over in joy when he first cried.  It amazes me how much babies change in twelve short months, and as much as I want him to stay little, I also can't wait to see what kind of boy he becomes.

*Weighs 22 lbs 5 oz (just under 50th) - 30.5 in tall (just over 50th)

*Walks like a pro and runs after his brother.  He can play a mean game of chase.

*Loves animals.  Will chase the cats and is not afraid of dogs - atleast the smaller ones he has seen up close and personal.  We still haven't let ours run him over yet, but he is very interested in them.

*Has had a mini-taste or two of real milk and wasn't impressed!  That's my boy!! ha!

*LOVES greek yogurt!! And Italian sausage.  He will gobble gobble and beg for more.

*STILL no teeth.  None.

he didn't want anything to do with the pictures at first and cried so hard

I will do anything for this sweet little boy

*Had roseola, which made us quite uneasy, but it finally disappeared after more than a week.

*His most favorite toys are trucks and he loves to make the engine sound by razzing.

*He believes that he can swim and will try to be sneaky walking around the pool to find an opening to jump in without you - he has NOT been successful so far.  He absolutely hates his floaty seat.

*Prefers to be barefoot and does not mind grass, pinestraw, mud, etc.  This is the exact opposite of his brother, though , I think Patrick is beginning to influence him on this one.

*Begins the night sleeping in his crib, then moves in to the bed with mommy.  I love it, he loves it, I don't see this changing any time soon.

*Is very distractible while nursing, but when he's REALLY hungry he can focus through anything.  Even two rambunctious boys in a small pool making BIG splashes.

*Still nursing all day and all night long.  Goes about 3 hour between during the day if he gets a good meal, but sometimes on the weekends he just snacks all day.  He can go 3 hours at night, but he usually prefers every 2.  He's gotten really efficient though, so we are rarely up more than 10 minutes at the very most, usually it's only 5.

*Loves raspberries on his belly.  His laughter makes the world a better place.

*One of his favorite activities is putting things in things.  We found the car keys in the mop bucket one day (after twenty minutes of searching).  It is helpful when we are picking up toys though - he thinks it's fun and has no idea that it's a chore!  haha!!

he refused to stay still on the floor or on his feet - it's a wonder we got this one at all!!

Watch out world - Patrick is ready and on the move!!

*Is a bit of a cling-on.  But since he loves Mommy best, I'm usually ok with it.  Breaks my heart in the morning at school though.  Sam has to practically drag me out of his room.

*Falls asleep on the highway.  Thank goodness.

*You know he's done with his meal when he starts throwing all of it on the floor.  This is fine when it's just puffs, not so fine with it's pasta covered in sauce.

*Love loves loves bread.  He is his momma's child.

*Took his first trip to the Gulf of Mexico.  He loved the sand and the ocean.  He's going to be a beach bum for sure.

*Lives for bath time.  He also thinks he's big enough to crawl over the edge by himself.  We've got to watch him for sure!

*Definitely a climber.  He can get himself into Sam's lap in the chair all by himself.

*Likes his paci, but can live and sleep without it.  Definitely not an obsession like his brother had.  we lose a lot more of them because of this though - he will toss them out without a though and before you know, we've gone from 10 pacis to frantically searching for 1.

*Has nearly outgrown most of his 12 month clothes.  He is rocking the 18 month clothes and he wears a size 4.5 shoe.  Nothing cuter than him in red Keds.  Can't wait until he's in size 5 for the brand new green ones we got him last fall though.

*Thinks it is funny to clap his hands and like to wave bye to his teachers.

*His fun personality really starts to come out in bursts when his tornado older brother isn't around trying to outshine him.

*Is starting to follow simple directions.  "Go to the room" "Pick up the paci"  "Give Mommy a kiss"  I especially like the last one :)

Loves.